Monday, September 26, 2005

Coming soon to a theatre near you!

The Chronicles of Narnia!
The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe!

In Theatres December 9 2005! I cannot wait!

http://adisney.go.com/disneypictures/narnia/index.html?deeplink=production

http://books.narnia.com/discover/explore/explorenarnia.html

"The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom, and before honor comes humility." Proverbs 15:33


I can honestly say that I myself have not done that much research on different forms of birth control. Some people are totally against any form birth control, which I definitely do not agree with. There is no reason why a husband and wife should not plan out when they try and begin and family, and sometimes God brings an unexpected gift anyway; sooner than we may have planned.

But my point is that why can't a husband and wife choose when they want to start a family. And who are we to judge people for their decisions? "...for kingdom purposes, it might be wise to regulate the size of one's family and to regulate when the new additions to the family will likely arrive. As Wayne Grudem has said, "it is okay to place less emphasis on some good activities in order to focus on other good activities." For example, planting a new church might not be the best time to begin a family. I know that for Justin and I purposfully not having a child within our first year of marriage, prepared us for things to come in our future, furthermore, postponed for kingdom purposes, that we might enjoy and know Christ better through what we learned in that time before we became three.


May I suggest if you are interested in this subject the following link:
http://www.desiringgod.org/library/theological_qa/marriage_family/bc.html

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

The Ultimate Treasure Hunt


Thrift stores are a novel idea! People get rid of things they don't want anymore, and others come and buy them for a(hopefully) good price. I have run into a fair share of overpriced thrift stores ( like a tablecloth I saw once for $20 and I got a similar one from Target for $10) but overall they have proven to be worth my time! To have a successful trip you first of all have to be in the mood to hunt, second, going with some specific items in mind is a good idea and perhaps you will find some other treasures along the way.

I have been looking for good second- hand stores in our area for some time now, and today I found two!

The first one is called St. Vincent de Paul and is a large shop on Willy St. here in Madison and has lots of fun finds. I found a wonderful little bedside table for $6 and an adorable little weekend bag for only $1 , both of which would probably cost about $500.00 total in an Anthropologie catalog. The other shop is called Savers and they have shops all over the country. I am hoping to get there later this week. I am looking for a small table to set up in our room to work on my many on-going projects!

Happy Anniversary!

Happy 30th Anniversary to my parents!
Congratuations, I love you both!

Monday, September 19, 2005

" What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?"

I really love weddings. Nothing sends my heart into a delirious excitement like a wedding. To see two people consumed with love for each other, and ready to experience the rest of their lives with one another makes me ecstatic. When I married Justin I felt an incredible joy and security that this man was taking me to be his wife forever! It is almost impossible to describe the happiness I felt.
As with all marriages there are good times and bad. The honeymoon does end, and often times in our day and age many marriages do as well. It saddens me to see so many marriages end up so broken and bitter.
It is so amazing to think of your marriage when thinking about your relationship with Christ. So many give up on their marriages so easily, as they do with Christ, but there are those who cling on to Christ when their marriage is in distress. This is our only hope. I have realized that my husband will not and cannot make me happy. Only Christ can. I can experience Chirst's glory through my marriage by loving my husband through good times and bad. I cling unto Christ when I feel as though Justin just does not understand me, because he cannot read my thoughts...But Christ can. And I cling unto Christ when things are good, so that his mysterious ways may be revealed to me so I can trust him more, and love him more deeply.
I read once that you cannot love someone "too much." The problem is that we love Christ too little. How true is that! I do love my husband more than I ever thought possible! But, my husband will fail my expectations...All spouses do, but Christ never will! My love for Christ should be even more so! He has given us such an incredible gift...himself! Better than any other gift we could ever think of!
EVERTHING in our marriage can reveal Christs' character. We can really discover and get to know him through it, or, we can battle everyday in our broken world to try and find happiness in our spouse which is impossible. To respect and receive respect, humbly seek and extend forgiveness, and so many other aspects of my marriage can be revealed though Christ and his purpose for our lives; for his ultimate glory!

Thursday, September 15, 2005

"We find delight in the beauty and happiness of children that makes the heart to big for the body." - Ralph Waldo Emerson Posted by Picasa
The glory of the nation rests in the character of her men. And character comes from boyhood. Thus every boy is a challange to his elders.- Herbert Hoover Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

a "weekend to remember"


My Father-In-Law, a man that I truly have tremendous recpect and often seek his wisdom has led us astray! I kid of course. Here is the story...

Ever since Justin and I have been engaged his father has encouraged us to attend a confrence put on by Campus Crusade for Christ. It is called; " A weekend to Remember" and is for engaged and married couples of all ages.

Eager to attend, the conference was held last weekend in Lake Geneva. I had even convinced my best friend (and cousin) Nicole and her husband Marc to come. Since the hotel was quite costly to stay at we opted for a nearby bed and breakfast.

So, we arrive, pens, highlighters, Bibles and Starbucks in hand. We take our seats and soon the couple leading the conference is introduced and giving background about themselves. Soon we are into the workbook and I am waiting for some depth into the the topic of oneness...exept it never comes. Just statistics and random stories about thier lives. Eventually I look over to Justin, Nicole, and Marc who are all doodling on thier pages and say, ' Are you kidding me?' Soon we are giggling like second graders, all aware of our immaturity and disrespect for those around us, but it could not be helped.

About two hours in we had a break, and decided to ditch out on the rest that night and go check out downtown Lake Geneva. We did not do much, but ended up back at Starbucks sitting outside laughing and actually having good converstation with one another. Justin felt guilty about leaving since his Dad had so badly wanted us to go, and I have to admit I did too.

The next day we decided to give it another try and it was worse. So, long story short, we left at the lunch break and went and had a long lunch together! We told John about it, and all laughed when we found out the last time Jane and he had been to this conference was just after Justin was born!!!

It truly was a "weekend to remember!"

Monday, September 12, 2005

Prayer

Please pray for my brother-in-law Jared as he moves today to Milwaukee to
work on some rehabilitation there. Our family prays that he will have good
care and benefit from the work he does. We love you Jared.

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Happy Birthday Nic!


Happy 25th Birthday to my best friend and cousin Nicole!
Nicole and I have been best friends since well, since we were born.
Seriously! We have grown up together, and though
our middle and high school years were spent quite a distance
apart, we came back together as roomates in college.
Nicole is the best friend you could ask for. A girl with a stubborn will,
her heart is one of love. Her yearning for the Lord is never ceasing,
and her passion for Christ is solid!
She married (a week after I) a wonderful man I also love, named Marc.
They together are working towards teaching teenagers about Christ, and
to (if Gods will, and with his power) ignite a fire in thier hearts that seeks
the will of God. I love you Nic!