notes and tidbits

Did you notice Mommy Missionary's series of posts lately?  A pastor's wife and mom of five, she battled depression in recent months.  Her series of posts detail what God taught her in the midst of struggle.  

A Long Time Coming, Part One

A Long Time Coming, Part Two

A Long Time Coming, Part Three  (Details how her marriage suffered, and how God redeemed it.)

A Long Time Coming, Part Four

I especially liked this quote below, featured in her fourth post.  My husband is seriously discouraged right now, and I was so happy to read this today.  I will print it out and put in on the bathroom mirror for him, to see when he gets home in the wee hours tonight.

“The celebrated Scottish preacher, James Stewart, made a statement that is also challenging:

‘It is always upon human weakness and humiliation, not human strength and confidence, that God chooses to build His Kingdom; and that He can use us not merely in spite of our ordinariness and helplessness and disqualifying infirmities, but precisely because of them.’

That’s a thrilling discovery to make.  It transforms our mental attitude toward our circumstances.  Let’s pause long enough here to consider this principle in all seriousness.  Your humiliations, your struggles, your battles, your weaknesses, even your so-called “disqualifying” infirmities are precisely what make you effective.  I would go further and say they represent the stuff of greatness.  Once you are convinced of your own weakness and no longer trying to hide it, you embrace the power of Christ.” 

Paul, Charles Swindoll page 241

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My social studies and science planning is going smoother than anticipated (this week anyhow).

No hives for Paul this evening.

We have peppers and tomatoes already planted, and weather permitting, we'll do the rest of the planting this weekend.  Thunder and lightening abound lately--and mosquitoes, which are particularly abundant during humid weather.  They attack Paul and me viciously, while the others seem to largely escape the blood-thirsty rampage.

By far though, the worst mosquitoes I've experienced were in Yosemite Valley in early June, 2000.  What a hot, miserable bite fest, beautiful though it was!  Just a few hours later we were in the Yosemite mountains with snow on the ground and no mosquitoes in sight.  What a variance in scenery there!  A truly beautiful place.

That same trip, we camped at Mount Lassen in northern CA.  Beautiful, snow-capped volcano territory.  Breathtaking views.  My best hike ever occurred there, even though we got lost in the snow and feared we'd be spending the night with the bears (Or was it the mountain lions?  Can't remember now.  No, we didn't see any.  And yes, we made it back to camp.  And no, there was no wild love making on that hike.  It was beautiful for other reasons :)  ).

That was our first anniversary trip.  How carefree we were!  And how blessed and busy now, with our active brood.  When children come early in a marriage, you really have to hang on to those romance-rich memories.  It's a long season before similar ones can be made--especially if no family is around to take the reins for a couple days (or even for a couple hours).

Anyhow, have a nice weekend, friends!