Just for Laughs

I believe God likes a good laugh. I really do.

So for anybody who has ever held a conversation with me knows how I feel about children and babies. Like, don't ask me to help out with VBS or the Nursery because somebody will end up crying by the end of the day. I could probably offend you with all my opinions, so I'll just leave the conversation here.

Moving on.

Do you know what you get when you start praying? You get answers to prayer. My prayer has been that God make me into the woman he wants me to be.......

Do you know what happens when you don't take pills as directed.

You get pregnant.

Yup.

Nope.

Not Kidding.

SURPRISE! 


So yes. We found out on Fathers Day. I'm 12 weeks. 


For those of you who suck at math. We didn't find out until almost 8 weeks and even then it was a "naaa, but just in case" ........I could go on that show "I didn't know I was pregnant".


And again. For those of you who suck at math, (which I am one. *hello Bible College*) I am due in the beginning of February. 




I'll have pictures and all that cute, gag worthy stuff that pregnant people do when they are pregnant. But for now, you'll just have to settle with out. Besides, I'm not really showing anyway. 


Thats all for now....
-j

Warning. It might break your heart.

"Like almost every country in the world, Morocco has difficulties concerning sex and marriage. However, Morocco's "little maids" have an especially difficult situation.
        Most of Morocco's unwed mothers are poor, illiterate women from the countryside who started working as domestic servants, "little maids", as young as seven. Handed over into enslavement by their families because of finical need, the girls spend long hours cooking and cleaning for better-off Moroccans. There fathers take what little money they make. After years of this, many girls will have sex with any man who is kind to them and promises them marriage. Countless others are raped (being the "property" of the man of the house).  Those who get pregnant often end up on the streets-- or worse. About half the women who get pregnant out of wedlock have been promised marriage. Other common causes of unwanted pregnancies are prostitution (14%), as well as rape and incest (7%).
       A woman is suppose to be a virgin when she marries, and needs to have a "certificate" of virginity. NOt being a virgin  brings shame on the family. Since extramarital sex is the ultimate culture taboo, unmarried mothers are ostracized, harassed and even threatened with death by their own families. So- called "honor killings" are illegal and rare in Morocco, do not occur, unusual for a young women to live on her own, and it is difficult for her to find a job to provide for herself and her baby. Sone turn to prostitution and about 40% of the unwed mothers abandon their babies anywhere they can, even in garbage bins, toto avoid social ostracism. According to one woman, "if I were to abandon my build, I would have as a zombie: alive but dead inside." An unwed mother can be persecuted for adultery or fonication and sentenced to prison for up to sex months (though this punishment is not often carried out). Some mothers leave the hospital right after birth without receiving proper medial care for fear of being prosecuted.
    Some believers in Morocco care for single mothers, helping them keeping their babies and finding employment for them. "

These girls need to know the Love and Grace of Jesus Christ! </3 it breaks my heart that they are lost in a religion that their god doesn't love them.

This month is the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Brian and I are fasting for the whole month from T.V. that might sound trivial to you, but it's a pretty serious sacrifice to us (especially because the olympics are on this month). Lots of people don't seem to understand why I find it so important. I'm not celebrating Ramadan. My heart is BROKEN for the Muslims. So many in our country have hatred and prejudice against them. I have such a desire for them to come to the Messiah that I am more than willing to sacrifice trivial t.v. for 30 days if it means they can spend eternity with me.

My prayer is that Christians will have boldness to share the gospel with local Muslims. And Missionaries will also have the same boldness. Muslims are most vulnerable during this time.  Please pray for these girls, that their fathers will care more about the health and safety of their daughters rather than their families social status. Pray for them. I hope your heart breaks as mine does.

"Take some time for you" pt. 1

My life is filled with day time T.V. and puppy pee breaks. As I was getting ready the other morning I had a show on in the back ground.

I'm doing this post in 2 or 3 segments. This is for your benefit, because it will probably end up being a REALLY long post if I don't break it up.

If you watch day time T.V. these days it's all about making people over. They usually have a mom who no longer feels beautiful and they make her over.

This episode it was a mom who was too busy taking care of her children to really take care of herself. At the end of the segment the host of the show says "Just remember it's all about taking time for you".

I chewed that over for a while. Pretty much all day until youth group time.

"Take some time for you".

I believe in taking personal time to relax and regroup.

Taking care of other people can be burdensome. Serving people gets tiring. I know this, but I also know that I don't know it like a mother does. Right now it's just Brian and I and washing dishing and doing laundry can get old fast. Even though I get tired, I'm not foolish enough to think my life is harder than someone with children.

However, the context in which; "Just remember it's all about taking time for you" was said, I believe is selfish. Before you get mad and close the window hear me out.

This is what the person meant when she said "Take time for you"

"Take time for you; and take a shower"
"Take time for you; and by new heals"
"Take time for you; and do your hair"
"Take time for you; and rest"
"Take time for you; and take a nap"
"Don't do that for your kids, relax; take time for you"

Now. All of those things are good and important. We do need rest. We do sometimes need a shower. We do need to take time away and relax. Not getting burnt out is important. However, If it's not done properly it will just create bitterness and wont actually produce rest.

Maybe you agree, maybe you don't, maybe you think i'm a fool. Thats ok. I challenge you to think about it. And come back tomorrow when I write more on it.


Bitterness: It's really easy for me to get bitter at Brian for not doing the dishes, or not taking out the trash. Or helping me around the house. (not so much now because I don't work. but when i was working).  I wanted HIM to serve ME. Because, who doesn't want to be served.

²² Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. 

Probably, one of the most incorrectly quoted passages in scripture. And even thought it's said at most Christian weddings I'd say 10% actually understand what it means or even agree with it. 

Verse 24: Says that wives need to submit to their husbands and the church submits to Christ. 

Submit: To accept or yield to a superior for or stronger

Go back to 

Martha, Eat Your Heart Out

Or,  "Martha, Eatchor heart out" is how it sounds in my head. 

A couple weeks ago my father-in-law had his birthday. The family came over to our house. So I decided to make a cake. 

I made a Chocolate Cake with a peanut-butter buttercream frosting. YUMMY! 

Apparently this is a new thing? I've met a few people who haven't heard of that combo before...They've apparently never been to Governors.

 It's a Maine thing. 

Ok. SO I made my cake. And I had a little help from my friend Betty Crocker. Let it cool. Blah blah blah. You know the drill. 

Then I made some buttercream frosting. I had never actually made buttercream before. I know. Fail. But it's ok. 

I went to Cookies and Cups and got tips and the recipe on how to make it. 

Ok so after I got the cake on the plate and started to frost, I realized there was a gap in between the cake and the plate. Well what do cake people do. They pipe around the bottom.  

So I pulled out a plastic bag. I couldn't Justify getting out a piping bag just for that little bit, hence the plastic bag. Now, a lot of people don't know this trick. Or they do, and I'm just the only fool. In order to get frosting into the bag with out making a mess, you fold it over a glass. Like so:

I just grabbed my little scooper and scooped some frosting into the bag. Then you close the bag up and snip off the end. 

Note: I didn't use it all, so I froze the rest of it. 

Then, I just frosted the rest. And this is what it looked like... Mmm makes me want another one.

Oh. And I melted some chocolate chips (and crisco) and just took my fork and shook it over the cake. Voila! Sugar comma happiness. 

Enjoy!

Thats all for now.

-j

What's 4 Supper?

I love our teens. they are a good group of kids. Last weekend, we took 26 teenagers to up state Pennsylvania to Snow Camp. Now I realize I'm from maine, but spending a whole weekend playing in the snow is not my idea of a fun time. Neither is staying up late listening to giggling girls till 1 in the morning. THANKFULLY, it was not my girls that were loud.

Upon returning from snow camp, both brian and i spent the next few days in bed sick. when I say a few days I mean Brian is still fighting to get rid of a cold. that being said, thats why the lack of posts for the past almost two weeks. But i'm back. So ANYWAYS.


Ok, so I did this post a while ago. but it needs to be done again.

So for those of you who own an, ipod touch, iphone, or ipad, or WANT one. You need to read this.

There is this awesome app called "What's 4 Supper". It's got all of these great features.

You can plan out the means for, well really as far in advance as you like.


You can put in your grocery list and check it off as you put it in your cart. NOW. not only can you do that, but it will also organize the data for you based on where it's found (example Cheese would be in the Dairy isle). That way you never have to back track.

Also, you can program it to list the items by isle. So it gets even more organized. WOAH!


PLUS, on top of that. It has a "Kitchen Helper" it's got tips and tricks, measurements, substitutions and more.

I love this thing.

However, it's not free.

It is (i think) 5 bucks. But it's TOTALLY worth it. I carry my phone with my to the store and just check things off my list. and I always know what we will have for dinner and I never end up spending more money than needed.

That and I never lose my grocery list because well, it's my phone.

If you dont have it. you totally have to. it's awesome.

ok thats all, you have to get it. it'll change your life!

-j

It's a party!

Note: the party is actually at 10648 Long Leaf Ln. Waldorf MD 20601.
thats all for now
-j

Just another day being a pastor's wife.

I love my husband. And I love our youth kids.

I love my husbands creative mind. His relational personality. (He's why I go to dinner parties, he talks and I just sit there. It's glorious.) I love that he's a dreamer. ( I also love that I'm a doer). I love that he has the ability to see the world differently than I do......

With that being said.

Brian last week put on a youth conferance for the youth in the area. It was at the college. And let me tell you it was a blast. The kids played a huge game of capture the flag over the college campus which  I think is at least 6 acres.

Friday afternoon I asked Brian,

"So hunny, what are you going to do about flags for capture the flag"....

You know those moments where you immediately regret saying something. Like you knew it was going to come back to bite you?

yeah, it was one of those moments.

For those of you who don't know. Brian and I moved last weekend. A lot of stuff we got rid of or left in our apartment for the next people to use.....


Brian looked at me... looked past me at the window. Looked at me again and said... "How attached are you to your curtains.

..yup word regret. like word vomit only not......





So there ya have it. My curtains were turned into flags for capture the flag.

I love my husband. I really do. And I love my wife life.

thats all for now.
-j