Praises

I have to give God some glory here today. First let me give some background info. My husband Shaun is the Associate Pastor/Minister of Music at our church. The "associate pastor" part of the title just means that he does whatever else needs to be done!! LOL. Anyway, everything in our church has been going great...except the youth ministry. It's been neglected badly for about a year or so. And I don't think they've ever had a really dynamic one. (We've only been here for a few months.) So now that Shaun has had a chance to get the music ministry off the ground and fairly well organized, he's starting the student ministry back up. Our promotion Sunday was yesterday so we had several soon-to-be 7th graders move up. So we decided to have a coffee house type welcome party last night. The devil tried really hard to keep this from going well, but our God prevailed! It was a blast! The kids had a great time, we gained several really good adult volunteers, and more than likely received the approval to knock out some walls to create a youth room. So, I just wanted to take this time to praise God for what He started last night in the lives of our students and also for what He's going to do in the future. I know full well that we could never have pulled it off without Him!!!

Date Night

Well, Shaun and I just got home from our weekly date night. Yeah...it's only 10:30! We used to be able to stay out until 1 or 2 am. That was pre-pregnancy, however! We had a good time though. It wasn't anything fancy.
We went to Wal-mart in Fort Smith and picked up some things for a youth event we're having Sunday night. Then, we came back to Lavaca and tried out this pizza joint that everyone says you have to try. It's called Steffey's Pizza. There's a neat story behind it that I can't quite remember right now, but they are known for pizza subs. It's pretty good.
Then we decided to go up to the church and play some pool. (We have a pool table in our youth game room.) Now, I am not very skilled in pool. I know the rules pretty well and I even know what kind of english to use and when. But that comes from playing Yahoo! pool all the time! I'm pretty good at Yahoo! pool. But real pool is a completely different story. And my hubby is a pretty good player. He used to be really good, or so he tells me! At any rate, he's a lot better than me. But, being the sweetheart he is, he took it easy on me and gave me some pointers. And I think I improved some by the time we finished. I had to develop some pretty interesting positions sometimes. My big tummy kept getting in the way! It was pretty funny. Anyway, we had a really good time and we didn't have to spend a fortune to do so! That's always a good thing! I'd like to encourage anyone who doesn't already have a weekly date night with their spouse to incorporate one. It is soooooo helpful in keeping our marriage fresh and exciting. And like I said, it doesn't have to be expensive or anything. We usually do different things. We usually eat out, but the locations vary from McDonald's to Outback. And it also usually involves a trip to Wal-mart! (We used to always walk around Wal-mart during our college days. It seems some things never change, even with a move to "the big city"!) Anyway, our date night has especially become important to us knowing that with the addition of a baby in a few months it will be harder for us to be alone together. Well I guess that's it for now!

Fishing with Moses

Busted!

A woman pulled up to a red light behind another car. The driver of the car in front of her was talking on his cell phone, and shuffling through some papers on the seat beside him. The light turned green, but the man didn't notice. The woman began pounding on her steering wheel and yelling at the man to move. The man still didn't move. The woman went ballistic inside her car, ranting and raving at the man, pounding on her steering wheel and dashboard. The light turned yellow. The woman blew the car's horn repeatedly, as she yelled and screamed curses at the man. The man finally noticed the commotion. He looked up, saw the yellow light, and accelerated through the intersection just as the light turned red. The woman was beside herself, screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection. As she was still in mid-rant she heard a tap on her window and looked into the face of a very serious looking policeman. The policeman told her to shut off her engine and step out of the car. The red-faced woman obeyed, speechless at what was happening. The policeman then arrested the woman and took her to the police station where she was booked and placed in a cell. After a couple of hours the woman was escorted back to the booking desk where the original officer was waiting with her personal effects. The policeman handed her the bag containing her things, and said, "I'm really sorry for this mistake. But you see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn and screaming and cursing. Then I noticed the *Choose Life* license plate holder, the *Follow Me to Sunday School* bumper sticker, and the chrome plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally I assumed that you had stolen the car. Have a blessed day!"

More Madness

Okay, this is funny. I did Shaun's and he's a glazed donut, too! (If you haven't seen Lee Ann's blog, she was a boston creme donut and her husband Taylor was a glazed donut!)

You Are a Glazed Donut

Okay, you know that you're plain - and you're cool with that.You prefer not to let anything distract from your sweetness.Your appeal is understated yet universal. Everyone dig you.And in a pinch, you'll probably get eaten.

What Donut Are You?

Donut Madness!!!

Ok Lee Ann, I always knew we got along well for some reason! Here's my Donut test results:

You Are a Boston Creme Donut

You have a tough exterior. No one wants to mess with you.But on the inside, you're a total pushover and completely soft.You're a traditionalist, and you don't change easily.You're likely to eat the same doughnut every morning, and pout if it's sold out.

What Donut Are You?

It's a ...(Drum roll please)

BOY!

Cayson Elliott Martin

We found out this weekend. Everything looks pretty good. The only thing is, I'm measuring a little too big. Like 3 weeks too big. They were worried I might have gestastional diabetes so they did a glucose test, but that came back negative. I was very thankful for that! So the doctor said that there could be 2 other reasons: (1) It's going to be a big baby! and (2) The dates could be wrong. He feels like number 1 is more likely because ultrasounds are usually pretty acurate these days. We'll see! Also, he could have just taken a big growth spurt this month and he might slow down a bit, too. So we're going to monitor it and see how he grows. We were expecting him to be pretty big, though, because I was 8 pounds 3 ounces and Shaun was 8 pounds 14 ounces. If he does get pretty big I may have to have a C-Section. I really don't want that, but I'll do whatever I need to make sure that both he and I are healthy. Just as soon as I can, I will try and post the ultrasound pics. I have to get my hubby to scan them for me first, though!

In other news, I just want to thank everyone for their comments! When I wrote My Stained Glass Masquerade, I was feeling pretty low! Your support means a lot to me! I'm doing better, though. As I'm getting to know everyone better here it's getting easier to be myself. And I'm learning to let God transform me into the person that He wants me to be, instead of who people think I need to be. It's really awesome how He's doing that, too. Every time I get a negative thought, or a worry about what people will think, that Still Small Voice just penetrates through all the negativity. So, thanks again for your prayers and your support!

9 Things Only Women Understand

Just for fun...

9. Why it's good to have five pairs of black shoes.
8. The difference between cream, ivory, and off-white.
7. Crying can be fun.
6. Fat clothes.
5. A salad, diet drink, and a hot fudge sundae make a balanced lunch.
4. Discovering a designer dress on the clearance rack can be considered a peak life experience.
3. The inaccuracy of every bathroom scale ever made.
2. A good man might be hard to find, but a good hairdresser is next to impossible.

And the number one thing only women understand...1. Other women!

Baby Love

I have discovered something. I'm becoming a mother. Not just physically, but emotionally. The first trimester was pretty much all about me. What I wanted (or didn't want, mostly) to eat, buying new clothes, etc., etc. Now that I can feel the baby kicking, I've found that I'm falling in love with my baby. It's about him now. Now when I go to a store, instead of heading straight for the maternity clothes to see what cute clothes they've gotten in, I head to the baby stuff. I did buy some new shirts and some shoes yesterday, but only because I really needed them. Seriously. My mind is constantly occupied with how we're going to do the nursery, or things we need to buy or register for, or issues that might come up down the road. Like when he will start school. (His birthday will be in September which would make him either the youngest in his class, or one of the oldest.) Things like that. I love feeling him kick. I can't wait for it to be hard enough for Shaun to be able to feel it. Time is passing so quickly. I'm already 23 weeks, more than halfway there. It's scary but exciting. I know our life will never be the same after this. So I'm trying to enjoy the little things right now that I may never have again. Like laying in bed with my husband until after noon on Fridays and Saturdays. (We both have those days off.) I know I'm rambling, but I just need to ponder these things for a while. Mary, the mother of Jesus did that. The Bible says she pondered these things in her heart. I wonder if she would have blogged, given the opportunity. Please remember us in your prayers, if anyone reads this. I know we're going to need them!

My Stained Glass Masquerade

I went to a Casting Crowns concert Monday night. Since then, one of the songs has been haunting me. Now, I'd heard this song several times before, but it has taken on new meaning. It is personal for me. It's called "Stained Glass Masquerade". It's about christians who sit in church and pretend everything is going great in their life. Here's the words:

Words and Music by Mark Hall and Nichole Nordeman
Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin' so small
Cause when I take a look around
Everybody seems so strong
I know they'll soon discover
That I don't belong
So I tuck it all away, like everything's okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I'll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the heart again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them
Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation's open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade
Is there anyone who's been there
Are there any hands to raise
Am I the only one who's traded
In the altar for a stage
The performance is convincing
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart
But would it set me free
If I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person
That you imagine me to be
Would your arms be open
Or would you walk away
Would the love of Jesus
Be enough to make you stay

What a powerful song! It hit me yesterday that I've been living my own stained glass masquerade. I am a minister's wife. Yes, I spend time with God. Yes, I am a "good" person. I do what's expected of me. I always have. I don't like making waves. I realized yesterday that I'm afraid to show when I fail. I feel like I'm on a pedestal because I am "the Music Minister's wife". I feel like more is expected of me than the average person. So when I mess up, I don't want anyone to know it. I am in a ladies Bible study at church. We meet at a lady's house once a week and eat girl food and discuss our Bible study. It's usually a pretty fun time. However, during the discussion time, I haven't felt comfortable answering any questions simply because I'm (1) I'm shy and (2) I'm afraid that my answer will not be up to par with what they think a music minister's wife should say. Am I putting some pressure on myself or what? Well, this week I got a little behind on my Bible study. Since we went to the concert Monday night, I didn't get a chance to catch up. I didn't think it would be a problem since the leader doesn't pressure anyone to answer. I figured no one would know that I messed up. Well, this week she asked the questions differently. She made each of us draw a question from the Bible study. Well, I was doing some praying that my question would be from the first part of the week!!! But, wouldn't you know, it wasn't. Now the actual question wasn't that hard, but I just panicked. I ended up confessing that I didn't finish my study. I still had to answer the question though. Like I said, it wasn't hard. But, I admitted my failure to everyone. I was so mortified that I'd fallen short in everyone's eyes of what I should be. I wanted to start crying on the spot. (Hormones don't help, either, when you're 5 months pregnant.) But I answered the best I could and we moved on. There were no words of condemnation, but a few of encouragement. Still, I wonder what they really thought. On the way home, I let myself cry. And it was a good one too. I realized that the whole time I was more worried about what my small group would think, rather than what God thought. I immediately became ashamed. But how do you fight something like that? My perfectionism didn't start when I got married. I've been that way my whole life. My parents pushed me to be the best, but they didn't have to push hard. I wanted it. Bad. Now, I don't necessarily want to be the best at being a christian, but I do want to live up to everyone's expectations of me. It's so hard because there are so many. This is an issue I am going to have to pray hard about. And give it to God. And to practice, I am going to work on my response to the question "How are you doing?" I'm going to try and actually tell the truth, instead of automatically answering "Fine." If I can reveal my weaknesses, maybe then someone else can be blessed by encouraging me. And I might be able to help someone else, too. If there is anyone reading this at all, please pray that I will depend on God to help me and that I will seek His approval only.

My "Grown-up" Blog

Well, I finally did. I got a "grown-up at" blog. I've had one at xanga.com for a while now. Mainly at the insistence of my little brother. But looking through it, I've noticed that there just aren't that many people on there my age or older. And I feel funny writing about anything other that just general things, like what I did that day. It has been a great way to keep track of some of our youth, though. They think it's the coolest thing that I have a xanga. So, I will keep my xanga and update every once in a while. There's not much going on in my life; it's pretty much the same-old, same-old. But I am getting really addicted to blogging. I'm not a great writer or anything, but there's something therapuetic about putting your thoughts out there, knowing that someone might read them. Anyhow, I've been thinking about a lot of things lately that I just really to get down on paper...err...screen. So there will be plenty of posts to come. Hopefully.