The Titus 2:4 Project

I knew that title would get ya!  Who doesn't want better sex?  First disclaimer...God intended sex to be within the confines of marriage.  The best sex you'll ever have is with your spouse, because that's the relationship blessed by God. Ok, now that we've got that straight... let's talk. So many  things keep us from enjoying a good, healthy sexual relationship...stress, finances, exhaustion, the kids among others.  Assuming those other things aren't physical or emotional damage that is truly inhibiting us, then let's call ourselves 'normal' (for the sake of this discussion)...and before anyone gets upset with me, I'm not saying that someone with physical or emotional problems isn't normal...I'm just not sure how to get my point across without using common language, so if you would, please show me some grace as we approach this subject.  Deep breath...ok, so I'm not sure where we (my husband and I) learned these things - I beli...

We've officially made it!  17 years under our belt as a second-marriage, all-odds-against-us couple.  I will tell you that it was no easy feat.  Hence the reason I waited until today to post this - had to make sure we made it all the way through the 6,205th day.  As dawn broke this morning, I breathed a sigh of relief. Lots of things, statistically, were against us.  Six, in particular.  Three his, three mine.  Blending a family is never easy.  But everyone who knew us thought is was so cute that we were "just like the Brady Bunch."  Not exactly.  I had no Alice...instead we added another child (the "Ours" baby) and every episode didn't end in smiling faces.  When people ask me, "How did you manage?" They usually ask with a look of utter disbelief on their faces.  My answer is (and shall always be) the same.  Only by the grace of God.  And I am not kidding.  So how did we successfully survive these past 17 ...

Are you familiar with sweetened, condensed milk?  I have four cans of it sitting in my pantry, probably well past their expiration date, because I rarely use it.  But I love the idea of it.  Extra sweet, and packed into a small can.  Sweetened...condensed.    This reminds me of the first Bible I ever had.  It was a big one that filled my entire lap and had colorful pictures but the scriptures were just like that can of milk...sweetened and condensed.  Important stories were retold in a way that a young child would understand and enjoy.  I'm sure the writers meant well, but now that I'm an adult, it almost feels like a disservice. Please hear me out on this.  I'm not saying we shouldn't begin exposing our children to the stories in the Bible at a young age.  That's very important, because as we are told in Proverbs 22:6 to " Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." I was defini...

Have you ever been out and about, running errands, picking up kids, going here, going there and suddenly you notice the warning light on your gas gauge.  How long has that been on?? Did it just turn on? Do I have 40 miles worth of gas in my tank? Has it been on all day and I am just now noticing it??  Visions of myself standing on the side of the road, helpless and alone, flash through my mind. "Lord, please get me to the nearest gas station!" I live in rural Indiana. There are some places I go fairly regularly, where the nearest gas station is a 15 minute drive minimum...that's if it's before 9pm. And if you happen to need diesel fuel, you could be even further from the nearest station. This happened to me a few days ago. My husband, youngest son and one of his friends were with me when I looked down and the information panel read "LOW RANGE." Usually, I can push the button and it will change to "40 MILES," telling me how far until empty. But...

Ok.  I admit it.  I thought I was doing fine.  I thought I could handle this with utmost grace and composure.  But now...I'm not so sure.  Graduation is just 9 days away.  Suddenly I feel a tightness in my throat and a weird pain in my heart (No, I'm not having a heart attack) that I hadn't experienced with the last five children I've watched grow up and graduate.  This time is different.  Very, very different. If you know me personally, you probably already understand why I'm feeling this way.  But for those of you who don't know, let me enlighten you.  My precious, ball-of-fire, amazingly talented, wild, opinionated, mouthy, smart, funny, lovable, hard-working, know-it-all, test-of-my-faith, son, Jacob is about to graduate!!  And this, my friends, is a BIG 'OL DEAL! It all began back in 2000 when he started kindergarten and the teacher insisted that he had ADHD.  All I knew is that I had a boy on my hands who freak...