Friday, March 26, 2010

Springing in the Valley!

This was such an amazing spring day! The air was warm but there was a cool breeze. It was as if the gentle wind was calling and beckoning, "Come and play. Find solace for your soul!"
After lunch I extended an invitation to the children to join me outdoors.
We sported our shades and grabbed the camera!
It is amazing the beauty and growth you can find in the desert....a unique loveliness like no other place.
We knocked on some doors of our neighbors and asked it we could photograph their blooms! You would have thought we brought a trophy to their door! Or a blue ribbon! They were delighted!
And I felt like one of those blooms myself as we strolled the streets with the desert sun shining upon our faces and bare arms! Wow...how refreshing!
Thank you my Daddy for the gift of this day! Your beauty is indescribable. May I never take Your works for granted!
Wow...what an amazing day...just to relax and enjoy my sweet children, to bask in the simplicity of the season, and to know that I am in my Father's care! For if He takes such great pleasure in the blooms springing from within the gardens of the earth, then how much greater His care for me!!!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

These Moments Won't Last Long


I just wanted to share these two photos with you my blogger friends! This afternoon Maggie and Lizzie were going at it the same time..."WAAAAA WAAAA WAAAAA WAAAAA WAAAA!" It was LOUD! SO, I swaddled them up very tightly in a blankie and held them both. They immediately fell asleep in my arms. I held them like this for a while because they just looked so dog gone precious!! These moments are flying by. Sometimes I get stressed with two babies, but I try to always treasure these moments. They truly are priceless.

Love to all,

Ange

Monday, March 22, 2010

A Loincloth or a Robe?


If you were naked and someone offered you either a loincloth or a full robe, which would you choose? I know what my choice would be. I would want the robe! I would grab for that which would give me the most covering and the most warmth! For me, I sure do not want to be exposed in the first place for all to see my imperfections. Secondly, I would not feel safe or secure without any clothing to protect me.

So you ask," I wonder why Ange is writing about robes, and loin cloths and nakedness?" Well, to be honest, I have been looking at the cross. The cross where Jesus hung. His flesh was not only stripped bare but his mutilated tissue hung from his bones after all the beatings and poundings. This is not a pretty thought. Yet it was the heart of love that makes this ghastly view a most lovely sight.

Jesus the Savior of the world hung naked, completely raw on the cross. Many paintings you see of the Christ on the Cross, you notice He is donned with a loincloth. However, Matthew 27 says , "And they stripped Him and put on Him a scarlet robe." There is no indication that his mockers dressed him in a little loincloth. The loincloth seems right and appropriate to the limited artists who present Christ with His private parts covered. Wonder why? Maybe it was that they painted what they thought we could only ""stand to see". However, Isaiah 52:10 states, "The Lord hath made BARE his holy arm."

So why the loincloth? I ask again, why do we see it in every photo we see painted of Jesus? Honestly, I believe it is a representation of our human tendency to always cover ourselves up. There are things in our lives that we struggle with in which we try to keep hidden. We tend to hide our humanity underneath the man made loincloth of religiosity. We stay so busy and burdened trying to cover up only that which God can cover and has already covered. Let's look at Matthew 27:28 again.

"AND THEY STRIPPED HIM, AND PUT ON HIM A SCARLET ROBE."

He was stripped down to his bare skin and then his bare skin was literally stripped from his bones. His abusers mocked Him further by dressing Him in a scarlet robe. Yet this was actually a foretelling of what the sacrificial death of the lamb of God meant. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, King of Glory was made naked and wounded so that His royal red blood could flow and and cover us. We have been given His scarlet blood robe and we are covered at all times. Yet we still try to cover ourselves with a flimsy loincloth! Why is it that we settle for so little when we already have it all?Come on church, we must wake up! We must stop focusing on hiding our private parts and trust that we are dressed in the best!! When we finally can get that deep within us, we know we are free to be vulnerable and real about our humanity. For it is within the reality of our humanity where the brokenhearted will find the Savior!!


However, to be perfectly honest, there have been too many times in my weakness where I have chosen to wear the loin cloth when I had already been given a robe. I think it has been mostly due to fear of man and maybe an unhealthy fear of God. When Adam and Eve sinned against God in the garden, they were suddenly afraid of God. So they constructed prickly loincloths to cover only what God could cover for them. Friends, God's provision for our nudity is the blood alone! Through Him we are clothed with scarlet robes of righteousness. What great news! We can dispose of those hideous loincloths!

So, if I am dressed in the finest attire, I do not have to worry about being naked, right? Well yes and no. My clothing is on at all times, it can never be stripped. So since I am hidden in Him, I can be free to be me in all my humanity. Therefore, I feel that if we could start being more real with ourselves, with God , and with others, we would see more people being healed. We the church would see more people coming to Christ because it is in our transparency that others will be drawn to Jesus Christ.

In our natural way, we do not want people to know we have struggles with finances. We do not want people to see that we might lose our house, or that we are on our way to bankruptcy. We do not want others to know that one of kids got his girlfriend pregnant or that our daughter is a homosexual Deeper still , we sure do not want others to see that we struggle with things like jealousy and insecurity!. It is the loincloth of shame that keeps up from being real with each other. However, if we could ever grasp the fact that the robe is on, then we could be fearless to share with others our own weaknesses and struggles.

In our human pride we honestly want others to think we have it all together. That is a shabby loincloth. And it is the loincloth of pride that often divides us from reaching people. Hurting people want to connect with others who are hurting or who have been hurt. When we dress ourselves in our fake religious suits, others see us and think,"Wow, she has it all together. I could never be like that or get to that place. Many times that makes people run from us, from the church and from Jesus because we have misrepresented a naked God!

In closing I encourage you to insert this genuine vision within your heart. Jesus hanging between two prisoners. His wrists are pierced and grounded to the cross. On each side of those bleeding hands are two "no gooders" as everyone else thought. However, in Christ's most painful and most vulnerable moment, offers hope and courage to the two captives. I can almost imagine a conversation taking place where Jesus says through gritted teeth"I understand how much this hurts. It hurts me too. These nails in my hands and feet are killing me. I know what you mean guys." You see Jesus was REAL. It was in his transparency and nakedness that the one prisoner believed and cried out to the only ONE who could save Him... the One who hung naked and real before all who mocked and misunderstood Him. Yet the one prisoner found the One who could relate to. The One and Only who could only dress him in an eternal robe knit together perfectly with His own precious blood.

So which do you choose? The loincloth or the robe? Remember if you have accepted Jesus as your Savior you are dressed in the dripping red robe of righteousness. Furthermore, by being real and naked before yourself, God and others, that ONE prisoner may find hope and a life worth living!!

With His love in me!

Ange

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Overflow



Sometimes I like to sketch in the afternoons when the little ones are resting. It helps me to get my mind off of my worries!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

It's Just Me Being Me!

I found this little wire basket at Goodwill and made it into a candle holder!


When I awoke this morning something felt totally different! The babies! They both slept through the night! Wow, I felt so refreshed! I jumped out of bed to feed little Maggie. And as I sat in the rocker cuddling her, my eyes swept over the family room area. We had all forgotten to tidy up before bed. There were toys on the floor, the sofa pillows were disheveled, and a few cups were sitting around. I thought to myself, "It sure would be embarrassing if someone popped in right now for a visit."

This is my favorite.....a tiny tea pot which fits on top of the tea cup! It is adorable and I only paid 4.99 for it!

As I sat rocking and rocking little Maggie in the middle of the dowdy family room, I had some other thoughts. I wonder why I get so stressed about my messy house when I know someone is coming over? It's like another personality emerges as I dart around everywhere to straighten up. And why do I find it humiliating at times for someone to come into my home and see that I actually live in it instead of staging it for a photo shoot with Better Homes and Gardens? A house that is lived in is gonna have mess, especially if 13 people live there. I'm preaching to myself!!

I also scooped up this little goody for 99 cents. I already had the candles.



As I continually inquired and pondered my own heart I thought, "Surely I am not alone! There has to be other women who do the same...you know, live in their homes with stuff everywhere. Then I envisioned some of my other dear friends as they maybe get all frantic like me when company is coming. And what about when someone shows up the door unexpectedly? We have piles of shoes in the foyer and the inside looks like a daycare center. So sometimes I stand in the door way hoping the surprise visitor will not peek around me and see what our life is really like! Is it a matter of fear? pride? or dignity?

This little ceramic pot brightens up the kitchen with its yellow lemon cheer! Price was only 3.99

Well, to be perfectly honest I think it is a mix of all these. I don't want people to know that I really am not all that organized. After all, a mom of 11 should be really organized, right? And I do not want someone to judge me as a person because I have have dust on my coffee table and crumbs on the kitchen floor. It can made a woman feel naked sometimes when others see you do not have it quite "as together" as they might think. Honestly ladies? I cannot be the only one!
This little shelf was only 4.99, so I picked it up to hang in my daughter's room.

So you see, I am just being me...real and sometimes very vulnerable. You know why? Because I am not the only one who sometimes struggles with these human fractures. Now I know what my perspective should be. I should clean when I can and not worry so much about it. And when I do clean before company comes it should be with the motive of doing it out of respect and the comfort of others. I mean who wants to sit down at my table with cheerios in the chairs? And who really wants to walk into the guest bathroom with poop floating in the toilet because a darling little 5 year old forgot to flush? You getting my point folks?

Needless to say, God uses my messy house to teach me a lot of valuable lessons. When I clean my home, I should joyfully accomplish the tasks with other's in mind, not my own. I mean, who really cares? Am I frantically scrubbing and organizing to make myself feel more in control? Or am I doing it for a show? And if I am spending so much time scrubbing and less time hugging and kissing those sweet kiddos, then I am cheating them and myself. And I sure do not want to miss out on the best things in life. Dust will hang around forever, but children will grow up and move on. I have to seize each day and praise God for my messy house!!! Dust, dust, I know you won't go away, so I'll clean you up another day!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Whispers and a Diaper Change!



I just had a thought this morning. So simple and pure. No huge revelation. But somehow you know in certain moments the Lord just reaches out and presses His finger against your heart. Then you hear His sweet, gentle voice affirming you and reminding you that He is paying close attention to your life and all the things stirring within your heart. I love those precious moments with God...and it was all over a diaper change.

One of the twins, Lizzie, has a cold and is a bit fussy. So just a while ago, after changing her diaper, I lifted her fussy little body and held her in front of my face as I whispered to her, "I am so sorry you are not feeling well my little Lizzie." Then I hugged her and said, "I love you with all my heart!"

Immediately I felt the Lord speak to my own heart as I was whispering to Lizzie. He said, "See, when you have children, no matter how many you have, you can still love each one fully, with all of your heart. Ange, there is no way you can divide your heart between 11 children. Each one of them has all of your heart."

Even though I knew this, there was just something that went deeper. It made me think of the Father's love for ALL of his children. His love is so deep and incomprehensible at times. How can someone give all of His heart to me and yet still give all of His heart to all of His many other children? When one becomes a parent, there is that revelation. And if we could just grab hold of that truth and allow it to soak into the deepest most hidden places within us, it would be easier to trust God with every area of our lives.

I think about how much it would hurt if one of my children did not trust me. They might obey me when I tell them to do something. However, it would cut me to the core if the trust was not there. The Lord wants our obedience, but He longs more for our trust.

The Lord says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love". This means He loved you when you were a dream in His heart. He loved you before you were conceived within your mother's womb. He loved you as you grew in utero. He loved you then. He loves you now.He loves you when you are down on yourself. He loves you when you at your lowest. He loves you when you are not paying attention to Him. He loves you when you are not trusting Him. He loves you in your imperfections. He loves you in your tears and in your laughter. He loves you when you are not at your best. He loves who you are right now. He loves you no matter where you are 10 years from now, 30 years from now. And he loves you through eternity.

"I WILL NEVER QUIT LOVING YOU AND NEVER WILL. EXPECT LOVE, LOVE AND MORE LOVE." JEREMIAH 31:7 (THE MESSAGE)

Monday, March 8, 2010

4 Months Old

Today the girls are 4 months old. I wanted to share a few photos really quick. This is such a bittersweet time for our family. If there is such a thing as rain and sun at the same time then we have it all. And you know what that means....A RAINBOW is about to show!!! Hallelujah! Anyway, we are so blessed and over joyed over these babies! Mommy, Lizzie and Maggie
Maggie and Lizzie