God's Girl

She is tender hearted.

She is dramatic.

She is strong, but gentle.

She loves pink and flowers and beauty.

She can play by herself for hours imagining the day away.

She doesn’t like “itchy” things and she despises the color green.

She is my girly, girl.

She is my girl.

Her name means “God is with us,” and it was her birth that was a source of saving grace for me.

My pregnancy with her was difficult, not physically, but emotionally. In those nine months we suffered through 2 funerals within a month of each other to the day and a literal storm that caused a little havoc on our home and a lot of havoc on my heart.

Little did I know or understand at the time that the Lord was doing so much more with my heart and stripping away the control that I so desired and trusted in more than I trusted in Him.

When she was born, I thought, “Ok, we made it!” 

I thought the storms would subside and everything would settle down and go back to normal.

Well, normal never really came back and this precious, sweet baby girl, who I had wanted so much…well, she was dramatic from the start!

Acid reflux, slightly colicky and post-partum depression was not a good mix for any of us.

She was beautiful and strong.

I was weak and fragile.

But, my God was with me throughout it all.

And I remember my mantra through out all of the turmoil…

"In Faith, I believe that God will walk me through this.”

“In faith, I believe…”

I had very little faith.

The guilt and shame I felt because of my lack of faith was overwhelming and probably more cause for my depression than anything else.

I had grown up in church all my life. 

I believed in God with all my heart. 

I believed in the one who could heal, who could move mountains, who could pierce hearts.

But…every thing always seemed to work out for me.

And in what I considered the first, uncontrollable trial of my life, I had failed.

I was drowning in my own puddle of pitiful tears.

I wanted so much to be stronger, but I was so weak.

I began to believe the voices that questioned how I could lose my faith so easily.

What kind of believer was I for letting go of the one thing that I was so sure of, at the first sign of a trial? 

This was such a small thing in comparison to the trials so many face and yet, I could barely hold my head up.

My girl has striking  blue eyes. 

Beautiful, sky blue eyes.

A trick in her DNA.

She has eyes of light in a family of dark brown eyes.

In her eyes I see the promise fulfilled.

In her eyes I see His light.

In her eyes I see peace, despite the fear.

In her eyes I saw the beauty that surrounded me during the time of craziness.

I don’t know what kind of storm you may be walking through.

I don’t know if you are walking in fear or depression or loneliness, guilt…

But, beloved, I do know that the God of all creation and the God who can move mountains and pierce hearts is walking with you.

You may not know where your faith stands.

You may not believe that He is anywhere near.

You may want to give all this faith stuff up because it is too hard.

That’s ok.

There is no guilt or condemnation or shame in that.

This life is hard. This life is brutal. There are certain things that tear at your heart and break you.

He knows that. He sees that. He is crying for you.

You may not know how to take that next step or where to go from where you’re kneeling and you may not have much faith left.

But, I encourage you, with the last drop of faith you may have…lift your head and say,

“In faith, whether this works out and whether or not I see or feel you God, IN FAITH, I will take one step at a time.”

In faith, I will believe in you, but Jesus, you've got to help my unbelief.

I am tender hearted.

I am dramatic.

I am strong, but gentle.

I love pink and flowers and beauty.

I am His girly, girl.

I am God’s girl.

His name means, God is with us.

You are HIS girl Beloved,

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Today I Choose Love

She had dressed herself and she looked lovely. 

She was the first to come down.
She kissed my cheek lightly as I was still asleep and whispered, "Happy Mother's day Mommy."

Later, as I was dressing and getting ready for church, I called her to fix her hair.
"I already did it," she called down.

I cringed.
Fixing her hair tends to be a small battle.

Her hair is perfect.
Gorgeous.
Natural blonde highlights throughout her soft brown tendrils with natural, ombre tints.
It's also naturally curly, with beach waves and perfect, soft ringlets.

Because of her natural curls, her hair tends to be more dry.
Even at 5, she has different products that we use to keep her hair healthy and soft.

The rule is, only mommy puts products in her hair.

And again, she "forgot."

She came into the room and her hair was greasy.
So greasy I didn't have to put any shine in my hair, I simply took it off of her hair!

"I was trying to do it by myself," she said.
I was annoyed and on the verge of being mad.

"But it is not your job to do it, it's my job. You messed up you hair. It looks awful!"

It was mother's day and I hurt my sweet baby's feelings.
The tears started to roll down her little face.
I had spoken harshly, yet again, and immediately felt remorse.

She didn't mean to.
Yes, she had been disobedient, but she was trying to help and do her best to be ready by herself.

This wasn't the first time we have dealt with this same issue.

Oil greasing up her head.
Leave on conditioner on DRY hair.
Leave on conditioner in gobs on her scalp.

So many times this battle of the hair wages and I get mad, she cries, I feel bad...it's quiet a saga.

I want her to love her hair.
I want her to have sweet memories of me doing her hair.
There is nothing more relaxing and loving than when someone is gently brushing your hair.
It can be a very tender act.

Mostly, for us, it is not fun.

I hate that.


My pastor gave a wonderful sermon on Sunday called, "Life's too Short."
As soon as he said those words, my spirit was struck.


Life is too short.

It's just hair.
It's just clothes.
It's just food.
It's just stuff.

None of that stuff matters in the big scheme of things, because life is simply too short.
What matters are relationships, the memories, and love.

Everyday, I must remember that life is too short to dwell on the small stuff. 

How many times do I lose my patience and get obviously annoyed over small things?

I am going to try to remember that life is too short to get upset about hair issues and little messes and bitterness and "should'ves."

"Love is patient, love is kind...it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs...It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Is there something in your life that you tend to dwell on or "sweat?"
Remember, Life is too short...choose love instead.

I created a Printable that I will place on my bathroom mirror so I can remember this truth, especially during the hair trials! And I am happy to share it with you! Click here for free Printable!

Print it out and place it wherever you may need to be reminded to choose love. Maybe it's the kitchen a midst the picky eaters or maybe you'll clip it over your car visor so you can be reminded during traffic or carpool!

Life is too short (Get Free Printable!)

Choose Love beloved,

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An Underserved, Grace Filled Mother’s Day

The reality is that I don’t deserve a day to be praised and catered to.

Because most days…

I’m unworthy of this calling.

Most days I yell.

Most days I lose my patience.

Most days I don’t want to give anymore.

But His grace covers those days.

There are so many things I want to do as a mom.

So many things I want to impart to my children.

So many things I want them to remember and with fondness and love.

But, I have this fear that what if all they remember is a mom who was always too busy cleaning up and complaining about their messes.

What if all they remember is a mom who yelled and snapped about the lost shoe and the spilled milk?

What if all they remember is a mom who sighed, a lot, and just wanted to be alone?

That scares me to my core.

I want to be so much more.

They deserve so much more.

They deserve a mom who will sit down and play Barbies and go fish.

They deserve a mom who smiles a lot and laughs and fills their days with fun and love.

They deserve a mom who is kind.

But most days, I fail…

Most days, I’m tired and my goals and dreams for what I want to be as their mama gets all jumbled and messed up and instead I lose to the tired, the weary, and the selfishness.

Yet, because of His love for me and for my children, Instead of walking in fear, I choose to walk in His grace.

I walk in the knowledge of knowing that His grace is enough and it was God who called me to be the mama to these three crazy, beautiful kids.

He wouldn’t have called me if the God of all creation and the maker of heaven and earth didn’t trust me.

He calls me to be their mama, not because I am perfect, but because I am faithful to that calling.

He calls me to be their mama, not because I am perfect, but because He makes me enough.

He calls me to be their mama, not because I have any idea what I am doing, but because He has given me all the wisdom and knowledge I need to walk this journey of motherhood.

He calls me to be their mama, because mostly, I am unworthy, undeserved and needing of His grace.

The calling of being their mama; the fear, the failure, the worry, the love, the dreams…all those things bring me to the cross daily.

All those things are at my core, the good and the bad and they are what keep me on my face before my Jesus with my hands lifted up, for without His grace, I simply can’t.

So, this Mother’s Day, remember mama’s that God called you, not because you could or had the knowledge to do any of this, but because He knows you are faithful.

He knows He can depend on you to seek Him daily as you walk this journey with your children and His grace will cover you all.

Happy Mother’s Day Beloved,

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Pursuing Beautiful

 Friday posts on Beautiful Craziness will be posts dedicated to pursuing beauty within our homes and our selves.

There are certain elements of life that make the crazy, beautiful. 

Whether it is a delicious recipe, a creative craft project, beautiful traditions or maybe fashionable inspiration; Inspiring Beauty within the Crazy is part of what Beautiful Craziness desires to do.

We were created for beauty. 

We were created to be artisans: to pursue beauty in this world and to create beauty.

 We were created for Eden.

Beautiful is part of who we are, especially as women. 

It is part of our natural desire to display such beauty in our homes, our tables, our traditions and in ourselves.

To pursue beauty is to live fully as the woman we were created to be: Women who love the splendor of creation, who bring forth artistry, charm and delicacy into their homes and who inspire beauty in their crazy lives.

Join me every Friday and be inspired to Pursue Beauty within your own Crazy life!

You are His Beloved,

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6 Ways to Protect your Sons from Pornography: Part III of Raising Boy Men

He is completely innocent.

He is honest…super honest.

He tells me everything…even the gross boy things.

“Mom, I got a little bit of pee on my hand but I washed it.”

Good to know!

Or

“Mom, I wiped my boogie on the wall, but then I remembered you said not to do that, so I cleaned it off.”

Or

“Mom, I think she’s a nice girl. It’s ok to think girls are nice, right? She’s my friend.”

That last one was heart wrenching.

“Yes, it’s totally normal to think girls are nice and it’s even ok to think girls are pretty.”

Relief fills his face.

Oh my!

Unfortunately, we live in an age where the innocence fades too soon and our boys are becoming easy prey to a world full of dogs waiting to pounce, attack and have their fill.

Last week, my family and I were enjoying an easy Saturday spending the afternoon watching National Geographic. During one episode, they spoke of elephant herds that were grazing with their young. All of a sudden, a pack of wild dogs began to get too close to the herd. One elephant began to stamp its feet to warn the others and scare the dogs. The dogs began to get closer so the elephants placed their young in the middle and they created a wall surrounding them.

The pack soon scattered, knowing they had no chance to penetrate and hurt the young calf’s.

As I reflected on what we saw, I couldn't help but think of my own young son.

We live in an age where wild dogs are seeking to devour our sons and we have to set barriers. 

We have to be ready on the defense when those attacks come, because they will come.

I could talk about so many different areas that our boy men need protection in, but one that threatens, terrifies and angers me the most is that of pornography.

“In our times and in our culture, there is perhaps no greater battle for our children to fight than the battle for their own purity. Regardless of how old your child is or where your child lives, the battle is real and it is coming. As parents, we have the awesome task of preparing our children for this battle. It is our responsibility to play an active role in setting our children up for success” (Flood, Link).

Here’s the deal: Pornography is an $8 billion industry.

It is rampant and it influences every realm of social media, internet, film, music, etc.

“Some researchers have stated that the average ago for exposure to pornography is down to 8” (Jackson, link).

As parents, when it comes to pornography, we must protect our boys by preparing them to be on the defense. 

We have got to be ready for the attack. 

We have got to see the wild dogs coming and we must be ready to warn our sons and fight the dogs off.

You can’t pretend that it won’t enter your home…its inevitable.

6 Ways to protect our sons from the trap of Pornography

1. Guard their Hearts, Eyes and Ears at a Young Age.

Let your sons know that there are certain things that they should not see or hear, even at a young age. Our son knows when things are “ugly” and what we do not allow them to watch. He has been known to turn the channel or tell his sisters to turn their eyes when an ugly commercial comes on.

Have set rules, especially for screen time. One rule our children have is that they are not allowed to watch anything we have not seen first or have not approved, especially when they are on the internet. It is our responsibility to guard and control what they see as best as we can.

2. Keep Open Communication.

Talk with your sons openly and honestly. Keep the lines of communication open, LISTEN to them and let them know that what they sat matters.

If you don’t listen to them about the little stuff, they won’t talk to you about the big stuff. That’s all part of loving them well.

3. Warn your Sons and Prepare Them for what they Will one day find.

They will see it. They will find it or, it will find them.

Your sons need to know about the trap of pornography. They need to know that one day they may be shown or find or stumble upon certain kinds of images. They need to be ready and know how to handle that situation.

Prepare them by sharing with them what that situation may look like.

Do it now, before it’s too late. We home school our son, so he is not the “average” 8 year old boy. However, soon, his father will sit down with him and will have a preliminary “talk.” He is only 8, so he won’t go into specific details, but one thing he will do is warn him of the inevitable.

He may say something like, “Son, one day, maybe soon, maybe when your thirteen, I don’t know when, but one day, you may be on the internet or at a friends house or anywhere, and you will see pictures of girls and they won’t be wearing much clothes.”

4. Tell you Sons what to do When Pornography finds them.

My husband will then give him instructions and prepare him for the choice he will have to make.

“On that day, son, you will have to make a choice. You will either choose to stay and look or you will choose to walk away. Your mom and I are praying that you choose to walk away.”

5. Share with them your expectations.

“When you choose to walk away, the other boys may laugh at you, they may call you names; but, you need to remember that a real man is a hero and a protector of all women. Those girls in the pictures are sisters and mothers, just like your sisters, so it is your job to protect them, just like you would protect your sisters and mom. You will have to make that choice alone. And when that day comes, because it will happen, I want you to come and tell me, whether you walked away or not. I will be proud of you for the courage it takes to walk away and I will be proud of you for the courage it takes to tell me you stayed to look. No matter what, we can always talk about anything. “

6. Build walls around to protect them.

Get good great security for your internet. Lock your TV channels.

Be proactive.

But remember, no matter how proactive you are, more than likely, the wild dogs will be looking for them; prepare them, so that they are ready for the attack.

For more great tips and information here are some great articles below. Also, be sure to visit Focus on the Family’s website and the Family Life website.

Healthy Childhood Sexual Development

When Children View Pornography

The Dangers of Pornography 

Checking your Child's convitions about Pornography

This is the last and final post for the series, Raising Boy Men. I hope you have been encouraged and equipped some for this amazing task set before us as boy mom's. Come back tomorrow and I will be sharing a list of books, resources and last minute tips on a video vlog!! Don't miss it! Subscribe to Beautiful Craziness by Email} 

Previous Posts in the Raising Boy-Men Series. 

Introduction- The Thing about Boys

Part I- How to Love Them Well

Part II - How to Train your Boys to Fight. 

  

You are His beloved,

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Free from the Shackles

I have come to realize that many of us are not living in the freedom of Christ Jesus.

We still hold on to chains that we must shake off once and for all.

Many of us are still slaves.


Are you a slave?
In order to become free from whatever has enslaved you, you must unlock the chains and run free and away from the ideals and the fabricated impressions of heaven that keep you bound in chains.

Webster’s dictionary defines a slave as one who "is strongly influenced and controlled by something."

Are you controlled by your recognition at work? Are you influenced by social media? Are you controlled by the perception of those around you? Or perhaps, you are enslaved to the desire to be more or have more.

I was a slave to my self-imposed ideals.

A slave to what I thought I was “supposed” to be.

The children of Israel were slaves to their ideals as well.

They desired more than what the Lord had given them.

They called the bread of heaven ""worthless food," (Numbers 21:5).

They were impatient for the promises of God.

They wanted to have heaven on earth, but if they couldn't have it according to their way, they would rather go back to being

slaves in Egypt.

So many of us are like the children of Israel.

 We want to have create heaven here on earth.

We go out of our way to create harmony and beauty.

We try desperately to perfect our own worlds.

We take pictures of the perfect meal, the best of friends, the first rate vacation, the exemplary children and post them so the world can admire and "like" our heaven on earth.

We pin workout plans and dinner plans and summer plans and birthday plans and organization plans and backyard paradise plans and interior decor plans so that we can elevate our lives to create heaven on earth.

None of those things are wrong.

We were created to create…to make things beautiful.

To enjoy life and its splendor.

We were created to have friends and enjoy good food and to fill the earth with pretty babies.

We were created for Eden…but paradise was lost.

We live in a fallen world.

We live in a world of sin and iniquities.

In place of harmony, we struggle through the cacophony of life.

In place of beauty, we see the harshness and misery of death.

Heaven can't be created on earth.

It is unfathomable.

The kingdom of Heaven however, has been redeemed.

We have been given the keys and the secrets to the kingdom of heaven!

How do we become free?

1.     Surrender to God Daily

The kingdom of heaven is for the poor in spirit. Therefore, daily, give up everything He has given you and give it to the One who died on the cross for your sins and mine, so that you may be set free.

2.    Serve Others Instead of Yourself

When Joseph was in Potipher’s house, he was a slave and he served others, despite the fact that he knew God had great plans for his life. He served in the household and was blessed by God.

We serve others because Jesus served others.

It doesn't matter whether or not you are serving or working in the capacity that He has promised you; it is your job, like Joseph, to be faithful and serve others in the small things and He will work out the rest.

3.     Praise Him No Matter the Circumstances

There will be times when you feel like you are still a slave;

when the chains seem to be holding you down again.

PRAISE Him.

The song of praise on your heart will break those chains, but the sound of complaint on your lips will strengthen the hold.

Praise Him in the storm, in the rain, in the uncertainty and in the pain.

4.     Declare your Freedom

“So if the Son sets you Free, you are truly free” John 8:36 ESV (emphasis                    mine).

5.     Pray for a Vision for Your Life

When King Nebuchadnezzar had his dream and demanded to be told what it was, Daniel and his friends prayed for that vision to be revealed to them. It was the revelation of that vision that set them free in many ways. It was because of that revelation that Daniel and his friends were set apart from the rest, they were proclaimed and lifted up higher than the other “wise men.”

God has a vision for your life; ask that He reveal it to you so that your life can be set apart for His glory. “Where there is no vision the people perish” Proverbs 29:18.

6.     Walk to Your Freedom

Peter was bound in chains when an angel got him up; “Then the angel said to him, ‘Put on your clothes and sandals.’ And Peter did so. ‘Wrap your cloak around you and follow me...”Acts 12:8.

If you want to be free, you have to follow the one who will lead you out of slavery. Like Peter, you have to get up, get yourself together and walk out.

Don’t sit around and piddle in your pity party. Walk towards your freedom!

7.     Be Resolved to What He has Called You to

If he has called you to it…do it.

To be resolved is to be determined to do something; to be intentional, purposeful. He’s called you to it. You really don’t have a choice.

Is your freedom worthy of His calling? God believes it is…do you?

You are not a slave any longer.

He paid the price for you to be delivered.

Walk in His Freedom.

“It is for freedom that Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” Galations 5:1.

photo credit: national museum of american history via photopin cc

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Rhinestone Jesus Giveaway Winners

The Winners for the Rhinestone Jesus Giveaway are...

 Robyn J. & Kate M.

(Winners were randomly selected by Giveaway Tools)

 I will be contacting each of you via Email and will deliver the prize by mail.

Thank you to all who entered! If you would like to purchase Rhinestone Jesus by Kristen Welch, you can click on any of the links below and still be able to pre-order today! Remember if you pre-order by today, you will be able to get the free gifts, including a family devotions ebook by Kristen.

You can pre-order the book here - 

• Amazon
• Barnes  & Noble
• ChristianBook.com
• Dayspring
• Family Christian

The book officially launches tomorrow!

Congratulations again to the Winners of the Rhinestone Jesus Giveaway!


 You are HIS Beloved,

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