Busyness=Laziness?

I read something last week on C.J. Mahaney's blog that got me thinking about how I spend my time. It made me realize that you can be super busy, and still be guilty of laziness and be a big-time procrastinator.

Here's a quote C.J. shared from the article "Putting Off Procrastination" by Walter Henegar which I found myself relating to all too well:

“I procrastinate,” he writes. “I’ve been doing it most of my life. If a particular task is even remotely unpleasant, my first and persistent tendency is to put it off. It’s not that I’m lazy; I’m actually very busy. I just wait as long as possible to do the really hard stuff. I always pull it off in the end, but it regularly makes me miserable”

I've been slowly learning/realizing this since being married- because now my procrastinating to clean the bedroom, or open mail for example(2 things I really hate doing) don't just affect me, but they affect (and understandably frustrate) my husband. He can't understand why I never seem to get around to doing things that he's asked me to do and are important to him....and now I'm realizing that it's probably not because there aren't enough hours in the day, but because my time is so taken up with busyness... and while I'm getting lots of stuff done, I fail to prioritize my time and focus on what's really important!

Like relationships...like people. Jesus in the short time of his ministry on earth, accomplished all the Father laid out for him to do, and still had time for people. He told the disciples to "let the little children come". I pray that in the busy times ahead for our little family- the holidays upon us- with traveling, events to plan/attend, etc., Joe's finals and the end of the semester, getting ready to move into our new apartment and begin the adventure of parenthood- we will be more aware of laziness (even when disguised as busyness) and procrastination in our lives and instead have biblical priorities. Here are 3 really good points from C.J.'s post in closing-

* Busyness does not mean I am diligent
* Busyness does not mean I am faithful
* Busyness does not mean I am fruitful

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." - Ephesians 5:16

Three Months from Today...

Is Valentine's Day...Valentine's Day???

In a normal year, with Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner, I would never be thinking about Valentine's Day now...but that just happens to be the day our baby boy is due!
So I'm almost 27 weeks, and here's a little baby update-

This week, your baby weighs about 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and perhaps even sucking his fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if he were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother him, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

He's also putting on more baby fat...and appears to be having quite a growth spurt as I haven't really put on weight in the last week or so, but my belly is definitely poking out more! It's funny all the comments and looks you get when you're pregnant- just yesterday some friends told me I was tiny and were worried if the baby was big enough, but the day before that someone told me my tummy had REALLY grown since the last time they had seen me (and I gently told her that the baby had grown), and then there was the fun comment that I had doubled in size in a week! Oh well, I guess that's just part of the whole pregnancy experience...

Here's a view of what's going on in there, so you can see he's really not bouncing around in a bubble like the little baby ticker shows!
Oh yeah, and about names- a lot of people are asking if we've decided on a name and what we're going to name him. Well we're pretty close, but not sure yet and are definitely going to keep the name a surprise. If you have a suggestion let us know...all those so far go down as a no- Jehoshaphat was our pastor's pick, and then there were the "cute" Valentine's Day suggestions... Cupid or Valentino. I don't think so :)

Well that's it's for now...I'll try to post some pictures of my growing bump soon!

1 week ago today...

Last week, America chose a new president. I have mixed feelings (and won't go into all of what I think...haha!). But, regardless of how you feel about the outcome, it is widely known that Barack Obama is the most pro-choice candidate ever to be elected to the office of President. He supports partial birth abortion, voted against the Infants Born Alive Act (which would give neonatal care to a baby that actually survived a late term abortion instead of being left to die), and said in the past that he would like the first bill he signs into law if elected to be the Freedom of Choice Act. And since he supports government subsidized abortion, the number of abortions in this country during his administration is likely to increase.

One of the saddest (and most ironic) things to me about his policies on abortion is that while the overall number of abortions in America is at it's lowest since 1974 (according to the Guttmacher Institute), alarmingly black women's abortion rates are 5 times higher than white women's. In terms of the actual numbers this means that nearly half of all African-American pregnancies end in abortion. It took a while for that to sink in for me.

Ever since first having a miscarriage and now being pregnant, the issue of abortion has become a much more personal issue for me. Not that it wasn't important to me before, but it's different now. Just thinking about this little person inside of me, a unique one of a kind human being who's already showing his personality... he moves to the music when I play, he gets excited when he hears his daddy's voice and kicks when we read him stories, and I seriously think his favorite food is pie (any variety)and ice cream!

All this to get to the point of this post: I want to do more that blog about my thoughts on abortion, more that cast my one vote in an election...I want to turn my conviction into action. That's why I'm praying about what God would have me do on a personal level to help turn the tide-- saving babies from this horrible genocide and helping mothers and families when they need it most. What are your thoughts...ideas?

Mt. Tam

Friday night my sweet husband picked me up from work, and had a surprise up his sleeve. He brought me clothes to change into, and then we went on a hike (on a ridge in Tiburon- with amazing views- thanks for the tip, Kelly) to watch the sun set behind Mt. Tam and the city lights start to twinkle as darkness fell. It was breathtakingly beautiful- the air fresh and cool, the grass sweet smelling, and the sky a glowing canvas of gold with fiery red strokes stretching against the western sky- on display by the First Artist for all to enjoy.

Speaking of Mt. Tam (short for Tamalpais), it amazes me how many beautiful views of the mountain there are in the area- some of my favorite are actually right here on seminary campus (like this picture from last December), and how prominent of a feature it is in the landscape- both from the perspective of Mill Valley and all the other little towns at the foot of the mountain, and from places like San Francisco, Richmond, and north of San Pablo Bay.

It always reminds me of how we, as God's people, are to be a city on a hill- that cannot be hidden...just like Mt. Tam can be seen above the rest of the landscape for miles. And people are watching the way we live our lives. My pastor says a lot that our lives are the only translation of Scripture that many people will ever read...so what kind of a translation are we?

Christmas Countdown...

Wow! We are well into the month of November and Thanksgiving is just around the corner...very exciting! We will be heading back to Louisiana for the holiday, and besides getting to spend time with our families and catch up with some old friends, there will be tons of wonderful holiday home-cooking! Yum- Baby boy will love it! Speaking of holiday cooking, I think I'm going to make this pie soon- Sweet potato buttermilk...can't wait!


I was just looking at the calendar and can hardly believe Christmas will be here in 49 days- and only 51 days after that 'til the baby is due! Time to start getting ready!

On the subject of Christmas, here's a video for Advent Conspiracy- just heard about it recently... it's really exciting! I've always tried to avoid the hustle and bustle and commercialism of Christmas, but here's some great thoughts on how we should be celebrating in meaningful, God-honoring ways. Also, they have a community site http://rethinkingchristmas.com with fun ideas for homemade, creative, cheap (and simple) gifts. Check it out!

Well here we are! Finally joining the world of blogging... I decided I didn't want our son to be the only one in his generation whose parents were still in the dark ages as far as technology and modern communication are concerned!

More to come soon!