Convictions from a wife’s heart
Recently I have had several occasions to think deeply about what it means to be a godly wife.  Through a couple of books I’ve read, a couple of classes I’ve taught, a couple of classes I’ve attended, and just a few conversations I’ve had, the Holy Spirit has been working to strengthen convictions that were already strong in my heart, as well as to show me areas where conviction was needed but was lacking.  I share them here so that I can publicly commit to my husband to be striving for more consistent obedience in these areas, and also so that maybe others can be encouraged by the Spirit’s work in a sister-in-Christ. I’ve been convi

Life from Samuel’s perspective
Credit for this blog post goes to my dear hubby, who made some observations the other day about how Samuel has learned to cope in this family. Give a baby 14 months, and he will learn some pretty advanced skills for surviving in the family in which God has placed him. Here is some of what Samuel has learned: * If you drop something, go ahead and say “No-no” because that is what someone is about to say to you. * If Elisabeth comes anywhere near you, just go on and start crying to save time. * If someone is trying to dress you, hug you, or otherwise bother you, start saying “Owwww, owwwww” over and over until they stop. *

We survived a Salem winter, enjoyed a Salem spring, and played through a Salem summer. But there’
Finally some fall pictures to share!  The first part is from our Connect Group Fall Party, the Saturday before Halloween.  It was so much fun:  watching the kids run around and laugh and play, roasting hot dogs, carving pumpkins, smashing a pinata, making s’more’s, and going on a hayride.  Our kids had a blast, and we did too.  What a great group of friends God has blessed us with here at this church and in this particular class.  The last half of the pictures, of course, are from Halloween.  We spent the morning in Marion with the Combs family, trick-or-treating down Main Street.  Very crowded, but lots of fun.  We went home, rested a while, emptied the p

The things we hear
In our house we hear lots of interesting words, sentences, and conversations that we take in stride, not even thinking how they might sound to someone outside our little world. Every now and then, though, I stop to think about how weird some of our conversations actually are. Case in point–I bet you didn’t hear any of this at your dinner table last night: “Catherine, please stop chanting ‘pee-pee,’ and Elisabeth, we don’t howl at the dinner table.” “Elisabeth, get your fingers out of your drink.” “No, sit in your seat, not on the table.” “Oh, he just decorated his shirt with c

A few fall pics, as my apology for not posting much