That's what we had last weekend. We didn't plan it; it just sort of happened. We had been talking about renting United 93 on DVD, but we wondered when it would feel like a good time to sit down and watch it. Charlie decided to get it last Friday.
We watched it, and I cried and cried. Then Sunday night we decided to go see World Trade Center. I cried again, but not quite as bad. It's hard to believe that it's been almost 5 years since that dreadful day. But watching the events unfold brought it all back. It was hard, but it was good for me.
United 93 was just sort of surreal overall. It was amazing to think about how I and many people looked at the world before 9/11. People were allowed to drop off people at the gate, and no one ever expected another person to use the plane as a weapon in itself. Charlie wondered why the people on the flight didn't try fighting back earlier, but if you think about it, the trend was to take hostages and make demands not to crash the plane into a building. Those earlier flights must have had no idea what their fate would be. United 93 had the advantage of the realization of their potential fate.
Still, it was amazing to watch them come to terms with what they had to do and to see them saying good-bye to their loved ones. Wow. The most powerful part of the movie for me was when Todd Beamer asked the GTE operator to say The Lord's Prayer with him as they prepared to take over the plane - asking God for His will to be done, for forgiveness and the ability to forgive, and for Him to provide for them. Very powerful!
My one complaint about the movie is that it ends so darkly. They're just gone, and they don't go back and show where their families are today or how they have continued on.
World Trade Center was excellent! It was so powerful. It's all about these men who are trapped under the rubble and their fight to get out. I remember hearing about people being pulled from the rubble, but it was surreal at the time. This movie made it personal.
WTC also includes a scene where one of the men recites The Lord's Prayer when he's on the verge of losing hope.
There is more to talk about, but I don't want to give too much away. It's a wonderful movie that is beautiful in it's portrayal of the human spirit and our power to help others when we truly put ourselves last.
In the same way you had to force yourself to see the Passion, I think you should see these movies. They have been a blessing to me.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Supernatural protection
Do you believe in supernatural protection? Do you pray for it? For yourself, your children, your family and friends?
I was first introduced to the power of prayer in asking for God's supernatural protection when I read The Power a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian. She stresses the importance of praying for God's protection over your children on a regular basis. God wants to protect our precious babies, and He knows we inherently want them protected, but He wants to hear it from us and to then show us how faithful and amazing He is by protecting them.
I witnessed in a very obvious way His protection over my son Shea a little over a year ago. I was getting ready one morning with my curling iron on the side of the sink. My little guy wandered in and picked it up by the barrel. I gasped, and he dropped it. He then walked off as if nothing had happened. I thought, wow, it must not have been hot. I touched it; it was very hot! I examined Shea's hand, and he had no burns. He hadn't even reacted to the heat of the iron. Praise the Lord for His supernatural protection! Thank you, Jesus, for protecting my son when I was careless about leaving my curling in his reach.
I vowed to share this story often after it happened and have had a renewed vigor in praying for God's supernatural protection.
I was on vacation in Iowa with my extended family when I experienced a situation that had me asking for God's protection for myself, my dad, and my two sisters. We had been fishing on my dad's boat when a thunderstorm came up quickly. We headed for shore, but there were half a dozen boats waiting to use the public dock. We were stuck in the water with visible lightning overhead. My sister Erin and I offered suggestions to Dad to use one of the private docks just to get us out of the water, but he was patient waiting for our turn. At that point, I just prayed that God would protect us and that he would give me the patience and trust to rely on Him and my earthly father to get us out of the situation. After that we were pelted with large drops of rain, and by the time we made it to the truck (a good 15-20 minutes later), we were soaked. But we were safe.
It was such a surreal experience. I was reminded of God's supernatural protection and especially His plans for my life. We could have been struck by lightning that day, and it would have been okay because His ways are perfect. How awesome that we can rest in that knowledge.
So, back to the prayers of protection for our children. Do it! :-p I heard something on the radio from a woman who had lost her mother, and she was thanking her mother for all of her prayers over her life. She mentioned how those prayers carry on after her mother's passing. I had to pause; I'd never considered that before, but it's true. We can provide for our children's protection even after we're gone by the prayers we pray now.
I was first introduced to the power of prayer in asking for God's supernatural protection when I read The Power a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian. She stresses the importance of praying for God's protection over your children on a regular basis. God wants to protect our precious babies, and He knows we inherently want them protected, but He wants to hear it from us and to then show us how faithful and amazing He is by protecting them.
I witnessed in a very obvious way His protection over my son Shea a little over a year ago. I was getting ready one morning with my curling iron on the side of the sink. My little guy wandered in and picked it up by the barrel. I gasped, and he dropped it. He then walked off as if nothing had happened. I thought, wow, it must not have been hot. I touched it; it was very hot! I examined Shea's hand, and he had no burns. He hadn't even reacted to the heat of the iron. Praise the Lord for His supernatural protection! Thank you, Jesus, for protecting my son when I was careless about leaving my curling in his reach.
I vowed to share this story often after it happened and have had a renewed vigor in praying for God's supernatural protection.
I was on vacation in Iowa with my extended family when I experienced a situation that had me asking for God's protection for myself, my dad, and my two sisters. We had been fishing on my dad's boat when a thunderstorm came up quickly. We headed for shore, but there were half a dozen boats waiting to use the public dock. We were stuck in the water with visible lightning overhead. My sister Erin and I offered suggestions to Dad to use one of the private docks just to get us out of the water, but he was patient waiting for our turn. At that point, I just prayed that God would protect us and that he would give me the patience and trust to rely on Him and my earthly father to get us out of the situation. After that we were pelted with large drops of rain, and by the time we made it to the truck (a good 15-20 minutes later), we were soaked. But we were safe.
It was such a surreal experience. I was reminded of God's supernatural protection and especially His plans for my life. We could have been struck by lightning that day, and it would have been okay because His ways are perfect. How awesome that we can rest in that knowledge.
So, back to the prayers of protection for our children. Do it! :-p I heard something on the radio from a woman who had lost her mother, and she was thanking her mother for all of her prayers over her life. She mentioned how those prayers carry on after her mother's passing. I had to pause; I'd never considered that before, but it's true. We can provide for our children's protection even after we're gone by the prayers we pray now.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Bright-eyed and Bushy-tailed
What a sight at my house this morning! My sleepy girl Megan was wide awake at 6 AM. This girl could sleep 'til 11:00 every morning if we let her, but she couldn't contain her excitement this morning. She's starting swimming lessons today, and she can't wait. I haven't seen this kind of anticipation for anything before - not dance, not t-ball, not the first day of school, not even Christmas morning.
She's probably there right now and maybe even in the water. I can't wait to hear how it went!
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Update! Megan loved her first day of swimming lessons and already got bumped to the next level. Shea had fun splashing in the wading pool too, so it was a good morning overall. :-)
She's probably there right now and maybe even in the water. I can't wait to hear how it went!
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Update! Megan loved her first day of swimming lessons and already got bumped to the next level. Shea had fun splashing in the wading pool too, so it was a good morning overall. :-)
Friday, May 05, 2006
FLYing with FLYlady
I heard about FLYlady quite a while ago and just couldn't get into it, but I've been reading the daily digest from the previous day, and it has been very encouraging for me. They focus on combatting negative self-talk, being good to yourself, letting go of clutter and perfectionism, and breaking down tasks in to manageable chunks to bless yourself and your family.
Check it out! www.flylady.net
Check it out! www.flylady.net
Friday, January 27, 2006
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Day 1
I know it's the third of January, but for me it's Day 1! Day 1 of getting some things in my life whipped into shape!
I'm not huge on making New Year's resolutions; I'm a firm believer in each day being a new start/a new beginning and that for those of us who are in Christ, we have a God of new beginnings.
But the arrival of 2006 has me thinking of several areas of my life that I'd like to improve. Things I could do to improve the quality of my life and the lives of the people around me. Things I pray God is asking me to focus on and with His help improve.
In an attempt to set not just lofty goals but attainable tasks, I've compiled the following list of tasks and rules. I'm such an analytical thinker that rules appeal to me, so here they are ...
1. Spend time in the Word most days - As much as I'd like to say this will be in the morning, setting aside time each evening is more realistic.
2. No "my shows" TV-watching while the kids are awake - this will facilitate more focused time with my kids and my husband, plus it will motivate me to do resolution #3.
3. Put Shea to bed at 8:00 and Megan at 8:30. Shea's pretty good about going to bed, but Miss Megan loves to stay up late. She needs her sleep, and I need time to myself and with my husband.
4. Out of bed no later than 6:30 ... if you know about my timeliness issues, you know where this one comes from. I suppose this means that I need to be in bed by 11:00.
5. 10,000 steps most days - I'm wearing my pedometer today. I love it! Seeing my steps and trying to make my numbers is such a motivator for me.
6. Speaking of numbers, I will track, track, track my Weight Watchers points! And I will limit chocolate intake to 3 days a week.
I can think of many others, such as to email my mom every day and to track all of my spending, but I think these are a good place to start. If you too are setting some resolutions, I wish you well and promise to pray with you and provide encouragement. Know that I already think you're great and that God loves you.
Happy 2006 all! My Day 1 is going well. :-) Unfortunately, Day 2 is my birthday ... ! There's always Day 3!
Some songs of encouragement for you:
New Year's Day - Carolyn Arends
All Things New - Steven Curtis Chapman
You may notice that a lot of my resolutions have to do with how I spend my time. So often I feel like time is my enemy or that the lack of time is my enemy ... I think this song will have to be my 2006 mantra. I could write a whole 'nother blog about that, which would probably contradict this one ... oye!
Life in My Day - Newsong
I'm not huge on making New Year's resolutions; I'm a firm believer in each day being a new start/a new beginning and that for those of us who are in Christ, we have a God of new beginnings.
2 Corinthians 5
17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
1 Peter 1
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Lamentations 3
22The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. 23Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. 24I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!"
Revelation 21
5And the one sitting on the throne said, "Look, I am making all things new!" And then he said to me, "Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true." 6And he also said, "It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega--the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give the springs of the water of life without charge! 7All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.
But the arrival of 2006 has me thinking of several areas of my life that I'd like to improve. Things I could do to improve the quality of my life and the lives of the people around me. Things I pray God is asking me to focus on and with His help improve.
In an attempt to set not just lofty goals but attainable tasks, I've compiled the following list of tasks and rules. I'm such an analytical thinker that rules appeal to me, so here they are ...
1. Spend time in the Word most days - As much as I'd like to say this will be in the morning, setting aside time each evening is more realistic.
2. No "my shows" TV-watching while the kids are awake - this will facilitate more focused time with my kids and my husband, plus it will motivate me to do resolution #3.
3. Put Shea to bed at 8:00 and Megan at 8:30. Shea's pretty good about going to bed, but Miss Megan loves to stay up late. She needs her sleep, and I need time to myself and with my husband.
4. Out of bed no later than 6:30 ... if you know about my timeliness issues, you know where this one comes from. I suppose this means that I need to be in bed by 11:00.
5. 10,000 steps most days - I'm wearing my pedometer today. I love it! Seeing my steps and trying to make my numbers is such a motivator for me.
6. Speaking of numbers, I will track, track, track my Weight Watchers points! And I will limit chocolate intake to 3 days a week.
I can think of many others, such as to email my mom every day and to track all of my spending, but I think these are a good place to start. If you too are setting some resolutions, I wish you well and promise to pray with you and provide encouragement. Know that I already think you're great and that God loves you.
Happy 2006 all! My Day 1 is going well. :-) Unfortunately, Day 2 is my birthday ... ! There's always Day 3!
Some songs of encouragement for you:
New Year's Day - Carolyn Arends
All Things New - Steven Curtis Chapman
You may notice that a lot of my resolutions have to do with how I spend my time. So often I feel like time is my enemy or that the lack of time is my enemy ... I think this song will have to be my 2006 mantra. I could write a whole 'nother blog about that, which would probably contradict this one ... oye!
Life in My Day - Newsong
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