A quick shout out

My husband is the most amazing man I have ever met. I thought of him and his humility yesterday when I read "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips," Proverbs 27:2. So here I go. :-)
He is an amazing guitarist, singer and worship leader. He played soccer in college and was an All-American there. (For those of you who don't understand what that means, he was picked as one of the top 30 players in the country for his division.) He is fluent in four languages and knows a decent amount of some others. He is phenomenal at his job. He had no youth pastor experience, but, because of his love for the Lord and his heart for high school students, was basically recruited for the postion at our church. He can build strong relationships with the students, be organized and responsible with the administrative part (with the help of his amazing assistant Mary) and teach with the best of them! However, he never lets his commitment to his job overshadow his commitment to his family and we never feel compromised. He is amazingly kind, loving and gentle. And he's cute on top of it all!!

I have been feeling sensitive and defensive over the last few days, and he has taken the brunt of that poo-pooness. I wanted to take this opportunity to praise my amazing man!! "As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man." Prov. 27:19. Your heart, then, must be as beautiful as I think it is!! Thank you Roddy!!

Disclaimer

Just so you know, if you haven't figured it out already, I'm not a genius when it comes to spelling and grammer. I actually remember crying in the second grade because of a spelling test I had that day. Yeesh. My best friend and my husband are very educated on the subject, so excuse me if I sound paranoid. Please know that it is with my heart, and not my brain, that I write to you. If it annoys you or you feel an overwhelming need to whip out a red pen, please forgive me. :-)

Where is Baby #2?

A good number of you out there know about our desire for another child. Gabe is two now and the thought of having a little brother or sister for him is incredibly exciting. We have been hoping to conceive another child since January, and the fact that we haven't gotten pregnant is a little bit shocking to me considering Gabe was born 10 months and 10 days after our wedding day. I just thought that one, maybe two (and that's pushing it), months would go by and I would be celebrating the news with my friends and family. I have looked for cute maternity clothes and baby bedding on eBay. I have thought about baby names. But now, 8 months later, I have been taught so many things about God and being a mom and I'm pretty sure I would've missed these things if this "time" never existed. I don't want to get in the habit of numbering thoughts; I just find it easier this way....
1. Life does not come FROM me, only OUT of me. Psalm 139:13, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." Because Roddy and I were blessed with Gabe so quickly into our marriage, I just assumed that I was Fertile Myrtle and the second I wanted #2 it would happen. Ummm, no. Only God is the giver of life and it is in HIS timing that we will, if it is in His plan, have another child.

2. I have also gained a small understanding for those who cannot get pregnant. I am sounding borderline selfish, I know. I have a beautiful, healthy child, so how can I even come close to understanding? I can't. I can't imagine the pain, nor will I try to, but I do know what it's like to really, REALLY think that I'm pregnant and find out that I'm not. Or look at a pregnant person walking in the mall and wish it were me. These are only small things, like I said, but I feel more compassionate and understanding than I did 8 months ago, that's for sure.

3. I am able to do things that I would not have been able to do if I were pregnant. I have been able to dig in deeper to relationships within the youth group girls that I hang out with. I have the ability to put my (almost 40 pound) baby in my lap. God has opened my eyes to what a clean house can do to help my family and our relationships with each other. I have dumped out almost all of our closets, hauled embarrassing amounts of stuff to Goodwill, and have basically undone the "household damage" that was caused by college graduation, marriage, a baby and 3 moves within a little over a year's time. Praise the Lord!! I am free!!! I am amazed by the lifestyle change that has occurred in me since my cleaning craze began. I now work out approximately 3 times a week. I am learning and growing and reading my Bible with a passion that hasn't been there in a long time.

4. And last but absolutely not least, I have learned the importance of paying attention when God is calling you to do something. When my dear friend Kristen started talking to me about birth control 3 months before we were married, I started feeling convicted about things I thought were right and good in marriage. Waiting at least 2 years to have kids, for example, is very common among advice given to newly-weds. Roddy and I felt that that was not what we wanted to do (to the amazement of some), and so there was Gabe. We will have our 3rd anniversary next month, and I would change nothing about having our sweet child when we did. Thank God we didn't wait because that might have been our only shot.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11. Maybe He has something great in store for us that would be tough with a little baby. Maybe that child will be from a different mother and father, but will call us Mom and Dad. Who knows!!?? When people say, "Don't worry, he/she will come," I'm not worried! My God, the Lord of the universe, cares about me. He knows the plans He has for me. He is going to give me hope and a future.

I don't know where Baby #2 is, or if he or she will ever come. I'm okay with that. Ecclesiates 3:11 says "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." He has made everything beautiful in its time, and I can't fathom his plan or His greatness.

Elegantly Shabby? What's up with that?

Here's some info about why I chose the name "Elegantly Shabby." #1. I like that it's an oxymoron. #2. I really, really like that style of decor. Some call it Shabby Chic. Whatever you want it call it, if it's half falling apart with chipped paint, most likely I'll think it's grand. #3. I think that name decribes me as a Christian. I am shabby because I'm a sinner. I was born that way, and I'll die that way. God says in His Word, the Bible, that "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). ALL HAVE SINNED--not just the people sitting in a jail cell, or hiding out in the dark alleys. I will be the first to admit that I have broken the 10 commandments. Have I lied? Yes. Have I stolen anything? Yes. Have I disrespected my mom and dad? Yes. The list goes on and on. "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate to do" (Romans 7:15). Don't get me wrong, I look like a saint compared to some people, but I KNOW my need for Jesus!!

Praise God that in Romans 6:23 it says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the GIFT of God is ETERNAL life in Christ JESUS our Lord!" One of the definitions of elegant in the dictionary is "pleasing graceful in manner." That's cool! Because that is just what God is talking about in His Word. Grace. "We believe it is through the GRACE of our Lord Jesus that we are saved" (Acts 15:11) It is only by MY Lord's loving-kindness that I am saved. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation!" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

I know some people reading this are saying "Amen!" Hopefully there are one or two of you out there scratching your head wondering what in the heck I'm talking about. If that's you, pray that God would reveal Himself in a real way to you!! He will!!

I want this blog to not only be a place where you can keep up with this family, but more importantly, learn how God is moving and changing us in awesome ways!! Elegantly Shabby. That's all for now.

Gabe the Babe

These are Gabe's 2-year-old pictures! He's getting so big!

Roddy and Me

Okay, seriously. This is approximately the 3.7th time I've tried to create a blog. I'm inspired now, though, and I feel as if I have something to say. God's been doing a lot in my life and I want to share! So, yet again, here we go....