by jot and tittle

Kids. Simple yet so complex. Tears and tantrums and trouble. Imagination. Belly laughs. Learning. With kids there is oh so much learning for everyone involved. They're learning things like colours, numbers, shapes, sharing, and manners. You're learning things like patience, wisdom, gentleness, and perseverance. Overwhelming. Children are overwhelming. Their two greatest love languages are time  and touch  which makes your time their time and your body no longer your own. Personal space is gone. No really, gone . Overwhelming. Every moment is a learning opportunity. So your four-year-old wants your help right now  but you can't help right now  because you're stirring the gravy on the stove: patience. There is only one book and two people want to look at it: sharing. The baby breaks the three-year-old's tractor; controlling anger and forgiveness. Not interrupting while you talk with another adult; respect. Eating all the food on your plate; finishing what...

High school is full of friends and drama and learning. Perhaps one of the best parts of high school for girls is the learning because you are expected and encouraged to use your brain. It's good to pass exams with flying colours and finish with high marks. And then you graduate. And then what? You ALL get married and become moms. So what on earth would you need to go to school for? You must think pretty highly of yourself if you want to get your BA (or even worse, Masters) in something. Why should you go to university for Biology and Chemistry (that you love and excel in) when you could go to the community collage for a year or two or better yet just work at the local diner till some chap asks you to marry him ? Why waste your time and money developing your gifts when you could just settle for a minimum wage job that keeps you going till your real life begins ? Because today is your real life. Not the maybe-might-happen-in-five-years. Today. Today is your real life. ...

Dancing.  It's one of those things. You know? Some people are super excited about it and others think it's the sin of all sins because dancing is touching and we all know what touching leads too... But I'm getting side-tracked. Dancing is used as an expression of joy in the Bible. Miriam danced when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea to safety (Exodus 15). Women danced when battles were won (Judges 11:34 and 1 Samuel 18:6) and of course David danced when the Ark of the Covenant was returned to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:14-16). There's a song about dancing on the streets that are golden, talking about the joy we will have in heaven.  Now, dancing on golden streets sounds pretty appealing, however, most of us imagine that ballroom to be a long way off. We don't tread upon golden streets here. I walk on bread crumbs and toys and cat hair and my music is children laughing and fighting above the children's worship CD. Perhaps you...

Jesus tells us to lay up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6), and we read that passage, nod our heads and say an "amen" in our hearts, but then continue on our merry way. However, the fact of the matter is that laying up treasures in heaven doesn't merely consist of making the church kids memorize the catechism and throwing a tenth of your income in the collecting plate on Sunday (as good as those things are). Storing up treasures in heaven is a mindset, a soulset if you will, and it's one we often don't have. Because the fact of the matter is that storing up treasures in heaven almost always comes at the expense of storing up treasures on earth and let's face it: earthly treasures sure look a lot more appealing, take less time and commitment, are less awkward, and often less painful. If we were really concerned about living like Jesus taught we might consider doing like Jesus did. I know people say that and we all smile and think yea, but we can't do ever...

At the ladies' lunch-in Women gathered about and one woman's rounding belly makes the stories all come out About pain and hours and labour And diapers and juice cups and dirt And my heart begins to squeeze But my face won't show the hurt Once a heart too small to feel beat inside of me but no one even knows it Except my husband and God Almighty My stomach was getting bigger I was soon to show We were going to tell everyone But then that little heart ceased to grow And I don't know why it happened But I know that there was pain Not only for my body More like in every way Why did God let this happen? Would I have been such a bad mum? What did I do so wrong? How could I tell anyone? Now I know there is a reason But that doesn't stop the pain And even though time has passed I feel it every day To loose a child before you meet Ravishes your heart And to hear all these women's stories Again t...

Sometimes the world gets pretty depressing. There is so much badness going on in the news and in the church we are constantly reminded that persecution is coming to the western world in our life time and there's nothing we can to do about. Basically we're all doomed thanks to natural disasters, wars, school shootings, and the leftist agenda. But. What if we weren't doomed? See, you really can't complain about how bad the world is if you are doing nothing to change it. I know we don't have control over natural disasters but we do have lot more control over changing this culture of death then you might think and I would like to encourage young people in particular to not sit still. We have energy when we're young that we will never have again. Let me give you just two examples of young people who aren't sitting still. 1. This week I was extremely blessed do some volunteer work with a pro-life group. As I drove home on Friday afternoon an exceptional th...

I'm reading a book. In this book it was talking about the culturally acceptable and expected phenomena of degrading men. All too quickly our mouths spew unkind, disrespectful, rude words and jokes which people laugh at but they make God frown and hurt the hearts of the men around us. For this I am truly sorry. Chivalry, gentlemanly behavior, and male leadership are offensive in our feminist culture. For this I am also truly sorry. On behalf of other grateful women I would like to just take a moment to thank men for 25 things they do. Thank you for; 1. Taking out the trash 2. Opening the door 3. Scraping the car 4. Cleaning the driveway 5. Carrying heavy (and not so heavy) things 6. Leading Bible study 7. Praying 8. Working hard 9. Watching for the safety of others 10. Starting the car 11. Going last (for meals, through the doorway, and just about everything else) 12. Holding the umbrella 13. Answering questions 14. Helping your mom 15. Drying the dishes 16. Pla...