Here we go!!!!

Good day to you all! Pictured here is one of Tim's "posters" that he is in the process of tweaking....I like the title of it, so I thought I'd post it. You may recognize it as I have posted the picture on its own a while ago. His website has more of his photos....be sure to check it out! http://timmybomb.blogspot.com/

Anyways, Tim and I are leaving for a week of vacation bliss... FINALLY! So we won't be posting for 6 days or so. I know, I know....you are SOOOO disappointed, right?? Tee hee! Anyways...we are headed up into the north of British Columbia to take mass quantities of pictures and experience the great outdoors for our 4th year wedding anniversary!! FOUR YEARS!!!! Pretty cool! God is soooo good to us!

This picture's title is very appropriate for this week ....with our wedding anniversary and all...we're "Still Standing". It is also fitting because I have a few friends that are also celebrating their anniversaries this month, but they are "standing" on their own for their marriage....without the help of their spouse. I find that pretty amazing. Every marriage goes through intense difficulty (....and if you haven't gone through it yet, beware....YOU WILL!), but that difficulty, if dealt with in a spirit of understanding with faith, hope, love, and with Jesus, can prove to make that marriage stronger than ever.

For Tim and I, the difficulty struck months before we were married and continued for two years after we were married!!! No kidding! Yeah, we were happy we were married, but we hit some brutal circumstances and situations that sought to destroy our marriage. If it weren't for the Lord and His gifts of perseverance and sacrifice in Tim and the stubborness of myself, we wouldn't have survived. Marriage is tough work....really tough, but when the bulk of the difficulty is fought through and I mean REALLY FOUGHT through, a new marriage is birthed and peace is restored.....there is a new level of FUN and intimacy, too.....we're "Still Standing"...broken and damaged....our marriage a real "fixer-upper", but now "standing" with fresh renovations!

As for my dear friends going through poo, but standing for their spouses, standing up for the sanctity and covenant of marriage....standing for righteousness...though broken, perhaps bleeding, tearing wallpaper and peeling paint, their marriages under renovation, they are READY for beauty to be unveiled, intimacy to be renewed, a solid and forever foundation rebuilt. "Oh Lord Jesus, come and renovate!" And He IS! He is. Dear friends....STAND and STAND FIRM! The passage that comes to mind is I Corinthians 16:13-14, which says, "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be (wo)men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love."

Other good ones are: I Corinthians 15:58, Ephesians 6, James 5:7-9, and I Peter 5:9.
STAND FIRM and be blessed! God's got your back! See ya next Wednesday!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HUBBY-MAN!!

So Tim's birthday was yesterday! We actually celebrated it the whole week because that's how special he is to me! Or it could be that I couldn't wait for him to open his presents! "What did he get?", you ask.... Well, besides a new golf club, a sweater, some chocolate and beer, he received an "SLR Jar". "What's an SLR Jar?" you ask......well, it's a jar decorated with cameras and "SLRs" that contains mass quantities of moola! You see, Tim has been wanting a kick-butt camera for some time now as he is (I hate to use this terminology...) a "blossoming" photographer! Check out his photos at http://timmybomb.blogspot.com/.

Anyways, between our family and friends, we raised over $800. towards a new "professional" camera that should appear in his world by January! YEAH! Tim was pretty excited as you can see above!

Tim had been talking about a professional camera for a long time...he studied the models, read report after report, visited store after store looking for the best price for the best model. He pursued it and figured that "someday" he would be able to purchase this large investment. I was impressed by his drive and intense interest in this venture and couldn't help but get excited, too!

It's like our relationship with Jesus.....when we talk about Him, study His life, His words, read story after story about Him and what He does, visit those who know Him well, seek to find Him, look for Him at every chance, anticipate when we will behold Him and see Him face to face.....we can't help but get excited, passionate. And you know what happens when we get to that place? We get those around us excited, too! So much so, that they begin to do their OWN research and pass it on, too...just like the excitement I felt with Tim's passion.

I think I often forget the passage, Proverbs 27:17, which says "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another". What do I get passionate about? Are they things that I want to pass on to others? Do I want to pass on my negative attitudes about certain people, or my tiredness, or sometimes my doubting of the promises of God? Or do I want to pass on a passion for His presence, a positive view of His calling and purpose for my life, a "cup half-full" approach to this gift of life He has given me? How am I sharpening those around me? Perhaps what I seek most will prove what I am most passionate about! Again, I am humbled. (Read Jeremiah 29: 12-14.........)

Speaking His praises......

Tim took this picture a while ago...it reminds me of just another thing I can thank and praise the Lord for! Have you had your Sabbath day, yet? I have....and I will again very soon! Did He speak to you or did you rest in His silent peace?

I had a little of both. It was hard to take the whole day, though....I think I will have to work up to it and it will take some practice. :p

I read Psalm148-150 yesterday and though the Psalms are filled with David exuberantly saying "Praise the Lord!", I was a little struck by the last 3 chapters this very long compilation of songs...some of the verses made me smile, others made me laugh, and all of them got me wanting to "Praise the Lord"! One of them that made me smile was Psalm 149:4-5, which says,
"For the LORD takes delight in his people;
he crowns the humble with salvation.

Let the saints rejoice in this honor
and sing for joy on their beds."

Sing for joy on their beds? I thought that was kinda funny. I was picturing some kids jumping on their beds singing to the Lord or something......But all three chapters are telling us when and where and why we must praise the Lord. I think a contemporary edition of these chapters could read (very simply in Bethany style).....

"Praise the Lord while you're sleeping, Praise the Lord while you eat,
Praise the Lord while you sit on the toilet, Praise the Lord while you take a shower,
Praise Him in the car as your drive yourself to work, Praise the Lord while you send your e-mails. Praise the Lord while you teach your children and when you "discuss" with your spouse. Praise the Lord while you hang with your friends and when you minister to acquaintances....
For crying out aloud!! JUST PRAISE HIM! SHEESH!"

Perhaps that's a little too simply put, but I find that I REALLY do not praise Him enough....for the little things AND the big things....for who He is. Perhaps it is because I thought that "praising Him" needed to be thought out and carefully planned...or maybe it needed to be in response to a particular answer to prayer or situation...but no! That's not what King David is saying! He is saying to Praise Him all the day long!!! Praise Him in the routine of things! What a difference that would make in my home! It's like praying without ceasing (I Thess. 5:12-23)...it should be like a breath we take..."ahhh, praise You, Lord, for Your love....." or something like that....?? I bet He likes that and comes a little closer to hear more..... :p

I gotta learn to do this more. When we focus on who HE is and praise Him throughout the day, it fixes our eyes on Him and gives us that "Sabbath day" peace admist the fury of the day....at least it did for me. Do you enjoy praising Him enough?

Quietly seeking....

Timmy took this picture a while ago, but I think it speaks to where I am presently......Do you ever have those times when you feel like being alone and quiet? When the sound of kids and even your favorite CD burn your ears and kinda irritate you? Well, there's something wrong with you!

Just kidding. I've been feeling that way for a while. Craving the silence and then when (and if) I get it, I don't even know what to do with it!

I was talking with a friend recently who convicted me on the fact that Tim and I do not have a Sabbath. Sure we have "days off" from work (they're on Tuesdays and Wednesdays) and we sometimes get to go to church with the kids on Sundays...but that turns into a really busy work day. On our days off, because everyone else is working, we tend to run errands and finish the projects that we had started before the kids arrived the previous week. But a Sabbath day? I don't think we've even spoken that word for quite some time.

What is it about us nowadays that causes us to be driven to work all the time as though it is an honorable, noble or desired thing....I mean, why do "work-a-holics" get some kind of status because they can spin thousands of miles a minute working to please everyone around them?

I left the house a bit dirty this week......and Tim and I went to the beach to watch the sunset and play "Scrabble" (I beat him again.), take pictures and have dessert. It was wonderful...we had a great time....but why couldn't the whole day been like that? What was so important that we couldn't take a FULL Sabbath day to enjoy the presence of God through His creation?

He does talk about this topic often in the Bible... I found 151 times! But the passage that ministered to me the most is Hebrews 4. The whole chapter is talking about Salvation and a permanent Sabbath rest in the future for those who follow Jesus, but what is striking to me are verses 9-11, which say,

"There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience."

So NOT entering into "that rest" sets us up for disobedience....and this is true! Think about the last time you worked long and hard...think about when you finally hit the breakdown burn-out point when you became impatient with yourself or others and maybe snapped at them....could it be that you hadn't entered into HIS rest for a while? It certainly has been my reason for having to set up firm boundaries in my job, with friends, the church, and even my family. I need to enter into my Saviour's rest and for more than just an hour or two....a day. A full day. Now that doesn't mean that I will not tend to those whom God places in my care on a Sabbath... Jesus healed on the Sabbath (take a look at Matthew and Luke!)....but I will be "choosy" with how I spend my time that day....releasing the power of guilt and expectation to God so that I can be FULLY enjoying His gifts to me....His rest without guilt, without having to be "productive". Rest is not a sign of weakness or failure...it is required by God and a necessity for a heart after God's heart.

Is it time you rested?

THE ZOO!.....

Last post I said I'd tell you a little bit about my visit to the Oregon Zoo....I went with my mom....just the two of us!

We saw all kinds of things not at all limited to the animals themselves....we saw parents with whiney children who were begging for things every parent should say "no" to....we saw teenagers on their first "alone" dates trying to act all cool when the elephant relieved himself in front of them! We saw kids with matching t-shirts following their camp leaders......We found that the zoo is a great place to observe people, too! And while my mom would not want me to share ALL the things we saw (as this is a public site and supposed to be safe for children), I will only tell you the appropriate aspects of our visit....animals tend to be a bit less modest in their physical affection towards each other..... if you get my drift......

I don't know what it was about the presence of my mom and I, but just about every animal we visited ended up relieving itself right in front of us (my mom prefers me not to write "pee" or "poo") ....almost like it had been waiting for us to come by...it was nuts! And ya know....everybody does it! There's no "heirarchy" among the animals in the zoo....the lions and elephants don't have a prettier toilet or bigger restroom than the baboons....it's all the same....they go where and when they feel like it......they have no embarrassment or fear of being watched while going....we saw a 'sun bear' puke up white stuff that looked like salt water taffy and then lick it up over and over again....and I can't even begin to tell you what we saw the otter do! The elephants, too! The seals? Yeah, them, too! Charles Darwin was ALL WET! What was he smoking when he thought up the "theory of evolution"??

All the while, my mom and I would laugh at the humor of God displayed in such nutsy animals and would make up conversations the animals were having with eachother with their quirky facial expressions as they lumbered around. It was great. Can you imagine Adam's job of having to name all those? Like "wombat"...how do you come up with a name like that? Or "gazelle"? Giraffe? Hippopotamus? Crazy!

And ya know what the best part of it all is? God created those animals for us! For us to enjoy them! To RULE over them! (See Genesis 1 :25-29) And that we did! Have you ever taken the time to really study and enjoy one of God's creations? Ever sit and watch a bird gather scraps for her nest or a bumblebee gather pollen from flower to flower? Ever go to the zoo and watch the elephants....I mean REALLY watch them? Take some time to sit in awe of God's creation and I guarantee it will make you look differently at God's most precious creation! YOU! We are His greatest treasure and yet, look at all the other pieces of creation He could choose from!

Be blessed, friends, and keep those comments coming!

....my visit to the homeland.....

This week I got to go down south to Gresham, Oregon to visit my best friend and my family....while I was away, Tim went hiking up a giant mountain with two friends to a peaceful and secluded lake (seen here) in the valley of the mountain range! As many of you know, Tim is not your athlete and he rarely does anything that requires him to move his limbs....BUT, one thing you should know about Tim is that he CAN do ANYTHING when he DECIDES he's going to! Seriously! He climbs giant mountains straight up for 7 hours hauling a giant backpack with supplies! He's my hero......but enough about him, let's talk about ME!

So I went to my mom and dad's place and got to spend some awesome quality time with my long-time friend, Alissa. She rocks. You know those people you spend time with that make you feel like you've just hung out with Jesus? Well, that's my mom and my friend, Alissa. There's a peace and a joy about them that wherever we are, we can talk with or about Jesus....laughing with Heaven, enjoying the freedom to be who we are without having to impress anyone...without having to watch our words as to not offend....we feel filled with the Spirit of God to be who He's created us to be. I love that.

I can't help but be blessed by these two very precious relationships God has given to me. They remind me of His faithfulness and kindness to me whenever I am with them. They are truly an example of the loving friendship described in 1 John 4:10-12, which says, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us."

When I hang with my mom and Alissa, God's love is made complete. I love that. I am so grateful to be taught and encouraged by such good friends. They're my "Jesus Friends"...what a blessing! Do you surround yourself with these kinds of friends?

Thanks for all the comments and sorry for the delay on posts....I'll get into a routine again soon! I gotta share what happened when my mom and I went to the ZOO together......great stuff....stay tuned!

Pill bugs....what's the point?

So I told you last post that I would look at "pill bugs"....or "wood bugs" as our 7 year-old refers to them. You say, "What's so special about those garden creepers, Bethany?"

Well, let me tell ya....they are another example of the "logical side" (see last post) of God. No, really! They are! Did you know that they are not insects, but isopods? (related to the ant) And did you know that throughout their lives, they shed their outer exoskeleton 4 to 5 times?
And did you know (here's the kicker...) that they eat decaying, rotten, wilting plants and animals?? WAY TOO COOL!

Look at your garden or if you don't have a garden, go to the park! These little creepers are everywhere! And they are making this world a prettier, less smelly place! They eat the decaying, ooky, slimy plants that if left too long make the whole plant diseased and rotted! They eat the dead crow on your sidewalk and the little bitty earwig eggs! THESE GUYS ROCK! And what's even more awesome is that when these guys eat this disgusting diet of rot, they poop it out into your soil making it more fertile! YEAH FOR PILL BUGS!

On a more spiritual note...they are armoured vehicles, too! Their hard "candy" shell protects them from pedators as they roll into balls like a tiny armadillo! Reminds me of the armour of God....ya know...the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation....without OUR armour, we are powerless to our icky predator, the devil. But with God's armour, we can roll up into armoured balls and steamroll right over our advesary! Cool!

One more thing about these coolie critters...can you imagine having your own pet pill bug that would eat all the rotten stuff in your life and then poop it out to make you life more "fertile"? I DO! I would have it eat up all my impure thoughts, my selfish desires, my lack of trust.....Oh, this pill bug would be fed to the MAX! But for now, this pill bug is a picture of the Holy Spirit in my life....He doesn't EAT the rotten stuff...HE TRANSFORMS IT! And makes something beautiful of my life.
II Corinthians 3:17-18

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

Take care and keep those comments coming! What would YOUR pill bug eat?

Destined for greatness........

Ever feel this way? I think my mom sent me this picture a while back...just to make me laugh. But there are days when I feel like this.....a little revealed, uncovered, like my worst features are on display. And bikinis NEVER look good anyway!

Hippos are interesting creatures....have you ever seen one in a yellow-polka-dot bikini? I didn't think so! And did you know that hippos secrete their own special sunscreen out of their pores and this is what gives them their pinky-orangey-brown color? Did you know that they spend most of their day submerged under water with only their mouth, ears, and eyes above the surface to prevent sunburn? And did you know that they only go in search of food when the sun goes down and then they eat short grasses until the sun comes up....sometimes 500 pounds of grass!!?? And did you know that they can stay under water for up to 5 minutes? And did you know that they are extremely territorial and males will mark their territory and status by gathering up females around them? Sounds like a few humans I know!! Just kidding....but really, they are interesting animals....related to the pig apparently! So all this to say...I've never really given much thought to hippos, but after reading up on them, I'd say that they are pretty fantastic....so what does this have to do with the Lord??

Well, I was chatting with an acquaintance at a restaurant today and she was saying that a friend of hers cannot believe in God because God and the belief in God is not logical.....we chatted a bit about the differences between God's logic and man's logic. There is a BIG difference and yet, look at the hippo....the fact that he has sunscreen secreted from his pores to protect his skin from the sun is sooo logical! What "big bang" or other theory could create an animal with its own sunscreen and what theory could be more logical than a creative and logical God saying the 'word' and it coming to life? So cool. Maybe we just don't take a close enough look at creation.....the hippo shows the greatness of God's creation....the attention to detail.....the art of the artist. Maybe I'll check out woodbugs (pill bugs) tomorrow....I've always wondered what was so great about them.....

Have you found something that has totally blessed your socks off?
Be blessed and keep those comments coming!

What a MAN!

Let me tell you why I have the most amazing husband ever....this picture was taken at Lighthouse Park here in Vancouver last week. Tim and I went on a hike to a secluded and beautiful spot within the giant park and ate a dinner of pasta and tiramisu on the cliff's edge. Ahhh.

But you know how there's a passage in Proverbs that speaks about the character of a woman? (it's Proverbs 31 if you're interested). Well, there isn't a clear single passage geered totally toward the character of a man....like a list of characteristics that teach men how to be men or how to be good husbands. God just tells men to love their wives the way Christ loves the church. (Ephesians 5:25-26 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word").

So what does that really mean? I'm looking into that and I have some ideas given the fact that Christ is very intentional and clear in the way He loves His church, His kids. Although I don't know the full extent of the passage above, I know my hubby is awesome at displaying Christ's love to me in very tangible ways.

Ya know, he told me that he would rather hang out with me and do nothing than go anywhere with his friends!? We work together 24-7, too! He challenges me on my thinking when it is totally off....he sets up strong, healthy boundaries with those around him, including the people who expect the most from him. He recognizes when I am getting overwhelmed and graciously tends to my needs. He will rub my back at bedtime until I fall asleep and will always pray just before bed when I ask him to.... he always prays FOR ME first. He encourages me to not "sweat the small stuff" and says "thank you for making dinner" even when it stinks! He takes a firm stand around others that I am the one he prefers and talks positively about me in public. He is never threatened by my joining him in his hobbies and will willingly accompany me on silly outings that I just don't feel like doing alone. He runs errands whenever needed without complaining and even picks me up a coffee or flowers on the way! When I can't sleep at night he will write limmericks in his head and recite them to me to make me laugh....
He always puts down the toilet seat and will water my garden for me. Yes, it's clear I could go on and on and perhaps he would be good at writing a manual for hubbies, but I must say, we have been through some terribly rough times, too. Between the grace of God, His giving us wisdom and the determination to love each other no matter what the circumstance, overcoming obstacles has become a guarantee. I am so thankful for my man. I just had to let you all know how blessed I am.

PS. Sorry for the lack of postings....things have been busy here and next week I will be in Oregon visiting my family, so I will try to post a few before I leave! Blessings to you all and keep the comments coming!