welcome to the world, Isaac!

My nephew was born on Tuesday, 4/22/08 at 12:45 MST. His parents (my sister & brother-in-law) wrote "Isaac Michael Patterson Elmer will bear his first name as a token of the joy he is for us and all he meets, his second name as the son of a son of a valiant and God-fearing man, his third to carry the name of his lineage, and his fourth according to convention in western culture. He weighed in a healthy 7.4 lbs and measured 20+ inches (51 cm)."

Mama & baby came home about 2 hours ago and are doing great. They're both napping and happy to be home. I'm loving lovin' on them, helping out with meals and cleaning, and just enjoying this precious time and celebration of life and love. Thanks for all your prayers. We truly felt them and are so blessed!

here comes the buns

here is a picture of my nephew, taken yesterday. he is due on friday!!!!!!!!!!!! i'm going to Nicaragua with my mom to hopefully make it on time to be there for his birth! my sister has had a very easy pregnancy and we're all praying the birth will be just as easy and complication free. she sent me this video the other day to prepare us for the miracle. God is so amazing...
(you might want to hit pause on the pink music box to the right so you can enjoy the classical, relaxing sounds of birth)

for what do you want to be known?

i read this prayer on my uncle's blog the other day and it got me thinking... what DO i want to be known for? 

"Lord, as I grow older, I would like to be known as
available rather than a hard-worker;
compassionate more than competent;
content not driven;
generous instead of rich;
gentle over being powerful;
good listener over being a great communicator;
loving vs. quick or bright;
reliable not famous;
sacrificial instead of successful;
self-controlled rather than exciting;
thoughtful more than gifted.
I want to be a foot washer.
Amen."

i love this prayer. and these truly are things i want to be known as. besides these traits, i want to be known for being a woman of my word, an amazing lover, and a woman who submits with honor. here is an excerpt from an email that my friend, Elizabeth, sent me recently...

"love is but a SMALL part of marriage. at least emotional love anyway. what marriage requires is much deeper. much stronger. much more selfless. much more confident. much more secure. much more stable. much more dependable. and... WAY more full of grace than any emotional love can give. and until one can experience more than emotional love, no marriage will work.

it's hard, because most of us, when we hear a sermon or read God's word, we want to change, but we don't want to go through the process it takes to get there. for instance, i want to lose my baby weight, but i don't want to walk every day like i need to, in order to lose the weight. i read something this week that reminds me of this. it basically said that 'though we all applaud the thought of transformation, most of us don't appreciate the process that gets us there. To be transformed means we have to change, and change too often hurts. But as Paul W. Powell writes, God is more concerned about our character than our comfort. His goal is not to pamper us physically but to perfect us spiritually.'

Unfortunately, it is often easier to talk about obedience than to do anything about it. We'll dissect and analyze God's truth, debate it, and philosophize about it - anything but actually let it affect our lives."

i am someone who gets excited about change. i get hyped up after a sermon or after reading a motivational book but i am not always a big fan of the process it takes... and since i am such an all-or-nothing kind of person, if i can't do things perfectly, i give up quickly and completely. this frustrates me to no end. from exercise to diet to relationships... i want to be someone who says what she means and means what says. why is this so hard? i have been trying not to beat myself up about this but instead, searching God's Word to see what He says about words, about love, and about submission.

Matthew 12:36 "But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

Luke 6:46 "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? 47I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."

Ephesians 5:5 "For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7Therefore do not be partners with them."

1 John 3:18 "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence."

Genesis 29:20 And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.

Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires you to fear him, to live according to his will, to love and worship him with all your heart and soul.

Psalm 32:10 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.

Psalm 85:10 Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.  

Psalm 103:8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

Proverbs 3:11-12 My child, don't ignore it when the LORD disciplines you, and don't be discouraged when he corrects you. For the LORD corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

Proverbs 20:6 Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?

Proverbs 21:21 He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.

Matthew 5:44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...

Luke 7:47 "Her sins--and they are many--have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love."

John 15:12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

1 Corinthinas 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails.

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control.

Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to the disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me."

Ephesians 5:21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

Mark 8:34-35 If any of you wants to be my follower...you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will find true life. 

What about you?
For what do you want to be known?

Interrupted Plans

by Elisabeth Elliot

We like things to go smoothly and as planned. Very often unexpected things intervene, and our plans go awry. We think we've got "problems." There is another level at which everything that happens is being engineered. "God has no problems," Corrie ten Boom said, "only plans." When ours are interrupted, his are not. His plans are proceeding exactly as scheduled, moving us always (including those minutes or hours or years which seem most useless or wasted or unendurable) "toward the goal of true maturity" (Rom 12:2 JBP). Believe God. Turn the interruptions over to Him. He is at the controls.

my beautiful sister, Esther, 9 months pregnant

an unfaithful bride

I am reading a book right now called Completely His by Shannon Ethridge. In the chapter, An Extraordinary Proposal, she writes about an unfaithful bride. It really convicted me because I have been an unfaithful bride, time and time again. Especially after just having reread Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, the Scripture hit home for me. Shannon writes:

"Imagine a groom standing at the altar, watching his lovely bride glide down the aisle to pledge herself to him in holy matrimony. Dreams swirl in his head of putting the ring on her finger, taking her in his arms on their honeymoon, and spending the rest of his life with her by his side.

Do you think this groom would go through with the wedding if he knew his bride would be unfaithful to him, prostituting herself with other men and treating their wedding vows with about as much respect as one might treat the weekly trash? Would he still marry her if he knew she would be unfaithful to him?

Would you make such a commitment if the tables were turned around and you knew the person you were about to marry had quite the dark past, a past that would definitely repeat itself? Or would you consider it more reasonable to pass on this opportunity and seek a more qualified candidate down the road, one who would be faithful to you forever?

Now imagine for a moment that you are that unfaithful bride. When your groom is asked if he will love, honor, and cherish you forever, even though he knows you will give yourself to others, what will he say? Do you expect him to say, 'I do,' or is this reason enough for him to say, 'I don't think so!'?

It's hard to imagine that a groom would commit himself to an unfaithful bride, but this is exactly what God has done with you and me. In fact, many theologians and scholars agree that the Old Testament story of Hosea and Gomer is a picture of God's relationship with His spiritual bride.

In this Old Testament book, God calls the prophet Hosea to take Gomer as his wife even though she's an adultress. Similarly, God takes His bride, the nation of Israel (and ultimately us, the church) in spite of our unfaithfulness. Let's turn to the story and read of God's unreasonably passionate pursuit of His beloved bride.


13 "I will punish her for all the times she deserted me,
when she burned incense to her images of Baal,
put on her earrings and jewels,
and went out looking for her lovers,"
says the LORD.

14 "But then I will win her back once again.
I will lead her out into the desert
and speak tenderly to her there.

15 I will return her vineyards to her
and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope.
She will give herself to me there, as she did long ago when she was young,
when I freed her from her captivity in Egypt.

16 "In that coming day," says the LORD,
"you will call me 'my husband'
instead of 'my master.'

17 O Israel, I will cause you to forget your images of the Baal;
even their names will no longer be spoken....

19 I will make you my wife forever,
showing you righteousness and justice,
unfailing love and compassion.

20 I will be faithful to you and make you mine,
and you will finally know me as LORD."

(Hosea 2:13-17, 19-20)

"Without question, I find this to be one of the most extraordinary and comforting passages in the Bible. Why? Because I, like Gomer, have been an incredibly unfaithful bride. Perhaps I've never invoked the name of Baal, but I've been seduced by plenty of other gods, gods such as greed, selfishness, pride, and sexual immorality. If I examine how I've spent significant blocks of time over the years, I'd also have to say that I've bowed down to many other petty gods - the television, the telephone, inappropriate relationships, the computer and Internet, and shopping - in my futile efforts to satisfy my soul. After all, the essence of idolatry is looking to something or someone else to fill us up and satisfy us in a way that only our Creator God can.

None of us are faithful to our Bridegroom - not one - but He has known this about each of us all along. The Bible is filled with unfaithful brides, from Adam and Abraham in the Old Testament to Peter and Paul in the New Testament. Yet these sin stories often turn out to be success stories of how God cleansed these individuals and called them His own. He can do the same for us."

my life: 90 day review & preview

my Uncle John loves to live life on purpose and in balance. watching him do this inspires me to live the same. to be honest, i want to live the next quarter of 2008 with a lot more purpose and balance. here's my review of the 1st quarter and preview of the 2nd:

1. What went well this past 90 days?
-i finished my time (4 1/2 years) as an employee of Dr. Pehrson
-i have loved living with the Elmers. i feel safe, affirmed, and loved every day.
-i spent a few precious days with my pregnant sister and my amazing brother-in-law in Nicaragua.
-i paid off my car early and became officially DEBT FREE!!!!!!!
-i celebrated the last birthday of my 20s.
-welcomed Pehrson baby #7, Witt, into the world on 1/18.
-i officially became a member of Buckhead Church.

2. What will you do differently for the next 90?
-walk or bike at least 100 miles a month
-find creative ways to make money
-spend more time in the Word
-talk less. listen more.
-grow in my trust and love of God

3. What are 2-3 things you will do in the following 5 areas of your life?

A. LIFE (For your spirit, soul and body)
-I will make my times with the Lord a top priority, delighting in and meditating on His Word day and night.
-I want to be full of the Spirit with a heart of love, joy, peace, patience, self control and more.
-I want to exercise 5-6 days a week

B. (FUTURE) MARRIAGE
-I will pray that God will continue to prepare my future husband and me for one another.
-I will fall more in love with Jesus.

C. FAMILY
-Mini family reunion in Charlotte 4/11-4/13 with Grandstaffs, Werners, Woodalls, Mays, Griffins and the Taylor!
-Flying to Nicaragua 4/20 to wait for the arrival of my first nephew!!!

D. WORK
-Continue to seek where the Lord wants me, Northpoint? Buckhead Church? Somewhere besides Atlanta?!
-Help out in Weekday as needed & babysit until I find something full time

E. CHURCH
-Continue investing in Waumba Land at Buckhead Church
-Get back into a women's small group


Eccles. 3:12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God.

Looking forward to a great April, May and June.

For lives on purpose in balance.

hidden work

by Elisabeth Elliot

Few of us accomplish without delay or interruption what we set out to accomplish. Plans are made, and they fail. We dream dreams, and they are not fulfilled. Even what seem to be soberly realistic schedules are interrupted by unforeseen demands. Often we are tempted to quit our efforts altogether, to take a careless attitude, or to give in to helplessness, despair, and frustration.

When the apostle Paul's itinerant ministry was brought to a standstill by his imprisonment in Rome, he had plenty of human reasons for giving up. He wrote to the Christians at Philippi, who themselves were suffering persecution, reminding them of the humble obedience of Christ. "You too, my friends, must be obedient, as always.... You must work out your own salvation in fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you, inspiring both the will and the deed, for his own chosen purpose. Do all you have to do without complaint or wrangling" (Phil 2:12-14 NEB).

Imprisonments, persecutions, late planes, an attack of the flu, an uninvited guest, or an unpleasant confrontation--never mind. Be obedient as always! Such a simple directive. So hard to carry out--unless we also remember that we are not by any means alone in our effort. God also is at work in us, always accomplishing what we could not accomplish if left to ourselves: his own chosen purpose.