Christmas Is Coming!

The lights are on the tree, the garland is on the porch, the cookie jar is waiting to be filled with our favorite sweet treats, the kids are excited! Yes, Christmas is coming. I love Christmas. It is my favorite time of year! I secretly can’t wait for Christmas to come each year. When you hear people complain and dread Christmas it makes me sad. I love everything about it! I love the baking and the smells, the decorations, the music (which I always start listening to before Thanksgiving), buying gifts, wrapping and decorating packages; what’s not to love?

I want my children to have great Christmas memories and to love Christmas as much as I do, even when they are older. I hope my boys will want to decorate and bake with me when they are teenagers, even if they don’t tell their friends. I hope that all of them are as excited as I am when they have families of their own. I want to savor these days. Baking with my kids, seeing the lights twinkle in their eyes as they ask, “When will it be Christmas?”

I also love what Christmas is about; God giving! God gave us the greatest gift ever when he gave us eternal life with Him by sending His son to save us. I feel God’s love all year, I feel His presence, but there is something extra special I feel at Christmas... knowing I am celebrating Him and all that He is and all that He has given. It is kind of like a wedding which to most is very special takes a lot of work and rushing around and a lot of money to celebrate love and the couple. Christmas is so special to me that I plan and cook and decorate and give gifts just to celebrate our Lord. It is a party for Him and I am not ashamed of that. I begin looking forward to next year as soon as this one is over. I get into the spirit and I love it because I love God. We celebrate, we party, we eat, we give... because He Gave.

Merry Christmas!

Why I Love Being A Mom...

Today I took the kids to the bank, which was uneventful and then off to library for storytime. Getting out of the van, one of them cried about something, although I can’t remember who or why... I must have chosen to block it out. Leanne tried to run around the library, testing every last piece of patience that I have rather than sitting and playing with all of the toys like she normally does. Leaving the library, I tell the boys to let Leanne in the van first... I say it three times as Timothy proceeds to push past her to climb in. I grab him to pull him back out of the van where he hits his head on the van door and then starts to wail at the top of lungs. He might as well have been screaming, “Look at me, look at me, my mom just banged my head on the van door! Call DSS!” I felt completely terrible, but proceed to scold him anyways for not listening... So then we are off to Taco Bell for lunch with our friends. Leanne spills a cup full of fruit punch all over the floor during the 12:00 lunch rush, like the people at Taco Bell had time to clean up that mess (it was way too big for me and a few napkins). As I try to converse with my adult friend through constant interruptions and trips to the bathroom, Parker loudly announces (so all could hear), “I have to go poopy!” with a lot of urgency behind his voice. So off we go... when we get to the bathroom, he laughs and says “I don’t have to go poopy!” Yes, I did see some anger on that one... discipline did follow. As we leave Taco Bell, Parker manages to twist his finger on the door of the van and then fall down and scrape his hand on the concrete. At then end of my morning adventure, I think maybe I should have just stayed home... but Leanne deciding it is time to be a big girl, did not wet her pull up, used the potty at Taco Bell and pottied as soon as we got home. Thank heaven for small miracles in the daily adventures of being a mom :-) And yes, even on the crazy days, I love being a mom!

Outside Of The Box

I have been struggling with this for some time now, and being married to a Southern Baptist ordained minister makes it even more of a challenge for me. I feel like I am supposed to support everything that the Southern Baptist say... I don’t. I want to live by the Bible... the Word of God, not a list of manmade rules, that may or may not have enough scripture backup to form rules and regulations to live by. I am aggravated at the denominational doctrines as a whole. They spend too much time arguing who is right and who is wrong; they appear to often be more worried about who has the most members rather than how many people have actually changed their lives and are living differently because of the power of the Holy Spirit. This attitude is transferring to our churches. We tend to forget that the church is commanded to go out and make disciples... not go out and get another butt in the seat. Disciples live for Christ. They do whatever it takes to live for Him and to help other people live for Him.

I have been so excited to be a part of High Rock Community Church in Salisbury,NC this month. We have been doing a series called Whatever It Takes and we are stepping outside of the box to show our community how big God can be. We are doing whatever it takes to show people that God cares about them and that He often works through the people of the church. I am praying that this attitude, this mindset of getting out of our box (the church walls) continues... imagine a church that the community would miss. Imagine a church that allowed God out of the box to show the world how big He is. Let’s forget about the debatable issues of the denominations and get out of the box the church has made and be the church that God intended... a church that helps everyone, a church that goes out to the people, a church that lives together and prays together and eats together and serves together and loves together. A church that allows God to be bigger than the box.

I want to live outside of the box. I don’t want to do what everybody else is doing because it is what everyone else has done. I don’t want to try to make God fit inside of box that I can understand. He is way to big for that! I don’t want to live by the doctrines that are made by man that have little to no scriptural support. God is bigger than that too. I want to live outside of the box because God lives in me and he is bigger than the box.

I've Been Tagged!

My sister in law Michelle has tagged me.  Ok, this is much harder than I thought it would be.  I had to try multiple times before I could come up with 7 different things

• As a teenager I wanted 6 kids.  I was always envious of large families having come from a small family without any cousins.  I remember a family that used to come into the grocery story where I worked and they had 7 children.  They were always so well dressed and well behaved.  I always thought that holidays at their house must be so much fun.  Well, now I have 3 children and even on the days when I think I am going to go completely insane... I still want 3 more. 

• I hate to exercise.  I have never been athletic... I want to compete in a triathlon.  I really have no idea why other than that is something I want to do before I die... seems like a good accomplishment :-)

• Doug and I love to camp and we love to take our kids camping.  This spring we hope to take our three kids (ages 4, 4 & 2) along with their cousins (ages 14, 11, 11 & 3) camping in the mountains.  That will be the 2 of us with 7 children... maybe after this trip I will rethink the whole six kids thing, LOL!

• I am passionate about Women’s Ministry!  I think that women today are plagued with self esteem and self worth issues (myself included).  We have so much that we think we have to live up to because of the media and hollywood.  I hope to be able to impact women all over through an online bible study ministry.  I hope to write about and teach women how to know their worth and beauty through the love of Christ not through media and TV comparisons!   Check out my website www.danaduggins.com for more info.

• What is the one thing I would do if I could not fail?  I would adpot older children.  The ones that are not wanted... the ones that will never have a home or a family to love them unconditionally... the ones with so much baggage... the ones who’s hearts are damaged.  If I couldn’t fail... I would bring them to my family and love them.  I would teach them about God’s love and grace.  I would do everything I could to teach them that they are valuable and worthy and can be somebody.  Maybe someday I will have the courage...

• I am a critical care/ER nurse and I love what I do.  Since I have to work I am really glad that I like my job.  But.... if I were ever to change careers, I would study meteorology.  I love the weather and science.  I denied it for years, but I really am a nerd!  I took 5 semesters of Chemistry in college because I LIKED IT.

• I love to take baths!  They are so relaxing.  Even if for only 10 minutes... it is 10 minutes of solitude in hot, rejuvenating water.  I am a more calm person after.  The only thing better is 20 minutes with good smelling bubble bath and book :-)

I am going to tag:

Lisa because she needs to update her blog and I think she will have fun with this.

Andrea because she too needs to update her blog and I am interested.

Angie because I think she will think it is fun and the people at church will enjoy reading it.

Paula because she did not have a blog when Michelle did the tagging... so I get to tag her, LOL.

Erik & Kari because they are so much fun and I can only imagine what they will say :-)

Have fun everyone!

God Protects!

How many times have we asked God to “be with us” or have asked God for his protection?  For me, the times are too many to count and usually I go through our day with no idea what God has done for me or how He protects me.  There may even be times in your life where you have wondered if he does protect you, especially if you have had bad things happen in your life.  I have always believed that we usually have no idea how many harms we have been protected from.  Bad things happen in our lives, but how much does God protect us from?  We will probably never know...

Yesterday I took the kids to Virginia to visit my grandmother.  When we got in the van, I asked God to keep us safe and to protect us as we travel.  On the way home last night, I heard a terrible loud noise and felt a vibration.  I stopped the van on the side of the highway knowing I had a flat tire.  I got out and went to look at the tire that I thought was flat.  In the dark, it was not flat and nothing appeared to be wrong with it.  Assuming that I had just run over something, I got back into the van and drove another 20 miles at 70 mph home.  When Doug came home, he was so thankful that the kids and I were alive and safe.  When I asked why, he told me that my tire was very badly damaged and that nothing other than God’s protection had brought us home safely without the tire blowing.

I have no idea how many things God has protected me from in my life, but last night He reminded me loud and clear that He is with me and will never leave me.  I am thankful for His presence in my life and the protection that He offers me.  I know that suffering will happen in my life, but I have no idea how much suffering God has kept from my life.  I do know what He protected me from last night!

Thank you Lord for you love and your protection.  Thank you for bringing me and my children home safe last night.  Thank you for allowing me to park in a way that Doug saw the tire to get a new one today so that I would not continue driving on this tire.  Thank you for all of the things that you have ever protected me from and for all of the things that you will ever protect me from.  I love you, Lord!

My Little Faith Journey!

I am on my own little faith journey.  In the past couple of months, I have learned a lot about myself and what I really believe in comparison to what I thought I believed.  I have always believed in God and have never questioned His existence, I have always loved God but I don’t think I have ever been in love with God.  Because of this I have never had that REAL, ALIVE, PERSONAL relationship with Him.  Until recently, I thought that I did... I have read the Bible and studied, I have prayed and I consider Him in major decisions.  Truthfully though, I have never really considered Him as my most cherished relationship.  I am really almost ashamed to say that out loud (or write in a blog).  This is something that I have been actively praying for for just over a month now.  In the past two months I have heard three people talk about this type of relationship and try to describe what this relationship is like to them.  I realized that what they were describing, I do not have.  I believe this relationship is possible and I am truly fascinated by it; I am in fact intrigued by it.  I have wondered how I can feel like God wants to use me to write material for other women when I myself don’t have this relationship.  I have had to search my heart over this one...  In a some recent study time I came across developed a love for Isaiah 42:16 and 43:2-3.  These are the verses I am hanging on to.  They are the backbone for me as I search for and seek a relationship with God like I have never had.  

Isaiah 43:2-3 says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

Who else can make promises like that?  Who else loves me like that?  Why would I not want an intimate relationship with the One who is always with me and will protect me?  I want to really love the Lord with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  I want that love to fill me up to the point of overflowing.  I want that love to be all that I need, where I don’t look to anything or anyone else for comfort.  My Lord, My God, My Savior is with me and loves me and wants me to trust Him beyond any way that I have trusted Him so far.  I feel it in my soul... maybe that is the beginning of  that intimate, alive, personal relationship that I am seeking! 

Isaiah 42:16 says, “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.”

I am blind because I do not know where God is leading me, my path is unfamiliar, but He is guiding me.  He will turn the dark and unknown into light and He will make the rough places smooth.  He will not leave me.  This is so comforting as I continue down the path of writing Bible studies for women.  I am so unqualified and unworthy!  I do not know where the path will lead, but God has told me what He will do and that He will not leave me, so I need to continue on safe and confident in His love!

To realize and admit how lacking my realtionship with God is is a little unsettling, but I realize that I should never be still; I should always be growing and growing I am. I call this my little faith journey, but I think that really my entire life is a faith journey... this is just another step on the journey to bring me closer to Him! 

Ladies Retreat at Muir's Chapel UMC

The weekend at Michelle’s church’s Ladies Retreat was great.  I had such a great time there and met a lot of really great people.  I was nervous at first, especially after my sis-in-law Michelle introduced me on Friday night.  On Saturday and even more so on Sunday, I realized what I already knew... God was in control.  It actually felt really natural for me to be talking to this group of ladies.  I am certainly no body special with nothing special to say, but as Michelle had told me I not important enough to stop God from using me.  I hope that He was able to use this damaged vessel, this everyday person with nothing special to say for the glory of His kingdom!  I thank God for the trials  I have had in my life and pray that what I have learned from them that I am always bold enough and transparent enough to share with others.  I need to be careful what I pray for, but I pray, “God, please use me for your glory!”  This is a really fun ride!  Maybe I should hang on :-)

Catching Up!

It has been a really long time since I have blogged.  Summer was busy, the kids are older so there were days at the park, swimming, and camping to take up our days.  Doug and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary.  Fall has approached and now I am getting ready to speak to ladies about marriage for two straight weekends.  This is something that I have really been prayerfully considering for a while now and feel like how this goes will determine if I continue to pursue this ministry.  I have had a few roadblocks and am uncertain what God wants me to do.  I feel like God will make it clear to me this weekend and next weekend if this is my calling.  Please pray for me to be aware of God’s guidance and for me to accept His will in my life.  

I have also succumbed to Facebook.  If you have a Facebook page you can check me out!

I will write again next week to let you know how thing went this weekend!

Happy New Year

I hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas and is having a Happy New Year, now that 2008 is here.  I am excited to see what God is going to do in my life this year; I feel like this is a big year for my family.  We are settling in to a new church will be moving to a new city, adjusting our work schedules, and I will be trying to complete my second book by the end of 2008.  No new babies this year!  We have sold our house in Charlotte and are looking to buy a great house in Salisbury.  We should be moving by the end of January.  I am sure this will be a crazy month to start off a great year!

I plan to start promoting my book this month.  I will be taking at least a couple of days to go to some local bookstores and churches, hoping to spark some interest.  I also hope to find a church or two to speak at by March.  If I can get my act together I will also start a class in Salisbury on being a Christian wife.  Please pray for that.  I think this “class” will be a big stepping-stone for my ministry.

Things have already started to move a little in the world of marketing.  I have a couple of great friends and coworkers at the hospital who contacted the media guy at work.  He came by and took a few pics with my hair and makeup less than perfect and interviewed me.  I was so nervous and embarrassed!  I think I blushed the entire time.  I felt really unprepared and just plain silly telling him about me and my book.  I guess that I need to get prepared if I am going to go around at the first of the year to promote my book and my story.  But, because of this, the gift shop at the hospital where I work is actually carrying them on the shelf!  That was so cool to go in there and actually see my book for sale.  What was even cooler is that they sold out in just over a week! 

Thanks for your continued prayers and support.  I ask that you please continue to tell others about me and my book, Marriage, God’s Way.  Your kind words is my greatest advertising.  Thanks to you all and Happy New Year!