My Thoughts on Tithing

To be honest, I don't know for sure whether Christians are "required" to tithe. In a sense, it doesn't matter to me. I still do it. I don't do it in the way most do, though. I give my tithe to organizations that feed the hungry and help those less fortunate, specifically in third-world countries. I know most would say I should be tithing to my church, but I just don't feel comfortable doing that because I know the full 10% won't go to helping people who really need it. Face it. Churches have bills to pay and a pastor that receives a salary out of our tithes. To me, church bills and the pastor's salary should come out of offerings. The first 10% should go to doing the Lord's work, and He wants us helping those who have less than we do. He wants us helping the helpless, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and helping the sick to receive medical care. Just imagine how much of this would be accomplished if every Christian tithed their money to a Christian organization whose purpose was to provide these services first and foremost. The whole world would change! It would be a much better place. I know 10% is a lot to some people; it is to me. I've decided, though, to trust that God would provide all of our needs after that 10% is gone. He hasn't let me down.

Spring is Here!

There are many signs of spring in the air: The warmer temps, a few buds on the trees, longer days, etc. This isn't how I know spring is here, though. How I came to realize spring has finally hit was tonight at my mother-in-law's house I was minding my own business when all of a sudden a gigantic black spider came running at the speed of light out from underneath the couch. I screamed, and Phoebe miraculously slept through it. Where's the blessing in this, you ask? My brother-in-law saved the day and smashed it, thank God, but now I feel like I'm going to have to inspect everything out there for spiders before getting too comfortable in any one area. Happy Spring!

Coloring is Exhausting!

Apparently coloring can wear a girl out. This is how I found Lydia this afternoon when she ditched me downstairs for my bedroom.

Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Nuclear Meltdowns, Oh My!

I was just reading a post on a Christian parenting website I frequent regularly. I'm not a super active poster, but today I felt compelled to say something. A discussion was started about the end times, and a lady felt the need to say that God is punishing Japan for being a "Godless country." How can anyone say this with such certainty? I'm a Christian, and I do believe God has and may still exercise His judgment through natural disasters. I also believe that sometimes natural disasters are just that - natural disasters. Who are we to presume the Japanese people are being punished for not being a Christian nation? Yes, they've been hit hard. They've experienced a huge earthquake, a terrifying and deadly tsunami, many are homeless, food and water are scarce, and now an uncertain nuclear situation to boot. Just because so many bad things are happening at once doesn't mean God is punishing the Japanese people. It very well could just be one horrible natural disaster followed by a chain reaction of other terrible disasters. Is it possible God is doing this? I guess it's just as possible as anything else. One thing I do know, though, is God is no respecter of persons. We in the United States are no more special than anyone else. Events just as horrific could very well happen here, and it wouldn't necessarily mean God was pouring out His judgment on us either. As I said, it's always possible. It's just not our job to decide that.

Right now I'm feeling very blessed. I see the horrific images on TV, and I know this could very well be my family someday. I see the sweet children, and my heart breaks. My children have full bellies and are warm in their beds. Right now I'm sitting here watching the news instead of BEING the news. I'm very blessed.

Counting My Blessings

It's 1:18 a.m. I should be asleep. Instead, I'm starting a blog. Actually, I started a blog years ago then abandoned, but tonight I'm starting fresh.

Finding a blog title was difficult. I wanted something witty or a play on words but decided on "Counting My Blessings" because I figure this may be the last thing I do before going to bed most nights, so I'll be "counting my blessings" by blogging instead of counting sheep. :) Yeah, yeah. That was stupid. Give me a break. Coming up with something to write isn't easy when you're not used to having to do it.

I'm going to write about one thing tonight, and it's really what inspired my blog title "Counting My Blessings." I have seven children. Of course, they're all blessings, but tonight I'm blogging about one in particular. She's my seventh child, and her name is Phoebe. She's 3 months old and so perfect. Her birth was relatively quick. I was in labor 2.5 hours from start to finish, which is typical for me. I had trouble with the epidural for a while. It was a little scary, but it eventually worked out. When it came time to push, things really became scary. Her head delivered very quickly, but her shoulders got stuck. My doctor was yelling for help, and several nurses came running into the room. It's called shoulder dystocia. It's when the head delivers, but the shoulders get stuck. It was incredibly painful and very scary, but my doctor saved the day and got her out.

Okay, I see how this can sound like it's not really that big of a deal, right? Well, read on. I had no idea just how serious shoulder dystocia is. I knew it wasn't a good thing but really knew little about it. I had never experienced it before and didn't know anyone else who had. One night while watching "One Born Every Minute" there was a woman who experienced this exact thing. That's when I realized just how serious shoulder dystocia is. Babies die from this. Her baby was born and looked lifeless. I cried my eyes out when I saw her and realized what could've happened to my Phoebe. A labor-and-delivery nurse on one of my message boards just told me the other day that shoulder dystocia is the absolute worst thing that could happen in the delivery room outside of fetal death. She said when it happens she literally gets sick to her stomach. Not every case of shoulder dystocia ends as happily as mine did. My baby girl was born healthy at 9 pounds 5 ounces with no injuries. We're blessed. We're blessed for a lot of reasons, but this is the one that's on my mind all the time now. I still cry when I think about what could've happened, but I then thank God (again) for blessing us with a good outcome and a beautiful baby.