Why the Arguments for Gay Marriage are Persuasive – Some great thoughts on the Christian’s response to gay marriage.

Your Bag of Sin – Jesus takes every aspect of our putrid, stinking bag of sin.  We do not need to hold onto it at all.  (Note: This post does contain some language that many do not find appropriate, although the author uses them to help make her point.)

What We Must Do Before Abortion is Illegal – Some interesting thoughts connecting feminism, the early sexualization of America’s youth, and abortion.

Teach Them Diligently – A great post about surrounding your young children with Scripture!

Before arriving at IFS, I had been told about the super fast paced academics, the stressful flying, and being stuck in a white building for a whole month straight. I felt that I was pretty prepared (as much as I could be), and while the academics were hard, I felt like I could do it well. What I wasn’t expecting was the flying portion. Once we started flying in week 2, I felt like I would never be able to pass IFS. It wasn’t that actually flying the aircraft was hard, but because of the precision which was required in PROCEDURES, I felt almost hopeless. After my 2nd flight, I felt like 10 flights weren’t going to be enough for me to master the procedures, but I learned them all and did well by the end.

Once I had shown that I could “safely” fly the aircraft according to the procedures, I went on to my Solo Flight. On my solo flight, I was very nervous before takeoff. I was nervous up until I took off. After I called the tower, received permission to takeoff, I rolled onto the runway. As it had been snowing the night before, the snow was barely melting off the pavement. I hit full power (which isn’t much…) and accelerated down the white runway. As soon as the wheels left the ground, all the nervousness left. It was the best feeling in the world. The world was beautiful and it was just relaxing. Due to time and weather constraints, I only got to fly two patterns on my solo, but it was amazing.

Once I was done with the solo flight, we still had the check ride left. This was rather easy, because it is more of a formality, and it was the same destination and training area as my previous flight. The check ride was as smooth as butter! I was on my way back to Del Rio to start Undergraduate Pilot Training!!

- Michael

Our son is now about 14.8 inches from head to heel, roughly
the size of an eggplant.  (This eggplant is more the length
of his head to rump as he is now folded up more.)  He weighs
about two and a quarter pounds.  His eyes now have
eyelashes and he can blink his eyes.  His brain is
developing millions of neurons and he continues to
add body weight.

We are officially in the 3rd Trimester now!  I can’t believe
how quickly time is passing.  My coundown app
says that there are 84 days left…12 weeks to the due date!

I still feel great….although the pregnancy hormones (which
have tended to come and go) have certainly been making more
of an appearance recently.  For the most part, I am still able
to get sleep at night.  Those pesky leg cramps have visited
a few times, however.

Every day I generally have between one and two hours
where I can easily get things accomplished….then I just feel wiped out.
It’s hard work making a baby!!  He’s been moving a lot more the past
few days, which always makes me happy.  He does a lot of squirming,
a lot of tapping, some kicking, and every now and then some huge kicks!
He has yet to discover my ribs….hopefully I still have a little while before that?  :)

I seriously have the sweetest husband ever!!  He is so loving and caring.
He never complains or says anything when he comes home and
the kitchen isn’t sparkling….again.  He doesn’t mind when
I ask him to bend over and pick up something I dropped
because I don’t bend as well anymore.  He helps me cook dinner and
he gives me frequent back rubs.  I love him so much!  He is going
to be an amazing Dad!!!

But guess what???  Remember when I said we would be announcing
our son’s name soon??  I am thrilled to let you all know our precious
boy’s name!!!

Wyatt Lawrence

We are absolutely in love with the name and absolutely
in love with him!!!  I can’t wait to see his sweet face
in only a few months!!

While we didn’t pick his name based on the name meaning,
I was curious as to what it meant.  When I looked it up, I
discovered a few meanings.
Brave in War
War Strength
Guide
I pray that our son will be brave in fighting spiritual battles.
I pray that he will put on the armor of God and be
ready to make huge impacts for the kingdom
of God.  I pray that as others see him, he will be a guide
that points others to Him.

We also completed Wyatt’s nursery….

Currently I am reading Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys
by Stephen James and David Thomas (I’m participating
in an online book club) and Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp.

Dear Wyatt,
Typing your name almost brought tears to my eyes.
I love going into your room and thinking
about you sleeping in that crib.  I love looking
at the pictures we have on the wall and being reminded
of what an answer to prayer and what a precious miracle you are.
God has big plans for you, my son, and I can’t wait to see
what they are.  Thanks for moving so much!  I love
feeling you move.  I love YOU so much!!
-Mommy

Would I recommend this book?  Yes and no.

Yes, because it is definitely thought-provoking and challenging.  I have never heard anyone speak about birth in this way.  ”We need to be careful not to compartmentalize birth out of our spiritual lives, but instead glorify Him by how we birth our children.”  (page 89) ”This is the foundation of this book – to encourage you to surrender control and your will to the Lord in regard to childbirth.” (pg 221)  Sure, I have heard people say that if you are a Christian, all things fall under His jurisdiction.  But I have never heard anyone talk about birth specifically being submitted to Christ….or how to submit that birth experience to Christ.

Throughout the book, Angie covers topics like fears in pregnancy, who to invite to your birth, how to go about making decisions for your birth, etc.  Each topic is discussed in relation to completely surrendering to God.

One of her main points was that the church needs to come together on the matter of birth.  There ought not be this huge divide over “hospital births” vs. “home births.”  In the church, we are all part of the same Body, we are all sisters in Christ.  There should be no judgment.  God can just as well be present at a birth in the hospital as He can at home….not at all as God’s “second choice” but because God’s plans for each woman and each birth are different.  At first I was somewhat surprised by how she talked about this divide in church.  I didn’t see it to be anywhere near as big a problem as she seemed to.  But as I went through the book I saw more and more how much  judgment there is between the two sides.  People who are pro hospital judge the other side, because they are hippies, or not willing to take advantage of medical advances, or risking their lives or their babies lives.  People who are pro home birth judge the other side because they are just following a system or risking their lives or their babies lives.  There are many assumptions made on both sides and many judgments.  This ought not be.

(Side note: I loved how she talked about the home birth vs. hospital debate.  In her section on fears, she covered the question of where you should decide to give birth.  She asked the question, “Are you making your decision out of fear?”  Are you afraid to give birth at home for x, y, or z reason?  Are you afraid to give birth at a hospital for x, y or z reason?  She then talked about how Jesus died to free us from fears and we should never be making decisions and living in bondage to any fear.  That decision is made through seeking God, looking at your situation, and educating yourself on the issues at hand.)

Another main focus was that on Titus 2 mentoring.  Angie feels so deeply that God has beautiful plans and purposes for birth…plans and purposes that are so rarely seen and talked about…that it is her passion to show women how birth can look so that they in turn can show others.  Birth is about honoring God.  It is about proclaiming Him and His design for our bodies, for our parenting, and for our eternal heritage.

On the other hand, however, part of me would not recommend this book.  I must state that there were quite a few typos and grammatical errors, which I know does not necessarily detract from any truth in the book.  It was very distracting at times, however.  In many cases, she was also quite repetitive.  Topics that seemed to be covered pretty well in depth were re-addressed later, not seeming (to me) to add much more to the thought.  But putting those minor distractions aside, there were also several instances where I had to pause and think about some of her Scripture references.  I do believe that several times verses were taken out of context.  On a few occasions, it also seemed that the author was becoming more “touchy feely” about Who God is and how He acts.

A few times she talked about pain in childbirth as if it was a sin to cry out during painful contractions.  While I agree with her points that pain is compounded when you focus on it, and if your mind is focused on things above, it can’t very well be focused on things on the earth…I do not believe that it is wrong to have intense intense pain during birth.  Or that it is wrong to cry out or scream.  (I’m not entirely sure that she was saying it was a sin…but I was definitely confused by what she was saying.)  I guess the question is…where does your mind go during that pain?  After that pain?  Is it concentrating on how terrible it was?  Is it telling you the lie that you can’t go on?  Or are you rejoicing in God’s mercy that it is over and you are one step closer to meeting your child?

Personally, I was very challenged by several things.  Through her book, I was able to really work through some things…such as releasing my desire to have a midwife (which…might be a whole post in and of itself), letting go of specific fears I have, asking God’s forgiveness for my judgmental heart toward our doctor and nurses, and really seeking Him in regard to our birth plan.  I realized how much I was trying to wrap my hands around “my birth.”  I wanted to control.  Some things really scared me and I wanted to make sure that the scary things didn’t happen to me.  I came to realize two things.  A) This is not my birth.  This birth and the whole experience belongs to God.  He is the One who gave us this child and He is the One who will bring me through labor and delivery.  B) I can’t control.  God is in charge.  God has a perfect plan.  I can plan all I want, but it must be surrendered to His will.

Bottom line: Several of the sections were absolutely amazing for me to read.  Several sections….I struggled with.  I debated almost the whole way through if I would keep the book after I finished reading.  I have decided to keep it, as the sections that were helpful were REALLY helpful.  But it is not a book that I would recommend to just anyone.  I think there would be a select few that I would recommend the book to, and those would be people that I know would read very carefully, truly holding it up to the light of Scripture.

This book has given me so much peace about birth.  I am excited to experience labor and delivery, even though I know that it will likely be way more painful that I can even imagine.  And I really look forward to sharing what I have learned with others.  This IS such an important issue and I want to see God glorified…in my birth and in my friend’s births!

-Bonnie

Welcome!!!

This is our second time participating in the Ultimate
Blog Party from this blog.  We blog on a range of topics,
from daily life, things we are learning, books we’ve read, etc.

This is us, Michael and Bonnie, at a photoshoot for our
1st Anniversary last December!

It’s still my husband’s posts that get quite a bit of our visitors from
Google.  Michael is in the Air Force and we are currently in
Del Rio, TX for pilot training!  Here he has blogged some about
what this experience has been like.  In writing this Party post, I discovered
that I have only posted once on our new life here.  Maybe it’s time for an update?

This post is also another reader favorite apparently.  It’s amazing how
God was able to use our story when I was willing to become
vulnerable and share what God was doing in our lives.

The biggest changes since the Party last year are, obviously,
moving to a new state…and becoming parents!!  This incredible
answer to prayer has been baking for almost 25 weeks.  Sometime around
July 22 we look forward to welcoming our son!  This baby will have no idea
what hit him when he realizes how LOVED he is.  I try to post monthly
updates on the pregnancy.  Stay tuned…name reveal
is coming up in a few weeks!  :D

Thanks again for stopping by!  We hope you enjoy our blog
for as long as you stay!

-Bonnie

He continues to move quite often, and I absolutely love it!
Some days he is extremely active, other days not as much.
I like to talk to him when he moves and tell him how much
I love him.  I’ve also started playing music more often, as
he can likely hear quite well inside the womb now.  I
get excited when he gets the chance to hear music about our God
and sermons on Sunday.

Now that my sweet husband is home (YAY!!!) we have about
four weeks to get busy working on the baby’s room.  We picked
up paint chips, I’ve been browsing Pinterest and Etsy, and we have
started pricing baby furniture/necessities.

Our base here is awesome!  Today I got a call that my baby bundle
was ready to be picked up.  Every new mom is given this bundle…
in it was a package of white onesies (hmm…a Pinterest project seems
to be coming to mind), hand warmers, bibs, sleepers, two receiving
blankets, burp cloths, two sets of crib sheets, and two
hooded towels.  SO blessed by this generous gift!!

I also made a couple purchases myself…..

Daddy’s Co-Pilot

Mommy’s Prince Charming

Awww!!!!!  :)

Finished reading “The Thinking Woman’s Guide to
a Better Birth” by Henci Goer…still working through “Redeeming
Childbirth” by Angie  Tolpin as well as “Praying Through Your
Pregnancy” by Jennifer Polimino and Carolyn Warren.

Dear Son,
It is so exciting preparing for your arrival.
I can’t believe that we are more than halfway
to meeting you…only a few months!
You bring such a smile to our faces when you kick 
and move.  I can’t wait to see your precious face
and see if you have your Daddy’s eyes or your Mommy’s
hair.  You are such a perfect, precious gift.  We love you!
-Mommy

Rather than do one big book post at the end of the year, I thought I would break it up into a few posts throughout the year.  So here is my reading list from January through March!

1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

2. No Safe Harbor by Elizabeth Ludwig

3. Sophie’s Heart by Lori Wick

4. Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth, The by Henci Goer

5. Three Weddings and a Giggle by Liz Curtis Higgs, Carolyn Zane, Karen Ball

6. Vow, The by Kim and Krickett Carpenter

A Healthy Baby Isn’t All That Matters – Why the phrase “At least s/he’s healthy” after a birth is actually destructive.

My Train Wreck Conversion – “As a leftist lesbian professor, I despised Christians.  Then I somehow became one.”  Praise the Lord!

After Steubenville: 25 Things Our Sons Need to Know about Manhood – As a mother of a son now, I really appreciated this post.

-Bonnie

Love you, sweetheart!!!  You are the best husband in the world!!

-Bonnie

For those who have been reading our blog for a while, you know about all the doctor’s visits and tests and procedures I went through to determine if I had PCOS.  And if it wasn’t PCOS, what was it?  (If you’re new, you can see those posts here.  )

The last update was that everything was fine health wise.  Praise God!

I need to just talk about answered prayer.

Before Michael and I were together…when I was still trying to sort out my feelings for him….I prayed many times that God would bring the right woman into his life to help him raise his children.  I knew that he wanted children.

It was hard.  During all the doctor visits, not knowing if I would actually be the answer to that prayer I prayed.  It was hard even after we got the all-clear when we had several negative pregnancy tests.  Maybe something was wrong with my body after all?  Maybe God just didn’t intend for us to be parents.

But I prayed.  I prayed that my body would be able to conceive.  I prayed that we would be able to have children.  At least three close friends were praying with me.

Fast forward to last November.  Michael and I had both noticed that things were odd with me.  For one thing, I was getting out of breath after hardly any exertion.  We were getting slightly concerned and were making plans to go to the doctor if it didn’t get better.  Neither of us ever dreamed I was pregnant.

We went to the commissary and just picked up a .99 cent test so that I could know for sure I wasn’t pregnant and move on with my life. When we got home I waited a few minutes and prayed about the test results  Rather, I prayed for my heart.  Unlike some of the previous times of testing for pregnancy, I wasn’t all caught up in the moment (I honestly thought I wasn’t pregnant) but I still was just praying that when it came out negative I would praise His plan.  I wanted to honor God regardless of the result..

So I took the test and IMMEDIATELY it came out a super clear positive. What?? I waited the full two minutes in the hallway, went back in and it was still positive. I took the test in to my husband, held it up and said, “I think I’m pregnant.”  He took it and began to examine the test. That’s when I started crying and we just hugged. We went straight back to the store for a more expensive test and I took two more….both immediately a clear positive. We were so giddy!!

This baby is an answer to prayer.

I am just praising God.  Praising Him that my body is in fact able to conceive.  Praising Him for His perfect timing.  (We wouldn’t have been able to do half the amazing things we did before our move if we had been pregnant sooner.)  Praising Him for that wonderful day we got the positive.  Praising Him for this baby.  Our son.  Our son!!

During those months of waiting to get pregnant…those months where I was looking down at another negative test…God grew me so much.  And I am so thankful for that!

I’ve wondered what people would think after reading our blog.  After seeing the stories about the doctor’s tests….then I’m pregnant.  Would people judge me?  ”See, there was no reason to be upset before!”  ”Silly girl.”  ”You should have just given it more time.”  I know, I know…what people think doesn’t matter.  (Amazing book about people-pleasing “When People are Big and God is Small” by Edward Welch…on my “To Be Read Again” list.)  Honestly…I don’t feel ashamed at all.  That is precisely the path God took us down.  For a reason.  And it is never easy to be facing facts that you might have difficulty conceiving or be unable to completely.  I don’t apologize for what I went through.  I proclaim it to show off the goodness of God and His amazing hand!

This has been quite a journey.  And we are so thankful!

-Bonnie