embracing the men in your life. (BethP)

(These are from a couple years ago.)

Oh the men in my life! They ARE men.  Yet so young at heart! All three of them! In case I disappointed you with the tease about what it is like to be married to Daniel in another post, I thought I would share more about life with Daniel and my boys in this post.
I am not sure which desire is greater in men, the desire to win, the desire to compete, or the desire to experience and experiment!
You might live at the Paulsen house if you have:
1. bitten into raw ginger just to see what it is like.... fyi.... it is SPICY HOT!
2. found fully intact crawdads in the clothes dryer and assumed they were living when they started off in the pocket of someone's cargo pants in the washer.
3. ever asked if you could put a piece of pizza - among other things- in the Ninja blender.... just because.
4. done the cinnamon challenge MORE that once.
5. eaten raw jicama, and now desire to try raw rutabagas.
6. held your tongue in front of the air conditioning vent in the vehicle all the way home from Chapalla's Mexican Restaurant.
7. tried drinking carbonate milk.
8. you have mastered the art of camo painting trucks and trailers.
9. you get so dirty you have to nearly strip naked before entering the house.  (Yes, that is why all summer there are wet, muddy, sandy socks all over our front steps.)
10. found containers of live worms and grubs in the fridge next to things people EAT!
11. found containers of dead worms and grubs in the fridge next to things people EAT!
12. coined terms such as second breakfast, and second supper.
13. run through three feet of snow in only a pair of shorts.
14. come up with 100 reasons it is your brother's fault.
15. eat the insides of a snake cooked over a small fire in the bayou of Arkansas.
16. broken your nose more times than you can count.
17. have a ping pong table in your bedroom.
18. had massive marshmallow fights with up to 30 people in the house.
19. mooned University Avenue from high up in a cherry picker while working on parking lot lights.
20. slid off the barn into what you thought would be a very deep but soft pile of snow.

Those are just 20 glimpses into life at my house. I don't think it is asking too much for each of them to ALWAYS, ALWAYS kiss me goodnight.  IS IT?

(Again these are from a couple years ago, but they might be my favorites.)

Finding Your Haiti (Beth B)

Beth's most recent blog post inspired me. I have been fortunate enough to be able to travel to Haiti many times. I don't say this to bring me any glory, because, honestly, I go to feed my own soul. When I travel to Haiti I see sights that burn into my memory. Visions of living conditions and suffering that no human being should ever have to endure. This alone reminds me to be forever grateful for all the luxuries I have in my own life. It also helps to rid me of petty jealousies over the things that my neighbors own.
Although these are true blessings, it isn't the most important thing that I receive from Haiti. What I get from my visits is a clear and resounding message that God is still and always has been in control. I watch Haitians worshiping God with wild abandonment despite their surroundings. I am assured of  the hope of the future when I see the bright smiles of the children. I hear and witness miraculous stories. I am welcomed unconditionally by the locals. All of this, to me, is a foretaste of heaven and it is in a place most would consider hell on earth! But isn't that the way God has always worked!
Traveling to Haiti won't have the same effect on everyone. That isn't the intent of this post. I want to encourage you to find your own Haiti. Where is the place that reminds you of God's presence and love for His children? Run to it as often as you can. Fill your soul and remind your heart of your first love. If you haven't found  that spot yet, stop and ask God to be able to see. You will be surprised how many "Haitis" there are!
I have linked a video that does an excellent job in explaining why I go to Haiti. I hope you enjoy. The picture on this page is our dear Mackenson today!
Mackenson's Story

plucking people from their death. (Beth P)

I am reading an incredible new book by Tony Evans, The Power of God's Names.  (CLICK HERE FOR THE BOOK). It has made a profound impact on me and my relationship with Him.   Today I read a passage that is really leaving me with serious thoughts about what He has called me to do in this world.
It reads: There's a story told that in Nazi Germany , when the Jews were sent to the death camps, they often rode trains through the the countryside. These trains often passed by churches full of German Christians who continued worshipping even as they heard the Jews being carried off to their deaths.
Later, a German Christian was asked how he could worship and study God's Word when he heard these trains pass by.  He simply replied, "When we heard the trains, we simply sang louder." These individuals chose to ignore the evil in their culture. They chose to remain in the church building but outside the righteousness of God  (God's viewpoint as our central focus).

Are WE just singing louder?!!?? Our culture is carrying people off to their deaths.  Evil is raping and molesting children everywhere.  All around us and around the world. Drugs and alcohol are dragging people to their deaths.

What are we doing?

THIS is what our faith should look like..... this woman's faith. AnnMarie Richards. SHE is plucking people from their death. Literally, and I would guess, many are being plucked spiritually too.  *smile*



CLICK HERE TO SEE WHAT SHE IS DOING!

This is Cadet.  He has been plucked by the Hands and Feet Project in Haiti.  

Laughing at Life (Beth B)

These made me laugh out loud! Maybe we all need to remember that a lot of the things that really get us upset aren't really that important (or are even kind of ridiculous)! We aren't in control and frankly that is wonderful! So let some things go so that you have room for the good things in life! Go ahead and get your laugh on!

..........praying. (Beth P)

Y'all my heart is heavy over the hurts I see happening to those around me.

So I whisper prayers. A lot. Out loud even. Sometimes while I drive.  Sometimes while I read.

Sometimes I feel like my prayers are just tiny wishes that float on the air until they disappear.

Sometimes it feels like they fall like a sinker into the muck of the riverbed.

HEY!

But praise God, our feelings don't determine the power of our prayers. All He asks is that I pray believing. And He asks that I come humbly before Him. He even tells us it takes only TINY TINY faith like a mustard seed. (Boy does He know my weakness.) And He hears.

He hears y'all!!!

He hears, He knows and he longs for that tiny wish I send to Him believing.  He longs to hear my say it whether in my heart or out loud from my lips. He LONGS for it! He doesn't mind if I am not on my knees, He understands if I am praying to Him on the inside while looking right at that friend.

Prayer matters.

Come on, ask me... ask me why the Almighty God of the Universe wants me to pray!!!

I know! He is in control so why does my prayer matter?!?!?

He chooses to LISTEN to MY prayers and let that be a catalyst in His will.

WOW!!! WOW!!!!

Doesn't that blow you away?

That's how much He loves and cherishes us! Amazing.

The answer is - relationship.

We have a God that didn't just create and set the world in motion hoping we don't screw it all up, He wants to move and work in every tiny or BIG situation we face.  He wants to build a bond with us, emotionally, spiritually and knit our souls with His!

Do you know what it is to have a relationship with Him?

Ask me!

Just ask me!

Message me on FACEBOOK! I can tell you more.  It's amazing. It's filling, it completes everything you are longing for in your soul.

I don't write for this blog to get more "likes" on Facebook;  I don't even do it to get you to like me. I do it because I want to build a relationship with more people that are longing for more of Him.

Come on, message me. *smile*

I promise I will pray for you...

if you want.

And He will hear.  

Cause He wants to hear, 

even though He already knows. 

 He WANTS to hear.

Being a Friend (Beth B)

I have an amazing daughter. And I have enjoyed an honest and loving relationship with her. One of the things that she did for me was she would let me know if I had a big old chin hair! Yes I said it, a chin hair. (Any of you over forty know exactly what I'm talking about.)

Well my daughter now lives a few hours away from me. So her ability to keep me out of embarrassing situations is severely limited. So I need to rely on my friends to tell me these potentially embarrassing awkward truths. There are very few people who are comfortable doing that. But I am so grateful for the friends that care enough about me to risk telling me hard truths.

We don't have to go around "correcting" people but if they have things in their lives that could really hurt them and their families, shouldn't we tell them? I think we get so needlessly worried that they will stop liking us or get angry with us that we just hope someone else will let them know that something is wrong. The sad thing is that if we all act that way no one will ever tell them the truth. So don't stop being that friend that will let their friends know that they have something stuck in their teeth or that their choices may be negatively affecting them. Ultimately they will be thankful that you cared.

Don't stop.....letting go. (Beth P)

Let's face it. In general, we women can be controlling. A lot. If you are like me, you also like to be "right" and like to "fix" things.

It feels good; it feels safe. And, well, we are good at it. *smile*

If there is one thing I have learned in my old age (almost 43), it is learning to just let things go.

Little did I know when I am married Daniel, that learning to let things go would be a huge key to a happy marriage.  He and I are not only from very different cultures we are complete opposites in sooooo many ways.

I saw this on pinterest the other day---Go look at it and come back:

CLICK HERE TO SEE IT ON PINTEREST

Such a simple image with such a DIFFICULT statement.  Let it go.

Learning to let things go has brought me so much peace and harmony in my marriage.

That Pinterest image is neat, the thought of letting a balloon just float away.

HARD to do, but so so freeing.

I am not Daniel's mother.  I do not need to correct him like a child.

I am not the Holy Spirit in his life either.

I must let things go that he does that I may not like or approve of at the time, or things I am annoyed by.

I must let things go.... and as the older saying goes, let go and let God.

GOD is so much better at fixing things that I am, why don't I just leave it to him.

The more I let go, the more I fall deeper and deeper in love with Daniel too.

HE is actually the one God has used to teach me how to let things go.  

I am blessed.

Seeing (Beth B)

Facebook is a colossal time suck for me. I can start looking at everyone's updates and before I know it a half hour has passed. Quite honestly most of what I see there is trivial. But this morning I ran across this link that a friend had shared. It reminded me that I talk way too much and notice way too little. So instead of writing today I will share these photos with you. Warning you will see some heart wrenching pictures of both joy and grieve so have a box of Kleenex with you. And take the time to really see what is important in life.

Click here!