A Blessed Sibling

While I was feeding Christian this morning, Carysse was playing with her dolls. She then said, "Mommy, All my babies have special needs because they can't feed themselves." Kempton & I are open about Christian's disabilities with our "typical" children. Our daughters are privileged to have a brother with special needs which will help them (Lord willing!) to embrace God's good design in disability a lot sooner than if our family was not affected by disability. They are more blessed than they know!

Who Actually Has The Disability?

Our family was sick all last week so I missed posting on my 1st born's birthday. His special day was February 10! This post is dedicated to Christian Anthony Turner.

The 8 Ways I want to be like Christian when I finally grow up

1) He is himself at all times. You always know how he's feeling. He doesn't ever put on his "happy face" so others around him will think everything is going well.

2) He is never a people pleaser. He never tries to impress others or act in a way to gain others approval. He never desires to come across like he's important or someone to be admired.

3) He is never two-faced. He is never hypocritical. What you see is what you get. He never puts on a facade.

4) He never praises himself or flaunts around trying to be seen or known; even though he has had several international appearances here and there. :-)

5) He is extremely content with what he already has. He never tries to keep up with the Joneses. He could care less about what others own. He never desires the latest fads, fashions, or anyone else's fortunes.

6) He never gets bored with the daily routine. He actually prefers the simple life. He never tries to "escape" in his mind through blogging, tweeting, or facebooking. He is satisfied by just being alive.

7) He is never anxious about tomorrow (or the next minute or hour). Even though he depends on others for all of his care, he never is fearful that he won't be taken care of. He never doubts that someone will be there. For example, he wakes up in the morning, sits up on his bed and hums a tune as he patiently waits for someone to come.

8) He never lets bad situations keep him down. He has had to endure so much in his 8 years of life...4 1/2 months of hospitalization, breathing tubes, surgeries, blood transfusions, pneumonias, seizures, mini stroke-like episode, & the list goes on. But, he still remains the Christian that I described in the previous 7 points.

Contrary to my son, I have struggled with each of these areas. Many times I wonder, "Who really has the special needs?" Is he really the one with the "abnormal" brain. I think people have it all wrong. I wonder which one of us the Lord would pick as actually having a mental problem???

Thank you, my precious son, for showing me what it truly is like to be a Christian...in more ways than one. Over these 8 years, you've taught me more about what it means to truly live than anyone else I know. I am grateful for what your life continues to teach me.

Happy 8th Birthday My Big Boy!!!

What Are You Reminding Yourself?

Check out this post from my pastor.

Time with Your Father

Taken from A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller

Here are seven simple suggestions for how you can spend time with your Father in the morning:

* Get to bed. What you do in the evening will shape your morning. The Hebrew notion of a day as the evening and morning (see Genesis 1) helps you plan for prayer. If you want to pray in the morning, then plan your evening so you don't stay up too late. The evening and the morning are connected.

* Get up. Praying in bed is wonderful. In fact, the more you pray out of bed, the more you'll pray in bed. But you'll never develop a morning prayer in bed. Some of my richest prayer times are at night. I'll wake up praying. But those prayer times only began to emerge because I got out of bed to pray.

* Get awake. Maybe you need to make a pot of coffee first or take a shower.

* Get a quiet place. Maybe a room, a chair, or a place with a view. Or maybe you do better going for a walk. Make sure that no one can interrupt you.

* Get comfortable. Don't feel like you have to pray on your knees. For years I was hindered from praying because I found it so uncomfortable to pray on my knees.

* Get going. Start with just five minutes. Start with a small goal that you can attain rather than something heroic. You'll quickly find that the time will fly.

* Keep going. Consistency is more important than length. If you pray five minutes every day, then the length of time will slowly grow. You'll look up and discover that twenty minutes have gone by. You'll enjoy being with God. Jesus is so concerned about hanging in there with prayer that he tells "his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up" (Luke 18:1, NIV).

You may also enjoy my past series on Quiet Times.

Carysse's "Storm"

The other day while riding in the car, Carysse and I were singing a familiar song that was playing on the radio.

After the song was over, she asked, "Mommy, what's a storm?"

I said that a storm is something we go through that makes us sad. (The context of the song.)

She then said, "When mommy and daddy spank me, THAT'S A STORM!"

Too funny!

By the way, here's the song that we were singing.

My Lil Driver!

Taste & See

"…God’s Word to the Christian should be like bread to the hungry man (Matt.4:4) or like water to the thirsty deer (Ps. 42:1). By keeping its commands, we keep ourselves pure (Ps. 119:9). By following its guidance, we have a light for our paths (Ps. 119:105). By meditating on it, we find blessing and joy (Ps. 1:1-2). And by wrestling with it, we find our lives being changed and sanctified (Heb. 4:12). It is our perfect guide and our ultimate authority (Ps. 19:7-11)—because it is the very Word of God. Listen to how one writer describes this magnificent book (John MacArthur, of course!):

This book contains: the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers.

Its doctrine is holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be saved, and practice it to be holy.

It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter. Here heaven is open, and the gates of hell are disclosed.

Christ is the grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet.

Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, health to the soul, and a river of pleasure. It is given to you here in this life, will be opened at the judgment, and is established forever.

It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and condemn all who trifle with its contents."

Taken from Fool’s Gold by John MacArthur, article by Dan Dumas