I Will

    I've been looking at my life a lot lately and wondering how it can possibly get any more crammed full of stuff. I'm sure many of you reading this feel the same way. In the course of my day, there are so many things I wish I could be doing, but I find myself with so many "Have-to's", that I can't get to the "Want to's". This struggle makes a person like me introspective and evaluative. What am I doing? Where am I wasting time? What is important?

    The problem is that I have come to the conclusion that it's all important! I can't delete my Mothering and household responsibilities. Someone has to wash, dry, fold, and put away laundry for 5 (but often, it feels more like 25). Someone has to pay bills, clean toilets, change diapers. It's me. I'd much rather spend my day at the piano working on songs, or soaking up the Word and writing.

    Someone also has to learn to rely more on the power of God to maintain a positive attitude about the "have-to's" and that's also me. It does no good to anyone for me to get that disgruntled, entitled feeling as I'm making round 2 of breakfast for the day for little hungry mouths JUST as I had finally had a chance to sit down with my journal and Bible finally open, pen in hand.

     I'm asking God to remind me daily that this is a season. A season of extreme maintenance and work. Some days, it's hard work. Some days, it's frustrating that I haven't even accomplished the "Have to's", let alone had time to think about the "Want to's." I am learning that there can be peace in the chaos. I have learned that it is necessary to mesh "time spent with God" into both the "Have to" column AND the "Want to" column. I can't get through the day in one piece without Him. It's non-negotiable.

     And today, as I read Psalm 101 with a fussy baby who just had shots yesterday (and today a resulting fever) bouncing on one knee, a 4 year old at my shoulder saying "Mom, why, why, why..." I was able to block it out in the 30 seconds it took for these words to come alive off of the page. It was like God was saying "Here is what is important for you, Carrie Crawford, today, right now." And I think He wants to say these words to all of us. Here are the lines that jumped out from Psalm 101 and here are the things I WILL do with my life and with my time. Instead of getting so worked up about what I need to do, want to do, and the fear of failing to accomplish any of it,

I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to You O Lord, I will make music. 

I will ponder the way that is blameless.

I will walk with integrity of heart within my house.

I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless.

The laundry pile may overflow, the piano keys may go untouched for the day, the dinner might not look like a magazine cover. But I am going to make these things of Psalm 101 happen. And I know He will help me.

His Number One Fan

    Our church is in the middle of a series about Sex. It's a great series that looks at a topic many churches shy away from. When I think about the awesome relationship I have with my husband and then read on Facebook or hear stories from friends about their relationships and how very awful they are, it saddens me. It's not the way it was meant to be, friends. Sex and it's misuse (or non-use) is a big part of marriage problems. Fear not though, I am NOT going to dive into a discussion of sex from Carrie's point of view and share my nitty gritty details. Instead, I just want to talk about my own attitude toward my husband and I hope what I share is encouraging to other wives (or wives to be) out there.


    I love my husband. He is the best man I know. Is he perfect? No. But he and I have a strong marriage built around our faith and trust in God, so even in his shortcomings (he will love to read this next part), which I can honestly say are few (you're welcome, Jarrod), there is grace in my heart to accept him as he is and to love him. Completely and totally.

    Early on in our marriage, I made a decision that in order to have a successful marriage, I needed to be my husband's number one fan. If anyone knows a pre-teen girl (or has ever been a pre-teen girl), then you know that they develop ecstatic crushes on different movie stars or boy band members. For me, it was New Kids on the Block all the way. Jordan Knight was my dream guy. I had his picture on my wall and I wore t-shirts and giant buttons with his smiling face emblazoned across them. My Dad and brothers would taunt me about him, but I remained steadfast in my admiration for him. I was a fan. Thankfully, I grew up a little and realized maybe he wasn't all that amazing. I fell in love with a real person at age 16 who later became my husband. And he could sing too (thankfully not as high as Jordan Knight and, quite frankly, in retrospect it's more than a little troubling that Jordan could so effortlessly sing like a woman, but I digress).


    That devotion that I held for a person I didn't even know as a 12 year old pales in comparison to the love I have for my husband today. But back then, I learned what it takes to be a fan:

First of all, you have to be passionate about the object of your affection. You have to be proud of who they are. 

Secondly, you need to know all you can about them. Get to know them and understand them more than anyone else can. This means you have to talk! Put down the iPhones. Turn off the TV. Look at one another. Talk. 

Thirdly, you need to support them. In practice, that means when other ladies are complaining about their husbands and their many downfalls, you maintain a positive attitude toward your husband. It doesn't mean there aren't things that irritate you about him, it just means that you display respect for him as a person by not discussing his dirty laundry or his bad habits. Would you want your husband to sit around with his guy friends and talk about things that irritate him about you? I didn't think so. When you're together in public, resist the urge to speak negatively, even if you are joking, in front of others. This is something that God worked on in my life early in our marriage. There is nothing funny or clever about demeaning your husband to get a laugh. He craves and deserves your respect, not your insults. Ladies, we need to build up our husbands every chance we get, not tear them down.

    When you make respecting your husband a priority in your marriage, you will see a difference. When he can sense that you are passionate about him and dedicated to making your marriage a strong place where the two of you can be sheltered together from the chaos and confusion that surrounds in this world, you will see a difference. Marriage is not always extremely easy, but it doesn't have to be difficult either. If you're struggling in your marriage, I advise you to seek professional counsel. But something every wife reading this can do to boost their relationship with their husbands is to increase the respect you show him. Wives, think about the way you treat and talk about your husband. Ask God to reveal any area of your marriage in which some respect needs to be injected. You will make mistakes. My mouth works before my brain has had a chance to think things through entirely from time to time. Because we are all human, we don't expect perfection from our husbands and they shouldn't expect it from us. But in those times, you can apologize and learn. You can be a better wife. You can and should be your husband's number one fan.

A Brand New Life

Isn't it amazing how God transforms our lives and makes them new? We've had a whole lot of "new" in our house the past few days through the blessed gift of a new baby. Everything has changed. Every outlook I had on life is different now. Every moment takes on a greater meaning. I sit and watch my baby boy's mouth make it's funny frowns or it's slowly curling smiles (or is that gas? I choose to think he's smiling...) I praise God for the gift that he's given and think about what the future will hold for this little guy who loves to eat but needs to work on his sleeping habits. He is brand new. He has a completely blank slate in this world. Every option is open to him and now all he needs to do is walk out the path that the Lord has laid out before him. So many unknowns along the way...so many questions. But the one thing that will be constant on his journey is the love of the Lord that will always be there as a guide and comfort in his life.


We are all faced with this same situation on a daily basis. Perhaps it's a little less dramatic than being a newborn baby and having your entire life in front of you, but nonetheless, we all have a new chance every day to start fresh.


Lamentations 3:22-23 says:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness.


Whatever lies behind you and whatever lies in front of you, if you have put your trust and your life in Him, the Lord is going to be there every step of the way. He has new things beyond your imagination- even bigger than your shallow, current dreams.


Take a step into the new.

10,000 Reasons

Hello Friends,


It has been a really long time since I have had the time to sit down and write...or should I say since I have MADE USE of my time to sit down and write. Life gets busy, doesn't it? Well, I hope to share some encouraging words today with you that have been on my heart.


I love the story of Jesus feeding the 5000. I love how at the end, not only did everyone get fed, but there were also baskets of food left over. The blessing of God in our own lives is like that. He meets our every need according to His will and then pours out even more. I'm sure many of you reading this are going through some struggles and wishing that moment of needs-being-met would just happen already! But it will. Maybe not on your time schedule, or in the way you would expect, but God has promised that He always comes through, and He will. 


We've had a lot of medical bills stretching us thin the last few months- both from Cohen's May surgery and also from our new monthly payments for baby Sawyer. Yes, we had enough money to pay every bill and feed every mouth, but there sure wasn't much left over! This has forced us to really prioritize our spending as well as truly rely on God. And God has provided in extremely unexpected ways-and in abundant ways, much like the leftover baskets of fish and bread.  I've always known the Matthew 7:7 verse, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you", but now I believe it. God loves to prove Himself faithful to us, and does so time after time. If we will place God in His proper place of authority in our lives, not only speaking and singing words of worship, but also living out lives that show we worship Him, He will always make a way, often in unexpected ways. 


If you have time, I encourage you to listen to the song "10,000 Reasons" by Matt Redman and read the lyrics. Such a powerful song of thanksgiving and a testimony of the Lord's faithfulness to us. As the song says, there are (at least) 10,000  reasons for our hearts to be grateful to God today. Stop and thank Him for all He has done, all He is doing, and for the bright future ahead that will also surely be filled with His blessings and beautiful presence.


Listen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jYLTn4fKYQ


"10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)" by Matt Redman

Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name

The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes

Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name

You're rich in love, and You're slow to anger
Your name is great, and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name

And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore

Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name

Jesus, I'll worship Your holy name
Lord, I'll worship Your holy name

Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name
Jesus, I'll worship Your holy name
I'll worship Your holy name

Raising a Generation to Be the Hands and Feet of Christ

Hello Friends,


I have been so burdened for the people of the horn of Africa. I know there are problems all over the world and even in our own country, people are having trouble getting by. But these photos of starving children, similar in age to mine are heartbreaking. As I was looking through the news online this morning, my oldest son, Silas, came and sat on my lap and looked with me. He instantly started brainstorming all the ways we could help these people- some of his better ideas were to put some Ramen Noodles on a toy boat and sail it to Africa :) and to give them all the extra zucchini from our garden. I loved it! I loved having that conversation with my son about how we can help people and how we can do the work Jesus has asked us to do. 


We aren't going to send Ramen noodles via toy boat or ship a box of zucchini, but we did decide to donate money to Samaritan's Purse, an organization working diligently in Kenya to distribute much needed food. Being a one-income family, we don't have lots of extra money to spare, but we want to help. Jarrod and I have decided that in an effort to raise our boys and let them see that there is a bigger world, a hurting world, a suffering world that desperately needs them to do all they can to help, we're going to sit down every payday as a family and discuss an area of the world that needs our help and our prayers. And then we're going to sit as a family and make a donation online to an organization we trust in that area. I know it seems like a drop in the bucket when you look at the overall situations in our world, but it's at least doing something. I pray that my kids grow in their capacity for compassion and are driven to be generous to others in need. I know all of you parents wish that for your kids- well let's start modeling it and letting them participate in the merciful, life-giving work that Jesus deeply wants us to do. I would encourage all of you to think of a similar family activity that inspires generosity and grows compassion, not only in our kids, but in us too. 


Blessings to you all! 


"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
-James 2:14-17


“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence ...” 
-John 3:16-19

Time Gets Away

Well, it has been entirely too long since I wrote last. Here's the deal- I was cranking out some blogs on a near daily basis before we went on vacation back in June. I was in a routine and I felt really good about it. Well then we went on vacation and it was sort of tough to jump back in to the routine. Then a couple weeks later, I found out I was expecting baby 3!!! Totally unplanned, totally unexpected, but we're totally happy about it! So then the whole tired-nauseous-pregnant struggle started and the last thing I wanted to do was share happy thoughts on my blog, because I had few happy thoughts to share in those weeks. But today, I am so grateful that I am feeling well and have a little spare energy to burn. So I want to share (briefly, mind you) some thoughts I had as I read Psalm 39 last night before bed starting in verse 4.

4 “O LORD, make me know my end
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting I am!
5 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,
and my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah
6 Surely a man goes about as a shadow!
Surely for nothing they are in turmoil;
man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!

7 “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is in you.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions.
Do not make me the scorn of the fool!
9 I am mute; I do not open my mouth,
for it is you who have done it.
10 Remove your stroke from me;
I am spent by the hostility of your hand.
11 When you discipline a man
with rebukes for sin,
you consume like a moth what is dear to him;
surely all mankind is a mere breath! 

Verse 4 really got my attention. It really goes well with a devotion I just wrote for LCC for next week about making your days count. Just like I wrote about with getting out of the habit of blogging- days of not writing turned into weeks and weeks into a month! Time gets away from us really fast!


I was reminded of this again the other day at my son Silas' well-check for Pre-school. The doctor was amazed by how tall he has grown in the past year. I guess I knew he was tall, but the time goes so fast and the growth happened so fast, that I didn't realize just how tall he had grown until someone stopped me and showed me a chart and then I realized- wow! He did get really tall this year! And smart and funny and he's turning more and more into a little man instead of my little baby. Time gets away.


So maybe you should stop today and think about where time is taking you these days.


Further away from, or closer to God?
Time spent without, or time spent in His Word?
Weakening in prayer or deepening in prayer?
Running away from, or running toward the work of the Kingdom?


Because time gets away from us. We think we'll last on this earth forever, but then passages like Psalm 39 remind us that our time is but a breath here on earth. We've got to make life count for something greater than ourselves before it's gone.


I am praying that God will continue to use me and to help me make better use of my hours, days, weeks, months, years, and life. I am praying the same for you.

Who Do We Say that He Is?

Lots of questions today and not many answers... take some time to reflect.




Who do we say that God is...


...With our words?
      Do we choose carefully the things that we say? Are we talking about God on a regular basis with friends and family? If He is truly the priority of our lives, we should be talking about Him. A lot. 


Start up a conversation with your kids or your spouse today about what God is doing in your life right now. 


...With our generosity?
     Luke 12:34 says, For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. So how are we showing that God is our treasure and that He rules over our hearts? Our money, our time, our abilities-they all belong to Him anyway. Are you giving at least 10% of your income as a tithe as the scriptures tell us to do? Are you using your abilities to help others and spread the Kingdom? Are you sharing the resources you've been blessed with to help others less fortunate? 


Give. Donate some time as a volunteer at your church, a hospital, a food bank, a school. Find someone with a need and meet it, no matter how small. 


...With our lives? 
     Your actions speak louder than words. Little eyes are watching your every move. I know from having kids and seeing them imitate not only me, but each other proves this fact. Everything God made, from the stars, to the flowers of the field, to the fish swimming in the ocean, to the tiny intricate bugs that crawl on the ground were made to reflect His glory and His involvement in our world. You are also a reflection of Him- how well are you reflecting Him today? 


Think about your character and your life choices. Are there any areas that are not meeting God's standard? He doesn't demand perfection, but He wants us to surrender ourselves to His ways: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Ask God to help you display His character, make a plan to work on any weak areas in your life and live a life that imitates His.