Monday Musing - Pruning

After having recently buried my Grandmother, only a little over a year after my Dad’s passing, I’m becoming so keenly aware of the fact that people all around me are hurting. We all do it, push through, fake a smile, shove back tears and shoulder our burdens in silence. Why? I don’t know.

In gardening I’m constantly amazed at the intricacies of plants, the root system, growing phases, rest

phases and, of course, the flowers. Dig a little deeper into the thought and think about the creator who developed each plant, distinctly different from each other in countless ways. He makes them grow and flourish, He knows the right amount of water or drought to send and what bugs need to come along to pollinate. I was told about a certain kind of flower that has little dots on the inside, really cute, but those dots are what tells the bees how to pollinate that particular flower. Isn’t that amazing? What’s more amazing is that the God who, not only created those miraculous things but keeps everything running in perfect order also knows my trials. He designed my life, who to bring into it, who to remove, circumstances, hurt, pain, joy, happiness, love… He cares deeply for me and everything that makes me, me. He’s put a lot of time and effort into my making.

Go a step further, sometimes the gardener has to prune the flowers but it makes them grow bigger, with more buds and better foliage. Flowers don’t have thoughts or souls but what if they resisted the gardeners pruning, what if, after pruning all they did was look down at what was taken away… That’s not a very pretty flower.

That’s what I’m doing, I’m looking back at what was taken away instead of trusting the Master Gardener with my burdens, problems and heartache. Pruning makes the flower prettier just like trials, borne with Christ’s help, makes the Christian flourish.

Mrs. Becky Knows

“Mrs. Becky, how did you know that?” says Stacey in astonishment.

“Mrs. Becky knows everything!” replied Lauren, “we should make a hashtag, #MrsBeckyKnows and post it every time she says something that no one else knows.”

I don’t know where I got the idea that all Pastors and their families were perfect. That they had all knowledge about the scriptures and knew all the answers to life’s greatest questions. However, I do remember thinking, when I married my Youth Pastor husband, “Wait a second God, I don’t know everything yet!”

In four years of youth ministry I have learned an awful lot. As a matter of fact, I have here for you just three simple rules, that, if followed, will help you tremendously through life.

 Mrs. Becky’s Rules for Knowing EVERYTHING!

1. Realize that you Don’t know everything
2. Recognize Who does – James 1:5
3. Rely on His Wisdom – Proverbs 4:5-9

Kenny has been preaching through “The ABC’s of Christian Growth” on Wednesday nights, we’re on letter B-Bible. In his preaching he has said over and over that the Bible is the foundation for all we do as Christians and that our actions, beliefs and standards for living should be based on the Bible. Our late Pastor, Mark Brown, also did a wonderful job of pointing us to the scriptures. He used to ask “What does the Bible say about that?” This study has been an excellent reminder that God wants us to have knowledge and understanding and He has given us His Word to help us in that endeavor.

“I don’t know the answer to that question. Lets find it together.”

My Kids

“How many kids do you have now?” The age old question people ask each other when they haven’t seen you for a while or when you first meet.
“Fifteen.” I reply with calm assurance and a polite smile while waiting for the initial shock to pass and reality to kick in.
“Surely, they can’t all be your kids?”
“Yes, yes they are.”

Brock, Justin, Xavier, Raquel, Michelle, Stacey, Andrew, Lauren, Jacque, Emily, Tyler, Alex, Kyle, Jessica, Adonis, and Allison. Sixteen if you count our dog Bella.
Their nicknames are Broccoli, Hulk, Scoop, Quel and Shelly (they are my “Twinkies”), Stace, Cuban, Laaaaren, My Girl, Emmie, Ty, Lazy and Newb. The other three have not been to camp yet and therefore have not been labeled.


I am constantly amazed at the level of “abuse” these kids receive at our hands, and yet, they consistently come back for more. We make fun of them, call them names, bop them on the head, and occasionally they even sustain injury; such as the black eye Emmie received after a wayward box of candy hit her. They’re rowdy, loud, weird, forgetful, always hungry, and sometimes smell bad. We have inside jokes (5th place ribbon) and stories that make us laugh until we cry every time we hear them.

Nothing warms this “Mommy” heart more than to see and be apart of the growth and excitement my kids experience. Joyfully serving the Lord, giving testimony of touched hearts and reaching out to bring others into the “family.”


I am by no means an expert on teenagers, as a matter of fact, every time I think I’ve got it figured out, they change on me! I raise my kids, and just when we’re starting to really get to know each other and bond, they graduate and leave for college and I am left with a whole new youth group.

“Oh wait, did I forget to mention, I’m a Youth-Mommy.”

Re-Thinking Youth

I haven’t blogged for a while, my heart just hasn’t been here. But the Lord has been doing an amazing work in my life, in my marriage, in my church and if I don’t share some of it I think I’ll just explode!

Last year at this time we buried our churches Pastor, Mark Brown. I’ve been through many funerals but not one that brought so much glory to the Lord. It was amazing to see just a small number of the lives touched by just one man and his family. His ministry changed my life and my husbands life forever in that he enabled us to heal by constantly pointing us to the Bible. He would always say “What does the Bible have to say about that?” or “God’s Word is the sole authority for my life.” and it really was, he truly lived God’s Word.

This past year we also buried my Daddy, not a perfect man by any stretch of the imagination but the experience has forever changed my life. Seeing, in my own family, the brevity of life, I’m bolder because I don’t have time to waste, I’m more loving and trying to make more meaningful connections because friends and family can be gone before you even realize it and I’m growing because I want to know my Savior when its my turn to go home.

Kenny and I also faced some trying times through last year, finding a Pastor and learning to wait upon the Lord took on some new meanings for both of us. I can’t praise the Lord enough for bringing us the Pastor he did and at the perfect time! Pastor Keely and Mrs. Joy  are a true blessings and a pair of “go-getters,” the Lord is blessing the work and energy they are putting into the ministry of Bible Baptist Church and Kenny and I are learning lots and lots as we are running along side them.

These things along with many more, too many daily challenges, verses and happenstances to try to mention here, have made lasting changes in my life and in the way I view things. Youth ministry being one of them.

We changed our Youth group name to “ReCHARGE.” It wasn’t done for this purpose but Kenny and I both have been re-thinking how we minister, to whom we minister and what our ministry is saying. The verses we chose to go along with the name is 2 Timothy 3:14-15:

“But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;

And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

We’ve learned a lot in a rather short amount of time and these verses give us the charge to remember and continue. I’ll be sharing some of the things we’ve been learning and trying to apply to our youth ministry that has made ministering AMAZING! Not of works which we have done but that the Lord has done in and through us and in the lives of our teens. He is AMAZING!

Farewell, Fatigue Review

Do I have a treat for you today! My friend, MaryEllen, over at The Imperfect Homemaker has written a wonderful ebook called Farewell, Fatigue.

I’m not going to spill all the beans about this book but I do want to ask you some questions. Are you are constantly tired? Lacking energy? Do you experience brain fog on a regular basis? Do you catch yourself feeling exhausted after doing very simple tasks? Have you ever thought that all these symptoms are normal for your stage of life(pregnancy, motherhood, stressful job, etc.)?

A couple years ago, MaryEllen found herself experiencing all of the above symptoms and more. She tried to explain it away with the usual “I’m a mother, we’re supposed to be tired…Right?” Except her symptoms continued to get worse until she could barely get out of bed. After quite a lot of searching she finally found a doctor who was willing to search out the root cause of her problem, not just treat her symptoms.

Last question, (I promise) Have you ever considered that your lack of energy and down-right tiredness was not normal, and that you could change from being constantly fatigued to being full of energy?

MaryEllen wrote Farewell, Fatigue out of a burdened heart for other men and women who are experiencing the same thing she was. She wants you to know that Fatigue is NOT NORMAL and she is giving you, in her book, the steps to change all that!

This book is not a fluffy, emotional, pull at your heart strings, feel sorry for each other, kind of book. She gives you her story in one short chapter and then jumps directly into what you need!

Because this week is her book launch week, MaryEllen has joined with some awesome companies to do a fantastic giveaway on her blog.

  

Run over to The Imperfect Homemaker to find out all the details and enter to win some great prizes!