Weekend To Remember

This past weekend, Josh and I had the privilege of attending the marriage conference Weekend to Remember. It is a conference hosted by FamilyLife and I first heard of it while at the True Woman conference last year. We have never been away for a weekend since we have been married and this was a great opportunity to not only get away, but to think about our marriage as well. There are WTR conferences all over the country and we were able to go to one very near our home.

The best part of the weekend? Spending the entire weekend with Josh and not having to think about the routine things of life. We stayed in a hotel and I didn't have to cook the whole weekend! I also really enjoyed the application projects at the end of the sessions, because it made us think about certain issues in our marriage and evaluate how we are doing. Josh and I have a healthy marriage and the conference helped us to see areas where we could improve. Since I come from a divorced family and we know friends and church members who have been divorced, we realize that to keep a marriage healthy and strong you have to work on it. Thankfully, Christ is the foundation of our marriage and He continues to sustain us and keep us as we both seek to walk with Him - which is the key ingredient to a great marriage.

This was our first weekend away from Thomas and all three of us did better than I expected! Thomas stayed with my parents and he had the best time...well, my parents probably enjoyed him more than he enjoyed them! I don't think he really missed us while we were apart, but he realized he missed us when we got home, because he has wanted to be especially close last night and today and we eagerly give lots of hugs and kisses! Now my dad is anxious for us to go on another trip, but it will be a long while before I'm ready to leave my boy again. I'm already dreading being away from him while I'm in the hospital with Josiah.

If any of you who read my blog have never been to a Weekend To Remember, we would highly recommend it. After attending the conference, Josh and I have decided we want to attend a marriage conference every year if possible. Having a young family and Josh's responsibilities as a pastor can make life very busy and we realized how wonderful and refreshing it was to get away. We were reminded again this weekend that our spouse is the most precious gift the Lord has given us (apart from salvation) and we want to make each other a priority.

I Love My Job!

By the title of my post you may be thinking, "Do you have a job I don't know about?" or "When did you get a job?" My job is the same as it has been the past 18 months: a stay-at-home mom! Yesterday, I realized anew how thankful and blessed I am to stay home with Thomas.

Twice a year I volunteer and shop at consignment sales for children. I usually am able to buy all of Thomas' clothes for the next season, shoes, dvds, books, toys, etc. Yesterday, I volunteered in the morning and shopped in the afternoon. Since the sale was about 45 mins away, I was gone from 8am to 4pm and it was hard. Why? Because I missed Thomas so much! A very sweet lady from our church kept Thomas and I knew he was in great hands, but I don't like being away from him all day.

Staying home with Thomas is such a blessing and a privilege. Yes, some days are very hard and I do need a break sometimes. However, I wouldn't trade all the money or possessions in the world to be home with him. I know there are moms who work who would love to be at home and financially they cannot. I'm just very thankful that the Lord more than meets our needs through Josh's salary.

Psalm 127:3 says, "Behold, children are a hertiage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward." I can heartily say Amen!

Finally, A Name!!

Today, on my 26th birthday, Josh revealed the name that he liked best and it was the name I have wanted all along! Thomas gave me a birthday card that said, "To: Mama, From: Her Boys." The card was signed, "Thomas & Josiah."

His full name is Josiah Edward Culbertson. I had actually mentioned this name the day we found out we were having a boy. Edward is Josh's middle name so an obvious choice. Here are the reasons we chose Josiah:

1. He was a godly leader. 2 Kings 23:25 says, "Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him."

2. He was a reformer. Second Kings 23 lists all the ways Josiah reformed Judah during his time as king. He burned down all the false gods, broke down their high places, removed all the shrines to other gods, and he restored the Passover because it had not been kept as commanded.

3. Statement of Faith. We pray the Lord would use Josh's ministry as a source of reformation. You can read about Josh's thoughts on reformation here.

This certainly wasn't a deciding factor in naming this precious boy, but his initials are the same as Josh's - JEC. My personal prayer is that both of our boys will grow to love God and his Word the way that Josh does. I'm so thankful that my boys have the example of godly dad and will learn from him how to be a godly leader and reformer.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

We're Expecting!

That's right - Thomas is going to be a big brother in June! We are thrilled and so excited to welcome another blessing into our family. We believe whole heartily that "children are a reward from the Lord" (Psalm 27:3).

Thankfully, my morning sickness has been much better this time around. The nurse suggested I take vitamin B6 in addition to my prenatal vitamin and it has made all the difference. I'm trying to drink lots of water and eat plenty of protein as well. So besides being really tired, I'm doing great!

We praise the Lord for our new blessing!

He is just so cute!

I, like all mothers, think that my baby is the cutest and sweetest child ever - and I even tell him that. There is even a little song I sing to him -

Who's the sweetest baby in the world?
Who's the sweetest baby in the world?
Who's the sweetest baby in the wooorld?
He's Thomas, Thomas Culbertson!

For those of you who aren't moms, I'm sure you think I have gone crazy (and my husband even thinks so occasionally). Two things he has done recently have been especially enduring.

On Sunday evening, Josh was watching the Grand Ole Opry (he likes those things) and Thomas was playing in the living room. Thomas scooted over to the television and then laid down in front of it resting on his arms - he really wanted to watch it! After I while, he sat up and started swaying back and forth. It happened so quickly that I didn't have time to grab the dvd recorder, but it was so precious!

Another thing he has been doing for some time is sucking with his mouth closed when he is really concentrating. Last night we were at my in-laws and they had given him some addition and subtraction cards to play with and he was really concentrating to get them back in the box one-by-one and you could just see his little cheeks moving! Sometimes I'll see him doing it when he is "reading" a book, but most of the time it is when something has his complete attention.

I'm just so thankful for my little boy and enjoy all the little things he does. What a great reminder that being a mom is the best job in the world!

GROW

About 3 weeks ago, we started an outreach program at our church called G.R.O.W. We have had many visitors to our church, and Josh wanted a way to reach out to them, as well as to inactive members and the community at large. When I lived in Louisville and attended 9th & O Baptist Church, I was a part of G.R.O.W. for a short while. The basic concept of G.R.O.W. is to involve as many people in your church as possible, because their commitment is only once a month, and there are a variety of ways to serve - visiting, letter writing, phone calling, and praying. Those who don't feel comfortable visiting people, can write letters or call. Josh added prayer as a component of G.R.O.W. because our work is futile, unless the Lord blesses it.

I have been very convicted in the past few weeks about my lack of evangelism (not counting Thomas), but I really don't have the opportunity to meet new people other than at church. We don't live in a neighborhood and I don't work outside the home, so my options are limited. G.R.O.W. is helping to give me more opportunities for evangelism. Last night, Josh and I went to visit a couple who stopped coming to church (they had been very faithful before) a few months ago. When we arrived at the home, we could tell by the state of the yard that things were not good inside. The husband and wife are separated, although the wife is there most of the time, and their son's girlfriend is pregnant and living with them. We met the girlfriend (the son was at work) and my heart went out to her. She is 6 months pregnant and a junior in high school. Her parents don't want her and tried to get her to have an abortion. Children are a blessing, and they are hard work. I was 24, married, college educated, with a large network of support when I had Thomas, and still it was overwhelming - I can't begin to imagine what she is thinking and feeling.

Since last night, I have been trying to think of ways that I can get to know her. I plan to send her a note with my email address and phone number and hope she will contact me. If she were a neighbor it would be much easier, but she lives about 20 mins away. My hope is she will contact me and I can reach out to her. If anyone has specific ideas about how best to reach her, please me know.

The Lord reminded me again of how much I have to be thankful for - a loving husband, a healthy baby, a giving family, and most of all salvation in His son, Jesus. My prayer today is that I will live in light of His salvation, and make my life about kingdom purposes, and not worldly distractions.