molly anna

Posted by Diana Pemelton comments (2)

it my daughters birthday....i can't believe 9 years have whizzed by so fast...
it seems like yesterday that she was chewing on my chin inexplicably trying to retrieve sustenance...she took her first steps, lost her first tooth,decided to speak at 3 or 4 years of age...she didn't have much to say before then...lots to watch with 5 siblings...she is a wonder...

what will she be? who will she love? i have so many dreams for her...so many passions to communicate...what will her dreams be? besides being kieran...

i see such a fire in her belly such a personality...she will be and is a force to reckon with already...what will it look like when hormones kick in?

she is funny and smart as a whip...she is amazing and beautiful...
she is talented and gifted...she is tender and strong...she can put ozzy to shame with her version of crazy train on rock band...she does ahhhh like no one else i know...asperger's is an adventure...

she loves Jesus and is confident that God paints the sky for her every morning
she is a little piece of me....a little piece of bret... and a whole lotta her...
she is in a word marvelous...a mystery...a wonder...a blessing...

molly is a gift straight from the hands of God

formed in the mind and heart of the same God who created the earth and sky
the same God who paints the sky for her every morning....

molly is my joy my laughter my mischief
she is a never ending font of humor and information
she is amazing.....she is molly

Watching History....

Posted by Diana Pemelton comments (0)

OK so maybe i didn't vote for this president but truly this is a historical and magnificent day...

No other country could possibly have the peaceful transfer of power that we will witness today at 12:01 The passing of the gauntlet the passing of the massive responsibilities and the passing of the weight of two wars,, economy, the needs of the American people and most importantly the lives of our service men and women around the world...
This President has my heart and prayers as he will need folks who supported him and folks who did not to pull together for the good of all Americans. The beauty of this "Great Experiment" called America should be on all of our hearts and minds today....

It is good to be alive....It is good to be an American.

"The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time"
Thomas Jefferson July 1774

from A Summary View of the Rights of British America

there are so many reasons why God shouldn't have called me...
but i won't worry.... i'm in good company
moses stuttered david's armor didn't fit
john mark was rejected by paul
timothy had ulcers hosea's wife was a prostitute jacob was a liar
amos' only training was in the school of fig tree pruning
david had a affair solomon was too rich Jesus was too poor
abraham was too old david was too young peter was afraid of death
lazarus was dead
john was self righteous naomi was a widow paul was a murderer
so was moses
jonah ran from God miriam was a gossip gideon and thomas both doubted
jeremiah was a bullfrog ..nah.. he was depressed and suicidal
elijah was burnt out john the baptist was a loud mouth
martha was a worrywart mary was lazy samson had long hair
noah got drunk
did we mention that moses had a short fuse?
so did peter ~paul~ well allot of folks did
but God doesn't require a job interview He doesn't hire and fire like most bosses
He's more like my dad than my boss
He doesn't look at financial gain or loss He's not prejudiced or partial
not judging, grudging, sassy or brassy, not deaf to my cry, not blind to my need
as much as i try,
God's gifts are free
i could do wonderful things for wonderful people and still not be.....wonderful
satan says i'm not worthy Jesus says so what? I AM
satan looks back and see my mistakes God looks back and sees the cross
He doesn't calculate what i did in '87 it's not even on the record if i've confessed
sure there are lots and lots of reasons why God shouldn't have called me
but...
if i'm magically in love with Him if i hunger for Him more than my next breath
He will use me...in spite of who iam, where i've been or what i look like
if i step out of my limitations into the illimitable nature of God
my passion for Him and passion to communicate to Him
and communicate Him to others
will make mincemeat of my limitations
author unknown

Posted by Diana Pemelton comments (2)

Conversations With The Women in my Head

OK…so I get a call from Lorrie wanting me to submit a blog for the
Crosspoint Women’s page thingy.
First... let us put to rest the assumed computer prowess of the author,
that would be me, I suck.
I hate computers and they... I think ...rightfully hate me back.
I think it may be even more sinister on the computers part however…

inevitability..... when a stroke of pure genius hits
I run for the little black rectangle sitting on the kitchen counter... knowing that when my fingers brush the keys brilliance and enlightenment will flow freely from my pink and white manicured flanges.
There will be a symphony as it were between my flying fingers and the rapidly snapping synapses creating absolute magic in my cranium….my heart beats faster...I can feel my pulse quicken in my neck as I assume that these amazing bits of information are being recorded for all of history….

The bowls are in the cupboard over the black dishwasher, no, over the black dishwasher, OK now pick up what ever fell out of the cabinet…what? No you can’t mix all the cereals together you’ll waste it…you’ll…get sick…

...I continue the flow that I have begun
enjoying the rhythm of the sound being made on the little black machine…
but alas,
I am woefully unaware that there seems to be a problem.
I am from the old school of typing.....you know the one where you look at your fingers the whole time.
I know instinctively that if I make one small mistake the spell check police will raise their ugly head to mock and run their evil red lines through my …

Put your bowls in the sink when you are done. Can you put the boxes of cereal back on the shelf …don’t give me attitude Emma, do it without the heavy sigh…

...carefully and thought out word selection…I hate those red lines…I’m still confused about the green ones..
but I digress…
The rhythm continues with impressive speed and agility of brain and hand.
I think this may actually be my Mona Lisa!
Information that will be lauded by family and friends alike…published in the most esteemed of printed materials….breathlessly I glance up to....

OK!!! Who is killing who? There better be bloodshed down there with the amount of noise going on!

...view what I assume will be a thing of beauty a timeless masterpiece…
What I am faced with is the futility of my efforts ....
the sinister black box has sucked up the knowledge from deep within me..
it has sent my labor of love out to the abyss where I
as a mother
assume all matching socks are and replaced it with an ad for Match.com...
He is kinda cute
that is ...if you’re into that hunky perfect sort of thing…
again I digress
I steel my will against this evil assault on all that is good in this world
I will not be destroyed emotionally or spiritually by this…
I will master the little black rectangle on my kitchen counter....
Ha! I laugh in its illuminated face!
In it’s general direction I…

Yes…you can go out and play with the dogs just be careful not to step into….
never mind…

 I will try..... and try again
blogs will be mine
…oh yes…
someday they will be mine

today my pastor raised an interesting and perplexing idea...he compared the way we view church and the way we do church as
"spiritual masturbation"
this i'm sure was offensive to some and shocking to most but as the mother of
4 boys and 2 girls it was almost dinner conversation.
i myself have used the phrase "vocal masturbation" many times while watching and listening to the never ending vocal acrobats on american idol...
so when this arrangement of words and syllables was hurled in my direction i didn't even flinch...
as a matter of fact i rather agreed with him....

sometimes we do church with pomp and circumstance worrying and fretting about where we will sit will we be seen what we will wear will the throngs of faithful see the cash donation going in the rather shallow tithe plate
will they notice my attendance my quick wit and engaging smile my rather fabulous shoes and new knock off dolche and gabana bag from my recent trip to nyc and canal street...
seriously no one in the south will be able to spot a knock off...
the point was that we often think of church as something to do that will bring immediate gratification to ourselves...we go for us and for no one else.

how many times have we said
"i just didn't get anything out of church today"
it's as if we expect the church to exist to massage our tired and exhausted view of ourselves
to lay spiritual cucumbers on our eyes that had to remain open for an astonishing 10 minutes of worship 7.5 of announcements and exactly 23 of teaching followed by the before mentioned shallow tithe plate and quick prayer exhorting the day and week that lies ahead

somewhere we have gone wrong...

it was said that we need to
"stop doing church and be the church"
church should be something we are that dwells within us
it should oozes out of our very pores... we should reek of it
church should be a place to give back to grow to reach out
a place of solace and peace for the weary and sustenance for those who hunger
a place of safety for those who are afraid
it should be a place where laughter is quick and tears are kept in crystal vases where the light can shine through in magnificent prisms
and life can be given to a parched bloom

but again we have gone somewhat wrong...

church is not a place

but a person..a human who wants to be Jesus with skin on
it is you and me choosing to put self aside and see someones needs before our own
it is choosing to place value on the individual next to us rather than on ourselves
it's understanding that there is One greater than the face we see in the mirror
church is simply you and me choosing to be more like Him