Failure: The Forge of Excellence, by Kristen Lamb
Posted by Ali Dent in Family, Share Your Story on June 25, 2011
“When I was a little child I dreamed of being a ___________. Then I traded in that dream for more practical dreams.”
Have you traded a dream for a more practical one? Do you have a child who might be secretly thinking his dream is too impractical to follow? Have you asked him if he has a dream he thinks you won’t get behind with your emotional and financial energies because his dream is impractical, won’t provide an income unless he’s at the top of the game, or you simply think people who do “that” are weird? Are you putting off a personal dream until “one day” in the future? What scares you?
If you’ve ever struggled with fear or loss, read Kristen Lamb’s personal story. I love you all and that is why I’m sending this story to you. Our stories are part of the Big Story, God’s Story. I want you to be encouraged and blessed by seeing his handiwork in the forge of your life.
I would love to hear your responses to Kristen’s story. How has God’s foundry changed your life and pressed you into a finer steal blade? You can leave your comments below.
Share your story. It’s important!
Before I Was a Mom
Posted by Ali Dent in Uncategorized on May 7, 2011
This poem was sent to me in an email. The author is unknown. I am sharing it with you, mothers and potential mothers, hoping it will remind you what a privilege it is to be called, Mother.
Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn’t worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom, 
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn’t want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn’t stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom,
I didn’t know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body.
I didn’t know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn’t know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn’t know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.
Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom
Overwhelmed?
Posted by Ali Dent in Connections on April 13, 2011
When life is overwhelming, I lose sight and feel like I’m spinning out of control.
My husband works in one city right now and my boys and I live in another. Jim has an apartment there and the boys and I live in our house here. We will move to the new city mid-summer whether the house sells or not. There is a tension while we wait. I absolutely know that God is in control and yet I too often try my best to carry all the details regarding future change.
It was easy to ignore the process of moving until we decided to get the house ready for selling. 
We started with a garage sale so we could move everything out that we didn’t want to take with us. I started by simply cleaning out and clearing out. Then I found other things to clean out and clear out and oh, by the way, the cupboards need cleaning and the yard is a mess, and I’d better start that moving list to make sure it all happens in an orderly fashion. The next thing you know I’ve created days and days of work to complete before the garage sale date. Everything needed to be finished and it was up to me to make it happen. My mind played tag with daily household responsibilities, home schooling, relationships, garage sale, preparing the house for showings, preparing to move, conducting an open house, and… I felt like a Mac truck driving down the Appalachian Mountains with failing brakes! I needed a runaway truck ramp.
I prayed.
After several weeks of praying, while driving down hill out of control, it occurred to me to spend some time alone and sort out my thoughts and feelings and see where that would take me. I was aware that I was carrying a load much too heavy for me, but I couldn’t see which of my concerns were actual responsibilities to tackle and which were concerns to lift up to the Lord for him to handle.
I started as I have many times before by making a list of everything that concerned me. First, I listed concerns I have for Jim, then the boys. Next, I wrote down concerns for my daughters, Matti, her husband Jon, and their children, and Mallari who lives hundreds of miles away. I finished the exercise by writing down concerns I had for myself. The combined list was VERY long.
Seeing the list in black and white detangled my thoughts and emotions by first allowing me to see just how desperately I had been trying to take care of myself. I repented and asked God to help me. Then, I divided the list into two categories, RESPONSIBILITIES: things that are within my power to accomplish and CONCERNS: things that only God can do.
I prayed.
A few days later, the Lord, by his Spirit and through his word, reminded me so sweetly and gently that He is my only comfort. Specifically, he encouraged me with Ezra 8:21-23. The hand of God is for good on all who seek him.
I began to thank the Lord for his word, which is active and alive. I praise him even now for his love and care. He is faithful. He listens.
God’s comfort is a place to land. It is a stop ramp that brings LIFE.
Making Connections
Posted by Ali Dent in Connections on April 6, 2011
You and I are designed to connect with God, his people, and the world.
Communion = Connection
God talked with Adam in the garden; Adam responded.We are designed for communion. We are worshippers, connecting to our Lord through his word and prayer.
Community = Connection
God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone,” Genesis 2:18. We are designed for community. We are the Body of Christ, knit together to bring glory to our Father in heaven. As the Body, we have responsibilities to love and build one another up.
Communication = Connection
Jesus said, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation,” Mark 16:15. We are designed for communication.
Connections are inescapable. There are a thousand connections made every day with family, friends, our church and school activities, on Facebook, Twitter, blogging, texting, email, and the phone. In my family we love having people in our home. We connect to friends through our church, hospitality, home school activities and a classical literature club that meets in our home. I enjoy email and I’m learning how to blog, tweet and text all for the sake of Making Connections.
I want this blog to become a place to share connections with God and others. How have you connected today?
Modern Love Letters
Posted by Ali Dent in Connections, Family on March 28, 2011
Love letters can be anything you dream up to show the one you love how special he/she is. Don’t hesitate. Just send it!
Recently I sent this to my husband, Jim.
He replied back with this video.
Friendship, a Grace of God
A FRIEND IS A TREASURE
Author Unknown
A friend is someone we turn to,
when our spirits need a lift.
A friend is someone we treasure,
for our friendship is a gift.
A friend is someone who fills our lives,
with beauty, joy and grace.
And make the world we live in,
a better and happier place.
A dear friend of mine, Martha, has been writing on her blog about friendship. She is inspiring me to rethink the simple, yet profound meaning of this one little word, FRIEND. If you would like to read her insights go to www.grittygrace.com.
The Gospel and the Titus 2 Woman
What is the call upon a woman’s life according to Titus 2?
Titus 2:3-5 says, “Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.”
When I see a young woman suffering, it is soooo tempting to tell her what she ought to do. If she complains about the difficulty she has keeping up with household chores and children, I want to show her how organizing her home and her schedule will calm down the frustration she feels. If her finances are stressing her out, I think, “Sweetheart, let’s just set up a budget for you and everything will be all right. Just let me show you how to live and your life can be as good as mine.” WHO AM I KIDDING!
This approach leads to hopelessness, not helpfulness. When I approach a woman’s heart with, “This is what you ought to do. This is what I did, and it works,” I have successfully taught her, “If you fix the practical things in life, everything will be okay. Just watch me.”
Will a budget help? Probably. Will home organization relieve some pressure? I think so, but the young woman before me doesn’t need to focus her attention on me. She needs to see Jesus in the middle of her life and learn reliance upon him for everything. There will always be dirty dishes, laundry, arguments, wayward children, and financial issues to handle. The question I must answer every day and the question she must learn to ask herself is, “Where am I placing my trust for the current situation?”
If Titus 2:3-5 is more than a list of tasks, what is it calling us to do? To love one another, heart to heart, WHILE doing the dishes, changing diapers, strolling in the park, and working on the finances. This interim between hearing a friend’s need and a changed heart requires the gospel: the love of God, patience, prayer, and a lot of time. I must be willing to sacrifice for my friend, get messy with her and maybe get hurt along the way. I become a fellow sinner in need of grace and the gospel grows deeper and wider in both of us.
“The Titus 2 woman lives Christ BEFORE her young friend and WITH her.”
