happy holidays.

its always wrong to do anything you can't tell the minister's wife.  it's as good as an extra conscience to have a minister's wife for your friend. - anne shirley.

i told this quote to lindsey, a bosom buddy who's also a pastor's wife, and said something along the lines of "you might be that at first, but then you open your mouth."
good point.
i wonder if, more than an extra conscience, i'm more like a (healthy?) dose of freedom:  if janet can do it....(and she's a pastor's wife!!).  ah, dear, i do hope i influence for good.

well, we are on our first week of holiday.  we've been getting lots done around the backyard - fence painted, cherry tree planted, garden composted, etc..  i raided a friend's garden and came home with buckets full of lillies and irises and other beautiful things that i have no names for.  my flower garden is filling out, my vegetable garden is growing well (i think...i really have no clue), we have luscious green grass, a playground, and truly a background wonderland.  this home is really a beautifully wrapped present every day.

our church is working through the Lord's prayer this summer, and this morning's sermon was on "hallowed by your name".  the preacher's main point was that how we view the character of God (his name) affects our character.  for example, if we believe He is altogether trustworthy, we will live lives of faith and trust and obedience.  our characters will be marked by confidence, hope and perseverance.  but, if we believe God is not to be completely trusted, we will despair, we will be tight-fisted, cynical, conflicted, angry. 
there is a quote from someone that scott often says: "you become that which you worship".   so, my question for myself today is, who do i believe God really is? 
this filter also changes how we read scripture.  if I believe that God is holy and just i will read the journey of Isreal in the old testament differently than if I believe God is heavy-handed, cruel, or disinterested.  what characteristics of God do I bring to His story?  can we trust that He is who He says He is?

i think that we can.
(I'm also still working on it as well)

i have been aware lately of how my character is rubbing off on my children, especially my 7-year old daughter.  maybe 7-year olds are naturally in a state of developmental angst, but it seems my girl is angry.  she's angry at me, at her zipper, at her brother, at her swingset, at the sales representative at Canadian Tire (possibly ligitimate), at her bandaid and dinner.  I can't help fearing that my tendencies to grumble, my lack of patience, and my many frustrations have begun to stick to her like tar.  how do i begin the work of wiping it off?  of releasing her from her mother's weaknesses and failings?  how painful to see the ugliness of my sin reflected on my beautiful child.
so, pray for me in this.  summer vacation is like a pressure cooker for family matters isn't it? 
i hope yours are going well!

kindred spirits and buddies of bosom to you all,
janet.