Scripture of the Day - December 22, 2011

John 10:9  I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

Jesus is the only way to heaven and that's because He is God! 
Now get this...if any man enter in...every single person on this earth has an opportunity to enter heaven...there is no one Jesus will reject...if you believe on Him and repent of your sins the door is wide open and you will be saved from a dreadful ending. 
Not only that but...you shall go in and out and find pasture...you shall traffic in this world and do well...if you follow the ways of Jesus all things will work out for good...if you seek His guidance your foot will not slip. 
I think of the 23rd Psalm when I read this scripture...David knew that he had nothing to fear because the Lord was with him. You also will have nothing to fear if you walk hand in hand with the Lord. 


~Mary Hynes~

Scripture of the Day - December 21, 2011

John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Have you ever loved someone enough that you would give your life for them? I know as a mother I would give my life for any of my children. Many years ago my son Matthew was getting migraines and it pained me to see him like that so I prayed a naive prayer. I really didn't want him to have those migraines and told the Lord I would take them in his place if someone had to have them. The interesting thing is that eventually Matthew stopped getting migraines and I started getting them. Every time I had a migraine I would thank God that Matthew didn't have to suffer through this any more. I was actually glad to have them if it meant he wouldn't suffer. Not to pat myself on the back... but that's love. I truly don't pat myself on the back because it's easy to sacrifice for someone you love.
Now here is PURE LOVE...God loved humanity so much that even while we were enemies of Him He came to earth in human flesh to pay the penalty for our sins. He paid the penalty so we wouldn't have to. We didn't deserve it, but He did it out of pure love. 
There are many people in the world today who are still enemies of God. Some refuse to admit He exists because they don't want to accept the fact that they will be answerable to a higher power when they leave this world. Some once knew Him but turned their backs on Him thinking... well who knows what they were thinking. 
God loves everyone equally and was glad to pay the penalty for us. All we have to do is believe...we don't have to do any great works of penance...we just have to believe that Jesus is God Almighty manifested in the flesh...we just have to believe and follow Him...we just have to believe and bask in His love.


~Mary Hynes~

Scripture of the Day - December 20, 2011

Pr 23:23  Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.


We live in a time when things have turned upside down. Good is now considered evil and evil is now considered good. People who stand for truth are attacked and labeled with all sorts of horrible names. I read from a blogger that truth is the new hate speech and she hit the nail right on the head when she said this. Jesus warned us this would happen therefore we can't let down on standing for truth. We can't sell out to the whim of society. We have to stand strong for the Word of God. Get wisdom, get instruction and get understanding so you won't be deceived. Buy the truth and don't sell out!!!


~Mary Hynes~

Fighting the Mom-Guilt Battle

by QuatroMama on December 9, 2011

I am so so grateful to be able to stay home with our boys for this stage in life.  It’s a dream come true, it’s an enormous privilege, and something I don’t want to take for granted. It’s a sacrifice that has paid itself off in ways that I could never put a monetary value to… I know there are so many of you would LOVE the opportunity to stay home with your little ones. I love my life – this home, these boys, even the craziness.

BUT it’s not always rainbows, puppy dogs, and roses.

There are days when I’m just a plain ole mess.

Days when I’m buried in laundry, desperately need a shower, boys that need bathed as well, a dirty kitchen floor, a grocery list that needs made, a dishwasher that needs unloaded, and no plans for dinner.  I have an inbox full of messages that need a response, commitments that need fulfilled, and other business responsibilities that need my attention. There are more days than I’d like to admit that I’ve got very little to show for my day.

There are too many days that I don’t cherish the moment that surrounds me to love on my boys while they are little.  Instead I get lost in a list that’s not checked off, and overwhelmed with the chaos.

There are times that I find myself getting frustrated with them just being BOYS.  Boys are messy, loud, rowdy, and filled with energy.  Instead of embracing it and the way that God created them differently than girls, I too often get frustrated in their messes, their breaking of something of little value, or their crazy charades.

I’m ashamed to say it, but perhaps I’m not alone in this journey.

I go to bed with regrets, and asking forgiveness to a man I feel I so often let down.  He surrounds me with his embrace, and offers words of reassurance and encouragement.  He tells me what a great mom I am, and I shrug it off.

I can’t believe him, because my standard that I’ve put on myself hasn’t been met.  Instead I feel guilty and disappointed. Discouraged.

It’s an ugly thing, this mom-guilt.  It robs me of joy, it whispers non-truths, it steals my courage.

Maybe the mom-guilt that haunts you is different – maybe it’s that you wish you could be home but need to work, perhaps it’s that you can’t be the mom that you pictured yourself being, or you can’t provide the things that you feel would make your family happier.

So How Can We Navigate Through This Mom-Guilt Battle Together? 

1. We have to separate the non-truths from the truth. 

Philippians 4:8,9  “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

2. We have to embrace our situation with grace, gratitude, and joy.

Philippians 4: 4-6 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

3. We have to turn to Christ and His Word in our weakness, rather than our own strength.

2 Corinthians 12:9,10 “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

4. We have to embrace the grace that Has been extended to us through His sacrifice.

Romans 8:1-3a “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.”

So here I am “boasting in my weakness”. I hope in my weakness I can somehow encourage a few of you.  You are not alone in this mom-guilt battle.  Keep fighting, keep hitting the restart button, keep asking for forgiveness, keep growing, keep preaching truth to yourself.

Let’s encourage one another in this battle today!

** Be sure to read my husband’s insightful and timely response to this mom-guilt battle. It’s a must-read for wives and mothers! **

http://www.4tunate.net/2011/12/fighting-the-mom-guilt-battle/

It's beginning to look a lot like...chaos?

The tree is up, the stockings hung, cookies baked, gifts bought and wrapped and under the tree...wait a sec, not in MY house. The tree is up, we have a pile of stockings in the living room chair (why does our family of 3 own 11 stockings?) along with supplies to make 2 wreaths. A couple dozen cookies are made waiting to be decorated. Gifts are bought and hidden in precarious places and I have NO IDEA who I've bought them for and who I still need to buy for. Some have to be shipped across the island, others across the country. I decided 2 months ago that making Christmas cards would be a great idea...they are still in the "making" stage and not near ready to be mailed out.

All the above has culminated in one very stressed-out mommy/wifey. And then to top it off, I may not get the vacation time I requested from work to spend 10 uninterrupted days with my little family.

So, yes, I'm grumpy and frustrated. Yes, I'd like to give management a piece of my mind. Yes, I'd like my husband and child to disappear for a week so I could get organized.

BUT, the reality of my situation is this: I'm so incredibly thankful to have my well paying, usually cushy government job. I'm so incredibly thankful that my son and husband think I'm super-woman and can't live without me. I'm so incredibly thankful that I can express my feelings to friends and family with a gift that I've chosen just for them. I'm even thankful for my messy house, full of stuff, but it's our stuff that we've collected over time and even though I trip over toys and hubby's suitcase is still on our bedroom floor since he came home last weekend...at least he came home and loves me and our son unconditionally.

My to-do list is always never-ending and some days go by that nothing gets crossed off.

For Christmas this year, I want to give my family the gift of my undivided attention and my unconditional love. Just like God intended when He came to earth, born of a woman, to live among men, sinless so He could bear our sins on Calvary. He doesn't expect gifts and cookies and cards celebrating His birth, but our time and love is all He asks. Let's slow down and give our hearts.

WW update

As of Saturday, October 15, I have lost 24.7 pounds! Yes, it's been an extremely LONG and sometimes difficult road. Nearly 8 months to reach a 25 pound goal...but it's gone for GOOD! I'm determined to make this a lifestyle change. I have never eaten this well in my life. Or I should say eaten more well than un-well. I track my meals 5 days a week and "try" to keep a mental list on the weekends. I'm 2.3 pounds from my next goal. This will either happen on the 22nd or 29th. The weeks between now and Christmas I expect to be challanging. My mini-goal after that is no gain between then and the New Year. Totally doable!

It's a New Day

A few weeks ago I put on my best game face, bit the bullet and went back to weight watchers. Inspired by the transformation of Jennifer Hudson and spurred on by some medical issues I'm now facing as I approach my mid-30s. Three weeks in and I've lost 6.6 pounds. Yay me!