Last Chance!

If you haven't entered the Share & Care Contest yet - today is the day!

This weekend is your final chance to enter to win the ultimate PARDYMAMA CARE PACKAGE!  I've scoured Nashville for some of my new local favorites, I've picked up a few of my most treasured books, and I even made an official pardymama tumbler just for you!

Check it out - here is the final glimpse into the care package that could be shipped to YOU!

There are three easy ways to enter:

1. LIKE my FACEBOOK PAGE if you haven't already. 

(Those of you that have liked it already are automatically entered ONCE! Yay!)

2. SHARE my Facebook page or a link to my blog posts on Facebook.  

(You can do this simply by clicking "SHARE" at the bottom of a post listed on Facebook! New OR old posts!)

3. RETWEET my blog on Twitter.  

(Follow me @pardymama if you aren't already, and just click the RT symbol whenever I tweet out a link to a new post!)

Remember, you have until midnight on Sunday, September 1st to enter.  

Be sure and check back here

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 2nd 

to find out who wins!!!!

And, you never know...if enough people enter, I might just have to give away more prizes. Hmmmm.

Bold

This morning, almost as soon as my two toddler daughters woke with squeals and giggles, they rushed downstairs to jump into the day like a soldier parachuting into battle.  They are the very definition of gung-ho and it was no surprise to me when (a full five minutes into starting the day) they charged the "art drawers" and yanked out paper and markers.

As my coffee was brewing and I was still rubbing the sleep out of my face (yes, my whole face, not just my eyes) I look over to see my youngest already liberally inking herself silly.  Green knees, blue hands, and several un-capped markers surround her.  Par for the course around here.

As I brought out the wipes and reprimanded her creativity, I tried to lure her toward the crayons.  But, no.  She was not having that.  Both girls wanted MARKERS.  They are brighter, they are striking, and they are far more risky than those lousy old crayons, right?  One can understand the appeal to the toddling mind, anyhow.

It occurred to me (in this awkward moment of arts and crafts segregation) that people are like this:  there are crayons, and there are markers. 

Crayons are safe.  Crayons are lovely, but they only get so bright, no matter how many times they go over the same line.  Crayons don't even need caps, because they don't leave a mark if they just stay put where they are.

Then, there are markers.  Markers (for all intents and purposes) MARK.  No matter where they are, you un-cap them and they will leave a dot, a line, or blotch that clearly stains where they have been. Markers are bold!  They define exactly where they're used and there's no question that they are a marker - and not a crayon.

When it comes to your faith - are you a crayon or a marker?  Do you blend in, stay within the lines, play it safe in your little unmarked box? Or do you stand out?  Are you leaving an impression wherever you go?

It's true that markers can get real messy real fast.  Nobody's saying markers don't have to go back and be cleaned up now and then.  But, I'd rather be known as a messy marker - a Jesus-loving sinner - than tucked away as an unused crayon playing it safe.

Un-cap that faith!  Let's mark it up.

In Difference

Today, I'm not only giving you a glimpse into a couple of my favorite books, but I'm giving you a SNEAK PEEK at what might soon be sitting on your bookshelf - as I'm putting both of these books into the pardymama Share & Care Contest gift package!

Shaunti Feldhaun's books For Women Only and For Men Only rocked my newly-married-world-at-the-time about six years ago.  Josh and I were still newlyweds, somewhere in between the champagne-and-roses feeling and the oh-man-I'm-really-stuck-with-you-forever realization.  While we might look back on this time with much nostalgia, it's easy to forget the drama and confusion that exists in those early days of marriage.

We had been to pre-marital counseling, and we had even completed a couple's communications course at our church that had brought us new insight and passion about getting to know one another and essentially "why we are the way we are".  Our exposure and interest in both the psychology and philosophy behind this left us with a lot of questions, but not a lot of know-how as to where to turn to find answers.

I don't even know where I first heard of the For [All of Us, Really] Only books...but, as soon as I cracked it open, I couldn't put it down.  As the titles suggest, one is distinctly written to women giving insight on the way men function/live/ARE...and the other is written to men giving the same/opposite info on the female gender.

It may sound boring or "heady" or uninteresting to you - but, it's packaged in this compact and colorful hardback that invites you to read a snip-it at a time, cleverly written with bold titles and graphics to easily breakdown the material into delicious nuggets of digestible information.  Let me put it this way - it's a pretty fun read!  And it is packed FULL of gems of wisdom that are instantly applicable to your everyday life.

My husband and I each read our corresponding book; then, we swapped!  Not only did this double the value of our discussion - it expanded our perception of our own gender.  Who knew!?

These books blew our minds.  There is something (probably MUCH) that you don't know about the other gender, I can promise you that.  And maybe you're getting by just fine in your relationships, your marriage, or your work life.  Maybe you have nothing left to learn about the opposite sex (even though, let me be the first to burst your bubble and tell you that we all do) but, how about the ways in which the opposite sex understands and relates to you?


Since that first year of marriage (going on number 7 now!) I've re-read the books multiple times.  The last two years, I was in an incredible Bible Study that included For Women Only in the study, and it was beautiful and amazing to see multiple women from all walks of life have their minds be blown too!

We came from all backgrounds, all ages, all different kinds of marriages to all different kinds of men - and we all learned incredible things about what makes these creatures we call "husbands" tick.

If you're not married - don't think this isn't for you - NOW is the time to read these books and gain the insight before you are taking those vows!  How much better to walk into marriage someday with new awareness and knowledge that will help you extend the grace that we all need when it comes to learning about people different from ourselves?

It's obvious that men and women are different.  We all know this, sure.  But, while we all have to live in differences, we don't have to have indifference about them.  We can embrace these differences, take strides in learning more, and pray for that extra grace and wisdom it takes to love each other better!




I hope you win the care package and get to experience these books for yourself; but, even if you don't get a copy from me, I'd encourage you to check them out for yourself!  In fact, now the series has expanded to include many facets of life, and I'm certain there's one to fit your interest.  You can find out more about Shaunti Feldhahn and her books here.  And, for the record, I don't know Shaunti at all.  I am simply and honestly endorsing something I completely believe in because I think it is just that awesome! 

Waiting

How many of you are waiting on something?

Maybe you are waiting on a job, like we are.  Maybe you are waiting on getting pregnant.  Waiting on an adoption to go through.  Waiting on a call from your doctor.  Waiting for your boyfriend to propose. Waiting to hear back from that school/program/organization you're hoping to get into.  Waiting on your order at Chipotle.  (Hey, it counts!)

Chances are, there are several out there who are waiting, waiting, waiting to hear from God about something that will epically change your life, for better or for worse.  My husband has been unemployed for over two months now, and this is not the first time God has made us wait and wonder as to what His plan may hold.  Still, patience continues to be a quality that I'm constantly in need of.

About five years ago, we were waiting for another reason.  We were trying to get pregnant.  We had been extraordinarily deliberate in our plan to have a baby, seeking the counsel of others personally and professionally to help us in the decision to jump into the murky and unknown waters of "trying".

Months went by, and I was still not pregnant.  There had never been any fertility issue on either side of our family, so when we first jumped into the ring we naively supposed we'd be making grand announcements within the first few months.  And, so, we began down an emotional roller coaster that kept us on our toes two-weeks-at-a-time.

In effort for my husband to truly grasp the emotional toll that this process was taking on me, I remember making an analogy for him.  Not getting pregnant, for me, is like unsuccessfully job hunting for a man. It's like, every time I see a pregnant woman out there, I think "Why HER?"  Clearly, I'm qualified for the position!  I'm perfect for it, I have all the experience and credentials I need.  And every time I'm not pregnant it's like someone rejecting you for a job you're overqualified for.

I can remember a conversation with a close confidant about 9 months into our journey.  I remember telling her how, when we'd first began to try to get pregnant, this would have been the month we had a baby.  It was weird.  I ached and longed to hold my own child, so it felt like there was no reason at all for God to have delayed the gratification.  I remember this person telling me "But, just think, when you finally do get pregnant, it will all make sense.  You'll look back and think 'Ah!  This is why God made us wait!'"

Now, I know that there are readers out there who are experiencing infertility, even waiting, who are currently in the midst of devastation.  I know that my story can seem like nothing compared to others who go through years and years of trials and hardships - so, I am in NO way trying to say that I know how that feels.  I don't.

But, when you are in the midst of it - when I was crying out to God on my bathroom floor after getting my period each month, when I was weeping and cursing and questioning "Why not me? Why not now?"...all there is is either "baby" or "no baby"...there's no timeframe or logic or end in sight.  So, all that to say, the year it took us to get pregnant felt like an eternity to me.

The year came to an end, and my first "fertility" appointment got changed to a "pre-natal" appointment. And even after I gave birth to a perfectly gorgeous baby 9 months later...I still had no idea why God made us wait.  I still wondered why in the world I couldn't have just surpassed all that pain and ended up with my gorgeous baby the year before?  What difference did it make, God, really?

Well...fast-forward to today, and here's one difference:  My husband has spent the last few months getting rejected by jobs he's overqualified for.  And I know just how he feels.

I can't tell you all the reasons God had for the way it all rolled out.  I can't tell you how many lives it altered or how much we really grew as humans or as spouses through that journey.  Some things are simply immeasurable.

But, I can tell you that now I know what it feels like to be married to someone who feels understood because of a time that God brought us through together.  I can tell you that there is a reason (probably many) for the waiting - and that it is not in vain.

Growth is rarely comfortable.  Change is almost never convenient.  But, dependance on God, no matter how long it takes, is always, always productive.  It's not that I have-to-believe-this-cause-I-have-no-other-choice.  My life is a testament to His follow-through!  He is faithful to answer and be with us no matter what the answer is.

You are not alone in your waiting, friends.  And your waiting is not wasted.

Wait on!