Pregnant Too Soon?

“That was too fast. You shouldn’t have a baby in your first year of marriage.” “I told him we have to wait at least a year to get pregnant, so we can get to know each other.” “I always tell young couples they should wait 10 years before getting pregnant, so they can get to know each other.”

Really?! For starters, we’re not a very young couple. I’m 30 years old, so the biological clock was ticking and we didn’t have time to waste! Not to mention - we had good reason to think I might have fertility issues, and we knew we’d have to try for a year before getting fertility treatment anyway.

And getting to know each other? Like, what do you suppose we did during dating & engagement? Do people really think we were just fake, infatuated flirts that whole time? No, Christopher & I love honesty & simplicity too much for that. We also had excellent premarital counseling (readytowed.com), which helped us talk through all the difficult topics before marriage so there were no surprises afterwards.

Yes, we knew each other when we got married, lol. Like seriously, what’s the sense in marrying someone you DON’T know? Yes, our knowledge & love have deepened significantly since getting married; and we expect a further deepening throughout the rest of our lives. It’ll be beautiful. ❤️

But honestly, being pregnant in our first year of marriage has been so lovely and romantic; and we couldn’t be more excited for the coming baby even with any/all accompanying challenges - we feel ready, and we have God to help us where we’re not. 😉

My Church Music Paradigm Shift

I used to have a lot of ideas about right and wrong in music at church.

My first step out of all these human ideas was the Source One seminar towards the beginning of my year studying God’s Word as a 17-year-old freshman at New York’s Word of Life Bible Institute. Every student was required to write out (1) some Scriptural verses on music, (2) our best understanding of the principles being taught in those verses, and (3) our personal application of those Scriptural principles. As for me, the application-points I wrote down were the ones I’d practiced all my life; and of course I found ways to pull them from the Scriptures and principles that I had found. But if I were honest, the Scriptures and principles I found did not really translate to the application-points I listed.

That’s what started me on a journey to the very different application-points I have today.

Because percussion in church music?
That’s Biblical.
“Praise Him with loud cymbals” (Psalm 150:5).

And dancing in praise to God?
That’s Biblical too.
“Let them praise His Name with dancing” (Psalm 149:3).

What about emotions in worship?
Well, I think we can all agree that Psalms (the Jewish hymnal) is the most emotional book in the entire Bible. And if we’re supposed to love God with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength - how could that NOT include our emotions?

Obviously we need to be sure we are following the Holy Spirit’s lead and not any other spirit (“Test the spirits,” 1 John 4:1). God will never lead us to do anything contrary to His Word, and He does say to “let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40). But where did some of us get the idea that this verse means church music should never be any fun? What made stuff being fun a necessary contradiction to stuff being orderly?

So now when I see a person up front being passionately expressive in their worship, it’s more likely to inspire worship in me than to inspire judgement. I think that’s a good change. 😉

Baby Excitement!

Baby’s officially 2nd trimester now, and about the size of a hot jalapeño! 

Here are some recent photos: 

- Christopher & I celebrating with our 1st camping trip together (at Natural Bridge State Resort Park), 

- our first ultrasound (when we were 10 weeks along), 

- and a “bump” pic (at Natural Bridge again).

We’re very excited and are thanking God for His wonderful, miraculous gift!