Driving Lesson

Lately I’ve been asking God to transform me. Help me to have more of Him and less of me. These types of prayers God answers freely in case you’re wondering. On the way to work I realized there is an area in my life that is not under submission to Him. What area is that you ask? Driving.

When I’m behind the wheel there is part of me that is transformed in a bad way. I get impatient. I hate driving behind a semi truck or any truck for that matter. If someone is not doing the speed limit I just want to scream. I usually do, but no one hears me. No one…well not really no one. The One that matters most hears me.

What does it matter if I say the right things or act the right way when I have an audience? It doesn’t matter. I’m the type of gal that you can say, “What you see is what you get.” If you ever drove with me in the car though, I would contain my frustrations. I think it’s because I’m distracted by pleasant company and conversation. When I’m alone, it’s another story.

So this morning I was quickly convicted of my road rage. I asked for forgiveness. Now here’s the thing about behavioral issues. When you desire to change and ask God for forgiveness, He gives you opportunity to see if change takes place. Have I changed under my own strength or have I embraced a true change through the power of the Holy Spirit?

On the way home, I had opportunity to see where my change came from. I was stuck behind a truck almost two minutes into my ride. I didn’t get frustrated. I didn’t mumble or complain out loud. I took a deep breath and thanked God for helping me recognize an area I needed change. I had the most peaceful ride home I’ve had in the longest time even though it seemed everyone I got behind went under the speed limit.

© Nadine Z. 2008

Two Kid Moments

My son sent me this video. If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then the Beatles should be very flattered.

Tom’s uncle sent the following. You may have heard it before, but it gave me a chuckle.

This one is for everyone who:

a. has kids
b. had kids
c. was a kid
d. knows a kid
e. is going to have kids.

I guess that means all of us!

Daddy’s Gonna Eat Your Fingers

I was packing for my business trip and my three year old daughter was having a wonderful time playing on the bed. At one point she said, “Daddy, look at this,” and stuck out two of her fingers.

Trying to keep her entertained, I reached out and stuck her tiny fingers in my mouth and said, “Daddy’s gonna eat your fingers,” pretending to eat them.

I went back to packing, looked up again and my daughter was standing on the bed staring at her fingers with a devastated look on her face.

I said, “What’s wrong, honey?”

She replied, “What happened to my booger?”

Nadine Z. 2008

Josh Young

Our church is having a worship conference this weekend. It’s been a busy week. Josh Young is a worship leader out of New Hampshire. He travels doing worship all over. He’s recorded two CD’s and is incredibly gifted and talented. He’s been working with our worship team this past week preparing for the conference, which takes place Friday and Saturday evenings.

Friday evening was great. I’ve been at the practices all week. I’m not on the worship team, but I love to worship. I can’t sing, but that doesn’t stop me from doing so when I’m alone in my car. I love to dance, even though I’m not as graceful as I once was. I’m married to the pastor, so I get to tag along and be arm candy at these kinds of things.

I’ve observed something during the practices. Josh gave lots of direction on how he wanted a song to play out, like when the background voices were to come in. They sounded great. I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew it would be good. Josh has a great voice and I’ve heard him do worship before, but Friday night was fantastic. The night flowed beautifully. There was freedom and passion in worship. People danced, sang and entered into the presence of God. It was a great time.

I was so proud of our worship team. I’ve watched them be themselves at a new level. I always enjoy it when they put down their instruments or microphones and start dancing. Last night was no exception. I look up at one point and three members of the team were dancing their hearts out. The team worshipped and so the people worshipped. Isn’t that always the case? I have no idea if someone missed a cue, or strummed a bad note…the focus was where it should be - on Him. I’m so excited for tonight.

Josh is a good man and has been a joy to have around. He’s humble, real, friendly, and loves God with all his heart. When I look at him I see great things in his future.

I want to thank his wife, Jodi, for loaning him to us this week. Josh, you rock!

NOTE: If you click on Josh's name in the 1st paragraph it takes you to his website. Notice the bottom left side of your screen. You can listen to different songs by hitting the forward button. I'm sure you'll find something you will love.

© Nadine Z. 2008

The Fence

There are all types of fences, made of different types of materials. What they are made of depends on the purpose of their existence. Are they there to keep out the neighbor’s dog or a thief? Feeling safe and protected is important. How far you go with the fence depends on how safe you want to feel.

Maybe a fence is not enough. You build a wall made of brick. Still not enough? Install an alarm that rings into the local police station when someone passes the exterior wall. This can get quite expensive, but it’s worth it, isn’t it? I mean you can’t put a price on your peace of mind.

What if something goes horribly wrong and you trip off the alarm? The police call and can’t get through to you so they send a SWAT team to your home. They have trouble getting over the wall so they blow it up. The next thing you know you’re surrounded by guns and badges.

That was a silly scenario I know, but fences got me to thinking about internal fences. I’ve heard it said people build fences around their hearts because of offences. The type of fence and the thickness of it depends on how deeply the wound is. I know about fences around the heart. It’s something God has been dealing with me. I’ve asked Him to help me live a transformed life- more of Him, less of me. The moment I get hurt, I build another layer to my fence. This is something I’ve always done. It’s my defense mechanism. But that’s not living life with freedom and passion.

I’ve also heard it said that God will offend your mind to reveal your heart. What’s revealed when your mind is offended? I’m not talking about abuse here, but the things of life that hurt from people who we care about. The ones we call friend can hurt us more than anyone because we let them into our circle. It doesn’t take much to get offended or hurt. Many little offences build up over time if we don’t take of it. So what’s the solution - keep everyone out? I’ve tried that, it’s not good. Put an alarm around our heart when someone comes close it goes off. No, I’ve tried that too, it’s too noisy and ineffective.

God has been showing me the ways that I build in a negative way. It’s something He’s been working on for some time. I’m glad. It’s not an easy process, but it’s good. Fences belong outside the home and not inside. They definitely don’t have a place in the heart. So I’ve been giving God permission to tear down my fences. Whenever you give God permission to do something He goes for it.

Now my heart is freer to love.

© Nadine Z. 2008

Ultimate Blog Party 2008

It’s time for 5 Minutes for Mom’s Ultimate Blog Party. I had such fun last year visiting new blogs. You can find out all the rules and grab a button for your sidebar by clicking here.

March 7^th – 14^th is the time frame for the party. All you have to do to join in on the fun is write a “party post” then go and sign up Mr. Linky. The idea is to go and visit blogs you have never heard of before and leave a comment. When you leave a comment they can come and visit you. You might happen across some new blogs you really find interesting, funny or thought provoking. Maybe someone new might find you and get very excited to happen upon your greatness. Last year nearly a thousand people signed up.

What is a party post? It’s simply a post that welcomes newcomers to your blog. It’s helpful to introduce yourself…maybe include a picture or two. You can add recipes, a video or music if you like. You can even have something for your guest to eat or drink…you get the idea.

If you’re not familiar with 5 Minutes for Mom it’s a cool blog that host many fun activities like Wordless Wednesday, stores for moms, contests and other blogs. I have a sidebar button that takes you to their site. I’m listed on their site and you can find my profile by clicking here.

Remember to sign up on March 7^th.

© Nadine Z. 2008

Happy Birthday Babe

Today, forty-eight years ago a miracle happened. What miracle was that? My amazing hubby was born. His parents were young, but they brought him up right. His mom really knew how to love. She taught him many things - among them, respect, love and how to be a gentleman. His dad modeled how to love your wife and daughter. I have to say he’s improved on those things he learned from them.

He’s a great husband. He loves me. He honors me. He respects me. He protects me. He adores me. He’s passionate towards me. He encourages me. He romances me. He’s the shoulder I cry on and the arms I celebrate in. He believes in me. He makes me great dinners. He makes time for me. He makes me laugh. He fills my heart. He’s perfect for me.

He’s a great father. He loves our children. He modeled for them what a husband and father should be. I know they will improve on that. Our daughter wants to marry a man that will love her the way her father loves her mother. That’s an awesome compliment from a twenty four year old. Our son is strong and independent like his dad. Both of our children are reaching for their dreams, because he encouraged them. He taught them they can do and be anything. He taught them not to settle. He spent time with them. He listened when they needed to speak to someone. Even though they are far away, they call their Pops when there is a problem.

He’s a great pastor and friend. He loves people. He listens, he prays, he advises and he propels them into their destinies.

He’s talented. He plays guitar and percussion. He’s got an awesome voice. I love it when he sings to me when we dance. He’s a great teacher. He’s artistic. He’s a great dancer. He has a way with the written word as well as the spoken word. He’s intelligent.

I’ve watched him over the past thirty years become a man of God that I’m so proud of. He loves God, he loves me, he loves our children and he loves others. He’s a good man.

Happy Birthday Babe. I love you more today than yesterday. You’re the best.

© Nadine Z. 2008

City Wide Prayer

Last Sunday marked the end of the 40 day city wide fast in our community. There were around 2,000 people that attended a prayer service. It was amazing to have so many people there with the sole purpose of seeking more of God.

Tom posted an article that appeared in our local paper about the event. Hop over here to check it out.

The pastors are going to continue to meet on a weekly basis to seek God. This is a very good thing.

Nadine Z. 2008

Up next, a special birthday post for a special someone.

Chocolat

Recently I watched the movie, Chocolat (2000). It’s about a single mom who opens up a chocolate shop in very small town in France around 1960. She has a special gift for guessing people’s favorite chocolate. What I liked about this movie was that she used chocolate to instill hope and change in people’s lives. A married couple regained the romance and passion they had in their youth. A battered wife learns to make chocolate but learns more than just a trade. She learns self respect. A lonely older man finds courage to approach the old widow he has secretly had feelings about. Even the old landlord rediscovers her grandson and friendship.

Watching the story unfold, you see transformation take place in the lives of the individual town people. When the controlling town mayor tries to turn the hearts of the people against the chocolate maker, you see hope fade. Hope is a powerful thing.

Proverbs 13:12, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”

It was a pleasant movie to watch; it made me smile and at times made me laugh out loud.

Have a pleasant, loved filled Valentine’s Day.

© Nadine Z. 2008

30 Years Ago

Thirty years ago today something happened that would define my whole life. It was the day Tom and I started dating. If you want to read about that you can click here for Part I and here for Part II. I was only sixteen at the time and the last thing on my mind was getting involved in a relationship that would last a lifetime. We may have been young but God had His hand in getting us together. The picture above is a photo booth picture we had taken when we were dating. I carry it in my wallet.

It may seem silly to some to celebrate our “dating” anniversary, but it’s something we have always done. There were times when we gave each other gifts and other times just cards. This year, I’m taking the day off and we are going out to a new restaurant in town. I’m always excited to spend time alone with him; it’s the best type of present for me.

I don’t claim to be an expert on love or relationships, but I’ve noticed a few things:

• Love is a decision – you may not always want to say yes.
• Love changes – it grows because if it doesn’t, it just gets stale and smelly.
• Love gives – much more than it takes.
• Love hopes – there is light at the end of the tunnel.
• Love forgives – it doesn’t keep a record of wrongs.
• Love sacrifices – it always chooses to put the other first.
• Love is eternal – it’s meant to last forever.
• Love protects – you from the storms.
• Love laughs – when you have sorrow.
• Love makes you smile – it brings more joy than pain.
• Love is worth it – because there is nothing else like it.

There is so much more I could say about love, but I’ll leave that for another day.

Today, I want to thank God for the man He’s given me. He’s been a great husband, father, lover, friend, encourager, protector, and I’m glad he’s mine. He is perfect for me and I love him more today than yesterday (and that’s saying a lot). I love you Tom and I will always remain,

Forever Yours,

Nadine

If you would like to read a wonderful post Tom wrote about this special day, go and visit his blog. Click here. Let him know you dropped by. Thank you honey for loving me so.

© Nadine Z. 2008

A Tale of Two Phone Calls

Today was a pretty good Saturday morning. I got up and made breakfast for Tom and I. I called my mom like I normally do on Saturdays. She’s always so happy to hear from me. Today was no different, except her confusion was more than usual. She thought I was still living in Haiti. She asked how old I was when I came here to the states. This in the same conversation she asked about Tom and kids and knew their names. Tom could tell I was trying to keep it together on the phone. I calmly reassured her of the way things are. She was grateful. I started to cry. I got off the phone and my wonderful husband held me and told me it was okay.

There is a fine line between pain and joy, tears and laughter. If you know my hubby, you know that he’s serious in nature. On occasion he’s known to say something funny, but on the most part he’s intense. I love him just the way that he is. John Paul Jackson (founder of Streams) has a blog called, “Coffee Talk with John Paul.” Tom was up last night catching up on his previous posts and commenting. He was up at until almost three o’clock in the morning. If you have the time, please click here to check out this post about spirituality. I say all that to describe to you the next thing that happened.

Tom had his laptop out and was describing to me how he couldn’t sleep. He wrote the following comment to John Paul’s post on spirituality at 2:46 am. I use this with his permission.

Well said my friend, every day we choose… Where will we feed today? From the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil OR from the Tree of Life?

* Dialing, dialing…
* Ringing, ringing…
* "Hello, Eden Cafe how may I help you?"
* "I'd like to make a reservation, please."
* "I'm sorry sir but all our tables at the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil are booked for the evening."
* "Bummer."
* "But I have plenty of openings at our sister shop, the Tree of Life, would you like a table?
* "Hmmm, what will I do?

(Psst… here's a hint…)

"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live" (Deut. 30:9)

Choose life!

I laughed my butt off after he read the first two lines and continued throughout this response. Thank you honey for the laugh. He knew his phone call comment would get me out of the dept of despair I was feeling. This is one of the reasons why I love him so.

© Nadine Z. 2008

Many Thanks

I would like to thank Susan from Penless Writer for You Make My Day Award. I want to thank all of you who commented on my post on my mom. Thank you for your compliments and loving responses. If you didn’t leave a comment, you still can and get your award. I want to honor you with this award because you all really made my day.

I would like to thank Amydeane from The PMS Club (Praising My Savior) for the Excellent Blog Award. The following are the rules.

“By accepting this Excellent Blog Award, you have to award it to 10 more people who’s blogs you find Excellent Award worthy. You can give it to as many people as you want but please award at least 10. Thank you out there for having such great blogs and being such great friends! You deserve this! Feel free to award people who have already been awarded…”

I love awards I can give to everyone. No false modesty about you or your blog. If I visit you then you are an excellent blogger. Do you know why? I have excellent taste.

© Nadine Z. 2008

My Mom

Pictured above is my Mom. She just turned 82 two weeks ago. I wanted to do a birthday post, but I was in Dallas and then I got so sick. My mom has very little gray hair and great skin. It’s an unbelievable phenomenon. Why do I have more gray hairs than she does? It’s because I take after my dad. He was gray when he was six. I’ve been dying my hair since I was in my late twenties.

She was born in Haiti and raised by her mom. Back then single moms were uncommon, but my grandma was a tough lady. When we came to the states, she spoke very little English. It was the first time she seen snow. She was a great seamstress. She could she a picture of a dress or blouse and reproduce it without a pattern. I always had the most fashionable clothes growing up. She worked making men suits and then moved on to work for lingerie designer. The timing could not have been more perfect because I was getting married that year. I had nice things for our honeymoon.

She showed me how to cook, clean and do laundry. She was tough, but loving. If I wanted something, I went to her first and she would then speak to my dad about it. Do you remember, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding?” Tom was amazed at how much it was similar to my upbringing.

She lives with my sister back East and I miss her. I call her every Saturday. She’s always so excited to hear from me. Each time I speak to her, I realize how much she’s slipping away. She has Alzheimer’s.

I’m grateful for the stories she told me when I was younger. Stories of her falling in love with my dad. Stories of things I did as a kid. Recipes shared from my childhood. I’m grateful because she doesn’t remember much now.

The last time I saw her she had a hard time remembering me. I speak to her all the time. I send her pictures she has framed in her room. She knows who I am when I call, but seeing me in person threw her off. It took everything I had in me not to cry. It took a good part of the day before she recognized me. God was good to me and heard my prayers. By the third day, she woke up and knew who I was right away. One of the biggest compliments my husband has paid me was that he told me I am a lot like my mom – kind, caring, loving and selfless. I love my mom. I will always remember her fondly even when she can no longer remember me.

I just wanted to share this picture from her birthday. She received this bear as a gift. She loves bears. I love her.

© Nadine Z. 2008

Super Bowl Champions

I can’t begin to express my excitement that my Giants won the Super Bowl. Yeah Giants! Let’s give a shout out to Eli Manning, game MVP and quarterback extraordinaire. That pass he made under pressure to David Tyree and Tyree’s catch on his helmet was a beautiful thing. The last touchdown with less than three minutes to the game was amazing. Tom and I jumped up and down and expressed our joy with disregard to our voices.

The Patriots played a good game. They had a perfect record until tonight. The look of defeat on their faces made me feel bad for them. It proves that you can have a perfect record but lose the big game and it’s like your season didn’t really matter. I think that’s a shame. They are a great team.

As excited as I am that we won, when it comes to sports there are winners and losers. I have to hand it to my team. They were the underdogs for the last three games they played, yet they won against Dallas, Green Bay and now New England. Sometimes the little guys win.

In life there are winners and losers if you look at society alone. That’s what I love about God’s kingdom. If you are for Him you always win. I’m not saying that you don’t have hard times and that bad things don’t happen to you. What I’m saying is when you’re on God’s team you win. In His kingdom the little guys win (remember David and Goliath).

Romans 8:28 says, “All things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

I want to send out my sympathies to the fans of New England because if we loss, I would be sad. Tonight loss does not take away from your team’s great season. Congratulations to the Giants. I celebrate tonight with the fans in New York and all across this land. For those of you my friends who were cheering my team on tonight . . . I love you.

© Nadine Z. 2008