tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91747682741273747072024-02-07T08:25:21.629-05:00Jordana LuckA place to share from my heart. I'm a wife, a mom, a daughter, a teacher, and above all, I strive to follow God.jordana luckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08104089449653228413noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-25564473300623307942018-08-08T09:24:00.000-04:002018-08-08T09:24:56.166-04:00The Gift of Remembering
Yesterday
was a regular day around here; Dr. appointment, kids playing, chores,
and school work. I'm trying desperately to wrap my brain around
computery things and discovering that most how-to's and tutorials
assume a level of prior knowledge that I do not have, so I spent
hours studying/working and have very little show for it.
At
some point I logged on to the breastfeeding support Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-49115999416518182252018-07-05T09:33:00.000-04:002018-07-05T09:33:13.206-04:00Redemption: Reversal or Restoration?
Her face was pretty, and so young that
I wondered at the age of the man beside her. A couple, new to the
area, attending our church for the first time. When I introduced
myself after the service, I saw that her face and her eyes did not
match. Expressionless eyes, numb, windows to a soul that was
absolutely shattered. She fumbled for a silver key chain frame that
was attached to her Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-76866726813785952962018-06-29T09:47:00.000-04:002018-06-29T09:48:01.631-04:00Grace Upon Grace
Josie got to choose a reward for sleeping in her own bed. She chose fairy wings, wand, and tiara set from the $1Tree, one for Joy and one for herself.
I took her to pick the items out and she was so excited. She had told Joy that she was getting her a surprise but not what it was. When we got home, she proudly presented Joy her fairy gear and they played for quite a while.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-6100920662649645452018-06-28T07:58:00.003-04:002018-06-28T07:58:32.760-04:00Review of "Plantation Jesus"
Well written and engaging, timely and
relevant, this book is a must-read for anyone who sees the racial
problems we face currently. It is even more of a must-read for those
who still question what problems, if any, still exist. Beginning
with a definition of “Plantation Jesus”, an idol we have created
in our own (white) image, the authors skillfully cover the historical
aspects of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-87701341412367264622018-06-26T11:50:00.001-04:002018-06-26T11:51:51.622-04:00Expectations
I was asked a few days ago, “who are you, what are you about, what is your voice?” In the moment, I stumbled to find an answer. Upon continued thought, I have some more ideas.
I’m a wife, I’m a mother, I’m a friend, I’m a teacher.
I’m a woman who has been through things. Pain, hurt, loss, joy, hope, love; these all play a part in who I’ve become.
I’m a believer, but my faith noUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-56115562943902089272018-06-22T10:24:00.001-04:002018-06-22T10:25:45.895-04:00The Beginning. Originally posted June 20, 2011
1 a.m.
3 twin beds.
5 people packed into the 8x10 room.
4 months of living like this, separated from my husband and my own home.
Instead of falling asleep to the sweet sounds of my children’s deep breathing, I’m trying to ignore the scrabbling in the wall and straining my ears to hear a clang from the kitchen letting me know I’ve trapped my quarry.
I’m tired, so exhausted that it is Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-5639709630110605552018-06-21T22:42:00.000-04:002018-06-21T22:42:17.516-04:00Rain
Spending the afternoon in the pool with
the kids.. it feels like stolen time.
My instinct is to hurry, to keep an ear
tuned, to need to go check. But my time is strangely free now. Open.
I can stay outside all day. I feel... relieved? Guilty?
Confused? Nostalgic?I feel frustrated that I never had this much
time to spend with her. The very acts of caring stole the most
precious bits Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-2676220732527869012018-06-13T16:35:00.000-04:002018-06-13T17:38:52.804-04:00Redemption
“If God is so
powerful, why doesn't he ….?” I would guess that each
of us has either heard this, said this, or felt this, at some point
in our life. The context is usually some sad or terrible
circumstance that left the one asking feeling broken and hurt. I
would like to share a story of redemption. I do not pretend that my
one story universally proves a point--although I do believe Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-80459690105813944302018-06-12T19:57:00.001-04:002018-06-13T17:37:19.244-04:00time
At the end, time moves backwards.
Years turn to months, then months to weeks. At some point we begin
to measure by days, then hours... minutes, moments, breaths, and that
final measure of time, heartbeats.
An entire life distilled down
to the last heart beats.
At this point, words are useless; there
is only touch, feelings, yearnings, groanings.
Did I say
enough?
Did I do enoughUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-91144134390652219872016-10-24T14:54:00.001-04:002016-10-24T14:54:50.718-04:00I can not, I will not.
Please note, this post is written to a very specific audience. If you do not consider yourself to be conservative, christian, evangelical, any labels along those lines, it very likely will not make sense. For my friends who do not fit this profile, I encourage you to look at my post here.
This post began life as a reply to one of the many (far too many) articles that are urging Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-83041906328337546722016-10-24T10:37:00.001-04:002016-10-24T10:37:31.014-04:00I need you to know...
I have had people question if I should be so vocal in my push-back against the Christians for Trump movement. That perhaps is is a bad example for non-Christians to see the "struggle within the walls."Believe me, I have thought and prayed about this and have come to the conclusion that yes, I do need to be very vocal about it. It is precisely because I have such a variety of friends, many not Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-27637622545093805562014-12-23T09:30:00.002-05:002014-12-23T09:30:50.756-05:00the Hope of Christmas
This time of year there is a huge emphasis on being “merry and
bright.” In church the atmosphere is one of celebration, of glitz and light and
joyful music, of triumph. Merriment and pageantry, festivity abounds. And so it should! We are celebrating God come to earth, the
culmination of a promise given at the beginning of time. The tree and the lights and the music and
dance Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-86417821263537282582014-11-18T14:43:00.001-05:002016-12-13T12:07:43.893-05:00Do Unto Others
Even people who have never picked up a Bible love to quote from it, and while I don't have research to back me up, I think one of the favorite and most often misquoted/misinterpreted scriptures is some version of "Do unto others as you would have done to you." (The other most misquoted has got to be "Judge not that ye be not judged" but that is a whole different blog post. Or two.) I have Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-45274653236782190292014-04-17T17:33:00.000-04:002014-04-17T18:57:06.178-04:00cereal, soup, and dumpsters
Recently I've heard several references to "pick the meat and spit out the bones" or, "there's a lot of good in it, just ignore the other" and other thoughts along this line. I've been thinking about this and while I totally understand, I think that we need to use discernment in this process.
Analogies can be tricky... they can help make a point, but they can also distract from theUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-86143101879371459212013-08-07T17:32:00.000-04:002013-08-07T18:27:17.069-04:00Unmerited Favor
Unmerited Favor is one of those "church" terms that sounds fancy but I don't know that I've ever really, truly, understood it.
Extravagant Grace is the title of a book I own (great book, little short devotional chapters from a variety of authors) but I have to say that other than a book title, it's not a concept I've really grasped.
Limitless Love, Boundless Gifts, etc, etc, all terms that we Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-37516653353149420172013-05-10T11:08:00.000-04:002013-08-07T18:35:40.072-04:00Fully Involved
I have a friend who is a constant joy and encouragement to me. (No, she doesn't come clean my house or do my laundry, although, if someone feels led, I promise I will blog about you too!) The thing that makes me eager to spend even a few minutes with this lovely lady is how full of joy she is about God's redemptive power. It bubbles out of her even if you aren't talking about Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-74337634735954086502013-02-26T17:48:00.000-05:002013-02-26T17:48:01.995-05:00Mud Wrestlin' - The Competitive Woman
Two in a series of how women treat each other...and what to do about it.
Competition. It's what makes the world go 'round...right?
I've never, ever, been at all interested in sports, or even competitive games, but I have to admit, I do have a streak that makes me want to make the highest score in the class, or at least the highest score possible. I truly don't mind if others share that Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-75200136966788223772013-02-15T11:35:00.000-05:002013-02-15T11:35:43.798-05:00Up On a Pedestal- The Unreachable Woman
This is the first in a short series of how women treat each other. I'll be thinking about what happens when there is too much admiration, next, too much competition, and then finally, too much judgement.
We have all been taught and admonished to not ignore the less popular, the misfits, the new person. We extend ourselves to make them feel&Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-48445798063571666042012-10-17T10:05:00.000-04:002018-06-21T22:37:32.100-04:00from the mouths of babes...
so let me tell you about yesterday.
Yesterday was a "long" town day, a chemo day for my mom. We drop her off and then stay in town all day long (yesterday was 9:30 -5:00). Also, Jonny was sick, had had ear aches for two nights and then started a fever. On the way to town I called the pediatrician to get an appointment and was given one for 3:45! Uck, not only going around all Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-51991363775445307202012-10-11T14:55:00.001-04:002012-10-11T14:55:50.368-04:00Black Holes
"Mommy! I don't want to go into outer space. I'm too little, and they have big black holes that shrink you down."
The things that come out of a newly turned 4 year old's mouth.
This statement came at me completely out of the blue the other day. Obviously it had been on his mind, and finally it worried him enough to leave his toys and come to tell me.
I assured him Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-6640385159924722292012-08-30T11:51:00.002-04:002012-08-30T13:47:24.298-04:00Never. To Anyone. Ever.
There has been a little "inspirational picture" floating around face book recently and within the past month I've seen it appear on several friend's walls. The first time I saw it, I winced, but ignored it. Then the second time, and subsequent times, I really wanted to comment but I knew that comments would have the potential to blow up and cause a mess. While I like a good Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-20094440027664842502012-08-25T11:06:00.001-04:002012-08-25T11:06:58.587-04:00Rock Hard Hamburger
There is no way to describe the complete events of the past two and a half weeks. Suffice it to say that my Mom (who lives with us) was diagnosed two and a half weeks ago with a rare and seriously aggressive form of cancer. Less than a week after diagnosis, she went through major surgery. Next was 6 days in the hospital and then transferred to a skilled nursing facility for physical Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-56372055486796828592012-07-19T15:43:00.001-04:002019-04-04T18:59:32.205-04:00A Happy Face?
Joy, bless her heart, she was having a bad day earlier.
I told all the kids that we had to come home and do a quick 10 minute clean up in the family room. Well, Joy was having a hard time and came and told me that she didn't want to obey, so we prayed that Jesus would help her obey, she gave me a hug and started to work. Next thing I know, I look over at her and she is crying, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-38806412924166801742012-07-17T13:19:00.003-04:002012-07-17T13:19:46.604-04:00Temptation Toolbox
I would like to use this blog as a place to share my children's lessons as well as my ponderings for adults.
Here is a lesson I taught this past Sunday.
Temptation Toolbox
Theme: How to resist temptation; bible memory
Preparation: Obtain a toolbox and a variety of hand tools. Print out the handouts (links at the bottom).
Time: I only have 10-15 minutes so I do the lessons Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9174768274127374707.post-25590677070995270512012-07-09T10:00:00.000-04:002012-07-09T10:00:05.873-04:00R-E-S-P-E-C-T
This has been on my mind so although it's a bit off my usual path, I'm going to talk about it today.
I'm talking about respecting men. Not respecting the man you already have, that is a whole different subject, but about choosing a man who you do respect.
I hear so many young ladies talking about their boyfriends in terms of, sweet, sensitive, soul-mate, no one else understands him, we Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1