HIS FINEST WHISPERS

Blend – to mix with another substance so that they combine together. To blend isn’t easy. (That might be a massive understatement.)  In fact, B an I are finding the word intentional to be our family word for this first year. We decided early on to be deliberate in our connection with the kids. We are also purposeful and specific in our requests to the Lord as we ask him to fuse us together as one spiritual piece. We put in effort (lots of it and in various forms) in order to encourage the merging of our new family. All of that to say, we work at this “mixing of substances” thing. But that isn’t what this post is about. This post is about the times we don’t plan it or we don’t do anything on purpose. It’s about the nights that we just do our normal, humdrum bedtime routine without any particular intention at all…And then God, just because He is good, decides to show up. Right in our living room. B was in Phoenix for a week in January for work, so I had a...

To the woman who has already had an abortion, There have been a lot of posts swarming around about abortion these last two weeks. You’ve seen both sides: people who are fighting in its favor and those fighting against it. It must be hard for you to read those posts without strong emotions welling up inside. For the majority of the writers and readers, abortion has never been a decision they’ve needed to make or something they felt they needed to do. We all speak about our opinions and convictions and I do believe we all should, as righteousness is a good thing to speak out about…but for right now, let’s lay that all down. I want to talk with you, not about you. We, the writers and readers, have no idea the thoughts and feelings that have permeated your mind these last two weeks. I don’t know what your emotion was when the process of your abortion began. Were you nervous? Were you fearful or maybe petrified? Or perhaps detached? Was anyone with you or were yo...

We had just gotten the kids to bed.   Me: Ready for some Designated Survivor? B: Lauren, I want to talk to you about something. Me: B: I want you to hear me out completely.  He paused.   B: I think sometimes you assume the worst about me…when it comes to Wes. Me: No I don’t! B, I would never do that to you. B: For example, today when we were talking on the phone and I had talked to Ethan and Layla and I asked if you guys were headed home…You immediately assumed I had forgotten about Wes. Me: Well, you didn’t ask to talk to him.    B: Lauren, I was merely asking a question. Me forgetting Wes is not a plausible scenario. He is a spiritual son to me now. God has designed us to become one family. I would never, could never, forget about our son Wes.  My frame was stationary, my heart felt stagnant. Then he asked something of me. B: Would you be willing to trust me? And when I say trust me, I mean to believ...

My slight shaking had turned to a shiver, so B considerately gave me full use of the flannel checkered blanket we had been sharing. Wrapping it around my shoulders, I tried to stretch it down to my exposed toes, having already slipped off my black, sequined three inch heels. Neither of us had expected the drop in temperature mid-April in Texas. Thankfully, the frigid night would not cramp our conversation. Even in a short three weeks, it seemed not much was left to reveal. As our confidence grew in the relationship, so did our transparency.  “What else ya got?” I said, a phrase he had commonly come to know as I said it anytime there was a lull in conversation or if we were moving from one subject to another. He usually returned with a question about my life or a story from his or something else easy. This time he was quiet, almost withdrawn. I wasn’t sure if he was looking for his words or if he was finally hitting a blank, which I would understand...We had ta...

To the woman in New York on the fence about abortion, The conservatives in the nation are in an uproar about the decision your state made this week. They have decided to give you the option to “choose” to abort your child for yet a longer percent of your term. This isn’t new. In the Old Testament, women were sacrificing their babies by throwing them into rivers in order to appease the gods. Today, women sacrifice their babies in honor of women’s rights. It was happening thousands of years ago and it is still happening today. It won’t be rendered right until the Lord comes back. So here is what I’d like to tell you today. For this moment, don’t worry about the New York legislation or about the rights you have to choose from. I just want to sit with you right now in your living room as the tiny baby forms within you. I know exactly how you feel today. As a single, 27-year-old young professional, I read the same home pregnancy test you probably recently t...

"Wes chose to draw instead of finishing his work. He had to stay in at recess."  #itwasahardfirstdayback #EthanandLaylawerestilloff #physicallyatschoolbutstillmentallyonvacation #Icorrectedhimbutlaughedontheinside #gethimZorro

I have prayed over Wes for years, but now with this exciting new time of joining families, I have two new and dearly loved children to pray over. I’ve had the normal step mom fears, but I’ve also had some unexpected anxiety wondering if B and I are doing enough to cultivate their spiritual growth during this hard transition. We’ve read plenty of articles that have stated the huge bumps in the road that we will most likely face as a blended family soon…That is why the following story meant so much to me. It probably seems small to some, but it’s these small moments that I think God gives us to create enormous hope. As I think about Christmas time, I think of great joy ! Such joy on the night of His birth, such joy from the Magi, such joy for Mary and Joseph…Joy to the whole world. Matthew 2:9-10 …And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly w...