I've Gotta Get Through This...

Last week was crazy.
Monday: I ran 45 minutes...milestone for me, although hopefully it was more than just one mile...watch out... I am hilarious.

Tuesday: Jeremiah woke up with a fever of 100.4 so I could not take him to his class which means I couldn't work in the office. So, the Bear and I went to Grammy's house so I could get some work done and still be close to the school to pick up Riley. When Jer woke up from a short nap his temp was 105.3. I immediately got in the car to go to the Dr. of course it was 11:59 so they were about to close until 1:30. They said either go to the emergency room or we will see you at 1:30. Since I had to drive all the way to Newnan from Fayetteville and stop by my house to pick up infant tylonol and since Jer had no other symptoms besides fever I went to the Doctors office. They did all of the usual test and his fever kept going down so they sent us home. Mystery virus. So I went to the Kid's week Kickoff dinner at the church in Peachtree City that night. Missed multiple calls from the husband, which I got in trouble for, but completely deserved. Jer was breathing hard and his fever was still high. I met him at the ER once and once again...high fever...nothing else wrong! Which in a way is good because it is nothing too serious, but sometimes it is nice to KNOW what is causing the fever. Got home late.

Wednesday: In the morning go back to church do some work, go home, get Riley ready, go back to church with Riley. Jon and Jer stayed home because Jer still had a fever, so guess who gets to teach Jon's 1st-3rd grade discipleship class because Jon can't be there? So I combine Jon's class with my class (4th and 5th grade discipleship). I had 26 1-5th graders in a tiny room for 45 minutes...I was sweating and I use clinical strength secret people! It was crazy and frustrating and humbling all balled up into 45 minutes.

Thursday: Jon had an interview in Atlanta. So I had Jeremiah while I needed to get work done...he is still running a fever. Jon gets back from Atlanta...we go to the Church (I know you are thinking...wow they must be Godly people because they go to Church everyday...well...nope) to make a video to use in Praise Place on Sunday morning (which I am leading for all of the kids).

Friday: I ran 45 minutes again. That's all I remember about that day.

Jeremiah is well now. Riley has some sort of stomach virus. I have been praying for healing for my family. It seems as though someone is always sick.

So I sit down to write about the week in my journal...it looks similar to what you read and then I proceed to thank God for "getting me through it". I broke my own heart with my own words.

Never do I ever want to get through weeks anymore. I want to see God move in work in all situations of my life. What is the point of it all if I can't do that. Do I really trust God? How can I say I believe and trust in God if I just get through things.

I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
My soul will boast in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.
Psalm 34:1-2

Jon and I were talking last night about how Christianity is like a huge mountain with God at the top. We don't want to hang out in the parking lot and worship God from way down there. We want to climb the mountain and get closer to God every day. Some days we will fall and some days the road will be very steep, but other days we will sit and look out at the breathtaking view and we will hear God's voice more clearly as we get closer to him.

Shepherding a Child's Heart (Ch 8)...

So, in discussing this book we have talked a lot about what not to do and how not to communicate and discipline our children. Now the book begins to break down biblical methods so we can put them to practical use. Yea!

Biblical methods are just that...using the Word of God in disciplining. If you really believe that the word of God is "living and active" than you know that when you or your child speak scripture it has more weight than anything you or I can come up with. Our methods and goals in parenting should be based on the Word of God.

This chapter introduces the two elements involved in biblical parenting...communication and the rod. Scripture to support...Proverbs 23:13-19, Proverbs 23:22, and Proverbs23:26. Each of these elements are discussed in detail in the coming chapters.

The communication the book talks about has nothing to do with talking to your children, but everything to do with talking with your children. Yes, as a parent you need to have the ability to talk to your children, but also listen to them. This seemed difficult to me. I have an almost three year old and sometimes she doesn't know how to express what she is feeling or why she did something.

The finest art of communication is not learning how to express your thoughts. It is learning how to draw out the thoughts of another. Tripp 73

At a young age children will learn if we are interested in what they have to say. If we respond to everything they say with an "uh-huh" while we continue to watch tv or update our facebook status our kids will realize quickly that we are uninterested in what they have to say and then when they are a teenager we wonder why they do not want to share with us.

Our goal is to try to figure out why the child behaved like they did. What is going on inside or what temptation is provoking that behavior? It is not about how you or I feel about what they did, but what led them to that behavior.

What is important in correction is not venting your feelings, anger, or hurt; it is, rather, understanding the nature of the struggle that your child is having. Tripp 74

It is important for a child to understand the reality of temptation and sin and the hope of grace and mercy found in the Lord.

The book provides four issues to walk through when correcting and I found them helpful:

1) the nature of temptation

2) the possible responses to this temptation

3) the motives for those responses

4) the sinful response he/she chose.

We are above our children in this process because God has given us authority over them, but we also walk beside them because we are sinners that struggle with temptation daily t00. So we are responsible for censoring evil for our children but we are also understanding because we know all to well the struggle they face.

Therefore, since we have this great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we possess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16

Jeremiah is 9 months old!

Here is my Heart...

God is good. We have recently started a new bible study in which I got to connect with an old friend. We talked about parenting and such and then we ended up on the topic of dreams (I believe we were discussing what to do when our kids have nightmares). She was talking about her gift of interpreting dreams. I have had some interesting dreams in the past that I know mean something, but I have no idea where to begin. So we decided we would sit down and talk about them at some point. I do not think it necessary or wise to post these dreams in the blog world, but if you are interested I will share individually. Anyway, on the way home from that bible study I felt the Lord lead me to start reading in the Old Testament again; which was confirmed in a discussion with my mom. So I have started reading Jeremiah.

I love Jeremiah (my son and the book in the Bible). He was appointed by God to send some important messages. I believe that God has appointed all of His followers with important tasks and I pray that we can have the boldness and faith to fulfill these tasks as Jeremiah did. I feel as though I learn so much from who Jeremiah was and at the same time the word that he had for Israel in that day is so relevant to us.

They followed worthless idols and they became worthless themselves. Jeremiah 2:5

Idols consume us; whether it's money, food, sports, fashion or anything that steals our worship. The more time we spend following these things the more worthless our life becomes and I want my life to be worth something and I believe it has the most worth when I bring glory to God. I cannot glorify him when my heart is bowing down to something else.

But my people have exchanged their Glory for worthless idols. Jeremiah 2:11

Our worth is only found in God. Idols take up places in our heart and move God out. So, my prayer is that God would search my heart and identify the idols in my life that are taking up space. So, God here is my heart...you can have it all.

God doesn't just want our apologies. He wants a commitment to be faithful. I mess up all of the time and God is so merciful to still want me. I don't understand it.

If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man, should he return to her again? Would not the land be completely defiled. But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers-would you now return to me? declares the Lord. Jeremiah 3:1

I do that to the Lord time after time. I leave him for other things...for worthless idols. He still wants me. I can't think of a word for that kind of love. It is unconditional and strong. He wants us to return to him.

Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding. Jeremiah 3:22

Just as a wife would return to her husband, he wants us to return to him and commit our hearts unto him. He will "cure" us!! We must purify our hearts. Let God search us and reveal to us our wicked ways so that we can throw off the sin that entangles us.

Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; circumcise your hearts. Jeremiah 4:4

We must remove the impurities from our hearts. God gave me a vision as I was reading this in chapter 4. There was a door in my heart that was locked, securely keeping my impurities inside. I had to take an axe and tear the door down. Then I had to get rid it of everything that was inside. It's a process. It doesn't feel good, but it must happen if I want to give my heart fully to God. I am sure of this: There is no greater joy in life than when we give our hearts fully to God.

Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. Matthew 5:8

When you seek me you will find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13



Here is my Jeremiah at 8 months old...

Always Good for a Laugh...

Jeremiah will make you smile today!

Introducing...

Jeremiah David Huff. So I have not been so good at keeping up with this blog thing, but in the last post I mentioned a new Huff was on the way and HE is here! I can’t believe that I am a mother of two. Although I have been beyond tired it has been good and I love having a little boy.


We had a more difficult time arriving at a name for Jeremiah than we did with Riley. It was important to me for our son to have a name that I liked not only in sound, but in meaning. I loved the name Riley and it means valiant and courageous. Her middle name is Grace. This is also my sister Rebecca’s middle name and the name of my great-grandmother, who we called “Mama Grace”. For those reasons and it simply being the word “grace” I liked this for a middle name. Jon was not convinced until, while I was pregnant, he read the book Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. He was moved by the discussion of grace in the book and felt it would be a worthy middle name for our daughter. So, that is how Riley Grace Huff got her name. “Riley” is also Irish and she was born on St. Patrick’s day…interesting.

Every night I pray that Riley would be a valiant and courageous warrior for the Lord and that God’s grace would be revealed through Riley. It is her name.
So, Jeremiah. It is obviously a “Biblical” name, but so much more than that to us. The past year and a half has been difficult. Short version…we tried to sell our house to move to North Carolina so that Jon could play with Matt Papa and go to seminary for FREE. So, we quit our jobs…could not sell our house…so needless to say we had some struggles trusting the Lord and understanding his plan. During this time Jon wrote a song from Jeremiah 29. Also during this time the Lord gave me a passage that I pretty much repeated to myself multiple times throughout the day and it helped us get through this rough year. The verse was Jeremiah 17: 7-8

“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream; it does not fear when heat comes it’s leaves are always green. It has worry in the year of drought; it never fails to bear fruit.”

The book of Jeremiah was very relevant in our lives during that time. I even painted that passage... which for me means it’s important.




Then we find out we are pregnant. Of course I repeat this verse to myself…but I was scared. I did not feel like I was physically, emotionally, or financially prepared for another child. God knows better than I do and I cannot imagine my life without my little Jer Bear (Jon says I am not aloud to call him that). God has brought us through a lot and we are still learning how to trust Him.

Also, I wanted our son to have the same initials as Jon (JDH). So we were looking for a “J” name. I don’t know why the name “Jeremiah” did not hit me earlier. I really wanted to name him Jachin (meaning…), but Jon was not a fan. Then we realized. JEREMIAH. It’s like God was telling us to name him that for a year but we did not see it until a week before he was born…silly little humans. The meaning: Hebrew; God will raise up; God will set free. It’s a done deal…his name will be Jeremiah. The middle name. We could have gone with Jon’s middle name “Daniel” which means “God is my Judge”, but we decided to use the name David after David in the Bible and Jon’s dad, David Huff. The meaning: Beloved. And that is the name Jeremiah David Huff. God will raise up and I pray that he will be a leader for the Lord and just like Jeremiah in the days of old he will speak the Lord’s truth regardless of the circumstance. He is the Lord’s beloved. This is our son.