I asked my dad what he wanted to dance to for our father daughter dance, and he goes, "Oh, we'll dance to that Titanic theme song by Celine Dion!" and I was like "WHAT!!! WHY?????" and then he goes "Just kidding! Actually I know...what's that song from the big black man?" And I go, "Luther Vandross? Dance with my Father?" "Yeah! That one!" And I go, "Dad...that song is about a dad who passes away." And he goes, "GOOD. I'll die in the middle of dancing with you! I hope I have a heart attack!" And then he laughed hysterically....
He also plans on having all his friends cheer really loudly when the DJ does the Bridal Party introduction of him and my mom at the reception, and that he wants them to be completely silent once me and Kevin are called in. And I laughed at him, "Dad, you underestimate how loud my church is...and my college buds!" And he rolled his eyes.
Joshua is laughing throughout all of this and goes, "Leigh! This is really important. You want Kevin and the guys to look good right? We need to have Gucci suits."
I'm glad the family men in my life have their priorities straight haha
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
babies!
One of my beautiful sisters in Christ is blessed, and about to give birth! Praise the Lord! Children are a gift and blessing from the Lord! Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate. (Psalm 127: 3-5) This is such an exciting time! I cannot wait to see how God grows her family, as well as the rest of the young married couples I know! So beautiful!!!! Praise the Lord!
Since I am about to get married too, I am undoubtedly assaulted with two questions:
What if God makes me pregnant sooner than Kevin and I want/suspect?
What if God makes me barren, and I won't have any children?
Kevin and I want to have children after 5 years of being married, since he is still in school, and I am debating whether or not I should go back for further schooling for an Accelerated Bachelors Degree in Nursing.
However, in the most asked question after being married "When do you plan on having babies?" comes the assumed approach...
Birth control!
Warning: This blog entry will be very different from my past entries. It will be more of an objective approach to the topic of birth control being acceptable. Of course, this is to be assumed that it comes after marriage, between a man and woman as husband and wife.
This has been a very widely debated issue within the Church, and many positions have changed and are changing. It's also not usually talked about much nor have I heard any sermons about it (In fact, I usually only hear about it from engaged/married women, if they are asked, but few Christian men feel comfortable talking about it in depth, either from uncomfortable feelings or lack of knowledge on the subject). But I grew up Catholic, and it shocked me when I, as an unsaved 18 year-old, found out that Protestant Christians were okay with artificial birth control! (Artificial birth control includes, but is not limited to: condoms, the pill, the intra-uterine device, etc.) But, lo and behold, there are still Christian denominations who believe the use of birth control is sinful. (Catholics believe that is okay for marriage couples to abstain from sex in marriage during fertile times in the calendar, also known as NFP, Natural Family Planning...)
What are the reasons for people using birth control? Many times I hear (and say and reason to myself):
"We are not ready, because we do not have enough money. We don't want our kids to grow up poor and struggling!"
"What's the hurry? We want to enjoy each other for a while first."
"I don't want to end up like that lady in that famous show 19 and counting!"
"Well, even if we do use birth control, if God wants it to happen, it will happen nonetheless."
Apparently, Protestants and Catholics alike held the position for quite a while that artificial birth control is sinful and against the will of God. It was only in 1930 at the Lambeth Conference in London that the Protestant Church (technically, the Anglican Church, but many Protestant denominations followed suite afterward...) changed her position, saying it was okay for birth control to be used.
Many of the advocates against birth control use biblical support: one of the best ones I believe is Onan from Genesis 38-10. In Deuteronomy 25:5-6, the Levitical law stated that if a man died and left behind a widow, the brother of the dead man would take his place and produce offspring! Onan knew this, and was told by the father to marry his broski's widow, but each time they came together in sexual union he would "spill his seed" on the ground. What did God do? He killed him! However, the customary punishment is public humiliation (Deuteronomy 25:7-10). Therefore, Onan must have done a far worse sin, and that is spilling of his seed. Many Christians who do not hold this view say Onan was punished that way because of the evil intentions of his heart, and that this cannot be used as a foundation for the use of birth control being sinful.
Let's see what our beloved Martin Luther said about Onan and how it relates to birth control: "The exceedingly foul deed of Onan, the basest of wretches . . . is a most disgraceful sin. It is far more atrocious than incest and adultery. We call it unchastity, yes, a sodomitic sin. For Onan goes in to her; that is, he lies with her and copulates, and when it comes to the point of insemination, spills the semen, lest the woman conceive. Surely at such a time the order of nature established by God in procreation should be followed. Accordingly, it was a most disgraceful crime. . . . Consequently, he deserved to be killed by God. He committed an evil deed. Therefore, God punished him."
John Calvin said, "The voluntary spilling of semen outside of intercourse between man and woman is a monstrous thing. Deliberately to withdraw from coitus in order that semen may fall on the ground is doubly monstrous. For this is to extinguish the hope of the race and to kill before he is born the hoped-for offspring."
John Wesley warned, "Those sins that dishonor the body are very displeasing to God, and the evidence of vile affections. Observe, the thing which he did displeased the Lord—and it is to be feared; thousands, especially of single persons, by this very thing, still displease the Lord, and destroy their own souls."
Luther has more to say: “Although it is very easy to marry a wife, it is difficult to support her along with the children and the household. Accordingly, no one notices this faith of Jacob. Indeed, many hate fertility in a wife for the sole reason that the offspring must be supported and brought up. For this is what they commonly say: ‘Why should I marry a wife when I am a pauper and a beggar? I would rather bear the burden alone and not load myself with misery and want.’ But this blame is unjustly fastened on marriage and fruitfulness. Indeed, you are indicting your unbelief by distrusting God’s goodness, and you are bringing greater misery upon yourself by disparaging God’s blessing. For if you had trust in God’s grace and promises, you would undoubtedly be supported. But because you do not hope in the Lord, you will never prosper.” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 5, p.332).
Charles Spurgeon was also against birth control. Al Mohler is also straight up against contraception! (Well, technically, he just mentions that there are more negatives to positives in regards to birth control--promiscuity, irresponsible pleasure, etc.)
Those who do not think that Onan is an appropriate Biblical foundation for the argument against birth control think that this issue is between the wife, husband, and the Lord. And whatever the Lord convicts them of, whether it be using birth control or not, should remain a private matter. Also, if the whole argument for those against birth control is that it is preventing life, even though it's not killing it, will soon be faced with the question: Well, if you abstain from sex for a day, aren't you also preventing life? Married couples should be consummating all the time, then! If you abstain for a long time, you're possibly preventing life!
Today one of the best known Christian figures known for his pro-life position is Randy Alcorn. Randy Alcorn wrote books called Prolife Answers to Prochoice Arguments and Does the birth control pill cause Abortions? Some birth control pills do not prevent pregnancy. The majority of women on the pill are on low-dose birth control pills, which do not prevent conception but prevents the implantation of an already fertilized ovum to the uterine wall (Norplant and IUD's do this too!) Scary thing is: most women are on low-dose estrogen pills and do not know this fact.
Little known fact about me: I am very supportive/passionate of pro-life movements and clinics, and my dream job would either be working as a Biblical teacher for women, or as a nurse for babies and children, or specifically working in a Pro-life clinic (in that order). I've looked around for places to volunteer and wouldn't mind making a life-long career out of helping women save their babies when they feel pressured by culture to abort..ugh! If you haven't heard of Greg Koukl, who is a famous Christian figure who wrote books like Tactics and the founder of Stand to Reason, his wife is amazing! They adopted their children, and she helps lead a pro-life clinic, and holds seminars/activities, giving free ultrasounds, for these pregnant women who feel hopeless and scared! NOW THAT is something I wouldn't mind making a career out of, how noble!) Kevin said he seriously hates it when people say "It's not a baby, it's just a fetus!" He was like, "Did you know that 'fetus' in Latin means 'offspring'..aka BABY! So essentially they are saying, "It's not a baby, it's just a baby!" Ay ay ay...
Another one of the arguments against the use of birth control is the verse of "Go forth and Multiply" in Genesis. I didn't go into depth on that because I think it's a weak argument. I am also against the QuiverFull movement, which uses the command of God "Go forth and multiply!" as a basis for having numerous children (let's go back again to the family in 19 and counting...)
Well, there are many arguments in favor of and against contraception. It's one of those things where you wonder if there's ever a "yes" or "no" answer. And of course, it can be debated about for hours on end. This blog entry wasn't as structured as I would've liked, so I apologize!
I'd love to hear opinions/beliefs from anyone who comes across this blog. Is it okay to use birth control after you're married, or is it sinful?
Since I am about to get married too, I am undoubtedly assaulted with two questions:
What if God makes me pregnant sooner than Kevin and I want/suspect?
What if God makes me barren, and I won't have any children?
Kevin and I want to have children after 5 years of being married, since he is still in school, and I am debating whether or not I should go back for further schooling for an Accelerated Bachelors Degree in Nursing.
However, in the most asked question after being married "When do you plan on having babies?" comes the assumed approach...
Birth control!
Warning: This blog entry will be very different from my past entries. It will be more of an objective approach to the topic of birth control being acceptable. Of course, this is to be assumed that it comes after marriage, between a man and woman as husband and wife.
This has been a very widely debated issue within the Church, and many positions have changed and are changing. It's also not usually talked about much nor have I heard any sermons about it (In fact, I usually only hear about it from engaged/married women, if they are asked, but few Christian men feel comfortable talking about it in depth, either from uncomfortable feelings or lack of knowledge on the subject). But I grew up Catholic, and it shocked me when I, as an unsaved 18 year-old, found out that Protestant Christians were okay with artificial birth control! (Artificial birth control includes, but is not limited to: condoms, the pill, the intra-uterine device, etc.) But, lo and behold, there are still Christian denominations who believe the use of birth control is sinful. (Catholics believe that is okay for marriage couples to abstain from sex in marriage during fertile times in the calendar, also known as NFP, Natural Family Planning...)
What are the reasons for people using birth control? Many times I hear (and say and reason to myself):
"We are not ready, because we do not have enough money. We don't want our kids to grow up poor and struggling!"
"What's the hurry? We want to enjoy each other for a while first."
"I don't want to end up like that lady in that famous show 19 and counting!"
"Well, even if we do use birth control, if God wants it to happen, it will happen nonetheless."
Apparently, Protestants and Catholics alike held the position for quite a while that artificial birth control is sinful and against the will of God. It was only in 1930 at the Lambeth Conference in London that the Protestant Church (technically, the Anglican Church, but many Protestant denominations followed suite afterward...) changed her position, saying it was okay for birth control to be used.
Many of the advocates against birth control use biblical support: one of the best ones I believe is Onan from Genesis 38-10. In Deuteronomy 25:5-6, the Levitical law stated that if a man died and left behind a widow, the brother of the dead man would take his place and produce offspring! Onan knew this, and was told by the father to marry his broski's widow, but each time they came together in sexual union he would "spill his seed" on the ground. What did God do? He killed him! However, the customary punishment is public humiliation (Deuteronomy 25:7-10). Therefore, Onan must have done a far worse sin, and that is spilling of his seed. Many Christians who do not hold this view say Onan was punished that way because of the evil intentions of his heart, and that this cannot be used as a foundation for the use of birth control being sinful.
Let's see what our beloved Martin Luther said about Onan and how it relates to birth control: "The exceedingly foul deed of Onan, the basest of wretches . . . is a most disgraceful sin. It is far more atrocious than incest and adultery. We call it unchastity, yes, a sodomitic sin. For Onan goes in to her; that is, he lies with her and copulates, and when it comes to the point of insemination, spills the semen, lest the woman conceive. Surely at such a time the order of nature established by God in procreation should be followed. Accordingly, it was a most disgraceful crime. . . . Consequently, he deserved to be killed by God. He committed an evil deed. Therefore, God punished him."
John Calvin said, "The voluntary spilling of semen outside of intercourse between man and woman is a monstrous thing. Deliberately to withdraw from coitus in order that semen may fall on the ground is doubly monstrous. For this is to extinguish the hope of the race and to kill before he is born the hoped-for offspring."
John Wesley warned, "Those sins that dishonor the body are very displeasing to God, and the evidence of vile affections. Observe, the thing which he did displeased the Lord—and it is to be feared; thousands, especially of single persons, by this very thing, still displease the Lord, and destroy their own souls."
Luther has more to say: “Although it is very easy to marry a wife, it is difficult to support her along with the children and the household. Accordingly, no one notices this faith of Jacob. Indeed, many hate fertility in a wife for the sole reason that the offspring must be supported and brought up. For this is what they commonly say: ‘Why should I marry a wife when I am a pauper and a beggar? I would rather bear the burden alone and not load myself with misery and want.’ But this blame is unjustly fastened on marriage and fruitfulness. Indeed, you are indicting your unbelief by distrusting God’s goodness, and you are bringing greater misery upon yourself by disparaging God’s blessing. For if you had trust in God’s grace and promises, you would undoubtedly be supported. But because you do not hope in the Lord, you will never prosper.” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 5, p.332).
Charles Spurgeon was also against birth control. Al Mohler is also straight up against contraception! (Well, technically, he just mentions that there are more negatives to positives in regards to birth control--promiscuity, irresponsible pleasure, etc.)
Those who do not think that Onan is an appropriate Biblical foundation for the argument against birth control think that this issue is between the wife, husband, and the Lord. And whatever the Lord convicts them of, whether it be using birth control or not, should remain a private matter. Also, if the whole argument for those against birth control is that it is preventing life, even though it's not killing it, will soon be faced with the question: Well, if you abstain from sex for a day, aren't you also preventing life? Married couples should be consummating all the time, then! If you abstain for a long time, you're possibly preventing life!
Today one of the best known Christian figures known for his pro-life position is Randy Alcorn. Randy Alcorn wrote books called Prolife Answers to Prochoice Arguments and Does the birth control pill cause Abortions? Some birth control pills do not prevent pregnancy. The majority of women on the pill are on low-dose birth control pills, which do not prevent conception but prevents the implantation of an already fertilized ovum to the uterine wall (Norplant and IUD's do this too!) Scary thing is: most women are on low-dose estrogen pills and do not know this fact.
Little known fact about me: I am very supportive/passionate of pro-life movements and clinics, and my dream job would either be working as a Biblical teacher for women, or as a nurse for babies and children, or specifically working in a Pro-life clinic (in that order). I've looked around for places to volunteer and wouldn't mind making a life-long career out of helping women save their babies when they feel pressured by culture to abort..ugh! If you haven't heard of Greg Koukl, who is a famous Christian figure who wrote books like Tactics and the founder of Stand to Reason, his wife is amazing! They adopted their children, and she helps lead a pro-life clinic, and holds seminars/activities, giving free ultrasounds, for these pregnant women who feel hopeless and scared! NOW THAT is something I wouldn't mind making a career out of, how noble!) Kevin said he seriously hates it when people say "It's not a baby, it's just a fetus!" He was like, "Did you know that 'fetus' in Latin means 'offspring'..aka BABY! So essentially they are saying, "It's not a baby, it's just a baby!" Ay ay ay...
Another one of the arguments against the use of birth control is the verse of "Go forth and Multiply" in Genesis. I didn't go into depth on that because I think it's a weak argument. I am also against the QuiverFull movement, which uses the command of God "Go forth and multiply!" as a basis for having numerous children (let's go back again to the family in 19 and counting...)
Well, there are many arguments in favor of and against contraception. It's one of those things where you wonder if there's ever a "yes" or "no" answer. And of course, it can be debated about for hours on end. This blog entry wasn't as structured as I would've liked, so I apologize!
I'd love to hear opinions/beliefs from anyone who comes across this blog. Is it okay to use birth control after you're married, or is it sinful?
Friday, December 30, 2011
musings.
This past year has been CRAZY. I really cannot believe that there's two more days of 2011 left! Where does all the time go? It seems to pass by faster and faster as I grow older.
I actually wrote a post a few days ago about everything I've been going through in regards to the death of my grandfather, and deleted it a few hours later. It really is strange to say goodbye to someone you love a lot, and to only hope in God's sovereignty and have no complete assurance about his whereabouts in the next life. I was crying as I typed, and I wrote with transparency (which is something I don't usually struggle with, I've actually been called out for being "too transparent") but that's the weird thing about me...once something really hurts or just bothers me, I don't say anything. But a million things go on in my head and in my heart. All I can say is: thank you for your prayers, and thank you to my good friends who asked me how I was doing. I usually shrugged it off with an "I'm okay, these things happen." But I was hurting. And sad. It bothered me a lot.
One of the good things that came out of this season of my family's life is that we are all closer and more loving. I guess it's times where you lose such important people in your life, that you stop caring about the silly dumb things. That happened to me, anyway, and I'm not worried about my wedding at all. I still have strange dreams (the other night, I had a dream I was at my wedding and never saw Kevin! We kissed and he disappeared. And another where tons of people didn't show up and we wasted a lot of money!) But anyways, I'm just really happy that I'm going to start a new chapter of my life with my best friend, and to experience the joys of marriage. Praise God!
I have a lot of things I need to hand over to God. Such as: being fiercely protective over my girl friends. I've heard the quote "You are what you protect." And I guess it just really strikes a nerve in me to see my girlfriends hurt by Christian men, especially since so much of my life has been watching the women in my family getting hurt. When Christian men hurt women, it doesn't really make sense to me. Of course, they do not intend to (I can only pray and hope). Sometimes, they may not even know what they do wrong, which I still have a hard time dealing with. Anyways, I have a lot of single girl friends and this past year was RIDICULOUS. Maybe it's just this year specifically. But every close girl friend of mine seemed to get hurt by men who were so called Christian! So many stories, so many tears, so much anger boiled within me. I was goin' crazy! I was ready to go all Xena Warrior Princess status on all those guys' butts!!!!! For real!!!! I really need to pray to God for me to be kinder and gracious to those men. At a party, I saw one of them and didn't say anything, but I had like seven people asking me what was wrong! I guess it's written on my face. Or, I'm usually so loud and laughy that when I'm not everyone is worried. Dang... Only God knows what I'll be like if I'm the mother of tons of daughters. Honestly, I only want one daughter. Knowing God, I'll have like 7!! AHHHH!!!! Pray for me about this. I'm very protective of all my girl friends. I'm not excusing the men who hurt them, but I am going to have to answer to God one day and I just want to be more like Christ in this area of my life. It's only inevitable that some of my girl friends will be hurt within the next few years :( I am so blessed to have Kevin as my future husband, and that my prayers have been answered. I am so undeserving, and I guess I shouldn't be comparing every guy to him. But in a sense, and I'm speaking to my fellow engaged, married, or soon to be married gals: don't you want every girl to have a guy like yours? (I don't even know how I would respond if someone answered "No." lol)
Oh, and another quote I loved that I heard this year: "The best thing a father can do for his daughter is love her mother." And I had to think about it for a long time because it made very little sense to me, so I had to imagine what it would've been like for my dad to love my mom. Of course, I can say "Oh, that means it will set the standard for the man the daughter will desire to marry in the future." But it's different when you never experienced it.
Lots of reflection over the past year, and I'm only more aware of how pathetic and sinful I am. God is so gracious. I mean, I knew I was sinful, but MAN i am sinful! Ridiculous! This human nature thing is crampin' my style! HAHA. But anyways, God's really humbled me in many areas of my life...bringing to light parts of me that need to be conformed to what He wants, my fears, my idols, my anger toward anyone who hurts my girls...
It's really nice to have quiet time and reflection with God, and thus the revealing of sin occurs! It's really cool reading what God has said in the Bible too! I'm kind of freaking out and excited, because I'm closer to my goal of reading the entire bible! I just need to read the major and minor prophets. TOO BAD THAT'S LIKE THE TOUGHEST FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND, INTERPRET, AND APPLY!!!!!!!!! I dont know about anyone else, but man...seriously? I read the first 5 chapters of Isaiah today, and was like, "Israel...is such a bad nation!" HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO APPLY THAT TO MY LIFE??? Of course, I am sinful, just like the Israelites (Random fact: did you know that "Israelites" refers to the old Israel, like in Biblical times, so it's considered not correct to use that term for current Israel? That's why they call them "Israelis" today) And I do not hold to the belief that God has replaced Israel with the church. THIS STUFF IS HARD! Or maybe I'm just a dummy. Scratch that, I totally am. But I'm excited :) It's my first time reading the major and minor prophets!
Just wanted to blog before the year ends. Thank you, God, for everything. For being so gracious to a sinner like me! I'm such a coo coo and yet you love me. I can't wait to hug You :) One day.
I actually wrote a post a few days ago about everything I've been going through in regards to the death of my grandfather, and deleted it a few hours later. It really is strange to say goodbye to someone you love a lot, and to only hope in God's sovereignty and have no complete assurance about his whereabouts in the next life. I was crying as I typed, and I wrote with transparency (which is something I don't usually struggle with, I've actually been called out for being "too transparent") but that's the weird thing about me...once something really hurts or just bothers me, I don't say anything. But a million things go on in my head and in my heart. All I can say is: thank you for your prayers, and thank you to my good friends who asked me how I was doing. I usually shrugged it off with an "I'm okay, these things happen." But I was hurting. And sad. It bothered me a lot.
One of the good things that came out of this season of my family's life is that we are all closer and more loving. I guess it's times where you lose such important people in your life, that you stop caring about the silly dumb things. That happened to me, anyway, and I'm not worried about my wedding at all. I still have strange dreams (the other night, I had a dream I was at my wedding and never saw Kevin! We kissed and he disappeared. And another where tons of people didn't show up and we wasted a lot of money!) But anyways, I'm just really happy that I'm going to start a new chapter of my life with my best friend, and to experience the joys of marriage. Praise God!
I have a lot of things I need to hand over to God. Such as: being fiercely protective over my girl friends. I've heard the quote "You are what you protect." And I guess it just really strikes a nerve in me to see my girlfriends hurt by Christian men, especially since so much of my life has been watching the women in my family getting hurt. When Christian men hurt women, it doesn't really make sense to me. Of course, they do not intend to (I can only pray and hope). Sometimes, they may not even know what they do wrong, which I still have a hard time dealing with. Anyways, I have a lot of single girl friends and this past year was RIDICULOUS. Maybe it's just this year specifically. But every close girl friend of mine seemed to get hurt by men who were so called Christian! So many stories, so many tears, so much anger boiled within me. I was goin' crazy! I was ready to go all Xena Warrior Princess status on all those guys' butts!!!!! For real!!!! I really need to pray to God for me to be kinder and gracious to those men. At a party, I saw one of them and didn't say anything, but I had like seven people asking me what was wrong! I guess it's written on my face. Or, I'm usually so loud and laughy that when I'm not everyone is worried. Dang... Only God knows what I'll be like if I'm the mother of tons of daughters. Honestly, I only want one daughter. Knowing God, I'll have like 7!! AHHHH!!!! Pray for me about this. I'm very protective of all my girl friends. I'm not excusing the men who hurt them, but I am going to have to answer to God one day and I just want to be more like Christ in this area of my life. It's only inevitable that some of my girl friends will be hurt within the next few years :( I am so blessed to have Kevin as my future husband, and that my prayers have been answered. I am so undeserving, and I guess I shouldn't be comparing every guy to him. But in a sense, and I'm speaking to my fellow engaged, married, or soon to be married gals: don't you want every girl to have a guy like yours? (I don't even know how I would respond if someone answered "No." lol)
Oh, and another quote I loved that I heard this year: "The best thing a father can do for his daughter is love her mother." And I had to think about it for a long time because it made very little sense to me, so I had to imagine what it would've been like for my dad to love my mom. Of course, I can say "Oh, that means it will set the standard for the man the daughter will desire to marry in the future." But it's different when you never experienced it.
Lots of reflection over the past year, and I'm only more aware of how pathetic and sinful I am. God is so gracious. I mean, I knew I was sinful, but MAN i am sinful! Ridiculous! This human nature thing is crampin' my style! HAHA. But anyways, God's really humbled me in many areas of my life...bringing to light parts of me that need to be conformed to what He wants, my fears, my idols, my anger toward anyone who hurts my girls...
It's really nice to have quiet time and reflection with God, and thus the revealing of sin occurs! It's really cool reading what God has said in the Bible too! I'm kind of freaking out and excited, because I'm closer to my goal of reading the entire bible! I just need to read the major and minor prophets. TOO BAD THAT'S LIKE THE TOUGHEST FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND, INTERPRET, AND APPLY!!!!!!!!! I dont know about anyone else, but man...seriously? I read the first 5 chapters of Isaiah today, and was like, "Israel...is such a bad nation!" HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO APPLY THAT TO MY LIFE??? Of course, I am sinful, just like the Israelites (Random fact: did you know that "Israelites" refers to the old Israel, like in Biblical times, so it's considered not correct to use that term for current Israel? That's why they call them "Israelis" today) And I do not hold to the belief that God has replaced Israel with the church. THIS STUFF IS HARD! Or maybe I'm just a dummy. Scratch that, I totally am. But I'm excited :) It's my first time reading the major and minor prophets!
Just wanted to blog before the year ends. Thank you, God, for everything. For being so gracious to a sinner like me! I'm such a coo coo and yet you love me. I can't wait to hug You :) One day.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Engagement Photos
Today was an action-packed and fun day! Jamie and I spent the morning and early afternoon together, getting a wedding day trial session for make up and hair, then we went over to meet Kevin at work in Cerritos mid-afternoon. From there, Kev drove us to Los Angeles at Pershing Square. We met our friend Fern Lee, who is an amazing photographer (she photographed 25 weddings last year!) We wanted to go with a winter/Christmas-themed photo shoot, and praise God, because the weather was perfect! And so was the site! There were so many colorful walls, holiday-themed Christmas lights, and of course the city backdrop was nice. Jamie was of course being the mom and carrying around all our props. Kevin felt weird because he's not used to wearing nice clothes lol!! We went to Forever 21 last week and were laughing because we saw Alejo at church wearing a gray jacket, and I knew immediately he got it from there too, because Kevin had tried that one on, along with 5 other jackets he wasn't too fond of! So anyways, of course we were laughing a lot, because Jamie was being Jamie and dictating how to pose:
(During a shot where Kevin and I are supposed to look at each other lovingly)
Jamie: "Kevin, look down and smile at Leigh Ann!"
Kevin:"I am smiling!"
Jamie: " You're so unnatural! Your eyebrows are too high!"
(During a shot where Kevin is holding me)
Jamie: "Kevin, okay, bend down more because you're too tall, then smile at the camera."
(Kevin bends down more and hunches over and looks up at the camera)
Jamie: "Ewwwww, you look like a creeper!"
Kevin: "I'm doing what you're asking for! What do you want me to do?!?!"
(During a shot where Kevin and I have our Bibles and are holding it in front of our faces, only revealing our eyes)
Jamie: "Kevin, why are you hunching over like that? You look like you're EATING your Bible!"
Kevin: "I am doing it because Leigh Ann is really short!"
Me: "HEY!"
The best photos are of me laughing really hard and Kevin doing an awkward smile or looking frustrated and annoyed at Jamie hahahahahhaha But seriously though, Jamie was a huge help; that's what made it even more of a special memory! Before Fern arrived, I asked Jamie to take a picture of me and Kevin by one of the Christmas trees:
Merry Christmas everyone! and Happy Birthday to Jesus!
(During a shot where Kevin and I are supposed to look at each other lovingly)
Jamie: "Kevin, look down and smile at Leigh Ann!"
Kevin:"I am smiling!"
Jamie: " You're so unnatural! Your eyebrows are too high!"
(During a shot where Kevin is holding me)
Jamie: "Kevin, okay, bend down more because you're too tall, then smile at the camera."
(Kevin bends down more and hunches over and looks up at the camera)
Jamie: "Ewwwww, you look like a creeper!"
Kevin: "I'm doing what you're asking for! What do you want me to do?!?!"
(During a shot where Kevin and I have our Bibles and are holding it in front of our faces, only revealing our eyes)
Jamie: "Kevin, why are you hunching over like that? You look like you're EATING your Bible!"
Kevin: "I am doing it because Leigh Ann is really short!"
Me: "HEY!"
The best photos are of me laughing really hard and Kevin doing an awkward smile or looking frustrated and annoyed at Jamie hahahahahhaha But seriously though, Jamie was a huge help; that's what made it even more of a special memory! Before Fern arrived, I asked Jamie to take a picture of me and Kevin by one of the Christmas trees:
Merry Christmas everyone! and Happy Birthday to Jesus!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
so hard to do!
this week has been dedicated to making and sending wedding invites (which, btw, was a seriously funny adventure with jamie)...and to also sending messages thru fb to friends (mostly from my college christian fellowship) i haven't seen in a while, saying that i could only invite them to the ceremony and not the reception...and while we haven't talked in a while, i still feel like i know at least one of them will be hurt/sad/offended i wasnt able to invite them to the reception too. but the truth is: i seriously cannot afford them! lol a lot of people say "well, they will understand. it's expensive!" and i know that's true. plus, if they are true friends, they'll be happy bc i'm getting married and will be just as happy being invited to the ceremony only! but i really can't help but feel really sad at the thought of hurting anybody, especially since this is supposed to be a celebration! ayyyyy...this is on my mind bc i seriously spent the last hour sending out messages. maybe i should have done this at the beginning instead of end of the day lol
but on a brighter note: HELLO DECEMBER! it seems like only yesterday that it was last year's december, and christmas time. and so much has happened within one year! goodness! praise the Lord! it's been really tough planning a wedding with limited funds and a very filipino family. i feel SUPER blessed to go to a church which stresses the importance of marriage as a display of the gospel. i'm also very blessed bc i have sisters who are married and young and it's just really cool to share this journey together! tonight at bible study i got to talk to Ate Maritess for a while about how my mom is driving me crazy, and she was like, "That's probably how I made Dayne feel..." and i was like AHHHHH!!!!! lol seriously!!!! my mom and my family are crazy!!!!! but it's progressed from me being really sad...to really angry...to really frustrated...and now it's just become comedic and me having a face that is like "huhhhh?!??!" kevin always tries to comfort me and pats me on the back. "poor babe, dont worry. we'll be married soon!" YEAH BUT NOT SOON ENOUGH BUCKO!!!! hahahahha
i really feel like this whole wedding planning this is showing me how sinful i am! i seriously just...have no patience and no joy when my family and mom are saying things that hurt me or are trying to take over the whole wedding. in one sense, it's justifiable. and in another, it's not. i'm supposed to be self-sacrificing the way Christ is, but where do i draw the line? i really do feel like Kevin is God's act of mercy for me, to have a husband that will love me the way Christ loves the church, but also, to save me from the problems i go through within my home and family life. BAH humbug!
thanksgiving week was really wonderful. i got to see my dad's side of the family, who i haven't even seen in over a year! we were all calling my dad and asking him where he was but we received no call or texts back, so we are assuming he is out of the country somewhere. i also spent some good bonding time with my twin cousin and big butt, and we would spend hours just laughing and watching movies and eating and going to the mall. i think that once i'm married, i'll miss that the most. all 3 of us cuddled in a bed and staying up late and doing whatever we wanted. i can't even imagine switching up the holidays between families! i'll have to adjust, obviously.
God's been good to me and kevin! just when you thought i'd be able to see him more often since he has 1 full time job and going to school, WRONG. he sees me LESS! because he is like super focused on homework and getting stuff done outside of work...i'm a distraction :( LAAAAAAAAAAAME!!!! i'm sorry that i like to smile and make weird faces at him and start talking to him in strange voices. that's just the way i ammm mannn!!! hahahaha but yah, whenever i get to see him, i'm really happy! i seriously cannot wait to marry this guy!
i'm also reading a few books and hopefully will finish them before the year ends:
1. the Bible (going through the OT-now on Nehemiah)
2. This Momentary Marriage by John Piper
3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
the last book is really random. but i never got to read any jane austen books during high school and wanna touch up on popular novels!
gonna try to sleep with this really loud wind outside. in 8 hours me and jamie are gonna go out to a bridal store appt to try on more dresses, and hopefully find some dresses for bridesmaids.
goodnight, world!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
prank of the year
So in the last post I wrote, which was like an hour ago, I mentioned how Kevin's first day of school at Masters College was today (he's studying to get his Bachelors in Christian Ministries) Kev called me when he got out, and guess who else was in his class....
ZACH HOLTER!?!?!?!?!!??!?!??!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kev said as he approached the class he saw Zach sitting in one of the seats, but since he sees Zach almost all the time in every other aspect of his life, he brushed it off. But then he was like, "WAIT...WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE MAN???" Apparently Zach was waiting for weeks to surprise and prank Kevin, also signing up for registration last minute! These guys...
That's a pretty good prank. I wonder what Kevin will do to get him back....hahahhaha I'm so happy they're together again! They were always hanging out before I came in and Kevin had to become serious and work 2 jobs, bla bla bla bla...lol Anyways, I'm really encouraged they're going to be in school together!
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