Guest Post

This is a guest posting by my husband. Check out the rest of his blog by clicking on the link!!!

King of kings vs. king of pop

It is a sad day when a 50 year old man dies leaving behind three kids, an estranged wife, sisters, brothers, both parents and tons of loving caring friends. A man of great influence, a man that helped shape peoples beliefs and opinions, a man that worked towards breaking down racial barriers and a man that gave millions towards charity.

It is a sad day when a 33 year old dies one of the most horrific deaths known to man, leaving behind sisters, brothers, parents and tons of friends who loved and cared for Him. A man of Great influence, a man that is totally responsible for shaping lives along with mountains, stars, and knitting together our very being, a man who is the only answer to breaking down racial barriers, a man that gave his life in the ultimate charity freedom from sin and a man that conquered death to prove his Lordship over all things including death.

It is another sad day when both are counted as kings and only one can actually stand as King, the king of pop is not dancing now, the king of pop is not singing now, the king of pop is realizing one thing and one thing only. He is no king; there is no other king but the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The saddest thing of all is the fact that as the king of pop realizes he is nothing, as he confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord. Is that the millions who still idolize his life, have no clue what they are doing, and saying. There is only one king and Michael Jackson is not him. There is but one God and Jesus the Messiah is his name. There is but one man who can break down barriers, change the lives of billions, form the mountains, knit the cells in our body, create music from nothing, and dance on the stars, that Man is the word from before time, the King of ALL ages, the King of all ethnic bodies, the king of all countries, continents, Worlds, galaxies and universes, the King of music, the Lord of the dance, the King of the sun, moon and stars, the King from before the foundation of the world, the King of every government, every religion, every business. The King who will be declared LORD by every slave, peasant, lay person, politician, Businessman, CEO, king, president, false claiming deities, and all those who worship those false deities. JESUS. He is my KING OF KINGS and LORD of LORDS.

Oh King that is above all kings, oh Lord that is above all lords. Be magnified and lifted high as you claim the glory, as you are worshipped, as you are raised higher then any earthly king, as you are worshipped with song and dance more so then any other earthly or heavenly false king. Lord renew in all of us a right sense of who you are, a right attitude of worship and give us the strength to stand out above the crowed and sing your praise and sing glory to your name and lift your name above all names.

Just Wondering...

The extent of human pride never ceases to amaze me. I am always astounded when parents do things that could be harmful or fatal to their children and when someone tries to tell them that they say "don't judge me! I'm a good mom! Just because I don't do things the way you do them doesn't mean I'm wrong and you're right!" Um, yikes!!!!!! Okay, Here are some things that I have heard on my moms message board (I've thrown a few real life things from friends too...)

"I have a two week old and I feed her solids to make her sleep through the night. It's totally fine!"

"Sometimes I just didn't want to mess with the car seat so I just rode with my son in the Baby Bjorn."

"I put my newborn to sleep on her tummy. It doesn't cause SIDS. Those scientist people don't really know anything about what prevents SIDS. Back-to-Sleep is a marketing campaign."

"I just let my son cry it out in his crib. Sometimes he cries for an hour. Once he cried so hard he threw up, but he has to learn how to 'self-soothe'."

"I turned my 5 month old forward facing in her car seat. She didn't like being rear facing."

"If I tighten the car seat straps as tight as they should be they will be too tight for my son so I just leave them loose. It's no big deal."

There are so many more I can't even remember them all! Oh my gosh!!!! How are people living with themselves? I get it, some things are a personal decision like the decision to use controlled crying or not, or the decision to co-sleep or not. But there are things you can do that can put your child into harms way. Believe it or not, all the mothers who said these things got angry when people on the message board tried to correct them!!!! They spouted off crap like "It's my decision as a mother!" and "Don't judge me! I'm a good mom!" Sorry ladies. Mothers who turn their 5 month olds forward facing, let their baby scream until he throws up, ride around in the car with their baby in the Bjorn, disregard medical advice not to feed solids until at least 4 months for the sake of a good night's sleep, and don't properly restrain their babies in their car seats are NOT good mothers. Believe me, I hate it too when Derek cries when I tighten the car seat straps, but I know that's because he doesn't like to be restrained not because they are too tight. I too can't stand it when Derek is calling for me in the car and he can't see me because he is rear facing. Sometimes I want to scream when Derek wakes up in the middle of the night wanting to eat (although he's to the age where he doesn't do that too much anymore.). I get frustrated when he wakes up as soon as I put him in the crib and I have to stand and pat him until he nods off. I HATE toting his infant carrier around because he is soooooo heavy in it now. I am at the same place all these other mothers are/were but the difference is that I recognize that we do those things for the safety and good of our children. Most people recognize that we should do those things for our children's safety and health. I wish that mothers wouldn't get so defensive. I understand that being a mom is a competitive scene. I recognize that there are people out there who are ridiculously judgmental about things that are your personal decision. I had an incident a few months ago where a woman scolded me in the mall for bottle feeding instead of breast feeding. It's people like that who make moms overly sensitive to critiscm. But sometimes we need to lay aside our pride and realize that there is such a thing as contructive critiscm and be willing to consider the good of our children above our own convenience.

Car Seat Safety

One of my passions is the safety of children, especially infants and older babies. I've run across so many people (friends included) who do not know how to properly restrain their babies and toddlers in the car. I am at a loss as to how to gently tell some of my friends that they need to tighten the straps on the car seat among other things. So, in hopes that people will read this I have included the following link to this blog. It has an article about car seat safety as well as a couple videos of crash tests with car seats! Hope everyone takes this into account!!


http://prayerofhannah.blogspot.com/2009/06/rewind-to-car-seat-safety.html

Also, here are a couple more awesome car seat safety links!

www.cpssafety.com
www.nhtsa.gov
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cps/cpsfitting/index.cfm (To find a safety seat installation inspector near you!)
http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm

A New Experience

Well, I'm about to have a new experience!! Thanks to my wrist deciding to grow a ganglion cyst I will be having surgery in a week and a half. I've never had surgery before. The first time I was ever in the hospital was when I had Derek. So, needless to say I'm a little nervous. The cyst is no big deal, in fact the doctor said if I wanted to I could leave it be, but it's starting to gross me out big time so I decided to go ahead and have it removed since we havae met our insurance deductible this year with Derek's birth. So, in case anyone was freaking out about me having surgery, I'm ok and it's no big deal. They won't even have to put me under, they'll just use a block for my arm so I'll be awake the whole time! I can even watch if I want (which I don't!! EWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!). The whole procedure will take 20 minutes. I just can't wait to have it gone, because like I said, it's really gross!!!!

10 Things...

Normally I wouldn't clutter up my blog with things like this but I really liked this one so here it is!


10 things you wish you could say to 10 different people

1 –I'm still so very in love with you especially after 4 years!!!
2 – I love you so very much!!!
3 – I'm still mad at you.
4 – you are selfish and self centered (two different things in my opinion) and you need to get over yourself.
5 – Love your wife as Christ loves the church!!!!
6 – I wish you would just apologize to me and get it over with.
7 – I want to be better friends but I'm really bad at getting to know people! I need your help.
8 - Sometimes when you say things exactly as you're thinking them it comes off as rude.
9 – I miss you so much and wish we could live near each other again.
10 - I'm sorry.

9 Things About Yourself:

1 - I am disorganized and it sometimes drives me crazy that I'm like that.
2 - I have a mean streak that I'm not proud of.
3 – My family is from the east coast and although I was raised in the midwest I find alot of the midwestern culture strange.
4 – I love my husband and my son more than life itself.
5 – I love to travel and I miss being able to soooooooo much.
6 – I love to shop.
7 – I am best friends with my mom.
8 – If you ask me at any time if I'd rather be at the beach I would say yes, except if I'm already at the beach.
9 – I love airplanes and wish that I could fly them for a job! What could be better than getting paid to travel??

8 Ways to Win my heart
1 – My love language is gift giving and receiving, so let me give you stuff and make a big deal out of it, and be sure to send me stuff too!! :)
2 – Tell me you love me often!
3 – Be romantic!!!
4 – Allow me to have my feelings and don't make me feel bad for feeling them
5 – Show interest in the things I like to do and I will equally compromise on the things you like to do
6 - Love my family for who they are and the fact that they raised me to be the woman you love.
7 - Don't be afraid to stand up for me and be ready and willing to protect me.
8 – Let me cry when I need to without saying a whole bunch of stuff to try to get me to stop. (That just ticks me off!)

7 Things That Cross my Mind A lot:

1 – Derek
2 - Nathan
3 – the beach
4 – housework
5 – the beach
6 – Derek
7 – family


6 Things I Have to do Before I Die:

1 – Write a book
2 – Go to Hawaii again
3 –Go to Normandy (France)
4 – See my son get married
5 – fly an airplane
6 – learn to be content in all situations

5 People Who Mean A Lot to You:

1 – Nathan
2 – Derek
3 – Mom Dad and Bekah
4 – Nana and PopPop and Aunt Tina
5 –Brittany, Casey, Caleb, and Isaac

(What the heck! There are a lot more than 5!!)


4 Things You Can See Right Now:

1 –TV
2 – Derek's jumper
3 –our unity candle
4 – clock

3 Bands You Listen to Often:

1 – Le Crae
2 – Nickleback
3 – Whatever is on the radio

2 Things You do Before Bed:

1 – Kiss my son
2 – Pray with Nathan

1 Confession:

1 – I am still in my pjs. I need to go get ready for the day!!

Celebrating 4 Years!!

Today is our 4 year wedding anniversary! Wow the time has flown by! Lets take a look back at the past 4 years!!

Places we've lived:

Columbia, South Carolina (June 2005-June 2006)
Eagan, Minnesota (June 2006-August 2006)
White Lake, Wisconsin (August 2006-May 2007)
Eden Prairie, Minnesota (May 2007- Present)

Jobs we've had:
Nathan:
Student Ministry Associate, Lexington Baptist Church, Lexington, South Carolina
Server, Don Pablo's, Eagan, Minnesota
Student Life Director, Silver Birch Ranch/Nicolet Bible Institute, White Lake, Wisconsin
Youth Outreach Specialist, Treehouse, Chaska, Minnesota

Sarah:
Assistant Manager, Express, Columbia, South Carolina
Assistant Manager, Express, Woodbury, Minnesota
Student Life Director, Silver Birch Ranch/Nicolet Bible Institute, White Lake, Wisconsin
Sales Coordinator, Courtyard by Marriott, Bloomington, Minnesota
Stay at Home Mom, Eden Prairie, Minnesota

Places we've been:
South Carolina
Minnesota
Illinois
North Carolina
Florida
Wisonsin
Ohio
West Virginia
Iowa
Indiana
Tennessee
Kentucky


Vacations we've taken:
Mayan Riviera, Mexico (Honeymoon 2005)
Cruise to Grand Cayman Island, Cozumel Mexico, and Key West Florida (January 2008)

Perhaps biggest of all we've added our son Derek Bruce to our family!!!!


Whew! It's been a crazy four years, but they've been fun too!! I"m looking forward to many many more years of marriage!!!!!! I love you Nathan!!!

Another Baby Welcome!!!

We are welcoming my new niece to the world!!! Makayla Lynn Dowling was born at 4:16 this afternoon at 6 lbs 5 oz and 19.5 inches long!!!! The happy parents are Will and Dalynn!! Congratulations you guys!!!!!!

Food for Thought

So just some bits I've been mulling over...


If someone has the chance to do something awesome and chooses not to do it, is it unsympathetic of me to not want to listen to them complain about it?

Can I tell the obnoxious neighbor kids to turn down the disgusting rap music because I want to have my back door open without exposing my baby son to that crap?

It's June 10th and the sun and warmth have been hiding for a week. Why won't it come back?

It's June 10th and my 4 year wedding anniversary is tomorrow. Where did the time go????

Is it considered rude to ride your EXTREMELY loud motorcycle at midnight down a residential street?

Why is "Wipeout" so entertaining? It's just people falling off ridiculous contraptions all the time, yet it has me in stitches!!

Can I take my 4 month old to Hawaii?

Are we going to get to do anything for our anniversary? Tune in next time to find out. Same Metcalf time, same Metcalf channel!

Is Derek teething?

And last but not least I finally have a niece!!!!!

Where is the Love? Seriously... where is it??

This past Saturday Nathan and I had the privilege of going to the Don't Waste Your Life concert featuring LeCrae, FLAME, Trip Lee, Tedashii, and Sho Baraka. AWESOME concert. But that's not the point of this blog. My mom graciously agreed to babysit Derek so that we could go to the concert. We met my parents at the downtown venue and exchanged kids! :) My sister came to the concert with us, and my parents took Derek back to our house. Due to unforseen circumstances, my parents were late picking Derek up at the concert venue, and as a result he was really hungry by the time they got there. He was crying in his carseat so my mom pulled into our home church's parking lot to feed him since the church was only a few blocks from the venue. As she was standing outside the car with the back door open making the bottle the Saturday evening service let out. People began to walk out to the parking lot and get into their cars. What happens next is completely astounding. Several church members began to give my mother dirty looks. A few walked up to her and told her that she needed to move her car (for no reason, it's not like she was illegally parked) and that the parking lot was only for church members and others could not park there. All this as she was FEEDING A BABY!!!! I have no words to describe how horrified I was. Fortunately my mother has a grace to her personality that is not existant in mine. Those people were lucky it was not me they were talking to. I have a horrible habit of coming up with something rude to say back and I always regret it later. Anyway, my bad habits are not the point of this blog either. The point of this blog is to call on Christians to LOVE EACHOTHER!! It's commanded by Jesus! I mean, come on! This was our home church!! My mother's own church family treated her like garbage when she was in need. I have seriously considered writing a letter to church leadership about this. How can Christians act this way? What if my mother had not been a believer? Our home church is in an area of downtown that is frequented by homeless people and poor people. What if she had been someone from the area just needing a place to pull over and feed her hungry baby? It is absolutely appalling to me that Christians would act this way, especially toward a woman who is feeding a baby! This is why Christians are viewed as hypocrites and holier than thou. How can you go into church, worship the Lord, claim that you love Him, listen to a sermon, then leave and be downright NASTY to a sister in Christ (or any person for that matter)! All that makes you is a white washed tomb. Someone who says "Lord Lord" but sends the beggar on his way with a "God be with you." I am honestly sickened by this behavior. Ok, I think my rant is over. What do you all think? Should I write to the elder board, or am I making a bigger deal out of this than it really is??

More

Since abortion has been on my mind the last couple of days, I thought I would share this video link. It's John Piper's address to President Obama on the topic of abortion. VERY powerful! Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O68MByaMVdM

Dichotomy of Sadness

Yesterday a man was murdered as he served in his church as an usher. A man walked into the foyer of the church just as the service was starting and shot him. The man's wife was singing in the choir at the time. She was pulled out of the service and when the congregation members heard her scream they knew something had happened. It's so sad. Murders are horrible crimes, and I certainly hope this man's murderer is brought to justice. There is NEVER a cause to murder another person. It is very very sad that this man's family is suffering in the wake of his murder.

Now, that being said, Dr. Tiller was one of the few remaining US physicians still performing late term abortions. There is a measure of irony in his death. The murderer becomes the murdered. His whole livelihood was built around the profound sadness of the deaths of innocent unborn children. The children he killed were not only small clusters of cells, tiny embryos, and small babies who looked more alien that human; they were THIRD TRIMESTER babies!!! Fully formed, with tiny hands and feet, and developed brains. They had eyes, and eyelids, and little noses and mouths. They were sucking their thumbs and turning somersaults in their comfy uterine homes. They were kicking their feet and opening and closing their hands. Their hearts were beating, and their eyes were blinking. They had little ears that could hear muffled sounds from outside the womb. I wonder if they heard their mothers planning their deaths with Dr. Tiller. I think of my baby son sleeping peacefully in his crib. It wasn't too long ago that he was so tiny and dependent on my body. It wrenches my heart to think that I could have still chosen to terminate his life up until he was born a week early. How can a woman do that with the baby moving inside of her? How could a doctor ignore all scientific fact and choose to end a life? Isn't "do no harm" the first part of the Hippocratic oath all doctors take?? It is a strange dichotomy of sadness. Sad that Dr. Tiller was murdered, and sad that so many unborn children were murdered.

For information on abortion awareness and things we can do as Christians in our fight for the unborn children's right to life here are a couple websites to visit!!

www.selfevidenttruth.org
www.abort73.com