3.5 Weeks and Counting

Well, I woke up this morning to a looonnnggg contraction. I guess it was so long it woke me up. Just a Braxton Hix, but it was quite intense. I googled a little bit and was reminded if you are having tons of BH contractions to drink lots of water. I drank a bunch of water and it calmed down.

At the end of each pregnancy, I have taken 5-w by Nature's Sunshine. Holly got me started on that with the first one and I have done it every time. This time, I have had so many BH contractions, I've hesitated taking it, but when I googled it, lots of women described births like my last one and they attributed it to 5-W or a similar herb concoction which readies your body for birth 5-6 weeks before the birth. One of the ladies said that she was having lots of Braxton Hicks and then around her due date her midwife checked her and she was already at 8 centimeters. I know this is what happened to me last time, and I am sort of suspicious of those "get ready herbs" getting me ready alright. I would REALLY recommend these herbs for moms on their first birth. THey are supposed to ready the body and eliminate such long labor.

The only thing is, when you burp after taking them, it tastes like really strong celery. But, I guess it's not THAT bad.

I had a baby shower this past week for one of my friends and it was so much fun! I thought it would make the time go faster for my pregnancy, and I think it may have worked. Three and a half weeks doesn't sound very long. I have been sewing and sewing. I sewed her a diaper bag and blanket, and now I am working on my diaper bag and blanket. After the contractions this morning, I realized I did not have any baby clothes washed or ready for the baby, so at 5:30 AM I threw some onsies and socks in the wash.

I need to find the infant cloth diapers in the attic somewhere and get those lined up and we should be good to go.

Patience..Letting Birth take its' Natural Course and Conserving Energy

Memories come rushing in on me as one of my friends is in the midst of her first birth. The first birth is a funny thing. No matter how much you try to control it, you can't. And most women who try to control it with drugs, end up in a c-section. Some don't. Some get their way...but the recovery is normally a little longer and the baby got some drugs, too. So, what's a woman to do? My firmest belief in birth is that one must respect their body and respect the baby. In doing this, one of the best "gifts" given to me in birth is a hearty dose of what the baby's personality will be like.
My first birth was the hardest by far. Long and hard. Thankfully, it started at 4AM with my water breaking and contractions starting. So, I had had at least a medium night's sleep. Contractions got close together quickly and stayed right there all the way up until the birth. They never let up. When the midwife checked me at 7 or 8AM, I had not dilated AT ALL. In fact, my cervix was as hard as a rock. This is something a woman does not want to hear.....ever. I had had contractions previous to the water breakage and then all of those contractions from 4AM, what was that about? My instructions were to walk about a mile. Thank goodness I was in shape! So, slowly, slowly, I crept around the block with Mark, squeezing my combs every 2 minutes breathing and taking breaks. I get back to the apartment, they check me again, and I am fully effaced, 2 centimeters and they instruct me to walk another mile (while they went to Starbucks and were having a grand 'ol time). Discouraged, I got in the bed and pulled the covers over my head. I decided to side lie and do some deep breathing. After a few minutes of this, I decided to hop into a hot bath with some chocolate covered almonds. Nothing felt quite so good as that hot bath with the chocolate covered almonds....I have to admit. The second I was in the water, all of my nerves relaxed, I think I even dozed....and life was good. So, that's where I stayed for most of the day.
The midwives would make me get out of the tub every so often to speed things up, and then I would get back in again. Thankfully, my family and Mark and everyone surrounding me were so helpful and loving to endure a whole day of my groaning. I started groaning pretty early in the day and it felt so great, I just groaned all day long. Mark thought it was pretty scary and called in the "backup" troops when he'd had enough groaning. I may have done it more for attention than anything, but once I started groaning, I couldn't stop. I haven't groaned on the other births that much, but in his memory I groan every time. I guess it was a bad memory moment for him.
ANYWAY, the whole point of the story is that I had no idea my labor would be so long. I lifted weights and walked the whole time I was pregnant, plus, I had read every book available to me, so naturally, I thought I would have this really zippy birth. When a zippy birth did not happen, I just held on until the last moment, but, in retrospect, I probably would have relaxed a little more had I known it would take19 hours.
After the first birth, I got a little panicky when the next birth started at night. We had been at Sea World all day, sweating it out, and just as I lay my head on the pillow, my water broke. THIS time, I kept my cool. Actually, I was nervous Holly (the midwife) would make me get on the treadmill and get it going, but she encouraged me to sleep as much as I could until the morning, and that's exactly what I did. That little nap gave me the rest I needed and the next morning, I was ready to go again. I fed the 1 1/2 year old, put her down for a morning nap, called the midwives, and then went into an overdrive birth from 10AM to 1PM when I pushed out number two. All this to say, conserving your energy is a good thing. Your body is super smart and will go into labor on its' own....just CONSERVE energy for transition and pushing as much as you can. The hardest part about that labor was pushing-it was very painful when her head came through the birth canal (the others weren't like that), and maybe it was because it was SO fast, that I could not get a breath. Anyway, that child ended up with my personality.....she go go go goes....and still needs naps at 5 years old, because she is so active.

Number three started at 3PM, which I thought was a pretty safe time. It just started with light contractiions, pretty far apart, and was so mild, I went out to a birthday dinner, only to decide I did not want to be there once I got in a hard chair with obnoxious restaurant music and gross restaurant smell (not much of a restaurant girl). I got home, called the midwives and they agreed I WAS in labor, although contractions never got closer than 10 minutes apart and I seemd to progress better lying down? This was VERY hard for me to fathom. I am by nature, a "doer". It is hard for me to lie down unless I am totally exhausted, but it seemed right, so I just lay down and slept between contractions, the midwives slept on the couch and I woke up to squeeze the combs every 10 to 12 minutes. I had 2 hard contractions around 2:30 AM, and then I knew it was time to push, so I got in the shower and boom, pushed 4 or 5 times and out came the baby. The big surprise on that one was the lying down and extra slow part. But that baby's personality is VERY methodical, organized, particular, and he licks his ice cream more slowly than anyone I know, enjoying every moment of life. The only way I could accept lying down to birth is by thinking of a horse lying down in a barn or a cow giving birth to her calf. I thought "animals do it, I guess humans can do it too". (This may sound strange to a hospital birther, but I'm used to walking around the block or getting in the pool or bouncing on my birthing ball...the bed is completely unappealing to me)

Number four was quick and easy. Actually, that one, the labor started at 2AM on two different nights. I labored for an hour and then , got a little tired, so I did the side lying (Childbirth Without Fear) and fell right back to sleep. I sort of assumed labor would pick up again in the morning and both times,...nothing. Well, it kind of bummed Mark out. He would get awake enough to get excited, and all of a sudden, I'm snoring. After two different nights of this, he kind of stormed to work and said not to ruin his sleep again, or something like that. I think he thought I was faking it or something????? Not sure. Anyway, again, SUCH a different birth. I was really due on September 11th, but did not want to come on that day, so I told everyone September 10th. The baby did not come on the 10th or 11th, so the morning of the 12th, I took a little bit of castor oil and that seemed to "do it" for me. I was in labor in 5 minutes and pushed about an hour later for 45 seconds. Again, another high energy baby with some fight in him. Everything about number four was a surprise. I was unsure of his sex (with the others I instinctively knew), and then the labor was like a game of hide and seek and he (more than the others) is such a funny jokester. SO funny and surprising. He came out of my body with blond hair and I thought I saw freckles....they went away, but I thought maybe he got them through my stomach since I was in the sun so much. Anyway, again, I am SO GRATEFUL that I did fall back asleep those two nights. Yeah, it was a couple of days longer that I had to wait, but I think my body got a lot done in those two "spurts" of time, and then when it boiled down to the day, labor was easier than making a batch of soap.

In the end, my advice to any woman about to give birth, is this. You have been forced to patience over 9 months....use all of the self control and discipline you have to be patient just a few more days or hours, whatever the case may be and your birth will be a more enjoyable and restful experience. If you push yourself to the max before you reach 5 centimeters, you will probably still have the baby naturally, but tiredness can have a negative effect on your rationale. Whereas, if you trust your body, respect God's timing, trust the baby (there's a chemical in the babie's brain that actuallly starts birth), then the fruit and the victory is that much sweeter and enjoyable. AND, the photos of you will be fresher looking.

Birth Running Late? What's a Girl To Do?

I guess the hardest part of waiting for the birth is the one or two or 10 days AFTER the supposed due date. You may have rough spots along the way, but now you are as big as a horse, you've prepared and accomplished 40 weeks, and your body seems like it's not going to budge. Well, don't lose heart, the baby IS coming. Have lots of sex and include orgasms because this will help soften the cervix and get the baby to come out nicely. My midwife always suggests walking....what a bore and it never seemed to speed up anything for me. Although, I think exercise helps the mental "part" if nothing else.

I came on THE due date 3 out of 4 times. The 3rd child stayed in ten extra days. If it's any comfort, his weight was less than 2 of the other children's weights. I was a little nervous about that one part since I have 10 lb. babies, but he was only 9.5 lbs., so this proved to me that they are ready when they are ready and they will come out in God's timing. My best advice is to get as busy as you physically can. My photo is of me at Sea World, a few hours before my second child broke my water. With each pregnancy I have done different "activities" to take my mind off the bulge.

The first pregnancy, I took golf lessons and lifted weights. The second pregnancy, I got Sea World passes and went as often as possible. The third pregnancy, I had a party the night before the due date and when the baby didn't come on the due date or the next day, I got the inkling that this child was NOT coming soon, so I just relaxed and enjoyed myself until he did come....and then he VERY SLOWLY came with contractions only staying 10 minutes apart the entire time. I finally just went to bed and barely woke up for each contraction until it was time to push. Number four tried to come at night....I don't like this, so I put him off, but in the morning, labor did not come again. This happened twice and then the day AFTER the due date, I felt like it was time and took some castor oil (just a tiny bit) and he was in my arms in less than two hours. I'm not sure if the castor oil even had time to work. I literally went into labor 5 or 10 minutes after I took it.

This time....well, I'm officially six weeks away and I am ready ready ready ready. I don't remember being THIS uncomfortable this far away from the due date. The baby feels huge and is pressing on my rib cage. At first, it was breech (for the last 4 weeks) and it's hard head was pressing. Now, it has flipped and it's buns and legs are pressing. I am most comfortable in the swimming pool...in fact, I am DRIVEN to do laps in the pool every day. Today, I kept getting acid reflux and felt I was half drowning...and just taking up a lane for no reason, so I got out of the pool. But normally, all of my discomfort flies away the minute I'm in the pool. This will be my distraction until the baby is born.

I usually walk for exercise, but swimming is SO much better. When walking, you are acutely aware of your personal heaviness and how much bigger you are getting on a weekly basis. In swimming, it's the opposite. You feel huge, you dive in, you're instantly buoyant and fabulous and feel light and clean again. It's quite euphoric. Yesterday I timed how long it took after swimming to feel heavy again and it was about 2 hours. You should try it, you'll like it. If you are like me, you will become somewhat like a labrador retriever who cannot resist water- a puddle or a pool to save his life. He HAS to get wet and the more often the better.....for himself as well as surrounding friends and family.

Ode to Creativity

Well, I’m hosting a baby shower in a few weeks and again, am faced with the huge monster in my life that rears its’ ugly head every celebration that comes along. I can’t bake. I mean, it’s really bad. I made a cake mix for my daughter’s birthday and she was so grossed out by the cake she wouldn’t eat it. You know it’s bad if you can’t make a mix. 

    I guess I would have to put my personal life talents in 4 groups. Group number one: Things I do well. These items I naturally do well, or have taken a class, or something...but they are easy for me. Cooking, sewing...that sort of thing. Group number two are things I don’t do well, or do at all, but this list are things that would make my life easier if I LEARNED to do them well. Every woman has this list. It can cause her to be insecure if she will let it...just depends on how comfy in her skin one is. I’m pretty comfy in my skin, but I visit this list and pull items from it to push myself up a level.. Group 3-things I do not do at all but will get around to when my kids can all go potty on their own and dress themselves (like flying). And group 4-things that I don’t care if I ever do well at, such as play the trombone.Baking is in group number 2. I am horrible at it...but it is starting to personally affect my life since I keep having kids and those kids have birthdays. 

    I can bake three things. Chocolate chip cookies, apple pie, and carrot cake. (A great moment was finding out my firstborn was going to be a “Fall” baby....carrot cake makes a great “Fall” birthday cake) Besides this list, it’s a rare occasion that I have baked anything close to being good...let alone great. So, I finally had to bite the bullet this week and evaluate this baking thing. (Being a food snob can be hard on a woman at times) Why it’s so hard for me to just pick up an HEB cake or COSTCO cake has become crystal clear....the ingredients are printed right on the six inch long label... no matter how hard you try to ignore them, your eye can easily pick up one or more chemicals, even in your peripheral vision. Oh, it’s just one tiny celebration, you say. Well, try on 5 kids for size, plus moms, dads, showers, Christmas....and suddenly the chemical ingestion content is off the charts. And this is just at my house alone...start adding other kids’ birthday parties and other adult parties and you have a frenzied liver by the end of the year. Do I sound a little neurotic? Well, so be it...a woman has to do what a woman has to do with her personality and I have to live with myself...so these are the entertaining muses I experience on pretty much a daily basis.

  Oh, one more thing. You don’t HAVE to shop at HEB for cake, you can go to Le Cake or some fabulous place and special order some fabulous little ditty for your party made with amazing ingredients. But the way God made me, this rubs my fur backwards. O.K. Pickup or takeout is supposed to make life easier, right? I think that’s for the single guy or that cute couple next door with no kids...for me, it’s a stress “adder”. And then there’s the cheap part of me that knows the $60.00 cake one just bought only cost $4.95 plus labor. There are some basic survival skills I have acquired as I have had more and more children. One....if you have to drive somewhere to get it (especially right before a party when you’re sweaty and covered with food), all this will do is add stress, not take it away. And two, it’s hard for me to part with money for a wad of sugar, butter, and flour....no matter how gorgeous the wad is...so, I have decided it’s time to learn to to bake. 

    I decided I would give myself 3-7 days to figure this out once and for all, and then I can bring it over to list number one. Now, I have not perfected the art, but I have figured out a couple of things. (which is sort of a big deal because the baby is taking all my dha right now and my brain has been put on “hold” for a few more weeks-I truly have a 12 cylinder brain, but right now it seems to only be operating on 2 cylinders, thinking it’s more like one...milk in the pantry, that sort of thing) Anyway, I have learned how to bake  cupcakes. I bought a cupcake recipe book written by a pastry chef. And the biggest “deal” with baking is this: YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS. This has been VERY hard for me. But I reasoned with myself until I got o.k. with it. You have to follow directions when you make soap, and I can do that. So, if I have to follow directions in order to get the desired result in baking...I just have to do it. O.K. number two is, DON’T FORGET TO FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS (and PRAY over the pan). Why this is so hard, not sure, but I am a substitute queen. And, once I decided to use regular flour (not spelt) butter (not coconut oil), and eggs that are at room temperature (like the recipe states), those little cakes came out of the oven like I had been baking forever.

    Now, I can tell there’s a big ‘ol learning curve on this. You have to try a recipe and then do different icings....that kind of thing to get it down to your personal science, but after a few successful tries (I’ve been baking up a storm over here), the confidence level is there now to bake for this shower. And really, that’s what we women need, right? to keep the fire stoked? A couple of good dishes, a realization that we can really do something...and then there’s wind in those sails to bring items on the group 2 list right on over to group 1 list and give a little pat on the back.

Herbs: Pregnancy, Postpartum, and Beyond

Today I bumped into D.D. at Chic Mama Maternity over on Stone Oak and 1604. SUCH a cute store! (FYI, they are celebrating mother’s day with a “photo op” package for pregnant moms, and then of the newborn after the birth). Anyway, I had mentioned some herbs to one of her employees and they were desperately searching to find what I had recommended...so, I thought it best to visit herbs all by themselves, away from vitamins. Vitamins are a daily thing, herbs are a “squirt as you need them” thang.

    My favorite one stop herb shop is www.wishgardenherbs.com They have the most comprehensive list of herbs for every phase of life a woman will go through from PMT to PMS to miscarriage to recovering mentally and hormonally from birth to menopause. Jenny, the owner, has a gift with herbs and everything I have taken from them works. Whole Foods now carries about ten of their mixtures, and it’s a good thing.

    Now, herbs, are expensive. BUT, so are drugs. And, herbs don’t have the side effects most drugs have. I have a few tinctures from wishgarden herbs that I really like and then, I found a couple of cheaper substitutes that seemed to do the trick as well. This time, I have not been as faithful with my raspberry tea. I usually drink it every day when I’m pregnant, but this is a “leaf” that keeps your uterus strong and vital. It doesn’t taste like much, so I just mix it with another tea of choice and plop it in the fridge.

    Ok, for labor and delivery, I use AfterEase for afterpains. These are not so bad the first time, but in subsequent births, this is a good one to have on hand. During birth, I like Smooth Transitions for during “transition”. If you have taken a Bradley Method birthing class, you will be very very familiar with this term and when it will occur during the birth. I’m finding not every woman seems to know this information and for me it has been an invaluable key to having a great birth. Google it or get a book on it, whatever you need to do, and then I will share my experience with transition. 

    In Bradley class, you learn that the first 5 centimeters of the cervix opening is the longest period of birth. This part can take HOURS and can frustrate the woman because she feels like she isn’t really advancing, when this is just the slowest part. Once you hit 5 centimeters, the cervix really starts to open and birth moves much more quickly. Around 8 centimeters, or right before pushing is the “transition” phase of birth. During this phase, the woman feels helpless, sometimes cries, and usually feels she cannot go on with birth at this point. Many women ask for drugs at this point. Being armed with this knowledge is “birth changing” BECAUSE, it only lasts a few contractions and then you are THERE. You are ready to push and the contraction part is over. 

    For me personally, knowledge has been SUCH a key to a fear free birth. If I know the signposts and I know what’s next and I know the normal emotions one should experience during the different phases of birth, I feel so much more in control, even in the “out of control” moments. During transition on the first three births, I emotionally experienced the helpless feeling, I shook, and I cried. Usually, this lasted one to two long contractions. Then, it was over and I had a 20 minute “rest” between final contractions and pushing. I would just sit and take a few breaths, drink some kool-aid, and then, it was time to push. On one of those first three births, my mid-wife gave me one dropperful of transition drops DURING transition. The few moments of that herb in my body, my emotions went from all time low to balanced in just a few seconds. 

    The last birth (number four), I had these drops in my hand and walked out to the hot tub, got into  the hot tub, and every contraction I took a dropperful in my mouth. I never experienced the lows and shaking or crying that I had the other births...and then I pushed for 45 seconds and the baby came out. It was the easiest thing I had done so far in my birth experiences. So, that’s my testimony on smooth transitions. Again, being armed with knowledge (use your local library and check out the Bradley Method book) helps SO SO much in birth. Your doctor, your friends, your mother, and your husband don’t know any of this information and even if they do, they forget to tell you.

    I have four bags of the AfterBirth Sitz bath herbs. I’m sure they are great, I just never sat in them. I probably will try this time and really wished I had the other times.

    For lactation, I honestly have never used the herbs from that site. I keep a giant bottle of Fenugreek on hand and if I need a lactation BOOST, I take a few of these vitamins and my milk increases. I get my vitamins from www.vitacost.com. I will give you a tip on mastitis, though. First of all, I LOVE my breastpads that I sew at home and wool breastpads. All of the paper products get old pretty quickly and I start craving cotton or a natural fiber against my skin. You can order the breastpads directly from me, they are $10 a pair if you want.

    Mastitis is basically an infection in one of your milk ducts. Be armed with THIS info., because you can get mastitis within 24 hours of the birth. It’s easy to take care of if you recognize it the minute it hits, but if it goes full blown, you have an intensely high fever and it’s hard to get on top of it as fast. O.K., when your breast gets tender “lumps” in it, that’s mastitis. I usually get it just on one side and many times it’s from stress, or just from being burned out from no sleep, having the baby, nursing, and then still no sleep. The SECOND you realize you have a painful lump, IMMEDIATELY RUN TO YOUR BED, LIE DOWN, and drink a gallon of water. Take vitamin C and rutin together and some zinc and massage your breast while you are in a hot shower. The faster you get on this, the faster the mastitis leaves. One of my friends rubs the outside of her breast with a salve. The main thing is doing whatever you normally do to fight an infection and doing it fast. I got really sick the first time I had this and fortunately one of my girlfriends gave me this advice....ever since, it’s been a piece of cake.

    Speaking of salves, wishgarden herbs has a great salve if you are already shopping there. The New Mother’s Nipple and Repair Salve is nice. I have moved on to a salve I got from the local farmer, but now I know what to look for as far as ingredients go. A salve is a MUST. You MUST have a salve on hand before the birth. This will soothe nipples, bottoms (yours and babies’) breasts, and more. Since the birth I do not travel nor do I leave the house without salve on my personage. It’s first aid in a can and basically has all the ingredients one needs for healing skin. If you happen to tear during the birth, this will help all heal that much faster.

    Postpartum herbs: Baby Blues Mood Support and/or ReBalance: Hormonal Tonic. Keep these on hand just in case. I found my emotions went nuts after the first one and it was such a surprise and unknown/unexpected thing for me that I was not prepared at all. The cheaper “local” item I have found even at HEB grocery stores is called “Bach’s rescue Remedy” a mood and stress support herbal drops bottle. Just squirt some in your mouth and you immediately feel your mood and hormones “lift”. This last time, I just had these drops on hand and they worked great. Just squirt until you find you don’t need to squirt anymore.

    Finally, the last 5 weeks of pregancy, I take 5-W. This is available through Nature’s sunshine or something like that. It’s one of those tier companies, but the herbs in this formula prepare your body, uterus...for birth. I have done these every time.

    Hope this helps. I have a dear friend who educated me on herbs before my first birth, and I will forever be grateful for her information. 

    

The Word and Taking Time For Him

The following is an excerpt from New Creation Realities by E.W. Kenyon. It is so easy in this day and time, and ESPECIALLY with small children and pregnancy to let time with God slip. E.W. Kenyon was born in 1867 and died in 1948. Some of his writings are so profound, I’m glad his books are still in print.

    “Our attitude toward the Word determines the place that God holds in our daily life.

    The Word should always be the Father speaking to us. It should never be like the message from an ordinary book. It should be as real to you as though the Master stood in the room and spoke to you personally.

    This Word was designed by the Father to take Jesus’ place in His absence.

    When He says, “The Father Himself loveth you,” it is a personal message to your heart.

    When the Master said again, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word; and the Father and I will love him and make our home with him,” that should be as personal as though you were the only one in the world.

    It is as though you were sitting at the feet of Jesus, and He looked down into your face and said, “The Father and I will come and make our home with you.

    “Be not dismayed, for I am your God.

    “I am going to be your strength; I am going to lend to you my own ability.    

    “When weakness comes, remember that I am the strength of your life.

    When you need finances, remember that I said, ‘My Father knoweth that you have need of all these things.”

    You can whisper to your own heart, “My Father will supply every need of mine. He knows my needs and loves me. He and I are one.”

    Man’s word is usually dead before the printer has finished his work. Few words of man live after a generation, but God’s Word is different. It is impregnated with the very Life of God, it is eternal. Heb. 4:12,13 gives us and illustration: (Moffat’s Translation) “For the Logos of God is a living thing, active and more cutting than any sword with double edge, penetrating to the very division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow-scrutinizing the very thoughts and conceptions of the heart. And no created thing is hidden from him; all things lie open and exposed before the eyes of Him with whom we have to reckon.”

    This is one of the strangest statements about the Word in Paul’s Epistles.

    Notice this 13th verse: “That no created thing is hidden from Him.”    

    Of whom is he speaking? The Living Word-the Logos.

    “And all things lie open and exposed before the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”

    The Word takes on personality; it becomes Christ Himself.

    Our contact with the Master, then, is through His Word.

    And did you notice, “the eyes of Him.” The Word then has eyes. It sees our conduct, our attitude toward it. It is a Living thing.

    How deeply that should impress us.

    I hold in my hands a Book with the very Life of God in it, a Book that scrutinizes my conduct; that judges me.

    A Book that feeds this inner man-my spirit.    

    It imparts Faith to my Spirit, builds Love into it.

    God’s only means of reaching me is through His Word. So the Word becomes a vital thing.

    It has been rather difficult for some of us to grasp the fact that during the first century, the Christian Church did not have our New Testament.

    The first epistle that Paul wrote to the Thessalonians was the beginning of the New Testament. It was written seventeen years after his conversion.

    1 Thess. 2:13, “wherefore I also give continual thanks to God, because when you heard from me the Spoken Word of God, you received it not as the word of man, but, as it is in truth, the Word of God; who Himself works effectually in you that believe.” (Conybeare).

    Notice, it was “the Spoken Word.” That was all they had...whether Paul gave it, or Peter , or John, or any of the Apostles.

    It was God speaking through human lips.

    It had not yet been put into writing.

    Now you can better understand Acts 19:20 telling of that great revival at Ephesus.

    Luke used this expression: “So mightily grew the Word of the Lord and prevailed.”

    It was the Spoken Word.

    The Pauline Revelation was only known to those who had heard him. The other Apostles did not have it. They had what the Spirit gave them to meet the emergency of the hour.

    It is a fact that Christianity is what the Word says about Redemption, about the Body of Christ, or the New Creation.

    We become Christlike in the measure that the Word prevails in us.

    The Word is Christ revealed.

    The Word is God present with us, speaking the Living Message of the Loving Father God.

    The Word is always NOW.

    It is His Word to me today. It is His voice, His last message.

    It becomes a Living thing in my heart as I lovingly act upon it.

    It becomes a Living thing on the lips of Love.

    It has no power on the lips of those whose lives are out of fellowship with Him, who live in the reason realm.

    His Word makes our ministry limitless.

    His Word is what He is.

    It is the mind of the Father.

    It is the Will of the Father.

    It shows the way to the Father.

    The Word is the Father speaking.

    You notice that it is always in the present tense.

    The Word is the Bread of Heaven, food for our Spirits.

    Matt. 4:4, “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

    Jer. 15:16 says, “thy words were found, and I did eat them. Thy words were unto me a joy and rejoicing of my heart.”

    Job tells us how precious the Word is to him. Job 23:12. “I have not gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured up the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.”

    When a child of God looks upon the Word as Job did, then it becomes a Reality in his daily life.

    Job had not Written Word; he had the Word spoken by angels.

    We have the Written Word.

    We have it printed in many forms so we may carry it in our pocket.

    How little we have appreciated the value of His message.

    Ps. 107:20 “he sent His Word and healed them.”

    That Living Word that He sent was Jesus.

    Mark 16:19-20: “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken unto them, was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the Word by the signs that followed.”

    Notice that the Lord worked with them.

    I believe that a revival would break out almost anywhere if the Lord worked with those who preach, and if the Word was as real to them as the Spoken Word was real to the Early Church.

    But the word of man has gained the ascendancy and has more authority than His Word has today.

    He confirms the Word today everywhere that it is preached.

    I want you to notice how the Father makes the Word good in the lives of men and women as they dare to act upon it.

    In the closing sentence of the Gospel of Matthew, “lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age,” the believer can be sure that though he be forsaken by all others, there is One who will stand by him.

    But the thing that has most deeply impressed my heart is the Reality of God in the Word.

    He is not only in the Word, but He breathes His very life through it as it is unfolded.

    He said, Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

    He is in the midst of them in the Word.

    Jesus said, “if ye love me, the Father and I will come and make our home with you” (John 14:23)

    If we could only realize that when we open the Word, it is a Living Thing we are implanting in the hearts of men.

    The Word is God present with us speaking the Living Message of the LIving Father God.

    It is the NOW Word from Him to me. It is His voice.

    It becomes a living thing in the heart of Faith.

    In Rom. 10:8 it is called the “Word of Faith.”

    It is His Word that gives birth to faith in the believer. It is God’s faith expressed.

    You see, He is a Faith God and He always uses words to do things.

    Heb. 11:3 “By faith we understand that the worlds have been framed by the Word of God.”

    Hear Him whisper, “By myself have I sworn” (Gen 22:16).

    Hw was in the Word. The Word was a part of Him.

    You can’t separate a man from his words; neither can you separate the Father from His Words.

    How it thrilled me when I read in Heb. 7:22 that Jesus is the surety of the New Covenant.

    The New Covenant is the Word, and He is the Surety of the Word.

    The Word was a living fact when Jesus spoke it. It is still a living fact.

    Jesus was a part of all He said; He and His Word were one.

    Jesus is just as real now as He was the Day He arose from the dead.

    His Word is just as real now as when He inspired John or Pter or Paul to write it.

    What He said was a part of Himself.

    Reality throbs in it, flows through it, lives in it.

    The Word was, the Word is now what it was then.

    Here are some other assurances:

    Psa. 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd.”

    John 10:14, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd.”

    Isa. 41:10, “Fear thou not, for I am with thee: be not dismayed, for I am thy God.”

    Rom. 8:31, “If God is for you, who can be against you?”

    Phil. 4:13, “I can do all things in Him who strengtheneth me.”

    Psa. 271:, “ God is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?”

    Phil. 4:19, “My God shall supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

    Psa. 121:1,2, “my help cometh from the Lord.”

    PSa. 84:5, “my strength is in Him.”

    Psa. 62:5-8 “God is my refuge.”

    These are Living Words, and as you feed on them they build you up.

    The knowledge of what Christ is and has done for you personally, builds faith in you.

    When I turn to the WOrd and read it as His message to me, He confirms that Message in my life.

    He confirmed the covenant made with Abraham.

    He confirmed the Word that Jesus spoke through the Apostles. (Mark 16:20).

    Jesus said in John 14:15, “If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments.”

    What was His commandment? That we love one another.

    He that loveth me and keepeth My Word, he it is, you see, that the Father loves.

    Here are some other facts that we ought to remember.

    John 16:8,9, “When He (the Spirit) is come, He will convict the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on Me; of righteousness, because I go unto the Father; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.”

    What is going to convince the world?

    Words in the lips of Faith.

    Only that Living Word in the lips of Faith can take the place of an absent Christ.

    The Word talks to us. It takes the place of Jesus.

    The Word is the Father speaking to us now.

    It has the same authority that it would have if the Master stood in the room and spoke it.

    Faith in the Father is Faith in His Word.

    The Word takes on all that our Faith demands.

    Jesus said, “According to your faith, so be it unto you.”

    As you consider the Word and act upon it, it will become real to you.

    This Book, the Living Word, has God in it.

    The Word takes the place of the unseen Jesus.

    Mediation in the Word is like a visit with Jesus,

    Josh 1:8, God told Joshua to meditate in the Word day and night; in other words, to live in it.

    Jesus said in John 8:31 “Abide in My Word.”

    the Word gets into your blood, into your system and becomes a part of you.

    The Word is inspired. Holy men spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, as they were borne along in their spirit life.

    God spoke by the mouth of the holy prophets.

    “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.”

    Every word that God speaks has life in it.

    Remember Heb. 4:12: “The LOGOS of God is a Living Thing.”

    It is not like man’s words which die after a generation; God’s Word lives.

    I love to think of it as the ‘prevailing Word,” as it was in Ephesus. How it ruled over that wicked city!

    Today the Logos of God is ruling in the hearts of those who yield to its sway.

    The Word has the authority of God in it now.    

    It has the Righteousness of God in it.

    It has Recreating power for the unsaved.

    It has healing power for the sick.

    IT is the very Bread of Heaven to the hungry in spirit.

    I wish that it could be like this: that when you pick up the Word it will mean that God is present with you and that the Word is His attitude toward you now.

    It is His attitude toward sin, toward Redemption, toward Righteousness, toward Eternal Life, toward the Sons and Daughters of God.

    That is the Father’s attitude toward all the issues of life.

    My word is my will. The Word is the Will of the Father.

    God watches over His Word.

    What God says is, becomes.

    God is Truth, so I will be true.

    God is LIght, so I will walk in the Light.

    You see, we learn to act on the Word, as we act on the word of a banker or a lawyer in some crisis in our life.

    I wonder if you ever realized that the Father is jealous over His Word.

    He never set a low estimate upon it. He holds it in the highest regard.

    If He said it, that ends it.

    To His enemies, it is but paper and ink; but to the Lovers, it is Life and health; it is joy unspeakable.

    The preaching that produces little conviction, is caused by the Word not having been in the heart of the teacher.

    We are to be sowers of the word.

    Jesus gave us in Matt.13 a marvelous picture of the art of preaching.

    It is sowing the Word. If falls upon all kinds of hearts, but the irrigation of the soil is dependent upon the sower.

    If we irrigate it with prayer and sometimes with tears, it is bound to bring forth a harvest.

    Some of us forget the Word in hard places.

    Unconsciously we walk by sight. The senses take the reality away from the Word, but as the spirit gains the ascendancy over the senses, the Word once more has its place.

    Remember, your word is you. You must learn to say, “I gave my word; I must keep it, no matter what it costs.”

    If your word is of no value, you will reason that the Word of God is of no value.

    I have found that unbelief in the Word of God is largely because of people’s lack of faith in their own word.

    If you want to build the highest type of faith, be a faithful person yourself. Believe in your own word.

    Establish a reputation for truth; then the Word will be that to you in your life.

    Here are some little facts that may mean much to your life.

    The Word is on my hands. What am I going to do with it?

    Am I going to act upon it, let it govern my life, or will I just study it?

    Will I sit in the Bible class and study it and then go back to my room and study it but not live it? Not let it become a part of my life, but just an intellectual exercise?

    The Word is taking the Master’s place in my life.

    What I do with the Word will determine what the Word will do to me one of these days.

    The Word will work in  me, building Jesus’ life in me, building Life, Faith, Love, Grace and strength into me, or else it will judge me in the last day.

    What will it do for me? It will work for me.

    If I preach it and live it, it will work for me. It will reveal the very riches of my inheritance to me.

    It will give me courage to enter into and enjoy my inheritance.

    It will build the Master’s steadfastness into me.

    The very character of Christ will be built into me, and only He know what it will do through me.    

    It has saved the lost; it has healed the sick; it has built faith and love in multitudes.

    Let the Word of Christ then dwell in you richly.    

    You can so soak in the Word and the Word so soak in you, that your word and God’s Word become blended into one.

    It will be your language and your words, but it will be His Word.

    His Word in you becomes a part of you.

    It has made you what you are; it will make others like you.

    You are lost in the Word, but the Word is found in you.

    The Word became Flesh once. It is becoming spirit in your spirit.

    The Word dwells richly in your practice, in your conversation, in your prayer, in your convictions.

    You are using the Word to cast out diseases, to bring money to people, to save lost souls.

    This Word and you have become one.

    You remember that for more than fifty years after Christ’s death, the Written Word was known only in a very limited way.

    The New Testament wasn’t brought together until the middle of the second century.

    The Words that Jesus spoke were not yet written. It was the “Spoken Word,” but He was in it. They were a part of Christ and they breathed Christ’s Nature.

    Remember, the Word of God liveth and abideth. All right, speak the Word, and it will live in the lives of men who hear you.

    He said, “I watch over my Word.” He will watch over the Word you preach and teach.

    Jesus said, “If my words are living in you and you are speaking them, I will live in them as they pass from your lips.”

    The Word of Christ becomes a living thing in your lips.

    Speak the Word fearlessly.

    Let the Word live in you gloriously and richly.”

Excerpted from: New Creation Realities, E.W. Kenyon (Seventeenth Printing,2000)

    

    

Why I like my Ipod-or how to enjoy crying kids and lots of ‘em

Most people, when they see my crew out in public, decide I might be a little crazy or a have a little lack of self control when it comes to “affairs” with my husband. Hmm, o.k., I guess I plead “guilty” to a little of both. What is a young woman like me doing with 4 kids 6 and under and one in the oven? I love to watch people’s expression as they nervously dance around our crowd and can’t help but ask, are ALL THESE YOURS????!!! I’ve had a few older women sympathetically say, it gets easier honey...just you wait and see. But what people don’t know is I’m secretly having a blast. 

    Yes, there are times I would like to send  my crew up the street to a neighbor’s house and tell them not to come home for a day or two....but everyone has those moments, don’t they? No, what I do when it gets a little loud for my taste, is I just put my ipod in my ears. I leave the volume right at the point where I can hear what I’m listening to, but I can stay in tune with the household at the same time. 

    If you don’t want to spring for an Ipod, the next best thing is a pair of ear plugs....those squishy $1 kind. It will just “mute” the crying or screaming or tired noises enough to where your sanity is still intact. But what I really like about the ipod is I can fill up on awesome tunes or preaching or an audiobook and feel as if someone is giving me a big emotional hug while seeing mouths around me moving and moving, but not getting the overload of baby emotions in my ears.

    This is my trick for sanity. I just love it. I asked for a Louis Vuitton fanny pack a couple of years ago with this “ipod” plan in mind and it has worked BEAUTIFULLY. Even at 6 months pregnant, the fanny pack clings to my stomach while I pump the tunes and sew and play and spend time cooking or with the kids. And I don’t feel so overwhelmed by noise. I figured out a few months ago that I am EXTREMELY auditory. What comes in my ears has a very big impact on me. I like swimming as a sport because no noise is coming in my earlobe. Total peace. I realized I was jogging on the treadmill and the t.v. (times 5), the people, the music in the loudspeakers, was stressing me out. So, when I started swimming laps, my refreshment from exercise went way up. I also like walking outside. Walking with four kids....definitely wear an ipod....there will be falls, some will lag behind, some will run ahead, and get ready because the security guard in the development WILL roll his window down and tell you to stay closer to your kids...at which point you tell him if you run, pee will come down your leg, at which point the 16 year old security guard will again tell you to get closer to the group (not sure which “end” of the group I’m to stick to), but when I put my ipod back in my ear and continue pushing the 1 year old....all is right again in the world.