Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Wow, has it been hard to do anything online lately, never mind blog! I've lacked the time, energy and motivation to keep up here, and I marvel at those writers whose blogs I follow where they are able to blog a couple times a week - kudos to you faithful bloggers out there! Most of the blogs I tend to check out on a semi-regular basis are written by moms with young children, homeschool and have a daily active spiritual life - who can do that?!? If nothing else though, they help to inspire me and help keep me focused on what's important.

After a very long and continually sick winter, it's amazing how much illness can change my outlook on life. It's hard to feel fulfilled in my role as wife and mother when I just don't have the energy to accomplish much during the day. Depending on others is tough to do when it seems like a constant thing and threatens to turn one into feeling like a "charity case." Feeling sick all the time creates guilt and places a strain on the marriage because it doesn't allow space for others (like my husband) to feel needy.

I finally had a couple of weeks of good health, and all of a sudden, life became more manageable, more than just tolerable. I was more energetic, and the house started to look like a home more than a pig sty. My children finally got to eat more than hots dogs, chicken nuggets and frozen pizza (much to their chagrin). I was checking out Flylady everyday and seeing how I could "bless my house". Life was looking up, and nature was singing. Hope springs eternal, right?

Then allergy season took over...

(x%^$#%@*! &^%$*#@? %#@<*! %#$@*&^! %*#&@^%!!) Though these may look like swears, it's just my brain screaming while drugged up on allergy meds...either that or it's some algebraic equation that my befuddled brain just created.

And I just want to know the secret to being content in all things.

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13

I'm hoping this secret Paul's talking about isn't too hard to find out. Maybe the secret is contained in the last sentence, "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Strength is definitely something I've been lacking, and at this point I can't do anything through my own pathetic power. So trying to cowboy up and getting over my cranky, lethargic attitude naturally hasn't been working for me. Maybe I'll try the supernatural route again and give my day over to God again and see what happens. Maybe the baby will magically stop whining and crying all day long over his teething pain, the boys will behave angelically and my allergies will suddenly disappear. Then again maybe I can get through the baby's incessant whining by God's grace, the boys' sibling squabbles by God's grace and this season's fatigue, itchy eyes/runny nose and nausea by God's grace. Truly living by God's grace makes me feel very small and powerless which is what I keep discovering I am anyway.

Over 2 Million Red Envelopes!!!

Read an article about the results of this year's
Red Envelope Project and how it became
"larger than most White House mailing movements in the last 35 years"!

Were you able to get any red envelopes out on March 15th? I was fortunate my husband finally found some for me to prepare and mail out. I ended up using my printer to print out the White House address and the pro-life message on the envelopes. Because the printing job was a bigger pain than expected, I ended up with three blank red envelopes left. Not wanting any to go to waste, I chose to hand write one envelope and then gave the other two to my husband and daughter to hand write. My husband later commented to me, "I'm really glad you made me do that. Handwriting it made it seem more real for me, much more personal and brought home why we were doing this in the first place." As you can see in the picture, we then added a sticker of a newborn baby on each envelope and mailed them.

Scanning the news online a day or two later, I had a hard time finding any mention of the mass mailing. I thought there would be some blip somewhere about it, but nothing that I could find. Finally Red Envelope Project (which is now being called The LIFE Envelope Project) alerted me to an article written by World Net Daily (above). The Red Envelope Day has already started plans for another mass mailing next year on January 22, 2010. So if you missed this year's opportunity, you can join in on it again next year. Every voice counts as we stand up for those with no voices.

Update:

Message from Christ Ott, founder of the Red Envelope Day movment

Dear Friends:

Thank you for your feedback and your help in sending red envelopes to the White House. Because of this grassroots effort, 2.25 million empty red envelopes were put in the mail on Tuesday, March 31. This number does not include those sent before or those sent after. Although we may never hear about how the President responded to this effort, I know that this movement has been a success. Here are a few examples:

The director of one of the largest Pro-Life organizations in the country told me that the red envelope movement has done more to unite and encourage Pro-Life organizations than anything he has seen in his experience. Thousands of young people, including many children, learned about the value of life, and their right and responsibility to speak to elected officials.
Churches from across the denominational spectrum joined hands in prayer and action.
Hundreds of women who have suffered because of an abortion were given a voice.
The faith of thousands was encouraged as they saw God provide funds for envelopes and stamps. Several organizations printed envelopes, and all of them report that they needed to continue to order more.

So what’s next for this movement?

It is important to continue to be LIFE focused. Two great ways are through education and action. I recommend contacting the Life Issues Institute at info@lifeissues.org. I also strongly recommend the work of Bound4LIFE under the direction of Matt Lockhart at contact@bound4life.com.

And most important of all, pray. Pray that God brings more creative, witty, unusual ideas to promote life. From the pro-abortion emails I have received, it is clear that there isn’t much creativity in their movement. With God’s help, we can win in the realm of ideas.

I will be returning to my main mission in the coming days. For the past year I have been laying the ground work for a center of prayer in Boston, Massachusetts. My mission is to create an interdenominational prayer center that will contend for the spiritual heritage of our nation. In addition to this, I am partnering with a group committed to obtaining the Northfield School, founded by Dwight L. Moody. Northfield was once a center for the Student Volunteer Movement, a movement of young people who committed themselves to foreign missions. The goal is to create ministry base that will care for orphans, be a training center, and be a center for prayer.

If you would like to know more about this, please send a reply to this email with “YES, I WANT TO KNOW MORE” in the subject.

Brian Potter is going to continue with the red envelope idea and he does this with my blessings. If you sent an email though the Redenvelopeday.com site, Brian will be contacting you with future events related to the red envelope project.

Thanks so much.

Warmly,

Christ Otto

–
Christ Otto, founder
of the Red Envelope Project