Author: Jodie

Roots

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(Originally posted on The Bullard Pack blog on 5/19/10) 
Our girls and I have been studying Apologia Science: Botany for the past several months, and I must admit, classifying plants is not the most exciting topic of learning for me! Last week we read and discussed the function and need of roots for plants and trees. Like everything that God has created, they have a purpose.
Without roots, plants, trees, flowers and the like would not obtain the water and nutrition they need to sustain growth. They would also constantly be at the mercy of the elements. Rain would soak the ground and wash them away. Wind would blow them over, even, perhaps transporting them to another location. And without a firm base, or foundation within the soul beneath them, the plant would simply cease to exist.
On a recent hike with my husband up to Linville Falls, we made our way over and around several roots that had grown over the walking trails. My mind began bringing back the reasons why roots continue to reach out and grow wherever they can, whether it be deep beneath the earth, on top of the ground, or over existing trees, plants or other roots. Suffice to say, roots are relentless in their pursuit of growth. If their roots stop growing, they die.
Roots. What are my roots? Whom or what sustains me? Who is my strength when the elements of life overtake me? Where do I draw my nourishment from?
Although I have known about God for pretty much my entire life, I never really knew Him until I became an adult. I remember, sitting on our bed, 9 months pregnant with our first child when the floodgates opened in my soul. Through the sobbing and tears, I confessed to my husband that I didn’t think God could love me. I had turned my back on Him, and done so many sinful things that I knew He couldn’t forgive them all. In fact, I couldn’t even forgive myself. As my husband held me, he whispered “God loves you Jodie….all you have to do is ask for forgiveness, and He will give it to you. Ask Him to be your Savior” After a few rounds with the box of Kleenex, I did, and as they say, the rest is history……………
As I look back on the past decades of my life, I cringe at how, at times, my relationship with God has been so lukewarm. Only in the last few years have I really begun to develop deep roots in my life as a follower of Christ. Thank the Lord that through prayer and persistence and patience I have gradually, over time, immersed myself in the rich soil of God’s love and will for my life. I finally began getting up before the sun rises (did I mention that I HATE mornings? J) to read the Word and pray. I finally began praying for people when they asked me to (sometimes at that moment, in front of them!). I finally began sharing my failures with others, in order to encourage them in their faith in Jesus Christ. I finally became intentional about teaching our children about God and His love. For years I prayed for God to give me the desire to do all these things, and slowly, over time, He did. Of course, I had to actually get up and DO some of them, even when I didn’t (and still don’t!) feel like it.
Now that I have developed some roots, does that mean I’m done growing? Of course not! Even if I become a  giant redwood with roots as thick as a truck, it doesn’t mean I stop replenishing, maintaining, and feeding the soil in which I live in. In order to live a blessed life in which God will one day say “well done, my good and faithful servant,” (Matthew 25:23) I must continue to find sustenance  in God’s Word, stability in His Spirit and forgiveness in His Son. For without them, I will surely die. Maybe not a physical death- yet, but a spiritual one, and that, my friend is much worse.
– Jodie

My dad & The Ingalls

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(Originally posted on The Bullard Pack blog on 3/18/10)
My oldest 2 girls and I recently began our year long reading commitment of the “Little House” series, beginning with “Little House in the Big Woods.” During one of our recent conversations of a “Prairie Primer” question, we discussed the difference in chores done by the Ingalls family and the Bullard Pack.
Even though their family is from a different century, the work required to keep their family functioning is very similar to ours. Except, of course, we have the luxury of modern machinery to help us do our chores much faster, and with less physical labor!
The topic of most interest to us was what they DIDN’T do. On Sunday- that is. They didn’t do any chores. They didn’t work in the fields. They didn’t drive the buggy to church (b/c hitching up the horses would require work). They didn’t cook any meals (they ate cold food leftover from the day before). They believed in and obeyed what God said in His Word about having 1 day of rest, and 6 days to do your work.
So how come I always forget that????
When I was younger I remember my dad used to raise his voice to my mother, sister and I if we were “caught” doing chores on Sunday. He would gently remind us that it was the Sabbath day, and it was to be Holy. Come to think of it, he continues to remind me & my sister of that!
I tried to follow my father’s example after I got married.
Then we had a baby (obviously you can’t leave a newborn to tend to herself all day on Sunday…..right?).
Then came another baby.
Then came serving at church (sometimes 3 services on Sunday).
Then came another baby.
Then we moved & had no responsibilities on Sundays for a while.
Then we found another church home & began serving again (only 1 or 2 services on Sunday)
Then came another baby.
Now, we are doing church at home & traveling to another city to help lead worship once or twice a month.  
When I try to rest on Sunday, my mind wanders:
“I might as well get a jump start on the laundry that is piled up…..”
“The house is a mess, what if someone “drops by?”……”
“All the dishes are in the dishwasher, someone has to empty it…….”
“There’s “nothing” to eat…………I guess I’m make something for the family………..”
“I forgot to pay the bills !!!! …………..”
“I need to prepare for this week’s bible study…………….”
“What activities do the kids have scheduled this week???? ……………………”
“I need to go to the grocery store…………….”
Then I get up and go DO it!!!!
Of course, after a period of several weeks………it happens………..MELTDOWN!!! I realize I’m over committed (& so are the children), I’m tired. I’m sick –literally. I can’t fall asleep, or stay asleep. I’ve had NO rest.
After the crying, I begin asking myself the question: What needs to go????
My first answer came from talking with my husband this past Sunday: No more chores on the Sabbath!!! Period.
Then, I got my second answer from my mother this morning.
We were sitting in the living room, sipping our coffee & chatting (while I was simultaneously checking fb b/c a friend called to tell me there was an inappropriate post on my wall!). After a few moments, my mom simply said “you know Jodie, THAT requires a lot of time and attention.” I quickly replied: “I know, I know…BUT, it’s a great way to stay connected with people…………” And then it sunk in (later, of course- yeah, it might be a good thing, but my life is running over with all kinds of good things. Good things are what rob my time and distract me from focusing on the GREAT things that I am supposed to be doing, to fulfill my purpose, in Christ).
Exodus 20:  8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
So what are some of the things that are keeping you from RESTING ? Do you have too many good things to do during the other 6 days, and they are spilling over into the Sabbath???
Wonder what my dad and the Ingalls would say about that????
– Jodie

Choices

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(Originally posted on The Bullard Pack blog on 7/20/09)
Quite regularly, I find myself overwhelmed w/ my “to do” list. Recently, after having another one of my “I want to go to a private island and never return episodes….” I cried out to God and asked “what do YOU expect from me?!” His response was quite clear. I am to be His child. I am to be a wife. I am to train and teach my children. I am to invite and serve others in our home. After receiving that renewed sense of purpose, I knew that I had to get rid of some of the excess in my life. In order to do that, I had to make some tough choices. Some of those choices involved personal sacrifice. Some of them required swallowing my pride. And some of them I just needed to give back to God to control! Regardless of the outcome, I needed to make them, or I would continue to spiral out of control
In Disney’s “The Little Mermaid”, Ariel is faced with a life altering choice. She will have to give her voice to Ursula, the great sea witch, in order be transformed from a mermaid to a human. While contemplating her decision, Ariel speaks about all the things she will have to give up. Ursula responds, with great sarcasm, “Life’s full of tough choices, isn’t it?” Despite her fear, Ariel summons up the courage to make her choice…she chooses to sacrifice everything to be with Eric, the human that she loves.
Sometimes, out of fear, we choose to do nothing about our circumstances. Sometimes, out of selfishness we make the wrong choices. Sometimes, we contemplate our decisions carefully, and make the right one!
Do you have some choices to make? Don’t let fear or selfishness deter you. Make the right choice!
“…..choose today whom you will serve.” Joshua 24:15

Who’s my neighbor?

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(Originally posted to The Bullard Pack blog on 7/14/09)

Jesus stated that we are to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength…..and love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:29-31)
Who are our neighbors? Are they just the people that live next door to us? I believe our neighbors are everyone around us.
My closest neighbors are my husband and 4 children. They give me a LOT of opportunities to love and serve them every minute of the day!!! Hugs, kisses, laundry, cooking, cleaning, teaching…..
Then I have my neighbors that live next door. On one side we have a single mother with 2 children. I have an opportunity to love her daughter almost every day when she comes over to play, and share meals, and talk about…whatever.
Then we have our friend neighbors. For the past 6 months or so, I have spent countless hours talking to, praying with, and encouraging a friend who is in the midst of a painful separation from her husband. Ironically, it has been a blessing to me to witness her relationship w/ God grow to a much deeper level.
We also have extended family neighbors. Periodically this summer we are hosting our niece who is living a life of bitterness and hopelessness. We hope to show her an extraordinary kind of love while she’s here. The only kind of love that is full of hope; the love of Jesus.
I also walk past neighbors every time I go to the grocery store. These are my stranger neighbors. I don’t know these people, but I can still show them love by little acts of kindness. All it takes is a smile, or opening a door for them, or letting them go ahead of me in line b/c they look like they are in a hurry.
We have neighbors all around us. The question is…do we look for opportunities to love them, or are we just too busy in our lives to notice them, or even care?
Love your neighbor. It’s a simple command. But we must be intentional to DO it!
–Jodie

Weeds

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Every summer, when my sister and I were growing up, we were given the task of weeding the mountain on the side of our parent’s property (ok, it was a slight HILL…but a kid’s perspective is much different!).  Each morning, just before the California sun was beginning to emerge,our mom would arm us with weeding tools and send us out to tackle the dew covered mountain.
I hated weeding. I grumbled and complained the entire time- yanking those suckers out as fast as I could. I didn’t care that Gardening 101 stated that we should pull them out by the roots, or else they would continue to grow. All I knew was that every summer there was a mountain of weeds to pull anyway! I just wanted to get the chore done as fast as possible so I could get back to riding my banana seat bike with the cool FM radio.  
Sorry, I digress…………..
While drinking my cup of coffee on the front stoop this morning, the sun begin to peek through the clouds and I watched the steam lift off the dew covered grass. The North Carolina humidity felt like 100% as I strolled through the yard, surveying the plants and trees that were soaking in the rain from last night’s shower. Then I saw them. Those pesky weeds!!! They must have hopped a 747 from California and planted themselves in our yard!!!! As I squatted down and began pulling them out God reminded me of all the roots my husband and I brought from our respective childhood homes. Most of them, unbeknownst to us, hopped right into our honeymoon luggage and planted themselves in the yard of our first home. And, every time we moved…you guessed it….they followed us!!!
A very wise friend once told me “we all have “weeds” that have grown in our soul since we were kids”…..and a lot of them hitch a ride into our marriages. Some “weeds” appear to look like a beautiful flowering vine. Others linger below the surface of the earth, but then push through the soil and quickly choke out everything around it. Then there are those nasty, thorny “weeds” that stand their ground as long as they can, b/c everyone is afraid to touch them. As the homeowner of these “weeds” we are responsible for getting those suckers out of our yard!!! Sure, we can spray them with weed killer, but that only stunts their growth for a period of time. Or, we can half-heartedly yank at them, and pull the tops off, leaving the root to continue to grow below the surface. But, the most effective form of weed control is to arm ourselves with the tool that the Master Gardener has given us: The Holy Spirit. He only is the only one that can uproot our “weeds.”
My husband can attest to the fact that I still HATE pulling weeds. When we moved to our current home, I struck a deal with him; he takes care of all the yard maintenance and I take care of the inside. Happily, he agreed, b/c he loves to go outside and piddle in the yard!! In the case of our personal “weeds”, though- one spouse can’t extract the other spouse’s weeds from the garden they share. “Weeding” has to be done on an individual basis, by allowing the Holy Spirit to expose and uproot the “weed” that needs to go. However, if one spouse refuses to allow any uprooting, their “weeds” will begin to choke out their spouses “weeds” (or any healthy growing plants that have been planted).  When that happens, the spouse that has been tending the garden sees the slight hill grow into a daunting mountain, and usually decides it would be easier to take their remaining “weeds” to another plot of land.
Maybe you HATE weeding like I do. Or perhaps you’ve never taken a Gardening 101 class. As a fellow gardener in training, I suggest you meet the Master Gardner, and then find someone who can teach the class (a mentor, counselor, etc). Your yard (& your spouse) will thank you for it!
Now……let’s go pull some weeds!!!

-Jodie

Healing = Pain

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In March, I went into my dentist’s office to be fitted for a crown. After being escorted to my BARCO-lounger, my bib was placed around my neck and I opened up to say “ahhh” for the very large needle full of numbing medication. A few moments later, the dentist began drilling the cavity out, and pain began shooting through my jaw line. I muffled out: “ooooOOWWa….stop!!! I received ANOTHER very large needle full of numbing medication.  A few moments later, the dentist began drilling the cavity out- AGAIN, and pain began shooting through my jaw line-AGAIN.  I muffled out: “ooooOOWWa….stop!!!”- AGAIN!
I received ANOTHER very large needle full of numbing medication.  A few moments later, the dentist began drilling the cavity out- AGAIN, and pain began shooting through my jaw line-AGAIN.  This time, I just sucked it up and allowed the dentist to finish the procedure.Hours later, as the numbing medication wore off I began to experience sharp, stabbing pain shooting through my jaw line-AGAIN! I called the dentist, and received my first round of pain med’s.
Several days later; I went back to the dentist and was told that I would need a root canal. I received more pain medication and a round of antibiotics.
A few days after that, I went back to the dentist for more numbing and drilling. At the end of that visit the dentist told me she couldn’t complete the root canal because it was a “difficult” tooth. I was then referred to an endodontist. That experience turned out to be much like the prior. The “specialist” attempted to complete the root canal- twice. Again, the pain persisted, and I was given another round of pain medication and antibiotics.

A few weeks later…..I returned to my dentist to discover that the only option now was to extract the tooth. And so, we did. You would think this is the end of the tooth saga, right?
WRONG!
After the extraction, I incurred a dry socket. I then tried every pain remedy known to man. Nothing worked. I returned- AGAIN, to my dentist office and was told that the pain could be because the infection had spread to the bone. WHAT????!!!!!! My 3rd round of antibiotics was administered.
3 ½ months later, the great chasm in my mouth is finally beginning to heal. I have prayed daily, sometimes hourly for God to relieve me of this suffering. I have had friends and family praying for me, laying hands on me, rebuking the powers of darkness from me………….but to no avail. A few days ago, in complete desperation, I literally cried out to God; “why won’t you take this pain away!??!!” After I finished whining and blowing my nose, I heard Him say “because you have something to learn from this.”
In that moment, I thought of Jesus. The suffering He endured was far greater than mine, and He deserved none of it. I wept uncontrollably.
Kind of puts things in perspective doesn’t it?
But that wasn’t the only thing my Father wanted to teach me……..
Healing = Pain.
Whether it’s a physical healing, such as a broken bone that has to be re-set, or casted, or an emotional healing that was caused by a deep hurt long ago, the healing process is usually painful. That is why most of us chose to stick an emotional band-aid (denial, blaming others, anger, etc…) on that sucker!!!
The thing is, you can only cover up an emotional infection for so long.
I was told by my dentist long after my initial crown appointment that when she first drilled into the tooth, puss and blood began spewing out. REALLY?! Had I know that, I would have decided at that moment, to yank the it out. Instead I listened to the “professionals” who said it was best to try to save the tooth by doing everything humanly possible to clean it up with a root canal and a crown.
Sounds a lot like what the enemy does, doesn’t it? He convinces us that it would be better to just leave those emotional infections alone rather than asking the Lord to extract them, so that we can be healed. He whispers in our ear telling us that it will hurt less if we just ignore them.
What a liar.
When we allow God to extract the deep, dark, infected places of our soul, we will endure some pain, but it pales in comparison to the damage that, if left untreated can wreak havoc on our  relationship with God, our spouse, our children, and others.
Kind of puts things in perspective doesn’t it?
What infections are lurking in your soul?
Ready to let God extract them?

Anything?

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We say it alot…”I would do ANYTHING if …(fill in the blank).” But do we truly realize the enormity of the word? Are we genuinely willing to do ANYTHING? Most the time, not.
If the couples who we’ve mentored over the years fulfilled their promise to do ANYTHING, we (and ultimately, God) required of them, then we’d be able to report that 100% of those couples are now spiritualy healthy and happy.Unfortunately, you know the statistics of divorce in this country. ANYTHING usually means SOME things…. And there in lies the problem….if we aren’t willing to fully surrender our lives and our marriages to Christ, then how can we expect Him to heal and restore them?

If you are in a desperate place in your marriage, and are tempted to say “I’ll do ANYTHING” you better consider the cost. Jesus did. His willingness to do ANYTHING for us cost Him everything- including His life.

So what does ANYTHING look?

If you don’t know… ONE Flesh Marriage Ministries would love to help you discover it! Contact us today.

-Jodie