You're Dead...In the Name of Jesus

(This is a repeat story for some of you...a few years back)


Raising two boys is not always easy but it is certainly amusing. One afternoon my kids were bored, cranky, whiny, and full of testosterone. After the third time of instructing my boys in the way they should go, I listed all possible games they could play to amuse themselves. They chose a swordfight over coloring books or puzzles.

Soon they ran into my room in the heat of intense battle. The five year old was dressed in a Batman cape, Spiderman gloves, brandishing a Bibleman sword as he warned the dark side "I'm Yoda! Watch out!” The little one, his blanket tied around his neck and a train engineer hat cocked to one side, held a Star Wars sword in one hand and an obnoxious voice changer in the other shouted, "I will get you!"

The confrontation continued for several minutes. Just as I thought the older was about to overtake his brother, the little one threw up his hand and proclaimed "You're dead...in the name of Jesus! The assault ended. Game over. They said nothing, just walked out of the room.

If the name of Jesus is good enough to defeat a Bat-Spider-Bible-Man-Yoda, then it's good enough for me.

Do they listen when we pray?
Sure they do.


Colossians 3:17 "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus...."

Sampson - Our Pet

Meet Sampson. He's the pet tadpole in our house...for now. Soon he'll be a little froglet. This is one of my son's Christmas gifts. It's a Grow-A-Frog kit. Purchased from Amazon.com for around $20. The kit comes with a little box, food, one lonely plastic plant and a coupon redeemable for a tadpole. The tadpole is shipped quickly!

It's body is somewhat transparent so you can really see some veins and even a little heart. I know this picture looks like a minnow but if you look closely you can see it's little feet beginning to emerge! (Try clicking on the picture...on my computer it opens up the photo in a much larger window and you can really see it!) Right now he's about 1-1/2 inches long (and hard to photograph because he's so squirmy). The tadpole eventually turns into a frog which can live in the water. You can also purchase other habitats for the frog (like a "Frog City" that can house more than one frog!).

We've enjoyed watching Sampson grow. The boys check him each day. Today is the first day we really noticed the individual "toes" in his feet...very cool. I'll keep you posted on lil Sampson.

If you're looking for a fun gift for a kid, this might be a nice educational option. (And it doesn't involve TV or video games!)

Holy - Hole-y Jeans

This was the scene from my laundry pile this week. As I separated the kid laundry from the grown-up laundry I noticed something that made me stop and think. Both of the boys have jeans with holes in the right knee.

...which made me think about my jeans, that don't have enough holes. My boys' jeans have holes from playing too hard. As grown-ups, shouldn't our jeans have holes from praying too hard? Shouldn't we bear the mark of having been on our knees in prayer for others? Are we serious enough about prayer? Sometimes I am. Sometimes I am not.

I started thinking about this reading Shanna Crawford's story this week. Someone had holes in their jeans for that little girl. A man shot his kids at Tinker Air Force Base then killed himself yesterday...many people are putting holes in their jeans for that grieving mom tonight. Friends are dealing with divorce and more friends are putting holes in their jeans for them. Unsaved family members destined for a life separated from God, single moms trying to make ends meet, sick children and warrior husbands who are working to provide for their families everyday... many, many reasons to put some holes in these jeans of mine.

What moves you to your knees?

Father, move our hearts to feel what you feel. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

There's A Superhero In All Of Us

There's a superhero in all of us...and it's dying to get out.

This is my Tate...A.K.A "Super Freddy." If you know much about him, you know he doesn't disappoint in the humor department. Recently, Tate decided to introduce us to his alter-ego who has made quite a few appearances in our house. When I couldn't get a jar open, Tate said, "one minute..." and then emerged as Super Freddy to help his weakling mamma. Sometimes Super Freddy shows up when Jack is inconsolable. Super Freddy wears an orange beach hat, orange protective eye gear, carries a plastic crowbar in one hand and a drumstick in the other. A Scooby-Doo blanket doubles as a cape. Oh, and he has quite a strange voice that sounds "not too smart." However, none of us are really sure what part of Freddy is Super(heroistic).

Do you ever wish you were a kid like that? I do. There's a little Superhero inside me that wants out! It wants to change the world, one word at a time. It wants to dry my friends tears and make life better for those I love. (Jesus is my Superhero.)

If I could have super powers, I would wish for 1) the ability to be invisible and 2) the power of extreme influence. (I am already invisible to my kids when I ask them to clean their room!) Oh no, I just heard the narrator of my life's play announce, "The role of the Holy Spirit will now be played by Kim Heinecke..." Guess I better re-evaluate my superpower choices!

What about you? If you could have any superpowers, what would they be?! Come on, Wonder Twins, let's hear it!

Bonus Day, Make it Count!

Guess what?! We're all getting a bonus this month...It's true!

It's leap year which means an extra 24-hour bonus! Isn't that great?! I'm sure some of you are thinking "Great, an extra 24 hours to work, clean house or use electricity we can't afford." I say get over yourself and look on the bright side! There are people in other countries who'd love to have...wait, they get an extra day too...

There's a word that's been swimming around in my head for several days -- actually it started out as a "feeling" but not until someone mentioned these words did I really grab ahold of it. INTENTIONAL...and DELIBERATE. That's what I'm learning in this season of life...to do things on purpose...and for a purpose. (There's a week's worth of posts right there...coming later.)

Let's think about that in light of our 24 hour bonus: If we are deliberate about our lives, carefully considering our actions, words, attitudes, time management and influence we WILL make a difference in eternity. If we are wives, mothers, daughters, friends and employees who are INTENTIONAL and DELIBERATE about these things...it will matter! No day will be wasted.

Start thinking NOW how you are going to spend your extra day this year. February 29 - next Friday! (you've got plenty of warning!)

I'm curious to know what you come up with. How can you be INTENTIONAL or DELIBERATE to make it a great day? PLAN NOW! OOOOHHHH, let's have a little contest to see who can come up with the best idea. I'm the judge, it's my blog. :)

To get you started, you could...

*Plan an out-of-the-ordinary date for your spouse (for some of you, just plan one!!)

*Make a special breakfast for your kids

*Write your family love letters

*Spend an extra hour praying for your family

*Buy Kim's lunch...hee hee hee

*Send a handwritten note to someone

*Play a game with your kids (one THEY choose!)

*Adopt a pet (okay, that's taking it too far for me!)

Get creative. Make it count. Be intentional about your bonus day! Share your plans!

Today is our anniversary

(Look how well we surf...amazing isn't it?) February 19 is one of my favorite days. Today is our anniversary. I've been MRS. Heinecke for 1095 days. (Yeah, I know most of you have long past that mark but we got started a little late, haha).

Our anniversary is more than a celebration of our wedding day. I'm keenly aware this day is more than "I love you ...You love me." It's a celebration of God's faithfulness, his healing and his restoration in our lives.

We got married in Guthrie, at the Dominion House. It was a children's orphanage from 1923-1978. It was vacant and quite run down until 2000 when it was renovated. Besides the fact this place was really pretty and perfect for our small wedding, I loved the idea it had previously been an orphanage and then later restored to house beautiful celebrations. God has faithfully blessed Chad and I in the same way. True to his word, he adopted us as his children and made all things new.

I love Chad Heinecke.

A magnificent marriage begins not with knowing one another but with knowing God. --Gary and Betsy Ricucci

The Traveling Card

About seven years ago, I bought my sister a birthday card that had the following printed on it...

"Once upon a time there were two sisters. they went through lots of stuff together. Some of it was good. Some of it wasn't. But through thick and thin, they stayed close, and they were sure they always would. And this made the world seem good."

I wrote a little note in the card and mailed it. A few months later, she sent the card back to me with an encouraging note on one of my tough days as a single mom. When she got married, I returned the card, complete with a new note. And so on...

This card has been sent back and forth on many occassions for seven years -- Weddings, the death of our father, "I miss you", "you're the best sister", our babies and anything else that warrants a special hello from a sister. The card is getting beat up...and we're running out of room to write in it, but it's one of my favorite things in this world, preserving some of our most memorable times.

I hope we keep this going until we're reading it through our cataracts...

Do you have any special traditions that are unique to your family [that might be good to "borrow"]? ...Share with the rest of us...

The Big Bus Incident

Last Thursday Kid Two came running into the house crying, nearly hysterically (never a good sign).

"What's wrong?!" I said as my blood pressure began to rise, convinced something was really wrong. He couldn't stop crying long enough to tell me. "Honey, did something happen to you?" Still sobbing, no end in sight, he replied, "I don't want to talk about it, you'll just ground me." (a sure sign we're getting ready to 'talk about it').

The story goes like this: (as I've been told by my oldest)

Apparently Kid Two and his buddy were horsing around on the schoolbus (hard to imagine, I know) and his friend hit his head on the metal edge of the window. (ouch). The young bus driver, taking notice of the bloody event from her rear-view mirror, radioed transportation dispatch in a panic -- "I've got a kid bleeding from the head. I need help NOW!" Well, that's a nice way to keep kids calm, eh? Kids began crying and freaking out as the bus pulled over at the Sonic to wait for help.

Enter the scene: 1 ambulance, 2 fire trucks, 1 police car, 1 principal, several teachers, the bleeder's mom... (I wasn't there...I've just heard...) And my little guy is convinced he'll be in "juvie" by nightfall. The injured was taken to the hospital where I later spoke to his mother. In the end, it only required 3 stitches and a lot of TLC. Crises averted. (For about 3 1/2 minutes I knew I was getting sued!!)

Kid Two was devasted and couldn't stop crying. I went by his room and heard him crying on his bed. I recited my speech about how it was an accident and how self-control is so important...and when we sin...and...blah...blah...blah... He responded, "accident or not, I still hurt my friend." Was this remorse? (Thank you Jesus!) It was a little tough to tell - we work a lot on "responsibility for our actions."

Later in the evening when it was time for reading, he said "I think I'll just read my Bible tonight. I just feel like I need to read it." (I nearly cried) - "What story? I'll help you find it." He said, "The one where Jesus died on the cross for my sin." (Then I did tear up.)

Is he getting it? Is this parenting thing really going to work? !

Oh Father, hide your word in his heart and direct his steps toward you!

My Testimony...In case you don't know

Six weeks after my second son was born I became a statistic – one of over 2 million women raising children alone. My husband of six years announced without warning, and without a good reason he was leaving me. He abandoned me to chase a dream he could not define and left me to pick up the broken pieces of my own shattered dream.

As he walked out the door with his bags in hand, he took with him every ounce of confidence I had in myself. My spirit was crushed. I went from believing in myself to questioning everything about me. It’s amazing how much damage occurred in those short weeks. He shot a hole through my heart large enough to spill out every good thing I knew to be true. Battered and broken, my heart was crippled with self-doubt and I unwillingly joined the sisterhood of women dying to feel loved in a most unloving world.

The initial days and weeks following his departure were the toughest. Despite an army of friends coming to my rescue with words of encouragement and support, I felt lonelier and increasingly more rejected with each passing day. Seeing a perfect opportunity for emotional destruction, the enemy remained close enough to whisper how unloved and undesired I had become. I bought into the his propaganda – hook, line and sinker. He worked overtime on me, whispering persuading lies during a season of life when emotional vulnerability prevents you from seeing truth clearly. He stripped me of my self-worth and convinced me I had been forsaken by the one who once loved me. He enticed me into bondage and I agreeably followed.

I longed for the companionship of my husband, for the security of a provider and for the embrace of a man. I remember crying out to the Lord many nights for him to “fix” all of my problems, to bring my husband back and restore our marriage. Having been a believer for twenty years prior to this event, I thought God owed it to me to work this out. How could he let this happen to me? And how could I feel so desperate and so empty?

On the morning I first returned to work since the drama began, I stood in my bedroom trying to hold back the tears. Unsure of how I was going to get through the day feeling so wrecked, I selected a long, black skirt and heels that were supposed to trick my brain into feeling like going to work. Every movement was a conscious decision – breathing, walking, and blinking. At times, I willed my heart to continue its rhythm as every involuntary action had been paralyzed by sadness. My two-year-old son entered the room as I was getting dressed and pleaded repeatedly, “Spin, mommy, spin!” He liked to watch my skirt flow outward as I twirled around for him, pretending to be a dancer. Dutifully I spun around for him, trying to memorize the smile on his face that it might get me through the day. He sweetly giggled and I obliged him again and again. After three or four spins, dizziness overtook me and we both fell laughing on my bed. Laughter quickly turned to tears – and big ones. They were the kind of tears you can’t hold back even if you try because you don’t even know why you’re crying. Perhaps I had to make up for the last three minutes I had spent actually being happy since happiness seemed like a betrayal to my new prison of loneliness. A moment later, my son put his tiny arms around me and proclaimed through my tears, “Mommy, you’re my girl.”

I cannot describe the blessing in those words from that tiny voice. I was his mommy and he loved me no matter what. My little one didn’t care what I looked like, how smart I was, or where I had to be. I was his girl and I was loved by him.

I began to listen closer. “You’re my girl. You’re my girl. You’re my girl.” I listened until it was no longer the two year old voice talking to me, but the gentle, quiet spirit of the Father calling me out of my world of rejection and into His full acceptance where grace and mercy and unconditional love abound!

My life changed forever that day. For the first time since my husband left, I felt loved and cherished. I began to surrender my pain to the Father. He began an amazing work in my heart. He healed it, and then he claimed it for his own. As I pursued Him, he filled every hole and refined me. My longing for companionship with my husband was replaced with a sweet intimacy with the Father. The emptiness that imprisoned me was destroyed by the acceptance and affirmation of my King. I found what I was looking for – a love that lasts.

My husband never returned; and I was never the same. I was whole, complete and I was loved without a doubt. It wasn’t the ending I had envisioned but isn’t that just like the Father? The crazier the outcome, the more I’m convinced it is the hand of God. I learned the Father was more consumed with affirming HIS love for me than he was with a man’s affirmation of love for me. And this is a love to be treasured!

It is my testimony that when the Lord becomes the fountain of everything meaningful in your life – when He is your companion, your protector, your provider – you will never be lost or disappointed by what happens or doesn’t happen on your journey.

Isaiah 45:3 "I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel who summons you by name."

Thank you, my King, for those treasures of dark times, because now I know You are the One who calls me by name.

The Real Deal

Let me say right off the bat, this post may fall under the category of Too Much Information for some of you... too bad, there is a point.

Jack is 3 months old and I am nursing him, nearly exclusively except for those few times I'm not around. (Exit now if you can't handle this topic.)

I am having a very hard time convincing him that taking a bottle every now and then is okay. He'll kick and fuss and feverishly throw his head from side to side when I try to put the bottle in his tiny mouth. He pushes it out of his mouth with his tongue and I'm tellin' ya, you can't get anything by that little tongue! If he takes a few drinks, he acts like it's the worst thing around and coughs then spits...and cries some more. Generally I put the bottle down, and try to soothe him by walking around and talking nice to him. He'll settle down but always gives me the look as if to say, "You know that's the not the real deal. Why do you want me to have something counterfeit?" When I give up and nurse him, he immediately calms down and snuggles into me. His heart rate slows and his whole body relaxes. He holds my hand and sometimes stops to smile "mid-meal." When he's finished, he is satisfied and happy again.

I wish I was more like Jack in my spiritual walk. How often have I settled for something that may be "good" but not the real deal?! How often have I read a good [albeit spiritual] book instead of sitting down with God's word? I want to be satisfied only with Jesus, not some other god I've created for myself. I love the feeling of peace after I've been with Him.

Today, go be like Jack - settle for nothing less than the real deal with Jesus.

(Mom, I promise he WILL be able to take a bottle when you keep him overnight later this month!!)

Get Out To Vote!!

If you're in Edmond, or probably anywhere else in Oklahoma it's raining today...and cold. That's no excuse! Put on your shoes, brush your teeth and get out to vote! I was #145 today at my polling location. I have the sticker to prove I was there.

You can't complain about what you tolerate so come on everyone, make the effort to go support your favorite candidate. If you don't vote, you don't get the right to complain about what's wrong with our government.

Don't know who to vote for? Here are a few websites that may help. I found the side-by-side comparison to offer some clarity.

http://www.vote-usa.org/ - side/side comparison of many issues
http://www.mittromney.com/
http://www.mikehuckabee.com/
http://www.johnmccain.com/
http://www.kieskompas-usa.nl/ - quick quiz to help get you started

Polls are open until 7 -- and that's not as late as the men and women in the military will be working to preserve our rights to live as we do...(and that includes voting.)

If you voted, let me hear ya...

Human HEPA Filter

Sometimes in life there are things we procrastinate for no good reason. I'm dealing with one of those things this morning... I know it won't take too long to get it done and check it off my list but I just can't seem to find the motivation to get started. Day after day I find myself frustrated that I have continued to ignore the issue. As a result, it's just getting worse.

My eyebrows are totally out of control! I'm not kidding. I am starting to look like a human HEPA filter -- with these shaggy, misshaped tufts of hair above my eyelids (which are starting to disappear with age!) It's not the unibrow I'm worried about, it's the random hairs that are growing toward the outside of my eyes. NOTHIN' is getting by those boogers. They are definitely more functional right now than fashionable. I've got to do something...fast. Help me, Amy High...(she's the darlin' who cuts my hair)

Taking the "matter" into my own hands and consequently saving $15 to just do it myself seemed like the best option. Most of the time I'll pluck a few here and there but generally I save the tough work for someone else. I've grown quite accustomed to white-knuckling the chair as someone rips off the dried wax affixed to my face. rrriiiiipppppp......"Aahhhhhhhh!"...followed by a single tear sprinting toward my chin and the supernatural suppression of all kinds of "unwholesome words". [So fun being a woman, eh?] BUT... self-induced budget cut-backs require I give this a shot on my own.

Tweezers in hand I started pullin' away. Immediately I could see this was going to be tougher than I originally thought. These babies were so out of control I could no longer see where the arch was supposed to be. Where did my bangs end and my eyebrows begin? Anyone's guess. I was a wolf-mamma for sure. I started with the left eye...I know the general rule, the arch is supposed to be above your pupil...pull the skin "taut" and pluck away. (Taut: the "softer" word for "pull it tight so you don't screw this up") Plink. Plink. Plink.... oh, this hurts no matter WHO is doing the work. Only a few minutes into it and my eyes are watering already. I check my feeble attempt in the mirror and I'm not too disappointed. After my attempt to make the right eyebrow look like the left my nose is running profusely and I have to stop for a tissue. But, delighted I still have my $15, I keep going. By the time I finish, the naked part of my eyebrows (like it's supposed to be I might add!) are red, red, puffy and RED. Ice doesn't take the swelling down enough to lure me out into public right now and I'm only mildly satisfied with my hatchet job on the HEPA filters.

But it's a start...and it will get me through the day. Maybe tomorrow I'll go double or nothin' with the HEPAs and see how it turns out. Gee, by the end of the week I may be pencilin' those babies in! AND I STILL HAVE MY $15! Wa-hoooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lunch is on me today, baby Jack!!!! (Wait, lunch is ALWAYS on me with him.)

I wonder if Locks of Love would consider volume instead of length this time? Surely someone can find a use for all these tiny hairs in my sink...