Our own Jill Howell shared the following post from her blog recently. I think we can all relate…

I very often will hear lies in my head. It is so frustrating!

Just the other day, I went to pick up the kids from Gymnastics. We have had some struggles lately with Natalie’s attitude and demanding spirit. Well, when I went to pick them up she had some major ATTITUDE. She was totally not listening and I did not know how I was going to get her (and Nicholas) out of there. I quickly became embarrassed by her behavior.

As for the lies, I started hearing in my head, “These other people think I am a bad mother. They don’t think I discipline her. They think she is a brat. They don’t like her. We shouldn’t come here anymore. I guess they don’t have kids that act like this…” And on and on. I wanted to cry right there and then.

Thankfully I am at a point in my life where I recognize these lies as they enter my head. And I am trying not to believe them (for I know that is what the evil one would want me to do). I pray I become quicker and quicker at dismissing it.

So, what lies do you hear in your head? Come on…be honest. It’ll be good to confess it and therefore creating less power they can have in your brain.

So, today I don’t have a woman to feature for my “Featured Women of UPC” post that is supposed to happen on Mondays. To be honest, I didn’t go to any great lengths to actually find someone for this week. Not because I don’t love the women of UPC but because life is happening to me and I’m just trying to keep up. So today I will interview myself. Fun, fun!

My name is Pam. My sister is the only one who still calls me Pammy. In high school some kids thought it was funny to call me Spam. Ha ha! Aren’t high schoolers witty?

I’m 32 years old. I’ve been married for 12 years to Matt. Yes, I was a child bride. We had a great time being very young and newly married. We had no money and no furniture but we had love. How sweet is that?

One of my favorite memories of our first year of marriage was sleeping on the floor because we didn’t have a bed and Matt reading books out loud. I particularly love that he pronounced hors d’oeuvres “hor de vors.” He has two master’s degrees and he still mispronounces that word. It cracks me up!

We almost have three children. Adam is 4 years old, Trey is 2 1/2 and I’m 36 weeks pregnant with our third boy. Believe it or not, we still don’t have a name for this child. So, at the end of this post I want you to comment back with a particularly great boy name for me.

I grew up in Africa. My parents are with Wycliffe Bible Translators. We moved to Sudan when I was four. I went to boarding school in Kenya for high school. Contrary to popular American opinion, I wasn’t traumatized too badly by boarding school. I enjoyed it even though I got suspended for sneaking off campus with some friends and drinking an alcoholic beverage. Wine coolers still hold a special place in my heart.

One of my happiest childhood memories is going camping in Kenya with my family and family friends. We would drive out to some remote part of the bush, set up our tents, start a fire to keep the animals away, hang our food from a tree so the baboons wouldn’t get it, play in a dry river bed while keeping an eye out for dangerous animals, and “sleep” to the sound of lions and hyenas.

One time we had a hyena chase a gazelle right through our camp site. I mean, RIGHT through. We were happily roasting marshmallows when we saw the terrified animal’s wild eyes approaching. Before my brother, Erik, could finish singing Kum By Ya it leaped over our fire in the midst of us. In turn, we all leaped into our van, and slammed the sliding door only to realize that the back hatch was standing wide open.

The next day there were lion paw prints all around our tents but I’m happy to report that no one was eaten. Ever since then my dad has claimed that lions and hyenas don’t like canned food.

Now you know a little bit about me. Please introduce yourself at church if I don’t know you. You can visit the Johnsonhut to see Matt and my personal blog. Don’t forget to give me a boy name!!!

square(ish) egg
Originally uploaded by Andrew Huff.

Don’t like to eat eggs because of their shape? Maybe square eggs will motivate you to eat more. You can do it yourself. As for me, I’ll stick with the regular shape variety, thank you very much.

Thanks to Orangejack for the info.

As the holiday season is just around the corner, I thought I’d put up a couple easy pies. At least for me, pies are one of those foods that I always associate with holidays, because that is usually the only time I eat them. Not sure why that is, it’s not like they’re inherently more holiday-y than say, chocolate cake, but anyway. . .

Key Lime Pie from Currin Ann Seeley

1 cup (8 oz) whipping cream
1 can Eagle Brand milk
1/2 cup key lime juice (can also use plain lime juice)
1 graham cracker crust

Beat whipping cream until stiff. Add milk and lime juice, mix on slow. Pour into crust. Chill in fridge.

Derby Pie from Rinnie Hersman

1 cup sugar
4 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup melted and cooled butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup (6 oz) chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
1 9″ baked pie shell
whipped cream and pecans to garnish

Combine sugar and cornstarch. Beat in eggs, butter, vanilla, chips and pecans. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Can serve warm or cold. Garnish with whipped cream and pecans.

What a rich history we have in hymns! My heart is deeply encouraged by words written hundreds of years ago by brothers and sisters in Christ. There has been a big movement in the church recently to put old hymns to new, updated music, and I love it! Many of the updated hymns we sing at UPC are a part of Indelible Grace Music. Check out their website for more information, and learn more about Indelible Grace Music, hear samples of the songs, and read the history of some of the hymns. Also, you can purchase the CDs online if you are interested.

I hope you are as encouraged as I am by these words…

Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners
Words: John Wilbur Chapman

1. Jesus! What a friend for sinners!
Jesus! Lover of my soul;
Friends may fail me, foes assail me,
He, my Savior, makes me whole.

Chorus: Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Hallelujah! What a friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.

2. Jesus! What a strength in weakness!
Let me hide myself in Him.
Tempted, tried, and sometimes failing,
He, my strength, my victory wins.
(Repeat chorus)

3. Jesus! What a help in sorrow!
While the billows o’er me roll,
Even when my heart is breaking,
He, my comfort, helps my soul.
(Repeat chorus)

4. Jesus! I do now receive Him,
More than all in Him I find.
He hath granted me forgiveness,
I am His, and He is mine.
(Repeat chorus)

Public Domain