Let’s be honest…even men should groom their eyebrows. At least the unruly ones, right? Well, below is what happens when a few ladies just can’t take an unruly mans eyebrows any longer…
GuyBrow from Brent Hodge on Vimeo.
Archive for Love
He kept his promise
In 2007 he promised to always love me. Hug me in public. Tell me I’m pretty. And always be there for me…
2013. He has kept his promise.
I love you, son.
Freezing Time
Wednesday night Brent and I spent the evening with some friends watching their son play baseball. This little 3rd grader and his teammates were so adorable on the field! I couldn’t take my eyes off of them for one second.
I found myself drifting back in time when my own children were that age. I had to fight back the tears several times as I sat there longing for those moments to return.
Every stage with my kids have been my favorite! But when I saw all those little guys running around so awkwardly with half their teeth, playing in the dirt and picking their noses without concern of being watched, I began longing to go back in time.
It went so fast. One second my littles were begging me to take them to Sonic for a treat. Now, my littles drive me to Sonic for a treat.
Even though I do miss their younger days; I do love so much about their older teen days. I truly am soaking it all in!
All this to say…Moms and Dads, breathe in every moment with your children. Document them all. Dig in. Make memories with them. Be a child with them. Throw mini marshmellows up into the ceiling fan that’s set on high. Be spontaneous. Laugh. Laugh a lot.
Dads, court your daughters. Treat them the way you want a young man to treat them. And treat her mother like that, too.
Moms, have your son take you on a date and show him the proper ways to treat a lady.
Love, struggle, forgive, stretch, confess, dream, pray, play, take risks as a family.
Be their parent over being their best friend and in doing so, I believe, you are being their best friend.
Are you a mom or dad of young children? How do you soak in the moments?
Are you a mom or dad of older children? What advice do you have to parents of young children?
Happy Hodge+Tennessee Anniversary!
One year ago, June 13th, we crossed over the TN state line after a 5 day 2,300 mile journey from Southern Oregon. This was a huge move for our family but a move we knew we were called to make and needed to make.
Though we left family and the closest friends we’ve ever had…this is home. This is home.
This faith journey has been amazing. It has been scary. It has been enlightening. Motivating. Lonely. Fulfilling. Thrilling. Inspiring. Challenging. It has been everything we expected and more. We all have grown tremendously this last year.
Brent continues to flourish in his role as Campus Pastor at Cross Point’s Hendersonville campus.
The kids are knee deep in ministry and music activities and they love every second of it.
They both play on the adult and youth teams. Here’s a video of both of them on team for a youth function. Kota on drums and Kass on lead.
I am nearing the end of completing my 1st book. We are all soaking in this towns creative pulse. We feed off of it. We love just walking the streets of downtown taking everything in We are growing accustomed to the whacky weather and insects. We’re even calling ‘BBQ’ing’ “Grillin Out” now after being told that, “BBQ is something you eat, not do!”. But a shopping cart is still a shopping cart…not a Buggy. To all here who have embraced us, welcomed us in and walked us through this first year…Thank you! You have made this journey so much easier for our family. Thank you Cross Point for taking a chance on us. We love serving with you! We love Tennessee! It’s good to be home. 
Category: Anniversary, Book, Cross Point, Faith, Family, Friendships, God, Kids, Life, Living, Love, Ministry, Nashville, trust, video |
He Spoke
Kassidi. You’ve read many a posts about my daughter, Kassidi.
This weekend she led worship for one of our Cross Point Campuses and I was struck with something new.
My first born…my first chosen born…ushered me into a holy experience with her Creator. Her Protector. The One who said…“No. Not this one. You’re not taking this one. She’s mine.” I realized my first chosen born was a conduit for her Savior to speak to me in a very personal way.
He purposed her to have a chat with my heart – today. Through song. Through melody. Through lyric. Through my first chosen born. Through His chosen one…He spoke to my heart.
His words were personal. Between Him and I. A quick chat and challenge.
But He used my little girl.
Can you understand what this means? Kassidi was my third chance. My third pregnancy. Another opportunity for me to snuff out another life. But God said, “Nope. I’ve had it…I AM setting her aside for great things. And one of those great things is to reveal Myself to you, child.”
Okay. God? I love it when You show off.
Thank You.
I’m Good At Something!
It’s okay to admit when you know you do something well, right? I mean, is it really arrogant? Prideful? Perhaps those are simply results of the delivery of such knowledge.
Hmmm…
At any rate – this afternoon I hung out with my kids. Uninterrupted, just the three of us. We ate together. We drove around together. We ran errands together. We watched TV together.
We were together.
And in our time together we had some deep conversation and not so deep chat. And, of course, we laughed. A lot. It seems it’s what we Hodge’s do best.
It was today that I decided I would confess what I’ve known in my heart for quite some time…
I’m a pretty darn good mom.
There. I said it.
I know, I know. Let others tell you you’re good at something. And they have. But I’ve never admitted it.
Think me arrogant or conceited but the proof is in the kiddos goshdarnit 
I mean, seriously I am so proud of Kass and Kota. I love that I enjoy being with them and they enjoy being with me.
And believe me when I say this – While I was still grieving and beating myself up after my abortions I didn’t think I’d ever be a mom. I wanted to but figured I would be punished for my choices and not be able to have children. And if being a mom actually was going to be in my future I knew for certain I would be terrible at it. These thoughts were driven by guilt and fear, of course.
But I’ve been a mom now for almost 18 years. And today I decided I would admit that I have done a good job.
Perfect? Not a chance. The best I know how? Absolutely.
I’m a good mom. And it feels good to say it out loud. No shame.
It feels good to know you do something well. And it’s okay to admit it. Flaunt it? Nope. Share it? Yes!
I have a few other strengths but this strength I am genuinely happy about. And I want to share it. I want to be here for advice, or a sounding board, for other parents.
Personally, I love learning from other peoples strengths. It inspires me and encourages me to grow and take risks.
Being a good mom is something, I believe, I do well. So, yay. And, yes, they have a pretty awesome dad, too.
Would you find it difficult to confess, in writing here, something you know you do well? Can you do it without feeling weird or fearful of what other people may think of your declaration?
Would you be willing to share it?
I won’t judge you and either will anyone else here. So, knock yourself out and reveal something that maybe another may need to see or know about you and learn from.
Go ahead!
Category: Abortions, Advice, announcement, Authenticity, Childhood, Community, Confessions, Family, Honesty, insecurities, inspiration, judgment, Kids, Laughter, Life, Living, Love, opinion, parenting, perspective, Random |
Ruined By Praise
The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism. ~Norman Vincent Peale
I couldn’t agree with this quote more. I especially believe this to be true right now. With social media booming like it is and us all with our “followers” – I’m afraid it has given us a false sense of superiority and over-importance.
We share updates that encourage a praise worthy response. We seem to only display our best. Rarely our mistakes.
We love praise. We love attention that strokes our ego.
Who doesn’t? I know I do. And I’m guilty of this as much as anyone else.
But we do not like is criticism.
I do not believe that all criticism is bad. I believe a healthy critique is just that…healthy. Often times a good critique fails in the delivery. But it can also fail in the receiving.
A couple weeks ago a close friend and I talked on the phone. It had been a very long time since we had chatted. It started out as small talk, lots of catch-up and a little laughter. Then, she got to the point. And she got to it good. She did not mince words. She laid out her feelings, opinions and heart. And while it stung at first, and I immediately wanted to defend myself, I knew she was right.
It didn’t feel good initially. But just because criticism is uncomfortable it does not mean that all criticism is wrong.
I owned it. I apologized. We moved on.
I believe we are both better for it. And I am grateful for friends who are willing to say the tough stuff to me. I pray I will always be open and willing to receive it and that I will be bold enough, and gracious enough, to be honest with the people around me.
Don’t you think we do each other a disservice by not being honest? It may hurt, yes…but it also may be the one thing to grow us.
When’s the last time you’ve been on either side of healthy criticism? Did you receive it well? Did you deliver it well? Would you change anything?
Do you think that our current society strokes ego’s a bit too much, making it harder for people to accept criticism?
[This post is about healthy critique...not harsh judgment.]
I was a psycho woman my first married Christmas
I love giving gifts. I love getting gifts! But, it took me a long time to see this exchange for what it really should be. When my husband, Brent, and I celebrated our first Christmas together we were struggling to make ends meet. We were just starting out and had very little. So, needless to say our first Christmas was extremely tight.
Brent and I decided we would set a very small budget to buy one gift for each other. Brent headed straight for the mall and I headed straight for the Dollar Store! I was practical, bought him things he liked. Gum, armor-all, a wrench, a 10 pack of no. 2 pencils with the name Brett etched in gold on them (Brent is a hard name to find). I paid the damage, went home, wrapped it all up in one box, put a $5.00 bow on top (it’s all about the delivery) and I called it a good venture!
As I placed this remarkable gift under our Charlie Brown tree my eyes immediately bolted to this hideous object lying helplessly alone. My heart went out to it for it had clearly been attacked by a large dose of testosterone. Men do not contain the “wrapping” gene. It didn’t take long to figure out from the outside exactly what it was. It was a Remington Wet/Dry Razor. I’d wanted one forever – but it was way too expensive! And there I sat in a glorious knick-free shaving dreamland until I was interrupted by reality, “I must return this gift!” So I hopped in my car, unwrapped the gift while I drove to…let me see…Yes, the price tag is still on it…Sears. I returned the wet/dry razor, with much remorse, and headed right to our bank to deposit the money back into our account.
Just hours later my husband discovered what I had done. And, it broke his heart. That was his gift to me and I rejected it. Our very first Christmas, first chance to wow each other, and I crushed his hopes and excitement.
As i grew in faith and learned more about God, the ultimate gift-giver, I realized that giving is a part of who we are. I am here, the person I am today, because God gave so much for me. Because Jesus gave so much for me. Christ gave His life as a gift to give me life. God started the gift-giving trend.
Now, a Remington razor can not compare to a death on the cross. But the heart of the giver is the beauty of the gift. it really doesn’t even matter what the gift is. Imagine the indescribable look on Gods face each time one of His children receives His gift of life and eternity with Him. Now, imagine the heart-break He must experience each time one of His children rejects that gift.
So now, for me, keeping the spirit of Christmas alive is to give gifts. It reminds me of the gift Christ gave us. It is emulating His example.
Big gift, small gift, homemade, time, a poem, volunteering…anything that sets your heart on others…that’s the beauty of it. Even deciding not to exchange gifts as a family and, instead, put that money toward something else. Just let your heart genuinely, and joyfully, give.
I used to be “anti-gift” – until I realized what my life would look like if Jesus had been an anti-gifter. So, I give what I can. It’s not about the money, it’s about the heart and intent. When we give, without expectation, to others – we are being most like Christ.
What does “The True Spirit Of Christmas” look like to you? How do you celebrate it? I would love to have you share your story with us over at World Vision’s blog! You can also read some amazing posts on the true spirit of Christmas.
Category: 12 Blogs Of Christmas, Action, Budget, Christmas, Community, Faith, Family, God, Gratitude, Life, Love, Ministry, missions, perspective, world vision |
Tags: 12 Blogs Of Christmas, World Vision
Pains Of Parenting
Yes. There are pains involved with parenting. There are times when you want to run…run as fast as you can, as far away as possible. And if there happens to be a cliff involved you might consider a little jump.
Not just because a child or two has found your very last nerve. Sometimes you wanna run because you get scared. You become afraid of all the ways you might have messed your children up. Missed the best teaching and growing opportunities. Afraid of letting go – but knowing you have to.
There have been countless times when I have cried myself to sleep at nights, begging the Lord to erase from their memories any ridiculous words that came out my mouth or actions that spewed forth, if they were not going to build character…or mine. Yes, there are times when a parents failures serve as some of the best teaching moments. It’s often where humility and grace are best learned. Boy, do I know this.
My daughter is nearing her 18th birthday. My son just turned 15. I know what this means. It means the time is coming close when they will spread their wings and no longer be in this nest. It has all happened so fast. And so, now, I spend many nights crying myself to sleep because I know this time is inevitable, and I just want to freeze this moment.
They own my heart. That’s where they always are and always will be. Even when the day comes where they will no longer physically be near me.
So when they each gave me letters, that they wrote to me for my birthday last night, all these worries, fears and anticipations came to a sudden stop. I saw their words as a collection of years gone by…good and bad…but moments that have stayed with them and made them into the young adults they are becoming.
I am so proud of my kids. No, they are not perfect. I am not perfect. Brent is not perfect. We do things that would likely shock y’all. But we’re taking each day as it comes and doing the best we can with them. And I hope they do the same with their own kiddos some day.
[Family Photo by Alece]
It’s all worth it. Every single moment.
I Wouldn’t Change A Thing
[A repost from last year. With all the book writing I'm doing I was reminded of this moment again.]
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monday night when i told kota about my abortions, and that i had been married before and widowed, he put a very special piece of my journeys puzzle together.
when i left my first husband, actually when i escaped with my life, i ended up in southern california where i would just two months later meet the Lord.
kotas response to that was…
“mom…if that wouldn’t have happened kass and i wouldn’t be here. none of this would be happening.”
he is absolutely right.
none of my journey was fun to travel. at least not that part. but it got me to a monumental crossroads that forced me to take stock of my life and make some big girl decisions.
im not one of those people who wish i could live my life over so i could change it. my life, as dysfunctional and traumatic as so much of it was, got me to this exact place i am now.
there were scary parts, lonely roads, hurts, disappointments, terrible choices, abuse and much pain…and all of it served to teach me a lot. it exposed my weaknesses and my strengths. it broke me and built me.
i could look back on it all and ask…why me? or, i can see the now and embrace it for what it is…the result of many life circumstances that came together to create the now. a path completely in view by God. by a God who knew exactly what He was doing. He allowed, not made, hurt in my life because it built my character. character that needed refined so that i could be the wife and mother and friend i needed to be.
and in one short conversation…my son understood that.
i love how God is in every detail. we just need to look closer and trust that He’s there.
