Thursday, August 30, 2012

James 1:5-8
If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

prayer is not like pressing a button

we've established that prayer is talking to God. 

God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and loves you more than you can imagine no matter what you have done. 

God is not, however...a vending machine.

a4 = financial blessing
b2 = healing
b6 = true love
d9 = yacht in the bahamas
                              ...i just don't think so
sometimes we pray in earnest
                    and God listens to our every word
                                        and He really wants to give us what we want
                                                            and everything is within His power...
but he just doesn't deliver.

that is so frustrating. 

when prayer goes unanswered we often start to self-examine. what have we done that was so bad that made God close His ears to us...what are we not doing that makes Him withhold the things we are begging Him for?

when we look at the bible...job didn't do anything wrong but God still didn't answer his prayer for awhile.

Job 16:15-17
I sewed myself a shroud and wore it like a shirt; I lay facedown in the dirt. Now my face is blotched red from weeping; look at the dark shadows under my eyes, Even though I've never hurt a soul and my prayers are sincere!
 
i often ask God why He let job go thru so much...
i mean...it kind of makes Him look like a bully...
 
and every time...i get the same answer.  He did it for me.  just like how He let Jesus go thru so much.
 
Luke 22:41-44
He pulled away from them about a stone's throw, knelt down, and prayed, "Father, remove this cup from me. But please, not what I want. What do you want?" At once an angel from heaven was at his side, strengthening him. He prayed on all the harder. Sweat, wrung from him like drops of blood, poured off his face.
 
Jesus begged God to not make Him go thru all the garbage that was in the plan...but He did because He understood that God has to answer prayer based on what HE wants for us...because the creator truly knows His creation and what is best for it. 
 
if you have prayers that God hasn't answered.  i am truly sorry for your wait...but have faith.  God knows what's best and He will give you what you need when you need it...you may not even realize it.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

prayer is not passing

i talk on my cell phone when i'm driving...usually because the kids are strapped in and quiet.  (i don't text while driving.)


when the conversation ends i hang up and stop talking to the person on the other end of the line.


however...if i am driving with a friend in the car...i talk non-stop...(i might listen a little bit too).


remember...God is always with us.  he never leaves us...so there is no need to end the conversation. 

1 Thessalonians 5:17
Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

Monday, August 27, 2012

prayer is not performance.

Matthew 6:5-6
And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat? Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.

 

some people feel like prayer is an opportunity to impress the people around them.  they prepare an eloquent speech but never consider that the only ears that matter hear the words from the heart far more clearly than the varnished words from their fickle lips.  it's not only the unbelievers that do this tho...sometimes we...as followers of Christ feel like we are in competition for 'worlds best pray...er' it gets kind of ugly from there.  we pull out some Christianese and a healthy dose of kjv-speak (gotta love the thy's and thou's...).  we know that God doesn't care about the words that we say but rather the condition of the heart from which we say them...but we do it anyway.  we might as well be brushing our teeth with mud.
i could balance this by saying that any prayer is a good prayer...
but...these prayers leave a bad taste in my mouth.
if you have no interest in speaking to me at any time...and even go out of your way to avoid me and then talk to me in a rehearsed manner...i am going to be irritated. and if we are friends and you use our relationship to impress people by how close we are...i am going to be irritated.

thankfully...i am not God.
God wants you to talk with Him. that's all. He doesn't want your relationship with Him to be leverage or means to an end or anything but a real relationship. He wants you to fall so deeply in love with Him that talking with Him is natural. and it is not based on who is within earshot.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

prayer...

Matthew6:7-13

The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:

Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what's best— as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You're in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You're ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
 
 

oops!

this made me laugh so hard that tears were streaming down my face...and honestly i didn't even read it.  just the pictures.  and the thought of how often things like this happen to me.  and what my kid's reaction would be...hehehe i'm laughing all over again.

things don't always work out as we plan them.  we might use all the right ingredients and put in all the tlc required...but sometimes things still don't pan out.

sometimes cookie monster ends up looking like a nasty shriveled space alien.

...BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
 
i have a new friend who recently moved here from the west coast...her phrase is 'no worries'.
how refreshing that is!  i want my outlook to be one of no worries...
 
phil 4:6-7 (msg)
Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
 
this happens to me a lot.  i fret about things and get myself into a lather but as soon as i stop and consult my Father...i realize that not only will things work out all right because i am involving Him...but even if the inevitable happens...and things don't go quite right...i will survive it.  God will still be God.  i will still be me.  it will allllll be okay.
 
...and maybe we'll all get a good laugh out of it.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

dead tree in a healthy forest

there is a little forest behind my church and this tree has always stood out to me. 
my phone doesn't take great pictures...but hopefully you can see the dead tree in the midst of all the healthy green foliage.




my church is a vibrant family ministry.  our pastor has a heart after God that rivals paul, peter or john of the bible.  we are reminded to 'reach up for the help and reach out for the hurting' at every leadership event and ministry meeting.  no matter where someone is in their walk with God...there is something there for them.  however.  not everyone is alive spiritually.  it is sad.  but even in a healthy church like mine there are people that are spiritually dead.  i have even gone thru seasons myself in which i feel dormant. 

in the winter...this tree blends in.  you can't necessarily tell that it is dead.  likewise...during certain seasons...it is hard to tell who is growing and who is not. 

if you are in a spiritually dead church...do something about it.

if you are spiritually dead...but surrounded by healthy living followers of Christ...take this as a warning.

Matthew 23:27
You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds!
You're like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it's all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you're saints, but beneath the skin you're total frauds.

John 15:2
I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn't bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken.


don't pretend to be okay.  don't lie to yourself or others.  ask for help.  as much as we like to blame pastors and other leaders for our growth...or lack of it...we are responsible for our own roots.  find a way to grow.  reach out your roots until you find the source you need.  produce fruit and serve those around you.  often...when i go thru dry seasons i find that humbling myself and serving is like jump starting my car battery.  even if my attitude isn't right in the beginning...service leads to worship and worship leads to growth.

so...grow!


Tuesday, August 21, 2012

corn in the ditch?


i saw this as i was driving thru the country and it made me smile. 

Matthew 13:3-9
 "What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. Some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.
 "Are you listening to this? Really listening?"

we're listening, Jesus...
and then you show me cool things like this...

sometimes the soil is good where we least expect it.  and sometimes seeds can grow...even in bad soil.  so we can not allow the apparent quality of someone's heart-soil determine whether we are going to sow seeds of Christlike love...or reserve them for a better prospect.

i know that we are cautioned to not cast our pearls before swine...but who are we to judge who's a pig and who is just a stinky human being? 

what if someone saw you and immediately decided your heart was too hard or your attitude was too bad.  i know that i would not be following Jesus today...because i didn't think i needed Him.  i had it all together on my own and no one could have convinced me otherwise...but they spread their seeds anyway.  i am so thankful.
Jesus looks at our hearts and sees fertile soil...even if it's waaaaay deep down...under rocks and asphalt and some old chewing gum...

so.  as we follow in His footsteps...we are called to spread seeds.  don't hesitate.  you never know where those seeds might just take root and grow like crazy.



Sunday, August 19, 2012

cup of joe for a joe

i have decided...this is one of my favorite things to do.

buy coffee for a soldier
an awesome way to bless someone in an inexpensive, practical way.

there are little coffee shops on military bases all over the world.  thru this site you can purchase a cup of coffee for a soldier at one of these bases.  and you can include a personal message...

it is also nice to hear back from the soldiers...man, i am sometimes in awe of what they go thru and how little they receive for their sacrifice.  anyway...check the site out...it's pretty awesome...

blurry

as a kid i had horrible vision.

conversations would go like this:

'honey, what time is it?'.'
'i don't know.'
'well can't you read the clock on the wall?'
'there's a clock on the wall???'


when things are blurry they seem a lot bigger than they really are.  in high school swimming class we would play water polo.  i was horrible at it...not only because i am short and because sports aren't really my thing to begin with...but also because i couldn't wear my glasses.  the pool was filled with 15 year old girls...but to my eyes i was trying to play against a team of grown men...all over six feet tall.


Mark 8:22-26
They arrived at Bethsaida. Some people brought a sightless man and begged Jesus to give him a healing touch. Taking him by the hand, he led him out of the village. He put spit in the man's eyes, laid hands on him, and asked, "Do you see anything?" He looked up. "I see men. They look like walking trees." So Jesus laid hands on his eyes again. The man looked hard and realized that he had recovered perfect sight, saw everything in bright, twenty-twenty focus...

hmm...do you ever have trouble with your spiritual vision? 
we start out as unbelievers...completely blind and unable to imagine what would be so great about a life of following Jesus. then...Jesus arrives on the scene of our hearts and touches our spiritual vision...we are exposed to a whole sense that we didn't know was even there...we see things as right and wrong...we are hurt by things and concerned by things that we never even noticed before.  but we aren't necessarily seeing things as they really are...we may be blowing a few things out of proportion because our spiritual vision isn't quite clear yet.
then Jesus touches us again and we have clear vision.  the attack of the enemy that had us paralyzed with fear just moments earlier seems like a lego battle because all of a sudden we have an eternal perspective...and it is 20/20.

may your inspired Creator touch your spiritual eyes so that you may see clearly.  may He touch you again and again until you are not afraid or even worried about the battles that will come, but that you walk into them knowing that your armor is impervious to the puny weapons that the enemy has.  that the enemy is not, in fact, the size of a tree...but the enemy is only as big as a single man...and together, with Jesus...you can take 'em... 







Thursday, August 16, 2012

the list

today's proverb inspired me to share a bit of my testimony...

as a teenager i was never without a boyfriend.

i mostly dated really great guys...you know the type that wanted to 'settle down' at 16.  actually...my husband was the 5th man to propose to me. 

every time i would date a guy, i would imagine our life together.  and i was always happy with what i saw.  ...or at least i thought i was.  i would always end up breaking up with the guy...never with a good reason.  just because i wasn't quite sure.

Proverbs 16:2
Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good;
God probes for what is good.

finally...in college...when my understanding of God's grace, mercy and love changed and i completely turned my life over to Him...something drastic happened.

i felt like God was calling me to fast from dating.  this was a big deal...but, figuring that He meant like 6 months or so...i chose to see it as a challenge and an adventure.

it ended up being 3 years.  ha. ha. ha.


during those 3 years God did an incredible work in me...i grew closer to Him than i could ever have imagined.  He was truly my best friend, lover of my soul, counselor, provider...i could go on and on.

i knew that i wanted to get married one day though.  and that since God isn't able to screw up...i wanted my husband to be His choice for me.  this led to...the list.

ok...i have to stop here for a second...
please don't think i am a holier-than-thou,
wack-job, radical that lives with my head
in the heavenlies all the time. 
 i am really quite practical most of the time...
on that note...

the list was a big deal to me.  i felt that God had created a specific man for me and created me for that man...and that since God knew who that man was...He could give me some indicators to look for.  i wasn't interested in dating for dating's sake anymore.  i didn't want to waste time with anymore great guys that weren't His choice for me.

so.  i prayed. 

'God, He has to be a serious follower...and be trying to be more like Jesus, okay?'
'daughter, that sounds good to me.'
'God, i really like musicians.  can he be a musician.'
'daughter, while the man i have for you may love music. 
 he is not a musician...that's just not what i have for you'
'oh...i guess i can be okay with that.'

we went back and forth like this and i ended up with a 3 page list.  down to height and eye color.  it wasn't a list of demands that i had for God...it was a list of indicators that God had for me.

so...i continued on...growing in my own relationship with my Father...and praying for the man He had for me to be growing as well.

fast forward to the end of year 3.  i felt like God was releasing me to date again and i sort of went stupid.  i dated a guy that was a musician...with brown eyes (not green)...that was far too tall for me.  i tried to make it work but the guy totally broke my heart.  i angrily shoved the list into the bottom of my desk drawer...and decided that i was going to be done with men on my own terms.

i was still licking my wounds a month later when i met my husband.  and i was completely not interested in getting into a relationship.  we hung out in a big group...no flirtation...no interest...just friends surrounded by other friends.  my girlfriends however, saw something different.  so...they broke into my dorm room and dug out the list. 

a few months later they came running to me with the list and every item was checked off.

so...i agreed to date my husband.  6 months later...we were engaged.  1 year later...we were married.  and now we have a gaggle of kids...hehehe.  things aren't perfect (actually according to the psychological community...our personalities are completely incompatible and we should not be happily married).  we are both seeking God though...and as we grow closer to our Father, we grow closer to one another by default.



i am so grateful now that i allowed God to 'probe for what was good'.  i sincerely thought that i would have been happy with any of the guys i had dated...and for the most part they were and are great guys...but as i see the paths they are on now...i understand more clearly.  God's way is the best way.  




Wednesday, August 15, 2012

cosmetic junkie


ask anyone that knows me well and they will tell you...i am a cosmetic junkie.

i can get lost in lotions and fragrances and eye shadows and lip glosses.  it's not that i have to wear all that goop because i feel incomplete as a human being...i just genuinely enjoy it.

with my theatre background, i look at my face as a canvas and makeup as my paint...it is never a routine...it is more of a hallowed ritual.

i have different products and fragrances for different occasions and different seasons...i just really enjoy it.

even when i go grocery shopping...i spend a good deal of time walking thru the cosmetic aisles examining the colors and fragrances of those overpriced items.

Proverbs 27:9 
Just as lotions and fragrance give sensual delight,
a sweet friendship refreshes the soul.

i have amazing friends.  i am not someone that needs a lot of friends.  i am happy to have 1 or 2 close friends and hundreds of acquaintances.  i am also not someone that is willing to work really hard in a friendship.  i think that as long as we are growing closer to our Father, friendships should just work. 

there may be the occasional misunderstanding...but with complete honesty and understanding...these things resolve themselves.  i trust my friends' hearts, relish our differences, and enjoy our similarities.  i cherish them as they grow into the women that God has called them to be...rejoicing with them as they overcome obstacles and prayerfully encourage them as they come to new challenges. 

i enjoy my friendships...maybe as much as i enjoy my cosmetics. 

God is so good to have inspired that proverb.  He just 'gets' me.  

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

the bat.

we have an unwelcome guest in our home.

we don't know how it got here or when...but it all started about a week ago when my husband found little poo's on the floor.  i am a city girl.  i don't do well with rodents.  so i took my 4 children to the hardware store (yeah...it was that serious) and bought 12 mouse traps.

after explaining to the kids why we don't touch mousetraps...that they could lose fingers and never get the opportunity to be world famous concert pianists...i set them...and waited.

nothing...but more poo's.

then...a few nights later my husband was in the living room getting a diaper at 2am...and noticed that there was a shadow figure swooping around in our family room.

when i went to look...i didn't see anything.  so i told him to stop being paranoid and go back to bed.  then i shut the doors...just in case.

the next night...same routine...2am.  and the bat chased him down the hall toward our bedroom.  as he slammed the door behind him we heard a 'boom' of the bat running into it.  we carefully opened the door and there was nothing there.  so after a brief search...we went back to bed.

a few nights went by...my husband insisting there was an intruder...i started wondering if his mind was suffering from our stressful life...then he even started to question his sanity. 

i finally decided that even if there was a bat...it would have to be dead by now.

so we started to sleep with the doors open again.

that night i woke at 2 am...rolled over...and there was that bat circling my bedroom ceiling...i don't know what happened next...i was hiding under my pillow.

i do know that the stinking thing is still in my home.  it is hiding somewhere...during the day and flying around at night.  we heard it in the wall last night...

i am completely freaked out...and have no idea what to do...

you know...this applies spiritually too...
sometimes people tell us that there is a problem and we ignore them.
we tell them they are being prudish or judgemental.
and they even start to wonder if they made it up or are being too sensitive.
eventually we let our guard down...
and we are woken up in the middle of the night slapped in the face by reality.
the fact is...sin is a problem that we can't solve alone.

Jesus, the sin exterminator...He'll take care of it.

and those that love us...they'll help keep us honest.  if we let them.




garage sale

the other day, my 2 year old daughter strapped herself into her little brother's car seat.  then, as my 3 year old tried to pick the car seat up...things went south.  you see...the car seat wasn't made for her...she's grown out of it.  so as he tried to pick her up, she slipped out of the bottom and ended up hanging by her chin and elbows.  thankfully i was right there and was able to unlatch her before any serious damage was done...

we just put a bunch of kid stuff in a garage sale...it was so nice to get old strollers and highchairs out of my house.  while it was a little sad to see those reminders of my kids' infancy leave...it is refreshing to have some open space.

1 Corinthians 13:11
When I was a child,
I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child.
But when I grew up,
I put away childish things.

as we grow in our walk with Jesus...we put the old things away...but i suggest we don't just store them in our closet...or put them in the attic.  i suggest we have a garage sale and get them out of our house!

you see...if we keep those childish things around...it is sometimes tempting to regress.  and regressing can be really dangerous.  we have grown out of un-Christlike gossip...even the 'prayer request' kind.  we have grown out of pettiness...even the kind of pettiness that leads us to 'encourage someone to better themselves'.  we have grown out of malice and cattiness.  some of those things are like shoes.  put on shoes that are too small and they will make you uncomfortable.  other things are like car seats.  buckle yourself into a car seat that is too small and you could get seriously hurt. 

as we get those things out of our house...there more open space for us to play...and less junk creating hidey-holes for the spiders and bats that the enemy sends our way...(more on that later).



Sunday, August 12, 2012

sheepdog

i had a little vision a while ago...


a shepherd was watching his flock on mountain pastures



and he had the help of a loyal sheepdog.



however...occasionally...the sheepdog would turn into a pit bull and maul the sheep.


and the shepherd would be broken hearted over his wounded sheep and be hurt that they would turn away from him.


unfortunately, this happens a lot in church leadership.  Jesus is our Shepherd.  He has many people in leadership that are serving the function of a sheepdog.  they loyally help to guide the sheep toward the Shepherd and keep them away from danger.  however...occasionally His leaders forget their purpose or forget their Shepherd and maul His sheep.  and this breaks the Shepherd's heart because He loves His sheep.

if you are involved in any kind of leadership under Christ.  please...take this as a word of caution.  yes...we are human...we have moments that we 'flesh out' and lose our tempers.  we have misunderstandings.  we have our own baggage that sometimes filters our experiences and creates the wrong reaction.
but please, we need to be careful not to turn into an aggressor and wound the very people we should be serving humbly.
i'm not saying we should be wimpy and massage
people's feelings and indulge their every evil desire.

i'm saying...well...


Proverbs 20:28
Love and truth form a good leader;
sound leadership is founded on loving integrity.

Ephesians 4:14-16
No prolonged infancies among us, please. We'll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.



Saturday, August 11, 2012

protected

Psalm 119:9-16
How can a young person live a clean life?
By carefully reading the map of your Word.
I'm single-minded in pursuit of you;
don't let me miss the road signs you've posted.
I've banked your promises in the vault of my heart
so I won't sin myself bankrupt.
Be blessed, God;
train me in your ways of wise living.
I'll transfer to my lips
all the counsel that comes from your mouth;
I delight far more in what you tell me about living
than in gathering a pile of riches.
I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you,
I attentively watch how you've done it.
I relish everything you've told me of life,
I won't forget a word of it.

i am grateful for my upbringing.  my family didn't do everything right...but they did take me to church and teach me right and wrong. 

i used to despise my innocence.  when i was a kid i would covet the testimonies that i would hear at church camp.  you know...the testimonies of rough kids redeemed by Christ.  they would have these dramatic stories about their transformation.  most of these stories involved a near-death experience and the speaker almost always had an alternative look (ie. tattoos, piercings and crazy hair styles) reminding them of their previous lifestyle.

they would often use the scripture that says 'he who has been forgiven much, loves much.'  and my heart would ache.

my dad didn't beat me.  my parents didn't drink.  i never did drugs.  i never heard gunshots...other than the ones that my dad and i made at the range.  i never shoplifted.  i never slept out on the street...other than when we went camping as a family.  i was always protected.

i always felt like i couldn't really love Jesus unless i had a screwed up lifestyle for Him to rescue me from.  so i started making screwed up choices.

ironically, i loved Jesus too much to go very far down that road.  and He protected me.

i am so thankful that i had the family that i do.  i am thankful that i was taught to do the right thing.  and while i am not without wounds from my childhood...i am glad that i learned to turn to Jesus as my healer and redeemer at an early age. 

i love Jesus.  i have been forgiven of so much...and protected from so much.  (funny, my first name means 'protected') ...and that makes me love Him so much more.




Thursday, August 9, 2012

real food.

well...after a rough day involving a rodent in my home...a crazy trip to the mall...nearly blacking out from low blood sugar...and all that...

my husband is bringing food home.  real food. 

i am trying not to be disappointed in myself for only making it half way thru my 10 day juice fast.  i know my kids will like me much better when i have the energy and the cool temperament they are used to. 

well...i have learned something.

i purposely was not making this a God fast because i wanted to be able to talk to people about it...it's purpose was completely health related...and i wanted to be able to moan and groan... (something that the bible clearly frowns upon in a God fast).

maybe if i had included God a little more and relied on His strength instead of my own...i could have gone thru it without making my poor children suffer.

i teach girls to cling to Jesus...i encourage friends to lean on His strength...

sigh. 

so glad for God's grace.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

joy comes in the morning

lastnight i hit a low point.  i sat at the kitchen table with my husband, my head in my hands and said. 'i don't think i can do this.' about 100 times.

he is so wise.  he told me that if i wanted to quit, i could quit in the morning.  but i had to stick it out until breakfast.

well...i'm still going strong.  and i've lost 8 lbs. 

Psalm 90:12,14
Oh! Teach us to live well!
Teach us to live wisely and well!
   Surprise us with love at daybreak;
then we'll skip and dance all the day long.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

dependant

i never realize how dependant i am until i go without something...

i have been without caffeine for almost 48 hours and i could just die.  it's kind of funny.  i walk into my kitchen about 500 times for no reason because i am not eating food.  when my husband isn't home i wonder how in the world i can fit more garbage in the garbage can (it just doesn't occur to me that i could take it out myself.

sometimes i wonder if i am too dependant on things...

i'm so glad that i never have to worry about being too dependant on God.  He promised He'd always be there...

Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong. Take courage. Don't be intimidated. Don't give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He's right there with you. He won't let you down; he won't leave you.

Monday, August 6, 2012

snail mail

letter writing is a dying art...and it's sort of heartbreaking.

my 30th birthday just passed...and i didn't get a single card in the mail.  not that i'm complaining.  i didn't feel forgotten.  my little family handed me beautiful cards and i got many well wishing texts and facebook messages.  ...but no cards...




so i've decided that i am going to start sending cards.  one a week or so.  anyone want to join me?

juice

just over a month ago my husband came home from work and announced that he was no longer going to be eating meat.  so i have had to make a lot of changes in the way i do things. 

now...i am not by nature an overly submissive woman.  i have always had a bit of a stubborn streak.  but God prepared me for this one.  a few weeks before my husband made his decision, i was at a meeting and one of the ladies there said she had been a vegetarian for 2 years by her husband's decision.  i laughed out loud and said 'the day my husband tells me we are going to be vegetarians i would cook a huge steak!' 
on my way home i realized...that probably isn't a good response.  a 'wife of noble character' would be gracious and support her husband.  a grateful woman would choose to look at it as an opportunity to learn new recipes.  you know...heaven forbid he take better care of himself...and maybe i'll even lose some of this 'baby weight' if i join him. 

so...he came home and didn't ask me to give up meat (he knows better).  he just told me that he was going to change his diet. 

so...that is how all this started.  now we are starting a 10 day juice fast.  i am sitting here staring at the sediment in my fresh apple juice...and i'm not real sure if i'm going to be able to handle this.  but...one sip at a time...right?

i know there are a million verses (phil 4:13 comes to mind) to encourage me in this...and i know the story of daniel will be a great study for me...but i'm still not feeling super confident. 

so?  any ideas? recipes? scriptures? encouragement?  i'll take all i can get!

Thursday, August 2, 2012

packin'

packing for my little family to go away for a weekend is a major endeavor.

bottles, diapers, sippy cups.  life jackets, sunscreen, earplugs.  potty seats, extra undies, disinfectant wipes.  blankies, coloring books, fish crackers. ...these things are critical. 

the thing is...i'm doing it all myself.  trying to plan for everything...rain, sickness, little accidents.  all these things are out of my control...and i realize that i can't be prepared for everything...but i can try.

once i have done all i can do.  i will trust God for a good weekend.

Proverbs 21:31
Do your best, prepare for the worst— then trust God to bring victory.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

wedgie

it is really easy to wiggle waggle in our communication.  to tell the truth but not the whole truth...to 'speak diplomatically' in order to avoid offence...to never really stand up for anything that we might find worth believing in.

having a foot on both sides of the issues in order to remain neutral...hmm...switzerland sounds like a safe place to be...but sitting on the fence only gives you a wedgie.  often, in order to avoid leaving a bad taste in anyone's mouth...we just tip toe around the issues...and plop right down on the boundary lines.


Matthew 5:37 says 'Just say 'yes' and 'no.' When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.'

so...even though it is a little scary...stand up for something.  anything.  whatever you find worth standing up for.  you don't have to be hateful or angry about it...but you can still stand up for what you feel is right.
...please do not sit on the fence...