i got a rock



sometimes it seems like everyone around us is being blessed like crazy.

 

they tell you about all the wonderful things God is doing in their lives and all the wonderful things they are doing for God and well...it's a lot like this...

 

 

 

 

how do you handle that?

 

in James it says:

 

Consider it a sheer gift, friends,

when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.

You know that under pressure,

your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.

 

...blink, blink...riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight...

 

i get it...but i still have to deal with all the happy blessed people...and then He spoke... (Matthew 5)

 

“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope.

With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

 

“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you.

Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less.

That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.

“You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God.

He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.

“You’re blessed when you care.

At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.

“You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right.

Then you can see God in the outside world.

“You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight.

That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.

“You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution.

The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.

“Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

 

...ok...so...maybe I'M the blessed one...hehehe...

 

 



power outtage

ahhhhh sandy...

honestly...i sorta thought we in ohio were making a bit of a 'sky is falling' event out of the storm...i mean...it takes more than a day to get to the nearest ocean.

i stocked up on water and formula in case we lost power...

last night i randomly woke up a 3...had me a p...and watched the storm a bit from my front window.

the house across the street in the process of changing hands and is sitting empty and lit up like a Christmas tree and all the trees around it were blowing around like crazy...then the lights went out.

i spent about 10 minutes trying to figure out if i should call someone...and if so...who would i call...the old owner who is in the process of moving out...or a relative of the new owner?  decisions decisions...

then i realized that...oh...everyone's power was out...i should get online and register the outage since there probably weren't many people awake...

that's when i realized that my own power was out.

silly me.

in matthew 7, Jesus talked about taking the stick out of your own eye before pointing out the dirt in someone else's.

i'm pretty bad about that.  i am always looking at people...not really to judge...just to be helpful.  i often see things from a unique perspective.  God speaks to me about someone's situation.  i have the heart of a counselor...
but...it often takes me a little while to realize when those same things are going on in my own life. 

today...as our power turns on and goes off...and as the storm is affecting all of us equally...i'm going to look inward.  i'll counsel myself for a change...i'm sure those around me will enjoy the vacation from me being 'up in their business'.  

backseat driver

my 4 year old is wonderful.  i don't know how i ever survived without him. 

 

when we get in the car he gives me directions. 

   'mom, we're going to my class turn this way.'

   'mom, this isn't the way to get chicken nuggets, turn around up here.'

   'mom, you gotta turn left up here.'

 

...it's a little creepy because he is almost always right...and this is coming from a kid who has his shoes on the wrong feet...

 

this sunday morning my husband and i decided to drive separately because we had a series of meetings thru the day and wanted to make sure to have an escape plan in place if the kids got cranky. 

 

i explained all this to my kids and they seemed fine with it...until i started to pull out of the drive way while daddy was still in the house.

 'WAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTT!   DON'T FORGET DADDY!  MOOOOOMMM, DON'T LEAVE HIM!!!  WAAAAHHHHHH!  WAAAIIIT MOM!  WAAAIIIT!'

 

sigh. 

 

i patiently (and then maybe not so patiently) reminded my son that daddy was driving his work car and was going to meet us at the church in like 10 minutes.  but he couldn't wrap his little brain around why daddy would be driving his work car to church.  so...we drove with the sirens a-wailing...

 

 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5

 

eventually...when we got to church (hearing impaired from the screaming on all accounts)

POOF!  daddy was there and everything was alright again.  my son had screamed his head off for nothing (as a matter of fact...so had i). 

 

how often do we worry and wine and complain and cry and wail about the things we are going thru.  things that seem so wrong to us.  things that set us off balance.  things that we just don't understand.

if we would just 'trust in the Lord' we would be better off. 

thankfully...Father God is perfect.  (newsflash...i am not perfect)  God doesn't lose it with us when we scream our heads off at Him...  whew!

 

 



accomplishment

 

we're in trouble now!

my little man (9 months old) pulled himself up on the couch today.  as you can see...he was very proud of himself.  and i obviously adore him...

in a few months...or even weeks...it won't be that big of a deal.  my 2 year olds looked at me like i was crazy when i was cheering for him.  but for today it is an outstanding accomplishment.`

take pride in the little things God is doing in you...even if they don't seem like a big deal.  even if you fall again...
     holding your tongue
          making time for devotions
               fasting a meal
                    giving a $5 offering
                         keeping your temper
                              having a moment of forgiveness
                                   feeling compassion for someone you would usually judge

God is pleased with any step you make in the right direction...and...you should be pleased with any little accomplishment as God pulls you closer to Him.

angry

i am angry. 

really really angry.

lastnight i got a phonecall informing me that my dad had just gotten out of emergency surgery.  he had called me last friday to see what my gallbladder pain was like.  i told him that he needed to go to the hospital before his appendix burst.  he told me i didn't know what i was talking about.

then...i get a phone call from my sister giving me the update on his surgery.  my mom hadn't called because he had forbidden it.  he didn't want anyone to know that he was in the hospital.  seriously.

theeennn...i get a phone call from my mother appologizing for not calling me sooner.  he was insisting that she bring him clothes at 11:00 at night.

i am angry.

i asked my husband to pray with me lastnight and he started by thanking God for allowing my dad to survivee with an infected and burst appendix for so long.  he thanked God for leading my dad to go to the emergency room.  and he thanked Him for the skill of the surgeons and nurses.  he prayed for a speedy recovery. 

so.  gratefulness trumps anger.  for that brief moment while my husband prayed...everything was okay. 

today i choose to be grateful instead of angry.  i am not stuffing my anger...i am just choosing to forgive...i am choosing to be grateful instead.

at least...that's the theory  :)  with your prayers hopefully it won't be as difficult as it seems.

betrayed by a friend.

you know...i really enjoy my coffee.  i even consider my morning coffee one of my most trusted allies.  but on sunday mornings...my coffee betrays me.

i take a travel cup of delicious coffee (lovingly prepared by my kind husband) with me to church.  i boldly drink it in the foyer (i realize that my travel cup makes me look like i am too good for the icky church coffee...and i just don't care.)

i enjoy my steamy treat all the way in to service and sometimes i even take a few sips at my seat.  (sometimes the ushers look at me like they are about to enforce the 'no food or drink in the sanctuary' rule...but then they weigh the value of their life with the fact that they would be wrenching coffee from the hands of this poor overworked mother of 4 preschoolers...aaaand they reconsider.)  my travel cup doesn't spill anyway... (it's been tested by all 4 of my little quality control team).

anyway...so worship starts and i enjoy adoring my Jesus uninterrupted...until it hits me.


i have the nastiest breath in the world.  i can't belt out 'blessed be your glorious name' with breath like this...the whole row might pass out.  and praying for someone...that is completely out of the question.  i wouldn't dream of impairing someone's worship experience by getting in their face and giving them a word from God with stench that is coming from my mouth. i tried gum...but who am i kidding...gum only gives you mint flavored coffee breath.  ick.


so...no more coffee on sunday mornings. i can give it up in order to adore and serve my Father more freely.

but that is just an external thing. 

Jesus said we need to make sure that the inside of our cups are clean. 
what in my heart is keeping me from worshipping and serving freely?  hmmmm...something to search out this week...

Daddy's girl

i have always been a people watcher. 

tonight i saw a man playing with his daughter.  she is about 18 months and has the most beautiful brown eyes i have ever seen.  and it's a good thing that he is a tall, strong man because if he wasn't...well...let's just say that this little girl has an older sister that is equally beautiful and they will be of dating age at the same time...

 

well...this daddy had his little girl by the feet and was balancing her.  she was standing on his hand...at least 5 feet off the ground...and she didn't have one ounce of concern.

at one point she dove toward him with her arms wide and a big grin on her face.  he only had one hand to catch her with...but he made it work...and they both laughed and laughed.




we went for a walk in the woods a few months ago.  my husband ended up carrying our girls. 
thankfully...our heavenly Father will carry us any time...and His arms never get tired.

i am so glad God is like that.  no matter what your father issues are.  whether or not you have had a man you could trust on this earth.  God; your heavenly Father, is trustworthy.  He is perfect and never makes mistakes in His plan or in His design.

Dive toward Him. 
     He'll catch you. 
          You can trust Him.

amazing hives

my body is amazing.

every time the seasons change i have allergy issues.  usually i end up getting either bronchitis or pneumonia.  i always end up on tons of antibiotics.

the past few years though...it's been different.  i still get a bit of a cough but then after a day or so i get hives. 

when i was little i used to get hives when ever i was on an antibiotic not because i was allergic to the antibiotic...but because i am evidently allergic to the toxins that the virus/bacteria put off when they die.

so...the past few years...my body has been kicking my immunity into overdrive to fight off whatever the gunk of the season is. 

my body is seriously amazing...but if i didn't look at it that way...these hives would drive me completely crazy.

how to love

“Love the Lord your God with all your

passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence,

and love your neighbor as well as you do yourself.” - Luke 10:27

Jesus clearly wants us to love each other. 

He wants us to treat one another in a way that we would find suitable for ourselves.  golden rule...you get that...

He also wants us to teach our children how to love.  as parents we have 2 jobs really...keep our kids alive and teach them how to love.

 

we teach our kids how to talk, how to walk, how to play...

are we teaching them how to serve selflessly?  how to have grace with the people around us?  are we teaching our kids how to lovingly hold their friends accountable?  how to lead by example? how to pray for and with the people they come in contact with?  are we teaching our children how to forgive?

however...we teach more by our actions than by our words. it's easy to say 'be nice' to our kids on the playground...but what are we doing in the car as they witness from the back seat? are we 'being nice'? are we loving our neighbor?

we can't just tell our kids to do something.  words and pictures only go so far...they need a path to follow.

so if we are going to teach our kids to love...are we walking in love?