Contemplations of a Mommy "Monk"

When speaking of the fruit of the Spirit, it is important to remember a few things. For one thing, patience, kindness, self-control, etc. are all fruit that flow from walking in unity with the Holy Spirit. We cannot produce these fruit any more than we can create an orange out of thin air. On the other hand, there is something that we are called to do. Our part in growing oranges is complete reliance upon the Grower of all good things. When I see goodness, kindness or joy in myself, I recognize it as the overflow of a relationship with Jesus and as a gift from Him. For some reason, the fruit of self-control seems different. Maybe it's just me. I think of it negatively - as in what is lacking instead of what God has given. I also tend to look for things I ought to be doing to increase this fruit in my life. Why should self-control be any different than peace or love? I cannot manufacture those things in my life - I am fully aware that they come only from living a Spirit-le...

"I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10 This may seem like a weird Thankful Thursday post, but I need to be thankful today for who God made me . It's too easy for me to fall into the trap of believing the lies of Satan which fall under the categories of false guilt, low self-esteem, and beating myself up for failures. So, today, I need to be thankful for the gifts God has given me, not out of pride, but out of a realization that everything that is good is a gift from above. He has decked me out in jewels from above - isn't that a great picture? Ann Kroeker recently had a meme on writing strengths and I was challenged to not think about weaknesses, but only strengths. So, here are some ways God has created me that enable me to be a bett...

I will be hosting the Carnival of Beauty this week and the topic Self-Control. In this season of overeating, overshopping and overdoing it, we might benefit from a little meditation on this gift of the Spirit. What is the purpose of the Carnival of Beauty? 1. Encourage women by reflecting the beauty of Christ in our writing. 2. Meet women online who cherish the beauty of Christ that we might not have met otherwise. Who can participate? Any Christian woman can participate as long as she falls under these guidelines: Is in personal agreement with the following statement: I believe in the Godhead of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit as revealed in the Holy Bible. I believe that Jesus Christ is the only Son of God and my only means for the forgiveness of my sins and my salvation. My salvation is found in no one but Jesus Christ. Is not a Mormon, Jehovah’s Witness, or Seventh Day Adventist. Does not promote the emergent conversation/movement on her blog. Does not promot...

I wake up thinking about all the things I ought to do today. I need to take care of my hair with the proper products - keeping it soft and healthy (some day when I actually care about it); I must care for my skin so that it is not damaged by the sun, the dead cells are sloughed off and signs of wrinkling and aging are hidden, not to mention moisturizing (you can bet that will happen once a month). It is important to care for my muscles with exercise and my bones and other organs by eating right and taking vitamins (I'll get around to that eventually). I should visit the doctor regularly also to take care of this body of mine (once every few years or so). I ought to brush my teeth and floss to watch over these pearly whites and I should file and trim my fingernails too (which I rarely do - the nails, I mean, not the teeth!). I'm exhausted already and I haven't even gotten to caring for my mind. I should be keeping up with current events - aware of what is going on in Darfour...

Thank You Father for the friends who bring bright crimson into my life - those brave souls who wear red jeans to Christmas parties, who paint rooms with brick red hues, and whose presence adds spice to every gathering. Thank You Father for the friends who add warm golden hues to my heart - the people who hug first and talk later, the family members whose prayers are neverending, the smiles that radiate joy of the kingdom and friends whose care lightens my load. Thank You Father for the people who splash turquoise jewels into my lap - those transparent people who allow You to shine through their weaknesses, those treasures of friends whose love is genuine and whose lives brighten my day. Thank You Father for the tangerine friends who squeeze sweetness over everything in their paths. For their fruity fun attitudes and the way they liven up my days with their juiciness! Thanks to Denise and Sharon for this special award of friendship which was created by Yesu's Garden. Thanks to my...

Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd, Thank You, my guide, my faithful leader, my dependable Caretaker I shall not be in want. There has always been enough - God has always provided for our needs. He makes me lie down in green pastures, God grants me rest each day - physical rest from my labors and spiritual rest for my heart. He leads me beside quiet waters , He quenches my thirst. He is a bottomless well - Thank you Living Water for flowing in me. He restores my soul . Thank You, Restorer of all, for making me anew - for creating in me a new life full of fresh starts. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake . Thank You God, that I am not in this struggle against sin alone. You are guiding and filling me with power to follow Your ways each and every day that I might glorify You with my life. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me ; Thank You Jesus, that Your perfect love casts out fear and I can live ...

It is unfortunate to hear that there are some in our world whose independent spirit has crowded out gratitude . In a recent local newspaper, there was a letter to the editor arguing the useless nature of the upcoming holiday. For what ought we to give thanks when we have labored by our own hands to provide the roof over our heads and the food upon the table? Indeed, why give thanks if you believe there is no One to thank? Unless of course, you plan to worship the turkey goddess this Thursday as some have joked. What is the purpose of this holiday? A great day to gather together with family, eat delicious foods and watch your favorite teams throw around the pigskin? Or perhaps, a day to herald the beginning of the shopping season, the getting season and the busiest season of the year? So, I ask, why give thanks? “Were you there when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line acros...

I have no amazing spiritual insights today - just enjoying our weekend away from home as we visit friends and the guys go out hunting. Here's how I plan to spend the weekend: 1. Read my new book by Mary Pierce (who happens to be the president of my writer's guild!), "When Did My Life Become a Game of Twister?" She already had me laughing on the drive up with her comments about lutefisk - why anyone eats that lye soaked disgusting fish is a mystery to me too! 2. Play outside in the snow with my kids. Maybe by the end of the weekend we'll have enough to make snowballs! 3. Chat, chat, chat with my friend. And while we're at it, I'm sure we'll minister to each other's souls too! 4. Take a walk every day even if it is snowing. It's beautiful up here in the north woods. 5. Stay off the computer. With northwoods telephone connection, I just can't do it. Hope you have a great weekend too!

Last week, I went with a group to meet with a local astronomer. Unfortunately, the clouds prohibited us from viewing the stars through his telescope, but he had an amazing display of photos taken with the Hubble telescope on his computer. We saw the night sky more close up than I ever though possible. All I see when I look up at night are little dots of white light, but they are swirling nebulae and black holes and gorgeous masses of energy so far away from our earth. And God made that just for our viewing enjoyment. Thank you Lord. We discussed Mars and Saturn and a variety of planets. I was struck by this interesting fact: the reason other planets are not inhabitable is either because they have no solid mass or because they have no water. It made me understand the importance of the words in Genesis: He separated the water from the land. It seems so simple really, but it is life sustaining to have both land and water with definable boundaries on our planet. And, He made sur...

Each season is ushered in by unique scents letting our noses be the first perceive the changes coming. Fresh cut pine, cranberries, and ginger create images of Christmas time in our heads - the joy of advent, the chill of winter, and the shorter days ahead. Fragrant hyacinths, tulips and lilies are first to communicate spring to our noses. Summer is filled with the scents of fresh cut grass, ripe tomatoes, sweaty children and watermelons. In the fall, the crisp air smells of dead leaves, pumpkins, cinnamon and ripe apples. But it is neither summer, winter, spring or fall around here. It is HUNTING season. And the fragrances of the season are poignant and memorable. I hung the laundry on the line today....but not before I washed my hands in scent free soap. Not just any old soap, mind you, but the kind that costs extra because it is literally scentless. The blaze orange clothing has been washed in SPECIAL detergent that once again is free of scent. And to make sure all scent has been ki...

"Love is beautiful, but it is also terrible--terrible in its determination to allow nothing blemished or unworthy to remain in the beloved." ~ Hannah Hurnard ~ My four year old Missy eagerly dresses each morning for preschool. She finds a pair of purple sweatpants and a deep red frilly shirt and ties the ensemble together with a yellow headband, never using a brush to tame her wild mane. She tells me she is ready to go, blonde strands of hair sticking out everywhere, peanut butter smudges on her face and teeth un-brushed. She slips into her pink and purple mudboots, never mind that there is no mud to be seen anywhere nearby. Her runny nose hardly seems to matter considering the rest of the wreckage before me. I love her so dearly; I almost let her go to school looking like an uncared for orphan. Actually, I love her too much to allow her to go out of the house looking like this. I make her stand still for an excruciating minute while I wipe her face, comb her hair and ...

You are treasure to me. Yes, YOU! If you have come by here and encouraged me by your presence, you are a treasure. Please go visit Next Step of Faith to read my poem.

I kill plants. I don't set out to do it, but it's inevitable. I'm very forgetful and the plants often get neglected in the busyness of my days. I haven't met a plant yet that can survive too long without water - although some have surprised me with their survivability. So, when I notice the yellowing leaves, the crunchy "growths" and the wilting nature of my plants, I suddently am reminded that they need water. I drown them in water hoping to remedy my past irresponsibility; but, they are beyond reviving. I don't give up hope because I feel terribly guilty for the plant's demise. Unfortunately, it is no use. For too long this plant has gone without sustenance and it is too late to revive it now. There are things in my life that I think are beyond reviving too. Self-discipline. I've neglected it and that fruit has shriveled up. All of my efforts at rejuvinating this fruit seem in vain. Some days it feels like I am destined to struggle i...

Today is Veteran's Day. Join me in honoring the many men and women who have sacrificed so much for our country. My best friend from High School was in Iraq near the beginning of the war and has many stories of dodging mortars. I sure appreciate those who have been willing to stand of the front lines courageously fighting for our freedoms. Go visit Tricia Goyer's Blog today for some other great stories of real life veterans (particularly World War 2 Vets). Today is also a day to remember the persecuted church in prayer. Many times when persecuted Christians are asked what we in the west can do for them, they respond with a simple request. That we pray for them. This summer our Vacation Bible School focused on these undercover Christians - providing Bibles for them and lifting them up in prayer. One story that touched my heart was a little girl named Rose (I've changed her name for security purposes). Little Rose was seven years old when she was asked by her Muslim teacher to...

The sun peeks over the horizon, piercing the dawn with shafts of brightness. In its beams, the world sparkles and shines anew. Sturdy blades of grass are laced in bright white beauty. Barren limbs draped with winter's freshness glitter brightly in the light. Blanketed in the first fresh snow, the world sings a new song - a song of cleansing power, of fresh starts, and hope. The blue spruces in a row sprinkled with the sweetness of heaven anticipate the season of advent. Children romp with rosy cheeks, tongues baring the cold air to catch the first snowflake. Bulky mittens attempt to roll the powder into balls for light-hearted fun. A black kitty tiptoes through the unusual texture beneath his paws. Fat, fluffy flakes tumble toward the ground, sticking to anything in their path. The world has been washed in newness and cleansed to purity; now it is clothed in the robes of heaven. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 7:14). Yeste...

About two weeks ago, my uncle-in-law (is that a word?) came out to visit and offered to help us steam clean the carpets since he works for Rug Doctor. Since I have three little kiddos and one daycare baby, I have no need for carpet cleaning....So, I pondered for a long time (like 1 second) before I said, "YES!!! Please clean my carpets!!" All weekend long I marveled at my perfectly clean carpets. I really do like it when things are clean (though my house may declare the opposite...at times), so I reveled in my spotless carpets for a whole day. It was so GOOD . You would have thought I had been given a diamond ring, I was so ecstatic. And then. Then I was brutally reminded of my sweet treasures which could also be called whirlwinds of destruction. The perfect carpet lasted one day and one day only. They peed on it - they thought it would be funny to call the bedroom a bathroom and pee on the carpet. It wasn't an accident; it was deliberate. I am very understanding about a...

I am thankful this week for so much, but I have to share my little piece of encouraging news first. I submitted a little article to our newspaper and then I found out they don't accept unsolicited submissions, so I forgot all about it. Then, in our paper today, I saw my article! It was a little encouragement from God to keep plowing away at this writing thing even when it seems difficult. He is so tender-hearted toward me, I feel overwhelmed! I'm also thankful for the world class concert I attended today. I would have paid top notch prices for this concert which played out in a small bedroom with a karaoke. The first artist was a young singer who wrote her own music (straight from her heart) and the song was something about glorifying God by loving Him in all we do. She sang as she danced about in her ballerina costume. Next up was a short toucan with a toddler face peeping out and a loud voice. His arms moved to the music as he told us "My God is so big, so stwo...

Listen carefully and you will hear soft classical music playing, melodious laughter and the clink of silver upon china. Look around and you will see silver trays filled with sweet delicacies and mints, antique teapots steaming with fresh tea, bright slices of lemon and cubes of sugar adjoining the tiny pastel tea sets on each of the several tables around the room. Grandma’s chest has been brought down from the attic and inside are old-fashioned dresses, shoes, hats and gloves for all to try on. Mink stoles and fashionable hats straight out of the 1920’s decorate the shelves while the dresser is overflowing with costume jewelry – broaches, clip on earrings, dangling necklaces and silk gloves to complete the look. The oval looking glass in the corner of the room provides an opportunity for a glance into the past and perhaps into the future as well. Children donning gloves too long, shoes too large and hats beyond their age mimic the adults they admire and we imagine the adults they ...

Once a month a group of my girlfriends get together for a fun-filled evening with each other. The best part of our Girls' Night Out is the surprise - my friend plans each outing but doesn't tell us the plans until we arrive. She gives us a few hints such as money to bring or clothing to wear, but other than that, we are left to our imaginations. One night last November, she brought us all to a crafty little workshop in our small town to create mosaics. I'm not very artistic, so this was a stretch for me and I was pleasantly surprised at how interesting the project was. I took the broken pieces of glass and pottery - carefully choosing colors that would match my design. I started with something small and simple - a dragonfly. Emerald wings against a sapphire sky sparkled but something was missing. I tediously glued each small piece onto my project and when I was finished, there was one more element that was needed to tie the art together - grout. There are different colors o...

It's Fall Y'all - and it has been for a while for those of you who live down and south and just realized this! The leaves have long ago departed their branches and have moved to their new home as a blanket on our garden. So, thanks for participating in the madness of giveaway week! And the winner is... PENNY ! I'll be sending off your copy of Yancey's book as soon as we get in touch. I'm still reading the book myself and you'll find my contemplations center around prayer on this blog. Hope you'll join me in taking your prayer life up a notch.

At supper tonight, my daughter found a ladybug on the table. She proceeded to cradle the bug in her hands and carry over to her little 2 year old brother. "I have a surprise for you" she offered. And he scooped up the red bug into his pudgy hands with these words, "Oh, buggy, I missed you !" He snuggled the bug up to his chest and rocked back and forth as he crooned, "I missed you buggy. I love you buggy." Seriously. I am not making this up! We were choking on our food and falling out of our chairs, tears running down our faces and our behavior only encouraged more of his silly crooning. My eldest daughter said, "You had better not kiss that bug!" And so he did. He smothered his lovely bug with kiss after kiss after kiss. Have you ever loved your little bug that much?

The king perused the valley far below and saw a multitude of white canvas tents. From his perch on the mountainside, it looked like daisies littering the green valley. He estimated the troops below and took stock of his army. Too many against too few. What should he do? How would he face this formidable force of three kings joined together to defeat him? Immediately, he knew the answer. The wise young king gathered together all the people of his kingdom and told them the battle was more than they could handle alone. He commanded them to begin fighting this battle before they went down into the valley by fasting and praying. And so, they waged war on their knees. They disciplined themselves to abstain from the pleasure of eating until they knew this battle was won. They prayed and they sought the favor of the Lord; they brought their pleas before the the ruler over all kingdoms and the One who holds power and might in His hand. They implored Him for victory over this evil because they h...

Lori, at All You Have to Give , has been meditating on the "details" each weekend and I've decided to join her. This week has been a full week. I looked back on my posts this week and thought about my activities and I see: the Word , Prayer , Fellowship , Family. The key components to life, really. But the details are in the small moments...My Cutie Bug made a mask for her party at school Wednesday. The theme was Wizard of Oz so her mask was supposed to look like Dorothy. I'm sure all of the masks were cute, but honestly, hers was the best - the eyelashes were curled, the eyes had little pupils and the hair was in two pigtails with red ribbons. That girl knows how to pay attention to details. So, I just had to take a picture of her with some classmates but then I realized I would never know who these kids are. The detail is this: masks. If we wear a mask, no one will know who we really are and that makes fellowship impossible. God created the church as a place for peo...