Contemplations of a Mommy "Monk"

To Do: Wash clothes, clean dishes, mop kitchen, take daughter to the doctors for her unexplained sickness... Grade homework, write advertisements for ministry, call so-and-so... Teach AWANA, exercise, pray for the little baby at church who is having heart surgery... You can read the rest of my devotion at Laced with Grace....

My oldest daughter loves to look at herself in the mirror, or any reflection for that matter. She'll be having a conversation with her dad, but the whole time she's watching herself talk in the reflection on the widow-pane. We tease her about this natural (although a bit narcissistic) trait. All of us are prone to it, right? We walk by a mirror and we do a quick check. What do we say to ourselves at that moment - when we are looking deep into our own eyes in the mirror? Do we say, "You look maahvelous, dahling?" Or, "Woah, chickie, you better lay off the chocolate ice cream for a while?" (And, on a total tanget, I have been doing that and I've lost 5 pounds. Woo-hoo!) Jennifer Rothschild asks us to think about the top five thoughts we have about ourselves. What are yours? Mine seem to fluctuate. During some seasons, I think I'm clumsy, forgetful and dippy. In other seasons, I think I could rule the world. Well, maybe not the world, but a High school

When God really wants to speak to me, He keeps on repeating Himself. I'm not sure why He does that, but I have a few hints. I do have a tendency of forgetting items at the grocery store, or things on my to-do list, or the time for an important event. Oh, all right, I'll just be honest: I'm forgetful and a little ditzy. So, He keeps whispering in my ear until I finally hear Him. It's amazing for me to see how so many peices can fit together into a clear message. I have been focusing on Philippians 4:8 for a long time since I need to keep my thoughts and WORDS on things that are excellent, pure and praiseworthy. Part of this process is being involved in Thankful Thursdays. Each week as I count my blessings, my thoughts are turned toward all the good that God is doing instead of toward my natural pessimistic thinking. A few weeks ago, without requesting it, I recieved a copy of the 4:8 project in my mailbox. When I opened it, I wondered if I had fogotten one more thing. B

Ok, so one of my goals for this year is to get back into blogging a little bit. It's tough for me to find time to blog on a regular basis now that my life is just plain busy, but it's something that refuels me and I often forget that others also appreciate hearing from me regularly. So, all that to say that I'm going to participate in a study on the book Self Talk, Soul Talk by Jennifer Rothschild with Lelia . I'll do my absolute best to post each week on what I'm learning from this book and I might even add in a little smidge here or a comment there from the other books on my nightstand right now too (Having a Mary Spirit, The 4:8 Project and Oswald Chamber's book on Prayer). The first section of Jennifer's book is about the life-changing power of soul talk. It's really weird and funny to admit it, but don't we all talk to ourselves in some way or another? I talk to myself out loud often and that's when people give me strange looks, but I'

This past summer was the first time my daughters were old enough to appreciate the Olympics. They watched the swimming, the diving, the hurdles, and the sprints, but there was one sport in particular that caught their attention. Gymnastics. Doesn’t every little girl wish she could make her body move is such graceful ways around parallel bars or on a balance beam? But not all of us are so coordinated (as I could well demonstrate). I can’t even balance myself when I’m standing up to sing in church, much less try to do a complicated flip on a bar several feet up in the air. That’s much too dangerous for someone like me. The bruises on my thighs attest to my clumsy nature; bumping into a table here or a chair there, I’m lucky I stay upright some days. I feel that way spiritually too at times. You can read the rest of my devotion at Laced with Grace....

I tore down the ratty, marked-up calendar and replaced it with a fresh clean one for 2009. Just like everyone else in America, I celebrated the end of 2008 last night and welcomed in a brand new year filled with fresh hopes and new resolutions. The financial sector is ready for a new year and so are the politicians. Dieters and smokers embrace the New Year as an opportunity to knock those bad habits, certain that THIS time around they’ll do a better job of sticking to their resolutions. You can read the rest of my devotion at the Internet Cafe. I'm excited to share the first cup of coffee in 2009 with you! :)