Mumblings of A Mommy "Monk"

40 Resolutions for 40 years

2011-04-30T20:58:00.001-05:00

Jonathan Edwards and his 70 resolutions for his life inspired me to write up a few of my own. Of course, he wrote them when he was 19 years old! Anyways, here are my resolutions that define who I want to be and how I want my life to be lived. They aren’t really just for my 40^th birthday, but it did seem like a good time to put these things down on paper and organize my personal goals and visions for my life.

I resolve to:

Live life to the fullest, with wonder and anticipation for God’s work
Make every moment count, not allowing TV or internet to steal my valuable time
Take time daily for meditation and solitude
Spend time daily in prayer and worship
Read Scripture every day
Do the things that care for my heart and restore my soul with creativity and fun
Continue to grow and learn by reading challenging books
Make fellowship and connectedness a priority weekly
Love my husband deeply and unreservedly with time, actions and words
Be characterized by faithfulness in all my relationships
Give my time and heart unselfishly to my children
Speak with gentleness to my children and others, remembering that we are all tender at heart and easily crushed
Be a good friend, caring for others the way I want them to care for me
Be patient with my children, giving them time to grow into all God has planned for them
Challenge myself to try new things and to go beyond what I have already done
Not allow myself to stagnate
Live a life devoted to God, surrendered to His plans and His will
Keep dreaming
Have a heart that is open to whatever God asks me to do – live in obedience to His calling
Look for opportunities to do good to others
Be a woman of prayer
Make exercise a priority because it strengthens my attitude and my body
Eat healthy foods that nourish me and not foods that deplete my energy
Work out the self-control in my life that God is working in me
Choose joy
Extend grace to those around me, just like Christ has for me
Keep writing and sharing my heart with others
Look for every opportunity to speak about Jesus to individuals or groups
Live in victory over strongholds, not allowing anything to have mastery over me except Christ
Continually put God’s Word in my heart, dwelling on Him and not the world
Be content with what I have and with my life, not allowing discontentment and unhappiness to choke out the joys of life
Be consistent with routines and organization, keeping my home a place of peace, so that disorder does not take over my life and bring stress to my home
Be a woman of peace, with a bedrock of faith in Christ that cannot be easily rattled by daily irritations or frustrations
Spend time outside regularly, with eyes wide open to see God’s handiwork and praise Him for it
Be filled to the fullness with Christ and when I feel empty to seek out whatever means I can to fill up again
Look for opportunities to be an ambassador for Christ at work, in my neighborhood and in our community
To love deeply
To be a woman who is close to God Phil 3:10
To be a woman whose life is spent ministering to the needs of others Isaiah 61:1-3
Dwell upon whatever is true, noble, right pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy

Stand Up To Scott Walker!

2011-04-03T13:43:00.000-05:00

Deny Myself?

2011-01-28T03:01:00.002-06:00

When I was in college, I had very little spending money to go around, so I learned early on to be frugal. I remember looking through the cereal boxes for the cheapest one and landing on Kashi (back then it was just one type of cereal, not all the yummy great stuff they have today). This saved my morning meal and then I had generic shampoos and soaps and definitely nothing fancy or special (and by that I mean, popcorn or new mascara). It really didn't matter to me at the time though because I was too busy enjoying school and friends to worry about material things.

After marriage, I began to feel a little differently though. I was working full time, making enough money to enjoy a cappuccino daily in the morning and a hairstylist in an actual salon. Pretty soon, those things that had once seemed extravagant to me now seemed like necessities and just a part of my every day life. I had denied myself for a while, so it was time to make up for it with plenty of pampering.

Coffee, scones, new shoes, designer makeup, a gym membership... In a short period of time, I had bought into the world's thinking. "I deserve this," preceded small indulgences. Or, more likely, I never thought twice about my rationale for purchasing things because I just assumed there was nothing wrong with making myself comfortable.

Comfortable - that's all we really ask for these days, isn't it? I want comfortable shoes, a comfy chair at work, a comfortable environment at the corner restaurant and I want to feel comfortable in my relationships too. Being uncomfortable is just so, well, uncomfortable!

I seek out comfort in every avenue of my life: work, home, around town, and even church. We want to go to church and hear words to calm our hearts and encourage us, but don't push us past our comfort zones. Shouldn't church be a comfortable place? Of course, we want everyone to feel accepted and welcomed at church, but is our goal the comfort of the congregation?

When I read some of Jesus' words, I start to get really uncomfortable.

Deny yourself. Take up your cross and follow me.

Ahem, well Lord, I want to come to church and hear your voice, but are you sure that's what you want to say to me? What about something a little more cheery - you know, like Rejoice in the Lord always? I'm not so sure I like being challenged like this, being asked to obey, to risk, to surrender, to.....

get uncomfortable for Jesus.

And so, some of those things that I just got in the habit of expecting, some of that attitude of pampering myself, some of that entitlement is going to the cross today. And as I see my sinful self dying, I realize that I'd much rather be uncomfortable with Jesus by my side than back in my cushy lifestyle wrapped up in myself.

Made to Crave - Lysa TerKeurst

2010-11-23T21:52:00.000-06:00

Mercy Rising

2010-08-24T14:39:00.004-05:00

About two years ago, I went to a writers' conference in Wheaton Illinois. It was such a blast meeting all kinds of people who also had a passion to share their love for Christ through the written word. I felt a little intimidated by those who had been through this experience before, but I found a friendly face in a young woman named Amber Robinson. A group of us stayed up late, eating chocolate in the student lounge in our dorm housing. We chatted until the morning, just like college kids, listening to each others work, giving friendly critiques and deserving encouragement.

When Amber shared her passion for reaching real people with real ways to be more compassionate in a busy world, I knew she was onto something! I'm so excited to give you a little glimpse into her first book, Mercy Rising.

Mercy Rising is all about how we can be agents of God's mercy in a needy world, and how to do it NOW, within the limitations you face each day. Amber shares her own challenges with being a woman of mercy and compassion, as she has learned to put others first even in the midst of her own personal struggles.

Amber started on her journey towards mercy when she became a child sponsor through Compassion, International. She began to advocate for Compassion and supported them by manning booths at concerts to let everyone know how to love children like Jesus did. She has since expanded her vision of compassion to many more ways of reaching the poor and hurting around her and she shares it in this great book.

Want to read more? Mercy Rising by Amber Robinson

They Almost Always Come Home

2010-06-06T15:49:00.003-05:00

Wow! What a terrific read! This book transported me to the boundary waters and created in me a desire to return there in person with my husband while I can (he keeps trying to convince me...). The marital strife that Cynthia Ruchti wove into the plot was also challenging for me. I like to read something that takes me on a journey (or a canoe trip!) and makes me think about important life issues. The main character, Libby, is a perfect example of a Christian living for God on the outside but withering on the inside and her personal struggles were so honest and real, it made my heart break. I loved Cynthia's writing style and I was drawn into the story immediately, hanging on for answers until the very last page. This book was full of depth, character and great suspense. It had me on the edge of my seat, alternating between tears and curiosity the whole time.

The Promised Land (a note to graduates)

2010-06-01T04:30:00.000-05:00

Remember the famous stories of Moses freeing the Israelite slaves from Egypt and bringing them across the Red Sea into the desert where they met with God? I’ve been thinking recently how their journey from slavery into the promised land often mirrors our own personal walk with Christ from slavery to sin into the true freedom of the Promised Land (i.e. living in the center of His will, filled with peace and joy, walking by faith, in the Spirit and conquering sin and the flesh).

Are you at a crossroads in your life? Maybe it’s a fork in the road and big life changing decisions you have to make about marriage, jobs, children, moving, etc. Maybe you have just graduated and are starting a new life on your own. As you look at the path in front of you, where does it lead? How can you be sure it will lead you to your promised land, the place of your dreams, the spiritual place of contentment?

Here’s a few things I see that the Israelites did wrong that led them to a 40 year wandering time before they finally received God’s gift of peace to them.

First, they didn’t dream big enough. They saw the big clusters of fruit in the land and they thought it looked beautiful and wonderful, but they couldn’t imagine how they would defeat those “giants” in the land. They didn’t believe their God was big enough to tackle seemingly insurmountable odds. I wonder how many of us limit God’s work in our lives by this type of thinking. When they started to dream big and put their trust in a BIG God, that’s when walls started to fall down and rivers began to part before their very eyes.

Second, they didn’t stay true to their values. They let emotions rule them as they succumbed to whining, complaining, impatience and finally relying on other gods when the One True God wasn’t working the way they wanted Him to. So often, I rely on my emotions instead of the TRUTH (the Way and the Life), and instead of letting God’s Word be my solid foundation. When we let emotions guide our decisions, we don’t always choose according to values, but what “feels good” and whatever is easiest. Ultimately, that path leads to death, while the path of obedience and hard choices leads to life. Moses made sure they knew that they had a choice to make and that their decisions would have lasting consequences. What feels good today may have the potential to change your life forever. So, choose wisely.

Third, they were selfish. They wanted to have all the comforts of life and they wanted it NOW! They were only thinking about the moment and about their own pleasure. As a result, they didn’t get along with each other and they didn’t see how they might play a part in a bigger plan. When we get our eyes off ourselves and look out into the world with a vision to serve, we can team up with God and work with Him fulfilling His purposes. When our lives are only about what is best for us individually, we miss the opportunity to be a part of something that really matters, something that has eternal value. Those selfish Israelites died in the desert, never seeing what God had planned for them or how He would use the nation of Israel to bless the world.

I want to be someone who gets involved with what really matters and to do that, I need to get my eyes off of myself and I need to trust in a BIG God who can fulfill BIG dreams. And ultimately, I need to make everyday choices that honor Him and put Him at the center of my life where He can work miracles. I’m choosing to take the path that leads to a Promised Future. How about you?

Cartoon used with permission: (Copyright Gospel Communications International, Inc - www.reverendfun.com)

Let Jesus In

2010-03-26T17:21:00.004-05:00

I'm posting at The Internet Cafe Today....

When I was in high school, I was quite the goody-two-shoes, but as I've grown closer to God, I've begun to realize God isn't just interested in behavior, but heart motivation. I was the kind of kid who never wanted to do anything wrong for fear of "getting in trouble" or seeing the disapproval of the adults I admired and respected. I wanted to be good and I wanted others to think highly of me, so I followed the rules and did what was right. I was motivated by people pleasing, seeking the admiration of others and fearing their disapproval.

But, I was also motivated by the fear of consequences. I was pretty sure if I did something wrong, I would get caught and I didn't want to face punishment, so I stayed inside the lines. I'll never forget the film we watched in health class one day about the consequences of drug abuse. Stamped forever in my mind are the images of teenagers acting out of control to the point of becoming badly injured or even dead. I wouldn't touch drugs because in reality, I was afraid - afraid of what it might do to me. I was motivated by fear.

As a child, it may have been perfectly natural for my behavior to be motivated by fear of consequences or a desire to please my parents, but those motivations began to fail me in my early adulthood. I no longer believed that I would get caught for misbehavior, so why did it matter? I didn't think those consequences would happen to me, so I cut corners sometimes and smudged the lines between black and white. The only problem I still dealt with was my nagging conscience. All of my good behavior or guilty feelings came from the sense that Jesus was looking over my shoulder and He was disappointed.

My college friends had a skit that they performed for a large group meeting one night and it was very eye-opening. One student was sitting in his dorm room at night with his best friend, Jesus. As he planned his evening, he mentioned to Jesus that He might not want to come along. "There might be some things that You wouldn't approve of, and some language You wouldn't like, so You ought to just stay home tonight." The character playing Jesus insisted that wherever His friend went, He would go too. An argument ensued with the student telling Jesus He was welcome anywhere in his life, but just not THIS night, just not at THIS party. Jesus was insistent that it didn't matter where His friend was going or what His friend was doing, He would come along.

Reasoning with Jesus didn't seem to be working, so the student became physical. He grabbed Jesus and pushed Him up against the wall. As he explained one more time, that JESUS. WASN'T. INVITED! to this party, he slammed Jesus' hands up and hammered them into the wall in the shape of a cross.

The sad thing about this sketch is that Jesus didn't want to come along as a shadow hovering over the student's shoulder tisking his bad choices or shaking his head in disappointment. Jesus wanted to be with His friend, just as He wants to be with us even in our darkest moments.

Jesus wants to be invited into our temptations, not as a disapproving parent, but as a friend. So, I'm finally beginning to see that the best motivation for following God's ways is love. When I let Jesus in to those moments and tell Him that I honestly want to sin and I want to do something I know I shouldn't, He loves me and whispers encouragement to me and gives me the strength to make the right choices.

People say that love conquers all and I've finally seen that it really does. Love is what gives me the motivation to be done with sin in my life and give everything in my life to Jesus. When I let Jesus in (even into my temptations), I discovered the power of His love.

A Needy Heart

2010-03-24T03:00:00.000-05:00

My five year old came home from church this week explaining to me all about heaven. "There's no more bad guys there and no one will be sad or scared anymore. Nobody will need a doctor anymore because we won't get sick or hurt. I can't wait to go there!" His enthusiasm for heaven had me contemplating my own longing for that day, when we will be perfect with God. I can't wait - why can't it be like that now?

When I came to Christ many years ago, I imagined that all of my weaknesses would be wiped out and that my imperfections would be filled in as God fixed up my broken heart. My heart is broken in all the usual ways - unmet needs, sins that linger, impure thoughts, stumbling blocks and the like. And the truth is, He has healed me from my sinful nature and He has delivered me from the power of sin, but I still struggle with daily challenges, making mistakes time and time again and feeling a deep emptiness inside.

If I could name my greatest desire, it would be this: a perfectly healed heart with pure motives, right thinking and complete fulfillment in God. I ache with the knowledge that there is something more for me, that my experience in this life is incomplete and marred because of sin. I want God to take away that ache, to make it all better - and I know He will, just not quite yet.

When I wonder about His timing in bringing complete healing, complete freedom from sin, and complete oneness with His heart, I'm reminded of an expression someone once told me. He said, "thank God for your burdens, because they cause you to lean on Him." It's a simple sentence and yet one that transforms my heart when I feel heavy with burdens and the fallen nature of this world. It's at that moment when I am weakest, when I am the neediest, that I sense my need for God the most. That's when I turn to Him, when I rely on Him and lean hard on Him because I know I could not manage without Him.

Perhaps what God really wants from me and in me is not so much a perfect heart as a needy heart. He said blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled. My heart is hungry and thirsty these days, and so I thank God for that, for the hunger that causes me to turn to Him and feast on His Word and the thirst that draws me into His presence regularly.

What burdens can you thank God for today? What challenges are you facing that are causing you to rely on Him?

True Love

2010-02-14T23:59:00.000-06:00

What is true love? I think my beginning understandings of love didn’t really happen until I had been married 3 years. For about the first three years, I still had stars in my eyes and I was really just living in “infatuation” instead of living in the hard reality of true love.

Around the third year of our marriage, the perfect image I had for our marriage had begun to fade and I started to see things through a different light. At the end of each day, which was filled with teaching teenagers, grading papers, planning lessons and juggling a little baby girl’s needs with my own, I found it easier to criticize my husband for anything I felt he was lacking. It was around this time that I began to learn the importance of acceptance and affirmation in a marriage.

I used to sometimes judge my husband because he wasn’t like the typical “seminary” student. He was uncomfortable in a suit and tie and it didn’t bother him to drink the milk straight from the jug or put his shoes up on the coffee tableor even let the occasional swear word slip. He didn’t really care if the school rules told him to wear slacks instead of shorts and he wasn’t excited by the manditory chapel every day. The funny thing is…if God had allowed to marry someone who met my expectations for perfect, I think I would never have learned about grace. When I began to accept Darren for who he is …. A country boy who is more interested in being REAL than in pretense, I began to realize that God knew I needed a Darren to balance out my tendency toward legalism and criticism of external behaviors.

You see, Acceptance comes from a deep understanding of God’s grace. When we come face to face with the love of Christ for us, when we see that He loves us despite our laundry list of sins and disappointing failures, when we experience the outpouring of grace in our lives, then we are equipped to share that kind of grace with others – namely our husbands.

The next step beyond that is Affirmation: Men thrive on the encouragement of their wives. As wives, we are in a unique position to build up one person more than any other. A husband doesn’t need a wife to point out where he is making a mistake or to help him see the error of his ways. That’s the Holy Spirit’s job. Our job is to affirm what he IS doing right and to encourage him when Satan tries to bring him down.

Here’s a question to ask yourself to see if you are accepting and affirming your husband: What would others say about your husband simply based upon what they’ve heard from you? Would they honor and respect him? What type of image are you painting of him with your words…at home and in public?

My Dark Place

2009-12-23T06:37:00.007-06:00

This year, I have have transitioned into a new stage of my life as I continue to juggle my responsibilities of motherhood and I have now returned to teaching full time. I teach high school students-teenagers-the NEXTgeneration (always a scary thought) and my re-entry into the high school world has caused a few eye opening moments.

As August rolled into September, my excitement and anxiety grew. I was ready to get back into the classroom and do what I love to do, but I knew it would be a time of transitions too. I thought that I would struggle this year with trying to continue with my duties as a mother and hold down a very challenging job. I thought I might struggle with the content of my classes, since I'm teaching things I've never taught before (as college level courses too!). I thought I might be drained by the demanding schedule....but I never thought I might be challenged spiritually.

I don't know why, but I kind of forgot that I was walking into a very dark place when I opened the doors to our high school and walked down the crowded hallways. This week, as I side stepped around girls flirting with boys and dodged guys twice my size goofing off, I suddenly realized that many students in that busy hallway were lost children of God. It was the darkest hallway I've walked down in a long time. I saw kids grasping for life in trite relationships, in drugs and alcohol, in popularity and in the accolades of success.

They act like they know it all and they've got it all together, but they are walking around in darkness. I don't think adults are much different and if we opened our eyes, I bet all of us could think of a dark place where God has asked us to shine.

It's so easy to get caught up in the daily routines of our jobs that we forget our eternal purpose. Yes, it's my job to grade math papers and it's my job to effectively prepare educational lessons and it's my job to train students to reach high expectations, but it's my duty to be a light in each of those jobs. It's my calling to be a light in this dark place; this place where God has brought me.

So, what's your dark place? Is it your neighborhood, your children's school, your grocery store, or your workplace? I pray that you and I will shine brightly with God's love and grace in these dark places, that our lights will elluminate the darkness and lead the way to our Savior.

I'm sharing today at Laced with Grace if you'd like to join me.

The Swiss Courier

2009-10-21T18:49:00.003-05:00

I have been reading less and less these days, unless you count math books, statistics tests and geometry notes. But, last weekend when I needed a real break, I sat down with Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey's newest release: The Swiss Courier. What a treat (kind of like Swiss dark chocolate)!

The story is set in the last days of WWII, with a touch of espionage, nuclear physics and love. The central character is a regular girl, who is a half Swiss, half American young woman trying out her feet in the world and making discoveries about true love from the two men who are vying for her attention and her simple godly parents.

I enjoyed this unique perspective on stories from that time in history and the realistic internal struggles the main character faces. I don't think I've read anything from the perspective of a Swiss (neutral) national being involved in the war or about the building of the atomic bomb. The historical elements tied together with the real life experiences made this book a fun read. I hope you check it out!

Find out more here.

How to handle Gossip

2009-10-08T05:00:00.001-05:00

Have you ever been in a situation where you realized that people were talking about you behind your back? I remember the moment I discovered that my so-called friends had been criticizing my every move when I wasn't there to defend myself.

It was my first year teaching (16 years ago) and things hadn't been going very well for me...at all. I didn't have a classroom and the teachers sharing their rooms with me were hostile and irritated with my "new teacher" mistakes. I had more students than I knew what to do with (150+) and to top it off, I didn't get a lunch break, but instead spent lunch monitoring students. I remember sitting down at 3:30 for the first time all day, feeling completely spent and very overwhelmed by everything.

And in the midst of all this, my friends were doubting my ability to do the job. They were kind to my face, but when I was gone, they talked about my weaknesses and criticized my character.

Read the rest of the story at Laced with Grace today.

Yackity Yack

2009-09-26T15:27:00.005-05:00

I talk and talk and talk all day long. I talk about quadratic equations, Geometry proofs and standard deviation. I talk about homework and accuracy and attention to details.

Yackity Yack

And when I'm done talking about math, I talk about responsibility and kindness to siblings, cleanliness and healthy eating habits. I talk about how the day went and I talk about trials and blessings. I talk about me and then I ask about his day too. Talk, talk, talk

Talk on its own is pretty meaningless though and I wonder how much of my talk is sweetened with love.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I
am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
1 Corinthians 13:1

Read the rest of my devotion at the Internet Cafe this morning.

A New Day

2009-09-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had one of those days where you wish you could just start over? Sometimes it's because of mistakes made and the ensuing consequences, like when you gripe at your family on the way out the door in the morning. Or it might just be the result of living in a fallen world.

All I know is that some days I'm really glad when it's bedtime and I get to close the book on that "terrible horrible, very bad, no good day." And in the morning light, everything looks different.

Mostly it looks new. Each day we are given a fresh start, a new chance to make this day better than the one before.

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:22- 36

Read the rest of my devotion today at the Internet Cafe!

God's Plan for Us

2009-08-25T03:00:00.002-05:00

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you
and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will
call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me
and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29: 11- 13

This is one of those verses that makes it onto encouragment cards or even gets the highly honored name of "favorite verse." It's a verse that's so full of hope that we cling to it like a buoy in the stormy seas of life.

Read the rest of my devotion at Laced with Grace today.

Blue Like Play Dough

2009-07-23T15:23:00.003-05:00

Let me introduce you to a wonderful book for any mother seeking to find God in the everyday moments of motherhood:

In the everyday stretch and squeeze of motherhood, Tricia Goyer often feels smooshed by the demands of life. In Blue Like Play Dough, she shares her unlikely journey from rebellious, pregnant teen to busy wife and mom with big dreams of her own.

As her story unfolds, Tricia realizes that God has more in store for her than she has ever imagined possible. Sure, life is messy and beset by doubts. But God keeps showing up in the most unlikely places–in a bowl of carrot soup, the umpteenth reading of Goodnight Moon, a woe-is me teen drama, or play dough in the hands of a child.

In Tricia’s transparent account, you’ll find understanding, laughter, and strength for your own story. And in the daily push and pull, you’ll learn to recognize the loving hands of God at work in your life… and know He has something beautiful in mind.

Read an excerpt: http://triciagoyer.com/cmsdocuments/Blue_Like_Play_Dough_Prologue_CH_1.pdf

About the author: Using her own experiences as a teen mother, and leader of today’s generation, Tricia’s vision is to be a voice of hope and possibility for teenage girls, pregnant teen girls, mothers and wives through her educational and inspirational speaking, workshops and books.

Her intention is to serve ordinary women by encouraging extraordinary things with God’s help. Tricia expresses real life, real hope, for real women. Tricia is the author of 20+ books and has published over 300 articles for national publications such as Guideposts for Kids, Focus on the Family, Christian Parenting Today, Today’s Christian Woman and HomeLife Magazine.

She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from American Christian Fiction Writers, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. Tricia's book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion Book Award in 2005.

Author website: http://www.triciagoyer.com
Link to purchase the book: http://triciagoyer.com/store.html
Blog tour schedule! http://www.litfusegroup.com/latest/what-is-new/87-blue-like-play-dough-blog-tour

Thankful...

2009-06-24T22:26:00.002-05:00

So thankful this week for many things...

God's voice through music (driving for 2 1/2 hours listening to worship music, hearing His whisper)
through His never-changing Word (isn't amazing when stories about King Solomon, so well-known can still capture my attention and draw me closer to my God?)
through His people (thankful for my husband and his ability to steady me when emotions swirl around).

Sing a New Song

2009-05-26T05:57:00.002-05:00

It was a good thirty minutes past bedtime when I walked by my son's closed door and heard a sweet sound. "Waves of mercy, waves of grace..." he sang quietly to himself, not knowing he had an enraptured audience on the other side of the door. At the age of four, he is too old to have someone sing him lullabies as he snuggles into bed, so instead he has learned to sing himself to sleep.

Come visit with me at Laced with Grace today as we talk about music.

Getting into Trouble

2009-05-16T12:50:00.002-05:00

Today, I get to tell you about one of my favorite authors and her newest release! Here's a note from Susan May Warren:

Sometimes, do you feel like you just don’t fit in? You look around you and if anyone knew how difficult it was just to put yourself together, to smile when you feel completely overwhelmed, to even figure out what you were making for supper, they’d know what a mess you were. Maybe you totally relate to those words in 1 Peter – God’s elect, strangers and aliens in the world. Do you feel like when you look in the rear view mirror, all you see are your mistakes?

Maybe not. But if so, then PJ is your gal. I wanted to write a story about the person in so many of us who just wants to get it right…but can’t seem to stay out of trouble. My friend and I have what we call the “stupid mouth” club…and we report our weekly foibles (usually on Monday, after Sunday church!). PJ is our charter member. She’s the girl that changes her mind, always hopes for the best, is always discovering that she is just a little different than everyone else. PJ is us.

And that’s good news. Because God loves PJ. He loves her messiness, and her impulsiveness, her heart bent toward others, the hope that fuels her actions. And He has a plan for PJ – one that includes her weaknesses as well as her strengths.

Yep, I need to hear that – need to hear that I don’t have to be perfect for God to love me, use me, sing over me. Need to hear that although I don’t fit in, well, I’m not supposed to…in fact, I’m supposed to be a little…alien.

I wrote PJ for everyone who feels just a little messy, just a little like they can’t quite get it right. And who needs to hear that God loves them. Period. Full stop. Hallelujah.

Heather says... What I really like about Susan's writing in general AND PJ
Sugar in particular are the real issues that the characters face. PJ is a
normal girl, who is trying to figure out who she is and what it means to be a new creation in Christ. I really related to her inner struggles and loved the way she discovers herself through the course of the story.

Here's a little about the book:
PJ Sugar knows three things for sure:

After traveling the country for ten years hoping to shake free from the trail of disaster that’s become her life, she needs a fresh start.

The last person she wants to see when she heads home for her sister’s wedding is Boone—her former flame and the reason she left town.

Her best friend’s husband absolutely did not commit the first murder Kellogg, Minnesota, has seen in more than a decade.

What PJ doesn’t know is that when she starts digging for evidence, she’ll uncover much more than she bargained for—a deadly conspiracy, a knack for investigation, and maybe, just maybe, that fresh start she’s been longing for.

It's not fair to say that trouble happens every time PJ Sugar is around, but it feels that way when she returns to her hometown, looking for a fresh start. Within a week, her former teacher is murdered and her best friend's husband is arrested as the number-one suspect.

Although the police detective investigating the murder--who also happens to be PJ's former flame--is convinced it's an open-and-shut case, PJ's not so sure. She begins digging for clues in an effort to clear her friend's husband and ends up reigniting old passions, uncovering an international conspiracy, and solving a murder along the way.

She also discovers that maybe God can use a woman who never seems to get it right.

Read the first chapter: http://gotsugar.susanmaywarren.com/

Sugar Bomb!

2009-05-15T12:43:00.003-05:00

Today is the day to pour on the sugar, sweet and thick! :) Ha - it's not the kind of sugar you're thinking about though. Susan May Warren just had her new book published about PJ Sugar and she's encouraging us to get out there and start buying. If you like fiction that is fun, stories that are full of mystery and characters that remind you of yourself, you'll LOVE this book. Click on the button in the sidebar... "Get in trouble with PJ Sugar" Check it out!

Making Work at Home Work

2009-05-06T14:26:00.002-05:00

These days, there are many women who are right in the middle of the stay-at-home vs. working mom debate. They do both! And because of that, they face unique challenges and blessings.I'm the first to admit that I thought working out of the home meant "easy" work. As I've discovered though, working at home can be full of challenges. Mary Byers has recently written a great book addressing many of these issues. Since I'm not an "entrepeneur," I shared the second half of the book with a few friends who are. They immediately appreciated some of Mary's ideas about how to simplify work at home.

Making Work at Home Work shows moms how to develop an entrepreneurial mind-set without sacrificing their families. It covers important topics such as developing a successful business philosophy, balancing time between work and family, setting realistic goals, and handling the challenges of being both "Mommy" and "CEO" while running a profitable home-based business.

In addition to including her own experiences, author Mary Byers profiles real moms with home-based businesses who offer their hard-won advice.

Mary M. Byers successfully juggles both a freelance corporate
writing and speaking business and her responsibilities as a wife and mother of
two school-aged children. She is the author of The Mother Load: How to Meet Your
Own Needs While Caring for Your Family and How to Say No . . . And Live to Tell
about It.

Visit her website to learn more: www.marybyers.com or her blog www.makingworkathomework.com

Contest!
Win a copy of Making Work at Home Work (or another one of Mary’s books--your choice) AND a $25 Amazon gift certificate (for some WAHM essentials – Day Planner, bubble bath, funky file-folders, toddler DVDs)!

There are three ways to win:

Leave a comment on this post

Sign up for Mary’s quarterly newsletter where she offer tips and advice about all facets of a women's life: WAHM, mothering, women's issues. More info here! (http://www.marybyers.com/index.cfm?pID=569)

Join the Work at Home Blog Ring. More info here. (http://www.makingworkathomework.com/2009/04/new-making-work-at-home-work-blog-ring.html)

My Cup Overflows...

2009-05-06T03:00:00.002-05:00

I’ve always been known as the person who walks around holding a cup/mug in my hand wherever I go. In college, the gals down the hall would tease me for needing my herbal teas and classical music to get me in the “I’m intellectual, so now I’m going to study” mode.

Read more about my tea and coffee habit today at Laced with Grace.

The Rapture's Here!

2009-04-29T18:42:00.003-05:00

This week, I'm thankful for the eyes my children give me to see Jesus in a new light:

Being the child of a teacher means that you have to have lessons on the couch on a regular basis. Poor kiddos. I sit them down just like I used to do with my dolls, all in a row, and make them listen to wild stories like the one about a woman giving a drink to a mysterious man who said he had living water. Or, the one about a white horse stampeding to earth to right all wrongs and bring evil to task and create justice in this messed up world.

Well, that's the story we were settling in on this week. I skipped the home drawn Sunday school lessons that I used to share with the dolls and opted for the awe inspiring story telling that could only come from the Bible.

When I told the kids that some day we might all just disappear and join Jesus in the clouds, their eyes were as big as saucers. Seriously, I thought these stories from the Bible would be old hat to them, but a little freshness and mystery made them sit on the edge of their seats wondering what this Jesus guy was going to do next.

"We really get to go be in the clouds with Jesus?" "What will people think when we're gone?" "What are we going to do up there for so long?"

The story continued with a grisly battle scene (toned down a bit for the little ones though) and the storyteller (that would be me) got everyone wrapped up in the adventure of it all. Until suddenly one little listener was missing.

Where did she go? A tiny voice called out from under the table, "I disappeared to go up into the clouds with Jesus, Mom." Well, when I told them the rapture was an imminent event, I didn't think they would take me so literally!

Refreshed

2009-04-27T08:22:00.001-05:00

Good morning! I'm over at Laced with Grace today, talking about getting refreshed! Come visit me.

God is Good

2009-04-22T22:01:00.004-05:00

A little trip to the post office this afternoon was all it took to remind that indeed our God is good - so good, so caring, so attentive to the details in our lives that it knocks me off my feet!

So, let me back up a little bit. First of all, I have been largely absent from the bloggy world over the past....eight months or so? It's sort of a blur to me, because that's how life has been. I've been on the computer so much with my online teaching job that I just haven't had the inspiration, time or desire to sit down and write. But, there's something about writing that calms me and focuses me on what's really important.

What's really important is not the daily ups and downs of life, although God holds our hands through these roller coaster moments. What keeps me grounded is knowing that in the midst of paying bills, doing dishes, teaching, working, ministering...God is IN me. God is WITH me.

I definitely needed a little bit of reminding about that this week. When someone I respect described me in bland and unappreciative terms, I wondered where I had gone wrong. It wasn't so much that I believed these things about myself, but I questioned how this person could know me and yet not really know me at all.

I brought all these discouraging thoughts to the Lord and told Him I was ready to follow HIS lead if only He would make that clear. I'm not sure why, but I had only a tiny sliver of faith that God might actually give me clear guidance.

Then, I went to the post office and received a note that reminded me that God always has a plan and this time He gave me a little glimpse into His plan so that I wouldn't lose hope.

I'm sure this all sounds a bit vague right now, but for me it was a huge moment. God cared enough about my little problem to let me see that He's working on it too. I still don't know the answer exactly (although I have an idea!), but I have renewed faith and clear direction on what to do next.

So, this week I'm thankful for:

God's Direction
A newly decorated basement (so cozy!)
2 days until the retreat (counting them down...I can't wait)
A birthday girl who makes me smile (SOOO glad she's in my life)
The addition of a cabin to our family
My super supportive and wise husband whose words of encouragement helped me through this week.

Visit Laurie to hear more thanksgiving today!

Good (?) Friday?

2009-04-07T06:10:00.003-05:00

My eight year old daughter knows that Jesus died on the cross for her sins, but there are still some mysteries in Christ’s life that puzzle her. This week, in Palm Sunday services, she heard the term “Good Friday” and immediately questioned me a bout this seemingly inappropriate name. Why do we call this day “good” when it is the day remembering the death of the most important person in the world(God in the form of man)? What is good about that?

Read the rest of my devotion at Laced with Grace today!

The Scarlet Thread

2009-03-30T21:56:00.003-05:00

She had a choice. Everyone around her seemed unaware that their sinful lifestyles had brought them to this day of consequences crushing in upon their cushy lives. The fear was palpable in the air around the city as they realized that forces greater than they had ever seen were hovering outside their doorstep. They all had a choice that day. But, fear of destruction and even death was not enough to change their hearts from their rebellious nature.

She was, however, different. She stood out from the crowd. Not because of her pure unadulterated lifestyle, but because of her heart. She was a sinner just like everyone around her, but she made a choice to overcome her fears, to give in to God, and to trust Him with her life.

You probably know her story from childhood songs about a courageous man named Joshua and his conquest of the walled in city of Jericho. The song we sing with lusty voices as we march around the table in our living rooms with hand made construction paper horns blown at regular intervals doesn't say much about the brave woman who somehow survived the onslaught of that day of destruction. Why would a prostitute named Rahab be worthy of saving (and consequently, of remembering)?

She alone stood alive and well on the rubble of her once great city because she alone took the courageous step of faith that saved her life. She rescued the Hebrew spies and tied a scarlet thread in her window so they might remember to spare her life in return. Yes, it was a life for a life. She saved their lives and they saved hers in return. Isn't it like that with Jesus too?

We give our lives to Him because He gave His life so completely for us.

Why would God save Rahab? Because He looks around the whole world seeking for hearts that are sincerely dedicated to Him. God knows the heart of even a prostitute and sees her desire to serve Him through all the outer wrappings of her life. God is still seeking for hearts that are fully committed to Him, for hearts with a scarlet thread wrapped around them like a gift to the King.

2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to
strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

Do you remember that moment in your life when everything was crashing down around you, fear prevailed, and your sense of unworthiness as a sinner almost made it impossible to step out in faith?

I know we all have different stories to tell (and won't it be fun to hear them all someday?), but there's a common thread that runs through each of our lives and it's tied back to that crucial moment of decision. So, what's your scarlet thread?

For me, it was the day I decided that being a nerd, an unaccepted and misunderstood teenager was worth it if I knew I had God's approval and acceptance. But my scarlet thread went back even further into my childhood when I realized that the God of the Universe cared about me and loved me more than I could imagine. That was the first day I took baby steps of faith, trusting in Jesus to save me from my sinful nature and draw me into His embrace of grace and compassion.

But the scarlet thread of redemption and salvation didn't end in my childhood or in that moment of decision. It weaves it's way through my life day by day as I continually choose to give my life over moment by moment to Jesus and as I fully commit my heart to Him.

Action Point:

*Take just a few minutes to trace the scarlet thread through your life. Which moments tested your faith and when did you learn to lean harder upon God's promises? Where do you look back on your life and see God's hand rescuing you from the rubble and where do you see a heart that is fully committed to Him? Draw a heart with a winding thread around it and mark these momentous events on there as a visual reminder of God's hand of salvation throughout your life.

Gimmee, gimmee, gimee

2009-03-26T05:00:00.001-05:00

On lazy Saturday afternoons, the kids often get restless and I begin to hear, “Mom, can we go rent a movie?” Or, “Can we run down to the store and buy some treats?” Once in the store, the materialistic spirit takes over with requests for new toys, new books, items that so-and-so has or special snacks that we don’t usually keep around the house. Gimmee this, gimmee that…

I understand where they are coming from since I have a long wish list myself of items I would love to add to my home and life. Even in tough economic times, we still come from a nation with the “gimmee”s. Part advertising, part upbringing, and part human nature, we are never quite content with what we have but always longing for something a little bit more. Or maybe I just speak for myself today – I struggle with the peaceful contentedness that the apostle Paul claimed to know. Even if the glass of life is 95% full, I have a tendency to look at the 5% of emptiness and wish for more.

Read the rest of my devotion at Laced with Grace today (just click on the button above).

Thanksgiving brings joy!

2009-03-19T11:06:00.004-05:00

A week and a half ago, I spoke to a large group of women about joy. I shared with them that the practice of gratitude can make a huge difference in our outlook on life. And then I realized that I have neglected this practice lately. To seek for joy and to look for gifts from God's hand...it takes constant reminding, but it is so rewarding.

I am thankful for...

Crescent moon and sparkling stars on a bright dark morning (and as an aside, I'm thankful that I woke up at 5:20 despite my alarm's lack of functioning so I could make it to my excercise class barely on time)

Blue skies and sunshine (it's colder today but still feels like spring)

A little girl curled up reading

Bike rides (soon, I'll be riding a bike too instead of chasing after them on foot...looking a bit ridiculous)

Flirting with my husband (I'm still in love with him!)

Students who participate and enjoy learning.

Friends

Volunteers who eagerly throw themselves into projects that I have no talent for (i.e. painting backdrops!)

A moment to pray for someone and see God moving in her life

Hugs and snuggles from my boy

The enthusiasm of kindergarteners

The Word of God

So, what are you thankful for today?

Another Great Read...Every Sunrise by Tricia Goyer

2009-03-14T15:39:00.008-05:00

Tricia Goyer has become one of my favorite writers. Her series, Heather Creek, by Guideposts, has continued to capture my heart with the story of the reality of growing teenagers crashing into a life with grandparents and a sleepy farm town. Tricia's characters jump to life off the pages of the book and each individual's personality connects with my own inner challenges. Emily and her wishes to be loved, Charlotte and her insecurity about parenting, and Sam's adolescent angst to find his true identity and place of belonging in the world. The story is authentic and the challenges are just like the ones each of face in daily life. Every Sunrise is the third in this series with new twists and turns and changes for this family to face together.

Charlotte Stevenson's world is turned upside down when her daughter, Denise, dies in a tragic car accident. She ran away at eighteen and Charlotte has never forgiven herself. Now, Denise's children, abandoned by their father, are coming from California to live on Heather Creek Farm in Bedford, Nebraska. Charlotte is uncertain about her ability to care for three grandchildren who are not thrilled to give up the beach and sunshine for snow and farm chores! But she sees a chance to make amends and will do whatever it takes to keep her fragile family together. Feel the courage, strength and commitment of this family as their lives unfold in the Home to Heather Creek series.

Contest: Okay…this book is loaded with yummy food: strawberry cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, baked chicken with cornbread, chocolate cake, pancakes with homemade syrup, French onion soup, parmesan crusted chicken…well you get the idea! So the contest for this tour will be the EVERY FOODIE contest! Leave a comment on the blog tour post (http://triciagoyer.blogspot.com/2009/02/every-sunrise-blog-tour-and-contest.html) at Tricia’s site with your favorite meal and a recipe (feel free to post more than one recipe!)! She’ll choose the one that most tantalizes her taste buds to receive an entire set of the Home to Heather Creek series (books 1-7)! Five runner’s up will win a copy of Every Sunrise (or another Tricia Goyer book of their choice). Let the mouth-watering commence!

Cutting Corners

2009-03-02T09:24:00.002-06:00

It started out as a rationalization, an explanation, a little recreating of the truth so I wouldn't look so bad. It wasn't that big of a deal, really. Just a little fudging. God forgives everything anyway, right? And besides, He would understand why I needed to keep that mistake a secret or hide those items from snooping eyes.

But, the choices to use little exaggerations or hidden truths started turning into a pattern of speech. Lies became easier to tell and harder to catch before they escaped my lips. That's when I read the story of Cain and Abel with fresh eyes.

If you want to read more of this devotion, click on the coffee cup above!

2009-02-25T06:00:00.001-06:00

I love the scene in the old Indiana Jones movie where he is required to step out in faith onto an invisible bridge over a deep chasm. He discovers rather quickly that a little dirt on the path will show the way and confirm his suspicions of an unseen bridge. It's such a great illustration of walking by faith. We can't see what's ahead, but we have to believe that God has made a way and that He will show it to us.

When I think of walking by faith, I imagine great missionaries stepping out into difficult, life-changing experiences or the faith of Abraham, who left his home to go where God led. But, God wants us to live and walk by faith everyday, wherever we are, so it isn't always about making drastic choices, but it is always about venturing into the unseen world.

Go read the rest of my thoughts on faith at Laced with Grace today.

I Spy...

2009-02-01T03:19:00.000-06:00

In the van on the way to church, the kids love to play a little guessing game. "I spy with my little eye something blue (or red, or green, or orange...)." They try to guess whether the item is in the van or outside and this simple game keeps their eyes and minds occupied for quite a while.

You can read more about our game of "I spy" at the Internet Cafe:

I am... He is...

2009-01-27T03:04:00.000-06:00

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....

Self-Reflection

2009-01-19T18:58:00.005-06:00

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 or a blooming ministry, or something like that. I see that my behaviors are distinctly different depending upon my inner thought life. When I feel like I am on top of the world and I believe that I have something to offer, I act like it. When I think I'm totally useless, I act like it. (Which, by the way, is a pretty pathetic sight!)

So, what names do we call ourselves when we look at that person on the other side of the mirror? I remember telling my little sisters that we shouldn't call each other mean names, but instead should come up with silly names for each other. It was so ridiculous...my sisters just looked at me like I had lost it. I was calling one of them a bunny and the other a butterfly while they were laughing at me and calling me a frog. I'm not sure if it cured us of calling each other names, but it made us think about it.

But now I know that God has a name for me, a special name that He keeps hidden away until the day when I see Him face to face. He has a name He calls me even now and it certainly isn't the names I heard on the playground as a child or in my sibling squabbles. He calls me Princess, Child of God, His Ambassador, Beloved, and so much more. I just need to remind myself of those names the next time I look in a mirror!

Thankful for Words

2009-01-08T06:44:00.003-06:00

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. But, NOooo, I think God is trying to tell me something. This Philippians 4:8 thing isn't just a fad, but something that needs to become a lifestyle for me. Meditating upon truth, upon God, and upon what is good can change a person's whole outlook.

I've been reading Joanna's Weaver's latest book about Having a Mary Spirit and the last chatper I read was about the power of our words to encourage others. In addition, I'm reading Jennifer Rothschild's book about the words we speak to our souls. So, it's all piling up and now the sometimes easy to ignore whisper of God is becoming a loud voice in my ear speaking truth.

Words contain great power - power to lift up a soul, power to drag one down and power to change our thinking. I'm so thankful for God's Word because it is always there and it always contains truth that I need to hear.

So, it all comes back to the simple truth that God gave us His Word as a great gift and that we are blessed when we read it, meditate upon it and memorize it.

Thank You Lord, for Your Word, which inspires, redirects and lifts me up!

Do you talk to yourself??? Hmmm?

2009-01-07T21:07:00.004-06:00

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'm a verbal person and it's how I process my thoughts, so give me a little grace, people! But, the really damaging self talk is usually more silent. The words I repeat over and over to myself about how I'm a failure as a mother when my kids misbehave or I'm such a loser when I trip and fall (both literally and figuratively). I know all about that kind of self-talk, but I never really paid much attention to it. I mean, I say mean things to myself, but I don't think I ever realized how dangerous that habit can be.

Jennifer points out that the writers of the Psalms talked to themselves too - they spoke truth to their souls and encouraged themselves with God's word. I've always thought that Psalm 42 had some great soul-talk in it:

Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

I finished reading the chapter and then I started to read Joanna Weaver's book and I had one of those moments when it seems like God's voice booms straight from heaven to my heart. Right in the middle of the chapter I was studying was a description of the wrong ways to talk to our selves. Joanna even used some of the same research as Jennifer did.

I knew right then that this habit of degrading myself had to be turned around and turned into the kind of soul-talk the Psalmist used. Instead of condemning myself when I make mistakes (which is bound to happen...and frequently), I have the choice to speak the Word of God to my soul and encourage myself with Truth. That's the way I would talk with a friend, so why not with myself?

Walking the Balance Beam of Grace

2009-01-07T07:49:00.002-06:00

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....

The Only Way to a New Start

2009-01-01T14:31:00.000-06:00

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! :)

Twinkle, Sparkle, and SHINE!

2008-12-26T09:01:00.002-06:00

During the Christmas season, we use more lights (or representations of light) as decorations than any other time of year. Candles, fireplaces, stars, little lanterns, and strings of lights adorn our trees and home in festive colors to celebrate the coming of The Morning Star. Jesus called Himself the Light of the world and then He told us to shine our lights brightly for Him and this time of year provides many opportunities to do that.
You can read, the rest of my devotion at Laced with Grace today:

The Crazy Days of Christmas

2008-12-24T03:24:00.002-06:00

December can be the busiest month of the year, but somehow it still surprises me to look back at my calendar and recount all of the craziness that has led up to these last days of celebration.

The month begins with my husband's birthday and also includes my little man's birthday, so we have to squeeze in time for those celebrations on top of all the Christmas madness. We found space in our tummies for an ice cream cake one week and a Spiderman cake another week and gifts were bought and opened with excitement.

That weekend, I coordinated and spoke at our women's Christmas tea focusing on having a "Mary" Christmas. The women's ministry director had a brain aneurysm and asked me if I could take over for her. She was so sad that she couldn't figure out a way to plan this event, but God knew that within days she would be hospitalized and paralyzed on one whole side of her body.

A Christmas shopping trip a few weeks later turned into an opportunity to visit her at the hospital and be inspired by her hope, faith and courage in such difficult circumstances. Her head bears a long scar and her hair is beginning to grow back, but her spirit bears testimony to God's faithfulness no matter what.

The following week, I spoke at MOPS about how to twinkle, sparkle and shine for Jesus during the holiday season. I enjoyed meeting the women in Eau Claire and talking with them about how God is our beacon of hope in dark days. It was a special surprise to be introduced with a recommendation from Mary Pierce, who apparently said something about me being marvelous! (Of course my children and husband think I'm marvelous, but I didn't think it extended beyond that small circle...smile).

I had to throw in a few holiday projects along the way too like building a doll house (nothing major, just three stories and a wrap around porch and a million tiny little pieces of wood that I had to punch out, sand down, paint and glue together....), making jars of bread mix to give away and making tons of extra cookies to send to a great-aunt who can't cook this year due to medical issues.

Of course, I made time for some parties - one work party which was an hour's drive away, one white elephant party with the 20's and 30's group at church (which my husband added spice to by bringing some outrageous gifts-the kind that made my poor, sweet, innocent church friends turn crimson for the camera), and one special praise breakfast with that same group.

The kids have been busy too. The littlest guy had a Christmas program for preschool where he shouted out about ringing the bells for Jesus while he fiddled with the button on his pants and grabbed a jingle bell that someone left on the steps. He also had the opportunity to help his class buy and wrap gifts for a needy family in the area which was a wonderful project to teach the kids about giving.

The girls had their program on the following day which brought out the red dresses, tights and black patent shoes. My eldest got to introduce a song and I think she just about burst with the excitement of being able to speak into the microphone in front of everyone. The kindergarten girl (who is quite shy and timid) surprised me with her perfect motions to all the songs and her beautiful singing, but no one was surprised by the second grader's energetic dancing and loud singing. My eyes got a little moist just realizing how big they are getting and what special kids they are.

In the middle of all the other fun events, the main man of the house had a chance to go on a long weekend ice fishing trip and also on a weekend grouse hunting trip, enjoying himself immensely.

This past weekend was the Christmas program at church: a Christmas County Spelling Bee, where they learn how to spell love- JESUS. Once again, each child brought a unique twist to the presentation. The eldest was a cheerleader (a mighty cute one, I might add) and she had some speaking parts and a little song the cheerleaders sang together while they did their routine. Our middle girl got to hand out the gifts during one of the songs until a boy edged his way over to her side and pushed her out of there. A little pushing and disagreement broke out until she caught the evil eye of mom telling her to just let it go and move on over. You know, how you gesture with your head, mouth the words and speak volumes with those eyes?

A little bit later, the three year old decided he didn't need his shoes anymore so he took them off. His big sister tried to reason with him (all of this in front of hundreds of people, mind you) that he needed to put those shoes back on. He told her she wasn't the boss of him until he caught mom's evil eye (thank goodness for that eye!) and promptly got his shoes back on. Then, he decided to check and see if his sister was wearing underwear, but couldn't tell because of those black tights (thank goodness!). But the best moment was when he realized he had to go pee and grabbed himself and looked at me with a little terror in his eyes. I was in the front row, so I just ushered him off stage and helped him rush through the crowd to the bathroom.

Whew! Sure glad that program is over!

Let Everything that has Breath Praise the Lord

2008-12-14T14:08:00.003-06:00

She lays in a hospital bed, not moving her hand, her leg or even her mouth without great difficulty. Her hair has been shaved around the spot where the surgeon entered to remove the dangerous blot clot and to stop the bleeding that threatened her life. Her home is being remodeled to accommodate her new needs though she spends hours each day in physical therapy re-training her brain to accomplish ordinary, everyday tasks that I take for granted.

Just a few weeks ago, she was busy teaching the children at AWANA about God's love for the world, teaching the women about God's Word, planning a Christmas tea and dinner and now, her life has been turned upside down.

How would I respond if I were to face such a challenge? If my husband were to be in this place? Would I start each day with praise, would I find reasons for thanksgiving in everything from oatmeal, silly speech or wiggling toes? Would I? (I'm rather inclined to think that I might be resentful, frustrated and depressed by it all...I mean, I get that way when I burn cookies, or the kids argue with each other...what makes me think I could have a good attitude if things got REALLY tough?)

Tragedy seems to surround us right now - a neighbor suddenly stripped from his family of 5 by the bitter cold of broken ice upon the lake...

An aunt recovering from quadruple bi-pass surgery...

Our friends spending the nights in the hospital with their newborn, trying to figure out how she will gain weight before her imminent heart surgery.

They praise God for helpful friendly nurses, for slightly comfortable chairs to sleep on, for tubes in a baby's stomach...

Would I praise God in the midst of those circumstances? If my child were struggling with each breath, would I have the strength to praise God? I hope I would; I hope I would have the faith to trust God in the midst of trials that don't make sense because God loves us no matter what challenges we face.

I hope I would remember to praise God in the mildly frustrating days, in the cheerful days, in the tragic days, in the fearful days, in the painful days, in the happy days, and in all my days.

May my life begin and end with praise.

Psalm 150
1 Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD.

Thankful for What?

2008-11-25T14:19:00.002-06:00

No matter if you're a glass half empty or half full kind of person, we all need to remember to be thankful. You can read my devotion at Laced with Grace today.

He Loves Me!

2008-11-19T21:03:00.004-06:00

When I was younger, I often allowed my imagination to create stories filled with daring heroines and dashing heroes...I wasn't exactly an author-in-waiting, but I had fun coming up with stories that put me as the center of attention with a handsome man pursuing me.

There was the story where the famous movie star noticed me and fell for me (that one took some creativity...how would I meet him in my small town in the middle of nowhere?) and then the tale of the millionaire who whisked me away in his limo to shop for stunning gowns (and then he showered me with jewelry and other expensive gifts, of course) or perhaps my favorite tale of all, the one about how a timid and insecure girl found a guy who believed she could be anything she wanted to be in this world.

As an avid reader, I've realized that romantic novels seem to share some very similar traits. The story centers around a woman who needs love to overcome her situation in life...maybe she feels unworthy of love and finds it in an unusual place, or perhaps she is poor and destitute, but she finds a wealthy lover to lavish her with gifts galore.

Something in us as women hungers for this type of romance. A man who sees our inner beauty and realizes our potential despite outward appearances or limitations. We want to be the center of some one's attention and have love poured out upon us and we want someone to believe in us.

And even though I've grown up and realized that life isn't like the fairy tales, I've experienced true love in a way that is beyond my expectations. Yes, I have a wonderful husband and I'm blessed beyond belief in my marriage, but that's not what I'm talking about (sorry honey, don't take it personally, but I've found someone else).

I'm loved and I'm precious to a man who was willing to give his life me and I'm surprised to see that I have a man pursuing me and romancing me just like in a fairy tale. It might seem unholy to imagine Jesus as our lover, but He is much more that any man on this earth could ever be for us and he even calls himself the bridegroom in his relationship with his church. We usually think of God's love for us as that of a father, like a daddy loves his little girl and we are comfortable with that fatherly love.

But, romantic love is based upon a choice, on one person seeing something inherently lovable in the other, and the excitement comes from the element of the unknown. Will he choose me? Will he see that I am lovable? Will he see the real me and still pursue me? Am I worthy of His love?

And He turns around, sees the whole picture, and starts to romance the girl. Each day He plans little gifts into the schedule, surprising me with beautiful treasures beyond compare and constantly reminding me of His love. Each night, He sings over me, a serenade of love, proclaiming to the world that He sees something in me that is worth loving, someone He is greatly interested in. The amazing thing about this romance story is that it will last forever and that the best is yet to come.

I'm so thankful to know this kind of love!

Thankful for Life

2008-11-13T05:55:00.004-06:00

A light blanket of snow covers the yard and though it certainly isn't enough to make a snowman, my children have found enough snow to entertain themselves for hours, even after dark. For their mother, this is happiness! Rosy cheeks, mittens laying on the heater to dry and little drops of wetness tracked in by careless feet are topped off by hot chocolate with marshmallows as we greet winter this year.

Reasons for thanksgiving abound:

*Time with friends this past weekend, chatting and catching up

*A family date to the movies (a rare occurrence for us)

*"The Christmas County Spelling Bee" has our house a buzz with songs of Jesus' name and excitement for an upcoming Christmas program.

*Prayer: as my aunt undergoes quadruple bi pass surgery, I'm so grateful that we can come to God in prayer at any time.

As I think about items that bring me joy, I remember that God created this world for our enjoyment and He gives us good gifts every day, but He told us that there was really just ONE thing that should cause our hearts to burst with joy:

"However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." (Luke 10:20)

So, I join the chorus of praise by rejoicing in my eternal security and looking forward to the day when I will see my Savior face to face.

Winning and Losing

2008-11-05T06:20:00.001-06:00

When I was in the seventh grade, I decided I might make a good student council member since I was a quick thinker and enjoyed working with others. So, I made up colorful posters on construction paper (nothing too fancy...it was junior high, after all) and placed them around the Junior High School building in hopes that someone might vote for me. When the voting confirmed the fact that no one even knew who I was (except for a few classmates who recognized me as a the mousy girl in the corner who always knew the answer), I tumbled quickly into a pit of adolescent angst. "I'm such a loser," I moaned.

Come read the rest of the story in my devotion at Laced with Grace today:

Life Vacuums

2008-10-26T21:37:00.006-05:00

We were having a typical Bible study conversation this morning in our 20’s and 30’s Sunday morning class when my friend, a spunky farm wife/volleyball coach, said “Sometimes Life Vacuums” and continued on with her train of thought as if we all spoke this way.

Everyone acted as if they completely understood her, because no one had the guts to admit they had never heard this expression before. “What does Vacuuming have to do with the Bible?” one member finally asked. “You know, the action a vacuum makes…that’s how life is sometimes.”

Read the rest of the story over at the Internet Cafe...

My True Friend

2008-10-23T09:02:00.003-05:00

The past two months have been a time of adjustment for me. It's been a good adjustment; I've wanted to be working for the past 4 years, but I've needed time to figure out how to balance everything on my plate. And that plate has gotten quite full, a bit like Thanksgiving dinner, where I try to cram in cranberries, stuffing and jello salad around the turkey, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and green beans. And the roll and salad just have to go on the side and somehow I still save space for pumpkin pie!

Between being a mother a wife (I need to remind myself that THIS is my most important job), teaching adult Sunday School with my husband, coordinating Children's ministries at church, writing devotionals, and working practically full time as an online teacher, there's little time left for anything else.

Last week, it became apparent to me that something very important was missing on my overflowing plate.

Jesus.

How could I fill up on so many other things and yet leave no time or space in my life for THE most important person? Oh, I know He wasn't absent in my life and I still chatted with him a little here and there throughout my day, but we didn't have quality time together. There is a difference, you know.

He is my one true friend, the one who knows every little secret hidden in my heart, the one who sees my struggles and the only one who can be there for me at any time. I expect Him to be available to me whenever I need Him, but have I been there for Him?

Today, I'm thankful that He is faithful, even when I am not and that He forgives so readily and extends His arms of grace and love with no reticence. He never leaves, never forsakes, never changes His mind... He is the best friend I could ever find.

It’s A Grand New DayWomen of Faith 2009 Conference

2008-10-01T13:39:00.001-05:00

The team of writers at Laced With Grace is please to announce our fall readers contest. We have joined with Women Of Faith Ministries to offer two premium tickets to attend the two day conference at any venue in the United States.

Tickets include admission for two, boxed lunches and other neat stuff. I remember my first experience with Women of Faith in Dallas, TX. The sound of thousands of women worship God echoed in my ears. It was an amazing experience!

What do you think God could do in your life through a Women of Faith conference?

Please plan to enter our contest daily. Stop in and read our daily devotions Monday through Friday and leave us a comment. All comments count as an entry. We will announce the winner on the Monday following Thanksgiving.

Tell your friends and add our button to your blog or website then let us know. We will enter your comments twice into our drawing.

SOS for PMS

2008-09-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

I'd like to introduce a new book that has a refreshingly honest approach to women's issues:

The SOS for PMS: Practical Help and Relief for Moms

In her latest book, Mary explores an often frustrating topic, the symptoms of PMS, and offers practical advice and encouragement for mothers. Readers will find comfort in the stories shared by other moms, realizing that they are not alone in their struggles with PMS.

With this book, you will find suggestions designed to inspire healthier lifestyles, relationships, and daily choices for all women.Gather any group of moms together and the topic of frustrating PMS symptoms rises up in conversation along with the guilt and concern about its effects on family members.

Now Mary Byers, author of The Mother Load, offers mothers encouragement, help, and camaraderie as she shares:

~women's stories-the good, bad, and the hopeful
~overlooked symptoms and how to manage them
~foods and activities to avoid or indulge in

God's first aid for stress, depression, and anxiety a call for help-how husbands can come to the aid of their wives

This gathering of useful advice and shared experiences will comfort readers who have ever felt alone in their PMS plight and will inspire healthier lifestyles, relationships, and daily choices for all women.

To read an excerpt go here: http://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/texts/excerpts/9780736921701_exc.pdf

A Word from the Author:

"It’s my hope that this book will bring help, hope and healing to moms who suffer from PMS. It’s been a source of despair in my own life but things are looking up now that I’ve developed my own coping plan. Those I interviewed for this book shared intimately about their own battles and I believe their stories, along with that of Callie’s (the main character in the book) will convince other women that it is possible to change their current response to PMS and encourage them to start today.”

To learn more about Mary visit her website at www.marybyers.com.

Thanksgiving is Therapeutic

2008-09-24T21:00:00.004-05:00

Reasons to be thankful abound:

Thank You Lord, God of heaven and earth, for these many blessings....

For warm September days spent enjoying the change of color outside.

For a little boy who "loves to go to God's house and learn of Jesus' love"... For his sincere desire to learn Scripture verses and follow God's ways (even though it is hard at times to obey his mother and father or the teacher, but that's a story for another time)

For a morning that started with prayer.

For a daughter who is growing so fast...her "adult" front teeth communicate the obvious. She's smart and loving and always wants to do what's right. I am so proud of her initiative in planning See You at the Pole this year for her classmates.

For friends who lift my spirits with their laughter and the sharing of burdens.

And, appropriately, for our dear Iris, who faithfully hosts this weekly exercise of thankful therapy! It's Iris' birthday soon and I'm so glad I met Iris so I wanted to say,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IRIS!

Sweet September

2008-09-20T06:00:00.001-05:00

Heather Creek Farm....

Sounds like a marvelous place to raise three kids, doesn't it? But these kids have lost their mother and are learning a new life with their grandparents far from their metropolitan life. Tricia Goyer leads us through their lives as they learn and grow through this experience...

Blog Tour Contest: Since Sweet September is all about family, Tricia wants to meet yours. Leave a comment on the Tricia’s blog tour post (http://triciagoyer.blogspot.com/2008/09/sweet-september-blog-tour.html) sharing who your favorite family member is and why and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win William-Sonoma’s Pumpkin Harvest Loaf Pan & Quick Bread Set. (I’ve attached a photo. It’s super cute…and would be great for fall treats!)

About the book: Harvest time at Heather Creek Farm is an exciting time, but the kids don't seem to be getting into the spirit. One day while he's wandering through the fields, Christopher stumbles across an old piece of metal buried in the ground. He doesn't know what it is, but he hides it in the shed. That night, the garden by the house is uprooted. Who could have done such a thing? Charlotte is determined to find out, but is distracted when she gets news that Sam is failing school. The sullen teen is indifferent and won't study. He starts spending a lot of time with Pete. Though she loves her son dearly, Pete never finished high school, and Charlotte is afraid he'll encourage Sam to do the same.

How can she help him get back on track? A gripping story that examines the Stevenson family's history as well as its shaky future, Sweet September will bring you deeper into the loving community of Bedford and the deep ties of love that bind this broken family together. As they forge new connections, you'll be entertained, inspired, and reminded that God's grace can make all things new.

About Tricia: Tricia Goyer is the author of twelve books including From Dust and Ashes, My Life UnScripted, and the children's book, 10 Minutes to Showtime. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. Tricia's book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like Today's Christian Woman and Focus on the Family. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home in the mountains of Montana.

Thankful for My Hunters

2008-09-10T20:40:00.004-05:00

Great hunters dwell in my home.

Earlier in the summer, we moved the bluebird house off of the deck and into a nearby tree. The sleek black feline hunter was poking his paws into the small opening, searching for prey. I love the fact that my cat scares off the rabbits, squirrels, black birds and mice, but he was taking it too far with the baby blue birds.

So, in an effort to keep the bluebirds around, we moved their house. But, even in their new location, they are not safe. The cat climbed straight up that tree and slung himself precariously across a thin branch while dangling over the edge of the bird house. And there was that paw reaching around from behind the house to poke its way into the round opening.

Thankfully, the bluebirds have already evacuated so I could laugh at my cat hanging by a mere claw doing acrobatics to reach his prey.

On the same morning, my little guy (3 1/2) was catching grasshoppers. The big flying grasshoppers were eluding him though, so he put on his serious face and got to work as a real hunter. I've never NEVER seen my little rambunctious loud wild boy be so quiet, so patient, so slow. He tiptoed in S L O W motion over to the grasshoppers location setting his foot down ever so carefully each time in the grass. And yet the grasshopper still flew away as soon as he got close. This hunt continued for at least a half an hour. I've NEVER seen a little boy so persistent and patient.

And there's another hunter around here too. Not to be outdone by the tree-climbing antics of the cat or the stealth of the little boy, the Main Man will be hoisting himself 30 feet up into a stand, at the darkest of hours in absolute silence and lack of scent decked in camouflage to see if he can find himself a deer. He won't get up before 6:00 for Christmas, or for a gourmet breakfast, or for ANYTHING, but he makes an exception once a year for the hunt.

It seems to me that hunting will cause people (and animals) to behave in rather strange ways....it makes them go beyond themselves. And as I write this, I wonder... What am I hunting? Am I willing to go out of my way to find HIM? Am I willing to push myself and do things I wouldn't normally do in pursuit of Him?

I'm thankful for my great hunters around here because they've challenged me to think about my own hunt.

Get Cosey Josey

2008-09-09T06:00:00.001-05:00

It's my privilege to introduce you once again to Susan May Warren's new adventure for Josey:

How do you get cozy when your new "home" is a frozen tundra? Josey's dreams
of small-town Minnesota bliss melt away when her hubby's relocated to a
Siberian village. No indoor plumbing...or junk food! But this feisty former
missionary knows how to multitask: juggling toddler twins, empowering local
housewives, spreading God's word - no worries, Josey. It's finding time
alone with the man of her dreams that will take some real work!

Story behind the series:
Behind the Pages
“Why don’t you write your life story?” During my eight years as a missionary in Russia, friends from all over the world, in response to my letters, would pose that question. I’d shrug, saying….I’m not sure how to do it.

Fast forward three years. Chick lit is beginning to hit the shelves. An insightful editor at Steeple Hill challenged me to try my hand at this new genre. I thought -- what would I have to write about – missionary stories?

Thankfully, she had vision, and when I proposed an idea about a single missionary headed to Moscow for a year, she embraced it. Finally I’d found a venue for my story…although fictionalized…mostly.

I laugh that finally, I got to write about all the fallacies, all the frustrations, and all the foolishness of being a freshman missionary. Mostly, I got to write about the one thing that God taught me – that He’d been at work in my life to bring me to this place, and the places beyond, all my life. And that I didn’t have to be perfect. I just had to surrender and trust.

Just like Josey.

And in Chill Out, Josey, I let the adventure continue with more of my hilarious (at least I think so!) adventures as a pregnant woman navigating the bus, the subway and most of all LIFE in Russia. I hope you'll laugh (and cry!) with me/Josey as she tries to figure out just how to stop worrying about life...and just learning how to CHILL OUT, JOSEY!

About Susan: Susan May Warren is the award-winning author of seventeen novels and novellas with Tyndale, Steeple Hill and Barbour Publishing. Her first book, Happily Ever After won the American Fiction Christian Writers Book of the Year in 2003, and was a 2003 Christy Award finalist. In Sheep’s Clothing, a thriller set in Russia, was a 2006 Christy Award finalist and won the 2006 Inspirational Reader’s Choice award. A former missionary to Russia, Susan May Warren now writes Suspense/Romance and Chick Lit full time from her home in northern Minnesota.

Links:
Buy book here: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1028342&item_no=86268
Read first chapter

Susan’s website

Susan’s blog

Contest! The “Get Cozy” Contest!
Head over to Susan’s blog tour post : and leave a comment on that post for your chance to win a Get Cozy gift basket! The basket will be loaded with Godiva chocolate, Starbucks coffee, Harry and David Moose Crunch, gourmet hot cocoa, and a fab pair of snuvvy PJs!
In your comment tell Susan your favorite winter time activity or winter memory!

Schedule Link: http://sprightly-amyanne.blogspot.com/2008/08/josey-is-headed-to-siberia.html

Thankful for This Season

2008-09-04T07:39:00.002-05:00

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: … a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted…”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

This verse fits my life perfectly right now. The past several weeks have been a time of change; a transition from one season to another. I've gone from being a stay-at-home mom with little tots under foot and women's Bible studies in my home to a very different pace of life.

**Lord, thank you for this new season in my life. I'm so thankful that I had the past four years to be completely focused on my children, but I'm also grateful for the new adventures I'm facing right now.

**I'm thankful to be back in the "classroom" (virtual) as a high school math teacher with Insight schools. I love working with kids again and being able to help them succeed. It is an exhilarating feeling to potentially impact so many lives. Just talking with students on the phone I've sensed how vital my role is.

**I'm thankful for my coworkers and my principal, who team together with me as we face technological challenges and come alongside me as I navigate my way through uncharted waters.

**I'm thankful for the nip in the air, for the crisp feeling of fall on its way, for bike rides (on brand new red training wheel bikes), for tree forts (and little monkeys in them), for long walks in the warming sun.

**Thank You Lord for my lifelong lover - for a partner to encourage me along the way, a listening ear when I'm stressed and a helping hand in this life. I'm also thankful that we can minister together this year through our Sunday school class and small group. There's something very unifying about sharing Bible study time together instead of him doing men's ministry and me doing women's ministry. I'm excited to do this together again.

**Thank You Father for first days of school. Little Missy ran right onto the playground for her first day at Kindergarten following her sister with a big smile. Thank you for this new season in her life and thank You that I can have confidence that You are watching over her when I can't. She is so excited and I'm sure she'll do fine (don't ask me about the tears running down my face though, ok?)

**I'm thankful for the little man's first day at preschool too! He colored a "very colorful" backpack and had a great time with this new experience. I'm excited about their Bible based curriculum and the great teachers he'll have there.

**I'm thankful for my bloggy friends and for this past year of blogging, meeting so many like-minded women from across the nation (and the globe). I haven't had time to do much blogging lately and I know that will be the case for this season. I'll still be posting for the Internet Cafe and Laced with Grace and I'll still be around, but not as frequently. I'm on the computer so much for work already that I have to have some limits in order to still make family a priority. Thank you for understanding!

**I'm thankful for Iris, who reminds us each week to be refreshed by gratitude and rejuvenated with a thankful heart!

I'm at Laced with Grace Today...

2008-08-25T08:05:00.001-05:00

Have you ever had doors close in your face every which way you turned? Me too.

Come read my devotion at Laced with Grace today:

Testify

2008-08-23T08:08:00.001-05:00

Some songs bring back vivid memories. Avalon's CD was in my Toyota for the three years when we lived in Dallas. I drove up the freeway in the morning with this CD and came back home from the high school (where I taught) on the crowded roads with Avalon by my side.

I recently heard it on the radio again and it reminded me of how timeless some songs can be. I'm not a newlywed with no kids living in a big city anymore, but this song still describes my life.

May everything I say or do testify to His great love!

When the Man is Away...

2008-08-22T13:50:00.002-05:00

Well, I don't think there were any mice playing yesterday, but it sure seemed like everything went awry.

1. I went to church to work on a skit for Sunday and things seemed to be going just fine until I got ready to leave. I buckled up the kids and started to back out of my parking space only to discover that I could only go straight. The steering wheel went round and round but the wheels stayed put. I was spinning my wheels...

Thanks to a good friend, I made it home and the car got to stay at church. It's a very spiritual car, so I'm sure it didn't mind.

2. When I arrived home (in my friend's van), I noticed a large green canvas item on my roof. Yup, the patio umbrella was the first victim of the strong winds. I wondered if I should try to man-up and climb onto the roof to get it down. But, instead I decided to just leave it up there. And lo and behold, after a little while it blew right back down again. Never mind the fact that a few pieces of it were broken (at least they weren't my bones!)

3. The kids started to watch "The Parent Trap," an all-time favorite of mine, and the tape got eaten by the VCR. I stood in the living room with black ribbon in my hands wondering what the VCR had against Haley Mills. I mean really, what did she ever do to the VCR? She's adorable!

4. I put the garbage cans out last night for the early morning pick up. After breakfast this morning I realized that they were the second victims of the wind. Our garbage was strewn all over the street and into the neighbor's yard across the street. So, I picked up all the cheese cracker boxes, granola bar wrappers, slimy banana peels and coffee grounds that I could manage. And prayed for stray hungry dogs, birds, rabbits...to eat up the remaining nasty chunks. Ewww.

You'll be happy to know that the man is home again. Who would have ever thought that one night away from home could wreak such havoc?

Soccer Mom

2008-08-20T10:52:00.006-05:00

It seems like it was just yesterday when I toted around an oversized bag filled with diapers, bottles and pacifiers. I vacuumed up cheerios three times a day and mopped oatmeal off the floor each morning. I woke up in the middle of the night for feedings or comforting and cuddling a little bundle. I wore holes in the knees of my jeans from crawling around on the floor after rambunctious noise-makers.

That's what it means to be a mom.

But, I'm not that kind of mom anymore. I'm going through a transition these days and I'm transforming into a SOCCER MOM. Scary. I never in my wildest dreams thought that would be me. I don't even like soccer.

But here I am, toting a soccer ball, sweaty shin guards, snacks and juice boxes for a team of kiddos who run around for an hour and call it a "sport."

I'm becoming the mom who drops her kids off a school in the morning, volunteers in the classroom and makes cupcakes for Valentine's day parties. No more pacifiers for me.

The kids don't need me to push them on the swings anymore or catch them at the end of the slide. They can climb to the top of the tree in the backyard and wave at me like little monkeys hanging off the branches.

So, dad got some lumber and built a little tree fort for them (to curb the climbing, although I don't know if it's helped...now the little guy can get up high enough to climb the tree on his own too!). They've spent their afternoons up in the fort dreaming and imagining all sorts of things. Up there they can be Olympians, knights and princesses, pirates or moms and dads.

As I watch my little tree-climbing reader who wants to be a soccer star, I think, these are the best days of motherhood.

Lemonade stands, rubber band music, tree forts and soccer.

I think being a soccer mom is simply marvelous!

Order My Steps

2008-08-18T22:06:00.005-05:00

Order my tongue, in Your word

Guide my feet, in Your word

Wash my heart, in Your word

Show me how to walk, in Your word

Show me how to talk, in Your word.(refrain)

I want to walk worthy, my calling to fulfill

Please order my steps,

Lord, and I’ll do Your blessed will

The world is ever changing, but You are still the same

If You order my steps, I’ll praise Your name.

~~A hymn by Glen Burleigh~

One of the things I've been noticing lately in my walk with the Lord is how very little I am able to do on my own. I want to walk worthy, but I am unable to guide my steps in the way He desires and I'm not able to keep my heart pure or my lips for that matter. I want my life to honor Him, but on my own, that's impossible.

We know this intellectually, but understanding it in practice is a bit more difficult. I run off and plan 5 meetings, organize everything to a tee, work my tail off and then wonder if I've been seeking God's guidance through it all.

My feet sometimes get ahead of my heart. I need to wait for Him to order my steps, to lead me in the way everlasting that I might praise Him with my life.

Father, I need You, I need You now more than ever. I need You to plan the path in front of me and to gently lead me in the right direction. I need You to help me make each step of faith and to speak each word by the Spirit. I need You to be my guide and to be my forgiveness and my healing. A life of faith is impossible without Your power!
Sweet, fun-loving Lori has chosen this quote for us to ponder today. Please visit her to hear what others have to say!

Six-Pointers, Jamborees and a Hodge Podge of Kiddie Cuteness

2008-08-18T06:00:00.001-05:00

Just to set the record straight before we get started, this post is not about deer or music. Not in the way you're thinking, at least.

A Freshman in the Cafeteria
I've started my new job at Insight Schools as an online math instructor for high school students this week, so if my posts are few and far between you'll understand why. I'm trying to figure out how to use three separate programs and look like I've got it all together. It's a bit like the first day of high school as a freshman. I remember picking out the perfect outfit that made me look serious and grown-up like a high schooler, but also fun and easygoing.

I filled up my backpack with #2 pencils, my Trapper and plenty of paper for all those notes I'd be taking. I arrived at school and tried to get into my locker. 32-45-18. Um, no, was it 45-32-18? Are you supposed to turn left-right-left or right-left-right? Oh, heck, forget it, I don't need a locker anyway!

I rushed down the hallway towards my first class: Speech. The teacher bounced in full of energy and enthusiasm and the hour seemed to pass quickly. High school was going to be fun, I just knew it. And then I tried to figure out how to get to Physics. Left-right-left. Oh, wait a minute, that's how to open the locker and you know how well that went for me. All of the sudden, I found myself in the cafeteria but it was only second period and I couldn't figure out how to get to Physics.

My friend Tara assured me that getting around the school should be easy since it was in the shape of a square. It felt more like a circle to me - going round and round and round but not getting anywhere.

Yeah, that's kind of how I'm feeling right now. I'm pretty sure I'll get it all figured out eventually, but it seems like I keep ending up in the cafeteria way before lunch is served.

I Starving
Speaking of lunch, I must progress to the next story... I fed the kids bologna sandwiches and sent them to their rooms for nap (or at least for a rest/quiet time). I explicitly told them that I would not be available for the next hour. I would be in my room with the door shut because I was in "class" so DO NOT DISTURB. Don't knock. Don't bang. Don't bug me. Don't interrupt. They assured me that they understood these directions.

About 10 minutes into my session, I heard a knock on the door. Arg. A note was slipped under the door... "I STARVING" Ok, I find that hard to believe since I just fed you a very nice bologna sandwich with apple slices and carrots. So, I ignored the interruption.

5 minutes later, the next note comes sliding in. "I starving what i pozed to do?"

I'll give you a hint: Don't ask me!!! If you are old enough to write down that you are starving (which is bigger than exaggeration), then aren't you old enough to get a banana off the counter? Or follow instructions??? Apparently not.

Somehow they managed to stave off starvation for the next few minutes. Amazing.

The Six Pack
The "starving" girl has become quite athletic this summer, participating in softball, swimming and soccer. But, I think her muscles have toned up more from the hula hoop and monkey bars than from any organized sport. This weekend she was laying on the couch and she started to sit up. She had definable abdominal muscles...like a real six pack. On a seven year old. I told her that her muscles were awesome. "You have a six pack, honey."

She wasn't familiar with that term, so I had to explain it to her. I guess I understand since we don't buy pop in 6-packs anymore. Everything comes in 12 or 24 packs. Which doesn't work so good for the abs, but anyhow.

So, when her grandma came the next day she proudly exclaimed, "Look, I've got a six-pointer (as in a deer) in my stomach!"

The Jamboree
Rubber bands are nifty little toys. They can be used to propel objects across a room and wound your sisters or just irritate them. They can tie up unruly hair into beautiful piggy tails. Or, they can be used for entertainment. They cut off your circulation if you leave them on your wrist for days and then your hand turns purple. That's pretty interesting.

But they mostly make good music. Twang, twang, twang. We've got a rubber band band going on over here. But it's tough to hang onto both ends of the rubber band and twang it cuz then you're out of hands. Unless you use your feet.

Just wrap one end of the rubber band on one toe and the other end on the other toe and then you can twang away with your free hands. It makes a toe jam-boree. Really classy!

Go Fish - The Mom Song

2008-08-15T22:57:00.001-05:00

Hey! Hope everyone had a good weekend. I know we sure did - swimming at the beach, playing at our little village's "Fun Days."

The kids got to pretend they were firefighters (which is great since two of them decided a while ago that they wanted to be firefighters and work together when they grow up). They played waterball and got soaked to the bone. We ate fried cheese curds, corn dogs and ice cream but the best part was the lemonade stand.

The kids set up a table in the front yard and the little guy yelled at passersby "Lemonade - 50 cents!" No one could refuse him :) They got to spend their profits buying tiaras and eating candy. I think every child should have the opportunity to open their own business at the age of 3 - ha!

They got t-shirts for singing karaoke for the whole street party to hear - I was impressed with their bravery! And then we got to listen to the bands late into the night since we only live a block off of main street. Well, at least the house wasn't reverberating like last year. I think the bass was a bit too high that year.

To close this post, I'd like to start the week off with some smiles. You'll enjoy this song for moms by Go Fish (hat tip to Dee).

Thankful

2008-08-15T21:49:00.007-05:00

One of the great songs from last week's Bible school. I love this song because it's a great reminder to be thankful.

Amazing Grace

2008-08-15T21:49:00.005-05:00

An old favorite made new for the next generation...

It's awesome to hear my kids singing such an old classic!

Amazing Grace

2008-08-15T21:49:00.003-05:00

Last week, my kids learned an old classic: Amazing Grace. At ages 3, 5 and 7, they learned to love this hymn about God's grace through a powerful new version. I love the motions that the kids did and the fact that the words speak such great truth.

Amazing Grace

2008-08-15T21:49:00.001-05:00

Last week, I introduced my kids to this classic hymn. I love the beat and fun actions which make it kid-friendly. Now, they hear different versions on the radio and start to sing along. How awesome it that?

I love to sing about His Grace!

Thankful Thursday - Ministry

2008-08-14T06:07:00.002-05:00

The little boy plopped down next to me in the grass. "Professor Heather, do you like the fireworks?" he asked. Yes, I did, but there was something more exciting than the event displayed in front to of my eyes. A little boy who was learning about Jesus.

I'm thankful that God works through ordinary people to accomplish his extraordinary purposes. Sometimes people shy away from being involved in church activities. "I'm too busy to help out in the Nursery..." Or "There's already lots of people working in the kitchen..." or "I'm not any good at doing that kind of stuff..."

They're missing out. Yes, it is work to be involved in ministry and sometimes it causes us to sacrifice or stretch ourselves, but the rewards are beyond compare. Scripture tells us that what we sow, we will reap.

So, even though I've wanted to pull my hair out a few times this summer over this new ministry position (children's director), I KNOW beyond a doubt that it is worth it. And when I get all caught up in the details, I'm reminded that it's about the little guy who first met Jesus at one of our events.

Thank You Lord for the priviledge of partnering with You in loving people and caring for them. Thank You Lord that You share Your heart with us and involve us in Your purposes!

2008-08-12T07:34:00.002-05:00

“Problems can slow us down temporarily
but they don’t have the ability to stop us.
Only we have that power.”

~Wayne Cordeiro~

We are a society of blamers. When something goes wrong, our immediate reaction is to find the source, the reason, the person to blame. We point fingers everywhere but at ourselves.

The reason kids are so misguided today is television, music or video games.

The cause for a crime was a bad childhood.

The source of our
economic woes is mismanagement by bankers.

But the truth is, that we choose how we live and how we respond to situations. The circumstances may be terrible, but ultimately, we choose whether or not they change our lives.

I need to own up to the way I respond to problems. It's easier to just throw in the towel when things get difficult than to deal with the problem and take responsibility for my actions.

Like when the kids forget their towels for swimming lessons (for the 10th time!), I can let that drive me crazy or I can calmly handle the discipline issues that clearly need to be addressed. It's my choice.

What problems are you facing right now? Friendship issues? Money concerns? The pain of a loved one? Marital strife?

We don't have to let problems stop us in our tracks. God has the power to conquer any problem in our lives and He has given us the power to choose the right way to respond to our problems.

Summer Fun Days

2008-08-11T09:35:00.005-05:00

Hey! Hope you had a great weekend. I know we sure did - it was filled with fun summery activities. These are things that everyone's childhood should contain: tree climbing, swimming at the beach, and lemonade stands.

We had our village summer fun festival this weekend and the kids soaked up all the fun they could. On Friday night, they won t-shirts for singing Karaoke for the whole street party to hear and they participated in the coloring contest. We ate fried cheese curds, corn dogs and ice cream and they enjoyed watching the strong man competition.

On Saturday morning, they set up their little lemonade stand in the front yard. I couldn't make the lemonade fast enough. The little guy stood on the edge of street yelling, "Lemonade - 50 cents!" No one can resist a three year old salesman. I think all three year olds should have the opportunity to start their own business :)

They then were able to spend some of their profits on tiaras and candy. That afternoon, they participated in water ball. This was great since the youngest two recently decided they both wanted to be firefighters when they grow up so they can work together. "Yeah, then I'll see you everyday when we go to work," says my little firegirl princess to her brother. So, they stood behind the powerful hose and tried to push the basketball across the line. They didn't win, but they did get soaked to the bone. What a way to spend the day!

Then, on Sunday afternoon, they opted for the beach over the parade. They got to show off their newly acquired swimming skills (after two weeks of lessons) to their dad. Back floats, strong leg kicks and lots of splashing: they almost ready for the Olympics!

Each child even had the chance to go in the woods with dad this weekend. Cutie Bug saw 23 deer in the field when she went on her hike with Dad. She was almost as excited as he was.

Lemonade, water and woods: that's what childhood is all about!

In REAL Life

2008-08-06T20:50:00.004-05:00

This week, I've been thankful for some "real" life fun with people I love.

Here's ONE:
Yesterday morning, the kids started the day out with some Karaoke fun. The first song requested was "Shine" by the Newsboys and I smiled as the kids bounced around in the family room to this song. Our little guy then asked for his favorite: Big Girls Don't Cry by Fergie.

Don't ask me why. But hearing a three year old boy sing about big girls crying is just adorable.

We progressed to "Big Black Horse and a Cherry Tree" by KT Tunstill. I have no idea what she means (why not a black kitten and an apple tree?), but the kids love the "whoo-hoo" part and that's all that really matters. Whoo-hoo....whoo-hoo!

And the last song, a favorite of all, "Mr. Roboto" by STYX. Oh yeah. We shine our light for Jesus in Robot style around our house. Three little robots marched around with jerky movements singing word-for-word the entire song.

Here's TWO:
I had the privilege of meeting a bloggy friend in real life. Kathy (Blessed Builder) and I chatted about our lives and it amazed me how much more we connected in a couple of hours than I often feel I connect over the Internet. There's just something special about being "live."

Here's THREE:
On Tuesday night, the girls met up (minus kiddos) and canoed down the river for two and a half hours. It was peaceful and relaxing to float down the shallow river. I'm so thankful for my dear friend who shared her heart with me as we drifted along.

Here's FOUR:
I spent the day shopping with girlfriends last Friday. I think the last time I did that was in High school. We tried on clothes like kids and ate yummy foods, looked at every store in the mall and made each other giggle like school girls. Those girls actually made me laugh so hard I almost peed and they're the kind of friends you can honestly talk to about that kind of problem.

It's been a wonderful, fun-filled week and I feel like I could go on forever about what terrific friends I'm developing and how full and rich my life feels right now.

Thank You Lord, for this life You've given me.

Sprinkle a Little Grace

2008-08-06T08:13:00.003-05:00

As I seasoned my eggs this morning, I was thinking about grace...
Come read my devotion at Laced with Grace today:

The Eyes of Mercy

2008-08-05T06:23:00.002-05:00

“I do not know that the prodigal saw his father, but his father saw him. The eyes of mercy are quicker than the eyes of repentance. Even the eyes of our faith is dim compared with the eye of God’s love. He sees a sinner long before a sinner sees Him.”
C.H. Spurgeon (Sermon based upon the Prodigal Son)

When you do something like waste your parent's entire life savings and end up eating slop for dinner, you wonder if you're beyond forgiveness.

What did you do that turned your stomach into a ball of knots? What sin keeps your head down and your eyes focused on the ground? Or maybe it's the kind of sin you've confessed and repented of a hundred times and you wonder, isn't God getting tired of me? When does His patience run out? How many times will He forgive me for this repetitive pattern of sin?

We feel unworthy of forgiveness and so we stay put, eyes down. But when we imagine just a glimmer of God's care, and turn our faces towards home, something amazing happens.

We think God is far off, busy taking care of the world, unaware of our inner dilemas, but we make the first steps toward Him, hoping He will at least have the tiniest amount of mercy upon us. But, His eyes are trained on the horizon and He sees that small movement we've made; He notices us inching towards Him though we are far, far away from His embrace.

If only we had eyes to see His face at that moment. Our own eyes are still seeking out only the next step in front of us, on the dirty path, but He is gazing with love and tenderness upon our brokeness.

Yes, He is watching us from above, but not to catch us in the next little sin. He's watching for that moment when we turn ever so slightly towards Him. He's waiting for us to see His eyes of mercy.

More Mommy than Monk

2008-08-04T15:10:00.002-05:00

I had quite a morning.

I warn you though, that the Monk in Mommymonk has left the building. There will most likely not be any deep spiritual message in this post and I doubt I would even try to meditate upon these words.

Normally, I rise early, take a walk (some days, at least), read my Bible and pray (most days) before the kids wake up and snuggle with me on the couch. Due to an overactive brain problem last night (read: insomnia) I did not sleep well and therefore rose with the kids. This might explain my backwards attitude, but then again it might not.

I slapped some Miracle whip on two slices of bread (I don't know what's so miraculous about that white stuff - it doesn't spread itself or anything!), added salami and cheese and zipped it up all while my eyes were half-closed. I hope I remembered to add some fruit to my husband's lunch.

Then, I fixed oatmeal, Golden grahams, and bran flakes, poured orange juice, combed tangled hair and made up the bag for swimming lessons. Three changes of underwear - check. Three towels - check. Shampoo and brushes - check. I set the bag by the door so I could grab it easily as we walked out the door.

I told the kids to put on their suits and clothes on top before they turned on cartoons. Sometimes I wonder if there is a disconnect from my mouth and their ears.

I took a shower, blow dried my hair, put on makeup, guzzled some coffee and snatched a quick breakfast before I checked in on the kids' progress. In suits, but not in clothes, they ignored my request to finish their morning routines and put on sandals to go.

I rushed out to the van, threw in my stuff, turned it on and ran back to get the kids. Maybe, we could be on time today (for once).

Or maybe not.

The bag that I so carefully packed was no longer by the door where I left it. Why can't they just leave my (their) stuff alone!!?!!

One child began looking while the others finally realized I was serious about getting dressed and ready to go. At the pace of a turtle, they clothed themselves while we tried to track down the missing bag.

Ten (TEN!) minutes later, we came up empty handed. Why, oh why, do I bother with trying to get ready ahead of time? What is the purpose??? Some days it makes me feel like poking my eyes out (thanks to my sister for that great expression).

The next fifteen minutes were agonizing. I ranted about the need to follow the fifth commandment (after I checked with them to make sure I had the right one, seeing as how they have them memorized and all...). I raved about keeping BOTH shoes in the same place so we can find them in the morning. I complained about the need to wear clothing (can you imagine?) when leaving the house. I expressed my displeasure with their lack of hearing and wondered aloud if they needed to see the doctor for a hearing test.

And after that, I cried. THIS is not how I like to start my day. All Mommy, no Monk. All uptight and barking out orders; no peaceful, quiet attitude.

Then I wondered if maybe that was the problem. Me, not them. (Ok, me 50%, them 50%). I'm not saying I have the answers or anything. I'm just saying, "Please Dear God, help us to do this better tomorrow."

2008-08-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

I'll be hosting "In other words" this next Tuesday. I chose a quote my husband found while preparing for his seminar on sexual purity. (He says I always steal his best stuff, but hey, what's a girl to do?) He found this wonderful sermon written by the famous preacher, C.H. Spurgeon. Meditate on these words over the next few days and come join us on Tuesday to share your thoughts about God's forgiveness.

“I do not know that the prodigal saw his father, but his father saw him. The eyes of mercy are quicker than the eyes of repentance. Even the eyes of our faith is dim compared with the eye of God’s love. He sees a sinner long before a sinner sees Him.”
C.H. Spurgeon (Sermon based upon the Prodigal Son)

Thankful for Relationships

2008-07-31T06:56:00.002-05:00

**I'm so thankful for my eternal relationship with Jesus, first and foremost. He's my very best friend and the only One who knows every crook and cranny of my heart. He loves me and accepts me even with full knowledge of my failures and foibles.

**My husband has been the most wonderful partner God could have ever chose for me. I'm so thankful for him, for his friendship, for his love, for his understanding spirit, and for his heart to encourage me.

**I'm thankful for the friends I've made since we moved to this area. Like my friend who spent the day with preparing for VBS even though she doesn't go to my church! Or my friends who watched my kids so I could go to a writer's conference, a job interview, and a field trip with one daughter.

**I'm thankful for good relationships with my children and I pray that we will always be close.

I'm glad God gave us relationships - He knew that we needed each other.

Thanks Iris for reminding us to be thankful today!

The Martha in Me

2008-07-31T06:48:00.003-05:00

I'm not at all like Martha: I hate cleaning and I don't usually spend much time on food preparation or presentation and I'm not much for crafts. But, somehow, I still have a Martha spirit...like when I get all frazzled over the details of an event instead of remembering what Jesus said to Mary.
Come and remember Jesus' timeless principle about simplicity today at The Internet Cafe. Just click on the coffee cup to join me for a latte!

Eating Toads

2008-07-30T15:11:00.004-05:00

My husband returned from an informative (read: boring) lecture on retention rates and reducing no-shows with an interesting piece of advice about eating toads. What do toads have to do with counseling?

Mark Twain once commented that if you start your day by eating a toad, it can only go uphill from there and if you have to eat two toads, then you ought to eat the uglier one first.

Wise advice from a funny guy. Or is that funny advice from a wise guy? My kids catch toads just about every day and then they make a home for them in the wading pool, including complicated devices for play, food and rest. But, I'm not going to EAT any of those "pets."

Oh, you don't think that's what Mark Twain meant?

Well, I had to eat a few toads today(ewwww). I started my day off with the first toad and as soon as I completed that project, my stomach settled right down.

Midday, I discovered that I had a few more toads to swallow. I tried to postpone them for as long as I could, playing an important game of solitaire, checking the mail, getting a diet coke...and then I finally had to take a big gulp. Funny how the rumbling in my tummy calmed down AFTER I ate the toad - seems counter-intuitive doesn't it?

Delaying the inevitable only makes for extra stress for a longer period of time. Heather preaches to herself: eating toads makes your stomach feel better (not the other way around!)

Ahem. The queen of procrastination is trying to learn a lesson here. Pray for me :)

Teen Challenge

2008-07-28T08:13:00.003-05:00

Teen Challenge visited our church yesterday for an amazing morning of testimony and worship. There was no three point sermon to illuminate the Scriptures, but instead a living example of the power of God's word. In front of us stood forty men and women whose lives had been dramatically changed by Jesus. They were once in prison, suicidal and strung out on drugs or alcohol, but NOW, now they are free from Satan's grip by the power of Jesus' blood.

Through tears or jubilant smiles, they told their stories. About living without hope. Living in sin and living in lies. How Satan lied to them about their worth in this world, convincing them that they were junk. How Satan stole from them, their hope, their identity, their futures. But, when they turned and asked Jesus for help, He came in a mighty way and rescued them. He is the restorer of hope. He is the voice of truth, speaking tenderly to each heart how much He loves them and forgives them in spite of their sin.

My husband says that testimonies are IRREFUTABLE evidence of God.

We sing "there's power in the blood" from an old hymnal, wondering what kind of power that is. But, these people KNOW about Jesus' power: power to transform a life from useless to invaluable, from practically dead, to vibrantly alive. When we quote verses from our well-worn Bibles about being a new creation, do we remember what we once were?

I wasn't ever a suicidal drug addict, but that doesn't mean my transformation from sinner to saint was any less dramatic. Only Jesus can change a life. Only through His sacrifice can we be transformed from the walking dead to those who hold eternal life in their hands.

Is there something He needs to transform in your life (in mine)? Do we believe that He has the power to do that when we walk in faith and obedience? Do we think we can muster up the strength to change ourselves, or do we realize like these students from Teen challenge, that there's nothing we can do to save our sorry selves?

It's only by the power of His blood!

Mom the Builder... (Can we fix it?)

2008-07-22T14:19:00.002-05:00

YES WE CAN!!!

Ok, maybe I can't really fix anything around my house that requires hammers, screwdrivers and the like, but I CAN do some home renovation projects to our spiritual atmosphere. Me plus the power drill makes a dangerous combination, but I think God and I are a great combo!

“We as women, think of ourselves as mothers, teachers, nurses and son on, but God says that we are builders. We usually relegate this role to the men, but we are building with something far great than brick and timber.” Nancy Campbell, The Power of Motherhood: What the Bible Says about Mothers.

We are building character. We are building the next generation. We are building upon the Rock and trusting Him to finish what He's begun. Hopefully, we're building things that will withstand the test of time and will not burn at the judgement.

I remember remodeling the bathroom with my husband: the biggest "building" project I've ever undertaken. It took pre-measuring, planning and vision to get started and then we had to pay attention to the details and learn as we went. The whole process took time, effort and investment.

Building little minds and souls also takes time and effort. We do some planning ahead and some visionary thinking, but we also learn as we go. Thank goodness we have a manual with lots of direction for when we get stuck. There are bound to be frustrating moments (like when the pipes don't line up or the linoleum is too long) but each time we face a challenge, we learn and continue to build.

When whining or arguing becomes more prevalent than kindness and respect, it's time to do some "remodeling." We need to go back to the blueprints and figure out where we've gone wrong.

Building isn't always easy, but the rewards are awesome. When you finish a project and see your work, it's so exciting. One day we will see the rewards for our home building efforts too. The voice of our Savior calling out, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Burma

2008-07-21T14:39:00.002-05:00

One of my bestest friends from college days has begun a blog. But I'm pretty sure it won't be much like mine. My friend Ann is a world traveler for Jesus.

She hops a flight from Maui (yeah, that's where she lives) to India without much thought, as long as the purpose is telling others about Jesus. She's got a heart for people that's about as big as I've ever seen.

So, when I heard that she was bound and determined to go visit the areas in Burma (Myanmar) and China that were recently devastated by natural disasters, I was excited. Go visit her blog to see pictures and hear more about her trip to the other side of the world.

Less is More

2008-07-18T07:11:00.002-05:00

I just had a big "Aha!" moment yesterday (you will laugh at that if you've already done PowerLab).

Sometimes (just sometimes, really, it's not all the time), I get this idea that I'm supposed to do everything and to do it all excellently. I'm pretty smart so I don't know why I can't understand that doing everything is IMPOSSIBLE. Someday I'll get through my little head.

I visited with a children's ministry coordinator for a church 7 times as large as mine. Bigger is better, right?

Why is that? Why do we automatically think that a big church has it all together while smaller churches aren't doing things very efficiently? Is there any truth to that?

I have visions to improve our nursery, update our toddler Sunday school room and curriculum, decorate the children's wing in bright and wild colors, create sets, redo our entire organization, write a ministry vision, create a brochure, take photographs of children and put them everywhere.... and I'm out of breath just talking about it.

So, where is all of that in the Scripture? I'm not saying my ideas are bad, but maybe I need to rethink my purposes and God's command. Jesus called us to go into the world and preach the gospel, making disciples of the nations. I need to keep it simple stupid (KISS) if you know what I mean.

If redecorating helps me bring in more kids to tell about Jesus, then it fits in my purpose. If 3 new programs just end up being extra babysitting for kids midweek, am I fulfilling my God-given purpose?

I don't know why, but I felt compelled to share this with you today. I think we get so caught up in the trappings of doing stuff for God, that we forget WHY we're doing it in the first place. Yes, excellence is a good thing, but it's all about Jesus. I want people to know about this wonderful Jesus, who has changed my life. And I need to keep THAT my focus.

Thankful for God's Gentle Voice

2008-07-16T09:33:00.004-05:00

It seems like every morning, when I turn to the Word and to my devotionals, I hear God speak right to my situation. This doesn't always happen and I've gone through long stretches of hearing God's silence, but right now it's been amazing to hear God's gentle voice speak to my daily needs.

For example, when I was trying to balance busyness with ministry and my quiet moments spent just with the Lord, I read (in Oswald Chambers' Utmost for His Highest):

"Discipleship means personal, passionate devotion to a Person, our Lord Jesus Christ. There is a difference between devotion to a Person and devotion to principles or to a cause."

When I was feeling anxious or a little stressed about getting the details together, I opened my devotional to read:

Psalm 37: 8
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.

On July 9th, I wondered why the verse was Joshua 24:19 "You cannot serve the Lord." That sounded odd to me. I WAS serving the Lord, what in the world did Chambers mean?

"'Ye cannot serve the Lord God'; but you can put yourself in the place where God's almighty power will come through you."

Ooooh. Since I'm going to be teaching about Jesus' miraculous power, I needed some of it myself! (Doesn't it just give you a chill down your spine when God speaks like that?)

When I was feeling a little insecure, I began my prayer time with the 31 Days of Praise by Ruth Meyers and the topic for the day was:

"I praise you for the honor of being made in Your image, personally formed by you for Your glory, and gifted spiritually just as it has pleased You....All that I am and all that I have comes from You."

Then, the next day was about my weaknesses:

"That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:10

Thankful for my weakness and His strength this week!

The Bondage of People Pleasing

2008-07-14T21:12:00.002-05:00

“When we are set free from the bondage of pleasing others,when we are free from currying others approval-then no one will be able to make us miserable or dissatisfied. And then, if we know we have pleased God, contentment will be our consolation. ~Kay Arthur

Right now, the only thing on my mind is VBS and Children's Ministries, so forgive me for constantly chattering on about it. Vacation Bible School isn't quite what it used to be. These days, it's a performance, a show of epic proportions that must "wow" and excite children and parents alike. People have expectations of children's ministries in the 21st century that weren't even imagined in D.L. Moody's day.

So, it's become quite apparent to me that I must keep my focus straight. As I worry over set design and redecorating the Children's wing, I'm often thinking of how everyone else will view my work. Yes, I am doing this as a ministry to parents and kids, but ultimately all my work is for GOD.

It is just too easy to get caught up in worries about everyone else's opinion. For one thing, if I'm doing my work the way everyone else thinks it ought to be done, am I listening for God's direction?

The other problem with people pleasing is that it is bound to end in disappointment. I just can't expect to please everyone all of the time. I wish I could, but someone, somewhere, somehow is going to express displeasure at something that I've done. How will that criticism affect me? If I'm working to please God, not man, then someone else's opinion won't hurt me. But, if I'm trying to please people, I will end up miserable, as Kay Arthur says.

She's hit on the key to contentment here. Seeking God's approval instead of man's brings an inner sense of assurance. And that's something I need to be reminded of on a regular basis. I'm doing this (children's ministry, blogging, writing, motherhood, etc.) for GOD and for His glory alone.

Denise is our hostess today. Go visit her to read more about Kay Arthur's quote.

My Home is a Refuge

2008-07-14T06:49:00.002-05:00

Psalm 57For the director of music. To the tune of "Do Not Destroy." Of David. A miktam . When he had fled from Saul into the cave.
1 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me,
for in you my soul takes refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the disaster has passed.
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who fulfills {his purpose} for me.

3 He sends from heaven and saves me,
rebuking those who hotly pursue me;
Selah
God sends his love and his faithfulness.

4 I am in the midst of lions;
I lie among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.

5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.

6 They spread a net for my feet—
I was bowed down in distress.
They dug a pit in my path—
but they have fallen into it themselves.
Selah

7 My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make music.

8 Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.

9 I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.

10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.

I've been asked by ChristianBibleStudies.com to write a Bible study for women in ministry. The topic is finding refuge in our families.

So, I've spent the past few weeks meditating upon God as our refuge and I've landed at Psalm 57. I'm wondering, what does it mean to you that God is our refuge? How does the imagery in this psalm give you a better understanding of God?

I've got VBS PMS

2008-07-11T14:20:00.002-05:00

If you peek in the window to my home, you might see my head spinning around and steam coming out of my ears. Don't worry. Everything (ahem, everyone) will be ok.

In a few weeks, that is.

After VBS is over. You see, I have VBS PMS. A pretty good case of it too. The lab coats are unavailable, the snack coordinator didn't realize she had other committments that week, and the sets aren't even beginning to look ready. My three year old wasn't much help in painting the beakers bright colors, but he did a great job getting his shirt bright.

Only a week left and the panic is starting to rise. Why did I say I would coordinate this? I mean, sure I could teach, but be in charge of EVERYTHING (read: get blamed when things blow up that aren't supposed to).

Oh dear.

I'd try to get out of it, but I think it's too late. Why did I sign up for this in the first place? Oh yeah, that's right. Because God asked me to. Bummer, can't get out of it now! :)

Don't worry about me.

Worry about everyone else!

Thankful Thursday

2008-07-09T21:45:00.003-05:00

A few things that fill my heart with gratitude...

*Bright explosions in the sky

*Bug repellent

*Calamine and band aids for when we forget about the bug repellent (and the polka dot girl I put to bed each night whose sensitive skin seems to attract the little suckers)

*Days spent at the beach

*Life jackets

*Aloe, although it can't take away a lobster red sunburn, it does soothe

*Photographs and memories

*The public library. My family has been enjoying plenty of summer library programs.

*Ok, I'm even thankful for cockroaches. The kids sure had fun playing with the huge ones the "Bug Guy" Brought in for the last program we attended. They even ate a few bugs. (I am NOT joking!) I, on the other hand, found it conveniently necessary to excuse myself to the restroom right around the time the roaches and tarantulas were being brought out.

*I'm thankful for a new job...which will be starting soon (more on that later).

*Green slime, explosions, goggles and lab coats...yes, VBS is on the way.

*And I'm especially thankful that my family is a refuge for me. (more thoughts on that later too)

What are you thankful for today?

The Devil's Bathtub

2008-07-09T07:42:00.002-05:00

What I want to know is, why does this have to be the Devil's bathtub? It's much too beautiful for him!
(Photos taken by me after hiking up the creek and across the creek a dozen times soaking my shoes, avoiding snakes and poison ivy...to see THIS!)

We don't walk this trail alone

2008-07-07T13:35:00.007-05:00

“The Christian life is a pilgrimage. At times the road is difficult and we get lonely. Sometimes we may get discouraged and consider abandoning the journey. It is at such times that God will place a friend alongside us. One of God’s most precious gifts to us is friends who encourage us and lovingly challenge us to ‘keep going.’ “
By Henry T. Blackaby & Richard Blackaby from their devotional book, Experiencing God

When my husband and I were camping in the Black Hills of South Dakota, we took leisurely hikes each day through the canyons and gulches, enjoying the wildflowers and wildlife along the creek beds. One day we decided to follow a trail which lead upward to a beautiful vista. We had no idea what kind of hike we had chosen until we were a little ways up the trail. The sign said that we would travel up 1,000 feet in less than 3/4 mile.

Feeling a little blond, I paid no attention. 3/4 mile seemed like a short easy hike. No problem, right? Until we started to walk vertically.

I sat down for a breather to ease my huffing and puffing. Was all of this effort worth it? Maybe we should have just turned around and called it a day. We had seen plenty of beautiful sites already anyway.

There have been many times when I wanted to give up and it might be easy to do that if there weren't someone by my side, encouraging me to continue.

For me, this person has been my lifetime lover.

Ecclesiastes 4
10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!

11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?

12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

I think Blackaby was talking about fellowship - true fellowship. Not pot lucks and Christmas teas, but friends who stop everything to pray for you. People who call and check up on your spiritual progress, brothers and sisters who ask you the hard questions.

I don't know about you, but that kind of fellowship has been hard for me to find. I've had a friend here or there who has encouraged me along the way, but often those friendships wax and wane. Other than Jesus, there's been one friend who has never left my side. My husband.

He listens to me whine about my constant struggles with the same issue over and over again. He sees Jesus in me (and points it out) when I think I'm just a miserable sinner. He builds me up with his words of encouragement on a daily basis.

He helps me up when I fall down and he's got the courage and the rapport to be able to tell me when I've really blown it. Together, we fight the battles of life side by side. We pray against Satan's attacks and we lift each other up.

Sometimes, our trail is an uphill climb, but when we are walking together, taking breaks together, cheering each other on, the hike becomes more manageable. And at the end, we get to enjoy the rewards of our labor together too!

Bonnie is our hostess today at Ink it Blog - go visit her to hear more thoughts on this topic.

Bedtime Prayers

2008-07-07T06:58:00.003-05:00

Usually, at bedtime, I hold a chubby hand in mine, close my eyes and hear:

"Dear Jesus, Thank you for this day. Have a good day. Thank you for Mom. I'm just going to pray for you Mom, ok? Amen."

The girls' prayers are only slightly more sophisticated, including concerns for "no bad dreams," and prayers lifted up for missionaries, family members and hurting families in our church.

But, one night, it was getting late and I suggested that the girls pray on their own. Later, they told me that they got out the children's Bible and found the Lord's prayer.

How in the world did they find the Lord's prayer? Ok, the oldest "knows" the books of the Bible and John 3:16, but I don't think she knows WHERE to find specific verses! On Sunday morning I have to help her find the passage in the index and then she can look up the chapter and verse and I seriously do NOT remember ever talking about the Lord's prayer with her. So, you tell me, how did she find it?

Well, they found the page with the Lord's prayer and Cutie Bug began to read it aloud for her little sister (who also has verses memorized, but cannot yet read). She read a line and Missy repeated it. They prayed through the prayer together, not knowing what "hallowed" meant or why to ask "lead us not into temptation."

The next night they told me they found a prayer in the Bible and prayed it together. Could we do it again? It occurred to me that "lead us not into temptation," though difficult to understand, was better than "have a good day."

Some people teach their children memorized prayers for grace or bedtime, but I've always wanted them to learn to talk to Jesus openly from their hearts. But, instead they've still said rote prayers, just the ones they made up, instead of something someone else made up. They're still learning what prayer is all about.

The disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. I think my children were asking Jesus to teach them how to pray as well. And He answered. He lead them to His pages of prayer education and they are learning.

Matthew 6: 9"This, then, is how you should pray:
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us today our daily bread.
12Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

How to Catch a Fish

2008-07-05T06:35:00.004-05:00

What's the difference between me and the kids fishing at the dam and my husband fly fishing in the Black Hills? Romance...

Come read my devotion at Laced with Grace today:

I'm a Dork Fish

2008-07-04T08:01:00.007-05:00

On June 3rd, I packed up my suitcase with all the "business casual" attire I owned (not much, since my "business" requires clothing that can be messed up by kids! But I found a few capris, one skirt and a dress just in case). I hopped in my gas-saver vehicle and drove south to meet up with someone I had only met once. The woman from my writer's guild got her car packed up and ready to go (including the GPS navigational system). We got on the road and began our trip to Chicagoland.

We started getting to know one another by sharing about our ministries. She had magnets, business cards, pamphlets and a full speaking schedule.

I had an old 3 ring binder with a few papers I had printed out in a panic before I left. No business cards, no laptop, no cell phone. I was totally intimidated.

I pretty much imagined myself looking like a dork as I walked into the conference. Everyone would be busily typing away on their laptops and I would be sitting there scrambling for a pen in my overloaded purse and scribbling notes in my old journal.

Ok, that is pretty much what it looked like, but I discovered quickly that I wasn't alone in my dorkiness. My friend Michelle put it this way: "When you come to a writer's conference and meet everyone, you realize you don't have to lose 40 pounds to be a writer." Writers come in all sizes and shapes and "business casual" looks different on everyone.

I walked into my dorm room, feeling nostalgic about college days and met my roommate immediately. A mother of young children, like myself, she exuded warmth and kindness in her welcome. She asked, "So, what do you write?"

I just started laughing. She didn't think it was a funny question.

I don't know. What DO I write? THAT was the fundamental question. I came to Write to Publish with a huge question in my heart. "What in the world am I doing here?"

About fifteen months ago, the Lord gave me a vision to begin writing. Unlike many people who have a passion for writing, I didn't have a clear idea of why God wanted me to write. Lots of people have a burning desire to write about a particular topic - some challenge they have faced in life. I just knew I was supposed to write about what God was doing in my everyday life.

Which kind of sounds boring to me. What do I write?

Whatever God tells me to write. I wish I would have thought of that answer, but of course I just felt silly and giggled.

So, I began the next morning with a prayer. "Lord, show me which editors I'm supposed to meet and what to show them. Give me direction and a clear purpose this week."

The morning started off with a bang. The opening speaker was phenomenal! He inspired, touched and encouraged every writer in that room with his passion for the power of words to further God's kingdom.

I signed up for a few editors, still feeling a little unsure about what I was doing. The first editor was with christianbiblestudies.com I hadn't ever written a Bible study, but it sounded like something I would love to do. Usually, writers come to these meetings with a pile of work they've already created, but I came to this meeting empty handed. I walked up to her and began the interview with a question:

"I don't really have anything to show you, but I was just wondering what kinds of things are you looking for? What is that YOU want?"

And light shined down from heaven and God smiled on me.

"That's exactly the question to ask" she replied with a smile.

As the day continued, I met with three other editors who were happy with my ideas, my background and my work. I found out that sometimes it's better to come with an open heart and see where God might lead. Two editors give out assignments to a bank of writers and I have been added to their list. Woo-hoo!

Now isn't that cool? I don't have to figure out what I'm supposed to write, because they will call me and tell me what they want. I'm working on two of those projects right now!

On the last day of the four-day conference, I went to a session on publicity by Jennifer Schuchman. As she began the section on blogging, she asked if any of us knew what blogging was.

That's when the dork came out (to be fair, I had been living on very little sleep for 4 days). I raised my hand really high, waved it around enthusiastically, and said, "Me, me, me, I'm big into blogging!"

I might as well have stood up, jumped around the room shouting, "I'm a dork! I'm a dork! I'm a dork!"

Oh well. It's confirmed - I'm a dork, but I am still a writer with a vision. And as I found out, writer's can be dorks too.

P.S. If you don't know what a "dork fish" is, you can find from Bill Engvall out here.

Thankful Thursday

2008-07-03T06:09:00.003-05:00

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. I spent 8 days (on my anniversary trip) away from the kids. I returned feeling so thankful for each one of them.

Thankful for the oldest (she's 7 already!): I'm thankful for her funny spirit and her desire to always do what is right. She is a natural leader, a bookworm, and a student at heart. Ok, she's ME! :)

I'm thankful for the middle one (almost 5 and headed to kindergarten): She's quiet sometimes, so people outside our family don't always see her goofy side. She loves to play alone and use her imagination. She will make a good mom someday because she has a compassionate heart. She is tender and loving. She loves to organize and do the dishes. That's a GREAT reason for me to be thankful! :)

I'm thankful for my little boy too: He loves fish and bugs and worms and all living things (except spiders). He loves food (midnight pantry raider!) and he loves hugs. He is a chatter-bug and a charmer. He's adorable.

I'm also thankful for God's provision.

He has given me so many opportunities lately, it's been almost overwhelming. I'd like to share about that more tomorrow. How God met me at Write to Publish. I haven't really shared much about it yet because I wasn't sure how to approach it. But, after 15 months of pursuing God's purposes for me in ministry, He is beginning to open some doors in amazing ways. It's taken patience, perseverance and trusting God's guidance to get to this point.

And now that I'm looking at the things on my plate, I'm so thankful that He provides the strength to do His work. I want to be all about HIM and not about just being busy. I want to keep my focus on Christ IN ME. That's what it's all about!

God's Provision Comes in Unlikely Packages

2008-07-02T08:46:00.006-05:00

Before we left for our 800 mile trip to South Dakota, my husband worried that he might forget something important. He checked the oil. He packed the toolbox. But when we got 70 miles down the road, he realized we didn't have a tire iron. "What if we get a flat tire?" He then discovered that he could use his wrench-set in a pinch to fix a tire.

He's not usually so neurotic. I didn't think much about it until day 6 of our trip. We wound around mountain roads, looking down into deep valleys and twisting and turning our way through gulches and canyons. Finally, we arrived at Mt. Rushmore National Monument. The second I closed my van door, I heard a distinctive hissing sound. The tire was losing air quickly. We had run over a screw somewhere along the way.

What if our tire had blown out as we turned around a curve with a huge drop on one side to the valley below? What if we hadn't had the equipment to fix that flat?

My lifetime lover got to work happily. He saw it as a gift from God. One: he was prepared (unusually so). Two: it happened in a benign spot.

A couple of touristy families (complete with Hawaiian shirts, wide-brimmed hats and video cameras) hopped out of their cars in the parking spaces right next to us. They went on their way without a word as my guy crawled under the van to get to work. A few more family men in short-sleeved button down shirts walked by us as we tried to get the tire loose using makeshift tools. They said not a word and went on their way. (Sounds a little bit like a story I remember hearing in Sunday School....)

Thankfully, we were able to get the spare on without much trouble, but it was disturbing to see how little other people cared about our plight. They were too busy being on vacation to care about anyone else's needs.

After we viewed the majestic mountain carvings, we headed off to find a repair shop. We found a little old shop in Hill City, SD which was inhabited by a gold digging, mountain man biker. He looked kind of rough around the edges.

He hummed as he took our tire and immediately began to patch it up. He charged us a reasonable price (I was shocked!) and handed us back the tire with a smile on his face. I tried to compare his attitude with the skull and crossbones, menacing blades and other biker paraphernalia around the shop. Singing while you work: not what I expected from him.

We began to put the tire on in his parking area. He quickly suggested we back up the van so he could help us do that with his hydraulic tools. Just because he was a nice guy.

You just never know how a "nice guy" might look!

A New Name

2008-07-01T07:51:00.002-05:00

If you're married to an Old West buff, then you end up watching westerns over and over again. In my case, it's "Dances with Wolves." While watching it on vacation, I realized there are great spiritual truths in there. Go read my devotional today at The Internet Cafe!

The Black Hills

2008-06-30T06:50:00.003-05:00

I've just returned from a week away from all that is familiar. No kids, no home, no friends, no computer, no telephone, no electricity.

I was lucky to have well water and a tent to cover my head. And it was wonderful! My lifetime lover and I celebrated our 10th anniversary in the Black Hills of South Dakota. We camped in the shadow of towering cliffs with the sounds of a rushing creek just feet away. The birds woke us each morning and the golden eagles soared overhead majestically.

We went hiking and fishing, breathing in the fresh air and enjoying God's handiwork all around us. It seemed there was something new and delightful around each corner. Wildflowers were abundant and little creatures were friendly.

A short hike down into a little canyon led us to this discovery.

Spearfish falls was only one discovery in a week filled with similar experiences.

Of course, we also experienced thunderstorms all night long, while we sat in a soggy tent. This trip could be labeled, "A River Runs Through It" although it didn't take place in Montana.

And only a little groaning was heard regarding the stinky outhouse and lack of modern bathing facilities. Frozen water + washcloth in the great wide open = sorta clean in a few places.

I won't be showing many pictures of myself since Heather - blow dryer = wild hair. But when you're roughing it, you don't care too much.

I was willing to deal with the inconveniences of outdoor living in order to experience the beauty of God's living room. I began my mornings with Him, in His beautifully decorated room and I ended my days sitting by the fire, enjoying the changing landscape.

Sometimes you have to rough it in order to see true beauty.

The Power of a Word

2008-06-27T05:00:00.000-05:00

Can a single word contain life-changing power?

Come read my devotion at Laced with Grace today:

The Wilderness

2008-06-20T07:19:00.003-05:00

I've come down from a mountain high into the chaos of real life. Conferences and retreats always do that to me. I get so pumped up being around other women with similar passions and struggles and I wish I could stay in that place forever.

But the dishes and laundry call. And the kids tug or climb up my leg for attention. And hungry stomachs growl while I type away at writing projects, VBS work, Children's Ministry vision and planning and entertaining company.

I've been a little overwhelmed over the past few weeks. I went from a quiet stay at home mom lifestyle to a crazy busy summer mom. I love every single thing I'm doing, but One thing has not remained at top priority. And that's got to change.

So, I'm off to the wilderness to soak up God's presence, unhindered by any plugs, paper or telephones. I'll be hiking, fishing, and resting in the splendor of GOd's creation. And, as a major bonus, I'll get to spend uninterupted time with my lifetime lover.

It's been ten years since we began this journey and I'm more in love with him today than I ever was (if that's possible). I can't wait to spend a whole week alone in his company. The kids will have a blast at Grandma's, of this I'm sure.

So, I'm off to breathe in the fresh air and I'll check back in with you in a week!

Thankful Thursday

2008-06-19T06:23:00.002-05:00

Outside my window this morning, the birds sing praise and the sun shines in worship to God most high. I join with them in praising my Creator today.

Thank you Father for blue clear skies, gentle breezes and cool lake waters.

Thank you Father for family and friends. I'm so thankful I live in this century where I can see my Mom and Dad even though they live across the country (even if it is only once or twice a year). I'm thankful for days at the park, for firecrackers and fresh fried fish together.

Thank you Father for the many new friends I've made recently at Write to publish. What a gift - to meet people and make such deep connections immediately.

I'm thankful for a job interview this morning and for peace about it too.

And finally, I'm thankful for all of the ladies heading off to She Speaks this weekend. I'm praying for you - that this would be a great time of learning and growing and that God would speak to each person's heart.

What are you thankful for today?

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World

2008-06-18T05:00:00.000-05:00

Joanna Weaver has captured the attention of many women with her book, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. Her book has been re-released in a beautiful hardback format in celebration of its tenth anniversary. Here's a synopsis of this powerful book:

An invitation for every woman who’s ever felt she isn’t godly enough, isn’t loving enough, isn’t doing enough.

The life of a woman today isn’t really all that different from that of Mary and Martha in the
New Testament. Like Mary, you long to sit at the Lord’s feet…but the daily demands of a busy world just won’t leave you alone. Like Martha, you love Jesus and really want to serve him…yet you struggle with weariness, resentment, and feelings of inadequacy.

Then comes Jesus, into the midst of your busy life, to extend the same invitation he issued long ago to the two sisters from Bethany. Tenderly, he invites you to choose “the better part”–a joyful life of intimacy with him that flows naturally into loving service.

With her fresh approach to the familiar Bible story, Joanna Weaver shows how all of us–Marys and Marthas alike–can draw closer to our Lord: deepening our devotion, strengthening our service, and doing both with less stress and greater joy.

Go visit Joanna at Joanna's blog!

About Joanna: A pastor’s wife for more than eighteen years, she and her husband have counseled many couples, both those approaching their wedding and those struggling in marriage. The Weavers live in Montana and have taught young married classes and spoken on the topic of marriage throughout the northwestern United States.

Joanna's website

Buy the book here