More Stuff Happening

My last bulletin cover:

It’s been one of those weeks. It’s been a week where God has broken through the lies I was listening to and reminding me to guard myself with His truth, His word. I was “winging” it and it wasn’t working. I was retreating to old patterns when I’ve been called to live in victory. So I turn to the Truth, the Word. I’m again blown away and by the faithfulness of my Heavenly Father. I am overwhelmed as He patiently loves me through my fickleness. Then Thursday I get two phone calls. One is that my cousin, who is a 38yr old father of three with adrenal carcinoma, is at home waiting for hospice to arrive and assist him in his last days. Then there is another call that our beloved PW (Pastor Wayne) is in the hospital struggling for his life. What? And yet because has been preparing me all week I have peace. Yes, my heart hurts, I am sad, I weep, but I have peace. These are two men that know our precious God and He knows them even more. I believe God is teaching me repeatedly about the comfort His sovereignty brings. On Wednesday there was a song that kept running through my head, a song that I know is dear to the hearts of the body of believers. I know that it was another way God was preparing me for the news I received Thursday. Let’s encourage each other to continue to trust the Almighty Omnipotent God, who has all things in His hands for the good of those who love him. And, oh, how we love Him.

Blessed Be Your Name

In the land that is plentiful

Where Your streams of abundance flow

Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name

When I'm found in the desert place

Though I walk through the wilderness

Blessed Be Your name

Blessed be Your name

When the sun's shining down on me

When the world's 'all as it should be'

Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name

On the road marked with suffering

Though there's pain in the offering

Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out

I'll turn back to praise

When the darkness closes in, Lord

Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be Your name

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be Your glorious name



Update:
This was written last week, and Sunday morning I received the call that my
cousin Bill had passed away. Pray for his wife, kids, sibling, parents, all that
knew and loved him. I can't pretend that Bill and I were super close.
But these things I knew of him:

• He was very smart
• He was funny
• If I ever heard him complain (which was rare) he did it w/ a smile on his face or in a joking manner
• He loved his wife. I'm sure they weren't perfect but from my view I could tell they were a team. I never heard him put her down.
  
• He loved his kids. He would be excited about what they were doing and what he did with them, not afraid to boast about their accomplishments, or their character.
  
• I had no doubt that if I was ever in a pickle I could call him, He was loyal
• He was a great guy, loved by many.

Love you Bill. See you soon.

Stuff Happens

My most recent bulletin cover...

Sometimes stuff happens. Stuff that you never thought would happen to you, or your family. This stuff is hard, and complicated and it wears you out. You try to fix it, make it better, knock sense into people with your words. Nothing works because you are not God. Instead you become exhausted, drained, worn out. It was never yours to fix. You have to learn this the hard way of course. But, God is full of grace, always there, using every moment to bring healing in His own perfect way. He can be firm, but oh, so gentle, as He reminds us.....

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." Matthew 11:28-30

The Message

Let’s take a nap in His lap today...shall we? In fact...I think I just might stay there.

Grateful In All

This was originally written for my church bulletin cover...

“Lion on a leash." That is what Ann Voskamp calls Satan in her book One Thousand Gifts. I first heard of her through her blog where I saw her list. Her ongoing list of things to be thankful for. So I started one too. Now and then I remember the list and I meditate on the little and the big things in my life that I can be thankful for and jot them down. I recently started reading her book and was reminded that a life fully lived is not just thankful in the moments of wiggly baby toes, morning grass adorned with dew drops, and ice cream cones. I thought I knew this. Yes...of course we are to be thankful in all things. God uses all things for our good (Romans 8:28), so no matter how hard it is we thank Him and bless His name just like the song says.
Yet when it happens, what do I do? Do I pout? Often I do. Don’t get me wrong. There are times when hard things have happened and I have felt the blanket of the Lord wrap around me and hold me while I mourned and He never gave me a chance to pout. Then there are times where something minor happens that throws me for a loop and I’m pouting and wondering “why me?” as if I should be living a life free of hurt. That wouldn’t be a full life though. Life in itself is full of so many different experiences and how we deal
with them is up to us. When the bad comes am I thankful that though Satan is a fierce lion, he is still on a leash? No matter how much he tries, he can only
roar and perhaps scratch me from time to time, but his leash keeps him from
devouring what belongs to Christ. Am I thankful for the chance to grow closer to and stronger in Jesus? Allow me to continue my list here, finding something to be thankful for in a few of the harder things....

81.
Entangled in someone’s gossip....reminds me to hold my own tongue

82.
Friend claims to no longer believe in God.....my own assurance of faith is challenged and now stronger than ever

83.
Miscarriage.....chance to experience the Love and comfort of Jesus in a new amazing way

84.
Death of family friend...... thankful for time w/ her, reminder that life here is but a breath

85.
Whining children...reminded that I must sound that way to God sometimes

86.
Situation not going my way.....chance to break free from selfishness

87.
Exhausted..... this means that I have a life blessed with good things and people to wear me out

88.
Never ending to do list.... opportunity to serve

89.
Lonely times....moments to just be with the Lord

90.
The unknown.... the adventure.

Grateful

61. kids who can pour their own cereal

62. school out for the summer

63. reminders that my life is cake (thus the list to keep me in check!)

64. baby toes

65. summer breeze

66. happy birds

67. chance meetings w/ old friends

68. simplifying

69. sharing hand me downs

70. cool summer mornings

71. sister reading to little brother

72. surviving yard sales

73. air conditioning (this might be a repeat)

74. libraries

75. blogging mamas

76. phone chats with dad

77. generous parents

78. daughter's curls

79. washing machine's

80. grace

Confessions...

...of a failed blogger. Seriously! How hard is it to get on here and bare your soul? I've tried different things to motivate me on here. Maintaining consistency is often my downfall. Usually my people pleasing nature trumps the previous mentioned flaw, but since I don't know if anyone really reads this my pleasing side has no motivation. Of course I need to acknowledge the four kids I am a mother to and all the other household/wifely duties and baring my soul falls down on the list. But I will NOT give up! I will still visit this place, try new 30 day "fill in the blank" challenges and continue my list of things I'm grateful for.

Soul exposures of the day....

1. Listened to a radio program today where a woman reminded me that in order to be more in tuned to the Spirit's discernment I need to walk so much closer with my Lord. I let this fall by the wayside to easily. I talk to Him on and off all the time, but I treat this relationship to casually. Time for a change.
2. She also reminded me that it's not about us loving God, but that He's crazy in love with us. So freeing as I know I fail in my expression of love to Him constantly. His love overflows all my gaps.

It's been way too long....

46. ­­The sun shining through my car windows, warming my face.

47. 60 + degree weather in February

48. Friends giving birth to healthy babies

49. Hearing of women pumping their own breast milk for the new baby of a friend with breast cancer

50. Little boys who yell “Merry Christmas!” at 6:30 am in February

51. The reminder of complete acceptance by God

52. Dark chocolate truffles

53. Books

54. The Internet for maintaining relationships with my dear ones

55. Zumba!

56. God’s timing

57. My man and I being on the same page

58. Tiny greens peeking through the dirt...signs of spring!

59. Coffee

60. Flip Flops

Happy New Year

I'm just going to say it. I love to be loved. My number one love language is people showering me with kind words, telling me how great they think I am. It's how I'm made. I do believe this and have mostly come to accept it. But then someone shares a link on facebook to this post by Donald Miller and I say "ouch". I'm not one for New Year's resolutions. I usually have a general hope for the year like losing weight or reading my Bible more, etc. Instead I try to focus on some area where I really feel God challenging me to grow. Past examples would be embracing the journey/process of life, learning to trust God in all things, and living in humility. I do not have any of these down pat, but I feel like I've come to a place where I can remember them and apply during or quite often after a situation presents itself. Either way I am constantly reminded that I am a work in progress, ever learning and growing under the care of my savior who loves me. But then I read that and wonder what to do with it. I suppose it goes filed under my humility lesson? Or perhaps a new file that says "God is my source of Love". This year I'm adding that to the list of growth focus. I want to learn to feel satisfied in God's love and forgiveness instead of seeking the approval and praise of man. To be able to praise Him for all things as He is sovereign, to have a Christ filled perspective, a truly eternal mindset. Here's to it.