just one second can save her. really.

Kickin it old school

We have VBS this week, and I could not resist sharing the awesome lyrics to our theme song, by Go Fish.
I wonder.... are you kickin' it old school??????

(We kick it old school)
(5x)

Come on, come on
Don't miss the latest craze
Hit it for a minute
Then it's on to the next phase

Easy come, easy go
The markers will mark it
The only change that comes
Winds up in a pocket

Hop on the wagon
Drive the heavy thing
All the while we're missing
All the joy that God can bring

You can take the new stuff
You can keep the fluff
The Bible is our tool
And we're here to kick it old school

Here we go
You know we're going retro
We're cool as a rule
Yeah, we kick it old school

We kick it old school

(We kick it old school)

Brother, we're emerging
Like a moldy piece of bread
We have to see if
The holy word of God is all but dead

All we need to know
Is right there on the pages
Why are we obsessed
With who the guy on stage is?

Dance the hottest dance
Get the latest buzzy
We're gonna find out
Jesus wasn't very fuzzy
Was He?

You can take the new stuff
You can keep the fluff
The Bible is our tool
And we're here to kick it old school

Here we go
You know we're going retro
We're cool as a rule
Yeah, we kick it old school

We kick it old school

(We kick it old school)

(We kick it old school)
(2x)

If you believe the Bible's true
(You're kicking it old school)
And life's not all about You
(You're kicking it old school)
If you know you're in a bad spot
(You're kicking it old school)
And you need the grace that God's got
(You're kicking it old school)

You pray to God on your knees
(You're kicking it old school)
You're making no apologies
(For kicking it old school)
There's one more thing to say
(If you're kicking it old school)
Jesus is the only way...

(We kick it old school!)

You can take the new stuff
You can keep the fluff
The Bible is our tool
And we're here to kick it old school

Here we go
You know we're going retro
We're cool as a rule
Yeah, we kick it old school

You can say we're strange
But we're never gonna change
The Bible is our tool
And we're here to kick it old school

Get the crowd jumpin'
We're Bible thumpin'
God still rules
We kick it old school

We kick it old school

(We kick it old school)

We kick it old school

(We kick it old school)

Lent

I decided to repost this from last year's Ash Wednesday since it captures how I feel about this season in the church calendar.

Wednesday of this past week marked the first day of Lent. Some Christians observe this traditional day on the church calendar by entering into a season of fasting and reflection as they prepare their hearts for the Passion season of Christ. On Wednesday, we headed off to church for the 'imposition of ashes' and the reminder that "we are from dust, and to dust we shall return." Here is a picture of some tired folks from that night:

My fasting list for this year includes {I post this in my weakness, knowing that I am not able to do anything worthy without Christ}:

No internet until after homeschool is finished.

No bread. No cookies. No cake. No doughnuts. No crackers.

************************** from last year:

For Lent

Lent begins today.
40 days until Easter.

This is a time when we reflect. we dwell on thoughts of what He did for us. and we remember the Ultimate Saving Sacrifice, with a small token of our own sacrifice.

I love the season of Lent because I love me some good Drama....

Easter unfolds fresh and glorious and bright,
after a season of remembering the days of Gethsemane, sacrifice, beatings, and silent suffering that He endured.
for you.
for me.
so we can have Hope.

For Lent, I am giving up some little things... some normal things,
and refocusing on things that are good for me. that are alive.
So that I can dwell on Him more.

So that I can think on Him whenever I have to stop and resist, or make a good choice.

2010: No cake. No muffins. and No cookies.
No internet after 6pm (this one is hard! would you please forgive me for a decrease in commenting????? maybe you should join in?).
And an attempt to work-out, even just 10 minutes, every single day.

that is my list of not-very-spiritual-seeming-sacrifices.

But during these 40 days, I turn my eyes to the dark history of Jesus's suffering. And I remember with the help of the little things.

and as for Drama?
Cake tastes really really good on Easter morning.

A glorious morning.

My morning was filled with praises and thanks.

I did what I knew I needed to do. And doesn't that make all the difference? Why are we so stubbornly set against those very things that make our day better?

It reminds me of when I say to my sons,
"Yes honey. You DO need to go pee on the potty. I can tell that you do. You are crossing your legs and dancing. Now, honey. Don't you think it would be so much more fun to play with that toy if you didn't have to worry about crossing your legs, or thinking about going potty?"

and the Lord whispers to me:
"Yes honey. You DO need to sit still, in front of a pretty window, and read my word. Yes, You DO need to exercise and praise me this morning. Don't you think that the rest of your day will go so much better if you tap into my love and start it with victory?"

Yes. Father. I DO know. But, why do I do the things I know I should not do?
Why do I not do the things I know I must?

This morning. I started the way He wants me to. The way I know I should.
So gratitude came easy.

Here is the continuation of my list.
my gifts.
Today, I am thankful:

{#11} for bare branches, perched above cold iced snow. bathed in rising sunlight

{#12} for a room with a view of His creation.

{#13} that I don't find my inner self while doing yoga this morning. Instead, I talk to Him, and hear a lot of noisy beeping tractor-toy sounds. The sound that my house is full of love.

{#14} that school went well this morning. filled with lots and lots of snuggling, and just a tiny little bit of  mommy-nagging.

{#15} for Him. That we have a Worthy One. That I got to meet Him in Revelation this morning. A worthy and slain Lamb.

{#16} that we have a fun field trip planned this afternoon, and that I will not be the one dissecting a mammal heart. Very thankful for that one.

{#17} for a hubby who puts the football game on in the background and proceeds to do 3 loads of laundry and fold them and wash the dishes while I sit on the couch and work away at my dream. Oblivious to how awesome he is, until I see the boys' coats drying on the bannister. I noticed them while I was upside down in downward facing dog.
Matt, you are amazing.

{#18} for the little alfalfa sprout on Christian's head this morning. golly. he is cute.

{#19} that Caleb climbed into bed with me this morning and cupped my face in his hand, and kissed me on my cheek with a big proud smile on his face. Then, he pulled up the covers and snuggled in next to me.

{#20} today, I am thankful again for our heat. negative temperatures this morning.

{#21} that I am still in PJ's, and the boys are too. Yet we learned and did so much already today. Praise to Him who makes us able. and who created us to love snuggly warm comforts.

I need to do it

Do you forget?
Do you ever forget all that you have, and slip away into the sin of pining for more?
Do you struggle with it daily? like me.





It is time for me to finally join in on this journey.
high time.



Lord. Father of Heaven and Earth. The One who cares for tiny me. The One who watches me trip over my own feet time and time again. The One who waits, arms open, with a smile on His face and a glimmer in His eyes... for me to notice that He stands there - arms open.
To the Only Thing Worth Walking Toward,

I am grateful to You today for

{#1} children that laugh and jump on the couch, cushions everywhere, giggles every where. even bonking heads and roaring laughter. my two precious boys. let me NEVER miss the moments of them.

{#2} my amazing. amazing. amazing man. patient. loves me with grace that abounds. Sees the best in me. Praises me as a mom. Gives me his confidence. Is wiser than he would ever acknowledge or know. And somehow, thinks I am a size 2. Because when he looks at me, he sees HIS girl.

{#3} a bite of chocolate during quiet time.

{#4} "clean-up time" to Rastafarian rap music. The precious 3 year old who tries really hard to shake his hips. And a 5 year old who knows how to shake it and clean it at the same time.

{#5} the joy of watching my children learn. the victory of M&M's after having successfully listed 96 events in the History of the world; Caleb, you amaze me. The beaming faces of achieving a challenge. Precious 3 year old Christian, who beamed from ear to ear because, "honey. You are SUCH a good brother. Thank you for listening to Caleb, encouraging him, and allowing him to concentrate." but best of all.. the cheering when the M&M's hit the scene.

{#6} having enough money to pay our heating bill. This month it was no struggle. But it was once. And for someone else today, it is.

{#7} for lemon tea. hot. fresh lemons and local honey.

{#8} for Ann Voskamp. She reminds me that I forgot to look in the direction I always want to look.

{#9} the smell of my boys' heads. sweet hair.

{#10} for girlfriends who still love me, despite the fact that 3 guys come first. they take a breath and the time to understand. It is called grace. I love them for it.

It is high time
I follow His advice, and through thanksgiving, savor the moments.....

A New Year that the Lord has made

Happy New Year.
Happy Day.
"This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!" - Psalm 118:24

Right next to my bed, I keep a gift box. It is a tiny little present, with a bow on top. And it sits by my bedside to remind me that each new day is a gift from God.

And each New Year is a Gift.
I am excited about 2011, and I wait expectantly upon the glorious things that God will do for His glory, and to shape me and my family.

With each passing year, I get more and more lax about the concept of New Year's Resolutions... but I always seem to "regroup" and "refocus" and "reorganize" this time of year.

One of the main ways that our family does this is by having time together to make a list of "Family Goals" for our year. We organize this list by subject. We try to keep the list attainable, simple, and focused... with the overall goal of our lives in mind. Running the race toward the Prize.

This year, I noticed something interesting. I actually had to delete the subject line entitled "Spiritual Goals." The reason? Well, each and every other catagory {like Marriage Goals, Parenting Goals, Money Goals, Home Improvement Goals} actually encompassed all of our Spiritual Goals for the New Year. I thought that was cool.

A highlight of some of our goals for this year? Some of them are new, others are a continuation from last year:

Marriage Goal: monthly date nights; nightly devotions together
Parenting Goal: read small excerpts each day from my two favorite parenting books, this one, and this one.
Darlene Goal: get a primary physician
Money Goal: save money for trip to Russia to visit Agniya.
Home Goals: For a post on all of our Home Improvement Goals, click here.

...and that is just a taste, but you get the idea.

Has your family ever tried making a Family Goals list for the New Year? I have to say, I highly recommend it! It truly does help us to stay focused with our choices throughout the year.

What are some of your family goals?
I look forward to hearing from you for the first time this year!!

Oh, I am so depraved.

Please. Watch this video.
It is awesome.
It is worth the 7 minutes.



Thank you, Ann.

Getting Ready

Today we nearly made a fatal error.

I am not sure what was overtaking us, but at first it seemed to make sense.

My hubby needed new slacks.

We were driving RIGHT past the Banana Republic Outlet on our way home from my sister's.

He could just run in, and grab a few in his size.

We would save time, and gas.

presto.

Um.....

I am not sure what we were thinking we would find at the Outlets the weekend after Thanksgiving.

Probably because we don't usually partake in Black Friday festivities.

note:

{just learned that it is called Black Friday because it is the weekend that retailers finally get their accounts 'in the Black.' duh. It made sense all along! Thanks for the info, Uncle Dan. Maybe you guys knew that already......}

anywho. Like I said, we thought it was a brilliant idea.

We were wrong.

We spent 30 minutes at the outlets: 10 minutes to get into the parking lot. 20 minutes stuck in the parking lot. and 10 minutes getting out of the parking lot.

{Why in the world do people do this? every year? really?? If you are one of the amazing people that brave this shopping weekend.... I gotta know the lure!}

This is how some people get ready for Christmas, I guess. No, actually, at the Outlets it seemed as if this is how EVERYONE but us gets ready for Christmas.

For many it is the main way they get ready. For others, it is just a part of the fun and part of their tradition and I seriously admire their stamina.

But at our home, we are getting ready too.

This is how we will be getting ready for Christmas this year:

A daily Jesse Tree Advent devotional

Our favorite Christmas traditions

Hoping to get this amazing Advent wreath.....

{btw: 90% of my shopping is finished after 2 child-free hours at T.J. Maxx last week, plus homemade gifts are in the works. It's those last few gifts that are so hard to find.....wish me luck! hope to be done before December hits...}

He will sustain you

This post has been a long time coming.

In fact, this post marks the end of something, and the beginning of something new in the life of my family.  And while I could call it the end of a dark season... I don't know that that is really the case.

In mid-July, I wrote this post, about the rug being pulled out from under us. Our family, through God-ordained circumstances, found ourselves without a family income.  It was not all-together unexpected, but, it was quite a bit out of our control.
Isn't everything?

On Monday, all of the pieces -that God has been orchestrating- fell into place.  We will no longer be without an income, and we will fall back into what the world might call: "secure."

Funny thing is, we never really felt insecure. When I said that the rug was pulled out from under us, but beneath it was our Rock... they were not just words to me. I experienced and felt the stability, peace and security that comes from an Unchanging God. But, it came as a surprise to me... how good it felt to rest in Him.

Now, I would not be telling you the truth if I said I did not experience fear, or doubt, or plain-old worry about the uncertainty that faced our family. From July until now, our family had emotional ups and downs. Serious concerns. Emotional wrestling. What-ifs about huge decisions.
Decisions like moving. giving up homeschooling. mommy getting a household-sustaining job. selling our dream home. finding alternate means of income. eliminating any spending. giving up Christmas gifting.
And then there was the up-and-down drama and nail-biting that comes with supporting your husband through the interview processes, acceptances and rejections.

But as we weathered through this brief season, (and praise His Name, it was brief), God was there for us. Oh, I know that sounds so dull and trite... but here me... God was THERE for us. He was not up in the clouds playing some harp somewhere, or managing lives that were more important than ours. No. He was there in practical ways. and, He was there to listen to my whining and ranting and stiff-necked-ness.... as He always is, to His Glorious credit. He is so Merciful.

See what great things He has done:

It was God who moved my wonderful, godly husband (who has a work-ethic the likes of which this country was built on) into a place where he could barely endure his job.
It was God who, ultimately, freed my husband from a job that was poisonous.
It was God who planted the seed for my husband's current job at Company A.
It was God who arranged for three unrelated friends of ours to connect us to the owners of this company... all within the same week.
It was God who prepared our hearts for an unexpected opportunity.
It was God who taught us how to do more with less.
It was God who used this situation to soften my heart toward his gentle instruction to me.
It was God who planted in me His Word, so that I was never consumed by worry.
It was God who blessed us with underserved and unexpected gifts like these. Just for fun.
It was God who used His children, to reach out to us, pray for us, bring us food from their gardens, hand-me-downs, Christmas gift cards for the boys, balloons, flowers, and Hope.
It was God who used His children to give me five different books to encourage me in my Walk.
It was God who used His children to connect us with any and every friend they had in my husband's field of work.
It was God who used our families to help us meet financial needs.
It was God who made it frustratingly impossible for me to find a simple Christmas-temporary job. He knew the timing.
It was God who greatly blessed us with provision, by allowing us to come to know Him as Provider.
It was God who opened our minds up to think outside the box we had made for ourselves.
It was God, who heard me cry out this prayer, and answered me that VERY minute with a phone call and an offer.
It was God who answered our prayers... not just the ones of Provision, but the ones about Discernment and Clarity and His will.
It was God whose timing is so perfect that our job offer came the very day after our monetary stability ran out. The very day, people.

"Cast your cares on the Lord. He will sustain you. He will never let the righteous fall." -Psalm 55:22

The cry of an Atheist

There was a time 

when these very words were my own thoughts. They were the very cry of my heart. When I heard them again, in this poem, I thought them to be profound.

Every Christian should read these words.

Maggie's Poem {read by Lee Strobel on Focus on the Family}

Do you know,

do you understand
that you represent
Jesus to me?


Do you know,
do you understand
that when you
treat me with gentleness,
it raises the question in my mind
that maybe he is gentle, too?
Maybe he isn't someone
who laughs when I am hurt.

Do you know,
do you understand
that when you listen to my questions
and you don't laugh,
I think,
"What if Jesus is interested in me, too?"

Do you know,
do you understand
that when I hear you talk about arguments
and conflict and scars from your past
that I think, "Maybe I am just a regular person
instead of a bad, no-good, little girl who deserves abuse?"

If you care,
I think maybe he cares --
and then there's this flame of hope
that burns inside of me,
and for a while,
I am afraid to breathe
because it might go out.

Do you know,
do you understand
that your words are his words?
Your face,
his face
to someone like me?

Please be who you say you are.
Please, God, don't let this be another trick.
Please let this be real.
Please.

Do you know,
do you understand
that you represent
Jesus to me?

Worth Walking Toward. a reminder.

The content below is a repost from April of 2009, entitled Worth Walking Toward.

I needed to read it again.

Maybe it is for you today, too.

********

Talk about a timely, relevant, and treasured verse, friends. Each word is a treasure to me. Don't miss the relevant words in the very last verse:

Jeremiah 17:5-8 (New American Standard Bible)

5"Thus says the LORD,

Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind

And makes flesh his strength,

And whose heart turns away from the LORD.

6"For he will be like a bush in the desert

And will not see when prosperity comes,

But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,

A land of salt without inhabitant.

7"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD

And whose trust is the LORD.

8"For he will be like a tree planted by the water,

That extends its roots by a stream

And will not fear when the heat comes;

But its leaves will be green,

And it will not be anxious in a year of drought

Nor cease to yield fruit. "

Trust in.

hmmmm.

Do you trust in Government? think about it. do you? what are you expecting them to fix?

Do you trust in being educated?? do you? what are you expecting to achieve? become? prevent? attain in the eyes of man?

Do you trust in money? do you follow all the sound advice? do you make sure your ducks are in all the right rows? can you give it away? can you "live" without it?

Do you trust in your church? do you? what are you expecting the church to repair? to do? achieve? sustain?

Your husband? do you? what are you expecting your husband to fulfill? to make all better?

Your pastor? do you? what can he explain or save you from?

Your parents? do you? what can they protect you from? what can they provide?

Your children? do you? what can they become that will bring you satisfaction and peace?

...Yourself? do you control? hold on tightly? or carefully hold back?

do you hold onto that one worrisome thing? do you suffer anxiety over it? ...because you are afraid that if you don't hold onto it tightly, it will crash to the ground???

all the while wondering: if I don't take care of it, who will????

Oh, hear me sweet friends. I have tried (um. still do.) all of those things!! And I still need daily bread {or whoopin's, :)} from God to remind me not to trust in my hubby, my church, ... myself.

OH, how I need these words of truth, Lord;

I have put my trust in those things that will not yield lasting fruit.

that will not save.

that will not fulfill.

that will, eventually, let me down.

Today, the Lord again whispers to my heart:

Trust in the Only Thing Worth Walking Toward...

His Name is Jesus.

God. Thanks for coming.

Sarah Mae said it somewhat like this... as she dismissed us with the last words of the very first Christian blogging conference ever:
"Thank you to all of you for coming to Relevant.
And thank you, God, for coming too."

Hundreds of women. All of us were a bit surprised that He came.
and now, I think we are all musing:
"What else did we expect?"

You see. Not only did God show up, big time, at the Relevant Conference; He came wielding a sword, and  lovingly pruning the wrong-stuff from our Hearts.  He used the amazingly beautiful, humble, and talented vessels of our Speakers to speak in clear and mighty ways.

Mighty ways.

How I wish you had all been there.... because words {in my hands, anyway} are inadequate to describe how it all went down.

But, no doubt about it. Our Lord spoke in that place.
And He spoke to me: Pruning at my selfishness. Pruning at my attempts to seek validation from everyone but Him. Pruning at my pity-parties. Pruning at my bad habits that turn into sin. Pruning at my false idols.

Pruning at the times I pushed my children away, because mommy just needs "one more minute."

And I am so glad He came to the Relevant Conference.
And I am so glad I heard Him.

May He give me the power to Act. and Obey.

and, if you did not get to come. and if we are all blessed enough for Relevant to see another year. and, if you want Him to join your blogging experience:
I surely do hope to see you when I go.

Just a taste: Relevant 2010:

{Go visit these amazing folks! You will love their blogs.}
Top to bottom, left to right: 1. my sweet friend Flamingo and me  2. me, the darling Angie Smith and Flamingo  3. Lynette (so excited to hug this lady), Traci (precious girl with adorable accent!!), Myra, Kimba, me and Flamingo  4. Claudine, me, Carisa, Jill (I cannot believe I finally got to meet you! this lady is precious!), Jolanthe, Melissa, September, and Lynette  5. Sami (I guess we were separated at birth), Angela (never stopped smiling. love her!), Flamingo, Courtney (has the gift of encouragement!), and me  6. me and Lynette  7. me and Laura(what a spirit of wisdom!)  8. Traci, Cyndi (hi Cyndi!), me and Flamingo  9. me, Todd from Selah, and Flamingo

But, now I gotta brag on God a little.

I know I have alluded to this on my blog before, but, this year money is very tight.
We are counting on God to be our provision in all ways.

We are leaning on family.
And friends.
and we are being resourceful.

and, of course, sensible folks as we are,
Matt and I decided not to exchange Christmas gifts this year as we head into this blessed season. We are even leaning on help from our precious loved ones for gifts for the boys.

but. can you believe it?
God apparently wanted my husband to have a VERY cool Christmas present {one I could not possibly wait that long to give to him.}.
um. seriously.
At Relevant, they gave away an iPad, people.
and GUESS WHO WON IT!!! aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

little ol' me.
for my little ol' precious wonderful amazing husband.
for Christmas.
a little early.

from God.

{now that is one darlin' and happy man, no? Love you, baby.}

you really do love to make us smile, don't you Precious Father?















{if you are hopping over from Relevant, then here is my brand-spanking-new, dream-come-true decorating blog, Fieldstone Hill, I was telling you about. Oh, how I would love it if you would hop over and give me some encouragement!!! Wish me luck blessings, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!}

When men hate you

God warns us that when we follow Him, the world will not understand. We will be mocked, scorned, excluded and insulted. But he also promises all good things to those who He calls His own.

Our family is in a season where this is all too real to us, in more ways than one.

What God is teaching me right now:

"Blessed are you when men hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man."
{Luke 6:22}

Psalm 7

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have,
 because God has said,
'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
So we say with confidence,
'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?'"
{Hebrews 13:5-6}

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed…Therefore we do NOT lose heart.”

{2 Corinthians 4:7-8, 16}

"Cast your cares on the Lord,

He will sustain you.

He will never let the righteous fall."

{Psalm 55:22}

When the rug is pulled out...

yesterday, we got some news that will prove to be a challenge for our family.


the rug got pulled out from under us...

but guess what?

under our rug, we found Our Rock.

steady.

unchanging.

sure.

and full of hope.

 Psalm 62:1-2

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken."

The rug was pulled out from under us.

Yet, we are not shaken.

If you think on us, can you please pray for our family? Thank you, dear ones.

Goals for Our Children

When Matt and I realized that God was nudging us toward homeschooling, we began to research. One of the books we read {The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling; Debra Bell} wisely suggested that we cannot make important decisions for our children until we have thought about the big picture: What is it we desire our children to learn in the few precious years of care that God has given us?


working through this process was the beginning of God-given clarity for us.
I thought I would share this list with you, which is precious to us:

Goals we desire our children to reach while under our care:

1. We want our children to develop a fine Christian character
2. We want our children to decide to believe in the Lord, follow the Lord, and walk in His ways
3. We want our children to grow in their gifts and skills to the best of their God given abilities, and then to know how to use these gifts in their lives to the glory of God
4. We want our children to receive the finest education within the context of biblical truth.
5. We want our children to be culturally relevant, wise, and socially confident; in turn, enabling them to successfully communicate the Christian faith and to do their best work in their future endeavors.
6. We want our children to be able to identify and to find healthy, loving, Christian relationships in their lifetime, both in friendship and love. 
7. We want our children to value family time, family closeness, and family love.

Many, well...no, ALL of these goals are in God's hands.

But we are excited to be obedient to our calling, and we now know that, for our family, homeschooling will be a part of this path.

While this list reveals our prayer to have God be the compass in our children's lives, and that they will, by His grace, choose to believe in and follow and love the Lord.... we have no desire to shelter our children in a bubble. We have no desire to make sure that they only have Christian friends or Christian information.

What we DO want is to present them with Truth, train them up in the way they should go, and nurture them in the benefits of following the Truth....

and provide them with information about many other beliefs and theories,
and then, allow them to choose.

free will.

all the while, we pray:

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."

-Proverbs 22:6

One

As a mom, I always feel that there is more to be done.

more I could be doing.

more I should be doing.

My lists need lists.

I try to prioritize... to map out my time so that I do not squander away any of my minutes.

and yet so much is left undone.

and then there is my ministry....

the things that God would have me doing.

and what would that be, pray-tell?

am I the only mom who finds the sheer service to her children to be all-encompassing of every last ounce of energy? Funny how when I look around, people seem to be getting so much more done than I...

serving so many others....

So, I keep taking my inadequacy before our Lord.

and lately, he keeps whispering to me:

"one.

just one."

One person at a time.

One conversation at a time.

One encouragement at a time.

One hug at a time.

One investment.

One life.

I cannot see the forrest for the trees. There are so many things I should do. So many ways I should serve. So much more I should give. So many lives I could be helping. I could do better. I could be doing more. I could do more..................

and yet,

the word and the voice does not go away:

God whispers, "one."

Come to our creek

It may be 100 degrees today,

but our creek is always cold........

would you like to come over and dip in your feet with us?

Psalm 1:2-4 "But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither."

I love these lyrics.

"Something Holy" by Stellar Kart

You say that the well's run dry, And there's no more tears to cry.
You're searching for something real. To make you feel.

You Know that you're incomplete. A song with a broken beat.
There's a hole in all our hearts. And there's a reason why!

[Chorus]
We were born to be, A part of something holy.
All of us are restless until we find.
We were born to be, A part of something holy.
Bigger than, bigger than You and I.
Bigger than all our lives.

The hunger you feel inside, That keeps you unsatisfied.
It pulls at you constantly. Like gravity.
This world never was enough. We're made for a deeper love.
There's a hole in all our hearts. It's part of our desire.

[Chorus]
We were born to be, A part of something holy.
All of us are restless until we find.
We were born to be, A part of something holy.
Bigger than, bigger than You and I.
Bigger than all our lives.

All our lives we long for something more.
The life that we were all created for.

heavy heart

My heart is heavy this morning.

I tried my best.

I put my trust in God, and I layed it down at His feet.

but things didn't turn out the way I had hoped.

I gave up time with my friends. I gave up time with my family. Goodness knows you have not seen me online in a while....

I made the calls. I did the research. I poured my heart into it.

I defended my neighbors.

but things didn't turn out the way I had hoped.

Even still.

I can rest in the fact that my God is ALWAYS good. NOTHING slips through His fingers. He sees me. He knows best.

Can you imagine not knowing that unshakable truth?

Well,

I am thankful that I know it.

especially on heavy heart days

"Cast your cares on the Lord. He will sustain you." Psalm 55:22

One of the best posts I have EVER read

You simply must read this post.


Courtney always has a way with words and with truth... but this post spoke with the authority of Jesus himself.


Thank you for waking us.