Not every moment needs a profound explanation, a long, detailed account to prove a point. Sometimes, a simple list will do...
This weekends miracles:
an unplanned, last minute campfire night allowed God to work out the previously hairy details of a group of women coming together to know him more
said campfire also connected a woman with a gym just after finding out her classes were cancelled at her long-standing gym due to lack of participation
and said campfire continued to forge new relationships built on the foundation of God
weekend landscaping continued to forge new friendships, refresh a tired yard and it's owners, new skills were learned, truly good-hearted people served a landscaping crew they hadn't previously known, and maybe even some free Badger tickets were acquired...
a last minute outdoor cookout provided deepening of wonderful friendships and great wisdom was shared in a loving environment
said cookout also revealed God's majesty in the sky - an amazingly bright and awesome double rainbow that just kept growing in the sky as the rain slowly let down
Faith was tested, prayers were prayed, babies were covered in prayer, fires were ignited for Christ and doors were set in place ...
waiting to be opened.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Aliens and Strangers on Earth
Hebrews 11:13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.
'These people' were not living for the red part, as Francis referred to it. 'These people' are the righteous ones recounted in the 'Hall of Faith' - Hebrews chapter 11. They knew what was in store for them in the part after the red part of life.
Many times feeling like Aliens and Strangers in this land, as far as human tradition goes, means there's something wrong with you.. maybe you're depressed, need to have some 'fun', need to go spend some money, need to find some one/some way/something to give you love or for you to love...
I honestly love feeling like a stranger in my own land and do not want that to change. Knowing that my heart does not jive with this world and the human tradition in this place brings joy and comfort. I do not belong in a world of broken pieces, as the song goes.
But being human, made of flesh that is sinful and rotten, I am broken and there are days where the world suffocates and overwhelms and then that feeling of alienation turns on the self-pity and the oppression and I feel some sort of victim. These are the days when, leading up to, I have not concentrated my time on living for Jesus. Leading up to these spiritual droughts, I have taken on my own agenda, like my master plan is so much better than God's. 'Have you not heard?! Do you not know?' (Isaiah 40 comes to mind!)
I read Hebrews 11: 13 yesterday, the Spirit foreshadowing the trials of today. And I was slow to listen. I did not hear with my ears.
And a lesson has been learned. Mental note: I am not living for the red part. And any time this world wants to pull me back into that red-part-thinkin', I will now train myself to shout back to the darkness - 'I am an alien and a stranger on this earth, and you can't take that away from me!'
What part of the rope might you be living for? At the end of the day, was all your striving for your agenda or for God's?
Friday, September 9, 2011
Throw Away Pride, Accept and Yearn for Wisdom
Seeing the miracles in a day is all about accepting the Truth found in the wisdom of God. Miracles come in small packages and the small packages add up to one big, mighty God. But there are too many things in this world of darkness that can keep us from ever seeing those miracles, that can keep us from seeing God. We must pray that our souls yearn for wisdom from the one True King.
This is a wise woman: When it's hard to find time for God & prayer
I want to echo Ann's wise words today to you so that you can take a step closer to seeing God for who He wants to be in your life.
This is a wise woman: When it's hard to find time for God & prayer
I want to echo Ann's wise words today to you so that you can take a step closer to seeing God for who He wants to be in your life.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
In case you wonder, this is how God works!
But ever since finding this piece for her, her older brother has been wanting a desk. And I'd still been searching craigslist periodically for a desk we could afford that was decent looking or had potential, as this one did. And finally I found one on Thursday night and it was only $12!! So I emailed it to my husband and asked him if it was something we could pursue. So he took care to send an email and find out if it was still available. And we waited... for a day.. and heard nothing. So I sent an email, letting them know my husband had emailed and maybe they didn't get it, but we were interested and was it still available. I'm so used to my emails not getting through, it's not even funny! I think about 80% of my emails get lost in cyberspace somewhere. So I heard back right away, and they hadn't gotten my husband's email but someone was coming to look at the desk that morning and they'd let me know if it was still available after that. This was Saturday, and that night I heard, the desk indeed was taken. So now, at this point in my life, I know that meant God had something else in mind and that this desk was not meant for our household.
So Sunday morning we went to church on our usual route, around 8:30. We went to get a few groceries and then to church for a few hours and then headed back home the same way. And at our Pine Bluff turn, where we had just been not more than three hours earlier, there on our side of the road outside the lovely bar (ha!ha!) on the corner, was this desk! Almost EXACTLY like the one we fished for on craigslist, just wood instead of metal looking. My husband was talking to me and out of the corner of my eye and in his sideview mirror I nearly shouted, I was so excited, "Did you see that desk!?!" He was mid-sentence and I literally threw the truck in reverse and sped back to it! Hazards went on and less than three minutes later we were headed home with a perfectly good conditioned desk for our eldest.
The first thought or feeling I felt was the surest sensation that this desk was almost dropped there from heaven just for him. I just felt the love in this gesture from God. How he knew that we couldn't truly afford the craigslist desk and that he had another one in store for us, just that next day for free.
We are big fans of putting things out on the curb with 'FREE' written on a sign for them. We know God has someone in mind for each piece we put out there. Being on the receiving end of that, and KNOWING it came from God, is just as awesome a feeling as being the giver. Whether the person who put it there felt moved by God or not, we KNOW this was His gift to us, a very sweet gift. Be still and KNOW that I am God, he said.
Do you chose to 'KNOW' God and watch to see how he works? Or do you chose to think all is 'coincidence'?
ALL IS 'gift and grace'. Christ is ALL and is in ALL. What an awesome confirmation of God's love that filled our Sunday.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Simple Life
For those who know us and have known us for longer than, say a few years, you might label our lives as simple right now. For in the past, we both were clock punchers for a long time, like most of you reading this post I'd imagine. And at some times, double and triple clock punchers! Again, like most of you. And our lives then could be summed up with these labels: paycheck-to-paycheck, trying to find breathing room, struggling to make ends meet, feeling like we'd never get ahead, typical double-income family struggling to get by with kids in daycare, car payments, and jobs just to pay the bills. Free-time, unheard of! Are you kidding me?! It was come home from work, make dinner, do dishes, bath time, kids to bed, make lunches for the next day, wake up and do it all again, early rising, scramble to get the kids ready for daycare/school, just to rush to work to accomplish something for someone else. Weekends were for catching up with sanity and the laundry.
How did this get simple? All is 'gift and grace'. (this is my new favorite truth!)
There was a point in our lives, just a few years ago, where we had a decision to make - it was a definite moment of decision, there was no gray area about it. And it was a test of our faith, and we knew it completely, there was no question; we needed to make a choice to follow and EXPLODE on the faith path we'd been slowly following OR deny it, deny our Creator God, and leave Him in the dust. This moment was a gift from our Father and how we chose to open and use that gift was the determining factor for the other gifts he had waiting for us.
This moment of decision was not, by any means, SIMPLE. It was surrounded with fear, tears, questioning of sanity, blind faith, the unknown and a giving up of control.
And this blog should give you a hint of the choice we made ~ together. Speaking of 'together', our marriage today is a direct result of this choice and the gifts our Father bestows on just our marriage alone each day.
All is 'gift and grace'. ALL - EVERYTHING - EV'RY-THING IS A GIFT OF HIS GRACE.
So today our life is Simple. Because we CHOSE to open the gift of God's grace. When you open a gift, that's just the first part of a gift. You must accept the gift then too. And once you open and accept it, then you decide whether to use the gift or lay it to the side and let it collect dust and be forgotten.
We did not forget this gift of grace, which brings along with it a deeper wisdom, a spiritual discernment that goes so much deeper, a heart transformation where life is not about going through the motions but living it out in actions to show a true romance with our Creator. Oh, no, no - forget it, are you kidding me?
Our lives are simple, not because, we don't do anything, but because we do the work of the Lord. We are still living paycheck-to-paycheck. Isn't that funny - you think, 'they were working the daily grind for so long and were hard-pressed for money, now they are doing the work of the Father and are still hard-pressed for money'. Goes to show a few things: 1) whether you've got 'secure' income as most call a 'job' or whether you put your 'income' in the hands of God, the outcome is still the same - and that is whatever GOD's plan is for you, not how much you think you earned or the world tells you your worth. 2) Now we know God, in his faithfulness, WILL provide as he ALWAYS does. 3) It shows that 'security' of a job is false security and when you give the control to God, life can become simple, the more you losen your grip on the control, because your life can be secure in God.
Our lives are simple because we trust in him, we dwell with him, we love him and we claim him as ours and name him as our source of everything. And for this, his love overflows and out of his unfathomable love for us as his children, he provides according to his will for us.
As some of you know, YouFactor (our gym), is at a decision point; sign a lease at a monthly payment we, by way of our own means, can't afford, or, what, move to another place? Is there another place for our gym? We can't really afford any place at the slow place the gym is at currently. Is the stereotypical moment of panic for most. And most would look at us and say, most businesses make it or break it in the first year. Gyms have never thrived in that location. You have no more money to invest in your gym, how will you keep it going? And that's just it - 'we' will not keep it going. Remember that choice we made way back then ....
God is in control. We handed over that control to him...remember that choice.
I once was told that God would not ask us to live beyond our means, that he would not lead us in a direction where the means we had currently could not support the direction God was leading us in. What a fatal mistake - can you find a smaller box to put God in? When God leads, anything is possible. Do we have the money, right now, to keep YouFactor going another month let alone a year - absolutely not! Does that mean God can't show up tomorrow with the means for that too happen? Absolutely NOT! And this again, is where life is simple. We know, if it is God's will, he WILL provide for YouFactor. And if it is not his will and YouFactor's doors need to close, then he has a different plan for our lives. It's as simple as that.
Simple = Trust
And this is how it plays out:
Husband lies in comma in hospital - God provides peace for me and rest and restoration for his body
8 months preggo and landlord says after 5 yrs, time to leave - God provides shelter and a way for us to own our own home
Husband has a passion to start a gym - God's house he provided is the perfect set-up for a starter gym
Gym gets too big for the space - God provides a tax return to afford a retail space for us to lease
Deer totals only car - God provides our trusty steed, the 'truck'
Children need godly friends to follow - God provides local church with just that
School kids are just plain yucky to Ashlynn, to the point I'd pray for God to just bring her home where she can feel loved all the time - God provides the closest thing this side of heaven, homeschooling by a family who fears God and lives by love
Mortgage is coming due in 2 or 3 days - God provides a landscaping job or some other means
Relationships need attention - God's Word provides wisdom
Souls needed to be fed and grown - God provided a new venue
The world, human tradition , would label us as lazy, maybe moochers, maybe saying we're expecting handouts - I'm sure lots of labels are running through our minds.
But when God leads and we follow life is simple.
Have you all forgotten? We are all part of God's plan. Have you forgotten, you are living on this earth by 'gift and grace' and your purpose is not to serve yourself but to serve God's purpose. He's just waiting for you to unwrap his gift and make that choice for yourselves, sometimes more than just once, too.
Somethings our lives are NOT filled with - not a lot of material things, none of our closets are even halfway full, we do not have possessions boxed up in storage, we do not have tons of 'extra' space in our house, no clutter, no duplicates of items or clothing or shoes or toys and for me personally, I do not have a space filled with things I'd love to do if I had the time. I did stamping for a while and had a good collection of supplies - but after kids, there is not time for that. I had scrapbooking stuff and lots of art supplies and paper goods, etc. for those - 'what if I want to do that sometime?' moments. What I learned after letting all that go, letting go of the control of my time, is that my time is not spent thinking, oh, I should be doing this project now instead of sitting here with my kids, I should be using those stamps I have sitting in the closet instead of spending time talking to God or seeking wisdom in his Word, I should be crafting instead of spending time next to my husband enjoying just him. My time is now spent on what truly matters, the truth of why I'm here, for those relationships God has place in my life -my husband, my kids, my friends and Him. It's not a struggle to know where to spend my time now.
Our lives are simply filled with lots of love, lots of mystery (ie. faith) in how bills will get met, lots of excitement in waiting in expectation, lots of time to sit and read scripture, lots of time to memorize scripture, lots of time to spend focused on our kids, lots of time to spend focused on our health and fitness, lots of time to spend focused on our relationships - not because we have no jobs (do you forget we own two business, volunteer at many different locations, serve the local Fire Dept and community?) - and certainly not because we're lazy...
Because WE CHOSE to accept 'gift and grace'. We name it and give it the praise it deserves, DAILY. We've simplified life (through God's gift of grace).
Really, it IS SIMPLE. MAKE TIME FOR THE ONE WHO MAKES TIME.
How did this get simple? All is 'gift and grace'. (this is my new favorite truth!)
There was a point in our lives, just a few years ago, where we had a decision to make - it was a definite moment of decision, there was no gray area about it. And it was a test of our faith, and we knew it completely, there was no question; we needed to make a choice to follow and EXPLODE on the faith path we'd been slowly following OR deny it, deny our Creator God, and leave Him in the dust. This moment was a gift from our Father and how we chose to open and use that gift was the determining factor for the other gifts he had waiting for us.
This moment of decision was not, by any means, SIMPLE. It was surrounded with fear, tears, questioning of sanity, blind faith, the unknown and a giving up of control.
And this blog should give you a hint of the choice we made ~ together. Speaking of 'together', our marriage today is a direct result of this choice and the gifts our Father bestows on just our marriage alone each day.
All is 'gift and grace'. ALL - EVERYTHING - EV'RY-THING IS A GIFT OF HIS GRACE.
So today our life is Simple. Because we CHOSE to open the gift of God's grace. When you open a gift, that's just the first part of a gift. You must accept the gift then too. And once you open and accept it, then you decide whether to use the gift or lay it to the side and let it collect dust and be forgotten.
We did not forget this gift of grace, which brings along with it a deeper wisdom, a spiritual discernment that goes so much deeper, a heart transformation where life is not about going through the motions but living it out in actions to show a true romance with our Creator. Oh, no, no - forget it, are you kidding me?
Our lives are simple, not because, we don't do anything, but because we do the work of the Lord. We are still living paycheck-to-paycheck. Isn't that funny - you think, 'they were working the daily grind for so long and were hard-pressed for money, now they are doing the work of the Father and are still hard-pressed for money'. Goes to show a few things: 1) whether you've got 'secure' income as most call a 'job' or whether you put your 'income' in the hands of God, the outcome is still the same - and that is whatever GOD's plan is for you, not how much you think you earned or the world tells you your worth. 2) Now we know God, in his faithfulness, WILL provide as he ALWAYS does. 3) It shows that 'security' of a job is false security and when you give the control to God, life can become simple, the more you losen your grip on the control, because your life can be secure in God.
Our lives are simple because we trust in him, we dwell with him, we love him and we claim him as ours and name him as our source of everything. And for this, his love overflows and out of his unfathomable love for us as his children, he provides according to his will for us.
As some of you know, YouFactor (our gym), is at a decision point; sign a lease at a monthly payment we, by way of our own means, can't afford, or, what, move to another place? Is there another place for our gym? We can't really afford any place at the slow place the gym is at currently. Is the stereotypical moment of panic for most. And most would look at us and say, most businesses make it or break it in the first year. Gyms have never thrived in that location. You have no more money to invest in your gym, how will you keep it going? And that's just it - 'we' will not keep it going. Remember that choice we made way back then ....
God is in control. We handed over that control to him...remember that choice.
I once was told that God would not ask us to live beyond our means, that he would not lead us in a direction where the means we had currently could not support the direction God was leading us in. What a fatal mistake - can you find a smaller box to put God in? When God leads, anything is possible. Do we have the money, right now, to keep YouFactor going another month let alone a year - absolutely not! Does that mean God can't show up tomorrow with the means for that too happen? Absolutely NOT! And this again, is where life is simple. We know, if it is God's will, he WILL provide for YouFactor. And if it is not his will and YouFactor's doors need to close, then he has a different plan for our lives. It's as simple as that.
Simple = Trust
And this is how it plays out:
Husband lies in comma in hospital - God provides peace for me and rest and restoration for his body
8 months preggo and landlord says after 5 yrs, time to leave - God provides shelter and a way for us to own our own home
Husband has a passion to start a gym - God's house he provided is the perfect set-up for a starter gym
Gym gets too big for the space - God provides a tax return to afford a retail space for us to lease
Deer totals only car - God provides our trusty steed, the 'truck'
Children need godly friends to follow - God provides local church with just that
School kids are just plain yucky to Ashlynn, to the point I'd pray for God to just bring her home where she can feel loved all the time - God provides the closest thing this side of heaven, homeschooling by a family who fears God and lives by love
Mortgage is coming due in 2 or 3 days - God provides a landscaping job or some other means
Relationships need attention - God's Word provides wisdom
Souls needed to be fed and grown - God provided a new venue
The world, human tradition , would label us as lazy, maybe moochers, maybe saying we're expecting handouts - I'm sure lots of labels are running through our minds.
But when God leads and we follow life is simple.
Have you all forgotten? We are all part of God's plan. Have you forgotten, you are living on this earth by 'gift and grace' and your purpose is not to serve yourself but to serve God's purpose. He's just waiting for you to unwrap his gift and make that choice for yourselves, sometimes more than just once, too.
Somethings our lives are NOT filled with - not a lot of material things, none of our closets are even halfway full, we do not have possessions boxed up in storage, we do not have tons of 'extra' space in our house, no clutter, no duplicates of items or clothing or shoes or toys and for me personally, I do not have a space filled with things I'd love to do if I had the time. I did stamping for a while and had a good collection of supplies - but after kids, there is not time for that. I had scrapbooking stuff and lots of art supplies and paper goods, etc. for those - 'what if I want to do that sometime?' moments. What I learned after letting all that go, letting go of the control of my time, is that my time is not spent thinking, oh, I should be doing this project now instead of sitting here with my kids, I should be using those stamps I have sitting in the closet instead of spending time talking to God or seeking wisdom in his Word, I should be crafting instead of spending time next to my husband enjoying just him. My time is now spent on what truly matters, the truth of why I'm here, for those relationships God has place in my life -my husband, my kids, my friends and Him. It's not a struggle to know where to spend my time now.
Our lives are simply filled with lots of love, lots of mystery (ie. faith) in how bills will get met, lots of excitement in waiting in expectation, lots of time to sit and read scripture, lots of time to memorize scripture, lots of time to spend focused on our kids, lots of time to spend focused on our health and fitness, lots of time to spend focused on our relationships - not because we have no jobs (do you forget we own two business, volunteer at many different locations, serve the local Fire Dept and community?) - and certainly not because we're lazy...
Because WE CHOSE to accept 'gift and grace'. We name it and give it the praise it deserves, DAILY. We've simplified life (through God's gift of grace).
Really, it IS SIMPLE. MAKE TIME FOR THE ONE WHO MAKES TIME.
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