Saturday, February 28, 2009

Such Gifts ...

486. Drive-In Movies!





























487. Simon Says

















488. God’s hand on my head and no ugly side effects on the second shot! HALLELUJAH!
489. Birds.



















490. Surprise lunch with friends.
















491. Quiet.
492. Athletic ability.









































493. School chair anywhere.

















494. Clean sheets.
495. Comforting smells … husband’s cologne, daughter’s hair, fresh baked bread.
496. Laughter in the midst of yucky circumstances and how it flushes out your soul.
497. Things one can depend on, always.
498. Daughters prayers.
499. Mother’s example.
500. Potatoes.
501. Creativity … I know I can do it!
502. Naps!
503. God’s word and how it teaches and heals.
504. Sea salt … the kind you season with.
505. The prayer that I might be salt and light in this dark world.
506. Knowing that before I knew Him, He used me to bless someone else all the way back in high school.
507. That God gave me the strength and courage to give myself my own shot, twice now! WOW!
508. Two little precious nurses.
509. Communion.
510. Dust rags so that maybe I might have the hope of getting ahead of the dust bunnies!
511. Vacuum cleaners.
512. I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength … including making it through my “to do” list.
513. God’s financial provision.
514. God’s protection over all things we ask for.
515. Adoption.
516. The knowledge that the more often I am around God’s people, the stronger I am and the more I know and feel God’s presence.
517. Mail.
518. Bandaids.
519. Black bean salsa … want the recipe?
520. Order … “God is not a God of disorder, but of peace.” I Cor. 14:33a
521. Rescue from the Lord … He already knew what I needed and sent the calvary just in time!
522. Calculators.
523. Commitments that enhance my life with my children … God’s most precious gifts!

















524. Light … in the form of direction from the Lord to direct our path … also, in the form of candles, lamps, sunlight, lightbulbs, windows, flashlights …
525. Complete joy and laughter between sisters reading a book, in this case “Hank the Cowdog.”













Wednesday, February 18, 2009

INFINITELY More Valuable!

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Matthew 6:25-27


Thursday, February 12, 2009

Warning: Long Post, But A Good One!

God is so good and I am sometimes so slow, but He is patient with me and shows me grace and mercy! I have been asking and asking and not really wanting to hear. He has been convicting. Satan has been condemning. I have been sitting, stuck and sad. Now, it’s time to repent and move on! Here’s how it went …

DISTRACTION: Maybe I should start with how distracted I am, have been … am determined not to be anymore. Satan is so good at his dang job and I have not stood up valiantly with my sword and fought against it. I could give a slew of excuses … fatigue, not feeling well, not feeling well, not feeling well, laziness, making poor choices, losing focus … it’s all a choice and I made them. Not the feeling bad part, but what I am doing in the, and with the, feeling bad part.

And boy if God hasn’t been convicting me! I have prayed that He would fill me with His Spirit and show me were I was not allowing Him to shine His Glory in my life, and He has answered in spades. I must say, it’s not pleasant, but it is necessary. You see, He has called me to certain things and He expects my complete obedience in them. All of them. And, not my way, but His way. I have repented many times this week of following my agenda and calling it His. See, the thing about repenting is it requires a change on my part. So, I am on my knees thankful for His grace and mercy and that He will give me strength to be vigilant and intentional in all He has called me to do … especially where He has given me my hearts desire … parenting, homeschooling and our marriage. I don’t want to look back and regret that I did anything half way and I don’t want to watch my kids and see bad habits they learned from watching me. So, time to choose best over better or good, to speak by example and let my example match my words, to be ever-vigilant in this task set before me as there are many rewards for obedience that I may not see now, but I will as my daughters grow in Him. Lord, help me to never lose sight of what You have called me to do. Strengthen me that my life might shine brightly for You and point others to You.

AND ON SETTING LIMITS: Got sucked into Facebook. Yes, I said sucked in. It’s kind of a fun game and would be great to play all day if I didn’t have a bigger calling from the Lord. Instead, for a week I have chosen to be sucked in. Done with that. Setting BIG limits on internet use. Make best choices Debra. Wield your sword. God had already been speaking with me on this and then came this post at97 Seconds with God… ouch.

What land am I not cultivating?

And then this response from a reader … Heartafire said...

“I have precious land in mothering my children. Not only
that, but one day, this land will not be used for growing children in Christ,
but for something else. I need to make sure I am gardening while I have
time----constantly tending, watering, improving the soil, weeding, etc. my
little shoots. So that one day, they will yield abundant food for their own
little people.
I definitely take for granted all the time I have to tend
this land. The fact that I am EVER on the computer while they are in the same room is something that's been tugging at my heart a lot lately. I vow to not be on the computer at all when my kids are at home, unless they are asleep.”

Ouch, conviction. I am not choosing best. Refining fire. And I am convicted and done. I am setting limits and refocusing on my land. My precious land and the blessing of raising my children at home full-time. God is so good. Thank you Lord that You are patient and slow to anger and that You convict me and then fill me with Your Spirit to do what You have called me to do.

MY STATUS: For those of you who have asked how I have been feeling. My new friend atRoom to Thinkposted this sentiment that made me laugh and laugh. Thank you Lord for laughter through new friends. Oh how you bless me! ….



She said ... "That's me on the right. I think I look pretty
cute.My head and heart are just not here anymore, I'm picking up on the most
ridiculous mistakes. I can't even drive my car properly. Ah well, good to know
my family and husband still love me...not to mention God and some wonderful
friends too."

My sentiments exactly! That’s about how I’ve been. I have pondered and dreamed up and thought up how this whole walk to healing would go and God has allowed me such silliness and then reminded me Who is in charge and Whose plan we would be following … His. I am surrendered and will daily surrender. His grace is sufficient. In my weakness, He is strong. I am equipped for every good thing. I am not walking alone … He is with me. He is doing amazing things in my life and in my husband and in our family through this. He has gifted me with awesome, supportive friends who are present and who I’ve only met in blog land. And, He is faithful to His word. I’m resting in that on days that I feel icky. I want to be a light for Him and if this is the walk, I pray that I will honor Him with my behavior in it.

MORE ON MY STATUS: This song sums up how I have been feeling, “Whatever You’re Doing” from Sanctus Real. Yup, chaos, but something heavenly WILL come out of it! Here is the song and here are the lyrics …

It's time for healing time to move on ... It's time to fix what's been broken too long ... Time make right what has been wrong ... It's time to find my way to where I belong ... There's a wave that's crashing over me ... And all I can do is surrender

(Chorus) Whatever You're doing inside of me ... It feels like chaos but somehow there's
peace ...
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see ... but I'm giving in to something
Heavenly.

Time for a milestone ... Time to begin again ... Reevaluate who I really am ... Am I doing everything to follow Your will ... Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills ... So show me what it is You want from me ... I give everything I surrender...To...

(Chorus)

Time to face up ... Clean this old house ... Time to breathe in and let everything out ... That I've wanted to say for so many years ... Time to release all my held back tears

Whatever You're doing inside of me ... It feels like chaos but I believe ... You're up to something bigger than me ... Larger than life something Heavenly ...

Whatever You're doing inside of me ... It feels like chaos but now I can see ... This something bigger than me ... Larger than life something Heavenly ... Something Heavenly

It's time to face up ... Clean this old house ... Time breathe in and let everything out

GOD’S LOVE: And, then my sweet friend at Heart Rock Life posted this today.


Can I tell you how I LOVE cows. I want a farm with chickens and cows and a big garden and a greenhouse and …. The heart on baby cow’s forehead … precious! There is a heart I am marked with. My Father’s heart and He is for me.

GLORY! So, that’s the update. Planning to stay focused, in His strength, on where I am to be focused. All prayers to that end and for healing to manifest are welcome! :) How awesome to be able to breathe again. What a weight that is lifted off with surrender and obedience. Yes, we are blessed!

Oh, and ... my kids were sleeping while I was posting this! :)

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

More Gifts ....

441. Oldest daughter reading her bible and writing down her favorite verses. Oh Lord, draw your children to you always.

















442. A washer and dryer.
443. A heater that works.
444. A house to hang out in when it’s yucky weather outside.
445. Warm jackets, gloves and hats.
446. Almonds and raisins … my new favorite snack.
447. Oldest daughter learning photography.
























448. Icicles.
























449. Creative ways to encourage writing in daughters … a blog!
450. Tummy medicine that worked well enough to allow baby girl to sleep longer than an hour at a time.
451. No more throwing up!
452. Tears … and the fact that the Lord collects them in bottles.
453. The privilege of hanging out with mother-in-love as we remembered our beloved Poppie.
454. Bicycles.
455. The amazing way the Lord made our bodies.
456. Health insurance.
457. Puppy “movie buds.”

















458. Rolling down hill.
459. Mother ducks who
feather their nests.























460. Sisters growing into best friends.

















461. Swinging with Grandma.























462. Ice skating.

















463. Daddy’s shoulders.
















464. Climbing trees.

















465. Reconnecting with old friends and new friends on Facebook.
466. “School room” on a blustery day.

















467. The fun my girls have drinking out of champagne flutes we got as a wedding gift. Makes me laugh!
























468. Teeter totters.
469. Black bean salsa … YUMMY!
470. The feeling of freedom that comes on me when I start getting to the end of my “To Do” list.
471. Re-reading my journals and standing in awe, again, of God’s glory in our lives.
472. Colorful straws.
























473. The gift of the Holy Spirit.
473. Babies, how new and sweet and fresh from the Lord. Welcome to the world Merritt.
474. Big girls.
475. Knowing smiles.
476. The way God overwhelms my heart with kindred spirits … sisters … for this journey He has us on … to share the joy, the tears, the disappointments, the victory … to see with the same eyes that He is glorious and it is all about Him.
477. Frosted Flakes.
478. A funky, yet reportedly comfy, seat.

















479. It’s a choice ….

















480. When God gives me a glimpse from His heart and mine starts breaking. Oh that His perspective would stay with me always … right there in the front of my mind. That my heart would break for what breaks His always. His eyes. His heart.
481. Stacey’s Pita Chips.
482. Missionaries all over the world … ambassadors for Christ!
483. Daughters who show their love and concern with a flower … priceless!























484. “I’m your snuggle bunny, Mommy.”
485. Heater blankets.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

A Couple Slices of Inspiration ...

"Our children are watching us live, and what we are shouts louder than anything we can say."
Wilferd A. Peterson


“Life holds surprises around every corner, fresh promptings to gratitude and joy.”
Phillip Yancey