Giving Thanks...and a Psalm

In the mornings after breakfast we clear away the dishes and have a devotional time--just the four kids and Momma, since Daddy leaves while we're still asleep. We have another devotional at dinner with Daddy, but the morning session is to dedicate the day to the Lord, asking him to order our steps. We read Scripture and pray in turn, including prayer about our attitudes toward each other and toward our work. It really sets a nice tone for our school day.

Today we read Psalm 1 and it filled me with such peace!

Psalm 1

Blessed is the one

who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,

 

Oh, Dear Lord, thank you. Thank you for saving us and taking us off the wicked path. Day by day you make our hearts new, never leaving nor forsaking us.

 

but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.

Lord, we delight in you. May we wake each day and dedicate the day to you, meditating on your Scriptures day and night, letting you fill us with your Holy Spirit.

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—

You, God, will complete your work in us; you promise us that and we thank you for your faithfulness and graciousness. Thank you that our lives will bear fruit and our spirits will not wither.

whatever they do prospers.

From Matthew Henry's Commentary:
Of the promised blessing; he is blessed of the Lord, and therefore he shall be like a tree. The divine blessing produces real effects. It is the happiness of a godly man, [1.] That he is planted by the grace of God. These trees were by nature wild olives, and will continue so till they are grafted anew, and so planted by a power from above. Never any good tree grew of itself; it is the planting of the Lord, and therefore he must in it be glorified. Isa. 61:3; The trees of the Lord are full of sap. [2.] That he is placed by the means of grace, here called the rivers of water, those rivers which make glad the city of our God (Ps. 46:4); from these a good man receives supplies of strength and vigour, but in secret undiscerned ways. [3.] That his practices shall be fruit, abounding to a good account, Phil. 4:17.

Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.

Matthew Henry's Commentary:
In general, they are the reverse of the righteous, both in character and condition: They are not so. The LXX. emphatically repeats this: Not so the ungodly; they are not so; they are led by the counsel of the wicked, in the way of sinners, to the seat of the scornful; they have no delight in the law of God, nor ever think of it; they bring forth no fruit but grapes of Sodom; they cumber the ground. 2. In particular, whereas the righteous are like valuable, useful, fruitful trees, they are like the chaff which the wind drives away, the very lightest of the chaff, the dust which the owner of the floor desires to have driven away, as not capable of being put to any use.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

Matthew Henry's Commentary: that is, they shall be found guilty, shall hang down the head with shame and confusion, and all their pleas and excuses will be overruled as frivolous. There is a judgment to come, in which every man’s present character and work, though ever so artfully concealed and disguised, shall be truly and perfectly discovered, and appear in their own colours, and accordingly every man’s future state will be, by an irreversible sentence, determined for eternity.

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Oh, Lord, it is because of you we are called righteous. Thank you for your grace and for imputing your righteousness to us. In you, we have enough. We have everything. May we live each day in thanksgiving and thanksliving.

Giving Thanks Today:

~ God is helping me work the kinks out of our daily school/chore schedule. Thanks be to God for that.

~ A very imaginative, delightful four year old in my midst, bringing so much joy and blessing each day. Okay, and messes too. But I'll take them with the smiles and hugs.

~ My Mary reading on her own more and more, praise be to God. It's so exciting for both of us.

~ Fall weather...a million thanks Dear Lord.

~ He keeps our paths straight and our hearts full.

~ Beth's arthritis is still in a flare, but praise God she doesn't seem miserable. Her new AWANA Cubbies teacher said she was so cute...so delightful and full of joy. That is grace, because her joints are still swelling.

~ Christian radio

~ Switching from a Wednesday night AWANA to a Sunday night AWANA. Oh, Lord, thank you for a lighter Wednesday. It wasn't easy to do, but I see blessings from it already. They changed the structure of our old AWANA and it didn't allow for much one-on-one mentoring with individual handbook leaders for each of my children. Though they studied and knew their verses, it was still a special time with the handbook leader every week.

Because we have too little support and so few Christian relatives, they really need another special person speaking Christ into their lives once a week. Since some of that got lost in the new structure, and since Wednesday was always so hard for us anyway (with physical therapy and speech on the same day), it seemed like a good time to make a switch, although saying goodbye about broke our hearts.

But, we can now have 7 family dinners a week (AWANA now ends at 6:16 PM rather than 8 PM.) and Momma won't ever wake up and dread a Wednesday again. They made for some long days.

~ Husband and I filled out volunteer forms to be handbook (verse) leaders at the new church, but until they process those and do background checks, we can actually have a date or two from 4:30 - 6:15 on Sundays. It's been years, people. Though we don't have any money for dates, we'll think of something (hot chocolate maybe?). Part of me fears we might just sit there and stare at each other, wondering where the noise went, not knowing what to say.

~ A Christian husband, gentle and good, to do life with.

~ My Paul's sincere, righteous heart.

~ God provided nice verse teachers for my children at the new AWANA church. It did my Momma heart good to see them so excited.

~ Some flowers still blooming and tomatoes still ripening.

~ My 90-year-old father-in-law is not out of rehab yet, but his arm is out of the sling and he can walk with a walker. Praise God!

What are you thankful for today?

Prayer Request: Father-in-law is overwhelmed about the decision concerning where to live. Please pray? He doesn't seem to want to live with us, and if he chooses an assisted-living establishment, it's better that he chooses here in our town, rather than in Florida. These establishments treat you better when you have frequent visitors. We think he has about 3 more weeks in the rehabiliation center, barring any health problems that might crop up. The travel up here seems overwhelming to him, for one. Thank you for your prayers.

Cross references:

1. Psalm 1:1 : S Dt 33:29; Ps 40:4; 128:4
2. Psalm 1:1 : Ps 89:15
3. Psalm 1:1 : S Job 21:16; Ps 10:2-11
4. Psalm 1:1 : S Ge 49:6
5. Psalm 1:1 : Ps 26:9; 37:38; 51:13; 104:35
6. Psalm 1:1 : Ps 26:4
7. Psalm 1:1 : S Job 11:3; Pr 1:22; Isa 28:14; Hos 7:5
8. Psalm 1:2 : Ps 112:1; 119:16, 35; Ro 7:22
9. Psalm 1:2 : Ps 19:7; 119:1; Eze 11:20; 18:17
10. Psalm 1:2 : S Ge 24:63
11. Psalm 1:3 : Ps 52:8; 92:12; 128:3; Jer 11:16; Zec 4:3
12. Psalm 1:3 : Ps 46:4; 65:9; Isa 33:21; Jer 31:9
13. Psalm 1:3 : S Nu 24:6; S Job 14:9; S Eze 17:5
14. Psalm 1:3 : Ps 92:14; Eze 47:12
15. Psalm 1:3 : Isa 1:30; 64:6
16. Psalm 1:3 : S Ge 39:3
17. Psalm 1:4 : S Job 13:25; Isa 40:24; Jer 13:24
18. Psalm 1:5 : Ps 5:5
19. Psalm 1:5 : S Job 19:29
20. Psalm 1:5 : Ps 26:12; 35:18; 82:1; 89:5; 107:32; 111:1; 149:1
21. Psalm 1:6 : Ps 37:18; 121:5; 145:20; Na 1:7
22. Psalm 1:6 : S Lev 26:38; Ps 9:6

image

Enoch Walked With God

In my quiet time I've been studying the great men of the Bible and guess what I've discovered? It wasn't the men themselves who were great. It was their relationship with God. They lived for God; they walked with Him.

Genesis 5:22-24  And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. 

This sounds strange, doesn't it? He suddenly ceased to exist? Just like that? "And he was not; for God took him." This means God translated Enoch; he didn't die, and he may be one of the witnesses, along with Elijah, during the end times. 

Elijah, one of the greatest men in the Bible, was just like us. He was subject to like passions (James 5:17 AV). One of Elijah's greatest miracles was the altar fire on Mt. Carmel in 1 Kings 18: 

And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

Jezebel, Ahab's evil wife, was angry that all her false prophets were killed after this Mt. Carmel incident. She reacts wildly and threatens Elijah’s life. Fearful, Elijah runs down to Beersheba in the desert. Leaving his servant, he continues his journey further and finally, under a tree in deep depression, he asks God to let him die. "It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!"

How could Elijah experience so little faith, after all the miracles he'd performed in his life? Essentially, he was just like us--subject to our same passions. He was flawed.

But he walked with God, enabling God to do great things through Elijah. 

Elijah, like Enoch, didn't die. This is how God took Elijah:

2 Kings 2:11-12 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.

Enoch and Elijah were obviously very special to God, but why? 

Just this: They walked with him. They lived the truth of these scriptures:

Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2:1). 

Be filled with the spirit (Ephesians 5:18). 

He may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being (Ephesians 3:16). 

God is able to make all grace abound toward you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8).

And lastly, Noah? He also walked with God. Genesis 6:9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.

These stories aren't new to you or to me, but have you ever thought about these special relationships? This walking with God? Here's the beautiful thing: We can all be like Enoch, Elijah and Noah. We can walk with God. We can make our lives about Him and live in obedience to His will. We can! 

Did you see what Ann Voskamp wrote today?

Breathe in: Lord, I receive what you give.Breathe out: Lord, I give thanks for what you give.
It’s the syllables of sanctuary, a surrender to His sovereignty.

To walk with God means to surrender to His sovereignty and to live by faith in His love. We merely have to k e e p  on  w a l k i n g, giving thanks, staying right there with Him, enabling Him to do great things through us.

When our time is up we probably won't be "translated". But let it be said on our headstone: She walked with God.

Prayer Time: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the examples of Enoch, Elijah, Noah, Daniel, and Paul the Apostle. You've made it clear, God: their greatness was in their relationship with you, not in themselves. Help us to remember how they walked with you, God, so we too, can walk faithfully with you all of our days. We want to live in the strength of your love and grace, and be filled with the Spirit. We want to do big and small miracles in your name, everyday. And we can. Thank you that we can, Lord. 

In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Giving Thanks:

~ For a wonderful Vacation Bible School week.

~ For a house newly clean after 14 days of busy.

~ For little Beth's healed tonsils and adenoids. Deep breath there; she's way too skinny again, but time will heal that.

~ For no arthritis flare resulting from her Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis medication break (20 days off for surgery). Yeah, joints look good!

~ For grace during ADHD flare-ups.

~ For new friendships through children's ministry at church.

~ For Elijah and Enoch and Noah, teaching us we only have to make our lives about Him, instead of about us.

~ For morning glories climbing the fence.

~ For a pumpkin in the garden.

~ For the will to keep going when God asks something new.

What are you thankful for today, my friend?

Stop Envy & Discontent in 7 Steps

Let your conduct be without covetousness; and be content with what you have: for He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you. – Hebrews 13:5

Do you struggle with envy or discontent?

We all do, but rarely for the same reasons. For example, I don't envy people for their things or destinations or vacations. I don't envy a childless woman's flat stomach or her pretty legs clear of varicose veins. I don't like my varicose veins, but I remember when my legs were clear too. Every women gets her turn to have her body in its virginal state; my turn is past, the same as it is for wrinkle-free skin and hair without white strands.

Envy is a struggle for me in this regard: family gatherings.

When I see cars at people's houses around holiday times, probably indicating a family get-together, I feel depressed that we're so lonely on holidays. I envy the people inside for their laughter and good cheer, and for their support.

It's just us here so I'm always on duty for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner and every other holiday preparation. Holidays can feel exhausting, not relaxing, though husband helps with the kids and the cooking. But a woman knows: there's still the planning, shopping and budgeting of food and time.

I know what some of you are thinking: The more extended family you have around, the more dysfunction you deal with, because every family has dysfunction. Maybe you'd rather cook for days than deal with hours of dysfunctional sibling or parental tension.

Yes, true, but when I drive by a happy party I don't think about the dysfunction inherent in these settings, I think about the good cheer, the togetherness, the support. The grass just looks greener over there, on holidays.

A time will come when my kids are older and we'll have more time to make friends, perhaps creating a merry table with them. God heard our cries and blessed us with our single Christian friend Dean back in January, whom we knew in California and who now lives 45 minutes away. He comes when he's feeling well, enjoying the children and vice versa.

I know this: God is not honored by envy. It's a sinful snare--the enemy's lies prevailing in our hearts for a time.

I know His plan is perfect, regardless of my feelings. My reaction is the problem, not God's plan. I'm good about counting my blessings except at holiday time.

Whatever the reason for your own envy, along with me, you can benefit from these strategies:

1. Repent 

Envy is the sin of covetousness, and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 11:10). We should fear His reaction to our ongoing sin, as a people who love him and want to please him and bring him glory. We need to confess before God and turn 180 degrees, signaling true repentance.

2. Be spiritually prepared--head off Satan by praying ahead of time. 

If it's that certain woman's flat stomach or shiny new mini-van, pray before you see her: for a pure heart, for a grateful heart, and that you'll be able to: rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Romans 12:15

3. Do a topical study to gather Bible verses about your personal envy issue. 

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Gather all you can about your specific topic, and about contentment and gratitude in general. Read all the scriptures and then pray them into your heart, which is an act of faith that God will change you--it's an important step to true heart change. We can read a scripture and think it sounds wonderful, but change comes when we care enough and believe enough to ask God for help; we can't change on our own. 

"Dear Father, I ask that this scripture be realized in my heart...that I would live its truth and bring you glory. Change me, Lord."

4. Keep track of your progress. 

Psalm 103:2 Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits--

Next time you see that woman and don't give her van or her flat stomach a single thought, rejoice. Tell God thank you. He's heard the cry of your heart. He loves you; he rejoices in you. He's faithful.

5. Count your blessings. 
Psalm 40:5 Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.

Counting our blessings is not about being thankful for what we have in comparison to others. It's about realizing that in Christ, we have everything.

6. Be generous with your blessings. 

Acts 20:35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

7. Trust God and surrender completely. 

Mark 14:35-36 And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Know that His plan for your life, including how you spend holidays, is perfect. Recognize and celebrate His sovereignty, perfection, and faithfulness. Give up having it your way: Lay down your life, your plans, your hopes, for the glory of God.

There's no greater joy, no greater gain, than when we surrender to our Lord completely, our white flag indicating we love Him more than we love ourselves. 

When His glory finally becomes our goal, we can be perfectly content.

Relevant Scriptures:

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out. – 1Timothy 6:6-7

Let your conduct be without covetousness; and be content with what you have: for He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you. – Hebrews 13:5

A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. The heart of him that has understanding seeks knowledge: but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness. All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart has a continual feast. Better is a little with the fear of Yahweh than great treasure with trouble. – Proverbs 15:13-16

A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy is rottenness to the bones. – Proverbs 14:30

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatever state I am in to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. – Philippians 4:11-13

Prayer Time: 
Dear Heavenly Father, how we love you. Thank you for your beautiful, steadfast, sacrificial love. You gave it all to redeem us and we want to live for you, honor you and bring you glory. Change our hearts, Lord. Whatever state we're in, teach us to be content and thankful. Help us to truly repent of envy, to be spiritually prepared through the power of prayer, to study your Word, to track our progress, to count our blessings, to be generous, and to surrender fully to you. We have everything in You, Lord. Open our eyes so we can truly see what the Lamb of God has done for us.

In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

Giving Thanks Today:

~ sunshine on Monday

~ fireworks

~ kids bowl free (Mary got 4 strikes and 3 spares in two games--by rolling the ball!)

~ a little headway on our fruit fly problem

~ morning glories climbing the fence

~ neighbors loaning my boys and the neighbor kids a bike ramp

~ little Beth's tonsil & adenoid surgery is this Wednesday. Breathing normally will be such a wonderful thing for her after all these months.

~ Paul playing beautifully on the piano

~ Beth playing with her dollies so sweetly

~ God's Word

~ Knowing that He is so faithful and loves us so much

~ Compassion letters

~ four precious children filling my home and heart

Giving thanks with Ann Voskamp today for Multitude Monday, at Holy Experience.

What are you thankful for today, my friend?


image

A Joyful Heart is Yours

The studies prove conclusive: grateful people are happier with their lives, have better relationships, are physically healthier, and are more optimistic about the future.

Sounds wonderful, but how do we get there?

First, we pray for a thankful state of mind.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

God commands us to be thankful, yes, but he never expects us to change on our own; He's always there by our side. Real heart change comes from the Holy Spirit, not from ourselves, so when we want change, we should first pray, then listen.

Along with prayer, we can start keeping a gratitude journal, which studies show produces positive results in just 10 weeks!

So don't just read someone else's gratitude journal, start your own and reap the benefits. 

The next thing we can do is make a practice of writing thank-you notes to all those who've blessed us in some way. I believe in this practice myself, but I need better discipline to keep up with it. That's where prayer comes in: I need to pray for the discipline and commitment. 

Armed with these suggestions, we're well on our way to a more grateful heart, but nothing will happen outside of careful planning. We have to plan for the quiet time to pray for thankfulness.

A consistent quiet time arises only through planning. Otherwise, it's hit or miss. The changes in our hearts will be hit or miss too. We get out of our relationship with the Lord only what we put into it.

So first thing, we need to sit down and think about our day. Where does prayer fit in? Are there other things that must go, to make room for quiet time? What idols are squeezing God out of our lives? Did we arrive at church yesterday with our Bibles, only to realize that we hadn't opened them since the previous Sunday? If so, we're missing out on so many gifts from a gracious God, gratitude being only one of them.

Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Giving thanks today

Dear Father, thank you for these graces and blessings:

~ For the beautiful sunset last night.

~ That God will finish the work he started in us.

~ That it's never too late to start a love affair with the Lord our God.

~ For freedom from persecution here in America.

~ For the redemptive power of prayer.

~ For a gentle husband.

~ For the glory of God as seen in a firefly, in garden growth, in the birds that visit, in sunsets.

~ For a houseful of kids to love.

~ That kids can see the glory of God even in a pesky Japanese Beetle.

~ That Christians dare to love each other and sharpen each other in Him.

~ That even when the Gospel separates us from family, God satisfies our hearts. He is enough.

~ That my father-in-law, 90 years old, called here on Father's Day, after not speaking to us in 5 years (not answering calls, not opening letters). How we have prayed and prayed! He has undiagnosed OCD that rules a lot of his spiritual thoughts, and he's a whole lot of stubborn. Had my 11-year-old son not had OCD, I wouldn't have recognized it in husband's father. Their thought patterns are similar, but because of no diagnosis or treatment, the father's is far worse. At his age he wouldn't be open to a discussion about OCD.

I pray we can care for him soon, but he thinks it's too cold for his arthritis here and may opt for assisted living near his home in Florida. He lives alone right now and has since his forties. My husband's mother was killed in an auto accident when husband was just 16 years old, and his father never remarried. Having been raised by a mentally-challenged mother, he had no model for love or graciousness. He's hurt more than he's helped his kids, but my husband carries no grudge and is gentle and loving with his father.

I pray that we can speak Jesus' love into his heart in his last days, giving him peace and hope. He brought his family up in Bible-teaching Baptist churches and we thank he's a Christian, but the OCD distorts so much of his core beliefs.

I want to encourage you: when you're praying for something for a very long time, it's hard to keep the faith. I know. But recently our prayers about my headaches have been answered, and now this prayer about my father-in-law contacting us has been answered. Always keep track of the answers, and never give up.

My own parents and siblings have yet to be saved and are as hostile as ever to the Gospel, but I know an answer can come at any time.

Our Lord is always there, working it out for His glory...on His timetable.

Bless you friends. I pray you have a beauty-filled week!

image

A Goat, Some Pigs, and a Devotional

How would we feel if the President of the United States needed our help or expertise with something? What if he called on the phone and said, "We really need your help and we'll provide you with everything you need. Consider your resources endless."

No matter our political party, we would be amazed, along with our family and friends.  Beyond excited.
 
The most powerful person in the world needs my help!

We might even consider it the most significant experience of our lives.

Well...guess what? It's already happened to every Christian!
 
Someone even more famous has asked you to work for Him.

The Lord Jesus Christ.

And friends, we should be ecstatic! We get to work for Jesus. Hallelujah! We get to love in His name. We get to.

When He says FOLLOW ME, he means serve with me. Come alongside and learn of me. Do what I do. Feel what I feel. Love like I love. Weep for what I weep for.

Mark 9:35

And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

1 Peter 4:10

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 

Philippians 2:6-7

who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 

Let's empty ourselves of us. Let's get excited about the work God has before us. We get to work with the Lord Jesus Christ, the most significant person in all history.

 

And later, we get to reign with Him!

How can we ever be melancholy when we have an eye for eternity? When we remember our lineage, our coming reign? What's there to be frustrated about when we get to wake up each day and work for God? We get to!

If we haven't thought about eternity in the last week, we need a spiritual remake. Our mindset should not be here and now, but there. Not comfort and beautiful things all around us here, but the rewards and treasures waiting for us there.

In the meantime, we get to work for God. How glorious is that?

Prayer Time:

Dear Heavenly Father, You are an awesome God. Your gifts are infinitely more than we could ever ask for, and certainly more than we deserve. You are a gracious, faithful God. You knew us before we were born. You have plans to prosper us and not harm us, to give us a hope and a future. You give us the privilege of working for you...loving through you, showing mercy and grace through you, being your hands and feet to those who have no hope. Thank you for these privileges. Help us to remember how blessed we are, and what a miracle it is that you would even want our help...help you don't even need. You want us by your side, like the father who asks his son to hold the screwdriver, and the mother who asks her children to put in the flour and sugar. You really want our fellowship, our presence. You love us tenderly and what a wondrous gift that is. Help us to be faithful servants, learning of you, Our Master. Helps us to live for you. May we never stop being excited about that privilege. Help us to live with an eternity mindset, remembering that this life and its difficulties are but a vapor. You have prepared glorious rooms for us in Your House. and we will be there soon!Thank you, Father! Helps us to practice thanksliving, knowing you have already conquered all.

In Jesus' name I pray, Amen

Giving Thanks Today

 

Thank you, Father, for these blessings and graces:

 

~ That often when my ADHD son has one of those downward-spiral emotional outbreaks, a goldfinch appears at the feeder next to the window, or a cardinal lands on the fence near our sunroom/dining room, or a chipmunk comes out of hiding. The lights go on in our hearts, and my son smiles, or I smile and we look at each other. We know it was a gift, a grace, from the Lord. The Lord saying, "I know of your difficulties and I am present with you. Loving you."

 

~ A pleasant visit with pigs and goats at our friend's parents' house.

 ~ I'm thankful for an object lesson for my kids that I couldn't have put together myself, re money management. For three years we had a sturdy kiddy pool with a small slide but at the end of last summer it began leaking. We considered replacing it to help the kids fight the heat and humidity, but then the water bill came. $147! (Why was our California water bill under $70 even during daily summer watering, and here in Ohio where the rain waters for us, it's always well over $100? I don't get it.)

 

We told the kids water play wouldn't be a regular thing here this summer, and we wouldn't be replacing the kiddy pool. For days they've been grumbling. And then the neighbors, the ones with only a part-time job, no vehicle, and on food stamps and section 8 rent help, couldn't pay their electric bill and their electricity got turned off. (I called my church to seek help from the benevolence fund for them, for the sake of their four kids, and also to possibly get financial counseling from one of our deacons for them).

 

It was hard explaining to my children that if we mismanaged our money, something would get turned off or the mortgage wouldn't get paid. This wasn't the first time a utility was turned off for these neighbors, who have yet to drop their cable TV, their fancy phones, their dogs or their cigarettes. This time their kids were pretty stressed...it's one thing after another over there. 

For a few years I was without a vehicle during the day, but never without one entirely. Maybe they consider the TV part of their sanity? Since I haven't walked in their shoes I'm trying not to judge, but it's hard. They come here about 4 times a week for sugar, milk, or something. Their food help doesn't last long enough because they don't know how to budget grocery money and they don't cook from scratch. Lots of needs and our heart is to help, slowly, as they learn to trust us. Our own humility and lack of judgement is crucial in our being able to help, so please pray for the whole situation? I'm concerned the kids aren't getting enough milk, for one. Thank you.)

As much as my kids are still grumbling about the kiddy pool and water play, they understand better, being exposed to the neighbor's difficulties, that management of money is key to keeping stress at a minimum.

 Don't feel sorry for my kids. I don't, because now, the few times a month I will say yes, they will appreciate the sprinkler play more, and doing without will help them better understand our Compassion children's circumstances. If we can't put ourselves in another's shoes, we can't manage adequate mercy, and without denying ourselves it's hard to see any of this at all.

 

Low-income or modest-income American kids can grow up wanting everything they didn't have as children, and they might spoil their own children to keep them from feeling "poor". I don't want that for my kids. If they do better than us financially I want them to give it away, not clutch it or use it like the culture does. It's a tall order for us to hope for as parents, but with God all things are possible.

 

Incidentally, Compassion children have a history of giving back to their Child Development Centers, to their own families, and to their communities. They often work with the poor, in fact, after graduating. Though many of them experience success after their tenure with Compassion International, there's no me-centered mentality afterwards. There's just gratitude and thanksliving.

 

The more we have the more we feel entitled to, and entitlement is a mindset straight from Satan himself. In the Lord we have enough. When Jesus conquered this world He made us rich!

 

This goat was so sweet, letting me pet him and hug him time and again. I was in heaven! I'm surprised my husband took this picture because he doesn't share mine or Peter's love for farm animals, and I secretly think he dreads Peter's daily prayers for farmland. (I'm not a pet person. I dislike cats and I've rarely met a dog I felt the need to pet, but I'm partial to farm animals for some reason)
 

 

 

 

 How was your weekend, friends? What are you thankful for today?

Making Sense of Joy...and Pain

Raising children brings so much joy. Inexplicable joy that can only be seen as gift, it's so priceless. Today I want to share some of the joy the Lord's flooded me with lately. He's so good and when I look on these children, I have evidence of God's love for me. Tangible evidence marking my walls and floors with mud, and piling my world with laundry. It overflows sometimes, this joy, and I have to share it.

A couple weeks ago the boys entered a children's fishing derby. There were prizes for the first caught, the biggest caught, and the most caught. Paul caught a 14.5 pound catfish, earning third place for size, but there were no third place prizes. Still, the catfish thrilled.



In case you didn't know...hamsters love pasta. Furthermore, when hamsters eat pasta, it's better entertainment than your favorite comedian's best monologue. Exaggeration you say, surely? Oh, but no, my friend; I kid you not. With surprising speed, they voraciously fill up both cheeks with it, looking more ridiculous with each centimeter. Try this at your house (plain pasta).



The beloved turtle was observed and let go, but not without posing for a picture first. He brought much wonder and entertainment to my children and to the neighbor kids. At his release, he found nothing better to do than to burrow in the mud, real quick like, as though he cared not what joy he brought and what fame he amassed. Oh, but to be so humble.



Dear God, thank you for the wonder of a semi-rural Ohio backyard...for frogs, crayfish, snakes, squirrels, chipmunks, praying mantises, bettles, ants, grasshoppers, worms, birds, butterflies and turtles. My children have a glorious gift here...a childhood full of wonder. Sincerely, A Grateful Momma.

Dear God, thank you for daughters who get dirty, and then clean up real nice and soft and pretty. Thank you for precious pictures I can show at their wedding, proving to their grooms that they're marrying girls who believe in living. Thank you for this climbing tree at our favorite nature park.

While I smile joyful today at giggling girls dancing in the sprinkler, thanking the Lord for the richness of this life, there are dear people hurting elsewhere. Here and here. There is a dear one who understands His heart and purpose and teaches it with poetry, from Uganda this time.

Our Savior says: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Oh...but the trouble hurts. Hurts deep.

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing

We'll have joy and pain in this life. Sometimes it balances, but other times, it's more pain than joy.

Here's a secret: Our response should be the same in both.

The same? How can that be? How can we respond the same to both joy and pain, when one makes us want to dance, and the other makes us want to lie down and die?

I wanted to lie down and die once, when I lost a baby. And again when my husband lost his job and we had four kids, one just three months old.

And I've wanted to freeze moments of joy, many of them, forever, they tasted so good.

The more I live, the more I learn...offer it all up. Offer it to the One who's overcome. We are His, bought and paid for, and that makes our joy and pain His too.

Offer it up, and share it. We can't turn away when someone hurts. Nor can we put on a false face and hide our own pain. We can't hold our blessings with tight fists, as though we've seen the last of them.

It's all about receiving from the Father, vertically, and sharing His love, horizontally, to those around us. I have a good grasp on life and purpose when I remember these three things.  

Vertical in, horizontal out, offer it all up to the one who's overcome.

Pain and joy have this in common: God's glory shines in both. We have the privilege, if we dare to be His servants, of sharing in that glory. Sharing in it brings the greatest sense of purpose, the highest fulfillment there is this side of Heaven.

 Make the most of this vapor time we have here....let His glory shine through you.

Isaiah 60:4 . . . the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.

Psalms 63:1-3  O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

Humility and Gratitude: Multitude Monday

Hello Friends and Happy Monday.

Twice I've written on humility this week: here and here. Today I'd like to explore the connection between gratitude and humility. Which begats which, do you suppose? Do I learn humility as I give thanks, or do I give thanks because I'm humble?

Wearing humility and thankfulness are not an option--not just an ideal. We're commanded in scripture to be both humble and thankful.

"Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done" 1 Chron. 16:8.

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5

Peter teaches that humility is something we put on, like our clothes for the day or our deoderant. It's not an easy garment to put on, but we must practice: we must wear it and walk in it.

But how? The short answer is that we do it through prayer, but there's a longer answer too. There's a fundamental truth we must grasp before we can put on humility and take off pride:

For from him and through him and to him are all things.

Our daily bread, shelter, clothes, family, jobs, gifts, friends, joy, peace, spiritual growth, and comfort. All of it is gift...undeserved gift.

Romans 11:33–36
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

It's when I grasp this concept that without God I am nothing and have nothing, that I begin to see everything as gift. I understand that I am completely dependent on God. He is the Almighty Living God and I am the created being. He is sovereign and all powerful; I am powerless and incapable of generating good outside of God's Holy Spirit.

This understanding of our position before God is crucial. We are beggars.

A beggar is thankful because he knows that without the handout, he starves. A beggar is humble because he has nothing; he has no source of pride. In fact, to be prideful--to quit begging to uphold some image--would mean sure starvation. A beggar can't afford pride.

From an early age we're conditioned to say thank you for birthday gifts. Not everything from God comes with birthday wrapping, but it's just as much a gift. When I begin to see these gifts--instead of feel entitled to them or take them for granted--I am thankful. My God is an awesome God! Without Him I am nothing. He's generous and loving. He sustains me. I praise You and thank you, Oh God!

Does a thankful person become humble, or does a humble person give thanks?

Yes and yes. A beggar is clothed in humility and gratitude. Both these graces are given to the beggar simultaneously by an Almighty God who loves to be glorified.

If God didn't love His own glory so much, He'd let us succeed in our own strength. But in fact we were created and saved to bring Him glory...not for our own pleasure. We are loved with an inexplicable, sacrificial love, and as that love transforms us, God receives His due glory. And we? We develop a love so deep, so all-consuming for Him, that we grow to delight in His glory.

A person who assumes a beggar's pose is one who fully understands; I am here for God's purposes and I get everything from Him.

When we come before the Lord begging for these graces, we are in fact praying. Our best prayer sessions with the Lord come when we are desperate, in full surrender, knowing we cannot generate what we need. Our hands are out-stretched. Our hunger is profound; we are humbled by dire need.

When in His infinite love He satisfies us, we're overcome with gratitude.

For from him and through him and to him are all things. 

 "When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, ‘He is good; His love endures forever’" (2 Chron. 7:3).

Giving Thanks Today

Dear Lord, thank you for these graces and blessings:

~ 3 bird nests in the yard

~ little girls cuddled against me, enjoying good books

~ a steadfast husband

~ more rain

~ squash coming up

~ a son who loves cultivating the ground, making beauty from dirt

~ a prolific strawberry patch in the backyard, delighting my snacking children

~ half-day summer school here at home

~ library programs

~ good friends

~ my Heavenly Father, who continues his good work in my heart in spite of  me

~ lessons on humility

~ the power of God's Word

~ my family extending everyday grace toward an imperfect mother, wife, and homemaker

~ church dresses from the thift store for my girls, all at the bargain price of the day, and flawless

~ a loving church family

~ far fewer headaches

~ time with my children every day

~ the bonding gift of the family read aloud 

~ a son who once hated math, saying he's good at it and he likes it

~ a boy who likes to write stories and has a way with words

~ a snapping turtle to observe

~ a large yard

~ a strong desire to put on humility

~ the blessings bestowed on the one who dares to beg God for daily bread and blessing, knowing that outside the Lord's handouts, there is no sustenance

What's blessing you today, my friend?

image
 

Monday Blessings

Now is the time for blessings. Really, really, really time to count and give thanks for the beautiful, because there's plenty that's hard.

Last Sunday night Paul's asthma attack kept me up, and last night it was Beth and her coughing fits, twice making her vomit. Her methotrexate is an immuno-suppressant drug that makes it hard to get over illnesses, and she's also suffering from seasonal allergies.

Anyway, holding her at a sixty degree angle all night so the post-nasal drip would stop making her cough, while she thrashed about trying to lie flat, felt like a CIA torture chamber. Every time I would nod off she would have another coughing spasm. I decided against cough medicine because her cough was productive and I knew her body was trying to prevent pneumonia.

And of course you know it's always a cruel joke the way they perk up in the morning, after keeping you up all night with their cold symptoms. You think it will be a sick day and you'll read storybooks and watch thrift store movies under blankets with bowls of popcorn by your side.

But no, by day they're energizer bunnies, at least until 3 PM, at which time they fall apart emotionally, about the same time you're falling apart.

But God.

Always, there's beauty. Even in this portrait of maternal misery. Grace, that is. Children remind us that nothing's all that bad. That the sun comes out in the morning. That every day is new, fresh. That in all things, we can give thanks.

Thank you, Father, for these graces and blessings:

~ Paul went all day Sunday not needing his inhaler

~ The children presenting me with their exquisite handmade Mother's Day gifts, setting my heart all aflutter.

~ A chocolate pie for dessert

~ The little autistic boy I work with in the church nursery sitting in my lap, finally, and letting me look at books with him. I had to grab him, literally. The pressure of touch allows him to concentrate somehow, whereas otherwise he just wanders around the nursery aimlessly, ignoring everybody and touching the walls and the textures. He seems to need constant physical stimuli. He didn't want me to read the books, but he pointed to each letter of the alphabet and identified them! He doesn't speak otherwise, but he said each letter so that I could discern his speech. God spoke to me while little Rowan sat in my lap, his hair smelling so fresh and clean. If we take the time to really understand, there are no disabilities, just differences.

~ Peter reading book after book to little Ashton, the music pastor's daughter, in the nursery yesterday.

~ Beautiful children's fall and summer clothing finds at the thrift store

~ Husband showering Beth, again, while I took care of the vomit sheets.

~ None of the other children waking up, miraculously, when Momma shouted, "Help...she's throwing up! Please get me a throw-up bowl!"

~A jewel of a movie, very old, found at the thrift store and set in 1903, called So Dear to my Heart about a little boy in love with a pet lamb he takes to the county fair. So heartwarming.

~ A son excited about what the earth will yield from tiny seeds. And the miracle of the seed bringing us awe year after year.

~ Seeds representing the hope God asks from us as we wake each day. Dedicate the day to Me and watch me grow something beautiful out of it.

Multitude Monday 5/6/13

This Momma stayed up very late dealing with Paul's first asthma attack. Exhausted and weary of health issues, I desperately need to count blessings today. This morning at the pediatrician's, the doctor informed me that we don't call it asthma until it's chronic; insurance companies don't like to see a chronic disease on health records so doctors have to be careful how they label issues.

So to clarify, Paul had his first wheezing and uncontrollable coughing attack, which goes with the curse of allergies.

My husband was treated for asthma this week also, and Peter needed a couple puffs of his inhaler. I've learned that tree and grass pollen, mixed with a cold virus and a little vigorous basketball, prove a terrible combination for the men in my life. Exercise during cold viruses at any other time of year is fine, but not during allergy season.

In heaven there are no inherited diseases or chronic issues. Today and everyday we can celebrate that.

Giving Thanks Today

Dear Father, thank you for these blessings and graces:

~ Glorious sunshine

~ For the way 4-year-old Beth looked in that pretty spring church dress. A little girl in a pretty dress with white fancy socks.... Why does that image of my daughters always make me feel a mixture of delight and sadness, as though the whole affect is too fleeting for words, because I know how fast times passes? And a little girl's manners are so pretty and pleasing on Sunday morning, to match the dress and fancy socks it seems, doesn't it?

~ Making chocolate chip cookie-bar batter with my Beth after church. Nothing delights that girl more than princess clothes, pretty shoes, and chocolate chip bars. Mary, my other daughter, went through a fleeting princess faze only, being more of a frog- and worm-catching tomboy. Each child under this roof is so unique!

~ New art books eliciting drawing excitement around here, once again.

~ Beth got a Max and Ruby video from the library and Paul, paying some minor attention to it, announced that Ruby is a very bossy sister and how did Max stand it? And where are the parents anyway?

~ Hugs and prayers from friends at church

~ A good sermon

~ Explaining the Ephesians verses about husband and wife roles to my sons, who are going through Ephesians as part of their homeschool load. After our talk, it occured to me how blessed the boys are to be learning such important wisdom so early in life. Sometimes it makes me so sad that I was saved so late in life (age 31), but I can give heartfelt thanks that my children are growing up so differently. While their lives will still come with monumental challenges, the comfort of the Father, the beauty of a bigger picture, an eternal one, will always be there for them. How beautiful is that?

~ A husband comforting a son through the panic of an asthma attack

~ Albuterol with spacer already on hand, making a middle-of-the night ER visit unnecessary.

What's beautiful in your life today, my friend?