Post-It Note Tuesdays: God is Love

God’s love is so great that He gave His only Son to bring us into fellowship with Him. God’s love not only encompasses the world, but embraces each of us personally and intimately.

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For other posts in this series, click here.






I will not claim this idea as my own...Post-It Note Tuesdays comes from Supah Mommy and so I give her the credit for this great idea, though I am modifying it a bit. I've also heard of Flylady using Post-Its to help develop habits so I give her credit too.

Combining both of these influences in the soup-i-ness of my mind, I've decided to develop the habit of focusing more on God's character via Post-Its! Part of living grace-fully is being grounded in WHO God is and WHAT He has done for us. In the roller coaster of life, the stable and unchangeable character of God is what I rely on to remain calm and unwavering (well, at least I strive to respond to life's chaos in a calm way! haha).

If you'd like to do this also, here's what to do:
1. Each week I'll post an element of God's character to focus on for the week on a Post-It note. So check back each Tuesday - or, sign up to receive new posts via email.

2. You can copy and paste the HTML code in the box below my Post-It and place it on your blog or use the Facebook link down below to share on your profile page.

3. You can write it down on a REAL Post-It and put it somewhere in your house that you can be reminded of God's character each day throughout the week. It has to be somewhere you see each day. (Hints: by the toilet paper in the bathroom, on your steering wheel, in your checkbook, you get the idea)

Together we will be growing strong in the Lord...

feeling our roots go down into the fertile soil of His power and strength

so we "will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:8 NIV

My Post-Its Character of God series is based on information from The Navigators website Thirty Days of Praying the Names and Attributes of God and/or Ann Spangler's book Praying the Names of God: A Daily Guide

Abounding in Gratitude

This weekend we had a wonderful family trip up to the Ingalls Homestead near De Smet, SD.  This is the location of the homestead claim for Charles and Caroline Ingalls, the parents of the more famously known Laura Ingalls Wilder.  They have a great touristy-educational kind of place set up...there's a dugout home, a shanty, a hay-roof barn, and a replica of the house Pa built along with some other buildings.  There were also people who did narrations/stories/demonstrations of what life was like for the pioneers.  And, bonus, they give a wagon ride out to an old schoolhouse and have a short narrative about school in the 1890's. 

Besides it being a terribly WINDY day, we had a great time.  If I was a photographer, I would post some pictures on here.  But, besides the fact that I need a better camera and I could blame my bad pictures on that, the reality is the batteries in my current crummy camera died halfway through the day - and I, of course, didn't have any backups with me.  In my 'organized defense', I usually have batteries in there, but for some reason someone else had used them and hadn't replenished my supply!  That doesn't happen to anyone else, does it?

But, I'm on here to add to my gratitude list.  NOT gripe about my camera problems! haha

So, on with the list.  My 'theme' today, if you can't tell by reading it,  revolves around the fact that I am NOT a pioneer woman of the 1890's.  And, it makes obvious the fact that I am indeed a big, wimpy 20th century city-girl gal.  Nellie Olson look out!  :)


For all information pertaining to Laura Ingalls Wilder, check out www.destinationlaura.com



61. Automated washers and dryers

62. Soap - millions of kinds and sold in stores everywhere

63. Insulation. And Tyvek.

64. Cars. Roads. Airplanes. ANYTHING transportation-wise that's not a covered wagon.

65. Electric stoves.

66. Furnaces & gas fireplaces.

67. People who sew - clothes, quilts, blankets, coats, gloves, etc.

68. Freezers.

69. Electricity period.

70. Chocolate chip cookies & peanut butter.






Here are a few pics from our day at the Homestead...

Dugout - smelled musty inside

The Shanty home - a little better but pretty small!

Trying to get ready for the wagon ride, but Little Man wasn't cooperating

Ahh, that was the prob.  Wanted MaMa.  Me and Mr. Cheese.

Inside the schoolhouse.

1890's school drinking fountain

It is still best to be honest and truthful and to make the most of what you have. - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Our children

There has been some drama in our neighborhood this past year.
They have put in a group home for mentally challenged young adults next door to our house. In fact, it's RIGHT next door. There's maybe a dozen feet that separates our wall and theirs.
The neighborhood was all a twitter. Meetings were held. Details shared. Views discussed.
What will this do to property value?
What will happen about all the lack of parking there is already on this crowded street in the middle of town?
What exactly does "mentally challenged" mean?

Lots of questions by our neighborhood.

Nate and I had decided that throughout this process, the Lord knew who would be moving in next door. Those neighbors of ours are there for a reason. The Lord planted us beside a kind couple just north of us and they have become "bonus grandparents" for our three boys. We have been stuck beside neighbors that have hated us, though too.
We get that when it comes to neighbors, you are at the Lord's mercy.
We were reminded of that again when we found out the plans for next door.

We have watched it form before our very eyes. We saw them dig. We saw them frame. For a mother of three boys, I almost wanted to send them a thank-you note for just keeping my kids occupied and fascinated the past couple months.

Today was the offical ribbon cutting. We showed up with various officials and various workers all wanting to tour the new facility. As we all assembled in front of the house to hear different people talk about their hopes for this new residence, I was struck especially about what one man's story.

He told the story of his son, who has autism. He talked about being away from his wife on a trip and her going to the doctor without him with his son. When she talked with him on the phone that night, he received the blow: his son had autism, the prospects didn't look good and it was even suggested that it was the mother's fault: that she had done something during her pregnancy to cause it.

He pointed to his wife crying a few feet away from me, whom I am sure was feeling a range of emotions as she remembered that appointment, that phone call and now here she was at this house. He explained that this has been a dream of theirs: a place for their son to live and thrive.
I was touched. I choked back a couple tears looking at my two boys standing beside me. By the grace of God, it wasn't my story.

We toured the home. One bedroom has heated floors because the resident who would live there doesn't like furniture. One bedroom is a lovely shade of purple: the color picked out by the only female that will live there. We were able to visit again with the manager of the place who took us on the tour himself. We met one of our new neighbors: Franklin, who apparently loves kids and looked directly at Phin and spoke to him in a way I didn't understand, but Phin smiled at him and said "hello" anyway, after a little urge from mom. There's a swing set in the back yard. We talked with the mom who stood crying earlier and she explained that if we heard swinging in the middle of the night, it would probably be her son.

Our neighbors next door became real to all of us today. We talked with them. We saw their parents. We looked at where they would be eating their meals.

We don't know our role yet as neighbors, but we will do what we can to make sure they know there are people next door who respect them, love Jesus, and will do what we can to help.


Kristin

This is not what I had planned

Yesterday was an interesting day.
I found out a childhood friend of mine lost her father to cancer.
Our radiator broke in our van and left Nate and the boys stranded across town.
I went on a walk and saw someone's driveway with the "Round the Clock Drainmasters" truck sitting in it.

All of us had something in common yesterday: things did not turn out how we planned them.
We don't plan on being in our early thirties and having our dad die.


We don't look at our monthly budget and think to ourselves "Let's see....Monday would be a good day to have the car break down and need major work done on it...."
And, from previous experience, no one plans on having the toilet back up to the point of no return.





We all have things happen in life that are unexpected. Sure, there are those great unexpected finds: "Five dollars in a pair of jeans!" or "I lost 3 pounds? Overnight??" or "Hey, I found a extra frozen pizza in the freezer--no making supper tonight!"


But, it seems the changes that hit us hardest are the unpleasant ones.
I want to be able to look at those changes and remind myself, over and over again, that the Lord foresees all these changes in my plans, my day, my life's adventures. And not only does He foresee these things, He has allowed them.

To refine me.

To challenge me.
To glorify Himself.



I pray that when changes occur, I look past the initial shock and look to Him. To Him who controls all things.

And who knows what is best for us.

No matter what that might be.


Kristin

Post-It Note Tuesdays: God is Good

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The goodness of God is what disposes Him to be kind, benevolent, and full of good will toward all creation.





For other posts in this series, click here.









I will not claim this idea as my own...Post-It Note Tuesdays comes from Supah Mommy and so I give her the credit for this great idea, though I am modifying it a bit. I've also heard of Flylady using Post-Its to help develop habits so I give her credit too.

Combining both of these influences in the soup-i-ness of my mind, I've decided to develop the habit of focusing more on God's character via Post-Its! Part of living grace-fully is being grounded in WHO God is and WHAT He has done for us. In the roller coaster of life, the stable and unchangeable character of God is what I rely on to remain calm and unwavering (well, at least I strive to respond to life's chaos in a calm way! haha).

If you'd like to do this also, here's what to do:

1. Each week I'll post an element of God's character to focus on for the week on a Post-It note. So check back each Tuesday - or, sign up to receive new posts via email.


2. You can copy and paste the HTML code in the box below my Post-It and place it on your blog or use the Facebook link down below to share on your profile page.


3. You can write it down on a REAL Post-It and put it somewhere in your house that you can be reminded of God's character each day throughout the week. It has to be somewhere you see each day. (Hints: by the toilet paper in the bathroom, on your steering wheel, in your checkbook, you get the idea)

Together we will be growing strong in the Lord...

feeling our roots go down into the fertile soil of His power and strength

so we "will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:8 NIV

My Post-Its Character of God series is based on information from The Navigators website Thirty Days of Praying the Names and Attributes of God and/or Ann Spangler's book Praying the Names of God: A Daily Guide

Gratitude Schmatitude

I'm still on my way to listing 1000 Gifts with Ann at A Holy Experience. 

I'm thinking I'm going to need to include some family members in this listing experience.  We had some troubles with a certain oldest child yesterday - definitely drew attention to an ungrateful spirit brewing.  And, since he doesn't often read my blog (the url for it unfortunately isn't Lego.com) he doesn't get to see my gratitude list.  Hmmm....wonder if I could get it on that site somehow?  haha

51.  Experiencing worship at a different church.

52.  A hot weekend at the lake.

53.  An understanding.

54.  A lesson.

55.  Another foot-in-mouth moment to humble me.

56.  Great in-laws.

57.  The last snuggle before bed.

58.  A good guard dog.

59.  Dreams.

60.  Hearing the voice of God thru those around us.


You can also read my complete gratitude list here.



What are you grateful for today?

Soul-FULL Sundays: Understanding Grace

For today's filling of your soul, go here to read a commentary by Paul Tripp on the Desiring God blog. Here's the beginning...


"Do you understand the majesty and practicality of the grace you have been given? If you don't, in subtle and not so subtle ways, you are looking to other things to get you through. You don't need to go out searching for hope and help, because they are already yours in the resources of grace that you have been given as God's child."

Suggest a Charity!

I heard about this through someone's Delicious bookmarks the other day and thought I'd pass it on. Very interesting idea to get suggestions of charities for them to donate money to. Information on how to suggest a charity is after the jump...just read the post and send an email!

http://www.hollywoodhousewife.com/2010/08/announcing-housewife-heart.html

I sent an email suggesting these local charities, two of the ones we contribute to:
The Mission Ball
Mission Haiti

My good friend Sara just blogged about the latter of the two here.

Boy, I'm just a linking maniac in this post!!  Phew!

A Poem by Amy

I wrote this for a friend who is having a baby this year.  I haven't written a poem since high school, so this was fun to try again. 

Happy Friday!



When That Baby Gets Here


Five little words
You've probably heard quite a bit
Maybe so much so
You'd like to throw a fit.

"When That Baby Gets Here"
This & that & such are going to change
Oh, but if you only knew
The height & depth & range

Of what was really going to happen

Once your precious package arrives

Things of great proportion

Things of gigantic size

But the real surprise is

They come in something so small

So tiny, so sweet,

So dependent for all. 

Trusting in you to supply his every need

To clothe & bathe & diaper & feed

The joy of warmth when cuddling, asleep

The running to soothe every little squeek & peep

A child of God looking up at you
Specially made from the joining of two.
For you to love & teach & raise him so
Someday His Great Creator he can follow

A piece of each of you entwined together
To make a new soul that will last forever.
On loan from God, your precious gift will be
How will you write his history?

'When That Baby Gets Here'
Is the start of something grand
Part of your purpose,
Part of His plan.

Your heart will swell with thankfulness & cheer
And soon enough
Your baby will be here.

Photo Credit

Bloom Where You're Planted

We finally got rid of it. The towering blossom I've been nursing along since April. It was as tall as my kitchen window. And, it could barely stand up by itself anymore because its base was too small with not enough room to grow out its roots; a tiny hand-painted pot that would have been better suited for some other flower, and by 'other' I really mean shorter.

But this flower of ours, this leaning-tower-of-daisies, definitely gets an A+ for effort. It grew and grew and grew AND GREW...and then finally bloomed some time in the beginning of July. Despite the undersized pot it had been planted in. What kind of teacher plants tall daisies in a mini-pot for a 2nd grade Mother's Day project? At least we were successful in getting blooms this year - last year's Mother's Day project never bloomed because my daughter had unfortunately planted the seeds too deeply under the dirt.

But back to this year's flower - it definitely bloomed where it was planted! Now, maybe you've heard that phrase before but my daily reminder of it for the past 4+ months has made me think of some interesting reflections on this phrase and what it means to us as children of God.



You see, God refers to us as flowers a few times:
- In Matthew 6:28 we're told to not worry about clothing because God clothes the lillies of the field, and does so with more glory than Solomon was ever clothed in.

- Hosea 14:5 refers to Israel as blossoming like lillies if they return to God and repent.

- In Psalm 103:15 God says we flourish as flowers of the field, but once the flowers are gone, the place they once were acknowledges them no more.



What insights did my summertime window decor give me?

1) Our flower didn't think "If I can't grow in the most beautiful garden, I'm not gonna grow at all." 
How many of us Christians think we have to be going to a beautifully decorated and wonderfully managed church or have a charasmatic preacher or have to do a study by a well-known author in order to grow in God's word? Or, how many of us fall into the trap of saying things like "Someday when this or that happens I'll do better with my daily devotions" or "If I only had this or that I could be more devoted in my walk." When we do these things we're acting just like a brazen flower bold enough to say to God "I'm not gonna grow here!"

2) Our flower didn't worry about its water supply, sunlight, or dirt. It relied on us for its daily needs.
God's grace is given to us on a daily basis, on an as-needed basis. Why do we think God should give us an advance on the grace we will receive from Him in the days ahead? Would it have made sense for me to give the flower all it's supply of water for the summer back in the month April? Why do we then think God should give us any more grace than what we need for getting through TODAY. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says "His grace is sufficient"...and that means sufficient for today. This also means we need to be close to God each day to fill up on His 'dose' of grace for us.

3) On days when sunlight was scarce our flower didn't start growing towards our indoor lighting and give up completely on sunlight. Even though it was a cloudy and subdued-sun day, our flower knew sunlight was still best for its growth.
The only thing that will help us grow is His Light, His Son. And we need to rely on Him even when we feel (or it may appear) that something else would be better for us, something of this world. Like a large savings account to save us when we lose our job. Or a TV show to make us feel like we have meaningful relationships. Alcohol or drugs to soothe our worries. Busyness to drown out the lonliness. Nothing will help us except for Jesus Christ. Nothing will fill the emptiness like Jesus Christ. Nothing will satisfy us but Him. He is our source of life, just as sunlight and water are life to a flower.

Photo Credit

Just like the flowers in the field obey His command,

we should be blooming wherever HE has planted us.

Whatever season we are in right now,

God expects us to turn our faces toward Him,

just as a flower turns towards the sun,

to receive our life and strength.

Then others around us can enjoy our beauty;

beauty that reflects the care of our Creator,

the power of our Maker,

the faithfulness of our Sustainer.

Bloom, sister, bloom

and bring glory to your Father.

Here's my little flower holding her flower. :)

Post-It Note Tuesdays: God is Omnipotent

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God has power. Since God is also infinite, whatever He has must be without limit; therefore, God has limitless power.



For other posts in this series, click here.








I will not claim this idea as my own...Post-It Note Tuesdays comes from Supah Mommy and so I give her the credit for this great idea, though I am modifying it a bit. I've also heard of Flylady using Post-Its to help develop habits so I give her credit too.

Combining both of these influences in the soup-i-ness of my mind, I've decided to develop the habit of focusing more on God's character via Post-Its! Part of living grace-fully is being grounded in WHO God is and WHAT He has done for us. In the roller coaster of life, the stable and unchangeable character of God is what I rely on to remain calm and unwavering (well, at least I strive to respond to life's chaos in a calm way! haha).

If you'd like to do this also, here's what to do:
1. Each week I'll post an element of God's character to focus on for the week on a Post-It note. So check back each Tuesday - or, sign up to receive new posts via email.

2. You can copy and paste the HTML code in the box below my Post-It and place it on your blog or use the Facebook link down below to share on your profile page.

3. You can write it down on a REAL Post-It and put it somewhere in your house that you can be reminded of God's character each day throughout the week. It has to be somewhere you see each day. (Hints: by the toilet paper in the bathroom, on your steering wheel, in your checkbook, you get the idea)

Together we will be growing strong in the Lord...

feeling our roots go down into the fertile soil of His power and strength

so we "will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:8 NIV

My Post-Its Character of God series is based on information from The Navigators website Thirty Days of Praying the Names and Attributes of God and/or Ann Spangler's book Praying the Names of God: A Daily Guide

Trying to be better

I want to be a better mom.
I want to be a better follower of Christ.
I want to be a better wife, sister, daughter, friend.

And yet I still snap at my kids.
I forgo my devotions for a trip to Target.
I get angry with my husband when he forgets, just once, to empty the garbage at night.

I fail miserably. Daily, it seems.

But, there's something in the "wanting".
I think the day I decide I don't want any of those things any more is the day I'm truly in trouble


So, I continue to strive. I go to bed each night with hopes for a new day tomorrow: a day with fruitful conversations with my children. A day of revelation from His word in a way I had never seen before. A day when I think of myself last and others first and give what I can to help them.

I continue to try.
Because when I continue to try, breakthroughs happen. Changes happen. Character is transformed and knowing God gets sweeter.

Here's to tomorrow.

---Kristin

Growing My Gratitude Attitude

I'm still on my way to listing 1000 Gifts with Ann at A Holy Experience. 

I was thankful for her post last Friday, which you can read here.  Before I'd read this one, I'd thought everything was beautiful and perfect in her world. 

Now I can see she has days just like the rest of us but yet sees such beauty around her AND can capture it in photos and words in a way that is truly gifted. 

Her world isn't perfect.  But her God is. 

Thanks Ann!


41. Last day of summer vacation.

42. First day of school.

43. Christian teachers who are dedicated to teaching at a Christian school - no matter how low the pay is!!

44. That no one else has this stomach bug I've been dealing w/the last 3 days.

45. For time w/Little Man to learn and discover new things.

46. Endless piles of work that make me feel needed.

47. Friends who don't give up on me.

48. Sweet corn, watermelon, green beans, the harvest of summer's bounty.

49. Carpooling.

50. Not as much rain this last week so things can dry out a bit.

Soul-Full Sundays: Amazing Grace

Thank you for joining us on Soul-Full Sundays....a chance to observe the Sabbath through resting and filling our souls with His words, love, and strength. 

(These entries are usually written ahead of time so we can enjoy our Sabbath as well.)  :)


Amazing Grace - John Newton, 1779

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That sav’d a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev’d;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ’d!

Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promis’d good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call’d me here below,
Will be forever mine.

(the verse below was added in 1790)
When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise,
Than when we first begun.


To read more about John Newton's hymn, check out these resources...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_Grace
http://www.anointedlinks.com/amazing_grace.html




Please share in comments below what has touched you on this Sabbath day...

Conserving Water

Grace-Full living in these parts calls for giving grace to others in our city by conserving water. Our area has seen record rainfall amounts this summer and because of this, our city has been having wastewater issues. You see, last week a sewage pipe blew up and there was the threat of having sewage back up into many people's homes. Thankfully the amount was smaller than anticipated, but there were still some people who got my poo in their basement. :( Well, maybe not MY poo because we actually weren't here. But it was someone's poo for sure!!

We're supposed to get more heavy rain tonight so the mayor has called for water conservation until Saturday morning (it's Thursday afternoon as I write this). Because the wastewater bypass they built as a temporary fix to last week's problem could get overloaded again....and we definitely don't want THAT to happen. Especially since I'm HERE this week.  And it really could be MY poo...

So, how will I conserve water?

1. Shorter showers. Yes, I will have to shower as it's that time of the month and goodness sakes, I can't imagine NOT showering for the next 24+ hours when dealing with that. So will I just hurry and be super fast? No, probably not. Because I'll lose track of time and that warm water will feel oh.  So.  Good.  And pretty soon, 15 minutes will have gone by!! Instead I will get wet and turn the water off. Then I will suds up the hair and the bod. And then I'll rinse off. Presto. Shorto showero.

2. "Plug" the drains. This will be most easy in the kitchen. I'll just place a basin inside the sink and run any water we need into that. Then, instead of dumping it down the drain, I'll dump it outside. Yes, because we need MORE water outside with all this rain. But I guess that's better than down the drain and into other people's basements. Washing hands, washing dishes, getting a drink and cooking can all be done like this. So, wastewater in the kitchen is eliminated. (Too bad I couldn't figure out how to do this in the shower...if only I had a basin that big).

3.  Hold off on any laundry.  This won't be too hard because I just finished laundry yesterday.  But besides that, do we really not have enough clothes to last us 24+ hours?  What, would this be like 2 outfits?  I think most of us could make it a week on the stuff in our closets.  We maybe wouldn't be the most coordinated, fashionatas on the face of the earth.  But hey, maybe we could get some nominations from this region for that one show about "What Not To Wear".

4. The stinky part. Okay, so what did they first call bathrooms when they moved them inside the house? I don't know, but before they were 'in' the house, I know they were 'out' houses. So what do I have now that I am supposed to conserve water until Saturday morning? An OUT-house IN my house. :) Really, do we have to flush after every little tinkle? No. This is our house - we fart, burp, puke, and perform all other forms of bodily functions in front of each other so looking at someone else's piddle isn't going to be a big deal for a few hours. Once the bowl is reaching maximum capacity and at the threat of clogging, then we'll flush. Or, if someone has to 'lay a bomb' as my 10 yr old son would said, I guess we'll have to flush then too. And while we're flushing, we'll also pray that it doesn't end up in someone's basement. Now, I'll have to get creative for some 'things' but that's okay (refer to the showering comment if you can't remember). I'll just keep that explaination to myself.

In what on-going ways do you try to conserve water?  And how would you conserve in an emergency situation?

Oh be careful little eyes what you see....

I went walking today and saw a young girl, maybe 8 or so, with a novel tucked under her arm. I didn't pay attention at first as she passed by me, but then it hit me. I knew that author. I used to read his stuff. Gruesome, gory stuff. It was hard for me to stomach as an adult, but she's a mere kid! I just keep thinking about it: about that girl and the images she'll read and visualize.
I also started thinking about the promise I made myself a couple years ago.
I love books. I love to read. And I love to go to movies and there are some TV shows that I have watched that I have actually thrown parties to celebrate. I am a media girl, I suppose.
I decided a while ago, that the stuff I had been watching and reading was just plain not appropriate for me. There are some images I have seen in movies I so wish I would have never seen. Those images are stuck there in my brain and I can't get rid of them.
And for the novels I was reading, I remember once walking past a film crew for the local TV station as I left the library and I quickly snuck the new novel I was dying to read under my arms so no one could see what I was reading. If I didn't want people to know I was reading it, then why should I in the first place?
I was convicted. I'm a child of Christ and I have choices in what my eyes see. I need to be careful. I need to be intentional.
So, I decided I would do away with at least three things in my reading and watching: if I came across them, I would either turn the channel or put the book down. One of those things was bloody gore. I was done reading graphic thrillers that I used to so love. Those images just shouldn't be in my head, I decided. I would rather spend my time reading other things.
I was able to bypass that one easily. I just skipped certain authors. I could tell by most previews which movies to avoid and could tell by commercials which shows to stop watching. It meant I had to give up two or three shows I had watched regularly, but again, I just felt convicted that I needed to stop watching those images.
One of the other things that was much more troublesome for me to avoid was adultery. I can't tell you how many novels I have started reading only to put down after the first chapter in frustration.
I have had books mentioned to me by friends, great reads, they would urge, but then they would describe an adulterous situation. I would have to pass....
I remember my sister and I both looking forward to watching a new television show: the commercials made the show look amazing. We were so pumped for this show to begin.
And it did. Within the first two episodes I knew adultery was coming up quickly.
We never discussed the show those first weeks. But, then after a month or so, the topic came up. She admitted she had stopped watching the show. "I found myself rooting for the husband to leave his wife for another woman. I was done with that show," she told me.
We are just bombarded by images we see and read, aren't we? We are shown day after day that morals are relative, true love never waits and it's okay to do any number of things because that's the way everybody does it.
And it seems like we Christians all have our own set of rules when it comes to entertainment. It's a hard topic to discuss, even harder to argue and it's strange to see how two people who love Jesus so much have such different views in their media intake.
That old song I sung as a child came back to me tonight:
"Oh be careful little eyes what you see...."

There's a Safety Pin Holding My Pants Shut

I've had the privilege of sharing my testimony a handful of times over the past few years. One of those times, I opened with this line: "There's a safety pin holding my pants shut."

I couldn't help it. For starters, it was true. I really had busted the closure on my favorite pair of trouser jeans, and as nervous as I was, wasn't about to wear anything but the clothes I loved most -- broken or not. On my way up to the podium, I had an overwhelming sense that I might give the women in the audience the impression that my life is easy, breezy perfect. A succinctly edited 30 minute narrative could certainly give that impression, particularly when there's a happy ending like Josiah and Isaiah, my boys, on display.

So, I told them about the safety pin holding my pants shut.

The point behind that safety pin comes up often. It's in my conversations with a dear friend who's struggling to be a godly mother and wife alongside a husband who doesn't share her faith. "You just don't know the blessings you have," she'll always say. It's prevalent in the underlying views of another dear friend, who's leveled me more than once during discussions about marriage when she says, "You and Andy just don't have the problems the rest of us do." It rises up again when still another dear friend, who wishes she could quit her job and be home with her kids full-time says, "You have no idea have good you've got it."

Actually, I do. I'm desperately grateful to my Father for blessing so abundantly someone as truly undeserving as me. Everywhere I turn, I'm confronted with yet another way my Father has chosen to demonstrate His love for me. It makes me shake my head in wonder more than a few times a day.

This summer our pastor has been teaching out of Genesis during Sunday school. He's focusing solely on chapters 12 through 24, the life of Abraham. Last week we lighted on chapter 16, which opens with this revealing information: "Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, 'The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant, perhaps I can build a family through her.'"

No pastor can bring up Genesis 16 without mentioning the all-consuming nature of the I-word -- infertility. Pastor Randy was no different, and while he thoroughly outlined the cultural significance of bearing children and the unending cycle of anticipation and disappointment, I did the same thing I usually do -- I forced my face blank, which isn't all that easy since Sarai-turned-Sarah and I are kindred spirits, laughing and all.

My face didn't remain blank long. As Pastor Randy's message unfolded, his overall point nearly made my jaw drop because of its piercingly accurate truth: focusing on the one thing God has withheld from us becomes an obsession, the likes of which we cannot see anything else through. It distorts our vision to the point we overlook the safety pin holding the pants together.

We see perfection instead of real people living real lives fraught with real consequences. Sarah saw Hagar that way, a genius solution to a lifelong problem. The maidservant was swiftly thrust into the drama as Abram's second wife and things went sour when Hagar became pregnant. She lorded the forthcoming child over Sarah. Sarah, in turn, lashed out at Abram and mistreated Hagar.

I've wondered since Pastor Randy's message if things might have been different for Sarah if she had been able to focus on the blessings God had already given her. God's plan wasn't thwarted in the least by her grumbling -- she still received the long-awaited child --, but perhaps her life before Isaac could have been less painful. I'll never know, but I do know that my friends are right -- I am extremely blessed. More than they or anyone else could know. Like Sarah, my greatest blessings have been born from my greatest heartaches. I suspect Sarah and I aren't the only ones.

I'll most likely keep spilling the beans about things like the safety pin holding my pants shut. It's my way of preventing others -- and myself -- from thinking that I've got it all together. It's a challenge not to focus on the thing God has withheld in your life -- like a working zipper --, but giving thanks for the things He has provided -- like a spiffy pair of jeans -- goes a long way to keeping our vision fixed where it singularly belongs -- on Jesus.

Post-It Note Tuesdays: God is Infinite

<a href="http://gracefull-living.blogspot.com"><img src="http://i797.photobucket.com/albums/yy253/aodland/superstickies_godis2.jpg" border="0″" width="125" height="125" /></a>

We cannot speak of measure, amount, size, or weight and at the same time be speaking of God, for He is beyond measurement. God has no beginning, no end, and no limits.


For other posts in this series, click here.



I will not claim this idea as my own...Post-It Note Tuesdays comes from Supah Mommy and so I give her the credit for this great idea, though I am modifying it a bit. I've also heard of Flylady using Post-Its to help develop habits so I give her credit too.

Combining both of these influences in the soup-i-ness of my mind, I've decided to develop the habit of focusing more on God's character via Post-Its! Part of living grace-fully is being grounded in WHO God is and WHAT He has done for us. In the roller coaster of life, the stable and unchangeable character of God is what I rely on to remain calm and unwavering (well, at least I strive to respond to life's chaos in a calm way! haha).

If you'd like to do this also, here's what to do:

1. Each week I'll post an element of God's character to focus on for the week on a Post-It note. So check back each Tuesday - or, sign up to receive new posts via email.

2. You can copy and paste the HTML code in the box below my Post-It and place it on your blog or use the Facebook link down below to share on your profile page.

3. You can write it down on a REAL Post-It and put it somewhere in your house that you can be reminded of God's character each day throughout the week. It has to be somewhere you see each day. (Hints: by the toilet paper in the bathroom, on your steering wheel, in your checkbook, you get the idea)

Together we will be growing strong in the Lord...

feeling our roots go down into the fertile soil of His power and strength

so we "will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:8 NIV

My Post-Its Character of God series is based on information from The Navigators website Thirty Days of Praying the Names and Attributes of God and/or Ann Spangler's book Praying the Names of God: A Daily Guide

Gratitude Monday

I'm still on my way to listing 1000 Gifts with Ann at A Holy Experience but I also wanted to mention that I came across a day last week in the 30 Day challenge in Nancy Leigh DeMoss' book Choosing Gratitude that talks about being thankful for the little things.  She mentions the 'stones in a jar' illustration, where one could say the jar is full because there is no more room for any of the big stones....when pebbles are dumped in, they fill in the spaces between the stones and make the jar fuller.  And then sand can be added to make it REALLY full. 

And so it is with the little things in our life. 

Filling in the spaces between the big blessings in our jars of gratitude.


Here is a link to a beautiful telling of the 'stones in a jar' illustration in regards to how we manage our time.



31. An opp to soak up as much summer as we can at the last minute.
32. Wisdom that comes from other things besides books.
33. Health.
34. Allergy meds to help w/health when it isn't so good.
35. A clean shower at the end of a hard day of work.
36. Friends who write beautifully and encourage/inspire me.
37. Openness and honesty.
38. Forgiveness.
39. Full stomachs.
40. A God who says "Fear not" even though He should be the most feared.

On being thankful

My oldest son got mixed up at snack time today. In other families, this would not be a big deal. In our family, it's a huge deal.
My oldest son took a bite of his brother's cookie. And immediately, he had second thoughts about going on and eating something without asking us first because he called to myself and my husband Nate "What does my cookie look like?" Nate and I looked at each other (we were in the other room).
"Phin's cookie is a wafer cookie and yours is the oatmeal one." We heard Isaiah start to panic.
We ran downstairs and saw a bite missing from Phin's.
Isaiah is allergic to wheat. He's allergic to peanuts, eggs and peas too. We weren't sure if those things were in those cookies, but we knew there would be wheat in them. My husband grabbed the Benadryl and gave it to a crying Isaiah and he gulped it down.
Then we watched him.
I'm not sure what Nate was thinking during this time, but I know what I was thinking: "Just let him be okay, just let him be okay......"
You know when you get a bag of flour from the grocery store and you bring it home and pour it into its canister? Isaiah can't even be one room away from that process or his eyes will swell up and he'll have an allergic reaction. We have to give him Benadryl just from being around flour at times. Who knew what would happen once he had digested it?
So, we waited. We waited for Isaiah to stop crying. We waited for the Benadryl to do its job. And were grateful.
He did fine. He recovered beautifully. Tonight you wouldn't even guess there had been anything wrong today.
As parents, we pray for protection for our children. I believe there are many things that happen all around us, all day long, where the Lord is protecting our kids. We just don't see it.
Today I got to see it.
I got to see how the Lord protected Isaiah.
He gave him the instinct to ask us about his snack.
What would have happened if he had taken more than that first bite? We don't have to know that answer.
I'm so thankful tonight. Thankful that I love my kids. I love my kids so much. I do whatever I can to protect them.
But the Lord loves them more.

On waiting....

Our roof leaked.

So, we wait. We've been getting a lot of rain around here and knew there was a problem with it. We had a roofer take a look and he applied what he called a "band aid". It didn't work.

We wait until we hear what the next steps are. New roof? Was there more damage done than originally thought? Or will it be an "easy" fix just around the chimney? We know we need it fixed. We know it will cost money. And that's about all we know.

So, like I said, we wait.

I started thinking of times in my life when I've waited. I waited for my husband to propose to me. I waited to hear each of my boys' first cries after being born, assuring me they were okay and into the world. I've waited for illnesses to pass. For birthdays to come. I realized I have spent a lot of my life waiting.

And each of those times, an answer or an event came. And passed. And I wasn't completely shattered. Not even once. In fact, there are some instances when I am glad that the Lord made me wait. Am thankful for it now.

I also started thinking about friends. I thought of my friend who wants to do the Lord's work overseas but just can't find enough funds for her mission work. I think of my friends that have waited, waited, waited to have a baby. Or those that have, and still are, waiting to find a mate. I think of "mom friends" that wait for a diagnosis for their child. We wait in line at the grocery store. We wait for so many things.

And then I think of my boys. They wait for snack time. They wait for their punishments to pass. They wait to go to Grandpa and Grandma's house. They wait for Tuesdays to come (Tuesdays mean video game day and since it's summer, Wipeout is on TV too--a very big day for the kids....)

We all wait. And how we wait can say a lot about us. And it can be a testament of what and Who we believe in.

Those of us with kids know that they look at us and copy us, whether we like them to or not. They are watching me as I wait to hear news on the roofing situation. I believe my boys understand these things: 1. Our roof has a leak and that's a bad thing. 2. My oldest, because of respiratory issues, has to be gone while part of the interior gets fixed. 3. It's going to cost us money. They don't have a huge understanding of money, but I think they are getting the idea of how expensive this might be because of some hushed (and admittedly, not so hushed) conversations between Mommy and Daddy.

I have not shown them an example of peaceful waiting. I have not shown them very well that there are times when we don't have all the answers, that they will come, and that the Lord will be glorified, no matter what the answer may be. I have tried, and may have succeeded at times, to show a peaceful wait in progress, but most of the time, what they have seen from me is an anxious heart.

I know I have friends praying for us and I feel them right now. Oh, to have a community that prays for us! For friends that not only check on us to see how we are doing emotionally, but friends that invite us to move in with them if we have to for a bit, for friends that just want to be there to support us. We are so blessed.

With those blessings in mind, this afternoon I am restful. And peaceful. The Lord will provide for us as he graciously has in the past.

We don't know what the answers will be. But, we trust that it is for the good of those of us in this house that love Him.

His will be done.

Kristin

Post-It Note Tuesdays: Remembering the Character of God

<a href="http://gracefull-living.blogspot.com"><img src="http://i797.photobucket.com/albums/yy253/aodland/superstickies_godis1jpg.jpg" border="0″" width="125" height="125" /></a>

The name of independent being—“I AM WHO I AM”—only belongs to Jehovah God. As we consider His greatness, we fall down in fear and awe of this One who possesses all authority.



For other posts in this series, click here.






I will not claim this idea as my own...Post-It Note Tuesdays comes from Supah Mommy and so I give her the credit for this great idea, though I am modifying it a bit.  I've also heard of Flylady using Post-Its to help develop habits so I give her credit too.

Combining both of these influences in the soup-i-ness of my mind, I've decided to develop the habit of focusing more on God's character via Post-Its!  Part of living grace-fully is being grounded in WHO God is and WHAT He has done for us.  In the roller coaster of life, the stable and unchangeable character of God is what I rely on to remain calm and unwavering (well, at least I strive to respond to life's chaos in a calm way! haha).

If you'd like to do this also, here's what to do:

1.  Each week I'll post an element of God's character to focus on for the week on a Post-It note. So check back each Tuesday - or, sign up to receive new posts via email. 


2.  You can copy and paste the HTML code in the box below my Post-It and place it on your blog or use the Facebook link down below to share on your profile page.


3.  You can write it down on a REAL Post-It and put it somewhere in your house that you can be reminded of God's character each day throughout the week.  It has to be somewhere you see each day.  (Hints: by the toilet paper in the bathroom, on your steering wheel, in your checkbook, you get the idea)

Together we will be growing strong in the Lord...

feeling our roots go down into the fertile soil of His power and strength

so we "will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."  Jeremiah 17:8 NIV

My Post-Its Character of God series is based on information from The Navigators website Thirty Days of Praying the Names and Attributes of God and/or Ann Spangler's book Praying the Names of God: A Daily Guide

Gratitude Attitude

It sometimes seems that gratitude is a hard thing to balance.  By that I mean it can feel as though if I express my gratitude for certain blessings, that it's being taken by some as boasting.  Or, if I don't express my gratitude that I'm adding to the perception of being a thankless and ungrateful wretch, an ingrate.  Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place!! 



How have you felt about expressing gratitude in the past?  What struggles do you have with showing gratitude for blessings in your life or for things people have done for you?



21. Not getting any water in our basement w/record rainfall for the months of June & July.


22. The kids NOT getting parts in the play this week - we can relax a bit more and get some things done around here too.

23. Discernment

24. Patience (for today anyway)

25. God's word

26. online courses for renewing teaching licenses

27. Francis Chan

28. Living close to the kids' grandparents, aka our parents.

29. A quiet moment

30. A sunny day to dry out the water-logged ground.