Creating Contentment

A Little Change...For the Better I Hope

2009-04-22T16:08:00.000-07:00

When I started this blog, I had no idea where I was going with it. I just knew God was leading me to share some things that had been going on in my life. In the beginning, it was just a bunch of rambling about us moving away from our hometown and how God brought us through that ordeal with renewed faith. It soon evolved into very "simple" devotions - just things that God laid on my heart from time to time.

If you'll notice, I have three blogs. Well, I'm a little addicted to organizing, and I thought I needed separate blogs for separate thoughts. My family blog was for family happenings and projects around the house, this one was for "things a little more spiritual" and then there's my blog shop. I'm starting to feel like I have a multiple personality disorder. In addition to being organized, I also strive to live a simple life and frankly, maintaining three blogs isn't conducive to simplicity! I have a hard time deciding what needs to go on which blog sometimes.

Since I have but ONE God given, blessed life and I want to share all parts of it in one central place, I'm no longer going to post here. I'm merging this blog into my family blog. It was never my intent to hide away the spiritual stuff here, my organization just kicked into overdrive a little! I'm an early riser and the rest of my family members aren't, so I usually have some nice quiet time on Saturday mornings! Starting this Saturday morning, I'm going to post "Simple Devotion Saturdays" each week.

I appreciate all of you that follow this blog, and I know that most of you already follow our family blog but if you don't, I would love to have you join me over on A Mayberry State of Mind!

Go!

2009-04-14T06:21:00.000-07:00

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Matthew 28:16-20

Easter has come and gone once again. We've celebrated the resurrection of Jesus - now what? Jesus' last command on earth was simply "go"!

But I'm just a stay at home mom with tons of responsibilities - where can I go? I can go to my knees and pray. I can go to my neighbor and be an example of the love of Christ. I can go to my talents and see if they can be used to bring glory to God. I can go to my wallet and give sacrificially to missions. I can go to my church and get involved!

We sometimes feel like we aren't doing enough. There are so many lost, hurting people in the world that I find myself overwhelmed, wanting to just do something . . . anything to help them all. Perhaps one day God will call me to physically go out into the world for Him, but for this season of my life, I feel that God is using me right where I am.

If you feel led to do your part in fulfilling the Great Commission but you aren't sure what to do, first of all, pray. Pray for direction, listen and watch for opportunities . . . and then GO!

Barbara at Beyond Still Waters has given me the sweet Sisterhood Award. She had some truly beautiful, humbling things to say about my blog. She is a talented writer and she loves the Lord with all her heart. Hop on over and pay her a visit for a true blessing. Thank you so much Barbara!

This Too Shall Pass

2009-04-08T19:22:00.000-07:00

If I can endure for this minute
Whatever is happening to me,
No matter how heavy my heart is
Or how dark the moment may be-

If I can remain calm and quiet
With all the world crashing about me,
Secure in the knowledge God loves me
When everyone else seems to doubt me-

If I can but keep on believing
What I know in my heart to be true,
That darkness will fade with the morning
And that this will pass away, too-

Then nothing in life can defeat me
For as long as this knowledge remains
I can suffer whatever is happening
For I know God will break all of the chains

That are binding me tight in the darkness
And trying to fill me with fear-
For there is no night without dawning
And I know that my morning is near.

...Helen Steiner Rice

Hidden in My Heart

2009-04-04T06:01:00.001-07:00

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11

I've always wanted to know that God's word was hidden in my heart. Sure, I do Bible studies and try to memorize scripture, but I've NEVER been good at memorization so I've always been a little unsure of myself in that area.

I feel a little differently now. This morning I woke up at about 5:00 (I assure you I'm not in the habit of being awake at 5:00 on a Saturday morning!) with lots of things on my mind. Nothing serious, we just happen to be facing several little decisions right now and they all decided to roar through my head at once! It was still dark, the house was quiet and I wanted desperately to be asleep, but that wasn't happening. I prayed for peace and guidance and without even realizing it, scriptures started coming to mind in my prayer. I did fall asleep and when I woke up again at the more respectable hour of 7:00, I felt completely calm. Those silly little worries were gone and life was good again. I had almost completely forgotten about the whole thing - like it was a dream.

Well, it was no dream and I'm so thankful that I had that experience. It was almost like a parent soothing a child back to sleep after a nightmare. The Lord soothed me back to sleep with His own words that I didn't even know were a part of me. I feel led to step up and get more serious about scripture memorization now, and I challenge you to do the same - I really believe it can change our lives!

A Post From My Family Blog

2009-03-31T12:29:00.000-07:00

I posted this on my family blog and felt that it belonged here as well. Sometimes I feel torn when trying to decide what to post on which blog - as if only the spiritual things can go here and only the family stuff can go there. I have but one life and all that I have in this life is because of God.

The Power of Words

2009-03-25T14:41:00.000-07:00

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me . . . unless I'm a living, breathing human being. We're good at pretending that old saying is true, but odds are at this very moment you can remember the most hurtful thing that was ever said to you. You know who said it, what day of the week it was and what you had for breakfast that morning!

Words have more power than we realize. A simple spoken word can crush a spirit, end a marriage or even start a war. Proverbs 21:23 says "He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity." More truthful words were never spoken. Oh, if I could only take back some of the things I've said! We may never know the impact we've had on someone by opening our mouths without thinking.

Just as we should guard our mouths from speaking harm, we should also look for opportunities to use uplifting, encouraging words. Proverbs 25:11 says "A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver." Our words can be precious when chosen carefully and prayerfully. Here again, words have more power than we realize - on the flip side, we may never know the impact we've had on someone by opening our mouths and speaking words of truth and wisdom!

Don't Give Up!

2009-03-18T06:21:00.000-07:00

"...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

I woke up with this scripture on my mind this morning. We rarely watch the news now because . . . well, frankly I see no point in watching it anymore. We do watch FOX news and we read headlines to make sure we know what's going on, but that's about it. I'm not getting into politics here, because I'd be in way over my head, but I think I do know the difference between right and wrong. I guess that's my question - what happened to right and wrong?

Most of you know we homeschool. A couple of weeks ago, Zach was studying about our founding fathers and this sentence in his book really stuck with me: Our founding fathers attempted to write a document which would protect men of character from those having selfish purposes. Government can only be as strong as the character of those who govern and those who are governed. I read that over to myself and was truly saddened to see just how far we have strayed from those principles.

True, there's not much good news across our "land" right now, but we as Christians know the ultimate good news! We have to step up now more than ever. We simply cannot throw our hands up in the air or duck our heads in the sand and give up. God knew these days were coming, but His word proves itself faithful over and over. There has never been a time that God hasn't kept His promises, but He has conditions attached to many of those promises: IF you will pray, IF you will seek my face and turn from your wicked ways, THEN I will heal your land.

I don't know if this once great nation founded on Godly principles can ever be the same again, but I do know that God has been so amazingly faithful to us . . . doesn't He deserve the same in return?

Choose

2009-03-12T05:58:00.000-07:00

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15

Don't you wish you could hear Joshua saying this? I would love to hear the tone of his voice here! This is one of those verses that I can just visualize. Joshua was taking a stand. He was saying, "look, you do what you want, but this is how it's going to be in my house - if you don't like it, tough!"

There are countless decisions we must make each and every day - sometimes it seems every minute of the day! There are so many things that become gods in our lives without us even realizing it. Our money, homes, jobs, hobbies and even our children can easily take the place of God.

We can guard against this, but it has to begin in the home. Our home is where we can take stock. We can prepare for all that the world will throw at us. If we're sure of who we are in our own homes, it will be much easier to be sure of who we are out in the cold, cruel world. The old hymn says "How Firm a Foundation". There are many things we can do to build that firm foundation; pray together, pray for each other, study the Bible and last but not least prioritize! We are good at making lists aren't we? We make grocery lists, to do lists, Christmas lists and so on. Let's start making priority lists and post them on the fridge too!

If we find that something is off - if we're stressed and having a hard time making good choices, chances are our priorities have shifted. Let's take on a Joshua-like attitude and go through our day with confidence - choosing whom we will serve.

Alright, I'm Stubborn

2009-03-04T13:10:00.000-08:00

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Ephesians 4:2 (New Living Translation)

I'm cringing as I'm typing this. I'm gritting my teeth and seeing my life flash before my eyes. Here goes . . . I've always been stubborn - too stubborn to even admit that I am stubborn. My parents are high-fiving each other right now and my husband of almost 14 years is wondering who is holding a gun to my head as I type.

My dad used to tell me I would argue with a fence post. Now before you get the wrong idea about me, he meant that in the nicest way possible. I don't have a temper - I'm thinking he meant that I was determined to make the fence post see that my way was best! Determined . . . that's the word I prefer. Darrell calls me a go-getter. I don't read the instructions, I just jump in and start the project. I never need any help from anyone at anytime. If you believe that, then you're just as stubborn as I am!

There's nothing wrong with being determined but when that determination overshadows all other characteristics, you reach a breaking point. I reached that breaking point a couple of years ago in the form of anxiety attacks. I didn't realize it a the time, but it was pure and simple pride. I know first hand about pride going before the fall!

I'm still determined. God made me that way and I'm thankful for it - it comes in handy most of the time! I'm still determined, but with a much gentler spirit. I ask God every day to allow me to use that characteristic to glorify Him. I'm bringing all this up because I need accountability to keep me in line! We've had a really busy couple of weeks, and I've been tempted to fall back into old habits - to take over in my own quiet way and just get things done. I was right on the edge, and God pulled the reigns on me!

I know so many of you are busy and there are things that just have to get done. Please take a moment in the middle of it all and just breathe. Shut the world out and ask God to guide you through the busyness. He may just show you that it doesn't all have to be done!

Again, as always please know if you are reading this, you have been prayed for.

Father, thank you that you made each one of us with different personalities, traits and gifts. Help us to remember that you gave us these characteristics to bring glory and honor to you in different ways. Please take over where we fall short and guide our paths. Fill us with humbleness, patience and love, remembering that nothing matters if you aren't in the midst of it. In Jesus' precious name, A-men.

One more thing today, I believe strongly in the power of prayer. If you have a prayer need, please feel free to leave it in a comment or if you wish, you can email it to me privately. Prayer changes things!

25 Random Things . . .

2009-02-27T08:08:00.000-08:00

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . (Ephesians 5:20)

We've all seen the Facebook tag 25 random things about yourself. I thought 25 random things to be thankful for would be nice to focus on. Here's my list in a somewhat random order:

1. My salvation
2. God is merciful
3. Family
4. My church
5. Friends
6. My home
7. Food
8. Clothing
9. Health
10. My husband's job
11. Modern conveniences
12. Good books
13. Music
14. Sunshine
15. Rain
16. Spending every day with my children
17. Quiet mornings on the porch
18. My Marriage
19. The changing seasons 20. The smell of coffee in the morning and fresh cut grass in the summer
21. Memories
22. The promise of hope and a future
23. Laughing so hard it hurts
24. A good cry every now and then
25. Each new day

I could've kept going on and on! This isn't any kind of meme or tag, but I thought you'd enjoy a little quiet time to think about some of your favorite things!

Expect the Unexpected

2009-02-24T07:16:00.000-08:00

"A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." (Proverbs 16:9)

The kids and I were reading Little Town on the Prairie last night and I just loved one of Caroline Ingalls' quotes: "This earthly life is a battle. If it isn't one thing to contend with it's another. It always has been so, and it always will be. The sooner you make up your mind to that, the better off you are, and the more thankful for your pleasures." Now she lived in the 19th century, but struggles then were basically the same as they are now - just in a different package.

God gives us free will and with that kind of power comes great responsibility. (not to quote Spiderman, but it fits . . .) We're not robots. Yes, God has an ultimate plan for our lives, but I do believe that he allows us to make certain decisions when He feels we are living according to His will. Here's where the balancing act comes in. We can make plans, but we have to always remember that God can change those plans as He sees fit. When He does change our plans, we have to be grown up enough to accept it.

It helps to look at these unexpected changes as blessings instead of hindrances. (not sure I've ever typed that word . . . ) If we are in prayer about a decision and we are truly - with all our hearts - seeking God's will, we must know that His path is the perfect one. He sees with 20/20 vision while we're walking around with seeing eye dogs!

Think for moment about a time that you wanted something so badly that it overshadowed everything else in your life. What was the outcome? Can you see where God stepped in and directed the path? I'm only asking these questions because I've been there and I know I'll be there again. I want to be prepared to handle the tough times with grace and assurance instead of fear and anxiety. The only thing we can count on in life is the unexpected . . . and that just isn't so scary when we are resting in the arms of our loving Father.

I so believe in the power of prayer and this is my prayer for you today . . . Father thank you that you are in control at all times. Please prepare our hearts and minds for those trying times that will surely come. Help us know that there are no accidents and remind us to live with purpose. Fill us with a light and joy that shines through us for as your precious Word says, we are but jars of clay. In Jesus' holy name, A-men.

You Are God Alone . . .

2009-02-20T06:19:00.000-08:00

A Little Update

2009-02-18T06:18:00.000-08:00

This is just a quick update on my previous post. A couple of days after the visit from my neighbor, we decided to take some brownies over to her kids for Valentine's day. We were on our way to a homeschool group activity, so I was dressed this time!

I knocked on the door and I was face to face with my sweet neighbor again . . . she was wearing sweats and a t-shirt! The first words out of her mouth were "please don't look at my house - it's laundry day!" I couldn't help but laugh, and I told her I was feeling the exact same way when she stopped by my house. I definitely have a new friend!

God knows exactly how and when to reassure us. It feels great to let my guard down, shut down the negative thoughts . . . and just be myself. That's my prayer for all who visit my blog today.

Father, thank you that my worth in your eyes is not based on how beautiful the world thinks I am or anything that I have accomplished. Thank you that simply because you call me your child, I am a princess - a princess with a worth far above rubies. In Jesus' precious name, A-men.

What is Worth Anyway?

2009-02-12T07:31:00.000-08:00

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
(1 Peter 2:9-10)

I never know what God has planned for me during my Bible study time. Some awesome things have been happening lately, and I have gotten to the point that I just expect something incredible to come from reading His Word. Well, it happened again a couple of days ago.

I was reading about our worth according to God vs. our worth according to the world. Now let me just stop here and tell you that this particular day was a rainy, messy day. A day that I had been doing 5th grade math with Zach until I was pulling my hair out, and giving the house a much needed scrub down. I hadn't gotten out of my grungy t-shirt and sweat pants or even bothered to look in the mirror all day. Anyway . . . my study was dealing with not defining worth by appearance or worldly success. I was in deep study mode when the doorbell jolted me back to reality. My first thought was not Lord, thank you for sending someone my way today so I can be a shining example of your love. It was more like Lord, where can I hide?

As much as I wanted to, I didn't hide. Standing at my door was one of my neighbors that I hadn't met yet. Oh, we'd waved at each other in passing, but we hadn't met face to face yet - and what a day for her to meet my face! There I stood with no make-up, wavy hair looking every bit like Albert Einstein's, wearing clothes that should have been placed in a rag bag long ago. Talk about first impressions!

She on the other hand, was absolutely adorable - hair and makeup done . . . wearing real pants . . . without a drawstring. As she introduced herself, at first I was only thinking about my appearance but God quickly averted my thoughts to what I had just read moments before. I suddenly felt a confidence . . . a WORTH that had nothing whatsoever to do with how I looked. I learned so much about this precious sister in Christ because I was really listening to her and not focusing on myself. She just felt like she needed to come introduce herself. I found out that she is a fellow homeschooling mom and she has a prayer need that has been on her heart for 2 years. I thought about her for the rest of the day.

God was so good to allow me to not only read His word that day, but actually feel His power at work in my heart - on the spot! Sure, I understood the concept of true worth in God's eyes, but I don't think I had ever really experienced the feeling of true worthiness.

The verse the Lord led me to choose for today's post is so fitting. Friends, you are worthy in God's eyes simply because "you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness and into His wonderful light." If you are a child of Christ you have received mercy. Whatever you have done that makes you feel unworthy today in the eyes of the world - leave it right here . . . right now at the feet of Jesus.

If you don't know Jesus as your personal Savior, if you haven't received the mercy, grace and eternal life that only He can give, you can do so right now by this plan of salvation.

Have a wonderful day and please know that if you are reading this, you have been prayed for today.

The Authentic You

2009-02-10T06:14:00.000-08:00

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

When the day is finally done and you're all alone with your thoughts, does that inner voice start speaking to you? Do you like what it says? The angel on one shoulder tells you that you were created for a purpose and that you can do ANYTHING through Christ, while the devil on the other shoulder buts in and slaps a piece of tape over his mouth. The "angel" is the Holy Spirit filling you with truth and the "devil" is . . . well, the devil!

God did not create you because He needed you - He wanted you. Let's think about how amazing God is for a minute. In Ephesians 3:20 Paul prayed "to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us". Let me shout this at you in case you didn't get it -immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine! - We can't even begin to comprehend God's plan or what great things He can do. We can't fathom how much love He has for each and every one of us.

I titled this post "The Authentic You". I'm not talking about Dr. Phil's self-help version of your authentic self. I'm talking about the authentic you that God so lovingly created. Odds are He gave you talents that you have yet to discover, words that you have yet to speak, love that you have yet to share or a gift that you have yet to give.

Spend some time with God today and sincerely ask him to bind Satan's lying tongue. (Do it out loud - I've done it many times!) Ask Him to reveal to you who He created you to be and at the end of the day, that little "angel" might just be all you hear!

Am I Pretty Enough?

2009-02-05T07:48:00.000-08:00

Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30

There are so many areas in our lives that cause us to struggle with being content. We question ourselves over and over: am I a good enough mother . . . wife . . . friend? Is my house clean enough or decorated nicely enough? There is one nagging question however, that seems to take root in us like an ugly weed in an otherwise beautiful flower garden: Am I pretty enough?

In my early twenties I somehow became wrapped up in celebrity news and fashion magazines. Those women were all so beautiful - perfect skin, beautiful hair, great bodies. After a while, I began to notice that the only thing I was getting from my celebrity fascination was poor self esteem. I didn't like that feeling and it was an insecurity that I had never really experienced. Thank the Lord that was a short lived phase of my life!

I was comfortable with myself during my teenage years. I wasn't the cheerleader type - I played the clarinet in the marching band and I loved to read. I wasn't in the Who's Who of our senior class, but I had lots of friends and I was pretty happy. (OK . . . can you believe they actually made 200 insecure teenagers vote on the best dressed, and most perfect, and most likely to be better off than all you poor saps and never return to this rinky dink little town? I'm not quite sure, but I think that could have qualified as child abuse!)

Today's teenage girls have sooo much more pressure on them than I did 15 years ago. I see girls that look like they just stepped out of Glamour Magazine leaving school buildings. I on the other hand, can distinctly remember when I was 18 years old having an 8:00 AM college class in which I wore sweats and a cap the entire semester - I'm not even sure my professor knew I was a girl! It's not only teenagers that are feeling the pressure. We are absolutely bombarded from every media source with messages of what the ideal woman looks like. They show us how to look younger, how to lose weight, what kind of operation we should have for a bigger this and a smaller that!

I have to admit that I've been guilty of judging people based on their appearance. I am asking God to change my heart in that area and He is doing it so amazingly! I never pick up a fashion magazine anymore. Instead, I read things like Today's Christian Woman which I highly recommend. It gives real fashion and beauty tips without the perfect models being thrown in your face. I'm learning to look past the outside when I meet someone. I truly desire to see people more like God sees them - from the inside out, seeing the beauty within first. (I'm in a Bible study right now with the some of the most "beautiful" women I've ever met!)

I'm 32 and I'm sprouting gray hairs left and right in my naturally frizzy- wavy hair. I gained 50 lbs with my first pregnancy and lost the weight. I gained 30 lbs with my second one and lost that also. Can you say S-T-R-E-T-C-H marks? It's not pretty folks. It's not pretty, but that depends on your definition of pretty. It's all part of the unique person that God made me and that's a beautiful thing!

Oh, and by the way, I was nominated for "Most Dependable" and "Most Courteous" by my class of 1994 peers, but I had a good friend who was obviously just a little more dependable and courteous than me - you deserved it, Amy!

Just a Whisper Away

2009-02-03T07:49:00.000-08:00

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."
Exodus 14:14

Sometimes God just makes things so clear during my Bible study time. It's almost as if He's standing right beside me highlighting scripture saying "This is the verse I want you to focus on today."I had one of those experiences this morning. My study was the familiar story of the Israelites' escape from Egypt. My first thought when I saw the topic was to just skim through it quickly - I mean I've heard this story a million times. What else could I possibly learn from it? After I finished my study, I checked my email. I receive a daily devotion from Proverbs 31 Ministries and just take a wild guess at what the topic was this morning. Alright, I get it God - back to my Bible I go.

I'm not trying to rip off their devotion today, but I do have my own thoughts on this. Long story short, the Israelites' looked behind them, saw Pharaoh's army approaching and suddenly forgot all that God had already done for them. Did they really think that God had gotten them this far only to let them be slaughtered now? Well . . . yes they did. We do the exact same thing.

We feel alone. We feel like God has left us here to fend for ourselves. Where is God when my loved one is sick, when I've lost my job, when my family is falling apart? The question is not where is God. The question is where are we in our relationship with Him?

God is always just a whisper away. He never leaves our side, but we pull away from Him and try to handle it on our own. He's waiting on His child to simply whisper "Father, fight for me." Whisper that simple prayer and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will stand boldly against the source of your pain. The very same God that mightily parted the Red Sea and led the Israelites' safely across will lead you to safety as well.

Whatever it is that has you feeling afraid and alone today, please know that you are never alone. God is always a whisper away -

Father, fight for me. In Jesus' precious name, A-men.

It's OK to Ask!

2009-01-30T05:55:00.000-08:00

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. (Matthew 7:7)

I love signs with clever little quotes and sayings. I was looking through a magazine one day and one particular sign caught my eye. It read: "What a grand world this would be if we could forget our troubles as easily as we forget our blessings." All my life I've heard "count your blessings," but I've never heard it phrased like this quirky little sign put it. It takes a fresh, new way of looking at things to get my attention sometimes!

I took a crash course in "blessing counting" when we moved from the home and friends I loved. It was either feel sorry for myself because things weren't going my way, or ask God to give me a new attitude - I knew I couldn't change my outlook on my own. Now that we are settled in our new town and life is grand again, it would be easy to forget those rocky first few months after our move. God did such a work in me that I pray I'll never forget.

Lately I've started asking God to help me remember my blessings before I start complaining about something petty. I ask Him for all sorts of things that should be no brainers for a Christian, but they aren't - at least not for me. I ask Him to strengthen my faith, to show me how to love those that aren't so lovable, and to wait on His perfect timing. At times, I feel like a little helpless child asking Him to direct my every action so I won't do something really stupid! Then I realized as a parent, if my children came to me every day and asked me to help them do better in some particular area of their lives, I would be thrilled! I like to imagine that's how God feels about us when we ask Him for help becoming better Christians. His strength will always be in our weakness if we simply remember to ask, seek and knock.

Just Call Me Ishshah Chayil

2009-01-22T06:07:00.000-08:00

I just started a great new Wednesday night Bible study. The Virtuous Woman explores the Proverbs 31 woman and tries to help explain exactly who she is and more importantly who she isn't! I have always read Proverbs 31 and felt so beneath this woman. She never sleeps, she cooks from scratch, buys real estate, sews beautiful clothes, she and her children are impeccably dressed at all times, and she dotes over her husband and makes him feel like a king. (which he was!)

I basically took this passage at face value for years and never did any further research. This is why group Bible study is so important! Everyone brings a little something to the table! I'm giving all the credit for what I learned last night to our fearless leader Brittany and fellow homeschool mom, Susan. You ladies rock!

OK, get ready because this is cool! I guess I always thought the word virtuous was dealing strictly with morals. I always pictured this perfect, meek, mild woman who basically catered to her family's every whim. The expression "virtuous woman" is from the Hebrew ishshah chayil and literally means "one of power either in mind or body, or both." Brittany pointed that out and I did some more reading on my own this morning. Boy has my opinion of the Proverbs 31 woman changed! Yes, she was pure and moral and desired to please God, but she was not a doormat! She was powerful and smart. Everything she did was with purpose.

I'm beginning to think becoming this woman is an attainable goal. I'm not trying to say I could ever live up to everything she did, but I can definitely relate to her a little more now. I learned another interesting fact. Did you know she wasn't an actual woman, but a description of the ideal woman? You probably did . . . but I sure didn't! King Lemuel wrote Proverbs 31 after a heart to heart talk with his mother. She was giving him advice on what kind of characteristics he should look for in a wife. So Proverbs 31 came from the heart of a mother! That's amazing to me! (can you can tell I'm excited by the excessive use of exclamation points?) It's just wonderful to be in the Word and learn something that blesses you.

On a side note, I mentioned that I've been trying to decide if I should merge my two blogs somehow and after praying about it, I have decided to keep them the way they are. I will be cross referencing them from time to time and making some minor changes.

Thanks for reading, and I strongly recommend that you get involved with a group Bible study. I promise you'll be blessed!

An Award!

2009-01-14T06:20:00.000-08:00

This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are extremely charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.

Thanks to Karen at Homespun Simplicity for this sweet award! I just cannot decide who this should go to. I love all the wonderful blogs that I visit, so I am passing this on to all of you. Thanks so much, Karen for thinking of me!

What Happened?

2009-01-12T15:17:00.000-08:00

4 And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

5 The fool folds his hands and ruins himself.

6 Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.

7 Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:

8 There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. "For whom am I toiling," he asked, "and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?" This too is meaningless—a miserable business!

Ecclesiastes 4:4-8

I love history. Right now, I'm very interested in the Depression era. My kids have heard all sorts of stories about our economy and our president-elect from classes they are in. They understand what caused the Depression, and Zach asked me yesterday if we were going to have another Depression. Try explaining that to a 10 year old!

I'm reading a book right now called We Had Everything but Money (I highly recommend it!) I can't even begin to imagine how tough those times were. If you've ever known anyone who grew up during that time, you know that it made a lasting impression on them. My grandma was born in 1923. I remember that she used to save twist ties, aluminum foil, plastic containers and bread bags. She made lye soap and taught me to churn sauerkraut, pluck chickens and work in her garden. She lived very simply and worked hard through the 1980's even though she really didn't have to.

What happened to our world? I'm the type that likes to figure things out and for the life of me, I can't figure this one out. Where did it all go wrong? For one thing, the amount of "money" that is thrown around by our government is nothing but absurd. There is no actual money. Do they really expect us to think that we are ever going to pay back trillions of dollars? What kind of crazy number is a trillion anyway? - my mind can't even comprehend that! They continue to "bail out" companies without asking them to account for a dime of what they are given - off goes another imaginary 300 billion into a black hole somewhere. OK, sorry - I got up on my lye soap box for a second!

Never mind the government, It's really just amazing to see what has happened to people. Everything goes, nothing is sacred. There is a sense of entitlement that is all too common. The state of the world shouldn't come as a surprise to us, as it is completely biblical. (I'll not get into that thank you, because I'd be in way over my head!) No, it shouldn't come as a surprise but it's still hard to believe people actually think the way they do.

For our family, all this craziness has actually been a good thing if that makes any sense. Immersing myself in the past reminds me that people were different once upon a time. Faith and family were more important than things. It makes us take a good, hard look at ourselves and try to emulate the values and priorities of those generations of long ago. We all have hope in the midst of the mess, a calm in the storm . . . our Lord and Savior who is bigger than any of this.

I love the passage of scripture above. I encourage you to read it carefully, and I promise it will bless you as it has me!

Just a Simple Prayer

2009-01-08T13:51:00.000-08:00

Lord, help me remember you when the sun is shining on me just as I do when my day seems gloomy and gray.

Help me sometimes praise you just because . . . instead of always coming to you because I need.

May I share happy tears with you and not only ask you to wipe my tears of sorrow away.

Help me not take the wonderful things in my life for granted, nor forget that you made it all possible.

I pray Father that my first thought each morning will be of you, just as you have promised to think of me with new mercies each day.

In Jesus' precious and holy name I pray,

Amen

My Body is a Temple, but . . .

2009-01-06T06:08:00.000-08:00

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

It's January so that means that everyone is on a diet and trying to exercise more. Do you ever wonder who made the rule that every woman has to be a size 2? I'd like to personally thank that person - you have made my life so much easier.

A couple of years ago, when I was having my anxiety problems, my diet was horrible. We were so busy that I would just grab whatever was handy to eat. I felt sluggish and had lots of headaches. One of my doctors suggested that I take a 20 minute walk outside every day and cut down on the sugar and bread . . . it worked. Six months later, I had lost 15 lbs and the headaches were gone. I still wasn't a size 2, but then again I never have been and it was enough for me.

I think some Christians use the above verses in Corinthians just a little out of context. It's their basis for keeping their bodies fit and in turn, their bodies slowly become their gods. Of course we can apply scripture in many different ways but let's look at these verses in their full context:

Everything is permissible for me”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”—but I will not be mastered by anything. “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food”—but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit. Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.1 Corinthians 6.12-20

Paul was speaking specifically against the sin of sexual immorality here. Again, we can apply these verses to the areas of overeating, drug abuse or anything that harms our body but let's be careful not to use it to justify an unhealthy obsession with keeping our bodies fit.

We're moms and wives but we're also women. We like to feel pretty and that's OK! Focus on being the healthiest YOU that you can be - no matter the number on the label.

Goals for a New Year

2008-12-30T05:40:00.000-08:00

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

I don't like to make New Year's resolutions. They seem to only set me up for disappointment in myself. Just like every year, all the store ads are full of exercise equipment and storage containers. Marketers know us so well. They know I'm going to resolve to lose the extra weight I gained by shoveling in the Christmas cookies for a month. They know I bought ornaments at the after Christmas sales and now I need new containers to store them in. We are such creatures of habit!

I'll admit there is something about the new year that makes us feel like anything is possible, but why do we wait for the page to turn on the calendar before we decide to take action? I can't count the number of times I've said, "after the first of the year I'm going to _____________." If it is worth doing, it is worth doing right now - not tomorrow or next month!

I think the problem is, we try to make decisions on our own. We decide what we are going to do and when we are gong to do it. If we are in Christ, we are new every day! We can ask His direction and make a change no matter what the calendar says. Call that loved one TODAY and make things right. Change that attitude RIGHT NOW and ask Him to take the bitterness away. Stop eating the fudge now . . . OK, I've gone a little too far, but you get the picture!

Instead of just making New Year's resolutions, let's renew our hearts and open them to the peace and purpose that Jesus Christ offers each and every day.

I'm not preaching here - I'm talking to myself more than anyone!

Happy New Year to you all!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T13:37:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Could I be Thankful for the Fleas?

2008-12-19T12:25:00.000-08:00

I'm gonna break away from Christmas today and share something I've been reading. If you know very much about Corrie Ten Boom, you already know the flea story. If you're like me and you're just discovering exactly who this remarkable woman was, then you're about to be blessed! I had always heard about her, but I'd never really taken the time to really research her until now.

I'm just going to paraphrase this from her book The Hiding Place. In 1942,Corrie's entire family was taken to a Nazi concentration camp. Corrie and her sister Betsie along with 1,400 other women were crowded into filthy barracks that would have barely held 400 people comfortably. The smell was sickening and they had to sleep on the dirty straw covered floor. Corrie felt something biting her legs and looked down to discover fleas covering her. She was understandably discouraged and asked Betsie how they could survive in such a place. Betsie found her Bible open to 1 Thessalonians 5:18 - Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Betsie encouraged Corrie to look at all they had to be thankful for even in such unimaginable circumstances. They thanked God that they had been assigned to the same camp. They thanked Him that they had not been searched upon entering, so they were able to get their Bible inside. They thanked Him that there were so many women there - 1,400 women to share God's word with!

Now here's the crazy part - they were thankful for the fleas. Why, you ask? The guards knew the area was infested with fleas so they refused to enter, which allowed the women to freely study the Bible and praise God. They absence of the guards allowed them more freedom in many ways.

What will I do when I have to dig deep and be thankful for the fleas? We're all going to face a time like that in our lives. I pray that we are preparing our hearts each and every day to remember what our minds will surely forget when the fleas are biting.

This blog just continues to be such a blessing to me! So many of you have encouraged me, kept me accountable to study the Word so I can grow and share - THANK YOU so much. I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas season!

Learning from Mary

2008-12-16T06:54:00.000-08:00

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:4-7

Our home church (OK, I call it our home church because I don't like to call it our "former" church - it's still home in our hearts!) does a wonderful drive through Living Nativity with several scenes depicting the Christmas story. They go all out with live animals and if the weather is mild enough, a live "baby Jesus". I was Mary in the manger scene a couple of years ago - complete with fainting goats and a live "baby Jesus" to hold. If you've never been around fainting goats. . . well, let's just say they live up to their name! Once the teenage shepherds from the scene beside us figured out how to make the goats faint, and it was time for baby Jesus to have her bottle, you can imagine what an interesting night we had!

All kidding aside, as the cars drove by us we took our roles very seriously hoping that we could touch the hearts of those who may have needed a little reminder of just what Christmas is all about. I found myself once or twice in the rare quiet moments of that evening trying to put myself in Mary's place. I pulled my wrap securely around my head, looked down at that precious baby wrapped in cloths and breathed in the scent of the hay and our little four legged friends. What it must have been like to bring a baby into the world under such circumstances, yet Mary had accepted God's plan for her - she was content with her role: But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:19.

If such a young girl could take on so much and trust God with the outcome, surely I can. He didn't ask me to carry a baby under questionable circumstances causing shame for my entire family. He didn't ask me to bring our savior into the world in a dirty stable knowing that people already wanted the baby dead. He's simply asking me to believe, to trust and to love. He's asking me to be thankful and tell others about him.

We will read the story of Jesus' birth from Luke by the soft glow of Christmas lights on Christmas Eve as we do every year. We will be thankful first and foremost that God sent his extraordinary son in such an ordinary way, but I think I'll take just a brief moment to also thank him for the lessons learned from a simple young mother.

An Authentic Christmas

2008-12-10T06:38:00.000-08:00

And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.

Luke 1:14

The Christmas season can really put our contentment to the test! I shudder to think of some of the busy Christmases we had in my super mom days. When the kids were small, I thought they had to be dressed in Christmas attire every day beginning the day after Thanksgiving. We made treat bags for every child that they could possibly come into contact with and then some extra ones "just in case". We made an appearance at every get together, we shopped 'til we dropped because I always needed just one more thing to go in the stockings and we ran around to 4 different relatives' homes on Christmas Eve because I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. By the time we finally got home, the kids were asleep and there was no time for our own Christmas Eve as a family. Christmas was not very merry in those days, it was exhausting!

The year that some of the stores stopped saying Merry Christmas, started saying Happy Holidays and referring to "holiday trees" instead of Christmas trees got my attention. It really struck a nerve with me - I mean December 25 is Christmas day and the majority of the people in this country celebrate Christmas! It had just gone too far. I realized that I may not be able to change the world, but I could make a change in my own household. We had been swept up in all the commercialism and the busyness for long enough - it was time for an authentic Christmas. We slowed down the pace and told some of our relatives that things had to change - and they were wonderful about it. We cut way back on gifts and started taking time to remember why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. I started making things with the kids that we could give as gifts - they were so proud to give things they had made. We got our Christmas spirit back! I ran across this on My Heart is Always Home and thought it was so wonderful that I wanted to share it with you.

Christmas I Corinthians 13 Style

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata, but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside decorating to kiss the husband.

Love is kind through harried and tired.

Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way.

Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things, believes all things hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails. Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust...but giving the gift of love will endure.

~Author Unknown~

Just Sharing a Great Post

2008-12-08T20:49:00.000-08:00

With the busy Christmas season here, and in light of our crazy economy, I thought this post on Proverbs 31 Woman was really wonderful. Let's slow down right now and make this Christmas different - we can do it, there's still time!

Joy vs Happiness

2008-12-04T18:20:00.000-08:00

These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:11

I'm taking a class at church with a wonderful group of women and guess what the topic is? Contentment of course. It has really been a blessing to me. God's timing is always perfect. I was going through my journal yesterday trying to decide what to do the next post on. We discussed joy vs happiness in class last night. I had just recently written some thoughts on that very topic so my decision was made for me!

Joy and happiness are completely different terms. Once you have found the true joy that comes from walking with the Lord, it can never be lost. Oh, we temporarily misplace it from time to time but it's always just a prayer away. I can wake up late, burn the toast, leave the water running and flood the bathroom (yes, I've done that) and still have joy in my heart. I may not be happy at the moment, but that's life. A morning like that will be over soon enough and I can move on and make the most of the rest of the day.

The world on the other hand seems to be more concerned with happiness. The problem is, happiness is conditional. Trying to make ourselves happy 24 hours a day is impossible. No matter how much we acquire or achieve, there will always be someone with more, bigger or better. How many times do we say "if I only had _____________, then I'd be happy." It's so easy to live our lives like hamsters in a wheel always chasing a non-existent prize!

Please don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that we shouldn't have goals or enjoy nice things. God blesses us with many wonderful things. I'm simply saying let's not base our fulfillment, on things that could be gone in an instant. Happiness is conditional, joy is eternal!

Will You Please End This Story Already?

2008-12-03T08:09:00.000-08:00

First of all I just want to say that I don't intend for this blog to be a continuing story about me! I just really wanted to let you know in detail how God changed my heart. When I started this I had no idea how to organize the posts or at what point to cut it off each day. I tend to type how I talk and as I said before, if you've kept up with my rambling this far, you deserve a medal. I'd like to summarize what has happened up to this point in our journey and draw the story to a close - then I can move on to what this blog is really all about!

In a nutshell, (who says that?) I grew up in a small town, married my high school sweetheart and had two beautiful kids all while trying to be perfect at everything I did. Trying to do all and be all resulted in anxiety attacks. I finally gave in to my husband's wishes to move away and after stepping outside my comfort zone physically, emotionally and financially God opened my eyes to true contentment. Wow, I could have said that on day one and spared you days of my rambling!

Now for the conclusion. Our house back in Bolivar finally sold after nine months and we bought a modest ranch style house with some acreage for the kids to roam. I don't have all the answers to being content, but I have learned that it is a choice. The world has gone absolutely crazy, but I have never been more at peace . That peace comes from scriptures like Jeremiah 29:11 which says "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." If we wake up each morning and choose to turn our day over to the Lord, it gives us a freedom that defies logic. We can truly claim that peace that passes understanding.

So now that you have the long, long, LONG story behind my attitude adjustment, I'm looking forward to tomorrow's post! I'm ready to quit talking about me and get to the great stuff that God has shown me. Sure, I'll refer back to specific things that I have experienced along the way, but I want to move on to the fun stuff. We'll talk about being content with our homes, our family, our appearance and everything else that women deal with. I love you all!

Putting Thankfulness into Practice

2008-12-01T06:34:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Ours was busy, but really nice. We have so much to be thankful for.

Do you ever just get bogged down with all the decisions you have to make? What if I choose A but I should have chosen B? How do I know what God's will for my life is? I believe that God put us in a position where we had no choice but to leave things up to Him. He knew exactly how to get my attention! We had no control over the real estate market. I started out resenting the fact that we had to rent a small old house, that our money was tight and I had no idea how long we were going to be in that position - it didn't help that I was missing my family and friends either.

This is where one of my other favorite verses came into the picture. Psalm 37:4 says Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. The desire of my heart at that time was obviously for our house to sell so we could get out from under that financial burden and move on with our life. As I mentioned before, I began devoting a lot of time to prayer and Bible study. I stepped it up a notch and one day in the living room of our little rental house, I gave it all to God. I wanted to fully understand what it meant to delight myself in the Lord. I finally realized that we were exactly where He wanted us at that time and we needed to learn something from the experience. We needed to broken and built back up again.

All my fear, doubt and worry was slowly but surely replaced with peace. I stopped worrying about what kind of house we were living in. I started practicing an attitude of thankfulness. I literally would wake up every morning and thank God that we had a roof over our heads, food in our kitchen and clothes to wear. Every time I paid the electric bill or bought groceries, I thanked God that He had provided. I got really creative with the kids and we started cooking things from scratch, doing crafts, and going to the library. Eating at McDonald's became a privilege for them, not something they took for granted anymore. We spent more time just being silly and enjoying simple things.

I continued to read God's word. The more I learned, the more I wanted to learn. He blessed us beyond belief. After a few months, the most amazing thing happened with our finances. I was afraid we were barely going to make it . . . not only did we make it, but I was actually able to put a nice amount into our savings here and there. I'm telling you the numbers just didn't make sense. We should not have been able to do that. Yes I was watching every dime, but I firmly believe that was God's way of showing me that everything was going to be alright.

I read a interesting article from gotquestions.org. It essentially said that God rarely gives people direct and specific information. He allows us to make choices. The only decision He does not want us to make is the decision to sin or resist His will. Walk closely with the Lord and truly desire His will for your life. God will place His desires on your heart and they will become your own. If the Bible does not speak against it and it can truly benefit you spiritually, then you have "permission" to make decisions and follow your heart. I just thought I would share that little bit of information because it helped me tremendously.

I'm not sure how to end these things sometimes. Oh well, hope you'll continue on with me!

Baby Steps

2008-11-25T16:40:00.000-08:00

We all know that God gave women this amazing nesting instinct. Even in that old rental house, my nesting instinct kicked in as soon as we moved in. I was determined to make it home no matter how little I had to work with! I hung the family pictures, put candles out everywhere, bought some new pillows for the couch and arranged some of my favorite things on the mantle. Now that we were settled, it was time to start living our new lives. While the kids were busy with their schoolwork, and Darrell was at work, I had a lot of time on my hands. I spent much of that time reading my Bible and writing in my journal. That was how the three verses I mentioned in my previous post began to change my attitude.

The firts part of Romans 12:2 says Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world. That spoke to me loud and clear. I had been living my life for everyone else -worrying about what others thought. The second part says be transformed by the renewing of your mind. That simple phrase gave me so much peace! I read it over and over. Of course I had read that verse before, but God showed it to me in a way that I had never seen it before in light of my battle with anxiety. I needed a renewing of my mind. I needed to start over with a blank slate so I could apply the third part of the verse: Then you will be able to test and approve what is God's will - His good, pleasing and perfect will. Before we moved, I had been so wrapped up in "doing church", shuffling my kids back and forth, and doing what I thought I was supposed to do, that I honestly hadn't spent enough one on one time with God to find out who He created me to be.

It was time to stop "doing" and start "being". Now, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with "doing" things. We just need to first find out who we are and then we can "do" the things that God has planned for us to "do". I think the one thing that we as human beings have in common is that we all long for contentment. As diverse as we are, we all want to lay our heads on our pillows at night and feel like we've found our place in the world - that we have lived every moment of that day to the fullest.

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! We are traveling tomorrow, so we're about to begin a five day holiday!

Our "New" Home

2008-11-24T05:58:00.000-08:00

Having a deadline really gets me in gear. I tend to put things off that I can do tomorrow or next week, or even next month! We had a huge decision to make and we needed to make it soon. Our choices were: A.) Darrell stays with his sister and her family in Nashville and we stay behind until the house sells. B.) We all go together and rent something until the house sells. There were problems with both options, so we were choosing the lesser of two evils.

After hours and hours of discussion and prayer, we knew the family had to stay together. Now remember, I had just quit my job, so the thought of renting a house AND paying the mortgage on our house was scary to say the least. Darrell's new job did come with an increase in salary, but not quite enough to cover my lost income and the added rent. We came up with a seemingly impossible budget and started packing. If you know us at all, you realize how out of character for us this whole thing was. We've always had a plan, a backup plan and a backup for the backup plan - in other words, we were not risk takers. For the first time, we were living completely by faith. Sure, we thought we trusted God before but never had we completely relied on Him like this.

The big day finally arrived. We packed up enough clothes and toys for a few weeks and we were Nashville bound. Darrell was driving his truck and the kids and I followed in the van. To this day one of the scariest moments I've ever had was the moment we pulled out of the driveway. I remember looking at the for sale sign in front of our house as we were leaving and wondering if we would ever have control of our own lives again. Darrell's sister Susan and brother-in-law Kelly opened their home to us for as long as we needed it. ( We'll never be able to thank you properly for that!) We stayed there for about a month while we looked for a house to rent. Finding something with the perfect combination of location, affordable rent and flexible lease was not an easy task, but we finally found something that would work for us.

OK, I'll just get this out of the way and admit that moving from our nice, new modern house into our little white rental house was EXTREMELY hard for us. For starters, the house was old. I don't mean it was a charming older house with lots of history and character. I mean smelling of mothballs when you open the door kind of old. I'm talking about hadn't been updated since 1965 (and it was already old then) kind of old - you get the picture. It was also small. We had zero closet space and one teeny, tiny bathroom with a quirky toilet. I seriously had to give a tutorial on how to use that toilet to our guests - yes we actually had people over. The strangest part of the house was the laundry room. It was some sort of concrete bunker from WWII, I believe.

Before we moved in, we held hands and prayed over that old run down house. We thanked God that we were together and that He had provided us with a home. We were scared but our faith was growing by leaps and bounds. I felt compelled to study God's word and pray more than I ever had. Three verses of scripture became very important to me during that time:

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

I studied every word and plugged them into our current situation. God led me to those specific verses. I can't wait to show you how he used them to change my entire outlook. Please come back and allow me to share some more with you!

Looks Like We're Moving

2008-11-21T10:57:00.000-08:00

If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea. (Isaiah 48:18)

To make another long story short, I realized that I had been wrong for dismissing my husband's feelings about moving. He is the head of our household. That is his God given authority. He would never force me to do anything I didn't want to do, but I wasn't allowing him to lead our family in the direction that he felt was right for us. I finally agreed that he should start sending out some resumes' to the Nashville area.

The above verse is another one of my favorites that I've had to go to more often than I would like to admit. It's one that I always remember after I've made a mess of something. Let's apply it to the situation at hand - just for kicks! The first phrase - If only you had paid attention to my commands - the Lord's command was for me to submit to my husband . . . which I didn't do. I completely ignored my husbands wishes, stayed in my comfortable little hometown, turned into supermom/super church secretary (remember her?) and proceeded to almost have a mental breakdown. That my friends, doesn't sound like peace or righteousness to me.

God's word will always prove itself to be true. It never lies. It never changes. He has every moment of our lives planned. He knew I was was going to share this one day. He knew you were going to read it. Why are you reading this at this particular moment in time? I have no idea. I do know however, that there are no accidents.

I feel like I got sidetracked today. Sometimes I sit down with my post all planned out and God just takes me off in a completely different direction - but who am I to argue?

Now back to the moving. Darrell accepted a job in Nashville. He was to start in 6 weeks. We put our house on the market, I left my job at the church and things just kept getting more and more complicated. Darrell was finally getting to do what he felt led to do and he couldn't have been happier, but we had a lot to sort out and not much time to do it.

Next you'll see how we moved 3 times in 6 months, and how a little block house changed my outlook on life. I promise the contentment is coming!

Times They Are a Changin'

2008-11-20T05:40:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned that I don't like change? . . . Just checking. Leaving the doctors office with a prescription for anxiety medication was a turning point. I'm a Christian who supposedly trusts the Lord. I know Philippians 4:6 by heart - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. How could I let this happen?

OK, so you know whats going on with me, now let's switch to our sub-plot and find out what was going on with Darrell during this time. In our little town, unless you were a teacher, pastor or a banker you were out of luck career wise. Darrell is in the IT field which meant he had to drive about an hour to work every day. He had done this for 10 years and he was getting really tired of it. He had mentioned several times lately how nice it would be to live in an area with more career opportunities. I am quoting my husband here - "We do have family in Nashville, you know. I really like it there." Every time he said that, I heard blah, blah, blah, blah. I was in no way interested in uprooting my children and moving away from my family, friends and the only home I had ever known. I mean, we had built our house just 4 years earlier - a house we had dreamt of building since we were first married. We had finally gotten the landscaping just the way we wanted it and finished the upstairs for goodness sake!

So here's the moment you've been waiting for. My thoughts are about to mesh with my dear husband's. I was still in shock from my "diagnosis" if you will, but life had to go on. The kids had a dentist appointment one morning - big deal, right? Well, Darrell's insurance had just changed and we could no longer see our hometown dentist which was a convenient 10 minute drive from our house. Now, where do you think the nearest dentist that accepted our insurance was located? Of course - the same town Darrell worked in. As I was driving, I thought this is crazy. What a pain to have to drive over an hour to see the dentist. Then it hit me. I had a moment right there in the good ole mini-van. God reminded me of all those times Darrell had tried to tell me how he disliked the drive and he loved Nashville. No God, I don't want to hear that. But it was too late. I heard him loud and clear - Now I had to decide what to do about it.

Ephesians 5:22 is one of the most controversial verses of scripture in the Bible. Everyone has an opinion about it. It says Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. We tend to forget the verses that follow. Verse 25 says Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Why do we stop after verse 23 and not see that very important flip side? Our husbands are to be the spiritual leaders of the home and we are to submit to the leadership that God has given them. On the other hand, there has never been a love like the one Christ has for the church. Our husbands are to show that kind of love to us. That kind of love takes commitment and hard work on both ends. We were about to put this to the test in our marriage.

If you are still following all of this, you deserve some sort of medal. (I'll get to work on that!). I know it's a lot of information, but I feel like every piece of it is needed to get to where I am going. Don't give up on me yet, I'm getting there!

Kryptonite - Supermom's Weakness

2008-11-19T06:13:00.000-08:00

Search me, 0 God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24)

Now we get to the kryptonite. Supermom started unraveling a bit. Trying to please everyone and be everywhere at once was taking its toll. My job at church was truly a blessing in the beginning. I had great hours, I couldn't ask for better people to work with - I really liked it. Naturally since I thought I had to be Supermom, I also started thinking I had to be super church secretary. (Of course I don't need any help - I'll just take this work home with me and stay up half the night to finish it - after gymanastics, cooking supper, homework, baths and a load of laundry or two. Then I'll get up and do it all over again tomorrow.)

I just want to say right now that this was nobody's fault but my own. I had every opportunity in the world to ask for a little help here and there, but I had this stubborn "I can do it myself" mentality. Yes, I can do it all myself, I have it all together and I'm so happy! ( Sound familiar to any of you?)

OK, back to the unraveling. I started being very short and snappy with my kids and my poor husband. I was still polite and sugary sweet with everyone else, but when I got home the ones I love the most got the worst of me. I began having trouble sleeping which didn't help matters at all. I would wake up exhausted and go through it all over and over again. In addition to not sleeping, I started having killer headaches, dizzy spells and heart palpatations. I would cry at the drop of a hat. (I know some of you remember this!)

I was so deluded that I had no idea what was going on. I just knew I had some sort of horrible disease. I finally made an appointment with a doctor. To make a long story short, they did every imaginable test and an MRI to see what was causing the headaches. Guess what? I was perfectly healthy - couldn't be any healthier as a matter of fact. Great news except now on top of everything else, I was crazy! I saw one more doctor and according to him, all women are overloaded now - we all just need a little anxiety pill every day and things will be just peachy. Well, I had discovered my kryptonite - my own mind.

Minds are scary places. Our minds can make the simplest things so complicated. We create a reality for ourselves that honestly doesn't exist. We worry about all the what ifs, and I should haves and what will people think? until we've made a mountain out of a mole hill.

I love sharing this with you. I honestly thought it woud be harder but it feels good to finally do what God has been leading me to do. There's so much more to come. I hope you'll continue on my journey with me!

Supermom vs Joy

2008-11-18T05:39:00.000-08:00

These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you,

and that your joy may be made full. John 15:11

I don't like change. Maybe that stems from growing up in a small town where everybody knew everybody else. I knew what to expect from day to day . . . or so I thought. The seed for this blog was planted years ago when we were still living in our small hometown. Life was good. We had two beautiful children, friends and family, a great church and a nice new house. I worked part time at our church. My job was very flexible, so it was perfect for a busy mom. ( I even got to take Leah Kate to work with me when she was a baby . . . great, right? - wrong. Can you say nightmare?) Between church activities, work, school, cub scouts, gymnastics, t-ball, errands and housework, we were meeting ourselves coming and going. There were weeks that we had somewhere to be every night. Does this sound familiar to you? Of course it does because that is the typical family.

We lived like that for many years because I was Supermom. Faster than a speeding mini-van, stronger than a stubborn toddler, able to leap loads of laundry in a single bound. I NEVER asked for help because I was a super hero. ( Seriously, I can show you my cape if you want - I kept it as a souvenir.) Asking for help was what weak mortals did. I was responsible for everyone's happiness. How long can supermom go before she stumbles across her kryptonite? We shall soon see.

Right now I am reading the hilarious book If Mama Ain't Happy, Ain't Nobody Happy! by Christian author Lindsey O'Connor. This isn't a new book, it's over 10 years old and I ran across it the other day in the library. Her book isn't about making mama happy. She is talking about true joy and the influence a joyful mom has on the rest of her household. I can laugh while reading this book now but If I had read this a couple of years ago, I would have been in tears. My point is, God wants us to have true joy in our lives. We have to seek that joy. It doesn't come naturally to most of us.

No, I don't like change. Supermom is in for a rude awakening. Will she survive the impending disruption of her life? Stay tuned . . .

What This Is All About!

2008-11-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

Contentment - The state of feeling or showing satisfaction with one's situation.

Now that's Webster's definition of the word . . . sort of. It actually reads the state of feeling or showing satisfaction with one's status, possessions or situation. Well, I'm throwing out the words "status" and "possessions" because we are focusing on TRUE contentment. Status and possessions are hereby banned from the vocabulary around here! Now that I've set the tone for this blog, let's get started!

Philippians 4:11 (see to the right) is a verse that has been an inspiration to me. I have used it to calm fears and remember that true contentment doesn't lie in my surroundings, but in Christ. With that said, this same verse has also caused me lots of grief. What in the world does it mean? It plainly states that we should be content whatever the circumstances. Is Paul saying that if we are living in an abusive situation that we should learn to be content? Is he saying that if we don't have enough money to put food on the table for our children that we should learn to be content with that? Is he saying that if we are living outside the will of God that we should even expect to be content? Absolutely not. We can however learn to be content when we put our trust in God's plan for our lives. When we know He is in control, we can be content during those times that our situation is less than ideal.

Lots of prayer, thought and encouraging words from friends and family made it possible for me to actually do this. It is scary to be so honest and real, but it is important to me to open up to other women (especially you moms!) in this way. I've been there. I know how the pressure of commitments and expectations can steal your joy and rob you of the life you were meant to live. Now, let's create some contentment together. I hope you'll stop by often!