God in the Plans

Yesterday, which was Saturday, December 19, the last Saturday before Christmas, we did our Christmas shopping. Yes, apparently we are certifiably insane. We and hundreds of other parents who swarmed the stores. Knowing it was going to be nuts, I had my list all made out and knew what to get at each store for each child.

We got to Target, our first stop (yes, the kids were with us, forcing us to try and shop sneaky without the kids figuring it out). Target was packed and the shelves held almost none of what I was looking for. A few days earlier, I had found what I wanted, but by Saturday it as gone. Frustrated, stressed and overwhelmed, we left with one gift.

Joe suggested that we ditch most of my list and head to the hobby store. He argued that it wouldn't be as busy and we would find higher quality gifts that would inspire creativity in our kids. I'm not one to discard my lists and plans easily and it took a lot of convincing for me to relent. I was concerned that we'd spend more money at the hobby store, but off we went.

Once at the hobby store, we had a great time. We let the kids look around and got ideas for what interested them, then I watched them while Joe bought things and hid them in the car. The things we got were much better quality than we would have gotten elsewhere. I relaxed considerably and admitted that yes, my husband had been right.

Then he told me that he had prayed that morning that God would lead us in getting the right gifts for our kids. We were convinced that God had answered that prayer.

Why hadn't I thought of that? I think I have the materialistic "presents" side of Christmas so segregated from the spiritual "Jesus' birthday" side of Christmas. My wise husband invited God to be part of our plans to bless our children with gifts that would help them grow as well as remind them of the gift of Jesus.

Praise God that He wants to be in all of our plans, both those deemed 'spiritual' and those considered 'worldly'. When we walk with Him, all things are sacred and He wants to be involved in all of it.

May you invite Jesus to be Lord over all your plans this Christmas and always!

Tips on Redeeming a Grumpy, Gloomy, Bickery, Ucky, Blah Day

This fall has been particularly gloomy for some reason and it affects everyone. We've had several days where everyone is grouchy, bickering and gloomy. How do we fix that for Mom and kids alike? Here are some tips that have helped our family...

1. Get outside, no matter how cold, wet or gloomy it is. Even just for 5-10 minutes. There's something about fresh air that lifts the spirits. The other day we went outside and collected fall leaves for 10 minutes. Everyone was much happier afterwards!

2. Do an art project. Creativity also seems to help bring some light to dark moods. We pressed our leaves and made place mats from them. Bring out the paint or the play dough.

3. Put on some lively music. Classical music, praise and worship, whatever fits your family.

4. Play a game. Maybe it's a good day to bring out Chutes and Ladders, Candyland or teach the kids to play checkers.

5. Accomplish something simple but satisfying. I vacuumed out my car while the kids were collecting leaves. It REALLY needed to be done but didn't take much effort. It looked SO much better and I felt great about having it done. (Hubby was glad, too!)

6. Laugh! Go tickle your kids or watch a funny movie with them. Have them take turn telling jokes, no matter how corny.

7. Get moving! Do jumping jacks with the kids, or jump rope in the basement or "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes". Get the blood flowing.

Anyone have other tips to share? The weather isn't going to get nicer any time soon...

Jesus is for Losers

"While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and 'sinners' came and ate with Him and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, 'Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?' On hearing this, Jesus said, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'" Matthew 9:10-13

Do you see yourself as sick or well? Do you need a spiritual doctor? We're so good at convincing ourselves and the world around us that everything is fine. Yes, my life is fine, my family is fine, my marriage is fine, my kids are fine, my job is fine. No problems. I don't need anything from you or anyone else, especially God. Jesus is just a crutch for those who can't handle life on their own.

Well, guess what. None of us can really handle life on our own if we're truly honest with ourselves. Our pride insists that we can do it all just fine. We can figure it out alone. And if you're not at the place where you realize that you don't have things all figured out, beware because God has very effective ways of getting you there quickly. Not to be mean, but because sometimes we need to be made aware of our need in order to come to Him and find true joy.

The crux of the issue is that we all sin. We all fall short of God's glory - His perfection. Big things, little things, we all do it. And the "but I'm really a good person" just doesn't cut it.

The Pharisees were good people and Jesus tore them up one side and down the other. They followed all the rules, plus lots more. And they had a lot of rules to follow - over 600! But they missed the point. They focused on the outward stuff and ignored the inner stuff. God cares about the inside.

"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgement.' But I [Jesus] tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgement." Matthew 5:21-22a

Been angry? Oops.

"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matthew 5:27-28 Ladies, this goes for you, too. Have you gazed too long at the cute UPS guy? That co-worker? Oops.

James 2:10 "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." Whoa. Suffice it to say that we're all in deep doo-doo, no matter how 'good' of a person we think we've been.

So what's the out? "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

OK, so we work hard enough at being a good person from now on and Jesus will take care of it all for us, right?

No.

It doesn't say "...whoever tries hard enough and goes to church every Sunday will not perish but have eternal life." It says BELIEVE.

"For by grace [free gift] you have been saved, through faith. It is not of ourselves, it is a gift from God. NOT AS A RESULT OF WORKS SO THAT NO ONE SHOULD BOAST." Ephesians 2:10, emphasis mine

Being a good person has nothing to do with it, folks. Jesus is for losers - people who will have the humility to admit that they can't do this thing called life on their own. Losers who admit that they sin and that being a good person doesn't fix it. And don't get too excited about how humble you are, because that would be pride and then you'd be back where you started. :)

Are you a loser?

What's this 'Nanowrimo' thing?

If you're a non-writing friend of mine, or you do write and you've just never heard of this "NaNoWri Mo" thing, let me fill you in. It stands for "National Novel Writing Month", although it's become really quite international. For the month of November, whomever is insane enough to try it, writes a 50,000 word (or more) novel between November 1 and November 30. As crazy as it sounds, tons of people do it from all over the world. There's no prize if you win, just the satisfaction that you did it.

I tried it last year, but about a week in was struck down with morning sickness and pregnancy exhaustion, so I gave up. But, this year, I'm more or less healthy and have no excuses! Actually, I could come up with quite a few excuses, but I'm going to try it anyway. :)

So, why in the world would an already busy homeschool mom decide to write about 1700 words a day for 30 days? Hah! So glad you asked...

1. I enjoy the challenge. I like stepping out a doing something that has nothing to do with being a Mom or educating my children.

2. I want to work on turning off my "inner editor". In writing and in other areas of my life, I tend to be fairly critical of what I produce. When writing a novel in 30 days, quantity rather than quality is the goal. There's no time to listen to the editor in my ear telling me how horrible this is and how it will never work. He just has to shut up so I can get it done. All first drafts have big problems that need to be fixed. This one will certainly be no different. You can't edit a blank page. (Someone else said that - not me.)

3. I'm using the opportunity to explore a few writing things I've been wanting to but haven't. I want to write in dual perspectives, meaning that the story is told from the point of view of two different characters. I also want to write for adults rather than teens. Thirdly, I'm working on a plot that deals with racial issues in the Church - a topic I've wanted to tackle for a while. Am I SUPER nuts for trying so many new and serious things on a slam together Nanowrimo novel? Perhaps. But, in my mind, doing it this way gives me the freedom to fail, and therefore the freedom to take more risks that I otherwise might not .

4. I've had trouble in the past writing novels in short chunks because I lose track of the flow of the story. It's like trying to carry on an in-depth conversation with someone in 2 minutes a day. It's a little hard to keep track of what you were talking about. This should solve that problem. I'm also guessing I'll learn more how to write amid distractions (like children, football games and hockey games in the background).

I've found that when I know what I need to write, my kids are relatively quiet upstairs for 'rest time' and I've got a coffee buzz going, I can write 500 words in about 20 minutes. So, an hour and a half, roughly, per day to make 1700 words. No problem! I think the problem will be keeping that up throughout the month.

November will NOT be the month to quit caffeine and I may be doing my Christmas shopping early. Or late.

Anyone care to join me? ;)

The Great Divide

Have you ever noticed that there are people who have been Christians for quite some time, have all sorts of Bible verses memorized, serve in all different ministries, etc, and yet they still seem to struggle in some basic areas? Gossip, complaining, greed, selfishness... Have you ever noticed yourself in that category? I've seen it many times, including in myself, and was thankful when a speaker I heard this past weekend addressed that issue.

He said that our spiritual maturity and our emotional maturity are linked. Some of us have emotional issues from our past that are keeping us from developing emotionally and spiritually. Do you struggle with trying to impress others and build yourself up? (I do!) Philippians 2 says that Jesus did not consider equality with God something to be grasped and that we should take the same attitude. Is there something in your past that has triggered that struggle, like a parent you could never please or constant feelings of inadequacy? Do you get defensive when criticized? Wrestle with a food or spending addiction? The list goes on.

If the answer is 'yes', is it time for counseling? Well, I can't answer that question for you, but Jesus was clear that He wants us to bring all our 'junk' to Him.

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28

So, whether or not you feel led to talk through some issues with someone else, we definitely need to work through them with Him. If you have issues from your past that need to be worked through, I would highly recommend the book Building the Christian Family You Never Had. In the first half of the book, author Mary DeMuth describes her own very challenging time growing up and walks readers through how to process, forgive and heal from past hurts. I've heard many times people say that we need to be healed from our pasts, but never read a better description of HOW to go about doing that with God. The point of the book is that we can't really avoid repeating how we were raised until we are healed from it.

So, if there is something creating a gap between what you know about walking with God and what you actually live out, ask God to probe your heart to see if there's something that needs healing before you can move forward with Him.

Don't Give Up!

Have you ever felt bombarded by circumstances, conflicts or health issues and wanted to run away and hide? I lean in that direction more frequently than I care to admit. It's something I learned from my family, particularly my mother. I've had to make a conscious choice to do otherwise and it's not always easy.

Recently, I've had a handful of health challenges, from a never-ending sinus infection to sleeping poorly and being tired most of the time, back problems as well as some others. My natural bent is to be overwhelmed and frustrated that I'm dealing with this when I'm only 35. I should be able to teach 4-6 year olds how to do jumping jacks without it inducing a week-long headache!

After reading Joyce Meyer's book, Never Give Up! I was inspired to take on a different attitude. I stopped complaining about my problems and made up my mind to proactively pursue solutions, one at a time. I talked it over with my husband and devised a plan for how to tackle each one.

I realized that part of my problem was a reluctance to spend the money on my own healthcare. It also takes some stepping out of my comfort zone to address some of these issues. But, I need solutions. A healthier mom and wife is a happier mom and wife. And that's better for everyone! I can't serve God and my family if my body isn't functioning the way it should.

I discovered that even my fatigue is improved when I make up my mind to get to work anyway. Rather than dwell on being tired, I've tried to focus on finding ways to muster up some energy and do what needs to be done. Sometimes I just need to get my behind off the chair and get to work! No excuses!

How about you? Any areas in your life where you're acting more like a victim than a victor? Take charge of your health and your outlook on life. God walks through life with us and will give us the strength to get through whatever we need to.

Keeping Order While Homeschooling

We've had school going with my 4 year old and 6 year old for a few weeks now and I've noticed some behavioral areas that need improvement. Some days, that's an incredible understatement and school is a complete train wreck. I needed a new idea to try. A friend of mine whose daughter goes to kindergarten at a small Christian school told me about the merit/demerit system at the school. I was impressed by the high expectations they have for kids that young. I expected far less of my kids at home!

So, I decided to try my own version of the merit/demerit system. I chose three areas where we have the most trouble: attitude, focus and fighting. I made up merit and demerit cards for each category. I also added a Proverb that addressed each. When I notice bad behavior in one of those areas, I don't yell (too often) or threaten. I just hand the offender a demerit. When I notice good behavior, I give a merit.

For my relatively compliant 6 year old, getting the merit or demerit itself seems (so far) to be enough to reward or correct. He's disappointed to get a demerit and that's enough to turn his behavior around. He's thrilled to get a merit.

My strong-willed, tempermental 4 year old, on the other hand, takes her demerit and throws it on the floor. Hmmm... She obviously needs more concrete consequences. So, I started giving her a 5 minute time-out for every demerit. Taken out of her recess time. We'll see how that works with her! I may end up offering rewards for merits also.

We plan to try a simplifed version of this system with our homeschool co-op (ages 2-6) where we need some training in basic classroom etiquette. We're going to write out some basic rules (don't talk until you raise you hand and are called on, hands to yourselves, etc). Then we'll have some green disks (poker chips?) and some red ones. Green is good, red is bad. It gives kids a concrete way of understanding when they're doing right versus wrong.

I just thought I'd pass it along to see if it might be helpful. Let me know!

REQUEST... I'm still trying to figure out the best way to track how many people are reading my posts, so would you do me a favor and email me or leave me a comment and tell me how you read this? Did you go to the site, read it directly from Facebook or Twitter, on an RSS feed or from your email? Thank you!!!!!!

Moms are Like Bees...

Moms are like bees, but probably not in the way you're thinking of. Yes, we're busy all the time, sting when we're angry and make a lot of noise, but I found some other similarities. :) I studied bees in school with my kids recently and I was intrigued by these little creatures! A worker bee has four different jobs throughout its life - one at a time.


1. When a worker bee is four days old, it becomes a nurse. Its body produces royal jelly that it feeds to the bee larvae. It doesn't make this jelly for very long.

2. When it is twelve days old, its body starts making wax which it then uses to build the nest.

3. At eighteen days old, its body stops making wax and it switches jobs to guarding the entrance to the hive to make sure no strange bees enter.

4. Once it is three weeks old, a worker bee leaves the hive to collect nectar or pollen to make honey.

Why in the world am I telling you this? It occurred to me that those four jobs are somewhat similar to the seasons of life that we as moms go through.

1. Our first job is a nurse. Whether you breastfeed or bottle feed, you primary role with an infant is to feed it. You bond with your baby and keep him fed, warm and clean.

2. Our next job is to build our nest. As the baby grows toward toddler hood, our focus turns toward making our homes as safe, stimulating and comfortable as possible. We baby proof the wall outlets, put up gates and search for anything that might get choked on.

3. As our children get older and have more interaction with the outside world, we turn to being a protector. We think more about keep our children safe from predators, whether they're found on the street, on the internet or on the TV. We monitor what music they listen to, who they hang out with, where they go, etc. I think this stage lasts quite a while - say, elementary school until they're on their own.

4. For the last stage, honey-making, I thought of a couple different parallels. We get to enjoy the sweet rewards of our work (Lord willing!) as we see our kids blossom into adults. We enjoy more of a peer relationship with them. In another sense, this is the season of life where we can spend more time outside the hive, maybe pursuing a career or volunteer work. Now is the time to try and contribute financially to the household.

The one thing that stuck out to me in reading about bees was that they knew exactly what they were supposed to do. They knew when one job was supposed to end and another begin. How we as moms struggle with this! Shouldn't I be out doing something different? When will I get some time to pursue other things? Maybe we should follow the bees' example and do the best job we can with whatever job God has given us at the moment. There will be other jobs later.

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

A friend sent me this recipe. I haven't tried it, yet, but it looked so good I had to post it!


4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe)

*Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
*Pour in the milk and oil and mix well..
*Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
*Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.

The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT ! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world?
Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Scary, huh? If you try it, let me know how it goes!

The Art of Saying No

Why is it so hard for us to say no when people ask us to do things? We have a hard time saying no to our kids, to our extended family, to people who want things from us, the list goes on. As a result, we relinquish our time to people and scenarios we never intended to. When someone asks us to fill a position or volunteer or take on a new job or switch work schedules, we lack the courage to say no.


We somehow feel that the godly, servant thing to do, is to say YES whenever anyone asks something of us. Our time and energy is precious and limited. When we give it away without careful consideration and prayer, we are doing ourselves, our families and God a disservice. I read the quote recently that said that if we’re too busy to get everything done in the time we have, then there must be some things on our list that God didn’t put there.


So what do we do?

1. Start by not saying ‘yes’. “Let me get back to you on that” is a great line to use. Don’t let someone fluster you into saying yes when you don’t want to.

2. Then, you have time to think about it, pray about and talk with your spouse or a close friend about it. Sleep on it for at least a night.

3. Decide what your priorities are. Look at your schedule and figure out what is non-negotiable. If this new commitment doesn’t fit into what is important to you.

4. What do you WANT to do? Even if you have time for something, do you want to do it? Sometimes we should serve even if we’re not excited about it. But if you do that, make sure it’s something God wants you to do.

5. Make choices based on what you believe to be God’s will, not out of guilt. Enough said?

6. If it’s a “no”, then ask God for the courage to call the person back and graciously tell them no.

You will find that saying 'no' to things gives you freedom and joy that you may have been lacking. We don't need to be enslaved by what others want us to do!

Ready for School? Spiritually?

So, it's time for school to start again (or continue, if you start early or home school year round). The store shelves are piled high with notebooks, pencils, erasers, calculators and backpacks. You're purchasing your curriculum, making sure your schedules are arranged just right, paperwork done, the lunches made... You're all ready to start school, right?

As I was doing all this to get ready to start school with my kindergartner and first grader, I had to stop for a minute. I was more or less ready with the academics, but was I ready... spiritually? I have been catching myself snapping at my kids, losing my temper and sounding annoyed at them lately. Life has thrown us some challenges over the past 6 months and it's been difficult at times not to take my stress and frustration out on them.

So, I paused in my lesson plan preparation and library book searches to search my heart. More importantly, to ask God to search my heart and bring to light what was hidden there. I need Him to take my frustrations, my stress, uncertainty and all the other junk and toss it. Call it spiritual de-cluttering! As I educate my kids at home, I want them to learn more than history, math and science. I want them to learn godly ways to deal with stress, how to treat others and how it's OK to take a break to calm your temper before it spills over onto someone else. I guess I need to learn those lessons a little better myself!

Even though we started school today, I still need daily searching and cleansing to assure that I'm as prepared spiritually as I can be to be the Mom and teacher that He wants me to be. My time alone with Him in the morning before the kids get up is now even more important than it was before.

How about you? What do you do to be spiritually prepared to home school your kids?

Contentment in the Now

This is Freddie, our pet guinea pig. Give him hay, food, water and some fruit and he's content. Unless, of course, you're trying to catch him or trim his nails. But otherwise, he seems like a content, happy little guy.

I, on the other hand, tend to always be looking to the next thing. What's the next stage my kids will reach? When will I get the time to keep the house clean? When will I have time to write without the interruption of kids? When will I be mature enough to feel confident of what my writing platform should be? When?

I'm very much someone who lives in the future, but recent circumstances in my life have made me take a step back and be more HERE, NOW. How can I love and encourage my kids where they're at now? How can I find joy and contentment in THIS season of life? My kids are young and I homeschool them. Do I have time and energy for much else? NO! I love homeschooling and don't question that decision at all. But, do I sometimes envy the moms that suddenly have tons of time on their hands every fall to pursue other things? Sure! Just give me a few more days in every week... I'll find a way to do it all!

The reality is that God gave us the time He gave us - no more. Perhaps it's an overused cliche, but there really are seasons in life. As Ecclesiastes says, there is a season for everything. Now is my season to invest heavily in my kids and their education. I won't have another chance to do that. Doing lots of other ministry, writing, crafts, etc, will wait. They will be there when this season changes.

I still find outlets for ministry and writing and other "me" stuff, but it's squeezed in around what my seasonal priorities are. I'm trying to BE HERE NOW. I still like to look ahead to what the future may bring, but I will choose to settle myself into the now and rejoice in what it brings.

Be the Cool House in the Neighborhood

Problem: You want to keep an eye on your kids,but they want to play with the neighbors. You’re not sure what kind of values other parents have and don’t want to expose your kids to things you find inappropriate. You also want to keep them safe. And, how can you be a Christian witness to your neighbors?

Solution: Be the cool house in the neighborhood that the other kids want to hang out at! That way, your kids are where you can keep tabs on them, you control what influences they’re around, you know they’re safe and you can be an example to those who live nearby.

How? Have cool kid stuff that you make available. In the summer, we have a rocket sprinkler that is a HUGE kid draw. My kids start playing with it and we suddenly have 5 other kids in our yard laughing and getting soaked. Make a slip and slide out of a tarp. In the winter, make a sledding ramp and track out of snow. Make your home and yard a fun place for kids to play. What it looks like will depend on the ages of your kids. My husband builds plastic models and flies R/C airplanes – kids love that stuff! Have kid-friendly snacks and drinks to offer. Make home-made cookies. Be June Cleaver (just kidding). Seriously, your house doesn’t have to be immaculate – just fun and available.

Keep it under control… As you have other kids in your home and yard, remember that it’s your house and you set the rules. Being the cool house doesn’t mean you have to allow the kids to do whatever they want. Be clear and firm in your boundaries. I’ve had to tell a 6 year old neighbor that if he continued to use bad language at my house, that he would not be allowed to play there. And, that if he touched our car again, he would be sent home (this was after he was politely instructed a couple times). His 8 year old sister pushed the boundaries as well, and I firmly told her that if she could not listen to me while at my house, that she wouldn’t be allowed to play there. Don’t be afraid to send them all outside on a nice day or simply turn them away if you’re not up for company. It’s your house – take charge. Most kids will respond very well to polite but firm boundaries. Others may test you. Pass the test and you will win their respect. Fail the test and they will walk all over you and drive you crazy.

Witness… You can use the opportunity to let them see you pray before you eat and to teach them how Christians treat each other. You can also gently explain that at our house we honor God and don’t use His name lightly if frequent uses of “Oh my…” abound. Invite them to church, get to know their parents, the opportunities are endless!

What Do You Do with Worry???

"Do not be anxious about anything, but with everything, through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

OK, so I'm not supposed to worry. No problem, right? Hah! But God, don't You realize how many things there are to worry about? What if we don't make it financially? What if my kids get some horrible disease? Or me or my spouse? Or the house burns down? Or... We can create endless situations that we should worry about.

God commands us NOT to be anxious. But we can't help it, can we? We must be able to help it if God tells us not to do it. He wouldn't give us a command that we couldn't keep. I believe that worry is a choice. (I'm preaching to myself here, just as much as anyone else!) We're not victims of some worry disease. We simply have a choice to make.

Think about what worries you the most. Finances? Health? Relationships? What happens when you worry about it? You think about it. You imagine all the things that could go wrong in that area. You play the endless "What if?" game. It fills your mind and your thoughts.

In Scripture, God not only tells us not to worry, He also tells us what to replace that 'worry energy' with. Phillipians says not to worry, but to pray instead. That's helpful - I need to place my worries into God's capable hands and trust that He'll take care of it. But, I think we frequently stop too short in memorizing and applying just verses 6-7. I think God has even more worry-fighting ammunition in verses 8-9.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

When we're worrying, are we thinking about things that are true, noble, right,pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy? NO! All our "what-ifs" aren't true because they haven't even happened yet. We're imagining up horrible scenarios and stressing about what could happen. Instead of thinking of what we're worrying about, we need to think about good things.

Then, Paul also tells us to get to work! Don't just sit there, we need to apply what we've learned! Go love your neighbor, serve one another, get involved in ministry.

To sum up, here's God's plan for fighting worry:

1. Pray about everything

2. Think about good things instead of what you're worrying about

3. Get to work applying the things that God has taught you

"Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you." 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Lessons from my mother's life and death

My mother passed away last week and I don't know if she's in heaven or not. I think she is, but I really don't know. She made a profession of faith years ago and we saw fruit from that decision, but then that fruit faded. She was terrified to die, rather than being confident that she went to her Father's loving arms. Did she really know Him?

There's one thing I DO know. She didn't live the victorious life in Christ that God had planned for her. She struggled with depression, feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. She was so overweight that it caused her death in the end. She never gained victory over those things and the other demons in her life. She was a wonderful, kind, loving, "good" person, but God had so much more for her.

It's made me wonder a couple things about myself. Do I live the victorious life in Christ that He has planned for me? Am I struggling with things needlessly rather than finding victory in Christ? When I die, will my family wonder if I'm in heaven? Will I be afraid to die? I can't change my mother's choices, but I can change my own. I can choose trust, peace and prayer over anxiety. I can choose self-control over indulgence. Joy over complaining.

What will you choose today?

Recycle your coffee!

If you're a coffee junkie like me, you know how expensive the habit can be. Depending on how picky your tastes are, you can spend $7-$10 on a pound of coffee. Going to Starbucks all the time adds up very quickly.

I have a goofy habit of never finishing a cup of coffee. It gets cold before I drink it all and nuked coffee just isn't the same. Pouring the rest down the drain feels like throwing away money. So, I thought I'd share a little trick I started doing to cut down on my coffee waste and make for a nice afternoon treat.

When my coffee gets cold, whether I brewed it at home or bought it at the coffee shop, I pour it into a plastic jug and add a little chocolate syrup. I like my hot coffee with no sugar, but unsweetened ice coffee doesn't work for me. The chocolate syrup adds a little sweetness, almost like an iced mocha and it tastes great! Then into the fridge it goes. I drink some when I need a boost or a treat and add to it as go.

I usually brew fresh coffee in the morning, then drink my 'mocha' after lunch. It saves me from brewing another cup in the afternoon, and doesn't waste what I do brew or buy out.

Enjoy!

Looking for a Spiritual Challenge?

First, congrats to Brenda Greenhow for winning the book drawing!




In church today, we had a guest speaker. He is the president of a nearby Christian college and has worked as a missionary to China. He has a very interesting habit when he goes out to eat. After the waitress brings him his food, he tells her that he plans to pray before he eats and asks if he can pray for her. He says there's almost always a moment of stunned silence. A few are annoyed, but most are willing to tell him something to pray for. What a neat way to show the love of Christ!



We only go out to a sit-down dinner once or twice a month, but I'd like to get up the guts to do it. I'm certainly not an extrovert by nature, but how hard can it be to open your mouth and ask a simple question?



I'm also not a big tract person, because I think relationships are much more effective and, well, personal. But, what about combining praying for a waitress with leaving her a gospel tract with her tip? Praying for her might just soften her heart and make her more receptive to a relationship with God.



If you decied to try it, leave me a comment and let me know what happens!

Win a Free Book - Interview with Kathi Macias

I hope you enjoy my interview with Kathi Macias, author of "How Can I Run a Tight Ship When I'm Surrounded by Loose Cannons?". If you leave a comment by Friday, February 27, I will put your name in a drawing for a free copy of the book!

Kathi, first of all, I thoroughly enjoyed reading "How Can I Run a Tight Ship...". Your storytelling was so honest and engaging that I had trouble putting it down! I could also very much relate to many of your struggles. Was there something specific that inspired you to write it?

Actually, as much as I hate to admit it, I came up with the title before I had a clue about the content. How Can I Run a Tight Ship when I’m Surrounded by Loose Cannons just popped into my head one day, and I thought, Wow, what a great book title! So I started to pray/think about it and realized it epitomized my life—a control freak who could never get a handle on anything! That realization brought me back to the first time as a new Christian that I stumbled across the Proverbs 31 woman and immediately began trying to be like her. What a hilarious and pathetic failure that was!!! I also realized that nearly all Christian women, to some extent, get caught up in the fallacy of the Proverbs 31 role model, and I wanted to help them see the futility of trying to do the impossible. Instead, I desired for this book to help women see the progression of grace in our lives as we pass through stages of growth and different seasons of Proverbs 31 living, moving into excellence but not striving for perfection. And I wanted to make them smile in the process.

Is it safe to say that you would be considered a "Type A" personality?

HA! I am such a Type A that I feel a failure if someone doesn’t tell me I’m a Type A-plus! Seriously, if I got a 98 on a test in school, I was ready to throw myself off a cliff. All I could think of was that 2 percent I missed. And, of course, I was a great “fixer.” I knew just how I could help others become as perfect as I wanted to be—at everything! If you read the book, you’ll know that kind of thinking got me dubbed “Mighty Mouse” in school—you know the theme song: “Here I come to save the day!” What a joke!

God has obviously given you (and me) and countless others that type of personality, and yet it seems like we struggle so much letting God rather than ourselves be in control of every situation. In our drive to be productive for Him, we lose track of our relationship with Him. That balance between being and doing s such a hard one to find. How have you seen God use your "type A" personality in positive ways?

Yes, God has used me “just as I am”—in spite of myself. And it never ceases to amaze me. More than once I’ve found myself asking, “Father, have You forgotten who You have on the end of the string here?” Then, of course, He reminds me that it’s not about who’s on my end of the string, but who’s holding it at its source. Why do I have to be reminded of that fact so often??? How can I write a book about it and STILL slip into that “it’s all up to me” thinking? Hmm… Do you suppose I’m still a “WIP”—a “work in progress” with a lot to learn? Absolutely! And so are you. So we may as well share a few laughs as we learn together along the way, don’t you think?

If you could sum up what you want to say to readers in this book in a sentence or two, what would it be? What do you most want readers to take away from it?

I want my readers to relax—to stop striving and failing and feeling frustrated and hopeless. We can’t do anything on our own anyway, so why feel badly when we fail? If we really believed Jesus’ words that “apart from Me you can do NOTHING,” we’d have a lot more peace in our lives because we’d stop trying to do what we cannot do. Sounds so simple, doesn’t it? But after 35 years of walking with the Lord, twenty of those years having been spent in fulltime ministry, I’m still trying to learn and apply it. So take heart, fellow pilgrims! You and I aren’t faithful—but God is, and He has promised to complete that good work He started in us. So let’s just hang on to Him and let Him steer our ships safely home—loose cannons and all!

Thank you, Kathi!

Leave a comment and I put you in the drawing for a free copy of the book.

You can also purchase a copy from Amazon.com http://tinyurl.com/apn93m

Pray Before Talking

In church on Sunday, the speaker talked about the importance of talking like Jesus did. Our words get us into so much trouble sometimes! He mentioned a co-worker who had a post-it note on his office phone that simply said, "PRAY". It was a reminder to pray before communicating over the phone.

In similar ways, we could have "PRAY" notes on our computers to remind us to send God-honoring emails.

I thought of another idea...

Enough said. :)

Are you interrupted?

"I think I find most help in trying to look on all the interruptions and hinderances to work that one has planned out for oneself as discipline, trials sent by God to help one against getting selfish over one's work. Then one can feel that perhaps one's true work - one's work for God - consists in doing some trifling haphazard thing that has been thrown into one's day. It is not a waste of time, as one is tempted to think, it is the most important part of the work of the day - the part that one can best offer to God. After such a hindrance, do not rush after the planned worlk; trust that the time to finish it will be given sometime, and keep a quiet heart about it."
- Annie Keary, 1825-1875, from "Keep a Quiet Heart" by Elizabeth Elliot

Interruptions and hinderances. Hmmm, I think I have two of those, ages 4 and 6! How many times do I feel hindered and interrupted from doing laundry, washing the dishes, writing, keeping to my set schedule for the day, etc, by my children! It feels horrible to think of them as trials. They are really a joy. (Usually. Well, except for this morning with my 4 year old... That's another story!) But, I do feel interrupted and inconvenienced by them. (Insert conviction here.) God has given me the gift and privilege to stay at home with them and home school them. They are not the interruption, but th real work that God has for me. Everything else is the interruption.

Lord, help me keep a quiet heart. Actually, give me one to begin with and then help me hold on to it! :)

"Whatever happens is assigned." -Elizabeth Elliot

25 Random Things About Me

1. I have two young kids who have way more energy than I ever will.
2. I love libraries.
3. I’m somewhat ADHD – I hardly do one thing for more than half an hour or so.
4. My kids sometimes drive me completely crazy, yet I still want to have one more. That’s got to be like the definition of insanity – doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result. Oh well.
5. I’m hopelessly addicted to coffee. I’ve quit several times only to re-hook myself later.
6. I can’t stand the Teletubbies and won’t let my children watch them.
7. I can’t wait to learn history chronologically alongside my kids. I wish I had been taught that way.
8. I also plan to teach my kids Greek and learn alongside them. (We home school in case you couldn’t guess.) I totally want to be able to read the Bible in the original languages.
9. Watching my son learn to read is one of the coolest things in the world.
10. I’m starting to think that I’m sick of living in the upper Midwest. The winters are SO COLD!
11. I wish I lived on a farm in the 1800s. Seriously. I suppose I could become Amish, but my husband would never go for it in a million years.
12. I wish someone had forced me to learn to play piano when I was a kid.
13. I wish I still had my tenor saxophone. It would be a blast to play again!
14. I probably think about money way too often.
15. I’m still using the beat up dresser I had growing up.
16. As my children just reminded me, we have 3 pets – two frogs and one fish. Do the crickets that feed the frogs count?
17. I think kindergarteners are very cute. It all goes downhill after that. (Not really, but sometimes it seems that way.)
18. I’m having a hard time coming up with 25 things.
19. I generally hate going clothes shopping.
20. I frequently lack sufficient patience when dealing with my children.
21. My daughter can be the cutest thing in the world or the most infuriating thing in the world. She can flip flop from one extreme to the other with amazing alacrity.
22. I’m not sure that ‘alacrity’ was the right word to use in #21…
23. “Bedtime for Francis” is one of my favorite children’s books.
24. I love reading historical fiction.
25. I think the “Olivia” books for kids are kind of weird. I just don’t get them.

Can someone tell me the truth?

Several weeks ago, my husband and I decided to use some Christmas money to replace our 10 year old, dying, picture tube TV with a new high definition digital TV. It looked wonderful in the store, so we bought it and brought it home.



Once we had it hooked up, we were surprised that it didn't seem to look any better than our old TV! Some channels actually seemed to look worse. I first called a local TV repair store, thinking we might return the new TV and get the old one fixed. I explained the situation to the woman there. She told me that it didn't look as good because not all channels are being transmitted in digital. Some cable companies would be switching to digital transmissions come February and others would require customers to use a digital receiver.



So, I called my cable company and asked about what the repair woman told me. This lady at the cable company said that actually, they were already transmitting in digital and a digital receiver wouldn't help our picture, but only give us extra channels. She suggested that there was something wrong with our new TV. She didn't sound very confident or informed, but I had nothing else to go on.



Next, I called the store where we bought the TV and explained the situation. The gentleman I talked to confidently told me that what I was seeing was the difference between high definition channels and regular digital channels. He said that the HD channels look SO good that it makes the regular ones seem poor by comparison. He explained that many channels now broadcast both in regular digital and HD, so I should call my cable company and find out what the HD versions of all the channels are.



So, back to the cable company I went. This time, I got a very confident young man who told me that unfortunately everything the earlier lady from his comapny told me was incorrect. He was able to tell me what was really going on, if I was interested. He said that what we needed was a digital receiver. Our picture would absolutely improve if we rented this box from them for $5 per month. It would improve even more if we spent $10 a month for the HD package.



So, off to the local cable company office I went and picked up a digital receiver. After spending the time to get it hooked up, I eagerly watched TV, anticipating wonderful results. It wasn't any different at all. I called tech support to make sure I did everything right, and he said that a digital receiver wouldn't improve my picture quality.



Now I was ready to scream, throw the thing out the window and say goodbye to everything that required electricity. The Amish life always did appeal to me...



My husband got home from work and called the TV manufacturer, getting still another slightly different story. Finally, we decided to put the thing to the test. Hubby figured out how we could watch both our old and new TVs simultaneously. We compared the two, channel by channel and discovered something very interesting. The new TV was actually better than the old one. Go figure.



We did find later that there are some HD versions of certain channels that do look much better, but most of the regular ones are just fine. (Thankfully for hubby, the football games have been on the extra good channels!)



What did I learn from all this that applies to the spiritual world? Just because someone sounds confident, doesn't mean they're right. People can be completely convinced that they're right and yet be completely wrong. There are likely things that I think I'm totally right about, yet I'm dead wrong. God's Word is our only source of absolute truth. Everything we do must be checked against it or we risk becoming convinced of a lie.


PS...
I think I figured out the TV thing, if you're interested. I found a great website that explained it in normal English. It's at: http://tinyurl.com/66v3sd

American Idol - Lessons in Self-delusion

I'm really not a fan of 95% of network shows. Most of them contain way too much content that I find objectionable. "American Idol" is the exception. As a classcally trained clarinet player who likes to sing (although I'd never make it past Simon!), I love watching the show and seeing if I can hear what the judges hear.



Watching the early episodes leading up to Hollywood Week is always, well, interesting. I'm amazed by the contestants who are completely convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt that they are the best singer the judges have ever heard. Have you noticed that they almost never are? The cockiest ones are usually the worst! Why is that? How does that happen?



As a musician, I know that some people are genuinely tone-deaf. Their ears can't tell whether they're singing the song right or not. They really can't help it. I went to college with such a person. One day, we were helping clean our church and he sang hymns while working. The problem was, he changed key every line of the song! I found it fun to try and follow along with his key changes. It was a real challenge!



I don't know the statistics, but I'm guessing there aren't THAT many people who are physiologically tone deaf. My husband also suggested that some of the contestants may have varying levels of developmental disabilities, contributing to their unrealistic understanding of their talent. Either of those issues may be going on with some contestants, but with the number of horrific auditions that take place in every city, every season, I think there's also something else going on.



We sin-soaked humans have an incredible ability to deceive ourselves. "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Jeremiah 17:9 We can talk ourselves into believing almost anything is true. While there may be some merit to thinking positively about ourselves, no amount of belief can change certain things about us, such as our ability to sing (or lack thereof).



Are we guilty of deceiving ourselves? Maybe you're not running off to American Idol even though you can't carry a tune, but parents, are you encouraging your children to do it instead? I'm amazed at the number of parents on "Idol" who seem just as deceived as their children! It's great to encourage our kids to try something new, but don't tell them they're wonderful at something when they're not! Be realistic and you'll do your kids a favor.



Search your heart and see if there are any spiritual areas where you think you may have succumbed to your deceitful heart? Have you convinced yourself that you don't struggle with sin or that you can handle certain tempting situations without a problem when that's not really true? Do you think you're a generous, loving person, but it's OK to talk about your neighbors behind their backs?



"Search me O 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