Luke 12
“What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving…Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provision…Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very Kingdom itself.”
I’m a worrier, a fretter, I tend to get wrapped up in the details and can miss the big picture. I like to be in control, planning and plotting my own way. All the while worrying that I’m missing something. I actually live with a lot of fear. In my life, I’ve believed great things, I’ve had faith for God’s provision and yet I seem to lack the faith that He truly loves me and wants the best for me. I feel like I let God down in so many ways – I disappoint myself, therefore, I must disappoint Him daily.
Hearing about my Dad’s journey recently has inspired and challenged me. His assurance of God’s love for him makes me want to follow him on the path he’s been on. So I’ll be taking some steps that way.
In the meantime, I choose to believe that I am one of Jesus’ dear friends and that He wants the best for me.
I’ll be looking for some God-reality, God-initiative, God-provision to steep myself in.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
January 7, 2010
Ephesians 5
"Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ's love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her…"
This passage is written to husbands, but I am so challenged by it. Sometimes I get so frustrated with Colin, I get defensive, I’m condescending. I get upset when he doesn’t do or say things that I want him to. My love has become very selfish and self-serving, I’m looking for what I can get and not what I can give.
True love builds, it doesn’t tear down. True love looks for the best, not for reasons to complain. It’s amazing to think that my love for Colin, for my boys, for others can actually help to make them whole, to display their beauty.
I want to love more. I want to love more purely. I want to love more selflessly.
"Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ's love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her…"
This passage is written to husbands, but I am so challenged by it. Sometimes I get so frustrated with Colin, I get defensive, I’m condescending. I get upset when he doesn’t do or say things that I want him to. My love has become very selfish and self-serving, I’m looking for what I can get and not what I can give.
True love builds, it doesn’t tear down. True love looks for the best, not for reasons to complain. It’s amazing to think that my love for Colin, for my boys, for others can actually help to make them whole, to display their beauty.
I want to love more. I want to love more purely. I want to love more selflessly.
January 6, 2010
Luke 6
This chapter is so rich, so full. I want to eat it, digest it. I want it to become part of me.
“You're blessed when you've lost it all.
God's kingdom is there for the finding.
You're blessed when you're ravenously hungry.
Then you're ready for the Messianic meal.
You're blessed when the tears flow freely.
Joy comes with the morning.”
I feel like this is where I’m at. I’m empty, I’m dry, I’m lost, I’m hungry. I’m ready to be filled, quenched, found and I’m ready for the Messianic Meal.
“But it's trouble ahead if you think you have it made.
What you have is all you'll ever get.
And it's trouble ahead if you're satisfied with yourself.
Your self will not satisfy you for long.
And it's trouble ahead if you think life's all fun and games.
There's suffering to be met, and you're going to meet it.”
I’ve rested on my laurels for too long. My family faith, my Christian experiences (missions, church career, leadership positions, Biblical knowledge, Christian school.) Those things aren’t wrong or wasted, but they aren’t fresh and vital. They are meaningless though without true relationship with my Saviour. So where do I go from here? I’m weary of formulas. What do I know? I know that I need to be in the Word of God. It’s how He communicates primarily. His Word is rich and fresh and challenging. I’m going to write my thoughts and share them with others in honesty and vulnerability. I’m going to read books that challenge and heal. I’m going to love in practical ways. I’m going to speak to God. I’m going to listen for his voice.
I’ve been a Christian for more than 30 years, I come from an amazing, faith-filled family, I’ve served God and His church for many years and in many ways. I’ve experienced seasons fo incredible passion and vitality in my relationship with God. All these things are part of the fabric of my life, but they are not enough to sustain me now. After years of faith and service, I feel like it’s time to find God again, to come like a child, to love and be loved.
This chapter is so rich, so full. I want to eat it, digest it. I want it to become part of me.
“You're blessed when you've lost it all.
God's kingdom is there for the finding.
You're blessed when you're ravenously hungry.
Then you're ready for the Messianic meal.
You're blessed when the tears flow freely.
Joy comes with the morning.”
I feel like this is where I’m at. I’m empty, I’m dry, I’m lost, I’m hungry. I’m ready to be filled, quenched, found and I’m ready for the Messianic Meal.
“But it's trouble ahead if you think you have it made.
What you have is all you'll ever get.
And it's trouble ahead if you're satisfied with yourself.
Your self will not satisfy you for long.
And it's trouble ahead if you think life's all fun and games.
There's suffering to be met, and you're going to meet it.”
I’ve rested on my laurels for too long. My family faith, my Christian experiences (missions, church career, leadership positions, Biblical knowledge, Christian school.) Those things aren’t wrong or wasted, but they aren’t fresh and vital. They are meaningless though without true relationship with my Saviour. So where do I go from here? I’m weary of formulas. What do I know? I know that I need to be in the Word of God. It’s how He communicates primarily. His Word is rich and fresh and challenging. I’m going to write my thoughts and share them with others in honesty and vulnerability. I’m going to read books that challenge and heal. I’m going to love in practical ways. I’m going to speak to God. I’m going to listen for his voice.
I’ve been a Christian for more than 30 years, I come from an amazing, faith-filled family, I’ve served God and His church for many years and in many ways. I’ve experienced seasons fo incredible passion and vitality in my relationship with God. All these things are part of the fabric of my life, but they are not enough to sustain me now. After years of faith and service, I feel like it’s time to find God again, to come like a child, to love and be loved.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Living With Intent - January 2010
People are pretty divided on the whole issue of New Year’s Resolutions. Strong opinions on both sides. Some people think that they are a great idea, an opportunity to make changes, set goals, make a fresh start. Other people think that they are a waste of time or that goals can be set and changes made at any time.
I do know that it’s easy to make resolutions and set new goals, but it’s not always east to stick with them. They seem like such a great idea at the end of the year, but on January 1st, they just seem like hard work.
Whatever time of year you choose, it’s good to take stock, evaluate and look ahead. It can even be good to do this more than once a year.
My parents have made a practice of this for many years and call it a mini retreat. My husband and I love to take the time together to look at our lives.
It is important to look back at where you’ve been, the good, the bad and the ugly. What can you learn about yourself, your habits, behavior patterns, what has brought you joy and what has caused you pain?
It’s important to look at where you are now. What’s working well? What isn’t?
And then there is the future. The wide-open, unknown future. What are your hopes and dreams? Are there habits that need to be broken or formed?
It’s great to take the time to ask yourself these questions as an individual and as a family. Life gets so busy, so loud, so cluttered that if we don’t get intentional and purposeful about life, it will sweep us along in a flood of circumstances and the everyday bustle of life.
I’ve been inspired recently by women that I know who are going back to school, who are taking charge of their health, who are branching out creatively, all the while still caring for their families.
It’s so easy to feel overwhelmed and to think that we’ll never find the time. However, a wise man once told me that people find the time to do what they want to do. What do you want to do? It may be something as small and practical as doing some painting or cooking from a recipe once a week. It might be going back to school or saving money to go on a missions trip.
Whatever it is, I encourage you to take a look at your life, to dream, to plan and to live intentionally.
I do know that it’s easy to make resolutions and set new goals, but it’s not always east to stick with them. They seem like such a great idea at the end of the year, but on January 1st, they just seem like hard work.
Whatever time of year you choose, it’s good to take stock, evaluate and look ahead. It can even be good to do this more than once a year.
My parents have made a practice of this for many years and call it a mini retreat. My husband and I love to take the time together to look at our lives.
It is important to look back at where you’ve been, the good, the bad and the ugly. What can you learn about yourself, your habits, behavior patterns, what has brought you joy and what has caused you pain?
It’s important to look at where you are now. What’s working well? What isn’t?
And then there is the future. The wide-open, unknown future. What are your hopes and dreams? Are there habits that need to be broken or formed?
It’s great to take the time to ask yourself these questions as an individual and as a family. Life gets so busy, so loud, so cluttered that if we don’t get intentional and purposeful about life, it will sweep us along in a flood of circumstances and the everyday bustle of life.
I’ve been inspired recently by women that I know who are going back to school, who are taking charge of their health, who are branching out creatively, all the while still caring for their families.
It’s so easy to feel overwhelmed and to think that we’ll never find the time. However, a wise man once told me that people find the time to do what they want to do. What do you want to do? It may be something as small and practical as doing some painting or cooking from a recipe once a week. It might be going back to school or saving money to go on a missions trip.
Whatever it is, I encourage you to take a look at your life, to dream, to plan and to live intentionally.
In The Moment and Thankful - November 2009
In the Moment
I was talking to my Dad recently about some things that he is thinking about and exploring. He is the wisest man that I know. I hope that when I am 66 I will still be seeking and learning like he is. Anyway, he was talking about learning to be in the moment. He said that he has to stop himself regularly and make himself be in a moment, not in the past, not in the future.
This is a concept that sounds wonderful to me, but pretty darn tough in practice. I spend a tremendous amount of time wishing I could change the past and day dreaming about the future. As a woman, I’m almost always multi-tasking as well. I’ve always got something in mind that I need to be doing or planning or finding. (I have a list in my “notebook” of things that I’ve lost and that I’m always looking for, sad, I know.)
But I want to be IN the moments of my life. I want to be present in the moment when Jude tells me that Jesus loves me. I want to be present in the moment when Zane laughs with abandon as only a baby can do. I want to be present in the moment when Colin is talking to me about his hopes and dreams. I also want to be present in my own moments, when it’s just me, whether I’m reading a book or listening to music or creating something, I want to experience it and not be worried about a To Do List or wishing I had a bigger house or regretting a choice that I made earlier.
I’ve got a long way to go, I know. But I’ll take the small steps and each one will be a victory for me.
Thankful
I love Thanksgiving for so many reasons. Family is the biggest reason. Every year we get together and celebrate each other and the many blessings in our lives.
One of our traditions is that we pick a country or region each year and make our Thanksgiving meal in that style. We’ve done Jamaica, Cajun, Southern, Mexican, Italian to name a few. This year we are doing a French theme - yummy! Oui, oui!
I always look forward to the reminder that Thanksgiving is of all we have to be thankful for - as a nation and as individuals. I want to be an example of gratefulness to my children.
I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving and encourage you to stay thankful all year long and to express your love to those that you are grateful for!
I was talking to my Dad recently about some things that he is thinking about and exploring. He is the wisest man that I know. I hope that when I am 66 I will still be seeking and learning like he is. Anyway, he was talking about learning to be in the moment. He said that he has to stop himself regularly and make himself be in a moment, not in the past, not in the future.
This is a concept that sounds wonderful to me, but pretty darn tough in practice. I spend a tremendous amount of time wishing I could change the past and day dreaming about the future. As a woman, I’m almost always multi-tasking as well. I’ve always got something in mind that I need to be doing or planning or finding. (I have a list in my “notebook” of things that I’ve lost and that I’m always looking for, sad, I know.)
But I want to be IN the moments of my life. I want to be present in the moment when Jude tells me that Jesus loves me. I want to be present in the moment when Zane laughs with abandon as only a baby can do. I want to be present in the moment when Colin is talking to me about his hopes and dreams. I also want to be present in my own moments, when it’s just me, whether I’m reading a book or listening to music or creating something, I want to experience it and not be worried about a To Do List or wishing I had a bigger house or regretting a choice that I made earlier.
I’ve got a long way to go, I know. But I’ll take the small steps and each one will be a victory for me.
Thankful
I love Thanksgiving for so many reasons. Family is the biggest reason. Every year we get together and celebrate each other and the many blessings in our lives.
One of our traditions is that we pick a country or region each year and make our Thanksgiving meal in that style. We’ve done Jamaica, Cajun, Southern, Mexican, Italian to name a few. This year we are doing a French theme - yummy! Oui, oui!
I always look forward to the reminder that Thanksgiving is of all we have to be thankful for - as a nation and as individuals. I want to be an example of gratefulness to my children.
I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving and encourage you to stay thankful all year long and to express your love to those that you are grateful for!
Kids Say (and do) the Darndest Things - October 2009
Jude just hauled the giant copy of "What to Expect the Toddler Years" downstairs & presented it to me. Is he warning me about something?
This was one of my Tweets/Facebook status updates a couple of days ago.
When Jude was younger, he did lots of cute and amazing things. Now that he’s more mobile and communicative, he does and says some really funny things. I love it and I never want to forget these moments. I know I will forget though, unless I make the effort to record the memories. I also want lots of great stories to share with the boy’s girlfriends in a few years!
I struggled for a while with recording though - it seemed to never happen! I always intended to write it down, but the moment would pass and I would forget.
Then I got into Facebook and then Twitter. I loved being able to share these family moments with my friends and family. The cute, funny, scary and outrageous things that my kids do.
I was actually trying to remember a particular situation and couldn’t recall the details, but I remembered that I “Tweeted” it. So I was looking back through the Tweets and found what I was looking for. In the process, I realized that I had an amazing record of many of our precious family moments.
I decided then, that I would go back to when I began on Facebook in September of 2007and embark on the tedious task of cutting and pasting all those status updates into a Word document. It took a bit of time, but I eventually got it done. I called the document “Family Moments” and I keep it handy on my computer these days. About once a week I go and copy all my status updates into this document. I sometimes add other things that don’t go on Facebook or I’ll expand on something that I briefly updated on Facebook.
I also love to see the updates of my friends and family around the world. I laugh, empathize and sympathize. It’s also great to read the comments on my own updates. I feel like I am sharing this journey with other Moms and families. And it’s not just the cute and funny moments, it’s the struggles and the fears. Having children is an overwhelming thing and it’s so good to know that we aren’t alone in our doubts, our frustrations and fears.
Whether you Tweet, blog, Facebook, keep a journal or scribble those family moments on scraps of paper - keep it up. Tell those cute stories to friends and family, tell them to me, I love to hear family stories, mom stories, kid stories! The moments pass quickly and will be forgotten if we don’t record them. If we record them, we can share them for years to come.
If you aren’t recording your family moments or sharing your family moments, I would encourage you to do so. Figure out what works best for you and just do it! You won’t ever regret it.
I leave you with this gem that I Tweeted in May of this year: “Jude just came over to me and stood there - I asked what he wanted and he said “hugs” - happy me!
This was one of my Tweets/Facebook status updates a couple of days ago.
When Jude was younger, he did lots of cute and amazing things. Now that he’s more mobile and communicative, he does and says some really funny things. I love it and I never want to forget these moments. I know I will forget though, unless I make the effort to record the memories. I also want lots of great stories to share with the boy’s girlfriends in a few years!
I struggled for a while with recording though - it seemed to never happen! I always intended to write it down, but the moment would pass and I would forget.
Then I got into Facebook and then Twitter. I loved being able to share these family moments with my friends and family. The cute, funny, scary and outrageous things that my kids do.
I was actually trying to remember a particular situation and couldn’t recall the details, but I remembered that I “Tweeted” it. So I was looking back through the Tweets and found what I was looking for. In the process, I realized that I had an amazing record of many of our precious family moments.
I decided then, that I would go back to when I began on Facebook in September of 2007and embark on the tedious task of cutting and pasting all those status updates into a Word document. It took a bit of time, but I eventually got it done. I called the document “Family Moments” and I keep it handy on my computer these days. About once a week I go and copy all my status updates into this document. I sometimes add other things that don’t go on Facebook or I’ll expand on something that I briefly updated on Facebook.
I also love to see the updates of my friends and family around the world. I laugh, empathize and sympathize. It’s also great to read the comments on my own updates. I feel like I am sharing this journey with other Moms and families. And it’s not just the cute and funny moments, it’s the struggles and the fears. Having children is an overwhelming thing and it’s so good to know that we aren’t alone in our doubts, our frustrations and fears.
Whether you Tweet, blog, Facebook, keep a journal or scribble those family moments on scraps of paper - keep it up. Tell those cute stories to friends and family, tell them to me, I love to hear family stories, mom stories, kid stories! The moments pass quickly and will be forgotten if we don’t record them. If we record them, we can share them for years to come.
If you aren’t recording your family moments or sharing your family moments, I would encourage you to do so. Figure out what works best for you and just do it! You won’t ever regret it.
I leave you with this gem that I Tweeted in May of this year: “Jude just came over to me and stood there - I asked what he wanted and he said “hugs” - happy me!
Are You Falling for Fall? September 2009
Welcome to Westside MOPS! We’re so glad that you are with us this year. We’ve got some exciting plans in store and look forward to sharing life together.
Can you believe that it’s September already? I love September, Fall is arriving. To me, Fall is as much about new beginnings as January or Spring. There’s excitement in the air, anticipation. I love it!
That being said, Summer was an interesting time for me this year. I gave birth to my second son, Zane. Nothing like a having baby around to get you thinking about new beginnings. While I am awake at 4 o’clock in the morning, I’m not always thinking happy new beginning thoughts, but when my sleep deprived fog clears at times, I think about new life and the future.
I didn’t have a terribly easy pregnancy, not as bad as many, but it was tough. I was sick pretty much from start to finish and I feel like I let things slide during that time. Jude watched a lot of “Baby Einstein”. That’s another reason I’m looking forward to this Fall season, it’s a chance to get back on track and to blaze new trails.
I’ve been thinking about the kind of people I hope my boys grow up to be. I’ve been thinking about the kind of memories that I hope they have when they are my age. While I don’t think that we can orchestrate every aspect of our lives, nor can we manufacture memories, we can set the stage, we can make space to create life, rather than just having life happen to us.
For me that has meant creating a schedule of sorts for our family. Setting aside time to exercise together, to be creative, to play, as well as the not so fun, but just as necessary things like chores. It’s too easy for me to just drift and not take the time to enjoy what life together means. I get caught up in tv, making sure we watch our Netflix dvds, and just “coping”. I want to be more deliberate in my life.
So that’s what’s been on my mind lately. I’m looking forward to this new season - both naturally and metaphorically. How about you? Are you excited about what’s ahead? Have you made time and space in your life to explore, to create, to experience? If life is happening too fast, how can you and your family put the brakes on a little and slow down?
Let me know your creative ideas for carving out time with family and what you do with that time. I’m always open to new ideas!
Can you believe that it’s September already? I love September, Fall is arriving. To me, Fall is as much about new beginnings as January or Spring. There’s excitement in the air, anticipation. I love it!
That being said, Summer was an interesting time for me this year. I gave birth to my second son, Zane. Nothing like a having baby around to get you thinking about new beginnings. While I am awake at 4 o’clock in the morning, I’m not always thinking happy new beginning thoughts, but when my sleep deprived fog clears at times, I think about new life and the future.
I didn’t have a terribly easy pregnancy, not as bad as many, but it was tough. I was sick pretty much from start to finish and I feel like I let things slide during that time. Jude watched a lot of “Baby Einstein”. That’s another reason I’m looking forward to this Fall season, it’s a chance to get back on track and to blaze new trails.
I’ve been thinking about the kind of people I hope my boys grow up to be. I’ve been thinking about the kind of memories that I hope they have when they are my age. While I don’t think that we can orchestrate every aspect of our lives, nor can we manufacture memories, we can set the stage, we can make space to create life, rather than just having life happen to us.
For me that has meant creating a schedule of sorts for our family. Setting aside time to exercise together, to be creative, to play, as well as the not so fun, but just as necessary things like chores. It’s too easy for me to just drift and not take the time to enjoy what life together means. I get caught up in tv, making sure we watch our Netflix dvds, and just “coping”. I want to be more deliberate in my life.
So that’s what’s been on my mind lately. I’m looking forward to this new season - both naturally and metaphorically. How about you? Are you excited about what’s ahead? Have you made time and space in your life to explore, to create, to experience? If life is happening too fast, how can you and your family put the brakes on a little and slow down?
Let me know your creative ideas for carving out time with family and what you do with that time. I’m always open to new ideas!
Catching up
I've gotten behind on adding my MOPS newsletter articles to my blog. So here's a catch up as well as some new stuff.
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