Monday Snapshots

Hello to a brand-new week - a brand-new chance to see God's faithfulness.

A chance to see that, once again, nothing is greater than His grace.



My planner's words of wisdom for the week

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Remember to have fun.  ;)

Lately

Progress on the quilt



Something I frequently needed to remind myself this week



Yay for flowers!



No, yard work is not my life.



My sweet peas are sprouting.  Oh, joy!



Salad greens in progress

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Aren't those napkins the cutest?!



Glowing Grandma and Mommy-to-be



Create-a-scene game: We had a bunch of everyday items to choose from (fabric, yarn, paper, kids' toys, etc.) and then design a scene.  A panel of judges voted on each team's scene.  Here are a few...









Merry-girl



Bibs and onesies to decorate

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"Cafe mocha...espresso...cafe au lait..."

Fun socks from a fun friend.



Real mail from another very fun friend...

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Hasta la vista, mis amigos!

West Africa: It's Official!

[This post originally appeared on my NTM blog.]

I received my official “Welcome to the Team” email this morning!  Thank you so much for praying with me through this process.  I’m hoping I’ll be able to give you a more in-depth update soon.

Disjointed

I got on here, intending to write something about Jonah - something that's been "simmering" in my thoughts for a while.

But...I'm feeling rather disjointed.

I find my thoughts going back to another story.  Last week's Sunday School lesson.

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowd.  After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray.  Later that night, He was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.  When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified. " It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.

But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage!  It is I.  Don't be afraid."

"Lord, if it's You," Peter replied, "tell me to come to You on the water."

"Come," He said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"

Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him.  "You of little faith," He said, "why did you doubt?"

And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.  Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."

- Matthew 14:22-33 (NIV)

The Lord used that story over and over in my heart last week as I was preparing the lesson.  I'll just say I don't think He's done teaching me from it, yet.  (It's amazing how many life-lessons are packed in those twelve verses!!)

This song and this song have been running through my head all day...

And I'm going to end this disjointed post here and take care of the rest of the day's projects.

Hopefully soon I'll find time (and brain power) to write a coherent update on the happenings around.  With pictures.  :)

G'day, Mates.

"Layers" of thinking

It's definitely cool to see how God's truth enters our lives and not only changes our hearts, but our way of thinking.

I've frequently mentioned grace and the freedom it has brought.  One layer of wrong thinking He's removed is the idea my relationship with Him is effected by all the things I do or don't do.  He doesn't love me because I'm a good girl, and therefore doesn't stop loving me when I'm not a good girl.  Wow!  (Sorry if I seem to use that word too frequently.  Sometimes it just fits.)  I'm so thankful to be free from that wretched misconception.

It was - still is - revolutionary.

But you know what?  There are still areas where that old way of thinking (works vs. grace) crops up.  As I'm planning my week or my day, I'm often tempted to cram in as much as possible.  I have to stop and ask myself why.  Does God love me more or less depending on how my day goes? on how "productive" I am?  No!  Can I be close to Him even when I'm having a bad [read: not going the way I wanted it to] day? Of course!  (I need that closeness no matter how the day is going.)  But sometimes I forget that.  Or sometimes...even though I know my Heavenly Father isn't standing up in heaven filling out a report card of my performance...I'm worried about what so-and-so will think.  Perhaps trying to prove my worth by what I do.  By how much I do.  (Hmm.  THAT doesn't sound like grace at all, does it?)

Yes, God has been convicting me lately: that next layer of thinking has to go.  And while I agree, it's been such a habit for years that I frequently catch myself doing it.  I need His grace.  And His truth.

Isn't that what Romans 12:2 is talking about - the renewing of our minds, and the old patterns of thinking being replaced by His truth?

Lord, transform the way I think.

Too Far Gone with Grace?

"I just hope she doesn't go too far."

That comment was made in reference to the many changes God's grace has brought about in my life in the past year.

Actually, a couple years ago, my response to such changes would have been even more cynical: "She's gone too far!  How can she be walking with the Lord when she's doing/not doing x, y, or z?!"

I used to think that it was possible to get too carried away with all that "grace stuff".  That is was possible to over-emphasize God's unconditional love for His children.  I mean, after all, wouldn't that give people the idea that they don't have to be too careful about the way they live - that they can just do whatever they want?  If people are constantly told that God loves them no matter what, where is the motivation for being good?

Wow, did I ever misunderstand grace!  Yes, we are saved entirely on the basis of what Christ did - and the Father continues to love, accept, and work in our lives on the same basis.  We aren't saved by grace only to live our Christian lives striving to put on a good show for God.  We didn't begin by grace only to continue by works.

As grace began to do its amazing work in my heart, I felt uncomfortable at times.  I asked myself if maybe, just maybe, I was making a terrible mistake.  Suppose I were to stand before God and He was to ask me, "Why did you stop doing all those things?  I expected them of you."  Was I leaving a deeper walk with Him for a shallow, deceptive "freedom"?  Was I getting too worldly?  Would I slowly lose touch with Him altogether?

But no, hallelujah, NO!!!  It has been just the opposite.  Grace removed the veil that kept me from seeing the Lord clearly.  It has given me a new, deeper joy.  It's a safeguard against sin.

Its immensity amazes every time I stop to think about it. God, the eternal Maker of the universe, loves me...in spite of all my wretchedness and failure and ugly pride.  He doesn't stand aloof from His children; He holds out His arms and begs us to come when we are at our dirtiest, or weakest, or most faithless.

Grace.

It will never take us "too far".  Grace always draws us near - near to our Father's heart, snuggled up in His love.  Right where we need to be.

Things I like

Rain, Sunshine, and Mud

It's been stormy this week.  Do I EVER miss the delightful - and intense! - thunder in Missouri.  (I don't miss the possibility of tornadoes, though.)  But we actually had a bit of hail yesterday, thunder last night and this morning, and rain enough to drown a whale.

Or...never mind.  That didn't make sense.









Hopefully in a few weeks, little seedlings will be poking through the dirt.  That'll make the pictures much more interesting.  Think sunflowers and zinnias and cosmos and lettuce...and, of course, sweet peas.

Grow, seeds, grow!



Oh, the mud...







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A bit of everyday wisdom for ya - the perfect solution to a bad haircut or just about any other beauty problem you can think of.  :)

I forgot to mention that we got our new refrigerator last week, didn't I?  We got our new refrigerator.  And it's great!  The time that it was out of commission made me more thankful for having a working refrigerator.

We're having BLT pizza tonight.  Yes.  Bacon, tomato, lettuce (+ onions and cheese) on a pizza.  Sounds amazing, doesn't it?

My cousin Sam is leaving today for a missions trip.  Please pray for him, if you would.  I'm so excited to see how God uses this trip!

While you're praying, could you pray for my job search?  I'd appreciate it.

Enjoy the weekend!

Talk about messed up...

'Twas midnight on the ocean

Not a streetcar was in sight

The sun was shining brightly

For it rained all day that night

'Twas a summer day in winter

And snow was raining fast

As a barefoot boy with shoes on

Stood sitting in the grass

Hee, hee!

Musings: Spiritual Gifts on Steroids

"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ - from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love." (Ephesians 4:11-16)

But what happens when spiritual gifts get put on steroids - when the gifts the God has given each of us are used without the Spirit's leading and control?  Things get...well, out of control.

We've all probably seen this happen at one time or another -

     discernment can turn into a constant (and poisonous) stream of criticism

     serving can become an obsession with "doing" at the expense of our walk with the Lord

     leading can become dictatorship

     knowledge can lead to pride and lack of authenticity

...and so forth.

Ironic, isn't it - we can take the very things God has given us to strengthen His Body and, by using them selfishly (i.e. apart from His leading), weaken His Body.

Spiritual gifts are an important and necessary part of our lives as believers.  God has designed them to be used - used to the fullest - and used with grace.

But they were never meant to be put on steroids.

Lord, help us use our gifts for Your glory, to build up Your church, and not misuse them to gratify ourselves.

Food for Thought

"Lukewarm people do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to.  They don't have to trust God if something unexpected happens - they have their savings account.  They don't need God to help them - they have their retirement plan in place.  They don't genuinely seek out what life God would have them live - they have life figured and mapped out.  They don't depend on God on a daily basis - their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health.  The truth is, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God."  Francis Chan, Crazy Love

It's not that savings accounts or retirement plans or even "life goals" are bad - it's that sometimes we start putting our confidence and security in those things instead of in God.  I stand guilty on that count, for sure.  Although I know (and have experienced) how amazingly faithful God is...let's be honest.  Sometimes it's just a whole lot easier and less painful to not walk by faith.

But...dependence is always worth it.

(I'm preaching to myself more than to you.  :))

He is Risen!

It's a beautiful, incredibly sunny morning - perfect for celebrating the Lord Jesus' resurrection.  Perfect for rejoicing in hope, grace, and new life.

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Check out this - one of my favorite Resurrection songs.

And this is another one.

He's done so much for us, hasn't He?  Stop and think for just a minute about what your life would be like if He hadn't been born.  If He hadn't lived a perfect life.  If He hadn't died on the cross.  If He hadn't risen from the grave.

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live." (John 11:25)

Thank You, Lord, for everything You have done for me!
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Happy Easter!

Two snapshots of life this week

Enjoying [the benefits of others'] Spring Break

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Sarah and Brian started their EMT classes this week.  Look out!

Saturday's Outing

Auntie Cheryl planned an outing for her Sunday School class, and I got to help.  They've been studying the story of Exodus, so she thought it would be nice to plan an outing around that theme.  We went to a farm to see the lambs (and everything else), and then back to the house afterwards for games and simple Passover dinner.



Hanging out before we left



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You know how hard it is to get this many kids in a picture?!  Forget about everyone sitting still and smiling at the camera...





Obviously we're not going for the posed look.  :)



But they're still fun.

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They got to feed some of the animals - chickens, goats, and sheep.





(Beautiful, isn't she?  And she has a wonderfully hilarious personality packed into her tiny frame!)





Watching the peacock was fascinating



I'd never seen one with such a full and colorful tail of feathers!  Unfortunately that day I managed to keep getting shots of the backside of things instead of the faces or the fronts.



(See, I told you!)







Feeding the goats





Three-day-old goats.  Baby goats are my favorite...

If they stayed that size, I'd be happy to have one as a pet.  Well, except the fact that I don't have a supply of hay.  Or the patience to keep a goat of out trouble.

Never mind.  I don't want a goat as a pet.

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I love this sequence.

















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All around the dinner table

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This has nothing to do with the rest of the post.  :)

I had lunch with Mrs. W this week, and she had something for me.



Meet Uta - the newest bear.



Don't they make a cute little bear family?

Good night!