Hiking In Grace & Capturing My View

All He Wants For Christmas…

12.13.11

It was a move that would make a professional wrestler proud.

Correction. It did make a professional wrestler proud.

I know one. And he laughed right out loud upon hearing this story:

She grabbed him ’round the waist,

hoisted him off the floor,

and then proceeded to drop him…

in such a way that…

well…

this was the end result:

Partially.

The void on the right was knocked so loose it came out just a few hours later.

Then a few more days later the second came out.

Thankfully, they were ready to come out… baby teeth.

Praise the Lord, they were already wobbly.

All he wants for Christmas is his two front teeth.

(Oh! And the mess on his face? What can I say? He likes ketchup on his hotdogs and his roasted marshmallows BURNT.)

Gratitude: Continuing Beyond

12.12.11

Gratitude.

We all need more of it.

Giving of thanks to the Creator for each bit of grace He bestows.

Stopping and noticing the gifts in each moment.

And giving thanks for them.

I’ve been at this for a year and don’t ever want to stop.

Continuing Beyond 1000…

1001. “Wow! Mom! Look at the rainbow on the ground!” as they tromp through puddles in the parking lot.

Stopping to notice God’s art in the oil slick floating on the puddle.

1002. My oldest, nudges me during Sunday morning worship and whispers quiet, “Mom, look out the window.”

Expecting to see snow falling, I look toward the window in time to see…

1003. a black cloud of birds filling the air, flying all this way and that, almost in sync.

1004. Red-tail hawk, staring me down, without flinching, not willing to leave his roadside feast, as I drive past.

1005. The grueling trial of the past two years, DONE.

1006. white swan, giving the hundreds of invading canadian geese “what for”, defending his pond.

1007. white-tail dear crossing my front yard as I step out onto the porch.

1008. having a good laugh, a good joy-filled time, while eating fast food as a family

1009. waking up in a house that has heat

1010. nine foot ceilings

1011. they are sleeping close by

1012. “Mom, we all fit in the kitchen at the same time!”

(I’m looking forward to sharing with you what I have done with this space, once I am unpacked, and that seems to be taking much longer than I expected.)

1013. a dishwasher that works

1014. a house filled with sunlight

1015. though she is poor- she is RICH.

1016. God remind me that He loves me flaws and all.

1017. Many children are growing up ‘rich’ because of her.

1018. He keeps all my tears

1019. the gift of their time- they came to help me unpack

1020. she came back to help put together the boy’s bunkbed

1021. two four year olds keeping house and taking care of their babies together

1022. her desire to help me “move forward” and enjoy life again

1023. Her help and encouragement to tackle getting the tree up and the lights on…

1024. so that the evening could be spent as a family, unwrapping memories and hanging them on the tree.

1025.”You know what’s the good thing about hot dogs is?”

She says this while twirling in circles in the kitchen.

“No, what’s the good thing about hot dogs?”

“It’s because they are squishy.” she says emphatically.

1026. “I’m almost a whole hand!” as we talk about her upcoming 5th birthday.

1027. the kids belting out “Sing, Sing, Sing” by Chris Tomlin

1028. She rubs her eyes with her fist.

“You’ve got sleepy-bugs.”

“Yeah, they must have gotten tired and went to bed.

It’s such a little place for them to sleep.

Maybe some more will come and sleep there again tonight!”

1029. Sons singing loud and strong (and on pitch!) while performing their solos during their Christmas play.

1030. Speechless: She’s all smiley when their performance under black-lights is finished.

Linking up over at Ann’s today. Come on over.

They Are Rich Now

12.02.11

“You were a horrible worthless missionary. You never led anyone to Christ yourself. What kind of missionary goes to the field and never leads a national to Christ?”

Loud and accusing words filled my head as I went about my morning routine.

“You’re like that third son that the Bible never talks about. The one whose brothers were told to go work in the fields and one said “yes” and didn’t go and one said “no” but then went anyway. You are that third brother that said he would go but didn’t really whole heartedly want to but went dragging his feet. Yeah, you’re like that third son God doesn’t talk about.”

The words come out of my mouth, loud, through almost clenched teeth, “I. went.”

Arriving late, I zip on white and put on purple and fall into line.

Walking out onto the platform, bright lights shining and yet … inside I feel so dark and empty… and guilty.

The praise band plays the beginning notes of the first song and the words flash up on the wall. As I read the words, memories flash through my mind, these lyrics, first taught to me in English –with a strong Cebuano accent.

“Give thanks with a grateful heart, Give thanks to the Holy One, Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son…”

Give thanks with a grateful heart.

Something I’ve been working at doing in this space every Monday and recently passed my One Thousandth gift I’ve given thanks for –here.

Yes, Lord I’ve been trying to do that. I am doing that.

“Let the poor say ‘I am rich’…”

She’s rich now.

What?

She is rich now even though she is poor.

What do you mean Lord?

She is rich because you went. So are many others that were reached because you went. Because you went others were reached.

Your husband would not have reached them if you had defiantly said “No. I won’t go.”

But. you. went.

Now, Gloria is rich. And so is Domingo, and Connie and Mar and their kids. And all the kids (and adults) that are reached by those ministries that were planted. Though many of them wear tattered clothes and live in homes of bamboo woven walls with dirt floors… they are rich now.

You went. That is all I asked. You obeyed me.

Understanding opens floodgates and relief flows down my face and through my soul washing away all the false guilt left behind by the angry condemning words of the Accuser, sneered so very early in the morning.

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*****

Enjoyin’ My Caddy ‘n’ Keepin’ It Real

11.21.11

Once I moved, I had an important box to open first.

It contained my new caddy from DaySpring.

I really like it. I’ve wanted one for a long time.

Blessings Unlimited sold it for a very short time this summer and I didn’t get around to purchasing one.

It was always on my “to do” list but just too far down the list.

I was pretty excited that it was offered to me to review! Woohoo!

When I received it I was surprised with how solid it is.

As I set it on my counter, I was happy to find that it did not ‘clunk’ on the counter top. It has four very soft felt discs that cushion it on the bottom.

That makes me really happy.

I can’t stand excess noise and no matter where I set it down… it is nice and quiet. 🙂

I put it here ’cause it just made sense, that is what its for right? To organize your kitchen stuff?

Put it next to your stove top and keep your stuff organized.

But if I did that…

I’d hardly ever see it because I would rather ~~someone else do all the cooking~~ avoid the kitchen if at all possible.

So, I took it and filled it with things I would rather be holding.

Placing it in a space where I hope to spend a bit of time each day, once I am all unpacked, I’m ensuring my enjoyment of it on a more regular basis.

I am looking forward to having a bit more time and space to attack my fear of white. I started earlier this summer and wrote about here at (In)Courage.

In the old house, I couldn’t just leave it out ready to be worked on. Now that I have a studio space of sorts, I am hoping easier accessibility will help me to get it done.

One reason I want my caddy in a space in which I will see it all the time is the message it carries on its frontside.

I want to be constantly reminded that the Lord loves me, forever and always, His love for me is unfailing.

His love for you is unfailing too…

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise,

as some men count slackness;

but is longsuffering to us-ward,

not willing that any should perish,

but that all should come to repentance.”

~2 Peter 3:9

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,

but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world;

but that the world through him might be saved.

He that believeth on him is not condemned:

but he that believeth not is condemned already,

because he hath not believed in

the name of the only begotten

Son of God.

~ John 3:16-18

It is something I am thankful for every day.

Have you ever accepted His promise of unfailing love?

Shall I keep it real for you?

This is what my kitchen really looks like right now:

I’m still unpacking … a little at a time.

In case you were wondering how that painting is coming along… this is its current status:

*(DaySpring sent me the caddy at no charge in exchange for my honest review and opinion of this product.)

Gratitude: My 1000th Gift

11.14.11

For a little over a year now, I have been recording my gratitude list in this space on Mondays.

(If you haven’t read Ann Voskamp’s book One Thousand Gifts yet, I highly recommend it.)

I have definitely noticed a difference in the times I keep my Gift List Journal out and visible and the times I let it slip into the mess of my life, usually the pile on my desk and or on the floor next to my bed. (It is my hope to be much more organized and NOT have piles in my new home. I’ll keep you posted on whether I am successful.)

My continuing goal is to have my gratitude journal in sight and open, ready for a new gift to be written down. Maybe on the kitchen counter or the dining room table.

Expressing gratitude is worship.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing

in everything give thanks;

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.“

~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Today, I record my 1,000th gift….

988. white tails bounding across dried soy bean fields in the early morning sunlight

989. arriving at Relevant and being recognized and hugged moments after stepping into the lobby, by someone who unknowingly played a part in my becoming a blogger, through her Tuesdays Unwrapped series.

990. time spent catching up with a few dear pastor’s wives, Melissa and Cyndi

991. My Relevant Roomate… and her black bean salsa

992. hearing Tsh’s testimony in person

993. Tsh’s current ministry, a much needed refuge for laborers on the front lines

994. hearing Joy Forney‘s keynote/testimony and meeting her in person

995. Deidra and Michelle– both blessings

996. hearing David Nevue LIVE

997. meeting him and his lovely wife Julie, such sweet people

998. receiving permission to use his quiet melodies here in this space- Yay! coming soon!

999. text messages from a dear friend, full of support, encouragement, and love

I am thankful that God brought the words of Ann Voskamp across my screen one day. She is one worth “marking”.

“Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an example.”

~Philippians 3:17

1000. Ann Voskamp– if it weren’t for her words, her blog and her book, this list would never have started – I have no intension of it ever ending.

I love seeing the world through the lens of her camera and the lens of her heart.

Her deep love for our Savior is such an encouragement to my hike with Christ.

Her passionate love for her husband and family is uplifting and edifying.

She and the Farmer have invested their time in prayer, for me and my family. Meeting her for the second time at Relevant this year and have her ask after how we are doing and how our family is means more to me than I can put into words.

The love of Christ reaches through Ann and wraps me in a warm hug.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for her friendship.

Linked up over at Ann’s today. Come on over and read some other Gift Lists… and start your own too!