A Long Line of Great Moms

MOMS!

I pray all women have a group of other women around them who lift them up, encourage them, strengthen them, hold them accountable, and make them better people.  I am so blessed to say that I have AMAZING, INCREDIBLE, FABULOUS women in my life. Today I want to introduce to you to some of the moms in my life, these women have helped me, loved me, prayed for me, encouraged me, inspired me, and held me accountable to God's call on my life.  I am truly blessed!  So here we go, let me introduce you to a few of the moms who have influenced my life...

• There is a list of women who are not my family but have influenced my life in amazing ways.  Each are amazing moms...they all have taught me invaluable things and my life is changed by them having been a part of my life.  I would not want to miss an opportunity to recognize them and their powerful impact on my life: Nancy Mashburn, Pat Palmer, Dorothy Dillard, Carolyn Huffman, Clara Hayes, and the women of the Daugherty family: Mrs. Iru, Pastor Sharon, Sarah, and Ruthie.

Now...my family...

• My Great-Grandma Wheeler on my mom's side of the family was an amazing woman, she was rustic and industrious, and she put her foot down when her family needed her intervention.  She made jams and jellies and much more.  She ran a business, a cluster of cabins off a beautiful lake in Northern Michigan.  My mom and aunt found comfort in her home, learned how to work hard, and I tell you what...did she teach them how to cook!!  Thank you Grandma Wheeler for your amazing influence on our lives, even though I have never met you, your life is weaved into my own through your granddaughters.
• My Grandma Green, who was my dad's mom, was an incredible woman.  She was a precious, little, Texas woman who my mom says I get my 'coloring' from.  She was a wonderful wife to my Papa, a fantastic mom to her two children, and a spiritual mentor to both my aunt and my mom and I am sure to other women as well.  Both my aunt Lynn and my mom were mentored by her and their tender faiths grew under her watchful care.  This testimony alone has had the greatest impact on my life because my mom and my Aunt Lynn are extraordinary women of God and that influence in my life has made all the difference.  The beautiful, loving, anointed woman who was Wyletta Green is still impacting lives through the godly example she was; what an incredible legacy to leave, that she loved God and she loved her family.  So, thank you Grandma Green for my 'coloring' and for your amazing legacy of faith and love.  Besides Jesus you are the person I am most excited to finally meet in Heaven.



Lucy Kneff

• My Grandma, Lucylle Kneff, was one of the best people I have ever known.  Lucy, Lou, Grandma...it was all the same to her.  She was HILARIOUS!  Through her relationship with God, which happened later in her life, she overcame so much and through Him her life and relationships were redeemed.  My Grandpa studied the Word of God.  My Grandma felt God.  She loved her husband of 60+ years, she loved her children and established godly, beautiful relationships with them, she was a beloved Grandma and Great-Grandma.  She was opinionated, a tiny bit uncouth at times, she was a drama queen, she was up to speed on politics, a whiz at any word game, an avid reader, her memory was amazing, she would sing old songs, loved to go on drives, she really, really loved coffee and Starbucks, she would get cute flowers on her toes when she would get a pedicure, she never got bored watching hours and hours of Law and Order, her lips would move a little with you when you would talk to her, she had an awesome laugh, she made bodily functions a part of everyday   conversation, she collected salt and pepper shakers and angels, she loved cats and dogs and would talk to them like they would talk back to her, she had great skinny legs, she had pretty blue eyes that would disappear when she laughed.  Of course she had faults, all these women did or do, they are human after all but I love Lucy Kneff.  She was a source of joy to my life.  As a child I would spend summers and vacations at her and Grandpa's house; I would spend hours picking blueberries, fishing, swimming, baking, playing, and being taught two extraordinary people.  When I was grown and had my own home, she would come and stay with me and she would bunk with Lauren, my oldest daughter.  I would have to go in and tell them both to go to sleep, they whispered and giggled and carried on like two little school girls.  She would love on both my girls with a special love that was only hers and she established a beautiful relationship with them both, Abby's middle name is Lucylle even.  They were able to experience a meaningful, enriching relationship with their great-grandmother, I am so thankful for that!  She embraced my husband and loved him as her own.  What she taught me most through her life is that it is never too late to allow God do His work in your life.  She was the frailest, most sickly child in her family yet she lived the longest and when she went to Heaven she had a peaceful homegoing to her Redeemer.  Lucy Kneff thank you for all the joy your brought to my life, for teaching me how to make apple pie, cinnamon rolls, and banana pudding, thank you for quilting my childhood blanket, for letting me play in Michigan sand barefoot, for letting me try on all your costume jewelry, for teaching me how to do a word search puzzle.  You are part of who I am, part of the fabric of my family, I love you and miss you and I cannot wait to see you again!



My Aunt Linda and my cousin Hannah

•  My Aunt Linda Dillon, my dad's sister, is an amazing woman and an incredible mom.  She is a woman  of beautiful faith.  She home-schooled her 3 youngest children, has taken care of Kiki, my  beautiful, special needs cousin, been a loving wife and helpmate, and worked in the ministry.  She is kind, loving, sincere, funny, beautiful, patient, steadfast, and anointed.  She is a wonderful friend, encouragement virtually pours out of her.  I have learned much from my Aunt Linda, even when we lived far away from one another, she has always been a wonderful reflection on God's love.  I admire, respect, and love her dearly and thank God for the privilege of calling her my family and my friend.  



Aunt Lynn with Shana and Lisa

•  My Aunt Lynn Popenhagen, my mom's sister, is one of the most influential women in my life.  She is an amazing mom, a beautiful wife to my Uncle Jerry, a wonderful sister and a fantastic aunt.  My Aunt Lynn has been a steady influence in my life for as long as I can remember but particularly I feel her presence in my life in my tween-early teen years and beyond.  My brother and I would come and visit her and Uncle Jerry for the summers, sometimes my mom would come with us, other times, the older we got, we would come on our own.  Those summers were reprieves from what was going on at home.  We were sheltered from the turmoil of our parents moving on with their divorce.  It would be a reprieve from the hard years after that as well.    Aunt Lynn would play games with us...and she wouldn't let us win...she wanted to win and put the scores up on the fridge:)!  She would take us to church, she helped me get my first job in the nursery during Word Explosion.  She would take us to work with her so we could be with her.  She would take me shopping and Uncle Jerry would play video games with my brother.  She would take to baseball games, water parks, amusement parks, and watch movies with us.  She would pray for us and have her daughters cart us around to various places.  Those summers were special.  Her influence continued in my life as I grew up and moved to Tulsa, we became closer.  She was there to help direct me when I was wondering what to do with my life after I graduated high school.  She was there to counsel me when my marriage was under attack.  She has been my boss, my friend, my spiritual covering in ministry, my aunt, my scrapbook buddy, my impromptu lunch date, and so much more.  I have learned so much from her, things I am still discovering I've learned.  She is honest, organized, loving, funny, purposed, and precious to me.  I think it is important to have women in your lives who speak into you, who love you, and are honest with you even if you don't want hear it, this is Aunt Lynn for me, my source of good council, godly wisdom, family love, and friendship.
• My cousins, Shana Dow and Lisa Goforth, my Aunt Lynn's daughters.  It is safe to assume that the two daughters of my Aunt Lynn would be amazing...and they are.  Each of them is a role model for me, they are 5 and 4 years older than I am so I glean from their wisdom, I try to learn from where they have been and what they have walked through.  They are both amazing moms to each of their three kiddos.  They are fantastic wives to their husbands and they are two of my best girlfriends in the entire world.  They are both unique and I benefit from both of them in such specific ways.  


Me and Shana:)

• Shana is bold and honest, she cuts through the small talk and gets straight to the point.  She is organized, funny, purposed, and beautiful.  I love to talk to her about ways to save money and get healthy.  She makes the most beautiful knitted scarves...they are the hot item at all our birthday parties and Christmas collectibles.  She is an avid reader, an amazing support to her     husband and their business, a computer whiz, and has a precious relationship with Jesus which her entire life flows through.  I am so often inspired by her dedication to her family.  She home-schools her boys, cooks dinner every night for a family of men and young men (so you know she is doing some serious cooking!), she keeps her home running peacefully and happily through her dedication to them and to the Lord.  She is one of my very best friends in the world  and I love her.



Me and Lisa:)

• Lisa is kind, generous, organized, and beautiful.  She is so creative...she has ideas about her ideas:).  One of the many things I love and admire about Lisa is her ability to get things done.  She always has a project going, something beautiful, talented, and fabulous.  She is the hostess   with the mostess; she has a gift of hospitality, a knack of making people feel welcomed and bring people together for fellowship.  Lisa's love for her family is so inspiring to me.  She is   dedicated and purposeful towards them.  She home-schools her three kids, is the director of Classical Conversations in Tulsa, and she does it all with style and grace.  I am always inspired by Lisa's dedication to the Lord, everything she does flows through her desire to serve Him well and I love that about her.  She is teachable, anointed, obedient, and loving.  We have great conversations about all sorts of things, I simply love hanging out with her.  I love that her daughter Kate and my daughter Abby are so very close and that our families love to spend time together.  She is one of my very best friends in the world and I love her.



Nancy with Abby and Lauren

• My mother in law Nancy Davis is a wonderful woman.  She is a wonderful Nanny to my girls, a great mom to Michael, and an awesome friend to me.  We enjoy spending time together and have both learned and grown so much together.  She is a purposeful woman, she loves her family, is an amazing   money manager, she is funny, and generous.  Nancy is a wonderful example of how God works in our lives.  He is far more patient with us than we are with ourselves and He is doing and has done such a good work in Nancy.  I love the way she is willing to learn and change, I love to garage sale with her, I love to walk around the block with her, I love to laugh with her, we have a great time shopping, talking, and just hanging out.  I am thankful for her and I love her!



Davida and my Dad

• My step-mom Davida Green is a wonderful woman.  She is industrious, organized, and has an adorable southern drawl.  She is a faithful, patient, supportive wife to my Dad.  Davida always has a little craft to do with the girls...it is a tradition, something that they look forward to every time we get   together.  She loves to fellowship, and friends and family are of the utmost importance to her.  She is fabulous cook...I mean literally her stuffing at Thanksgiving will be on the banquet table in Heaven, it is that good!  She cooks with the girls, letting them help her stir things in, cut stuff up, and assemble dishes.  She loves to entertain, she is never one to pass up a good tea, and she is the only person I have experienced high tea with (which was so fun by the way).  I am so thankful for her loving my dad and for being in our lives and I love her.



Me and my Mom:)



Love you Mama!!

• And then last but absolutely not least is my mom, Laurie Ann Argue.  I can't even express to you the amazing woman my mom is.  When I was a child my mom taught me something that now that I am a mom myself I fully understand.  She was fully comfortable not being popular with me, she knew that if she wasn't my best friend as a child, we were going to be friends as adults.  She let me blame things on her and her shoulders were big enough to carry me being mad at her for supposed injustices.  Today I see that as a mom, or a parent at all, you can't be friends with your kids.  You can love them, protect them, have fun with them, drive them all around, spend money on them, pray for them, make sure they are fed, pray for them some more, teach them, speak the Word over them, be loving with them, mentor them, counsel them, discipline them, encourage them, hold them, minister to them, pray for them so more, and speak into them but you can't be their friend, they have enough friends and only you as parents.  My mom understood that and because of it we are incredible friends today.  She never let me push her around, she was always the firm boundary I ran   into when I was navigating through my young life.  She was fair but firm, loving, loyal, fiercely protective, fun, generous, honest, real, patient, forgiving, and amazing.  She never hesitated to answer any question we asked, she made sure my brother and I had a wonderful relationship, she was a spiritual force to be reckoned with, she spoke into my life, and prayed for me at every turn.  She was funny, and real, she was the mom all my friends wished their moms were like.  She shielded us from things that could have hurt us, was protective of who we spent time with (thank you mom!), and was highly protective about what we read and watched.  She told me I was beautiful in my awkward phases, sewed me Easter dresses, encouraged my imagination, never lied to me, and spoke and prayed reassurance during all the scary times.  Now my mom made mistakes...plenty of them and some big ones at that, things I know she wishes she hadn't done or put us through.  But those things are under the blood of Jesus, we have talked about them and God has healed.  But the glorious part is that no matter what has happened, we are together and nothing can replace the relationship I have with my mom, it is invaluable to me.  

  

  MeMaw and my girls

  
  She is a fantastic MeMaw to my two girls and my brother's 6   children.  She exposes my girls to parts of life that they won't see in Tulsa...she takes them out to the country and lets them play in dirt, run around on 4 wheelers, and fish.  She teaches them how to cook and clean (and they don't complain like they do at home), she takes them at 10:00 in the morning to get ice cream, and at 10:00 at night to get a movie.  She is the place they want to be when they want to chill out, have fun, be spoiled a little bit or a lot, and to just feel the love only MeMaw can give.  My mom has a way of just making me feel better.  We sometimes don't talk about anything important but just to talk is enough.  She has more than helped with my births and babies, she has counseled and supported me through the hard spots with my little ones, held me when I cried over Michael, spoke the Word over my life and my situations, she loves my husband and has never spoke a negative word about him or our marriage, and she has reinforced things I am working on with my girls; she is a pillar, a support, a strength in my life that I cherish.  I really don't have enough time, space, or words to express how extraordinary she is to me.  She is one of my very best friends, it is my honor and privilege to be one of only two people on the planet to call her Mom, I thank God for her, for her influence in my life, for her guidance, example, and direction.  God blesses me continually through her and I rise up and call her blessed (Proverbs 31:28). 

So there you have it...some of the wonderful moms in my life.  Don't even get me started on the some of the amazing women in my life who aren't mothers yet but are incredible women who have spoken into my life...yeah that is another blog:).

God's Gift to Me...Lauren

Lesson to be learned today: Parenting is Life-Changing, Everyday.

February is a beautiful month.  One of my most favorite days of the year is in February...it is my daughter's birthday!  Lauren turned 15 years old earlier this month...15 years old!  When did this happen, when did she grow up?  It happens right before our very eyes, this development of a beautiful person,  and it happens quickly, then before you know it, your baby isn't a baby anymore.

Me and Lauren and Abby @ Christmas

Lauren has always been a joy to me right from the minute I knew she was there.  We had a great pregnancy, she was active and I fell in love with her during our special 9 months together.  I can remember that she was most active when I would get still, so when I was trying to go to sleep or just waking up she would make her presence more known than usual.  I would talk to her, rub my belly, sing to her, and pray over her...even though I hadn't seen her face I loved her in a way I couldn't even explain...I loved her like a mom.

Lauren

 When Lauren arrived in February in 1997, she was beautiful.  I mean really beautiful.  All the nurses and doctors kept telling my husband and I how beautiful she was; we were even on a local TV news report the day after she was born!  It was pretty funny because right after she was born and they took her to the nursery to clean her up, my husband went with them.  He had almost missed her coming, he had left at my request (he was making me nervous with all his pacing back and forth!) so he and my brother took a really long lunch break and by the time he got back Lauren was making her grand entrance into the world.  But as soon as she was born, he was by her side every second.  So he went with her to the nursery and the nurse who was bathing her was oohing and aahing over her and she looked right at Michael and said, "Your little girl is beautiful and she is going to have a fantastic figure, you can tell by her little body now, you better watch out Daddy!"  Well if he wasn't one already in that moment Michael instantly became the most protective Daddy out there!!

My mom (Laurie), Abby & Lauren

Michael and I were young parents, we loved each other but we didn't really know each other...you know the way you know someone when you have been with them for a long time.  Michael and I meet in February of 1996, he asked me to marry him in May, we were pregnant in June, married in November, and new parents the following February!  Needless to say we didn't do everything exactly the way we should.  But when I opened the bathroom door holding a positive pregnancy test, Michael took me in his arms and said, "We aren't going to let anyone make this baby a bad thing. I love you and the baby."  And she has never been a bad thing, she wasn't bad timing, or a mistake in any way shape or form.  In fact she has been our greatest joy, our richest reward, she and her sister are the loves of our lives.  However when she was born we were pretty young and we didn't really know each other well, let alone how we wanted to parent a new baby.  He was in the restaurant business and was gone a lot and he missed important things along the way, things he wishes now he was there for.  My mom helped me TONS in those first few years, shoot she still helps me now...just not as intensively:)!  I can remember very early on calling her crying, Lauren crying in the background, and she would come right over and calm the baby down first and then me.  She nursed us back to health when we both got super sick and has let us all move in with her more than once while we grew up and became the parents and people she knew we could be.  We had a great support system, not just from my mom, our families were amazing.  We would come home and there would be diapers and wipes at our doorstep, we would get checks in the mail, encouragement, love, and support from everyone.  They were cheering us on and helping us if we needed it.

Lauren holding her new baby sister

Of course things were hard but they were worth it.  If I could go back and do it again I would do things differently but not because of Lauren but for Lauren.  I know that no matter what or when things happened, she has been destined before the foundations of the Earth and Michael and I have been designed to be her parents.  I don't think God's planning would have been rocked to the core had we waited in fact that was His perfect plan, we just got in the way.  I know as sure as I will wake up with freckles tomorrow that Lauren is our girl and nothing would ever change that.  However, I wish I could have given her more in those early days, I wish I was better than I was then.  I have worked hard on myself to be the mom she deserves to have.  I know Jesus saved my soul, He is my all and all but I also know that Lauren brought me back to life.  I was lost and broken and bitter and angry.  I was consumed with it even though I smiled and laughed and was ever so nice to everyone.  I hated myself and wallowed in negative thoughts and feelings about myself.  I was dying to who God really wanted me to be and I was so lost that I didn't even know it.  Then Lauren came.  There she was, perfect, flawless, trusting, impressionable, mine.  What was I going to give her?  What was I going to do to her?  What kind of daughter was I going to raise in the state I was in?  I knew I didn't have what it was going to take to give her what she needed, to give her what she deserved; I knew I was going to only give her what I had and that was all ugly and I couldn't, wouldn't give my precious baby girl that.

Our beautiful Lauren

I can remember the day it happened.  I was rocking her to sleep in her room, rocking and singing the lullaby that my mom sang to me.  "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus there's just something about that Name. Master, Savior, Jesus like the fragrance after the rain. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus let all Heaven and Earth proclaim, kings and kingdoms shall all pass away but there's something about that Name."  As I looked down on the face of my sweet sleeping daughter, tears fell from my eyes.  I was overwhelmed, knowing that I was going to mess her up.  I didn't have what it was going to take to raise her the way she needed, the way I wanted.  I wasn't enough, I was all wrong on the inside to give her what she needed from a mom.  My quiet, devastated tears turned into full fledged weeping.  I didn't want to mess her up...I knew I would make mistakes...but I didn't have what she needed on a mom level.  I cried out to God...to Jesus, to the One I was singing about; the fragrance, my Master, my Savior, my Jesus.  I cried out to Him in desperation, in longing, in need and I asked Him to forgive me, to cleanse me, heal me, to make me right before Him and for Him.  I begged Him in a fashion that most assuredly wasn't needed, all I needed to do was ask and He met me there, right in that little room with my baby's sweet sleeping body cradled in my arms.  She never stirred, never whimpered, never moved, she just slept peacefully while Jesus met her mommy right where she was at.  My life changed that night.  It had already changed in the biggest natural ways possible, I was a wife and a mother.  But it changed for real that night.  I became fresh and new while rocking Lauren to sleep.  My life began again that night.  I searched after the Lord with all my heart and might.  I knew He was the answer to what I needed and in return to what Lauren and Michael needed too.

That was 15 years ago.  And still to this very day Lauren is the love of our lives.  She and her sister are our joy, our gifts and rewards from God.  I know I have made mistakes raising Lauren but I'm quick to apologize to her if needed and repent before the Lord as well.  Lauren today is still beautiful.  She is beautiful on the outside but she is more importantly beautiful on the inside.  She is strong in her faith, loving, kind, teachable, and precious.  She is His, and He has allowed her dad and me to have stewardship over her.  I have been entrusted with a mighty gift  by being her mom.  I pray everyday that I honor and value what I have been trusted with.  Lauren is a normal teenage girl, she knows every word of every song she loves but bemoans learning her vocab words for the week.  She has a messy room.  She loves to shop for clothes, and if I let her would own high heel shoes in every shape and color.  She listens to her music too loud in the morning and other times of the day too.  She takes forever to get ready, even when we are just going to the grocery store.  She is hilarious.  She is forgiving, and patient...even with her little sister...although no one pushes her buttons better than Abby:)!  She likes her nails done.  She has a great sense of style.  She has a servants heart.   She has a purpose and destiny to reach people for Jesus.  She smiles way more than she pouts and she laughs way more than she cries.  She is amazing and I thank God for her.  I thank Him for letting me be her mom, for challenging me to grow up and be who I needed to be for Him, for myself, for my husband, and for her and Abby.  She is an incredible person, God did an amazing job creating her, she is absolutely some of His best work!!

Lauren and Abby

So in this month, Lauren's birthday month, I thank you Lord for giving me Lauren.  Thank you for making her part of our family.  Thank you for the beautiful creation she is and for the extraordinary opportunity to be her mom.  In Your divine wisdom You knew she was exactly what I needed.  Thank you in advance for continuing to make me who I need to be for You, for my hubby, and for Lauren and Abby.  You are good to me and even though my thanks doesn't seem enough to express my heart, I thank you anyway!

I love you Lauren Michelle, you are my gift, my reward from God and He has rewarded me well.

Have You Ever Just Had One of Those Days?

Today's Lesson to Be Learned: Giving Thanks No Matter What

Have you ever just had one of those days?  One of those weeks?  Maybe one of those quarters, semesters, or years?  A couple of weeks ago I was having one of those weeks...certain things just haven't gone right no matter how hard I wish for them to.

So here is the story: We got a new car (new to us anyway) and a 1/2 of a day after having it the engine light came on, we took it to the shop, they fixed something and a day and half later the light was on again, we took it back to the shop they fixed something else, and a day and half later the light was on again, we took it back to the shop and this time they kept it for awhile...after a week in the shop, two major fixes, and several hundred dollars later they have solved what has been going on.

Now I am a relatively "go with the flow" kind of gal.  I don't get ruffled very easily and I usually am able to handle life's little bumps in the road.  And I was doing really good the first couple of days.  But the last time we took it to the shop I wasn't handling it as well as I usually do, in fact it was pretty tough on me.  My stomach ached, my appetite changed, I didn't sleep well; all from the unknown of what in the world it was going to be, how much was it going to cost, how were we going to swing it if it was an exorbitant amount of money...I just wasn't handling it well at all.  I found myself not just frustrated with the car situation but with other stuff as well, things that didn't have anything to do with the car at all.  I would vent to the Lord, I would vent to my husband, I would vent to my mom but really what I needed to do was just give Him thanks.

Thanks for what you might ask.  I wasn't thanking Him for the car repairs or for my bad attitude but I needed to get into an attitude of gratitude for my outlook to change.  So I started thanking God  for the fact the car was getting fixed and that He has given us provision to fix it.  Thanks that no matter how I feel at any given time my feelings are temporary and subject to change and I don't have to be ruled by them.  Thanks for a beautiful support system of people who love me right where I am at.  Thanks for things not really being that bad.  Thanks for the ability to yank myself up by my boot straps and deal with it.  Thanks. Thanks. Thanks.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 we are instructed to "Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]."  Thank God in everything, in every circumstance, no matter what.  How hard is that to do sometimes?  Think of all the things we go through in this journey we call life; things much more difficult than car repairs; things that break our hearts, things that hurt or cause confusion, the things that make us rely all the more on the grace and love of our Savior.  But the Word is clear, we are to thank Him at all time, in all things, no matter what.

I find when I am struggling in one area I can become easily frustrated in other areas, all in one day I cried about the car and then in the next sentence I was crying about the struggle with my weight.  Neither have a single thing to do with the other but I felt vulnerable, uncertain, dissatisfied, and frustrated and it bled out into other areas of my life.  So I did the only thing I have control over because I couldn't fix the car, and I can't immediately replace the money it took to fix it, and I can't wake up in my "dream" body tomorrow, but I can cast those cares on Him and let Him help me work through it.   So I started to thank Him in the midst of the struggle when I was being pulled, and tested, and my heart was troubled.  Instead of complaining and venting and wondering and worrying I began to give thanks to Him.  I went to my Rock, my Shelter, my Comforter, my Peace and let Him do what He does best...calm me down, clear my head, give me the correct perspective, restore my joy, and establish my peace.

John 14:27 says "Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled]."  I LOVE this scripture.  What an amazing gift I have been given...HIS peace, not my own, which fails me so easily, but HIS peace which is constant, perfect, and amazing.  So I am walking out the learning of this lesson...one I have walked out before in a different manner.  Don't we all have to do this in our lives?  Some lessons have to be learned over and over again.  So I am learning it again through this silly experience one we all have to go through in life many times over; car repairs, wanting something we don't already have, and learning to be thankful for what our life is right now in this place.  Today you will find me resting in His peace, the peace He promised me.  And you will find me thankful...thankful for Him, for my hubby, for my mom, for it not being as bad as all that, for His provision, for His gifts to me, for His incredible, indescribable goodness to me.  I am thanking Him no matter what because He is worthy of my gratitude, and in my gratefulness is my peace, my healing, and my assurance.

What Can We Live Without?

For the beginning of the new year I am fasting Facebook and Pinterest.  I didn't realize how much time I have been spending on these two forms of entertainment until now when I am purposefully abstaining from them.  In the place of the time spent on them I am praying, spending time with my family, reading, just doing other more productive things.  I didn't spend tons of time of Facebook, I would pop on, check out what was going on with everyone, like a few statuses, respond to a few messages, update my status, ooh and aah over a few pictures...yeah okay, I spent some time on there:).  Pinterest is a whole different ball of wax...Pinterest I could spend hours on, literally!  I had already curtailed the amount of time I was spending on it because I recognized it's addicting characteristics very early on but I am sure I was still spending a good amount of time on it.

So here I am with no electronic vices to enjoy...(perhaps a slight exaggeration as I sit here and write this blog on my computer)...and I am wondering what I am going to do with myself.  It got me thinking...what did we do before all these amusements divided our attention from what we really should be doing in our lives?  I read a novel about the Amish community and I was so impressed by the amount of work they did in a single day.  With no distractions such as TVs, phones, video games, computers, and text messages they are able to really get things done.  Of course the chores are divided among the men and women and the book that I was reading focused on the duties of the Amish women.  They had an entire day designated to laundry because they washed everything by hand, they stripped all their bedding, washed, hung, and folded or remade beds all in a day.  While doing this they managed to cook meals (from scratch), maintain their homes, attend to their children, manicure their gardens, tend to their livestock, and train their daughters in the duties of running their homes, and educated their children.  Their homes were their companies; they were the CEO's and they managed their responsibilities with a proficiency that would impress almost anyone.

In the hustle and bustle of my everyday life I sometimes find myself in a rare, very rare, moment of alone time; no kids calling my name, no hubby needing me to do something for him, no homework to do for class, no chores to be done at the house, no phone calls, emails, or texts to return...just quiet.  And frankly, in all honesty I love those times.  I purpose to carve out time each day to have quiet time with the Lord but aside from that time, my day is full of noise, duties, and people clamoring for my attention.  I love it that way...I like to be involved in my family's everyday lives, I like having this to do and that to do, I even like just sitting down and watching a movie with my daughters.  But when the rare time comes that I have my own time to do what I want I often times don't do much at all.  I will read, or pray, or watch a show no one else in my house finds entertaining.  I don't break out a heavy project or start organizing closets, I just sit in that moment and enjoy my time for the few minutes it lasts before the truly glorious parts of my life resume.

I guess what I have learned in this brief abstinence is I could never get on Facebook again and I would be just fine, I could never pin another adorable picture on Pinterest and my life would not be damaged in any way.  But if I didn't have my kids, my husband, my family, my friends, and my time with Jesus everyday than my life wouldn't be all it is supposed to be, it wouldn't be enjoyed and shared and blessed with the people who I truly cannot live without.  I will most likely get on Facebook again someday soon, I will even link this blog on my wall but I don't want social networking to encroach on real communication, conversation, and relationship.  I will pin on Pinterest again but I don't want to let what I am planning for to overshadow the magnificence of what I am experiencing everyday.  The goodness of my life deserves all the attention I can give it, so if other less important things fall by the wayside, I am determined to be just fine with that.

Everyone Likes A Fresh Start

I've never been one who went to New Year's Eve parties even when I didn't have kids and I could have gone I didn't really.  I have never bought hats, noise makers, snacks, and bottles of non-alcoholic bubbly stuff to ring in the new year.  I am usually celebrating the new year with the folks in Paris, so I can go to bed when the rest of the United States is celebrating, haha!  Really I never understood what the big hoopla is all about...so it's a new year what's the big celebration?  But as I thought about it this year I realized the big hoopla all boils down to the simple fact that everyone likes a fresh start and when better to start something new than at the beginning of a new year.

HAHAHA! So true!!

Always the optimist I can understand the allure of a nice, clean, fresh start.  There is a new year stretching out in front of us all, no mistakes made, no mishaps, no damage done, just possibilities- beautiful, hopeful, lovely possibilities.  Realistically we all know we are going to make mistakes, hurts are going happen, learning has to be done (often learning isn't comfortable), and growth achieved (again not always comfortable) but in the twinkling of a sparkler and with the excitement of a countdown and a ball drop those uncomfortable circumstances are far from our thoughts.  But on January 1st there they are, looking us straight in the face, the new year asking us all, "So...what are you going to do with me?"  I tend not to answer the new year:), maybe that is why I haven't ever celebrated its coming very often.  My personality tends to be about the right now, get through today, this week, this month...I have to work really hard for short term goals and long term ones are excruciating!  I don't like resolutions because inevitably I disappoint myself when I make them so I don't make them.  I don't think resolutions are where its at truly...I think vision is what we need to be planning for...His vision for our lives.

My Aunt and Uncle make yearly goals, they are led by the scripture in Luke 2:52 which says, "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men."  They make goals for their minds, for their bodies, for their spiritual lives, and for the relationships in their lives.  So I branched out this year and decided to make some goals too, to gain some vision in my life.  The Word of God instructs us in Habakkuk 2:2 to "Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it."  While I don't have a tablet to inscribe on...the principle is still the same...write down the vision God has for me this year so that when I read it I can run with it!

This year is only 10 days old but all that God desires to do in and through our lives this year has been planned and ordained before the foundations of the Earth.  When God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus were discussing the plans for the world and divinely orchestrating our lives into those plans, 2012 and our part in 2012 was constructed.  So while we are all excited about a brand new year, God is all excited that we have  gotten to this part of His amazing plan for our lives.  Nothing is more exciting than living the life we were born to live!  Nothing is more fulfilling than being where we are supposed to be, doing what we are supposed to do, with the people we are supposed to do it with; it is exciting for us and extraordinary for the Lord!  Now all our lives aren't always in this perfect state but part of knowing our vision is to be working toward living the abundant life Jesus came to give us everyday.

In church on Saturday we sang a worship song that my family and I just loved!  It is Moving Forward by Free Chapel.  Here is a link to the song sung by Israel Houghton, http://youtu.be/eQBjXG2B-_I, if you want to take a listen.  We are moving forward, into a brand new year, fresh possibilities, renewed vision, and clear purpose.  I pray we fulfill His best for our lives this year, we won't miss the mark if we are living to serve Him to the utmost.  2012 is going to be an incredible year...we aren't promised an easy walk with Christ but we are promised His grace, His favor, His mercy, His peace, His ability, His sufficiency, His anointing, His love, His joy, His self-control, His healing, His patience, and His goodness each and everyday of our walk.  Let's get moving...forward!

The Little Purple Bike

Last week at church Pastor Paul taught about The Word Made Flesh.  He was teaching us that love is an action word, that we cannot just say we love Jesus we have to show that we love Jesus in the things we do; Jesus loved people and we need to love people as well!  During his sermon (you can watch it here if you would like: https://www.victory.com/watch/word-made-flesh) he used the story of the Good Samaritan to explain what really loving people looks like.  You know the story of Good Samaritan right?  If not here it is in Luke 10:25-37 (The Message Bible):

25Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. "Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?"

26He answered, "What's written in God's Law? How do you interpret it?"

27He said, "That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself."

28"Good answer!" said Jesus. "Do it and you'll live."

29Looking for a loophole, he asked, "And just how would you define 'neighbor'?"

30-32Jesus answered by telling a story. "There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man. 

33-35"A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man's condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I'll pay you on my way back.' 

36"What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?" 

37"The one who treated him kindly," the religion scholar responded. Jesus said, "Go and do the same."

 Pastor Paul shared a story about a young girl at the Tulsa Dream Center who was walking away from the toy giveaway with her mother.  Her mother was telling her the reason that they didn't have a bike for her was because she was too dark skinned and that is why they didn't give her a bike.  (My heart just broke, I immediately started to cry hearing the cruel words spoken to this innocent girl).  Pastor Paul said he had to intervene.  He walked up to the mom and the little girl and said, "Excuse me ma'am but your daughter is beautiful, her skin is just the right color and God loves her and you very much."  Turning to the little girl Pastor Paul told her, "In fact we do have a bike just for you."  Her excitement can only be imagined!  "YOU DO!", she said to Pastor Paul.  "Yes we do, that one right over there" and he pointed to a little purple bike.  "THE PURPLE ONE?", the little girl asked.  "Yes the purple one" replied Pastor Paul.  "PURPLE IS MY FAVORITE COLOR!" she exclaimed.  Right then, in that single, simple, beautiful moment I believe Pastor Paul was used by God to touch and change that little girl's life and hopefully her mother's life as well.

My heart has been touched by his message and this story all week.  In the hustle and bustle of life I find myself looking past people instead of looking at them to see if there is a need I can meet for them.  Pastor Paul said something I have heard before but it has resonated in my heart since he said it, "Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone."  So often we are kept from doing something because we feel we will have to do the same thing for everyone.  We don't bless one because the thought of having to bless everyone is so overwhelming.  But we miss out on the opportunity to be a blessing to one very important person and they miss the opportunity to be blessed by you or by me.  How sad to think of the missed opportunities we have all had to help, to stop and pray, to assist, to comfort, to simply make someone feel noticed.  So I am on alert for the one; the one person I can bless today, the one person I can love, the one person I can be a neighbor to, the one person I can love as I love myself.  Whether it is a little purple bike, holding the door open for someone, paying off their layaway (have you been hearing about those stories..so awesome!), or sharing a gift with someone, a meal, a prayer, my time, or encouragement; whatever it is I don't want to miss the opportunity to bless someone like the girl who got her little purple bike and the affirmation that God loves her just the way she is and so do other people!

Merry Christmas my friends!  And remember...Love God & Love People...that is what life is all about!

What Christmas Means to Me

This weekend in church as we sang Christmas carols and worshipped our Lord, I began to reflect on what Christmas really means to me.  I LOVE this time of year, I love the lights, the tree, the stockings, the gifts, the smell of scotch tape, the food, the fellowship, the merriment, the bell ringers at stores, the excitement of my kids, I love it all.  But most of all I love the fact that we are celebrating Jesus. 

"Oh come let us adore Him, Oh come let us adore Him, Oh come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!"  As we sang this at church my eyes filled with tears which spilled down my cheeks.  What a privilege, what an honor, how exciting to be able to celebrate and adore the Lord of lords!  To think about all the responsibility placed on that little baby all those years ago in Bethlehem is astounding.  To think about Mary and Joseph not really grasping fully what they were apart of but knowing it was special nonetheless.  To think that when He entered the world that day, the entire world changed, our world changed.  To know that even as a baby, a toddler, a sweet boy, a teenager, a young man, a man fulfilling His purpose, He was thinking about you and thinking about me; about our lives, our redemption, our healing, our forgiveness, our purpose, our eternity.  We never escaped His vision, He was and still is ever fixed on us.

I feel sometimes I am like Mary and Joseph; I know I am a part of something spectacular, I know it has changed my life, given me purpose, healed me in all areas, given me peace, provided me joy, made me who I am but I still am unable to fully grasp all He is really capable of doing in my life.  Perhaps we are all like that; we know He is awesome, we know He is loving beyond compare, we know He is beginning and ending of all things but then when think of our own lives, our finite minds cannot truly grasp the sheer magnitude of His goodness applied to our everyday situations.  But it is; He is an intimate, relationship driven, personable Lord.  He wants our fellowship and to sit on the throne of our hearts.  Is there room for Him there?   Or have we filled our hearts up with other occupants, crowding Him out to the outer stables of our hearts?  Is He around our lives but not really IN our lives. 

Everyday we are given the chance, the opportunity to allow Him entrance into our lives.  In Revelations 3:20 it says, "Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends."  It is our choice to have Him a part of our lives or not, He is knocking...we just have to let Him in.  This is Christmas to me, letting Him in!  Answering the door to Him, sitting down with Him and having a meal together, talking together over good food, laughing at funny stories, spending time together.  Doesn't that sound like a beautiful Christmas celebration to you?  It does to me; it sounds like what we all want our Christmas' to be like and Jesus is wanting that Christmas experience with us each and every day.  As we wrap presents, catch flights, drive to grandparent's houses, cook turkeys, bake hams, and put together toys, let's remember to always open the door of our hearts to the gentle knocking of Him who we are celebrating to begin with. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!