7 of the Simplest Ways to Make Time for Jesus.

I am totally NOT qualified to write this post. But when has God ever called the "qualified"? So here I am on a day that I chose to watch Netflix during my free time rather than dig deep in my War Room, writing a post about practical ways to spend quality time with the Lord.

Fear not, prayer always precedes a post.

As promised in THIS post, I have 7 practical ways to nurture your relationship with Christ.

1. Get up early.

I know it. I hate this one, too. Especially with Littles who may sleep through the night most of the time, but are somehow instantly wide awake the moment you wake up no matter what dark hour it may be.

The truth is, this isn't always possible depending on your current life chapter. But I believe it is important to give God your day before your feet hit the ground. Daniel did it. David did it. Jesus did it. I'm gonna do it. You might not be able to give Him an hour, but you most definitely can give Him 5 minutes.

My current favorite app (for women) that makes this perfectly doable every single morning is the First Five app by Proverbs 31 Ministries. 5 minutes of meaty goodness, including a challenge and a prayer. There's plenty of other app options with short, simple devotionals. Even the Bible App will send you the verse of the day so the first thing you see on your phone in the morning is a word of encouragement from the Living Word.

2. Stay up late.

Ideally, these first two are either/or but you do what you gotta do! Each phase in life is going to present different difficulties so figure out what you can commit to now and do it. If it means spending 20, 30, 60 extra minutes awake so I can soak up quality time with my sweet Savior, I'm in.

3. Choose a Scripture-heavy devotional.

Don't depend on books. God gave us His Word to train us in righteousness and equip us for His work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). His Word is all we need. But sometimes having a book or bible study or devotional helps us navigate His Word. Keep several on hand in various places. I know I'm not the only mom who hides away every once in awhile. Keep a book in that hiding spot and use that couple of minutes of time to read rather than scroll Facebook. (I am literally talking to myself right now...)

One of my favorites has been considered controversial but I've read it through twice and have yet to find any reason whatsoever to be concerned: Jesus Calling. It is a daily one page devotional, written as if Jesus is speaking. There are verses/passages included that can be the springboard to deeper study.

4. Read and pray with the kids over breakfast.

This has been a habit around here for over a year now. I love it. It's teaching my kids the habit of spending time with the Lord every morning, and I get some extra Jesus time, too. My favorite is reading the Jesus Storybook Bible. I can't tell you how many times I've choked up reading this to my babes. We are currently reading Jesus Calling Bible Storybook which we are thoroughly enjoying. We've also read a Proverb a day and through most of the Psalms at different times. You only have to share their attention with their bowl of cereal, which works wonders in my house!

5. Listen to sermons/podcasts/worship music.

I'll be honest, I don't do this well. Okay, I don't really do any of these well! But I really believe God is prodding me in this direction. Many churches have previous sermons posted on their websites. (Check out ours!) I've recently gotten into "The Busy Mom" podcast. A friend recommended "The Gospel Coalition."

This is key: be careful what you listen to. Take a few minutes to research and be sure the speaker/preacher is a Bible-toting Jesus freak, and nothing less. Avoid, no RUN from the prosperity-gospel-types, and don't waste your valuable time with the light-on-truth, heavy-on-entertainment types.

6. Display Scripture throughout your home.

Whether it's a sticky note on the bathroom mirror or a gorgeous wood disk your husband made for you, find a way to display the Words of God. Fill your home with the name of Jesus.

7. Open your Bible.

These tips are by no means profound. In fact, while they aren't necessarily easy, they are ridiculously simple. The bottom line, you have to make the time. Every chapter in life has its own difficulties and obstacles. Don't make the mistake of saying you'll be more committed to the Lord when the kids are older or the job slows down or you're done watching that series on Netflix. The time is now.

Let the Word of Christ richly dwell within you. Colossians 3:16

Tell me: How do you make time for Jesus? Please share your wisdom in the comments!

What gardening has to do with knowing Jesus.

It’s gardening time! Don’t let the random late winter fool you. 

I don’t know if I’ve said this before but I’m sure to say it again: Gardening is a spiritual experience! 

Once the nasty white stuff melted away today, I enjoyed some quiet time managing the wild raspberry bushes and ridiculous mint. (A couple of “oops”es that we are still paying for!) As I raked smooth the soil, I was struck by the beauty of the blackness, the richness of it. It is a stark contrast to what it was 5 years ago. But it did not go from a light brown, dry soil to a deep, dark soil that’s hard to keep my hands out of all on its own. It took effort. Lots of effort. Lots of studying. Lots of worrying (okay, only I did that part). LOTS of patience.

3 years ago we decided to forgo the tilling route and attempt the wood chip route. We made mistakes- the biggest one being putting way to much wood chips on. The following year we weren’t sure anything was going to survive, and many things didn’t. Other things didn’t flourish the way we would have liked. But there was still harvest, and we kept plugging away. 

Last year we were abundantly blessed with much harvest! There were sections that still hadn’t composted down well enough yet but there was a significant improvement. Our patience was paying off.

Today, our soil looks like this:

Black gold.

Some kale and spinach has sprouted up from last year and the snow from last night didn’t even phase it. Must be some delicious soil for these beautiful greens to not only survive the winter in dormancy, but survive the freak snow storm in April.

So let’s head on back to the actual point of this post: Gardening is a spiritual experience! 

While I raked this black soil back into place, it struck me how much it is like our spiritual lives. 

"Read your bible, pray every day and you'll grow, grow, grow!"

Spending time in prayer and in the Word are not just good, Christian things to do, they are essential to your growth. How can we even know Jesus if we aren't spending time with Him? 

Yes, this is "Sunday School" stuff, so it's sad to feel the need to urge my brothers and sisters (specifically fellow mommas!) to live that Sunday School song out.

Our soil did not reach this beauty on its own. It took back-breaking effort, and tear-inducing patience. But oh the harvest!! What a beautiful harvest we look forward to and already are seeing, not only in our garden but in our very lives.

In the 3 years since we laid these wood chips-

-Derek was finally released from the shackles of his sin.

-Marie surrendered to our Savior.

-Derek became the spiritual leader in our home and one in our church.

-Two of Derek's students surrendered their lives to the Lord.
-I've been a part of leading 2 people from our church to the Lord.
-Marie and I were baptized together.

All things that put callouses on my knees from prayer. All miracles I had doubted possible. All as a result of doing our best to spend time in prayer and in His Word every.single.day.

Next year we will probably need to add more wood chips. We'll have to continue to be patient. We'll have to continue to put in the effort.

But oh the harvest!!

"As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold..." Matthew 13:23

((Later this week I'll share practical ways for a momma to make time for the Lord))

From Slob to Hostess

I am not a neat person.

((I can hear my mom and sister burst into laughter))

My husband is even less so.

((I can see my MIL roll her eyes in agreement))

Put the two of us together and well, you just don't want to see it. And then add 4 miniatures of us and it's a miracle we ever see our floor or countertops!

But miraculously the floor is usually mostly visible, and the countertops don't stay covered for too long. It's an area in which God has been growing both of us.

I am learning that keeping up with the house, while sometimes it feels completely pointless, has major benefits like lowering my stress level.
Derek is learning that helping me with the housework as much as he hates it has major benefits like lowering my stress level.

But I'm not here to tell you how to overcome your inner slob. I am still quite the slob. I'm here to tell you how I hosted Easter yesterday without a single meltdown!

I'll start with an ugly truth: it was literally the very first time we had people over that I didn't lose it beforehand.

God is still in the miracle business, people!

Looking back on it, I can see a progression. I see us before kids. We lived in a tiny apartment without a dishwasher. If anyone ever came over (which was rare), I threw everything in our bedroom and told everyone to stay out of it.

I see us in our first house with one babe. It was an old house in desperate need of some updates that we couldn't afford. The fact that it was probably triple the size of our apartment only spread out the mess into more rooms and onto more countertops. We had people over more often, but still very rarely.

I see us in our rental here in Indiana with 2 babes. We didn't even unpack half our things. We lived among boxes. I was embarrassed just when someone came to the door for fear of them looking in. I think we had someone over for dinner once in the 6 months we lived there... one of Derek's homeless students.

I see us here, 5 years ago, sitting in the car outside of this beautiful home. We held hands and prayed with overwhelming thanksgiving for God's provision and excess of this house. We committed it to Him. Let me tell you, He held up His end of the deal!

My housekeeping skills have definitely improved. Derek's have too! But when I look back on all that, I see so much more than that:

1. Committing our house to the Lord has opened up opportunities for us to bless others (and be blessed!) in ways we never imagined. And that is what has made it home. We enjoy each other, and we get to work together as a family to welcome others in.

2. Recognizing that it doesn't have to be perfect has allowed me to say yes more often, invite more often, and stress less. I'm so far from arrived on this but, by God's grace, I'm getting there. I've learned over the years how much worse it is to miss out on sharing our lives with people than it is for them to accidentally see my off-limits room (when we have one, which isn't always, praise the Lord!). Am I really gonna close the door to the possibility of entertaining angels because my bathroom isn't clean, the dishes aren't done, the yogurt hasn't been scrubbed out of the carpet? No, I'm just not going to.

3. Creating the look in my home I've dreamed up on my pinterest boards takes time and money, neither of which I have much of. But opening our home shouldn't wait. Being Jesus to others doesn't require a beautifully decorated home, or even a perfectly clean one for that matter. It doesn't require you to serve a 3 course meal complete with fresh flowers making up the centerpiece. Loving people means loving people, not only where they are but also where you are! We should always be working toward improvement, but God is not waiting for your living situation to be up to par, He's waiting for YOU.

4. Finally, I see looking back all the joy that has come from inviting others in. We've been burned, taken advantage of. We've been embarrassed (ok just me. Derek couldn't care less about the cleanliness of our house!). But these things pale in knowing we are pleasing our Savior. You know the quickest way to destroy that joy? Comparison. If someone walks into your home and judges the imperfections, it's a reflection of their heart not your housekeeping. The joy is in pleasing Jesus, not in pleasing anyone else.

The tomb is empty! He is alive!

A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones. Proverbs 14:30

Now I see us yesterday, hosting our 5th annual Easter dinner. I don't know if we were able to bless others, but we were certainly blessed. My Aunt asked if we were sick of hosting it. Nope. Not for as long as God calls us to it.

Open up your home, imperfections and all. Take it from a recovering slob, it's worth it.

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. Colossians 3:23-24

Defeated.

Sometimes I'm just tired. Exhausted. Worn down.

Defeated.

I'm not talking about tired from lack of sleep or exhausted from my crazy workout last night. I don't mean worn down from whiny kids or defeated by the dishes.

All of those things are very, very true. But I mean something so much deeper.

I cried out to God in the middle of doing the dishes - "I don't want to!" (He's used to such outbursts). I'm just so tired of fighting my sinful nature. I'm exhausted from the constant battle. I'm worn down from the regular failure. I feel...

Defeated.

I quit doing the dishes (this did not take much convincing on God's part!) and sought relief in my War Room - a sacred place I have not been spending nearly enough time in I'll admit.

The Lord responded to me with the verses my sisters, mom, and I are currently memorizing:

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:28-31

What on earth does it mean to "wait for the Lord"? What does it look like in my every day?

In His way, He led me to an excerpt from Andrew Murray's book Waiting on God:

Above everything, when you wait on God, you must do so in the spirit of hope. God in His glory, His power, and His love longs to bless you… God's delight is to impart Himself to His children. However weak you feel, wait in His presence. As the sun does its work on the weak who seek its rays, God will do His work in you. Trust Him!

What does waiting on God look like in my every day?

TRUST.

Jesus IS doing something new in me (even when I don't feel it)!
I will run and not grow weary!
I will find streams in this desert!

I am NOT defeated!

Because greater is HE who loves me.

For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. Isaiah 43:19 

Are you feeling defeated today? Soak up His Word like rays of sunshine! And let me know how I can pray for you! 

Faith and Life: Fitness can be Worship {a guest post}

Fitness and nutrition are topics that most people do not enjoy talking about let alone take part in. I used to be one of those people. I do not write this as a guilt trip for you to go run a mile and feel better or to go eat a salad and call it a day. 

My mindset and motivation about health and fitness changed when I realized my calling to my family is to be a faithful steward. Being healthy and fit no longer affects me; it affects my family, with which God has blessed me. If your motivation behind your health and fitness is merely “I want to look good” or “I want to be skinny”, then your consistency in reaching those goals will fall apart. When your motivation is driven by the desire to be a faithful steward of the blessings God has given to you (namely your body and family), then your motivation will be physically and spiritually beneficial and your consistency will stay intact.

I love the phrase: “You cannot pour from an empty cup.” It is vitally important that we take care of our bodies and minds and “fill” them up so we can pour or invest ourselves into others. A healthy lifestyle is the best gift you can give your family and one of the most honoring ways to worship your Creator.

A whole other facet within fitness and healthy living is training. There is benefit to training and pushing your physical body further than you thought possible. (I Timothy 4:7-8). God has made our bodies with intricacies that even today’s doctors and scientist don’t fully understand. To use my body and mind and take care of the vessel God so amazingly designed is a way to say “Thank You” to Him.

So let’s take this a little further in how this can impact our relationships. While we can train our bodies and make healthy nutritional choices and focus on stewarding our own bodies wisely, it’s a lot more enjoyable with a friend! Sharing fitness and nutrition with others, and more importantly the motivation behind my fitness and nutrition, becomes yet another act of stewardship. Some of my closest relationships have been built through fitness and accountability, accountability within fitness and my spiritual life. Learning to become vulnerable and accountable to others in fitness and in spiritual matters has been one of the biggest blessings in learning how to be a good steward.  

In conclusion, it is important to realize that being a faithful steward is not only reserved for finances and material possessions. God has blessed me with a physical body that I am “stewarding” for Him. My calling and responsibility is to take care of it and make wise choices in an effort to be healthy. When I make wise choices to “fill” my cup up, pouring into others’ lives is much more effective. I definitely am not 100% consistent in the area of nutrition and fitness, but I do make decisions daily to work toward the goal of living a healthy life and being a positive example for my family as an act of worship to God. When Biblical stewardship is your motivation behind why you desire to be fit and make healthy nutritional choices, then it absolutely becomes awesome worship of an incredible God.

((Hannah Cartledge is a wife and a momma to a sweet baby girl. She is also a BeachBody Coach with a passion for fitness as a ministry. Find her at www.beachbodycoach.com/hcartledge)).

Interested in a free sample of Shakeology through Hannah? The first 10 readers to contact her via her website, on Facebook, or through email (Cartledge_Hannah@yahoo.com) can get one! Just let her know I sent ya ;)

I Am Going to Die {A Daddy Draft}

A Daddy Draft

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

I am going to die this year. 

You heard me right, I am going to die. I've lived a happy life, but all of that is going to change. You see, God has called for an army to rise up out of First Baptist Church of Elkhart, IN and I know God is calling me to the front lines. We are marching forth to do battle against the Prince of the Power of the Air (Ephesians 2:2). I am laying my life down and I will die to myself so that I can be used by God to further His kingdom for the glory of His name.

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. John 12:24

Our church's mission this year is to be used by God to save the whole world.

"Foolishness" many will say. "Impossible" still others will scoff. "Unrealistic" believers will tell us. That's just the beginning of this battle. You see, those are all lies from the one whom we're fighting. Our Commander and Chief has told us, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21 NLT)

I can hear you believers out there:
[Chuckle]
[Giggle]
[Snicker]
"Yes, God can do that, but He's not actually going to do that."
"I've never seen God do anything like that before."
"You're aiming too high, you'll never achieve that goal."

I know God will use our church for a world harvest this year. I know it because He has promised to do more than we can ask or think. I know it because He has given this vision to our Pastor. I know it because I truly believe God wants the world to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). I also know that it's going to cost us...

That's right, I'm well aware of the fact that those who truly lay down their lives for the cause of Christ suffer dearly. I've watched my pastor endure the tragic death of his daughter only a couple of months ago. I've seen him raise his hands in praise and lose his breath from giving all he has to worship our Commander and Chief. I've seen him press on toward the prize, knowing full well that this life is but a whisper. We are strangers in a foreign land battling against a Dark Prince who is holding this world captive from joy and peace. I will not fear this world. I will not run from the calling upon my life. I will be strong and courageous knowing full well that my treasure is laid up in heaven where no moth or rust can destroy it (Matthew 6:20).

If you're looking for a safe place to go where you can hear about God and then go back to your life during the week, don't come to First Baptist Church. 
If you want a place to go just to catch up with your friends and drink coffee, don't come to First Baptist Church. 
If you want to go somewhere that will make you feel good about yourself and give you advice on how to be happy, don't come to First Baptist Church! 

We are an army that is rising up to fight for the lost and dying souls of this world. We are training our bodies and making them slaves to the will of our Commander and Chief. We are giving up everything that this world has to offer so that we can gain an eternal reward. 

We are at war and we will not back down, we will not give up, we will not waiver from the Truth.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

I realize that most will not get this far in my post here. But if you're still reading, if you can feel our Commander and Chief tugging on your heart to join in this battle, we must begin to pray. The only way to win this battle is on our knees. Will you commit to pray? If you can, I want to invite you to join me at First Baptist Church on Thursday mornings at 7:00am. Dress warm, I don't have keys to get inside. We need to begin crying out to God to use us for the glory of His name. So that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow (Philippians 2:10).

Won't you come and die with me this year? Forget about yourself so that you can experience all that God has in store for this year. 

 "If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow Me." Luke 9:23 

Prayers for My Boys: His Marriage {+ Giveaway!}

A couple of years ago a friend posted on facebook about how she doesn't pray for an easy, happy life for her kids. Instead, she prays that they will be dangerous for the Lord, and that He would use them for amazing things for His glory. Even if it's hard.

I was immediately convicted because I was definitely the type to pray for a happy, blessed life for my kids. But I was missing the point. It's not about being "happy," but about finding true joy in following the true Lover of their souls. So I began praying slightly more boldly.

Just days before Amanda was murdered, Derek and I were discussing trials. The idea of them scares me literally more than anything else! At any moment tragedy can strike. I confessed to Derek that I had been praying that God would use the kids in mighty ways but protect them from horrible tragedies. Tragedies like the one that occurred a few days later.

In the last month something totally unnatural has happened.

While the idea of trials and tragedies still scares me just as much as before, I see them in a completely different light. I see a family, who's wife/mom/daughter/sister's life has been cruelly snuffed out from this earth, be a bright, shining beacon in the midst of the darkest time of their lives. I see God work miracles. I see beauty.

I would never ever ever ever wish such a horrifying experience on even my worst enemy, let alone my babies. But the beauty… I wish that so much for my babes.

My blogging plan for November changed in the middle of the month when pure evil attempted to wreak havoc on God's family. But through watching Davey (Amanda's husband) from afar, I was led to pray for Jack and his future spouse in a way I had never done before: with passion. with hope. with excitement. with determination. without fear.

His Marriage

Lord, I know You have a helper, support, perfect match for my Shnook. I pray that while he runs full speed toward You, Jack will find her running beside him. Protect his sensitive heart as he navigates this cruel, ugly, impure world. Give Jack the strength through Your Spirit to flee sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18). Give him eyes to see the way out that You always provide (1 Corinthians 10:13), and the power to take captive every thought and make it obedient to You (1 Corinthians 10:5). So when he meets his wife, he will be able to love her as you love us (Ephesians 5).May he be a good steward of his wife's love, and may he always show her honor and grace (1 Peter 3:7). Please, Lord, help them to love You even more than they love each other. May they change the world- together.

Most of this focused praying for my babes happens in my war room. If you have not seen the film War Room yet, it is a must-see! The movie will be available on December 22, but Family Christian not only has it on sale but is also doing an exclusive pre-buy where you get a free prayer journal along with it! And if you pre-buy it, you can pick it up in store in time for Christmas. So go order it HERE right now! Then come on back here to enter for a $25 gift card to Family Christian! Woot!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway ends Friday at midnight!

A Sign of a Stagnant Life

For years now I have felt the call from God to be an intercessor or prayer warrior. ((Beware: lots of posts on prayer in our future!)) I still don't know exactly what that means in my life in particular, but something I have learned through the process is one vital thing--

We are all called to pray.

Seems like a "duh" statement, but are you praying always?

Be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12

There likely isn't a true believer out there who doesn't know we are to pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17) but it still is an area where we are greatly lacking.

Recently I read an excerpt from one of Andrew Murray's books, The Ministry of Intercessory Prayer:

Often we have resolved to pray more and better, and have utterly failed. Our prayers, rather than being full of joy and strength, are often a source of self-condemnation and doubt… Your lack of prayer is likely due to a stagnant state of life. 

I'll tell ya what, that was not a comfortable bit to read. When prayer isn't a constant wellspring in my life, my life is stagnant? We have all been there - I try to walk into my War Room and it's like the door is locked. Not from the inside where communion with my Savior is savory sweet. No, it's locked from the outside, where I could unlock it but something in my life (pride?) is stopping me.

Is there something (or a lack of something) in your life that is locking your war room door? Or even just making it hard to open?

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to every prayer made in this place. 2 Chronicles 7:14-15

We are all called to pray. What is in your way?

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Colossians 4:2

Finding Rest

The Christian life is not a struggle to live rightly but rather resting in Christ and finding in Him our life and our righteousness. -Andrew Murray

The concept of finding rest keeps coming up in my life. So obviously that means God is trying to tell me something! I've been a believer long enough to at least have that figured out. Now to actually learn the lesson…

I've shared this verse at least a couple other times before on the blog, which is saying something since I don't blog very often! So God must be saying something to you, too, Reader!

I've had in my head that to find rest, even finding it in God, means that everything around me has to change. 

This is not true.

When I am in the midst of the chaos of 4 kids and Derek comes home from his 10 hour day and goes straight to bed, I can find rest.

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power… Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. Isaiah 40:28-29, 31

(Marie completely randomly blurted out the reference "Isaiah 40:31" a couple days ago. From the mouth of babes…)

I think that I need…

a date night
a girls night
kid-free errand running
a workout
a clean house
Netflix
a silent morning
perfect obedience
an uninterrupted hot shower
sleep
food

...to find rest.

And these things are good gifts God gives me (on occasion ha!) to encourage rest. But when I depend on these things to find rest, at best these things will give temporary relief, at worst, added stress!

But when I am in constant communion with my God, when I give our relationship the effort and focus and love that it deserves, I can find rest anywhere, anytime. Because God is there, anywhere, anytime.

Taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Psalm 34:8

Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad. Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually. 1 Chronicles 16:10-11 

Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Go to Him. Talk to Him. Listen to Him. Anytime. Anywhere.

Find Rest.

Praise Him, all you twinkling stars!

We are doing the D is for Dinosaur curriculum from Answers in Genesis this semester. We just finished going through each day of creation and are talking about the beautiful garden Adam and Eve got to live in. God led me to this passage…

Psalm 148

A quick online search brought me to this video. I turned off the sound and read the entire chapter while the kids watched the video.

The kids enjoyed it, but I was moved by it (hence why I am sharing!). This passage is so beautiful following a couple weeks of focusing on God's creation.

Amazing to think that even if we don't shout our praises to our worthy Savior,

"…the very stones will cry out."

Revive

Have you heard?? Revival is HERE. 

Friday night we were tasked with giving away this bracelet on Saturday. 

I thought, how am I going to do that? I am going to be home all day until the Tim Hawkins concert at our church. When am I going to see an unsaved person to share this with?

Well...

Last night Derek and I enjoyed a date to see Tim Hawkins.

((BIG thank you to E&R for watching all of our babes, and to my Dadda for nabbing us amazing seats since we were super late as usual!))

We decided to go to Honey's for dessert. Apparently as we were walking in, Derek was wrestling with whether or not to remind me about the bracelet. He decided not to. I didn't even think of it until I saw a couple walk in and smiled at them. Suddenly, God rubbed some "eyesalve" on my eyes and I started to see people. I found a table that was in the midst of the busy little place and sat. 

And waited.

And watched.

The couple I had smiled at earlier sat down at a large table next to mine.

I noticed the table I was sitting at had some ice cream on it so I wiped it up and had to walk to the front of the store to throw the napkin away. In that few seconds, a group of teenagers took my table.

So I sat with this couple. They talked first. They had a blond haired, blue eyed boy named Jack with them. (Coincidence??) Derek came shortly after and asked how we could pray for them. 

In the end, I was able to hand over my bracelet, pray for them, get contact info, and now they are interested in visiting our church.

"Divine appointment" truly is what happened. I had absolutely nothing to do with any of it. The Spirit used me because He could. I wasn't nervous. I wasn't stressed about what to say or how to say it. 

That is supernatural.

These souls are so precious to God, and with the power of the Holy Spirit, I saw those souls as precious to God and they became precious to me.

Oh, and this is just the tip of all that God is doing just in my family! Derek… he is a new man. He is the spiritual leader in this family and is charging ahead with hope, joy, passion! 

And Marie?? {sigh} God is moving in her tiny heart. A few days ago she declared somewhat out of the blue: 

"I BELIEVE IN JESUS"

She has always said she does but this was different. She just felt the need to let me know. So later I shared with her about when I got saved and walked her through the bracelet. At the end of all that she mentioned one of Derek's friends saying, "We need to tell [soandso] about Jesus because he doesn't believe in Jesus." And she couldn't wait to give her bff next door a bracelet and tell her about Jesus! I don't know if she is eternally secure yet, but I have so much peace when I used to feel a desperate urgency. 

What an incredible week we've had. And it's only just begun…

Homeschooling is hard.

And scary. I mean, my kids' educational life wholly depends on me! Oh wait, their whole lives wholly depend on me right now...

But no on both counts. Not really. Because of this -

These tasks that God has entrusted to me - wife, mom, teacher - are literally impossible to do well. Impossible to do at all without my regularly scheduled meltdowns. BUT GOD (who is so rich in mercy and loves me so much! Eph. 2:4), He's got it.

I feel so much pressure as a homeschool mom to make sure that my kids are super smart. Marie is in 1st grade but is still really struggling with reading. And I feel like a complete failure. I just look at her homeschool notebook and cry out to God for help. It's gotten to be automatic.

The last few weeks as I've seriously questioned my call to homeschool these babes, God has almost immediately brought something about to remind me that He has called me to this. He won't leave me short-handed. It's been random things like an article with simple steps to teach anyone how to read, in the midst of being almost in tears from the daunting task. Or the quote above, the morning after an intense desire to throw in the towel. Or this verse when I simply needed it most...

Or hearing Marie say the other day for the first time... "I love to read!"

Homeschooling is hard. But oh so rewarding! The greatest rewards of all? Becoming more and more dependent on my God and Savior each day. Finding rest and peace in Him alone. And thoroughly enjoying His gifts of my babies and getting to raise them in His Word every day.

7 Days of Honesty

My life has been a little bit chaotic since Roger was born. We are so busy, and I have a two-year-old who hits and screams and throws all out tantrums at the drop of a hat (sometimes literally!) I'm tired. I'm irritable. Sometimes I cry...

I can't do this.

I came across this video on Facebook today -

Post by Mohammad Al Wakeel.

I didn't have the sound on so I had no idea how the mom was responding, but I could tell she was responding significantly better than I would have because the kids aren't crying or flinching. They don't look afraid of Psycho Mommy.

At first I laughed out loud, then I started to get teary. I know I would turn into Psycho Mommy because there have been three separate incidents where seriously huge and hard to clean messes were made (one involved pencil and white wall, another involved markers and Marie's entire room, and the last involved baby powder and Jack's entire room), and I lost it.

So I'm watching this honestly pretty hilarious situation and thinking, wow, I want to be that mom who takes a deep breath, gets down in the flour, and starts drawing pictures in it with her babes. Sure, we'd discuss how it was not a good idea to make such a mess, and they would most definitely have to help clean it up.

But first, we'd enjoy life together. First, we'd make the most of the situation. First, we'd make memories. Not the kind of memories I have when I see a bottle of baby powder. I can see their crushed spirits on their sweet, scared faces. No, I want to make the kind of memories that make us giggle together years later, that make me completely forget the process of cleaning it all up because the playing in it was so worth it.

My prayer is to lose the Psycho and put on the Loving, Patient, Enduring, Memory-Making Mommy.

This is Day 1 of my 7 Days of Honesty. This is my life. Real, messy, crazy, sometimes ugly life. I'm gonna spend the next 7 days sharing my real life and finding the joy in it. Anyone else brave crazy enough to join me?

Oh how He loves

The past couple of years... er... days have been rough with Kempton. He's always been the difficult one, but it rarely got to me because he really is so stinkin' sweet and snuggly.

But something about ruined nap times...

I get SO ANGRY.

So many regrets this week, but God did a little humbling today. Roles switched around and suddenly I'm in Kempton's shoes, and God is in mine.

But here's the huge difference: God always loves me, always lavishes grace, always shows mercy, to an extent I cannot even fathom.

This kid, who can barely keep his eyes open all morning, cannot obey the simple rule of staying in bed during nap time. He really wants to sleep. His body longs to sleep. But his sinful nature is just too overwhelming.

How many times do I let my sinful nature win out in a single day? And yet I haven't heard God scream empty words at me. I haven't seen Him throw His hands up in defeat and storm away.

Oh, how He loves me.

Disobedient me.

And this baby boy.

I love you, Sweet Shmemp. Always and forever, no matter what.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Confessions: This is Amazing Grace

This song by Phil Wickham really struck me this week in church... 

Who breaks the power of sin and darkness?

Who's love is mighty and so much stronger?

The King of Glory, the King above all kings. 

Who shakes the whole earth with holy thunder?

And leaves us breathless in awe and wonder?

The King of Glory, the King above all kings.

I have unlimited access to all the strength I could possibly need to overcome sin all day, every day. And not just any strength, supernatural strength. And I don't even need to ask for it! I just need to accept it!

The Creator and King has given me access to the power over sin and darkness I face every day.

But you know what is even more amazing than that? This part...

This is amazing grace.

This is unfailing love.

That You would take my place

That You would bear my cross.

You lay down Your life

That I would be set free.

Oh, Jesus, I sing for

All that You've done for me.

He took my place.

And here I am sinning every day like He didn't get tortured and die so I could be free of it.

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.

Worthy is the King who conquered the grave.

Overcoming sin is hard. It's so easy to find an excuse or two (or ten) to keep eating, choose the junk food, cheat on the calorie tracking, take just one more day off of working out...

But the Lamb who was slain in my place is worthy, worthy worthy.

"...fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones." Proverbs 3:7b-8

K is for Kite

This past week in school we kept it simple. I didn't add anything to The Letter of the Week curriculum for Jack (except we started working on Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons). But it worked out perfectly because we did "K is for Kite" and today we went to the "Kite Komotion" festival in Shipshewana! This was our third year going and we thoroughly enjoyed it as usual!

It's free to the public which is how we like to do things. We got to watch professional kite flyers "dance" (according to Marie) and "race" (according to Jack) their incredible kites.

They also had beautiful and fascinating kites anchored to the ground for our viewing pleasure.

That is Jack with his free "ferbie" in his mouth.

The kids got to make their own kites! Marie made one two years ago and still uses it. Somehow these free kites beat out store bought kites any day!

After making our kites, we went out and flew them. Unfortunately, the camera was not on a good setting so no pics to share :/ But the kids had a blast! Kempton only flew his for a minute then decided to chase down everybody else's kites.

We did spend a little money this year and got the kids a shaved ice.

As we were leaving, I asked Jack what letter "kite" started with and he didn't even hesitate to give me the correct answer. He really shouldn't be old enough to know these things.

These flowers are spinning incredibly fast. Interesting that you can't tell in the picture!

Derek's wheel fell off of his truck early this morning while he was headed out to go turkey hunting. Talk about stressful. But spending the afternoon all together enjoying some free fun was a beautiful reminder that God not only is in control, but also blesses us beyond what we could ever deserve. Derek is safe, we have another vehicle to lean on, and we got to enjoy kites on a beautiful day together.