Do you remember playing "Hide and Seek"? Oh how I loved to be the LAST one to be found. Reflecting back to those times, now I kind of think it was a challenge that I took way too seriously! Those were great times.,,great memories!

Recently I discovered I had been playing "Hide and Seek" once again, only this time it was the 'grown-up' version...much different. I was hiding, and the really interesting part is that I didn't even know it. Okay.maybe I did. Yeah.I did. For quite some time I had been struggling with.ME. Who am I - really? What is my purpose? Do I really know God? Am I a fraud? Where are You, God? HELP!!

That was (and sometimes still is) my 'life on the inside'. 'Life on the outside', however, went along as 'normal'. Click, click, click...well-oiled machine. I knew I was closing in on real desperation when certain actions from others would trigger sleeping sensitivities inside of me. My gut would start churning. I would begin to feel flushed. Then the awful feelings of jealousy (ouch), insecurity (double ouch), and even anger and bitterness would begin to awaken. I would tell myself that all of what I was feeling was very real, but very hurtful.both to myself and potentially to others. So, I would rock all of those hurting places inside of me back to sleep and pray they would never wake up.

How ridiculous. I really think I was experiencing both a sense of desperately wanting to DO the right thing - to be humble and meek, while also being too proud to reveal the extent of my hidden places to anyone. I began to cry out to God - complete with real tears. I don't even know how long this continued. I don't remember the beginning, and I certainly couldn't see a happy ending in sight. It just began to feel as if this was going to be 'the rest of my life' - one big yucky ash heap that I would attempt to cover with anything that appeared to be good and beautiful. It might look nice, but it was still just useless trash underneath it all! I felt 'doomed' when I realized that I couldn't even genuinely weep with those who weep or rejoice with those who rejoice. I was making life all about me-and I hated it. Even crying out to God felt selfish-me, me, me, me! Whatever.

I must say that throughout this entire ordeal, I maintained a deep and unique sense of joy and even peace. I know that might sound wacky and impossible, but I truly think it was that joy and peace that kept me grounded and hanging on to nothing but God - even when I felt nothing of His presence. During this time I began to feel so unworthy and even deserving of His abandonment. But also during this time I knew that I knew that I knew He would NEVER leave me. I didn't need to 'feel' His presence to know that He was with me. My faith was bruised and shaken, but still intact. I knew that I would never leave Him. Oh how I longed to just be okay again. No - I longed to be way more than just 'okay'... I desperately wanted to be what Jesus created me to be, and I wanted to be it so excellently... I just didn't know what to do next. So.I kept on hiding. I knew I wasn't hiding from God; I was simply hiding from the people who mattered so much to me. Little did I know I was about to be found - by my circle of friends. To be continued...

Thanks for reading,

Libby

Labels: Libby

I am convinced - according to 1 Peter 4:12-13 - that we look at the burdens of our life in entirely the wrong way. "Beloved do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy."

Look what Peter tells us -

• Don't think it strange ( or ask 'why me')
• Fiery trials WILL come ( heartache and pain are certain - what we do with them is another matter)
• You can rejoice - to the extent that you partake (share) Christ's suffering.

Christ's suffering? Now that was a fiery trial - mocked, beaten, betrayed, publicly shamed and humiliated, abandoned by friends and family - Do you feel far from God? How about knowing you would be eternally separated from Him.I don't think we can imagine the torments of hell Christ suffered for us.

So where does that put the trials in our life? Our heartaches are real - I don't mean to imply that we don't - or shouldn't - feel pain. Christ readily admitted His, crying out to His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. We have that access, too (through Christ's own sacrifice for us, I might add).

But this pain, this earthly suffering, this daily trial we call life - I think we fail to see the purpose in it and that is what throws us off, skews our vision, if you will.

If we are to live like Christ, I first have to ask (myself!) - Where was His nice home, closet full of clothes, new car, steady income, three week vacation - all the 'comforts' which we North American Christians seek so desperately.

While we may agree that the daily pettiness sometimes becomes an imaginary mountain (the right perspective makes it disappear), what about the really tough things - divorce, abuse, death, betrayals, the evil we see in the world - It all brings pain and destruction at the hand of our enemy.

And perhaps that's our first mistake; we fail to realize we are in a war, not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers of darkness - with Satan himself.

Our distortion of our spiritual condition causes us to see people, and circumstances, even God himself, as our enemy, as the obstacle to that which we desire most - self love, power, control.

And that brings us back to the beginning - if we are to share Christ's suffering - the first thing we have to do is to die to selfish wants and desires, to shatter the blinders Satan has put on our eyes and see everything as God sees.

Just a little thing! That takes every moment, every breath, every drop of will power we have to put ourselves in our place - Seeing who we are without Christ and who we are in Christ is the key.

The real trials, or challenges, in my life are not the circumstances by which I am surrounded - it is my attitude toward them!

All for Him,

Missy

Labels: Missy

First Official Thanksgiving Proclamation

It is therefore recommended... to set apart Thursday the eighteenth day of December next, for solemn thanksgiving and praise, that with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts and consecrate themselves to the service of their divine benefactor.

Samuel Adams,October 14, 1789

Labels: Emily

Feeling overwhelmed?

Sometimes it's the little things that make us feel like we're hanging by a thread.

Bad hair day.

Nothing in our closet fits

We're exhausted

Or we just really, really need a friend

Life has a way of piling on top of you at times.

And we're always happy for a bit of good advise.

2 Corinthians 12:9 puts it this way:

My grace is enough; it's all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness.

All for Him,

Missy

Labels: Missy

The walnut and rice jar has taken a prominent place in our home as a constant reminder to choose well.

I have given these jars as gifts before, yet have never kept one for myself. What's up with that?

When I give a jar as a gift I attach a note card with these words:

In this jar are twenty-one walnuts and two cups of rice. The walnuts represent God's plan for our lives; the rice is symbolic of our own desires and plans. If the rice goes in the jar first, the walnuts will never fit. But if the walnuts are placed in first, the rice can be poured over and around the walnuts with plenty of room.

So it is with each day and each life. If my plans come first, the plans God has for me will never fit. But if I allow God to shape my plans and give them their rightful place each day in my life, He has a way of making certain my plans fit in too. (author unknown)

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33

I wonder if God knew that folks like me would need a "visual" of that verse someday.

I wonder if He chuckled when He created the walnut tree and the rice plant.

Until next time,

Beth

Labels: Beth

The fragrance of friendship is the sweet aroma of trust. It is the holding out of your hand to another, and gently unfolding your heart - believing they will accept what you are offering - yourself. The betrayal of that trust is a very painful thing.

Recently, I have heard the Lord calling me to a deeper understanding of friendship, and I am reminded of Jesus in the garden and Judas' kiss of betrayal. I am sure Jesus felt that betrayal as deeply as we do, with all of our human emotions. I can imagine the scene - feel the anguish of that moment - but there the familiarity ends because in that moment could the Son of God look at Judas with anything but love?

This is a hard calling, this loving of your enemies, this loving unconditionally even when someone has hurt you. This is 'friendship' on a deeper plane, a level few of us attain. Yet it is crucial in our understanding of God's love for us. "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been made near by the blood of Christ. For He himself is our peace. that He might reconcile them both to God in one body, through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity." (Ephesians 2:13-14, selected) We were His enemy, yet Jesus calls us His 'friends' (John 15:12-15)

So how do we achieve this impossible love for those who may have let us down or hurt us? Only by God's grace - the grace that was offered to us - only by extending that grace to others will we love as God loves and wants us to love.

As do most of us I am sure, I know a little about betrayal and broken promises. Whether from ignorance, misunderstanding, malice, or simply circumstances out of our control, we let each other down. Peter spoke eloquently of this very human failing in 1 Peter. "Therefore, laying aside all malice, all guile, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking.finally all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing."

A difficult calling indeed. Yet we have such an example of perfect love to follow, and Peter speaks to that as well "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 'Who committed no sin, nor was guile found in His mouth', who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously."

But He was God! Yes, and He was human, too, and experienced all of life's most painful circumstances. The difference is that He responded as His Father wanted Him to and committed no sin. Misunderstood by family, talked about behind His back in the community, let down by friends whom He counted on in the garden, betrayed by one of His 'inner circle' of those closest to Him, crying out to His Father - asking 'why have You forsaken Me'? Which of our darkest moments can He not understand, having already been through it Himself?

Perhaps the key lies in understanding, or trying to understand, others. Have you ever been around a wounded animal? They will lash out at even the gentlest of hands - because they are hurting and only trying to protect themselves. Becoming vulnerable to others - and the possibility of being hurt by them again - is that really what God is asking us to do?

I think it is. "That's so hard." "That's not fair." "You don't understand! I've been hurt so badly and I can't trust that person again." I've thought, and said, all of that, too! But God isn't asking us to trust people (for they will let you down again), but He is asking us to trust Him. Loving others isn't easy but letting God do the loving is a cinch - as long as 'we' step out of the picture altogether. That's the hard part.

Is there a 'limit' to what we have to take from others? How far do we take this 'turn the other cheek'? What about the woman who is in an abusive or emotionally destructive relationship? What about friends who time after time lie or gossip behind our backs?

More tough questions. Remind you of Peter asking how many times we should forgive? Christ answer was seventy times seventy - literally again and again! Ephesians talks about 'speaking the truth in love'. In chapter four, verse twelve it says that the gifts of the Spirit were given for the 'equipping of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ - till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of man in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive - but speaking the truth in love."

That doesn't sound like a doormat to me! God recognizes our failings and we need to recognize them, too, and call it what it is - sin. Unfortunately, most of us want to bash the Word over someone's head - not speak the truth in love.

So this is what it comes down to - a willingness to look beyond ourselves - to allow the Holy Spirit to love through us and not attempt it on our own. Being honest, yet still full of love. The 'answers' are easy - it's the actions that are tough. The truth of the matter is.we all fail and forgiveness must be a daily part of our relationships with one another.

'Til both of us meet

At Jesus' feet

And humble ourselves before Him

A fellowship sweet

Will not be complete

Until we take our eyes off of us

and adore Him.

All for Him,

Missy

Labels: Missy

I have never really been a sports fan.

I guess if I'm being honest, it's probably because I am no where near being even the tiniest bit athletic, and I am a walking definition of clumsy, klutzy, and accident-prone. In the last two weeks alone, I have pinched my pinky between the refrigerator and freezer doors, burned another finger on my straightener (in the past I've also burned my foot and stomach with that thing), stubbed my on my dog (no joke, seriously, it hurt), and fell into a wall (while walking - no one was near me, and I didn't trip.walking in a straight line is not a talent of mine). So giving me a ball, any sort of other sports equipment, and surrounding me with other people running at me or near me spells nothing but disaster.

My dad has always been an avid sports fan. I have some female friends who love watching sports because it was always on at their house. Not me, I went in the opposite direction. He had no problem taking the remote out of my hand and flipping it to whatever game that was on. What was even worse was having to listen to it on the radio in the car. Oh my goodness, that is just painful. Watching it is bad enough. Listening? Having to just listen? At least if it's on TV I can pick apart their uniforms and decide which team I want to win based on their colors!

I was bound and determined to marry a man who didn't like sports, or at least didn't like watching them on TV. I knew they existed - my brother was one. But when you're all starry-eyed and in love and getting to go on fun dates you tend to live in a world where sports don't even exist. At least, that was the case for me, until I went over to his house and spent time with his family. I knew I was in big trouble when a game was on and his mom yelled more at the TV then his dad. He actually knew there were women who liked this stuff! And he probably expected to find one!

I quickly realized that his family time was sports time, which equaled nap time for me. I slept at a lot at his parent's home, which didn't score me any points! (Ha ha! Get it? Score me any points?! C'mon, that was good!) But at least I was learning to cope with it. Then one day he popped the big question and I said yes. Funny how you can't picture a Sunday afternoon of football when there's all these sparkly diamonds and a cute guy on his knee professing his undying love for you.

Then there was all the wedding planning and excitement and house hunting and walking down the aisle in a pretty white dress on a summer day. Football was furthest thing from my mind in those blissful first months of married life. Then September rolled around and reality set in. He still liked football. One game a week - I figured I handle that for my new husband. But I soon learned it's not one game a week. It's a whole day. An entire day dedicated to airing game after game after game. And there's not just professional. There's college. And apparently, college football is important too. Important enough to take up all of Saturday. I could really loathe something that ruined every weekend for months. Would that qualify as grounds for an annulment?

But somehow, two and a half years later, I found myself this past Sunday night watching anxiously as "our" team played their biggest rival. I actually sacrificed sleep and stayed up until midnight, not caring that I had to get up at six the next morning. My hands even went up in the air in excitement when they scored. Never, ever, in a million years would I have guessed that one day I'd find myself enjoying a football game.

I guess it's true what they say. The Lord works in mysterious ways.

Emily

Labels: Emily

Shirley Henry is a legend around our house.

Now, I wouldn't know Shirley Henry if I passed her on the street, although I believe I did meet her once - probably 30 years or more ago! But I have known about her for longer than that.

My husband and I met while we were in college. I lived in Michigan and he lived in Ohio (we met through mutual friends - but that's another story for another day). Ned loves people and he's a great story teller. He can remember places, events, and especially people who have impacted his life from the time he was very little. He's told many stories over the years of people he has known and loved - and Shirley Henry is one of my favorite stories.

(This story is so well known around our home and in the churches he pastored that I bet several of the kids who were in his youth groups could tell it - but I'll try to give you the edited version!) Shirley Henry is the mother of one of his high school buddies. She was also a counselor at a church camp that he attended. Ned asked another buddy of his to go along with him for the week and this friend accepted Christ. His friend came up to Ned and said, "You've gone to church your whole life - but if you died today do you know that you would go to heaven?" And then his buddy led him over to the woman who had shared Christ with him - Shirley Henry.

And yes, she then shared the plan of salvation in a clear-cut, simple way and my husband knelt down and put his face in a brown metal folding chair and accepted Christ.

I love this story! (And I've heard it many, many times over the years.) I love it because, of course, that is the day my best friend and wonderful husband began a relationship with his Savior, but I also love it because when I think of Shirley Henry I am blessed to know that she was willing to simply share her faith with those around her. (And yes, she is one of our devotional authors - check out our link!)

Perhaps outside of our family Shirley Henry isn't famous, although I have no doubt that this precious lady has impacted many, many people over the years - but she's a hero to me! The majority of the world may not know her name - but we do, and are so very grateful.

What about you - is there someone who knows your name because you've shared His Name with them?

All for Him,

Missy

Labels: Missy

Who knew that a ten minute conversation with my kids could grow into such a thought provoking couple of weeks for me? In a simple attempt to give Megan and Clay a visual, regarding what is important for our health and growth (physically, emotionally and spiritually) and what has little or no lasting value, I have begun re-examining my own life in a whole new way.

This week I looked long and hard at the "rice"; the stuff of life that really has no long-lasting value.

I tried to tell myself that cleaning the house was rice.

It's not.

Living in filth and disorder as opposed to living in cleanliness and order has long-lasting value, physically, emotionally and spiritually, at least for me. A cluttered house leaves in its wake a cluttered mind. A cluttered mind impacts every area of my life.

A clean house is one of my walnuts.

I had really, really, hoped that exercise was rice - please?

It's not. Oh nuts! (walnuts to be exact!)

Are you ready for the confessions of this peace lover.my rice..say it ain't so..my rice, most often, comes in the form of a computer screen and keyboard.

Hi, my name is Beth, and I am a computer-junkie.

I thought about using the word internet instead of computer, but I don't even need the internet to sit and waste time in front of the computer. Give me "Picture It" - ohhhh, fun stuff! Give me "Microsoft Works" task options - especially household management ideas (I can drown my rice with thoughts of "I'm helping the family"!).

And (shame covers my face) give me spider solitaire...please, just one more game, oh shucks, I know I can win - I'll replay the same game.

And I haven't even clicked on Google yet to take me to the web.that exciting place of sale ads, news stories, and facebook....

Yup, my rice, pretty white stuff that it is, the fluffy stuff that tends to take the place of the walnuts in my life, most often parks itself in our computer room.

It wasn't always this way. I use to have other "flavors" of rice.

I can remember back - before kids - when television lured me from my "walnuts". Whether it was "Jeopardy" or "The Days of Our Lives" didn't really matter, it was a show I NEEDED to watch, and so the other stuff just had to wait. (I'll have some rice, please.)

Another ricey-filler was reading novels by authors that filled my mind with stuff it didn't need to be filled with. Reading is good, but not all reading material is good.

There was even a time when the telephone kept me from other important stuff of life. Chatting with friends became my life-line, and while chatting with friends is not bad in and of itself, I was filling my day with it and not being intentional about other things that were important. As a result, many of my "walnuts" were not making it into my "jar".

The day finally came when I knew I needed to not allow myself to answer the phone before I spent time in God's word. (And yes I got up each morning and read my Bible, first thing, so I would be free to answer the phone, right activity for the wrong reason.we'll talk more about that another day =) It was a step, no matter how small, in the right direction.

Looking back, and remembering how I recognized those "rice-filled" areas and found a way to conquer them, I know it's possible to do it again!

The most important thing to remember about rice it that a cup or two is ok, it really is! It's just when it takes over your life, when you find yourself allowing it to take the place of what is most important, that it becomes detrimental to your health - physically, emotionally and spiritually.

If you have a rice-filled life, if your daily jar has lots of rice and just a couple of walnuts, may I make a suggestion? Tell a friend. And give your friend permission to ask you how you're doing with your walnuts and with your rice.

It's called accountability.

And the long-term effect is a changed life, a healthier life - physically, emotionally, and spiritually!

My accountability pals are my "quality control", they make sure the mix of walnuts and rice is beneficial to my health, just as I do for them. It is an intentional relationship that helps me find balance, helps me discern walnuts from the rice, and helps me remember what is most important.

And that is a jar full of good stuff!

Until next time.

Beth

Labels: Beth

*Editor's Note - Dawn Yoder is a part of the Circle of Friends Worship Team and the COF radio host on WHKC 91.5 Columbus weekdays at 10 am. She is also involved with LaRed Business Network which teaches principles based on the Proverbs. You can check out their website www.lared.org and download their principles for free!

The Principle of Forgiveness, Part 2 (Part 1)

"If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." Matthew 6:14-15

You will reap many benefits from practicing forgiveness:

• You will be at peace with your past and have hope for the future.
• You will improve your psychological well-being.
• You will have more friendships and healthier relationships with others.
• You will reduce the stress in your life. People who forgive have been found to generally have lower blood pressure and a lower heart rate. They are also less likely to suffer from chronic pain.
• You will have less hostility and you will be better at managing your anger.
• You will be at a lower risk for depression, anxiety and substance abuse.

If you are a forgiving person you will have these traits:

1. You will believe that forgiveness is your choice and does not depend on how you feel about something.
2. You will make an effort to understand and accept other people and yourself.
3. You will understand that there is no future in the past and forgiving frees you to move on with your life.
4. You will spend your time and energy focusing on the future rather than on hurtful memories of the past.

Steps to Follow:

• Set aside your pride. Do not allow pride to stop you from forgiving and moving on.
• Remember that people are not born with the intention to inflict pain. Make an effort to understand that many things have influence over a person's behavior. Understanding can be key to forgiving an moving on.
• Make a choice to forgive.
• Realize that forgiveness is not a one time act. Depending on the severity of the pain, you may have to make the choice to forgive the same situation multiple times.
• Be willing to seek counseling if the harm that was inflicted on you is more than what you how to handle.

Remember thoughts produce actions, actions produce habits, habits form our character, our character determines our destiny!

Labels: Guest Blogger

*Editor's Note - Dawn Yoder is a part of the Circle of Friends Worship Team and the COF radio host on WHKC 91.5 Columbus weekdays at 10 am. She is also involved with LaRed Business Network which teaches principles based on the Proverbs. You can check out their website www.lared.org and download their principles for free!

The Principle of Forgiveness, Part 1

"To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you." - Lewis B. Smedes

Forgiveness changes us from prisoners of our past to people who are at peace with our memories. It frees us to move forward with our lives. Every person has a need for forgiveness and a need to forgive. We have all wronged another person and we have all been hurt by someone else. Likewise, most of us have recognized there are mistakes we have made that we need to forgive ourselves for. It is tempting to hold on to hose feelings of anger, pain, and bitterness as a means of protecting ourselves or to punish the one that has offended us. But we will never be able to reach our potential and have true hope for the future if we cannot forgive and move on emotionally.

Forgiveness is a choice that we make that is independent of our feelings. As human beings, we are all designed to want justice. When you experience hurt or harm from someone's actions or words, whether intended or not, you may begin experiencing negative feelings such as anger, confusion, sadness and betrayal - especially when it is someone close to you. These feelings may start out small. But if you do not deal with them quickly, they can grow bigger and more powerful. They may even begin to crowd out positive feelings. Refusing to forgive and dwelling on the painful memories of the past will make you miserable. It holds you trapped in a past moment and in those old feelings.

"Forgiveness is freeing up and putting to better use the energy once consumed by holding grudges, harboring resentments, and nursing unhealed wounds. It is rediscovering the strengths we always had and relocating our limitless capacity to understand and accept other people and ourselves." (Sidney & Suzanne Simon) The way we choose to overcome our plan and hurt is what defines our character. Forgiveness is not forgetfulness, but it involves accepting the promise that the future can be more than dwelling on memories of past injury. There is no future in the past. You can never live in the present and create a new and exciting future for yourself if you always stay stuck in the past.

But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and rich in unfailing love. Nehemiah 9:17

Labels: Guest Blogger

O my soul, bless God! God, my God, how great you are!
beautifully, gloriously robed,
Dressed up in sunshine,
and all heaven stretched out for your tent.
You built your palace on the ocean deeps,
made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings.
You commandeered winds as messengers,
appointed fire and flame as ambassadors.
You set earth on a firm foundation
so that nothing can shake it, ever.
You blanketed earth with ocean,
covered the mountains with deep waters;
Then you roared and the water ran away-
your thunder crash put it to flight.
Mountains pushed up, valleys spread out
in the places you assigned them.
You set boundaries between earth and sea;
never again will earth be flooded.
You started the springs and rivers,
sent them flowing among the hills...

Meanwhile, men and women go out to work,
busy at their jobs until evening.
What a wildly wonderful world, God!
You made it all, with Wisdom at your side,
made earth overflow with your wonderful creations.
Oh, look-the deep, wide sea,
brimming with fish past counting,
sardines and sharks and salmon.
Ships plow those waters,
and Leviathan, your pet dragon, romps in them.
All the creatures look expectantly to you
to give them their meals on time...

The glory of God-let it last forever!
Let God enjoy his creation!
He takes one look at earth and triggers an earthquake,
points a finger at the mountains, and volcanoes erupt.
Oh, let me sing to God all my life long,
sing hymns to my God as long as I live!
Oh, let my song please him;
I'm so pleased to be singing to God.
But clear the ground of sinners-
no more godless men and women!

Labels: Emily

The leaves are gone. All the beautiful fall foliage is but a memory and the hills around our home look like a five o'clock shadow on an unshaven man's face.

Our yard is a mess of unraked leaves waiting their turn to be dumped in the garbage bags.

We've had our first cold snaps - even our first snow flurries - and winter is making it's imminent presence felt. Boots, warm hats, frozen breath and scrapping off the car windows in the early morning is right around the corner. You can feel it coming.

So you know why I was surprised when I saw this in my yard.

Yes, that is what you think it is.

A hardy flower that has survived winter's first breath of frost.

It is miraculous to me in more ways than one.

A year ago my spring and summer yard looked like this:

Because my sweet husband planted them for me! But this summer the only thing growing in the patch in front of my porch was weeds! And the back yard by the garage was even worse because they were almost shoulder high before my husband chopped them down for me. (Uh - no, I'm no gardener and I obviously am reaping one of those real life consequences that my friend Beth talks about.)

So seeing this

in my yard was definitely a miracle!

What miracles have you seen lately?

All for Him,

Missy

Labels: Missy

If you follow this blog you'll remember that last week we looked at the lesson of the "Walnut and Rice Jar" and how it applied to my kid's lives. This week I've been using the practical application of determining my priorities (walnuts) and seeing if I am living out what I say is most important to me, or if I'm allowing the other stuff of life (rice) to distract me and fill my minutes, hours, and days (my jar) with non-essentials.

I thought it would be so easy, I mean how hard can it be to prioritize your priorities? But taking a good hard look at my "walnuts" this week has been rather stretching, and stretching is not always easy! Just as in physical stretching, this spiritual stretching stuff has left me a bit tender in spots.

I mean, I know that I know that I know that my top three priorities ARE, without a doubt, God, my hubby, and my family. And yet I have had to ask myself "are they the top three in terms of time spent in intentional relationship?" Are those "walnuts" getting into my "jar", each and every day?

And if not, why not?

What could possibly be so important to distract me from my top priorities? Another walnut/priority? Or could it be rice/the stuff of life?

And so, this week, the challenge for me has been to name - really name, I mean literally take a marker and write the NAME of the priority on a walnut - the important stuff of life. And then to, again literally, pick up the walnut and put it in my jar when, and if, I actually do invest my minutes, my hours, my self, in and with the name on the walnut.

And I haven't even gotten to the rice!

Three of my walnuts I mentioned before, time spent with God, time spent with my husband, and time spent with my children. But I really need to define those priorities a little better.

It is not just time spent WITH, but time spent IN relationship/communication with God (in reading His word, and by prayer and quiet, meditative time); time spent IN relationship/communication with my husband (sleeping together in the same room does not count as communication!); time spent IN relationship/communication with my kids (being in the same house is time spent, but, honestly, that is not communication =).

Are you recognizing the point I recognized? Sometimes we think just seeing someone is time well spent - put a checkmark by that priority - but seeing a face does not grow a relationship.

Communication, intentional communication, is what grows us relationally, with God and with those we say mean the very most to us. It's the stuff those walnuts are made of!

And at the end of the day, at the end of our life, it's relationships that will matter most.

The other "walnuts" on my list aren't "bad", work, reading, friends, exercise, eating right, hobbies, ministry, all are priorities for me that help to keep me well-grounded, well-balanced, and healthy. But it's the walnuts that involve relationships with those I hold dear that really matter the most.

So yes, it's okay to have a walnut that reads "lunch with a friend", and yet it's not ok to fill my jar with those lunch-walnuts if my walnuts that read "God", "hubby", "family" are not getting placed in my jar as well. It's okay to have a job-walnut; it's not okay to fill my jar with that particular walnut to the point that the other "walnuts" in my life don't find their way into the jar.

It's great to read, it's important to study God's word, it's great to attend group studies, to serve in ministry, to have hobbies and go to ballgames and concerts and any other number of things that might be on my list of priorities - my walnuts - but the whole visual of the walnuts being put into the jar, seeing how I am spending my time, has been an important reminder to me about the need for balance, discernment, and being intentional about what is most important.

Relationship with my Heavenly Father, intentional relationship, will help me find the balance, help me discern the walnuts from the rice, and help me be intentional about what is most important.

So there you have it, I've named the first and most important walnut for each and every one of us. If we can, if we will, place the God-walnut in our jar FIRST each and every day, I have a feeling the rest of the walnuts will fit even better!

Next week I think I'll look at the nice fluffy rice that's been stealing some space from those all important walnuts!

And truly, it will be "confessions" of a peace lover! (I am nervous already!)

Until then..

Beth

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A team from Circle of Friends joined the wonderful ladies at Brooklyn Reform Church for an amazing time of refreshment and worship this weekend. Jocelyn Hamsher is a great Bible teacher and I'm always blessed to hear her speak. I've heard her use this illustration before, but it struck me once again this weekend.

Have you ever wondered why geese fly in formation? They are working together - the lead goose breaks the wind for the other geese, and when he gets tired he drops back and someone else takes over.

Thanks again, Joc - This is such a great word picture for the body of Christ and how we should care for one another! She pointed out that if one of the geese is hurt or sick and drops to the ground, two geese go with it and stay until it recovers.

This spoke to many of us this weekend - thinking about the times we have struggled through trials and the friends that dropped down beside us and helped us through it.

All that honking you hear? It's to encourage each other on! They travel great distances and would never make it without each other.

We can't make it without each other either. Are you flying in formation, in a group that will encourage you when you get weary, and let you take the lead and help when you are fit and strong? Or are you flying solo?

I am so thankful today for all the 'geese' God has brought into my life through Circle of Friends - I'm praying today that you have found your own flock of friends and that you are honking each other on through this perilous journey we're on.

All for Him,

Missy

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Have you ever gotten hives or an allergic reaction to medication, food, perfume, or soap products? If you haven't - count yourself fortunate indeed! (If you've ever experienced mosquito bites that itch until you think you'll scratch your skin off - you're with me on this one.)

These skin irritations - rashes, bites, and hives - can be the most aggravating conditions ever! You tell yourself to keep your hands off, but squirm with the temptation to relieve the itch - which, if you succumb, only makes it worse because then you itch and burn!

I'm in the midst of my own battle with these nasty reactions. I woke one morning with a mysterious rash and have no idea what I've eaten or what new substance I may have introduced to my body, but it doesn't like it! I can think of nothing new that I've eaten or used - so where is this aversion coming from? It's back to the basics for me, isolating everything I can think of that may have caused the allergy.

Some allergies are developed over time and as you are exposed to these substances they build up in your body until there is an excess that you can no longer tolerate. Allergies come in all forms - from natural airborne pollens to the foods we eat - the ordinary can become unsuspecting enemy agents to our bodies.

The most mild of these aversions go unnoticed - we may even have allergies we're unaware of - but build up enough antigens in your body and it is sure to react accordingly. It will tell you in no uncertain terms that it has a distinct aversion to what you are subjecting it to. That means cutting out new foods or soaps or perfumes - getting back to the basics, to what is 'pure' and what you know your body tolerates well. For some people, allergies are not just an inconvenient nuisance, but a true threat to their life.

As subtle and as sudden as this recent attack on me has been, it got me to thinking about how we might have an allergic reaction spiritually. You know - we ingest a little too much of the world, thinking it won't harm us, and boom! This little bit and that little bit add up and you find yourself with a feeling of antipathy or aversion to right attitudes or actions.

James 4:4 tells us that if we want to be a friend of the world we make ourselves an enemy of God. Spiritually speaking, the world is an antigen and the more we let it into our life, the more its philosophies, actions and attitudes build up in us - perhaps even without us realizing it - and eventually, there will be an outbreak in our life. It may be that we find ourselves indifferent to the things of God, or we no longer care about other people, it may even lead us to sin.

The NKJV of the Bible puts it this way -

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears. (2 Tim 4:3)

Do your ears itch?

All for Him,

Missy

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I am a small town girl. I grew up in Baltic. We never locked our doors, I walked to school, and a four-way flashing light was the closest thing we had to an actual stoplight. So when I moved to Indianapolis I was in a bit of culture shock. My first trip downtown I was incessantly teased by my friends - "What is this, Farmer Ted goes to the big city?" Big buildings! People begging for money! One way streets with multiple lanes! I was a bit overwhelmed.

So the other night when my car got towed and I wound up at an impound lot in the heart of downtown, I could have sworn I was dreaming. Ten o'clock on a Friday night is not the time I want to be on the streets. I was fine, I was with my husband and 4 other people (we had a grand total of three cars towed!!), and yet I was freaking out. The last place I ever pictured myself was downtown Indianapolis, on the other side of a locked gate from my car, watching helplessly as they broke into it to read the VIN number.

We had all decided to meet downtown, left our cars in a place that we thought we'd be fine to park at for a few hours (although we really should have known better -it was an Arby's parking lot and only 2 people had eaten there), and came back to see that they had indeed been towed. So we headed over to the scary impound lot, waited for an hour for someone to get back to get us taken care of, and heard the doomed grand total of what it would cost us to get them out. $182 a piece. Yep. One hundred and eighty-two dollars. For towing my car about 2 blocks and keeping it there for all of 30 minutes before I discovered it was there.

We did not have $182 to get our car out. I mean, we had it, but then we wouldn't have had money for gas or groceries for the next two weeks. There's no backup savings account right now for emergencies such as being stupid and parking where you shouldn't. While Eric and I were silently freaking out, shooting each other, "Now what do we do???!!!" looks, my friend walked up to the counter and told them that he would paying for all three cars.

We parked our car in a place it shouldn't have been. Knowing it was wrong and yet hoping to get away with it. Law enforcement does their job, takes it to where it should be - and the last place we want to be - and we're forced to pay a fine to get it out. Only problem is, we really can't pay for it. Someone else comes in, selflessly makes the sacrifice, and takes the penalty for us.

Do I really need to explain the illustration?

I was so amazed at my friend's sacrifice for us. But it made me think so much of my Savior's sacrifice. Salvation is something I take for granted daily, and yet He still bears the scars for what He did for me. It wasn't money, it was His life. It was taking on all my sin, bearing the weight of all my shame.

And if getting towed helps me reminds me of the amazing gift I've been given, maybe I should park illegally more often.

Emily

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I saw Anita Renfroe at a Women of Faith Conference, but I've loved her ever since I saw this on youtube a while back. You've probably heard it, too, but it's always worth another listen!

Check out Anita's website http://www.anitarenfroe.com.

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Let me just say right up front, I love babies! I was able to hold my cousin's grandson at church on Sunday. Oh, what a great feeling, little Alex snuggled into my shoulder and I was in baby bliss.

Every now and again I get to keep my sister's grandbabies. Again, oh what a feeling, I delight in them. They are sweet and innocent. I love the laughter of a child as well as the peace that is found in rocking a little one to sleep and then sitting and holding them while they sleep. It is rest for my soul. Ahhhhh.

That being said, I am glad I am no longer in the baby stages of life; relieved that diapers are no longer on my shopping list; relishing in the fact that a diaper bag is no longer part of every outing, and absolutely overjoyed that a full nights sleep is routine for me! I enjoyed each and every one of the five babies we have been blessed with, but I am thoroughly enjoying the stage of life we are in right now!

Our family keeps us busy. We enjoy our time together; we love the laughter and conversations that develop.

We have two adult children to bounce adult ideas around with. We have a teenager who is a deep thinker and asks questions that I have never given thought to. And then there are the two elementary age children who keep us young and yet have reached that stage where they can listen, ask questions, respond, and have a basic understand of where we're coming from as we talk about life and the journey it entails.

Just this morning we were talking about "the important stuff of life" the stuff that HAS to be, instead of just the stuff we like. I likened it to the walnut and rice jar. Are you familiar with that analogy? If so, please bear with me as I explain it again:

You take a quart jar (which represents the twenty-four hours each one of us has in a day) and you fill it with 22 walnuts and 2 cups of rice. If you put the rice in first, all of the walnuts will not fit. But if you put the walnuts in first, the rice will sift its way around the walnuts and fill up the empty spots.

The walnuts are the important things of life, the things that MUST be. The rice is the "stuff" or the "busy-ness" of life, the things that fill our time, but are really not essential to our well-being.

On our way to school we began to "name" our walnuts.

For 11 year old Megan and 8 year old Clay the walnuts include:

1. God time
2. Family time
3. School
4. Brushing teeth (!!!)
5. Homework
6. Eating right
7. Exercise
8. Chores
9. Play time/Fun (essential in all of our lives but mandatory in the life of a child!)

The rest of the walnuts are variables. They are things that must go in some days, or for a season, but not every day. Piano lessons and a commitment to a team sport are an example of variables in Megan's life. Clay is young enough that he doesn't have as many walnuts to worry about - he feels like a pretty lucky kid, that leaves way more room for rice!

The rice in their lives looks a lot like #9 - fun, but too much rice is "fun" in excess, more than is necessary. I would never call outdoor play "rice" but anything electronic, yup, that's rice. TV, computer games, Gameboy, or Wii, are non-essentials, definitely rice! The rice in our lives is usually ok in controlled amounts; large amounts can be detrimental to our health - physically, academically, relationally, emotionally, and spiritually!

At their age, they would be content to fill their daily jar with rice. That's where the job of parenting comes in. The responsibility of growing them into healthy members of society, instead of simply allowing their days to be filled with, well, with rice!

It's really no different than what we try to teach our kids about a healthy diet, it's simply being responsible with the time we've been given, just as we try to teach them to be responsible about the food they are putting in their bodies. The walnuts are the bottom of the food pyramid - the healthy foundation; the rice is the top, tasty, but not so good for you.

Can you name your walnuts?

Are you doing a good job of getting them into your jar before you allow the rice to fill your jar/day?

This coming week I'm going to take a nice long look at the walnuts in my life.as well as the rice!

Betcha know what I'll be talking about next week!

Until then..

Beth

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I have been a jill-of-all-trades. One of my first jobs was picking cucumbers and sickling and hoeing weeds as a field hand through the summer months. I've been a gas-station attendant, a pinsetter in a bowling alley, and helped butcher chickens just to name a few of my work experiences. I've also spent a lot of time doing office work.

I'm going to date myself here - but lately I have been feeling a little like 'Ernestine' the telephone operator in the character sketch developed by Lily Tomlin 'back in the day'.

Her classic line "Is this the party to whom I am speaking?" always made me laugh, but I find it even more amusing in recent days. Most of the day I answer the phone, sometimes juggling several lines at once.

If you deal with the public, I'm sure you have experienced some challenges along the way. I work for a retail and wholesale business, and people call with all kinds of interesting questions. Of course we get the usual questions about our business, but many times a day I find myself answering questions that seem to come out of the blue.

'When I was a kid, my parents took me to this place that has a train set. Do you know where that is and what the hours are?"

"Uh, no."

"Well, do you have a number for them, then?"

Or how about the callers that need an address to put into their GPS system. "Okay, siiix, zerooo, zeroo - can you spell that for me?" and it takes them 7 or 8 minutes to plug in the address and they want you to 'Wait!" while they try figure out how to work their new toy!

I get lots of hang-ups and dial tones from lost calls (I think it's bad cell phone coverage) and of course, my favorite calls of all - telemarketers.

Have you noticed that sales people are getting more aggressive all the time? They really don't - or won't - understand the word 'no'. I am not without compassion for those who have the difficult task of trying to sell their company's product - especially over the phone. I applaud their fortitude, but it does make my job a lot tougher!

It makes me wonder, though, how pushy I might seem to other people when I determine to get my way and have my say.

I've talked about persistence before, but I think this is more like what Webster's describes as going on 'resolutely or stubbornly in spite of opposition, importunity, or warning'. ('Importunity' - 'the act of being overly persistent or troublesomely urgent'). While on the one hand, I don't want to be pushy and stubborn, on the other, I don't want to lose patience with people who are!

If we set ourselves a higher standard to reach for while offering grace to others who might not meet that standard, we might achieve that balance we strive for!

In the meantime, if anyone can think of another way to say, 'No, thank you" that might work the first time - let me know!

All for Him,

Missy

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