One Thousand Gifts

211.  Tumbleweeds

212.  Misty rain

213.  How he makes the piano sing

214.  Worn quilts that bring comfort

215.  When words begin to flow

216.  Chocolate covered espresso beans

217.  When the cashier honored the expired coupons I accidentally gave him

218.  Driving with the window down (in February!)

219.  Getting errands done with time to spare

220.  Sharing my testimony

221.  Hail bouncing on the deck like popcorn

222.  Fingerprints on the window

223.  Buying a fresh baked pie, just to splurge a little

224.  A mother rocking her baby

225.  Her first poem

Five Minute Friday: Grit

Several years ago I spent a summer with my Dad in his wood shop building an oak bookcase.  He spent hour after hour with me over many days teaching me how to read directions, “measure twice, cut once,” and use the tools.  One of the tools he taught me how to use was an orbital sander.  I also used handheld sandpaper at various stages in the project.

Sanding is a necessary process.  Sometimes it is needed to remove an unwanted layer on the wood, like old paint or varnish.  Sometimes it is used as a finisher…to remove splinters and make the surface smooth and even.  Sandpaper comes in different types of grit, ranging from coarse to fine.  A skilled carpenter knows how to select the type of grit and use appropriate pressure to achieve the desired result.

I am reminded that while He was on earth, Jesus was a carpenter.  I am so thankful that He knows me inside and out and knows when I need something removed, need to be prepared for the next step in His plan, or just need some smoothing and refining around the edges.

Go Into all the World

I am covering World Geography in homeschool with my daughter this year.  We recently finished studying Africa, and as supplemental reading, I read David Livingstone: Africa's Trailblazer, by Janet and Geoff Benge (from YWAM’s Christian Heroes: Then & Now series) to her.  In chapter four, David is filling out his application to the London Missionary Society, and answers the question, “What do you see as the most important work of a missionary?” with the following:

 “The missionary’s object is to endeavor by every means in his power to make known the gospel by preaching, exhortation, conversation, instruction of the young; improving, so far as is in his power, the temporal condition of those among whom he labors, by introducing the arts and sciences to civilization, and doing everything to commend Christianity to their hearts and consciences.”  (pp. 37-38)

I read that two times to allow it to sink in.  I think it is a beautiful definition of what a missionary is and does.  It reminded me of Mark 16:15 which says, “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” (NASB)  I was particularly drawn to Mr. Livingstone’s inclusion of conversation and instruction of the young in his definition.  This applies directly to my current season in life.  I am instructing my children on a daily basis, and have many conversations with different people every day.  This served as a reminder of my purpose as a mother (raising mighty arrows for the kingdom), as well as to make sure my speech is edifying and encouraging in every conversation.

Sometimes as a mom, when I’m cleaning sticky juice off the floors and am knee deep in laundry, I wonder if all of my work really counts.  I do not have a ministry like Billy Graham and am not living in a foreign land sharing the gospel or doing translation work on a daily basis.  This little passage reminded me that it does matter.  I have not been called to a foreign ministry, but I am still called to be a missionary among my family and friends, and in my community.  I am called to live my life as unto the Lord and share His love for others whenever I can.

“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”  (Colossians 3:17, NASB)

One Thousand Gifts

196.  Receiving a "Thanks for your hard work" email

197.  A new waffle iron

198.  Green lights when I'm running late

199.  Comforting her when she's sick

200.  Hail tapping the window

201.  Whipped cream smiley faces on waffles

202.  That she refers to Hershey Kisses as chocolate chips

203.  High fives

204.  Hot soup in a mug

205.  Stately pine trees

206.  Snow-laden branches

207.  Paw prints in the snow

208.  Mountain fresh air

209.  Flickering candles

210.  Friendships that stand the test of time

Five Minute Friday: Delight

A child’s first taste of ice cream.
When a child takes her first steps toward her mama.
When he shows up with flowers “just because.”

We have all seen or experienced scenes like these.  I think about what delight looks like…
twinkling eyes,
broad smile,
open arms…

The Lord delights in His children.

“Commit yourself to the LORD; let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him” (Psalm 22:8, NASB)

I have committed myself to Him and love Him because He has delivered and rescued me, but it is the delight part that gives me pause.  Even though I am His child, I don't feel worthy of Him viewing me with delight.

I know my innermost thoughts.
He loved me while I was yet a sinner.

He delights in me.

I stumble over and over again.
He is the lifter of my head.
He delights in me.

I cry out in fear and anguish.
He is my comforter.
He delights in me.

I look forward to that day when I will see His face,
a face filled with delight.

Oh what a day that will be.

His love

Today is Valentine's Day, and while I'm enjoying the homemade valentines and expressions of love from my family, I am also reflecting on the magnitude of God's love for me.  There is a passage of Scripture in Ephesians 2 that beautifully describes His love for us.

The Fact of God's love
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, (v. 4)

The Depth of God's love
even when we were dead in our transgressions, (v. 5)

The Work of God's love
made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) (v.5)

The Extent of God's love
and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (v. 6-7)

The Sufficiency of God's love
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. (v. 8)

May God bless you today, and may you sense His love in a new and special way!

One Thousand Gifts

181. Learning a new board game

182. Hearing my husband say he's always proud of me

183. Hearty laughter

184. A reliable washing machine

185. Conversations that edify and encourage

186. Puddles (for splashing!)

187. Homemade valentines

188. Her pointed toes in pink ballet slippers

189. The way she checks to see if I see her when she dances

190. Being a part of a team of musicians

191. Fuzzy kiwi fruit

192. The rhythmic sound of a bouncing basketball in the driveway

193. Hearing the ball hit the rim

194. His strength that gets me through a tough day

195. Holding his hand for an hour while we have a quiet conversation

Five Minute Friday: Trust

Just yesterday I wrote a blog on trust, so when I saw today’s word I had to smile. Perhaps the Lord is indicating that I need to dwell on this topic a little more. There are a few hymns that I remember hearing quite a bit when I was a child, and one of them was “Trust and Obey.” It was always one of my favorites because I loved to sing about being happy in Jesus. Before I began writing today, I looked up the hymn to refresh my memory. It was the fourth stanza that caught my eye.

But we never can prove the delights of his love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor he shows,
And the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

As I was about to close the hymnal, I noticed a verse listed under the title of the hymn. It reads, “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.” (Exodus 19:5)

Trust is an all or nothing act. You cannot do a “trust fall” half way. You either choose to fall back into the waiting arms or you don’t. When we accept Christ into our lives, we are to die to self and live for Him. We need to get our agenda, desires, and self will completely out of the way and allow Him to work through us. Too often in the midst of a trial, I try to “help” God, and after botching things completely, I realize that I was acting in my own strength, or perhaps operating out of fear…neither of which is trusting Him.

The words in the fourth stanza line up beautifully with Scripture and resonate truth. If we fully trust and obey Him, He will show favor, bestow joy, and consider us a treasured possession.
*******************
Note to the reader: I did exceed the five minute limit in order to copy the stanza and verse out of the hymnal.

Falling Into Love

Each morning as I take my son to school, I have the Christian music radio station on in the car. I have found this to be a precious time, as we will often talk about the Lord or simply enjoy the ride together in silence. This was one of those mornings when we listened. “Lift Me Up,” by The Afters came on and I turned it up, knowing that it is one of his favorites. A line in the chorus caught my attention.

“Your love catches me so I’m letting go.”

I immediately flashed back to my high school years when I worked as a counselor at Outdoor School or at a summer arts camp. Inevitably at some point during our training, we would do the Trust Fall exercise. It is a classic team building activity where you turn your back on the group and fall backwards, trusting that they will catch you. It feels a little risky because you don’t really know all of those people, and you don’t want to end up looking like a fool or getting hurt. I had to trust that they were strong enough as a group to catch and hold me when I fell into their arms.

Participating in the Trust Fall requires that you trust others with your body. Trusting someone with your heart brings things to a whole new level. I was reminded this morning of how much He loves me. I know I can trust Him with my heart, and He will never fail me.

He is my strong tower
“The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe.”(Proverbs 18:10, NASB).

He is love
“We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (I John 4:16, NASB)

Every day that I walk with Him, I know that His love will catch me.

I trust Him with all my heart.

To know Him is to fall into Love.

One Thousand Gifts

166. Learning new technology

167. When she slips me an "I love you" note in church

168. Grocery shopping by myself

169. Chai lattes

170. Planning parties

171. Watching a bluejay pick through leaves

172. The children's gentle and encouraging piano teacher

173. A surprise phone call from my brother

174. Laughing with my brother

175. A reminder that life is precious and we need to appreciate each moment with family and friends

176. Passing a test

177. Only getting a bruise on my hand after falling on the stairs

178. Having my son home for a day, even if he was sick...I miss those days

179. Watching her dance and twirl

180. Shoe shopping with a friend

Five Minute Friday: Real

Each Friday, I try to write on a word suggested by Lisa Jo over at The Gypsy Mama. Today's word is:

Real

The first thing that popped into my mind when I saw today’s word was the catch phrase from the old commercial… “Is it live or is it Memorex?”

My husband and I are musicians. While I never attained the professional level that he has, I have had years of training and performance experience, and understand the difference between live performance and recording, in terms of expectations. When you purchase music, you are expecting a perfect performance. The only time when mistakes are acceptable is if you purchase a “live” album.

When my husband records a CD, he may get a song in one take, or it may take him 25 tries plus a little editing to get the “perfect” performance. In a live show, you only get one chance. That’s a lot of pressure…knowing that people want a stellar performance, but knowing that you are human and mistakes happen. There’s something special about seeing a live performance. It is an opportunity to see the artist share from the heart. You see and sense nuances such as facial expressions, body movement, and breathing that are simply lost in a recording.

To create something (be it music, art, sculpture, poetry, etc.) and then share it with others is to be vulnerable….to be real.

People recognize, appreciate, and respect “perfection,” but it is often the experience of seeing an artist perform, mistakes and all, that stays with them long after the music stops.

Knee Deep

I live in the Pacific Northwest, and there is usually no shortage of rain in the winter. January was a very rainy month. In fact, a couple of weeks ago we were dealing with some pretty significant flooding. As I took my son to school each day, I watched the water building in the fields, filling up the ditches, and then begin creeping onto the roads. The waters have receded now, and only a few fields continue to have pools of water, but it got me thinking…

There is a line in a song by Kathy Mattea that says, “…standing knee deep in a river, and dying of thirst.”

How often do I stand knee deep in the river of God’s abundant grace and feel like I’m dying of thirst? It seems like an absurd thought because I know that He is faithful and His grace is abundant, and yet sometimes it feels like an accurate description of my inner struggles. I am a perfectionist. I expect things of myself that are often unreasonable or simply unattainable. I struggle with striving, and find myself panting in exhaustion, somehow forgetting about the river of His grace that is flowing around me.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:14-21, NASB)

His Word is refreshing and floods my soul with love and encouragement.

He strengthens me with power through His Spirit.

He dwells in my heart through faith.

He will help me comprehend the breadth, length, height, and depth of His love.

I can know what it is like to be filled up to all the fullness of God.

...and because I believe, I know that I am standing "knee deep" in the middle of His saving grace…

On those hard days when I struggle and strive, all I need to do is…

Bend,
Dip,
Drink.

Tender

I'm continuing to play catch up from my recent trip with my husband. Last Friday's Five Minute Friday word was:

Tender

When I think of the word tender, it is usually in association with young children, or the sick and hurting. I have seen tenderness in my husband as he interacts with our children. I have tenderly cared for our children through long dark nights of sickness.

I am so thankful that this is one of the many wonderful attributes of my Father in heaven. Ephesians 4:12 says, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

God is tender-hearted and compassionate toward His children. He loved us enough to provide for our eternal security. He is our example.

He knows we are but dust.

He is with us through the trials of life.
He knows what we can handle and what we can’t.
A tender root can be snapped in a fierce wind.
A tender heart can be crushed by a harsh word.
He guides, heals, protects, and cares for us according to His sovereign plan.

He knows us intimately.
His mercies are new every morning.
I am so thankful for His tender loving care.