Not My Blog

This post by Ann Voskamp is the best thing I've read in a while...

Not My Blog: Classics Edition

Here are some of my all-time favorite posts by other bloggers.  These are just golden.  I'll probably keep adding to this as I discover more gems.  This is mostly a reference for myself, so I don't have to rack my brain trying to find "that one favorite post" that I really want to read again.

15 Minute Lunch:  Strap in, shut up and hold on. We're Going Back.

Stuff Christians Like:  Lists (this is where you can find links to all 500 of his posts - so much funny!)

Stuff Christians Like: The Prayer Grunt of Affirmation

Stuff Christians Like: The Jesus Juke

Stuff Christians Like: Forgetting that you are famous

Jen Hatmaker:  Worst End of School Year Mom Ever

Jen Hatmaker:  Worst End of Summer Mom Ever: A Sequel

Jen Hatmaker: A Fake Film Crew, Armpit Paste, and Beer: A Day in the Life

Jen Hatmaker: Quirky

Not My Blog: Turtle Edition

So I am getting ready for bed and just took a peak at Ann Voskamp's blog "A Holy Experience", and read her last entry from a couple days ago.  I swear I didn't read it before writing my last post!  Sometimes God leads me to the just right thing (book, blog post) at the just right time when I need it most. To continue to lead me through the journey of growing that He has me on. That is what this is...perfectly timed with the just right message, all wrapped up in adorable baby turtles.  God loves me so much!

A Secret to Parenting that No One Tells You:  The Strength is in the Struggle.

Not My Blog: Comfort Edition

New look, new day, new inspiration from this blog that I just stumbled upon this morning.  Happy Saturday!  Now, time for coffee...

Today

Reminded as I read this at 5:20am how much I need to be content with where I am right now.  Right now.  Be present.  Be content.  Be thankful.  Be healthy.  Receive God's supply of manna...just for today.   Not looking backwards or forwards too far, but living in today.  Fully living in today.

I woke up - er, God woke me up as He so often does in the early morning hours because many times that is the only time that my mind is quiet enough to hear Him.  The first thing I did as I sat on the potty and decided if I was going to go back to bed or not, was to begin confessing my fears to Him.  Fears that many times I don't realize I have because I guess I am so used to it.  Fears that are sometimes just fleeting thoughts that pass quickly, and other times almost consume me...over things like our children's futures, our health, our children's spiritual health and the struggles that some of them are facing and our desire to "make it all better" and have wisdom and make the right choices in our parenting and balancing discipline and tough love and grace.  

And then I am reminded again.  

Be present.  Be content.  Be thankful.  Be healthy.  Receive God's supply of manna...just for today.   Not looking backwards or forwards too far, but living in today.  Fully living in today.  

And trust.  In Him.  Fully.  He is my portion, and my children's portion, and my husband's portion.  And yours.  

I am reading the book "Made to Crave:  Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food", and what I read this morning was empowering and very revealing about where I am at right now.   It talked about the Israelites and their need to learn to depend on God, how God took them on a 40 year journey (that journey by the way would have only been an 11 day journey...AN 11 DAY JOURNEY!! if they weren't detoured by their refusal to be satisfied and trust and depend on God!)  But they kept going round and round the same mountain for 40 years while they learned how to truly depend on God.  

Wow.  I don't want my journey to take that long.

"Each day the Israelites were to ask God for their portion of food.  Then God would rain down exactly what they needed for nourishment.  It was called manna...God wanted them to take only their portion for one day...It was a process intended to put them in the habit of dependence on God, and only God, each day.  We would do well to apply this same process to our struggles.  Each day God can be the perfect portion of everything we need - every longing we have, every desperate desire our souls cry out for.  God will be our portion."

As I sit here in my kitchen reading, and at the same time watching my computer's screen saver scroll through pictures of the last 6 years of our lives, I am reminded of all the prayers that God has answered in my life.  Those precious faces...who I have held in my arms as they cried over the pain of loss and frustration and despairs of life.  Who I have prayed over as they slept and cried out to God to touch them and reach them and be their portion.  Who I have seen the hand of God move in and through and continues to draw to Himself.  Even when I can't see it.  When I am blinded by my own fears and my own journey.  Even then, God is moving and protecting and working everything out for their good, and mine.  

And so I face today with hope.  With the expectation that good things will happen.  And despite the fact that I am lacking several hours of sleep, I am going to live today being present.  I will be content.  Be thankful.  Be healthy.  Receive God's supply of manna...just for today.   Not looking backwards or forwards too far, but living in today.  Fully living in today.  

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.  I say to myself, "the LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him."  Lamentations 3:22-24

In Awe...

I am sitting here.  In awe.  With my mouth hanging open.  Ok, not really because I hate mouth breathing, it makes me thirsty.  But spiritually, my mouth is hanging open and I am in awe.  All because of this post that I just read.  Twice.  Once to myself, and once out loud to Vince.  And I could hardly do it without bursting into tears because it is so, SO true for me right now.

This is a post from a blog written by Angie Smith, who is married to one of the members of the band Selah.  I LOVE her blog...she writes with a raw honesty that I can relate to and she always makes me dig deeper in my relationship with the Lord.  And makes me laugh too.  Her scripture reference at the beginning of this post, Isaiah 6, caught my attention because this past Sunday I chose that very same scripture to be read during worship, right before we sang "I See The Lord".   And it was powerful.  Not just because it was my husband who read it, and he always reads scripture with passion...but because the Lord moved among us as he read it.  He stirred things in our hearts, in mine I know it was only the beginning of something wonderfully amazing that He is doing in me and has been working on in my heart for the past few months.

He is revealing to me how very much He loves me.  And how holy and majestic He is.

Simple truths, I know, but how often do I acknowledge that I believe that and yet I have only begun to grasp the depth of those truths?  Do I really know how deep His love is?  Do I really grasp His holiness?  His majesty?

No, I don't.  Not even close.  But I am beginning to.  My hand is on the door knob and I am opening the door...ever so slowly.  Angie's post has helped me open it a bit more, and I am that much closer to taking a step inside.

I'm not sure I can handle the magnificence of the view.

Not My Blog!

Here are some things that I have read in recent weeks on other people's blogs that have made me ponder, laugh, and tear up just a little.  You just simply MUST click on these blogs to read their posts in full.  You'll be glad you did! 

"You see, life in all its' inherent busyness can start to fill places in us that it isn't meant to." - Transparent Mama

"And that's awesome to me. That He cares so much for me that He will bring me back to what really matters, even when I didn't know I'd forgotten". - Resolved 2 Worship

"Dear Hobby Lobby,

I really don’t even know where to start. 
You are the bedazzled apple of my eye. 
You are like a giant crock pot full of crafty goodness. 
You are the Chick-fil-A of department stores. 
To put it bluntly, if you were a person, you would be Beth Moore."  - Stuff Christians Like.

Not My Blog!

Here's where I get to share some of my favorite things I have read recently in other people's blogs.  I get to toot someone else's horn instead of my own, which is refreshing because I'm afraid that tooting my own horn would sound something like a whoopie cushion. 

Brigetta is a mom of four boys, and has a really thoughtful and fun blog called "Transparent Mama".  In this post, she has eloquently and poigniantly spoken the desires of MY heart. Wow. I know spending quality, alone time with my kids and husband is truly important to me, but I have always felt defeated by the clock and the to-do list.  Brigetta has helped me to see that I need to make the time, I need to make the time, I need to make the time, and set some of my own agendas down.  We won't get these years back.

Jonathan is the author of "Stuff Christians Like" which is one of my favoritest blogs, and now is also one of my favoritest books.  He's hilarious (just ask Dave) about explaining the weird stuff that we Christians do, without mocking our faith.  Actually he is spot-on spiritually.  Today, his wife Jenny wrote this post on his blog about one of my favoritest authors of all time....my Beth!  And why we Beth groupies - er, I mean fans - feel the need to explain our affections to our husbands!

And finally, go and spend some time over here at Allysa Ann Welch's blog.  Seriously, just go.  When you get there, you'll know why I sent you.

Go! Just go!

You just have to go over to Mr. Wonderful's blog RIGHT NOW, and read his post for today and watch the video he put out. It's so amazing, and made me cry....alot!

Not My Blog!

It's time for another edition of "Not My Blog!" by.....me!

Ok, you simply must stop what you are doing, right now, and go over here and read this!!! I think Mckmama wrote this specifically for me today, but you are welcome to share in it if you'd like! Seriously, go read it. I'll wait...

I told you. Was that good or what? Now, if you are still hungry for more good stuff that people other than me have written, check out this thought provoking post at Stuff Christians Like.

And this one too...I couldn't decide if I should link to the one above or this one, so I'm going with both. This made me cry.

Not my blog!

Today I thought I'd share some things that I have read on other people's blogs recently that I have found to be inspiring, funny or simply amazing!

Like this post by Julie, which brought a tear to my eye and helped me to remember what is truly important in my life as a mom. Really, I need to let all the rest go.

And this one by Vera, which reminded me ~ again ~ how truly amazing our Creator is!

And this one at "Stuff Christians Like". He usually writes really really funny stuff about silly things we do as Christians, but this time he was being serious and he's good at that too.

Just lovely

I've been awarded the "Lovely Blog Award" by Transparent Mama"! (see her June 1st post).




Isn't that special? Although I'm not sure that I deserve it since I haven't posted now in 8 days!!! Ack. Not that there is nothing going on in my life, no way! That is so not true! I just have to catch up with myself, and my life, then maybe (just maybe) I'll have a moment to catch up with my blog life!

I have been experimenting with my new camera. My fear of it is subsiding, with much help from a friend who has the same camera and gave me some pointers at our sons' baseball game recently.....which by the way has become my second home. If you can't find me at our real home, just check out the baseball field down the block (or one of the nearby town's fields) because between my two boys and their games, I will be hanging out at the ball field 5-6 evenings (and Saturdays) a week from now until August. The games do go much faster since I am helping with 8 year old crowd control in the dugouts as my husband is busy coaching Kyle's team. And during Nick's games, I'll be the one behind the camera trying to figure out how to get a close up with my zoom lens to focus on the kid and not the chain link fence between me and the kid. (Or I just embarass him by sneaking around the fence and photographing him from the opposing team's dugout. He loves that.)

There....one quick obnoxiously rambling thought. Happy now??

Back to the lovely blog award (that may or not be revoked now) I get to share the lovely love and award 10 lovely blogs my very own "Lovely Blog Award"! I hope you enjoy visiting these lovely blogs as much as I do!

1. From This Point Forward (my lovely husband's blog)

2. I Can't Believe I Drive A Minivan

3. That Girl

4. Then Sings My Soul

5. Clover Lane

6. Luv My Quiver Full of Arrows

7. Nine is Fine

8. The Mikels Family

9. Dancing Barefoot

10. Kissing My Family

So if you are on this list, follow these rules (created by Transparent Mama herself)

1) If you want to accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award onto 10 other bloggers that you have newly discovered. Remember to leave a comment, letting them know that they have received the award.

The Canvas (or "just kidding")

Ok, I am crying now. Wow.

My blog for today comes from someone else's blog. An amazing woman named Angie who has a blog titled "Bring the Rain". I love it. She is my very best friend just kidding no really she is a close friend just kidding ok we are aquaintances at least just kidding ok so I've never met her.

But her blog is amazing. (And I have been watching the "Judy Grimes" skit from SNL way too many times in the past 24 hours since I found it and posted a link to it on my side bar under "things that make me laugh").

You simply must read Angie's blog from yesterday. It moved me to tears and I can tell already that my heart is beginning to stir and God is up to something in me.

And I am not kidding.

Quick! Do it...before you stub your toe!

You have to listen to Beth Moore's "Quick Word" today....the link is on the right, below my bookshelf under "blogs and sites I love".

It's only two minutes, but a powerful two minutes and today she is singin' my tune! I'm going to pray on this today and tonight I'll let you know what God reveals to me, cuz I know Him and He will :)