A nice sabbatical...

(Pics are just for fun- little mini photo shoot Jazz wanted for Valentine's Day.)

After a little break from the blogging world, my son threw down on me and said "Please write a blog post, Mom"...and I have nothing to say.

Can you believe that? I always have something to say. I had decided to stop blogging this year due to my kids being "grown" and not wanting to embarrass them any more than I already do, so I have just been focusing on private journaling. But after they both said I had to write again and they missed it...I am not sure where to even begin.

My man child and his lady friend spent the evening reading through my blog book from 2008 (Blog to Print is a great site that will publish your blog in whatever format you design- I make them as keepsakes for my kids, the whole purpose to this blogging business originally) and it was so interesting to hear his take on it. He loved the post I wrote about him of course, "How do you tell your 13 year old son you LIKE him?" while others made him sad because he missed loved ones who aren't around anymore.

When I think about starting 2014, and all that has occurred I can't help but lift my hands up and say "Only You, God".
Only You, God, would think to make us sinful, crazy, loving, unique, and broken people into your special delight.
Only You, God, would beckon us to draw near to you through Jesus, the only one who truly has the RIGHT to be near you.

The grace and the kindness of the Lord is just too much sometimes.  I have no idea what this year is going to look like. I live in fear so much of the time- what next traumatic thing will happen, and other times I just don't give a rip. How can He put up with my fickleness and still WANT me to be near Him? Only You, God.

Reading through Galatians the last couple weeks just puts it beautifully:
"You are all children of God by believing in Christ Jesus. All of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ as if he were your clothes. There is no Jew or Greek. There is no slave or free person. There is no male or female. Because you belong to Christ Jesus, you are all one." Galatians 3:26-28

That's it. That simple. That AWESOME.
Only YOU, God, would make us One in such an amazing way. Thank you for that. 

This year bought a grandbaby who is now one years old. And it has me saying the same thing I did in 2008 when I looked at my 13 year old boy...Where did the time go?

Only by His grace can we live each day to smile, to cry, to love, to laugh. Only by His grace do we have any noteworthy moment, thought, or word. 

 I kind of love that. 

"Spray and Pray"...Machine guns and love, what a combo!

Have I mentioned lately that I love my husband? Even though half the time I drive him crazy (alright, alright- 75% of the time), he never fails to give me exactly what I need.

I was fretting as usual last week when Steve calmly turned to me and said plainly, "Spray and pray, baby. Spray and pray." Say what? Momentarily speechless (it does happen), I just stared at him and he just looked back at the road and continued driving along his merry way.

Well, really. I had to ask for an explanation and once I got it, I just laughed out loud. Apparently, Steve had hear this phrase years ago about epic machine gun battles. When you are pinned down and have nothing else you can do, you just stick your arm out of the hideout and "spray" bullets and "pray" you hit something. Steve felt that this would be the most appropriate thing to say to me in the midst of my rantings, and it worked. Now, I haven't decided if he just wanted to startle me into silence so he could turn up the radio without being rude- or if he actually had thought it was the perfect motto for me. I never can tell with this guy. But what I can say...was yet again, it was just what I needed to hear.

As we talked about the idea, he reminded me that ultimately all my worrying for others was doing no one any good. Myself, my family, or the hurting. He said that if I would just "spray" all the love that I COULD out on every person I connected with each day, and "pray" that God would do what He wanted with that love...guaranteed everything would work out just dandy. I love that burly man. Leave it to him to identify heavy gunfire with love and kindness! So good.

Oh, the peace that settled on my heart that day. And ever since, when I start to panic and try to plan WHAT I need to do to make a difference, God just gently reminds me to "Spray and Pray, baby."

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves....Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need." Romans 12:9-13

ANYWAY.

People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Be good anyway.

Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People need help but may attack you if you try to help them.
Help them anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.

(A sign on the wall of Shishu Bhavan- a children's home in Calcutta)

God bless you with a motive like that, friends!

Thank you for making my night!

Oh, yet another reason to love social networking. Hadn't been keeping up on FB for awhile and so glad I went on tonight. This video reminded me exactly why the fight is worth it. Someday- I want to look Steve in the eye, and tell him how glad I am that I've loved him...after 62 years. My friends, DO WHAT it takes to make it work. "Love is a Battlefield" is so true, so pick up your weapons, hold up the shields and DON'T QUIT.

Nehemiah said it perfectly when he was attempting to encourage the people of Israel as they tried to rebuild after great devastation. Our marriages in this century face an onslaught of devastation and heart break bigger than any war- I hope we all hear his words and hold them close to our hearts. FIGHT for your family- it will be SO worth it!

"Don't be afraid... Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes."Nehemiah 4:14

Reminder- pause the music before you play the video!


"An elderly couple walked into the lobby of the Mayo Clinic for a checkup and spotted a piano. They've been married for 62 years and he'll be 90 this year. Check out this impromptu performance. We are only as old as we feel, it's all attitude. Enjoy! They certainly do!"

Thanks for the link, Debbie!!

Contentment...

Contentment is often a matter of perspective, don't you think? More specifically, I wonder if the way we love the world around us can help us be content, or cause us to become discontented. Sunday really got me thinking about what contentment is and if I have it. I still can't decide. There is a quote out there that says,
"Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have." How often have I felt stressed and harried, but the reason is my life isn't matching up with my PLAN. I am hurrying here or there, running after the prizes that perish and hold no value in the grand scheme of things. The apostle Paul says in Philippians that he has found the "secret" to contentment. If I asked him, what do you think he would say the secret is? I bet you are smiling too- as we both answer, "Jesus"! Now that might seem like a Sunday School answer to you, but if we know that we are in the midst of God's GOOD plan for our lives and truly love Him and His ways, wouldn't we be content? Would we be able to sigh and peacefully say, "Not my will, but yours, Lord" and not shudder with fear or be angry with resentment at the way the "dice fell"? How many times are we "discontented" because we felt wronged or cheated, but if we filtered it through God's love, we would see that there was something even better waiting. Love has a way of changing our view, and satisfying our desires. How many stories have you heard of people who have nothing materially, but love each other so deeply you wish you were them?

J. Vernon McGee shared a story on his program today that made me think of perspective. It went like this, but I added the way I pictured them:
An older man was walking down the street when he saw a little girl carrying a baby. She had her skinny arms wrapped around the chubbiest baby, the little boy could have outweighed her, his entire forty pounds was mostly carried in his round cheeks. The man stopped her and said, "Little girl, isn't that baby too heavy for you?" She smiled her best smile and said, "No, sir, he's my brother." The burden of love makes it no burden at all". (Can you hear Mr McGee's nice drawl say "at all", and "dearly beloved"? I love it.)

To that little girl, this weight could never be a burden- it was HER brother. How many things in our lives would cease to be a burden if we would look at them from the perspective of love?
God be with you today...and may we all be content in plenty or in want.

(This is Iris's newest half sister- Aerro. She is beautiful!)