Blessings #43-75

Jan 15, 2014 a gift worn,  given away, shared
#43 socks from my Mommy :)
#44 making a quilt for my cousin
#45 a cookie with my son

Jan 16, 2014 3 witnessed blessings
#46 a wedding
#47 a baptism
#48 a helping hand

Jan 17, 2014 a gift bringing laughter, prayer, quiet
#49 my son's interpretation of a British accent ;)
#50 a text from my sister
#51 my boys sleeping in

Jan 18, 2014 3 gifts from God's Word
#52 James 1:2-4, 12 "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing....Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."
#53 Isaiah 41:10 "...fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
#54 Jeremiah 29:11-14 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord , plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord , and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord , and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile."

Jan 19, 2014 3 gifts that might never have been
#55 my children
#56 my marriage
#57 my thirties

Jan 20, 2014 3 gifts only seen close up
#58 my feet in the sand ;)
#59 the real color of my husband's eyes
#60 the wrinkles on my hands

Jan 21, 2014 a gift in the sky, water, memory
#61 the moon on a clear night, knowing my mom sees the same one many miles away
#62 stones from the river bed made smooth over time
#63 walking in a frozen lake for the first time

Jan 22, 2014 a gift wrinkled, smoothed, unfolded
#64 baby clothes packed for years in my hope chest
#65 new fabric
#66 a handwritten letter

Jan 23, 2014 3 gifts found in Christ
#67 my salvation
#68 unconditional love
#69 peace

Jan 24, 2014 3 things blue
#70 my birthstone
#71 the ocean
#72 my son's new shirt

Jan 25, 2014 a grace borrowed, found, inherited
#73 a book
#74 a ring
#75 a handmade quilt on our bed from my husband's grandmother

Forgetting

Philippians 3:13-14 says-
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

My husband read these verses to me this morning and short commentary from his devotional book. Even though I have heard these words many times, I had him read aloud to me once more. Something about it bothered me...my husband could see that, but I couldn't explain why "forgetting what lies behind " troubled me so much.

As I discussed this frustration with my husband, one thing became clear...I don't want to forget what lies behind...
Oh. THAT'S what it was.

I grabbed my bible. I'm no theologian, but I wanted to read it in the right context. I wanted to know what Paul said before and after, who he said it to. Maybe that would help me. And I prayed... Surely God would give me wisdom to understand this!

I have to say, it made me very uncomfortable to read God's Word telling me to forget what lies behind and then realize I had no intention of doing so! Here's why:
By remembering the mess I left behind, the nightmare I was rescued from, I have a clearer picture of who I am today because of Christ. By forgetting, I felt that I wouldn't give proper glory and honor to Him who deserved it all. I needed the contrast of light vs dark, good vs evil, LIFE vs DEATH. I needed it to see clearly.
I don't ever want to forget.
But I also don't want to burdened by it. I have freedom in Jesus that allows me to move forward, to press on toward the goal.
Is that what this means? Or am I inviting trouble? My desire is to obey God...

I welcome your thoughts on this too.

Photo: My husband and I, just a month or two before we were saved. Despite our smiles, we were not "happy" and were each a wretched disaster. God is good. :)

Homesick

God is good.
Although I have moved over 30 times in my lifetime, I have been privileged to live in some very beautiful locations over the years. My current home in southern Oregon is no exception. Tucked in a little valley along the Rogue River, surrounded by mountains and trees, I am blessed.
But...
I'm homesick like crazy.

 

From the my childhood days in Lake Arrowhead, running wild and free in the mountains, listening for my dad's whistle to call us home.

 

And those dazed and confused years bumming around the beaches and bars, yet finding such strength and peace in the crashing waves on the shore, spending my quiet time sitting on the sand. Little did I know that God was calling my name even then.

 

To my years in Orange County, making a mess of myself in the hustle and bustle of city living, but later finding Christ there in the midst of it all, saving me from myself forever.

 

I'm a cali girl at heart. I grew up all over southern California, and while I don't miss the "speed of life", I miss the warm beaches and sunshine. Even more than that, I miss my family and friends.

But God is good...all the time!

 

Praying for a visit home soon. It's been much too long...

Photo: Oceanside Pier, artwork by yours truly, circa 1994

 

Work Heartily

We've all been there.
·Customer service reps that are too busy socializing with co-workers instead of attending to customers.
·A cashier that doesn't bother to greet you or make eye contact after you've loaded hundreds of dollars worth of groceries onto the belt.
·A phone call put on hold...and forgotten.

Good customer service is out there, but it is experiences like these that leave a bad taste in your mouth. Or at least that's how I feel.

This week, my cell phone bit the dust. Since my husband is the "primary" on the account, he has to be present to make any changes. We coordinated our schedules to meet at our local cellular store after work. And to make our visit go faster, I stopped in a day earlier and Mr Friendly&Helpful told me my options and showed me the phones I was eligible for. Thank you very much! We'll be back tomorrow.

Typically there is a short wait, so when we arrived, we gave them our names and took a seat. When the young man called our names, we followed him to his desk, sat down, and explained the problem. Since I had already been informed of our options, we wasted no time in telling him which phone I was interested in getting. So far, so good.

Then he asked for our phone number to pull up our account.
Ding ding (buzzz)... what was that?
Ding ding (buzzz)... oh. It's HIS phone.
I was shocked to sit there and watch Mr CantBeBothered slide his phone across his desk and check the message. And then he asked us for our phone number again because he wasn't listening the first time.

It was so cute when he asked me if I wanted all my contacts transferred to my new phone! Seriously? All while he was returning a text. 3 times this happened as we sat there in shock.

God bless my husband. I left him there to handle the rest of the details before I made a scene. I just couldn't believe it.

Colossians 3:23-24 says-
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

I don't know if Mr CantBeBothered is a believer. I know he certainly wasn't working heartily for his employer, left alone anyone else. Sadly, this type of "service" is quite common, yet there still is an expectation of reward. Why?

All of my years of employment were spent in customer service: retail, food service, tourism, hospitality, sales, and as an event coordinator. My husband's resume looks similar. Neither one of us can relate to this even being called "service".

I like to think that God's Word gives us a great example in Luke 12 of the type of workers, or servants, we should aim to be.

Luke 12:35-37, 42-43 says-
“Stay dressed for action  and   keep your lamps burning,  and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.  Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.  And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.

Be like the faithful and wise manager. Be ready. Work hard. Receive the blessing of the Lord!

Photo: borrowed from The Time-Warp Wife at timewarpwife.com

Blessings #34-42

Still counting my blessings!

Jan 12, 2014
Something Above, Below, Beside
#34 the roof above my head
#35 the pillow beneath my head
#36 my wonderful, beloved husband :)

Jan 13, 2014
3 Things About Myself That I Am Grateful For
#37 my willingness to keep learning new things
#38 my hair (yeah, I'm weird like that. I hated it as a kid!)
#39 my resourcefulness

Jan 14, 2014
3 Startling Graces of God
#40 a potential car repair that turned out to just be user error ;)
#41 a "quick chat" with my sister that turned into a 2 hour phone call that never got interrupted on either end! A Mommy Miracle ;)
#42 a broken cell phone meant less distraction while doing errands today with my son- for both of us

Photo: My husband, who has oddly developed a slight fear of horses (???), has the amazing ability to draw them to him like a magnet. I love him :)

Mythbusters: Why I Can't Homeschool (Part 2)

Mythbusters: Why I Can't Homeschool (Part 2)-
10 Reasons Not to Homeschool
(and why I do it anyway)

Part 1: http://ablessedseason.blogspot.com/2014/01/mythbusters-why-i-can-homeschool-part-1.html?m=1

5. "My kids need socialization!"
Consider this: Webster's dictionary defines socialization as "the process by which a human being beginning at infancy acquires the habits, beliefs, and accumulated knowledge of society through education and training for adult status". Are you sure that was the word you meant to use? Other sources define it as "To place under government or group ownership or control" (freedictionary.com) Hmm...does that mean you were only good enough for training and educating your children from infancy through age 5 or 6? From there they need the government to "own or control" their learning. If you're half as confused as I am at that one, let me just say (for now) that God thinks quite highly of the FAMILY and He says it's for the parents to train their own children. A hard task of your child's gone all day.
Deuteronomy 6:7 says -
You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
If you're still thinking your little social butterfly princess is going to need her peers' influence more than yours, I invite you to visit your local middle or high school, shopping mall or other popular teenage hang out. Are you sure that's where you want your child's "habits, beliefs, and accumulated knowledge of society" to be formed? Let me know when that sinks in.
4. "I'll never have time for ME if I'm with my kids all day, every day."
Yes, this is true. You will be sacrificing your time, your ambitions, your vanity, and probably a touch of your sanity for the sake of your children. Is it worth it? Absolutely. And you, like Moses, will discover the importance of finding a supportive friends and family, like Aaron and Hut, to "hold up your arms" when you grow weary. And you will. They will be the same ones who celebrate your victories.
Exodus 17:11-12 says-
Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
Before you know it, your children will be grown and you will have plenty of "me" time that you'd rather sacrifice to spend...with your grandchildren.
3. "I'm not disciplined enough."
Discipline requires training. It requires repetition and consistency. Think of what it takes to train for a marathon or even just training from a sedentary lifestyle to running your first 5k. It's generally not something you jump into without preparing and conditioning yourself. Weeks or months or maybe years of training. It's an ongoing process to continue improving and strengthening your body. You wouldn't consider doing doing it without the proper gear and preparation, would you? Once you make the decision to do it, you have to start somewhere, whether talking to a seasoned pro or researching "how to" books, to get a plan of action in place. Then you do what Nike's been telling you for years: "Just do it!" Oh, and the awkwardness of doing something new will pass.
The same is true with homeschooling. Over time, it gets easier, feels more natural, and you begin to see the lifelong benefits that emerge from your hard work.
2. "I don't have the patience."
Neither do I. Every day I turn this struggle over to God and let Him deal with it. REALITY CHECK: Sometimes I pick it back up and see if I can do it on my own, but I can't. Homeschooling and fulltime parenting have been The #1 thing to grow me closer to the Lord and totally dependent on Him. I do not have the patience to do this, but God provides for my every need...if I let him. I have learned to surrender control over to Him, even as I create my lesson plans and organize my calendar. I make plans, but let God direct my steps.
Proverbs 16:9 says-
A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.
And, the #1 reason why I can't homeschool...
1. "I'm afraid I'd make a mess out of my kids."
FEAR is an ugly thing. It will rob you of your most precious dreams. It will lock you in bondage, unable to move freely. It will hold you captive as the Enemy whispers lies of incompetency and inadequacy in your ears.
Isaiah 12:2 says-
“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord  God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” (emphasis mine)
Choosing to homeschool means taking a huge leap of faith. It means going against society's "norm" and choosing the road less traveled. It means trusting God in all things, no matter what. It means drawing your strength from  God Almighty. Remember that He loves your children even more then you do and He choose YOU to be their guardians here on earth.
I am aware that homeschooling is not for everyone. I'm just hoping to encourage anyone who has considered it, but hesitated or talked themselves out of it. If it is God's will for you to homeschool, I pray that you would trust Him to equip you for the journey.
I wouldn't trade it for the world!
Photo: Building a rollercoaster in a physics workshop

Blessings #26-33

The blessings keep on coming!
Thank you, Lord, for the God gifts you give :)

Jan 9, 2014 - A gift held, passed by, sat with
#26 a bowling ball at my son's birthday party
#26 the horses in the field as I go down my driveway
#27 my family together at church

Jan  10, 2014 - A gift sour, sweet, just right
#28 kombucha ;)
#29 this morning's coffee
#30 an "Arnold Palmer" while out with friends

Jan 11, 2014 - 3 yellow gifts of fresh mercy
#31 lemons
#32 daffodils
#33 the blooming color of the rising sun

Keep counting, my sweet friends!