Just in Case...

My mushy pregnant brain left you out of the Christmas e-card list, this is just for you:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Thankfulness

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire."
~Hebrews 12:28-29

"Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;his love endures forever."
~Psalm 106:1

There is always much to be thankful for, whether it's the simple day to day life events, or the reality that we ALWAYS have a God who loves us, died for us, and provides.

These are just a few things that I'm thankful for this year:

My husband

our families and friends

Church

Having a home and job

Being surprised by Howie this morning when he set the tree up early and left me a note on it to find

Seeing my clients at work succeed- whether it's finding housing, a job, or just learning that they are capable

And this year, being able to celebrate that we're starting a family. Next year, we will be a family of three, and this is such an exciting time for us as we move into this new phase of life.

What are you thankful for?

Blessings

This is a song that is far too beautiful not to share.



The lyrics for "Blessings" by Laura Story:

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching(s) of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

Psalm 51

Psalm 51:
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is[b] a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.

18 May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burnt offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

There are just so many things to say about this passage. I think this is a passage we can all relate to. I for one, know I sin and mess up. So knowing that I can come to God, and know that He will show me mercy, and can cleanse me, is a beautiful thing.

Right now, I just want God to "renew a steadfast spirit within me." My spirit has not been wavering lately, but it has been dampened a little. It's too easy for me to be consumed by emotion or circumstances. When I allow myself to be consumed by people or things or events other than God, my steadfast spirit wanes.

I've been reading through the Psalms this past month and today I read Psalm 51. God always know exactly what I need...

This Could Be Our Day

Addison Road has a song called "This Could Be Our Day." Check out the lyrics below:

What we do here is just the beginning
New life is starting at every ending
We are a part of the story unfolding
This is the weight of the world we are holding
This could be our day
This could be our day

Clearly it's time to make a change
Or I could keep sitting and waste all day
I know that it's time for me to move
I've been given this minute to use
And given this moment to prove that

What we do here is just the beginning
New life is starting at every ending
We are a part of the story unfolding
This is the weight of the world we are holding
This could be our day
This could be our day

I was holding back
Now I've come undone
I want to touch the world
Heal the broken ones
Ending the cycle has just begun
We've been given this minute to use
And given this life to prove

What we do here is just the beginning
New life is starting at every ending
We are a part of the story unfolding
This is the weight of the world we are holding
This could be our day
This could be our day

To give ourselves away
For something beautiful
A million miles away
To the one who's hungry, and thirsty
And needs some hope
To the people that are weary and broken and left alone
I'm giving myself away
I'm giving myself away

What we do here is just the beginning
New life is starting at every ending
We are a part of the story unfolding
This is the weight of the world we are holding
This could be our day
This could be our day

In the midst of life changes, unexpected loss, and even times of joy, having the perspective of "this could be our day" and "what we do here is just the beginning" is so important. I firmly believe that no matter what happens, God wants us to keep pressing forward, and keep trusting Him. What we do with what He gives us/allows to happen is just the beginning...whether we like it or not. So what we do here (in the moments of change, loss, etc.) is the start of a new part of our story. That's so hard to accept sometimes, yet it becomes such an important piece in our ability to keep trusting God, to find hope or joy, to find peace in loss, etc.

Romans 5:1-5
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Music and Lyrics

Recently, I took time to actually listen to the words of the songs I hear everyday on Klove, pandora.com, my cd's, etc. It's not like I haven't listened to the words, but usually I take more notice of the tune, melody, tempo or something random and not focus on the words.

I admit that while I know the songs I listen to talk about God, His qualities, promises, and all these great things...I never truly listened. Until last week. I sat for a full hour yesterday listening to a mix cd that I recently made, and I heard every single word. It changed me. To be so focused on song lyrics that pull straight from Scripture words of hope, praise, healing, moving forward, change, love, God...was so powerful. It was like listening to these songs for the very first time.

And I needed that this week. So I'm thankful for the ways God is teaching me and growing me.

On a slightly different note, one of the "songs" (aka song straight from Scripture) that I read this week that really stood out to me was this one:

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.
~Psalm 143:8

Now that's even better that the musical lyrics I finally started paying attention to!

A Lesson in Humility

Have you ever read a book that just spoke volumes to you? Or one that pulled you in from the first sentence (so much so you couldn't put it down)?

I've read not one but two books like that this week. One was the newest fiction book by my favorite author Karen Kingsbury. I excitedly awaited it's release last week and subsequent arrival at the library. I'm a fast reader, so once I had it at home I had the whole thing read in one sitting- about two hours.

Yesterday, I started reading another book, this one a non-fiction by Patrick Lencioni called The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Also a fairly quick read (not finished yet though) and one that I know will make a difference in my life. It's an excellent book and I'm hoping to use what I learn in the future, especially in the work place (as the main focus of the book is teamwork in the office).

But here's the catch. Why haven't I gotten this excited lately over reading my Bible? I can honestly say that of the spiritual disciplines, reading my Bible daily is something I'm great at- yet I don't get so drawn in that I read for two straight hours. And often, what I have read doesn't stick out so much that I'm ready to rush to work a share.

It was humbling last night to realize these things. I should be willing to let me self be so pulled into God's word that I can't let it go. I should be more excited about sharing what I've read in the Bible.

I've been pondering the concept of perspective for the last several months. I considered blogging my thoughts, but never had the words. My revelation about reading other books vs. the Bible showed me once again, that I need a perspective more focused on God than anything else. With God, my perspective is ALWAYS better. I may not always like it when I've asked God for something and His answer is "wait" or "no," but over time I learn that in the end, God knows best what I need and I have to trust.

Choosing to trust, and choosing to be aware of God working in your life, along with making time for God (reading Bible, prayer, Church, etc.) is a much better route than the alternative of a life without God. And that's one way of looking at life that I don't want to be any other way, no matter what books I read.

Happy Reading...Just finished reading a great fairy tale type love story- Check out Genesis 24 to find out about Isaac and Rebekah's love story that is full of God's promises and provision.

April Showers bring Patience??

You may have heard the phrase “April showers bring May flowers” over the years. The original poem went as follows:

“Sweet April showers
Do spring May flowers.”

According to the author of an article I read on this phrase, this phrase “is a reminder that even the most unpleasant of things, in this case the heavy rains of April, can bring about very enjoyable things indeed – in this case, an abundance of flowers in May.” The author continued by adding that this phrase is a lesson in patience and further explains that many of life’s greatest things come only to those who wait, and by patiently and happily enduring the clouds and damp of April you can find yourself more easily able to take in the sights and smells of May.”

I think this is so true of our walk with God. We go through rainy seasons full of disappointment, heartache, or whatever other negative emotion you want to throw into the mix. But then we get seasons of joy, peace, and comfort. In all things, God can make the April showers and May flowers of our lives so much better.

Lamentations 3:22-25 is a great illustration of God's amazing power and goodness. Just like showers can bring beautiful spring flowers, God's love allows us to move into a place of growth. We are not consumed. We can have a fresh start everyday. The Lord is Good.

22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”

25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;

Small Town Charm

...In the big city?? You don't normally expect to get the small town charm feel when you live somewhere like I do. But nonetheless, there are a few things that I've started noticing that mimics a childhood of living in a very small town where you pretty much knew everybody (right on down the line from cousins, to in-laws, best friends, parents, etc.)

For instance, I've been going to the Y steadily for almost a year now. One of the staff members has taken time to learn my name, remember random facts (like how I work late on Thursday nights, so that's why she only sees me one morning a week). I appreciate that.


I frequent the Starbucks that is located near my job. Only because I have gift cards. Once my birthday or Christmas gift card stash runs out, I stop going. But I'm usually able to spread the free-to-me coffee goodness over the course of several months, by going once every week or two. But not one, but THREE of the ladies who work in the mornings has taken time to learn my name. I walk in, and they'll ask what I want today, and then will turn to the person making the drinks and say "Shea will have this today (insert coffee preference of the day here)." Again, I appreciate this nice gesture.

Notice how my name is even written on the cup. It's a nice gesture.

I guess sometimes I'm surprised to see things like this happen here, when there are so many people, so much traffic, and well, just so much of everything. It's refreshing. Especially after growing up in a place where it was so drastically different.

The good thing though, about small town charm, is that it never fades, even when you move away. Recently, my friend who now lives in the small town beside my former small town was looking for a dentist. I recommended the dentist I had used growing up, and told her to use my dad's name when she called. Not only did they know him, but they told her that they missed me, and to tell me hi. How sweet. It's been many years since I lived there and used that dentist, but they still remember me and are interested enough to pass along their greetings.

Now that's the kind of small town charm that never grows old.

To fail or not to fail, that is the question...

Once again I'm going to refer to the book my friend and I are going through, Chase the Goose by Mark Batterson.

Throughout the book Batterson talks about different cages that can hold us back from chasing after God. The most recent section that I've started studying is that of cage of failure.

This is something I can most definitely relate to, and for that very reason, was a little hesitant to dive into the reading. But yet I did, and of course, God didn't let me down. He started teaching me from the very first sentence.

He starts off by talking about Paul and the shipwreck, snake bite, and subsequent meeting with Publius who was the chief official on the island of Malta. Paul had experienced many detours in his service to God. He chose to see these detours not as failures, but as God appointed circumstances. In typical fashion, the author asked a few questions of the reader, such as to describe a recent bad day and how you chose to react. But then the author went a little deeper, by asking about a time when God used a bad circumstance (like Paul getting ship wrecked and bitten by a snake) for something good (like Paul being about to reach out to help Publius' family). He also asked what "snakebites" may be happening in your life right now that God could be using for His greater purposes.

But here's what stuck out most. Batterson asks if there was an area in my life right now in which I was playing the victim but needed to recognize God as the hero? Practical follow up? What is something I can do this week to move toward that mentality?

Okay. Tough stuff b/c I immediately thought of an answer, and a response. It's so much easier to put into words what I'd like to do, yet it's so much harder to put into action.

Then we head to Sunday school and are studying Ephesians 6. Verses 5-9 say:
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

Verse 7 really stood out to me. Serving wholeheartedly is the key. Serving (no matter what type of service it is- be it at work, home, church, etc.) needs to be done for the Lord, and with that would come the attitude Batterson was suggesting- that of recognizing God has the hero because we are doing what He want. NOT playing the victim role but playing the role God wants us to have; which is bottom line, a role devoted to Him. Not ourselves.

Here's to hoping I'm able to slowly but surely put into practice new habits that put God FIRST and in the hero role, instead of allowing failures and detours to lead me astray.

Moses moments

Sometimes, God just sweeps in, as if out of no where, and totally blows me away with His plans.

I've been doing a study recently with a friend called Chase the Goose (http://www.lifewaystores.com/lwstore/product.asp?isbn=1415867666&mscssid=AG2QVRV0XTC59G3L3BM6XS2JEBHJ2KQF) based on Mark Batterson's book Wild Goose Chase. In a passage recently, I was studying Moses and the time that God spoke to him using a burning bush.

Upon reflection, I can't say I've ever had a Moses moment that included burning bushes or talking animals or all sorts of other big things that happened in the Bible. But I do remember this one day during a summer I worked at Park Springs Christian Center. It was a high school week of camp during evening worship. I remember having my eyes closed, arms raised in praise, and just lost in the moment. Just me and God in a moment of wonder, amazement and praise. Pure joy. All I have to do is close my eyes and I can remember that moment so vividly it's like it's being recreated over and over again. I guess that was a Moses moment for me. It was a moment when I realized how it felt to be so close, so in tune with God. But through this study and a new job opportunity for my husband, I feel like I'm having another Moses moment with God.

Back to my first sentence. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised when God sweeps in and does something right before me, but He did, and I was surprised. Not that He did something, but surprise I guess, at my own self. In the Bible study I mentioned, this week I've been studying Abraham and Sara. The study talked about assumptions and how we often put these 8 foot ceilings on God's capabilities....assuming He can't do this or that. I'd been putting caps on what God was doing (or not doing) regarding some stuff in my job and then out of no where, Howie gets a new job opportunity and my attitude/outlook at work starts improving. If this isn't God busting through the ceiling to show me He's providing and that He's always there, then I don't know what this is. What I do know for sure is that once again I am reminded of how faithful, how good, and amazing God is.

And right now, I've been swept off my feet in moments of joy and thankfulness because of God.