Bono challenges the church. Will we rise to it?

thankful feasting without our mouths

As we get ready to celebrate God's goodness around our tables it might be a good time to consider this...

I always joke because I'm Italian. Food is part of life. We celebrate with food. We fellowship with food. We comfort others by SENDING food. *geesh!*

Yup. Need this book.

buggy blessings

"Gnite!"

"Sleep tight!"

"Don't let the bed bugs bite!"

This was the ritual at bedtime between my sister and me. We had no idea what a bed bug was, but we'd snuggle under the covers tightly to keep them out, just in case. (does anyone else see the irony in this?!)

Sometimes I hate being a grown-up. I hate knowing so much. It doesn't feel as safe or as simple as pulling the covers tighter around me.

Dealing with real bed bugs has probably ruined it for my future grandchildren. I can hear it now: "Shhh, don't say that! It makes Grandma Joy's face twitch funny."

*sigh*

The first of three treatments by our wonderful exterminator was yesterday.

I woke up this morning and my house feels and smells so fresh. It's probably in my head, but that's okay. The blessing I unwrapped this morning was peace of mind. It's being handled.

And my house is clean for the holidays! :oD

This bug-free morning is brought to you by Tuesday's Unwrapped, a reminder to find the hidden blessings in everyday life.

tuesday's child

After a long day at school I was ready to get home to a fire pit, two lawn chairs and my favorite Man. After sitting in bumper-to-bumper tunnel traffic (at 9:30 PM!) I couldn't change clothes fast enough. The sky was bedazzled with stars. We talked about never getting tired of staring at them and how good God is to put them there for us to see. We sipped hot chocolate and talked in whispers. The Man was tempted to talk about serious stuff, but I reminded him tomorrow is another day. We talked about grace and facing whatever comes with courage, knowing in Him we are never alone. We watched flames lick at the logs and listened to it crackle as fall breezes chilled our faces. And we wished we had a fireplace indoors so we could fall asleep without moving anywhere. Sleep came easily, preparing the way for a happy start this Tuesday morning.

Decompression time is so very important to our spirits, yet I don't stop to do it often enough. Experiencing a month of grace has me renewing my efforts to breathe deeply and enjoy the daily stuff I'm tempted to whiz through, even tunnel traffic. Most especially I want to enjoy the people around me even more and ignore the things that continuously try to undermine peace. It's hard. But at the end of the day I want my memories to be of the rich things, the humorous things, the blessings, the sights and sounds of living abundantly.

This grace-filled moment brought to you by Tuesday's Unwrapped, a weekly reminder to enjoy the magic that is life.

grace flows

At the end of September, Emily announced she would be blogging 31 Days of Grace during the month of October, and I was ready. At the time I was not in a happy place - some serious circumstances had me reeling inside and struggling with "God with us". My spirit was thirsty for reassurance that His presence was truly in my midst, not merely a sideline spectator.

The past 29 days has brought the subject of grace to the forefront of my consciousness in a way it hadn't been, especially lately. Grace was like the beautiful colors of fabric on my shelf - always present, pleasant to the eyes, but on the sidelines for when I needed it.

As I pondered each post, God carefully unwrapped grace for me, revealing its intricacies and depth in everyday life. My everyday life. He showed me how grace flows in every area of life, not just the ones I was conscious of. He illuminated the places where I had rejected grace's touch and exposed places where I withheld it from others.

We cannot escape grace any more than we can escape God's presence. Whether we choose to believe it or not isn't the point and doesn't matter. Grace is always there, waiting for us to employ its power in our lives so it can spill over to those around us.

the difference a day can make

Oh yeah, it's Tuesday... I had no idea what to write about today, and my overloaded brain wasn't interested in thinking too hard to find something. I'm just being honest. I let it go.

God didn't.

That's a big deal right now because I have been in a struggling place lately. Yesterday morning I sat outside my back door with tears streaming down my face feeling the deepest sense of hopelessness I've experienced in a long while. I sucked it up, put on my duty face and went to class. I don't know about you, but I hate being in public when I feel like a total basket case.

I walked into class an hour and a half late and did my best to put the tears on hold and focus on the task at hand. The day did get easier. My instructor is a kind, compassionate man. A couple of good friends piled onto the couch around me, let me cry, then showed me funny YouTube videos until I laughed. I felt more like myself in my second class. At 9PM I headed home to some hot tea and a movie snuggled on the couch with my hubby and daughter. My husband gently rubbed my back and prayed as I drifted to sleep.

This morning hubby took the morning routine reigns because I had an early doctor's appointment. One of the gals who works there is just learning to quilt. I excitedly gave her a list of blogs to check out online and the info for the annual quilt show in town. I left feeling good about connecting with her.

And... that's when it hit.

Twenty-four hours ago I was on my lawn chair feeling hopeless.

I lead a weekly bible study, and this week's focus is asking God for more of His presence. The challenge is to get Him off the sidelines and welcome Him INto our daily lives, moment by moment, to take full advantage of what He's made available to us through Christ. His presence. His peace. His strength. I felt like a fraud because I'm a wee bit not-happy at Him right now and still working through it.

But God knows that, and it hasn't stopped Him from being Himself. It reminds me of The God Hunt in reverse. Instead of hunting for God in every day I've been asking, "Where'd you go?"And instead of making me hunt for Him, He's showing me, "Here I am."

This honest moment brought to you by Tuesday's Unwrapped, an encouraging way to unwrap the magic that is life.

camouflage

Ahhh! There's a crisp breeze coming through the windows, the birds are singing, the aroma of soup stock simmering on the stove wafts through the house.... It's total camouflage for the craziness about to begin!

It's also my quiet morning moment when all is right with my world. It's what makes coming home worth coming home. The smells, the sounds, the promise of safety away from 'out there' and the opportunity to refocus on the truly important.

After all, isn't the purpose of camouflage to cover and protect? ;o)

This quiet moment brought to you by Tuesday's Unwrapped, a delightful way to unwrap the magic that is life!

an ordinary tuesday

It's just an ordinaryTuesday.

The day started at 5:15 trying to pry teens from their beds after staying up too late, followed by an acid-inducing race to get them to school on time. By time I arrived home my husband had already left for work.

And I didn't get to say good-bye.

It sounds silly, but on this particular morning, in the midst of all that's going on in our lives that small fact cracked the last vestige of my composure. The tears were ready to spill when I walked in a saw a note on top of the mayo I left out. A love note from my husband.

It quickly reminded me of the love notes God sends to me daily. A word here. A lyric there. An act of kindness from a stranger. An unexpected delight. Something silly that makes me smile. The little things He uses to whisper I'm here, and I love you in my ear. The small things that if I told someone they'd look at me like I was nuts. But I recognize them. Straight from His heart to mine. Even on an ordinary Tuesday.

ahhhh!

The windows are open and there's a nip in the air every now and then that gives away the approach of fall. I tell people and they think I'm nuts... but if you really pay attention you can feel it. Sometimes you can smell it. It invigorates me.

This post is part of Emily's Tuesday's Unwrapped, a place to stop and notice the little things that make life magical.

Woo, Chil'!

Preach it, sista!

Posting Truth on My Heart

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
— Maya Angelou

How true this statement is. And it punched me this time as hard as it did the last time I saw it. I instantly started replaying recent encounters with people in my head, looking at them with new eyes... and cringing at how self absorbed I am sometimes.
Without realizing it we can build someone up or hurt them in a millisecond... with a word, a gesture, a look...
This is a reminder I'd like to keep before me at all times, throughout each day. For those of you I have the privilege of rubbing up against regularly, it's okay to remind me!

God is My More-Than-Enough

John Piper discusses the heresy involved in the health and wealth or prosperity gospel... which is no gospel at all (Gal 1)

A rolling Mom.... gets grass in her mouth.

A couple weeks ago the kids and I spent the afternoon at Mt. Trashmore enjoying the incredible spring weather....

Creation Groans

It took 17 hours to deliver my first son. Not bad for a first delivery.

But it didn't have to last that long.

I was a wimp. Every time it hurt I'd stop. So it dragged on until I finally had no choice but to suck it up and get it over with. Then I wondered what my problem had been. I had a C-section with my second son, but when my daughter came along I knew what to do. I knew it was gonna hurt like hell, but I was gonna push through it and get it over with.

She was born in 3 hours.

Last week I was working on some storyboards, which is no big deal... unless your hands have forgotten how to interpret what's in your head. And that's exactly what was happening to me. I couldn't draw a stick man.

The process of trying and failing and praying and begging and trying and failing was taking its toll. There were wads of paper all over the floor. I wasn't sure what I was battling, but I was losing. Miserably.

I called Eric for a pep talk and all he said was "I know you can do this, honey."

I cried harder.

It sounds ridiculous now that the storyboards are on their way to completion - I actually laughed about it - but I still wondered why it had to be so painful and tormenting?

Then someone wise reminded me that creating is a birthing process. Pulling something new out of ourselves hurts!!! But WOW the excitement when we look at what we've accomplished. The overwhelming awe and sense of pride... "I did that!"

And God stands there beaming, "I knew you could."

I'm glad He made me stubborn.

I love when I muscle my way through something that stretches every limit I thought I had, only to discover there is more to me than I knew.

Now, if I can just remember the next time this happens... and embrace the pains knowing the result will be worth it.

10 Things About Me

1. I love balloons, ladybugs and sparklers.

2. I have a list of 100 things to do before I die.

3. I love words and use them in all my art.

4. My spices and movies are in alphabetical order. My books are not.

5. On my 35th birthday my son caught me singing into my hairbrush. :o)

6. I learned how to waterski when I was 10. I can slalom (one ski), too.

7. If I believed in past lives (which I don't), I would have been a lizard.

8. I will search out a sunbeam to sit in. I love being outside.

9. I love to climb trees... find a good one and I'm there.

10. I've been playing the flute for 30 years. I wanted to play the cello.

Time Flies...

Life's been busy.

So I haven't written much... not that I don't have a lot to say.

I don't look like that picture anymore, either.

There's a new and improved model in her place. :o)