Audience of One

I started singing in the church choir this year and we had our Christmas concert on Sunday morning and again on Monday evening.  My family attended on Sunday, but not on Monday.  I told several friends about the concert, but for many reasons, they were also unable to attend the concert on Monday night.  So as I am looking out over the crowd and not seeing faces I had hoped for, the pity party began.  You know the one.  "All those plays, concerts, and games I go to and my kids won't go to 2 concerts for me.  Nobody cares enough to come to MY concert!  blah, blah, blah".  Did I mention my husband asked if Iwanted him to come, but I said, "No. It's fine. You don't have to come, no big deal."?
So then that voice in my heart reminds me I started singing in the choir because I enjoy it and I wanted to participate for years.  Also, the music is beautiful (I could listen to that Irish pipe for hours!) and there was a nice crowd including some other people I knew.  Most importantly, God was there and I needed to sing the best I could if only for an audience of One.
Isn't that a picture of what mothering looks like most of the time?  Picking up crumbs, cleaning toilets, cooking dinner, driving kids to and from activities day after day with little to no recognition, let alone thank you.  After all, that is my job as a mom, right?
No matter how many times we recognize something in our head, sometimes our hearts have to be reminded that whatever we do: singing, writing or mothering, we are to do it for God.  We are to be obedient to what He wants of ut and He sees what we do and loves us.  He is the Ultimate Audience of One.

Thanksgiving Thoughts

Welcome to the Third Thursday Blog Hop with Hearts at Home!
Hearts at Home

We are supposed to share our thoughts about Thanksgiving today.  First of all, I love the idea of Thanksgiving, giving thanks to God for all His blessings and being purposeful in our gratitude.  I wish Thanksgiving did not get lost in the commercialism of Halloween and Christmas.  I also feel convicted that I do not always stress the importance of gratitude to my children or set the best example at times.

Growing up, I mostly remember getting together with my grandparents, aunts and uncles on Thanksgiving Day and eating lots of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.  My grandmother would also have creamed onions and mincemeat pie, but I never liked them much.  I prefer the broccoli/cheese casserole and sweet potato casserole.  I remember Thanksgiving being a day to hang out with the extended family.  It might be the only time I got to see some of my aunts and uncles and cousins that year.

Even now, it is one of the few times I get to see several members of my extended family.  I love how the only real expectation of the day is to share fellowship with friends and family over a big meal.  We usually have the big meal early in the afternoon and stay together until later in the day, when we can get out some of the leftovers.  My children look forward to the week of turkey leftovers the week after Thanksgiving.  My husband introduced me to turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce on them.  Yum!

This year, I pray we can all enjoy the time together, since you never know what the next year may hold.  I am so beyond blessed to still have 3 living grandparents, and I cherish the time I have with them.

Blessings to all and give thanks to God for them!

Take as Directed

Ever notice the instructions on a bottle of medicine?  It usually says "Take as directed".  I could not help but think about this as I read my Joyce Meyer devotion this morning about the gift of healing.  She said, "Healing can be a process that works somewhat like medicine.  It is necessary to receive it by faith and believe it is working."

If we do not follow the directions for the medicine, it will not work.  Having Advil in my cabinet does me no good when I have a headache, if I don't get it out and swallow the pill.  If you do not take the full course of antibiotics, you run the risk of the bacteria coming back even stronger.

Jesus did heal instantly in some cases, but sometimes He gave extra instructions or forgave first.  Every case was unique as the person being healed.  I think Jesus said it best when He told the woman with the issue of blood "Go, your faith has made you well."

I believe the same is true for our own healing.  God's Word gives us the instructions we need for all sorts of healing - physical, emotional or spiritual.  We will only get the full benefit though if we "take as directed".  We need to read the Bible's instructions, follow the directions, believe in the power and receive by faith.  And it does not always happen instantly.  Praise God, there are still amazing miracles of healing today, but often it is a process over time and sometimes the healing is not the way we want.

I have been working for years now on losing weight and strengthening my back.  I avoided surgery, am pain free and close to my goal weight.  I believe God is the ultimate healer and He could have healed my back and sucked all the extra fat off overnight, but I would not have the habits of exercise and healthier eating and muscle tone I have now.  I have also learned to seek God for satisfaction, not food (although dark chocolate can work in a pinch!). 

God knows what we need and if we will take His Word as directed, life goes much smoother.

Kids and Money

It is the Third Thursday and time for the Hearts at Home Blog Hop! 
Hearts at Home

I am finally remembering to include that in my post.  And I figured out how to put the little picture in my blog, too!!!  Just a quick side note, this is a big deal, because I am not the most technologically savvy person.  God gifted me in other areas instead.

The topic this month is how we teach our kids about money.  I would love to say that we have an awesome system and our kids are so responsible about tithing, saving and spending, but the Bible says the truth shall set you free.  So for the sake of freedom, this is not reality.

Fortunately, for all our "opportunities for growth" in this area of parenting, I believe we have done some things right.  My husband felt very strongly that our children not get an allowance.  They have to earn their money.  They have many opportunities to earn money around the house and at some of the businesses my husband has.  We also pay them to read (we got the idea from John Maxwell), a penny a page for easy math.  My oldest daughter is a voracious reader and got some pretty good paychecks over the summer with this one.  They do not get credit for required reading at school, though.  We have also let them decide where to invest some money in the stock market.  My husband was given stock as he grew up and always loved getting dividend checks, even if they were for $0.32!  They all have stock in Disney and some other companies that kids would love.

One of the other things we have done is my children are responsible for their own cell phone.  Too many kids get put on mom and dad's plan and run up crazy bills or break their phone so they can get a new one.  My kids saved up to get a Tracfone and then were responsible for buying their minutes.  Keeps the texting and phone calls from being excessive when they get low on minutes.

We have had the charts, clear money jars, goal posters and such over the years.  Mostly we include them in some discussions on money and give them opportunities to choose how they want to spend their money.  We give them a set amount of spending money on vacation and they are responsible for any souveniers, gifts, or treats they want.  One time our son got angry, slammed a door and broke the glass.  He learned how much it cost to replace and took quite awhile to pay it off in installments.

We have tried to teach our kids how much things cost and how much work is involved in earning that money.  The money tree in the backyard still has not sprouted $100 bills.  Drat!

Hope some of these ideas help and check out more resources for even better information.
Have a blessed day!

Fall recipe

We were asked today to talk about our favorite fall recipe.  With the cooler days, school, sports, dance and other activities I turn to my crock pot, soups and leftovers.  I have a "Fix-it and Forget-it Diabetic Cookbook" that stays on top of the microwave and I pick out 1 or 2 recipes a week to try and mark if we like them.  I also have crock pot liners in the pantry now.  (My children love them!  They did not like hand washing the crock pot. and that is an understatement.)

With all the raving about my crock pot, though, I think one of my favorite fall/winter recipes is our Roast Turkey Soup.  My kids look forward to leftover turkey because of this soup.  It is a little bit of work with all the chopping, but well worth it.

1 box wild rice (6 oz)
1 Tblsp oil
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 large onion (chopped)
1 large carrot (chopped)
1 large celery (chopped)
1 cup mushrooms (sliced)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp tarragon
1/2 tsp thyme
2 cans chicken stock (15 oz each)
2 cups water
1 can evaporated milk (12 oz)
3 cups leftover turkey

Prepare rice according to box directions.  Set aside.
Heat oil in large stock pot.  Saute garlic and onion 3 minutes.  Add vegetables.  Stir fry 5 minutes, then add flour and spices.  Cook 1 minute.
Add liquids and bring to boil.  Reduce heat, simmer 20 minutes.
Add rice and turkey to serve.

Enjoy!

Some cheese to go with the Whine

God sure does like to drive a point home hard sometimes.  I read several devotions on obedience and felt like I needed to work on not complaining.  Apparently praying for help in not complaining is like praying for patience.  Don't ever resolve to reduce complaining on a day you have to go to the doctor. After going from one doctor to the next to the next for an entire afternoon, just to get a simple problem started on the path of being taken care of, you get lots of opportunities to be irritated and frustrated.  I told the receptionist at one office I thought about using a rubberband on my wrist to snap when I complained, but that would probably give me a bruise and something else to complain about!  My praise is that I was nice to all the people I dealt with and never completely lost my sense of humor during the test.
The next day I was feeling stressed over getting things done and putting things in my file cabinet that is so full it has no room for a single piece of paper (yet another thing on my to do list!) and dear hubby has something to tell me, "because he loves me and wants to help me be better"  (ever heard that one before?  Make sure you take a deep breath before they speak.)  He felt I had been complaining about some small things instead of being grateful for the nice things he had done.  GRRR.
This morning, the devotion says "Do not quench the Holy Spirit by complaining."  OK OK, Uncle!
Now, do I go for a nice Havarti with dill or maybe some baked Brie?

Lessons from Bad Girls

Just finished a book called "Bad Girls of the Bible" by Liz Curtis Higgs.  I knew about Liz as a Christian speaker and comedian, but I had never read one of her books.  I enjoyed it.
I will admit I basically consider myself a "good girl" most of the time.  Yeah, I mess up and have never claimed to be perfect, but by the world's standards, I'm pretty good.  Then you read about Jezebel, the ultimate Bad to the Bone Bad Girl, Lot's wife, Eve and more and the lessons learned and questions at the end of the chapter struck much closer to home than I wanted.  I wanted to read about all these bad girls and feel good about myself.  But God would not let me revel in self rightousness.  He reminded me that we all sin and we all need a Savior.  I am special, but not exempt.  How often do I allow discontent, selfishness, doubt, blame, and disobedience to seep into my life?  More often than I would like.
There have been times when I wish I had one of those stories with a big, dramatic transformation when I came to Jesus and turned my life around.  But I don't really want to go through what people had to go through to have that story, so I am grateful for that.  Then I realized one time, that most people don't have the made for tv story and that my everyday struggles and variety of crisis can be just as powerful a story.  God is there in the big tragedies and also in the dirty diaper, carpool moments of life.  That what makes Him such an awesome God.
I still wonder what sort of an impact I have or will have on the world around me, but more and more God is showing me that I need to focus on Him and Him alone.  So whether I am being a Good Girl or a Bad Girl at any given moment, what I want most is to be God's Girl.

Favorite Summer Recipe

I don't know about you, but different seasons lend themselves to different types of food.  For my family, Thanksgiving and Christmas are not the same without turkey, stuffing, broccoli casserole and pumpkin pie.  Winter is good for all kinds of soups.  My crock pot gets a real workout then.  Summer is good for grilling out, corn on the cob, tomato sandwiches and my favorite...

Curried Cranberry Chicken Salad
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp lime juice
3/4 tsp curry powder
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken**
1 medium apple, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
3/4 cup craisins
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 Tblsp thinly sliced green onion

Combine mayo, lime juice and curry powder in a large mixing bowl. Stir in remaining ingredints.  Cover and chill.  Best prepared and served within 8 hours*. Makes 5 cups.
*To make a day ahead, stir dried cranberries, pecans and green onions into the salad mixture up to  8 hours before serving.
**I make it real easy on myself and keep short cuts chicken on hand in the freezer when they go on sale or in the fridge.

Enjoy!  And let the summer fun roll!

Fun Saturday...not

My husband went out of town for a long weekend and I had the kids by myself.  I don't begrudge my husband this trip.  I usually travel more than he does and he really enjoys this trip.  It is good for him. 

Things were going along fine, other than missing him, and I decided I would take the kids out to the barn on Saturday.  I am thinking he will be so happy to have the fields mowed and I will be happy to have the tack cleaned.  We have done these things before and should have no problems.  We get out there and realize the tractor does not have the bush hog on it, so Gabrielle cannot take care of the back field.  Graham, my son, can still use the mower to take care of barn area and smaller field, so we go to Plan B and decide to get rid of the manure pile.  Then the tractor will not start at all.  My daughter checks, re-checks, tries again.  Not happening.  So we decide to shovel by hand and with 3 of us working, it shouldn't be so bad, Plan C.  Things go along relatively smoothly and I am thinking, this is good.  We are getting some stuff done and won't my husband be impressed that we did this by ourselves.

Right about now, those of you with any intuition are thinking... uh-ohh, something is about to go wrong, and you are right.  Ever read the Proverb that says "pride goeth before the fall"?  We are about to wrap up and get ready to leave, when I notice my son walking up from the back field.  Did I mention that I had the whole day planned out with barn in the morning, time for lunch, Grace's ballet practice in the afterrnoon, time for a shower, a wedding reception early evening and a school benefit show that night?

My son, with all the wisdom of a 13 year old boy, decided not to mow the small back field, but the swampy trail back in the woods.  (The one where he has gotten the ATV and Go-Kart stuck on multiple occasions.)  The mower is stuck in deep mud.  We try the wench on the ATV (after I drive back to check things out in the mini-van and the little dog breaks her collar and chases me), not working.  I leave Gabrielle and Graham while I take Grace to ballet, call someone to pick her up, call a friend to help with the mower and get my husband's truck (it has a bigger wench).  Truck is at the dealership getting fixed, can't use it.  The tractor is strong enough... still won't start.  Brother in law with his truck...out of town.  Neighbor has a tractor...he's not back yet.  Friend is there to help, but PT Cruisers are not much good at pulling mowers out of mud in the woods so they are really more moral support at this point.  Finally the neighbor gets back and after 3 hours, multiple failed plans and many prayers of "Please, God, give me a break here!", we get the mower out.

The saga continues.  I am late to the wedding reception, but things are okay, until I noticed 2 missed calls from home.  Not a good sign.  My daughter can't get her music on a CD for the benefit show.  I race out of the reception after stuffing my cake down my throat, drive to the store for an I-tunes card, give my son the code and get home as fast as the speed limit will allow.  I get home to discover my son still doesn't have the music on a CD because that computer hasn't been used for ITunes before and he can't remember the security questions and he has answered them wrong so many times, he locked out of his account.  I call a friend who has to have her daughter help with passwords, finally we get the music on a CD, I drive across town and get the music to my daughter. (She sang beautifully.)

I could regale you with a much more detailed and animated version of the story, but the long and short of it is no one was hurt and I can celebrate the victory that I did not have a nervous breakdown.  God can grant you the grace to focus on solutions, not problems and hold you together when everything else seems to be falling apart.

The Turtle

There is a box turtle in our yard and apparently my little dog, Gypsy, feels this is a massive threat to her teritory.  From the ferocious barking and intense attacking, one would think evil itself had come to invade our precious kingdom. 
You have to understand, we have 2 dogs, a lab, Godiva and the terrier, Gypsy.  Godiva really could care less about the other critters in our yard.  She only mildly appears interested in a deer if they are close enough to nibble on her fur (they eat just about everything else in my yard so why not the dog?!).  Gypsy however is on a constant vigil to rid the yard of every bird, squirrel, mole, deer, frog, lizard, beetle and especially turtles.  One would think this is an exhausting job, but Gypsy has the energy for it.  The first time I heard her battling a turtle, I was very alarmed.  All this vicious growling and barking, lunging and digging must mean she found a monstrous creature.  My first thought was a snake, since dinosaurs are extinct and komodo dragons are not indiginous to Virginia.  Imagine my relief and humor at discovering it was a box turtle, shut tight in it's shell under a bush.  She found a turtle the other day while I was working in the yard, and it had the nerve to stay around to be discovered again today.  After recognizing the familar battle cries I told her to leave it alone and shooed her away to terrorize another section of the yard.
Then it occured to me - how many times do I do similar things in my life?  I worry and fret over small insignificant things or I explode over a simple mistake?  Granted, that mole hill really did look like Mount Everest at the time with no sleep, junk food and hormones raging.  And turtles can do some real damage, just look at a large snapping turtle.  But sometimes I need to take a step back and see if my response is truly warranted.  I probably do look like my dog, Gypsy, at times.  God probably grins, shakes His head and says to leave that turtle alone and focus on something more important.

Be bolder...maybe

I have been challenged of late through several book, devotions and Bible studies to take my walk with Jesus to another level.  I am content with "lifestyle evangelism" and I love the poster on the wall of a church that says something to the effect of  "Go and preach the gospel everywhere, when necessary use words."  I am not comfortable with preaching at people, unless I am the teacher at that moment. 

I believe God calls us all to a unique purpose and gives us the gifts and talents to accomplish that purpose.  Fortunately, I have no gift or desire to be a sidewalk preacher.  But how do I step out of my comfort zone and become bolder for Jesus, without becoming judgemental or obnoxious?  I have said I want to be so full of God's Spirit that I cannot help but splash on to other people around me.  But what if they don't want to get wet?  I want to be the refreshing sprinkle on a hot day when you want to cool off or the light that helps you see better.  Not the wet blanket on a dreary day or a blinding beam of light that hurts your eyes.  I want to teach my children that Jesus loves them and He died so they can have a relationship with Him, not a religion.  I also want to teach them that going to church and being in a Christian community is importantl.  Rituals and tradition can bring profound comfort and significance to worship, as long as they do not become the focus themselves.  I want to go to heaven, and I want to take some people with me.

So how do you balance being bolder and wanting more of God's presence in your life without scaring people off or offending them?  Unfortunately, in some cases, it is going to happen no matter what.  I think the key lies in wisdom and obedience.  God promises to give wisdom to those who ask and wisdom is not just book smarts.  Wisdom is common sense and discernment.  It is knowing not only what to say, but when to say it, how and sometimes who.  Sometimes we are not the best messangers, which can be extra tough in families.  Then there is the obedience thing.  I admit that I have been educated way beyond my level of obedience.  There are many times when I feel God's urging, but it is not convenient, comfortable or I just flat out do not want to do it.  I am trying to listen and act more often than I ignore and sit still.  So if God wants me to step out, I need to listen to what He wants me to do.  Not what someone else thinks I should do or what God wants someone else to do.  I need to do what I am asked to do, when I am asked to do it.  Whether that be to speak up or step back. 

Waiting out the Storm

I am currently in a Bible study on Genesis and we are on Noah and the flood.  I think it is so easy at times to become so familiar with stories like Noah and the Ark that we gloss over what it may have really been like.  We think of Noah and his family happily working together to build the ark, the animals show up, they all go in the ark to hang out while it rained (a steady, dreary rain maybe) for 40 days and 40 nights, they floated on calm water for a bit, then the water goes away, they come out and all is well again, without all the bad people to deal with.  We don't realize Noah spent over a year to build the ark while friends and neighbors probably ridiculed him mercilessly.  It had never rained before so no one, not even Noah, had any concept of water coming from the sky, storms or floods.  When the rain came, it was probably more like a hurricane with torrential rains, coupled with volcanic eruptions and massive tsunamis.  This was a storm of such immense proportion, it literally wiped out the entire world.  Not just a small forest and a little village of a few hundred people, an incredible civilization that some scholars estimate could have easily been over 1 million (given length of life and potential birth rates).  Even if you don't believe that to be the case, the destruction from the tsunamis in Indonesia and Japan is only a small picture of what it could have been like and they are still recovering years later.

I could go on about the debris and potential clean up, but I want to talk about the time also.  The storm lasted 40 days/nights, but they were on the ark for over a year, before they walked out onto dry land.  We know the story had a happy ending, but God didn't tell Noah it would all be over in one year so they could count down on a calendar.  All Noah could do was wait out the storm and then wait for the water to recede.  Trust God and wait.  And wait.  They had plenty to do, taking care of the animals, but I'm sure Noah wondered a few times if they were ever going to get off of the ark.

How many times in life are we in a stormy season, with seemingly no end in sight?  I know too many people going through difficult times and want so badly to see everything work out well right now.  I have been through times myself where it seems like God has forgotten me, or things don't seem to be working out so well.  That's when I have to remind myself that God does love me and there is a rainbow at the end of the storm.  Things may be very different, but God is still with me to provide a fresh start and a wonderful life (I'll leave that for Christmas-time!).

To anyone going through a storm, big or small, my prayers are with you and the rainbow is going to be beautiful.

Being Real

I've been thinking a lot lately about what is means to be real or authentic.  I listened to a CD from a Hearts at Home conference about being real in our marriage.  I read about being real in our faith in a book (Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman, great book!).  It seems like everywhere I look I hear or see or read something about being real.  What does being "real" and authentic really look like?  And how much real do we really need to share?

I believe we are called to be real and authentic in our lives and relationships.  Which, to me, means being honest with yourself and others, allowing yourself to be vulnerable at times and not just put on the "I'm fine!" mask.  But I also believe we need to exercise wisdom and discernment.  Being real doesn't mean we have to share our family history with the grocery clerk or share all the juicy, potentially gory, details with our girlfriends.  We can be positive and encouraging, without promising that everything will work out great, because sometimes life is hard and unfair.  Fortunately we have a God that loves us and will always be there to walk by our side and give us hope.  It does not mean denying there is a problem or ignoring that you would really like to claw someone's eyeballs out, but keeping things in perspective and exercising self-control.  It does not mean never getting angry at God, it's not like He doesn't already know, but talking to Him and working it out.  I tell people, if God can't handle my getting angry sometimes when yucky things happen or I'm hurt, then He would be kind of wimpy and my God's no wimp! 

I believe being real is being able to respond to someone honestly in a sincere and genuine way.  I know when I'm "faking it"  or when I'm not being honest.  Granted there are times when "fake it til you make it" comes in handy and rather appropriate, that is where the wisdom comes in and I will know in my gut that that is the right thing to do in that situation.

It's where, what you say and what you believe and what you do all seem to match up consistently, no matter where you are.  And that is a beautiful thing!  I have not mastered this, but with God's help I'm getting better and better every day.

America's Funniest Videos

I am enjoying a nice relaxing day off from school with the kids.  It snowed a little bit, actually it tried, but didn't succeed much and is already gone. 
We are entertaining ourselves by watching America's Funniest Home Vidoes.  Some of them are really funny, but I have found that the one's where people get hurt are not funny to me.  We may giggle nervously, but mostly just groan or wince.  My favorites are animals doing silly things and little kids. 
I believe a sense of humor is very important and often vital to getting through life with any kind of sanity.  And laughter has lots of health benefits.  I agreed when someone said we need to learn to laugh at ourselves because we are the funniest things out there and we will never run out of things to laugh at then, too.  I know there are situations that do not appear funny at the moment, but you can laugh about them later.  (There was a snowmobile trip that resembles that remark and a sledgehammer incident as well. Fortunately, no one was permanently injured.)  I also love a good practical joke and my Dad's family has a whole catalog of stories.  My personal best was stitching all my boyfriend's clothes together while he was visiting at my parent's house.  He was still finding things 6 months later, but it must not have been too traumatic, because we have been married over 19 years now.  My favorite story of his was when he moved a guy's car around campus and had him convinced it was the football team doing it.
But how often do we laugh and allow ourselves to be entertained at others expense.  I have had more than one coversation with my kids about you can tease and joke around with someone, but when they are not laughing it isn't funny to them and it has crossed the line.  I have a very sarcastic tongue at times and have to be very careful that my teasing or joking doesn't cut too deep.
Our words have far more power than we could ever imagine.  They say "sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me".  They obviously have never had anything cruel or mean said to them.  My son has had several broken bones and they healed after a few weeks in a cast.  I, however, still have wounds on my heart from things that were said to me several years ago.  There are insecurities that I deal with where a seemingly harmless remark can cut deep.
As Christians, we are called to build each other up.  So be careful what you say and do.  Enjoy life and laugh with your family and friends often.  Just make sure you are making a memory and not picking a scab.
And if you happen to have the video camera available when your husband is hanging out of the kitchen cabinet, trying to rescue a trapped hamster underneath with a reciprocating saw, go for it.  I still think we could have won something if I had gotten the camcorder out and working that night!