On Faith

April 11, 2017

"By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, 'Through Isaac shall your offspring be had.' He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking he did receive him back."
Hebrews 11: 17 & 18

Faith is a word that carries a lot of meaning in the mind of the Christian. It is by faith that we became Christians. It is by faith that we attempt to live. It is something that we admire in one another and esteem pretty highly as far as virtues go.

We know people who pray about everything from parking places and food to the church around the world and concerns in the lives of people that they know. We know people whose every word of advice comes straight from Scripture. We know people whose very countenance is like a breath of fresh air. We know them and we long to be like them.

Last week, I had three different conversations about faith. As it usually goes when a theme shows up, I didn't go looking for it. Three different people brought faith up and had specific things to say about it. I listened and smiled and tucked the conversations away. Abraham came up multiple times, so I went digging for his story. We've heard it so many times and encouraged one another with it, but it was time for me to go back to look it over with fresh eyes.

Abraham's life illustrates the hand of God in the lives of His people. God tells His people to have faith and then He shows them how. He tests that faith and, if I'm honest, I don't know exactly what that testing looks like or how to recognize it. I only know that I know faith when I see it and that faith in the face of real life is absolutely beautiful.

Abraham believed. His faith prepared him to obey. Time and time again, he didn't know how it was going to work out, he only knew that it would. And that's what we need. We need to be patient. We need to believe. God will make a way, even when there doesn't seem to be any way. What is meant to be, will be.

There's more to this theme and we'll come back to it another day. For now, I just wanted to get some words on faith down. I don't know what you're going through or what you're waiting on. I don't know what God is calling you to bear or to enjoy. But, I know this: God means for His people to be men and women whose lives are marked by faith.

He may keep you waiting. He may call you to endure more than you think you can. Faith is about looking to God no matter what. It leads to obedience and peace and joy. Circumstances can really mix us up, but remembering that they are all in His hands means that we can face them with our chins up and shoulders straight. What is meant to be, will be.

May we have the faith that looks to God and to the day at hand with confidence in His good plan. May this faith stir up the kind of obedience that delights in God even when that seems hard or impossible. May our waiting and enduring and enjoying and obeying make it possible for those around us to say of us, "By faith ______, when ______, ______." It's been said of many before us and will be said of many after us. God is seeing to it. Remember that.

Whose faith do you admire? 

For Your Joy

A few weeks ago, Alicia announced that she was going to be teaching a course to help people get through winter with JOY. Winter is definitely not my favorite season, so this whole idea really appealed to me. In fact, I think most of us would be in agreement on the issue that it is a TOUGH season.

The class is called "Matchless Winter". It's nine weeks long and includes one email every Monday that is LOADED with material. You can learn more about exactly what is included by clicking HERE.

Now...Alicia has no idea I'm writing this post. The thing is, I am REALLY excited about her course. This week's email contained a sentence that provides a great summary of what you can expect should you decide to sign up. She wrote, " Let's flip our 'endure' attitudes on their heads and enjoy this season."

There really is soooo much about winter that is unique. As I've said before, each season contains ways that enable us to glorify God, it's just a matter of figuring out what they are and making the most of them. I can't think of anyone better to follow along behind on this journey of unwrapping the gift that winter is to us.

Week three begins Monday, so there's still plenty of time to sign up and make this winter one to remember.

When 25 Is One Month Away

When I was growing up I was always thinking about what it would take to make the best of my future. After becoming a Christian, I started seeking God's will for my life. I remember being in high school and honestly telling people that what I wanted to do with my life was whatever God had for me to do. This wasn't a cop out. I had allll kinds of plans and even more short and long term goals to make them happen. I was so diligent (and proud) that I knew I needed to step back and seek God. 

Somewhere in my early 20's, my high school self found herself LOST. I was listening to God and seeking Him, but I also began to think about what would make me happy in the long run. I began to realize that I could move anywhere and do anything. That freedom really appealed to me. It is so easy to get caught up in possibilities and to let those possibilities trick your soul into forgetting to ask God what He might have in store. 

I'm going to be 25 in exactly one month. When summer starts coming to a close and my birthday draws near, I always take some time to step back and evaluate things. 

This year, I'm thinking about one thing, namely, how to get my heart back to the place where it's set on pleasing God and trusting that pleasing Him will please me. The first half of my 20's has flown by. They've been full of completely unexpected things. My 15 year old self couldn't have dreamed of where the first half of my 20's would take me. The theme of these last five years has been fighting sin, digging into God, and living by faith (or at least, trying to). Now that I think about it, those three things have been the theme since I was 9 years old and will be the theme until I die. 

The thing is, the first half of my 20's put those three things to the test. 

I faced my pride head on and learned that it's something I really have to guard against. I dealt am dealing with a major family conflict that has shown me how ugly I get when someone shows me I can't trust them. I faced depression. BIG time. 

I recovered from that bout of depression ONLY by pouring over God's Word, clinging to Him in prayer, and with the support of other Christians. I read through the entire Bible. I learned how to really study the Bible with help from this book. I continued journaling, even when it hurt to do so.

I didn't finish college, but worked really hard at it (I'm still going to finish, by the way). I've lived in five homes on two coasts. I found myself being served by a family while I did student teaching, doing life with my family, working at a Christian retreat center, helping an older woman recover and make it through a rough winter, and helping my best friend welcome her new baby into the world. 

For the first time in my life, I've slowly settled into a place where I really don't have a long term plan for myself. I only have two things I'm really working on: being a faithful Christian and a better writer. Other than that, I don't have a clue. 

I find myself remembering what my high school self said about doing whatever it was God had for me to do and asking my nearly 25 year old self if this is really it. It doesn't seem right. It doesn't seem like enough. It doesn't seem wise. It seems like I'm coasting and heading nowhere. It seems like my 30 year old self, and more likely, my 65 year old self will look back and give my 25 year old self a good whack and ask her what in the world she was thinking (and doing). 

25 is one month away and I'm battling the temptation to make my life about what I think will make me happy by reminding myself that following God is the only thing that will. 

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

Strangely Happy

The First Rose // May 19, 2015

Over the last eight years or so, Memorial Day weekend has become an important transitioning point.  The garden is planted. The grill has been pulled out. The trips to the ranch have begun. The sun is bright and the skies are blue. If you ask me, summer is officially here!

I just came in from sitting on the patio where I heard the roofers working on Alice's house. The sound of the nail gun made me strangely happy. So many things have been making me feel this way lately. I don't want to forget the sense of knowing and being known that living in a small town offers. 

I ran to the grocery store for milk and asparagus the other day. I shared a brief conversation with Ed as he was replenishing the news papers. I reminded Melissa that we all forget something and have to go back through the line every now and then. I listened as Morgan (the new checker) told me about the new video games that she got last weekend. It was all so familiar and I couldn't help but smile as I left. 

This morning I ran into Jordan's Grandpa at the gas station and we chatted even though I'm pretty sure he probably doesn't remember me from all those years ago. I found myself hoping that he did, but not really expecting him to. 

There are so many people on this planet. I love the ways that our lives intersect. As we all focus on doing our own thing, it's amazing how much we all have in common. Another summer is here. Let's enjoy enjoying it together! 

What's been making you strangely happy lately? 

On Palm Sunday

It's Palm Sunday, but I didn't wake up with that on my mind. I found out while I was scrolling through Facebook. I knew it was coming, I just forgot that it was THIS Sunday. I don't go to church, in fact, I haven't gone regularly in nearly four years. I'm ashamed to admit that, but it's the way things are.

It's Palm Sunday and I don't have a large group of Christians to celebrate with. I won't be waving a palm leaf. I won't be singing any favorite hymns. I'm missing out on one of the happiest times of the year that Christians get to take part in. To say that I "miss" being part of a body of believers would be a complete understatement. I long for a church the way that most of my single friends long for marriage.

I long for the day when I live in a community that has at least a small body of strong believers who gather together to hear God's Word and who labor together to live by that Word throughout the rest of the week. I've experienced friendships with people whose Christianity is genuine. Being with them means hearing truth and sharing truth and enjoying God together. It can't be helped. It comes naturally and it doesn't ever stop.

For now, God has me in a place where these people are few and far between. The churches distort God's Word either blatantly or by the conduct they allow among their members. The Gospel is not good news here. God said it would be like that. For whatever reason, I'm still here. This same place where I've grown in God is the place where being a Christian produced an especially deep hope in Him.

Praise God for your churches. Praise God for men who are faithful to His Word. Praise God for the brothers and sisters in Christ who are eager to share this season of celebration with you! Above all, praise God for making Himself known by way of the long awaited Messiah! Though it is difficult at times, praise God for the trials you face, for they are building you up in Him.

It's Palm Sunday and I'm longing for heaven. And you know, I'm confident that that's exactly what Jesus Christ intended!

I believe that it is essential 

for Christians to be a part of a body of believers! 

Feel free to e-mail me and we can chat about your concerns. 

While My Hands Are Covered In Dirt

April 30, 2014

Over the last few weeks, it hasn't really felt like February. We've had blue skies, beautiful sunsets, and temperatures that reached 70. It may be February, but the first weeds are here. The first weeds that pop up bring me great joy only because they remind me that it won't be long before I'll be back in the dirt once again.

I found myself working in the yard yesterday. I grabbed a bucket and a pair of scissors. I collected leaves that had blown in over the winter and trimmed back a few things that I didn't get trimmed before the cold set in. This is by far my favorite part of gardening. I love preparing the ground for the gardening season to come and beginning to research and plan out the year's gardens.

I started in my mint patch. Four years ago my friend Heidi gave me a cutting from her mint and told me how to get it going. I put it in the ground and was delighted when it came back the next spring. I love that mint. It came from one of my best friends, it practically grows itself, and it's always one of the first things to green up each spring.

Well, last fall I didn't get it cut back and the black tangle has been taunting me all winter. Yesterday was the day to put an end to all of that. As I was working, I realized that I smelled something...Mint! There I was cutting back and ripping apart mint that couldn't possibly be any deader and yet I smelled the fragrance just as if it was the middle of summer. As I always do, I got to thinking...

I want to be like that mint.

When things are a tangled mess of death and dying, I want to have the same "fragrance" about me that I have when it's a mid-summer day. I want to shock myself and those around me with refreshment, especially when that is the last thing on any of our minds. I want to come out of winter bursting with life, before winter is ever even over.

By the grace of God, that's actually exactly what I'm called to be.

I am the tangled mess and yet He has put new life in me. This life spills out and onto those around me as I walk in communion with Him. I "smell" like joy and peace and His glory is made known. Of course, this isn't always the case...I have a way of delighting in the tangled mess. But, the fact is, the joy and peace remain and the glory won't be hidden forever. 

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. " 1 Peter 1:9

It may be February and winter weather may return, but I've been in my garden and God's already started teaching me things while my hands are covered in dirt.  What's He teaching you?

ps - It's time for another round of Ask & Answer on Friday. 

If you have any questions, ask away! 

All Kinds of Plans

August 1, 2014

I'm sitting by the fire with a hazelnut mocha that Wendy made me, hitting the pause button on life for just a minute. This week has left me kind of a mess and it's only Wednesday!

*

Sunday was my brother's 22nd birthday. This is the 5th birthday of his that I have not been able to spend with him. Sure, there is skype and that's all well and good, but it's just not getting any easier. I miss him.

Over the last week or so I was chipping away at Madeleine L'Engle's "The Small Rain". It was her first novel and I had ZERO expectations. In fact, I assumed that I would probably hate it. I didn't. I decided to take however much time it took to finish it on Monday morning.  I never do that and it made for a lovely morning! Monday also included lots of cleaning and laundry and a walk on what we expect to be the last "fall" day of the year.

Then there was yesterday. I headed to my friend Heidi's house for the day. We made soap and sunscreen and I helped her daughter make a necklace and kept her son out of trouble. We visited with Ruth and then Dennis and Darlene too for a bit before I had to head back home. As I sat down on the couch last night I was so glad that I set aside that time to spend with all of them!

And today...I finished up the last webcast for a poetry class I've been taking, took a walk to get the van, and then I met up with Joe to run some errands.

*

I had all kinds of plans for my blog this week and now none of it seems important. I might write or I might just take this week off, I haven't decided yet.

There are people around us and the pain and the fights with sin and the aging aren't easy. We shouldn't leave each other to deal with these things alone. I'm so glad that God prepared things for me to do in this life and right now my soul is just overflowing with JOY in Him.

Excuse me while I praise Him and pick up the pieces...I'll be back soon!

The Sea of Waiting (where Victoria finally talks about singleness)

There has been a lot of talk about singleness in the blog world lately. Singleness is a label that will be applied to everyone at some time during their life.

The Church tells us it’s a blessing, something we shouldn’t rush through.

The rest of the world tells us to live it up and do our own thing as long as it makes us happy.

All along the way though, there is an assumption that most likely, at some point, we’ll all grow up and settle down. The general consensus is that singleness is a “season” and one that will eventually come to an end.

I have a lot of girl friends who are single despite a serious desire to have a great guy in their life. These are wonderful, beautiful women that would make great wives and mothers. For whatever reason, they are scattered around the world single as single can be. And they’re doing their best to remain “content”, but it’s HARD.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably fighting that fight today. And if that’s not true of you, you’ve experienced the endless sea of waiting before. I want you to know that I always read your posts, I hear your heart aching for the things that God designed you to do and to be as woman, and I hurt for you.

I have my own words for you today…Words that I hope will shape your prayers and maybe even change the way you wait.

First of all, this might shock you, but I don’t really share your longing. That’s why I usually just listen when you talk. Would I love to be a wife to a godly man and a mother to countless kids? Absolutely! However, as I look out over the sea that is my life, I’m not looking for land or another ship, I’m simply trusting the wind in my sails.

I spent the latter half of my teen years studying Biblical womanhood and family life. I grew very excited about God’s special plans for men and women and families. It’s so beautiful! You know this. That’s why you want to be married. That’s why you want a good guy. That’s why you haven’t “settled”.

Before we go on, I want you to know that this is not another post about contenment.

I’m writing today to remind you that God is faithful and sufficient. I’m writing to remind you that marriage isn’t just marriage. I’m writing to remind you that there’s a lot to learn from this sea of waiting.

During my own time of singleness, I’ve come face to face with the brokeness of this world. At times, I’ve allowed it to overwhelm me into places of depression, fear, and serious anxiety. When the fog of my own finiteness clears, I begin to see the hand of God and the foolishness of human hearts.

I'll say it again. I don't share your longing for marriage.

It’s not that I’m fiercely independent. Or that I hate men. Or that I have career goals. Or that I love being single. Or that I can’t stand children.

It’s not that I’ve mastered the art of contentment or that I think singleness is better than marriage.

It IS that I love God so deeply and that I long for my life to be spent in service to Him . It’s that I want to have a home that serves as a place of redemption and healing in the neighborhood that surrounds it. It’s that I want everything in my life to be in submission to God. It’s that I want to raise children who have parents who are so commited to God and to each other that faith becomes real, because it is real.

It’s that I’ve read the Scriptures and I know that marriage makes me responsible to submit to the man I marry and to raise children in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

Being in a marriage with a man that doesn’t completely share this dedication would be deveastating. Raising children with such a man would send me into such a deep pit that it makes my heart ache just thinking about it.

Have you ever looked up submit in the dictionary? It is definied this way: “to commit to the discretion or decision of another.”

I’m not longing for marriage because I don’t take submission lightly.  If I marry a man, I will submit to him. I don’t want to put myself in a situation where submission is any harder than it has to be. I don’t want to put my children in a position where their father and our home are things they want to escape.

I’m not longing for marriage because my naivety wore off long ago. I realize that by getting married I’m subjecting myself and my children to the discretion and decision of antoher.

I’m going to be bold and say that I need a man who takes submission seriously. I’ll know that he does because he will be a man that has first submitted himself to the discretion and decision of God.

That’s the kind of man that would make me long for marriage...Until then, my empty ring finger is a constant source of great joy. (Just ask my Mom.) 

I'm not longing for marriage because such men are hard to come by. Remaining unmarried is far better than finding myself married to a man that is not all of these things.  

That said, I’ve learned a lot from the sea of waiting, namely, that it really isn’t so bad after all.

I believe that singleness ins’t mainly about contentment, but rather, wisdom. Wisdom tells us to set our hope in God and to share that hope with everyone around us.

Someday you may find yourself married to a godly man. You may find yourself with a house full of children. I'll thank God with you when that day comes!

 Earlier I said that this wasn’t a post about contentment. Now, I’ll say that it IS a post about warning.

Don’t waste the sea of waiting.

Do set your hope in God and seek His wisdom.

Don’t long so hard for companionship that you make foolish decisions and spend the rest of your life paying for them. You won’t pay for them alone.

Let your longing for companionship take you to the One who is your most faithful Companion for all of eternity.

Lastly, if a godly man pursues you, join him in making God famous.  But first, make sure he’s actually walking with God. Your children will thank you.

Let’s be women who fear the Lord and live like it, whatever station we find ourselves in! 

I’d love to chat with you, 

especially on the days when 

the struggle is at its worst,

 so e-mail me anytime! 

ps - Please know that I am not saying that you are wrong to long for marriage. I am not inferring that you are not longing for marriage to the type of man that I have described. I'm just telling you what singleness and the wrecked marriages around me have taught me! :) 

Just Passing Through

October 14, 2014

Today I bring you the final installment in my Contemplating Heaven series!

This series started off with an honest post written by my anxious little heart. Then we turned our attention to the joy God has set before us. And last week I tried to communicate why we need to contemplate heaven.

I think we're ready to take some time for a little HOW TO.

How to set yourself up to contemplate heaven:

*Read God's Word - This is water for your soul. It will be your biggest help in living the Christian life. You need to stay in it.

*Commune with God's people - This communion takes place through real life conversations, sermons, books, music, and  even blog posts. You need to have a chorus of voices around you reminding you of who you are as a Christian and that your hope is in God.

* Preach the glories of heaven to yourself - Use Scripture that you have memorized or are memorizing to continually bring you back around to the truth. Your mind is one of your biggest enemies and it needs all the help it can get to stay on track.

Those three things are key and with them come praying and serving and obeying, all the while remembering that heaven is our home. As Sam Storms wrote on p. 170 of his book "One Thing",

"Heaven is characterized by the [eternal] increase of joy [in God]." 

Let that sink in! Can you even imagine ANYTHING greater?

You might find it helpful to put together a list of things about heaven! Here's the list that I put together.

In heaven:

- We will be with and see God.

- Seeing God, we will be enamored with Him and His grace and His holiness and His kindness and everything about Him...Our joy in Him will be filling up and spilling over.

- We will be satisfied and yet always increasing in grace and knowledge and joy and holiness.

- We will hear the sound of perfected souls singing His praises.

- This joy in God and union with Him will go on an on for all of eternity and it will never grow old.


If you're like me, you have a serious tendency to focus on the here and now. It makes you anxious and afraid and downright sinful. Being reminded that my soul needs to set itself up to hope in God and more specifically, the promise of eternity with Him has really helped.

Taking the time to consider why I should contemplate heaven and then how to even begin going about it has been crucial. I hope that you have found this series both helpful and inspiring.

This earth is quite the place. The good news is, we're just passing through!

Contemplating Heaven Series:

pt. 1 The Problem

pt. 2 The Remedy

pt. 3  Why 

pt. 4 How 

The Joy Made Clear

October 12, 2014

I'll admit, the idea of purposefully contemplating heaven was a brand new thing to me until August 2014. I've never been very interested in studying heaven. I have been content to know that it is the place that God dwells and because of Jesus Christ's blood poured out for my sins, I will go there. Then I read a little blue book by Sam Storms and chapter 9 made me stop in my tracks.

Storms argued that "the consistent witness of Scripture is that we should make heaven and its beauty the object of our contemplating energy, not for the purpose of fueling theological speculation but to equip us for life here and now."

Such Scriptures as 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Colossians 3:1-4, and 1 Peter 1: 3-9 come to mind.

Jesus Christ died and rose again so that when we die, we can be raised into the presence of God forever. He gave us the Holy Spirit so that we can get ready for life in heaven.

There is a lot here on this earth to enjoy and it is all meant to turn our attention to the one who granted it to us, namely God Himself. 

Storms also shared these words, "To whatever degree we relish and rejoice in the beauty of God now, it is but a faint foretaste of the eternal feast we will enjoy in heaven in the age to come..."

"Our only hope for satisfaction of soul and joy of heart in this life comes from looking intently at what we can't see. Therefore, we must take steps to cultivate and intensify in our souls an ache for the beauty of the age to come." 

Christian, this is why you must be about the business of contemplating heaven. Until we begin to eagerly anticipate being with God forever and being comforted and satisfied and kept by Him now, we will find ourselves far too attached and bedazzled by the good things on this earth. A quiet Sunday will be devastating to us when really, it shouldn't.

"The essence of heaven is the vision of God and the eternal increase of joy in Him. Heaven might well be summed up in the declaration: 'They will see His face' (Rev. 22:4)!" Storms gave these five "immediate and practical implications of the soul's intense longing for it [heaven]."

1. A contemplative focus on the beauty of heaven frees us from excessive dependence upon earthly wealth and comfort. 

2. A contemplative focus on heaven enables us to respond appropriately to the injustices of this life. 

3. A contemplative focus on heaven produces the fruit of endurance and perseverance now.

4. Nothing exerts such purifying power on the heart as the contemplative focus on heaven. 

5.Concentrating on the glory of heaven teaches us about the essence of true religion, namely, the holy affections with which we will find ourselves captivated by God in heaven. 

Christian, the joy awaiting you in heaven is clear. Jesus Christ's sacrifice made it yours. Be convinced of the power of looking forward to it! 

Catch these posts if you missed them:

pt. 1 When a Quiet Sunday Doesn't Help

 pt. 2 They Will See His Face 

They Will See His Face

September 5, 2010

I enjoy chocolate, good literature, candles, holidays, and games, but what I enjoy most on this earth are the people that God has filled it with. And as much as I love them and dream of a day when we will all be together in one place, there's something even better for me to look forward to, namely, heaven.

I look forward to heaven not because of the people that will be there with me, but because, it is in heaven when I will be in the perfect presence of God with the ability to see and savor Him forever.

When a quiet Sunday hits, I need to have a week full of busy Mondays spent contemplating heaven to look back on. When a quiet Sunday hits, my soul needs to have been dwelling on the time when I will be in the presence of God forever. That is my reward and the essence of every hunger in my heart.

As Jonathan Edwards put it:

 "Labor to get a sense of the vanity of this world...

Labor to be much acquainted with heaven."

Times haven't changed. Our souls need to be continually about the work of being glad that the vanity of this life thrusts us into the eager anticipation of the inheritance that God is keeping for us in heaven.

Christian, live each day knowing that you will see His face. Remember that His very presence is so much more than anything you've ever longed for.  Spend all of the days, especially the best ones, contemplating heaven and eagerly anticipating being there. THAT helps when a quiet Sunday doesn't.

His Smile

September 14, 2014

They had been in the office for quite a while. She sat at the old coffee table with her purse resting against the leg beside her while she carefully and methodically folded the edges one way and then the other before tearing them off of the printer paper. She knew that this job belonged to her as long as she wanted it. She was glad to be in here with him. Every now and then she would stop what she was doing just to look up at him. She could only see the side of his face because he was looking at his computer screen. He had a look of concentration and he seemed to be pushing the same button over and over again. The machine was big and she didn't have a clue as to what he was doing. She just loved being with him.

All of a sudden, he turned toward her with his hands on his knees and asked if she had finished her work. He announced that it was time for another job. They closed the door on the office and headed down the hall. He stopped at the closet and she waited beside him to see what he would pull out this time. Excitement washed over her when he turned around with a single white paper plate. He didn't have to tell her what it was for. She knew.

They headed down the stairs and stopped by the front door to lace up their shoes before going outside. She ran ahead of him to the small grove of trees that she thought of as "her" forest. They chose the best leaves and acorns and even a few of the spiney balls that always fascinated her. She continued searching and he puttered around the yard. She didn't mind that he had left her to choose the rest of the pieces by herself. She would look for something really pretty to surprise him.

When she was finished, she used both hands to carry her treasures over to the front porch where he had settled into a lawn chair. He helped her up into his lap and they looked at each one. With the patience of an old man who recognized the wonder of youth, he listened as she talked about why she chose the pieces that she had in her hands. This was her favorite part.

Later they would head into the house and he would help her get started with the process of attaching them to the plate with Elmer's glue. They would sit at the table and he would read the paper while he waited for her to finish. When the glue was dry enough, he would take the nature plate and hang it with the others in the office on the closet door. They would stand and admire the plates and talk about what made each one special.

She would look up at him and he would look down at her and the smile on his face would stay with her forever. She would never forget the way that smile made her feel. He smiled more with his eyes than any other part of his face. It communicated deep joy and pride and safety. His smile held so many words and she heard every one of them...

But right now they were sitting on the porch having a conversation that didn't have to end. She knew these moments were special, but it wasn't until many years later that she really understood why.

* * *

Although this piece may read like fiction,  it's true.

It's  my story  and it's about a smile that

I've loved  as long as I can remember.

You can read another one like it HERE.

I am also writing over at The Quiet Place Blog today, so go say hello over THERE! :) 

How to Stop Wasting Your Life

Yesterday at Desiring God, Marshall Segal put up a great post that I just had to share with you here. You can view the content of the original post HERE. Feel free to click around Desiring God - you will find TONS of food for you soul!

Just in case you aren't in the mood to click over to Desiring God right now, I thought I'd share this video from the post right here:

Three Steps to Stop Wasting Your Life from Desiring God on Vimeo.

Living an unwasted life has been a passion of mine ever since I read Piper's book (Don't Waste Your Life) when I was 15. Nearly ten years later, I need all the encouragement that I can get.

Wasting our lives, that is, spending it on ourselves and our glory, is way too easy. The wasted life is one that comes to us naturally.

There is a different life. A better life. A life that leaves us more satisfied and promises eternal joy. That life is the unwasted life, namely, the life lived in the pursuit of God for the glory of God. This life will look like so many things and it will change as the seasons of our life and responsibilities change, but the God centeredness of it never changes.

You've probably highlighted verses like Proverbs 3:5-6. They've probably meant a lot to you. When we take a minute to really think about how these verses can impact our daily life, they came come to mean even more.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Trust God.

Resolve to NOT be self reliant.

Keep turning to God. 

Don't waste your life. You'll be so glad you didn't!

Her Favorite Kind of Forever

July 23, 2014

It was still dark when she woke up. She looked over and found that he was gone, just as she suspected that he would be. She walked out to the couch and curled up there to wait for him.

Time passed and she woke to the sound of the front door opening as he let himself back into the house. She waited while he set down his gear and made his way up the stairs. It was all she could do to keep herself from running to him. As soon as he saw her, his eyes lit up and a smile crossed his face. He knew.

She looked up at him with one simple request, "Can we make some farina, Ghiddu?"

As quietly as they could, they went into the kitchen and started getting everything out. She wrestled the step stool over to the stove while he got out the pot, a wooden spoon, milk, and of course, the farina. She watched as he carefully measured and poured and stirred and then came the moment she was waiting for...

"Okay, watch the clock. The hand will go around two times and then we eat!" He had taught her how to watch the hand and those instructions were her favorite part of their farina making.

As she stood beside him on the stool and watched the hand go around the clock, time stood still. It seemed to take forever for the hand to go around two whole times. Those quiet morning minutes were some of her favorite. In fact, they were her favorite kind of forever...

* * * 

That little story up there is true. It's my story and the story of my favorite kind of forever. My Ghiddu (Arabic for "grandfather") died just after I turned eight. I miss him terribly and I cherish the memories that we made together.

A few weeks ago, my Mom and I were dropping my siblings off at their drama camp which happened to be at a community athletic complex. We saw all kinds of people coming and going. One morning, an old man followed us out. I smiled really big and said hello to him. 

My Mom said, "What was that about??!?! Greeting the creepers now, huh?" 

I laughed and replied, "Umm...He wasn't a creeper! In fact..." And then I realized that he had a racquet. I said, "Didn't you see his racquet? He just finished some racquetball and now he's headed home to fix his grandaughter...." and the sentence was choked out by tears.

A strange old man with a racquetball racquet made me bawl at nine o'clock in the morning just because he walked by. 

My Mom started laughing, "Oh, great. Now she's crying!"

As we're walking through the parking lot and I'm trying to get myself together, I glance over at the pool area. I saw nothing other than another old man. This one was wearing some tiny little speedo shorts. And then you know what I did? True to my Grandma's fashion, with tears running down my face, I busted up laughing. 

A strange old man prancing around in tiny speedo shorts turned my crying into laughter. 

I cried. I laughed. And I cried some more because both my Grandma and my Ghiddu are gone and so many things remind me of them. 

And you know what?

I'm glad. 

When I posted THIS POST, Kiki asked me to tell the story. Thank you, Kiki! :)

It's In A Book

Yesterday I mentioned that I started a book club. I'll tell you more about it after our first meeting! For now, I'd like to tell you about the book that I've been reading - it's "Persuasion" by Jane Austen.

Cliche? Maybe...But, I picked up a copy of the book earlier this summer and I had it on my "to read this fall list". Naturally, it was the first book I suggested. We talked about several books and even though most everyone else in the club had already read it, they consider it to be their favorite  by Austen, so it was chosen as the first book.

Confession - it usually takes me FOREVER to get through a book written by her. It's definitely not her, it's me. I'm way more likely to watch a movie based on her books than ever even attempt to read them. Still, I do have high hopes for myself. This commitment to read the book is clearly the push I needed. 

I've been reading it with a few pieces of paper and a pen close by. Anytime I find an interesting quote or notice something that I think we should discuss at book club, I make a note of it on my papers. 

Tuesday evening while I was waiting on my brother to finish mowing a lawn, I sat in the van reading and these words really taught me something. 

"She could not, however, reach such a degree of certainty as not to be anxious..."

I can't say that I've ever realized that behind every ounce of anxiety is a simple bit (or heap) of uncertainty. 

Is it just me, or is this HUGE?

Obviously, as Christians we have no room or REASON for uncertainty. We have a God that cares for us and makes it very clear in His Word that we have only too much to be COMPLETELY certain about! 

In Him, we have total security.

But, in my sinfulness I look at LIFE and my heart (the wicked thing) says, "Okay, God is good and in Him, I'm set....But, what about LIFE, you know, in this big world, there is so much to be completely uncertain about, what am I to do with THAT?" 

And I don't have an answer. I know what I tell myself - be more certain in God and that will take care of your "horizontal" issues. Surely that is the answer! It's just the applying it that is so tough sometimes. 

So, if you're anxious, don't let it CONTROL you. Recognize that the remedy lies in certainty. If you can't be certain about anything else, at least be certain about this:

 When I thought, “My foot slips,”

Your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.

When the cares of my heart are many,

Your consolations cheer my soul.

Psalm 94:18-19

Joy

If you've ever been to my "about me" tab and if you've ever read to the end of what I wrote there, you came across one of my favorite verses. The verse is Philippians 3:10. 

 

"For my determined purpose is that I may know God. 
That I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, 
perceiving,recognizing, and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly. 
That I may be continually transformed in spirit into His likeness..."

 

Years ago that verse was part of the "old school" header I had. When I redesigned my blog, there wasn't a place for it there, but I knew I didn't want it to go away. It may be buried in a tab, but it's a verse that's central to my life. 

I just want to KNOW GOD...And I want my life to be continually TRANSFORMED by that knowing. I want people who know me, to feel like they are closer to be God because they've been near someone who has been close to Him. 

Friday I listened to a sermon by John Piper back from 1984. The sermon was on Philippians 3. As I watered my begonias, I was ecstatic at this thought -

Christian, there is more of Christ to know than you now know.

Really think about that. HOWEVER long you've been a Christian. HOWEVER much you think you know. There is STILL MORE of Christ to know. 

The sermon was about so much more than even that...But that thought really stuck with me.

As we know God, there is ALWAYS more to know. As we keep pursuing Him, He is stirring up that desire in us. As we see and savor and share what we find in Him, there is such JOY. 

We won't pursue perfectly. We won't know perfectly. The joy will sometimes seem completely gone. 

Yet, He is there. 

With that, there's one final thought I'm going to leave with you. I saw this quote and then I took this picture during my Friday morning outside. I decided to put the two together...