It's been a long, long time!

Ok...I have broken the #1 rule of blogging. I have not posted a new blog for so long. That is a no-no. Being a mom of three children, toss in summer vacation, throw in a menagerie of animals...the result.....no blogging til fall time! So much has happened in the past few months. So much excitement because I have been feeling the presents of God so strongly...can't get away from Him actually. Mom's Support Group is back in full swing and this blog is loosely following what is presented there. The topic of worry/worrying has been on my heart. So, as it goes, this is what I did some scripture study on. Then chat about what I discovered with my mom's at Mom's Group. This is what it looks like in my life...
My youngest child (age 6) was diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome this summer. Think about that for a moment. A parent only has to think on that for a quick second to get all churned up inside. All I could think about was...."My heart is so sad. My girl, my beautiful baby girl is going to be the weird girl!" Then I thought, " no one will like her, she will now be a loner which is so different from what her personality is." Then of course I thought this..." no one will marry her, she will never know what it is like to be in love, she will never have children, her life will be empty....blah, blah, blah." Then, I of course I went to this place- "what did I do to cause this. What didn't I do?" Now, keep in mind, all these thoughts went through my head in about, oh, 3 seconds. Yeah. You know what I am talking about. As mom's we take one thing, one simple little thing...and boom! The rest of eternity is played out in our head. The result, we are mentally exhausted. We have not spoken a word, it has only taken us less than five minutes to get this way, AND we still have laundry to do! I am confident that anyone reading this knows exactly what I am talking about. Then, only by the grace of God, I come back down to reality. My everyday has God right in the middle. (this was not the case for years, even though I considered myself a Christian) I have learned so much about what God has to say to us about our everyday lives. He has a lot to say about worry. A wonderful place to start is in Matthew chapter 6. Good stuff! I encourage everyone to read it but here is what I get out of it. Worry is something we all do. It would not even be mentioned in the bible if no one dealt with it. Some are plagued by worry, but most suffer with it for a while and move on. Often we just move on to the new thing to worry about. HOWEVER...if you find yourself worrying, you are no better than a pagan or a heathen. (don't get feisty...those are God's words, not mine) A pagan, a heathen ( a person who does NOT believe in God and only cares for the things that make him/her feel good) operates in life thinking that there is no God that cares for them, does not believe the words God has given are true. BUT as believers, scripture says don't worry. The God who gave us life will not just let us go. He did not give us life just to let us twist in the wind. Even when not so great things happen, God is still in control and he has a plan. His plan always takes what occurs and uses it for good! Always! (Romans 8:28). With this, we can be assured that something good WILL be the outcome from all things. Kind of a broad statement but I so believe it. I have seen it time and time again in my own life! The word also points out (Matt. 6 still) that God cares for the sparrow. He takes care of them. They don't worry about food, shelter, etc. If God cares for a little ol' birdy, why would He not care for you. Following that thought, if you believe He cares for you deeply, then anything that comes up in your life is covered. Right? Yes. Sounds logical. The next thing is often....yeah, but. Well, no buts allowed. The word worry, brought back to Greek, which is what language the New Testament was written in, means divided mind. When we worry, it means our minds are divided. One side says, things will be fine. God is with me. My head knows that. The OTHER side says, "oh boy, oh boy...I need to do something! What can I do , what should I do. Not sure WHAT to do. I am not completely believing that God IS in control. After all, is He going to come down and take care of this situation?" See the division? It is there and it takes over. I know I have been long winded about this but I feel it so intensely. Worry is useless. It does not add one single thing to any of our lives. As a matter of fact the only thing is does is steal the joy from today! (Matt. 6) The best thing to do when this human feeling creeps in....lean on what God says. In order to lean on it you have to know it. Here are some other verses that I have come to know and taken so much comfort in...

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Philippians 4:6,7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. (love this version! The Message Bible)

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Psalm 55:22 Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

This might be my favorite one. To me, this kind of looks like "hindsight is 20/20". Deuteronomy 31:8 says "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” How cool is that! If God is before us....he has 20/20 hindsight! He knows, he's got it covered!!

So, if you find yourself worrying (about work, your house, the bills, your friends, your family, your church, your kids, your kids friends, the weather, illnesses, riding in a plane, the stain you noticed on your shirt! ANY kind of worry) ....think on these verses. God has much to show us. He wants us to understand, I mean really understand, that He is in control. He was our own best interest in mind and He is right there along side us. Got to love that!

wacky "bible thumpers"

Not so many years ago, if I would see or hear someone that -was preachin' about Jesus, raising their hands during a "Jesus" song or saying "feeling blessed" when they were asked how they were doing- as a "bible thumper". Another term you may be familiar with is "Jesus Freak", "Holy Roller", "Bible Banger"...ya know what I'm talkin' about? Please understand, I would not necessarily think bad of these people but I would kind of discount them. I would just brush them off. After all, I believed in God right? I believed that Jesus as the Son of God, He was sent to for us, I belonged to a church and I even went to it on important holidays and even just any regular ol' Sunday! I was all set. Right? I certainly had a bible in my house. (uuuummmmm, not sure where but I KNOW I had one. ......somewhere) I knew there was 10 commandment's and I knew the big ones. Don't murder, don't sleep with someones husband, ...didn't do those. The other 8? Well, they must not have been super important but I knew there were 8 more which was better than others. Right? Any of that sound familiar?



Well, in God's endless mercy and love...He took the time for me. He got my attention and set me on a life long path of learning, understanding, peace, and joy!!



Now, you might be saying...."Well that is great for you Michelle but I am just fine with the above described way of expressing my faith. I am a reserved person and don't feel the need to be over the top with my church attendance, my bible reading, etc. I am doing just fine. I believe in God and thank you very much but I'm all set."



Well, I would like to be bold. I would like you to ponder this scripture...

Revelations 3:16 says...So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.



This is God's words to the church, a believing church, in end times. Selah.



In closing, THIS song and "these wacky bible thumper" ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FObjd5wrgZ8 is how I feel and how I would like to worship my Creator. Enjoy.

one verse to remember

Ok....take a look at Psalm 19:1. A friend reminded me of this verse and boy is it important to store in your heart. It says (in my words),that the skys scream of the handwork of God. Let me elaborate a bit more...everywhere on our earth, u can see the work of the Creator. Because the days get so busy and so full of...US...it is easy to miss the obvious touch of God. If you ever get a chance to visit the Western US, the artwk of our heavenly Father will scream at you. I just got back from Big Sky, Montana ( I pinch myself at the blessing of that trip) and Psalm 19:1 was written with that place in mind. As we traveled the countrside, I was once again wondering how a person could think that all that beauty was just a coincidence. Nature IS the way that God talks to all of us. He shares with us a fraction of the Creative power that He has. I posted some pics on my webpage. Take a peak. Another verse in scripture says...no eye has seen and no hear has heard the wonders that are in store for those that believe. How remarkable. God promises us that Heaven will be even more amazing than the most beautiful thing we have ever seen. Selah on that!!!! My tiny mind can't even imagine the wonder. Try it out...even in your own backyard....look at the colors of the flowers, the different parts of a flower, a summer sunset, sunrise, how about a freshly mowed lawn. That gets me! Especially if I did't mow it!! God is everywhere. He is not hard to spot.

Memories

For years, I have been encouraged by a dear friend to really spend some time focusing on making memories. With summer finally here....what better time than now to pass on this valuable lesson. Time goes so fast!! I know you have heard that a million times but it is so true. We can't do a thing to slow it down but we can do tons to make the most of the time we have. What does this look like? Well, for me....I have to make a conscious effort to remember to take lots of pics. At the end of the summer, I love to pour over them. I then upload my favs to any number of sites to put a book together. I use snapfish.com or shutterfly.com. So fun. For those that are not creative or the thought of trying to be creative shuts you down....both these sites have the ability to simply take the photos you want and put them in a book for you! Cool. I am confident I will look over these books for years to come. A guaranteed "warm-fuzzy" generator! In the past, I have given each child a copy of the finished product as a Christmas gift. They seem to love them. Some other things we do: bubbles!! (always fun for any age), sidewalk chalk (old standby), water balloons on a hot day, sprinkler (we have a pool but sprinklers get them giggling), bonfires (this is a must!), picnic lunch at a local park, homemade Popsicles, reverse dinner (go get ice cream before dinner!), grow something (we have a garden and each child has an area that they are responsible to weed. This makes my job easier and they really take ownership. This could even be a potted tomato on the patio.), lighting bugs in a jar (I know, I know...this seems so...."yeah, whatever" but trust me..the kids will pull that memory forward forever!), bike rides, and the list goes on and on. These are just some that we do. As you can see, little or no money is involved. When my children were small, I had to think about making sure I did these. They did not just happen! Maybe if I was a Muppet or something, these types of things would just pop in my head to do. Seeing how I am a real mom, that loves her kids madly but would rather just sit and read a magazine on a warm summer day....I had to kind of push myself to do all this fun stuff. I want my children to look back on their childhood and think happy thoughts. I want to be remembered as the mom who was tough at times but was full of great ideas and full of fun. Don't you want that too? Well, if so, then this does not just happen. It is thought about and planned for. I would like to encourage you to think about what ways you can make this summer the best one yet! My prayer is that you begin to understand how significant you are. Significant first and foremost to our Creator and also to your children. See there...YOU ROCK and you didn't even know it!!

Vertical vs. Horizontal

OK....with summer being here, it has been really tough doing a blog. I hate the fact that I have not written in such a long time but ya know...it is what it is. I can only blog when something moves me and these days...well, with kids home...you know how that goes. Not many moments for inspirational introspection. I did hear something this morning that I just had to "selah" about. I think I mentioned this before but just so you know, "selah" means to pause and reflect. This term is Hebrew and often appears in the Psalms. I love it. Anywho....because I am a girl who has dealt with depression/panic for many years, this saying caught my attention.

Vertical perspective helps eliminate horizontal panic.

Now, think about that for a moment...or...selah.

I put panic, anxiety, worry, and depression all in the same life folder. I first had to deal with panic attacks in my early 20's. If you have ever had one, you know how horrid they are. I dealt with them for about a year. When I say a year, I mean non-stop for one year. Rarely did I experience relief from the terror that one feels in the midst of a panic attack. It was hell on earth. Truly. Along with this panic, I was depressed. I had not come to know the Lord at this point in my life but looking back, He certainly was with me and guided me through this very difficult period in my life. I got through the panic and depression with counseling and medication. The combination of the two helped me to discover things about myself that enabled me to "cope" in a much more healthy way. Let's fast forward to now. I have not had any panic attacks for more than 15 years (praise God) but I will say that depression has come and gone. The level of depression I feel, since coming to know our Lord, is somewhat closer to the normal, human kind of depression. I think that everyone has moments when they feel depressed. I think my moments might be a bit longer or deeper than the average girl...not sure. Nonetheless, being able to deal with moments of depression in a Godly way is key to not only getting through them, but getting through them quickly. This saying, A vertical perspective helps eliminate horizontal panic, really speaks to that. When I came to the realization that this world is NOT all about me, there is a much bigger picture going on, that I am part of a huge, masterful plan by a wondrous creator...then the moments of depression during my day to day living, became "easy" to deal with. Well, not easy. Let's say, doable. I remind myself that my life needs to be from a vertical perspective. VERTICAL!! (that's up girls. = 0)
I get into the Word, I read a book, I sit and get quiet with God, I listen to Christian music....these are the top things that help in these moments. Because I have become a student of scripture I have also come to realize that dealing with yucky stuff such as depression is simply part of our fallen world. Being a Christian does not mean no yuck happens. It only means I have Someone to run to WHEN yuck happens. Christians have a place of refuge. If you have accept Christ you know exactly what I mean here. It is such a comfort...a none explainable comfort! Keeping my focus on the bigger plan that God has vs. my plans is just where I go when my heart feels down trodden, when my soul feels heavy, when my heart feels gray. My prayer is that anyone reading this is able to take this saying, A vertical perspective helps eliminate horizontal panic, depression and worry, and think about applying it to their lives... as needed. Selah!

Just a whisper

Whispers, secrets, cupping your hand to someones ear followed by giggles. We all know this scenario. No doubt we have either been the one doing the whispering, receiving the whisper or watching the interaction from a far. I need you to think back to when you were the one watching the interaction from a far. How did it make you feel? Left out? Self-conscious?
Lonely? Embarrassed? Maybe all these, right? My oldest child is 10 and I have had to talk with her about this very topic. She came to me feeling kinda bad and wanted to know what to do about it. She didn't really ask me what to do but my mommy sensor went off when she started telling me what had happened that day at school. This was my moment to really chat with her. She said that two girls at school were looking at her and one whispered to the other one. They continued to look at her and then went on their way. I asked her "how did that make you feel?" She said "Bad. I think they were making fun of me." It was at this point the momma lion in me wanted to call a few moms and let them know just how mean their daughters were. Of course I didn't do that but I certainly wanted to. This was a teachable moment for sure. I ended up telling her a few things that I hope she will use in the future. The first thing was: she did not know for sure if they were whispering about her. (important for kids to realize it is NOT all about them!) The second thing was: it is important for her to remember how she felt at that moment and remember it when she gets the urge to do the whispering. The third thing and most important by far: we talked about what God had to say about whispering.

Now you may be thinking....God has something to say about whispering? Really? That was my thoughts too but since coming to know our Lord, I realized He has something to say about EVERYTHING that can come up in my life. The subject of whispering and what it does is important to God. He tells us the exact same thing TWICE in Proverbs. Proverbs 18:8 says... The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; • they go down into the inner parts of the body. A few chapters later, He gives us Proverbs 26:22 The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; • they go down into the inner parts of the body. Now, did God forget that He already said that? NO. It is important, therefore repeated. (think of things that you repeat as a mom...the important things, right?) Now, let's take these verses apart. If you are receiving or doing the whispering...how fun is it? If you are being honest, it is very fun. Delicious morsel is a perfect comparison if you ask me. When we whisper, we need to be honest as to what it's all about. We are saying something that can not/ should not be said out loud for fear of being rude, or mean. Maybe we are whispering something that we should not know. Any way you slice it, 99 times out of 100, whispering is not good. The above Proverbs also say... "they go down into the inner parts of the body." To me, this means that more is done to us than we realize when we whisper. Our souls are affected. The person who sees the whispering has an affect on his/her soul. We can all recall a moment when it felt like someone was whispering about us and how many years have gone by....we still feel that hurt. Know what I mean? How about this verse also from Proverbs, "A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends." Oh boy....is that true or what!!?? In both the books of Matthew and Luke, this is said: "Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops. " Now, this scripture has multiple meanings. When I read it, one thing I hear is how we need to understand that all our whispers are not limited to the people we whispered to. Our Lord hears them...He knows what we have said. Having said that, the verse in scripture that says..."we will be held accountable for every careless word" has a bite to it. Ouch!! In closing, I guess it is important for all mom's to understand the consequences of whispering. It is important to me to pass on Godly information to my children. I want them to grow up to know what God says about things. I want them to understand that God gives us his thoughts on ALL things. As my babies grow up, the opportunities to teach them God's ways never grow dim. I need to make sure I know what He has to say so I can pass it on to my kids. When I do this, I become a better person and I can better guild them to do the same. (PS....I think it can not be stated enough....I only mentioned God or Jesus once when talking to my daughter about this topic of whispering. I have found that beating my kids over the head with God....kinda turns them off! One of the greatest quotes..."Show them Jesus and use words if you have to" St. Francis of Assisi. )

Who is the smartest?

My hope with this post is to make you smile and lift you up. As a mom, this made me laugh and I wanted to share it with all my fellow mom's as we approach Mother's Day 2009.

I was listening to a radio program that had an author on. She was being asked about a new book she had written called The Minivan Days ( or something like that). Now, this author had written other books, she was married to a pastor who was also an author. As I listened to this, my first thoughts were...boy, this couple has it goin' on!! I think most people would think the same. Well, she was asked about the inspiration for the book and she relayed a story that made me smile and helped me realize, once again, the significance of ME. Yep. More specifically, me as a mom. Here is the cute story.

"My husband and I were in our minivan traveling with our kids. In order to keep things to a dull roar, my husband often plays little word games with them. One common thing he would do is say things like....who is the toughest? who is the fastest? Just fun little things like that. This particular time, he asked "who is the smartest?" Without any hesitation, our 8 year old son said, "Mom is!" You can imagine my posture. I was buffed up and feeling pretty good. As I glanced at my husband, I could see a bit of a dejected look on his face. After all, he was an accomplished author, a loved pastor, he had several degrees...the list could go on and on. I, the mom, was also an author but not to the degree that my husband was and I was a teacher. All those things were great but the response was so quick from our child that my husband needed to know what was behind it. So, he asked our son why he so quickly said mom. In the words of my eight year old son, " Mom is the smartest cause she always knows when I need to go potty."

Don't ya just love that? All the worldly stuff that moves our own thought process is just gone. A child responds from the heart. In his mind, his mom cares for his needs. She knows what he needs and WHEN he needs. How wonderful is that. We as moms often forget how special we are. To our children, we are the giver of life and the taker to the potty. We are the maker of pb & j's, we are the giver of baths. Scripture tells us that children are a gift from the Lord. All though it does not seem like such a great gift at times, I wanted to take this moment to remind you, that as a mom, you have been chosen by God to be His arms, His love. For a blink of an eye, we are gifted with the responsibility to be the soft place to fall for one or some of God's precious children. You are more significant that you realize, you are more loved than you realize, you are more special than you realize.....God needs you to hang in there. God needs you to run to him when you don't feel so appreciated. God needs you to keep doing the mom stuff with joy. On those days when it feels like you are small and insignificant, remember this....God chose YOU to mother His child/ren. For that alone, you deserve an Amen siste!!