Better than I asked for!

One of my biggest highlights in my week is when I meet on Tuesday mornings for breakfast with 3 guys that I work with in my school district for a bible study.  So many blessing for me have come out of these meetings.  Most people are shocked when they find out that administration, teachers and staff actually pray for your students in a public school.  We pray that we can best educate, lead, heal and influence in a positive way our students to be creative, well adjusted, moral students that can define themselves to lead the best lives possible.

We also are trying to grow in our faith by improving ourselves.  We have studied the Five Love Languages and let me tell you....to sit with 3 men and hear about how much they love and respect their wives is inspiring because not always are men the greatest with their feelings so it's cool to understand how they are thinking.  They have given me great insight to my own marriage and how my husband thinks.

Our fearless leader...Robbie O (I hope he doesn't mind me sharing his identity) has challenged me to dig deeper...more than I care to sometimes....but I am so thankful I did!  :)

Our challenge for this week of spring break was to take time to step away from everything and listen to God....really listen.

Now of course....when Satan knows you are trying to get closer to God or get ready to make some big changes in life for God....he hits you hard.  So it was no surprise that since I had chosen today to go to a nearby lake and just walk and listen and pray that Satan would give me a flat tire.  And I don't mean just a low tire...I mean the kind that is almost falling off the wheel!

So...being a little homebound....I decided to go out and mow...I prayed for some sunshine on facebook because we all know that prayers through facebook are answered faster...haha!

Let me tell you how God is so much smarter than Satan.  I usually sit on my riding mower (which is still in storage) and listen to my ipod (which I think I left at school).

So remember I prayed for sunshine to mow with?  Uh....did I forget I'm out of shape and using a push mower first time in years???? and we have over an acre??? 

 So God answered my prayers better than what I asked for....he gave me a cool breeze...just little bursts of sun and the most beautiful scenery I needed.  I wasn't distracted by the music I am usually listening to...even though it's Christian music but I sing really loud so it's hard to do much listening.  He reminded me that when we think our answers are not being answered...they are....just not always the way we have planned because God has a better plan than we could ever dream of.

He set it up for me to see that circumstances don't have to be perfect in your life.  You just have to be still and listen.

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength—He dwells in his city, does marvelous things, and says, Be still and know that I am God.

Are you truly happy?

Are you content?   Is your house big enough?  Is your the job you are doing fulfilling you and paying you enough?  Are your finances stable?  Do you have "everything you want?"  Are you wanting to change your decorations in your house...your spouse....your wardrobe....your body?

Dont' get confused on what I'm asking.  I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting to improve yourself with education, praying more, eating better, exercising more, volunteering more.  But are you content with what you have....what God has blessed you with?

I borrowed this from a sweet friend of mine:

What is contentment? Contentment means my happiness is not dependent upon circumstances. Most people get caught into "when" thinking: "When I get a certain job ... When I can retire ... When I get the house paid off ... When I get the bills paid off ... then I'll be happy!"

God says, "No, once you get there, you'll always want something else." If you don't learn contentment, you'll never be happy.... You'll always want more. ~ Rick Warren

"Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can't take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content." (1 Timothy 6:6-8 NLT)

Tell those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage - to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they'll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19 MSG)

Everyday Is A Vacation!

This is my idea of a PERFECT Spring Break on my little island with 2 grandpuppies and my precious Raegan!  Bring on the rest of the family and the other two pets!  I LOVE MY LIFE!!!!!

2 Corinthians 9:15 

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

My treasure!

We moved into our new home about a year ago.  I had bought  new bedding for our master bedroom and it sat in it's package unopened for probably 6 months as we waited to finally close on the house we were selling. 

I absolutely loved the colors and decorated our room around it.  I finally was able to use the bedding.  It made me so happy...so pretty....so bright...so clean!!   (Have you guessed where this is going yet???)   Madison wanted to sleep in bed with me one night.  Well...Madison is known to get an occasion bloody nose.   Yep...you are right! 

There was no way I could get mad at her because she felt so bad about it and it obviously wasn't on purpose.  I realized what happened when she was lying all sprawled out in an awkward way on top of the cover. That was a subtle clue that she was hiding something. 

Well after trying some cleaners and then using a little bleach (I don't recommend that...causes holes!)  my impressive little comforter looked like it had been around for about 10 years possible used for camp outs in the back yard.

But guess what?  That little comforter has been a DAILY reminder to me that I should not put value on "things."  It's a reminder that Maddie's feelings were way more important and by not getting mad at her I showed her that she means more to mean than any material possession. 

Every night when I climb in bed with that blood stain (sorry...I'm a nurse...doesn't bother me)...I thank God for showing me that the treasure in my heart are not bought.

Matthew 6:19-21

Treasures in Heaven

    ¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Crazy Love

I am re-reading the book "Crazy Love"....next to the Bible it is one of the most inspiring books I've read.  Francis Chan talks about Christian's being "lukewarm".  Which means you are not fully following the plans that God has for you. 

 A paragraph that made my jaw drop last night BECAUSE it perfectly summed up what Brian and I have been learning over the last few years.  Here it is:

Lukewarm people do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to. They don't have to trust God if something unexpected happens-they have their savings account.  They don't need God to help them- they have their retirement plan in place.  They don't genuinely seek out what life God would have them live-they have life figured and mapped out.  They don't depend on God on a daily basis- their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health.  The truth is, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God.

DID YOU READ THAT LAST SENTENCE?????  OUCH....would anyone have noticed if I suddenly stopped believing in God?  Would my life look any different?Can people see Jesus in me???  I didn't want to live like that anymore!

Why that paragraph hit home to me was because it described my old life perfectly....living all for the wrong reasons the big house, fancy SUV's, vacations.  Now I know you may be saying, "What's wrong with that?"  For many...nothing is wrong with that....but for me....it wasn't making me happy.  It usually put me in debt more....stressed us out more....left us feeling empty.  The goals I had in my life usually hit a brick wall so eventually I started to realize that maybe just maybe God had better plans for me than I was coming up with on my own.  (DUH!) 

So from now on God is my compass....I will only make decisions when He shows me it's what He has planned for me and my family.  The security in that is way sweeter than any amount of material possessions I could ever imagine.

 

 

Luke 12:16-21

 ¹⁶ And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest.  He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

    “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain.  And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

    “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

    “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

God's Hand and Feet

I have to say I have been guilty hundreds of times to just pass someone who is obviously in need.  What is most sad about that is I missed hundreds of opportunities to listen about their amazing lives.

Brian came home from work and told me that he stopped and talked to this real nice homeless guy.  Brian shared a few groceries with him that he had just picked up.  When he told Maddie she instantly said, "I want to spoil him Mom because the Bible says you should take care of others!"

So we made a bunch of sandwiches and goodies...grabbed some bottles of water and treats for his dogs.  We drove back and found him huddled up with the dogs and his tent and totes that he pulls all in a wagon behind his bike with a sign that read, "Homeless....looking for work!"  I could tell he was a bit embarrassed with the hand out.  As he reached in and grabbed out the dog biscuits for travel companions, he peeked in the bag and said, "Is that what I think it is?"  I thought he was excited about the bags of popcorn....but he pulled out the Bible that Brian packed for him. 

He then told us that the only book that he has is a teaching Bible and he dives into it EVERYDAY.  He was proud to share that he ministers to many other homeless people he comes across.  So hopefully that Bible will come into play in a lot of people's lives.  I know it as helped my husband to learn how God wants us to help each other....just like he showed me tonight.

1 John 3:17-18

¹⁷ If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? ¹⁸ Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

                            (Not his actual picture.)

Living for Him

If I had a nickel for every time someone told me I was "crazy"....haha!   I have always thought of myself as a little crazy because I have a kid-like sense of humor....I love to have fun and be silly.  As a school nurse I truly believe that making people smile and giggle just a little makes all the difference in the world in your health.  But being "crazy" has taken on a whole new meaning to me in the last few years...mission trips to Guatemala, adopting by way of an adoption disruption, fostering 3 beautiful children, living simpler.

You see stepping out if faith in a big way, some people look at as crazy!  Who of you has seen someone doing something you would NEVER do and think..."They must be off their rocker!"?  But in order to follow God's word....you have to have enough faith to do what is out of the norm in our little world where security is found in the size of our bank account, homes, and cars.  I have to admit we tried that route but God has made it abundantly clear that all the STUFF in the world is not what makes us fullfilled...it actually stressed us out more! 

So....we are choosing crazy!  Crazy for God!  Crazy to say yes to adoption, fostering, missions, speaking about HIM....whatever He asks of us!  I hope I can be Crazy Enough to make a difference in this world to glorify my Father.

I have this bible verse in both of my offices at school and I read them often to remind myself of what God wants of me.

Romans 12

Place Your Life Before God

 ^1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.