Posts

Showing posts with the label intentional

Be Kind

BE KIND ____________________________ I have a pattern. When crisis comes, whether it be personal or nationwide, I begin mulling things over, measuring my response, weighing my words, contemplating what I may have to add to the noise, the frenzy, the quick responders who sometimes speak and then think. I’ve often chided myself for not being “quick on my feet” when it comes to arguing or taking a stand. Yet I know God created me this way for a reason. My words can be like a whip. I have a veritable vocabulary-stocked Arsenal, and without thinking I can cause bomb-like damage when I choose to shoot off those words without wisdom leading the charge. I have hurt plenty who have crossed my path, but the years have been kind and taught me much. KIND (a four-letter word) One we all should practice more daily. When I don’t have the words I’d like to express at times, I turn to those who do. The following is from @holleygerth in her book #fiercehearted: “We aren’t called to be NICE. (also a four

Homeschooling?! You CAN Do This . . . and So Much More

Image
“ What’s on my mind?” Facebook poses this question; the following is my answer in long form. All the people freaking out over “homeschooling “. I’m not going to cover every perspective here, because I am well aware of the myriad of different situations going on in the millions of homes around this country that got the news their children will now be home for possibly the next MONTH. What I am specifically going to address are those of you who are able to have one or both parents at home during the day — especially those of you who are full time educators in some capacity of young elementary-aged students. First, if you are NOT a professional educator, remind yourself of this every morning when you look in that mirror and wipe the toothpaste spit off your bottom lip: “I taught my own kid to brush his or her teeth all by myself.” Next go help that same kid or kids to make some breakfast: cold cereal, instant oatmeal, a toaster waffle, or pancakes if you’re feeling ambitio

DREAM: Day Four New Year Writing Challenge with hope*writers

Image
I used to think dreaming was a bit like this photo, complete with similar results. I would exhale my dreams out into the world. They’d then catch in the wind . . . only to drift away, settle in the soil, and become someone else’s weed — a virtual nuisance to the ones who caught them. This mindset is directly related to what I shared about feeling like I am too much, therefore it is a natural progression for me to believe my dreams are also way too much. What I have so often neglected to do with my dreams is leave them in the capable grip of the Dreamgiver. My Jesus is perfectly able to fulfill those very dreams He has placed in my heart. However, I am guilty of holding on to them myself, squashing them with my toddler-like fists, and somehow wondering why I feel undervalued and forgotten when I still see myself so far away from my dreams coming to fruition. How do I stop this spiral of unfulfilled dreams from continuing? One way is to identify what dreams I am choosing

Thursday Thanks Tank

Image
( a time to intentionally redirect my gaze & give testimony to the ways God blesses me each week) I have been keenly aware of how my attitude may shift in new season beginning this week. Though I had no clue when I walked out the door of my former job that I would spend the next almost four months under-employed and awaiting God's provision in an up close and personal fashion I'd experienced almost exactly two years ago -- I can now draw comparisons and contrasts in how that time was oh so different from its counterpart. Those musings may show up in another post soon, but let's get right to the focus of this post -- THANKFULNESS.  How has God been faithfully filling my tank? Providing me with a fantastic job as the nanny of a sweet baby boy and his older brother, who is in pre-K. I get to spend my days singing, reading board books that I remember all too well from my days as a mama to the pre-talking crowd, and taking strolls around the neighb

Thursday Thanks Tank

Image
( a time to intentionally redirect my gaze and give testimony to the ways God blesses me) Good Thursday morning, all! Some weeks feel like a blip between Sunday and Thursday. This is one of those weeks where I'm not quite sure where the time slipped away, but I definitely feel like the speed was accelerated. Let's dive right in to how God is filling my tank: Provision and sources of income that could only come from Him. Relying on the Lord strengthens my faith and gives me reasons to intentionally take my hands off my circumstances. Dog sitting for my daughter. The year-plus without Shelby has been heart-wrenching at times, and having Ava here fills a void for a small window. Painting and setting up an online store for my art. It's a learning curve, but the results will be exciting on so many levels. More to come on that front! Processing opportunities and decisions with my dearest bosom friend. There is nothing like hoping and dreaming with so

Thursday Thanks Tank

Image
( a time to intentionally redirect my gaze and give testimony to the ways God blesses me) Good Morning! I'm not good at faking things. I have one of those faces and apparently even one of those texting styles that reveals my true thoughts in spite of the emojis I choose to tack on to the end of my full sentences. Yes, I am a " grammar girl " and text with case sensitivity and punctuation. ( You never know who might be watching, of course!) Back to my first comment . . . I'm not good at faking or pretending. I can't hide it if I'm not doing well or feel deflated. It's written all over my face and bleeds through into my writing. So, I am going to follow through with a commitment I made to myself in breathing life back into my blog.  I will intentionally take time at least once each week to give thanks for how God is filling my tank. He doesn't stop doing it just because I don't feel upbeat and grateful.  He doesn't

Thursday Thanks Tank

Image
( a time to intentionally redirect my gaze and give testimony to the ways God blesses me) I spoke briefly last Thursday about the sacrifice of praise.  "Through him then let us continually  of fer up a  sacrifice of   praise  to God, that is, the fruit  of  lips that acknowledge his name." Hebrews 13:15 ESV I am keenly aware of the way I currently look on paper. How the numbers DO NOT add up. How my month is exceeding my wealth financially. I have gotten more "no's" than the one "yes" I have longed to hear. Yet in all this, I know that I know God is still Who He says He is. God can STILL do what He says He can do. I am still who He says I am. His Word is STILL alive and active in me, my life, and in that of those lives around me who believe in Him, too.  So, though at moments throughout ALL of the last few days, weeks, and yes, months now since I have been employed in a full time fashion, I have felt slayed, abandoned, is

Thursday Thanks Tank

Image
Hey y'all! It's Thursday already or Thursday finally, depending on your perspective. Either way, it is Thursday, and you know what that means.  Let's take a moment for: ( a time to intentionally redirect my gaze and give testimony to the ways God blesses me)  Sometimes this practice flows right off the fingers and onto the screen. Other times it is a sacrifice of praise.  Whichever it is for you today, know He accepts it gladly and is glorified in it when you intentionally redirect your gaze to give testimony to what your friend, Jesus, is doing in your life. He gets the accolades, and we are all blessed in the process. So, how is God filling my tank this week? My friend Jennie . We have met through hope*writers , and I would have joined just to meet her. You can find her on Instagram @theweekleyconnection. You need to start following her, because she's got great wisdom to share and will encourage your heart. But that aside, she had a fa

A "Sound" Mind

Image
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) I would describe myself of "sound mind". Most days. Yet, when I wake up with thoughts scattered, ideas banging around in my head and my heart, and trying to capture them is akin to corralling a swarm of dragonflies -- I certainly wonder. Am I of "sound mind" as Paul would have described in sharing this with his beloved son, Timothy? I spend my time flitting back and forth between spiritual pursuits, training to be a profitable writer, painting my heart out, looking for sustainable employment, keeping my home from crawling up around me in clutter, . . . and untold hours scrolling social media to see what others are doing that is better, wiser, and more profitable than what I find myself doing. My mind is as cluttered as my news feed, and I tear myself away to hover over the next thing for a moment, only to find the beckoning loud enoug

Thursday Thanks Tank

Image
( a time to intentionally redirect my gaze and give testimony to the ways God blesses me) How is God filling my tank this week?  Providing in ways I can only attribute to Him. People are praying, and He is answering in His time and in His own fashion. Through creation. Being a part of the team at AR Workshop Rome is a joy and an outlet for leaving a trail of beauty each time I cross the threshold.  Being treated to a movie with my son. We had a great time at this one yesterday. Having time to explore some of my favorite things. I've been painting, sewing, and writing. All pursuits that bring me joy and set my soul at rest. My weighted blanket from Mosaic Weighted Blankets . I've had mine for about six months now, and it has made a world of difference in my sleep habits. Not only is mine pretty, but it provides me with a comfort level I had forgotten I could have during a night's sleep. I even drag it out to the sofa if I'm taking a nap. Relief f

Thursday Thanks Tank Independence Day Edition

Image
( a time to intentionally redirect my gaze and give testimony to the ways God blesses me) How is God filling my tank this week?  Freedom: I take it for granted way too often, but I am deeply proud and blessed to be an American. I am grateful for the men who signed the document all those years ago to intentionally set forth a different kind of place for people to live free. Have their ideals and convictions been compromised in more ways than I can enumerate here today? Absolutely. However, I still sit here in my home today, with the freedom to open my laptop and write what I want, when I want, and hit "PUBLISH"  for you to read when you want. Lots of our freedoms are still intact, and I am grateful. Fans: The heat of summer has been steady and steamy this week. I am extremely grateful for fans, both the ceiling kind and the portable tower one I've been toting around my house to whatever room I am currently using. At the moment it oscillates at the foot of m

Beauty in the Broken

Image
The BEACH.  My solace.  My refuge.  The place my heart soars and my soul is at rest.  Don't get me wrong. I find beauty in every single day. I see God's power and majesty on a regular basis in the mundane and the extravagant. He is visible all around me when I take the time to intentionally look around and acknowledge His presence.  Yet at the beach, I stand at the water's edge and watch the methodical lapping of the waves against the shore. Or in stark contrast, I find myself in awe of the pounding of the wild and gusty surf during a storm.  The powerful hand of my God moves the entire ocean, and it shoots sand and salty spray into my eyes -- chafing my skin and sending shocks of exhilaration into my heart. I am thrilled at His power and majesty so visible. The same power that propels the water to the shore and pounds the coastline with such unrelenting vigor is what alters my other very favorite past time at the beach.  I am a sheller. From my very f

Silence: A Lesson In Repetition

Image
God gets my attention through repetition. How about you? What I am continuing to discover in my almost four-decade "expotition" with my friend Jesus is He knows I don't usually get His lessons for me the first go-round. He repeats. He puts out virtual road signs.  Sometimes He puts out literal road signs to garner my attention and my gaze. He has specific Scripture rise to the surface again and again. He puts a word in my path and writes it in all capital letters EVERYWHERE so I can't possibly miss it. Silence has been the most recent. Jesus gave me almost a month of an empty nest to foster an atmosphere of solitude and silence. He has brought any number of lessons across my path to reinforce His message for this season.  My life has been filled with noise outside my head for decades and self-imposed noise for far longer. How do I avoid silence? How do you? Music Television Internet surfing Reaching out to others rather

Thursday Thanks Tank

Image
( a time to intentionally redirect my gaze and give testimony to the ways God blesses me) How is God filling my tank this week?  I am serving at VBS for the first time in eight years, and it has been a true pleasure. My crafty heart is in its element amongst paint, glue, crayons, colored pasta, and pom poms. I've met some wonderful ladies who have served alongside me, and we have shared the message that no matter what comes their way -- at age 3, 4, or 5 -- God is good. The same is true for me. When life isn't fair . . . God is good! When life is scary . . . God is good! When life changes . . . God is good! When life is sad . . . God is good! When life is good . . . God is good! Life DOES get wild, and through it all . . . God is GOOD!  I am thankful to have friends who will vouch for me on a moment's notice. The depth of friendship is boundless, and I am blessed beyond measure in longevity and quality. Summer breezes. I am so thankful for the early morning

Thursday Thanks Tank

Image
( a time to intentionally redirect my gaze and give testimony to the ways God blesses me) How is God filling my tank this week?  First, I'm going to walk a ways down memory lane and then head on to the thanks tank. Bear with me as I get a little nostalgic on you: Have you ever just had an a-ha moment blast you out of nowhere? I had one of those recently.  When I was growing up, we had a nightlight in our bathroom. Just a little plastic box with a light in it that had a Scripture verse on it. My mom probably got it at our local Berean Christian Bookstore.  I truly never thought much about the nightlight or what it said. It was just always there. It lit my way to the potty if I got up in the middle of the night.  It shed a warm glow at the end of the hall way if I needed to find my way without waking anybody up.  That is, if I came in late once I had a curfew ( and oh, did I come in late more than once! So I got to be an expert at all the squeaky spots in

Grace upon Grace

Image
"For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." John 1:16 (ESV) From His fullness. God gives out of His abundance. We receive grace upon grace. Unmerited favor. I don't deserve it and neither do you. I can't do anything for it. I can't be enough, do enough, give enough, or offer Him anything, because He doesn't need anything. God is not losing anything to give to me out of His abundance. He has no lack. As He gives, there is no less of Him to offer. He is pleased to give to me, His beloved. My job? To receive. To accept the "grace upon grace" He so freely offers from the very fullness of what He always is. My Jesus is always the same. Scripture affirms this: "Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8 That sounds easy in theory. He offers freely. Freely I receive it. In other areas of my life a free thing is as uncomplicated as finding cash lying on the sidewalk. Would I ever just pass by