Starting Point

God is in the business of new beginnings. On Sunday, our pastor was wrapping up his series on vision, and he ended with a talk about things that can distract us from moving towards the goal God has us working to. And as I was thinking about the things that get in our path, my mind was amazed at the other side of that~ the hope for us that lies in front of us when we are able to get around those obstacles.

During the series, his definition of vision has been this: Vision is a clear mental picture of what could be, fueled by the conviction that it should be. And this week he said that this 'should be important enough that it changes the way we operate'. Every day.

This summer has been a time of great transition for our church community. But the most awesome thing has been to see how God is working, and allowing us to work with Him, to change lives. I had the greatest conversation with a new member of our family, and she said that since she has been encountering Jesus, she not only looks forward to coming on Sundays, but that it is changing the way she lives Monday through Saturday. Isn't this the point?! I firmly believe that you cannot come into the presence of Jesus and NOT be changed.

So in a time when we get distracted, when things pop up that threaten to derail our future, when fear grips us and the picture of the vision we believe God has given us gets cloudy, what is it that we look to?  Jeremiah 29:11 is familiar but so fitting here~ "'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.'" Hope. The character of God is such that even distractions cannot change Who He is or the plans He promises us.

Firsts...

Well, I apologize for my absence, but I've been in mourning. My sweet Remy started kindergarten last week. And okay, I'm not really mourning, though there were some sobby, tear-stained moments. It's funny trying to find a new normal, a new pace of our days. Usually around noon Halle starts asking when we can go get him from school. She starts preschool and dance next week, so I'm thinking we will get into more of a rhythm then.

Milestones are great for the most part here. Halle is officially COMPLETELY potty trained!! And that is a milestone to be celebrated! We have done much cheering for that one, and almost no crying (except for a few brief moments where I probably cried just a little thinking that it would never happen...). She has also started writing her name and is doing her best to keep up with Remy, who has had homework nearly every day. This is what life is right now...

I hope y'all are doing well! I'm looking forward to again finding my fall blogging rhythm. I have much to say, just so little time to get it out there. Love you all bunches!!

Fixed

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

This verse popped into my head today as I was praying. I opened my Bible to this worn page, and I got stuck on 'light and momentary'. I choked on it almost. Sometimes my problems don't feel light or momentary. They are heavy. And hard. And seem to last. It's hard to swallow, but the problems of this world are things that are helping to carve us into who God wants us to be. And they don't go on forever. In light of eternity, they are just blips on the radar screen. But they matter, don't they?! And as tears welled up in my eyes and I found myself asking God to change the circumstances that brought me to my knees today, I heard His voice echo the thoughts of Paul~ "Fix your eyes on me." 


Praying today for eyes that are able to hold steady on Him. Feeling a bit rocked, but sure that His promises are eternal.

Stained

Just a few thoughts from my quiet time this afternoon (aka my few minutes alone while baking in the kitchen). I find myself barefoot all the time. It's not unusual, just how we go about our days. When we're home, shoes are left at the door. Almost immediately~ like when the littles walk in first, you trip over their shoes as your barely inside the door.

And I was thinking about this and the whole 'holy ground' thing. The Lord told Moses that the ground where he was, where the Lord had been, was holy. And He commanded Moses to take off his sandals. And this stained carpet upon which I do life is flooded with holy. My toes can sink into the spaces that God has been. He walks before me, behind me, fills in the space I breath around me. What if I approach these sacred quiet moments as holy moments before God? A God that deserves my recognizing that the ground I'm on is holy. That He is molding me and changing my heart and making me more like Him. Like breathing? Every moment of this day is imprinted with the righteousness and awesomeness of God, like the mug I'm washing is stained with my coffee.

And I beg God to open my eyes to these holy-stained seconds that slip through my fingers. Am I stained? Is there a mark around my life that is looking more and more like the One He's pouring into this vessel?

Back soon, sweet friends, life is slipping by too quickly!

3

Well, we survived the weekend... Today is the actual day of my Curly Girly's birth, and to celebrate we are going to the local water park. She insists that she already had a birthday, and today isn't it. When you're three and can't tell one day from the next it doesn't matter, I guess. Soon she will learn the value of claiming a vast blanket of time as your birthday week/month. So many things to teach her...

She was not thrilled with the singing...

Her party on Saturday was filled with much chaos, fun and love. Everyone brought gifts, even though we begged them not to, and having a Rapunzel party means that every present has scads of long blond hair. I have gotten a second job now as chief hair brusher/braider. Like so many parties before, I didn't get nearly enough pictures, but here are a couple from my phone.

Finished the cake just in time... and warned everyone that if they found a hair in their piece, it was most definitely Rapunzel's and NOT mine!

Some of the decorations. I had these braids all around the mailbox, windows, and as a table runner.

I'll try to post some more pictures of the food and games. I'm still trying to figure out what I actually took pictures of and what I forgot. In the craziness of 35 people in our living room, many of them being kids, I just find myself a little too crazy to think straight! Hope y'all have a great Monday!!