Browsing Category

Spiritual

Spiritual

My Child Speaks Truth

I woke up, with a bunch of  “what -if’s” and “I should’s” and “I gotta do’s” on my brain.  Swirling around, affecting my joy.  I hustled the kids off to school and came home, walked through my dining room and looked up to see this note left by my 9 year old on our family white board.

She is really into cursive writing, and has going around the house leaving evidence of practice everywhere. I’m so glad she decided to practice this morning. This little note of hers stopped me in my tracks and gave me a priceless gift today–truth and perspective.

Khat khatao by Aradhna. “Aradhna” means worship.  
 The sounds of sitar and guitar merge to create a new global instrument that blends unusual rhythmic patterns with the dipping and soaring of the vocals. listeners sense a deep devotion and connection to the yeshu revealed in the holy scriptures.

Here is a delightful video of another little one speaking truth, a three year old singing about where to put our burdens.

2
Music Renews/ Spiritual

Remedy Drive – Rescue

Their MySpace is here. Their Facebook is here.

I had just dropped my oldest off at her art lesson, and was driving through her art teachers neighborhood, when I noticed a dad and his little one taking a walk hand in hand.  My first thought was, “How fun to see a father take the time to enjoy the beautiful weather with his child.”  My second thought was “that guy has a great haircut!”  Can you tell I’m a hair stylist?:)
Then I realized I recognized this man with great hair–he was David Zach, lead singer of “Remedy Drive.”  It was at this point where I told my 2 youngest girls who it was and they both freaked out (they are big fans) and twisted their little bodies around in their seat belts and stretched their necks up to peer out the back window.  We were at a stop sign so their peeking lasted a while and I had to smile at their excitement.
I, too, am a big fan of Remedy Drive.  There is so much depth not just in their lyrics, but also in who they are.   They are a band of 4 brothers, with crazy musical talent! My husband works with Dan Zach’s (the drummer’s) wife, and knowing her and her amazing heart makes me an even bigger fan of the band.
Remedy Drive just wrapped up the Rock & Worship Roadshow, where they toured with MercyMe, David Crowder Band, Family Force 5, Francesca Batttistelli, Fee and Sidewalk Prophets.  I would have loved to have seen that!
They just released a new video and song, and it is a good one!  It is called “Rescue.”  They wrote it with Dan Haseltine and Steven Mason from Jars Of Clay.  It features footage shot in downtown Nashville before the recent flood left the historic area devastated.

 

RESCUE LYRICS




It’s a bad sign
I get so good at faking
Looks like everyone is doing just fine
Meantime, the longing leads to aching
in the secret wars were waging inside
So we bow our heads, and raise our hands
We need something to hold on to
In these uncertain times
It’s an uphill climb
We’ve gotten used to crawling
It’s a lost design
It feels just like we’re falling
Some of the time the light comes like a rescue
If love is the line, there’s nothing we can’t get through
Look down at the city lights below us
Where everyone’s afraid to be free
Hold on, our weakness won’t divide us
If were following the steps we don’t see


The lyrics really spoke to me, and verbalized much of what I have been thinking about lately.  I’ve been thinking about what an amazing, beautiful thing it is when we are able to get real with each other and talk about struggles. How beautiful it is when one can lift another up. 
Have you noticed that it can make certain people uneasy when life’s struggles are talked about?  It is almost like there is this “no talk” rule, that we are to keep our problems or what we are wrestling through, to ourselves, and pretend that we have it all together and life is peachy.  


I personally think this is a sure fire way to stay stagnant in life.


I think of the Apostle Paul, and how often he got real in his letters and expressed “I do the things I do not want to do.”  I think of Kind David, whose cries for help and surrender, and admittance of fault and brokenness, fill the pages of the Psalms. They were real.  They were vulnerable.  They were public with their faults.  They understood they didn’t have it all together and were in desperate need of a Saviour.  
So why is there so much pressure, (often within the walls of the church!) to portray that we are doing ok? 

 Could it be that the enemy has convinced us that we are?  Or maybe it is fear, fear that others might find out that we don’t have it all together?  Or is it because we know we might be judged harshly by those we care about the most, those who have convinced us that pretending (or at least staying quiet about it) is the way to go?
I can answer yes to all three of those questions.

There is a reason why Jesus came and did what He did for us.  We are broken.  We are in need of a Saviour. We will not be perfect until we get to Heaven, so why is there so much pressure to be?  In my own life, perfectionism is something that has stalled my growth for years.  I see it now.  I am in the process of dealing with it and learning to live differently.  I am so thankful to have people in my life that do not expect perfection, and will call me out when they see me pretending. These are people who see that, as the song says, “Our weakness won’t divide us.”  If anything, the idea of keeping our weakness to ourselves is what will cause division.  When weakness is shared, it leads to growth.  When we expose our true selves, we are being honest with one another, and that is the place where the our rescuer comes in and shows us our need for Him, and we realize we are not alone.  







**I’m linking this post up to Gratituesday, because I am so very thankful for music that reminds me that when I am not doing fine, there is a Light that is my rescue.  It shines, and I know that I’m ok.


5
Spiritual

Me-Exposed.

I am reading a book on Identity.
God and I have been working hard together, as He shows me who I REALLY am.
When all the fronts are stripped away, what is left?
The core of who I am.

It is so important for me to embrace fully who God says I am.  In order to do this, it takes a stripping away of old beliefs, a painful but beautiful process.  This is where the work comes in.

It is so worth it, this hard work of exposing the core, of getting real.  You see, I have 3 precious little motivators.  3 little girls who deserve a mom who can show them the beauty of their Savior.  This is my life’s work.

I am not alone in this work:
~I have God, who is enough, yet in His goodness He has provided so much more for me:
~I have a wise man sent from God, it is his profession to give words of wisdom, he accepts money but his words are priceless.
~I have a husband, who has a million times over shown me true love, reflecting The Answer in so many ways.
 ~I have multiple women in my life, they speak life into me, allow me to see their cores, and teach me as He transforms them.
~I have a virtual world that is real, words of truth come through with a click of a button, so many tidbit treasures.
~I have so much to be grateful for, I am overwhelmed.

I wanted to share a written example of the work I am doing.
It about me, as a six year old girl.
It was a fleeting moment in time, but its residue has lasted.
I was being disobedient, sneaking to a house 2 blocks down, “just for a few minutes, mom will never know,” and she didn’t, until now.
I wanted to see where my new little friend lived, what the insides of her home looked like.
She lived there alone with her dad, who was not home.
Oh how I now hurt for that little girl friend, living alone with a lost, twisted man.
A man who left violent, gruesome, worse than you can imagine, twisted, bloody, horrendous pornography out in the open
I experienced 3 minutes of hell in her home…she lived in it. I never went back there again.  I don’t remember playing with her again. I don’t remember her name, but God does. May He bless her wherever she is.

~~~
Beginnings Of Core Exposure
It takes such a brave soul to explore the core.
Blinders off, zeroed in, honest, real and true.
Paralyzing fear, such a scary place to go, yet I do.
I feel shame, exposed.
The enemies traps are everywhere, yet little girl innocence is unaware, vulnerable to his snares.
He preys the young, creating fear, triggering premature interest.
He smirks in satisfaction at her confusion.

A six year old-in the wrong place and time.
A trap set, sitting nonchalantly on a countertop, atop a pile of mail.
Trap lures, little fingers open, caught.
Eyes see, heart freezes, puzzled panic sets in.
Hands slam shut, eyes want to, mind does but too late.
Violent, evil, gruesome images, branded into a brain too small to fit them in,
Little legs skip away, time to play.  Smile pasted, mind shuts down.
God in His goodness creates this intricate mind,
One that when circuits are overwhelmed, trips to self protect.
It stays tripped for lengths of time, until the enemy comes by
With an accusing finger, he pushes reset.
His lips full of lies, I believe as truth
Evil “repairs” damage even more.
Through the years, I am convinced fixed, but still broken.
Satan smiles at his crafty plans and makes more of them.
God’s heart breaks.  But…

He knows the Ultimate plan, beginning and end.
He has a plan on His Holy Heart, a plan just for ME:

~a plan to work it all out for good
~a plan with a guarantee to make all things new
~a plan that promises to overcome the evil one
~a plan that heals and restores
~a plan that has purpose
~a plan that turns pain to beauty
~a plan to reveal, redemption real
~a plan that will open eyes shut tight
~a plan that will come about, in His time

That time is now.

Plans fulfilled twenty-eight years later,
As the faithful fixer helps the little one restore the core.

Little girl scared, yet ready, He gently probes.
Holy hands hold hers
He moves to push reset, she wants to flee,
But then remembers whose hole- pierced hand it is.
Tears fall.  She speaks words aloud, images unimaginable.
The circuit shorts, breaks.  Beautiful brokenness.
Shattered, yet the core remains.
Exposed, real, true, free.
Reset, remade, renewed
Eyes reopened they see purity
She smiles relief, safe and eager for more plans of His to come.
Little girl, now with 3 of her own,
(3 little ones who make core exposure necessary)
Is being made NEW.
~~~

12
Easter/ Holidays/Parties/ Love/ Spiritual

Good Friday-Remembering

These are two of my most favorite songs.  I couldn’t decide which one to share, so I shared them both.  I encourage you to watch the both of them, and remember with me why this Good Friday is such a very, very special day.

{both videos are very graphic, viewer discretion advised}

1
Easter/ Holidays/Parties/ Love/ Spiritual

Easter Lessons

 

With Easter coming, my girls and I have been having quite a few discussions about sin and our need for a Saviour.  I was wanting a tangible way to show them different types of sin, how often we sin, and how great our need is for a Saviour.

I took a bulletin board square, drew a cross on it, and then we looked up some Bible verses and brain-stormed different types of sin, which I then wrote onto the cross.

 

~We discussed why and how Jesus died, and the amazingness– He took our sins upon Himself and paid the penalty that we deserved, by dying for us.

 ~We talked about repentance, how we must acknowledge our sin, ask Jesus to forgive our sin, and turn away from our sin. He takes the burden of them onto Himself, and they are no more.

~We talked about how He makes us whole and beautiful, and how we can come to Him anytime, He will always be ready and willing to forgive us, making us new again.

~We talked about the beauty of Easter, how He conquered death and is Risen, indeed!!

With pins (reminding us to think of the nails that pierced His skin) and beautiful, shimmery circles (the circle shape represents how He makes us whole),  we have been coming before the cross this week and acknowledging this amazing thing our Saviour did for us.

It has been beautiful, seeing my girls ask for forgiveness more often, and going to the cross before their Jesus, on their own.  I see them walk away, with freedom in their eyes and a lightness in their step.

My youngest- “Oh, mom, the cross is becoming so beautiful!!”  I smile and think, “so are you, my child, so are you.”

10
Love/ Spiritual

The Potter

Isaiah 64:8
Yet oh Lord. You are our Father.  We are the clay you are the potter, 
we are the work of your hands.
I am reading a book called “Identity.”  It is part of the Connect Series.  It is a study book, and asks the question…
How do you imagine the experience of being on the Potters wheel in His hands?

My answer:
The Ultimate Creator sees beauty in me, a clump of earth.
He holds me with a gentle touch.
Holy hands envelope, surround.
Patiently He works, and calls for patience,
as He creates beauty He’s already seen
I spin, slowly giving in.
My mess covers His hands
He molds mess into beauty
I feel Him,. Holding.
I feel safe.  At rest. Settled.
I feel like a priceless creation
I feel cherished.
I feel shaped.
I am a work of my Potters hand,
I am vessel surrounded,
I am filled


5
FAMILY/ Love/ Marriage/ Spiritual

Great Friends, A Miracle, & Anti-Procrastination

Pro-cras-ti-nate  

verb [intrans.] 

-delay or postpone action; put off doing something.

(I’m really good at that!)



Our friends from Chicago came to visit us this weekend, Porter and Sharon. It was SO good to see them!  We have been friends for at least 12 years now.  

We met at church in Illinois, and have walked through much life together.  It is pretty amazing that we have kept the bonds we have since most of our relationship has been long distance.

 We lived close to them in Chicago for 2 years, then moved back to Nebraska to live closer to family. Boy, it was hard leaving our friends!

The first few years that we lived in different states, we made it a point to see each other at least a couple times a year.  Then we started poppin’ out babies, and our visits became more like once a year.  

Now, after having 6 kids between the 2 of us couples (3 each!) we see each other about every year to year 1/2.  It has been so fun seeing our kids form bonds with each other.  They have 2 boys, 10 and 7, and a little girl who is 5.  

This trip, just Porter and Sharon came.  They are huge John and Staci Eldredge fans, (and now, so are we!), and it so happened that John and Staci Eldredge were going to speak here in Nebraska, so the pull of that, and, of course, our lovely selves, was enough to get them here!  

The latest book the Eldredge’s have authored is a marriage book called “Love And War.”  We loved hearing them speak, learned much, and I plan on buying the book!  

Seeing them did my heart such good.  You see- they shouldn’t be here.  It truly is a miracle that they are.  

Last summer, they were on a road trip as a family and were in a very serious car accident.  “No one should have lived” is the message they received from police officers, paramedics, doctors, insurance agents…everyone who saw the accident was amazed that anyone walked out alive. 

 Our great God did a miracle for our great friends. 

 Porter and their ten-year-old son were both thrown from the van, that was going 85 mph and had rolled several times.  

Porter landed on the highway, in the middle of the night, tried to move and passed out from the pain.  

He doesn’t remember much but does remember hearing his family, hearing his wife comfort their son, and thinking he was done, as he heard a large semi pass him in the opposite lane.

  Sharon was heroic in her actions. 

She gives God all the credit for how her mind worked during that time.  Her husband is on the street, her son is gasping for air where he landed in the grass, her other son is terrified by the absence of his daddy and brother and the sight of the deep wound on his leg.  

Their little girl was shaken and very scared, but unbelievably, not physically hurt.  Sharon did what she needed to do for her family, and did not succumb to the shock until she was laying in the ambulance, knowing her family was in good hands. She was amazing.

There are so many beautiful stories of how God met them in this horrific time.  They are continuing to make beautiful stories as they allow God to use them to tell their story, and as they continue to heal. 
 
 Physical healing has come quickly, especially when there should not have been any. 
 
Despite a head injury, back injury and many contusions from glass and landing, Porter is doing well.  He is the same smart, loyal, wise, Godly, active and caring man we knew, which is truly a miracle.  
Even when seeing them in person, it was still hard to fathom what they had been through. Other than a few scars, the only evidence was strength of character, which truthfully, was very strong to begin with.  
Their kids have all healed and are doing well, thanks much to parents who had the wisdom to allow them to talk and process whenever they needed to, and to a big God who has taken care of them.  
Sharon is also doing well.  There is a deep beauty within her, a beauty that has been refined by fire and made new by her Protector. She has such feminine strength, a steadfastness, a firm grasp on the one she calls Saviour, and an eager anticipation of the ‘what next?’  
I personally can’t wait to see what is next for these great friends of ours, but I  know without a doubt that God kept them here on this earth because He is not done using them, to radiate Him.  

I truly didn’t want to let go when we hugged them hello, or as we said goodbye.  It was a gift to hear from them, in person, what they had been through.  I am so thankful to have them in my life.

 

So how does this all relate to procrastination?  

Well, two ways:

First, life is short and fragile.  Do not put off, do not delay, telling those whom you love that you do.  
My prayer is that through text, facebook, email and the phone that my friends will continue to know how much they are loved. Keeping in touch over the phone is NOT my strength, but combined with text and email, they just might get sick of me.

Second, having company is a GREAT way to stop procrastinating and get things done!  Here are a few things I accomplished because we were having visitors:

*my oven cleaned (it was nasty.  beyond nasty.)  
*sheets washed (they were not nasty, but gettin’ there)
*hair cut-I wanted to look my best for our night out
*laundry room cleaned up
*couches spot cleaned
*car picked up
*leggings bought for my ‘going out with friends’ outfit

I think I will purposefully have some more “anti-procrastination days” and tell you all about it.  Maybe you can join me?  It could be our chance to do those “little things” that we have been putting off.

It is always amazing to find out that the “thing” I have been waiting for the perfect time to do actually only needed 10 or 15 minutes to complete. All we have to do is take the first step and get started or keep inviting great company over, like mine…

 …don’t you wish they were your friends?:)

6
Top