Thanksgiving

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches (at lightening speed) I have been feeling pressed within my spirit to think daily of those things for which I am thankful, as are many of you. For God's love and mercy, for my family, my friends, His blessings and tender mercies.
While I was pondering this today I kept returning to the words of a hymn that would pop into my thoughts. It rolled its way throughout every thought I had, it invaded every nook and cranny of my morning. It was my constant tune in my ears and spirit.

And then I received the news of an acquaintances loss yesterday, a father lost to a mother and two daughters in a car accident. My second daughter has gone to school with the oldest daughter since 5th grade. The mom is a friend of one of my dear friends. I was reminded then that this years Thanksgiving will be one of new loss for them, and hurt and pain. But God,in this, can also be found peace, and rest and healing and even thanksgiving for what they had known. Not right
away, maybe but that is my prayer.

Jesus, keep me near the cross;
there a precious fountain,
free to all, a healing stream,
flows from Calvary's mountain.

Refrain
In the cross, in the cross,
be my glory ever,
till my wounded soul shall find
rest beyond the river.

2
Near the cross, a trembling soul,
love and mercy found me;
there the bright and morning star
sheds its beams around me.

3
Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
bring its scenes before me;
help me walk from day to day
with its shadow o'er me.

For Today: November 16, 2009:

Outside my window... The rain has arrived again, taking with it the wonderful warm temperatures we've been enjoying.

I am thinking... That I need to vacuum again...two dogs, four kids..enough said.

I am thankful for...The way God has blessed my life. He has given me a Victor's confession in place of a victims mindset. My life flows with abundance of blessings.

I am wearing...Jeans and my favorite coral colored sweater

I am creating...a website, blog, editing photos from two photo sessions

I am going... to be very busy for the next few weeks...

I am reading... Rule #1 by Phil Towns, about to be reading Humility by Andrew Murray

I am hoping... always :)

I am hearing...my keyboard clicks, and the sound of "Joan of Arcadia" in the background

On my mind... my husband's job, my job, my children...and waiting to see what God is going to do in each of them.

From the kitchen... coffee. Later, Chili.

One of my favorite things... the Iphone. It's so many things in one.

The rest of the week... Cheer practices, work, editing more photos, taking more photos, working on some more projects and hopefully some time with my family.

Pondering these words... To be a victor in the midst of circumstances we must be able to say "but God"...example: There are negative circumstances in life but God intends for me to be victorious!

A Photo to share


My youngest



I saw this on a friends blog and loved it, she got it from the link below:

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Searching for Home

Lately, I've been busy. Not the typical busy, the "I'm going to explode if I don't get a second to be alone" kind of busy. The kids are all going four different directions, and then factor in work and a new project that I've been tackling (one that requires a lot of learning) and the normalities of home life (laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning). I've entered the house, left the house, re-entered the house, etc...but I've not been home for sometime. And because of that I've been short tempered, I've snapped at the kids, I've been excessively tired, I've been feeling sad...but I hadn't realized why until this morning. Sitting in my big chair, with the sun streaming in the window making my arm warm and the clock quietly ticking in the background, the aroma of coffee wafting in from the kitchen, I realized that I've not truly been home in quite some time. I've been here, but not been present. I have been missing home, looking for home but have been falling short of landing here...in the quietness of the moment, spending time with Him before I spend time with everyone else in my day. When my visits and time with Him are rushed and fit into the schedule, I find my day turns out the same. For in Him I find my rest and peace...He is my home. Without my home being made in Him, everything else will fall short.

Beauty in structure

Liver Life Walk Oct 24 2009
Originally uploaded by Jean 1.

Recently, during a visit with my Mother-in-law, while we were talking about life and change she remarked "You know, as I was driving home it struck me that there can be great beauty in dying. I was thinking about all the beautiful trees this time of year, all the colors and variations, and then I realized that these leaves are only this color because they are in the process of dying." I agreed and we went on but the remark stayed with me. In the life of a Christian one goes through varying degrees of death...death to self, to pride, to agendas, to sin and so on. Often, within this death process we find it scary and sometimes even fight against the change.
The day after the conversation I came upon the tree in the photograph. I found it devoid of all its leaves already in a park surrounded completely by trees in full autumn regalia however this tree, bare of all its splendor, held for me the greatest beauty. Without is covering one can see the intricate weaving and workings of what has taken years to develop. The limbs, both great and small, had just recently been covered with multitudes of leaves but now, it is the structure, the core of what held up the leaves that contains the full beauty, something that has been a work in progress for more years than the temporary covering of leaves it recently held and, in the spring, will hold again.
Yes, death can create beauty, and more often, reveal the even greater beauty of what has been happening underneath it all.

test

Healing

When I was a child and I or one of my siblings would come down with some illness our mother would get us 7up and jello as our "sick food", sometimes we would also get chicken noodle soup, but always the jello and 7Up.
When I was in high school I came down with the flu, a rather vicious strain of it that had me up one nigh at all hours, miserable. Dad was gone on a two-week job driving truck, so all the care and responsibility for all six children lay on Mom's shoulders. 9 hours of her day she had spent working at the pants factory, the rest of the night she had been caring for us. I remember little else about that night but the site of Mom walking down the middle of the street illuminated only by the street light, wearing her robe and slippers, to buy a couple cans of 7up from the vending machine at the community center since it was 2am and all the stores were closed in our small town. She didn't complain, she didn't grouse, she just did it like it was the most normal thing for a woman to be out at the time of night armed with nothing but a handful of change and a flashlight.

As a mom, I have come to view that early morning walk as so much more than a quest for 7up. Each step, I know, resonated with love. She stepped out a cadence of "I love her, I will care for her, I will get her whatever she needs" so loudly that it beats still today within my heart...even as I sit here sick eating jello and drinking 7up (and gatorade) remembering that walk with gratitude and appreciation.

Bishop and Pastor

Bishop and Pastor
Originally uploaded by Jean 1.

A week from tomorrow our Pastor, Spiritual Father and Founder of our church body transitioned from his natural body into his spiritual body. He was 80 years old and the picture of health. He was often heard to say "I do not want to live one minute longer than God's plan for me." He passed away after a day that he often described as his perfect kind of day...a walk in the morning with friends, a game of golf on a perfect weather day, swimming with family and friends and a nap with his wife of 60 years. He went to sleep and awoke in the Presence of the Lord.
Today, we celebrated the life of our pastor, a life that brought many people to a deep and true understanding of who we are in Christ. During the memorial service it was repeated over and over again about how he changed lives and helped others.
For Rob and I, we came to the church the very first Sunday after we were married. We knew that this man was speaking things we had never heard before, things that had the potential to change us for the good. Things like:
1. We are the righteousness of God in Christ. Because of this, we can live a righteous life and have security in knowing that God will help us to live that way.
2. We can have freedom from sin. Freedom from sin meant that we could ask God to change us in ways that we thought were destined to plague us for life.
3. We have been given all we need for life and godliness. With His Spirit we could walk by faith into the life He has planned for us.

For 18 years we grew and learned and continued to mature, watching Bishop (the name the church called him...Bishop means "Shepard") and imitating him as he imitated Christ. We watched him walk in forgiveness towards those who wronged him, Learned how to love those we don't really like, began to practice the joy of speaking words of love and encouragement to others. He was truly a great and godly man. He will be missed deeply, but oh how wonderful to know that he is in the continual presence of the King!
"He who is joined to the Spirit is One with Him!"