What Do You Have in That Bag?!?

I have a bag that I carry, known around here as Mom's Bible Study bag.  Recently I've been asked by numerous people, "What do you carry in that bag?" So I thought I'd show you!  Here's the top view. 

 It's a Thirty-One bag, I'm not sure that they even make it any more?  But it is super sturdy!  I don't carry a purse, the red pouch is my wallet and I just throw everything else in this tote.  There several pockets on the outside, this side is where I keep my nametag for Bible Study Fellowship.

 On this side I keep my Post-It note pads and apparently my cheese sticks.

 Front view - I should call my bag June...as in June is busting out all over.  Except she isn't.  All the seams are perfectly intact.

 Big books - I've got my Beth Moore Daniel study, a borrowed copy of Dianne Craft's Brain Integration Therapy, my planner, the green folder has my Bible Study Fellowship work in it, my Sunday school teacher's guide, an old Beth Moore Living Beyond Yourself that I'm copying notes out of, and a BJUPress catalog.

 I've got some Happy Mail in there, ready to mail out.

 Small books - my Bible, "Still Alice" (highly recommend), "A Thomas Jefferson Education" (also highly recommend), notebook, True Woman Manifesto (this always gets moved to last on my priority list, unfortunately).

 I've got two spiral bound notecard books, for scriptures for memory work, my wallet, my earbuds, van key with adorable keychain made my talented good friend, Jill and pencil pouch.

My pencil pouch is a bit on the full side as well.  I'm pretty particular about my writing utensils, I like a dull pencil but I really like these mechanical pencils, the lead thickness is 1.3mm, whereas a standard mechanical pencil is 0.7mm.  Standard pencil lead always breaks on me, but not these.  They are great!  I've also got my colored pens and watercolor pencils for Bible journaling, lots of medium thickness ballpoint pens, highlighter, and pretty Sharpie.

So, now you know, when you see me schlepping my Bible study bag around, what's in there!  I enjoy having everything right in one place.  If I get a chance to head to the coffee shop to work on Bible study homework, it's all in there.  When it's time to drive to guitar lessons and sit for an hour, I'm prepared.  When I settle in to my favorite chair to study my Bible, I've got everything I need gathered together.  If I want to go to bed early, I just lug the bag upstairs. 

Do you have a special space where you always read and study or do you have a basket or bag you store all of your needful things in?

Illustrated Faith

I bought a Journaling Bible two years ago after seeing the nice wide margins that allowed for notetaking.  This is the Bible that I have, it is no longer in print but there are a wide variety of journaling Bibles available.

A few months ago I stumbled on Valerie Wieners Instagram account and immediately fell in love with her art.  I was slack-jawed that she added her beautiful art to her Bible!

Valerie Wieners Bible Journaling

I am not an artist but I am a good copier and creativity is free, or really cheap, anti-depessant therapy.  I am also a very visual person so the idea of reading God's Word and mulling over what I've read and putting that into pictures was incredibly appealing to me.  So I tried it out.

Then I went back and tried adding some color to some of my existing notes.

Pretty fun!  But the pastels I was getting from my watercolor pencils just wasn't cutting it enough for me.  I unearthed my boys' watercolors and started really digging in.

I soon learned that this art form has a name, or several names, Illustrated Faith or Documented Faith.  I found other Instagram accounts like Stephanie Ackerman, Shanna Noel and Little Bit Funky.

Everybody does it differently.  This is my every day Bible but others have a study Bible and just journal and doodle in their Journaling Bible.  Some ladies use rubber stamps and stickers, others use water colors and Prisma Inks.  Some stick to the journaling margins, others cover their whole page.  

There are websites and Facebook groups and Alaskan cruises!  Oh my!  For me, this is simply my fringe hours with God.  Some of my notes are from Bible studies, sometimes I write another translation, sometimes it's just my own interpretation of what I've read.

I've started carrying a watercolor palette with me and at the coffee shop I ask for a small cup of water and plop myself next to a sunny window. 

Sometimes there is only enough time to get out the colored pens and pencils. 

Other times I'm gifted with more time and I plug in my earbuds and jam out on Pandora.  If you see me at McDonald's in full-on worship mode, don't be surprised if I'm raising my arms - just praising Jesus.

This one was a poor excuse of a hack from Pinterest.  My apologies to the original artist for ruining your picture!

I'm so blessed that God put this in my path and is using this to make the Bible come alive in a whole, new way for me.  His Word is alive and active in me and I'm so enjoying allowing it to bubble up in whatever imperfect, humble way He allows.

If you're interested in this, Valerie, Shanna, and Stephanie all have much more concise and beautiful descriptions than I could possibly add to.  I encourage you to check them out.  But even more than that, I encourage you to just get started.  Yes, you'll mess up (like the time I wrote Esther/Boaz when I meant to write Ruth/Boaz...still trying to come up with a creative way to cover that up), yes your pens might bleed through or dribble on your page, you might smudge your handwriting or misspell a word.  But your Bible is a part of your legacy.  I have my grandmother's and my great-grandmothers Bibles.  They are full of four-leaf clovers and obituaries cut from the newspaper.  I want my children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren to be able to look back through my Bible and see what spoke to me, where I struggled, what verses I was working on memorizing.  This, to me, is a great legacy to leave.

If you don't want to doodle directly in your Bible, try buying a journal and seeing what images God's Word stirs in your mind.  Above all, don't get caught up in the details.  It's about drawing closer to Him and for HIS glory!

Poor Grandma, Part 1

Back when my "grandma" was raising children, she didn't know her arms were more toned than Mrs. Olsen's because they wore sleeves and didn't pin pictures of "6 Must-Do Exercises to Rid Your Arms of Flab Forever".  Nor did she have a full-length mirror (or the privacy to stand naked in front of one if she had one) to analyze just how bad her cellulite was.

And yet her husband loved her anyhow, delighted in her, and loved her faithfully until his last dying breath.

"Grandma" didn't realize there were "10 Things No New Mom Can Do Without", she thought her little stash of homemade cloth diapers and the wooden cradle that her husband made were just fine for bringing home another baby.  She didn't know she needed a Bumbo, a bouncer seat, a battery operated swing and a special bathtub.  On that note, she missed the list of "What to Pack in Your Hospital Bag" because she had homebirths and a kettle of hot water and a heap of clean towels was all she really needed.

And yet her baby's brains and bodies developed, they adored her and grew up healthy and strong.

"Grandma" didn't know there was 101 books she had to read to her children before they were six or that she had to prepackage busy bags for her younger children to play with while she educated her older children.  She didn't have to choose between 127 homeschool curricula, she just taught her children what she knew, how to read and write, how to add numbers, how plants grew, she taught the girls how to sew, cook and clean and shooed the boys out of the house to help their dad plant fields and do carpentry work or to manage the store or shoe horses.  The list of Date Night ideas escaped her notice and since there was no time to get away with just her &  the mister they surely also missed the "12 Mother-Son Dates" and "15 Daddy-Daughter Dates".

And yet her children knew they were loved and valued, were well educated, had good manners, made good friends and grew up to support their own families.

"Grandma" never found out what the words tablescape or gourmet meant.  Until they were older her girls shared a cup and most days if they had meat to eat it was a pretty special blessing.  She didn't fret over whether her grains were soaked and sprouted, the beef was grass-fed and their Omega 3s were in proper ratio to their Omega 6s.  She didn't stage her house when her husband said it was time to move, she just packed up everything they owned that would fit in the wagon and hoped the next person who found their cabin & made it home would appreciate the sturdiness of the bed.

And yet her family was well-fed and healthy, close-knit and called their mother "blessed".

"Grandma" never knew her rooms would seem bigger or her ceilings higher if she painted the walls a certain color.  She never knew her picture frames had to be hung a certain number of inches above her furniture or in odd numbers.

And yet her home always felt cozy, there was always warmth in the fireplace, and memories to savor.

"Grandma" never hosted grand tea parties for 12, made elaborate party favors for birthday parties, made seating charts for dinner parties or put mints on her overnight guests' pillows.

And yet her neighbors always knew they could stop in for a cup of tea, her friends always asked for her simple recipes, her church knew they could count on her to donate homemade pies, and her extended family didn't hesitate to spend the night when the weather was too bad to ride home.

Poor Grandma, she didn't know just how much of a mess she was.  She had no idea of her BMI or ideal weight, she didn't know how ill-prepared of a mom she was, she was unaware of how her children stacked up against other children in the state or country, she was incognizant about how simple and uninspiring her meals were, she was clueless about how unglamorous her home furnishings were, and she was simply oblivious to her entertaining faux pas.  And gloriously blissful in her ignorance.

As I talk to other ladies about their feelings of inadequacy, dissatisfaction with their lives, their marriages, their bodies, their houses, their children....their very purpose in life, I can't help but think of all the things "Grandma" missed out on. I am chief among the complainers.  I compare and covet.  I analyze and ache.  It's all just too much.  I agonize over comments made on Facebook, the lack of blog readers, I Pin every possible idea to help me feed, entertain, spend quality time with, impart value to my family.  I check out 10 books on the GAPS diet and vitamin deficiency along with 6 books on how to impart blessings to my family and make sure my children stay in church, and on top of that stack I add a few books on the proper colors for my home and the newest designs in home decor.  Many of these things are good things to think about, the food we feed our children, the coziness of our homes, the pleasures in life are not sins and may in fact be noble.  But the comparison game, the constant discontentment is just too much.  A little voice in my head screams "Enough!"  I want off of this ride of comparisons and inadequacy. 

And yet, I know that God put me here for such a time as this.  But He also calls me to come out and be separate.  Not to look like the world, to put my treasure in things not of this world, to find my value in Him, to let Him be God and be His servant.

(All pictures taken by Mr. Steady or myself at Sauder Village)

Introducing The Dimple

Gorgeous photo taken by the talented Belle Hess

On a chilly October day at 8:18 in the evening, on October 20, 2012, they placed a 10 pound, 7 ounce miracle in our arms.  She was perfect.  And after examining every inch of her beautiful body, we noticed she has a single dimple on her left cheek.  And so we introduce to you.... 

The Dimple.

I have spent the past three weeks snuggling, nursing, changing, and mostly kissing this beautiful baby. 

We are so very grateful for this gift straight from Heaven and praise God for her every day.  A few days before she arrived, I was reading in Job and verse 42:5 jumped right off the page at me, "My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you."  I hope to blog more about this in the coming weeks or months but we are so grateful God's ways are so much higher than our ways.  We knew He is faithful and has a plan for each of us but now we have seen with our eyes His miraculous ways and works.

Hello Monday!

Deborah has been doing "Hello Monday" posts for quite some time and her week always seems so full and intentional compared to mine.  I had a very fun and full week last week so I decided to jump on board.  I actually remembered to pull out the camera and document some things as well!

Hello long weekend trip!  We visited Sauder Village in Northern Ohio last weekend.  It started out to be a one night trip, then slowly morphed into a three-night trip, which utterly blessed our socks off.  More in depth post on this to come.

 Goodbye to old paint in the baby's room.  Mr. Steady and his friend put a fresh new coat of aqua on the walls.  Full reveal of the nursery will come when it's complete, which may or may not come prior to her arrival!

 Hello to fluffing up old things and making them new.

 Hello to Girls' Night In!  Mr. Steady and I started meeting with several other couples to pray & share our lives about 2 years ago.  These ladies have become so precious to me and even though we haven't met as couples lately, most of our husbands get together weekly and us girls try to get together once a month or so.  We had a healthy {cough, cough} dinner of pizza, chips, pop and Ho-Ho Cake.  Luckily, C brought fresh pears so we could pretend it was a well-rounded meal :o).  Then we watched October Baby, which is a must see, if you haven't yet seen it.

 Hello to science projects right outside our window.  If you hadn't gathered by the blog name, we live in town.  Hawks aren't something we see around here.  I would never have noticed him sitting there, outside my kitchen window, devouring a squirrel, if my neighbors, who go for twice daily walks hadn't walked soooo slowly, soooo apprehensively past him.  He didn't flinch as they walked by.  Then he waited for a while to make sure the coast was clear and had himself a tidy little breakfast.

No pictures of these last events but hello to finding out baby girl is head down and not in some other position as I feared - praise the Lord for hours spent in the pool trying to get her to flip!

Hello to date night, we haven't seen you in such a long time and it will likely be a long time until you visit us again.  That is okay because we make time to be together and laugh and play together as often as we can but there is something special about a quiet meal with adult food and conversation.

Hello to family reunions!  So fun to see people you haven't seen in a year, especially when you have news they haven't heard!  News used to travel fast in my family but it seems several didn't know we are adding to our family, Lord willing!

Hello to comments being turned back on.  Several of you noticed I had turned the comments off on my blog.  They should be back on now.  I appreciate your comments and although I don't respond very often, I do read each and every one!

Goodbye Summer!  We officially bid adieu to summer and I, for one, couldn't be happier.  I happen to adore fall to begin with, and the promise of meeting my daughter is the sweetest reason I could think of to say hello to autumn!

What did you find yourself greeting hello or wishing farewell to last week?  What does this week hold in store for you?

Kairos Cookies

I certainly did not intend to go so long between blog posts. Time has just gotten away from me. I lost my camera for a while, then I accidentally erased every picture on the camera when I did find it. So some of these pictures are months old but I wanted to blog about these things for posterity's sake.

Mr. Steady served on a Kairos Prison Ministry team this spring. Every team member is asked to bring 200 dozen cookies to the weekend. No, that is not a typo. Yes, that is 200 DOZEN cookies. There were 50 men on the team and they ended up with over 12,000 DOZEN.

 My good friend, Lisa, offered to host a cookie baking day to help out.  We baked 98 dozen cookies in short order!  Thanks so much, Lisa, Nat, Amber, Bonnie, Sheila, Arlene for spending the day with us...and Carla and Daisy for sending dough!  Thanks for organizing it, Lisa!  The inmates were certainly impressed and blessed by all those cookies!

Predictions for 2012

I originally received this from a friend in 2009 for 2010 but I think you will agree the predictions will still be accurate for 2012.  Have a blessed 2012!

Top 10 Predictions for 2012

1.. The Bible will still have all the answers.

2. Prayer will still be the most powerful thing on Earth..

3. The Holy Spirit will still move.

4. God will still honor the praises of His people.

5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.

6. There will still be singing of praise to God.

7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.

8. There will still be room at the Cross.

9. Jesus will still love you.

10..Jesus will still save the lost when they come to Him.

Isn't it great to remember Who is really in control, and that; "the Word of the Lord endures forever."

( 1 Peter 1:25 )

Missions In Action

As you finalize your Thanksgiving prep over the next few days, cross the groceries off your list, polish the silver, make the name cards...see if there is something you can do without.  Some of our birds alone will cost nearly $38.  The amount it costs to sponsor a Compassion child.  

Maybe you're not hosting Thanksgiving this year but you're starting a list of Black Friday deals.  How about sponsoring a child through Compassion in your mother-in-law's name or your grandchild's name?  

I want to share with you a short (7 minute) video.

Missions in Action is an interactive web series that was created with the purpose to make a difference around the world. The team is:

• traveling around the world to identify problems that people are facing.
• highlighting the actions that individuals and/or companies are taking to help those in need.
• providing a way for viewers to help out.

Right now, this team is in the Philippines. They have visited children and families who live in poverty in flooded villages in northern Manila.

It's kind of hard to worry about whether the orange in your dinner napkins matches the orange in your tablecloth after watching this video.  There is something each of us can sacrifice this month to find those $38.  Won't you join Compassion in helping one child find their way out of poverty?

Disturbed

I recently read "Sold" by Patricia McCormick.  This was one of those books where it sickens you to read it but you can't sit by and pretend it doesn't happen.

The fall issue of "Compassion Magazine" published by Compassion International highligted this topic as well.  Wess Stafford writes, "...for a girl to be enslaved in a Bangkok brothel, an awful lot of things had to have been wrong upstream in her young life, and we at Compassion believe there is an equally compelling, powerfully strategic approach called prevention.  It may have less 'marketing' sizzle, but it is our goals to make sure children and families don't fall into that trap in the first place."

I love this thought, because the first thing you think of when you finish Sold is what you can do to help to end this awful thing that is happening, not only around the globe, but right here in our neighborhoods as well.  And the next thing you feel is defeat because you can't possibly save these children.  But God did not give us a spirit of timidty but a spirit of love, of power, and of self-control.

We can't help all of these girls (and boys), but we can help one at a time.

"There are 27 million people living as slaves in our world today. That is far more than were enslaved when William Wilberforce fought for the abolition of slavery in the early 1800s." 

"In the United States, one in every three little girls is sexually abused before her 18th birthday, and one in every six little boys."

Compassion partners with local leaders in these poverty-striken cities where "children are kidnapped or recruited for prostitution".  When children enter the child development program, they are surrounded by staff and volunteers who are trained in and committed to child protection.  Compassion is equipping its center directors and staff, with training and resources, to be able to help and protect children from sexual abuse.

Please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion today.  You can participate in the Child Survival Program, which provides prenatal care, immunizations and education to expectant mothers.  You can participate in the Leadership Development program by helping a young Compassion-assisted man or woman attain their Undergraduate degree, then return to their community to influence their family, church, community, and nation.

2 children are sold into the human sex slave trade every minute.  You can prevent this by helping a child from "extreme poverty to enough".

First Time Obedience

We have really been working with the boys lately on first-time obedience.  It means being told once and no more.  Our mantra is "all the way, right away, the first time."  I'm sure the boys are sick of hearing that.  I'm sick of saying it.

Late last winter a sign-up sheet was posted at church for a mission trip to Torreon, New Mexico.  We signed up to go but then the trip got postponed and assigned a new project.  We signed up again for the second trip.  Not much prayer went into it, we just thought it sounded like a good opportunity to visit our church's mission and expose our boys to a little bit more of the world.

We set aside money from our tax return for the trip but one of our vans needed work and then the electric bill was higher than we planned for and then work was scarce and hours were short and on and on until our nice chunk of money was nearly gone.

As we sat back and looked at finances, it didn't seem like it would ever happen.  We did the math and crunched the numbers...we would never be able to afford it.  We decided to take what money was left and donate it to the expenses of the project and just stay home.  Thankfully we were told to just hang tight and the money for our family would be there.

I would be lying if I said I was doubtful.  I was highly doubtful.  I planned a garage sale but a series of events kept that from happening.  Someone gave us a very generous donation with the instructions to pay-it-forward the next year.  Could this really happen?  We stepped forward in faith and rented a car. 

I scheduled a Zumbathon to raise money for the trip.  11 people showed up.  God, are you trying to tell us not to go?  If this was meant to be wouldn't the people show up?  11 people, $15 per person....miraculously the dollar amount taken in was over $400.  Thank you God!

The next day at church we are abundantly and generously gifted more than a sufficient amount to make the trip and cover the time off of work.  Confirmation.  Confirmation that this is really His will, His desire.  He took what we could do out of our hands, for the van, for the bills, and showed us what He was able to do.  The money He gave us was more than what we had originally set aside! 

As Mr. Steady and I laid our hands on that gift and prayed, I asked God's forgiveness for never seeking His will and then questioning whether we were really supposed to go, was this really His will?  We are spreading His gospel, showing His love with a family of unbelievers, who are closely related to the tribes medicine man, a family in bondage who needs to see God's love.  He told us "Go into the all the world and preach the Good news". 

He told us once.  Why do we think He has to confirm it for us over and over and over again?

Let's take this first-time obedience and turn back to our children...can you imagine this conversation?

"Son, please wash the dishes."

"Me?  But I'm not qualified, I don't know how to do it, I don't have the tools I need."

I give him a dishcloth, a towel, and soap and lovingly show my son how to wash the dishes.

"Son, the dishes aren't washed,"

"Oh, I didn't know you wanted me to wash the dishes, I thought my brother would be better suited to do that job.  I don't feel called to do the dishes.  I feel called to only minister on the couch.  There are lots of needs right here within my reach, see I could hold the remote, and I could even watch a movie.  Movies have feelings and needs too, you know.  How come everyone wants to talk about the dishes when there are needs right here in this room?  In fact, I have needs and they aren't being met.  I really need to just fill my own love-tank up.  I need to be ministered to.  I'm not really ready yet to do the dishes, I know you trained me already but I just feel like maybe I should practice here on the couch before I actually do real dishes, you know?  Maybe I might mess them up somehow and then that would be bad.  You wouldn't want me to damage the dishes would you?"

How do you think that would go over with a child who is supposed to be practicing first-time obedience?  God is long-suffering and patient but that doesn't mean we need to be disrespectful and disobedient. 

I was waiting on a personal invitation.  A physical confirmation.  Lightning bolts and a booming voice from above would have been really great.  How would I feel if my child, after being told to do something said "Oh, I was waiting on a lightning bolt or some real, true confirmation that you actually wanted me to do the dishes." 

I wonder how many times I say "All the way, right away, the first time" and God says "Isn't that like the pot calling the kettle black?"

What are you waiting for?  Are you practicing first-time obedience?  Are you following God all the way, right away, the first time?

It Is Finished

"One preacher described it as if you and I were standing a short hundred yards away from a dam of water then thousand miles high and ten thousand miles wide.  All of a sudden that dam was breached, and a torrential flood of water came crashing toward us.  Right before it reached our feet, the ground in front of us opened it up and swallowed it all.  At the Cross, Christ drank the full cup of the wrath of God, and when He had downed the last drop, He turned the cup over and cried out, 'It is finished.'"

Radical, David Platt

The Only Gift Suitable for Regifting

I shared these thoughts with my online accountability sisters this morning and thought I'd share with you, too.

Image from My Big Fat Greek Move

Ephesians 1:15 says "For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people," When we have faith in the Lord Jesus, others should hear about it, know about it, see it in your countenance and actions.

I distinctly remember the day I decided I never wanted anyone to ever wonder if I was a Christian. One of my favorite teachers from junior high lost her husband suddenly and I went to buy her a sympathy card. I stood there reading the cards and picked up several with scripture, ones that promised the reader their loved one was in Heaven. And I wondered if she was a Christian or if her husband had been one. She was the nicest, sweetest, soft-spoken lady and the old me, the one who thought she was a Christian, would have sent it to her because all nice, sweet, soft-spoken teachers are Christians, right?

But I couldn't do it, I couldn't promise her something that wasn't true. And right then and there, in the middle of the Hallmark store I decided to never wanted anyone else to stand in the middle of a Hallmark store and wonder if I was a Christian. It was time I started proclaiming it, behaving in a way that pleased God and told others Whose I was, and sharing this gift with others instead of being a little embarrased about it and putting it in the spare bedroom closet.

The gift of salvation is the only gift suitable for regifting - and it's the best way to show your appreciation for it too!





Thank God I'm Being Remade!

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.

Bob, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.

'And why is everyone so quiet,
So somber - give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said,
'They’re all in shock.

No one thought they'd be seeing you.'

-author unknown to me

Gifts of Compassion

Do you have a persnickity person on your Christmas list?  Or an overly gracious person who wants nothing on Christmas morning except to "spend time with my family?"

Consider giving a Gift of Compassion in their name!

Tired of all the commercialism of Christmas and want to rein your family back into focus? I love Ann's children's ideas of giving all the gifts to Jesus.

Choose a Gift of Compassion as a family and pray for the recipient!

What is Gifts of Compassion?  An on-line catalog of gift alternatives for friends, family and clients. No crowds, no lines, no stress - just a gift that will help make a difference in the life of a child living in one of the poorest communities of the world. These gifts help provide clean drinking water, medical treatment, disaster relief, food supplies and much, much more for Compassion-assisted children and their families. Meet real needs and bring real joy with a Gift of Compassion.


Gifts include mosquito nets, soccer balls, chickens, goats, water filters, farm equipment, clean water and more. Gift prices range from $10 to $5000.

Take a Bath

Your job to keep your frame of mind peaceful and your focus on Jesus this week is to take a hot bubble bath.  And aren't I blessed, it's my job too!  I can hardly wait until Tuesday night!

According to Donna Partow, in her book Becoming the Woman I Want to Be, "soaking in a hot bath that contains 1 cup of dead sea salts, 1 cup of epsom salt, 1 cup of regular sea salt, 1 cup of baking soda and a few drops of lavender oil will help your body release...unwanted toxins (you can substitiue these ingredients with 2 pounds of regular sea salt and 2 pounds of baking soda). You need to stay in the hot water until it cools, no longer than 30 minutes. Be sure light a few candles and play your favorite inspirational music to stimulate your heart and soul! Be careful when getting out as you may feel a bit light headed which signifies the detoxifying work has been done!"

I have incorporated a bath as prescribed as above before fasting and it is wonderfully relaxing.  I must admit I have fallen asleep in there a time or two.  I love to turn out all the lights and light a few candles.  I don't love the idea of taking my Bible into the tub with me (what would I do if I fell asleep and dropped it - yikes!) but I think I will make a copy of Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2 to meditate on.

Make sure you take time for yourself and, more importantly, for Jesus this week!  For more great ideas and to follow along with Courtney's Peace on Earth December Challenge or to link up, visit her blog.



Peace on Earth December Challenge

I'm joining Courtney in her Peace on Earth December Challenge.  Let's keep our focus on Jesus this month!  It's all too easy to get wrapped up (pun intended) in the gifts and shopping, cooking and get togethers.  Those things are all great if we keep Jesus as our guest of honor.  Won't you join us?  Start by lighting a candle every day this week in a main room of your home.  Every time you see the candle burning, say a prayer for your family and loved ones.

As you prepare your home for Jesus' birthday party, what are you doing to prepare your heart?  Our family is reading Jotham's Journey and accompanying devotional nightly.

Satan's Opportune Moments

Today I was so blessed by what Courtney shared on her Good Morning Girls blog:

"I recently read this commentary from Dr. Charles Stanley discussing Acts 4:13 and was so encouraged by it that I wanted to share it with you today. Do you ever have those days where you feel un-usable for God? How about just plain ordinary….nothing special about you? Me too! Read this my sweet sister and be encouraged!


Anyone who studies God’s ways soon realizes they are quite different from man’s. Worldly wisdom says that extraordinary people and abundant resources are needed for great tasks, yet the Lord often chooses the small and insignificant to achieve His purposes on earth.


For example, Christ selected a rather unimpressive group of men as disciples, yet after being filled with the Spirit, they “turned the world upside down.” During His ministry on earth, Jesus fed thousands with a child’s meager lunch, and He viewed the widow’s two small coins as a greater offering than all the other generous donations (John 6:5-12; Luke 21:2-3).


God specializes in using people who aren’t naturally qualified to accomplish His tasks. Moses was a verbally impaired 80-year-old shepherd who liberated a nation. After Gideon hid from the enemy, God made him a valiant warrior. David was the overlooked youngest son who killed a giant with a small stone and became Israel’s greatest king.


God isn’t looking for impressive people; He wants willing ones who will bow the knee in humble submission. Being weak and ordinary doesn’t make you useless. Rather, it positions you for a demonstration of divine power in your life. He takes insignificant ones and delights in making them great.


Have you ever considered that your lack of ability, talent, or skill is the ideal setting for a great display of Christ’s power and glory? If you are willing to submit to His leading and venture into the scary yet rewarding territory of faith and obedience, He will do great things in and through you.

The devil knows our weaknesses, he knows where to kick us when we're down.  While he screams lies that we are useless and worthless...what good could ever come from you...do you know what you've done, do you remember where you've been?"  God is whispering "For MY glory, do it for MY glory."
 
Yes I am small and insignificant, ordinary and unimpressive, weak and unqualified.  But my God is NOT!  My prayer is that I would be willing to bow my knee in humble submission and be in a position to demonstrate divine power in my life. My prayer is that when I am filled with the Holy Spirit I can use this blog to turn someone's world upside down and that His glory and power would shine through.   All of Him and none of me.
 

Small is the Gate and Narrow is the Way

I thought it would be fun to bring my camera along to show you where I hike several times a week, little did I know God would give me a blog post during my hike last week. I was thinking about the trail and a post I did a while ago. Sometimes God allows visitors to flit in and out of our life. We don't know where they come from or how long they will stay. I am continually blessed by the people in my life. It has been amazing to see who God uses at a specific time to call me, send a card, reach out, I am blessed and blessed and blessed again.

Sometimes God leaves decisions up to us, once you cross this bridge you have to decide whether to go to the left or to the right. Sometimes crossing the bridge seems like the hard part but there are times when making the decision after the seemingly hard part is even more difficult.

Sometimes God offers you a resting spot. Sometimes you have no choice but to sit and rest, your body is tired, your mind is foggy, your spirit is weak. Other times you sit by choice. To just enjoy the beauty that is around you and to thank God for his gifts.

Sometimes there are giant rocks in our way. At first glance they detours are annoying and aggravating. Sometimes we even show our sinful nature and try to move the rocks out of the way. Sometimes God puts them there to see if we will move them out of our way. But one peek on the other side of this rock showed me that a huge drop off that would have hurt me very badly had I not heeded the warning. Our lives are like that, only God knows what is on the other side of our rock. Sometimes it's danger, other times it's a beautiful thing that needed time to rest and grow before it was okay to pass this rock.

God doesn't always make our way smooth and straight. But He does always offer guidance and a hedge of protection. It is okay to pass through ways that seems unsteady and rocky, but He will always be there.

It is often hard to stand on a bridge and see our friends and family going through rough times where the only way through is one step at a time over an unsure and even frightening river of emotions and trials.

While on the other side of this same bridge you see other friends and family walking through smooth, calm waters. It is very hard not to be covetous of these people. But these same people may have just been upstream in the rough waters, we often don't know what people are going through and even when we observe it we are not in the water with them.

Life truly is an adventure, isn't it? And even though only God knows the future, we can know the destination and we know, without ever laying eyes on it, that a future with Him as our savior is full of wonder and beauty. I look around at where I hike and I can't imagine anything more glorious and yet in my heart I know it is infinitely more so. He is such a wonderful Creator and Father. Praise Him.