What are you grasping?

Five Minute Friday: Grasp

Go:

What are you grasping for? Grasping at? Digging your claws deep into so you don't slip and fall? The slope of life is muddy and this world doesn't offer much substance to satisfy or sustain.

I speak from experience. 

My heart has grasped for significance, acceptance, and understanding. And I never found it in men, money, college degrees or my job. Even my hubby and children can't fix that and I have been guilty of putting that pressure on them in the past.

Now, my heart daily tries grasping for meaning and purpose to be found only in God. I find it when I I obey Him. I find it when I serve others with love. When I pray for others. Simply put... when I seek him, ponder his works, his wonders and when I dwell in his word and presence I find what my whole self seeks: purpose and hope.

Yet, I still have moments when chocolate or a good cup of java feels like a temporary grasp of goodness. Temporary...unlike God who is everlasting and in where my identity rests.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  Matthew 6:21 NIV

Linking up with Lisa Jo at lisajobaker.com

Homemade friendly spiders and such...

Every year , at my house, my family and I like to look for new ways to decorate for the fall or Halloween using everyday, household objects and or a way to recycle. Not only is this a fun way to involve each family member, but it is less costly and on the "green" side.  So above is a Black Widow like spider  we made a few years ago from black plastic bags and fall leaves...as you can see we have a plethora of leaves in our yard that we didn't rake. We used old wire to help create the legs so they would bend and sit on the tree.

Last year, at our new house, I used milk jugs to create family friendly ghosts. Didn't cost me a thing. Just used a sharpie marker to make the faces and I cut the milk jugs with a utility knife. I used tea candles I already had to light them up. My 4 and 2 year old sons just loved the friendly ghosts. 

Above you can see three more ghost faces...including my bat pumpkin.

My favorite is this turkey picture made with the loving hands of my two boys. I used it as a decoration on my refrigerator.

 I have made leave print place mats, pressed leaves between sheets of wax paper, and put pears in water in a vase.  Just to name a few. :)

I am hoping to be inspired by others blogs today as I am linking up with the SITS girls @ http://www.thesitsgirls.com/community/challenges/back-to-blogging-day-4/

Your turn...

We had to have a piece of fall

We drive the 45 minute trip so we can see a bit of fall.  We really have no idea what awaits us up in the Mesa Mountains. And then...we see them. All of them. The blazing yellows of the Aspen trees.

We are hypnotized by the swaying of their brilliant, gold fire.  We intend on capturing these beauties with our camera, but even a professional's touch can't do justice to what you must see in person.

(please do not use photo without permission)

This mommy HAS to have a family picture! Has to put four souls together with a piece of fall near them.

Later, we had hot chocolate and played by one of the many lakes that exist in this beautiful place.

linking up with the SITS girls @ falling back into blogging challenge http://www.thesitsgirls.com/community/challenges/back-to-blogging-day-3/

What are you doing? I am...falling.

Four little pumpkins we did grow, ready before fall, we didn't know.

Okay it is NOT even October 1st and I am already falling. That's my new word for putting out pumpkins, gourds and similar decorations before the typical time. West of the Rocky mountain slope it is still reaching the high 80's during the day, but my mums are bursting flowers. Confusing, I know. I just can't wait. Fall is my second favorite season next to spring. I just love the crisp cool air and leaves. The soups, the apples, the fall colors and clothing. I soak it in. And I can't even put into words my love for pumpkin bread and pie! I could hurt myself on pumpkin bread.

There is something unique to this time of year. Maybe it is the over understood concept of harvest. The idea of new growth ready to be plucked, snipped or pulled from its' lifeline. Maybe it is the fact that I am not stuck in the dreary, cold (but beautiful too) winter...yet.

There is much to harvest. There's new growth in me if I just look hard enough. My growth in Christ is not stunted. If I look back at this year, well I am not the same. These days...I am at home with my two sons, I teach them a letter of the alphabet a week (I call this half homeschooling because I don't if I will ever do whole home school),  and I coordinate a MOPS group i.e., try to realize you can't please everybody while trying to make friends, serve and love on 47 other women!!  I teach an art enrichment class once a week and I realize how much I miss art and sometimes work. I am more patient, more serving and even more forgiving.

I used to worry more about life, money, want more things, cursed a bit more, and I used to care more about what people think...now I know that it is more of a waste of emotion and energy.

The biggest harvest of course is the growth in my relationship with Christ...I went from thinking I could never just say yes to God because it is about obedience to "Yes Lord, I will trust you and I will trust you with me." I never realized how much I wasn't sacrificing and walking in the humiliation of the cross. 

How much I resisted His divine interruptions...now I see them as divine interventions and a chance to be what God has planned for my life, my calling.

Now, I thirst for His presence to be so filled in me as I do my best to die each day.

I am falling...constantly into the grace, the love, the mercy, the safety, and awesomeness of God. Bring on the harvest!

Am I wide enough?

Sometimes  I wonder how wide my world really is...my influence. Not just my obvious "besties" and family and a stranger I know I've encountered and encouraged. But beyond what shows up in a label. How wide is my impact or my love?

Sometimes I know I am keeping me to myself...with each hurt or subtle jab, I flinch and withdraw. I can be good at withdrawing. I scare myself with how well I know I could let go of someone or 
something.

This year, I reached a pivotal point in my relationship with God. A point where I looked back and saw how he stripped me. Not through death or others, but a different kind of loss. A loss of self. And I realize I like the ripping and removing and thirst for more. How I crave for His presence every second. How much more serving Him goes beyond the me that cries and pleads, "You are being persecuted. How can you stand it? What about how you feel?" And I tell me to shush it.

Now, I understand. My influence is only important if it influences for Him. And I want THAT to grow so wide that there's little room for me.


 Linking up with Five-Minute Friday at Lisa-Jo's...http://lisajobaker.com

Take six...a short memoir

No one got hurt. Just concerned.

Prompt #1: Write a Six Word Memoir.

10-Minute Wednesdays-Funny stories

Welcome to Raw, 10-minute Wednesday. A place to write how you really feel. No judging!
    AND...Please visit someone else's blog and leave an encouraging comment.

 I don't know about you, but I have had one of those days where I could use a laugh. So without further ado...here is my funny story in 10-minutes:

My brother and I went to the same college for a couple of years. We were having lunch outside in the commons area when a custodian (a woman) came right between us...I mean in-between us to where we were practically touching arms with her to pick up a cigarette butt with a metal contraption that had pinchers attached at the bottom. She didn't say excuse me as she tried to grasp the cigarette butt of the ground to no avail. The worst part was that the tool was making a consistent squeaker, squeaky, squeaker sound that sent me into hysterics. 
   And if you have one of those best friends or a sibling then you KNOW that once you look them in the eye that it only makes you laugh harder and more! So there we were trying our hardest to not crack up hysterically in front of this woman, but the more we tried the more difficult it was to contain our laughter.

 I am sure some of my spit ended up on this woman! She did eventually get the cigarette butt of the ground and we were able to let our laughter out. Of course, we did the whole let's replay this conversation to only enjoy another burst of giggles. 

Okay-Your turn!! Give me a funny story.

The Princess and the Pea

The Princess and the Pea

Warning: This isn't the story you think it is(smile). Linking up with the Soli Deo Gloria party @ http://www.findingheaventoday.com/

     Once upon a time, there was a Princess who lived comfortably when compared to the majority of the kingdom. Like other woman her age, she enjoys a bit of pampering and chocolate from time to time. Those in the kingdom call her generous, kind and beautiful. She's also known for showing love to the Ogres and Trolls and for her belief in God. But like most women, she sometimes lets her emotions dictate her and that often leads to trouble.
   Life was good until one day while walking through the forest, the princess got distracted by a Purple-throated Hummingbird, became lost, and stumbled upon the Forest of Truth. Now this was no ordinary forest. It exposed a person's soul. A place that if one lingered long enough, one could not help but stay, for the forest was the only place that revealed complete and whole truth.
    The princess had never visited this forest. She looked in every direction, but could only see sparkling, emerald-green leaves swaying in the gentle breeze. Every tree looked the same. She sat on a log and wanted to cry and let her fear overtake her, but she knew better. So she prayed. She asked God to help her get back to the kingdom safely. She asked for guidance because she didn't know which way to go.
   Silence. Minutes passed and nothing pointed the way and no one came to save her. Inside the princess' heart a bit of frustration began to well up. The longer the princess had to wait the more the frustration grew. 

The princess cried out, "Why won't you help me? I am a princess. Why should I have to wait? Haven't I loved your Ogres and Trolls? Haven't I served you rightly?"

        

As soon as the words flew out of her mouth, the princess winced. How could she say those words to God? How could she be so ugly to her greatest love?

Then, a whisper that seemed to come from the trees said,"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

"What does that mean? I just want to go home." 

Do you value the kingdom more than me?  

The princess pondered the words. The truth was that at that very moment, she was letting her selfishness dictate her behavior. God was speaking to her. God was giving her rest, a beautiful forest to enjoy and all she could think about was how she had to wait to be saved. Her heart grew sad and she asked God to forgive her.

Suddenly,  a bright light shone and a path emerged. The princess felt torn because as much as she was happy go back to her warm, comfortable kingdom she really wanted to stay. To relish in the rest, in the peace and truth that surrounded her.   

      As she hesitated to step on the path, she said out loud, "Father, God, I want to come to this place everyday. I want to know you deeper and deeper and not be afraid. I want to bask in your truth and experience this rest that you so lovingly offer your children. Please let me do this."

And as she started walking down the trail, she heard another whisper, "Draw near to me and I will draw near to you." And she smiled.

 

     

Also linking up for the first time at:

Raw 10-minute Wednesdays: The cost of following Jesus

Welcome to RAW 10-minute Wednesdays. A place to write freely and openly without judgement. A chance to think deeply and express from the heart on a topic or prompt provided by me. 

Please remember the rules: 1)Visit another person's blog and leave a kind or encouraging comment. 2)Please put my post link on your post so others can visit if they want and add their posts. 3)NO platitudes, judging or fixing others as this is a place for raw and real emotion.

Today's prompt: When was the last time your relationship with Jesus cost you something? (inspired from Kyle Idleman's book, Not a Fan)

Go...

The above is a loaded question. I mean does following Jesus really cost us something? It almost sounds insulting because Jesus isn't a coveted object on a rack. 
And if following Jesus means giving up something, everything, do I? Or am I lying to myself? Don't answer that!

Today, my relationship with Jesus is costing me something: less money, less comfort, no prestigious or lucrative career, not being well known, being lonely, missing friends, living somewhere I didn't pick...you get the point. 

This life I am living right now is not how I would have done things. It just isn't my plan.  Yet, I know what I have left behind and now that I know I could never return fully. I couldn't pick up where I left off.

Really, I don't mind! 

Isn't it easier to focus on the cost though? What about the end result? What about what I have received from following Jesus?

Following Jesus has been more than just gaining eternal life or forgiveness. NOT that I am making light of how wonderful those gifts are and could write on just those subjects, but I am not who I used to be and this is a good thing. Trust me. 

I have a new career: as a woman at home working in and through the affairs of her household. I have a new perspective: living on less has offered a freedom that is hard to express in words. Things just don't define me like they used to...

This quote sums it up best, "No matter what following Jesus costs us in this life in the end we won't see it as a sacrifice. Rather we will see it as a privilege and an honor,"

 -Kyle Idleman, Not a Fan book. 

Amen to that...

                           STOP.

Okay, now it's your turn.

 

Grace came through...

Today I am writing for 5 minutes. No editing. Just pure, raw writing. Come join us at http://lisajobaker.com Here I go:

Yesterday was my first time to lead a MOPS (Mothers Of Preschoolers) group where I live. I am the Coordinator.

The thing is...this hasn't been your typical MOPS year and let's just say I wasn't all graceful and sometimes I wondered where the grace was hiding. I have 5 people including me on my team and there is supposed to be 8. I could feel the affects of this at the meeting. Some of my team showed up late. We were not 100% prepared. None of us were entirely graceful in our speech, but at least we didn't stutter or say "um" a lot.

Yet, despite less team, less than perfect or eloquent speech, and oh, my paper that explains a game I didn't memorize is in a folder that I have to get at the back of the room GRACE came through. GOD came through.

Despite what the team knew was not flawless, the women laughed. They were smiling. The atmosphere was warm, calm, relaxed. Human. Like me, like them. 

Grace came through and I am smiling (this is how it was supposed to go in God's eyes and I am more than lucky to serve these women!

This is one of our decorations for this year's MOPS theme: PLUNGE. My heart felt as calm as this scene because of God's grace.