Volunteer!

Be the change you want to see in the world.
--Gandhi


A must-read for every Christian is Shane Claiborne's book "The Irresistible Revolution". After reading that book the Lord really opened my eyes to the needs of the poor in the world, our country, and even in my backyard and my responsibility to help. Mother Teresa gives us the inspiration to do small acts with great love.

Recently I listened to Shane's teaching called "Finding Your Calcutta". Again he reiterated that we just need to take one small step towards helping the marginalized in our society and living our lives as Jesus did. Maybe it's painting the fingernails of the elderly women at a local nursing home. Maybe it's inviting a homeless person to eat dinner. Maybe it's calling someone who is lonely and friendless....poor in spirit. Maybe it's teaching our children to sit with the child in the cafeteria who is all alone. Could we all just give a little bit of time, a little bit of resources, a little bit of sacrifice?

I was inspired to google "ministries to homeless in SC" to find out what services are offered in my area that I may be a part of. I was so excited to find Hannah House...a transitional housing place for homeless women and children. I went down there today to take a tour, to fill out a volunteer application, and to see the needs. Boy, were there needs. More warmth, more moms to love these moms, more beauty, more training and on and on. I am going to give 2 hours a week to go there to help moms learn life skills....how to cook, how to budget, parenting tools, decorating. It's not a lot, but it is what I can do with what I have.

Most of us as Christian moms have so much to offer about what we have learned on the journey. I looked at these dear mamas and their children and thought about how much they need unconditional love, acceptance, empathy, help, encouragement, and inspiration. However most of the volunteers there are young college students who have great hearts and yet have never walked a mile in these moms' shoes. Mamas unite! Let us link arms with these other mothers and help them along in the next step of their journey.

I encourage you to read Shane's book and pray about one small step you can take to impact your local world. To give a cup of cold water in His name is what true ministry is all about.

A Plain Ole Cup of Joe

You Are a Plain Ole Cup of Joe

But don't think plain - instead think, uncomplicated You're a low maintenance kind of girl... who can hang with the guys Down to earth, easy going, and fun! Yup, that's you: the friend everyone invites. And your dependable too. Both for a laugh and a sympathetic ear.

What Kind of Coffee Girl Are You?

A Decorating Piece for All Seasons

I have always loved the simplicity of hurricane vases. They are so versatile and make lovely additions to coffee tables, mantles, and kitchen tables.

Since my home is decorated in coastal decor, I keep a hurricane vase on my coffee table filled with some sand with a candle placed in the middle of it. Lighting this candle around dinnertime gives our home an inviting warmth and serenity and beckons us to relax, breathe, and begin the quiet transition to our evening.

I also believe in taking the time to set a pretty dinner table. It communicates love and care to my family and causes us to sit and savor our meal. Using a hurricane vase can be a simple daily centerpiece that can be changed seasonally or according to the "theme" of your meal.

A good friend of mine just became a Southern Living At Home consultant and I went to her first show on Friday night. She gave out a wonderful sheet of creative seasonal uses for Hurricane vases. I just had to share some of these ideas with you so that you can enjoy this easy and inexpensive decoration in many different ways.

GENERAL:

• Filled with lemons or limes
• Fish Bowl
• Coffee beans with a candle
• Layered fruit salad
• Chill a bottle of wine
• Rose petals and a candle
• Colored Pasta
• Different colored hot peppers
• Bath salts with a scoop

FALL:

• Nuts
• Gourds/mini pumpkins
  
• Pine cones
• Popcorn
• Candy corn with a candle

CHRISTMAS:

• Cranberries
• Glass Ball ornaments
• Sprigs of evergreen and a candle
• Holly berries

VALENTINE'S DAY:

• Heart candy with a candle
• Mini chocolate chips and a candle
• Red/White peppermints
• Hershey kisses

EASTER:

• Jelly beans and a candle
• Moss with easter eggs/flowers
• Decorative easter eggs

SPORTS:

• Golf balls/tees
• Mini football ice cubes
• Tennis balls
• Mini baseballs/bat

BABY SHOWER:

• Baby blocks
• Safety pins

Aren't these great ideas? And these are just the beginning of all the fun things you can fill your vases with. They can be bought inexpensively at Michael's or A.C. Moore and you will be able to use them no matter your personal style of decorating.

Enjoy lighting up your home in a new way today!

Ordinary Things

"When the Spirit of God comes to us.
He does not give us glorious visions,
but He tells us to do the most ordinary things imaginable...
His inspiration is to do the most natural, simple things--
things we would never have imagined God was in,
but as we do them we find Him there.
But we must take the first step and
do it in the inspiration of God."

Oswald Chambers "My Utmost for His Highest"

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For many years I spent an hour every morning drinking my coffee and reading the local newspaper. It felt like putting on a reliable set of comfy clothes that always felt good. In my efforts to live more simply and creation-friendly, I have abandoned this once-tailored ritual and am enjoying less mind clutter, house clutter, and consumerism clutter.

Here are some of my reasons for saying no to newspapers as I make baby steps to greater lifestyle simplicity...daily choices that fit my current shape:

• The news is scary. It is so depressing to read all the sensationalism and horrible things that are happening in the world, my city, or my neighborhood. I used to read the local "police scanner" as if it would make us safer. It just provoked unnecessary worry. If you need to keep up with current events, read parts of the news on-line.
• I used to think I needed the paper in order to clip coupons. Most coupons are for cleaning supplies that are unhealthy and not environmentally conscious or for over-priced processed packaged food that isn't healthy either. These coupons are a temptation to try something new that is needless and doesn't truly help us out financially.
• I thought I needed the newspaper in order to receive grocery store flyers. I would use the flyers to find the "loss leaders" in order to save money on the big sale items of that week. Not only is this emotionally exhausting but it is a waste of time, gas, and energy. Pick a quality local grocery store and stick with it. Every store puts their items on sale in 6 week cycles so when your favorites go on sale, stock up on them then. This saves time, money, and energy along with gaining a greater sense of community as you get to know the store manager, butcher, deli worker, baker, checkers, and baggers.
  
• No newspaper means no trees cut down, no stacks to recycle, and no daily clutter to deal with and store.
  
• It means more money in your budget by not having that subscription expense.
  
• You can always read the classifieds of your local paper on-line if you want to buy something or find yard sales.
• Find out local movie showings on-line.
• Find the nightly TV schedule on-line. I now watch way less TV because I am not checking the newspaper in the morning out of curiosity to see what's on that night.
  
• I always wanted the Sunday paper so that I could examine all of the Target and department store sales. This just made me buy things that I really didn't need but justified because of the sale. You will buy less, save more, and be more content without the barrage of choices and temptations for more stuff. Less stuff means less clutter which means less cleaning which means more time for better living simply! The best things in life are free!
• My kids aren't now exposed to all the "gimmes". They used to go through all the flyers like I did to make lists of all the things they wanted. They would spend Sunday afternoon begging me for things. Now they don't know those things exist and there is greater contentment and creativity with what they already have.

There certainly isn't a right or wrong in this. I may subscribe again one day if it begins to fit into my values again. Good newspapers can be inspiring, educational, and even fun. But in this season, it just doesn't fit. I now enjoy my coffee with my journal, a book, or a quiet conversation with my husband. That suits me well and is the perfect "style" for the shape of my current lifestyle.

What fits you?

Good New Song

I headed out this evening to run an errand and on the way home I heard Carrie Underwood's new song "So Small". It is my new favorite!

I cranked it up loud and rolled all the windows down and enjoyed the breeze, the music, and the lightness of the moment.

You can go enjoy the song here!

Simple Christian Living

I am not a book reviewer. And I don't think that I would do this precious book justice by going on and on about it. I will say that it has had a profound influence on my walk with Jesus and brings me to another step of freedom on the journey.

This book was originally written in 1870. It has stood firm in midst of changing times because it is filled with timeless truths for every believer. It is all about the abiding life of Christ in us and the totality of our freedom and grace in Him. The chapters deal with our difficulties concerning consecration, faith, the will, guidance, doubts, temptations and failures. Every "devil's advocate" question that we pose about living an overflowing life of grace are answered clearly, passionately, and without apology. Very no-nonsense, very real, and very rich.

I found it in paperback at the thrift store for 50 cents. What a steal. It has sat on the shelf beckoning to me so I invited it to my bedside a few weeks ago. I usually eat my way through a book rather quickly and move on. This book has caused me to slow down, savor every morsel, and delight in the fullness of its fare. This is one of those "keepers" that I will come back to along the road when I may find myself filled on empty words and need deep nourishment again.

The little book is Hannah Whitall Smith's "The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life".
Enjoy this satisfying meal!

Glorious Sabbatical

As I continue to pray and consider God's leading in my life, the puzzle pieces that seemed so disconnected and unable to "fit" have begun to come together and make a bit clearer the picture of my life that God has ordained in this "season".

The last ten years of my life have been some of the most glorious, the most exciting, the most exhausting, the most traumatic, the most joyful, and the most despairing. It has truly been a whirlwind. I got married ten years ago after just coming home from living overseas for 2 years and we lived in about 7 different places our first year of marriage. We were in the midst of raising financial support for full-time ministry and lived wherever and with whoever we could in order to continue with our vision. In that time, we got unexpectedly pregnant. Although a blessing, it was also a complete shift of vision for me, my future, and also scary because we hadn't even lived in our own place yet!

At 7 months pregnant with our first baby, we moved to a new state far away from family and friends. A U-Haul filled with our stuff, my big belly, and two dogs made it there to our small rental duplex to begin our new life. Our firstborn came when my husband was starting this new "job" and it was the busiest time of the school year in working with college students. It was so hard to become a new mommy with his being so busy (we had never been apart as long as we had known each other), no friends, and clueless as to what I was doing. It was a hard time of disillusionment for me and took me a year to get through my dark feelings towards it all and the sense of guilt I felt for bad feelings/anger since we were in full-time ministry.

And in that year, we took Sam with us overseas to Eastern Europe for a summer and moved around every week for 6 weeks. From train to train and dorm to dorm, it was an exciting yet thoroughly exhausting time. That difficult summer which was racked with multiple sicknesses and exhaustion brought me to my knees to a point of complete surrender and trust in the Lord for my life, my future, my friendships, and my mothering.

Two years and a baby girl later, we left that state and job to move with our littles to another state far away for a one-year program. Packing and moving were exciting as we headed off to this new adventure to live in a wonderful apartment in Florida. We lived out of suitcases for the summer in a hotel at a beach summer missions project with college students and then set up our new and temporary life.

After that year, we spent several weeks living with family and traveling the country to finally settle down in yet another state. I was in my first trimester with baby #3 and it was a difficult time of feeling very sick, finding a new rental home, financial strains, moving, unpacking, setting up, and knowing just a few in this new place. During this time we made one of the gravest mistakes of our lives by getting involved in a home church situation with others whom we respected deeply and believed to be wonderful Christians. We felt as if we had found many answers to so many questions in our walks with the Lord, our identities, a greater vision/purpose in ministry. It seemed as if life finally made sense.

Without going into a million details, we spent 4 years of our lives invested deeply in these people only to wake up one day realizing that this indeed had become a cult and that it was time to leave. My husband and I had been influenced to separate for 8 months and everything in our lives was being destroyed. After painfully choosing to walk away, I had horrible accusations said to me by those I had trusted and loved deeply. The betrayal and shock and pain was so deep that I wondered if I could ever become whole again. I became a terrified, panicked shell of myself but was determined to heal and be free again. We gathered up our little ones (and now I was pregnant with our fourth!) and moved to a new life in a new state near family to mend and find Jesus' love once again. We found a beautiful home, a safe church, a wonderful community, a new job, an old friend, and a new one.

The last two years have been beautiful and terrifying. Dealing with the lies and condemnation has been a daily battle. The fear and anxiety have been immobilizing at times. But oh the glory of finding grace. Oh the amazing love of Jesus that blows away all fear. Oh the gentleness. Oh the understanding. To begin to break free from control, manipulation, and legalism, and breathe of the glorious freedom in Christ is breathtaking! I am humbled and amazed. I am brought to such worship. I am changed. It has all been worth it.

As I have been dealing with all of this, I have been lovingly homeschooling my dear little ones and giving them all of me. My fourth baby has been "high need" and has demanded of me non-stop for the past 15 months. I have sought to be a serving wife and mother during these uncertain times and have loved every single minute of it. It wasn't until this summer that one day I realized the tremendous strain and stress of the last 10 years, and in particular, the last five. God allowed a surge of panic attacks, anxiety, and depression to hit without warning and I couldn't even understand what was happening. I realize now that He was allowing me to see even more of my need for Him, of healing, of rest, and of friendships. The only way that I knew that I could really pursue taking care of myself is if my children entered a season of going to school. That option brought up even more fear, anxiety and panic because of so much teaching I had in my head about how wrong that choice would be. God used the book "Grace Based Parenting" by Tim Kimmel to show me even more of His care and freedom for me and my children and not to be enslaved to fear in my schooling choices. God is so much bigger than the narrow constraining ways we entrap Him and ourselves in.

Since I made the decision to put them in the local school, I have seen just how much I love homeschooling and can't wait to do it again! I just love having my children with me and our learning together side by side. I am not "burned out" of homeschooling, but the cumulative stress of life has taken a tremendous toll on my body, soul, and spirit. God is calling me to a season of trust and rest. I need more freedom this year in my schedule to rest, get counseling, pursue friendships, enjoy hobbies, date my husband, and laugh a whole lot. And to think that this was God's idea and that I would have NEVER chosen this path on my own. He truly cares for me more than I can imagine and His gift to me is a glorious sabbatical. A year to His glory.

I so want to be more of a nurturing mother who is gentle and kind. I had no idea that I have a Father who wants to nurture ME this year with kindness and gentleness. He wants to parent me in all the ways that I want to parent! As I receive these unexpected blessings, I am able to so freely pour them out to my husband, children, and friends.

I woke up this morning almost giddy. My joy was sky-high in the relishing of how profound and personal His love is. Would You really give me a year with more open time for myself? Even when I don't think that I should need it or feel like I want it? I would gladly continue the path I have been walking and know that His power would be there for me. He gently says "No" every time I think that I will just continue to live as I have been. He seems to firmly be wooing me in this direction and asking me to trust and obey.

So from here on out I will be sharing my view from my sabbatical. I believe that I will resume homeschooling next year (but who really knows the plans of the Lord? I don't!) and that this is a year of greater growth, wholeness, healing, rest, and joy in the Lord.

What a journey this will be.

Recent Lessons on the Journey

Make informed decisions based on both sides of the issues.

We have way more freedom of choice in Jesus than we realize!

Live by faith in Truth and His promises than by my crazy feelings.

God loves people more than He loves movements. In other words, God cares more about me than about the concept of homeschooling or fill-in-the-Christian subculture-blank.

Don't misuse the name of the Lord by tying Him to a good agenda--let the Word speak for itself and allow the Holy Spirit to give individual application to believers.

We are each unique and will not all be called to the same life path, lifestyle, purpose, mission. We can have the same values without the same lifestyle.

Don't judge. You've never walked a mile in those shoes.

Don't judge. You'll be shocked that you did judge when you end up one day walking a mile in those shoes.

There are seasons in life for families. Allow the Spirit to guide you and not others' expectations. Or your unrealistic expectations of yourself.

Be as kind to yourself as you are to your friends.

Laugh WAY more! Don't take life so seriously! We are gloriously safe and free and secure in Him and through Him...not through our knowledge, our choices, or our philosophy of living.

Trust God with your children.

Homeschooling is simply another educational choice--not "God's way", "the best way", "the only way" for everyone at every time.

Surround yourself with others who point you to God in your daily living and family choices...not their viewpoints, convictions, or lifestyles. If you see beautiful fruit in their life, attribute it to the Holy Spirit's work, not as a result of their lifestyle!

Homeschooling must be the right choice at the right time for the whole family (including mama!)

God holds my family together, not me. Don't think that I am God for my family. Let Him be my all-sufficient, Sovereign Lover, Leader, and Sustainer.

Simply Authentic

Where have I been? On a difficult and lonely journey. It's been a month of fear, of panic, of sadness, of perplexity, of confusion, of disillusionment, of questioning...it has ended with seeds of peace, the beginnings of hope, greater vision and clarity, and the sweet healing tastes of mercy, grace, love, and freedom.

Without getting into all the details and psychology of it all, I will say that I am entering a season of caring better for myself and treating myself with the same kindness, joy, and lightness that Jesus treats me with. Which honestly is mind-boggling to me. I have served a God that demands too much of me, has unrealistic expectations of me, and calls me to an impossible Christian mothering ideal. I have surrounded myself for too many years with voices that influence me to ideals that may good or noble, but may not be good and noble for everyone. I have sought to model my life after other women who are not uniquely me and because of that, I am not being "successful" at being who He made me to be. So by His grace, I have "failed" and realized that there are many good things that I attempt to be and do that He may never have called me to be or do in the first place. I must replace the "one size fits all" mentality with realizing the special uniqueness we each have in the Body and that all of our lives with be very distinct, unique, and beautiful in our own ways.

After much prayer and trust, I am putting my two older children at the local school to free up my days to focus more on the Lord, myself, my home, my two little ones, my friendships, healing, rest, and fun. It is certainly with "fear and trembling" in many ways, but I have opened up my hands to the Lord and am choosing to trust Him completely with these little ones and follow this path into the unknown. Like the old saying goes "I don't know what the future holds, but I know the One Who holds the future".

God wants the real me. Not the me who is trying to be like everyone else or fit myself into some Christian mothering mold. He's after my heart and using me in His kingdom in a unique way, with my unique personality, and my unique giftings. And who my children really need is an authentic mom who admits that I cannot do it all, am not perfect and yet entrust myself and them to the One that is. That's real authentic living.