21 Graces: Week Six

     On Friday's I post 21 things for which I am grateful this week.  Here is my list for this week.
I explain how it works here.

1. Winning movie tickets for two at our dentists office.  Pat and I are planning a movie date for the weekend!
2. My boys went back to school on Monday.  New beginnings.
3. Continuing our home projects.  Moving into the kitchen.
4. My husband went out and bought all of the specific binders, colored folders, # 2 pencils, highlighters, graphing calculators, index cards, red pens, spiral notebooks, boxes of tissues, hand sanitizer, and paper the teachers requested for class.  THANK YOU, Pat!
5. My new planner - which is amazing!
6. Shopping for baby girl clothes for a friend.
7. New school shoes.
8. Getting to see my students again.
9. An encouraging word from a friend.
10. A tiny frog in my yard.  It was about the size of a nickel.
11. Moving the alarm on my clock to off on Friday night.
12. Kayaking on a quiet lake.
13. The fresh smell of rain.
14. The trees in the neighborhood sporting their first tinges of fall color.
15. The sound of thunder rumbling in the distance.
16. Evening walks with my husband.
17. Our cat curled on my feet at night.
18. Any dessert involving Nutella.
19. Hair dye, which restores hair to an actual color found in nature.  (Not for me.)
20. Being in Grand Central Station.
21. Red, white, and blue on 9/11.

One Person. One Child. One Action.

“Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”       ~Esther 4: 14

     One person.  One simple ordinary person.  A mother.  A father.  A sister.  A brother.  Busy.  Enthusiastic.  Dedicated.  Courageous. Willing.  Game playing.  Not famous or rich.  Hard working.  Wanting to be more.  To do more.  Ordinary.
     One person with a desire to make a difference.  With a vision for change.  Willing to take the challenge.

One child.  One child in need.  Innocent.  Living in poverty.  Dragged down. Lacking clean water.  Needing an education.

     Willing to risk believing that some one, someone they have never met,  could care.  Hesitantly going to a Compassion Center.  Turning their faces to a camera in hope.  Breathing a prayer of need.

One action.  Sponsoring a child.  Changing lives forever.  Spreading hope.  Making a difference.  Showering love.  Answering prayers in an envelope.  Breaking the cycle of poverty.  Recognizing the potential of the onel.

     See what God can do through one person willing to respond to His call, to be used by Him in love.  Are you that one?  Visit Compassion International.

Entry Closet Reorganization - Preview

     We have been working on our entry closet.  This closet serves as our launching pad for the day.  It houses coats, backpacks, and shoes.  It is used by guests, how embarrassing, and family.  There were even seasonal tablecloths stuffed in there.
     Let me give you a glimpse at how far it has come.

     Here is the sad looking before.  In an effort to organize several years ago, we added this shelving organizer.  It was a bit of a disaster and never worked for our family the way I hoped.

     Here is the same closet now.  Not quite finished, but coming along.  It does make me smile!

     Here is another angle of the sad before.

     And the after.

     I'll post finished pictures and tell you how we did it soon.  We also added beadboard and a chair rail to the hallway.  So excited!

21 Graces: Week Five

     I've always admired those faithful people who are counting a thousand blessings.  I thought about attempting it from time to time.  But,  recording 1,000 blessings seemed a little overwhelming.  I'm good at accepting blessings, but to write them down was another story.  That's why when I saw the idea behind 21 Graces, I was excited to jump in.  Everyday I note three things which blessed me.  That's it, just three things.  At the end of the week there are 21 Graces.  So simple.  God always blesses me with far more than three each day.

     Friend, you are welcome to join in on the fun.  Visit Jordy Liz Blogs to link up or to find out more.

1. My son, Brian,  came to visit for the long weekend.
2. Brian replaced some of the light switches in the house for us.
   
3. A second trip to the Renaissance Fair.
4. The generous heart of my youngest son, Connor, who gave $1.00 to Robin Hood because the actor said he needed money for the poor.
5. An inspiring Convocation speech from our new Superintendent for the opening of the school year.
6. Productive meetings for the first few days and time to add the last touches to our classrooms before the students come on Friday.
7. Continuing work on projects around the house.  We are beginning to see some things coming together.  So exciting.
8. A little frog sitting in a mud puddle enjoying the day.
9. We built a small fire pit in our backyard with leftover pavers.  Camp fires at home!
10. We had s'mores!!!!
11. Building a fire in the fire pit is like an open invitation to the kids to stop whatever they are doing and come sit with Mom.  
12. Reviewing a new book by Misty Leask.  The book is Dear Wife.
13. Giving a friend a picture that I took of her and her puppy. 
14. Passing an art picture on to a friend who will appreciate it.
15. Changing our bedspread for Fall.
16. Listening to my boys laughing together.
17. Making a new friend at school.
18. A thoughtful husband.
19. Encouraging others to sponsor a child through Compassion International.
20. Watching our chickens peck and scratch on the lawn.  The girls won't eat earthworms.  I thought all chickens ate worms.  If you have chickens - do yours?
    
21. This.

Tag! You're It!

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.  ~Jeremiah 29:13

             I crouched in the dark trying not to breathe too loudly and give my hiding place away.  I listened intently for the person who was trying to catch me.  My heart thumped against my chest.  I flinched at the tickle running across my ankle and hoped it wasn’t a spider, or worse, a snake.  A twig snapped close by.  Should I run for it?  Or should I stay?  There!  A flashlight scanned the clump of bushes to the side of me.  I leapt to my feet!  The flashlight flashed across my face and chest accompanied by a triumphant yell, “I found you!  Tag!  You’re It!”  I squealed, caught between disappointment and delight.  I hurriedly took the flashlight from my friend and eagerly began to count.
     Now it was my turn.  It was dark and the way was uncertain.  There were obstacles to go around and many places that needed to be searched.  Gleefully, I turned the flashlight high and low searching out my friends favorite hiding places.  We never tired of playing flashlight tag.
    God says that we will find Him when we seek Him with all of our heart.  But how do I keep my focus on Him in this demanding world that pulls me in so many ways?    I want to have a childlike wonder at the closeness of Jesus who loves even me.  Me.  Me with all of my warts and worries, sins and secrets, me.  It is so easy to lose sight of Him when my attention is arrested by the busyness and stresses of life.  I ricochet from one thing to another like a flashlight in the dark.
     Still, I want to grab hold of the light and chase away the dark.  I know the Lord is not hiding from me like my friends were in our game of flashlight tag.  He wants to be found.  To be found and passed along to others.  Everything you and I do as believers should point to God.  We are to shine.  To make a difference in the lives of others.  To take charge over the darkness.  We draw others to God by pointing, or shining our light in His direction.  Person to person.  Hand to hand.  His love reaching out.
     One way to shine your light is through the ministry of Compassion International.  Right now, there are children waiting.  You can sponsor a child with a tax-deductible contribution of $38 a month.  Your support provides food and clean water, medical care, educational opportunities, and even more importantly, your sponsored child will hear about the Light of the World.  Please visit the Compassion website.

Your word is a lamp to my feet
.   And a light to my path.  ~Psalm 119:105

     Tag!  You're it!

http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/default.htm?referer=133234

Book Review: Dear Wife: Letters from a Help Meet

 

       “And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I  will make a help meet for him.”   ~ Genesis 2:18 

    Dear Wife: Letters from a Help Meet was written by my blogger friend, Misty Leask from Simply Helping Him.  As a wife of eight years, Misty felt the desire to support women in the important role of being a Godly wife.  Misty realized that sometimes we feel more like Cinderella in the ashes than Cinderella in a ball gown dancing with the handsome prince.  Misty writes a series of short encouragements to wives who feel less than a princess.  If you have ever felt lonely, unwanted, unattractive, exhausted, or depressed, Misty has words to lift your spirits and to help you go on to be who you are called to be. 

 “...And they lived happily ever after,” may follow most fairytale weddings, but in real life, after the wedding comes the marriage.  Along the journey of our wedded lives we may feel discouraged and like giving up.  That’s where Misty’s letters come in.  Each letter is devotional sized, which means able to be read in the time it takes to drink your coffee or to wait on line in the grocery store.  Each of Misty’s letters provides encouragement woven with Bible verses from someone who has been where you are and felt what you feel.  You may not relate to all of the letters, but you will have had these feelings at one time or another.  I was especially touched by the letter to the Wife Who Lives Exhausted. 

      Dear Wife is only $2.99 on Amazon.  It is downloadable on your Kindle or computer.  I would love to hear in the comments how this book has blessed you!

     Disclosure:  I agreed to review this book for Misty.  The opinions expressed are my own.  I purchased Dear Wife myself from Amazon.  I did not receive compensation to review this book.  If however, you purchase the book by clicking on it from my blog, I could possibly earn about fifteen cents.

Cleansed

    The Touch of Healing 

     While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
      Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.
      Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”
      Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.  But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.             ~Luke 5:12-16

     A man covered with leprosy approached Jesus, fell at His feet and cried, “Lord if You are willing.  You can make me clean!”

    The leper recognized immediately that Jesus had the power to heal him, what he was uncertain of was Jesus’ love and willingness to heal him personally.

     But Jesus answered the doubt of this man’s heart completely with His response, “I am willing.”  

     With the professional accuracy of a physician, Luke tells us that this man was “covered with leprosy.”  The man was in an advanced stage of this disease.  Leprosy destroys the nerve endings of the bodies extremities, which would become damaged and fall off.  The Jews called leprosy “the finger of God” believing it to be incurable and a direct punishment from God.  Lepers were untouchable.  They had to cry out “Unclean, Unclean,” in the streets, to warn others to stay away from them.  They were forced to live outside of cities, separated from their loved ones and families.  Lepers were truly alone.  This man had not felt a loving caress or someone’s hand touch him in a very long time.

      People would draw back from him in horror and revulsion, but Jesus was moved with compassion for this man.  As Jesus spoke the healing word, He reached out His hand and touched the leper.

     If you have ever been lonely, ever felt rejected or unloved, you know what that touch must have meant.  If you have ever been convinced that no one could possibly care for you, then you understand how that leper felt.  Jesus’ touch was not needed to heal the leprosy, His spoken word could have easily done that.  Jesus meet the man’s heart felt need for love.

     Later, the leper would go to show his body to the priests so they could officially pronounce him cleansed from leprosy.  He could not however, as easily show the priests what had taken place in his heart.  The touch of love healed his heart even as the power of the word cleansed him from leprosy.

     If you have hesitated to trust God in an area of your life, or if you are convinced of His power, but uncertain about His concern for you, you personally, look at what He did for this lonely man.

     Jesus touched him.

     Jesus yearns to touch each one of us.