"small" adjustments

i decided to wait to comment on "life with the fazakerley's" and what a snapshot of temporarily living with a grown youngest daughter, emily, her thoughtful husband, jeffrey, and a little sparkplug of a granddaughter, eiley grace, OH and how could i forget their adorable (and extremely cuddly) puppy, buster... this little family smooshed themselves into our household in the middle of june, so it's safe to say that timmy and i have a clear, day by day, reality of what it's like to be parents/grandparents in a very close-up and personal way... it's lovely... i don't know what the fazakerley's may think? but we are greatly enjoying being involved in their very busy lives...maybe it's our time of life? and the fact that we have summers "free"? (thank you garden grove school district...) but i really don't think there could be anything more satisfying than seeing your children with their own children and thoroughly approving of the amazing job they're doing in raising their daughter... no, life for them is probably not so easy when you think about moving across the country, moving in with your parents and wondering what the boundaries may actually be when put into action (of course those grandparents have the best intentions ever...) but graciousness does abound, and no lack of daily prayer laying at God's feet for guidance in every aspect of combining two households... God is good, and we are very thankful for this time... now, if i could just control the misty moments that come up when i think that aunt jenna and uncle andrew would SO appreciate being here as well (this would only be if we had a home with at least 6 bedrooms and as many baths... OH and a gigantic kitchen, OH and perhaps a grandma/feefaw who actually made use of that kitchen...dare to dream)...but you know? if all of this was neat and tidy and we had everyone we loved within arms reach? it would probably be heaven... soooo apparently there's always more to look forward to... meanwhile, this is just one of the small adjustments we have to make... looking at THIS little face everyday (and it's so much better if you have the eiley soundtrack)

life preserver

last night i was home by myself with the extreme luxury of having a remote control all to myself... what do i do? i channel surf, trying to find something that pique's my interest... i land on a current episode of survivor 2012, episode 10...this show has great memories for me from the first few seasons, watching with the family as we nitpicked the odd behavior of individuals vying for a million dollar prize in lieu of honesty and plain old common courtesy and values... our moral superiority was immense:)... so, with a bit of nostalgia i settled down to watch an auction of items... the rules were: each current survivor (this is episode 10 so i assume they've been there for quite a while, this season began mid february...) is given $500.00 cash in increments of $20.00...they are allowed to bid on items, mostly luxury (leaving a wide berth for interpretation, since they look pretty grungy and malnourished...) AND they are not allowed to share these items with the other members...the be-dimpled host, jeff probst unveils the first item up for auction, cupcakes and a lovely iced coffee, this goes for some exorbitant amount of money... next is, chips, guacamole and a margarita... THEN a lovely outdoor shower with soap, warm water, a toothbrush and toothpaste...the bidding war was pretty extreme for THIS one... no individual had any idea what would come up next in the auction PLUS the auction could also end at any time...yes, you could take your $500 home with you, as "tarzan" one of the members told jeff, "this money will pay for my muffler when i get back home, if i don't win at least i'll have this much" (not a direct quote, but you get the picture...more items are auctioned and then, BAM, up for auction? a letter from home... one young lady, alicia, without hesitation, says while holding back tears, "500 DOLLARS"... no one can beat that... she gladly pays the money to jeff, and obtains her letter, she goes and sits with the group and reads it aloud to everyone... a letter from her dad, who tells her how proud he is of her, how he knows she can do this, and that he loves her and misses her... through more tears, alicia chokes out the words, "my dad has never written me a letter"... not.a.dry.eye.

you may be wondering why i've taken the time to describe some silly, competitive reality game show scenario, and why you have even gotten to this point in this post to understand what my point actually is (and there really is one...)... these people are attempting to survive, on an island, under some pretty intense circumstances...welllll, isn't life like that? can't life be pretty intense, competitive, overwhelming, disappointing, aren't we all surviving in this game called life? but there are life preserver's, there are dear friends, loved ones, common sense, moral codes... but these are earthly life preserver's... what about our eternal life preserver? what about that $500, no holds barred letter that we can read from our Heavenly Father that gives hope and encouragement to make it through this life so that we will eventually be with Him...

martin luther once wrote,
This is my Psalm, my chosen Psalm. I love them all; I love all holy Scripture, which is my consolation and my life. But this Psalm is nearest my heart, and I have a peculiar right to call it mine. It has saved me from many a pressing danger, from which neither emperor, nor kings, nor sages, nor saints, could have saved me. It is my friend; dearer to me than all the honours and power of the earth.

i love that he personified this scripture, how it saved him, he was referring to psalm 118:8 & 9 (which happens to be the exact middle of the bible...) says...
It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in man.
9 It is better to trust in the Lord
Than to put confidence in princes.

the interesting thing about all this, is how God leaves it up to us to read that letter, to read His word, to be saved by scripture and all of His direction that is available right at our fingertips... there's a reason why He is called our Savior! He does save us, He is literally our life preserver! we just need to grab hold, trust Him and He'll pull us in...

glow on...

i found the coolest little craft on pinterest several weeks ago, very simple, but who knew there would be SO many illustrations involved in this activity... aHEM, you take a glass jar, any size any shape, purchase some glow paint at your nearest craft store, take the glow paint and dot it on the inside of the glass jar, hold it up to the light then turn OFF the lights? and you have an amazing little magic firefly jar that glows just about long enough to put you to sleep... now that you understand the simplicity of this craft, you'll wonder, welllll why didn't she MAKE it? because i didn't... i had all the stuff prepared in a nice plastic bag sitting on my dining room table (because of course we don't use that to actually serve food... how ridiculous would THAT be...)..;)... i let the bag sit on the table until one night i was turning off all the lights as we were getting ready for bed and noticed that something was glowing on my table...i had completely forgotten about my previous craft attack and had simply left all the items in the bag and the glow paint had absorbed the light and was glowing through the plastic bag... i turned the lights back on and regardless of the hour decided it wouldn't take long to create a glowing masterpiece... so i got busy and created some dots inside a jar and then (just like a 5 year old) promptly ran into our bedroom and told my husband timmy to "turn off the lights, turn off the lights"!!!, i proudly displayed my handiwork and he was actually impressed by the "coolness" factor of this little glow jar... we then experimented a bit and he held the jar up close to his bedside light, we darkened the room one more time and the jar glowed even brighter! it was such a fun surprise, but even more so was how GOD surprised us with His illustration.

WE are like glow paint, on our own, without any light (God) we can't realize our potential and actually be who we were created to be, we can't glow on our own... but to carry this a bit further, when we are close to that Light, our glow, our relationship with God gets stronger and glows brighter... but just like glow paint, if we don't have regular access to the Light, we cannot glow and we simply fade out, on the plus side? you always have the potential to glow, just revisit the Light, it's always there...

1 John 1:7 says "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

God wants us to enjoy and absorb His love and His light, He has provided a very real way for us to be close to Him through his Son...the opportunity is there, hopefully we won't be like my jar of glow paint and just sit there on the unused dining room table, hopefully we'll realize that we can be turned into something amazing if we just allow Him to use us... so glow on, my friends, glow on...


OH and i needed to show you a little sample of these jars... these are the ones from pinterest 'cuz i was too lazy to take pictures of mine:) enjoy...

fight or float??

recently i've been in a bible study on thursday nights with a wonderful group of friends. we're reading through "experiencing God" by henry t blackaby...some of you may remember this book from years ago, but good ol' henry revised, updated and gave a bit of a face lift to his previous edition and had his son work with him...awesome...

the last book we went through was by lee strobel, "the case for the creator", it was a difficult road, and i missed several chapters of scientific knowledge that i probably would have scratched my head and attempted to look intelligent through my confusion, but those of you that know me, would probably understand that this particular way to learn about God, is really not my cup of tea...yet, the discipline of actually finishing the book, now sheds a fresh perspective on our new reading, i would liken the two books in my mind to running a marathon, hitting the wall, and c r a w l i n g over the finish line with lee strobel, and comparing "experiencing God" to lounging in the sun on a tropical beach somewhere and simply absorbing these concepts... YES...

so, the reference to fight or float? how do we experience God, i decided that a word picture is always a good way for me to relate to what God has for me. it seems quite often the bible uses water references; baptism, walking on water, Jesus calming the storm, good GRIEF we even have jonah in a whales belly...all water references and locales (well the whales belly might be a stretch but where else would the whale BE??)... anyway, have you ever thought about when you're in a really difficult situation and you're literally wrestling with God, or life, or some type of decision that is pulling you every which way? this would be like a rip tide, something that could pull you under, especially if you fight!... then you have treading water, you don't go anywhere, but you keep your head above water and you basically sustain your life (but it's SOOOO tiring...) this would be complacency, going through the motions and still trying to do things on your own... lastly, what about just laying back in the water and letting it buoy you up and sustain you while you simply relax and float...effortless, supported by unseen hands, hmmm...this is the spot, this is where i want to be, i want to float and depend on God...

Psalm 46:10 says, "be still and know that I am God"... these eight little words have quite a punch to them, each one significant...
BE; exist, live, thrive, state of being.
STILL: devoid or abstaining from motion
KNOW: to be aware of the truth; certain, actuality

fighting life's riptides, treading the mundane exhausting daily waters, or trust God and float...be still and know...i think i'll choose to lay back and let the cool water of God's love soothe my floating soul...

seasons?

there are "seasons of life", "reasons for the season", "season of change", "changing seasons"... you get my point... it's as obvious as a single spot on a dalmatian:)... there are seasons everywhere, the very word conjures an image of trees, leaves, evergreens and NEVERgreens, but season also represents change, or an evolution, or possibly a new beginning... so many concepts, hence my relating to spots on a dalmatian...
to find the connotation that you want to explore obviously involves context;

"seasons of life"= commentary on stages of getting older or aging...a nice way of saying that if we follow the natural order of life we will eventually be in our "wintery months"...

"changing seasons"=many times a reference from those who don't live in southern california and actually observe a change in seasons; leaves morphing into a variety of hues, diminishing warmth, snowy holidays...

"season of change"=not one of the better known idioms referencing change (and possibly just one that runs through my own head) but a reference to limbo life, the moments, weeks, months sometimes years of accepting all things new surrounding us... family growing up, loss of loved ones, acceptance of personal limitations, challenging personal limitations, finding the equilibrium to make the season a positive stepping stone to whatever the next season may be...

"reason for the season"=Jesus, referencing the Christmas season and celebrating Christ in Christmas
for God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life....John 3:16

recently timmy and i had a discussion about the christmas spirit and how we all tend to look for more opportunities to demonstrate God's love at this time of year; pay for someone's dinner, serve food at a homeless shelter, put a quarter in the salvation army bucket... all good things, but why is there a spotlight at this time of year? why is it merely seasonal? i guess what i took away from that conversation was a bit of a weighty conscience and a challenge to not allow "the reason for the season" phrase to dictate an annual event, and to actively (actions vs. words) pay homage to our Lord and Savior who gave everything for us, and think/act on this as a regular exercise in faith.
"
When we think of the word reason, many of us may think, "well doesn't there have to be some question involved?" and of course if we're using Jesus as the answer to the Christmas season that totally works. But what if we just simplify and turn the other well known phrase around "Jesus is the answer" and combine the two and take out the question (uh-oh, sounds like math to me...)

Jesus is the reason for the season + Jesus is the answer = Jesus IS the reason:)

a pinch of crazy is all that's necessary:)

ah, what fun it is to check in with your grown children, enjoy holiday break time and sit back a bit as you enjoy the new little ones (and some not so little ones...) try to create new traditions and throw them up against the wall (the traditions of course) and see what actually sticks in this crazy, busy world...

our world, as so many are pointing out recently, is compiled of technology, lights, sounds, and busyness...when you have a moment to observe it all, you can literally, audibly hear the WOOSH as it passes by... it can be quite amazing to ponder that gravity actually does its job... how we manage to stay on this planet and not be literally turned upside down is completely a God thing:)...

in this past week... a break from work i might add... (i love the school system's furlough days? hey, we may not get paid in money, but we DO get paid in a lot less guilt by taking a much needed break, in the long run, SO much better for your health...) we have attended some necessary doctor appointments, acquired a long overdue furnace, spent time with our youngest daughter, her husband and our new granddaughter... of course the latter half of this week was the highlight, due to emily, jeff and eiley visiting and staying with us...what a thrill to see a little face that reflects genuine adoration for her hardworking, adoring parents, and to be able to see a glimmer in eiley's eyes as she looks at her grandparents like they're a bit strange, but mildly amusing:)...

more joy (and busyness) to be had as we made the rounds to great-grandparents, aunts, uncles and any other eiley stalkers out there (hi karen) that had the chance to stop in and see the east coast group as they enjoyed their west coast roots...

now, as i sit here quietly writing this little blog, i can only smile because timmy and i can now close our eyes and imagine that cute little baby girl actually talking to us, cooing away at her parents and attempting to snag sweetpea's tongue (she was successful at one point..)...we can enjoy and revel in the fact that we are familiar with her compact 14 pound person and know what it's like to hold such a precious package... yes, it's hard to wave goodbye at an airport as we watch the little family pack up all their carryons, but we also know that God is first in their lives and we'll be seeing them so soon (thank you skype!!)...

and now the new crazyness will ensue, clean up, get in the holiday spirit (maybe a bit wistfully, i must admit...) but get ready for our oldest jenna and her wonderful husband andrew to come enjoy christmas with us... yep, a pinch of crazy is all that's necessary, and we thank God for that gift:)

confusion with a side of clarification please:)

once again i come up with confusion and asking God for clarification...what's funny is that on a daily basis He DOES confirm my very existence by nudging the little things that are relevant to my person...yes, maybe they are relevant to others as well? but i find it interesting that He cares to confirm what i'm learning about Him right now...

timmy and i are in a thursday night bible study group where we are wading through the research and reasonings of lee strobel and "the case for the creator"...goodness it's technical and more than a bit mind-blowing, and on a weekly basis i procrastinate in reading the full pages that our group has agreed upon... my mind struggles with wrapping around scientific, mathematical and cosmological explanations that justify the existence of God... last night , one dear member, (and i might add pretty brilliant) member of our group related a story of how einstein's "theory of relativity" is actually based on genesis 1:1 "in the beginning"...she explained very clearly, how this brilliant man's life work was all about proving time... it's existence, how it came to "be" or rather "begin"... although so much of this is way over my head, i must admit when it comes to einstein and the obscure concept of time, those two in tandem make a nice little mental sandwich...i am fascinated by this man's life but i am also intrigued with ALL things related to time:)... so last nights discussion wielded many moments of sparked conversation...

of course, since my realm in this world tends to be about thoughts and feelings, emotions and how we handle them? part of the reason for me struggling with my current reading is the lack of humanity, or rather the lack of discussion regarding the human need/desire for God... no, this is not a measurable concept, we are incapable of measuring need, want, desire through mathematics or quantum physics... but our nature, the very nature that is in the image of God, is not measurable...hence my struggle... but i come back to earth when our study group reminds me that this book is attempting to be logical and scientific, and to drop the "human" variable into the equation would probably deviate the whole emphasis of what we are attempting to digest... therefore i will persevere and get my studying done (maybe on a less procrastinatory level...) and open my mind to the level-headed world of numbers instead of warm fuzzy feelings...

and just for fun, to demonstrate God's sense of humor in tipping his celestial hat to my confusion? this morning i brewed myself a cup of good earth tea...this is not necessarily a daily practice for me, due to time constraints, but we were enjoying a relaxing breakfast and tea always seems to be representative of relaxation and the aaaahhhhhh factor;)... anyway, i opened the little tea bag and good earth always has a thought for the day or quote on the little tea bag "tab"... ahem

"when God made time, he made enough of it" ~celtic saying.... :)

i read this little quote to timmy and we both had to smile, because once again God showed us that he cares for us exactly where we are... confused or clarified it's all good when we realize who's in charge...