Heavenly Homemakers

And this is my prayer:  that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-to the glory and praise of God. Phil. 1:9-11

May these words of Paul in his letter to the saints in Philippi encourage you wherever you might  be today. I encourage you to let this be your prayer as you meditate on these words.

Oh Lord,

Let my love abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight….

Help me to be able to discern what is best….

Let me be pure and blameless until the day of Christ….

Fill me  with the fruit of righteousness….

I give you glory and praise, oh God….

Give thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is God’s will
for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thess. 5:18

There are lots of things that are easy to always be thankful for:  your family (except when they’re fighting, demanding, sick, loud or stubborn), your warm home (except when the hot water heater goes out and the bedrooms look like a bomb has gone off, and the heating bill comes in), food (except when it’s expensive, creates dirty dishes and gets burned), clothes (except when they’re too small, too big, too out-dated, too worn out and too ugly).

Oh  wait, did that verse say to be thankful in ALL circumstances?

Well, it sounds like I have some work to do on this. I suppose today is a good day to start. 

God bless you and your family this Thanksgiving as you give thanks to Him for the blessings of this life.

Well, today a perfect holiday treat happened at our house. I had just put two pumpkin pies in the oven to bake, and just about the time they started to smell really good, it started to snow! Now, I can normally do without snow, especially as early as November, but I thought it was perfect for today. Yummy smelling pies, snowy day. Very nice.

Later I received another treat. I got to talk to my sister-in-law, who lives in Fresno, CA. I told her about our snow (as she was getting out of her car in her 60 degree weather). I think she might have felt a little sorry for me, having to deal with snow today. And, normally I might have stuck out my tongue at her when she told me the temperature at her house (which she wouldn’t have been able to see through the phone anyway). But today, I’m okay with it.
 
I’ll take my snow and pumpkin pies. The only thing that would be better is if my sister-in-law was here to share them with me.

I’ve always been pretty wimpy. On my high school volleyball team, when we lifted weights, I was consistently the one who bench pressed and etc. the smallest amount of weight. It was kinda embarrassing, although my coaches knew I was trying hard. Whenever we go bowling (like once every three years), I share a ball with my preschooler, otherwise I can’t get the thing down the lane. 

I think I got a little stronger when each of my boys were babies and I had to lug them around in their car seats. The car seat alone isn’t light and my babies were all chunky monkeys within a couple of months. Add a diaper bag, groceries, toddlers and dirty kleenexes and that’s a lot of weight. 

My ten year old is already as strong as me. I found that out when we were wrestling a bit (for the last time).

So, physically, I don’t have much to brag about. I’m okay with it. My husband (and kids) know they have to open jars for me.

When it comes to everything else, I also know my limited strength supply. I know undoubtedly that I would crumble without God to be my muscle. 

The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. 
Ps. 118:14 

Nehemiah 8:10 says in part: “the joy of the Lord is your strength“. Just thinking about the Lord brings enough joy to fill me with strength for the day.

Ever have trouble trusting God? Isn’t life a daily struggle against trusting in yourself vs. trusting in God? WE KNOW GOD’S GONNA TAKE CARE OF US!!! Right? Don’t we know that? He has proved himself over and over that he will take care of us. Trust should not be an issue. And yet it is. 

There are times when I have to say (out loud) over and over “God, I trust you. God I trust you.” Cause I do. I really do. 

One day as I struggled against myself once again, I came upon this scripture:

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore. Psalm 125:1-2

Picture it. Picture the mountain surrounding you. Even if what you are facing feels like a mountain in and of itself. God the Mountain surrounds you and your mountain of dispair. He surrounds you. Nothing can get through his protective mountain.
You are surrounded!

Cheesy Potato Soup, Tossed Salad and Fresh Homemade Whole Wheat Bread. That’s what the boys and I (mostly the I part of the boys and I) made for lunch today.

Our lunches aren’t usually quite this special, but we were very excited about the guests joining us today we wanted to treat them right. A turkey sandwich just didn’t feel right.

Today’s guests were Joel Osborne and Ben Berry. Our family has been praying for them every night for the past five years while they’ve been in Sendai, Japan doing mission work.

What Matt and I loved most about the privilege of sharing a meal today with Joel and Ben (besides the encouragement that being with fellow believers brings) was the lesson it brought to our boys. They’ve prayed for the “Sendai Team” daily since they were babies (or so). We talk about the mission work to them. They’ve put some of their very own money in the special collection plates taken up to support them. We’ve sent treats at Christmastime. How great to have them in our home today so that our boys can see with their own eyes part of the real live Sendai Team!

How great for our boys to hear some of the stories. How great for them to have Joel and Ben ask them questions about their lives. How great for them to watch and listen as we shared and prayed together for God’s direction.

So, what a great lunch!

Hmm. What was for lunch anyway?