I too am clueless

A dear friend on the other side of the world was talking about how easy it is to keep the faith when God answers our prayers with "yes" and how hard it is to keep going in situations even when we are clueless as to what He is up to. She was referring to a Gary Thomas quote in Kay Warren's book, Dangerous Surrender.

If the truth be known, I HATE being CLUELESS! Did I mention that I hate being clueless? May I quote someone else?

"It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to live the noble life of a disciple of Jesus in actual things." - Oswald Chambers

Lord, how I need to learn to receive the grace you provide for being willing to be disciplined to a life of cluelessness and trust...which is a very actual detail in my life today.

How are you actually doing out there?

horses and chariots

"Now I know the Lord saves His annointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm."

I recently had the painful privilege of discovering that my heart often trusts in chariots and horses to attempt to sustain my life: my marriage, my parenting, my ministry, my relationships, my work, my LIFE!
What a false sense of security they can be. While trusting in teachers, methods, professors, mentors, Bible study groups, support groups, parenting methods, books on prayer, etc. can be supportive and encouraging--they are NOT the answer. The answer lies in a person- Jesus Christ. I know, duh!? But...we must check ourselves lest we find ourselves on a wild ride in a chariot with a horse out of control.

I Peter 1:7- "These (trials) have come so that your faith- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

Motherhood Sustenance-for all those mommies out there

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Empty House

For the first time in a very long time I am home alone. I can't decide whether to get some things done or to relax, reflect, and chill. I only have 2 days completely alone...then I have 12 days alone with my husband. That will be nice!

In case you think they all exited because of my previous blog "Minnow Paws"- officially they did not. Unofficially, however, I think they were glad that church camp, a mission trip, and a meeting at the seminary came when they did.

Maybe I should go to a swimming class. (see previous blog!)

minnow paws

Whatever picture my blog title conjures up in your mind is probably pretty weird. Think about it...a minnow with paws? It is unnatural. Minnows don't need paws, they need gills and fins. A minnow with paws cannot swim.

We have a new friend who has come to live with us for awhile. Her name is Harriet. She comes and goes as she pleases, is up a lot at night, cries often, and loses her car in large parking lots after 30 minutes of shopping. My kids are not quite sure what to say to her sometimes. She appears to want their affection, but then suddenly and without notice leaves the room. My husband is very patient and seems to want to research her personality so we know how to live with her. Are there enough fans in the world to satisfy her ever changing thermostat?

Like the minnow with paws, Harriet is signing up for swim lessons.

Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my mom's birthday. I love and admire these things about her:

• She chose to be my mom when my biological mother could not
• She always treated me like I came from her own womb and she knew she would catch flack for doing this sometimes
• She taught me to be strong
• She taught me to be independent
• She has always encouraged my adventurous side
• When I was about to marry the wrong guy she kept her mouth shut until I figured it out with God on my own
• She taught me how to work hard
• She taught me how to make a beautiful home with what you have
• She taught me how to respect my husband with words as well as a lack of words
• She gives me her shoes from her 100+ collection when she's done
• She takes me shoe shopping
• She teaches me the beauty of being a business woman by weekday and a cattlewoman by weekend
• She's the example of fine fence building, dinner party making, cattle branding, and business suit closet designing
• She makes a mean chocolate cake and is kind as a princess
• In fact, she is a princess...ask anyone in the state of Kansas...

Happy Birthday Mom. I love you.

Pedicure

Today I had a pedicure. Didn't take the camera so there are no pictures. This pedicure was significant. She scrubbed and sanded off all my Jordanian calouses and blister remains. I am so sad....but I'm looking on the bright side. I'm ready to go and get new ones...somewhere in the world.