Mother of Seven + 2

There once was a land where tall tales were oft told the more outrageous the news the better it sold From virus and vaccines To elections and fraud Who knew what to believe Of truth they'd been robbed The mad rush was on Empty shelves glaring bold Frantic runs on the market Toilet paper the new gold They lived frantic They lived stressed Isolated at home their lives were a mess Amidst all the chaos A voice strong and bold was being suppressed as fear took ahold The peace in the storm was offered with love The light in the darkness still shone from above The question remained if man would see If light would be found and people set free Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

    In the early morning dark I sit with coffee cradled warm within my hands.  My gratitude journal lays open beside me.  I've been on a journey.  A journey to a life more filled with joy and gratitude.  Each day I start by trying to give thanks...especially for the little things, the overlooked things.  Some days I do better then others.  Lists long.  Lists short fill the entries.  I realize how much easier it has become to count, to praise, to thank.  God is opening my eyes to his ever present presence.  Gratefulness for His goodness just this past weekend overwhelms me.    All the gifts...     Children eager in the backseat asking every 10 minutes, "How much longer?"  Looking forward to an overnight stay with big sister, Kayt, and her husband, Sam.  Staying up past bedtime, playing games, cooking, and visiting the pumpkin patch all the things they look forward to.  Anticipation builds during this longest ride ever.  And I give thanks.   Thank you for family that loves

I want to be sought after. Pursue me I want to be loved.  Spend time with me I want to be heard. Listen to me RELATIONSHIP I want relationship, fellowship, communion. It is the craving of my soul. It was there.  In the Garden long ago. God loved his creation. He desired to spend time with them. He sought them out. He talked with them in the cool of the day. It was a time of holy communion. It was sweet fellowship. It was the relationship that God desired. RELATIONSHIP It was the intent of their God. It was the reason man was created. But it was broken. The relationship. The fellowship. The sweet communion. SIN It severed. It destroyed. It killed. And this is the struggle of life.   A craving for relationship. And sin that separates. Sin that tells me lies. Sin that whispers, "You will not surely die." Instead of chasing my Maker. Instead of filling up on Him. I fill my belly with forbidden fruit... Relationships Possessions Entertainment Money  Food

3 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained 1 can of corn, drained 1 orange, red, or yellow pepper, chopped 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes 1 cup chopped red onion 1/2 c. finally chopped fresh cilantro 1 medium jalapeno, finally chopped 1/2 t. lime zest juice from one lime or 2 T. 1/4 c. olive oil 1/4 c. white wine vinegar 1/2 t. chili powder 1/2 t. Cumin 1/2 t. salt Garnish:  1 avocado sliced In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and toss to combine.  Place sliced avocado on top right before serving.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Ingredients 1 2/3 c steel cut oats 4 c water 1/4 t salt Additional ingredients (your choice) milk (I use almond) cinnamon nutmeg cardamom raisins apples (chopped) other dried fruit nuts or seeds unsweetened applesauce honey 5 pint sized jars 1.  Place the oats, water, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 3 minutes, stirring a few times to prevent sticking.  Turn off the heat. 2.  Using a ladle, evenly distribute oats and water mixture into pint jars.  Cover jars tightly with caps and rings, and leave on the counter overnight. 3.  The next morning the oats will be soft and ready to eat.  You can add spices, nuts, and dried fruit to each of your jars according to your taste.  Replace the lids and put the jars in the refrigerator. 4.  When you're ready to eat your oatmeal, remove the lid and ring and microwave right in the jar for 2-3 minutes.  Add milk and enjoy!  Sometimes rather

I have struggled the past six years.  The struggle has been with forgiveness.   I want to think I have forgiven, but it comes back to haunt me over and over. Deep hurt and pain do not go away overnight.  Betrayal changed me.  The "open armed" love that I had embraced life with was replaced with fear of being hurt again.  Depression and anxiety became my companions. How to forgive became the question?  Or was it how to keep forgiving when new wounds were exposed?  How to keep forgiving when the old wounds festered and broke open?  How to forgive when the one who has wronged me does not seek forgiveness? Loving broken children is never easy.  However, I still truly believe every child deserves love and a chance at a better life. Our on-going struggle with Troy who was nearly eight when he came to us was no secret.  He was severely wounded.  We prayed.  We enlisted many to pray with us.  We loved with all we had.  We often failed in understanding, but we would get up and

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."  Ephesians 4:32 One of the first verses I memorized as a child was Ephesians 4:32.  I remember my dad telling me how he often had to quote the same verse when he fought with his brother.  Following the family tradition, my children all knew this verse as the "B verse" in our alphabet memory verses.  A fight would break out, and I was ask them to quote the "B verse."  When the fighting didn't stop, they earned the privilege of writing it on paper ten times. One particular child wrote Ephesians 4:32 so many times that at the age of 6, he proudly proclaimed to his grandparents that he could spell the word "compassionate."  Yes.  Yes, he could.  He had much practice.  Being kind was hard for this child, but I often found it much harder as a parent to teach the second portion of this verse. We had many a "face off."  Two angry chil

This lesson was a challenge for me.  I didn't know how to go about writing it.  During my morning walk a couple mornings, I prayed for God to give me guidance.  Often times something will come to mind while I am in prayer, but nothing did.  I continued to wrestle with this lesson even as I sat down to write it.  Then it came to me how appropriate it was that I was struggling with this topic.  Forgiveness is something we struggle with.  It doesn't come easy.  It feels like a battle of tug-of-war. Photo from www.freedigitalphotos.net "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."   Eph. 4:32 KJV This is one of the first Bible verses I remember memorizing.  My sister called me "dumb or stupid," and I was reminded of Ephesians 4:32.  My brother broke my china teapot, and I was reminded of Ephesians 4:32.  My best friend played with someone besides me one day and left me

The Connection between Prayer and our Hearts. David was called a man after God's own heart. Many of the Psalms are a record of the prayers and praises of David. He spent much time communicating with God. In order to have hearts modeled after God's, we need to follow David's example of communicating with the one who made us. After all only God can mold our hearts to look like his.  Prayer is essential in an undivided heart. In Psalm 86 we find one of David's prayers. “ Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” Psalm 86:11 What kind of heart did David ask God for? Make a list of things that can divide our hearts. Photo from www.freedigitalphotos.net What indicates to us where our hearts are? Mt. 6:19-21 “For where your ______________________ is, there your _______________________ will be also.” Looking back at our list of things that divide our hear

 “ Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” Psalm 86:11 Photo from www.freedigitalphotos.net When we marry someone, we want their full heart. We want their devotion. We don't want to share it with someone or something else. When Les and I were first married, we didn't have a computer. I worked for a full year babysitting to save enough money to buy our first computer. When we at last bought it, my husband was quiet enamored with it. He spent hours learning it. He would stay up late arranging his files, setting up the desktop, and researching information. I started to get jealous. I lay in bed night after night by myself. I threatened to buy a wig for the computer monitor and name it Fanny. He didn't think that was too funny. Why was I so upset? I felt like something was interfering with his devotion to me. The newness of the computer did wear off eventually and we laugh about those days now,

Before moving on to lessons about the kind of heart God wants us to have, I'd like to spend some time discussing what an improper guard around our heart would look like. Troy came to our home when he was 7 years old.  He had been badly hurt.  In the past 2 1/2 years he had been in 5 foster homes and had been abused in ways that to this day break my heart.  The one thing he was determined  NOT to do was to love us or to allow us to love him.  The first year was challenging.  He was guarding his heart from ever being hurt again. Troy would get angry and yell at me with tears, "Just call foster care and have them come get me!"  I'd tell him that parents don't do that.  We are given children, and we love them through the hard.  "I don't want you to love me," he would scream.  Over and over we went through this.  Finally one day I took the phone and set it in front of him.  I said, "Troy, if you are that miserable here, you may call the foster ca

My heart cries out My spirit weeps The tears fall to my feet Many are lost Some have strayed And for them I pray May they hear your voice Be held in peace Surrounded by your love Let salvation be found from You alone Our only God and Savior I can cry I can pray Beg salvation on this day But the choice It is Yours,  Not mine Offered freely by our Lord Oh, if my prayers lifted up and my tears were enough to save you His blood cries out to cover you Your pain he longs to make his own Your wounds he wants to heal Listen, listen, listen His love is calling you Listen, listen, listen His Word speaks truth to you Oh, if my prayers lifted up and my tears were enough to save you My heart beats this prayer...

Photo from www.freedigitalphotos.net Protect means to keep from being damaged, attacked, stolen, or injured; to guard. What types of things do we go to great lengths to protect? How do we protect these things? What should we guard above all else? (Proverbs 4:23) Why? What helps guard our hearts? Proverbs 30:5 (see also II Sam. 22:31; Ps. 18:30) - II Tim. 1:12-14 - Philippians 4:-6-7 Why is there no other effective way to guard our hearts? - Psalm 127:1 Read Psalm 91. This is a beautiful description of God's protection. What are some of the descriptions of God's protection from this passage? Who is promised this protection? What are we protected from? Psalm 119:11 - Eph. 6:10-18 –   Hebrews 2:14-15 – II Pet. 3:17-18 – What makes the Word of God a powerful protector? Psalm 19:7-11 - II Tim. 3:16-17 - Hebrews 4:12-13 - Rev. 19:11-21 - The best

When I was in grade school, my grandparents gave me a china tea set. I loved my play dishes. With our dolls gathered around my sister and I enjoyed many a tea party. Each plate and cup was set lovingly on the table. We would gingerly pick the teacups up and sip our pretend tea. When our tea party was over, I carefully washed the dishes and then wrapped them in newspaper and packed them tenderly back in their box. I treasured my tea set. I protected it. My treasured tea set I fear many times that I have put more effort into guarding or protecting earthly possessions then in guarding my spiritual heart. The Scripture tells me, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." (Proverbs 4:23) This passage clearly states the importance of guarding the heart. Life comes from the heart. If it is not guarded well, spiritual death can occur.  My heart is the seat of my emotions, attitudes, and character.  It is the location of my thoughts and de

Our usual way of living life has been turned upside down in recent days.  Thankfully we serve a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  His Word is truth amidst a flood of news in which it is increasingly hard to discern the truth.  According to I Peter 5:8 our enemy, the devil, is always on the prowl seeking whom he can destroy.  That is why we must be alert and put on the armor of God that is described in Ephesians 6:10-18. In a battle the enemy goes for the heart because if he can mortally wound the heart, life will slip away.  Now more then ever we need to understand our spiritual hearts and be prepared for the battle ahead. So grab your Bible and a cup of coffee and sit down and join me for a "heart to heart" study. Study Guide #1 The human heart is a muscle that beats an average of 70 times per minute.  That is 100,000 times a day, 36 million times a year, and 3 billion times in a lifetime.  It's primary job is to keep our blood pumping and distr

The heart – It is an interesting subject. We all know we have an organ in our body called the heart. Its purpose is to pump blood. This blood as it courses through the body takes impurities out of the body and brings nutrients to the organs that need them. This process is vital in transporting life-giving oxygen throughout the body and carrying carbon dioxide back to the lungs to be expelled from the body. The heart is essential for physical life. If the physical heart fails, physical life ends. Image from FreeDigitalPhotos.net  But the heart that intrigues me is the spiritual heart. We cannot see it. We cannot touch it. Yet it is there. It can be healthy, or it can be sick. When the spiritual heart fails, it can mean eternal death. But when it is healthy and strong, it can mean eternal life. Image from FreeDigitalPhotos.net During the summer of 2011 I went through a period of extreme discouragement. Circumstances in my life were sucking away my joy. Un

Those teen years are not something I desire to revisit.  Our family moved to Fredonia when I was going into 8th grade.  Until that time, my world had felt secure.  I attended a small K-12 Christian school where my dad was the principal.  There were only about 8 students in each class.  I had a best friend since kindergarten days.  I felt important and special since my dad was the principal.  When we moved, I didn't know anyone and attended public school for the first time.  Although it was a small school with 50+ students per class, it was huge and overwhelming to me. I was shy and quiet by nature.  The change rocked my world, and insecurity became my companion.  At school most the students had been raised together.  It was a tight knit community.  It felt hard to fit in.  I was different.  My parents were conservative.  I didn't dance or swim at public pools.  My clothing was weird.  I didn't wear shorts.  I didn't talk like everyone else.  I didn't even know wha