Counting gifts through glimpses of ordinary life

Ann Voskamp, the author of the book One Thousand Gifts, which prompted me to begin counting God's gifts until I numbered at least one thousand, regularly reminds me through her blog posts that God's hand can often be seen best in the simple moments of life.  Ken Gire wrote, "Our search for God and His search for us begin at windows in our everyday experiences.  These are the windows to the soul."  It's looking past the neatly framed picture on the canvas and past the surface of someone living on our street or in the street to the deeper message and/or heart of the person.  So as I recount episodes from our mundane routines of life, I hope my glimpses see past the surface to the gifts God offers to each of us.

Speaking of pictures on canvas....
Our kids participated in their first art show. It was just a simple art display at their school showing a sample of each students' work for sale as a fundraiser, but even so, it was such a gift (#549) to see the kids learning to express themselves artistically, especially considering the unique artistic talent among the paternal side of their ancestry.  Art was a subject I could not teach them in our homeschool, so it is a blessing to see them expressing themselves with colorful paints.

Our daughter's colorful southwestern landscape

Our son's water color fish

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I'm so thankful for perfectly timed reminders and assurances through daily Bible study and devotionals (Gift #550).

"I used to try to pray and receive God's leadings on the run.  It became obvious to me that the pace of my life outstripped my capacity to analyze it.....At the end of the day, I would wonder if my work had any meaning at all." - Bill Hybels

10 years ago, I walked away from titles, degrees, tangible affirmations, and fat paychecks to slow down my pace, seek His guidance, and hopefully invest in that which would not rot, rust, decay or disappear in a down economy but which would instead last forever.  I have lost focus, been selfish, grumbled over the thanklessness of it all, wasted time, lamented over the could haves and should haves, and failed in so many ways, but if freeing up that time allowed me to push one person closer to Jesus, then my efforts had meaning, and it was worth it.  Let us encourage one other to slow down, seek Him, and press on toward the prize that lasts forever.  (Philippians 3:13-15)

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My 10-year-old is a tomboy whose hairstyle and dress usually look very much like Jo from The Facts of the Life despite my many pleadings that she present herself more like a lady. So imagine my surprise when she came to dinner yesterday evening with a purse across her shoulder. I told her a purse isn't necessary for family dinners, and she replied in an exceedingly prissy voice, "It's not a purse, Mom. It's a cross body bag." - Snap! Just like that our tomboy turned into a tween! 

I'm thankful for the "heads-up" that she will soon be entering a very awkward stage, so that I can treasure every moment and prepare myself for what is coming soon (Gift #551).  I have already begun some preparations by attending a lecture on how to handle that stage and by ordering a copy of Passport to Purity for it will not be long until I must take her away for some mother/daughter bonding and the "talk".  God help me!  Thanks for the helpful resources!(Gift #552).

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Speaking of hairstyles....

Some people would call this hair of his "bed head", but he says it's a popular new hair style called "Angry Bird". I call it a lame attempt to get out of combing his hair this morning.

Even so, every time this boy makes me laugh (usually every day), I count it as a gift. (Gift #553) 

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It can be discouraging for a parent to teach and reinforce key precepts to our kids only to have them act as though they refuse to listen. However, I am thankful for the encouragement I received recently that the time will come when your kids will preach it all back to you (albeit in a different context) confirming that they were in fact listening after all (Gift #554)!

Recent Example:
As we drove into the parking lot of the library so that I could tutor a student, they were surprised to see their father's car and exclaimed, "It's Daddy! Horray! Has he come to take us out to dinner?"

I replied, "Indeed he has. It's your lucky day!"

The 9-year-old scolded, "No it isn't, Mom. We don't do luck. This blessing comes from God and is in His perfect plan!"

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One morning last week, I tried to teach the kids that advertisements are often deceiving, so do not be fooled by their false claims. Now I'm weeping over an absolutely precious gum commercial.  

Thanks, Extra, for showing me that advertising isn't all bad. 

 "Sometimes the little things last the longest!" is a great tag line and a timely reminder (Gift #555).
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It seems like we are always wrestling with new decisions that are difficult to make.  I counted it a gift when a morning devotion reminded me that the answer usually comes in the form of God's perfect peace (Gift #556).

Gary Smalley says the Greek word translated "rule" in Colossians 3:15 ("Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts....") means "be the umpire". So as baseball season gears up into full swing, may God's peace help us all discern whether "we are safe or out" or whether our "circumstances are fair or foul".

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We are enjoying our new neighborhood, and I am so thankful for recent opportunities to meet our new neighbors (Gift #557).  The twins who live beside us (or it seems like our house sits in their back yard since their house sits on the corner and faces the adjacent street) recently celebrated their 3rd birthday, and it seemed as though the entire neighborhood came to the celebration.

We had plenty of fun but are most thankful to have met more neighbors.  I'm hosting an Easter egg hunt this weekend at our home, so I hope many will come and that relationships will be strengthened.

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Our new neighbors are very generous, too.  I am the type of person who dreads fundraisers and would contribute all the money myself before knocking on doors for support, and when our kids have had fundraisers in the past, we always just wrote them a check. However, this time, they were raising funds for a most excellent cause, feeding hungry children around the world, so I allowed our children to knock on doors one weekend only (a first for us) to raise money for Stop Hunger Now while warning them not to be discouraged if few answered the door.   They blew us away with their kindness and generosity which gave our kids confidence to advocate for the less fortunate. Even the neighborhood children gave from their piggy banks! Their contributions alone provided 690 protein packed means for the less fortunate around the world (Gift #558). The kids packed those meals later that week to be shipped out to the areas where they are needed most.  The school funded and packed 100,000 meals, and our church will be funding and packing over 300,000 meals in two weeks. (Gift #559) 
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I was disappointed to see the lot diagonally across from us get cleared for new construction when we initially thought it would be reserved for the original developer's children.

Aside:  I love the fact that our subdivision is named after the previous owner & developer's last name, and his last name is the same as that of my all time favorite spiritual mentors.  We will never forget you, Sam and Nell!  As if the crosses on the front facade of our house are not enough of a reminder to seek Christ first, the entrance of our subdivision bears your last name.  Gotta love that accountability! (Gift #560)

I will admit, however, that it has been fun to watch the construction progress from our home's vantage point.

 

 

 

We took a walk through the framed home and were overcome by how much the front of our house is the focal point out all these enormous front windows. Our home is not angled in their direction, so we mostly look at the wooded lot next door, so our daughter needs to be aware of their viewpoint and keep her blinds closed!  I'm so thankful God gave us their perspective (Gift #561)!  From the back windows, these future neighbors will have a great view of the greenway and the physician's pool next door.  He probably needs to take a walk through the framed house, too!

I was quite startled when I caught a glimpse of a large roof truss flying by our window.  Even at age 40, I find cranes and roof assemblies fascinating.  They put up this roof in about two hours, and that is no small house!

Sometimes when I hear the train whistle in the middle of the night or look out my windows and see rooftops instead of treetops, more land, or lush golf greens, I miss living "out yonder a ways" where we spent the first 12 years of our marriage. But when I consider the amenities and views (shown below) within walking distance of our new home, and when I consider how close we are to school, work, and every shopping need (ie, the gift of TIME!), I am so thankful God has transformed us into city folks after we had spent over 5 years praying about a move (Gift #562)

The creek runs behind our neighborhood and all along the bike trail.

View of the lake from a gazebo covered rest stop with water fountain

View of lake from the bike trail

A fishing pond beside the bike trail

We joined this pool & tennis club this weekend.  It's 0.8 miles from our house via sidewalks.

Our daughter joined the swim team.  We have never lived close enough to a team pool to join a team until now!

More wooded bike trails

I will end this blog post with a gift concerning Biblical prophecies concerning end times. 

While working through the Left Behind series with our kids (with more violent parts edited out), I have wondered if the themes were too mature for my little ones. Then the other day when we got to the part just before the glorious appearing where the book authors have the antichrist mounting a horse to ride through Jerusalem for the final battle, my 7-year-old asked, "Is the antichrist trying to imitate Jesus when he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey the week of his crucifixion?"  What a blessing that my boy is already learning how to discern between God's truth and the enemy's wicked imitation (Gift #563). Oh, that these children would always be on guard, studying His truth, and growing in their relationship with their Savior so that they can easily discern the works of God from those of the evil one who disguises himself as an angel of light.

Then the next day I realized the vocabulary may be too confusing for our boy. He heard this prophesy from Isaiah 25:5 quoted:

"Like heat in drought, You subdue the uproar of aliens;Like heat by the shadow of a cloud, the song of the ruthless is silenced."

Then the 7-year-old said, "Whoa! Are aliens from outer space going to invade the earth during the last battle?"  Oh how he amuses me!

If our bunny could talk....

Bunny For Hire

Hello! My name is Cody Moses.


But my family likes to call me "Bun-Bun".  It's embarrassing I know.


I have been a very naughty bunny.


I tried to scratch the baseboards off my owners' new house.

I chewed holes in the family's socks, jeans, and towels.

I spliced one of these wires with my pearly whites, so the family was without their home phone for a day or two. Then a few days later I spliced the other wire which took out their internet. You should have seen their reaction and their attempt to cope without their internet. Ba-ha-ha-ha. I know...I'm not quite repentant about that one yet.
 

If you want to get a rise out of the mama in this house, chew the "rumbles" off her rumble roller. She says those things really help work the knots out of her muscles, but to see the look on her face when she uses it on the sore spots, you would think she would have thanked me.
 
She wasn't too happy when I chewed the rubber coating off her dumbbells either.
 
Oh, and I tend to scratch the arm that feeds me.


I am a naughty bunny indeed. They say I need to apologize and make restitution.
 
So how does a bunny earn enough $ to pay for all the damage he has done?
 
My only redeeming virtues, it seems, are my charm and dashing good looks.
 
So I am offering my modeling services for your Easter photographs.

  I will work for socks, towels, jeans, CAT 5 cables, baseboards, rumble rollers, or dumbbells.
 
Here are a few of my vital modeling stats:
I have white fur with symmetrical black highlights.

I weigh 3 pounds, 14 ounces. The boy says I'm chunky, but I say I'm fluffy.  I am 15" long, but if I stretch out like this, I can add about 3" to my length which does wonders for my BMI. Please also note my cute and fluffy cotton tail.
 

I can stick out my tongue when I smile if you like. It's cute, isn't it?


PLEASE help me appease the people here!
 
Or they could leave me out here in this hutch during the ickiest, stickiest days of summer instead of inside their air-conditioned pad.
 

With much appreciation from a bunny who is trying to feel sorry for his sins.
        

Fashion: The Teen Years vs. the Forties

When I was a teenager, I knew what was stylish and knew all the trendy name brands, but I could not afford to buy them with my barely over minimum wage jobs at ice-cream and sandwich shops and at Belks.

Now that I am in my 40s and could possibly afford name brands, I can barely distinguish a name brand from a K-Mart blue light special and could care less if its stylish as long as it fits, covers everything it should, and is comfortable.

So, when my husband asked for some new casual shoes for his birthday, we had to consult with his style conscious younger brother to find out what was stylish.   When he recommended suede Chuck Taylor's, I exclaimed, "You have to be kidding! My husband is 40, not 16." Aren't those the type of shoes skateboarders wear?

Suede chucks for his birthday

Then I realized I was wearing a Justice top and Juniors yoga pants with sparkles around the waistband and had to laugh at my own hypocrisy.

Some of my Justice label tween bling

I loathe shopping and figure I might as well buy some clothes for myself while I'm at Justice shopping with my 10-year-old.  Apparently at 40, I can suggest that my husband not wear shoes that I think befit a teenager, but it's perfectly fine for me to wear clothes designed for children and tweens as if I'm in total denial about being middle aged myself! 
 

Counting Gifts and Giggles

This blog update is a simple effort to keep counting the gifts (and giggles) God keeps sending our way whether our circumstances seem like fun and sun or gloom and doom.

I am the type of person who has a hard time with the "Be still" part of "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). So, it has been helpful for me over the years to set aside a quiet place in my home to be used primarily for meeting with the Lord in Bible study and prayer. Of course, I try to pray throughout the day wherever I am, but having a special spot for my daily focused quiet time really benefits me. I try to pick a spot in a location I pass by frequently that is cozy and inviting. So, I am thrilled with my new prayer chair which beckons me throughout the day (Gift #535).  It is so comfortable and peaceful with storage compartments underneath for stashing journals, concordances, books, and other resources.   Christ followers, what helps you to "be still" before the Lord?

What a gift it is to realize that He meets with us wherever we decide to meet with Him.  He is always available to us (Gift #536), so why can we not make ourselves always available to Him?  Why should we ever make Him wait for us or box Him into a convenient appointment slot on our calendar?  Let us be consumed by His presence moment by moment, relishing in the awesome wonder of His presence.

This "prayer chair" arrived via Fed Ex in bulky pieces before a busy weekend of hosting guests on short notice when I was nervous about the unexpected cost to feed and accommodate them all that weekend, especially since most of them were on restricted diets requiring expensive organic, gluten-free groceries.   When I laid out all the parts for my husband to assemble I noticed that three screw holes had been stripped so that the top portion would not fasten to the base. It would not even lay over the base except in a skewed position.

Broken base to prayer chair

So I contacted the selling agents, and they offered to either replace it after I shipped it back (not an easy task for such a large item) or give us a 25% credit.  My handy husband was able to fix it using drywall anchors, so we took the 25% credit which almost exactly offset the cost of extra groceries I bought that day for our last minute guests.  That little incident reminded me that when we are faithful to do what God calls us to do (in this case, offering hospitality) and even when we aren't, He is ALWAYS faithful to provide what we need to fulfill that calling. (Gift #537)

This epic winter has been long, cold, colorless (gray, brown, white landscapes), and dreary leaving me stuck indoors (due to weather or sickness) and feeling depressed from the lack of sunshine.  My dear husband watched the kids for me this past Sunday evening so I could enjoy a much needed fun girls night out (Gift #538).  I prayed our conversation would please the Lord and minister to each other's needs as it is too easy to become distracted by petty worldly concerns in such settings.  We had our most uplifting and most Christ honoring conversation yet that night, which was exactly what my heart needed (Gift #539).

To further minister to my spring starved soul, my husband painted an accent wall aqua while I was gone so that I could come home to soothing burst of spring color in a primary location (the breakfast nook) in our nest.  What a blessing that he chose to paint that wall at the moment it would meet both a need and a desire (Gift #540).

For the first time since last fall, we have had a full week of pleasant weather.  The temperature has been in the high 70s and low 80s.  The sun has been shining brightly with a cool breeze to make it even more pleasant (Gift #541).
  

So I soaked in the sunshine along the river trail that runs behind our house. That trail leads to a beautiful lake and is one of the best perks of living here. The neighborhood access to it is only two houses down from ours.  When no one else was around me on the river trail, I may have giggled and splashed through mud puddles while quietly telling those puddles, "Na-na na-na boo-boo! Spring will evaporate you!" on that gorgeous 78 degree sunshine day. Yes, I am 40...going on 4. Welcome home, beloved Springtime.

 

When I started Runkeeper during my biking exercise on April 2, it must have had a satellite skip because it added in 2.6 miles to my total distance causing my average pace to seem unreasonably fast, especially for the rugged terrain and hairpin turns along this trail. At the lake, a young guy blew by me, but I caught up to him about 30 seconds later on the trail's biggest hill. Just as I reached him, Runkeeper blurted out, "Total distance: 7 miles; average pace: 2 minutes, 20 seconds". Then he looked at me in disbelief and gave up trying to compete. I guess that was Runkeeper's belated April Fool's joke.  Oh how I needed that bit of humor (Gift #542) after feeling so discouraged after the last bike ride in which someone yelled expletives at me for no good reason at all.  I can only imagine what hardships she must be facing to be so angry and ugly on such a gorgeous day.

The perspective my right-brained daughter brings to my life is a blessing.  As much as a I love the spring, increasing humidity is a like a plague for my naturally wavy, frizzy hair.  Humidity makes it big and frizzy which was at least a benefit during the 80s and early 90s.  Since high school, I have spent countless hours and dollars trying to straighten and smooth my locks (in vain) only to damage it further with kinks always sticking out somewhere.  Yet my daughter likes to play with my hair which is quite relaxing for me.  The other day while brushing my hair, she said, "I love playing with your hair, Mom, because it is so big and bouncy."  So while my hair may not seem like a gift to me, it is a gift to her (Gift #543)!

 

I quoted my daughter on Facebook in an effort to encourage other curly headed women.  One friend said that she knew a woman whose hair was searched by the TSA before a recent flight since she could have been hiding "something" in there.  Oh my!  So I posted a high school pic of me with my 80s hair and asked her if they would have searched me.

Then, our home router security software would not let me access my Facebook page from my laptop, so I joked that my 80s hair must have been flagged as obscene or offensive.  :-)  If you can't change it, at least derive humor from it.

I had to laugh yesterday while doing warm-up exercises for my upper back.  Ironically, I was doing an exercise called "Band Pull Aparts" when my band literally pulled apart into two separate pieces. It was like Mrs. Piggle Wiggle had become my new trainer.

I'll close with a few bits of inspiration that have sustained me this week:

Our tears are unconscious language that flow out of emotions too overwhelming for human words.  They invite God's comforting Spirit into our hearts.  When we hold back tears, it's like putting a prison bar in front of our hearts keeping God's healing out, but when we let them flow, He notices and responds with tender loving-kindness (Gift #544).

You have taken account of my wanderings;
Put my tears in Your bottle.Are they not in Your book?  (Psalm 56:8)

 "A teardrop on earth summons the King of heaven (see Psalm 6:8)....the Lord takes notes of our inner friction when hard times are oiled by tears. He turns those situations into moments of tenderness; He never forgets the crises in our lives where tears were shed."    (Charles Swindoll writing about Psalm 56:8)

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My favorite meme of the week: 

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Having faithful writers remind me what my priorities should be is a gift for such words help me get back on track (Gift #545)

"The best use of time is to freely love.
The best way to love is to spend time.
The best time to love is always right now."
(Ann Voskamp reflecting on Ephesians 5:16)

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Exhausted from too many sleepless nights and too much over committing, I mumbled to myself while pondering another ministry opportunity, "Could God really be calling me to this when I already have too much on my plate? If so, what should I give up?" The 9-year-old overheard my mutterings and spoke to me in a serious tone and with great authority, "You better do what God tells you to do!" 
So I am thankful for a daughter who listens to what I preach and though she may not respond in obedience at that time, she sermonizes the same words back to me when I need them most (Gift #546).

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What a gift it is to know our kids' teachers are reinforcing what we teach at home instead of confusing them with conflicting messages (Gift #547).
  
One morning last week, our kids exchanged grumpy words as siblings are prone to do in the early AM before school.  Before eating breakfast, my daughter, "Father, please help us to remember Proverbs 15:1 ('A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger') when we speak."

So I thought, "Wow, I've been using that verse with them for years, but they never seemed to get it. Wait...that could not have come from me because they don't listen to me. She must have heard that verse recently at school."

So I asked, and she did confirm that it is a verse her PE class is memorizing this week. It's frustrating when our kids seem to listen to everyone else except us. Of course that could be because their teachers, who are only around them a few hours each day, are consistent with what they teach while they see their parents fail to practice what they preach 24/7.   It may be that she remembered the verse more easily because she had already heard it so many times at home.  Whatever the case, church, school, and extracurricular teachers need to know how strongly they influence our children for good or for bad.

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I am thankful for friends who encourage and inspire me to pray in faith! (Gift #548)

"There is a vast difference between prayer in faith and faith in prayer. Faith in prayer is very common. Prayer in faith is so uncommon that the Lord questions if He will find any of it on earth when He comes back." (Corrie Ten Boom speaking on Luke 18:8)

Celebrating his birthday by serving the city

So my husband dreamed of buying a sailboat for his birthday this year.  After the miserable winter weather we've had which continues into spring, I'm thinking sailing at sunset somewhere tropical would be the perfect way to celebrate his birthday.

Aqua cycling in 1992

However, our church was sponsoring a city side service project on his birthday.  Approximately 500 people were going out into the community to do a variety of valuable service projects out of the outflow of the love God so lavishly gives.  I signed my kids and me up to serve at a therapeutic horse farm which would give my husband some quiet time at home for his birthday.  After last weekend's non-stop hosting and entertaining of guests, I just knew that peace and quiet would be the best gift I could give him.  Yet, he refused such a gift and insisted on joining us at the farm.  I would trade a sailboat, yacht or exotic vacation any day for a day of hard work in hip boots with shovel in hand alongside this man who loves God, his family, and the community more than himself.

It poured down rain most of the weekend, and we were scheduled to scoop poop at the non-profit horse farm ministry.  We had committed rain or shine, so we all went together with shovels and rakes in hand in the rain.  Happy muddy, soggy, birthday to you, sweet hubby of mine.

Our boots did not stay clean long.

The birthday boy and his sidekick

Birthday boy and our boy raking up sweet gum balls

Totally in her element with the miniature ponies

Farm girls

Each horse on this farm has been rehabilitated from a place of brokenness.  One horse was missing part of her tongue which made it impossible to feed herself.  She nearly starved to death before being rescued by this farm.  Horses thrive in groups as they form relational bonds with each other.  One horse on this farm has suffered the loss of several beloved horse friends.  He ministers especially well to the hearts of children suffering enormous grief.  One horse on the farm was obese when he arrived at the farm.  His hooves suffered so much as a result that he has to be kept on a paddock without any grass since the sugars in the grass cause excruciatingly painful inflammation of his hooves.  Each horse's story is unique, yet each wounded child who comes to this farm seems to connect especially well with at least one of them.  The horses help break down walls in the broken children's hearts so they can begin to heal.

Farm humor

Our banana child in my poncho - the aftermath

Our work team

My poor husband did not get much fanfare for his birthday this year after his big outer spaced themed birthday bash in which we launched him over the hill instead of into outer space last year.  His presents (purchased online) had not arrived yet, so he had to wait until Tuesday to open gifts.  I made him cheesecake lemon bars instead of a cake, and he served himself on a tacky disposable plate before I could get out the "Party Platter" I made at a pottery place for special occasions or before I could at least pull out some birthday themed plates and napkins.  At least he was eager to consume the sweet goodness that combined two of his favorite desserts.

Sorry it wasn't a very exciting birthday, but at least you got to bond with your kiddos in your most favorite way...in the recliner playing games on your tablet.