Control Relinquished

pres·sure ˈpreSHər/ noun 1 . the continuous physical force exerted on or against an object by something in contact with it. "the slight extra pressure he applied to her hand" 2 . the use of persuasion, influence, or intimidation to make someone do something. "the proposals put pressure on Britain to drop its demand" synonyms: coercion ,  force ,  compulsion ,  constraint ,  duress ;  More verb 1 . attempt to persuade or coerce (someone) into doing something. Can you identify with any of the definitions of pressure?! To be honest with you I have felt my life has been full of pressure recently! For several weeks, I have been dealing with inner ear issues. I had some very scary bouts of dizziness and, while those symptoms have thankfully subsided, I have been still been battling ear and si...

I would love to be sitting across from you over steaming mugs of chai lattes (sorry, I don't ever plan to be a friend of coffee!) and hear how your Christmas season has felt to you thus far. Crazy and chaotic? Expensive and full of effort? Or perhaps lonely and less-than Moody and melancholy The truth is we put so much expectation into this season and our realities can easily overwhelm, depress, and deflate our joy that we so desperately long for. The fulfillment and hope we know that can be found in the simple manger is so often crowded out by busy schedules and shopping and decorating and food preparations. My Christmas preparations began way back in September and no, I don't mean I was already buying gifts and making lists! It was a mental preparation; a difficult refining process that my Savior orchestrated. Typically September is when I begin preparing for our annual Christmas orchestra at church. It's a tradition that I hold near and dear to my heart a...

My mind has been aching for me to write. I have a whirlwind of disconnected thoughts that I pray God can connect to your heart for me. With the coming of Thanksgiving I have found myself pondering and thinking about the attitude of thanksgiving contentment joy I have realized, more than ever, how seamlessly they seem to be connected to each other. The presence of contentment, leads to a heart of thanksgiving, which leads to a life of joy. In my quest to have a more focused and intent approach to this holiday season, I picked up Ann Voskamp's book, "The Greatest Gift". It's written to guide one through the season of Advent, using passages from the entire Bible. Her writing on day 3 (also written in her book One Thousand Gifts) resonated with me: "Our fall was, has always been, and always will be, that we aren't satisfied in God and what He gives. We hunger for something more, something other. The only thing that will satisfy our hunger for more i...

Something very awesome and meaningful happened at church yesterday. Exactly a year ago, we moved into our new Family Life Center that was newly built. During the past year, we continued to pay down the loan that was still owed on the building project. There was a substantial amount left and it continued to creep lower and lower each week. However, yesterday it was announced that someone had anonymously come forward and paid the remaining debt! Tears filled my eyes as I comprehended the depth of this gift. Somebody made an incredible sacrifice to pay our debt in full. An undeserved gift made to unworthy people. A gift given out of love. What made this even more powerful was that we celebrated Communion yesterday too. It shed a whole new light on the gift of salvation that Jesus grants each of us when He paid our debt in full on Calvary. With the sacrifice of His life, my sins are forgiven and I can experience eternal life in Heaven. An enormous sacrifice to pay my debt in...

A few of you have been wondering why I haven't been blogging lately and I apologize for the sparse amount of posts the last several months. Truth of the matter is, life has gotten pretty busy. Quite honestly, it's also gotten dry. Just like our parched and thirsty land, I've also been feeling spiritually dry. Even in the midst of daily devotions, God has felt very quiet. And just like I hear the rain pattering on the roof as I write this, I pray that my spiritually dry season is over too. This is a a view I have on the walk I take nearly every day. The beauty and peace found in the woods will always relax me. What you can't see in this picture is the dozens of spiderwebs that also cross the path! As if it has never happened before, every day I am surprised and caught off guard when I find my arms flailing trying to loosen myself from a spider web's sticky grip. I often don't see or realize the web until it's too late and the web is adhere...

*Re-sharing this post I wrote 2 years ago... This exact picture hung in the hallway of my parents' home when I was a child. I often found myself staring at it, thinking. One time, I remember my mom asking which of the sheep we see ourselves as. One of my sisters quickly responded that she was the lamb being held by Jesus.That was okay. I already knew which one I wanted to be. The black one. The different one. The one  following  Him. Yeah, profound thoughts for a young elementary student. But I was already realizing the cost of following the path less traveled. I already felt the call to  be  different.  Monday begins a new era in my role of motherhood. It is the first time my daughter will spend more of her waking hours with someone else, somewhere else. Hello, 1st grade. It has been a reflective week for me, wondering if I have done and taught her enough to be prepared for life in a public school. Do I have enough faith to obey what God...

Lately I have been reminded by the importance and necessity of resting. I have been loving the current summer season where there is not much of a schedule, no extracurricular activities for our kids, and no major house projects going on. Our kids have even noticed the recent abundance of quality family time and have been soaking it up. A few weeks ago, my sisters and sister-in-law took our mom to an art gallery to paint a canvas for her belated mother's day gift. Even though it was a bit intimidating at first, I believe we all came away from the evening refreshed and relaxed! I must admit, after painting a sunrise beach scene,  I became much more aware of the beautiful sunsets and sunrises that God paints on the canvas of the skies every day. I recognized the colors and the glory of God's handiwork on a whole new level.  When I brought my painting home, my daughter just gushed and gushed how impressed she was with my painting. Of course it felt good, beca...