What's Saving Your Life--2018 edition

For the past few years over at The Modern Mrs. Darcy on February 2, which happens to be mid-way through winter, she has hosted a round -up of "What's Saving Your Life" posts.  The title may sound dramatic, but she explains (in lasts year's post):

"The idea comes from Barbara Brown Taylor’s wonderful memoir Leaving Church. Even though most of us can easily articulate what’s killing us, few of us pay attention to what’s giving us life.
Once when Taylor was invited to speak at a gathering, her host told her simply, “Tell us what is saving your life right now.” She says it’s too good a question not to revisit from time to time."

This year, with an international move last September and re-acclimating, and a new church and trying to find new friends and homeschooling a Kindergartner, an eighth grader and a Sophomore, and...well, suffice it to say I need to focus on some things that are saving me, not killing me.  So here are a few of my thoughts!

1. My crockpot
And by my crock pot, I mean this beauty that gets a workout 2-3 times a week so that I don't come up to meal time with the "what are we going to eat before we have to get (insert child's name) to (insert activity)" panic.

And I do not mean, this 'beauty,' that I have loved and carried with me (in an unpacked box because it wouldn't work there) for 5 international moves and finally unpacked because it will work here.  Except, it has lost its lid somewhere along the way. And, my family of tv lovers say I cannot, under any circumstances, plug it in. So, now I need to find another small crock pot, preferably before the SuperBowl on Sunday.

2. Having grandparents nearby. Seriously, we have never had the luxury of grandparent baby sitters. Last weekend when we needed to be able to focus on teens for the weekend, the grandparents took the youngest for two nights. It took so much pressure off, he had a great time and they had a great time (but were glad to sleep after he came home!)

3. Bean and Rice Tuesday
I got this idea from Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World as a way to remind our kids how blessed we are in choice compared to the rest of the world. It is great for me this year because it is a little means of identifying with those on the outskirts my life. It is fun to watch my kids relate to things they see in news or documentaries that affirm how blessed we are. And, it is one day a week I just know what we are having for dinner.

4. Bible Study at my new church
It is giving me a chance to get to know a few other ladies, who I probably would not have met otherwise, and to refresh my spirit.

5. Starbucks salted caramel hot chocolate with marshmallows in my favourite Polish Pottery mug.
Yes it is selfish and a little indulgent, but it picks me up in the afternoons and warms me up on these cold days.

So, what's saving your life right now?

Remembering the Words

I had a different post in line for today, but feel that I need to ponder on it a  little more before sharing.  So in place of it, I'm just going to share some of the verses I've been memorizing (or at least reflecting on daily) since April. I haven't been posting my Siesta Memory Verses, but I have been trying to keep up.  Here is some of what God is imprinting on my heart. Hope they encourage you the way they encourage me.


Better is one day in your courts
    than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
Psalm 84:10

Hatred stirs up conflict,
    but love covers over all wrongs.

Proverbs 10:12

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
Ephesians 2:4-5

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 21:4

When you walk, they will lead you;
    when you lie down, they will watch over you;
    and when you awake, they will talk with you.

Proverbs 6:22

Better is a dry morsel with quiet
    than a house full of feasting with strife.
Proverbs 17:1

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

Colossians 1:15

If you will seek God
    and plead with the Almighty for mercy,
if you are pure and upright,
    surely then he will rouse himself for you
    and restore your rightful habitation.
And though your beginning was small,
    your latter days will be very great.

Job 8:5-7

Be encouraged.........MiPa

Reflections on 2011 and Looking to 2012

Another year is coming to an end, and with it comes the inevitable reflections. Did I accomplish all I wanted to accomplish? Am I content with my actions? Where did I fail? What can I do about that? In what ways did God use me last year? Am I closer to Him today than I was on this date in 2010?

My words for 2011 were Ponder and Treasure. I have enjoyed the journey they led. I have found myself, out of character, recognizing and treasuring moments that I would easily have overlooked. I have intentionally made memories that could have easily been forgotten. I have marveled more at what Jewel and Flower are capable of doing and relished their joy a little more. As we moved (again) I chose to treasure the time we had been given rather than grieve the losses. It made my transition easier. I am treasuring the new friends that God is given us in our new home. I have treasured watching our previous church celebrate as they break ground on the new church building we were part of praying for and I have treasured celebrating with our new church as they dedicated the new church extension that we get to benefit from using. Most of all, we have treasured the blessing of Tree and how he is such a joy to our family. We have pondered what some of the changes mean for us and for our future. We have celebrated as God has shown glimpses of how he is restoring things that broke our hearts into ministry and understanding. In that, we ponder just how far some of that ministry will lead.

God has led me in a way through the year that I have not experienced before. The depth of peace that he has provided is something that I can never comprehend and will always treasure. Yet, to experience that peace I had to travel the rough paths that developed and proved it.

So, I had a little trepidation to consider what word God would lead me to this year. Words from the epistle of James drew me in:

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. James 1:22-25

I believe, again this year I am being led to two words: INTENT and ACTION.

As you look around many Christian blogs, you will see calls to live intentionally in 2012. And although that is part of what I am seeing in these words, it actually runs along a different vein than many are using the word. I believe that I am being called to look INTENTLY at motivation, at the things I study, at the blessings I receive and the ministry opportunities that open to me. It is more than making decisions to be intentional. It is about looking at the intent (the motivation) behind my decisions. It is a heart issue. I want at the end of 2012 to be more aware of why I make the decisions I make and that the motivation behind my actions to be more and more based on what I see in scripture.

I don't know how it will look at the end of the year. I just know that it should look different than it does now. I look forward to seeing what God lays in my path as I seek him, intently.

Marriage Monday---Pondering New Life, Treasuring Children

It's Marriage Monday! I'm so glad that autumn is here and we are writing on marriage again.  My apologies that I missed the first one earlier this month.  The topic was communication--and obviously I'm doing a great job communicating right now.  This month's topic is children. Last time we spoke of children here at MM, I wrote on our choice to home educate.  Today, I'm going to veer off the suggested paths and post something I've been writing for the last several weeks.

You may remember that my words for 2011 are PONDER and TREASURE. They are taken from Luke 2:19:

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

We've had much to ponder and treasure this year as we learned early in 2011 we would be moving to Ireland. German began work in March but we were unable to move until the end of June. Settling into a new culture and watching my children navigate these waters have given me many things to treasure, and to ponder.

*Every time Jewel tells me she has finished another book (she is a voracious reader) I treasure that I was the one who had the privilege to teach her to read.
 *As both girls embraced tennis camp this summer, just a week after we moved in, I pondered the differences in the ways they approached making friends---Jewel knew everyone's name but nothing about them; Flower concentrated more on one person.
*As they find their places in Sunday School, I treasure the insights their teachers give me into their personalities outside my presence.
*As Jewel struggles with what it means to follow Christ and encounters that tug-of-war between sin nature and desire to follow I ponder what future God is preparing for her.
*As Flower chatters about the missionary stories that they read with their Daddy, I store up the treasure that these little girls are learning that God leads people and they are learning that in the presence of their father who is teaching them that they are adored.

You see, I thought when I chose the words Ponder and Treasure I was choosing something to help me focus my year. But there is a bigger picture. I am learning that those words need to be the focus of my parenting. I need to treasure my children--wrapping up those moments of joy, of insight and even of difficulty and holding onto them. I need to allow those things that I treasure to penetrate and sit well in my spirit. They then will be the things that motivate and encourage me as a parent. If I don't take the time to ponder the questions they are asking or the experiences they are having, I may very well miss the very thing that God wishes to use to shape them into the adults of the future.

Pondering and treasuring have become a huge part of my evaluation of my parenting. And that would have made them perfect focus words for 2011. But, God had more in store when he chose those words for me at the beginning of the year. And we had no idea!

The true irony is that in January I would have told you I was storing up treasures of our new life this year. But I thought that was only a life in a new place. I never dreamed it would also mean a new life--one that as I sit here and type these words is emphatically kicking to remind me that he/she is most definitely here. Just like Mary, we are storing treasure of the new life that God has given to our family and who will make his/her appearance in a few more weeks!

We have taken time to treasure the blessings that God has given us. Often I have thought about blogging something that happened, but instead felt the need to choose a path of private treasuring for the time. And it has been good for our family. I have treasured watching the girls telling others they are going to be big sisters. I've smiled as they have related how they have prayed "forever" for a baby brother, and quietly helped them ponder the reality it might be a baby sister. We've treasured the joy and excitement of others as they have celebrated with us. Now, as we enter the final few weeks I am beginning to ponder the changes that will come. How do we help them transition to their new roles? What will the new dynamics of relationships be like? Will we still travel with a newborn and do I remember how to do that?

I'm not sure what all the answers are.

But I know that we will be treasuring the changes as we ponder the newness.

What have your children done this week that you are treasuring? It doesn't matter how young or old they are, don't forget to treasure them!

Join the other amazing ladies that write for Marriage Monday at Chrysaliscafe.com today!

Visual I'm Pondering

Yesterday was an observance of communion at my church. In this church, communal cups are passed in the rows. I had the girls with me and German was not there, so I was most concerned about Jewel not dropping the cup as it was passed to the person on the other side of her. I find that a common occurrence whilst observing communion is that everyone seems to take hurried sips and passing it on, rather than contemplating the significance. And hurried is how I felt yesterday as I sipped the cup, passed it through Jewel's hands and then took a quick moment for prayer.

Then, God showed me how it should be.

I looked up just as one of the praise band members received the cup. He held it firmly in both hands, breathed in the aroma of the wine, then drank deeply. He held the cup a moment more, then passed it on to the next member.

He was not hurried.
He would not be rushed.
He appeared unaware of everything around him as he breathed in the aroma and drank deeply of His Father's sacrifice.

It is an image I've been pondering ever sense. I want to not be hurried. I want to be so focused on my communion with God that I am not rushed by my perception of others around me.

I want to drink deeply of my Father's Love in His Sacrifice.