Rest

I have been pondering rest recently. Mostly because I am not getting any and am tired. Two different thinkers, but both utilizing God's word have me realizing the need for nourishing rest. I watched Rob Bell's DVD entitled Everything is Spirituall the other evening. It is an outstanding teaching on Genesis 1. One of the topics is sabbath rest. I highly recommend the DVD. The other pointer came from Ruth Bell Graham in her book called Letters from Ruth's Attic. The scripture read, "The apostles gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught. And He said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while'. (for there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves." She goes on to write this, "Do you remember the Prophet Elijah? At one point he was so tired that he wanted to give up. He told God that he just couldn't go on. God didn't lecture Elijah on his faults and failures, causing him to be more discouraged that he was. No, God sent an angel to awaken Elijah and give him something to eat and drink. Then Elijah lay down and slept again." A very interesting point in the above scripture is to note that Jesus desired to give the apostles rest and nourishment. It did not come to fruition the way they desired. Read on in Mark and you will experience the rest of the story (no pun intended).

Are you available to be someones angel today? Do you know someone who needs rest and nourishment? Are you in need of rest? What steps are you taking to get some rest and rejuvenation? What would you do with 2 hours (6 hours, a day....an overnight) of rest? I'd start here at this picture...

A Little Sunshine

I shared with you back in December regarding the birth of my grand niece (the first great-grandchild). Her name is willow....we visited recently. Is she not the cutest??!!

Emma thinks so! Jacob thinks so!

So does Joey!

Hair - to Keep or Cut

There is a reason I have had short hair for many, many years. It is easy, it doesn't get in my face (I hate that....sorry about that....I dislike it strongly!), it keeps its shape in all types of weather conditions, and....well....I have no hair styling ability. Now, that all being said I am growing my hair out. It is an adventure as it is in between lengths....come on gals who are reading....you know what that feels like. Longer hair takes time, hair products and some skill. Up until recently I had none of those three. I am now building in more time to do my hair. I now have hair products, but skill continues to be elusive to me. Yes, I got my round brush stuck in my hair last week. Seriously.....I did. I thought I was going to have to cut it out. Who invented those things? They seem like an oxymoron to me. Then this morning I sprayed hair spray in my eye. Didn't feel great, but the bigger problem is that I was reading scripture in church. I had more than one person comment to me about me wearing my glasses to read this morning. It wasn't only to see the words more clearly....it was so I could see at all!

Pick up Sticks and Crutches

I have to ask myself if it is OK for my 5 year old to play the game of pick up sticks and win? Now, you might think that is an odd question until you realize the partner she was playing with was a pair of old crutches she found in my closet. Why? You ask was she not playing with any of her siblings....well, because they had been sent to their rooms for behavior less than worthy of a good game of pick up sticks! My youngest is now telling everyone she comes into contact with that she beat a pair of crutches in the game of pick up sticks. I think I need to carry my camera around. The expressions have been priceless. I'm not sure if I am doing something right or wrong?

A little Rain will Fall

Into each life a little rain will fall...in our part of the world real rain is falling (praise the Lord). Spent several cold, wet hours standing in it with my kiddo's yesterday all to see the finish of the the 4th stage of the Tour of California. It was awesome....tiring (and we were just watching)....interesting....met some people from other parts of our country who came for the race...interesting interactions this week from the Lord with people I don't know. A friend sent me some scripture recently...here is one for today...

"Faithful, Father, I desire to become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then I will no longer be an infant, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, please teach me to speak the truth in love, growing up into Him who is the head, that is, Christ." Eph. 4:13-14

A Good One

I realize there are several good books on the market on forgiveness, but I wanted to recommend this one, Choosing Forgiveness by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Incredibly well written, and excellent application of scripture. It is an easy read, but not comfortable in conviction. Seeing our lack of forgiveness never is. Here are a couple of quotes..."

"The question is this: Do those wounds—past or present—have to define who you are, where you’re headed, and how you get there?"

"But if we are going to be true instruments of mercy in each other’s lives, we must deal in truth-God’s truth."

"But like everything else in the Christian life, forgiving others is much more than what-fors and how-comes. Ours is an active faith. It is made alive and appealing only when our nouns turn into verbs. On the other side of “choosing forgiveness” is the kind of life God intended for you when He sent His Son to die for your sin – the freedom to bless others, to walk unhindered by bitterness and resentment, to relate confidently with God and with the people around you, and most important to be living, walking display of the gospel and grace of Christ."

Let me know if you end up reading it. I finished it in two reading sessions...

Spring is Coming

The flowers are peaking out from their winter shell....

Saying Goodbye...

(sea of Galilee, taken by greg west)

My oldest son is having an experience that is part of life, but you hope they don't experience when they are so young. A classmate who has had long term health issues went home to be with the Lord today. She was an extraordinary young lady living a very difficult and challenging life. My son only knew her for a little while, but she had an impact on such a small school with close intimate class sizes. He is doing OK with all of it as we have not withheld any information over the past few weeks and he has had some processing time. Some of his friends are really struggling, though. He spent time with one of those friends walking around the field and talking as this friend fought through his emotions. They are only 12 and 13 years old....so young...so vulnerable....so caring... I was reminded of 2 corinthians 4:7-8 earlier today which reads,

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves, we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing."

We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3 : 18

Jump

A View from the Snow

Two weeks ago our Jr. High Group from church went to the snow. Oh did they have snow (you know that big storm 2 weeks ago....) Joey had a blast - was exhausted and sore for a couple days afterward - he is all smiles, though.

Worth the Read

I want to link you to living proof live's blog for an open letter Beth Moore posted this morning to her daughter Melissa. Melissa is getting married in a week and Beth posts some of her thoughts on this Saturday before the day of change....She very appropriately closed the comments field and allows the post to stand alone. Take the time to read it.....you will be blessed...grab a kleenex.

Saturday, Sunshine, and Surf

This is what a free saturday actually looks like.......

breakfast in Cayucos

stumbled onto a surfing contest. look at the wind on the waves...

otters 15 feet away from us in Morro Bay...

it just doesn't get any better than this!

Ponder Forgiveness

In some teaching I did recently in bible study, I used a quote from Corrie Ten Boom in the homework the gals did prior to the lecture. Here it is...

……"Corrie ten Boom told of not being able to forget a wrong that had been done to her. She had forgiven the person, but she kept rehashing the incident and so couldn't sleep. Finally Corrie cried out to God for help in putting the problem to rest. "His help came in the form of a kindly Lutheran pastor," Corrie wrote, "to whom I confessed my failure after two sleepless weeks." "Up in the church tower," he said, nodding out the window, "is a bell which is rung by pulling on a rope. But you know what? After the sexton lets go of the rope, the bell keeps on swinging. First ding, then dong. Slower and slower until there's a final dong and it stops. I believe the same thing is true of forgiveness. When we forgive, we take our hand off the rope. But if we've been tugging at our grievances for a long time, we mustn't be surprised if the old angry thoughts keep coming for a while. They're just the ding-dongs of the old bell slowing down." "And so it proved to be. There were a few more midnight reverberations, a couple of dings when the subject came up in my conversations, but the force -- which was my willingness in the matter -- had gone out of them. They came less and less often and at the last stopped altogether: we can trust God not only above our emotions, but also above our thoughts."

It is a good one to ponder and remember...

100th Day of School

In Kindergarten they make a huge deal of the 100th day of school (as they should). It is a week long celebration culminating in many activities involving the number 100. Kindergartner's are amazed by the number 100 (or a gazillion, or 300 triple million). We should take a lesson from kindergartners.

For those Needing a Visual...

A few of you just didn't believe the weather conditions of my last post. A friend just emailed these to me...

We are sitting on the ground because the 40 mph winds made it impossible to sit in chairs, note the snow on the mountains in the background, yes, this is how we watch soccer....

check out this wind shot....look at the girls ponie tales. they are flying straight out, not because they are running, but due to the wind. Amazing...

Why?

(this is a pic from the BBC News...)

Lancaster California: Why? For soccer, why else?
Saturday Morning: Temperatures in the high teens with 25 mile an hour winds
Sunday Morning: Temps a bit warmer but 40-50 mph sustained winds
Take Aways: No one should be outdoors let alone playing soccer in this type of weather (they wouldn't let the girls wear beanies!!! go figure), 10 year old girls are my heroes (so young yet so strong), 5 year old girls can not stand up in 50 mph wind, the Lord parted the skies to allow us to drive home, I'm glad the season is over. Go Fire....

They Call It Today's Daily Talk

My daughter's have started a daily habit that I hope lasts a lifetime. I have noticed that my youngest tells me most everything, but doesn't talk about relational school issues (ie) friends with me (unless I really pry). She does talk with her older sister about these issues and many other topics....Emma sits sideways on the comfy chair in the living room or they snuggle on one of their beds and partake in what they call 'Today's Daily Talk'. I was observing this recently (really, I wasn't eavesdropping....). I was struck by how important it was to the youngest one to interact in this way. I was equally drawn to how patient the older one was in sharing and listening to her sister. I am thankful for this budding relationship.....I hope their daily talks last a lifetime.