today

 

my thoughts and prayers today have been constantly turned towards moore, oklahoma.
so sad and hurting for them.
oftentimes, big tragedies seem so far away and removed.
and honestly, mostly, i'm pretty disconnected with the outside world...don't watch the news and keep up with current events by what my friends tell me.

but today, this is close.
it reminds me of the joplin tornados....we were in the middle of tornado season then as well.
we live in the part of the country that pretty much sits in the middle of the tornado paths every spring.
both times, it has seemed that we narrowly escaped.

tornados are so scary because they are so unpredictable.
they can level one house and leave the next one perfectly sound.
they can change directions and turn and get wider.
that feels very scary.
that feels out of control.

somehow, this time i have felt so much peace.
peace that can only come from Jesus.
Jesus, who is constant.
Jesus who is for us.
even when we don't understand.

last night my neighbor texted me to say that the university {10 min from us} was issuing a warning to go to your safe spot.

we were watching the news, but it wasn't even raining yet.

i texted back, "right now?!! it's not even raining."

then, so fast, i heard it....loud, whistling, howling wind and rain came out of nowhere. 

we looked out the back window and our trampoline is blowing across the yard. 

aj said, "go now."

and we all headed for our little laundry room.

i grabbed ruby out of bed and we huddled together in there until it had past.

the kids were scared at first, but they quickly calmed down. 

thankfully, it did not turn into a tornado...just straight line winds.

many trees down and electricity out, but nothing serious.

that's our trampoline in there....in the woods behind our neighbor's house.
such a bummer, but honestly, it's a trampoline.
i can't begin to understand why there are tornados or why it hit them and not us....but i do know that God is good.
and He has a much bigger lens than we do.
and He hurts right along with us.

so today....it's hard for me to focus on much else.
it's still stormy here and i'm thankful to be inside in a warm house.....holding my babies close.

not taking a moment with them for granted.

so thankful that i get to take care of them, clean up after them, feed them, read to them, play with them and be with them.

praying so much for our friends in oklahoma today.
praying they feel Jesus close.
He is near to the brokenhearted.

**the necklace at the top is from the vintage pearl.
i love her shop.
it's where aj got my layered mother of pearl necklace a couple years ago.

it's called the love for oklahoma necklace and 100% of the proceeds go to the american red cross to help with the relief efforts.**



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good monday morning.

 my goal for the new year  of reading one book per month is in jeopardy.
i'm still on one thousand gifts and it's march 11.
aj said i could average 12 books in a year. :)
i'm gonna need some quick reads next!

one thousands gifts is soooo good though.
i have underlined 1/3 of the book probably.
so. good.
exactly what i have needed.

this morning i put a big ol' star around this passage.....

"While the Deceiver jockeys to dupe us into thinking otherwise, we who are made in the image of God, being formed into Christ's likeness, our happiness comes, too, not in the having but in the handing over.  Give your life away in exchange for many lives, give away your blessings, to multiply blessings, give away so that many might increase, and do it all  for the love of God.  I can bless, pour out, be broken and given in our home and the larger world and never fear that there won't be enough to give. Eucharisteo has taught me to trust that there is always enough God.  He has no end.. He calls us to serve, and it is Him whom we serve, but He, very God, kneels down to serve us as we serve.  The servant-hearted never serve alone.  Spend the whole of your one wild and beautiful life investing in many lives, and God simply will not be outdone.  God extravagantly pays back everything we give away and exactly in the currency that is not of this world but the one we yearn for: Joy in Him."

aaaahhh. so good.

okay friends....off to get ready for my monday.
praying that i can stay connected to Jesus today and be a blessing.


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goals for this new year

okay so not the world's best family photo, but we're all six together so it must be documented. :)

i have been thinking a bunch about new years resolutions.
plans for the new year . . . goals.

last year i didn't do resolutions.
it seemed like too much pressure and i didn't want to write a big long list of things that i would probably  not accomplish anyway.

there are so many things i would like to be doing and can get overwhelmed if i start focusing on everything i'm not doing well.

so this year i'm keeping it simple.

three goals. 

1. speak wise words.  have a joyful answer on my tongue.  full of grace.  let this be my habit.  go to response = grace.

2. pursue an ever-deepening walk with Jesus. let Him be my everything.  let Him change and mold me into His girl.  pursue His path for me and let all others go.

3.  read one book a month.  {working my way slowly through 1000 gifts right now. it is so. good. }


pretty simple, but i'm excited about them.

what are your  thoughts on new year's resolutions?
do you have a big list or a few goals or nothing at all?
 I've done all three so you're in good company. :)







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generous tuesday

black friday. check.
cyber monday. check.

today is generous tuesday.
let's look outward, shall we?

we're constantly trying to teach this to our kids.
there are opportunities daily to put others first.
if you don't see these opportunities, ask God to make you aware of the needs around you.
and maybe, you need to get your life messed up a bit more. . . just a gentle nudge . . . no judgement here. ;)

today while at a thrift store with my two littlest, there was a little girl who was clearly hurting.
she looked, maybe three years old, and just as full of anger and hatred as anybody i've ever seen.
she followed us around the store cursing at us and trying to hit sawyer.
my heart was/is broken for her.
i wanted to scoop her up in my arms and show her Jesus sweet, tender love for her.
i couldn't do that, but i could call her sweetie and smile at her and look at her with love in my eyes.
i keep thinking of her and praying for her.

i believe Jesus will show us the hurting and bring them right to us, if we're open to it.

if you're wondering how you can live generously this holiday season, may i suggest  sponsoring a child through compassion?
compassion is an amazing, holistic ministry, to children and families all over the world.
$38 a month is nothing compared to the changing a child's entire life.
when you decide to sponsor, you can choose a child who has been waiting the longest.
there are many children who have been waiting well over a year.
what a blessing it would be for them to find out that they have been chosen!!

you know what is awesome?
they have a compassion catalog.
you can look through it with your children and choose items to buy for children registered in compassion's programs.
you could buy a family live stock.
hello.
life. changing.

you could buy clean water.
you can buy medical care for a year for a baby.
you can buy care for a child waiting for a sponsor.
you can help an entrepreneur start a business.

i could go on and on.
but these are the kinds of gifts i want to give this christmas.

my friend, betsy, said to me once, "if we have anything at all, we have enough to share."
i have thought of that over and over.
she was actually referring to me borrowing some clothes for meliyah, but it relates to every part of life, doesn't it?

how are you living generously this holiday season?
how are you and your family looking outward?

let's share ideas, okay? ;)






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hi, monday.

i always try to make the best of mondays . . .  but, honestly, no matter how you slice it, mondays aren't my fave.
i want to enjoy everyday as a gift from God and be thankful for it.
but some days sure are easier than others....like saturdays for example. :)

we had a great weekend.
lovely and laid back and fun.

friday night, aj and our friend zach took all the kids {minus ruby} to a razorback basketball game.

erin and i got to stay here and have girl's night.
we ate candy and cookies and literally talked the entire time they were gone.
so nice.

saturday morning we went and got donuts at our favorite donut place and then spent rest of the day hanging out at the house.

i had some quiet time to craft and watch you've got mail and eat candy.
it didn't last long but it sure was sweet while it did.
i crave those moments of solitude in an otherwise crazy life!
i'm learning more and more that i need alone time regularly to keep my sanity.

i spent the afternoon cleaning the kitchen...like cleaning out the fridge, cleaning the stove and mopping kind of cleaning.
it felt so good to get that done.
it had been neglected for too long.
and i honestly loved the alone time. ;)

saturday night we hung out with zach and erin again and helped them work on packing up their house.
i love packing.
especially when it's for other people and i don't have the stress of trying to figure out what to keep and not keep.

sunday was church and brunch and grocery store and potter's house and family hang out day.
very full but still a really nice day.

it's more fun but also just easier when aj is around.
four kids by myself on weekdays is sometimes {often} overwhelming.
so thankful for the reprieve that a weekend brings.

something our pastor said on sunday stuck with me and i keep mulling it over and over.
he said, "work your tails off for the kingdom."
it was in the midst of a bunch of other really great words that he was charging us with.
but that one line just stuck with me.
it was very encouraging.
to keep it up.
keep working.
push on and do the good work that God has called me to.

comparison is such a bad thing.
i try so hard not to compare myself to others.
but there are times that i look at other people and think that they have an easier path.
even though i know that the path i am on is the one God has called me to.
those words from our pastor were such a good refocus.
this is the work, Heaven is the rest.

i need Jesus help, daily . . . hourly, to help me pour my life out like a drink offering.
to be that cup of cold water to someone who is thirsty.
mostly . . .  mostly, i feel pretty selfish.

today is a new day.
a fresh start.
praying that i make the most of it.
praying that i can keep my eyes, heart, and mind focused on Jesus.


praying for a sweet monday for you all too..... :)





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clear the stage

hey friends...

i heard this song on the radio this morning and i cannot get it out of my head.

it is so, so good.

pondering and praying about what idols i have set up. . . and asking Jesus in His mercy to help me tear them down.

watch this video....surely it moves you too?




okay i have a quiet house for the first time in i don't know how long, so i'm going to go get something done . . . and listen to this song a few more times. ;)





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compassion

i am honored to be a compassion blogger and i am so happy to be participating in blog month for compassion.

i have known about compassion for years and always knew that when the time came for us to sponsor a child, we would do it through compassion.
i have no idea what we were waiting for.

last spring while at a beth moore conference, i finally signed up to sponsor a child.
there was a compassion table with rows and rows of pictures of sweet children who were waiting for sponsors.  
there were so many lovely faces, i asked Jesus to lead me to our child.
when i saw nora, i knew she was our girl.

aj's grandma was named lenora and i have always loved that name.
i felt drawn to nora but i also knew that God would bless our efforts, no matter who we chose.

i called aj from the conference and he was excited to start sponsoring as well.
we had wanted to do this for a long time and just hadn't done it.
we also realized that if we waited until it was "in our budget," we would never do it.
we know that God wants us to be obedient whether it appears to work out or not.
God can take care of the details. :)
we just needed to say yes.
it's so worth it to cut back in other areas in order to change this sweet little girl's life.

not only is this important for nora, but it's important for us.
it's important for our family to focus on someone else.
our kids can write letters to her and pray for her and have a small, tangible grasp of what life is like for a little girl on the other side of the world.

i am so so glad we finally started sponsoring and i look forward to watching little nora's life unfold.
i am praying i get to go visit her someday.
what an amazing gift that would be.

i would so encourage you to consider sponsoring a child through compassion.
even if it doesn't feel like it's in the budget, i bet there are some places you could cut back to make it work.
ask God to help you to make those tough choices in order to do something of eternal value for a sweet child.

would you all take some time to go to the sponsorship page and pray over the children?
pray for their protection.
pray that they would know Jesus.
pray that they would get sponsored.

this would be really great activity to do with your children and also a time to teach them about children around the world.

compassion's goal this month is to get 3,108 children sponsored by september 30, so this is a great time to start.
if you blog, you can become a compassion blogger and help children become sponsored that way.
won't you join me?




there is a ton information on the compassion website if you want to learn more about their holistic ministry to children.
it really is a great organization.

what about y'all?
have you been dragging your feet like we did for so long? {consider yourself nudged ;)}
are you currently sponsoring?
i would love to hear about your experience in the comments.


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JOYN

if you've read my blog for long, you may remember our dear friends, dave, mel, micah & levi who moved away to India to follow Jesus' call for them to be His hands and feet there.

while there, they have created two businesses, JOYN  and Dehradun Guitar Company.

dave builds the most amazing custom guitars you've ever seen, in a little shop in a little town in north india.
amazing.
he has these guys...these apprentices....who are learning to build guitars....and learning about Jesus....and starting a whole new life.  so cool.

you may be familiar with JOYN products....they're sold here and there, around the country.
if not.....here's a great video about their work in Rajpur.


120803 JoynFinal 1920x1080 from Edit at Joe's on Vimeo.


the people who create joyn products are also learning about this Jesus guy.
and learning a new trade....gaining a purpose.
their kids are going to school.

by purchasing a JOYN product or DGC guitar....you are doing much more than getting a cute handbag or amazing guitar...you are literally changing lives.

find a retailer here or click on any of the links above.  :)




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sermon notes

in church we've been going through the book of james for the last few weeks.
it's pretty much kicking our tails.
in a really good way.

a few weeks ago our main teaching pastor talked about taming the tongue. {listen to it here}
whew.  so. so. good.
i think i took about five pages of notes and then went over them all that next week.

i am an avid church note taker.
it helps me stay focused and really receive what i'm hearing.
also, i love to go back over my notes throughout the week.

this past week our college pastor preached on James 4.
it was really good.
you can listen to it here. {click on James 4:1-12, July 22, 2012}

i thought i'd share some of my notes from james 4.....

******************************************************************

*do not have a love affair with a world system that opposes Jesus.

*God yearns jealously for us. (vs. 5: Or do you think it's without reason the Scripture says that the Spirit He has caused to live in us yearns jealously?)

*His grace is greater than our sin and our need (vs. 6 He gives greater grace)

Humble Yourself:

1. pray with the right heart (1peter5:6-7)
2. let others speak into your life {be teachable}
3. be grateful

Submit to God:

*He wants the key to every part of your life

Resist the devil:

*sometimes verbally resisting
*also living in the opposing spirit
*we have to do the resisting!

*we take a few steps towards Him and He runs towards us.

{jer 29:13 seek me & find me when you seek me with all your heart}

*key way to draw near to God = repentance.

*wash your hands { doing. right.}
*purify your heart {internal, attitude}
*grieve, be devastated over your sin
*ask God to tenderize your heart . . .
  -think about how my sin affects the heart of God
  -consider what my sin cost God.

***************************************************************

we've seen a lot of spiritual battle around us lately and people close to us are going through some really difficult times.
we have felt Jesus so close.
so thankful to serve a living God who is for. us. 




{also i ask you to please pray for my friend amber and her sweet son titus who is at children's hospital right now. read her words here.}





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instafriday

happy friday, friends!
linking up my weekly cell phone pics again.....

i love their friendship.
these sweet kiddos have grown up together and i pray that they are lifelong friends. 
we love watching them all interact and play with each other.
it is so easy with them because they love being around each other just as much as their parents do. :)

cleaning out our game closet caused us to play several games that we had forgotten about. 

this one is not actually a game but it's a really fun activity. 

it has magnetic foam pieces that you put on the board using a code to make a picture. 

it's a fun, easy, quiet, afternoon activity. 

we've done it several times this week.

the big boys and i are in a nice afternoon routine of reading together for an hour after the littles go down for nap.
my house is a mess because when i get a good book, i shirk all my normal responsibilities until i finish. 
this is not a good time to drop by my house unannounced. ;)
although, sadly my book is done so it's back to reality.
also, i cheated on my bf, La Croix, to try out Ozarka's sparkling water.
it's okay...not as good or as bubbly as La Croix, in case you're wondering or love bubbly water as much as i do.

we had a long wait for an appointment yesterday.
i love seeing my boys read.
avery is starting to read AJ's hardy boy books from when he was a kid.
i love seeing them be so into what they're reading.
they come by it honestly. :)

this is my morning routine.
AJ wakes me up with my big ol' mug of coffee and i have some sweet quiet time with Jesus.
so thankful for my disciplined husband who wakes up his not-a-morning-person wife every single morning.
i need this time focusing on God's word and listening to Him so much.
i wouldn't make it without Him and that's the truth.

well, i've got a morning of errands to do so i better get going.
have you joined instagram yet? if you want to follow me, i'm saragood2bqueen




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summertime and the livin's easy

we're still adjusting to the summer groove around here.
i slept in until my kids woke up every morning last week.
while it seemed nice at the time, i really missed my quiet mornings with the Lord.

so, this week i'm back to waking up at 5:30 or 6:00, so that i can have that sweet solitude before the chaos ensues.
it does wonders for my attitude.

since both of my big boys are readers now, i decided they needed to have some quiet time with the Lord each day as well.
this morning i read them Jesus Calling at breakfast and then wrote down the verses they needed to go read on their own.
my goal is to do that with them everyday.
i don't want to cheat them of that time that they need just as much as i do.
i am also going to print out some verse cards from Seeds Family Worship for us to memorize together.
it's all about attainable goals, right? :)

also, a friend asked me what i meant by our year of simplicity.

well, i think we are figuring it out along the way.
we know that that a simple family life is our goal.
it is how we will be most happy and at peace.

some things we have discovered and are implementing thus far:

*less electronic entertainment. . . screens.
 this includes tv, wii, d.s.'s.
the month of may was no screens on weekdays.
and limited on the weekends....for example we watch for a family picnic night.
we haven't figured out where we are going from here on out.
but this was so. great. for us this past month.
we loved it.

*less running around.
more staying at home and being together.
this means we're not signing up for a whole slew of summer activities.
we're using our brains and our creativity to come up with more things to do together, at home.

*when we are together, we are making the most of it.
we're looking in our children's eyes and really listening and connecting.
even when we're driving in the car, i'm making a conscious effort to really listen to what they're saying to me.
to engage them.
to make the time and space for them to be themselves and open up.
to not just let time pass us by.
we are choosing to really live each moment and be present in the moment.
this has been huge actually.
in the past we've felt like a weekend would just fly by full of activity and tasks and then monday would roll around and we couldn't even remember what we really did.
this has helped for us to feel like we really made the most of our time when we are all together.
i feel like we are truly starting to live life to the fullest....or at least stepping into it.


we hope to discover more and more about how to live a simple life and not let ourselves get so crowded in again.
i'll keep you posted on that. :)

and now, for some little pics from around the house....because really, what is a post without pictures??

can i get an Amen?

sometimes i cannot believe that this is our backyard.
so very thankful.

sweet, vintage tin tray from my parents.
makes me happy every time i see it.

love this little space on our porch.
aj and i sit here often to grab a few minutes of conversation.

in an effort to be completely real with you, here are my two boys, yesterday afternoon, watching a movie.
fin had cut his finger and wasn't feeling great so we let him lay down and watch a movie.
of course, avery joined him.
it was a lovely quiet moment for me.
just so you know that i am human and i like a tv babysitter just as much as the next mom.
no judgement here! ;)


i'd love you all to go on this quest for simplicity with me.
or maybe you're already there?
or have some great ideas or tips to share?
i'd love to discuss in the comments. :)




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monday morning thoughts

it's 8:30 in the morning and i'm eating a piece of cold pizza and i'm really happy about it. :)

okay, Jesus Calling is SO.GOOD. today.

I have to share, in case you need to hear it too.
{and then go buy yourself a copy, seriously}.

"I, the Creator of the Universe, am with you and for you. What more could you need? When you feel some lack, it is because you are not connecting with Me at a deep level.  I offer abundant Life; your part is to trust Me, refusing to worry about anything. It is not so much adverse events that make you anxious as it is your thoughts about those events.  Your mind engages in efforts to take control of a situation, to bring about the result you desire.  Your thoughts close in on the problem like ravenous wolves.. Determined to make things go your way, you forget that I am in charge of your life.  The only remedy is to switch your focus from the problem to My Presence.  Stop all your striving and watch to see what i will do.  I am the Lord!"


wow. isn't that so good?
exactly what I needed to hear today....as usual.

so, i received this comment/question on friday . . .
"I'm right there with you and wanting to simplify life and be more focused about motherhood and life in general. My biggest dilemma though, is feeling that if I just create a kind of bubble for my family how does that help anyone else unless I have some sort of "outlet" to share that with others? "

yes. i resonate with that.
i am the first one to say that i am crazy-nuts-in-love with my little family and would just love to wrap us up in a little bubble and spend all my time with them in pure, happy bliss.
but what good does that do the world?
we're supposed to share our lives with others and get our hands dirty.

that is why our family is involved with the potter's house ministry.
it is not neat and tidy. it is messy.
we've had the privilege of having our meliyah girl stay with us for the past few days and it is hard and good and overwhelming and sweet.
sometimes this ministry that God has given us feels too hard and too much for us.
but then we are gently reminded that God has gifted us with this one wild and precious life and we want to live it well.
we want to waste our lives on Jesus.
this is the work, Heaven is the rest.

our year of simplicity is not only about simplifying our lives and getting rid of the fluff, it's also about spending our days on what matters.
our sweet pastor Jim always asks, "are you spending your time, talents and money on what matters?"
It's one thing to talk about these things but it is so much more to try to actually live them out.

so here we go, one shaky step in front of the other . . . leaning hard on God's mercy and grace.

:)






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easter twenty twelve, part 2

i love holiday traditions.

i think they are such a great way to make special memories as a family.

for easter every year we set out the kids' easter baskets full of goodies and little surprises.

four baskets this year. wow.

i put shaving cream in the boys' baskets this year so that they could each have their own bottle when we play with shaving cream. 

i think i will let them go outside on a warm day and have a ball with them. 

and then hose them off. 

good, clean fun. :)

after easter baskets we made simple resurrection rolls from refrigerated croisants & marshmallows.

then the race was on to get us all ready for church on time.

thankfully all of our clothes were set out and ironed {by aj obviously} the night before.

we snapped a few quick photos before jumping in the car for church. 

we had to take lots of pictures with our ruby girl since this was her very first easter. :)

and my first time to get to dress up a daughter in her easter clothes. 

mama and daughter. sigh. 

yes, she's wearing peep toes.

i know.

thank you self timer.

the whole lot of us.

i could not be more pleased with these four children God has blessed us with.

so grateful.

after church we had lunch with my parents and little sister.

my sister and i hid easter eggs for the boys while my parents tried to keep them from watching out the window. 

we had a nice, relaxing afternoon which was just so. wonderful.

while sawyer was taking one of his typical entire-afternoon-long nap, i took the others outside to try to snap some more photos.

these boys of mine are crazy about their little sister. 

she is one blessed little girl.

the sun was a little bright for ruby. 

i refashioned her headband from the one she wore in her newborn photos. 

and then there is my nine year old.

somehow i have a nine year old.

sweet, handsome boy. 

inside and out.

and then he wanted to do a hand stand.

typical avery. :)

i brought fin out to take pictures.

i had to start saying silly words and calling him goober head to get him to smile.

it was such a wonderful day, i didn't want it to end. 

i just love being with my family. 

we are so happy.

not perfect . . . by any stretch . . . but we love each other and we love journeying this life together. 

thankful for them.

thankful for easter and all that it means.

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