O, Canada!!

Whew! Who knew watching a hockey game could be such a good aerobic workout! I should have worn my heart monitor because I know my heart rate got up there!

I tried to tell myself before the game that I really was good with either team winning, but I really was kidding myself! I love the USA, but my Canadian roots apparently go deep and I had to pull for the "home" team!

I must also admit I was sporting a pair of these, in the living room while I watched.



Somehow I felt that between the mittens and the red Roots Canada shirt, it had to help give the boys momentum! Looks like it worked!

O, Canada, our home and native land...

Scripture...

Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)
For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are.

It is amazing how the Lord brings scripture to our minds and to our attention just when we need it most. More often than not, it does cut into my deepest thoughts and desires and it does expose me for who I really am. This morning I was reading a blog and saw this scripture...

Proverbs 16:21 (NASB-U)
The wise in heart will be called understanding,
And sweetness of speech increases learning.

Wow! As a Mama and as a homeschooler, this is a very timely verse. As someone whose husband is gone a lot right now and who can get a tad overwhelmed trying to keep all my plates spinning, a verse about sweetness of speech is always timely. How true it is that we increase the chances of our children learning from us if we have a sweet voice and attitude. When I am frustrated and spouting off, I can see their eyes glaze over and their hearts and ears shut down.

Ephes. 4:29 (NASB)
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.

I think it's time to copy this verse out again and post it somewhere prominently for us ALL to see!! Oh how I desire for my words to give grace to those who hear.

Lord, please help me be ever mindful of EVERY word that proceeds from my mouth, that they may give grace to those who hear. Thank You for your Words that do convict, instruct and guide! Would I continue to seek wisdom and understanding through scripture and then be quick to apply what You show me!! May my speech be sweet, that the learning and understanding of my children will be increased...especially as it pertains to You!

Justice and Mercy...

Tim loves watching Court TV and court shows and anything that involves the justice system. I hate them! Really, I do. You know those shows like 20/20 that lay out a scenario and then proceed to share from both sides of the issue? They confuse me so much! I see the first side present their case and I usually end up totally convinced they are right...until the other side presents their case! Uughhhh! I would so make a terrible juror!

I have been working through an issue with a friend in which both of us had reached conclusions about the other. Our communication left much to be desired and only led to the breakdown of our relationship. Finally, I think because some faithful friends have been praying, this friend and I have been able to talk and share our hearts. It has been good for us because we have seen that there was another side than only the one we could see and we have been able to lay to rest some of the wrong conclusions that had been arrived at. I hurt her and she hurt me and ultimately it was because we both were much more able to see our own side of things!

My Bible study this morning was about mercy. It was a timely study and one, although I had done it a couple of years before, the Lord obviously knew I needed to hear again. I was reminded of this scripture...

Micah 6:8 (MsgB)
But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do,
what God is looking for in men and women.
It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don't take yourself too seriously—
take God seriously.

There is a reason that He says as much as it is possible for us we should live at peace with everyone. The burden of fractured relationships is one He doesn't desire for us to carry. We have a need to extend and receive mercy and grace and be compassionate and loyal in our love to one another! My friend and I have humbled ourselves and confessed and asked for forgiveness from each other. What a relief to be free from that burden.

Lord, thank You for the gift of mercy that You extended to us through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You that because of that gift, we can extend mercy to each other. Lord, help me to not take myself so seriously that I end up not taking You as seriously as I should. Please help me to walk in a way that is pleasing to You and that is just and fair to others. Thank You for restoration and healing that can be found only in You!

My Best Friend...

My best friend, Tim, left me today! Not permanently... just for his annual spring training run! The kids and I used to pack up and go with him for a month, but as they grew older and had sports and now school and as his responsibilities expanded, we are no longer able to accompany him.

I'm always incredibly sad when he leaves. He truly is my best friend and while it is only a few weeks, it seems like an eternity that we are separated. It's not that I can't handle things while he is gone and it is certainly much less time than he would be gone if he was still playing or coaching, but I do miss him terribly.

I am asking Papa to meet me in a special way this time, though. I am fasting from a particular cyber spot where I have a number of close friends in order to spend some concentrated time in prayer about a couple of situations that are weighing heavily on me. I know I can tend to go to these special friends first rather than Him and I really want to hear from Him.

Psalm 96:6 (NASB-U)
Splendor and majesty are before Him,
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

This verse has been a favourite of mine for a long time and I do so believe that strength and beauty are found in His presence! I desire to be a strong and inwardly beautiful follower of Him! I desire to have right relationships with others("If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." ~ Romans 12:18). I desire to have a heart that is at peace no matter what is going on around me and I desire for Him to find me faithful to whatever assignment He sets before me.

Lord, thank You for prompting me to set aside this time of separation from Tim in order to spend some special time with You! I am excited about what You will show me and share with me about myself and how I relate to others! Here I am...please show me Yourself!!

Snowfall 2010!!

I feel like Papa gave me a birthday present wrapped in a big white bow!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Cleaning!

Today is an exciting day so far! I actually felt well enough to clean! It's amazing how fun even cleaning can be when you have been too sick to do it for a while!

I made my bed, cleaned both bathrooms, wiped down the kitchen and vacuumed the whole upsatirs. I am taking a brief break and then I am going to clean a few windows and the bathroom mirrors. Jesse is doing school and the littles are cleaning their rooms.

Aaahhhh, life feels almost back to "normal"! :O)

Thank You, Lord, for helping me find joy in cleaning today! Thank You for perspective only You can give that allows us to rejoice in things we may not normally rejoice in! Thank You for health, deep breaths and clean surfaces! Amen!

P.S. Oh, and it's sunny to boot! Makes me feel even more energetic to actually see that welcome yellow ball in the sky!!

My Valentine!!!

This will be our 20th year of marriage and our 19th Valentine's Day together. To say that I am blessed would be the understatement of the year! Papa totally outdid Himself when He brought a girl from Canada and a boy from Georgia and allowed their paths to cross and their hearts to intertwine! I couldn't ask for anyone to complement me any better than Tim does!

So 20 years...

5 amazing children...

a little heartache...

a lot of fun...

some sleepless nights...

ministry highs...

and ministry lows...

sickness...

and health...

countless ball games...

more than our share of travel...

private laughs...

knowing looks...

whispered dreams...

grace extended...

grace received...

and a love that bubbles over...

He's mine and I'm his and I am so happy I feel my heart could bust! I love you, Tim Cash, and can't wait to celebrate many more Valentines with you!!

Today's Perspective...

Curled up like a cat
In a patch of January sun
Time stretched out before.

No self-imposed expectations
Or to-do lists beckoning
As is usually the case.

Rather simply a heart
Thankful to be experiencing
The gift of another day.

Sickness which hung like a veil
Has lifted and leaves in its wake
A tired, but happy soul.

Conscious once again
That health is a state
We often take for granted.

Taking joy in the gentle cuddles
That, out of necessity,
Had to be temporarily suspended.

Reveling in the simple
And the mundane routines of life
That for today seem holy.

Out of the Fog!

Psalm 59:16-17 (NASB-U)
But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength;
Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For You have been my stronghold
And a refuge in the day of my distress.
[17] O my strength, I will sing praises to You;
For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness.

Finally feel like I am coming out of the fog of sickness where one day runs into another and time loses all direction. It's been 6 days since I came down with H1N1 which then turned into pneumonia. To say it knocked me down for the count is an understatement!

I am thankful, though, for His care of me while I was sick and for sending so many tangible touches of His love. I imagine it's going to be a week of slowly working to get my breath and my strength back, but for today I will thank Him for the sun streaming in my window and the fact that I finally had enough strength to take a shower.

Sick!!!

Well, I finally was able to drag myself out of bed long enough for Tim to take me to the Dr. Apparently the reason I have felt so bad is that I had H1N1 which has now turned into pneumonia! Yep ~ I deserved to feel bad! ;O)

My Dr. gave me some steroids and an antibiotic and hopefully they will help me perk up in a couple of days! The best part of going to the Dr. was that he loves Jesus and when he got done he laid hands on me and prayed for me! Isn't that the coolest?

Since I am sick and have sickness on my mind, I thought I would post my favourite being sick video! This movie is quoted a lot in our house at times of sickness and other equally pathetic moments! I think you'll enjoy it!

I'll try and come up with some things to post about while I lay here trying to breathe! May be a day or two before I can come up with anything too profound! ;O) Bear with me...

The "F" "F" Rule!

Proverbs 19:11 (MsgB)
Smart people know how to hold their tongue;
their grandeur is to forgive and forget.

Yep, that it ~ The "F" "F" Rule...Forgive and Forget!

I was talking to a friend the other day who is working through some relational struggles with a friend of hers and she said, "You know, the good thing about getting older and forgetful is that you forget who you're supposed to be holding a grudge against because you can't even remember what they did to you!" I cracked up when she said this because it is SO true.

Whether it is a case of old-age amnesia or just choosing to forgive and forget, it is always the right things to do. The benefits always have a lot more to do with our relationship with the Lord than it does with letting the offender off the hook. It is for our sakes that He encourages us to forgive and forget because He knows how capable we are of allowing bitterness to take root.

Philip. 3:13 (NASB)
Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

I used to struggle with this verse a little because of the word "forgetting". My struggle was based on ignorance, though, because that verse does not imply the inability to remember, but rather literally means "no longer influenced or affected by". There is a big difference between the two, don't you think?

True forgetting is being able to remember what happened without becoming all knotted up inside and without needing to play out the video in its entirity. Would that I would be found faithful in this area of forgiving and forgetting!

Thank you, Lord for bringing to mind so many key verses in this walk that encourage us to remain unencumbered by grudges and unforgiveness. My hope is that I would always desire to keep the lines of communication open between us by my willingness to forgive and forget!

The Benefit of Struggle!

I know I have come a long way in so many areas of my walk with the Lord and I am so thankful for that! I have recently had an area revealed to me that I still struggle with, though, which is proof that there is great benefit in adversity. I want Him to have access to all areas of my heart and have the freedom to strip away pride and selfishness anywhere He sees fit.

We have a situation we have been dealing with the last few weeks in which I was slandered and very inaccurately portrayed and accused. I would be lying if I said it didn't hurt and I would be lying if I said I didn't want to inflict some hurt of my own! I wanted a little prideful revenge! I really tried not to, though, in order for the Lord to be able to be the One to speak to each of our hearts!

1 Cor. 4:5 (MsgB)
So don't get ahead of the Master and jump to conclusions with your judgments before all the evidence is in. When he comes, he will bring out in the open and place in evidence all kinds of things we never even dreamed of—inner motives and purposes and prayers. Only then will any one of us get to hear the "Well done!" of God.

I know I am subject to jacking it up as well as the next person, but in this case I was very wrongly accused. What a comfort to know that He WILL bring it all out in the open one day and that He is the only Judge of my motives I need be concerned about. I am so excited, too, because I actually did a good job not "owning" what wasn't mine which is a huge step for me! \O/

I pray for the one who jumped to the wrong conclusion and I forgive her. I know she was hurting and spoke from a deep place of hurt.

Thank you, Papa, for relentlessly pursuing me and stripping away all that could hinder me in my walk with You. Thank you for loving me, molding me and showing me areas in my life that you are not done working on! I love You and thank You for the peace You give in the midst of turmoil!

Sowing and Reaping!

Psalm 126:5 (NASB-U)
Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting.

I have had an unusual season of sowing in tears lately! While it is rather cleansing, it gives the look of the eyes a lot to be desired! I am red and puffy-eyed as I type!

I am thankful for the tears, though...it means I am able to care deeply. I think I cry a lot easier than I used to. Maybe it's old age or maybe it's just not being afraid to experience what is going on to the fullest. Gone are the days of putting on a strong exterior and front. He knows the sad AND joyful tears my heart holds and that is all that matters!

This season of sowing in tears has lasted longer than I would like, but oh what an amazing time the reaping with joyful shouts will be! I will make sure you can all hear the shouts from wherever you are!

Psalm 126:6 (MsgB)
So those who went off with heavy hearts
will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing.