New Year New Beginnings

The New Year is a time to reflect upon the past year..and look to the year to come!

When I look back to the beginning of the year it seems like so long ago! When we started off the year we had no idea that we'd make be making a huge change by moving up to Pittsburgh. Larry lost his job back in February. It seems like with contracting work you never know how the job is going to go. It's either feast or famine!

So he got a job in a place I thought I'd never go to...Pittsburgh! Isn't it dirty and polluted there? and steel mills everywhere? aren't they all Catholics and talk funny up there? These were my thoughts. But the Lord was working on me. He was slowly telling me to let go and giving up my hold on things. He wanted me to let go and let Him guide my life. Like Abraham in the Bible, I felt like God said to me "Go!" Yikes! It was so difficult. But it was such a great decision! It's nothing like I thought it would be here. I have seen the Lord work great wonders since being here! The greatest of which is meeting my sweet neighbors and being able to be involved in their adoption of Isaac! It was an out of the blue call and they only had 9 weeks to prepare but the Lord was with them every step of the way and I'm so thankful I got to be here to see it! Now I get to watch this precious gift of God three days a week. It's made my life so much richer!

Another huge change has been that 2 of my kids have moved out! Renee wanted to stay in Texas and is figuring out her life and what she's to do. Scott is finishing up his Youth with a Mission school and will return to Texas this summer to work. He's also at a crossroads. Waiting on seeing where the Lord will take him.

So it's just me and Larry and Sam now here in Pittsburgh! Sam's learning to be an only child. It has it's good and bad points. He likes the benefits--getting a lot of stuff he wants! But he misses his brother and sister a lot.

I went from working at a great job that I loved so much there in Texas..to volunteering all of my time here! I volunteer at several places and then with watching the baby 3 days a week...my week is full! Larry says he considers me a full time missionary! I like that!

Larry went from working at home the last 10 years to going into an office every day. It's a lot different. But he only works about 15 minutes away and he can make his own hours. Most days he's home by 3:30. I like that!

So a lot has happened this year. My life seems 180 degrees different than it was the year before. You never know how things will change. The thing I've learned most is listen to the Lord and do what he says. It may seem crazy. It may be out of your comfort zone. You may have to give up some things that you hold dear. But leave it to the Lord. He is with you! He only has the best in mind for you!

Deuteronomy 31:8
And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

Happy New Year!

Christmases long long ago

I was reminiscing today about Christmases from my childhood. I love Christmas today! I love the traditions, songs, gift giving, decorating, cookie baking, tree decorating, present wrapping....I love it all! I think it's due to the traditions that were instilled in me when I was young.

We used to get two weeks off for Christmas break. The whole two weeks were usually spent at my grandparents house. We called them Maamaw and Pop. My sister and I went up to their house first before my parents came up. That week was so much fun. These were the days before internet, cable tv and iphones. We had to make our own fun. And we did too!

My grandparents lived out on a farm so there was always places to explore and things to get into. The first thing we'd do when we got there was go out into the forest and cut down our Christmas tree. Now you have to realize that it's my grandpa and us 2 little girls that are going to cut this tree down and drag it back to the house. That's why I love Charlie Brown trees! It's almost always what our tree looked like! We'd pick some scraggly little thing and be so excited about it, "This one Pop! Let's get this one!" Pop would chop it down and we'd drag it home all proud of our selection! We'd get back and Maamaw would have her work cut out for her to make it beautiful. She'd put it up on a table and drape a pretty cloth around the bottom. Then we'd get to work stringing popcorn or cutting out construction paper chains. Whatever we had around the house to decorate the tree. We didn't go to the store to get our decorations we just looked around the house and made stuff! Sometimes Maamaw would cut out an article out of a magazine and say "Do you girls think you could make this?" "Of course!" we'd say..just find us some scissors and tape and maybe an old magazine.

Then we'd have little bitty presents to open each day before Christmas. Sometimes it was just a small Hallmark calendar that Maamaw had gotten for free. To us it was a wonderful new toy to play office or school! We'd spend hours inventing new games and plays with our new found treasures.

Then the baking would begin and Maamaw would make our favorite little individual pecan pies! We thought we were queens!

Then we'd go shopping at the Walmart to buy our presents for our parents. Maamaw would always direct us to something we could afford or something we could put both our money towards.

Then our parents would come up and we just could hardly wait for Christmas morning to come! We'd go to bed late and wake up every hour just waiting for it to be daybreak so we could wake every up! Then we could hardly stand it...we would decide that we'd waited long enough and head down the long hall to announce to everyone that Christmas has come! Wake up everyone! Everyone would drag out of bed all cock-eyed. But I knew they were excited too! We'd run down the long hall and into the dark living room with just the glow of Christmas lights from our scraggly tree. The cookies we'd left Santa were gone! Pop would go out to get wood for the fireplace. Even though most Christmases weren't cold at all in Texas...Pop would start a fire in the fireplace. It was Christmas after all!

Then the paper would start flying and the games would start playing! Pop would gather all the trash and feed the fire. You'd have to be careful the directions to your new game didn't get caught up in that fire!

So as we get closer to Christmas enjoy every minute of it! Make new memories. Keep the old. Tell your kids your Christmases past. They will love it...if not now then someday :)

Remember that the Saviour of the World came to seek and save the lost! That's us! Without Him there would be no hope!

Thankfullness

The Bible tells us we are to give thanks in everything.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 "in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Wow. Everything. Really? Yep. There is so much to be thankful for. Here's a short list of what I'm thankful for this year. (in no particular order)

• moving to Pittsburgh
• husband that loves me
• kids that love me
• technology that I can keep in touch with old friends
• meeting new friends
• fall weather and beautiful trees
• books
• my fireplace
• The Word
• Larry's job
• good friends to travel with
• be able to help others
• accepting help from others
• people that inspire me to be more than I think I can be
• My Lord and Savior
• churches where people can come together to worship the Lord
• good Praise music
• boldness to start a new life in a new place
• my tiny little apartment
• kids that are growing into beautiful people
• a new little baby that I get to look after 3 days a week
• volunteers
• coffee

These are just a few of the things I can think of right now. There's so much more!!

It's easy to be thankful for the easy stuff. It's hard to be thankful in everything. But the Lord is good! Thanksgiving is a time to reminisce about what we are thankful for.

Revelation 7:12 saying: “ Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

Just imagine...it'll be thanksgiving in Heaven forever!

Amazed

Sometimes I just have to sit back and be amazed. I'm in awe of how big God is. He is big enough to create the entire universe! He created the Sun! He created the stars and the amazing amount of galaxies we have yet to even understand. Yet he cares about each of us individually. He cares enough about us to listen to our needs. Who am I that He should listen to my piddly concerns? Yet I have seen him answer so many of my prayers in the last few months! Sometimes we pray and pray and seek the Lord for years on certain things...and we don't get an answer. But in the past few months I have seen him answer time and time again! He cares about what I care about. I don't know why. But He does. That is so comforting to know that this big big God cares about little 'ol me!

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place—that are mere mortals that you should think about them,

human beings that you should care for them?" Psalm 8:3-4

Baby Birds

Don't you love how the natural world is symbolic of the spiritual world? Before a new plant grows..the seed has to die first. John 3:30 "He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less." John 12:24 "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives."

The rain comes. Sometimes it's a downpour and sometimes just a sprinkle. But it's always needed to replenish the earth. That's how things become green and alive is with a little storm! Without the storm things would dry up and die.

There are so many more examples of spiritual things in the natural world. God chose to give me one right outside my window! There were 3 baby birds that were born in the bush right where I walk by every day to get to my car! Larry was the one that noticed them first. Three little blue eggs in a nest. I started to get excited every time I went to my car to see how the little guys were!

Then we went out one day and one had hatched! Then 2! Then they were all just tiny, ugly things in the nest waiting for mama bird to come feed them.

Before I knew it they were getting bigger and bigger! Then we noticed one had fallen out of the nest. Then we couldn't find him! Hopefully the mama had moved him somewhere! I hope the cat didn't come by that day!

Then a few days later we went to peek on the babies. I looked in and the 2 babies flew out! Oh my! Scared me! Then we checked on them again that evening and no more babies. The nest was empty.

Wow! God was speaking to me so loudly through this visual! Empty nest! 3 babies! Interesting...

So keep your spiritual eyes open to the things going on around you. You never know how the Lord will use this physical world to communicate spiritual truths to you.

Happy Secession Day!

What are people celebrating this 4th of July? We used to call it Independence Day. But now it's just a number and a month. Do people really know what they are celebrating? When you say the word "Secession" to people ..most people just give you a blank stare. But that is what we are celebrating. It's our secession from England in the 1700s. Why do we celebrate this? It's because we won! If the colonists hadn't succeeded then they wouldn't have seceded. We'd be singing "God Save the Queen"!

Nationalism as described at dictionary.com is the "devotion and loyalty to one's own nation". Nationalism is rampant in the church today. Most of us sat through services today where there were American flags waving. Patriotic songs sung. Allegiances recited. Is this a form of idolatry in the church?

I'm not saying it's wrong to celebrate our country. Most of us celebrate our birthdays without going over a list of our own sins. But when does a celebration become an obsession? When does nationalism slip into idolatry. When do we put our allegiances to country and flag over our allegiances to the Lord?

The Bible has much to say on this subject.

Isaiah 40:15 No, for all the nations of the world are but a drop in the bucket.They are nothing more than dust on the scales.He picks up the whole earth as though it were a grain of sand.

Psalm 72:11 All kings will bow before him, and all nations will serve him.

Psalm 87:6 "When the Lord registers the nations, he will say,“They have all become citizens of Jerusalem."

Isaiah 40:17 The nations of the world are worth nothing to him. In his eyes they count for less than nothing— mere emptiness and froth.

When we get to Heaven there will be people there from every tribe and tongue and nation! Revelation 7:9-10 "After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”"

My allegiance is only the the Maker of Heaven and Earth, the Creator of the Universe, the one that gave His only Son for the redemption of my soul! Nations come and go. Our country is relatively young in the scheme of the world. The only thing that is eternal is the Lord God Almighty.

So as we have our barbecues, watch fireworks and celebrate this weekend..let us not forget where our true allegiance lies. Who is the true King of our Hearts? What do we proclaim as the center of our lives? Whose flag is higher in our lives? Our nations'? or our Lord's?

Hebrews 13:14-15 "For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. "

Learning to love where I am

The Last few months in our new place we've been busy...

Biking. Hiking. Exploring. Meeting. Seeing. Sitting. Reading. Talking. Waiting. Growing. Learning. Helping. Loving. Watching. Going. Doing. Resting. Sleeping. Crying. Laughing. Kayaking. Swimming. Eating. Fighting. Watching. Slowing. Growing. Worrying. Trusting. Playing. Volunteering. Cooking. Missing.

Nothing ever stays the same

Everything changes. Sometimes for good. Sometimes not. But just when you get cozy with the way life is...it changes. I guess that's a good thing. It helps us grow. It helps us change. Would we change or grow if life didn't change around us? I'm not sure I would. I might get too comfortable with the way things are. But change can be a good thing. It's a time to start anew. It's a time to clean out. It's a time to change attitudes. It's a time to meet new people. It's a time to rely on the Lord. Things are about to change big time in the life of me and my family. I am praying more. Reading God's Word more. Cleaning out so much junk.. physically and spiritually. I don't like change too much. But God knows me best and I'm glad He doesn't let me stay the same.

A life in tune

Here's something you may not know about me... I used to play the violin. For about 4 years back a long long time ago. Like 25 years ago! It's something I wish I would have continued. (Note to all you kids out there whose parents make you practice an instrument--keep it up! It's something you will always have with you! and music is beautiful!) Anyway, I had a thought the other day and got a wild hair. I thought I should get a cheapie violin and try to play again! Thank goodness for ebay!

Well, in my mind I knew I couldn't just pick it up and play it again. I knew it would take a lot of practice. But one thing I didn't think about. Tuning the thing! When it came in the mail it came untuned of course. I bought a tuner and began to mess with it. Up..down..sharp..flat..wrong note..too high..too low.. UGHH! I had to go out a buy a tuner to help me get the pitch right. It has a needle that points if the note is too high or too low, and it has a big letter that flashes what the note is. Also..you have to understand how a violin works. It's got big pegs on the neck where you can adjust the strings. This is for changing the note drastically. But it also has small tuners down at the base for fine tuning. When you just need to tweak the string a little bit up or down.

Well I kept messing with each string. And just when I'd get to the last string ..I'd go back and listen to the first one..and it was out of tune! How'd that happen? I just fixed it! So I'd start all over again and tune each string. Then I noticed that the pegs were slipping. Every time I got the string tuned..the peg turned and it was out of whack again! So I had to buy some peg compound to give the pegs more grip so they wouldn't slip.

As I was in the middle of this very frustrating process..I thought.. hey..there is a spiritual lesson in here. A few actually..

• You can't tune your instrument without a tuner. My life is my instrument. The tuner is the Lord.
• Sometimes my life is so out of whack I can't tell what the tune is supposed to be. I need to tune with the pegs. Make some big changes. Tune things in my life up or down in a big way to make a noticeable sound to others.
• Sometimes the string sounds pretty good to others. But there's some fine tuning that needs to be done. My life may look good to others. It may sound ok. But it would sound better if I did a little fine tuning. Just tweaked stuff a bit.
• You can't not play for 25 years and pick it up and sound wonderful. You need practice. If I had been practicing all these years imagine the songs I could play now! My life needs to be in continual practice to Jesus. I can't take a break for a while and come back to Him later. My life would sound terrible. I need daily practice. Practice in reading His word. Practice in praying. Practice in serving others. Practice in good thoughts and actions. The more I practice the more my life will sound better.
• Just when I think I've gotten all tuned up..I need to start over and retune. Each time I pick up my instrument to play I need to check and see if it's in tune. My life will slip in and out. I'll never be perfect. But I need to constantly check the tuner (the Lord) and see if my life sounds good.

This new year I hope to learn to play my violin again. Maybe I'll start practicing Christmas songs now so I'll be able to play some at the end of the year!

But I want to work more on my relationship with the Lord. Lord, show me where I need to tune my life with the pegs. Put the peg compound on so I won't keep slipping out of tune. Lord, show me where my instrument needs to be fine tuned. Help me in my thoughts, speech, actions toward others. Help me be a beautiful instrument for you!