Moving On - A Graduation Tribute

Once upon a time, in 1990, a tiny little baby was born. She had HUGE blue eyes, and wispy blond hair that tended to stick straight up off her head most of the time. She was the most perfectly wonderful baby sister I'd seen since 1988, when the first perfectly wonderful baby sister was born. She didn't have a name for quite a few days, but finally "Kerrie" was chosen. I was kind of upset that there's not many nicknames for Kerrie, but now she loves it when Heather calls her keeeee...beeeeeee.

Pay no attention to my hair, or the fact that I'm apparently not wearing pants. We lived in the country.. pants were optional.

Here she is just a bit older, so you can really see just how adorable she was. That's Jill with her, also adorable.

This is how I usually remember her, a little girl, still tiny, playful, funny, loving.  That's the amazing dad I talk about so often :)

Tomorrow afternoon, my perfectly wonderful baby sister graduates college.  She is no longer a tiny baby, a little girl.

She's still my baby sister, but more importantly, she's my friend. She loves me when I'm cranky, folds my laundry when I don't feel like it (which is often), loves Heather as much as I do.  She tells me to shut up when I'm being stupid, and cuddles with me on the couch when I'm feeling overly emotional. She has dance parties with Heather and singalongs in the car. She loves Jesus and she serves Him well. She loves Harry Potter, and puts up with me making fun of her for it. She shares my obsession with Bones, and most of my other fake TV relationships. She helps me paint, and doesn't mind moving furniture at midnight, which is usually when I get the urge.She likes it when I cook for her, and doesn't mind when I don't want to. On top of all this, the girl likes to clean the bathroom. She's compassionate, sacrificial, and pretty hilarious.  Like I said, perfectly wonderful.

I don't know what's next for her, except that she's finally coming home after 4 years (bonus- I get to leave the house now!!) but I know the Lord has plans for her- and I know that she'll be a blessing where ever she lands.

I've got to pack, and then get Heather to the airport, since she's been waiting to get a treat from Kerrie for 3 months.  I'm really looking forward to this reunion:

I love the chorus of this Sidewalk Prophets song (and am currently practicing it non-stop so I can sing Plumkin to sleep with it), and it's seems fitting to pray the words over my perfectly wonderful baby sister this week as she leaves one part of her life behind, and moves on to the next.

Brooke

Displaced Worry

I'm a mom. I fix things.

I have fixed broken toys and broken skin, applied kisses and bandages. I have fixed mistakes on homework (except in math). I have fixed holes in clothing and fixed schedules to accommodate every one's calendars. I have fixed up a batch of cookies to brighten up a blue day.

But there are some things a mom or anyone can't fix. Situations arise in the lives of people that we dearly love and we can't do anything. Our tendency is to worry and fret over it especially when it is over our children.

We run different scenarios over and over in our minds trying to find a solution. Sometimes we meddle in places where we just don't belong. We are anxious and think about the worst possible outcomes and wring our hands in stress.

Some people become obsessed with the problem unable to concentrate on anything else and even losing sleep.

But God's Word says " Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying ,pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."

 Philippians 4: 6-7 The Message

This week I have had my share of things that I desperately want to fix but I can't. I have breathed my fair share of heavy sighs as I have surrendered my worries to God letting  my petitions and praises shape my worries into prayers.

God, once again has been faithful. HE has taken my worry and replaced it with the peace of Christ!

A few moments ago I paused from writing this blog to read a letter from one of my sponsor children that lives in Africa. The letter was written by his father because Andre has  been sent away from his home to live with an aunt due to the extreme violence in his country. His school has been closed for the safety of the children so the best decision was for him to leave his home.

The father expressed his concern for his son but combined with his praises to our God that he knows to be faithful. The father's trust and peace was almost almost audible to me in his words written on  the paper.

Jesus wants to displace the worry down to the very center of your life! Stop trying to fix everything and instead fix your eyes on Jesus and let HIM fix things. He is the Master of working in all things for good. (Romans 8:28)

What are you holding on to today. worrying and fretting over??? Will you surrender it to God in petitions and praise?

Let God displace your worry don't wait, start now!

Humbly,

ruthann

Does It Really Take Two?

One of the first things we learn as young children in school is patterns. We learn how to recognize them, how to make them, how to continue them...ironically, they don’t focus on teaching us to change or end them.

Take a second to think about some of the common problems in your life. Maybe you’re always are on your kids’ case about getting their homework done. Maybe you and your husband argue over the same thing and never seem to solve the problem.  Maybe you constantly do your best at work and it never seems good enough for anyone. Maybe you wonder every month how you get paid on Friday and have nothing left by Tuesday.

Now think about whether or not there’s a pattern happening around these issues...your kids come home tired, you argue with them to get their work done right away, they resent school because they do it for 6 hours and then have to come home and do more, they start avoiding it at home and giving you a hard time...

Your husband and you are deciding whether it’s more important to buy a new car or put more down for the mortgage premium, you each make your point, you each point out why the other person’s point is stupid, you don’t want to end up screaming at one another, you each nod and walk away, next pay check, the same thing comes up...

You get to work, have already worked your 40 hours for the week but agreed to come in anyways, a coworker asks you to take on some of their work load, and your boss asks you to come Saturday, you agree to all of the extra work and then resent your job because you’re exhausted...

You get paid Friday and decide to treat yourself for a hard weeks work, you go on a little shopping spree, get home and realize you need to pay the bills, get most o them paid, and now are scrapping by for the next two weeks...

Even if you can’t presently relate to any of these, I encourage you to think about patterns in your own life. Some may be innocuous, some, very detrimental. They could be patterns with your family, your work, your church, you finances, your relationship with God...

One of the biggest misconceptions about change is that it takes two. We end up believing that child and parent both must change, that husband and wife both must change, that authority and subordinate both must change....We cling to this belief because if we think we need the other person to change too, we can just say “well, if they’re not ready I’m not going to bother yet...”

WRONG. A pattern is only a pattern until one person makes a change. It does not always take two to Tango. Well, maybe to literally Tango it does, but as far as destructive patterns in our life, it only takes one person to set change in motion.

My younger sister and I went through a couple years where we did not get along. I thought she was being immature in certain areas of her life and constantly lectured her about what she should be doing. She resented it and felt like I didn’t love or respect her. Our interactions were short and unkind for the most part. I was waiting for her to “grow up” so we could get along. Luckily, the Lord showed me sooner rather than later that I was in the wrong. Once I ended the patterned of lecturing her and putting her down, our relationship was able to grow and change. Once I made a change, the pattern of our resentment and bitterness changed. (So excited for her to move home in a few weeks!!)

We can’t change patterns in our life if we don’t first recognize them. Think about things that come up over and over again in your relationships, identify patterns, and brainstorm ways that YOU can make a change. We have to stop hiding behind the excuse that “it takes two.” We think “once he starts pulling his weight we won’t argue as much” “once they start obeying I won’t have to yell as much” “once I get paid more I’ll be better with my finances”

Let’s work on finding the areas in our lives were we can take responsibility for and make a change! It does not always take two.

BE blessed

Jill

Recipe Fit for a King

Now ladies, let’s face it, we all like a great recipe. One that’s appealing and versatile. One whose ingredients you have at hand readily. One that is not made inferior by occasional changes in proportions. Some recipes need the main ingredients only. After those, anything goes. Favorite recipes are often the ones you know will come out good every time even when you add a special touch of your own to its flavor or presentation.

In addition to using the choicest items there is also the process. For some it doesn’t matter so much in what order you add things as long as you don’t leave anything out. For others certain conditions must be met to have the desired results.

And then there are the recipes that are cherished, because they were masterfully created, written, prepared, shared and served by someone precious to your heart. And so because of that, it is an honor to them or to their memory every time you make it. And whenever you serve it to others it’s as if you are extending an honorary blessing to both the creator and the diner.

I came across a unique recipe card the other day. It originated with the most creative chef and was first published in the greatest recipe book ever. (No disrespect to the Holy Word of God intended here). It has been adapted below for the average cook.
Recipe for: Making Your Calling and Election Sure
Serves: God, Innumerable Others, Yourself
Original Cookbook: 2 Peter 1:3-11
From the kitchen of: Father God

Ingredients:
His divine power
Everything we need for life and godliness
Our knowledge of Him
His own power and glory
His great and precious promises
Your faith
Additional items listed in directions

Directions:
Mix first 5 ingredients until smoothly blended together in your container. Pour in your faith continuously. Add in goodness, knowledge, self control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love in increasing measures, as this will cause the final product to not fall. Is best when served hot, but can be served cold. (Lukewarm is not recommended). Will keep indefinitely as long as a fresh crop of faith and some or all of the additional items are poured in regularly. Has been known to satisfy the hungriest of souls and yet is definitely fit for a King!

2 Peter 1:3-11

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴ Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. ⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

¹⁰ Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, ¹¹ and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I am not the best cook on the block, nor do I use fancy recipes for my every day cooking. But when it comes to serving the King, I am so grateful He produced a book of time-honored recipes that He has tried and tested, and was so willing to hand down.

Gratefully HIS,

Jan

Actively Waiting

I've been waiting my whole life.  Most of us have, for one thing or another.  The first thing I remember waiting for was a pool party at the YMCA. I was not very good at it.  My mother told me we couldn't leave the house until 11:30, and looked at the clock every 5 minutes for about 2 hours.  I'd go find something to do, do it for 3 minutes, assume it had been an hour, and run back to the clock.

After that, I waited for my sisters to be born. I waited for Christmas. I waited for back to school shopping. When my dad used to drive down to see us during the week,after he tucked us into bed, he would beep his car horn every time he left.  I used to wait to hear that beep like I needed it to live. Part of me did.  (Proof of just how awesome my dad is: one time he forgot, and drove back a half hour later just to beep the horn outside the house for me.)

When I was a little bit older, and still no better at waiting, I waited to be able to move to my dad's house. Then I waited for my sisters to be able to move to my dad's house. I waited for some silly boy to call me. I waited to graduate high-school. I waited for some silly boy to smarten up and love me. I waited to hear about a job offer. I waited to hear about the closing on my house.  I waited for myself to smarten up and NOT love some silly boy.

Last week was school vacation for the kids. On Sunday, Heather began asking when Jill was coming to the yellow house. I told her Thursday. I told her this about 76 times on Sunday, and 34 times on Monday. As soon as I was done saying, "Jill will be here on Thursday", she was asking me again. She was whining, and growl-y, and generally unhappy about the fact that Jill was not here. She didn't want to do anything but hear me tell her Jill would be here on Thursday. I even recorded it on her ipod in the hopes that she could just listen to it again and again and I could stop talking. Apparently, my tone wasn't right or something, because she wasn't happy with this either. Probably because I said "I love you" at the end, and she did not want my love- she wanted Jill.

Halfway through the day, she said "Brooke- waiting?  Jill Thursday? waiting?"  I said, "yes Heather, we have to wait for Jill."  Next thing I know, she is turning around a big easy chair that sits in front of my window.  She finagles it around, so that it's facing out the window.  I helped her. And by help I mean video-taped.

She gets the chair where she wants it, plops down, and makes me push her in so that she's a close to the window as possible. And then she says "OOOOOhkay, waiting." with a big sigh.

She wasn't asking if she had to wait for Jill.  She was asking if she COULD wait for Jill.  As if waiting wasn't the most miserable thing in the entire world. As if it was action. She finally realized that asking me over and over and whining about it wasn't going to make Jill get here any faster.  So she took action, and decided to wait. And she was thrilled for the rest of the day. She giggled. Sang. Stared out the window, jumping up every time a white car drove by (Jill's car is white).  She was happy.

I don't know about the rest of you, but my waiting doesn't look like that.  My waiting is filled with anxiety, whining, anger, sometimes tears. My waiting is not happy. It's filled with questions about whether what I'm waiting for will actually happen. Questions about whether or not I can do anything to ensure that what I'm waiting for will actually happen. Questions about whether that thing I just did or said, will stop what I'm waiting for from happening.  Questions about whether I actually want what I'm waiting for. It's me, trying to hang on to every ounce of control, and make things happen.

I think that's the difference between me and Heather. She had no questions about what she was waiting for. She was waiting for Jill.  She didn't have to wonder if she wanted Jill to come. She believed me when I told her that Jill was coming. She knew what would happen when Jill got there. She trusted that Jill coming was a good thing.

I'm currently waiting on a few things, some tangible, like Kerrie coming home and Plumkin's arrival. I'm waiting on answers to prayers, for myself, for my family. I'm waiting on open doors, and things I see potential in.  I'm waiting to see growth in some areas of my life, and change in other areas, and in other people.

I want my waiting to look more like Heather's.  I want to do it happily, expectantly.  I want to trust in what I'm waiting for, and trust in my God to bring the best to pass. I want to sing and giggle.  I know this means I might have to adjust some of what I'm waiting for. I'm going to have to stop waiting on things that aren't good for me. I'm going to have to stop thinking that I can do anything to hurry up the answer. I'm going to have to trust that God will answer me in His time.

I want my waiting to look more like this, relaxed and peaceful:

Psalm 27:14 says,  "Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord."


Brooke

A Happy Ending

I love a happy ending.

I love a book that ends with an uplifting message. I love movies where the good guy wins. And I especially love Friendly's Restaurant's "happy ending " ice cream sundaes!!

I don't read a lot of fiction books these days but when I was a kid I remember checking the last few pages of the book to see how it ends. If I could find some words or phrases that indicated that things worked out in a good way then and only then I would read the book.

 Today I have a slight obsession with home decorating magazines. My favorite is"Country Living" with it's fun flea market decorating make overs, home cookin' recipes and little vignettes of Americana. I love to look at the happy endings to the cool make overs and successful small business'.

When I get my new copy of "Country Living" I flip right to the back and start with the ending story "A Portrait of America" that features small business' or products that have survived the test of time. From there I read the magazine from cover to cover, from back to front!

I also like to read biographies about Christians that have been steadfast in their faith  following the call of God, overcoming trials and of course, that have an uplifting, happy ending.

 Life s filled with all sorts of ups and downs, twists and turns and unknowns ahead. There are struggles, challenges, hard choices to make, tragedies to endure and unexpected situations to navigate.  Some days are extraordinarily happy and others are filled with deep sorrow. BUT I have read The Good Book!!!! And  I have read the end of the story!!!

I have read the book of Revelation and I know that God wins.

Jesus has the final victory and as a believer I know that I ultimately share in that victory and will live with HIM forever.

There will be no more struggles, insecurities, strongholds, pain or suffering, no more tears and no more death.

Because I have read the end of the bible I can face whatever my life experiences will be with a steadfast assurance of a happy ending.  I have read the end of HIStory!

If you haven't read Revelation or if it has been awhile since you last read it, Read it  now and be blessed. Jesus is coming for you and it will be a very happy ending!

Humbly,
ruthann

Let Your Spirit Fall Here

Dear Lord,

Let this be our prayer today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMqPBUWJsHU