From Sunday to Sunday: Sharpies to Heaven

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

¹⁶ That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are^a]">[a] being renewed every day. ¹⁷ For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! ¹⁸ So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. ⁵For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

I am writing today out of reflection, a heavy heart, and new perspective. Oh how life flips upside down from one Sunday to the next! This afternoon I received a phone call from a friend to let me know her mom had passed. This was not something she was prepared for or even thought would ever be reality this week. As I was crying with her and trying my best to comfort her I was at a loss for words. All that came to mind was offer my prayers and time. But nothing seemed to do justice. I felt hopeless and useless at the moment.
As I was driving home and reflecting on her journey I felt like things in my life were coming back into perspective. I couldn't imagine my life being flipped upside down in less than a week. I remembered last Sunday. Last Sunday during Church I was getting texts and phone calls about how her dryer was ruined because she put a sharpie through!
I laughed at her. teased her. I even offered advice.
Last Sunday this was the crisis of the week!
And now this Sunday her world has been shattered. Sharpie marks in the dryer are miniscual today. The sharpie crisis doesn't even matter because today her life changed.
And today, my life has been changed. I was recalling my "sharpie moments" of the week---and I have plenty! :) I always know in my head that I shouldn't focus on the small things of life but to focus on people. But today that head knowledge became reality to change some areas of my life.
Today my perspective is being renewed. What really matters today?
People. Eternity. Love.
As I mourn with my friend, I am learning from this moment. To re-evaluate life once again. To come back to the basics. To love Jesus more and more. To love others with reckless abandon. And to express my love to others openly.
I hold on to this. Life does end on here. Oh how I look forward to Heaven.
Eternity with no death. no pain. no tears.
Eternity with our sweet Jesus.

Thank Jesus, For because of you, and you alone I live.
Thank you for being our comfort, peace, and joy amidst tragedy.


Even with a sad heart I rejoice in Jesus. Because of Him I have hope.

Psalm 23:4
⁴ Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, ^a]">[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

humbled.

This weekend I had the opportunity to take several high school girls to the Revolve tour. This tour is for young girls and is full of concerts, dramas and speakers. A main theme through the conference was Africa. From stories the speakers told to even World Vision video's the message was Africa :) It truly stirred my soul, to the point I was crying during each video. (ok, so I cry a lot already) :) Anyway, I haven't stopped thinking about. To be honest it has made me sick to my stomach because I was SO humbled. Ok...I might go off on a tangent of honesty so don't go and judge me now.:) Here it goes:
A couple weeks ago I had a youth pastor's wife pity party. ( ok you all can gasp here) For some reason I was angry...I was tired...I wanted my life with my husband...I wanted to be selfish...I wanted to sulk in my "all about me world." It was just a week where I didn't see Branden much and I felt like everyone needed him or I. It was day after day of non-stop interruption and busyness. I started wearing down and instead of responding with grace, I fell apart. Then instead of running to God to be my strength I attempted to do it on my own. Anyone relate? Well, that didn't work out too well. So, after working on this and beginning to lean on Christ again I thought I had moved on ..... until this weekend came. Oh was I humbled in a big way...in one of those ways you want to cry for days in repentance.
Branden and I feel called here to Oregon. We feel called to work with High School students. We LOVE working and serving with students!!! We have had many, many conversations about Africa and how it is in our blood but we don't feel called to leave everything and move there. But we do feel called to share Africa with our students, to encourage them to go out into their world, to love the orphans and widows. We know we are called to equip, love, and serve here. This is where I have been humbled. God has blessed me immensely-beyond what I deserve! I am blessed every moment of my life to have clean water, to eat food....great food at that, have a comfy warm bed, and on top of that be able to buy a home. All of this is a blessing. A true gift from God. He has called us here to America where we have so much. How dare I take that for granted while there are Christ-followers in the battlefield with no clean water, disease, no family, no bed to lie in at night, no place to call home, and even losing their lives. I was humbled to hear of the stories of those who have left it all; their families, comforts, education, cars to go live and love the people of Africa. How can I even complain? How can I even have a pity party when I have been blessed to serve here in America! There are amazing people all over the world giving up their lives for the sake of the Gospel and I can't even give up my time or husband for a week? this weekend has left me unsettled. I'm not content to just live a mediocre life in America. I want to live life with reckless abandon in America. I don't want the comforts of this life take over me and lose perspective. I have one reason for life here. period! Life is not and will not be about me. I am wrestling through a lot right now. How do I give it all up here in America where it is expected to have it all? I don't have all the answers. I just know that I continue to read God's Word and allow his Spirit to teach, lead and transform me. I am blessed-to be saved and redeemed.

Luke 9:23-30

²³ Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. ²⁴ If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. ²⁵ And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? ²⁶ If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. ²⁷ I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God.”

2 Peter 1:5-11
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. ⁸For 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. ⁹But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

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

Meaningless! Meanignless! ...Everything is Meaningless!

Do any of you remember the amazing Walton Family? I was faithful fan, watching every single episode! The Walton family, consisting of John and Olivia, their seven children, and John's parents Zebulon "Zeb" Tyler and Esther Walton, struggles to make a decent life during the Great Depression and World War11. In almost each episode you saw the family sitting down together to eat a meal and then sit around the radio and listen to the evening program. And every night at the end of the episode you would hear, "Good-night, Mary Ellen." "Good-night, John Boy." Why am I recalling the Walton Family? Because if you look back, you see how far we've come...good and bad. Life may have been harder back then, having to work so hard to have anything. But they had something we don't have anymore; family, relationships, community, silence, and joy.

The last few weeks I have felt as if I can't keep this pace, or anyone around me can. This culture is devouring us till we break, physically and mentally.
My soul has been longing for silence. For quiet, still moments of nothing but my thoughts! I can't find that anywhere, whether it be by my own fault or not.
This is all stemming from a hard week I had. Nothing major, just little things that began piling up. I began seeking the Lord and finding that I couldn't hear him..just too much noise and busyness. I felt that I anytime there was that one moment is was snatched up quickly! Does anyone relate?
The text messages, Facebook, TV, the dishwasher, Ipod, the baby screaming above me, cars, distractions, and phone ringing non-stop! It never ended.
This brought me longing for the lifestyle of the Walton's! No dishwasher- you did it by hand and while talking with your family, no bazillion text messages a day-you took the time to write a letter and mail it. No internet-you read the newspaper together. No Ipod, you all sat around the radio...together....and listened.
Oh my soul longs for this again. For quiet. For meaningful relationships.
Is all this technology really a help or is it destroying us bit by bit? How do we win? How do we have a slower paced life? How do we hear the Spirit on a moment by moment basis?
I truly believe we are losing and I can't accept that! I went to a conference this weekend, which also fueled my longing for a quiet, slower lifestyle.
Here are some quick facts that broke my heart:
* Average dad spends 3 minutes of quality time with their children a day
* 87% of teens are online
*90% of ages 8-16 viewed pornography online (while doing homework)
*Americans, ages 13-18 spend 72 hours a week using electronic media (more than 10 hours everyday)
THIS makes me cry, want to give up, quit, stop trying, roll over and lose.
But I am called to fight the fight! Us as believer's in Jesus Christ are called to run the race! No matter how difficult.
We can't go back ( I want to sometimes) :) ...so how do we have the meaningful relationships with family, friends, and Christ?
So in my quest to seek Christ this week, seeking answers for a "Walton lifestyle" in the 21st century I have landed in Ecclesiastes.

¹²I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³And I applied myself by heart and mind to seek and search out by [human] ^a]">[a]wisdom all human activity under heaven. It is a miserable business which ^b]">[b]God has given to the sons of man with which to busy themselves.

¹⁴I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity, a striving after the wind and a feeding on wind.

-1:12-14

I was reading a commentary a couple days ago that said this,

Solomon tried all things, and found them vanity. He found his searches after knowledge weariness, not only to the flesh, but to the mind. The more he saw of the works done under the sun, the more he saw their vanity; and the sight often vexed his spirit. He could neither gain that satisfaction to himself, nor do that good to others, which he expected. Even the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom discovered man's wickedness and misery; so that the more he knew, the more he saw cause to lament and mourn. Let us learn to hate and fear sin, the cause of all this vanity and misery; to value Christ; to seek rest in the knowledge, love, and service of the Saviour.

Did you read that last part?... (to value Christ; to seek rest in the knowledge, love, and service of the Saviour) Ah, my soul feels refreshed just reading that.

As I have been studying, reading, and reflecting on God's Word in Ecclesiastes I am beginning to realign some area's in my life. To take ownership and control that aspects of life that cause my craziness of noise. As Solomon says, it is all vanity. Without Christ, it is meaningless. All of Life is meaningless without Him! I need to hear the Spirit daily, moment by moment or I will be devoured. This is how I find rest amidst the craziness. The other night I stayed up late to pray for awhile, because I feel the night time is the only time where I sense moments of stillness. I have to make efforts and strive to go to the "mountains" to meet Him. And sometimes I do want to drive to the country and just sit the grass :)

As I am on my journey to hear the voice of God, to be still, and to let go of culture normalcy I remember the past but continue to move forward. Life is not lived in the past but in the here and now. As I wrestle with how to find true moments of quiet it begins by making choices. Such as, playing more card games with friends and family :), where true conversations flow, less internet, music, and more quality time with people. This is not easy. It is a fight up stream. But I am determined to have my "Walton Family" in this crazy life!

Hebrews: ^1-3Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.

Advent Conspiracy

Advent Conspiracy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVqqj1v-ZBU&feature=player_embedded

Save $$ !!

Okay so if you don't know yet I am on a huge saving $$ adventure :) I feel that I finally have some time in my life to get good at this and figure it out. I always hear of these people paying pennies for their groceries and I never understood. Well last month I was behind a woman who's total came to $60.00 and she ended up paying $3.00. And she bought good food....not junk food. :)I was just in awe as I watched her hand all the coupons over. It was proof to me that it is possible for any of us to pay as few as $3.00 for groceries :) So I am sharing a deal of the week with you all that I found. I am going to get some today to donate to some families for Christmas that are in need.
Hope you find a deal this week too

BLOG.SAVEWITHLOUISE.COM

$3.99 Preschool board games at KMart this week

Check out the KMart ad this week. They have Preschool board games for $3.99 each.

Memory Disney edition (pictured)

Hi-Ho Cherry-O

Chutes & Ladders

Candy Land

Cootie

It's never too early to start holiday shopping!

Thanks to www.crazycouponlady.com.

Your Moment

Here I am starring at my calendar and seeing my summer slowly fade away. A new season of life is upon me. Entering into June I knew it would be a summer of life changing experiences but I clearly underestimated that prediction!
My journey began long before I left for Africa as I knew God was preparing my heart for greater things. Being apart of Uganda was a moment in time that I will never forget. Going to Africa with the man I love and adore, high school students, my camera, and serving Jesus--Oh there is nothing greater!!! I felt as if I was home-at peace with life. I saw and experienced challenging things but the joy of the Lord was greater than these circumstances. I had times with the Lord that I can never articulate because they were so intimate and real. They were glimpses of heaven that I'll keep with me until the day I truly return home.

I must share one story that challenged me forever. We were up in Northern Uganda in Gulu working with a local church and going into the IDP camps. One afternoon we were in a camp walking around to all the huts praying with people and giving out food.
As we got further out into the camp it became very dark and as you know there is NO electricity. So here we are trying to find our way back in pitch black. The African leader with us had moments before explained how the Lords Resistance Army has invaded this camp twice before and killed many people. I quickly became overwhelmed. I couldn't deal with all the fear and darkness that I could barely breath. I grasped Branden's hand tight and leaned over and quietly whispered to him that I was having a panic attack. Trying to be respectful and strong on the outside the only thing I could do was pray. So I began to have a conversation with God that I will NEVER forget. My mind was racing and I couldn't even think rationally. But in that moment God exposed my heart, I didn't trust Him with my life. My entire life I have said I fully trust God. But I saw that wasn't true. I saw they were just words. The reality is I live in America. I live a fairly safe life. I don't really have to put my full trust in Him if I don't want to. I don't know what its like to fear my life being taken at any given time. The reality that I was standing in the middle of a dark village with no protection was sobering and overwhelming. My only hope was to put my trust in Jesus Christ. My heart was tested and I failed. I didn't truly trust and believe God was my one and only protection and hope. It scared me. It scared me that I have always promised God I would stand with him at all times. My true heart was exposed--I wasn't who I thought I was. This experience changed a lot in my life. What will it take for me to walk in a complete and utter dependence on Jesus?
~Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God & Heaven...~Lamentations 3:15
As Africa came and went quickly, I then moved on to Summer Camp! Camp was amazing this year as I met and counseled many high school girls! I had the great privilege of baptizing a couple girls as they made a decision to live for Christ! I can tell you that was a moment that has left an impression on my life forever.

So through all that I have done and experienced this summer, I feel God leading me into a new journey. I am turning a new page of life. There are many unclear paths to me but that doesn't matter. I am called to live in obedience. I am stepping out in faith looking straight ahead at the cross. Greater things lie ahead. For me and for you. I believe it with all my heart.
~Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 3:13,14