Thank God for "normal days"

I read an interesting quote by Gloria Gaither yesterday: "Thank God for normal days - there are far to few of them"

For me lately, my days have been busy and stressful. It seemed like I didn't have a moment to think. Those kinds of days are filled with prayer. But, on a rare occasion, I do have days that are relaxing and I have time to think and read and putter around the house.

I have realized that when I am having one of those rare "normal days" my thoughts are not on God as much as they are on hard days.

I encourage you to thank God for normal days and chaotic days. Either way, God is in control and He only allows what is best for us to happen.

God is so good!

Lately, I have been trying to do some Spring Cleaning. In a way it is a treat to be able to finally be able to do things that have had to be neglected due to my broken leg saga. But it is also hard work.

One area I have been dealing with is changing out our winter clothes for summer clothes. I have found it to be a bit overwhelming. Dan has so many t-shirts that I couldn't get them all in the drawer! He needed to determine which ones he wanted to keep and which ones to donate to Goodwill. For me, the issue is what I fit into and what I don't. I ended up donating lots of clothes that are the wrong size, some too big and some too small. (I enjoyed finding out that some things were too big!)

We also took some things to Goodwill that had just been sitting in the basement. There is a lot of things that we just don't need anymore now that we are empty nesters.

While we were cleaning things and organizing things, I realized how gracious God had been to us over the years. If He hadn't blessed us with so much, I wouldn't have had to spend time going through things. I also thought about housecleaning and cooking and laundry. For us they are chores and we don't usually enjoy doing them. But, if God hadn't been so gracious and blessed us with houses that need to be cleaned, food that we can cook and enjoy, and clothes to wear, we wouldn't have to spend time on these things at all.

I realized that my daily chores are really a time to be thanking God for all that He has provided for me. So, when you find yourself scrubbing the floor or toilets, take time out to thank Him for providing these things. It is proof that He keeps His promises and delights in giving us good things

Testimony of God's Graciousness

As some of you know, I had the opportunity last week to travel for work. I was gone Sunday night through Friday night and traveled back and forth between Franklin, MA and Apex, NC every day. It was a long trip, but a good one. The schedule made for a week of very little sleep and much stress but I was struck over and over again by the graciousness of God being poured out on me!

I am a Henry and as such, pretty much expect thing to go wrong in any undertaking, but especially when traveling. Most of you have heard tales of Henry camping trips. :) I was traveling with another person the first two days, but after that was on my own. I spent much time in prayer asking for God's grace as I negotiated my way through unfamiliar airports and car rental agencies and then finding my way to hotels and client locations. I get lost sooo easily!! By the way, the picture above is one of my first ever rental car...have you ever seen a dumber looking car?? At least it was a normal one, the next car was a hybrid that didn't have any keys; you had to go through a complicated button pushing routine to get the darn thing going.

I never got lost. The first night on my own the GPS brought me to a freeway that was closed down. Of course. But without any troubles I just went past the on-ramp and the GPS found me another freeway to take. I was never late - or even close to being late! Several times my flights landed early (!). Most of my flights I had a seat to myself or a quiet person sitting next to me. Twice, a flight attendant came up to me and asked if I cared to move to a different row that I could have to myself!

One night I had a layover and didn't have a chance to eat before my first flight. It would be midnight before I got my rental car and another hour or so after that before I got to my hotel. I had prepared myself to just deal with being hungry but that airline (Jet Blue, if anyone is wondering) gives free snacks. And since I had a layover I got everything double!! Ended up not being hungry at all!

My suitcase was always one of the first few to come out at the baggage check.

There were so many opportunities for things to go wrong and nothing ever did. I have never experienced a smoother trip. God showed me so much grace and mercy in countless little ways that I was in a state of absolute thankfulness and wonder each day. I wanted to share this testimony with all of you and also give a brief reminder to be on the lookout for gifts of God in every day life. He truly is so good to us!

Thankful for...

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I hope all of you ladies did as well. For a while earlier this week it looked like we might not be able to come back for Thanksgiving due to some car trouble we were having, but we were able to get it fixed. We so enjoyed spending time with family and hearing what everyone is thankful for. I am thankful for many things. I am thankful for the fact that when God looks at me in His holiness; He sees me in Christ! He sees me in the righteousness of Jesus and loves and forgives me! I am so thankful for the things that God is teaching us and how He continually works in our hearts to make us more like Jesus. I am so thankful that Jesus has freed me from slavery to sin and that I can now obey Him with joy instead of out of a sense of obligation or a feeling that I must earn His grace. I am so glad that He generously and freely gives us all good things because of Jesus. I could go on and on, but one thing that I want to focus on is a ministry of our new church Immanuel Baptist Church in Louisville, KY which I am thankful for.

Immanuel Baptist Church is so focused on bringing the gospel to the surrounding neighborhood that it is in. It is located in the inner city (in a ghetto), so they have alot of contact with homeless people as well as people who live in drug houses or who are prostitutes. In order to minister to the neighborhood, they had a Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday the 22nd of Novemeber where all of the small groups brought the traditional food and then served it up joyfully along with some "down to earth" interaction, singing of some more familiar hymns and a 20 minute gospel presentation to 200 men, women and children from the Shelby Park neighborhood.

The neat thing is that these people weren't strangers to the church either. Every Friday they come to the church and are fed lunch, hear a gospel presentation, sing (or just listen)some hymns from old hymnals and they are given free clothes from the clothes closet and food for their home from the food pantry. If Immanuel Baptist Church closed down tomorrow the people of Shelby Park would notice. There would be many people who would be lonely and hungry and thirsty and naked. There would be people who would be lost in their sin and not ever hearing anyone telling them that Jesus Christ came to save sinners. And there are so many other ways that the people would feel the loss.

This year I am so thankful that our family has this great opportunity to actively learn how to minister the love of Jesus and forgiveness of sins to people in such desperate situations and circumstances.

Witty Wednesday

Good Morning, Ladies! Happy Wednesday :) Karen asked me to post the following story for her, as she will not be by a computer today.


Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving day, I have kind of a Witty Thanksgiving post for you:

I have a funny story about Thanksgiving 1983. Dan and I were already married, and my parents and sister came down to Alabama for Thanksgiving. Somehow, one of us kept saying we should "show our appreciation" for things since it was Thanksgiving time. It snowballed and got to be a joke amongst us. Everytime we did or ate anything that entire weekend, we had to "show our appreciation" for it.

There was this great ice cream parlor there called Swenson's. They had very good ice cream (Kopp's custard is the best) and it was something special to go there. So, we all went to Swenson's. I was very pregnant with Daniel at the time. My Dad couldn't decide what flavor he wanted so he asked me if I wanted to split this humongus ice cream sundae. I forget the name of it but, it contained a scoop of every flavor they had (about 30 I think) as well as hot fudge, carmel, strawberries, just everything that can possibly be put on an ice cream sundae. It was served in what resembled a small, silver punch bowl. When the waitress brought it to the table, my Dad and I wondered how we were ever going to finish all of that ice cream. So, we decided to dig in and see what happened. We kept telling each other to "show our appreciation" for all of that ice cream. Our whole group was laughing so hard and loud, people kept looking at us. My Dad and I ended up getting really full. We didn't finish all of it but it wasn't for a lack of trying. We also laughed about when we were going to get up from the table and everyone would see my over inflated belly and think I had way to much ice cream.

Ever since that time, Thanksgiving is always a time to "show our appreciation" and sometimes we "show our appreciation" even when it's not Thanksgiving.

I thought it would be nice if everyone shared something that they are especially thankful for this year. I'll start us off with what I am thankful for:

I am most thankful for Jesus's death on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin so I can have a relationship with Him and live with Him forever. I am also thankful that I can walk and that the Lord healed my leg.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!



We'd love to hear some of your favorite Thanksgiving stories! Please feel free to share in the comments section.

I Will Bless the Lord at all Times

I am going to resume my series on what makes a home attractive next week. Today I would like to share a Psalm that has been my life-breath this week as there have been many household complications. My grandpa (who lives with us) is in the hospital, gram is sick and, well, the house (literally) is just falling apart....lol! The ceiling in the kitchen is sagging and cracking, the downstairs bathroom continues to give us problems off and on, my oven is broken, and the gas fireplace that is the only source of heat in the living room isn't working either. My God is near and good and He provides, so we shall praise Him and figure out what in the world to do.

I have many other things to cook with even if my husband can't fix the oven right away. There are these cool things called space heaters that will soon be in my living room. And the rest, take time effort and money, so they will be fixed at some point, some day, perhaps in the very near future (we have a plan of attack). I have a second bathroom that works great! My husband has part-time work in a troubled economy and we have been well taken care of. My Father in Heaven has been abundantly kind to us. Last night I went to bed early so I could hold it together and He has allowed me to remember and savor His goodness. If I think about it; nothing is really that bad. This is just another opportunity to see our Lord at work.

Update: I actually wrote this a few days ago. Since then, our gracious Father has shown us much of His kindness and provision. My husband was able to fix the oven and fireplace all by himself; which is a tremendous blessing since we are having a lot of family here for Thanksgiving.
My grandpa is still in the hospital; he has been transferred from St. Cats to Kenosha Hospital. Please continue to pray for comfort from our Heavenly Father. We would love to see gramps be able to be home with us for Thanksgiving!


Psalm 34

1 I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
²My soul will make its boast in the LORD;
The humble will hear it and rejoice.
³O magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
⁴I sought the LORD, and He answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
⁵They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces will never be ashamed.
⁶This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
And saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him,
And rescues them.
⁸O taste and see that the LORD is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
⁹O fear the LORD, you His saints;
For to those who fear Him there is no want.
¹⁰The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;
But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing.
¹¹Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
¹²Who is the man who desires life
And loves length of days that he may see good?
¹³Keep your tongue from evil
And your lips from speaking deceit.
¹⁴Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.
¹⁵The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
And His ears are open to their cry.
¹⁶The face of the LORD is against evildoers,
To cut off the memory of them from the earth.
¹⁷The righteous cry, and the LORD hears
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
¹⁸The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.
¹⁹Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the LORD delivers him out of them all.
²⁰He keeps all his bones,
Not one of them is broken.
²¹Evil shall slay the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
²²The LORD redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.

Thankfulness

Happy Thursday! My mom wrote a guest post for your enjoyment and encouragement today! :)


It is amazing what a couple of days "up North" did for me. It was nice just to have time to think. These are my thoughts. My hope is that they will encourage you.

I accepted an old family friend on Facebook last week. As I thought about how his life turned out for him I began to feel sorry for myself. He is a musician in a band that was nominated for a Grammy award (or is it Emmy? I don't keep track of these things). The band is Spyro Gyra. I've looked at their website and they travel EVERYWHERE. Not just Europe but other cool places like Dubai and Russia. My brother and I tried to get together with him last summer but he was "out of the country." I began thinking how it must be nice to be "out of the country." I have always loved to travel. I would go anywhere if the opportunity presented itself. When Nichole and Rebekah went to Germany, I thought that it was just not right that my kids got to go before I did. Again, I had the same thought when Matty went to Cameroon. So, the more I thought about Scott and his life the more I began to feel like life was passing me by. I'll be 50 this year and with the economy the way that it is I wondered if I would ever get to go anywhere. I've been to Canada. That's it, not even Mexico.

It didn't help that that day's activities for me had been washing an elderly lady's clothing and cooking for the next day! Exciting stuff. :( Not! So now, I was really feeling sorry for myself. And then I remembered our Lord. I don't know if Scott is a Christian. I do know that he believes in God but I did too before I was a Christian. I remembered that someday I will take a trip that will be infinitely better than any trip that he has taken or anyone for that matter! Seeing our Lord and Savior at last and through eyes that aren't sinful, fully seeing His glory! Well, it will be better than I, or any of us, can imagine. And if I see him or others in heaven when I get there that I have told about the Lord it will add to my joy. My joy will be infinitely immense. Better than any trip here could possibly produce.

I think of Matt's sermon a few Sundays ago and how our Lord gives us the Word of God and then life to apply it to very faithfully each Sunday. He is so good to us. The jealousy that could easily have turned to bitterness was stopped in its tracks as I remembered our Father and His love in sending His beloved Son so that I could be called His beloved child. And that someday I could be with Him FOREVER! His lovingkindness is truly better than life and traveling!

Answered Prayers

I have very few Christian friends my age. This isn't a big deal as God has blessed me much in the Christian friends He has given me. However, in the past several years I've really wanted to find a way to connect with believers my age. It didn't seem to be happening at my church and so I started going to Intervarsity Christian Fellowship at Parkside. Although I made a couple of friends at IV, the overall experience was extremely disappointing. I did not find the fellowship or teaching I had desired. As a result, I gave it up. I turned the matter over to prayer. I asked forgiveness for trying to solve the "problem" myself and admitted that I knew that God had my best in mind and that if He thought I needed Christian friends my age then He would provide them.
Shortly thereafter, we started a college age Bible study at my church Thursday nights. It was a small group but the teaching was good and I enjoyed myself. As proof of my little faith, I had very little expectations for it. However, in the last couple months God has been graciously growing the class. We now have a really good size group of people from several different churches in the area! Thursday evenings have become my favorite time of the week and I look forward to Bible study with great anticipation.
Last week it hit me....God answered my prayer! And not only did He answer it (because of course we know that He always answers prayer) but He answered it in the way I was hoping for!
I was overcome with excitement over the work I can see God doing in the group and sadness over my slow reaction to thank Him for it. The whole experience started me thinking, how often do I do this? How often do I ask God for something (be it as small as getting to work on time or as large as finding the money to pay for the next semester of school) and then, once His answer has been revealed, accept it as normalcy and not a blessing from my Lord? The answer shamed me. So often I am quick to run to God with all of my perceived (and actual!) needs and then forget to run to Him again when they are provided for.
What is my point? Simply this: WE SHOULD THANK GOD FOR ANSWERED PRAYERS! Yes, God desires us to come to Him with our needs but this should not be the extent of our prayer life. It should not be the majority of our prayer life. Lets be quick to run to God with praise and thanksgiving....as well as petition.

One of our hot water pipes that runs to our downstairs sink burst today. It was an impressive break. It actually burst right in the middle of a CPVC 90 degree elbow. (Not at the seam where it joins to the CPVC pipe, but right in the crux of the elbow... WOW!...) In this trial, I see God's gracious hand in a lot of ways. Here's a few...

1. It burst beneath floor level so it caused no damage to the drywall.

2. Though the pipe was pouring water like a waterfall directly onto a Rubbermaid container in the basement which contained such precious items as my wedding dress, Aidan's dedication gown, baby blankets, an heirloom wedding quilt, my wedding headpiece, etc... not a drop of water got into it and God kindly kept them all safe and dry.

3. The burst pipe was relatively quickly discovered due to the fancy schmancy clothes washer that we have because it registered the lack of water pressure and kept giving us an error when I was trying to do laundry, which caused me to check the basement and as such the Lord used it to lead me to the waterfall...

4. Here is the perfect opportunity to fix that leak in the sink drain that I've been putting off for the last...(cough) 4 years

5. Here is the perfect opportunity to insulate the new pipes so that they will not freeze over every time the temperature drops below 10 degrees (that is: every other month year round and every other day, during the winter.)

6. Here is also the perfect opportunity to move the pipes from their experimental placement in the northern exterior wall of the house (it seemed like a great idea to me at the time!) to come up through the floor of the vanity (protected by the aforementioned pipe insulation.)

7. It certainly gave me good incentive to clean out under the sink and get rid of stuff. Maybe after I re-attach everything, I can store towels down there!

8. It gave me an opportunity to share the way God blessed our family with some unsaved friends that were at my house scrapbooking tonight as well as with all of you!

9. It showed me the tender compassionate understanding of the Lord who would care enough about me to take care of silly sentimental things that I hold onto, though they have no eternal value - which causes me to rejoice in Him more than those things.

10. It gave Ryan and I an opportunity to be a witness of peace and joy in the midst of trials to our three boys (and God supplied the grace to keep us peaceful and joyful in the midst of the trial too!)

So I guess the moral of the story is: in everything, be thankful! God is doing good stuff and showing us His lovingkindness! May we all see His kindnesses even in the trials of life!


(... Post script: God was also so kind to allow us to get our pipes fixed on the very next day, with very little hassle and all is back up and running now! )

Grateful meditations

What am I thankful for? Well, I can think of many things. I have had many temporal blessings in my life; many times filled with laughter and joy. I have memories that I cherish and am truly grateful to have experienced. I have a helpful and loving family, a good marriage, 4 happy children, a sound church, and genuine friends. But notice I said temporal. God is good to His children in this life - He really is - but everything in the here and now is very temporary. It is here today and gone tomorrow. One day you have a job that provides adequately for your family and then next thing you know it's gone. One day health insurance is a good friend and then..... Bam! It is gone before you know what hit you, at a time when it seems like your greatest need of it is there! Tight budgets get tighter, healthy friends and family suddenly become ill, beloved family and friends move or plan to move away ( you know who you are), relationships change! Your precious reputation or status in the workplace, home or church change, fall apart, fall short of the goals you set for yourself. Spouses, children, parents, and grandparents fall short of your expectations and you fall short of theirs. And the conclusion that you come to is, life is filled with disappointment and opportunities to despair. The good things you enjoy and are not wrong to enjoy, at some point in time can be taken away. Does this sound like Matthew 6 to you? Moth and rust destroy! The stuff we love and treasure doesn't really last. The things we work so hard for are very, very temporary. Disappointment, disappointment, disappointment! But not so for the one who has Jesus!

Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;

and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;

and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Those of us who have peace with God through Jesus have something that can never be disappointing! We have hope that doesn't disappoint! We have something that can never be taken away from us! We have what is imperishable, a treasure that no one can take and no one can destroy! Hallelujah!

We, along with the Psalmist, King David, can live in joy and contentment even in times of extreme trial and great loss; if our hearts are as captivated by the savior as his was: One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD and to meditate in His temple. Psalm 27:4

If Jesus is who I treasure, my highest goal, greatest desire, and all my hopes and dreams are wrapped up in Him, then life will still be joy-filled and free of total despair. And we can indeed cry out: I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13

We taste and savor a hope in Jesus that is sure, not some vague hope that we are not able to be confident in. So, I have much more to be grateful for than the temporal blessing that I experience off and on, that are here today and gone the next.

In light of Thanksgiving…

We spent Thanksgiving with Ryan’s family at his parent’s house. We had a great time! It’s funny though, how many families have gathered together and are connected now, through the Aldrich’s. Forty some years ago the Lord brought together Ruth and Roy in marriage. Over the years He gave them first Rick, then Randy, then Ryan (my personal favorite) and finally Rebecca. In 1994 He added me to their Thanksgiving family table, then the next year Aidan. Next He added Leila to the table. Then came Aaron and two years later Austin. Eventually He added Jasmine to the family table. Over the years have come many more children: Jackson, Mac Kenzie, Noelle, Calvin, and Jordyn. Then He added Eric (Rebecca’s husband) to the Aldrich table. Then came more children: Silas, Alexis and Sydney. Now here is where the fun begins…. Leila brought her mother Sue to the Aldrich table and I have brought my mom Susan to their table. Rebecca and Eric have brought his parent’s to the Aldrich table! Throughout the years other visitors have gathered around “the parent’s” table at Thanksgiving, Christmas or any other time of the year.

Why do I mention all of this? Because God was at work in all of these people’s lives to bring them all together at Thanksgiving and other times of the year to: fellowship, talk of the goodness of the Lord, to witness for Christ to unbelievers, to laugh, to cry and even sometimes to yell, humble ourselves and extend forgiveness. In all of these relationships God blesses us. He shows us His love, kindness, tenderness, and grace. He reminds us that relationships are good and ways for us to live out the love of Christ. He reminds me that I would not be able to really enjoy these people if it weren’t for Christ at work in our lives. He reminds me that He is my heavenly Father and many of the people present at the table around me are brothers and sisters in the truest sense: in Christ. He reminds me that those of us who are His children will have perfect relationships free from sin when we get to Heaven. He reminds me that in Christ, God brings together people from many walks of life and many backgrounds all for His glory! I have so much to be thankful for as I look around the Aldrich Thanksgiving Table and it all starts and ends with Jesus! What a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Counting my Blessings

Wednesday morning was… unique. I woke up edgy and as the early morning unfolded I found that I was continually fighting to be patient and kind to those around me. On the agenda for the day was a trip to the airport to drop off my mother, who was going to visit my sister in Utah. Her plane was supposed to take off at noon and the airport is about a half an hour away, so we needed to leave (at the very latest) an hour and a half early. In an unusual show of preparedness, we decided to leave two and a half hours early. When we got out to the mini-van, we found that it had a flat tire. I mean entirely flat. (I knew I should have picked up that screw I saw in the driveway the other day!) I spent fifteen minutes unsuccessfully trying to air up the tire enough to drive it to a auto repair place, only to have my mom and my 3 sons walk down to the corner repair shop, while I drove the van really slowly down the alley to meet them there. By the time I drove the 100 feet to the repair shop on the corner, my tire was entirely off of the rim. The gentleman informed us that this wasn’t “fixable”; that we had to drive 2 blocks to the tire shop in order to have it replaced in any reasonable amount of time (that is: within a day). I really didn’t want to ruin the rim but he assured me that if I drive very slowly and put on my hazards that it should be alright. (Apparently this unique combination of driving slowly with your hazards on protects the rim of the tire.) So, my mom and the boys walk the 2 blocks to the tire repair shop and I drive slowly (with my hazards on) to meet them there. I pull the van ever so gently into the parking lot and talk to the owner who informs me that I need to drive the van down their gravel filled alley and around to the back of the shop so that they can replace the tire. (Did I mention that I am essentially driving on just the rim?) I could hear every crunch of gravel digging into my rim and could picture all the potential damage that was being done to it. I imagined the man telling me that I’d need to replace the rim as well as the tire, by the time I got around to the back of the shop.

So when I got the van to where they wanted it, they pulled out the car jack. One guy had to lift up on my van just to get the jack into place because it was riding so low. The rim was bunged up a bit, but it was only cosmetic scuffs and dings, etc., so they repaired the tire. Meanwhile, the owner pointed out how poor the condition of the other rear tire was and convinced me to get that tire replaced as well. So they start fixing the other tire. At this point the owner says, “You weren’t planning on paying with a credit card were you? Because my machine is down and I’m only accepting cash.” As a matter of fact I was planning on paying with a credit card and don’t carry any cash. So he kindly told me I could walk 3 blocks away to an ATM so that I could get cash. He would not let me leave my mom and my boys and drive my van up to get the money. So I ended up jogging barefoot (due to the fact that I was wearing floppy sandals) to the ATM to get the money and back. I was winded but paid for the van and off we drove to the airport with two new-ish tires. Guess how long this adventure set us back? One hour. So as I was driving away I had to stop (mentally) and praise God for all the blessings that I could see in this experience (and for the ones that I can’t see, too)!

• Praise God that He moved us to decide to leave an extra hour early
• Praise God that the tire went flat in my driveway rather than on the freeway at 70 mph
• Praise God for the great attitude of my mom who accepted with contentment the possibility that she might miss her plane and miss out on her visit with my sister.
• Praise God for the attitudes of my sons who saw the flat tire experience as an “adventure”
• Praise God that He provided the money for the repairs just that morning before we knew of the expense
• Praise God for the new tire repair place being so close to our house so I didn’t have to drive the car far or pay to get it towed
• Praise God for my health and fitness which allowed me to be able to walk (or jog, as it were) up to the ATM
• Praise God for my mom’s and my children’s health and fitness that they were able to walk to the repair shops (thus taking a bunch of weight off of the rim of the tire)
• Praise God that we were able to get the whole situation taken care of and we still managed to get my mom to the airport in time
• Praise God for the new found appreciation of planning extra time “just in case”…
  

There are so many more praises to be said, but God knows them all. This situation was a big reminder of the grace of God in our everyday lives. May the Lord help me to praise His name all the more in every situation!

Wants, Contentment, and God’s Perfect Plan

My husband is a carpenter. Up until recently he had a great paying job for a union company. He was getting 40 hrs each week and things in our little “financial world” were looking good. But not quite two months ago, Ryan was laid off because his company didn’t have enough work for all of their employees. Ryan has been applying at different union contractors, but they all seem to have a shortage of available work. This change in Ryan’s employment may be temporary but it shows us how quickly our finances can change, which in turn causes us to be wary of any future plans which would increase our expenses such as house sales, and purchases, etc. We have a nice house that we’ve been fixing up in hope of selling (and moving far away from our current neighborhood) with dreams of building our own home… the DREAM home. I had given much thought and spent long hours planning and dreaming about where we could build, what lot to purchase, what type of house to build, which floor plan to choose, etc. So as I look over our current situation and then look to the future, I must consider the possibility that my worldly dreams may never come true. Why do I mention all of this? Well, because God is using this time and these particular “trials” to show me what’s in my heart.

Let me just say right up front that God is providing for our needs. Our bills are paid each month and we are well fed. We have many encouraging friends who pray for us and show Christian concern and brotherly kindness all the time. Yet I see in my heart a sadness at the prospect of giving up my dream of moving and building our dream house, along with the pleasant feeling of a steady (if not inflated) income. I know in theory that God’s plan for us is what’s best but it’s times like these when our application of those truths is tested that I find myself less than joyfully accepting of God’s will. I am sure that one reason God has brought these trials into our lives is to show me my heart and it’s idols, so that I may tear them down and offer up my whole self (including my desires, dreams and plans) to the Lord for His glory. It’s not as easy as it sounds, though.

I spend so much time thinking “wouldn’t it be great if…” or “I would love to…” that I have to pull back and re-orient myself to the present tense. I need to spend less time dreaming about what could be (in the “American dream” sense) and more time being thankful for the things that are. I need to start really believing in my heart, not just in my words, that whatever God gives to me is the absolute best thing for me and that whatever He withholds from me, is because it was NOT good for me (at least not yet). I also need to be careful to not focus on the future too much, thinking that I know how God will work out my tomorrow based upon what’s happening today. Today, God may have said “No” but that doesn’t mean that He’ll always say “No”. He gives me the best thing for today, which may not be the best thing in two years. I need to trust Him to work out the details and to do it all well. I need to take seriously the call to keep my eyes focused on heavenly things and my feet firmly grounded in today, for each day “has enough trouble of its own”. Matthew 6:33-34

Let me end with the thought that reassures me. If God is so excellent as to plan something as wonderful as salvation for a person so undeserving as me, then He can certainly be trusted to work out a wonderful and excellent design for my daily life. Or, to put it another way, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32. So though I may be temporarily sad over what appears to be the loss of my “dream”, I can be much more permanently happy knowing that however God blesses us, it will be better than I could have ever planned. I just have to look with eyes of faith to see it!

Thankful for … well lots of things

This past Labor Day Weekend we went camping with some friends of ours at Governor Dodge State Park in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. Over the course of the four day weekend God brought to my mind many things that I have to be thankful for. So many of these are insignificant things that I normally take for granted, but, as I became more aware of them, I was able to appreciate God’s tender care and provision for us.

We are simple campers so we still sleep in a tent and cook over the campfire with a tripod. While that is enjoyable for a weekend, it helped to “re-awaken” my appreciation for my soft (and dry) bed, my relatively clean floors (at least there’s no piles of dirt and camp debris that stick to your feet before you get into bed), for my stove and microwave as well as cupboards filled with clean dishes and a dishwasher to wash the ones that are dirty. That same tent helped my son Austin to appreciate the sturdiness of the exterior walls of our house, which keep hungry raccoons at a safe distance. (He was sure that they were man eating raccoons.) Though God blessed us to be close to the bathrooms, I was reminded how blessed we are to only have to walk 15 feet from my bed (in the middle of the night) to the bathroom (and without having to put on extra clothes and shoes). So while we enjoyed the “camping experience” it did serve to help us be really thankful for the “non-camping convenience” of home.

Other things that God blessed us with were opportunities to appreciate the beauty of His creation and His kindness in sharing it with us. We hiked all over the trails of Governor Dodge State Park and saw such wonderful things as a waterfall, a springhouse, quiet forests, and open plains with tall grass waving in the breeze. We met with curious raccoons and ground squirrels. We saw hundreds of hawks circling above the trees all at the same time and even a bald eagle. We found empty snail shells and really cool rocks. We found a dry rock river bed that wound down through a forest complete with small wood plank bridges to cross over by… which called forth fantastic imaginings of the possible story book trolls that could be living underneath those same bridges.

For that matter, we were reminded of how blessed we are to be able to walk all over the hills and valleys (at our leisure) and see all these vistas which are inaccessible to people in wheelchairs or who are limited by physical ailments or frailties. As we ran around the playground playing tag with our boys, I was reminded how blessed we are to be fit enough to run and jump and play with them. (Ryan can even outrun them all still!) As we explored a metal sculpture “art junkyard”, I was thankful that God made us in His image to be creative thinkers and to turn raw materials into objects of beauty. But mostly I was just thankful that God would open my eyes to see these things and more.

Late one night while lying in “bed” (I use the word loosely when referring to the temperamental air mattress we slept on), I was reminded that for me to truly appreciate the glories and gifts of God, Jesus had to die. It seems like such an extreme event that had to take place (the death of Christ on behalf of sinners) in order to bring about something that should be so natural and unfettered (that is the praise and adoration of God) and it is all because of sin (my sin and the sin of Adam & Eve). I would be blinded to the wonders of God’s beauties as He has displayed them through creation if it weren’t for the work of the Spirit in bringing the gospel alive in my heart. And thinking on the life and death and resurrection of Jesus made me appreciate all the more, the amazing person of God as well as His plans for me. So in turn, I was able to appreciate better, all the things that I already mentioned as well as a hundred other things that I don't have time to speak of. And so, it was a good weekend and a weekend of praise to God through Christ Jesus. To God be the glory.

America…

I love America. I love being an American. We are so privileged here in our country! Even the poorest of the poor is rich when compared to most other nations in the world. We have many conveniences at our finger tips and in our homes which many other countries either don’t have or have only on a limited basis. We have police officers, firemen, rescue squad workers, and great hospitals to meet our needs as well as to serve our cities. We have courageous military personnel that are always ready to serve and protect our freedom as well as those who cannot protect themselves. We have a rich heritage that our country was founded upon. We have every opportunity to achieve our dreams in America which can be used to further the gospel and support missionaries as well as local ministries. Or if we so desire, we can be the missionaries, pastors, teachers, servers, etc. that will so make a difference for Christ’s name in this world. We have nothing holding us back except ourselves when it comes to living in the USA. I love it!

What opportunity and hope lies ahead of a child of God in this nation! I can bring up my children freely to follow Jesus and to seek to bring Jesus to this lost and dying generation. I can send them out into this world as carpenter “missionaries”, doctor “missionaries”, school teacher “missionaries”, military “missionaries”, etc. and I know that the harvest is still plentiful, just as it was in Jesus’ time. Even in everyday experiences I see God’s blessings upon this nation and I praise Him that He has put us where we are and called us to minister in the way He has.

Tomorrow we will go to a picnic at our church to celebrate our nation’s freedom. Later we will go down to Lake Michigan and watch the fireworks. I will think of our national anthem and be pleased and proud to be an American. I will think of how our freedom was won by brave men willing to fight for what was right and I will honor them. I will think of how much greater it will be to be a citizen of Heaven. I will thank God for His gracious hand and His wonderful blessings that lead us to think on Him and worship. I hope you will too!