Archives For eucharisteo

Joyful Hearts

August 20, 2011

A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
(Proverbs 17:22 ESV)

Laugh.
A lot.
Everyday.

I honestly don’t think we’ve had one day in our eleven years of marriage that hasn’t been filled with laughter. If you know us I know you’d agree. It probably helps that we both think we’re hilarious {even if nobody else agrees}. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve definitely had our fair share of struggles. There’s been tears and anger and hurt. Yet we’ve learned that a little bit of humor eases the tension in a gentle way.

How often do you and your spouse laugh together? Maybe watching a movie or tv show, right? But what about the every day? Are you able to find joy in every situation? Can you smile through the storms? I want to honestly tell you that there have been times when my husband has tried to get me to smile but I’m holding on so incredibly tight to a past hurt that I refuse to give him the satisfaction of making me happy. How cruel is that? So thankful for grace and for the Spirit teaching this stubborn disciple. Forgiveness is a beautiful thing to offer and to accept.

Search your days and make it your focus to encourage your spouse to smile today – everyday. When is somebody more beautiful than when they’re enjoying the life that they’ve been blessed with. It is so contagious as well! If you have children at home it is a wonderful sight for them to see their parents giggling in the kitchen. Give them memories of their parents being so in love that they could smile together, even through the tough seasons. As they grow older they too will seek out loves who will be joyful with them. And who doesn’t want to see their children happy and in love?

Don’t keep this just for your family. As you’re out and about make sure you’re smiling at others you pass on the street. To your waitress. To mall walkers. To neighbors. Anyone and everyone can benefit from such a simple gesture.

Blessings!

In Marriage
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Mercy for Mothers

August 18, 2011

I’ve been going strong but my do-it-all attitude finally caught up with me. After I took this photo I was feeding Jules. I went to take a sip of my cocoa and saw that I had placed her sweet potatoes and turkey covered spoon in my cup instead of her jar. Later I microwaved nothing. The green peas were still sitting atop the microwave.

Oh dear.

Oh dear is right. I came across this photo the other day. Taken about three and a half years ago. Why was I trying to be superwoman? What was so important that I had run myself into complete exhaustion? I didn’t write about it but I wonder how many times I snapped at my wee ones because we had to go-go-go. Look, there’s my Bible lying open but I wonder if I was really digesting or just reading-while-distracted. Thinking of how to complete the next to-do.

Mother’s need mercy and grace. Lots of it. We’re disillusioned into thinking that we are women hear us roar. Nothing can hold us back. But is it television that has fed us these lies? Maybe a dear friend with good intentions but no children? After all, people with less can do more. Less children and less ‘stuff’. Or maybe we really can get more done if we stepped away from the screens. The tv’s. The computers. The phones.

No matter what it is that’s causing mother’s to crash take time to encourage a mother you know who is feeling overwhelmed. I had a dear friend who would bring me a treat “just because”. Those surprise visits from her lifted me. A beautiful, unexpected distraction from the everyday. If you’re at the grocery pick up some muffins and deliver them to your friend. It’ll be a welcome snack for her children and she’ll likely appreciate a visit from an adult.

Are you the mother whom is overwhelmed? This season is short. Don’t waste your memories on dirty floor boards or fingerprint windows. Rather enjoy and kiss the peanut butter and jelly cheeks. Look into the eyes of your children and connect. Reassure them that they are more important than dust bunnies.

Take time away to dive into His word and to pray. Pray for mothers all over. Can I tell you something? When I had only two little ones I would wake early in the morning to read the Bible. And every time one of the children would wake. I was so cross! Why couldn’t God make that sweet child sleep for just a half hour longer? Or maybe the better question is why was I only seeking Him for a half hour in the morning? The children napped during the day I could certainly worship and read then. Or better yet, I could read to the children! I know that can be difficult but if it comes down to it ask your husband to watch the children so you can spend time with your maker.

Be encouraged. Enjoy this season. Enjoy the messes, the fingerprints, the piles of laundry. You’ll have plenty of time to clean when the children have left the nest. Read scripture to your children and teach them the importance and beauty and truth that is contained in His book. All His mercy. All His grace.

Blessings!

In Parenting
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Number Your Days

August 17, 2011

Have you ever considered blogging? May I encourage you to start today?

I’ve kept several blogs since the birth of my first daughter in 2002. Every single entry is incredibly precious to me. Not only do I see how my children have grown, when they reached certain milestones, memories of their baby days, etc. I also see how I’ve changed. I’m able to see the valleys. The high mountains. The seasons of struggle and growth in my marriage. I see His grace painted over all the days. The season where I walked away from Him. He was still there. Always there waiting and encouraging me.

Maybe you journal? Who doesn’t love a crisp new journal accompanied by a new pen?

The pages just waiting to hold all of your thoughts and dreams. And when you begin you think it’s going to be filled with wonderful things. But then you begin to walk through a valley and before you know it the journal that you had so much hope for is now filled with pain. No longer beautiful to look at. I cringe when I see those journals and contemplate throwing them out. Disgusted that I could be filled with so much anger, jealousy, hate, etc.

It’s not the same with blogging. When you’re online and typing your thoughts you know there is the chance somebody else is reading. I do have private blogs, ones that only family members can see, but having a public blog is a wonderful lesson in taming your tongue and capturing your thoughts.

take every thought captive to obey Christ

{2 Corinthians 10:5-6 ESV}

We’re so easily deceived into thinking that our thoughts can’t possibly effect others if we’re not acting on them. The word tells us otherwise.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

{Philippians 4:8-9 ESV}

The most beautiful gift in blogging {and journaling} is how we number our days. Our lives are fleeting. It’s so hard to remember that when our days run together like water. Wake up, breakfast, homeschool, lunch, nap, dinner, bed, repeat. Your life is so much more than that. Your thoughts, what you do every day, may seem monotonous to you but could be life changing to somebody else. Don’t down play what you do or how you live. God is most glorified when using the unnoticeable. He created you and has magnificent plans for you! Let Him use your life to shine into another’s.

So teach us to number our days

that we may get a heart of wisdom.

(Psalm 90:12 ESV)

If you feel this is the direction the Spirit is leading you then start today. Type your first entry now. Tell the world your story. Remember with each letter you type you are part of His story.

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
{1 Corinthians 2:2-5 ESV}

Blessings!

In Change the World
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Apple Butter Offerings

August 16, 2011
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to do it. {Proverbs 3:27}
As the days grow shorter and mornings grow cooler we know it’s time for our favorite family tradition. Apple picking. The time spent together within the orchards are some of the best memories we carry. But that’s just the beginning. The bushel we bring home contains a whole other set of family togetherness.
Each year we pick the apples that are best for making apple butter. This year was McIntosh. We picked and picked to our hearts delight. The little ones picked them small while the older ones looked for the most ripe. We all tried to deter the youngest girl from picking up the rotten ones from the ground. While little man rode on his papa’s back, occasionally reaching for an apple of his own. At the end of the day we made our way home with almost a whole bushel. Some for snacking but most for the butter. And so we began preparing the first batch.
After our first apple butter year we had some dear friends gift us this apple peeler. I can’t tell you what a time saver it is! Plus it’s simple for the children to crank the handle and help. Much better than Mama standing over the sink with a hand peeler and knife.
All the time we’re thinking of whom we can make a special delivery to. Every year we fail to realize just how much apple butter we make. There have been years when we’ve been selfish and not given away as much as we could have. Only to find jars in our panty later that are no longer good. So this year it’s all gonna go. Every jar. We’ll have some for ourselves, but there’s no sense in storing it. The gift of giving is too enjoyable to withhold from our little ones.
Prayerfully consider how you can bless another family. Do you bake bread? Can you babysit? A simple note to a loved one who’s all alone? A visit to a rest home? Serve at a soup kitchen? Visit an orphanage? Sponsor a child? Listen to somebody who doesn’t normally have willing ears?
There are some very simple ways to show God’s love in a practical way to people you see every day. Giving apple butter doesn’t seem like much when you consider all the hurt in this world. But every heartfelt offering has the ability to open someones eyes to His perfect love.

If you’d like to introduce the fun of apple butter to your family here is a very simple and delicious recipe to follow. Your home will be filled with all sorts of delicious autumn scents!
Blessings!
In Recipes
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Cleaning Up

August 15, 2011

Of all people to give housekeeping advice, I should not be one of them. With five children, a husband who coaches and a dog…well, I barely have time to change diapers let alone keep a spotless house. However, I still want to share my tips on how to keep your house from being condemned. Fair enough?

I have two forms of cleaning house. The first is my favorite. When we moved into our first house they gave us one of the floor plans that the original builder had used. {Example below}

What I do with the floor plan is make many copies and keep them all in a folder. Once a week I pull our a new sheet and tape it to the wall. As the rooms get cleaned I take a marker and cross out the completed room. It’s easy and the children love to each pick a different colored marker and see who can cross off the most rooms by the end of the day.

Using a floor plan is especially humbling when considering the homes of many across the globe are only the size of one of our rooms {if that}. It is a good reminder that ‘we’ are the rich that is talked about in the Bible.

“How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!
For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
{Luke 18:24-25 ESV}

The above video is from a post at Inspired to Action. A beautiful reminder that the ‘stuff’ keeps us from living real life.

One way we get the kids to help us clean is by taking photos of the clean rooms. Sometimes we show the photos of the clean rooms to inspire us all before we begin our cleaning day or we have a contest and every time somebody cleans a room they get their photo taken in said room. Whoever has the most photos at the end of the day gets a special treat. For example everybody will get a bowl of ice cream but the winner gets a topping {chocolate, nuts, fruit, etc}.

The children don’t enjoy cleaning. Obviously, right? Whose kids do? Almost every single time I hear “can we please donate some toys?” How can I say no? They know they too will enjoy life more with less. If ever your children ask this simple question don’t hesitate! Encourage their selfless, giving hearts. And join them in helping others.

Blessings!

In House
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