{miscellany monday}

Happy Monday to everyone! I decided to jump back into {miscellany monday} because sharing about other things I find on the web is one of my favorite things about this blog!

1. 5 Ways to Fight Slavery

I liked this post - What Christians Do About Modern-Day Slavery over at the desiring God blog. It was informative, convicting and challenging. We need to do our part in fighting the evil of human trafficking and this article helps point out some easy and obvious ways to do it. I can't help but think of this quote by Martin Luther King Jr.
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” 

2. Stop Asking Jesus into Your Heart

This is a review of J.D. Greear's book, Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart, by Tim Challies.
Challies says, "Greear sets out to accomplish two things: to help the Christian find assurance that he has been saved, and to help the unbeliever resting on a false assurance see his danger and to turn to Christ." It looks like a great book and would be helpful for anyone who struggles with the assurance of their salvation.

3. A mover and a shaker

Iris is on the move! 
So far she still army crawls everywhere, but she gets up on all fours and rocks it like a rock star. I love to see their personalities take shape. She's 6 months and I love this age!


4. The Greatest of These is Love

photo by cloistered away

My friend, Bethany, wrote a great post on Valentine's Day last week. I could totally relate and I know you will too.
  Check it out, will you?

Grace and peace to you 

this glorious Monday morning,

Little Cyclones

Almost every night, when I shut the door to Reed's room (after shutting the girls' door with Saige still talking), I walk into the living room and sigh as loud as I possibly can and flop down on the couch. And it is one of the best feelings after a very long day. All I want to do at that point is absolutely nothing. I get to sit there and not feel guilty about it. For me this is somewhat of a Sabbath rest. I have a difficult time resting without feeling like I need to be doing something else (the laundry, the dishes, etc). But every night, I completely enjoy my guilt-free rest. I sit with Patrick and we talk about the day and then usually watch one of the shows we've DVR'd or if I am by myself, I catch up on Downton Abbey.
Recently, I have been reminded graciously, by people that have children out of the house, that our kids are so busy and that they can hardly remember what that was like to have little ones. And in those moments, I feet justified by my weariness and am also humbled by the very fact that it goes by so fast. Sometimes it's nice to be reminded that the constant chaos and busyness that children bring is not going to be my forever normal. And more importantly, I don't need to feel guilty for being so exhausted and spent at the end of the day. Check out this quote from C.S. Lewis in a letter he once wrote:

"My brother and I have just had the experience of an American lady to stay with us accompanied by her two sons, aged 9 1/2 and 8. Whew! Lovely creatures — couldn’t meet nicer children — but the pace! I realize I have never respected young married people enough and never dreamed of the Sabbath calm which descends on the house when the little cyclones have gone to bed and all the grown-ups fling themselves into chairs and the silence of exhaustion." Read others ones here.

At the same time, it's nice to be reminded that these days will come to an end, and I need to remember to cherish them now.  These pictures remind me of just how much I need to relish these moments. Because I can remember them like it was yesterday...

 

miscellany monday

1. Ahh... Monday, you are here again. I used to loathe Mondays. You know, because it meant "back to the grind," but I have intentionally scheduled it to be a slow day, so that I don't start out the week rushed and unorganized. After we take Saige to school, the littles and I eat breakfast, play, get dressed and go to the grocery store. No rushing. It is good for this Momma who doesn't do well when she's feeling hurried. This is what Monday mornings and every morning for that matter look like around here. This girl loves her some cards. I think this is probably one of the only traits she got from me. I used to play for hours by myself when no one wanted to keep playing with me. A girl after my own heart. You try telling that sweet face no.

2. I found this excerpt by John Piper encouraging...

There is a principle here that applies to you and me: God takes small, imperfect things and builds them into a habitation for his glory. O, how we should take courage in our little spheres of influence! And is this not the message of Advent and Christmas?

What more appropriate word could God have said to Mary as Jesus was growing up: Take courage, young mother, you build more than you see. And so it is with every one of us. Nothing you do is a trifle if you do it in the name of God. He will shake heaven and earth to fill your labor with splendor. Take courage, you build more than you see.

3. This boy of mine got a haircut, thanks to Mimi's handiwork, and now officially looks 10 years older. Sigh.

 

4. It's cold here. Finally. It's been hard to get into the holiday season when it's been 70 degrees outside. But it's going to be in the 50's during the day and 30's at night this week. I plan to get our tree this week and break out all the decorations. Putting up the tree, listening to Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas, and drinking hot chocolate are by far my favorite things to do at this time of year.

 

5. Please pray for this sweet girl. She keeps getting re-occurring ear infections, and the doctor has suggested tubes. But I have read that doesn't always fix the problem. She may have a milk allergy and I am going to probably cut dairy out of her diet and see if that helps. I am not looking forward to this, as she loves milk. Have any of you had to do this with your child? What milk alternative should I start with? Suggestions and advice are welcome!

 

Happy Monday, y'all!

 

Excuse me, there is work to be done

I didn't think I could do it. 
I didn't think I could go for a run yesterday afternoon. 
But I put on my running clothes that morning, hoping it would encourage me to go later. Nap time rolled around and I was dreading the inevitable question from Patrick, the one I also needed to answer myself, "Are you going to go for a run?" I sat there and wanted to whine, wanted to make excuses. 
But I decided I would stand up, put on my shoes, put on my earphones and step outside. I wasn't feeling 100% and we still had church that evening so I would be pushing it to get back in time to get showered and all of the kids ready.
But once I stepped outside, I just told myself to do the minimum of 30 minutes. I ended up getting a second wind at 30 and ran for 50 minutes. This wasn't one of my better days considering I am running a half in January, but it'll do. 
You know why?
Because I did it. 
I shut my mouth, turned off my brain and just did it.

 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2

I don't think it's always a good idea to compare Scripture to physical exercise. But I do think there is something to be said about how our minds affect our bodies and vice versa. This is the type of discipline that I pray seeps into the rest of my life. I tend to over think, over analyze, and over worry. When I am in a funk and don't do the task at hand, I just sink deeper into the bad mood. I want to learn to move through something even though I don't want to do it. I am praying for the discipline to just plow through, despite how I am feeling.  I saw this on John Piper's status the other day and was like, "YES!": 
 

"Tears, I feel you. You make me want to quit life. But excuse me, the Master has given me work to do."

So excuse me, laziness and apathy, there is work to be done. There are lunches to be made, clothes to be washed, friends to be called, and a husband to love. So excuse me, as I fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith, and get some work done.

 

friday favorites {linky love}

via pinterest

 1.

I pray regularly that God would capture my children's imaginations. My good friend and my children's godmother (no, I'm not Catholic, but my husband and I wanted this particular family to be more than just friends, we wanted them to be set apart as spiritual mentors in their lives as well). Anyways, I digress. This friend of mine always prayed that for her kids and I started to when my kids were born. I want them to know that the theme, of good vs. evil, plays out in every story ever written. That God wrote that story and He placed it into man's heart. So when they read their favorite book or watch their favorite movie, they will know that the theme is not original. That it originated in God, in the creator Himself. I want them to see Christ when they read all sorts of different stories. Because ultimately we have all been written into His Story.
So when i read this article by N.D. Wilson, I couldn't wait to share it! He captures so well this idea of God capturing our imagination. I encourage you to go read it now.

 "Kids (and adults) don’t just need the truth in their heads — they need it in their bones. They need to know what courage looks like and tastes like and smells like before they ever have to show it themselves. They need to do justly, and love mercy, and walk humbly — heroes and villains can show them why. They need to loathe the darkness and love the Light."

source

2.

Pie season is quickly approaching. Pumpkin pie, apple pie, pecan pie...mmm... what's your favorite? Well, if you enjoy making pies as much as me, then check out this wonderful article on the Pioneer Woman's blog, by her friend Pam, about different pie crusts. It is SUPER HELPFUL and actually pretty interesting! Don't you just love the Pioneer Woman?

3.

And it wouldn't be a friday favorites {linky love} if I didn't include an article from the ladies at Femina.

"God will never give you more than you can handle?" How many times have you heard that? I know I have heard it more times than I can count. And it just has never made sense to me. I understand in essence people are saying that God will be there in time of need, but the fact of the matter is that - God gives us more than we can handle all the time. And Nancy Ann Wilson explains why in this awesome article. 

"But He never promised not to give us more than we could handle. In fact, He gives us more than we can handle all the time. If He didn’t, then we would not need to lean on Him for grace and strength." Keep Reading.

Join me over at Rachel's blog for {friday} favorite things. Link up and read along!

Happy Friday, y'all!
 

encouraged by looking back

Since Reed will be turning 2 on Sunday, I have been reflecting on the past year. Thinking about how much smoother his second year of life was than his first. About how less crazy I have been compared to the past. I don't know if it's because my hormones are more leveled out, or because I get plenty of regular sleep, and we have a pretty good routine. I am sure it is a combination of all of those things. But one thing that stands out, is that when Reed was about 8 months old, I confessed to my closest friends that I was struggling, that I was having a hard time with 3 kids under 4. I let people in and invited them to pray for me, to be there for me. And I haven't been the same since. I still struggle and I still have days where I am a less than stellar mom, but on the whole I can sense God's healing in my life. I can see where I am more patient and kind than in the past. I can see the negative thoughts coming and cut them off ahead of time. I really believe that God honored my forthrightness. I believe that what His Word says is true.

  "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." James 5:16

"If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." 1 John 1:6-8

This is a portion from one of my favorite books and it was one of the books that my pastor recommended back at that time. I pray it encourages you as much as it did me.

"Nothing is more supportive of right behavior than open truth. And the baring of the soul to a mature friend in Christ or to a qualified minister enables such friends to pray for specific problems and to do those things that may be most helpful and redemptive to the one confessing. Confession alone makes deep fellowship possible, and the lack of it explains much of the superficial quality so commonly found in our church associations. What, though, makes confession bearable? Fellowship. There is an essential reciprocity between these two disciplines.

Confession is a discipline that functions within fellowship. In it we let trusted others know our deepest weaknesses and failures. This will nourish our faith in God's provision for our needs through his people, our sense of being loved, and our humility before our brothers and sisters. Thus we let some friends in Christ know who we really are, not holding back anything important, but ideally, allowing complete transparency. We lay down the burden of hiding and pretending, which normally takes up such a dreadful amount of human energy. We engage and are engaged by others in the most profound depths of the soul."

Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines

friday favorites

1. motherhood is application

 I feel like a broken record when I say this, but Rachel Jankovic wrote yet another excellent article on motherhood titled, Motherhood is Application. My friend Jamie commented that maybe we should move to Idaho and become her BFF's. I couldn't agree more! She seems like such a wise woman that would be such an encouragement. Check out her article if you're a mother of any age. I can't recommend it enough!

2. garage sale

"I am afraid that the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare." - C.S. Lewis

We are having a MASSIVE garage sale tomorrow and ALL of the proceeds are being donated to World Vision to help with the East African drought crisis.
I read that Lewis quote last week and it just confirmed Patrick and I's decision to have this garage sale, along with other members from our church. We have inherited a lot of things, nice things, things that will be hard to let go of. But you can't take it with you when you die. And there are people dying right now because of the lack of water. I pray the little bit that we collect tomorrow will go a long way in helping with this crisis. 
To be inspired, I recommend reading what a friend of mine's daughter did. Saige and Meadow will be doing the same thing tomorrow at the garage sale. Check out this awesome story and give anyway you can! 


 3. free printable

Jamie sent this link to me this morning and I just had to share! Aren't these lunch box notes, adorable? They are from the blog: i should be mopping. You can bet Saige will be seeing these next week in her lunch box.

4. rain

Praise the Lord, it rained yesterday!!! We need it so desperately. I even went for a run in it, because it's been that long since it rained. It was glorious.

5. love & war & the sea in between 

 I have been listening to this album by Josh Garrels a lot lately. He definitely has a different sound, but I am enjoying it. I have particularly been enjoying the songs Flood Waters and Farther Along. Check it out - he has his album for free on his website.

Happy Friday!! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

miscellany monday

1. grace-driven effort

D.A. Carson wrote in, For the Love of God, Volume 2, one of the most helpful things that I have read recently in regards to faith, sanctification, and refinement. He talks about it as grace-driven effort, and Jared Wilson expanded on the idea here.

"People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated." D.A. Carson

2. The Help

So am I one of the last people on the face of the planet to read this book? I borrowed it from my sister-in-law this last week and I am really enjoying it so far. Have you read it, what do you think about it? Apparently there is some controversy surrounding the movie ... (And this article was written before the movie came out).... 

via my pinterest

3. last week before school

Saige starts kindergarten one week from today. So we are going to live it up this week! But I am definitely looking forward to the structure that her schedule will provide. I am looking forward to spending time with my two littles and being able to help Meadow with her writing. Last week, Saige had an initial assessment and the teacher came out afterwards exuberant about how well Saige did. And she told me she could tell I have been working with her. O, my. She has no idea how much confidence that gave me. Anyways, I have a lot of thoughts rattling around and I plan to write an entire post as a follow up to this post soon.

4. he's not a baby...

I am not sentimental when it comes to hair. I don't mind chopping my own hair off with Fiskars and it isn't too difficult for me to have my babies hair cut for the first time. The main issue I have with haircuts is paying for them. Because I'm cheap, y'all. So I asked my MIL if she wouldn't mind cutting Reed's mop off because I could't stand seeing him sweat just walking out to the van. Have I mentioned we are in drought? Anyways, she always cut the boys hair growing up and she did a great job cutting my nephew's hair recently. Isn't he so handsome?  So here are some before and after pictures of my baby big boy.

before

after

Happy Monday!

Everyday Talk

"Parents, when you give in to anger, resentment or self-pity at your children's bad behavior, you make yourself the center of the problem. You are loving yourself first and most. You must love your kids enough to show them the danger of their behavior. They need to see that their first problem is with God, and only secondarily with you. You must be more concerned for them than  for yourself, and you must be concerned most of all for God. By modeling patience, love, self-control—and all the fruit of the Spirit—you teach your children how extraordinary God is." 

- John A. Younts, Everyday Talk

I can still remember the first time I heard, "It's not all about you." It was January 1997, in Austin, TX at the first ever Passion Conference. Some guy I had never heard of at the time, Louie Giglio, was the main speaker and one of the guest speakers was John Piper. One night when Piper was preaching, I can remember hearing for the first time the truth of God's Word in a way that I never heard before - "God is most glorified in you, when you are most satisfied in Him." It was earth-shattering stuff. I also clearly remember realizing that I had been reading the Bible looking for myself in it the whole time. Reading it and thinking, what was it saying to me? Piper explained, we should be reading the Bible searching for Him — His character, His attributes. The realization that "it's not all about me" was life-changing.

That was. gasp. 14 years ago. After all this time, it amazes me how easily I still want it to be about me. I mentioned awhile back that I started reading Everyday Talk after my sister-in-law recommended it. Well, this past week I read Chapter 5, and oh.my.word. It was so challenging. Once again, it wasn't anything I hadn't heard before. But in the context of raising my children, the truth of Philippians 2 just jumped up at me and pierced my heart. 
Younts reminded me that I need to be prepared for my children to sin, to make mistakes. It's crazy to me that I somehow forget this. That I forget that they aren't going to obey perfectly anymore than I do. Their sinning is inevitable. He also said that when they sin, to not take it personally. That's a hard one sometimes. I find that I am indignant with my children when they don't do things I want them to do. I get a little bent out of shape and find that my attitude is pretty pathetic. Its because I am making it about myself. I am putting myself in the center and I am letting their behavior get me in a tizzy. 
But he challenges the reader and says, "You must respond to sin in a way that honors God first, even when all your emotional responses are telling you to lash out or to give up. Trusting God when you are sinned against is an act of holiness. In your everyday life there will come times when your children's sin takes you by surprise. Prepare for that day so that your talk will show your God to be a holy God. Make your everyday talk holy, no ordinary." It's pretty amazing when you take yourself out of the center, especially when it comes to parenting. It quickly reduces the tension in the room. It allows you to think clearly and focus on it being a teachable moment. Thank you, Lord for these words of wisdom and truth. Please, oh, please, help me to remember in those moments. Those difficult moments that catch me off guard. Be quick to call to mind—it's not about me. It's about You.






Linking up over at Good Morning Girls

Gospel Grace

The Gospel Coalition had this article about Mother's Day and I starred it in my google reader to come back to later. I knew I wanted to come back to it and possibly share it, because it encouraged me greatly. Because although being a mother is beautiful and rewarding, it is also very difficult and can be full of regret and heartache. The last paragraph specifically spoke to where I am in life, for where I struggle in life and where, I believe, might always be a struggle.

"And mom, who fails her children regularly (because that’s everyone else), preach the gospel to yourself this day. If you have any grasp on your reality, you are likely painfully aware of every failure you’ve made with your children. And maybe you are fatigued by the fears of future failure as well. It’s okay that your children expose your own sin. In fact, it’s the mom who doesn’t seem daily aware of her failures that most concerns me. Christ has made the way for you to be at peace. If you sinned against your kids, ask their forgiveness. If you are kicking yourself for your failures, preach God’s grace to yourself. Don’t learn to live with your sin—don’t embrace it with the attitude “that’s just how I am.” But don’t deny it either. Be honest about it. You sinned. You confess. God forgives. You get up and walk forward in confidence. It’s called gospel grace, and THAT is the legacy to leave your children." - Wendy Alsup

I don't know about you, but that encouraged this burdened heart. Gospel grace. Two words that originate from the Father. When I became a mother, I could feel the weight of the world press down. There before me, was this precious baby that I, not only had to keep alive, but also raise and disciple, Lord willing, into a Godly young woman. There had never been anything more important in my life up until that point. Becoming a mother has made me eat my fair share of humble pie. It has made me more aware and more thankful for God's grace, His undeserving favor and forgiveness in my life. And like Martin Lloyd-Jones says, after my failures, I must preach the gospel to myself, and just like any other sin, I cannot stay in that place of guilt. I must ask for forgiveness, thank Him for his grace and move on in confidence. 

"Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them but they are talking to you, they bring back the problems of yesterday, etc. Somebody is talking. Who is talking to you? Your self is talking to you. Now this man’s treatment [in Psalm 42] was this: instead of allowing this self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul?” he asks. His soul had been depressing him, crushing him. So he stands up and says,: “Self, listen for moment, I will speak to you.” Lloyd-Jones

I also read this recently, and it too, reinforces the idea of having to preach the gospel to ourselves, since we naturally want to earn God's forgiveness. It is from Jared Wilson's blog, The Gospel-Driven Church.

"The gospel bids us strive to stop striving, because it takes conscious effort to orient our stubborn selves around the gospel. Our flesh yearns for works, for the merits of self-righteousness, so it's hard work to make ourselves rest in the finished work of Christ. It is a daily work, the labor of crucifying the flesh, taking up the cross, and faithfully following he who has finished the labor."

I pray these encourage you also, as you strive to stop striving and rest in what He did on the cross, as a mother, and as a child of God.

~cheryl~