at the gate called beautiful

never too old to learn something new!

2012-02-20T10:58:00.000-08:00

i thought you all might like a little peak into part of my life that i don't usually write about on this blog. sound like fun? okay, well here we go!

i have been really into making things the past couple years. now, i haven't been someone who has been super talented in crafting my whole life. no, no, no! i had 3 different people try to teach me how to crochet when i was a kid to no avail! i am a leftie, and they were all righties, so it just never clicked more than being able to make a simple long chain.

fast forward to just a couple years ago. my sister had recently learned how to knit. i was actually there when she first learned, but i didn't have interest in learning for myself. i think i was probably discouraged from the fact that i could never learn how to crochet, so i didn't even have interest in trying.

but about a year after my sister learned, i went to her and asked her if she would try to teach me how to make a very simple scarf. even though she is right-handed, somehow she just knew how to teach me how to do it and it did click for me! i successfully made a few scarves and was having so much fun doing it.

the following year a friend told me that she learned to crochet a hat by watching a you tube video. i thought that sounded completely crazy! she told me i should try it, but since people couldn't even teach me in person i wasn't sure how it would work to just watch a video on the internet. the more i thought about it, the more curious i became as to whether it would work for me or not. i finally took the plunge and started searching for online videos to teach me how to crochet. i didn't know a thing, so i had to watch and learn everything from the simplest first step, but in the end i successfully crocheted my first hat! a video or two (or ten) were able to teach me what no one could teach me in person in the past.

we didn't have very much money for christmas gifts that year, and my family always does a big gift exchange, so i started feverishly trying to learn how to make more and more. i decided to try to do a homemade christmas. i wasn't the fastest crocheter, and probably had bad technique as well, but i did it! i was able to give everyone gifts i had made.

i cannot believe how quickly i learned as an adult when it so difficult as a child... i really have to credit it to my sister teaching me how to knit because i think it made even crocheting make more sense. very soon after learning how to do a simple hat, i started making up my own patterns and making things i just thought of in my head like coffee mug sleeves, leg warmers, gloves, and iphone covers.

however the love of knitting - the craft that i was interested in first - never went away though most people can crochet so much faster and easier. so i have slowly plugged away at teaching myself new stitches in knitting and trying to learn how to read a pattern.

just recently i decided, since i have enough time til our new baby is born to do something slowly, to knit a more complex hat for our little one. i looked for a pattern idea on ravelry and went to michael's to get the right size needles to do the job.

*money saving tip - don't even buy anything at michael's without a coupon. you can print them online or they also have an app for the iphone that they will just scan the coupon directly from your phone. brilliant!

so, here is the little aviator hat that i knit for my new baby. it is by far the most difficult thing i have ever knit and i had quite a bit of frustration trying to figure out how to even read the pattern and look up what they different stitches were that the gal was referring to in it. but it worked! and it is cute! i am starting to feel like a legit knitter!

sorry for the low quality pics - i just took them quickly with photo booth on my computer so i could post them on facebook as soon as it was finished. oh, and sorry for the deformed looking baby doll! ha! i have no idea where this baby's clothes are and he really doesn't look that funny, it was just the way i was holding him up for the camera.

the moral of the story: it is never too late to learn something that you don't know how to do! even if you failed at learning it before, maybe if you try now it will click. it happened for me. i teach piano and have had students from 5 to 75... and usually my adult students are my most disciplined and make progress the quickest. it is so silly to think that we are only able to learn well when we are young though i admit i have thought the same thing about myself.

if there is a desire on your heart that you have never explored, maybe today is the day. you will never know what you can do until you try!

go try something new!

still counting gifts to 1000...

493 - 509:

493. money He provided to pay the bills... yet again.

494. our internet is working better!

495. sweet friends who surprised me with my favorite chocolate and tea for heart day.

496. 12 jars of blessings from a dear friend - encouragement right when i needed it.

497. a great worship set - the Holy Spirit stirred my heart once again towards falling more in love with my Jesus.

498. the warmth of my comfy bed.

499. laughing and laughing with bill.

500. walking with my kids and hubby while they ride bikes on the river trail and enjoying the nice weather.

501. the cute little strut of my 18 month old simeon was he walks across the sun dial bridge feeling like a big boy.

502. watching david dance his heart out like no one else was in the room during our family worship time.

503. late night talks and asking questions... still getting to know my husband better as we approach completing ten years of marriage.

504. all three of my older boys earning a dollar a piece for reciting psalm 3 to my mom. i love that they are hiding His Word in their hearts.

505. hearing some good doctors' reports for a couple different people i have even praying for these past couple weeks.

506. the opportunity to give our tithe to the Lord and the reminder of how much He has provided for us every step of the way.

507. the way simeon plays with my hair as he sucks his thumb and cuddles.

508. a new tiny grey wool hat that i knit for our new little one in the belly.

509. a little more drizzles of rain today - we need it. i love that God is watering our earth, but also love that it hasn't been solid rain either.

i am linked up at a holy experience.

if you have a blog, let me know if you have a list of your grace gifts so i can visit! if you don't, write something you are thankful for in the comment section. i love hearing from you!

charis

don't you dare quit

2012-02-19T09:02:00.000-08:00

image by Karolina Przybysz

but whoever holds out till the end with be delivered.
matthew 24:13 (complete jewish bible translation)

here are my short thoughts this morning on this verse:

it doesn't matter so much if we believe the right thing right now if we compromise when things get tough. it is about perseverance and steadfastness.

now a little story:

yesterday my #3 son david was learning how to ride his bike. he was having a great time peddling on the beautiful trail that runs by the sacramento rive close to where we live. then he came to a small decline, what he would call a hill, and he panicked because he didn't remember how to use his brakes to slow down. he tried to bail off the bike and ended up in a crumpled mess in the middle of the paved trail with the bike on top of him. suddenly realizing the dangers of riding a bike, he was no longer interested in what he was enjoying so much only moments before.

two lessons i see that relate this small bike wreck with this key truth in the Word:

1. if you try to bail when things get a little crazy, you will end up in a wreck. hold on through the downhill sloops of life and pedal hard during the grueling uphill stretches. if you forget how to use the brakes, hold on tight and steer the best you can. do not jump off the bike. there are terribly hard things that happen in life to everyone, there will especially be a time of pressure for one generation to come, but trying to bail on what we believe and know to be true in times of pressure does not save us. quitting when it gets tough always will cause more pain in the long run and when it really counts.

2. if you have experienced a crash in life, get back on the bike! it isn't about what you once believed to be true - it is about what you keep on believing and what you keep on living. i like this translation of the verse above because it uses the word delivered where many other translations use the word saved. sometimes there are things we may struggle with our entire lives, things we long for freedom from but have to continue to press through and fight against. do not quit. just because you fell down, don't decide that bike riding - or walking faithfully with the Lord - is not for you. it is about endurance and making it til the end and you will be delivered from all that afflicts you.

as with any verse, this can only be fully understood in its context so i encourage you to go and read all of matthew 24. i will leave you with the words of misty edwards in one of my favorite choruses she sings:

don't give up,
don't give in,
if you don't quit...
you'll win. you'll win.

hang in there and don't get off the bike!

i am linking up with barbie this week for fresh brewed sundays.

do you like this post? consider subscribing to this blog and/or liking our facebook page to stay connected.

i would love to hear from you in the comments below!

charis

how to climb out of the emotional pit

2012-02-17T11:07:00.000-08:00

word for the day: delight

start.

my heart is hurting. sometimes, without even really knowing the exact reason why, i can end up in a pit of pain, apathy, and frustration. i do not like this feeling. i do not like being led by my emotions.

i long to rise above the fickleness of my heart and experience real delight.

storms come in life. the winds, the waves, the shaking of the ground we walk on... it all comes and will keep coming - it is just a matter of when. when i am moved to and fro in the midst of the blowing and the crashing and the shaking, i know that my heart is not anchored but instead led by the worst leader i know - my feelings.

how many times have i said, i just don't feel like it? how many times do i distance myself and choose isolation because of not feeling like allowing myself to be known? how many times do i hide in the darkness because i do not understand what it means to delight myself in the Lord?

david said, why are you so downcast, oh my soul? put your hope in God! delight yourself in the Lord!

so i tell myself - stop listening to all those emotions that lie to you - they are liars! put your hope in God, my soul. delight yourself in the One who can pull you out of any pit you have fallen into.

stop.

want to join in? click the picture below to go link up and the rules are simple.

5 minute friday rules:
1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Please visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them.

leave me a link to your 5 minute friday in the comments below and i would love to come visit and read! even if you don't have a blog, these timed writing prompts are a great way to overcome writer's block - i would encourage you to take out your journal and pen and join in that way!

like my post? would you share it on facebook or twitter (or your favorite way of sharing posts)? thanks! also, i just started a facebook page for at the gate called beautiful - take a second to like it and we can stay in touch (on the right side of this page).

charis

when you have white paper and a bit of red paint

2012-02-13T16:07:00.000-08:00

there is something that has always attracted me about a bit of brightly colored paint on stark white paper. i enjoy all the aspects of art, being primarily a musical artist myself, but something about paint always speaks to me.

maybe it is the way that even when a child uses paint on paper, something magical happens... something is released from inside that you may not otherwise know was there.

and even the drips and the imperfections

- or maybe especially the drips and imperfections -

they remind me of the Artist, the Creator, who made

each fingerprint,

each sunset,

each snowflake

unique.

the beauty in art and in His creation is how it is never quite the same. no two are quite alike. God, the Master Artist, didn't run out of ideas and have to make carbon copies. No, He keeps life interesting and exciting with the depth of the display of His creativity.

and to think, we have only scratched the surface of beholding His beauty in this fallen world still plagued by the curse of sin. someday... someday we will really see a beauty to behold.

it is all a gift. thank you God that life is never boring with you - it is all a part of the masterpiece you are creating and we get to be a part. to taste in part of the wonders of who you are, oh Master Creator, makes me want more and more of you.

still counting gifts to 1000...

450 - 492:

450. great teachings on finances by mike bickle. challenges me to be stretched in my giving.

451. holding my husband's hand under the covers when i am afraid.

452. that Jesus is the Rebuilder of broken bridges, the Healer of broken hearts, and the One who can bring Restoration and Reconciliation to broken relationships... it is His business and He is good at it.

453. the sweet and tart taste of citrus in the winter.

454. the blessing of teaching piano from my home.

455. the pleasant soothing smells of warm and spicy, yet fruity, home fragrance oils burning.

456. great conversation around the dinner table talking about the high lights of our days - the good parts, the bad parts, the sad parts, and the super duper parts.

457. glorious sun rays peaking out from behind clouds after the rain.

458. finally sitting down on the couch after a long, busy day.

459. salted chocolate. now that is just good.

460. an opportunity to guest post this week at five minutes for faith.

461. deep, slow breaths when i am losing my patience.

462. a generous neighbor who brought us a box full of oranges from their tree.

463. the opportunity to eat something that might not be my first choice, but God provided it and i am thankful to be out of my comfort zone.

464. when sick kids get well.

465. for strength to do the tasks at hand.

466. my beloved david turning 4 last saturday.

467. a rare afternoon nap for myself.

468. a decent night sleep after several very poor and interrupted ones.

469. free glass jars to store more food in our freezer.

470. a former piano student starting back up again.

471. rain forecast for tomorrow.

472. a lovely 2.6 mile walk with 3 of my little ones to go buy new knitting needles to make a hat for the new little one we have yet to meet.

473. the anticipation with which my boys look forward to their dates with their daddy.

474. constant reminders that God really is trustworthy.

475. watching my oldest push the stroller of my current youngest and the sweet way he cares for his little brother.

476. all 6 of us (7 counting little one in the belly) snuggled up together on the couch watching a movie.

477. making requested birthday dinners - loving the particular preferences of each of my kids.

478. the way each of my kids have changed my life in their own unique way. i will never be the same.

479. the gentle uneven flicker of a candle.

480. new bamboo knitting needles just waiting to make something.

481. a great deal for stocking up on grade b organic maple syrup.

482. the warm musty smell of wool yarn.

483. He answers every prayer. He hears me when i call.

484. listening to my 4 year old recite the Word by memory.

485. holding my 18 month old when he falls asleep.

486. my 8 years of being a mom.

487. asher turning 8!

488. my wonderful grandma who is 83 years old and shares a birthday with asher.

489. more rain which we have needed!

490. looking up at the bright stars against a dark sky far away from any street lights. beauty!

491. sharing at our house of prayer monthly gathering about the biblical view of money... so much great discussion that we will get to part 2 next month.

492. the wonders you can make with white card stock and red paint.

i am linked up at a holy experience. i would love to hear from you in the comments below!

charis

the highest calling

2012-02-12T08:46:00.000-08:00

oh boy. am i feeling sentimental or what?!

eight years ago today i became a mom for the very first time. i know this is a special day for my happy boy, but it is also a special day for me. (if you want a good cry, read my post about him last year called the Lord has made me happy).

it is the 8 year anniversary of the most rewarding and hardest calling of my entire life - being a mom.

i have read many wonderful blog posts across the internet about the joys and the trials of being a mom. i feel like there is so much encouragement available out there for christian moms who are in the trenches of raising kids who love the Lord.

even at the expense of all of you saying that i am sounding like that little old lady in target telling you to "enjoy them now because they grow up too quickly," i will say that it does go by awfully fast and even i (still in the trenches of an 8 year old, 6 year old, 4 year old, 18 mos old, and being 7.5 mos pregnant) find myself grasping for ways to slow time down. life is not easy being a mom, but it is worth it.

sometimes i find myself grumbling and complaining about piles of dirty socks and shoes in the middle of the kitchen floor, the cheerios all over and under the table, the cap-less markers strewn through the house, the eternal laundry piles of clean and dirty clothes, moldy orange peels left in the lunch bags, and fingerprints everywhere. and then i think of families i know, rather closely in fact, who have lost this all in one single day.

i stop and realize, this could all be taken away from me in a single moment...

both the messes and the mess-makers.

so i find myself following ann's lead and counting my grace gifts, for that is what they are... all gifts.

thank you Lord for the never ending stinky, dirty, mud-stained piles of clothes.

thank you Lord for the pee on the floor i stepped in walking into the bathroom, since i share the only bathroom in the house with 5, soon to be 6, boys.

thank you Lord for the mess (resembling vaguely a war-torn downtown bagdad) in the back of my minivan.

thank you Lord for the evidence that there is life all around me.

i am thankful for today because i know i am not promised a thousand tomorrows.

in fact tomorrow may never come. if it doesn't, every one of the past 8 years of days have been the most amazing gift anyone has ever given me.

and if this is all i ever get, not one day more or one day less, i can honestly say it is all worth it.

every single sleepless night. every single backache. every single moment losing my food while pregnant. every single obstacle to breastfeed. every single worried moment spent in the hospital with a child. every single frustration with learning this thing called consistency and discipline. every single tear that has fallen. every single time i am late and tired and grouchy and worn out from the trials and tribulations called being a mom.

all of it is worth it because all of it is a gift.

and when i stand before the Lord and give an account for my life, how i used my time, my words, and my resources, i will say thank you for the honor of entrusting these little ones to me. thank you for the cross i got to bear, with joy, to serve and love and pour out my life that they may know You and the power of Your resurrection.

i get to be a mom and it is the highest calling i will ever have.

if i lead thousands in worship...

if i speak before hundreds of thousands proclaiming the gospel...

if i get to fund the biggest missions movement in history with the resources God blesses me with...
none of these - none- compare to getting to lead these little ones day by day to a life of faithfully walking with the Lord.

i serve a God who sees what is done is secret. i am so thankful that though the life of a mom may be unglamorous to most, the reward will be great when it counts.

thank you asher for making me a mom.

it is the greatest gift i have been given besides the promise of eternal life from my Savior.

happy birthday son. i love you.

charis

get me a lock... a big one.

2012-02-10T08:51:00.000-08:00

i had so much fun last week that today i am again linking up with the gypsy mama for 5 minute friday. i love meeting new people, so if you are visiting from the link up, let me know in the comments below so i can go read your post as well!

5 minute friday rules:
1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Please visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them.

word for the day: trust

start.

wow, what a word for the day.

i guess it is as good of a time as any to get a bit vulnerable and -shudder- maybe try out a bit of that trust thing.

when i was in college i actually wrote my senior thesis on the word trust. i had many wounds, recent and older, that made me want desperately to find in the Bible a strong case for not trusting people. i was hurting and some of the wounds were incredibly fresh and painful and i didn't want to open myself up to that type of hurt again.

image by MeiTeng

building up some strong walls sounded good to me. even a fortress.

i wasn't sure how i was going to write an entire thesis on proving my point, but my professor was up for seeing what i came up with.

i found in all i could research both in the Word and in pop psychology that no matter how much pain i was in, it was the wrong move to lock up my heart in efforts to not experience pain again.

i found trust is vital for a baby to develop to end up being a healthy adult (emotionally, spiritually, physically, and mentally).

i found the example of the life of Jesus to bring me to bittersweet tears in the fact that He trusted and allowed people close, even knowing the deceitful hearts of men. i went through the whole gamut of emotions about this - anger, confusion, denial, and finally acceptance of the hard road ahead of opening up my heart again even after being hurt.

i was in wonder thinking about how Jesus treated both judas and peter - both denying Him... and He restoring the one who didn't take his life in regret and shame. i doubt i would have the strength or foresight to trust "my church" to the one who had just told everyone they didn't know me while i could actually see them saying it... one who claimed to be my closest friend.

stop.

well, that is five minutes. what i would add is this - i found Jesus' incredible example of how He lived a life of forgiveness and mercy to those who most definitely did not deserve it the most amazing example of trust i have ever seen.

in the process of writing my senior thesis, the Holy Spirit encountered my own deceitful heart with this same mercy. i heard the Lord whisper to me when i asked Him in angry tears what He wanted from me - will you love my people? waves of mercy washed up over my hurting heart and brought an initial healing to the brokenness that i have had to walk out over the years.

Jesus was never naive nor ignorant of the capacity and ability in man to deceive and wound others, and yet we are the ones He chose to surround Himself with and to give His life for on the cross.

if He can give His life, i can choose to unlock my heart.

how about you? are you going through some trust issues that i can support you in prayer? what testimonies of overcoming broken trust can you share with us to encourage us all in our journeys?

charis

when life doesn't make sense

2012-02-09T08:49:00.000-08:00

sorry i haven't been on for a couple days. i actually had a different post i wanted to put up on monday, (which now you will have to wait for!), but our internet has been down for the past couple days. let's just say that my in laws who live in a 3rd world country have a better connection than we do. hopefully we are getting that taken care of soon!

today i am at 5 minutes for faith writing a guest post about when life just doesn't make sense. here is just a snippet:

He is near the broken hearted. i imagine Jesus’ favorite place to be is sitting right next to each one of us when we feel the most alone and unseen. He loves at just that precise moment to wrap His arms around us and tell us He is for us and not against us.

for He is not a God who is far removed...

click here to read the rest and to add your thoughts! leave a comment and let me know you read it and if you can relate.

thanks 5 minutes for faith for the opportunity to guest post.

charis

just 4 of the many things

2012-02-04T09:33:00.000-08:00

just 4 of the many things i love about this kid who is turning 4 today

1. he is a great helper. whenever his daddy has a project he is working on, david wants to be right in the middle of it all, learning how it is done, and being a part of getting it done. he is going to know how to do lots of different things when he is older.

2. he is very funny. this kid has a great sense of humor and makes jokes that are actually funny (and has for quite a while). he is goofy and silly and a big clown. he is always making us laugh and lightening the atmosphere when it is tense.

3. he was my easiest baby. when you have had 4 kids, soon to have 5, you usually have an opinion on who was hard and who was easy and perspective of what hard and easy are because you can compare your experiences. now, i really have never had that hard of a baby (thankfully!) - clingy ones at times, but never colicky or anything like that. but... david was like so easy it was crazy. he slept. he was happy. he loved to snuggle, but wasn't clingy. he fit right into the family without any crazy awkward transition. he was such an easy and fun baby.

4. he is not afraid to be his own person. david loves and looks up to his older brothers, but he is completely happy doing his own thing. being number three i would wonder if he would feel pressure to live up to the older 2, but he is happy playing with them when it is something he is excited about and doing something on his own if he is interested in something different. even when his brothers ask, at times beg, him to do something specific that they want to do, he is totally secure saying no and doesn't fall into peer pressure even at a young age. he picks out his own clothing and wears interesting combos, to say the least. many times his clothes, especially his shirts, are backwards or inside out and his shoes on the wrong feet or mismatched (the classic is two mismatched left shoes). if i ask him about it, he just replies, "i am okay with it." he is his own little guy.

for more about my sweet david, read a bit about him and his crazy birth (no graphic info, it is safe) in my post last year 1.2.3.4...

happy birthday david! i love you!

charis

what is real?

2012-02-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

today for the first time i am linking up with the gypsy mama in 5 minute friday. i have read these on a couple different blogs i frequent and have always thought it would be fun to join in, but never have yet. well, today is the day!

5 minute friday rules:
1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Please visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them.

word for the day: real

what is real?

so many times it is hard to distinguish what is reality... fiction or fact?

for me, a lot of times my emotions guide what i believe to be real. because i feel something strongly, i start to believe it to be reality when it actually could be a complete figment of my imagination. emotions are strong and they are great indicators of the health of the soul. however they are not great guides for reality.

i am reminded of the passage in philippians when paul encouraged the church he was incredibly fond of to fix their mind on what is real:

finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. philippians 4:8

how often do we struggle with dwelling on these very things? i don't know about you, but i have a rough time when life gets stressful or emotions get charged to pull up out of the muck and align my spirit with truth and not be lead by what feels real in the moment.

let us walk forward today asking the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to what is real and what is only our perception, and think on the things that align our spirit with His.

charis

how to change what your heart loves

2012-01-30T16:58:00.000-08:00

one of our family's goals is memorizing the Word.

we decided to start with the psalms and work our way through the longest book of the Bible and the easiest to memorize (in my opinion because of the poetry).

last year asher read heavenly man, the autobiography of brother yun. asher was 6 years old when he read this book. i have not yet read this book.

asher came away from reading this book so convicted and challenged to memorize Scripture because brother yun has most the books of the Bible memorized. memorizing more of the Word has always been a desire of mine, but my son was the one who really gave me the kick in the pants i needed to refocus my efforts on it.

as a family, we have the 1st 3 psalms memorized... even david my 3 year old. i wish we were going faster through it, but i am honestly content that we are working at it at our slow pace and at least doing it!

one great incentive for our kids is my mom offered to pay them $1 for each chapter of the Bible they memorized. her grandma paid her to memorize chapters, so she wanted to pay her grandkids. what a great way to earn money, right?

while i started in on psalm 4 i found so much truth and encouragement to hide in my heart.

o sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach? how long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? selah.

as i was meditating on this passage and praying through the psalm, this section just kept standing out to me.

there is just so so much i can give my time and attention to... so much that can consume me and worry me and steal my affections. while i wish this passage was speaking just to other people and not me, i know it also speaks to me. as much as i long to be fully His, i still have worthless things that steal my affections.

and when it is all said and done and i am standing before Him, face to face and eye to eye, like each one of us will... well, when i am there, what am i going to wish i would have loved? am i going to be happy with what took my affections? am i going to be proud of how i used my time? will i wish i made choices a bit differently?

i am asking the Holy Spirit to help me love what He loves and give myself to those things. with His help, you and i will both grow in righteousness and keep pursuing a walk with Him that will prove us blameless in the end.

let's hide His Words in our heart... He promises that when we do this it will strengthen us to not sin against Him.

still counting gifts to 1000...

431 - 449:

431. beautiful weather.

432. a day sledding in the snow with the family on saturday.

433. my sweet uriah turning 6! can't believe how fast time flies by.

434. warm weather forecast for this upcoming weekend meaning we will have the boys' birthday party outside!

435. God's faithfulness to fill in the gaps in our finances.

436. a warm comfy bed to fall into at night.

437. God's faithfulness even in hard circumstances and even when it is hard to understand.

438. time by myself with God and my Bible when i am really needing it.

439. the offense in the book of matthew that keeps me from my comfort zone in life and keeps pointing me towards the narrow path of walking with Him.

440. a reminder yesterday of what has been on my heart... "he who gives to the poor lends to the Lord."

441. that God knows the unfulfilled desires of my heart and is trustworthy.

442. lately i have really liked ice.

443. the small organic fancy dark chocolate my husband brought home for me on saturday... just because he knows how much i enjoy fancy dark chocolates.

444. so much encouragement while reading the Word of God.

445. the Holy Spirit's activity in my life.

446. broccoli in this upcoming week's csa box!

447. much needed green juice from my juicer - this time it is ginger, lemon, beet, pomegranate, celery, mixed greens juice.

448. the rare times all 4 kids go down for a nap at the same time and the house is quiet in the afternoon.

449. learning how to be a christian mom who raises her kids to know the Lord.

i am linked up at a holy experience. i would love to hear from you in the comments below!

charis

the best two minutes of your day

2012-01-29T13:12:00.000-08:00

then

now

today is a very special day. my sweet boy uriah jaden turns 6! this short video of him and his cousin singing in their talent show last week only shows a small glimpse of his sweetness - take time to watch it... it will be the best 2 minutes of your day. trust me.

side note - an american tail was one of my favorite movies when i was little... the first movie that i cried in. hearing these two sing just like the little mice brings back so many memories and a few tears.

i love you uriah and happy happy birthday! mama thinks you are amazing!

if you want to read more about uriah, a whole handful is a post i wrote last year for him.

charis

still waters

2012-01-23T20:40:00.000-08:00

in whirlwind days like today, i am reminded to slow down! it doesn't mean i can necessarily stop the activity before me and all around me, but i do want to choose thankfulness instead of dread and stress about what lies ahead.

this river, the river i live by, always seems to remind me of peace and stillness.

be still and know i am God. psalm 46:10

some translations say cease striving. wow, is that ever talking to me when things get busy. have you found yourself striving lately with all that must be done like me?

somehow there is a way to be still while still being active... while still moving and going somewhere, but keeping the peace that is a fruit of a life anchored in trusting God.

so i am asking tonight,

Lord, You be my Good Shepherd.

                            make me lacking in nothing.

                                                         teach me to rest in green pastures.

                                                                            lead me beside the still waters.

restore my weary soul.

                  guide me in Your paths of righteous for the sake of Your name.

    and when i walk through a valley that has the threat of death

                                                                               help me not be afraid.

                                                                                           Lord, be with me.

guide me with Your discipline.

                comfort me with Your leadership.

                       prepare a feast for me in the presence of those who hate me.

anoint me with Your oil.

                           make my cup overflowing.

             may Your goodness,

                        may Your lovingkindness,

                                     Your faithfulness,

                                             follow me for all the days You have set before me

      so i may dwell with You forever in the place where You dwell.

                                                                                                           amen.

still counting gifts to 1000...

410 - 430:

410. Jesus' words, "so do not be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows."

411. that with God, all things are possible.

412. warmth on a cold day.

413. unexpected provision... yet again, at exactly the right timing.

414. that the glucose test is now behind me... hoping for a good report.

415. reignited love for favorite old hymns.

416. the hope in the old hymns anchored in when we finally see Jesus face to face and not in the present time we live in.

417. a helpful husband when i have had so much to do and so little energy to do it.

418. a meal in the freezer to pull out for a no hassle dinner.

419. much needed rain that is falling.

420. teething tablets for the little guy who has been cutting 8 teeth nonstop for about a month now.

421. newman's peppermints.

422. sunshine break in the middle of rainy days.

423. grace to do what needs to be done.

424. a good report on my glucose tolerance test.

425. the upcoming blitz of birthdays in our family.

426. meal planning and the headache of "what's for dinner" that it eases.

427. the hope of His return and wrong things being made right.

428. naptime.

429. my flax seed heatable wrap to ease back pain.

430. my cute uriah who is going to sing "somewhere out there" with his cousin in his school talent show... mouse ears and all.

i am linked up at a holy experience. i would love to hear from you in the comments below!

charis

missing the point

2012-01-22T09:46:00.000-08:00

while jesus was in the house eating, many tax-collectors and sinners came and joined Him and Him disciples at the meal. when the pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, "why does your rabbi eat with tax-collectors and sinners?" but Jesus heard the question and answered, "the ones who need a doctor aren't the healthy but the sick. as for you, go and learn what this means: 'I want compassion rather than sacrifice.' (hosea 6:6) for I didn't come to call the 'righteous,' but sinners! matthew 9:10-13

so i am going to make the short, sweet, and hopefully simple.

as i read the words of Jesus to the pharisees i think about how often we skim past His words, missing the point, because we have demonized the pharisees in our modern church circles to the point that we can't (or maybe won't) relate to them because... gosh, they were so dense they should have got the point from the start, right?

why did Jesus allow those who were sinners to eat with Him for dinner? why did He allow them to be around His inner circle of followers? why was Jesus not surrounding Himself with those who had their lives on track?

didn't Jesus know what they had done? was He unaware of the gravity of their sins?

i imagine the pharisees were upset because they were probably personally affected and offended by the sins of these people who suddenly had the privilege of eating a meal with Jesus. in the small cities Jesus ministered in, it is no wonder that people knew and had experienced the aftermath of the sins of others. and now Jesus, the one who was supposedly the Righteous One, the Messiah, was eating with these jerks who had hurt so many in the community with their sinful lives.

and if we can get the "pharisee" picture out of our minds that preachers have shoved in there with rhetoric and actually think of real life senarios involving real people, i imagine we will have the same questions that they had.

why Jesus? why them when they for sure do not deserve it?

sometimes Jesus offends me just as much as He offended them. how about you?

for the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. (matt 18:11)

charis

linking up with barbie this week for fresh brewed sundays.

when it is just too much

2012-01-20T22:14:00.000-08:00

it has been a rough couple days. i don't know if it is just in the air, so to speak, but there is so much going on all around me and pretty much all of it involves pain deep in the heart. the pressure seems unbearable at moments when i cry out to the Lord and say, it is too much... all of this is just too much.

tonight i was reminded of a song:

turn your eyes upon Jesus
look full in His wonderful face
and the things of earth will grow strangely dim
in the light of His Glory and Grace

it isn't as if the problems are magically solved and everything is fine and dandy. but it feels so different to approach the same things that life has to offer when i lock my gaze onto Jesus, search for the hope and encouragement that is in His eyes, and let the anxiety go. He really can be trusted. we can trust Him with whatever it is that is weighing so heavy upon our hearts.

He knows, He understands, and He can be trusted.

charis

some of the random thoughts in my head

2012-01-16T13:55:00.000-08:00

a list of thoughts on my mind (in no particular order)...

1. we have been enjoying amazing sunny weather here, in the mid to high 60's, and i have heard several people voice their concern that we will get no rain. then i look at the 10 day forecast and see 7 of the next 10 days predicting rain. no worries people. i have lived here my whole life, besides a few years for college, and we are not a place that rains all winter long, but it does rain. we will get plenty of rain and then be ready for the sun. i, for one, am enjoying the sun and the opportunity to get outside without being soaked while it is here.

2. this pregnancy is the 1st time i have to take the second test for glucose sensitivity. let me tell you, i am not thrilled about this. it isn't that i detest needles like so many people do. instead, i detest that drink and how icky it makes me feel and the thought of fasting while pregnant and nursing still just makes me not feel well thinking about it. hopefully all goes well and i am fine and tolerating sugars fine, but either way... i have to take that test again and that is no bueno.

3. i am by myself for a little bit sitting in "my" starbucks and getting to write a bit on my blog. that is amazing and wonderful. i love to be with my kids and love to be a stay at home mom. i also love getting an hour or two a week at starbucks where my thoughts actually aren't interrupted every 10 seconds and i am not staring at all the stuff around the house that needs to be done.

4. i am in a group that orders from azure standard (among ordering other real natural foods stuff) and we have a group message on facebook that is ongoing. as people are talking about splitting a bulk order of almond flour, i am reminded that i have been allergic to almonds for about a year and sometimes that makes me sad. i like almonds. not sure what happened. i have been advised to do a thorough cleanse someday when i am not breastfeeding or pregnant (or how about breastfeeding and pregnant???!)... oh, someday.

5. i love to juice at home. i am so unmotivated to do it sometimes though, especially when i want to include in my juice fresh pomegranate seeds. the problem is i hate to open up pomegranates. however, my wise husband taught me a new way that isn't as messy. i think i may be juicing pomegranate seeds more often now.

6. have you ever made homemade yogurt? oh my goodness... it is so yummy and really so easy. i study and researched it for weeks before i tried doing it about 9 mos ago for the first time. i made some again last night. katie has great detailed, easy to follow, instructions on how you can make your own yogurt at home. go check it out and make your own... you will thank me. one of my good food money saving tips for sure! we use it as a sub for milk in soups and sour cream on mexican food, besides the kids wanting it for a snack topped with only fresh fruit. get those probiotics and get it for cheap.

7. due to the recent good weather, we have been able to almost completely clean up the leaves from fall in the front of our house (important to note the "front" as the back has a tree even more giant... if we had cleaned up both it really would be a miracle that could be classified as a sign and a wonder). one year, actually the first year we owned our house, for reasons beyond our control we did not even attempt to rake or clean up 1 leaf until spring. i walked through the front yard, where there was supposed to be a lawn, and i had leaves up to my mid thigh... almost my waist. we have massive trees and a ton of leaves every year. amazing to think we are almost leafless in front at it is only january. amazing indeed.

8. purple sparkle nail polish is just fun. you should all try it (well, if you are a female that is).

9. life is not easy... even a christian life, or maybe i should say especially a christian life. bad things happen and Jesus Himself assured us of this fact. what we do in the middle of these bad things is the most important testimony of our life really being devoted to following Him. c.s. lewis said it best when he said,

i didn't go to religion to make me happy. i always knew a bottle of port would do that. if you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, i certainly don't recommend christianity.

you can refer to my post yesterday on why is is definitely not comfortable to be a follower of Jesus.

10. i have a dear friend who is having a baby on thursday. a baby girl. she has 3 boys and finally is having a girl. i am so excited for her i could burst. someday i hope to be as lucky as she is. can't wait to go visit her and that little one. i just can't wait.

still counting gifts to 1000...

396 - 409:

396. a day off from school with the kids home (even though it has been a bit of a bickering morning).

397. the way a hug can change two grouchy arguing kids into two smiling giggling ones.

398. cup of hot tea on a cold day.

399. a fire in the fireplace.

400. a relaxing lunch and connecting time with new friends.

401. free coffee at starbucks with the mug my husband got as a gift for christmas. so fun!

402. beautiful sunny days (crisp, but not too cold) as well as rain in the forecast.

403. that God stays the same even when i have my ups and downs.

404. the money to get my minivan worked on... we have been praying for it and God has been so faithful to provide.

405. provision to go to kansas city in the summer - we will be traveling with 5 kids, we will see how crazy we are then.

406. the grace He gives to forgive when we ask for His help.

407. the abundant mercy He showed when He forgave us. makes forgiveness a bit easier when we realize we didn't deserve it either.

408. new way to open pomegranates.

409. my juicer that was an amazing gift from my husband 4 years ago... still on the counter and still being used.

i am linked up at a holy experience. i would love to hear from you in the comments below!

charis

even them? you have got to be kidding me.

2012-01-15T07:49:00.000-08:00

my view as i am writing this blog post... quiet in the house right now.

you have heard that it was said, 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.'
but I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.
whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.
give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.
you have heard that it was said, 'you shall love your neighbor' and hate your enemy.
but I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
for if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? do not even the tax collectors do the same?
if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? do not even the gentiles do the same?
therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
matthew 5:38-48

i have always thought the words of Jesus in the sermon on the mount (matthew 5-7) were particularly challenging. these challenge me to the core if i take them literally.

do not resist an evil person. if they hit you, abuse you, mistreat you, just let them do it again. He couldn't be serious, right? He wouldn't really be telling us to allow someone to cause us pain.

i have heard so many many people, unfortunately including those from pulpits, argue how this couldn't really be literal. i have heard so many people say how it is okay, even godly, to defend ourselves and our rights.

the only problem with this is that Jesus didn't defend Himself or His rights. He wasn't asking anything of His followers that He wasn't willing to live fully Himself.

just as challenging is the exhortation to love your enemies. did you know that there is no where in the old testament that it says to hate your enemies? it is almost humorous how many times i have heard it said that Jesus was correcting the old testament here. no, it did say to love your neighbor and to treat them right, (He wasn't just adding the love your neighbor as yourself stuff to the 1st commandment... it was a commonly understood command of the Lord all through the law), but it never said to hate or mistreat an enemy.

yet, how many times do we just turn a blind eye to this exhortation of Jesus and justify our anger at our enemies? we even call it righteous anger at times, trying to make it godly.

Jesus is right. it is so easy for me to be kind to those who treat me well. it is easy to give to those who appreciate what i give them. it is easy to pray for a friend who has done so much to positively impact my life.

but the person who treats me like dirt and doesn't understand me, appreciate me, or sometimes even wounds me? pray for them? love them?

you mean the one who betrayed me? the one who at my weakest moment rubbed salt in my wounds and didn't seem to care that my heart was broken and devastated... even them? love them? pray for them?

there is a reason there is a reward for this completely counter culture request. many times throughout the different gospels Jesus says that if we receive our reward here, we forfeit it later. if we fail to get the reward here, He will make sure of it we do get it on the Day of the Lord and then it will be forever.

we rarely get any rewards for allowing someone to hurt us again. we rarely get any advice to lay down our lives for those who betray us, even from our friends who are believers. our first instinct is definitely not to love those who cause us pain. i know it isn't mine.

Jesus' teachings are so challenging and honestly most of us, even those of us who say we desire to follow Him, hate what He asks us to do.

but He never asked anything that He didn't do Himself.

when we spit on Him, He turned the other cheek.

when we told Him that He owed us something, He was gracious and gave freely and not begrudgingly.

when we hated Him for who He was and is and how much He made us realize our own darkness, He loved us anyways.

when we crucified Him, (because each one of us would have been in that crowd yelling 'crucify Him!' if we are really honest) He prayed to the Father asking Him to forgive us because we didn't really know what we were doing.

He could have called down fire from heaven and would have been fully justified, but He didn't. our entire hope and salvation and life depends on the fact that He turned the other cheek, and we defend daily, sometimes every moment, why we are justified in our unforgiveness towards those who have done true wrong towards us.

if Jesus's words are literal and true, there is so much i must change about how i live and so much in my paradigm, in the paradigm of the entire Christian church, that needs to change.

seems so huge sometimes it is hard to know where to begin, huh. well, when you stop reading this blog and someone mistreats you, the simple prayer for help to respond the way Jesus asks us to is a great start.

He gives us plenty of opportunities to practice this in our lives, over and over again. i challenge you to ask for the grace to take what He said as true and then to walk it out. we will mess up over and over again, but as i said, we will get so many opportunities to practice this with mistreatment... over and over again.

go, and be like your Father.

charis

linking up with barbie this week for fresh brewed sundays.

how will you use your time?

2012-01-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

does it seem to anyone else besides me that the days are just flying by? i don't know if it is a result of getting older, but it feels as if time is just speeding up faster and faster.

it makes me think of all the things i want to get done, some important and some only seem important, and how i really do have to choose what i will spend my time on. time is our most precious commodity to spend. time is more valuable than money. i have heard countless people talk about the war between the important and the urgent and, even though i understand the concept well in theory, i find myself in this very struggle all the time.

i took the time to reflect on my 2011 using the questions once again from simple mom. she has 20 question prompts for looking back over the year and i found them very helpful the past two years. both times, i must admit, i shed quite a few tears (in starbucks! haha!), but i am not one to be very introspective so it was a very needed time of reflection for me.

i still have yet to sit down and pray through and write out some simple goals for this upcoming year. i want to have a direction i am going so that i can be intentional with my time. i have always marveled at the verse in psalm 90:

so teach us to number our days,
that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.

how we use our time, and our awareness of the finite nature of time, actually causes us to grow in wisdom. amazing.

last year i felt the Lord urging me to be more intentional, especially with my children and family life, and i have definitely grown in this over the past 12 months. just like you i am sure (unless you have the drive and focus of a super human), there are times when i was less than present and purposeful in my time and energy with my family. but, i can honestly look back and see growth. i am thankful for the small strategies the Lord would give me in how to use my time to connect to my children and husband and ideas of how to serve them joyfully and pour into this family He has entrusted to me.

as i look ahead i wonder what He is asking of my time in 2012. where do i most need to make growth? what are areas that i can bring Him glory that i may have never focused on as much in the past? i have some good ideas, but i want to steal away to get His perspective on my focus so that i am not running in 12 directions at one time with all my good ideas.

what have you discovered in reflecting back on your past year? do you use any specific ways to reflect? what do you feel the Lord is highlighting for 2012 for you personally? how do you go about making goals for the year or refining your focus? i would love your feedback in the comments and feel free to link to any posts you find helpful in having a focus for using our time wisely in the comments as well. i love what you all add to the conversation.

still counting gifts to 1000...

380 - 395:

380. using our new freezer to prepare easy future meals.

381. our new baby boy coming in april.

382. two and a half wonderful weeks of the kids home on christmas break.

383. many many unexpected blessings lately.

384. hubby cleaning out the garage.

385. lots of different soups for cooler days.

386. christmas decor down and away - enjoying the extra space in our living room again.

387. the beautiful sunny january days we have been enjoying.

388. slow but steady progress on getting our bedroom back in order and cleaned out.

389. getting some much needed exercise.

390. seeing old friends and still feeling connected.

391. answered prayers.

392. persimmons in the freezer ready to make persimmon spice cake all winter long.

393. a much needed talk on the phone with a friend i have missed so much that i dreamed about talking to her on the phone.

394. reading the book of isaiah and realizing more and more that Jesus being both the Messiah and God is the real deal - getting anchored in the Word.

395. the gift of time.

i am linked up at a holy experience. i would love to hear from you in the comments below!

my top 10 posts of 2011

2011-12-29T13:35:00.000-08:00

well, i have seen this around the web and decided to do my own top ten posts of 2011. it was hard to narrow it down and pick which posts that impacted me the most while writing them or rereading them later, but these are some of my favorites (and some ended up being your favorites too!).

the Lord has made me happy - probably the most personal post i have written this far... written with lots of tears and i hope it ministers to you.

there must be more than this -thoughts i had on the day of the Lord - standing before Jesus and giving an account for the state of my own heart. sounds heavy, but hopefully it is encouraging to you to not give up on the pursuit of a fully vibrant heart.

proverbs: how to become a fool - in my one year bible reading challenge i decide to write the "what not to do's" of proverbs.

ten things to remember when studying the book of isaiah - this is part 3 of a three part series on the book of isaiah that gives the most important 10 things to keep in mind when you go to read the popular book of isaiah. if you like this one, i recommend also reading the first two parts which go into more detail on why i started studying isaiah and what i found when i started digging in.

how to grow in a life of prayer - this is what we do with our lives as intercessory missionaries - grow in prayer in our own lives and help others grow as well. these tips are a good place to start if you are frustrated or at a standstill in your own prayer life.

28 random things about bill - turns out you all are as nosy as i am (and i mean this as a high compliment) and this is one of my top read posts ever. here is a sneak peak into who the man i married almost 10 years ago really is and why i like him.

the rooster formally known as susan -or- letting go of false expectations - who knew that having chickens would teach me such deep life lessons?

you do not have to get divorced - this has been my number one google searched post and someone recently let me know it was on the first page of google if you searched the word divorce. wow. i feel like it is a timely exhortation the Lord gave me to share and, though i know it is controversial, i believe it is worth your time to read and think about whether you are married, have been married, or may never get married.

you cannot have it all - this is the reality of life. the world tries to tell us we can do it all and have it all, but real life is about choices. what do you choose to have?

how to find true joy - most of this post is just me quoting one of the most inspirational and convicting stories i have heard. i want joy, how about you?

dear simeon - this is a letter i wrote to my youngest son on his 1st birthday. i actually have posted about each of my kids on their birthdays this year (my oldest is above in the Lord has made me happy) and the other two are a whole handful and 1.2.3.4.

when the curse is reversed - this pregnancy has given me vision for the day when the curse really is totally broken. can't wait for that day!

how to deal with money with faith instead of fear - a little bit of our story of living on full time missionary support in california with a family of 6 (soon to be 7)!

the great adventure - i was just having fun with this one but it really spoke to me after i wrote it - don't you love when God speaks to you through you? crazy, isn't it!

12 tips for saving money on good food - this was a reader requested post. i hope it helps you if you are trying to save money on your groceries like us. please add your tips in the comments because it is far from all inclusive.

okay, so there aren't just 10, but since when have i been a good list maker or brief for that matter?

thanks for being such great readers and for all your comments and feedback - it means a lot to me!

have a wonderful end of 2011 and remember that we all have something to share that will encourage someone else on this journey of knowing God.

charis

the great work of God

2011-12-23T16:19:00.000-08:00

during the past several weeks leading up to christmas day i have been reading the gospels and some of the old testament prophesies regarding the coming of the Messiah. my prayer this year during advent has been that the Holy Spirit would open my heart to really believe in Jesus - that He is a man who walked on this earth and all that is said of Him and by Him is true, that He is fully God who came down to be near you and me and offer us the hope of a resurrection life when He comes back, and that He knows me and cares about me in my own little life here in northern california raising lots of little boys and spending my time building a house of prayer that will hopefully sustain until He returns. open my heart to believe - this is my prayer this year above all others.

i was reading in john 6 the other day and the words of Jesus struck me deep. the crowds had been coming to Him and asking Him to teach them and show them miracles. they then asked Him the question that seems to be on my heart lately,

what should we do in order to perform the works of God?

isn't that a question all of us ask? so much to do and so little time to do it, and so often the nagging question arises inside, is all i am putting my energy into really worth it? what should i be doing? what should be my focus and do i need to adjust in some way?

i have been asking myself this question often lately as time seems so finite and the most limited commodity i have been given, and i really desire to be found faithful with it. i want to do the great works of God. i want to be found pleasing. at the end of the day when the dishes aren't done, the floors are dirty, the laundry piled high, the kids grouchy and crying, and the ministry in a seeming holding pattern, what is it that really counts?

Jesus' answer to the crowds is His answer to us all:

here's what the work of God is: to trust in the One He sent.

it is really that simple... and it is that difficult. at the end of the day when i come to the end of myself and am faced with my inevitable inability to be the savior of the world, or even of myself, the great work of God that i can do is to trust in Jesus.

and perhaps this is why He said we must be like a child to inherit the kingdom of God - we must come and trust that He is who He says He is, that He is real, and that He can and will save us when we cannot save ourselves.

since trusting in Him is the highest work we are called to do, may He send His Spirit to strengthen our weak hearts to believe.

go today and do the great work of God.

believe this Christmas in the One He sent.

blessings.

charis

this post is linked up at

12 tips for saving money on good food

2011-12-20T21:49:00.000-08:00

about a month ago i wrote about dealing with money with faith instead of fear. this has been a journey the Lord has had me on for the past several years, and i am learning one baby step at a time how to really trust Him when it comes to money.

i promised an upcoming post about tips to save money on food while eating healthy and primarily organic. well... after two attempts to write it and it not saving, here it is! once i started working on this post i realized that there is so much that could be shared about this area of finances. each tip that i give could probably be a blog post in and of itself! i had to just pick a place to stop and realize that i am not giving you every tip i have learned, just the ones that come to mind right now. this means i need you to share things i haven't mentioned in the comments below. also there may be a follow up post in the future on saving more money in your grocery budget.

before diving into my 12 tips on saving money of real healthy food, i wanted to share two amazing things i have found on this journey of living on a really tight finances as an intercessory missionary in the united states. the first one is, no matter how impossible it may look on paper, God always provides. there have been so many times that we just couldn't explain it, but provision came at the 11th hour either in the form of money or food. second, having less money to spend on convenience teaches you how to be creative. (and really this applies to more than just food) i have learned how to do so many things i didn't think i could do and have had fun doing it! our God is the Creator of the universe and He made each one of us creative. sometimes it takes uncomfortable circumstances in life for us to exercise that creative gift hiding inside.

1. budget. this seems like such a simple (or maybe not so simple) way to save money when it comes to food, but it has to be mentioned. i have found in my personal experience i always spend less money on food when i plan what we can and will spend. for quite a few years my husband and i have been fans of dave ramsey's cash envelop system for groceries. it actually is a proven fact that people spend more using their debit card than they do when they have hard cold cash in their hand... why is this true? do we not really believe it is money we are using when we swipe the card? i know that it hurts more for me to spend cash, especially when i know that i have a limited amount in that envelop that isn't going to be replenished until the next month. now, with being pregnant, i do try to budget what we will spend but i have slipped back into using our debit card for many of our grocery purchases. i know my own tendency to justify extra purchases i may not "need" when i am using a debit card, so i try to exercise extra self control and plan on going back to the cash envelop very soon because it just works. i strongly discourage buying groceries on a credit card. i could write a lot about this, but let's just say it isn't a wise way to save money even if they offer you cash back bonuses.

*note: my advice on budgeting to anyone who asks is make sure you and your spouse are on the same page. in most families, including ours, one spouse does more of the money stuff for the house. both, however, need to take the time to talk about where money is going, make a plan, and have an honest conversation about problem areas in personal finances. money can be a very sensitive issue in marriage and is definitely not the place to manipulate and control. if you have different views on what you should be spending on food than your spouse, talk about it and show some real numbers of where your money is going so that it isn't just an abstract number. if you still can't agree, chose humility and make the necessary sacrifices to serve your family. then pray that that Lord would change either your heart or your spouse's heart so that you can work together on this vital family issue.

2. meal plan - i have found meal planning to be the best way to stick to my #1 suggestion of working with a food budget. when you plan what you are going to eat during the week, you are going to have direction when shopping, and will naturally buy less unnecessary items and waste less food. if you are tight one month on money to spend on food, plan most your meals around ingredients you already have on hand (maybe frozen chicken, or pantry items, or dried goods). i have found taking the time to meal plan has got me out of my food ruts and forces me to be creative with what i have, only buying the items i need to complete a meal.

now, i know that meal planning can seem intimidating if you have never done it before... at least it was for me! i have friends like katie who have amazing detailed meal plans every week that are extremely organized. personally, i mostly just take the time to plan out dinners and then make notes about breakfast, lunch, snack, and dessert ideas. i am not super strict about sticking to the plan either. for example, if one night i have more time for prep than another, i may switch which dinner i was planning on making. also, if i find a great sale on something at the store i wasn't expecting, i will sometimes make a last minute revision to take advantage of the great deal. i often leave at least one dinner of the week blank, planning to have leftovers from another meal i made. i encourage you to try meal planning for a month before you decide if it is for you. i can almost guarantee that you will save money at your shopping trips and feel like a faster, more efficient shopper.

3. join a food co-op. i have bought from azure standard for almost 2 years now and it has been one of the biggest money savers for our family. they are a christian owned company based out of oregon with excellent customer service. check on their site to see if they deliver near you, and if there isn't a drop point yet then you can organize one!

the types of items i order are things i can buy in bulk and store as pantry or freezer items. we order so many different things from azure including flour for both bread making and baking, rice, beans, lentils, coconut oil, unrefined sugar, coconut milk, seasonal produce, teas, herbs, oats (both rolled and steel cut), meats, and so much more. i have a good idea of the best prices in town for the items i order and i know that i am getting the best deal possible. if it is more expensive with azure, i simply buy it at the best priced place in town.

one example would be that the past couple months they have had "in season" juice grade organic apples for only $10 for 20 lbs. these are apples that are "imperfect" with little visual flaws or not perfectly round, but so sweet and lovely for so many uses. over the past 3 months we have ordered 100 lbs of these apples! where else can you get organic apples for 50 cents a pound?

4. invest in food grade 5 gallon or 2 gallon buckets and gamma lids to store your great bulk purchases. these are available at azure as well, and protect food from both the elements and pests, making it possible to enjoy the deeper discounts for larger bulk purchases. we have recently bought 33 lbs of rapadura, 25 lbs of steel cut oat, 25 lbs of red lentils, 25 lbs of pinto beans, among other large bulk items and store them in these handy buckets in our garage.

5. join a csa. now i know this one may not be applicable to everyone. we personally eat a lot of produce and don't have picky eaters. if you are someone who values organic local produce, this may be the very thing for you to save money and get great quality produce.

we have been members of abundant harvest for 3 months now, and it has been more of a blessing than i even expected it to be. we are a family of 6, soon to be 7, who eat a considerable amount of produce (i used to be a vegetarian back in the day and so i still enjoy incorporating veggies into everything we eat). we get the "small" box of produce every week for $21.80 and it is jammed packed with so much produce i am constantly searching online for new recipe ideas to use up our veggies. i have been able to try new things that i may not have bought in the store, and a couple are now new family favorites such as saute bok choy and sweet potato bisquits. we also have the opportunity to chose add ons to our order, such as in season organic oranges for just $5 per 10 lbs bag. our deliveries are on tuesdays and the items in the delivery are posted on their website the thursday before, making it possible to meal plan off of what we will be getting. one great thing about getting produce from a csa besides saving money is that you are supporting your local farmers and getting incredibly fresh produce (ours is picked within 24 hours of receiving it!).

again, it may not be the right fit for your family, but it has saved us money and expanded my creativity in cooking and baking.

*tip: don't wash your produce right when you get it, but instead right before you use it. this should extend the life of any produce you buy.

6. grow a garden. we have been growing in this area over the past 5-6 years. we started with a herb garden on our porch in little pots. i figured the most expensive purchase at the grocery store are those little bundles of fresh herbs and i wanted to enjoy them in our food without breaking the bank. basil, thyme, and mint are incredibly easy to grow in pots, as are many types of veggies like peppers and tomatoes.

this year we made 2 raised beds in our backyard for veggies and had moderate success with minimal sunlight. we only get maybe 3 hours total, not consecutive, of direct sunlight in any area of our backyard, but we were still able to grow tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, basil, potatoes, carrots, and squash. i have yet to master growing carrots as mine look pathetic every year, but i keep trying. it is both fun and money saving to grow your own veggies and herbs, so give something a try. a year and a half ago i had so many zucchini (my favorite) and ate them for lunch every day for weeks in the summer. as i said, it doesn't matter if you have land or not (pots) or if you have sunlight or not (our backyard)... something will grow if you at least give it a try!

7. consider raising chickens. now i have wanted to own chickens for a while, but my husband was the one who pulled the trigger on this one this past spring. i wasn't thrilled about getting them right now because we have no pets and didn't want the commitment of raising animals. let me tell you how incredibly easy they have been! our 3 hens are laying an average of 1 egg a day each, and my sweet boy david gets to go on an egg hunt every day because our hens are free range (in the truest sense of the word, refusing to even sleep in their hen house but roosting on a rose bush at night) and lay all over the yard in little hiding spots. what other pet rewards you for feeding it with food to feed you? it is awesome and they are so much tastier than store bought eggs.

two other benefits for us to having hens is i feed them the leftover bits and pieces of our produce and they act as the compost pile for me and in return they give me great fertilizer for the garden. warning on the chicken waste: you need to wait a month before putting it in your garden or it can burn your plants. people pay money for this stuff - you may consider selling it even to your gardening friends! we rarely buy chicken feed and our chickens know whenever we open the kitchen door that they probably have food coming. some of their favorite treats: apple rinds and peels, watermelon rinds, pumpkin rinds, pomegranate rinds, and cilantro... oh yeah, and the lettuce i was trying to grow in my garden... they sure enjoyed that...

8. find the stores that are the best prices for what you buy and plan your shopping trips accordingly. to also save in gas, i plan out my grocery store runs based on where i am already going during the week - if i am picking up a child from school i may run by costco afterward to stay on the same side of town or go to a local market for a couple specific items when i am already out at the starbucks next to it. i love a good deal, so i do not shop at one place for everything. it may help to keep either a little notebook in your purse or use the notes app on your smart phone to keep track of average prices of items you buy often so you can spot a good deal and stock up! i love sales and coupons, but i only use them on items we already use. i cannot stress that enough - no one store is the best price for everything and coupons and sales do not save you money if you weren't already planning on spending it! be a smart shopper and not an emotional shopper - i have been both and i know emotional shopping does not save money, it just fills our kitchen with random food we may or may not even like and makes meal planning harder not easier.

an example of saving money at the right stores is we found 2 lb bags of kirkland brand espresso roast at costco is actually roasted by starbucks for half the price of buying the beans straight from starbucks! when i have a husband who worked at starbucks for 7 years and is a devoted coffee drinker, it helps to find good beans for a good price!

9. invest in a freezer. we just recently did this very thing and i am so excited to be able to batch cook and really take advantage of great bulk prices on things i can freeze. i have used the little freezer on our fridge to the max and there are many ways you can use even that little one to save money. we recently went in on a local cow with several friends of ours, getting a great price for good meat. i look forward to buying a bigger percentage of a cow next time we order, as well as sending that husband of mine hunting with his bow. i haven't done much batch cooking, as my kids eat huge quantities already and i didn't have a big place to store it, but i sure plan to now!

10. learn to love ethnic food. i know that everyone has different food preferences, but i can tell you that ethnic food is cheap for a reason! think of the income levels of most people in mexico, or india, or thailand. their food may have some pricey spices (which you can find good deals on if you look around), but the staple ingredients are often dirt cheap rice and beans or lentils. you can get tons of flavor and variety and yet not spend a ton if you learn to both like ethnic food and then how to make it yourself. i love the fact that i can make a mean thai curry that feeds my whole family for the price of a single serving take out at the local thai restaurant. also rice, beans, and homemade tortillas has got us through many a seemingly impossible financial month and my kids think it is a special treat.

11. avoid anything pre-packaged and instead make it yourself. we rarely buy anything that comes in a package for both health and financial reasons. however, i stopped buying boxed food such as cereals (except occasionally now) and crackers because of how expensive they were, not because of if they were good for us or not. i know the convenience of pre-packaged snack foods can be very hard to break, but it will save you so much money when the boxes are usually about $5 a piece and if you are like us you can fly through them without even realizing it.

a couple years ago we started a quest to make homemade bread. we have definitely refined our methods and can make great wheat oven bread most of the time (we do have our occasional flops!), but since i have been pregnant we got a bread machine because my energy was just not there to do the oven method. bread makers can be found used on craig's list for super cheap and pay themselves off very quickly if you have kids who eat sandwiches for lunch most days. making our own bread has definitely saved us money and we get to control what ingredients are in there!

i have slowly learned how to make pretty much all the food we eat myself. it is always cheaper and usually tastier, plus i know exactly what is in it (no weird list of ingredients i can't pronounce)! with the internet age we are in, recipes to make stuff yourself are so readily available there is no reason why anyone can't experiment and try something new. my sister makes great homemade wheat thin crackers which we have made a handful of times. you really can save tons of money making stuff yourself. it doesn't have to consume your time either - this is where a plan is invaluable! don't try to do too much at once, but plan what you will try and when you will do it so it fits into your life.

*money saving tip: an easy thing to make that saves money is homemade chicken stock (or bone broth). after eating a chicken, cook the bones on low in your oven with apple cider vinegar or lemon juice for another hour or so, then put carcass in cold water in a big pot with a little bit of apple cider vinegar (the acid in the vinegar actually leaches the good stuff from the bones, making your stock very nurishing). i add in the ends of onions and the leaves of celery that i have saved and frozen (even a bigger money saver using scrapes!). i usually also throw in a bay leaf or two. i bring it to a boil, skim off any scum off the top, and then turn to low where it is just barely making a boil bubble and cook it 12-24 hours. i strain it into jars and put in the refrigerator and freezer to use all sorts of recipes. good broth at the store is pricey - a pint of organic chicken stock ranging from $2-4! you can make a whole pot with what you would have thrown away.

12. just say no to fast food. this should be an obvious one for those living on tight finances, but i am surprised all the time how many people spend money on fast food, even on things that would take the same amount of time to make themselves. just like many of the above ideas, this is where a plan is so so needed. if you already have planned what you are going to eat, the drive thru will not be as tempting. i know there have been times while pregnant that i just have to get a burger at in-n-out because i hadn't planned what i was going to eat. it happens to everyone, but you will save money eating at home or packing something to take with you. for sure.

i know this isn't a catch all list, so i would love your ideas of how you save money, and even links to recipes or blog posts you have used, in the comments below. this is a journey, so do not beat yourself up if you feel like you have a ways to go on making choices to save money with food. remember that every choice you make gets you one step closer to or one step further from saving money, so just take one step that you feel like you are able to do. i do not do all of these all the time - that would make me a super human that i am not! different seasons in life are easier or harder to do different things, but we all can do something new in making our dollars stretch for food for our family.

what is one step you are going to take to save money with food?

what is one suggestion you would give other readers that i may have not mentioned here?

thank you for joining me in this journey! God has always given us more than enough, sometimes we just have to have creative eyes to see it!

charis

the great adventure

2011-11-27T21:54:00.001-08:00

often the best adventures are the ones we look forward to with anticipation. sometimes adventure is right in our own backyard...

where the trees tower high and make us feel so small and insignificant filling our hearts with awe and amazement. sometimes feeling small feels so good.

unsure of what to expect, sometimes we just have to take the plunge and find out for ourselves how brave, or unsure, we are to tackle the unknown.

the unknown isn't always fun to face, but when it surprises us with joy our hearts are full and our faces bright.

just being held by the One who makes us feel safe sometimes makes the newest adventures so worth it...

we don't even need to have vision to get through it.

we are just along for the ride, hat down over the eyes...

smiling the whole way.

getting away from the hustle and bustle,

back to where life is so simple and still,

can open our hearts to new possibilities we hadn't seen before.

and the hunt for what we are searching for, the very journey itself,

is often as rewarding as the prize at the end of the road.

we feel satisfaction of a job well done - an adventure fully realized.

there is so much wonder all around us if we have eyes to see.

there is so much to fill our hearts with delight every single day, if we just take the time to step away, look around, and embrace feeling small.

life is all around us, within us, and surging through us.

this is the great adventure He has called us to... are you ready for the ride?

still counting gifts to 1000...

361-379:

361. an amazing week of celebrating thankfulness with family. feeling incredibly blessed.

362. mom's turkey soup at my parents' house sunday afternoon.

363. great video chat with my husband's parents who live in guatemala- so thankful for modern technology.

364. a new source found for local honey.

365. green salsa we made from the last bits that remained from our garden.

366. an amazing deal on a chest freezer that will be our christmas gift from parents and each other.

367. annual trip up the mountain to chop down the tree.

368. snow on the mountain making a fun family play day.

369. no broken bones while sledding, though the kids took some pretty crazy jumps and even crazier landings.

370. extra bedding for those middle of the night sheet changes that happen with a big family.

371. open doors - whether we walk through them or not, the excitement of possibilities is awesome.

372. living somewhere that doesn't snow close enough to visit the snow for the day, but never having to deal with blizzards, shoveling, or the constant mess of it.

373. decorated house, decorated tree, christmas music always available online... loving this time of year.

374. the advent Bible reading plan my hubby and i are doing together.

375. lefse.

376. decaf americano with homemade whipped cream.

377. laundry piles slowly being processed.

378. freshly organized kids' room, including toys! yippee!

379. the great adventure of life right in front of us.

i am linked up at a holy experience. i would love to hear from you in the comments below!

charis

abc's of thanks

2011-11-24T08:42:00.001-08:00

a - apples in all sorts of ways... a favorite fall treat.

b -babies and all of their gooshy soft skin goodness.

myriah grubbs photography

c - coffee made by my dear husband.

d - daddy is such an awesome grandpa and dad.

e - enough. simple and true - there is always enough with God.

f - fireworks are simply a highlight of life.

g - girl friends are for the long haul.

h - homegrown tomatoes from the backyard.

i - isaiah study every monday at starbucks... time alone in the Word while my husband watches the kids.

j - Jesus is my whole hope and reason for life.

k - kid time... doesn't matter what we are doing, it is always priceless.

l - laughter. there is nothing like it to heal the soul.

m - making gifts for those i love.

n - nature. seeing the handiwork of God.

o - out of town road trips are the best "date" talk times.

p - piano. my instrument of choice.

q - quality time with those i love.

r - red heads... now that i have one, i can't live without them.

s - santa cruz is the beach town full of memories from childhood, dating, engagement, and now raising my own family.

t - time is the only commodity we have to use that truly is finite.

u - undeserved mercy - what sustains me.

v - vacation. making memories that we will carry forever.

w - wednesday night date night - babysitter or not, time we have set aside to get to know each other and strengthen our friendship.

x - xtra fun family traditions - making our own family traditions is one of the best parts of parenting.

y - yellow, orange, red, and gold leaves on trees make the transition season of fall worth it.

z - fresh flowers. i know this doesn't start with z, but i love them and couldn't think of a z word.

happy thanksgiving everyone! may your eyes be open to all there is to be thankful for.

charis

how to deal with money with faith instead of fear

2011-11-22T08:26:00.001-08:00

part of sharing my journey and the things i learn and experience is sharing tidbits of how we live on a missionary's income (living on financial support of those who feel called to partner with us in building a house of prayer here in our region) with a large and growing family right here in california.

one thing i will say is i don't know how we could do it if we had debt. we are so blessed to be free of consumer debt and also free of the monthly burden of car loans. we have our mortgage and a 2nd on our house, our regular utilities and costs of living, gasoline expenses, food expenses, and the tuition for our kids' schooling. that is the basics of what we need - no credit card payments, no car loans or leases, no student loans, no medical debt we are trying to pay off... we are very blessed to be freed up to live simply and pursue what God has before us without the extra burden that so many people live with. we lived with debt in the past because of various choices we made, so we know how extremely blessed we are to be free of all this and how much hard work and restraint it takes to dig out of it! one plug that i would shamelessly make is for dave ramsey and his books about finances- i am one of many people i know who have benefited from his counter-culture take on money and belief that it is possible to live without debt.

even with having fairly moderate expenses for a large family of 6, soon to be 7, i find that i, the one who does most of the regular finances though my husband is fully involved in the non-regular bigger decisions, have to continually be creative with money and budgeting and spend a lot of time in prayer to have a heart full of faith when it comes to money instead of a heart full of fear. i am no where near "arriving" in this pursuit of approaching money in faith, but i have found a couple keys that help me keep my heart in check and redirecting my eyes to my Provider instead of the black and white numbers in the check register.

5 keys to approaching finances with faith instead of fear:

1. pray, pray, and then pray some more!

really, this sounds so basic, but it can be so hard to stop and pray when you want to dive right in and make something work in the numbers. i am learning how to approach Father God as my Provider who really does care and know my needs and simply ask Him to provide when the dollars and cents simply don't make sense. when something unexpected comes up or we haven't had enough support money come in to just make the simplest bottom line, i go to my husband and we pray together, asking the Lord specifically to provide for our needs.

often we involve our kids in praying for finances. at first i was hesitant to do this because the last thing i wanted was to cause them to worry about adult problems and feel insecure or afraid because of money. what i learned is this: if we can approach our need and our petition to God full of faith and give my kids the opportunity to partner with us in prayer for specific measurable needs, we give them the opportunity to build a history of trusting God and seeing answers to prayer. it is like filling a "bank account," so to say, of faith in the God who cares about them that they can draw from when they are grown and facing their own issues. if i simply keep these prayer times private between my husband and i, i actually rob my kids of an opportunity to see God come through and praise Him for His faithfulness.

i want to stress one point of this though - if i don't have enough faith in the middle of a particular circumstance, i do try to spend time with the Lord in worship, prayer, and the word building that faith before i come before my children for them to partner with us. i want them to see their parents live the life of faith we are calling them to. while i think it is great for them to know that we struggle at times just like they do, we also need to show them with our lives how to live when things aren't going perfect around us. children learn more from watching how we approach God and live out faith than just from the things we say and teach them alone.

one of the best moments as a parent i have had is getting to tell my kids when God has answered their prayers. i love telling them when unexpected money shows up or God provides a way to do something that there is no logical way we should have been able to do. i love the confidence they respond with - the child-like faith that says, "i know, we prayed about it right?" sharing victories in faith with my children is priceless and stirs me to believe more and more in my own walk with Him.

i wrote in the past about some of my journey in praying for God's provision for finances in the post He told us to ask.

2. read the sermon on the mount

the sermon on the mount is found in matthew chapters 5-7. i find there is so much in this 3 chapter passage of the Bible and i often hear it called christianity 101. in this sermon, Jesus laid out what a life of following Him looked like, and actually talked a lot about money. i find that if i am about to tackle the finances on a monday (my typical day to work on money) and feel the flutter of fear in my heart i pull out my Bible. if i will turn aside for just a few minutes to read the sermon on the mount and pray into any part that stirs my heart, i will be so much more productive when i dive in on paying bills, balancing the checkbook, or whatever financial thing i am working on. i like to think of the sermon on the mount as my secret weapon against fear. take it and make it your own!

3. take time to worship God

worshiping the Lord is crucial for me. i like to sit at my piano and play a favorite worship song and sing to the Lord. sometimes this turns into singing out of a passage in the Bible that is touching my heart or singing my prayers and the things weighing heavy on me out to Him. always, and i am pretty confident in saying always, i walk away from even the shortest time in worship changed. there is something about adoring the Lord in the midst of fear, frustration, and hard life circumstances that not only brings Him so much pleasure and glory, but strengthens the heart to believe. if you are not a musician, it is okay! you can crank up your favorite worship cd or turn on the ihop prayer room web stream and sing and worship with one of their sets (they have worship steaming 24/7 and archives you can listen to). you can open up your own Bible and sing a passage - i always recommend starting with something like a psalm first since they were written to be sung anyways. you can sing your prayers to a simple melody of a song you already know. if you think you have a bad voice and don't want anyone to hear, go into a room and shut the door or sing in the shower - i think everyone sounds better in the shower! the point is to worship. worshiping before the circumstances change is such a beautiful gift to bring God.

4. give sacrificially

this seems crazy and sometimes feels crazy when money is already tight! logically it makes sense to wait until there is extra cash before giving. the truth of the matter is, the way we live with little is exactly how we will live with much. if we are generous when we have little, we will be generous when we have much. if we are stingy and fearful when we have little, we will still struggle with being stingy and fearful when we have much. very few people are actually in the place financially that they feel free of need regardless of pay raises or lowered expenses.

it is always a choice we have to make to live with an open hand and not a closed fist. i have found that when my hand is open, it is easier for the Lord to fill it. when my fist is tightly shut, i tend to strive to be my own provider and fail to look to Him for the answer. only the Lord can show you where to give and how much to give, so i would say ask Him! He is so faithful to provide when we partner our hearts with Him and live generously like He is towards us.

we tithe, and i know this is something people go back and forth on whether it is still required for new testament believers or if it was strictly a jewish thing. well, regardless of if it is required by the Lord, we choose to give 10% first and trust Him to stretch our 90% to pay what needs to be paid. when i speak of giving sacrificially, i am always speaking of above and beyond the basic 10%. i can tell you that it will rarely make financial sense on paper to tithe, but somehow it does work out. God honors our heart posture and the practical practice of making Him our Provider and giving this as thanks for all He does.

5. cultivate a thankful heart

being thankful is something i am always working on. we play a thankful game with our kids in the car. we try to always give thanks to God before we come before Him in prayer with a need. we try to text, email, or write a quick note of thanks to our financial partners or those who give special financial gifts every time they give. we don't want to ever take for granted all the ways God provides and sustains our lives. i work on recognizing beyond the financial because simply growing in giving thanks strengthens the faith muscle in my heart. i think sometimes of the 10 lepers that Jesus healed and the one that came back to thank Him - i want to be one who comes back to give Him thanks.

so the fall leaves have nothing to do with finances, but they sure catch my eye these days!

these are just some practical tools that help keep my heart aligned as i learn how to live this wild adventure of living by faith financially and in every area of my life. even if you don't live on a missionary support style income, all of these 5 tools can apply to your circumstances right now. this list is definitely not all inclusive, so i welcome below in the comments ideas of how you keep your heart aligned when you approach finances.

this is a marathon and not a sprint - we all will trip up and give into fear at some point, but the point is to get back up and chose to keep going and keep trusting and keep growing in faith. if there is one thing i have learned over the past 3 years of living on missionary support it is this: His faithfulness does not depend on my level of faith - He provides because of who He is. i just get the chance to celebrate and partner with Him when i turn my heart towards Him and believe. He provides for the just and the unjust alike, so it isn't up to us - He is who He is because that is who He is. what a safe place to trust and come and ask and believe!

what is one way you deal with your heart when it comes to finances? how do you keep yourself walking in faith instead of fear? what do you do to overcome fear when you find you have given in?

watch for an upcoming post on practical ways i feed a family of 6, almost 7, on a tight missionary budget and manage to eat healthy whole foods, many organic - with california food prices! i am excited to share this part of our journey with you.

charis

a giving of thanks

2011-11-13T19:59:00.001-08:00

there really is so much to be thankful for. we have been playing a game in the car while we drive around running errands or kids to school called the "thankful game." we take turns, one by one, giving thanks to God for something that He has done for us. i want my heart to overflow with thanksgiving. i want to teach my kids to recognize all that God does for us all the time. we all get going one or two things into the game thinking of what we get to say next... it really gets fun to realize all we have all around us!

i don't know about you, but i have to tell myself sometimes, slow down! slow down and take a look around you at how blessed you really are. God is moving all the time, giving all the time, beckoning all the time... there is so much we can praise Him for. and it is always worth it when we come to Him and thank Him for all He has done.

what about you? what are you starting to notice in your life that you can give Him praise about? how do you work thanksgiving into your daily life?

347 - 360:

347. pretty flowers in a clean, a messy but clean, living room.

348. a good night sleep last night after a couple up with the kids at different times for different needs.

349. going through clothes i saved in the garage to hand down to the next kid... so helpful to not have to buy all new clothes every season for 4 little boys.

350. friends who pursue relationship with me in so many different ways.

351. our csa box of produce every week... and the provision to pay for it.

352. trying new recipes because of working with some new ingredients i haven't normally eaten in the past.

353. children who aren't picky eaters, but eager to try even things new to me.

354. little bursts of energy to start getting things done.

355. my little david who goes on an egg hunt every day and brings me in fresh brown eggs from the backyard.

356. a very peaceful home to live in.

357. a little pocket of time to write on my little space on the internet all i give thanks for.

358. leaves changing colors - red, yellow, orange... beauty.

359. my body slowly changing shape - more and more evidence of the life growing within.

360. that God speaks to us in the watches on the night while we sleep.

i am linked up at a holy experience. i would love to hear from you in the comments below!

charis

a list of random thoughts

2011-10-29T21:47:00.001-07:00

1. i just love misty edwards devotional sets on the kansas city international house of prayer web-streaming archives. most nights i have misty sing me to sleep. even as i write this post i am listening to misty's most recent devotional set in hopes that she will sing my sleepy one year old to sleep right now.

2. i have been making dinners for my family again for about a week and a half. this is something i am extremely proud of (silly, i know!) - it means i am starting to get some sort of energy and motivation back. no worries, no super woman pregnant mama here! i still have piles of clean clothes everywhere, with piles of dirty laundry in-between, bills are still being paid late because i forget what day it is and what day they are due, my bedroom is still way too dusty to even believe i am confessing here to all the world, my minivan seems to be the bottomless pit (don't fall in, the junk may bury you alive)... but dinners are being made and my family is eating well again.

3. my little one sucks his thumb and i just love it. it is one of my favorite things. i sucked my thumb until i was almost 7 and, if truth be known, i would suck my thumb today if it were socially acceptable. it is just that comforting. (am i being a bit too real right now?)

4. i am reading this great devotional book called with Christ in the school of prayer by andrew murray. it has 30 short chapters so i imagine most people could get through it in one short month. i am taking my time, but am really enjoying it. i feel like it is stretching my understanding of prayer and really encouraging me at the same time. i have been talking to the Father about what i am reading and i feel like it will change the way i approach my conversations with God.

5. last year i did this awesome homemade gift christmas where almost everything i gave was made by me. now, it was not every last gift, but almost and it was both cost effective and really fun. this year my budget would need to do it again, but i have been having the hardest time getting much done. someone told me a couple days ago that it was only 60 days left until christmas. i have like 2 gifts made... of many many gifts i will have to figure out for all our various christmas events. even crocheting a hat has proved very difficult for my pregnancy brain. i keep making the silliest mistakes and can't seem to focus on what i am doing. so... we will see how many homemade gifts i will actually get done.

6. good news about a couple homemade birthday gifts though - i successfully made homemade play dough for the first time. i used kool-aid which made it smell like frosting and while i was mixing it on the stove and wondering if it would ever start looking like play dough and less like frosting, i almost forgot what i was making. it was a success though and i made new play dough for my own kids while i was at it.

7. i have a fresh chicken sitting in my fridge that needs to be cooked but we don't eat lunch or dinner here on sundays. i guess i will have to cook it anyways and then maybe save the meat for monday? oh wait, i don't think we are eating dinner here on monday either. bummer.

8. did you ever know about my love of fall and everything pumpkin? we don't carve pumpkins but we do roast so many during the fall and eat pumpkin like it is going out of style. mmmm. so far we have made a curry pumpkin soup and 3 loaves of pumpkin bread (2 had chocolate chips as a guilty pleasure in an otherwise good for you treat). pumpkin food makes me smile.

9. every time someone hears i am pregnant that i don't know, they ask me if it my 1st. when i hear, "no, it is my 5th," come out of my mouth and see the shock on their faces, i am still in a bit of shock myself. i mean, 5 sounds like a lot right? adding just 1 more little one to the 4 already running around doesn't seem that different, but then saying the number 5?!!! i must be crazy, right? but somehow it just sneaked up on me one child at a time and here we are... 5 kids in 8 years this next april!

10. well, misty worked her magic again. little one is asleep and snoring. gosh, i hope i don't snore while i listen to her all night long.

11. i am not that great of a list maker. it seems that lists should be short, concise and to the point. i am always way too wordy for that and need to add lots of description to each number on my list.

12. we are in a ton of transition right now. our house of prayer that we oversee is in the midst of changing from a house of prayer that has met at our home church for the past few years to a citywide house of prayer. transition, no matter how good it is and how much God is clearly involved is always painful. i mean, take it from me, someone who have experienced 4 "real" transitions (labor is where they get that term, right???) and am about to experience another one in a few short months, that saying there is "pressure" is just a way to describe pain when you don't want someone to be afraid of the actual real pain. it is hard and painful and yet usually anytime there is transition it is because a very very good thing is coming (like a new baby). oh lovely fun transition.

13. eggplant. if i have never told you how i adore eggplant, especially prepared the indian way, then i really should have told you before now. i adore eggplant.

14. i am up way too late... way past my bedtime. maybe that is evidence that i am getting some energy back. but let's not exaggerate - i am not full of energy, so this should wrap up soon so i can go to bed.

15. i am tired. so tired. i think i have been tired for the past 8.5 years with ups and downs from tired to even more tired. another reason i should go to bed while the above mentioned baby is sleeping.

16. good night!

charis