I want you to be concerned about your next door neighbor. Do you know your next door neighbor?
Mother Teresa

Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mother_teresa.html#ixzz1bwtGO2Mc



'Do I know my next door neighbor?'  Well, of course they are the ones I smile and wave to as we're getting our mail or piling in the car to go to church.  I know some neighbors better than others, the ones who are friendly and easy to talk to. . .  I'm not sure about the new neighbors though - I've seen their teenagers smoking behind the house and staying up late on the weekends blaring music.  I don't want my children to be influenced by them, so it might be best to just ignore them for now. 

I must admit these thoughts have slowly crept into my pharisee plagued brain lately.  Perhaps the neighbors I need to speak with the most aren't the most lovely or likeminded, but the ones who need to know the love of God, and I sit here in my comfortable house keeping Him all to myself.  Christ commanded us to love our neighbors that means our 'homeless, Muslim, black, white, Jewish, Christian, atheist, gay, racist neighbor' (taken from Christian t-shirt).  And I know I have all of these and more just in my own neighborhood alone, yet my neighbors don't even know me or know that there is a God who cares for them. . and how will they know unless they are told.

My sweet husband is in Kenya right now ministering to souls hungry for the Gospel.  I am so glad he is there seeing hundreds come to a saving knowledge of our Lord.  And I long to go one day too. . . but perhaps my mission field has been given to me on my own street.  Perhaps the courage to tell the world about Him starts when I tell the one beside me.

So love your neighbor, as I love mine.

Love Never Fails

My husband and I celebrated our 10th anniversary this week.
I have learned more through this journey of marriage than any other experience life has given me.  Marriage teaches so many things, most of it is summed up in the Word's definition of love. . .

                          "Love is patient.
                           Love is kind.
                           It does not envy,
                           It does not boast,
                           It is not proud.
                           It is not rude,
                           It is not self seeking,
                           It is not easily angered,
                           It keeps no record of wrongs.
                          
                           Love does not delight in evil,
                           But rejoices with the truth.
                           It always protects, always trusts,
                           Always hopes, always perseveres.
                          
                           Love never fails."                   
                                                              I Corinthians 13:4-8a




I am truly grateful for the gift of my husband and I am thankful to my Savior for teaching me about true love through the beautiful relationship of marriage. 


Happy Anniversary My Love. . .

The mystery of love covenant given breath on our wedding day.
Two lives made one by the Father.
Combined being starting their walk together, never to diverge on separate paths, but to hold and carry one another across the mountains and through the thick valleys.

To never walk alone, but alongside.
Sharing, holding, needing, giving, loving.
To hurt his hurt, to bear her burden, to cry and cling, to know.
Holy gift of communion.
Bonded unity, eternally one, sacred relationship.

Amazing Love

"Oh how He loves you and me,
He gave His life, what more could He give,
Oh how He loves you, Oh how He loves me,
Oh how He loves you and me!"    
                                                   -traditional


A love so vast He spread it wide on the broken trunk of a tree. 
A love so pure it flowed from pierced hands and feet.
A love so strong the earth shook and the rocks broke in pieces.
A love that put aside heaven to seek the humble humanity of us all.


That is amazing love.  That is a love I cannot begin to understand or comprehend.  That is a love that was given for me and for you.

His love. . . his sacrifice is a gift of eternal significance.

Take the time today to dwell on what it cost, so that we may have salvation.
Be still and remember His amazing love.

Fleeting Childhood

       "Childhood - The days are long, but the years are short."  (author unknown)

 Long days of loving, nurturing, playing, cleaning, feeding, caring, teaching, correcting, reading, snuggling, tickling, cooking, eating, sharing. . . these days are long.   Sometimes I look for ways to fill the hours usually playing long games of go fish or checkers, pretending we are princesses or pirates, taking walks around the block or through the woods.  Other times I distract myself from my little ones to do another load of laundry or fill the dishwasher or pick up the hundreds of toys that get scattered through the house daily.  Either way, some days are very long and when darkness comes and eyelids dip heavy I reflect on if anything I did that day was important.  So many things go unnoticed, often no one sees the untiring work of the mother.

I love the story about the little boy who is throwing starfish back into the ocean, who have been washed ashore after a great storm.  An older man comes up to him and says, "Why are you throwing these animals back, there are hundreds of them, you will never help them all?!"  To which the boy replies as he picks up another starfish, "Made a difference to that one." 


I must constantly remind myself that I am making a difference.  No matter how small these things may appear, they are difference making, life shaping activities.  Investing time in my children now will teach them that relationships are a priority.  Family bonds come before making money or following self.  By taking the time with them to share life experiences they will learn to take time with their little ones when they are grown and the cycle of love and life will continue. 


This is one reason I enjoy homeschooling, I can be with the ones I love to share the joys of learning.  We can open all the windows and hang our feet out to draw and write about God's creation.  We have the time together to read books about long ago and far away, how people live around the world and how we all belong to the Creator and we all need Jesus. 


These days may seem long when the details of each minute overwhelm, but I am reminded so quickly (when I look at my 7 year old) how the years fly by.  Those baby days will never come again,  the chubby hands and wobbly legs won't need my help as they used to.  Quiet, sun filled nursery days are gone and those years can never be returned.  Once life is spent, there is no holding it again.  So, while we have these minutes, these hours, these years with our children let us spend our time wisely.  Let me be diligent in using my time for good, nurturing young minds, loving and living as unto the Lord.

I am grateful for . . .

56.  new dogs to make our family a bit more full

57.  peace in the storm of stomach bugs

58.  peek-a-boo boys in the park

59.  toothless grins on sweet girls

60.  chatty boys who want to share all the details

61.  warm sunshine and spring breezes

62.  patient Savior love

Abiding Love

For bedtime stories the birthday boy brings me the Word to read, for tender ears to hear before dreams come.  This is the third night in a row he has chosen the Bible as his "bedtime story."  Tonight he says, "Did you know that those words in red are what Jesus said?  He actually said those words, right there!"  Joy and love and excitement fill his voice and his eyes - I love his love for the Lord!  This childlike faith that Christ calls us to have is simply beautiful.  Fully trusting.  Fully loving.  Fully abiding.

So we read the words in red.  The words from THE WORD covered in the red sacrifice of His life.  Words that give life, words given by the author of life.

"Abide in me. . ."  John 15:4

He calls us to abide, to remain, to be in Him.  
He has called us to do many things, but the one thing that is of the greatest importance is abiding.  Ever dwelling in His presence.  Bringing our minds, our hearts, our souls into constant communion with Him.  Living and growing in our Lord.


"I am the vine, ye are the branches."  John 15:5

He is the source of all life.  In Him and Him alone we 'live and move and have our being.'  If we are indeed the branches, then we only grow when we are living in Him.  Being in His Word, praying, knowing Him. . .these are the practices of an abiding life. 

The imagery of the vine is beautiful.  He is the vine - He is the root of all we need.  Just meditate on that a moment.  He is all we need!  Our branch does not need this culture or friendships or self seeking desires.  All we need is found in Him and all we need to do is remain in Him.


"He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit." v. 5

There will be fruit when we remain in our Lord.  I remember a time when we lived in the 'country.'  Our home was surrounded by fields of corn and soybeans and cotton and our nearest neighbor had a long grape vine in his yard.  By late August the vines were heavy with fruit.  The children and I were invited over to pick as many as we could eat - and much to their delight we would pick bowls full and overflowing.  Just imagining those grapes now brings a vivid picture to my mind of what Christ wants our life to be in Him.  He wants us to be full fruit bearing branches.  Branches who produce so much love and joy, peace and gentleness, that others will want to reach out and taste some of that love.  The hopeless will desire to grasp the hope they see in us, the hurting will want the fruit of forgiveness.  

This fruit also means sharing the Good News of Jesus, winning the lost for the kingdom of God.  Is my fruit pleasing to the Lord?  Am I living the abiding life?  Is my branch fully trusting in Him for all I need?  Does my life reflect His glory?  

These are the thoughts and questions I ponder now and hope my little ones who love the Word right now, will learn the life of abiding in Him.

Birthday Blessings

Today was my sweet boy's birthday!  We snuggled close and looked over baby pictures of when he was born and his baby years.  We had birthday cake picnics inside and his favorite pizza for dinner.  We even woke this morning to his sister singing Happy Birthday to him.  As we reflected on his life and his love I came across a few words I had written about my love for my son. . .

How can I resist sundown rings of hair or mahogany eyes that twinkle with love and mischief.  Sweet smiles and butter soft hands that wrap me up in love.  What a joy!  What a gift!  This darling boy who loves his mommy so and never wants to grow up so he will have to leave his family.  This little one who wants to build a house right beside us when he is older so we never have to be apart.  There is only this moment in his mind right now - only rockets to fly, and gray kittens to squeeze, and sisters to kiss or hit.  What a beauty childhood is - pure freedom, pure thought, pure love!  Thank you Father for the wonderful gift of my son, for all his mountains and valleys, joys and fears, loves and labors.

Happy Birthday Sweet Boy!

Redeeming Love

I love the story of Hosea and Gomer - how they make me smile and cry.  Prophet made husband to promiscuous wife. Holy and heated. 

I love how Hosea obeyed God even when it was hard.  Imagine being called by God to preach to His people, called out to be separate, a righteous man of God sent to give a message.  But then the Holy One asks him to marry a woman who will prove to be unfaithful.  What?  Perhaps we didn't hear you right, Lord?  You couldn't have said. . . Just think about the humility, heartache, and confusion Hosea must have felt.  And what if he hadn't obeyed at all, then we would never know who Hosea was, but he obeyed God even when it was confusing and difficult and contradictary. 

My little girl struggles so much with going to bed at bedtime - she always says, "but it's soooo hard."  And then I remember my own day, when I completely felt the Spirit telling me to share the Good News with a neighbor, but my thoughts were, "what willl they think, what if it changes our relationship."  Sometimes obedience is hard, but it is always right.

Hosea and Gomer became one.  They made a commitment, a love covenant with one another, married.  Hosea's amazing example of God's unwavering, extravagent love always makes me smile.  His promise held true.  He remained faithful to his wife "in good times and in bad."  He was a rock and fortress of love.  Gomer bears a son and their family grows.  Babe sleeping in mother's arms as father looks on, "We will name him Jezreel."  Questioning look, patient answer, "the Lord has named him."  As a remembrance of the horrific battle at Jezreel and the blood that must be avenged.

Then things change, Gomer's heart wanders, she goes outside of the sweet marriage relationship to seek the world.  Unfaithful, adulterous woman.  I already know I am Gomer.  I already see the reflection of my life seeking things for myself, laughing with the world, finding pleasure in things not of my God.  Unfaithful, adulterous woman.

Two more children born from adulterous affairs, found in the arms of uncaring men.  She earnestly seeks to find love, affection, attention. . . when all along it was right there waiting patiently for her - at home.  Steadfast husband longing for his wife, hoping to catch adoring moments with her, but she is nowhere to be found, and returns home bearing the weight of sin in the form of a child.  We carry our sins when we fail to repent.  Hard, burdensome journeys of sin loads that hurt and scar.

God gives warning when we have gone too far, when our self seeking has taken us out of his sight.  Thus, his warning - Lo-Ruhamah - No Compassion.  God's wrath will not be put off forever.  His mercy is great, but sin must be punished.  Lo-Ammi - "you are not my people and I am not your God." We lose identity with Him when we continually lust after the world.

The crowd is thick as Hosea pushes his way to the front of the group.  The slave market smells of hot shame.  Sweaty men with fist fulls of gold bidding for their newest girl.  Loud voices shouting out their hunger for more.  Then she comes out, clothes torn, dirt streaked arms, knotted matts of black hair covering her ashen face, but she has never looked more beautiful, because she has been found and she belongs to him. 

"I want her!" the timid preacher shouts holding up all he has to redeem her, to save her from this life of shame.  The auctioneer looks around to see who has spoken and if there are any more bids.  No one else wants this dirty, sin worn woman.  "Sold!" he calls as he points to Hosea.  She slowly looks up to see her new master. . .slow tears wash streams of hope down her face.  Why is he here?  After all I've done. . . how can he?

He helps her down and they walk silently to a quiet alley.  His love looks straight through her as their eyes meet and he tells her plainly, "you are to live with me many days, you must not be a prostitute or intimate with any man, and I will live with you."  Hosea 3:3

God lays out His law for us to follow.  He makes it clear the paths we are to take and the ones we are to flee.  We must follow His ways completely or suffer the consequences of our sin.

She has been redeemed, bought with a price and now she belongs fully to him.  Her life is no longer her own, but she already knows the freedom that is in the arms of her redeemer.  She has tasted the steadfast and complete love of this man, whose very own name means "salvation."

Hosea takes Gomer home to their three children.  His commitment never wavered.  He was faithful to the end.  My God, faithful to me to the end.


I am thankful. . .

23.  for his faithfulness
24.  for his stories of deep meaning that teach life lessons
25.  for letting me see
26.  for amazing forgiveness
27.  for a Redeemer
28.  for purchasing me, though it cost Him His Son
29.  for saving me from sin
30.  for freedom in Christ

Love

I have always loved holidays, even more so since I have had children.  I remember when they were babies, stamping their sweet baby feet in red ink and sending Valentine cards to doting grandparents or sweet aunts and uncles.  Today, my older babies (7 and 5) made valentines for church friends and neighbor girls.  As I watched their still chubby hands signing their names I was reminded of the essence of love.  Love is something that is given.  Without restraint.  Free.  Pure.  Holy.

There is sweetness in love because, "God is Love."  He is the author, keeper, and definer of love.  And no love has been shown more purely than in the sacrifice of the Son. 

"Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. . ."  and He did.  He laid it down, gave all, sacrificed beyond belief for us, his friends.  His created, dearly loved, stubborn, sin stained children.  The essence of love is found in Jesus.

Later on we are told, "dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."  I John 4:11
Love one another. 
Practice kindness. 
In word or deed or thought - love.
Take a meal to the new baby family.  Call your mom about her doctor's appointment.  Write a letter of encouragement to a hurting friend.  Send a valentine :)  Love the little ones around you - serve them their meals joyfully.  Love your spouse with listening ears or a soft kiss.  Simply love.

"If we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."  I John 4:12
We are fleshing out the Gospel when we love. 
When we love, God lives in us. 
To love is to live.  To love is to know God.  To love is to obey. 
We are able to share in this great gift when we lay down our lives to give love.  We can be a part of this amazing grace story.  Invisible God is seen through our actions.  The hidden holy one is glimpsed by the lost and hurting world when we choose to  love.

So, live His love today.  Take this moment to know the heart of God and simply love.

Marriage

The mystery of love covenant given breath on our wedding day. Two lives made one by the Father. Combined being starting their walk together, never to diverge on separate paths, but to hold and carry one another across the mountains and through the thick valleys. To never walk alone, but alongside. Sharing, holding, needing, giving, loving. To hurt his hurt, to bear her burden, to cry and cling, to know. Holy gift of communion. Bonded unity, eternally one, sacred relationship. 

http://www.aholyexperience.com/

Love

Someone once said, "love is not a feeling, it's a choice."

Do I choose to love?
Even when it's hard.

Even when the little one comes crying into the bedroom during dark night hours.
Even when curly headed boys complain ALL DAY long and throws tantrums to get his way.
Even when the baby pulls hair and bites hard. 

Do I choose to love?

Am I "bearing all things" with patience, kindness, and understanding?

We are tested in the heat of the moment.
The fire of life refines or burns. 

Do I look at those blessed gifts and treat them with gentleness or harsh, angry frustration?
Does self-preservation rise or do I nurture their sweet spirits?

Do I choose to love?  The Savoir did.

Even when He looked down from heaven's heights and saw brothers killing brothers.
Even when lying words and slanderous whispers filled the air.
Even when abandoned children and crying widows filled shadowed streets.
Even then. . .He loved. And left. 
To come to us.  And show us His love.

So with outstretched arms, in breathless embrace, He laid down His love, and laid down His life, for us.
For the rebellious, complaining, sin-clothed children.
He loved even then.

So my words are mute.  My cries are silenced by the greatest love of all.

Let me not focus on the wrongs, but on the love.
And may my life be the tiniest reflection of that grace filled, peace robed love.
May I choose to love.