So, I'm in Colorado, soaking up the time with family - and I've pre-scheduled this post - so I can only tell you the works of God that happened before we left! This trip is kindof a leap of faith - we believed God wanted us to go, that seeing our family was among the Most Important things to do in this life. Since the tickets were a great deal and since it's been almost 2 years since we've seen the family, we stepped out trusting that this was the step to make, and that He would provide. We don't always - actually, very seldom - do we do this kind of leapage.
Anyway, before we left, as of Thursday, we had $160 in extra funds that God had provided through various surprising means. PRAISE GOD for His provision! And we are also praising God for providing through other ways too - extra hours for Michael, more earnings from my business, etc. Just another confirmation to us that this is the right time for our trip!
So, how have you been seeing God at work this week? How is God blessing your family, working in your life by encouraging, convicting, providing? Please share!
"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up..." 1 Thess. 5:11
In the Mister Linky widget below, simply type your name in the top box, or a short description of the work that God has done, and then in the second box, pastethe link from your specific"Works of God Monday" post. If you don't have a blog, use the comment section! Feel free to use the image from the top of this post if you like.
It's rainy here today, and will be for at least the next week. I love fall rains - fall in general, really, and I'm a little sad that probably all the trees will have shed their leaves by the time we return.
As I was driving around town this morning doing a few last minute errands like picking up cash and dropping off a Pampered Chef show order, Aaron asked about the windshield wipers, so I was explaining their function, and we talked about rainbows (he noticed the shape the wipers were making and commented on it) and Noah, and then I got to thinking about something rather odd.
I was stuck in traffic for a few minutes and I started to observe the different speeds of wiper action on the vehicles passing me and next to me. It is a light drizzly rain for today, and the speeds were quite varied, which I found oddly fascinating. Thinking further about it, Michael and I have very different levels of tolerance for droplets of rain on our windshield. I tend to want the blades to clear off the rain as quickly as they land, and Michael doesn't mind them so much. Both options are fine, as long as the driver is comfortable, and can see enough to drive safely.
It's not like we sit down and have a discussion about how fast the wipers should go before we enter our vehicle for a drive. It's so totally not a big deal. Not at all as big of a deal as oh, say, having gas in your tank or following the rules of the road.
How often do I make a big deal out of things that aren't? I'm praising God that I've seen the Holy Spirit do a work in my heart in the years that I've been a believer, slowly mellowing me and opening my eyes to a Biblical perspective on this - but I still have a looooong ways to go.
Especially, um, with my children.
Especially, um, today.
I've been getting ready for this trip with grand aspirations of leaving a clean house to come home to - and this morning, while I was packing up the last minute items, everything was going not exactly perfectly.
One thing that happened was that Aaron got ahold of a can of bug repellent that had been forgotten this summer in our backpack, which I had removed this morning, which he found lying on our bed, and sprayed it all over our bed including the comforter and pillows. And one of our duffel bags that was packed and ready to go. This happened when I went out of the room for less than one minute to grab 2 tshirts out of the dryer, and after a series of events involving a Bumbo seat, a box of Kleenex, and 3 selfish people.
The bugspray-releasing activity was The.Last.Straw.
What I should have done was not what I did, and I had to apologise to Aaron for losing my cool. My patience level was not what it ought to have been, for sure. My expectations (lofty and perhaps unreasonable) were getting in the way of my relationship with my children.
So, we're still getting ready, we might have to leave a little later than we planned (depending on how nap time goes) and my house will probably not be clean, but I just need to roll with it and chill out. I need to tolerate what doesn't matter. It's not critical for my to-do list to be accomplished - and my training and teaching of my children definitely comes before any expectations I have for "my" day.
Maybe I will eventually learn this lesson, but I'm thinking it will probably take many, many more sessions. God is gracious, to teach us through our children, and through more mundane things like windshield wipers.
So I saw this linked here - and I could not resist the power of suggestion. Hello, it's FALL! You have to eat pumpkin pie - so why not in the morning, when you have the whole day to burn it off, right?? I made it for my breakfast this morning, baked in a pie plate. (I do not own ramekins)
I now will have to leave the house as not to eat the entire batch.
We leave our house in 2 days for an extended time away - 2 days in Detroit on either side and 8 days in Colorado. We are all super excited to see the family again.
And in completely unrelated news, we are considering a laptop purchase for the Pampered Chef business before the end of the tax year. Anyone ever owned a Sony VIAO? I found one the other day and I think I might be in love with all the features.
I'm so thankful for God's Grace today! Yesterday at church we sang a song that we've been learning together as a congregation, and I was overwhelmed as I sang the text with other believers. God is so gracious to us!
His Robes for Mine
His robes for mine: O wonderful exchange! Clothed in my sin, Christ suffered 'neath God's rage Draped in His righteousness, I'm justified In Christ I live, for in my place He died
Chorus: I cling to Christ, and marvel at the cost: Jesus forsaken, God estranged from God. Bought by such love, my life is not my own: My praise - my all - shall be for Christ alone.
His robes for mine: what cause have I for dread? God's daunting Law Christ mastered in my stead. Faultless I stand, with righteous works not mine, Saved by my Lord's vicarious death and life.
His robes for mine: God's justice is apeased. Jesus is crushed, and thus the Father's pleased. Christ drank God's wrath on sin, then cried, "'Tis done!" Sin's wage is paid; propitiation won.
His robes for mine: such anguish none can know. Christ, God's beloved, condemned as though His foe. He, as though I, accursed and left alone; I. as though He, embraced and welcomed home!
Anderson/Habegger Copyright 2008 churchworksmedia.com (you can also view and print this hymn here as well)
I am also thankful for God's provision this month - I am finally seeing some real progress in my Pampered Chef business, and this is a blessing. I have had the best month yet, and I only had 3 shows! I'm praising God for providing this way of helping our family a little bit financially, and praising Him for building the business!
So, how have you been seeing God at work this week? How is God blessing your family, working in your life by encouraging, convicting, providing? Please share!
"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up..." 1 Thess. 5:11
In the Mister Linky widget below, simply type your name in the top box, or a short description of the work that God has done, and then in the second box, pastethe link from your specific"Works of God Monday" post. If you don't have a blog, use the comment section! Feel free to use the image from the top of this post if you like.
Today I had to say goodbye to my beloved garden. We've been covering the plants at night, but this week, the nights are ALL going to be below freezing except one, so it's time. I picked the last of the fruit from the vines, and now I'll have to pull the plants up.
I'm sad - but only at my loss of tomatoes anytime I want them. Anyone know what to do with all these tiny green tomatoes??
Well, it appears that I have taken an entire week off from blogging, and I didn't even know it! We have been busy around here! God is providing for our needs and even some of our wants! I pray that by pointing to HIS work in blessing us, encouraging, convicting, changing, etc., I can slowly become more aware of His work in all areas of our lives!
It seems that our kids make huge leaps in short amounts of time - do yours? I've been having the best conversations with Aaron lately about God and spiritual things. It seems like a month ago he was still singing the ABC's a million times in a row and enjoying every minute and now he's asking things like "why is the Bible God's Word?" and "Where is God?"
This is VERY exciting to me, to watch his awareness of God growing. It's also great to listen to his sweet voice recite Scripture and sing hymns and songs about God. I praise God for His work in Aaron and in the same breath beg for the wisdom I need to parent these amazing blessings. God is so good!
So, how have you been seeing God at work this week? How is God blessing your family, working in your life by encouraging, convicting, providing? Please share!
"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up..." 1 Thess. 5:11
In the Mister Linky widget below, simply type your name in the top box, or a short description of the work that God has done, and then in the second box, pastethe link from your specific"Works of God Monday" post. If you don't have a blog, use the comment section! Feel free to use the image from the top of this post if you like.
This week I am praising the Lord for so many things! He has convicted me, sustained me with HIS strength, and has provided. I am so thankful that I serve God who has proven that He has a record of faithfulness and that He cannot fail to do what He has promised. He continually opens my eyes to my need of Him, and teaches me things about His Word and character. I am overwhelmed with all He has done, and on top of that, the bonus gifts He's given that I'm sharing with you this week!
In a few weeks, Michael's sister Sarah and her family will be traveling to Colorado to visit their parents (and other siblings who also live in Colorado) and we really were wanting to visit at taht time as well - it's been almost two years since we've seen Michael's family, and we have been praying that the price of plane tickets would come down - we'd missed a great deal in July but it wasn't feasible then. Last week, I had almost decided to stop the daily searching for tickets, but I tried one last time, and found tickets nonstop from Detroit to Denver for a price that wasn't impossible. We are so thankful that our trip will overlap with the Valiante's travel and that GOD provided the good ticket prices (also a great deal on rental car) so close - I thought too close - to our dates of desired travel. He is so gracious!! We are very excited to be traveling to Colorado at the end of this month!
The mudroom project is taking longer than I estimated, which is nothing new - I am notoriously bad at estimating the time it will take to complete a large project! Here's a sneak peak for you:
Lord willing, we will have more photos soon! Still praising God for all we've been able to accomplish with materials we already have.
So how is God blessing your family, working in your life by encouraging, convicting, providing? Please share!
"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up..." 1 Thess. 5:11
In the Mister Linky widget below, simply type your name in the top box, or a short description of the work that God has done, and then in the second box, pastethe link from your specific"Works of God Monday" post. If you don't have a blog, use the comment section! Feel free to use the image from the top of this post if you like.
