As a follow up to the blog I wrote on feelings, I wanted to share what my daughter said today.
We have been singing an old children’s song…not sure the title.
Oh, be careful little eyes what you see
Oh, be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above
Is looking down in love
Oh, be careful little eyes what you see
We substitute ears/hear; mouth/say, etc. and sing it through several times.
Well, today I over heard Grace singing, “Oh be careful little self what you feel.” Curious, I asked her what she meant by the song. She said, “Well, sometimes I feel a certain way, but I know what is right and true. I need to do the right thing no matter how I feel.”
Grace is my sanguine child. She is often ruled by her emotions. I am proud of her that at age 5 she is beginning to start to make an effort to seek truth and self-control.
At 32, I am still trying to acknowledge that though my feelings are valid, how I respond and what I eternalize as truth need to be based on right percepts and the love of the Father.
Oh, be careful little self,
AT
Monday, August 18, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Give me Your Eyes!
WOW! I heard a new song today, and it was so convicting. If you are on our blog, you should be able to hear it right now.
How often am I so wrapped up in my own world that I fail to really see those around me. As a family, we have committed to purposefully look for opportunities to share Christ. I pray today that God gives me His eyes to see and a new love for others.
Give Me Your Eyes By Brandon Heath
Chorus: Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the once forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
yeah yeah yeah yeah
Until every tribe, tongue & nation,
AT
How often am I so wrapped up in my own world that I fail to really see those around me. As a family, we have committed to purposefully look for opportunities to share Christ. I pray today that God gives me His eyes to see and a new love for others.
Give Me Your Eyes By Brandon Heath
Chorus: Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the once forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
yeah yeah yeah yeah
Until every tribe, tongue & nation,
AT
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Faith/Trust = Strength
Lately, Matt & I have found ourselves watching a variety of shows featuring survival specialists. Given our current journey, I am not sure what that says about our personal fears, but never-the-less we are intrigued by what some people view as adventure and the human body’s amazing will to live. From where do people draw their strength? Where would I be were it not for my faith?
In our homeschool studies, William and I have been reading about the amazing courage of the early explorers. It took a great deal of faith to set out to the unknown not sure what they would find or how they would survive…but faith in what? Faith in life to turn out well for them…faith that they were trained sailors or survival specialists…faith that fate would see them through….
One of the books we read described a journey to sea in this way:
“In crossing the Atlantic by ship…we could see no path upon the water or sign of the shore. And yet day by day the helmsman was in a path as exactly as if he had been following a great chalk line upon the sea. And when we came within 20 miles of land he knew where we were as surely as if he had seen it all 3,000 miles ahead. How had we measured or marked our course? Day by day our captain had taken his instrument, and looking up to the sky, had fixed his course by the sun. He was sailing by the heavenly lights, not the earthly lights….so let us go forth this day, not knowing, yet trusting.”
WOW! That made me recall the verse in the great faith chapter of Hebrews, “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed…he went out, not knowing where he was going.” (11:8)
Is that really what God asks of me? Just to obey and to trust Him by faith. I am sure I do not have the adventuresome spirit as those on the TV shows we have been watching, or the need to conquer as history has recorded the great explorers, but prayerfully I have the FAITH and strength to obey and journey where He leads.
When I look upon the “Atlantic” I am to cross right now in our journey to the mission field, I pray that I am daily choosing to put Christ as the helmsman & captain of my “ship”; I pray I am following the “great chalk” line that He puts before me; and I pray I am “fixing my course” by looking to the Son and not to the “earthly lights”.
I do believe true faith is not really measured when a person still has the ability to turn back around and head for shore. It is measured in the moments when a person is half way across the Atlantic and can’t go back or go forward….that is the place where we are right now. There are days when I look around and wish I could see the shore, but it is in those moments I choose to look up and see the “heavenlys” marked with His hand. The Son calls me forward and bids me to look only to Him.
I have found out that all the years I said that I had faith that God would send me to the foreign mission field was only just the conditioning of my sea legs. Now, I am having to put my faith into action by staying on the ship and trusting that the Captain will lead me in His time and His way.
Not Knowing, Yet Trusting!
AT
"In quietness and trust is your strength." Isaiah 30:15b
In our homeschool studies, William and I have been reading about the amazing courage of the early explorers. It took a great deal of faith to set out to the unknown not sure what they would find or how they would survive…but faith in what? Faith in life to turn out well for them…faith that they were trained sailors or survival specialists…faith that fate would see them through….
One of the books we read described a journey to sea in this way:
“In crossing the Atlantic by ship…we could see no path upon the water or sign of the shore. And yet day by day the helmsman was in a path as exactly as if he had been following a great chalk line upon the sea. And when we came within 20 miles of land he knew where we were as surely as if he had seen it all 3,000 miles ahead. How had we measured or marked our course? Day by day our captain had taken his instrument, and looking up to the sky, had fixed his course by the sun. He was sailing by the heavenly lights, not the earthly lights….so let us go forth this day, not knowing, yet trusting.”
WOW! That made me recall the verse in the great faith chapter of Hebrews, “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed…he went out, not knowing where he was going.” (11:8)
Is that really what God asks of me? Just to obey and to trust Him by faith. I am sure I do not have the adventuresome spirit as those on the TV shows we have been watching, or the need to conquer as history has recorded the great explorers, but prayerfully I have the FAITH and strength to obey and journey where He leads.
When I look upon the “Atlantic” I am to cross right now in our journey to the mission field, I pray that I am daily choosing to put Christ as the helmsman & captain of my “ship”; I pray I am following the “great chalk” line that He puts before me; and I pray I am “fixing my course” by looking to the Son and not to the “earthly lights”.
I do believe true faith is not really measured when a person still has the ability to turn back around and head for shore. It is measured in the moments when a person is half way across the Atlantic and can’t go back or go forward….that is the place where we are right now. There are days when I look around and wish I could see the shore, but it is in those moments I choose to look up and see the “heavenlys” marked with His hand. The Son calls me forward and bids me to look only to Him.
I have found out that all the years I said that I had faith that God would send me to the foreign mission field was only just the conditioning of my sea legs. Now, I am having to put my faith into action by staying on the ship and trusting that the Captain will lead me in His time and His way.
Not Knowing, Yet Trusting!
AT
"In quietness and trust is your strength." Isaiah 30:15b
Sunday, August 3, 2008
What in the world have we been doing?
Okay, I have been taking a little heat for not updating the blog in over a week. Well, I am sorry to say I am likely not to write anything this week either unless God is very clear and carves out specific time for me to write.
After looking at the calendar, we decided that we are going to act on faith that God will send us to the April training in Virginia so we need to start our 2008/2009 school year with the kids, TOMORROW! That has meant that I have had to pull together lesson plans, etc. earlier than I had thought. It was a lot of work, but we are geared up and ready to go. It will be a crazy week since we are doing Sports Camp at our church this week in the evenings, but it will all come together.
Hope you are all doing well and surviving the HEAT where you are. We heard a report that it was 108 at Alliance Airport near us!
Think Cool Thoughts,
AT
After looking at the calendar, we decided that we are going to act on faith that God will send us to the April training in Virginia so we need to start our 2008/2009 school year with the kids, TOMORROW! That has meant that I have had to pull together lesson plans, etc. earlier than I had thought. It was a lot of work, but we are geared up and ready to go. It will be a crazy week since we are doing Sports Camp at our church this week in the evenings, but it will all come together.
Hope you are all doing well and surviving the HEAT where you are. We heard a report that it was 108 at Alliance Airport near us!
Think Cool Thoughts,
AT
Monday, July 21, 2008
How is my attitude?
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
This verse was shared with me a few weeks ago, and it has been very convicting. Often, I have thought of my light as being my actions…the “good works” that I am doing. However, I have come to realize that my attitude is really what makes the lasting impact with my family, those around me and for the Lord.
Actions are a necessary means to service, but the light that shines through me as I work for the Lord is my attitude. Christ asked in the Sermon on the Mount: how are you to be salt in the world (bring others to taste the goodness of the Lord) if you have lost your flavor? In turn, how am I to be the light that brings others to Christ when my attitude is dark and negative?
A few years ago, I was keeping children in our home for a little extra income. One particularly challenging day, Matt called to check on me and give encouragement. I began to go down the list of kids (including my own!) and tell him about the bad day each was having. In a very humble voice, Matt so sweetly suggested that perhaps the problem was ME. (I can laugh now, but you know how that probably went over at the time.) After I prayed about it, I realized that as the person in charge of the home during the day, I was setting the tone. The only person I could change was ME. The type of day I was having was only determined by ME.
I have given myself many excuses: "I am not a pessimist…just a realist"; "I am just stating facts"; "I'm just in a difficult place right now"... I think I am beginning to own up to the fact that it really doesn’t matter, and if I need to explain myself, I am likely not shining in a way that “encourages others to love and good works”. (Hebrews 10:24) Only a change in my attitude will allow me to be the light that I have been called to be.
I recently read this quote from Charles Swindoll:
"The longer I live the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company...a church..a home. The remarkable thing is we have a CHOICE every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude...
I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our ATTITUDES."
Wow, I have finally found the one thing of which I can be in charge!
AT
This verse was shared with me a few weeks ago, and it has been very convicting. Often, I have thought of my light as being my actions…the “good works” that I am doing. However, I have come to realize that my attitude is really what makes the lasting impact with my family, those around me and for the Lord.
Actions are a necessary means to service, but the light that shines through me as I work for the Lord is my attitude. Christ asked in the Sermon on the Mount: how are you to be salt in the world (bring others to taste the goodness of the Lord) if you have lost your flavor? In turn, how am I to be the light that brings others to Christ when my attitude is dark and negative?
A few years ago, I was keeping children in our home for a little extra income. One particularly challenging day, Matt called to check on me and give encouragement. I began to go down the list of kids (including my own!) and tell him about the bad day each was having. In a very humble voice, Matt so sweetly suggested that perhaps the problem was ME. (I can laugh now, but you know how that probably went over at the time.) After I prayed about it, I realized that as the person in charge of the home during the day, I was setting the tone. The only person I could change was ME. The type of day I was having was only determined by ME.
I have given myself many excuses: "I am not a pessimist…just a realist"; "I am just stating facts"; "I'm just in a difficult place right now"... I think I am beginning to own up to the fact that it really doesn’t matter, and if I need to explain myself, I am likely not shining in a way that “encourages others to love and good works”. (Hebrews 10:24) Only a change in my attitude will allow me to be the light that I have been called to be.
I recently read this quote from Charles Swindoll:
"The longer I live the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company...a church..a home. The remarkable thing is we have a CHOICE every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude...
I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our ATTITUDES."
Wow, I have finally found the one thing of which I can be in charge!
AT
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
The Puzzle
Last week was an emotional rollercoaster. I am sure that we will have many of those on this journey, but the last 9 days have seemed especially difficult. Even now as I write I have that aching knot in my gut…you know the one that you get on the first day of school, or the one that you have before a speech, or when you are waiting on a phone call…well, I don’t know how else to describe it, but the underlying anxiety is real.
I have found myself saying, “If I just knew what God’s plan was, I would just relax.” God has been very clear about His call to missions and even His call to a specific people & country. The “tricky” part comes in getting to that place.
I woke up one morning last week to realize that I had a matted eye. After one look at my son, I realized that my issue was not just lack of sleep. We were all about to display a case of full blown pink eye. Thankfully, I had leftover drops from the last episode, so I began medicating everyone! This proved to be a good reason to have a quiet few days of reflection and prayer. I cancelled all of our plans and assigned the kids “puzzle duty”.
Each child was given a puzzle that was “age appropriate” yet challenging. I intended it to be something that would take the kids several hours and exercise their summer brains. It would also give me an opportunity to scrapbook & pray.
Everything started off as “I planned”. The kids set to task, and worked diligently the first 30 minutes. I stepped in a few times over the next 30 minutes to help each child complete their frame and give encouragement…..then it started…the whining!
“I don’t know where this piece goes. I can’t make this piece work. I can’t find the piece I need.”
Each time I heard a protest, I encouraged the child to, “not give up”, “keep working”, “find a new direction that will get you to the same place”.
WOW, did those words come back to hit me in the face! Why do I have to “know what God’s plan is” in-order to “relax”? He has been gracious to give me the picture of the “completed puzzle”. I do not know where each piece goes. I can’t force pieces to fit together. There are times when I need Him to hand me the next piece and encourage me to continue working, but ultimately the process I (we) am in is just as important as “arriving at the completed puzzle”.
God is working to strengthen my “summer brain” because the challenge of completing this “puzzle” is just scratching the surface of the challenges that He has set before me (us) in the next stage of life. I have been telling myself…."this is just a 100 piece puzzle.” It seems hard to my 5 year old capabilities, but it is growing me to be able to face the next puzzle…which is likely a 1,000 pieces!
Not giving up today!
AT
I have found myself saying, “If I just knew what God’s plan was, I would just relax.” God has been very clear about His call to missions and even His call to a specific people & country. The “tricky” part comes in getting to that place.
I woke up one morning last week to realize that I had a matted eye. After one look at my son, I realized that my issue was not just lack of sleep. We were all about to display a case of full blown pink eye. Thankfully, I had leftover drops from the last episode, so I began medicating everyone! This proved to be a good reason to have a quiet few days of reflection and prayer. I cancelled all of our plans and assigned the kids “puzzle duty”.
Each child was given a puzzle that was “age appropriate” yet challenging. I intended it to be something that would take the kids several hours and exercise their summer brains. It would also give me an opportunity to scrapbook & pray.
Everything started off as “I planned”. The kids set to task, and worked diligently the first 30 minutes. I stepped in a few times over the next 30 minutes to help each child complete their frame and give encouragement…..then it started…the whining!
“I don’t know where this piece goes. I can’t make this piece work. I can’t find the piece I need.”
Each time I heard a protest, I encouraged the child to, “not give up”, “keep working”, “find a new direction that will get you to the same place”.
WOW, did those words come back to hit me in the face! Why do I have to “know what God’s plan is” in-order to “relax”? He has been gracious to give me the picture of the “completed puzzle”. I do not know where each piece goes. I can’t force pieces to fit together. There are times when I need Him to hand me the next piece and encourage me to continue working, but ultimately the process I (we) am in is just as important as “arriving at the completed puzzle”.
God is working to strengthen my “summer brain” because the challenge of completing this “puzzle” is just scratching the surface of the challenges that He has set before me (us) in the next stage of life. I have been telling myself…."this is just a 100 piece puzzle.” It seems hard to my 5 year old capabilities, but it is growing me to be able to face the next puzzle…which is likely a 1,000 pieces!
Not giving up today!
AT
Monday, July 7, 2008
She's Five!
The baby girl turned 5 today! We spent the morning swimming at the Bird family pool and playing with friends. Thanks for a wonderful day everyone!
As you can see, Grace had a fun time. These are the types of pictures (wet, crazy hair & tired) that she'll kill us for posting in 10 years! :)
Well, she may be 5, but I guess at the end of the day she's still our baby..."lellow blankie", thumb & all!
As you can see, Grace had a fun time. These are the types of pictures (wet, crazy hair & tired) that she'll kill us for posting in 10 years! :)
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