Last Sunday, we had a guest speaker in my daughter's Sunday School Class. She was a dynamic lady who was describing the symbols of Easter. At one point, she described how much she liked candy. One of the students in the back row declared, "Obviously!"
Although you might want to go remind that child the inappropriateness of his comment, none of us did...because the student who said that comment is... blind. In no way was he judging the speaker's appearance. He was commenting on the fact that when she talked of candy, he could hear in her voice how much she like it. And really, who doesn't like candy?! It is pretty obvious!
In his blindness, he was able to "see" past the outside and truly hear the heart of the speaker. God desires us to be like that as well. He does not want us to get so wrapped up in the outside of ourselves that we neglect the inside. He commands us to abide in Him, to work on the inside, by letting Him teach us through His word.
How many of us get up early to shower, dry our hair, make sure we have make up on before we step out of the house? Now, how many of us take that much time or even any time at all to make sure our heart, our inside, is ready for the day?
I admit, many days, I do not. In my sorry defense, I also do not take as much time as I should with my hair either, but my hair stylist is working on that one with me!
Most days, I tend to fit God into my schedule instead of fitting my schedule around Him. And on the days I do that, I can tell...my children can tell. I see less and less of the joy and more and more of the labor. I see more of me and less of Him. And that is a place that is not sweet at all!
You hold me by your right hand. You will guide me with your counsel.
Psalm 73:23-24
Lord, help me to see more of you coming from my inside. Guide me in my actions and my words. And may I be sweet as candy to those around me.
Enjoy your MOMents today,
Angie
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Happy Birthday to Me!
March 29, 2011 - written on April 6, 2011
I am blessed.
I am just coming off of a high that can only be felt when you get home from a wonderful birthday lunch celebrating friendship. I say that because although the women who gave me this party might have thought they were celebrating me, I was celebrating friendship and the fact that God, in His mighty love for us, gives us very specific friends at very specific times in our lives.
And today, I am thankful for my real friends...my forever friends. Friends that will come to a party even though they only found out about it less then 24 hours ago. Friends that call and ask me to have lunch because we share the same birthday month. Friends that send a card to say no matter how busy we get, we will always be friends. These are forever friends.
These are the friends that know you do not like laundry and that is why it is always in the family room. These are the friends that know you get anxious about the future sometimes, but they are quick to remind you God has it in control. These are the friends that you vacationed with and gave you the biggest bedroom!
These are the friends that are family: a husband who loves me, children with the gift of cards, love, and songs, parents that send flowers or give gifts , sisters that celebrate and give gifts of joy, my 90 year old grandma who calls and sings Happy Birthday, Godparents that call or send me a card, brothers that call to sing and or say HI, nieces and nephews, and all in between.
These are friends that might not even know it's your birthday, but when you see them, it is like you talked to them last night in bed when you were roommates, or classmates, or church mates. It is comfortable, it is fun, it is real. You know where their coffee cups go and they know what your car usually looks like!
These are forever friends.
And to My Forever Friends,
I am grateful for my gifts
candles, sweaters, a piece of jewelery or two,
I am thankful for the encouraging cards, and all you say and do
But no matter if you said it, or even if you knew
Please know that on this special day,
I'm mostly thankful for YOU.
A friend loves at all times. Proverbs 17:17
Thank you for this special MOMent!
Blessings,
Angie
I am blessed.
I am just coming off of a high that can only be felt when you get home from a wonderful birthday lunch celebrating friendship. I say that because although the women who gave me this party might have thought they were celebrating me, I was celebrating friendship and the fact that God, in His mighty love for us, gives us very specific friends at very specific times in our lives.
And today, I am thankful for my real friends...my forever friends. Friends that will come to a party even though they only found out about it less then 24 hours ago. Friends that call and ask me to have lunch because we share the same birthday month. Friends that send a card to say no matter how busy we get, we will always be friends. These are forever friends.
These are the friends that know you do not like laundry and that is why it is always in the family room. These are the friends that know you get anxious about the future sometimes, but they are quick to remind you God has it in control. These are the friends that you vacationed with and gave you the biggest bedroom!
These are the friends that are family: a husband who loves me, children with the gift of cards, love, and songs, parents that send flowers or give gifts , sisters that celebrate and give gifts of joy, my 90 year old grandma who calls and sings Happy Birthday, Godparents that call or send me a card, brothers that call to sing and or say HI, nieces and nephews, and all in between.
These are friends that might not even know it's your birthday, but when you see them, it is like you talked to them last night in bed when you were roommates, or classmates, or church mates. It is comfortable, it is fun, it is real. You know where their coffee cups go and they know what your car usually looks like!
These are forever friends.
And to My Forever Friends,
I am grateful for my gifts
candles, sweaters, a piece of jewelery or two,
I am thankful for the encouraging cards, and all you say and do
But no matter if you said it, or even if you knew
Please know that on this special day,
I'm mostly thankful for YOU.
A friend loves at all times. Proverbs 17:17
Thank you for this special MOMent!
Blessings,
Angie
I'm Back!
April 5, 2011
Okay, so much for the wanting to save all the material for the book. I want to connect with you, my readers, my family, my friends. Thank you for allowing me time to process (which stands for finsh our house we have been rebuilding) all that is going on in our family!
But now, I am back in full force.
I desire to not only connect with those who know me now, but those who read these words and feel like they know me because they are going through something very similar.
Tonight something happened that we all wish for, yet seldom get...a night alone in our own home!
Yes, my husband took all my children to Awana and I had two hours to myself.
I had big plans...finish a book proposal, finish cleaning my closet, okay, to finish even one load of laundry would have been big! I did none of that. What I did do, I later found out, meant much more:
I talked to a friend of mine who is going through one of the most difficult times in her life because of some struggles her child is having. Being one of her only confidantes at this moment, it gave her a time to reflect, question, fear, cry, and know that she is loved by me and I will always adore her children! This night was a night of encouragement.
I went through a pile of paper and found a birthday invitation of a party that I had forgotten for one of my sons. I was able to put it on my calender and make sure he is able to share special times with his friends. This was a night of expectation.
I took a shower.... by myself...That's all that needs to be said on that one. This was a night of refreshment.
And I took a few minutes and set out a snack for my kids to find when they got home. Nothing much; oranges and some toffee. I even put their pj's on the stairs to surprise them. What I thought was my idea was a nudge from the Holy Spirit, because unbeknownst (I always wanted to use that word) to me, my daughter said to my husband on the way home,"It would be so nice for mom to have a snack ready and our pajamas out for us. Remember when she used to do that?"
I was upstairs when I heard them come in. They were all excited when they saw what was waiting for them.
"Guys, don't move anything, don't eat anything, don't move anything!" my daughter kept saying while yelling for her dad to hurry from the car and see a tiny miracle!
"I love my kids," my son read from the note I left,"Awwww," he said with a cute slope to his voice.
I had made their homecoming special. I had made them feel cherished, welcomed, and loved. This was a night of miracles!
That's all Jesus wants to do for us as well. He wants us to come into His presence - expecting miracles. He wants to refresh us. He wants to share his plans with us. He wants to encourage us. He is just waiting for us to open the door. How do we do that? We can stop and pray, read His word, go to church with an open heart to learn.... And I am betting when he gets to you and makes himself known...it will be even better than pj's, Mandarin oranges and a piece of toffee!
"I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. " Psalm 9:1
May you have a day filled with wonder filled MOMents !
Blessings,
Angie
Okay, so much for the wanting to save all the material for the book. I want to connect with you, my readers, my family, my friends. Thank you for allowing me time to process (which stands for finsh our house we have been rebuilding) all that is going on in our family!
But now, I am back in full force.
I desire to not only connect with those who know me now, but those who read these words and feel like they know me because they are going through something very similar.
Tonight something happened that we all wish for, yet seldom get...a night alone in our own home!
Yes, my husband took all my children to Awana and I had two hours to myself.
I had big plans...finish a book proposal, finish cleaning my closet, okay, to finish even one load of laundry would have been big! I did none of that. What I did do, I later found out, meant much more:
I talked to a friend of mine who is going through one of the most difficult times in her life because of some struggles her child is having. Being one of her only confidantes at this moment, it gave her a time to reflect, question, fear, cry, and know that she is loved by me and I will always adore her children! This night was a night of encouragement.
I went through a pile of paper and found a birthday invitation of a party that I had forgotten for one of my sons. I was able to put it on my calender and make sure he is able to share special times with his friends. This was a night of expectation.
I took a shower.... by myself...That's all that needs to be said on that one. This was a night of refreshment.
And I took a few minutes and set out a snack for my kids to find when they got home. Nothing much; oranges and some toffee. I even put their pj's on the stairs to surprise them. What I thought was my idea was a nudge from the Holy Spirit, because unbeknownst (I always wanted to use that word) to me, my daughter said to my husband on the way home,"It would be so nice for mom to have a snack ready and our pajamas out for us. Remember when she used to do that?"
I was upstairs when I heard them come in. They were all excited when they saw what was waiting for them.
"Guys, don't move anything, don't eat anything, don't move anything!" my daughter kept saying while yelling for her dad to hurry from the car and see a tiny miracle!
"I love my kids," my son read from the note I left,"Awwww," he said with a cute slope to his voice.
I had made their homecoming special. I had made them feel cherished, welcomed, and loved. This was a night of miracles!
That's all Jesus wants to do for us as well. He wants us to come into His presence - expecting miracles. He wants to refresh us. He wants to share his plans with us. He wants to encourage us. He is just waiting for us to open the door. How do we do that? We can stop and pray, read His word, go to church with an open heart to learn.... And I am betting when he gets to you and makes himself known...it will be even better than pj's, Mandarin oranges and a piece of toffee!
"I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. " Psalm 9:1
May you have a day filled with wonder filled MOMents !
Blessings,
Angie
Monday, July 26, 2010
"I'm gettin' the HAND of it!"
Yep, you read it right. Not the "hang of it", but "hand of it." That's what my Jared said while he was learning how to swim. He had it almost right...And it made me smile because it was so darn cute, but also think...How often do we cry out proudly when we are getting something done all by ourselves, only to realize we are only almost getting it right, or we end up not getting it right at all?!
And as proud as I was of my Sweet Baby Four Year Old when he was swishing all over in the pool cannot even compare to the pride and love of Our Father who created us. We are his cherished ones whether we are getting the "hand of it" or not at all! We are His and He loves us! May you be encouraged today with His love.
My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love.
Colossians 2:2
Blessings,
Angie
And as proud as I was of my Sweet Baby Four Year Old when he was swishing all over in the pool cannot even compare to the pride and love of Our Father who created us. We are his cherished ones whether we are getting the "hand of it" or not at all! We are His and He loves us! May you be encouraged today with His love.
My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love.Colossians 2:2
Blessings,
Angie
Monday, June 22, 2009
Cure for the Flu-A Fixed Washing Machine
We are just getting over having the flu. All 6 of us. My daughter went down first with an enormous amount of freshly eaten soup all over our bed, followed by some BLT chips in the chocolate shake of vomit wretched all over our carpeted floor on the way out the door where she was running trying to get me. The rest of the day was spent holding her hair back while she puked in a pot and slept on the couch. She kept saying,"Just stay by me" which I realize is what all we really want when we are feeling down...just to know someone cares.
It was amazing to see each of their personalities come out as each one fell to the 24 hour bug. Leah was stretching out and just wanted to be held with quiet (sometimes not so quiet moans) of pain. This again was a reflection of me, and my moans are definitely NOT quiet.
Our baby Jared would puke in the pot and start to smile wanting to play until the next wave of nauseousness came on and right after puking, he would lay in my lap for cuddles.
Joshua, forever our engineer, figured out the best way to hold his head so he could be comfortable and still be able to puke into the toilet, asking questions those ten minuted right before you know it's going to happen and you are just sitting there waiting for it to come. We all know how long those ten minutes can feel!
And our last sweetie to go, Jonathan...announced to us he had to puke, intense in his pukes, quickly cleaned his mouth, and promptly fell back asleep for 15 minutes until he threw up again.
Did I mention all of my children got sick throughout the night? Leah started in the day and went into evening, but the rest started RIGHT at BEDTIME! How refreshing! A little bit of a change from the usual brush your teeth routine...
Again, God showed me that things I take for granted can be ripped away from me so quickly. Things like sweet selling sheets, soft carpets, and healthy kids.
Yeah, the sheets...filled with vomit and sat in our house for two days because JUST BEFORE my husband got sick, the washing machine broke! Yep, that was RIGHT AFTER he put in the puke sheets and puke water went all over our laundry room.
Can I not catch a break? :) I can smile now, but Mommy was having a hard time with Daddy not fixing the washing machine BEFORE he got sick!
We made it through and actually the one day when the puking had subsided and we were all in the family room watching our 18th movie of the day all laying on the couches and floor, I realized once again how nice it is to just hang out as a family!
I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his people, Psalm 85:8
May you enjoy clean sheets, no puking, and His peace today!
Blessings, Angie
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
A Reflection of Me
I heard my daughter ask my youngest son if he wanted a white cheese stick or a yellow one in this beautiful sweet sing song voice.
"Which one do you want, Sweet Boy?" she asks him about so many things. She gave up her baby place for older sister when she was just two and her first brother was born. Then we had two more boys after that! And yet, I see that God has designed her to be a kind and nurturing girl who truly adores her brothers and takes her job of big sister very seriously!
In fact, when she "graduated" from kindergarten, her teacher compared each child to a person in the Bible. My daughter got Miriam because of the "special way she takes care of her brothers."
"Sweet Boy " is a name I actually use for all of my boys and to hear her use that reminds me again how everything I say is taken in and recorded on my children's hearts. Now when I use a sweet voice and have an abundance of patience, that is a great thing. But when a harsh tone slips out, I cringe knowing that too went into the depths of my children's hearts.
Luckily, I believe God's grace helps to wipe out those impatient times, the little sighs of frustration, and wrong choice of words. With the love that you show your children everyday, the sweet things that they do hear from you , and the fact that they know you love them because they are yours, not because of something they do, that will fill up their hearts with the good stuff and the rest will be forgiven and hopefully forgotten!
How did your children see you today? What was the reflection of your face this morning? Is it something that you want to see right in them? And what is the reflection on our hearts? Are we truly being a reflection of our Jesus?
My friend has a couple mirrors in her hallway and a saying under them that reads, "That we may be a reflection of Him." My prayer is that I may not only reflect our Lord's patience with my children, but his love in all who I come into contact with today. Just like my daughter is a reflection of me, I want to be a reflection of Him so that in all my ways, my Sweet Girl and my Sweet Boys see Jesus!
Blessings,
Angie
"Which one do you want, Sweet Boy?" she asks him about so many things. She gave up her baby place for older sister when she was just two and her first brother was born. Then we had two more boys after that! And yet, I see that God has designed her to be a kind and nurturing girl who truly adores her brothers and takes her job of big sister very seriously!
In fact, when she "graduated" from kindergarten, her teacher compared each child to a person in the Bible. My daughter got Miriam because of the "special way she takes care of her brothers."
"Sweet Boy " is a name I actually use for all of my boys and to hear her use that reminds me again how everything I say is taken in and recorded on my children's hearts. Now when I use a sweet voice and have an abundance of patience, that is a great thing. But when a harsh tone slips out, I cringe knowing that too went into the depths of my children's hearts.
Luckily, I believe God's grace helps to wipe out those impatient times, the little sighs of frustration, and wrong choice of words. With the love that you show your children everyday, the sweet things that they do hear from you , and the fact that they know you love them because they are yours, not because of something they do, that will fill up their hearts with the good stuff and the rest will be forgiven and hopefully forgotten!
How did your children see you today? What was the reflection of your face this morning? Is it something that you want to see right in them? And what is the reflection on our hearts? Are we truly being a reflection of our Jesus?
My friend has a couple mirrors in her hallway and a saying under them that reads, "That we may be a reflection of Him." My prayer is that I may not only reflect our Lord's patience with my children, but his love in all who I come into contact with today. Just like my daughter is a reflection of me, I want to be a reflection of Him so that in all my ways, my Sweet Girl and my Sweet Boys see Jesus!
Blessings,
Angie
Saturday, November 1, 2008
"I Miss Beste Far"
...these words were just said from my sweet tender hearted oldest son ...
We just got back from my husband's grandpa's funeral. "Beste Far" (Norwegian for Grandpa)was 94 and had been married to "Beste Mor" (Grandma) for 69 years! She has Parkinson's disease and he was caring for her right up to the very end. That beautiful song, He Was Walking Her Home by Mark Schultz was not only played at his funeral, but lived out in many ways. The other folks at the Home where they lived called them The Love Birds because even though she did not always know him, he stayed by her side. Even when she could not give back, he gave to her. What an act of faithfulness. And what an example, to not only me as a wife, but as a mother.
There are so many times in a mother's life when your children will not only forget to thank you, they won't even know to say thank you because the sacrifice that you are making for them is going unnoticed. But that one day, they will understand what you did for them.
I remember one time I forgot my favorite bookmark in a book that was returned to the library. It had all my favorite smelly stickers on it. Remember those? Well, I am sure I cried myself to sleep that night although I do not remember that. All I remember is coming home for lunch that next day and my mom opening the back door and she had my bookmark sticking out of her shirt! My mom sacrificed one of her mornings to leaf through all the returned books looking for my bookmark. I have never forgotten that moment.
So whether you sacrificed a high paying job to stay home with your children, or just this morning gave up your time to have a quiet cup of coffee and opted for a noisy tea party instead, these sacrifices will be known one day.
Whether these sacrifices are realized today when your children know how comforting it is to come home to mom everyday after school or someday down the road when they look back and realize they are willing to sacrifice for someone they love because of the example you gave. It will all be worth it.
May you be blessed today by knowing the greatest love sacrifice was given to you:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whosoever believed in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
Enjoy this moment given by God to you!
Blessings,
Angie
We just got back from my husband's grandpa's funeral. "Beste Far" (Norwegian for Grandpa)was 94 and had been married to "Beste Mor" (Grandma) for 69 years! She has Parkinson's disease and he was caring for her right up to the very end. That beautiful song, He Was Walking Her Home by Mark Schultz was not only played at his funeral, but lived out in many ways. The other folks at the Home where they lived called them The Love Birds because even though she did not always know him, he stayed by her side. Even when she could not give back, he gave to her. What an act of faithfulness. And what an example, to not only me as a wife, but as a mother.
There are so many times in a mother's life when your children will not only forget to thank you, they won't even know to say thank you because the sacrifice that you are making for them is going unnoticed. But that one day, they will understand what you did for them.
I remember one time I forgot my favorite bookmark in a book that was returned to the library. It had all my favorite smelly stickers on it. Remember those? Well, I am sure I cried myself to sleep that night although I do not remember that. All I remember is coming home for lunch that next day and my mom opening the back door and she had my bookmark sticking out of her shirt! My mom sacrificed one of her mornings to leaf through all the returned books looking for my bookmark. I have never forgotten that moment.
So whether you sacrificed a high paying job to stay home with your children, or just this morning gave up your time to have a quiet cup of coffee and opted for a noisy tea party instead, these sacrifices will be known one day.
Whether these sacrifices are realized today when your children know how comforting it is to come home to mom everyday after school or someday down the road when they look back and realize they are willing to sacrifice for someone they love because of the example you gave. It will all be worth it.
May you be blessed today by knowing the greatest love sacrifice was given to you:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whosoever believed in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
Enjoy this moment given by God to you!
Blessings,
Angie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
