day six: 3 gifts GOVERNMENT

3 gifts GOVERNMENT:

1. George Washington.

I started reading this great book called 7 Men and the Secret of their Greatness by Eric Metaxas. He talks about seven men and how the secret of their greatness (warning: I'm about to give the punchline away if you want to read it) is that they leveraged their power for the sake of others instead of leveraging their power for the sake of themselves.  It's good stuff.

The first man he talks about is George Washington and I was fascinated reading about how a group tried to pressure him into becoming America's first king.  Life would be a little different these days if he'd have gone for that.  We might have our own William and Kate and little baby that everyone obsesses about.  But I digress.  (As usual. :))  

All of this to say, today I am thankful that Jesus chose a man like George Washington (who was riddled with faults--as we all are--I'm not trying to put him on a pedestal) to help build the government of the country I live in. 

Jesus, make me to be more like a person who leverages their power to serve.  Help me to surrender myself completely to Your upside down Kingdom and in that consider myself the least of these instead of the greatest.

2. God is a God of ORDER, not of chaos and confusion.

And so in that, I am thankful that He allows for and ordains governments.  That He knows our need for leadership and organization or else our sin nature runs rampant and we not only destroy ourselves but everyone around us. Even with a functioning government, our sin is wrecking the world, but the laws and authorities God has allowed certainly keeps us in check until Jesus comes back for us.

3. The gift of submission.

One of the biggest battles I have fought in my life is with the four letter word "submission."  On my own, I am AWFUL at submitting.  I think we all probably are, but it certainly seemed to be at the top of my "impossible to conquer" list for a long time.  

Then one day I heard Veronica Greear, the wife of pastor JD Greear, talk about how one of the things that helps her submit is realizing that at the end of it all, the person we are being called to submit to is the one who has to stand before God and be judged.  So for example, if I'm called to submit to Brett and he makes a decision that I'm not wild about, I could argue and kick and scream and refuse to go along with his decision but at the end of it all, I'm not the one who has to stand before God about how I made that decision.  Brett is.  And so I can rest easy knowing that it's not my burden to bear.  

And it's the same with government.  Learning to submit.  (Major caviat being that OBVIOUSLY if the government calls us to do something sinful and clearly against God's Word, then we submit to God FIRST and other authorities second.)  

day five: 3 gifts ACORN-SIZED

Gotta be honest. It took me a while today to figure out why the heck I'm looking for things that are acorn sized to be thankful for.  Maybe because Jess Boro wrote to Ann Voskamp and suggested it because she loves tiny things?  :)  Then I realized we're going for a "harvest/Thanksgiving" theme.  Got it.

But my eyes were also opened to how I skip over the little things--literally little things.  Looking out for some that I was thankful for today was unnatural and reminded me of how I live in an upside down Kingdom.  That this world says keep our eyes on the big things and strive to be big, when Jesus calls us to care for those and that which are small and to make ourselves small.  In Brett's sermon (shameless plug--listen to it here!) this week he taught from this passage which came to mind today thinking about being small and appreciating the small things:

"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them...NOT SO WITH YOU.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave--just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:25-28)

3 gifts: ACORN SIZED

1. Marshmallows.

Want to see a three year old light up?  Offer them a mini marshmallow.  Want to see them squeal with delight?  Offer them three.  Making homemade hot chocolate with THREE mini marshmallows and snuggling in bed watching The Lorax while Haddie took her morning nap was not just sweet, it was holy ground. 

2. Chopped up veggies in homemade chicken noodle soup.

(Images borrowed from Pioneer Woman herself here.)

On Tuesdays, a group of women in town get together for an "impromptu" lunch.  It started as an impromtu lunch a while back and we all loved it so much that we unofficially block out lunch on Tuesday to be with each other.  Today they came over to my house and to keep out the cold, I made Pioneer Woman's Chicken & Noodles.  Um hello it was great.  But it's hard to go wrong with my dear friend Ree Drummond.  :)  But even so, it wouldn't have been nearly as delicious if not shared with DEAR sisters in Christ.  ...and Landon.  :)

3. My girls' beautiful blue eyes.

I am so thankful.  So, so thankful.

day four: gifts GATHERED, GIVEN, GOOD.

1. gifts GATHERED:

I love laundry.  I know that's super weird but I do.  It's probably because I rarely get overwhelmed that it's never finished.  And because most days I don't have a problem with piles of dirty and clean loads of laundry all over the place. Ask my friends, they will verify this statement.

I also had the privilege of being a Work Crew boss at Crooked Creek Ranch in Colorado one summer many moons ago.  I worked with four high school girls every day for three weeks doing one thing.  Laundry.  And y'all, it was wonderful.  The simplicity of it.  The repetition.  The art of folding.  The beauty of seeing dirty things become clean.  The laundry detergent. The warmth of towels and sheets straight out of the dryer.  And that's not even mentioning the joy of digging deep into four high school girls' lives and running hard after Jesus together.  One of those girls is still a dear friend and I am so grateful for those three weeks spent together.  (Love you, Bee. :)) It was a taste of heaven.

And so today as I GATHERED the dirty laundry of the three people I love the most and sprayed Shout on peanut butter stains and diaper blow outs and folded all of the pinks and pastels of my girls' laundry I was thankful.  For clothing.  For my family who wears these clothes.  For All Free & Clear detergent pods and Downy dryer sheets.  

 

(Can you see the pride in Haddie's face about the spit up she blessed me with there? :))

But mostly, as I gathered up our laundry, I am thankful for my Savior who tells me in Matthew 6:28-29: "Why do you worry about clothes? See how the lillies of the field grow.  They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and gone tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"

2. gifts GIVEN:

"See also that you excel in this GRACE OF GIVING." 

2 Corinthians 8:7

Apparently this month is pastor appreciation month (I LOVE that that exists!) and DANG we feel appreciated.  Hope Creek blessed and surprised us with this gift on Sunday morning and it's been sitting on a dresser in the living room since then and every time I walk past I want to squeal thinking about the day we get to use this!

3. gifts GOOD:

About every other week, when we can work it into the grocery budget, we have steak.  Not because we're big steak people but because this marinade is PHENOMENAL.  And easy.  Karis and Haddie and I did hopscotch in the front yard while Brett grilled the steak in the backyard and I could smell it and thought of Psalm 34:8 yet again: "Taste and see that the Lord is GOOD."

Tomorrow...3 gifts acorn-small.

day three: gifts that start with "N".

gifts that start with "N":

1. Nemo.

 

The story of a father RELENTLESSLY pursuing His lost son will never ever get old.

 

2. Nap time.

Both girls sleeping at the same time is a gift beyond words.

 3. New chair.

4. (Bonus) Night time. 

Our bedtime ritual is one of my faves and is even more so now that Haddie is old enough to be part of it.

days one & two: gifts EATEN & gifts WORN

day one: gifts EATEN:

"Taste & see that the LORD is good. Oh, the JOYS of those who take refuge in Him! Fear the LORD, you His godly people, for those who fear Him have all they need.  Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing." Psalm 34:8-10

1. Honey crisp apples.

2. Fresh Market Christmas blend coffee.

This coffee is heaven in a cup.  I had ten minutes and Fresh Market alone and I carried this tiny cup around the store with me and savored every tiny little sip.  Then I bought a bag.  That was two days ago and I've had six cups since.  Delish. 

3. Avacado BLT on fancy bread.

[No picture--ate it too fast, maybe? :)]

day two: gifts WORN:

1. Favorite new Nike shorts.

2. Neon tennis shoes.

3. Over-sized Young Life t-shirt from 1997.

 I got this shirt when I went to Frontier Ranch after my freshman year in high school.  It's funny the things you remember.  I, in particular, seem to remember nothing.  But I remember everything about that trip.  Every single stop we took on our bus ride out there.  The names of the "cute boys" from the other areas at camp.  Leaving my Birkenstocks at a hotel in Denver.  Going on a morning horse ride and having a camp fire breakfast.  Which cabin and bunk bed I slept in.  But mostly, I remember this:

That I met the speaker at camp that week (Steve Chesney) in the store and talked to him with a few friends.  That night at club, he talked about Jesus dying on the cross.  Near the end of the talk, he said:

"Jesus died on the cross for you, Megan."

He said some other names after that, too, but I wasn't paying attention because this socked me in the gut.  There was no running from God's direct-ness in getting my attention that night.  After club they gave us the infamous 15 minutes of quiet out in the beauty of God's creation and I remember that wet grass I laid in and having one of my first real intentional conversations with God.  That was the night my relationship with God got personal.

This weekend 125 kids from Alamance County got to go to Young Life camp at Carolina Point and hear the same good news.  It was a privilege to pray for them...all while wearing my 1997 Frontier shirt.  :)

day thirtyone: blah & an epilogue

Day 31 was 3 days ago and that may be the best way to help you know how I'm praying these days.  Dragging.  Blah.  Tired.  But clinging, desperate, and hopeful.

And BIG, nonetheless.

In my Bible study last week we studied Matthew 6 which included where Jesus taught His disciples how to pray with the Lord's prayer.  And so as a group, we were reflecting on what we learned from those verses and one girl in the group (whose name is Brett, interestingly--it always throws me off when someone says her name because I suddenly think my Brett is in the room.  :)  But I digress...) said something that was just a side comment but was huge for me.

We were talking about how Jesus is talking about prayer being authentic--not for show--just being honest before the Lord.  And that's when Brett said this: (See, you thought I was talking about my Brett didn't you?  It's tricky.  :))

 

"Even when you're having a blah kind of day, you can just blah right in front of Him."  

 And even though praying "blah" doesn't initially seem like praying BIG, it really really is.  Because being whatever you are with Him--whether it's blah or thrilled about life or in pain--is what Jesus says to be.  "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father... And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard for their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." (Matthew 6:6-8)

Oh friends, these thirtyone days have been such a blessing to me.  My prayer as I straggle across this finish line of praying BIG for thirtyone days is that Jesus met me and whoever He led to this little corner of the internet where we are.  And that our relationship with Him got deeper roots and a renewed passion through sweet conviction and encouragement.

I love y'all.  This has been fun!

That being said, I've decided to kind of keep this going in a different way and am going to join along with Ann Voskamp by counting 1000 Gifts throughout November.  Here's to 30 days of thankfulness!

day twentynine & thirty: praying BIG with a heavenly mentality.

Today I went to one of the most beautiful funerals I've ever been to.  As a Christian,  mourning is so complex.  And today I felt that because as deeply as I grieved for Alex, I equally rejoiced that Jay is where we are all longing to be. 

And as I heard three men I admire and respect so much talk about Jay and his life, it hit me.  Praying BIG is having a heavenly mentality.

 Even though Jay and Alex prayed for Jay's healing, I know that they prayed bigger than that.  I know that because I know that they have been captured by the love Jesus and that it's imprinted in their hearts to want what He wants because they trust He is good.  And so I know that Jay and Alex also prayed along with Jesus in the garden of Gesthemane: "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.  YET, not as I will but as you will." (Matthew 26:39)

We are not citizens of this earth, but of heaven.  But AHH, y'all, the thought of death is scary and hard and sad. What a comfort that Jesus felt the same way going into His death.  Granted, He was about to take on the sin of the world and be separated from His Father, but still, knowing that He felt the human emotions that go along with dying encourages me.  My God isn't distant, He KNOWS pain.  He even admits it to some of his disciples a few verses earlier, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death." (Matthew 26:38)

But nothing deterred Him from the cross.  He had a heavenly mentality.  Not just for Himself, but for the whole world.  Jesus laid down His life so that we could all be citizens of heaven where we will be rid of all of this pain and suffering we are plagued by and entrenched in in this world.

Thanks, Jay and Alex, for having a heavenly mentality.  Thanks for using this terrible pain to point to Jesus.  Thanks for being brave and trusting enough to let the word "YET" into your prayers "...not as I will, but as you will" because you trust your Heavenly Father.

Oh Jesus, would you please re-teach me how to pray?  Keep my eyes off of things of this world and fixed intensely on You and the hope of heaven.  Mold my desires so that I can pray with my heart proclaiming that "Everything else is worthless when compared to the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as rubbish, so that I could gain Christ." (Philippians 3:8)

Jay Wesley Whitaker
DURHAM - Jay Wesley Whitaker, of Durham, passed away Friday, October 25, 2013 at Duke University Hospital.  Born in Durham County, Mr. Whitaker was the son of Kelly Jay Whitaker and Vickie Whitaker Masingale (married to Chris Masingale).  Mr. Whitaker was preceded in death by his step-father, Jay Jarman.  Mr. Whitaker was involved with Young Life, a Christian outreach ministry for high school students. Jay spent his life building relationships with people and sharing the Gospel of God’s great love to all who knew him.
In addition to his parents, Mr. Whitaker is survived by his wife, Alex Wilcox Whitaker; a brother, Joey Lee Whitaker; grandparents, Carl and Wandra Griffin, Helen Whitaker and Brenda Jarman; numerous aunts, uncles and cousins; a mother and father-in-law, Tina and Jim Wilcox; and a sister-in-law, Anna Wilcox.
A funeral service will be conducted 2 p.m. on Wednesday at Rose of Sharon Baptist Church with Jeff McSwain, Sid Bradsher and Eric Leathers officiating.  A private graveside service will be in the Rose of Sharon Baptist Church Cemetery.  The family will receive friends from 5 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday at Clements Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Young Life to help send high school students to camp.  Make check payable to Young Life, attention Jay Whitaker fund, 1008 Brookstown Ave., Suite D3, Winston-Salem, NC 2710