days nineteen through thirty: thankful for GRACE

Welp that was a fail.  November thankfulness blog didn't really happen, huh?

Or maybe it did.  For eighteen days.  And maybe that was good, even though it wasn't all that I had hoped it would be.

What I have learned and am learning and will continue to learn throughout my life is this:

All is grace.

And so I think that will cover days nineteen to thirty pretty well.  :)

days thirteen through eighteen

day thirteen: 3 gifts BEHIND A DOOR

1. Preacher husband practicing his sermon.

2. My precious girls napping.

3. This is what is behind the door of the handicap stall in the women's bathroom at the Angus Barn.  EXCUSE ME?  Ah.maz.ing.  I was so excited I literally spent fifteen minutes in there.

day fourteen: 3 gifts SILENT

1. Adding back the dream feed...nursing Haddie in the dark of night and the quiet of her room.

2. That glorious occassion when 3 out of the last 4 days were crazy mornings being gone and driving to other cities but meant long naps for both girls (and mama!) in the afternoon.

3.  Staying up later than Brett on purpose so I could have a few minutes where it's so quiet the clock ticking sounds like it's being broadcast on a microphone.

day fifteen: 3 gifts GOLDEN

1. Gorgeous fall sun...even though it sets too early.  Meanwhile I'm going to try to get on the Today Show with a picture of our sunrise.  One of these days... #TODAYsunrise

2. Karis & Haddie's golden locks/mohawk.

3. Mom's James Avery Cross of Calvary necklace.  I grew up loving this simple reminder of truth always around her neck.

day sixteen: 3 gifts HARD EUCHARISTEO

1. Nursing Haddie.  

It's a JOY but it's also HARD. 

Lots of people love nursing--most of my friends do--and even though it's sweet and I'm beyond grateful that I get to and that I can produce milk it's still exhausting. 

2. Being a pastor's wife.  

It's a JOY but it's also HARD.  

To serve Jesus in this season by getting two beautiful girls ready to go to church 35 minutes away and missing naps and watching dvd's in the car and missing old friends while meeting new friends while bouncing a baby during the whole service and my back is aching but then hearing sweet Karis asking if she can listen to daddy preach and then actually getting to listen to daddy preach and the truth that comes out of his mouth as he points us all to Jesus and the long ride home just saying "THANK YOU" to Jesus that this is the role I get to play in the Kingdom.

3. Praying hard for friends hurting deeply. 

It's a JOY but it's also HARD.

day seventeen: 3 gifts LAUGHTER

1. These friends having breakfast at Panera and laughing so loud that people moved booths to get away from them.  I love all of them so much that I wasn't even mad that I wasn't there. :)

2. Karis making Haddie laugh.  Everyone else has to work to make Haddie laugh.  Not Karis.

3. Laughing at Brett after Karis dressed him up in her clothes and sunglasses.  6'6 man in 3T clothes and toddler size 7 Crocs and zebra print sunglasses.  He is such a good daddy.

day eighteen: 3 gifts MADE, SHARED, PASSED ON

1. MADE: Ellie Holcomb's new album.  Give money here (and get cool stuff!) to help it get released.

2. SHARED: Mom's blueberry scone recipe.

3. PASSED ON: Almost all of Karis' clothes are from someone else.   Thank you Kristin and Mauri and Angela/Gretchen for passing on your adorable girls' clothes!

day ten, eleven & twelve: SCRIPTURE, REMEMBRANCE, NOON

day ten: gifts from SCRIPTURE

1. Deuteronomy 33:12

 

"Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, for He shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between His shoulders."

2. Exodus 33:14

  "The Lord replied, 'My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

3. Isaiah 43:1-5

"But now, this is what the Lord says--

he who created you, O Jacob, 

he who formed you, O Israel, 

'Fear not for I have redeemed you, I have summoned you by name, you are mine.  

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; 

and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  

When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; 

the flames will not set you ablaze.  

For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior, 

I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead.  

Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, 

I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life. 

Do not be afraid, for I am with you; 

I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west." 

day eleven: gifts of REMEMBRANCE

1. Two of my favorite veterans.

 

2. The three best days of my life--when God added my three favorite people into my life and made us a family:

 April 8, 2006: Happy wedding day!

October 2, 2010: Happy birthday, Karis Ann!

 

March 27, 2013: Happy birthday, Haddie Jo!

3. Remembering God's promises.

"I will be with you." 

"I will lead you." 

"I love you." 

"I intend good and not evil for your life." 

"You are mine." 

"I am coming back for you." 

"My peace I give you."

 day twelve: gifts at NOON

1. "Impromptu" lunch at Moe's with so many of my favorite people at the same time.

2. Jenny wasn't sick today and got to come to lunch!

3. Driving to Moe's in our van Miss Pam's van :)--a gift from God and proof of God's provision.

day seven, eight & nine: WINDOW, TASTY & HARVEST

day seven: gifts from my WINDOW

1. Driving down our old street.

2. In the backyard.

3. At 6:45 a.m. on my way to prayer for Young Life. 

day eight: gifts SIPPED, SWEET, SALTY

1. gift SIPPED

"Somehow, Jesus, I like praying with a cup of coffee in my hands.  I guess the warmth of the cup settles me and speaks of the warmth of your love.  I hold the cup against my cheek and listen, hushed and still.  I blow on the coffee and drink. O Spirit of God, blow across my little life and let me drink in Your great life."  --Richard Foster

2. gift(s) SWEET

3. gift SALTY

 (Image borrowed from here.)

I had my first salted caramel mocha tonight with one of my best friends, Crystie.  It was wonderful and worth every one of the 330 calories and 51 grams of carbs.  Every single one.  The time sharing life with my friend whose heart breaks for lost people and is deeply passionate about sharing the Gospel through genuine relationships was even better.  

day nine: gifts HARVEST

1. Apples & sweet potatoes. 

 (Image borrowed from here.)

  (Image borrowed from here.)

I'm about to make homemade applesauce and sweet potato baby food tomorrow so I bought these in bulk at Harris Teeter today.  (Which is starting to rival Costco/BJ's/Sam's Club with all their samples.  Karis is a huge fan.)  The word "ABUNDANT" kept coming to mind as I looked at the mounds of apples and sweet potatoes all over the produce section.

Also, I would have taken my own pictures except I left my phone at home.  Which was the wrong time to do that because I left Brett at home with Haddie napping and instructions to call me when she woke up.  I may or may not have asked a total (but incredibly kind) stranger if I could borrow their phone to call Brett while I was in the check out line.  #fail

2. Answered prayers for soul friends.

In 2007, I started praying for friends my age.  I had a handful of friends who are older than me and a plethora of friends younger but in 2007 I just felt a longing for friends closer to my season of life.  So I started praying for them.    

 

That year, I started going to BSF and met my best friend (aka BSF BFF :)), Ashley, there.  (This was after I got over my trying not to get to know anyone phase.)  We literally went to Panera every Thursday morning before BSF until we had kids.  I'll never forget realizing that the Lord had answered my prayers through Ashley.  I was getting to see the harvest and I was overjoyed.

But because we serve a God who is ABUNDANT, and as Anne Lamott says, likes to show off, He didn't stop there.  Since then, He has added to the harvest and I am beyond blessed to call these women my dear friends.

 3. The harvest in Alamance County Young Life.

I remember the first time I saw Derrica Barbee in 2004.  She was a freshman in high school, a girl with a beautiful smile and a personality big enough to fill the cafeteria we were in.  Everyone loved Derrica.  Seriously, everyone.  It's still true today and probably the reason she was voted Homecoming Queen at Southern Alamance and also in college at Wake Forest.  When I finally said hi to her that day she was so kind, even as a "too cool" teenager.  We talked about her going to camp at Sharp Top Cove that summer and she ended up coming.  She met the Lord there and the girl who was happy and nice changed to become explodingly, purposely JOYFUL and it was contagious. 

 

In the following months, she would write me notes and hand them to me at football games and at lunches at school and when I would pick her up for Young Life club--full of questions about God and new discoveries about life with Christ.  

We were friends and I loved it.  We stayed friends as she walked through the rest of high school and college, figuring out who she was in Christ, how to live for Him, choosing Him over the world, serving Him without needing to please others, and becoming a beautiful picture of Christ to a dying world.  

This summer, Derrica was back in town and we snapped this picture together.  That day she told me she wanted to go into ministry on Young Life staff and I wept.  Thrilled for her.  Overjoyed for the Kingdom.  Excited for the kids whose lives she will impact.  And HUMBLED to be a part of her story.

Jesus said something odd to a few fishermen one day: "Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men."  (Matthew 4:19)  And somehow this made sense to them and they set out to follow Jesus and fish for men.  And OH THE HARVEST THEY SAW, Y'ALL.  

And 2,000 years later I get to see bits of the same harvest in the lives of girls like my dear friend, Derrica.

And God is still at it, y'all.

This is a picture of the 118 high school kids who went to Young Life camp at Carolina Point last weekend.  Their Young Life leaders pursued the crap out of them and we prayed like crazy for them to get there and hear the Gospel.  Lives were changed that weekend for eternity.

Oh what a harvest, indeed.

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.