::Thanksgiving Fast Track:: and YOLOMondays Link up

November 11 - November 24

 Thanksgiving Fast Track

As I sat down to start this series I came across this picture. I don't have a computer of my own right now so keeping track of the pictures I have means comparing notes from 3 different computers, a handfull of thumb drives, and my camera! Whew! So ready for my computer to come! =)

Back to the post: when I saw this picture I knew that this would be the theme of one of my posts. Today I choose to declare my thanks for this girl! Being the youngest of 5 girls has to take it's toll on her poor little pre-teen emotions! Sure, she is spoiled (rotten) and totally lavished with attention and gifts, she is also kept in the position of "baby" sister in our eyes just because of her birth place. This picture screams to me oh how quickly she is escaping her "little" girlness. Her classic teenager messy hair, hand on the hip, and not to mention the fact that she and I have shirts from the same department. As in, it isn't a happy coincidence that our shirts happen to look the same!

She sure has matured a TON in just the last year! She is a SUPER huge help with the kids and most days will change a diaper without being asked, including the not so pleasant ones! She happily crawls on the floor with them and will wrestle and make animal noises to accommodate their childhood imaginations. A matter of hours later you can find her in front of a mirror fixing her hair and picking out the right shirt to head out to Bible Study. Just don't look too long or she will stop dead in her tracks!

Today I am thankful for the Bean! Bean, I am thankful for your sweet personality, your helpful attitude, and your generosity! I am thankful I am your sister. 

What are you thankful for?

Thanksgiving Fast Track!

I always felt so sorry for Thanksgiving. It was the holiday squeezed in between Halloween and Christmas and totally overlooked. With the hype that surrounds Halloween (which is a post for another day!) and the black Friday deals descending before we've digested our turkey, Thanksgiving keeps itself tucked away on it's own little Thursday. 

This day is a little larger than a few hours of food, a football game, and family near and far. The day of Thanksgiving is rooted in a group of people celebrating the God that delivered them from hardships and blessed them with a good harvest. Now many, many years later turkeys, stuffing, and cranberry sauce have paraded onto the scene. I don't doubt that people work to be thankful but I want to make a personal effort to do so. 

In efforts to keep this holiday not so tucked away, I am making a Thanksgiving Fast Track series. I will be posting everyday until Thanksgiving and the theme will be that of Thanksgiving. A recipe, a giving of thanks, a memory or tradition, etc. 

Join me as we give thanks! Leave a comments and follow along!

November 11 - November 24

Thanksgiving Fast Track

Not completely Wordless Wednesday

 An aunt, I am...

#3!

So excited!

Cara a Cara - YOLO link up!

Good Monday Morning!

Whew, last weekend dumped me into Monday before I even knew it! After getting off work at 3 and hopping into a car at 3:15 and heading out for the weekend on Friday, Saturday and Sunday flew by. Before I knew it, I was finishing the day on Wednesday and didn't even realize it! 

Teaching the hand game! If you don't know this one, you should. Nuf said!

Like I said, I headed out of town with my church last Friday. Translated the conference we attended is called Face to Face with God. Before I left, little information was available to me. They told me the things I "needed" to know so I wasn't concerned. Obviously not enough to hint that something was a little different with this retreat then others I had attended. By the time I arrived on Friday night I was beginning to get the idea this wasn't what I was thinking.

Trying to get her to look at the camera!

success!

After a grueling first session I lost my phone, ipod, camera, extra reading material, and my privilege of speech. Overwhelmed, I went to bed that night wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into. After the first two sessions Saturday morning, frustration doesn't begin to describe it! Not being able to speak, digest the insane amount of weighty information being thrown my way, and process the things that Father was leading me through.

To sum up a pretty full weekend in short, there is no way that you can come that close to the Father and not change anything. There is no way you can hide anything...or think you are hiding anything. He reveals the things in light that you had packed away and shut up. Being removed from so much forced me to deal with things that He planned for me to deal with that I otherwise would have avoided. There was not a huge band, dim lights, or alter calls. It was a small retreat center beautifully set in the most wonderful fall colored mountains. It was completely between the Father and me.

Just us two.

I spent 24 hours having the Father sing over me as I listened to the things He had to say. Refreshed, cherished, and content in the Father! Confident in the things He is calling me to right now! 

 These pictures are not all illegal! I was returned my camera Saturday night and this was all I was able to click!

 We had to leave pretty early Sunday morning to get back in time fore church. Leaving before the sun came up made me pretty sad because it meant I wasn't able to get some of the colors the mountains had to offer. However, God reminded me that my ways aren't His ways and He had some colors much better in mind!

 He painted this one just for me!

 I can't make this stuff up!

 We decided to hop out for a few minutes to snap some group photos!

 This man was so sweet! Don Jose, had a cake made for us to welcome us back! 

*********

On a different note, today happens to be the birthday of someone who pretty much sums up the term YOLO! This child 18 year old knows how to embrace the moment! She doesn't take forever to make a decision (like me) over something to eat. Super daring, and a great risk taker! She loves to be joyful and bring joy to others! Loves children, loves style, loves bright colors, loves her Lord, and I love her! 

SO, HApPY bIRthDAy shout out to my very favorite 18 year old sister! I am thankful for you! 

 Happy Monday folks! Stay dry!

First link-up!

I finally decided to take the blogging leap and join a link up party! I turned out to be just as shy in the blogging world as I am in the real world! Oh well! Here's my shell, and here I am stepping out of it! I have really enjoyed reading here and decided I would jump on the YOLO link up! Here is goes! 

This weekend we headed out to an annual family event, apple picking! We do this every year! It is a fun time to be away together! This year was a little different, which was sad! With my sister and her family stuck to the west and my other sister and her hubby having already make plans we were down to the 3 of us. My cousin, grandma, and uncle and aunt ended up being able to come along!

God blessed us with an AMAZING day! The weather was perfect and just slightly on the summer side of too hot! *sniff* But I can not complain, no rain. =)

Every year, for a few years has taken a picture on this hill. The group changes a little every year. This is the model for this year! **Oh and I didn't lie. My sister and her hubby did have plans. They just happened to be at the same place, just slightly different time as our plans! We crossed paths just long enough to get a picture together! 

Happy Monday!

Tuesday Talk

Happy Tuesday Morning!

I am loving the crisp fallness around here! God has sung my love language lately with falling yellow, orange, and red colored leaves, pumpkin baked goods, the crunch under you feet as you walk, cool nights, beautiful sunny days, apples, scarves NOT for decoration, and boots! I am in love with this month (all but 1 day) and next!

This Tuesday is a little different from last time I wrote. I am still in constant communication with the Father about the next step He's yet to light. I still don't know His heart on matter. For now, I am taking His answer as a "wait." I am at peace.

As a family we've been going through Experiencing God for family worship. It has been a fun and encouraging study with a practical and hand's on approach to realistically experiencing the Father. One of my favorite ways that I have enjoyed learning to experience Him recently has been as the Father who delights in His children. I didn't quite understand the complete concept and still don't. However, taking the example I have in an earthly Father subtracting sin full man, adding perfection, and multiplying it by 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 and beyond then I may begin to taste what it may be like! =)

Having the Father sing over me is an odd concept. I can't seem to understand it. Forever I thought that the only singing going on in our relationship was from me to Him. Now, I know that the Father does sing over me and delights in me just like a father does on this earth!  


Enjoy the Father singing over you today! Happy Tuesday!

my heart

I am here to tell you friends that I serve an amazing God! I'm serious right now, He is an AWESOME God. He is so much greater than ANYTHING I am able to fathom, think up, ponder, or dream!

He is infinitely bigger than all my fears, failures, and flops. He is eternally more than all my insecurities, worries, and shortcomings.

He is all together greater than all my dreams, hopes, desires, and plans. I have no doubt that He can and will supply EXACTLY what I need when I need it and can throw in amazing surprises just because He can.

I am humbled an amazed at the complete and perfect Greatness that I am blessed to call Father, Savior, Lord, and Guide.

Tonight, I am praising and thanking the mountain moving, awe-inspiring, heart cry hearing, gift giving, gasp giving God and friends, I invite you to do the same!

Friday Favorite

Current fav coming at you! Watch.

Where did summer go?

Fall is my favorite season. There is no doubt about it. But I am not going to lie. I am sad summer is gone! It seems to have gone by too fast! Fortunately our family vacation happens at the end of the summer and in a matter of 48 hours I will be sitting listening to the waves roll in. Quite honestly I am having a hard time making my head not think it is already there! 

Mid-August we decided to head away for the day as a family! I love when my parents randomly choose a day for us to be together away from the normal grind! 

We headed about an hour away and explored some shores! Ferry ride, walk on the beach, and family time! 

I am thoroughly looking forward to getting away with my family! Although the beach is a large attraction, in all honesty we could camp in the middle of the desert and I would be happy just to be away with my family! Things with work, friends, and even church have been just short of mayhem and I am needing some slow paced, unagenda'ed time, no kids, no having to be somewhere, no sitting in school pick up lines, no fixing lunches, or changing diaper time! Bring it on! 

When we return to our regular scheduled programming I have some fun exciting stuff planned! Hopefully I will be able to get more than one post a month done! HA! *fingers crossed!*

But, sneak peak...just because I can't handle too many surprises all at once. Plus, if I say it, maybe it will actually happen! =)

-fashion forward

-conviction confliction

-12 in 12 catch up

-diy dilemas

-preschool process

OK, that's it! No more! 

Until then, the beach is calling! 

fighting against jealousy!

Lately I have noticed I have been in a place where the not so sly, ever intruding, harsh on the eyes, nauseating Mr. Green Monster is creeping in various places. I don't like him. I have never welcomed him nor have I "opened" the door for him...or so I thought! However many "cute" words I could hang on it though Mr. Monster, whether he is welcome or not, is a real thing. A very real thing, and a really very bad thing. It is not a slimy green monster hiding in the shadows as he has been portrayed. Allow me to lead you through some insight that I have discovered lately.

My situation isn't colossal. I am not in pain, or struggling with holding things together. Nothing to write home about.

Puny really.

Juvenile.

I am talking elementary school playground.

Pat.het.ic.

It still caused big feelings of before said green thing. It wasn't fun. Isn't fun.

According to a article written by a psych specialist, jealousy is caused by 1 or more of 4 things.

-lack of self-confidence
-poor self-image
-fear
-insecurity

Whereas that may be shallow, hang on. It all blends. Trust me.

What I find in the Bible is that jealousy roots in one thing, a lack of satisfaction in what God has provided for you.

The world likes to hang fancy names on it like poor self-esteem, and insecurity. But the root of the matter is that satisfaction in what God has provided you is lacking. OOF! That's a gut buster! I have chosen to not put my satisfaction in the Creator of the world. The One who has the power, authority, and right to take away and give at His command. The Controller of my inhale and exhale has somehow slipped in my view as not being "enough." In reality, He is way more than enough. Even in my views of empty He has supplied JUST what I needed and that was more than enough. Yet, my satisfaction wasn't in Him.

Hebrews 13:5, after admonishing the love of money, states that He will never leave us. He is with me always. My satisfaction can not dwindle because He is not "with" me.

1 Corinthians says that Love does not envy. Since Galatians says that love is one of the fruits of the Spirit and Acts and numerous other places say that God sent His Spirit to be with us then I can't blame not being equipped.

So, causes of jealousy: Lack of satisfaction in the Creator, Maker of heaven and earth, King of Kings, Lord, Crafter of the universe, God.

Multiple times in Paul's letters to the churches he states the fleshly characteristics. Let's take a look at a few shall we!

Galatians 5:19-21 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality,impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 13:1-8a If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteriesand all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Romans 13:13-14 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

James says...

James 3:13-16 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

Now that I have covered what causes jealousy let's talk about what jealousy causes. From what I found in these passages I found some very unpleasant ideas.

#1 - It is an act of the flesh that is equivalent to drunkenness, sexual immorality, witchcraft, and the like. 

#2 - I won't inherit the Kingdom of God

#3 - I am not a loving person because love is all those things and if I am missing just one, I am not loving.

#4 - I am irritating like a 2 year old with a pair of symbols.

#5 - I am not behaving decently.

#6 - I am gratifying desires of the flesh.

Ouch...that was like stepping on a lego, only worse!

So now what? I have come to the realization that I am sinning, that it's wrong, and that my relationship with my Father is strained and divided because of this. The 2 questions I asked myself were, (1) how could I let this happen? and (2) what do I do now?

To answer question one blankly I am human. Being human in the his case over-ruled the Spirit in me because I let it. My self control didn't jump in to hyper drive...in fact, it failed miserably...because I allowed it to! 

Jumping to question 2, because honestly question 1 doesn't hold much when you think about it! Where do I go from here?

A lot of times in the past I summed up struggle to just needing to jump back on track like a derailed train. Um no! It take a little more than that. My choices got me here. I can't just pray and have it "all together again." Likewise with the derailment, I have to make a choice to "fix" it. 

OK, OK, how?

First, think about someone else. Back to the beginning portion. Remember when I told you it was shallow. Well it still is. But it will help us here. If indeed my self-esteem is lacking I need to look to the needs of others. My confidence, self-image, and securities, should be firmly rooted in the Father's view of me. Instead of looking into myself to see it I need to be looking at the world around me. The world He loves. To put it simply I need to think about someone else. Be like a sleuth on the hunt for blessing to give. Be resolved to be looking for other's needs and meeting them. Finding my inadequacies in places God will supply them and not in the superficial. 

Philippians 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves

Have a tranquil heart. I noticed that my time with the Father had be shaved, and whittled because of life that it was like that fast food Jesus and my "system" wasn't liking it. My job was stressful, situations around me seems insurmountable (ok, just large but it sounds better my way!), and I had lost track of meeting with my Maker. 

Proverbs 14:30 A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

Love. Love the person or people who make me jealous. Love my neighbors, sisters, parents, kids, friends, co-workers. Love. Just love. Sound simple? Well it is...but it isn't. 1 John tells me that I won't know God if I don't love because God is love. 1 Corinthians tells me that love is...

-it is patient

-it is kind

-it does NOT envy

-it does NOT boast

-it is NOT proud

-it does NOT dishonor

-it does NOT seek self

-it does NOT get angry fast'

-it does NOT keep tallies for wrongs done against it

-it does NOT get joy from evil

-it rejoices in the truth

-it protects

-it trusts

-it trusts

-it hopes

-it preserves

-it NEVER fails

I don't have it together. In fact I am still learning this. I am working on it...as you read this. But I am trying. I am being patient as God forms this in me.

Thanks for reading!