Five Minute Friday: Truth

Five Minute Friday

Truth

Philippians 4:8 (ESV)
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

I always end each post with scripture. Always. Since I started blogging again last fall, I think for the third time, I felt that I needed to do that one thing for myself, and hopefully for anyone who reads, ensuring that there would be some truth spoken in each post I sent out. I may not have a lot of humanly truth and besides, Godly truth beats all.

I almost didn’t write today, believing the wrong words swirling in my head. Defeating words that exhaust and weaken. Pushing those aside to listen to truth spoken by my sweet family, through Christian radio programs, a webcast and the Word.
Contemplating on the word truth throughout the day, and ending the day with the real truth.

Blessings!

Five Minute Friday: Grace

Five Minute Friday

Grace

In the spirit of the post I wrote last month when the FMF topic was mercy, I will begin with a few definitions.

Google:

2. (in Christian belief) the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.
“the graces of the Holy Spirit”

Mirriam-Webster:

1 a : unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification
b : a virtue coming from God
c : a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine grace

Unknown:
When you get what you don’t deserve.

Elizabeth M.:

1. Receiving goodness from God on a daily basis in the form of two wonderful parents, a super husband and six incredible blessings by birth.

2. The patient, loving kindness and forgiveness of Jesus on the days when I’m not feeling grateful for the above grace-gifts.

1 Corinthians 1:3 (NIV 1984)
“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and The Lord Jesus Christ.”

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Squinting family photo from the deck of a ferry during our Virginia trip in July. 🙂

**I forgot to set a timer–I don’t think it was too much over the limit though.

Five Minute Friday: Write

Five Minute Friday

Write

Many moons ago, I minored in journalism, with a communications major, after deciding rashly that elementary education wasn’t for me. How funny that I now have my own little homeschool!

All those moons ago, I interned for a local magazine, then did grunt work (developed photos, gathered court documents, and wrote rarely) for a small business newspaper.
After that trying year, went back to the first magazine, as it was a much better atmosphere to try my hand at freelancing, as they specialized in what I have discovered is “my” kind of writing: profiles, which were basically mini-biographies. I even had a cover story way back then. Whoo hoo!
I felt unorganized with my time and writing an article or two a month, wasn’t making much income.
I guess I was afraid to say I was a writer and put myself out “there” to do the hard work of marketing myself and look for other publications.
Long on scared and short on perseverance and diligence.
So, I went to work for a not-for-profit, which I enjoyed and then came home to raise my babies.
The writing stopped, other than a Christmas newsletter here-and-there.
I wondered why I felt to blah about so many things. Homeschool burnout and hormones did a number on me and I needed an outlet.
The blog engineer, aka sweet Kyle, enjoyed the lengthy tome-like e-mails he received at work and bought a domain name for me. I still drug my feet.
After writing fairly regularly for a few months, I stopped this summer because it just didn’t feel right to write. I grew weary of writing about myself.
So, just this week, we have been tossing around ideas of people in my circles that I could interview and write about. I’m looking forward to it. Writing is such a good outlet and I would like to make it a ministry as well.
END
Disclosure: I re-set the timer for another five and finally stopped when the duck quacked for the second time.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 (ESV)
“4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.”

Five Minute Friday: True

I’ve been pretty sporadic about writing anything lately and really appreciate the Five Minute Friday prompts and thought tonight’s was appropriate.
Thanks for reading!

Five Minute Friday

True

I need to spend my time thinking about what is true.

~I am loved. I am loved by God, His Son and my family.
~I am enough. God gave me to my husband and children and they to me.
~I am capable. God hasn’t called me to be perfect, but to persevere and be diligent in what I have been given to do. Diabetes, Celiac, large-family mothering, homeschooling.
~God is faithful. In all things. He will be with me through the every days, good and bad.

My default is low self-esteem, the Eeyore-type personality. I am quick to give up or not even start, and them beat myself up for failing. Again.

I must remember what is true.

I heard an “Ask Pastor John” podcast with John Piper this evening and he said (not quoting directly here), that we must start off the day asking for the Lord’s help and strength.

Yes. Yes.

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Me, my six and my mom picking pears at her friend’s house Sunday evening.
(Photo by the Blog Engineer.)

Philippians 4:8 (NIV, 1984)
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Five Minute Friday: Mercy

It’s late Thursday night and I’m linking up to Lisa-Jo Baker’s Five Minute Friday writing group.

Five Minute Friday

Mercy:

Google defined mercy as :
Compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.

Merriam-Webster:
Compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one’s power; also : lenient or compassionate treatment.

Unknown:
When you don’t get what you deserve.

Elizabeth M.:
1. Something I want to receive and need on an almost-constant basis some days (thinking about the hormone wall I hit yesterday), but don’t do so well giving to others, especially my sweet family.

2. Keeping my cool, when the boys are wreaking havoc on school. 😉

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A calm moment with new-to-us/vintage animal books from a sweet neighbor.

Psalm 145:9 (NKJV)
“The Lord is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.”

Five Minute Friday: Worship

Linking up with Lisa-Jo Baker’s Five Minute Friday fun, hosted today at (in)courage.

Worship

Lisa-Jo wrote today about where she is able to worship. I am thinking about what I worship and who I should worship.
My items of worship can vary from day-to-day, but for the most part the list is pretty static:
~ Peace (and quiet).
~ Unity (I love Psalm 133:1).
~ Organization.
~ Schedules.

Since I have put the worship of these items above the worship of Jesus, over and over and over, it is no wonder that I so rarely ever attain, or get to enjoy, them. My false, worldly worship list has become an idol.

Realizing the problem is a huge first step in solving it, but long-held bad habits are hard to break.
It is time though. Really time, to put first things first. Time to really worship Jesus, not just in a nice word here or there, but in action.
It is time to set a better, much better, example to my children of putting my worship of Jesus first, not my “wish” worship list.

Psalm 95:6-7 (NIV)
6 “Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
7 for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.”

Five Minute Friday: Story

Five Minute Friday

Story

Go

For the first 10 years of our marriage, our story was pretty typical, maybe a little boring, but in a nice, comfortable kind of way.
The last 11 1/2 have been anything but. Sometimes that has been good, I have been learning, or trying to learn, to get out of my introverted comfort zone somewhat.
Sometimes the story has been difficult, with lost babies, children being diagnosed, then the mama’s turning 40 hormone chaos.
The story, like the life, has evened out a bit for 2013. We are all a bit older and wiser.
I have taken a number of deep breaths, prayed many prayers for patience and have found that The Lord is faithful.
I love and I am loved. We are praying and learning together.
This story is getting more interesting in good ways and I hope to be writing it for many years to come.

Stop

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One of my favorites, only it’s missing my husband, who was working while we vacationed in Virginia last month.

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The whole crew, two days before. Half like to pose and are ready at the drop of a hat, the other half of us, not as comfortable and squinting 😉

Psalm 86:15 (NIV)
“But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness”
.

Five Minute Friday: Belong

Five Minute Friday

Belong

These people. These seven interesting, loud, creative, not-so-compliant, mostly strong-willed gifts are mine. They are mine. I belong.
I struggle with friendships. I like people. I really do, but they tire me quickly and I tire them quickly, when I end up blathering on about this or that in my odd introvertedness and haven’t been able to find a core group that “everyone” says you must have.
I have these people. God gave them to me and they are mine forever. Because, you know, I do know where they live 🙂
My husband thinks I’m a nut, he is waiting for me and started playing “Isn’t She Lovely” with his free trial of Spotify.
So, I’ll finish with this: I belong, they belong, we all belong. (That sounds like some preschool song!) We belong to God, to each other.

STOP

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Squinting on the Jamestown Scotland Ferry last week after visiting Williamsburg.

Psalm 27:1 (NKJV)

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?

Five Minute Friday: Present

Writing with the Five Minute Friday group today.
Here are the rules:
1. Write for 5 minutes flat with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in {you can grab the button code in my blog’s footer}.
3. Go and tell the person who linked up before you what their words meant to you. Every writer longs to feel heard.

Present

Being present, enjoying these people God has given me. That’s what I need to concentrate on, not getting stuck in the “I wish things were different or better” doldrums.
We’re not perfect. We’ll never be perfect. I can live in the present and enjoy my blessings or wish for the future and miss out.
The temper tantrums in the car the past two days, by one boy in particular, have worn everyone’s nerves a little thin. That boy needs an extra dose of tlc from his Mama, not threats to miss out on treats. Two days in the nation’s capital, then two more long days on the road.
Prayers in the present. Patience in the present. Persevering in the present. What a gift those would be to my family.

Stop

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On the way to Virginia Beach on Wednesday.

1 Chronicles 23:30 (ESV)
And they were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the Lord, and likewise at evening

Five Minute Friday: Beautiful

Writing with the Five Minute Friday group tonight.
Here are the rules:
1. Write for 5 minutes flat with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in {you can grab the button code in my blog’s footer}.
3. Go and tell the person who linked up before you what their words meant to you. Every writer longs to feel heard.

Beautiful

Go

The day started off not-so-beautiful. The house needed some tlc and I was feeling really martryish about it. After a beautiful shower, I was feeling much better and my wonderful spouse had tackled yesterday’s leftover dishes and most of the children had pitched in in one way or another to tidy up a bit for Grandma and Grandpa’s visit.
Mom and Dad arrived around 10 and we visited, grilled burgers, visited more, the children swam and had an good time. They left at 2:00 and the eight of us listened to Daddy read aloud, swam some more, snacked, rested, packed, watched the rain, grilled again, watched a movie and snacked again.
It was a day filled with an unusually high amount of unity–yea!! Lots of downtime and some good productivity too.
Here’s to more beautiful.

End

(16 seconds early, for once!!)

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Independence Day lunch.

Ecclesiastes 3:11-13 (ESV)
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
12 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 13 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.