Mission Accomplished

It's so easy for me to start things.  Finishing them is another matter.  However, I have reached my goal in giving up 10 pounds for lent.  Thank you, Lord!

I learned that when I eat, I need to plan what I am going to eat, especially if that meal is not prepared by me.
This past Sunday, we went to the Palm Sunday Brunch at church.  I knew what was on the menu, so I planned exactly what I was going to eat.  And I stuck to that plan.

The midday meal at our son's basketball banquet was catered, so I also had to plan what I was going to eat there.  Because I helped serve, and was one of the last ones to eat, I was able to decide what I wanted before I actually went through the line.

It is difficult to not take seconds or to fill up my plate with more than I need.  I learned a lesson on Sunday, though.  If I eat more than I need at a meal, I have my reward (food) right there, but I don't get one later.  But, if I eat only what I need, I get a reward (food) when I eat, and I also am rewarded (I feel good because I haven't stuffed myself) later because I have not gained, and may have even lost some weight. 

I don't know about you, but I'm all for getting two rewards, instead of one.

Who knew losing something would be a blessing!

I'm way behind on writing down my joy dares.  Here is todays:

April 3
3 gifts surprisingly found
maiden grass when i was looking for zebra grass
friendship
the joy of helping someone complete a project



One Thousand Gifts

Old Time Gospel Music

I am listening to old time gospel music on Pandora.  Right now the song, The Atomic Telephone is on.  So the question is, WHAT is an atomic telephone.  According to the lyrics it is prayer.  No man knows its power, only God alone.

Old time gospel music is simple in its message, its music, and it's sing-ability. 

When I was young, I remember playing records that my parents had.  My favorite was I'll Fly Away, sung by Jim Reeves.  It is such an uplifting song. 

1.

Some glad morning when this life is o'er,

I'll fly away;

To a home on God's celestial shore,

I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

Chorus

I'll fly away, Oh Glory

I'll fly away; (in the morning)

When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,

I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

2.

When the shadows of this life have gone,

I'll fly away;

Like a bird from prison bars has flown,

I'll fly away (I'll fly away)

Chorus

3.

Just a few more weary days and then,

I'll fly away;

To a land where joy shall never end,

I'll fly away (I'll fly away)

Chorus

May your day be blessed by this song, too!

March Joy Dare 5:

three gifts found

streamers

material for gifts

a penny on the ground

March Joy Dare 6:

a gift bent, a gift broken, a gift beautiful

my child's bent toward chivalry

a fingernail

the sunrise

March Joy Dare 7:

three gifts in the kitchen

my breadmaker

running water

ice cubes

March Joy Dare 8:

three gifts loud

Old Time Gospel Music on my phone

children's voices 

the chiming of my washer and dryer when they are finished

One Thousand Gifts

The Days Go By

I'm always amazed and somewhat dismayed how quickly time passes.  I had big plans for January.  Before I knew it, February had passed, too.  Here it is March 4th and I still haven't started what I had planned.  

I have good intentions, but good intentions do not accomplish anything.  I cannot clean the house with good intentions any more than I can build a relationship with good intentions.  I have to be intentional and purposeful and dedicate a set period of time to physically, actively do the work to accomplish my ideas and dreams.

An example of this is my good intentions in finishing my master's degree.  A process I started a little over six years ago.  I had every intention of being finished with it by now, but because I did not follow through and intentionally finish, I am still not done.  A lot of thinking about it did not accomplish it, neither did worry nor anxiety. 

Procrastinating did nothing for me either.  I sort of pride myself on being a procrastinator and doing my best work when the deadline is looming.  How did I convince myself of that???  The pride came...is the fall next?  I am humbling myself and asking God to forgive my pride and come along side me to help me reach my goal.  

Counting my blessings...

March's Joy Dare: 2

3 gifts green

material
eyes
growing plants

March's Joy Dare: 3

3 gifts wore
clothes that fit comfortably
butter-soft blue jeans
a warm winter coat

March's Joy Dare: 4
3 gifts hard to give thanks for
another's undisciplined children
an unfinished thesis
weather that spoils plans

A Holy Experience

The Finale

So amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged; God is over all.
Count your many blessings; angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey's end.

I absolutely abhor conflict.  I will try to do everything to avoid it.  In the past I have been a peace keeper.  Not a peace maker.  A peace keeper, tries to keep his or her surroundings peaceful regardless of the chaos that is going on internally.  

I am learning to become a peace maker.  I do this by knowing that I must allow God to work in the situation and not to be discouraged by the conflict.  While I am in the midst of conflict, God sends angels to help and comfort me.  Working through the conflict is the only way to make peace. In that I am blessed.


Since I didn't blog yesterday, I will post two Joy Dares today.

February's Joy Dare: 29

A gift dull, a gift shimmering, a gift clean 

the cold that dulled my taste buds so I was not hungry and lost some weight

a thin sheet of ice covering a puddle

laundry

March's Joy Dare: 1

3 gifts at 3 pm.

finishing reading A Holy Experience at 3 pm and then seeing the March 1 Joy Dare :)

beautiful piano music in the background

green and white tea cooled enough to enjoy

A Holy Experience

Verse Three

When you look at others with their lands and gold
Think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold.
Count your many blessings; money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven nor your home on high

I used to think the grass was always greener in someone else's yard.  I thought that as a Christian, wealth was part of the package.  Then I happened across a verse in Proverbs 30:8b, "give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread."

That verse nagged at me every time I read it.  I tried to ignore it, skim over it quickly, but there it was.  Finally I confessed my greediness and can honestly (most of the time) pray this verse to God.  

God has always provided for me.  I've never gone hungry, never gone without clothes, always had a roof over my head.  Sometimes it was someone else's roof, but a roof nonetheless. God has abundantly blessed me with all those and more.  

I am ashamed that I grumble because I don't have everything I want.  I have everything I need!  I pray that I will always thank him for his provision, his love, his grace.  I will count my many blessings and name them one by one.

February's Joy Dare 28:
Three gifts from the past--that help you trust the future
My green and brown leather Bible
Songs and hymns from days gone by such as His Eye Is On The Sparrow
A book of family history dating back hundreds of years, with stories of God's provision through it all

One Thousand Gifts

Verse 2

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?  
Count your many blessings ev'ry doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by.

I've been burdened to the point of it affecting my health!  I felt like I couldn't even bear that cross.  After reading helpful books like, "Calm My Anxious Heart" by Linda Dillow and "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp I have learned to be thankful for what comes my way, counting the blessings and knowing those doubts have flown away.  I've been singing more as the days go by, too.  

I challenge you to be thankful in all things, in good times and in bad.  God is God and He has all things under control.  Blessings on your week!

February's Joy Dare: 27

Three ugly-beautiful gifts:

The compost bin my husband bought for me

Over-ripe/rotting fruits and veggies to be put in that compost bin

The finished compost that nourishes the soil of my gardens

The Song's Second Line

When you are discouraged thinking all is lost 
Count your many blessings name them one by one
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.


It's easy to let yourself become discouraged.  Especially when you don't understand why things happen. I've been discouraged countless times, thinking that all is lost.  


Only when my focus is on God and I am counting my blessings and naming them can I even begin to see what the Lord does for me.   I don't think I can count that high.  I plan on naming my blessings that I count, writing them down in my journal.  


I thought today would be a great day to make bread.  Especially since we are almost out of bread.  The first loaf was pumpernickel rye.  I forgot to put the yeast in so instead we had unleavened bread, which reminded me of Jesus.  A blessing indeed. 


The second loaf was honey wheat.  I remembered the yeast.  However, the loaf stuck to the pan and it got sort of not so nice looking when I finally got it out of the pan. Sigh.  But, we do have a loaf of bread that is still going to nourish our bodies.  Another blessing.  


Count them. Name them. Be surprised!


February's Joy Dare: 25
a gift nearly worn out, a gift new, a gift make-do
food chopper
a bar of dark chocolate
leftovers for dinner
February's Joy Dare: 26
three gifts seen as reflections
baptism
how often I miss the blessing (awareness)
reminiscing about playing Twister while my sons play it

One Thousand Gifts

The Song

Count Your Many Blessings is a great song.  I can relate to the songwriter's words.  The first verse starts out, "When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed".  Been there.  More times that I would like to remember.   

The dictionary definition of a billow is a great wave or surge of the sea.  I've never been on the sea, but my brother told me he was fishing and the waves got to be 17 feet high.  Definitely a billow!  A tempest is a violent windstorm, especially with rain, hail or snow.  Not a fun place to be...a storm at sea.  

I am reminded of the song, It Is Well With My Soul.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, 
when sorrows like sea billows roll; 
whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, 
It is well, it is well with my soul.

I am learning to give thanks in all 

situations so that I, too, can say 

"It is well with my soul". 

What a blessing!

February's Joy Dare: 24
Three gifts before 11 am.
cookies baked
a play date for my son
thank you from Husband for unexpected love note :)

One Thousand Gifts

Geocaching

Today I awoke with a nasty head cold.  I did not even want to get out of bed. But I did.  Son #2 needed to be taken to school.  After that there was a trip to Wal-Mart to get fuses. There were two different kinds.  Which one to get?  Nothing to do but go to the car and see what the manual suggested.  Got it.  Walked back to the Auto Department got the fuses indicated.  Went home.  They were the wrong fuses.

Isn't that the way it is in life sometimes?  Something needs fixing in our lives, we go to the worlds "manual" and think we have the right "fix", buy into it and take it to heart, only to find out it's the wrong thing after all.

This afternoon, #3 son and I went Geocaching.  It was great exercise, lots of fresh air.  We didn't find anything, though.  I looked online at the coordinates, description and hint for the geocaches we were looking for.  I found some new clues, so we looked again and this time found two out of three geocaches that we were searching for.  It was exciting.

When there is a blessing to be found, we will search for it diligently until we find it. As we go about our day to day lives, let's look for blessings in the people we interact with each day.  Be surprised at how many blessings the Lord will give to you when you diligently seek them out.

February's Joy Dare: 23
A gift of tin, of glass, of wood
cans that can be recycled
my eyeglasses that enable me to see God's gifts
the wooden cross my husband wears and holds tight when he prays

One Thousand Gifts

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday.  The day commemorating the first day of Lent.  One day out of 40 to begin fasting, giving up something in order to focus that time on God, in prayer.  I give up certain foods, things like chocolate, yes, chocolate, and pop, and other unhealthy things that aren't very good for me.

Why do I give them up?  Just so I can see if I have the self-discipline necessary to do it?  Is it so I can tell others what I'm doing during Lent?  Do I give them up because it's tradition?  Am I that shallow?  That I do it for me?

I pray that during Lent, as I fast from the above mentioned foods, it will be a reminder of what Jesus did for me, how he gave up so much for me, to be my Savior from sin, death, and the devil.  I pray that as my stomach hungers for food, it will be a reminder of how much my soul hungers for Jesus and I will be blessed in that.

February's Joy Dare: 22
Three gifts that changed today:
seeing "The Ugly Duckling"
filling in for the administrative assistant at school
a head cold

One Thousand Gifts

Fat Tuesday

What a name for a day.   What about Fat Monday, Fat Wednesday, Fat Thursday, Fat Friday, Fat Saturday or Fat Sunday?  That's what most days feel like when I pull on my blue jeans.  I like to think that the dryer shrinks them, but the truth is, I eat more than my body really needs.

It's almost Lent.  I give up something during Lent.  The last two years I've said I was going to give up 10 pounds during Lent.   The most I've ever accomplished was 4.

I spend way too many of my waking hours thinking about food.  I love food.  I love to buy it, prepare it and eat it.  Maybe it's not so much that I love food as much as it is that I love the taste of food.  Has food become my god?  At times, sadly, yes.

This year during Lent I want to focus on Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.  It will be interesting to see how the Lenten season unfolds for me in regards to this verse.

Please consider giving up something in your life for the next 40 days (the number of days in Lent, not counting Sundays) and see how much you are blessed.

February's Joy Dare: 21
Three gifts white:
porcelain sink, empty of dirty dishes
roses blooming full on the kitchen counter
freshly laundered dish towels

One Thousand Gifts

Counting Them

For the past several months I have been reading a book by Ann Voskamp entitled, "One Thousand Gifts" A Dare to LIVE FULLY Right Where You Are.  Never would I have imagined that this book would become one of my favorite.  I recommend it to everyone.  I also subscribe to her website, A Holy Experience.  She encourages, even dares others to list the gifts they receive.

I have begun doing this on a regular basis and am amazed at how this task has changed me, my perspective on life.  I truly want to live with a thankful heart for the gifts God has and does and will bestow upon me during this lifetime.  Today I took the DARE to write down one thousand gifts during 2012.  Three gifts a day, three.

From today on, I will try to blog each day and end the blog with three gifts that I am thankful for.  I started a while back and will add those onto today's list.

1. Father, Son, & Holy Spirit
2. pure white fluffy snow, warm air from a furnace vent, the gurgling sound of a coffee maker when the coffee is done brewing
3. toes on little feet, warm water from a shower, conditioner making hair soft
4. inspiring books, a home-cooked meal, washing machines
5. clothes dryers, electricity, a place to take recycle-able items
6. fingers, crochet hooks, yarn
7. exercise equipment, hospitals, doctors and nurses who care for patients
8. sunrises, water for houseplants, warm French Toast
9. hugs, cook-books, prayer
10. ice tinkling on the lake, a frog swimming in January water, oatmeal
11. pecans, the quietness of early morning, a 70 degree day in January in the Midwest
12. geese honking as they fly by, music, pianos
13. sleep, baptism, technology
14. colors, quiet times with family, guitars
15. the bubbling sound of soup simmering in the crock pot, authors, frozen chocolate chip cookie dough
16. rainy days, pastors, popcorn
17. computers, the internet, information at my fingertips
18. children, grandchildren, newborn babes
19. window panes, creativity, the hard gift of painful events
20. friends, neighbors, a clean vehicle
21. flashlights, a fireplace, frankincense and myrrh scented hand lotion
22. socks, shoes, warm winter clothing
23. cell phones, teachers, mothers
24. family in heaven, unity, the wine and the bread
25. wedding preparations, dinner at a nice restaurant, pillows
26. helping hands, helping hearts, smiles
27. new acquaintances, camaraderie, tickling
28. bicycles, running shoes, legs
29. basketball games, dogs that can catch a Frisbee, little girls with red fingernail polish
30. field trips, children singing, finding out a friend is expecting
31. our house, clean clothes, clean dishes

My Bread Machine

Today it snowed.  Beautiful white snow that covered everything.  What a blessing!  One that reminds me of God's love for me.

After I scooped snow for two hours this morning, yes, I did get up at 6 a.m. to shovel that blessed white stuff, I got out my bread machine and made bread.  When that was done, I made cinnamon rolls.  They were both delicious.  I love using my bread machine.  Not just because of the yummy breads and rolls I can make with it, and I do, but because of the story behind it.

That bread machine is more than a decade old.  One of my mom's friends sold it to me. She had a second-hand store. She bought it brand new for her own personal use and never got around to using it. She sold it to me for $25.  What a bargain!  I've used it to make white bread, wheat bread, cinnamon rolls, bagels, pizza dough and more. 

I love the fact that I got a brand new machine for only $25.  I also love that fact that it is very easy to make bread.  Clean-up is a breeze!  But, the best thing is that I remember my mom's friend, who was also my friend, every time I use it. And that is a blessing in itself.

It's The Little Things

Many times I look only for the "big" events to have meaning.  Often times it is the little things that bless me more.  A burst of laughter from a child.  That look and smile from across the crowded room.  The unexpected  bag of Jelly Beans.  A kind word.  The dishes being done.  A clean kitchen counter in the morning.  A text message.  The scale registering a pound less.  Finding a $5 in my purse.  I could go on and on.

All of those little things add up to the bigger picture of being blessed on a daily basis over a lifetime.  I am learning that as I write my blessings down it gives me time to reflect on  them and on the loving God who sends them my way!

Each time I blog, it is a little blessing to me.  My hope is that after a time, I will be able to find a bigger blessing in being able to read about and relive them all again.  Don't miss the little blessings that come each day.  Stop to name them one by one, and be surprised!

The New Year

One of the things I'm going to focus on in the New Year is contentment.  Not just contentment with what I have, but being content spiritually, physically, emotionally, vocationally, intellectually and socially.

I have been blessed in many areas of my life, but haven't yet learned to be content in all of them.  I tend to think, if only or what if, and there goes my contentment. 

I cannot redo or undo any events or choices of my life, so the "if onlys"; ie. if only I had done this or said this, or if only I hadn't done that or said that, steal my ability to be content with my past.  In a similar manner, the "what ifs"; ie. what if this happens, or what if that happens steal my ability to be content with the future.  Both of them steal my contentment in the here and now, and I waste the blessedness of being content.

 Jesus knows my past and loves me and forgives my sins.  Jesus knows my future and will not lead me where it is not safe to go.  Jesus is with me today and I will be content that all things are working together for my good.  Blessed assurance!