The layers of the heart....

"Ogres are like onions...oh, they stink?

No...Layers....

Onions have layers, ogres have layers. 

You get it? We both have layers."

I believe our heart has layers as well. 

Some of these layers are old....formed many years ago...

...like a protective shield around our heart....

A heart that was hurt from a cruel comment...."you can't do anything right", "you're so stupid"...."you're ugly"....

Another layer formed when a relationship ended and they 

chose someone else instead...

Another layer formed from bad habits....

....eating habits that ran to the pantry when things were too stressful or too noisy....chocolate helps, right?....

....spending habits that ran to the store when I was bored or

 needed to feel better....can money buy happiness?

Underneath all the layers is something 

beautiful and fearfully made.

So, my job was to strip the old wallpaper off the upstairs hallway walls last May in our "new" home that was built in 1957. There were actually three different layers of wallpaper on these walls from a variety of decades past. 

Needless to say, it was time for a clean start so I got out the water and a scrapper......and I scraped....and scraped...and scraped.... 

What I discovered was very interesting....

...some layers came off quickly on the first pass of the scrapper....

...others I had to get wet first and let them soak in the 

water to loosen it's grip... 

...Then the next pass of the scrapper pealed the wallpaper off the surface of the wall to freely fall onto the floor....

....Revealing a smooth, flawless surface beneath....

I noticed though, if I waited too long to scrap once the water had soaked in, the paper dried up again and the opportunity to easily remove it was gone. 

I had to add more water again to see if this time, the wallpaper would drink in the moisture and let go to be removed.

Our LORD is the healer of our hearts and can 

transform your life, one layer at a time. 

I have lived out a number of layer peelings over the past two years and the process was painful and beautiful at the same time.

He removed my pride first....

...then my lust....

...then my anger....

(this was a more stubborn layer that required some "water" to remove)

....then my habit to eat when stressed or bored....

(this removed 25 lbs from me in just 4 months which was amazing!)

....then my love for my house and possessions...

(this one hurt....deep...but my contentment now is priceless)

...then my desire for control....

(learning to trust and wait....I think one might have multiple layers!)

...then my money....

(letting go of what really isn't mine anyway to be used in a better way)

I know there are even more layers of my heart yet to be peeled. 

Thankfully, the LORD is patient and gentle and has 

been walking me through each and every day. 

This new life is a journey that requires me to peel off the old self and be transformed into the real me that lies just below the surface. 

Who knew Shrek was so smart?!!

A season of making lists.....

Tis the season of lists....

....the daily "to-do list"....

....the grocery list to get ready for Thanksgiving.....

....the Christmas wish list....

....the wish list of things we'd love to do if only we found the time....



Okay, I will admit this straight out....I LOVE LISTS....yes, I'm a list girl.  

I feel very good in a little part of me to "check off" the box and see an accomplishment. 

However, I changed my attitude towards my lists a few months ago and it has made a profound effect on what I view as the important things to get done each day.....

I started a new list.....I call it my "spirit list"....

It is filled with the quiet thoughts that come from my heart...little things that could be done with my time....things that can help, that can heal, that can love and that can make a difference.

Things like calling that friend that has been struggling a bit lately....

....like returning that book that I borrowed so many months ago....

...like apologizing to a cousin that I should have been there for so many years ago and selfishly didn't travel to see....

...like inviting over neighbors for a meal even though that is out of my comfort zone....

...like painting out my faith tree on a canvas....

...like calling my parents when it is just easier to email....

You may have those little ideas as well. Those small whispers of love that speak to your heart and ask you to step out to help in this world....

I ask you in the season of lists to consider sitting down and trying to write a list from those heart whispers....things you could spend 15 minutes working on today....

For some reason, when I check off a box from that list versus my own "to-do"list, there is a deeper sense of satisfaction....

Slowly, I have enjoyed going to that list for ideas for what the day should really have in it instead of what I feel needs to happen. The chains from my lists are being broken, one at a time, and I am living each day a bit more free and full....



(Yes, blogging this today was a thought from my spirit list written just this morning....So, CHECK....complete!!!  YES!!!  Feels so good!)

The Steps of Discipline.....

My steps have become my place of discipline. 

For any behavior the kids are having trouble with, I make a step for it. If they are told to stop the behavior, they have a choice. Stop or if it happens again, they go sit on the corresponding step for a time out 

(length = # of minutes they are old; ex: Our 10 yrs gets 10 minutes on the step)

Here are the current behavior issues we are working on:

This is my catch-all spot....if they are just being naughty or mean-spirited....the time out spot is where they end up.

While the kids are sitting on their step of discipline, I borrowed an idea from my friend, Tija Young, to put a Bible verse that relates to the reason for their behavior correction.

For example, the "tame the tongue" step has Ephesians 4:29 by it....

This is by the whining step.....

This is by the disrespect and defiant step.

These are by the "scaring others" and "making fun of" steps.

Having a consistent consequence for a behavior we are trying to improve on has worked very well. The kids don't have to sit on them much anymore and when they do, they know the drill. The other rule is no one else in the family can speak to or even look at the person that is on the steps of discipline during their time out. For some of my kids, that is the worst part.

Wish I would have thought of this system years ago....

Your tree of choice....

We all have choices that we make each day. 

What do we choose to eat for breakfast? What do we choose to wear? 

What do we choose to do with our free time? Do we jump on Facebook or do we pause and read that devotional that is sitting on the counter?

What music do we choose to listen to?  What television programs do we choose to have on in our home? What movies do we choose to watch or let our children go see?

Oh so many choices.....and those choices define your life.

Adam and Eve had a choice......

....you see there were TWO trees in the middle of the garden. 

We always hear the story of the one tree...you know, the one with the forbidden fruit...but there was another right next to it....

Genesis 2:9

The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground--trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

A tree of life....and a tree of death (spiritual that is)

Adam and Eve were allowed to eat from the tree of life and live forever.....God told them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That was the only restriction in the garden.....the only choice that they were to avoid.....

Things went well for a time....Adam and Eve took care of the garden....ate from the trees they were suppose to and were able to walk in fellowship with God each day. That was the blessing of their good choices.

Then....the "sneaky snake" comes on the scene.....he tricks the woman to take and eat the fruit of the tree of death. She gives the fruit to Adam and he makes another bad choice and their choices bring sin into their lives...

SIN.....an ugly word....darkness....disconnect from the spirit of God and the spirit within us....  

You have choices every day that can bring life to yourself and others around you (you know....those decisions that match up with your values and God's commands).....

.....so, I encourage you to stand firm, choose wisely and live well!!!.....

Grass and weeds....

It's that time again....the yard is turning green.....

....green with grass and weeds....

Sometimes it seems that the weeds are taking over and just will not go away! 

We spray them....we pluck them....yet they still return....

To invade the "perfect" sea of green grass we all long for....

Sometimes our lives as Christians may seem like a blade of grass...

....growing in places that have weeds to our left and to our right...

We feel outnumbered and wonder if we can keep up this difficult walk....

The mighty prophet Elijah felt overwhelmed and outnumbered...

....as the feelings of defeat consumed him....

1 Kings 19:14 - He replied again, "I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too."

The LORD then told him of 7,000 others that still served the living God. 

1 Kings 19:18 - "Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!"

So, fellow blades of grass.....never give fighting the good fight! 

1 TImothy 6:12 "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

For when we stand together....

....firm in our faith....

...shining God's love by the actions of our lives...

...we can overcome the weeds and spread the Good News to all around us....

Labor of Love....

Baseball season has begun....

 

The pitcher throwing his heart out....for the sound of the ball 

hitting the catcher's glove....STRIKE! 

How sweet the sound!

A new band of brothers....all together fighting for a victory....

After the hard-fought battle, there are stains....

....grass and orange dirt rubbed deep into the uniform pants... 

....WHITE uniform pants....

I love the color white...but on baseball pants....

...what a labor of love to scrub out those ugly orange knees after every game. The sick, imperfect look of the dirty pants...stained and soiled...

They remind me of how imperfect and dirty I look 

in my sin to my heavenly Father.... 

....His perfect creation....made in His image...now dirty...

...Oh how far from glory we fell...

.....I don't really grasp just how far until I gaze upon these dirty pants.... 

....the glory I once had, never to return without a sacrifice....

....The love GOD poured out to wash us clean again....

...through the blood of His son are my sins washed as white as snow....

Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, let's settle this," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow."

His patient and tireless effort to continually make me clean again each day....

 Lamentations 3:23 "Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning."

And so, I scrub...

...and feel so grateful that though I am a dirty sinner, 

my Redeemer loves me enough to wash me clean each and every day!

Unplugged....

It's the fourth commandment....

"Remember the Sabbath day to set it apart as holy."    Exodus 20:8

A day of rest and worship...to be set apart from the other days....something different....a day to be refreshed again....a day to do no work....

But how can a modern-day family observe the Sabbath in a world of totally busyness and distractions?

How can they "meditate on God's Word" when the Internet is so readily available in the palm of their hand....just a click away from everything....and yet nothing of high importance....

How can they "be still and know God" when their phone/iPad beeps for their attention whenever someone posts a new status on Facebook or a sports team scores....

How can they "practice hospitality and build others up" when the stores have so many good sales going on this weekend....

A family can do it if they chose God over the world. 

But this choice and this life are a battle....a fight to follow God and His commands. 

The world and your enemy does NOT want you to win this fight. 

...he wants you busy....

...he wants you distracted...

...he wants you shopping for more and more earthly stuff...

...none of which will satisfy....

So, our family took a Sabbath "unplug" afternoon to try it out. All electronics (iPad, iTouch, Wii remotes, xBox controllers, TV remotes, cameras, Leadpad, Ninendo DS, etc) were put inside a plastic tub on Sunday afternoon from 12-6pm. Everyone was to first work on their weekly Bible lesson. Then everyone could listen to music, play outside, hang out with family, read books, play games, listen to the Twins on the radio or hang out with your pets, etc.

Without all the interruptions and distractions, the whole family seemed to get along better (less fights for attention) and one of the kids even mentioned at the dinner table "Everyone seems happier today". Not bad for the first attempt!  The interesting part was getting back into the week on Monday and noticing how often we used the things just the day before we weren't allowed it. Funny how this might creep into something more....

So why rest one day a week anyway? Why does God command us to do this?

First off....God did.

"On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work."  Genesis 2:2

Second....God blessed it.

"Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done."  Genesis 2:3

Third....it sets you apart from the world and you will be refreshed.

"It is a permanent sign of my covenant with the people of Israel. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and was refreshed.'"  Exodus 31:17

Fourth...it passes on your faith and shows the importance of the Sabbath to your kids.

"Tell the people of Israel: 'Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation. It is given so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy." Exodus 31:13

Finally...you will strengthen your relationship with God and He will grant you great success.

"Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don't pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the LORD's holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don't follow your own desires or talk idly.Then you will find joy in your relationship to the LORD, and I will give you great prosperity...."  Isaiah 58:13-14

So, are you up to the Sabbath Unplug challenge?

I encourage you and your families to give it a try....unplug and be refreshed!

It is well.....

Oh the waves they crash....

This endless sea of turbulence and trial seem to never end.....

It was Easter weekend....a time to rejoice in the new life Jesus has given me....yet I failed to lift my eyes from the troubles all around me....

A severe lack of sleep did not help....

5 days of nausea, dizziness and intestinal discomfort had put me in a weakened state as the weekend approached...

And yet...someone was whispering to me....

...like a lighthouse shines through the fog....I had just to look and listen.

Monday morning

I had heard a song in my dream....."It is well with my soul...."

....I woke to an answered prayer. She had slept through the night! It has been weeks....

Then I checked out the lyrics to the song that was in my dream....

...I wept as they filled every piece of the puzzle that is going on right now...

...I had begun to miss my old house and the comforts we had there....

...the quiet, familiar surroundings that I no longer felt....

...I was clinging to comfort and forgot I need to be clinging to Christ....

...oh, such a slow learner I am....

But today I say....."IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL"

The sound of laughter and the power of music....

The sounds of laughter in the house again....

...oh, how sweet the sound....

...when cries of frustration, envy, self-pity and anger have raged in this house for too many days .....

...her spontaneous, contagious giggles are so beautiful as they reflect off the walls and fill the hearts of those that hear them...

...my spirit soars at their sound....

The only other way that I find that instant "pick-me-up" is through music....

....lately it's been either Matthew West or Chris Tomlin....

....but it usually only takes about 3-4 measures and I'm taken away.....

...away from my problems, my stress, my current crisis....

...my soul dances with the notes as they speak to a deep part in me that LOVES to sing....

...the part that my heavenly Father made special....

....connecting my soul to His presence....

....AMAZING....POWERFUL....INTIMATE.....

...oh, how sweet the sound....that saved a wretch like me....

...I once was lost...but now I'm found....was blind but now I see....

Character Development.....

Okay....I think I need a break from my character development for awhile.....you know those mornings when you wake up and want to crawl back into the covers and not face another battle. Just to have a break from the challenges for just a day, okay maybe a week...a month perhaps...?!!

And yet, it is in those hard, dark moments that the whisper comes. That sweet song of love that picks me up and carries me through the storm yet again. Oh, how I have come to love that tender soul music....

In Hebrews, Chapter 12 it begins....

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."


This eternal encouragement came to me last week as I worked on my weekly Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) lesson. Oh, how it expressed exactly how I was feeling. 

That this race was marked out for me to travel....

....not to travel alone...

....and not to focus on the cracks in the pavement...

...but to look up....

...to look to Jesus to hold me through. That is where my strength is....

I almost can relate to Paul when he wrote in 2 Corinthians, Chapter 12....

v10 "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Do I like these hardships...no way....do I wish them to stop....yes, please! 

But do I treasure the closeness I have felt the LORD hold me through them, without question!!!

That has been the best part....

....to be filled with the Spirit....

....to endure the trials stronger than I was the day before....

....to SHINE during the storm....that is my goal...

Waiting.....

"Patience is a virtue"....."Good things come to those who wait".....

I know the sayings but I'm still working on being cheerful in the waiting.  

I like to plan and organize things so that means there is usually a time frame when I think the thing "should" get done. A desire to "check off the box" and complete the task.

But now there is area in my life which I have no control over and I am learning how to wait....and it is not easy....

I want to see the suffering stop....I want God to help and heal her....but His timing is not my own.....

It doesn't mean that it will never happen....it would just be easier for me and our family if it just "got fixed" now.

But maybe it isn't a "quick fix" issue....maybe there are many layers and walls to tear down, brick by brick so that a new foundation of love can be rebuilt.

It takes time to rebuild....it also takes courage and strength.....for the attacks are great but the battle so important to be fought and won....


"Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." 1 Peter 3:9

"A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people." 2 Timothy 2:24


I am realizing that I don't have enough courage and strength right now on my own.....it is time to ask for help from the source of strength....there is no other way to rebuild these walls....only to talk with the Master Builder.....

"May God, who gives you this endurance and encouragement, allow you to live in harmony with each other by following the example of Christ Jesus." Romans 15:5