Quiet in His Love

I heard a message on expressing our thankfulness to God (and others) at church yesterday. It was very powerful! The passage for this message can be found in Luke 17:11-19. One leper came back to Jesus, threw himself at the feet of Jesus, and thanked him for his healing. How awesome is that! How often do we forget to say thank you or don't even consider thanking God or someone else for something they've done for us? Thankful (according to my favorite 1828 dictionary) means "Grateful; impressed with a sense of kindness received, and ready to acknowledge it." Is gratefulness lost in our society? Have we forgotten the power of acknowledging God's blessings in our lives and the gifts (of friendship, time, etc.) that others have given to us as well? Is it harder to say "thank you" or "I'm sorry?" For many, I've often believed that "I'm sorry" was harder to say, but maybe it can be harder for some to say two simple words in grati

Loving that I'm in a house with 4 sleeping kids again!  How does this happen?  God knows that I need my rest!  I've been thinking about many things lately.  Really some days I think about nothing.  Not nothing really but mostly just what to fix for lunch and dinner and who needs a diaper change now.  The stuff that keeps our lives going from day to day.  Some days I get bogged down in the day to day stuff, and other days I'm overwhelmed by the need to have direction/purpose/a plan.  Do you have those days?  Weeks?  Months?  The ones where you just want to know what you're supposed to be doing.  And when and how.  Or maybe it's that you want to know that you're doing what you're supposed to be doing already.  Maybe that's the key for you.  I think I stress out those around me some days with my need for direction.  I just want to know that we aren't aimlessly wandering around in some desert, especially when there might be a better way.  Who wants to mi

I'm sitting in my house and all I can hear are appliances running.  All 4 of my children are sleeping!  What a treasure they are to me!  I spent most of last weekend at Hearts at Home in Rochester.  Hearts at Home is a great conference for moms to learn, fellowship, get a breather, etc.  I was blessed to be able to go, but my entire family came along plus my parents.  My youngest son will be turning 4 months on the 16th, and I wanted to be able to feed him while at the conference.  Since children are not able to attend the conference (so moms can get a bit of alone time) my honey said that the whole family could come and he'd care for them and bring me Victor at the right times.  What a sweetheart I married!  My parents came along to help wrangle the kiddos.  They're sweet too! You may be wondering what all of this has to do with my title.  The truth is that I went to a workshop where I heard Sherry Surratt (President and CEO of MOPS) speak about dreaming big.  Wow!  Even

I'm snug in my big chair in my room while my husband is out in the living room with our four kids.  It was one of those days where I knew I needed some alone time.  My husband is so sweet and is very giving in terms of letting me have time for writing or thinking or praying or crying or whatever it is I need on any given occasion.  I've been reading a book by Lisa Whelchel entitled Friendship for Grown-Ups .  I'm thoroughly enjoying the book, if enjoyment is the right word.  Since my husband and I have returned to my home state over 13 months ago finding friends has been a struggle for me.  This book speaks to so many things I have gone through in my life and my friendships.  Vulnerability is necessary, but it isn't necessarily "safe."  How do we find friends that we can feel safe with, that won't share our secrets, that want to have the same level of relationship that we desire, etc.?  Where is that person (or those persons)?  It feels kind of like that s

Life can be busy, hectic, and downright overwhelming when you have three children ages 4 and under in your home.  Then they all get sick with the flu and life becomes a routine of medicine to keep their fevers down, snuggles to keep them comfortable, and new levels of whining and moaning that I didn't know could happen in our home.  The thing is that in the middle of all the goop and yuck of sickness a truth still exists about having so many little ones at once - life is full of joy, laughter, discovery, new adventure, cute comments, learning, and lots of hugs.  Whether my three little blessings are sick or not, they still are a source of constant enjoyment for me.  When I'm overwhelmed by all the responsibility of leading them, training them, teaching them, guiding them, and (most importantly) loving them, I have to remember that I wouldn't trade these delightful children for anything in this world.  God has chosen to entrust us with precious little lives, and I want to al