Terribly Interesting

What is your kryptonite? I mean, what is it that drives you nuts and makes you grumpy or rude? I have a thing that drives me nuts and I try to work on it, but sometimes, I am not sure at all what to do with it. That thing is whiny, self-indulgent behavior. Complainers. It's not any complainers either. It's people who know better. It's like when Paul says that he better do what he has been preaching lest he be disqualified. We who tell people about the amazing grace of God should be the last to complain. I can usually make it to complaint or adult temper tantrum number 50 and then I snap. Ugliness isn't going to be tolerated any longer. I just haven't figured out how to deal with that completely. I mean how many times do you have to ask a friend or family member to stop being ugly? I just get to the point of deciding not to engage the negativity anymore. Then, I feel bad. What's a girl to do? I mean, if the world was as cute about it as Eeyore, it would be...

Does your thankfulness ruminate from your circumstances? Are you worshipping what is going on in your life rather than being grateful for our relationship? The indulgent throw tantrums like small children even though they are grown. They do this as if they did not know Me. When is the last time you came to Me seeking Me? Tell Me how you feel. Don't talk to others about how you feel about Me. Tell Me. If you are weak, weary, or burdened, come to me. You will find rest no other way. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28  For more on this segment, see this post .

A few year's ago a friend lent me the book Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus written by Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg. I think I underlined 80 percent of that book. When I saw this book was coming out, I added it to my Amazon wish list and someone gave it to me for my birthday. I have really enjoyed reading it. It continues to fascinate me to read about how the words Jesus spoke would have been perceived by His Jewish audience. I had always wondered about the depth of the meaning in Matthew 6 and Luke 11 where Jesus talks about a good eye and a bad eye. In the Jewish culture, the good eye was symbolic of a generous man and the bad eye of a greedy one. To the Jewish audience, the body would be full of light when the heart was generous. One other story I thought was so interesting was when the Pharisees were trying to trap Jesus by asking him if they should pay taxes. Jesus then asks one of them for a denarii. To the Jews, denarii were forbidden to be used and carried be...

It has been a crazy last six weeks. My husband was constantly on the road, then he was seriously ill, and then it was time to pack up our family for 9 weeks on the road. Now, here we are, in the middle of a crazy camp atmosphere with hundreds of screaming staff members around everywhere. What day is it? Have you seen my sanity? We are settling in to serve here and trying to navigate going to the doctor for the baby and trying to piece together a bit of normal here and there.  Things are really excited and moving full force around here. The camp we are at is finishing up it's third camp on this property. "The Wild" is a huge waterpark for little kids. There is a water park designed by Disney World, a life-size ark, and many other amazing things for little kids to do. Next week, I will try to get you some pictures.  It is fun to come here. There is so much to do and the girls love it. It can be taxing because the activity and interaction is non-stop. The blessing...

Release your need to do and be seen doing. You do not need to be seen as hyper spiritual in order to please Me. I care deeply about your heart. When I said to not to be consumed with outward adornments, I meant the way you are perceived from the outside. It is not just that you focus on what you wear or how your hair is, but you worry so much about your position in the body of Christ. Today, lay it all down. Love. Love in secret. Love in quiet. I see you and will reward you with Myself. " but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God." 1 Peter 3:4 For more on this segment, see this post .

I laughed when I received the invitation to review this book. At first, I may have balked because it looked a bit cheesy to me. I thought it was just another book about a woman obsessed with getting what she wanted from God. I decided to review the book anyway. It might be a fun, easy read. It came in the mail and I found myself hiding it in my purse when I would go out or laying it upside down on the table so no one would see the title. I realized that I was trying to hide it like I would a big bottom! First, let me tell you that this book is not what you would think it to be at all. Teasi pulled out all the stops. She brought words to pain and abuse that happens to most of us in life. I was locked in at Chapter One. I think she has brought forth real, raw emotions that many of us are too "Christian" to put words to. We act like we need to have it all together because we are in Christ and quite frankly, we give each other performance anxiety. Teasi stepped up out ...

In honor of Mother's Day, I thought Momumental would be a good book to review. I don't normally read books like this, but something light hearted and fun appealed to me. MOMumental is really a book of stories about motherhood. Since most of us learn best from stories, this is a great way to share ideas about things without being critical or judgmental. I laughed and I identified through much of the book. I even found myself a little convicted. We mothers are so harsh with one another, aren't we? We all think we know the best way. The truth is, as Jennifer points out, that we each need to support one another in kindness and never demand perfection. We definitely never need to demand perfection of ourselves. If you find yourself taking your motherhood so seriously that you are about to cry at every turn or you simply need a break for laughter in your day, Pick this book up. Here is a guest blog from our author, Jennifer Grant: "The Funny, Broken, Love o...

Well, friends of Gomer, it's been one of those weeks. Denbigh was gone for the last part of the week and then he came home with a raging fever. It spiked at 103.5 before it went down. Hopefully we are on the tail end of this thing. The only thing I was able to accomplish was some cleaning and I painted the top of the picnic table. It's Blue Ocean Water or something to that effect. What do you think? Anyone want to come help me finish painting this? That's my rip roaring update for the week. Say a little prayer for us as we gear up to head out to lead worship for the summer. Much love to you all.

Rest in Me, sweet baby. Lay aside your hurts and your cares for the day and come to Me. Release everything into My caring arms and trust Me while your body and spirit rest. Trust Me.  "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 For more information on this segment, see this post .

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book. I have been working my way through Strong Willed Child for a while now and having a hard time connecting. I was pleasantly surprised by it, however. From the very beginning, I was touched by the tender display of teaching our daughters the most important things about Christ. Dr. Dobson is a thorough and brilliant researcher of the human mind. I was grateful to see idiodic cultural myths debunked by fact. His research and study of the research of others was undeniably helpful in raising a daughter in this culture. I was thankful for his insight about our society and what is permissable in our day in age. I often have been curious if I was being to rigid about things and his thoughtful insight made me realize that I was being logical in my conclusions. I am thankful for his work here. Bringing Up Girls is immensely helpful in tackling peer pressure, sexual issues, eating disorders, and the like. There is a beautiful pictur...

So, you have a funky drain or rings around your fixtures. Are people always telling you to buy Lime Away, Ammonia, or Draino? I don't know about you, but the idea of having needless toxic chemicals around the house does not appeal to me. I don't ever want my children to come into contact with them in any form. Here's the skinny on cleaning out your drain. *Pour half of a cup of salt in your drain. (This breaks up fats) *Pour a half to a cup of baking soda down your drain. To feel like you are getting to do a grown up science experiment volcano, *add a cup or two of vinegar. Wait thirty minutes. *Add a kettle full of boiling water to rinse the drain.  Do this in your bathrooms and kitchen about once a month. There is also a handy plastic tool you can buy to clean your drain. Zip-It Clean . If you still have a clog or foul smell, unscrew the P-Trap under the sink and clean it out. It is quite simple. How to Clean a P-Trap -- powered by eh...

Stephen left home at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning to drive to Gomer and work all day. He then turned around and drove four hours home. That's eight hours on the road and seven hours working at out house. His sacrifice and care was, and always is a huge encouragement to us as we slowly work along. Today is bead board on the ceiling day. They have to start in the middle of the ceiling with the first sheet and work their way out. This maintains the symmetry in the room since beams will go across the seams.  If the bead board could talk, friends. It would have some hilarious stories to tell. Here a hole is cut for the light fixture. Perhaps you are unaware of this, but men love power tools. My husband could easily have a bad day turn good with the use of a nail gun or a power saw. I think we should charge men to come use the power tools and bill them as therapy sessions. You would have loved to have heard the banter between these three guys as the day went on....

I asked my husband what he thought I should blog about and he suggested two topics. One was how he recently was elected to our town's water board and the other was how he won his fantasy basketball league this year. I didn't think either one of those ideas sounded interesting to write about what so ever.  I decided to talk about something else. Today was a day that I just wanted to wallow in grace. I don't know about you, but some days you just need to hide out in it. Today was one of those days for me. Who is with me? Let's find a big pool of Jesus and dunk our heads in it. Who is coming with me?

Speaking the truth in love is not something to hide behind. We should not use harsh speech and say we do it in love. Be gracious in your speech. Remember, the tongue is full of every kind of evil and set on fire by hell. Do not be deluded thinking you are speaking in love when you are perpetuating judgement and driving others far from Me. Be on the lookout for how to genuinely communicate love to others. This will be painful for you. It involves death of flesh and the critical spirit. If you want others to see Christ, you must control your own tongue. "Let your speech always be gracious, as though seasoned with salt, so you will know how you should respond to each person." Colossians 4:6 For more on this segment, see this post .