The Service in the Season

    I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We sure did. It was filled with food, family, fun, and of course doctors.  But that is another story for another time.  Everyone is okay so no worries.  We had family time and got our Christmas tree up.  I love this time of year.  People are generally happier (when not in traffic or shopping).  People seem to come together more.  But I have always loved Christmas.  I think it is the whole spirit of everything.  This year I thought about doing an advent calendar.  One of service.  I don't think I am that great at service but I want to get better and I want to teach my daughter.  Well I stumbled on a pin on pinterest.  I had a free moment while my husband was working out and my daughter was sleeping.  I decided to actually read it, you know instead of just pinning and moving on.  I could not be happier that I did.  It was a total God thing!
    The blog is http://lillightomine.com/index.php.  Her project is called Light 'Em Up!, the slogan is "Families Light Up the Community with Kindness".  Wow.  This was what I was looking for and did not even know it.  She talks about bringing God glory this season and remembering that it is all about Him and not us.  Teaching her kids what is really important this time of year.  She has ideas, printable tags, well just about all the resources you need to do this.  I printed it out and talked it over with my husband.  We split the list of 100 and circled things we actually thought we could do.  There ended up being 24.  Now they will likely be done in chunks not everyday, but it is such a big step in the right direction.  I was so excited about this.  I just wanted to share with everyone.  She says something that made my heart smile , " The unofficial Light 'Em Up 2012 No Mom Guilt Pledge:

1.     I am a mom with mouths to feed, etc. – this isn’t the #1 priority

2.     I have other Christmas traditions that are good and worthy

3.     If I don’t implement this, I am still a great mom

4.     If I try this only on one day, I am still a great mom

5.     If I see a mom that goes nuts with this – I can celebrate her and not condemn myself

6.     I do not have to plan every detail – I can leave room for what might just happen if our hearts are open to the needs around us.

7.     No matter my budget or ounce of craftiness  - I am open to see how this might work – my family, our way"

T  This made my heart smile because mom guilt comes so easy.  I beat myself up over not doing enough, not being able to pay off someones layaway, not being able to do the HUGE gift card, etc.  This reminder to me was so great.  It told me that our 24 was great.  The 2 a week I had originally set as my goal was great.  I can try.  I am open to this and more.  I am a good mom.  Sometimes I need to hear that, and as I set my heart on a new path I needed that.  This is something I can do.  My daughter may be 3, but she can hand out candy canes (and eat them) and I can start the foundation for a new tradition with our family.  There are  lots of ways to serve this year and every year.  I also want to bring notice to http://www.small-comforts.org/index.html. 

 This is an organization trying to help kids who are being placed in foster homes by giving them a back pack filled with essential needs and hopefully a fun thing or two that they can call their very own.  These kids are often taken away with nothing.  They want to help give them security, dignity, and ownership.  Please let me know if you need more information about this group or how to contact them.  

Anyway, there are lots of people who need thoughts and prayers this time of year.  Help of any kind is always wanted.  If you decide to Light 'Em Up, I would love to hear how it goes! If you have any ways you and your family do service, I would love to hear that also.  I love this time of year.  God bless you!

Whitney 

 

The Giving in the Thanks

   Thanksgiving is always a time of thanks.  The last year or so I have done the thankful everyday on facebook.  The cool thing about that is I think about it everyday and always find something to be thankful for whether its silly or deep.  There is always something to be thankful for in our lives.  I am most thankful for the giver, God.  Without Him I would not be where I am or who I am today.  I will not get where I am going without Him and I sure don't want to be with out Him!  I think we can get lost in the holidays and forget what the real meaning is.  So today I say Thank You God!  You are truly the giver!  But that is not all I want to mention today, but the most important for sure!
    Last time I wrote, I mentioned Spiritual gifts.  Well my super sweet sister http://chiselachurch.blogspot.com/ sent me 2 websites for test to take to guide you to your spiritual gifts.  Well, so far I have only taken one (I plan on taking the other very soon).  I found the results totally interesting.  My top 2 gifts are Administration and Encouragement.  Okay.  I could have told you Administration was something that I am pretty okay at.  I like organization and being timely with things.  But as a Spiritual gift I was shocked.  How do I use that to bring glory to God and help people?  Well maybe thats where encouragement comes in, because I know I can use that to help people and glorify God.  Like I said I found it interesting.  If you are curious about yours, leave me a note and I will post the link.  Now I just need to find out how to use these gifts. 
    Next up is my husband.  I cannot tell you how blessed I am to have him in my life.  He is such a wonderful, amazing, determined, prayerful, dedicated man.  I could go on and on about the things I love about him, but I want to instead offer you his website.  http://abetterbumpus.blogspot.com/.  I bring this up because he has posted something about trying to stay healthier for Thanksgiving.  (Yes I wrote the most of it but thats not the point).  He has an awesome blog in his own right/write (hehehe see what I did there =) ).  Anyway if you are looking for inspiration or healthy recipes or just whats going on in his life right now, check it out.  Word cannot express how proud I am of him and for him for all he has accomplished.  To God be the glory!  I love where we are as a couple and where we are going with the almighty Lord lighting our way. 
   I know this post is mostly random things just thrown out there but it is what was on my mind today!  Go and enjoy your families, a day off, and whatever your traditions over this weekend.  I will be cherishing time with my precious family!  Happy Thanksgiving!  I ask, what are you thankful for today?
Whitney

The Lost in the Way

   Lately I keep hearing spiritual gifts and acts of service come up in all different aspects of my life.  It is with these I feel lost.  I keep praying for God to help me find my spiritual gift so I can use it how He wants me to.  I have yet to figure out what it is.  I want to serve God and live the life He has called me to do.  Yet, I feel so lost in the how to do it.  Acts of service.  Well, that can be so many things.  I am getting better with this one.  I am trying to do more in various ways.  Trying to give where I can and being more involved in church and bible study.  James, Nehemiah, Jonah are all recent bible studies I have done with the same basic message.  Live it.  Do it. 
    Well, okay then.  Its just not that easy for me.  I suppose I want someone (mainly God) to say, this is your spiritual gift and this is what I want you to do with it.  Then I can go and serve.  But since that hasn't happened yet, I do my bible study homework, I attend church, and I pray for guidance.  I think of the things I am okay at, and I wonder how they can be useful.  Sometimes, that just makes me laugh.  I don't know where the ability to sometimes decipher toddler is good, and being punctual (most of the time) doesn't really merit helping people, unless they want me to come to their house and start counting down how long they have until they need to leave to be on time, again not really useful.  My ocd can be helpful when cleaning time comes, but something tells me people want their houses set up how they want, not how I want.  One thing I have been thinking of is that *sometimes* I am good at encouraging people.  Lifting people up can be great.  Everyone has good in them.  You just need to find it.  But again, what happens at those times when I get annoyed and feel like I have said the same thing over and over again?  Those times I don't really feel all that helpful.  But I feel joy and encouragement over the fact that I am putting thought and effort into trying to figure this out.  I am working on living it and doing it.  I have faith that it will come to me, and God will point me in the direction I need to go.  For that and for Him I am thankful.  He is good and He always keeps his promises.  Maybe I am not the only one who feels this way.  If you know your spiritual gift, would you mind sharing it with me in the comments and how you use it.  I would love to know that ways God is using that special gift you have.  If you are not sure of your gift, keep praying and have faith. 
Whitney

The Reminder in the Chaos

  I apologize since it has been a while since I last posted.  I guess I just have not been able to put together a fully formed post.  They all seemed half formed.  I am not sure if this one is full formed but I am going to do it anyway.  I need to.  Today was such a huge reminder for me.  The election was yesterday (no I am not going to get all political on you, you can find that elsewhere).  The election elicited lots and lots and lots of responses from all walks.  Good, bad, ugly, all of it.  I myself woke up a little snide and snarky.  I was not thinking good thoughts.  I felt I was in fact thinking very un Christian thoughts.  So I did what should always do (I am working on it) as my first response,  I prayed.  I prayed for God to remove such thoughts from my head.  He alone gave me the willpower to not speak them aloud.  That is a huge feat for me.  Truly.  But more and most importantly, He reminded that while the offices held on earth are important, that is not the office that matters.  Our King, Lord, God, Savior is the office that matters.  Eternal focus is so important.
    Now don't get me wrong.  I love my life here on earth.  I love what surrounds me.  But when I look around at what truly matters and what truly surrounds me, I find God.  Everywhere.  It is because of Him that I am where I am today.  I am more grateful and thankful for that than I can express.  I praise and thank Him everyday for it.  But, if He said, leave it all and come to me, well thats what I would try and do.  Earthly possessions are not eternal.  They do not go with us.  Our society is so materialistic that it breaks my heart.  I read somewhere on Facebook today, paraphrased, that God wasn't in the election because for the most part we have kicked him out of our lives.  Think about that statement.  Think of all the things that they have taken out of schools, removed from history, and said we can't say.   My husband and I went to the opera this past month.  A congresswoman, who just got re-elected, asked everyone to stand up and say the pledge of allegiance and sing the national anthem.  They can't do that in schools but we can do it at the opera.  People care so much about what they have, the newest phone, the coolest car, the trendiest clothes, but what about the things that matter.  Today I felt like I was in constant prayer.  Constant prayer to think better thoughts and keep my focus on the eternal.  I know that when my Savior comes, all the tears, deaths, heart break, sadness, illness, poverty, etc...will be no more.  What will it matter who was in what office and drove what car, when we are seated with the Lord.
   I struggle everyday to be the Christian, mother, wife, friend, etc. that I am called to be.  But everyday, I pray about it.  I pray for God's guidance.  Today I remembered that some of the things I have been struggling with I haven't really prayed about.  So I did.  Now, I wait and I pray.  We have such a wonderful, gracious, giving, forgiving, patient, and kind God.  We need to turn to Him.  Not to hatefulness or gloating, demeaning and condescending to others.  We are meant to be a community.  A community of faith.  A community of believers.  I am finding a new community that has welcomed my family into their arms. Community is out there.  Sometimes you just need to find it.  But check and see where your focus is for that community, earthly or eternal. God is in control.  Don't worry so much.  He's got this.  And I am thankful to be His!
Whitney