The Good, Right Here, Right Now

Good Monday Morning! Hope you had a nice weekend. Remember, make your Monday one filled with joy with good things, right here, right now. This week, find those good things around you that welcome you into a space and thank God for them! Here are some of those things for me. Enjoy!

Who isn't welcomed to start the day every morning with a nice, steamy cup of coffee?

 

 

Morning sun...our welcome into another glorious day!

 

Plants bring so much life to a house, and welcome the outside world in...

Even into the evening hours, a lamp welcomes guests into your home.

Welcome to our home!

An open window welcomes God's sounds and fresh air into your home or office.

A pretty journal welcomes your thoughts.

With God we are always welcome!

~AD

The Good, Right Here, Right Now!

Weekends!  Who doesn't love them?  They are the days of relaxing, being with family, laughing, reading, shopping, bike rides, trips to the park, playing sports, etc.  They are the days we look forward to all week- Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  5:00 hits on Friday, and we are on a high that continues all weekend.  That is until the Sunday night slide, and then...Boom!  Monday hits! The fun of the weekend comes crashing down as we prepare for a crazy, busy, stressful, chaotic week ahead.  Our thoughts are not on the day right before us, but instead are looking to the future, to our next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Too often we think about the good that is going to happen rather than the good that is right in front of us.  I'm guilty of it!  For too long, I spent my weeks looking forward to my weekends.  And what I've realized is that there is good, right here, right now.  Every day of the week, we have good all around us, we just can't see it because we are too busy thinking about what is to come.  I love the line in the movie, Office Space, when the lady says, "Someone has a case of the Mondays."  I laughed so hard at that part because I totally understood what she meant.  Take a look around you on Mondays and see if you can tell a difference in people's attitudes on Monday and then again on Friday.  I guarantee you will notice a huge difference!  But what if "a case of the Mondays" meant something different.  What if it meant that you looked at Mondays as a fresh start to finding God's goodness in the world?  What if it meant taking the same excited attitude you have about Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and applying it to Mondays?  And then continuing it on to Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.  After all, there are some incredibly good things happening around us, if only we would open our eyes.  One of the best books I've ever read is Ann Voskamp's, 1,000 Gifts.  She taught me about a whole new way of looking at the world.  She taught me everyday to say thanks for the blessings I've been given, to be open to noticing things that I've never really thought of as blessings, and then taking those things and giving thanks to God.  And when I began to do that, I started noticing so many good things in our world.  So on Mondays, I want to encourage you to start noticing the good that is right here, right now, not what's coming up in the future.  On Mondays, I'll be posting pictures of the good that are around me right here, right now.  And I hope they will get you excited about your Monday.  Enjoy!

Dandelions, could be considered a weed, until they are picked up and blown, and then...sounds of joy and laughter!

Darkness will never overcome the light.

 

It's just funny watching a squirrel eat!

Spring is here!

God's canvas.

New life, as a tree prepares for Spring.

Just stop and think for a minute about how icicles are formed.  Incredible!  Water in midstream, all of a sudden frozen! And in different shapes!

Waves upon waves of clouds.  Even at this height, God's world is amazing!

~AD

Courage

I was incredibly lucky to get to visit the IF:Austin women's conference this past February. It was an amazing experience. IF taught me a lot and it challenged me to up my game (my game, as in my spiritual life). For awhile now I've been feeling as if I need to be doing more. I feel as if I'm coasting along in my own private world with the Lord. And more and more I'm seeing people who are hurting, lost, and don't know Jesus. And instead of reaching out, I'm just staying in my own safe little bubble. I feel as if God is urging me forward. The problem is, I'm scared. Maybe that right there shows I'm lacking trust in my God, and more than anything I want to have total and complete trust in Him. Because deep down I know that when I turn that trust completely over to God, my life will be so much more than I could possibly ever imagine. So how do I do that? The word that God has placed over and over again on my heart is courage. Courage to step out in my faith. I think the words courage and trust could go hand in hand. Because by stepping out in courage, I am also placing my trust in God. At IF they asked us to fill in the blanks on this statement:

IF God is _________ then ____________.  

I love this statement because I think at different seasons in our lives we can fill this in with different words.  Since I feel as if God is asking me to trust Him and be more courageous, this is how I completed that statement.

IF God is my courage then I will ask Him for the words to pray aloud in a group setting.

IF God is my courage then I won't hesitate when I feel the nudge to step out in my faith, even if this means participating in something that in the past I would have never volunteered for.

IF God is my courage then I will continue to step out in courage even when I feel like I've failed, and I'm talking failed big time.  Because I've learned that courage isn't just about taking that first step, it continues on even if that first step feels like failure.  Joshua 1:9 says, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."  God knew that those stepping out in faith would feel as if they had failed at times, and that's why he tells us, "do not be discouraged."  We are told to keep going, even when we will feel we can't, or we feel embarrassed, or we feel as if we made a mess of the situation we were in, or when we feel like no one could possibly want to hear what we have to say.

IF God is my courage then I will work at introducing myself to people I don't know, people who are sitting by themselves,  people that I pass every morning at my son's school and yet have never stopped and had a conversation with, or new faces that I see at church.

IF God is my courage then I will speak up and share with my family about the way my new relationship with God has changed me.  I won't be afraid to talk about my new walk with the Lord.

IF God is my courage then I will choose not to participate in conversations that bring down others or spread gossip.

IF God is my courage then I will quickly and quietly get my wallet out to pay for the soldier who sacrifices so much for my freedom.  After all, it's because of his courage that I am able to live in the land of the free.

IF God is my courage then I will speak truth even when it might cause tension in relationships that I have.

IF God is my courage then I will not be afraid to ask someone if I can pray with them, especially when I know that they are struggling with something that definitely needs prayers.  I will stop saying, "I'll pray for you." And instead, I will say, "I want to pray for you right now," and I will turn those words into actions.

IF God is my courage then I will write this blog for the Lord, and I will be confident hitting the publish key, knowing that writing brings on a whole new level of putting myself out there, but I will remember that I am not after the approval of others.  As it says in Galatians 1:10 "Am I  now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?  Or am I trying to please people?  If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."

 IF God is my courage then I will walk onto that stage with my head held high knowing that God is walking out in front of all these people right beside me.  And knowing that he is the one who has given me the words to say.  He is doing a work in my heart, and the opinions of others will not matter.  The only thing that will matter is that I am being obedient to Him.  Isaiah 58:11 "The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."

IF God is my courage then I will say no when I already have a full schedule, knowing that by saying yes I will be frazzled, overwhelmed, and not giving 100 percent.

IF God is my courage then I won't stop with my first courageous act, but will continue to let God nudge me, mold me, and use me for the good of His kingdom.


How would you complete this sentence?

IF God is _____________ then _______________.

Take time today to reflect on this.  This is a great sentence to keep somewhere where you will see it again, so that at different times in your life you can focus on what God is placing on your heart.

AD

A Love Like That

                 Picture this if you will...a woman sitting in a rocking chair.  The red of her hair still sneaks through the whiteness that marks her age.  There are wrinkles wrapping around her eyes and mouth from years of smiling.  She is still wearing that shade of Estee Lauder Rich and Rosy lipstick that she's worn forever because she wouldn't dare let anyone see her without it.  She rocks slow and steady.  All of a sudden her eyes light up and those wrinkles move upwards as the man she's spent the last 64 years with walks into the room.  He too has been blessed with many years as apparent with his bald head, drooping tattoos, and slow gait.  He's been gone checking on his horses and as he comes in and walks over to his bride, it is apparent that this is exactly where he wants to be.  Right here, beside this woman that he's done life with.  He leans down, puts his hands on both sides of her face, and kisses her.  Then he sits down in the rocker beside hers, grabs her hand, and they quietly rock back and forth, back and forth in rhythm with one another.
                 This scene was one of many that I was so blessed to witness between my husband's grandparents.  They were able to spend 64 years with one another, and still, in that 64th year I heard Papa tell Granny that she was beautiful.  I watched as one of Papa's horses won a race, and he hurried to the winner's circle, but not without Granny, wheelchair and all. I watched as Granny filled out the college football bowl sheet and watched game after game after game with her sports loving husband.  I watched Papa bring Granny her favorite peanut butter filled cookies time and time again.  And I saw the fear and sadness in Papa's eyes as he sat by Granny's hospital bed after her heart attack and stroke.
                  Theirs was a  love story that we seem to only hear about nowadays in books or movies.  It's a love story that every new bride dreams about on her wedding day.  It's a love story that those who feel as if their marriage is over still dream about.  It's a love story that we all want.  So if this is what most of us want from marriage, why is it then that more that 40 percent of all marriages end in divorce (American Psychological Association)?  Why is it that so many people are unhappy in their marriages?  Why is it that tabloids, movies, and television shows glorify divorces, affairs, workaholics, deadbeat dads, and husbands that just don't have a clue?  Why are so many marriages in jeopardy, struggling, unhappy?  Is this the new normal?  Have people given up hope that they can have a marriage that still desires, wants, adores, after 64 years?
                     I don't think it has to be this way.  I don't think marriage has to be hard, hard times in marriage, of course are inevitable, but marriage altogether hard, no, I don't believe it has to be.  I truly believe that every marriage can have a love story like Granny's and Papa's.  I do think it begins from day 1, from the moment you say, "I do," or if you are in a marriage that is struggling, it starts from the moment you say, "I'm ready to save this marriage."  Staying madly in love starts with a commitment every single day to show your spouse, in ways throughout the day, how much you love them.  It is a conscious effort to give unselfishly day in and day out, to pick your battles, to embrace, to flirt, to make love, to fight for your spouse instead of against.  If couples aren't careful, if they don't spend time together, if they don't have conversations, if they aren't intimate, then a rift begins to form and soon it becomes a dinner with nothing to say to one another, several days without touching, walking in the door, home from work without a hello, a focus only on children or work, or a not knowing how to just be together any more.  Too often people start harboring resentment, a lot of times they don't even know they have, and before they know it, their heart has hardened toward their spouse.
                      So, how do we have a love like Granny's and Papa's?  When I think about all that I witnessed in their marriage, I think it's safe to say that they tried every day to epitomize the words of Jesus in John 16:12-13:

          "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."


                     The head pastor at Hillside Christian Church, Tommy Politz said, "Your friendships will only grow to your level of willingness to lay things down."  I believe this goes for marriages as well.  Place John 16:12-13 at the forefront of your mind everyday.  How will you lay down your life for your spouse?  At what level are you willing to lay down for your spouse?  How will you love your spouse the way Jesus has loved you?  How will you show your commitment to your marriage every single day?
                      I've heard February be called, the month of love.  As we move out of February and into March, and for that matter, the rest of the year, I urge you to make every month a month of love.  As Paul writes to the people of Ephesus in Ephesians 5:22, 25:

            "Wives submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord."22

            "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her."25

                       In what ways will you commit right now to submitting yourself, giving yourself up, and loving your spouse every single day?  Lets make every day, a day of showing our love for our spouse. 60 years from now I want my husband to come in the door, put my face between his hands, kiss me, tell me I'm beautiful (wrinkled face and all), and tell me he loves me.  And I'm willing to  lay down whatever it takes to make that happen.  Yes, I want a love like that.

Welcome!

Welcome!  We are so glad you are here.  Grab a cup of coffee, light a candle, turn on some soothing music, whatever helps you relax, and join us on our journey!

We are three women from Lubbock, Texas.  In February of 2015 we traveled to Austin, Texas to attend the IF:Austin conference for women.  What we left with was a...revive our generation (1), live a life of faith (2), walk it out (3), be strong and courageous (4), our Redeemer lives (5), break every chain (6)...kind of attitude.  We were on top of the mountain when we left Austin, and as we made the drive home and reflected on the weekend, our greatest fear was that Monday morning, real life, demands of the week would hit and we would crash down from that mountain and lose the high that we were on.  We heard Jen Hatmaker say, "Real faith moves out of our heads and into our lives."  We wanted to make sure that our faith was present in our lives for all to see.

So, we started brainstorming.  How could we, just three normal wives, mothers, friends expand our lives of faith?  We decided to start with a blog.  A place to share our lives, to show how we use our faith everyday, a place to give ideas, a place to learn from one another, to encourage, to hope, and to share the love of Jesus.

At the conference we heard Angie Smith say, “God has given us gifts to use for His glory, and they don’t have to look like everyone else’s.”  You will find through this blog that the three of us have different gifts.  We write differently, we process things differently, we have different styles of blogging, we have different traditions, we think about things differently, and the Lord has put different ideas on each of our hearts.  We hope that as you read, you will be encouraged to find your own gifts that God has blessed you with and use them to advance His kingdom.  Romans 12:6-8 says this:
“⁶We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.  If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; ⁷ if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”

All three of us have different gifts, and we can use those gifts to fulfill our purpose here on earth, but at the same time we can merge with others who have different gifts, and together we can be a force to be reckoned with.  Imagine what our world could be like if we used our gifts to work together for a common good.  “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)  At this blog we hope to sharpen one another.

Although our ultimate goal through this blog is to share our lives of faith, all three of us also wanted to share with you our personal reasons for beginning a blog, and what we hope is achieved through our blog:

AD:
One of the words I’ve felt God place on my heart for a while now is the word courage-  courage to step out in my faith more.  I’ve always been a quiet follower, but now I feel as if God is saying, “Okay, it’s time to speak up.”  This blog will help me in two ways with my courage.  Since I want to live out my life of faith for others to witness, this blog will gently nudge me into courageously sharing with others what that faith looks like in my life.  Writing itself will also be a form of courage for me as writing opens up a whole new door of putting myself out there.  It not only gives me an outlet to share, but with that comes fear of what people will think of me and what they will think of my writing.  I am hoping and praying that God is using this blog to strengthen my total trust in Him, and to create in me a dependence on Him for courage.

AI:
Several years ago, even though somedays it feels like a past life, I blogged and it was a highlight in my life. I let a few good reasons and a lot of bad reasons stop that outlet for me.  Mainly, I became fearful of drawing attention to myself and I hid. That fear not only caused me to hide something I loved, but it caused me to hide my faith by keeping things I had once shared publicly to myself and reserving it for those closest to me. While not bad in and of itself, at If:Gathering the words "your faith is meant to be shared, not hoarded" resonated deep in me. So in an effort to stop hoarding that most precious gift in my life, I'm choosing to share more...step one: this blog!

MC:
I love photography, I love beautiful things, I love finding beautiful things in the unexpected, and what do I do with that?  I document it, I take pictures, I share them with others!  I hope that through this blog, I can focus more on the beauty of our world, and in turn I hope you will feel encouraged to find the beauty around you! 

 

We are so glad you are here!

3 Lubbock Girls

 

1. Rebekah Lyons  2. Jennie Allen   3. Bianca Olthoff   4. Joshua 1:9 (NIV)   5. Jo Saxton 6. "Break Every Chain" sung by Melinda Doolittle