New Format for Monday's

I saw this on a blog and really liked the format so I thought I would try it out.


Outside my window…it's cloudy and the wind is blowing. A storm is rolling in.

I am thinking…This prayer has flooded my thoughts today.
"Dear God,
I am so afraid to open my clenched fists!
Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold on to?
Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands?
Please help me to gradually open my hands
and to discover that I am not what I own,
but what you want to give me.
And what you want to give me is love,
unconditional, everlasting love.
Amen."
— Henri J.M. Nouwen

My heart is…tired.

I am thankful for… my new bed, I can't wait till we can get the rest of the furniture to match it.

From the kitchen… Eli has been making Sushi. I found some recipes I would like to try. I think this week I will start with the Pizza Bread.

I am creating… this week a friend and I are going to work on making Dinosaur tales.

I am going… I am making a trip to Hobby Lobby and then the rest of the week is full of meetings. But I have no plans this weekend.

I am reading…Purpose Driven Youth Ministry, Growing Souls, Bittersweet, and The Message Solo

I am hoping… a long Spring. I am not ready for 85-90 degrees and higher.

I am hearing… Word Girl and the chomping of after school snacks.

Around the house… Is getting better. When my home becomes cluttered and messy my mind becomes the same way. I can't function properly when things are out of place.

One of my favorite things… Cinnamon

A few plans for the rest of the week… make dinosaur tales and get some things to the shed and the next size clothing out for Lilly.

Unknown Facts about me-10, 11, 12

So I guess in my business I didn't give you unknown facts about me so here we go 3 in one post.

1. Showers in the morning are a necessity. I am 100% more motivate and feel better about myself when I get a shower in the morning.

2. I hate to wear shorts. Which leads to hating summer time.

3. But I love to swim! I just wish I didn't care what others thought. Then maybe I wouldn't stress about wearing a bathing suit.

Where Have I Been?

Man I feel like a slacker but in all actuality I have been crazy busy. So Forgive me maybe I will get around to posting more soon.

Unknown Facts about me-9

Okay so Friday came and went but in my defense it was a busy day and a much busier weekend. So on to the unknown fact,

I am striving to no longer be passive aggressive. I have yet to figure out how to tell others how I feel or what I think but being Passive aggressive gets me no where. I am so good at it though but it really does get me no where.

Live

My friend Nicki Carleton posted this on her facebook page this morning. I had to share it, it was what I needed to hear at just the right moment.

We need to be held, God, we need your close embrace: a safe place where
we are not afraid. Often, we choose to stand alone rather than ask for
you to hold us. But you do not leave us alone! Repeatedly you come with
love and the gift of a new day, and whisper into our ears, "Live!" Amen.

As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you. Isaiah 66:13
I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you...Because I live, you also will live. John 14:18-19


She got this from the Moravian Text of the day.

Bittersweet quote 1

'If you dig in and fight the changes, they will smash you to bits. They'll hold you under, drag you across the rough sand, scare and confuse you. But if you can find it within yourself, in the wildest of seasons, just for a moment, to trust in the goodness of God, who made it all and holds it all together, you'll find yourself drawn along to a whole new place, and there's truly nothing sweeter. unclench your fists, unlock your knees and also the door to your heart, take a deep breath and begin to swim. Begin to let the waves do their work in you."
Shauna Niequist

transformation of the soul

I read the following on a blog and just wanted to share it. I really like the the meaning of the hebrew word for repent," to draw a deep breath."

"When we are marked with ash on our foreheads we hear the invitation to “repent and believe the good news.” One of the Hebrew words for repent is nacham. The root of this word means “to draw a deep breath” as well as to be deeply moved to a feeling of sorrow. The Greek word for repent is metanoia, which means “to reconsider.” But it is also a compound word made up of the words, “meta” and “nous.” “Meta” means “transformation”and “nous” means “soul.” So, as we begin this journey we are invited to nothing less than a “transformation of the soul.'"