I’m not usually in the habit of reading 1 Chronicles, but I recently read a blog that began with the following verse:
Mattithiah, one of the Levites, the firstborn of Shallum the Korathite, was entrusted with making the flat cakes. (1 Chron. 9:31)
Being a curious sort, I opened my Bible to 1 Chronicles and read the content of the verse. After all, making pancakes could be my gifting. As I read all the assignment of gatekeepers in the temple, I was overjoyed that most of their tasks are like some of my daily tasks. Well, overjoyed might be a little dramatic, but here are some of the assignments (ATM version – according to Melynda):
1. Guarding the threshold of the temple – day and night – like a mom
2. Inventory and check out of the items of the temple (like a librarian only a temple-arian)
3. Housekeeper (take care of the furnishings)
4. Pantry organizer
5. Spice Mixer
6. Baking the bread or flat cakes for the offering
7. Preparers of the Sabbath bread
There were over 212 gatekeepers, which makes sense, since 1 woman usually take care of her home. (Honest, no slam to men, just an observance).
Does your life get a little mundane for you at times? All the tasks associated with home caring can get status quo, tiring, boring, and mundane! Until……we realize that like the gatekeepers of old, we are chosen, entrusted, selected, honored, and created for our position. Paul David Tripp puts it this way, “If God doesn’t rule your mundane, He doesn’t rule your life. Because the mundane is where you live.”
I want to live with passion. I want to live with purpose. I want to know that God is pleased with me. So as I go about my day, I purpose to do my tasks with the attitude of turning the mundane into the sacred. I want to see Him in all I do.
With that in mind, there will be new spring in my step and new joy in my heart. I am living for the King.
Mundane doesn’t have a place in His kingdom.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
What to Wear???
Daily question for us gals (and guys, too), isn’t it? I open my closet and peer in as if the contents have changed since the night before. I assess my mood for the day, consult the weather forecast, look at my calendar for what the day holds……and suddenly come to a screeching halt as a gentle voice whispers, “clothe yourself in me.”
What do you mean, Lord?
So off I go to the princess chair and look at Colossians 3 in The Message and voila! There it is! Exactly what I need to put on today: …dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you:
Compassion
Kindness
Humility
Quiet strength
Discipline
and regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it! (Colossians 3:12, 14)
As much as I want to look presentable, professional and precious, what is most important is what I radiate from within to the people I come in contact with every day. Some of the most beautiful women I see have the emptiest eyes. Hard eyes, bitter eyes, fearful eyes, weary eyes. No clothing can mask the pain and emptiness. No makeup can make it better. And some days, that’s the woman I see in my mirror.
So today, I’m going to dress my heart before I dress myself. And when I come in contact with others today, I am going to remind myself that I am wearing love.
Don’t leave home without it!
What do you mean, Lord?
So off I go to the princess chair and look at Colossians 3 in The Message and voila! There it is! Exactly what I need to put on today: …dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you:
Compassion
Kindness
Humility
Quiet strength
Discipline
and regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it! (Colossians 3:12, 14)
As much as I want to look presentable, professional and precious, what is most important is what I radiate from within to the people I come in contact with every day. Some of the most beautiful women I see have the emptiest eyes. Hard eyes, bitter eyes, fearful eyes, weary eyes. No clothing can mask the pain and emptiness. No makeup can make it better. And some days, that’s the woman I see in my mirror.
So today, I’m going to dress my heart before I dress myself. And when I come in contact with others today, I am going to remind myself that I am wearing love.
Don’t leave home without it!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
She Gets Me
What is it about shopping with a daughter?
I’ve come to believe it’s actually a Biblical based activity. The amazing Proverbs 31 woman shopped with wisdom: “She considers a field and buys it.” I bet her daughter helped her chose the field and gave her input about the location, the landscape, the practicality of the purchase. It’s an important part of “train up a child?”
Some of my most fun memories and some of my biggest struggles have come about while shopping with my daughter. When she was two, she had the fashion sense to ask for panties to match every dress. And what mom can ever forget swimsuit shopping with a teenage daughter. Shopping for a prom dress and realizing my little girl had grown up. And the look on her face when she found that special wedding dress. Sweet moments! What about the joys of shopping for baby clothes. And clothes to wear after the baby is born? More precious times.
Here are some advantages of shopping with a daughter:
We share the same dressing room and no one thinks it’s weird – and if they did, we wouldn’t care!
We cheer each other on.
I hang up her clothes – once a mom, always a mom.
It gives us an opportunity to catch up on each other’s lives.
We practice the “power of our words” with each other – no one has a melt down usually – and if we do, we go home. (Some things never change)
We help each other by getting a different size or color – there is very little assistance in dressing rooms anymore.
Neither of us feels like it’s a wasted trip if we put everything back and try again at another store or on another day.
There is laughter, occasional tears, always love and acceptance.
When the going gets tough, we say goodbye to clothes shopping and HELLO to books, coffee and a dessert. Those never disappoint.
I think she’s one of the most remarkable young women I know – and I’m honored to be her mom…and her friend!
She gets me….and I get her!
Yep, shopping with a daughter is a special treat. I am grateful God gave me a little girl who has grown up to be a strong, wise woman. I’d like to think she got some of that while shopping with her mom.
I’ve come to believe it’s actually a Biblical based activity. The amazing Proverbs 31 woman shopped with wisdom: “She considers a field and buys it.” I bet her daughter helped her chose the field and gave her input about the location, the landscape, the practicality of the purchase. It’s an important part of “train up a child?”
Some of my most fun memories and some of my biggest struggles have come about while shopping with my daughter. When she was two, she had the fashion sense to ask for panties to match every dress. And what mom can ever forget swimsuit shopping with a teenage daughter. Shopping for a prom dress and realizing my little girl had grown up. And the look on her face when she found that special wedding dress. Sweet moments! What about the joys of shopping for baby clothes. And clothes to wear after the baby is born? More precious times.
Here are some advantages of shopping with a daughter:
We share the same dressing room and no one thinks it’s weird – and if they did, we wouldn’t care!
We cheer each other on.
I hang up her clothes – once a mom, always a mom.
It gives us an opportunity to catch up on each other’s lives.
We practice the “power of our words” with each other – no one has a melt down usually – and if we do, we go home. (Some things never change)
We help each other by getting a different size or color – there is very little assistance in dressing rooms anymore.
Neither of us feels like it’s a wasted trip if we put everything back and try again at another store or on another day.
There is laughter, occasional tears, always love and acceptance.
When the going gets tough, we say goodbye to clothes shopping and HELLO to books, coffee and a dessert. Those never disappoint.
I think she’s one of the most remarkable young women I know – and I’m honored to be her mom…and her friend!
She gets me….and I get her!
Yep, shopping with a daughter is a special treat. I am grateful God gave me a little girl who has grown up to be a strong, wise woman. I’d like to think she got some of that while shopping with her mom.
Friday, May 27, 2011
May 27, 2011
Today is my #1 Crowning Glories 12th Birthday. Happy Birthday, Faith Gwen Johnson!
Proverbs 17:6 states: Your children’s children are a crowning glory for the aged. (Don’t focus on the aged – focus on the crowning glory part!) Solomon was so right! And with all those wives and kids, I would think he knew what he was talking about!
She is my first crowning glory, the one who opened my heart up to this amazing journey of watching my children parent their children. What an incredible blessing the last 12 years have been!
In honor of Faith, here is a list of my top 12 things I admire about her:
1. She is in love with Jesus. Period. No doubt about it. Ask any of her friends, which at this age is the acid test.
2. She is brilliant and I’m not just saying that because I’m her Lynnie. Ask any of her teachers, have a conversation with her, ask her what her average is in math. (And no, she did not inherit her math skills from me.)
3. She is beautiful, inside and out. Be-still-my-heart kind of beautiful.
4. She taught me the best definition of “faith” I’ve ever heard. “Faith is when your heart is so full of Jesus, there’s no room for anything else.” She was 5 at the time. (See #1)
5. She wants to be a writer. She once called me for help in developing her characters in one of her short stories. (See #2)
6. She is a girly-girl but likes basketball.
7. She once told me I was amazing. The memory still brings a smile to my face!
8. She has a fun sense of humor and is quick to see the humor in life.
9. She likes Barnes and Noble over clothes shopping, at least for now.
10. She looks so cute with whipped cream on her face.
11. She enjoys cooking and singing. Not necessarily in that order.
12. She hopes her first car is a Mercedes. (Yes, she did inherit her taste for the finer things in life from her Lynnie.)
I enjoy watching her grow. I love her more than she can realize right now. I have faith in Faith. I call her “Faithful One.” She delights me, she amazes me, and she makes me want to be a better person.
Today is her day! Lookout World! Faith is growing up in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and man. There is no greater joy!
Proverbs 17:6 states: Your children’s children are a crowning glory for the aged. (Don’t focus on the aged – focus on the crowning glory part!) Solomon was so right! And with all those wives and kids, I would think he knew what he was talking about!
She is my first crowning glory, the one who opened my heart up to this amazing journey of watching my children parent their children. What an incredible blessing the last 12 years have been!
In honor of Faith, here is a list of my top 12 things I admire about her:
1. She is in love with Jesus. Period. No doubt about it. Ask any of her friends, which at this age is the acid test.
2. She is brilliant and I’m not just saying that because I’m her Lynnie. Ask any of her teachers, have a conversation with her, ask her what her average is in math. (And no, she did not inherit her math skills from me.)
3. She is beautiful, inside and out. Be-still-my-heart kind of beautiful.
4. She taught me the best definition of “faith” I’ve ever heard. “Faith is when your heart is so full of Jesus, there’s no room for anything else.” She was 5 at the time. (See #1)
5. She wants to be a writer. She once called me for help in developing her characters in one of her short stories. (See #2)
6. She is a girly-girl but likes basketball.
7. She once told me I was amazing. The memory still brings a smile to my face!
8. She has a fun sense of humor and is quick to see the humor in life.
9. She likes Barnes and Noble over clothes shopping, at least for now.
10. She looks so cute with whipped cream on her face.
11. She enjoys cooking and singing. Not necessarily in that order.
12. She hopes her first car is a Mercedes. (Yes, she did inherit her taste for the finer things in life from her Lynnie.)
I enjoy watching her grow. I love her more than she can realize right now. I have faith in Faith. I call her “Faithful One.” She delights me, she amazes me, and she makes me want to be a better person.
Today is her day! Lookout World! Faith is growing up in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and man. There is no greater joy!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
It's My Birthday!
God, you saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me. (Psalm 139)
Today is my birthday. I am 59. God has ordained this age for me and I reveal my true age because of His sovereignty. HE ordained every day of my life…and yours. I occasionally get tripped up with “every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Seriously, God, you knew THAT was going to happen? Couldn’t you have planned for a different experience for me? He just chuckles and says, “I know the plans I have for you…plans to give you a future and a hope. And I make beauty out of the times you see as ashes, crash-and-burn times, decisions made in haste, choices that did not honor, yep, all those times, too, baby girl.”
And in my deepest heart, I know that he has. I am a Lemonade Lady for this generation. Not because of what I’ve overcome (and continue to overcome), but because of who HE is. He is a God who redeems, who forgives as far as the east is from the west, and he has a plan for me – for such a time as this.
I will journey the next 12 months to a new decade. Maybe not daily, but often. This Lemonade Lady still has struggles with daily, hourly, self-control and discipline. As I type these words, I know that I also have a gift inside me that lets me roll with the moments. And savor this life he has ordained for me. Come with me on the journey and I hope you find encouragement, laughter, and authenticity for your journey.
Life is a gift….no matter the age…..let’s do this life together.
Happy birthday to me! God bless me and John Wayne!
Today is my birthday. I am 59. God has ordained this age for me and I reveal my true age because of His sovereignty. HE ordained every day of my life…and yours. I occasionally get tripped up with “every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Seriously, God, you knew THAT was going to happen? Couldn’t you have planned for a different experience for me? He just chuckles and says, “I know the plans I have for you…plans to give you a future and a hope. And I make beauty out of the times you see as ashes, crash-and-burn times, decisions made in haste, choices that did not honor, yep, all those times, too, baby girl.”
And in my deepest heart, I know that he has. I am a Lemonade Lady for this generation. Not because of what I’ve overcome (and continue to overcome), but because of who HE is. He is a God who redeems, who forgives as far as the east is from the west, and he has a plan for me – for such a time as this.
I will journey the next 12 months to a new decade. Maybe not daily, but often. This Lemonade Lady still has struggles with daily, hourly, self-control and discipline. As I type these words, I know that I also have a gift inside me that lets me roll with the moments. And savor this life he has ordained for me. Come with me on the journey and I hope you find encouragement, laughter, and authenticity for your journey.
Life is a gift….no matter the age…..let’s do this life together.
Happy birthday to me! God bless me and John Wayne!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Walking Reflections
“Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have no knowledge of and understand).” Jeremiah 33:3, Amplified Bible
A few weeks ago, I decided that it was time to move the body and lose some weight. My motives were not healthy – the enemy who wants to steal my joy and convince me that I am not good enough – spoke one more time to one of my greatest weaknesses. If you would just be thin enough……
I would head down to the workout room at the Royal Palace where Princesses live and get on the elliptical. As I was walking to the mini-gym, I would pray that someone else would be using the elliptical and thus release me from the 30-minute “torture.” God did better than that – for several days in a row the facility was locked! Hallelujah, happy dance, no exercise on those days!
Then one morning I went out the door of The Haven and notices coolness in the air. God spoke to my heart and said, “Walk in my nature today and see my glory revealed.” That began my morning walks around the Royal Palace rather than in the stuffy, boring workout room.
Today as I was walking, I saw strangers (neighbors) and was prompted to pray for the people in my life who these strangers represented to me. I saw a little girl and her mom walking to the bus stop and I prayed for my Crowning Glories. I saw a husband and wife kiss goodbye in the parking lot and I prayed for my son and daughter and their spouses to have a marriage that was strong and vibrant and new every morning. I saw a young man who was hammering on his battery cable (yes, I stopped to ask if he needed help – thankfully he said no, I have no idea what I would have done!) and was relieved when a few minutes later he drove past me in the car that has loose battery connections. I saw two twenty-something girls who were going to work and laughing as they went to their separate cars and I prayed for the friendships that I experience with my Decade Chicks and Lemonade Ladies that bring a smile to my heart.
You see, when we call to Him, He always answers and He does show us good and mighty things. I especially like the “fenced in” part of the version above. I walk in a fenced in area and I see great and mighty things take place within my heart. And I think I am losing a little weight in the process. I know He reveals to me that I am wonderfully and marvelously made. I am good enough – He loves me just as I am!
Just a little walk with Jesus makes me whole! Try it sometimes!
A few weeks ago, I decided that it was time to move the body and lose some weight. My motives were not healthy – the enemy who wants to steal my joy and convince me that I am not good enough – spoke one more time to one of my greatest weaknesses. If you would just be thin enough……
I would head down to the workout room at the Royal Palace where Princesses live and get on the elliptical. As I was walking to the mini-gym, I would pray that someone else would be using the elliptical and thus release me from the 30-minute “torture.” God did better than that – for several days in a row the facility was locked! Hallelujah, happy dance, no exercise on those days!
Then one morning I went out the door of The Haven and notices coolness in the air. God spoke to my heart and said, “Walk in my nature today and see my glory revealed.” That began my morning walks around the Royal Palace rather than in the stuffy, boring workout room.
Today as I was walking, I saw strangers (neighbors) and was prompted to pray for the people in my life who these strangers represented to me. I saw a little girl and her mom walking to the bus stop and I prayed for my Crowning Glories. I saw a husband and wife kiss goodbye in the parking lot and I prayed for my son and daughter and their spouses to have a marriage that was strong and vibrant and new every morning. I saw a young man who was hammering on his battery cable (yes, I stopped to ask if he needed help – thankfully he said no, I have no idea what I would have done!) and was relieved when a few minutes later he drove past me in the car that has loose battery connections. I saw two twenty-something girls who were going to work and laughing as they went to their separate cars and I prayed for the friendships that I experience with my Decade Chicks and Lemonade Ladies that bring a smile to my heart.
You see, when we call to Him, He always answers and He does show us good and mighty things. I especially like the “fenced in” part of the version above. I walk in a fenced in area and I see great and mighty things take place within my heart. And I think I am losing a little weight in the process. I know He reveals to me that I am wonderfully and marvelously made. I am good enough – He loves me just as I am!
Just a little walk with Jesus makes me whole! Try it sometimes!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Let the Journey Begin!
“Life is what happens to you when you are making other plans," according to John Lennon.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
One statement speaks resignation and cynicism. One is Comfort and Hope.
It has been my experience that the journey of life is marked with many curves, turns, mountains and valleys. Some paths are two lane roads, a little slow at times and full of decisions to pass and lead - or stay behind and follow. Some are rocky and littered with potholes that make the journey cautious and painful. Some are beautiful roads marked with breathtaking views and beautiful horizons. Most are the fast lane and whiz by so quickly it takes my breath away and leaves me pondering where the time went and how did I get here so quickly!
I want to trust God completely and surrender all my expectations to him. Did you hear “WANT?” I am a work in progress and until I slide into heaven completely used up and radiant, I will not have arrived! Travel with me on this road as I learn to navigate the twists and turns, the mountains and the valleys. Maybe by reading some of my experiences, you can avoid some pot holes. Trust me, I’ve fallen into quite a few of them along the way!
It’s going to be a fun ride!
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
One statement speaks resignation and cynicism. One is Comfort and Hope.
It has been my experience that the journey of life is marked with many curves, turns, mountains and valleys. Some paths are two lane roads, a little slow at times and full of decisions to pass and lead - or stay behind and follow. Some are rocky and littered with potholes that make the journey cautious and painful. Some are beautiful roads marked with breathtaking views and beautiful horizons. Most are the fast lane and whiz by so quickly it takes my breath away and leaves me pondering where the time went and how did I get here so quickly!
I want to trust God completely and surrender all my expectations to him. Did you hear “WANT?” I am a work in progress and until I slide into heaven completely used up and radiant, I will not have arrived! Travel with me on this road as I learn to navigate the twists and turns, the mountains and the valleys. Maybe by reading some of my experiences, you can avoid some pot holes. Trust me, I’ve fallen into quite a few of them along the way!
It’s going to be a fun ride!
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