Spiritual

With Valentine’s Day coming up in a few weeks, I have been doing quite a bit of thinking and praying for marriages. Marriages seem to be under attack in our culture. One wonders what has happened to the “ALL IN” commitment that used to be the foundation of the “for better or worse” promise, spoken in marriage vows. So today I challenge you to join me as I ask myself each day, “Am I all in for better or for worse and am I living like I mean it, today?”

Marriages have seasons. There are ups and downs as two imperfect people learn how to live together and love one another. The kind of love needed to keep a marriage alive, growing and strong takes a decision or a mindset that strives to consider another person’s needs as more important than one’s own needs. When I made my commitment to marriage, I considered it a covenant with no wiggle room for an opt-out clause. Therefore, it is my responsibility to live every day “ALL IN”, for better or for worse. I am willing to invest, invest, invest, regardless of how I feel…………because I made a covenant of love with the man I married in the presence of the God I serve.

But what do I do when we hit a rough patch? How do we navigate the storms of life that rock our marriages today? Where do we turn to get the encouragement we need when our relationships need help?

Today as I spent time walking on a beautiful trail near my house, I listened to a podcast from Family Life Today called How Marriages Get Better. You can listen to it by clicking here or go to http://familylifetoday.com/program/how-marriages-get-better/. What I gleaned from this story of John and Pam …

We all know about the stuff we leave on the counter, intending to put away later. We all have articles of clothing and multiple pairs of shoes that we never wear. Our closets are jammed, our kitchen cupboards are overflowing and we keep things that we haven’t used or looked at for years. It’s our clutter. This is the same way that clutter comes into our mind and our souls. Soul clutter is the stuff that we shove down thinking we will attend to later. Soul clutter affects my priorities. It clogs up my thinking, causing me to become self-focused, overly critical and self condemning.

Last week when I posted about de-cluttering my life I was focused on the task of reorganizing and sorting through my physical stuff. But as I have continued to work on my New Year’s project of de-cluttering my home I have been thinking a lot about how easily my clutter effects more than my physical surroundings. Being disorganized can affect my closest personal relationships. So I started thinking this week about “Soul Clutter” Is my stuff altering my priorities? Do I spend more time taking care of my stuff than taking care of the needs of those I love? I my stuff clogging up my ability to think and plan and maintain a balanced schedule? Do I neglect my own emotional and spiritual needs and those of my loved ones when my life is full of clutter?I will do whatever it takes to be the healthiest me I can be so I can truly LOVE these blessings!!!

Soul clutter can be a by-product of my physical clutter. When we keep too much stuff and do not give it away it may be because we have fear, guilt or shame.
Fear asks, “what if I …

Creating magical memories at Christmas takes a lot of planning and preparation but it is well worth the effort!!
Almost 30 years ago, our family began a tradition with our 4 daughters. This year we passed that tradition on to the next generation and it was beyond magical. American Girl dolls were the first dolls our girls actually loved and played with regularly. In general they were not that interested in dolls but these dolls were different. They were well made, a high quality product with purpose behind the concept and each one had a story to tell.
A bit of interesting history behind the dolls….
“Pleasant Rowland, (a very inspirational woman) takes a trip to Colonial Williamsburg in the mid-1980s. She is inspired by the “living history” of the setting. Later, seeking dolls as a gift, she sees that there are very few dolls marketed as companions to a girl or focusing on girlhood.
In 1986, The American Girl line launches with three Historical Characters: Kirsten Larson, Samantha Parkington, and Molly McIntire. Each doll is launched with the first three books in her seriesand the clothing and accessories that accompany the stories, as well as their trunks. Felicity Merriman is released Fall 1991 with her first three books and accompanying clothing and accessories.” The year these dolls were introduced our girls were 5, 3 and newborn with our baby coming 3 years later. So in the early 1990s when we made the decision to invest in the dolls there was one perfect doll match per daughter. Kirsten, Molly, Samantha and Felicity became part of our family and the magic of creative imaginative play with the American Girl doll began.
In 1993 our youngest two daughters were treated to an exclusive event put on by the Chicago American Girl doll …

I am a CHRISTMAS FANATIC! I love the preparations, the lights, the smell of the tree, baking cookies, cookie parties, decorating gingerbread houses, serving hot apple cider, listening to Christmas Carols and the gathering of friends and family. I love making memories and creating new ones. I love to make gifts and to give gifts because I love to bless other people. I love all things that sparkle and I love that Jesus is the center of it all……BUT is He really?

How do we keep the sense of magic that surrounds the holidays balanced between our family traditions and a rich time of spiritual reflection? This will look different in every family. My goal this year is to look at our traditions as something that can enhance, not distract from our celebration of a meaningful spiritual holiday BUT this is a CHALLENGE…….The week before Christmas we discovered a small leak under our refrigerator. What we thought was a small inconvenience has turned into a fiasco. We will spend the holidays with our refrigerator in our entry way and a huge part of our kitchen floor removed and patch up temporarily until we can get a construction crew in here to make the need repairs in January.

This is how I decorated the space in the kitchen where my refrigerator usually sits.

I have the opportunity this morning to talk to a group of women about how to prepare our hearts and minds for the TRUE celebration of the season so we can experience the TRUE meaning of Christmas. How do we insulate ourselves from the influences of the culture and at the same time shine so brightly for Jesus that the whole world (our circle of influence) will see and feel the light of life that dwells within us …

I can truly say that this year, I am most thankful for a loving and faithful husband who has loved me and supported me and celebrated me for almost 40 years! Love is a choice, a commitment, an investment in a relationship that teaches me tangible ways to experience God’s “hesed”. Hesed (chesed) is a Hebrew word for God’s lovingkindness. My husband, Rick, has continually demonstrated love in action towards me and our children and grandchildren and I thank God for him every day!!!!!

I am also thankful for good friends that support me in my passions. Our life group helped me plan a “Party with a Purpose” to help inform our neighbors and friends about the opportunity to put our love in action and support the Gogo Grandmothers ministry that I am involved in. It was a night full of fun and good food and many people opening their hearts to the poorest of the poor. I am so grateful for the outpouring of love and support

I am also thankful for my beautiful daughters who love life and share their passions with me and their families. I love my SILs and my precious 9 grand children and I  am blessed beyond measure to be their to be their Mom and Gammie!

Bethany is “thankful for the blessings of my baby boy, life as a mom and a God who is so faithful”.

Jess shared, “This year, I’m very thankful for our new home for many reasons, here are some of them: our family loves to be there, we love our neighbors, we are close to my husband’s work, and the kids play and ride bikes around the cul-de-sac.”

Bekah shared, “I am thankful for my little family, my daughter that is so full of joy, our latest adventure …