Month: March 2015

Leaves and Gnome Doors

Posted on by Wendy
This little gnome door reminds me of the things that matter most.
This little gnome door reminds me of the things that matter most.

Last weekend my hubby and I decided it was time to do some spring raking. We always put that particular chore off because we have dozens of hardwoods that produce thousands of leaves, maybe even millions. Some people rake their leaves as they fall, not us, we wait until the spring. I read somewhere that leaving them in place is good for the grass. It sounds reasonable.

We finally got going and got into a groove. Hubby and I were in the front and our son was raking in the back. We had about half of the front yard done, when my son approached his dad with a picture on his phone. It was a gnome door he found somewhere on the internet. He wanted to make one for one of our trees. He had found the perfect spot to put one in our backyard.

Now my sweet husband has a fascination for gnomes. Who knows why? Can you guess what he did?

He put down the rake. He and my son gathered up wood. Some kind of power tools were involved and at some point, I smelled spray paint.

I continued the yard work, solo, for a good while longer before I called it an afternoon. But, I chuckled to myself the entire time. I live with a bunch of right-brained, creative people. I have learned that when they get inspired, for whatever reason, it’s best to let them go with my blessing.

There was a time when I would have been upset that we didn’t get the leaves raked. We had work to do. It wasn’t time to play. Didn’t we owe it to our neighbors to have our lawn raked? What would people say?

But, years of prayer and acceptance and simply traveling around the sun enough times, have taught me that the creative things are the things that matter most. The father and son time matters way more than raking leaves ever could.

I seriously doubt there is any more creative field in the entire world than the imagination of a child. When God entrusted this child to me and all of his gifts, didn’t He also expect me and my husband to nurture his gifts?

Father and son spent several hours on the gnome door and moss was added for a walkway and it turned out beautifully. I halfway expected a gnome to come walking out. My son couldn’t wait to show me and I couldn’t wait to take pictures.

The leaves still litter the front yard. But, I can see the little gnome door from my kitchen sink when I do dishes. I can see it from the kitchen table. I can see it from my bathroom window when I’m upstairs and it makes me smile. It reminds me of the things that matter and the things that don’t. It reminds me to treasure my loved ones as well as their gifts. It reminds me to be intentional.

I learned a lot from that little gnome door. Maybe you can too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

What Faith Can Do

Posted on by Wendy
Sometimes when we feel the most helpless, God shows up.
Sometimes when we feel the most helpless, God shows up.

My family suffered a tragedy last weekend. Our beloved minivan of fourteen years, died. It was just a car, but it was special. My children were still in car seats when we bought it. My son was only three months old. It was right after the 9/11 attacks and I remember proudly displaying a flag on the back window.

It was a mom mobile and I drove it happily. It seated seven and I regularly hauled that many kids in it. It’s been camping many times and on road trips and vacations. It carried my sister’s wedding dress to Florida along with my mom and dad and all of my mom’s stuff. We were super packed on that trip.

I remember when the kids were in preschool, they all fought to ride in it. It was the cool car. Most women my age, traded for something much hipper when their kids got older, but not me. I loved the minivan and always volunteered to drive whenever I was needed, which was often, from things like tennis matches to youth group trips, to my daughter’s first homecoming dance.

I knew it was getting old, and soon my oldest will be driving, but I wasn’t ready to downsize yet. Unfortunately, the decision was made for me.

I fought tears all weekend over the loss. Not only because we don’t really have the money to buy a new one, but because it symbolizes the end of an era. My kids are growing up and soon we won’t need the minivan, and I find that very bittersweet.

As always, God has His hands in all of this. There’s a man at church who I love to kid around with every Sunday. He is in management at a local car dealership and apparently has helped just about everyone in the congregation to find a car. When I spoke with him on Sunday and asked him for help and then told him that I really hated to ask for help, He simply said, “Why? That’s what I do.”

I was so humbled. This is community. When I shared with members of my Improv group that our van had died, a member of my small group immediately turned around and asked if we needed a car because his wife was out of town for the week. This is community.

When I confessed how silly I felt about being sentimental about the loss of the van, another member of my small group told me it wasn’t silly at all. This is community.

I was driving down the road after church, in my daughter’s car and I was scanning channels and praying for some peace. A song came on called, “What Faith Can Do,” by Kutless. I had never heard it, but it’s older. The words were, “Don’t you give up now. The sun will soon be shining. You gotta face the clouds to find the silver lining.” The words really struck me and soothed my soul.

As I slowed to stop at the red light, I could hardly believe the letters on the tag in front of me. “B LEVE” I whispered a prayer of thanks as tears ran down my cheeks. Not only had He provided me with a loving caring church community, He also let me know that He is always close and always listening. We just have to look.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

P.S. If you want to hear that song, I’ve attached a link.

Have You Tried Watering It?

Posted on by Wendy
This plant is about to burst into bloom. With a little nurture, you can too.
This plant is about to burst into bloom. With a little nurture, you can too.

I took a walk yesterday, it seemed like overnight, the earth woke up. There are so many things in bloom. I suppose all of the rain we have been complaining about really did have a good purpose. Isn’t it funny how life works out that way? As I was walking and appreciating the beauty and thanking God for the gorgeous day, I came across a forsythia bush, that brought back a memory.

The forsythia bush is bright yellow and sometimes called yellow bells. They bloom in the spring. We had two big ones at our last house. One day many years ago, my mother-in-law and her companion, Bill were visiting. I was complaining that our yellow bells weren’t blooming well at all.

Now, Bill, was one of the sweetest natured, quietest men that you would ever meet. He was a retired principal and he loved to grow things. He always had a huge garden every summer. He leaned over and asked me if I had tried watering them.

I was kind of stunned. What a simple question, right? I mean, plants need water to grow and I watered the plants in pots at the house, but not the bushes. I grew up on over a hundred acres with a well. We didn’t really water much because the well might run dry. We had pear trees, plum trees, apple trees and scuppernongs among other things. They either made it or they didn’t. We didn’t coddle anything much.

But, when Bill and I were talking, we were in a deep drought and had been for quite a while. Why hadn’t I thought of watering the yellow bells? I admitted to him that I had not. He kind of smiled and told me that might help them bloom. He was right of course. He put some water on them while he was there and they did bloom soon after.

Seeing the yellow bells today reminded me of that sweet, wise man and of that conversation. They were blooming because of all of the rain. All living things require water to thrive. What else in our lives do we need to water to make them bloom? What areas of our lives have we allowed to fall into drought?

When I think about it, all relationships require some effort to keep them blooming. From friendships, to marriages, to families, to our spiritual relationship with God. Over time, if we don’t give them care and nurture, water, so to speak, they will not only stop blooming; they can eventually die.

The same goes for goals and dreams we may have. If we don’t devote any time to them, they can die too and some of them are likely meant to produce beautiful fruit.

Lent seems like an ideal time to consider the areas in our lives that may need watering. Who knows, by Easter, we may have more blooms than we know what to do with. What do you need to water?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Sufficient Grace

Posted on by Wendy
A great reminder as we journey through the season of Lent.
A great reminder as we journey through the season of Lent.

While Lent is supposed to be a time of reflection and drawing closer to God, it’s also a season of repentance. We don’t like to think about repentance much or about sin. It’s often easy to pick out the sins of others, but our own sometimes seem to escape our notice.

One thing I consistently find when talking to parents of all ages and stages is that they carry around guilt regarding their children. They regret a wide variety of decisions they made while raising their kids. They carry guilt over things like their kids’ education, or not being more involved in their lives, to getting a divorce.

The truth is, there’s no way that any parent will always make the right decisions. Parents are humans. Humans are flawed and broken and we make mistakes. But, we can also be forgiven.

When we repent and ask God for forgiveness, we are forgiven because of the blood of Jesus. He shed it for all people and for all sin, period. As Christians, we sometimes need to ask ourselves, if we really believe that. If we do, then we cannot carry around unresolved guilt. When we do, we are really saying to Jesus that his sacrifice didn’t count. We are saying that everyone else’s sins can be forgiven, but our sins are special and especially dark.

Does that concept sound ridiculous? Hopefully, it does, but a lot of people are carrying guilt and shame needlessly. When we lay our burdens, even guilt, at the foot of the cross, we must leave them there. If we truly believe in the power of Jesus, we cannot pick them back up.

We also need to remember that we have an enemy that loves for us to carry around anything that causes us pain. Anything that separates us from God is a victory for him. Guilt that we have repented of, that we have placed at the foot of the cross, is no longer our burden to bear, even if Satan whispers in our ear a different message. We aren’t to listen to him.

Jesus said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 9b

Lent may be the ideal time to ask ourselves if we believe that. If we do, then we have to repent of any guilt that we stubbornly cling to for whatever reason. It’s not God’s way or in His plan for us. How can we serve Him with our whole heart if we allow darkness to abide within our heart? Unresolved guilt is darkness.

Maybe we should take a little time during this season to honestly let go of burdens that have been forgiven long ago and if we need forgiveness, then all we have to do is ask. Letting go of the bad stuff that we can’t change is actually about trust and obedience. How are you doing with those two things?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Come Thirsty

Posted on by Wendy
We should never be afraid to come to church thirsty
We should never be afraid to come to church thirsty

I have read several articles lately about how people aren’t comfortable going to church when they don’t feel like they have it all together. They are hesitant to go when they feel sad or depressed. They decide not to go when they are upset or angry. Sometimes they decide not to go because they are wrestling with God in some way.

Unfortunately, it’s when we are struggling that we need God the most. It’s when we need to worship the most. When we are really hurting or feel the most desperate is when we can probably benefit the most from taking our focus off of ourselves and placing it squarely on God.

When we are barely keeping our heads above water, is when Christian community is supposed to step in and throw us a life ring. We are called to remind each other of the love of Jesus. Jesus, himself, said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor-sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” Luke 5:31-32

I think that speaks to two groups who equally need to feel and share in love and grace. Sometimes we are struggling through no fault of our own. We live in a broken world and bad things happen. We suffer losses, or we get sick, or we feel short on faith. We are soul-sick in some way and we shouldn’t wait until we heal to go to church. Church can help us heal; so we should feel comfortable coming thirsty or empty.

The second group I feel like Jesus is addressing is those people who have made some bad decisions and they need to repent and ask forgiveness, which, let’s face it, if we are honest, should be most of us, on a regular basis. However, sometimes, people feel like they have messed up big time and church is no place for them.

Jesus says repeatedly in the Gospels, that this attitude is wrong. He came to save everyone, not just the righteous or the people who have it together. He came to redeem all sinners and he can redeem any situation, whether we created it or not, but we have to be willing to give it to him. He will not wrestle us for it.

As we journey through Lent, maybe we should consider our church attendance. Why do we go? Why do we not go? Do we attend when we are feeling our worst? Do we believe that all of our sins, not just some of them can be forgiven? Do we believe that our lives are worth something and redeemable? Jesus does and so should we.

We should never be afraid to come thirsty.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Making Space

Posted on by Wendy
When we made a space for bluebirds, we got bluebirds.
When we made a space for bluebirds, we got bluebirds.

I have often thought bluebirds were beautiful. I never saw them much growing up and they aren’t as common as they once were. So, when my son had to complete a project for an agriculture class at school, last year, I naturally encouraged him and my hubby to build a bluebird house.

They are apparently, rather picky about their houses. They like for the hole to be a certain size and for their nests to be a certain height off the ground. They found the perfect plans on the internet and he got an A on the project.

Low and behold, we had bluebirds, the first season we put it out. They are very shy birds and although I often see them, they flee the moment they see me. I was able to capture this one after returning from a recent walk and it made me think about other things that we could have more of in our lives if we simply made the space.

Having two kids that are very artistic, I have found that when I created a space for them to create and the supplies to do it, they were much more likely to be creative, than when I left their art supplies packed away in a box and had to make a space on the kitchen table for them.

Likewise, when I decided to turn a rarely used formal living room into a writing space for me, Graceful Gaines was born.

I am aware that space is at a premium in many homes, but even a little corner with a folding table set up can make all of the difference to someone who has an ability and a desire to create, but needs a little nudge.

I once read that Mary Engelbreit announced to her mother as a child, that she needed a studio space. Their house was small, but her mother cleaned out a closet and put a desk in it for her artistic daughter. A studio was born and so was one of my favorite artists.

I also use my writing space for my place to read my Bible and jot down notes and questions I have. I can certainly read the Bible anywhere, but having a dedicated space to leave it out, open and ready to go, along with a pen and a pad, just seems to make it easier to make it a point to read it everyday.

Even a rarely used chair in a corner somewhere can serve the same purpose. Inviting God in regularly, can make any place holy.

Perhaps Lent is an ideal time to prayerfully consider what things in our lives would we give much-needed attention to if we were to create a little more space for them. They can range from creative endeavors to more prayer time. God created each one of us with unique talents that we are supposed to nurture and use for Him. If we aren’t nurturing and growing them, then we aren’t serving to our best abilities.

What areas in your life need more space?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

It’s Only an Hour….

Posted on by Wendy
Lent thought for the day.
Lent thought for the day.

When we went to bed on Saturday night, we had to spring forward an hour on our clocks. Now, I don’t know about you, but Sunday proved to be a very long day for me. Not only was I exhausted all day, but every time I looked at the clock, it was so much later than I thought.

This happens to me every year and honestly, it takes me about a week to adjust. I have always found the same to be true with my kids, whether they were toddlers or teens; we will have a week of grumpiness. But, it’s only an hour. Should one little hour make such a huge difference in our lives?

Perhaps it shouldn’t. But, let’s ponder that for a moment. What would happen if we gave up an hour, (just one), daily, for exercise? Our blood pressure would likely drop, along with our cholesterol, not to mention our pants size. Studies have shown that our stress level would drop as well and our sleep quality would increase. That hour doesn’t seem quite as insignificant; does it?

What if we were to dedicate an hour daily to prayer time and Bible reading? Does that hour now, seem huge? That’s a lot of prayer; isn’t it? I wonder how much of the Bible we could read in a year’s time if we dedicated an hour a day to it. What would our faith walk look like? I wonder if our stress level and blood pressure would decrease in this scenario as well. I wonder if our sleep quality would increase. I feel like our level of peace would likely increase as well as joy and all of those cool fruits of the Holy Spirit, like patience, kindness and love.

We live in a busy and over scheduled world and we have the tendency to waste time and energy on frivolous things, or at least I do. Perhaps you do too? Things from playing on Facebook, to surfing the net, to checking Pinterest, can eat up an awful lot of time.

Daylight Savings Time has been a good reminder to me of the large amount of good that could be accomplished with only one hour a day. As I trudge through this week, getting readjusted, I’m going to take some time to pray about how I might better use my time.

As we travel through Lent and attempt to draw closer to God, maybe one of the best tithes we could ever give to God would be our time. Managing our time better to include more time with Him, could possibly be one of the best gifts we could ever give ourselves as well as to all of the people who happen to cross our paths.

Since time is one of those precious commodities that we never get more of, perhaps we should be more intentional with it. What do you think?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Dormant not Dead

Posted on by Wendy
My neighborhood trees appear dead right now.
My neighborhood trees appear dead right now.

On a recent walk in my neighborhood, I noticed that all of the trees look dead. There are no leaves and nothing green on the vast majority of them. It’s still winter time and I know that they aren’t really dead; they are simply dormant during this season.

When conditions get right, with warmer days and more sun, they will burst into life. Those stark, lifeless looking trees got me to thinking about other things in life that we think are dead, but are really just dormant.

Sometimes we have relationships that we think are way past repair and are surely dead. We may have dreams that we thought died long ago. Sometimes our faith itself can feel lifeless and dead for any number of reasons ranging from our own apathy or neglect, to a huge tragedy of some sort.

But, when Jesus enters the picture, everything changes.

I am reminded of a story in the Gospel of Luke. In Chapter 8, a man approached Jesus to ask him to heal his sick daughter. Jesus got caught up in the crowd and was delayed. Someone sent word to the father that his daughter had died and told him, “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.” Luke 8:49b

This had to have been devastating news. But, here’s the awesome part. “Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe and she will be healed.'” Luke 8:50

Think about it a minute. Jesus overheard this news. I picture him reaching towards this panicked father telling him not to be afraid and to believe. I picture him reaching for us in the same way when we desperately need redemption for something in our lives that we believe is dead.

When they arrived at the house and everyone was crying, Jesus told them that the child was not dead, only sleeping. Do you know how they reacted? They laughed at Jesus. He was undeterred. He took the girl’s mother and father and three of his disciples and went to her bed side. He reached for her hand and told her to get up and she did.

I’m not sure we do much better today than the crowd did. We are modern people of science, statistics, and numbers. We like facts and figures. We like sure things and we demand proof. We often leave little room for faith in our lives.

But, the truth is when Jesus says something is sleeping and not dead, then it can be redeemed. Our job is not to question how, but to believe, like that father did.

Lent is an ideal time to search our lives for relationships, dreams or anything that we may have thought was dead, but believe that Jesus may have a different plan. People may laugh at us. They laughed at Jesus too, but we can pray about those things and we may be pleasantly surprised.

It's possible that the things we thought were dead, were merely dormant.
It’s possible that the things we thought were dead, are merely dormant.

There may be some situations that are ready to burst to life when we introduce the Son.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

When the World is Foggy

Posted on by Wendy
When our world gets shrouded in fog, we don't have to fear. We can just slow down and trust.
When our world gets shrouded in fog, we don’t have to fear. We can just slow down and trust.

Yesterday morning, our area was under a fog warning. Every radio station was talking about it. The Weather Channel App, had a warning about it. My thirteen-year-old son finally asked, during our commute to school, “What’s the big deal about the fog?”

His artist mind thought it was cool to look at and I agreed with him. I explained to him that the problem with fog is that people don’t like to slow down. We don’t like to plan ahead and leave home early. We don’t like to be inconvenienced in any way. So, we leave for work at the same time and travel at the same speed, even though we can’t see clearly, and we crash.

That explanation seemed to satisfy him. When I returned home, I got my camera to try to capture some of the foggy images around me. They really were quite beautiful and the fog and its beauty as well as its inconveniences, continued to play out in my head.

Faith and fog seem to be close cousins to me. Both are a beautiful. Both require us to slow down and watch and sometimes wait. Both can cover all the imperfections in the world around us. Fog covers them physically while faith covers them spiritually. They both force us to keep moving ahead towards our destination slowly, even when we can barely see what lies ahead.

A few months ago, my hubby and I were having a really tough week. It was one thing after another. In desperation, I sent an e-mail to our pastor, asking him for prayer. I loved his response so much that I wrote it down.

“We can never travel though enemy darkness beyond the headlights shown by Christ. Deep breath of Holy Spirit. Next step. Just the next step. He is with you.” Dick Hoard

I immediately felt better. I think his message is perfect for foggy times too. There are simply times in our lives when we can’t see a thing. Our world is shrouded in fog. Whether we decide to let that fog be frightening like the fog used in a scary movie or more enchanting like fog used at a prom, is up to us.

We can slow down, breathe in the Holy Spirit and take one step at a time, staying within the headlights shown by Christ, resting in the knowledge that we are loved and there is a plan, or we can panic and hit the gas and take our chances.

Maybe Lent is an ideal time to think about the foggy areas of our lives. Where do we need to slow down and let Christ shine His light? I find that when we ask, He will show up and His light never dims.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Smiling in the Rain

Posted on by Wendy
Vacuuming this little pin up turned my day around.
Vacuuming up this little pin turned my day around.

It seems like it’s been raining here in Georgia forever. It’s been a very wet winter. My mama says she thinks we’re going to mold. Yesterday began wet and dreary. I had two teens that decided they would pick that particular morning to argue with each other and me and to complain incessantly about life in general.

I’m well aware that is perfectly normal behavior for kids that age, but their attitude along with the weather was on this normally optimistic gal’s very last nerve. Furthermore, I really needed to vacuum, (think over a week), but my hubby was supposed to work on our vacuum cleaner and hadn’t gotten around to it.

I know this all sounds like whining and truthfully, it is. I have so much to be thankful for. We are all well, and have plenty to eat, and a house to live in, and electricity, and hot water, and, and, and… But, I sometimes forget and I get lost in my own little pity party and moment of despair. Maybe you do too?

I sat down on the kitchen floor and disassembled the vacuum cleaner myself. It wasn’t necessarily something I couldn’t do, just something I didn’t want to do. I finally got it back together and up and running. I vacuumed and prayed. I find that God often shows up in the seemingly mundane.

I prayed about the crummy weather and my matching mood. I prayed about my kids and for guidance from God in guiding them. I prayed for God to show Himself, acknowledging that sometimes He doesn’t.

As I prayed, a scenario came to mind. Sometimes I feel like God is like a parent teaching a child to ride a bike without the training wheels. He runs along behind us, holding onto the seat. We pedal gleefully knowing He is there. But, at some point, He lets go because we have learned to ride on our own. He knows we can do it and He’s never far away.

In the beginning of our faith walk, we become frightened much more easily, and like the child on the bike with no training wheels, we may bobble and fall. He will always be there to help us up.

But, I think His goal may be for us to be able to walk in faith and not to need constant reassurance from Him. We learn to do that from Christian community, prayer time and reading the Bible regularly. That’s how we become strong. That’s how we help others along the way.

As the scenario worked itself out in my mind, during my prayer time, I felt much better. I knew a blog post had been born. Suddenly, the vacuum cleaner sucked up something big, under my daughter’s bed. Wearily, I turned it off and checked the receptacle.

In it was a smiley face pin and immediately a song from youth group camp fires, popped into my mind. “Smile! Don’t you know God loves you? Come to think of it, I love you too. Take the time to smile at someone else, before you’re through, someone will be smiling back at you! Bom! Bom! Bom!” Then it goes faster.

That song always makes me smile and so did that pen. There’s some simple wisdom there. God loves us and in the end, that’s all that really matters. Maybe you needed a reminder today too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂