Day 7 - Thankful for Gwen and Doug - and the miracle of life!

So I am sure that part of my thankful post today is working with all the little ones.  Yesterday I even got to feed and diaper a 6 week old!  Really, is there anything better than sitting in a rocking chair, cuddling with a tiny baby that is eagerly eating his bottle?  I don't think so.  So tonight I have pulled up these very early pictures of Gwen and Doug.  Gwen's picture is especially important to me.  Ken took this picture the first time I ever saw Gwen. After an emergency C-section and a long recovery room stay (this was a general anesthesia section - before they were doing spinals), Gwen arrived in my room in a little dress with a bow in her hair.  I have always been sorry that I missed seeing her right after she was born.  I was very glad that Ken had stood outside the operating room door and walked with Gwen to the nursery and watched them clean her up and dress her.  So when Doug was born, I was very grateful for the epidural and being awake to actually see him in the operating room.  It was especially important since he was born at 31 weeks and ended up in the NICU.  The picture above is the first time I actually got to hold him.  He was 3 days old.  You can see that his little hand is bruised from the IV's and his face is marked up from the tape and tubes. 

Yes, today I am very thankful for my children.  Actually, I simply can't imagine my life without them.  It is such a blessing to watch your children change and grow.  I loved them just born, I loved them as young children, even as teenagers and especially now as adults.  It's an amazing thing that God sees fit to loan us these precious little beings and trusts us to raise them up to adulthood.  So many times during the years of child rearing, I remember thinking, "I don't think I can do this!"  But, somehow, I did. As with most things, you tend to forget all the tough things and remember the good. And I think all parents hold on to some of those "just wait till you have children" stories.  But as a word of encouragement to anyone in that "parenting" stage.... you CAN do this and you WILL get through this.  No matter how many bumps in the road, or how many sleepless nights - eventually your task is completed. 

Isn't it an amazing part of Yahweh's great plan, to establish families?  I love that he knew just how difficult it would be, yet so wonderful all at the same time.  And I also am thankful that he knew how much we would treasure our grandchildren, once our children were grown and gone.  I so valued my mother's wisdom when it came to raising my children.  Her calm reassurance and guidance helped me relax and enjoy the ride. And I am hopeful that I can be that voice of reason for my children. 

I love how Jesus loved the little children. How he took them on his lap and blessed them.  I love how he valued the little boy with the loaves and fish.  He really cared about and SAW the little children.  So I know that he loves and cares for all of our children.  And he is helping us all along the way.

Jesus loves me this I know,

for the Bible tells me so.

Little ones to Him belong,

They are weak but he is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me - the Bible tells me so! 

Jesus, thank you for the gift of my children.  Holy Spirit, comfort and encourage all those reading this blog, who have young children.  Remind them that Jesus loves them and their children and this season will pass.   Thank you for reminding me of this special and amazing part of your plan for my life!   Amen

Day 6 - Thankful for cinnamon rolls!

Okay, confession here!  If I have one major weakness in the food category, it is for cinnamon rolls.  They are my "go to" comfort food.  We almost always have a tube of this heavenly goodness in our refrigerator.  I know, I know.  These are terrible for you.  They are chocked full of fat and calories and preservatives.  So many of you most likely are gasping in horror that we would eat these.  Sorry, I just love them!  And I love how the house smells when they are baking in the oven! 

 

So tonight, after another very long day of work, and after cooking a very well balanced meal (that did include green vegetables) - I just needed some additional comfort.  So I baked up a tube.  And therefore, tonight I am most thankful for the Doughboy.  And these delicious cinnamon rolls. 

 

Its funny how such a small thing can help you feel better.  I am sure that the extra calories are not good, but the lifting of my spirit is very worth it.  I am so thankful that I am aware of these kinds of triggers.  It reminds me to think before I just consume lots and lots of cinnamon rolls.  But also, knowing that something that is really not that bad for me, will make me feel better, is also good! 

 

Now I am also aware that there may be some people who would challenge me on my need for this "comfort" food.  They might say that I should be fully happy with the presence of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in me and not "need" any food to feel better.  I am also very aware of the fact that it is a huge blessing to have access to so many foods, as we do in the United States.  I don't take this lightly!  As a matter of fact, I think that because I do know the extent of the food shortages around the world, I fully appreciate having cinnamon rolls available to me.  

 

This brought to my mind an amazing little visual display that I did with children in an after school program I was running.  The purpose of this exercise was to show the children (and the adults) very clearly what the food distribution around the world really is.  First the children were divided to represent the population around the world. (North America gets 2 kids, South American gets 7 kids,  Europe gets 3, Africa gets 10, Asia gets 20)   Then you pass out the "food".  North America's 2 kids get a large clear bag filled with 150 M & M's.  Europe's 3 kids get 100.  The South American kids get 25,  Africa gets 12  and Asia gets 7.  It doesn't take long for the kids to realize that this is just NOT fair.  The biggest groups of children get the least candy!  I remember the looks on the faces of the adults who were present during this "game".  They couldn't believe that this was true!  Sadly, it does represent the available food in these places.  Then the biggest surprise is when all the M & M's are mixed together and passed out "fairly" all of the 42 kids each get 7 M&M's.  Something to think about. God does have enough food on the earth, it just isn't distributed "fairly"!

 

So tonight, I am thankful for those cinnamon rolls.  But I am also very grateful to live in the United States.  And I understand that with this blessing comes a great responsibility.  I am thankful for the reminder to seek ways to make a difference around the world.  One thing I am certain of - Jesus is in control of this.  He has a plan and purpose and a destiny for the WHOLE world.  And He is also in charge of the food supply.  I believe that this message tonight is to remind us all that we need to be better stewards of all that Jesus has provided for us.  We need to lift up those that live in places without good food sources.  And we need to declare God's plans for the world! I believe that Jesus is gifting creative ideas to people right now that can solve this issue. 

 

Jesus, thank you for the amazing food that is available to us in the United States.  Help us all to be thankful when we walk in the aisles of the supermarket and prepare our family meals.  Holy Spirit, thank you for the reminder of the M&M game.  Please release those new ideas that will bring food where it is most needed.  Jesus, thank you for your great plan for the whole world!  And thank you for my cinnamon rolls. Amen

 



Day Five - Thankful for my bed...........

So, I bet you can guess how I am feeling today, especially since the title of this post sort of gives it away.... yep, I AM TIRED!  I guess it has just been a very busy couple of weeks and tonight I feel like it is catching up to me.   I have had a couple of very challenging days at work, but this feels like more than just the last couple of days.  This is several weeks of being on the go.  Coupled with two intense conferences and a new job.  I had really hoped that my new job would be less stressful and more restful, but so far that has not been the case.   But I am just giving it some time.  However, tonight my body is just saying ENOUGH!   So I made my way to my bed at 6:30pm. While I haven't been asleep, I have been resting.  The good news is that I don't work until 10:30 tomorrow morning.  So I plan to have a lazy morning without rushing. 

 

At my new job, all of the kids rest from 12:30 to 3:00.  Now you would think that if all the kids were sleeping this would be a piece of cake!  But the truth of the situation is that not every kid goes to sleep and when they don't, it is very difficult.  Let me tell you that one screaming kid can wake a room full of sleeping friends.  And it is the policy of the center that all children remain on their cots during this rest time.  So, you can not hold a screaming child to quiet them down.  The option is to sit on the floor and pat or rub a back and hope that the child calms down and goes to sleep.  They firmly believe that all children can be trained to sleep.  What is already obvious to me, is that some children sleep and some don't.  And all that has been trained is the workers who follow the rules and hold kids down on cots.  In every room there is at least 1 or 2 children who never go to sleep.  So this "rest time" is not restful for the workers.  Additionally, all of the paperwork and planning and preparing happens during this time, as well as lunch breaks for the workers.  Makes you rethink "rest"time, doesn't it?

 

Today, to just add a little extra excitement to the day, a 23 month old child managed to pull the fire alarm - just as the children were getting ready to eat lunch.  And it was cold and rainy.  I had a momentary feeling of panic since I was not trained on the procedure for fire alarms.  I did the obvious thing.  Got the kids out of the building. So we were outside for about 20 minutes, in the cold with kids who were hungry and tired. After about 10 minutes, someone was able to get the coats for the kids.  However, they did not get the teachers coats!  That might be why I am still feeling chilled tonight. 

 

As I have been praying and keeping my eyes and ears on Jesus, there has been a couple of things that have become more clear to me.  First -  sometimes you just need to stop.

At the conference (okay, here I go again) a speaker said "When God pushes the pause button, you need to pause!"  So that is why I am in bed tonight.  Jesus made it clear to me that I need to rest.  He knows what I need!  I was thinking about those kids that never sleep during rest time.  I don't want to do that.  So, I will be resting tonight and taking advantage of extra sleep tomorrow morning.  Second - the fire alarm.  There are some things going on in my life right now and I have been hearing the sound of alarms.  Over the next couple of days I will be seeking additional revelation about these warnings.  I want to make sure that I am doing the right thing, even if the exact "procedure" is not clear to me right now. 

 

Jesus, thank you for the reminder that I need to rest.  I need to rest to recuperate from the last few weeks, but more than that, I need to rest to know how to handle the alarms I am hearing.  Thank you Holy Spirit for speaking to me and reminding me that you care for me and about my life.  Would you help others who might be feeling under the weather to PAUSE and rest?  And Jesus, help us to keep our eyes and ears on you and the amazing things you are speaking to us and showing us.   Amen

 

 

 

Day Four - So thankful for Ken

Okay, this is probably sort of a no-brainer.  But today I am sooooooo thankful for Ken.  This is a VERY OLD picture of us, back in the "good old days" when we were young and just married.  I am sure that you can guess the date, just by looking at our hair styles and clothes!  At any rate, today I have just been thinking about how good it is to remember what a blessing Ken is to me.  The fact that we ended up together is kind of amazing.  We went to the same high school (Elk Grove) and Ken was one year ahead of me.  We had many, many common friends and frequently attended parties and events at the same time.  I had one good friend who told me over and over, how much she wanted to date Ken.  He was "older" and more importantly, he had his own car.  Now I didn't think very much of Ken in high school.  And I told my friend over and over that there is no way that dating Ken was a good idea.  Nevertheless, after both of us were out of high school, we connected again at a party at a mutual friends house.  We really hit it off and, as they say, the rest is history. 
I've been thinking about God's plan for me that included Ken.  Wow, does he know what he is doing!  Even though we certainly don't agree on many things, we are really good at compromise.   I am thankful that Ken has encouraged me to go places and try things that I most likely would not ever have done.  Quite frankly, I never imaged that I would Kayak.  Yet, because Ken wanted to try this out, I agreed.  And let me tell you those Kayaks have given me adventures that I never would have had!  I mean really, how many people get to be in a kayak lifted out of the water by a Manatee? I am so looking forward to the years ahead. I am so thankful for the wisdom that Ken has, and the support that he has given me over the years regarding my work.  Just today, during a very challenging day on my new job, I was thinking about Ken's words to me.  He has assured me that if this job doesn't work out, it will be okay!  Something else will always come and I do not have to stay in a job that I don't want.  That is so freeing for me.  And I know that many people don't get that kind of support from their spouses.  I am so thankful!!!   I love the way that we laugh at the same things and can find something funny in almost anything.   (Aside to Ken..... I am still laughing about the "sleevies").   All this is to say that Jesus knew exactly who I needed.  I am so thankful  for his great plan that included giving Ken to me.

Jesus, thank you for knowing me so well and also knowing exactly the right person for me to spend my life with.  Holy Spirit, remind all reading this blog to be thankful for the people you have given them.  And Jesus, thank you for the opportunity to express my gratitude over this month!  Amen

Day three - thankful for the time change

Day three of thankfulness  - Today I am thankful for the time change.  I am one of those people that really enjoys the extra hour of sleep with the fall time change.  But, with truth telling here, I also DREAD the spring time change! (I seem to always have a problem adjusting to the jump ahead)  At any rate, today was one of those really pretty fall days.  The sky was so blue and the air was crisp but not cold.  The sun was shining brightly.  And we had an "extra" hour!  So, in order to be outside and enjoy some of this fleeting nice weather, Ken and I decided to clean up the outside summer things and also prepare for winter.  This included putting lots of stuff up into the attic in the garage.  And, can I share another thankfulness - let's call it 3.5?  I am so thankful that we have storage in our attic.  It is really bittersweet to see those beach chairs and that float go up in the attic. But because of that attic, we have plenty of room to put a car in the garage, and still have room for that snow blower! On one hand I love summer, but on the other hand, I also love the change of seasons.

Which brings me to what is on my heart tonight -  change.  I don't know about you, but I find change very difficult.  No matter what the change is.  Even when you know that after the change, things will be better.  But going through a change is, well just plain uncomfortable.    Over and over I have been hearing that this is a new season of change and that everything we have had, will be different in the future.   Yes, it seems that Jesus is bringing about a change in how things operate.  I don't really know what that means, but I do know that Jesus is in control!  And when he changes things, it will be good!  So, join me in praying that all of us can rest and be at peace even when things around us are changing - the seasons, the time, a job, your family, your church.  A very wise person said "the only thing that you can always count on is that everything will change!" In spite of all the changes, I am secure in the knowledge that Jesus never changes.  There is great comfort in that.

Jesus,  thank you for a wonderful fall day.  You are the source of our peace and joy, even when things around us seem so upsetting and so unfamiliar.   Holy Spirit, bring us all into your rest so that we can not only "get through" these changes, but thrive as we sail on into the new season.   Jesus, thank you for the wonderful, amazing new things that you have for us, just ahead through that open door.  Holy Spirit, thank you for encouraging us to walk boldly out into those changes.   Amen

Thankful for Green Stamps..........

 

Me in 1957

 I have seen that many, many people are taking the month of November to be thankful each day.  So, in order to catch up, my yesterday's post began the month, thankful for the presence of Jesus in my life.  Today, I am thankful for Green Stamps and this little rocking chair.  I have very clear memories of the Christmas that this musical rocking chair showed up under the Christmas Tree.  We had just moved to a new town and I remember well the story that my mom told about that Christmas.  All of the presents under our tree that year were acquired with Green Stamps!  (Okay - how many of you remember these? I recall spending time sitting at the kitchen table with a wet sponge to moisten the back of sheets of stamps, as we filled up those books.)



This was a crazy time for my mom, she had lost her dad and her aunt within one year, and then our family had moved to a new town.  In addition to all of this, my oldest sister was away at college, my oldest brother was in high school, other sister in junior high, brother in grade school and I was a preschooler.  Yep, this sounds like an awful lot to be dealing with.  And, there was not much money.  But with those wonderful stamps, everyone got exactly the right present.  Mine was that little chair.  I loved that chair.  It was really something that was all mine and had never belonged to one of my siblings.  I am so thankful that my mom understood how much I loved this chair.  When our family moved to Illinois when I was in 8th grade, my dad wanted to get rid of this chair.  My mom would not hear of it.  So this chair came with us.  And it stayed in my parent's attic until they retired and moved back to Minnesota.  I remember when they brought several large boxes to my present house, along with this chair.  Ken thought it was totally nuts that this stuff had been saved. 

 

Then, after Gwen was born, it was so amazing to take out this chair and have her sit in it.  This was Thanksgiving of 1981,  Before Doug was born.  I love this picture.  I know that Doug spent time sitting in that chair also, but I couldn't find any pictures to prove it.  I think that Gwen had claimed this chair and she didn't let him sit in it very often.  When she outgrew this chair, I insisted that we save it.  Ken was not very happy shifting it around in the attic, but I am so thankful that we did.

Because here is Lia, sitting in that chair in 2007.  I remember when Gwen gave me this picture.  There is something so special about seeing this chair being used by my grandkids.

And here are Ellie and Zeke in that chair in 2012.  The chair is a little beaten up now.  There are hunks of wood missing from it. But the music still played.  It really doesn't matter to me what it looks like.  It is the idea that three generations have used that chair.  And more than that, it was MY special chair. 

 

So tonight I am thankful for those Green Stamps.  I am thankful that my mom found a way to give our family a wonderful Christmas by collecting those stamps.  And I love that this chair survived so many moves and so many years of being stowed away.  And I am, once again, thankful for pictures that preserve this memory. 

 

You know, sometimes it is the smallest things that can really give you a lift.  Just looking at these pictures makes me smile.  I am sure that my mom had no idea when she picked it out, how special that little chair would be 56 years later.  Knowing that my mom made that selection especially for me, still makes my heart happy. I love how Jesus keeps reminding me of the small things that have become very important to me.  How many times have we heard that the little things make a big difference.  This is really just one very little thing that continues to have a big impact on my life.   I bet that many of you can look around and find things in your own life like this little chair.  Maybe you don't own those items any more, but you still have the memories.  Cherish these things, and more importantly, share these memories with those you love.  I wish I had told my mom exactly how much I appreciated that little chair. 

 

Jesus, thank you so much for the family that you planned for me!  Thank you for my mom and dad and the many ways that they made sure that I had  a wonderful home and many, many extras like this little chair.  Thank you for preserving this special item and these memories for me.  Holy Spirit, remind those reading this to be thankful for the smallest things.  Jesus, thank you for my family - past, present and future!  Amen





Jesus believes the plans for my life......

I know that some of you will think that I am always going to conferences when I tell you that I have been at another conference over the last two days!  But the reality is, that I rarely go to conferences and it is amazing that these two events happened back to back weekends and both driveable distance from my home.  As a matter of fact, this weeks conference really couldn't get any closer to me.  The hotel is the closest hotel to my house - about 2 miles.   So I am thankful for the location!  Both of these events featured amazing people.

 

 

Last night Chuck Pierce was the speaker and tonight was Barbara Yoder.  If you are not familiar with these people, look them up!  The Prophetic word from Chuck Pierce last night was an encouragement for the entire Chicagoland area to expect revival.  Tonight Barbara Yoder spoke about what brings revival.  And the answer is the presence of Jesus.  Barbara told her own testimony and I was struck by the memory of my own encounter with the real presence of Jesus.  When Barbara spoke about being alone in her bedroom, I was remembering being alone in my living room.  I hadn't really spoken to anyone about the growing hunger I was feeling to understand if all this "church" stuff was really the truth.  I had been reading many, many books about the Charismatic Renewal and I just wanted to know if this stuff was real.  So, all by myself, I simply asked the question that had been in my head for so long....... "Jesus, is this really true?"  And just as Barbara said happened to her, Jesus walked into my living room that night.  From that time on, I have KNOWN the very real presence of Jesus.  It is not a sort of thing.  I know the truth.  And that truth changed everything in my life. 

 

So, what does the title of this blog post have to do with this?  Well, earlier today I got one of those "God's word for you today" messages and it was short and simple.... "God believes in you".  So, I have been pondering that word today.  Then, tonight at the meeting, one of the filler slides had the title quote - "Jesus believes the plans for my life".  Given that message two different times today probably means that there is something in that message I need to listen to! 

 

So.... to recap

1) Expect a revival in Chicagoland!

2) All we need is an encounter with the presence Jesus!

3) All you have to do to experience an encounter with Jesus is ask!

4) Jesus believes in the plans he has for your life!

 

Jesus, Father, Holy Spirit, will you remind all of us that you believe in us.  You have a great and wonderful destiny for your people and you believe in that plan.  Thank you Holy Spirit for your working that brings us into the truth of the powerful presence of Jesus.  Thank you that you always come when we are seeking you.  Holy Spirit will you encourage anyone reading this blog who is fearful or apprehensive but really wants to experience your presence in a deeper way, to just ask!  Thank you for your great faithfulness!  Amen