Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to my man. 

 I think the most amazing role my man plays is being the father to our kids. 

 But, even better than that is when I watch him step up and play a father role to children that don't have fathers, or at least active fathers in their lives.

My man is the most christ-like when he is loving on the

 orphan or the fatherless.

Psalm 68:5-6English Standard Version (ESV)

5 

Father of the fatherless and protector of widows

    is God in his holy habitation.

6 

God settles the solitary in a home;

    he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,

    but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

  He LOVES and cares for, and prays for, and supports and disciples kids beyond the ones that have his
 last name.

My heart goes out to the hundreds of millions (literally) of kids that don't have fathers or at least present fathers in their lives.

 I tend to filter most people and society's problems to thru the 

"fatherlessness"
lens.

I take so much comfort in knowing that our God is the father to the fatherless and even for those of us that have present earthly fathers there will always be places and times in our lives when they can't be there or they can't play the perfect father role because we are living in a very broken world where nobody is perfect.

So for all the fatherless, and even for those of us that don't have perfect fathers, or for  fathers that aren't perfect, ( that would be everybody) take heart, because we all have a 

PERFECT PERFECT HEAVENLY FATHER THAT WILL NEVER NEVER NEVER FAIL US. 

 HE IS FAITHFUL!!!

Moving On

I couldn't be prouder of my parents.  They have sold all they have and are on the road.

  It was hard to see them leave. I have lived with them or within 5 miles of them my whole entire life.  It is bitter sweet as it will be very strange to not have them within reach, but I'm mostly happy for them as they get to be free of the burden of stuff and be open and available for a new journey.

 They have decided to not hang onto the treasures of this world that rust and mold and be free of stuff and mobile to GO wherever the Lord leads them.

Matthew 6:19

[ Treasures in Heaven ] “Do not store up for 

yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

  They have everything they own in a little trailer and they are moving on. 

 They have kids and grandkids living all over the place and they have decided to just move about and figure it out as they go. 

 They get to make a sweep across the U.S.A. and pick up their new house on wheels and visit with family that they have missed so much.

We sent them off with a prayer of blessing and protection.  

We asked the Lord to lead them and keep them safe and guide them as they GO forward each and everyday.

Exodus 23:20 (NIV)

God’s Angel to Prepare the Way

20 “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.

They are leaving the home and community that they have lived in and loved so much, but it has become so clear to them as they have sought the Lord's direction that this is

" NOT OUR HOME."

 They have been blessed and thankful to live where they have for so long, but they are ready to move on.

2 Corinthians 5:1 (ESV)

Our Heavenly Dwelling

5 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Just this week, a book was released about some of the history and experiences in their lives.

I am proud of my mom and  dad being vulnerable enough to allow their story to be written. 

 It has been humbling to have their lives, including weaknesses and failures published for all to read.

The Lord can use us best when we are willing to be vulnerable and expose our weaknesses and let His strength, healing and forgiveness shine through and take over.

 I have never ever seen my parents with so much peace and joy and calmness in their lives, as I watch the grace that is promised move them.

2 Corinthians 12:9New International Version (NIV)

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Happy Father's Day to my dad!

He is "A Better Man".

Joy Update!

I can't believe my Joy is 3 months old. 

This sweet little Cellie Joy has seriously brought more joy to our lives than I can even express.
  It's amazing how every time you have a baby or a grand baby you swear this one is the
 BEST of the BEST.  
Welllllllll let me just say that it is true
 EVERY SINGLE TIME
 and this time is no exception. 

 I used to the think the more kids you had the more help you had, and this is true,

 but what is even more fun is,

 the more kids you have the more people you get to share your 

JOY

 with. 

I even catch Goose (Kole) getting a kick out of her.  This morning he had her giggling and he was laughing as hard as she was.

Reece and Mik both ended the school year with an award.  These 2 boys are the 2 that don't care much for school and they ended so strong. 
 I could not be prouder than I am of these 2. 
 I know what they did, and accomplished did not come easy for either one of them and they buckled down and did it. 
 Their abundance of energy makes it difficult to focus at school and they really have to work extra hard at staying on task. 
Mik got an award from one of his teachers and Reece got an award from his Principal.   

Luke and Mik both made All-Stars! 
 It is so much fun once again to watch brothers play on the same team.

Esther and Kennedy have been best of friends since day one and they got to take a little trip to Wyoming together and it was a win win win for all. 
 These girls really do bring out the best in each other.
And that is the BEST kind of friendship.

Women's Bible study has started! 

 YES YES YES!!!!

  There is no better way for me to keep my head and heart in the game, than to get in the Word with a bunch of women every week.

Colossians 1:10-12New International Version (NIV)

10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father,who has qualified you[a] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.

There ya have it....Summer so far!

Sticky Note Prayers

While most churches take a break from women's Bible study gatherings for the summer, our church gets revved  up. 

 I LOVE that we are part of a church body that does crazy abnormal things.  :)

God is not a cookie cutter God, He is so creative and the more we look to Him every day for every activity the more wonderfully abnormal we are and the more crazy beautiful He can make us.  

I was praying about what this summer Bible study would look like and how we can get the most out of it.  I know for a fact I am not interested in just putting in my time, or going through the motions, and I know the women that have committed to coming are not interested in just putting another thing on the 

"to-do list".  

We are all busy and summers are too short and packed as it is.

I was asking the Lord for direction on every detail of our time together, and especially wanting to know how to handle our prayer time as a group.

 He gave me a picture in my mind that I thought was just too good not to share, because I believe it applies to a lot of women.

The picture was of God sitting on His throne, so beautiful and full of love, and women were scurrying, almost like mice, back and forth  and back and forth to Him without even really looking at Him.

Each time they came to Him they brought him little sticky notes, and once in while, in His presence, they would jot something down on a sticky note and take it back with them to where they came.  Back and forth and back and forth these women would go.  

They were busy and active and doing the same quick repeated motions over and over.

God was showing me a picture of what we, as women do with God so many times.  

We just take Him sticky notes; constant quick prayer requests, for our kids, and our spouses, and our parents and our friends, our friend's kids, our nieces and nephews and grand kids and on and on the sticky notes go.
 We bring all our requests to Him, which is good and right and biblical, but instead of hanging around in His presence long enough to actually connect with God, and let Him minister to OUR hearts and fill US with His love, we are just giving him sticky notes.
 Once in awhile we give Him a moment to speak to us and we quickly jot it down to pass on to this person or that person rather than just soaking it in for a moment and letting it minister to us.

 I am ALL ALL ALL for praying for our families and our loved ones and prayer chains, and prayer groups, prayer partners, prayer prayer prayer,
 ALL OF IT ALL OF THE TIME.
  I find myself  leaving it at that too many times.

 I use up all my time with Him telling Him my requests for this person or that person, and not even really knowing what I need, or addressing any of my heart issues.

I have tried a few times now, to just spend my time with God, just focusing on our relationship and telling Him what is on my heart and my mind besides everyone I know and love.

  The crazy thing is, all I could come up with is the sticky notes, bringing my kids and grand kids and husband and friends and on and on the sticky notes go again.

Our relationship won't grow, 
I won't come to know Him better
 or look more like Him if all I do is a sticky note routine.

I think of it in terms of when my kids get home from school and I ask how their day was.  If they were to tell me about everyone in their class except for about themselves and how their day was, I would feel disconnected.
 Or worse yet, if they just handed me the note from their teacher and ran off again without saying a word.

 I know that God knows it all and He knows me better than I know myself, but if I leave it at that  I'm only shorting myself.  I find myself saying to God,
 "You know my heart and what is best for me, so just do what is best."
There is no passion, or relationship or growth in that, it's a go thru the motions kinda prayer,
 I want more, I want more of Him.

 There's more of Him than what I'm getting.
I want to be satisfied first thing in the morning and have it last all day, this is my prayer:

Psalm 90:14 (NIV)

14 

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,

    that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

If we want to connect with God, we have to come before Him and let Him work in us, not just in the people we love so much and care for, but in us.

 This is the one area we can be completely 
selfish
 because there is more than enough to go around.

John 7:37-38English Standard Version (ESV)

Rivers of Living Water

³⁷ On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as^[a]the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

He is enough to fill us up and all of our loved ones, we don't have to keep going to the back of the line,
He can fill us and satisfy us everyday for eternity!

I honestly don't even know what I need or am passionate about most of the time, but here's the beauty of it, God does know me better than I know myself, and in order for me to connect with Him, and be of any use to those that I love,
 I need to get in tune to 
His Spirit 
that lives inside of me.  

I'm excited to see what it looks like when a group of women hold off on the sticky notes for an hour a week and get completely selfish with Jesus and let Him come alive in us.

Psalm 16:11English Standard Version (ESV)

11 

You make known to me the path of life;

    in your presence there is fullness of joy;

    at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

The Best Summer Plans!

I have been praying about

 SUMMER. 

 Not your typical summer prayers of good weather, health and fun.

I have been praying this, 

 "GOD HELP ME, 

there is a lot of people gonna be home a lot of hours and they are 

exhausting  awesome".

I love summer and I love my house full of kids,

but summer can go one of two directions.  

1.)  It can be a fun and productive time spent together,

 or

2.)  it can be a fast moving train that just  hits me from behind before I realize it's coming, 

and runs me over, 

and when I finally look up, 

I don't even know what hit me.

And then, it's over,

 just like that.

My prayer leading up to

 SUMMER

 has included these things:

A good schedule, but also a breather of sorts.

  Structure without being rigid and monotonous .  

 I want it to be fun, but not out of control. 

I PRAY FOR 

WILD PEACE 

AND 

HAPPY CHAOS!!

(There is happy chaos * thank you Betty for that term*, 

and I only pray for  the happy kind ).

 I want to enjoy the kids, and yet, not feel overwhelmed by all the different ages and stages and energy of everyone. 

 I pray for fun activities that don't break the bank 

or 

make me lose my mind.

I want us all to grow and learn

 without getting fat and sassy.

So this is what the Lord gave me:

Colossians 1:28-29

28 So everywhere we (Charlie and Jenay) go we talk about Christ to all (our kids) who will listen, warning them and teaching them as well as we know how. We want to be able to present each (kid) one to God, perfect because of what Christ has done for each of them. 29 This is my work, and I (Jenay) can do it only because Christ’s mighty energy (Glory to God) is at work within me.

 I added the parenthesis and personalized this verse, and you can too.  

My job this summer and forever is to prepare and teach my kids to be in relationship with Christ and to present them perfectly to God!  

**If Christ lives in them, they are perfect before God 

(even when they screw up)!** 

  In all the things I've been praying about;

 the fun, the schedule, the work, the play,

 the everything, 

can all be done with 

HIS ENERGY (GLORY to GOD)

 if I keep the focus on 

Christ alone

 and look to HIM in everything we do, every day all day long.

For people who don't know Jesus Christ personally, but only know religion, this could seem like a scary and boring summer plan.  

They might picture in their mind a summer full of serious studying and strict quiet time and rigid chores, and boring and bland food and activities.  

I know for sure it's the total opposite.  

God gives the greatest gifts and He is the most loving Father.

  He is so much fun and so generous with his gifts. 

He has given us His creation to enjoy.

 His creation includes all the greatest people, playgrounds, and animals and resources and senses, 

AND HIS ENERGY (Glory to God)

 to enjoy these marvelous things.  

So when I hand over my summer to Him and ask Him for

 His energy (Glory! To! GOD!)

 to make it the best summer possible, I know He can be trusted.

I gave my summer plans and my life plans to my Father; the best boss, time manager, party planner, travel agent, coach, and counselor, 

MY CREATOR and MY KING.

I laid all my requests and plans and ideas and kids at His feet and said, 

"Please give us what we need and help us to do it in 

YOUR ENERGY." 

(G.L.O.R.Y. To G.O.D.)