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God’s Lesson Plan for Me
(This is somewhat of a long post for me because of all my copying and pasting of stuff I’ve read lately.)
I love it when God keeps bringing the same topic to my attention. I like to think of it as His lesson plan for me. About a week ago a precious friend e-mailed me the following devotional from Proverbs 31 Ministries.
I stared into the frustrated eyes of my friend last week as we talked about her calling to write. She has big, big dreams, and her dreams seem to be coming true far too slowly.
I told her how much I understood. Stepping into my calling was a long time coming, too.
My specific calling is to teach, speak and write. Your calling may fall into a myriad of other categories, but every calling is equally high when it's in obedience to the Most High. We're ALL called to ministry of some sort.
My calling didn't materialize in a year. It has unfolded during the last 35 years, and each phase of that unfolding has shaped and re-determined the final product (which I know won't be final until my last breath!).
The unfolding looked kind of like this:
Becoming a passionate teacher of young children.
Marrying my best friend.
Investing years in my little boys' lives.
Teaching adults as they chased dreams that passed them by in their teens.
Volunteering in women's ministry.
Visiting home after home as the "Welcome Wagon Lady" in my new town.
Accepting invitations to speak at my church and others close by.
Joining the Proverbs 31 Ministries' speaker team.
Returning to a frustrating year of elementary school teaching.
Stepping in to my calling of equipping others in their calling.
I've look at my list many times and thought, "Wow. I wasted a lot of years." But I've come to realize it's just not true. Every relationship, every job, every opportunity has prepared me. Psalm 90:17 reminds me that God establishes the work of my hands. With each change, I've had an opportunity to view that next place as stepping into a calling. Sometimes I did. Sometimes I didn't.
Often I was irritated at the seeming meaninglessness of what I was doing, but now I see. Every diaper changed, every knee kissed, every book read, every late night listening, every dying to self, every lesson plan made, every story crafted, every presentation made, every meeting attended, every spreadsheet created, EVERY THING...
It all counted.
Every moment was an unfolding of my eventual calling. God used each stepping stone to establish the work I'm doing now.
Don't despair today when you can't see it. Obey God and trust that He is working. His timing is so rarely ours, but it is always perfect. Instead of chaffing under the seemingly mundane, embrace each task as a building block for the dreams in your heart. Don't give up hope.
I promise ... it's coming.
I love it when God keeps bringing the same topic to my attention. I like to think of it as His lesson plan for me. About a week ago a precious friend e-mailed me the following devotional from Proverbs 31 Ministries.
I stared into the frustrated eyes of my friend last week as we talked about her calling to write. She has big, big dreams, and her dreams seem to be coming true far too slowly.
I told her how much I understood. Stepping into my calling was a long time coming, too.
My specific calling is to teach, speak and write. Your calling may fall into a myriad of other categories, but every calling is equally high when it's in obedience to the Most High. We're ALL called to ministry of some sort.
My calling didn't materialize in a year. It has unfolded during the last 35 years, and each phase of that unfolding has shaped and re-determined the final product (which I know won't be final until my last breath!).
The unfolding looked kind of like this:
Becoming a passionate teacher of young children.
Marrying my best friend.
Investing years in my little boys' lives.
Teaching adults as they chased dreams that passed them by in their teens.
Volunteering in women's ministry.
Visiting home after home as the "Welcome Wagon Lady" in my new town.
Accepting invitations to speak at my church and others close by.
Joining the Proverbs 31 Ministries' speaker team.
Returning to a frustrating year of elementary school teaching.
Stepping in to my calling of equipping others in their calling.
I've look at my list many times and thought, "Wow. I wasted a lot of years." But I've come to realize it's just not true. Every relationship, every job, every opportunity has prepared me. Psalm 90:17 reminds me that God establishes the work of my hands. With each change, I've had an opportunity to view that next place as stepping into a calling. Sometimes I did. Sometimes I didn't.
Often I was irritated at the seeming meaninglessness of what I was doing, but now I see. Every diaper changed, every knee kissed, every book read, every late night listening, every dying to self, every lesson plan made, every story crafted, every presentation made, every meeting attended, every spreadsheet created, EVERY THING...
It all counted.
Every moment was an unfolding of my eventual calling. God used each stepping stone to establish the work I'm doing now.
Don't despair today when you can't see it. Obey God and trust that He is working. His timing is so rarely ours, but it is always perfect. Instead of chaffing under the seemingly mundane, embrace each task as a building block for the dreams in your heart. Don't give up hope.
I promise ... it's coming.
And then just four nights later I read this in my Jesus Calling devotional book.
When I give you no special guidance, stay where you are. Concentrate on doing your everyday tasks in awareness of My Presence with you.
When I give you no special guidance, stay where you are. Concentrate on doing your everyday tasks in awareness of My Presence with you.
I have spent a lot of time lately thinking I needed to be doing something else and something more but nothing has been reveled to me yet. One of my friends is home from his first year of missions and he will be leaving at the end of the month to pursue missions full time. During my second visit with him, I told him that I felt like I was doing nothing in comparison to him. He’s been in Australia, England, India and China spreading the Word. I couldn’t help but reflect on what I have been doing this past year.
I’ve had this deep yearning for more. I have also been a little frustrated that I wasn’t being called to do something. Doors have always opened for me when I’ve had this feeling before. It has always been clear as to where I need to be. I’ve told my friends a lot lately that I just need to have a particular mission and that I want to do something that will make a difference. But just as God so perfectly does, He spoke to me. I am not one to say I’ve ever heard God’s voice but God definitely speaks to me in many forms. Just like when all of a sudden a friend forwards me her devotional for the day and it is the answer to what I’ve been searching for. And then again, a few nights later I read the only words that could comfort me “stay where you are.” I am so amazed that God cares so much about me to speak to me and tell me exactly what it is that I need to hear. No, I may not being doing what I consider to be great things but I am where God wants me to be. I have not been told to stay. Everything is all a part of His plan. Every person I come in contact with, every opportunity and every hardship is all a part of the plan.
Mini Au Gratin Potato Stacks Recipe
Mini Au Gratin Potato Stacks
(This was inspired by the Rosemary Potato Stacks pin on Pinterest. I made those first and didn’t like the Rosemary so I decided to come up with my own variation and everything is better with cheese. )
Place cupcake tins in muffin pan
Lightly spray the tins with cooking spray
Slice 4 large potatoes very thin (half inch thick)
In a large mixing bowl mix together the following ingredients:
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
¼ cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste
Place around 4 slices of potatoes in muffin tins and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Let's Get Real
One of my favorite things about my relationship with G is how well we both know our own strengths and weaknesses in our marriage now. I know what I bring to the table (the good and bad) and he does too. As we are nearing our second anniversary, I can honestly say I’ve never been happier in our relationship. I am not trying to paint you a perfect little picture because it is far from that. It is just knowing where I am weak and strong and vise versa has somewhat taken some of the pressure off. He now knows I am cranky without sleep. I know he takes four years at the grocery store. I can’t really qualify it but coming to terms with who we are in our relationship has made a remarkable difference. The best part of nearing two years of marriage is I know his annoying traits and he knows mine. And by knowing them we can laugh at each other and try to see past all those annoyances. Here are a few random conversations or situations that are pure examples of us.
We had just left a marriage ceremony for a family friend. They had a hand ceremony, where they held one another’s hands and the preacher said something along the lines of, “these are the hands you will hold when you are happy, sad, weak and strong”. We got to the car and I held G’s hands and said, “and these are the hands you will want to choke one another with”. He laughed and said he thought the same thing.
The other night I somehow managed G to watch part of Sex and the City 2 the movie. There’s a part where Big and Carrie decide that they are going to be away from each other for two nights a week. I told G that didn’t sound like a bad idea. He in return tells me I preferred our original setup when we were dating in college long distance with 2 nights together and 5 nights apart. I told him that sounded even better.
We had just sat down to dinner after a long day and our door bell rings. I tell G to ignore it. Our cars where in the garage and none of our front lights were on. He told me that maybe one of the neighbors needed something. (Like people still borrow a cup of sugar from their neighbors!) He goes to the door and it is solicitors. He listens to their spill for over 15 minutes. I get impatient. Imagine that! I go to the door and tell the solicitors that we just sat down to dinner and that they need to come back at a later date. G stands there dumbfounded that I just did that. I closed the door and he tells me that they are just trying to earn a living like we are. Oh my!
So you see folks, life isn’t as grand as we make it all out to be or as G says as everyone makes their life out to be on facebook. My husband annoys me more than any other person on this earth and vise versa. But he is my husband. The one that is there holding my hand when things get rough, even when I’ve wanted to choke him with those same hands earlier that same day. So laugh at yourself and stop focusing on where the other one falls short but take notice of where they go long.
We had just left a marriage ceremony for a family friend. They had a hand ceremony, where they held one another’s hands and the preacher said something along the lines of, “these are the hands you will hold when you are happy, sad, weak and strong”. We got to the car and I held G’s hands and said, “and these are the hands you will want to choke one another with”. He laughed and said he thought the same thing.
The other night I somehow managed G to watch part of Sex and the City 2 the movie. There’s a part where Big and Carrie decide that they are going to be away from each other for two nights a week. I told G that didn’t sound like a bad idea. He in return tells me I preferred our original setup when we were dating in college long distance with 2 nights together and 5 nights apart. I told him that sounded even better.
We had just sat down to dinner after a long day and our door bell rings. I tell G to ignore it. Our cars where in the garage and none of our front lights were on. He told me that maybe one of the neighbors needed something. (Like people still borrow a cup of sugar from their neighbors!) He goes to the door and it is solicitors. He listens to their spill for over 15 minutes. I get impatient. Imagine that! I go to the door and tell the solicitors that we just sat down to dinner and that they need to come back at a later date. G stands there dumbfounded that I just did that. I closed the door and he tells me that they are just trying to earn a living like we are. Oh my!
So you see folks, life isn’t as grand as we make it all out to be or as G says as everyone makes their life out to be on facebook. My husband annoys me more than any other person on this earth and vise versa. But he is my husband. The one that is there holding my hand when things get rough, even when I’ve wanted to choke him with those same hands earlier that same day. So laugh at yourself and stop focusing on where the other one falls short but take notice of where they go long.
Warm Weather Bucket List
I’ve made this known before but I hate cold weather. I am truly grateful for the mild winter we just had. I love all things spring and summer (except bugs but nothing is perfect). I’ve decided I am not going to get my September blues this year once things start to get cold and think of all the
things I should have done while the weather was warm. This year I am going to
make a list and do them all.
1. Go to the beach more than once. We have a trip planned in June and I want to go to the Gulf or Saint Simons before October.
2. Have friends over to cook out as often as possible.
3. Get a tan. Seriously, this year it is going to happen. My sweet husband just clipped a coupon for 50% off any tanning package and this girl got a 3 month unlimited package.
4. Grill at least twice a week. Oh wait, I always do that in the summer too. I don’t use the oven
in the summer time.
5. Take advantage of the neighborhood pool every opportunity
possible. That means late afternoons, weekends, by myself and with friends.
6. Go to the river more than once. I grew up on the Tennessee River and it kills me that I NEVER
get out on the lake now in the summer. If it means going home to Florence then that is what I will have to do.
7. Watch G play golf once. Marriage is about compromise and considering I haven’t watched him play since 2008, I think it is time.
8. Girls trip! It is an absolute must. I don’t care when or where but it has to happen.
9. Eat as many fresh veggies as possible. Love me some summer squash!
10. Wear nothing but sun dresses. Oh wait, I always do that in the summer.
11. Take advantage of Arrington Vineyards being 12 miles away.
12. Hang out with our niece and nephews as much as possible while they are out of school.
things I should have done while the weather was warm. This year I am going to
make a list and do them all.
1. Go to the beach more than once. We have a trip planned in June and I want to go to the Gulf or Saint Simons before October.
2. Have friends over to cook out as often as possible.
3. Get a tan. Seriously, this year it is going to happen. My sweet husband just clipped a coupon for 50% off any tanning package and this girl got a 3 month unlimited package.
4. Grill at least twice a week. Oh wait, I always do that in the summer too. I don’t use the oven
in the summer time.
5. Take advantage of the neighborhood pool every opportunity
possible. That means late afternoons, weekends, by myself and with friends.
6. Go to the river more than once. I grew up on the Tennessee River and it kills me that I NEVER
get out on the lake now in the summer. If it means going home to Florence then that is what I will have to do.
7. Watch G play golf once. Marriage is about compromise and considering I haven’t watched him play since 2008, I think it is time.
8. Girls trip! It is an absolute must. I don’t care when or where but it has to happen.
9. Eat as many fresh veggies as possible. Love me some summer squash!
10. Wear nothing but sun dresses. Oh wait, I always do that in the summer.
11. Take advantage of Arrington Vineyards being 12 miles away.
12. Hang out with our niece and nephews as much as possible while they are out of school.
Pace Wedding
This past weekend, I went home for a childhood friend’s wedding. Brant has been like a brother to me for nearly half of our lives. His family has become family to my family. And even their friends and extended family have become our friends and extended family. Over the years, we have spent holidays and vacationed with the Pace family. They’ve always had the philosophy of there is always room for one more to love. I don’t know of any other family that is so welcoming and loving. The entire Pace crew (family and friends) have brought so much love and joy to my family’s life. I’ve said this several times but there really is no greater gift in life than friendship.
I had the privilege of playing photographer at Brant and Megan’s wedding reception. It kind of rekindled my love for photography again. I hope to get out my camera more often. Here are a few of the shots I am happy to show off.
I had the privilege of playing photographer at Brant and Megan’s wedding reception. It kind of rekindled my love for photography again. I hope to get out my camera more often. Here are a few of the shots I am happy to show off.
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Great Day
Ever have one of those days where you go to bed that night and think, “wow, this was a truly great day”? I know I thank God for everyday even the bad ones because I know my blessings are still countless. But a couple of weeks ago, I had one of those days for me when it was just an incredible day and packed full of blessings.
I had to go to drug court …. for Leadership Rutherford credit (a leadership program I am going through). I just like the shock factor of saying that. You should have heard my phone conversation with my dad when I told him. I know he held his breath for a moment and thought if he was hearing me right. Especially, considering that I was his child on my senior trip who called him to come get me because one of the guys had pot in his room. Anyways,I expected court to be just a bunch of people getting some measly little sentences for their offenses. I did get to see a few minutes of this which was very interesting for me because I have never been inside a courtroom. Then I had the unique opportunity of watching over 15 people who are going through a recovery support program in lieu of jail time report to the judge about their progress with the program. Almost every single person had a job, tested drug free and was going through AA. A huge part of the program is attending multiple weekly meetings to talk about their addiction and ways to cope. They also all have to report to the judge weekly to discuss their progress. Since several of us where there from Leadership Rutherford the judge had the people going through the program address us. They had the opportunity to share with what the program had done for them. Over and over we heard “for the first time in my life: I am responsible for my own actions, I am trusted by loved ones, I am going to give birth to a baby without drugs in their system, I am able to pay my own bills, I have confidence, and I have a full time job. Each one of them had their head held high and was so proud to share their progress. When they finished the judge gave us the opportunity to ask questions about the program and address the participants. I was choking back tears so I didn’t say anything but I am so glad two of the men in our class addressed them. They both echoed my thoughts. They both told them how inspiring they are and if they can overcome addiction they can do anything. At the end of the year, I know I will not remember everything that I was taught during the program but I know I will not forget this experience. This experience made a lasting impression on me and one I hope remains with me.
I had to go to drug court …. for Leadership Rutherford credit (a leadership program I am going through). I just like the shock factor of saying that. You should have heard my phone conversation with my dad when I told him. I know he held his breath for a moment and thought if he was hearing me right. Especially, considering that I was his child on my senior trip who called him to come get me because one of the guys had pot in his room. Anyways,I expected court to be just a bunch of people getting some measly little sentences for their offenses. I did get to see a few minutes of this which was very interesting for me because I have never been inside a courtroom. Then I had the unique opportunity of watching over 15 people who are going through a recovery support program in lieu of jail time report to the judge about their progress with the program. Almost every single person had a job, tested drug free and was going through AA. A huge part of the program is attending multiple weekly meetings to talk about their addiction and ways to cope. They also all have to report to the judge weekly to discuss their progress. Since several of us where there from Leadership Rutherford the judge had the people going through the program address us. They had the opportunity to share with what the program had done for them. Over and over we heard “for the first time in my life: I am responsible for my own actions, I am trusted by loved ones, I am going to give birth to a baby without drugs in their system, I am able to pay my own bills, I have confidence, and I have a full time job. Each one of them had their head held high and was so proud to share their progress. When they finished the judge gave us the opportunity to ask questions about the program and address the participants. I was choking back tears so I didn’t say anything but I am so glad two of the men in our class addressed them. They both echoed my thoughts. They both told them how inspiring they are and if they can overcome addiction they can do anything. At the end of the year, I know I will not remember everything that I was taught during the program but I know I will not forget this experience. This experience made a lasting impression on me and one I hope remains with me.
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