I'm Afraid Not

I seldom like corny humor. But this little ditty is an exception. I saw it posted on Facebook and it made me laugh. Maybe because it's a play on words, it appealed to me. Writers like word things. Or maybe it's because I've been married almost 25 years to a man who loves corny humor. Either way, I hope you're laughing too and not feeling like this frayed knot. Happy Wacky Wednesday!

Linda

Grace

Having just written a post for Me Monday about being late on publishing yesterday's post, I thought this might be a good follow-up for Timeless Tuesday. What's more timeless than grace? What is grace? Undeserved favor. It's kindness when we deserve condemnation. Our mistakes are never wasted in the hands of our awesome God. They serve a purpose, rather than shaming us. Maybe they spur us on in a new direction or make us regret a decision we made so we can make better choices in the future. Maybe they make us realize how very much we need to rely on God because we're so dreadfully inadequate on our own. Whatever. Just remember that because of God, even our mistakes have a purpose. And that is huge. Have a great, grace-filled Tuesday.

I Am Late With This Post

Happy Me Monday, where I share a little bit about myself. What you need to know about me this week is that I'm late with posting this because I didn't have time to write anything prior to right now. Mind you, it's three o'clock in the afternoon here in sunny Arizona and I usually schedule my posts to come out at five in the morning. But I just didn't have time.

Well, that's not entirely true. I just didn't have the functioning brain cells needed to write when I actually had the time. I only had enough to troll Facebook and watch mindless TV. So that's what I did.

Over the weekend my husband turned 61 and my former youth leaders turned 80. We celebrated both as much as we could. We also saw a couple movies, laid some new flooring in my daughter's room, went to church, taught a Sunday school class, and sang on the worship team. Then we went to a meeting after church about how our church can reach out to our community better and be more visitor friendly. We had lunch with church friends after the meeting and went home to take a nap. Got up in time to watch the lunar supermoon eclipse with friends, then played cards afterwards.

It was a busy weekend and I loved every minute of it. But there was no writing time. And the previous week was about as hectic.

So there's my story and I'm sticking to it. No apology though, because I never want this writing gig to get in the way of actually living. I spent time with those I love and celebrated their lives. I took care of myself by getting some much needed rest. Isn't that what the Sabbath is all about?

So that's a little bit about me today. I'm late. Who cares? I'm choosing not to go crazy over it.

I hope you'll grant yourself a little grace, too, when things get hectic and you don't accomplish all you set out to do. It's OK. Breathe. Let it go. The world is still turning and God is in control. Isn't that a relief?

Linda

Bad Can Lead to Best

I'm learning this, but it takes time and experience to see the best things that emerge from the bad things that happen. So don't despair if you're in the midst of one of the "bad things." It's all good in the hands of God. He's a specialist in making good come from bad. Hand it over to Him and watch Him work. There's no one else who can be trusted with your life.

Linda

Fonts Matter

When we speak, our tone reflects if we're being playful, angry, tired, or threatening. In writing, we have to use other methods. Like fonts. Here's a great example that made me laugh. Have a great Wednesday!

Linda

Be Like a Tree

Trees are one of God's greatest creations. They're beautiful, provide shade, give off carbon dioxide, are flexible in storms, create lovely swishing music, and are homes for creatures, both large and small. But why just enjoy trees when you can actually BE like one? Happy Timeless Tuesday! 

Linda

I Love Getting the Mail

Happy Me Monday, where I tell you a tidbit about myself.

I love getting the mail. I bet you didn't know that about me.

I think this probably began in my teen years when there was no Internet or texting or e-mail. If you heard from someone who lived far away, it was usually by mail because long distance calling was too expensive. Did I mention there were no cell phones with free long distance either? Yeah. I'm that old.

Anyway, I used to go to a national church youth camp back in my high school days. It was held in Indiana and I'm from Arizona. I always had a blast traveling there with my church youth group. At that camp, I met a lot of other Christian kids and forged some solid friendships, some that continue to this day. This may sound like no big deal to you younger folks, but it IS a big deal because you have no idea how much effort it took to stay in touch back then.

We had to actually hand-write letters. I always used notebook paper, which was my favorite stationary at the time. I could fit a lot onto those big, blank sheets of lined paper. Most of my letter-writing was done with boys I liked. (Stay with me here because you're about to understand why I love getting the mail.) I'd write a long tome of a letter and send it on its merry way after addressing and stamping the envelope. Back then, I had addresses memorized for the special people I wrote to most often.Same with phone numbers. No speed-dial or list of contacts in my phone to look for and then simply hit call. No sir-ee. We had to punch each and every number every single time we called. They soon were committed to memory. But I digress.

So I'd walk that long letter in its bulging envelope to my mailbox, raise the red flag on the box, and wait for the mailman to pick it up. In about three days, it would arrive at its destination. Meanwhile, I'd wait. Did he get my letter? Was he reading it now? Had he written back yet? Was it on its way back to me?

It usually took about two weeks to get a response from the time I mailed the letter. Almost a week of that was travel time. The waiting almost drove me to madness. I'd check the mailbox every day and be either disappointed or delighted by what was or was not in there. When the letter arrived, my friend and I would go over it line by line, looking for clues to decipher what the guy's true feelings were. Did he just like me or really like me?

Nowadays, I still love to get the mail. My husband is self-employed and we often get our payments in the mail. Ka-ching! Yes! A check came today! Or a thank-you note, a picture from our grandkids, or coupons to a favorite restaurant. There's always something to look forward to, even if something fun doesn't come every day.

But what about the bills? Aren't they a bit of a bummer, you say? They could be, but I like to think of them as blessing reminders. If I didn't have a house, I wouldn't have a mortgage payment or an electric bill. Thanks, God for shelter. And nice shelter at that. And thanks for cell phones, cars, cable TV, and all those other things I pay for every month. Every good and perfect gift comes down from God.

So yeah, I love getting the mail every day. A bonus is that when I pull out the key to go to the mailbox, our cute little chihuahua, Kobi, comes running. He trots to the living room and lays down and waits for me to come back with a handful of mail. It's our little routine and I love it. I think Kobi loves getting the mail, too.

If they ever quit delivering mail, even just on Saturday like they sometimes threaten, I'm gonna be one sad girl.

How about you? Do you like getting the mail or dread it? Let me hear from you in the comments. And thanks for reading!

Linda

Being an Adult

Can you relate? I sure can. But I wouldn't go back to being a teenager for anything. I'd rather have a sore back, be exhausted and confused about where things are. Do I hear an amen? Have a great Wednesday.

Linda

Why Foundations Matter

This post originally appeared on Swallows in My Kitchen Window. It's one of my favorite blogs. Check it out. I'm reblogging it with Christine's permission.

Somewhere, buried in the foundational concrete in our home, is a shoebox size Rubbermaid container. And in that container is a Bible. And highlighted in the Bible are these verses:

 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”  ~ Matthew 7:24 & 25

We built our house and we wanted to let our children know that everything we did, as parents, as humans, was meant to stand on the belief that from God, and God alone, came the structure of everything else. So we had a little ceremony, just the five of us,  each of us humbly praying for our home and those in it to always stand on the rock that God is.

We’ve tried to live always standing firmly on that foundation of our faith; sometimes we accomplish it and other times we don’t. Sometimes it’s easy and sometimes it isn’t.

But still…

It’s a foundation.

I was reminded of that small, private ceremony the other day, when my daughter called out to me on Labor Day that the tree house was falling over.

As you can see in the photo above, it’s hanging precariously, wedged in by a few trees, and those trees are all that’s keeping it from crashing down.  I’m literally just praying that it doesn’t cause one of the trees to snap and crash into the back of the house. One of the floor joist pieces had rotted, and that’s all it took for the entire thing to begin to list.

This tree house was a labor of love that took much, much longer than it should have.  And much, much more money than it should have.  What started out to be just a fun family project using up leftover scraps of wood, roofing, and siding that had been laying around the house for a few years, became an all-consuming task that ate up weekends and months and perhaps even years.

We finished it just about the time our kids were a little too old to want to go hang out in a tree house, sadly.  They still played in it – a bit – but not with the fervor that they had anticipated when we started building it.  Sometimes they went out to read Artemis Fowl books or just get away when they needed time to cool down from an argument with someone in the house, but it wasn’t used the way it was intended to be used.

And really, with our kids grown, we haven’t been particularly strict about maintaining it to the same degree we do our house house.

Which all got me to thinking about building one’s house on the rock.

There’s a reason foundations are made of durable, lasting material: a foundation is meant to hold everything else up.

foun·da·tion

founˈdāSH(ə)n/

noun

1. 1.

   the lowest load-bearing part of a building, typically below ground level.

   synonyms:

   footing, foot, base, substructure, infrastructure, underpinning; More
2. 2.

   an underlying basis or principle for something.

   “this idea is the foundation of all modern economics”

   synonyms:

   basis, starting point, base, point of departure, beginning, premise;More

Even with a strong foundation, things just can’t be forgotten and not maintained.

We need to do our part.  We can put our hope and trust in our foundation, but we can’t just let things go by the wayside without keeping an eye that it remains intact.  Floods and winds and rains do come, and even small amounts of sediment surrounding the foundation can seep away.

The last half of the verse from Matthew is this:

“And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” ~Matthew 7:26 & 27

I believe everything in life is God-breathed.  Everything I see, say, do, hear, watch, read…. He’s showing me something. He’s teaching me something.

I think He’s just reminded me – in a very tangible way – that I need to stand firmly on the foundation that my God is, was, and will always be.  I need to remain vigilant about it, not neglecting the understanding that even though He provides me with an underpinning and a beginning, I need to consistently reinforce within myself His sure and everlasting foundation…

Doing My Favorite Thing

I'll keep this post short and sweet because I have to get back to doing my favorite thing. I am visiting my daughter, Jessica, and her husband, Kevin and my SEVEN grandchildren! As if that weren't enough joy, I am here with my husband, and my mom, aka Mamaw to those grands. It's even more fun to share the love with some of my favorite people.

So I really don't have time to write a blog today. I have grandchildren to snuggle, tickle, smooch, laugh with, and read to. I'm moving the laptop off my lap and making room for little people. I don't have pictures to post yet, so I'll just leave you with this one from Christmas last year, which was the last time we were all together. Jessica and Kevin are the cute couple leaning on the back of the couch and parents of all these darlings. My younger daughter, Ashley, is the one holding our only granddaughter, Lillian. That's my handsome husband, Rollin, at the other end of the couch holding Solomon and Titus. I'm right behind him standing beside Seth. Our dog, Kobi, is sitting beside our oldest grandson Jamison, and Ethan is holding our youngest grandson, Henry. That about covers it.

Oh, and I'm really thankful today for the "scheduling" option on this blog. Because I'm really writing this before I leave to visit this energetic bunch and it will post itself on Me Monday so I don't even have to stop hugging those kiddos. Life is good. Pictures will be forthcoming.

Linda aka Grammy

Connecting the God Dots

I've started a new ministry adventure and feel God's fingerprints all over it. In order to tell you about it, I need to give you some background first. In looking back, I see several "God dots" that connect to what He's calling me to do. I've loved dot-to-dots since I was a kid. God dots are even better.

Dot 1: When I was in my 20s I got married and had a daughter. Then I had 2 miscarriages. When I became pregnant again, my doctor suggested I have an injection every week through my first trimester to help me sustain my pregnancy. I went faithfully every week and got the injection and successfully made it to my fourth month. Hallelujah!

Except, then my husband decided he didn't want to be married any more. What?! I'll avoid the drama here, but suffice it to say, I was shocked and devastated. I was in a much wanted pregnancy, but now found myself going it alone. A few months later I gave birth to a darling son.

Dot 2: Fast forward 15 years. My daughter was a senior in high school and told us she was pregnant. Not exactly what you hope to hear from your child. But there it was and we were determined to walk this road with her. Now, fourteen years later, we have a wonderful, handsome grandson to remind us of God's faithfulness.

Dot 3: A year ago, my husband and I received an invitation to attend a movie screening. The movie was one we'd hoped to see anyway, and we could see it for free this way, so we agreed to go. We're cheap that way! :) The catch was that there would be information shared by the Crisis Pregnancy Center and their upcoming Walk for Life event. I'd always respected the work they do and had even walked in a few of their events.

That day, I was so taken by their energy and God's spirit that my husband, Rollin, and I signed up to be ambassadors for our church to sign people up to walk in this event. I told Rollin that I always thought I'd like to volunteer for them some day.

Dot 4: About a month ago, I was at my church getting some things ready for a class I teach and a woman I didn't know showed up. My introverted self was glad she talked to someone else who was also working at the church rather than me. As I finished my work and started for my car, she did the same. We met in the parking lot and she greeted me warmly and introduced herself as Leslie Collins,the director of the Tempe, AZ Choices Pregnancy Center. What a divine coincidence. She gave me her business card and asked if I'd like to be added to their email list to receive CPC updates and prayer requests. Yes! I went home and friended her on Facebook.

Dot 5: A couple weeks ago I saw on Facebook that CPC was desperate for volunteers in Tempe center which was close to me. I felt a whisper in my ear, an urging in my heart, that I immediately knew was God's prompting. Still, I thought about it and prayed about it for about a week.

Dot 6: Another Facebook post said that a CPC volunteer training seminar would begin in September on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. Darn. I was going to be out of town that first Tuesday. I contacted Leslie. She said the classes didn't start until the Tuesday after I got back. I looked at my busy calendar. My schedule on every Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon was open. Perfect. So I took the plunge and signed up for the training.

I don't know exactly what God has in mind for me, but I feel good that I'm following where He's leading. I'm nervous, but also confident and excited, knowing that He who called me is faithful and he will do it (1 Thess. 5:24). Will you pray for me as I go through this training and open door of opportunity? And please join me in praying for CPC and it's ministry to women. They still need other volunteers. Is God calling you?

Linda

Why I Go to Church

As a general rule, I don't like to read things that have a lot of words unless it's a book or article. But memes and greeting cards and such are usually best kept short and sweet. I don't bother to read them if they're too wordy. This meme is the exception. It speaks my heart. Think about it on this Thoughtful Thursday.

Linda

Goals

Happy Wacky Wednesday! Here's hoping your to-do list is more reasonable than this one. Keep smiling!

Linda 

Play

Never minimize play. It's timeless and important and not just for children. We all need to play. It's a great stress reliever and even as adults it can be serious learning. So let your kids play and don't worry about always making it educational. Because playing is naturally educational for them. Have fun. Laugh. Play.

Linda

I Love Red Vines

I love Red Vines. I buy them by the 5.5 pound tub at Costco. I know that sounds bad, but it's not like I have to restock them every week or anything. It lasts for months.

Here's the sad thing. Red Vines contain gluten, and I've recently learned that I have fewer headaches when I stay away from gluten. So this tub lasts me even longer than ever now since I'm not supposed to have them.

But still, sometimes, those soft red ropes call my name. I take off that clear plastic lid and inhale the sugary fragrance of those Vines. There's nothing like it, unless it might be the aroma when you open a fresh can of coffee. But that's a whole different thing.

Red Vines are my movie candy of choice. I sometimes take a handful from my tub and put them in a plastic baggie to take along. They fit nicely in my purse, bending around whatever else is in there.They're so compliant. And they go splendidly with a large Diet Coke.

I've been known to call Red Vines a red vegetable. After all, vines are a plant and so many plants are vegetables. But I could be mistaken. They might be a fruit. Either way, they're probably good for me. Or at least my mood.

So if you ever need to buy me a cheap gift, may I suggest a box of Red Vines? They'll make me every bit as happy as red roses. Unless you're my husband, in which case the roses will do just fine. Thanks. ;)

Linda

Labor Day

Labor Day weekend is upon us.  It's a strange tradition that we celebrate Labor Day by not laboring. I guess it's because we all deserve a day off after all our hard work. If you have a job, whether paying or not, be thankful. There are lots of people out there who would give anything to be able to support themselves and their families. Work is a gift that gives us dignity and purpose. Never take it for granted, no matter how menial or important your job may seem.

So, enjoy your Labor Day weekend. Stay safe. And don't forget to give thanks for your work.

Linda

Be a Light

I love this. It's easy to feel irritated or inconvenienced when people come to you with their needs. But always remember, it's a privilege. It shows you've done something that makes them trust and respect you. That is a gift that many people would love to have. Treasure it and use it wisely. Keep loving, friends. You're doing holy work.

Linda

God Bless You

Well, isn't that the truth! God is God and He'll bless whomever He chooses, thank you very much. But this meme did make me smile, and I hope it does you, too, on this Wacky Wednesday. God bless you (whether you share or not.).

Linda 

God's Will

It's Timeless Tuesday and what's more timeless than doing the will of God regardless of what people think? Much easier said than done, but when you follow the directions God gives you, you'll never be sorry you did. They're all there in the Bible, God's inspired Word. So take some time to read it and know what He wants you to do. Seriously, it's the best thing you'll ever do. Happy Tuesday!

Linda