Us

Us

Monday, June 25, 2012

Day One of Forty....

Today starts my 40 day prayer challenge. Yes, 40 days.

I was walking with my friend, Mary,  and I told her this weekend that I felt the Lord laid on my heart this 40 days of prayer challenge. I told her that He wanted me to share it on SHINE, so that we could do it as a group.

She looked at me and said, "How about 21 days?"

Haha!

I said, "Nope, I'm seeing 40."

I've had a lot of conversation with God today. Mostly me talking today, but that's okay, I am still listening and seeing Him all over the place right now.

It's so funny, because this time last week I was in a dry spell. Thirsty and dehydrated from lack of nourishment.

Not that He wasn't always there, I was just too busy to stop and soak Him up.

Oh, how prayer changes things.

It brings His peace, His perspective, His will, and His desires.

Oh, yes, it's crazy good stuff.

He amazes me.

Prayer is so simple, yet so profound.

Prayer gives us power.

God's power.

I imagine that when my heart and my hands are raised in prayer, God touches my fingertips and pours His power and His will inside of my fingertips and it anoints my whole body. Kind of like a jolt of electricity.

Then I imagine the electricity spreading to all around me, and all who touch me. Ah!!

Imagine when all of us have hands raised in prayer! Electrical storm!

I challenge you today, to begin a praying life with me.

Not just having a prayer time, but truly living a praying life.

Checking the mail, folding clothes, snuggling with your little babes, baking cookies...do it all while talking to Jesus.

He longs to communicate with you!

Prayer changes things. Period.

hello day one,

jill



Friday, June 22, 2012

Insta-Love....

So, since I broke up with Facebook for a bit, I have found a new love.

Instagram.

Hello, where has this been all my life?

I do love Twitter too. (just kinda gettin' used to it.)

But, there is just something about Instagram.

 Hmmm. What is it?

OH! I know, I know!

It's purely VISUAL!

YES!!

I am a visual girl, plain and simple. I like pictures. They make sense to me.

Instagram is all pictures. Taken by your cell phone and uploaded for your "followers" to see.

Hello, why didn't I ever think of this?

I could totally be sitting on a deserted beach somewhere sipping a fruity drink if this would have been my idea.

Shoot.

Anyway, it is my new favorite thing!

It's not stalky or scary, or TMI.

It's just fun pictures. Of your real life.

Yes, I like that.


insta in love,

jill

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Speak to me....

we picked these wild flowers on our walk.
i love how simple they are.
they are always there, but often unnoticed.
we noticed them today.


Oh my gosh, how I hear the Lord when my world is quieter. I hear Him speak so much clearer.

This morning, Presley and I took a walk. The birds were chirping, the breeze was gently sweeping our faces.

When we got to the top of the neighborhood, we sat on the brick sign at the entrance. I told her to close her eyes and listen to God's voice in the birds and the wind.

We were quiet for about a minute. My body was so relaxed and so at peace.

After the minute of silence, Presley opened her eyes and said, "Mommy, I am so glad you didn't bring your phone with you on this walk. It would have been beeping and it would have messed up our quiet."

I looked at her and I told her that I was so sorry if my phone ever came between she and I.

She told me that it was okay, and then she hugged me.

Do you know that the Lord speaks through your children? He does.

In fact, while we were walking to the top of the neighborhood, Presley expressed her heart with tears in her eyes.

She said that she was so sad that none of her friends would be able to come to her first little bible study. (She decided a couple of weeks ago that she wanted to lead a bible study with her friends at chic-fil-a on the same night that I had mine. We would be able to ride together and be together with our own little friends at separate tables.)

As she was expressing her heart (in full emotions), she said that nobody liked her and that nobody wanted to come to her bible study.

I quickly replied that she was believing lies, and that they all liked her and wanted to come, but it was just not a good week for everyone this time.

My heart skipped a beat for a moment. I thought about my own life, and how I often had pity parties about myself as well.

How quickly I was to see that what Presley was saying was just untrue, when I am not as quick to believe those things in my own life.

God was teaching me right there in that moment.

I wonder if I would not have taken the time to take that walk with her, put down my phone, and fully engage with her...If I would have missed that important message to my heart.

How much more have I missed being busy, and caught up with the world?

If I am caught up with the world, and never missing a thing that goes on around me because of the constant flood of newsfeed telling me the details....how will I ever hear the clarity of my Father's Voice?

How will I ever discern what is truly from Him, and what is twisted and watered down by the world?

God brought to my mind the many times that Jesus walked away from the crowd and went to a quiet place. Hello? Even Jesus Himself needed to be able to discern the Voice of God through some quiet time. If Jesus had to discipline Himself in that way, don't you think that we certainly need to?

He is growing me in a very, very painful way right now. He is cutting off these branches that are just hanging on and not bearing any good fruit. They have been there for a while, so they are kind of comfy.

God wants them gone. He wants me fully engaged in Him.

My friend, Lisa, told me just today that leadership was lonely. I wanted to explain that to Presley, but felt like it wasn't the right time. She would know this soon enough.

We all do, don't we?

If you have ever been a leader, in any sense of the word, it can truly be a lonely spot.

It takes a lot of discipline and a lot of confidence in your relationship with Christ to truly stand firm on what you feel like He is telling you to do.

Not everyone will want to follow.

In fact, no one may.

I am beginning to see that it's okay. God isn't asking us to lead based on the responses of others.

He is asking us to lead because that is what HE wants for us. Period.

Perhaps it is just to grow our dependence on Him alone, instead of on the crowd around us.

I am looking forward to many more conversations with my children. They sure teach me a lot about life. Without even realizing it.

cutting branches,

jill



Monday, June 18, 2012

Deep Breaths.....

Do you know when you get that uneasy, knot-in-your stomach feeling?

It stinks, doesn't it.

I have been feeling that way for about 2 weeks now. My stomach has been in knots trying to figure out how in the world that I could juggle all of the balls that I had so carelessly thrown into the air.

It's funny how I get myself into these things. It starts out so innocently, and then BAM, I am face first on the ground screaming UNCLE!

Today, I prayed that the Lord would show me a few areas that I needed to let go of ...for now.

He did. 

Lately, I have not been hearing Him as clearly. I now know why.

Distractions, of any kind, even seemingly "good" ones, keep us from hearing from Him. 

Did you hear me say, "even good ones"?

Yep. It's true.

The Lord showed me 2 areas today that I needed to put down. They are not in His plan for me at the moment. 

Can I just say that I am feeling like the 575 lb. man that was sitting on my shoulders has just jumped off?

Oh yeah. It's true.

I love when He shows up immediately. Maybe it's because I am asking for Him to? Maybe it's because He has been sitting there all along waiting for me to ask Him what to do?

Whatever the case, I am grateful. Beyond grateful.

Sometimes the things we let go of can sting the flesh a bit. They can make us feel like a failure. They can make us feel like we are not "capable".

Without a doubt, that is Satan telling us those things. He wants us so busy that we cannot hear from the Lord. When we are busy, we tune out the voice of the Lord. Oh, you better believe it.

How do I know? Because I have lived it, and still do at times. 

I lose my peace, and I know it's time for something to give.

If I am not at peace, I am not in the will of the Lord. Period.

I want to look at my children, in their eyes, and not have my head somewhere else. 

I want to hear them, really hear them when they speak. I don't want their voices to be droned out by my "busyness". 

My heart is at peace today. I want it to stay that way. 

How's your peace today? Is it slipping, or is it long gone?

Ask the Lord to show you what needs to give, my friend. Then, be ready to give it up. You will be so glad you did. 

exhaling,

jill


Friday, June 15, 2012

I Scream, You Scream....



Yesterday was Presley's Ice Cream Party! Oh my gosh, it was so much fun.

I am really not sure if having this party was more of a selfish endeavor for ME than for her.

Oh well, we all enjoyed the sweet benefits.

Her little friends came and brought their favorite toppings.

My friend, Kelly McLeod, let me borrow all of her cute ice cream party decorations. AND, gave me most of the homemade ice cream for the party.

Yeah, she rocks.

We ate to our hearts content and then played 2 really fun games.

I sat the girls in a circle and played the game: "My favorite toppings on an ice cream are--"  And then we go through the alphabet from A-Z listing things. The hard part is remembering what everyone in front of you said!

The next thing was "Pin the cherry on the ice-cream sundae". Oh, now this was fun.

We blindfolded the girls and spun them around. Lots of laughs.

Fun times.

Great memories.

Lots of happy sweet teeth.

Life is good.

i-scream,  you scream, we all scream, for ice cream!

cherries on top,

jill



Saturday, June 9, 2012

My Lem....




If Lem were my child, in keeping with birthday traditions,  I would list all of the things that he learned this year. Good thing he's not! :-)

Since he is my husband and my best friend, I will tell you what I love about him.

Here goes:

His laugh
His legs
His chest
His shoulders
His smile
His LIPS
His eyes (they were the first thing I ever noticed about him!)
His sense of humor
His compassion
His love for the Lord
His family
His love for his children
His love for me
His character
Did i mention his sense of humor?

I could go on, and on, and on.

My friend, Ashley, just recently told me that she thought that Lem was so funny. I smiled, because I kind of forget that other people think he's funny too!

I am selfish with him, so I never really think about the way others may see him. I LOVED that she pointed this out. It reminded me of just how blessed I am with this man!

We are so silly together.

He brings out the very best in me.

I like when he is proud of me. Like, when I save money, or do something out of my comfort zone, or run a 5k...it makes me so happy to see that sparkle in his eye!

I love to be curled up right beside him. At a dinner party, at home, in the car...wherever.

I love sleeping in his white t-shirts. So does Presley.

He used to get so mad when I would get them out of his drawer. Now, he just says..."Don't get my good ones. Get my old ones."

Haha!

I think I smother him at times.

It's okay, I'm good with that.

I love my Lem forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever....

jill





Monday, June 4, 2012

boredom buster....



how to keep boredom at bay:

i told my kids (and my nephew, Royce) to write down 5 questions each for us to all answer at supper time this Summer.

it was actually kind of selfish of me, because i needed some quiet time as i cooked.

however,  they certainly needed something to do. so, it was a win-win. :-)

they wrote them on note cards, and put them in a little bowl. we all took turns drawing a question at supper.

i love silly questions...and even sillier answers.

fun times.

happy summer days,

jill