A Season for Everything

Then God said, "Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them mark off the SEASONS, days and years." Genesis 1:8

Unlike ever before, I am excited about fall! Maybe because my life has slowed down, so I see that it's here. My husband must have read my mind. Because he planned a surprise trip to the mountains! (I love that man.)

So here we are, our family of four ready to ride out into the fresh fall air in a 17 mile bike ride. Those 2 little people made it especially memorable!
So we headed out, Sam on the tandem bike pulled by me, Arabella on the pull behind cart pulled by Nick.

We took off cruising down a path of yellow leaves, a steady breeze rustling the ones on the trees and releasing some down to twirl on us as we rode. I joked with the kids, "it's like we are in a leaf "snow globe!" we tried to catch leaves as they fell on us. The kids loved it. We stopped at the peaceful stream that ran along the path. We went out onto a large leaf covered rock. Sam wanted to throw in rocks but there were none to be found, so they picked up arm fulls of leaves into the air to land in the rushing water to be carried away.

And every moment was bliss that I was soaking in like the warm sun shinning on us. UNTIL...the little diva had to go pee pee. We learned she's not quite the kind to "rough it" outdoors.
"I pee pee inside!!!"
So for 30 minutes I sang Old McDonald over and over while we pedaled as fast as we could looking for a bathroom. So we rode on. And finally found a cafe that had just closed who graciously let us in for the diva.

But for the most part, there was quiet conversation of Gods beauty surrounding us and of the quietness itself.
"Mommy it's so quiet out here"
"I love being here with just our family."
And my favorite:
"Mommy I just saw a leaf shaped like a heart!" -Sam
"Aww did it remind you of how much you love Mommy?!?" -me

"Yeah, and how much I love God.". -Sam

Oh Lord my heart is full. That was just showing off your goodness.

I wanted to get off my bike and find that very leaf and frame it and hang it on my wall and REMEMBER the moment FOREVER.

Then God whispered His Word to me and a heard it in the quietness of my perfectly content heart:

but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them

Often. Luke 2:19

I didn't find the leaf.  Or even one shaped like it.  But I tucked the memory away deep in my heart and have already thought of that "blissful leaf snow globe" ride through the mountains many times since then.  For I know know that the Season raising these precious little people God has entrusted to us will one day pass into the next.  Sometimes I wish I could pause the earth rotating on its axis, so time would stand still, like on this perfect fall day.  But instead I will praise God for the gifts of today, and reflect back on these precious memories when the laundry piles up, the toys take over, and the bickering of little siblings threaten to frustrate me.  

Thank You Lord for this 

SEASON!!!

Gifts Emerging

One of the great privileges of parenting is being able to see our children's God given talents rise to the surface in our kids.  From the time Sam, now four, was about two, I saw a gift of music in his future. Specifically, song writing.  We were on our way home from his first VBS when he was 2 1/2 and I heard him in the back of the car singing a song to God that I'd never heard before. As you can imagine, I was pretty stoked.

The lyric writing has continued, with family famous titles such as, "I saw a copperhead," "Jesus is our Savior" and the newest title "Really High." A few weeks ago I was looking for Sam who was outside playing with a friend.  I finally heard them in the corner behind the house singing some "rock rap"music as they called it.  I listened to them sing things they thought were 'bad"words.  Including the words "bleep" and "cuss cuss." (They had no idea those words actually stood in place for real explicitives).  

It was time for him to come in anyways, and Sam thought we was in trouble for singing "rock rap" music.  "Sam, there's nothing wrong with that kind of music, its the words to a song that either pleases God or doesn't please God." I explained.  He acted like he got what I was saying, then a few minutes later he was doing this:

Sound somewhat familiar?  It is Sam's spinoff of Kristian Stanfill's "White Flag."  Sam and Arabella are lifting the cross "Really High" though!  Sam says it is "Christian Rock Rap."  I'm not sure that its an official genre of music yet, but maybe someday.  

Christian Rock Rapper Sam will be ready when it hits the scene....

Seeking Him,

Amy

Married...With Children!

All of us who are "married with children" find it hard to get away for a date, much less a weekend date together.  But my husband and I were blessed with that for our 8th wedding anniversary a few weeks ago.  (It was actually a work trip for him that we added a date into, but you take every chance you can get with little ones!) His job takes him around to the NASCAR races as a Chaplain through an organization called Motor Racing Outreach.  The race that week was near Chicago, a city I had been to once and jumped at the opportunity to revisit!  Since he has been traveling all over the country for over 10 years now with the NASCAR circuit in some capacity, I have been a few places with him and we have had some awesome dates.  But we ranked this one as number 1! We rented bicycles and rode up and down the shore of Lake Michigan through the city.  Then we ate dinner on the 95th floor of the John Hancock building.  In the picture above we are in front of the Buckingham fountain, which is the fountain seen in the opening of the tv show, "Married With Children."

This summer I have been doing an online bible study on the Proverbs 31 women through www.goodmorninggirls.com.  It has really challenged my role in my home and encouraged me to continue seeking the Lord on being a more Godly wife and mother.  I jumped into this study after spending 9 moths studying Acts and the Apostles with www.bsfinternational.org.  Studying Acts challenged me to spread the gospel and be bold for Christ.  But this study of Proverbs 31 is really what I needed during this season of being a stay at home mom to 2 young preschool aged children and a wife to a man who just took a role in full time ministry.

 It is actually easier for me to stay busy "doing ministry" outside my home rather than inside of it.  Don't get me wrong, I don't mean teaching my children the bible and spending time with them.  That is something praise God I have done, since they were born.  What I am talking about is HOMEMAKING.  Being MARRIED WITH CHILDREN and homemaking.  Keeping a home up with children interrupting before half the laundry basket of clean clothes has been put away.  Then interrupted after you hang up two more shirts.  Then multitasking to cook dinner at the same time.  EEEK!  What my old habits were was to just set the basket of clean clothes down to get wrinkled and throwing my hands up in the air and saying FORGET IT!  I had just written off being a "good housekeeper" as something I wasn't good at; not my personality.  I was good at other things, like teaching my kids the bible.

BUT GOD...decided in his grace to instruct me in this passage of His Word in a way I had earlier dismissed.  He reminded me that making my home an environment in the physical sense a place of peace, comfort, ORGANIZATION and joy was part of the role He has given me as a wife and mother.    He showed me that I needed to relinquish some of my desires to reach the world AT THE MOMENT to develop habits of becoming diligent with my home responsibilities.  It was time to take a look inward and see after the dust had cleared from a whirlwind of 4 years of having infants and young toddlers who demanded my  attention every second.  They now finally are getting somewhat self sufficient and I  had to let that excuse go to get to the blessing.

The blessing.  The blessing near the end of Proverbs 31:28-29:

Her children stand and bless her.

Her husband praises her:

"There are many virtuous and capable women in the world,

but you surpass them all!"

When I think of these words of praise, I think of my Grandmother.  Her husband holds her hand after over 50 years of marriage.  He calls her honey, sweetie, and he looks at her like this: 

She loves the Lord, and she serves her family so diligently that when I am in her home, I feel as though love oozes out of the walls.  Now I know that didn't happen by accident.  I know she made intentional decisions to serve her family first.  And know I hope to pass this lost art and high calling in Christ down to the next generation:

My dear Arabella, becoming a virtuous and capable woman will not come easy, but to hear, "Well done good and faithful servant" WILL be worth it!

Seeking Him,

Amy

But I'm a Mary!

    I love this Proverbs 31 study I'm am doing through www.goodmorininggirls.com.  The group of ladies who facilitate this study truly show how this woman is included in God's Word as a women to strive to be for our families.  Its time for me to quit skimming over it, huffing a sigh and saying, "Well that'll never happen!" 

   You see, I've always disregarded this woman of unattainable greatness because I'm just not her.  And I have always held tightly to the belief that I am a Mary.  Mary from Luke 10:38-42.  Jesus came to visit his dear friends Mary and Martha, who are sisters.  Mary sits at Jesus's feet listening to Him.  Martha is busy preparing a meal for her guests, and not happy about her sister's lack of help:

Jesus Visits Martha and Mary

³⁸ As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. ³⁹ Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

⁴¹ But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!⁴² There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

   There it is.  My reasoning of why I never really went through and diligently studied and tried to apply all the virtues of the woman seen in Proverbs 31.  They seemed like outdated "details" that Jesus was saying Martha was worried about in the above verse 41.  But the Lord is showing me how I can still "sit" at his feet as I serve my family, and that if its in God's Word then they aren't unnecessary details. They are treasures I can give my family to care for them as my first priority, as shown in His Word.  

   

  With this said, I look forward every second to the time I get to worship Him nonstop in His presence in Heaven.  And to hear, well done, good and faithful daughter.  And that is when, I can look back into my Savior's eyes and say, it was all you Lord!

Seeking Him,

Amy