Eucharisteo II

From One Thousand Gifts:


"A nail is driven out by another nail; habit is overcome by habit."  Erasmus said that, contemporary and admirer of Martin Luther.  When I read this thought, I am surprised because I had never known and I am sad for all that would have changed if only I had.


I look down at the pen, this pen I keep wielding, one writing her way to one thousand.  This pen:  this is nothing less than the driving of nails.  Nails driving out my habits of discontent and driving in my habit of eucharisteo.  I'm hammering in nails to pound out nails, ugly nails that Satan has pierced through the world, my heart.  It starts to unfold, light in the dark, a door opening up, how all these years it's been utterly pointless to try to wrench out the spikes of discontent.  Because that habit of discontent can only be driven out by hammering in one iron sharper.  The sleek pen of gratitude.


I hammer.

And so my list continues.

58.  Enjoying different family dynamics when our oldest three are elsewhere
59.  Dinner for 6 on the lanai
60.  Tucking in tired, sun kissed children
61.  Not knowing or caring what day it is
62.  Early morning cuddles.
63.  Kissing soft chubby Bode cheeks.
64.  Wondering what deep thoughts Cade is thinking.
65.  The strange feeling of having a child that is smarter than I am.
66.  God’s goodness in giving me everything I need, mostly a relationship with him, to raise these children to His glory.
67.  Contentment
68.  Simple habits of coffee, Bible, reading the Psalm of the today’s date.
69.  The spiritual disciplines of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication (ACTS).
70.  Leather journals
71.  Bode sideling up next to me, asking me what all the highlighted verses in my Bible say
72.  Blond highlights coming out in my children’s sun-kissed hair.
73.  Bode back for round four of morning hugs.
74.  Early morning TV for kids so I can have some uninterrupted quiet time.
75.  Dan waking up right when I realized I have no idea how to operate the TV
76.  Working out in a breeze
77.  The feel of a good stretch
78.  Post workout pineapple juice
79.  More time to read One Thousand Gifts on the deck

A Prayer for Japan from John Piper

Two blog posts in one day!  After six weeks of silence.  I know, it's a miracle.  That, or I'm on vacation.  But this is so beautiful, and too long for a facebook status, so I had to share.

Father in heaven, you are the absolute Sovereign over the shaking of the earth, the rising of the sea, and the raging of the waves. We tremble at your power and bow before your unsearchable judgments and inscrutable ways. We cover our faces and kiss your omnipotent hand. We fall helpless to the floor in prayer and feel how fragile the very ground is beneath our knees.

O God, we humble ourselves under your holy majesty and repent. In a moment—in the twinkling of an eye—we too could be swept away. We are not more deserving of firm ground than our fellowmen in Japan. We too are flesh. We have bodies and homes and cars and family and precious places. We know that if we were treated according to our sins, who could stand? All of it would be gone in a moment. So in this dark hour we turn against our sins, not against you.

And we cry for mercy for Japan. Mercy, Father. Not for what they or we deserve. But mercy.

Have you not encouraged us in this? Have we not heard a hundred times in your Word the riches of your kindness, forbearance, and patience? Do you not a thousand times withhold your judgments, leading your rebellious world toward repentance? Yes, Lord. For your ways are not our ways, and your thoughts are not our thoughts.

Grant, O God, that the wicked will forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Grant us, your sinful creatures, to return to you, that you may have compassion. For surely you will abundantly pardon. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus, your beloved Son, will be saved.

May every heart-breaking loss—millions upon millions of losses—be healed by the wounded hands of the risen Christ. You are not unacquainted with your creatures' pain. You did not spare your own Son, but gave him up for us all.

In Jesus you tasted loss. In Jesus you shared the overwhelming flood of our sorrows and suffering. In Jesus you are a sympathetic Priest in the midst of our pain.

Deal tenderly now, Father, with this fragile people. Woo them. Win them. Save them.

And may the floods they so much dread make blessings break upon their head.

O let them not judge you with feeble sense, but trust you for your grace. And so behind this providence, soon find a smiling face.

In Jesus’ merciful name, Amen.

John Piper

Eucharisteo

It’s one of those books. 

All of a sudden everyone is talking about it.

Two friends, who rarely text, both texted me the same week to ask me if I’d read it.

Another friend is blogging about it.

It’s featured on the book table at Barnes and Noble.

And one of the texting friends bought it for me to take to Hawaii.

I haven’t even finished reading it, but I love the ideas in it.  I can’t say that I love the book perfectly.  I’m not a huge fan of flowery, wordy writing.  But I love lists.  And I love being thankful.  And I love it when something that is already a part of me is so well expressed by someone else.

So here it is – the key to a joyful life.  Let Jesus rescue you first.  Then practice thankfulness.

Make a list of a thousand things you’re thankful for.  Work on it everyday.  When you’re done, do it again. 

I’m going to attempt a list while in Hawaii… I may not make it to a thousand.  But when I get home I’ll keep going…

1. Feeling the sun on my face, while still in the Northwest, but flying at 30,000 feet
2. Five hours of quiet time on the plane - reading, sleeping, journaling
3. My kids filing past me as they walk back to their seats, and getting the often asked question, “Are those ALL your kids?  How many are there?”  Knowing how thankful I am for the answer of so many blessings.
4. Remembering what it feels like to be hot
5. Bode running with abandonment and delight on the beach
6. Everyone’s joy in body surfing, getting braver moment by moment
7. Dining al fresco
8. Beach walker’s faces lighting up with smiles as Bode runs across their path, concentrating on his shovel of sand
9. Being home from the beach, so I can stop counting to seven over and over :)
10. Early morning cup of coffee
11. Quiet time outside, full moon lighting the ocean
12. Lemons and limes on a black bamboo tray
13. Pineapple in a wooden bowl
14. Eggs in a weathered basket
15. Getting my work out done early
16. Early morning on the deck, seeing Ryan and Abby through the window, both reading in bed
17. A luxurious second cup of coffee
18. Everyone’s delight with individual servings of microwaveable white rice
19. Katherine’s eyes
20. The laughter on my children’s faces as they preview the beginning of another family music video
21. Morning sun lighting up big, white, puffy clouds
22. A day of nothing planned… except swimming and beach time… settling in for quiet time, round two
23. Grapefruit piled in a pedestal bowl
24. Remembering that my big kids need hugs too and feeling them relax into my arms
25. An almost 180 degree view of the ocean from my bed
26. Palm trees blowing in the tropical wind
27. Jack’s deepening voice and growing height; mistaking him for Dan from across the way.
28. A vacation house on a hill in an unfinished subdivision, surrounded by empty lots = not having to worry about the noise we make
29. Browsing contentedly at the bookstore for almost an hour before dinner
30. Seeing my husband help in random situations – moving displays at the bookstore when the water starts to leak from the ceiling
31. Dinner out with my man
32. Ordering salad and soup (which is all I really want, but liking helping him justify his Surf and Turf) and sharing bites of his steak
33. Surprising my little ones with legos in the morning
34. A stunningly bright red bird in the bush
35. Cade’s look of concentration as he builds his legos
36. Doting on my kids; having nothing to do but bring them juice in the hot tub or pick up their towels.
37. Hearing “I love you more” from Cade, every time I tell him I love him
38. Surprise hugs from behind; my husband’s arms around me
39. My sweet friend Jenni, for buying me this book, One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp
40. Katherine and Courtney’s closeness when there are no other friends around; knowing they will be best friends for life
41. Abby’s dimples
42. The bright sapphire blue ocean
43. Whitecaps
44. Sailboats
45. The flower in Abby’s hair
46. Cute new cork wedge heels
47. A rainbow
48. “Look, Daddy!  A blue ladybug,” says my fifteen-year-old daughter.
49. Cade’s arm around Bode; their sweet friendship
50. Kids in matching bathing suits.
51. Courtney’s curls
52. All my girls piled on my bed with me
53. My parents examples of thankfulness; living a life of trusting God and His Word
54. My dear friend Dayna, for living a life of joy with me and teaching me to beautify and simplify
55. How much bluer Cade’s eyes look when his face is tan
56. Seeing gigantic tropical versions of plants I know and love from home
57. Hearing that the sun is shining in Portland!

"Trader Joe's" Garden

I know this doesn't look like much.

But it's filled with hope!

This garden bed is used for veggies in the summer, but is also home to all kinds of bulbs, most of them purchased at Trader Joe's in springs past.  You know, cute little 4 inch pots of daffodils, tulips and hyacinths.  Always a great deal at TJ's.  You can pop them into a pretty container and enjoy them for a week or two.  But after they're done blooming, you can also save them, because they will come back every year!

As the flower buds get larger and closer to opening, I dig them up, stick them in a pot, and bring them in the house to enjoy.  I've also experimented with burying spent bulbs in the plastic pot, digging it up again a year later, wiping it down, and placing it inside a decorative container.  It's worked, but as the years go by, they will probably not thrive without more room to multiply.

This little pot is on year two - just pulled it out of the ground yesterday.

And just in case you were wondering, my desk is STILL clean! :)

And on an unrelated note, here's a close up of the card leaning against the "flowers" box.

I love my new bird and nest stickers!  For the "Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed" Bible study I'm doing we have had lots of opportunities to write down verses for meditation and to pray for our families.  I love God's Word, but my flesh is weak, and having them on cute sticker-ed notecards makes me more likely to memorize and pray them!

Food Confusion

Are you confused about what's really healthy to feed your family?

Me too.

I'm still learning, but here's a few basics ideas based on the way people ate for thousands of years before the rates of degenerative diseases skyrocketed.  I'm guest blogging today over at Kari Patterson's.

Happy Friday!
Heather

Inspiration for Organization

I've always loved organization.  But as I got into this wonderful world of having kids, I stopped being any more organized than I absolutely needed to be for survival.

Now that Bode is four and a half, I feel like this January has been my best ever.

And if you're in the mood to get organized, I'll share what has helped this crazy mother along.

First off for me was January's issue of Better Homes and Gardens.  I perused it during the Christmas break, and it made me itch to get back home and clean off my desk.

My desk has always been the thorn in my side.  I've never been able to stay on top of the paperwork.  It has certainly never stayed clean longer than a week.  And while this may not seem monumental to you, I am proud to say that it's been perfectly clean before bed, every night, for three weeks.  I sure hope I have turned over a new leaf.

I think the secret is that I've applied the Flylady's shiny kitchen sink theory to my desk.  It must have taken me three years to consistently get the kitchen sink clean before bed each night.  Prior to that I didn't try at all, due to the fact that I was nursing babies, changing diapers, not sleeping through the night, etc.  

Of course, the Flylady wouldn't quite approve of my sink.  Only the left half shines.  The right half usually has dishes from late night snacks, but I don't mind... as long as they're covered in a mound of Mrs. Meyer's honeysuckle dishsoap bubbles.  Somehow that makes it okay.

So applying the kitchen sink theory to my desk is simply this:  It must be clean before bed.  Every night.

To get things started, I put away all the stuff that I didn't really need (and probably should be filed, but I never got around to it) in a remote file drawer under my desk.  And only kept out the stuff that really matters.

I reclaimed a cute container from my gardening armoire to be my catch-all, and this is all I'm allowing myself to keep on my desk.  My desk, by the way, is one half of a country pine table.  It's roughly one quarter of the office that is shared by four or five of us, so I have to be content to keep my little corner of the world tidy.

I have a few active files on the side of my storage armoire.

And pretty new things always help me get organized.  I love these antique-looking butterfly file folders.

This is it.  It may not be much, but it's tidy and I'm happy.

I take care of paper work daily, instead of weekly, monthly or when I'm in trouble :-)

And you know how it goes... you organize one spot, and it leads to more!  You should see my bathroom.  And schoolroom!  I'm sure I'll keep it up... until gardening season starts.

Happy January!

P.S.  I can't help myself.  I have to post pictures of my bathroom.  Look at those cute bird stickers down below!

A New Way of Shopping

I have continued to enjoy this new pursuit to shop fair trade.  It's kind of like when I woke up to the reality of how badly I ate.  I started reading labels and switching to whole foods, and it hit me: What was I thinking before? When I would stick anything that tasted good in my mouth without thinking about what it really was and where it came from and what it was doing to my health.

What was I thinking when I cared only about the cost of an item?  Why did I never consider the benefit of buying a costlier item from an ethical company?  That you really do get what you pay for and I want to pay for workers being treated fairly.  

So it's adventure every week, in some way or another.  I still have lots to learn, but I am enjoying the journey.  One of my favorite finds so far was prizes for Abby's birthday party.  I purchased bottle cap necklaces made by eleven-year-old Sami on the east coast.  All of the proceeds go to buy shoes for orphans in Ethiopia, including our Adanu.  Sami's dad pays for all her materials, so 100% of the proceeds go to buy shoes for kids who are being cared for by Children's Hope Chest and learning daily about God's love for them!

She also has cute polka-dot backgrounds with an initial of your choice, 

and other styles, so be sure to check them out here!

 Little Goody 2 Shoes