Trust in Him…Always

“Therefore I will not keep silent; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.” Job 7:11 NIV

That verse spoke to my heart, met me right where I was feeling the other day, as I turned to God’s word to shine some light, give me comfort, remind me that He still is in control. It may have been the end of summer blues, or anxiety about home schooling a 5th grader and kindergartener this year, and I am pretty sure it was the overwhelming “I don’t know how to feel” feeling after a month of doctors appointments to hear the words “he is on the autism spectrum, mild, based on my observations.” I thought to myself, compared to others, we should be thankful, he is mild. I kind of felt like I didn’t have a right to be sad, upset, disappointed, angry, confused, unsure. K2 is almost 5 years old, we have had feelings and clues that something was different, AND I was the one that wanted to know for sure, so I told myself that I should just push through. My approach of not acknowledging the news to my heart did not go well, I felt the weight of it, and turned to my Bible app, praying for God to provide what I didn’t know I needed.

I have a habit of picking devotional plans as I find them and starting them as I feel moved to. I happened to pick Real-Life Devotions by Lysa TerKeurst back in March, fast forward to August, and on the day I read that verse (Job 7:11) in the plan it was Day 6 of the 14 day plan. That day’s devotion talked about grieving, how no one loves or heals like God does, and how there is no pain too great or too small to take to God! I so needed to read that, on exactly that day, to remember how much God cares! I will never stop being amazed how He listens to my prayers and uses His word to speak to my situation!

Trust. That was what He reminded me to do. Trust Him. God is love, and where there is love there is no room for fear! As I ran last night, I imagined my feet stomping out my list of fears I had made: it is OK to not know what this year or ten years from now will look like for us, it is OK that our day is not going to fit the perfect image I have carried in my head, it is OK that things will get messy emotionally, and it is OK that things will be done differently, it is OK because I am trusting in Him and His plan. As I ran, I sang the words from this song they played in church yesterday by Hillsong United, amazed again how God met me with the encouragement I needed this week!

“Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)”

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You’ve never failed and You won’t start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

[6x]
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

Oh, Jesus, you’re my God!

I will call upon Your name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine

As I ran last night, I was shouting in my head that this is the time for my faith to be louder than my fear, for my trust to drown out my doubts, for my family, my kids, to SEE what faith and trust in God looks like when life gets messy.

My daughter created these verse images on her Bible app. We are friends on the app and she took some of my bookmarked verses over the past couple of weeks and made these for me!

…who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:4-5 NIV

I can only imagine the plans He has for K1 and K2, they are big plans to be sure! They are each made exactly to fulfill the purpose and plans He has for them, and that I will continue to trust in!

My prayer for you is to remember how much God cares for you and wants you to cast your burdens on Him, no matter how big or small they are, know He is waiting to comfort you. I pray for you to really trust in Him as Psalm 62:8 instructs us to do, I pray for Him to give you the strength to let go and experience the freedom of letting God! I pray for your kids to see you in His word, to see His word provide you comfort, peace, guidance, and confidence and for your kids to grow up trusting and praising God because they see you trusting and praising God!

Vacation: Bring on the Rain!

“Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.”

Philemon 1:7 NIV

Refreshed! We are back from our summer family trip, and while we took a break from much of our daily routine stuff, God time was easily woven into our experiences.

For about 20 years I have wanted to see Niagara Falls. Every summer we would be so close, but never drove the extra 3 hours to see it. Planning details, passport cards, timing not right, it just didn’t happen. God’s timing is always perfect though!

This summer I not only got to see it, I was able to fully experience it! God had prepared my heart to give Him the proper praise for this awesome creation!

It was such a privilege to share God’s love for each of us, His promises for us, and His amazing creativity with my kids!

While we were at the falls in Canada the mist was incredible, soaked you like a rain falling from the sky! As we walked the two mile, beautifully landscaped walkway along the falls, I couldn’t thank God enough for His grace in my life, to be at that place with my family was humbling.

“Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.”

Deuteronomy 32:2 NIV

I read that verse from Deuteronomy the day we returned home and it reminded me not only of the falls, but also of a passionate 11 year old we met on the next to last day of our trip. Before we met him though…

We drove…a lot! Thankfully I love taking pictures and appreciate the beauty in barns…

hillsides…

road signs…

and plants!

I love that my kiddos enjoy picking flowers for me! Grandma and Grandpa may have wanted that pretty, yellow flower left in their garden, but I loved it! The water bottle vase creation my daughter made at one of our campsites! We camped…in a tent…for several days…in three different states…

This was our most picturesque camping spot! We arrived just in time that night to set up our tent, start a fire and then dive into the tent for the scariest lightning storm I did not want to be in a tent for! We had some serious prayer time and texted some friends to pray for us too! We welcomed morning thankful for God’s protection that we didn’t end up down the hill in the lake and for the beauty of the new day! To put this in perspective for you, I had camped for the first time in my life in March, for one night, when we decided to camp 6 nights on this trip…on our drive home we were listing where else we could tent camp! God’s timing is always perfect! Our family was ready and thirsty for this kind of together time!

Thirsty! That was the word that my new friend, 11 year old John, used that stuck with me. We didn’t sleep in a tent for 6 nights in a row…we broke it up with a couple of nights at a hotel.

My husband and I joked that this hotel was strategically planned around the tent nights so that you would be so tired you would gladly fall into your sleeping bag when we had to sleep in the tent! This hotel has not only an indoor water park, to exhaust you with climbing flights of stairs over and over to get to the slides, but also a scavenger hunt type game located on 3 different floors with, you guessed it, stairs to climb between the floors!

During our first game it must have been easy to see my confusion, because along came this boy to offer his assistance. He was very polite, helpful and encouraging! I really thought we would not cross paths again, but we saw him helping others throughout our stay too.

The morning we were checking out we decided to give the game one last try and were stumped. I felt disappointed for my kids, and then along came this same helpful boy! He helped K2 and was genuinely excited for him! When it was time to move to the next floor we all walked in the same direction and then the boy started to ask us questions about what else we had tried with the game. He shared some tips and then as we were about to go in two different directions he said something I couldn’t quite hear. I asked him what he said a couple more times, moved closer to him and then I heard it, “Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins?” I suddenly understood why his voice had gotten so quiet, where until then, I could hear him just fine. He was nervous, but doing what he believed was his purpose! I smiled at him, and said that I do believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins and went on to tell him that our family is Christian. He lit up and shared with me about his church and family, how his dad was the last in his family to be saved, about how he came back from Iraq saved two years ago; he was so thankful for his dad being saved!

He told me that there are a lot of “thirsty” people out there and he wants them to know about Jesus, which is why he spends his vacation helping others at this game. This 11 year old boy has a passion and an understanding that blew me away, and I was so thankful that my kids witnessed it! God’s timing is always perfect! I believe that God used me as much to encourage John in his faith, as He used John to encourage me in my faith!

I told him that I thought it was really cool that he was bold in his faith and that I would be praying for him, to which he told me he would be praying for me too!

The greatest thing you can do is love someone, and by loving others, helping others, getting to know others, you will help them to know The One!

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

2 Timothy 1:7 NIV

My prayer for you is that you allow God to work in His time, trust in that, allow Him to ready your heart to experience what He has planned for you, walk in His truth from 2 Timothy 1:7, refresh and encourage others and let His teaching fall like rain and quench your thirst!

Feed Your Faith Daily, Forget the List and Follow The Spirit…PRESCHOOL STYLE

Opportunities to lead small and disciple kids to show God’s love are present in every phase of a child’s life, don’t miss them! As I listened to Pastor Brett’s message yesterday to feed your faith daily, forget the list (be a relationship builder, not a rule keeper), and follow the Spirit, I thought, “Thanks God for showing me how beautifully simple living this is through the lens of a child!”

As K2 and I arrived in his Sunday school room, I noticed a little girl sitting off by herself during story in the pre-k and K room. K2 hangs with the boyz 😀 and my attention was diverted to their energetic doings through snack and craft, before I knew it we were heading out to the playground via the SECRET STAIRS! They are so secret that one of the leaders didn’t know they existed and no I can’t tell you where they are because it’s a secret!!

Out on the playground I made my way to the tricycle course to play traffic cop. I found that I was standing not too far away from that same little girl from class. She was again sitting on a chair, in the playground, quietly by herself, no smile in the midst of all the fun happening around her. That is when the Spirit led me to go over and start talking to her.

I asked her what grade she was in, just finished kindergarten, then what school she goes to. “It’s in Ohio.” She continued to tell me her family just moved here and this was her first Sunday at our church.

My heart broke a little for her, knowing how hard it is to move to a new place and starting over making new friends, especially when you are that age.

I asked her if she had family here and she told me she has her Grandma and Grandpa and then told me a whole list of family she has in Asheville.

I then asked her if she met any friends in her neighborhood yet and she sadly said “No.” I assuredly told her once school starts she’ll make some new friends. She then said, “I don’t know anyone’s names.” So I told her my name and she lit up saying she has an Aunt Michelle (I am assuming her name has two L’s 😊).

Just then my friend Naomi, who will be going into K this fall, came by. I asked her what her cousin’s name was and we called Arabella over, who just finished K. I introduced the girls to this sweet new friend Riley and asked Riley if she wanted to play with them and she excitedly said, “Yes!” Naomi and Arabella kindly said they wanted to play with Riley too! Off they went!

I stood there a few moments watching the three of them. Riley was smiling and animated and suggesting things they could play! My first impressions of this “quiet” girl being shy were wrong. She just needed a friend. I am so thankful for the seeds Naomi and Arabella’s moms planted in their daughters’ hearts, to show God’s love, those seeds sprouted today on the playground! I will cherish this example of loving your neighbor! Thank you Naomi and Arabella 😘

My prayer is for parents to be encouraged to keep planting the seeds, God is faithful, in His timing and with the Spirit guiding our kids, good fruit will be produced. May His Word be planted in our hearts as well, encouraging us to say yes when the Spirit is guiding us to be relationship builders.

“Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39 NIV

Lead Small

My favorite thing about Thinking Orange is Leading Small. Leading small helps kids develop authentic faith through community. We want kids’ faith to be real…beyond a decision at camp or VBS or because they want to be like their friends…real, authentic faith will be what they rely on when no one is looking, will sustain them when they step out into the world on their own, and will remind them of their purpose.

When kids think of church they think of the people, their small group. As adults we can forget that we are the church. I read a post (click) here by Curtis Poor that reminded me of the truth that we are to build one another up and then go and make disciples.

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:23-25 NIV

Part of leading small effectively involves showing up consistently…and not just physically. Mentally showing up with my small group means I am excited to see my few (my tribe) and they know that I am by how I listen and look at them when they talk, ask them questions, sing and dance with them and share stories about my life…sometimes as it relates to a lesson and sometimes just because!

“so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” 1 Thessalonians 2:8 NIV

As a parent, I have the opportunity to lead small in my home too! Honestly, for me this is harder. When I lead a small group at church, I know that is what I am devoting my time to for those hours. When I am at home, I have to remind myself that it is OK if Mt. St. Laundry grows taller or the floors wait another day. To help relieve myself from the guilt of not checking off things on my to do list and to show up consistently I have made an unwritten rule: When the kids’ friends are at the house I am all theirs (as long as they’ll have me!). They are my box to check! Mentally showing up means if they want me to join a board game, play basketball in the pool, or have a Nerf gun fight while playing capture the flag (flag football style!) I am IN! That also means if they want to talk I am all ears first, then I rely on God to give me the wisdom to speak truth and honor their parents.

Spending time being present with my kids and their friends is such a blessing and an honor! My prayer for them is that through sharing the gift of hospitality, leading small and discipling them in the fruits of fellowship and community that they will experience growth towards authentic faith and be encouraged in their purpose to go and make disciples.

How are you Leading Small today?

Discipling Our Kids: Word!

Over the past 10 years I have found myself saying more than once, “Wow! There is really good wisdom and guidance in the Bible!” Often those words were then followed with the thought of “If only I knew this when I was younger!”

You would think having those revelations would have prompted me to go to God’s word first when confronted with less than stellar behavior from my kids. Unfortunately there was not a pause button on my kids or the task I was in the middle of and time outs, scolding, consequences, and yelling came as quick fixes in the chaos. I have learned recently with my oldest though, that some things are a heart issue. No amount of my disappointment (or scolding!) over the years had changed her heart with lying.

I have also been learning that God is as much at work on my heart through the kids He has blessed me with as He is at work on their hearts!

“Desire without knowledge is not good- how much more will hasty feet miss the way!”

Proverbs 19:2 NIV

No matter how much I wanted to have the right response or the perfect discipline strategy, my lack of knowledge in applying His truth caused me to miss my daughter’s heart.  In January I had made a renewed priority to be intentional daily with my time getting into His Word. I definitely saw the difference when I chose to start the day on my own strength instead of inviting the Spirit to guide my steps (and my tongue)! My time reading and reflecting on His truths prepared me to finally see what I was missing with my daughter’s heart issue.

About a month and a half ago she got tangled up in a lie with my husband and I. I was dismayed because she knew how we felt about lying and how God viewed it AND it was the focus of kids’ church that month! My response to her was not from me, standing in the kitchen looking at her, I felt the presence of the Spirit. I felt the seeds I had been planting since January, that intentional time in the Word, was about to produce fruit. The spirit had my heart and the words from my mouth. It was powerful for me knowing my weakness and how I would normally respond.

This time, before I used a lot of my words, I patiently directed her to The Word. I had her look up verses on lying. As she found each one she read it to herself, then she would read it to me, and we talked about what it meant before she looked up the next one. When we were done reading what God has to say on lying we prayed together, thanking Him for his truth and guidance, asking Him to help make her strong in this weakness and praising Him for His ever present patience and love…with both of us! Since then I have seen a change in her heart that I had not seen before with any of my approaches!

“The one who gets wisdom loves life; the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper.” Proverbs 19:8 NIV

Discipling our kids in the Word of God is so important, the fruit it yields is proof of that! Consistent, heart felt time will prepare you and your kids to face the daily messes and provide encouragement that He is always there to help you up when you fall, always ready to meet you right where you are. My prayer is that my kids will read His word later in life will be able to say, “I am thankful I learned this when I was younger!”

This Week’s Marble

• The book of Proverbs has 31 chapters, perfect for reading one per day!
• Teach your kids to highlight one thing that is important to them that they read each day.
• Text scripture to your kids from what you read.
• Cool Idea: Work on making a set of 365 3×5 cards with one verse on each card. Present the set to your child when their last marble is used up before you send them out into the world. I have 413 marbles (weeks) left with my daughter so this is doable if I do one card per week!

Hello world!

THIS is my first post! A moment ago I really was losing my marbles trying to figure out how to  fix the “this is your first post” post that I published…by accident!

Losing my marbles has been a concept close to my heart for a little over a year. Sometimes it has felt literal…I have “that child”…other times it has been the realization that I have each of my kids (teaching, modeling, pouring into them) for 936 weeks (marbles). I want to be intentional with the weeks I am blessed with!

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9

As a parent, I have the most time with my kids to disciple them. My goal is to use my thirst for God’s Word and my desire to show my kids what it is like to walk with Jesus, especially when life gets messy!

The reality is they catch more of what I do than what I say! (Thankfully?!) my son is quick to point out when my walk doesn’t match my talk. I am sure that is a gift God will use in him!

I have had friends tell me I have the gift of encouragement. I want to encourage others to be intentional with their marbles too! What a privilege we have to disciple our children and encourage them to disciple their friends! How cool is it to think, when that last marble is used up, that our child knows they have a purpose!

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”  Matthew 28:19

The Legacy app will help you calculate your marbles.!

How many marbles do you have left?