Have you ever read a book that you knew would change you forever? I recently read a couple books by Jen Hatmaker . I’ll be honest, I had not heard much about her before I read the books. Maybe that’s a good thing, I don’t know. What I do know is that after reading Interrupted I was WRECKED. And reading her book 7:A Mutiny Against Excess I knew my life had to change. I have told many in my world that reading these books was the hardest, best thing. It is not a book to read and put back on the shelf and say, “Well, wasn’t that nice.” No. These book should prompt you to do something. They should wreck you… in a good way.

As I read… no devoured Interrupted, I knew. I knew that the words she wrote would profoundly impact me. I have guessed for some time that God was up to something in my life. Ever clueless, I had no idea what it would be. If we’re being honest, I still have no idea, but I am one small step closer.

In this book, Jen explains how God interrupted her pleasant little life and opened her eyes to a greater purpose. God made her see the hurting and hungry in her area in a whole new light. He challenged her with the call to care for the least of these. In reading the book, it begs to reason that we are all called to care for the orphans and widows, to fill the needs of the least.

The book 7:A Mutiny Against Excess is actually the first book I came across. However, being a stickler for book order, I realized that Interrupted was the prequel to 7, so I read that first. In 7, Jen is real and honest in her 7 month long fast of sorts. I laughed along with her, I cheered as she wore seven items for a month, I was convicted when she noted the items in her closet and home that were complete excess. It was a tough read. But when she took the month to pause seven times in a day to refocus and pray in that moment, I was in awe. I saw the beauty in her moments. Intentional about praying to God, the one who gives us life.

After reading the books, I knew. I knew that my life was lived in excess and for myself, not for others. I knew this before, but really didn’t do anything. I walked around my home and looked at my pretties sitting around that I paid money for knowing that there are those around me who struggle to clothe and feed their family. It hit me hard. But, even though I have stuff I do not need, even though my closet has items that hang season after season, even though there are times when I feel our debt load too much to bear, I knew I had to do something.

And I did do something. Even though financially I cannot feed the multitudes and I cannot clothe the nation, I found what I could do. Friends and I gathered gently used kids clothes, shoes, book bags, and lunch boxes. We hosted a Back to School giveaway and gave the items away to those who came. It was a beautiful day. The faces of those getting things needed for back to school were beautiful. We served Jesus in serving some of the least.

This. This is what I was made to do. I feel I was created to serve Jesus by helping others. What does that look like on a daily basis? I’m not sure, but I daily pray for direction. Maybe hopping back into bloggyland will help with that in some way. If not no other reason for me to put my thoughts down to help sort it all out.

Several months ago I got the bright idea that we should take the kids camping. I have never camped but did have romanticized ideas of camping with our little family. I thought, How bad could it be??

We had to start from scratch. We had no tent. No supplies for camping. Only ideas in our heads. I tend to research the heck out of something before I plunge in. I looked long and hard at tent options, sleeping bags for the kids, and inflatable mattresses. I was prepared, right??

We decided to make our first camp experience one with friends and to celebrate Henry’s birthday. We invited our willing friends to join us at a local state park for the fun. We camped two nights while our friends only stayed one. Not too long but long enough.

I’m sure you’re expecting a horror story about a big rainstorm or bears or killer deer attacking us. Sorry, it didn’t happen. Instead, we fell in love with camping. I know, who knew, right?? Completely took us by surprise too.

We loved that time seemingly stood still. We loved the quite. We loved the feel and smell of a campfire. We loved watching our kids completely unplug and still have fun. It was bliss for our little family. Our kids fished in the creek, we walked trails, the kids rode their bikes, and we even just sat and listened to the sounds of quiet. We laughed with our friends. We ate hot dogs and smores cooked over a fire pit. We watched squirrels eat our breakfast leftovers. We watched deer venture close to our camp in the early morning hours.

We slept well in our tents. We woke early and it was still chilly. We started the fire and sat around it waking up slowly. We showered in a shared bath house and managed to come out clean. We left the park talking about our next camping adventure.

We loved the simplicity of camping. Little money was spent that weekend but much was given. Our kids were given freedom to ride and be kids. My son was given freedom to help build a fire. My daughter was given freedom to hike a hill with a friend. They truly loved it. It was so nice to be away from pressures of home, no bills to fret over, no Jones’ to keep up with, nothing but peace and quiet.

Never would I have thought I would enjoy it at much as I did. I told my husband that I would love for us to have a couples only camping trip. I so love spending time with him, so hopefully we can do that in the future. If not, that’s ok, we’re already planning our next adventure with the littles.

Do you camp? Do you like it or do you think it’s not for you?

Never have I been so thankful to see a school year end! My boy has had a tough year. My girl has had a great year. For both, though, I am glad to have them home for summer.

Henry is my busy, bouncy, adhd kid. He’s smart too. It drives his teachers crazy. He is cute and funny. He reads many grade levels above his. He gets math and loves science. But, he doesn’t understand boundaries. When he has a classroom full of boys (23 in his all boy class– never again) laughing and telling Henry he is the “burp master” what’s a boy to do?? He must give the people what they want. No, he should not be the burp master during class. No, he shouldn’t say inappropriate things at inappropriate times. There are many things he shouldn’t do in the course of a day, but he honestly cannot stop himself. He tries. He just cannot. He has terrible impulse control.

School brings on so much stress for him. Even though the class work is very easy for him, even though he can complete the work quickly, he never enjoys going to school. He knows he will get in trouble. He knows he cannot always control his behavior. He knows that in school, there is very little room for  gray areas. He must always walk the line and he just cannot comply. It’s hard for him. It’s hard for me.

Since he’s been out of school the last couple days, his stress is relieved. He walks around singing. He laughs. He complies with our requests. No issues. My last post alluded to some things we are praying for and scared to completely step out on faith. One of those concerns is regarding Henry and his education. We’re still praying thru it and praying for us to be able to truly trust Him for provision and direction. Really, we’re just not there. It’s sad and scary all the same.

My girl has had a wonderful school year with amazing teachers. She is a much different learner from her brother. Abby needs to be instructed on every little step. She is not a think outside the box kid, a very concrete learner. She does well in school. Has great friends. Loves getting up and going each day. Next year she will enter middle school. I hate middle school. Especially for a girl.

This summer we have no trips planned. We are planning on camping for the first time. A little nervous yet excited about that. My kids love to be outdoors and explore so I am hoping that this will be great fun. I do not expect all to be sunshine and roses, but for the most part, I think it’ll be grand. Just extra thankful school is out and my kiddies are home. They argue so much during the school year. Once summer is here they remember that they can play with one another and actually have fun. For that I am ever thankful.

Where do I even begin? I realize that many, many months have passed since my last post. Some of the absence was intentional, some was due to the fact that I didn’t have a blasted clue what to write. Overall, I came to the conclusion that I missed writing. I know no one is reading, but I’m ok with that. I missed writing for me.

Much has happened. Hubs is adjusting to a church job. It’s stressful for him as he is learning the ropes. Though he enjoys it, it has certainly been an adjustment. I have struggled a bit more than I thought having to share him with the Church. All of the conferences, meetings, and must dos seem to come all at once. There have been many weeks where he is home long after the kids are in bed and he finds me snoozing on the sofa or in our bed.

Do we regret his choice to work for our church? No. We both have learned much more about who we are and who we want to be in the last several months. I feel as if our goals and desires have changed. Well, not so much changed, but realigned and more focused. It’s been great, but it’s been scary. It’s almost as if, while we feel that we have these new desires, that we feel are from God, do we trust him enough? Do we really believe what he says when he tells us he will provide our needs? Do we feel like the burden of debt we have created keeps us from fully falling inline with his steps? Are waiting to get better financially, spiritually, to fully submit to the cross?

I think so. I think sometimes we try to fix our messes ourselves before we come to him. I know he doesn’t want that. He wants us to come to him so he can fix our messes. Now, does that mean that jumping into whatever God has for us means that our debt issues will automatically disappear? Well, no. If that’s how he chooses to help us, then yes, it could happen. But he’s a teaching God. We are to learn from where we are and have been so that we never end up there again. I can say these words to you all day long, but to say them as they should apply to myself is difficult.

I am learning. I am waiting. I know what my heart desires, but I do not have any details as of yet. I pray that once I see them appear that I will recognize them. So, as for now, I continue to hang on to my messes instead of giving them over. But I am learning….

Remember when I said that I knew Hubs new job would sometimes come before family time?? Well, the week of Christmas belongs to the church and my natives are getting restless. Our church is hosting nine wonderful Christmas services, all of which Hubs much attend/work. Sigh… I miss him a bit. Last night he came home as I was drifting to sleep on the sofa. We’re really looking forward to Sunday. We will open presents, eat breakfast, and drink coffee while the kids play. We will hold hands and snuggle.

Are you ready for Christmas?? I’ve made two batches of cookies. One I trashed and the others are ok. Shooting for Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookies tomorrow. Surely those will turn out ok! My kitchen skills seem to be lacking a bit.

If you’ve read my blog in years past, you have seen that I have a love/hate/tolerance relationship with my mother. Today she sent me a text stating she would be at my house this Saturday or Sunday. Didn’t ask, just stated as fact. Well, that doesn’t work for me, and I let her know. Saturday we will be attending one of our Christmas services at church then heading to the in-laws (like we do every year) and on Sunday, I like for it to be just my silly little family of four. Hubs will be super worn out from his new marathon Christmas adventure and I really want it to be a restful Christmas for him. I let Mom know that we would be happy to host her on Monday, so please do not think I’m a terrible daughter. I’ll even make a nice meal, promise.

I still have a few things to wrap. And it appears that our gifts from Jolly Ole St. Nick need to be charged, so that must be done too. How do you handle Santa gifts?? We have Santa only bring one gift for each child, it’s generally a special request from the kidlet. In our home, the Santa gift is not wrapped. All others under the tree are from us and therefore wrapped. I’ll be honest, I forget from one year to the next whether we give the kids stocking or if Santa Man leaves them. This year, I’m filling the stockings, so I think to simplify, that will be my job going forward, not the Jolly Elf.

So, we’re ready for Christmas. We ready to celebrate the meaning of Christmas. We’re ready to have Daddy home for a few days. And, can I be honest, I’m ready to take down my decorations. There. I said it. Maybe I am a little Grinchish this year. Merry Christmas Bloggyland.!!

Looking back on Christmases past I note a few things. One, a little chaos. Two, and little less heart in gift giving. Three, a desire for the holiday to be over.

Not to say this year isn’t without its chaos and irritable moments, but it has been a little less stressful. I’ve learned a very important lesson. It’s ok to let.it.GO! I haven’t sent out Christmas cards for two years now. Does it bother me a little? Yes. Enough to rush out and throw together cards and spends lots of money? Umm, no. I’m good.

I begin shopping early. Not for the big, special requests, but early enough to get little things here and there. My husband and I have made it a point to not overdo it on Christmas for our kids and for others. We do get our kids one of their big “Santa” requests along with several other nice, fun gifts. They’ve never complained and we never have too much junk to fit into their rooms. I find that getting purposeful gifts means more to the kids and makes me less twitchy with toy organization. By purposeful gifts, I mean games the family can play, books the kids can read, toys that require mind and imagination (not batteries). One of the kids favorite past time activities is reading. For the past couple years, I have gotten the kids a gift bag full of books. Many of the books are purchased second hand (in like new condition). The kids LOVE them! Last year the books were paired with a cozy blanket. This year, they will be given along with a Mickey/Minnie coffee mug. We went to Disney World in May for the first time as a family and the mugs will serve as a little reminder of our trip.

For gifts beyond our kids, well, we just give to very few.  Does that make us Grinch-ish?? Well, I hope not. We find that we could get really bogged down in the “have to” of Christmas. We choose not to. We choose to give to those in need as we can, we choose to give to our parents and nephews, we give to teachers, and a close friend or two. It mainstreams our budget, and we’re giving from the heart, not just a desire to keep up with the others.

And, can I be honest? My kids have been a little selfish when talking about gifts for themselves and showing jealousy when the other is talking about a gift they want to receive. It’s been driving me bonkers. They are both influenced by kids at school and I often find that it greatly affects their behavior. I am thankful that they are home for Christmas break. My sweet kids who will play games together should be making an appearance any day now. 

Merry Christmas friends. I pray you see the spirit of Christmas, I pray you embody the spirit of Christmas and share it with those around you.

I attend a rather large church. And I love it. At first, I wasn’t sure how, or if, I would fit into a place so large (about 16,000 attend each Sunday), but I now know I do. And I’m thankful.

On Sept 30-Oct1 our church held it’s annual ReCreate women’s conference. A perk to attending a large church is the ability to obtain amazing talent for special events. This year was no exception. Now, I’ll be honest, when I heard the names of the speakers, I did not know who they were (with the exception of our pastor) and I never looked them up prior to the event. I am glad. It would have been like trying to peek at a Christmas present too soon. I went to the conference with no preconceived notions nor did I have any expectations. I went open, ready to enjoy myself, and receive anything God had to offer.

The first speaker was this cute little Aussie named Christine Caine. She works with Hillsong and travels the globe speaking. I must say, I loved her story. I loved her passion. I was truly blessed by what she had to say. She reminded us that in order for us to go out and do God’s work, that we must be strengthen our core. That we need to make sure that we are strong enough to fight the fight because when we are sent by God, a battle will ensue.

She also taught us about an organization she began out of a desperation to help those held captive in the sex slave industry. Christine’s organization, A21 Campaign helps women escape the sex slave industry. It is not easy. These women, once sold, have a hard time trusting in good people. They have a hard time seeing God as faithful and loving. But, they do. They learn to trust, they learn to help others in their situation, the learn that God does love them and that evil is not of God. I would encourage you to look into this organization. Sex slaves are not only sold and traded overseas, this happens in the US too. It happens in my city and in yours. Though, not always on the nightly news, it’s happening at an alarming rate.

Another speaker from our event was Kerri Weems. I so enjoyed her sweet spirit, her honesty, and her teaching. She spoke of Samuel in Judges. Samuel had a plan for his life given to him, but he chose to go about his life in a much different way. She taught how Plan B is not God’s Plan A for our lives. When we know what we are to do, we just choose to go about it our way, it’s not the right way. God’s Plan A for our lives is so much better than we could ever imagine, we just have to trust and obey.

The final speaker was our very own Pastor Chris Hodges. To hear this man speak is to hear his passion for God. The fact that he chose to attend the conference and speak to the women of his church was great. His words are always so meaningful to me. I am thankful to be under his teaching. Two years ago when we were preparing to leave our church home of 12 years, I was concerned about not feeling “at home” in another church. I now do. I am thankful for the love that is poured into those in attendance.

So, that was our weekend in a nutshell. A lot was given to us at once, but a lot is expected of us always. Well, we did have some time to laugh and have fun a little. Check this out…

In September, I was very fortunate to attend two amazing conferences for women. I learned much in those two weekends, much of which I am still pondering. I attended with friends new and old. I laughed, may have shed a tear, and learned more about who God created me to be.

The first conference I attended was the dotMom event that was hosted by Lifeway. I didn’t know what to expect. I think going in without expectations is sometimes a good thing. That way, the ever pessimist I am will not be disappointed. Can I just say that this conference rocked my world??!?!

It challenged me as a woman, a mother, and wife, and friend. I went with a dear friend who I have known for many years, Brandi (yes, her name is Brandi. Yes, it was annoying being introduced to each others friends all weekend. But I love her and it’s so worth it.) She invited me. She met many of the “cool” bloggy moms a year prior to the dotMom event and some of the ever cool bloggy peeps were at the conference. We (meaning me because Brandi already knew them) were able to meet the ever popular BooMama and Big Mama. Also at the event were Priscilla Shirer, Vicki Courtney , Angela Thomas, and Angie Smith. I know, right?? And there were MANY, MANY more. The price for the event was low, especially considering how many wonderful, spirit filled speakers were there!

The premise for the event was that many break out sessions were offered and we chose which four we wanted to attend over the two day event. Brandi and I sat in on some great sessions, but one of my favorites was with Jean Castille who spoke on marriages. She and her husband help couples learn to build strong, God filled marriages. Many of the things she shared spoke to me. I’ll have to share more at a later time… a bloggy post all it own.

Another favorite was with the David Thomas, Sissy Goff, and Melissa Trevathan titled Modern Parents, Vintage Values. I ended up buying books from all of them, including Wild Things: Art of Nurturing Boys, Raising Girls, and Modern Parents Vintage Values. Can I just say, they have given me so much insight on my children. They have opened up ideas for me on how I want to raise my children. If you have kids, I recommend these books. Great reads. Next year, David and Sissy will be headliners for the dotMom event and I cannot wait!

It was a great weekend. If you’re in the southern region and are interested, sign up for the event in Sept 2012. You will NOT be disappointed. Bring your friends, your small group, your church. It’ll rock your world… in a good way.

For the second conference I attended in Sept…. well, you’ll have to wait. It too is a bloggy post all it’s own.

My friend and neighbor moved away about a month ago. My heart still aches. My kids still are sad over the loss of playmates and best friends.

We’ve lived across the street from one another for 11 years. We shared life. She had a baby, then I had a baby, then she had another baby, and I had another baby. Our babies grew up to be great friends and often spent the afternoons at her house or mine.

My friend was always there with a forgotten ingredient I needed at the last minute. A cup of coffee. And we enjoyed many trips shopping and laughing. I will miss her. I do miss her.

It was about a year and a half ago when she told me her husband got another job and it would require a move out of state. My heart skipped a beat when she told me, but I knew, as did she, that God was preparing them for a move. Now, neither one of us thought that it would take so long for her house to sell, but I am thankful for the extra time. Once the house sold, she was ready to go and I was ok with saying good bye.

You know, that’s the funny thing. That, while she is gone and not a part of my everyday life, I am at peace. I know that my friend and her family have followed the path that God has set before them. It is such a great feeling knowing that they stepped out on faith and moved to another state. So far, they have been so happy with their move, their new home and schools. That makes me happy too. I love to talk to her and hear how well the kids are adjusting, how much they love their new area.

There is peace even in the uncertainty when following the will of God. Now, that is free indeed.