Testify

My past words from my devotion "Waiting for my Portion" have come back to haunt me in a sweet way this week. The past few posts have been about how incredibly busy the past few weeks have been. This week was supposed to be the busiest, but God has graciously and abundantly supplied my portion!

I left church Sunday feeling overwhelmed and discouraged, because I couldn't get "The Loop" stopped. "The Loop" is one glitch in my brain where it plays and replays thoughts over and over again. It's how I describe those early morning panic attacks that I sometimes struggle with when my mind isn't awake enough to battle the barrage of thoughts and worries. If I break "The Loop" by reading or praying, God's peace settles in, and I go back to sleep.

Anyway, "The Loop" on Sunday was my to-do list for the week. I started praying, though, and enjoyed some time in the sun watching my boys play soccer. By the end of the day, peace had been restored. I asked God to help me use my time well and obediently. I needed His portion!

He has been so faithful. A few things have been cancelled that have helped to open some free spaces. I've taught, visited, provided a meal, prepared to speak and spent family time. Yesterday, Nolan and I were running some errands together. I got a chance to testify of how God is good to seemingly multiply our time when we are being obedient to Him. He makes the impossible possible.

There have been times in the past when I've simply taken on things that God probably never intended. Those weeks leave me weak! This week, though, God has provided for all the things that He's asked me to do. I pray that He's strengthening you also for the tasks that He has created for you. (or created you for!)

Drawing Near

Oops! Yesterday's devotion snuck up on me, so I'm sorry there was not a tie-in on the blog.

It was so appropriate to read my own words again. Sometimes they come back to haunt you! The past few weeks have been incredibly busy in my world. I had 4 speaking events scheduled in 5 weeks, started a new (additional) job, continued to be a soccer mom, tried to fix a few meals, taught Sunday school...you get the idea. Life isn't always like this. In fact, I try hard to make sure life doesn't get like this, but sometimes everything just hits at once. I know that you know exactly what I'm talking about.

What happens to our walk with God during these times? It's so easier to think, "I'll get to that quiet time later" or "God will understand". Weeks later we can find ourselves spiritually depleted and feeling very far away from the One who we love. It's during these busy times that we need to draw near instead of drifting away.

I keep thinking of the picture of those "Lazy River" rides at water parks. If I wanted to stay in one place, I'd need to put in some effort to swim against the tide. With no work I'd just float wherever that river was going. Our culture is a tide that we have to swim against. Floating along will bring us into places of sin that we had never imagined we could never end up. It's intentional time that will keep us near to God and keep us from being swept away by our world's current.

Draw near to God today. Write a prayer in a journal. Practice His presence as you wash the dishes. Pray for every friend who crosses your mind. Leave scripture open around the house and read His Word throughout the day. Focus your mind and heart on Him. He delights in you and the time you set aside for Him!

Too Big a Bite

I have bitten off more than I can chew this week. No blogging is one result. Laundry half done and zero groceries on the house are two of the others. I'll fill you in later on why it's been such a big week.

For now I want to send you to my friend Renee's blog. This post tickled my funny bone, but also brought me so much comfort. None of us are perfect women, and occasionally even our best efforts leave some things undone. Identifying the important things to do is the key. Renee has been doing some very important things, and she is a woman who has God, her man and her boys at the top of her list. That's what I'm doing this week, too! Don't miss Renee's post. See you next week!

Join Me!

On March 28th, I'll be speaking near my home town at Salem Baptist Church in Apex, NC. I'd love to meet any of you that live in this area. Click here to link to Salem's registration sheet and the schedule for the day. If any of you are coming that are Proverbs 31 devotion or blog readers, I'd treasure the chance to speak to you in person. Please let me know you're coming!

I'm so excited that I can hardly stand it! In fact, I don't think I've been this excited in a long time. Tomorrow night, five teenagers are coming to my house to do a study together for several weeks. Teaching teens is sooooo out of my comfort zone, but let me explain why I'm so psyched.

Weeks ago, Anson was working on an English project with a friend that I'll call Susan (I haven't asked permission to blog about her, so we'll give her a new name!). Anson and Susan were given the assignment to interview each other and write a biography about the other. Anson and Susan have know each other and been in class together for a long time, but he was learning some interesting information about her and enjoying the project. Suddenly, he came to this question on his sheet, "What is something that confuses you?" Susan replied, "One thing that I've been thinking about a lot and that confuses me is heaven. I want to know how to go there, but I don't."

I came in on the story when Anson, my usually calm and unemotional child, came rushing into my room in full flush stuttering, "You WILL NOT BELIEVE the conversation that I just had with Susan!!!" He told me that after her stunning statement that he had said, "Well...I'm a Christian. Can I share what I believe with you?" Anson got to share the gospel with his friend. She was receptive, but wanted to discuss it in person. Anson called a mutual friend who invited Susan to our church's spring youth retreat.

This youth retreat absolutely ROCKS!!! I am starting to look forward to it like Christmas and She Speaks. This year 45 kids got saved including...you guessed it... our sweet friend, Susan!!! We have been completely grateful and overwhelmed to be part of God's work in this young woman's life.

Susan comes from a truly wonderful, loving family. They don't attend church, however, so she has LOTS of questions. Tomorrow night, a few friends are getting together to study and talk about those questions. Our first night is going to be "How Can We Know that the Bible Is True?" I'm going to lead, but I'm so excited to have these other mature teens to help me. We'll keep it simple, explain religious terms and try to be very real about this walk with Jesus.

You can probably tell that I'm overflowing. My heart's desire is to encourage this new and precious believer, to help her faith and understanding grow, and to point her to Jesus for all that she needs. Would you please pray for us? As usuall the most exciting callings seem the most beyond me. That's a good place to be,though, right?

Beautiful Women, Beautiful Hearts

I'm so glad that Valerie sent some pictures of the most important part of my time in Greenfield, Iowa last weekend--the women!! (I wish we could have included the Dolly Llama in our event, but she might have had trouble with this game.)

One of the fun activities was doing a game called "Body Boogie". Each woman was handed a card that said right hand, left hand, head, left foot, right foot or torso. Women milled around until a whole "body" was formed into a team of body parts. As a team, we went to a station to do an art project. Only the head could speak and direct. Only the right and left hands could use their hand. The feet shook their named foot during the project. We had to create a project that we were judged on.

It was a little hard to figure out at first, but we we all worked together...

...it was a lot of fun!! Our project wasn't beautiful, but we clapped our hands like crazy!

The winners proved that each part doing its job makes for a beautiful whole!

Iowa--A Little Taste of Heaven

When I put the trip to Greenfield, Iowa on my calendar, I had no idea what a treat I was in for. I hate that my batteries died before I could get pics of the fabulous women that I got to serve with at Cornerstone Fellowship. In a small but vibrant church of 150, they had an attendance of 54 women at their Purse-onality Event! I had a wonderful time with them, and I feel like I gained a new set of friends in just 2 days.

It turns out that I felt right at home in Iowa. Nobody who hears my southern drawl believes it, but I was born in Kansas. All my extended family lives in Kansas and Colorado, and Iowa felt so much like western Kansas. How can you not LOVE a place where the hospitality makes you feel like an instant friend and nobody even locks their doors.

It's beautiful there, too. The county beside Greenfield is the setting of the book and movie The Bridges of Madison County. Valerie, one of the event coordinators, took me to see one of the beautiful covered bridges.

People in love had signed their names and initials all along the length of the bridge...

But there was one quote that cracked me up...

The Bridges of Madison County was a book that I didn't love. I think that men who either ignore their wives or steal other people's wives ARE wimps! Anywhoo....

One of the highlights was staying in a beautiful B & B owned by Elizabeth Lundstedt. Elizabeth and her husband moved and renovated this one-room schoolhouse and run it as a B & B. It snowed on Friday night--can you believe how gorgeous and quaint this is?!!

Elizabeth is a multi-talented woman. She led the music for the event, tunes pianos, helps her husband farm and fixes a breakfast that would make you slap your grandma! I know that Weight Watchers wouldn't approve, but I couldn't help but snag seconds of the homemade cinnamon rolls and rhubarb breakfast casserole on the way out.

Finally, I rubbed my eyes and pinched myself twice when I saw this animal in the field before we set out for church.

This is Dolly Llama--resident sheep imitator and guard dog. Isn't she something else?

You may have a list of places that you'd like to visit. Most of them are places that appear in travel magazines or are featured on television travel logs. I'm here to tell you that you should add Greenfield, Iowa to your list. It's a little slice of heaven here on earth.