My Greatest Joy- Day 38

Posted on by Mary
Greatest

Good morning all! So quick question. Can you guess what my greatest Joy is? This is one of those blog post ideas that I had once upon a time and I wrote down this great idea (a title) and no other details! UGH! Yes I have learned from my mistake But each week as I read through my post idea list this one almost taunts me. Coming out of a season where I had to be super intentional about my gratitude and having to REALLY hone in my sights to what brings me true joy- I struggled to remember what laid behind this blog post. That is until this Sunday.

So what makes something the “GREATEST”

When I think of “the greatest”. I think about the absolute best And coming out of the Olympic season we heard the term GOAT. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why on earth it was a compliment to be called a GOAT…..that is I finally put two and two together and realized it stood for “Greatest Of All Time”. AHA but as the Olympics continued on we began to see that GOATs weren’t perfect. They might be considered the Best in the world (at that time) but it didn’t mean they were perfect.

Since Sunday and realizing and remembering what my greatest joy is I kept coming back to this word perfect. Greatest does not equal perfect. Jesus is my perfect joy- I get so much joy from Him….and that is where my greatest joy stems from.

I took a step forward

But not like you might be thinking. I was in the middle of praising Jesus and all of a sudden a thought came to mind. So I took a tiny step forward and glanced down our row of chairs. And what I saw and heard struck the deepest sense of joy I have felt in a long time. And all I had to do is LOOK. I didn’t have t do anything. I didn’t need to get anything. I just needed to pay attention. And then in that moment my reason for putting that post title came flooding back….

What I saw…and heard

Looking to my left and right I saw 4 kids who were worshipping Jesus in their own way…without any reservation. They weren’t being judged they were in their own spaces one on one lifting the name of their Savior in song You could tell it was personal. AND THAT brought me my greatest joy and made me praise Jesus all the more.

And as that welled up in my soul, thoughts came flooding back- of a teenager asking me (very sheepishly) if I could read the Bible with her. Or another teenager asking if I would go forward with her at a youth conference. Seeing tears flow down her faces she prayed which in turn made me ugly cry because I had been praying for this girl for oh so long.

To see a group of 17 teenagers- boys and girls embrace and love each other like I have never seen any other group of humans ever do. Such different backgrounds….such different experiences….such different economic backgrounds…encourage each other lift each other up…and just care. Yes they had their moments of disagreement but that was rare.

To watch on any given Sunday morning a herd of children run up to new kids and invite them to “come play with us in the gym”. To swallow up the new ones, it wasn’t an exclusive club for these kids. They wanted to include everyone because they themselves had been included.

Teens who would share their deepest burdens of their hearts because they felt safe.

Women who were honest about where they were at- tears shed as they shared their broken places.

And then I remembered – my Greatest Joy WAS perfect every single time-

Changed Lives- It didn’t matter how it happened or how messy it was. When people were honest with themselves and really let Jesus change them- there is nothing better (except for seeing them all in heaven someday.)

BUT My greatest Joy is also linked to my greatest sorrow

This was a harsh reality for me Monday and I am not going to lie all of the emotions that flooded my soul was rough. I was angry I was sad I was disappointed. I was crushed.

I’m not going to tell you what happened but I will give you a breakdown…..

  • selfishness (putting oneself before others)
  • mistreatment of others
  • a limiting of grace to someone else (the idea that You only deserve this much …………because of………….)
  • Rejection
  • judging

The list could go on. There was this realization that people aren’t willing to change.. They know what is right and wrong. They can even verbalize it BUT they are unwilling to let that change them. Their hearts are hard. They think they are entitled, They make an exclusive club and they limit God’s grab for certain people. THAT is my greatest sorrow because that isn’t what God teaches in his word.

Jesus says “Love your Neighbor as yourself”

We ask “who is our neighbor?” looking for a specific easy to love group of people -mostly the ones just like us.

Jesus answers EVERYONE.

We don’t get to pick and choose who get’s love, grace and mercy. But we tend to think that we get to be that judge. We don’t. we are commanded to (to quote NIKE) -“JUST DO IT”

And at the end of the day

My realization was this

  • I’m glad Jesus doesn’t treat us like this.
  • that I am called to be like Jesus so I need to treat people like Jesus treats me
  • It’s not my job to withhold grace mercy and love- it’s my job to lavishly give it out- just like those kids. who didn’t see backgrounds, color, economic standing , or anything else for that matter
  • I need to die to self and put others before myself
  • I need to not just take in the information from God’s word I need to apply it . And Not just bits and pieces that make me comfortable
  • It’s not about what is easy for me. It’s not about my time, my money, my strength. It’s about serving Jesus with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength- REALLY my whole life- not holding anything back. It’s not about Convenience. (It wasn’t easy or convenient for Jesus to die on the cross)

All of this from a bunch of teenagers and a bunch of kids. Oh how we have lost sight of what is most important. I promise you if you can learn these lessons from children you too will experience the greatest Joy because it’s not MY greatest Joy- It’s Jesus’!!!!!

Thanks for joining me for Day 38 of my Choosing Courage 100 day blogging project. If you are new here you can check out this blog post that explains it all. 

And if you have fallen behind or missed some posts you can check it out here

My Joy Dare- Week 3

Posted on by Mary
Joy

Hey everyone, welcome to week 3 of the Joy Dare. thanks for joining me on this journey. As I have been striving to be intentional with my gratitude over the last few years it has really changed my responses to some of the daily struggles in life! U have thoroughly enjoyed this challenging process.. You can join in be checking out Ann Voskamp’s website here.

Joy

Let’s jump into this weeks dare!

January 15th-21st

January 15th A gift worn, given away, Shared
  • worn- Comfy PJ’s gifted to me by my hubby.
  • given away-Reverse advent calendar over December with our kiddos
  • Shared- art supplies with the kiddos watching them explore their talents
January 16th- 3 witnessed blessings
  • smiles on teenagers faces in a few minutes of crazy fun!
  • sweet conversations with our two oldest kiddos after a youth even complete with their observations and hearing their hearts – I am. proud to be their mom!
  • watching our kids make connections with God’s word- Specifically T’s observation about the churches talked about in Revelation.
January 17th- A gift bringing laughter, prayer and quiet
  • Laughter- a funny picture from a facebook memory
  • Prayer- Friends needs- knowing that each one of us trusts each other
  • quiet- the moments after coming home from church

January 18th- 3 Gifts from God’s Word

  • Psalm 121:1- My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth (NIV)
  • 2 Peter 1:3 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (NIV)
  • Romans. 8: 35-39 –

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[a]

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future,nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NIV)

These are all verses and passages that I have been working through that I have called “WHAT I KNOW. …” We will be talking about these over the next month or so.

January 19th- 3 Gifts that might never have been

(I actually you will give you 5!!). I count each one of these amazing people as huge gifts in my life!

  • T- oldest son
  • K- Only daughter
  • J- middle son
  • S- youngest son
  • HUBBY!!
January 20th- 3 gifts only seen close up
  • Cells under a microscope- 5th grade science is amazing
  • Jewelry- looking at it closely helps you to see its beauty and intricacy and the ability of the the jewelry makers
  • quilts- especially the intricate top stitches – we have a beautiful quilt hubby’s grandma (Mimi) made for us when we got married. Mimi has since gone to heaven but the quilt is the daily reminder of her love for us. The topstitches she these amazing hearts that are all connected!

January 21st- A gift in the sky, water, memory

  • Sky- the sunshine- it’s been scare as of late
  • water- some of my favorite animals reside in the water- FROGS!! As a kid I was all about. dolphins, manatees, seal, sea lions, walruses and whales. or and SEA TURTLES!
  • memory- it’s funny because there have been a few times of late there have been memories from my childhood slipped into my mind and made me smile. and then they slipped away. Just the idea of having a memory of a good thing in the past is a treasure because some don’t have that!

We will see you back here NEXT Thursday!

Happy Homemaker Monday 1-11-2021

Posted on by Mary

Happy Monday Friends. I can’t believe it’s the second week of January all ready. I am praying that this finds you all well and I can’t wait to hear fro you all in the comments!

The weather outside is::::

Gray-is with the sun desperately trying to make an appearance

  • Monday- 32
  • Tuesday- 31
  • Wednesday- 34
  • Thursday- 37
  • Friday- 42
  • Saturday- 35
  • Sunday- 29

WOOOHOOO can you say heat wave in the middle of the week!?!

On the breakfast plate this morning::::

Egg Whites and 2 pieces of Bacon

As I look outside my window::::

Care trees and well played in snow

As I look around the house::::

We still have the tree up but it’s been undecorated. Hubby just needs to take the lights off and disassemble the tree. House has been undecorated. As I just walked through the downstairs there are computers ready for kids to start back on their school work as soon as they get home and some other miscellaneous things out of place but will be taken care of during chore time today

What I’m wearing today::::

I am wearing a navy blue hoodie, teal t-shirt underneath, dark blue skinny jean and gray socks and sneakers            

Currently reading::::

I am currently participating in the Christian reading Challenge four here

  • Lisettes List (Novel of 400 pages or more)
  • More Joy for the Journey (Devotional of 30 Days or More)
  • S.H,A.P.E 9 Christian Living book)
  • Prince Caspian (A book You have already read) *This is a part of our morning basket with the whole family)
  • I am currently using my (in)Courage Devotional Bible as I am doing the reading plan for Intentional Gratitude

On the TV for this week::::My

Nothing really- On my phone though there are some art videos through Skillshare and Youtube

 On the menu this week::::

Monday – Spaghetti, salad and Garlic Bread
Tuesday – Chili and Biscuits
Wednesday  –   Sloppy Joes and French fries
Thursday – Chef Salads  
Friday – tater tot Casserole
Saturday – Breakfast for dinner
Sunday -Baked Chicken, Baked Potatoes and veggies (Broccoli Normandy)

I am. still on health restrictions so the menu is pretty simple so if I can’t take care of dinner hubby or one of the two older kiddos can step in and make whatever is on the menu.. This past week was the first time I’ve cooked in a month.

Something fun to share:::

Well if you have read my 2021 Word post you know that the Month of December and well into January has been a very interesting journey for our family and it isn’t over yet- thank you for those who have prayed and encouraged our family through this journey!

Favorite photo from the camera::::

Happy
Learning how to use my new Glass dip pens

Prayers, Inspiration quotes, Devotionals::::

I have a lot of friends and family going through a bunch of junk right now. trying tomato sure they are all well covered in prayer and encouragement is hard and I am so thankful that when my heart is grieved and I don’t know what or how to pray that the Holy Spirit interceded for me!

For more Happy Homemaker posts please visit Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Intentional…..2021 {WORD}

Posted on by Mary

Each Year I choose a word (intentionally). 2019 I choose JOY, and when 2020 rolled around around I felt the innate sense that JOY needed to stay my word for 2020 AFAIN…..hmmmmm….I wonder why. But then December of 2020 rolled around. I try to be intentional with my word each year. Now I am not one to label events to a year and I am not about to do that with this circumstance either. First let’s go back to November, the beginning of November that is.

That’s when I decided what 2021’s Oe word would be……

Intentional

Low and behold I had no idea what in the world was about to happen. We had a great Thanksgiving and first week of December. I was in full swing of planning for 2021. And the very first Bible Study of 2021 was scheduled to be Intentional Gratitude.

And then I woke up the second Wednesday of December and life swirled out of control….(I’m gonna spare you all the extremely gory details) but it involved the first of 3 emergency room visits and life came to a screeching halt.Since that day I have had 3 emergency room visits, 5 Doctor’s visits, 2 emergency procedures, 1 MRI, 1 CAT scan, 2 Ultrasounds, 2 overnight stays in the hospital (that’s 4 total hospital visits total…..and warning TMI moment 11 attempts at…NEVERMIND…..its 11 attempts at something that was excruciatingly painful for me and that is all ya really need to know.

……and I found myself smack in the middle of needing to be intentionally joyful and intentionally grateful because life had me in so much pain that I required Narcotics and Jesus. Yes you read that correctly.

Originally I had areas I “planned” on being intentional in. But I have become ever more aware of how God’s plans are not my plans and His ways are not my ways.

My plan was intentional…

  • gratitude
  • service
  • family time
  • blog
  • home
  • relationship with Jesus
  • hubby
  • relationships with others in general

If you know me some of those things come naturally. Like service- it’s one of my spiritual gifts .

But since all of this has Happened I have had to reconsider some and add others.

  • service for me is an “active” thing- and right now action is not something I can do very much of. So service has taken on a different look- right now it is heavily rooted in prayer and texting and phone calls ( oh wait that’s been a lot of 2020!!!)
  • Taking care of our home has not been something I can do right now. It took all of my strength and energy tp write out our weekly menu and grocery list.
  • My relationship with Jesus has jumped to a whole new level….more on that in a later post.
  • I’ve added intentional “REST”. Sometimes that requires sleep and other times it means stepping away because my body is so exhausted. Exhausted currently holds a whole new meaning for me and I cannot yet put it into words.
  • intentional emotions. Emotions in these situations can spin out of control, especially when extreme pain is wrecking your whole body.
  • Intentional breathing- NO JOKE. when you are in extreme pain you forget to take deep breaths and I am so grateful for a friend who would remind me over the phone to control my breathing and take deep breaths. It’s these practical reminders that can calm a very serious situations.
  • Intentional honesty- admitting where I am at. It’s easy for me to ask people and care for others in their situations but it’s another for me to say here’s where I am at and I’m really struggling with. I have a great group of friends I can do this with. No judgement because they REALLY know me. (They don’t just think they know me or my intentions) and in those moments they are so gracious and willing to share truth not just pat answers. One of them shared a devotional that really reminded me to really think on what I know NOT on what I am feeling. (More on that later too)

In closing

I want to leave you with my verses for the year

intentional

I fully believe that I am in full swing on really learning what these verses mean. It’s one thing to know “what “they mean. I know WHAT they mean but it’s another story to take these verses and fully apply them to our lives- that the difference between knowing and living God’s word (aka is the Bible a textbook to you?) HA another post!! coming your way….I think all of these count as intention blog posts!.

Well Let me know what your word and verses are for the year in the comments below!

HUGE MILESTONE!!!! (And a Review and a Giveaway to celebrate!)

Posted on by Mary
milestone

1,oooth Blog Post Milestone

Milestones…..I remember waiting for each kid in our house to meet certain milestones. first it’s to smile, then sleep through the night , then there are first teeth, rolling, sitting, crawling, standing walking, then there is riding a bike, first day of school, driving (GULP- a milestone not too far off for our oldest). The point is that life is FULL of milestones and for the most part milestone are fun and this milestone is no different.

Things happen and sometimes milestones are delayed. Delayed milestone when we are talking about small children aren’t good at all and we have had a fair share of those as well but in the growth and maturity of this blog I have had a few seasons of waiting. BUT THIS IS IT BABY!!!

January 8, 2007 (you can check it out here)

I had two kids ages 1.5 and 5 months old YEAH I KNOW! and I was just a few months shy of getting pregnant with number 3 (he was born in November of that year). Hubby was working full time, going to school full time and was associate pastor with his dad full time. I was about to turn 27 years old and I needed to do something to get the words out that wouldn’t be understood by my you g cohorts.

I don’t even remember what I called my first blog (hosted by blogger) but I remember that my first user name was Frog Princess!!! (yes I love frogs and I am God’s princess so there ya have it). then came Happy Mama and that was my next blog….a BIG GIRL real for real HOSTED blog . There was about a years time when the blogosphere (is that even a word anymore) didn’t hear from little old me and THAT’s ok. That Blog was called Walking the Walk- and I was off again.

Fast forward just a few short years and we faced something difficult. and because of that I struggled with some major fear in my life and took a major long healing process. and with that healing process came a new blog and a different person. I wish I could tell you that fear didn’t affect my blogging anymore but RGAR WOULD BE A BOLD FACED LIE! It is a struggle to write about hard things and in the coming months and years it’s not going to get easier. See the point of this blog is all about a journey, and this journey is NOT an easy one. This journey has seen my fait waiver and I have lost hope once or twice. But t I am thankful for a GOD who chases me down and doesn’t let me go!!!!!!

SO Let’s have a pasr-tay!!! Let me introduce you to AJ.

Arabah Joy

I was introduced to AJ back a few years ago when I purchased one of the first Ultimate Homeaking Bundles. I think t was a set of cards Called WORSHIP: Celebrating the names and Attributes of God. I LOVED this resource and I used it often and over the years I have bought more bundles Like a Bible study bundle and more homemaking bundles. . And it’s kinda funny when I started preparing for this post I began to realize just how many of AJ’s resources I have collected over the years. I also enjoy her Bible study Methods PDF as well.

You can purchase this PDF Here (Note I do not own the entire PDF file just the ebook and links for videos)

milestone

I have used quite a few of these and enjoy them.

Another Of AJ’s PDF’s that I have used on and off over the last few years came in another homemaking Bundle and we are currently using them in our “morning basket” (even though there is no BASKET to speak of)

You can purchase this PDF here

milestone
milestone

Over the last few years I have collected and used many of her scripture writing sheets as well. So as I prepared to make this blog post 3 1/2 months ago I was also compiling my PDF books and was reminded of just how many of AJ’s re sources I have used and enjoyed AND THEN I saw an ad on facebook. It was for AJ’s newest resource and I had an idea. AND I had to muster some courage.

I needed to take a step of faith and get some boldness. wrote to AJ. I had shared me milestone and she was so encouraging And she kindly granted me TWO copies one for me to review and one FOR ME TO GIVE AWAY! in honor of my 1,000 blog post so a huge shout out and thank you to ARABAH JOY.

So let’s get into this awesome new resource! It’s called “LOVE THE WORD BIBLE STUDY BINDER” and it comes with 66 printable pages and it’s got a bunch of AJ’s resources in it!

Here’s what you get!

  • 4 different covers to choose from
  • Spines in each of the cover patterns for 1, 1 ½, 2, and 3 inch binders
  • Tabs (both customized and blank)
  • Monthly divider sheets (January – December)
  • The Alone with God Quiet Time Journal
  • Bible Color Coding System with instructions and Bookmark
  • PROSPER Bible Study Method (workbook, templates, + 5 video tutorials)
  • Sermon Notes sheets
  • Prayer and Praise sheets
  • Gratitude sheets
  • Journaling Pages
  •  12 Monthly Write the Word Challenges (topics include Spiritual Friendship, Money Matters, Cultivating Joy, The Power of Prayer, and more)

These printable are amazing for a number of reasons……

first the are GORGEOUS!!! Love the style and the colors AND it comes with 4 different covers and end pieces for the binder. So since I put mine together during cCOVID Quarantine My resources were limited so I ended up using a binger and clear sleeves I already had

I choose the fun Plaid cover.

milestone
milestone

The there REALLY great thing about this binder is YU can make it fit YOU!!! Since I received my files I have changed and rearranged my binder to make it fit my needs. And sometimes my needs need to fit seasonally.

Here are some of my other images from my binder….

milestone
milestone
  • milestone

As you can see in some of these images I laminated the monthly tabs and I made the dividers for some sections and I added some tabs in the back to hold the extra printables I am currently not using. You can purchase this Binder printable pack for $27.00 HERE

THEN LIFE HAPPENED

No joke! At the beginning of quarantine 3 1/2 months ago here in NY I had 3 or 4 blog posts to write and at the rate I was going it would have been posted the next week. I literally wrote to AJ the weekend before life hot the fan. On Friday the NY governor said he wasn’t going to close schools BUT by Tuesday all NYS schools were closed indefinitely. first one month, then two months then til the end of the school year and we lost our spring break. . And even though just a week or two prior to the new normal we all found ourselves in Hubby and I had decided to homeschool 3 out of the 4 kiddos next school year we joked that “apparently we were going to get to test run the idea”. HA. 4 kids 3 schools all handling school differently. NOT A BLESSED thing like homeschooling and before long I realized that my goal of 1,000 blog posts was going to have to wait!

So here we are…..

3 /12 months later. we are currently in stage four of re-opening here is New York State. We had our first in person church service in 3 1/2 months. People are wearing masks and elbow bumping each other. I wish I could tell you that our family had walked away unscathed from this virus but we have friends who have lost loved ones and we waited and prayed for good news. and were saddened by the loss of their loved ones. And then for me specifically it weighed so heavily on my heart that so many of our friends who were losing friends and family all while watching people call the illness a hoax and whatever. They had zero regard for those who were going through so much. It broke me. I had no words. And I disappeared and threw myself headlong into my family

My review

At this point I have had ampersand’s time to use a good majority of my binder and It is extremely helpful to me. I am currently working through the PROSPER Study Method while I work thru the book of Philippians. Each time I use a new study method I am stretched and this is no different. I love it that you spend so much time in the same passage and that you examine it through many different angles. I printed off all the pages I needed to go though the book of Philippians and bound it along with a printed off copy of Philippians so I could make my notes and highlights all in one place and at the end of each section I take the color coding bookmark and mark up the printed off copy of Philippians as well.

I have also used the sermon notes pages…those of you who know me know I had to go back to a regular notebook just because of the amount of notes I take.

I have also used the gratitude journal pages and the scripture writing pages.

As you can see I love the binder and I will put it to good use for a very long time. I just want to make something clear though. JUST because You get this tool, doesn’t’t mean that you will automatically start growing You have to actually use it. You have to WANT to grow. So many times we put stock in people or tools to help us grow but then aren’t willing to put the work in and make the commitment to the one who saved our souls

This is a great way to organize your prayer life which as a pastors wife can m=be down right daunting and overwhelming sometime times (ok all the time). BUT THIS HELPS A LOT! Especially in the overwhelm.

Just one more Note about AJ and her website.

I have included a bunch of links in this blog post but NONE of them are affiliate links. I want to share these resources with you. They have helped me and they have encouraged my heart. And I want that for you as well. Another thing I NEVER EVER do is encourage you to sign up for an email subscription list. BUT if ever there was one that you should AJ’s is it.

It seems like when I am in the middle of something hard an email will come through and either she will have words of encouragement of a free tool that meets me RIGHT where I am at…..

So What’s Next?\

The long and the short of it is I don’t know I have a laundry list of blog posts to be written. I hope to have a design update and some tweaks that need to be done so stay on the lookout but also hope to start adding in more art and reviewing some products of the art nature and I also would love to bring back book reviews but so much has changed with the closing of BookLook Bloggers.

So here’s the deal (I mean giveaway)

I have one set of printables to give away. I will pick the winner on July 13th and all you need to do is leave a comment on this post telling me two things

  1. What is one way God changed you through quarantine or showed you about yourself?
  2. What is an area you struggle with in spending time withGod?

AND THANK YOU……

I couldn’t have done this without you my readers!!! It’s been a journey of growth and excitement.I can’t believe I have hot this milestone WITH YOU!!! Thanks so much for sticking with me! I can’t WAIT for the NEXT 1,000 posts (and hopefully it won’t take almost 13 years LOL)

Blessings, Mary