Every spring, around Mother’s Day, the Women’s Ministry at our church holds a Ladies Tea. We set fancy tables, dress up, and have the men serve us dinner. Imagine a grown up Tea Party with an inspirational message at the end.

I knew that the Tea was coming up, but wasn’t planning to attend. Then my sweet friend Kerrie invited me to sit at her table. She bought both my mom and myself a ticket. The event was being held on Thursday evening.

On Wednesday and Thursday of last week I was working with our insurance company sorting through the contents of our house. It was blazing hot both days. There is no electricity and no running water out there. Basically I stood around saying “yes, let’s try to save it, or let’s trash it”, while they made an inventory of each item and packed the keepers in boxes.

By Thursday afternoon I wanted nothing more than a cold shower and an early bedtime. I was tired and sorta sad. I rushed home to grab my kids from a sitter and cleaned up as quickly as I could. There was not a bone in my body that wanted to go to the Ladies Tea. But I have enough of a guilt complex that I couldn’t say no because Kerrie had paid for the tickets. I had to go.

Once I got there, my mood improved. The food and company were wonderful. But nothing could have prepared me for what was to come.

The woman who spoke to us that night was an interior designer from Atlanta. I don’t think she had even been to our neck of the woods since she kept pronouncing the name of our town incorrectly, but she was so adorable that nobody seemed to mind. The topic of her message was “Dreams” or more specifically reclaiming lost dreams.

It wasn’t too far into her message when she introduced us to the friend that had been sitting next to her all night. She explained that she had been watching her dear friend on the long road of restoration for almost a year. Last spring, she lost everything in a house fire.

Yes, I believe my mouth did fall open at that point. During the course of the entire message, the speaker made constant references to her friends’ fire, sharing details that were eerily similar to mine. Each time I felt the lump in my throat getting bigger and bigger.

You see, I really have not cried over the loss of our home. I’ve gotten emotional when thinking about all the “what if’s…”, but haven’t shed one tear over the “what is”. And to be honest, I’ve felt a little wierd about that.

As much as I was enjoying the message, I couldn’t wait for the night to be over so I could go introduce myself to that woman. Before I could even get to her, one of the pastors at our church grabbed me by the arm and said, “Jodi, you have to meet her.”

“I know!”, I said.

So he took me to her and I could barely talk. There was so much I wanted to say, but I kept crying and crying. Then the lady who spoke came up, and a friend of mine told her my story. She grabbed me and hugged me and I cried some more!

After I got home, the tears continued to fall. I remember looking at the clock at midnight, still sniffling, when it hit me. I still wasn’t upset about the house. I was absolutely, overwhelming experiencing the presence of God. Ever since the fire I’ve been clinging to verses. Psalm 46:10 and Romans 8:28 are my favorites. I have enough faith and head knowledge to press on and believe that all this for a greater purpose. But Thursday night, God showed me just how much He loves me and cares about my situation.

I can honestly say that I have never felt so loved in all my life. I have a very loving husband, loving kids, and a loving family. But nothing comes close to what I experienced that night. Incredible!

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By our nature, Jeremy and I love to help others. During the years when homebuilding was at its peak, we felt it was a privilege to give back to our church and community. We helped by giving jobs, donating time and money to build and/or fix stuff, and used our resources to create a non-profit organization within our small town.

Along with the collapse of the housing industry, one of the hardest things to accept has been that we are no longer able to give of ourselves so freely and generously. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a need and thought, “If only this were 2 years ago, I could do something about that…”

Now we are the ones in need. Although our house fire was contained to the kitchen, it burned so hot and with so much smoke, that all of our belongings will have to be thrown away. It’s like we are starting over.

As soon as word got out, our church family stepped up. We were given clothes, food, and gift certificates. The items given were so nice I asked one of my friends if she thought it was weird that my kids were going to be better dressed after the fire than they were before?!?!?!

Lovely ladies have signed up to bring us meals 3 nights a week, for goodness knows…sometime in June, I think. Can you imagine? It’s so wonderful.

But it’s also hard. Hard to be on the receiving end when for so long we were the ones giving. Hard to accept food and second hand clothes. Hard to make each thank you note sound sincere when I can’t find the words to express my gratitude.

Today our Pastor talked about serving others. He said that when we serve others, we are really serving God. He went on about that for a while but I was lost in thought. As difficult as it is for me to accept others serving me, if I don’t allow it, I rob them of an opportunity to serve God.

As uncomfortable as it might be for me, I wouldn’t want to keep anyone from doing what God has asked them to do.

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Well, it was bound to happen and here we are, 4 months into Sunday Stirrings and I’ve got nothing. When I began this weekly posting it was more about accountability than anything else. I can walk around for weeks with stuff in my head that I want to write about. But in January when I announced publically that I was going to focus on what God was doing in my life and blog about it every Sunday, that heightened my awareness.

I had to pay attention to the Holy Spirit. I mean REALLY pay attention. Not just read my Bible, say a quick robotic prayer and go about my day. Focus in on what He is saying to me. Even in the midst of homeschool, bickering kids, or buying groceries. Even going so far as to SEEK HIM OUT.

It’s not easy. I couldn’t do it without the accountability. Unfortunately this past week, the only thing I was accountable to was my cough syrup the doctor so graciously laced with coedine. I had the flu right before Easter which then turned into full blown allergies. I coughed 3 whole nights away before my husband glared at me and said “Serioulsy? Are you going to the doctor or what???”

Maybe he didn’t glare. It’s hard to tell when your eyes are half shut from sleep deprivation. I saw my doctor (NOT THIS ONE), filled my prescription and have been catching up on my zzzzz’s ever since.

So in the name of full disclosure I just want you to know I only read my devotional/Bible study one morning this week. And that was today. I’m ashamed to say most of my prayer life the last 7 days has taken place in my kids rooms at bedtime…by them! Unless you want to count the “pllleeeaaassee God let me get some sleeeeeep” that was wheezed into my pillow at 3:30 in the morning.

I only say all this to let you know that I am a normal person. I used to feel horribly guilty about missing time with my Lord. I mean, I still feel bad about it, but more because I know that I missed out this week. Time with God is no longer done strictly out of obedience. It’s sweet. And who wouldn’t want more sweetness in their life?

My friend and I were talking about how crazy it is that one morning you can have the most intimate, breath taking moments with Him, and the next day completely forget about having your quiet time until you’re fixing dinner. How is it even possible that something so wonderful can be pushed to the end of our lists?

That’s just insane.

So I guess today’s Sunday Stirrings is my way of encouraging anyone who’s reading to keep digging into the Word. Don’t feel bad for lost time. Pick yourself (and your Bible) up and see what God has in store for you. Today our guest preacher reminded us that there is power in the Word. Real, sweet, bondage breaking, life changing power. Go and getcha some!!!

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And for those of you who were not doped up on presciption medication this week, and who would like to share what God is stirring in their lives, here’s Mr Linky:

I have mixed feelings about traditions. On the one hand, I think they can be a positive thing. They can create lasting memories in families for generations to come. But I believe that the best traditions are those established without rules. When you suddenly find yourself longing to do something with somebody just because you always have and you couldn’t imagine NOT doing it. Traditions should never be used to make someone feel guilty for not participating and (GASP!) breaking tradition!

I could really get on my soap box about this, but in today’s post I want to look at church traditions. And one in particular: Communion.

I received my first communion when I was 13. The church I belonged to at the time told me when I was ready. It was less about where I was in my relationship with the Lord, and more about where I was in school. As soon as I graduated 8th grade, I was “Confirmed”. This was basically a religious rite of passage in which I stood up before the entire church and told them I was going to follow Jesus.

I don’t remember being asked if I wanted to do this or even if it was how I really felt. It was just “tradition”.

After confirmation I was allowed to partake in communion. The little country church I attended offered it once a month. My main focus on those Sunday’s was to wear something cute since we walked up front to receive the bread and wine.

My spirituality was impressive, wasn’t it???

The church we joined after moving to Georgia held communion every week. This meant only one thing to me. I needed some new outfits!!!

Fast forward to my current church. The church that I dearly love where the Word of God is the only thing offered up week after week. Do we have communion? Yes. But it’s so special and so intimate to our Pastor that he wants us to grasp exactly what communion means.

A few times a year I’ll walk into the sanctuary and see that all the seats, which are usually facing the front, have been moved into a square shape. We all face each other. Those are communion Sunday’s. Our Pastor will ask us questions. What is God doing in your life right now? What has He saved you from? How are you serving Him?

We discuss these things with the people sitting around us. We share, laugh, and cry. We then have communion together, as one body of believers. Just like the fellowship that was present at the Lord’s Supper.

I still struggle with getting the full effect of what communion is all about. I really think it has to do with taking it before I was ready and going to churches that didn’t set it aside as something special, but instead treated it as just another part of the service.

What about you? How do you view taking the Lord’s supper? What is your experience with traditions within your church? Good or bad? Do you think they create deep rooted meaning or does the repetition lead you to simply go through the motions?

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Have something you’d like to write about that God is stirring in you right now? Write all about it on your blog and link it up here:

When we moved into this house 5 years ago I learned rather quickly to take the lightning seriously. The service men who have visited us after several such storms (computer guy, phone guy, maytag guy, just to name a few…) have all told me the same thing. Given that we are sitting on a huge mound of granite, with a nice big lake in the backyard, we attract lightning like nobody’s business! And I believe it’s true. I’ve never had encounters with lightning like I have since moving here.

So all that to say…when the storm came up Sunday night, I unplugged. And I’m not talking about kickin’ back with my feet up while sipping a cold beverage. It was more like frantically running to the nearest outlet and pulling out the plugs as quickly as possible!

I thought about writing the post yesterday, but I get lost in busyness during the “work week” and can’t hang on to a thought for more than a few minutes! I have to intentionally keep my weekends free so I can rest and think. God knew what He was doing when he ordered us to remember the Sabbath! Posts with a purpose have to wait until the weekends. Monday thru Friday posts are reserved for pictures, silly stories, and random thoughts. It’s just all I have time for anymore.

Is it just me? Take for example last week. We have school everyday from about 9ish to around 2ish. Then there were dental appointments, hair appointments, church, a karate class (which is new to us…I’m not sure yet how many organs I can sell to pay for it), and a trip to the museum. We do try to relax at night as a family and spend time watching a movie or playing games. Then there are showers, books, and bedtime.

Lately I’ve been trying to do all I can to help our house to sell. Our trim was starting to look really bad where it had been climbed on, scuffed, bumped by the vacuum, or banged into by an anonymous scooter driver. So in the past 3 weeks in my “spare time” I’ve touched up the paint in the house and garage, and repainted all the exterior doors. I also cleaned out the “junk room” (some people have a drawer…we had a ROOM!) and I think I unpacked 2 boxes that were still packed from when we moved in.

I’m thinking our house should sell any minute now. :)

This week is not as crazy, thank goodness! Which explains how I had time to write this today. Of course, I’m supposed to be paying bills, so….

I dunno. Life is nuts! Somebody hand me an Almond Joy!

Oh, and to make this post completely random and nonsensical (if that is indeed a word), look at the cutest thing I found in the newly cleaned junk room:

Seems that my little Miss got up after I tucked her in bed last night and went into the room next to hers and was drawing and writing with my scrapbook supplies. (Eek!) But how could I say anything but “Awwww…” after a sweet note like that?

Last Sunday afternoon I got a phone call from my neighbor. She was noticeably upset. Apparently Stafford had just, shall we say, “fertilized” her yard, and by the sounds of it, I’m guessing it wasn’t the first time.

Let me stop right here and say that I dearly love the neighbors on both sides of us. I could not have hand picked nicer people to live next door. We have a good relationship with all of them, and that’s why I was a little hurt that if it had happened before, I don’t know why she didn’t let me know about it at the time, instead of waiting until it made her mad.

But regardless, I try to be a responsible pet owner, so I apologized and told her I had no idea he ever went over there (except in the summer…he likes to play in their fountain), and that I would pay more attention when I let him out to do his “duty”.

Or is it “dooty”?

Anyhow, all of last week I went outside with Stafford whenever he whined at the door. Which was a lot because the weather was nice and half the time he would just walk to a sunny patch on the driveway and lay down. The other half the time he must have thought I went outside with him to play because he would run around and forget to go potty until we came back in the house.

In and out, in and out, in and out. All week long! It was really starting to aggravate me until Thursday night. On that particular night I took him out right before getting the kids ready for bed. We walked to his favorite spot and I was stunned to see the most amazing sunset reflecting off the lake in our backyard.

A sunset I would have missed if I had routinely let Stafford outside to roam on his own.

This weekend the kids and I watched the movie “Pollyanna”. It’s a charming movie about a little girl who looses both her parents and goes to live with her Aunt in a small town. Before her Dad had passed away, he taught her to play the “Glad Game”, which is basically trying to find the good in every situation. Pollyanna’s enthusiasm for life is contagious and she brings joy to even the bitterest of the towns people.

As we watched it, I was reminded about the sunset. Truthfully I was irritated about the entire situation with the dog. The gate on our fence is not working and if it was, I wouldn’t have to go outside with Stafford. I have better things to do that wander around the yard waiting for our pooch to do his business. I’m going outside with him like, 8 times a day, and he only poops once! Grumble, grumble, grumble.

But what about the sunset? And what about using those 8 times a day to take a break? Smell the fresh air. Go for a short walk. Feel the warm sun.

I once read something that said, “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses”. It’s all about perspective. And sure, sometimes it’s much harder to find the positive in certain situations, but when you do find it, it’s also so much more rewarding.

I want to leave you with one final thought on gladness. In the bible, there are 44 times when the words “be glad” were written. Not one of them says to “be glad when…”, “be glad if…”, or “be glad because…”. Just be glad. Or rejoice and be glad. For those of us who know the Lord, that should be enough.

“Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!” Psalm 32:11

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What did God teach you this week?

I would have to be honest and say that this week’s Sunday Stirring post has been the toughest so far. Originally I thought that after a 2 week break I’d have plenty to say, but the reality is that for me, vacations breed apathy. We spent 9 days with Jeremy at a fishing tournament, then took the rest of last week off for our spring/winter break with school. I could pat myself on the back in regards to all the household tasks I accomplished, but at the same time, I got out of my routine. And one of those routines was reguarly scheduled time with the Lord.

With that said, I haven’t had an overwhelming nudge in any particular direction lately. However, one thing has popped up on more than one occasion: Comparisons.

Last month my neighbor wrote an excellent article on the dangers of comparison in marriage. Last fall I read “Serve God Save the Planet” and the author explained why we should never compare our lifestyle with the lifestyles of others. And most recently, popular Christian writer Francis Chan reminded me that my Walk with the Lord should never be compared to anything other than the Word of God.

I believe this is a trap we all fall in from time to time, whether it be comparing spouses, children, homes, cars, friends, etc. The problem is that no good ever comes from it. I mean, think about it. There is always a family that is worse off than yours. If you compare yourselves to them, you’ll always come out on top. And is that what you want? To be better than them? Or worse yet, does your pride elevate because of it? Or maybe you become content with where you are? Contentment with where we are is a serious hindrance to our spiritual growth.

The flipside to this is comparing yourself to people who seem to have it all. (Notice I said “seem to”.) How does that make you feel? Now your husband is no longer good enough. Your kids, your clothes, your income…isn’t good enough. It’s a recipe for bitterness and resentment.

I found a passage in 2 Corinthians 10:12-13 where Paul writes “We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you.”

My study bible explains this passage by saying that Paul criticized the false teachers who were trying to prove their goodness by comparing themselves with others rather than with God’s standards. When we compare ourselves with others, we may feel pride because we think we’re better. But when we measure ourselves against God’s standards, it becomes obvious that we have no basis for pride.

The only One that should be setting the standards in our life is the Lord our God. Do not let man and the things of this world set the bar for your life. We all come from different backgrounds and have different paths to take. Instead of trying to out-do one another, let’s pray for each other. Rejoice in our friends achievements and share in the burdens of their sorrows. And if you ever have the desire to compare yourself to someone else, ….maybe try Jesus.

Just a thought…

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So what have been your thoughts these past couple of weeks. Please feel free to leave a comment or blog about it and link back here.

Sorry my Sunday Stirrings post is coming to you on Monday, but yesterday was such a beautiful day, I couldn’t resist spending the whole afternoon outside. It was wonderful!

And speaking of being late (or not at all, as I’m about to explain), I have decided not to plan on posting anything the next 2 Sunday’s. Jeremy is fishing at Table Rock Lake in Missouri next week and my parents and I will be taking the kids out there on Saturday. We will stay for about 9 days. I won’t know if I have internet access until we get there. And plus, I may just take a true vacation and not worry about writing at all.

But if anything comes to me, I’ll let you know!

As for you guys, if any of you want to write something for Sunday Stirrings, feel free to link back to this post for the next 2 weeks. I promise to check it. Reading your posts is like getting an extra devotional for that day!
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Over the past week I have become acutely aware of how hard it is to be tuned in to the Holy Spirit while having children at home. I mean, obviously this is something I first figured out 7 years ago when Savannah was born. Gone were the mornings I spent perusing my bible for an hour.

I made adjustments to my morning study time and felt a bit of relief knowing this was only a season of my life. In a few short years my kids would be in school and I would have quiet time again to spend in thought and prayer.

But then homeschool came into my life and the naps disappeared. My days do start with a quick devotion followed most mornings by a plea prayer of “Help me Jesus!” to get me through the day. I find that the rest of the day is consumed with constant chatter, refereeing disagreements, and noise.

OH THE NOISE!

Granted, I do require a daily “room time”, more for me than them, but that’s when I tend to do things that need my full attention, like paying bills. And besides, what I’m lacking these days isn’t another 20 minutes with God. It’s being able to hear His gentle whisper among the chaos of the day.

So how do I get it? Where does it come from? Sorry I don’t have any conclusion to this post today, it’s just the thoughts that have been with me all week. I refuse to continue on saying “this is just a season” and feeling as if I’m living without the power that can help me be the mom and wife I am supposed to be.

I know it’s attainable. He wouldn’t have called me to homeschool and then used that to keep me FROM himself. His purposes are always to draw us closer. I just haven’t figured it out yet.

But I will!

At the risk of making this post sound like a Nike advertisement, the Lord has taught me this week to “Just Do It”!

There is a particular thing that has been on my mind and heart for the past, I don’t know, 30 days or so. It’s something that I’ve done in the past but wasn’t sure if this time it was Spirit-led or Jodi-led.

And I wanted it to be Spirit led.

So I waited.

And prayed.

And waited.

And prayed.

It’s not that I didn’t want to do “the thing”, it’s just that I wanted it to be done correctly. I wanted to be sure it was God’s will for me to be doing it. When do I start? When do I stop? What is the purpose??? I questioned whether or not I should do it because I couldn’t get the answers I was looking for.

This week I read Luke 9:1-6 and it talks about Jesus giving power and authority to his disciples. He gave them a brief lesson on how to go out among the people and preach the gospel. Then they went.

As I read those verses it dawned on me what my reaction would have been as a disciple back in Jesus’ day. “Okay, I’ll go out and tell the people about you, but where specifically to you want me to go?”, “And what exactly do you want me to say?”, and “I’m not sure I have all the information down just yet”.

I don’t believe my hesitation is all bad, my desire is to do everything right. But in my quest to make the situation perfect…(a.k.a. “making sense of it all in my teeny tiny brain”), I’m ignoring a command.

This morning our Pastor gave a formula for success in life. He said, “God’s Purpose + My Obedience = Our Success”. He didn’t say anything about having all the answers up front.

Just do it!

What has the Lord been asking you to do? Have you done it? Or are you waiting for the “right” time? Today is a gift. And there is no time like the present. (Pun intended!)
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I can’t believe how these Sunday Stirrings posts are keeping me accountable to my quiet times and really helping me tune in to the word of God. If you’ve got something stirring inside this week, take a moment and write it down. Then link it up over here! :)

Well my Sunday Stirrings for this week was much less of a gentle whisper in the depths of my soul and much more like a slap upside my head. God has to do that every now and again to get my attention.

I grabbed a book off my nightstand yesterday, about mid-morning. I finished it at 1 am. There has only been one other book that I couldn’t put down and completely neglected my kids for, not finding their half hearted attempts at nutrition and cleanliness until the next day. That was The Shack. This one is called Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller.

The book is radical. Or at least it would be called that in my little Bible belt town. The author says things like “I don’t like church”, “Jesus looks a lot like Osama bin Laden”, and “every year or so I start pondering at how silly the whole God thing is”. That’s pretty bold where I come from.

I could tell you the people in my family who would get to the part where Miller attends an anti-George W. Bush rally, call him a communist and not read another word!

His journey to knowing and understanding Jesus involves liberals, hippies, athiests and more. And who would be the most likely to judge him on this?

Go ahead. You can say it. Christians.

And why is that? Because if you really knew the Word of God and really knew what Jesus said while He was on earth, you would know that our command is to LOVE PEOPLE.

Not just some people. Not just people who look like us and dress like us and who are nice to us. ALL PEOPLE. Regardless of skin, attitude, hair color, sexual preference, political affiliation, etc.

Jesus’ passion was people. As followers of Christ, our passion should be people too. He died for them as much as He died for us.

After reading this book I feel challenged to make an impact on someone outside my church community. I don’t know how and I don’t know where, and I probably won’t know until I’m standing in the middle of it. But I want to be open to the opportunity. To not shy away from sharing God’s love with those around me.

Miller has a theory that if we could channel all the energy we use in thinking about ourselves into thinking about others, it would solve the majority of the world’s problems. I like that theory. And I really liked this book. It was open and honest, painful and true.
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It took me forever to write this today, given that it’s Super Bowl Sunday and I was preparing food for most of the afternoon and eating food for most of night. I wish it didn’t seem so scattered. The book is a fantastic read and I feel like I didn’t do it justice. If you get a chance to pick up a copy, I’d love to know your thoughts.

And remember, if you blog about something God is stirring in your personal Walk, link it up here so we can encourage and enlighten each other. Have a great week!!!