A day of rest

If I set my mind to doing something then everyone better get out of my way, because once I'm determined I won't stop. Sometimes I just like to prove to myself that I can do something. Other times I know I need to get A, B and C done before I have time to enjoy D. Pushing myself is something I do often.

I am especially pushing myself physically. My goal is to regularly run five miles. I'm good about getting out and jogging with Mark after work so that's not an issue. I have a weak hip and knee so I am doing exercises to keep those strong as well, not an issue. The stronger I am, the faster and further I can run. I WILL reach my goal.

Saturday I pushed myself a little too hard. I got up and jogged three miles, spent several hours cleaning the house, worked out on my Total Gym, took care of four loads of laundry and cleaned up in time to help some friends move. It was hot, my muscles cramped and there were times that I was very tired. I don't know how or exactly when it happened, but I hurt my back and by the end of the night it took all my determination just to move.

Sunday rolls around and I felt a little better so I really wanted to go jogging before church. Mark, God bless him, told me No! I had to rest my body so it could heal. That day of rest did me a lot of good. I relaxed physically and mentally and was refreshed spiritually by enjoying the fellowship of my family. Usually, I'm thinking about all the things I want to get done so even my relaxing times aren't very relaxing.

As I lounged on the couch I thought about how important it was to rest. Resting restores my strength and energy and prepares me for the work that's ahead. A rested body is a healthy body.

Then I thought about God's rest. He gave us the Sabbath as a day of rest, not because He's trying to spoil our plans but because He knows we need it. I then thought about spiritual rest, and I don't mean a "rest" or "break" from reading God's word and praying and serving. I mean a time of being quiet before God and allowing Him to refresh me. It was a sweet moment because right then, I was truly resting with God. I want to have that moment every day.

Please take the time to rest - body and soul - and let God restore you to life.

Blessed to be a host

Mark and I have a great home and I love it more all the time. There's more than enough room for the two of us, and though I hope to fill it with little Mark's someday, it seems like a waste at times. We live in about half of it and the other half is left to just keep clean. We talk about this and wonder if we made the right decision in buying it - and the answer is always yes!

Sometimes things work out too perfectly for it to be anything other than God. Mark and I looked at houses for months before finding one to buy. We're close to family, close to church, close to work (at least I am) and are surrounded by a farm and great neighbors. It's a beautiful place to live, for sure.

And our spacious garage stores all the wood we need to heat our house during the winter months.

But the house itself isn't the greatest blessing, what we're able to do with it is. As Mark and I talked about our house and the seemingly "too much room for two people", I never truly felt the space is a waste because I believe God gave us the opportunity to live here so we can use it for Him. One way we've been able to do that is by hosting missionaries that visit our church (New Life Bible Church - check it out!). This past weekend we hosted Phil and Linda Gottschalk and I am thankful for every minute of it.

It's so awesome to meet people that spend most of their lives in other countries and feel instantly drawn to them. Though their calling takes them far away, we are partners in living for Jesus. Conversation is easy, prayers are sincere and the fellowship is sweet.

The Gottschalks live in The Netherlands, serving at Tyndale Theological Seminary. Mark and I could spend three months there just on our passports, and if we could get the time off of work we would do it. We would talk apologetics, spend hours in the library and go to bed happy!

Summer comforts

Pizza isn't really just a summer food but when you sweat just sitting in your home office and all you can think about is a cool breeze and perhaps a pool, it is a comfort food. But I don't eat pizza just because it's delicious, I also require it to  be nutritious. And this is what I get:

Homemade goodness! A whole wheat crust with tomato sauce and skim mozzarella cheese, ground venison (no pepperoni) and lots of veggies. I eat a slice or two of this and my body doesn't yell at me later. And that is true comfort.

Good health is important to me. A balanced diet and exercise are a requirement to my way of thinking. As a wife and caretaker of our home, my food choices affect everyone who enters our doors. Just as I want the conversation and atmosphere to be pleasing to God, so I want what is served to be. It's about taking care of what's on the inside.

I'm always looking for new ideas on how to spice up the healthy lifestyle. If anyone has a favorite healthy meal or a tip on how to maintain a home that brings God glory, please let me know! Someday I'll have you over and treat you to your favorite recipe.

My Husqvarna

I’m a girl that likes to do boy things. Some (not all) of the traditional tasks given to men are way too much fun to be left out of. Maybe it’s because I have two sisters and growing up we were “Mom’s Girls” and “Dad’s Boys”. In the morning we’d clean the house and bake with Mom and in the afternoon we’d stack wood and hand tools to dad. Growing up this way whet my appetite for boy things and I look forward to collecting some of my own toys!

I like when my husband and I team up to accomplish a task around the house. There’s something nice about it just being the two of us working together to improve our home. We appreciate the help our family gives us on the major projects and we’d be in over our heads without them. But when it comes to painting a room, building a shelf, fixing up the yard or something like that, I prefer to be the one to help my husband. It’s bonding time!

We heat our house with wood during the colder months and that requires a lot of work in the spring, summer and fall. It’s a big time commitment as well. A lot of the work requires the help of men much stronger than I am and our dads are irreplaceable. But sometimes it works out that only Mark and I are available to down, chunk and chop wood, and in those instances, I need to really help. So…out comes my Husqvarna.

I don’t actually own one but Mark and I talked about it. A small chainsaw that I could use to de-limb trees would be very helpful in those times when it’s just Mark and I doing the lumberjacking. I did a quick search online for lightweight chainsaws and saw that Husqvarna makes one. That being a name I know and trust, I decided to set my hopes on that little chainsaw for fulfilling my dreams of becoming a “Lumber Jill”.

What do my words say about my heart?

Confession: I often speak up when I should keep silent and keep silent when I should speak up. I struggle the most at work where people are constantly talking around me – in both good and bad ways. What’s OK to say and what should be kept to yourself is subjective to some but I struggle with that idea. Whatever happened to “If you can’t something nice, don’t say anything at all?”

The other week, while I was at work, I felt as if I was splashed by a big, cold wave when I realized the type of conversations I was being pulled into. None of them were “bad” by worldly standards but they were by God’s standards and I was ashamed just by nodding my head and listening. I don’t want to talk bad about other people or slander my boss or make a mountain out of an ant hill just to prove a point. But the people you work with becomes your friends, and as friends, it’s natural to share frustrations or vent when you’re upset about something. So where’s the line between good conversation and bad?

Thinking of it in terms of a scale or balance is helpful to me. For every positive, uplifting, praiseworthy and valuable thing I say, I put a marble on one side of the balance. For every derogatory, complaining, unnecessary or hurtful comment I make, I put a marble on the other side of the balance. At the end of the day, I’d discover I was either focused on the Lord and doing right towards others or I was focused on me. I hope the positive side of the balance fills to overflowing as I practice self-control in this area, and the negative empties.

So here’s my golden rule, borrowed from Dale Carnegie, “Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.” My goal is to address issues and confront people, when necessary, without crossing the line into bad conversation.

Matthew 12:34 - “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

Community is cool

One of the coolest things about family, church family and friends is that everyone’s differences are needed for life to be all God intended it to be. My sister and brother-in-law always host a 4^th of July party for our family and friends. A bunch of people come to eat, play games, talk and blow things up. It’s a lot of fun and I look forward to it every year.

This year, after most people had gone home, some of stayed up and talked about life and church and what God says about both. It was then that it struck me how awesome God designed a local body of believers to work together. You take a group of people, with different backgrounds and at different stages of faith, and you get them talking about church events and what encourages the most participation, and with God guiding the discussion, the outcome is really exciting.

Some people make decisions based on what seems logical to them. Others make decisions based on a deep-rooted faith in God and a desire to follow His plan. Sometimes peoples logic contradicts what the Bible says and is wrong. Sometimes people faith becomes too legalistic, too traditional, and it takes a voice with a different view to help them see what really matters to God. It takes all types working together to balance each other out and bring the focus back to what’s important – God’s thoughts and design.

One thing I realized is that the problem facing many churches today is really a problem in the lives of the professing born again Christians. If people who profess a faith in God do nothing to cultivate that relationship, to grow and to allow themselves to be changed by the Word of God and prayer, then they become stagnant and the ministries around them become stagnant.

I don’t profess to have all the answers but I do believe the question people should be asking is “How do we get people personally committed to reading the Bible and prayer?” You need to get the people healthy before you can make the church healthy.