Encouragement for your Momma or Daddy soul …

Encouragement for your momma or daddy soul …

We are a little bit crazy at our home and I was having a moment – like – Oh, no! We’re too crazy. I hope I’m not setting such a poor example for my kids that they won’t grow to love Jesus. (We are a bit wild 😜)

So, I said to Ada, “Ada, I am so sorry! Do I give you too much freedom or make too many poor mommy choices so that you’ll grow and not love Jesus? Because he’s the most important person you’ll ever meet/need in your life.”

She looked at me and said, “Mom, I love Jesus!”

Just like that.

In all my craziness of life and mommy-ing —- She loves Jesus.

And parenting is hard and greatly imperfect and an adventure. And you always always second guess everything that you say or do.

And most of what you do is slightly wrong 😉

But – Momma! But – Daddy!

Your kid is going to be a-okay.

In the end, we do our best and pray the greatest prayer we can …

May our precious babies love Him.

Because, in the end, He has them way more than we do.

Xo b

Questions in Greece…

 

I got questions all the time while in Greece.

Where was I from?

Why do I live in Poland?

Is my husband Polish?

Did business bring my husband to Poland???

We went on a tubing ride in the Ionian Sea, and the loveliest lady that owned the little “surf-type shack” loved asking these questions…

So, I thought a moment and told her my husband was not Polish, he was 100% American, but he is a pastor.  So, in a sense, I guess he is a businessman in the “Business of God” — to which she beautifully proclaimed with her Greek enthusiasm and delightful accent, “The best business of all—the business of God!”

And then she reached her arms over her head and spread them across the sky and said, “God overall!”

We all wholeheartedly agreed and traipsed into the lapping waves of the sea, where we hopped onto a UFO-type raft and allowed the Greek captain of his small speed boat pull us haphazardly through the sea where we screamed, maybe cried a little…laughed a lot and Adelyne belted, “Kumbaya, my Lord!  Let me live!”

The ride ended much to our mutual disappoint and actual thrill, and we went back to collect our items from the Greek Surfing Lady and we all proclaimed, “God bless you,” “And you!”

And smiled one last smile before we trailed down the beach, leaving footprints in the sand, to enjoy our last sunset in Peloponnese…

Greece, we agree, one God overall.

Thank you, beautiful country, for a sun-kissed delightful week with my precious namesake and firstborn.

I saw the paintbrush of God every evening in the sunsets and the stroke of his perfect clarity each time I looked out at His blue seas!

And to you, our perfect surf-shack lady, thank you for reminding us that being in the business of this amazing painter and God is TRULY the best business of all!

God bless you, our friend!

OPA!

Life in Ruins…

There is literally nothing more humbling than seeing the greatest in ruins.

Life is very short, my friends.

Live, treasure, love well!

Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust.

#thankfulforeternity #faithendures #lovegod #lovebig #lovepeople #andthesethreeremain #faith #hope #love #olympia #greece

Mommy, you’re too far away…

My daughter panicked and shouted, lunging for me, “Mommy, you’re too far away!”

But, the thing is, I wasn’t too far away.  I was still within arms distance of her, and I caught her perfectly.

Upon catching her, however, is when I realized that we, human people, often yell the same thing at God, “God, you’re so far away!”

The thing is, he, too, is not.

He is as near as I to Josephine.  Right there.  To catch, protect, and be.

And just like I wrapped my girl in my arms and told her mommy is here for her and she need not worry, God is there for us.  In the same way.  To say the same thing.

So, my friends, I encourage you today in this, “Be still and know that he is God,” and you will not fall.

Even if that means he has to catch you by your ankles.

He’s got you.

Just like I had Josephine.

 

 

It’s amazing when life comes full circle!

This beautiful soul with my husband is one of my favorite people in the entire world.  And I know a lot of people all over the world.

This man, let’s call him the English name Jared, hugging Richard is one of the FIRST men that ever walked into our soup kitchen in Poznan, well over a decade ago.  LONG before I even had my first child (and she is a decade plus 2).

In fact, after we returned with Adelyne to Poznan/Poland, at around 5 weeks old, bringing her to our soup kitchen around 6-10 weeks old, HE was actually one of the first to hold our baby.  At our soup kitchen.  In Poland. It was the Holy Start soup kitchen (HS closed a couple years ago).

This beautiful soul that ALWAYS brightened my every day that I saw him…He is now the AMAZING volunteer at an unbelievable SOUP BUS located in Poznan, Poland, with the charity christianer.org … (find them on Facebook—it will BRIGHTEN your life)

Isn’t it AWESOME how you can watch one man go from served to SERVING!

Life — in full circle — makes my heart burst with joy.  Tears. Happiness.  And just an overwhelming sense of #itiswell .

It truly is.

It is well, with my soul.

Jared reminds me of that!

May Jared be your reminder to always invest in the beauty and hearts of others.  Your full circle will come.  And it IS worth it!

God bless.

The beats of my heart!

Life can be lived in the simple moments of family and nature, enjoying two of God’s priceless gifts.

I reflect, and often, on how my life was once full of sorrow at the hope destroyed of a baby we lost, bitterness at a marriage struggling, fear of a son dying, and exhaustion that it all never seemed to end. Seasons that seemed to toil forever.

Then I see these perfect mountains and I count 3 perfect children and I see a man I admire most on this earth and I realize that time can pull you through all things.

And God was there, steadfast, through it all.

Silence and struggle does not erase quiet, infinite care.

God bless you and yours, our friends, in your seasons of life.

#hisloveenduresforever #greatishisfaithfulness

Leftovers

(Photo Source)

There is very little in life that is as comforting as leftovers.  Like, seriously, leftovers…

Leftover dessert.

Leftover dinner.

Leftovers.

Many of you already disagree with this statement.

Piping hot!  Fresh out of the oven for you.

But, the thing is, with many dishes, the longer the food remains — the more the flavors are absorbed.

The better the food is.

Today I ate leftovers for lunch.

Indian food from Valentine’s Day.

Amazing—delicious—mouth watering leftovers.

Perhaps you feel like a leftover in life.

Like you are tomorrow’s lunch or dinner.

That you are no longer piping hot—or as fresh and delicious as yesterday’s meal.

But I am here to tell you something…

You are perfectly seasoned for today!

So, no matter where you are or what your life looks like, I pray that you don’t feel like a leftover but a LEFTOVER!

Wahoo!

God bless,

b

Minion Mom Wednesday: Fear and all other of Life’s distractions…

Again, brought to us by my favorite author, Monica, the Minion Mom, a beautifully written devotional that encourages us to keep our eyes on Jesus!  Be blessed, my friends!

xo b

***

I believe there are certain parts of parenting that are designed for our sanctification. Ok, all of parenting is sanctifying, but specific activities turn up the refining fire just a notch…or ten….potty training, homework, middle school, driving lessons, dating etc. In our house, one such moment was teaching our middle son to ride his bike.

Our sweet redhead is more fearful of new things than his brothers and even though he was determined to ride his new two wheeler without training wheels, he could not let go of his fear of falling. He was constantly looking anywhere but in front of him for things that might possibly cause him to fall. Side to side, his head would swivel, even, occasionally, looking behind him, and worst of all, he would look down at the street, always on the look out for anything that might land him on the pavement.

Up and down the street I would run, constantly, reassuring him that he would be ok, he just needed to keep his head on the road ahead of him: “Where you look is where you go! Keep your head forward!!” Over and over again he would look away and down he would go. That bike was in the garage more than it was out during those 6 months, but eventually, it clicked…if he stopped being so paranoid about falling and kept his head where it belonged, he could ride.

I wanted to chastise him, clicking my tongue at his fear, but, my baby’s behavior was no different than mine. I want to do great things, to fulfill the purpose God has for me, but my fear and all of life’s other distractions keep my head on a constant swivel. So over and over again, I am pulled in every other direction besides the one I should be headed because I won’t keep my focus where it should be: Jesus.

Peter found that out real quick, when the storm became his focus instead of the savior and he started sinking. It might take us a little longer to realize we’re sinking when we’re not standing on the sea of Galilee, but the signs are there:  Are you anxious, nervous, frustrated, confused, maybe just not feeling life these days? Where is your focus? When was the last time you sat with your Father, talking it through or just listening to His voice through the Word. It sounds cliché and maybe it is, but taking the time to readjust your mindset and focus on Him, is key to keeping us upright and headed in the right direction. The day is not over, love, take a moment and set your mind on Him.

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith… Hebrews 12:2

I don’t remember what I ate for breakfast. That’s okay.

My husband has been preaching for many years, and I remember nearly every sermon he shares. Perhaps because I am partial to his thoughts. Perhaps because I know his heart.

He shares in a matter-of-fact way.  He takes the Word of God and asks us to look at what it says.  He doesn’t embellish or dramatize it.  He keeps it at face value.

Once he asked one of our favorite friends what he preached earlier that week.  It was so fun to watch them squirm and move uncomfortably in their seats.  Until they finally squeaked out the answer.

It was such a fun “put you on the spot moment” that we (the 4 of us) still laugh about today.

But the thing is, Richard preached once about breakfast. And this is how it went…

Do you remember what you ate for breakfast this morning?  Yesterday?  A week ago?  A month ago?  A year ago?

For some of the answers, you may clearly be able to say, “Yes.  I remember what I had for breakfast today and yesterday.  A week ago?  A month ago?  A  year ago?  Nope.  No way!”

And Richard proceeded…Even if you don’t remember what you ate for breakfast a month or a year ago does not mean that WHAT you ate did not nourish you.

It nourished your body so that you had fuel to keep going.

The Word of God is like that.

Just because you don’t remember what it was you heard this morning, what it was your read yesterday, or even a month ago, does not mean that the Word of God is not at work nourishing and feeding your soul, acting as the fuel we need to keep going strong.

I try and begin each and every day in God’s Word.  By the end of breakfast, however, I have a hard time remembering my name much less what I read earlier that morn.  But I always recall what my husband said, “Just because I don’t recall what it was I read, does not mean that it did not act as a refreshing spring for my soul.”

Thankfully, I love to take notes while I read.  And, therefore, when I want to go back, I can look and see what spoke to my heart.

Today it was from the Message, and here is the passage:

Friends, I pray that each day as you devour your breakfast you remember that while breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so is starting the day off with the Word of God.

And while we may neither remember what we ate nor what we read, we go into the day knowing we started it off right, “…with foundational words to build our lives upon!” (The Message Chapter 7)

Amen.

Well, don’t just look at your presents under the tree. Open them!

A gift becomes a gift once it is given.

The thing, however, about gifts is that they are given with the hopes that they will then be received.

And, usually, a gift is given in brightly colored wrapping or placed gently and beautifully in a bag.

They are pretty. And enticing. And exciting.

Gifts. They usually are calling our name! We can’t hardly WAIT until that moment when we can take that beautiful wrapping and tear it apart! Or, if you are a wrapping paper saver, slowly and carefully start removing the tape and gently folding back the paper.

Or take that bag and peek inside, throwing tissue paper up haphazardly in the air so that you can get to the point where you can pull out the present. REVEALING the gift.

But that’s the thing…

Action has to be taken to get to the heart of the present.  And that action is:  You must receive the gift (accept it) and then open it.  I don’t know anyone that keeps their Christmas presents under the tree all year long, just looking at them in their wrapping and saying, “My, what beautiful boxes under the tree.”

Heavens no!  Christmas morn or the eve before, when it comes time, your family probably sits down together and you pass the gifts around, and you open them.  And you proclaim how great the gifts are and how happy you are to receive them!

That’s how presents are done.

And that’s exactly what Jesus is.  A beautiful gift.

But he was never meant to only be given and placed under the tree, just to sit there and wait.

He was meant to be given and received.  Unwrapped and accepted.

And then proclaimed…

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”  Luke 2:11 (KJV)

For you this is what I pray.

That you accept this beautiful gift of Jesus.  The perfect Christmas present.  And share this good news of great joy!

Wesołych świąt i szczęśliwego nowego roku!  

May your Christmas be filled with love and laughter and may God guide and protect you into the new year!