INTO THE PATIENT WAITING...

November 30th: Streams in the Desert "And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh,” says the Lord . “But I will give your life to you as a prey in all places, wherever you go.” Jeremiah 45:5 A promise given for hard places, and a promise of safety and life in the midst of tremendous pressure, a life "for a prey." It may well adjust itself to our own times, which are growing harder and harder. What is the meaning of "a life for a prey"? It means a life snatched out of the jaws of the destroyer, as David snatched the lamb from the lion. It means not removal from the noise of the battle and the presence of our foes; but it means a table in the midst of our enemies, a shelter from the storm, a fortress amid the foe, a life preserved in the face of continual pressure: Paul's healing when pressed out of measure so that he despaired of life; Paul's Divine help when the thorn remaine...

Lace + Kimono = oohlala! This is a current listing on my Etsy page for an upcycled vintage lace tablecloth turned into a trendy kimono.  Leave a comment and let me know if you'd like to see more kimono's like this one in my shop . Happy Monday!

"He has filled the hungry with good things." Luke 1:53 I read this today at church and asked Jesus, what good things will you fill my hungry heart with today? Immediately, my mind went to the "good things" that are described in Philippians 4:8. "Whatever things are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things." Yes, these are "good things" that Jesus can fill my heart with and I was blessed when I read it. But my mind became filled with hundreds of questions like: how? how will You fill? do i need to "do anything" to make these meditations possible? how do i think of lovely things? i don't have anything in me that is great to think on, so where do i start?  God stopped me in my tracks and He reminded me of this: He is the one that fills. He is the one that will give me something to meditate on...if I strive to "do" it, He c...

Over the past few months, Tim and I have really tried to incorporate rest into our lives. Not necessarily the kind of rest that means eye lids must be closed, but a rest that means "stop doing lots" and start "breathing more" and "being present" and "soaking in the moment." I think Jesus did a lot of this while He walked on this earth too. Rest is like a recipe. A recipe that when made properly and consumed in moderation can actually help a person and nourish the soul. Let me give you an illustration to think on: When you're making dinner, do you ever try to think of all you can do "before the timer goes off"? And then, you try to do it? How successful are you? I have done this so many times and some are successful and others...not so much! But today, I was making Kanelbullar (a Swedish Cinnamon Bun) and while I was waiting for the bread to rise, it struck me that I needed to rest just like the bread needed to rest. The bread...

As I rode my bike home today, I was overwhelmed with thankfulness, peace, and a hopefulness for the future. There was nothing out of the ordinary that brought these thoughts about. There was nothing incredible that happened or life-altering. It actually is the fact that life has seemed more normal than ever. Life has a rhythm to it that is beyond what I've experienced the past five years...God is making the rhythm and He is asking me to fall into step with it.  In the past, I created my own rhythm and I even tried to join in with other's rhythms and activities. This happened with my job, my church life, social media, and even friendships. It left me worn out, my husband frustrated, and made me a not-so-happy-people-pleasing-person. The past few months have been about embracing something better than people pleasing: God pleasing. For Tim and I, that has meant letting go of activities that have left us frazzled, relationships that have depleted our energy, and letting g...