The Facts of Life

Often when things in my life start going really good I get a little, um, big headed I guess it's called.  I start to toot my own horn, and perhaps think that I am really not such a bad person after all.  

And although there is some good coming out of my life right now, like my fast and the Community Closet Cleanse, I have to admit that there is a little bit of bad coming out of my life too.

Here are a few examples.  Read them, and let your ego get boosted, because I'm sure there isn't anybody out there quite like me...

1.  I yell at my kids on occasion.  I hate to admit this one, and I really, really try hard not to, but there are days moments when I cannot take the fighting or the tardiness or the spilling of milk any longer.  And I yell.  I used to pride myself on not yelling.  Now I pray forgiveness for yelling, and hope that the kids only remember the "fun mommy" in me, not the crabby one.

2.  I cannot, cannot stand hearing somebody chew or crunch their food.  And when it is happening 3 inches from my ear it takes me no more than 3 seconds to lose my mind.  It is worse than fingernails on a chalkboard to me.  Seriously.  I swear my man searches me out right before taking a bite of chips, just to annoy me.  Love you dear.

3.  I am obsessive compulsive about walking on the treadmill or outside everyday.  I have to do it for a multitude of reasons, one of which is to keep my sanity.  Even if the kids come to bother see me every 2 minutes and 27 seconds, it is worth it.  I also enjoy the benefits of exercise, which leads me to...

4.  Desserts are non-negationable at my house.  They are required to happen after every meal.  No questions asked.

5.  Noise drives me batty.  Screaming, crying, yelling, fighting, loud chatter, all of it.  And especially when I am trying to write a post for my blog, I need silence.  No music.  No talking.  No crying.  No background noise from the tv.  Just silence.  If by some chance a child comes near me while I am trying to type, they are required to sit quietly and be self-sufficient until I am done.  This has been known to go on for hours.  I'm kidding.

6.  I cry easily.  Tears flow at my children's programs, recitals, baptisms, parent teacher conferences, open houses, first days of school, last days of school, camp drop-offs, first bike ride without training wheels, ear tube surgery, haircuts when hair is being donated, and on and on.   If my child is involved, so are my tears.  But the tears are not limited to my children's activities.  I have also been known to cry at songs, movies, good conversations, bad conversations, and on.  My eyes are comparable to leaky faucets.

7.  I am deathly afraid of dark basements at night.  I had a babysitter once lock me in the basement after she convinced us all that there were monsters down there.  That was not cool.  Not cool at all. 

8.  I am a bit of a sleep nazi when it comes to my children.  Until they are in school full-time, they nap.  For the sake of us all.  I plan my day around nap time(also non-negotiable), and I get all hot and bothered if bedtime happens even 3 minutes after the set time.  

9.  My man has informed me that I am neither a morning person, nor a night owl.  I thrive mid-day.  I am typically not productive before 7am and am dead weight after 8:30pm.  

10.  I am terrible at goodbyes.  Terrible.  Just ask anybody that I have ever had to say that word to.  I am a blubbery mess, to the point that I can't even say the word.  Trying to get through a goodbye can be down right embarrassing for all involved when I show up.

So there you have it.  You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both, and then you have the facts of life.


Please note that I always wanted to be like Blair growing up, but pry was a bit more like Natalie or Tootie by nature.  Loved.that.show.

  

Open Hands

In November and December for some reason I kept reading about having "open hands."  It would come up in my devotions, in the books I was reading, in songs I heard.  And after reading or hearing about having open hands for, oh say, the 16th time I began to wonder if God was trying to tell me something.

My mom always says that if you hear it 3 times then it's probably coming from God.  I guess I was well past the point of that.  And my mom is one smart cookie, so I try to listen to what she says.  Try.

In Jesus Calling, Sarah Young says the following:

 "Your sense of security must not rest in your possessions...I(God) am training you to depend on Me alone, finding fulfillment in My Presence.  Instead of grasping and controlling, you are learning to release and receive."

I love the idea of God training me.  Like a person training for a marathon or something crazy like that.  I don't know, I try not do to those.  And that instead of trying to control my life, I have to release my life as I want it to be, and receive what God has in store for me.

And then I read this in Christmas is Not Your Birthday, by Mike Slaughter:

"Jesus takes the fives loaves and two fish from the disciples, blesses them, and then gives them back to the disciples to distribute.  The resources that God uses to multiply miracles to meet people's needs come from our hands.  When we obediently release what is in our hands, Jesus blesses it, multiplies it, and then gives it back to us for the purpose of distribution.  This is Kingdom Economics 101."

A different approach to the "open hands" concept.  So now I am not only to have open hands to release my expectations of my life and openly accept what He has in store, but I am also called to release my grip on the material things I have, ask God to bless them, and then send them on their way to do more good for Him.

Lysa TerKeurst also touched on this open hand idea in her book What Happens When Women Say Yes to God by saying the following:

"The more we say yes to God, the more we will live in expectation of seeing Him.  The more we expect to see God, the more we will.  The more you experience Him, the more you'll trust Him.  The more you trust Him, the more you'll open up your hands in absolute obedience.

Obedience becomes radical when we say, 'Yes, God, whatever You want,' and mean it.  We release our grip on all that we love and offer it back to Him, who loves us more.  And it is into these upturned hands that God will pour out His blessings--His abundant, unexpected, radical blessings.  Soon, saying yes to God will no longer be a discipline of your heart but rather the delight of your life."

And yet another take the on this topic.   That we need to have open hands to catch the blessings that God will pour out unto us when we decide to obey Him absolutely.

After reading all the above mentioned things, and more, my aunt approached me about doing this Community Closet Cleanse, which would require me to have open hands.  To let go of the things that I hold on to so tightly, to bless what I was about to let go of, and to open my hands to the blessings that He wanted to pour down.  And I jumped on board, because I felt like God had been preparing me for this exact thing.

And how do you say 'no' to God?


Please note that I had mentioned in an earlier post that I wouldn't quote any of the above mentioned books anymore.  But I lied.  It's all such good stuff, by such good people.  And I will pry use them all again.  So there.  Also, if you have a minute, listen to the song The Stand by Hillsong.  Good stuff there too.

KCWN & Your Closet

A little less than 4 years ago my life was touched by a 4 year old girl who came to me with her hands overflowing with coins from her piggy bank.  She couldn't count those coins, she didn't really know how much she had, but she knew that she wanted to give all that she had to help the people that she had heard her dad and I talking about.  People a world away who were affected by a horrible earthquake...the one that claimed many lives, left many others homeless, and changed the lives of everyone in their country forever.  

We got the globe out and showed her where exactly she wanted to send her money to, to help people that she didn't know.  The only thing she knew was that people were hurting...and that made her little heart hurt too.

Isn't it amazing what we can learn from our kids.

That sweet little girl had faith that her $13 and some odd cents from her piggy bank would help somebody she had never met live a better life.

And that is the faith I want.

I want to give knowing that if I can only donate $5 a month, God will use it to further his Kingdom. If I can give more, He will bless that and use it.  

Ever since our daughter came to us with those open hands, ready to give, we have felt led to pray for and support the mission of Many Hands for Haiti, which is an organization run out of our own little town here, which supports the efforts in Haiti.  Here is a little blurp from their website about their mission:

"A radical approach, going narrow and deep in a grassroots, co-created effort to make God real for all those involved. You are called to be a difference maker in your circle of influence to fill the hole in life, whether it be physically, emotionally, or spiritually. Make this personal. Stop sitting on the sidelines. Choose this day to change the world. Let us help you."

And now, we are going to help them, and this is how...

I encouraged you to clean your closets...to see what you could do without.  I wrote about how I "cleansed" my closet, getting rid of the clothes that had not been worn in the past year.  I weeded out my pantry, my shoes, my home decor, and the toys...and now I am ready to give it away for the sake of the Many Hands Market in Spencer, Iowa, which directly supports the mission of Many Hands for Haiti.

And I would like to encourage you to do the same.

I am teaming up with KCWN and Many Hands for Haiti to get a semi trailer filled(I think it's actually already almost half-way full, so the challenge isn't so big) with all of our goodies that we can live without.

Are you in?

You should be.

I cannot say enough good about the work that MH4H is doing, and I encourage all of you to be a part of it...here are the details:

Dates: TODAY, January 22-February 22

Drop-off location: KCWN Radio Station {304 Oskaloosa Street, Pella}

Items Accepted:

  *Furniture

  *Home Decor

  *Clothing

  *Shoes

  *Books

  *DVD's

  *Collectibles

  *Kitchen Items

  *Linens

  *Toys

  **Items NOT accepted: tv's, appliances, carseats...so don't bring them.

The sale of items at the Many Hands Market helps provide clean water, food, education, job development and so much more in a country that needs our help.  

How neat to think that the items I can live without could help somebody else live a better life.

Please note that we also cannot accept husbands, kids, or pets.   

Radio City

Ok, I've asked all of you to consider cleaning out your closets...now I am going to encourage you to listen to 99.9 KCWN Wednesday morning at 8 to find out why I asked you to clean your closets.  

You won't want to miss out on the "Bev & Lindsay Show".


Please note that if you listen tomorrow morning we guarantee you will laugh, you might cry, and we promise you will not be any wiser than you were before you listened.

Focus

So often I like to think that people notice me.  That when I walk in a room, heads turn to see me.  That people notice how my hair is styled or what clothes I am wearing, to how "put together" I really am.

But let's be honest...that doesn't happen.  Hardly ever.  Ok, probably never.

I am not writing this to get any amount of pity, nor am I trying to be Debbie Downer.  It's just that one of the things God has revealed to me over the last 2 1/2 months is that although I matter to people, I don't matter that much.  Meaning what I wear, or whether I cut 6 inches off of my hair, or whether my family all matches for the Christmas service is so irrelevant to anybody but me.

It's not about me.

This life is not about me.

I really was under the impression that people were keeping track of what I wore when, what was new and what had been worn before, and if I looked cute or if I showed up in sweats.

You know what...I was giving myself a little too much credit.

Ouch.

But it is a bit of a freeing feeling knowing that the judgement you are receiving from those who stand before you is so irrelevant compared to the eternal judgment that will be received one day from The One you stand before.

God has reminded me that on my day of judgement, He will not ask me what I wore to my husband's work Christmas party, He isn't going to care if my kids wore new clothes each season or if their clothes came out of a hand-me-down tote in the basement, and I am pretty sure He will not be complimenting me on my haircut.

He will, however, be quite interested in how I showed loved for His sheep, how I clothed the naked, how I provided for the poor, and how I fed the hungry.

So often I feel like I am a little isolated from "the needy" in Pella, Iowa.  But the truth is, we don't have to look far to find it.  In fact, we don't even need to travel to Des Moines to find people who need help.

Yesterday at Coffee Break one of the leaders shared with our group that there are children right here in this quaint little Dutch community that will stay home from school on Valentine's Day, simply because they cannot afford to buy cards to hand out. 

And that breaks my heart.

I just finished another book by Jen Hatmaker entitled "Interrupted.  An Adventure in Relearning the Essentials of Faith."  I could plagiarize the entire book in this post.  Honestly.  In it Jen talks about how God called her to a radical change in their lifestyle.  He called Jen & her husband to quit their jobs, wait on Him for the next step, and then trust with all their might that God's plan was right.  God stripped them of their home, moved them to a not-so-nice part of town, and asked them to minister to the homeless, lost, unloved, needy, poor in their Austin, Texas community.

If you're waiting for an announcement like that to come out of this post, you are going to be hugely disappointed.

I think God is continuing to open my eyes to see things from His perspective, but He hasn't called me to do anything too radical.  Yet.

Anyway, here are a couple of my favorite passages from her book:

All of a sudden, I saw my exact reflection in Peter: devoted but selfish, committed but misguided.  And that is not going to be enough.  It won't suffice to claim good intentions.  Saying "I meant well" is not going to cut it.  Not with God screaming, begging, pleading, urging us to love mercy and justice, to feed the poor and the orphaned, to care for the lost and least in nearly every book of the Bible.  It will not be enough one day to stand before Jesus and say, "Oh? Were You serious about all that?"

...I wrote one time about being jealous of the disciples, how they knew the lines in Jesus' hands and the sound of His voice.  They were chosen to experience Jesus in the flesh, a distinction they had no concept of until He was gone.
    Yet a similar honor awaits us all.  We have the privilege of serving Jesus Himself every time we feed a hungry belly, each moment we give dignity to someone who has none left, when we acknowledge the value of a convict because he is a human being, when we share our extreme excess with those who have nothing, when we love the forsaken and remember the forgotten.  Jesus is there.

And each time we provide Valentine's for children who would otherwise go without.

God is not asking for a donation equivalent to a year's salary, He is simply asking me to meet the needs that I can.  And to take my focus off of myself, and put it where it belongs...on loving His sheep.

And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony. -Colossians 3:14.


Please note that I am not even kidding about what I wrote at the beginning of this post.  Judge me if you want, but let's be honest ladies, we all sort of want heads to turn when we walk in the room.  My reality is that the only reason people might turn to see me walk in the room is because I come bearing 4 loud kids who would like to be seen and heard.  Bless them all.

Isaiah 58

Isaiah 58

"Shout it aloud, do not hold back.

Raise your voice like a trumpet.

Declare to my people their rebellion

and to the house of Jacob their sins.

For day after day they seek me out;

they seem eager to know my ways,

as if they were a nation that does what is right

and has not forsaken the commands of its God.

They ask me for just decisions

and seem eager for God to come near them.

'Why have we fasted,' they say

'and you have not seen it?

Why have we humbled ourselves,

and you have not noticed?'

"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please

and exploit all your workers.

Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,

and in striking each other with wicked fists.

You cannot fast as you do today

and expect your voice to be heard on high.

Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,

only a day for a man to humble himself?

Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed 

and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?

Is that what you call a fast,

a day acceptable to the Lord?

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

to loose the chains of injustice

and untie the cords of the yoke,

to set the oppressed free

and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry

and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-

when you see the naked, to clothe him,

and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn,

and your healing will quickly appear;

then your righteousness will go before you,

and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;

you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,

with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry 

and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, 

then your light will rise in the darkness,

and your night will become like the noonday.

The Lord will guide you always;

he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land

and will strengthen your frame.

You will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring whose waters never fail.

Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins

and will raise up the age-old foundations;

you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,

Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath

and from doing as you please on my holy day,

if you call the Sabbath a delight

and the Lord's holy day honorable,

and if you honor it by not going your own way

and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

then you will find your joy in the Lord,

and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land

and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."

The mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Please note that my footnote on verses 6-12(the fasting section) points out that "fasting can be beneficial spiritually and physically, but at its best fasting helps only the person doing it.  God says he wants our service to go beyond our own personal growth to acts of kindness, charity, justice and generosity.  True fasting...is pleasing to God by applying his Word to our society."  Food for thought on this windy day.

The Clothes Cleanse

I carved out a little time the other day to start "The Cleanse" in my closet.  As it turns out 5 minutes wasn't going to quite cut it.  So I went through my closet, then went through it again, and have hopes to go through it one more time before I call it good, because apparently I am not there yet.  My man mentioned that he couldn't even tell I had taken anything out of my closet, and yet I had two 3-feet stacks of clothes sitting on the floor.

Gulp.

As I was weeding out the things that I wanted to keep, and those that I was ready to part with I came across a few tops that although the tags were off, I had not ever even worn.  Which led me to think about how unintentional I have been in my shopping.

Do I need clothes to wear?  Yes.  Do I need a closet full of options?  Probably not a closet full, unless you are talking about a closet in a home built in 1902, then maybe a closet full would be just the right amount.

Anyway, my point is that I have been buying things, just because they were a great price and sort of cute-ish.  I didn't give any thought to where I would wear my purchase, or even if I would wear it for that matter.  It felt right, so I did it.

I was in Crewcuts the other day and had a cute little tunic in my hands for my daughter, and it was super-duper on sale.  Like 50% off the sale price.  Be still my heart.  And after walking around with it, and falling in love with it, I decided to hang it back on the rack, turn and walk away.  

Can I get an "AMEN!"

That is what this fast is all about...recognizing a need versus a want, choosing to see where I have fallen victim to consumerism rather than rationalism. 

It's not that I am opposed to buying clothes or other things for myself or my family, but when I let it take the place of God, when I put more value on what brand of clothes I have on, when I spend money on clothes that is going to simply take up space in my closet and never get worn, then I have given the devil a foothold.  

Ephesians 4:27 very clearly speaks about that.  "...do not give the devil a foothold."

Gulp.  Again.

I think it has been well established that for me, shopping is an area that I can so easily give the devil a foothold.  And all it takes is one cute top for me to "fall off the wagon."  

I have been enjoying going shopping with friends or my mom lately with my new eyes that God is giving me.  Instead of grabbing anything that entices me, I have been able to look  through a lens, and see clothes for what it is.  Just clothes.  Not something that can define me or save me, not something that has the ability to bring me long-term happiness or peace, not something that will take away the stress of everyday life. It's just clothes.

Ephesians goes on to say that we are to do "something useful with their{our} own hands, that they{we} may have something to share with those in need."

Guess I better get busy doing something useful with my hands, like cleaning out my closet again, because apparently I have quite a bit to share with those in need.


Please note that my rule of thumb for weeding out my clothes closet was that if I haven't worn it in a year, it was time for me to bid it farewell...

Q&A #2

Well, I am now over 2 months into this journey.  Some may think that is not a big deal, while others agree that it is.  Makes no difference to me what side of the fence you are on, I know that God called me to this, and it is my hope and prayer that I have glorified Him over the last couple of months.

I thought this would be a good time to do another Q&A post, since I am still getting inquiries about how I would handle this, that, or the other.  Please keep in mind that I am not an expert.  On anything.

First question...was The Beast really that big?

Facts do not lie, and I measured the beastly thing. It was 8 feet tall and 8 feet wide.  

Those that saw it in person claimed that the picture I posted on Facebook did not do it justice.  I am happy to report that The Beast has left the premisis.

One question I was asked a few times relates to Christmas gifts...did I get any, did I ask for clothes, did I get gift cards to go buy clothes, etc...

I will answer that question first by saying that both my parents as well as my man's parents have been very supportive of my fast, and they all understand not only the parameters of it, but they want to see me succeed.  So that said, yes, I did receive gifts this year, and no I did not ask for any clothes, and no I did not get any gift cards to clothing stores.  

My man gave me a fuzzy sweatshirt and a new snowsuit, both of which I struggled with for a little bit.  Ok, it was like 30 seconds, but still, I at least pondered the idea of if I was breaking fast or not.  My man assured me that it was given as a gift, and I must accept it as that.  Nothing more, nothing less.

And I have to tell you about the little bracelet my parents gave me, because it came from such a cool company.  Noonday Collection is the name of company and it gives you the opportunity to use your purchasing power to create change in the world {while looking really good along the way}. Your fashion sense can now restore dignity to abandoned women in Ethiopia, empower communities in Ecuador, and create business opportunities for Ugandans. 

I totally just copy and pasted that from the website.  But seriously, please check it out.

Next question, please.

Has my fast been harder or easier than I expected?

Tough one.  Depends on the day I think.  If I am too busy to think about it, and that is most days with 4 kids to keep up with, then I don't feel like it's hard, or even blog-worthy for that matter.  However, the temptation to go and spend money will just come upon me, and I feel like I am going to explode if I don't go buy something impractical that very moment.  That is when I call upon The Almighty to see me through.  I haven't ever smoked, but I'm thinking it's comparable to a smoker who is trying to quit...

Did I keep the dress for my daughter to wear for Christmas?

Ugh.  Yes.  I suck.  I know.

She has worn the dumb thing 1 time.  ONE TIME.  If I am lucky she will wear it once more before she hits a growth spurt and it doesn't fit anymore.  But it did look really cute on her, if that is worth anything.

The minute the tags were off I was regretting my demands to my man that she wear it.  But it's all water under the bridge now.  

Forgive me Jesus.

Am I really going to clean out my closet?

Yes.  Yes I am.  Soon.  Just not quite yet.  Maybe tomorrow.  Or the next day.

Oh I'm kidding, I have started a little process I will call "The Cleanse" at our house.  When this happens, my man starts to get nervous.  Pretty much everything is fair game, including him.  I'm kidding again.  

I started with our pantry this morning, as well as the coat closet.  Next up is my closet.  Then on to the other clothes closets in our house.

And you might be wondering what I am going to do with all of our "treasures"...well, I can't exactly share that with you yet.  Working on something, but it isn't public yet, so I don't want to spill the beans.  Just know that you are going to want to join in on the fun.  I guarantee it.

Please note that I will keep you posted about how you can be a blessing to others soon, but in the mean time, start cleaning out your closets.