Hungry

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My mentee and I are reading a book right now about God-Sized Dreams.  One of the chapters talks about characteristics of God-Sized dreamers: faithful where they are, keep their hearts open, embrace enough, encourage others, etc.  One of the lines I underlined in this chapter said: You’re feeding someone today.  Who is the hungry heart in your life?  These few words gave me pause thinking of all the hungry hearts I know.

I decided to write a list.  Students I work with, friends, family, acquaintances, anyone I could think of.  For each person I wrote “K is hungry for _______”; “G is hungry for ______”; M is hungry for ______”.

Hungry for true friendship

Hungry for physical healing

Hungry for adventure

Hungry for peace

It was an eye opening exercise; so many hurts, but just as many joys.  Then the question comes: “What can I do?”

Nothing

I cannot solve the hurts; I cannot deepen the joys.  I can do nothing.

Thankfully I believe in a God who can.  I believe in a God who loves to bring healing and create stories of redemption.  I believe in a God who loves to deepen our joy and give good things.  I believe in a God who can.

And He gently reminds me of my role to help with the hurts and the joys.  Pray.

Spend time in prayer bringing these needs before Him.  Pray peace over the broken hearted.  Pray healing over those battling sickness.  Pray thanksgiving over new adventures.  Pray.  Pray.  Pray.

What is your heart hungry for today?  Share your hunger with someone.  Ask for prayer or help.

Who is the hungry heart in your life?  Offer prayer, give encouragement, be love.

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ps – Does anyone else think the word ‘mentee’ is weird?

pps – The book we’re reading is You’re Made for a God-Sized Dream by Holley Gerth

Simple Joys

This beautiful vase was given to me by a couple who owned a liquor store in the same shopping complex where I was managing a small retail store.  The crazy thing?  I think this is the first time I actually put flowers in it.

Simple Joys

I am addicted to measuring cups and spoons and have been wanting this set for about 2 years.

Aren’t they pretty?  And so fun!  If you want a set, you can find it HERE.

Old Habits Die Hard

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How long does it take to develop an ‘old habit’?  The rule I’ve always heard is 21 days, but in doing a slight bit of research, 21 days is a myth.  In some people a habit may form in as little as 18 days, and in others it may take 84 plus.  In one of the articles I read, a good average is about 66 days to form a habit.  Just a hair over three months.

My habit crumbled in less than 30 days.  And my old friend fear showed up as a replacement.

I could write daily of my struggles with fear.  It ranges from being a good wife/friend/daughter/sister to the ability to keep up my home, wanting to be a better writer/artist, wanting to have a deeper relationship with God – fear touches every part of who I am and who I want to be.

BUT ultimately, I desire to banish fear from my mind, my heart and my vocabulary.  I want to rid my life of the fear I let rule me.  I want to learn to keep fear at bay and live a life of freedom.

So in this desire to banish fear from my life:

1.  I am starting out on the twelve week journey of “The Artist’s Way.”  Writing every day, assignments to complete, fieldtrips to take, and a path to connecting with my creativity.
2. I have been told there are 365 verses in the Bible which deal with fear.  I want to find a few to memorize.                                                                                                                           Psalm 56:3 – When I am afraid, I will trust in You.

Fear feeds off of the un-known and the un-doing.  By putting myself back onto a path of knowledge and action; maybe just maybe, I’ll learn to put fear in its place and become more of who I was created to be.

Bookish

Sometime around Christmas the Reading Bug bit me hard and left me with a voracious appetite.  All I really want to do right now is read and cook.  Who needs a clean bathroom anyway?

The Weird Sisters – Eleanor Brown

My sister and I came across this book together and giggled about the title.  A few months later I picked it up and really enjoyed it. Three sisters fighting the roles each has been given/taken on in their family.  Each sister bringing some sort of drama or problem to the table.  Each one trying to work out a solution without making it worse on the family.

This book gave me the feeling of sitting invisible within a family while all their junk is just happening.  An open window to family life, dysfunction and all.  I would highly recommend it.

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Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’Easter – Lisa Patton

This book was written by a local (to me) author, and I’ve been meaning to read it for about 2 years.  An impossible situation, a cast of crazy characters and one southern girl trying to keep it all together.  This is a great and fun read!

Lisa Patton has written a sequel titled Yankee Doodle Dixie, I’ll be adding this to my reading list.

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Her Fearful Symmetry – Audrey Niffenegger

I loved The Time Traveler’s Wife.  I wanted to love Her Fearful Symmetry, but I didn’t.

Estranged twin sisters.  A big family secret.  A ghost story.  A love story.

A lot going on.

I’m all for an unexpected ending.  Or a main character you just love to hate.  But when I finished “Symmetry”, I was mad.  I wanted the time back I had used reading this book.

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The Leftovers – Tom Perrotta

I haven’t read anything by Mr. Perrotta before, but I had heard a lot about The Leftovers last year and wanted to read it.

A story about the Rapture and the “leftover” people.

Great character development, interesting ideas on what might happen to those leftover, and a couple of good twists in the story.  But like “Symmetry”, I hated the ending.  I was expecting/wanting a little bit of redemption, a little bit of hope and was left with none.

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Harry Potter series – J.K. Rowling

A movie can never give you all the details a writer includes in a book.  If you’re a fan of the movies and somehow haven’t read the books – DO SO NOW.

Delight

Do you wake the same each morning?  Refreshed and ready to take on the day?  Or clinging to the sweet sleep that shelters?  Have you ever been woken like Joseph with a purpose and a charge to go now, spend time with your Maker and see what He has to say?

Late in December I woke much earlier than usual, with a need to leave my warm bed, go to my office and spend some time in the word and in prayer.  God led me to a series of verses and each said “Delight”.  Delight in Me.  Delight in my word.  Delight in the law.  DELIGHT.

It seemed a clear message to me for the year of 2013 – Delight.

And after a crazy 2012, the word Delight seemed like a wonderful thing to be, to do and to focus on.  I was ready.

Then five days into the new year, my sweet brother unexpectedly passed away.  A frantic call from my mother and less than 48 hours later I was on a plane.  The next three weeks were spent with my immediate family, mom, dad and my sister; just us four in one house dealing with all the stuff that comes with death.

And each day in my heart the word “Delight” was repeating like a mantra.

But how do you take delight in such a horrid situation?

• You delight in being able to spend time, just your immediate core family, for the first time in many moons.
• You delight in knowing a brother who had lived with many disabilities is running free and unfettered in the vast expanse of heaven.
• You delight in the family and friends who surround you with love, hugs, food, prayer and encouragement.
• You delight knowing the next time you see your brother he will be able to show you all the best spots and introduce you to the family who has gone before.
• You delight in the freedom to stay and serve your parents for as long as needed.
• You delight in having a sister to share a room with.

I have been given a word to purposefully define this year.

I have been issued a challenge in the way I look at the world around me.

I have been given a purpose to seek after for these next days and months.

DELIGHT.

When are you gonna start writing again?

A question posed to me by my sweet and encouraging husband.

The answer has been “tomorrow” for about a week and a half.

The last couple months have been a whirlwind.  November was all about NaNoWriMo, which I proudly achieved.  December was just busy.  You know the busy where there’s lots happening, but you can’t remember a single thing?  This was my December.  January came and my family and I faced the passing of my older brother.

It got to the point where I had to be told what day of the week it was.

So here I am.  A little frazzled.  A little shell shocked.  But ready to write.