Joanne Heim

Let it be to me

 

Mom and I went to the church ornament exchange yesterday morning at our pastor's house. His wife, Julie, hosts it every year and loves Christmas more than just about anyone I've ever met. She has eight trees up this year--each one with a different theme and the ones I saw on the main level were gorgeous. A few weeks ago, Julie asked me to share a short devotional as part of the morning's  brunch and gift exchange. I told her I'd be glad to do it and have spent my early mornings thinking and praying and jotting notes in my journal about what to share.

This is the gist of what I came up with and shared yesterday morning:

Both the fiscal and calendar years begin January 1, so we don't often think about the new year and resolutions until after Christmas Day. But the church year and the liturgical calendar begin with Advent, so it's not really too soon to think about it. As we celebrate Advent and Christmas, we are also celebrating the new year.

So often we think of Luke 2 as the beginning of there Christmas story: "In those days, Caeser August issued a decree that all the world should be taxed..so Joseph went to Bethlehem"...and so on and so forth.

However, when we begin with Luke 2, we miss the wonderful things that Luke 1 has to offer--the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth and John the Baptist being foretold, not to mention Gabriel's visit to Mary telling her that she would have a baby.

We also find two of the four magnificent hymns that open the Gospel of Luke--Zechariah's Benedictus, an exuberant song of praise that bursts forth after nine months of imposed silence for his unbelief and Mary's own glorious Magnificat in which she praises God for keeping his promises to his people.

In a way, the Advent story really goes all the way back to the very beginning, to Genesis. My pastor recently summarized the whole Bible like this: The story of the Bible begins in the Garden of  Eden from which Adam and Eve were removed as the result of their sin in response to lies and temptation and deception; the rest of the Bible is about how to get back there to that place of perfect fellowship with God.

As far back as Genesis 3:15, God promised that the offspring of the woman would one day crush our enemy and make all things right  and like they were when we had uninterrupted and perfect fellowship with God in that garden.

My favorite part of Luke 1 and the part I most want to share with you is Luke 1:38:

After Mary asks Gabriel how what he said would be possible—with the wonder and curiosity of the child she still is in many ways, she listens to his answer and responds with what seems to me to be s clear statement of her identity and a determined resolution for her own season of waiting for Jesus to come forth as a baby:

“I am the Lord’s servant. “Let it be to me.”

I think this is a good resolution for us too. For this season of Advent leading up to Christmas  and now even for our whole lives, which are also a time of Advent as we wait for Jesus to come again—not as a baby this time, but as a conquering king who is coming to make all things right.

The question before us is this:

Will  you--will I--will we be brave like Mary? Will we dare to make her words our own--and actually mean them? I long to be brave and bold, to be stout-hearted and courageous. What about you?Can I be that brave? brave like Mary?Can you?

The thought is scary, because well…What if? What could he do--what might he do--if we say them and mean them?

After all, God asked something really hard of Mary! He asked her to do a job not suited for her age or her experience. After all, how could this girl be a mother when she still needed her own mother so much?

What if he asks something like that of you or of me? What then? How would we deal with it?What if he lets something really hard be to me--an illness or a loss? What might happen to me or the ones I love? Would I survive it? Would you?It seems scary, doesn't it?

I think we have to go back to Gabriel for the answer: Before she makes her incredible statement of trust and submission, Gabriel reminds her of one very important truth we cannot forget: "Nothing is impossible for God."

Nothing. Not even taking me--a scaredy-cat and making me brave and courageous. Not even making me brave enough to take Mary's words for my own, yep--and even mean them--

Nothing is impossible for God

 

I can be brave because he can make me so.I can Make Mary's words my own because I can trust him. 

 I am the Lord’s servant—that alone defines me!That is the truest thing about me. I belong to him and my name is engraved on his hands. He keeps me safe.

Let it be to me—nothing is too hard or impossible for him. I am safe because I am his! WE are safe because we are his!

I can make Mary's words my own because I am his and he his mine. Nothing is impossible for him and he can take whatever it is he allows and use it for his glory and my good.

 

Maybe if we do it together...Take a deep breath! On the count of three. 1..2..3

LETITBETOME. 

P.S. See how I said it really quick like that?! Sorta like ripping off a bandaid! ;)

 

My story/stroke speech

Here is the gist of the speech I give last week:

My story

Rocky Mountain Stroke Center Jubilee /October 22, 2015

My name is Joanne Heim. I am 43 years old and I have been coming to the Rocky Mountain Stroke Center for just over a year.

As I think about my life story and my stroke, the word that comes most strongly to mind is miracle. My story is a miracle story—just like all of the stories of the people who come to the stroke center. None of us should be alive; stroke often kills and tried its best to kill us too —but here we are!

My life before stroke lasted 38 years. Here’s a glimpse of my life before stroke:

I had a happy childhood—an idyllic childhood, really. It was filled with love and laughter, camping, sailing, horseback riding, skiing, time together as a family. My dad was in the Air Force, so it was also a childhood of moving and new schools and new friends every few years. I loved it and became comfortable in new situations and places.

I was born in California and lived in Redondo Beach for six years, playing at the beach and eating sand, going to preschool with my best friend, whose mother was my mother’s best friend, starting kindergarten, getting a baby sister for Christmas when I was two years old. It was happy, safe, and fun.

We moved to Colorado Springs when I was six years old and my dad began teaching at the Air Force Academy. We had lots of snow, a long steep driveway for sledding and summers filled with camping in the Colorado mountains in our green canvas tent. We were involved at church, loved Sunday school, and I fell in love with books of all kinds.

The summer after fourth grade, we moved to Alabama. It was the era of Atari and Pac Man.

After a year there, we moved to North Yorkshire, England, and spent three years loving British life there. We camped all over Europe—in a small camper this time, and collected stamps in our passports.It was an especially wonderful season for our family—one we would all gladly repeat!

After my three years of middle school at a British school—complete with a boring navy uniform—we returned to Colorado Springs and I began high school. I was a normal teenager—I went to  school  and did my homework to keep up good grades. I had  friends and  boyfriends, I learned to driven babysat. I worked a few jobs and butted heads with my parents.

The summer I was 16, I met the boy I would marry. We got engaged the night before my high school graduation. ( My parents have since recovered as you’ll see!)

We drove to Spokane, Washington and attended Whitworth University, where I majored in Communication Studies and French. I took a full load of classes each semester, studied hard, edited the school newspaper, worked as a graphic designer for the school and graduated in three years. It was a whirlwind!

We got married over Christmas break my sophomore year and moved into a tiny apartment on campus, where I learned to cook and keep house.

Our last year of college flew by and graduation approached. We did not have jobs or a plan until I got a call from my dad, telling me of a partner company  at his job that needed someone to fill in for an employe on maternity leave—in Paris.

I wrote down the number, took a deep breath and dialed Paris. Within a few weeks, I finished my last independent study class to complete my degree, packed our tiny apartment into storag, the biggest duffel bag ever for myself and got on a plane  to Denver. My parents met me at Stapleton for a short layover and I boarded a plane for Houston. From there, I was off to Orly.

On e of my tasks at this software company was to answer the telephone—by far the scariest thing I’d ever done up to that point. I learned a new vocabulary of office supplies and computer terms by day. In the evenings and on the weekends, we explored Paris and it quickly became my favorite city in the world.

At the end of a marvelous summer, we returned to Colorado Springs and began our lives as adults. we got our first real jobs, our first dog and bought our first house. Soon we had our first baby. After a terrific pregnancy in which I starred as the most pregnant woman you’ve ever seen, Audrey was born in August of 1998. I  drove a station wagon and stopped working full time as an editor and copywriter at a local publishing company.

Within a few years, we built a bigger house and decided it was time to have another baby. Emma was born in 2001 and I upgraded to a minivan and a double stroller. The girls and I spent a lot of time in Denver, exploring museums and the zoo. It was a wonderful happy time and I loved everything about being a mom to my little girls.

After several years in Monument, my husband changed jobs and we moved to San Diego.We lived near the beach and enjoyed days at Sea World, Disneyland and Legoland.

Soon after arriving in California, my husband was diagnosed as bipolar and went through a deep depression.My faith grew by leaps and bound s I became totally dependent upon God to get me through each day. The god I had known since childhood became more real and biggerto me than ever before.

Those years in San Diego ran to extremes. When life was good, it was incredible, but when it was bad, it was almost unbearable.

After three years, we moved back home to Colorado. This time, we settled in Denver, bought our favorite house so far.We were close to family again, busy volunteering at the girls’ school and life felt like it was going just as it should. 

I began to do some public speaking and dreamed of pursuing a master’s degree in Old Testament biblical studies at Denver Seminary. 

I began seminary in 2009 and loved everything about it.

I was working on a paper in the library on spring day, when my husband called to say, “We’re moving to Phoenix for a year!”

We packed up the house and picked the few things we would need for a year and moved tPhoenix in July.It was a hot adventure.

With only a year’s commitment to stay there, we decided to do a few things differently. We left the television behind and decided to give homeschooling a shot—something I swore I would never do—so naturally, that’s what we did! We loved it so much that when we returned to Denver a year later, we decided to keep homeschooling. 

I returned to seminary in the evenings and we settled back into life in Denver, surrounded by friends and family.

I learned to run in Phoenix and was running four miles a day by the end of our year there. Back in Denver, I had to learn again—this time with hills and altitude. It took time, but soon I was running five miles a day and I was stronger and healthier than I’d ever been.

M ymiracle day arrived on January 11, 2011. It dawned bitterly cold, so after forgetting to pen the flue and filling the house with smoke, I decided to run on my treadmill in the basement.I cranked up my iPod and was flying along when I got the worst headache I’d ever experienced. It felt like someone  covered my head with metal zipper, unzipped it and poured iced water over my scalp. I knew it couldn’t be good. It wasn’t.

 

Sometime later my children came looking for me to start our school day and found me collapsed on thee floor. They called their dad, my mom and 911.

The ambulance raced to Littleton Adventist hospital where I’m told my brain pressure grew too high after a massive stroke so they removed a piece of my skull to relieve the pressure and then put me in a medical coma for it to rest and heal. Friends came from all over. From in town, and from out of state, they drove, they flew, they brought food and kept my family company. My husband and children moved in with my parents for a time. The girls went back to school again and my between my family and friends, I was never alone for long.

There is really no good time to have a stroke, but weirdly enough, this was the perfect time for mine. I was young, strong, healthy, and surrounded by friends and family. I am sure  that is why I am alive today.

The first thing I clearly remember after that headache on my treadmill is the smell of my mom’s perfume and the sounds of her voice. I had been moved to Kindred Hospital, a long-term acute care facility where I could heal more before going to a more intensiverehab hospital. Mom was holding my hand and telling me the story of someone who’d had a staroke and was very, very sick. I didn’t understand or know where I was, yet in a moment of total clarity, I knew she was talking about me.

My memories of Kindred are confused and jumbled because I was on such strong drugs for the terrible headaches I had each day. I was angry and depressed. I remember being cold and  loving heated  blankets. I learned  to sit up and swallow. Friends visited often and brought me food once I could eat again. They broughtStarbucks, ice cream,popsicles, cheeseburgers and lots of love. I received bed baths and finally got to take my first shower in months. It was glorious! I texted with friends who remind me of long conversations we had on our iPhones.        

My thirty-ninth birthday arrived on March 15, but instead of a blue box from Tiffany’s, I received a birthday cake from the Kindred staff and an ambulance ride to my new home at Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital.

I was medicated, depressed and intimidated by the work to be done. Days at Spalding began with being read to by my dad who came by before going to work and before I went to breakfast.Each day was filled with hard work—physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy. I learned to walk with a hemi-walker and then a four-point cane.

Friends still visited often ,t, but now they wanted to eat what I did (Spalding had an excellent chef and the food was delicious!)

I remember getting a pass to leave the hospital and taking a trip into the outside world—to Target to buy underwear. (Potty training should really only happen once in life, as far as I’m concerned!) TMI… Sorry!

At Spalding, I often wished for more dogs to visit. I was dismayed when volunteers brought books and I discovered I could no longer cold a book to read. I was not at all sure I wanted  a life without reading! Luckily, a friend from college came to the rescue by bringing a Kindle pre-loaded with books she knew I could like. One-handed reading worked marvelously well and helped fill lonely days for years to come.

I came home from Spalding after two months. My Christmas tree was still up in the living room and I was thrilled to be back in my familiar home. My dad installed additional stair railings and grab bars in the bathrooms so I could manage being home more easily. Friends brought meals and our freezer quickly filled, relieving us from the nightly chore of preparing dinner.

In-home therapists came multiple times each week and I continued speech, physical and occupational therapies with them.

When I needed more direction, I began the day therapy program  at Spalding. My dad installed a therapy gym in my garage and we worked together there with the exercise instructions I had collected from all the therapists I’d seen thus far. In the midst of a lot of hard work, he and I had sweet times together. 

During this season, I first heard about the Stroke Center and its YESS (Young Enthusiastic Stroke Survivors) group. I wanted nothing to do with it. Yes, I was a Young Stroke Survivor, but I was certainly not Enthusiastic about it. No, thank you!That was not for me—I did not want to be one of those people!

When the exercise and therapy failed to reduce my plantar flexion and my left foot still refused to sit flat on the ground, an orthopedic surgeon recommended surgery to lengthen my Achilles’ tendon. In November of 2011, I had surgery and spent weeks in a cast  and  a wheelchair while it healed.

 

We tried some family counseling during this time to help us deal with the many changes that came with my stroke and its effects upon our family. We learned some helpful things, but still struggled on a daily basis.

Despite the difficulty of getting around, a couple of my girlfriends suggested we get season tickets to the Denver Ballet. On various Saturdays, we went out for lunch downtown and enjoyed an afternoon at the ballet. I am thankful for their determination to make sure I engaged with the world outside of my house.

 A year later in the winter of 2013, my husband and I were forced to sell our home, declare bankruptcy and move to Colorado Springs to live with his parents.

It was a difficult time. I spent most days alone in the family room, reading books and drinking tea. Friends came to visit often to get me out of the house and I am grateful for their love and care and encouragement when I was told “You only have half a brain” and “you can’t do that”on a regular basis by my family. I was depressed, over medicated and lived in a fog of confusion and sorrow.

From time to time, I travelled to Denver to spend time with my parents. At the end of a visit in April 2014, my husband and children told me not to return to Colorado Springs. My husband had started a new job and said he could no longer care for me. I moved in with my parents permanently and we have been a family of three to ever since.

I quickly became part of their life—church, activities like concerts and theater, running errands and short weekends away to camp in their trailer.  I also began physical therapy at home again with a therapist I’d seen before. In the summer of 2014, we moved into an age-qualified neighborhood and quickly became involved with activities and new friends there.

That fall, I visited the Stroke Center for the first time and began attending the art therapy group on Mondays and a physical therapy class on Tuesdays.

The art group has become a support group for me as I have made friends and learned to paint. As my friend said, “We are my people.” I look forward to art each week and am excited about the friends and paintings I’ve made.

Today, my life is not what I ever imagined or dreamed what it would be, but it is good. I am happy, active and look forward to the future.I stopped using a cane about six months ago, and walk about a mile each day. My dog and I visit stroke patients at Spalding together and are encouraged by it as much as we encourage those we visit.

 I am making goals for the future with my counselor and plan to fly for the first time and learn to drive again next year. I see the progress I am making and am motivated to keep  working toward more recovery.

BecauseI am still here, my story is an ongoing one. I do not know what the future holds, but I do know my story ends well!

I am thankful for the Stroke Center and wish I had stated going sooner than I did.Who knows where I would be in my recovery if I had? I am grateful to the staff, the other survivors and all  who donate their time and finances to make it the place of healing and recovery it is today.

 

Howdy there!

Long time, no blog. Somehow I cannot seem to get into a regular blogging rhythm. As always, I need to work on that!

Life is awfully full and busy these days:

Bible study: 

Mom and I are doing two Bible studies at the moment. Beth Moore's Breath study is on Thursday mornings. It is a lecture study with only a small amount of homework. Melissa Moore has written a homework article for each session and she has done a phenomenal job. I would quote a huge section from session 2, but it would be tons of typing and I need to catch you up on other stuff too. So just take my word for it that her words on page 17 were awesome!

On Saturday mornings, we are doing  Seeing Jesus in the Prophets byNancy Guthrie. It is good too and a bit more like a book group with a small amount of homework to accomplish each week.

The Rocky Mountain Stroke Center:

I attend art group on Monday mornings( makes Monday a good day!), a group PT class on Tuesday mornings, and do some additional PT on Saturdays on the Litegait treadmill most Saturdays...I really enjoy being there and have made good friends!

The stroke center does an annual Jubilee fundraiser each fall.We could not attend last year for some reason, but will go this year since they asked me to be a speaker and to tell my story.Dad is going to tell it  from his perspective asa caregiver too, while Mom stands with us in support. I am doing some preparation and feel both excited and nervous for the event on October 22.I have not done any public speaking since my stroke and hope it  is a bit like riding a bike(which I miss)

###

In other news, I am walking a bunch. Dad bought me a Fitbit one (the tiny one) and I love how motivating it is to get out and increase my steps and distance; I walked three miles yesterday over the course of the day!

We spent last weekend in Crested Butte. Yesterday was my sister's fifteenth wedding anniversary and they rented a cute little house downtown for the weekend. They brought their three kids and invited us as well as her in-laws too. The ten of us and our two dogs had fun, saw beautiful scenery, played games, and walked a bunch. As much fun as we had, it was great to come back home and get back into our own routine. I posted pics on Facebook you can see if we are friends there...If not, send me a message with your friend request so I know it is not spam.

The three of us--plus Maddie, of course!--are renting a little motorhome and going camping for a week starting on Monday.We are going to make a circle through Summit County, the Sand Dunes, and back up through Colorado Springs before coming back home and jumping back into our busy routine. I am excited to get out my fall clothes and to attend the church in which I grew up that weekend.

Hope you are well and have an autumn candle to burn at your house!I am loving the fesh balsam candle from Bath & Body Works. It is not really a fall scent, but I can't get enough of it!

I will update Facebook and Twitter from the road and check in again when I get back home.

Happy Fall!

 

Joanne

xoxo

 

 

Alrighty then...

It's 4:25 and I think we've had enough school for the day. Today we...

• Learned more about Commodore Perry and Japan in the 1850s
• Learned more about our muscles and how they work and tested our flexibility (Audrey is the MOST flexible)
• Talked about the difference between active and passive voice in writing
• Learned some stuff about adverbs
• Did math stuff like bar graphs and learned more about percentages
• Spelled a bunch of words
• Worked on our memory verses (ALL of Psalm 91 this week!) 
• Talked about the parable of the landowner and who all the characters represent
• Colored maps of Korea

...and I worked on my Greek homework and emptied the dishwasher and finally got warm. I think that's enough.

Tomorrow I'm headed down to the Springs to be on the radio with him and Ryan (that's some of what he does if you didn't know--Toben is the producer and cohost for Grounded Radio with Ryan Dobson). 

They're going to re-air a broadcast Toben and I did with Dr. Dobson about 10 years ago for the first half of the show, and then we'll be on the second half live.

You can listen (and watch live video) tomorrow at 10 MST. Just click on the link above. If you sign in, you can even participate in the live chat and say hello. I'd love it if you would!

***

Hope you had a great Monday and are memorizing Scripture. I totally want to be one of those people who knows (and understands!) lots of Scripture by heart. I shouldn't really be amazed--though I often am--at the ways God uses what I've learned in the past to affect my present moment.

Much, much love to you!

 

Well, hello Wednesday!

Today's really our Monday despite being Wednesday. Toben and Emma were gone all weekend through late last night, so though the girls did some school stuff on their own, today's the first official day of school this week.

So we've been parked in front of the fire, reading, reading, and reading some more in preparation for all of the on their own stuff the girls will work on tomorrow morning while I go speak to the MOPS group at Cherry Hills Community Church.

My notes are highlighted and marked up just the way I like them, and I ::think:: I have an outfit all picked out. 

Then I'm going to do my darndest to get Audrey to take a nap before she and Toben head to the TobyMac concert tomorrow night. Nope, I don't think it'll work either, but I'm going to give it a shot!

Emma does not love the late nights (which it will definitely be), so she and I had planned to stay home and have a night all to ourselves. Which is good, since she came home from San Diego with a horrible cold. I'm feeding her lots of Juice Plus and cold medicine, and wiping down every hard surface she touches with antibacterial wipes.

What else is happening around here?

• I'm making chicken hero for dinner, which is like a hot open-faced chicken salad sandwich that is just yummy. 
• The fireplace has been on ALL day. Except for when Toben came in and turned it off. Then Audrey turned it right back on again.
• I got a 99 percent on my Greek midterm!
• I've been crafty--some of which I'll share, other stuff is a secret until Christmas.
• We're still in massive documentary mode around here. Audrey and I watched a National Geographic one about Siberian tigers the other night. Fascinating. At any point, in any conversation, about anything at all, you're likely to hear, "Did you know...?" from us. We are officially documentary nerds.
• Toben and Audrey are headed to church tonight to hear Ryan speak. I'd love to go, but with Emma's cold such as it is, she and I are staying home and going to bed early.
• Other than that, I could totally go for a huge, gooey caramel apple covered in dark chocolate swirls and nuts. Doesn't that sound good?

Think that's about it. Hope your evening will involve your favorite pjs and an early bedtime!

Slides from A Woman Inspired: One

For those who wanted, here are the slides from my presentation earlier this week at the ONE conference at A Woman Inspired. It's been fun to hear from so many of you--here, on Facebook, and on Twitter!

Download Joanne Heim, A Woman Inspired ONE, May 2010

Hello to A Woman Inspired listeners

Just wanted to pop in and say a quick hello to all who tuned in this morning to A Woman Inspired's One conference online. I loved getting to meet you through the wonders of technology. Isn't it cool?

I will post my notes here later today or tomorrow. And if you had a question I didn't get to, feel free to leave it as a comment here.

If you're interested in the blog Toben and I write together called Our Crazy Marriage, you can click on the button in the sidebar on the left. And if you'd like The Simple Wife delivered to your email inbox directly, you can subscribe using the subscribe box in the sidebar on the left too.

Anything else you want to know, just ask.

More soon!

Wanna attend A Woman Inspired's ONE conference?

GOT ALL MY WINNERS! Thanks. You can still register for the conference (and pay for it yourself!) by clicking on the link below.

You can...and for free. Be in the first five to leave a comment here and your conference fee will be covered. Sorry guys, the conference is for women only.

Want more information? Here's more about the conference.

Ready? Set? Go!

A Woman Inspired : One

I'm speaking next week at the One conference by A Woman Inspired. The good news is that as long as my jammies are cute, I think I can do it in my pjs. The conference is entirely online and I can sit in my chair with my computer and not even have to drive anywhere. Pretty cool, huh?

You can learn more about the conference here.

 

I'm talking about expectations and realities. Here's the little blurb:

Most of us grow up with great expectations about what being married will be like. We dream and plan and hope for the day when we will ride off into the sunset with Prince Charming and live happily ever after. We buy into the fairy tales and romance novels and assume that once we find the “right” guy, everything will fall into place. Somehow we imagine ourselves as a bride forever. Then we wake up and see a wife in the mirror. Where do our expectations come from? What are those expectations? And what do we do when reality doesn’t quite match them?

If you'd like to come (you can wear your jammies too!), the cost is $12.95 and you can register here. And find the schedule here.

Even happy endings make me a little bit sad

I taught the last week's study for Psalm 23 at church last night, and just as soon as I say hello to you here, I'm off to get showered and ready to teach the last week's study for the Thursday morning gals at church. I can hardly believe this is week 6.

As I was sharing with the gals last night, I am not the same person I was six weeks ago. Journeying through Psalm 23 for the past six weeks--both in study and in real life as God has taught me each lesson in preparation to teach it--has changed me. And isn't that what Bible study should do? Change us so we are not the same as we were before?

It's been a journey of incredibly hard work, of coming face to face with my own insecurity and learning to put it off, of sacrifice, of obedience, of learning some hard things about myself, of rejecting self-sufficiency once and for all, of embracing dependence, of restoration, of hearing God speak each and every day.

I have long believed that God speaks to me. But these past six weeks, we've had a nonstop conversation. Some of those conversations have been fun, some have been encouraging, some have been eye-opening, and some have been God saying things that have been hard to hear. 

I love that he speaks and I love that he's allowed me to speak on his behalf. I don't for a minute forget what a privilege and responsibility that is. 

I'm anxious to see what this next season brings. I have some hints of where we're going and I'm excited for the journey to continue in a new stage. Toben and I have some things to work on together. I'm seeking balance. I'm realizing that I am more comfortable talking about rest than actually resting. I'm wondering about pressing into Sabbath once more.

And so I'm looking forward. Thankful for what is just about past. Ready to follow where my Shepherd leads next. 

And now for the silly stuff

Here's what is true of me when I speak in front of a group:

1. I don't usually feel all that nervous, but I sweat like crazy. Seriously need some new antiperspirant. Like prescription strength. Not an issue on a normal day--even in AZ in the summer, but you can bet I'll be getting some next time I'm at Walmart. Felt like I couldn't raise my arms until about 12:30.

2. I have to pee a lot before I stand up front to talk. So I snuck out this morning while the gals were all in their groups and there was NO TOILET PAPER in the stall I randomly chose. I didn't check first because I was concentrating too hard on not dropping the microphone thing in the toilet. I think I might get in trouble if I did that. And there was no one else in the bathroom to help me out--they were all in Bible study! Luckily, those paper seat cover thing-ys work in a pinch.

(I did admit this to all the women there--and told them exactly which stall was out of paper so they wouldn't get stuck. Just trying to be a good girlfriend.)

(This is an aside and totally not about Bible study, but I also have to pee exactly three times after I get dressed to run before I can run. Why three? No idea. It's just the magic number. Being two miles from home and having to pee soverybadly is NO FUN. You can't run faster without peeing in your pants, and at the same time you're desperate to get home as fast as possible. Bad, BAD news.)

3. I love it when people nod at me, smile at me, make eye contact. Does that make me an affirmation junkie? The result is that I'm a really good audience member. Our worship pastor at church even commented on it. Cause I know how awful it is to have no one willing to meet your eye. I like to give out an outline, so even if someone is writing her grocery list and not looking at me, it just looks to me like she's taking really, really good notes.

4. What is up with the sticky dry mouth? Yuck. Hot water this morning helped. I was afraid if I sucked on a mint and tried to talk at the same time I would probably choke. Going to have to come up with a hand signal from my friend if it gets out of control and starts to build up in the corners of my mouth.

5. Finally, we have really, really cute girls at our church. It's fun to stand up front and get a good long look at all of them. I'd not been to Thursday morning Bible study before this morning (I'm a Wednesday night gal so far) and was way impressed with them. Especially with the young moms with little kids who showed up looking like a million bucks. I was so not that mom when the girls were little. 

Wonder if they'd appreciate having a pajama Bible study morning one of these weeks...

Say a little prayer for me...

(Yes, we've been listening to the Glee soundtrack, so that's the first thing that popped into my head when I thought to ask you to pray today. If you've not heard the music from Glee, well, it's amazing. How I wish I could sing like that!)

Anyway.

We rocked and rolled through our school this week with the goal of getting our work done in four days. Looking ahead to the end of March, I'll be teaching Bible study at church on Wednesday nights and Thursday mornings. Thursdays just aren't going to be school days for us when that starts.

And until then, Fridays aren't going to be school days for us. Between now and March 24, I'm going to use Fridays to have uninterrupted writing/preparing time. The church has a space that's empty on Fridays for me to use, and so I'm headed there after my weekly Friday morning coffee date. (Hi Christy! See you in a bit!)

I'm excited for today. I've been writing in the dark at night as thoughts pop into my head as I'm falling asleep and I grab the notebook by the bed and scribble madly to capture it. I haven't looked at those scribbles in the light, so I'm hoping they'll be legible and still make sense!

I do write bits and pieces here and there each day, but I'm looking forward to a big chunk of time to really focus. That's how I write best.

I'm learning just how much I love to teach. Homeschooling as just affirmed that in many ways. And while I of course want to teach my children well when we study things like writing and reading and history and science and math, I feel an added weight when I teach the Bible.

Would you pray for me today as I write and prepare to teach what I write?

God has been so clear and so specific about the session I'm working on. I love that! And I want to capture it in a way that accurately reflects all he's revealed.

I want to handle God's Word with care.

Can I ask you a question?

I'm going to be teaching Bible study at my church this spring for six weeks--on Wednesday nights and Thursday mornings. I'm so excited to get have weeks to communicate a message, rather than just 45 minutes.

We're going to be studying Psalm 23 and learning some Bible study methods and disciplines along the way. So often, we study the Word when we're in Bible study, but on our own? Sometimes we're not so sure what to do.

We're going to take a chapter that's familiar to most of us and learn how to study it in-depth together, taking a deeper look at what it has to teach us.

So, here's my question: What do you want/need most from Bible study? Especially a study at church where someone is teaching?

I've asked on Facebook and Twitter too (a couple of other ways we can connect!). And I'd dearly love your input. Thanks, y'all!

While I'm thinking about it...

I wanted to let you know that Toben and I will be on Moody's Midday Connection this Thursday, September 3, to talk about bipolar disorder and marriage. I'm thinking there may be some call in, so tune in and call in to say hi and ask any questions you may have.

Check their website for station information or to listen online!

Here's the scoop!

Thought it would be more fun to tell you about the weekend! 

Okay, here's the song I was talking about. No matter what's going on in your life, he's calling your name to get back up. WE ALWAYS GET BACK UP until the day when we finally fall at his feet.

I forgot the pictures! Oops!

Here's the view out my window:

(And it rained all Friday and Saturday.)

And here are the shoes I brought:

As a Girl Scout I really should know better. But I just laughed at myself and drove back and forth!

Being a Bible detective

I had the awesome privilege of speaking at chapel this morning at my kids' school to a gym full of kids from kindergarten through fifth grade. What a hoot!

I decided that together we were going to solve a mystery. We were going to be detectives. We were going to learn how to ask things like

WHO?

WHAT?

WHEN?

WHERE?

WHY?

HOW?

of the biblical text to learn what it means that Jesus is our Redeemer.

Basically, I gave them a course in hermeneutics in about 30 minutes--one that included lots of Scripture reading (they found those verses FAST), silly disguises, and an appearance by Kim Possible and Scooby Doo.

Oh, and this crazy Bible detective who was incognito for the morning...

More than anything, I want them to know that not one of them is too young to study the Bible. That they can ask questions and find answers. That it is relevant to every part of their sweet little lives!

(I did have to tell those little boys that I think mustaches are overrated. It was very itchy. And Toben refused to kiss me!)

I really want to write a nice long post

Instead, I'm just popping in to say a quick hello. I'm at the library at the seminary working away on retreat preparation. I'm really excited about what God is teaching me--things I've jotted down here and there over the past few weeks. 

But it's hard to speak from post-its and scribbled notes here, there, and everywhere, so I'm working on getting it put together in an organized fashion!

I'm going to hang out here until it's time to get the girls from school. There aren't distractions here--unless you count zillions of books!--the way there are at home, and you're not allowed to eat in the library, which is good too. :)

We'll head home and maybe go for a walk to enjoy some of our lovely sunshine and warm weather, then it's into jammies and waiting for Toben to come home tonight.

He's been gone all this week and I'm excited to sit down face to face to talk more about all that's going on in our life right now. Phone calls and skype are nice, but it's just not the same.

Anyway, hi and I hope you're all having a great Friday!

Joanne

P.S. I was thinking about Frugal Friday and just have a quick comment to share. Since we've cut WAY back on being consumers and stepped up our recycling, I'm astounded at how little trash we have on trash day. This morning, there was only one trash can--and it was only half full. Used to be two full cans every week!

Phew!

Made it through the day: chapel, run to the Girl Scout store, class for two hours, Girl Scout meeting with Emma's troop. Home. Deep breath.

Catch up on email, help Emma with homework, gather leftovers for dinner. Eat dinner. Watch Toben clean it up. (Dishes=boy job in this house!) Deep breath.

Mondays with Girl Scouts just wear me out. Though to be honest, I couldn't stop yawning in class. Sorry to my professor! I was really interested in what she was saying, was loving it, but every once in a while I just had to yawn. One of those big yawns that you can't stifle. I so hope she didn't notice. 

Cause how awful is it to have your class/audience/group yawn at you?!

Speaking of talking to a bunch of people...keep the amazing input coming. I'm LOVING all your help and advice for this retreat and if I can manage to cover it all no one will be yawning because I'll have to talkreallyreallyreallyfast to get it all in! 

I'm seeing some themes, some big ideas come up again and again. So, so helpful. Thank you a zillion.

Audrey stayed home from school today--fever is better, but the cough is crazy. So she's staying home again tomorrow. No way she'll take it easy if she's at school with her friends. Besides, with all that coughing, no amount of covering her mouth is going to keep her from spreading germs. So, here's a big "you're welcome" to all the other parents in her class.

I was supposed to have a secret club meeting tomorrow, but one friend (Hi Kristin--feel better soon!) is fighting what her son has, so we're calling off our movie day. Which equals an empty day on the calendar.

My other friend (Hi Yvette!) said I could come anyway, but since I do have some big papers to write and we are going to hang out on Saturday (we're going to see 17 Again), this is probably best. Which means my day is full again--but a staying home kind of full.

Prayers for a productive day tomorrow would be greatly appreciated!

I'm still yawning, so I'm thinking it's time for some "reverse sleeping in." 

Since I don't sleep in and can't really sleep in on a school day even if I could somehow stay asleep past 6:30, when I'm really tired I do the opposite and go to bed ridiculously early. Yes, yes, I know that some of you think that I go to bed ridiculously early already, but we're talking before 8 kind of early, rather than a by 9 kind of early, which is a perfectly respectable hour to go to bed in my book.

Just think of it as sleeping nice and late, but flipped backwards.

NIghty-night!

Simplify Me: I need your input

Hey ya'll,

(Just got home from the Hannah Montana movie--so cute and full of "ya'll"s.) 

The girls are at my mom's, dyeing Easter eggs for tomorrow and I'm getting ready to get some work done. I'm speaking at a women's retreat the first weekend in May, and the topic is...Simplify Me!

I have some thoughts about where I'd like to go with this, but I need some input, and ya'll (there it is again!) immediately came to mind. Who better to ask for help?!

I sat down and emailed Lisa the other day and would love your input too. (She's still getting back in the swing of things after vacation, so we'll pick up with our conversation next week.)

So here's the question:

If you were coming to the retreat, what three things would you want to come away with? 

Think about how to strategies, questions answered, topics covered, and so on. They can be as basic/simple as you like--or as hard as you like. (Not that I have all the answers, but I'm considering you my market research!)

Please leave a comment and let me know. Pretty please, wIth sugar on top! 

Even if you've never left a comment before, I'd so love to hear from you and get your opinion. And if someone has already left a comment with your answer, leave it again. That'll help me see if there's certain themes that seem most pressing.

How's this? Leave a comment and I'll do a drawing at the end of next week for a free book for you to keep or give to a friend. And if TONS of you respond, I'll give away more than one. Let's see how many comments we can get! 30, 50, 150, 200?

Thank you!

Joanne

Celebrating Advent: Lighting Advent Candles

Lisa wrote about the holidays a while ago, and I decided it was my turn to tackle it this morning for a couple of reasons.

• The Christmas tree is up and twinkling next to me and so it's on my mind.
• I spoke about simplifying the holidays at MOPS on Tuesday.
• Advent begins tomorrow.

The primary way we have simplified the holidays (and birthdays and anniversaries and the like) is to celebrate the story, rather than the stuff.

Stuff gets lost, broken, forgotten. Stuff can cost money we don't have, take up space we don't have, and be things we don't even want or need.

(Did you know that Americans spend $450 billion on Christmas every year? And $1.2 billion of that is spent on Christmas ornaments imported from China? And that it would only cost $10 billion to provide clean water for everyone on the planet? Check out adventconspiracy.org for more information.)

So how do we celebrate the story of Christmas? We tell the story of the first Christmas and we tell the story of our family's Christmas--in as many ways as we can think of. 

For our family, celebrating Advent is a big part of telling the story of the first Christmas. And for young families trying to balance parents and in-laws and all those expectations, Advent is a great way to come up with some traditions just for your own little family.

The season of Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas (tomorrow is the first Sunday of Advent) and at its simplest involves lighting candles and reading Scripture. You need five candles and a Bible--pretty simple!

 

I keep a bookmark in my Bible and one at the dining room table with a list of Advent readings. Here's a file if you'd like to download and print it. Download Advent bookmarks

Want more information on Advent candles and wreaths? Look here or here. Or as my girls would say, "Just google it!"

Each Sunday, we light an Advent candle and read the Scripture for that candle. Then for dinner every night that next week, we light that same candle and read that day's Scripture. The next week, we light the next candle, and have two candles lit each night. And so on, adding candles until we come to Christmas day and the fifth candle, Christ's candle.

The readings are short and even small children can participate and listen.

We also celebrate Advent in some other ways too. I'll be highlighting some different things over the next few weeks that help us celebrate the story of the first Christmas--Advent calendars, books that tell the story, Advent devotionals, nativity sets, music, and more.

(I did update the Advent page on The Simple Wife bookshop at Amazon. Just click on the button over there ---->. It is Amazon, but organized in a way that allows me to share some of our favorite things with you.)

And I'd love to hear how you have celebrated Advent as well. I said it a lot on Tuesday at MOPS--we are each other's greatest resource for simplifying the holidays and telling the story of Christmas.

So, do you celebrate Advent? How? Or do you have any Advent questions? Ask away, and we can all do our best to answer and share what's worked for our families.

***

It snowed last night, so I just have to show you the view from the kitchen window this morning:

And from my quiet time chair in the living room, next to the Christmas tree:

Checking in after checking out

Well, I sure didn't mean to check out for so long after Monday's post. Life just sorta got a little bit busy.

reeeee e333E

(That's from Pumpkin. She just jumped up into my lap and then onto the keyboard. She is a Mac kitty and loves to walk all over the keys and type. Or lay down and go to sleep. Silly girl.)

First, thanks for all the great response to Memory Monday. I've got my verses printed up on a pretty card that is quickly getting pretty bent and beat up as I carry it here and there. I also wrote the first verse up on the blackboard in the kitchen so I see it when I walk by. 

I'm reading it whenever I see it, which is a good way to start memorizing for me. The Sunday school teacher Toben and I just had said this (again and again!): Repetition is the key to long-term memory. I think he's right.

If you want to participate and don't have a blog, you can type your verse out each Monday in the comments of my post and pick your new one there too. Let's not forget to pray for each other as we learn. That God would write his law on our hearts and that the Holy Spirit would remind us of what we have learned--both things God has promised us in his Word. 

That doesn't mean--unfortunately--that it will be easy all the time. But it does mean that he works with us as we memorize.

Second, thanks for all your prayers for Tuesday morning. It was a small Mommy and Me group (I think there were six of us) plus the cutest twins in pink fuzzy jammies who came along. Made me want another baby! Sort of. But not really.

We talked about bearing fruit since their theme for the year is the fruit of the Spirit. We looked at Psalm 92 and talked about how where we're planted and what we're proclaiming affects the fruit we bear.

Yesterday I got my official acceptance letter from Denver Seminary. I start school January 5! I've been assuming I'd be accepted and telling everyone that I'm going to seminary; it's nice that's it's really official!

And I've been proofing the typeset version of Misplacing God which comes out after Christmas. I just realized that it needs to be back at the publisher by tomorrow, which means I need to Fedex it today, which means I need to go finish proofing the two or three chapters I have left to go.

Making a book is a long process. It's strange to me that I wrote it a year ago and it's just now at this stage. Patience is definitely a virtue when it comes to publishing!

As I've read it, I'm so thankful--again!--for all of you and the responses you gave when I asked for help and insight into your own quiet times with the Lord. Thanks again!

Okay, I'm off for another cup of coffee and my handy-dandy red pen! Ya'll have a great day. I love you!

Today

Preparing to speak at Galilee Baptist Church next Tuesday

So I'd best get back to it, but just wanted to pop in and say hello. Hope you're having a great day!

Yesterday

I had the opportunity to speak to a MOPS group in Broomfield yesterday morning. We talked about how living simply means living within your boundaries--things like time, energy, family, finances. I can never tell how it goes!

But the cool thing was that I got to be part of the discussion at the end. It was a small group, so we all sat around one big round table to talk for a good 40-45 minutes. I love hearing about how other families function.

We talked about knowing what's important to your family and the boundaries you need to protect those things. And about how clutter makes it hard to build boundaries (think Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and the people being discouraged because there was too much rubble to build--Nehemiah 4:10). 

And we talked about where there's clutter in our lives that needs to be cleared so we can build boundaries--clutter in things like our homes and possessions, thoughts and worries, calendar and commitments.

Just like Nehemiah, we can't build boundaries in day, but we can start. So what's one area of your family's life that needs protection? And what's one boundary you can begin to build today?

***

Here's a little summary:

Building boundaries:

1. Requires recognizing the need for boundaries.

We were created to live within boundaries. Freedom doesn't mean getting to do whatever we want without boundaries, but living within boundaries.

Boundaries are for our protection, not our punishment!

2. Requires the whole family.

How do we know what boundaries to build? What are the two or three things that are most important to our family?

When we agree together what's important to us as a family and build boundaries to protect those things, it makes us more likely to stay within them.

3. Requires clearing out clutter.

Clutter clouds our focus and makes it hard to see what's really important. Where is there clutter in our lives?

God is a God of order (1 Corinthians 14:33). Where do we need order in our lives in order to build boundaries?

4. Requires maintenance.

Others won't always respect our boundaries--it can be hard to be different.

Living within our boundaries is one way we can shine in the world. 

As seasons and situations change, boundaries may need to shift in order to protect our families and what's important.

Whatever!

I was in Arvada yesterday, speaking at the mom's kickoff coffee at Faith Bible Chapel. This is where my friend Janna goes to church so it was fun to see her two weeks in a row. 

And I got to spend some more time with Paula, who I finally met face to face at the Paris Street Market on Saturday since Janna had us both over for lunch (panini sandwiches in her George Foreman grill--yum!).

Anyway, Janna asked me to share some of the quotes I used yesterday morning, so I thought I'd just give ya'll (see, there it is again!) a little taste of the whole shebang.

WHATEVER

As I told the group, when I was praying about what God might want me to share, he impressed the word WHATEVER on my heart and again and again.

So I did a little research and ended up here:

Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:17, 23-24)

God does not approach WHATEVER as our culture does. Our culture uses the word as a way to express indifference, apathy, and to block further conversation. 

When God uses WHATEVER, he means EVERYTHING, NO MATTER WHAT, TO ANY EXTENT.

So HOW do we do this? We don't just want to hear the Word and not put what we learn into practice--because Jesus says that is as foolish as building a house without a foundation (Matthew 7:24) and James agrees that not doing what you hear is like forgetting what you look like after looking into a mirror--ridiculous (James 1:22-25).

God wants us to obey--and so he always gives us clear instructions on HOW to obey. He doesn't leave it up to us to just figure it out on our own. God does not set us up for failure.

So here is HOW the Word says we are to approach the WHATEVERs in our lives.

1. Do WHATEVER in the name of the Lord.

How do we determine what WHATEVER is? The question to ask is "Can we do it in the name of Jesus?"

"One of the best tests of any action is: Can we do it, calling upon the name of Jesus? Can we do it, asking for His help? One of the best tests of any word is: Can we speak it, and can we in the same breath name the name of Jesus? Can we speak it, remembering that He will hear, and asking Him to hear? If a man brings every word and deed to the test of the presence of Jesus Christ, he will not go wrong." William Barclay, The Daily Bible Study series, The Letter to the Colossians, p. 191

If the answer is "no," then we should not do or say whatever it is. 

If the answer is "yes," then WHATEVER is everything that follows.

What are the WHATEVERs is your day? What tasks or activities make up your day?

Remember: “Nothing in your life is too ordinary or boring for God." Jan Johnson, Practicing the Presence of God

You are not the only exception to this truth!

“The name of Christ hallows and ennobles all work. Nothing can be so small but this will make it great, nor so monotonous and tame but this will make it beautiful and fresh.” Alexander Maclaren, The Epistles of St. Paul to the Colossians and Philemon, p. 333

You are not the one person whose life is so dull and monotonous that God doesn't want to be involved in your WHATEVERs!

2. Do WHATEVER, giving thanks.

WHAT you think and HOW you think will affect the kind of job you do! Attitude is key! 

Philippians 4:8-9 says to think about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Here's a quick way to memorize that verse: TNR PLA EP. 

A word of warning: Whatever is true is not always lovely or admirable. Be sure what you're thinking about is true plus one of the other things listed or it can quickly turn into "grumbling and complaining" (Philippians 2:14).

Question: Is WHATEVER a chore or an act of worship?

Worship: Homage rendered unto God

Homage: Something done or given in acknowledgement or consideration of the worth of another

Service is a high calling and others are worth it.

Jesus' example: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:45

3. Do WHATEVER with all your heart.

Literally, "out of the soul." It means being genuine, not just going through the motions, but being fully alive and fully present to the task at hand.

With all your heart means "with diligence, not idly and slothfully. Do it cheerfully, not discontented at the providence of God which put you in that relation." Matthew Henry

Philippians 4:11: Learning the secret of being content--whether it's Monday and you're cleaning house and doing laundry, or Wednesday and you're having lunch with a friend, or Saturday and you're sleeping in, or Sunday afternoon and you're spending time with your family. Be content and present to what you're doing.

There is pleasure in a job well done! "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well." My mother, and her mother before her say this all the time.

"WHATEVER you do, do well." Ecclesiastes 9:10, The Living Bible

Doing things well and doing them with all your heart means doing one thing at a time! Multitasking means at least of one things you're doing will not be done well.

4. Do WHATEVER for the Lord.

What is our motivation? Do we care more for the praise of men or the praise of God?

A word about context: These verses (Colossians 3:23-24) are talking about slaves and masters. But the Greek word for Lord (kyrios) means this: he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.

If we call Jesus Lord, he has the right and authority to tell us how to approach the WHATEVERs in our lives.

"We do not work for pay or for ambition or to satisfy an earthly master; we work so that we can take every task and offer it to Christ." William Barclay

Remember what Jesus said: "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40

The work we do "is a service rendered not to men but to the Lord. This would transform the most menial responsibility and give dignity to all of [our] work." Expositor's Bible Commentary, Volume 11 on Colossians 3:23

I need to know that what I spend my days doing has dignity. Don't you?

A reminder that what we do is work. We should not be surprised when it's hard! But never forget that we have a beautiful inheritance coming (Psalm 16).

In Conclusion

Approaching our WHATEVERs this way is not to lay something heavy or ill-fitting on us. Not something to check off our list to be right with God. Not something to beat ourselves over the head with when we forget.

This is for our good! Our Father knows best.

"Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." Matthew 11:29-30, The Message

Jesus didn't say that if we come to him he'll remove our yoke. We have work to do. But doing it his way frees us up to work well, to work comfortably.

This is what Brother Lawrence called "practicing the presence of God":

"We give ourselves a world of trouble and pursue a multitude of practices to attain to a sense of the presence of God. And yet it is so simple. How very much shorter it is and easier to do our common business purely for the love of God, to set His consecrating mark on all we lay hands to, and thereby to foster the sense of His abiding Presence by communion of our heart with His! There is no need either of art or science, just as we are, we can go to Him, simply and with single heart." Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God, p. 98

Do you long for meaning and purpose in the WHATEVERs of your day? 

By offering the WHATEVERs of our days to God, he takes what can seem menial, boring, monotonous, and ordinary and transforms it into a life characterized by dignity, worship, freshness, and beauty.

MOPS in Broomfield

This morning I had the awesome privilege of visiting a church in Broomfield and spending the morning with their MOPS group.

We talked about Philippians 4:4-9 in the context of marriage--about rejoicing in the Lord and finding our joy in him, about what it means to be gentle, about turning worry into prayer, about letting God do the job of guarding our hearts, about changing our thought patterns about our husbands, about putting into practice what God teaches us.

I'm always a little surprised at some of the things that come out of my mouth. I do prepare and study a lot in preparation, but sometimes I say things I wasn't planning to say! And much of the time, it's exactly what I need to hear. And it's always interesting to hear what stands out to others--I love the conversations that happen afterward. In fact, I hung around for almost two hours after I was done today, visiting and listening to what these precious women had to say.

I shared quite a bit about the path that Toben and I have walked--especially through the hard valley of him being diagnosed as bi-polar. I was amazed at how many women commented on that--and how bi-polarity or other mental health issues have touched so many lives in a relatively small group.

One of the things that I have prayed is that God would use what we've been through to bless others--and he continually answers that prayer. Today was a good example of that, as I hope I was able to encourage some of these women who are just beginning to walk the path of dealing with a husband's mental illness by testifying to God's faithfulness in leading us through. It's such a hard place to be--and at times it seems like there's no light at the end of the tunnel.

I don't have all the answers by any means (there's that lesson from Beth Moore's Stepping Up again!), but I remember so well just needing someone to listen and give me a hug. And too, I know that God's power for Toben and me was unleashed by the prayers of so many people lifting us up to the Father. So I'm committed to praying for these women who shared with me today--that God would work his good, pleasing, and perfect will in their lives, that he would provide them with strength and encouragement for each day, that they would grasp how wide and long and high and deep the love of God is for them.

Today was a good day

Do you ever have those days that are just good? I had one today and I'm just praising God for it. I'm in my jammies, snug in bed. Daisy's stretched out next to me, snoring her little soft head off; Toben's happy as a clam watching basketball; and the girls are getting in and out of the bathtub.

I got up this morning and spackled with my new wrinkle cream. I followed the directions, but decided that if a little was good, more would be better. So I applied three layers--letting it dry/soak in/whatever it does between each one. (See, I know something about spackle and paint--and since three is the number of the Trinity I figured I should go with it.)

I got all ready to go and realized I'd really wanted to paint my fingernails. Since I had a good drive ahead of me, I went ahead and got in the car, fastened my seatbelt, started the engine, and painted my fingernails, resting my hands and balancing the polish bottle on the console in between my front seats. That way the paint could dry while I drove and I wouldn't mess it up with the seatbelt buckle or my keys. Smart, huh?!

I may have mentioned it before, but I love the "Greatest Hymns" CD by Selah. I dialed it in to my ipod (before I painted my nails) and sang the whole way down the road. One of the reasons I love it is that my church doesn't sing enough hymns in my opinion. So I have to sing them on my own. The other reason I love that CD is that I can really sing with it. Do you have songs you love, but for whatever reason you just can't sing along--the key is too high or too low and it just makes you sound weird? Well, I can sing along perfect well with this CD. Not well, but without sounding too weird and off-key.

By the way, one of the hymns on the CD is "It Is Well With My Soul"--a really great hymn for Easter, I think. When I got to the part of "that glorious thought that my sin, not in part but the whole, has been nailed to the Cross and I bear it no more--Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul" I couldn't get the words out. I was just completely overwhelmed and sobbed. How incredible to be loved so much. I can hardly fathom it. But Jesus does love me like that--and he loves you like that too.

(Luckily by that point my nails were dry enough to rummage around for a tissue to wipe my eyes before my mascara ran. I really didn't want to get up and speak looking like a raccoon.)

If it's been a while since you've heard that hymn, go listen to it--especially since tomorrow is Good Friday. You'll be glad you did.

Anyway, it was such a gorgeous day and driving south on I-25 you come around a curve and come face to face with the whole of the Front Range. That's one thing I miss about living in the Springs. The mountains aren't off in the distance, but right there. Like this--ignore the light post, I took it out the window while going through an intersection.

That blue, by the way, is called Colorado blue. If you've ever been here or lived here you know just what I mean.

So, I got to the church this morning and found my friend Kelly. I would have recognized her anywhere. She introduced me to two of her daughters and I realized that it's been 13 years since I'd seen her--because her 13-year-old was a baby the last time I saw her!

I had such a sense of deja-vu that I had to reach up and touch my hair to make sure it wasn't in the horribly tight curls of the awful perm I had when I first met Kelly that summer before ninth grade. It really is good to get older!

(That funny mark, by the way, is where I burned my forehead on Monday while I was curling my hair with my new curling iron. It's been years since I've used one and I had a little mishap. It sizzled when it touched my skin. Youch! It didn't look too bad on Monday, but it's looking a little bit worse as each day goes on...)

Her MOPS group was just wonderful--such lovely women. I feel like I had a chance to talk to almost everyone. It was fun to participate in the discussion and to hang out with everyone while we made the craft. (Which, by the way, is the coolest thing. Trish, their craft mom, is super creative and had the cutest idea for today. I will tell you about it, but not yet because I'm going to totally copy it as an Easter gift and I don't want to give away the surprise! So maybe on Monday.)

Anyway, Kelly and I were able to visit and I'm looking forward to more time together soon!

When I left church I met Holly for lunch at La Baguette--the all-time best French bakery ever. Their French onion soup is perfect. Really. I've had French onion soup in France and La Baguette's is better. We talked and laughed and shared and before I knew it it was time to go home...

...because Audrey and Emma got out of school early today--spring break has begun! The alarm is turned off--for the next ten days--and I may not get dressed tomorrow. We'll have to see how desperate I am to get to the fabric store.

The day just kept getting better. Angie stopped by tonight to drop off a CD for me from when I spoke at her church (and when I popped it in my computer I saw that I talked for 55 minutes--waaaaay over my time allotment--sorry!) and to pick up a copy of Living Simply. She's going to be doing a giveaway on her blog sometime soon--so go check it out.

She had her sweet little girls with her and so our girls got to run around the front yard together for a while. Her Emma and my Emma were delighted to share a name! They compared spellings and thought it was amazing that they both spelled Emma the same way. So cute.

We headed to Buca di Beppo for dinner to celebrate the beginning of Spring Break and to eat too much. We always have the same thing when we go there: caesar salad, fried mozzerella, baked ravioli, and pizza margharita. (Somehow I think I spelled that wrong.) Eating there always makes me miss California. We had one just down the road and ate there often with a bunch of other families. So Carter family and Corsi family--we're missing you and wished you were there to have dinner with us tonight!

Well, I think this post is quite long enough. And if you've persevered this far, well, I'm impressed. Thanks for letting me ramble on. I hope you had a good day too!

Headed down the highway

I'm headed down to Colorado Springs tomorrow morning to speak at MOPS again--this time at First Baptist in Black Forest. (As always, your prayers are welcome! They make such a huge difference and lift me up and encourage me like you wouldn't believe!) I'm really excited for several reasons.

First, my friend Kelly asked me to come and speak at this group--her MOPS group. Kelly and I met at summer camp when I was just starting ninth grade after moving back to Colorado from England. She's a year older than I am, but we became great friends very quickly. I rushed home from school to talk to her on the phone each afternoon since we went to different schools (but the same youth group).

I haven't seen Kelly in years, like waaaaay more than 10, maybe even more than 15. And I'm anxious to see her again and catch up on her life.

Second, this is a small group. Last week at my church, I spoke to about 150 women--I've heard it's the largest, or one of the largest, MOPS groups in the country. It was great, but this will be different. Not better, just different. It seems possible that I'll actually get to meet everyone there and hear a bit of their stories--something I really enjoy about speaking. I'm always amazed at how common our lives are when we love and follow Jesus. Sure, there are differences, but the essentials are the same.

And finally, I'm excited because I'm going to give Holly a call when I'm leaving the church and we're going to meet for lunch at one of my favorite restaurants. God has been so faithful to her in answering a long-standing request and we have some jumping up and down to do together!

Oh, and one really last thing--tomorrow is a half day for the girls and the start of spring break. And it was 60 degrees today and spring is really coming. LOTS to be excited about!