Joy in Hard Times

I led the Bible study for our college and career group at church last night, and thought I'd flesh it out here for you (I didn't write anything down other than quick notes for myself, but here's the gist of what I said). In these times, everyone needs a little reflection and encouragement!

While I'm not a fan of using The Message as one's sole version of Scripture, I found it helpful to quote for you here so that you wouldn't be side-tracked by words that you are probably overly familiar with. Read the words below and see if you can recognize who wrote them, when, and for what purpose.

Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God's Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.

It's not at all fanciful for me to think this way about you. My prayers and hopes have deep roots in reality. You have, after all, stuck with me all the way from the time I was thrown in jail, put on trial, and came out of it in one piece. All along you have experienced with me the most generous help from God. He knows how much I love and miss you these days. Sometimes I think I feel as strongly about you as Christ does!


If you can cypher through all of the modern-day language (surely the Apostle did not say that his friends "stuck with him"), you will recognize the words of Paul in his letter to the Philippians ("I thank my God every time I remember you." Is that a little more familiar?)

Here's the whole section from the NIV:
I thank my God every time I remember you. 4In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

7It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. 8God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:3-8

Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians while he was in prison for preaching God's word. Knowing this, there are some key words and thoughts in the first few verses that stick out to me.

Right from the beginning, Paul says that he prays with joy. How is someone who is in prison able to pray with joy? The first emotions I think I would be praying with would be sorrow or desperation that the Lord would deliver me. But Paul finds joy in praying for others--not even himself. Later on in Philippians, Paul tells his friends "but I want you to know, brothers, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel." Philippians 1:12

The way that Paul can find true joy in the midst of such difficult circumstances is a demonstration of his Christ-founded peace.

Oh, that I had that peace!

Everywhere you turn today, someone is talking about the economy. It makes headlines in the news every day, you hear people mention the hard times as you pass by, and as the recession continues, it's not something you just hear about--it's affecting everyone.

Jobs, sales, morale, so many things are hurting. In the midst of it all, with no prospective immediate rebound, where do we find joy?

The Bible is full of examples of people who trusted in God yet still saw great suffering. There's your classic Job figure, but let's go past him and think of others whose sufferings are more like our own.

There was Daniel, who was punished for obeying God's authority instead of the government. He was thrown into a den of lions, and when his friend, King Darius returned to the den in the morning, he found Daniel on his knees praising the Lord.

There was Hannah, the beloved wife of Elkanah, who was unable to have children. She prayed to the Lord and promised that if He would give her a son, she would return him to God when he was of age. She raised him and took him to the temple when he was old enough and put him in the care of Eli, the priest, where he continued to serve God.

Joseph suffered for many years after being betrayed by his brothers, but he didn't turn any of it to evil. He befriended one of the Pharoah's officials, became his right-hand man, and soon held one of the most influential positions in Egypt. When a great famine hit the Canaan, Joseph's brothers came to the city to buy food. Joseph recognized them, and instead of punishing them as he had the power to do, he forgave them and invited the whole family to move to Egypt to escape the famine.

Then there was David. Although at first I could only think of the suffering he had as direct result of disobeying God, I was reminded of his suffering while he was in Saul's pursuit. Many of the Psalms depict the true turmoil that David was in, yet he trusted in God to protect him from his enemies.

I won't type it all out here, but these are the verses I had the group turn to to get a better picture of putting our joy and hope in the Lord in the midst of strife:

Psalm 16 (The hope of the faithful)
Psalm 34 (Happiness of those who trust)
Psalm 40 (Faith persevering in trial)
Psalm 71 (God is my hope)
John 15:9-17 (Love and joy perfected)
Philippians 1:12 (Suffering -->furtherance of the Gospel)
1 Peter 3:13-17 (Joy and suffering for righteousness' sake-->model godly behavior)

Lastly, I want to share with you an excerpt from "Devotions for Renewal and Joy" by Warren W. Wiersbe:

The world talks about happiness, but God talks about joy. There is a difference, and when you learn what that difference is, your life will be different.

Happiness depends on happenings, what goes on around you. When your plans work out right, when you feel good, when problems are at a minimum, then you're happy. But
when you wake up with a headache or the boss rearranges your schedule or somebody
you love is hurting, then that happiness fades, and you’re left feeling discouraged and defeated. You feel like quitting.

But life doesn’t have to be that way. You can substitute joy for happiness and experience a whole new kind of life.

Joy doesn’t depend on what goes on around you. It depends on what goes on within you.
It is the result of a right relationship with God, a right attitude toward life, and a right faith in the power of Christ. Happiness says, “I am the captain of my fate!” and courts disaster. Joys says, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Php 4:13) and marches to victory.

Paul didn’t write the epistle to the Philippians from a comfortable library or an ivory tower. When he wrote it, he was a prisoner in Rome and in danger of being executed any day. Yet this letter is saturated with joy and rejoicing. Why? Because Paul was a man who knew Christ; he was a single-minded man with a mission to fulfill and a God to serve.

Outlook helps to determine outcome, and in this letter, Paul tells you how to have the kind of outlook that produces joy. He shares the “open secret” of having joy in spite of circumstances, people, things or situations. He explains the basic principles of Christian experience that can turn your life into a daily celebration of the joy of the Lord.

Yes, you will still have problems and battles and burdens, but you will find yourself overcoming instead of being overcome.

You will find yourself joyfully saying with Paul, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Happy Earth Day

This is My Father's World (click)

This is my Father's world,
And to my listening ears
All nature sings and round me rings
The music of the spheres.

This is my Father's world,
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas,
His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father's world
The birds their carols raise.
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker's praise.

This is my Father's world
He shines in all that's fair;
In the rustling grass, I hear Him pass,
He speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father's world,
O let me ne'er forget:
That thought the wrong seems oft' so strong,
God is the ruler yet.

This is my Father's world,
The battle is not done
Jesus who died shall be satisfied,
And the earth and heaven be one.


Earth Day in so many cases is overrated. Yes, we want to be green, earth-friendly, and eco-conscious, but as christians, we need to take it one step further. Let's not forget to celebrate Who put this earth here and gave us the duty of caring for it! Praise the Lord for the beauty of the earth!

My Mosaic

This is something that is fun to do, so I figured I'd share it with you!

Directions
-Go to Google image search.
- Type in your answer to each question.
- Choose a picture from the first three pages
- Use this website (http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php) to make your collage.
- Save the image for use in this note
- Post and tag at least 10 friends

QUESTIONS:
1. What is your name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What is your hometown?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. What is your favorite movie?
6. What is your favorite drink?
7. What is your dream vacation?
8. What is your favorite dessert?
9. What is one word to describe yourself?
10. How are you feeling right now?
11. What do you love most in the world?
12. What do you want to be when you grow up?

I'm OLD!

I had a surreal moment today.

Today, I became that busy woman who brushed past the girl scouts at the entrance of the grocery store with a quick "I'm sorry, I already bought some!"

I used to hate those traitors. I mean, at least they had bought cookies, but why hadn't they waited for ME? It was only 12 years ago...So weird!

If I had a ton of pocket money, I'd be that kindhearted lady who dropped a couple bucks in the basket anyway and then walked away without taking a box. I used to love those ladies...sigh, someday!

As I set my groceries in the trunk and hopped into the car, I couldn't shake that weird feeling. I guess that when I used to stand outside of the old Ralph's on Victoria in Ventura, I never saw myself on the other side of the cookie table. Life goes by so fast...so fast.

It makes me smile, though, to think of all of my little friends dancing around in bright green uniforms, smiling hellos and making the world a better place. It really was ours back then!



Another "make me feel old" experience within the last week was my friend Mollie's shower for her *second* baby. She got married 5 years ago (and is not even two years older than I am--I'm behind the times!). It was so much fun to reunite with so many of the girls that I grew up with. It seems that the only times we see each other these days are when someone's getting married or having a baby!

Sitting around the gifts, watching all of the girls at the shower "ooh" and "aah" at each little package Mollie opened gave me goosebumps. It wasn't too long ago we were giggling with baby dolls tucked under our arms and sitting around at birthday parties admiring tea cups and doll strollers.

Sometimes life seems to go by so quickly (baby dolls to children in the blink of an eye!) but in other ways, time stands still. I'm so thankful that the girls I've known since I was five years old are the ones I look forward to seeing again, the ones where conversations and laughter pick up as if no time has passed at all.

Life is full of so many blessings. I'm thankful for the little windows God gives us into the past that make us laugh and cry at the memories, and also for the friendships He gives us and the knowledge that they are everlasting.

Une Petite Célébration

Three dear friends came over the other day for lunch, and I decided to turn it into a miniature Valentine's Day party. It was so much fun to plan and prepare for. Here are some ideas to pass on for your own Valentine party!





A simple coffee table centerpiece with roses, a circle of decorative paper, doilies, and pink candles in glass votives.






I used the same decorative paper that I put in the centerpiece to cut out little hearts and make tea bag tags.







One of my tea cups with the heart-shaped tea bag.




Pretty table!





I had a lot of fun with my new heart shaped cookie cutters! This is bruschetta. I combined two recipes, one from a cookbook and this one. The cookbook recipe called for a slice of mozzarella to be put on top of the tomato mixture and then to put more tomatoes on top. It was really good! (The smaller hearts have mozzarella on them)




Et la piece de resistance...jam-filled cookies from marthastewart.com!

Since it was a luncheon, I served light foods like a tossed green salad, a fruit salad with this yummy fruit dip, bruschetta, and jam-filled cookies. If I were making a Valentine dinner, I would add this delicious chicken parmesan recipe too. I've made it twice now, and I love it!

From now on, I'll trust the weather man.

For the last few days, the news has done nothing but talk of the upcoming "weather change" and all of the rain we'd be having. I scoffed at them yesterday, right before I headed outside in jeans and a t-shirt to do some gardening.
Yesterday, the temperature hit a high of 80*, and they were predicting that it would get as high as 64* today, with 60% chance of rain. I didn't believe them, because it was so warm and beautiful, it couldn't possibly be true!
I checked the weather channel again before I headed out for my first day of substitute teaching this morning (an 8th grade math class--can you believe it?!? I did it!!!) and it still said 64* was as high as it would get today. I put on a red sweater (oh, by the way, Macy's is giving 20% off your purchase this week if you wear a red shirt...) and was uncomfortably warm at recess time.
After subbing, I shopped like a fiend. I guess being sick for the last two weeks and barely doing anything gave me cabin fever. It felt so good just to shop! I went to everything from Hallmark, to Cost Plus World Market, to Kmart, to Macy's, to Jack in the Box (yeah, I was hungry.)
By the second store, the skies were gray, and when I walked back to my car, it started to rain. I love shopping on rainy days, because nobody else does! Stores are empty, and somehow, walking around with an umbrella puts you in a better mood.
I'm safe at home now, and I should be making dinner right now, but it's so much more enjoyable to be cozy on the couch watching the rain through our big window and listening to some of Laura's music (Louly, "A Wink and a Smile" is perfect rain music!)
I'm so glad that substituting went well today. I actually had nightmares about it last night--which very rarely ever happens! I've heard from at least 3 people that the specific class I had today is very difficult to teach (just very "energetic...") and I was dreading it. I've never taught a class higher than 5th grade, and math is my least favorite class. What a combination!
But I would do anything for that principal. I absolutely love him. I absolutely love that school! I probably didn't mention this, but it's the school connected with our church. Anyway, I love the school, the teachers, the principal, and since Jesse is the youth pastor there, I know a lot of the youth! I would never pray one of those teachers to leave, but please join me in the prayer that if there is ever an opening at that school, that God would see fit to place me there!
Since it's Thursday, Jesse is actually going to be home for dinner tonight. I'm excited! It's the first night I've gotten him this week. I'd better go get started on that dinner :)

25 Things About Me

1. As a young girl, I loved ketchup so much that I would eat it straight out of the packets. I can’t touch the stuff anymore.
2. I’ve always thought of myself as an avid gardener, but the dead plants around our house will attest to the opposite.
3. I rarely ever watch the news. When I do, I am riveted to the screen and then get very depressed about the world.
4. I’m obsessed with candles.
5. There are more unfinished projects in my craft closet than anything I’ve ever completed.
6. I’m a total craft junkie.
7. Back in high school, I wrote tons of poetry and received several awards.
8. I love the beauty of snow, but I would hate to live in it.
9. I’ve got a mean roundhouse.
10. When we were little, my siblings and I would put underwear on our heads and pretend that we were robbers (my mom has photographic evidence).
11. I always loved the idea of the “campus atmosphere” I would enjoy at college. But then I worked full time the whole way through and really missed out on most of it.
12. I can’t leave the house without tidying it first.
13. If I could afford it, I would totally be an organic, health-foods-only shopper.
14. I have donated my hair twice to Locks of Love.
15. I love flip flops, and I’m obsessed with socks. Don’t worry, I don’t wear them at the same time!
16. I cannot handle mold. It freaks me out, and I can’t even check things in my own refrigerator.
17. I can crochet while reading a magazine.
18. If someone starts laughing during a solemn situation, I lose it and fall apart in a fit of giggles too.
19. I’m going to be one of those germ-freak moms who won’t let her kids play in the ball pit at McDonalds (those things are soooo disgusting).
20. I can make a three-leaf clover with my tongue.
21. Every pinkie bone in my body has been broken at least once—except for my right hand pinkie.
22. There’s a shelf in our house that holds all of the journals I’ve kept since I was six.
23. I’ve been known to bodysurf in the ocean in jeans and a tank top, dive into the Sacramento River in my Sunday dress, and slink through a leech-filled pond in not very much at all…
24. Thanks to my homeschooling background, I can focus on whatever I need to in any environment. I can also cook, clean house, and do paperwork while holding a baby.
25. I knew the majority of the lines from “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” years before I ever saw it.