The Waiting

Grateful for the waiting time. Nearly four years ago, I was ready to stay in MA and the waiting is over. Dan and I bought a house that we are turning into a home, slowly. There are many things that I want to make it into a comfortable place to be at home and to practice hospitality. At the same time knowing that in the scheme of life everything that I need I already have in Jesus. Practically speaking there are things that we do need to make a house a home.

This move has come in the midst of helping my parents downsize and move into my brother's in law apartment, my oldest daughter Grace getting engaged and helping her prepare for a summer (of 2012) wedding and creating a nest that soon will be empty for more months in the year than they will be filled.

For those wondering....we are moving to a little town in Central MA. called Boylston, just outside of Worcester. We are looking forward to having a place of our own.

The Light

Gratitude: my own definition is thankfulness for all that I have and expressed to the Lord God who is the Giver of all.

I am grateful for the Grace of God and the mercy of God that Jesus Christ demonstrated to me by dying on the cross for all of my sins, past, present and future. The people that God has put in my life especially, my husband of 23 years, Dan and our dear adult children, Michael and Katie and Grace are all a blessing to me.

The Word of God that is the nourishment of my heart, mind and soul. It is not just a book, in it contain the very WORDS of Eternal Life. When a number of disciples walked away from Jesus, He turned to the 12 and asked, "will you also leave me?" Peter answered "To whom shall we go, you have the Words of Everlasting Life."

The peace of God is a treasured gift. The people of God are the Lord's hands, feet and a source of comfort.

Living, breathing, working, praying, laughing, worshipping, learning, hoping and so much more.

"Quietly finding my way in this new phase of life. (laugh? I know how to be quiet when I need to be.) Throughout life we are always becoming." my tweet March 3, 2012

The LORD Leads

About 14 months ago I was introduced to Tullian Tchividjian and I have been listening to his sermons and reading his blog ever since. Currently he is preaching through Galatians and he has entitled the series "Free at last." The year of 2011 had been a year of the Refiner's FIRE and like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, I am so grateful to have Jesus right there with me and we are still in the heat of the fire into the first part of 2012.

In part 4 of this current series Tullian starts off with a story of his experience and his desire to be justified and validated. The comforting thing is that whether we are aware of it or not, we all want it. When we go looking for it from people we are in trouble, we will be disappointed but if we are able to in the midst of this disappointment realize that we have been justified and validated by Jesus Christ, we are free! Jesus has already done for us what we could never do for ourselves or one another.

So what is someone like me to do? Embrace the grace of God that has been poured out upon be live in it and do my best to let it flow out of me and onto those who I have the privilege to encounter. Go to the back and not be concerned with myself.

The other thing that is required is to die. A friend of mine started blogging in 2011 and she is a hoot. On her blog she has a menu item called "How to die to self" and I have pasted in an excerpt from that particular post. It is right where I want to be and the LORD is easing me in. A slow and sometimes painful death but the kind that gives life.

~ Another step in the death of self is to seek in everything to be child-like, and extremely simple in our manners, words, dress, tastes, and interior experiences. Self naturally feeds on complexity and things grand and large and loud. Christ is the very embodiment of divine and eternal simplicity. The deeper we sink into the Christ-life, the more we become disappointing to the people. Our learning or talents will not show off to such fine advantage. We talk less. We live more quietly and interiorly. Our labors are less ostentatious. We do more hard fighting with fewer dress-parades. We bring things to pass through prayers and faith in God more than by outward showy methods. We love to live like God, a profound hidden life, in which people think we don’t amount to very much. This is one of the tests of sinking out of self. To read the full article How to Die to Self