...that you, Gregory, were home for Thanksgiving! Possibly the last one for the next four years. (To whom do I write to say, "This mama wants her son home for every holiday! Does the army really need him at holiday time?" And, btw, I just learned that your great grandma actually wrote to the president of the United States to say that she needed her husband home from the war because she was going nuts with her seven kids. Urban legend? Who's to say.)
...for your, Ali, AMAZING culinary talents! And, all with a smile, a cute apron, great music playing! Delicious Thanksgiving dinner...every bite!
...that you, Nick, had the day off work! And, that you got to surf at 4:30 a.m. with your friends! And, surf again with your brother!
...for your dad...that he got to not work for a few days. That he works his (super sexy) butt off most of the time to take care of us!
...for dancing to Mumford and Sons in the kitchen before dinner! All five of us!
...that we all ate a super healthy, delicious dinner in two hours instead of five minutes! You all rock!
...for tasting delicious, special wines! For making ice cream for the first time!
...for lots and lots of laughing, for Dad's reading of that cool passage in Ephesians, for three kids that I am crazy about and love to be with!
...that Jesus Christ is the center of our home and of each of our individual lives! That He dwells within us! That we abide in Him and He in us! Yes...I'm thankful!
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Friday, November 2, 2012
Seek Him
My Three Favorite Young Adults in the Whole Wide World,
(BTW, will I ever get my other three favorite young adults in the whole world?)
Back on track here...
I love how Jesus came "to seek and to save that which was lost"! (Luke 19:10) That which was lost was me. That was you. But, now we are IN Christ! Even then, though, He doesn't force Himself on us. "I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me." (Revelation 3:20) Though He dwells within us, He allows us to decide if we will walk in Him or in the flesh. But, His desire is an intimate, abiding relationship with us!
I wanted to share with you three some of the practical ways He has shown me to nurture that intimacy.
* Before I get out of bed, I start thanking Him. I thank Him for the day, for you three, for my warm cozy bed, for your dad, for being Who He is. (Sometimes I don't. You can probably tell those mornings. I REALLY need to start my day like this. It's just better for everyone.)
* Before I read anything else, like that newspaper we get every day, I love to read my Bible. Usually I don't have a plan. I'm a little ADD that way...All over the place. The last few weeks I've been reading through Acts. Some cool stuff! I've also been going through verses I want to commit to memory in this 52 year old brain. (I know what you're thinking..."Good luck on that one, Mom!") I write them down in my journal. So, I just love digging in to my Bible and seeing what God wants to reveal to me!
* Your dad and I have read some amazing books and devotionals over the years! We love to share with each other what God is teaching us through these! Intimacy with Christ, by Jeanne Guyon, Abiding in Christ, by Andrew Murray, The Indwelling Life of Christ, by Ian Thomas, The Christian's Secret to a Happy Life, by Hannah Smith. All of these books point me to Jesus as my Life, my Everything! I love that! My new favorite is Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young! (I can tell I'm getting a bit too excited here. Too many exclamation points. I'll settle down.)
* A gift in my life is friends that are as Jesus freakish as me! A friend that will call me out on not trusting God in a certain situation or not surrendering to His will in areas of my life is a good friend! A friend who shares my passion for Jesus and not religion! You know those friends. You're more in love with Jesus after being around them. That's a good thing!
* Sitting quietly and just listening to His voice is a discipline that is hard for me. But, the times that I have allowed Him to speak into my life (without me interrupting), loving on me, filling me with a strong sense of His presence...these are precious times!
So, Greg, Ali and Nick, my prayer for you three continues to be that you each have your very own intimate, personal, abiding relationship with Jesus! That you open that door, dine with Him and He with you!
I'm crazy about you!
oxo-Mom
ps~You three have given me plenty of opportunities to really test whether I am abiding in, trusting in, completely dependent on Jesus or not. :-) Thanks!
(BTW, will I ever get my other three favorite young adults in the whole world?)
Back on track here...
I love how Jesus came "to seek and to save that which was lost"! (Luke 19:10) That which was lost was me. That was you. But, now we are IN Christ! Even then, though, He doesn't force Himself on us. "I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me." (Revelation 3:20) Though He dwells within us, He allows us to decide if we will walk in Him or in the flesh. But, His desire is an intimate, abiding relationship with us!
I wanted to share with you three some of the practical ways He has shown me to nurture that intimacy.
* Before I get out of bed, I start thanking Him. I thank Him for the day, for you three, for my warm cozy bed, for your dad, for being Who He is. (Sometimes I don't. You can probably tell those mornings. I REALLY need to start my day like this. It's just better for everyone.)
* Before I read anything else, like that newspaper we get every day, I love to read my Bible. Usually I don't have a plan. I'm a little ADD that way...All over the place. The last few weeks I've been reading through Acts. Some cool stuff! I've also been going through verses I want to commit to memory in this 52 year old brain. (I know what you're thinking..."Good luck on that one, Mom!") I write them down in my journal. So, I just love digging in to my Bible and seeing what God wants to reveal to me!
* Your dad and I have read some amazing books and devotionals over the years! We love to share with each other what God is teaching us through these! Intimacy with Christ, by Jeanne Guyon, Abiding in Christ, by Andrew Murray, The Indwelling Life of Christ, by Ian Thomas, The Christian's Secret to a Happy Life, by Hannah Smith. All of these books point me to Jesus as my Life, my Everything! I love that! My new favorite is Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young! (I can tell I'm getting a bit too excited here. Too many exclamation points. I'll settle down.)
* A gift in my life is friends that are as Jesus freakish as me! A friend that will call me out on not trusting God in a certain situation or not surrendering to His will in areas of my life is a good friend! A friend who shares my passion for Jesus and not religion! You know those friends. You're more in love with Jesus after being around them. That's a good thing!
* Sitting quietly and just listening to His voice is a discipline that is hard for me. But, the times that I have allowed Him to speak into my life (without me interrupting), loving on me, filling me with a strong sense of His presence...these are precious times!
So, Greg, Ali and Nick, my prayer for you three continues to be that you each have your very own intimate, personal, abiding relationship with Jesus! That you open that door, dine with Him and He with you!
I'm crazy about you!
oxo-Mom
ps~You three have given me plenty of opportunities to really test whether I am abiding in, trusting in, completely dependent on Jesus or not. :-) Thanks!
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