Weight of Glory
Both of these have encouraged me lately:
Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of — throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself. — CS Lewis, The Weight of Glory
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:17
My pastor likes to joke and say that once a person is over the age of twenty, “It’s all downhill from there, buddy!” I always laugh when he says that. He’s right, though, in the sense that our lives our so fleeting, and our youth, beauty, pleasures as well; they cannot be trusted. When life rolls on, and when it just doesn’t look like we want or may have expected, God is not surprised. I have posted the two above quotes on my bathroom mirror, so when I brush my teeth or get out of the shower (that’s where I do all my thinking — can be quite a dangerous place!), I am encouraged. Weight of glory…. yes.
Life is…
… full to the brim.
God has me looking up higher and higher these days and counting my blessings. He is so good to me. Jesus is my Savior, eternity is my inheritance, and I am blessed on earth beyond what I can measure. I know that I really don’t deserve this wonderful life I’m living in so many ways.
Count your blessings, one by one
Times with my children have been so sweet recently. Our days have been busy and evenings at home have been relaxed and full of music and laughter. Many days we are blessed to spend outside at the beach with friends. Sometimes I think Christians assume all pastor’s wives have a little black book wedged into their bibles, but I know I don’t. I’ve found it really difficult to maintain solid friendships for the last few years with small kids. I’m so thankful for the new friends God has been putting into my life in the last several months, especially the ones who answer their phones at 8:30 am and catch my drift for spontaneity!
My husband and I spent a morning at a horse jumping show with the kids last week. It was a gorgeous sun-filled day, and the horses were beautiful. I let them sit on the bleachers and eat Cheet-os, and I even ate my own little bag (you know what? I didn’t die!) 
haha
We drove away in my new supercool ride. That’s right! For you Florida friends who still picture us in the gigantic blue “bus,” it’s back to BigVanVille for us! We cried “Remember the Astro!” for too long! Okay, so I’m being really dorky here. But seriously it’s a huge blessing to have a roomy van again that I enjoy so much, especially since we are on the road almost every day. I adore the little hanging hearts my husband gave me this month, too. Aren’t they cute? They jingle every time we pull into the driveway (haha). We almost drove 2 hours away to buy a Eurovan, but we decided to play it safe with the Safari. I am such a hippie mama! (Shhh. I secretly like it. Grannnnnola! hahaha)
Count your blessings, see what God hath done
It’s a dream come true to have my own “craft room” after using a little wooden square table for the last seven years. We took Meredith out of her room and put her in with her siblings, and now I am able to design, cut, and create in the same place. We do have another large room in the house, but I like to keep it free of my craft clutter to use for guests and a playroom for the kids.
When I got married, I would have told anyone that I probably would end up selling my sewing machine and that I wasn’t good at hardly anything domestic. I’m so glad I didn’t do that! God knew I just needed some time and passion, and my husband has nudged me some, too. Several years later my mind is constantly spinning with project aspirations and ideas that don’t equal the calendar space. My husband was happy to help me make this craft space a reality, and it really humbles me that he sees how important that part of my life is to me. I hope to have some new things to share from the craft room soon that I will be putting up for sale.
Count your blessings, name them one by one
I experienced one of every mother’s dreams when I watched Lydia dance in her first ballet recital this week. Tears flowed as my husband and I clasped hands and agreed without words that our little girl is really growing up (too fast).
She proves to be more like her mama every day. I was amazed while watching her dance at how intense and serious she was. She was concentrating so hard (just like someone, uh hem, I know very well)! She gets nervous and shy in public, though — hmmm, must have gotten that from her daddy!
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done
I keep a separate blog for our relatives to keep up with our family, but every now and then I like to record bits and pieces here of what is going on from my camera lens. Life is not always pretty. My life hasn’t been a bed of roses in the last year or so, but I know one thing — God is faithful even when I am like a withered stem boasting only ugly thorns. I look forward to seeing what amazing things He will do starting tomorrow and on into the days ahead of me.
My family overflows my cup with blessings. God must have known that I tend toward loneliness, so He shines His love through my house as daybreak pitter-pattering feet dance their breakfast waltzes. Those four children are bright beaming rays of joy in my life, and I’m awestruck and humbled with gratitude that God continues to give them to me every day. When I’m not busy counting sandwich halves or sippy cups, I’ve got to count my blessings. Thank You, Jesus.
Free Pattern Friday
This pattern entitled “Pizzaz” is one I came up with a while ago when I was just fooling around with some basic shapes and in a “liney” mood. I liked the result and then tried it out in various colors. I really like this orange version. It kind of reminds me of 1974… um, wait. I wasn’t born then. Anyway, maybe a rug. Click on the category link for rules for using this image. Enjoy!
Shepherd’s First iChat
Costco – is it worth it?
Robyn (aka “Green Smoothie Girl”) is one of my favorite bloggers. I purchased her 12 Steps to Whole Foods this year, and she is a huge inspiration to me. Here is her take on membership with Costco on a whole foods diet. Our membership just ran out last month, but now I think we’ll be renewing it asap!
Free Pattern Friday
Here is a free pattern entitled “Petal Party Yellow” that I designed with Spring and Summer fun in mind. Lydia really likes this design. The full size is 300 x 300 pixels. Simply save the image for your own personal pattern use. Do not reproduce the image in any form for commercial purposes. Enjoy!
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