Celebrating the Gifts (#fmfparty)

There are times in life when one day runs into the next and before you know it, a whole week and then a whole month has passed by with barely a glance (because there isn't time for a glance). Time flies by quickly as we rush from place to place trying to maintain the responsibilities of life and squeezing in as much as we can. It's easy to become so focused on life that that we forget to stop and celebrate the little moments. We forget that, in the midst of the busyness, God is constantly pouring His love out on us. And it's easy to take His blessings and provision for granted and forget that He is the giver of all things to celebrate.

James 1:17 says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."

So for this Five Minute Friday post (on Tuesday), I simply want to pause and celebrate the gifts over the past week and revel in the fact that these gifts (both big and small) are directly from the hand of God, given with care and love in order to add beauty and richness to my life and to draw me back to Him.

Today, I celebrate:

• moments that give glimpses of grace.
• The beauty of music--making it (esp. making it with friends), listening to it, being instructed in it, and praising God with it.
• seeing friends overcome fears and rise to their potential.
• friendships that leave room for invitation and challenge.
• a child that begs to read.
• light bulb moments in homeschool as my child discovers God's design for us in Psalm 139.
• steps toward fulfilling dreams (it's been 20 years since I've talked to a college admissions counselor!).
• opportunities to help out where needed.
• second chances.
• the power of the cross.
• stories of recovery.
• forgiveness.
• tough conversations in hopes of helping someone see God's path.
• texts from friends that touch on nearly every subject of life.
• new clothes (that aren't black and that actually fit).
• God's direction.
• the gift of words to share with others in times of need.
• seeing God's strength in our weakness.
• praying with friends even when we're not sure what to pray for.
• sharing ice cream cake with my husband (hahaha...he learned early on in our marriage that some things just can't be shared).
• wisdom and insight from mentors.
• vulnerability in the right moments.
• good health for all of us.
• cooler weather and the promise of fall.
• possibilities.
• personal achievements.
• victory.
• freedom.
• safe friends you can vent to and know it'll be ok and they won't hold it against you because they vent right back at you, but at the end of the day, there is security in knowing that our hearts are truly in the right places and desire God and His way regardless of how we feel in the moment.
• moments to bless others and to be blessed.
• the by-products of discipline.
• hugs from my friends at church.
• Starbucks peppermint hot chocolate (and friends to share it with).
• God's protection over my little boy and his myriad of allergies.
• affirmation.
• hope.
• laughter.
• playing games with my guys (even though they are board games that are totally designed for males that involve strategy and weird looking characters/superheroes).
• tears of joy and sadness with friends as God works in the tender areas of our lives.
• good books.
• Amish fiction.
• technology that lets us stay close with people across the miles.
• our decision to homeschool another year and seeing our child soar because of it.
• the thrill of the challenge of learning new things.
• little successes that come through hard work.
• the gift of having people believe in me and who take time to draw out the potential that they see.
• the Word of God and the instruction, comfort, and encouragement that it continually brings into my life = priceless.

Oh, there are soooo many more things to celebrate! In all the busyness, let's not forget to pause and celebrate God's gifts to us!

*Five Minute Friday (#FMFparty) gives writers a word prompt. We are encouraged to write whatever comes to mind about that word in just five minutes.  No editing, no perfection, only writing from the heart.  To find out more, visit http://katemotaung.com/five-minute-friday/.  This week's word is "CELEBRATE".

Staying Together Inwardly (#fmfparty)

"You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness. But that doesn't mean you should all look and speak and act the same. Out of the generosity of Christ, each of us is given his own gift." Ephesians 4:4-7 (Message)

In church life, there are times when we need to be reminded that we are all on the same team. We all desire to see Christ glorified. We desire excellence in service. We desire unity within the body. And we desire commitment both to serve within the church and outside of the church.

But somehow, in the busyness of church life, we lose focus of that even though we are still outwardly saying "Yes, this is for God." We lose focus when we encounter opinions or methods different than our own. We lose focus when we compare what we have (or don't have) with others. We lose focus when we give more of ourselves than we have capacity to give. We lose focus when we overthink what was said to us or about us. And we lose focus when we become so busy doing that we find ourselves trusting in the institution of the church rather than in God Himself.

Whenever we lose focus, seeds of disappointment, discouragement, disillusionment, dissension, and/or distance begin to grow that distort our view of our "teammates" (pew mates?). We forget that we are a team as bitterness, distrust, rebellion, or competition weave into our interactions with one another. We unconsciously divide through our attitudes and conversations rather than seek to build up. We isolate and lose sight of the big picture where God has called us to travel on the same road together.

When I read Ephesians 4:4 the other night, "...so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly" jumped out at me. Oh, how we can have the outward part down to a science but be thinking so immature inwardly. This week, may we remember that as the body of Christ, we are all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction and evaluate if our thoughts, attitudes, conversations, and actions (both inwardly and outwardly) are leading us toward the same purpose. It's breathtaking to think of the massive Kingdom impact that our churches could have on our world if we intentionally sought to work together instead of against each other in all that we do.

*Five Minute Friday (#FMFparty) gives writers a word prompt. We are encouraged to write whatever comes to mind about that word in just five minutes.  No editing, no perfection, only writing from the heart.  To find out more, visit http://katemotaung.com/five-minute-friday/.  This week's word is "SAME".

Behind the "Yes" // five minute friday

Yes--it's a word of permission, affirmation, promise and hope. It's a word that unlocks new doors and creates new paths. "Yes" rises above the voice of no because it believes that God has a plan. "Yes" pushes aside uncertainty and ushers in courage. And "yes" sees unlimited possibilities that can go in directions that none of us ever imagined.

When God gives the "yes", it's even sweeter because it affirms the truths in Ephesians 2:10 -- "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" and Philippians 1:6 -- "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." 
 

This week, I am celebrating the gift and blessing of a God-given "yes" after daring to dream and praying in faith that God would bring this dream to fruition in His time. There is something beautiful that happens when we go through the petitioning process outlined in James 1:16 -- "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."

When my doubts threaten the "yes", when others feel it should be a "no", when I don't know if I have what it takes to run with this God-given "yes", God reminds me of what His "yes" means and that if He gives the "yes", He will give what is needed to see it through.

*Five Minute Friday (#FMFparty) gives writers a word prompt. We are encouraged to write whatever comes to mind about that word in just five minutes.  No editing, no perfection, only writing from the heart.  To find out more, visit http://katemotaung.com/five-minute-friday/.  This week's word is "YES".