What I'm Thinking About

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."  Phil. 4:8

This world can be depressing.  If you listen to the news for any given five minutes, you know that it's mostly bad news.  Gas prices rising (again).  Politicians slandering each other. Public school agendas.  Senseless movie theater killings.  World unrest.  Human sex trafficking.  Famine. Wild extreme weather.  It's bad out there.

Maybe the bad news hits even closer to home.  Marriages crumbling.  Prodigal children.  Poor health.  Sickness/disease. Financial loss/struggle.  Betrayal of a friend.  Being misunderstood or falsely accused. Work stress/conflict.  Sky high college tuition. Unemployment.

Just take a look at your prayer list.  You know what I mean.  Life is hard.  Life is harder when we dwell on the problems and conflicts. We can find ourselves overwhelmed and preoccupied and even depressed, gloomy.  In our house we call it the Johnny Raincloud syndrome.  Being a Johnny Raincloud means are raining on everybody around us.  We rarely see the good in any given situation. Kind of like the glass half-empty. A darkness can settle over us that causes us to view life with a negative tint. Sometimes we can gain a tendency to lose hope, to give up, even to sin.

I'm so delighted to remind you that God knew this could happen to us (and would) and He provided a remedy.  One that should calm and please our souls.  Like the verse above, Paul says this:

"...I'd say you'll do best by filling your  minds and meditating on things

true, 

noble, 

reputable, 

authentic, 

compelling, 

gracious - 

the best, not the worst; 

the beautiful, not the ugly; 

things to praise, not things to curse."  Phil. 4:8

If Paul could choose this line of thinking, while in prison mind you, I think we all can too, no matter how life presents itself to us today.  This makes me happy.  One of the evidences of new life in Christ is joy.  True joy, coming out of our pores, no matter what the social climate is.  God's got this world firmly in His control.  We need not worry.  Every morning I start my day thanking God for holding the world together while I slept.  The truth is, He's holding it together while I'm awake too.  So I choose not to let the bad news of this world (which is very real), color my day, my life.   Instead, I will live these verses and the ones above: "Celebrate God all day, every day.  I mean, revel in Him."  Phil. 4:4

Celebrate God!  And all the good things that come from being in relationship with Him.  So I'm thinking the best, not the worst.  Thinking about beautiful things, not ugly.  Looking for what I can praise God for, not brooding over the things that upset me.  It's kind of like keeping a list of things I'm thankful for (praiseworthy things).  Things that make me smile.

These are a few off the top of my head:

Future in heaven, perfection

When all wrong is made right

God's unlimited grace and forgiveness

Jesus knows me

A son reading his Bible

Word of Life Camp (one of my happy places) - where 2 of my kids are enjoying a week of camp

A faithful, fun husband, generous in all things that make a marriage pleasing

Being invited....anywhere

Friends who listen and love

Friends who are willing to travel to visit us, even though we are the ones who moved.

Biographies of Christian heroes

Anything that makes me laugh

Songs that make my heart sing - mostly MercyMe and Matthew West :)

Cool breezes on hot days

Avocadoes - my latest food love interest
Being inspired by someone else's obedience/good works

Countdown to vacation

Ocean sunrises

Sensing God's pleasure

Texting fun, random thoughts w/friends who know how to be silly

Fall is just around the corner

Christmas is after that

 Well, that was easy. Only took a couple of minutes.  Gracious, true, excellent, praiseworthy thoughts.  Try it.  Guaranteed smiles. 

Well No Wonder...I'm Longing for "Home"

What do the following things all have in common?

• The Corner of Seeber and Baum Roads, Hastings, NY.  The house I grew up in, with heat from the wood stove warming every room and Mom's good cooking waiting to be eaten, when life was mostly predictable.
• 8393 Warbler Way, Liverpool, NY.  The house we raised our kids in for 14 years, where I painted every single room, some of them twice - or more. The place filled with love, acceptance, forgiveness, joy and FUN (and air conditioning)!  Where Thanksgiving and Christmas were celebrated BIG.
• Anywhere my husband and children are.
• Visions of oceanfront property or lakeside in the Adirondacks - family vacations.
• Dreams of a large farm house complete w/barn and barnyard animals (chickens included, of course!) in a small town where everyone knows one another and lives life in simple community.

Those images speak the word home to me.  "Home exercises a powerful influence over human life.  Many of us have fond memories of times, people are places where we felt we were truly home.  Home is a powerful, but elusive concept.  The strong feelings that surround it reveal some deep longing within us for a place that absolutely fits and suits us, where we can be, or perhaps find,our true selves.  Yet, it seems that no real place or actual family ever satisfies these yearnings, though many situations arouse them." 

Aroused images of home.  I have them all the time.  Do you?  I love planning family gatherings - as elaborate as Christmas celebrations - or as simple as tonight's dinner.  I've spent half of my life creating a home for the four people I love most in the world.  I dream of obedient children, absence of conflict and each of us going out of our way to unselfishly bless another...every day.  I did say it was a dream :).  I want it to be a place they always want to come back to, and even long for.  

I've even been known to buy into the fantasy that if I set the table just right, purchase the perfect gifts and prepare the most scrumptious foods then all of our extended family will get along, love each other, live in harmony, etc.  I've yet to pull it off.  I'm trying to create a place that will deliver the experience of warmth, joy and love.  But these events almost always fall short, crushed under the weight of my lofty and impossible expectations.

I think back to the "good old days", the memories of times past, of comfort, peace, seeming problem-free life and want to go live it again.  But I can't go back.  None of us can.

What is the deep down longing?  Why do you think we are so preoccupied with these fantasies?  It's because we weren't created for this world.  We have a deep yearning within us to reside with our Creator, the One who dreamed us up and desires relationship with us.  It can't possibly be fulfilled here on Earth.  We were made for heaven.  Look at this:

• "But our citizenship is in heaven.  And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ."  Phil. 3:20
•  
•  "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.  Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling..."  2 Cor. 5:1,2
•  
• "But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness."  2 Pet. 3:13
•  
• Jesus said, "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am."  John 14:1-3
•  
• "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away...I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them.  They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.'  He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!"  Rev. 21:1-5

Yes! So that's what I'm dreaming about and longing for. This is where I want to be.  C.S. Lewis puts it this way, "Our life-long nostalgia, our longing to be reunited with something in the universe from which we feel cut off, to be on the inside of some door which we have always seen from the outside, is no mere neurotic fancy, but the truest index of our real situation."

"We are all exiles, always longing for home.  We are always traveling, never arriving.  The houses and families we actually inhabit are only inns along the way, but they aren't home.  Home continues to evade us."  

But why?  The book of Genesis tells us that we were created to live in the garden of God.  There would be no loss of love or life, no decay or disease. We were meant to live face-to-face with Him.  We should have been worshiping His infinite majesty, and knowing, enjoying and reflecting His beauty.  (The beauty we constantly want to surround ourselves with).  That was our original home, the true country we were made for.  But we lost our home because of sin.

"The Bible says we have been wandering spiritual exiles ever since.  That is, we have been living in a world that no longer fits our deepest longings.  Though we long for bodies that 'run and are not weary', we have become subject to disease, aging and death."  Though we long for love and sometimes think we have secured it, we each die and leave the relationship at some point.  "We were not made for a world of disease and natural disaster, a world in which everything decays and dies, including ourselves.  This world, as it now exists, is not the home we long for."

 Well, no wonder!  No wonder I am trying to create peace and comfort for myself and those I love. Because deep down, God created me to desire the awesome world He has planned for me (us).  I hope you are as blessed by this as I am. No wonder I don't feel at home here in this world.  No wonder I can't find permanence and predictability.  No wonder I can't insulate myself and my family from harm.  It makes sense!

No, we aren't satisfied with life as we know it.  We keep trying to recreate it here, and that's where the disappointment comes in.  But no worries, my friends!  The best part is still in our future.  God will reconcile us to Himself physically.  We will live with Him.  We will live in the place He has created to fulfill all of our longings.  I just can't wait!

"Jesus will make the world our perfect home again.  We will no longer be living 'east of Eden' always wandering, never arriving.  We will come, and the Father will meet us and embrace us, and we will be brought into the feast."

As if that's not enough good news for today (and everyday), our loving God goes on to give us another promise -  "Now there is in store for me (us) the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me,  but also to all who have longed for His appearing."  2 Tim. 4:8  - do you long for Him this way?  If so, the crown of righteousness awaits you.

Pick your chin up - this world is not your home! if you've surrendered your life to Jesus Christ and put your faith in what He secured for you on the cross, then all these promises belong to you.  One day we will live all our dreams and images of a home like no other...and it will be forever.

All quotes unless noted from The Prodigal God by Timothy Kelle

Hammock Time

I hadn't written in a while about what I like to call important things.  I was a little preoccupied with Date and Diner week a bit ago and now we are in the middle of the dog days of summer...and it's been hot.  The truth is, though I am a lover of words, there are a few that I'm not too crazy about and in fact might be my three least favorite words:  hazy, hot and humid.  I can get grumpy when it drags on for days.  I should mention that in our old house, we enjoyed and were most grateful for central air conditioning.  We no longer experience this luxury.  I wonder if God wants to sweat some stuff out of us this summer.  :)  Anyway, that's probably why I haven't written much lately.

But yesterday afternoon, the sticky air left and refreshing cool air took it's place. Previously I had been invited to go out for the evening, to visit my kids at the conference they are attending and eat at one of my favorite restaurants while riding there and back with some fun friends.  Normally, that's a no-brainer, a done deal, a YES! Why wouldn't I?  But deep down I just wanted to stay home.  It would be the first night in a while that I'd be home alone (and not sweating to death).  I was determined to be outside enjoying it until  dark.  And I wanted to spend some time alone with God. Outside.  I was feeling kind of empty and longing and knew where I needed to go to fill up.

Here's a little visual for you - minus the men!

So I grabbed a bottle of water, my Bible and journal and headed to our hammock.  I don't know how to describe the experience for you except to say that when we seek God, He shows up.  The Bible promises that.  When I have been attempting to self-satisfy or self-comfort and remain unsatisfied and finally conclude that nothing is quite cutting it, I sense the gentle nudge of God.  When I change direction, everything changes.  When we deliberately take the time to focus all of our attention toward Him, He fills us.  He always knows what we need and provides it, because our deep down soul needs are always for Him.  I think we just forget sometimes.

Two hours later, as the sun went down and I actually got a little cold (loving every minute of that), I went inside....so full of joy and excited because my soul had been tended to.  I was given a fresh perspective. A new resolve to do what I'm called to do and be who I was created to be. 

Listen, the devil is alive and well and working overtime to get our focus off of God.  He wants to destroy us and diminish our testimony by tempting us to choose to live for self rather than living for God.  We need to recognize his negative, evil, dark tactics and pray for the ability to hear God's voice above all others (John 10:10) and act in confidence based on that.

In the hammock, I read these verses:

"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.  You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced out into the open and shows its true colors.  So don't try to get out of anything prematurely.  Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."  James 1:2-4

AND Paul's prayer for the Philippians

"So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately.  You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush.  Live a lover's life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God."  Phil. 1:9-11

Girlfriends, I hope this gives you hope!  Even when it's not what we want to hear, God speaks goodness right to us in His Word.  You read that too fast - go back and read it slower.  Even when it's not what we want to hear, it is good.  It is for us.  God knows what we will go through before we do and allows it - because He has plans for us (Jer. 29:11).  Let's not self-medicate by running to our usual comforts (mine would be: food, shopping, flattery from those who love me unconditionally - what are yours?) but instead let's let God do the work of maturing us. Let's soak ourselves in His Word and be comforted by Him and in the meantime, live a life Jesus will be proud of.  (see verses above) Who can we make Jesus attractive to today?  Who can we get involved in the glory and praise of God with us?

Let's not allow Satan to paralyze us spiritually when the "heat" is on.  Rather, consider it a gift.  Will we receive and hoard all the good gifts God gives us, but refuse the not-so-good?  The answer needs to be NO!  Instead, we will give thanks because we know God is at work and He will keep working with us until He finishes His purposes (Phil. 1:6).  And He won't leave us during the process.  He will walk with us, go before us and hem us in from behind (Psalm 139). I love that and it gives me great comfort to picture this amount of God's presence and attention coming my way.  I hope you do too!

One last bit of good news...Fall is coming.  And then Winter.  Just sayin'.

And the Winner is......

It's a tie.....

Both Ruth Morse (a.k.a. Team Morse) and Valerie Cunningham got all but 2 right on their Date and Diner Week guesses.
Congratulations!




 Now, for those of you wanting to see the list in it's entirety - here we go :)

1.  Apple Dumpling Cafe at Apple Hills
2.  Blue Dolphin
3.  California Grill (not a diner)
4.  Broadway Diner
5.  Plaza Diner
6.  Pete's Legacy Diner
7.  Park Diner

It's hard to choose just one for a favorite.  This is because we had lunch at one, breakfast at one and dinner at all the others.

But, if we have to choose - we'll say the Park Diner.  That was a great meal w/a pretty view.  (and fine company as well)

Thanks again for playing along.  It's been fun.  Now where's that exercise dvd I seem to have misplaced?  :)

Dinner #7 - the end of Date and Diner Week

We're stuffed....and full.....and uncomfortable!  Another great meal tonight - too much food!

And this brings us to the end of our fun Date and Diner Week. Who knew there were so many diners in the Binghamton area?  It seems we've only scratched the surface.  But we must take a break - tomorrow we will announce the winner of who got the most of 7 diners correct that we've visited this week.  I hope you'll look over the previous blog posts and cast your ballot.  Don't forget there will be a prize.  Because why play if there's no prize?  (my personal motto)

So, here's the last meal....

We started with these....

We're kind of suckers for onion rings - especially when they have a special name on the menu - which I can't seem to remember right now.

These are our entrees:  Scott had meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  Ask him to tell you "the meatloaf story" sometime.  And I had....drumroll please....Athenian Stuffed Haddock. Doesn't it sound exotic?   Broiled Haddock stuffed with spinach, feta and onions covered with a vodka sauce, mashed potatoes w/gravy and corn.  It didn't disappoint. We were both pleased.  Very tasty.

I guess we didn't feel like we were full enough and since it is our last night of adventure, we figured we'd better order dessert.  I recommend always bringing friends with you who like to order dessert :)  Blueberry pie and strawberry shortcake (warm biscuits and ice cream).  It was worth it.  But I'm sure we're fatter now.  We must be!

Our dinner partners wanted to be included too - so this is what they had - Boston Creme Cake and Coconut Cake (similar to "why bother cake" - with all that whiteness)  No offense.

Well, did you figure it out yet?  Our friends are sure this last pic will give it away.  This was the view from our table.  Beautiful!  Is it obvious?







So, tomorrow the kids come home and we go back to eating lean meats, veggies, fruits, whole wheat bread, rice & pastas, and drinking skim milk.  Thia splurge is a little thing I'd like to call "over".  I'm sure that's a good thing.  As Mary Poppins would say, "Enough is as good as a feast."  We have had enough....truly, we have lived out this verse, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord" (Col. 3:23) this week, but perhaps it's time to consider a different one...  "Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial.  I will not be mastered by anything." - like food - (1 Cor. 6:12) That said......

 There is a slight possibility we will have another week without our kids here this summer.  Talk is we should try an Italian week, a Greek week or my favorite suggestion, "Mystery Dinner Guest Week". of course, we'd need some friends to join us.....interested?  What do you think?  We'll keep you posted.