Exciting News and Happenings!

Okay, so I've REALLY missed my blog, and these last two weeks have been more than just eventful! So grab your coffee and scroll on down, I'll show you what you've missed!

My brother, Doyle and I, with my potato gun.

Yes, that tube you see in the picture isn't just PVC pipe, it's a potato gun! You can take the girl out of the country...and that's about it. My brother came up from Wyoming as a surprise visit. We spent Christmas afternoon out on the Platte River, shooting potatoes, rocks, arrows, and anything else that could be stuffed to fit into his tube. It was a real blast--no pun intended!

Two of my three brother's stuffing the potato gun.

If you look closely at the picture, you see a can of hair spray, this helps ignite the gun! Does anyone want to guess how this turns out? 

Me, I just finished shooting my daughter's new bow--with no makeup, I'm a bit vain!

Cheyenne, getting ready to release her arrow. 

When I wasn't out blowing things up with my brothers, we took some time off to target practice with our daughter. She got a new bow for Christmas, so far we have four of the twenty arrows left...We both need a little practice, well...maybe I do. However, I must say I worry about Cheyenne's future husband, she has my temper and a VERY. GOOD. AIM!

My brother Dave.

When we thought all was quiet, the boys came over and had a shoot out in my home. Four toy guns and four rowdy boys....Needless to say, the evening wasn't quite peaceful to enjoy my new Nook I got for Christmas!

Okay, okay, enough of the pictures and family stuff. I've got some REALLY exciting news. Saved by Love is now being posted at FaithVillage. Stop by to read the latest in the realms of faith mixed with motherhood. Leave a comment and let them know you want me to come back!

Next on the exciting list is that I am the new columnist for Eternal Encouragement Magazine online! What am I writing about, encouragement for moms! I can't wait for you to see my first article! It's a goody, my next one is about transformers, instructions, and motherhood--you get the point!

More blessings to be sure, I have been asked to be a guest on Good Morning Nebraska, with Marylyn Barnett, I'll be on the show bright and early to give you  some great tips on snacks and lunch ideas for your kids. You don't want to miss this one. January 10!!!!

And at last, some really big news, in March, I will be launching Her View From Home with some friends of mine.  Her View From Home is a Mid-West Blog created by women to encourage, inspire and connect. We will have forums for towns to post events, daily deals, date night ideas, recipes, tips for home & garden; plus articles about faith, parenting, family and more. I can't wait for it to launch and hope you'll stop by! You can visit us on Facebook at our fan page and stay up to date until we officially launch, Her View from Home.

Hurry up March, in the meantime, I can't wait to connect with you and share what God has been laying on my heart to encourage you!

Our new logo! We can't wait to launch the site!

How Are You, Really?

 

     I'm tired and don't want to talk to anyone. Yet my daily routine of shuffling kids and women's ministry forces me to interact. So I smile and say, "I'm fine, thank you. How are you?" 

      The truth is, there are very few women, I'm willing to open myself up to, and so begins the manners of being polite and asking, "How are you?" As they tell me about their burdens, I struggle to be present and not check out and I find myself retreating to the inner depths of my soul, discovering that I am already over capacity. 

     My own cup is already full of burdens; stresses of finances, weary of my so-called 'God's Call to Write', concerned with what our future holds in this very town, worried about behaviors my son is presenting, and pushing myself to be ever present for my oldest child in her turbulent teens, combined with Aspergers; but I choose not to talk about it. Very few friends really want to listen and even then, their circumstances are weigh heavily on their minds. It's not that they aren't good listeners, it's because I know they don't have what I need. Weary laden, I drive home, already mentally checking out. 

      In the quiet of my home, I hear Him speak to me, those three same words, we use out of politeness; so I respond knowing that God isn’t overly burdened and weighed down.

           “How are you?”

          “I’m lonely, God.

          “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Mathew 28:20b (NIV).

          “I’m weary, God.”

          “Your soul will find rest in Me alone. I am your salvation. I am your Rock, your fortress, you will not be shaken.” Psalm 62:1-2. (paraphrased, NIV).

          As I pour out, He pours in. I realize that being quiet in His presence is almost a lost art that needs a revival. When we quiet ourselves before Him, He is able to completely fill us in exchange for what is weighing us down. He uses His presence, and His Word to breath life into us, and we need so very much more than we realize.

      Being a mother and woman of God can sometimes weigh us down so deeply with concerns, crisis, worries, needs of our children, demands from others, and expectations of organizations. Without quieting ourselves before God, we become so full, and yet so very empty.

       Our souls were created for the ebb and flow of pouring ourselves out before Him, as He pours life back into us. He touches our hearts, just enough for each day.

          Just enough that we long to come back to Him for more.

          Just enough to recreate a bond that can overcome any feeling, any burden.

          Just enough to teach us the depth of friendship with Him.

          Just enough to create a vibration in our spirits. We become filled with His truth and peace and we can begin the ripple affect of giving His friendship to others when we truly ask, “How are you?”

When God Shows Up

     Life in the motherhood is full of twist and turns. Some can send us on a tailspin to the bottom, knocking the very breath out of us. We try to wipe the dust off our rears while wondering where God was when it happened. Sound familiar yet?

     Where is He, how does He show up in our lives? It's not a burning bush or doves descending from heaven. Usually He shows up with a strong presence of comfort and strength, He reveals His thoughts to us in Scripture, and the best form of His presence is through friendships.
   These past few weeks have taught me that He is ever present and uses friends to bring encouragement, love, peace, comfort, and help in times of need. Instead of shutting people out, open your heart because they may be God's messenger to bring His presence to you today. John 15:12-15 reminds us that we are to band together and love one another as Christ loved us. Let that resonate in your heart today and reach out to a friend!
     “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.