Thanksgiving!

Dad, Mom, Paul and Arden, after church on Sunday morning. (I apparently missed the memo about dressing in blue!)

This license plate was on a car in the parking lot! :-)

This fun chair was outside a wonderful pottery place outside of Phoenix! We felt a bit like Edith-Ann....remember her? ;-)

It's a SMALL world! Luda, in the middle, and I met in Kiev, Ukraine back in 2003. She is now married and lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, so Paul and I were blessed to meet her and her new husband, Scott.

Mom wasn't feeling well on Thanksgiving Day, so it was Paul, dad and I who shared the meal together.

Paul and I were incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to travel to Arizona and spend Thanksgiving 2011 with my parents. Relaxing, restful, WARM, and full of fun, laughter, good talks, and fantastic food. I am truly thankful for my parents but even more so, for the opportunity to spend this time with them and with Paul.

This was our first Thanksgiving together as a married couple. There was a different kind of sweetness this year; it's hard to explain, but I was very thankful in a different way this year, knowing I have a precious man of God standing with me, who is for me, who loves my family, and sacrifices for me. I am blessed!

Trusting God

I shouldn't be surprised, I suppose, but I am.

After walking with the Lord for 31 years now, I realize I don't really trust Him.

Sad.

He's been so utterly faithful and trustworthy, and I see, every day, how little I trust Him.

Now, I could fall into despair or shame or beat myself up at this realization, but that probably wouldn't do a whole lot of good if I want to continue growing. And so I will do what is necessary:

Push DELETE, and move on.

Delete the times when I have not trusted in His unfailing love for me, His perfect provision, His comfort, His healing, His direction, His desire to see people come into a relationship with Him, and His goodness.

Today is a new day, a new opportunity to TRUST JESUS, with everything and everyone. I need your grace, Lord!

Just as this picture of our now dormant garden looks rather "dead", or at least dormant, so too should we be in seasons when the Lord is going deep with healing and transformation. In the spring season, there will be growth and fruit!

The Hopeful God - A new operating system

This past weekend, I was blessed to be able to take part in a Hope to the Heart retreat through Deeper Waters Ministries.

Not only did the Lord encourage hearts, but also linked hearts in friendship, hope and love!

Yes, challenges are here and are coming, but we know and love a God for whom none of this is a surprise! He is the hopeful God, the God of history as well as present and future! He is the God who knows the answers to all the troubling questions before us and says, "Why do you doubt? I am that I am!"

The new operating system is living out of a place of REST in God, not out of a mandate or out of an assignment...it's not necessarily "new", but since most of us function according to assignments or mandates, it IS a new way of operating. Resting in God, in His faithfulness, His ways and directions that are always, always, always perfect, good and right. God, help us to stay in that place of resting in You, Lord, and moving out in rest.

Check out the hopeful messages HERE

Fine-tuning

One of the things I remember about a number of my friends who were professional musicians in Hungary is the emphasis they place on "fine-tuning" their instruments. It wasn't "good enough" just to be in tune, but each of them would not be satisfied to move forward in a concert or worship event or even in a living room setting unless their instruments were finely tuned.

I didn't fully appreciate that reality that they live until recently. There have been times sitting in the prayer room which is live 24/7, when I've had to get up and leave because an instrument (I include voices here as they are instruments) has been out of fine-tune. It may be just slightly off, but for me, it's enough to distract me so that I cannot enter in to worship and/or prayer with the grating on my ears. I don't say this in a judgmental way, just observing, and realizing that in the natural, God is fine-tuning my ears and it's transferring to the spiritual realm, by His grace and the fine-tuning that He Himself is doing in my life.

I've been saying for a couple of years now that it's not business as usual in the Kingdom or in life in general. God is fine-tuning His precious instruments, His people, so that the final concert will be beautiful. He's doing this in every area of life, in every mountain of influence, and while exciting, it also takes giant leaps of faith to embark on paths before unknown. It's worth it, though, so as not to be a sounding gong or a clanging symbol in a world where His love, through Jesus, is so desperately needed.

Our morning visitor

 

We knew the day would arrive when we would have to close the cat door.  That day has come…this HUGE raccoon was IN OUR KITCHEN when we woke up this morning, trying hard to tip over our garbage can!  He boldly returned and allowed me to take some pictures as he tried, once again, to get into our home.  My poor cat, Simon, who will bravely chase every cat in the neighborhood out of the yard, is understandably intimidated by this guy who looks to weigh about 20 pounds.  Is there a season for coon hunting?  :-)

An interesting 53 min. video on why young people are fleeing the church

Fall is officially here

Fall, or autumn as it is properly called amongst my British friends, has jumped upon us here in the mid-west. Ritual leaf-raking, garden hoeing, turning on the furnace, putting away the summer clothes and bringing out the fall sweaters, and planning for all the upcoming holidays fill our days. Stores are already full of Christmas decorations (I'm wondering what happened to Thanksgiving?), and the push is on to get our economy jump-started with lots of sales everywhere.

This fall is full of peaks and valleys for me. One peak that is also a valley: our church is in major transition which is a good thing, but in the process, there has been some pain and misunderstanding. Thankfully, we all love Jesus enough to obey Him and love each other and forgive and bless. Growth is on the horizon!

Another peak and valley all at the same time is Paul doing his student-teaching. Four weeks from now, he will be FINISHED...let me repeat...FINISHED with his Masters in Elementary Education! HALLELUJAH! Student-teaching is simply not the best time in a teachers' life. Yes, he is learning a lot; yes, he is enjoying the kids for the most part; but the time he must spend on that plus his seminars and finishing his portfolio to orally defend on December 7th is just overwhelming at times, for him and for me. Praise God for Holy Spirit who keeps us both focused on Himself so that we don't lose sight of what all this is unto. In the midst of it, I am experiencing all kinds of flash-backs to my student teaching days 24 years ago! Watching Paul is a great reminder of just how far God brought me in this wonderful field of education. Hearing the stories of our young ones in the public school system here in the U.S., however, is rather disheartening. And the systems are so "odd" (trying to find the kindest word possible) in some areas that its a wonder any educating is happening at all. However, the most frightening aspect in my opinion is the number of kids coming from broken homes, bringing their brokenness into a room full of other kids carrying their own brokenness. Somehow, things seem more "broken" today than when I was in school, or even when I was doing my student-teaching. So much for the theory of evolution...ha ha ha, just had to throw in that plug for my friend Gal Bence in Hungary! :-)

Sorry, I digress...another peak and valley is the departure of our precious friends, Scott and Marcie Adams and their three children. I know that I know that I know that God had them stay in Kansas City these two extra years so that Marcie and I could be reunited after nearly 20 years! We first met in Hungary and then never kept in contact. Lo and behold, I move to Kansas City and they live just around the corner from me. What a precious gift they have been to me and to us, now, in countless ways! I'm so excited for what the Lord has in store for them in this next season as they embark in an Abrahamic quest, while carrying a profound sadness at the departure of one of my closest friends ever. You will be SORELY missed in these here parts, Adams family! ;-)

Of course a huge peak is celebrating six months with my wonderful, godly husband Paul, and as we approach our engagement anniversary, we are experiencing all the joys, challenges, delights and realities of married life, especially as 40+ folks never having walked on these waters before! (Purposefully used there as it takes a lot of faith to embark on such a journey after a life-time of singleness for both of us!)

More peaks involve wonderful ministry opportunities through Theophostic Prayer Ministry, watching God set people free from the past lies they have believed and which have influenced their lives for decades! In addition, being involved with Deeper Waters Ministries and recognizing that adoration of the Lord is the place to live has been transformative in my life and in the lives of many! (You can visit www.bobhartley.org )

Another peak is starting a new business...while I'm just on the ground level, and have a lot of work to do, I believe this has the potential to take off! If any of you out there are interested in YUMMY, NUTRITIONAL FOOD, or even becoming your own consultant, then contact me about you too getting involved. Check out my website here and then contact me with any questions!

So, autumn, with all of its changes, is good...full, rich and a time of great transition. No wonder there are mornings like this one when the overcast sky invites me to sit by the fire with my journal and ponder the goodness of everything!

Six months ago today....

I married the most wonderful man on the planet! Happy Anniversary, Paul! I love you!

Seasons and changes

Fall colors have been simply stunning! These leaves are on a tree two houses down the street from us.

Reds, oranges, yellows....beautiful!


We hung new curtains in our living room!


Paul and I found one more thing we agree on: We both love autumn! It's our favorite season, and we are trying hard to make time to go for walks through our neighborhood to enjoy the stunning colors of fall before...brrr....winter sets in.

A lot of change has transpired in our lives this fall; Paul is student-teaching, and any teachers out there know that while it can be wonderful, it is a LOT of work and can be very stressful! He has 6 weeks remaining before we get to CELEBRATE his completion of his Masters in Elementary Ed! Woo hoo! (Now we just need to pray the Lord opens up HIS perfect job for Paul!)

I have taken on more students through Writeathome.com
and I am enjoying the challenges that brings, including the challenge of needing to get out and be social since this is an online job. I'm also enjoying ministry with Theophostic Prayer Ministry as well as the various other doors the Lord continues to open ministry-wise.

We were blessed with an unexpected surprise from the IRS and so were able to get a few new appliances for our kitchen, which we really needed since some of the ones we replaced were quickly becoming less functional. God is such a great provider at just the right times!

Finally, I want to give a shout-out to my precious friend Kati, who called me when she was in the U.S. and made my entire week! Thank you dear one! The only thing that would have made it better would have been to see you face t0 face, but I will take what I can get!

Thriving in challenging times

All of us are feeling the crunch of life as we now know it, which is very different than even three or four years ago. In the midst of this new way of life, I've found a wonderful way to take care of my own family, bless others, and be healthy in the midst of it.

Enter Thrive Foods and Shelf Reliance. Yes, I realize this sounds like a plug for my new business venture, and in a way it is. Why? Because for someone like me, who sees the rising food prices, who regularly ends up tossing food out from the fridge because it goes bad, and who wants to be a blessing to others, this business is a great one.

Reading in Proverbs 21 this morning, the last verse in that chapter says, "The horse is made ready for the battle, but deliverance comes from the Lord." I stopped in my tracks, so to say, and meditated for a bit on this verse, especially the first half. 'The horse is made ready for the battle.' A horse must be prepared. He cannot sit in the barn all day eating, standing, sleeping, and being lazy if he is to be prepared for battle. Likewise, we must be prepared for battle, whether it is the battle of every day life, or the battle of when the power goes off for 3 days or a week or even longer. What about the battle of when I or my husband no longer has a job? Or the battle when the stock market plummets again and people's savings are gone? There are battles that cannot be imagined or even fathomed, and are we prepared?

I love the second part of the verse too: 'Deliverance comes from the Lord.' Yes, indeed, God will deliver, and I know this. However, to me it appears the verse teaches that there is preparation of the "horse" involved as well.

Enter Shelf Reliance and Thrive Foods. This is the simple, straight-forward way of preparing for the battle, while recognizing that deliverance is from the Lord. I don't know about you, but I want to be a blessing to others in times of need and not a deficit. I want my 'horse' prepared in the form of good-tasting, nutritional food and water and emergency supplies so that when the battle hits, and others are hurting and in need, I can be a blessing as a child of God, who brings ultimate deliverance to them and me.

So, without belaboring the point, have a look at my website here
and if you find yourself interested in ordering or even becoming a part of this ever-growing network marketing company, let me know. We are so blessed, so let's look to be a blessing to those around us!

Former student's thoughts

When I walked in the 10th grade English classroom at The Covenant School in Charlottesville, VA, I distinctly remember one young man who greeted me with a winning smile, a genuine heart and a true love for Jesus.

I encourage you to read his blog here: http://www.jrbriggs.com/

I was especially encouraged by his entry about discipleship. Our church is going through some stretching and growing, desiring to live intentionally, just as Jesus did with everyone He met. my former student, J.R. Briggs, is living out life with intentionality.

Fall pix

While Paul was repairing the gutter on our home, he spied this Monarch butterfly feasting on our Zinias. :-)

The holidays are just around the corner

It's only October, and yet 2 weeks ago, at the beginning of the month, I walked into a CVS and saw CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS for sale! Ridiculous I thought, but in reality, people love to get a jump start on the holidays.

To that end, I want to encourage you to click on the title of my blog above. It will link you to a site where you can shop online, book travel for the holidays, and save money. Why should you shop on this site? Well, first, you receive discounts on everything you purchase. Second, it's a conglomeration of MANY stores so it is easy, one-stop shopping. Third, you would be helping me and Paul as this is a business for us. Fourth, you can save time and money and get a head start on all your holiday shopping needs while never leaving your home!

Have fun and thanks for at least checking it out, even if you don't decide to buy anything. Feel free to bookmark the site so you can come back to it later if you decide to do so!

• http://www.chazzuu.com

It's Autumn in KC

On the way to Shiloh.

Taking time out of our busy days to be with each other and enjoy God's sweet creation!

This picture doesn't do the colors justice! :-)

Paul, collecting cat tails!

I continue to find that America is a very busy nation. One can run and run and run days on end without stopping if one is not careful. I'm so thankful to be married to a man who enjoys the outdoors and takes time to rest, rejuvenate and relax. We so needed this afternoon at Shiloh, taking a walk and enjoying the change of seasons.

My friends ministering in Bulgaria

Please click on the title of this blog or on the link below to see stories from my friends, Cindy and Steve Seabury who are ministering the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Turkey and Bulgaria! Let this encourage your hearts to pray and be SENDERS!

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Some thoughts from morning prayer at Deeper Waters

I love my Deeper Waters family! Whenever I am able to attend morning prayer, I go and every time, God shows up and blesses me and everyone in the room! This morning was no different. I'm tossing out some thoughts that were spoken, for readers to ponder:

"The enemy tries to defile what God has declared to be good."

"When a thought enters in or a word is spoken, stop and ask: 'Is that really a thought-pattern from God?'"

"There was an energy from heaven that moved the Son of God, not an adrenalin rush."

"A doctor in a psychiatric hospital in Germany reported that half of his patients have been healed through adoration of the Lord."

Father, we want to declare Your goodness in the land of the living, to those who ARE living, and to those who are struggling to live. May we adore You first, last and in between with everything within us, to the glory of Jesus alone, amen!

The Gospel and the Kingdom

We were challenged this morning to communicate the Gospel to someone in just 30 seconds. Could you do that?

Second, what does it look like to live out the Kingdom of Jesus Christ here on earth?

Would love to hear some comments!

Love and honor

Nearly two and a half years ago now, groups of friends in Szeged, Hungary loved me well. I had a number of "circles" of friends as a result of teaching in a local high school, helping to lead an international Christian fellowship, serving at a local children's home, and serving local churches. If I remember correctly, three different very special going-away parties were thrown for me by various circles of friends. I was reminded of those parties this weekend as I helped to throw a going away party for friends here in Kansas City.

I supposed I was struck this weekend, in a positive way, by how amazingly I was loved by my Hungarian and international friends in Hungary. I knew that and know that still, but was made acutely aware of it again as we celebrated these wonderful Kansas City friends.

I remember walking through the gate of my friends' home in Hungary and being greeted by over 75 people from various churches across the city as they sang a worship song and surprised me with my first of the three parties. I stood and cried, feeling very loved by all of these precious friends. Similarly, I recall arriving at my friend Krisztina's home, walking through the gate to their backyard and hearing "Surprise!!" yelled by more than 20 colleagues from my school...Again, I stood there, humbled, completely surprised (which is hard to do) and feeling super loved.

These memories came flooding back because I was loved sooooooooooo well by all of these people....SO WELL. At the time, I don't think I realize just how well I was loved and honored. That reality of honor and love came screaming back to the surface this weekend as my precious friends here, who are moving away, were loved and honored by some of their friends.

Memories...

My husband, Paul, started his student teaching this fall. His first assignment is with 5th graders in the Missouri public school system. As I write this, he is sitting in the living room, grading papers and planning lessons....ahhhh, memories.

Twenty-four years ago I was in those student-teaching shoes; however, my grade level was 9th, and my subject area was English. It probably took me about 20 years to get over the trauma of those months completely. In just two months, I lost 20 pounds and experienced the greatest stress in my life up to that point. Probably the only reason I am alive today is because my house-mate at the time, Maria, fed me and encouraged me. At the end of student-teaching, I wasn't sure I even wanted to be a teacher...in fact, I said I didn't want to be a teacher.

Last night, Paul came home and declared he doesn't want to be a teacher. Poor guy...he and I are very much alike....we both have perfectionist tendencies, and it took me about 2 years to realize, finally, that you cannot be a perfectionist and be a teacher. Plus, there is not a kinder, gentler man on the planet, and that tendency simply doesn't "work" very well with 5th graders. One of his biggest challenges is to 'be mean'....and so, here we are, walking through his challenging student-teaching experience! Plus, he is at a tremendous disadvantage compared to me 24 years ago....the students today are MUCH more challenging on a number of levels, and teachers hands are tied in many ways they weren't "back then."

Praise God I've been there, done that, and could write a book. God knew, and so as I sit here catching up on my blogging, he is grading and planning....ah the joys of being a green teacher. We both need a lot of grace in this season...thankfully, the Lord never runs out of grace. I know Paul is going to be a GREAT teacher...he will survive student-teaching and the Lord will place him exactly where he needs to be! Do pray for him, though, through December...and for me to love him well!

Pride, Confession, Repentance

God gives grace to the humble. GOD gives grace to the humble. God GIVES grace to the humble. God gives GRACE to the humble. God gives grace to the HUMBLE.

God opposes the arrogant. GOD opposes the arrogant. God OPPOSES the arrogant. God opposes the ARROGANT.

GOD gives GRACE to the HUMBLE.
GOD OPPOSES the ARROGANT (PROUD).

As a follower of Jesus, one can only live in pride and arrogance for so long before it all comes crashing down, because God WILL oppose that person. He will not allow mixture, and if there is found to be mixture, it's by His GRACE that it is brought out into the open and into the light for His healing to take place. Because His heart is FOR us and not against us, it's His mercy that exposes, His mercy that brings us to repentance, and His mercy that heals.

Lest we think God doesn't take humility and non-mixture seriously, have a look at Moses. What a resume! Called to lead a people out of bondage and into freedom. In the process, Moses allowed a hint of mixture...his own human zeal in striking the rock rather than speaking to the rock as God had commanded...and with that mixture, he forsook his own entry into the promised land. There are indeed consequences to mixture. Did God's people remain God's people? Was Moses still loved by God? Did God raise up other leaders (none of whom was perfect mind you)? Yes to all of these questions...because God is a loving and gracious God who is in the business of purifying His Bride for His return.

Pride is subtle. It can creep in and even under the guise of humility reveal that which can become mixture.

God is so good in His grace and mercy to bring to light pride and arrogance and the fruit of it so that it can be plucked, dug up, uprooted, and a tree of humility, planted by God's grace, can be planted instead. Father, grant me the humility to see the areas in my life where arrogance and pride have crept in, creating mixture, causing bad fruit to grow; then give me the grace to allow You to uproot it and plant a new tree of Your grace. Amen and amen.