Tasty Tuesday ~ Thankful for friend meals!

On this Tasty Tuesday, I'm not cooking much myself, but I'm giving thanks for friends who have shared gifts from their kitchen to care for us while we've been in "survival mode." They inspire me to look forward to the next time my kitchen can be the place where I create a way to say "I care."

On Tuesdays we're inspired by the recipes we read
for soups and muffins, cobblers, roasts and things I like to feed.
But today I'm giving thanks for friends in giving of themselves,
From their kitchens and their pantries, from their mites and from their shelves.

It's when my cupboard's bare and when my body's at its weakest
That the dinner table's drafty and our menu is its bleakest.
But what a gift when friends come by with meals because they cared,
made of what speaks love to them, from what they had and shared.

It's such a help when food comes in a plastic box or dishes,
Delivered from a knowing cook, wrapped with her love and wishes.
The food is such a help whenever home is in commotion;
don't ever think it's not a gift. Who though of such a notion?

Kitchens are for things like talks and homework, bills, and reading,
a place for welcome homes, for parties, goodnights, hugs, and feeding.
Kitchens are for thinking and for lifting prayers above,
a place to do the work for meals to send to show your love.

(My favorite website for helping to plan a schedule for multiple meals for a needy friend is Food Tidings.)

~ When was the last time someone blessed you with a gift of food? November is a great month to "Bake & Bless!"
~ When was the last time you had the chance to bless someone else with a gift of food? 
~ Cold and flu season is near (Speaking from 1st hand experience) ... are you prepared to "care"?

Marriage Mondays ~ The monster is here ...

Despite the fact we're in our 22nd year of married life, I still really miss Jeff when he travels. Today he'll have to be greeted by a woman with bags under her eyes ... I just haven't slept well without my man this week. He comes home this afternoon!!! Yay!


Another big event today is the 1st official day of school; I'll send both kids off to high school. Jacob has been at home for middle school, so this is a big day ... for all of us! The start of a school year is a mixture of excitement and uncertainty. I've been a public school teacher, a home school teacher, a home school consultant, a student teaching mentor, an adjunct college professor, a christian school mom, a private school mom, and a PTA mom. I love having glimpses, understanding, and appreciation of each. School has been a big part of my life, so I see a new year from many angles. Some of my happiest moments have been "in school" in one way or another. At the risk of you leaving the page, I have to admit I do love "school."  :)


"School" impacts married life. No matter how you do it, if school is in your life, it makes a difference. If you don't think this applies to your season, consider other women you know ... and hit the "forward" button when you reach the end. They need to be warned of the "monster" lurking at their marriage door.



Setting boundaries helps to keep school from becoming the "monster" it may become. Talking openly helps a lot, so you're on the same page in the "school notebook," and you can be united with children, teachers, etc. It can dominate our time, energy, identity, and attention if we're not careful.  Talking about the potential monster helps couples help each other.

It's interesting that in Titus 2, older women are called to "train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled."  Self control is a way to love our husbands and children. Having a good testimony means women aiming to love their husbands, while raising young children, must exercise certain characteristics ... the first of which is "self-control."  That means we can't allow school to be a monster, and we can't become the monster ourselves.

A married woman is first a wife ... not a homework helper, home school mom, PTA parent, room mother, or teacher.
 

In honor of the first day of school ... "THE SCHOOL MONSTER"

A monster just arrived today; he's been this way before,

Bringing things like homework, fees, and projects to our door.

He's subtle when he comes at first and says he'll do us good,

Assuring us with things to know and dangling more we "could."

We'll ask him in (we do each year); he'll come with just a book.

It won't be long 'til monster's things are everywhere you look.

He'll have taken up the spaces where we used to stop and pray,

Wiggled into quiet where we start and end our day.

He'll find his way into the things we did at church to serve.

He'll try to be the Master of our kingdom. He has nerve!
If he senses we are catching on and limiting his size,

Monster will assure us with a twinkle in his eyes.

He'll tell us that our monster makes us better than the rest.

He'll stroke us with some facts, some testimonials and tests.

He won't be satisfied to go in rooms where we allow.

He'll even find his way into our bedroom chats somehow.

He'll try to take the place of others in our life we need,

Like worship and like reaching out and time to do good deeds.

The more we feed our monster with the morsels of our life,

He will grow and strengthen, and he'll assign us strife.

This is not to say that monsters are not good to know.

They bring learning to the young and old and even help us grow.

So now that monster's here again, I admit he isn't wrong,

As long as we make sure he stays the size that he belongs.

"School" in your life can be such a wonderful privilege and help, but beware of letting it become a monster in your marriage.

What can you do to keep the "school monster" the right size in your life?

Here's to all we'll learn this year,

Letting Go, Holding On

Last week I was the "hall mom" for the final day of our co-op, giving me a bird's eye view (and ear) to what the children said on their last class day.  One mop headed boy trying to control his urge to run raced by with a friend, moss covered bird house in hand, declaring, "The only thing I'll never outgrow is peanut butter sandwiches!"  :)

He might even outgrow those someday.  One thing we can not stop is time. When we were serving as missionaries in Asia, home schooling was a piece of our picture. It worked well for us then, and it was a joy in so many ways. Since I have a degree in Education and have worked as a classroom teacher and adjunct professor for Elem. Ed students, it was a natural way to use my training. When we returned to the US, we transitioned our kids into a private school and then into a public school.  For the past 3 years, though, we have schooled Jacob at home for Middle School.

Me forcing Jacob to have a pic with me! ;)

With my trip to Thailand, it means that we have savored our final days of home schooling together, as he prepares to go to high school next year.  It will be a big change ... for both of us. The two of us went out to our favorite Asian restaurant yesterday to celebrate and put some sort of punctuation mark on our years together. When he said, "Mom, I've really enjoyed these 3 years with you. I'll miss it next year,"  I nearly choked on my bamboo shoot with emotion!


When parents would bring first graders to my classroom on the first day of school, they would always cry .... the parents, not the kids. ;)  There's no doubt that it's never easy to "Let go of a season" and move on to a new one.  It's exciting and sweet in so many ways, but it's also bittersweet. I'm feeling some of it.


Today I'm sharing with a MOPS group as they meet for the last time this year; some of them will move on from MOPS, becoming "school aged kids' mommies."  From the life of Hannah, I will encourage them that "We can let go to a season if we hold on to God."  In her prayer of praise (also a lyric poem), she said, "There is no one like our God" (1 Sam. 2:1-10).  Her confidence in who God is and in what He does enabled her to let her Samuel move to a new season, while she held on to God. We can let go and hold on too. 

In honor of the MOPS of Erin Presbyterian, my own season changing, and the little boy who won't outgrow PB sandwiches, enjoy a "lyric poem" of my own ... "Letting Go, Holding On."

My heart is so amazed that I have made it through this time
      of sippy sups and learning sounds and chanting nursery rhymes.
Some days I thought I wouldn't make it through while still alive.
      "Far away" is what I thought of things like turning five.
The little ones that dangled from my fingers and my jeans
      seemed many years from words like"school,sleep overs,cars &teens."
But as the seasons move along, I'm swept along and know
      the seeds that I have watered are meant to sprout and grow.
Letting go a little with the passing of these days
      gives me pause to stop and bow, to ask for help, to praise.
It would be hard to welcome change and think that joy was gone,
      but empty hands are full because my hands are holding on.
And little ones remind that when clinging as we must,
      loving, strong, and steady is the hand that we can trust.
So I will greet new seasons, since I can not stop the clock.
      I'll let go as I need to, while I'm holding to the Rock.

Let's embrace each new season as we hold tight to the Rock!

Festive, Significant, Peaceful

Christmas at the Shelter

It was Christmas at the Shelter, on another frigid night.

The halls were filled with bags and packs, all piled high and tight.

Tired feet were wet and cold, in lines they shuffled past,

relieved to find some warmth out of the street's December blast.

Outside was lit with strings of lights hung up above the stores.

Inside was dim, adorned with hopeful eyes of all the poor.

The pews were used for sleeping, and the halls were lined with mats.

Instead of bows and garland, precious things were gloves and hats.

Layered coats were set aside and towels were passed around.

Belongings set up carefully, once each her small space found.

Some had friends among them and gathered as they came.

One was new and frightened, and no one knew her name.

There were women young and women old and women in between.

All were glad for showers, the warmth, the fresh, the clean.

Some talked about their families, of the people they would call.

Others told of distant homes and had no one at all.

For some so glad to talk and share, their stories would unfold,

but blankets over tired heads, for others silence told.

There were those with education, with positions and careers,

passed away with houses and replaced with hopes and fears.

Side by side we sat and talked and sometimes said a prayer.

"Thanks for listening," they would say, "and taking time to care." 

But when we leave and go back home to where we know our bed,

A gift will stay behind us, showing Jesus' love instead.

A bag of socks for weary feet that burned out in the chill,

With chap stick, snacks and other helpful things the package filled.

When each one had a love gift and had settled down to rest, 

They turned to us, to our surprise, and made sure we were blessed.

"Merry Christmas, many thanks for all you came to bring!"

But we were blessed in going with our Christmas offering.

For Jesus understands what it can be to have no bed, 

To be homeless in a city with no place to lay your head.

Some will still take refuge there when mistletoe's not hung.

Heavy feet will enter, though no carol's being sung.

But in the Christmas story there's a message we should hear.

Worship Christ through giving in His name throughout the year.

~ A Christmas gift for you and all who need a place of refuge, written by Julie Sanders

Thank you for reading here at Come Have a Peace.  Your reading has helped to make my Christmas festive, significant, and peaceful.  I'm praying your Christmas will be, too. 


Until January 3rd, the first Marriage Monday of the new year,

Some Will Say

Do you ever feel confused by the way the world measures us as women compared to the way God measures us? I know I allow worldly standards to creep into my thinking and need correction to bring my thoughts back in line with God's standard. That's when I need what Romans 12:2 calls being "transformed by the renewing of your mind." This month the summer online edition of Sanctified Together theme is: The Measure of a Woman. Writers share perspectives about seeing our lives as measured by God's truth.

If you have been reading at Come Have a Peace for very long, you know I occasionally break into poetry. ;) That's the case in this new edition of Sanctified Together. I wrote a poem titled "Some Will Say," and I'd love for you to read and let me know if you can relate to any of the pits of "mis-measuring" that we can fall into. I hope it will be an encouragement to you as you measure your days.

Off for the Summer?

I hope you've had a chance to meet the team of gals I'll be digging into the Word with over at Scripture Dig. Next week begins "Bible Basics," and I love the solid foundation that we're starting with.

Maybe I am "unplugging" from the heaviness of a busy spring, but the Dr. Seuss in me is rising up (you may know this if you read my intro at Scripture Dig here), so today I had to write a little poetry about "where I'm at" in making the transition to summer. Then next Monday I have to share about "Getting Through to the Man from Timbuktu" ;) for Marriage Mondays. I think it will be fun ...

I hope these thoughts will make you smile and refresh your heart! So ... my thoughts thus far on the summer of '10 ...

I have hardly started summer, but am feeling kind of beat

So I grabbed a pen to write my thoughts, propped up my tired feet.

I sipped a Dr Pepper as I pondered the "time off,"

But the thought of lazy summer days just prompted me to scoff!

There are things that need attention from spring cleaning I ignored.

There are kids that need activity, since they can't say they are bored.

Out front the beds need weeding from the new seeds we have sown.

Why can't there be a day camp with a spa for when we're grown?

I wiped off wicker on the porch and picked out a book to read,

but will there ever be a time when no one has a need?

I've accepted that there will not be a moment that is blank,

A time without a question or a kid my shorts to yank.

And so I'll hang a sign upon my door that needs new paint,

Though I admit that those who know me well may tend to faint.

It will spell it out quite plainly so that there's no need to doubt,

For the rest of summer I am off, just think of me as "out.";)

As for the front door of my blog, I'll see you Monday for "Getting Through to the Man from Timbuktu." How are you doing transitioning to summer?

A Thanksgiving Prayer ... Thru the Centuries

I am thankful for believers through the centuries who have set the example of faithfulness for me.

This morning I read the words of Paul in Philippians 4:12, when he said, "I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need."

Just a few verses later, he says, "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen."

This year so many Americans will celebrate Thanksgiving with adversity: financial strain, separation by war, emptiness, illness. I am amazed that before William Bradford, who was a leader at the Plymouth colony and historian of the events, ever recorded the history or made his mark as Governor on it, he suffered personal adversity.

Upon arrival in the harbor in Provincetown, Bradford's young wife, Dorothy, drowned and never became a part of the colony the young couple risked so much to establish. He is, however, the one who declared what many consider to be the first day of "Thanks giving" in 1621. It wasn't done with the vision for a national holiday; there wasn't even a nation at that point. It was done in recognition of our dependence on God, out of humility before our Maker, with open hands to receive provision for necessities.

After betrayal by a friend in England, supposedly working on their behalf, the Pilgrims suffered a summer of severe drought. They did what they had practiced before: "They decided on a collective act of worship to call upon their God to save them as He had done before. They resolved to 'humble ourselves before the Lord by fasting and prayer,' and the Lord heard their prayer." (Hodgson, p. 137)

The day after their prayer and fasting, it began to rain, and it lasted 14 days. Shortly after, news came that supply ships were coming from England. It was a sick and weary group of English and Wampanoags who had both suffered greatly and then gathered, not out of abundance, but out of need and adversity.

The first Thanksgiving was in response to God's provision that followed active humility through fasting and prayer.

As I reflected on the legacy of Thanks Giving left to me in Philippians and in the words of William Bradford, I was challenged to consider my own heart at this holiday I so love. I have so much to cause my heart to be full, especially when I see my life from God's perspective. I pray your Thanks Giving Day will be one that is born out of a humble seeking after God's favor and out of gratitude that He is the good Giver of all things. I leave you with my Thanks Giving Prayer for this year....

Each year when roasted turkey is heaped high upon a tray,
We say that we are grateful and we bow our heads and pray.
While gathered 'round a table filled with more than we will eat,
It's easy to lift up our praise and gratitude repeat.

But what if this year's table was at a shelter far from home,
With soldiers or with homeless or with refugees that roam?
What if I was one of them without a laden tray,
Without a Macy's Day Parade to watch throughout the day?

What if there wasn't laughter or quiet for the scene,
What if the plates were metal or maybe not quite clean?
What if all the heads that bow had heavy hearts beneath,
Not shopping on Black Friday or hanging up a wreath?

What if I was all by myself with no hands to hold in prayer,
What if my walls were prison bars, the floor all hard and bare?
What if the thought of turkey and red sauce bright and cold
Was from Thanksgivings long ago in memories that are old?

Would I still say I'm grateful and give thanks as well I should?
For whatever circumstance I'm in, I know, Lord, you are good.

Blessings to you for a day to take joy in God's goodness!

When the World Weeps - Part 4

• Headlines will fade from everyday news and will appear on magazine covers recapping years past. As believing people, may we not forget that people suffer because of sin's ugly effect on the world and all those in it. May my time with Pia on the narra bench change the way I see the people of the world and the lives they live. May the images of anguish from earthquakes, typhoons, and tsunamis change the way we all see those needs. What should we do with what we see and know?
• For now, and for many days after tragedy, we can pray. When you see masses of desperate faces and feel overwhelmed, pray for one. You might call her “Pia,” and the Lord will know who you mean. Pray daily, for each life unfolds with challenges every day, and she can only receive and keep food for one day, supplies for one day, and strength for one day. Pray that those of the world who weep in the day of calamity will know provision for their needs, protection in their life, and the presence of the True God.
  
• For later, may we resist the urge to stuff the images into our distant memory and, instead, get involved in a long term outreach for another people group. Experiencing day to day physical needs of life, hearts are often ready to understand spiritual needs. We can’t know what region will be next or what disaster will be blamed, but we know needs will continue to unfold in lives around the world, and we can uphold them in prayer as their sisters & brothers across the globe.

Thanks for taking time with me over these days and to consider how to better understand, pray, and help ... "when the world weeps." It can feel "heavy" weeping with those who weep, but I didn't want to ignore the suffering of many I love in places I love. At any time in the world, someone is suffering. Don't you look forward to the day when there will be no more weeping and no more pain? It will be a day when the pain caused by sin will all be made right and finally conquered. I can't wait for that day. To close these days, I end with a poem:

Why do I have this soft chair, when their plastic ones floated away?
Why is a roof up above me, when they are exposed to the day?
And why do they wade through brown water, with rats and disease they can't see?
Why can't I give them this soft chair? They're more deserving than me.

Why didn't the rain fall down lightly to make the rice grow for the need?
Instead it fell too fast and hard, leaving so many people to feed.
Why did the world grow so awful, from the paradise that it was at first?
The whole earth groans and people wait and, yet, it's not the worst.

And so we long with confidence for when all things will be new,
And no more floods or wars or tears will fill our world with You.

The stuff of life ... His

"I'm tired, Lord," I said aloud, "from all the stuff of life. From evening news, economy, school work, laundry, strife.

I've tried so hard to do it all and, Lord, I've done a lot. As Mom says, there's not much left but a little greasy spot.

I planned ahead and organized and didn't waste my time. I volunteered and worked part time, made dinner on a dime.

But, Lord, despite my efforts and the progress that I made, it seems that it's my weakness that the things of life displayed.

When I am weak, then you are strong in everything I do. So, Lord, please take my burdens back; I give them all to You."

Psalm 55:22

Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.

1 Peter 5:7

Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

2 Corinthians 12:9

⁹But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.