Pleasantville

Dates don't happen all that often for my husband and I, so a few weeks ago we tried to make the most of our time together and after the kids went to bed we watched the movie, Pleasantville. Pleasantville is about a teenage brother and sister that end up accidentally zapping themselves into the brother's favorite TV show. The show takes place in the 50's and is like the good ol' shows of Leave it to Beaver or Father knows Best. Everything in this show is pleasant. There's even a scene when the girl goes in to bathroom and finds there is no toilet. Nothing unpleasant in Pleasantville.

 Wow!!! Wouldn't it be great to take everything in your life that's unpleasant and have it just disappear! All the past mistakes you made, especially the ones that you are still paying the consequences for, would just zap out of your life with the push of a button on a remote. (As they would say in the movie) Gee, that would be swell! Or would it?

I saw this quote the other day: “If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; If we did not sometimes taste adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” Oh how true that is!

On the show Pleasantville everything is in black and white but slowly everything starts turning to color. When you see the color of one rose in the middle of a black and white picture it really pops! Just as when you receive blessing and/or joyful news after a period of a very trying time. The blessing tastes even sweeter then it would had nothing difficult been going on in your life. That made me look a the thorns of life in a whole different manner. It's hard to go through difficult situations. They squeeze us and try us down to the very core of our being. They can wear on us and are physically and emotionally exausting. Sometimes we wonder why we're even in that situation. We don't always get to there through our own doing but at one time or another ALL of us will find ourselves in trying situations. When those times come, cry out to Jesus! Reach for Him! Though the situation stinks right now and can even be very painful, the light of day IS coming and with it, healing.

“But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.” Malachi 4:2

“Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will go your rear guard.” Isaiah 58:8

Just like Jesus wasn't afraid of the stench that would be in Lazurus's grave, neither is he afraid of the big stinky messes we get in. Though it looks dark and dead inside that place, Jesus has complete contol. He can breathe life into any situation and give hope where hope has died.

The tension we feel between good and evil and of sin and doing what's right will be there as long as we are on this Earth, but it is that tension that drives us closer to our Lord. We get emptied of the icky stuff inside of us and filled up with more of Christ. In this light, the tension can be a good thing.

“Let us not become weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galations 6:9

Continue you to do the good you know the Lord wants you to do during these trying times. Don't grow bitter or angry or start playing the blame game. Which is easy to do. Instead continue to praise the name of the one who is worth all glory and praise. Read the Psalms, turn on the Christian music and keep your focus of this moment verses the span of time. Keep your focus on Jesus and loving Him.

“...we also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope and hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out his love into our hearts, by the Holy Spirit whom he has given us.” Romans 5:3-4

 It may not always be “pleasant” as we think of pleasant but in Christ we, as dearly loved children of God, are always free from the unpleasant things the world tries to chain us down with. We are free through Christ. Free because Satan has been stripped of his power. Free because Jesus has given us authority over sin, death, hell and anything else that gets thrown our way.

“When Jesus called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out demons and to cure all diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” Luke 9:1

“ In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”   I Peter 1:6-7

My job

Today it may be cold outside but my heart is warm. Last night I had a dream that I got a job. It was a decent job with decent pay, good benefits and nice hours. Yet something inside bothered me. Something wasn't right because getting a job isn't what I've been called to do. I've been called to be a stay-at-home mom and wife who homeschools her children. No amount of money or position title or benefits can ever take the place of that.

My kids are priceless to me and my husband is irreplaceable. The time I have to spend with them I cherish. Even if I feel like my attention is being split multiple times at the same time. Even though it feels chaotic sometimes. I still cherish it.

I love being able to have dinner on the table when my husband gets home. I love that the Lord has answered my prayers and taught me how to cook. Last night I made homemade mashed potatoes for the first time. They turned out great. I was tickled pink at my accomplishment. I couldn't wait for my husband to come home and see what I made. I felt like my kids when they wait anxiously for daddy to come home so they can show him something new they did or made that day.

I love that the Lord is my boss and my job is to shine the light of Jesus into my kids and to shine what a family who loves the Lord looks like into others.

On this chilly March morning, I may not have a regular paycheck or a benefits package but I get to throw my heart and soul into my husband and kids.

My almost 4yr old daughter said to me yesterday, “You're a very good mommy.” That's worth more to me then any prestigious job title or any certificate hanging on my wall.

Thank you Lord for my job as wife, stay-at-home and homeschool mom.

He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord. Psalm 113:9

My Faith Stretcher

Hello everyone!  I just wanted to blog about how life is going and ask you all to pray for a few things.  I know I mentioned some things on facebook but there's not enough room to say all I wanted to say. 

So I've been on gluten-free diet for two months now and it really has been helping.  My abdominal pain is gone.  It doesn't burn when I eat food anymore (unless I accidentally eat some gluten).  Some of my joint pain has gone away, I'm not as weak and tired and my weight loss has slowed down.  Thank you Lord for that.  For about three weeks though I've had a few digestion problems that seem to have worsen.  I don't want to go to the Dr but think I may have to.  I've done alot of research but there is just a point when you need the doctors help.  However, I was sitting in MOPS this evening and it occurred to me I haven't asked my friends to pray about this for me.  I have been going to God personally but I really felt I should ask my friends and family to pray too, BEFORE going to the Dr.  So if you would please pray for me I'd appreciate it.  These verses keep popping out on me that say God will heal all your diseases.  I believe that.  I know that.  Just waiting for it.

Next, I figured since you're already at the throne of God, please pray for Marc and I and our finances.  Other verses that have been popping out at me have been how God provides for His people not just enough but more then enough.  So much blessing that you will not have enough room in your storehouses for it.  Malachi 3:10  That was for those who faithfully tithe by the way.  We are BIG believers on tithing.  Oh man, don't get me on that one.  That's a blog for another day. 

So I was in my quite time the other day and was reading John 15 and I felt inspired to ask the Lord for a financial miracle.  I hesitated before actually giving my request to the Lord because I wasn't sure what might happen but figured we're pretty well set up now, with our financial challenges.  It was that same day I had a dentist appointment and found out I need $3000 worth of dental work done.  They gave us an application to help us with payments but what it really is is a loan and something just didn't feel right about it.  I decided not to go that route.  Then we discovered we need another dependable car, one that can travel to Omaha and we got a really big Dr. bill.  Squeezed in between all this, God asked us to give, what is to us, a bigger amount above our tithe.  You see, our money is not really our money.  When I say our I mean everybody on the planet.  It belongs to God.  Everything on Earth belongs to God.  He lends it to us and asks us to be good stewarts of it.  Not just money but every good blessing, kids, houses, cars, friends, our spouse.  God has given us those good things.  Now, how are you going to use them?  This is where free will comes in.  God commands us to give Him a tenth (the tithe) not for Him because He already owns it but for us.  It's a faith stretcher.  An attitude adjustment and shows where our priorities really are.  He commands a tenth but it's an even bigger faith stretcher to decide to glorify Him with whatever He asks.  Even if that hits the pocketbook.  So, I was discussing it with my husband and weighing what God asked of us and the more we talked about it the more we knew we had to obey. 

This may sound crazy to many but it reminds me of the children of Israel when they came to Jericho.  God gave them that city. Just like He says He will poor out His blessing on those who faithfully tithe.  So the blessing is for my husband and I.  He said the city was theirs but the people in the city wouldn't give up without a fight.  Just like Satan (yes he is real) won't hand over what he stole from us. 

So God gives the Isrealites directions.  Walk around the walls of Jericho one time each day for six days and the seventh day walk around seven times, then the priests will blow their horns and everyone is to yell and the walls will fall down.  Whenever I hear this story I think of how Veggie Tales tells it.  It's so perfect how they visualize it.  So right now I have Veggie Tales going through my head.  Anyway, these directions seemed crazy.  Hmm... Just like my praying for help, then getting lots of bills and instead of money given to us God asks money from us.  That may seem crazy.  To me it sounds like God has something up His sleeve (and it's a BIG sleeve).  Sounds like He's positioning us to see a BIG financial miracle but He wants to know...will we trust Him?  Will we obey?  A faith stretcher indeed.

Last thing, I want to tell you this story.  It's so cool and true.  At church a couple Sundays ago they had some young adults who are going on a missions trip go forward to get prayed for.  At the beginning of the first service the missions team was still $10,000 short of what they needed.  They took an offering and God provided for them $11,000.  My jaw dropped.  Financial miracles are amazing to me.  You don't hear of them very often.  Not big ones anyway.  I got to thinking and all those verses promising blessing and healing are for everyone.  God doesn't say,"I will heall all your diseases and bless you.  Except for Hilary Mason (insert your name there)."  No He doesn't say that.  They are for everyone.   
        
So there is my very long prayer request.  Now you see why I couldn't write it all on fb:)
Thanks for your prayers and your love.