Slide, Baby, Slide

We're moving!

I finally had the courage to look at another blog site, and played at creating a new one today during a very extended nap time! Yeah for Friday!

Somethings are just getting hard to do with Blogger. But now I have to learn how to do the basics at our new home. Keep watching for more beautiful changes, hopefully!

Check it out at: cwperez.wordpress.com

The Grace of a Husband

I literally cringed yesterday as Jay headed out the door to mow the grass. I was busy picking up from dinner and cleaning up the children and was not able to warn him about the back shed. I just knew that he was going to come back in a few minutes and ask for some help getting the lawn mover out of the back shed.

The day before I had just pulled out some fake flowers to make a new wreath for the day, finally replacing the patriotic theme wreath. I had to shift things around to get the flowers out and then I just threw stuff back in there and shut the door tight. Jay had already talked about mowing the yard this week and I thought to myself, "I know Jay will be upset about the mess, but I'll just come out here with him and promised to rearrange it while he mows the grass." It was just getting too hot with the children outside at the time to do anything else about it.

So, there I was cleaning the kitchen and just waiting for Jay to come back in. Yet, he did not come... We moved upstairs to clean up before going outside with daddy. Then it came...hmmm, hmmm, hmmm the roar of the lawn mower, not the roar of my husband. With cooperation and great teamwork rooms were clean, and HM and E and I headed outside. To help soften his heart, I remembered to take water out to him before we began playing.

The children played together, while I went around to the back shed. To my surprise, nothing was pulled out. Things had even found new places of rest in the organized mess. I was able to put away the old flowers from the wreath and straightened up a few more things, even leaving plenty of room for the lawn mower to return to its place of resting.

With the children resting in their own beds and the grass all freshly cut, my husband came inside to relax for the rest of the evening. Jay never said anything about the things he had to move out and around the back shed.

As I stood there in that shed, with Jay briskly mowing the grass, I was reminded of the awe of true grace. I knew my faults and Jay opened the door to see all the faults and had every right to say something or even ask for help. Yet, he quietly worked to set things right and went about his job. D.L. Moody said, "Grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It is a way to live. The law tells me how crooked I am. Grace comes along and straightens me out."

God's grace is greater because He opens our hearts and see all the mess! We know all the mess is in there too! With a willing spirit, He will work to get things right again. He will do the work. Ephesians 2:8-10 " For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Thanks, Jay, for the grace you have shown me! I love him more today, not just because of the grace extended, but for the like-ness of Christ maturing in him. You really are wonderful... and I look forward to celebrating our 11th year anniversary soon.

A couple of weeks ago, Jay and I invited a younger married couple over for dinner. Needless to say, it was an eventful time with all the children, who out numbered the adults. We have been hoping to reach out to this young family and minister to them. Earlier in the day, I prayed for wisdom, for opportunities to share God's wisdom regarding parenting or marriage. Yet, there was so much busyness whiel they were here for dinner, I am not sure who much "mentoring" occurred.

Before going to bed, Jay and I evaluated the evening, and decided we were not sure how the dinner went. Like I say, things were busy and Jay have to leave early for a meeting. Our topics of discussion were mostly surface level and about daily life. They did not share any great struggles in their marriage or ask for advice regarding any issue. Jay and I are still building a friendship with this couple, and I know that means time must be given for trust to be developed.

I was reminded from my morning reading in 1 Thessalonians. Paul was reaching out with words of friendship to the precious saints at Thessalonica. He was reminding them that he had no hidden agenda in presenting the Message of God. "We love you dearly. Not content to just pass on the Message, we wanted to give you our hearts. And we did." 1 Thessalonians 2:8

"But Paul didn't just lecture and preach. He gave the people not only the Gospel, but also his own soul. His "soul" was his life, his emotions, his view of things, his lifestyle. He lived so openly before the Church that he was able to model his message before them." (Sparkling Gem)

From this experience God is teaching me more about true discipleship and mentoring. It is not necessarly like counseling, just giving out advice or even helpling people make changes. Jesus set the example by calling disciples to come and follow him- walk with him, listen to him, eat with him, learn from him, travel with him, play with him. He opened himself, His Soul (and the Father's Soul) and invited them to be around Him. Paul was following His example by giving of himself to the people in Thessalonica.

Discipleship and mentoring is more about inviting people into your life, your home, your heart, and saying "Join me on this journey together of following Christ."

God, give us more opportunities to open ourselves, our souls, that we all may become conformed to the image of His Son.

Awake, you sleephead!

(Elim fell asleep during lunch at the table sometime earlier this summer!)

New verse this week:

Awake, my soul! Awake, harp & lyre!

I will awaken the dawn. Psalm 57:8

I have been working through my summer Bible Study, Me, Myself & Lies, especially while on vacation last week and this verse really jumped out at me. The intention of this verse was to speak to our souls to be awake and alert to the sin in our lives. So many times I push off sin as tiredness, weakness, or personality. Jennifer Rothschild says, "Sin shows up in self-loathing, negative attitudes, and accepting lies as truth, just to name a few ways. That's why we must tell our souls to be awake. When we are tuned in and alert to our sin, we can speak truth to our souls and to God about our sin." So that is my prayer this week, for my soul to be awake to the sin in my life and to the lies I accept as truth.

However, the practical part of the verse is to literal AWAKE! Elim seems to be back on his pop-up at 6:30 schedule-- ready to go! And I am a morning girl, but I want the mornings to myself and God! So now I have to even more intentional about getting up early before 6:30am. The time spend in quietness and stillness before the Lord teaches me from his Word what sin is and what it looks like in my life. "Search me, O God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and led me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24

My soul awake to the sin in my heart,

my body awake to His call in my heart.