{a reason for thanks}

"Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is is good,

for His steadfast love endures forever!"

Psalm 107:1

We've heard it before, probably over and over again.  It may have become so familiar that we don’t really think about its meaning.  But I encourage you to stop right now and go over it slowly.  Savor each word.  What does it mean?  Do we believe it?  And what are the implications for our everyday lives when we do so?

God is always, only good. And His covenant-keeping, faithful love lasts forever.   

But what about those times when the burdens weigh heavy?  When the diagnosis is bleak?  When the heart is breaking?  What about the times when the money doesn't seem to stretch and the prodigal is afar off and the storm winds are battering down upon your world?

Speak this truth to your heart, dear ones.   Whatever you’re facing,

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,

for His steadfast love endures forever!

Linger in Psalm 107.  All throughout the chapter, we see examples of trouble and desert experiences and sickness and storms.  As Nancy Leigh DeMoss pointed out at the recent True Woman ’14 Conference, the pattern throughout this passage serves as an example for you and me. 

There’s trouble.  We cry out.  God delivers.  We give thanks. 

Oh, we know the very real pain of this broken world.  In His grace, God uses the pain to draw us to Him, for it’s there that we finally realize how desperately we need Him.  And so we cry out (v.6, 13, 19, 28).  Now He may not provide the desired outcome immediately.  He may not change our circumstances.  But we keep crying out, for in so doing, God will be changing us, bringing about the real deliverance we need.  He alone is our desired haven (v. 30), not a different set of circumstances.   God will always deliver in a way that brings Him the most glory and makes us most like Him.  And our response?  Hearts spilling forth with thanksgiving…

“Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love,

for His wondrous works to the children of man!”

Psalm 107:8 (15, 21, 31)

“A soul redeemed demands a life of praise.” 

~ Nancy Leigh DeMoss

{no longer a teenager}

With every conversation, I'm reminded:
he's no longer a kid.
Not because he insists upon it.
Not because he makes a big deal of it.
But because each Sunday evening when our family of 5 gathers around our iPhones for FaceTime,
I see him.  I hear him.  And I marvel at him.

I see his eyes light up when he talks about playing on the worship team at his church or tutoring the kids in the projects.
I hear the passion in his voice as he talks about his life group and discipleship and sharing life together.

Walking across campus with him when we go to visit,
I note the obvious relationships he's built with the guys;
the mutual admiration and respect between them.
Sitting over steaming mugs in a coffeehouse,
I hear his dreams and plans and prayers.
I hear the things he's learning about God and the ways he's growing and the way things are clicking...and my heart spills over in joyful thanks.

For this man before me,
well, he grew beneath my heart, you know.
I was there when he took his first steps and when he began to run.
I sat beside him in the parking lot as he took his first drive.
And I was even there a year ago as he sat on the edge of our little nest,
preparing for lift-off.
Everything in me wanted to hold on;
to cling to him and never let go.

Today, his 20th birthday, has been bittersweet.
It's such utter joy to celebrate this son of my heart,
and yet my heart feels constricted on this first birthday I spend apart from him.
I was there for every one of his first 19 birthdays,
and on this 20th one,  I'm celebrating from afar.
It was bound to come.
And it's good.
For as I watched him totter on the edge of our nest just over a year ago.
today I watch him soar.

No longer a kid.
No longer a teenager.
A man who has my respect and admiration and love and heart.
I rejoice in the man God is making him.
And forever I'll remain so thankful I get to be his mama.

Happy 20th Birthday, Drew.
We love you with all our hearts.  xoxo

Abounding in thanks...

It's easy to make lists of all the everyday stuff I enjoy; the little blessings that make me smile, make my life easier, or bring beauty to ordinary days.  Yet gratitude is to be for so much more than the golden hue that falls over open fields and fills the earth with warmth.  Colossians is packed full of reminders and reasons to be thankful.  In each of the four chapters, Paul references a heart of gratefulness:

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you...Colossians 1:3

• I should thank God for the joy and blessing of those whom He has to walk beside me.  Despite sometimes differing opinions and viewpoints and stands, Christ-followers are one.  And I must be thankful for these dear ones with whom I share life.  

...giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light...Colossians 1:12

• I should thank God that He has redeemed me and made the way for my sins to be forgiven and our relationship to be restored.

...rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.  Colossians 2:7

• As I continue to grow in my faith and my understanding of what Christ did for me on the cross, thanksgiving should be the hallmark of my life.  As Nancy Leigh DeMoss has written, 

undeniable guilt + undeserved grace = unbridled gratitude

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  Colossians 3:15-17

• Dwelling, abiding, in Christ can't help but make me thankful.  For it's here that I'm reminded that I'm not alone.  I'm safe in Him.  I don't need to fret and worry and strive.  He's got everything under control.  When I'm abiding in Him, I've got something to share with those in my life; how He's working and showing Himself faithful; how He's changing and rearranging my heart.  My life can't help but spill over with thankfulness.  

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.  Colossians 4:2

• So often I come to God with my lengthy list of ways I need Him to move and provide; ways I'm crying out to Him to act on my behalf.  But as the 1-year-old of yesteryear, I'm learning to come to Him, saying, "Thank You, Father.  You've given me---You are---so much.  Thank You." 

In Christ, I have everything.  

And I long for my life to characterize the joy that comes from resting in that truth.

He's my Jesus.

And I'm thankful.  

And be thankful...

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."  Colossians 3:12-17

Heavenly Father, I am really, truly, all together blessed.  
Yet so many times, I fail to express my thanks to You.
I take so much for granted.
It's one thing to be aware of beauty and blessings:
the way the lake shimmers in the morning sunlight,
the leaves that crunch beneath my feet and make me so happy,
the reunion of my little posse of 5 under one roof.
And yet, God, to whom do I offer my thanks? 

Cultivate in me a genuine, true heart of thankfulness;
a heart that bubbles over with gratitude.
You, God, are the Giver.  
And every good gift and benefit I enjoy (even those that don't necessarily seem like blessings) is sifted through your all-wise, gracious hands. 
You've poured out so much grace upon my life,
and I want my life, in turn, to be an offering of praise and thanksgiving to You.  

{18} boy-turned-man

I've learned that the 18th birthday is a bit sobering and heart-squeezing for me,
as I'm painfully aware that it marks each son's last birthday at home.
Oh, perhaps there will be more.
But it's their last "for sure" birthday at home.

And yet, there's this crazy amount of celebration welling up in my heart.
This milestone birthday is big.
My tendency is to go overboard---to make it count, to do it up right.
While each son always gets to request favorite foods for his birthday menu,
this year found me making a list in advance of all of Ryan's favorites,
determined to make them all this week:
baked apple donuts,
cinnamon rolls,
apple dumplings,
pumpkin bars,
chicken noodle soup...
you get the idea.

Preparing for Ryan?  All joy.

For Ryan contentedly and unassumingly lives life.
He's never had a laundry list of wants and expectations.
He simply and gratefully receives each gift as it comes---
as grace.
Man, do I learn through this son of my heart.

We're in his senior year.
I say "we," because that's truly what it is.
A child's final year of high school affects the entire family.
It's milestones, victories, and lasts,
one right after another.
His very last first day of school?
It touched deep.
Perhaps he didn't even think of it.
But I've been tracking with each and every beautiful moment,
breathing it in and feeling it to my very core.

Sometimes in the morning,
as I insist on kissing him on the cheek before he heads out the door,
I can hear his unspoken objections (though he speaks not a word).
Sons in this household have learned to have forbearance toward this often overly sentimental mom.  ;)
But it's more than just a send-off,
for as I watch him head out,
I see the strength and stature of a man.
I respect his heart and loyalty and character.
I marvel at the ways God is growing him and expanding his heart and mind.
This son, this image-bearer of the One who made him.
So much grace.

Adventures loom and abound.
He's already told me he and the guys have this crazy plan to do some kind of extreme-sport adventure next spring.
I'm bracing myself.
And, behind my cupped hand, smiling.
For as the only woman in this houseful of guys,
I've not often understood this whole guy thing.
I've been a slow learner.
But I am learning.
And as I see our differences,
I'm marveling at them as never before.
God created these boys of mine to become men---
men who do hard things.
By His grace, they're becoming initiative-taking providers, protectors, nourishers, cherishers, feeders, leaders, and yes---risk takers.
You know, just the way God intended.  ;)

On his 18th birthday,
I celebrate my little boy grown man.
I rejoice in his unique personality, giftings, and talents.
And I watch with joyful expectancy to see how God will employ all these things to make much of Him.
May his heart be captivated and captured by Him alone.

Happy Birthday, our precious Ry.
You have my heart.  
I love, love, love you,
and couldn't be any more proud of the man you are.  xoxo

Growing Up at the Pumpkin Farm ~ 2014 edition

I update this post year by year as a chronicle of our family's growth and God's grace.   This was our 17th annual visit to the pumpkin farm.  These pics serve as a flip book of sorts.  Thumbed rapidly, our boys grow up before our very eyes.

More and more I've come to believe it and know it:
Changing times, changeless God.

***

Autumn bliss is steeped in memories and traditions. This is the pumpkin farm where our boys grew up. This is the pumpkin farm we'll visit this weekend and remember the little guys who once excitedly fed the goats; the guys who eagerly pulled around little red wagons filled with a few mini pumpkins and gourds. Now these guys are not so little. Our visit isn't so much about the animals. Or the pumpkins. Or even the corn maze. It's about nostalgia. Security. Creating new memories. It's about looking back and seeing how God has been faithful through these years. And it's about giving thanks for all that He's doing in the here and now.

1998 ~ This was the day we announced that we were expecting again!

1999 ~ Our first visit as a family of five!

2000

2001 ~ This was only one month after 9/11. I welcomed the feelings of "normalcy" created by this visit.

2002

2003

2004 ~ Notice the cowboy theme that endured all these years?  :)

2005 ~ This was only days before my husband and I left for Papua New Guinea. I was filled with a lot of conflicting emotions.

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011 ~ This is my idea of autumn bliss :)

2012 ~ While our son couldn't be there, we had the joy of being able to introduce our exchange student to the pumpkin farm.  [freezing cold, changing times, still safely in God's grip]

2013 ~ Things are different, God is still good. [slipped and laughed our way through the mud in the corn maze]

2014 ~ Ryan's last year of high school. Seeking to embrace and invest each moment, ordinary and extraordinary alike.  All is grace.

"I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come; I will remind them of Your righteousness, Yours alone. O God, from my youth You have taught me,and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs,O God, do not forsake me,until I proclaim your might to another generation, Your power to all those who come. Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things,O God, who is like You?"  Psalm 71:14-19

Pizza Tuesdays

My husband and I have discovered the fun of cooking together in recent months---specifically, we've been on a quest to discover and conquer the very best pizza possible.  We've been experimenting with all kinds of recipes, and thus "Pizza Tuesdays" were born.

Not only have we been playing with the crust, but we've played around with all kinds of toppings.  Admittedly, my guys are pretty straight up meat guys.  However, as discussed before, they happen to live with a girl who loves to try new pairings and non-traditional toppings---aka "girl" pizzas.  It must be known that for the first number of weeks, we made solely meat pizzas before moving on to more adventure.  ;)  Because some of my friends have asked me to share the recipes, I've compiled them below. All were delicious, but hands-down, my favorite so far:  Pioneer Woman's Fig and Prosciutto Pizza with Arugula.  At the time we made it, I didn't have any fig preserves, so I substituted apricot.  It was out of this world and is currently my very favorite pizza evah!  Last week a friend notified me that Aldi had fig preserves for a good price, so I stocked up so I can make this pizza again....and again.  I dream of this pizza.  I long for this pizza.  Seriously, it's that good.

By the way, for any of you who may be 1). impressed that my guys eat these pizzas or 2). concerned that they have to eat these pizzas:  I always make two.  One of these specialties and one straight up cheese or Canadian Bacon or pepperoni.  Everybody's happy.  :)

(clockwise starting in upper left)

Pizza On the Grill (dough recipe) : we topped ours with homemade pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella (fresh would have been better), and fresh basil
Easy White Spinach Pizza
Thai Chicken Pizza : made this on homemade naan bread
Tomato Onion Phyllo Pizza
Fig and Prosciutto Pizza with Arugula

I asked our son, Ryan, what kind of pizza he'd like us to make this week, and he voted for a chicken alfredo variety, so that's on tonight's docket.  I'll let you know how it goes.

So what's cookin' at your house this summer?  Do you have any favorite homemade pizza recipes you'd like to share?