Happy to have *almost* all of my family under one roof, to hear first person the stories from Haiti, to reconnect, laugh, and watch my husband sleep.
May the rest of your weekend be blessed, my friends.
For His Glory ~
~ Sara
I couldn’t make myself to post yesterday. My heart was heavy. I was missing my people in Haiti. I was disappointed in the Christian community’s response to the election. And I was so darn emotionally tired. I did go to bed thankful….but I don’t have a picture for this one….
….And the incredible people each and every one of them are. It’s a large family, so I won’t be specific, but I have been overwhelmed lately at how generous and loving and wonderful they all are. And last night I was particularly thankful for my mother-in-law’s weekly family dinner that provided me a reprieve from cooking and some much-needed adult conversation and laughter.
….I am overwhelmed with thankfulness and admiration for all of the people I know and love in Haiti tonight, but I’m so proud of my parents for making this trek to Haiti to see this orphanage that has become such a wonderfully all-consuming part of our lives. It’s hard and it’s hot and it’s exhausting and it’s outside their comfort zone. And they’ve been sick and uncomfortable and, no doubt, stretched. But I can’t wait until they get back to hear what they thought, and even if they never want to go back again, the sacrifices they made to go to this beautiful place mean the world to me.
For His Glory ~
~ Sara
And the privilege, right, and freedom it represents.
And I’m thankful that at the end of the day, I will rest easy because the true King will still be on His throne, regardless of who calls the White House home. And while we each think we know who will best lead our country, I find comfort knowing that ultimately we don’t know, but He does, and His ways are higher than our ways and His purposes are greater than our purposes and we can trust that no matter who wins elections, it is not outside His plan or control. And we can know that we are called to respect and honor and pray for our leaders. Every single one of them. May we all find hope, strength, and peace in the knowledge that our salvation does not reside on Capitol Hill.
For His Glory ~
~ Sara
On his birthday, and every day, I’m thankful for my brother. I know that no matter what, he’s there for me and he loves me and my family. 
After the wild and woolly month of October and not more than one day at home in thirty, today was a gift, a blessing, to sit and slow and start the week well. We left once to take cinnamon rolls and chili to my brother and his fellow firefighters for dinner, courtesy of one generous friend who wanted to support Grace in her efforts to raise money for Haiti. But the rest of the day we schooled and I planned and put on paper (or screen) so many thoughts rolling around in my head. Oh, what a good day. 
For His Glory ~
~ Sara
I’m thankful for the horrible phone with the blotchy screen that allows unlimited contact with my beloved in Haiti….
And for this particularly emotional child – whatever she feels, she feels it passionately, and she is my only one who cries at sad movies. Tonight it was deep, sorrowful tears after watching Hachi (for the second time – so she knew how it ended!). Pitiful.
Today was a good day with the girls entertaining themselves while I knocked out some over-due projects here at home and tonight we enjoyed breakfast for dinner followed by the tear-jerker movie Hachi. I’m also planning to enjoy the extra hour of sleep we get with DST ending! Woot!
May your Sunday be filled with worship and rest and glorifying the King!
For His Glory ~
~ Sara
October, it blew by like a wild whirlwind filled with school and fundraising and running a race and hosting a race and sending another team off to Haiti along with two of my own, and November, it came in with much-welcomed calm. And this little place of reflection has been long-neglected, but I’m challenging myself to work on that this month.
My challenge to myself to 31 Days of Prayer, it encouraged me as I saw God move and answer even my most feeble attempts to just stay in constant communion with Him. So, I will extend it into November (and should our communion with our Savior ever really end?). And in this next month of prayer, I hope to go deeper, to read more on the power of prayer, and share here. Because I am convinced He moves mountains and He softens hard hearts and He comes to us when we call and I want to be a part of whatever He is up to. Streams, in its always timely way, said this today,
Do we truly know the power of our supernatural weapon of prayer? Do we dare to use it with the authority of a faith that not only asks but also commands? God baptizes us with holy boldness and divine confidence, for He is looking not for great people but for people who will dare to prove the greatness of the God! (A.B. Simpson)
In your prayers, above everything else, beware of limiting God, not only through unbelief but also by thinking you know exactly what He can do. Learn to expect the unexpected, beyond all that you ask or think.
So each time you intercede through prayer, first be quiet and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, how He delights in Christ His Son, and of your place in Him – then expect great things. (Andrew Murray)
And so, this challenge to pray, and to pray with hope and expectation, it continues. Will you join me for another month of prayer and we’ll go deeper in (Lord willing) to this gift of communing with the Almighty?
And the gifts, already listed everyday, but for this month – this month of giving thanks – to post here one a day with a photo. Oh, how my photos have been neglected. Months ago it became just one more thing that had to be maintained and so I just stopped. But I miss the creativity and the challenge to get better at something that doesn’t come naturally. And the greater challenge to me – to actually use my camera and not just the iPhone. 🙂 So here we go….
After nearly two weeks off from running, I finally ran this morning (a measly mile and a half), but oh, how good it felt to run again. Two of my running partners have lost the ability to run long distances and I don’t want to take this for granted. It is a gift, even if staying in bed on cold, dark mornings seems like a greater gift sometimes. 😉
Wishing everyone a happy Friday and a blessed weekend and praying that whatever you do, it draws you closer to your Savior and to those you love.
For His Glory ~
~ Sara
Monday morning dawned with to do list overflowing its page and calendar squares bulging til the end of the year and an irritable crankiness settled in like a heavy fog. And I grumbled against that to do list and these children and how home schooling just takes so.much.time.
And this morning as I sat at His feet and soaked up His word, still battling the irritability and anxiety, I read in Streams,
Do not fret. (Psalm 37:1)
I believe that this verse is as much a divine command as “You shall not steal”. But what does it mean to fret? One person once defined it as that which makes a person rough the surface, causing him to rub and wear himself and others away.
And isn’t that what I’ve done all week, what I do every time I allow life to overwhelm and crowd out the most important things? I become rough on the surface and wear us all away. So I pray about schedules and priorities and how to put first things first and not let the urgent become a tyrant in our lives. And today is a new day and I choose to trust God with our schedule and our time.
In the early morning dark I also read this quote from Ann,
Life’s not hard because you’re doing anything wrong: Life is a battle. Put on your armor.
And it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with schedules and surrendering our time to God, but it gives me strength today as I remember again that this life is not easy, it is a battle, so I should expect hard and I should expect challenges and I need to dress for war every day. But by surrendering my time, my expectations, my schedule to Him, I am freed to fight the battles He brings with both hands, rather than fighting one-handed while clinging fiercely to my own plans with the other.
And as I drove across town this week to get a tooth for a science project, I soaked in the silence but begrudged the trip out in the middle of busy. But as I drove I talked to God and heard His Spirit whisper in the midst of my unhappy grumbling just give thanks. Thanks for to do lists that will never be done. Thanks for kids and projects that send you driving all over town collecting teeth or staying up helping with fundraisers or cleaning rooms you’ve helped clean a thousand times. Thanks for the opportunity to die to myself and my own plans and to serve Christ by serving others, primarily my family. And thanks for all the gifts He daily gives….
2154. perfect fall days
2155. a tour of the local fruit farm
2156. apple cider slush
2157. apple cider donuts
2158. making happy memories
2159. a pantry re-stocked
2160. a couple of days off school
2161. resting, relaxing, slowing where we can
2162. thirteen miles run
2163. a long, slow Saturday
2164. laughing all evening long with old friends
2165. seeing others give so generously to help the oldest go to Haiti
2166. warm furnace turned on
2167. girls in jammies all Saturday long
2168. the Sunday crazy train and all it teaches me about grace and giving it abundantly
2169. an honest, insightful letter from a daughter who struggles to find her place
2170. a Spirit reminder to just say “thanks”
2171. grocery day
2172. fall riding in on a cool north wind
2173. new shoes. again
2174. yummy new recipes and happily feeding my family
I continue in my 31 days of prayer and I lift up prayers for a changed heart and eyes opened and a mind stayed on the truth of His Word. I lift up prayers to continue to rest from the fretting and the wearing down of those around me and to daily put on my armor and die to myself and my plans. And I lift up prayers that you would each know the realness of His presence in your life this week.
For His Glory ~
~ Sara
It’s Sunday morning and no matter how we prepare to avoid it, try to derail it, we board that weekly crazy train that sends the whole day into a tailspin. Children bicker over shoes and outfits and hair accessories and through our own gritted teeth we say how much prettier they would look with a smile. And on this particular Sunday I’m so thankful we’ve decided only to go to Sunday school, so I don’t have to referee the arguments during the sermon.
And it’s clear this day is going to be a doozy, because the arguments they pick up right where they left off after church and one child wails angry and another does everything in her power to aggravate. One shuts herself up in her room and another is trying to figure out who to side with. And I just want to run away.
It’s Sunday night and we sit, the six of us, all crowded into our little sitting room, and we discuss angels and demons and the very real battle that is always taking place around us. We discuss the full armor of God and how we are to dress ourselves, prepare ourselves, to engage in this battle, because even the most non-confrontational among us will be called to the front lines.
We talk first about the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of readiness given by the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. And then we talk about how we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, “but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12). We talk about how our Enemy the Devil, he wants to distract us and confuse us and he does want us to wrestle against each other and how he does a victory dance every time he drives a wedge or builds a wall between us. He doesn’t want us to love each other or be kind or obey or control our tongues and when we fight and bicker against each other he gains a foothold and he wins a battle for our hearts. We talk about our instruction to be light to the dark and to help the poor and needy and to raise up children who love the Lord and how much Satan hates us for trying. We affirm that we know Who ultimately wins the war, but these battles we fight every day are important and we can’t give up even one just because we’re too tired to fight. We purpose to work together to fight this common enemy, rather than letting our enemy divide us. We agree that God has given us each other to love and care for and protect, and to make us more like His Son, and that we are a team and we’re all working toward the same goal.
And privately, we wonder do we make too much of this spiritual warfare thing. No one talks about it much since our high school days and Frank Perretti books and perhaps it’s a bit too charismatic and maybe this is just life? But in the past two years we have seen it, we have lived it, and my spirit knows somehow when it’s life and when it’s war. The battle is real and Satan fights dirty and he knows the chinks in our armor and will aim his fiery arrows straight for us. But we wait for a coming King, whose kingdom is not of this world, so why would the battles we fight be merely flesh and blood?
And in a small way that grows big, we can fight the battle of discouragement and discontent by daily listing His gifts – the good and the hard gifts. Because if it all passes through His hand and it all has the ability to draw us closer, make us more like His Son, then is it not worth thanking Him for? Is it not worth writing down and remembering? Is it not worth a whispered, “Yes, Lord, even this….thank you.”?
2116. cooler days
2117. chilly nights with windows open
2118. feet and legs that ache
2119. hope that new shoes will help
2120. continuing the hard struggle with one girl
2121. an impromptu date night – a few hours away from the “sick ward”
2122. God’s grace when I don’t deserve it
2123. hope when I am discouraged
2124. days that go horribly wrong
2125. words of encouragement in the morning
2126. hope overflowing
2127. Haitian girl actually speaking to us over Skype
2128. her silly, sweet smile
2129. an unplanned “in service” day to give this sick mama time to rest
2130. more rain
2131. more coughing
2132. never quite feeling caught up
2133. an unexpected hour and a half in a quiet house
2134. a lovely lunch hour run
2135. laughing with my girls
2136. heart burdened for one in particular
2137. weeks that I’m happy just to make it through
2138. a to do list too big to finish alone
2139. a God who sees me
2140. a beautiful fall Friday
2141. a thirty minute nap
2142. a home school soccer game
2143. full moon hanging low over western sky
2144. fog draped over grass
2145. husband who gives up his morning workout to ride his bike with me while I run in early morning dark.
2146. good friend who (literally) goes the extra mile (or two!) to help me finish my long run
2147. jeans that feel looser
2148. neighborhood cafe and incredible chips and guacamole
2149. country dancing with everyone twenty years our senior
2150. a good date night
2151. family talks about spiritual warfare and the battle we all really face
2152. learning to fight together rather than fight each other
2153. putting on the whole armor of God
Praying that as you fight your own battles this week, you will be able to see His goodness in everything.
For His Glory ~
~ Sara
As I sit here on this Monday morning, still shaken from an awful dream that seemed to last all night, only to wake and find that for a family not far away that nightmare is their reality today, my heart is heavy but full of gratitude to the Giver of Life for the simple gift of being here with those I love most. We are but a vapor and I don’t want to take these moments for granted.
2063. groceries bought
2064. cabinet cleaned out
2065. brilliant, almost-full moon shining in through the window
2066. quiet time devotions that speak to me exactly where I am
2067. hope this morning
2068. a good five mile run
2069. glorious almost-blue moon setting
2070. breath-taking pink-orange sunrise
2071. good conversation with a friend who prays with me
2072. sleeping in just a little
2073. rain falling
2074. three-day weekend
2075. one last trip to the pool
2076. celebrating the Book of James with some Orange Leaf
2077. an extra day to get ahead for the week
2078. the book of Hebrews
2079. dinner with the in-laws
2080. a Tuesday that feels like a Monday – long, but still good
2081. lightening my load a bit and praying over the schedule
2082. a Hundred Day Cough for two of the girls (now three)
2083. “metaphorphosis” – the six year old acting it out while she reads it aloud
2084. a presidential signature and being one step closer to having her home
2085. being hope-full
2086. a really good day; still long, but good
2087. school finished, graded, and ready for next week
2088. whole house clean
2089. nutritious dinner prepared and served
2090. two sick children getting two good nights of rest
2091. a passport application for the oldest
2092. quiet, rainy days
2093. more cleaning and organizing finished
2094. First Friday Artwalk with the family
2095. a good Saturday
2096. birthday dinner out with my favorite
2097. another year of life
2098. birthday greetings from so many – the joy of Facebook
2099. a family that loves me and a husband who makes every day feel like my birthday
2100. open windows
2101. groceries bought – two SUV loads full
2102. the gift of an evening free
2103. youngest child’s first gymnastics class
2104. endless grace
2105. news from a far land – we are out of IBESR!
2106. knowing I don’t have to get up as early in the morning
2107. words to comfort, encourage, bless
2108. a beautiful day of rain, candles, open windows, and school books
2109. a couple of hours out alone – even if it’s for a mandatory meeting
2110. a rooster crowing outside my window in early morning dark – a reminder of Haiti
2111. long run finished for the week
2112. projects completed
2113. time as a family – laughing, playing cards
2114. life with those I love
2115. time to spend with them
May we all remember this week to give thanks for those we are so inclined to take for granted and keep our eyes open for the little things.
For His Glory ~
~ Sara
I will bear witness that the Lord is righteous;
I will praise the name of the Lord Most High.
~ Psalm 7:18
Praising His name by continuing to list His mercies, His faithfulness, and continuing to count the gifts…
2028. a milestone in a child’s life
2029. being there for her
2030. still daily learning how to do this mothering well
2031. learning to listen to my spirit
2032. soft dog at my feet
2033. each one of my girls
2034. swinging at the park
2035. sticky counter tops
2036. sink full of dishes
2037. sleepover friend for the third-born
2038. cooler mornings for running
2039. early morning snuggles with my Ellie
2040. late night struggles with another
2041. long talks in bed
2042. knowing I can never be enough, but God already is
2043. being chased by the grace of God
2044. a gymnastics class for the human monkey
2045. staying calm
2046. a few days away with my beloved
2047. sun
2048. sand
2049. salt-water
2050. loving each other
2051. uninterrupted thoughts, conversation
2052. books read
2053. pale orange sky
2054. sunset from 30,000 feet
2055. being welcomed home
2056. hard days that leave me tired and empty
2057. a God who fills if I only ask and slow to receive
2058. a pile of laundry to fold as I pray and reflect
2059. loud laughter after dinner
2060. realizing I need to take time to linger longer with these people, my people
2061. husband who brings lunch, makes dinner, prays for me
2062. being awake at 3:15 – a Wednesday morning routine; more time to think, pray, sit with God
Praying that this day, your day, is filled with an increasing awareness of His presence, His faithfulness, His unrelenting grace.
For His Glory ~
~ Sara
My Ears Are Tired 