New Website...Check, check, check it out!!!!

Hey friends! I'm super excited to announce that mama's got a brand new blog site!! It's new and much improved and will be added to probably on a weekly basis if I can make it happen.  Thank you so much for reading my posts and for bookmarking or subscribing to this blog and I would be ever so humbly grateful if you'd follow me on over to my new one  - www.fromhaustohome.com
Hope to see you at my new home! :-)

Much love and many blessings,

Nancy

Did ya miss me? Did ya? Did ya?

Hello, friends! After a month long break, I’m back at it!  Blogging…that is.  ;-)  I have said before, but it bears repeating…I won’t write a blog if I’m not truly motivated and inspired to do so.  I won’t just churn something out for the sake of keeping up with a schedule because I want to believe in everything I write.  I am going to renovate my blog though.  I’ve been asked by a few people to add more about my family and decorating ideas so, I listened and I took it into consideration and decided to do just that!

I am a person of varied interests so, my blog should represent that.  The new blog will have a little bit of everything and will be easy to navigate. It will also have a new name with a much easier address.  I am working on it with my genius brother and my genius husband and can’t wait to unveil it to all of you!

Now, on to today’s blog:

On November 12^th, the husband and I celebrated our 18^th wedding anniversary! I know what you’re thinking…and yes, I was a child bride. ;-) Haha! No, but seriously…I can honestly say that I am married to my very best friend.  He drives me crazy but he also makes me insanely happy.  We have practically grown up together! It’s kind of nuts when I stop to think of it.  We’ve been together for almost 22 years…that’s more than half our lives…and we still not only love each other, we really like each other too.  Yeah…nuts.

 This is us circa 1992...yep, we were awesome.

 

 

 Us on our wedding day 1994...holy giant sleeve!

 

 And us last Christmas...better with age, I think. 

 

 

 

 

I guess nowadays, it’s unusual for a couple to stay together happily for this long and we don’t take that for granted.  I think the key to it is just the fact that we allow each other to change and grow.  We celebrate each other and encourage each other.  We didn’t get stuck on the idea of who we were when we got married as if we’d never change.  We have changed…a lot.  We’ve grown and we’ve changed our opinions on things…even important things.  Everybody changes.  The problem is, sometimes people have a hard time allowing others to change and worse than that, they become so disconnected, they don’t even realize the other person has changed until they don’t recognize them anymore.  Sam and I aren’t special.  We aren’t marriage counselors or experts in any way…we just know what works for us.  We allow each other to change.  We know each other through the changes.  We’ve grown together and not apart.  That takes effort though.  It didn’t happen by chance. 

So, 22 years of togetherness and 18 years of marriage later, the Lord showed us a scripture that goes perfectly with our philosophy (if you will) on marriage.  I thought I’d share it with all of you in hopes that someone needed to read this. 

 

Colossians 3:12-15 

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

We like the New Living Translation version of this scripture and it sums up perfectly how we feel about marriage.  Really, this scripture is about more than marriage…it’s about how we should behave towards everyone, but if we started in our marriages, then let it flow to our children, our other family members, our friends, and so on…imagine how powerful and strong our relationships would be! 

Okay, that’s it for now.  I hope you all will stick with me as I start my new blog! I’ll keep you posted as to the new name and all that jazz.  It’ll be fun…promise! 

Until next time…

Much love and many blessings,

Nancy

YOLO!!

Yesterday was my birthday and I as I have done for every birthday since I turned 29, I looked over the last year…the last few years…and contemplated where I am in relation to where I was. Am I where I want or wanted to be?  Am I who I want or wanted to be? Did I accomplish the goals I had set for myself? Have I grown? Have I changed for the better? All of those questions and more ran through my mind. I looked through old journals to help remind me of these things and set my perspective for the year that is to come.  Not that I have every year planned out or anything…I’m just a person that likes to have an idea of what I want to accomplish so I find it helpful to write it down. 

As I looked over my journals and started to really think about who and where I am at this very moment, I felt a sudden surge of joy hit me…not because I had accomplished everything I had set out to do…on the contrary, I hadn’t.  Actually, some of those things now seemed obsolete or irrelevant.  Some even seemed downright silly or shortsighted.  So, why did I feel joy? Simple…I understand I don’t have it all figured out, I am not exactly who I want to be, and I don’t have a lot of control over a lot of what would get me there…BUT…I know God does.  HE does.  He is directing my path.  I may not understand it all…in fact…I won’t understand it all because I am not God.  What a relief! I don’t have to have it all figured out! I put my life in the hands of the One who formed me, who breathed life into me, who knows how many hairs I have on my head.  My past, my present, my future…it’s all in His Hands.

I still have goals in my mind and heart that I would like to accomplish before my next birthday.  I still write them down and pray over them and ask the Lord to guide me and help me accomplish them. And like I do every year, I add…”nevertheless, not my will but Yours be done”. His will is far superior to mine.  This year, however, I have changed my perspective a bit.  There’s a saying that has become popular recently and I think it’s been used the wrong way.  YOLO (you only live once) has been used to motivate or excuse reckless behavior…I think it should be used for a different purpose.  I have decided to say “yes” to life!  “Yes!” to all the wonderful things God has available to me in this life. “Yes!” to getting out of my comfort zone and putting myself out there.  I say…”Yes!” to life and “No!” to fear.  “Yes!” to life and “No!” to doubt.  “Yes!” to life and “No!” to procrastination.

This is why I felt joy come over me when I read over my journals and considered my year. It is because I have a new paradigm of how I should look at making plans and goals for myself. I have decided to try anything I feel motivated or inspired to try and let the Lord lead me through it. If I truly allow Him to have control and have His will, I may hear Him tell me to do something I’m not sure I am capable of doing. That’s okay! His strength is made perfect in my weakness!  I heard this lovely minister, Christine Caine say, “Impossible is where God starts!”  I love that! I embrace that! That brings me joy! And with that, I say, “Yes!”

What do you need to say “Yes!” to today? Try out for that choir or band or play! Apply for that job! Take a step toward what you want today and shout (to yourself otherwise you may look crazy) YOLO!! A life of regret is a miserable one.  Let the Lord guide you and then make the move you’ve been waiting on a birthday or an anniversary or whatever to make.  If you get a “no”…hey…you didn’t lose anything but you did gain experience and that is priceless!  And in case you think you’re too old or it’s too late, here’s a quote that may change your mind:

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream…” – C.S. Lewis

So, I hope my birthday epiphany was a motivation to someone.  I hope that one of you reading this will see this as the confirmation or motivation you needed to embrace life and begin to say “Yes!” to the things that are in your heart to do.  Even if it’s just one…I am overjoyed!

Until next time!

Much love and many blessings,

Nancy

Reflection...

This has been a particularly busy week as I am deep in rehearsals preparing for Chosen (my church’s women’s conference).  I love my church, I love Chosen, and I really love singing worship music so it’s been a fun week as well.  Every year, Chosen has a theme and this year the theme is Chosen Treasure. This weekend, the women who are blessed enough to be able to attend Chosen will hear again and again they are a treasure to God. I’m so excited!  I decided to blog about something that goes along with the idea that we are indeed chosen as a precious treasure to the heart of our Father. 

Often times I get my inspiration from something I’ve heard in one of my women’s ministry meetings or from someone’s testimony.  Other times, I get it from a line in a movie or even a facebook status.  This one came from devotion time with my daughter, Lexi.   Every night, we take time to read from a little devotional she has and then we all pray together as a family.  This particular evening, the devotional posed the question:

  “Do you like what you see when you look in the mirror?”

I read that question aloud and Lexi without hesitation looked up at me with a sweet little grin and nodded her head, “yes”.  That moment struck me instantly.  First of all because I loved how she responded and I decided then and there that I never want her to lose that feeling.  I want her to always be happy with what she sees when she looks in the mirror both physically and in her countenance.  I pray that when she sees her own reflection, the light in her eyes that dances with joy and love and kindness would give her the confidence in who God made her to be so that she will always be pleased with who she is and what she sees in herself.  I also pray that the Lord would help me to encourage and cultivate that in her.

After that initial and immediate feeling came upon me, I started to think about it more broadly.  I thought about how many of us can truly say we are happy with or like what we see when we look in the mirror.  I know for myself there have been many, many times when I have been displeased not only with my physical appearance but my countenance as well.  I think it is safe to assume I am not alone in that…which is why I decided to write about it.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized how important it is to like what we see when we look in the mirror.  How much more powerful would we be if we truly were happy with who we are inside and out?  Imagine the power we would have if we really grasped who God says we are! Imagine the power we would have if we really understood we were fearfully and wonderfully made! Imagine the power we would have if we really, really knew we were made in the very image of God! He doesn’t make mistakes.  We were made exactly how He wanted us to be made.  We are a priceless treasure to His heart. There is power in confidence…confidence in knowing our God is working in us to do His good will and pleasure.  Insecurity, self-doubt, self-loathing, and feelings of worthlessness or unworthiness hold so many of us back from walking confidently in our God-given purposes.  How differently would we live our lives if we let go of all of that?

When the devotion time was over, I asked Lexi why she thought she was beautiful and she thought for a moment and replied, “Because I look like you, Mommy”.  Of course that made me smile from ear to ear but then I looked at it more deeply.  We are the very image of Christ and He is beautiful!  We are beautiful because we look like Him! Talk about an epiphany! Beauty is so much more…so, so much more than our outward appearance.  The most beautiful woman in the world or the most handsome man could instantly lose his or her attractiveness if they are mean or treat people badly.  The outward appearance will only get them so far.  But if we reflect the very image of Christ, the love of Jesus, the joy that is our strength…how beautiful is that? 

I, for one, have decided to be like my little girl…to look in the mirror and choose to be happy with what I see.  Shouldn’t we all? The Word says that we are the light of the world!  If that light is so hidden behind insecurities and self-doubt, how can we share it?  If the light is gone, what darkened it or hid it?  Release whatever it is or whoever it is to God and allow healing and restoration to take place…not only for your sake but for the glory of God and for the fulfilling of His purpose for you on this earth that affects those He puts in your path.  His light penetrates all darkness! Look in the mirror and see that light of joy, peace, love, faith, redemption, grace, and mercy and then go out and spread it all around!  Rejoice in your reflection…it is the beautiful image of God’s great workmanship.

Be blessed and until next time…remember…you are a chosen treasure to the heart of God!  You just need to believe it so you can live it!

 

Much love and many blessings,

Nancy

Where is the love?

I almost didn’t post a blog today because I couldn’t decide what I wanted to post.  I try to always post something that truly resonates with me and therefore may make an impact with some of you.  I figure, if it made a positive difference in my life, perhaps it’ll make a positive difference in someone else’s so I share it. Today, I just couldn’t think of anything I really, really wanted to post.  I realize that those of you who read my blog take time out of your day to do so and I truly value that.  I feel obligated to post the best of what I have to give and trust it’ll speak to those it relates to. Therefore, when I couldn’t feel passionate about posting anything in particular…I almost didn’t post at all.  The husband encouraged me to post and his exact words were “Whatever you post will be epic.” Haha! He’s so sweet and really believes in me which makes me love him all the more…even when he uses words like “epic”. ;-) Anyway, I regrouped and sat still for a moment and then it hit me...Love! I know what you must be thinking…I’ve already posted blogs about love and you’re right, I have.  But this time, I’m just going to rant…I’m not going to my dictionary.com app or to 1 Corinthians 13.  I’m just going to speak from my heart.  So bear with me if you will as I do just that.

There’s a song on the radio right now by Casting Crowns titled, “Jesus, Friend of Sinners” that has been playing a lot lately.  The lyrics to the song are very powerful and I want to share the chorus here:

“Oh Jesus, friend of sinners…Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers.  Let our hearts be led by mercy, help us reach with open hearts and open doors. Oh, Jesus friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours.” 

This next line really stuck out to me and is what inspired me to write this blog:

“Nobody knows what we’re for only what we’re against when we judge the wounded.  What if we put down our signs crossed over the lines and loved like you did?”

It’s so easy to love people that believe like us, look like us, sound like us…but what about those that don’t?  How do we show the love of Jesus if we’re not willing to stop picking at the speck we think we see in someone else’s eye and remove the giant two by four in ours?  This song made me ask myself these questions.  Love is patient and kind…are we? Okay, I lied…I am going back to 1 Corinthians 13 after all.  Ha! In verse 5 the Amplified version reads like this, “It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly.  Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way…” God’s love lives in us! This is how we should love…EVERYONE.   It isn’t easy but it’s really simple.  Just love.  It’s already in us…we just have to let it out.  That’s great news! We don’t have to try to love or strive to love…we just have to allow God to love people through us.  People don’t feel loved if they feel judged or looked down upon.  People don’t feel loved if they feel inferior or belittled.  None of us feels loved in those circumstances. 

The Bible says that God so loved the world…not just some of us…not just a few of us…not just the righteous or religious or clean.  No.  God so loved the WORLD, that He gave His only Son, that WHOEVER (not just the righteous or religious or clean, not a particular denomination, not even just church people) believes in Him will have everlasting life!  Who are we to determine who is worthy of that kind of love? I know I am not.  I need His grace and mercy and unfailing love as much as or more than anyone else so I am determined to tap into that love inside me and pay it forward.  I have asked the Lord to forgive me for being judgmental or self-righteous if I have been towards anyone.  I don’t want that in me. I want to overflow with love so that anyone (and I do mean anyone) I come into contact with will feel that love in one way or another. 

Like I said earlier…it isn’t easy.  Sometimes I’m not going to feel like it.  Some people will rub me the wrong way.  Some will hurt me.  Some will disappoint me.  Others, I won’t agree with on anything. But Jesus said the best way we can show we love Him is by loving each other.  His love lives in me, I just need to share it and not hog it all for myself.  By sharing it, it’ll actually increase in me! And you! God is just awesome like that!  And when I do slack, not if…when…that’s when His mercy covers me.  That’s when I drink in His grace and move forward knowing He knows my heart is to do His will…knowing He loves me and that makes me love Him all the more. And knowing I will do better next time because His strength is made perfect in my weakness.  So I won’t beat myself up for having a bad day or bad moment.  His grace is sufficient for me.  His love covers a multitude of sins. God IS love!

I hope this motivated someone, encouraged someone, and/or inspired someone.  I know this post was a little more rambling than my others but I was truly typing out my heart as it flowed from me. I suppose the greatest notion of love is that it is What and Who God is. Knowing Him means knowing love in its purest form. 

Where is the love?  It’s in us! Let’s let it flow!!

 

Until next time…much love and many blessings,

Nancy

Love is...(continued)

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Five verses of scripture…just five…describe in vivid detail not only what love (the God kind) is but what it is not.  This makes me happy because five happens to be my favorite number.  First of all, five is the number of years my husband and I were married when we had our son (a child we thought we may never have).  Five is also the number of years old our son was when our daughter was born (who came as a total surprise).  One of my favorite scripture verses is Romans 5:5 “And our hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (NIV)  Most importantly for me, the number five represents grace.  And let me tell you, I don’t even want to know where I’d be if not for God’s grace in my life.  But…I digress.  This blog is not about my favorite number (even though it’s awesome)…it’s about love…what it is and what it isn’t.

Last time, I wrote about love being patient and was pretty vulnerable about how patience is not naturally a strong suit of mine.  Honestly, I thought, “Whew! That’s over with!  Now, the rest should be smooth sailing”.  Umm…yeah…not so much…I was soon to encounter another that would sting a little (insert grimace here).  We’ll get to that one on another blog though.  First, we have to see what comes next in line.  I do have to say, I was struck by the fact there are more things listed about what love isn’t than what it is.  Well, one more but still…it’s more.  Sometimes, it’s good to not only know what something is but what something is not to truly understand all that encompasses it. 

So, of course love is kind.  That one is pretty easy.  Kindness is not difficult for most of us most of the time.  Then begins the list of things love is not or does not do.  Firstly, it does not envy.  According to dictionary.com (I love this app!); envy is “a feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another’s advantages, success, possessions, etc.”  Most of us have probably felt envy toward someone at some point in our lives, but love…love does not envy.  Perhaps the most destructive component of envy is covetousness.  It’s hard to be loving towards someone if we want what they have and are upset they have it and we don’t.  There’s a thin line between wanting to be successful ourselves and wishing we had someone else’s success.  A lot of times, when we compare ourselves to others (remember it’s a joy thief!), we run the risk of becoming jealous or envious of them and we know love does not envy. 

Okay.  Now what? What do we do if we find ourselves feeling unhappy about someone else’s success? Their success shouldn’t make us feel that way.  If it does, we’re probably jealous or envious and we know that is not who God called and made us to be.  We have to decide (and it is a decision) to be grateful for what we have and who we are and work on changing the things that may be keeping us from being successful.  What’s holding us back? What do we need to embrace, start, or pursue that we haven’t yet?  What do we need to put aside, stop, or break away from that is detrimental to meeting our goals or dreams?  Looking toward Jesus who is the One who holds our future and focusing on Him is the key!  That’s the only way we can truly be content and enjoy success in our own lives. 

Whew!  So much to meditate on in only five verses of Scripture! God is good and His heart towards us is good.  His love is alive in us if we allow it to be. 

Until next time…be blessed and remember…love is patient and kind and it does not envy.

Love is...

This summer I decided to start my own Bible study from scratch.  It’s just me, the Bible, the dictionary, and Jesus.  I chose to do it this way because I didn’t want opinions or interpretations to skew anything I felt I was hearing from God directly to my spirit.  I don’t usually do this because I truly value all the amazing and inspirational sources out there designed to help people better understand the Bible but for this particular study, I just wanted it to be as pure and unfiltered as possible.  I didn’t really have to agonize over what to study because the thing that has been foremost in my mind is pretty simple…love.  Life in Jesus is really all about love…love for God, love for others, love for the earth, love for self…love. 

Love is such a generic term nowadays though.  We love our families, we love our friends, we love our…shoes? Yes, it’s true…we express our affinity or pleasure with something the same way we express devotion and dedication to others.  Love is a word used so often and meant in so many different ways…but the love I wanted to understand, the love I wanted to delve into is the kind of love written about in 1 Corinthians 13.  It’s the kind of love that is superior to all things.  It’s the kind of love that changes lives for the better.  It’s the kind of love that casts away fear and brings about repentance.  It’s the kind of love that covers a multitude of sins.  It’s the kind of love that I not only want to possess but exude through me towards everyone I am connected to.  I want to radiate this kind of love. 

So, I began where I was inspired to begin…1 Corinthians 13.  The first 3 verses basically read that if you are the most amazing person on the planet and can do the stuff of superheroes but don’t have love…you’re useless, ineffective, and have accomplished nothing.  That’s my interpretation of it anyway.  Verse 4 is where the study begins for me: “Love is patient…” There’s more to that verse but I stopped there.  You see, patience is not something that occurs naturally in me.  I tend to be impatient in many ways.  When I want something done, I want it done now not later.  I hate waiting in traffic or in lines of any kind, and I absolutely get irritated beyond belief if someone or something holds me back from getting somewhere I want to go in a timely manner.  I have been known to exhibit a mild form of “road rage” from time to time as well.  I know it’s terrible.  I’m not proud of it.  I really want to be patient and laid back…it’s just not my personality.  However, when it comes to love…love is patient.  Oh boy.  The first 3 words of this study and I’m already feeling convicted.  I decided to look up the word “patient” in my handy dandy dictionary.com app and here’s what it is defined as:

“bearing provocation, annoyance, misfortune, delay, hardship, pain, etc., with fortitude and calm and without complaint, anger, or the like”

Then I looked up the word “fortitude”:

“mental and emotional strength in facing difficulty, adversity, danger, or temptation courageously”

Upon reading these definitions, I stopped and just sat still and quiet.  I pondered what I read.  I have always heard the saying “If you pray for patience, be careful because something will come that will test your patience to the extreme.”  That scared me so I decided to avoid that kind of prayer.  But God did not give me the spirit of fear! He gave me the spirit of power, LOVE , and a sound mind.  Hmm…if love is patient, then He must’ve given me patience too, I just need to tap into it, right? That’s what I came up with anyway which made me feel much better so I’m gonna go with it! His strength is made perfect in my weakness and boy oh boy do I need His strength in the area of patience.  Instead of feeling condemned and pitiful, I chose to thank the Lord for the spirit of love that lives in me, for His strength that takes the place of my weakness, and for His mercy and grace that cover me when I forget to operate in His love not my own.  I dust myself off, I grab my pen, and I begin to write. I write a prayer:

Lord, help me be filled with Your love.  Your love is patient…help me bear all of those things that come at me with fortitude and grace.  I know that I am not a patient person by nature, I need You for that.  Thank You that Your strength is made perfect in my weakness.  Let Your love reign in me.

In Jesus’ Name – Amen!!

Feeling empowered to live a life of love, I then decide to take to my laptop and type.  I hope that what I type makes a difference for the better for someone besides me and that by typing this all out, I have a constant reminder of the work God is doing in me.  I can’t be the only one that struggles with patience or that desperately wants to radiate God’s love.  So, I choose to allow the Lord to use me, to show His love through me and hopefully, you will too so that even when we get provoked or annoyed; even when misfortune darkens our path; even when we experience delay in getting what we need, desire, or are greatly anticipating…even when we are dealing with hardship, or pain…we hold up and remain firm under all of it.  We endure it calmly (breathe) and without complaining about it (check ourselves).  We press on without getting angry (count to ten) and lashing out (words have power of life and death). We choose to operate in this LOVE…real, true, pure, honest, God-love.  I know I need much, much more of this in me…much, much, MUCH more.

What a start to my Bible study! God is so faithful! He speaks to even me! He loves us that much that when we ask Him to reveal Himself to us through His Word…He will! He does! That’s a lot of exclamation marks in a row but I can’t help it.  His love for me is overwhelming and makes me want to shout!! He loves you that much too!!!!!

Starting today…remember…love is patient and we have that kind of love living in us.