Still Taking a Break

(another picture for you to enjoy)


Just a quick note to say I am still alive. I'm taking a break for the rest of the week from blogging. I plan to be back next week.

Want to wish all of you a wonderful New Year. I'm believing God for a greater sense of His presence and His purpose for 2009.


I've been posting short updates on my Twitter sidebar on my blog(left sidebar) in case you want to peek in on my random thoughts and happenings. I realize I may not be that exciting but I enjoy sharing brief updates.

If you haven't joined Twitter, it's worth considering.

Merry CHRISTmas!!

A selection of photos from our live nativity last Sunday service. Couldn't resist adding some of my kids in their Santa hats.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas! May Christ be the center of your day!

Water and Tears

For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Revelation 7:17(NIV)

Freedom

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1(NIV)

In His Shadow

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1(NIV)

Prayer Spells Love

If we truly love people, we will desire for them far more than it is within our power to give them, and this will lead us to prayer. Intercession is a way of loving others.

Richard Foster, quoted from Prayer

A Child's Love

My daughter knows how to care for her things better than I do. Here's an example that moved my heart one day while she was at school. And to think some parents abuse their children.

Hannah teaches me to treat those I love with kindness.

(This is her slipper!)

Fear the Lord--Not Man

The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death. Proverbs 14:27(NIV)

Light of the World

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12(NIV)

(I have already scheduled my blog posts for the next several days. Each day you will see a picture I've taken and either a verses or brief quote. I hope you enjoy them. Because of my Christmas commitments, I may not be able to visit your blogs, but I still will be reading the comments via my e-mail. I plan to return live some time during Christmas break--or before should God prompt me. Until then, enjoy this precious season, celebrating the SON!)

Thankful I am on His Path

Want to join in with your thanks? Visit Iris at Grace Alone.

I am thankful for the Word and how it continues to guide my life.

Now you've got my feet on the life path,
all radiant from the shining of your face.
Ever since you took my hand,
I'm on the right way.
Psalm 16:11(The Message)

Another Video--Christmas Spending

(PLEASE PAUSE MY MUSIC PLAYER BEFORE PLAYING)

(Also I am not sure about this ministry that made this video, but I love the idea.)

I still can't seem to wrap my brain around giving lots of gifts this year. Most Americans, including me, have too much stuff. I tried shopping for my kids and other family members this week with little success. I just walked around in a blur. I couldn't land on anything except socks.

Please watch and let God speak to your heart!

My desire is to forfeit my Christmas gifts so that others may have their physical needs met.

Resolutions or a Word?

Do you make New Year's resolutions? Does your list motivate you? Does it work? Or does it disappoint you and yell, "You can't change, so why even try?"

I'm done with resolutions. They never worked for me. Sure, the list was great, but I needed something simpler. A clear focus.

So instead of resolutions, I've adopted another annual tradition thanks to an article a friend of mine shared with me four years ago. In this article, the writer suggested picking a word for the year. Actually the idea was such a powerful one that I've picked a word every year since. I love it.

To read on, please visit Laced with Grace

Here I am to Worship

(Please pause my music player prior to starting. Right side of my blog.)
Thanks to my friend, Ashley, I found another video worth sharing.

Precious voice from another land! Tears of joy poured out as I watched her sing from her heart.

Do You Give to Bell Ringers?

What do you do when you see a Salvation Army bell ringer?

Do you pretend you're busy or that you don't see them and just buzz on by?

Do you feel annoyed and think things you'd rather not say like, "I don't have one more penny. I can't take another bell dinging."

Do you feel pressured to give? Or do you give with gladness?

I've done all the above.

This is the second Christmas God is working on my heart to give to the Salvation Army bell ringers. Hannah usually wants to give them coins to them before we even get to the store entrance. Sometimes we give nickels and dimes and quarters from the bottom of my purse.

But my giving isn't always loose change. God is teaching me a different kind of giving. It's giving my attention. It's intentional eye contact and "Merry Christmas." I'm learning not to miss the opportunity to treat someone else with dignity. I'm learning to notice them and offer a simple act of kindness. My smile.

Now to you, do you give to bell ringers? Is God speaking to you about this or something similar lately? If so, share please!

My Girl Playing Piano (Video)

(pause my music player, right side prior to starting.)

Had to start a youtube account to share this video. Oh, the techy me that I am. Not.

Mom and Dad, this is for you!

This is my Hannah playing her first Christmas song Away in a Manger at an assisted senior livng center last weekend. This is her first year taking piano lessons. I was moved deeply by the scene. Old and young. Songs about Christ. I found it extra touching as I listened to the sweet voice of a lady there who sang along towards the end.

Thankful for Laughter

(PLEASE PAUSE MY MUSIC PLAYER, RIGHT SIDE, DOWN A WAYS)


Want to join in with your list of thanks? Visit Iris at Grace Alone. Thank you, Iris, for your faithfulness in leading others in gratitude.

Distorted Image

How do you see yourself?

Do you see yourself as God sees you?

Or do you see yourself through a distorted mirror like I did in this one?

I'm learning the best way to live my life is to continue to gaze into God's mirror--His Word. As I allow His Word to become my mirror, I see clearer. My confidence grows. Not because of what I physically look like, but because I really believe and respond according to what God sees. Not what I see. Not what the world sees.

For me, it's called walking in victory and freedom!

My prayer is that all people start believing who God says they are. Loved. Chosen. Forgiven. Accepted. Redeemed. And so much more!

PS God's windex comes in handy. I often find residue splattered on my mirror that doesn't belong. It's a daily or even minute by minute job to keep it clean!

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. James 1:22-2(NIV).

Who Highjacked Me this Christmas?

As I've entered this season of rest, I continue to grow more and more restless. Who highjacked me? I didn't plan on feeling so bold. There is a fire inside me that wants to speak for all those who have no voice. I feel a deep sense for Americans to wake up and focus on what really matters. Love. Forgiveness. Freedom. Our savior. Others.

Christmas has me in a mysterious place. I feel passionate about my relationship with God. I know this rest is important and God's will for me. My gratitude continues to grow. So much to notice and be thankful for.

However I am also extremely disturbed. I pray this sentence all the time. "Break my heart with what breaks yours." I don't know why I am surprised when God answers my prayers, but I am. Maybe because God answers in ways I never imagined. Like this heaviness!

Here's what is disturbing me: Materialism. America's current debt. Living a lie. Too much stuff. Storage units filled with trinkets and furniture never used. Families feeling overwhelmed and depressed because they cannot buy lots of gifts. Do we need lots? The mindset of kids thinking they "need" $300 and $400 electronic toys to be happy or to fit in.

And my biggest burden: People missing out the real meaning of Christmas. Jesus!

Funny thing is I felt this burden for days now and then came across this section from the book I am reading, Into the Depths of God by Calvin Miller. Miller quotes from Leadership magazine 9 steps for Westerns to take to identify with the developing world.

"First, take out the furniture: leave a few old blankets, a kitchen table, maybe a wooden chair. You've never had a bed, remember?

Second, throw out your clothes. Each person in the family may keep the oldest suit or dress or blouse. The head of the family has the only pair of shoes.

Third, all kitchen appliances has vanished. Keep a box of matches, a small bag of flour, some sugar and salt, a handful or onions, a dish of dried beans. Rescue the moldy potatoes from the garbage can: those are tonight's dinner.

Fourth, dismantle the bathroom, shut off the running water, take out the wiring and the lights and everything that runs by electricity.

Fifth, take away the house and move the family into the tool shed.

Sixth, no more postman, fireman, government services. The two-classroom school is three miles away, but only two of your seven children attend anyway, and they walk.

Seventh, throw our your bankbooks, stock certificates, pension plans, insurance policies. You now have a cash hoard of $5.

Eighth, get our and start cultivating your three acres. Try hard to raise $300 in cash crops because your landlord wants one-third and your moneylender 10 percent.

Ninth, find some way for your children to bring in a little extra money so you have something to eat most days. But it won't be enough to keep bodies healthy--so lop off 25 to 30 years of life."

My heart cry is that this Christmas we all will take the pressure is off to buy, buy, buy. Instead I pray we take time to experience the wonder of Christ's birth. Cherish our loved ones. Enjoy Christmas songs. Sip hot chocolate. Love deeper. Take a night to visit neighborhood Christmas lights. Watch Christmas classics. Tell family stories. Visit friends. Make phone calls. Celebrate Advent. Read the Word. Attend parties. Take too many pictures. And of course, laugh!

We are a blessed nation, the wealthiest people in the world. We have so much. Too much. I want to make this Christmas as Christ-centered as possible. I want to stop the madness of too much stuff.

Am I saying gifts are wrong? Not at all. I just think we should really prayerfully consider what God wants our Christmases to look like this year.

I'm hoping to start a new holiday tradition of less stuff! That requires opening my hands and giving up things I cling to. Like my trinkets or a present. That means when I buy gifts this year, I put back the one for me. That requires a change in my thinking. It'll be hard work. I'll be tested to cave in. But I trust God will give me strength as I learn to let His Spirit live in me. I want more of my greatest gift this Christmas. Something that doesn't fade or need dusting or washing or storage.

His presence!

What God wants us to treasure is inward and spiritual. Only as we get the God's-eye view of things can we escape becoming forever trapped in minor material hungers and surface values.
~Calvin Miller~

Listening to His Spirit

Are you okay with listening to His Spirit within?
In the quiet? Just you and Him and a notebook or journal and pen?
Are you willing to write down what you sense He says?

If so, tell me more.

If not, what stops you?

Do you believe God still speaks today?

As I've mentioned I've written for years now what I sense God says to me. At first I felt like I was making things up. I didn't trust what I sensed I heard. But as I've continued to take time to be still and listen, I've grown in confidence. Today, without a doubt, I believe I hear God's whisper. Sometimes the words I hear are so amazing, I am taken into a deeper place of worship. I feel so content. So loved.

Here's an entry of listening I wanted to share, may you be encouraged by these words from April of 2004. I love looking back at how He has directed my steps. He is such an amazing God.

"My bride, where are you? Why are you not getting ready? You must start preparing. You must not waste your days away. Listen to my voice. Follow me. I will show you the way to everlasting life. Remain in me. Do not wander. Come as you are. Bow down before me. Give me your all. Surrender to the shaping process. Admit your needs. Prepare your heart. Enter into my sanctuary. I am your God. Quit worrying. Lay down your fears. Have faith, believe, trust me no matter what life brings you. I am a good God. My plans include you. I have created you for good works. Prepare yourself."

The best part about sitting and listening is the fact that much of what I hear is Scripture. Often, the Spirit brings to mind His Word. That's one way I know I hear His voice, it lines up with truth!

"My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me," John 10:27 (emphasis mine).

(added more of my thoughts into the comment section for further explanation)

In Honor of My Brother's Birthday-Reposting "Beauty Has Scars"

In honor of my brother Ryan's birthday today. I am reposting an entry I wrote in 2005. Ryan, happy birthday. May God bless every day of your life. I love you.

This post is in honor of one of my life hero's, my brother, Ryan. (Hopefully I'm quoting his life and words correctly.) Ryan is hugging SANTA, my husband.

When Ryan was three and a half, he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma. Ryan endured two long years of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. Against all odds and thanks to much prayer, my Make-A-Wish brother survived. But not without scars to prove it.

His physical suffering didn't end there. As a teenager, he rode his bike up a homemade ramp and crashed, landing on his head. In the hospital, doctors told him he permanently damaged his tenth cranial nerve, which in turn, affected his swallowing and his voice.

This summer I got to know the "real" Ryan. I spent three days with him. Not under ideal circumstances. My grandpa died. I flew to Minnesota to attend the funeral and there met up with Ryan and my parents. Unfortunately, my other brother and sister weren't able to join us.

Every night in the hotel room with my parents, Ryan and I laid there in the dark and talked. This was precious to me. Since I'm 14 years older than him, I felt like I never really got to know him. When I was in high school, I babysat Ryan, he was a baby. Back then, I had my mind set on other things. You know, boys and how fat and pale I thought I was.

Ryan is a wise young man. I asked him whether or not he thought about plastic surgery to widen his face. Radiation stopped his jaw bones from growing at age three. As a child, he visited numerous surgeons about reconstructive surgery. However, insurance wouldn't covered it.

He replied, "I've thought about fixing my face, but then again, it wouldn't be me."

In that moment, my mind flashed to his email address, "cuztomguy@..... " I realized Ryan accepts the custom face God gave him. That's more than I can say. I struggle accepting my imperfections, like my varicose veins.

In another conversation, I asked Ryan about his dreams. He answered, "Yeah, I have dreams for myself, but most of my dreams are for other people." I love that. Yet it hurt realizing I'm so self focused. I dream for others too, but my first dreams are all about me, what I want to accomplish, see, or become.

Ryan has an amazing heart that many might miss. His damaged voice doesn't project loud enough in a crowd, so you'll often find him silent. He's blind in one eye, so if you're on his left side he might miss your gestures. However, Ryan doesn't miss what really matters. He genuinely loves and dreams for others, and he accepts himself, as a custom guy.

When I look at Ryan, I don't see his scars, I see beauty.

(c) 2005 Tiffany Stuart

An Amazing Season of Rest

Many of you know God asked me to "rest' for the remainder of this year. Just wanted to post a quick praise.

There is no greater gift than God's presence. Resting is such a rewarding experience. I may do this every December. :) I can hear God more clearly without all the activity. He reminds me to stop, look and listen. To love without expectation. To appreciate little things. To go to bed grateful. To forgive freely. To pray without ceasing. To intercede for others.

I've been able to declutter my closets and cabinets and my paper piles. Prior to pausing, my home was out of order. And that makes for stress for me. I like order.

Wow, it feels amazing to know where things are again. Still have rooms to go. While I work from room to room, I listen to praise music. I sing sometimes. Other times, I talk to God or I sit in silence. Gratitude grows as I enjoy more of God and living in the moment. I find myself tearing up as I wash laundry realizing my husband and children are such gifts.

As I've organized my desk, I've come across art from my kids that makes me smile. I miss the little kids that they once were, but I truly love who they are becoming. I want them to spread their wings and be who God created them to be. They make my life more beautiful.

When I'm in my kitchen, I watch finches and chickadees at my feeder as the fluffy snowflakes come down. So cute!

That's where I'm at. Weird to be living so slow around Christmas, but I wouldn't trade it. I'm finding gifts at every turn. My heart sings "It is well with my soul!" Healing is a beautiful thing. God's love calls me deeper.

Planned Parenthood Is At It Again!

Heard on both the TV and the radio yesterday and today that Planned Parenthood is offering gift certificates and promoting them as great Christmas gifts this season. The gift certificates can be used for birth control and even abortion services.

I am stunned! Can you imagine buying one of these for your daughter and sticking it under the tree?

Please pray. This disturbs me. Many of you know why!

Thankful for A Week Away

(I took hundreds of pictures on our vacation. Here's a variety of shots of the scenery and my family.)


Want to join in with your list of thanks? Visit Iris at Grace Alone. Thank you, Iris, for your faithfulness in leading others in gratitude.

The Letter that Changed Me

I almost forgot with the Thanksgiving holiday to link my blog to an article I wrote on Ungrind.org.

The Letter that Changed Me.

Water

(I took this picture at the City Museum in St. Louis last week.)

He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life." Revelation 21:6(NIV)

This morning Hannah touched my heart without even knowing it.

"I wish when you dumped out water in the sink it would go to the poor people," Hannah said as she poured out her water glass from last night.

"That's a great idea." I said.

"They should invent something like that," Hannah added.

Wow, I love it that my girl is thinking beyond herself at age 11 and that she is thinking about those who have no clean water. One of my dreams is to drill a water well in Africa!