Pop culture is serving up generous portions of Beyoncé and lots of folk are partaking. But one group that I'm surprised is lined up are Christian women. As a black woman, I've noticed in many Christian circles an insatiable appetite for all things Beyoncé.
Here's the deal: I am not a card-carrying member of the Beyhive.
Let me step back as the stones are hurled my way.
Read MoreSwooning over: Crossway's ESV Journaling Bible Interleaved Edition. It has a blank page across from every of page of Bible text. I NEED this in my life. I print out the Bible to write notes and this would be so helpful. My birthday is in July if anyone wants to gift it to me! *smiles*
Reading: the Bible in a year with
Read MoreI think I may have stumbled upon planner peace...again.
Last year, I settled in nicely with the kate spade Wellesley planner and I loved it. It was compact, it zipped and it doubled as my wallet. The only thing I discovered that I didn't like is that if I wanted to move things around, I had to hole punch inserts and re-laminate dividers. It never happened, so half of my planner went unused.
Then late last year, I watched a video on the Midori Traveler's Notebook. I'd seen them before, but never understood how it worked. This video summed it up so well, that I was sold
Read MoreAs I scroll through my social media feeds today, I've found a common theme: they are full of New Year resolutions, vision boards, weight loss challenges, one word themes and lists of goals. Every where I look, people are declaring what their year will look like and what is going to happen. The more I scrolled, the more I realized that the Lord was laying something entirely different on my heart.
This year, I'm giving up.
Before you write me off as a quitter, let me explain.
Read MoreGot a million little thoughts on my mind and I have about half a dozen half-finished blog posts drafts begging to be published.
So I'm just going to freestyle it.
June slipped right through my fingertips. So here's a recap of what I can remember.
* Working out combined with summer heat has not been kind to my straight hair. Since I despise twisting my hair on a regular basis, I tried a flexi rod set on blow dried hair. Love it. And no two-strand twisting at night. All I do is pineapple my hair and wrap with a silk scarf at night. Easy peasy.
* Much of the reason my blogging has suffered is because of personal Bible study time. I'm walking through the book of Genesis and overflowing in the richness of God's Word. And after 3 weeks I'm only on chapter 6. Proof that if you keep digging you'll find treasure upon treasure. Have tons of notes from the revelation I've received and have a project in plan for those that has me nervous. More later!
Tween angst has ascended on our household. That would be my tween behind that laptop screen which I have to pry out of his hands because of Minecraft.
* My "friend" and mentor Elisabeth Elliot passed away on June 15. I've written about her before here on the blog. Crazy thing is I'd been googling her the whole week prior to her death to see if she'd passed away because I just had a gut feeling she'd be transitioning soon. Above are a few of my favorite books by her.
* And the little girl in our house is obsessed with stickers. We have a strict no stickers on furniture, windows or wall, so she decided to decorate my purse. Toddlers are fun.
And that's June--what I can remember of it--in a nutshell!
Just finished reading: Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin. Actually finished it in 2 days! Some good solid info. I especially like her reminder that the Bible is first and foremost a book about God and His dealings with His people--not about us. Next read: Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot.
Loving: Jen Wilkin's Bible studies. I'm right in the midst of the Joshua study. I really like slowly digesting a book of the Bible at a time.
Planning: A trip to Bay Area later this month. My mother has a storage she's getting rid of and I'm going to go raid her goodies!
Thinking about: Summer plans for the boys. Summer is when I wish I was a homeschooling mama. I don't take kindly to having to pay for summer camp while we work.
Looking forward to: Two-year-old being fully potty trained. She's been in underwear for the past two-three weeks. We've had a few accidents-which is to be expected. Still working on staying dry overnight.
Listening to: A whole smattering of things: some old Ben Rector, United Pursuit, Kenny Lattimore.
Watching: Loads of iTunes University. I can't believe I didn't know about iTunes U. I'm "taking" an Old Testament History course at Dallas Theological Seminary. Taking = watching via Apple TV and writing notes. And also a Bible Study Methods course.
Anything new with you? I'd love to hear in the comments below.
Loving: My little girlie's frohawk that she rocked for Easter. I wanted to do something different and it turned out lovely. Lots of compliments. Funny thing is when I told her to go look at herself in the mirror she said, "I look crazy."
Finishing Up: Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot. I just have a few pages left and have to decide what to pick next. The decision is overwhelming because I have a stack of books on my nightstand and a bunch of downloaded books on my Kindle. I've decided I want to get back to basics and read some Christian classics so I've downloaded titles by Andrew Murray, Warren Wiersbe, Brother Lawrence, A.W. Tozer.
Watching: Born in the Wild. Cannot stop. It's like watching a train wreck. I want to turn away but just can't.
Listening to: Erica Campbell's I Luh God. The kids love it. Christians are downing it because it's trap music but I'd rather my kids sing this than CoCo which my first-grader said he's heard many of his classmates singing word for word. When my sister hipped me to the video I was appalled that adults would know this song word for word.
Recently: Joined Goodreads to keep track of the books I've read this year. Join me? https://www.goodreads.com/nonsuperwoman
Enjoying: the pretty colors of spring. Flowers are in full bloom in our backyard and the jasmine bush in the front yard is so fragrant.
Happy: I bought a big container of Chick-fil-A's polynesian sauce for home. My seven year old has been begging me to buy some for him and he eats it whenever we have chicken.
Looking forward to: Seeing Celine Dion in Vegas now that she's returned from her hiatus. Praying for God to provide the funds so I can make it a girl's trip with one of my favorite friends.
Addicted: to Stella Pop. I downloaded it for the kids and I end up hiding in a corner to play it. I clearly have a problem.
What's current with you?
It's been a string on extraordinarily ordinary days lately.
Laundry. Homework. School drop offs. Packing lunches. Work. Making dinner.
Repeat.
It's easy to get exasperated and overwhelmed with the daily routines. Mounds of laundry. The piles of dirty dishes. The discipline that has to be doled out daily.
But God never designed it to be this way.
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:23-24 ESV)
We are given grace to do the hard things. And grace to do the mundane things that can wear us out. Every toilet cleaned, every dinner cooked and every correction made is an act or service in God's eye and one that doesn't go unnoticed. So I'm not working for my family, I'm serving the Lord.
When I view mundane acts in this light, the kitchen become holy ground, as does the laundry room and every other area where I'm tempted to think it simply drudge work.
When offered up to God, even the every day tasks can be holy.
Mopping the floors is ministry? Sounds ludicrous. And it felt especially ludicrous to me as I mopped floors this weekend only to find them dirtied by three sets of little feet this week. But bless God those little feet who can dirty and who are still here alive and breathing. That I get to provide a clean, stable and loving home for them is an honor. An honor that many women want, but can't have.
Every act of service is counted worthy in God's eye. This small shift in perspective has changed my grumbling into holy wonder. God sees every little act I do and He honors it.
“This job [of motherhood] has been given to me to do. Therefore, it is a gift. Therefore, it is a privilege. Therefore, it is an offering I may make to God. Therefore, it is to be done gladly, if it is done for Him. Here, not somewhere else, I may learn God’s way. In this job, not in some other, God looks for faithfulness.”
― Elisabeth Elliot
Unfolding words on theology, faith & the goodness of God in everyday life.
