Becoming Bold

It started with a check that came in the mail fifteen years ago. I had given birth to my third child, my firstborn son. On a limited income, we hoped to nurse. Yet, quickly, John developed milk allergies keeping him from nursing. The formula needed doubled our weekly grocery budget.

I shared a prayer request during the weekly bible study I attended. The following week a fifty dollar check came in the mail from a bible study classmate. She knew we were struggling financially with this added expense. After receiving some birthday money, she wanted to share it with us.

It wasn't easy receiving the money at first.  I had grown up with the mindset of not sharing your personal struggles with anyone. So embracing  a new way of thinking, "that God might want to take care of me through  His people" was foreign. Yet, it was given with such love and joy.

That one act of giving began a snowball effect that continues to this day. Over the span of the last fifteen years our family has been the recipient of hundreds of gifts ranging from food and diapers to frequent flier miles to attend Mom Heart intensives.

Probably the largest reminder I have of the faithfulness of God to provide for my family is my home. About nine years ago my local church asked permission to do some home repair for me. Married at the time to an over the road truck driver made it hard to tackle repairs at home. I was a homeschooling mom of five ranging from two to twelve.

The church called it the Jerusalem Project. They sent us out of the house for two weeks to complete a "Hallelujah Chorus Task List" which my pastor had requested. What we returned to change our lives forever.

When we returned home there was a welcoming crew of at least 50 who walked us through each room which had been transformed from flooring, paint, to decor. The beauty was breathtaking. I nearly fainted when I saw the deck off the back door which overlooked the river. I had longed for a deck for six years as we could not use the back door because it dropped five feet off the house.

This is the verse the Lord gave to me during the two weeks of waiting while they worked on our home.

Psalm 13:6 "I will sing unto the Lord for He has dealt bountifully with me."

We suspected we were coming home to new flooring and possible painted walls. But we were in awe at the beauty and complete home makeover which became our new home.

We walked into this verse: "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!" There is not a single day I live that I cannot walk into my home and be thankful for all God has done for me and my family.

This season I have realized that as we experience the tangible love of God we become bold.

As we receive and come to know the nature and character of God through the outpouring of His love for us, we are filled with the power of His spirit to walk out what He has called us to in our individual lives.

"For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. "Ephesians 2;10

Experiencing the love of God made me bold enough this summer to start a family business in our community. In June, Graves Grocery: A Community Reststop opened to serve breakfast and lunch to the people in our small community. We are completing our seventh month of business this month.

You can read more about our little place here http://www.waff.com/story/24098447/laid-back-old-country-st#.UqvUkmaw3PQ.facebook

Thus far, having the store has been the most rewarding experience in life other than being a mom. It's like something I waited forever for but did not know I was waiting.

It is an opportunity daily to show the tangible love of God through serving or a kind word. I am trusting God to use me in such a way that, as I share the love of God to my customers, they too become bold.

May you reflect this holiday season on how God has poured out His love for you in your own life. And if there is too much pain to see His love, ask Him to show you. If you belong to Him, He has never left you.

As you reflect on His outpouring of love, may you too become bold.

Have a bold and bright Christmas!

Love, Pam

The Beginning Of a New Adventure

GRAVES GROCERY 

A COMMUNITY REST STOP

"A Place to Satisfy Your Hunger and Your Heart"

     I never dreamed I would be a store-owner, in my community, reaching out in ministry to those in need.  However, because I desire to do more ministry in my community, I kept believing there needed to be a physical place to meet to reach more women and children.

     Eighteen months ago, when the opportunity arose to buy a local store, the price was too high. I proceeded to take a job at the local YMCA ministering to 120 kids daily, along with their families, and supervising eight counselors.

     I began Mom Heart, a local community outreach, to women and children in September, 2012. We meet weekly at a local church and engage in gospel storytelling, children’s literature, practical life skills, and play.

     We are seeing transformation in the lives of the two families attending, as the power of God’s word takes root in their hearts and minds.  As change occurred, we all kept asking how can we grow and impact more families in our community with the life saving message of redemption.

     I truly thought this ministry was enough to last a while. It became evident at the end of March, 2013, my job at the YMCA was coming to a close. God used significant health issues to cause me to consider whether I was to stay.

     Just a short time after my thoughts began to wander about other jobs, I noticed the same store I desired 18 months earlier was now up for sale again.

     This time it was half price.  Fearful questions arose,

“I have never run a business. How will I know what to do?”

“Should I do something so risky?”

“Will I have enough money to take care of my kids.”

     Then hurling accusations came from the enemy….

“You will never make it..You are crazy….”

Then fear showed up. So I reached out.

     I knew a God who rescued me out of addiction, abuse, and neglect. Although I am a single mom with five children, he restored and redeemed my life. He had given me a strong community of believers to walk with through life. He had given me a strong testimony and heart for ministry.

     I went to God’s word, spent time in prayer, and asked for prayer from trusted friends regarding this life changing decision.

And God came through again. He is faithful.

     Psalm 90:17 “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; And confirm for us the work of our hands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands.”

Psalm 37: 3-7 “Trust in the Lord and do good;

Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Delight yourself in the Lord

And he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;

Trust in Him and He will do this;

He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,

the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;

      I meditated on the faithfulness of God and recounted the story of His redemption in and through each and every trial in my life.  As I embraced His call on my life to live missionally, to believe God to be all of who I know Him to be, I came to a place of perfect peace and faith to walk through this new and exciting adventure.

     Yes, God answers prayers and gives us the desires of our heart as we trust, delight, and commit our ways to the Lord.

     May He be glorified forever in and through me, my children,…..and now, our little PLACE to gather, share, eat, and fellowship in His glorious name.

     I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. I WILL GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES. HE IS WITH ME ALWAYS.

     I want my whole community to know this glorious truth of redemption, the saving grace and love of Christ…that they too may experience the fullness of life the Father has for them.

 In Wonder,

Pam

For When You Feel Desperate

There have been periodic times in my life that I have felt nothing less than desperate.

Those times have encompassed the spectrum from all five kids having the stomach bug at the same time to a failed marriage and everything in between.

It seems like I lived my life to please others, constantly jumping through the necessary hoops for acceptance, approval, and identity. I've done it with my kids. I did it in my past marriage. And in another life I did it through relationships.

Furthermore, I have felt desperate to be married again...

Desperate for sleep..

Desperate for companionship...

Desperate for support...

It was even a feeling of desperation that led me to Dallas, Texas fourteen years ago, as I entered the world of homeschooling. I was desperate for direction, resources, and support.

What I encountered was the beginning of a fourteen year journey with my creator God. I became a disciple of Sally Clarkson, the Mom Heart mentor.

For the past fourteen years, Sally, along with her gifted speakers, have gently guided mothers, including myself with practical resources and kind encouragement as we journey in a role as mothers. But the main principle prevailing every talk and every conference has been based on the nature and character of God.

Because Sally has spent thousands of hours studying God's word, the truth of who He is and what He says to me..about me..pours through her.

It has been abundantly clear throughout the years that nothing other than the power of God in our lives and us embracing the truths of God will meet the feelings of desperation we all experience as women in our unique life circumstances.

Although God has afforded me the privilege of a personal friendship with Sally, these truths are available to anyone who desires to resolve their feelings of desperation. Sally has written numerous books, which can be found at www.wholeheart.org

However, today's time is about her most recent work, written along with Sarah Mae, a new fresh voice I look forward to meeting in Raleigh.

Find out more at www.desperatemom.com

For me, the sweetest part of the story includes a small writing part, from me, addressed at the end of the book especially for single moms! (pg.213-214)  If anyone had ever told me that my words would be included in a book that is on the first page of www.barnesandnoble.com or as of yesterday was #54 on www.amazon.com I would not believe it to be true.

Recently I listened to a sermon by Louie Giglio who stated the following point:

"The trajectory of your life is not determined by your present circumstances"

How true for this sweet venture I get to be a part of.

I am 46, a single working mom of 5 children, technically backwards, and understand little of social media.

But I have prayed this week that God would do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine to get this book out there to moms, who were as desperate as I was fourteen years ago. So they, too, can know their maker, and walk confidently in their roles at home.

 He has faithfully heard my prayer, in spite of my lack of computer literacy, and done immeasurably more than we could have asked or imagine.

I pray you will be encouraged by my writing below and know that my God can be your God and meet you in your desperate place as well....Buy your copy today!

A Special Note to Single Moms

"I believe single moms are especially loved by God. He is with you and will support you as you look to him and will work secretly in the hearts of your sweet children, because they, too, are loved by him.
It is my prayer than many of you will find a mentor to love and support you in your challenging and unique calling, so that you will not have to walk this road alone. One of my very dear friends Pam Graves is a single mom who has modeled such faith, grace, and strength over the years and I have asked her to share some of her thoughts about being a single mom."

-Sally

"Because I grew up in a divorced home and knew firsthand the pain associated as a child from a single parent home, I did not plan on being divorced or becoming a  single working mom of five children. Yet, when spiritual matters go unattended in one's life, patterns tend to repeat themselves.
I can honestly say my five children are "standing on my shoulders" are are shaking up the communities where they land, whether it be public school for the  youngest three, college sports for my second born daughter, or my oldest daughter who is presently en route to Berlin, to answer the call to missions.
My sweet nest climbed onto my shoulders as I desperately cried out to the Lord to make me a change factor in our family heritage. I still hold fast to the promises of my Maker that he will complete the good work he began in both me and my children.
There are ongoing battles of depression, loneliness, exhaustion, and character shaping in both my own life and my children. As I give every concern to my Heavenly Father, and press into God in the hard places, he is ever so faithful to meet me and my family in the desperate places, giving grace and lovingkindness to each of us in unique ways that reflect his nature and character.
It can be easy to allow our circumstances to define us: "single," "working mom," "divorced." Even worse, we can buy into the lie that the world judges us because of our circumstances. Whether you are single, divorced, or married, it is imperative to fight the enemy who tries to tear us down.
And we fight, like David, with the power of God's word. God defines us as an inherent treasure that he loved to the point of death. It's the same love we feel about our children. We fight through every battle, insecurity, deception, and fear that they too may know not only how much we love them but also the God of the universe is rooting for them.
Our kids are counting on us. I want to leave a lasting legacy of love and service."

When What Drives You Changes

Recently I wrote a blogpost for Mom Heart about our three gift tradition at Christmas. You can read more about it here: http://www.momheart.org/?s=three+gift+tradition

However this year I did not find my marathon shopping day as enjoyable as usual. It was not a sense of dread but more of duty. We have established these traditions and I must follow through. While that is a good character quality, diligence, I sensed a loss of passion.

Upon revisiting my study of 1st John, I believe I understand why:

In chapter 2 verses 15-17, the apostle John draws a comparison between those of the world and the people of God.

The qualities of those of this world are quite lengthy but make no bones about it:

the love of the Father is not in them

they struggle with lust of flesh

and lust of the eyes

and the boastful pride of life

they do not know their Father

they are passing away

While those belonging to God...

do the will of God

live forever

Pretty simple.  I need simplicity in the New Year. I do not need stress, complications, overwhelming situations, like lines and mass merchandise.

I am a mom. I desire to be available physically, emotionally, and spiritually, which is already a challenge as a single, working mom.

I want to give my kids gifts, and I want to enjoy the process of getting the gifts for them, wrapping, and presenting them.  It is my desire to please my children and celebrate the birth of Christ.

However, recognizing my limitations as a woman who struggles with fatigue and aging, I plan to shop online next year.

I am trusting that will simplify my life and allow me to keep the main thing the main thing..

doing the will of God

living forever

What challenges are you facing that might cause you to question whether you belong to the world or to the people of God. I do not believe we can lose our salvation. Yet, I believe often things of the world will pull on us. Consequently, we make choices that bring our character into question.

How can you simplify your life today for the New Year to keep the main thing the main thing.

With Love,

Pam

My two birthday weekend!

I was rescued this past weekend.

It is a single mom's story of rescue when life gets overwhelming. As most of my life finds, there is a lesson in the story.

Hannah turns 12 and Lawren turns 20...Breakfast at Another Broken Egg

Coming home from Africa and jumping into the American time culture has been harder than I expected or imagined. Everything is slow in Africa. Not only is the African culture slower but also other elements of the mission trip presented new challenges back at home.

For example, all my meals were prepared for me, someone drove me around for two weeks, and a leader told me where to go and what to do. Back home I am in charge of daily food prep, schedules, and transportation.

In addition a new job schedule with increased hours had me hitting the ground running literally.

So, when this past weekend approached, the timing of celebrating two birthdays seemed somewhat overwhelming. But then came the rescue.

As early as Thursday friends were calling and texting to celebrate with Hannah. Thursday  night friends and neighbors took Hannah to Octoberfest. Here's her prize!

Mt "top banana" Hannah Rosie...who is now 12!

Thank you Debbie and Ashley Doyle for being part of the rescue!

Actually, the rescue started earlier with God's provision of extra work which provided money to give my girls for their birthdays. The mission trip depleted most of what was extra. Since we don't give regularly, on my single parent income, we do BIG on birthdays. So I am so thankful for the extra work which allowed our tradition to continue without being a hardship.

Earlier in the week a good friend offered to treat the two birthday girls Lawren and Hannah and myself to breakfast, while performing Lawren's job duties at church AND driving to pick up my boys and bring them back to church. Sunday morning provided a leisure Sunday breakfast with my girls at Another Broken Egg.

Thank you Mark Butcher for being part of my weekend's rescue.

Lawren, even though it was her big day (she is 20 now) made sure the three younger children were cared for Sunday afternoon while I worked and came home to cook for her own birthday dinner Sunday night. So while I served lunch to about 55 for a couple's forty- fifth wedding anniversary in Hampton Cove, I offered a prayer of thanksgiving to God.

Thank you Lawren, my sweet daughter, for being part of my weekend's rescue.

Happy 20th Birthday Lawren..You are such a blessing!

Finally, there is my sweet and long time high school friend Pat. During my entire 45 minute workout on Friday after MomHeart, Pat casually asked about my weekend plans. I tried to sound excited about celebrating and trust the Father in spite of my fatigue. Pat offered to help...even making suggestions. Pride was long removed and I jumped at the offer.

So while I worked and went straight to a ballgame of Hannah's, Pat got all the food ready, put balloons on the mailbox, set everything up beautifully, and brought hot pizza when the kids arrived for the swim party. Their were skittles abounding, a cupcake cake, chips and salsa, fresh veggies and dip, tiny cokes, and hot pizza....every 12 year old's feast.

Thank you Pat Traglia for being part of my weekend's rescue.

As I finish up the story I am overwhelmed by the goodness and love of God. And today I am thankful for friends who love and serve us.... Friends that think out of the box about expressing God's love for my family.

And I remember a greater rescue. The rescue of God from a life of addiction, alcoholism, and other sin.

Psalms 40:2

Like David, I experienced this:

I waited and waited for God. 

At last he looked; and finally he listened. 

He lifted me out of the ditch,

 pulled me from deep mud. 

He stood me up on a solid rock

 to make sure I wouldn't slip.

 He taught me how to sing the latest God-song, 

a praise-song to our God. 

I am so thankful for the rescue of God. Without it, I would have missed my rescue this weekend. What has your most recent rescue looked like? 

Love, Pam

So much more to celebrate!

It's my turn to share today at www.momheart.org. I am sharing the limelight with my friend Cherie so you will have to look for my post about Mary's recent graduation and the excitement surrounding it. Please hop over and leave your comments! I would love to hear how God is answering prayer in your life as well.

Love, Pam

Simple pleasures revisited

I think I once shared with you my answer to the then challenging question of....name three simple pleasures.... things that don't cost anything but when afforded you, bring great delight. I now know these pleasures as to produce a heart of thanksgiving in me as well.

My first simple pleasure is crossing the bridge daily to come home from wherever I've been..... be it work, Mom Heart, or the YMCA. When I cross that bridge over the muddy waters of the Tennessee River the tension starts ebbing down from my shoulders into my lower back and releases from my physical  body.

I KNOW I AM ALMOST HOME

It doesn't matter that reckless kids are waiting on me or ball practices or supper to cook....everything is better at home. The picture above was taken yesterday. It was an afterthought. And this writing did not warrant me turning around to get the full view of coming into home. No, I was not willing to go back...I was too close to home...didn't want that stress creeping back up.

I am learning that simple pleasures provide opportunity to say thanks to God for His many gifts. Our Friday Mom Heart group is finishing up One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I am learning "Eucharisteo"...the giving of thanks. Packed into that one word is the Greek word for JOY, GRACE, AND THANKSGIVING. I am further learning that eucharisteo, or the giving of thanks, always precedes the miracle.

So, in essence, I cross the bridge...my simple pleasure...I give thanks to God...I am graceful and joyful.

Here are some other beautiful pictures of eucharisteo....

E

Easter Morning Breakfast

My joyful Hannah Rosie leaving a game the only way she knows how!

 

But today I am most thankful for the Father's love for me...how He knows the desires of my heart. Because I  delight in Him, He gives me those desires. Yesterday was Thomas' tenth birthday. My baby is double digits! I had no money for dinner, three children going in three different directions for ball games, and faced the possibility of working later than usual. I just kept giving it all over to the Lord...He knew how much I wanted to make the evening special for Thomas. I just kept thanking Him even for the difficult place I was in.

The baby...always bringing laughter

So, unexpectedly, my brother shared the rent money from property down the street, my oldest daughter Lawren came by work, got the money, the grocery list and the menu, AND ALL BALL GAMES WERE CANCELLED. Finally, I only had to work about 30 minutes over!!! Last but not least...Thomas called on the way home and ask for a bbq chicken pizza to go with the spaghetti sissy was making....."You know Mom...it's special for my birthday."

With thanksgiving again, I delivered a gift basket on the way home from work. The extra $10 delivery fee paid for his pizza. When we prayed over Thomas at dinner, I thanked God for rearranging our schedules, and bringing rain so we could all be together.

What are you thankful for and what miracles are you experiencing as a result of your thanksgiving? I would love to hear from you!

A saga followed by a litany of praise....

Last night the Christmas tree fell. I was in one of those deep sleep times that come only rarely.  My heavy heart welcomed the rest. So, when I am awakened by a combination of water pouring all over the living room floor and the crash of the tree, my heart picks right back up on the sadness and feelings of despair.

I am only worried about the fragile hand painted egg ornament given to me by my bible study leader  eleven years ago when Hannah was born as a babygift. In the most delicate artistry, painted is a baby in a cradle with a beautiful array of color and the scripting from Matthew...let the little children come to me...Hannah's First Christmas 2000. It is the only ornament every year that gets its own special box and tissue paper. My prayer is that Hannah can always have her egg as a keepsake. Lawren, my 19 yr old, who has been awakened as well, finds the egg resting sweetly in a chair atop of a pile of unfolded laundry.

We have mice....and not Christmas mice...at least two of them...one that hangs out in the kitchen area and another that stays in the back of the house. It is so bad that the bedroom mouse made a nest in my son's dresser drawer and ate a hole in his Ocean City, Maryland lifeguard shirt. The critter had to pick a fave shirt:(

I pay Cooks $31 a month for pest control. That's $372 a year on a single mom's budget. I don't feel as though this fee should require I scout out mice poison from Wal-Mart and I do not care for cats. So today I will call Cooks AGAIN but I will most likely stop for pellets because I am feeling so desperate in general and need to be rid of the mice. The story about them being friends with Hannah's hampster Squirt just isn't washing anymore.

I had to work a twelve hour day yesterday after a ten hour day on Monday. I am tired.

Forgot to mention the dishwasher leaks...in a family of six that is crisis overload. We eat alot and often. The struggle to be green sets in and I refuse to purchase paperplates but the kids are not stepping up to help wash dishes, saying, "that's not my chore". I try to talk to them about honor and consideration and they look at me like I am an alien. TODAY I FEEL LIKE AN ALIEN...A NON VISIBLE WOMAN who feels completely alone.

Oh yeah, and one of my closest friends has recently moved to Arizona...ARIZONA for goodness sake...across the country. She is the one whose shoulder I cry on over coffee, the one just one step ahead of me in parenting and grace who listens, cries too, and encourages me. AND NOW SHE IS NOT HERE.

I am sure these are issues that shepherd boy/King/man after God's own heart David never dealt with. He was too busy running from enemies, sleeping in fields, fighting his battles and leading his men.

Yet, the emotional gamut that runs through our souls as we walk through life parallel each other.

May I, like David, finish the day in praise:

                                               Litany of Praise (based on David's Psalm 105)

How great is my God, and how I love to sing His praises.

Whereas I am often frightened when I think about my future, and confused and disturbed by the rapidly changing events about me,
My heart is secured and made glad when I remember how He has cared for me throughout the past.

When I was brought forth from my mother's womb, 
God's hand was upon me.

Through parents and people who cared,
He loved me and sheltered me and set me upon His course for my life.

Through illness and accident
My God has sustained me.

Around pitfalls and precipices
He has safely led me.


When I became rebellious an struck out on my own,
He waited patiently for me to return.

When I fell on my face in weakness and failure,
He gently set me upon my feet again.

He did not always prevent me from hurting myself,
but He took me back to heal my wounds.

Even out of the broken pieces of my defeats,
He created a vessel of beauty and usefulness.


Through trials and errors, failures and successes, my God has cared for me.
From infancy to adulthood He has never let me go.

His love has led me, or followed me, through the valleys or sorrow and the highlands of joy,
Through times of want and years of abundance.

He has bridged impassable rivers and moved impossible mountains. Sometimes through me, sometimes in spite of me.
He seeks to accomplish His purpose in my life.

He has kept me through the stormy past.
He will secure and guide me through the perilous future.

I need never be afraid.
No matter how uncertain the months or years ahead of me.

How great is My God, and how I love to sing His praises

Chapter Three "Content to be me"

I wonder if every woman embraced the truth that the Creator of all the universe "breathed the breath of life into them" would they hold their head higher?

I wonder if every woman knew their immeasurable value before God would they no longer condemn or criticize themselves?

I wonder if every woman knew their purpose on earth would they continue searching for something else to define them?

Psalm 139 speaks to these three truths. 

Verses 13 through 15 attest to God creating us...specifically stating, we are fearfully and wonderfully made; the psalmist speaking about God says, "Wonderful are your works (you and I  are the work he is referring to), and my soul knows it very well."

I am constantly thinking about people I value...how I can bless them or encourage them or minister to them. Well verses 17 and 18 let us know that God is valuing us by thinking of us.....ALOT! The writer says, "How precious are your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I could count them, they would outnumber the sand."

My daughter is at the beach right now....I hope she walks along the sand and realizes that her heavenly father has her on his mind in a big way.

Finally, regarding our purpose, God lays it out as well in verse 16 "And in your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them." In other words, God has eveything planned out for us before it ever happens...nothing catches Him off guard. He knows past, present and future.

So I am made by Him, for Him, and am deeply loved by Him. These truths should produce great contentment in my heart. Then why is it that often I I still feel either inadequate or overwhelmed by my life circumstances producing discontent in my heart?

Maybe it's because I have never fully embraced the truths form the time they were taught to me. Maybe I have never given much thought to what God really says about me but rather have listened to the world with its distorted view of what makes one valuable, successful, and beautiful. Maybe even my parents didn't know these truths so they could not pass them down to the next generation.

Regardless of the reasons the truth is now out. It is inviting to me. And embracing the truths of scripture produce contentment and peace. Why? Because I am choosing to trust in Almighty God...the blessed controller of all circumstances (1Tim 6:15) who is "for me" and has my best interest at heart...who has given me a future and great hope (Jer 29)...plans to prosper me....and not to harm me. Over the past nineteen years I have trusted  little by little and found God faithful so today it is much easier to go back to what I know to be true...His word, His nature, and His character.

I am most assuredly discontent at least once a day if not more. I am only human. The most beautiful part is I now know how to recognize it, who to give it to, what truths to appropriate in my discontented circumstances, and can then rest and be at peace. And what an enormous difference it has made in my life.

Do you believe you are valuable in God's eyes....that He is constantly thinking about you...His creation and how He can bless you?

Do you know God has ordered your days to operate in the passions and giftings He has bestowed to you. It is in that place of corporate businesswoman, doctor, or homemaker that we find contentment. Are you operating in your giftings?

We are commanded in Genesis 1:28 to subdue...or bring to productivity that which is in our domain. Are you bringing to life and productivity what is under and around you?

First though you  must believe that you were created by God and in the image of God. We as believers are the image bearers of God. Are you properly presenting Him in and through your life to those around you.

My prayer for you today is that you WILL walk with your head higher because of who made you, that you will relish the idea of God thinking about you ALL the time when so often our love tank is empty from disappointment in personal relationships and life, and finally will you ponder your giftings and abilities questioning whether  you are content...I would love to know your thoughts regarding these truths.

When I Was a Little Girl..

When I was a little girl I wanted to be a stewardess. I think they call them "flight attendants" now.  But I wanted to fly on airplanes and bring people their drinks.  Most likely this idea came about from my yearly flights to Shreveport, LA to visit Aunt Peg. She would typically fly my brother Jonathan and myself out each year at different times to visit her.

I loved every moment about the flight experience. I especially got a lot of attention being a child traveler. You got to visit the pilot in his cabin and received a pair of Delta wings after every flight. The flight attendant paid special attention to you and brought you extra peanuts and coke.  Somewhere I even have a picture taken with a man at the Delta counter in some airport.

Each year I observed the flight attendants and dreamed about becoming one when I grew up. It was on every grade school sheet that asked, "When I grow up I want to be a ______________."

My work today is a lot like a flight attendant. Rather than a plane I work at Lyn's Gracious Goodness behind a counter. I take your order or deliver your sandwich to you when it's complete, often complete your order by plating your salad, wipe your table, and give you a cup to fix your drink.

Not only do I enjoy serving  but I have grown to love the customers at the shop as well. We have some regulars who eat with us several times a week. They take the time to ask how you are, smile, and are genuinely thankful that you have served them.

Sometimes my job includes leaving the restaurant to go and work a catered event. This past week I served at a local bank board luncheon. So what happens is the following: I go to work in my uniform which consists of shorts, Lyn's lime green tee (with the big orange fork), and tennis shoes covered in red clay from hours at the ball field practicing and coaching.

Once at work, items are loaded into my van for the lunch. All the goodness is hauled down the street and unloaded and carried, thankfully by cart, up to the fourth floor board room where it is unloaded again.

The next hour is spent folding napkins, putting out water and tea glasses, salt and pepper shakers, sugar containers, and silverware, plating the salad and finally filling the glasses with ice, water and tea. Meanwhile, the yummy lunch goodness is warming in the oven.  Everything looks great. I am now just waiting for the board members to arrive.

Meanwhile I forgot to mention that my contact has said hello. I have inquired how her mother is who is transitioning between apartment living with a housesitter to a residential home. My friend relays to me how her mom fell during the day of the tornadoes and had to travel by ambulance to the hospital with a broken pelvis. We share because this job of serving has afforded me the privilege of building relationships with people who care about one another's lives.

Everything is ready...except for my clothes. You can't serve board members in shorts and a tee shirt. So I race into the bathroom and change into my black pants, black heels, and black top. For a minute I feel like Wonderwoman, who had a regular life but when duty called went into a corner and came out a superhero to meet the needs of the moment. The outfit isn't exactly like the flight attendant's navy blue but it's real close.

I proceed back to the kitchen of the boardroom where for the next hour I serve the fourteen board members their lunch. This particular day it's fresh salad greens with tomatoes, toasted pecans, and green onions topped with basil buttermilk dressing. Next there is pot roast and gravy, mashed potatoes, greenbeans, and cornbread. For desert we have chocolate silk pie with homemade whipped cream and coffee if desired. My bank contact helps me clear and serve while I keep their glasses full of water and tea. As usual, lunch is a hit.

Both jobs..the flight attendant and my restaurant job today are about serving. It's probably a good fit because it's how I am wired. Actually it's how all Christ followers are wired regardless of your profession.

River of life lesson: "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Who, being in very nature God, did not consider  equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant..."(Philippians 2)

I believe regardless of your position you can be content and fulfilled in  your work when you operate out of your giftings. Many left brainers who spend countless hours toiling over a project for the space system can be equally fulfilled when a particular problem is solved or project is complete. He or she has served their team or supervisor well.

Likewise, in the countless thankless hours of a stay at home mom, she too can rejoice that when she has done everything there is to do in that day, she can say, "I am an unworthy servant, I have only done my duty." (Luke 17:10) This mom has served the Lord as well as her children as she ministered to them throughout the day whether it was fix a cup of juice or wipe a runny nose or stayed up late talking to her older teen or young adult child who is struggling with life issues.

The lesson when we operate out of our giftings in the individual areas the Father has called us to is the realization that He gives us the desires of our heart. Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."When we delight in the Lord and enjoy fellowship with Him, the overflow is joy and thanksgiving that spills out into other areas of life such as work and family. They get the best of us when we delight in Him.

I realize today how the Father has given me the desire of my heart to love and serve others through my role as a mother and also at work. It took getting sidetracked on a business degree in college and many other twists and turns to come to this place of contentment.  Looking ahead, I wonder what it will look like when the fruition of my most recent ten year longing comes about: to open a bed and breakfast in my home. A place to be called  River of Life Inn.

As the longings, ideas, and plans cultivate in my heart and mind, it is with anticipation I look forward to watching how He moves to do what He promises to do: Give us the desires of our heart, when we delight in Him.

If your life lacks joy or contentment, could it be that you are not operating out of your giftings? How are you loving and serving others? If you belong to God, it's your make up. And share your story here. I would love it.

I have the most interesting friends...

I remember a time when all my friends did the same things I did. We all either homeschooled our kids, were stay at home moms, or never missed church. Not so much today.

The circumstances of my life have dictated that my friendships change. My divorce brought working outside the home which altered my schedule dramatically. No longer were there opportunities to meet for play dates with moms and kids or the flexibility to get together with friends often during the week.

Yet, I realize that although my schedule and circumstances of life change, I have some of the most interesting friends. Just in my weekly interacting via calls, social networking, texts, and occasional visits, I have girlfriends who practice occupational or physical therapy, bellydance for fun, dance in drum circles, hunt, deliver mail, and more.

Recently, I encountered a couple of fun situations where I realized just how blessed I was by my friendships. First, there is Dana. Dana is Madisen's mom. Madisen plays ball with my Hannah Rose...softball, basketball; and since I have finally relented maybe even soccer this upcoming fall for the first time..they have even played travel ball together briefly.

For now, Madisen is an only child so Hannah often gets to tag along with their family. Last spring break they visited the Smoky Mountains. Most recently Hannah hung out during the snow storm after I returned to work. Dana spent all day pulling Madisen and Hannah in a wheelbarrow top from the back of a four wheeler all around their yard. I have attached a picture and video to show you how much fun they had.

Dana, and her husband Danny have taken Thomas, my youngest, hunting. Did you know that hunting often requires going the day before to scout out your area? The same weekend they went we had lots and lots of rain. Madisen's poor horse was struck dead by lightening. Yet, as determined people they still buried the horse, scouted the land, and took the kids hunting. There is something to be admired about that kind of dedication to do what you love.

That Sunday afternoon after church they showed up to pick up Thomas. Madisen came to the door with her heels, skirt and black sweater on. I proceeded to the car to find Dana in a dress. I still can't believe someone that pretty is about to go get decked out in camo and hang out in the woods. I am just glad they love us enough to be a part of our lives.

But the greatest thing was several weeks ago I get a phone call. I see from my cell that it is Dana. When I answer she is whispering...She says, "Hey, it's Dana. I'm about twenty feet up in the air. I just killed a deer and I can't find it. Danny is on his way to help me. Can you go get Madisen from her grandmother's and take her to practice?" Did you whisper when you read that...because without whispering while you read you lost the total effect!

I reassure her that sure I would pick up Madisen. That evening after practice both Danny and Dana show up with the deer in the back of their pick up.  She proudly lifts the prize up by its antlers for the kids, who have barreled out of the van, to see. I say, "Dana, I am totally impressed that you hunt. You are my only female hunting friend. I could never hunt with you because I don't like being cold and once I saw a deer I would only want to pet him. But I am thrilled to see your passion about life." Dana reassures me that this particular deer suffered minimally.

Here is a pic of her prize...the deer and her hubby...

My other friend Ingrid is living another great story...She met her husband Robert at a monster truck show in California. They got married and eventually returned to his homeland, which is nestled almost directly across the river from us on Hobbs Island. Our families meet via church; although I later realized we have purchased fish from his mom and dad's fish market for years.

Anyway, Ingrid's mom and step dad are about to retire her from the west coast. A few weeks ago I pick up Hannah from there home late one Sunday evening. When I arrive into their home here is what I found: I AM NOT KIDDING.....I EVEN TOOK PICTURES I WAS SO BLOWN AWAY!

 Ingrid and me hugging the ram..we edited the one where the kids had us picking his nose.

 Sydney and Hannah by the??????????I am sure I should know that!

 This cape horn buffalo is situated on Ingrid's dining table.
You can see the size of this creature, just head and bust, with Ingrid in the background.

These pictures don't even include the spare bedroom where the bed was completely covered with additional game. The story is that Ingrid's step dad has been on four African safari hunting trips. This is what he brought back. Her family had the animals shipped to Alabama to store until they retire here in the near future.

The only problem is Ingrid does not realize the truck will come at 7 am on Sunday morning...the very day of not only church but little Hayley's birthday party as well. So, at seven am with Robert out of town, Ingrid and the truck driver are jump starting the four wheeler in order to attach the animals onto the four wheeler and drive them up there incredibly steep driveway, unload them, remount them onto these bases and place them in her home.


I guess the most impressive moment of all this for me is that while Ingrid is reliving the day, there is never a moment of complaint or aggravation that dead wild game has taken over her home. She is calmly relaying the events and thinking ahead of how she is going to situate all these animals in her home til her folks get here. Never a moment of criticism or whining that her husband wasn't there to help or that there is no where to sit at the dining room table.  What an inspiration.

Before I left I said, "Ingrid, this was a fabulous way to end a hard day...I am going home to write about this.  So, here you have a couple of stories about some fabulous friends that the Father has placed in our lives.

There was a time of my life when people who lived differently or did things I considered weird would not have impacted my life. I was too critical and judgemental and narrow minded to consider the vastness of God and His glory that is manifested in and through the various lives He allows us to interact with.  But today I see Him....His character..revealed through my friendships and find myself humbled and grateful for the privilege of these friendships.

RIVER OF LIFE LESSON: Be open to the people the Father keeps putting in your life. The Lord may be wanting to use them to teach you something about Himself.

Who are you thankful for? I heard a sermon this past Sunday at Buckhead Church in Atlanta that emphasized DTR..define the relationship. The pastor was encouraging us to define our relationship with our heavenly father...is it growing and is there purpose there?  We can filter our earthly relationships through that same grid. How am I growing and what purpose does God have for me in my current friendships. Good food for thought.

I would love to hear your feedback about how the Lord is blessing you through your friendships!

MomHeart Online Bookclub

This summer I participated in an online book club for the first time ever. As a single working mom with a crazy schedule, it is often challenging to find time to attend bible studies. My motivation for the online study was to have great discussions with both my mom and oldest daughter who read and participated as well.  It was a great experience that met my needs for spiritual accountability but never took me outside my home, caused need for a babysitter, or cost me anything other than the cost of the book.


My time this summer prompted me to think about bringing the MomHeart discussion of Dancing with my Father online as well. Our small group is set to start Friday, September 10 at the Heart of the Valley YMCA on Weatherly Road. We meet weekly from 9-1030 and childcare is available. However, this is not a good fit for working mothers or  home school moms.  Hence, the online discussion. So, here are the specifics.


On Friday, September 10 I will post a short discussion followed by questions, which are in the book. You will read the chapter and answer the questions on your own during the week. The following Friday, you will log onto my blog and post your comments from the questions, read others comments, and hopefully be encouraged in your parenting or grandparenting journey to embrace joy in spite of the circumstances of life. 


What do you need to do if interested:  ORDER YOUR BOOK  Dancing with my Father by Sally Clarkson TODAY FROM EITHER OF THE FOLLOWING SITES: www.wholeheart.org or www.amazon.com 


Please contact me through my blog or facebook and let me know you are planning on participating.

If you have to work, do something you like.

I love my job. River of life lesson: If you have to work, you need to do something you like.  I believe work is not part of the curse. I believe work is an opportunity to enjoy life in a productive way and operate out of the passions the Father has put into each of us.

I happen to work at a place with fantastic food and great people..both co workers and customers. Occasionally there are catering events to work. I have been afforded the privilege of working in homes with  the most breathtaking views of Huntsville, while serving some of the finest food in the most wonderful homes to gracious people who are just glad to have you there.

Yesterday, I worked a board luncheon at a local bank...eleventh floor boardroom with huge glass windows which overlooked our entire city. Here was the menu: roasted pork tenderloin, croissant  tomato cheddar casserole , lima beans, bread, sweet potato pie, and a salad with fresh blueberries, strawberries, blue cheese crumbles and toasted sugared walnuts with balsamic vinaigrette. Whew, that was a lot to type and eat!

We plated too many plates which to my advantage left food for me as the board members cleared out and moved to another room for their meeting. As I cleaned up I enjoyed the extra and considered  writing about that pork.

On Monday, our entree to go at the shop included this same roasted pork tenderloin. As I saw the meat being sliced, I was able to get a small slither from the end. The taste of that meat literally carried me the rest of the day. It was so scrumptious, I was unwilling to taste anything else until dinner for fear of losing that moment with that piece of pork.

I began thinking about how unhealthy pork is for you and that in the Old Testament it was forbidden to eat. My mind raced forward to the wedding banquet which we, as believers, will get to participate in...Yes, there will be food in heaven. I began feeling quite thankful that we live under the New Testament grace of our Lord and are free to eat whatever meat we desire. Understanding, of course, that many things in moderation can be ok.

I really wasn't planning on writing about my pork story until a sweet  young lady came in the shop last night to buy fried chicken for dinner. As I rang her up, she went on and on about the pork entree she had purchased the night before. That was all it took for me. I gave her my five second version of my experience and how I was considering blogging about my divine moment. Because at that moment of intense pleasure, I absolutely thanked the Father for delicious food.

She said, "You absolutely should write about this!" So here you have it. I pray you are enjoying where you work.