Bits and Pieces

Posted on by Mary

I know it’s been a long time and very sporatic at bestl

I’ve opened the app and the site sat and stared not knowing where to begin. I want my writing to be impactful and full of purpose but in the same respect I have just lost the joy of writing in this space like when I started writing here nearly 17 years ago.

A few weeks ago I really started contemplating why this was. it came down to a few things. Those things are:

l. When I started blogging it was simple. It was just me and my thoughts and a computer. Now when I write l create an image l fill out SEO stuff and I get lost in the tiny details. It’s all necessary and important but those details drastically suck the joy out of the writing process for me.

2. The expectations of my own writing and the perceived expectations of others. Over time as my writing has changed and growsn I seem to think that every writing piece needs to resemble some big work of spiritual art. The reality is that can’t always happen. Some days are yucky and Hard. I have nothing profound to say just the realness of my heart. THAT has been criticized in the past. There are people who didn’t like my being real with where I was. (That’s about to change). Keeping up of appearances is one of the things that needs to change, especially amongst Christians. God writes our story. He helps us through it and yet we don’t tell the how. We just put on a smile and say “Im all good” and no one is any the wiser, and the work of God in our hearts, minds and lives goes unused to help that person who may be having sleepless nights, falling tears and loneliness.

3. Criticism. I’ve said it before and I will say it again. I struggle with people pleasing and I have done a whole lot of recovering from that over the last two years. This past September I had to write a victim impact statement which got turned in to a federal court judge. A few days later I found myself sitting in a Federal Court before that same judge next to one of the most obnoxious defense attorneys. I read my statement. What happened next was…..frustrating to say the least. More criticism. I’m going to write more about this in the coming months. Walking away from that day I said well if I can face that nothing will phase me. Still……I chose silence.

I’m sure if I sat here I could think of a bunch more things. But those are the Bigs ones. I gave up on the things that I loved and that made me feel the most alive and connected to God. So now what?

For now Im going back to what worked at the very beginning. Bits and pieces of my life shared. Thoughts, questions fun pictures. Some days I won’t use SEO. Some days I will just write to heal, write to breathe, write to process. I’m not writing for you the reader. If along the way you like what Ive written….GREAT! If along the way God uses what I have written to impact you in some way…..AMHAZING. IF GOD USES MY WRITING TO HELP YOU GROW CLOSER TO HIM…..PRAISE HIM. In the meantime I will be sitting over here sipping my coffee, praying, reading and enjoying the process

Thanks for joining me on my journey of faith.

Heart Check for Our Journey

Posted on by Mary
Heart

Heart Check-Up

Hello, Friends! It’s been a couple of weeks since I visited my little place here on the Internet. Life has been crazy busy and well I got sick. The sickest I have been in about a year and a half. Actually, I was even sicker than I was with COVID a year ago. Since that sickness, I have been battling weariness. Not just body weariness but mind and soul weariness. Why? I have no idea. I could speculate but I just don’t know- and this morning pulling my head from my pillow I felt a heaviness that was once familiar but hasn’t been around in some time.

I got up and headed to church as is the routine. I had no idea what today would hold. I grabbed my pre-packed bags and was off. I got to church, made my breakfast and coffee, and plopped into the chair. I had spread out before me my planner, my journal, and my phone. I chose to not open the journal but the phone. I scrolled through YouTube, Facebook, and a game (or two). and yet nothing held my attention.

I took the last bite of my bagel took a deep breath and cracked open my journal to the first blank page after the last well-inked page. I began my prayer: Good Morning Lord… and for two pages I poured my heart full of the struggle of my heavy heart. I ended by asking for wisdom for all the things. I closed my prayer, turned the page, and wrote James 3:1-12 across the top. As I wrote the words of that passage across the pages God did something in my heart. A heart check-up of sorts.

The Journey

We are all on a journey. Every day is a journey. Each week is a Journey. Those days and weeks combine together to create an even longer journey. The same with months, years, and decades. My journey (as does yours) has many twists and turns and characters to join us on our way.

My journey, thankfully, has God sometimes carrying me through the dark shadowy mucky woods where an ROUS is surely going to pop out at any time, and other times walking hand in hand through sunny meadows, never leaving me or turning his back on me. Sometimes I forget God because I have become so busy, too task-oriented, or just plain self-centered to see that God has turned down a different path. I’m so busy checking off my to-do list and making sure my ideals are being upheld.

On my journey, I have friends and family. We will walk together for a time. Soon my children will start taking their own journeys. I will be with them in their hearts. Hubby and I are lifelong traveling buddies. There have been times when God has had to carry us both at the same time, and he can because he is all-powerful! Our journey leads us to places of ministry and away from places of ministry. Our journey will have homes and workplaces. They may be for a lifetime or it may be an actual physical journey as well.

Our journey has had pits of illness, disability, learning struggles, abuse, and trauma. It has also had mountains of joy, gratitude, and blessing.

My Heart Check on My Journey this morning (and where it’s going to take us here on the blog)

James 3:1-12 is all about the tongue. As I wrote each word it sent arrows right to my heart. It answered the struggles I’m having with Shepherding a Child’s Heart (a book). I won’t go into the struggles with the actual book because that’s not important at this time. Instead, I had an AHA moment…Here’s what I wrote in my journal this morning.

I’m still a child. At 43 years old I’m still a child- God’s child and he is in a constant state of shepherding my heart. On this journey, I still need to do heart checks because I have not arrived. I am not perfect. I will need to do heart checks until my dying day.

So what is a great heart check? My speech. Matthew 12:34 and Luke 6:45 tell us that the condition of our hearts is revealed through our speech! That James passage says that both good and bad water cannot come from the same spring (vs 10-12).

I have so many thoughts and comments on James 3:1-12 so we are going to journey through this passage together. So welcome to the Heart Check series. A lot of what we are going to talk about comes out of the James 3 passage because our speech is our biggest heart revealer.

What’s Next? James 3 in light of our kids! Hubby and I have been teasing out some interesting thoughts over the last few days and I cannot wait to share them with you.

Let me ask you this…

Does God publicly humiliate anyone in Scripture?

Does God call people out. for their sins in a public setting?

Does Jesus ever say “suck it up and deal with it?”

Did Jesus talk badly about people to others?

Then why as Christian parents do we choose to do these things to our kids? As we look at James 3 in light of our children we will also look at the passages we are called to be to them! Don’t get me wrong sometimes we need help, goodness knows we certainly have. Thats where our hearts come in. What is driving what we say about our kids and better yet HOW ARE WE SAYING IT?

I will see you here for our next Heart Check!

Book Review: On Getting Out Of Bed

Posted on by Mary
Review

On Getting Out of Bed by Alan Noble is a book very simply about mental health. The author shares his journey with mental health struggles. He’s very open about his struggles and I was very impressed with his practical suggestions for helping those who struggle.

Who is this book for?

I started this book and quickly realized that this book was written more for those struggling with mental health issues. As a person who has struggled with extreme anxiety brought on by medication and other physiological/ health issues, I am currently not struggling. HOWEVER, though it is intended to help those struggling this book would also be incredibly helpful for those who LOVE those with mental health struggles.

So often we don’t understand how to help those we love who are struggling in these hard places. This book answers a lot of the questions we have. Another area I really appreciated that this author dealt with is the misuse of mental health to manipulate situations. He speaks directly to those who are prone to do so and does so in a very candid way.

This book was really very helpful. I will be going back to this book again and again and I will also be buying a hard copy of this book so we can easily reference this book! I highly recommend this book!

You can purchase your own copy of On Getting Out of Bed here.

I received a free Kindle edition of this book for reviewing purposes from NETGalley. I am in no way expected to give a positive review and these are my own personal opinions.

You can check out more of my book reviews here.

Book Review: Christmas Changes Everything

Posted on by Mary
Book

The book Christmas Changes Everything By Elisa Morgan is a wonderful devotional that takes various characters and accounts of Christmas and weaves them into the moments of Elisa’s life. The first Christmas wasn’t perfect and ideal and yet we sometimes expect that our Christmases should be.

I really appreciated how Elisa shared messy Christmas experiences and how in spite of all of the messiness we can have hope. Hope because the very reason we even have a Christmas is Jesus. He is our hope!

I read this book in the middle of living in our camper. It wasn’t going to be an ideal Christmas. (Actually, I’m not quite sure we have ever had an ideal Christmas.). Yet, I found myself resonating with her stories chapter after chapter. , and Character after Character. It was a much-needed shot in the arm I needed to take the bull by the horns and embrace our rather unconventional Christmas!

I highly recommend this book.

I received a free Kindle edition of this book for reviewing purposes from NETGalley. I am in no way expected to give a positive review and these are my own personal opinions.

You can purchase o copy of this book here.

Have you ever read Christmas Changes Every? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

What has been one of your favorite Christmas devotionals and why?

You can Check out more of my book reviews here.

Practice Makes…Progress

Posted on by Mary
practice

“Practice makes perfect.” I’m pretty sure we have all been told this at one time or the other.

It’s a lie.

No matter how hard we practice, we can’t ever be perfect at it….because in short, we are human! Humans make mistakes!

Last week I was working with a bunch of 3rd and 4th graders..learning to read music. Yep let’s all have a good chuckle that Mary is helping in a music class and a recorder class at that. The last time I read Music? Let’s just say I was almost 20 years younger than I currently am..and yes I was an adult! We won’t even TALK about the last time I played recorder, and I digress.

I was playing “note Bingo” with about 5 students and one of them was getting frustrated with the fact that they couldn’t remeber the note names on the staff. ILooking at the poor kiddo and I said “practice makes…..?” In their dejected look mumbled “perfect”. I jumped in and said, “No, Practice makes progress.” They promptly looked at me as if I had two heads. I explained we are humans. We can’t ever be perfect only Jesus was perfect. These kiddos looked so confused.

No one’s to blame. However, as an adult who struggles every day with the battle of perfectionism, I have had to learn a new way of thinking.

Progress over Perfection.

I want to live a life of Excellence, doing my absolute best to serve Jesus with all that I am and with all that I have BUT I know that at the end of the day all I am and all that I have is far from perfect.

What I want is t to move forward, make progress. and grow.

I don’t know if what I shared with that frustrated student that day made any difference, but I hope it did.

Perfectionism is hard to overcome, but ti can be done. Choose excellence in your life, not perfectionism, because no matter how hard you strive for perfection, it will be just out of reach…always.

What can be done to cange your mindset of perfectionism to a mindset of progress?

Oe of the ways I have chosen to do this is to place reminders around my home Progress Over Perfection signs simply reminds me my end goal is to move forward…to grow wherever I am planted!