Count the Cost - A Five Minute Friday post.

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I think most of you are well aware that Thanksgiving --well, Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE, Y'all! I love it... even in the midst of Hard and Heavy things... Thanksgiving is what it is all about! It's not always easy to give thanks... but there is always something and someone (read: Someone!) to give thanks for! Enough of that... 

This is a Five Minute Friday post... which simply means I set a timer and free-write for five minutes flat on the one-word prompt: COST... so let's go!

{GO!}

I see the word and my first thought

goes to the saying, "Count the Cost!"

(My second thought is more along the lines of "Oh, it'll cost ya!"

which is only slightly different and just a tiny bit more sarcastic. It's fine.)  

Count the Cost...

How many times have I heard this? 

  How many times have I said it myself?

It means to weigh the options... 

to slow down just enough to remember that

saying Yes to something also means

saying No to something, too!

One of the definitions I looked up

for this phrase actually said

'to start to understand how badly

something has affected you!' 

A Random List of Last Fives... -A Five Minute Friday post.

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Another post already? I know... but I accidentally saw the One Word Prompt even though I had no plans of writing again so soon.  Once I saw the word, however, I realized I had just been wanting to do a lighter post --something less heavy and more fun and this will work perfectly! So... let's go!

This is a Five Minute Friday post... which simply means I set a timer and free-write for five minutes flat on the one-word prompt: FIVE

{GO!}

I have been missing those What I Learned link-up posts and how lighthearted and fun they were! Coming out of a long hard season, I wanted to follow Emily P. Freeman's lead and write some lists, so let's see what Last Fives come to mind after hitting the timer...

A Random List of Last Fives...

Rewards & Recognition... a Five Minute Friday post.

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Happy Spring, Sweet Readers! I hope you are at least getting glimpses of New Life springing forth wherever you are today! I know we have been experiencing near-70 degree days full of birds singing, sunshine, and wide-open doors to let fresh air in and chase away the remnant of winter! This is a Five Minute Friday post... which simply means I set a timer and free write for five minutes flat on the one-word prompt: REWARD

{GO!}

Oh, how we love

Rewards & Recognition!

My mind first wanders to all those rewards points offered through shopping at various stores. You know... the ones we get for doing nothing really other than spending money! 

But then I drift to the different kinds of rewards given for services rendered or jobs well-done. I think of all of the award ceremonies, raises, trophies, bonuses, etc. all given out in the open, in front of a podium, to give recognition and to help set us apart.

It's not that there's anything wrong with it... There's not! 
It's great and important to recognize and speak life into those around us! We all want to be special... to be acknowledged for how we finish well.  

We all want to belong and to be the best

-- at something... to someone... 

There's nothing wrong with that! 

The issue is when it breeds

Competition and Comparison... 

Backbiting and Bondage...

when it stirs up Striving and Stressing

and a longing for Approval and Acceptance 

that is not rooted in Love or Light!

But I see the word and I think back to a conversation last weekend and I reflect on Scripture and I remember --I remind myself!-- that as nice as rewards and recognition is when it comes from co-workers, bosses, friends, and family... it's BEST when it comes from the Father!

When Your Spiritual Equilibrium is Out of Balance... a Five Minute Friday post.

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Hey there, sweet readers!  

I know this is December and the Christmas season
and this is the time of year where this little corner
is normally full of festive thoughts and good cheer.
However, I see the word prompt and I know
the chances of this post getting around
to Christmas Joy is slim... 
but Truth can always be found here... 
as well as honesty! So, here we go!

This is a Five Minute Friday post... which simply means I set a timer
and free write for five minutes flat on the one-word prompt: BALANCE

{GO!}

We were talking in our home group just the other night...
it was after spending an hour in prayer together,
where we simply speak out
whatever God puts on our hearts
and others come alongside in agreement
and lift our arms and hearts and heads.  

Oh, how we need each other!

We are a small band of brothers and sisters
with kindred hearts and we all have found ourselves
this year in some sort of an In-Between season...
a bit unsettled, and feeling a tad unsteady!

We shared how we seem to be
missing the Thrill of Hope... 
We are most definitely all
feeling the Weary World... 
yet we're still waiting for
the Rejoicing to begin! 

















But isn't that Advent?
  It's the waiting... the hoping... 

And even though we know He came... 
even though we know He is still here now... 
we feel a bit out of balance and we are
longing for a bit of Wonder & Joy!

The Difference of One Little Word - a Five Minute Friday post.

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Happy Thanksgiving, sweet readers!

It's been quiet around here, I know.  Between taking a little break after All the Days in a row of writing posts in October, and battling some eye issues yet again that limit my screen time, I have gotten a bit quiet.  However, it's Thanksgiving and you KNOW this is my favorite holiday and I've missed Y'all. 

So... here we go... a Five Minute Friday post... which simply means I set a timer and free write for five minutes flat on the one word prompt: ONE

{GO!}

All I can think of when I see the word is how easy it is for us to lose focus and to forget... to exchange one little word that skews our perspective and affects our attitude!

We can let the Heavy and the Hard press against us and knock us off center --but never off-course.  

We can accidentally listen to lies that feel more like truth than to the Truth that feels so far away and impossible... 
But God... remember?

But God...

So as Thanksgiving approaches and right after it, all the crazy chaos that has somehow become Christmas, I remind myself to count blessings, one by one. 

To slow time, as Ann said, and to count gifts listing them off as I close my eyes and open my heart to all the ways He is Present and Thick all around me!

He is Present and Thick
all around you too, sweet friend!
I promise it is true
--whether it feels true or not!

A Vacation In Your Mind... A Five Minute Friday post.

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Let's not even pretend... I simply forgot what day it was because: Summer + a mid-week Holiday = Who Can know what day it is this week?! 

Our One Word Prompt is VACATION. This is Five Minute Friday! 
Let's go...

{GO}

I see the word and I think immediately, "Yes, Please!"

I mean, who doesn't want/need a vacation from time to time?

When I think of that word, visions of sand and sea come to mind... or memories of changing planes and booking hotels and exploring someplace new... 

I can reflect back to trips taken as newlyweds and as a new and growing family. I think back to traditions kept and remember when new ones were created... 
and I am oh so thankful!

We love to travel, but let's be real:
We don't have the budget for that.

At least not as often as we'd like! 

We always say it's just time and money... 
But when we are short on both, 
I've learned that we can still
take a vacation in our mind.

When the Ocean Beckons You Out... a Five Minute Friday post.

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I had a friend stop by last night and --well, I'm pretty sure you and I both are getting tired of the excuses of why I keep missing out on the gathering on Twitter! My best explanation right now is: Summer! One day soon, I will make it back! 

Our One Word Prompt this week is OCEAN,  which just so happens to be one of my very favorite destinations and that friend I mentioned above? Yeah - we talked about the ocean and how we can't wait to get back there together! This is Five Minute Friday! Let's go...

{GO}

I have long had this love affair with the ocean.

I just can't get over it... how it beckons me to come closer... to sit and listen... to watch the mesmerizing rhythm of the tide pushing and pulling and how it reminds me that I am oh so small... and yet, oh so loved and held and protected!

It's so romantic... when it's warm and sunny and the kites are flying and the kids are playing in the waves... and when it's stormy and windy and the rains are coming at you sideways and threaten to blow you off course. 

Either way... 
I will take to the ocean
and lean into the Lord... 

I'm Gonna Fly Again... A Five Minute Friday post.

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The only thing I can tell you is every year in June I get a call to sub for my old Bunco group... And every year I say yes, please! So that is where I was on Thursday... one day soon I will make it back to the tribal gathering on Twitter on Thursday nights (aka #fmfparty) -at least that is my hope and intention! Until then, let's write!

Our One Word this week is FLY!  This is Five Minute Friday!

{GO}

Fly... I see the word and I laugh because, yes! 
Yes... I want to do just that!

On a plane... sure...
but in general, in life... 
I want to soar.

I'm a dreamer and an artist and I am constantly standing up taller in who I am and how He has made me and I can promise you that when you discover and remember your true identity, operating in and out of that, --well... there is just nothing better!

As I've mentioned (too many times, probably!), we are in an In-Between season and things are still slow and silent.  This is mostly restful and so much grace, but every once in awhile around the edges, one can begin to question if we'll be invited out to fly again.

When God is Silent and All You Can Do is Wait...

I am all about
Quiet and Calm... 
About Slow and Sabbath.

It took me years to give in to it,
to embrace it.
But this is actually
how I am wired.
As in, God made me this way
on purpose, for a purpose.
I used to fight against it... 
I used to try to keep up. 
And then I just gave up
and didn't try at all for a season.

But here's the deal: 
 I still have to do stuff! 

Being wired Calm... 
being a slow, internal processor
is not all sleeping in
and being alone
(aka: introvert dreams)... 
It's not about being
passive or ineffective. 
It's about being
extremely intentional
and very effective, 
within healthy boundaries.


It took me years to figure out
what those boundaries look like.

Waking Us Up to Dream Again... The Dream Of You by Jo Saxton - a book review post.

I was so honored to be on this Book Launch Team for Jo Saxton's new book, The Dream of You.  Because - well, first off: Jo Saxton! Y'all maybe fell in love with her like I did while watching her speak at the IF:Gathering the last couple of years.  And also: Identity... man! If you spend any amount of time around this little corner of the interwebs, then you know! Identity... I can't stop talking about it...

Actually, it's Identity + God-sized Dreams + Intimacy with Christ + Prayer and what that equals is my jam! 


I promise you, I am not listening to The Greatest Showman soundtrack right now. (It's on Pause... literally!)


I didn't want it to influence EVERY post I write this month... but I will say this: 

The Greatest Showman is all about waking us up to Dream again... to take risks --and yet to not lose sight of priorities... and this book? Yeah... this book is also all about waking us up to dream again... it's about our willingness to follow Him and take risks and be who He created us to be (--yes, I am TOTALLY hearing "This is Me" in my mind right now. It's fine.) while not losing sight of what is really important!

In other words...

Ermagherd... Berks!!! An annual post about the Books I Read in 2017

Hey Sweet Readers! 

Here we are near the end of 2017 and even though this year was hard and threw some serious curve balls and knocked me off my reading game, you know how I love me some books... (or 'berks!' as in, "Ermagherd! Berks!")

So this is the post where I take time to reflect back over the year and revisit some of my favorite reads! 

Here is a random list of books I read and loved this year! I feel like I slowed down a bit in all the reading this year... growing a (church) family took priority over both blogging and reading a bit more again this year, and then there was all the days and weeks in hospitals and with family and friends both in recovering and in grieving.

Still... 2017 offered up a FEAST in words...
Here are a handful that stayed with me!

***

When All You Can Do is Accept... A Five Minute Friday post.

aka Just Let Him Love You!

Guess who we FINALLY got to meet this week? Yep... Lil' Miss! 
She was OH SO WORTH THE WAIT, y'all!

But I digress. Here we go: This is a Five Minute Friday post, which simply means I set a timer and free write for five minutes flat on the one word prompt of: ACCEPT

{GO}

I know... I promise you I will try to pace myself with all things Baby but you've got to know that she is at the forefront of --well, everything, right now!

When I saw the prompt this week, my instant flashback was of course of this precious newbie, snuggled safely in arms... softly kissed as she is drawn near, simply accepting the warmth and security and love being poured out and prayed in to her --all while she was blissfully at rest!

My next thought was of this phrase that I can't seem to let go of! I pray it on Sunday mornings over our congregation, and I say it in texts and emails as I encourage friends and family who are going through all kinds of hard... it is this:

Just Let Him Love You!

(As if you could stop Him!)

Let Your Love Shine... a Valentine Friendship Dayspring Post

Hey friends!  I have been a bit absent around here lately because, well --IF:Gathering 2017!  I've been all in since day one (back in 2014) but it started with a handful of friends, super low key, gathered in my living room... and it has grown to a church event which requires a bit more. (#understatement!) It also brings forth more fruit! Still... I've missed you all and hanging out in this space with you!

I am still processing all that I got out of IF... that post will come soon!  But today I wanted to come and talk a little bit about Love (and Friendship and Valentine's Day and Dayspring, sure... but mostly Love!)

I partner with Dayspring and that is because I am so passionate about not only their amazing products from jewelry and coffee cups (hello, pretty!) to cards and gifts and home decor, but I am also passionate about the heart behind the company and the community that they have built.

Now is the Time... A Five Minute Friday Post

I missed out on the last #fmfparty of the year last Thursday, but our Seahawks were playing Thursday Night Football so... #GoHawks  (Still - you know I missed y'all!) ...and then, well - you know how it goes with the bossy lists, full schedules, and Christmas right around the corner... but I'm here now! (Ya see what I did there? Well... you will!)

This is Five Minute Friday (- a five minute timed free write) and our One Word Prompt is: NOW

{GO}

Now. 
  ...it's such a bossy word, right?  At least it can be! 

It's very decisive... maybe that is more like it.  

It sets a timer and hits start before you have a moment to settle in and prepare.  

Except... I can't say for you --but for me? I can still manage to put 'Now' off for a little bit... to push him aside, or ask him for grace because 'Now' is so often just a little more than inconvenient. He sneaks up on us somehow while being in plain sight. 

NOW... it can be exciting and full of adventure and 'Finally!' and 'Why did it take so long to get here?' OR it can be dreaded and it can stir up feelings of inadequacy and 'I can't yet!' and 'How is it time already?'

In Honor of Thanksgiving... and Gilmore Girls: a Giveaway for your Holiday Weekend!

I know... I'm in a bit of denial.

Can you even believe that Thanksgiving is tomorrow? TOMORROW, y'all? 

Since I am hosting, I should be all over this. 

While I have no idea where all my cloth napkins are or what time I need to start cooking the side dishes, I DID make some super cute little handmade Placecards for my table while watching binging Gilmore Girls yesterday so... I pretty much won Tuesday!

Still... we all know that as soon as the tryptophan wears off, the holidays come at us in a chaotic, hectic, glittery frenzy and before we know it we will be staring a brand new year right in the face wondering where our time went, reflecting on how things were simpler back when we were kids, and how life is going by so quickly 'nowadays'... Yes - because apparently we talk like we are OLD now, too!

In honor or Thanksgiving... and Gilmore Girls... and the holidays fast approaching, I have for you today a smorgasboard of Giveaway goodness. 
(See? ...like we are OLD.)

A Spoken Word and a Time for a Little Communion --Real Preparation for Thanksgiving Week.

'Tis the season for slowing just a bit before all of the Rush, right?

Well - I used to play that game... but I got off that frenzied way of approaching the holidays long ago! No judging though. I remember how it felt so very necessary!

I am sure I have written about it many times around here, but I gave myself a deadline years ago to guarantee that I would actually get to enjoy the holidays too, and it has been my sanity, y'all!  

We can dive into that maybe next week... but for now... for this week --we are all counting gifts and giving thanks. At least I hope we are!

I know this has been a heavy and hard time for many... things feel dark and doubtful.  

So as I am counting gifts and crafting and binge watching Gilmore Girls (in preparation!) and making menu plans, I wanted to share a little glimpse into our weekend and our Sunday service yesterday at Dad's House where "Small Wonders" abound...

When You Need Permission to Enjoy Your One Life... a Five Minute Friday Post.

I actually remembered that it was Thursday last night... and managed to pop my head in to the twitter party for just a few but finding a bossy rhythm back in to writing has proven tricky this year after pouring out during #Write31Days in October.  (I am sure adding the election drama to it hasn't helped!) Instead... I have given myself permission to practice Sabbath and to --well, let's move on to what our prompt is today because I've been giving myself permission to do just that!

This is Five Minute Friday (- a five minute timed free write) and our One Word Prompt is: ENJOY

{GO}

Wow.  Still, right? 

That is still my reaction to all that is going on in our world right now.

I'm at peace... even when I'm not loving what is happening. 

I mean, what breaks His heart is supposed to be what breaks ours too, right? I think He is less concerned with who won the election than He is with how we are letting Love shine.  

This begs the question, "How ARE we letting His Love shine?"

Life is heavy and hard and it just keeps coming straight for us head on and the fast-paced, no-holds-barred chaos can steal your breath and your sleep and your sanity --if you let it! (So don't you let it!)

In the midst of the darkness, the Lord whispered this to my aching heart: