When Morning Comes Slowly...

I managed to stop in for a bit of the party last night over on Twitter (#fmfparty) but as we discussed there, it had already been the LONGEST week ever and when I am feeling all the feels and that over-tired, well - I am easily distracted and I left to eat dinner and pretty much forgot to come back!  Still... the community that gathers around this free writing one word prompt is real, y'all and they are my tribe... so even when I forget to sit back in front of this screen, I know they know I'm there in spirit --even if my flesh is a bit too exhausted to climb the stairs!

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

{GO}

It's not that I don't remember...

I remember those mornings that were full of rush and hurry... all the racing around and cranky "Wake UP!" yelling conversations... the piling into the car and hitting every stop light just wrong and then the joy of tackling the drop off parking lots.

I even remember the mornings before I changed my 'job' and I would have a latte to grab before walking in to a time clock to punch and a desk to unclutter before starting my day.

I would be lying if I told you that I missed it. Any of it...

Well... almost any of it! 

I do miss those morning drop-off prayers and hearing all the thoughts and worries and hopes from that backseat...

I miss the laughter and camaraderie of co-workers... co-laborers... co-anyone.  

But only once in awhile do I miss that!

How to Stay Calm in the midst of Chaos and a Crowd...

First off, I miss y'all.

For real.

I am following God's leading to step away a bit  (--just a bit, He promised!)  from screen time to sow in to this local family that He is growing through our new church and it is amazing... and good... and I love them - but I miss you!

You know that you are maybe a little overbooked and way too rushed when the fifth person of the day stops you just to point out that you are busy lately! And by that fifth time, your response of "Life is Full... I'm full, not busy!" seems empty and slightly untrue.  

Maybe a bit of Busy snuck in to my Full and I was unaware. I didn't notice this until, you know, I hit the wall head on and am forced to just take a seat for a hot minute! 

We NEED Winter to prep us for Spring... and we need Rest to prepare us for Work --even (or especially!) for Kingdom Work!

So how do we cultivate Kingdom and graft in Rest?
How do we bloom in all seasons?

How do we make sure, even in our Winter seasons, that we remain well-watered and nourished? 

How do we push aside Scattered to make room for Sabbath... How do we stay calm in the midst of chaos and a crowd?

We let Death die and resurrect Life wherever we go!

When A New Thought Won't Leave You...

I close my eyes and hear the rhythm of traffic down below and the sun calling out to me, beckoning me to come outside and let its' rays soak in deep... thawing those chilled and frozen spaces the winter tends to harden.

Still instead of running, I hunker down and I can feel the Father's arms wrap around me and He gently lays my head to rest on His chest. I can hear the thumping of His heart and how it beats for me.

I lean in closer and wrap my arms around His waist and His heart races faster and I am reminded that I am His and He is Mine and we were created to be one.

There is no Limit to His Love... a Five Minute Friday post

A couple of days ago it was Ash Wednesday...

Can I be honest with you and tell you that I really don't know for sure what this means. I am a newcomer to Lent (and Advent and the liturgical things.) but not a newcomer to Christ.

I tried on religion as a young Christian and thankfully shook free from that bondage years ago.  Now I am clothed in His righteousness (not my own) --I am clothed in relationship and while Lent has become popular and trendy, I don't do it as a ritualistic practice. 

However, I know full well how it can quickly turn into that so I was praying earlier this week about what to give up.  I read THIS POST by Eugene Cho and THIS ONE by Osheta Moore and their words confirmed what the Lord had already whispered to my heart...

God oh so clearly spoke softly to me that it wasn't so much what He wanted me to give up this year, but it was more what He wanted me to add back in! 

--Like those blessed 5 minutes of silence at the beginning of each day... walks outside... lectio davina... simple easy (slower!) things that can so subtly get pushed aside.  

Things that give way to all our Doing, but steal so much from any of our Being!

So instead of joining in on the Twitter party last night for #fmfparty... I stopped all my doing, and I allowed myself to simply BE.  And then, this prompt... 

What IF... a Post If:Gathering post.

After all that adulting, I am introverting a bit today because, well, ...If:Gathering was last weekend!

But it was SO GOOD, y'all!

This is the third year of If:Gathering and this is the third year that I have participated.

The first year, I threw together a quick small gathering in my home with some of my people.  Ladies who came to my home for book studies or prayer meetings or just to hang out or go for a walk... there were maybe 10 of us and we loved it!  I loved sharing some of my favorite people/writers/bloggers/world changers with some of my inrl friends who had no idea who these women were!

The second year, --well, to host they really wanted you to be plugged in to a local church, which I love - but I was not so much plugged in to one.  It was not for lack of trying or wanting, but we just couldn't squeeze ourself in and so I watched it from home on my own in my pjs, Voxing with a handful of bloggy friends through out the conference.  That Voxer thread is STILL active, now over a year later, and we talk every week and pray together and love each other and it was a real thing.  We weren't sure in the beginning because, in real life is so vital and important... but the more we connected and opened up and prayed for each other and checked in, the more we realized our "If-Voxer" was an actual thing!

I had been looking forward to 'watching' with my Voxer girlies again this year when the Lord tapped me on the shoulder and whispered, "But we STARTED a local church, remember?" Oh Yeah... that, we did!

So, it turns out, He had plans for me to host an If:Local this year and we joined up with another local church and we filled a house (or two) and oh my goodness, did we meet with God together!

What I Learned in January... A Link Up with Emily P. Freeman

I am like a broken record (does anyone even know what that is anymore?) when it comes to this monthly Link Up over at Emily Freeman's place! Y'all know how much I love it! It is fun and quirky and filled with tips and tricks and great lessons learned... and again,if you don't play along yet, I think you should!

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12 Random Things That I Have Learned...

Five Minutes of Quiet... (Ya see what I did there?) - A Five Minute Friday post

I missed out on the party last night yet again.  It feels like it has been too long. I even had it on my calendar on my phone and had blocked out a chunk of time to visit, even if not to write. But then, you know... life, man!  I meant to scarf down a bite 'real quick' and sit right back in this chair to visit and write, but I got distracted!

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

{GO}

"Quiet..."

...and everyone says, "Yes, please!"

Am I right? Or is that just me my Introverted self?

Seriously... you would think I would be nailing this, right?

I mean - I 'work' from home, I'm an empty nester, I screen my calls... you know the introvert ways!

I thrive in Quiet.  

I have written a LOT about the practice of just Five Minutes of Quiet... of purposely, intentionally setting aside a few minutes a day to relax, breath deep, to slow the crazy and the chaos, and simply find your center yet again!

I write about it... it's just sometimes I forget to actually DO it!

What Does an Evening with Bob Goff Look Like?

An evening with Bob Goff looks EXACTLY like how you'd hope and expect it would look like!

Joy...

It Looks A Lot Like Joy!

If you are not new around here, then you already know that I love Bob Goff!  I read through Love Does a couple of years ago and it seemed to break off layers of lies that I didn't even realize I had been believing... Lies that caused me to live safe and quiet... small and relatively risk-free.

Yeah... Bob changed all of that.  

Well, you know --Bob and Jesus! 

They make a pretty good team!

How To Take Back Time: Be Present! - A Five Minute Friday post

I missed out on the party last night because we had a dinner date with our friends... the very ones who we met about a year ago and nearly 10months ago had this crazy thought that we should start a church together... yeah - so, no church stuff or agenda or plans to discuss - just a casual (delicious!) dinner with friends - Hawaiian style... so how could I say no?

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

{GO}

Ah yes... Present - as in: to stay that way! 

That is so key!

Last week I wrote about Time and how it was bossing me around and while I love me a bossy to-do list, I am not so much a fan of feeling busy or hectic.

Monday I decided to take back Time and be the boss of it myself (along with God!)

I decided that together, God and I would tackle whatever He had planned for me in each day.

I had forgotten that I could trust Him to include little breaks and moments of glorious down time... even a surprise coffee date or a score of chocolate. 

 I forgot somehow that He has plans for my day that can and should trump my own, and that when I hand Him my days... He makes something beautiful out of each and every one of them!

I wrote a post on Monday, about counting gifts and taking note of small wonders.  

For we know this... how being thankful shifts our heart and focus and how we will find what we seek. Ann with no 'e' taught us well to count one thousand gifts and then just start right over again.

It's just that sometimes we forget, right?

So Monday - as I was enjoying some quiet time before my chaotic week began to unfold, I prayed and asked the Lord what He had in store for me this week...

Sometimes Simplicity Takes Your Breath Away... a Small Wonders post.

Well Hello there, my friends!

Remember me?

It feels like I haven't been around as much (which is on purpose, btw) but don't think for a moment that I haven't missed you and that I am not still thinking about you and praying for y'all! 

Last week I wrote about how God is doing a New Thing... and I wrote about Time (or feeling a lack of it)... and all week, I felt like I was being bossed around!

By the end of that last post, I reminded myself of some truth... I reminded myself of how I get to fill my days... I get to decide what I will do... but I give my days all over to Him first and I give Him the right to order them!

I give Him to right to prioritize my days!  

Here's the deal: that only feels scary when our priorities are all mixed up!

And this is why: Because when we are rushing around, crossing things off our bossy lists and doing things for the sake of getting them done, we forget that we are precious in His sight and that WE are a priority to Him!

Time... a Five Minute Friday post

Oh how I love this tribe of writers who gather together, who uplift and encourage, who pray and celebrate, and then take just one little word and write for five minutes flat all brave and unfiltered... and hit publish for the world to read!

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

{GO}


Time... I hate that I feel so old every time I say that it seems to be going so much faster nowadays. (Side note: Maybe it's the use of 'nowadays' that makes me feel older?) 

I also hate that it is January 15th and I already feel behind on All. The. Things!

Already, I have pushed aside my desire and hope to workout three times per week... only managing to actually break a cardio sweat once or twice a week since the holidays (and honestly - not at all in between Thanksgiving and Christmas!) 

School has started up and I am behind on my reading. 

Bible study started this week and I am not caught up on my homework.

We have several events coming up in the next few weeks that require time and attention.

Let's not even discuss the laundry issue (and by 'issue' I mean my seeming inability to actually Fold AND Put Away!)

Time... last year I had the revelation to spend it like cash. 

I decided to INVEST it on purpose... you know, wisely... instead of wasting it here and there and splurging all over the place (read:facebook!)   

Yeah... I was nailing it for the first few months in 2015. 
Honestly - I was! 

Behold... I will do a New Thing!

Hello there, my friends!

How are y'all doing? Are you finding yourself back in a steady rhythm of living life post-holiday season or are you still struggling to remember routine and ritual? I know... I have plenty of grace because, well-- I keep teetering back and forth myself!  Between this week and last week, All The Things have started up again... plus all the new things started, too! And here's the thing: In the midst of a shiny new year and all the potential it holds, I do NOT want to find myself going through the motions or, you know, exhausted by January 16th!

I share that to tell you that as I was preparing to give a message last Saturday at a women's event, I was selfishly grabbing up all the promises for myself, too!  God's fine with that... He sort of meant His promises to be for us all anyway, right? When I was invited to speak, I was given the theme of 'something to do with “new”...' and immediately Isaiah 43:19 came to mind. (Because, of course!)

“Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.” 

As one does, I backed up and started at the beginning.  (Well, the beginning of the chapter, anyway!) And you guys, I can't get over these few verses...

End Human Trafficking... Together, we can!

I know... I know it can seem like such a huge issue.  So overwhelming and we can oh so easily be lulled back to sleep because, well-- what can I do, right?

Only here's the thing... you can do a lot.  You can be the change that is needed and you can release freedom and encourage and equip. You can help raise awareness. You can change the world, one life at a time!

Practically speaking, you can pray, of course. 

I hope that you do... that you are. I believe 1000% in the power of prayer and in how it changes the world.  

But I hope you also know of some other practical ways that you can jump in and raise awareness and help bring an end to Human Trafficking...  

That Thing I Do Now - Vol 123 and an Announcement

Happy Weekend, y'all!

I almost titled this post That Thing I Did... because, well... it saddens me to even type this out, but I am finding in this New Year my OneWord (Change) is showing up and bossing me around already --already, y'all! 

What that means is I am having to say no to some things in order to say yes to going back to school with My Honey.  We are taking a year long course for Pastors and Leaders on how to sustain a revival and Kingdom lifestyle. We figured since that is our goal and we are (somehow) now referred to as Pastor Dave and Pastor Karrilee (--only, not really - because we make them stop that craziness!) ...well, we decided furthering our education when it comes to leading people further deeper into living in the Kingdom would be a great investment of our heart and time. 

This means, for me, less reading time online and more studying time... which means, for you --less consistent posts like this lovely little Gathering I do each weekend. Because I won't have as much time to scour the interwebs to find my favorite reads, this post would seem like more of a habit than a service.  Of course, I reserve the right to Gather and post whenever I have the time... but it will most certainly not be every single Saturday! 

But it was a good run, wasn't it? Hooking you up every weekend with some amazing posts to read... for one hundred and twenty three weeks (nearly) in a row!  I will not wrap this up and say we're done... but like Ross and Rachel, let's just say that we are on a break! (We both know we're gonna get back together!)

Featured this week are posts by Lisa Jo Baker, Amber Haines, Kinsey Thurlow, Annie Downs, Lisa Bevere, Shannan Martin,  plus a post from right here, and - of course - a video to wrap it all up! 

Happy Reading! (Ya'll know to click on the authors' names below to read the entire post, yes?)

Are You Feeling Behind Already?

Good morning, my friends!

How are y'all? How is this New Year unfolding for you?

For me? Well - I have been battling not feeling well all week, in the midst of prepping to speak at an event on Saturday, put away Christmas stuff, return to routines, --oh yes, and try to carve out extra hours now so that in the coming weeks when our classes start up, we won't feel desperately BEHIND...

Ironically, my 'Facebook Memory' for today popped up and it was a post from exactly one year ago right here.  And oh my goodness if it wasn't a post that I needed to read! So even though I already sort of took the cheater way out and reposted earlier this week - I thought just maybe this is something you need to be reminded of too! (And then there is the fact that "Hope in God" is our prophetic word for 2016 and this post here, this was written a year ago... so ya gotta love how God confirms His word!)

Enjoy!

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Hope - It's What We Want...

What We Really, Really Want...

Hope...

(We're gonna ignore that ya'll were just singing a SpiceGirls song in your head.  We'll just leave that one alone for now...)

Hope. Joy. Peace.

I know.  I know it's after Christmas and the boxes are (getting) put away and all the festive Advent talk can be pushed aside... there is an exhale that we made it through. 

We survived. And it was good... In this weary world, Christmas - Christs' coming - it isalways good.

We catch our breath, and then comes the New Year with all it's Clean Slates and Righteous Ambition... with all the new ways we are going to be Nailing it in 2015 2016 and whether we say it loud and proud, or pencil it in quietly, we are just praying that it's true.

I wrote about it earlier this week... about how I was already feeling behind on All The Things, but really that's just a lie. How can I be behind already?

The Glorious Return of Mondays...

Happy New Year, my friends!

Here we are... our first Monday of the year! 

We're now faced head on with the glorious tedious return of real life.

I wrote a post on this last year and my thoughts are still the same... I woke up early. (Check.) I spent some time in prayer and in the Word. (Check.)  I did a little journaling and dream/vision casting for the coming year with the house empty and hushed. (Check.) I even began hauling out the boxes and piling up the remnants of Christmas strung through out the house, while doing both a load of laundry and of dishes. Plus... I made myself workout before sitting in this chair, staring at this screen. (Check. Check. Check.)

That Thing I Do Now - Vol 122

Happy New Year, sweet readers!

2016... I know, right?  It will take awhile to get used to writing that down but I am so ready for this fresh start... this blank slate... this brand new beginning!

In finding a bit of the old routine this week, we are back with TTIDN --and on a Saturday even!  I pray you had wonder-filled holidays and maybe you were so busy and gloriously unplugged... I hope so! But if you were then maybe you missed these Must Read posts, and that is of course why I am here! To hook you up! #YoureWelcome!

Featured this week are posts by Donald Miller, Deidra Riggs, Marie Gregg, Alia Joy, Ann Voskamp, Tony Kriz, plus a post from right here, and - of course - a video to wrap it all up! 

Happy Reading! (Ya'll know to click on the authors' names below to read the entire post, yes?)

Happy New Year 2016... aka My Annual Prophetic Post

If you have been hanging around my little corner of the interwebs here, then todays' post will come as no surprise!

It's the very beginning of a very brand new year! 

Whether we are blanketed in white or not, this day always makes me think of freshly fallen snow... pristine, untouched and still un-tread-upon... no thing or no one yet traipsing right on through it.

That Purity doesn't tend to last long, does it?

Before too long, our year can look like this... a well traveled path.  But before the trail is blazed and we just follow along... let's set aside a moment or two and ask the Lord for direction!

No matter what 2015 held, here we stand with a clean slate... a brand new start, a new page. Here we stand with hope and excitement and possibilities anew brimming over and spilling out, if we will but let them!

New Years Day, for me, always starts out early when the sun is just rising and the house is still groggy from all the holiday fun.  I pour a cup of coffee, grab my journal and the Bible, pull a blanket up over my lap and purpose, again, to close my eyes.  I breathe in deep and slow... I reflect back, for I have learned not to rush right into the new without first fully giving honor to the old.  I take my time.

And then... I lean in and listen...

The Blog Review for 2015

Happy New Years' Eve, ya'll!

I started doing this Year in Review several years ago and I love it because it gives me the chance to look back through the blog and see which posts either got the most traffic or stirred up the most conversation in the Comment section! 

We have all heard and read (and felt) about the decrease in Commenting and interacting on blogs in the past year or so... but I am so in love with the Community that God has gathered here and I love it when you take the time to read, and to comment! 

I keep asking New Years' Eve questions like this one: 

"Are you doing anything fun to celebrate?"

Yeah... we used to be fun.  We used to make plans and do stuff... but then we got older and tired... and by New Years Eve we are kinda partied out, so we tend to spend NYE all cuddled up and cozy, watching a movie in pajama's, and flipping through the channels at midnight to watch all the festivities... you know, from under our fleece blankets. It's really quite exciting!

Ermagherd... Berks! ...aka The Post About All the Books

Hey y'all... you know how I love me some books?

Well, it should come as no real surprise then that I would reflect back over the year and revisit some of my favorite reads! I'm linking up with Kate Motaung for a special Five Minute Friday link up on BERKS!!! 

Here is an almost exhaustingive list of books I read and loved this year! I left out the few that I didn't love... or didn't force myself to finish! You book lovers know what I mean, right? I used to think if I started it, I HAD to push through... yeah, no. I don't do that anymore!

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Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order because you all KNOW how I can not pick a favorite!

We will start, however, with my TOP THREE READS: