Tuesday, February 8, 2011

I Get Excited...

I get excited about stuff.  


I do.  It's who I am.  How I'm wired.

Unless you're new to me, this doesn't come as a surprise to you.  


There's an ebb and flow to life, and there's an ebb and flow to what I'm currently excited (and by excited I mean obsessed) about.  Kinda like seasons, I guess.


I give you my top 7 as of late:


7.  My Menu Board

6.  The Packers.  I love them, and though I've only been a fan for a few short years, I've invested myself fully :)  and my Noah couldn't have been happier on Sunday.


5.  Sewing.  This one sort of came out of nowhere.  But I'm having fun with it.


4.  Cityville.  It's a dumb facebook application that really should not be all that fun, but lately I find it completely entertaining.  I blame it on February in Iowa.


3.  New Tupperware.  Sounds ridiculous, but when did Tupperware get so cute?!?  A friend had a party and I got this stuff and I can't quit looking at it and smiling.








2.  Reading.  I've rekindled my love of reading.  I don't really get into fiction all that much, but anything else will pretty much do.  My husband (the pastor) also shares the same love so there are piles of books every.where.  One of the last books I finished, I actually read the last page and immediately started at the beginning again.  I love a book that grabs me by the shoulders and gives me a good *shake* to wake me up, make me think.  Crazy Love did that.  And it's ringing in my ears and heart daily that status quo is not good enough...it's garbage, actually.




1.  Spending time with my God.


I recently watched a friend walk through a really tough life situation.  Suddenly everyone who vaguely knew her wanted to be her friend in order to help...in reality, if they had really known her, they would have realized that some of the very things they were doing to "help" were actually causing her more grief.  Their intentions were good, but it irritated me no less.  And it got me thinking...


Do I do that with God?  Do I say I know Him, yet fail to spend time with Him daily, hourly...regularly.  


Relationships never grow without communication.  Ever.  And the closest of the relationships in my life are with the people I rub shoulders with on a daily or regular basis.  Sure, there's some long lost friends that I can go without seeing and then pick up where we left off...but it's picking up where we left off...not from a place of deep understanding of one another in the current.


And there is a difference.  


I realized I was doing this with God.  And I grieved.  


I want to know Him daily.  Because that is really the only way that He is able to transform me.  


Which leads me to this little book:








I notoriously dislike devotional books.  I'll spare you  my list of reasons, but mostly...they annoy me.  


It never fails that God works greatly in  my life through things I find annoying.


Over Christmas, I picked up a flyer that had the above book, Jesus Calling pictured in it.  And, because I judge books by their covers, and thought this would look super cute on my pile of books, I grabbed my cell and asked my mom to pick me up a copy at the store by her house.  It was very random...so I thought.


As soon as I picked the book up, I was hooked.  I read through the whole thing like a novel.  It's written as if Jesus is speaking right at you.  The "I," "Me," "My," etc always mean Jesus, while the "you" and "your" mean me, the reader.  


I fell in love with it.  The kicker:  It's a devotional FOR KIDS.  Crack me up.  


Oh it gets better.


About the same time I was searching for out next Ladies Bible Study material. We were wrapping up Forgotten God (amazing, by the way) and everything I thought was gonna be a great idea, just never quite felt right.


And then He hit me with it.  I wasn't the only one who needed to be spending time with Him on a daily basis.  I sat on the idea of it for awhile, hoping I hadn't quite understood Him right.  After all, the lovely ladies in our Bible study more than graciously put up with my craziness, however presenting them with the idea that our "study" is actually going to be a devotional book for kids was not really what I wanted to share with them.  Because who comes up with that?!?  


God does.


Without a doubt.


And because it's His deal, and not mine, they were totally game for it.


Tonight, we meet together for the first time after starting this "study" and I'm so excited to see what God's doing.  


I'll leave you with this little nugget from the book, that I've been chewing on since January 30th:


... whatever you think about the most becomes your god, your idol, the thing you worship.  From Jesus Calling for Kids

I can't get past it.  How many things do I think about more than Him?  He's changing me though.  Through this time with Him, daily, hourly...He's rising to the top.










17 comments:

  1. Missing you on this cold February day! Glad I have your blog to read old friend!

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  2. 1) I've heard really good things about your little devotion book!

    2) I love your "obsessions" ;)

    3) Your sewing has me quite impressed!

    4) It has been my prayer for years that I would crave God's Word... just thirst for it. This year he is doing something great in my heart in regards to my loving and longing for him and what he has to say. I love hearing about your spiritual journey too!!

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  3. just ordered Crazy Love on audio! love you! I have had the flu! but I think I will be fine to take pics tomorrow!
    beth p

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  4. We're starting a ladies study with Crazy Love next week. I can't wait! I've heard so many wonderful things about it. I think I'll check out your devotional for kids as well. Sometimes simplicity is the best!

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  5. Ah, I just came to look at the pictures and then you had to go and prick me with that question...
    Do I do that with God? Do I say I know Him, yet fail to spend time with Him daily, hourly...regularly.

    And Now I HAVE to go get that book.
    Because frankly what I'm thinking about is worry, WIll this get done? I need to do this...I have to get this done...blah blah blah.

    Instead I should be breathing in HIM.

    Change of subject: Is your baby wearing Packer panties?
    Yeh, that's a good place for packer stuff on the butt ;) J/K As a Viking fan I had too, as a fan of Football I will say I am so happy for Aaron Rodgers I love that he got out of Brett's shadow and I will also admit, watching the game, within the first quarter I said to my Husband "Green Bay is going to win. They came to play, they have the heart and grit and they are in this."
    The Steelers looked like they thought the deserved to be there and they lost because of it.
    Gotta love an underdog win.
    And a sweet girl in packer panties, Okay Lucy show your team spirit and poop in them things already! ;)

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  6. Such a beautiful post, and I love how the book is a kid's book! How wonderful. I remember someone asked a famous preacher what the most important thing a Christian could learn. He said, "Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so." Sometimes the simple things are the deepest.

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  7. I love your list!
    I have the adult edition of Jesus Calling and had no idea there was a children's edition. I am going to have to pick it up for our kids. Crazy Love and Forgotten God are sitting on my shelf of books that will hopefully get read soon.

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  8. Loved your post today... I think about this all the time. Sometimes I feel like I am a fair weather friend when it comes to my relationship with God. I also compare it to dieting. I am so good for awhile then I fall off the wagon. I have been thinking about it even more since yesterday. My sweet neighbor passed away and her daughter said to me "I just hope my Mom wasn't scared" I can't get that out of my head. I had never thought that I could be "scared" to die. I am determined to work on my relationship with God because I don't ever want to be scared of what life has in store for me. Sad yes, heartbroken for my family yes, but scared no. Whew, that got very deep for a comment. LOL What I really meant to say was I really liked your post. :)

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  9. This was a really great post and I hope lots of people read about thinking of God more. One thing I get excited about when I saw your tupperware is "Lock & Lock" storage containers. they lock on all 4 sides and can fall around or on the floor and the seal stays closed. They nest into each other and are so helpful. Check it out, I get mine from QVC.
    Odie

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  10. I'm so glad I'm not the only book cover snob in the world! :)(Really, don't publishing companies know how important it is to have a cutesy, catchy cover??) Now I totally have to read this little book. *Maybe* I'll pass it on to my kids when I'm through....*maybe*

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  11. What an awesome post! You've got me hooked on that book and I haven't even ordered it yet. You are so right about our dialy lives getting so busy with other things besides the one thing we need the most...HIM! He is rising to the top...I love that! :) Thanks for your wisdom and insight on the little daily things of life. p.s. I am also a Packers fan and was thrilled to the gills with their Superbowl win!

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  12. Loved Crazy Love, reading Forgotten God, Love Jesus is Calling but didn't know there was a kids version :) ALSO...love your tupperware :)

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  13. Love your blog! If you go to facebook and go to the "Blessings and Truth" page they are giving a two-week devotional excerpt from both the kids' book and the adult version that you spoke about in your blog.

    Amy in Kansas

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  14. Love Crazy Love, the menu board is on my to make or to buy list whichever I decide on.

    Tupperware really ??? Didn't know it became cute... may have to take a look :)

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  15. Love all your exciting things--but especially #1! You're so good at encouraging and challenging by example!
    Your family and church ladies are so blessed! :)

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  16. Wow on your #1. All of it, especially the thought about idols. It's a topic I've spent a lot of time thinking about lately.

    Sometimes, I still need things explained to me like I'm 5. Going to look for that book, pronto.

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