ThinMint

There are lot of worrisome, burdensome issues we face –some intensifying to incredulous levels. I contend that the only solution we have at our disposal to face this spiritual warfare is prayer. 1 Corinthians 13 shows us what love ought to do. Conversely it shows us that accomplishments without love is meaningless. Thus we bring everything to God via praise (delighting in all of His creation and all He made us to enjoy); and via prayer (our hope, our strength, our answers). We cannot always control what happens without, but we can control what happens within. Our presence, pursuits, priorities; and our reactions, ruminations, readiness. The more evil that gets exposed, the more I eagerly worship and talk to God. The more things look dire, the more I am determined to live happily, hopefully, gently, authentically. The more the world is crashing, the more I persevere in making our home a place of warmth, comfort and goodness. I am determined to be present and involved in my kids’ lives, giving them precious memories. I hope that others see the value in this. First Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” I cannot help but wonder if we allow ourselves to be dragged down into the pit of despair, be caught up in disagreements (online or in person) and be distracted by vulgar imagery and crude verbiage, would our countenance truly reflect the hope of Christ? Would we respond to others in a gentle and respectful manner?

To springboard off On Living in an Atomic Age by CS Lewis… I tell my kids to not better ourselves is to insult God. It’s why we mature, read, play, learn and pursue our interests and handicrafts. It’s why we do our best in all our endeavors. It’s why we help others. It’s why we grow our relationship with the Lord. All of this is for His pleasure, His glory and to say thank you for the blessings He’s bestowed, the privileges we’ve been given. We do not waste His gifts. How sad would it be for the birds to not chirp, the ocean to be still, the leaves not soak up the sun, the fruit to not ripen, or the flowers not blossom? So how sad would it be for us to not do what He created us to do?

We just saw a pod of orca whales cruise on by. Completely unaware of the crazy schemes of humanity. Free. Submerge yourself in God's beautiful creation... steep in it like little tea leaves. Bare feet on soft grass, the sounds of birds and bees humming along, the strength of the forest, the amazing variety of plants and flowers... that just follow along God's exact timing with the seasons. God Almighty made a perfect world for us, I pray you can enjoy it, be grounded with Him in it, and know just how special you are to Him who made it for you. God bless beautiful peoples! 🙏❤

Beautiful stated, JV, thank you 👇🏻

Please share all the good & inspiring, delightful, awesome, beautiful things: stories, memes, music, news, images, bible verses -all the goodness you see!

Counting Every Blessing by Rend Collective

Hello Friends! Just a head's up... So so very very much happening (it's all good!) and I will be unable to vet all the good news for Friday. So gather up all your good news, inspiriting stories, memes and whatnot, and let's meet back here... tomorrow afternoon'ish? Much love from a mom-whose-kids-made-her-lose-her-mind-today-so-mom-is-going-to-cuddle-with-a-good-book. (And hopefully get to sleep at a decent hour!) Y'all rest well in the Lord. We continue to prep down here as He continues to implement His plan. No fear. He's totally got this!

On Living in an Atomic Age by CS Lewis “In one way we think a great deal too much of the atomic bomb. ‘How are we to live in an atomic age?’ I am tempted to reply: ‘Why, as you would have lived in the sixteenth century when the plague visited London almost every year, or as you would have lived in a Viking age when raiders from Scandinavia might land and cut your throat at night; or indeed, as you are already living in an age of cancer, an age of syphilis, an age of paralysis, an age of air raids, an age of railway accidents, an age of motor accidents. “In other words, do not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty of our situation. Believe me, dear sir or madam, you and all whom you love were already sentenced to death before the atomic bomb was invented… It is perfectly ridiculous to go about whimpering and drawing long faces because the scientists have added one more chance of painful and premature death to a world which already bristled with such chances and in which death itself was not a chance at all, but a certainty. “If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts—not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds... “What the atomic bomb has really done is to remind us forcibly of the sort of world we are living in and which, during the prosperous period before, we were beginning to forget. And this reminder is, so far as it goes, a good thing. We have been waked from a pretty dream, and now we can begin to talk about realities... “It is our business to live by our own law not by fears: to follow, in private or in public life, the law of love and temperance even when they seem to be suicidal, and not the law of competition and grab, even when they seem to be necessary to our own survival. For it is part of our spiritual law never to put survival first: not even the survival of our species. We must resolutely train ourselves to feel that the survival of Man on this Earth, much more of our own nation or culture or class, is not worth having unless it can be had by honorable and merciful means.”

So I plan for my family. I plan for other families. I plan to share thoughts with an incredible online community. Planning is hope. I find as it becomes more chaotic Out There™, I am at peace in here –my heart content, in Him, because of Him. Trusting is assurance. Blessed Assurance. So plan for your family. Plan for other families. Share your sweet thoughts, wonderful ideas and helpful tips with others. Planning fills you with hope. As it becomes more chaotic Out There™, find shelter and rest in Him. Trust Him. You will be blessed with peaceful assurance.

After contemplating, albeit briefly, how they are unaware, I then thought about how happy I was to be involved with this organization, sharing ideas, making arrangements, seeing old friends and meeting new ones. It’s a privilege. And I thought about CS Lewis’s, “On Living in an Atomic Age.” It’s a privilege to have a long-lasting marriage. It’s a privilege to have healthy children, and stay home to educate them. It’s a privilege to have a lovely house we make a home. It’s a privilege to have the material things we have. It’s a privilege to live in America. Truly. It’s a privilege to have connections with other Believers. It’s a privilege to have the interests and passions I have. It’s even a privilege to be aware. We went through some hard grief when we woke-up, right? It’s still dotted with moments of deep grief. But, this awareness allows us to make better –wiser, decisions. And this awareness has made us realize just how wholly we need to depend on the Lord. My life is a privilege, a gift from Almighty God.

Speaking of hope and trust 😃 A few things that have kept me Extra Busy™ the last few weeks is getting the twins ready for high school (Yikes!™) and getting back to our groove living The Haute Home School Life™. Some of you may recall that I am a board member for a local home school organization. I set up field trips, various activities and help out other admin with traditional events (and unexpected problems such as, “Operation Oh My Stars What Do You Mean The Yearbook Is Only 20% Done?!?”). This school year, I am also joining the high school group: a group of two moms from each high school grade who set up fun hang out opportunities for high schoolers (Fun!™). I attended three separate meetings last week for these groups, and at some point during each one of these get togethers I thought, “My friends have no idea what’s coming.” In a strange way, I wasn’t rattled –it was just a casual observation and I felt no pressing need to launch, “Operation We’re Going To Need A Huge Vat* Of Chocolate For The Red Pill-Truth Presentation.” *Or barge

A word for someone… If the ride is too wild, too unpredictable, too stressful –get off; you’re on the wrong ride. Jesus tells us, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) Our hope is in Him. Trust Him. He loves you.

Who me? Just enjoying a slice of apple pie 👇🏻

Perhaps one of the greatest ways we show God we love Him with all our hearts is to trust Him. Back in December, before I was able to get in to see Felix, I shared some commentary regarding trust, which I am re-posting here. No matter how chaotic things get, no matter what your scary is, we can trust God because He is the same, yesterday and today –always. He will take care of us. Take heart! He is our constant. By Peter Enns “I see a huge difference between ‘I believe in a God who cares for me’ and ‘I trust God at this particular moment.’ The first is a bit safer, an article of faith. The latter is unnerving, risky, because I have let go. You’ve all heard of the ‘trust fall.’ There’s a reason they don’t call it a ‘belief fall.’ Belief can reside in our heads. Trust is doing it, risking it. Trust is humility, putting ourselves in the hand of another. Trust requires something of us that belief doesn’t. When God promises Abraham that he will have more offspring than the stars in the sky, translations of the next verse conventionally say that Abraham ‘believed’ God. (Genesis 15:6). Believe isn’t the right word there. Trust is. The Hebrew word is the same one we get ‘amen’ from. Amen is not a social cue that grace is finished and it’s time to eat. It is the final word in the prayer: we’re done talking now, Lord, and we now move to trust. God promised an old man a lot of kids. Abraham trusted God to come through. That is way harder than believing. Believing has wiggle room. Trusting doesn’t. The same thing holds for the gospel. Believing in God, or even having faith in Him, doesn’t cut it. At least the way these words are used today. Beliefs can be collated into a belief system –an intellectual construction of what sorts of things are right to think and not think about God. Followers of Jesus however, are called to do something much harder. Jesus tells a famous story about why those who follow Him need not worry about anything. Don’t fret about how much you have, what you wear, or what you will eat. Don’t worry. Trust. (Matthew 6:25-34). Jesus illustrates the point in what at first blush seems rather off topic, at best marginally helpful. He tells us to consider the grass of the field and the birds of the sky. Look at them, Jesus says. They’re doing just fine and they don’t worry for a second. Of course they don’t worry, Jesus, because they are, if I’m not mistaken, grass and birds. Grass doesn’t have a brain and birds are skittish little things that fly into windows. These things aren’t really relevant, because by definition these things are incapable of worry. And when you put it that way, you can see the profound point –and challenge, of what Jesus is saying: worry should be as impossible for us as it is for grass and birds. His followers, if they get it, should be as incapable of worry as insentient grass and bird-brained birds. ‘Believing in God’ doesn’t get you to that place Jesus is describing here. Belief leaves room for worry. Trust explodes it.”

Read this with current events in mind. God has this. He always has!