Simplify and some "7"

Some of you sweet souls know that some girlfriends and I embarked on a journey together, June 1st, based on the book "7" by Jen Hatmaker. If you don't know anything about the book, I hope you will check it out. It is full of funny and conviction all at the same time. The Lord has been working specifically on my prideful self the last 3 years and apparently the Lord knew accountability and some friends would be necessary for me to finally lay it down and deal with some stuff in order for this simpler lifestyle to succeed. I'm so thankful He knows all things and orchestrates these details so perfectly, aren't you? Whew. My eyes are wide open with great expectation as to where we are headed.

But....two things I know thus far...... 

After eating the same 7 foods for the month of June....(and yes we wrapped it up early because we really were just done with it and I was leaving town Saturday and we had to get together and discuss it all. Plus...we ended with some fabulous junk food to celebrate our success)....and no, we aren't crazy to be doing this. It really is a God thing. How can we not walk down a path He had been working on behind the scenes in all of our lives and then brought us together oh so perfectly to take this journey together?  Count me in Lord. I might be scared, but I'm game. It's just time. You know.

Ok, where was I? This is what I know about 7 simple foods:

*No sugar is FABULOUS!!!  I will try desperately to not put that back in my life at the levels I had been doing. Bye-bye soft drinks and gross junk. We are done. You really aren't that good. It is amazing how much better you feel when you are eating healthy and simply. Who knew? What a concept. #sarcasm

*I'm just as happy with simple foods as I am with the endless possibilities and more food choices that stared at me from the grocery, restaurant menu, or pantry than one human needs. However...I will say that I never experienced that true full feeling after I ate. Probably why I lost 8 pounds. Probably a good thing to not eat until you feel sick and explosive. That's another new concept, huh? #sarcasmagain

*Food is fabulous and wonderful and who doesn't love the to die for dessert or pasta or steak? Heck, we all do. But...my goal from this point on is healthier eating. Done with the quick convenient junk that is processed and gross and my insides are probably experiencing a slow death. Heck...why not become vegetarian? ;)  I'm going fresh and healthy. I think my body will thank me in more ways than one. 

*We really are spoiled and don't NEED all that we indulge in. This now becomes the bigger picture of 7. Needs vs wants and we say it all the time, but do we really want to sacrifice and become uncomfortable in a culture that screams MORE MORE MORE!!! And, what on earth am I teaching my children about excess?  I think I have been teaching them more about what culture says instead of what God says. BIG FAT OUCH!!  Goodness...this is why it takes time to tackle and make real life adjustments. We already know these things, but for some reason I can't just come out of a one time sermon or teaching and make the adjustment. You have to actually do it. Who knew?  I have been convicted 100 times on things in regards to money and living after a sermon, but didn't really make the adjustment that was needed. These are hard adjustments.This is a journey and requires much patience. This requires patience, time, and great commitment. After all...God is the King of patience and He knows we won't make these massive adjustments without time....and accountability. Don't do this alone. I would have quit 9 hours into it.

The book has lead us through month one with food. We are moving onto month two of clothing. I'm not going into that just yet, but do want to share how God has been speaking to our family about excess... 

So....in this beautiful weaving of details, God has been showing my husband and myself that we don't NEED this house we live in. Ok....it's big and nice and really...too big. There is something that defines us in regards to where and how we live. True? We make assumptions about people and where they live. If their house is big and new and nice then we assume they have money. If their house is the opposite of that then we think they don't. Plain and simple. We all do it. We have no idea though how stressed out they are about that house and know good and well they hate that house payment every month because, well, its just too much.  My husband and I are going against the culture and following God and saying, "Nope...we don't need that or honestly, want it."  Yep...we can afford it. However....I will not simply do and have because we can. I'm praying that God will show us the way to be financially free and not be overwhelmed and anxious through these teenage years, that are already full of stress and anxiety as parents, but show us how to live a simpler life and be very responsible with the money He has provided. I want to be free to give and go and spend and do without the stress of no margin.

Does that make a lick of sense?  We have private school, cars for 3 boys upon us, insurance, gas, living, vacations, dogs, healthcare, college, clothing, food, etc etc etc. I WILL NOT go into these years anxious over a stupid house. If God chooses another route that doesn't involve selling our home, then we will be listening and ready. We are simply hoping to be faithful in the big and small. 

God calls us to be wise. He never, ever says go get more and have more and have have have. He was the simplest man to ever live and my greatest desire is to be more like Him. For all of us, this journey of becoming more like Him will look different. My prayer is that we take time to examine our hearts, our motives, our deepest desires for our families....and GO WITH GOD!!!!

May we be more and more like Him in all we say and do. Follow Him. He won't lead us anywhere alone.

Eyes open and feet ready! Let's go!

I wanna move, Lord!

Well girlfriends.....here we are!!! Take a minute and let it sink in that we are HALF WAY THROUGH THE SCRIPTURE MEMORY YEAR!!!!!! Holy cow that is crazy! Whether you have 10 scriptures memorized or only 5 or only 2....you have more memorized than you did last year! Pat yourself on the back...shout out a "GO GOD!" and dig those heels in and finish the year up STRONGER than you were January 1st.

This I know...the more I say my scriptures over and over the better I know them, the more likely I am to pray that Word out loud for someone else, pass along to someone who needs a word, and simply just fall in love with His word more than ever. It's my kind of addiction.

My verse for June 15th is a shorter verse, but powerfully packed. My oldest son, Clay, has been with our high school youth group to camp and they have been learning, studying, and talking about what it means to move with God. I was able to watch their worship service from Panama City Beach this past Wednesday night and able to get a sneak peak into what they were learning. It was such a treat to see the kiddos, but more importantly get a feel for what they are learning and being challenged by. What a great opportunity to open up conversation about "moving" with God. They all were being challenged to NOT just be a fan of Jesus, but to walk it out openly and beautifully for all to see and know Christ is your Savior!

I want to desperately move with God! This is my verse..."Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works." James 2:26 NLT

Faith without action is dead and I don't wanna be dead in my faith! MOVE ME LORD!! I'm also claiming this verse over my son and all the other amazing teens and leaders who are being challenged to MOVE!

Ok....lemme hear it...whatcha got?

Love y'all and am so proud to walk this road with you! Accountability is the key!

Some scripture and some 7 and some Lord, help me

Holy cow!!!! It is June people! JUNE!!!! And school is out! And we sing songs and praise God and dance that all the kiddos passed and are movin' on up in the fall. Whoooooo hoooooooo!!! June also means that those of us memorizing scripture are at the halfway point in this journey. I feel like we get to this point and we are energized and excited and fired up to finish strong!

When I go through my spiral I absolutely love reading through each verse and remembering why I chose that verse and how that verse has spoken volumes in my life and maybe even someone else's life. Just so cool, huh? I say it all the time, but it's true....the word of God is alive and active. ALIVE AND ACTIVE!!! And that's a scriptural fact, too. (Hebrews 4:12)

Ok, let me tell you about a little something that a couple of friends and I are about to embark on and hope to high heavens that people don't think we are flat out crazy..... Ever hear of Jen Hatmaker? She also has this book out called "7" that you may have heard of. If you know anything about this book I think I just heard you mumble something under your breath or gasp or say "no way Jose'." And, I get it. I really do. And if I'm going to be fully honest with you, let's just blame all this on David Platt and Radical a few years ago because in all reality....the problem started there. Did I say problem? I meant journey.

You see....that is what God does....He starts off with a teeny tiny seed planted in your heart and then with beautiful patience and time and a bunch of Jesus and church...BAM! He has somehow threaded a lot of events and people together and before you know it, you find yourself doing something crazy that He planted inside you way back in the day. And because of this great thing called "community" that He throws us into we actually have other crazy people He has been working on and they want to walk this road with you....and HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE!!! He's a clever fella. Oh, and there's obedience. I really am learning this...failed more than succeed, but time is ticking and I don't want to miss a thing with Him, so let's just suck it up and GO!

 And, everyone pray now because it's real.

This is what Barnes and Noble says about "7." American life can be excessive, to say the least. That’s what Jen Hatmaker had to admit after taking in hurricane victims who commented on the extravagance of her family’s upper middle class home. She once considered herself unmotivated by the lure of prosperity, but upon being called “rich” by an undeniably poor child, evidence to the contrary mounted, and a social experiment turned spiritual was born. 7 is the true story of how Jen (along with her husband and her children to varying degrees) took seven months, identified seven areas of excess, and made seven simple choices to fight back against the modern-day diseases of greed, materialism, and overindulgence. Food. Clothes. Spending. Media. Possessions. Waste. Stress. They would spend thirty days on each topic, boiling it down to the number seven. Only eat seven foods, wear seven articles of clothing, and spend money in seven places. Eliminate use of seven media types, give away seven things each day for one month, adopt seven green habits, and observe “seven sacred pauses.” So, what’s the payoff from living a deeply reduced life? It’s the discovery of a greatly increased God—a call toward Christ-like simplicity and generosity that transcends social experiment to become a radically better existence.

So....we are crazy, right? 7 starts June 1st with food. I'm eating the same 7 foods for 30 days and praying that I don't die or cuss someone out because I NEED CHOCOLATE PEOPLE or a Diet Dr. pepper. I know it will be rough and uncomfortable, but surely to goodness I can handle this. Don't  talk to Jesus about rough and uncomfortable, right? I mean...seriously....I know my family has more than enough food and has never known hunger or want. Food is always there. I'm learning to say less of me and my junk and more of Him and His Kingdom.

God has been working on this path for quite some time and honestly...I'm just so happy that He lets me, little ole me, walk alongside the Him, the creator of the universe. How cool is that? I think we'll be ok.

I know you are curious so here are my 7 foods for June: chicken, turkey, bread, tomatoes, corn, apples, and eggs. Sounds divine, huh? ;) I will update quite often on twitter how I'm doing...the good, the bad, the heavenly. Jesus already confirmed to me today in the most random way that me and my friends are exactly where He wants us. I cried after that tender moment. I then said to Him in my car..."I'm in, Lord. I'm in. Whatever you want to do, I'm in."

So...all this to say...He is indeed doing a new thing in my life for the remainder of the year and I couldn't think of a more appropriate verse, that I happen to love, as we kick of this journey....  

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:19

I'm so anxious to hear your verses!!  Ready, set, go!!

Love y'all! 

It really is all about love

I could not find the verse I wanted this time and I truly thought, "there is nothing in that bible that I'm looking for!" How ridiculous is that? What happens is, we don't want to take the time to dig and stop and think about what type of verse we truly want to know. I'll be the 1st to admit that sometimes I pick a verse because it's a "good one to know." And, yes, there are plenty of great verses that we need to know. However, this time was different.

My heart had gone into "deep mode" and I knew there was more to just picking out a verse this time. I have been walking a road with a friend who lost her son tragically just a couple of months ago. It has rocked me to the core of mothering and friendship. I have watched her walk this horrific road so very transparent and completely dependent on Jesus Christ. She truly radiates Jesus in all that she says and does even when the tears don't want to stop Jesus continues to prevail. Our hearts are woven together in a way that is hard for me to explain. It's simply a deep love for each other. It's a love rooted in Christ and solid because of the Rock we both stand on. I hope you know that type of friendship and what that feels like.

So, I knew I wanted a verse on love and something that had some depth to it and make me truly stop and think about what it's saying. I memorized a verse last year that says, "Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them." Romans 12:9. That verse was an excellent verse because I remember specifically walking through a season where I was being challenged to love people that were annoying the fire out of me. If you look up love in your concordance and scroll through the love verses, you will have heard just about all of them. We know and understand that God is love and everything He is about. We know the commands to love others and what not to love. Again...I was looking for a scripture that went deep into my heart and described this type of love for my dear friend and all that she has taught me these last couple of months.

This verse is where I landed thanks to our own Kelly Snodgrass who is memorizing with us. ;) "The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." 1 Timothy 1:5.

Read that again slowly and let it sit on you for a minute. That's how I want to love. Give me a pure heart Lord. Let me love with a good, clean conscience. Help me to be sincere, Lord, with this love. Nothing fake.

 I'm so anxious to hear your verses. I just love and respect each and every one of you! It takes great commitment and dedication to stick with this memory thing. Let's spur one another on as much as we can!

Hugs and blessings~

I really do LOVE His Word.....don't you?

We are finally pushing past the hump I do believe! When I completed this journey last year, I remembered quickly how hard this time of year was for me. My family is deep into spring sports.....America's game....baseball. We love it so very much and it consumes more days and nights than not. However....I am learning with time, age, and nearly 16 years of parenting, that NOTHING will come between me and my personal growth with the Lord. NOTHING. I don't say that with pride. I can say that after more times of failure than success. There are some disciplines, however, that I am finally getting right. :)

I am in love with scripture memory and seeing the fruit of knowing His Word and how to apply it, can literally stop me dead in my tracks. His Word is truly life bearing and something I find myself desperate to know.....really know. Thank you Jesus for taking this prodigal daughter nearly 15 years ago and loving me with such patience and grace. I'm YOURS!! And you are mine. There is nothing sweeter than that right there.

The verse I picked this time is Isaiah 26:4. It is simple, short, but I love a little nugget with one of the words. Here is the verse....and then I will explain.

"Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal." 

 The very first word, trust, actually means to "attach" in the original Hebrew language. YES!! I want to attach myself to Him...through it all....I want to be attached to Him. When I'm feeling overwhelmed or worried or afraid or insecure or prideful or walking in any sin, I hope to recall this scripture and visualize my desperate self in need of holding onto my Savior. I'm holding on Lord. I'm attached to the One who knew me before the foundation of the world and sent His son to die so I may live.

Alrighty.....share away sweet friends!!! I'm so very proud of you!

Confession and a new memory verse!!

Y'all...seriously...I think it's still February or something. IT'S APRIL!!! It's mid-April! May will be here in two days. ;) Goodness gracious the time is flying. I must be old. That's what happens right?

Before I share my memory verse I have a couple of confessions. Ok.....here we go : I didn't memorize my last verse at all. AT ALL. I will go ahead and tell you that I moved my spiral from my dashboard in my car to my purse thinking I would go over my verses more when in reality the spiral never ever ever left my purse. Ugh. Big fat hang my head low. And while I'm at it...I had to go back to my previous blog post and look what I even selected as my verse. GOOD GRIEF people. But...this is life and I got slightly off track. However, this I know....we are full of grace and love and encouragement around here and there is absolutely no condemnation when we fail or drop the ball. Thank you Jesus for showing us how to do that. I will grab my spiral out of my purse now...write down TWO verses and start fresh.

 I picked this next verse because it is just all up in my business for many different reasons and it has deep meaning to me right now. This verse reminds me of how quickly we can lose ground in certain areas of our life...family, friends, work, activities, anything that brings glory to God if we don't guard or protect what we have worked for. Anything we work for can be lost. Satan can't have the people and the things that mean so much to me. He just can't.

Fran, Jackson TN "Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be fully rewarded." 2 John 8 NIV

Ok...let me hear your verse girls!! And if you are willing...why did you pick that verse? I just love y'all. .

Love it!!! Let me hear those scriptures!!

This is definitely the time of  year when I tend to slowly fade out of scripture memory. Why? Because spring has sprung, my kids are so busy with spring/summer sports, and I just get a little too lazy with the warmer weather. It is just a struggle for me to push past this busy time of year and then through the lazy days of summer.

However...Satan won't win this battle with me. I may pick out shorter scriptures, but I'm still memorizing! So there Satan. Take that!

I want to provide you the context of the single verse I chose so here goes...

Fran, Jackson TN
   "I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy  because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,  being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philipians 1:6

I want to be obedient in ALL things. I want to walk this walk with great humility and integrity and authenticity. Jesus...I thank you that you WILL see the good all the way through. No matter where I turn or go or fall of the path...you WILL see it through.

Amen? Amen!!

Ok girls...fire away!!!  I can't wait to read what you have chosen!