A peak into my “quarantine” life. Feeding Faith & Starving Fear. Wk 1

The reality of this current Covid-19 life is that we are all in the grips of fear.

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We all have fear of disease, death, financial loss, job loss, etc. Life has changed in every possible way. Kids are home from school, all activities cancelled, stores have experienced shortages and lets not even get started about “distance learning” (that is painful for most parents and kids alike)

Spring!! Flowers make me so happy!

So, I thought that maybe you would like a glimpse into my personal life….. we all share similar fears and concerns. How am I feeding my faith to starve fear??  To learn more about me I recently wrote this post.

The Bible Study: God is BIGGER, Feed Faith, Starve Fear, is based on the 5 ways God taught me to feed faith in his power. He taught me these strategies over the nearly 7 years our son battled leukemia. I learned these in the trenches, with disease and death always staring us in the face. These same strategies work no matter what kind of HARD circumstance we are going through.

I’m going to share with you the things I am currently doing in each of these 5 ways to feed my faith to starve fear in the midst of this Covid-19 life we are all living.

Bible study bonus pages

Bible Study Cover. Click to get your own FREE copy!

1) Praise and Worship.

Praise gets our eyes off our circumstances and on our Savior! Battles are raged and victories are won as we stand in praise of our God. GOD is BIGGER than anything we face. We feed our faith by praising our BIG God. Praise keeps us centered with the proper perspective… GOD is GOD and we are not!

So, how have I been intentional about praising God? I have a Bluetooth speaker that is easily connected to my phone and I have Bluetooth earphones. On my phone I have the Klove radio app, the Moody Radio app, Faith Radio app, Pandora, Apple Music and the Tunein Radio app. I use Pandora the most, but have used all of those apps this week. I really like Pandora because I can search for specific songs.

Specific songs that I have listened to a lot this week:Waymaker” and “The Blessing”.

I make sure to turn on the music as I do housework. Praise helps keep my mind from wandering and centers my heart on truth!

The joy I find in hanging clothes on the clothes line is almost crazy!

We have had a few BEAUTIFUL spring days this week. I made sure that I went outside each day. I have been able to open the windows in the house. We live in the country and we have lots of birds. Our youngest son is a “birder”. He keeps our bird feeders full and over the years we have been intentional about planting trees and bushes and flowers that the birds like. We keep our eyes open for the return of the different species of birds. God’s creation worships him! Listening to the birds sing has been its own praise song.

As I type this I am sitting at the kitchen table in our 1911 Indiana farmhouse. I can look out the windows and see the clothes on the clothesline fluttering in the spring breeze. I can hear the song of several different types of birds. I can see my youngest son (Nate, age 15) shooting hoops out by the barn. The sun is shining. It is a gorgeous spring day and I choose to praise our God who created all this beauty!

We were blessed with a GORGEOUS sunset this week.  It felt like a love letter from God.  Even though the world

Love letter from God.

feels out of control right now, God is faithful.  He reminds us every morning as the sun comes up and every evening as the sunsets that HE is faithful!  His love for us never ends.  His grace and mercy are new everyday.  I took this picture of the sunset.  My view standing outside my back door.  I used the “Bible Lens” app to add the verse to my picture.  It is a fun app.  I like to add verses and text them to friends.  I have also printed them off.

2) Prayer

We have 3 sons and 1 daughter. Our daughter joined the Air Force and left for BMT (Basic Military Training) on March 17th just as the COVID-19 was really ramping up in the US. I told her when she left that I would be setting the alarm on my phone for 7am, noon and 5pm. These daily alarms are my “calls to prayer” for her. Now, I also include praying for our president and our nation.  Side note: I am one PROUD mama to have a daughter serving in the Air Force!!

My alarms are set! Calls to prayer.

I pray during other times of the day, too. However, these alarms help me to pause from my activities and to center myself before the Lord. I generally start out by saying the Lord’s Prayer and then follow with prayers for our daughter, Robyn, and other requests.

Because Robyn left for BMT right as our nation began to “shelter in place” her BMT experience has been a bit different so far. One difference is that she has been allowed to call home a few times. We do not have an address for her (at this time they are not allowing us to send them mail) so they are allowing them at least weekly phone calls. It has been so wonderful to be able to hear her voice. Equally wonderful is that we have been able to pray together over the phone! She can also share with me specific prayer requests.

Our Robyn as we dropped her off for Air Force!

We all think nonstop, and our thoughts can take us deep into fear really fast. Turning those thoughts into conversations with God is powerful. We are transforming our bids by turning to God. Instead of letting our thoughts lead us into dark territory we turn to God and seek His light.

3) The Word of God

To feed our faith and starve fear we MUST be in the Word of God. We must know the Word. We must feed our spirits with the truth of God’s Word. We must fill our hearts with His truth otherwise we are filling our hearts with our human emotions.

The news on tv and the internet feeds fear in my heart. I choose to keep the news off most of the day. I have a couple of news sources I will check each day but otherwise I stay off and away. A little news goes a long way in kicking up the fear factor. While I don’t want to put my head in the sand and act like nothing is going on outside the four walls of my house, I also must be careful about what I allow into my heart and mind.

The Word of God, the sword of the spirit, is what we use to fight away fear. It is the only weapon in the armor of God. We speak the Word of God over our circumstances. We tell ourselves what to think and what to believe based on the Word of God, not our feelings. God’s word declares over and over again that God is BIGGER than any circumstance we can face!!

My current reads!

In addition to reading the Bible, I recently finished re-reading the book “Praying the Bible” by Donald Whitney, and am currently doing the lent devotional, “Uncovering the Love of Jesus”, by Asheritah Ciuciu. Both are excellent!! I highly recommend them both. These books help me to feed my faith and to help me learn the word of God.

I am a huge fan of audiobooks and podcasts. I really like them because I can listen and DO tasks around the house or while I’m driving (pre- “shelter at home”). This week I listened to a special dramatized series about Judas Iscariot created by Unlocking the Bible. WOW. Just WOW! I had to text it to some of my friends. It is so worth the time to listen to it!

4) Renewing my mind

What we think about ends up being what we say. What we say we believe! It is easy for one thought to follow another and suddenly our minds have taken us to all kinds of fear and wrong places. We can “worse case” scenario things in the blink of an eye. Panic and anxiety are often the result.

We have the POWER to choose our thoughts! It takes determination, awareness and perseverance, but we can control what our mind thinks. Feeding faith in God requires us telling ourselves what to think in accordance to the Word of God. Therefore it is so important for us to know the word of God.

I pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help me be aware of how I am thinking and to help me see when my thoughts are NOT truth and are taking me to bad places of fear and anxiety. I have to put the brakes on my thoughts and literally TELL myself what to think about. I tell myself the TRUTH that is based on God’s word, rather than the lies of fear that my brain wants to naturally go with.

I help myself direct my thoughts by giving my brain the truth to think about. I have to be intentional. Again, I really like audiobooks and podcasts for this reason. Since we can’t GO to church right now we can listen to lots of church services online. This past Sunday I “attended” 5 online church services. Throughout the week I have been able to “attend” a few more! There are blessings to be found and this is one of them.

These messages have helped give myself things to intentionally think about. The messages help me so much!

Last weekend the new movie about Jeremy Camp and his first wife, Mellissa, was released to rent online. WOW!! We watched it as a family. If you haven’t had a chance to watch it, please do! You will be encouraged by this story of faith. I will admit we were pretty emotional throughout the movie and even talked a lot about it the next day. There were several parallels between their story and our leukemia journey with our son, Wesley. The movie hit home in a way that was extremely personal to our own life, but I know it will also be encouraging to those who have not journeyed with cancer.

The “I still believe” movie was extra emotional for us because the Jeremy Camp album, Stay, that he wrote after his wife died, is the album Wesley listened to on repeat during his first bone marrow transplant. That album is all about the truth of God in spite of the hard we face in life. That album has had a huge influence on our life. Also, side note: Jeremy Camp is from our area. I have never met him. However, his Dad is a pastor and 19 years ago his Dad, Tom, baptized my husband and me! I’ll have to share more sometime about how that happened to be since we didn’t go to his church. Also, my sister was married by Tom 23 years ago. Her husband’s family knows them all, including Jeremy.

5) Speak Life

This one is so huge!! We are all stressed right now and the words we say to our people really matter. I have messed up this week. In my frustration of being WITH my family all the time I hurt my youngest son’s feelings by telling I’m “I just wish I could have a day alone!” UGH…. not helpful to speak those kinds of things!

I have also seen so many meme’s and Facebook posts of parents complaining about being home with their kids, about homeschooling, about the stress of dealing with children. I get it. We are stressed right now. However, our words have power and we can build up or tear down with our words.

So, I am praying that the Holy Spirit makes me very aware of my words and to help me be extremely intentional about speaking encouraging, life building words. Also, apologizing for any hurtful words… so important for me to repent to both God and my family!

Robyn before she left for Air Force BMT

Right now we are NOT allowed to mail letters to our daughter at basic training. So when she calls I have to fill her up with words of truth. Strong encouragement doses. Truth from God’s word. I pray over her and remind her that God is our daily bread, and that through Christ we can do all things! Build her up in the few minutes I get to speak with her.

Whew! If you are still reading you deserve a virtual high five!

Here are some other things happening in my life and ways we can use this “shelter in place” intentionally to feed our faith!

I have been choosing people to reach out to every day. A text, an email or a phone call can go a long way to be a mutual encouragement. This is another opportunity to speak life.

I’m using this time to learn some new things! I have my first sourdough starter going! This is something that has been on my “bucket list” for a long time. Now is the chance.

Bucket list: Starting Sourdough!

Since we have had some beautiful spring days I have been getting outside each day. Fresh air and “dirt therapy” (working in my flour beds) is so good for my soul! Even deep cleaning our screened in porch was wonderful.  I LOVE hanging clothes on the clothesline.

Country Girl Date Night!

Yesterday evening my husband and I went on a “date”.  You know you are a country girl when you so enjoy an outside date more than going to any restaurant.  What did we do?  We went for a two hour hike in the woods to scout for the upcoming Turkey hunting season.

I received the SWEETEST letter from my

Nate’s girlfriend, Corrie. I couldn’t have picked a better girlfriend for him if I could have been the one doing the choosing! He has good taste! Anyway, she sent me the most encouraging, life building letter and also sent my a key chain. She set a HUGE example to me about the power kindness can have. She is inspiring me!

Family dinners have always been so important to me, but with busy sports

Corrie’s gift to me. She speaks life.

schedules they were fewer and farther between. However, dinner every night around the kitchen table has been a wonderful thing the last few weeks. I’m glad I like to cook, but even if you don’t, frozen pizzas and sandwiches are extra special being enjoyed together! It is the relationship part of family dinner that is the most important thing.

I want you to all know that I am praying for you all. I do not believe it was by coincidence that God led me to write this Bible study and I believe he wrote it for YOU! We need to all feed our faith and starve fear. Our GOD is SO BIG and he is definitely BIGGER than Covid-19.

I would be more than happy to pray specifically for you…. so please comment below or send an email to heatherfoxcorbin (at) gmail.com. I will pray for you!!  Also, share how you are being intentional about FEEDING Faith to starve fear!  GOD is BIGGER!!!

 

Until next time….  Stand on the truth…. GOD is BIGGER than any hard we can face in this life!!

Again, If you haven’t gotten your own FREE copy of the Bible Study: God is BIGGER, Feed Faith, Starve Fear, go grab it now!

 

My motto for S.I.M.P.L.E living

Choosing Simplicity…. breaking it down to the basics. I am CHOOSING simplicity by focusing on SIMPLE!

Right now, more than ever, we need to be focused on keeping life simple.  As we currently endure Covid-19 “stay home” social distancing, life is complicated.  However, we get to choose our personal focus!  We have so much power over the tone of our home and have the privilege of giving our family our nurturing care during this time.  Let’s keep things simple, it will help us through this time!!

S = Surrendering pre-conceived expectations. There are so many to let go of.
I = Identify the basics of day to day life and focus on them.
M = Map it out! A plan, a goal!
P = Purge! Less is More!
L = Leadership – being a home manager does not mean that I do it all myself!
E = Enjoy the moment! Live in TODAY…”If’s” and “When’s” never bring joy.

Simplicity is not relying on the things of the world to bring me peace and joy!!!!!!! The thing of this world (possessions, accomplishments, beauty, fame, popularity, wealth) never give lasting joy. Only through JESUS can I experience true and lasting peace, joy and abundant life! Cry out to HIM, He will be there! HE will fill you with His love, his forgiveness, his joy!! Life is HARD, but with Christ life has real and lasting meaning. Our time here on earth is so short, eternity with Him is going to be wonderful!!

FEED Faith and starve fear!!  Our GOD is BIGGER than the coronavirus!!!  Our GOD is BIGGER than any hard we can face in this life!!

Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING!
Heather

Have you downloaded your own FREE copy of the “GOD is BIGGER, Feed Faith & Starve Fear” E-book Bible Study??

Discover what your love language is….

Have you heard of “Love Languages”?  According to Dr. Gary Chapman, Author of The Five Love Languages, love languages are the ways we give and receive love.

Taking this 5 Love Language assessment from Dr. Gary Chapman is easy and fun!

They have one for husbands, wives, singles, teenagers and children.

My husband and I took it a couple of years ago and I learned that his love languages are NOT what I thought they were!! Man, and after all that effort that could have been spent more wisely and effectively….. Oh, well… any effort to show love is good, but hitting the mark with their love language is much better.

We found that we actually have the same primary love language: Words of affirmation. Learning this has helped me focus on SPEAKING and writing words of respect and encouragement to him. It is also easier for me to express this love language because I know how much I love it.

Anyway, I’m going to have my kids take the assessment….. I wonder if I have them figured out correctly! I’m all for learning how to better love my family.

Have you taken this assessment??

What did you discover was your primary love language??

Have a BLESSED day,
BE a BLESSING!
Heather


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Hi, I’m Heather Fox Corbin!

Sending you a “social distance” safe HELLO!  

As I type this we are in the middle of the Covid-19 crazy.  Social distancing is the thing as all “non-essential” jobs and activities must be set aside.  We are living in an unprecedented moment in time.  Life has never looked like this before, and I hope it neve does again.

If you are landing on this website because you downloaded a copy of the “God is Bigger, Feed Faith & Starve Fear” Bible Study, welcome! Please make sure you grab a copy of all the bonus material that is available.

So, I would like to introduce myself to you.  Really, to be honest, I would love to sit with you in person visiting with you over a cup of coffee or a fountain coke (my weakness).  I didn’t realized how much I would MISS in person chatting and visiting.  God created us relational… we need each other!

I’m Heather Fox-Corbin.  I am wife to Chris, we have been married almost 24 years. We are the opposites that attract, balancing each other out!  He is a self employed ceramic tile/natural stone contractor.  Together we live out in the country on 3 acres in a 100 year old house. We are blessed with 4 children, 3 sons and a daughter.  We have officially been married longer than we were alive before marriage.  We were married young and “grew up” together.  He is a hard working guy that loves to come home to me at the end of the day.

My adult life has been primarily dedicated to my family.  My roles as wife and mama have been my life.  While I have had a few jobs, and did earn a college degree, God has opened up the door for me to be (mostly) a stay at home mom since our third child was born.  To be honest, I’ve struggled a lot with comparing myself to others and feeling like I have “accomplished” very little with my life.  However, last year, God set me free from that.  I have accomplished exactly what he has had in store for me these child raising years.

My personal “side gig” is working as a photographer I am a mostly a family photographer, but do some weddings.  I really enjoy working as a “second shooter” (assistant) for other wedding photographers.  I have 12 weddings scheduled for this summer to be a “second shooter” and 3 as primary lead photographer.  We will see what happens with all of these…. stupid coronavirus!!  This winter I also taught a photography class to a group of home school teens and that was a ton of fun!

I have always enjoyed writing.  I have so many journals!  I even used to have an old school blog.  Writing a book has always been a dream God placed in my heart.  Writing this Bible Study was my first step in obedience.  God penned this book through me and I am thankful that the lessons He taught me through the HARD of leukemia will be used for HIS good. (romans 8:28)  I know that there are more books HE will guide me to write…. in his time.

Speaking at Christian women’s events is an honor I have had several times.  I am thankful for each time and as God opens doors I will continue to speak.  I have such a burning passion in my heart to help women be set free from fear.  Jesus said in his word that “He who the son sets free is free indeed”! (Jn 8:36)

I’m a country girl.  I really enjoy living in the country and “dirt therapy” is my favorite warm weather pastime.  Growing flowers is a hobby.  We used to live a homestead life, raising our own meat and had a big garden.  That all changed when Wesley got sick, but we still enjoy our country life.  This past year I re-planted our strawberry patch and am looking forward to a good harvest this year.

Our oldest son, Wesley (now age 22), is our son that battled leukemia.  Today, after 7 years and 6 relapses, He lives cancer free!  God chose to heal him on this side of heaven.  We are so thankful!  He is currently in college studying cybersecurity.

Our 2nd child, our only daughter, is Robyn (age 20).  She is currently at Air Force basic training (BMT).  She is a warrior!  I am one proud mama to have a daughter willing to serve our country.

Our middle son, Ethan (age 17), is finishing up home school this year and will be heading into a career in the trades.  This guy is hands on!  He has loved all things tools since he was a toddler.  Toys? Who needs those!  LOL.

Our youngest child, Nate (age 15), is a student at our local high school and LOVES basketball.  Good thing God made him tall.  He also bakes a mean pie and we enjoy his cookie baking.  He also has the cutest girlfriend, Corrie.

Ok… ENOUGH about me!!  “About” Pages are hard to write!  

 

How the death of a loved one is inspiring me to LIVE

Gripping the yellow rose tightly in my fingers, I  fixed my eyes forward, looking beyond my mother as she led us into the church.  Behind me bravely walked my four children and my husband. Following them were my sisters and their families, my three aunts and all my cousins with their families.  The melody of one of my Grandma’s favorite hymns floated from the organ and ushered us to the front of the church where each of us 12 grandchildren placed a yellow rose in the vase next to Grandma’s casket.  We all silently filled the pews, tears filling our eyes, our hearts tight with grief.

Outside the sun was shining, this fall day was beautiful and extra warm for mid-November.  It was the kind of day that normally beckoned me outside for one last adventure before the blanket of winter settled around my shoulders.  The kind of day when the sunshine and gentle warm breeze rustling the golden leaves stirred up life in my heart and inspired living.  What a gift the sunshine and warmth gave us to celebrate the life of our grandmother.  She lived in a way that brought sunshine and warmth wherever she went.

It is never easy to face the passing of a loved one, even when they have lived a full and long life.  The empty space their leaving creates in our lives is felt deeply.  As a Christ follower, we always try to focus on the joy of our loved one being with Jesus in our true home, but the earthly reality is that our hearts are filled with grief.  For our loved one in heaven it is joy, but for those of us left behind it is sorrow.

The tears spilled from my eyes and my heart squeezed tightly as the notes from the organ faded into silence and the reverend, also my uncle, stepped up to begin the service.  Yes, this celebrating life day, this gathering of family to say good-bye, would be a day that stirred up deep thoughts and contemplations.  Back and forth my heart would go, one moment full of joy for Grandma now living in our forever home, the following full of heartache knowing my days will no longer be brightened with her smile.

Over the years, I have bid farewell to several loved ones, each one leaving their legacy in my life.  I carry their fingerprint etched on my soul.  That is the way of life, each of us leaving our fingerprints on the hearts of those we touch.  Grandma’s fingerprint has stirred deep contemplations in my heart.

The days have come and gone, one by one, passing two months’ time since that warm November day.  I have thought a lot about life and death in these passing days.  Death is not something I fear, my heart is sealed in the grace of my savior, Jesus.  But the reality of death is real.  We each will live our days and we will each be ushered from this life into eternity.  None of us know the time or year, but we are each given a breadth of days to live on earth between the two chasms of eternity.

Saying good-bye to a loved one can be something that forces us to examine our own life more deeply.  This can be extremely good and valuable.  What kind of fingerprint am I leaving with my life, what legacy will fill the hearts of those I love?  When my time on earth comes to an end, what treasures of lasting value will my life have?

Big questions, intimidating ones!  Questions and thoughts that we often don’t take the time to contemplate.  Life is so busy, we rush from one day to the next just trying to keep our heads above water.  We live in survival mode more days than not.  We wake up tired and crash exhausted at the end of the day knowing that our to do list did not get done.  Is this living?  Is this creating the fingerprint and legacy I want my life to leave?

I am currently reading two books that are helping me process life and focus on living a life that creates the fingerprint and legacy I really want to leave.  I am reading Driven by Eternity (by John Bevere) and Living Forward (by Michael Hyatt. Intentionally living, not just surviving, is what I want.  Intentionally living with eternity as my perspective.  I am DOING the activities recommended in Living Forward and they are helping me create a clear picture of the life I want to live.  It has been a powerful experience that has been spurred on as I contemplate the lives of my loved ones that have passed on.

Saying good-bye to loved ones fills our hearts with loss, but can also be the push we need to evaluate our own lives more deeply.  The emotions of grief that we feel can facilitate growth and purpose in our own living.  Our own living of life can become more purposeful when we take the time to treasure the life of a loved one.  Grief is powerful, grief is hard, grief is long, but walking the journey of grief can become an opportunity to embrace our own intentional living!

Please share with me…. has the fingerprint from a loved one left on your heart challenged you to look at your own living in a different light?  Has the journey though grief ever nudged you to evaluate your own living?  Is intentional living a desire or focus for you right now?  Are you tired of just surviving and you want your legacy to be valuable??

I know… a lot of questions!!  But this life, this living, our time on earth is just so short!!  From the bottom of my heart I want to live well!  I want to leave fingerprints that are a blessing and a legacy that draws others to Christ.  I want to live intentionally and I want to do this with others desiring the same thing!  Would you like to join me diving deeper into intentional living??  Please leave a comment….  I want to create a community here that encourages living fully!

Also, join me on Facebook at Simple Faith and Family.  Let’s encourage each other to live intentionally, to process our life and to leave a lasting legacy!  TOGETHER!!!

These books are powerful tools helping me to evaluate my life!!  Have you read either of them??  If so, how have they helped you?


**Disclaimer: The book links in this post are Amazon are affiliate links.  If you purchase through my link it will not cost you any more, but will provide me with a small amount of commission.  I thank you in advance, as a stay at home mom any income I earn from my Amazon links is helpful financially to our family.**

Want to get to know me better??

old-school-stlye_edited_editedWhen blogging first came out blogs were mostly online journals where people shared their lives.  I really loved reading blogs and “met” some great people along the way.  I used to have a blog that is now completely “vintage”!  Oh, my how fast the online world changes.  If you want to check out my old blog feel free to hop over to “Choosing Simplicity” (I haven’t really kept it up since before our son was sick with leukemia).

ANYWAY… now blogs are very polished, fancy and much like online magazines.  Everyone is an “expert” and sharing their knowledge with us.  I enjoy learning and I enjoy teaching so this current style of blogging can work for me, too.  However, I MISS getting to “know” bloggers since fewer and fewer share their real life.  While I want to learn….. I also want to connect with a blogger.  I miss the VINTAGE blog style.

When I was working (both is social work and as a teacher) my professional motto was “No one cares what I know until they KNOW that I CARE”!  I think this holds true in personal life and in blog life.  I want you to know me and know I care about you.  I don’t just want to blog to create an online name or presence for myself…. I want to be an encouragement, a light, a living example that Jesus is our savior and that God is BIG (and wants to be BIG in our every day life)! I want you to know that I care…. I want to be real and transparent.  I know life is HARD, I know that life is a struggle and I know that through all this hard life in Christ is Victorious.

Every week I want to write a “VINTAGE” Style blog post that is personal and more old school blogging online journal style.  Share some real life living!  Life is messy…. not all picture perfect…. but that is OK!  Life is good, not perfect!!

Soooo….. What is going on in my life this week???

I am feeling so much better as I recover from the flu I had last week.  Wow, did that knock me on my tush for a few days!  I literally spent 2 days in bed.  Thankfully, Wes (our oldest son who is a leukemia survivor) did not get it!  His body is still re-building from the second bone marrow transplant he had last fall.  He landed in the hospital this summer with the Para Influenza #3!  We want NO repeats!!

While I was down with the flu I did get some of the fall pictures I took of our kids edited.  I also got Wes and Robyn’s senior pictures edited.  I have loved taking pictures of the kids every fall and this year we just took some extra for senior pictures.  It has been bittersweet.  I am THRILLED that they will be graduating and moving on in the next season of their life.  We are especially thrilled that Wes is ALIVE and here with us to do all these things.  Before leukemia changed Wes’ life he was a year ahead of Robyn in school, but now they will graduate together.  However, it was tinged with sadness for this Mama Heart knowing that this is the LAST fall I will take pictures with all my kids still living at home.  Transitions can be hard on a mama heart! Can you relate to that??

Here are my four kiddos: From Right to Left: Robyn (17), Nate (12), Ethan (13) and Wes (19)

all-4-2

Now that I am feeling all better I have been in a CLEANING frenzy!  I know that a lot of this is the mama bear in me coming out to destroy any germs in our house!  I also have been feeling like our house is too cluttered and needs not only a deep cleaning be some stuff purging.  So far I have deep cleaned and purged the Master Bedroom, Master Bath and the living room.  I cleaned from top to bottom.  Curtains washed, walls wiped down, everything cleaned, stuff purged!  Ahhhh it feels SO good!  I will continue tackling one room each day until the whole house is done!  Just in time for the Holidays.

Tuesday started the month of November.  Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE holiday.  I love food and I love being thankful (so much power in a thankful heart)…. I also love that there are no HUGE expectations that surround the holiday…. so we can just ENJOY family, friends and food!  I came across a Scripture Writing resource to be used during the month of November.  I posted it on my personal Facebook  a week ago asking if anyone wanted to join me.  As of today there are 50 people doing this with me!!  How BIG is our GOD??? So BIG!!  This month we are coming together to focus on developing a heart of thanksgiving and praise!  We would LOVE to have you join us and jump in!!  (see picture below for the daily verses) My middle son, Ethan, is also joining me…. Perks of being the only home schooled kid!

thanksgiving-prayer-list

What am I reading right now??  I always have 2 books going.  I have a fun fiction book and I keep a non fiction (spiritual or personal growth focused) book going.  Right now I am reading “A Home in Drayton Valley” by Kim Vogel Sawyer as my “fun” book.  I’m over half done and am really enjoying it.  The characters have both captured my heart and the story line is keeping me reading.

I am reading “Driven By Eternity” by John Bevere as my growth book.  I just started it this week and it won’t be a book I move through quickly.  I am reading a few pages at a time with my Bible by my side.  I read, and then I have to take time to meditate and let it really sink deep into my Spirit.  I don’t just want to read a book to check it off my goal list…. I want books to be tools that help me GROW in Christ!  Speed is not the issue, growth is my goal.

This week marks another “First” for our youngest son, Nate.  He is in 6th grade and is playing on a “real” basketball team for the first time.  He LOVES basketball and has been practicing hard.  This week he will have his first game.  One EXCITED kid!!  I have been fully enjoying having 2 older kids with driver’s license.  They have been helping me with transportation to and from practices.  One more thing I will miss when Wes and Robyn go off to college next year.

Speaking of college…. Robyn submitted her application to Purdue last night and Wes is finishing his.  Tonight we go to Ivy Tech to learn more about their community college option.  They have both been working on scholarships and we filed the FAFSA form.  It is a big job (LOTS of hours) to get all this stuff done!  I’m kind of glad we are doing it all for 2 at once!  We are working as a team helping each other!

Well…. I think that sums up my week and hopefully gives you a peek into my life and helps you to get to know me better.  I’ll be back next week with another “Vintage style, old-school” Blog post!

Last week I shared with you the “BLESSINGS” acronym I use to pray for my husband, ChrisPrayer is SO POWERFUL!!!  I hope you find this acronym as helpful as I have. I’m praying some BIG things right now for Chris and for the kids and for others.  To help you pray using scripture I have put together a simple e-book full of Bible verses that go along with each of the letters in BLESSSINGS.  Praying the WORD of God is the most powerful prayers you can pray.  GOD’S word is always lined up with God’s will!!!  Have you seen the movie War Room?? If not, I highly recommend it!  It will inspire you to pray the word of God!!


 

(Note: some links in this post are affiliate links. I will earn a small percentage if purchase through the links)

 

 

 

Be your husband’s PRAYER WARRIOR!

blessingsThere is SO much power in prayer!!!  One thing we have learned over and over the last 4 years as we have traveled with our oldest son down the path of leukemia is that prayer is powerful!!  Time after time we have seen the hand of God move!!  God doesn’t always answer prayers in the way we WANT, but always in the way that is BEST!!

Praying for my HUSBAND is one of the greatest things I can do for him.  Several years ago I heard on the radio someone sharing using the acronym “BLESSINGS” to pray for our husband.  I have tried to find who shared this, but I haven’t been successful.  However, I have USED this to pray for my husband ever since!

Sometimes we get stuck in a rut praying for our husband.  I get that and want to share with you this tool that has empowered me to pray BOLDLY and SPECIFICALLY for my husband!

 

Have you watched the movie, War Room??  If you haven’t I highly encourage it!  This movie shows the power of prayer, specifically praying scripture.  God’s word does not return void and He is so faithful!

Over the years I have seen God answer my prayers for my husband time and time again.  I am so thankful for that day I heard this acronym on the radio, it has been such a helpful tool.

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Click HERE to download  a set of bookmarks with the “BLESSINGS” prayer.  Place one in your Bible, hang one on the bathroom mirror, put one in your car and share one with a friend!

Praying SCRIPTURE is the most powerful way to effectively pray.  I have put together a e-book with Bible verses for each of the letters in “BLESSINGS”.  Sign up below to receive this in-depth resource.

My life motto is GOD is BIGGER (than anything we face here on earth).  Join me in praying some BIG prayers!  Our husbands will be BLESSED!!

When your friend is hurting….. 5 Practical ways to reach out

Life can be so HARD!  We all go through sfriendeasons when life is just extra challenging.  We all know someone that is HURTING right now.  Whether your friend is experiencing a medical challenge, a job loss, a family crisis, loss of a loved one or personal struggle there are lots of ways we can REACH out and show we love and care.

I have lived the life of being THE hurting friend and also have been the friend of someone hurting.  During our 4 year journey with our son’s leukemia I have had friends who have done an  EXCELENT job of reaching out …. and I have had friends that left me feeling alone.  I know that YOU WANT to be the friend that makes a positive impact during your friend’s time of struggle.  I have learned from the examples of my friends, and I know first hand how I have felt over the years.  These are tried and true ways you can practically REACH out and show you care!

5 Practical ways to reach out and show you care

  1. Encouraging Words and Listening Ear

Sometimes we just don’t know what to say to someone that is hurting.  We want to say something helpful but we are at a loss.  So instead of saying anything, we too often say nothing.  Without meaning to we end up causing our friend more pain because our silence creates isolation and separation.  Lets just be honest: There is NOTHING you can say that can *fix* or eliminate the pain and heartache your friend is going through and your friend isn’t expecting this.  Therefore, just knowing this takes the pressure off and we can focus on sharing encouraging words and being a listening ear.

Putting Encouraging Words and Listening Ear into ACTION:

*Text Messages:  Text messaging is probably the easiest way to let your friend know you are thinking about them.  Texts are quick and simple but let our friend know we care.  We can send a quick “Hello! Checking in on you!”  “How can I pray for you today?” “I have been thinking about you… want you to know I care.”  “I’m here…. want to chat?”    You can also send Bible verses, pictures with quotes, jokes, links to a song, a picture of the two of you together, and the options go on and on.  A very powerful text is writing out a prayer.

*Phone Calls:  Phone calls are becoming less frequent in our texting society.  (I often could go WEEKS without receiving a phone call from a friend.  This was sad and lonely.)  A good conversation can be soothing balm to a hurting heart.  A phone call takes more courage and more effort than a text, but it is so worth it.  Remember to let go of any fear you might have about saying the right, or wrong

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thing and just give your friend a call.  If you are worried that it wouldn’t be good timing for your friend you can shoot a text first asking if this is a good time or when a good time would be to have a chat.  You can even start off the conversation by saying “I know there isn’t anything I can say or do to “fix” this or make it better, but I just want you to know I care!”  Getting this out in the open is freeing for both of you and the conversation will flow naturally from this point on.  You can allow your friend to vent, share about her hurt or allow her to talk about anything but her heartache.  Let your friend have the freedom to talk about whatever she wants to.  The fact you called is more important than any words you will actually say!!

*Written Word… Notes and Cards:  Opening the mailbox and finding a handwritten note is a very special thing!  In our world of technology we rarely send or receive handwritten letters or cards.  Texts and emails have their place, but a card or note you can hold in your hand has power that a text or email can never have.  Often cards are set out to be looked at over and over!  Mailing a card or letter takes more effort that an email or text and that effort is felt by your friend! These cards and notes are tangible expressions of love.

2) Spend face-to-face time WITH your friend

While texts, calls, emails and handwritten notes all have their place of importance, our hurting friend NEEDS to have face to face contact, too..  It is easy for us to neglect this because we often think our friend might have too much on her plate to take time to visit.  However, while this may be true, often a hurting friend is longing for some face to face time.  Reach out and ask…. if it isn’t good timing let your friend decline the invitation.  It is better to ask than to not ask!

photo-1461595520627-42e3c83019bcSpecific Ideas:   Ask her out, or have over to your place, for coffee, dinner, a walk, play date with the kids, a trip to the library or museum, go to an event or game, sit around a camp fire, visit her at the hospital, go with her to appointments, meet for a bible study and time of prayer or anything else that the two of you enjoy doing!  The options are limitless and the impact is huge!!  You can also get your group of friends together rather than it always being one-on-one.  Make sure that you don’t stop including your friend in the things you have always done together.  While she might not always be able to do the same things it is important that she knows she is invited and wanted.

 

3) Give A HUG!

Some of us are “huggers” and some of us are not…. Each of us have a different level of comfort with hugs.  You know your friend, but most people find hugs comforting and receive them with joy.  So when you see your friend face to face, reach out and give a hug!  A hug doesn’t take words to communicate we care and is often just the thing our friend needs.

 

4) Acts of Service, the gift of giving practical help

When your friend is going through intense times there are a lot of ways you can give the gift of practical service/help.  You can give her room on her plate by taking care of a detail or physical need she has.  The options for DOING things for a hurting friend are numerous.  One huge piece of advice: rather than asking your friend “Let me know if there is any thing I can do to help”  choose instead to say to her “I want to help.  Please tell me something I can do for you this week that would be helpful to you.”  If she says she is fine and doesn’t need you to do anything you can give her ideas and suggestions.  Often our friends don’t want to feel like a bother and will resist help, even when it is so desperately needed.

Specific ways to give practical help:  fix a meal, run an errand, transport kids, help kids with homework, mow the yard, clean the house (or just one task such as mop the kitchen or clean the bathrooms), do the laundry, shovel snow, wash/clean out the car, watch the kids, go to an appointment with her, plant/water/weed her flowers, help decorate for the holidays, walk the dog, take the trash out for garbage day, get the mail, etc.  You know all the tasks involved in day to day life.  Think of one or two that you know you can do for her and do it!

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5) Gifts/Generosity

When our friends are going through hard times it is common for them to have financial needs.  Sometimes there are extra bills, decreased income, or both.  If the situation is severe community fundraisers can be very effective ways to help support and provide.  However, this much is not always needed and there are MANY simple ways you can lighten the load for your friend or give her a gift to show you care.

Specific ways to give: 

Gifts to cheer: books, music, flowers, candy, coffee, art, or anything you know she would enjoy.

Gift cards for gas, groceries, household needs, meals are always helpful.  Food is always helpful, whether it is a prepared meal, a freezer meal, a gift card or a bag of groceries.

Gas is always needed.

Extra help at holidays or kid’s birthdays, school enrollment fees, school supplies/clothes, snow removal or lawn care, laundry soap or money for laundry mat, personal care supplies, etc.  Obviously the ideas could go on and on.

 

YOU have a BIG heart and WANT to help your hurting friend!!  Just by reading this you show your heart!  I hope that this post has given you a framework of practical ideas for helping your hurting friend.

 

I would love to hear from you!  Share with me ways you have been able to help a hurting friend OR tell me about a time a friend reached out and blessed you!!

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FREE Online Mom Conference!

This MOM Gig can be HARD!!!  If you are like me you want to be the BEST mom you can be and so you are always eager to learn and grow!  I have learned about an online MOM conference that is coming soon.  It is FREE and so I didn’t hesitate to sign up!

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One of the speakers is very dear to my heart.  FlyLady’s ministry has impacted my life in very practical and real ways.  Her trainings transformed the way I take care of my home and family.  I found FlyLady in 2003 while I was pregnant with my 4th child.  She was literally an answer to my prayers for help in managing my home.  So thankful for Marla!!

Join me in learning and growing by listening to some incredibly wise people!