Laurel Wreath’s Reflections

How many times do we feel like what we do day to day does not make one iota of difference. I know I fall into that line of faulty thinking. Especially being in a house where I am the only female. The boys are getting to the age of always going to Dad for sports, school, etc. Many times I have pleaded to the Lord, “please show me where I can make a difference.” According to my faulty thinking I felt the Lord was being silent. I developed the attitude, “well I guess he just can not use me.” (insert big sigh)

Slowly the Lord showed me that I do make a difference in the little things I do, in the kind words left here and there. Even when I make sure each boy has clean socks, I am making a difference. Me making a difference may not be for the glory of crowds, or may go completely unnoticed. But God NOTICES!

1. I am thankful the Lord loves me unconditionally.

2. I am thankful HE has used me in the past, is using me now, and will use me again in the future.

3. I am praising God because he is crazy about me and loves me with a passionate heart.

I want to encourage you today in whatever you are doing, even when no one is looking God sees you and notices.

God notices when you clean your toilets and provide care to your family.

God notices when you make that extra special dinner, that no one realized.

God notices when you spent all day caring for a sick child.

God is always there. This is a different kind of Thankful Thursday, but for some reason when I sat down to write, this is what God laid on my heart. Maybe it is because one person needed to be reminded.

Be encouraged! Wherever you find yourself, whatever you do today, God notices your hard work and commitment.

For more please Visit Sting My Heart.

Tags: Thankful Thursday

Yep, the day has arrived. I look in the mirror and I see my mother. We dread this day, we say this day won’t happen, many times we justify how we are different. When we are younger we say, “Lord help me I don’t want to become my mother!” But let me tell you what I see when I look in the mirror, and what I see when I look at my Mom.

1. Sensitivity to others around you. My Mom always has had a big heart. She would give you her last dollar, so you can “buy something special.”

2. A desire to continue to learning more about God.

3. A tender heart for little children to know God. Mom has been a Sunday School teacher for many years. And has had parents request that she move up a grade each year so their kids could continue to have her. My Dad helps with this also. Mom is building these kids foundations.

4. A cheerleader for her daughters. She has always had high hopes in our abilities. When my sister and I did not see our abilities, she did and encouraged us to keep going.

5. She is a mother who still is giddy when her adult only son walks in the room. There is something special between sons and Moms that I am learning.

6. And she never fails to make a person laugh. Our favorite story to tell is Mom shopping with my sister (who is very knowlegeable in the ways of fashion), and Mom just trying to spend time with her daughter. Sister was at the stage where all things “Mom” were embarrasing. Mom yelling across the store saying, “Here honey I found some ‘dinky” (she pronounced it dee-kee), instead of DNKY.” My sister wanted to die from embarrassment. But now it is the running joke whenever we find ‘dee-kee’ clothing. Hey I would have probably done the same thing, I am just not admitting that right now =)

7. Finally Mom has shown us how to be a wife and have a successful marriage. She has shown us how to stick through the hard times, knowing the sweet times are just around the corner again.

Now if I can look in the mirror and see all that. I am proud to become like my Mom.

Next week is Mom’s birthday, so I wanted to surprise her early. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

What are you thankful for today?

For more please Visit Sting My Heart.

Tags: Mom, Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for only one thing CHRIST DID THIS FOR ME:

The Death of Jesus (Matthew 27: 45-66)

45 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. 46About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”

48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. 52 The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

For more please Visit Sting My Heart.

Tags: easter, Thankful Thursday

Have you ever felt of kilter for awhile then suddenly you wake up and things seem to be back in balance? That is how I have felt this week, “back in balance.” I don’t know how to explain it any other way. But you know I am a woman with hormones, so that “off balance” can return at any moment, hehehe =)

1. I am thankful for a husband who spends so much time with his sons, now that they are getting older it is so important.
2. I am thankful that I had a new nephew born this week (on hubby’s side of family).
3. I am thankful that I do feel God leading, I just don’t know where and I am ok with that. Normally I would like a map and know everything, but the Lord is telling me to TRUST.
4. And nothing says ‘loving’ like more RAM. And if you know what I mean by that, then you are just as geeky as me =)) My hubby surprised me and upgraded my computer.

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Now about this giveaway (this is going to be a different type of book review than I normally give =)

I have just read this book titled The Second Mile by Mike Haman

Amy directed me to this book and wanted to know if I would like to read it and possibly review it. She knows Mike. I like Amy, she likes Mike, so I decided to give it try. I received the book in the mail and sat it on my counter where it stared at me =) About two Sunday’s ago, we skipped church, and was recuperating from our week. I sat sipping my coffee and the book stared at me. I will admit Mike Haman looks young and my first thought was “what could he write that I did not already know.”

People BEFORE section 1 was HOOKED! I could relate to Second Mile on so many levels as a seasoned Christian many times when we feel the “burn out” or have the feeling like something is missing then that must mean we need to do MORE. But in doing all this “stuff” you still wonder if what you are doing is actually making a difference. And if so why do you feel empty? Haman does a beautiful job in explaining everything in his book, but basically Second Mile is about “taking responsibility to be Christ in the earth, to be His Light shining brightly…and to continue His ministry of destroying the works of the devil.”

Haman presents the story of the Good Samaritan like I have never heard it before, it was like the Holy Spirit blowing a fresh wind on a story I have heard since I was in Sunday School.

This book is a devotional style book, so it is real easy to just read two pages a day. Haman lays out what it takes to “go that second mile.”

And honestly I am at the age now where I feel like I am beginning that second mile, my kids are almost teens, I am almost 40, basically I feel everything I have gone through, everything the Lord has taught me (and is teaching me) is for the encore performance of my Second Mile.

Ok the giveaway….

Want a copy of Second Mile? One lucky person who says “enter me” in the comments will get their own copy. I highly recommend this book for anyone that has high schoolers or college age kids. This is the perfect devotional for them, would make a great graduation gift!! WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED MONDAY. And if you win I will need an address of where the book can be sent.

Anyways… if you don’t believe me about the book, how about I let you read the first chapter. Click here to read the first chapter of Second Mile.

And if you would like to know more about Mike Haman, this is his personal site.

If you don’t win the book, it is only $8.99 here.

For more Thankful Thursdays don’t forget to visit Sting My Heart.

My brain is fried from so many fires projects I have going on at one time behind the scenes. But I am almost to a stopping point where I can come up for air (hopefully this weekend).

But I am thankful, for so much.

1. Thankful hubby let me sleep in a little bit this morning and took kids to school because I have been staying up past midnight each night trying to finish something up.

2. Thankful my dishwasher SHOULD finally be fixed this afternoon.

3. Thankful all three of my sons are playing a championship game this Saturday for basketball. My youngest son’s team is in the winner’s bracket, and so are my two older sons (who play on the same team). How awesome it would be if all three won =)) But if not, it is awesome to be in the final championship game!

4. I have been reading on Christ’s death leading up to Easter. I praise God that he sent his son to die for my sins.

5. I praise God for friends who still talk to me when I am silent and working too much, and never let me slip away into oblivion. I am known to get to busy and don’t keep up my friendships as I should (seriously guys I am a bad friend). Praise God for friends that keep me straight.

So what is on your heart? What are you thankful for? Thank you so much for stopping by. Be sure to visit Iris at Sting My Heart for more Thankful Thursdays.

Tags: Thankful Thursday

I did not want to write this, in fact my attitude was anything but grateful..but I see God’s hand to much, not to be thankful today. This post is more for me to write out, than for you to read so I won’t mind if you move along, won’t be offended ;)))

I wish I could say it is rare when tears spring from my eyes, but for some reason these last few days it has been more the norm. The sinful side of me wants to walk away and say I have had enough of ____ (motherhood, friends with cancer, my house stuff, fill in the blank…). But God never lets you go, even when you want to let go.

For example…

I know by now that Mom is rolling her eyes saying (yep, that’s my daughter)….But things I have learned (and this is maybe more for me to write out than for you to read but…..)

a. God never leaves.
b. Even though he may not give me the answers I want, he has already done everything. Another thing the Lord led me to read last night was this:

Many times I have felt that God was playing a game with me called, “Challenge”. Here is how it works, A problem presents itself, then with both of us looking into each others eyes ( I do notice a smile on God’s face.) I say to God, “I have done all that I know to do according to your Word, Father, it is your move.” Now, here is where the ‘challenge’ comes in. He seems to be staring at me, with that beautiful smile…but He is doing nothing. by Benji Clark Mallory

I did not realize it until I read these words, but that is exactly where I find myself. But gently reminded me HE HAS ALREADY DONE EVERYTHING for me! How, as a seasoned Christian, can we get so wrapped up in things that we lose sight? It just shows how dependant I am of God each and every day, and he is reminding me of this. When things are good, I ‘know’ I am dependant on him but when life is hard I RELY on it. It is my salvation.

I want to say publicly Angie, you have been a witness in your grief. Angie lost her sister, and amongst pain there is praising. Thank you for your witness and my prayers are with you as you go through this season.

And I strongly believe the Lord desires our joy, he led me to this post (and maybe it was the mood I was in, but I laugh so hard I had tears coming from my eyes). It was good to have a great big belly laugh.

UPDATE: If you have not see the video Shalee posted, it is a pee in your pants you laugh so hard funny…I have not laughed so hard. Go WATCH IT.

What a jumbled mess of a post, sorry.

“Jesus Christ went into the ultimate wilderness and lost God so that when you and I go into our little wildernesses we can find God.”
- Tim Keller

For more TT post, visit my friend Iris at Sting My Heart

Tags: Thankful Thursday