I love a good list!

Not sure if it is due to my somewhat Type A personality or being the first born, but I certainly love a good list.

And I love summer.

So imagine how excited I was when I found not one, not two, but three lists for this summer!

Today, I discovered a new website called Sacred Holidays.

Their tagline is "Less holiday chaos. A lot more Jesus."

I love the idea of less chaos and more Jesus.

But what really caught my eye was the three lists they are sharing for this summer.

A 90 day plan to read the Bible, a women's summer bucket list, and a summer photography challenge. All three lists are free on their website, you just need to share your email address with them.

Sacred Holidays summer lists

It has been quite a few years since I have read through the whole Bible. This is going to take some dedication on my part. But even if I get up a half an hour earlier each day (and cut out a little social media time), I believe I can make this work. Even if I get to the end of August and still have some reading to do, it will be better than if I had never started the challenge. Plus, spending time reading God's Word is always a good thing.

Speaking of reading, I have been working on my Goodreads challenge to read 30 books this year and I am making good progress. This year I am really trying to focus on reading books that have been living on my Kindle for too long. I printed up a list, but recently I learned about Bullet Journals. Have you heard about them?

You can get lost on the internet reading about Bullet Journals (go ahead, do a 'Google' search for them. Just be sure to come back here to read the rest of the post!). Anyway, I like the idea of having paper to do a 'brain dump'...things that take up space in my brain that I want/need to remember, but they really don't make sense to put on a calendar.

bullet journal book list

So in my simple journal, I have written out the books I hope to read in the upcoming months. Like I said, I love a good list!

Do you have any plans for this summer? What is on your list?

Getting Ready for the Next Chapter

Eighteen years ago, we started on a journey I never expected to be on. In the next couple of weeks, this chapter of my life will be coming to an end.

When we started homeschooling our children back in 1999, we were brand new Christians. I was trying to navigate so many new things. Learning to be a stay-at-home mom, learning basic Bible stories, and learning how to be our children's teacher. There were many days I was in way over my head. There were many days I just wanted to quit. There were even a couple of days that I packed the kids in the car while we were all in tears and I would drive to the parking lot of the local public school. I really didn't think we would ever make it this far.

In the beginning of our homeschool journey, I was really impressed with what some other homeschool students were achieving. I had high expectations of what I thought my children could do. I was determined that they were going to do so much more that I had achieved in my own schooling.

Thankfully, God had another plan.

The longer I homeschooled our children, the more I realized I had the definition of what it means to be a successful homeschool graduate all wrong. And this can go for the graduate of any type of school really.

In the beginning, I believed a successful homeschool graduate would enter prestigious colleges and earn high level degrees, then go on to high paying careers.

But now?

I believe the most successful homeschool graduates are those who have a love for learning and love God.

Since we were new Christians at the beginning of our homeschool journey, I spent a lot of time with our children learning how to study the Bible myself. We worked our way through many Kay Arthur Discover for Yourself children Bible studies. God was teaching me during this time, just as much as I was teaching our kids.

We spent many days learning together. Subjects that I never enjoyed in school became some of my new favorites.

And the more time I spent with my children, the more I realized that He has a better plan for them than I ever could imagine.

In just a few short weeks, my time as a homeschool mom will be ending. Amazing to me since I never, ever wanted to be a stay-at-home, homeschool mom in the first place!

my family

Looking back, there are definitely things I would have done different. But overall, I am so proud of my kids and I am so thankful for the many opportunities and experiences we have had together.

Looking forward, I pray that God gives me many more opportunities to create lasting memories with my children as they follow the path God has set before them.

 

 

My One Word for 2016

Ever since I saw The War Room movie, there is one thing I have been wanting to do more of. If you have seen The War Room movie, I am sure you can guess what that one thing is:

Photo courtesy of Compassion International

Photo courtesy of Compassion International

Over the past couple of months, I have read through The Battle Plan for Prayer book and want to work on making prayer a more focused part of my Christian walk, each and every day.

Webster's 1828 dictionary defines 'pray' as:

"In worship, to address the Supreme Being with solemnity and reverence, with adoration, confession of sins, supplication for mercy, and thanksgiving for blessings received."

Today, I was out doing a bit of shopping and saw 1 Thessalonians 5:17 on a plaque and I just knew I needed to choose 'pray' as my One Word for 2016.

Will it be an easy word to focus on?

Probably not...but I know I want a deeper, more intimate relationship with Jesus. What better way to do this than through having conversations with Him all through the day.

Have you chosen One Word for 2016?

Choosing to be grateful

The weekend before Thanksgiving, I decided to bake up a batch of Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars to share with some friends we were going to be seeing the next day. I turned on the oven and pulled out all the ingredients to start putting this yumminess together. Once I had the bottom crust ready for the oven, I saw that the oven was only at 123 degrees.

There was no way this recipe was going to bake in an oven at that temperature!

So I sent a text to a neighbor, who thankfully was home and willing to let me use her oven. Meanwhile, my husband started checking into what could be the problem with the oven.

I was able to get my baking finished, but the conclusion was...the oven was not working!

Now you have to understand a couple of things...we are a 'if it can be fixed, fix it' type of family. We still have a dryer that is about 20 years old, because it works. We are probably the last family in the country who purchased a flat screen TV because our big, heavy one was still working until just a couple of months ago.

But the biggie right now for me...I love to bake!! And to not have an oven right before Thanksgiving...baking is how I survive the cold weather!!

{taking a deep breath}

However, I was not hosting Thanksgiving...

My neighbors were willing to let me borrow their ovens for the couple of items I was bringing to Thanksgiving at my sister's house...

I have other ways to prepare and cook food for my family...

Then I received a big surprise last week...I am one of about 400 people who have been selected to be part of the launch team for Kristen Welch's new book, Raising Grateful Kids. 

If I want my children to choose to be grateful, I need them to see me embrace being grateful, whatever the circumstances. 

Yes, it stinks that my oven is not working. But I have seen more joy on the faces of people who have much less than I do. And when I remember what I have been blessed to see and experience, I need to not give into my selfish tendencies and choose to live differently.

#RaisingGratefulKids

Now, I am not perfect. My ugly self rears itself more often than I would like.

But this life is a journey, and on this journey we have much to learn.

Moment by moment, we can choose to be grateful.

Meet Sarah from International Blessings!

In our age of technology and social media, I love how we can connect with people across this big spinning globe of ours who have similar interests. Recently, I have been learning more about the fair trade industry and one small business here in the United States that is helping to make a difference in the lives of families around the world.

Let me introduce you to Sarah!

Sarah graciously allowed me to interview her for my blog so that I can share with all of you the great work and products she has to help each one of us make better choices as consumers.

1. Tell me a little about you and your family.

My husband and I have been married for 5 years. We have 2 kids - Nora is 3 years old and Nate is 20 months old. We live in a small rural community near my parents farm. Both my husband and I grew up on farms so agriculture is a big part of our lives. We are also active in our church and community.  My husband works for the University of Missouri as a Beef Research Specialist. I am a stay at home mom and business owner. I love to travel internationally, and have been blessed to have served in 24 countries around the world.

2. When you were a little girl, what did you dream about doing when you grew up?

I dreamed of being an agricultural missionary for as long as I can remember. I specifically remember wanting to go to Brazil on a mission trip while in the 8th grade. But my parents thought I was too young and that maybe it was just a phase!  I desperately wanted to see & experience the world, while serving and sharing the love of Christ.

3. How does International Blessings fit into that dream?

International Blessings keeps me connected to the international world. It gives me opportunities to make a difference by serving impoverished people and to connect 2 worlds, 2 lifestyles, 2 cultures so that they can support each other. And this year, it has led me back to my roots as an international missionary by taking me to Peru to visit artisans and to serve the Peruvian people. In Sept, I will also be going to Haiti to visit artisans I currently work with, create new partnerships, and to serve alongside ministries that are already impacting the Haitian people.

4. Tell me a bit more about International Blessings...how did you get started, why did you start it?

My first mission trip was in 2003, and I had just finished my junior year of highschool. It was to Ecuador, and I then proceeded to serve in Panama, Bali, Burkina Faso, Belize, Mexico, and India. While I was in Burkina Faso, I made friends with a local girl and hung out with her family. She taught me how to macrame (crafting with knots) bags and/or purses. It was here that God laid on my heart a desire to help families like hers. I saw those creative, handmade bags and thought about the impact that selling those bags in the U.S. could make on families in poverty. But it took me awhile before I seriously pursed this dream. After graduating from College of the Ozarks near Branson, Mo, I went on the World Race in October 2008.  The World Race is a life changing experience, serving in 11 countries in 11 months, sharing God's love through children's ministry, construction, prayer walks, etc, living out of a backpack, and pushing every comfort zone you have.  

Shortly after arriving home, I married my husband (we dated before and during my trip, well, as much as you can when you are thousands of miles apart with little communication!!).  It wasn't until I was married with our first child that I decided I needed to start that dream that God had laid on my heart so many years prior, and International Blessings was born.

5. How do you form partnerships with your artisans?

A few of my partnerships came from contacts that I made while doing international mission work or through the mission networks that I am a part of. I have also done a lot of research through google and social media looking for small artisan groups, specifically Christian ministries that work to break the cycle of poverty. The connections that I have made have also led to new partnerships. I went to Peru in January to visit a group called Sanyork Fair Trade, and this trip led to meeting 2 more artisan groups. And I will be going to Haiti to visit 2-3 artisans groups as well!  I am so excited to see what God has in store for International Blessings and the impact that we can have on empowering impoverished people around the world.

6. What is your goal for International Blessings?

My ultimate goal for International Blessings is to build relationships in the poorest of the poor places, to teach life & business skills, and to provide impoverished people around the world the resources necessary to start their own businesses that will transform their lives. 

International Blessings is my passion and my purpose. My heart was broken over and over at the sight of poverty, of hopelessness, and of desperation in the eyes of the smallest kids. I want to change that!  I want to give those families hope, dignity, and possibility that has a lasting affect.  This business is creating sustainable livelihoods and breaking that cycle of poverty. As Mother Teresa said, "Not all of us can do great things. But we CAN do small things with great love." And if we each commit to doing those small things, then those small things become great things that we accomplish together.

Thank you so much Sarah for the interview! And hey my friends, be sure to like her Facebook page where you can see a few videos from her recent trip to Haiti where she has been visiting with artisans and purchasing products to sell here in the United States.