Kindred Spirits

The Jacksons.  These boys play together like they have never been apart.  True Kindred Spirits, I think!

“Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.”  -Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables)

Thankfulness Day 11 

A Kindred Spirit  is a person whose interests or attitudes are similar to one's own (wikipedia).  I realize that these type of people to me are the friends who I don't see very often but when I do see them, it is as if no time has passed.  The time we do get to spend together goes by way too quickly.   They are encouraging, honest, and transparent.  They make you laugh and don't bring your spirits down.  I cherish those sort of friendships.  I am very thankful for the "Kindred Spirits" in my life.  We had the opportunity to spend time with a whole family of Kindred Spirits yesterday and I was so thankful for that time with them.  I only hope we can get together more often!

God cares for the...Cats.

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 

  Matthew 6:25-26

Madelyn brushing her kitty one last time before she left for her new home.

This post, as are most of my posts, is way overdue.  Mid summer, we started noticing behavior in one of our cats that was most disturbing to our life and were told by the vet it was most likely because we had two other cats.  The vet told us that she would do better in a single-cat home.  I called the Humane Society and they told me that they would most likely have to put our cat, Abby, down because she would be considered "un-adoptable" because of her behavior issue.  This tore me up inside.  My kids LOVE this cat.  She was so sweet to them and always enjoyed their attention.  I called every "no-kill" shelter within our county and the three nearest counties.  Everyone said the same thing: they had too many cats!  It seemed like all hope was lost.  I was so stressed out.  My stomach was in knots about the thought of putting this kitty down.  My worries were even affecting me physically.  I was bringing these worries to God in prayer, yet, I don't know if I was really letting Him take the burden.

In her new book, Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing, Sally Loyd-Jones writes about worry.  She says, "Worry is thinking we know better than God how something should go."  WOW!  Isn't that so true, yet, convicting?  This is a children's devotion, but it sure does a good job at speaking to adults!

In mid-August, I put a plea on Facebook for someone to take this kid-friendly cat.  It took a few days and a few phone calls, but a Facebook friend kindly offered to take our cat.  Madelyn's heart is still sad when she thinks of her kitty friend that is now with another family.  I remind her that the family is loving her and she is happy there.  The relief of our cat, Abby, finding a loving home was HUGE!  Oh!  How I wish I remembered how God cares for his creatures...be it a bird or a cat!  How I wish I didn't so easily forget that He cares for ME!  He knew of the heavy burden on my heart for this cat!  Let us be more like the birds when it comes to our worries.  God always cares for His children!

(By the way, if you are interested in Sally's new book, Haven Today, the radio show my husband produces, is doing a series on it.  Please give it a listen! http://www.haventoday.org )

Did you know....

...that on October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 Thesis on the door of the Catholic Church in Wittenberg. It challenged the Catholic church concerning the selling of indulgences (selling forgiveness of sins of the purchaser or the purchaser's loved one). Luther made many points, and one of them was that forgiveness was God's alone to grant and no one could do any works or pay anything to recieve it, as it says in Ephesians 2:8-10. This event sparked the Protestant Reformation. As a result, Reformation Day is celebrated on October 31. So, instead of celebrating Holloween, I choose to celebrate Reformation Day. It isn't an alternative to Holloween. Better yet, it is a true celebration of God's free grace. I thank the Lord that men like Martin Luther had the guts to confront the Catholic Church.

Strength for the Weary

My friend Tiffany lent me a book called Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney (CJ Mahaney's wife). It is a study of how we, as moms, wives, and even single women can apply Titus 2 to our daily lives. The excerpt below was particularly encouraging and I thought I would share it!

"Strength for the Weary

But what if you have lost your smile? How do you find renewed joy to sacrificially serve and tenderly love your children? Our only genuine source of refreshment comes from God. In Him alone do we acquire fresh strength to carry out this enormous task of mother.

So may I encourage you to size some time alone to meet with God? This should already be out daily practice, but in seasons of weariness, there is tremendous benefit in withdrawing for a more lengthy time to pray and read God's Word.

Now some of you mothers with little ones might be asking, "How is 'alone time' possible? I cannot even go to the bathroom by myself, much less consider an extended period of solitude!"
Maybe your husband could arrange this time for you, or possibly you could trade off with another mom. Whatever it takes, it's worth he effort to make it happen!

Taking time to meet with God is a practice modeled for us by Jesus Himself. We read in Luke 5 that multitudes were coming to Him with their needs: "Crowds of peoples come to hear him and to be healed of their sickness. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed" (vv 15-16, NIV, emphasis mine).

Doesn't this sound like a description for motherhood---everyone coming to Mom with needs? Yet look at what Jesus did. He withdrew to solitary places and prayed.

Now if Jesus needed to withdraw frequently and pray in order to receive His Father's help and strength, do we suppose we need such times any less? So if you are weary, or if your joy and vision for motherhood is waning, take some time this week to be alone with God."
~Carolyn Mahaney

An amazing quote...

Last night, Troy read me this quote and we both found it amazing that this writer worded it so well... (taken from John Piper's Blog)

"And Jerram Barrs writes in his article, "Christianity and the Arts" (PDF):

Our work in any field of the arts will be imitative. We will be thinking God’s thoughts after Him—painting with His colors; speaking with His gift of language; exploring and expressing His sounds and harmonies; working with His creation in all its glory, diversity, and in-built inventiveness. In addition, we will find ourselves longing to make known the beauty of life as it once was in Paradise, the tragedy of its present marring, and the hope of our final redemption. All great art will contain this element of being an echo of Eden: Eden in its original glory, Eden that is lost to us, and Eden restored. (pg 7)"

I've never been able to put to words the reason why I love to create a piece of art or write a short story. Barrs succeeded in putting it in words for me. I thank God for the ability He has given me to use and imitate the words, colors, and textures He has created. I am just a child imitating my Father.