Charting Summer Growth
My
husband is a grain farmer. As such, we have a few different names for the
seasons. Spring is also called planting
season. Summer is growing season. Fall is harvest. Winter is when you work on projects left over
from last winter.
Spring
has the preparation--till the soil, fertilize, plant seeds in the correct
manner, kill weeds, irrigate (if you have the means), but once all of that is
done there is nothing you can do to make the crops grow. Summer is the season when you watch and wait.
The
days turn into weeks, and then months.
All along we check for progress—amounts of rainfall, heat indexes,
measurements and calculations.
In
the meantime we play outside and get tan (well, the rest of my family
does. My Irish skin not so much). We camp and swim and ride. The boys play tennis and tee ball. We enjoy the looser schedule and longer days.
And
when fall rolls around we realize that none of the boys’ clothes from last year
will fit them. Those fellas GREW over
the summer. They grew while I was
watching but couldn’t see it happening.
As the crops matured, so did they (and hopefully we adults did as
well).
We
did what we could and then left it all in God’s hands. Our minds and hearts went elsewhere as He
worked in the watched yet unnoticed spaces.
I
planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it
grow. So neither the one who
plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
(1 Cor 3:6,7)
Debbie Legg is your server today! Find out more about her here and don't forget to sign up for updates by email or RSS before you go.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
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Summer Reruns
Summer, for this second-year teacher, is screaming at me from a mere 3.5 weeks away...though tomorrow it'll be 2.5...which is practically 2. Which might as well be 1, or essentially tomorrow....but who's counting? With all of the end of the year shenanigans and a rather large research project required of me by state of California to help me be a better teacher, exhaustion is my daily meal at the moment.
Runnig. On. Fumes.
I say this hanging my head a bit as my great desire as I began this school year was to operate from a place of rest, and with only a few weeks to go, I'm not sure I ever got there. I am grateful for this change of season to just stop and be for a little while. I will endeavor again to seek God's wisdom for that marvelous rest He speaks of in Hebrews 4...I wrote a whole little series about it once, which I'm going to take a little road trip to visit today. Do you like road trips? Summer's great for road trips.
You are welcome to join me.
Matt 11:28 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Thursday, May 16, 2013
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Summertime God
To me, Summer is all about
taking it easy, going on adventures and belly laughing. A lot. I think these
are three things that I tend to ignore when it comes to hanging with God.
I totally get the Winter
thing…struggling through some challenge. And I get the Spring thing with its
new life and all. And certainly the Autumn with all the change
makes sense. But Summer?
Have you ever intentionally
prayed for God to help you just take it easy with Him? To just relax and enjoy
time with God, simply because He is God and He is fun?
Have you ever intentionally
prayed for God to let you go on an adventure with Him? (And I mean one with no
higher purpose than the two of you spending time together…not serving food at a
shelter or heading out on a mission trip!)
Have you ever intentionally
prayed to belly laugh with God? Me either!!
But I’ll tell you what. I’m
gonna start!
I could really use some down
time to take it easy, go on an adventure and laugh until my belly hurts. Good
thing God is a take-me-with-you-wherever-you-go kind of God. That means he may
begin answering my prayers right away whenever and however he wants. J
When does hanging with God
feel like Summertime to you?
Do Tell!
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
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Summer Rest
Last year, around this time, I invited you to take a Summer Road Trip. Did you hop on the R.O.A.D. with me? I sure hope you packed your bags and took that trip toward renewal, obedience, attack and discovery, but this year I'm inviting you to join me in doing quite the opposite and choosing to REST.
Yep, this workaholic, type-A doer is sending you an invitation to grab your flip flops, throw on your sarong and find yourself a sunny spot that's just for you. While you're there, doing nothing, here's something I hope you'll do...
Anitra Elmore is your server today! Find out more about her here and don't forget to sign up for updates by email or RSS before you go.
Yep, this workaholic, type-A doer is sending you an invitation to grab your flip flops, throw on your sarong and find yourself a sunny spot that's just for you. While you're there, doing nothing, here's something I hope you'll do...
- Reflect. Take a moment to consider God's goodness and the specific ways He's been good to you. Say thanks.
- Exhale. Breathe in, then slowly breathe out. As you do, make a deliberate choice to let go of any anxiety about the past or the future.
- Surrender. Give it all up--whatever you've been holding on to for too long and everything you've been holding back from the Father. Just let it all go.
- Trade. Take His joy for your weakness, His rest for your striving, His peace for your anxiety. Rinse and repeat.
Anitra Elmore is your server today! Find out more about her here and don't forget to sign up for updates by email or RSS before you go.
Monday, May 13, 2013
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Spring to Summer: How Quickly We Forget
Rebirth from the cold, harsh, dead of winter. (Well, as of this writing, from my office in western PA, I am STILL wearing leggings and ski socks . . . but let's try and suspend reality for the purpose of this post.) Spring, ahhhh.
Flowers, warmer temps, farmer's market, green, baby animals, enjoying the front porch, and/or back. Just to be outside after months of gray skies, freezing temps, and dreary weather.
And then Summer comes. And according to my not-so-scientific study based upon FB posts, most start complaining about the weather again.
"It's too hot."
"When will summer end?"
"I could sure use winter right about now." (that one REALLY infuriates me)
"Why does summer have to be so long?"
Perhaps I'm having to dig deep for a point here, but this type of monologue just wreaks of discontentment. All seasons both literally and figuratively have purpose. Spring - for rebirth, Summer - this could be a doozy . . . perhaps the hot rays serve to shed some harsh light on a area of life that needs to be exposed and, frankly, burned. Or, the flip side of Summer - perhaps it is a time of rest and vacation before the Fall begins. Sure there are "negatives" to all seasons . . . but God has fashioned a purpose for YOU and ME through all of them. And thus, seasons are a good thing.
Even summer. Which, next to winter, gets really bad press.
I can hear God saying, "Why must you complain about Summer? I just gave you Spring. Do you not trust that I give GOOD things? What is it that I am showing you through these summer month? Before you dismiss them, stop complaining and listen to what I am trying to tell or show you."
Case in point. I am not a fan of Pittsburgh winters . . . but I learned a ton during this last one (you'll have to wait for that post . . .)
God created the environmental seasons and your personal "seasons". That includes Summer. Find Him in those Summer months, rather than wasting those months wishing for something cooler.
Joline Atkins is your server today! Find out more about her here and don't forget to sign up for updates by email or RSS before you go.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
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Summer
Less
structure. More vacation. Less snow.
More sand. Less crock pot. More grill.
Summer will be here before we know it (My kids get out for summer vacation
THIS WEEK! YIKES!). Are you ready? (I’m not!)
What
can we learn about God from the summer?
What does having a summer life-season even MEAN anyway?
I don't know about you, but I plan to read my DFF sisters' insights from my beach chair, trading my hot tea for iced and my sweater for sunscreen. Care to join me? Aaaaahhh…
Debbie Legg is your server today! Find out more about her here and don't forget to sign up for updates by email or RSS before you go.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
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Summer Road Trip
This summer, I’m packing my bags, loading up the car and embarking on a spiritual road trip. Destination? A Better me. Possibilities? Endless.
At the end of that road, I hope to see the Lord in fresh and ridiculously awesome new ways and find myself living fuller, free-er and more like Him. Wanna go? There’s room for each of us and there’s still time to get packed. I’ve shared a printable (and pinnable!) guide for our journey. Here’s what we need to accomplish on the ROAD:
Renew. Find and focus on an area of your life in which you need renewal. This could be something spiritual or otherwise. Where do you need a fresh start, a do over or simply a bit of refreshing?
Obey. Address an area you know you have delayed in obeying the Lord. Has he put something on your heart you’ve failed to do. What’s preventing you from getting it done?
Attack. Attack one area in your life that needs real attention. It could be an area you’ve neglected, grown lazy in or just plain ignored.
Discover. Make an effort to discover something new about the Lord. Dive in, dig deeper, connect and reconnect as you deepen your walk with the Lord.
Ready for the trip? Let’s go…
Anitra Elmore is your server today! Find out more about her here and don't forget to sign up for updates by email or RSS before you go.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
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Summer School
Leave it to the teacher to drag us back to the classroom.
We have about two more weeks until summer break at my school. You might have guessed that had you seen the extremely excitable children bouncing around my classroom of late. Summer, for many, brings schedule shifts - whether it's adapting to kids being out of school, planning a trip, or weekends simply filling with summertime activities. While one classroom will be closing down for me, another one will be in full session for the duration of the summer. I just got my class schedule, and I can't wait! Here's a sneak peek...
Home Economics 101. Perusing Pinterest to find new healthy, quick meals and taking each for a test spin. "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20(NASB)
Bible and Fellowship 203. Dusting off some unfinished Bible studies and meeting once a week with roommates to share what God is teaching us.
"They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." Acts 2:42(NASB)
Dreaming with God 301. Add a few more dreams to the dream list. Spend some time with the Lord discovering what makes me come alive and make some goals to reaching some short term dreams. Check visit Yosemite off of my dream list.
"God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us." Ephesians 3:20 (Message)
Worship 202. Tuning up the old six string and learning my favorite worship songs from the year.
"I will give thanks to the LORD according to His righteousness And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High." Psalm 7:17(NASB)
Trails 102. Hitting the local trails where I can celebrate the beauty of God's creation.
"Let the earth rejoice; Let the sea roar, and all it contains; Let the field exalt, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the LORD." Psalm 96:11-13(NASB)
Thursday, May 24, 2012
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Summer of Lovin'
School’s
out! Summer’s here! Whoo-hoo!
We’ve got tennis and tee ball, swimming, camping, family and friends. I think it’s going to be a great season. Now if I can just keep my mind off what will
happen when school starts again in the fall…
Be
it a calendar season or a season of life, I have a tendency to plan for the
future and don’t always focus very well on the season I’m in.
When
this summer is over, my oldest son will start high school and my baby will
start kindergarten. This will be as much a transition for me as
for the boys. I'll admit it, I’ve been steeling myself
for it. But, in all of this emotional preparation
for what’s coming, I’m missing the joy of the season I am in right now.
In
Leviticus 26:4, God says, “I will send
you rain in its season, and the
ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit.” When I think about the fall, I’m a little rainy,
a little sad and gray. But just as God sends the rain, He also sends a
crop and fruit. Good things will come
from the season of rain. I might not see
them yet, but they are coming.
Well,
okay, maybe I am starting to see a few of the good things already. I am so proud of my older son, this young man
of integrity with a terrific sense of humor.
I am enamored of my youngest son, who can find fun absolutely
anywhere. Looking for this fruit in them, making a
conscious effort to see who they are on the way to who they will become, brings
me a joy that makes the rain bearable.
So,
I’m going to spend this summer lovin’ on my boys, celebrating this season with my
two incredible gifts from God. When it’s
over, the next season will be here, and there will be rain and fruit in that
one. Guess I’ll spend the fall lovin’ on my boys as
well.
Debbie Legg is your server today! Find out more about her here and don't forget to sign up for updates by email or RSS before you go.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
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Summer Home
I
wholeheartedly believe God is everywhere, but if He had a summer home, I like
to think it would be in Southwestern Colorado. I think this because for several
summers of my youth that is just where I found Him.
Shortly after
school let out my family would leave the humidity of the Gulf Coast and head
for the crisp coolness of the San Juan Mountains. We, who spent the majority of
the year enjoying visions of flat land as far as our eyes could see, would
spend hours of our road trip looking expectantly to the horizon for the first
sign of those snow-capped beauties in the distance. The closer we got to the
San Juan’s, the less stress I felt and the more peace, joy, and freedom I felt.
There was something about arriving in a place so beautiful and awe-inspiring
that just seemed like God’s presence to me. But that wasn’t all.
Looking back,
I think experiencing God’s presence in that beautiful region had as much to do
about heading toward beauty as it did about what we left behind. I can’t speak
for the rest of my family, but for me, our trips to Colorado always served as
an escape from the troubles of that year. I turned from my troubles, and
searched the horizon for the first sign of His presence. And then I kept
looking to the beauty until I no longer focused on that which had been
disappointing, daunting, or discouraging which I had left behind.
Visiting God’s
summer home every year was a vacation for my soul. Restorative and Reviving.
If your soul
needs a little R&R, I would highly recommend that you head out to Durango,
Colorado. BUT what if road trips aren’t your thing? What if Colorado isn’t your
thing? And what about the idea that God is everywhere? If that is the case, I
then recommend this…
Turn toward
the Lord. Look to the horizon for His presence and keep moving toward it until
you have left all else behind. When you have moved far enough away from the
disappointing, daunting and discouraging, you will feel your soul start to
relax, kick its feet up, and recharge.
The thing is,
God sets up His “summer home” in any heart that turns toward Him.
Where do
you spend your summers?
But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. - 2 Corinthians 3:16,17
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
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Summer Readin'
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Honestly, other than the kids being home and there not being school, our summer months don't look too much different from the rest of the year.
Yes, the lack of homework is definitely a nice bonus, but I'm also a "summer home-work" Mom, so even that chore sneaks into our summer-lovin' days . . . much to the disappointment of my children. Sorry, kids!
Mama has as bit of summer homework as well!
One thing I have tried to implement over the last two summers, is a book-club with my Mom To Mom group. Last year it was a daily devotional - which turned about to be both highly convicting AND highly controversial.
Always fun!
This summer for 9 weeks, I'm offering up a summer book club with my local gals, but you are welcome to grab a copy of the book and join us in reading: The Attentive Life: Discerning God's Presence in All Things
.As it is highly recommended by Linda Anderson, creator of Mom to Mom Ministries, we are hip to taking her at her word. This book is NOT about parenting, mothering, wife-ing (made that up), or having anything to do with maternal or matrimonial responsibilities. No, this is purely for the Christian pilgrim. Of which I am one. You are one.
So, add this book to your summer reading list! Or, share with us what's on your summer reading lineup!
Joline Atkins is your server today! Find out more about her here and don't forget to sign up for updates by email or RSS before you go.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
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Summer Lovin’
![MP900384872[1]](http://lh4.ggpht.com/-5I9OXB40wPE/T7hRePUbXHI/AAAAAAAAKTA/k8bH9gxYhRA/s1600-h/MP900384872%25255B1%25255D%25255B3%25255D.jpg "MP900384872[1]")
In the good ‘ole summer time. In the good ‘ole summer time…
Can you believe it? We are less than a month away from summer! Spring blew in and out quicker than I could say, “Aachoo.” I’ve barely gotten all the winter clothes packed away and now it’s time to break out the flip flops!
My kids have been bitten by the bug too—less than 20 days left of school and and they definitely have summer on the brain. Plans for lemonade stands, time at the pool and road trips are all they can talk about. As always, they’re greeting summer with great anticipation and thinking about all the adventures that await them.
The ladies of Daily Fast Fuel have summer on our minds too, and we’re planning to share our summer lovin’ ideas with you this week. Grab your iced tea, kick your feet up and get ready for what we’ve prepared. Here’s hoping yours will be a summer to remember.
Anitra Elmore is your server today! Find out more about her here and don't forget to sign up for updates by email or RSS before you go.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
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