The Harvest Call

The last couple weeks I've been thinking about service and God's will and now, thanks to Joanne and Monday Manna, God's call...which has brought me to this week's Word Filled Wednesday.



So where are you? (and where am I?) Are we praying for the Lord to send forth workers? Are we listening to His voice and His call? Are we saying 'Here I am! Send me!'? My prayers is that we are involved in three.

For links to more Word Filled Wednesdays
run to the 160 Acre Woods!

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Answering the Call

Monday Manna is hosted this week at An Open Book.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8

I was so excited to see that Joanne had chosen this verse for Monday Manna this week! This is one of my favorites because it's tied in with missions so often, and as you know, missions is near and dear to my heart. But as I thought about this verse, my mind went back to something directly related to church—our local church.

You see, although I have five kids, I'm not a kid-loving person. I don't go out of my way to be with children. That being said, I had been praying and asking God to use me in some way in our local church. So, when my phone rang and I was asked to help teach the grade school girls on Wednesday nights, I said yes, with no dithering about it. And I started praying! I'm not only not a kid-loving person, but I'm not a teacher. I'm very capable of working with the kids, and teaching them, but it's not one of those things that turns my crank and that I get excited about.

But you know what? That doesn't matter.

What does matter is a willing spirit. When I received that call, I felt God was asking, 'Who shall I send? Who will go for us?' And although my knees were knocking and my brain was squawking, I said 'Here I am. Send me!' There is no exception clause to that verse—there's no 'only if it's doing what I want to do'. In fact, in that verse God doesn't say where or what. He just said 'who'.

I've come to see that there are times in our lives when we need to step up and fill the gap, even if we're not a perfect fit for the gap that's there. Please understand that I am not endorsing filling our plate with things that shouldn't be there. Things that are good but take up the space that the best is supposed to be taking. I'm not endorsing jumping in and saying yes to everything. What I'm saying is that there are times when there's a real need that needs to be filled, that we're capable of filling. Those are the times that we need to step forward and say yes to, even though we'd rather not. When that happens, we need to keep praying that the Lord of the harvest will send forth the laborer to take over for us.

I know that some people have way too much on their plate—those are not the people I'm talking about. I'm talking to people like me. People who do have some room on their plate. We can fill a hole without over-burdening ourselves, or our families. It doesn't have to be a perfect a fit for us if we're filling a hole we're capable of filling. Our willing spirit and love for God will fill the cracks enough until a person who is a perfect fit comes along.

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Saturday Sillies

I visited Joanne who visited Kristen and here's the result—a fun little, quick to do meme for this Saturday. Feel free to consider yourself tagged and join us!

To find your ROCK STAR NAME take your first pet & current car:
Pretty Clubwagon (Not! LoL)

To find your GANGSTA NAME take your favorite ice cream flavor and your favorite cookie:
Chocolate Grasshopper (hehe, interesting!)

YOUR DETECTIVE NAME? Your favorite color and favorite animal:
Pink Giraffe

Want to know your SUPERHERO NAME? Just add the word "The" plus your 2nd favorite color, and your favorite drink:
The Purple Shake (LoL--my husband would say this one fits!!)

Your NASCAR NAME. Take the first names of your grandfathers:
Henry Palmer

If I ever go into WITNESS PROTECTION you can find me with this name. Your mother & father’s middle names:
Mae Currier (Oh, I liiiike this one!)

TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME? Just take your 5th grade teacher’s last name and add a major city that starts with the same letter:
Savannah Smith

Of course, if you find me in witness protection I will assume it was because you were using your SPY NAME. Add your favorite season/holiday to your flower:
Spring Gerbera

Tell your kids their CARTOON NAME by taking your favorite fruit, an article of clothing you’re wearing right now, now add "ie" or "y":
Grape Jeanie (LoL--another one that fits!)

And lastly, your ROCKSTAR TOUR is heading across the northeast...it's called ("The” + Your fave hobby/craft, your fave weather element + the word “Tour”):
The Writing Lightning Tour (don't I wish!)

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Better Than Attila

This week, Fiction Friday is at Lynn's blog, Faith, Fiction, Fun and Fanciful. Be sure to join us there for links to more fun fiction!
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I really don't think Attila the Hun could've done a better job at pillaging my day than my family did. It started this morning with Allyssa.

“Mom, I need my uniform this afternoon but there's a stain on the front. I put it on the washer, could you wash it for me? And Mrs. Anderson is giving us extra credit for being there early to watch a film on driver's safety and I'm late, could you run me to school?”

Today I planned on cleaning and organizing the living room and dining room since those were the rooms that disintegrated when life got hectic. There were piles that were toppling, and my patience with them had run out a week ago. My schedule was painstakingly kept clear for today, and I planned on conquering the mess and then celebrating with a bubble bath—all before the kids got home from school. Running some laundry through would be no big deal.

“Ok, but next time you'll wear it with the stain if you leave if for the last minute.” I checked to see that she understood I meant what I said. She bobbed her head, repentantly. “Extra credit in Driver's Ed? I suppose it's worth it, let's go.” I grabbed my keys and we trotted out the door as I called for the other kids to finish eating.

Ten minutes later I returned and Bryce slid into the kitchen. “Hey Mom, today's my day to bring a snack for our Bible study group at lunch and we've had brownies for the past three weeks, think you could do cupcakes or something?”

“Today? Bryce, why didn't you tell me yesterday?” I asked, my patience slipping away just as surely as my coveted bubble bath reward was.

While Bryce was hem-hawing, my husband strolled into the kitchen for his last cup of coffee before leaving for work. “Hon, I need you to make some calls for me this morning.”

Being the home management expert that I am, I grabbed my ever-present to-do list off the fridge and jotted notes as he ticked off each call. “Mechanic, dentist and church. Got it. You want that with a cherry on top?” I meant it sarcastically, but I managed to say it sweetly, complete with a smile.

My darling husband got a wicked gleam in his eye as he looked me up and down. “That'd be real nice, Sweetie.”

I really wanted to growl, but instead I planted a kiss on him. “Your lunch is with your briefcase beside the door.”

Bryce plucked the list from my hand and scribbled “CUPCAKES 11:45!” He handed me my list and flashed his father's killer smile. “Thanks Mom. You're the greatest!” I rolled my eyes at him as he buzzed my cheek and fled before I could say no.

“Mom,” Callie wailed from the living room, “I need my permission slip signed so I can go on the field trip, but I can't find it!”

“Look on top of the pile on the coffee table.” I called as I added Allyssa's uniform to my rapidly growing list.

“It's not there, I looked.”

I sighed with exasperation as I plunked the list down and went to help Callie. “After I signed it, I put it on top of your math book. Where's your math?” I lifted the skirt of the couch and cautiously peered under, fearful of the mess I'd find. “Here it is, Callie. Hurry up, we've got to go.”

“Thanks, Mom.” She spun around and slammed into her dad. I saw it happen in slow motion, and saw all hopes of my bubble bath drain away as coffee coated the carpet. Instead of celebrating with a soak, I'd be slaving with the steam vac.

All the way home I wrestled with my attitude about my pillaged day. When I got home, I ignored the mess and took a fresh cup of coffee out to the sun room for a fifteen minutes of peace. My Bible was there, waiting for me, so I turned to today's chapter. “Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, but much increase comes by the strength of the ox.”*

Ok, Lord, I get it. Kids are like oxen. I really wouldn't trade off the blessing they are, so that means I have to deal with the quirks of being a mom, even on days when I feel like I'm being drawn and quartered by Attila the Hun.


*Proverbs 14:4 NASB
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LoL--This IS fiction, it really isn't a picture of my house in the morning, but it probably could be if we were in different circumstances. The feelings of the mother are genuine--straight from my life on many days.

Be sure to join us at Lynn's for more Fiction Friday!

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Hey You!

One of the things I'm doing this year is getting back into Scripture memorization, even though I'm not walking in the mornings now. I've joined the accountability team at Beth Moore's Living Proof Ministry blog where we meet on the 1st and 15th of each month to check in and write out the verse we'll be memorizing over the next two weeks. It's incredibly amazing and encouraging to see the number of people doing this. Wow!

The first verses I memorized were Philippians 3:13-14

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 3:13-14

For these next two weeks I'm memorizing a verse that I rediscovered while preparing my lessons for the girls I co-teach on Wednesday nights at my church. I'm hoping to blog what I learned from that lesson (I always learn so much when I prepare a lesson!) but for now, here's the verse:

Then David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished. ~I Chronicles 28:20

We're to be courageous and act, not just sit there trembling and hiding in our cozy little corner. We have God's promise that He will be with us, enabling us to do the work He has called us to—until the work is finished!

This is right where I'm at now. Until the work is finished. I have work I need to finish so I need to be strong and courageous and act.

This is a verse that has jumped out and grabbed me several times over the years, and I had been asking God which verse to memorize next. When I looked this passage up for my lesson, I knew this was the verse. I challenged the grade school girls to memorize it with me and told them that I hope to be able to quote it to them next Wednesday. I also enticed them with a reward if they could quote it, and a few of them seemed interested in taking up the challenge.

But for now, here's a message to myself...

Hey You

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For Wonders Worked...

Last night I accomplished a goal, which will enable me to reach for the next goal on this journey. This encapsulates how I felt:


For links to more Word Filled Wednesdays
run to the 160 Acre Woods!

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Where's Your Focus?

When I was putting on my eyeliner the other day, I noticed that although I wasn't in a shadow, I wasn't getting the benefits of full, direct light. So, I tilted my head just a touch and I was able to see so much better.

I thought about this as I finished putting on my makeup, and how it parallels my spiritual life. There are times when I'm in The Word and growing, but I'm not tilted just right to catch the full benefit of the Light, so I don't see all the things God has for me to see. A simple fine-tune adjustment is all it takes to be fully in the Light. The other week, Pastor Mike showed me the adjustment I needed to make in my spiritual life.

For many months the cry of my heart has been for God to use me, that my life would count for Him. Although I was standing in the Light with that prayer and desire, I wasn't getting the full 'benefit' of the Light. I had wrong priorities.

And if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. ~2 Chronicles 7:14

I realized I was seeking God's hand more than I was seeking His face. Yes, I was seeking Him, but my eyes were focused on His hands all too often. The words to the old hymn are a great reminder of this.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
look full in His wonderful face.
And the things of earth
will grow strangely dim,
in the Light of His glory and grace.

I needed to make that fine-tune adjustment and shift my main focus from His hands to His face, and remember that He will take care of the rest. Yes, ask for His hand of help, mercy and blessing, but seek His face first and foremost.

Don't focus on what we face
but on Who we face—God Almighty.

...and the things of earth will grow strangely dim
in the Light of His glory and grace.

Heavenly Father, so many times I've sought Your hand—for help and guidance and blessing, but Lord, it's Your face that I long to see. Help me to remember to make that fine-tune adjustment and to seek Your face, knowing that You will take care of all the rest. I love You, Lord. In Your name I pray, amen.

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