Grace

I wrote this blog quite awhile ago, but it just wasn't falling into place. This morning, I heard a Scripture that gave me new understanding and completed the puzzle I was trying to put together. (Isn't it amazing how the Word and the Spirit work together to do this for us?) So here it is, dusted it off, polished up, and hopefully a little bit clearer.

One of the greatest blessings I have been experiencing lately is a new understanding of grace. I hope by sharing this with you, I will further understand what God is doing in me, but also encourage you in your search for God.

I have known for years that it is not up to me to make me "good." Which I know is a very good thing, because I will never be able to do that. I have tried. It ain't happening. I can do alright for awhile, but not for very long. The trouble has come for me when I have tried to apply that. How can I let Jesus make me whole, not just after I have messed up, but before? I am still the one making the choices that are good or bad, so....

Lately God has helped me understand he is always offering me grace, in my good moments, and my bad. All I have to do is take it, and then realize it's all from him. I have come to think of it as "Proactive Grace" and "Retroactive Grace." I have needed a LOT of retroactive grace in life and have happily accepted it. I have received a lot of proactive grace also, but I have just recently realized it!! It has completely transformed how I think about my walk with Christ!

To illustrate: One rainy morning (in a string of many) in the fall, I announced to the children that before we started school, we would make a special trip out to go through the nearby Starbucks drive-thru for a pumpkin latte and kiddie drinks of their choice. They opted to get one hot chocolate and one carmel apple cider and split them at home. We brought them into the house so we could pour them into separate cups before they had even sampled a sip. Well, you can see where this is going....

Reed received proactive grace in this situation when he placed his cup firmly upon the table. Ashton received retroactive grace after she set her cup halfway on the table and it toppled to the floor. Sometimes grace comes in the form of a fabulous lid which stays in place upon impact. This day it did not, but rather in a towel and few comforting words.

Both Reed and Ashton know how to place a drink on the table, and each have done so many times with great success. And there have been a few times when they haven't. Each time it has been grace that has made it right.

Titus 2:11-14 offered an even greater lightbulb to me today, helping me see this proactive grace in new understanding. "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." The grace I have claimed that has cleaned up my mess so many times has taught me there is a better way. I can say "No" to ungodliness. I have been redeemed and purified. All that really does make me eager to do good!! I want to proactively take hold of his grace that makes me whole.

However, sometimes I don't quite get the cup on the table.

And it spills.

Everywhere.

And God is right there with his grace, ready to clean it up.

Oh......

...Lympics! What is is about them?? Why have I engulfed myself daily in bobsledding and ice skating and snowboarding and hockey? (Ok, just kidding. I cannot watch hockey. Try as you may, you will not convince me they aren't just skating around and batting at the puck at random...) Why have a I stayed up even later than usual to catch these obscure sports unfold?

I mean, on any given Saturday, if Ryan happens to land on the X games or if there is some ice skating competition on, I an NOT interested. I don't follow of these people in real life. Two weeks ago, I could not have told you Evan Lysacek's name, the life story of Frank Carrol (his coach--come on, keep up now), or that the Koreans disdain Apolo Anton Ohno. I didn't know that the USA player to score the winning goal on the Canadians (in the first game, that is) plays for Vancouver in the NHL. Why have I invested myself in all that recently?

Well, my first thought comes to national pride. In our little school, we have been keeping track of the medal count daily on a graph. The kids are keenly aware that other countries have more golds than we do, but that we are still have the most overall. Ryan has added an app to the itouch to keep us up-to-date on the medal standings. We faithfully cheer for USA (pronounced by Jess "Oo-suh") and despair when we are not even near the podium.

But really, my interest in the Olympics is not just because of patriotism. It is what interests most of us in life: Story. What the Olympics give us is the story about the athletes. It offers a glimpse into what has made them who they are today. How they got here. What they have overcome. That they have lives that have led to this point. Some of them we have come to know over the past few Olympics, seen parts of their story unfold at the games. We see former Olympians in the crowd and realize that there is life after a lifetime accomplishment.

The events in the Olympics are interesting. But what captures us is the story.

We are all in the midst of a story. Mine doesn't play out the way I expect it to sometimes. I try to keep parts of it hidden. Other times I want to give myself way too much credit for the good things. But today, tomorrow, is just one part of the story.

I have a story. You have a story. Your crazy neighbor with the loud kids in the backyard has a story. If we take the time to find out, and share, our stories, we will care more about one another, invest more in each other.

I think many of us who grew up in the church take for granted the stories in the Bible. We know them so well, that we miss them entirely. They are really one story, the story of God. The gift that the Bible gives us is that glimpse into the daily lives of the heroes, if we take the time to see it. Moses parted the Red Sea, but before that, God almost killed him, apparently because he hadn't circumcised his sons. Rahab supported her family with the oldest profession, but knew there was the one true God who sought to save her from what she had made of herself. Samson had the strength of God, but a weakness for women. God used then all in his story.

The Olympics will end tomorrow. But the stories will continue. The athletes will go home, celebrate, hit the talk show circuit, retire or begin training for Sochi 2014. We will see a few of them again, and, after not thinking of them for 4 years, will cheer passionately for them again the next time.

So as the flame extinguishes, remember the stories--theirs, and ours, and our neighbors--go on. God is telling his story in each of us.

Dear Santa,

I realize I am getting this letter off a little late this year. I have had some computer problems and also been making a stocking for that little gift you delivered early last year. (Nope, wait. I delivered that one. 20 hours. You remember--you were there.) Anyway, I hope you are doing well. If it is still possible to consider some of my requests, I would appreciate it. Do not feel like this list is exhaustive, or that you have to get everything on it. These are merely some suggestions to help make your shopping a little easier. Also, this is not to say that I don't love the secret stash you give me of m&ms and Jelly Belly's in my stocking every year. Those are gifts that keep on giving for a few months.... or possibly, weeks.

• First, I know you know I like clothes. And I have discovered it can get a bit chilly here in Kansas! Apparently my warm sweaters went by the wayside in sunny Albuquerque. So a sweater would be nice. And also some of those super cute furry boots or clogs in the brown family would be nice!
• Years ago you (or some other man I love) gave me a set of gold stud earrings. I wouldn't mind another pair of everyday earrings, whether they are round, flat, hoops or another shape. You know what I like: small and simple.
• A new little Bible would be great! They have some really slim Bibles that I might even get to church with me once in a while.
  
• I would really love a booklight for those times when the whole family finds ourselves in the same room for the night.... A bonus would be if it took AAA batteries. :)
• Lastly, since the steering wheel on my sleigh... er, I mean, van, is all worn down, a steering wheel cover might be nice! Something cute and fashionable. I know they have girly ones, but if you feel a more neutral one is better suited to the whole family, I would love it, too!

Thank you for your consideration, Santa. I know you are a busy man. I hope this makes it easier on you! :)

Some Really Good Things:

• We seem to have a "done deal" on the house. The house passed inspection on Saturday with a few minor repairs showing up, but nothing that doesn't fall into the allowance we had already given. Our realtor was there to represent us and met the couple moving in. She said they have a baby due any day, so they were anxious to get things settled. They also have 3 other kids and we were told they loved our kids' rooms. This is such a relief to me! I know it's silly, but it was hard for me to think someone would come in and paint all of that!
• We have been blessed by our growing relationships around us. I really connected with another homeschooling mom the other day when she invited me and the kids over for a play day. The kids had a blast and we seemed to have a close connection from the beginning! At church on Sunday, we met another family who was visiting. In our small talk, we quickly learned that they had also moved to Olathe about a month ago to begin a new church!! We know God orchestrated this meeting and we are excited to see what this means! Our backdoor neighbors have blessed us as well, coming to our first 33 Home Bible Study last week, and then coming to the rescue the next day when I was stranded at the grocery store with dead battery and 3 empty carseats (i.e.--Ryan couldn't get to me).
• It was sunny today! The kids and I took advantage and got out with the bikes and stroller and dog, and didn't even regret any of it! :) We did find out we don't live on a "block" so the walk was a bit longer than I had planned, and I should have brought water!
• We have had some real blessed moments during school lately! I happened upon tying Bible story time to snack time, and we don't miss it anymore! It has really opened up some good question and answer times and teachable moments. Beyond this, we have made some good academic strides lately. I have been pleased with how easily things have been absorbed!
• We officially enrolled our kids in AWANA tonight. We had visited last week and they kept asking, can we go back next time? While we are excited about how they will be learning about God there, we are REALLY excited about how Ryan and I will have some time with only one kid!! Tonight we went on a date (isn't it funny that with 3, having only one constitutes a date?), but in the future I can see us doing something like shopping together (clothes, Sam's, birthday, Christmas, etc.)--something we enjoy doing together, but is nearly impossible and most certainly unenjoyable with the other two in tow!
• God is not finished with me yet. And my family hasn't given up on me either.

A sign I'm Getting Through...

Since flu season is upon us, and we are not the flu shot kind, I did a brief reminder lesson on the necessities of clean hands the other day. I told the kids we needed to be careful, especially when we're around a bunch of kids, to not touch our eyes, noses, or mouths, and make sure we wash or Purell as soon as we can.

On the way home from a gathering of kids the other day, Reed proudly proclaimed from the backseat, "Mom, I didn't pick my nose the whole time we were there!"

Blogging--UGH!

This has been my attitude about blogging as of late.  I'm not sure why, but I have a couple hunches:  1.) blogging is meant to update and I have had no substantial update as of late, 2.) blogging is meant to share deep thoughts and I have had a combination of a lot of incomplete deep thoughts and a whole lot of shallow ones.  

So, here are some bullets to help us all catch up.

• We are moving to Olathe.  Like tomorrow.  Well, that is a bit of a characteristic exaggeration.  But after waiting so long to get things moving (no pun intended), we will be making the trip to Albuquerque and back (I am in Kansas as I write this) within a week.  And in between we will finish packing up our house, do a concert for FCCabq, and load the trucks (yes, plural).  I would appreciate your prayers for sanity in the coming days!
• We have a house!! To rent, that is.  We have still had no offers on our Abq house and we have been given a peace about renting for a time.  The house we have found is for sale, so we will have the option to buy when our house sells and if it will meet our needs as we think it might.  It will be nice to have some time to really test it out!!  Some stats on it: 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths, 2 half baths, 3 living areas (1 in the basement), 2 car garage, laundry on the bedroom floor (yay!), good closets, some very dated wall paper boarders and lighting fixtures (Too bad those can't come down right away!) but all the right bones to a great house.  We are very excited!
• We have stayed this week with a host family from another church in the area.  We have been so blessed by Bill and Marilyn's hospitality!!  And the house? Oh. My. Word.  Seriously!!  Huge!  We have the top floor with three bedrooms, two baths, the loft in between, and a phone booth!!  Yep, a phone booth!  Almost every closet I have found is a walk-in (even the hall closets!).  The 60" TV in the basement with surround sound and leather couch has spoiled us too!  Some of Reed's quotes that help to illustrate the luxury: 1. (While sitting in their built-in diner booth with wall-mounted flat screen) "It's just like Fuddruckers!"  2. "Dad, look!  They have a path to their neighbor's house!"  "Son, that's not the neighbor's.  That's the garage!"  3. (Watching cartoons in the media room) "If we turn off all the lights, it's just like a movie theater!"  4. "They have their own personal river!!"
• So while we have enjoyed the great luxury, we have felt at home, too.  They have 9 grandchildren who stop by regularly (we met 4 of them) so they do not expect things to get put away perfectly.  They have let our kids be kids, which has enabled us to relax while we were here.  Also, they made sure that we would help ourselves to anything and everything we could find to eat, and told us not to replace what we used.  We have had great discussions on faith, and parenting, and life, etc.  I just cannot tell you how much we have enjoyed being here.
• We are excited about what God has in store for us in Olathe.  We have already met a homeschooling family with 4 kids--3 of whose ages align with ours.  We met our 3 immediate neighbors in one night and are excited about the possibilities in our new neighborhood.  I have even gone to the grocery store and liked it pretty well, at least at first sight.  The long transition has helped my heart move here.  The people I know I will desperately miss in Abq will still be a part of our lives, I know!  Hooray for facebook!
• On a total side note, I am the least excited about football season as I have been in quite some time.  I am not very excited about cheering for Brett Farve's former or current teams.  I am VERY hesitant to cheer for the Chief's since I have tried to stay away from that all my life.  I am not a huge Mizzou fan, but the Missouri part of me cannot just switch to KU loyalty either.  And I cannot get excited about my fantasy football team because it is against league rules to do so (Joe Milan!!!)!!!  So, in answer to "Are you ready for some football?" I would have to sadly say, "No." 

One blog in over two months.  More to come.  Possibly way into the future!

Product Endorsements

So I don't get any money from any of these products, (If you know how I could, please share!) but I thought I might share with you some of my favorite products as of late. In all our work to fix up the house to get it market ready, we have used quite a few.

• The Bathtub Scrubber from Scotch Brite (I think)--Ok, I don't think that's its real name. I actually bought it a few months ago for the kids to use to scrub the floor in their bathroom. (Because I am a terrible enough mom that their disgust and whining in the process brings me great entertainment and delight!!) It has a mid-size adjustable handle and a green scrubby pad on the bottom. It is a perfect size for them to do the floors, but I have found it is really great for doing showers and tubs, it's original intent, I believe. My only possible complaint is that the handle doesn't lock into position very well, so it sometimes collapses as you're working.
• Greased Lightning Professional Strength Hard Water Stain Remover--This one is for toilets bowls, but I have used it in various places. The hard water ring in all my toilets was SOO bad! And I have tried many things to no avail. But this worked!! First, the toilet water had to be drained, at least away from the line, because otherwise it is too diluted to work. (You can do this easily by quickly pouring a small bucket of water into the bowl. I don't know why this works, but it does!) Second, a traditional toilet brush didn't do it. We had to go with one of those green scrubby pads. And a little elbow grease. Voila! Two important things: Rubber Gloves and Ventilation!! I also used this product full strength on the hard water stains on the shower doors and the french door windows. The stains are still a bit noticeable but so much improved!
• Old English Scratch Cover--We did our doors and baseboards to clean them up, and they look so good! Supposedly it soaks in over time, so the fix is temporary, but it looks great for a few months. I also used it on a cheap coffee table we have, and it dressed it up so much!
• Sol-U-Mel--This is an all-purpose cleaner from the company Melaleuca. I use it for many things, namely grease stains and odor problems. It works wonders on carpet stains, and it is not a soap, so it doesn't leave as much residue that collects more dirt. (Spray it on, let it set for a few moments, then blot and rub with a rag.) It also cleaned up our white grout in the entryway very nicely. (Spray it on, let set for a few moments, and scrub with a grout brush. Some places needed to be done twice.) I use it diluted, but some stains need it full strength. One time I got a tablespoon of red paint almost completely out of our off-white carpet. Only a faint pink spot remains. If you're not familiar with Melaleuca, my sister Terrie can hook you up!!
• Hoover Steam Vac Dual V Carpet Cleaner--We've had this for a few years and really love it. We cannot afford to have the carpets professionally cleaned on a regular basis, so we bought this to use as needed. We are always amazed at what it picks up! And this one really sucks the water out, so it dries relatively quickly. ( I know the climate here helps...) The best thing we've learned is to not use any soap in it--we simply use it on rinse. Since our carpets were cleaned before we bought the house, there is still soap in the carpets that comes out. Used in conjunction with the Sol-U-Mel, I would put it up against some of the professionals!
• Shark Steam Mop--This one is new for us and we also love it! It is a steam mop that cleans only with water. The microfiber pads it comes with are washable, so there is no need to buy replacements all the time.
• Dyson Vacuum--Since we're on the on the subject.... I love that it's bagless and it really gets results. When I empty it in the dumpster outside I hear the refrain in my mind, "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust..."
  
• Pampered Chef Stone Scraper--Not just for the kitchen!! We have used this for so many of our jobs, from caulk to soap scum. Very handy!
• Windex Outdoor Window Scrubbers--We weren't convinced these would work, but since Ryan's dad invested in them [:)!], we found they work great! You really can clean the windows with just this kit and a hose! And one pad cleans approximately 10 windows, so you don't blow through a pack of refills before your done.

There might be more, but I can't think of them right now. If you have a product that you would recommend, add it to the comments!