Category Archives: MUSINGS

Parenting Partner & More

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Christen B. Johnson, more than my babysitter


I love this woman. My husband and boys do, too. We don’t know what we would do without her. Four years ago she started as my babysitter, but she is now a daughter, big sister, grace grower, an integral and intimate part of my family. She is the appendage I didn’t know was missing and sorely needed. I love this woman (Oh, I told you that!). I am so grateful for Christen B. Johnson, my glorious sweetheart! Read more in my latest EEW article, which begins below, about our relationship, how she has helped me beyond babysitting and how you, too, can be strengthened with parenting partnerships:

She came to me suddenly, unexpectedly with her bubbly way and smiling face. She had sat there in a center row, face focused front, but when I sat next to her she flashed me her 32s and my then 7 month old Nate clamored to be with her. We didn’t know her but she knew of me. She introduced herself and told me that she heard our women’s pastor mention me, knew that I was on maternity leave from ministry and had wondered who I was. Christen said she was single with no children and free to babysit my children anytime. I nodded and smiled. Even though I had just lost the help of another single woman with no kids who volunteered for six months to serve me and my family, mainly helping me with my newborn, it would take more than an introduction and a smile before I could trust this woman with my kids.

But after weeks of her offering and my desperation I invited this 24-year-old to have dinner with my family every Tuesday before our midweek services so we could get to know her. Immediately my boys liked her; my husband and I did, too, so I had her help me with the boys on Tuesdays and Sundays, the days my husband was fully engaged in ministry himself and I could supervise her interaction. Read the rest here.

My boys and Christen’s niece at the park with Christen


Nate at the library with Christen


Joshua playing ‘Ode to Joy’ on the pipes at the library with Christen


Justus at the library with Christen

My One Thousand Gifts List

#681-690
An invitation to contribute a cooking video to The Brand New Mommy Blog
Sharon rejoicing with me
Carla rejoicing with me
Flynn loading and running the dishwasher
Flynn calling Vince to produce my video
Vince being excited about producing my video
Children-initiated praise and worship
Nate blowing his trumpet in the corner toward the vase like he was making sure to praise God everywhere
A full night’s rest and early rising to have a rich time with God and a great start to prepare three meals
A clear outline for the parenting column

Friday Feature: Roundup Seventeen

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Here are some great links to help you cool down with fruit, incorporate seeds into your diet and discover new information about foods.

Blueberry Maple Coconut Dairy-Free Ice Cream {or Choose Your Favorite Fruit Flavor}

Blackberry Lime Cheesecake Popsicle

Edible Seeds at Raw-Foods-Diet-Center.com

Smart Shopping for Edible Seeds

Natural News where you can discover a host of food-related information you may have never known

Yield and Make a Difference

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What Do You Think? Wednesday

We have been called to make a difference, be the difference in others’ lives, but when they don’t want that difference there is nothing we can do. This I’m still learning, wondering if my children will reject my teachings, seeing how my mother resists my believing that change is still possible, even for the elderly. I seek to submit to God even when I want to yell out loud that I’m through, with people, procedures, processes, my process of learning, stretching, giving, yielding, groaning, yielding, growing, molding—shaped into something new, more usable, more beneficial, more sustainable, and more powerful.

I come to each day with only expectation that God will show up, even when I don’t, even when I don’t want to but need to. He will show up and do in me what He wants done in me in spite of me. There is a yielding that can be ever so beautiful if we try, let go of our hurts, our cries and just try. We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus. We are the head and not the tail if we let God lead us. He must lead us; we are incapable of leading ourselves, at least down a righteous path, one far from the destruction that we’ve come to know on our own.

Lives need to be changed and they include ours. We can do this, must do this. We can do this. Seek His face. Follow His leading. Continue on His path. He makes all provisions.

Today, write me. Comment here and tell me what you think.

Purposeful Rambling

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I’ve been quiet, still, listening for His voice to tell me when. . .
to finish my current project
to move on to the next one
to call that sister in need
to make adjustments so I can heed whatever He tells me to do.

I’ve been quiet and waiting until. . .
the time is right
I only take flight when He tells me to

And all this has been hard, my crumbling before myself to reveal a new self, a better self, better able to serve Him. And I’m leaning for understanding, for strength, for purpose, for shelter, for hope, for security, for surety, for life—leaning hard and won’t let go, can’t let go, until He blesses like He said He would. This stripping ain’t easy; it’s not supposed to be easy; if so I could brag about what I did, give Him no credit for ALL that He did, and live like I don’t need Him. Oh, do we need Him, God almighty, maker of heaven and earth and all that’s within them, made everything with a purpose, a great intended reason in mind. In Jesus lies every answer we need, but sometimes we have to be quiet, still, listening for His voice to tell us when.

My One Thousand Gifts List

#671-680
A God who speaks to me what I need before I even ask
The children making music together
Wisdom to seek pastoral counsel before posting my blog
A full, but not overwhelming, day
Being fully engaged in prayer outside my normal space
Nathaniel being overjoyed to see me this morning
Joshua clearly communicating the steps of his science project
A Spirit-filled conversation
Being offered a high-visibility ministry writing position
An invitation to speak at a Spirit-focused conference

Friday Feature: Did You Know?

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Making a great effort to eat more nutritiously over the years has brought me a wealth of knowledge, but I am learning still, daily, and am amazed at what I have learned in the last two weeks. Some of the knowledge came from reading, some from friends and some even from my own mind as I had some personal ‘aha’ moments. I share with you below my recent discoveries:

I didn’t know that. . .

• Nuts are large seeds.
• There is little taste difference in Brazil nuts, cashews, hazel nuts and macadamia nuts when blending them as certain protein drinks.
• The slow process of dehydrating food makes the environment ripe for mold growth on the food.
• A company has created a way to genetically modify an apple so it doesn’t turn brown (Scary!).
• Seedless watermelons have been genetically modified (Watermelons are meant to have seeds).
• An organic seedless watermelon is a contradiction. (The fact that the watermelon doesn’t have seeds makes it non-organic from the start; growing a non-organic fruit in an organic environment doesn’t make much sense to me).
• My return to an omnivore lifestyle still has me craving to be an herbivore.
• A large number of Extra Virgin olive oils are not Extra Virgin but have been cut with other oils.

What have you discovered lately about foods, and how will your discoveries help you to improve your health? If you haven’t learned anything new lately, why don’t you seek to find out something new? You could even start with searching out more about the items I listed above. Make sure to share your discoveries in the comments section here. Remember, we are destroyed from a lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). Don’t let destruction happen at your hands.