The Jesus Character

As part of our church’s drama team, I got the text early in the week.

“Can you fill in on Sunday morning for the sketch? The girl who was scheduled has to go out of town unexpectedly.”

I agreed and received a quick rundown on the script. My director concluded with this comment, “Yours will be the Jesus character.”

Being familiar with church-drama-lingo, I understood this to mean that my character would be the straight man and the one with the right answers for the other character who would be struggling with some sort of problem or choice. The “Jesus character” is always loving, kind, forgiving, compassionate, patient, full of wisdom, and – well – like Jesus.

That particular week also happened to be a week of relationship challenges. Harsh words spoken. Unresolved issues led to a face-off, a dead end, and the ever-popular silent treatment vs. the just-get-over-it-and-act-like-it-didn’t-happen treatment.

Do You Need A Better Plan?

Maybe I should just say, I need a better plan.

Okay, okay. I just need a plan. A plan for the morning. I don’t have one. Well - wait – unless you count the one about boiling the water for my morning French-pressed wake up elixir. Straight up. Black. Strong.

Yeah, I should have more of a plan than -

1. Get up.
2. Boil water.
3. Make coffee.
4. Drink coffee.
5. Don't burn mouth.

After I get the coffee down, it’s pretty much haphazard. What does haphazard actually mean, anyway?

Haphazard:

happening or done in a way that has not been planned

synonyms include: random, hit-or-miss, slapdash, jumbled, careless, irregular,

all over the place (haha – very funny)

Ouch. Guilty as charged. And sorry I asked.

You know, I used to be an organized person. When the kiddos were young and still at home, it seems I accomplished so much more. And I know I had a plan for each and every day. What happened?

When It's Hard to Not Look Back

Does so much of the past year beg to be forgotten? Never to be thought of again? 

Swept under the rug. Thrown out with the garbage. Burned. Buried.

...in someone else’s yard.

 ...in a land far, far away.

But, it can’t be truly forgotten. To be truly forgotten would be as if it never happened. However, it cannot be treated as if it never happened, because it has shaped us for the rest of our lives. The hurt, the sadness, the loss, the grief, the anger – no – rage, the loneliness, the emptiness. And the scariest of them all, hopelessness.

I don’t know about you, but it was the hopelessness that threatened to pull me under more than any of the other emotions.

What the past year can be is:
• forgiven
• learned from
• redeemed

I was blown away by a quick look online for the definition of redeem. Want to see it?

Of Playing Dress Up and Forgetting Not to Blink

There have been so many years of watching my four girls play dress up. Daughters transformed into princesses simply by putting on a discarded lacy slip or a costume. Tangled hair yanked into submission under the authority of a sparkling headband. A little bit of blush. A touch of lip gloss and let the twirling begin.

It didn't matter there was neither music nor prince. The girls would primp and dance and giggle all for the joy of simply being what they were – little girls playing dress up.

Tonight brought a different kind of dress up. This one was not pretend. One sister a bride.

When A Yard Becomes Holy Ground

When I visited my mom recently, I had church in her yard. Here are some of my meditations from the last several weeks and a few more pictures of her place.

* * * * * * *

Sitting out here on the glider swing in Mom's yard was all the church I needed that morning. 

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

Bird song and rustling leaves led the praise. 

Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and 

let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord.

Psalm 27:14 AMP

The same breeze strumming branches swirled sweet all around me, 

incense of wild rose, like the prayers of the saints.

...God has made me forget all my trouble..... God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.

Genesis 41:51-52 NASB

My soul, hungry for that which satisfies forever, finds rich food to be slowly savored. 

...those who are according to the Spirit and are controlled by the desires of the Spirit 

set their minds on and seek those things which gratify the [Holy] Spirit.

...the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever].

Romans 8:5-6 AMP

Solitude that could be lonely is my invitation to sit awhile with the Lover of my soul. 

Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.

Luke 1:78-79 NLT

My Maker. My Redeemer. The One Who carries me and saves me every day.

Even to your old age I will be the same, And even to your graying years I will bear you!

I have done it, and I will carry you; And I will bear you and I will deliver you.

Isaiah 46:4 NASB

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, 

whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence 

and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Philippians 4:8-9 NASB

* * * * * * *

I hope you have enjoyed getting a peek at my mom's place as much as I have enjoyed sharing it with you. 

If you missed the other posts, you can find them here and here.

Stay tuned, because we have been hard at work in our own yard the last couple weeks and I have some fun stuff to show you as soon as I get the mess cleaned up. To give you a little hint, the brick pile is considerably smaller than it was before.

Mom's Spring Flowers

As promised, here is the first of two photo-driven posts

showing you the lovely views in and around my mom's yard.

This mound is the storm cellar.

The storm cellar is cleverly disguised with iris,....

...peonies, and ground cover.

Here's the broad view of the backyard.

Getting closer to the tree you find an old wash tub brimming with green stuff.

(Guess I should have asked it's name. Some kind of succulent, I think.)

The iron kitty watches over the bluebird house.

One of my favorite spots....

...the swing.

The garden arch supports some pretty clematis.

Oh, look. We have visitors from the neighboring farm.

Hello there, ladies.

A scrap piece of picket fence makes the perfect backdrop for peonies.

This lovely peach iris thrives out back, too.

Mom uses this old treadle sewing machine base as a potting table. 

She simply rested the grate on top.

On passed the swing and into the side yard brings us to another flower bed.

Not much was blooming here yet, except these roses.

Another rusty garden surprise rests here.

In front of the house is this long bed with more iris and peony.

One of my favorites!

This entire slope was lifeless until Mom dug out and terraced the space, 

moving rocks, and installing boards for a gentle staircase.

Here's the slope from the other side, looking toward the house.

Do you see another rusty treasure? My son, Silas, and his friend, Cameron,

dragged the milk can from the creek near our old house and gave it to her.

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace 

because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope 

through the power of the Holy Spirit. --Romans 15:13 NLT

Kitty and I will see you again real soon.

My Mom's Famous Pink Room

When I need to run away from home, I go to my mom's.

When I go to my mom's, I get to sleep in the pink room.

Every time I tell my girlfriends about the pink room, they are jealous.

So, this post is for my girlfriends.

(Manly men, beware. This is a very pink post.)

The walls are pink. The floor is pink. The ceiling is...well, pink, of course.

Many of the beautiful things in the room are pink.

The comfy bed is covered with a quilt and the pillowcases....

 ...were embroidered by my grandma and edged with crochet by my mom.

Is there anything better than sleeping near an open window with a cool breeze blowing?

I have very happy dreams when I sleep in the pink room.

There is a lovely little corner for reading.

Here's a closer look at the shelves and the pink stuff on the shelf.

See the picture on the lower right with the two babies?

That's me and my brother, Ed. (Aren't we so cute?)

Above is my other brother, Paul.

This little treasure is a silhouette of my grandma, Betty. 

Kitty cozies up at the doorway.

I hope you enjoyed my little tour of The Pink Room.

The Pink Room isn't the only lovely area at Mom's house.

Mom, who just so happens to be a Master Gardener, also has a beautiful yard.

Not only that, but because she lives in rural Missouri, there are many views that feed the soul.

I'm working on a couple more photo-driven posts to show you Mom's yard.

Much more beauty coming soon!

Thanks for stopping by A House and Yard.

Wanted: More Grace, More Peace

This post has been unwritten in my brain for weeks - no - months. And it's part of the reason why I haven't written much this winter.

You know how when you are supposed to say something, but you don't, then the thing you're trying not to talk about won't ever leave your mind?

Why haven't I written about it? Because it's my sadness and my emotion and my struggle. It's too much about my life, too personal, and I have trouble talking about those things.

However, I realize it's not so much my sadness I need to tell you, but rather God's word and comfort to me. To you. So....,

What To Do When the Thing You Didn't Want to Happen Happens 

(probably the longest title ever for a devotion )

When our oldest daughter and her husband excitedly told us they wanted to move to another state, another city three hours away AND take our grandchildren with them I was less that pleased. Honestly, I was speechless and hurt. We are a close family, get along better than most, and our lives are happily entwined. Why would they want to leave?

However, they felt the call of God and made the necessary preparations. A job was found in the new city that "just so happened" to have a branch in our area, so Patrick could transfer whenever they sold their house. The house went on the market, was sold after several months, then they found a lovely house close to his work. For the most part, things just fell into place. It's hard to argue with the call and provision of God on someone else's life...no matter how it might make you feel.

When their house sold days before Thanksgiving last year, it was a done deal. They were definitely moving away.

Facing the inevitable, my heart was broken. I had to ask God, "Okay, how am I supposed to be? How can I do this? I need to - I want to - help, but the thought of them all moving away makes me incredibly sad to the point of feeling sick."

My kind, heavenly Father's word back to me was, "Be like David." That's all. Just be like David.

Be like David? Be like David? My mind rapidly scanned countless Old Testament stories of King David and stopped at this one - when what he didn't want to happen happened.

His little son was sick. Very, very sick. David prayed. He cried out to God. He fasted. Continually night and day for a week. His servants were worried for his own health, but he sent them away. After a time, the report came. His son was dead.

Baffling everyone, David got up, washed, changed his clothes, went to the tabernacle and worshiped the Lord. Returning home, he asked for food and ate. When questioned about his actions he replied, “I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said, ‘Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him one day, but he cannot return to me.” (2 Samuel 12:22-23 NLT)

Basically, David simply made the effort to move on even though the very thing he asked God to prevent from happening happened.

This realization filled me with a level of peace in our situation that I hadn't known before. David moved on. I needed to move on and stop thinking about myself. God's grace enabled me to put a smile on my face, listen to their excitement, and not burst into tears. It was settled, the house was sold, and they were going to leave town. I was still sad to see them go, but no longer crippled with depression. I was able to face my daughter and son-in-law with a glad heart and willingness to help them accomplish their goal.

Part of helping them accomplish their goal meant they lived with us while they were between houses. Yes, their house here in town was sold, but they didn't have a house to move to! Oh, and did I forget to mention, their baby was due three weeks after the first of the year?

To make a long story short:

• They closed on their house here in town two days after Christmas and moved in with us a few days later.
• They closed on their new house on the baby's due date, January 18.
• Baby was born one week later (a thrilling home water birth!), January 26.
• The next weekend, my mom and I went to their new house to paint and clean.
• We helped them move to their new home two weeks after the baby was born. They had lived with us six weeks.

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. 

My power works best in weakness.” 

So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, 

so that the power of Christ can work through me. 

2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT

God is faithful. When I chose His way rather than despair, I received more grace to do what needed to be done. When I admitted my complete inability to handle the situation, God gave me the strength to not only help my kids, but be an example for others.

May God give you more and more grace and peace 

as you grow in your knowledge of 

God and Jesus our Lord. 

2 Peter 1:2 NLT

Yes, thank you, I will take it. How about you? Could you use more and more of God's grace and peace in your life? When have you experienced His help in a difficult situation?

Hibernation is Officially Over

Okay, I'm up! I'm up!

I decided that I must have been hibernating....

Source

hibernate

1. To pass the winter in a dormant or torpid state.

2. To be in an inactive or dormant state or period.

The word dormant stood out to me, so I checked that one, too.

dormancy

state of reduced metabolic activity adopted by many organisms

 under conditions of environmental stress or, often, as in winter, 

when such stressful conditions are likely to appear.

Ah, there it is. Dormancy due to stress.

This winter was stressful, not bad really, just stressful. Even though things have been settled for a month or so, I haven't been able to do much of anything beyond the minimum that was expected of me.

I don't mean to be cryptic, but in order to keep this post from turning into a long, drawn out saga of my life since last Thanksgiving (I know, you can thank you me later), let me simply say that now I am awake. Spring beckons. Time to throw open the windows and air out the house.

I'll be talkin' to ya later! Good to be back online.

Books as Companions

Not feeling well today, so back in bed at eleven in the morning. Sore throat. Sinus pressure. Yuck.

I will say, though, it's nice to be alone up here in my room in the middle of the day with some items I have come to count as dearest companions - my Bible, journal, daily devotion book, thankful journal, and a collection of gel pens.

Currently, I am reading Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young. Filled with lovely little reminders of God's presence and His love for me, this daily devotional helps focus my thoughts either to start my day right or rest peacefully during the night.

Also by my side today is God's Wisdom for a Mother's Heart, by Bobbie Wolgemuth. This has provided hours and hours of conversation starters for the bi-monthly mentoring group I help lead at my church. Though only 128 pages in length, we have used this book for more than a year. The girls in Moms to Moms meet the first and second Wednesday nights of the month, a sort of round-table, open forum where no topic is off limits, but mostly parenting and reassuring that they're going to make it. We study the Word, pray, laugh, cry, teach each other, and we are all growing.

My co-leaders and I agree these young ladies with their children around them are our heroes. Represented are single and married moms, working outside and inside their homes, public/private/homeschooling moms...you name it, we've got it. This is one group we hate to miss. A gift from God. Truly.

My thankful journal is simply a little leather-bound book where I record the gifts God has given me. Eucharisto. Thanks. One Thousand Gifts. 10,000 reasons. Why write them down? Because I dare not forget the goodness of God. In the remembering and the acknowledging I am overwhelmed with reassurance that God is my provider, comforter, healer, friend, joy, strength, and so much more. I am much less likely to lose my focus and wander if I am remembering God's deeds and giving thanks.

Last, but certainly not least, is my personal journal. It may as well be my heart on paper. This is where it all comes pouring forth to be sorted, processed, saved or discarded. You know, keep the good and throw out the chaff. That's what the journal is for - it is fearsome, yet necessary. Necessary for me anyways.

There are a few more books I could talk about. Don't know about you, but I read several at once. These I mentioned were simply the lucky ones to be carried into the sick bed with me today.

Do you have reading materials you count as "dearest companions"? What are they and why are they special to you?

Top Posts - 2012 in Review

2012 is coming to a close and 2013 is right on it's tail. There's no "winding down" at this House and Yard. The project list is still just as long and the calendar isn't going to get a break. But, that's pretty much how we like it around here.

I thought it would be fun pull together a list of the top ten posts of 2012 and see what people seemed to enjoy reading the most. We'll start with number 10 and work our way up to the top.

 #10 - Painted Nightstand - This was my first try at painted furniture and chalkpaint all in one project. My little raspberry nightstand still makes me smile.

#9 - Mustache Bash Baby Shower - We had a great time celebrating in anticipation of our newest grandson.

#8 - Sunroom Project - This is one of a few updates on the sunroom project. You can see more here, here, and here.

#7 - Kitchen Corner Reveal - I am happy to report that my pretty and organized kitchen corner has stayed relatively tidy - with regular maintenance, of course.

#6 - Showers of Blessing Baby Nursery - This was a fun project using a little bit of paint, glue, some pretty paper and a wall decal.

#5 - Bookcases Revealed - A bit of paint and a few pieces of trim dressed up these ordinary shelves.

#4 - Amazing Kitchen Update - The kitchen is still a work in progress, but in May I finished the paint and backsplash.

#3 - 31 Days of Order Series - This page contains the list of all the posts I wrote in October about bringing order to our lives. This is also still a work in progress. ;-) 

#2 - Chocolate Marshmallow Cake - Absolutely the best cooking mishap ever! How can you go wrong with chocolate cake AND marshmallows?! Right. You can't.

#1 - Miracles Still Happen - The prize for most page views goes to this post about our grandson.

It's been a year of wonder and challenges. The goodness of God has supported us through it all. I have enjoyed the process of projects, writing, and interacting with this online community and hope you'll continue to stop by when you get the chance. Thanks for reading.

Did you have a favorite post? Were you inspired to try something new? How did it go?