(In)Courage

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Lions and tigers and...boats?

I'll admit it - sometimes my quiet time is really hard. Showing up for it is easy. Staying focused during it? Not so much. My prayers feel like the same ones day after day. I try to be still and listen for God's voice, but I struggle with that, too. My mind starts planning my day, reliving the last one, or just flying off on a tangent altogether - it's so frustrating!

I'm a very literal person, so I want things to be spelled out in black and white for me to read, like a note. Or if God would just decide to speak out loud to me, we could have a real conversation and I would absolutely know what He said. That would be so good! C'mon, is a burning bush or a little glimpse of glory too much to ask?

But it doesn't work that way for me, and it requires a lot more effort on my part to hear what He has to say. Many times I have to do a little leg work to get what God wants me to know. Take one day last week, for example...

One morning I was specifically looking for some guidance on a situation that brings me a great deal of frustration. I was sitting in my spot, eyes closed, trying to keep my mind from wandering off and making a to-do list for the day, when pictures of different animals kept popping into my mind. First I saw a lion, and then an elephant. And a bird. And on and on.

So, I started thinking. "Animals, MANY animals, in the Bible....the ark! NOAH!!"

I grabbed my Bible and turned to Genesis 6 and started reading the story of Noah. I read about how righteous he was - the only blameless man left on earth. God told Noah how rotten the human race had become and how He was going to flood the earth and just wipe everything out. Except Noah and his family. I read about God's plan for Noah, including blueprints of the ark, where He had planned every detail right down to the size of the air vents. Then I read verse 22: "So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him."

Well, why wouldn't he? He was a righteous dude!

I kept reading. Noah built that ark, and God gave orders about who and what should be brought on board. And in Genesis 7:5 - "So Noah did everything as the Lord commanded him."

He did everything as the Lord commanded him.

There's my black and white. "Do what I told you to, Beth! So what if you don't like it? I am your God, and I know what is best. There will be many times when you won't like what I ask you to do. Will you trust me, or will you give up?"

And in that moment, my answer was clear.

If God gives me a command, I need to listen. Like it or not. If he tells me to build an ark, then I need to pick up a hammer. If He tells me to feed the hungry, then I need to grab a plate. If He tells me to write, then I need to pick up a pen. I just need to be obedient to whatever it is I've been asked.

And so do you.

But, there's more! Genesis 8 goes on to say that God remembered Noah. Not in an an, "Oh yeah, I met that guy once" kind of way. God had made a covenant with Noah, and He was faithful to keep His promise by delivering Noah from that flood safely.

God asked Noah to do something very difficult.
Noah obeyed.
God delivered him.

God may ask us to do hard things, but they are for our good, whether we can see it or not. We need to trust God to remember us. And when we are obedient to His call, He will remember us.

Now that I have my answer, I've gotta go find a hammer. It looks like it might rain. :-)

Lord, forgive me when I try to have everything my way. My human nature wants to be in charge, and sometimes rebels against what You have commanded me to do. When I start to listen to the lies whispered to me by this world, remind me that I am a child of the Light and I have no business in the dark. I want to be obedient to you, Lord, but I can't do it without Your help! "Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." Psalm 25:4-5

I forgot Buddy!!

I gave you all the family happenings last week, and forgot to tell you about our dog, Buddy. He just turned one, and has probably reached 35-40 pounds. He is much bigger than we thought he'd be when we got him. Here's Buddy as a tiny guy:


And here he is now, sort of:



He is also a LOT more destructive than we thought he'd be, even for a puppy. We put a gate on our deck so he can have a bit of freedom while we're gone during the day. He decided to use it as a chew toy:



Can you see it? How about now?


Somebody please tell me he'll grow out of this soon! PLEASE?

It's Friday!

Now that I'm trying to get back on the blogging bandwagon, I'm not going to promise to write a post every single day because I know I won't follow through. I may even cheat sometimes and use a meme or some random links to things I like.

Today, I'm going with a Friday Fill-in because, well, it's FRIDAY!

(If you like these, you can get them here.)


1. It's time for caffeine.

2. The car; it's not a bad place for a moment or two of peace and quiet.

3. I must be dreaming if I think I can accomplish my to-do list any time soon.

4. Jesus is the best thing I have ever known.

5. My pantry is simply pathetic - I really should buy some food.

6. The last time I laughed really loudly was probably this week.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a bit of shopping, tomorrow my plans include working and Sunday, I want to not be working, but I am!

Happy Friday!!!!

Well, hello there.

Remember me? Maybe. I can't believe how quickly the last few months have passed, and I can count my blog posts in that period on one hand.

Which has brought prodding by a few of you readers (ONE, in PARTICULAR, and you know who you are - ahem!) to get me to post again.

I aim to please, so here is my attempt at filling you in on what's been going on around here this spring and summer.

Michael has been involved in:

*Wrestling
*Tennis


*Practice for both
*Mission Trips
*Going to the beach


*Hospital volunteering and

TURNING SIXTEEN!!!

How did that happen??

Aaron has:

*Played regular season and All-Star baseball


*Played with his cousins both here and in Fayetteville


*Spent time with Gramma at the salon and
*Gone to the beach




Eli has:
*Played t-ball



*Turned FIVE!



*Graduated from preschool and


*Gone to the beach





Jeff has been:
*Assistant coaching Aaron's team


*Building a house for a great couple


*Managing the salon
*Breaking ground on our church building and
*Going to the beach

I have been:

*Involved in all the above :-)
*Reading a few books
*Knitting a baby gift (almost done!)
*Spending WAY too much time on Facebook
*Attempting a Square Foot Garden



*Surviving short-staffing at work


*Working at the salon
*Getting a promotion!
*Going to the beach (but there's no photographic evidence of my presence on that trip because I was the ONLY ONE WHO TOOK PHOTOS!) and
*in the midst of all this activity, I let my quiet time get smaller and smaller and lemme tell ya, it hurts. God seemed further and further away, and was as quiet as He may ever have been. But we're on the road to recovery :-)

So - does that explain why I haven't had time to blog?????

But I have missed it, and hope that when school starts back I'll have more downtime at home and a few minutes to actually write again!!

So, what have YOU been doing the past few months? Fill me in. In the comments. Blow off the cobwebs and dust you'll find there and leave me a few morsels of bloggy fun. I'm all ears...

Book Review: Put Your Dream to the Test by John Maxwell

There are two kinds of good books: some that are so good you just can't put down, and some that you read slowly and soak in every word.

Put Your Dream to the Test is the latter. In fact, I'm reading it so slowly that I haven't even finished it. If I waited until I did, this review may not be written for quite some time!

I have this tendency to always need something to look forward to, whether it be a simple project, a trip, a new book about finding your purpose, or a huge new assignment. That being said, though, I can honestly say that I am not much of a dreamer. I don't have a burning passion that drives me every day. So I wasn't sure this book was for me.

We were created for a specific purpose in this life and whether we know it or not, we all have a dream deep down inside that will help us fulfill that purpose. New York Times bestselling author John Maxwell has compiled a list of ten questions in this book that you ask yourself, which will either help you identify your dream, or move forward on the path to achieving the one you already have. These questions cover everything from clarity, reality and passion to strategy, cost and fulfillment.

His questions are thought provoking and really make you examine yourself and your dream. He encourages you all along the way with stories from people who achieved their dreams, and tips to help you become one of them.

If you have a dream that you'd love to see become reality, then pick up this book. If you don't have a dream, read this book and you're likely to find one!

On Memorial Day

I want to say "Thank you" today to all the soldiers, past and present, who have given up so much to serve this country. To the families of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, I want to say that those brave souls are not forgotten. And to those troops serving right now, my prayers are with you. Godspeed and God bless!