by Stacey | Oct 3, 2013 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement
Today I attended chapel with my children at school and was blessed by their expressive and pure worship. They clapped and danced, raised their hands and sang of their love for God with more enthusiasm than many adults. How I pray that growing older will not stifle their expressive love for their Lord!
My spirit rejoiced in God my Saviour. My impossible and difficult problems are easy for Him because my Sovereign LORD has made the heavens and the earth by his great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for Him. He is stronger than the stalking disease. He is stronger than the enslaving addiction. He is able to take millions of seemingly random events and weave them together for a single purpose. I praise God for all that He is!
Remember this song? A compilation of the many words that describe God and co-written my readers and me back in 2011.
Glorious and constant, merciful and holy, gracious, oh so gracious, magnificent One.
Prevailing and loving, enduring and sacred, faithful, oh so faithful, undeniable One.
Capable and lovely, intimate and willing, righteous, oh so righteous, compassionate One.
You are true. You are good. You are just. You are right. You are grace. You are pure. You are life. You are light.
Marvelous and complex, generous and jealous, patient, oh so patient, immeasurable One.
Infinite and awesome, deliberate and truthful, worthy, oh so worthy, victorious One.
Sustaining and lavish, abiding and living, saving, oh so saving, irresistible One.
You are vast. You are judge. You are King. You are kind. You are peace. You are life and you’re here friend of mine.
Now to Him who is able to keep me from stumbling, and to make me stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God my Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
by Stacey | Sep 19, 2013 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement
A few years back I started praying for my husband in a new way. I still prayed for his health, to feel fulfilled, for time management, and for his spiritual life, but there was also a new focus.
I prayed for God to stretch him. To challenge him. To give him an even greater desire for HIs Word. I prayed that God would shape him into a leader that glorifies God.
I prayed and watched, and watched and prayed. Every time Kevin said something about how God was working in him, a bolt of excitement zipped through me. God heard my prayers.
But then, He answered in a way I never expected.
I am ashamed to admit that I didn’t like where God was leading Kevin, who, in turn, was leading our family to follow. Negativity rushed through me.
I will not uproot our kids and move to another country.
I will not leave our wonderful church family.
I will not spend an entire year in constant transition.
I. Will. Not.
I am so ashamed.
I still remember the day I wrestled with God over submission. He so very clearly revealed His will. I cried. (Actually, I sobbed.) I voiced all my fears. I listed all the thing I loved about our current season of life, then one by one I gave them back to God.
I left that encounter both shattered and encouraged—forever changed.
And here we are, less than six months later, living in another country, having said good-bye to a wonderful church family, and in the midst of a year of transitions. All the fears I felt have dissipated and I see this season of life as a wonderful blessing.
How many people get four months off from the daily grind? Yes, I still have lunches to make, clothing to wash and meals to cook. But I have less house to maintain, none of our personal clutter distracting me, all three kids in school and entire days available to devote to knowing God better.
I left my habits at home and committed this time to learning new ways.
For example:
We are eating cleaner (I am constantly researching new recipes to aid this desire).
We are far more physically active now that the only schedule we need to work around is Kevin’s training schedule (I’m not working and the kids are not in various programs).
And most importantly, we are more focused on praising God and hearing from Him than ever before. I can feel God peeling back layers of restraint and releasing me into sweet times of worship. An increasing desire to be available and used by Him grows.
God made seemingly impossible things possible.
God blessed me through the very things I feared.
God worked in me, in spite of me, and is not only continuing to answer my prayer for Kevin, but is shaping and molding me into the woman He desires.
Thank you God for not giving up on me.
Thank you God for not allowing my stubborn heart to remain hard.
Thank you God.
What I saw as a trial, was Your mercy in disguise.
by Stacey | Sep 16, 2013 | Home Makeover Projects
As we prepare to move to Brantford, Ontario via Chicago, Illinois (crazy eh?), I can’t help but look fondly upon some of my most favorite projects from around the house.
It turns out the things I like the best were not the most expensive, but the most creative. Here they are, in no particular order:
I love how our bedroom turned out! It was one of the last things to decorate and I really enjoyed the project. It is a blend of Kijiji finds, hotel sales, sewing projects, and Winners. The best part is the extreme close up pictures of the kids above the headboard.
I’ve recently fallen in love with this deep shade of purple in the shower curtain. I love any chance to work it into our home decor.
The alphabet letters resting on the trim were inspired by one of my favorite designers, Sarah Richardson. I love how the trim breaks up the change in wall color, and that the upper color continues over the ceiling.
I just love this painting. It was a clearance Winners find that thrilled me.
What more can I say about the fireplace? I think I have posted enough about fireplaces that you all know I love them. The old windows hanging above were found on Kijiji for a steal of a deal.
I love storage, and built-in storage that makes use of every space thrills me. Under the basement stairs is wasted space in many homes – but not ours!
The basement bathroom was one space we hired out. The work was a bit above our ability. We were thrilled with end result. Well worth the investment.
The downstairs family room is another favorite space in the house. A perfect place to curl up with a book, watch a family movie, or play with the kids.
The kitchen cabinet was such a simple project, but I love it -and Kevin for building it.
It will be sad to leave a home that we poured so much of our hearts into, but the upside is – I get to start over on another place!
by Stacey | Sep 12, 2013 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement
It has been a wonderful blessing to be in Elgin at the Harvest Training Center. We’ve met other families like ours. Families stretched beyond comfort. Rattled by God’s invitation to move stubborn feet from a false feeling of control and into the safest place ever – the center of His will.
Here, different voices tell the same story. I suspect our stories are probably much like your stories. Different locations. Different details. Similar themes.
I love how one fellow student shared:
We thought God was writing our story. Then, when we showed up, we learned God was already 30 chapters in writing a story that was never really about us.
What a thought. We are not the main character in our own life story. We are not the hero. In some ways, we are hardly a footnote at the bottom of the page that is our life.
But somehow we fall into this self-centred pattern of thinking that believes life is all about ME. Somehow I buy into the foolish notion that when I finally surrender my life to God, He begins penning chapter one. Chapter one of a new book in the series of my life.
Consider that maybe it is not chapter one of a new book, but a new chapter in an old book. A very old book that God began writing long before I breathed my first breath.
How God must shake his head and chuckle at my puffed up self-importance. That anything can start and end with me. This is God’s story and He is WAY MORE than 30 chapters in. This story started before there was time. This story has no beginning and no end.
Somewhere along the line God wove a thread of humanity into His story. Way back when God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, entwined in an intimate dance I struggle to understand, breathed life into this place I call home. For reasons I’ll never understand, the Triune God wrote me in. And if you are alive—you’re in the book too. You have a role—and it matters—but it’s not about you.
It’s humbling to acknowledge my own insignificance. Yet it’s liberating to know life is not about me. Ministry is not about me. Nor is either dependant upon me. This story centres on Jesus. And trust me, you want Him, not me, penning the ending.
My small part in a larger, much larger story, is designed to bring glory to God our Father, the creator of Heaven and Earth.
So is yours.
by Stacey | Aug 29, 2013 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement
My niece just moved in with our family. Here she is unpacking her life.
She had dedicated the next year to her studies. She is spending the next year learning. Learning her craft. Preparing for the future.
When was the last time that I spent a huge block of time solely dedicated to learning? Learning what’s important? Preparing myself for eternity?
What am I learning?
Right here, right now God is teaching me about grace. I am learning about forgiveness. I am learning that things are not always black and white.
I’m learning I don’t need all the answers, I just need to trust God has them and that He’s got my back. That leads to my next lesson. I’m learning about trust.
I’m learning that motherhood is both the most important and hardest role I’ll ever have. And that leads me back to grace.
Did I mention I am learning more about grace?
I’m learning I’m wrong far more than I like to admit. I’m learning that attitude counts for a lot. I’m learning more about the hugeness of my sin and the constant battle between my own sinful nature and the Holy Spirit.
I’m learning I have a lot to learn.
Just when I think I have a handle on it all, God peels back another layer and I see my smallness in contrast to His greatness with fresh eyes again.
I’m learning that I have barely scratched the surface of who God is and what His plan is for my life.
I’m learning even more about grace.
What are you learning?
