earnest

I have gone back to an old way.

I am not sure why I abandoned it for a little while.

No matter the reason ,

I know without a doubt I need the psalms.

I could live on just a few verses a day.

I am back to reading them according to the date and every

30th one that follows.

An extra bonus for 2012  is that February has 29 days, allowing you to

read Psalm 119 every month if you consume your psalms

with this diet.

( If Psalm 119 is too much to digest while reading several

other psalms, then just read 5-7 verses a day and you will finish it each month.)

All that rambling to say that I really love reading several  psalms each morning along with

anything else I read.

Do you feel the same way?

This week, as I have continued to focus on being fixed on Jesus, I kept encountering two words, seemingly

everywhere I looked.

Those two words are earnestly remember.

What captured me this week is that it is something

God does

and we are to  follow His lead.

Have you ever felt like this?

God sees you and He remembers.

He remembers the past.

He resides in your today.

He knows the future.

He knows our alignment.

He knows our sorrows and fears.

He reflects on our victories and joys.

 "To Him Who [earnestly] remembered us,
in our low estate and imprinted us [on His heart],
for  His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever."
Psalm 136: 23

What have others remembered?

"By the rivers of Babylon, there we [captives] sat down,
yes, we wept when we [earnestly] remembered Zion [the city of our God]
imprinted on our hearts!"
Psalm 137: 1

What are we to remember?

"I will [earnestly] recall the deeds of the Lord,
yes, I will [earnestly] remember the wonders
[You performed for our fathers] of old."
Psalm 77: 11

When we earnestly remember Who God is and all that

He has done and continues to do,

we remained fixed.

It is easy to rehearse our problems.

It should be easier to remind ourselves of His goodness.

We need to remember.

This week, Carl and I talked about a person precious to us and

as we reflected with years that have swept past, all we could

say in agreement was that God had protected this loved one.

We knew it years ago.

We knew it even deeper with the passage of time.

Our remembrance enlarged our hearts for His  outstretched hands.

We  see in part so we must stay fixed.

I love the word earnest coupled with remembering.

We have to practice.

Earnest remembering is pledging the intent to be serious

about the aim.

I pledge to take serious aim at remembering my God.

We may forget on occasion  to rave about  His character,

mercy and love, but when we are earnest about

this endeavor, I dare say, one day,

we may survey our landscape and find ourselves

squarely in Zion, the city of our God.

The place of worship and joy.

"Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if
I remember not, if I prefer not Jerusalem above my
chief joy."
Psalm 137: 6

Read Psalm 136.

A psalm comprised of earnestly remembering God,

whose mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.

What are you earnestly remembering about God today?

gratitude

As I drove Caleb home from school yesterday,

we chatted about the day’s happenings.

The fact that all recesses were

indoors due to the weather.

A two recess day is cause for celebration in the life of an 8-year old.

We drove down our street and I mentioned that The  David Crowder Band’s

final  cd had arrived in the mail.

Turning into our driveway, I didn’t need to turn my head to know

that Caleb threw his head back in his seat as he bellowed,

“What?!”

I set the parking brake and said,

“I know.”

“But why?” and

“What are they going to do?”

he wondered out loud as we ran to the porch to avoid the

pelting of slush from above.

Before I could give any suggestion, Caleb’s despair turned

to a calm resolve.

“I guess they will live life with their families.”

Once more before I could venture a response, he added,

“But I don’t think they will make a lot of money!”

I smile at  the second statement.

I thought about the first declaration often last night.

I remember last week, the kids and I arranging blocks to proclaim

our existence within these walls.

I watch as Caleb left his homework to press the volume UP button

on the kitchen cd player.

I sigh with joy as  big flakes find a home on our lawn.

When I asked Carl to take a walk in the snow instead

of turning back the covers and setting alarms.

Our footprints and happy paw prints invade  the quiet winter storm.

Hearing night sounds as I read just one more

page before the stroke of midnight.

Gazing out the window at the street light illuminating

the snow as  if tossed from heaven.

I witness merriment as a  snow man is formed and

spheres of frozen tundra are lobbed with mischievous  glee.

I found an easy yes to hot chocolate and a fire for a boy with

rosy cheeks.

And a second serving of whipped cream despite the absence

of a level change of hot liquid.

I think living life is saying yes without reservation.

I think it is messy.

It’s about getting up early even when it is cold or you might miss the fun.

I think it is about dreams.

Dreams that remain and those that melt.

I think it is all about  second helpings.

It’s about do over’s.

It’s about embracing that disruptions  don’t have to create breakdowns.

A weather pattern may mean  a different route for

a new destination.

Decisions that make us ask why yet are necessary and good.

What will we miss if we don’t fully  live life.

Thank you David Crowder Band for  living your life with us by offering

great music.

Music that made a 3-year-old call your  Illuminate  album the

“la-de-dah” songs.

I am grateful that you get to live life with your families.

I will make sure that I live life fully with my family and loved ones .

I endeavor to keep pressing that volume button up!

Check out this post by Ann Voskamp  about how to build a house of prayer.

It’s all about shelter.

One of the best ways to live life with those you love.

halfway

It is hard to believe that January is halfway moving towards

February.

How are your pursuits treating you?

The evening after I wrote about morning fuel,

my pursuits became a bit challenging.

Maybe I am older or wiser,  I am the former definitely.

I didn’t get  hot and bothered.

I simply lived life even with its setbacks.

I know many have the pursuit of consistent Bible reading

or reading through the Bible this year.

You may already be “behind”.

I want to encourage you to remember that God’s mercies

are new every morning.

Mercy…His overarching magnificent work that He has poured over our lives.

Mercies…the plurality of each time we are allowed to start anew.

There is one that wants to stop the tracks of those who trudge along with a clucking

tongue of judgment.

Cover your ears and begin again.

A fresh day.

New mercies.

New treasures to uncover.

I  read this encouraging article by Noel Piper.

A reminder that struggle is common.

I am grateful  for her honesty.

Read how her yearly pursuit became a reality.

A chart  to  keep track of  the gems you have mined.

This plan has a name that will make you smile.

An explanation about the plan with the smile-worthy name.

One more pursuit  for good measure.

May all your pursuit of Him be  anything but halfway.

who knew?

13/366

Today is National Delurking Day in the blog world.

Who knew?

It sounds a bit ominous and like a chore doesn’t it?

It is meant to be fun!

What this means is that it is the perfect day to say hello if you

have never left a comment.

There is not one shred of judgment attached to not leaving comments.

Not one bit.

I would love to know you even if just in cyberspace.

I will be doing the same.

I lurk in the shadows on a few blogs and I need to comment as well.

Even if you leave comments regularly, please say hello.

I feel a bit out of the posting mode as I get over this cold.

Help me ease back into the routine.

Say hello

or

tell me what you are reading

or

what you are listening to

or

your favorite coffee or tea

or

favorite movie or one you saw recently

or

what the weather is like where you sit

or

simply say hi!

Hello to you all…

Right now I am reading this book.

I have been listening to this cd

as I wait for this cd to arrive.

Patience…patience…patience, I repeat quietly.

I have been drinking vast quantities

of Earl and Lady Grey teas.

The last movie I saw was Tintin and

it was a fun and wild ride.

It’s raining here in Portland, Oregon

and supposedly snow is in the forecast,

which in these parts means lots of news

coverage and the masses scurrying to

stores to prepare for the inch of fluff that

might visit.

I am teasing with a tab bit of seriousness.

But anyway…

hello!

tea anyone?

One side effect of being Caleb’s mom is

the inability to cease from hugging him.

Another side effect of snuggling with Caleb is that

I have gotten his cold.

I am drinking a lot of tea.

I have been a bit grumpy.

Maybe more than a bit.

It seems like time to take up Ann on her dare.

These are two pieces of joy that were added to my

life yesterday and today helping to trump this grump!

• Mail from a friend…a sacrifice of time when one has not an ounce extra is a gift in the highest.
• Enjoying season one of Downton Abbey.  Season Two begins on Sunday on PBS.

Both are the perfect accompaniment to a cup of Earl Grey.

What is bringing you joy today?

Care for a spot  o’ joy?

Watch all episodes of Downton Abbey here.

tidbits

Hanging out with Caleb today.

Yes, he is sick again.

Poor  little guy.

We discovered yesterday that he may have had scarlet fever

as a result of his strep throat following stomach flu, he developed

crazy peeling hands that alerted us.

Thankfully the treatment is the same for the strep and the

scarlet fever.

It feels a bit weird saying scarlet fever, kind of like we are living

life on Little House on the Prairie.

Please pray for my little guy that his body will get stronger and not

so susceptible to the bugs flying around.

So while I am home…I am watching and listening to the live streams

from Passion 2012.

I am impressed with the quality of the feeds.

I am too late to see Session One but just watched Session Two with

Beth Moore and Session Five…WOW!

Here’s the link.

Enjoy and be blessed!

My friend Lisa just purchased the e-book I talked about yesterday.

It is currently a dollar off with the code HAPPYNEWYEAR.

The offer is good through Saturday the 6th.

4 bucks people!

Go here for details.

Here’s an easy way to daily journal.

Fun little challenge for shutter bugs or aspiring ones.

Blog that I starting  reading just prior to beginning the 31 day challenge.

Scary Hope free e-book here.

This ends the tidbit portion of the day!

morning fuel

With the two weeks of Christmas break and the month before dealing

with Caleb’s off and on again sickness, I have gotten a bit out of a normal

morning routine.

The new year seems like the perfect time to get back to business.

It is a great time to peel off what isn’t working and add what is vital.

I have been reading this great  e-book which is also available as a pdf.

It may be the best 5 bucks I spend all year.

It is a year’s worth of mini-projects to help simplify your life.

Many of the projects are not new to me but it is nice to have a compiled list to give me direction.

Currently I am working on my morning routine.

We all have one even if it is jumping out bed, talking back to the alarm,

throwing on some clothes and speed eating a piece of toast at a stop light.

Last night, I wrote down several areas that I wanted to include in my morning.

I decided what time I wanted to set the alarm and how much time  before I needed

to get Caleb to school.

My morning went very well, I am pleased to report.

The key was that I started  preparing last night.

It meant making a lunch, prepping for breakfast, boiling hot water (I will explain) and a couple other tasks

that made this morning run smoothly.

These were the items for my morning routine:

• drink hot water with lemon
• devotions
• get dressed in work out clothes
• breakfast/vitamins
• exercise
• pray with Caleb

For years, I have struggled with getting in exercise AND devotional time in the morning.

Years ago, I have to admit that exercise took precedence.

Devotional time found itself somewhere else in my day or night.

I was lean of body but I know that I was lean in spirit as well.

The last many years have found me stronger in spirit (I hope) but

anything but lean in body.

As I look at these six little items, I see that they are all necessary fuel for my

day.

My morning fuel will be their collective name.

The hot beverage as I have some liver issues and this is a natural

way to detox.

I hope this “elixir”  and other changes will cause

my blood levels to  be normal a year from now.

( I boiled water and poured it into a small thermos, set next to a mug and a lemon.)

All I had to do was pour and squeeze and drink…ahhh!

Devotions as I need fuel spiritually, emotionally and mentally to enter the fray of the day.

Breakfast does a body good and helps to fuel my family for their days.

Prayer with Caleb is short and sweet, just like him, but it sends him out the door feeling

covered and less rushed.

Exercise fuels my body, my soul and clears my head and gives me extra time to pray.

I dropped Caleb at school and then took my walk before I drove home.

I know that for my morning fuel to become a reality, I will have to start the night before.

It may mean going to bed at a reasonable time.

It might have to  skip a television show.

It will take a bit of forethought and planning.

I found this quote on Pinterest

a few months ago:

A year from now I hope for normal blood work.

I hope for a more active lifestyle.

I hope that I have remained fixed.

What is the fuel that you need to start today, so a year from now,

you can rejoice because you took the biggest step…starting?

Is it…

reading the Bible?

exercising?

developing your prayer life?

getting rid of the clutter?

drinking more water?

drinking less coffee?

getting more sleep?

inviting friends over for a meal more often?

eating more fruits and vegetables?

taking a character inventory and working on just one area?

listening more?

rekindling a friendship?

planning more fun?

regular dates with your husband? your kids?

How are you desiring to fuel your year?

On the sidebar, I have placed my chosen word for the year… ”fixed”.

I also have one of my favorite snapshots from the past year.

I wrote about the little blue scooter here.

I am praying that I will be like that little scooter this year,

prepared and with a fixed course.

I pray the same for you!

january desktop

A fresh start for you computer.

Click here.

a fixed pursuit

Last year, I decided to remove the word resolution from my

new year vocabulary and instead use the word pursuits.

I think  it helped make me less fearful of falling flat or

giving up completely.

Over the last couple of months, I feel like God has been telling

me a few things.

One is that I have been seeking the Father more than the Son.

I feel very vulnerable admitting this but it is valid nonetheless.

He was tender  towards me as He knows my ways and needs

intimately.

This year will be spent more in the Gospels, kindling my

love for my Savior.

For this word-loving girl, I will be hanging out in  this Bible.

I  ”cheated” and started last month.

I  loved spending December  reading and reflecting on

this book, it has been the most gentle catapult as I have meditated

on my Redeemer.

Which points to the word that I hope to lead me into the year ahead.

I encourage you to pray for a word or a verse for your year.

I know many of you do this every year.

But I also want to add, that there is no magic in having a particular

word.

I have had years when I haven’t had a specific word or phrase or scripture,

but can you believe it, God was still there

It’s more important to seek Him, not a word.

Next week (I hope) to share about a rule of life.

But that is for another time, not today.

God has also been showing me that I don’t know everything.

Are you surprised?

In fact, I don’t know a lot.

I only see in part and sometimes not at all.

He has shown me day after day that what I think I see

isn’t the whole story or even close to what He has designed for completion.

I could look at a day and see blue skies and rejoice only

to look up moments later and see the fog rolling in and vision

obscured.

It is  easy to leap to a conclusion that is faulty resulting in

hopes dashed and discouragement, a permanent resident.

I must admit that I am weary of craning my neck to

see what I long to witness.

I am sore from whipping my head back and forth

looking for pieces of a puzzle that I am not assigned to

assemble.

His ways are better.

God whispered to surrender,

cease all  extraneous movements,

for He is King of an unchangeable  kingdom.

fixed

• secure

• immovable

• not subject to change

• firmly in position

• stationary

• determined

• established

• set

• steady

• resolute

I don’t need to look to the left or right,

I need to remain fixed.

I want my line of sight to be set on Him,

the One that holds the beginning in one hand

and the end in the other.

He calls me  to pitch my tent in the expanse  of those hands.

A few verses to hold before my eyes:

But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign LORD; 
   in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death.

Psalm 141:8

Let your eyes look straight ahead; 
   fix your gaze directly before you.

Proverbs 4:25

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen,
but on what is unseen,
since what is seen is temporary,
but what is unseen is eternal.

II Corinthians 4:18

Therefore, holy brothers and sisters,
who share in the heavenly calling,
fix your thoughts on Jesus,
whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.

Hebrews 3: 1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.
And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,  
fixing our eyes on Jesus,
the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
For the joy set before him he endured the cross,
scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12: 1-2

This is my last post of the year.

Thank you so much for taking the time

to visit, read and leave comments on

A Work of Heart.

I have been forever blessed by your kindness.

I hope you will keep visiting in 2012.

Happy New Year to each and every one of you,

Helen

cages

snowman: a representative of a human figure created with 
                     compressed snow; usually formed by piling large
                     snowballs on top of each other.

Alright, you probably didn’t need a definition for this perpetual winter symbol of fun and frolic.

No matter where you live, I hope that at least once in your life you have built a snowman.

If you reflect, the constructing was  full of fun, laughter and labor intensive.

You might have stood back and gazed at your creation with a smile, very wet clothes and icy blue fingers.

What if you looked at your life as represented by a snowman?

Has your life been  carefully built snowball by snowball?

Is each feature put in exactly the right place?

A carrot here, a few buttons there with sticks outstretched.

Do you fear that your  designed life might one day melt as quickly as it was assembled?

Have you looked around and seen others with melted lives and worried that you might be next?

Have you hidden your life behind a cage for safe keeping?

Or maybe your snowman is misshapen or out of alignment?

Is your snowman thawing before your eyes?

Snowmen are designed for winter.

The new year begins with winter when trees are bare and the air is cold.

Winter is not meant to last.

Yet winter is  necessary.

Snowmen are not meant to be caged*

and neither are you.

Jesus came to free us from the cages of our making.

As this year of newness begins, ask Jesus what parts

of your life are caged and  let Him touch them.

Let him open the door and release you.

Remind yourself of these words of truth that are

for each one of us:

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, 
   because the LORD has anointed me 
   to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, 
   to proclaim freedom for the captives 
   and release from darkness for the prisoners, 
 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor 
   and the day of vengeance of our God, 
to comfort all who mourn, 
  and provide for those who grieve in Zion— 
to bestow on them a crown of beauty 
   instead of ashes, 
the oil of joy 
   instead of mourning, 
and a garment of praise 
   instead of a spirit of despair. 

They will be called oaks of righteousness, 
   a planting of the LORD 
   for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah 61: 1-3

*this little snowman was made by Caleb’s teacher

for Caleb because he missed school when they were

made. He was able to paint his which delighted him.

I changed the mantle this week and placed a birdcage

at one end.  Caleb played with the door and then decided

that the cage needed to be filled with his snowman.

One never knows how a blog post will be born.