Quick Before I Get Sidetrack'd

The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:5b-7

On Wednesday mornings I attend a community Bible Study known as BSF. Every week we sing three hymns during our time together. It has been years since I’ve regularly sung hymns (as printed in song books); which really has little to do with what I’m writing, but, for what it’s worth, there it is.

Yesterday we sang the hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”, and I was struck by the line “oh, the peace we often forfeit…all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” It brought to mind the passage in Philippians (quoted above) which states that the peace that surpasses all understanding is available to us, that peace which is only from God. And how do we receive that peace? By praying in and about all things.

Then our study for the week (Matthew 14) included the passage about Jesus walking on the water. And Peter walking with him:

[Jesus] said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind , he was afraid and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

Matthew 14:29-32

As soon as Peter stepped out with his eyes on Jesus he was able to walk on water, but when his vision strayed to the wind he began to sink. However, as soon as he called out to Jesus, the Lord immediately reached for him and took his hand, and Peter was able to return to the boat walking on water because he was holding on to Jesus. And when they got back into the boat the storm quieted and peace reigned; all because of the presence of Jesus. (This is also the case in the Matthew 8:26 when Jesus calmed the storm.)

In my life I have experienced the peace that surpasses all understanding, and it is a truly wonderful and blessed state. But these passages and the hymn yesterday made me wonder – how often do I forfeit that peace just because I’m not being intentional in prayer or because I let my eyes stray from Jesus to the wind that is blowing around me?

I know that in all things the hand of Christ and the peace that reigns in his presence are available; am I reaching out today to take hold of “the Lord [who] is at hand”?

This weekend a group of 13 ladies (including me) were able to get away from everyday life and take a little retreat. It was a weekend filled with girlie activities, girlie food, girlie conversation, and staying up way past my bedtime.

We were fortunate enough to be able to stay in a lake house owned by the parents of one of the ladies. I wish I had pictures to share of this beautiful house, because my words will not do it justice. You entered into the main level of the house which included a living room, dining room, kitchen, and powder room. The floor throughout the area was gorgeous tile, a huge gas fireplace with stone hearth and chimney anchored the living area, and the kitchen was filled with granite, tile, and stainless. Upstairs to the right were 2 bedrooms and a full bath; upstairs to the left was a “grandkids bunkroom” with 4 sets of bunkbeds, a full bath, bookshelves, toy boxes, a game closet with about 150 board games, and lots of room to play. The downstairs (3 stories total) had a nice big television viewing area, a pool table, an air hockey table, and a theater room with a 400 disc DVD changer. Other amenities included beautiful views from the back deck, a hot tub, and lake access (though it was a bit chilly to be on the water this weekend). And one of the neatest things about the house was the scripture used throughout the decor; there were scripture tiles in the floor inside the front and back doors, scripture in the wall decorations, and scripture on knick-knacks all over the house. It was truly an amazing house and such a blessing that we were able to stay there.

We spent the weekend watching movies, gabbing as only a group of ladies can, and eating delicious food. On Saturday my friend Lindsey set up a “salon” area downstairs and did haircuts for several of us and practiced wedding hair with our soon-to-be-bride. A group of us stayed down there pretty much all day watching TLC (What Not to Wear and Miss America Reality Check), watching others get their hair done, and making bead crafts (the lady of the house makes bead jewelry and has a bead collection so big it overwhelmed me just to look at the boxes); others stayed upstairs and worked on scrapbooking; and still others just enjoyed good company. That evening about 10 of us piled into the theater room to watch the Miss America Pageant on the projection t.v. It was such fun to watch the pageant with other women – we talked about the contestants, we critiqued, and we laughed hysterically at the lipstick all over Miss America’s face when she was crowned.

It was so wonderful to have a weekend like this where we had no agenda, no plan, and no commitments. We were free to spend time together, spend time alone, and spend time with God. I am grateful to Matt that he was willing to stay home alone with Little and allow me to go. It was refreshing and relaxing; and even though I came back tired from the late nights, there is a feeling you have after a time like this that transcends the tiredness.

Sometimes it is good to have a break. And as Lindsey told her husband, “it was so girlie it would have made you gag.”

This week has flown by me, thus the lack of posts all.week.long.

We had a wonderful weekend last weekend with our friends from Knoxville. We didn’t do anything very exciting (ate, shopped, talked), but it was great to spend time with them. Matt introduced their 5 year old to the Wii and the joys of Wii bowling. We had a lot of fun Saturday afternoon and evening playing games and competing against each other.

The only un-fun part of the weekend was a hand-foot-and-mouth disease scare. Little woke up Saturday morning with small red bumps all over the backs of her hands and tops of her feet and swelling in her hands. A call to the after-hours nurse produced an over-the-phone diagnosis of HFMD, but I began to doubt that was the problem when we got home and did a bit more research in some of the medical databases we have access to. Turns out it was just an allergic reaction and had cleared up totally by Sunday morning. Our best guess is that she was reacting to the laundry detergent that our friends use on their son’s blankies.

Monday was a holiday for Matt, so we enjoyed some family time and celebrated MLK day with a trip to Home Depot, lunch at Olive Garden, and some grocery shopping. Tuesday and Thursday didn’t see that much activity, but my blogging time was directed to other tasks. Tuesday was spent catching up on my Bible Study before class on Wednesday, and Thursday’s time was spent cleaning and napping.

The other news of the week came to my attention on Wednesday, and I spent the afternoon talking to my mom and my aunt, giving Little a few extra hugs, and thanking God for her health. My cousin’s son, who is 4 years old, was diagnosed with a cancerous mass on his adrenal gland. He has been in the hospital since Sunday, and today he underwent a procedure to put in a permanent IV port. He will begin his first round of chemotherapy this evening; it is possible that he could be in the hospital for 4 months, but right now it looks more like he will be able to go home sometimes between rounds of chemo (total treatment time looks like it will be 6 to 12 months). We are grateful that he is close to a wonderful children’s hospital, that it was caught quickly, and that he is expected to make a full recovery. Your prayers for him and his family would be greatly appreciated.

Which brings us to today. Today I have been preparing for a ladies’ getaway that I’m going on this weekend with several friends. This will be the first time I’ve been away from Little overnight, so I’m feeling just a tiny bit anxious, but I know she and Matt will be just fine here by themselves. And I’m really excited about spending a couple of days with girlfriends.!

And that, friends, is the excitement for this week. Maybe next week I’ll be around a bit more. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

I don’t have a long post in me today because I’m just too excited.  Our good friends Jason and Nicole and their two kiddos are coming for a visit this weekend!  It has been a year since we last saw them.  I’m sure it will be a few days of late nights, lots of laughs, and good times catching up.

Happy weekend to you all!

Early in my blogging career I mentioned (here) that Matt and I are self-deemed coffee snobs. I bring it up again now because the level of snobbery just keeps increasing.

For Christmas Matt received a French press coffee maker and coffee grinder. The French press makes the best cup of coffee EVER. And when the coffee is made with fresh ground beans of our favorite locally roasted coffee? Mmmm…a little taste of heaven.

This coffee is so good that our weekly (at least) Starbuck’s visits have decreased to a couple times a month. Snobs? Why yes, we are.

[Disclaimer: this coffee brewing method is not for the faint of heart; it makes a strong cup of coffee. However, if you like it strong I would definitely recommend trying it.]