Happy 2013! // A Flexible New Year

Copyright 2012 Valerie Lynn Jones

Oh the beauty of flexibility.

I'd describe being flexible as the ability to bend without being broken. This pretty much sums up my 2012.

I started the year with plans; I am a planner. And I ended the year with very few fulfilled expectations, but a wonderful outpouring of God's grace that bent me past my expectations into much greater things.

I pray for more of this in 2013.

Of course I still make lists and I plan and I encourage myself forward with goals. Practicality is important. But I do not trust my lists, goals or actions to make me better. They are not the rock on which I build my life. My God is and His will always supersedes mine. Flexibility to follow His lead is the key that unlocks the joy of unknown treasures. These are a few of my unexpected treasures in 2012:

• My husband got a promotion
• My volunteer position at the women's prison
• A new (bigger!) home
• Growth in marriage
• Restored/new relationships
• New experiences (Tough Mudder; first theme park with Adam)
• Exceeding my fitness goals

Praise be to God! I wonder how He will surprise me this year.... :)

As we turn into 2013, many people are making resolutions and setting goals. If you are looking for ideas on how to set resolutions, check out my posts from last year. They are totally applicable no matter what year it is!
Getting Ready for a New Year
Tips for Resolutions


I believe making resolutions is a positive practice because it requires self-assessment. Done in partnership with God, self-assessment is beneficial for growth in every area of life. It can be too easy to simply go with the flow and let life happen. God has given us the ability to make choices, and I believe in making choices to hear His voice, follow His lead and advance His kingdom!

This is precisely why I suggest making resolutions, but with a humble willingness to be flexible. God's timing is often not our own and He is known for moving suddenly!

So here are my resolutions for 2013:

1. Joyfully expect God to move me, even bend me. As I gladly submit to Him, I know whatever surprise changes come, I will not be broken.
2. Read the Bible daily and memorize at least six new verses/passages of Scripture.
3. More reflection, at least weekly; continue to record Gifts in my journal.
4. Ask myself this question more: What does my husband need from me to feel loved (respected) today, this week, this month...?
5. Plan trips to visit family.
6. Learn one new recipe per month.
7. Schedule one photo day per month for experimenting, learning new techniques, or just photo therapy.
8. Sign up for at least two races to keep me reaching new levels of fitness.

In what ways do you desire to grow? More importantly, are you ready for God to move you?

I hope you have a blessed, productive and joyful year. Happy 2013!

One Thousand Gifts // Thanksgiving Edition

Every day I'm thankful -- I just wish I'd remember to write my thanks down more often! I started back up with my One Thousand Gifts journal this week. Here are some recent ones in honor of the Thanksgiving Holiday (which should be everyday...)

247. A new adventure as husband and wife - moving!

250. Many repairs, assembling furniture and learning to love orange walls.

253. Little red flowers growing by the creek.

256. Sports decor in the spare room.

257. Running with a friend and her little one.

260. A child reading a book to me.

262. The gift of six chairs and a table.

263. Beautiful inmates dancing in appreciation and worshipping God.

264. Bonding with a friend during a car ride.

265. Snuggling in the cold.

267. An 8 mile run and wanting more.

269. Sweet family time over the holiday - both sides!

271. A church family that gives and loves as family should.

Remembering, Thanksgiving and the Miraculous

Photo by Valerie Lynn Jones

Remember.

It is a prerequisite to thanksgiving. Remembering things that have been done, calling them to mind, naming them...but more importantly, identifying God's role in what is being remembered.

For if we only remember the apparent absence of good (or God), we are forgetting what is True.

Truth may not be what is apparent; Truth supersedes it. The Truth about what has been done often surpasses our understanding and our experiences. But when we remember what it is True, we find joy and peace, and more promise of what good is to come.

The experience for God's chosen people was wandering in the desolate wilderness for years without the comforts of home. The Truth was God's provision and miraculous works every step of their journey, even after they sinned against Him.

And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm. Deuteronomy 5:15

The tangible pain of His followers was a world in turmoil and the loss of their Rabbi to a violent sinner's death for which He had done nothing wrong. The Truth was a redeeming Promise of life everlasting and oneness with Him forevermore.

And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you." Luke 22:19-20

Truth rises through what appears as lack, pain, confusion, brokenness, deceit...to restore hope, peace, comfort, joy, love...Truth. If only we remember to remember Truth. In remembering the truth of the goodness of God, we can find and give thanks.

There is so much good to remember, so much thanks to give. He IS GOD and is worthy of the honor given through humble gratitude. And that alone should be sufficient.

But then the miraculous happens.

"Thanksgiving always precedes the miracle." - Ann Voskamp

Giving thanks is a way of remembering the good, the miraculous, the greatness of God, and the remembering opens our hearts and minds to faith in Him with hope for more. Remembering incites us to do His good and believe for His good. He responds to our faith, not because He must, but because He can and He is good. He is loving and merciful to those who believe, who remember, who give thanks.

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7

  

Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

And so we thank Him and He responds by building our faith with more of His presence. We find ourselves full of joy and peace when it doesn't make sense. We find ourselves protected and strengthened when we are at our weakest. We find more of Him, and less of us and this broken world. We find ourselves with Him. 

Isn't that why throughout the centuries He calls upon His people to remember? So they will never be far from Him? He is God whose heart's desire is to be with us.

This is the one true God who is worthy of thanksgiving every breath of every day. He is Creator, Provider, Healer, Comforter, Father, Friend, Savior. May remembering be the way we think and thankfulness the way we speak so all deserved glory goes to Him who gave everything for us!

He IS the miraculous.

Remember.

Photo Friday // Operation Christmas Child

National Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child has finally arrived! At our church we had a packing party earlier in the week to get boxes ready for shipment. Since September, we've collected donations of shoe boxes and gifts, preparing for the church-wide packing party.

Setting up an assembly line for the packing party.

We also had a kids-only packing party in our Kidz church one Sunday. The children loved hearing about boys and girls in other countries, and they had so much fun filling out coloring sheets to put in boxes with gifts they picked out. The kids put together a little more than 20 boxes themselves!

So Tuesday we finished the children's boxes, sealed up the donated boxes and filled a bunch more with remaining toys, hygiene items, clothes and school supplies. By the end of the night we had 60 boxes ready to ship! Praise God!

60 boxes ready to go!

The best part of this experience is knowing that 60 little boys and girls around the world will be able to hear the Gospel, perhaps for the very first time. The gift box they receive will let them know that we love them, but also that God loves them. And they will have the opportunity to complete a discipleship program to learn about a life of faith in Jesus.

We are praying that every child that receives a box will fall in love with their Savior. Will you pray with us?

As coordinator of this event, I did encounter one "thought" that almost caused me to pull back some: What if we pack more boxes than we have donations to ship them? Because for every box there is a $7 shipping cost. The last thing I wanted was to have boxes we couldn't ship.

But God told me to trust Him. He is Jehovah Jireh, our Provider. And every box we packed is paid for. God bless all those who were faithful to His call to give!

A Suprise Change

I haven't posted in about a month...and I've missed it! But I recently got a pleasant surprise that kept me busy the past few weeks.

Adam decided it was time to move to a bigger place! Haha! To be honest, I've been wanting to move for a few years now. I loved our little one bedroom apartment. The complex was new, quiet and very nice. We were comfortable...but a little squished in our tiny space. I just wanted to spread out some!

This year I think I finally..."let go"...and embraced a joyful contentment to be wherever God wants us. And I even set out to redecorate the walls, thinking we would be around another year to enjoy it.

Then my husband surprised me with a decision to move. He found a new place -- bigger AND less rent -- and took care of all the details. Within two weeks, we moved out. Two weeks later, we are pretty much settled.

And I love it! We now have two bedrooms and two bathrooms, a larger kitchen with an island, and a balcony (for plants!). It's home. :)

One of my favorite parts of the moving process was watching my husband handle everything. I'm usually one to put myself in the middle of the planning and details, making sure I know everything that is going on and how it will affect me. This time, he took the reigns and I followed. It was beautiful. I loved seeing how his decisions played out. And letting myself just trust him through the process was so great for us.

The first night in our new home, we just crashed on our mattress (on the floor) after a looong day of moving. The next night, we had the furniture in place. The last thing Adam did before going to bed was set up his spot for prayer and Bible study in the spare bedroom. He cleared the area, set out a blanket for the cold morning and laid his Bible on the arm of the futon. When he woke up, that was the first place he went.

I was so blessed to see my husband making space for prayer...in the midst of boxes and exhaustion. It was a good reminder to not lose sight of what is most important. Or Who is most important. The One who blessed us with a happy new home and many more blessings to come...

Pastor Appreciation Month

October is National Pastor (or Clergy) Appreciation Month and at our church we try to do a little something to celebrate our pastors each year. It’s so fun coming up with new ideas every time. ;)

In 1 Timothy 5:17, Paul writes:

“Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.” 

Preachers and teachers of the Word have such a great responsibility to the church. They must study the Scriptures and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit so that everything they present is done accurately and according to God’s will. This takes a lot of dedication, time, sacrifice – and LOVE.

So of course they are worthy of double honor!

Just a Little Bragging on Our Pastors…

I am blessed to be able to say that the pastors of our church are both grounded in the Word and have a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. They study Scripture and carefully prepare their messages, but they also commit the church service to God and will follow His leading wherever He goes. They have a heart to see the lost saved, and to see the saved grow into disciples.

They love their congregation and it is evident through their teaching, the way they serve the church (often in t-shirts with a shovel in hand) and the way they give of their time (counseling), resources (gifts and assistance) and prayer.  Our pastors don’t just show upon Sundays – they are involved and available to the congregation.

How We Celebrated

Today I was blessed with the opportunity to give our pastors a break and minister to them during the Sunday morning service. Together with several other generous church leaders and volunteers, we put on a regular service, and our pastors only had to show up and enjoy it!

We also snuck in a couple surprises like a video of some church members expressing appreciation and a special time of music ministry by some of our talented members. Then we followed up the service with treats and fellowship in the lobby. It went so well! Most of all, our pastors were reminded of how much we love them.

Thank YOUR Pastor

Appreciation is an act of love and humility toward another. It shows a person you notice the effort they put forth and acknowledge their value. This is important to do anywhere, but especially in relationships that involve a healthy level of dependency – like within the church.

It is also important to show appreciation regularly, not just once a year (although a yearly event is a good excuse to make a big deal of it!).

Here are some ways to show appreciation to pastors any day of the year:

1) Shake the pastor’s hand after service and tell him/her what you appreciated about the message.

2) Call them just to pray for them.

3) Send an email, Facebook message or text message with a short and sincere thanks.

4) Give a gift or card, just because.

5) Bless your pastor and family with a dinner out.

6) Volunteer at the church – your participation shows support.

7) Pray for your pastors.

8) Sit next to them at the next potluck and learn something new about them.

9) Offer to serve his/her family in some way: babysit, yard work, bring meals when someone is ill, etc.

10) Acknowledge days that are special to your pastor – birthday, anniversary, anniversary at the church.

Whatever you do, be sincere and make it personal. A little love can go a long way!

Counting to One Thousand Gifts

#133 - Little turtle with its neck stretched out begging for food

#155 - Sweet fellowship with my in-laws

#164 - A stormy sky painted shades of blue and grey - night and day on one canvas

#173 - Mint chocolate chip milkshake, an indulgent treat suggested by my Adam

#179 - A double rainbow over the prison - a banner of promise

#194 - Witnessing the sacrifice of volunteers


Previous One Thousand Gifts Posts:
My One Thousand Gifts
Counting Gifts
The Gifts Continue

Inspired from the book "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp.

July Celebration #6 // Bowling Birthday

My friend Kristina also has a July birthday so we decided to do a girls night out to celebrate. We first stopped at Moe’s for dinner then headed over to the bowling alley for $10 all-you-can-bowl (including shoes…yes!). 

We settled in to the almost-VIP lanes, a step up from the regular lanes because we had cushioned couches to sit on instead of hard chairs…but not as snazzy as the VIP lanes in the back room. (What goes on in there?) Jenny ended up with two shoes for the right foot, but happened to find a left shoe in her size hanging out under our couch. This night was already off to randomly fun start.

From then on was a complete blast. Something about the bowling alley ambiance - 90’s & 00’s dance music, neon lights, goofy shoes – that turns this sport into a dance party. Yes dance party. Or maybe it was just the company.  ;-) I’m not sure but we had a great time laughing over our not-so-slick dance moves and accidental strikes. Somehow we bowled better goofing off then when we actually tried. 

The night ended with good old-fashioned girl talk in my friend’s living room….the details of which should not be shared! It was a much needed night out for all of us, I think. I’m so thankful for my girls adding flavor to life and offering support when it is needed. They are each a gift from God.\

For a glimpse of just how much fun we had, check out our video. ;-)

(Click here if the video does not appear below.)

The Gifts Continue

 God continues to bless me abundantly. Here are a few more recent gifts…

(previous posts: Counting Gifts and My One Thousand Gifts)

#73 – A laughing baby splashing water

#107 – Green like Ireland after days of rain

#114 – The crunch of crisp lettuce and fresh tomato on my burger

#126 – A beautiful new Bible to dig in deep and make it mine

#157 – Funky dancing at the bowling alley and girls laughing so hard we cry

Photo Friday // July Celebration #5 // Family & Food

Earlier this week I got to spend a day with some family after they returned from vacation. My uncle and grandma were staying with my parents for a couple days and so it was a great opportunity to visit with them. 

Since my family was out of town on my birthday, they asked me what I wanted to do for a birthday dinner. My uncle is a bit of a foodie and he always has the most delicious recipes to share. So I requested we prepare a new recipe together…something light, fresh and summery.

My uncle had the perfect meal in mind:

Garlic Lime Chicken Fajitas

Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salad

Fruit Salad with Limoncello over Pound Cake (for dessert)

Together we shopped, chopped and cooked…then we all enjoyed a refreshing, (mostly) healthy, summer meal! 

I loved one-on-one time I got with my family members. It is not something I get to enjoy often so I savor the blessed moments. And of course I always try to document the memories so they linger a little longer.

(I included the recipes at the end of the post in case you want to try something new this summer!)

 

Mom, Dad & me

With Gma & Uncle Gary

Lovely cards and gifts

 

Uncle Gary preparing the salad

Love those bright, fresh colors!

Mixing the corn salad.

Cilantro dressing for the salad.

Cooking the chicken mixture.

Look at that colorful plate (it was delicious!)

Fruit with limoncello (I had some for breakfast the next day too!)

Click here for the Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salad Recipe.

Click here for the Fruit Salad with Limoncello Recipe.

Garlic Lime Chicken Fajitas

(McCormick & Co. Recipe)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Marinate: 30+ minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 8

Ingredients

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp minced onions

¾ tsp ground cumin

¾ tsp oregano leaves

½ tsp cilantro leaves

½ tsp coarse ground black pepper

½ tsp salt

¼ cup lime juice

¼ cup orange juice

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips

1 medium green or red bell pepper, cut into thin strips (we used green, red & yellow)

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

8 tortillas (8-inch)

Directions

1. Mix juices, oil, and all spices in small bowl. Reserve ¼ cup of the marinade. Place chicken in large re-sealable plastic bag or glass dish. Add remaining marinade; turn to coat well. Refrigerate 30 minutes or longer for extra flavor.

2. Cook and stir chicken in large heated skillet on medium-high heat 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from skillet. Add bell pepper, onion and reserved marinade; cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender. Return chicken to skillet. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through.

3. Spoon chicken mixture into warmed tortillas. Serve with assorted toppings (sour cream, guacamole, etc) if desired.

July Celebrations #3 & 4 // Friends as Family

This month is all about celebrating and so I continue to record more celebratory moments!

Celebration #3

My closest girl friends and I all gathered one evening for homemade chocolate fondue in celebration of my birthday. It. was. so. good! My friend hosting the evening made the melted chocolate and everyone brought something to dip: marshmallows, strawberries, apples, bananas, angel food cake and, my favorite, cookie dough balls. We gathered around her kitchen table and talked and dipped late into the night. 

As delicious as the fondue treats were, the fellowship was definitely sweeter. Our plan was to get together for just a few hours after dinner - we ended up talking until midnight! I’m so blessed to have girls with whom I can share my life…and food smothered in chocolate.

Celebration #4

This past Sunday our church celebrated its 13^th Anniversary! Adam and I have been attending the church for almost eight of those years. It has been such a blessing to be part of that congregation. No church community is perfect; they are made up of people, after all. But I am thankful for the Biblical teaching, the high level of faith and the enveloping love I experience there. 

As part of the celebration, we asked a few members of the church to share personal testimonies about what God has been doing in their lives since they started to attend. It is amazing how God can use imperfect, unsuspecting people to introduce someone to Him and change their lives forever. I love how each of us, no matter how small, are a significant part of a bigger picture. This is the very thing we celebrate as a church; God’s love, God’s purpose working through us for His glory. Of course, a church celebration isn’t complete without cake, punch and other refreshments – and we did just that!

July Celebration #2 // Our Couple Birthday

The celebrations continue!

My Adam and I have our birthdays only one day apart. This makes for a couple of fun days! Every year the celebration is different....and every year I seem to learn something about myself.

This year, both sides of our family were out of town all week for the holiday. Adam and I had to work this week (blessed to have jobs!) and so we did a little something to celebrate in the evenings, just the two of us. And for the type of week we had, "just the two of us" is exactly what we needed!

Turns out I had not thought through what else I wanted for celebrating my birthday. I didn't want to further complicate an already complicated week, so my goal was keep it simple. But do you ever think that something will be ok...and then discover it really wasn't? I am not complaining and have no regrets, but on my birthday, at the end of the day, I realized three things:

I want to do something different to celebrate my birthday.
I want a special, yummy treat.
I want to blow out at least one candle.

The evening of my birthday we went to Moe's and each of us used our free entree birthday coupons. I love Moe's and it was free and it was great! But we do go there a lot. After dinner we went shopping together; Adam got a video game with birthday gift cards and I got a new Bible. That was really special to me. I've been wanting a new Bible for a while and Adam encouraged me to splurge on a really nice study Bible; one I can dig into deep and make it mine.

Then we came home, and that was that. It kinda felt like a normal day. And I decided that a normal day for a birthday is not very celebratory. I really wanted to blow out a candle.

Nobody's fault. I didn't even realize it myself until it didn't happen! :)

So I asked Adam if we could get ice cream after dinner the next day. And I procured candles.

On his birthday, we went to Yamato, a Japanese restaurant with teppan-yaki tables. It is a birthday tradition for us to go to Yamato on one of our birthdays. We only go that one time a year and we love it every time. It's like dinner and show. A simple and perfect "something different" for celebrating.

Afterwards, we went to Cold Stone (we don't go there often either) and we got Cake Batter ice cream. It's the best! We brought it home and I stuck my candle in. Adam chuckled at me the whole time but humored me saying it was a "cute little quirk". Yep!

I blew out the candle and that concluded two days of just the two of us celebrating each other.

And candle or not, they were blessed days. Days for us to celebrate in the midst of working out issues of life. I am so thankful Adam and I are able to both work through and celebrate life together. As a team, as a couple....and always strengthened by God's grace.

We really are so blessed. Every year, I feel those blessings more and more. I do not dread getting older because God brings greater good into our lives as we grow. I love looking with expectancy toward the future. And I am also learning the blessedness of enjoying and celebrating the moment by moment. Yes, it is fun to have "a day" to celebrate a person or purpose...but every day is full of little causes for celebrations! Every moment of walking with God, breathing life, experiencing His goodness. These things don't just happen on birthdays and holidays.

I love that God is showing me how to celebrate the many small things each day.

I also love doing it up big sometimes too. And blowing out a candle.

As usual I have to document everything! These are bits of my favorite moments celebrating life with my Adam.

Some of the beautiful cards we received from loved ones.

Our Moe's cookies and a few gifts.

Adam playing his new game with the PS Move.

My beautiful new NKJV Study Bible from Adam.

A free movie from RedBox! Yay!

The card I got for Adam. hehehe

Getting ready for some yum yum sauce...oh and the rest of the meal too. ;)

Love the show.

The rice is soooo good!

Dousing the onion in oil, here comes my favorite part.

WHOOSH!!! Yay! Fire!

Cake batter ice cream...

...perfect.