Still Waiting...

Hello sweet bloggers!
Here's a little update on some fun things at the Pastor House. Luke was out of town this weekend leading worship for a church in Reno, NV, and didn't get home till about 10pm on Father's Day. But my little SuperMan stayed up to greet his daddy. So Noah had a little pile of goodies waiting and of course ran and leaped and smothered Luke in hugs and kisses. And Noah certainly could not wait for Daddy to open his presents! Above is the card we made for him.

Here's a fun present Noah got to make that morning in his class at New Life Church. How'd those feet get so big?
My creative gift on a tight budget... chocolate covered oreos! These are a FAV at Rocky Mtn. Chocolate Factory... but can be a little pricey! So I bought a package of Oreos and some white and milk chocolate. Noah helped, too! Well, he helped by taking a nap so I could get things done without covering the house with chocolate. :) So Luke has been enjoying a platefull of sweets all week, and he even shares with the rest of us!

OK... If you have not tried this... YOU MUST!!! This morning, I had a spiritual awakening (lol!) as I made pancakes with white chocolate and diced strawberries baked right in! Seriously, I think this will be on my menu in Heaven for like... atleast a billion years or so! HA! You can't even imagine how great it is!

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BOOK UPDATES:

>> I finished the first draft! Woo Hoo! On Saturday night I hit SAVE and was so pleased! Now I am beginning revisions and editing. I have a list of things I want to include, re-work, or clarify. But I am finding that the revision process is really super fun! I had no idea when God inspired all this that I would enjoy it so much!

>>I sent in my first book proposal to a publisher last week. Very Exciting! They wrote back after two days asking me to rework a sentence, and I am still waiting for a word from them. They were quite polite and kind... and I am going to assume it's a good thing that they wanted me to revise something... they could have had 20 things that needed clarification, or they could have said I was wasting their time... SO, I am still hopeful!

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THOUGHTS on LIFE: Lot's of WAITING...

Wow, I feel like God has been teaching me sooo much! I wish I had more time to blog it all, so much in His Word, and in Life. And I love hearing from the Lord during worship? Do you ever feel like God totally talks to you during worship? Sometimes I just sit in worship and write in my journal because His presence is so tangible. Anyway...

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On Sunday night at NLC, they were singing a song that said:

"Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord".

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I was so blessed, because that song definitely speaks to me. I feel like our lives are in a season of waiting. Luke has graduated, and we are sort of on a summer sabbatical, resting, seeking, and waiting on God. We know we were called to be here in Colorado Springs, and so far we haven't felt a release to go somewhere else. SO, we are waiting.

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>> HOW is it that one can get stronger while waiting? It's not saying patience rises (though, I am sure it does) but STRENGTH rises as we wait on the Lord. I felt like the Lord revealed to me that it is because HIS version of waiting is not the same as waiting. My waiting is like sitting in a line, rolling my eyes, sighing loudly so the world can hear. My waiting is terribly unproductive and can drive an Achiever like me totally crazy! So, what's the difference?

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>> If my muscles are going to grow, then I actually have to show up at the gym and do something. I have to engage the things that will make me grow. I guess that this can be hard in the spiritual realm because we don't know what to do? We probably think it means we have to super busy at church, and yet, we think waiting on a God probably means sitting out in a field in a yoga position as we breathe deeply, and sing Jesus songs. Hmmm... Really?!

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"Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and couragous.

Yes, wait patiently for the Lord." --- Psalm 27:14 (NLT)

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The verb used for wait is Kah-vah. It does not mean, sit around, fall asleep, complain about where you are at, or get lazy in the mean time. (Incase you were curious!) BUT... here's what it does mean! To wait... also means: to look for, gather, expect, bind together (as in a cord or rope).

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How BEAUTIFUL is that? I think we often think waiting on the Lord simply refers to us waiting for a divine phone call to give an answer to our question or direction in life.

Waiting is the process of seeking God! We gather his grace in our hearts, we expect to meet HIM. We look for him in the middle of our lives. We look, we open our eyes, we cast our sights upon Him. AND this process of waiting BINDS us together with Him so tightly that we are now wrapped in HIS strength! Our heart is braided with His. And when we need to be brave, His power is made perfect in our weakness.

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I love that the scripture tells us to be Brave and Courageous... because it is very likely that whatever God calls us to... will be terrifying... atleast in the natural sense. But if we have waited on Him.... sought him in this time of transition, then we will be ready for whatever pops up on the horizon!

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May you grow STRONG in HIM today!

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still waiting....

Tiffany