Who's in Charge Here?!

Maybe this scenario seems familiar to you... maybe you remember it from years passed, or you are in the middle of it now, or you anticipate that one day you will be wrestling with a toddler on a daily basis just as I do!

SO, the other day, my (almost three year old) son and I were standing off nose to nose. He wanted to stuff his face with the various chocolates hiding in our locked kitchen cabinet. Some homes have a locked liquor cabinet, well, we have a locked cabinet that houses all the chocolate treats in the house. If it was not locked, my son would sure devour any hint of chocolate within reach, though I often think the lock is for my own benefit, too! :)

My little man all ready had more than his fair share of chocolate for the day, and with dinner time approaching, I was not going to budge. If I can't eat chocolate for dinner, well then, neither can he! :) So, Noah and I were going back and forth. He was laying down in front of the locked cabinet like he was picketing at a protest. (Oh the drama!) And I am proud to say that I was calmly kneeling in front of him with a stern face, a spanking spoon within reach (incase of emergency!) and I was speaking very calmly. To be honest, I was having a hard time not laughing at the child sprauled out like the world was going to end if he didn't get a chocolate fix.

I pulled Noah up and we were staring each other down. I had tried to be logical. I had come up with every reason, and my son was not consenting. So, in an act of desperation, firmly told my son: "I am in charge!" (Not yelling, just letting him know.) And how did my son respond? With great certainty he declared: "No, I am in charge!" OK, now I was stumped.

And in the midst of the battle with my own child, I seriously think the Lord took advantage of this moment. From the depths of my heart, I was sure I could hear the Holy Spirit ask: "Sound familiar?" I was caught off guard with that one. Noah and I went back and forth a few more times with the repeating: "No, I'm in charge!" comment and finally my husband intervened. (So nice that he always takes my side! LOL! What would I do without that man!?)

The rest of the night I couldn't help but think... how often do I act like my two year son face down on the floor, determined to get what I want? In my opinion... way too often! The fun thing was this epiphany moment came just before I got to attend the Desperation Conferences at NLC. I had an incredible time worshipping, seeking the Lord and searching my own heart.

One thing is for sure, I am NOT in charge. I don't want to waltz around like I am in charge. I don't want to convince myself or anyone else that I am. Nope. For me, God is in charge. He gets to plan things out and I am so honored to be a part of HIS story!

I don't know if that hits anything in your life... but I have been giving a lot over to God lately. There were things that I thought I earned or deserved, and things I feared, areas of insecurity, dreams abandoned... and in all of it, I want God in charge! All in His hands. It's His anyway, why waste time and enrgy struggling with the one person who knows me and loves me more than anyone else in the Universe?

God, you're in charge, and I'm gonna follow your lead!

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