Friday Randomness {on a Monday} (Vol. 23)

I do realize I'm sharing Friday Randomness on a Monday but I'm off schedule with posts and decided why not. 

May your day and week be blessed and joy-filled. I wish you grace upon grace.

Scripture speaking to my heart

"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." ~ Hebrews 4:16

A few of my favorite blog reads

"All I want them to see is Jesus.  A layed down lover who is nothing in herself, but was offered grace freely....The breath of God living in me out of mercy so undeserved." ~ When You Just Need to Slip Through Cracks of Grace by Jen of Rich Faith Rising

"When I choose to trust God’s plan to be the best plan in the midst of the change, my spirit knows peace." ~ Seasons: The Changing of Seasons, by Jeanne Tekanaka

"I want you to like me. I want the women who attend this weekend to like me too. I want them to like Winsome. But I'm seeing how like gets in the way of love." ~ Like . . Love's Worst Enemy, by Kim Hyland of Winsome Women

"How do we forgive ourselves when who we are turns out to be less than whom we can accept?" ~ When You Don’t Know How To Forgive Yourself, by Karin of Sunrise With A Six Pack

"YOU ROCK!! That is what I would say to you if you were standing in front of me." A Shout-Out to all of my Fellow Military Spouses, by Jana of Jana's Three Dresses // Military Spouse Appreciation Day has passed by Jana said so well what I wanted to say to all military spouses.

(in)Courage Community Groups

"Do you ache for companionship, or to have a friendship with another woman who encourages you? Does you heart call for a group of friends to sit with you on the bench as your toes play with the grass beneath you feet?" ~ Are You Looking For Encouragement? by Diane Bradley // I'm joining Diane and many others in encouraging you to consider being a part of one of the community groups offered through (in)Courage. There is a group for nearly every stage of life and various interests. There is surely a group for you. I'm excited to be co-leading the Military Wives community group for the upcoming session.

Inspired blogger

I'm always inspired by what my friend June shares at her place and simply wanted to share her with you. I have also been truly blessed from the encouragement and prayers she has sent my way outside of our blogs. She has touched my heart deeply. You can visit June here.

The Love Dare Challenge

If you've missed it, I'm blogging my way through The Love Dare book. You can catch up on the first three dares here: Love is patient, Love is kind and Love is not selfish.

I'm going to allow myself to be vulnerable and share what is on my heart. The views on my last post were down significantly which has me second guessing continuing with this series. After time in prayer, God reminded me of how this has nothing to do with the number of people who read a post. He has placed this love dare challenge on my heart because my message is and will always be that choosing love, God's kind of love, leads to transformation. It changes lives. God's kind of love always wins.

My marriage was not in a bad place but this challenge is doing something incredibly beautiful to my relationship with my husband even though he is on the other side of the world. It is also doing a transformation in my own heart that was truly needed.

So this series will continue and I pray God uses it to lead others to the transformation only He can give.

Online friends become INRL friends

I had the opportunity to meet two online friends this past week. Last Sunday I met my friend Kristin Taylor and her family at Navy Pier while they were visiting Chicago. We had a wonderful afternoon together, which included a ride on the ferris wheel.

On Saturday I spent three hours at Panera getting to know my friend Ceil Ryan of Surrounded by the Spirit. She noticed through my blog that I live nearby and reached out asking if we could connect in real life. I'm so glad she did. We had a fabulous afternoon together and I'm pretty sure we could have talked for three more hours.

She gave me this lovely rose for Mother's Day too.

In honor of Mother's Day

I had a quiet Mother's Day. It began with a beautiful gift from my son and his girlfriend. We had breakfast together and then took our two dogs for a walk before I headed to church. My oldest son is currently at sea so I did not anticipate hearing from him. Early afternoon I did get a message from him saying, "HAPPY MOTHERS DAY MOM!!! I wish I could be home to celebrate with you."

The rest of the day was spent writing and ended with a late dinner celebration. My son and his girlfriend take such good care of me. They also gave my rose a few friends. So sweet!

In honor of Mother's Day (even though the day is over) I also thought I'd share a picture of the day I became a mom. We were rather young at the time.

And my forever favorite picture of me and my boys.

Being a mom . . . oh, what joy. Thank you, God, for the precious gift of being a mom to my two boys. It's a title I will never give up.

Two of my favorite Mother's Day posts:
Dandelions and Weeds in Crystal, by Amy Breitmann
To The Mom Whose Children Are Grown, by Duane Scott

Finding joy in a deployment #JoyDare #1000gifts

I continue to count His gifts . . . His graces . . . but since it has been several weeks since I've shared them here I've decided not to continue to list them in a post.

But I will leave you with this from the lovely Ann Voskamp:

"God is always good and I am always loved. Everything is eucharisteo.
 Grace, thanksgiving, joy. Eucharisteo."

For your Sunday

"For the Lord your God is living among you.

    He is a mighty savior.

He will take delight in you with gladness.

    With his love, he will calm all your fears.

    He will rejoice over you with joyful songs."

Zephaniah 3:17

A Sunday Prayer

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

Ephesians 3:14-21 

And I include this message shared today from Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives as it spoke to the scripture I shared with you.

Post by Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives.

A Sunday Prayer

Original photo by friend Michael Struttman

"...May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other." (Genesis 31:49)

For your Sunday

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

Today my husband and I celebrate 23 years together. On the day of our wedding my father stood and shared the words from 1 Corinthians 13. At that time, we were not Christ followers and those words were just words to us. Twice our marriage came close to ending, "but God" three years ago found His way in to our hearts.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." ~ 1 Corinthians 13:13 

No matter what we may endure together we know God is able to do immeasurably more than we can imagine because of His power at work within us (Ephesians 3:20).

Happy Anniversary, Dear. I love you with all my heart.

For your Sunday

On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”

Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them."

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

"You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

John 6:60-69

For your Sunday

"Some quote Psalm 91 as though it was some kind of magic wand, but there is nothing magical about this psalm. It is powerful and it works, but only because it is the Word of God, alive and active. And we confess it out loud, simply because the Bible tell us to." - Peggy Joyce Ruth, Psalm 91: God's Shield of Protection (Military Edition)

For your Sunday

For the Lord God is a sun and shield: 

the Lord bestows favor and honor; 

no good things does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. 

Psalm 84:11

For your Sunday

God of our Lord Jesus the Anointed, Father of Glory:  

I call out to You on behalf of Your people. 

Give them minds ready to receive wisdom 

and revelation so they will truly know you. 

Open the eyes of their hearts, 

and let the light of Your truth flood in. 

Shine Your light on the hope You are calling them to embrace. 

Reveal to them the glorious riches You are preparing as their inheritance. 

Let them see the full extent of Your power 

that is at work in those of us who believe, 

and may it be done according to Your might and power.

Ephesians 1:17-19

(The Voice)

For your Sunday

May God the Father and the Lord Jesus the Anointed 

surround you with grace and peace.

Ephesians 1:2 (The Voice)

For your Sunday

This weekend I attended a conference held by Military Outreach of Greater Chicago. The purpose of this conference was to equip individuals and churches in the Chicago metropolitan area to provide a support role to all military members, veterans and their families impacted by the invisible wounds of military service.

I sat quietly through the conference listening to how we as a church can be a beacon of God's hope and light to our military community. Paul tells us in Galatians to carry each other's burdens (Gal. 6:2). The burdens of our military community are great. Not only can we be a beacon of God's hope and light to them, we need to be.

The presenter closed our time together by sharing from Psalm 118:6.

"The Lord is with me, I will not be afraid."

As is becoming rather common for me these days, tears began to well up. I was there to learn how to reach and support our military community but as I heard those words from Psalm 118:6 they filled a need in my own heart.

My husband will soon deploy. The day is approaching all too quickly and the closer it gets the greater my fears become. The words from Psalm 118:6 gave me comfort. They reminded me of how He is with us and I do not need to fear the day to come. And I'm grateful for the church community we have that will be praying for us daily.

But If my own need for God feels so great how can I not be a beacon of His hope and light to our military community? They need me. They need you too. 

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." ~ Galatians 6:2

Today and everyday, let us be praying for our military members and their families. Your prayers for my family would also be appreciated. If you are a military family please let me know how I can be praying for you.

For your Sunday

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods.

His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords:

His love endures forever.

To him who alone does great wonders,

His love endures forever.

Who by his understanding made the heavens,

His love endures forever.

Who spread out the earth upon the waters,

His love endures forever.

Who made the great lights—

His love endures forever.

The sun to govern the day,

His love endures forever.

The moon and stars to govern the night;

His love endures forever.

Psalm 136:1-12

For your Sunday

All that My Father gives to Me comes to Me. 
I will receive everyone;
I will not send away anyone who comes to Me.
John 6:37 (The Voice)

For your Sunday

The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, 

and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. 

When he had cleansed us from our sins, 

he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.

Hebrews 1:3 (NLT)

For your Sunday

Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
The fig tree forms its early fruit;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me.

Songs of Solomon 2:12-13

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For your Sunday

Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall; 
but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31

Dedicated to my Aunt Juanita Thomson

August 31, 1921 - April 10, 2013

She was small but mighty 

and loved God with all her heart.

The above scripture was chosen as one of her favorites
and read today as we celebrated her life.

For your Sunday

Jesus answered,

 “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 

but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. 

Indeed, the water I give them 

will become in them a spring of water 

welling up to eternal life.”

John 4:13-14

For your Sunday

You've captured my heart, dear friend.
You looked at me, and I fell in love.
One look my way and I was hopelessly in love!

Song of Solomon 4:9 (MSG)

For your Sunday

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said,

“I am the light of the world. If you follow me,

you won’t have to walk in darkness,

because you will have the light that leads to life.”

John 8:12

For your Sunday

Original Photo by friend Judd Johnson

Love is patient, love is kind. 

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 

It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, 

it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

To my mother...

Thank you for your unconditional love.

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The Weekend Brew
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