Laurie's Everyday Notions

I love how one word can bring to mind a memory, a verse, a song. This morning as I read the Five Minute Friday prompt word, the melody of an old, seemingly forgotten hymn filled my thoughts. Words which comfort, Words which give hope. Because He lives I can face tomorrow Because He lives all fear is gone Because I know He holds the future My life is worth living just because He lives When my works hours and my caring for my family hours and when almost all of the calendar boxes are filled with scribbles I find comfort in knowing that He will provide rest. The  Lord  replied, “My Presence  will go with you, and I will give you rest.”   Exodus 33:13 When the expenses exceed the income and it seems the budget can not be stretched any thinner, I find comfort because I know He is a God who provides. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.  Phil 4:19 When the "tomorrow worries" a...

This morning as I looked at this picture, a picture of the beautiful Guatemalan mountains, my first thought was "the mountains are his, the rivers are his...." I thought this phrase came from a verse or worship song but on further investigation I learned that this phrase was one I had sang many times during my years of working with the children's Sunday School. It may be a simple children's song but oh what beautiful truths it holds! My God is so big, so strong and so mighty there's nothing my God cannot do. My God is so big, so strong and so mighty there's nothing my God cannot do. The mountains are His, the rivers are His, the stars are His handiwork too. My God is so big, so strong and so mighty there's nothing my God cannot do. We are in his mighty hands! For behold,  He who forms mountains, And creates the wind, Who declares to man what his   thought  is,  And makes the morning darkness,  Who treads the high places of the earth— The  Lord ...

Funny, no sad really, that in the everyday struggles I've stopped hearing His voice. I begin to rely on on only my self to get through each day. Yet when I faced the really hard days, those days spent by a hospital bed, I knew I could get through each day by leaning into Him. That's when I heard His voice. As I sat by my daughter's side, not knowing what the following days would bring, I could only pray. In those prayers my words where transformed by the Holy Spirit as I prayed, "May all this bring glory to you, Father. May your will be done." These were not words of a strong woman with extraordinary faith. These were words the Holy Spirit whispered to me, a woman who knew her strength rested in her Heavenly Father. I sought Him each morning in the hospital gardens, sitting on a bench as my legs threatened to give way, the sobs would come and my prayers would be lifted. As sobs subsided I'd feel his comforting arms and hear His whispers in the soft June ...

Are you skeptical of sponsoring a child from some far off land?  I get that. I work very hard for my money and the money I do have is stretched very thin some months as I try to make the house payment, pay the bills and feed my family. Some may argue that the $35 sent each month to a sponsored child isn't much but some months, when the bills are piling in and unexpected expenses such as a chipped tooth needs to be extracted by an oral surgeon (yep, this happened this month), an extra $35 seems hard to come by.  Yet as I look at the extras that I seem to manage to add each month - you know, ice cream, movie rentals, and coffee - isn't investing in the life of a child so much more important than the extras. I can live without a trip to Dairy Queen for my favorite banana split blizzard because I've seen hunger.  Are you afraid that the child that you are sponsoring isn't a real live human being?  I got to meet my sponsored child last month  and I can te...

It's been just over three weeks since I returned from Guatemala. Three weeks and I'm still processing that trip. In returning to the normal, everyday grind I forget. I forget the little girl whose front yard is littered with broken glass and cast away shoes and a burning pile of rubbish.  I forget the little girl whose meals show  up three times a week , served by pale skinned people with a funny language. I forget the little girl whose home is made of a dirt floor and walls made of sticks and found objects. I start to forget all that my eyes witnessed, all that I loved. I start to forget how she, this country and her people, changed me. So I visit the pictures often to remember. And as the tears fall I remember the laughter of the children. I remember that there is no language barrier when cuddling a child. I remember that I needed Guatemala more that Guatemala needed me. And my heart aches and longs to return. Sharing over at Jennifer Peterson's, No Words are Ne...

Becoming a "minimalist" is all the rage. Many in our developed nations are striving to live a minimalist lifestyle to decrease the carbon footprint, to find "inner peace" and to achieve stress-free living. As I viewed the Guatemalan homes, which would be more accurately called shanty's, I was struck with the "minimalist lifestyle". A lifestyle that would not be considered peaceful and stress-free but a lifestyle of great need. This small house to the left is just one of many highly sought after designs for minimal living. It has running water, a toilet, and although small, a functional kitchen. This house has solid walls and a floor to not only keep out critters but also the elements. Living in a house such as this one would have little worries of the rains washing away the floor. This Guatemalan, open-air kitchen comes complete with free-ranging ducks and a wash tub. Some villages have been fortunate enough to have a clean water source, thanks ...

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.  When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them,  "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.   I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."   And he took the children in his arms,  put his hands on them and blessed them.    Mark 10:1 3-16 This week my daughter and I are serving with World Help at the Hope of Life in Guatemala. The picture above is just a peek, a mere glimpse, into the fabulous day that we had today. The girl in the crib is just one of the many disabled children who live at "Kelly's House". She doesn't communicate with words but with her eyes, with coos and with sweet smiles. She, as well as many   all of the children, have stolen my heart.  I have so much to...