Thursday, September 24, 2009

the past and the future

So, this lady named Becky came in today to get coffee and scones. She said, "I heard that your husband is a pastor." I said, "yes, he used to be one." That felt weird. But that is what "used" to be the case. Then she said, "yeah, I used to be a Catholic, but now I am studying to become a Lutheran." She stopped going to the Catholic church when they wouldn't let her take communion anymore because she got a divorce. She still loves all the tradition, but she was bothered by the communion thing. I guess getting divorced is called breaking a sacrament. Now she feels alive. She said that this summer she finally found out what Grace was. She had never understood it before. She always has believed that Jesus died on the cross for her sins, but has never understood grace. She said she literally feels that she is filled with the Holy Spirit now too because she can finally understand the scriptures. She loves reading her Bible. She is in 2 Bible studies. She is one happy camper. It is so great to hear the testimony of another believer. So encouraging. So reasuring.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Motherless Children

"Sometimes I feel like a motherless child.

Sometimes I feel like a motherless child.

Sometimes I feel like a motherless child.

A long way from home.

A long way from home."



Sometimes I get this song stuck in my head. Not because I really feel like a motherless child.

I have a wonderful mother. She is quirky and can really get under my skin, but she is an exceptional woman. I am very blessed to call her my friend. But I think I sing it because I am really longing for Heaven. I think the more I realize that I am really just a visitor here and not a resident, the more I desire for Jesus to come back for us. Even so the more I see in the world in how bad everything has really gotten and how selfish and awful people act, the more I realize my own humanity and am continually thankful that I am an alien here. That is why I feel like I don't fit in. Because I don't. But someday, I will not be a long way from home. I will be there.

Monday, September 21, 2009

New Perspective

So yesterday Adam and Mercy and I went up to my Aunt Kathie's house in Blair, WI. My mom met us there and we had a Bible study and ate and watched the Packers lose:( We stopped at Ecker's Apple Farm (where our wedding dance was held) on the way home and got some amazing apples. Today I made Apple Walnut Pie-Kuchen with the Cortlands from Eckers.

My new perspective has come in the form of customer encouragement today. My second customer of the day sat down on the couch and said, "I am just going to bath in your peace now."
later....
another customer was asking how things were going and I honestly replied to her that it had been a tough month of customers. She said, "well, just think, there maybe are 3 or 4 bad ones from last week that could spoil things, or you could think of all those of us who come in here to enjoy the peace that is here."

I thought it was neat that 2 customers said the same thing. And interesting that we pray that God's love and peace will be very evident to each person who walks in the door.

Thank the Good Lord for lessons learned and new perspectives.

ps. I finally mailed Jessieh's packages they weighed 15 lbs. each:)

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Taking care

Imitate God therefore in everything you do because you are his dearly loved children.--NLT Ephesians 5:1

I have been working on this today.

Yesterday Adam had to work the closing shift at the Max so I spent a good amount of time trying to figure out what it was that I was going to do to try to make more money in the store. Then I re-packaged Jessieh's care packages which will finally go in the mail by the weekend and thought, well, I think now is the time to start taking care of my skin. I am an AVON lady for cryin out loud!

So, i took a shower washing all my major body parts with an amazing body clay product, scrubbed my feet with a special foot bar of soap, shaved:), brushed my teeth, flossed, cleansed, toned, and moisturized my face. Then I brushed the dredds out of my hair--(which was NOT fun) put in a leave in moisturizer and even put lotion on my arms, legs, and feet. I normally opt for the 4 minute shower because I feel guilty wasting water forget the shaving and all the face stuff and lotions because I think I am too busy. But you know what, from start to finish, even getting through my nappy hair, it was only 20 minutes. I can take 20 minutes everyday to feel better about myself.

I will continue.

Please pray for my friend Cindy's mom. Her name is Linda which means Beautiful and from what I have heard of her, she certainly is that! She is going through chemo treatments now and is facing tough decisions.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

John 15 - Passage Lookup - New Living Translation - BibleGateway.com

John 15 - Passage Lookup - New Living Translation - BibleGateway.com: "9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. 16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other."

Earlier today I read this, then Adam came to help for and hour and a half and all pandamonium broke loose here at the shop. It got so busy that it was hard to keep up and my attitude started to really go South. I was swearing, like What About Bob? swearing, not even under my breath swearing out loud (i don't think anyone heard me) and I told Adam that I thought the devil (or one of his counterparts) was testing me. Even if there is no test going on, it took me saying it out loud before I snapped out of it and realized that my attitude is a choice. i can choose to be a hater, or I can choose to be a lover. I started to love again. Then I came back and read this again. Jesus, chose me, and has appointed me to go and produce lasting fruit------I am going to love. I don't have to let little things get to me. I can choose this day to love.

When I was in college my friend Jenny had a teacher whose name was Will. I don't remember anything about the man except for the fact that one day he said, "I lean towards love, all the rest are distortions."i wrote this on the inside cover of one of my Bibles, and everytime I see it I am reminded how true it is that love is the only truth, all the rest is distortion! ---Well mister Altbrinker, at this moment, that is what I am doing, LEANING TOWARDS LOVE!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Tuesday is the new Monday

So yesterday I woke up sick. This is nothing new as I have been waking up sick for pretty much the past year (the amount of time the store has been open). But usually by the time I walk downstairs to let the dog out and then walk back upstairs I am better and it is just a groggy morning thing. But this time it didn't take. I prayed and said, "Okay God, I don't want to stay home if that is not the right thing to do. I know people are depending on me and the store. " I prayed for about 10 minutes and was confirmed by the Good Lord and Adam that I should just stay home. I sent out a massive e-mail, tweeted, and blogged that we would not be open, then prayed again that people would not come in so that they would not be disappointed that we were not open. And I went back to sleep. I slept for 5 more hours until I heard Adam calling to tell me that he was going to take his lunch break. Went downstairs, put some leftovers in the microwave for him, and sat there groggy for the next 2.5 hours. Then when he got home, we took a 4 hour nap. Then, I called www.artconstellation.blogspot.com, thinking that I would be able to listen to her and catch up a little as I have not spoken to her in too long. Well, that was not what the Good Lord had planned. She encouraged me with an amazing story. I just want to thank her publicly as I seriously don't know what I would have done without her wonderful words of wisdom. Then I skyped with another amazing woman who is going through some tough stuff right now. www.jessiehspeaks.blogspot.com. Please pray for both of these women who truely mean the world to me.
Today is a good day. I have a full bakery case, the soup is done--but there are no customers so I am trusting they will come in later, and for now, I will just clean and organize.
And I will keep going.
Because I have to.
And I want to.

Friday, September 4, 2009

an actual rant

So this last week has been a definite test for me. I think an actual test. One that I didn't do so well on a few days and now I think after a bit of studying, I may actually get pass. Having your own business is hard. Of course you want to please and serve the customers who keep you open, but sometimes, you need a break. 2 ladies came in to just use my bathroom and I politely let them know that the loo was for customers only, they were snotty, I was snotty back-but i don't think that they heard me. Another customer yesterday was rude, and to be honest, i thankfully don't even remember what happened. Today someone called in and was ickie and you know what? It just isn't worth it. Please, i plead with you not to be one of those people who thinks they are right about everything, none of us are. We are all works in progress.

Today the neighbors are doing construction on the wall and I had to take all our pictures off so that they don't fall and break. Which is actually good because it will give me a chance to dust them and also to get things organized a bit so that we can get more pictures up.

Even Jesus took breaks. In fact, Luke 5:16 says, "Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer." I am withdrawing this weekend. It starts at noon today when I will get to have a Bible study time with my new beautiful friend CC. I am excited to learn and talk about just how good God is! Next, I will sleep, clean my house, enjoy the company of the two most beautiful twins in the world, talk some Norwegian with my Dad, visit the most peaceful place on earth--my in laws house--I am not joking, you walk into their home and you want to fall asleep:), pick some apple, kiss a very old man on the cheek, hold my husbands hand, and not have to put my dog in the kennel for 3.5 days. Thank you Jesus for rest.

I am hoping to get into the wilderness everyday this vacation to get a jump start for next week.