101

My great-grandma died this week. She was 101 years old. Amazing! Even though it is an incredible blessing that she is in heaven where she wants to be, it still hit me kind of hard: a life gone from this earth. In some ways I’m even a little jealous. I could handle being in heaven.

As I look back on her life, her biggest joy was her family. She would brag on us anytime she could. Counting up the grandkids, great grandkids and even great-great grandkids! One person in particular that she would brag about was my grandfather - her eldest son. She would say that he was perfect (and actually it’s pretty much true!) My grandfather is true entrepreneur (he started several successful businesses), a self-learned man (never went to college but reads encyclopedias for fun; the wisest person I know), loves people (he knows and genuinely cares about everybody in town) and a man after God’s own heart. She raised a fine young man!

This year my grandfather is turning 80 (yes all of my family married REALLY young!) and we’re celebrating his birthday along with my grandmother next week at a mini-family reunion. We “stole” all of their old 8mm and Super 8 home movies and got them transferred to DVD as their surprise birthday present from the family. We have tape from 1948! On the invitation to the party, my cousin wrote:

We're celebrating Papa and Mom!
80 Priceless years and still going
strong...their unconditional
love, wisdom and guidance has
been the foundation of our
family legacy.

That legacy started with my grandmother raising a Godly son and it has filtered down to the great-great grandkids. How you live your life matters - not only for you but for generations that follow. Great Grandma Turner lived a simple yet meaningful life and we all have reaped the benefits.

If you are a mom and discouraged by your simple life – know that the work you are doing matters not only for today but for generations to come. What do you want it to look like? Whether you are already part of a legacy or you are choosing to start a legacy of your own – your Godly legacy can effect eternity.

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Deuteronomy 11:18-19

Mommy Tip of the Day: Saying I Love You

How often do you tell your kids that you love them? I grew up with my mom telling me she loved me EVERY DAY! She didn’t want me to EVER doubt that she loved me. I do the same thing with my kids. I make sure they know ALL the time. In fact, we have a habit of signing off our phone calls with loved ones by saying, “I love you! Goodbye!” One time I was talking to a handy man that was coming to our house and Emma said, “Did you hang up on him? You didn’t say, ‘I love you! Goodbye!’”

Knowing that I was loved unconditionally by my family has allowed me to be successful in my life. I have this strong foundation at the very core of my being: the support and love of my family. You can do this for your kids too. Give them the love and support they need to grow up with a healthy knowledge of your love.

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Born

…Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless He is born again.” John 3;3

As a Christ follower this is a phrase that I have heard all of my life. But I would imagine the first time Jesus said it, He probably got some strange looks. In fact when Jesus tells Nichodemus that he must be born again, he asks, “How can this be?” (John 3;9)

Here are some definitions of “born:”

• Brought into life

• Begun

• Naturally predisposed

• By birth

My favorite one was:

• coming from a particular place or background and usually having the qualities or character regarded as representative of it

When we are physically born we usually have characteristics of our family. This is true when we are spiritually reborn as well. We become “naturally predisposed” of our Father in heaven. We inherit His qualities – love, peace, grace, mercy, kindness, forgiveness – they are all available to us because we are born again! And the best news is because we are spiritually born again we can one day see Jesus face to face: in the kingdom of heaven! We become His child and therefore are heirs to His throne. (“…so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:7) That is good news!

How might it change your perspective knowing that you can inherit not only the qualities of God but also the kingdom of God?


Mommy Tip of the Day: House Work
Yuck! Just the thought of it can make you cringe! What you have to accept are these two truths: You will NEVER get caught up and it will ALWAYS get dirty again. At first that seems really depressing but once you accept the terms - it’s actually freeing! It makes it ok if you don’t get it done one week because it will be there next week!

Here are some suggestions that have worked for me:

• Clean half the house one week and the other half the next. Don’t feel like you have to clean the ENTIRE house each week. Who made up that rule?

• Clean a little each day. Here’s the trick though- if you miss a day- don’t come back to it! Save it for the next week! It will still be there!

• On big projects set aside a certain amount of time each week. Don’t try and get it all done at once. Set your timer and STOP when it’s time!

Happy Cleaning!

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Eternity

“In all of our hearts lies a longing for a Sacred Romance…this heart yearning set within us, the longing for transcendence; the desire to be part of something larger than ourselves…The deepest part of our heart longs to be bound together in some heroic purpose with others of like mind and spirit.“
Brent Curtis and John Eldredge, The Sacred Romance (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997), 19.

I love this quote. It resonates with my soul. These past few years as I was searching for purpose and significance, I so longed to be apart of something. I wanted to be apart of God’s bigger picture. I wanted to make a difference that would last - eternally. As I was on this journey, I would ask my friends:

• Do you think you can make a difference for eternity?

• What do you think God has planned for you so you will make a difference for eternity?

• What do you think your role is in ushering in the Kingdom of God?

I got some pretty weird looks! But I can tell you it got them thinking. I think most of us long to make a difference in our lifetime but doubt that God has big or significant plans for us. How could God use me? I’m not a Billy Graham or a Rick Warren.

It says in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” I love that this verse brings to light the fact that God has a specific, plan for us. He's already got it planned! I don’t know about you but I want to make a difference for eternity.



Mommy Tip of the Day:

Rewards: Do you have rewards in your household? I’ve come to realize that not only do kids like and need rewards for celebrating good behavior or accomplishing a goal but so do we! At the end of the school year, we all had a celebration! We ALL made it through the school year. I was just as much apart of it as they were! We went out for a yummy breakfast and headed over to the pool to celebrate our accomplishment. It was such a great feeling for all of us. Make a point to celebrate your kids AND you! Other activities to reward yourself: finishing a big school project, good behavior, surviving a sports season, completing chores for a week, or accomplishing a goal (for us it was completing swim lessons!)

Confession

Lord I confess my fears...

...of succeeding
...of being overwhelmed
...of losing all of our money
...of being unwise
....of not making a difference
...of making a wrong decision
...of your will
...of moving forward
...of death
...of being alone
...of failing
...of hurting
...of losing...

I give them all to you.

Your promises to me...

...You will never leave me nor forsake me (Deuteronomy 31:6)
...You will be with me to the end of the age (Matthew 28;20)
...You will give me wisdom (Proverbs 2;6)
...I can come to you (Matthew 11:28)
...You will give me rest (Matthew 11:28)
...You are my Hero (John 3:16)
...You love me (Ephesians 3:17-19)
...You are preparing a place for me (John 14:2-3)

"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Matthew 11:28


Mommy Tip of the Day: Do you ever go to the grocery store and forget something? I have made a word document that lists the basic food items that we need by category (i.e. produce, grains, drinks, meat, etc.). I print this out and hang it on my fridge. This way when I know that I am low on something I can mark it right away. It also helps me remember the basic food items we need while I'm at the store. Since it's on my computer I can edit it as needed. I love it! It's helpful and keeps me organized! I also have a similar list for toiletries! If you would like me to send you my personal grocery list, email me at info@myheartdesireministries.com, with "Grocery List" in the subject.

Dream

If I could tell people one thing about Life Purpose I would say, dare to DREAM!

I have this in-progress theory that we live in such a unique time in history that allows us to do more readily the things that God has created us to do. It seems as if the history of man’s life has been mostly about survival – food, shelter and protection. For most of us (especially in the U.S.) basic survival is the least of our worries. We busy ourselves with school, activities, social gatherings or achieving the “American dream.” What we often forget is that we have this incredible privilege to be a part of an age that allows us to do the specific things that God has created us to do.

The older we get the harder it is to dream. We get bogged down with our to-do list and even forget how to dream. When I was 32, I had just transitioned from working outside of the home to being a full-time mom. Even though I knew that this was God’s will for my life, I was struggling. I remember lying in my bed and realizing that I had run out of dreams. I had accomplished all the dreams that I had from when I was younger: I went to college, I traveled, I got married, I had kids, and I even had a house with a white picket fence! Not having any more dreams diminished my hope. I couldn’t imagine that God didn’t have any more dreams for my life since I was still here on earth! This is what started me on my quest for figuring out what God’s dreams were for my life.

So how do you figure out your dreams? Ask God to partner with you and to specifically reveal His dreams for your life. Here are some questions to help you get started:

What are my talents and gifts?

What are my passions?

What do I want my house to look like?

What do I want to be doing with my time?

What activities do I want to be involved in?

What does my family look like?

As God starts to reveal things to you, write them down. Chances are your dreams are already in your head, you just haven’t thought about them in a while. God promises that when we ask, we will receive. Have you ever thought of asking Him about the dreams for your life?

As you draw close to God you will hear His dreams for your life.

As your hear His dreams for your life, you will know your purpose.

As you know your purpose, you will make a difference with your life for the glory of God and His eternal purposes.


Kitchen tip of the day: Bought any strawberries this summer? If you are not using all the strawberries in the basket, use the ones at the bottom first. They are usually a bit more squished and tend to ripen quicker. This will help keep your unused strawberries from getting too ripe!