(recklessly abandoned)

This week I made home made apple fritters and 'enrolled' in a self-instructed Geography course.  I started writing down all of God's promises and realized how little I know!  My taste buds fell in love with Japanese foods I can't even pronounce!  And for the first time in my life I put cheesecloths on the WalMart list.  The reason for all these shenanigans was some unexpected down time.  Unfortunately, this came as a result of Derek's allergic reaction to a multitude of red ant bites!  I guess God knew we wouldn't 'lay low' unless that was our only option!  Derek is almost back to 100% but he was in rough shape; completely maxed out in the 'swollen' department, I thought his skin was going to rip open!  He was definitely a trooper, and I did my best to keep him well fed and entertained.

Benadryl made Derek's week significantly more pleasant and I was giddy about all the time I had for quizzing myself on African countries and experimenting with dishes like stuffed zucchini!  I also had time to look back on my 'prayer journal', something my parents taught us to do while growing up.  Not only does it help me to stay faithful in praying about certain things or for specific people; it's a huge faith builder to cross things off as God answers or even to realize how thankful I am that He didn't answer how I had hoped!  Reading through the entries this last week, I was blown away by God's faithfulness and provision.  I know I've thanked Him for the blessing of our new living arrangements, but I don't think I've ever just stopped to realize what an answer to prayer this apartment is!  We started 'praying big' in July- knowing that nothing is impossible for God.  Our two 'big' requests were a house and a lawn mower, and just over a month later.. we have both!  Incredible!

Speaking of the mower, we were finally able to put it to use this week.  You haven't heard much about it because we kinda, sorta had to wait for replacement parts after a minor breakdown on day two!  Thankfully it's under warranty and Derek's expertise had it up and running again in no time!  Cruising through the fields is, hands down, my new favorite chore!  In just a few hours we were able to mow what would have taken a full day, if not two, of weed wacking!  

[yep, lovin' it!]

Don't fear, we have no intentions of becoming lazy.  Several hours of my Thursday morning were invested in trekking up and down the hill, carting backpacks full of fungus to the otherwise unreachable section of fields.  Five backpacks later I've, hopefully, made a significant dent in the Borer Beetle population and my shoulders have knots the size of grapefruits!  Thank goodness for chocolate chip cookies and Derek's massaging skills!

We're still getting tomatoes and green peppers from our garden, and this week we ate our first miniature crop of 'poha' (gooseberries!) and blueberries!  I've had a song stuck in my head for the better part of this week.  Don't get Derek started on the broken record that is my mind!  Once I get a tune in my brain I will commence to singing, humming and/or whistling it, almost always unknowingly, until my poor husband is on the brink of a freak out!  Thankfully, in the fields we both pop in our headphones and I can sing to my heart's content without risking having a ban placed on certain songs :)  Thankfully this weeks melody was not only catchy but thought provoking...

Sometimes I think

What will people say of me

When I'm only just a memory

When I'm home where my soul belongs

Was I love

When no one else would show up

Was I Jesus to the least of those

Was my worship more than just a song

I want to live like that

And give it all I have

So that everything I say and do

Points to You

If love is who I am

Then this is where I'll stand

Recklessly abandoned

Never holding back

...

I want to live like that!

....

Sidewalk Prophets

I'm just beginning to realize the massive amount of potential within.. ME!  I'm guessing that sentence is as strange for you to read as it was for me to write, but it's the truth.  I am the temple of the Spirit of the Living God!  I struggle with comprehending this, with digesting it, but I know it's crucial.  God lives IN me!  Actually grasping that knowledge, believing it and implementing it will be the difference between true, abundant life or death.  When Jesus returned to Heaven he told his disciples it was better that he leave and send the Spirit to them [John 16:7].  Imagine the life of the disciples; walking, talking, eating, laughing and learning WITH JESUS -everyday!  And he's telling them that what comes next will be BETTER??  I'm guessing they struggled with believing that anything could top the last three years of their lives.  And that makes me wonder if I believe it?  If I truly believe that having the Spirit within me is better than having Jesus, in the flesh, walking beside me?  

I've been making the most of coffee picking and fungus spraying by listening to audio books.  The latest one was "Forgotten God" by Francis Chan.  This is an incredibly challenging and inspiring look at the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.  One example in the book really stuck with me; that of a caterpillar transformed into a butterfly.  We are 'a new creation' (2 Cor. 5:17) but our lives, so often, look the same as before.  I want to live fully, as Jesus intended, through the power of the Spirit within me.  In fact, I don't want my life to be explainable without the Spirit!!  In the words of Mr. Chan 'I don't want to keep crawling when I have the ability to fly.'

-B