Peace in Knowing How It All Ends

Am I the only one who has days when staying in bed seems to be the best option? Some days, the world just drags you down. The past two weeks have been a little that way for me. Work, housework, and girl drama have thrown me into a tailspin. I've lost focus, and have struggled to live out my faith. I cringe when I think of what an unbelieving world has seen in me lately!

To be perfectly honest, it's these little (or not-so-little) daily battles that wear me down. When something big strikes, I know I have no choice but to turn to Jesus. Why can't I remember that in the daily routine of life as well? Deadlines, gas prices, and just not knowing what to fix for dinner...the enemy is constantly seeking to steal my peace and my joy.

One day, that will all change.

So for the present you are also in sorrow (in distress and depressed); but I will see you again and [then] your hearts will rejoice, and no one can take from you your job (gladness, delight).

~John 16:22 (AMP)

I must keep reminding myself that the daily grind is only a temporary plight. There is coming a day when my joy will be permanent, and the thief can't pull it out from under my feet. In the meantime, I'm going to keep cranking this song by Mandisa (turn up your speakers and join me)!

I'm nearing the halfway point on my journey toward peace & simplicity. I think I've done pretty well on the simplicity part; yet I've concentrated on that so much, that I've nearly forgotten about peace. I'm grateful Jesus whispered some peace to me today!

And you know what else is bringing me peace?

(I don't know if you can tell the sign at the top is "Peace"...but it's a great reminder!)

This bookshelf was loaded with books before I started the purge. This is all that's left (well, okay...I have one small box left in the attic, but it's too hot to go up there). One shelf holds cookbooks (down from two). The other two are for books I can't part with, or haven't read yet (down from four, and several boxes in the attic). The top basket has loose recipes that I need to sort through and put into a binder (summer project, maybe?). The bottom basket holds my other Bible translations (I took four Bibles to church Sunday...why do I need to have so many copies of the Word when others don't have It at all?!). And we have room for our games!

I can't tell you how good it feels to have this project completed. It had been mocking me for a while. After posting this picture, I just walked in the living room to make sure this was actually my bookcase. I'm not even kidding.

And then there's this gem:


Have a great weekend!

Skizzer Blog Tour

From the back cover:

"Something both terrible and wonderful has happened. I can't explain it now...."

-- Becca

After receiving news of her sister Becca's abrupt disappearance, Claire Trowling must piece together the shadowy remnants of a past she's long forgotten in order to find her. A cryptic note scrawled in Becca's handwriting leaves more questions than it answers. When a stack of mysterious letters bound by a rare necklace is found, Claire races to discover the secrets that hold her family captive. Suspenseful and full of intrigue, Skizzer takes you on a transcontinental hunt for answers, weaving seamlessly between the distant past of childhood and the urgency of the present.

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Skizzer is the debut novel of A. J. Kiesling. To learn more about the author, you can go to her website.

Blog Tour Contest: Win a gift certificate for $40 to the restaurant of your choice...click over to the blog tour post and in the comments leave your answer to this question:

What's the Most Important Thing You've Ever Lost and Then Found?

A.J. Kiesling herself will select the winning response based on originality and sizzle!

Such Sweetness

Yesterday, I told CJ that I had purchased some Bible studies for tweens so that she & I could work on one together this summer. She picked one out last night, and immediately dove in. She got so excited, she asked if she could put her study materials on the table where I keep mine. She disappeared to her room and came back with a pencil, pen, 2 highlighters, and a notebook to go with her Bible and study book. She was going to make it all fit alongside my things, but I happily relinquished my spot so that she could have one.

She set her alarm 15 minutes early. My heart nearly burst when she told me she wanted to get up this morning to read the Word, so that she could think about it all day.

I could feel our Father smiling at us having church on a Monday morning: me on one sofa with my prayer journal in hand, R on the other with his Sunday School lesson before him, and CJ in the recliner reading the Word and jotting down notes. It was one of the most tender, sacred moments I have ever experienced in my life.

Tonight may be a different story. After all, CJ is 9 1/2 and as full of attitude as she is hormones. But I will savor today as one when I saw the glory of God revealed.

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If you're interested in the studies (for girls only), you can click here. This is the one CJ picked. This author has a series of study books that have fiction companion books. I don't have the fiction books yet, but I'm ordering them this week.