Full of Joy

“Where is my Starbucks Iowa coffee mug? I’ve used it every morning for the last 4 months, without fail. I don’t want to drink my coffee in anything else. It’s probably dirty, and in the dishwasher. I need to tell Chuck not to put my Iowa mug in the dishwasher. Oh, the dishwasher is clean. There it is.” This morning I mindlessly filled up my Starbucks Iowa coffee mug, added my Silk Mocha Almond Creamer (that sounds so extra!) and continued putzing around. I pulled out my prayer journal intending on spending some time with my Big Papa (AKA: God), and noticed a little flaw in my mug I hadn’t seen before. In a split second, I was flooded with sadness. Grief gripped my heart and squeezed. I knew what to do. “It’s ok. Let the pain come. Feel the sadness. Cry the tears.” It wasn’t about the mug’s flaw. It was about my Grandma. The last time I saw her…. *** “Hon, I think you should fly out to Iowa to see your Grandma…” It had been my Mom on the phone. “Your Aunt Sara called, and it s...

Recently I read an encouraging Word from Nate Johnston . In it he mentioned, “So set the table by faith.” I kept thinking about it, and pondering what the Lord might be saying. The next day, our whole family trooped into Costco. I saw a big pack of popsicles, and snatched them up right away. I knew it was God’s idea for us to keep popsicles in the freezer so anytime we have kids in the backyard, we have a fun treat to offer. Over the next couple of days, I also began to sense the Lord prompting me to buy supplies for S’mores. I even mentioned my intentions to Chuck and the kids. We were all excited about the idea! Again, I knew it was God’s leading for us to have S’more supplies on hand so we could whip up a fire at a moment’s notice when friends or neighbors stop by. It crossed my mind multiple times, but I hadn’t gotten to the store to purchase anything. Then it happened. Tonight after dinner two middle school neighbor boys knocked on the back door, and asked Chuck if they cou...

Do you ever have a seemingly silly dream? Years ago our kids started talking about RV campers. The kind where they could “run around while Papa drives”. One of my favorite shows of all time is Frasier . There are a couple episodes where Martin- the Dad of the main character, Frasier, gets a Winnebago. He calls it the Road Warrior= RDWRER on the license plate. That show makes me laugh out loud so hard! Anybody else? Recently our dear friends purchased a camper, and my dreams clicked into overdrive. I think seeing it as a reality for my actual, real-life friends made me think of the possibility of it happening for our family. Now don’t get me wrong, I have absolutely no desire for camping or the outdoors. The problem is Chuck and the kids are all so crazy about the idea of camping together. I just can’t get myself to do the tent thing. This is why it’s our big “silly” Family Dream to have an RV. We can all go “camping” together, while Mama spends her days “indoors” if we had one. ...