strength in weakness

Woke up this morning and realized that I left my bible and journal in the guest room where a guest is sleeping. So, I had to be high tech and read online, and now I am journaling in my blog.

Today, this is what jumped out at me. 2Corinthians 12:9-10

9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. ¹⁰That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Can I really "delight" in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and difficulties?

Really?

Maybe.

I am completely dependent on the grace of my father in heaven. So, when I am weak, that is when I know how strong HE is!

He tells me that his grace is sufficient for me, and I believe it.

I don't have to be strong, I have to let HIM be strong within me.

So, if I ever appear to be strong or to have power, please know that you are seeing the strength and power of our beautiful God who is pure love. It isn't me.

Thank you Lord for your word.

word

God's word is described in many ways. Like a sword, or a light, or as a tool to train and rebuke. And, just as Chris taught us at church on Sunday, God's word is ALIVE. It is powerful. It can actually do things! It is not merely words on paper.

Do you believe that?

I do.

Last night I was laying in bed with an upset stomach. I wasn't sure how much of it had to do with what I ate and how much was nervousness and anxiety. I can not recall having that kind of stomach ache from anxiety in a long time. But, it had that familiar feel. So, I tried to talk to Timm about my feelings, and I couldn't even articulate what was going on in my head and heart.

So I stopped.

Then, I remembered God's word. A particular verse came shooting into my consciousness. Matthew 6:34 "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself! Each day has enough trouble of it's own."

I literally sighed out loud and said "Ahhh, that's better!" My stomach ache almost vanished instantly. I realized that I was laying there trying to imagine many different outcomes to the future, and it was making me sick with worry.

So I told Timm the verse and I said "I don't have to do this do I?"

He said, "Do What?"

"Worry about tomorrow....and the day after that...and the year after that. It's OK for me to just be IN this day and handle THIS day."

So, then another verse came to mind to reinforce my newly found peace.

Lamentations 3:22-23

22Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed

for his compassions never fail

23 they are new every morning.

Great is your faithfulness Lord, you are good.

God's grace is sufficient for TODAY. His mercies are new each morning. If I choose to look into the future with doubt, worry, and fear, I am on my own. But, can I handle THIS day? Yes, that is promised in God's living word. How do I know it is alive? It has the ability to CHANGE me! It's incredible!

Am I going to have hardships? Will I suffer? Will I have pain and heartache? Yes, that is also promised in God's word. I am not promised an easy life with no obstacles and hard times. I am promised grace sufficient for TODAY. And, I'll take it!

Parents in NYC

Times Square.
Ellis Island. Holding the manifest from the ship Grandpa Carlson came over on.
The Today show.
Ferry to Ellis Island.
Sunday morning. A few worn out people sleeping in. Me wishing I was, but the sunny skies and chirping birds lured me out of bed. Soon, we will get ready to go to church. For now....rest!

What a FUN visit we are having with my parents!

I know my sister can't stand it that I haven't posted pictures yet. So, I'm including a few.

We have done a LOT. I made a list of things we could do, and I believe we have scratched off about 80% of the LONG list!

Today show, central park, statue of liberty, ellis island, times square, grand central station, downtown Brooklyn, prospect park, coney island and the beach, IKEA, etc.

Timm and Dad even ended up at a LGBT celebration/festival when they went on a bike ride! Don't know what that is? Neither did they till they looked around with somewhat puzzled looks on their faces. (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender).

We did some other things, but that names a few.

Not sure what we will do today. But, mom and dad definitely win the BEST weather award for their visit. My sister and her family were here on the coldest week, Gerdy's came on the hottest week, others had some really good weather, but this has seriously been perfect.

here we go...

Here we go....it is JUNE!

Busy month. All good.

This week Alli goes on her SENIOR trip! She gets on a chartered bus and goes into Manhattan with all the other 5th graders. They do lunch and go to see WIcked on Broadway. (Sorry Josiah)

Then, MY PARENTS ARE COMING TO VISIT!!!!!! YAY!!!! I can't wait. We will have lots of fun showing them our neighborhood, our "borough" and the big apple!

After they leave, a few days later, a friend from MI is coming to visit with her two boys. We're going to catch a METS vs TIGERS game together. So glad they are coming. It will be awesome to see them.

In the meantime, there is carnival day and field day at school, last dance classes of the year, ALli's 5th grade graduation ceremony and her "senior dance", teacher appreciation day, volunteer appreciation day, helping with Sunday gatherings for Communitas, helping with a mission team spending time here from MI, pre-marital mentoring for a couple, Alli's testing at her new middle school, hosting community group, doing our individual discipleship meetings, trying to figure out when we can babysit so our friends can go out on a much needed date, and packing up for a 5 week absence from our home! Wew-hoooo!

And I thought I was going to go to work at a full time job? That is hilarious. I realize many people do it, but I have NO idea how!

flowers, puppets and the beach

Alli has been interested in taking photos. She especially seems to enjoy photographing flowers. Her and Olivia also like to go outside with a sketchpad and draw the flowers they see on our street. Pretty cool. I've said before, but I must say again, I can't believe how GORGEOUS the flowers seem here. And, I know it is due to the fact that we get to see them all UP CLOSE. There aren't any front yards stretching out between the sidewalk and the home. So, any flowers on display are enjoyed right under my nose as I walk along. If I were in MI and wanted to see a flower that close up, I'd be trespassing on someone's front lawn! Anyways, I am torn. We currently do not have a real camera. Only the camera on the phone. It captures the moment and is very easily accessible. But, let's face it, it isn't much of a camera. So, do we invest in a real camera? Since I alone take about 50 - 100 pics a month? Or do we keep it simple and be satisfied with what we have?
Case in point. If I had a better camera, I would have zoomed in on this very cool puppet Alli is holding at her school performance! Her group made this huge puppet and as Alli recited a poem that she wrote, the group did some actions with the puppet. It was AWESOME! Alli's poem was "friendship". There were some VERY powerful poems written by 5th grade students. I was so impressed.
Happy Memorial Day! We went to the beach. The girls braved the cold water. It was a gorgeous, breezy, 80 something day. Ahhhhh.

Alli making muscles! Tough girl going into the cold ocean waves!

And, we did good with the sunscreen! NO SUNBURNS at all! I'm getting so much better at avoiding harmful rays. Yay me. Breaking the sun bathing addiction.

And, there is something so interesting to drive a mere 30 minutes from where we live, to arrive at a pretty beach on the Atlantic ocean, and to still see the NYC skyline in the distance. And, if that weren't enough to remind us that we are still in NYC.....perhaps seeing our friend who is an elderly man with a white beard dyed multiple colors, wearing a white fairy-like gown, different colored tube socks, a bright hat with a real parrot perched on top, pushing a white/hair dyed poodle in a baby stroller, while prancing around and smiling.....that reminds us that we are still in NYC. We saw this same friend at the Mets game. Liv pointed and said right in front of him "HA! MOM, LOOK AT THE FUNNY CLOWN!"

"Ummm, Liv, he isn't exactly a clown."

"What is he then?"

"Ummmm, I'm not sure."

This time Alli asked "mom, why does he do that?" I said, "Well, remember how you used to love playing dress up when you were little? He just never outgrew it I guess." She just looked at me like "seriously" and I just shrugged. I said "well, I guess deep down we all want to be paid attention to, right? I guess this is his way of getting some attention" .

Shortly after that we saw a guy in a speedo and were talking about how Europeans have a different style of beachwear. I explained that it is not uncommon for women to be topless in some parts of Europe. Well, wouldn't you know it, about 10 minutes later, as we were packed up and heading to the car, we pass two women exiting the restrooms, topless, wearing g-string bottoms, holding hands. OH boy. They walked right by us. I managed to not turn around and sneak a peak at their rear ends, but I believe the rest of my family failed to resist the urge. I looked at Timm and said "Isn't that illegal?" He replied "I would think so." And then I looked around and said "Well, I don't see anyone calling the police...."

What an interesting world we live in.