Category Archives: Sacred Mundane

• Finishing.
• Resting.
• Recovery.
• Running again.
• How everything physical teaches us about the spiritual.
• Good friends.
• Laughter.
• Popcorn with butter.
• Blackberry picking every evening.
• Freezing peaches.
• A clean house.
• Driving away.
• Riversong.
  
• Camping in the backyard.
• The sound of the river.
• Blackberries.
• Kale chips.
• Dutch preferring his sister.
• Blowing kisses.
• Snuggles at naptime.
• Her clammy starfish hands holding my face.
• “I love you forever!”
• Coring apples outside in the sun while watching Dutch ride his scooter and listening to a Matt Chandler sermon. My perfect afternoon.
• A friend’s steadfast faith.
• Choosing love.
• That He searches us and knows us. 
• A quiet afternoon.
• Naps.
• My steady man.
• Hot tea.
• A weekend full of nothing but my Littles, my man, and my God. Thank you, Lord. 

My mind swam and the tears I held back stung my eyes. Why this struggle? Knowing the safest place to go, I crept to my dark room, and bowed low.

On our face is the only place from which we can never fall. And however you want to credit it, as clear as a voice one word filled the room.

“Lose.”

The tears fell now, now happy, now release. Of course. The ball inside instantly unwound. Now there was peace. The storm was stilled.One word from Him does just that.

Of course. The call to following Jesus can be summed up in just one word.

Lose.

The call to joy, the call to peace, the call to hope and everlasting life. Of course, hadn’t Christ already said it and continues to say it today?!

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matt. 10:39)

Whoever loses his life, will find life. The way to be rich is to give. The way to glory is humility. The way to be exalted is to bend low. And we cannot trick God or short-cut His process. Pretending to lose our life won’t yield the rich results.

Only when we actually lose will we actually find.

The finding is only real if the losing is as well. 

How, then do we lose? In every situation Christ can translate that one word into the perfect application. He can show you exactly what it means to lose and find true life. Perhaps,

• Choose to lose the competition.
• Choose to lose money.
• Choose to lose comfort.
• Choose to lose control of others.
• Choose to lose entitlement.
• Choose to lose the argument.
• Choose to lose the American Dream.

It is real. The life we find when the loss is real. Yes, there are eternal rewards in heaven, but there are indescribable benefits right here too. Why?

Because losing is freeing.  

Because losing is finding.

~

Yes, we usually do a 52-bites on Friday but none of them stand out to me, so thought I’d share the lesson God’s been re-teaching me this week. Is this for you today? Once again, I believe, someone needs this word of hope today. If your heart is wound up inside and tossed in a storm. Perhaps this is the word you need to hear? I never thought I’d find such hope and joy from just one word, I pray the same for you today.  Today is Jeff’s last day of work and we leave tonight for a full weekend completely unplugged, at Riversong. I pray you will be blessed with God’s presence this weekend! Thanks so much for reading…

A mile-long hill loomed ahead. I heard His voice:

Keep running. 

It was the last of my 3 legs in the Hood-to-Coast 200-mile relay race last weekend. I’d been awake for 35 hours. My quads were burning and the sun was beating.

Ahead of me everyone was walking. 

Keep running.

I knew the route. After one more mile of hill I knew there were almost 3 miles of downhill. I just had to get up that hill and then it’d be easier. I kept running.

After rounding a corner I saw a man ahead, running. He was a tall young man, his legs cut and muscular. I stared at his legs. He looked like a runner.

I looked like a 30-something mommy with flabby legs, sucking wind. 

And then he stopped. And walked. 

What? If he can’t run up this there’s no way I can!

Keep running. 

God, have you seen this guy’s legs? Yeah. Super strong. Have you seen my legs? Yeah. Super flabby.

Keep running. 

Excuse me, God? I’m tired and if this guy is walking there’s no way I can run it. I mean, look at how strong his legs are!

His voice so clear:

It doesn’t matter how strong you are; it’s how much you want it. 

Did I want it? Was it worth it? And I don’t mean just running to the top of the hill, I mean all of it. Obeying God and trusting Him and doing whatever HE says because He is God and I am His daughter. All of it: walking by faith and putting one foot in front of the other and obeying God because He is God.

Did I want it?

Do I want it?

Do I want to run this race of faith? Do I want to trust Him and believe Him and just do whatever He says to do? Do I really want to fear Him and obey Him and wait on Him?

Because that’s what He really wants from me. That’s what brings Him joy.

His voice on that mile-long hill was an echo of something He’d said long ago:

He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.

The LORD favors those who fear Him,
Those who wait for His lovingkindness. (Psalm 147:10-11)

Every single day the enemy reminds me that Jeff and I are nothing special. Every day He reminds me that there is a mountain ahead of us and we are 30-something housewives with flabby legs sucking wind and there are bulging-muscle marathoners out there and Who are we to think that we can run up this hill?

I must respond: We are those who want it. We want to fear Him and wait for His lovingkindness.

That’s what delights Him. 

Not buff legs.

After I ran to the top of that hill, even though I was all alone I threw my arms up in the air and cheered, Woohoo!! Thank you, Jesus! And then I cruised down the hill, came around the corner, and spotted a girl up ahead. She ran with a limp. As I got closer my eyes filled with tears:

She only had one leg.

A tear slipped down my cheek as I passed her, turning to look in her face and shout, “You are awesome! You are my hero! You’re doing great and we’re almost there! Hang in there, sister!!”

Her face shown with such joy, such glow, she must have known this truth:

Whether you have buff legs, flabby legs, or one leg, you need to know: It isn’t your legs that matter. God delights in those who fear Him. Who trust Him. Who wait on Him. When the hill is long and Satan’s accusations are loud, remind yourself again:

He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.

The LORD favors those who fear Him,
Those who wait for His lovingkindness. (Psalm 147:10-11)

Waiting for Him, with you. I pray this gives you hope today. Thanks for reading.

“Ma-pee-ha-mo-affa-iss?”

Translated: “May I please have more after this?” spoken by a 3-year-old whose mouth is stuffed full of green grapes. There were still plenty left in her bowl.

The same thing happened the day before. I packed the kids a special picnic treat–grilled cheese sandwiches. I gave each child a half, and as Dutch was devouring his he asked the same thing,

“Ma-pee-ha-mo-affa-iss?”

I told them both to please just enjoy what they have and wait until they are finished to ask me for more.

It irritates me that instead of just enjoying what I’ve already given them they are preoccupied with whether or not there will be more afterwards.

I wonder if any other Parent feels that way?

Don’t my children understand that I’m their mommy and I always give them what they need, and I never turn them away when they are hungry?

As a few of you know, we’re waiting on where we will live next. This is Jeff’s last week of work at WCC, and we will then dive off into the unknown of church-planting. The lease on our rental is up at the end of September, and we made an offer on a short-sale house a few months ago and are still waiting to hear any news.

Our offer (and employment) expire this Friday.

I know God will provide. He always has. But I must confess a large portion of my prayers recently have been about a place to live come October 1st. I kept reminding God that August 31st is this week and asking Him if He forgot that something needs to happen by then?

And then I remembered my kids’ request:

“Ma-pee-ha-mo-affa-iss?”

He gently returned my question with one of His own:

Kari, do you have a place to live today? 

Kari, do you have food on the table today? 

Kari, are you alive today? 

Kari, do you have water, clothes, a bed, grace, everything you need for today? 

Yes. Yes, Heavenly Father, I do.

Have you forgotten My Words? 

I turn to them, to remind myself:

“[All creatures] look to you, to give them their food in due season. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.” Psalm 104:27

In due season God provides His creatures their food. That is, when they need it.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:33-34

When we are hungry, He will feed us.

When we are thirsty, He will give us a drink.

When we need a place to live, He will provide.

I don’t need to say, with a mouth full of food, “Ma-pee-ha-mo-affa-iss?”

I just need to enjoy what He’s already given today and trust there will be more tomorrow. 

~

How can you enjoy what He’s given today and trust Him for tomorrow? Praying this for us today. Thanks for reading.

In a place (again) of asking God about upcoming life plans and needs, and Him leading me (again) to this lesson about surrender. How gracious He is to draw us back to a place of re-learning this sweet and difficult truth. Friends, I pray this can take root in your heart today. Thanks so much…

~

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” ~Jesus

I understood that my dreams had to die.

Had I misread the story all these years? 

Isaac was God’s idea. God’s promise. Sure, Abraham dreamed of having children, but Isaac, the child of promise — this all originated with God.

It was His idea in the first place. 

Even though the dream was God’s it still had to die.

I often think of the story of Abraham and Isaac, in Genesis 22, as a story of a man laying his own love, his own hopes and dreams and desires onto the altar, willing to slay them out of sacrifice for God.

But that really isn’t the story. It was laying even the gift of God on the altar.

To die.

It was believing God to take care of His own dream. To resurrect Isaac from the dead (Heb. 11:19).

Is there anything not subject to His summons to surrender?

Do we believe that even God-dreams can be resurrected from the dead?

Must be?

Just over a year ago God gave us a dream. Nothing earth-shattering, but a simple dream to sell and downsize our home, give half of our income, pay off our mortgage, and invest more of our hearts in God’s work around the world. (where your treasure is there your heart will be…). This was not an obligation, this was a joy. What began as mere obedience has become an holy obsession. The verse is right — we aim our pocketbooks and our hearts aren’t far behind.

But this year has also been one of frustration.

Why, God? You gave us this dream. We put our house on the market, have stretched ourselves as far as we can until it sells. All the houses around us have sold for more than we’re asking. Why have you allowed it to show 80+ times without a single offer? This year feels like a big waste of time. Can you see God that there are children starving and I WANT to give to them but I have this millstone-sized mortgage tied around my neck.  And yes, there is a principle — we sow what we reap. I prayed for this house and this house I have. No complaints, simply lying in the bed I’ve made.

Then this week it finally clicked, as I gave up. Decided it was over. Came to terms with the fact that it just ain’t happening right now. God is certainly on the move and I am enthralled by His amazing work, but it is not His time to sell our house and that’s ok. 

Then while I’m hauling five yards of bark dust, preparing for our final Open House before we take it off the market, as I’m raking the hillside in 92-degrees, feeling the strange euphoria of having just let something go, the thought rests on my heart:

Even the dreams God gives must die. 

Of course. The dying thing.

I had understood that my dreams had to die.

But I had missed the whole story. Abraham lays God’s dreams on the altar, because God is able to take care of His own dreams.

Why hasn’t it sold? I don’t pretend to know. Perhaps we did entirely miss God’s will. Or, perhaps, He just wants that dream to die.

And as we prepare to take it off the market for now — to give ourselves a break and catch our breath before trying again next year — I know one thing for sure: God is more than able to resurrect all that He lets die. 

Even the dreams He gives. 

–

{Are there any God-dreams that may need to die today? The tough thing about dying is that it’s just so much like … dying. Praying for grace for you today and thanks for reading.}

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• That I’m still alive after Leg 1. (Hood to Coast)
• That it’s not 100 degrees.
• Picking apples with my boy.
• Sun streaming through the windows, falling on peaches ripening on the counter.
• “Squeezing and freezing” 40-lbs. of plums with my man. My idea of a romantic datenight. 🙂
• Seifers home.
• Believing.
• Trusting.
• Struggling.
• Heidi’s mastery over her thumb.
• Watching Jeff and the kids run through the field at dusk.
• Bulldozers parked in the field.
• Swim lessons every day. Wish we could keep doing them forever!
• Kids risking.
• Asking for the yellow house.
• Waiting on Him.
• *Surprise!* someone secretly putting a brand new huge Traeger grill in our carport with a sign: “For Renew Church” — whoa!!
• Being part of the blessing.
• An unexpected visit with a friend.
• SO incredibly blessed by everyone at RENEW so far. What an adventure and so grateful to be part of it.
• Being really tired but knowing it won’t last forever.
• Looking ahead to rest.
• Rolling burdens.
• Getting on my face. Again.
• Heidi’s growth.
• Dutch’s words after Renew: “Mommy, we’re the happiest family in the whole world!” Pretty sure that’s not true, but grateful that he felt that way in the moment.
• Persevering.
• Feeling down but learning to look up.
• Making everything His concern.
• Clinging to Him.
• Dinner from the garden.
• Rhubarb-strawberry crisp!
• His Word that’s always on target every day.
• HIM, the anchor.
• That He never changes.
• That His mercies are new every morning.
• That He never gives up on us, never loses His temper, never rolls His eyes.
• That despite all my failures, His love endures forever.
• That we (you!) are accepted because of Jesus.

Bless you, friends–I pray for a weekend full of His grace. Thanks for your prayers are finish Hood to Coast, and thanks for reading!

This weekend we have a few plans:

1. Run a 200-mile relay
2. Don’t sleep
3. Attend 4 church services
4. Attend a baptism
5. Say goodbye to 1,500 people
6. Host 40 people for a BBQ at our house

I don’t know, does that seem like a lot? I’m not sure how we managed to have Hood-to-Coast and our farewell Sunday at WCC land on the same weekend, but there we have it. It’ll be a blast. Thankfully we have dear people around who will run their legs, watch kids, make food, wash dishes, and hold us upright if we fall asleep.

When everyone pitches in it’s amazing what can get done. 

None of these things would be possible alone. We are only 2 of a team of 12 runners. There are dozens of blessed, generous saints who serve tirelessly at RENEW BBQs. This week as I made lists of all that needed to happen for this weekend, it felt overwhelming. But thankfully, when everyone does their part, it’s really reasonable.

I’m learning continually how this must happen in our homes. 

I’ve used CHORE CARDS (above) in the past, which were really helpful for us. Now the kids’ morning routine is (fairly) ingrained in their minds. The thing I still struggle with is the vast amount of work still leftover that can’t be done by the kids. Any other moms feel like that?

So, I’d say there are 2 important steps to mastering this family-chore idea:

1. Divvy up all responsibilities between family members

2. Be ok with the fact that it’s always a work in progress and will never work perfectly.

3. Embrace the fact that even when everyone else does their part, life still involves a lot of work.

#2 and #3 are where I’m focusing right now. A few weeks ago I sat down and did our 2012-2013 Master Plan for homeschooling curriculum, schedule, chores, etc. It was so helpful to sit down and put it all in one place. Even though we don’t follow it to the minute, it still provides a great guide for our days. I’m sure you all have much more ingenious chore-plans and calendars for your family, but here is what I include in case it can be helpful at all. If you’d like to actually see a copy of ours, I’m happy to share, just let me know. Didn’t want to bore you to tears with our daily schedule.

• Daily schedule (including Letter Lessons)
• Morning routine and evening routine
• Homeschool subjects for each day (Tue: reading/writing, Wed: Spanish & history, etc.)
• Ideas for kids’ play-time each day (they don’t need this much anymore)
• Menu Plan (for the most part, we just rotate 10 meals)
• Housework for each day (Tues bedrooms, Wed bathrooms, etc.)

Attention, attention: We’ve had a victory!

There is now one fewer thumb-sucker in the world.

That’s right. Thanks to a friend supplying us with some no-bite gel for Heidi’s thumbs, she is now weaned off the thumb. In fact, even though it’s supposed to be applied for 30 days in order to break the habit, it was so effective she quit sucking her thumb after one day and hasn’t used the gel since.

If only it were that easy for us, right? (A friend of mine commented, “I need to put some of that stuff on the chocolate in my house!”)

The day we took the no-thumb plunge was such a picture for me. I applied the bitter liquid and laid down with Heidi for her nap. After a few tries she realized it was not going to be a pleasant experience. She cried. She sweated (it was 100-degrees that day). She kept raising her thumb to her mouth then remembering and pulling it away. She was miserable. She couldn’t get to sleep. I must admit, it was a little heart-breaking, watching her struggle so. But eventually, after about an hour of tears, she fell asleep on her own.

She woke up a new girl.

It was like a detox in so many ways. She was miserable, trying to get comfortable, unable to find that same relaxing self-sooth method she’d relied on her entire life. (She even sucked her thumb in the womb!) But once the habit was broken, she woke up a new girl. Stronger. Calmer. More mature.

That’s what happens when we quit sucking our thumbs as well.

I must admit, my girl has inspired me. I’m asking God to show me all the areas where I still suck my thumb. I know there are many. He’s so gracious and He lets us tackle one area at a time. But it does take drastic measures in order to break free–disgusting, bitter gel on the thumbnails. We must figure out ways to make our sinful and/or self-soothing methods become distasteful in our lives. Perhaps a friend can hold you accountable? The truth is, Heidi wouldn’t have broken the habit on her own. She needed someone a little older and wiser to help her along the way.

We do too.

Only God knows what habits in our lives need to go. What is ok for some might not be for others. Don’t compare, just let God decide. And once He highlights an area, take immediate and decisive action to let go of that thumb-sucking habit. Find a stronger friend and ask for help.

You’ll wake up better for it. Stronger. Calmer. More mature.

{If it’s appropriate, would you share what thumb-sucking habit you are leaving behind? I am choosing to eat when I’m hungry, not just when I’m stressed or tired.  I’m also “checking in” online only once a day. I’d love to pray for you as you make this step in growing up. Thanks so much for reading.}

It’s true that as we follow Jesus, we will often feel alone. He will call us to hard things. He will require of us whole-hearted obedience. He will not allow us to do things which others seem to enjoy. If we truly want to follow Jesus we must understand that Others May, You Cannot.

However, let this be tempered with humility.

It is easy to think that we are the only ones called to run this hard race. It is easy to look around, feel alone, and immediately conclude that perhaps everyone else has called it quits. Or is way behind. Or that we are in some special race reserved for only a few. That may be true. But …

It could be there are just so far ahead that you cannot see them. (Smile.)

Or that they are running an entirely different race altogether.

You see, the truth is that God calls each of us to follow Him. What that looks like will vary with every single life. Some will be called to singleness. Some to serve a difficult spouse. Some to care for a child of special needs. Some will need to sell their home to give to the poor. Some will move to Africa. Some will plant a church. Some will stay in their church. Some will care for an aging parent. Some will move away from home. Some will scrub toilets. Some will  appear on TV.

Let us be careful that just as we do not rely on others to assure us that we are following God, we also must not assume that just because others are elsewhere, that they aren’t truly following God. 

We must, once and for all, quit taking our cues from the crowds. Their presence or their absence does not indicate the blessing or curse of God. We must, always and forever, take our cues from the Holy God. He alone can lead our course. He alone has the answer to every single dilemma we will ever face. When we silence all other noise, get on our knees, and listen intently for His still small voice, we will hear His will for our life. We will get to know the heart of God.

We will change.

It’s true, others may and you cannot. But let us temper this with an ever-increasing hunger for humility, which simply lets God deal with us and others as He sees fit.

When we are content with His dealings, whatever they may be, we have found joy. 

Thanks for reading.

Others May, You Cannot

G.D. Watson, 1845-1924

If God has called you to be really like Jesus, He will draw you to a life of crucifixion and humility, and put upon you such demands of obedience, that you will not be able to follow other people, or measure yourself by other Christians, and in many ways He will seem to let other good people do things which He will not let you do.

Other Christians and ministers who seem very religious and useful may push themselves, pull wires, and work schemes to carry out their plans, but you cannot do it; and if you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.

Others may boast of themselves, of their work, of their success, of their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing, and if you begin it, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.

Others may be allowed to succeed in making money, or may have a legacy left to them, but it is likely God will keep you poor, because He wants you to have something far better than gold, namely, a helpless dependence on Him, that He may have the privilege of supplying your needs day by day out of an unseen treasury.

The Lord may let others be honored and put forward, and keep you hidden in obscurity, because He wants you to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade. He may let others be great, but keep you small.  He may let others do a work for Him and get the credit of it, but He will make you work and toil on without knowing how much you are doing; and then to make your work still more precious, He may let others get the credit for the work which you have done, and thus make your reward ten times greater when Jesus comes.

The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch over you, with a jealous love, and will rebuke you for little words and feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over. So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign, and has a right to do as He pleases with His own.

He may not explain to you a thousand things which puzzle your reason in His dealings with you. But if you absolutely sell yourself to be His…slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love, and bestow upon you many blessings which come only to those who are in the inner circle.

Settle it forever, then, that you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, and that He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue, or chaining your hand, or closing your eyes, in ways that He does not seem to use with others.  Now when you are so possessed with the living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of Heaven.