God is Really Good

“I have a blog . . . is that dorky?”

“Yea, but in a good way.”

{This is the line that stopped my heart.}

Dear, sweet friends,

God is good in His arrangement of our lives. For so many years I have never truly believed that my God had created someone who would like me, all of me. I’m a nerd who has a thing for dainty doilies and old books. I laugh at things no one else finds funny and I view life through glasses not many wear. My hair has a mind of its own and I’ll never be a size 2 or 6 or . . .

I’m just Frannie. A woman who loves Christ and wants to live a life for others.

And just when I thought that I’d be okay, that I could be joyfully content with my life, God throws a surprise my way--a handsome, sincere, godly surprise with blue eyes and the ability to make me laugh and think. Our heavenly Papa is a really good gift giver.  :]

If you want to see God laugh then tell Him your plans and then learn to rest in Him. He is worthy of all your trust and He is good. One day, when I have the proper time to capture my thoughts, I’ll share my adventure in more detail.

Love to you!

 

Dear Heart

 

Dear heart,

I know you’re scared. I know the thought of someone wanting to be with you is beyond your ability to understand and that change, no matter how beautiful, can be a bit frightening.

But heart, don’t be afraid. You were made to love and be loved. You were made to give yourself to someone else; your heavenly Father intended it for that. Every fiber of your being has been designed so that one day you could be that someone someone else chooses.

So instead of running away, instead of keeping yourself hidden, trust. Trust in God’s leading and good hand. Trust in the man who is offering so much. Rejoice in the love all around you.

Dear, sweet readers . . . I’m dating. J

And even though this new exciting adventure scares my prepared, changes-are-hard personality I am thrilled and blessed beyond measure.

 

“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6,7

♥

On This Day

 

It’s a lovely day.

Why?

Well, I was able to drink coffee and read my Bible without rushing about. No running to work or town.

It gets better. Today I will be spending several hours baking and cooking cakes and salads as well as crafting things like banners and writing letters . . . alone. Just me, my music, and my prayers going about flopping laundry, chopping chicken, and mopping floors.

Which is plum wonderful since summer work is approaching rapidly, my brother’s high school graduation is arriving, and my family and I will soon be loading almost-everything-you-can-think-of into the Suburban and leaving for a camping escapade next weekend.

Yes, this bit of solitude--this moment of quiet work, it does wonders for a soul like mine.  

With lots of love from your quiet friend,

Frannie

 

 

P.S. Lots of you have left sweet comments and I am sorry I haven’t responded to them yet. I appreciate each one and hope to “send a note your way” soon!

Photo credit here.

 

Okay With It All

“Give up defining yourself - to yourself or to others. You won’t die. You will come to life. And don’t be concerned with how others define you. When they define you, they are limiting themselves, so it’s their problem. Whenever you interact with people, don’t be there primarily as a function or a role, but as the field of conscious presence. You can only lose something that you have, but you cannot lose something that you are.”

                                                                                                             Eckhart Tolle

I am learning that life does not consist of fulfilling the right set of rules or behavior. Life is not perfect because we mark off the ideal list of to-do’s in perfect order (high school, four-year degree, marriage, babies, own your own home . . .). It is about obeying Christ in the here and now, wherever that may find you.

Sometimes obedience to the Heavenly Father means doing things outside the box, outside the norm. History is full of ordinary men and women who sought only God and eventually became the great missionaries we read about today. Think Gladys Alward (she flunked out of Bible school), Hudson Taylor (fell in love too many times), and William Carey (worked as a simple shoe maker). Alward could have quit—if you can’t finish Bible school what makes you think you can serve in China?—but she persevered. Taylor, in some circles, would have been thought foolish; yet, he allowed his heartbreak and loneliness bring him closer to God. And Carey utilized the hours of simple, so-so work for prayer.

I wonder which is more loving? Pigeon-holing people or giving them the freedom to be who they are; being okay with their mess and their glory.

I know what I prefer.

For my Dearest Friend

 

“There is no friend like the old friend who has shared our morning days, no greeting like his welcome, no homage like his praise; fame is a scentless sunflower, with gaudy crown of gold; but friendship is the breathing rose, with sweets in every fold.”

--Oliver Wendell Holmes

 

Who has been the visible angel in my life? The one who has spent countless nights counseling and praying with me? The one who has taught me how to be joyful and who has encouraged me to follow God? There are many who have done well in this world; many who I love and respect.

But it is my dear mother who has seen every side of me and still loves me anyway.

Happy birthday, Marmee.

You are so special!

 

 

Love this picture? Find it here.

 

 

Once in a While

 

Via.

©

Isn’t it the little things?

Dear Brothers

via

 

“When King David was dying, he said to his son Solomon, ‘. . . Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statues, his commandments . . .’

Showing himself a man meant doing what God said. That’s what it means today. There will be plenty of opposition. Righteousness has never been popular. You’ve got to be willing to look like some kind of nut, some of the time, because you won’t be doing what everybody else is doing . . . A woman wants a man who is capable of standing up to her. She wants him to be a godly sort—I didn’t say a pious sort. That is, she wants him, like Daniel, to have his ‘windows open,’ and like Jesus, to have his ‘face set’ toward Jerusalem. If that’s the direction he’s headed, his obedience will be her liberation.”

The Mark of a Man, Elisabeth Elliot, page 133, 136

- -- - --- - -- - --- - -- - --- - -- - --- - --- - -- - --- - -- -- - ---

Dear brothers in Christ,

Hi! ((( waves small, awkward hand )))

Whoever you are, where ever you are, set your face toward obedience to Christ. I know, I know . . . full obedience and submission to Christ will probably make you “finish last,” at least in the world’s eyes. I realize that you will be called odd, abnormal, and strange. You may wonder why, just for once, you couldn’t be like everyone else--why you couldn't take the easy route.

But in the end, it is the Daniel’s, the Joshua’s, and the David’s who make ripples, or tidal waves, in the face of eternity. These are the (fallible, feeble) men who, despite all opposition, change their worlds and the homes they lived in.

Be the men you were created to be,

a supporter of true manhood