Tag: Fargo

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Life is Short, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #285

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This week flew by! Much of the time my mind was going in several directions, and I had a little difficulty keeping everything straight! Basically, on top of a busy work week, I had a lot of meetings and people to connect with, and was getting Lydia ready for school which starts later next week. It all worked out, though!

On Monday night, I had some ladies over from church. Instead of leading a small group this year, I am coaching other small group leaders. So, in a way, I have a small group of small group leaders! We had a lot of fun, laughing and getting to know each other.

On Wednesday, I had a meeting with other small group coaches. We enjoyed tacos and dessert, along with good conversation and planning. I’m excited to see what God has in store for us this year!

This week, I finally decided to water my lawn. Actually, I had Lydia do it one night and then I joined her a couple evenings later. We each had a hose going! I am not aiming for green grass, but just trying to prevent the grass roots from dying. Ironically, we did get some rain after we watered, which I was very happy about!

Yesterday, I stayed late for work to get some paperwork done. Then, I ran a few quick errands. I made some returns and bought some new shoes. After that, I met a friend for coffee! We live in the same neighborhood, but life gets busy and we don’t run into each other often. We had a great conversation and are planning another coffee date soon!

Today, we have some college friends coming to visit for the weekend. They live several states away and we haven’t seen them since moving to Fargo eleven years ago. We are excited to host them and their kids. Lydia’s looking forward to meeting and playing with the girls! I am honored they would drive all the way to see us!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Being Gracious, Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #284

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a good birthday week! It was a short work week, which included some chocolate cake and ice cream. I feel so grateful to have caring coworkers!

I also took off some time to host a guest. It had been awhile since she visited, so Lydia and I had fun showing her around our community. She left this morning, but it was nice to spend time with her!

Last night, our guest wanted to go to the Pyrotechnics Guild International finale show. This event rotates through Fargo every few years. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I was up for it, since fireworks events go so late. They are cool from a distance, but the booming noise and flashing lights aren’t my favorite. Nonetheless, I agreed to go and it was fun. We didn’t get home until after midnight, but it was an adventure, after all!

Today, we did a little cleaning and laundry before we relaxed. Later, we went to a park so Lydia could show me some skills she recently mastered! I’m grateful for the ebb and flow, some busy days and some easy-going days!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Gratitude, Journey of Grace, Life is Short, Miscellaneous, Perfectionism, Perseverance, Wisdom

Mirror, Mirror

This week, I am celebrating another birthday! While I usually am a little contemplative beforehand, I have been so busy lately that my birthday kind of snuck up on me!

Not to worry… I still have time to reflect on the past year and decide what, if anything, I want to change for the coming year. Also, we have some company coming, so I am sure it will be a fun day! At the very least, there is a restaurant I have been wanting to try!

This year, I would like keep chipping away at small goals and tasks, such as organizing my house better. Also, I’d like to prioritize self-care (more than I do now) and finally get adequate sleep (more than just a few days of 7+ hours). Oh, and I’d like to have more unstructured free time with Lydia (not using it to focus on housework and such).

Ok, that sounds like a lot! One thing I have realized is that I can’t do all that without God’s help and leading. And really, none of those goals amount to much if He’s not a part of it.

Indeed, I came across the word inertia lately. It was being used to describe someone’s personality, as in it takes a lot to move the person to action. I thought it was an interesting connection, and I can see a little bit of that in me. It can be a good thing, but not always.

When God tells me to stay, I can handle that alright (though there can be challenges). But when God tells me to move, and I am slow to do so, I have to move past the inertia. So, you can imagine my own frustration when I also have a lot of personal goals! 😉

It has been said, “The more things change the more they stay the same.” Recently, I have been thinking back a few years to times when I met similar goals with more success. And, I noticed that I had the same struggle with inertia back then!

The difference was I had more energy (and desire) to make the changes required. Now, I have grown past the insecurities I had back then and don’t care as much! Haha!

In some ways, it has been like looking in a proverbial mirror. I am surprised, but also comforted to see more evidence of how God designed me just so. I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and I can trust He has a good plan for all my quirks! I don’t have to change everything… I am already loved perfectly.

While we have to take action and keep moving forward, we also need God’s direction and wisdom. Yes, growth requires stretching and a fair amount of grace and mercy.

Ultimately, I am so grateful for all God has done in my life this past year. As long as I am listening and going where He wants me, I will be fine. 😉

I know He has more good things in store for me!

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God, thanks for bringing me through another year.  Please continue to refine me and make me more like Jesus. Help me be a good reflection of Who You are. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Questions: As we move closer to a new season, how have your goals changed? How have you seen God’s grace in your life lately?

Tasks: Meditate on James 1:22-24. Make changes accordingly.

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #283

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a great week! We started off the week in Ohio family. It felt great to relax with some of our favorite people! Then, Monday we flew back home. We had two flights with a few hours in O’Hare. It was late when we finally went to sleep in our own beds, but it’s always good to be home after traveling.

At work, I hit the ground running. I saw several Veterans and completed some online trainings. finished setting up my new office space, too. I moved a filing cabinet, and swapped the garbage and recycling cans. I organized some drawers and handouts. Also, the printer was moved around the corner and my cabinets and bulletin board were moved up a few inches to give me more space. I am happy with how it turned out! 

The rest of the week was spent unpacking (laundry!), organizing the house, running errands, making phone calls, and catching up with mail. Lydia’s suitcase, which actually belonged to Dave and is at least fifteen years old, came off the airplane with a large hole. It was time for an upgrade! I bought her new slippers, too, since we snagged a good sale!

Today, we mostly cleaned and organized before company comes next week. If we don’t stay on top of things, they quickly get out of hand! So, you we had our work cut out for us. 🙂 Lydia rode her scooter and drew with chalk a bit. Later, some neighbor friends came over to play!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #280

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a fun week! It was warm and sunny with a little haze from various wildfires (not local). I need to mow at some point, but I think I might just wait another week! 😉

Lydia had another exciting week. On Wednesday, she hung out with a friend, and they went to a tie dye camp! A few items were included in the cost of the class, but Lydia also brought her own t-shirt to dye. It was a white Caterpillar shirt, which reminds her of Dave. She doesn’t wear it as much as her black CAT shirt, given it is prone to get dirty quicker. But the tie dye turned out so well, I bet she will now!

Then, last night, we attended an outdoor musical production of Cinderella. It was so good! I always forget the actors are only in high school. The music and singing, not to mention the costumes, were fantastic! Lydia and I had a really fun time together.

Today, we slept in and have had a relatively relaxed day. I did clean out under the kitchen sink and reorganized the pantry and freezer, so that’s a win! Ironically, I found a few extra packages of frozen peas!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Miscellaneous, Parenting

Finding Grace #277

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This week flew by. We were able to Zoom with family on Sunday, and we got to see my new little niece, Lily. She was sleeping, of course, but it was fun to see her anyway!

Work was super busy this week, and I spent a lot of time catching up from last week. My phone was ringing off the hook, and I was covering for a couple of other people. I prayed and asked God to direct my steps. Thankfully, He helped it all work out in the end!

We were able to squeeze in a couple evening walks this week. One evening, we walked around the middle school and high school near us. I told Lydia I didn’t want to hear any complaining (it was 1.5 miles, in all). Well, she had fun collecting flowers and leaves, and I didn’t hear a peep of complaint! We had fun identifying the trees after we returned home.

Another night, Lydia grabbed her scooter for what ended up to be a 2.55 mile roundtrip. She rode and I walked along the bike path in our neighborhood, and we enjoyed seeing all kinds of houses and landscaping! I heard no complaints, as Lydia enjoyed seeing some new-to-her areas!

Yesterday, we met up with some friends who are moving to another state! We have been so blessed by their friendship, and we will really miss them. We played mini golf and then went to Space Aliens to eat and play arcade games. It was a fun sendoff!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Gratitude, Miscellaneous, Perfectionism, Perseverance, Wisdom, Worship

MacGyver Mishmash

As a single parent and homeowner, I have had to be resourceful over the years. Sure, I can call someone to help me with random issues, and sometimes I do. But often, it is a matter of timing. I don’t want to inconvenience someone, or I don’t want to wait for them to show up.

Occasionally, a friend will volunteer to help me, but I don’t always run into these handy types of friends! I have a few bigger projects that I might pay someone to do, but even then, I’ll have to organize the logistics of calling and being available.

I know I am not the only one with these issues or house projects, but sometimes, I just decide to do it myself! Sometimes, I research it online and other times, I have ‘jerry-rigged’ a solution. So far I have figured out how to “unstick” my garbage disposal with a crowbar, fix my coffee machine with a dremel, change toilet seats, fix a dent in my car, and more. I have used safety pins, glue, and tape to attach buttons and shore up pant hems, too!

These are in addition to other routine tasks, like changing a plethora of light bulbs and adding air to my car tires.

On Monday evening, I (once again) attempted to fix one of Lydia’s drawers. The drawer has a track for wheels that periodically comes loose. I have had to tighten the screws from time to time. But, on Monday, I couldn’t find all four screws!

I found a couple of the screws, which had fallen down into the drawer beneath. I did what I could to replace them, but the two screws were different sizes, and I needed two more.

I searched the garage for more matching screws, but alas, I didn’t find what I was looking for. No worries! I thought of a solution. Just call me MacGyver!

Lydia learned a new word that day: INGENUITY. I told her what it meant and then showed her a practical example. Yes, I used one screw on each side of the drawer railing, but then I also superglued the remaining edges!

It worked so well (or at least until next time) that I also superglued part of my gutter outside! It has been coming loose, and I will still have to go to the hardware store at some point. But, it should hold until the next storm, at least!

I’m really thankful God gives us bursts of creativity and helps us when we need it. The slightly sticky, gluey fingers are worth the feelings of accomplishment. But, I am also glad He doesn’t rely on superglue, duct tape, paper clips, safety pins, or zip ties to hold us together or fix our problems!

Colossians 1:16-17 (NLT) says, “for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.”

God holds the whole world together through Jesus. And that includes us. Whatever problems you are facing today, bring them to the Lord. If you find yourself in a sticky situation (sorry, I had to!), remember nothing is too difficult for Him.

He cares for you and knows exactly what you need!

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God, thanks for giving us creative solutions to our problems. There is nothing You can’t do, and You extend that grace to us! Help us come to You first, and not as a last resort. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Questions: Do you enjoy DIY projects? Do you consider yourself pretty hand-on (as in building, repairing, gardening), or would you rather hire someone to do the dirty work?

Tasks: Meditate on Colossians 1:16-17 today. Here you can compare several versions. Consider what it means for Jesus to hold all things together and what that means for your life. Trust Him!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Gratitude, Life is Short, Miscellaneous, Parenting

Finding Grace #276

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was an awesome week full of surprises! On Sunday afternoon, we went to see the new movie, Peter Rabbit 2. It was really cute and full of good lessons.

Lydia and I went for a handful of walks this week to enjoy the beautiful weather. I’m hoping to make it more of a habit to walk around our neighborhood! I used to do it twice a day when we had a dog, so it is doable. Though, I don’t plan on getting a dog anytime soon.

One evening, we walked toward Lydia’s school, and then stopped at the Holiday gas station on the way back. She wanted to buy “something” and even offered to buy me a donut. Of course, I said yes and saved it for breakfast! I love my generous girl!

The next night, we helped a young neighbor track down her dog that had gotten loose (again). Then, she invited herself and her dog on our walk, and that was approved by the little girl’s dad. We had fun hearing all sorts of funny stories. The little girl is so sweet and never stopped talking! Lydia had fun and wanted to walk other dogs in the neighborhood!

On Thursday, President Biden signed a law making Juneteenth a federal holiday. This is today (Saturday), which means that it was “observed” on Friday. It was unexpected, but I’m always grateful for extra time with Lydia. We discussed the meaning of the holiday, played some games, and enjoyed walking along Forest River Park!

Also on Thursday, I gained a new little niece! My brother and sister-in-law had their baby a couple of weeks early. Lily’s a cutie and we can’t wait to meet her!

Today, we hung out at home, and I finally finished some chores I had been putting off. Lydia helped too. Since we had a three day weekend, I was able to both relax and get some stuff done! We also enjoyed a morning and evening walk together!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Food and Nutrition, Little Free Library, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #275

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?!

This was a great week filled with God’s grace! We had fun with my mother-in-law, who visited last weekend. It is fun to try new restaurants and other places when she comes.

My mother-in-law surprised us with an old camera for Lydia. It even had a couple of pictures of Dave on it with Lydia as a baby. I had wanted to buy her one, but didn’t know where to start. I also didn’t want to spend much money, in case Lydia breaks it. But now, she can have fun and experiment with less pressure!

Lydia had fun at the Y and passed the summer swim test! This lets her go in the deeper water and on the slides versus just staying in the more shallow end. She had fun and was proud of herself, too!

The weather was hot, but not too humid, most of the week. So still very comfortable. One night, there was a thunderstorm, and then it cooled down a bit. It’s been perfect the last few days. I’ve enjoyed bird watching, reading outside with a cup of coffee, and even mowing. I didn’t mow all of the crispy parts, but just the really high areas!

I have been receiving several books, of good quality and variety, in my little free library lately. I’m grateful for the community support to encourage everyone to read. Thank you!

Today, Lydia and I made banana-chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, and then we ran some fun errands in the afternoon. She bought herself a cute little backpack at the mall. I also talked with my sister on the phone. It’s always good to catch up!

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These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Gratitude, Life is Short, Miscellaneous, Perseverance, Prayer, Wisdom, Worship

In a Dry and Barren Land

Have you noticed that much of the western United States seems to be in a moderate to severe drought? We’ve had temperature over 100 degrees in Fargo, which is unusual to say the least! My grass is rather crispy in spots, and I have only mowed one time! 

From full-on deserts to out-of-control fires, droughts are serious. 

While we can’t do much about the weather, besides addressing climate change perhaps, we can make the best of it. We can thank God for His provision in every season. And, we can pray for rain!

Spiritually, there are some parallels to drought conditions. Our spirits can feel hot and dry at times, isolated. We can grow impatient with what we want to see and feel, but don’t.

Unfortunately, in a spiritual drought we can miss the joy of God’s presence. He is still at work even when we can’t understand what He is doing. But if we’re not careful, we can miss out on all of His goodness, too.

We can miss the heat and sunshine. We can miss the breeze sent to cool us down. We can miss beautiful flowers, as well as birds chirping. We can miss morning walks and ice cream in the evening. We can even miss opportunities to praise God!

If you are feeling dry and without spiritual hope, cry out to Jesus. He’s right there with you. Like a fountain, He will refresh you and set you back on the right path.

Late Monday night, there was an unexpected thunderstorm. The thunder and lightening woke up Lydia, and she had difficulty falling back to sleep. It’s not fun feeling vulnerable and afraid!

I was thankful for the rain, but I also needed to be a parent and comfort my child. I ended up letting her sleep with me, and of course she slept soundly after that!

I was thankful to be her safe place, pointing her back to God Himself.

Then, last night, I introduced Lydia to the Sound of Music. It’s nearly a three-hour movie, so we’ll have to finish it later. But, we gave it our best shot!

She recognized many of the songs and had fun singing along!

I could have easily just focused on my long to-do list last night; there is always something to do! But, instead, I enjoyed some refreshing time with Lydia.

If we know where to look, we can find peace, hope, and restoration in the desert setting. God made beautiful sunsets, flowers, cacti, and camels, right? 

Similarly, spiritual deserts can also have beauty. While they may or may not be preventable, our attitude (weeding) and willingness to trust God (watering) certainly make them more enjoyable.

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God, thanks for refreshing us with Your grace and love. Help us turn to You in the dry times of life. May we not wither away, but please restore and renew us. Have mercy on us and heal our land. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Questions: What have you been doing to stay cool in this heat? Do you prefer the hot, hot, hot weather?! Or, do you prefer more moderate temperatures?

Tasks: Read the lyrics to this song, “We Will Stand (In This Dry and Barren Land)“. Bonus points if you can sing it or play it on the guitar! Pray for rain and God’s renewal.