One of Our Best Decisions- EVER!

I never gave much thought as to why God said we should rest and observe the Sabbath. I guess I should have had a clue that it was important since even the Lord took a day to rest! I’m a little slow some days…. Now, I’m not sure what the exact rules are with this… Some people say it has to be Sunday; some say Saturday and other say it doesn’t matter as long as you observe one. Until I completely am sure I willdo my own thing. One day over the weekend we want to spend it resting & enjoying life. It is my dream that we will also start going to a church and engaging in a Bible study together too. For now, I am completely loving the family time. Not only that, but the peace that we have found in it too! I have tried to take a little lesson from the Amish community as well by prepping meals the day before. I have found that, with a little work, it can be done. Even the dishwasher is emptied the evening before so all dishes get loaded and re ready to go. Maybe that is normal for you but we have been known to pile up dishes on the counter while the dishwasher sits empty. lol So far today, TMOMD enjoyed coaching some hockey, my MMOMD spent time with his best buddy, I worked on catching up on a Bible study and visited with friends a bit. Tonight, we have had a fun dinner, made some brownies, wandered our very yellow yard (rotten dandelions! lol), TMOMD & MMOMD tried their best to fly some remote-control helicopters and we are getting ready to watch a movie together & munch on some popcorn. I LOVE this & I can see they do too. It’s a time to rest, enjoy & reconnect. I love the sounds of love & laughter sprinkled through the day. I am blessed!

Lessons From A Board Room

As I am returning to serve on a Board of Directors after a two years in the group’s general population I have looked into the current administration and see much that troubles me. While I am FAR from perfect and have made many mistakes (and I’m sure, more to come) I am willing to step up, take responsibility, ask forgiveness and make it right! I would rather have a leader who is willing to be flawed and work towards perfection than one who always looks good, sounds better and hides behind a smiling facade.

Here are the Lessons I have learned from a Board Room:

• Remember that you have been elected to SERVE the Membership and NOT yourself.
• Know the laws that you are governing with. Bylaws are not suggestions.
• Never make snap decisions.
• Obtain the counsel of other who have gone before you WITHIN that organization, first, and that of qualified outsiders if necessary. Godly counsel is a must in my opinion.
• Remember that a your Membership will usually have rights within the organization. They may exercise them at anytime and they should.
• Be transparent always but be courteous of the privacy of others. It’s o.k. to admit to mistakes. Just do right!
• Respect the views of those who serve along with you and those you serve. Do not shut down discussions that are not harmful because you disagree with them.
• Do not preach it-be it! People want to see what you say shine through your actions and not just beautifully verbalized. Talk is cheap!
• You know what excuses are like… Passing the buck is unacceptable!
• If you refuse to learn history, you will be the one to repeat it!

As I move forward in this journey I pray that I can be the opposite of what I have recently witnessed. I want to be a blessing to the organization I am about to serve and not bring fourth strife and division. I want to be a shining example and bring honor and glory to my Lord. If this reaches your heart, please don’t hesitate to send prayers!

On the Next Episode of The Waiting Game…

I have still been wrestling with  trying to find a solution to the problem I mentioned in my post, “The Waiting Game“, even thought I know I need to wait and see where the Lord direct me. I’m sooo NOT good at this and so my mind keeps circling around the topic trying to find any way to work this out. I have thought through the details and looked at things from every angle imaginable over and over and over and…well, you get it. Still, I got nuttin’! Not one little idea about when to say or do and not one thought about how to act. This is FRUSTRATING!!! *note in my head I’m stomping as I say that* lol I’m used to thinking and solving issues “on the fly”. This stuff is easy for me…except now.

After a conversation last night with TMOMD and one of my best friends and then hearing another version of the same thing today. I get it! It has been confirmed and reconfirmed to me. I knew I had something to write about today and was excited to share my findings when I got ANOTHER confirmation! Whew!! Think God knows how thick my head is? lol

Let me fill you in…

Once again, last night, I was discussing this faulty leadership issue with TMOMD & BFF.  TMOMD says that the reason that I am drawing a blank is that God is is not ready to give me the answer and that I need to WAIT. Soooo, I keep talking around it more (lol) and the BFF expands on the topic and says that I cannot see what He is doing or where He is moving and maybe I need to let Him do some work and then He will reveal to me what’s next. *sigh* OK, I can do that- sorta… One of them adds that I need to rest and be peaceful about it, hand it over to God and know he has the details taken care of. I think that covers that conversation.

Then I’m listening to that radio this morning and to a talk show that I enjoy called Stand Up for the Truth when one of the hosts says this (paraphrasing), “Something that God has been saying to me me is, ‘obey me, love me and stop trying to manipulate the results’! OK then, gotcha! lol

A while later, I receive an email from the “leadership” that I am ready to fight and within it I see that a key player in the situation is not going to ask for an position in the matter and it slightly opens the door for me. The door isn’t completely open because the “leadership” told me that I pretty much could not go forward on an issue and that if it did work out that I could, the whole leadership as a group would have the final say.

God is so good! Yesterday I didn’t have any answers and today I see HOPE within this big mess! I will remain optimistic, now, and will work hard to let go of this and see where God leads.

Next on the Agenda

Our life together is on the brink of FINALLY turning itself around. After years of financial struggles via crooked boss and mortgage companies and our own stupidity, emotional battles and business failures we can see the light! I’m scared to see the light though.  I am excited about the possibilities within the “starting over” and moving forward phase- but what if it’s not real? What if it is just the start of a new disaster? I know a lot of life is about overcoming and striving for different goals; I just don’t want to have to be backed into one of life’s corners to do it. I really just want to take a step back to observe and enjoy life. I want the scheduled craziness (a lot of it is self inflicted, mind you) to s l o w  d o w n. I want to one day sit around the back yard sipping lemonade and listening to the birds sing without the threat of ruin just around the corner. Is this the impossible dream? I wonder what’s next on the agenda for us…

The Waiting Game

Right now I am at a place in my life where I am about to fight “authority” on some issues. In a group I am a part of  leadership is ignoring bylaws and basic principles. I am a rules person, and knowing that this is going on is making me angry. I know that I am called to help bring this to light and hold those who are in charge accountable but what my complete part in this will be can get fuzzy. There are aspects that I know I need to be involved in and yet others that I am unsure of. The trick is I will soon be a part of this leadership and will have to face those I am holding accountable and work with them. How I balance this while being honest, having integrity and maintaining my stance is difficult. These people may feel that I have betrayed them in some way. While I know that this goes with the territory; I am not looking forward to tense meetings, discussions and snide remarks. I truly like a couple of these people and I believe they would have made the right decision if they had an honest leader to follow.

Through this something I have been really thinking about is how to follow God and to wait for His guidance in choosing what part or position to take. In doing this I have had to curb my personality that wants to jump right in and take a stand without thinking through every detail. I have also had to fight my personality that wants to run and hide at other moments. Worst of all I have had to come face to face with my lack of patience. I want everything done yesterday and when you are working with an issue with a team of people that can be trying. I’m not good at waiting.

On the flip side of things I am learning to “listen” to the Lord’s voice. I have learned to be content with that (for the most part). *wink* I am an old dog learning new tricks after all. lol I have admired a close friend for a long time who has always made it a point to listen and wait but, I never thought about bringing that into my life before… wow, it’s hard! I prefer to push my way through things and just take care of it right away. I’m now learning that sometimes, that’s not they way to go.

I don’t want to wait around while I learn so many lessons but I will  and I will have faith that God is sovereign and will take of the details until I need to know them.

Ahh, the start of another perfect day… out the window!

It’s Sunday! Our day to enjoy life and each other! I had been excited and waiting for this all week long. Last week TMOMD and I were discussing schedules and possible events, etc coming up and I excitedly telling him my latest idea of how our life should be-on Sunday.

Picture this: Breakfast, lunch and dinner are prepped and just need to be put in the crock pot, oven or grill. The house is clean and the laundry room looks neglected because it’s void of clothes & towels for once. We wake up because we are rested (at 7am) and get ready to start the day. Breakfast is delicious (I didn’t drop any on myself) and we are off to church. Once our hearts are filled from worship & fellowship we head home to leisurely eat some lunch and enjoy time as a family or with friends. Life is good, dinner is great and we are ready to start another week!

Then came a discussion last night.  TMOMD was adamant that we need to take tomorrow (Sunday) and really “hit it” we need to “be productive” because we have too much to do. I didn’t say a word and tried not to show my disappointment because he is right. We do need to get a lot done. However, we really do need a day that we can enjoy the life we are striving so hard to have! I’m sure not saying anything did aid in my attitude last night and didn’t curb my bickering attitude and he could feel tension and wasn’t sure why.

Now this morning I find my self not wanting to get out of bed. The crabbiness from last night is still fresh in my mind and I don’t want to deal with what might still be lingering between us. I pulled myself out of bed when my back started to hurt and I didn’t wake TMOMD. He could sleep for days on end if I don’t wake him. I am looking around the house as I type this and I see socks on the floor, glasses not taken to the kitchen, plates not cleared, pizza that never found the fridge and a new colony of dust bunnies that don’t look friendly. At least once a week the house gets away from me and I have to gather myself and get back on task. Sometimes it happens because we are so busy and, lets face it…over committed. Sometimes it happens out of laziness. This was a combo pack. Lazy & over committed. Sigh…

Here is my plan. I’ll make my way quickly through the house and pick up, dust, do some dishes, gather all of the laundry and get lunch and dinner ready. OK, I’ll get the meals planned at least. I hope. Then maybe when TMOMD wakes, he will see the beautifully cleaned house and I can rescue my perfect Sunday from the clutches of productivity! Maybe he will forget all about the garage & yard work…

Maybe I should just climb back into bed and snuggle with TMOMD for a little while longer.