Traveling Mercies

I learned this expression several years ago when I read Anne Lamott’s, Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith. My family just returned from a long car trip, I’m talking loooooooong car trip and while I stared out the window daydreaming, my mind kept drifting to the phrase traveling mercies. I decided it is a very kind and thoughtful thing to say.

You’ve certainly heard people say, “Drive carefully” or “Be safe” before they say good-bye to someone venturing out on the open roads (well, hopefully open…in our case we kept finding pockets of traffic). People mean well when they say that, but they are funny expressions and by funny I mean somewhat silly and almost trite.

It might sound strange to hear someone say, “Traveling Mercies” today but I think it’s time for a comeback. By sending someone off with this saying we are reminded who is and forever will be in the driver seat of life. It is a wonderfully simple, yet powerful way of saying, “God be with you specifically on the road as you travel” (or in the air if you’re flying, or by boat, or by train, or by blimp or…I have been in that car toooooo loooooong).

I’m going to keep it short and sweet today because I officially have road brain, you know where if I close my eyes for longer than a minute I see the white lines and guardrails. And if I really concentrate and breathe in I can still smell the brown bags of fast food and doggy breath that punctuated the odor of the inside of the car, forever ridding it of that precious new car smell.

So, to you and yours this summer as you travel, “Traveling Mercies!”

Give Beautiful

For many of us, giving away our hard earned money does not sound appealing. It takes discipline, and let's be honest, I'd rather spend the money on a sweet vacation or a new technical toy. However, I know that I am only a steward of the money God has given me. When I look at it that way, it gives me GREAT pleasure to budget some money that goes toward building something that will last longer than the days I have left on earth.

If you've been looking for ways to support other ministries, but just don't know how or which ones, I would encourage you to check out these ones listed below!  I have personal connections with them and highly recommend supporting them. E-mail them, get to know them; these are the people who have figured out what "living beautiful" really means.

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Watermelon Ministries

"Equipping Thousands to Reach Millions"

:: About ::

Watermelon Ministries Equips Ministries and Individuals

For Ministries

1. We tell your story.  – With photography, video production, website and print design.
2. We help you become more fruitful.  – Through communications strategy and ministry consulting.
3. We connect you with others.  – Through this website and networking.

For Individuals

1. We tell our story. – Through speaking engagements, one on one meetings, and this website.
2. We connect you with meaningful service opportunities.  – Through this website and networking.

Founder Josh MacLeod shares his story:

In Sep of 2004, I sat at the kitchen table of my father-in-law, (who was also the president of the company I worked for) and informed him that I was going to leave my job and start a non-profit organization named after a fruit. A Watermelon to be specific.

Before this radical move, I was the national manager of a successful courtroom presentation company and had recently published the lead article in the Nashville Bar Journal. “considering courtroom technology”. I was bringing down a pretty nice salary complete with company car, cell phone, insurance and matching 401k. We had been so successful in the previous 5 years that we had just opened an office in Atlanta. The future was so bright…I had to wear shades...
Earlier in the year, I had worked on a huge case in Houston TX. By huge, I mean 500 million dollars huge and I was flown out to help with a major hearing. At the end of the day, the attorney I was helping (who incidentally owned 100 of his own personal cars) came over and with a congratulatory handshake told me, “Josh, you’re the best we’ve ever worked with.”
So, what led me to leave this successful career and start a non-profit?

Read Josh's Full Story

Learn More about Watermelon Ministries

Watermelon Ministries is making a HUGE difference in the lives of widows in nursing homes with Scripture Prints.

Here is a little bit about Picture of Heaven: Joshua has taken thousands of photographs during his trips to all corners of the world.  He has then returned and used a handful of the photographs to illustrate passages in scripture.  These Picture’s of Heaven fuse photography with scripture passages to remind viewers of the importance of the Word of God.  Watermelon Ministries freely distributes the prints to widows in nursing homes.

Learn how YOU can get involved.

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Bart & Emily Allen:

Missionaries en route to Papa New Guinea

:: About ::

Our desire as a family is to have a small part in taking God's Word to those who have never heard it.  We have finished our training and are now in the process of raising support to head to the country of Papua New Guinea.  
 

Bart grew up as a missionary kid in Bangladesh.  Emily grew up as a farm girl in Pennsylvania.  Luke was born in Ohio and Titus in Michigan.  Together as a family we are looking forward to serving the Lord in Papua New Guinea!

   

We both graduated from Cedarville University in Ohio.  After getting married in 1999, Bart served as a youth pastor for several years.  We knew we wanted to be involved in missions but didn't know what steps to take. 

The Lord led us to New Tribes Bible Institute in August of 2003.  We just wanted to get some good Bible training, but the Lord had some additional plans!  While at Bible school, we were made aware of the huge need for tribal missions.  About 2,500 language groups around the world have no Scriptures in their language!  Not even one verse!  They have no way of hearing the Truth of God's Word unless someone goes and tells them.  Throughout our two years of in-depth Bible study, we became more and more convinced that the Lord could use us to reach some of these people.

                           We have been blessed with two special boys.  Luke is 6 1/2 and Titus is 4.  They love to play outside, sing songs, read books and build Lego creations.  When we go on a trip, one of them will often ask - "Are we leaving for PNG now?"  It is so neat for us to watch them learn and grow.  Please pray that they will clearly see Christ as we follow Him. 

Read More News and Updates from Bart and Emily Allen

You can donate a one time gift or monthly support on their website

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Today I had an wonderful day with my family and for my debut on To Live Beautiful, I felt this day would be a great way to introduce myself. My name is Marianne and I am the mother of two daughters, a wife, and am a small business owner who lives in Vermont. When I am able to keep my life in balance, I am able to appreciate all of these aspects of my life. Today was one of those rare days when it all fell into place.

We were able to spend the day as a family enjoying the most magnificent views while trying to enjoy a beach day. I say trying, because here in VT today, it was low 70's and quite windy on the lake. As my husband and I sat and watched our daughters try to stay in the water despite shivering, we looked at the mountains in front of us and truly sat and appreciated just how blessed our life is.

What could have been a disaster (cold, windy, friends not playing with our children, etc...) became a moment to live in the present and share in gratitude. Yes, we were wrapped up in towels shivering together with our children, but we stayed, played, and felt that even though the day was definitely not at all as we had planned, it did turn out to be a gift. Our children were happy, the day was beautiful (despite the weather), our life felt stress-free (at the time), and we were able to just be. Do you know what I mean? Just be? Be together...be happy...be grateful...be a family...be.

I do believe life truly is what you make it. Today was one of those days that could have been a huge disappointment. Instead, I decided to be grateful, and mindful of all the beauty around me...and that flowed to my family. (Because don't you think many parents set the tone for the day with their attitude?)

And overall, I'd say it was in balance for today. Let's hope tomorrow will as well.

Pure Joy

Lately, I've been doing a lot of reflecting on my life. I've been looking at where I believe God wants me to go and whether or not I'm really following His guiding. Over and over again, I've come to realize that who I am in the moment is so much more important than where I think I'm supposed to be heading. I've started to ask myself questions like "Is this really important in the long run?" and "Do I actually enjoy what I'm doing at the moment?"

With these questions, I am not attempting to be hedonistic so much as realistic. There are countless times in the New Testament where Paul tells us to "count it all joy" whatever our circumstances. Ive been trying to be more mindful of my state of mind and enjoyment.

Tonight, I decided to take some time for myself and work on some scrapbooking that I'm way behind on. I've been categorizing pictures, labeling them, naming them, and even more than that, reliving the memories of the moments that we caught on film. One of the pictures of my son really grabbed my attention. This is what I would call the ultimate example of pure joy...


What have you done lately to experience even a touch of this kind of joy in your life?

A Beautiful Diet

When you try to lose weight, do you say you’re “going on a diet?” I’ve been indoctrinated with Weight Watchers speak for so long that I was surprised to hear a woman talking about her “diet” this past weekend.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’ve just had it drilled into me that diets don’t work; only lifestyle changes work.

But you know what? It doesn’t matter what you call it. Fact is, some of us are healthy and some of us aren’t. Whether you are super healthy (woohoo!) or, like me, aren’t as healthy as you’d like or need to be, let’s talk about food choices. Or, if you will, The Diet.

When you are making a conscious effort to eat healthy – whether to lose weight, gain weight, maintain cholesterol levels or just be a good steward of the body God gave you – what do you eat?

Before I get started, I’ll put your mind at ease: I’m not a paid – or unpaid, actually – reviewer. Nobody asked me to push certain products on you. I’m just telling you about what works for me! (And linking because I like to link.)

Now. For me, healthy choices include instant oatmeal, Kashi waffles and light syrup, or a high fiber bagel and light cream cheese for breakfast.

Lunch is difficult right now, but when I’ve done a good job of losing weight, I’ve eaten frozen meals for lunch most days. Smart Ones seem to be easiest on my budget, but my grocery store has tons of other brands, too. I’ve read several times about Amy’s frozen foods – being healthy and tasty.

But I’ll be honest – I haven’t bought any frozen meals since getting pregnant, because my mom kept lecturing me about the sodium. For the record, Mom, cutting out frozen meals did not actually keep my blood pressure from skyrocketing.

Anyway.

I try to eat fruit or veggies for snacks – my favorites are apples, bananas, strawberries and carrots (with a little ranch dip!) – because I don’t eat enough of either. But I also eat a Fiber One granola bar almost every day. You can’t beat having a yummy snack that, ahem, promotes regularity and only counts for two (Weight Watchers) points!

Dinner is where I really struggle. I enjoy grilled chicken, and we are blessed to have lots of lean beef from my father-in-law’s cattle farm, but I get bored with the same meals over and over. And, oh yeah, I find it hard to eat a meal without a potato or bread. I do love me some carbs.

What do you eat when you’re eating healthy?

Photo by FLOODkOFF.

Tree outside my Window

I have a tree that waves at me outside the window near where I write. I look up and the breeze pushes it to the left and to the right in a rhythmic swaying motion. It’s hypnotic and when I’m not in the mood to write I’m quite content staring up into the movement of that tree.

I’ve heard people say, “Where is God when this happens?” or “God doesn’t speak to me like he spoke to those in the Old Testament.” When I hear this it conjures up a new thought for me. What if God is speaking but we aren’t listening? What if God is using that tree outside my window to calm me and help me to remember Him and His beautiful creation as I write? What if that tree is yet another way for Him to lovingly remind me who made this entire earth and who reigns?

At any given moment throughout the day we are provided with opportunities to receive or reject what God is trying to communicate. Water flowing over our hands as we wash up for dinner—He made that. Smile we receive from our toddler as she leaps on our bellies—He made that. Bread passed around the table spread lavishly with butter—“I AM that,” He says.

What if God is constantly whispering to us through the wind, the loving encouragement of a friend, His word and in the quiet moments when we slow down enough to reflect on His creation? What if that tree really is waving to me? What if God is whispering as he shifts the tree with wind, “You are mine,” speaking both to the tree and to me?

What if?

His Glory Revealed

I was delighted when a message came through my email inbox with information for the new Glory Revealed CD. When the first one was released, I went and made my purchase with great anticipation. I had heard the buzz about the artists involved in collaborating and producing the collection and was looking forward to having some new music to delight my ears. It did not fail to deliver sweet sounds of goodness.

The compilation of Glory Revealed is music set to scripture. Music is an ideal way to establish and solidify hiding God’s word in my heart. I’ve always loved music and am not fabulous at memorizing scripture, so this concept seemed to fit me perfectly. I’ve listened to the CD in the car, in our home and also at work. I’ve even caught my children singing along while we’re in route to our destination and also singing it in the shower to an audience of One. That is music to my soul.

One of my favorite songs on the CD is entitled He Will Rejoice (Zephaniah 3:17). Here is a sampling of the lyrics:

"The Lord your God is with you
He is mighty to save
He will take great delight in you
He will quiet you with His love.

He will rejoice over you with singing.
He will rejoice over you with His song."

How encouraging and uplifting are those words? That He takes great delight in me, even when I'm not too thrilled about my actions or attitudes. The lyrics remind me to reflect on His greatness and love. They take the focus off of me and place my focus on God, the One who is mighty to save. They remind me of His divine intervention in my life where I have misinterpreted His direction.

I hope that you will listen to a sample from the upcoming album, Glory Revealed II and enjoy the melodies that come from the overflow of hearts committed to spreading the Word of God.

Are you an expert in memorization or do you require repetition and a little musical help to encourage the words to abide?

Change This Mess Into Something Beautiful.

Today's guest blogger is a friend of mine - Cherylyn. I love seeing artwork freely flowing out of her. Her passions include photography and writing; below is a poem she wrote and submitted for Live Beautiful months ago! I can only apologize to her for not posting it sooner!  I hope you enjoy a little inspiration from a true beauty.

I just wanted to write to say hello & thank you for being so super inspiring and REALLY brightening up my life. I'm not sure if you realize how many people you are impacting through Live Beautiful... and I'm so happy that you took your dream of encouraging people and made it into something real & amazing!!! :] I'm constantly smiling at your blogs and photos and putting all your helpful tips into action...

LOVE!
Cherylyn.

"Change This Mess Into Something Beautiful."

I've had this unbearable pressure inside of me... wanting to burst out from within.
Outside is gray skies.
Stormy & windy.
There's a storm going on inside my heart too.
Chaos.
I want to lose religion.
& just have more of my Jesus.
I want him to infiltrate my heart
& permeate my blood with his goodness & light.

My heart is filled to the brink, yet empty at the same time.
There is so much to say! so much to do!
Once again... my colors and my motivation & strength are
locked in a box.

Negligent.
That is what i am.
I am such a dreamer.
& my dreams are vivid & brilliant.
I used to go after my dreams, go for the gold, & run like the wind.
but now i am standing still with possibilities, opportunities, and goals swirling violently about me.
Where do i go? what do i do?
I am stuck.
Stuck in the middle of the mud with no plan of escape.

The twinkle in my eye is dwindling.

i dream to accomplish things of significance.
but i lack the spirit i need. I do not lack in desire; only the ability to do what i was born to do.
I have come to the conclusion that even though i have no idea what the future has in store, i want nothing less than to be where God wants me to be, to follow his footsteps, and to live only in the glory of his will for me. If i keep floundering around in my own plans, with my own strength, what is my life even worth? I want to be used for something spectacular.

I am going through a season of immense change. The changes may seem small or insignificant to others, but they are the biggest changes i've had to face in years... and i feel like my world is being rocked tumultuously. CHANGE is one of the biggest things i struggle with. But without transformation... the metamorphosis from tragic mess into something beautiful would be impossible.

Somehow, my story is part of YOUR plan.

I've been making up my own world.
I've been painting it with gold.
I pretend to be someone else.
A fictional character...
anyone but myself.
Adding sparkle to the real story.
Illuminating illusions... exaggerating escapades.

This is my dreamworld.

Dreams are destroyed.
Build them into something beautiful.
Shatter me into shards and glue my heart back together.
with your special superglue.
shiny & new.
Better than before.

The grains of sand,
slipping slowly through my hands.
time is running out...
feeling frantic, yet hiding in the deep cave of my creation.
Why am I hiding in the dark?!

Light will overtake the darkness in battle.
The dawn always prevails over the night.

There is hope for the hopeless.
YOU are my solace amidst this madness.
I am TIRED of myself.
I am sick of serenading myself.
This time i'll let YOU wear the crown.

You're the happy ending to everytragic story.
You will satisfy my soul.

FREE COFFEE Giveaway from Ordinary Inspirations !! ENDS TONIGHT

Do you like coffee???

I do.  Starbucks, Tim Hortons...  but not Foldgers or Maxwell House.  I'd rather drink Yerbe Matte.

The BEST coffee I've ever had??  Well, thanks for asking.  I believe it would be while visiting the Jamaican Blue Mountains -- and drinking FRESH Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee.   Holy Crap.  No other words can truly explain.

I'm not supposed to be drinking coffee while pregnant, but, uh... I've learned how to make a MAD MOCHA on ice.  Yum.

ANYWAY -- BACK TO THE FREE GIVEAWAY!!!   --  Visit Traci at Ordinary Inspirations to enter!  The giveaway ends tonight.  Just leave her a comment & let her know you stopped by !

Here's the LINK and CONTEST RULES.  

HAVE FUN!   I hope you win!

It's Cali's naptime at the Lewis household. 

What's on your must-have list?

Several months ago, my cousin Sarah invited me to a scrapbooking retreat in her town. It's coming up this weekend.

And I am so excited!

I'm also a little stressed, considering I have not printed a single photo since October - that's 9 months ago! I've been trying to sort and organize my thousands of digital pictures, but it's a chore. Apparently, I think my daughter is cute - and photograph-able - every single day. Several times a day.

Aside from organizing and printing my pictures, I also have to stock up on supplies and make sure I have all my tools together.

I'm a fairly simple scrapper. I don't have a die cut system, and I don't use brads or eyelets. No, I mainly use paper and adhesive.

I loooove scrapbooking paper. I have so much, and it's near impossible to keep organized. But I can guarantee that I'll buy more before this weekend. I'll buy a few extra boxes of adhesive tabs, too - it's a real bummer to run out of tape in the middle of a crop!

What are your go-to tools for crafting? Do you like a certain glue? Or yarn? Or thread, or material? I'd love to hear about your must-have lists for the crafts and hobbies in your life.

Loveable Idiosyncrasies

I’m utterly convinced that it’s the odd quirky things we most remember about our loved ones. Not only do we remember the strange little mannerisms; we are drawn to people because of them.

There’s a telling and rather hysterical scene in Good Will Hunting where Robin Williams is telling Matt Damon (Will) about his late wife. Does he go on and on about her flowing hair, about the way she tended to the garden with such loving care or how she whispered sweet nothings into his ear every morning? If you’ve seen the movie, you know the answer is an emphatic NO.
Instead, he mentions missing a very specific bodily “quirk” his wife engaged in.



Why do I mention this? Because right now in my family I’m noticing some obvious idiosyncrasies. We have one child who can’t stand to have her hands sticky and who also insists upon wearing pants because she doesn’t want any bugs to attack her legs. Another child darts away from us every chance she gets and walks around the house humming the word cabuz (that’s because in toddler speak). Finally, our third child cries at the first sound of thunder and leaves love notes all around the house. I won’t even get into all the peculiar things my husband does. If I did, then I’d have to mention a few of mine and if I did that you may just stop reading. :D



The point is that we all are a bit strange. The title of one of John Ortberg’s books says it all—Everybody’s Normal Till You Get To Know Them. And what of this? Take a little time today to be grateful for all the things that make us uniquely us. Be thankful that your loved ones own those foibles. Endear yourself to them. Enjoy the loveable idiosyncrasies.

Authentic Beauty

I just ran across THIS blog - and what a great post.  If you really want to discover the essense of "Living Beautiful" then you need to check this one out.

Read, "Authentic Beauty."

Abigail, the blog's author currently lives in Guam, where she teaches "learning to read" at a small Christian school there. I love her idea for this blog and wish her the best!