A Father's Voice

The past couple weeks I, Andy, have felt like God has been teaching me to slow down and listen to Him. This lesson came to me quickly one afternoon at work while I was reading these two blog posts (Part 1 and Part 2) by Kevin DeYoung during some of my free time. These posts convicted me of the time I spend seeking "knowledge" and "purpose" from the internet. I can so easily waste away a slow afternoon on the internet - jumping from blogs to news to sports to anything - filling my life with noise. The last paragraph of Part 2 was what quickly grabbed my attention and placed the conviction from my head to my heart.

He says,

What if we prefer endless noise to the deafening sound of silence? What if we do not care to hear God’s still, small voice? 

God's still small voice. That's what caught my attention. I was in 1 Kings just that past Tuesday and my reading had covered chapter 19. This is when God summons Elijah to a mountain to ask him something. Verses 11-13 tell of how there was a strong wind, and then an earthquake, and then a fire...but God was not in any of those. Instead it says that the Lord was in the sound of a low whisper; or as the King James Version puts it, "a still small voice."

I believe the Lord brought this passage of scripture to me twice that week to waken me to the truth that it's  not the noise that will comfort me, it's not the knowledge at my fingertips that will plan my life, but rather His voice, Himself who will speak to me. And sometimes that voice is still...sometimes it is small.

So I wrote a song. It relates my earthly father - whom I miss dearly and whose character I admire immensely - to my heavenly Father - whom calls me to slow down, listen, and seek Him. 

Here are the lyrics. Click on the title to listen to the song.

 A Father's Voice

Father wasn't in the field

Father wasn't in the shop

Father wasn't on the streets

Father, he was in our home.

Reading, praying,

quoting to me.

Laughing, crying,

serving family.

Still small voice You cry

Still small voice You pry

Still small voice You try

to speak to me.

Father wasn't in the wind

Father wasn't in the quake

Father wasn't in the fire

Father, he was in the still.

Calling, yearning

for me to slow.

Open, waiting

for me to seek.

Still small voice You cry

Still small voice You pry

Still small voice you try

to speak to me.

Freedom!

We are officially debt free!!!

At the beginning of last year we prayed to be debt free by the end of 2012. We read a Dave Ramsey book and we were more or less trying to be "gazelle intense." However, as we looked at the year ahead we felt like we had to make the decision to put money towards debt or trips to family and friends (weddings, Christmas, reunion, etc.). Surprisingly this was a hard decision for me. Once I set my mind to something I have a hard time going back on it (stubborn?, maybe...). And since we said we were going to be debt free then we will be debt free!

Thankfully, Andy proved to be my balance yet again, and helped me realize what would I remember in 10 years: debt free a year earlier or time with and memories of friends and family? Is being debt free 6 months to a year earlier really more important than seeing family? Perspective.

So the decision was made. My hands now holding loosely the money the Lord gave us, we still tried to give what we could to debt, but it looked impossible last January. 

And here we are! I think we are still shocked to see how the Lord has provided the past year, and thankful and amazed to be where we are now. 

A Weary World Rejoices

"Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn."

I love these words from O Holy Night. 

Where am I seeking my worth this Christmas? 

And it is a weary world, yet there is hope; a new and glorious hope!

This Week!

Just wanted to let you know the giveaway is this week!

Who knows maybe you will win?! (But for reals, if you're fam I can tots send you one anyways :))

Featured

UPDATE: see below :)

About a week ago, I received an email from Angie who runs a blog and Etsy shop called Knick of Time Interiors. She wants to feature TreasuredWord on her blog!

So starting tomorrow she'll be hosting a giveaway of TreasuredWord versepacks and cards. She does giveaways each week, so you should check it out and maybe win some free stuff. :)




I feel so blessed by Angie's offer, and so encouraged in keeping on with TreasuredWord. The summer was slow, but things seem to be picking up now that it is fall.



I pray that I will continue to hold it with an open hand, but I am excited to see where it will go!


As for Andy and I, we are doing great, enjoying the cooler weather, and working hard. Andy is enjoying his new job at MDOT. He loves walking around downtown during his breaks. They are keeping him busy (huge praise!) and has co-workers who love the Lord.

Kindergarten is going good. I took off Friday because of a cold. I feel like this time of year is a lot like the "Real World" from MTV. They all start out sweet and quiet but then they start "getting real" and showing their true colors. Despite that we still have a sweet bunch with even sweeter parents. One mom sent us a candy bar with a note saying "Happy Tuesday," and another, a muffin and a note saying they are praying for us! I felt so loved. :)

Handy Andy

  It is funny how small inconveniences can make you want to spend hundreds of dollars on electronics. 

The before

     Our computer is also our TV. I was getting tired having to set it and the speakers up every time we wanted to watch something. Since we are not quite ready to take the TV plunge, for various reasons, I was looking for something to better house our laptop. I had envisioned adding wheels to an end table or nightstand, but could not find what I wanted via Craigslists, and of course to be patient was asking too much.

Insert, awesome hubby who offered to build something for me. :) 

     I had found a similar idea on Pinterest, but we simplified it and changed the measurements to suit our needs. What you need: 2 16x36 cut in half courtesy of Lowe's, nails, wood glue, screws, sand paper, spray paint, and casters (which I found out when I asked the Lowe's person where the small wheel thingy's are).

Start by sanding the wood till it is smooth.

If you don't have wood clamps, or a helping hand use bricks to prop the pieces then glue and nail together.

Tada!

Spray paint and screw in wheels. It took us to cans two cover the cube, but might have been better if we used  a primer first.

Andy did such a good job, I was so impressed with how it turned out.

Total cost was under $30! 

LOVE it!  This was our first project making anything (and by "we" I mean Andy because let's face it he did all the hard work :)), and I am so glad it turned out. Now when we want to watch a movie we roll it out in front of the couch and when we are done we roll it back! So simple and so glad we took the risk and just did it.

Reno and a redo

We are leaving today to fly to Reno, NV for a college friend's wedding. She met a Frenchman while in Paris, and got engaged on the Swiss Alps! I mean it could be a movie!  And is now getting married!

We are so excited for her, and for a chance to catch up with a few college friends. I am so grateful we both have jobs that allow us the freedom to do this. I'm sure the wedding will be gorgeous, it is on the beach of Lake Tahoe. So it's kinda like a 2nd honeymoon for us. Well...minus the camping and sharing my tent with a girl. 

...

On a completely unrelated topic, here is a little revamp of a lamp that I did. Andy wanted a lamp above the piano, I didn't want it because it didn't match anything. However, with a little spray paint, and some scrap fabric it works. 

We got this lamp for free from a very lovely person who no longer needed it. :) 

Cute, but not the right color.

Tada!

It turned out better than I thought it would! For the lamp shade, I cut a rectangle of fabric that was the height of the shade and long enough to wrap around. Then, using a hot-glue gun, I folded the top in pleats as I glued it down. I had a closer image but it got deleted.