Friday, October 29

Small, Hard Things

Posted by Andrea via The Rebelution

Read Philippians 2:1-18

Real life is full of small, tedious things. Things that are not fun, but are requirements for a healthy, happy life. The following article was borrowed from a blog called The Rebelution. The concept is all about doing small, hard things to the glory of God. What is quite possibly the most amazing thing, is that the blog (and the book that followed) were written by teenagers! Alex and Brett Harris currently have a thriving ministry to youth (and are no longer teenagers), but their message is significant for moms too.




It is not extremely difficult for us to convince ourselves that the faithful practice of doing small, hard things should be valued as vital preparation for future achievements. It is, however, much harder to view them as significant in and of themselves. Can we assign meaning to these simplest and humblest of acts?


Wednesday, October 27

Just to be nice.

Posted by Alysun


Read Philippians 2:1-11


Our culture has strayed far from “nice” as normal behavior. A friend dropped by my house the other day to give me a gift. She went WAY out of her way because I live about 15 minutes from town. She also had no excuse to give me a gift – it wasn’t my birthday or Christmas or Tree Day. Simply, she thought of me and was being nice. It was incredible.


New neighbors moved in last year and when talking to them, my husband found out they didn’t have a large mower to mow down the grass around their pond. My husband offered to come mow it when he was doing the mowing around our place. After he finished the job, our neighbors asked how much they should pay him. He said, “Nothing, just being neighborly.” They were really shocked since they came from a large city in California where “nice” isn’t free. Ever.

Tuesday, October 26

Getting Comfortable

Posted by Andrea

Read Genesis 11:1-8


I saw a casserole dish the other day that I fell in love with. It was so beautiful with it’s fluted edges in a cheery turquoise blue. I imagined setting it on the table filled with lasagna that would taste so much better because of the dish it was in. I imagined it holding fresh apple crisp ready to be so much more wonderful because of the container. And dishwasher safe! I fancied myself loading it into the dishwasher, smiling in satisfaction because together, the two of us had created a meal that fed and pleased our family. And it was on an amazing sale! Oh, how I love a good deal!


And it was sold out.


Monday, October 25

Can We Find A Friend So Faithful?

Posted by Alysun



Read Isaiah 40:26-31



Plain and simple, my feelings were hurt. It was what was implied as much what was said and I left the encounter wanting to cry. My thoughts and feelings whirled around in my head at every available opportunity. My emotions were a wreck. Errands, tasks, and chores kept me occupied only for a moment before the sadness swelled up again and I ruminated once more on those feelings.



Several times throughout the rest of the day I tried to call my short list of people who will listen to me vent. I wanted some comfort for my hurt feelings and someone to say, “That person is so mean! They have no right to treat you like that. You are really wonderful.” But every call either went to voicemail or I was interrupted before I could share any details.

Saturday, October 23

Dancing In The Minefields


‘I do’ are the two most famous last words
The beginning of the end
But to lose your life for another I’ve heard is a good place to begin
Cause the only way to find your life is to lay your own life down
And I believe it’s an easy price for the life that we have found.

Friday, October 22

Picking up After Pride

Posted by Andrea


Read Romans 8



Pride is nasty business. It comes just before destruction, Proverbs says. It’s what got Lucifer kicked out of heaven. I’m still thinking about this from the Pharisee post a few days ago. Pride was the root issue that caused their troubles. But perhaps a more contextually appropriate word would be self-righteous.



Righteous is one of those words we toss about in church. It means perfection is all. That’s probably the reason we don’t throw that word around in church. People would run scared if you phrased I Peter 6:11 “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue perfection, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” How is that even possible?



In the book of Job, one of his kind-hearted (or not) friends asks the question this way: “Dominion and awe belong to God; he establishes order in the heights of heaven. Can his forces be numbered? Upon whom does his light not rise? How then can a man be righteous before God? How can one born of woman be pure? If even the moon is not bright and the stars are not pure in his eyes, how much less man, who is but a maggot a son of man, who is only a worm!" (Job 25)


Thursday, October 21

How to Make Things Grow

Posted by Andrea via Inspired to Action by Kat

Read James 1



Faithfulness makes things grow.


If we water our garden faithfully it will grow. If we bake faithfully every day, our skills will grow. If we run 500 yards every day, our ability to run fast and far will grow. It’s how we’re made.


Things done faithfully ALWAYS grow.


Wednesday, October 20

The Porcupine and the Skunk.

Posted by Alysun


Read Proverbs 18



A Porcupine bumped and bumbled down the street, piercing things in her path. A Skunk watched the Porcupine from her window and shook her head in irritation, “Oh, she’s always bumping into things. She hurts everything in her path.” Since they were friends, the Skunk waved to the Porcupine. Thinking the Skunk was waving her in for a chat, the Porcupine changed her course and came up the front walk to the house. They greeted each other at the door and the Skunk decided to invite the Porcupine in for tea.



“Please come in my friend the Porcupine. Would you like some tea?” Asked the Skunk, expecting a good visit.


“Of course!” Said the Porcupine, all the while thinking, “It really stinks in here.”


Tuesday, October 19

On Being a Pharisee

Posted by Andrea


Read Matthew 12


I don’t want to write about this topic very much. I have been thinking about it and resisting it for sometime now, but I think it’s time I admit the truth. I am a Pharisee. I’m recovering. This may be one of my twelve steps, I don’t know.


I didn’t have any idea about it until I read the book of Matthew a little while ago. I got to one of the passages where Jesus is dealing it out ever-so severely to the hypocrites. Generally when I get to those parts, I kind of like to cheer Jesus on. He says, “You brood of vipers!” and I say, “You tell ‘em, Jesus!”


Monday, October 18

Knowing God.

Posted by Alysun, excerpt from Crazy Love, Overwhelmed by a relentless God, by Francis Chan


Read Psalm 8


I've already confessed my love for books. I read a lot and brainless fiction is what I am drawn to first. The pile of reading material on my end table gets shuffled every now and then and one book keeps showing up on top. This book has the ability to make my stomach flip with nerves. From the moment I cracked its spine I knew it would convict me to my soul. Am I ready for this kind of responsibility? It is easier not to read it and to be content with a rather shallow faith. Crazy Love, by Francis Chan pushes the limits and I catch a glimpse of a relationship with God that is so mind blowing it frightens me. I hope you will read the whole book, but until then, here is an excerpt from the chapter on knowing God.


...............

Friday, October 15

From the Depths of the Earth.

Posted by Alysun (letter from a representative of Campus Crusade for Christ)


Read Psalm 95


These daily drops are meant to encourage and help us grow spiritually as we travel through the overwhelming responsibilities of mothering. If you are like me, it is easy to get lost in the daily details, many of them being "icky" in nature. So often I want to stomp my foot and say, "This is too hard!" And maybe I succumb sometimes and actually stomp by foot and throw a little mommy tantrum.


I need a reminder that my life isn't really that hard. I'm surrounded by blessings and love, even when many of them are "icky" in nature.  I received an email today that was just such a reminder... and I needed it. It was from my cousin who works for Campus Crusade for Christ and she was forwarding a note from her friend in the Philippines regarding the Campus Crusade efforts in Chile. Read and be encouraged:


Dear friends,


Once in a while the world is riveted by good news...like others around the world, we [in the Philippines] have watched with nervous anticipation as the amazing rescue effort for the 33 miners has unfolded, ever so slowly, and has finally come to an amazingly smooth conclusion.




But one of the stories behind the story has been the work of the Chilean Campus Crusade for Christ ministry to reach out to and encourage the miners -- even while they were still trapped hundreds of meters below the surface.

Thursday, October 14

His Goodness.


Posted by Alysun as written by Katie Davis (with permission)



Read Luke 11:9-13, see below




Have I told you how God loves me?


Last week I was telling my husband that I've been wanting boots. I've wanted them for about 4 years, but the kind I love are around $200 or more! So I knew it would have to be a miracle to get some this year.  I felt funny doing it, but I whispered a what felt like a selfish prayer..."God, I'd really like some boots this year...".

Wednesday, October 13

The Truth about God.

Posted by Andrea


Read Acts 1



People, particularly those who have never had a personal relationship with him, think of God as a distant, disinterested being in flowing robes with a santa-esque beard. They think of him as sitting on a golden throne, scepter of vengeance in his hand, surrounded by cherubs playing harps. This god either doesn’t care about the workings of the world or is like that mean kid in the first Toy Story movie that only gets involved to see what sort of havoc he can cause.


We know this image of the Almighty is a projection of people’s fear rather than the truth, but we are guilty of wondering the same things about our creator. How can he possibly care about us and each detail about our lives? If God is so good, why does he let bad things happen?


Tuesday, October 12

This too Shall Pass

Posted by Andrea

Read Ecclesiastes 3


As I write this, I am completely overwhelmed with life and all its responsibilities.

We live in a tiny house that seems to shrink daily. I struggle with the volume of stuff we have managed to cram into this place. We purge our surplus often, but it still seems to consume our space. The most recent reason for my frustration comes from school. We have decided, at least for now, to teach our children at home. This requires a few things.

#1 Time
#2 work space
#3 Storage space


And trying to find any of it lately has been difficult and messy. Add to that a certain little boy turning 6, the 120 pounds of fruit in need of processing and a semi-daily devotional to write, I’ve had it. I can’t find the floor in my living room or bedroom. My children now go straight to the laundry pile on the couch to find clean clothes, I’ve completely forgotten about dinner 3 nights in a row…


In the middle of all this mess, I can’t help but think, It’s going to be like this forever.

Monday, October 11

Taking off the brakes. Pedaling at full speed.


Posted by Alysun


Read James 1


Have you ever tried to ride a bike with its brake stuck against the tire? I have. I rode my bike with the brake stuck on for my entire childhood and adolescence. I'm sure of that now, but I didn't know it back then. I've never been what you would call "athletic" so I assumed that I was just bad at bike riding. Give me some hotglue, fabric and popsicle sticks and I was a happy camper. Bike riding? No thanks. When anyone would suggest, "Let's go for a bike ride," I would tremble in fear. Memories came back to haunt me of my aching muscles and sweaty armpits and trying in vane to catch up with the rest of the pack. I really hated riding a bike.





Then I got a new bike when I was in highschool and realized something profound: bike riding is fun when I wasn't pedaling so hard.


Since it took me more than a decade to figure out the bike thing, it is no small wonder that it took me so long to figure out other easy fixes. Like why I didn't enjoy mothering. Why being with my children exhausted me. Why others seemed to find joy in parenting and I just found sweaty armpits.

Friday, October 8

Real Help For Moms Dealing With Anger.

Posted by Alysun


Read Matthew 11:28-30 and II Corinthians 4:8-9


I love books. From fiction to non-fiction, my night table is about to collapse from my ready stack of vade mecums. I believe the Bible is the ultimate source of knowledge and I appreciate authors who address specific life issues with Scripture as the backbone. Many authors have impacted my thinking – they are the books I recommend to friends or give as gifts. I’ll be sharing excerpts from time to time. Today’s quote is from She’s Gonna Blow: real help for moms dealing with anger, by Juli Ann Barnhill.

Thursday, October 7

Wellspring

Posted by Andrea from Wellspring of Life by Nancy Bentz



A friend referred me to a devotional blog called Wellspring of Life. The following post is from the introduction to the blog and I loved it so much, I just had to share. It's short, but full of wonderful treasures. I hope you are as blessed by it as I am.




A heart.


We all have one. And a story to go with it.


Every heartbeat marks another moment of our existence.  And with every heartbeat, more of life is etched into our story.

Wednesday, October 6

Revitalized

Posted by Alysun


Read Psalm 51




Has your spiritual life ever felt stagnant, repetitious, drab, uninteresting, stuffy, ho hum, unexciting, tiresome, and/or mundane? Not so nice words used to describe a relationship with the Creator of the Universe, author and perfector of our faith. It is hard to admit, but it happens. We look around and wonder, am I the only one who ever struggles with a “blah” Christianity? Most of us have been there at one time or another…. even writers for Drops.

Tuesday, October 5

Ingredients

Posted by Andrea

Read Romans 12


Fresh cut grass

Babies slathered in Johnson and Johnson

The earth just after the rain

The smell of bread baking


Smell is one of the most powerful of the five senses. The ability to smell helps us taste, can alert us of danger, and can bring back memories long ago forgotten.


In the book of Leviticus, which is where I generally get off track when I try reading through the Bible, Moses writes the details regarding every kind of sacrifice the Lord required of the Israelites. I cannot help but be thankful for Jesus’ sacrifice delivering us from all those requirements when I read them. All of the offerings have one thing in common: when done properly, they are a “pleasing aroma to the Lord.”

Monday, October 4

I CAN change the way I feel.

Contributed by Grace


Read II Corinthians 10




When we got married, I thought that life would be easy. I was marrying my best friend. We madly in love with each other. We knew everything about each other (sarcasm added!).



Fast forward a few weeks and a new unwelcome feeling entered our home. I was hurt. Often. Mostly I felt unimportant to my husband. Every time he chose to go hang out with the guys, work late, or just wanted us to do something other than be with just me, I felt hurt. Unloved. Like I wasn't interesting enough for him. I was perfectly happy to spend all of my days curled up in his arms (okay, so maybe I still am!) and the thought that sometimes that was "boring" for him hurt my feelings.

Friday, October 1

On Mission

Posted by Andrea

Read Matthew 28



I grew up going to a church with a large emphasis on world missions. The first verse I ever learned in Sunday School was John 3:16. The second was the Great Commission:
“Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel.” Every year, our church would host a missions conference. Missionaries from all over the world would come and share amazing stories of foreign cultures, strange food, and divine intervention. I heard about doctors, nurses, teachers, pilots, Bible translators, all serving God in exotic lands. They all talked about their mysterious “call” to the mission field. They talked of saying things to God like, “I’ll go anywhere you want, just don’t send me to Africa!” Which of course is exactly where they ended up.



I remember having friends that were afraid of missions conference time, because they worried they might get “the call” and have to leave the comforts of home for the jungles of South America. I was never wild about hearing the stories of insects the size of dinner plates or having to eat pig intestines as the honored guest in a tribal chief’s home. I didn’t like the idea of leaving behind macaroni and cheese for good, but I hoped that God would send me off to be a missionary. I waited for him to call me. But he didn’t. He left me here.