Thankful for dirty dishes?

The title of this post may have you wondering, "why would I be thankful for dirty dishes?" Doing the laundry and dishes, scrubbing toilets and vacuuming are probably the farthest things from fun, right? Well, I'll admit I don't necessarily look forward to doing these things, however, I heard God speak a word of truth to me as I was throwing a "grown-up tantrum" a few days ago.

Life has been pretty hectic and emotional lately and by the end of this last weekend I was ready to hit the floor. Early Monday morning, both girls were awake, Hurley (our pug was under my ever step), and the house was a disaster. As I looked at my sink full of dishes, I quickly retreated to the laundry room. As I stood there looking at a huge pile of laundry, I found myself negatively saying in my head, "I'm so tired. I don't feel like doing laundry. I don't want to do the dishes. I wish I had a magic wand and it would all go away." Then I heard the Lord speak one word of truth to me, "thankful" and that's all it took for me to begin to see all of these chores as blessings, yes, blessings! I saw my heaping pile of dirty laundry, as clothes that have kept my family warm and the sink full of dishes, as yummy meals that had satisfied our hunger. These dirty clothes and dirty dishes were the result of provision and blessings that many go without! It made me see things in a whole new perspective. At that moment I was not only ashamed at my attitude, but humbled as well.

I am so thankful that I have a God that gently knocks on my heart, and reminds me what's important and what truly matters. I wouldn't have seen these blessings on my own and knowing He is always there to open my eyes to His truth is so comforting. I am truly and sincerely thankful this year for all that God has blessed me with and the truth He has revealed to me.

The Storms of Life...

~My Uncle Todd (my Dad's brother) and my Dad~

The following are lyrics for a song by 'Casting Crowns'. I have found this song running through my head throughout this whole journey with my Uncle Todd's health.

I was sure by now,God, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.

Chorus:
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away

Chorus

I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth

Chorus

It always seems easier to say, "Lord I will praise you even in the tough times", when the tough times have not yet arrived. But to truly praise Him when your world is upside down, is having complete faith in His provision and plan. Though I do not understand why my uncle was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of cancer and why after only a few weeks, the doctors have given him 24 hrs, but I do know God is cradling my uncles tired and weak body in His strong and loving arms.
When I went to visit him Sunday in the hospital as I held his hand, I prayed and begged for him to wake up, just so I could look into his eyes one last time and tell him I loved him one last time. I didn't know if he could hear me, but whispered in his ear anyways, "I love you Uncle Todd, I love you so much! You are such an amazing person and Uncle to me. I love you."
I know God is there and He is taking my Uncle home to be with him to give him a new body free of cancer. The hardest part is letting go...but I can picture God holding out his hand, saying, "come home with me Todd."
Just because the Lord does not answer our prayers with the result that we want, does not mean that He doesn't hear us. This chorus comforts my soul at this time and reminds me that the Lord remains the same no matter where I am in my life:

And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

Please pray for my Dad and his family. Todd is his younger brother and as a big brother, my Dad feels like he should be able to protect him. This has been extremely hard on him, especially living 5 hours away and only being able to see him every few days. Thank you so much!!!

Portland Rescue Mission Donation Drop Off...

Please click on the link "Stories of Hope" to see what the Portland Rescue Mission is doing to help the people of Portland! Thank you!

Stories of Hope

Portland Rescue Mission Donation Drop Off

When: Friday, November 12th anytime between 10:00am - 1:00pm

Where: Barbara Boss's House
14646 S.E. Megan Way
Clackamas, OR 97015

For: The People and Families of Portland

You can make a difference! As the weather gets colder, The Portland Rescue Mission is in desperate need of items such as blankets and food! Did you do any Spring cleaning and have extra coats, blankets or hats that you were going to get rid of? Bring them to The Boss's House and drop your items off while enjoying some pumpkin bread and hot apple cider! If you do not have any items to donate from home, The Dollar Tree and Grocery Outlet are great places to purchase inexpensive items such as canned foods and hats, scarves and gloves. The following is a list of items needed by the Portland Rescue Mission~

-BLANKETS!
-Coats, scarves, hats, and gloves
-tooth brushes, tooth paste, shampoo and bar soap, deodorant
-Canned Foods, boxed non perishable foods
-Frozen Turkey

If you have any questions please feel free to message me on face book or email me @ linzbphoto@yahoo.com. Thank you and every little bit helps! We are hoping to get these items to the people of Portland before Thanksgiving!

With love and thanks,
Lindsi Boss

Where Is the Love?

This is a issue that has been weighing on my heart for a few weeks now and I felt pressed to share my thoughts on this topic.

Everywhere I look lately I have seen ones I love and care about, with heavy hearts and burdens that seem too much for them to bear. I feel like we are in a spiritual war, and those we are fighting for don't even know it! Their hearts are chained by the devil's temptations and though they continually search, the void is always there, and their souls always feel empty. It pains me and makes my heart ache for these people, these children of God. I feel they have been blinded by what the world values so much that they can not see their true value. They are beautiful, amazing individuals that can't see how truly amazing they are! It's almost as if this battle is a game of tug-a-war. My question to myself lately, "If so many people are hurting, how do we lift each other up?" If we are fighting our own battles, how do we have the emotional and physical energy to encourage and give others strength and support? For me personally, it always comes back to prayer. I feel there is nothing stronger than talking personally with God. I have felt very encouraged after praying and knowing that God hears my cry for these special people, comforts and brings me peace.

Has life always been this hard, or is it the time that we are living in? I feel like everyone is just doing what makes them happy because that is what both our society and schools teach. That right and wrong are relative and what may be right to one person may not be right to some one else. What happened to absolute truth!? If we are all going by our own book, then how are we supposed to be on the same page or working towards the same goals with our children and our families? It’s frustrating and sometimes I feel like I’m in a heard of cattle trying to get out alive. It kills me to see people I know and love falling victim to drug addiction and self destruction.

Another question I’ve had is, “where is everyone’s joy?” My dad has taught me two very valuable lessons in my life that I will take with me and try to practice as I continue to get older and raise my children. The first, “to be content at where you are and who you’re with, don’t always go searching for the next big thing.” In other words, “be present in the moment.” And the second valuable lesson, “you can’t change how others feel about a conflict or situation, but you can change how you feel.” In other words, take responsibility for your part and don’t whine or pout. Try to see the positive in the circumstance and learn from it! I feel like a big part of the reason as to why we as Americans go searching for happiness is because we have not yet found happiness and joy within ourselves. We always think, “if I have this or that, then I’ll be happy.” But it goes back to the children’s book “The Giving Tree”. We take and take and put our wants and needs first and are never satisfied.

My last big questions, “What if we as individuals put others needs, others feelings, and other people before our own? If we were all working to help each other, lift each other up, put others first, can you imagine how joyful, positive and uplifting our world would be!? In other words, if we served like Christ, gave our lives for others and looked at every single person like a child of God, what a place of love we would live in?

Food for thought: My challenge for myself, to live as God would live, and to love as God would love. I’m not perfect, nor do I claim to be, but I am tired of just existing and being frustrated by the sadness and devastation going on around me. Every single person can create change. You are never too small and never too late! I think it’s perfectly said in a quote from Gandhi, “be the change you wish to see in the world.”