Just five more minutes of church.... Really!

Happy Memorial Day weekend...

It's rather a nice weekend to say the least. It is usually rainy and cold if I remember correctly. This is the first year I remembered to schedule myself to work because Labor Day weekend is so much nicer - and that was the weekend I was always scheduled to work. However, forgetting about the 'five more minutes of sleep' I was able to enjoy some of the nice weather this weekend.

We were pleasantly surprised at our church service today. It made an EXTREME impact on our lives - both my husband and myself. I even thought several times this morning before getting out of bed (finally) - 'just five more minutes of sleep' and 'hey - what about going next week instead of this week....' (NOT). So - up we got at the horrible hour of 0700 to make it to Willow Creek in South Barrington. This is not our 'home' church. On the days I work 3P to 3A I am unable to make our church so we trek out to Willow for bible study or service. Our home church - which you will hear more about - is Chicagoland Community Church.

The service itself had wonderful deeply moving praise and worship time intermixed with testimonials from 'special needs families' on how God has helped them, given them strength or they have seen God's love in their special needs child. Then they interviewed two parents of special needs children. Unbelievable the faith they have in God and the strength God has given them through every trial and test. The sermon was how we can pray for special needs families - and I was moved even more.
As a nurse in a peds hospital I encounter special needs children every day. I am immune to their 'condition' and truly see them for what they 'can do,' and 'who they are.' However, I was convicted and reminded that I "remember" them by their 'condition', 'sydrome', 'issue' and/or 'disability.' One of the mom's stated that she wanted her child seen for "not what he had, what he couldn't do, but what he could do and who he was in God's eyes." HELLO!

I found myself, as the pastor was wrapping up his sermon - we were standing to pray - linking arms, that I wanted just five more minutes. Five more minutes of God's Word, five more minutes of reflection time, five more minutes in prayer, five more minutes just there......

I would like to share some of the scripture that was in today's sermon because it was extremely touching to me. There was a prayer that goes with the scripture that I have also posted. I encourage you this week to take just five more minutes to include some of these scriptures in your studies, prayer, discusion with friends..... I know I plan on it. Even if you are just reading this and have no "time" for discussion or prayer - think about what it means to you as you are reading it. They are all posted in Message version. If you would like to see a different translation please feel free to go to Biblegateway.com

So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. 2 Corinthians 4:16

Then he turned to the host. "The next time you put on a dinner, don't just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. 13Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. 14You'll be--and experience--a blessing. They won't be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned--oh, how it will be returned!-at the resurrection of God's people." Luke 14:12-14

Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. Romans 12:15

If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. 2 Corinthians 4:7

Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. 10Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody. Romans 12:9-10 Romans 12:16

These people who are attempting to force the ways of circumcision on you have only one motive: They want an easy way to look good before others, lacking the courage to live by a faith that shares Christ's suffering and death. All their talk about the law is gas. Galatians 6:12

To pray for these families - use this guide from the word "SPECIAL"

S - Strength: to deal with others, their own feelings, life challenges and the child's challenges

P - Patience: to wait for progress or when they don't have alot to celebrate
Peace: Over no progress or back slides, celebrate the little things, not to envy other peoples lives.

E - Energy: to deal with all the special needs of the child.

C - Courage: to watch their child struggle, in sickness, broken milestones, to say "no."

I - Intimate Friends: who will walk closely with you through good and bad times, who will lift you up, who will intercede for you.

A - Ability: For God to give us this to see each other as who we are not whatthe condition is. To see them for what they can do and not what they can't. NO ONE IS LABELED BY GOD AS THEIR CONDITION!!

L - LOVE: The bible says - Love ought to be our highest goal - Faith is expressed by LOVE.

Have a Blessed weekend!

B

PJ day and other ramblings........

Natalie had PJ day at school PJ DAY!!!! It was the easiest day for her yet. She literally rolled out of bed. (Ok - I made her change her pj's - against much protest....) I got home from work - feeling quite chipper and looking somewhat refreshed. I couldn't resist this phot op. Did you know (note to self) that as you get older you should rasie your eyebrows (that reminds me I need to get my eye brows waxed before I leave for Australia...) so that you look younger. Whatever... obviously this picture was taken before I was privy to this information! : ) I also note - I need to lose wt - but that's for another day. 

Spring has sprung.....

Spring has sprung for my girls! They are so much alike and so different. I see a part of me in each of them. I see Natalie's influence on her sister and I see Rowan's personality starting to blossom into it's own. I see Natalie's sensitivity and strong convictions mold her into a well balanced girl. I see Rowan's humor and spontaneous acts of inspiration balancing her mom and Nat's rigid regimented lifestyle. My girls and I - a purely non-hormonal moment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Five more minutes and time spent well....

Salutations...

Today I had the unique opportunity to meet with my new "Prayer Partner", "Accountability Partner", or "friend." It was an AWESOME time of sharing and getting to know one another better. I haven't had a "Prayer Partner" since moving here almost a year ago (wow has it been a year already?? I think I was interviewing about this time last year....) and this was much needed in my life. I found my spiritual walk getting set aside for five mintues more of sleep, five minutes more of work, scrapbooking, time with my girls... You get the point. Now - I have dedicated time every other week with her AND I have dedicated time to concentrate daily on her prayers. I am back to writing in my spiritual journal and keeping it with me - this also feels "back to normal." I had originally scheduled about an hour and then I would go get my oldest daughter from school - but pleasantly - the time excaped us. We ended up going as a group to get Nat - and returning to spend at least another hour together. It was really relaxing, nice, refreshing and definitely therapeutic. So - today - the five more minutes was a God-Send! I found myself wanting just five more minutes as she was leaving.... NOW, I just want five more minutes to rest before I have to head off to work.

Have a Blessed day!

B

Scrapbooking? a spiritual wake up call???

Hola'

I had a DAY OFF!!!! Praise God!! I wonder if I can get five more minutes of this day?
I had the opportunity (amazingly so - since I woke up before 0800 being the night person that I am) to work on one of my Srapbooking projects and got really into it. I think my husband was getting a little concerned about the dining room table as the time for our Bible Study grew closer and closer. But - never fear - I was able to reconstruct some semblance of "an orderly household" before 1900. See - when I scrap book -(giving the multi-tasking, adhd, ER nurse mentality that I possess), I have at least three rooms occupied with my projects in some sort of state of progress and each individual area is s p r e a d o u t. I also tend to walk by each project, pondering it's meaning, what I want it to convey and how I can to it. Many times I will hop back and forth between projects because an idea will suddenly come to me. This manic thinking drives my husband nutso. He is a - see a project, start it, finish it - type of guy. I tend to be the one with many projects going, all in various stages of completion. (Don't even look at the ever growing stack of pages that I have completed but need to journal on... shhh just walk away from that corner.)
This project I was working on is a "quote book" to pass down to my girls. It is full of bible verses, quotes and songs that have helped me along on my spiritual journey. I will admit, I had to look up alot of the scriptures in my personal bible. (Praise God I highlight and write in my bible...)I also had to do alot of THINKING to remember certain quotes that have shaped my journey. This, I guess, woke me up, like a big slap upside the head (thanks God - I needed that) at how spiritually dry I was. Getting into all the verses I wanted to add to their book started to invigorate me and make me hungry for more. Amazingly I have filled 90% of the book. I still have to do a little embellishing but, I hope to upload a picture of it soon. I have to share it. It was born out of a class I took at my FAVORITE Scrapbooking store... Windy City Scrapbooking and it has grown from there.
I hope to share alot of my projects on this blog - since that was part of the reason I started this blog. I get alot of my ideas - from other scrappers - and have seen a few blogs that intrigued me. I am trying very hard to stick with a christian theme to my scrap booking - since the idea is to pass these books, mini albums and altered art to my children. I love adding scripture, meaningful quotes and hidden journaling. (I swear I am a frustrated writer just looking for an outlet....) So be sure to check back for updates on my projects - I will be posting them. Today's five more minutes was for my scrapbooking time..... I find myself wanting five more minutes of that quite frequently.

Have a Blessed Day!

B

Ro and I 

Nat and I 

Hello Hello - Hola'

Just Five More Minutes... or more?
What an odd peculiar title you might say.... that would describe me. I try my best to not conform to popular culture, societies view of life or the "norm" as it is said. This is applied to all walks of my life. Just five more minutes... or more, is a common phrase we hear if we are "moms", "teachers", "nurses", or yes - even "spouses." It's a common phrase we say if we are awakened from a deep sleep by the annoying alarm clock, outside playing in the beautiful spring weather, the last few minutes of our lunch hour, spending time with dear friends, family or "alone." It's a phrase our personal trainer yells at us in the gym, it's an ever present cry from God who is competing for our attention, it's in the looks of our children on our way out the door to work, it's in our grandparents eyes when we visit them at the nursing home.
It describes a deep internal cry in all of us out of desparate need for more time in this ever changing, perpetually faster moving culture that is driven by the "information highway." We are all tapped into the microwave mentality of - I want it now, not five minutes from now - NOW! We expect fast service, fast delivery, quick fixes to our problems and quick answers to our questions. We have lost sight of "time." As a result, when things that take more than five minutes we lose our attention and our buttons are pushed causing us to react. How many times are you standing in line, sitting in traffic, on hold with a customer support tech, at work or even with your family and friends and you think - just five more minutes and I am free, five more minutes wasted, or how many more five minutes will tick by wasting time? We have become an inpatient society and with that increasingly more frustrated by the "norm" of time it takes to get from point a to point b, results, answers, help, time with a loved one..... Descriptions of "instant gratification", "immediate results", "hot n now", "instant approval", "10 minute delivery or free service", etc... have become our outlook on life.
I am by far NOT perfect. I too, become frustrated with waiting. I become even more frustrated when my time is whittled away from my family, friends and alone time. I am even frustrated, lately, at my lack of time I am devoting to my spiritual walk. It seems that every "scheduled" bible study, class, service or alone time - is infringed upon by work, family or friends. The latter not an issue as much as the former. Many times the former takes me away from the latter since they are usually with my spiritual activities I am not able to get to. My journaling time is infringed upon, my scripture reading is thwarted by falling asleep, my prayer time is distracted by my children who want to spend time with me. I am not complaining - and I do not have the answer to my dilema. I just know that this title - Just Five More Minutes... or more, describes my multitasking, frantic, busy life. I am sure it describes a part of yours as well. I love my life, my girls, my husband (who has stuck with "US" through good and bad) and my job. This blog was an impulse creation born out my addiction and love for scrapbooking and papercrafts, my need to work on my spiritual walk, my desire to share my thoughts and develop my writing skills and an outlet for all of the above.
So - welcome to Just Five More Minutes ...... This is not a "instant gratificatoin" blog. This is a pull up your coffee, latte, chai latte, tea (which we are getting accustomed to give our soon to be travel to the UK) or H2O - and sit back, share and delight. Just five more minutes til reality... or more?


Have a Blessed and Not So Rushed Week......
B