Exciting News!

As you know, we have a little ‘furniture’ family business.  It takes a lot of work and time, and we really aren’t making a real profit yet, but we get to do it as a family in so many ways.  And, we get to minister to many, many people.

The Lord has really blessed it and we have had incredible favor when we least expect.  Each new opportunity is an exciting adventure.

Well, we are pleased to announce that our little business, {re}imagined just for you, will be at the West Michigan and Mid-Michigan’s Women’s Expos in Feb/Mar of 2013!

This is a HUGE opportunity for us.  I will be one of the featured speakers for each expo.  Three times a day I will be on stage sharing my heart, passion and some DIY/crafty tips.  I feel it is an incredible honor and see the Lord’s hand leading it.

Here is the post where I announced it on our business blog.  Very exciting news for this homeschool mama from a little town in Michigan!!

Also, we are having our big semi-annual Shop the Barn {boutique} Sale this weekend.  We work really hard to fill our ‘barn boutique’ with beautiful treasures.  We LOVE the people we get to meet and serve during our sales too.  So, yes, we are just a tad bit excited over here!!

Just One Little Verse

Isn’t it amazing how just one little verse really could cover everything you struggle with?  Not a verse here and there, but just one verse.

The very first verse that I felt the Lord “gave” me was in the book of Isaiah.  “Getting” a verse was new to me.  But I knew that I knew this verse was for me.  I would say it is my favorite verse, probably, in part, due to sentimentality, but it is a good one none the less.

Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Or the Amplified.

Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice.

If I truly believe this verse, I mean, come on, HE is with me!  HE is MY GOD!  HE strengthens ME.  HE helps ME! than why the struggle? 

What in the world do I have to fear, or be anxious over?  What in the world can I not do if HE does the helping and strengthening?  Just one little verse.

Then I read in Oswald Chambers today,

“How can anyone identified with Jesus Christ suffer from doubt or fear!  Our lives should be an absolute hymn of praise resulting from perfect, irrepressible, triumphant belief!”

How can I suffer from doubt and fear indeed!

Loving being His daughter,

Michelle

Do you have ‘just one little verse’ that speaks volumes to you?  What is your ‘life’ verse?  Or, the first verse you ‘got’ from the Lord?

You Are My Portion

This is what the Lord ministered to my heart this morning.  Hoping it touches your heart as well.

There was something big to me that I could not solve or figure out how to do.  Nothing earth shattering, yet big to me.  He once again provided all that I need and more.

It leaves me shaking my head in awe of how much He loves me, and how often I forget He does this sort of thing for me.

He is our FATHER, a good Father.  He loves us and will always meet our needs.  ALWAYS. Period.  He delights to  show His love to us.

Whatever it is right now in your life, He’s got it.  He really does.  Fall back into Him and trust Him to bring it about. He is your Father and He loves you!!

  . . . For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:31-43, but do go read the context, Mt. 6:25-34)

He KNOWS what you need!

Fretting

I just can’t shake this quote.

“Fretting arises from our determination to have our own way.”  (Oswald Chambers)

Fretting arises from my own determination to have MY own way.  My way, my will, not His way or His will. 

It’s where I clench my fists and with gritted teeth say, ‘it’s my way or the highway’. 

My way of being treated.  My way of how or what gets done.  My way is the way it has to be for me to be happy and joyful.

I’ll fight and fuss, and by George, this is the way it is going to be!  And when it does not go my way, well, it’s not pretty.  The fretting begins.

The sighing, the knotted stomach.  The shoulders that tense and rise.  The mind begins to race with ways to change the circumstances or force solutions.

Peace is long gone.  It has since been replaced with anxiety.  Fretting.

Ever notice you cannot simultaneously fret and be joyful?

You cannot fret and be at peace?

You cannot fret and trust?

Fretting is utterly incompatible with the Christian life.  Simple as that.

Surely I can’t be the ONLY one to struggle with fretting, right?

What is your battle plan for overcoming fretting?

Be anxious for nothing, (do not fret!)  but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Whirlwind Anniversary Date

Here we are as we are about to walk out the door Monday morning.

Victoria and the younger children risked losing life in limb in the frigid temps to clean out the van for us before we left.  They wanted to surprise us.  Anytime the van is clean, it is a surprise.

The put up cute signs for us and some cash for a latte!

First stop, Branns on Leonard.  I worked in the bar when Brian and I met, and let’s just say Brian frequented the bar when we met.  This was the place of our first kiss.  Right there in the parking lot.

Here is the apartment I lived in while we dated.  We walked around the streets where we did all those years ago.

Here is our first home.  We LOVED this house.  It had the most beautiful woodwork and hardwood floors.  When we lived there it was painted a barn red with white trim.

Outside the church where we got married.

The long walk up the isle to the man of my dreams.

‘And I give you, Brian and Michelle Grzybowski!”

I love old churches.  Oh, and would you believe as we opened the door to walk out of the church the bells started ringing!  It was so cool.  Just for us.  Well, that, and it was noon, which is apparently when they ring each day.   It was still special, none the less.

From there, I whisked him off to a café that serves Polish food.  The same type of food we had at our wedding.  Fresh Kielbasa, Kapusta, Golbacki, Pierogies, and rye bread.

After lots of thrift shopping and picking up some ‘picnic’ food at GB Russo and Son we ended up at the same hotel we stayed at twenty-four years earlier!  He was so surprised!

I kept him blindfolded until we got to the room. When he opened his eyes he saw rose petals all over the floor and bed.  Candles and signs I had made of favorite quotes from movies that we have loved over the years.  I also had romantic music on my computer for him.  Our wedding song and our renewal of our vows song.  Always, by Atlantic Starr and Still the One, by Shania Twain.  I still bawl when I hear those songs.  I kid you not, I have been in Meijer and Still the One will come on and I will be standing there in the produce section, bawling!

Victoria packed a romantic little picnic basket for us.  It was beautiful.

There you have it.  An epic post on our Anniversary . . . if you are still here.  It was incredibly special and romantic.  We talked about so many memories.  Truly a blessed time.

Pure Grace

That is often the phrase I use to describe our marriage.  You see, people with pasts like ours shouldn’t have such beautiful, wonderful marriages.  If you really knew us, our weaknesses, you would wonder how we have the marriage we have too.

There is no other answer but, Pure Grace.  Only the grace of God can do what He has done in us.  Today is our 24th anniversary and I can honestly say that I am more in love with this man than I ever have been.

We have been through a lot together.  Some of the things we have been through can destroy marriages, but by the grace of God, ours was strengthened.  We marvel at how perfectly we ‘fit’ together, each with our own gifts and weaknesses that balance the other.

Don’t get me wrong, life is not all rainbows and sunshine.  We disagree, we rub each other the wrong way, and can be just plain old selfish.  But we say, ‘I’m Sorry’ a lot and hug and make up and forgive and move on.

So today, I am so incredibly thankful for the 24 years I have had married to the man of my dreams!

He doesn’t know this (so don’t say anything in the comments) but I am taking him on a whirlwind date today!  We will be stopping to all the important places from our past.  The place we got married, the house we lived in, where we first kissed, where we had all our babies, and more!  He will be blindfolded until we get to our destinations.  This should be a real trip for him!  Imagine, the wife driving and the husband blindfolded!  Maybe it won’t be so fun for him!

Oh, and we are ending up at the same hotel we stayed at 24 years ago tonight.  We had the whirlpool room that night.  I do NOT like hot water, and we could not get the water cool enough, so this wonderful, newly married man, trucked down to the ice machine and brought back bucket after bucket of ice until the water temperature was perfect for his new bride.  If that was not a sign of the times to come, I don’t know what was! LOL.  Apparently from day one he has been laying down his life.

I love you Brian, you are such a gift to me.  One I cherish and appreciated every single day!

 

 

Points Well Taken

The Lord really spoke to my heart yesterday, yet again, setting His little girl straight.  Thankfully He doesn’t seem to tire of my stumbling, though I do.  I love how He lets me sort of ‘spin out’ a bit trying to do things my own way, and when I realize I simply cannot do it my way and cry out to Him, He is right there.  Ready to forgive, to pick up, dust me off and speak right to my heart.

The following quotes are from Ann Voskamp, Sally Clarkson and, of course, Oswald Chambers.  (man-o-mister, that guy can be a bit annoying sometimes, seems to read my mail and often!)  I don’t have the exact links to the quotes, sorry.  I select and print up post so I can read later, so I am not sure of the links.  Hope you don’t mind.

Live for this moment and this moment only . . . I am just thankful He is with me.

When we need peace, we only need to say yes to God’s purposes.

. . . so we must leave our burdens and stresses into His hands, climb into His lap and allow Him to be God-allow Him to direct our lives and show us how to let go of all that is not essential.

Let go and lean . . . lean back into Him . . . abandon all worries and abide in Christ . . . ALL IS WELL

The relief (peace) is in the release of everything into the hands of God.  Isn’t it all safer in His hands anyway?

Life’s an adventure when we move as He moves.

If the joy of the Lord is my strength, the oxygen that keeps me standing, why do I deprive myself of joy’s oxygen?

Ranting does not rejuvenate.

Let something steal your joy and you let something steal your strength.

Resting in the Lord is not dependent on your external circumstances at all, but on your relationship with God Himself. . .  Worrying always results in sin.   

Fretting rises from our determination to have our own way.  (ouch!!!)  Fretting is wickedness for a child of God.

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.

Yeah, I know, quite a bit for one day, don’t you think??  Each and every quote nailed exactly what was going on and I was brought, once again, to my knees in repentance.  Joy returns when we surrender to Him.  Perhaps I will remember that next time.