Teresa's Treasures

Please don't think that because I'm writing a post about struggling as a mom I think I have all the answers; you and I both know I don't. But having been given permission by Melanie Smalling who wrote a blog entitled Struggling recently, I want to share with you some of my own personal experiences and "wisdom" that I have received over the last 27 years, that has helped me in my own struggles with raising children and with just what God expected of me when I was your age. So it is mostly with my heart, instead of my head that I write this entry about struggling. First of all, in paragraph two, Melanie starts with the words,  "I'm so tired. So is everyone else. I feel like God has been giving and giving and giving to me for so long through so many people and I should be so full of Him that it would be evident in my life. And then I look at my life and it's kind of the opposite. I still feel like I'm taking and taking and taking." When I wa...

Last night, after life had stopped and Phil and I had already gone to bed, I opened up and said "I'm at a crossroads in my life right now. I'm not really doing anything at church right now, except teaching my Wednesday night ladies class, the videos are not selling because I don't have a marketer and I don't know what to do with them, Laura is moving and I have no more kids in the house, and I could get a secular job, but I don't know if I could keep it because of my health." I said also that I felt like my job at church, over the last twenty years, had been to pray that we could get to where we are today, and we are, finally, there. We have not "arrived" but we are finally at the place where we can understand "freedom in Christ" and I know that, now, we can soar. Phil suggested that I help at church, since Sandra had left, and Gayle needed the help. I admit that that's something I'll probably look into, but that's not the a...

In March I started mowing again. When I taught High School in the late seventies, I mowed because I didn't want to kill my students and I needed something to get rid of my frustration. This time, thirty years later, I'm mowing because I want to. With Spring just beginning, I've only mowed three times, but each time I've just been overwhelmed with emotions that have been indescribable and uncontainable (words you're going to hear again). God speaks to me through mowing. These are some lessons I think of every time I mow, that apply to my Christian life as well. You have to have the right equipment . 1) a good lawnmower 2) a weedeater 3) gloves 4) sunglasses and 5) most importantly, an IPOD. * Bad picture but, they're all here if you look closely, minus the weedeater. "Therefore put on the full armor of God,...the belt of truth...the breastplate of righteousness...the gospel of peace...the shield of faith...the helmet of salvation...and the sword of the Spir...

March 26 - March 30 eleven of us went to Gatlinburg for some rest and relaxation. It was the seven of us, Phil, me, David, Kelly, Bella, Laura and Clinton plus David and Kelly's friends, Travis and Tiffany Ayers and their two little girls, Felicity and Trinity. I must say we had one of the best times we've ever had and that's with eight adults and three children under the age of four. Here we are at the Log Cabin Pancake House (our favorite place for breakfast). This is not the picture I wanted, but it's the one that came up and I don't know how to remove it. :) One of our outings was going to Laurel Falls, which we'd all done before. But, considering our ages from 53 to 10 months and having two baby strollers, with one being a double, it was the easiest hike we figured we all could make. So we did. As I was walking, I was experiencing the joy of physically walking to Laurel Falls, but, in my heart, I was considering how this walk so parallels my walk with God....

This morning the Spirit woke me up at 5:45 with the following on my heart. I believe it was for me as well as for all of us struggling to walk the Christian life. I am not going to use flowery words or specific passages. I just want this to be from my heart and what the Spirit said. What does it mean that knowledge puffs up? Let's say that you are struggling, really struggling with a problem either you don't know how to handle or one that you are just reluctant to handle. Let's say you come to me with your problem and ask me for help. You are very emotional because of the battle you have been facing trying to know what to do. When you come to me with your burden, rather than love you and meet you with heartfelt emotion, I look at you with answers and speak with knowledge from my head. I know that I know the answer to your problem, and even worse, I believe that you should know the answer to your problem and that it's my responsibility to tell you. Rather than put my ar...