What Are Your Plans?

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11, NLT)


We have been so abundantly blessed by the outpouring of cards, texts, and emails since publishing our book, "Wholeheartedly!" Your love, support, and encouragement has been way beyond anything we could've ever ask or thought!

Yesterday, we received a card in the mail that included the above scripture. I kept reading the scripture repeatedly. This scripture left me with a list of questions for you today!

• What is your vision for your life? 
• Have you established a mission statement for your professional and personal life?    
• What are your five top accomplishments last year?
• What plans do you have this year that really light a fire under you?

In chapter twelve of our book, "Wholeheartedly!", we discuss vision and mission statements. Below, please find a few excerpts from our book.

"One day while homeschooling my girls when they were really small, the LORD impressed upon my heart to develop a Mission Statement for our family. I needed a clear, concise, easy Mission Statement that my girls could attach to. The LORD gave me, “To Bless Others” and it became our Homeschool Mission Statement." 

And, we had a situation at work and we discuss it in chapter twelve of the book as well.

"We began experiencing a lot of discord and division at our business locations. I couldn’t pinpoint what the problem was."

Please read chapter twelve of Wholeheartedly! to learn how God worked that situation together for good!

Whether you are a homeschooler with two students or own a business with five locations, we believe a mission statement is a step in the direction of obtaining goals!

Wholeheartedly! isn't only about recipes and giving up refined sugar. Wholeheartedly! includes tips and plans for living the abundant life in all areas of our lives! (John 10:10)

God has plans for you...very specific plans. And His plans always-always include goodness! Since you are reading this right now, perhaps it is time for you to establish a mission statement for your life. 

Wholeheartedly! is available right now on Amazon in paperback as well as Kindle version. We pray Wholeheartedly! will encourage you and help you reach your goals!

Where Do We Go From Here…and, How Do We Get There

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10, NKJV) 

Today’s blogpost is a continuation from our previous blogposts. To catch up, please read our previous blogposts, thanks!

During this time, I had a close friend daily walking alongside me in prayer. She is a hardcore prayer warrior and we all need some of them close by! One day she texted me and said, “God wants you to, be still and know He is God.” A few days later, a close friend (in another state and knew nothing of what as going on) texted me and said, “God wants you to be still and know He is God.” Peace rushed over me. God’s Word is alive and changes everything! (Hebrews 4:12) I encourage you to always speak scripture over your life! How great is the love the Father lavishes on us! I had always known God was working things together for my good, but the two texts just confirmed He was my Rock and my Shield! (Romans 4:27, 1 John 3:1, Romans 8:28, Psalm 18:2)

As much as I didn’t want to choose the hotel option, we decided our next step would have to include a brief hotel stay. That short season reminded me of a previous season when we stayed in a hotel due to permitting issues on an apartment renovation on Maui when I was pregnant with my youngest and my middle child was a toddler. God delivered me out of that situation and I knew He would quickly deliver me out of the current situation. (Psalm 18:2)

Several close friends, very graciously offered for us to stay with them so we wouldnt have to stay in a hotel. But we decided, we shouldn’t create disarray in their homes just because our home was in disarray. 

I believe God had been preparing me over the last few years for where I was in this season. A few years ago, God had put it on my heart to store up treasures in Heaven. (Matthew 6:20) I started researching “minimalism". In a culture that screams, “More!”, “Bigger!”, “Better!”, my heart was yearning for the opposite.  

I found myself fed up.

• Fed up with all the “stuff" that really doesn't matter.
• Fed up with payments with the majority of our money being applied to interest. 
• Fed up with paying three times over in interest what I had paid for an item.
• Fed up with not really grasping what was truly important.
• Fed up with not being able to see the forrest for the trees.

I was convinced, there had to be a better way…a more simple way. A more peaceful way. A way that would free up our time and space to do more of what really mattered to us, in excellence.

Before coming to Alaska, we had major plans. We were going to lease a cabin for a time, buy a house (which would be our second home), buy a second vehicle, furnish the house (furniture as well as household goods since we already have a home in Hawaii). But in the previous months, my heart continued to cry out for the opposite. But what is the opposite? We had to have a house and a second vehicle…

or...

did we?

Please join us in our next blogpost as we share with you how God ordered our steps in a life changing direction into this exciting new season of our lives! (Proverbs 16:9)

Decisions, Decisions

Thank you so much for your warm welcome as we move into this new season of blogging! We really appreciate you and your encouragement!

Today’s blogpost is a continuation from our previous blogpost. To catch up, please read our last blogpost, thanks!

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28, NKJV)

We decided buying was better than leasing. We set our hearts on a three story log cabin that was for sale and located right down the road from where we had been leasing. Unfortunately, three weeks and almost $500.00 later, the contract fell through because of extensive repair issues.

We were very disappointed because we had our hearts set on a log cabin located on the side of a mountain in Alaska! Isn’t that everyones Alaska dream?

We were quickly approaching the end of our lease. So we got back into the house hunting game. We found a charming retreat like home. It wasn’t exactly what we had our hearts set on but it was in a great location. It was more than we wanted to pay for a home but we were growing a little weary from work, and homeschool, while at the same time shopping for a home. We built a great relationship with our realtor and he kept encouraging us to keep going! 

*For confidentiality purposes, we won’t publicly disclose our realtor's information. However, if you are in the Anchorage Alaska area and need a really great realtor, please email us (staff@starterman.com) and we will be happy to give you a referral. 

Lastly, the home was older than we had wanted to buy, but it had a really great yard. Mike (my husband) and I, kept trying to make this house fit us.

Twenty-four hours before the contract expired (and another $500.00 later), we decided to submit a termination of agreement due to a long list of issues. Mike and I were in agreement…we just could not get peace to buy this house. 

At that point, we found ourselves with 24 hours remaining on our current lease, no home to buy, and no home to rent (in one of the busiest rental market seasons in Alaska). At that point, I didn’t know much but I did know I am more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus, God provides all my needs, He has never failed me, and He wasn’t going to fail me now. (Romans 8:37, Philippians 4:19, 1 Corinthians 1:9)

Please join us in our next blogpost as we share with you how God ordered our steps in a life changing direction into this exciting new season of our lives! (Proverbs 16:9)

Seasons Come and then, Seasons Go

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven:"(Ecclesiastes 3:1, KJV)

If you are a follower of Key Tov Blog, you may have noticed we had taken a sabbatical. I was in a season where I needed more time for my children and since they are my first mission field (immediately after my husband), I recognized the need to temporarily step away from blogging in order to maximize and prioritize my time.

Now, we are entering into a new and exciting season and we have a lot of God’s amazing goodness to share with you! (Ecclesiastes 3:1, Psalm 100:5)

• First, God enlarged our “house” (Isaiah 54:2) and we opened another location (www.starterman.com) in the great Last Frontier, Alaska!
• Secondly, we’ve seen many changes over the last eight months since sharing our time between Hawaii and Alaska, as I am sure you can imagine!
• Thirdly, we are excited to bring you along with us as we blog about the most recent upcoming season in our lives!

Our first season in Alaska was an exciting time of leasing an amazing log cabin in the Chugach Mountain Range!

*For confidentiality purposes, 

I won’t disclose the location or the landlord’s name; however, 

if you find yourself in need of an amazing vacation rental in Alaska and 

want to do business with a really great landlord, 

please email us (staff@starterman.com) and 

we will be happy to give you a referral.

As that season (leasing the log cabin) was coming to a close, we were making decisions on where the Lord was leading us next. Lease another location, or buy? 

Please join us in our next blogpost as we share with you how God ordered our steps in a life changing direction into this exciting new season of our lives! (Proverbs 16:9)

*We are currently in a remote area so internet is not very reliable. 

As a result, we will post when we can. 

Thank you!

It's a Trap

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. 

(Proverbs 4:23, NLT)

A while back, my youngest child decided she wanted to trap a wild bird for scientific (but mostly fun) purposes. 

She constructed her (very unsophisticated) trap, using two plastic bins, packing tape, string, a toilet paper core and some bird seed.

One look at her trap and I was thinking, “This will never work.” But much to my surprise, she trapped four birds in a very short amount of time.

Another thing that greatly surprised me, was the fact that the birds just kept coming back to the trap. The trap was not elaborate or camouflaged in any way. Other birds perched in the trees near our deck and watched their bird friends get caught in the trap. But seeing all still this didn’t deter the birds. They kept willingly hopping right into the trap. It seemed they were lined up waiting for their turn in the trap!

I was watching as she trapped bird after bird. I wondered, “How does this happen? How does she keep trapping these (obviously intelligent) birds?” 

The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and said,

“The birds only see the bait. They don’t see the trap.”

Oh hello...somebody stand up and shout!

The birds were so focused on the bait…they completely ignored the trap.

Bait (defined by Merriam-Webster and for our purposes today) is, "to try to make (someone) angry by using criticism or insults” and "to use dogs to make (an animal, such as a bear or bull) angry or afraid”.

Trap (defined by Merriam-Webster and for our purposes today) is, "something by which one is caught or stopped unawares” and "a position or situation from which it is difficult or impossible to escape”. (Emphasis are mine.)

Bait comes in different forms. Birdseed was an effective bait for the birds; however, what bait can effectively be used to trap you? 

Every day, in every circumstance, life and death is placed before us. The power in that is…we get to choose. We choose life, blessings, prosperity, good, or curses, disaster, adversity, evil. ((Deuteronomy 30:15, NLT, NKJV, NASB, YLT) 

At times, some of us have been trapped into doing what others believe we should do...even though, we know what to do and not do in order to guard our hearts. Listen, at times...you are the only one who will make diligently guarding your heart a priority. Don't allow anything rob you of that.  If your life hasn't been on the course you want it to be on...examine yourself to insure you have been guarding your heart.

I pray for every reader today to, immediately recognize the traps that are set before us and for each of us to look straight through the bait and see and avoid the trap. In the name of Jesus, I declare we choose life!

DISCLAIMER: No birds were harmed in this scientific study or blogpost.

FREE! At No Charge to You!

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:8-9, NKJV)

On Saturday, July 12, 2014 I wrote a blogpost, “Remind me again…Why am I Doing all of This?” If you missed it, it is the blogpost right before this one. That blogpost has been on my heart every day since I wrote it. It reminds me of why Jesus did everything He did.

Just like the gentleman at our store who received the part at no charge to him, we receive the miraculous gift of salvation…at no charge to us. All we have to do is “show up” (say yes to Jesus!) If you have never said yes to Jesus, all you have to do is receive!

Father, I pray for every reader right now in the name of Jesus. For them to have eyes to see and ears to hear of the greatest gift of all, eternal life with You, Lord! 

Pray this prayer out loud with us to receive Jesus! 

Father, I believe everything Your Word says! I need You! In the name of Jesus, please come into my heart! I believe in my heart and I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Your Son! I believe He died for me and I believe You rose Him from the dead and He now sits at Your right hand! 

If you prayed this prayer, we would love to hear from you! Please find a good bible based church and link up! (Hebrews 10:25) You can also get great teachings at www.faithman.org! Welcome to the family!

Tidy Up

But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. (Mark 4:17, NLT)

First, please allow me to say this blogpost looks really long. But it should take less than ten minutes to read it in it's entirety. For example, if you are willing to exchange ten minutes of Facebook time to read this blogpost, I believe it will really bless you. Enjoy!

This week has been a very busy week for us. To give you an idea, Thursday my day started at 4:00 a.m. Nuff said.

Last night I laid down on the couch to catch my breath. I looked around the house, which was in need of a little…let’s just say, tiding up here and there.

When I saw the task that lay before me I wondered, how a house gets this messy when we were out of the house most of the week. 

Then it occurred to me. When we are home a lot, we tidy all day as we go. We take every opportunity to put things in their place and keep the house organized. When we are up and out early, then back late, we don’t take time to put things in their places but just drop everything where we stand. And then, we have a pile to clean up. Or in this case, many piles.

This week, I learned a valuable lesson. My spiritual life is the same way. When I take every opportunity throughout the day to visit with God (prayer), keep spiritual matters in their place (meditate on scripture) and keep my spiritual life “organized” (pursue peace and quick to forgive), my life stays tidy. (Matthew 6:33, Deuteronomy 6:6, Colossians 3:13, Psalm 34:14) 

However, when I “drop everything” (everything God has taught me)…life gets real messy real quick.

By organized I mean, quickly dealing with offenses (large and small) as they occur. Jesus said, “Offense will come.” (Luke 17:1) It is wise for us to have a plan for dealing with offense. Ignoring offense will not keep offense from occurring. Suppressing offense is not dealing with offense. Ignoring offense will only cause it to compound in our hearts and on our minds.

For example, hypothetically speaking:

• When I wake my girls and ask them to take a ten minute shower (in order to maintain our schedule that day) and their shower turns into a thirty minute bath…multiplied by two kids.
• My husband stumbles into the kitchen and while his coffee is cooking (or whatever it is that coffee does) checks his work email and has a list of negative things to deal with before he even walks out the door. And his attitude affects the whole household.
• Dads, you are leaders, even if you don't think you are. Where are you leading your family? 
• I am trying to get out of the house at a certain time and my children lolly-gag  and can’t find their shoes. (Of which, said shoes are supposed to be in the shoe bin at the front door.)
• As we pull out of the driveway and in unison my girls say, “I didn’t eat breakfast.” Everything in me wants to scream, “Oh yeah?! Well, it looks like you’re fasting till noon!"
• When making the forty minute drive into work (that turns into an hour) dealing with Honolulu traffic. I get cut off in traffic (at least three times) and at least two individuals wave at me in that “special” way using their “special” finger. Yep, even people in "paradise" fly the bird.
• About the time I think I have safely and almost without incident (Ok a list of incidents but at least alive!) pull into the parking lot at work, I get a phone call saying one of my co-workers got mad and walked off the job. 

All this before 8:40 a.m. 

Remember, we are working with hypotheticals today. *wink*

At this point, I have a choice to make. I can reiterate every offense of my day to everyone I see. Or, I can cast off every offense as they occur.

If a day like this isn’t immediately dealt with by applying God’s Word, all these offenses are going to add up real quick, negatively affecting me and everyone I come into contact with. 

Have you ever had “insider information” on a subject to the point it gave you an edge when handling a matter? Be prepared! I’m going to give you a hot tip that will change your life! 

And have no root in themselves, 

and so endure but for a time: 

afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, 

immediately they are offended. (Mark 4:17, KJV)

Why does offense come? For the Word's sake. 

No matter what happens in our lives, 

we must concrete our relationship in and with God’s Word.

All other areas of my life follow my spiritual life. When I’m doing well spiritually, I do well in all other areas of my life as well.  

How can this practically be applied? At each offense, run to our Father! Take time to visit with Him all throughout the day. And we can add a few simple organizational skills to help the day run smoothly.

Let's revisit the hypothetical list from above.

1. My girls bath scenario.
1. One thing I keep reminding myself is, my girls are 9 and 10 years old. They get distracted. I made them a list of things to accomplish in order to get out of the door and I gave them a time frame. 
1. For example: 
1. shower = 10 minutes 
2. breakfast = 20 minutes
3. pack backpack = the night before (include the shoes!)
1. Then I allow extra time to check on them every 15 minutes or so to insure they are staying on task.
2. My husband's addiction...oh I mean...coffee scenario.
1. Smile and sweetly say, “Maybe you should have your coffee at that coffee joint. That way you could relax and address your emails while you enjoy the aroma and the ambiance.” Ok, forgo the attitude in that last suggestion. Pray for him…yes pray! And ask God, “Lord, I ask in the name of Jesus, please guide my husband today. Quicken him by Your spirit to listen to Your voice. I thank You for directing his path. I thank You his eyes are blessed for they see and his ears for they hear!"
3. Children lolly-gagging scenario. 
1. Please refer to item # 1.
4. The “I didn’t eat breakfast.” scenario.
1. Ask them to open their bibles and each give you a ten minute sermon of the  King James Version of Matthew 17:21, "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” I’m totally kidding. Ok, not totally. There is a number of ways to handle this scenario. Ask God to direct your path in this area. He will give you witty inventions! The night before, have them pack a snack in their backpacks. Snack becomes breakfast instead of snack and it doesn’t hurt any of us to be a little hungry from time to time. It is great motivation to remember to eat breakfast the next day. I now refer you to the Parenting with Love and Logic website at www.loveandlogic.com (A very special thanks to my BFF, Shila for that insider tip!) 
5. The “special” finger scenario. 
1. Keep the praise music turned on and as loud as necessary. Use this time to visit with our Father and ask Him to line out our day, especially the "Honolulu traffic" portion of our day!
6. The co-worker scenario. 
1. “Lord, I ask in the name of Jesus, please guide me today. Quicken me by Your spirit to listen to Your voice. I thank You for directing my path. I thank You my eyes are blessed for they see and my ears for they hear! And I thank You for sending laborers into my co-worker's path to love on them and direct them straight to You!"

Prayer, 

the Word, and 

running to my Father for everything 

(big and small) 

keeps my life “tidy"! 

Let’s do a little spiritual weight lifting with Mark 4:17 and build some strength in this area of our lives.

• And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. (English Standard Version)

Keep on building those muscles!

• But they have no root in themselves; they are short-lived. When pressure or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately stumble. (Holman Christian Standard)
• But they don’t develop any roots. They last for a short time. When suffering or persecution comes along because of the word, they immediately fall (from faith). (God’s Word Translation)

Don’t quit, only one more “set”! We are getting stronger and stronger!

• And they have no real root in themselves, and so they endure for a little while; then when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Word, they immediately are offended (become displeased, indignant, resentful) and they stumble and fall away. (Mark 4:17, AMP)

When we have problems, are persecuted, experience tribulation, are pressured, suffer, have trouble, become displeased/indignant/resentful, that is immediately our red flag to recognize, these weapons have been formed against me to steal the Word and my faith! Stand and declare, "No weapon formed against me will prosper, stand, or prevail!" (Isaiah 54:17) 

Father God, thank You for Your precious living Word! Thank You for never leaving or forsaking us! And thank You for wanting to be in every aspect of our lives! Thank You for being our Father, a father we can run to all day long to get what we need to throw off what doesn’t belong in our lives and to continually put on what does belong in our lives. Thank You for the “great exchange”! In the name of Jesus, I pray for every reader and I ask You to quicken them by Your Holy Spirit and let them know, as they submit to You and Your Word, You will direct their paths and make them straight! 

Hebrews 4:12

Hebrews 13:5

Isaiah 61:3

Proverbs 3:6


Additional help:

If you struggle with offense, Dr. Larry Ollison's book, "Breaking the Cycle of Offense" is a great resource and is available at www.faithman.org

The Perfect Pair of Pink Snazzy Shoes

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you the path to take. (Proverbs 3:5-6, NLT)

I have a close friend who is remarkably beautiful. She always (yes always) dresses really well with every hair in place and every outfit perfectly coordinated and accessorized. Plus, she has a closet full of really snazzy shoes. I look forward to seeing her and when we get together we always giggle and chat about her shoes du jour. 

Several years ago I was shopping and came across what I thought was…

THE Perfect Pair of Shoes. 

The (seemingly) perfect pair of classy pink heels. The moment my eyes gazed upon their beauty...I was quite convinced I heard angels sing! I didn’t hesitate! I grabbed them off the shelf and tried them on. 

...Something just didn’t feel right. 

Oh but I wanted these shoes so much! 

My feet said, “This is not good.” 

But my emotions screamed, “You must have these shoes!” 

I completely disregarded everything my spirit was telling me as I ran to seal the deal on my pink snazzy shoes!

Once home, I looked through my closet to coordinate as many outfits as possible with my new pink snazzy shoes so I could wear them as much as possible. But something continued to be…just not right. I reasoned, “It’s going to be ok. Over time, I will break these shoes in and all will be well with my world.” Months later I determined, “I’m going to wear these shoes no matter what it takes!"

But every time (yes every time) I wore these shoes, everything in me screamed. These shoes were just so beautiful! 

They looked great on the outside but inside my body screamed. 

Wearing them continued to cause me so much pain from my toes to my mid back.

I continued to force a relationship between my body and these shoes. I didn’t want to give up on these shoes. 

I continued to torture myself…oh, I mean, I continued to wear these shoes over the next coming months. 

One day, I came to my senses and I said, “The shoes have got to go.” Later that day, I was meeting my friend…the remarkably beautiful one with the closet full of really snazzy shoes. I said, “Here, take these shoes.” 

I wasted so much time on something that would never fit.

When I got in my car to leave I screamed, “I am finally free! Good riddance to you pink snazzy shoes!"

Sometimes...in life...

we work so hard to force something to work. 

We ignore what our spirit is telling us and we run. 

We gaze upon what we think will be perfect and 

our emotions scream.

Our spirit tells us, 

“Something just isn’t right.” 

We continue to attempt to force things to work because we just don’t want to give up.

And we waste time on something that will never fit.

• an occupation
• a relationship
• a marriage proposal
• a homeschool curriculum 
• staying in a department at church when we belong in a different department
• a pair of seemingly perfect shoes…yep, even shoes

We’ve all tried to do what God never intended for us to do. 
And we've all failed to recognize when a season is over.

Free yourself. 

Make the change. 

Give up the “pink snazzy shoes” in your life. 

And never look back. 

Lord, I tried my way. Please forgive me. I trust in You with all my heart. I will no longer lean on my own earthly, temporal understanding. I commit to seek Your will in all I do. I thank You in advance to showing me each and every path to take. And I thank You for showing me every and every path, not to take. In the name of Jesus, I pray for every reader right now and I thank You for having a very specific plan and purpose for each of us. And I thank You for showing us Your plan for us in a way that we can clearly see without hesitation or doubt which paths to take and which paths to refuse to walk down. Many paths look good but isn’t a part of Your perfect plan. Thank You LORD, our eyes are blessed because they see and our ears for they hear.

Isaiah 43:18-19

Philippians 3:13

*Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, counselor, pastor, etc. I believe you have to specifically hear from God yourself in order to know when to dig down deep refusing to give up or to put an end to what you are doing because you’ve veered off God’s plan. Child of God, you are His sheep. You clearly hear His voice.

John 10:27

The Day I Realized I was a Complete Failure…at Everything.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. (1 Corinthians 13:4-5, NLT)

The last two weeks have been two very long weeks. Homeschool has been a struggle. My husband has been working long hours. I’ve been training to run a 5k, a very challenging sprint, and a lava man. Oh wait, I forgot about that other 5k. (Is that really a total of four?! Oh wait, don't tell me.) And I got sick and I haven’t been sleeping well.

*Deep cleansing breath*

At the end of the two very challenging weeks, I laid on the couch waiting for my husband to come home from work. Wearing an oversized t-shirt, no make up, and my hair up in a pony tail...I realized I hadn’t done laundry…since….oh….I couldn't remember. About that moment, I heard my girls fighting…again. 

I thought, “Wow. I want to be him, so I can work late too.” 

And I intervened like any great mom would do, refusing to intervene and telling myself, “Survival of the fittest is a great parenting tool. So, whatev." I'm sure Dr. Seuss or Dr. "Somebody" endorses it. I tried to be really quiet, hoping they would think I wasn't home.

All that seemed to be compounded by the realization that we (as a homeschooling family) are almost at the mid mark in our homeschool career. Meaning, how on earth did half of our homeschool “career” just vanish into thin air?? Accompanied by, “Do my girls know everything they need to know? Are they being equipped? Will they be able to make a living when they move out?! How will I know?” Not to mention, our wifi (that we need for school) has kicked us offline a minimum of a dozen times per day and our printer has only worked half the time.

Ok...I mentioned it.

And then there was this…in the sink. 
Yea, I don’t know what that is and I am not going to ask. 

And then realized, our 17th wedding anniversary is Monday and we’ve done nothing to prepare for such an amazing day…I mean, it’s a very important day, a huge milestone, and should have been met with an equally amazing celebration! I haven’t even bought a card, uuuuugh. 

When Mike got home, I asked him to take us out for a late dinner. I needed a nice, quiet, delicious dinner to (hopefully) change the momentum of the past two weeks. He took us to a beautiful, open air restaurant with burning tiki torches, swaying palm trees, tropical breezes, and the sounds of many waters. Things were definitely looking up! Only to be very disappointed in the quality of the food. Even the garlic was bad. Who can mess up garlic?! And I went to bed nauseous. Really? Can anything go right?! 

No really.

If I’ve ever been tempted to believe I am a failure at all things…this was it. 

I felt like a failure

• as a wife
• as a mom
• as a home educator

Why am I sharing this borderline meltdown on this public forum? 

"Good faith girls" don't share such matters. 

Well, this one does.

Because I want to address the elusions/misconceptions.

• Is any marriage perfect? nope
• Is any homeschool perfect? nope
• Is a bloggers life perfect? Hahahaha…nope
• Is Christian life perfect? nope

Perfect, or...even remotely anything like it? Nope.

Thankfully, I could turn to Facebook. Hey two are better than one and since one puts a thousand to flight I will use whatever means are at my fingertips! (Ecclesiastes 4:9 and Deuteronomy 32:30) Pun intended to it’s fullest degree. I posted a comment asking for advice and I could literally hear the calvary as my girlfriends immediately ran to my aid! Some prayed with me, some texted me, some sent me inbox messages, some sent me helpful links, some texted, "Call me now!”  Now THAT…my friends is love! Thanks girls! Thanks for loving me, encouraging me, and always having my back!

While I do not encourage desperate Facebook posts...in the midst of all this, something very powerful occurred to me.

I know most of you have applied the "keep no record of wrongs" verse to others...but have you ever applied it to you? Please slow down and really re-read that. I will retype it for your convenience. 

I know most of you have applied the 

"keep no record of wrongs" verse to others...

but have you ever applied it to you? 

So here is what I want you to do…refuse to keep a record of your (real or perceived) wrongs. It is easier to forgive the wrongs of others but do our wrongs fall under a different category than the wrongs of others? And, do our perceived wrongs fall under a different category than real wrongs? Um…no, they do not. So, toss out that record of wrongs, forget the former things, refuse to dwell on the past (Even if that means this morning!) and press onward to your Heavenly prize! (Isaiah 43:18, 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 and Philippians 3:14) 

Now…who is gonna clean up that sink? 

That would be…not me as I yell…yep…yell, “Girls!"

Father God, thank You for being in every aspect of our lives. Thank You for showing Yourself to us in Your sweet, still, small voice even in the midst of piles of laundry, unrecognizable objects in the sink, oversized tshirts, and math concepts that currently remain ungrasped….Lord, is that even a word? Thank You for teaching us to apply Your Word not only to others but to personally apply it to ourselves as individuals. I pray for every reader right now. In the name of Jesus, touch them precisely where they are and please show them those secret records of wrongs they have been keeping. The “lists" that call out their names, point at them, and say, “Here is your downfall, this is why you are not enough.” Lord, please replace those lists with waves of love and peace. Your precious peace that surpasses all understanding and the peace guards our hearts and minds! And Lord, thank You not expecting us to be perfect and thank You for giving us Your Son...Perfect Jesus! 

(Philippians 4:7)