Special celebration

This past weekend was Jim and my anniversary weekend. For the past 6 years we have taken the weekend before or after our anniversary and spent it as a whole anniversary weekend. Just the two of us. We have an aunt and uncle who sweetly give us a gift card every Christmas to our favorite restaurant that comes along with a little note that the gift card includes a babysitter for the boys. Every year we hold that special gift until August where we cash it in for this entire special weekend. The boys pack their bags and off they go with my aunt and uncle from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon. Each year we dress up and go out to eat Friday night. Saturday we lay out by our pool all day and Jim grills incredible steaks that evening. Sunday we have breakfast on the deck and talk and enjoy the view of our pool and the trees and fields around our house. To most people it may sound like a boring weekend. To some people it may seem crazy to want to spend that entire time celebrating an anniversary. But to me it's a very special celebration. Three hundred and sixty-two days a year we are dad and mom, coworkers, grocery shoppers, bill payers, fireman, lawn mower, house cleaner, laundry washer, pool cleaner, goat herders (yes we have goats and yes sometimes they get out of the fence), homework helpers, dinner makers, and somewhere in the mix of all that we are husband and wife. With kisses and I love you's interrupted by lots of stuff. But... oh man... but that one weekend a year! That short little time I'm just Angela Walker wife of the most incredible man I have ever known my very best friend Jim. For those few days he has my undivided attention and I have his. For those few days we have nothing between us, nothing pending, nothing separating us from being together. For those few days we are just two people very much in love and giving one another the time and energy we don't seem to be able to fit in most days. So Happy 13 years of having a very blessed marriage to me and my handsome man Jim. And may our special anniversary weekends never end. And to anyone wondering about the boys.... YES most of our conversations are about them the whole time they're gone. Well what can I say we are parents who very much love our kids. And as wonderful as our weekend always is we are always ready to get those guys back home by Sunday afternoon. After all, there's only so long you can stand a quiet, clean house when your a mom and dad.

Asking but not Accepting

Thank you very much for stopping by the GRILL. I would love to read a comment from you. So settle in read my thoughts and feel free to let me hear back from ya. Actually that would be a sweet surprise and a wonderful gift to wrap up my week. I want to share with you a true story. For some time now I have asked God to show me where I need to be in ministry. Where His will for my gifts and talent can be used. And then all of a sudden I became very aware that each time I am interrupted with a job or project that someone is asking me to handle I am aggravated or feel that it is not my issue to HAVE to handle. Ever been there? All the time asking but not accepting or accepting and complaining all the time. How can God give me more responsibility for His kingdom if I am not joyful to handle the events that need me. Or even worse the everyday common task like cleaning the kitchen after dinner without thinking "THIS ISN'T FAIR I've worked all day and I'm tired". Boo-hoo poor me, asking but not accepting. As this revelation becomes more apparent to me I realize there are things that I am part of that I need to earnestly give appropriate attention to. And really seek my God to help me through each task with the fruit of the spirit that I can and do have thru Jesus Christ. (Gal. 5:22-23) Love, joy, peace, patience (hard for me), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (hard for me). To kick start this new revelation I've decided to really be more involved in a prayer ministry I'm part of. I've decided to step it up a notch and not only pray for the prayer request but also take a moment and respond to those individuals personally. Small ? Maybe. But I believe it's a move in the right direction for me to change my status to asking AND accepting. Let me add right here if you have a prayer need please please feel free to check out the Proverbs 31 ministry website. www.proverbs31.org They have great daily devotions that you can sign up and receive everyday. And a whole list of other wonderful ministries available to you. Thanks for spending a little time with me this afternoon. Have a sweetly blessed day. Angela

Ants in my Plans

A few days ago some very tiny unexpected house guest showed up and took over my little teacup chahuahua's food bowl. The more I try to get them out of my bathroom so little Peyton can eat in peace the more they show up messing up my happy plans. I'm talking about tiny very tiny little sugar ants. And speaking of that, I don't know who decided they were sweet enough to be called sugar, because they are certainly not being sweet to me or my little precious puppy Peyton Bear. So here we are every morning washing out her food bowl hoping that she eats all her food up before those little rascals decide to come take over each day. I've tried everything to divert them from having their on way around my bathroom. I've used straight Pine Sol all over the bathroom floor. This worked GREAT for a few days and then they were back roaming all around doing what they felt like doing. So I have started smearing them right in their tracks when I see them, but it's not realistic that I spend the rest of my life stuck in my bathroom killing sugar ants because they won't take a hint that I don't want them in there. Interesting thing happened to me this morning in the bathroom as I cleaned up Peyton's bowl added fresh food and water and started to get myself ready for work. I saw a tiny sugar ant running around my bathroom sink. But instead of killing it this time my mind began to compare that little tiny ant to me, to us.
What if God saw us as we see little ants? What if God watched from way up high as we like ants run all over His plans? What if God saw us running around doing what we want to do never giving any thought to what God's desires might be for us? When I get honest with myself and with you I am that little sugar ant sometimes. Just doing my thing and not stopping to ask God if I'm on the right track or if my happy plans are lining up with His plans for me. So as my mind started making comparisons between me and this tiny little ant I started thinking how very frustrated this ant makes me and how very frustrated I often must make my God. But unlike me and my smearing ant finger, God doesn't wipe me out when I aggravate Him. I'm thankful because I would have been smeared out a long time ago. No, God sometimes toughly sometimes gently urges and guides me to make better choices and decisions to lead me into his loving plans. Job 34:21 For God watches how people live; He sees everything they do. (NLT).

Undeserved compliment

Happy Tuesday to anyone that have stopped by the Grill. I'm so glad you have chosen to give me a few minutes of your time. I would be so excited to hear from you today. Leave me a comment if you have a moment.
I'm going to share a wonderful compliment I received today.

I just wanted u to know that i think u have the love of Christ beaming out of u...ur slow to anger, non judgemental, u don't talk ugly about people and u love everyone and find the best in them... ur a beautiful person... it is very intimidating for those of us who struggle with those things....lol... i think ur very special and i could learn from you!

I am positive this is the most beautiful compliment I could ever be given. I mean it is the type of compliment a woman could live her whole life and never hear. But it was spoken today and to me! What a normal Tuesday to have such a blessing of a compliment to come my way for no special reason at all. And the craziest part is for a brief moment I was basking in the warm fuzzy feeling I had just reading over the compliment from my blackberry phone. It came from a dear friend of mine and I'm convinced my heart was racing with excitement for several seconds at the thought that this compliment was for me. Then it happened... then I realized that this warm fuzzy compliment is undeserved, that I'm not worthy of such beautiful attributes to be spoken about me. What a sour taste for a girl who had racing heart with warm fuzzys. Why can't I just take the compliment, hold it, linger over it, enjoy it, and graciously smile and say thank you. I did say thank you, I did smile through my tear filled eyes, but the reality is this beautiful compliment was not really for me. It's for the person I desire to be. It's for the person I pray God will grow me into, it could be for the very small snip-its of brief short moments that I do allow Jesus to guide me into making the right choice when I really want to make the wrong choice. That compliment was for the me I long to be. Not for the me that I am. I'm so far away from the person the compliment implies that I am. But then. But then Jesus is always with me, dwelling in my heart waiting for me to step aside and let Him move me, mold me, make me who I can be through Him. Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me.
So I say with humble heart YES I will hold that compliment deep in my heart and smile, not because of the woman I am but because of the woman I desire to be through my Jesus.
And to my dear friend who chose to share such a wonderful compliment with me today, you are truly a blessing to me. I love you lady and you and your family are so important to all of us at the Walker house.
Thank you for stopping by the grill and sharing with me on this wonderfully normal Tuesday.

"just" or MORE

It's been so long since I've blogged I don't know where to start. So let me just talk about what's been on my mind. Over the past few months as I look deeper into God's word He is showing me that I have a real desire not not to "just" be me but to be MORE. What does that mean? I don't want to go through life "just" merely getting by. I want to be as our blog site says, "On fire for God's desire". Every moment of everyday I want to be MORE. MORE through Jesus, MORE of a wife to my husband, MORE of a mom to my children, MORE of a friend, MORE of a daughter, MORE of a sister, MORE of a comforter, listener, MORE of a doer and less of a "just" enough to get by woman in Christ. God says, "I'm "MORE" than a conqueror in Him." So why do I allow myself to "just" be enough? Maybe it's because I'm scared to step out and allow God to have His way with all parts of my life. Maybe it's because I'm not really sure how to step out and be MORE. So I've began to pray about this. About finishing each and every decision and choice that I start, about praying for God to use me even MORE and for me to be entwined so tightly with Christ that I want to do MORE that I seek to be MORE in and through Him. I just started a really good book called Becoming more than a good Bible study girl. By: Lysa Terkeurst. I'm not a reader so to speak. So the fact that I'm already to chapter 11 of this book and I read the introduction pages is a real sign that I wish to be MORE in Christ. I hope that you have a sweetly blessed week. And may we strive to be MORE and not to "just" be.
Thank you for stopping by the GRILL.

Date night

Good morning. Thanks for taking a moment to stop by the grill. If you want to leave a comment for me I would be THRILLED with a capital "T". Can I share a love story with you this morning? Jim and I had a date last night! I know what your probably thinking, "We're married, why do we need to go out on a date? We are together everyday." You know what I have discovered? When your married a great amount of your time and energy is geared toward other people and things besides your relationship with your spouse. Let's be honest us moms tend to be in the room but NOT in the conversation alot of time. I mean even when we are with our husbands talking we tend to be thinking about 100 other things. Like dirty laundry, what needs to be taken out of the freezer for dinner, have the kids finished homework, going thru backpacks for the next day, did anyone feed the dog & cat yet, I can't forget to right out lunch money checks, etc. The list of thoughts that run through my head in a day of things I need to take care of could go on and on. Before we know it we are off to bed to get up the next day and start all over. Nothing at all wrong with all of that wonderful mom stuff, but before I realize it sometimes that wonderful man that God has joined me with to be his help mate through life gets the very back burner. Actually somedays he doesn't even fit on the stove at all with all the other priorities on my list. And then... something wonderful happens. A few nights ago Jim and I mentioned having a date night. Here's the catch.. Jim asked that I be with him on this date not only in body but also my mind! My mind? Did he know what he was asking? He was asking me to stop thinking about everything else for 1 night and concentrate on him. What a request. What a sincere, real, need to have some spouse one on one time alone with my wife request. That was an awakening request for me. My man was saying please give me some attention. My wheels got to turning like crazy. "DATE NIGHT !" I made a commitment to myself that last night was going to be all about my handsome husband. No talk about anything or anyone except us. Jim had already made arrangements with Meme to watch the boys all night. "You have to love Memes or you might have a Gran or Grammy or Grandma. They come with different names but they are GREAT!" I dressed up just for my guy. We went out to eat. Let me say it doesn't matter rather the food was good or bad the night was all about us. The conversation was all about us, the mood was all about us, and can I mention here that my mind was completely focused on how gorgeous my husband is. And what a wonderful man I have beside me. I LOVE date night. I encourage any woman reading this to try it. It's well worth the time invested and you might just learn a little more about your husband in process. Happy dating!
With love in Christ,
Angela

Fun Ladies Night

Thank you for stopping in at The Grill. I'm excited at the possibility that today might just be the day that someone leaves me my very first blog comment. OK, let me admit I once left myself a comment on here. You know, just to make sure it was working! Last night was the first annual ladies dinner at a new Christian School near our home. My children go to public school but I have a dear friend who's son attends this new Christian school. I was blessed to be invited to attend this school fundraiser event. It was such a fun time as you can imagine with a room full of ladies, a secret auction, arts & craft vendors, and some cute little waiters. OH did I mention the really good food and INCREDIBLE desserts!!
Our waiter just happened to be in my opinion the best waiter ever and did I mention he's 11 yrs old and he's my son's best friend.
We had such a fun time. I don't often leave my guys at home for a ladies only night out. I have to say the idea of going out with the girls makes me feel guilty. But last night as I left my men with a crock pot of beef stew I was excited to be going off to have a night full of wives and moms with lots of laughter and talking. I love being home with my family and I miss them when I'm not there, but I must admit once in a while to be in a room full of just women who love our heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ and hearing a good word about being an ornament for Christ it's an event that I will definitely say yes to again. Have a wonderful weekend friends. And don't forget if you have a second leave me a comment.... I would be thrilled!!!
With love in Christ,
Angela