Leaning into a Jesus Conversation

We all have those moments when we feel compelled to pray or say or do in the name of Jesus.  You pass someone whose face is coated in worry, or out of the blue your friend from another lifetime pops into your head and you wonder what they are up to.  Maybe you know of someone in your community that is struggling with health and has lost their faith.  These times and situations might be The Holy Spirit prompting you to be a little bit of Heaven on Earth. 

As followers of Jesus, we know how His love and grace have given us hope and eternal life.  We know how valuable we are because of Him.  We also know that accepting Jesus is only part of what He hopes for us.  After Jesus rose from the dead, he appeared to his disciples and told them: “Go  into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15 NIV

(GULP) We are also called to make Jesus known to others.

How are you doing?

Some of us are great at tuning into The Holy Spirit and are quick to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  You smile and say ‘hello’ to a stranger; maybe ask them how you can pray for them.  You take a moment in your busy day to call that friend who’s been on your mind and you reach out to those who are hurting.  Others of us are not crushing it and we have ignored these prompts to share love and be the light.  The idea of going up to a stranger and talking to them about Jesus is overwhelming.  The idea of talking about Jesus to a friend might be worse!

“What if they judge me?”

“What if they ask questions that I can’t answer?”

“How can I talk about Jesus when I am such a mess?”

Fortunately, God continues to be faithful and knows that we are works in progress.  He will provide more opportunities to love those in our lives.

Have hope.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to tell others what we know and share in His promises.  Philippeans 1:5-6 reminds us that we can be confident that Jesus will equip us with all that we need.  “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 1:5-6 

God created you and He knows you.  You can walk in confidence knowing that God is always with you.  Look for Him in the people and places you surround yourself with.  Get into His word and find strength and hope in your Christian community.  

Lean into your gifts.

Not all Jesus conversations look alike because none of us are exactly alike.  God has given each of us our own spiritual gifts.  We all know that friend that can have an eloquent conversation about Jesus and answer all of the questions without hesitation.  We know the worship leader who can get even the biggest skeptic on their feet singing praises.  

If we are not keeping our eyes on our own paper and leaning into our God-given gifts we may find ourselves trying to communicate in ways that make us uncomfortable and then we hesitate.  A Jesus conversation is not from a script, it is from the heart.  How do you express love to Jesus?  Song, poetry, blogs, stories? Now, use that same expression to share His love with others.  Your Jesus conversation is as unique as you are.  Lean into your gifts. Lean into Jesus.

Calming the Storm at Christmas

How to Be the Encouragement

The Christmas season is upon us!  The music! The excitement!  The decorations! The celebration of our Lord and Savior!  This is the time of year for reflection, forgiveness, worship and joyful time with family and friends. 

But for those of us who have lost our moms, the Christmas season can intensify emotions of sadness and feelings of loneliness.  New waves of grief that had subsided can become fierce and overwhelming again. 

This is the 15th Christmas I have spent without my mom. We haven’t decorated, shopped, planned, celebrated, laughed, baked, or traveled together in over 15 years.  I will never get to see her celebrate Christmas morning with my daughters in matching jammies.  They will never get to put baby Jesus in the manger together and hear her tell them about His birth.

 I want to be able to say that Christmas without her has gotten easier.  In some ways it has, but with so many vivid memories of her around this time of year,  those waves of grief can come in and knock me off of my feet without any notice; especially this time of year.

I knew that my 27th Christmas with her would probably be our last together and she was already so sick with cancer.  I also knew that the first Christmas without her would be hard; almost unbearable.   That year my family and I booked a trip to Mexico; no tree, no traditions, no familiarity.  It was hard.

I will always carry the scars of my broken heart,

but my scars are a reminder that God heals.

 My 14th Christmas without her I was finally able to get her Christmas china set out of storage.   After my mom died, I didn’t want the dishes because of the memories that went with them.   This year, I was so glad to have those dishes.  I loved unwrapping each piece, remembering my mom and being able to bring a part of her to my family table.  

So, how do we encourage those we love who have lost their mom or someone close to them?  Whether it’s their first, 15th, or 50th holiday season, when there’s a piece missing, time doesn’t discriminate.  Here are some simple ways to spread some encouragement this Christmas season :

1. Take The Picture

Mommas are typically the photographers in the family and we typically love to take pictures of what matters the most to us…our kids and our families.  After my mom died, I noticed that there were less and less pictures with me in them.  And while I don’t love to have my picture taken, I want my girls to have the memory of our family all together.  So offer to take that family photo in front of the Christmas tree.

2.  “Tell Me About Your Mom”

It can feel awkward and unfamiliar to ask about someone’s mom when she is no longer on earth.  Sometimes it can be too painful to talk about, but oftentimes, talking about our mommas can also bring comfort and a sense of closeness.  Don’t be afraid to ask your friend what her mom’s name was or about a favorite holiday tradition they shared. 

 I am like my mom in a lot of ways and I feel closer to her when I can share stories about her.  (Also, when my friends hear about my mom, it explains a lot about why I am the way I am…so there’s that!)

3.  Keep Her In Your Prayers

Prayer has the power to heal when words and acts of kindness fall short.  Psalm 107:28-30 tells us that your prayers can calm your friend’s storm of distress and bring her to a calm haven in her heart.  

Yesterday, I cried when I got  my mom’s nativity set out of storage and set it out for the first time since she left, but I felt peace as I watched my daughters put the baby Jesus in the manger. The emotions come in waves, but God continues to answer prayers and heal my heart and He can use you to encourage and heal your loved one too.

Nativity

Leslie Colburn is a mom and a writer with one goal: Spreading encouragement and the message that re-gifting love is what matters the most. 

Her newest book, Perfectly YOU, is the next installment of the Cross My Heart Books series and will be released in early 2021.

Finding Gratitude In 2020

It’s been quite a year!  With so many mandates, closures, and circumstances that have left many of us in a state of disbelief, it leaves us grabbing our heads, wondering, “What.Will. The. Holidays. Bring?” 

Normally, I am that one… I threaten to put up my Christmas tree on November 1st.  I play holiday music at the first flurry of snow (September in Wyoming), and I don’t budget much time in the holiday season to bother with Thanksgiving decor or any other turkey tradition.  Christmas brings joy to my heart and I love celebrating the birth of Christ. 

Normally,  I also want to validate those in my family who don’t want to skip Thanksgiving and want to celebrate with the traditions of food, football, family and parades.  We compromise.  The tree goes up in November, with lights but no decorations.  I listen to all of the Christmas music I want in my car by myself…until after Thanksgiving dinner.  Then out comes Bing Crosby and all of the sparklies.

For many of us though, this year has been anything but normal.  My tree is up, but the joy seems less.  I’ve been listening  to For King and Country’s “Little Drummer Boy” and I love it, but something, if not everything is different. Almost heavy.  Where is my holiday spirit?

Yesterday, I was driving in my car listening to Christmas tunes when God gently turned my focus away from myself and toward Him.  He put this memory on my heart:

A couple of Christmas’ ago, a friend was telling me about how her teenaged daughter was coming to understand the true meaning of Christmas.  Even in her young mind she knew it wasn’t just about gifts, cookies and stockings.  She knew it was about the miracle of our Savior.  But what she said was understanding beyond even my adult thinking.  She said, “So that’s why Thanksgiving on the calendar comes before Christmas, because giving thanks to God leads to the miracles of God!”  

Remembering these words has inspired me to put my focus on the gratitude of the season.  And though Thanksgiving is traditionally a celebration modeled after a 1621 harvest feast, it is also a celebration of the blessings of the past year.  Yes, the blessings of 2020!  

Philippians 4:6 is the Thanksgiving of the season!  This verse reminds us not to worry about anything (not even the heartaches of 2020!)  Instead, we are to pray about everything and tell God what we need. Then we are to thank Him for all He has done.  God knew about this year.  He knew it would challenge us and maybe even try to break us, but in our heartache we can be thankful for God’s love and unwavering presence because the “then” of Philippians 4:7 (NIV) is the Christmas.

After we say ‘thank you’, then we will experience God’s peace! A peace beyond what we can understand.  A peace that will guard our hearts and our minds!  Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He is the miracle.   

So, I’m not saying that the tree is coming down or that I’m turning my Pandora holiday station, but I am praying that God will open my eyes to the blessings of 2020.  I am putting my hope in Thanksgiving because saying “thank you” for the blessings God’s provided is a good thing, and thanking God for something He has not yet done, but I believe He will do is a powerful act of faith that creates miracles.

Leslie Colburn is a mom and a writer with one goal: to help all of God’s children know their worth in Jesus. Her newest book, Y-O-U, is the next installment of the Cross My Heart Books series; spreading encouragement and the message that re-gifting love is what matters the most.

Extended Spring Break!?

 

Ok Mamas and dads, school’s out for longer than spring break!  There are a lot of things to think about: Will my kids have to make the days up?  What do I do with my kids if I have to work? What should my kids do with this time?  How do I keep a normal household when nothing seems normal? And how do I erase tik tok from my kid’s device because if I have to hear that clip one more time…?

While I don’t have answers to most of the questions racing through your mind right now, here are a few things that may help:

1. 1. Turn off the T.V. and social media when it comes to COVID-19 and the news in the world.  It is impossible for adults to process all of the information that is inundating us. I’m not saying that kids, especially older kids, need to be kept in the dark, but I am saying that kids need to be kids and that means keeping the info they get age appropriate.
   2. Set a schedule.  Most of us do well with a routine.  Keeping a daily and weekly schedule will help your child have a sense of consistency in the weeks to come.  I have asked my kids to come up with a schedule that includes a consistent alarm and bed-time. They also need to include times for at least the following:  exercise, outside time, meals, socializing with friends and family (face-time, texting, letter-writing, out-side time with neighbors), academics (reading books, following recipes, writing), and alone time.
   3. Set family and individual goals for this time.  Is there something you or your kids have always wanted to do, but haven’t had time for?  Maybe you want to learn a foreign language, take on piano or guitar lessons, learn to draw. Get your kids to write their ideas on paper and hang it on a mirror or fridge.  Have them schedule time for this each day.  YouTube has some great resources!
   4. Communicate about changes and feelings.  Our ‘normal’ is changing for now and it is important to communicate to our kids that they are loved and that their feelings are valid.  It is important for them to know that they can ask questions and talk to you or a trusted adult if they need to. Again, scheduling a little bit of each day to talk about new developments in family routines or circumstances is a great idea.  My kids have said that they don’t want to hear the words “corona” or “virus” at home because they have heard it so much. I understand. If I feel like there is something they need to know about that I just code it, “C.V” 🙂 I try to give them the info that I think they need and keep it simple.
   5. Communicate your expectations.  Our kids need boundaries. As this isn’t business as usual, the expectations you have at home and during this time will probably change.  As parents we can’t anticipate all of the circumstances we will face with our kids, but there are some things we expect of our kids. Whether it’s curfew, picking up after themselves, or getting along with their brothers and/or sisters, talking to your kids about what you expect of them and even writing it down is a good idea.
   6. Recruit Their Help.  Our kids are smart and capable.  Asking them to help with specific chores and tasks that they normally don’t do is a good idea and while they may not jump up and down with excitement about having to help cook or fold laundry, you will be showing them that you believe in them and it will give them a healthy sense of responsibility.
   7. Laugh together and have fun too.  This is an uncertain time, hard even!  But hard isn’t necessarily bad.  As our kids are growing up so fast, this just might be that precious time with our kids we’ve been wanting, so play with your kids…board games, dance contests, or…impulsively get a puppy! (We impulsively got a puppy!  You can shake your head! What was I thinking!?)
   8. Take Care of yourself. Be sure to get sleep, eat healthy food, exercise, and be good to yourself.
   9. Ask for help.  Even though this isn’t business as usual, there are so many friends, neighbors, and people in this community that can and want to help.  Do you need meals for your kids? Childcare while you work or run errands? Someone to talk to?  Reach out to others.

Natrona County School District

has information on food services for kids in this county.

10. Talk about the blessings your kids and you see each day.  It’s so easy to focus on the negative in our days, but there are so many beautiful and wonderful blessings to be grateful for.  Your children are one of those blessings!  Let them be a blessing to others.  Cards, flowers, a chore for a neighbor, a smile; they make a difference.

All in all, be safe, follow healthy city and  state protocols, and be encouraged knowing you are stronger and more courageous than you know .

Joshua 1:9

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

 

 

HDGC HOPE

This is my aunt!  She and I share a lot: our love for long walks, our large feet and well, we kind of look alike too.  We also share a loss–the loss of my mom, her sister.

Today we are together at The National Institute of Health with my sister.  The three of us are a part of a hereditary diffuse gastric cancer study to help find a cure for the cancer that my mom, my grandpa and my great-grandma all had.

Today is a day full of pricks and pokes, tests and needles, anxiety and memories, but also some laughter through tears.

Even though my mom isn’t here with me, I remember she is closer than I know.  A mom’s love never fades.  It never waivers.  And it is always present.

I see my mom in my aunt’s eyes and I hear my mom in my sister’s laugh.  I feel my mom’s courage with each turn of this adventure.  And I smell just a hint of my mom’s sweet love as I pray with another mom who is here with her daughter – a daughter who is sick with cancer.

I don’t understand why sometimes life throws these hards things at us, but I do know that I can have hope…”For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  Isaiah 55:9

I am grateful that my mom’s sister, my aunt, is with me today.  She is a one of God’s many gifts.

 

My Man

I am married to a cook.  No, not a cook, a kitchen genius.  He’ll tell you he never had a lesson.  He didn’t.  What he did have was one of the smartest moms in the world.

By her eighth kid, Anna Jean had probably cooked a million-ish meals and my man will also tell you that while she always had something to serve, she wasn’t necessarily a good cook.  A lot of the time she would pull something out of the freezer which was code for leftover-surprise.  So when my hubby , the youngest, was old enough to reach the stovetop and Anna Jean felt like he might not burn the house down, she let him cook.

The 1st ‘entree’ he ever made was an omelette…eggs and maybe cheese.  Was it good?  Well, it was eggs and cheese, so not bad.  But the best part about that omelette for Anna Jean probably wasn’t the cheesiness or the fluffy consistency.  The best part of that meal was probably that she was off the hook and out of the kitchen…at least for that meal.

To this day, my hubby remembers making that omelette.  He remembers the way his mom enjoyed that omelette.  She praised him and showered him with “mmmmm mmmm” accolades with each bite.

This cooking debut launched an interest in his culinary skills.  There were Saturday nights he would invite his high school buddies over for a three course meal…no beer and chips for his gang.

Even now, some forty years later, my hubby loves to cook.  He cooks everyday and has made a living doing what he loves.

There’s a lesson in there for us mammas.  Anna Jean was one of the best and I have learned a lot from her.  So whether Anna Jean saw it as a way out of the kitchen after eight kids, or whether she saw the passion in her son’s ability to create art in the kitchen, she noticed; she noticed, she encouraged and then she sat down and ate!

HDGC HOPE

This is my aunt!  She and I share a lot: our love for long walks, our large feet and well, we kind of look alike too.  We also share a loss–the loss of my mom, her sister.

Today we are together at The National Institute of Health with my sister.  The three of us are a part of a hereditary diffuse gastric cancer study to help find a cure for the cancer that my mom, my grandpa and my great-grandma all had.

Today is a day full of pricks and pokes, tests and needles, anxiety and memories, but also some laughter through tears.

Even though my mom isn’t here with me, I remember she is closer than I know.  A mom’s love never fades.  It never waivers.  And it is always present.

I see my mom in my aunt’s eyes and I hear my mom in my sister’s laugh.  I feel my mom’s courage with each turn of this adventure.  And I smell just a hint of my mom’s sweet love as I pray with another mom who is here with her daughter – a daughter who is sick with cancer.

I don’t understand why sometimes life throws these hards things at us, but I do know that I can have hope…”For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  Isaiah 55:9

I am grateful that my mom’s sister, my aunt, is with me today.  She is a one of God’s many gifts.

 

My Sandwich Day

Today was a gorgeous spring day–sun shining, birds chirping, green everywhere, and no wind!  The veggie garden I planted with Kayla, my 13-year old daughter seven days ago was showing the tiniest bit of life from an ant’s perspective.  If you live in Wyoming you’ve been waiting for a day like today. You’re not cowering from the elements and you can come alive again. If you’re from Wyoming you also know that there is a snow advisory in the forecast; so much for my little lettuce seedlings.

 

Yesterday was Mother’s Day.  Social Media was scattered with thousands of shots of proud mamas and their sweet babes, adult children hugging parents, grandparents brunching among bouquets and mimosas.  My two daughters and hubby spoiled me with whatever I wanted: chocolate, coffee, brushing my hair. I felt loved. The day was complete with the annual local Children’s Choir concert in which both my daughters participated.  You can imagine the frantic search for proper attire of black pressed pants, black socks, polo shirts without blueberry stains, and oh yes, cowboy hats.

The show was amazing!  I knew to grab a few napkins off the cookie table on my way to my seat for the ‘those-are-my-babies-singing-up-there’ moments.  Both of my girls knew I’d be in the audience crying my head off and they’d laugh, thinking it hilarious. The song that got me going was ‘No Time‘ about someone on their journey home.  Eighty teen/tweens were singing their hearts out and I’m guessing there wasn’t a dry eye it the place.

Now, there is a three-year old in all of us.  At least there is in me. The one that says, ‘I want more!’ and ‘Why can’t I have?’  It was about this time in the concert the three-year old in me started throwing her fit.  Not only was I crying, but I wanted more. Sitting on my left was my sweet husband. He was holding my hand.  His eyes may have been dry…maybe…probably. There was an empty seat on my right. It was that empty seat that was getting to me because it was Mother’s Day and I was missing my mom.

My mom took her journey home twelve years ago.  She was the most amazing lady and as all of us who have lost a loved one know, it leaves such a hole, an eternal hole, and I wanted my mom in that empty seat watching her grand-babies sing.  I may have been sobbing a bit by now. Luckily, the next song was about the scarecrow and his brain to lighten things up, but my singing girls’ faces were still blurry through tears.

My mom and I have this thing about two pennies.  I just know that whenever I see two pennies together, she has sent them to me from heaven.  It started this side of heaven when I was a little girl and my mom would give my sister and me each two pennies for the offering at church on Sunday.  She’d get out her little leather coin purse and drop two pennies into each of our hands.

The first time it happened after she died, I was in St James church in New York City and I went to a service. Before I got up to leave there was a penny on the seat beside me and as I genuflected there was the other penny on the floor.  Neither was there before. One time, I dumped my purse out of the car and only two pennies fell out (if you knew my purse!). Many times over the years I have found two pennies when they weren’t there before and it has been when I have needed a little extra love; a mama’s love sent from heaven.

So as I sat listening to ‘if I only had a brain,’  and calmed down a little bit, I transitioned into the next phase of my fit: demanding.  ‘Fine, then I want my two pennies!’ Which of course didn’t work, but it didn’t stop me from pretty much getting down on my hands and knees after the concert to search for them…none.

“You’re the best mom in the world,” my girls said that night.  And to them, I am. I was taught by the best.

It was a great Mother’s Day.

That was yesterday.

Tomorrow, is the anniversary of the day my mom took her journey home. I try to forget.  I try to make it be a day that isn’t about that. I try not to cry. But sometimes I can’t help it and I want to be a three-year old.  So today is my sandwich day. I’m sandwiched between two of the hardest days of the year; a day on which I am to honor the woman who has molded and shaped me into me, and the day on which I said good-bye to that woman and her laugh, her wisdom, her comfort; good-bye to the mom who easily and often said, ‘I’m so proud of you.’

Today, I’m still a little sad I didn’t get my pennies.  I think I’m in some stage of my fit. Allison, my ten-year old and definitely my independent girl is extra needy.  She wants to visit after school and tell me all about her day without me playing 20 questions.  She wants me to come into her room and watch her clean it. Okay, what is going on here?  I lay with her before bed. She twirls my hair with her fingers.

She tells me a story.

She says,  “Mom, when I was three, Kayla and I were up in Auntie’s guest bedroom at her house.   I pointed at this picture on the dresser and said to Kayla, ‘I know her.’

Kayla said, ‘You don’t know her. You weren’t born yet.  I knew her. I was one, but you weren’t born yet.’”

I listen to Allison’s story.  I know the picture she is talking about.  It is a picture of my mom holding my sister on her lap when she was a baby.

Allison keeps twirling my hair.  She says, “I told Kayla, ‘I know her face.  I’ve seen her.’”

I listen to Allison take a breath, “Mom, when I saw that picture, I recognized Grandma Jill’s face.  I had met her even though I wasn’t born yet. When God made me, she was there.”

I breathe.  I cry a little bit–peaceful tears.  I kiss Allison good-night and hope that maybe my mom kissed her in that same spot before I did…this was so much better than two pennies.

KNOWING YOU

I knew who you were before you knew me.

You came in a dream that played in my sleep;

And then as a whisper that danced in my ear,

So soft and tender, yet crystal and clear.

What you became was an answer to prayer.

God knew you too and he wanted to share!

He knit you together with each detail in place;

From the tip of your toes to the nose on your face.

All of your beauty was created by Him;

All that is visible and all that’s within.

With hair soft as silk and hands just like mine,

I am in awe of a creation that’s so one-of-a kind.

I see a glimpse of my mom when I look in your eyes;

A gift I cherish as past and present collide.

A million more details I know about you,

Like what brings joy to your heart and unhappiness too.

I know that the todays will turn into the past.

They whirl all around us and it’s moving so fast.

I try to hold on to each memory we share.

May you remember a childhood full of love, comfort, and prayer.

Some moments we laugh, other moments have tears.

I hope that I’ve been there to calm any fears;

And as you move forward, you become more of you

Smart and creative! I’m so proud of you.

Knowing your heart is a most wonderful gift.

I thank God that he’s shared what is eternally His.

I am your mom and for this I am blessed!

You’ve brought me great joy and such happiness.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of my girls!

I love you more than diamonds and pearls

Love, Mom

May 13, 2018

 

New Year’s Dime Cake

 

 

 

Happy Happy holidays from our family to you!

We hope you share much joy today with love and laughter too.

This gift we give is our tradition.  We do it every year.

A tradition that is meaningful.  We hold it close and dear.

Every year on New Year’s Day we bake a special treat.

It’s a cake that is delicious and good enough to eat!

It might be chocolate or vanilla; maybe even carrot.

You don’t get to eat it all.  You definitely have to share it!

Whichever flavor you decide

What makes it special is what’s hidden inside!

YOU SEE…

The baker of this cake has an important job to do.

And it must be done top secret so as not to leave a clue!

After the cake is baked and cooled, a dime is washed and dried.

The baker finds the perfect spot and puts the dime inside.

(It’s not your average ten cent dime!  It’s a whole lot more!

This coin is a LUCKY New Year’s dime and good luck is what’s in store)

Then, frosting covers that whole cake so that no one can see

Just which piece has the dime in it ….the suspense is killing me!

After dinner, dessert is served! Select your piece to win.

Pick the piece you think might have that lucky dime within.

Begin to eat your special treat slowly and with care.

Remember, you might have that dime hidden deep in there.

If you find it shout out loud!  Hoot, holler and cheer!

Wash your dime and keep it safe!  Good luck is yours this year!

Blessings today until next year and each day in between

Happy Happy New Year’s Day 2018!

 

 

Directions:

• Bake your cake as directed and let cool
• Wash and dry a ‘LUCKY’ dime
• Secretly push the dime into the cake
• Frost the cake
• Read the ‘New Year’s Dime Cake’ Poem to your family and friends
• Remind all players that there is a dime in there somewhere so they don’t swallow it!
• Celebrate with the lucky dime finder!
• If no one finds the dime, have SECONDS!