10 Reasons Why I Blog

1. God called me to do it. After praying for a year, I finally said yes.
2. It is a creative outlet for me.
3. I love words!
4. I have a passion to connect with other women and encourage them.
5. I saw Julie & Julia and was inspired!
6. It is a great keepsake for my girls as they get older.
7. I have horrible handwriting and this makes #6 possible.
8. I don't have a crafty bone in my body.
9. I get to meet and interact with amazing people.
10. Just like this fashionable lady I found at The Graphics Fairy, the possibilities are endless if you dream big!

How about you? Why did you start blogging?

Chair Time

Do you ever feel like you are just surviving your life? I do, and if I'm keeping it real, that is truly how I have been living lately. I find myself reacting to life instead of being Spirit filled and purposeful. So last week I was reading one of my favorite devotionals called, "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young. I love this little book. It is written as though Jesus were talking to you directly. On March 19, the entry said:

Since I dwell in you, you are fully equipped to be holy. Pause before responding to people or situations, giving my Spirit space to act through you. Hasty words and actions leave no room for Me; this is atheistic living.
Page 82

I was intrigued by the word pause. According to dictionary.com it means:

v. To dwell or linger
n. A cessation of activity because of uncertainty.
A break or rest to emphasize meaning.

Last year, my word for the year was dwell. So when I read that definition I smiled. I am to "dwell (in Christ) before I respond to people or situations (i.e. my children, husband...)" As I dwell or pause in Him, it gives the Spirit room and space to act through me. Now there is a novel idea.

Then I was reminded of this today:

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness
Psalm 103:8

I noticed immediately that it does not say, "Stacey is compassionate and gracious. Stacey is slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness...." But the beauty of it is, Jesus is in me. And as I pause and give Him space He can and will be those things through me.

Oh Lord, I have so much to learn. I am so grateful that you are gracious and compassionate with me. Please give me gentle reminders this week to pause and let you be all you can be through me.

Looking Forward
Stacey

Multitude Monday

Counting 1,000 Gifts.....



#159 He would have died if I were the only one.

Thankful,
Stacey

The Cry of My Heart

Lord,

You see them, but do they see you? Help me to teach them how to develop an inward gaze of the soul upon you. That they may look forward and be satisfied with great expectation to your will for their lives. You speak to them, but are they listening? Do they understand that your Word is written to lead and to guide them through this crazy mixed up noisy world? And that your Word leads them straight to your heart and into your embrace?

How can I, as their mother begin to teach them to behold you in every moment and to listen for your speaking voice? Show me, for if I teach them anything today, let it be these truths. The cry of my heart is that they would:

love you,
obey your voice,
and hold fast to you
all of their days....
Dueteronomy 30:20

Looking Forward,

More Worth Mentioniong

On The Speaking Voice

The facts are that God is not silent, has never been silent. It is the nature of God to speak. The second person of the Holy Trinity is called The Word. The Bible is the inevitable outcome of God's continuous speech. It is the infallible declaration of His mind for us put into our familiar human words...If you would follow on to know the Lord, come at once to the open Bible expecting it to speak to you. Do not come with the notion that it is this thing which you may push around at your convenience. It is more than a thing; it is a voice, a word, the very Word of the Living God.
A.W. Tozer
The Pursuit of God
Pages 77,8

Lord you are speaking, give me ears to listen.
Looking Forward,
Stacey

Worth Mentioning

On Beholding (seeing) God

When we lift our inward eyes to gaze upon god we are sure to meet friendly eyes gazing back at us, for it is written that the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout all the earth. The sweet language of experience is "Thou God seest me" (Genesis 16:13). When the eyes of the soul looking out meet the eyes of God looking in, heaven has begun right here on this earth.
A.W. Tozer The Pursuit of God
pages 85,86

Lord teach me to perpetually gaze upon thee. Thank you that as I do, I see you gazing back at me.

Looking Forward,
Stacey

Chair Time

"Abundance is at the very heart of who I am".... from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

I love that Jesus walked with a band of totally real, normal people like me. He did not surround himself with religious leaders. I appreciate His patience with their slowness to learn. It gives me great hope. I also like that He involved them in His teaching and even more important in His miracles. They did not just see them,they lived them. See, I learn mainly by doing. Ask my very sweet husband about teaching me how to use Photoshop. I have to feel and experience it to understand.

Today I read from John 6:1-14. As usual, multitudes of people where following Jesus. He called to Philip and said, "Where are we to buy bread that these may eat?" Now I know, Jesus had a plan all along. He was inviting Philip to be part of the work He was about to do. I love his answer, "That would cost a lot of money" (paraphrase mine). Andrew must have been a few steps ahead of Philip. He offered five barley loaves a couple of fish to Christ from some child whose blessed mother had sent him with a lunch that day. I can just see her running after him out the door, "Honey! Don't forget your lunch!" Little did she know she would be part of a plan to feed thousands! Can you imagine the dinner conversation in that house?

I love this part of the story. Jesus took the loaves and the fish. Thanked His Father and distributed the food to the people. They were filled. And then so wisely He asked the disciples to gather the left overs. Twelve baskets full. One for each of the disciples to hold, see, smell, and touch. Brilliant teaching from the Master.

So I ask myself, how often do I live on the 5 barley loaves of my own effort? When do I settle for what I can come up with in my own strength? If I take and lay it at the feet of Jesus He would bless it and delight in giving me from His abundance. I am not talking about money here. But my own self effort of teaching, mothering, and loving others. What I have to offer in my own power is no comparison. My bread may cure the munchies, but will it give life and point others to Christ?

"...and the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Thy house; They drink their fill of the abundance of Thy house.."
Psalm 36: 7-8

Lord,
I thank you that you have a plan. That you are blessedly patient with my slowness to learn. And that you delight in pouring forth your abundance upon every area of my life that I give to you.

Looking forward,
Stacey


P.S. When have you given Jesus your 5 loaves and few small fish and seen Him do a work only He could do? What was the result? Who else got to take part in the miracle? You can leave a comment or use McLinky to link to a blog post! Thanks!

Multitude Monday

Counting 1,000 Gifts.....

#145 The sweetness of a rare Saturday afternoon date with my husband.

(We went to a photography exhibit at our local art museum and had the best BBQ sandwich I have ever eaten. I also enjoyed this cupcake....

She wasn't too bad herself!)

Thankful,
Stacey

P.S. What are you thankful for today?

How Will You Prepare?

How will you prepare for Easter?

Oh how I love Ann Voskamp at A Holy Experience. I can get lost in her words for hours. Today, I have been pondering this question she asked early in the week.

We do a great job of preparing for Christmas, in fact we love the Advent season at our house. But I have always struggled with how to prepare my children's hearts for Easter. I want them to understand the sacrifice, to embrace it and to rejoice in new life...all the Cross has to offer. Yet, I don't want to overburden their sweet faith with the heaviness the cross brings as well. So I am thinking and praying (always a good idea) about how to bring true meaning and anticipation into this season as we have the celebration of His birth.

In the mean time, the lovely Anne has posted some great ideas over at A Holy Experience. You should really check it out!

And after you are thoroughly blessed by her love for Jesus and way with words, you can click here and become a Facebook Fan of 29 Lincoln Avenue! I'd be so blessed! (Yes, I'm back to loving my technology!)

Have super weekend,
Stacey

P.S. How are you preparing for Easter?

Technology Blah Blah Blah

Technology is great when it works. But today, it has not been my friend. For some unknown reason, my blog was popping up a mysterious log in for my Twitter Account. As a result you were not able to actually read any of my posts. My super amazing husband was able to figure out the problem and it is now fixed. Whew! One down, one to go. Now, my email account keeps kicking me out and demanding me to enter in a password. Sometimes when I enter the password, it let's me access my email. At other times it rejects me. It reminds me of Soup Nazi. "No email for you!" Anyway, I'm pretty sure I should just call it a night and go bed. Super amazing husband has gone for a walk, so email will have to wait till morning.

I am so sorry if you were effected by the Twitter glitch. To make it up to you, I am going to share an awesome recipe with you. I made it for a lovely evening out with some neat women last night!

Take two dear friends...


Put them together like this....



And enjoy with a a drizzle of chocolate and a cup of decaf!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

1 brownie mix
Vegetable oil,egg, & water as called for on the brownie mix
1 pouch chocolate chip cookie mix
Butter and egg called for on the cookie pouch

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom of 13 x 9 pan.
2. Make brownie mix and put in bottom of pan.
3. Make cookie mix and drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto brownie batter.
4. Press down lightly.
5. Bake 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from edge comes out clean.
6. Serve with drizzled chocolate.

Now, don't you feel better?
Looking Forward,
Stacey

Chair Time Tuesday

I've decided to make Chair Time a regular Tuesday post and provide a place where we can share with one another what God is teaching us. You may leave a comment or use the Mc Linky to connect to a blog post that you have written. Just be sure to use the URL that directs us to your specific blog post. Also, please provide a link to 29linconlavenue so we can find our way back easier. I can't wait to see what God is writing on your heart as you sit with Him each day.


The Lord mostly speaks to me when I am sitting with the Him in the quiet of the morning, pouring out my heart over His open Word. Sometimes, He chooses other times and places to begin a conversation. This week it was in worship.

Sunday morning I had been faced with the good, the bad, and the ugly. The good of healthy vibrant children all needing me in the same moment. The bad of no sleep and the the ugliness of my own sin ringing in my ears as yelled at them. It was not pretty. And I knew it.

Later, during worship time we were preparing our hearts. Clearly, this time of preparation was just for me. We sang a verse that I had never heard before that went like this:

I'm choosing to die to myself and my pride,
what a glorious death it will be.

It was the cold hard truth. And it pierced my heart. That morning I needed to die to myself when I didn't get my way. When I didn't get the proper sleep. And when my girls were acting like children and not little soldiers. I could go on and on...

The amazing thing is that out of this death comes the most beautiful thing. The power of Jesus and all His awesomeness fills me up and I am instead made radiant with Him. And He overflows to those around me. Awesomeness verses ugliness. Enough said.

I was reminded this week that "The work of the cross is deadly but effective" (Tozer) This is true, but only when I allow it to be.

Looking Forward,
Stacey

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me..." Galatians 2:20

This post has been linked to Prayer and Share @ Heart to Heart with Holley

Multitude Monday

Counting 1,000 Gifts.....

#118 Faithfulness of God
#119 Persistence in Prayer
#120 The joy of good news.
#120 Lori is pregnant!

Thankful,
Stacey

The Friday Five

I loved reading the answers to the Friday Five with Beth! She is truly a woman of faith that inspires me! One of the things that she said that really made me think was that "You should have more dreams than memories." I was so struck by that statement. I think I have more worries than memories, but dreams? Really? I am also reading Good To Great In God's Eyes and Chip Ingram is stretching me to ask myself, "Do I have a God sized dream? Something only He can accomplish?"

So, as we ponder this and wait for our next Friday Five interview, I thought I'd ask you this question from The Five:

What are you looking forward to? Or in other words, what are you dreaming about?
Leave us a comment and if you have a link to a blog post that applies to this question, go ahead and put it in the comment!

Looking Forward,
Stacey

P.S. Our next Friday Five woman is such a blessing! She is one of the wisest women I know. I can't wait to hear who inspires her!

Change One Thing

Growing up, my mom had a saying, "Poor people have poor ways." This was just her way of saying, use what you have and don't spend a bunch of money. She was green before green was cool! Who knew?!

I have been dreaming about redecorating my master bedroom. I have a plan, and I am on the lookout for inexpensive items to help me achieve this particular style. But in the mean time, I've been trying to use what I have and be creative.

So last week, I had a crazy idea to flip over the quilt on my bed. I thought this may give me a fresh new look, that would buy me some time why I dream & shop! So here is the before:




And here is the after:



And here is the cutest little pillow I found at Kohls for $8.50. It was originally $49.00. (Seriously, who would pay $49.00 for a decorative pillow?)


So I guess that was really two things. Still, it only cost about $8.50! And to be honest, I love it. Change is good. Especially, when it is cheap!


Looking forward,
Stacey

P.S. Be sure to check back tomorrow! I will be asking you to share an answer to one of the Friday Five Questions!

Chair Time

Struggle.
Weary.
Tired.
Exasperated.

All synonyms for how I'm feeling lately. Six months of not enough sleep and I have become a walking shell of myself. So last week, I began singing a song the Lord put in my heart. It is an old hymn that I remember singing at church when I was a little girl. The chorus goes like this:

I need thee, oh I need thee.
Every hour I need thee.
Oh bless me now my Savior,
I come to thee.

Guess what the closing song of invitation was Sunday morning during our very contemporary worship service? "I Need Thee Every Hour.'' It was as though I was the only one in the 5,000 seat auditorium and He played it just for me. Then I heard the Lord whisper,

I see you.
You are never alone.
I am at work.
This is all part of the plan.
I have you right where I want you ---needing Me every hour.

I discovered today, that this hymn was written in June of 1872 by Annie Hawks, a housewife in Brooklyn. She wrote this beautiful prayer of dependence on the Lord while working in the kitchen.


Looking Forward,
Stacey

Multitude Monday

Counting 1,000 Gifts...

#116 A Skinny Decaf Cinnamon Dolce Latte & Vanilla Creme Cupcake = time alone to be refreshed.

Thankful,
Stacey

The Friday Five

I am honored to introduce you to my friend Beth Guckenberger. I first met Beth at Indiana University at a meeting with Campus Crusade for Christ. I was immediately struck by her passion for Christ and her maturity at such a young age. Recently, I read her first book called Reckless Faith: Let Go and Be Led. In it, Beth tells the amazing story of how she and her husband, Todd, embraced reckless faith and moved to Monterrey, Mexico. With limited Spanish and huge hearts for orphans Beth and Todd moved “without much guidance other than a vague sense of the rightness of the decision.” Beth was not sure she even wanted to write this book because she didn’t know if her written words could live up to their experiences, but I can assure you, she delivers a powerful narrative of what happens when you let everything go to follow God. I am thrilled that Beth is our first official Friday Five Woman!


1. Where are you from?

I was born in Indianapolis, then lived in Cincinnati (minus 4 years at Indiana University) until age 25, since then I have been in Monterrey, Mexico.

2.What are you looking forward to or dreaming about?

I was just asked this in a couples Bible study last week and I made such a long list, I embarrassed myself. I am writing some more books,I dream about falling into a better pace with that. I am doing and hope to do more speaking. We are opening a new ministry site internationally in a place that has a lot of human trafficking, so I am hoping to have an impact on that, especially as it pertains to orphans. I have been dreaming about owning a jeep lately:) I am dreaming about another adoption. I am dreaming about owning a restaurant, I actually have lots of dreams... I just heard a quote about how we should have more dreams than memories.

3. What is your favorite Bible verse or passage and why?

Psalms 139. It is such an intimate passage between my Storyweaver and me. I could read it all day, it makes me feel known and loved.

4. What book have you read other than the Bible that has impacted you the most?

Whatever I have read last makes an impression on me and I talk about it for a while. I have recently read Love and War (Eldredge- great marriage book) Why I stayed (Gayle Haggard- great story of redemptive love) and I am always reading books in my field of ministering to the underprivileged internationally, there are scores of smart books on that subject.

5. Who inspires you?

I have several people who inspire me. My mother is one of the healthiest women I know. She works on being in the Spirit all day and that is a great conviction of mine. Also a woman in Mexico named Martha, who believes that every day is a divine appointment.

I could go on and on...

Thanks Beth for inspiring us today! If you would like to get a copy of Beth's awesome book, you can pick it up at Family Christian Store or click here. There is also a video clip at the website of Beth sharing a story from her book! Take 5 more minutes and watch it now. It will challenge you to live a life of Reckless Faith, too. You can find out more about the ministry Beth and Todd serve with @ back2backministries.




Looking Forward,
Stacey

Bauer Haus Coffee Cake & Giveaway Winner

Linking up with Chatting At The Sky today to show you a glimpse of home. Enjoy!



If you were here this morning, I would share a piece of this delicious cinnamon coffee cake. My husband and I discovered it at a lovely B&B in Harrodsburg, Kentucky many years ago.

Bauer Haus Coffee Cake

3/4 cup sugar
4 Tablespoons of applesauce
1 egg
1/2 cup skim milk
1 1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Streusel:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons of flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 Tablespoons of butter

Preheat oven to 350.
Spray bottom of 9 inch pan.
Mix together Streusel topping and set aside.
Mix together sugar, applesauce, and egg. Stir in milk. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Stir until smooth. Spread half the batter in the pan and then cover with half of the streusel topping. Then repeat so you have another layer. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes. Of course serve warm with a cup of your favorite coffee.


The winner from the first Friday Five giveaway is Lori! Congratulations friend! I know your mom, and she is an inspiring woman of faith and courage! I think you will love this little book!
Looking Forward,
Stacey

P.S. Don't forget to stop by tomorrow and meet the first amazing Friday Five woman!

Chair Time - Secrets

I've been thinking about secrets lately. Saturday I had a date with my oldest daughter and we shared secrets about the power of beauty. She is only 10, but we are taking the time now to be purposeful and talk openly about growing up to be the kind of girl that God desires her to be. We had a lovely time at the Art Museum, lunch at Panera and a stroll through the mall. She is an expert at picking out the not so modest clothing that seems to be everywhere these days. I made a promise to her to help her create her own unique artistic style that would only captivate one man - her future husband. These secrets are precious for me to share with her.

But the Lord also has secrets to share. They are precious to me too. Look at this amazing verse in Deuteronomy 29:29

"The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and our sons forever..."

My heart desires to be one who the Lord bends close to and reveals much. Am I putting myself in a place of trust for the things He desires to reveal to me? And the neat thing is, they are not just mine. They belong to my daughters (no sons here :) forever. The things He is revealing to me, I am to reveal to them. (Duet. 6:6-7) Wow! That is rich!

Looking Forward,
Stacey

Question: How about you? What has God been revealing to you that you will be able to pass on to your sons or daughters forever?

*I highly recommend this amazing resources called Secret Keeper Girl that has 8 great dates with your daughter!

Multitude Monday

#105 Huge steps of faith.
#106 My husband's belief in me.
#107 I'm going to Relevant.

Looking Forward,
Stacey