Nikki

Feed Your Soul ~ And a Giveaway!

by Nikki



                               

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Be sure to read to the end of the post for the giveaway details. You don’t want to miss entering for a chance to win!

 

Those persons who know the deep peace of God,
the unfathomable peace that passeth all understanding,
are always men and women of much prayer.” R.A. Torrey

Their house was an extension of home. A peace-filled place where I could easily slip in to their predictable everyday like I belonged. Because they made sure I did.

Routines often brought them to their matching rosewood rockers. Her work-softened hands were always busy, even while sitting. And she would rock in tune to what my Great-Grandpa was singing/humming across the way. If I leaned in close, I could hear her harmonizing hum. Even if Grandpa didn’t say it out loud, I could see by the kind lines on his face, she was the highlight to his day.

Grandma V would grace that rocker with intention. It’s been decades and I can still see the items always within reach: Her black KJV Bible, Yarn and needles, and the radio (she loved baseball). And you could always tell which one was used the most.

When I was young, I would secretly quiz her. Sitting near her feet while she clicked away on crochet, I would crack open her Bible and read a phrase out loud. And wait…more times than not, she would quote the words following. Then look up startled and ask me where that was found. Friends, I don’t think she knew she had it memorized…the familiar simply percolated up from within.

You see, she would fill herself up with His words each day. Every day. No matter the day. There was always time for her Bible. And it showed in everything else she did.

Grandma V brought her Savior up in any conversation. Crazy how it always felt appropriate. Comfortable.

While off at Bible college, I came back and stayed with her a weekend. And I was so excited to share what I was learning in my Bible classes. She smiled wide, just like I had expected, and yet, her reply made me re-think all I had perceived.

“I’m so glad, Nikki. I love seeing His Word come alive, but tell me…” She tugged on the white yarn resting in her lap. “How’s your prayer life? I love reading His letters, but it’s talking to Him that gets me through my day. It’s our conversation that fills me up.” And she quoted a verse word-for-word, then said, “I think that’s in Philippians.”

Looking back, I see it now. When she walked to work, she prayed the whole 2+ miles. And I heard her often–these brief utterances made to Him like He was standing right next to her. Friends, she talked to Him while crocheting, cleaning, cooking…. She spent time with her Savior. And she lived like He was always in the room. Because to her, He was.

No wonder He always felt appropriate.

My Grandma V may be known for many things. Her sticky buns. Crustless pumpkin pies. Her mad organ playing skills…

But anyone that knew her would tell you: She loved Jesus.
For He’s what filled her soul.
And I’d love to be just like her.
It’s a good thing she gave me her ultimate recipe:

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.  (Philippians 4:6)

The giveaway:

We are so excited to offer this beautiful “Feed Your Soul” necklace from Lisa Leonard.

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How to enter:

Leave a comment on this post, sharing how you feed your soul. (MANDATORY ENTRY)

For additional entries (1 per action done):

  1. Visit Lisa Leonard Online and leave a comment telling us which piece of jewelry you love!
  2. Subscribe to 5 Minutes for Faith (and tell us how you do).
  3. Tweet about the giveaway!

This giveaway will remain open until 9PM (Central Time) on Wednesday, May 15th.  A winner will be chosen using Random.org. All winners for all giveaways in this series will be notified by email and announced at 5 Minutes for Faith on Friday, May 17th.  Please make sure your email address appears in the comments.  (U.S. & Canada entries only.)



                               

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Wide-Eyed Wonder

Stop and Consider God's miracles

It’s a game we play. A practice of sorts. Of dreaming big and loving wide. And today, of all days, showed me it wasn’t only for his benefit…

He sat cross-legged, across from me on the floor, as he leaned in to hear the first of my random questions.

“So, tell me, bud, if you could ask God anything in the whole wide world. Anything! What would you ask Him? Remember Who we’re talking about here–He knows everything! What would you want to know?”

My thoughts whirl with questions I would ask and I start organizing a list in my mind when I notice: Most of them begin with “why”.

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Love Never Stops Believing

It’s these moments that can tug on a mother’s heart until it burns. Yet when it comes to our children, I’ve learned it never stretches far enough to break. It may lose its shape for awhile, but mostly our hearts just grow to fit it all in.

And I see his bottom lip give way to a quiver. His long lashes flutter repeatedly due to the frustration. It takes all I have in me not to scoop his four year-old frame right up and pour on the kind of love that tickles and makes you giggle until you burst into hiccups.

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He Sees You

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Before becoming a mom, I assumed mothers exaggerated how many times they heard the exclamation each day. I even remember having to force my jaw shut when they would ignore such a plea.

Now that I’m privileged to be put to the test, I see clearly why some would wait until they heard the “magic word.”

“Mom, look at me, pleeeeease!”

It takes going through it to realize how much energy it takes. To fully experience how hard it is to look on with excitement and portray what they’re doing as new. unique. special. Each and every day.

We really do change little over time, don’t we.

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Adorning the Tree {Beyond the Evergreen}

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We drag out the buried box. The one wrapped in duct tape from years past. I remember joy bursting as my husband and I scraped enough money to buy this tree as newlyweds.

Now, it seems old. Skimpy. Worn thin and I scold myself quietly for not yet buying another or picking fresh. But my son, the four year-old bouncing out of sheer anticipation, sees the promise of beauty and I force myself to emulate his excitement.

I’ve gotten good at assembly and my boy is eager to learn the process. As I go through the motions, I hear him counting. Soon he exclaims:

“There are 25 branches, Mom!”

It is then I realize Jesus is speaking to me.

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Because He Loves Us

“I miss the Food Network,” I tell her over tea and pastries. Her eyes turn bright while her shoulders square up for conversation. And she asks me excitedly which shows I miss most.

My answer surprised even me. Because I don’t remember scheduling my days around them or talking to my best of friends about them.

What I do know is I haven’t forgotten what they taught me.

Take Alton Brown for example. Now, he can show me how to ensure the best hard-boiled egg every time.

A lot of people can do that, yes.

But he tells me why.

And if you tell me why and show me how, it clicks with me.

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Worship Through the Eyes of a Child

My knees practically touch my chin as we sit in a rain drop of little chairs. That’s what we call it now, this circle made by their own 4 and 5 year-old hands. When one notices most of us funneled together on one end, she comments “We took the circle and made it better. We made a rain drop.”

We decide then to worship in the rain here every Sunday. And my cup overflows…

I can’t help but laugh when I think of how I prepared for this lesson. How I expected to teach them new discoveries. New words to use in everyday conversations.

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The Fluidity of Wisdom

They share the common armrest, leaning in close to exchange childlike whispers. Soon the adult daughter rises to check with the nurses. I catch the wristband-clad mother smile so wide she tears as she watches her child handle the hard with dignity. Wearing pride so radiant it nearly washes away the lines of worry.

Later I witness the same daughter leaving the doctor-assigned room with tears of knowledge. Dignity still in hand as she proclaims “At least we know. We’ll get through this.”

And I want to tell her mother: All she has poured into her daughter shows. She has every right to pool joy from her eyes while she watches the roles transform.

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