Interrupted by Grace Giveaway Winner!

I took a spontaneous trip out to get the kids haircuts tonight after dinner, forgetting that you're all on the edge of your seats waiting to hear who won the goodie bag!

The winner is ...

Congrats!!

I'll be in touch to confirm your address.

Thanks to all who entered!

Interrupted by Grace {Day 30}: Song

Hey, hey, hey!  It's April 30th, which means this is the last post in the 2014 interrupted by grace series.  Thanks for joining in the fun of looking out for God at work in our lives.  I pray we can all continue the habit through the coming months!

You still have the work-day today to get your name in the running for the giveaway.  I can't wait to see who wins!

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The Lord tickled me pink yesterday morning with an early-in-the-day grace interruption.  I was doing my post shower routine, thinking about the many things I needed to do during the day when I hear Brian, my five year old, belt out from somewhere in the house, "HE'S GOT THE WHOLE WOOOOORLD, IN HIS HANDS!"

When I say belt, I mean BELT.  He was so loud that I heard Colin eventually say,"Okay, okay, Brian," to get him to lower the volume.

How perfect to be interrupted by grace, in the middle of a "review of the day's to-dos," by an exuberant, musical reminder that God has the whole world in His hands.

Oh LORD, our LORD,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory

above the heavens.

From the lips of children and infants

you have ordained praise

because of your enemies,

to silence the foe and the avenger.

Psalm 8:1-2

Interrupted by Grace {Day 29}: Anger

Since I went on a refreshing retreat this past weekend, I was overly kind and compassionate irritable with the kids yesterday.  Funny how it often works out that way.  I remember in high school coming home on retreat-high, only to be terribly rude to my family.  Mommy, Papa, you want to chime in with an "Amen!" on this?

Thankfully, I was reminded to worship rather than fear or worry about the myriad things to be done to both catch up from the weekend away and prepare for our upcoming trip.  Focus on the Lord always changes our perspective.  But those reminders didn't turn me completely around.  I had to choose to worship so. many. times. yesterday!  And to apologize to my kids.

Dear sinful nature, I am so over you.  Sincerely, Heather

Later in the day, we had some errands to run.  One was a stop at RiteAid to pick up the 4,000 bottles of pills we need to prepare us for malaria and such.  (Praise God, it was SO MUCH cheaper than we expected.  Woo-hoo!  But I digress....)  The kids love the blood pressure machine by the pharmacy, so I took my blood pressure for them so they could watch it work.  Man, that thing hurts your arm!  I finished and Brian put his hand in it as I pushed Katherine away in her stroller, Elizabeth walking by my side, to head off to our next stop.  A woman was approaching to take her blood pressure and I told Brian to step away so she could.  She was really unkind to him, rudely mumble-talking about how those machines aren't for kids and kids don't need to take their blood pressure.  Brian missed it, but Elizabeth certainly sensed the unkindness of the woman's tone.  Strange moment.  Most folks are kind to children; this experience made me glad for that.

When we were checking out, I learned it was not just that the woman disliked children. 

She was at the register next to us at the front, where I was paying for a few extra things.  The gentleman couldn't offer her the card discount on something to make it 59 cents rather than 99, because RiteAid doesn't do the courtesy card thing.  So she called him an idiot and left the store!

Woah.

I was interrupted by grace that God keeps me from giving full vent to my anger (Proverbs 29:11) and forgives me for my irritability and rudeness, which are no less offensive to Him and others than the behavior I observed at RiteAid.

 That was not the end the day's encounters with anger, though!  On our way home from all of our running around, we stopped at a crosswalk near campus to let some women cross the street.  The cars coming the other direction also stopped.  A pedestrian, coming from that side, decided to take the opportunity to cross between two cars rather than the crosswalk.  When the car was able to go, it couldn't because the fellow was still in front of him.  The driver honked.  The pedestrian swore at him.  They exchanged words and rude gestures for several seconds.

Anger, how quickly you flare!  Our pride is so easily provoked.

For the third time that day I was forced to think about how our anger hurts God, other people, and ourselves.  I was interrupted by grace that God can and does forgive all of that garbage that is in sinners who trust in Christ.  Among other things, all the anger - past, present, and future - was atoned for on the cross.  We can arise in new life, no longer defined by our sin, but by Christ's righteousness.

There's hope for mankind!

Friends, I really, desperately, fiercely want the end of dealing with my sin!  I long for heaven.  For the time being, I'll lean on Christ.  Won't you join me?  How good to repose at the foot of the cross, where justice and mercy meet!

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Don't forget about the giveaway!  I want to send YOU a treat!!  Leave a comment to let me know how many times I should put your name in the hat.

Interrupted by Grace {Series Giveaway}

I  love to wrap up a series with a giveaway.  Until today, I have not had my act together enough to think about it for April 2014, but I did get to pick up a few little treats at the store this morning that I would like to send to YOU.  Yay!!

Interested in a new journal to record ways that God is interrupting you by grace, a nostalgic four-color clicky pen, a bag of delicious chocolates, and some minty tic-tacs?  Then, this giveaway is for you!  Imagine having your taste buds treated to a chocolate spa while you record moments of God's faithfulness in one of four classic colors: red, black, blue, or green.  This could be your future!

Alright, enough with the cheesiness.  Here's how to toss your name in the hat one more more times!

1. Leave an "I want in!" comment on this or another post from the series.
2. Share an interrupted by grace moment in your comment.
3. "Like" my facebook page for the first time, to get post updates in your news feed.
4. Follow me newly on Twitter.

WOW!  You could potentially get your name in there FOUR times.  Amazing!  hahaha

The deadline for entry is 5pm  EST, Wednesday, April 30.  (I will ship to anywhere.)  I'll announce the winner sometime that evening.

Thanks for reading and joining me in this month's interrupted by grace journey.

I appreciate you folks a whole bunch!

Interrupted by Grace {Day 28}: Worship

I do not where to begin to share about ways I was interrupted by grace this weekend, because I was on a retreat!  Better typed, a reTREAT!!

My dear friend from high school, Kim, invited me to join her for a retreat her mother-in-law was coordinating that was about equidistant between her home in Virginia and mine in Pennsylvania.  My in-laws were available and willing to help with the kids, since the husband is busy with end-of-semester responsibilities; our calendars had already been synced for the weekend over some plans that fell through.  Surely there's no coincidence there, pure providence.

We had a fantastic weekend.  As I read through my notes this morning I was wondering, What in the world should I share on the blog today?  There are so many things!

I'm going to give you the biggest thing, the interruption by grace that covered the whole weekend: a blanket of worship.  The women gathered - who came from a very different denominational background than I - worshiped God with vigor, joy, hope, thanksgiving, and sincerity, especially in their singing!  They gave the Lord their all.  Blessed be His name!

At this moment, I think of the verse, How good and pleasant it is when God's people dwell together in unity.  Psalm 133:1  We sang songs, many that I had never heard, but I knew the lyrics.  They came straight from Scripture.  So many minutes were spent this weekend speaking and singing to God what He has revealed about Himself in His Word.

So this morning I sit, thinking about how worthy God is of our worship and praise.  During one of our quiet prayer and reflection times this weekend I wrote in my journal,

No reason NOT to praise you!

I hope it's not presumptuous to include you in these statements with myself:  We get caught up in the details and derailments of life; we forget our Lord is always worthy of worship; we neglect praising Him and our souls languish.  But there is no reason NOT to praise the Lord.  He' is always worthy, despite our sin, circumstances, or satan trying to persuade us otherwise!

I experienced some personal interrupted by grace moments this weekend, but I need to share with you the message that is for all of us, one that will individually and corporately transform us.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 100

May the Lord fill our hearts with praise today.

Interrupted by Grace {Day 26}: Provision

Thursday I called back the doctor who had seen us on Wednesday, hoping she'd have some time available for me to bring the kids back for their vaccinations.  The receptionist said she couldn't schedule for me in the next week or so, because she had to schedule three full consecutive appointments and none were available.  Since we've already done the long consultation, I asked the woman on the phone if she could have the doctor call me.  (Anxiety rising - these seem to be the only people in the Pittsburgh area with the vaccine!)

I didn't hear from her that day.  She phoned yesterday morning and (praise the Lord!) is able to see the kids exactly ten days before we leave.  Now, because this is a private travel vaccination agency, it will cost us a fortune.   Financially speaking, the County Health Department is definitely the best way to go!  But, (again, praise God!) we got more than enough of a tax refund to cover the billions of dollars it will cost us to be ready to travel. hahaha.

Seriously though, spending money when I "could have" saved drives me bonkers.  One could argue I have a money idolatry problem, but that's fuel for a different post.  I also get really embarrassed when I find myself in situations like this because I didn't plan ahead enough.  One could argue I have an organization idol, too!  What a great growing experience this is, huh?

Anyway, I'm interrupted by grace that there is plenty of extra money to cover the cost of these vaccinations and that there is a place in Pittsburgh that has them.  I was starting to think we would need to drive to Cleveland!  No joke.

How graciously God provides.

Has the Lord interrupted you by grace lately with unexpected provision?  Do share!

Interrupted by Grace {Day 25}: A Bit of a Vaccination Shortage

Our family will be traveling overseas soon to visit my parents.  One of the vaccinations we need is yellow fever.  Now, you would never think it, but there is a vaccination shortage.  Enough of the stuff is not being made to keep up with demand.  We heard that the health department would have more next week, but I scheduled appointments for Colin and me for this week with a private travel preparation doctor for Wednesday, so at least some of us would be done.  His life is not flexible enough at the moment to just pop into Pittsburgh whenever the vaccinations are available.  Also, we have to have them at least ten days before our trip.

Yesterday, I called the Health Department again and they changed the expected date from this coming Monday to "sometime in May."

Oh dear.

I have been feeling anxious about the situation.

You can't get into the country without your yellow fever vaccination.

I have been praying about it a lot when I feel the tension start to mount.

You can't add to your life by worrying.

I have also noticed that Elizabeth gets anxious when she senses I'm anxious.

You can't knowingly do that to your kid.

Given those things, I am interrupted by grace at how the Lord was working - through what I know about Him and my daughter's emotions - to keep me calmer than I would be naturally.

In fact, perhaps the most peaceful moment yesterday was reading these verses, Psalm 25:1-2.

The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
for He founded it up on the seas,
and established it upon the waters.

I think He's good handling a little "vaccination situation," don't you?

Yeah, me too.