Pizza in Heaven

Pizza in Heaven

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I absolutely love this CD, and have a neat story to tell about it. I was at our local library a few months back and this CD with the quirky title caught my eye. It was called, "Pizza in Heaven". I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at the songs and found out this was a children's worship CD. After looking further, I realized that I actually knew the artist, Lori Beil. She was from a church my husband and I had attended for a season in New Glarus, WI. I remember several times Lori spoke during the open sharing time about what the Lord was doing in her life and in her family and I was always encouraged.

Little did I know how much my son and I would grow to love singing these songs together! Her folk-type singing is very appealing to me, and I think I enjoyed listening to it as much (or even more) than my son. I am always encouraged when I listen to God's word set to music. I struggle a bit with memorizing scripture and I find it so much easier to learn scripture through songs.

Well, I knew this CD had made a huge impact when something interesting happened one morning. I can't remember where we were going, but as I was buckling my son into his car seat, he started saying words like "Peace, Patience, Love" just out of the blue with a big smile on his face. I told him I was curious what made him think of those words. He was so cute as he said "Because Jesus put them on my heart, mommy!" It was then that I realized he was repeating the fruits of the spirit, which happens to be one of the songs on the CD and is my favorite (Fruit of the Spirit song). I started singing the song and he sang along with me; it was just precious.

Then something really cool happened. Recently, I started a little part-time work at our local YMCA and was there for a training session. At the training, I thought one of the gals looked familiar. It turns out she was Lori's daughter whom I met while we attended their church. I got a chance to talk with her a bit and told her how blessed we'd been by her mom's music and Pizza in Heaven. She told me she couldn't wait to tell her mom and that this would just make her day. Well, I was blessed again when I ran into her mom (who was picking her up from the training). Her daughter had called ahead and here was her mom with a brand new CD for me called We Want to Know You. She wouldn't even let me pay for it, but said how sweet it was to hear my story and she wanted me to have the CD as a gift. I was so touched. It is such a nice worship CD that I like to listen to when I have that precious time to myself.

It tickled me that God had connected us in this way through the CD and I was so glad I got to tell Lori firsthand the story about my son J and the Fruit of the Spirit experience we had in the car. I love how God is always at work, I know I shouldn't be surprised but it always tickles me when something like this happens. I just love it. Her website is called Pizza in Heaven. This link takes you directly to the Pizza in Heaven's lyric page. When you click on the individual songs, you will hear an mp3 clip. I hope you enjoy listening to her music too!


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Blogger Light

I really, really want to write a deep and insightful post but lately I just haven't had the wherewithal to sit down and do it. So tonight I'm going to do "blogger light"; just writing down some random thoughts of things on my mind or heart lately.













So I already started listening to Christmas music! There's just something very soothing and comforting for me when the season starts to turn towards fall and I start playing the Christmas music. I know many would say it's way too early, but for me this is the only time of year I'll listen to it and from Thanksgiving to Christmas just isn't long enough. Now if only we could get our gas fireplace fixed we could snuggle up to the "fire" and indulge in some Christmas music time. I love it! (picture credit here)










I've been continuing to participate in a bible study from a website called Setting the Captives Free. It has a 60-day bible study called "The Lord's Table" and is focused on overcoming struggles with food. They assign a mentor who prays for you and responds to the questions you answer from the study. I haven't been doing the study every day, which would really be the way to do it. It is by far the best thing I've done so far related to weight loss. It is giving me a whole new understanding of what is underneath and at the heart of my overeating and ungodly eating habits. In the past, the diets and nutrition/fitness plans I've done have helped with the weight problem but not with lasting change. They have never addressed the heart; coming to terms with the sin-aspect and biblical perspective of it. It is teaching me to turn not to food to be satisfied (as it doesn't last) but instead turn to the Lord to "feast" on him, especially his word. I am just starting to see myself doing this and having small victories. With the victory though, has come greater temptations especially some falling off the wagon with Halloween candy. It can be one step forward yet two steps back until true transformation takes place.















Lately, I've really been encouraged to prepare my heart for this holiday season. Being mindful of the why of Thanksgiving, how much I have to be thankful for. I also want to have a focus on the true meaning of Christmas; how to make that real in my life and with those around me. I love how a friend put this into words in her blog, see Frost. It is really hard for me to grasp that just a year ago at this time I was getting out of the hospital having been hospitalized for severe depression and anxiety. This was the second time I was hospitalized as the first time was right after my son was born and I had a postpartum breakdown. It is just so amazing to me how after that second time in the hospital I literally felt myself return to normal. The anxiety and meaninglessness disappeared, and a whole new world of joy was opened to me in taking care of my son. Through it all, my husband was by my side co-laboring, loving, supporting me through the darkest of times. I want to take time this season just to meditate and ponder all that the Lord has done. (picture credit here)
















Lastly, time with my little one is so precious. He is starting to lose his "baby-ness" and becoming a little boy. I have such mixed feelings about it too. I even found myself cradling him the other day like a baby and holding and rocking him. He was telling me, "I'm not a baby. I'm big." I told him he'll always be my little baby. We are into doing all kinds of things together like singing, dancing, blowing and chasing bubbles, having fun with learning activities, time with play groups and some sweet moments like just holding him in my arms after he wakes up from a nap and wants to cuddle. I'm so thankful the Lord blessed us in this way. (picture credit here)

I also wanted to share some fun with a Sesame Street video J just loves on You Tube called Operatic Orange. I remember this from when I was a kid! He can just watch it over and over and over again.





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The things the Lord reveals

Had a pretty good day today. I am an outdoors person and so is my 20 mo. old son so it's getting hard being indoors so much now that it's been below freezing so many days. I like the fresh air and exercise and taking my son out in his "car", a red car with a steering wheel, horn and handle so I can push him. Well today we were finally able to go out and we took our half-hour morning walk. It was a little cold at 27 but the wind wasn't bad. Julian chatted away while we were walking and I like to use the time for prayer. Julian and I had some time later to worship as I found a really great CD with 100 classic Bible songs for kids. He loves music and I love singing to him. He moved and grooved a little bit but then was off playing with his Little People.

Julian still takes a morning nap (what a blessing) so I had a nice quiet time. I'm moving along in my Women of the Bible study and this week we're reading about Deborah from Judges. I've done a study of Judges in the past so this is good review. It amazes me how the Lord puts her in an incredible place of leadership and she has such a heart of faithfulness. It was pointed out how Deborah makes herself available to the Lord and this is where I started getting convicted ... I thought deeper about that and asked myself, am I making myself available to you Lord? Really available? Or just available for things that "suit me" or that I like to do (or have to do). I feel the Lord stretching me in this area to really lay some things down and open myself up for other areas & ways he may want me to serve him.

I had some worship time and it was really nice. I haven't for a long time just sat and been still before the Lord in this way, listening to worship music and opening my heart for whatever the Lord may speak and bring to mind. I was especially moved by Fernando Ortega's song Give Me Jesus. I've heard this so many times but today it really touched me. Being still before the Lord and listening to this I thought about the lyrics "you can have all this world, give me Jesus" and again felt the nudge of conviction. I was asking myself, can I really say that and have it be true for me? Am I that surrendered to the Lord and not in love with the world or are there some things in the world that are capturing me and pulling me away from Him? I can come up with a few areas of my life (eating/leisure time/prayer time) where I battle to have Him first. Thank the Lord that he continues to show me these things, but better still Lord give me a heart so on fire for you that I act on these convictions and take ground in these areas I struggle. That is my prayer. So it was a really good time with the Lord today.

We had an invitation for lunch so we joined my friend (and babysitter) Karen at Culver's, literally our favorite restaurant. It's great for kids. Plus we get free ice cream with the child meal which he and I share. All he really ate were the fries! He ate a few bites of cheese & some crackers but kept going back to the fries. He loves to say hi to people when we're out it's so cute. Later we ran some errands at Target and he kept saying hi to people he saw in the aisles. He kept asking for different things off the shelf saying "tank-oo" which is the way he says thank you, as if by saying thank you I'd grab it for him. We came home and the first word out of his mouth was a pretty close "groceries". He loves helping me put groceries away. If he can lift it out of the bag he's all over it. He hands it to me, I say thank you and he's off to get the next item for me. It's one of the things I look forward to now after shopping. My little grocery partner.

He had an afternoon nap and when I got him up he surprised me with his game of peek a boo. Normally he hides his face with his blanket and says "peek a boo" and I say "Where's Julian?" and he pulls the blanket from his face. Well this time he put his blanket over my face! He's never done that before so it caught me off guard but within a second or two I was the one saying "peek a boo". It's wonderful to see him initiating games.

What a fun day.