Perennial heads to Dallas

After serving Lebanon for the past four months through Perennial, we are headed to Dallas to find new merchandise to bring back to you! (I sit here waiting for our 90 minute delayed flight as I write)

With more knowledge, a few months of business under our belt and Brian's credit card :) we are hitting the Dallas Gift Market. Four days of scoping out new items, shopping with you in mind, and purchasing more for Perennial Place's themed parties.

Perennial's staff, Kaitlin, says eating at the Blue Goose is a must, so we are headed there one night for dinner.

We packed our roll-y cart, our comfy shoes and our sharp eye to bring back bargains, blessings and beautiful gifts for your family and friends and encouragement with gifting needs.

Perennial reopens Thursday, January 17, @ 9 AM. Come by and visit us!

ANSWERED! a Perennial Prayer posting ...

Waiting for prayers to be answered and facing hard times can bring strength, values and a new perspective if you allow them. Patience and hard times can bring a thankful heart if allowed.

I have experienced times of hardship and felt shadowed and down. Loss of family members, lost jobs, loss of joy, loss of health, loss of any kind can shadow times in our lives that are meant to be shared and celebrated. Waiting for answers, waiting for breakthrough, waiting for a new dawn, waiting for a new day can also give opportunity for thankfulness. 

When break though comes and answers do happen, may we give pause of thanks!  Join me as I give thanks for such answered prayer.

Before I opened Perennial, I was in Washington Island, Wisconsin, and was having lunch with my man at a little cafe. The proprietors had a small post with prayers tacked up. As we were checking out, I added my prayer request and thanked God for opportunity to pray for others as well.

Perennial has such post named Perennial Prayer Post and shares faith with others and prays for one another in love and truth.

Monday, there was an ANSWERED prayer. Little baby Carver was united with his adopted parents!! Grandma Marsha and I had been praying for him, talking about him, dreaming about him, and God answered the prayers of so many people and is bringing Carver home. SOON! :) 

Please join Perennial in offering a prayer of thanks! 

Welcome Home Carver!!

But especially that you may.....

Each day I am awed by the women in my community. When talking to friends, old and new alike, and I hear the situations and circumstances they face with faith, tackle with hope and conquer with unwavering strength. I stand still in thankfulness for such examples to me and my daughters and my community.

Yesterday at the shop, I met a woman; a care taker, a friend, and mother. Her friend was in the hospital - just diagnosed. Her daughter was recently re-diagnosed a second time and this woman's heart was overwhelmed. Yet,  my new friend/stranger stood firm in stance, tears in eyes, said, "I just want to be there for them, even if I do not know what to say." We chose an encouraging gift for her friend, and a prayer for her daughter and she left.

But I lingered. Lingered in thought, in prayer, in wonder. I have been a caretaker of one ill. I have been a friend to one with questions. I have needed such friend. I have such friends.

This reason, and hundreds like it are the very reason, I am thankful to serve my community. Women inspire me.

The Proverbs 31 woman inspires me. She encourages me along my life although we have never met.

I encourage women to choose to bless one another. Burdens we have, circumstances we face, situations that leave us shaky, we sometimes hide from another. But I say, let's choose another way. The Apostle Paul commands us another way. 1 Cor 14:3 reads, ^{3 "}But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men." And if you glance back at verse one of that same chapter he urges us to "Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy."

But especially ... especially that you may love, pursue love, and especially that you speak edification, exhortation and comfort. 

Here a couple of women that encourage ... today and for 40 years gone by .. 

These are a few familiar faces that have encouraged me, supported me, and pointed me to reality :)

And there are so many others ... the one that hugged me at church today, the other that sent me an email, the one I watched open the door and help a new mom, the other who aided one that needed housework help, and yet another who knew when to call just in time a friend was in need .... 

God gave to us one another. I am so glad He did.. 

Blessings to you,
Laurie

Perennial Opens!

What an adventure!

How humbling!

Drowning in His grace!

These are all phrases that have left my lips this week as we opened our family's new retail business, Perennial Design in downtown Lebanon.

God blessed with wisdom from those that have pioneered the avenue I was embarking upon. With provision He gave opportunity. With encouragement He gave strength. With His Word He gave direction and purpose.

As He has given to me, I will share. As He leads I hope to fulfill the business' name. Perennial. Ever Bearing, Never Ceasing, Continual. I want to give encouragement continually. Love never to cease. Support bearing fruit one to another.

The book of Nehemiah gave me hope, encouragement and scriptures to apply to my days. I hide His word to settle those days that seem to distract, unnerve and rattle me. Instead, I rested in His grace.

May I share what He provides.

May I praise His faithfulness.

Prayed, Purposed, Planned!

Over the past weekend my carpenter husband treated me to an impromptu VACATION! I suppose it was for him too as he has worked tirelessly on a project dawn to dark in the hot 100 degree for the past many months and worked in the sun. Finally, the large project had come to a close. Regardless, it was a vacation for me too :)

He called me at 3 PM on Thursday, asked me to pack and decide where to go. Our only direction was wherever it was COOLER! Missouri's heat had had its toll on us.

Looked up where cooler weather was and off to North Michigan, we thought. As of 7 PM that same night we were on the packed, prayed and purposed to north. Called my friend Dorothy, who is the most traveled gal I know and she redirected us. 'Laurie, do the Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan, not the Michigan side of the lake.' Her little text redirected our drive.

Already the temperatures were cooler. Already we were relaxing.

We reaching Washington Island Wisconsin on Friday by early afternoon. Took a ferry to the Island and fell in love.

Reserved a Historic Hotel with no air conditioner (we did not know that when we booked off my phone) and no tv. I froze! The winds off of Lake Michigan whipped through us. Sunrises and sunsets became our goal of the day. (http://www.thewashingtonhotel.com)

However, in the midst of this little Island these signs were tucked within.

One was by one of the only four cafes, one was in a prayer garden that held a church tucked into the woods that you would NEVER find just by driving by.

We drove by it 5 times and NEVER noticed it. It was just when Brian read about it in a local used book store that he walked me to the car and said I have a surprise and drove me there. (How he did that was so romantic-al and for another blog post)

So, in the middle of the forrest, where maybe 600 people live, where they had a 'large graduating class of 9', where there was NO street light in the town, and where the friendliest people resided was a building DEDICATED to Jesus in the middle of the woods. (More about that in another blog too) Yes there were three churches, but this building was prayed, purposed and planned for another mission.

However, I was mesmerized by the fact that this prayer path, the church and construction and the plans were all planned and purposed to give God glory, praise and honor. Here where no one could see it. Here it sat, maybe 30 chairs. Where there was no organ, piano, drum, choir platform.

It was planned to glorify. It was planned to worship. In silence. In quiet. In serenity. In beauty.

I want my work to do that same.

Don't you?

Might you join me in prayer as I pray for myself.

Father,
You are worthy. You are full of mercy. You are beautiful. Use us I pray to demonstrate Your love for others to see Your goodness, grace and love. I thank you.

Thank you for the beauty of Your lands.

Establish the work of my hands to bless and honor and glorify Your Great Name.

In Jesus Name .. yes and amen.

And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands -- Psalm 90:17

Wrestling for Rest?

Recently we moved to our new property. First week of July. It's July 23, I have boxes staring at me. This does not settle with me. I know I have been gone a week of those days and have had VBS last week. But these boxes are wrestling with me!

I wrestle with rest too. I let the work at hand overwhelm me, conquer me and dictate me. I allow the to-do list rule. I attend to screaming boxes at midnight. I know I do this. I know.

Why I do this? I do not know!

First week of June, I came down with symptoms that knocked me flat. Still, I wrestled with rest. Kept the kids schedule. Kept dinner on the table. Kept up with laundry. Packed and moved. "I am sure it is just a little virus," I told myself and my husband.

Blood work came in - EBV Virus (form of mono) is positive. Doctor's orders? Rest.

Do I rest? No, I justify.

I hear myself say things like:

"Going to church is too resting, I am just sitting there."

"Sure, I can help you."

"Absolutely, I can meet you for tea and prayer, after all I will just be sitting there"

"No way I am missing the ball games, after all I just sit there"

"I feel better today, I can help you. I will sit if I tire"

All of these times, I found I rested AFTER my body was spent. Not before.

I treat the Sabbath the same way. I work myself and do not take rest. Work at the church. Work at Sunday dinner. Work to get ahead for the week. Work at that new flower bed I want built.

Do you know that the first thing my middle daughter Brooke put up in the house BEFORE we moved in was our hammock that had been in storage for the past 8 months, and I have been in it ONCE.

I justify it with the great reasons. I negotiate with myself. I reason with the Lord.

Mercy. I am tired of me! Tired of the wrestle.

I need a rest !!

Had I just followed the Lord's teachings.

Had I listened to Him instead of my SELF IMPOSED to-do-list.

I would have rest. I would have greater peace. I would have obeyed His voice of what was good for me to begin with!

My first-born husband married me, a first-born gal, and together we make a Type A + Type A marriage. Two Type A peeps do not 'rule the world'. Quit the contrary. We wear one another out!!

Recently, he and I had to have a spit-hand-shake-full-agreement (and a repentive heart) that we would obey the Lord fully and thank the Lord for knowing we need to rest.  We also need a rest from worry, stress, chaos, fear.... we need to rest in Him in ALL things.

Do you? Do you rest from fear? rest from anxiety? rest from chaos? rest from a crazy schedule?

Do you rest in Him in ALL things?

Can I pray for you? while I pray for me?

Father,
Thank you. Thank you that you are mindful enough to cause a rest and offer a rest. To know that we need a rest. To command a rest. I have not taken such rest. I did not believe that I would need or benefit or desire such a rest. Forgive me for doubting your Word. I was resisting Your plan for my body, my spiritual life and my soul. You are Lord over Sabbath. You are a Shelter for us to bring our worry, fear, anxiety and chaos to Your rest. Hebrews 4 speaks of such rest. Exodus speaks and teaches of rest. May we not only have rest on the Sabbath, but have rest everyday because You hold our days. You hold our lives. Help us to rest in You. Rest it all in You. In Jesus Name. Amen

Mark 2 - Jesus Speaking
²⁷ And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.²⁸ Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

My Sandpaper Marriage

We began our love affair years ago. 

First day of my junior year, his sophomore year is the day we met. The moment I saw him; I knew. Then I found out he was younger than me by a few months. Soooo, not wanting my teenage besties to tease me, he and I became friends. Harry Met Sally type of friends. We were good friends. 

Fast forward one year and we date. Fast forward another year and we are engaged and married and parents to the first of three daughters. 

Lightening speed to today and I am still a little older than him and we still hold hands. 

Through the years, I have learned some truths: 

Truth #1 : I learned most about Jesus through my marriage and the trials of our marriage. I searched scripture to assist me in the roller coasters of marriage / family / crazy-schedule-life.

Truth #2 : Brian drove me to Jesus :)  -- kidding aside, it is truth as well. I learned to lean on Christ when I could not figure 'this man You gave me, God' out! I learned scripture and buried it in my heart.

Truth #3 : We wanted to quit many times, God's Word kept us. In 1998 and 2007, our roughest years, we were both weary, frustrated, confused, and 'yesterday-minded'. God healed us, restored us, and set us back on solid ground. Seriously. Ask Brian. God did it. We agreed to slug it out, or silent it out, (depending on the day) and day by day, little by little, we allowed God to change us and reunite us. 

Truth #4 : Brian has sandpapered me to death! And I him! Brian will tell you that marriage is like sand paper . You rub each other raw until it is as smooth as your baby's fanny that you clean years later. He states that the way be 'One' is through the sandpaper process. He is my carpenter! 

Truth #5 : Scripture could have aided us more and more had we known it / lived it in our hearts. 

"Do not awaken love until it's time" Song of Solomon. (we were too young)

"Do not let the sun go down on your wrath" Ephesians (days of silent treatments led to walls being build between us)

"A wise woman builds her house, a fools tears down with her own hands" Proverbs (Yep, been there done that)

"As for me and my house we will serve the Lord." Joshua (we started unequally yoked)

Truth #6 : Isaiah 54 "All of my children shall be taught by the Lord and great will be the peace of my children" (my prayer everyday for our daughters)

Truth #7 : Love Never Fails  .. God is Love.  I can love because He first loved me. 

oh yeah.... and Harry Met Sally??? we know every line by heart .. we still watch it hand in hand.