Tag: Gratitude

First Class Upgrades

This last week, I had the privilege of speaking at a conference in San Antonio.  As I was leaving the Montgomery airport, I stopped for a coffee.  There I overheard a customer order four black coffees.  He was told that they didn’t have any cup carriers.  He seemed perplexed as the cashier tried to brainstorm with him about how to get the coffees to his gate.  I interrupted and offered to carry one or two of the cups for him.  He was so grateful for the extra hands.  It was a very simple act of kindness at 5am in a semi-dark airport coffee shop.

I got on the plane and thought nothing of the coffee.  An announcement let us know that the doors had been closed and secured.  I was ready to take off for Texas.  Until I was startled by a gentleman’s voice saying, “Ma’am, can you please gather your belongings and come with me?”

**Side Bar…I’m an OCD-perfectionist who avoids conflict and trouble.  Please know my first thoughts were “I haven’t done anything wrong enough to get kicked off this plane!”

I looked up into the eyes of the coffee buyer.  And also, the pilot of the plane.

He was upgrading me to first-class simply for helping him carry the coffees for his crew.

I was shocked & surprised.  Frankly, it was embarrassing to be moved for something that I didn’t think much about.

While sitting in my new seat, I thought about Christ’s sacrificial death as an offering to first class.  We’re toiling away, doing life, occasionally being kind, when all of a sudden the Holy Spirit speaks into our lives.  “Why don’t you gather your belongings and come with me?”

Can you imagine how different life would be if we were all kind?  How different would it be if we offered help without any second thoughts…or thoughts of how it would benefit us?  How different would life be if we accepted the gift of an upgrade?

In the next week, try your best to be kind. Try your best to remind others of the “First Class Upgrade” available to all of us.

~Emily

First Class Upgrades copy

The Art of a “Thank You”

When was the last time you sent a thank-you note? Or just said thank you?  Do you routinely acknowledge when someone has given you something or offered a kind word?

There is an art to thanking someone.  According to my childhood teachings, it should be in writing, it should be timely (as in fairly soon after receiving the gift), and it should be thoughtful.  My grandma and mom taught my brother and I the art of drafting a thank you card and it’s a skill I still use today.

While my mother isn’t shocked to receive a thank you card from me or my child, there are countless examples I’ve seen where people have been surprised by one of my cards.

I’ve written to thank someone who interviewed me for a position I wasn’t offered.  I’ve drafted notes to managers of restaurants or event managers. When I made the rank of Chief Master Sergeant in the Air Force, I sent dozens of thank you letters to people who had invested in me and my career over the years. I have even mailed a thank you to my car repairman.

In each of those instances, the thank you card prompted further conversation.  The surprise of being thanked has always been mentioned.  Why would someone be surprised to receive one?  Is it because we’re too busy to write one? Is it because we haven’t been taught to write one? Is it because we don’t find there to be a need for a thank you card?

Maybe I’m old fashioned, or of a different era, but I value sending and receiving a “thank you.” Why? Because it offers a chance to acknowledge that someone has done something kind for you.  It illustrates that you are grateful for their actions or words.  It also shows them the love of Christ through your behavior.

Scripture gives plenty of examples of how to say thank you, when to say thank you, and what to say when thanking someone.

May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. 2 Samuel 2:6 (NIV)

And may the Lord reward you for your kindness … Ruth 1:8 (NLT)

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom & revelation, so that you may know him better.  Ephesians 1:15-17 (NIV)

I encourage you to hone your skills in thanking others…it will not only recognize their actions, but it will likely open the door for more conversations.

~Emily

P.S.  Thank you, to all the Iron Porch readers….Erin and I are blessed to know that you are out there encouraging us week after week!!!

The Art of a Thank You

 

 

 

Feeling Gratitude

“Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude.” ~A.A. Milne

Several years ago, I posted on Facebook daily in the month of November, something or someone that I was grateful to have in my life. I did it for three years in a row. Which means that at this time of the year, Facebook likes to provide the memories of what I was grateful for in the past.

Sometimes they were silly things like kittens, warm showers, or hugs.  Other times they were more serious, like my brother’s cancer treatments, the breath of a newborn baby, or having my grandmother’s crotched blanket to keep me warm.

In all that time, I never wrote that I was thankful for my salvation.  I never wrote that I was thankful for a loving God, who gave His only son so that I can have eternal life.  I never wrote that I was thankful for Jesus and His ultimate sacrifice on my behalf. I never wrote that I was thankful for the written word.  I never wrote that I was thankful I lived in a country where freedom of religion means I can openly be a Christian.

I never wrote any of that.

But I am grateful for all of it.  I am probably more grateful for my salvation than for anything else I’ve ever considered.

On this week of Thanksgiving, what are you most grateful for in your life?

~Emily

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; His love endures forever.” ~1 Chronicles 16:34

Pooh Bear

 

Answered and Exceeded

For the last year, we have been working towards our dream of writing in order to impact women’s lives. That dream birthed the Iron Porch.  But it also birthed the start of independent stories that each us began pursuing.

Last week we started a road trip that took us up and down the east coast. It also took us up and down a rollercoaster of emotions.  You see, the dream brought us to the She Speaks Conference, sponsored by Proverbs 31 Ministries.    If you are unfamiliar with She Speaks, the premise is a location for nearly 800 women to follow the calling on their lives to speak, write, and lead for the Lord.

The dream brought us in front of real life publishers.  Let’s all take a moment to soak that in…real life…publishers!! Like for real, real life publishers!!!

While a publisher appointment is a scary thing to contemplate, there is beauty in knowing when it is God ordained.

Before the registration opened, one of us was FREAKING out that we would miss the actual registration date and miss out on the opportunity to attend.  Yet, we both received the email with plenty of time to consult before committing to workshops. We were afforded the opportunity to choose five publishers out of a list of dozens in the hopes of receiving one appointment. We prayed that we each would get one.

Weeks later, we both got the email revealing that we had each been scheduled for three appointments! Prayers answered and exceeded!

Not only had we each received three, we got the exact same three publishers.  Prayers answered and exceeded!

And if God wasn’t already amazing in these gifts, two of the three publisher appointments were back-to-back appointments…Emily at 11:45 and Erin at 12:00.  Essentially, Iron Porch had two publishers listening to our hearts for 30 minutes total!  Unrequested prayer answered…and exceeded!!

God wasn’t done answering unrequested prayers.  He allowed us an amazing amount of time with dozens of women in prayer, in fellowship, and in community.  In preparation for the conference, we prayed for our friendship. We prayed for the Iron Porch. We prayed for our books. We prayed for good feedback from the publishers. We dared to pray for “yes” from the publishers.  We prayed for our assigned prayer partners…strangers we met via email weeks before the conference. And we prayed for the staff and faculty of P31.

But we hadn’t prayed for the sense of belonging with other women called to this path. We hadn’t prayed to gain new friendships.  We hadn’t prayed to be moved to tears and laughter with strangers who had touched our hearts.

God answered the prayers that we didn’t even realize were on our hearts.

God answered the asked and unasked.

The Bible teaches us about exceeded expectations in 2 Corinthians 9:8 (NIV) “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

This is a lesson that we both have taken away this week.  It’s okay to ask God for what you want.  It’s okay to ask in detail.  It’s also okay to forget to ask for things.

You know why?

Because God is going to answer your heart. He’ll answer the asked and unasked.

~Emily and Erin

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Are you there?

When my husband travels, my 7 year old often crawls into bed with me in the middle of the night.  I almost always hear him open the door as he shuffles to my side of the bed.  90% of the times his sweet voice says, “Mama, can I snuggle with you?” I always lift the covers and let him settle in next to me.  I love that he still holds my hand as he falls back to sleep.  I love listening to his breathing even out.  I love his little tufts of hair tickling my face. I love each of these things because I know that it could end at any minute.  At any minute he could grow up—just enough—to not need his Mom in the middle of the night.

While Jeromy was on a fly fishing trip recently, Kambell opened the door and crawled into bed on Daddy’s side of the bed.  I was silent, listening to him settle into the blankets.  He whispered, “Mama?”  I answered, “Humm?”  And he simply said, “I just wanted to make sure you were there” and then he fell asleep.

I lay there thinking about how innocently he asked if I was there.  And how quickly he was reassured.  I thought about another innocent question, which requires reassurance. “Abba, are you there?”

How often do we question if our Heavenly Father is there?   It’s a simple question requesting reassurance that He’s by our side. I can think of dozens of times in my life, mostly in times of turmoil, where I doubted if God was there. Have you done the same? Is it easier to figure out your own solution because it appears God isn’t answering a prayer?

For years, my prayer was to become pregnant.  After dozens of failed attempts at In Vetro (that was super affordable on a young Airman’s salary), miscarriages, and monthly tears, I gave up on having a biological child.  Multiple military moves negated my eligibility to become an adoptive parent…even in a high-risk adoption scenario.  When the toll of all that medical intervention created a scenario where a hysterectomy was necessary, I was devastated.  I questioned if God had heard my prayers.  Did He really hold each one of my tears in His hand?  Did He know that my heart was breaking every single month? That it broke at every single baby shower I attended? That simple television commercial featuring cooing babies would send me from the room in tears?

In Genesis 16:2, we see a story of similar heartache, in regards to babies and God’s presence. God had promised Abraham that he would have many descendants.  Ten years after the promise, Sarah had yet to bare a child.  As was the custom of the day, Sarah chose to send her servant, Hagar to her husband.  When Hagar became pregnant, Abraham’s fertility heartache was over.  But Sarah’s became compounded when daily she observed a child that was not of her womb.

While I don’t understanding sending another woman to my husband’s bed, I do understand the heartache of infertility that Sarah faced.  I understand the desperation that led her to decide God wasn’t with her….that His promise was taking too long.

And yet, God is with us. Always.  He’s there to reassure us.  He’s there with His promises.  He provides His Son Jesus as a way to ensure we each have a way to Him.  Matthew 1:23 (NIV) says, “Behold, the Virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel.” Immanuel translates to “God with us.”

Amazing, Abba. Providing a promise through his child, Immanuel.  Always with us.  As I lay in the bed, listening to the slumbered breath of my child, I was reassured. My God made me a mother when I least expected it.

God is with us.  He hears those prayers.  He makes a way…even when it seems there is no way possible. Ladies—be assured with your innocent questions and know that God is there.

~Emily

 

 

 

 

Songs of the Heart

Two and half miles into my afternoon walk, my playlist betrayed me. After several upbeat workout songs, the slow guitar strum and strike of a piano key indicated the beginning of “Hammer and a Stone” by Seven Mary Three. My eyes welled up. I had that instant lump in the throat…you know the one I’m talking about…the one that feels like 10,000 weights are lying on your chest or a wad of bubble gum is stuck halfway down your throat. To someone watching from afar, my stride broke and I became still. My exercise session interrupted by a song; by an emotion; by a memory.

There are other songs that make me react this way. More times that I can count, I’ve stood at the position of attention in uniform, willing the tears to not fall, while listening to the National Anthem. The lyrics of “Oceans” by Hillsong make me cry nearly every time I hear them. Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven”? Cry fest. “Who Am I?” by Casting Crowns…lyrics that start the water works.

How can a song impact us so completely? How can it transport us to another place? To a memory better left alone or one that should be routinely revisited? To a place of worship…a place of sadness…a place of contentment?

Song lyrics are an effective way for us to connect and explain emotions that are often inexplicable. Often a song is the journal of our heart. Sometimes they are the vaults of our memories. Occasionally, they are just fun songs that don’t have to have a specified memory, but rather mark a time in our lives.

What song do you remember from your first dance? What song was blaring from the radio when you were cruising by the beach? What was the song playing when your Grandmother took her last breath or your child their first?

It made me start wondering about God. How does He react to songs? Do songs make God cry? Does He experience similar reactions when we sing to Him? What does the Bible say about songs?

Some sources state that there are over 185 songs about God in the Bible. The book of Psalms is a book of songs for God. The Song of Solomon is one of the beautiful romance songs between a groom and his bride. The book of Lamentations is comprised of five songs of mourning over Jerusalem.

The Bible is filled with songs, but it’s also filled with countless examples of God’s people singing. Moses and Miriam sang. King David certainly sang, as did King Solomon. Imagine Samson singing! We see Deborah and Baruk singing songs of praise to God and victory. Even today, the Word of God is used in current songs.

If I have such an enormous reaction to a memory or emotion embedded into a song, imagine how God feels when He hears us sing a song to or about Him! I have a hard time imagining God with a lump in His throat, but I can very easily imagine Him looking down benevolently on those who sing His praise.

What songs are on your heart today?
~Emily

 

Retreat in the Pines

760F1BA0-335C-44C5-968E-29EC9B1008ED.jpegWe like long walks in the woods and cozy fireplace chats…..if you’re laughing at that right now, you should see me and Emily! What would you put on your dating site as your tag line? In all seriousness, the verse that we both meditated on this weekend was “Be still and know that I am God” ~Psalm 46:10a (NIV)

Where can you be still? We’ve gotten to spend the last 3 days together on a 30 acre plot in the woods of Texas experiencing a place of stillness in the midst of mosquitos. And pollen. And strangers. As we’re packing up to head back to our homes, we want to share some thoughts with you that we gleaned from this weekend.

Prayer:
This stillness has allowed space for us to prayed on several different levels. We’ve been able to pray silently, pray with laughter, and pray with tears. We’ve taken prayer requests and been able to ask for prayers for ourselves.

Gratitude:
Times in stillness create a platform for you to focus on things that make you grateful. We’re incredibly grateful for 2 hours, 3 days, 10 days..whatever time we can get together in person. We’re also grateful that our friendship allows the growth of a community of women from all over (Shanen, Lori, Michelle, Tricia) that can come together to just hang out. We are grateful for these women in our lives.

Conversation:
Stillness offers a chance for sharing. Sharing a cup of cinnamon coffee, a debate over whether or not start a fire, pollen covered sneakers, and sharing bug spray are all forms of sharing. It also offers space to share your heart. We were openly able to talk about our relationship with Christ.

While this space in the Texan woods was an opportunity for prayer, gratitude, and conversation…you can create that stillness anywhere in your own life. Your space may be a local park, the beach, or a hiking trail. It could even be in your own home. Wherever your space, the “being still” in His presence is the important piece.

Where are you still? What do you glean in your stillness? Come to the Porch and share…

~Emily and Erin