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The Maiden Monthly Muster of 2020 and Grace & Truth Link Up

January 30, 2020 by Lauren 26 Comments

Does anyone else feel like January has been 87 days long?  I think I’ve lived many lives since New Year’s Eve!

 

Family

My Baylor Bears played in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, so we spent January 1st hanging, working a jigsaw puzzle and watching with my parents and my PawPaw.  We would soon learn that we are losing our beloved coach to the NFL, but word has it that His replacement brings a lot to the table.  Now I have to wait until August to find out!  Baylor basketball is coming in HOT (men’s team #1 and women’s #2), but alas, I don’t dig hoops.

 

Allie’s choir served as the chorus for her high school’s theater production of Mary Poppins, so we are fighting against with the urge to speak primarily in a British accent.  And others are struggling as they hear it!  Allie also attended LIVE weekend – a discipleship retreat for teens at our church.  We had 240 plus teenagers attend!   The worship, preaching, fellowship and small group time make it the best weekend of her year.

 

While she was doing that, Chuck and I escaped with the help of our parents to try to relax from the weight of family issues and recent tragedies.  Oh, and we celebrated 21 years of loving and supporting each other.  I can’t begin to explain how grateful I am that Chuck chose me and continues to choose me every day.  There is no one I prefer in the good times and we keep holding each other up through the bad.  Thank you, Lord.

 

Friends

I had the blessing of helping some great friends with medical appointments.  I took one to the hospital for hip replacement surgery and sat with her granddaughter for the duration.  The next day I went with a childhood friend to an MRI appointment.  Then I got to take a meal to a recovering mentor.  I know most of us – myself included – have a hard time asking for help.  I often feel like it’s an imposition.  But I can honestly say, it is such an honor for me to be asked to support a friend.  So don’t deprive me (or your friends) of an honor by trying to do the thing all by yourself.

 

Every week I get to meet with a group of women who refer to themselves as “life group misfits”.  We’ve all had trouble fitting into and maintaining a place in traditional church life groups.  But we found each other and call ourselves “Lady Friends”.  That name brings me almost as much joy as being in the presence of these precious, funny and real women.  And I finally had enough flex in my daytime schedule to squeeze in lunch with another lovely.  We had so much to catch up on that she brought a list of things to make sure we covered!  I loved it.  She made me feel like a celebrity being interviewed on a talk show!  Then the two of us and our husbands double dated the next night.  We planned to eat a progressive dinner, going to three different restaurants for appetizer, entree and dessert.  Well, it was Saturday night in a Dallas suburb  so we should have known wait times would slow us down.  We only made it two places, but had fun in the process.

 

Entertainment

When I could steal a few moments alone to read, I devoured Why I Hate Green Beans:  And Other Confessions about Relationships, Reality TV, and How we See Ourselves by Lincee Ray.  This felt like laughing and relating with a girlfriend.  And last I checked it was free on Kindle!  Sharing Love Abundantly in Special Needs Families:  The Five Love Languages for Parents Raising Children with Disabilities by Gary Chapman was a little disappointing.  I learned so much from his original Love Language book, so it seemed like a good idea to read this with a young mom I’m mentoring.  We found it, quite frankly, lame.  But it gave me one really good idea.  So there’s that.  And I finally came back to and finished Rosemary:  The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson.

 

We caved into some FOMO and subscribed to Disney+.  Our first show?  High School Musical the Musical the Series.  We loved it.  Clunkiest name for a series ever, but we pushed through.  And having all the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse videos available for Shelby on demand is both a good and a bad thing.  During the Christmas hiatus, I enjoyed catching old episodes of Wings, but now all our regularly scheduled programs are back in full force.  Plus, it’s awards show season.  Something I kind of like (as long as I can fast forward through the boring parts), and my husband kinda hates.  Even though we didn’t watch any of the Grammy’s, we watched Gayle King’s Grammy Special!

 

We only went to the movies one day this month, but made up for it by watching two in a row.  Knives Out is a fantastically fun Clue-style who done it with lots of twists and surprises.  Just Mercy wrenched my heart, opened my eyes, and called me to do better.  I highly recommend both. And I added a couple more podcasts to my earbuds.  After hearing at least 10 people rave about Dolly Parton’s America, I am now 4 episodes in.  So good.  I have never really been a Dolly fan, but she is pretty fascinating.  I also downloaded Showmance:  The Glee Recap Edition.  I loved the show (the first two seasons anyway), but the jury is still out on the pod. 

 

My husband and I still carry heavy burdens of grief and struggle for on-going things in our families.  We humbly ask you to continue to bring us and our loved ones before the throne of our Heavenly Father.  Your prayers mean so much.

 

Thanks for looking over my January with me.  What did you do in yours?

 

Featured Post

Today the featured post from last week’s link up is from Laura Thomas.  She shares a touching story from her own life to illustrate God’s faithfulness to us.  You will be so encouraged if you click over and read.

Now for The Featured Post

Treasures From the Sea:  Family Miracle, Faithful God

by Laura Thomas

 

Now for this week’s link-up! Let’s bless and encourage one another in our walk with the Lord.

Grace & Truth : A Weekly Christian Link UpGrace & Truth exists to point people to Jesus! We hope this link-up will be a source of encouragement every week. If you’re a blogger, we hope you’ll use this space as a way to meet new friends within the Christian blogging community. If you’re a reader, we hope that you’ll encounter new bloggers that love Jesus as much as you do! Most of all, we hope you’ll meet Jesus here.

Join us each Friday for the Grace and Truth Link-Up!

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Related

Filed Under: Christian, entertainment, Grace & Truth Link Up, monthly review, special needs, Uncategorized Tagged With: Baylor Bears, Dolly Parton, friends, Gary Chapman, Gayle King, Glee, Grammys, High School Musical, Just Mercy, Knives Out, Lincee Ray, love languages, Mary Poppins, MRI, Rosemary Kennedy, Showmance

Comments

  1. Joanne Viola says

    January 31, 2020 at 1:59 pm

    Lauren, I’m glad you were able to get away with your husband and celebrate 21 years. It’s also good to have time to recoup and rest during a hard and long season. May god continue to provide all that you need at this time!

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      February 2, 2020 at 2:58 am

      From your lips to God’s ears, Joanne. Thank you.

      Reply
  2. Barbara Harper says

    January 31, 2020 at 2:16 pm

    Sounds like a busy yet enjoyable month! My son and d-i-l are trying Disney Plus. We’ve enjoyed watching some of the old movies with them, like Lady and the Tramp and 101 Dalmatians. And I love the Pixar shorts.

    Do you live in Waco? A daughter of my main mentor went to Baylor, but it was many years ago.

    I’m getting to the point where I have to write down things I want to ask or share with people. I can’t rely on my memory to bring it them when I want them.

    I’ve heard many good things about Just Mercy and want to see it.

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      February 2, 2020 at 2:58 am

      I grew up in Waco, but don’t live there anymore. I headed north a bit to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. And definitely go see Just Mercy.

      Reply
  3. Karen Friday says

    January 31, 2020 at 8:21 pm

    Happy Anniversary and I love the title of your life group “misfits.” Glad the Lord rescued this misfit.

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      February 2, 2020 at 2:57 am

      Me too, Karen. So very grateful

      Reply
  4. Mary Geisen says

    January 31, 2020 at 10:41 pm

    It sounds like you needed 87 days to fit in everything you just described for the month of January. This first month of the year has felt exceptionally long. I’m glad its over.

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      February 2, 2020 at 2:56 am

      Me too. But the short month of Feb. has started out long too.

      Reply
  5. Connie Rowland says

    February 1, 2020 at 4:23 pm

    Hi Lauren!
    Congrats on your new position with Grace and Truth. You have such an amazing spirit of encouragement and are a perfect fit to uplift these Christian ladies in their ministries! I love reading your monthly musters. They’re always a source of inspiration. Praying for you and your family today. 🙂

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      February 2, 2020 at 2:56 am

      Thank you for your kind words of encouragement, Connie. And the prayers mean more than you know.

      Reply
  6. Laurie says

    February 2, 2020 at 1:59 am

    I think being able to help friends is an honor too, Lauren. You are so generous with your time and help. God’s love reflected in you!

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      February 2, 2020 at 2:55 am

      So kind of you to say, Laurie.

      Reply
  7. Tanya says

    February 4, 2020 at 1:07 pm

    I love your description of your life group misfits. I know what you mean about finding a place to fit into church. Right now I feel like I am “between” groups, and long to find a group of women to fellowship with again. I just need to make the effort to “put myself out there.” Praying for your burdens to lighten. Thanks for linking up with Hello Monday! Tanya – The Other Side of the Road

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      February 4, 2020 at 2:55 pm

      Connection can be so hard, but is so important. Praying for you in this.

      Reply
  8. Theresa Boedeker says

    February 4, 2020 at 4:50 pm

    Happy Anniversary! Oh how the years spin by. I recently saw the play Mary Poppins and went about smiling and singing for days. I didn’t try and talk with a British accent because my family can’t even tell I am trying and ask what’s wrong with me. But they can do a good job. Hopefully February wont be so long.

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      February 4, 2020 at 8:22 pm

      Oh, now I want to hear your British accent, Theresa! Have a great week and thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  9. Jeanne Takenaka says

    February 4, 2020 at 7:10 pm

    Lauren, I loved reading this. You had quite a January. Sometimes I look forward to the start of a new month. I’m glad you and your hubby got away for your anniversary. One of our boys has been begging for Disney+, but I’m unwilling to bite the bullet just yet. It would be one more way to get in front of a screen. I know, maybe I’m a mean mom. 😉 That book by Lincee Ray sounds interesting! I’m going to check it out. I hope your February is off to a good start!

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      February 4, 2020 at 8:21 pm

      Thanks, Jeanne. I enjoyed visiting you this week as well.

      Reply
  10. Donna Reidland says

    February 5, 2020 at 2:57 pm

    Happy Anniversary! What a blessing a godly marriage is! Praying for you and your family this morning, Lauren.

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      February 5, 2020 at 6:13 pm

      Thank you so much, Donna. The prayers are very appreciated.

      Reply
  11. Jerralea says

    February 5, 2020 at 3:28 pm

    Happy Anniversary!

    Your month did seem jam-packed.

    I kind of like the idea of a group of misfits! Who wants to be like everybody else anyway?

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      February 5, 2020 at 4:55 pm

      Great thought, Jerralea!

      Reply
  12. Patsy Burnette says

    February 5, 2020 at 5:33 pm

    I was rooting for your Baylor Bears!!! 🙂 Thanks for hosting the Grace & Truth Link-up!

    Thanks for linking up at InstaEncouragements!

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      February 6, 2020 at 11:20 am

      Thanks, Patsy.

      Reply
  13. Shelbee on the Edge says

    February 8, 2020 at 8:12 am

    Lauren, there is so much goodness in this post that I don’t know where to begin. I am so glad that you have found your people in your Lady Friends. And I am very interested in checking out this Why I Hate Green Beans book. I really need to consider subscribing to Disney Plus as well. There are so many shows on there I want to see, in particular The Mandalorian. Isn’t is such a great feeling to offer a helping hand to friends in need? Sending prayers and positive thoughts to you for your ongoing family struggles. Thank you so much for sharing your life with us and linking up with me.

    Shelbee
    http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      February 9, 2020 at 2:48 pm

      We are really enjoying Disney+. And Mandalorian is next on our list. And thank you for the prayers.I really appreciate it.

      Reply

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I love Jesus, my husband and caffeine. The order of these can change depending on how tired I am. When my two daughters, stepson, and 4 grandchildren get to be too much, I practice yoga. God graciously allows me to share our adventures, victories and flub-ups from my laptop. May He be glorified here.
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