About Meredith

Meredith was born, raised, and now raises her family (with her husband Randy) in the beautiful state of Maine. Together, they are planting a church, relying on God every step of the way. She also has the privilege of being the band director for the town where they live. Life is full, busy, and full of laughter and music. Meredith's home on the web is My Journey to Authenticity.

When I survey . . .

March 27, 2013 By 2 Comments

the cross

 

If I think too hard upon the broken mess that I truly am, even though I hide it from 82% of the world, it just makes the events that happened nearly 2,000 years ago harder to celebrate.  Sweeter, in some ways, but sometimes the reality of my sin, and my shame is just too much.

It kills me, to picture my Jesus, taking blow after blow for the way I just yelled at my youngest son after  an afternoon of temper tantrums and power struggles.  It shames me  to recount all of the times that I go forth, in my own strength, and make such a mess because I didn’t yield to Him.

Sweet sisters, if you are in a similar place, then let’s pause.  Let’s take a few moments and breathe.  Let the fresh, cleansing breath send out all of the stress and regret.  Let it bring the hope of His promises, and the joy of the RESURRECTION, the reason that we have hope at all.

May your days leading to Easter be filled with joy, wonder and awe.  And most of all, love.

 

Photo Credit: **DARK-O-krizmanic** via Compfight cc

Filed Under: Emotional, Gratitude 2 Comments

A Cure for Trials and Troubles

March 8, 2013 By 3 Comments

It’s been a hard winter.

We can’t seem to get on top of the bills, and have run out of oil more than once.  Our entire family was sick, at different times, for seven weeks. It got old. Fast.

But – it does not matter what trials we face, what burdens weigh us down. Because we have a Redeemer. A Savior who loved us so much that even knowing the horrific pain and suffering that would come still endured the beatings, the lashings, and the scourging. He went to the cross knowing full well that we didn’t deserve, and wouldn’t immediately appreciate, his sacrifice.

As we prepare and pray our way through Lent, let’s remember all of the blessings we have as a result of His sacrifice.

Armed with the perspective of His ultimate gift, all things seem a little less overwhelming, and a lot more peaceful. In fact– all of those things fade into the background, and what becomes more overwhelming is His love for us. The shock and recognition of our own unworthiness in stark contrast to His amazing, incomprehensible, and crazy love for us.

Don’t let another moment pass before laying it all on the line with Him. Renew your commitment to Him, even while you are sitting at your desk at work, or on your couch at home, or reading this on your phone in the waiting room of a doctor’s office.

Every single moment we have a choice to make.

Who are we going to serve?

Who are we going to follow?

Will we let our God, our Redeemer, prune us into His likeness? Will we accept the trials, and the hard things, and run to Him to weather the storm? Will we walk daily with Him, instead of trying to lead?

Meditate, sweet friends, on the beautiful lyrics and melody of “Jesus Messiah,”  by Chris Tomlin, performed here by a brother and two sisters group called Daves Highway.

(Video Link)

He became sin, who knew no sin, that we might become His righteousness.  Jesus Messiah- Lord of all.

Thank you, Jesus.

Filed Under: Spiritual Tagged With: , , 3 Comments

Friend, How’s Your Heart?

February 6, 2013 By 2 Comments

I don’t know about you, but it seems like it is taking longer and longer to pull out of the post-Christmas funk.  Maybe it is because, as a parent of small children, there is no way to avoid the commercialism of Christmas — well, not for us, anyway, since I am a public school music teacher.   All I know is that when Thanksgiving rolls around and the list of presents to buy and things to do starts growing, and growing, so does my stress.

Now as a teacher, I have lots of time off to be with my family. But — when you have spent all your money, and are eating ramen noodles until the next paycheck, all that time off isn’t exactly a good thing.  (Does your mind go where you don’t want it to, also?)

It is no surprise that at the New Year we are all ready to hit the ground running, get back into a routine, and snap out of the funk. But what do you do when you are putting in the time, and digging into the Word, but the joy seems to be missing?

Why, you go on a treasure hunt!

My resource? The Bible, and a website like Blue Letter Bible.  My One Word this year is Rejoice.  I decided to study the places where it is mentioned in the Bible.  It has been awesome.   There are around 150 references in which the word REJOICE is used. So I made a list.  Blue Letter Bible has an amazing copy feature that allowed me to transport the results of the search into a Google Doc (so I always have my list with me) and saved me hours of typing and writing.  I read through the list and picked the verse that immediately spoke to me.  I SOAP‘ed it, I researched it.  I found out that the verse I loved so much was written by David, right after he had been rebuked by Nathan about Bathsheba and Uriah, after he had been forgiven. Whoa.  The context – knowing the details of the scripture made it even more amazing to me.   I spent a few days on the verse, reflecting and researching.

When I was ready, I read through my list, and again picked the verse that spoke to me, and repeated the same process.

Let me tell you — I have found JOY.

That’s right — CAPITAL LETTERS, bold-faced type, JOY.

 

When I start feeling the disconnect (only a day or two missing my morning study time and it starts creeping back in) it helps me to remember that our God is a God who loves us passionately, and deeply.

Luke 1:45 says, in the words of Elizabeth as she is greeting Mary,

Blessed is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her.

 

Sweet sister– He has made radical promises to you.  If you haven’t found them yet, or are afraid to dream (I’ve been there), open your eyes and heart and hands.  Let Him fill you up with His presence, and reveal His plans, and His promises to you.

Together, let’s be blessed, believing that He will fulfill His promises to us.

Filed Under: Emotional, Spiritual Tagged With: , , , 2 Comments

Wishes for Joy

December 24, 2012 By 1 Comment

Dear friends,

We hope and pray that you are with those you love as we prepare to celebrate the arrival of the God turned babe turned Savior of the world.   Embrace one another tightly, sing a little more brightly, and let your heart be open to the presence of miracles all around you.

Go in peace, sweet friends, to welcome our long-awaited Jesus!

 

Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel!

 

Wishing you a very happy and blessed Christmas in Christ’s Redeeming Love,

All of the Writers at Must Love God

 

(Image credit)

Filed Under: Friendship, Spiritual 1 Comment

Gearing up for the holidays. . . {CMA}

November 29, 2012 By 2 Comments

Christmas cookies, by LarkspurLazuli

Oh it is that time again, friends.  Christmas cookies and egg nog, and all sorts of family gatherings and reunions and excuses to celebrate friendship, family, food and our Savior that came to earth.  I love Christmas cookies. I love it all.

But right now, I am trying really hard to focus on eating for fuel, and not eating out of boredom and emotions.  Or just because it tastes good, and it is there . . .  or because it is practically December and egg nog and Christmas cookies are already in the store.

Because the real spirit of the season is not about the food and drink, or even the family gatherings.  It is about a little baby that was born in a stable, laid in a manger.  A baby that was up until 9 months before that time seated up in Heaven next to the Father.  A baby that is fully God, yet yielding that power to become fully human, so that you and I might know Him and spend eternity with Him.

That is worth celebrating, don’t you think?

What are you going to try to do this holiday season?  How can we hold each other accountable?

 


Filed Under: Accountability 2 Comments

Reflecting on the past 29 Days – 4×4 Reset (Kari Jobe: You Are For Me)

September 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Welcome! We’ve created a Special Series for you this month! We’ll
take 4 weeks and focus on 4 elements to ‘Reset’ our lives for Him.
We’re calling it ’4×4 Reset’. If you missed the introduction, you
can find more details here. Each post will feature a READ IT
(scripture verse), a SEE IT (motivation), & a DO IT (challenge/
call to action). Our 4×4 Reset Toolbox is available and has links
to all the posts and to our resources, including our Build a Firm
Foundation Printable tracking page. Be sure to subscribe to not
miss a day, & join us on Twitter & Instagram using our hashtag
#4x4Reset!

What an amazing journey this has been. We have been challenged, and I hope that you have seen growth, healing, hope and change as a result of this series. It has been a blessing and an honor to have worked alongside with all of the writers that made this 4×4 Reset possible.

But the most important thing that we want you to take away from this whole time is that God is for you.  Wherever you are in your journey, and no matter what the road behind you or ahead of you looks like, He is for you, and He is with you.

Please, get some tissues, and watch the amazing Kari Jobe sing “You are For Me.”

 

Reflect on His amazing love, and open your heart to the plans that He has for you.  We are praying for you.

 

Filed Under: 4x4Reset, Emotional Leave a Comment

We Need To Trust Him

September 26, 2012 By 1 Comment

Welcome! We’ve created a Special Series for you this month! We’ll
take 4 weeks and focus on 4 elements to ‘Reset’ our lives for Him.
We’re calling it ’4×4 Reset’. If you missed the introduction, you
can find more details here. Each post will feature a READ IT
(scripture verse), a SEE IT (motivation), & a DO IT (challenge/
call to action). Our 4×4 Reset Toolbox is available and has links
to all the posts and to our resources, including our Build a Firm
Foundation Printable tracking page. Be sure to subscribe to not
miss a day, & join us on Twitter & Instagram using our hashtag
#4x4Reset!

 

We Need To Trust Him

 

Your story is important.  What you have been through, what you have suffered.  What you have learned, the blessings that you have received, and the rejoicing that came with them.  Your story is important.

Your personality is not an accident.  Your feelings are not inconvenient.

You have a living, beating, breathing soul within you, and you are loved beyond measure by the creator of the World.

I can’t explain why bad things happen at times, but I do know that God is faithful. I can’t walk a mile in your shoes, but I can listen to you tell of your journey.  And I can tell you mine.

We were made to be relational. To connect on that soul deep level. To clasp hands across a table and weep together, to jump up and down in excitement together.  To brave new adventures. To face fear, and uncertainty.

We need each other.

When my husband and I were engaged there was a battle waging internally.  Things were so much more challenging than I could ever put into words (in one sitting, anyway).  God took a broken man, with issues and hurts, pains and scars, and a naive girl that struggled to let go of fairytale dreams.

I felt so alone.  Isolated in a sea of people. Desperately crying on the inside.

I can tell you first hand that God’s will for your life is not always easy, and sometimes looks like nothing good can come out of it.  And I can tell you first hand that following Him is worth every second.

As the dust settled on our new life, and we became closer to being who were are meant to become, we learned this truth again. I remember sitting in the ultrasound room, looking for the embryo that was supposed to be there.  I remember my heart stopping in my chest when my doctor utter the words ectopic pregnancy. I remember the agony of having to make an impossible decision.  I remember going back to work, to conduct the band at a graduation event, minutes after receiving treatment.

But in the wake of grief, we discovered our second son, Jonathan, was on the way.  It took months before the hospital visits for bloodwork stopped making me feel sick to my stomach.  It was an ordinary day, sitting in the waiting room, when His peace settled over me.   Tears streamed down my face as I truly smiled, untouched by sadness.

Pain, sorrow, defeat, and discouragement are a very real part of our existence here on Earth. But we can trust Him, now matter how dark the path in front of us is.

Read It:

See It:

 


Click here to watch Blessings by Laura Story on YouTube.

Do It:

Take comfort in knowing that the same God who created the Universe, created good works in advance for you to do. (Ephesians 2:10)  That He has plans of a future, and a hope, for you. (Jeremiah 29:11)  Remember the trite saying “it is always darkest before the dawn.”  As with most trite sayings- it is true.

 

Filed Under: 4x4Reset, Emotional Tagged With: , 1 Comment

4×4 Reset: Saturday Reflection – The Doxology like you have never heard it before

September 22, 2012 By 1 Comment

Welcome! We’ve created a Special Series for you this month! We’ll
take 4 weeks and focus on 4 elements to ‘Reset’ our lives for Him.
We’re calling it ’4×4 Reset’. If you missed the introduction, you
can find more details here. Each post will feature a READ IT
(scripture verse), a SEE IT (motivation), & a DO IT (challenge/
call to action). Our 4×4 Reset Toolbox is available and has links
to all the posts and to our resources, including our Build a Firm
Foundation Printable tracking page. Be sure to subscribe to not
miss a day, & join us on Twitter & Instagram using our hashtag
#4x4Reset!

 

While we pause, and reflect on the sheer amazing-ness of our God in Heaven, let’s praise Him all ye here below (as in the Doxology).

Watch Doxology, by Gungor — truly one of the most compelling performances I have ever seen.

And as we revel in His majesty, and we allow ourselves to rest in His love, may the peace the passes all understanding surround us all.

Thank you, Father.

Amen.

Filed Under: 4x4Reset, Mental 1 Comment

How Jon Acuff might just have saved my sanity

September 21, 2012 By 2 Comments

Welcome! We’ve created a Special Series for you this month! We’ll
take 4 weeks and focus on 4 elements to ‘Reset’ our lives for Him.
We’re calling it ’4×4 Reset’. If you missed the introduction, you
can find more details here. Each post will feature a READ IT
(scripture verse), a SEE IT (motivation), & a DO IT (challenge/
call to action). Our 4×4 Reset Toolbox is available and has links
to all the posts and to our resources, including our Build a Firm
Foundation Printable tracking page. Be sure to subscribe to not
miss a day, & join us on Twitter & Instagram using our hashtag
#4x4Reset!

How Jon Acuff might just have saved my sanity

Read It:

 

Read this post by Jon Acuff.

I am serious.  I set it up to open in a new tab, so you won’t miss anything here.  But if you click over, what you read there  may just change your life.

You see– I am a full time music teacher.  During the summer, I was enjoying my family, teaching a few music lessons here and there, and avoiding the grocery store.  The three weeks that my son had a summer school program in the mornings requiring clothing that was not just pajamas before 7:30 in the morning felt busy.

Do you think my full-time back to school schedule was a rude awakening?

Yes.  Yes, it was.

I would barely have the boys (one first grader, one two year old) put to bed, when I would have to be thinking about making lunches for the next, and writing lesson plans, and brainstorming solutions to the never-ending problems. By the time I had even accomplished half of one thing on my list of urgents, it was time to go to sleep to ensure that I had enough energy to face the same thing the next day.

(Important note:  I absolutely love my job.  This year has just started out with more issues than I ever recall having to deal with in the beginning of the school year.)

It’s funny — I read that post by Jon Acuff and knew it would be a great fit for the 4×4 Reset series.  I even volunteered to write the post for it.  But it wasn’t until after school started again that I realized just how crucial the concept of finding my own Central Park really was.  I haven’t found it yet.  Maybe it is because for me it is never just one thing that helps me regain my calm.  Sometimes it is a favorite CD of piano music.  Sometimes it is sitting on my porch rocking chair, smelling the breeze.  Sometimes it is intentionally remembering that the God who created the Universe is with me, at every moment.

Whatever your situation, stresses, baggage or issues, sometimes all we need to do is take some time to reconnect with the presence of God.  Whether it is art journaling, like Christine showed us,  peaceful music, or communing with nature, there is  a way to reclaim the sanity we remember so fondly.

See it:

Central Park, lovely in the fall (image credit)

DO IT:

Make a list of all of the things you love to do.  Go through the list, and mark which ones leave you refreshed and rejuvenated.  Write the new list out, and keep it with you.  Write it multiple places — on your computer screen, or somewhere on your desk; on your bathroom mirror; in your wallet; in your car.  Having them in front of you in many places will help you to remember to use them before we have a major melt-down and make everyone in our lives worry about us.   Ahem.

Filed Under: 4x4Reset Tagged With: 2 Comments

4×4 Reset – Saturday Reflection: Healer

September 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Welcome! We’ve created a Special Series for you this month! We’ll
take 4 weeks and focus on 4 elements to ‘Reset’ our lives for Him.
We’re calling it ’4×4 Reset’. If you missed the introduction, you
can find more details here. Each post will feature a READ IT
(scripture verse), a SEE IT (motivation), & a DO IT (challenge/
call to action). Our 4×4 Reset Toolbox is available and has links
to all the posts and to our resources, including our Build a Firm
Foundation Printable tracking page. Be sure to subscribe to not
miss a day, & join us on Twitter & Instagram using our hashtag
#4x4Reset!

 

What a wonderful week this has been!

Now, simply pause before our Holy God, and let Him continue to speak His words of life into Your heart.  Take time this weekend to reflect, to rest, and to worship.

 

 

 

Watch Kari Jobe’s “Healer.”

Filed Under: 4x4Reset, Physical Tagged With: , Leave a Comment
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