"Trying to Give Jesus the Day Off"

I met some of my girlfriends at Starbucks for a little Christmas cheer...we had to schedule our "Girlfriend Christmas Gathering" for the day after Christmas instead of any of the days leading up to Christmas because we are moms and you know what the moms are busy doing in the days leading up to Christmas...

-We are making the last minute trip to the mall because our children waited until Christmas Eve to decide what they'd like to get for one another
-We are baking a few more batches of cookies because our family has been pilfering them even though we warned them they were for "the company"
-We are wrap, wrap, wrapping gifts
-We are stamping cards and getting them mailed
-We are grocery shopping for dinner, breakfast and midnight snacks.
-We are basically busy trying to make this the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!

So there we were this morning...thoroughly exhausted but glad to be together. While we laughed and cried and recounted our Christmas day festivities one of my friends said something that had us in hysterics. As she told us about her Christmas with her extended family she said

"I tried to give Jesus the day off-after all it was his birthday-but I ended up having to call on him for help ALL DAY LONG!!!"

After we had picked ourselves up off the tile floor (from falling off of our chairs in laughter) we talked about how glad we are that we worship a God who takes great pleasure in being "an ever present help in times of need." We said "Hallelujah" right there in Starbucks as we reminded one another that He loves us UNCONDITIONALLY and loves it when we call on him...even if it is his birthday! Actually, I think especially if it is his birthday! We left our time together feeling blessed by the reminder of the love between us and the love of a Savior who CHOSE to condescend to becoming a human being on Christmas morning so that all day, every day for as long as we live we can call him by name "Emmanuel--God With Us."

Merry Christmas Moms...I hope it was Magnificent and if it was less than Magnificent that you call on the One who is. Ask Him to come quickly and remind you of his everlasting presence in your life.
Love,
Tracy Klehn

Christmas Bliss by Tracy Klehn

The wrapping is deep, the baking is sticky
My mood quickly turns from okay to "icky"
It's the first week of December and I really had wished
This year would be different...I'd have Christmas Bliss

Yes, I really had hoped that my home would look great
With garland and bows flowing every which way
But the boxes are not even down from upstairs and
The kids have the flu from the germs they have shared

The baking's not done and I still need to shop
The Christmas cards stare at me from their closed box
I need an appointment to get my hair done
But it looks like she's booked 'til 3001!

The family photos we took turned out really bad
My husband looks great but I just look mad
So here I am kneeling at the foot of the bed
Crying out "Why does this happen?" as tears I do shed

"This season's about You and your wonderful birth
How your love came down personally to change the whole earth
I want it to be special, I want to show love
But look at me now, I can't even budge!"

With head bowed down low I feel something new
A peace flowing through me and a joy that feels true
Surrender my child the voice seems to say
I am with you right now so don't be afraid

I'll strengthen your body and renew your mind
I'll guide all your steps just ask and you'll find
Lay down all your worries and I'll give you good cheer
Watch as I work, feel me draw near

Christmas Bliss you are seeking yet the place you must start
Is delighting in Me for the desires of your heart
Open my Word, I'll speak to you there
Pour out your heart, I hear all your prayers

Rise from your knees now and turn towards My Way
Embrace all the gifts that I bring you this day
I want you to know you were made for my bliss
Now share with the world this true Christmas Kiss

"You created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created."
Revelations 4:11 NLT

Loud and Clear

This week it seems that wherever I turn I am running into the same few verses of Scripture. The kicker was Sunday when the verses that I studied in my personal quiet time were the exact same verses that our Pastor referred to just a few hours later! Has this ever happened to you? Over the years I have learned that when this kind of thing happens it is because the Lord is trying to tell me something "Loud and Clear" and it would behoove me to slow down long enough to let "it" resonate with me. So I bet you're wondering what the verses are aren't you? Well here they are...

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. Habakkuk 3:19

Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:4-6

You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:7-8


I continue to ask the Holy Spirit to teach me what he wants me to know in this season of my life regarding these particular verses, and so far this is what I've "put down" (in my journal) in no particular order...

-even when my bank account tells me otherwise God still calls me to "Rejoice"

-joy is always available to me (God wouldn't call me to something that was not possible to experience)

-instead of wasting my energy worrying I could be investing my time praying

-when life isn't a party I still have "it all" because nothing can take away the indwelling presence of the Living God from inside of me or the promise of an amazingly wonderful future with Him in eternity

-something wonderful happens when I choose God's prescribed "attitude of gratitude"

-no matter what the economy tells me is going to happen next, my life is in God's hands...and they are very capable hands

-The Lord is near...The Lord Is Near...THE LORD IS NEAR...WOW...THE LORD IS NEAR!!!

So...those are just a few of the things I have "put down" so far about these powerful scriptures. I have a feeling I need to keep listening because God is still talking "Loud and Clear." I will leave you with an image that the Holy Spirit used to speak to my heart a few weeks ago. It's of my friend Shannon's nephew Fin who, despite the frigid temperatures and intermittent rain, found tremendous JOY going about his day.


Let's Pray,
Lord, help us be more like Fin and live with joyful abandonment in the midst of stormy weather. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Happy Thanksgiving Dear Ones,
Tracy Klehn

Change of Plans

We were putting the last few things in the car when the call came and our plans changed. All the football games were canceled for the day due to the fires that had begun the night before. We turned the television on and watched in shock as we saw fires raging, freeways shut down, homes destroyed and lives shattered. We unloaded the car and moved restlessly about the house, at a loss as to where to go from here. We were scheduled to drive about fifty miles away later that day to attend a wedding but soon received another call, this time from a young anxious bride concerned that we may not have heard about the fires and wanting to make sure we were safe.

Plans can change so suddenly can't they? If you live in Southern California perhaps your plans changed this weekend as well, maybe you even got a call in the middle of the night with the news that you needed to evacuate your house immediately; plans of a good night sleep swiftly changing to an adrenaline pumping drive to safety.

As I prayed this morning for the many people that have been displaced I found myself turning to the pages of a devotional that I was given as a gift just this week (thanks to my sweet friend Susan McCready). It is called Jesus Calling, Enjoying Peace in His Presence and is by author Sarah Young. In the reading for November 16th it says

As you look at the day before you, you see a twisted, complicated path, with branches going off in all directions. You wonder how you can possibly find your way through that maze. Then you remember the One who is with you always, holding you by your right hand. You recall My promise to guide you with My counsel, and you begin to relax. As you look again at the path ahead, you notice that a peaceful fog has settled over is, obscuring the view. You can see only a few steps in front of you, so you turn your attention more fully to Me and begin to enjoy My Presence.

The fog is a protection for you, calling you back into the present moment. Although I inhabit all of space and time, you can communicate with Me only here and now. Someday the fog will no longer be necessary, for you will have learned to keep your focus on Me and on the path just ahead of you. (Psalm 73:23-24, 1 Corinthians 13:12)

What a wonderful reminder and one that I hope encourages you, no matter how your plans changed during this season of your life. I pray that we all learn to lean in to the presence of Our Lord and Savior whether times are foggy from the weather or smoky from a raging fire.

Blessings Dear Ones,
Tracy Klehn

P.S. The WINNER of The One Year Women's Friendship Devotional by Cheri Fuller and Sandra P. Aldrich is KRISTINE WEATHERLY...YAY!!! Thank you to all who entered the contest...I hope to do more give-aways in the months to come!

Tracy's First Ever Book Give-Away!

I am inviting you to be part of several of my favorite things all rolled into one...

Reading
Praying
Friendship
"The One Year" Series of Bible/Books
Free Stuff

Introducing (drum roll please) Tracy's First Ever Book Give-Away!!!


That's right, all you have to do to have a chance to win a copy of my featured book (The One Year Women's Friendship Devotional by Cheri Fuller and Sandra P. Aldrich) is to go to my blog site and click on "comment" for this entry and leave your name and mailing address (snail mail so I can ship the book to you). Next week when you get your Magnificent Life email from me I will announce the winner of the book.

In light of this momentous occasion in which I get to be the dispenser of free stuff, I will be featuring an interview with the authors of this terrific devotional. I hope you enjoy...

Until next week,
Tracy Klehn

The One-Year Women’s Friendship Devotional (Tyndale) is the latest book from friends and coauthors Cheri Fuller and Sandra Aldrich. Not only does the text provide a deeper connection to and enjoyment of God and His Word, but it is a wonderful opportunity for today’s busy women to connect with each other as they discuss the short daily devotions and the “To Ponder” questions at the end of each week’s section. Perfect for small groups or two girlfriends meeting over coffee, the devotional also is appropriate for those who prefer individual study,

What can women gain from The One-Year Women’s Friendship Devotional?

Sandra: The One-Year Women’s Friendship Devotional is designed for today’s busy woman. Each of the 365 devotions are on one page and contain a daily Scripture, short devotional thought from either Cheri or me and end with an honest prayer and an insightful quote. At the end of each week are questions to ponder individually or talk over with a friend. But beyond the friendship connection is our heavenly Father’s invitation to know more about Him and His living Word.

Cheri: One of the benefits of our One Year devotional is it provides a vehicle to discover your natural rhythm for drawing near to God in a personal and regular way. For right-brained people like me, the structure helps me stay in God’s Word day by day so my roots can grow deeper in Christ. Being a lover of people, I also enjoy exchanging ideas and discussing how a certain verse or story spoke to me, and the weekly questions are ideal for that purpose.

Why do you say “His living Word”?

Sandra: God’s Word isn’t just ancient wisdom. Its principles apply to modern challenges such as how to make good decisions, how to get along with those who irritate us, how to handle finances, how to know our heavenly Father on a deeper level. And that is just some of the treasures contained with the pages.

What are some of the topics covered?

Sandra: The 52 weekly themes cover many issues of a woman’s life, including career challenges, the power of encouragement, joyful living, hearing God above life’s roar, when your childhood family is toxic, faith building, avoiding overload, attitude adjustments, finding your spiritual pathway, dealing with stress, wading through grief, telling and hearing truth, making a difference, dealing with Christmas frenzy, a fresh-brewed prayer life, freedom from fear, and reaching a hurting world.

Does the reader need to start reading the devotional on January 1?

Sandra: No. This devotional isn’t about performance; it’s about connections. One of our weekly themes is about guilt, and we don’t want to add more to our readers’ stress-filled lives.

Cheri: One of the helpful facets of The One Year Women’s Friendship Devotional is that you can jump in and start any day, wherever you are—which is very much how God graciously interacts with us. We don’t have to get to a certain place to experience his grace. In this book, there is encouragement, hope, and inspiration for every day of the year—whatever age or stage you are currently in.

What’s the biggest challenge to women developing friendships today?

Sandra: Lack of time. And a lack of a sense of community. Today’s women have daily to-do lists as long as their arms. It’s difficult to concentrate on deepening friendships—or even developing them—when our idea of fun is crossing items off that list. Also, those endless lists make us feel alone even in a crowd. Women need each other, but often it takes special effort to form those connections.

Cheri: Recent research shows that 30% of Americans are lonely and often feel isolated. The more hectic life gets, the more we need friends and the encouragement that comes from relationship with God and our sisters in Christ. Our hope is that reading The One Year Women’s Friendship Devotional will energize your spiritual life and your friendships.

Another major challenge we face as women is taking care of so many people that we neglect ourselves and become irritated or burned out. Taking time to refuel spiritually and emotionally is important and the benefits ripple out to our children and family members, job, and all the people our lives touch.

You both are busy women. What has been your hardest friendship challenge?

Sandra: Even though most of us do not have our days consumed by cooking meals over a wood-burning stove or washing clothes in a copper kettle in the yard, our schedules still are not our own. Some days it seems as though each minute is controlled by demands from bosses and needs of family, leaving us little time for the soul nourishment friendship provides. The women of my long-ago farm community worked together—canning, quilting and cooking for ill or grieving families. In addition to accomplishing a needed task, they built a friendship fortress that provided an example of how community is supposed to work. I long for those relationships today.

Cheri: When I started speaking and writing, women I knew assumed I was working all the time and stopped calling to go to lunch or play tennis. They thought I was just too busy for fun. But I love people; I’m refreshed by being with people. My heart would dry up and have nothing to say without friendships with women and time with loved ones. So I’m very intentional and initiate getting together with friends.

How did you solve your own friendship challenge?

Cheri: Taking time to cultivate friendships is one way I solved my friendship challenge. For example, I call my friend Marcy, who owns a women’s clothing store (she’s beyond busy!) and we go to a chick flick every once and a while. I meet my thirty-two year old daughter Ali for coffee at Starbucks, because she’s one of my dearest adult friends and I want to stay in touch on a heart level. I have a writer-friend in the area, Melanie, and we occasionally get together and encourage each other about our latest book project. Older women friends have been incredible supports for me (since my mom died at 59) and I’ve learned so much from them because they’re farther down the road. Like Patty, who is 80. When I was about to turn 50 and a little down about it, she said, “Cheri, you’re about to enter your ‘Fabulous Fifties.’ The fifties were some of the best years of my life! Enjoy them.” And you know what—they are! How grateful I am for friendships with women!

Sandra: I don’t have that farm community today, but I still need the friendship. Thus, I asked the Lord to provide a friend or two who would understand my intense schedule, accept my down-home personality and provide the honest relationship for which most of us long. Through a series of events, five of us from church began to meet five times a year to celebrate our birthdays. Our little group represented separate ministries, so we scheduled the dinners in our daytimers as though they were important board meetings. Soon, what began as polite meals in which we talked about families and careers, turned into the cautious opening of our hearts and led to an incredible bond. Now, we meet several times a year and are there for each other during life’s challenges. My Birthday Group is a wonderful answer to my prayer asking for a “friend or two.”

What parting words do you have for your readers?

Cheri: Remember that God loves to hear your voice, just as you love to hear the sound of your kids’ or loved ones’ voices—not just once a week on Sunday but throughout your days. And every time we open his Book, the Bible, there’s a gift, a promise, or a truth that will help us learn to live abundantly no matter what we’re facing.

Sandra: Because of the shed blood of Jesus, we have the incredible privilege of stepping directly into the Presence of our heavenly Father through prayer. Years ago, a woman asked the great preacher G. Campbell Morgan if she should pray about everything or just the big things. Morgan answered, “Dear lady, pray about everything. After all, what could possibly be big to God?” I love that. And I love knowing we do not pray to air.

The One-Year Women’s Friendship Devotional provides connection in this fragmented world—connection to other women and, most importantly, connection to our heavenly Father. The quickest way to order it is through amazon.com. For more information about Cheri Fuller or Sandra Aldrich visit their websites at www.cherifuller.com or www.sandraaldrich.com And remember: the heavenly Father is just a whisper away.

What's A Mom To Do?

By the time you read this the election will be over and we will have a new president and no matter who now holds the title of "Commander in Chief," I believe we can all agree on one matter... our country still needs prayer and that's one very important thing a mom can do! As I prayed about what to write this week, I remembered a piece that I wrote in my first book (Prayer Starters for Busy Moms) for the chapter entitled "Prayers That Start With Concern For Our Nation." I hope it encourages you this week and in the weeks to come...

"Your success as a family...our success as a society...depends not on what happens at the White House, but on what happens inside your house." Barbara Bush

She was only sixteen years old when she rode her horse on that dark and stormy night in 1777. Through wooded and dangerous territory she galloped, stopping at isolated farmhouses. Rapping on the door with a stick, she would cry out, "The British are burning Danbury! Muster at Ludingtons'!"

By the end of her forty-mile trek, young Sybil Ludington had "called to arms" the militia that was under her father's command. Her brave actions enabled the soldiers to gather quickly, and ultimately resulted in the British being turned back. Sybil's bold act of courage was instrumental in the very foundation of the freedom that we live with today in America.

There is a statue of Sybil in Carmel, New York, on the path of her "midnight ride." It is a huge bronze rendering of her on horseback, arm raised, stick in hand, calling out her message. The statue stands as a reminder to all that a nation was affected by one young girl's act of bravery.

I learned as an adult that this Revolutionary War heroine is one of my ancestors, and I was immediately inspired by this girl called "The Female Paul Revere." I felt a renewed passion to ride with courage through the darkness of society and sound the alarm to mothers, exhorting them to take pack the power that they have to affect this country by harnessing God's power through prayer. I felt inspired to tell women that we all need to be like Sybil and do our part to hold back that which would seek to overtake and destroy. But then some questions came up for me: How did the Ludingtons raise a daughter of such character? A child that so willingly stepped forward when she was needed? What occurred in her home that caused courage to grow?

These questions brought me to the conclusion that the true "Sybils" in our lives are the children in our midst.

I have not seen a record of Mrs. Ludington's mothering techniques, nor do I even know if they were a churchgoing family. But I do know that 2 Chronicles 20:15 states: "The battle is not yours, but God's."

If we as mothers are to send our children out into the world to affect it, to change it, to bring revival, we must commit to "take up (our) positions" (2 Chronicles 20:17) and seek God. Indeed, in order to accomplish the lofty goal of changing a nation, we must prepare and equip through prayer, one child at a time. As the story of Sybil Ludington shows, even a child has the power to change the course of history.

Pictured above is the commemorative stamp from the U.S. Postal Service featuring Sybil Ludington.

Blessings,
Tracy Klehn

"Hearing" From God

I recently spoke to a lovely group of Southern California MOPS leaders and within minutes of entering the room met, as Anne of Green Gables used to say, a "Kindred Spirit" (If you have not yet read that classic novel you need to run, not walk, to your local book store or library, pick up a copy and dive in. If you have a daughter over the age of about eight it would make a delightful bonding time should you choose to read it aloud together). After talking for literally, ninety seconds, Bonnie (my MOPS Kindred Spirit) and I decided that we would get in way too much trouble if we spent time much together (picture loud, raucous laughter at rather inappropriate times). At the end of the evening Bonnie shared a story about her children that I felt an urgency to retell. You will soon understand why...

Bonnie has two daughters ages six and four and a son who is a toddler. Recently Bonnie was talking to her oldest daughter whom she described as quite...well...dramatic. She and her daughter were praying together and as they were finishing, Bonnie suggested that they wait silently to see if God had anything to say to them. Within seconds Bonnie's daughter had tears streaming down her cheeks and was yelling "I CAN'T HEAR GOD!!!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE SOUNDS LIKE!!! I DON'T KNOW HOW TO HEAR GOD!!!" Bonnie comforted her daughter and they continued their conversation about the many different ways it might be possible to hear from God...for example sometimes we hear from God when we see His creation, like when we are outside and take notice of the stars in the sky, or that sometimes we just sense His presence in the quietness of our heart. As she spoke, her daughters tears dried up and her panic dissipated.

A few nights later as Bonnie was putting her middle child to bed she found herself in "The Stall Tactic" portion of the evening and repeating her usual line of "Listen, we've already sang our song, read our book and said our prayers. It is now your brothers turn to have some time with me." As if on cue to "help" her mother, Bonnie's eldest daughter came storming into the room, placed her hands on her hips and told her younger sister "IF YOU WOULD JUST BE QUIET FOR A MINUTE YOU MIGHT HEAR FROM GOD!!!" after which she turned on her heel and marched out of the room. Apparently Bonnie's little talk about different ways to "Hear from God" had resonated with her eldest!

As my new friend and I laughed about the funny things kids say we also nodded with empathy about their fears, after all, haven't we all wondered if it was possible to "hear from God"? Haven't we all wondered if God cared enough to even speak to us? One of the most life transforming lessons I've ever learned is that God does want to speak to each of us and that one of the main places He will do so is through His Holy Word--The Bible. When I learned this, my prayer life was transformed. I began to go to the Bible more regularly with a sense of expectation...and I was never disappointed. I'd like to encourage you to do the same. Try not to panic (like Bonnie's daughter)...how about we pray instead okay?

Father, thank you for providing me with your Holy voice through the written word of the Bible. Thank you for reminding me in John 10:27 that you have given me the ability to hear you ("My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me"). Please open my Spirit ears to hear you clearly in the days to come and help me teach my children to do the same. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Blessings to you my Sisters,
Tracy Klehn

Thank You for the Mamas

I heard a song recently that touched my heart within the first few words. It is a song called "Yo' Mama" by Nicole C. Mullen (I have included a link at the bottom of this blog for your convenience so that you can listen to a sample and/or purchase the song) and in it, Nicole sings about what a blessing the mother of a friend has been in her life...

your mama so cool like a gentle breeze
blowin' on a summer day
your mama got a way of sayin things
that would chase all my pain away

I remember times she looked me in the eyes
and tell me I could win
'cuz when nobody else would take the time
to care about a broken hearted kid
your mama did


When I think about the words to this song I can't help but think of the "Yo' Mamas" in my life. Women who reached out to me and took the time to get to know me. Women who prayed for me and fed me and showed me with their lives that there is a God and He is loving, faithful and gracious. Women whose names I didn't even know but that blessed me with a smile of understanding when I was in line with a screaming toddler at the grocery store.

Who are the "Mama's" in your life? Who "mothered" you and believed in you when you didn't even believe in yourself? Who has been praying for you through the years? Who encouraged you? Who cared?

Let us not miss this opportunity to pray a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing over them. It doesn't have to be a long drawn out prayer with lots of "thees and thous." In fact, sometimes the most profound prayers simply involve two words..."Thank you." I know this only because that is all I can usually get out when I drive by the street where my grandparents used to live. The Lord used those two people to nurture me in ways that still boggle my mind. My grandma is for sure at the top of my "Yo' Mama" list!

The other thought that stirs in me when I hear this song is that I want to be a mother like that! I want to be an encourager to all of the kids in my life...whether I gave birth to them or not! I want to be available to the Lord to challenge, love and bless kids of all ages. Don't you?

Let's Pray:
Lord God, I thank you for your Word that says "you have given me an instructed tongue to know the word that sustains the weary." (Isaiah 50:4) I ask you to open my Spirit eyes right now and from now on, to see those that could use a "Word to sustain the weary." Help me to be a blessing to kids of all ages. Help me through the power of the Holy Spirit to know what to do for your children...whether it's a hug, a meal, a prayer or a "vote of confidence." Most of all Lord, I pray that you would help me to point them to you through my actions and my words. You are their Provider and you love them in ways I can only imagine. To God be all the Glory! In Jesus' name, Amen.

http://nicolecmullen.com/audio.html

Dancing Through Life Together

We've all heard that men and women are inherently different..."Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus," "Men are Waffles and Women are Spaghetti..." Well, this weekend I got to see it play out right before my eyes in a surprisingly sweet (and humorous) way.

The four of us (myself, Russ and my two kids) attended a family wedding. My cousin Erik married his high school sweetheart Becky (like a hundred years later...way to hang in there guys!) in a beautiful ceremony in Palm Springs after which there was a touching and joy-filled celebration. After being introduced for the first time as "husband and wife," the couple made their way to the edge of the dance floor where they waited quietly for the music of their first dance to begin. As the first few bars of "Home to You" by John Micheal Montgomery played, Erik led his bride onto the floor and into a lovely waltz that had obviously been choreographed and practiced countless times. As they glided around in each others arms I happened to glance across the table at my eleven year old daughter Grace. Her chin was resting on her hands which were propped on the back of her chair, and her eyes, which were locked on the bride and groom dancing, were filled with tears...so much so that even in the darkened room I could see them fall from her eyes and into her lap. After the dance I caught her eye and motioned for her to come over to me. She climbed onto my lap and I whispered in her ear "Honey, are you okay? What's going on?" Confused, she looked at me and said "I don't know." I smiled then and I smile now even as I write this because, bless her heart, my daughter is a female and she is wired for romance just like the rest of us! She'll soon find out that Kleenex is a must-have for all future weddings and receptions!

A little later in the evening the D.J. called all the single guys out on the dance floor. You guessed it...it was time for my junior high son to receive an education that he had not expected to get (nor had Russ or I remembered to forecast to him--or at least recommend a timely trip to the men's room until hoops and bustles had been put back in order). Spencer soon found out about "garters" and by the look on his face he didn't mind the lesson...he was cracking up. As I sat and watched my "little boy" stand with about 20 other men I started getting all misty, that is until I noticed one subtle movement from my son...as he stood waiting for Erik to throw the garter, Spencer clenched his fists and cracked his knuckles...that was when I knew it was all over for the other "bachelors." The minute the garter was launched into the air Spencer leaped about 3 feet and grabbed hold of it. When he landed he did an arm pump that he must have learned from Tiger Woods...it was hilarious. You see Spencer, like most men, is wired for competition. It didn't matter to him what the prize was, if it was a competition he was going to be right in the middle of it giving it his all (although he did say that since the "prize" had the Ohio State logo on it that he was going to have to give it back).

So there you go...my daughter is wired for romance and my son is wired for competition. Can you relate? Or, perhaps more importantly, can we still relate to one another? Even though very different things "move" us can we still appreciate the opposite sex? Can we still enjoy hanging out together? I hope so.

Later in the evening, my son and daughter were dancing up a storm and laughing out loud. Spencer and Grace are so very different and yet they are still able to (most of the time) enjoy one another. I pray that Our Lord helps us all to do the same. Whether between brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, fathers and daughters, or mothers and sons, may we always be found appreciating (and sometimes giggling about) our many, innate differences and still dancing through life together.


Let's Pray...
Father God we thank you and praise you for you are the One that "knit us together in our mothers womb and we are all indeed fearfully and wonderfully made." (see Psalm 139) Please help us learn to love and appreciate the differences between one another, especially between men and women, and help us celebrate those differences in ways that are honoring and glorifying to you. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Thoughts Amidst Wadded up Kleenex

Today I am "under the weather" or perhaps I should say "down for the count"? Whatever you want to call it...I have Vick's Vapor Rub smeared under my chin, wadded up Kleenex strewn about my legs, my hair looks like something from the eighties (pictured teased, messy with half a can of Aqua-Net--the fuchsia can of course) and my left eye will only open about halfway due to the swelling of my sinuses. I know you want to come over right now and hang out with me right?

So...on a day like today I am sitting on my couch and watching the movie I watch whenever it is autumn and I am feeling less than "springy." I am watching You Got Mail for the umpteenth time. What movie do you watch when you get sick? Do you have a favorite "feel better" movie? My friend Melissa just told me that Sound of Music is her "feeling sick selection" and that when Julie Andrews starts running up that hill she always bursts into tears and knows "Everything is going to be okay."

ANYWAY...I am digressing, which I will blame on the sinus infection. While I was sitting amidst my wadded up Kleenex and watching my "feel better movie" I was struck by a tiny little scene that I don't know that I paid much attention to before. Meg Ryan's character has just discovered that the chain book store is moving in around the corner and could possibly pose a huge threat to the business of her quaint little "Shop Around the Corner." So she sits at her computer and types her contemplations...

Sometimes I wonder about my life.
I lead a small life, well, valuable but small.
And, sometimes I wonder...
Do I do it because I like it or because I haven't been brave?
So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book when...
Shouldn't it be the other way around?


What are your thoughts? Do you see your life as small? Valuable?
I don't have answers for you today...just the question...

I do feel grateful today. Do you mind if I take a moment to tell you why?
I feel grateful that I have a home to live in and a couch to curl up on when I am sick.
I feel grateful that I have a husband who is willing to pick the kids up from school today and cart them to football and cheer leading so I can get better.
I feel grateful that my husband has a job that provides us with health insurance so that I can get some medicine to speed up this recovery.
I feel grateful that I do not have to "perform" to be loved...that Christ loves me just as I am...Vick's Vapor Rub and all...and whether I am living large or small! I am valuable to Him and you are too.

Blessings dear ones...I'd hug you but wouldn't want to contaminate you with my germs!
Tracy Klehn

Friendship Often Takes a "Braveheart"!

Have you ever noticed that making friends and staying friends takes courage?

It takes courage...
To say that first "Hello"
To ask "Is this seat taken?"
To believe a gal actually wants to hang out with you and doesn't just feel obligated to include you because you were in earshot of an invitation to others
To go to Starbucks, to the mall, to the movies or to the retreat
To let your friends know that you are hurting
To be honest and say that you and your husband aren't doing very well
To let them know that today you're looking for the place where you can turn in your resignation for motherhood
To ask if your friend will go with you to the doctor's because you don't want to be by yourself when the test results come back
To say "That hurt my feelings" or "Why didn't you show up?"
To say "I am so sorry...will you please forgive me?"
To ask for prayer
To grab a friends hand and, through prayer, bring her to your very best friend...Jesus

Yes friendship takes a "Braveheart." Isn't it comforting to know that the "Truth" is that we have been given one?

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline."
2 Timothy 1:7 NLT

This weekend our church is hosting their annual women's retreat (whose theme is "Bravehearts-Fear Less Love More") and I encourage those of you that are in the Southern California area to check it out. Retreats offer not only an opportunity to make new friends and deepen exisiting relationships, it is a place to say "Okay Lord, I am 'retreating' from the daily busyness of life to make room for you...please meet me and speak to me." I am always astounded by the ways God rushes to meet us in specific ways when we take the smallest steps towards him...

In closing, I've included the link to a VERY FUNNY and creative (and short-maybe 2 minutes) video that I believe you will enjoy...a great reminder to be "BRAVE" in friendship and in life.

Blessings Dear Ones,
Tracy Klehn

Bravehearts - NorthPark Women's Retreat Video

Taking Pictures...Helping Them "See"

I LOVE taking pictures. I am the crazy mom on the sideline of the football field that has her zoom lens attached to her camera and has her finger perpetually pushed down on the "sports mode"setting button so as not to miss a single moment of play. My average number of photos per game looms somewhere around 300 (yes I am serious). It doesn't have to be a football game though...if my daughter's cheer leading squad is performing I take just as many pictures, or if there is a pep rally at school, or if the orchestra is playing at the mall...you get the idea. By the way...not all 300 of these pictures are of the "fruit of my womb" (then we'd have a real problem and I would definitely need some sort of an intervention). I take pictures of all the kids...each and every one performing or playing. Close ups, action shots, moments between father and son on the field or between a coach and a player or even those priceless moments between friends. I capture them, I edit them, I upload them and I share them. Parents often thank me for the time and energy I put into taking pictures of the kids and some even ask me why I do it especially since I'm not getting paid. I've thought about this often and the best answer I can come up with is that I want these kids to know that "they are seen." I want each of these kids to know that someone not only notices them but that someone cares about them, is proud of them and loves them. I don't want them to ever feel "missed," "forgotten" or "invisible."

As I was spending some time in the Bible this week I came upon the story of Hagar and Sarai (found in Genesis 16:1-16) and in it I was reminded of the impact that feeling "seen" has on a person. If you are familiar with the story you'll recall that Hagar, Sarai's maidservant becomes pregnant with Abraham's child (Sarai's husband) which causes tension (to say the least) to arise between the women and for Sarai to begin to mistreat Hagar. This sends Hagar fleeing to the desert where Hagar is met by an "angel of the Lord." This supernatural encounter causes Hagar to realize that she has never been "missed" by God. God not only "saw" her but pursued her. This realization was so wondrous to Hagar that it reads "She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: 'You are the God who sees me,' for she said, 'I have now seen the One who sees me.' (Genesis 16:13) In Hebrew, El Roi is the name Hagar spoke of God. It translates as "the God who sees."

I take a lot of pictures...some may say too many...but one of my hopes in capturing all these moments is that these kids might someday know that it wasn't only one crazy mom on the sideline of the football field that "saw" them but it is the God of the Universe who not only "sees" them but relentlessly pursues them with His love.

Here is a shot I took at one of the last games. In it my son and one of his dearest friends (along with every member of both teams and the coaching staff) and teammates have gathered in the middle of the football field following a close game to prayerfully give thanks to El Roi-The God Who Sees.

Let's Pray...
El Roi, we thank you that you never miss a thing and that you certainly never miss us. Thank you for being a God that pursues us relentless with love, grace, truth and forgiveness. Please help me communicate this aspect of your character to my own children and to all of the children of God that you place in my path. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Magnificent Life When You're Miserable?

How do you live a "Magnificent Life" when life feels downright miserable? Good question and one I've grappled with for as long as I can remember.

I grew up believing that I "should be happy" and that if I wasn't happy than I was either doing something wrong, I wasn't working hard enough or the people in my life were really messing things up for me. I spent a lot of years "working hard," reading self-help books, setting short-term and long-term goals, achieving, performing and trying to "do the right thing" all in an attempt to avoid pain and any form of sadness and stay on a steady stream of success and happiness. It never worked. Inevitably I'd end up in a pit somewhere..depressed and eating anything that resembled a processed carbohydrate that could be washed down with Diet Coke. It was when a friend took the time to explain to me that I didn't need to keep "working hard" to be happy but that what I really needed was the free gift of God's grace that was offered to me through Christ's sacrifice on the cross. My friend told me that while receiving this gift would not ensure unending "happiness," it would indeed secure "eternal life" which in turn would enable me to walk around with consistent JOY.

In God's Word it reads "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8 NIV)

My friend explained to me that by receiving (through faith) this gift of grace, I was now guaranteed eternal life and an eventual home in Heaven and that it had nothing to do with what I did and EVERYTHING to do with what Jesus had done for me and for all mankind.

In the months that followed my decision to receive Jesus Christ's gift of grace and eternal life, I began to learn much through his Word, one of the most freeing things being what Christ said to his disciples in John 16:33 "I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." This verse spoke such FREEDOM to me because it shattered the set-up that I'd lived out of that told me that "I should be happy" and it replaced it with the truth...while I walk on this earth I can count on the fact that there will be days of "trouble" but that I can "take heart" knowing that Christ is with me in those days of trouble and that He has overcome them.

So back to our question..."How do we live a magnificent life when life is miserable?" We must remember that we are not yet home but that one day we will be. In other words we have to live with an "eternal perspective" and the HOPE that is ours everyday; the Hope that one day we will leave "this world of trouble" and be face to face with Jesus and when that happens we will be absolutely and positively done with pain and suffering. So how do we do that? How do we live with hope and an eternal perspective? We go back to the first two principles from my previous blog entries...we stay connected to God's PEOPLE (friendship) so that we stay encouraged, supported, comforted, loved (and we do the same for others)...and we stay in a posture of PRAYER so that we can be reminded of who God is, how much He loves us and the truth of His unchanging Word.

To be totally honest with you, this season that I am currently in has been filled with some of the most "miserable" circumstances I've ever experienced...illness (my own, my husband, my daughter, my extended family), death of close friends and the grief of their families, conflict in relationships, disappointments for my children, challenges with finances...I imagine that as some of you read this you too can say that there are some really miserable things going on in your life right now as well. So how am I then living "A Magnificent Life"? I am choosing to live this life seeking to "see" God through it and seeking to reflect Him through the circumstances...I am choosing to believe that God is at work (whether I understand it or not), that God is in control and that God is with me (whether I "feel" it or not for He says "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you" Hebrews 13:5 NIV) and I am looking forward to the day when I will be face to face with the One who is my magnificent life-Jesus Christ. Won't you do the same with me? Take heart dear one...Jesus has overcome the world and He is our Magnificent Life.

Seeing God through Prayer

Is prayer on your list of "shoulds" (Along with "I should be exercising more, I should be sticking to a budget...)? It most certainly was on mine. Prayer was the perpetual New Years resolution that I found myself failing at by the first week in February each year. It was one of the many things that I wasn't doing enough of...something else I could beat myself up about or point to and say "See, if you'd just been praying more this would not have happened." This attitude towards prayer got a radical transformation when I heard one sentence that changed my life forever. While attending my first Christian conference, speaker Becky Tirabassi said this

"Prayer is a two-way conversation, one in which you talk to God and then you listen to God speak to you."

To think that the God that ran the universe might have specific things to say to me was a completely new idea. Having been raised in the church I always knew intellectually that God loved me and that Jesus died for my sins but somewhere along the way I adopted the attitude that "God's pretty busy so if I need anything it better be important, I'll need to make it quick and I certainly can't expect a response anytime soon." Now, with the uttering of this new sentence and concept rolling around in my mind I was being taught something entirely different. I was being taught that the Lord not only loves me and knows me intimately but that He longs for me to love Him and know Him intimately and to approach Him with an expectation to hear from Him. Speaker Becky Tirabassi went on to teach that one of the main places that I could expect to hear from the Lord was through His Word (The Bible). When I heard this my attitude about prayer became one of "If the Bible is one of the main places God is going to speak to me then why would I ever want to miss even one day of reading?!" Thus began my adventure in prayer...my two-way, ongoing dialogue with the Creator of the Universe and Author of my Faith. Interestingly enough, the season of life that I was in when I began this continual prayer conversation was when my children were babies. I write in Prayer Starters for Busy Moms "We pray without ceasing because God loves without ceasing and it is through the ACTION of prayer that this love comes ALIVE and is experienced in flesh and blood."


I believe in the power of prayer. After all, Our Heavenly Father could have used any channel he saw fit to release his power and presence on this earth and yet he chose the prayers of his people to be one the main ways it would occur. Prayer helps us see God, hear God and reflect his love and power to those around us. Prayer helps us grow in our faith ultimately helping us stand, like the little boy in France, with our arms flung wide in trust and love towards the One who loved us first.

Seeing God through Friendship

Has God ever "shown up" in your life? If someone were to ask you "where have you seen God at work in your life?" how would you answer them? My first answer to that question would be "through friendship." It was through friendship that the Lord first made himself real to me. It was through friendship that He showed me that He is near and that He cares. It was through friendship that I was first able to "Taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8) and that initial taste made me hungry for more.


If the "Magnificent Life" has to do with "seeing" God (which must happen before we can "reflect God"), than one of the things we need to remember is that God works through people and can oftentimes be glimpsed through the friends in our lives. Likewise, we have the distinct opportunity to offer others a glimpse of the divine as we extend our had in friendship to them.


One of the subjects you are likely to see many musings about in the months to come is this subject of friendship. Whether it is the friendship between husband and wife, between girlfriends or between children, I believe our Lord really does reveal Himself through people. I now offer you "a glimpse" from my latest book Growing Friendships (Bethany House)...


"Friends invest time in one another's lives. They make the conscious choice to 'Go out and play.' They see friendship as an invitation from God to receive what He has for them."


I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20)


Remember when you were a little girl and you would knock on your neighbors' door and ask "Can Mary come out and play?" As a child, you made the choice to go and knock on the door, allowing your girlfriend to then decide whether or not she was going to come out to play. Not much has changed over the years. This is still the first step when it comes to "Growing Friendships." It is making the choice to "go out and play," or, in other words to choose to value friendship and to invest the time and energy it takes to "connect."


There was a time in my life when I made the choice not to go out and play. My best friend was Nancy Drew and most week-ends I could be found holed up in my attic bedroom clutching those yellow bound books. I feel sad thinking about that little girl. She didn't know what she was missing. She didn't know that she could have more laughter, joy and company in her life. She didn't realize how lonely she was, nor did she realize that wounds of rejection had entered her heart and caused her to tuck herself away with a "safe" friend.


That safe friendship found between the pages of books continued on through junior high; my library card was paper thin from overuse, my battery stash running low from many late nights spent reading under the covers.


It wasn't until after my husband and I were married and had purchased our first home that I began to realize the potential that was available to me through friendships. At that point, I began to make the weekly choice to go out and play, and this continued for a long time.


For seven years, five of us gals met together on Monday evenings at a local restaurant, occasionally mixing it up when a good "chick flick" came to town. As I reminisce about the faces around the table those first few Monday nights, I see two friends with young children, two friends that were newly pregnant and one friend that was on the career track. We all had busy lives, yet we made the choice to meet and in doing so, learned the value of intentionally setting aside the time to invest in our friendships.


We spent those Mondays talking and listening to one another, laughing LOUD and crying hard, celebrating pregnancies and births, promotions, anniversaries, birthdays and the life that happens in between. We prayed each other through marriage challenges, work challenges, and hormone challenges, and we tried our best not to judge one another when we needed to "vent" about our children challenges.


Not every Monday was a party...there were some really hard Mondays in the mix. There were times when we needed to share feelings that weren't "pretty" and discuss topics that we were in disagreement over. There were times we "missed" each other and had to ask for forgiveness and there were times when we lost our temper and felt like giving up on friendship entirely. Still, by the grace of God, we chose to continue to "go out and play."


As a circle of friends, we made a huge investment of time in our relationship and the dividends were enormous. I can honestly say that that "Monday Night Lifeline" helped me in more ways than I am even now aware of. My girlfriends showed me what grace, forgiveness and loyalty were all about and they helped me enjoy the season of life that I was in.


Were there times in those years when we had other things we needed to do on a Monday night, like chores, work, or catch up on sleep? Of course! But friendship is a choice and there are many reasons why it is a choice worth making.

The Deeper Meaning

It was the week following my very first writer’s conference and I had a job to do. I had to turn a twenty minute talk into a book proposal (a sixty plus page document that includes three sample chapters, a full table of contents and several other marketing documents…basically a business plan for your book idea that will convince a publisher to invest an exorbitant amount of money in you) and I was frozen in fear….no, that’s not quite right, I was stuck in a cycle of shallow breathing, bouts of extreme nausea, and heart palpitations. While this cycle repeated itself over and over, a cadence of specific sentences began to sound like a rap in my head…


What were you thinking?
You don’t know how to write a book!
You’re going to look like an idiot!
Why did you tell the publishers about this idea…you’re not a writer…you don’t even know what a book proposal is?!

You get the idea…it was a bad scene and when I actually approached the computer the voices in my head would swell to a fevered pitch…

I don’t know how to write a book!
I don’t know how to write a book!
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO WRITE A BOOK!

That’s when the picture of the little boy came to my mind and a firm and loving voice called for my attention. It was one of those times that I sensed the Lord had something to say and He didn't want me to miss it...

“Tracy, I know how to write a book! All that I am asking you to do is to come and talk to me each day…come and be with me…come and worship me. Moment by moment, I want you to do what that little boy in the picture is doing…come and stand open armed and empty handed in front of me. That’s all. Pull up to the computer and think of it as the place you are coming to stand open armed and empty handed. Tracy, as you do that I, your Father, will fill your hands with the seed that will satisfy not only your soul but the soul of a love-starved world. I will tell you what to write. I will give you what you need.”

Immediately, I went to find the photo album from our dream trip to France. I dusted off the cover and pulled out the picture of the boy. I taped the picture to the wall above my computer so that I could see it every day. It helped me. It reminded me of the verse that, years before had so radically changed my life… “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33) And, while I did have setbacks…crying jags and mantras of failure repeating in my head every few hours, they never lasted for very long, that is if I obediently pulled up to the computer and remembered that the only thing God was asking me to do was to come to him open armed and empty handed.


A few weeks later I had a completed book proposal and, a few weeks after that a book contract and, a few months after that a completed manuscript and shortly thereafter my first book Prayer Starters for Busy Moms—How to Pray All Day and Still Put the Laundry Away.

Now, lest you think this blog is going to be all about writing, publishing and the likes I would like to clarify….I am planning to write about how we as moms can live a “Magnificent Life.” I define “The Magnificent Life” as a life that sees and senses God at work and reflects God to those around us. I believe that is achieved only as we stand, with the simple faith of a child before our Heavenly Father and trust that our lives are in His hands and that He is not only in control of everything but that He loves us and has our best interest in mind. Perhaps you now find yourself asking "How do I do that?" How do I stand there with faith, with trust especially if I've have been hurt by people or by the circumstances of life? How do I believe that God is close by if I’ve only been raised to think that He is far off and much too busy dealing with the bigger problems in the world like poverty, AIDS, and war? How do I stand there and wait on my Heavenly Father to give me what I need if I’ve always needed to figure things out on my own and make my life happen? How?

That, my friends, is precisely what this blog is about…the how, the why, the sometimes fun, oftentimes messy, always meaningful process of living life... “The Magnificent Life.”

Open Armed and Empty Handed

Dreams of France and Pictures of Life

I had a big dream when I was a little girl and when I began dating the man that would soon become my husband I shared that dream with him…creatively. We had only been dating for a few weeks when I asked Russ this question…

“If money were no object and you could go anywhere in the world where would you go?”

Now, perhaps it is because I am a woman or perhaps because when I asked him the question my then-boyfriend gave me the “You’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me look” nevertheless I went first and answered the question with a plethora of reasons why Paris was my dream destination. Once my soliloquy was complete I repeated the all important question…“If money were no object and you could go anywhere in the world where would you go?” Without skipping a beat (because by this time he’d had plenty of time to think about it while he listened to me drone on and on about the fabulousness of France) his one word response was “Cooperstown.” Apparently he really likes baseball! (For those of you who, like I needed to be enlightened, Cooperstown New York is home to the Baseball Hall of Fame) And thus began the relationship between the enthusiastic, dreamer, somewhat neurotic, aerobics instructor and the down to earth, dependable, faithful-with-the-little-things engineer.

It was during our tenth year of marriage that Russ came home from work late one night, sat down next to me on the edge of our bed and informed me that in a few months time there was the distinct possibility that he would need to leave the country for a business conference and if we could work it out I just might be able to join him…in France! As I took off running, jumping and screaming around the bedroom I could hear his voice trail off “Now Tracy, don’t get too excited…”

In no time I was visualizing and studying all the places we would be visiting while in France… the Eiffel Tower, the Champs D’Elysee, and that famous Cathedral “Notre Dame.” The more I thought about our trip, the higher my expectations rose.

The culmination of years of dreaming finally arrived. We’d landed on French soil and were quickly approaching our first tourist attraction “The Notre Dame.” As we came upon that famous cathedral I fully expected to be “blown away” by the magnificence of the stained glass, the beauty of the frescoes, the intricacy of the architecture and the fierce faces of the famous Gargoyles that sit atop the towers, but as we walked up to the Cathedral what I was OVERCOME by was a humble vision, “a little thing” that caught me out of the corner of my eye…

Standing in front of one of the many gardens that lead up to the Notre Dame was a little boy of about twelve. With the hedges of the garden below him he stood with both arms outstretched in front of him. As he stood there, palms turned up to the sky, his father, standing next to him would reach into a bag, draw out a handful of seed and pour it into the boys’ hands. As long as the boy stood there with his hands open and his arms outstretched, tiny little birds would fly down and eat the seed…right out of his hand! And, as long as the boy stood there with his arms outstretched and his palms up, his father would continue to fill his hands.

I was absolutely riveted by this image; struck to the core by the beauty of it and, sensing that there was something greater going on here, a deeper meaning that I would need to remember, I brought out my camera and took a picture of that father and his son.

There I was in Paris, living one of the biggest dreams of my life and yet the first image I felt necessary to capture on film, the first thing that “took my breath away” was a simple, humble, relational moment between a father and his son.

I developed that picture and stored it in an album along with all the other photos from our trip. It stayed there for a few years until one day when the meaning of that image came into focus at which time I gave that picture a place of prominence in my home and in my life…