Alignment

This past month has been a dozy for our family.  Last month Dale, my son, came home for the weekend.  On his way back to Maryville his car was making a loud knocking sound.  The hubs & a good friend went to Platte City to try to figure out what was going on and to help him. Two hours later in the dark they tightened the bolt and brace that had came undone and hold the alternator in.  The last ten miles of the journey to the 'ville he realized what time it was and that he wasn't going to make the midnight deadline for an assignment.  And, yes, you guessed it he decided to speed and got pulled over.

The night of the ticket Dale called and his voice sounded like the little kid he once was.  I asked if he was ok, and then if his car was still running and if he was in an accident.  He then fessed up about getting pulled over for going 25 miles over the speed limit and fell apart over the phone.  I took a deep breath and began to pray over my sonshine.

I told him that God has great plans for him and that the officer was God's way to shake him, to make him slow down, and realize his potential could be lost in just a matter of minutes with going that fast.  I shared with him that darkness seeks to silence light and that is what he was feeling. I shared with him as much I as wanted to break the darkness that he had to do it.  Knock on someones door or his RA's door and tell them what was going on.  It is through talking, telling what is going on that we break darkness and light is reveled.

He was so quiet as I hung up the phone that my mama heart broke and tears flowed. All I could do is cry and plea for God to "ROAR" for Dale.   I live by the motto that "we don't retreat we roar".  There have been times in my life that I felt silenced, let the darkness creep further than needed, and that I couldn't even squeak let alone roar.  I started to petition God to "ROAR" for Dale and heard "I'm on it" which made me cry a little harder.  Why?  Because generally when I pray over my kids I hear "it is so" but when I hear "I'm on it" I know it is going to take some time.

My blessing is that the hubs told me the next morning "let's pray" and said "you know, Sherry, its only a speeding ticket".  Yeah, sure, only a speeding ticket.  That darn ticket has had me baffled , sleepless, being plagued with worse case scenario thoughts. I broke the darkness from KC by calling on friends to pray over Dale and our ability to pay his tickets.  I called a friend with ties to Maryville who found out legally what we could do and should do.

Monday as I prayed over his court date today, I felt like God tell me "it is aligned".  Ok, so, I want details, Lord, and he gave me some.  I felt like Dale was going to have to do community service and the fines would be less than $100.  Instead of praising God I said, "nope, just the paperwork to go to court is $390 plus the ticket and they don't do community service for speeding tickets, God, geez".  I heard "And, you didn't align it, Sherry, I did with mercy and grace for my beloveds".

Court was on Tuesday and by noon Dale called me.  He told me it was like the judge knew him already.  He was firm when he told Dale the severity of speeding and said there would be "grace" because Dale had no priors.  He gave him two options; pay over $700+ in fines and revoke his license or he would give him "grace" by allowing him to be on probation for speeding for the next year. Dale would have to do 8 hours of community service in the KC area, and have to check in with the judge periodically, and there would be a fine of $70.50, no points taken from his license and he could still drive.  He choose the second option and thanked the judge for grace and mercy.

Thankful is too small for the awe I feel for God's alignment. Ohh, my, what does alignment mean? According to Websters ; arrangement in a straight line, or in correct or appropriate relative positions". That was certainly true for court with the sonshine.  Thankful today for God's careful, diligent hands that are at work over my life, my family, my friends, and those that I have yet to meet or may never.  He beautifully orchestrates each of our paths, asks for obedience in listening to Him, gifts us his light that will always suppress darkness, and seeks to correct us into alignment to be attuned to Him, to attune to his premise and purpose in his beloved creation...that would be us.

As an afterthought here is what happened the night of the ticket; Dale didn't leave his room after our phone call.  Instead, my quiet kid, sat on his bed and then there was a knock on his door.  Someone on his floor saw him come in and knew something wasn't right.  When Dale opened the door the kid asked if he was all right and Dale told him what had happened.  And, that broke the darkness because the kid had the same thing happen to him.  Then another kid came to his room and said , "Dale, its just a speeding ticket, man, it will be ok".  By the next morning when I talked to him he told me, "Mom, you were right about breaking the darkness.  I didn't realize until last night how many people care about me".

May each of you feel the incidentals, hiccups, and know that God roars for you with a velocity and fierceness that we can not even comprehend.  He uses grace, mercy, and boundless love to light our path.  I wrote this blog to encourage each that reads it and tell you to seek the light.  That when darkness surrounds you that you must break it by reaching out to someone, anyone, that is near you, tell them what is going on, and by God's grace they will bring light.

Peace be with you- Sherry

The Case of the Hiccups

This past week has been a whirl of teaching art classes. hearing the word "hiccup" from the Lord, and having three meals with three friends that brought light, love, and laughter to my weary spirit. Here's how all filled my spirit and let me flow with grace, light, and purpose.

to church it

A hiccup is defined two ways in Websters; as a noun or verb.  The noun definition says a hiccup is an involuntary spasm of the diaphragm and respiratory organs, with a sudden closure of the glottis and a characteristic sound like that of a cough".  Listen to what the verb definition of hiccup is "suffer from or make the sound of a hiccup or series of hiccups".  A hiccup is nothing more than a reoccurring sound . It does not a trickle, ripple, or flow which are words I had earlier this year and dealt with me allowing myself to walk in a way with the Lord that let me be open to the Holy Spirit and see with eyes wide open, hear with ears that amplfy, and have my heart broken by the world around me.

Let's get back to "hiccup".  I felt like a hiccup is more distracting, annoying that "incidentals" of life that could be as simple as having your ice cream melt and drip on your hand.  A hiccup bring a sense of fear, staggers your light, and serves to interrupt the peace, trust, and love of Abba.  

This week was filled with "hiccups".  Sunday I woke up with that word "hiccup" and God told me to get ready for church, praise him, and let him refill the cracks that the world had thrown my way.  It was raining heavy and I thought of just laying there, awake, in bed, and heard "hiccup" again.  Ok, got in the car and it ran rough and I heard "hiccup" but we got going and had a red light as we went to turn onto the highway.  Then the car died and each time the hubs went to restart it it would die and in my head I hear "hiccup, hiccup, hiccup".  A gal that I knew from years past pulled alongside us and tried to help us which the hubs passes on three times "hiccup, hiccup, hiccup".  I started to pray "Father stop the hiccups and bring favor, daddy, we need your favor to get the car out of the road and back home".  The hubs and I traded spots and with another guy they pushed the car around the intersection so we were headed home.  Did I mention the car is stick...yeah, for me "hiccup".  The hubs got in the car and started it and it ran all the way home in a the pouring rain. Got it home and I asked for him to get our daughters car keys to go see if my car was still parked outside our mechanics shop; "hiccup".  He got the keys and said "we can't take her car church its got transmission issues" as he got in beside me ; "hiccup".  I shared we were going to drive to the mechanic for the Sandymobile "hiccup" that had no a/c but would get us to church if it was parked outside ; hiccup, hiccup, hiccup.  Got to the shop, hopped in the Sandymobile, and got to church late but we got there safely.  

Do you get the understanding of what a "hiccup" means? It means taking three cars to just go praise the Lord on a  rainy Sunday morning that is chilly and humid all at once.  Hiccup is the way life is in the world.  It is filled with hiccups of one sort or another.  Hiccups bring fear, doubt, and I go to my fav self doubt.  The difference this week was that God called it out for what it is.  Car problems, delays, and oh mys can plague us or make us.  If we allow a "hiccup" to continue without praise, trust, and light it will continue to happen.  If we see it as the world, acknowledge who our Heavenly Daddy is , and then trust him to grant favor it is so.  Hiccups in life seek to throw me off, drive fear and misbeliefs, and be barriers to the light. I got the chance this week to see that my hiccups are Gods glory.  Its like he laughs and tells me " Your hiccups, Sherry, they're annoying and scary for you but to me they are just hiccups walk in my light, delight in my favor, and radiate me, Sherry".  

Now back to eating this week.  I've had a case of the "hiccups" this week trying to schedule things, having things cancelled, or not turn out as I wanted.  And, truth be told when I went with each of my friends this week I thought '; you don't have time for this,  had nausea, you don't have money for this, stay in or you'll be too tired to go to South Dakota.  Something inside told me that I needed to see each friend because they would recharge my light & delight in the Lord.  There is nothing finer than women that have been through rough things, that are transparent, love the Lord and know Him, and that know the world is menacing but choose light that is the Lord.

The last hiccups came in on Wednesday afternoon when my art class in KC that I teach was cancelled and rescheduled for next month.  It gave me the opportunity to leave Thursday afternoon for South Dakota rather than at 2am on Friday.  I praised the Lord for it but heard "no one wants you, no one cares, you can't teach art, you don't know" and I stopped the darkness and said "ohh, yeah, I do know, I know the truth, I know I am a beloved daughter of the Father and he shows his favor to me" and those hiccups stopped.  

Thursday morning I woke at 5 am and thought it was just the thrill of teaching art class and then getting to go to South Dakota.  I felt like I needed to pack the Sandymobile up which the darling dot and I dd.  There were a few supplies and a couple of coats that were left but there would be time after the kid artists left my studio.  I head "pack it all now or it will stay here".  I thought that was another round of "hiccups" so I ignored it.  During art class my neighborhood was shut down by the police, we were told there was an active shooter in my neighborhood and to close my garage door and get the kid artists inside. We were given the ok to leave the neighborhood when one mom advocated that her kids were at art class with Sherry Snider.  They allowed her to go to my home and tell us that we needed to leave. Sweet blessing was in that moment when the garage door was down and we were in the art studio I heard "pray " and we did before each family went out, got loaded up, and left the neighborhood.  One kid artist was left and I told her to get in my car as Emily shut the garage door.  As we waited for Emily the SWAT team for the sheriffs department, K-9 unit, and local police passed by with riffles and glanced at us.  The K-9 went across my street to my neighbors back yard and began barking.  I began to think do I do, Lord, there's this little girl in my car and my own girl is in the house, should I go without Emily....hiccup, hiccup, hiccup.  Instead I found peace through the barking, peace that we were covered as we prayed, and Emily got in the car.  To God's glory the families from art class decided to meet at the frozen custard shop and had told Emily.  We got out kid artist reunited with her mom, collected three more pairs of tennis shoes, and left town earlier than we thought.

We stopped to pick up more shoes in Lee's Summit and Emily realized she hadn't packed her church clothes for Sunday...hiccup.  Well, our shoe pick up was at Claudias Closet so we could just buy her an outfit. I had left my tip jar and all my class money in my art room; hiccup but had deposited Etsy money in the bank on Wednesday. We repacked the Sandymobile in the parking lot, said a prayer, and the gas light came on, hiccup.  Got gas nearby and then the Sandymobile started to run rough, hiccup.  We kept going to Scraps KC to get a few materials for Open Artroom in South Dakota, and it died as I went to put it in park at the shop, hiccup.  I restarted it and it dies again, and again, hiccup, hiccup.  We got the supplies and drove to get fuel injector cleaner, hiccup.  By the time we got on the freeway it was 5pm rush hour, hiccup, with a car that dies when its not accelerating, hiccup.  I prayed "Daddy I want your favor and light to shine in this very moment.  I want the fuel injector to work and I don't want to dear my drive" and the car didn't die again.  It sounded rough all the way to KC airport and then I realized that it was just the road not the car and I could praise God for light.

And, yes, there were hiccups but we got to Wagner which is part of what God calls my "my training ground". When we got to the church we realized we had no key for the bedroom, hiccup.  Dale went to crawl through a small window and realized he was scared on how to land, hiccup.  Emily was going to try but she's got epilepsy, hiccup.  I tried to pick the lock with my debit card but felt there was a barrier at the lock, hiccup.  We sent a text to our friend and he got us the key to the bedroom door and we could praise God for keys.  

I'm thankful this morning when Dale's alarm went off at 5am, hiccup.  It woke me up as the kids slept and I could praise walk through the church.  I got a chance to send a couple emails and then started to write this blog.  I giggle as I looked up the definition of hiccup and delighted at what i found.  I'm hopeful that we can do Open Artroom this afternoon and that there will be kids that come out.  Could you pray for that for me, for the kids in our crew, and the other kids in this community and my own back home?  That light would radiation from the ATF church that comes through creativity, faith, and love of God.  That the Sandymobile parked in front would be enough to let kids know we are here and that the sign we will put out this morning would help draw them out too.  

May you find the incidentals in life God's glory.  May the hiccups give you the giggles of delight that is our birthright as sons and daughters. 

Peace be with you- Sherry

Update

• I left my tip jar from my art room at my home yesterday.  If you would like to donate to help with incidentals while we are in Wagner or on the way home feel free to use Paypal; sherryboberry2@yahoo.com .  Please pray for myself, Dale, and precious Emily that we be radiant lightbearers.  

Daddy, I Want It All

 I stopped and thought about the word "glean" it means to take, extract, and gather from various sources.  It hit me that I've been a gleaner my whole life. I love to learn and am at a heart a nerd that loves to read, write, and seek knowledge.  I treasure scripture snippets, quotes, and have a plethora of trivial worldy knowledge from song lyrics, art, tv shows, and movies.

About five years ago I felt like God was telling me to "mentor" as there were so many changes going on in my world and the lives of others. I felt ill equipped and had prayed and petitioned the Lord to help and he told me to "mentor".  I laughed because the thought of "mentor" to my heart was like a spiritual guru or someone that was one of those bright, shiny people.  It didn't mean this girl that had lived an imperfect at best life.  I'm bold, sassy, and have spunk, Lord, but fluidity of words doesn't flow except on paper for me.  I cuss, Lord, you know it, hear it and many times roll those gracious eyes my direction.  I'm loud, Abba, and most the time unrestrained with my actions and words...yeah, I'm a wild card, and you want me to "mentor"?

I did "mentor" for a short season but I never had a chance to really define that. Within six months I had a cancer diagnosis, my darling dot had a seizure in college, and my life was turned upside down. Within two weeks of starting radiation I realized that I couldn't joke cancer away or pretend any longer and I needed my daddy, my Heavenly Daddy.  I'd been writing in my journal for two weeks like a crazy person and he responded with "you know me, have always known me, Sherry, you are mine".  Then a couple of weeks later as I started chemo with radiation I heard "you are mine and have no idea what I can do with you know that you know the truth.  Do what they say, rest, rest, and rest for I know what you will be used to do in the future".  And, yeah, like the indignant Veruca Salt from Willy Wonka I wanted more, more details & I had suggestions. Those details came in what I called "crazy chemo dreams" that I wrote about in my journal but didn't realize that they were the answers that I pleaded for until last year.

Fast forward to five years later and here I am alive and kicking.  Some days are better than others and easier and others complicated. And, the word "mentor" is being used again in circles that surround me.  I've learned to free fall with the Lord this fall.  To allow him to take care of incidentals, hiccups, and remain silent, diligent, and glean what He is gifting in words, people, and places.  I feel Him orchestrating my heart's aspirations; to teach, mentor, and glean so that I would be radiant light to others that is Him.

This blog post started as a chance to update and share that I wrote lesson plans for TSMKC for the kids at the fall conference.  In honesty its what I know to do, what my mama sent me to college for, and is comfortable because I know a classroom so well it is like home.  At the event I was blessed to have a friend from church help me and ask if they could use my "plans" for the kids at church and would I help to implement them.  That simple ask filled in some of my brokenness from 5 years ago.  It filled in the hurt, distraction, and loss that I felt at not knowing a realization of "mentor" was. It made me realize what I would describe as "scraps" because I used those lessons were far more.  That those "scraps" could be gleaned for God's glory.  Those "scraps" that I wrote after praying over and listening to God were something of value that would glorify God in ways I hadn't imagined.

Then last night I had a meeting with a friend that has encouraged me to define "mentor" and to think beyond a classroom or kids to teens and adults.  How would that look, what would I do, and who would I radiate light. It is the chance to see what I do beyond a classroom setting and that is challenging yet so very, very breath taking. It takes me back to when "mentor" was on my mind and I didn't know what exactly to do.  It allows me to see myself not as ; Veruca Salt, spunky, or sassy but as a beloved daughter of the Father.  That daughter that isn't cut from a worldly mold of bright and shiny. She is sassy, spunky, and bold enough to ask the Father for favor upon her children, home, and friends.  She petitions the Lord on behalf of others and is relentless...yes, I'm quite I picketer of sorts, friends. 

I am encouraged this morning & would ask for you to; encourage yourself by claiming victory as you are alive and kicking, give some praise for the moments (for example; cleaning up the hubs toothpaste in the sink leads me to praise the Lord for my hubs & restoration), and to seek solace in the Father as you petition aka demand favor, hope, mercy, and grace for yourself, your family, and your community.  As I write that my heart fills as I hear "I'm on it"...thank you Abba. 

Peace be with you- Sherry


Updates:

• Emily checked in with Dr. Seeley last week after changing her meds and having two seizures in the past couple of weeks.  He has increased her meds and said he felt encouraged that she had went a month before those seizures had happened. 
• Dale, oh, my sonshine. He and I have been kindred souls since day one.  He came home to help his mama with the kiddos at TSMKC conference a couple of weeks ago. On his was back to college he had car problems .  By grace the hubs and a friend went to rescue him. It was late and he had a deadline of midnight for an assignment.  As he turned on the highway to Maryville he realized the time and fear set in that his assignment would be late.  You can probably guess it, he got a big ticket and has to appear in court on October 30 in Maryville.  The sonshine that is the calm in the storm is now in the eye of his very own storm.  He has called the prosecuting attorneys office to ask for help so his parents can pay the tickets, that the charges be reduced so our insurance doesn't go up, and that he will take traffic school.  We would appreciate prayers of favor for the sonshine that both the prosecuting attorney and judge would show grace and mercy as it is his first ticket. 
• I'm posting October classes for The Artroom today. The home school group that meets each Thursday has been robust and a sweet blessing to my soul and I would ask for prayer over the after school program for Fridays and the other class endeavors that I will offer.
• We head back to Wagner early birdy on Friday morning so we can get there in time for a catnap and to do Open Artroom Friday afternoon. This time Tedster is going with us and I can not praise the Lord more for another driver but in reality to have him be a part of the journey,  I am still collecting new socks and gently used tennis shoes to take to Wagner & would adore your donations.