Congratulations to the following CD winners: BeckyJoMama, Stonefox and reader (no blog) TallyMichelle!
*UPDATED* Here is Part 2 of the video.
My life is mundane.
It's full of dirty laundry and stinky feet. Stains and spills. Unexpected bills and quarreling kids. (I'm asking about sibling rivalry here. Please, tell me how you handle it!)
There are no celebrity's here. We're just regular people with normal problems.
Average.
Except for the occasional lice check, family nasal experiment, or paranoid freak-out session in a an MRI machine.
(I'm still processing my doctor's appointment today concerning my neck and back. I have some choices to make. I'll tell you all about it soon).
I've always disliked the mundane. I still remember the girl who used to be me that was going to change the world. I grew up and now I only change the cat litter.
I want you to meet someone who has challenged me to invite the glorious into the mundane.
Because it's those monotonous moments that make up a day, a week, a life.
And I want to capture them, rather than wish them away.
Christy Nockels is an up and coming Christian singer who's album Light Life Up debuted on June 2. She accompanied Chris Tomlin in vocals in his recent tour.
She's also a Mom. Just like us. And she struggles with the mundane too.
Would you listen to this and let it challenge you?
Being A Mom {Part 1} from christy nockels on Vimeo.
After you listen, please let me know how you feel about being a Mom, mundane moments and all. Three commenters will win Christy's new CD Light Life Up.
You can download her song here for free.
This giveaway will end on Friday.
*UPDATED* Here is Part 2.
49 comments:
hey, that was pretty cool.....she is so pretty and so real all at the same time. Having been a sahm for over 25 years now, and really not for much longer as my baby will be senior in high school next year, I would encourage all you young mammas to do just what she is saying. Don't let Satan steal the joy of each day so that your time with your child/children ever feels mundane or like drudgery. Ask God for a newness of life each day to see the wonder of those little lives. They grow up all too quickly and become teens, then young adults, and grown ups.....enjoy their childhoods, and their learning to be adults. Thanks for sharing!
Suzanne
That was a wonderful inspiration! I wrote down what she said " Invite the Glorious into the Mundane" and (hopefully oneday) can make it into a sign for me...for now a post it note will have to do. And I am going to buy her album when I get home from work tonight! Thanks for the heads up..
Ohh... sweet Christy Nockels. She has been in my life for quite some time. Back when her and her husband were Sons and Daughters and would do retreats when I was in college, to their changing their name to Watermark and going national(incredible music...check them out). Although, she obviously has no idea, she has helped me grow from a baby 21 year old believer into a 30 year old mom of three all the while ministering to me through her music. God taught me how to pray for my family and home, how to be grateful for my husband, children and friends, and how to grieve for a lost child through their music. I was so sad when Watermark retired but am so excited that she is back! She has incredible wisdom and talent and I am so glad she is sharing again.
Thanks for posting this link!!
I'm in the place of waiting that she talks about. We have a beautiful son, who is nearly 6, and the waiting is hurtful and lonely.
But I can invite the Glorious into the Mundane, through my job, through the holidays, through it all. I can invite Him in, and ask Him to help with this.
Thankyou.
thank you for this beautiful inspiration.
my thoughts on motherhood (to a 2 year old and 6 month old and more, God willing, to come in the future): I'm so grateful God led me to this calling, to this mission in my home. And I'm so grateful for his Grace when I fall short (daily -ha!) at this job.
Thanks for posting this...it's always nice to hear other moms are at home struggling like I do!!
Oh and as far as sibling rivalry my aunt used to make my cousins sit in chairs facing one another when they got into an arguement. They would have to sit there for so long and before they got up and they would end up giggling at each other and getting over it quickly. Mine are too young of this but I'll try it one day! Hope you have a great day!
Katie
mom of 3 girls
itsonlygirlsforme@yahoo.com
Wow! Her video really touched me. I've been having a hard time keeping up with my little monkeys ages 3 and 4. They are fighting so much lately and just being kids but, whew it wears me out. I suffer from depression and sometimes get in the pretty down with my self when I think about all that I should be doing with my life, (working to help pay bills) other then watching my boys. Watching that video helped me remember that all that I ever wanted to be in life was a Mom and it took me and my husband 8 years to have our little boys. I wouldn't trade these days for the world! They grow up so fast and change so much. I will follow what she said in her video and start inviting God to help me during these hard times with them. Being a stay at home mom is hard, most of family think that I play all day. I pray every night for my family and all of their problems. I've forgotten to talk to God about helping me to be a better Mother and to ask him to guide me through my days with the boys. Thanks for the reminder.
Kim
kimprine1@yahoo.com
Great to see Christy again. She is dead on with this video.
Somedays I feel so worthless, especially when nothing magical happens (not that everyday should have magic), but when I am doing the same old things day after day, I wonder if I AM making a difference ... BUT GOD .. God shows me I AM doing a good job when one of my children repeats a bible verse, recites addresses and phone numbers or just simply tells me they are glad to be home w/ me.
I remind myself that I asked God for this season of my life and he granted it for me .. I was miserable @ work outside the home and wanted to be home w/ my children before they started school.
I know I can't see the end results now, but I really believe the sacrifices I am making now ARE worth it in the end.
Thank you so much for posting this. I have wanted to be a sahm all my life and by God's grace it is my current occupation. There are many days when I really wonder what I was thinking. When the laundry piles threaten to take over the house and there isn't a clean dish left to eat off of it's easy to feel like a failure. It helps to remember that if I let the glorious override the mundane I'll never forget why God trusted me with the greatest job in the world. Thanks again!
wow! I was so encouraged by what Christy had to say. Inviting the glorious into the mundane is such wonderful way to approach our lives as mothers!
I also was moved when she spoke of thinking that she could not be a mother today, but that the Spirit of God through her could be one...
I just saw this video over at Kat's blog, too. Awesome stuff.
As far as sib rivalry goes, I sometimes "threaten" the fighting ones with making them hug each other. They usually end up laughing so much they forget what ridiculousness they were fighting about.
Of course, there are those days when it gets out of hand & everyone goes to their room & I go in & speak to them individually, but they hate that so it doesn't happen too much.
Thank you! Thank you!
That was exactly what I needed to hear! I've been trying to incorporate my worship into the "mundane" (ipod during laundry/vacuuming/etc.) It really does make a difference in my day. I'm more patient and kinder (I think). Some new worship music would be so great!
What an inspiring giveaway!
Thanks so much for sharing this - very encouraging.
"Invite the glorious into the mundane" is so true.
"Invite the glorious into the mundane." Love that!
It reminds me of one of Oswald Chambers' devotions in "My Utmost for His Highest."
Thanks so much for this beautiful post! Going to watch this video again. I needed to hear this!
thank you for sharing this video. I found it very encouraging as I am the mother of a toddler and every day is full of mundane events. I am convicted because I often use my chores as an excuse not to have quiet time and I think the enemy knows that I am bound to do that and I need to take those thoughts and those to do lists captive and invite God into all of my moments mundane or not. Thanks!
I used to loathe the mundane days that I had as a SAHM....until my 2 y/o got cancer. What I wouldn't give for the mundane now. Cherish it, it may not always seem like a good thing, but I swear it is :)
Such a simple quote and obviously very "God-Breathed". I find myself getting caught up in "never being caught up"! Doing the same chore over and over. Wondering how washing this same dish or sweeping this floor for the umpteenth time can bring glory to God. It's not in the chore itself - but it is in our attitude. Very timely - thank you for sharing.
I really enjoyed the video and look forward to part two. What a sweet lady.
Thank you so much. Being a stay at home mom can be so challenging and lonely as well as fulfilling and wonderful. We are so blessed.
That sweet message came at the right time!!! The best 6 minutes I've listened to all day.....what a great reminder to bring the Glorious into the mundane.
Cant wait for part 2.....
vanessadavis@yahoo.com
Last week my 6 month old's diaper completely failed and half of his poop was on the carpet. While I was cleaning it up, my almost 3 year old said, "Mommy, does cleaning the poop make you happy?" I told her it did. I said it brings me joy. I quit my full time job to stay home with her about a year and a half ago. I sometimes think of all the poop that I do clean up and think, "This is my life?" But it is. It is what I wanted and I take joy in it.
Thank you so much for posting this video and especially the song. I have a beautiful picture called "The Polish Madonna" which is an imaginative rendering of the Blessed Mother hanging laundry while Baby Jesus plays at her feet. I look at it and feel uplifted -- it shows me so much that God understands everything that we are going through - through becoming Incarnate He has shown us the path to glory in all our humanity -- including the changing of the diapers and all the rest of the less pleasant tasks of motherhood and fatherhood and life in general. It is also wonderful to have a the reminder and to realize that we are all in the same boat and trying to do the same thing.
I've always loved Christy Nockel, her music always brings me before the throne. I love her honesty and how beautiful a picture it is to allow God to be Glorified through changing diapers and mopping the kitchen floor. Isn't it what isn't all about, there's nothing we can do that can impress God, make Him love us more. Thanks for reminding us once again it's not about what we do, it's about how we do it. My my mundane glorify the one who created me.
What an awesome thing to hear at the end of a not so productive day! It seems like if I haven't accomplished some great act each day, I feel like I've not done enough! Each time these little thoughts of doubt creep in, I know in my heart I'm doing what's right for my family. However, it makes it seem like I have proof when I hear other mothers talk about their own lives. I needed to hear this and now I NEED this new CD! :)
I really needed to hear this today. We just completed our homestudy for foster-to-adopt and are waiting on God for the kids He will send home to us. We have two daughters, ten and three, and feel led to parent kids who are the orphans here. Can I really do this? Yes, I can through Him who gives my strength. I need to see the glorious in my mundane and trust God to teach and lead my little ones.
Thanks for sharing Christy's message. I am going to check out her cd.
Blessings, Melanie Ireland
mmmireland@wcoil.com
Thanks for posting this. I always hear people say to enjoy the children while they're young, but some days that's a tall order! These words were a great reminder how precious these little lives are and how we are entrusted with them for such a short while.
I have adored Christy's music through Watermark for years and can't wait to hear the new album, Life Light Up. Go Christy!
Wow... I don't know that any video has spoken straight to me like that one just did. Christy hit the nail on the head. Things can get so routine and mundane that we miss inviting the glorious into it. What better way to serve God than to serve our families?
Kristen, this was a blessing from the Lord today for me.
My last post was about kids and how I am struggling with faith versus the "facts" of my daily reality. I am due with my fourth child in a couple weeks, and he will be the third child I've had in two years(yes, it's possible!) God's design, definitley not mine. Just hearing how other women (a mother of nine!!) are relying on the Spirit for their mothering is such an encouragement and blessing. And so timely.
Thank you, thank you.
Sorry, I had to wipe my tears before commenting. It took me all day to get through the video, as I was all up in my mundane.
I pray that this will sink in so I can find the glorious...thank you so much for sharing.
michelle(dot)rutherford(at)gmail(dot)com
my watermark cd was one of my very favorites in college. i wondered what had happened to them! thank you for posting this video. i have been taught this "glorious in the mundane" idea more than once, i have read brother lawrence's inspiring stories of finding God in his beyond-mundane kitchen duties, but day to day, it's so hard to keep on my mind. reminders like these do me much good. i need to be reminded that in the dishes, the laundry, the teaching, the discipline, even in the potty training(!) i am doing the work the Lord has given me. i can do these things without complaining, and i can bring Him glory.
Everyday I do things to take care of my boys whether they know it or not. I am not a mom to win some prize or get some award I am a mom to my boys because that is what I was put on this earth to do. I have be entrusted with these precious, precocious, and brilliant little men. I am such a lucky woman to be able to nurture these gifts. I am hoping everyday we get to add to our pack, but if we can't I know I am rearing my boys to be great men. How lucky am I to be a part of them?!? I am the luckiest woman on earth!
Loved this -- thanks for sharing. As a mom, I try to remember that God is in the small things. From making sandwiches to changing diapers to wiping hands, I am Jesus in the flesh to my little ones until they are old enough to grasp the knowledge of who He really is.
I didn't realize that other people's houses got dirty as fast as mine does, praise the Lord for the little things. Thank you for sharing this!!
Amy (Dave's wife)
Thank you so much for this link. She is inspirational and I really needed to hear that message today.
I'm a stay-at-home mom of 3 with a Master's Degree. I LOVE being home while I do get frustrated at times. Hearing God speak through Christie was such a blessing today.
Thanks!
I love it - "invite the glorious into the mundane".
I am trying to embrace more of the everyday moments. I think it is important to have a "mentor" or other women to challenge us and that we need to rely on God and his Spirit and quit trying in our own fleshly power to make today into what we want it to be. We do need to let Him take control! Waiting on God is hard and having the outlet is important! Thank you for challenging me!
Thank you so much for sharing this! It's just what I needed to hear.
Very inspiring words. After going through infertility, I am so much more aware of the blessing my children are from God. I thank Him every day for my sweet girls, and I LOVE being their mommy.
I love her! So inspiring!!
I love Christy and was encouraged by these movies... especially her saying that we want to get refreshed and invite the glorious in the mundane. Amen. I am loving on my first precious baby--5-week-old Elisabeth--and am so scared about having to go back to teaching in August (husband is unemployed and so frustrated). So /i'm enjoying my full days with my babu while I have them.
emilyslinger at juno dot com
There are too many days where I feel like she described - like I CAN'T be a wife, or a mother that day.
But I'd never quite looked at it from the angle that she presented, that if I just let go, God could be that FOR me.
I struggle with being a wife, a mom to a disabled child and a teenager, currently unemployed and getting ready to start college - but I'm where I am for a reason. I need to remember that, it makes things SO much easier to handle, knowing that I'm not expected to do it alone.
What a great encouragement to do what the Lord puts in front of us to do! It is great to think of my work as worship and that I can just do the next thing that He puts on my heart to do. I enjoyed hearing that many of the inspirational moments that she received for songs came while she was doing the "mundane". What a great blessing to be suddenly inspired to write a song by walking around in the grocery store or standing in line somewhere! :)
That message was right on time, as usual!! :)
I am the mom of 4... 18,13,12,&7 and feel sooooo extremely blessed!!! And the thankfulness that i feel each day for these kids keeps me on track. But Kristy was right... there are sooo many times, where i am not lifting my mundane chores up to God, and I find that I get very frustrated... and irritated at what feels like no one else in the house pitching in! And it's when i am getting myself worked into a total snit about it, that God reminds me... Glorify Me in ALL that you do!! And i'm reminded of the parable of the coins... what you chose to do with what you have... and is my attitude in the right place?
Hoh boy. No. Not always!! It is a daily struggle!!
But, I am given suchhh joy when teaching my kids.. abc's, reading, life lessons, God.. you name it!! I KNOW this is where God wants me right now!! And yes, i yearn for more.. something great... something to set the world on fire! And when that feeling strikes... i create. I use the gifts God's given me. And it centers me, and lifts me up above all the mundane chores..simply creating something good - whether it be a hooked rug, a quilt, a gift for someone, or a really nice meal... He shows me joy in the process!
By sharing the way you do on your blog - YOU ARE lifted up... by lifting up so many other women!! That is definitely one of your gifts!! Dont stop, and dont let it get you down! Bright blessings, Bren
I am seriously havin to wath this in spurts. I REALLY am havin to process it all. I am so very much in a spot where I NEED to find the Glorious in the mundane. I NEED to learn to see HIM in every little thing, because the one thing I can do as a ministry in this season of my life is to teach my children to seek and find Him in the every day.
Thank you soooooo stinkin much for posting this. I am truly humbled!
And, if I can win me some Christy tunes in the process, well ... all the better :)
Her voice ROCKS! MY! WORLD! and makes me want to be a better worshiper of our God. Now I know her heart is just as sweet as the voice I have loved for years!
THANKS and XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
Becky Jo
What a great video by Christy! She's an amazing worship leader, and this was such an encouragement to me.
I longed to be a mom for years, and then God blessed us through adoption with 3 babies in 3 years! It's crazy wild at my house. :-)
First I have to say I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christy Knockels!! I have listened to her for many years now and her song Glory Baby is a huge blessing to me... Okay about the video she posted I love what she said here "Invite the Glorious into the Mundane" I have put that on my blog to remind me of it daily! Thanks for sharing this!
This was very incouraging to watch. We struggled with infertility for the first 8 yrs. of our marriage. God blessed us with a wonderful son who is now 2 1/2 years old. I have to work outside of the home part time, so life is always a rush and it is a struggle to keep up with the housework and to be the kind of mom and wife that I want to be. Inviting the glorious into the mundane, what an intriguing thought. I will be taking that advice, it is sure to help. Thank you for posting this.
Oh how I understand when she says, "I can't be a mother today, but the Holy Spirit can be through me"!
Thanks for sharing this. I've been a fan of Christy for a long time. And we share the same alma mater! :)
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