It's Friday!!! I've finally made it! My very last full time day :-) With any amount of luck, the big guys will let us off early today, since it is the day before a holiday weekend, but if not, then I have to work until 5 tonight. But that is okay, because the worst is almost over! WOO HOO! Things are going pretty well right now. I took a car full of kids to my church's youth "Back to School Bash", and my 11 year old daughter, bless her heart, decided to rededicate her life to Jesus. It is so obvious to me the difference being a church makes with my family. Even Dan, who struggles sometimes with his faith, fares better when he attends. Praise God for His faithfulness!
It's hard to believe that summer is winding down. This weekend marks the unofficial end of summer, but I do have to admit that, although I love summer, I am ready to open my windows and let some fresh air in (and save on the electricity bill). I just don't want winter to come. I DON'T like cold weather! I'm too cold blooded. Our city public schools start back on Tuesday. I am so encouraged by the fact that Dan keeps confirming to me how glad he is that we have decided to homeschool this year. Not being tied to a school makes a big difference in what you can do throughout the year. If Dan has to take a business trip, we could all pack up and go. We just take school with us. Last night he was talking about (in the long run) selling our house and buying an old farm house in the country to fix up. I must admit that although I am not into old houses (I grew up in a 100 year old house and swore I'd never buy anything older that 10 years old), the thought of living in the country really appeals to me. I would love to be able to go outside in the evening and see stars. And...I could have as many animals as I wanted ;-)
Well, sitting here with nothing interesting to write about has made me realize that this has been a pretty uneventful week. As Tania said in one of her posts, routine days aren't always bad things. I had enough action in July to last me a couple of years! I'll take the uneventful weeks anyday. I pray you all have a wonderful long weekend!
Be blessed!!
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I started to post yesterday, but then never finished, so I'll try again now. I only have about a half an hour because tonight is our ladies potluck dinner at church. So I'll see how far I get before then.What I really wanted to share yesterday was a blessing that is occuring in my 15 year old son's life. When we lived in Omaha, we belonged to a church that didn't have much of a youth program, so when we moved to Kansas City, the most important thing to me was to find a church that we all enjoyed that also had a lot for the kids. The third church we visited turned out to be the one I wanted to call home. We began attending about a year ago, and at that time Matt was having a difficult time figuring out what his purpose in life was. Well, when he got plugged into the youth group, he really changed. Now instead of being moody and distant, he would spend time with us and laugh a lot. Things continued to be great through the winter and into spring. He began taking guitar lessons, and became good friends with the assistant youth pastor (who, incidentally, is 21 years old), and he finally had a purpose for his life.
Then, summer came along, the kids were going to visit my mom in Omaha, I was traveling, and church became something we did occasionally, when we felt like it, and guitar lessons stopped for the summer, too. As you can guess, Matt began to crawl back into his old shell. Well, I knew what the problem was, so I decided that we needed to get him back to church. At first he resisted, begged me not to make him go, etc., but after 2 weeks, the "new" Matt came back out.
I am just so pleased at the effect being apart of this youth group has had on Matt. I know that there are many churches out there with decent youth programs, but I honestly have to say that this is the best one we have ever been involved in, and I am so thankful that God led us there. He truly does care about the small stuff :)
Sunday we adopted a new member into our family. Now mind you, my husband swore we would NEVER have another cat, but Matt came home Saturday night and told us about this cute kitten that the assistant youth pastor was trying to find a home for, and I was the one saying no, but Dan started asking how big he was, what color, what his name is (Frankenstein, btw), and next thing I knew, we had a new kitten. He is so adorable. We call him Frankie, in case you are curious. I really need to take some pictures of my pet menagerie. We now have two Westies and two cats. The dogs get along fine with Frankie, but Tiger still isn't too partial to him. In time that will change, I'm sure.
Well, I guess that is about all that's new in my life. 3 more days of full time hours, then off to 5 1/2 days for a month. WOO HOO! Can you tell how depressed I am? The kids will be starting school a bit late this year, but I think we can catch up fairly easily. I'm really excited to start homeschooling. And to think...I told God that I couldn't believe He really thought I could do it! Well, He has given me the desire, now He just has to give me the patience, ability, and discipline. I know He can!
Be blessed!!
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I've had a pretty good day today! I got up this morning and met a homeschool mom friend of mine for breakfast. She gave me a whole bunch of information and catalogs, and I just finished ordering the kids' books for this year. Now I feel like I have accomplished something :-) After that we did some running around. We went out to price piano keyboards. I really want all my kids to know how to play an instrument. Matt is taking guitar lessons, and that is what Ben wants to do, too, but April wants to take DRUM lessons! I told her we could start on piano and see how it goes from there. I have always wanted to learn how to play, too, so perhaps I will benefit from that, too. My dream is to play in the worship band at church, but somehow I have a difficult time imagining myself ever getting good enough to do that! But what am I saying!? God could give me the gift necessary to learn quickly :p We'll see...I know that the main reason I had a good day today is because I started it with the Lord. I woke up about 6:45 and totally contemplated rolling over and going back to sleep for about an hour. But then I decided that it would be the ideal time to spend with God, because no one else would wake up until at least 9:00. So I made a pot of coffee and had a very long talk with Him. That started my day out on a perfect note. Now if I can just overcome my flesh during the week when I would need to hop out of bed at 6 or earlier...
As many of my blog buddies are doing, I, too, have decided to start memorizing a verse a week. My verse for this week is Psalm 5:3:
In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice;
In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.That verse was confirmation to me that morning is the best time to spend with Him. Sure, night will work, but we are supposed to give our first fruits. Why not give Him the first fruits of our time? When I start my day with the Lord, I know that everything else falls into place for the rest of the day. God is soooo good!
Well, I'd better get going. I really want to take a bike ride before it gets dark. I haven't been to the gym in about a month :(
I pray that you all have a blessed Sunday, and don't forget to go to church tomorrow and worship our risen Lord and Savior!!
Be blessed!!
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I don't know what is wrong with me today. It is Friday, so I should be in a great mood. Well, my day started out icky. I ended up being 1/2 hour late for work because traffic was so heavy on the interstate. I will be sooooo happy when I don't have to fight that traffic anymore. One more week of full time hours, then I'll work 9:30 to 3, and traffic is light at those times. Then at work I am doing an icky project (my word for the day LOL!) I have to go into our storage room and take inventory of all our forms. It is dusty and stinky in there. The only advantage to being in there is the fact that it is warm. My office is absolutely freezing! I guess they must be trying to make sure that I don't change my mind about leaving. I am also of the mindset now that I don't want to be bothered. Every time my phone rings, I yell at it to stop! Ugh!! What a bad attitude!Well, all I can say is that I am sure glad God doesn't go through mood swings like I do. Can you imagine what life would be like if you woke up one morning and discovered that God decided to hold a grudge against you because you didn't get up early and spend quiet time with Him? If he refused to talk to you or help you out that day? What if He decided to remove His grace and mercy from our lives? Hebrews 13:8 says this:
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
Aren't you glad He never changes? You can rest assured in the promise of Lamentations 3:22-23:
[It is of] the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
[They are] new every morning: great [is] thy faithfulness.AMEN! In every circumstance in life, we can find lessons. I am learning, albeit very slowly, that in order to become more like Jesus, I need to go through some painful pruning at times. In my online group we all read a book called Secrets of the Vine by Bruce Wilkinson. He equates our lives with that of a grape branch. Sounds kind of strange at first, but as I got into the book, I realized why Jesus said what He did in John 15:1-3:
I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every {branch} that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
I learned that if I am not being "pruned", then I should worry. If I am not being pruned, then I am not growing. If I am not growing, then I will be "taken away". My desire is to be a branch that bears much fruit. It may not always be pleasant to be pruned. I may be required to give up things that I don't want to, like certain attitudes and actions (dead branches), but when God has finished, I will bear fruit abundantly because the "son" will be able to shine through.
So today I am learning that if I want people to see Jesus in me, then I need to be more like Jesus. I need to put my grumpy emotions aside and be the helpful and loving person that God intends me to be. Hummm, I think I just talked myself right out of my bad mood :)
May you all have a very joyous day in the Lord!!
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This week is just flying by! I can't believe it is already Thursday. I went to church last night since it was my week to volunteer in our bookstore, and I got the new Darlene Zschech cd, Extravagant Worship for 20% off! I just love her music. She is such an extremely talented person who, I understand, has a most humble spirit.Music has always been such an important element in my life. My mom always had music on when I was growing up, and then as I got older I got into the 80s pop and hard rock, but I always had music on, too. I would even sleep with a radio on. When I first became a Christian back in the early 80's, Christian music wasn't what it is today. In fact, part of the reason I had such a difficult time sticking to my walk was because my youth pastor told us secular music was evil, but to try to listen to Steve Green or Twila Paris when you are a Styx and Night Ranger fan was pure torture!! LOL. I was so excited the first time I saw Stryper on MTV! That is when I decided to try living for the Lord again.
I sure am glad my musical tastes have changed over the years. But I have a 15 year old son who also enjoys music. My children have grown up with music, just as I did, and just as it happened with me, my son's tastes are changing. That is why I am so glad that there are bands like POD on the music scene. I may not appreciate their music, but there is an audience for that genre, and it is necessary. I prefer to know that my son is listening to music with a positive message as opposed to someone like Eminem or (for us old timers--LOL) Black Sabbath.
Music is a powerful force. Today most churches use it to bring their congregation to a place of worship and openess with God. I still listen to music everyday. It can lift my mood and bring joy to my spirit on days when I am feeling down. Even in the Bible, when Saul was tormented by an evil spirit, harp music would soothe him. David spoke often about worshipping the Lord with the harp and lyre. I believe that music is a gift from God. There are so many talented singers and musicians in this world (unfortunately I'm not one of them :( ) I am very fortunate that my church is full of them, and that they willingly use their gifts to glorify God.
I leave you with a few verses from Psalms that specifically have the word sing in them.
Ps 71:23
My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to You, And my soul, which You have redeemed.Ps 95:1
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.Ps 96:2
Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.Ps 108:3
I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples, And I will sing praises to You among the nations.Be blessed!!
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I have been in a really good mood today :-) And it's Monday, and I didn't get enough sleep last night! Anyway, maybe it has something to do with the fact that I am counting down the days until I will be a SAHM. I have had several people at work come up to me and tell me how much they are going to miss me. It makes me feel good to know that I have made a positive impression on those I work with. I truly believe that God puts us in places where we will touch lives, and for over a year I felt that I was right where God wanted me. I certainly wasn't there for the money :p But seriously, I was completely content until I went full time.I really believe that God has a master plan for my life, and that everything that happens to me is one step toward the ultimate grand finale. Perhaps now it is time for me to move on and touch other's lives. I don't know what my future holds, but I do know that if I trust God, and let him direct my paths, I won't go wrong. Once again, my all time favorite verse--Proverbs 3:5-6--is popping up in my life. I was talking to a Christian friend of mine at work, and I was able to encourage her with that verse. I also mentioned Jeremiah 29:11
"I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future."
God doesn't say, "I have plans for you that might give you hope. He knows the plans He has for us, and they will give us hope and a future. That is a promise you can take to the bank. When God says He will do something, believe Him!! My biggest fault is not knowing that God can do something; rather it is believing that He will do something in my life. But today I very clearly heard a voice in my head saying, "If God holds the whole universe in His hands, what makes you think that He doesn't desire to care for you?" It was a very clear wake up call to me. The bible say we do not receive because we do not ask. I know that I am guilty of putting God in a box and telling myself that I have to figure a way out of this-or-that mess, because God won't do it, but then I don't know that He won't do it, because I don't ASK Him to!! DUH!! Wake up! He can do ANYTHING! And He desires to give us, His children, good gifts. So it is time to start asking and believing that He will. If what I ask is in accordance with His will, I have nothing to fear by asking.
BTW, it looks like my boss does want me to stay through September. She is not looking for a replacement for me right now because the company is moving sometime around the end of October, and until they know where they are going, she doesn't want to hire someone only to find out that he or she won't drive to wherever they end up. They mystery should be revealed by the end of next week, though. I will be back to my part-time hours beginning September 3, though, so that will help. No more fighting rush hour traffic! YIPPEE!! I did offer to work Fridays, though :( But it is only temporary, and my last day will be September 26th (I believe).
One final thought before I scadaddle. The question of the week for a group I am in was about memorizing the bible. We were challenged to memorize a verse a week. I am passing that challenge on to all of you. Won't you take a moment to choose a verse right now and commit it to your memory. Why not start with this one:
Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!
Psalm 119:11Have a very blessed evening!
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I will be so glad when I am a SAHM again and can use the week days to clean my house!! I was at it all day and only really got my kitchen, living room, dining room, one bathroom, and laundry room straightened up. Guess I'll have to use tomorrow after church to do the bedrooms, basement, and other bathrooms. However, there is a lesson to be learned in doing housework (I can find lessons in just about everything I do :D ) As I was washing dishes (the old fashioned way--in the sink! LOL), I started thinking about the fact that even though I was working, I am so fortunate to have a house to clean! I am totally too blessed to be stressed!!I may not have the biggest house on my block, but there are people who, if they could live in my home, would think they were living in a castle fit for a king. So often we concentrate on what we don't have--a new car, more toys, stuff that will help us to keep up with all our friends who "just bought a new this-or-that". But in reality, we need to focus more on what we do have.
So, tonight I am going to tell you what I am thankful for. These are my blessings:
My God and my savior, Jesus
My family and all the love we have for one another
My wonderful Godly friends who encourage me and help keep me accountable
My home, which is big enough for the 5 of us (plus 2 dogs and a cat:)
My car
My health, and my family's health. Yes, my children have been hit with some health issues, but I know it could be much worse!
My freedom. God bless the USA!!
The fact that I get to stay home with my children and teach them the things that I think are important!!I could probably go on all night, but I won't bore you to death right now. I just think it is so important for us to take a moment every day to thank God for our blessings. Don't take them for granted, because someone out there would do just about anything to have what you have. And I am sure that God would love to hear a "thank you" every once in awhile from us. ::wink::
Alrighty, I'm off to bed. I pray you all have a very blessed night.
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I am really beat tonight. We got home from Washington DC late last night, and then this morning I had to get up early to take Benjamin to his doctor appointment. Then it was off to Wal-Mart to get his glasses ordered and buy some new "essentials". My overnight bag got left in Omaha, so I had no makeup. YIKES!!!I want to go up and spend a little quiet time with the Lord before bed. I sort of let it slide while we were on vacation (and I was doing so well, too!) But I wanted to take a moment to tell you about a book I have been been reading (I see a QOTW forming out of this one! ::wink::) It is called Undercover by John Bevere. The gist of the book is submission and obedience to God as well as to His appointed authorities. It has really made me think about how much respect I show for those who are placed in authority positions over me--including my husband, my boss, my pastor, and the politicians who we vote (or don't vote) into office. We all know that we are supposed to honor, respect, and obey God, but how do we honor, respect, and obey someone like Hitler?? I learned that no one is placed in a position of authority without God's knowledge and blessing. That can be a hard pill to swallow, but after reading Mr. Bevere's explanation for why some of these people's rise to power, it made me feel so much more confident that nothing escapes God's knowledge. Like I ever thought it did! But I think you understand where I am coming from. God has a grand plan, and sometimes He uses unlikely avenues and people to make things happen.
I am about 2/3 of the way done with it, and would really like to finish it up this weekend. I may never look at authority the same way again. Oh, and if you have kids who don't like to obey, there are some great scriptures and examples in the book for you to sit down and explain to them. I did with my oldest on the plane, and it seems to have had a positive effect on him. Wonders never cease :p
Oh, and by the way, I definitely decided to homeschool my kids. I got my confirmation (not exactly 80 gazillion times, but it was what I needed to hear), and now I am actually kind of looking forward to it. Like I said--wonders never cease!
Well, I'm off for the night. May you all be blessed!
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Last night my best friend asked me why I haven't been blogging. Not why I haven't been writing in my blog, but why I haven't been blogging like I used to do. My intent was to use this blog as a means of tracking my blessings, but in the past few months I have gotten so wrapped up in life that I haven't taken much time to contemplate my blessings. Now I have been given the opportunity to eliminate some of the less productive busy-ness from my life so that I have time to focus on the Lord, and what do I do? I let my faith dwindle to the point where I start to second guess God's command. I believe He told me loud and clear that I need to quit my job and be home for my family. I had confirmation from two people, and I felt totally peaceful about my decision, so why should I doubt that if this is truly God's will for me that He will take care of the details?! After all, He is the creator of the universe. He cares about the small things. It is always so easy for me to tell other people how faithful God is. Why is it always so difficult to see His work in my own life? When I look back over my life, I can pinpoint numerous situations where he was with me, taking care of the small stuff.I encountered a homeless man today as I was waiting for the postman to come and get my company's daily mail. He was obviously down on his luck, and obviously drunk (I could pick out about every third word he spoke), and I felt an overwhelming urge to ask him if he knows Jesus. So I obeyed and asked him, and he responded with a "yes, he is my Lord and savior". Then I told him that if he trusts Jesus, he needs to have faith and Jesus will take care of him. If I had had a dollar with me, I probably would have happily given it to him, which is really what he wanted from me. I am pretty sure he would have used it to buy more alcohol to drown his sorrows with, but that situation really made me think. How easy it was for me to tell a drunk homeless guy to have faith (and BELIEVE that God would take care of him), yet I struggle with believing that God desires to take care of me sometimes. What ever is wrong with me?!!! For goodness sake, I know how much He loves me! I know that He has NEVER NEVER left me alone. So, if I believe that a drunk homeless man should have faith in his Lord and savior, then I certainly had better practice what I preach. No more worrying from this day forward!!
Oh, and for all you homeschool mothers out there, I would really like to talk to you. Last night during my quiet time, I am pretty certain that I heard God telling me that I am supposed to homeschool my 10th, 6th, and 4th graders! YIKES! I have no discipline, and I am not really sure they want to be homeschooled. I told God that I need confirmation at least 80 gazillion more times before I will agree, but I know from experience that when God tells me to do something, I need to listen. So I want to be prepared just in case...
Blessings to you all!
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I'm getting ready to head up to bed in a few minutes, but just felt like writing tonight. Not much happened today. I guess I was practicing my SAHM skills, 'cause I started cleaning and I was on a rampage! My kitchen got cleaned in places that haven't seen daylight in a year and a half, piles of papers got sorted in my dining room, and I even cleaned some carpets! I figure if I get a good start now, I won't be so overwhelmed in a two months (or one month, depending on when my supervisor decides she wants to sever our working relationship. I may not have enough work left to keep me busy for two months once I start giving things back to her.)Every once in awhile I get a pang of anxiety about my decision. Sometimes it is about money, and sometimes it is just worrying that I'll get bored staying home by myself all day while the kids are in school. Last time I stayed home, I had at least one of the kids home with me. When Ben started kindergarten, it was all day, so I went to work and never looked back. But now I truly believe I am being called to stay home. I try to imagine baking chocolate chip cookies on cold winter days so that when the kids get home they have a warm snack, and taking field trips, and doing room parties at school, and then I start to see myself being a little less bored.
One thing I did when I stayed home the first time was watch FIVE soap operas! I thought they were garbage then, but they were so addicting! Now I have broken away from the (I'm 4 years removed from them), so I refuse to get re-hooked. There are too many constructive things to do with my time. I think I will look into a "work out of your home" job to do maybe 10 or 15 hours a week. The nice thing about that would be that I could do it in my jammies and no one would know the difference :D I wouldn't have to get out in the snow or scrape ice, or fight with rush hour traffic. Plus, no travel time. Two to three hours a day when I feel like it, and if I don't want to work one day, I don't have to. Sounds like heaven!
Well, I guess I should see what hubby is up to. I've been on the 'puter all evening (updated my website a little. Sometimes it takes forever to get the colors just right). Anyway, I hope you all have a blessed evening and a very Son-shiny day tomorrow. God bless you!
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