Most hold the notion that as adults, the parents are to teach the children. But reality is, sometimes our children, in all their purity and innocence, can teach us.
Mornings for us at home can be rough. Not always, but the older I get, the more I am realizing I am not a morning person. I am not a night person either, but it is easy for me to go to bed. It is not always easy to get out of bed. And this holds true for my two children. This morning we all slept in a bit (minus my husband who had an early, early morning client). After I was ready and had my son ready, I then went to get my daughter up. In an effort to conserve our money and be wiser with our spending, I have had the goal to not eat breakfast out. We have a variety of foods to chose from at home that meet the definition of a suitable breakfast. This morning though, Chick-fil-A won out, hash browns for all!
So we drove to school the way we always do. Both kids making noises in the backseat. As we pulled up to the drive thru, Abigail proclaimed we needed to get breakfast for a little boy who had been in her previous class.
Her and this little boy started school at the same time, and are only about a week apart in age. For the most part they have been two peas in a pod. But then things changed and my love was getting hurt more than a few times by him. So at the beginning of the summer, in an effort to prevent the situation we moved my daughter up to the next class and she only sees this little boy if everyone in the school is in pep rally, so only twice a day.
And so this morning she really caught me off guard, she wanted to buy him breakfast, and she was specific on what she wanted to get him. I messaged his mom (she is one of the teachers at the school), and she said sure! I did not want to get her son something he cannot have.
So we get to school and I set up breakfast for the two in my office (they are in different areas in the morning for breakfast). The little boy arrived and the two sat cutely in my office and enjoyed some chicken, hash browns and orange juice. It was so precious, so cute. He has hurt her before, but she wanted to share with him. They sat beside each other and laughed and had a good ol' time.
Honestly, I am not sure I could show that much love. I know when someone hurts me, feeding them is the last thing I want to do. But I should.
Matthew 5:39New King James Version (NKJV)
39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
If someone hurts you, do not hurt them back. Be kind, be gracious, or in the case of my daughter, buy them breakfast.
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
James 2:14-17
A few years ago I attempted to memorize the entire book of James. Obviously I did not completely memorize it, and I might try again here in the future. But my time trying to read it left an impression on me. The Book of James is very insightful and many parts of it stuck with me.
James 2:14-17New King James Version (NKJV)
James 2:14-17New King James Version (NKJV)
Faith Without Works Is Dead
14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Sharing: Facebook
In case you want to keep up with me on Facebook, I do have a page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/WIFE-Women-In-Faith-Everyday/508680192511011
I promise to keep up with it and inspire you!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/WIFE-Women-In-Faith-Everyday/508680192511011
I promise to keep up with it and inspire you!
Get off the couch ladies!
Confession: I love plopping on the couch after both of my
munchkins are in bed. There is something guilty pleasurish about hitting the
cushions on my couch and letting that deep breathe out. To me it symbolizes the
end of a long day and the beginning of an hour or so that is relaxing and has
me doing nothing before going to bed where I hope to get a full night’s sleep.
If I had my way I would end every day like that. But that is
not what is I needed. I have a house to tend to, a husband to spend time with,
a job that requires me to do studying at night, workouts to get in (after 2
kids and getting near 30 workouts are a must), and sadly (that it happens at
night) my time with God. I do not make God as big a priority as I should. I
pray all day (even all night if I cannot sleep), but my devotion to reading His
Word is lacking. I am aware of it, which means the Holy Spirit is working in me
and calling me out. Or in this case, calling me off of the couch. And the way
our world is going ladies, we all need to get off the couch.
So here is my call to arms! A challenge if you must. Every day,
before noon, read your Bible. To play off of the adage of apples and doctors, a
verse a day will keep the evil one away. Every day for the next 30 days I will
post, by noon a Bible verse. One that encourages action on our part. Our faith
is not to be passive it is to be something we love, something we show.
I do not want my life to pass me by and have nothing to
show. So my first verses is this:
James 2:18 (NKJV)
But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.”
Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my
works.”
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Tomorrow is Unknown
I feel that the world has gone crazy the past few days, well...the past week or so. I do not recognize the world I am raising my children in. There are days that I really want to just hide and disappear. Get away from the madness that is going on in society.
But I have a Lord who is wonderful, loving, merciful and in charge. Despite the craziness going on all around I cling to that knowledge, to my faith in Him. At church we are taking a good hard look at the times we live in.
In my ladies class we are doing a series in the Book of Joel lead by Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of the Reverend Billy Graham. She is talking about the prophecies that are harbingers of the end times revealed in the Book of Revelation. So far we have gone over the unnatural disasters. Take a look at the weather headlines, just to start. Tsunami's, tornado's in places that there have never been tornado's, fire's that have never been seen before. The key phrase you should be looking for in articles is "record breaking." The fires in California are worse than ever before. The tornado's are stronger than ever. Locally, where I am, we have record rainfall. Every time it rains now, there is always flooding. I remember a time or two in the early 2000's that we had some bad floods back home. Now back home is getting the same rain that is flooding my home area now.
The warnings in the Bible are clear. Things will be unique to our generation. In the past few weeks I have seen things I never thought possible. People choosing their own gender, people choosing their own race, those that are to bring clarity to laws making up rules despite the will of the people.
All of this saddens my heart because it has to be grieving my heavenly Father. One of the cornerstones of my faith is the fact that I believe that my God does not make mistakes. So people saying that God made a mistake making them a man and becoming a woman horrifies me. And people denying their family and heritage to pretend to be another race - that is insanity.
This past week the Supreme Court of the Unites States of America ruled that gay marriage is a right in all 50 states. The amount of discord that I have seen is disappointing. People are burning bridges to friendships, there are fights in the news between the different positions.
Here is what I know. God says that homosexuality is a sin. As is fornication, adultery, eating food that has been given to idols, women are not to cut their hair, and more than a few other things. If people would stop picking and choosing from the Bible what pleases them they would see the bigger picture. Do I agree with what SCOTUS did? No, not at all. The Constitution of the United States of America makes it clear that any things not made clear in it is to be determined by the states. Many of our 50 nifty Unites States have made their choice known and decided to not permit "gay marriage" in their state. These decisions were made by the voters. The Justice's discarded the will of the people and that is horrifying. They have overstepped their bounds. Am I happy with what happened no. I do believe marriage is between one man and one woman. But to be honest, good Christian's have made just a big of a mockery of marriage as SCOTUS did with the divorce rate. If we really cherish marriage why aren't we fighting the demise of the family unit as it is being destroyed by divorce. I know what divorce can do to a family, to a person. My parent's divorced when I was my daughter's age and my mom had one more divorce after that. Thankfully she found what she was looking for 20 1/2 years ago when she met the man I call dad. I am blessed to have two man who love me and look after me, but that is not always the case. But even still there was a good deal of heart ache and hurt that I had to overcome as I grew up and started having dealings with men.
So no I am not happy with the decision. I do not agree with our President turning the White House into a rainbow (a symbol of God's promise) or calling the decision a victory. I am a realist though. I realize that not every traditional marriage will end in divorce and not everyone who is homosexual is going to want to get "married." The world we live in is very upside down these days, and it is only going to get worse. I do believe we are in the end times. Our Pastor is going over the letters to the seven church's in the Book of Revelation. He talked about the church that compromised this past week (God's timing/plan is perfect). America has compromised and has sold itself in the name of protection. But our real enemy is not each other but Satan. He is stirring the fires of discord and discontent to distract us from the real issues going on. Greece has stopped making their payments on their debt, their citizens cannot touch their own money. There is about to be financial upheaval unseen before. I heard about a stadium being built overseas. Some 4,000 people have died building it. The poor are being exploited. Every week there is another sting operation flushing out pedophiles and predators. The world is crumbling all around but we have our head so filled with junk we do not see it. We are focused on all the wrong things.
I do not agree with the decision but my God is in charge. Homosexuality is a sin in the Bible. Partaking in it is the same is being caught in adultery. Sin is all equal to God. And any sin anyone takes part in they will be held accountable for it. People can make a mockery out of God, His word, and the sacrifice His son made. They can do it, and while it breaks my heart, God is a gentleman and will allow it. But He is giving us warnings. The time I getting closer. And while we do not know when, eventually the time will come when all is over. God will send His Son back to reign. God want's all to repent and come back to Him. It isn't too late yet, but remember, we are not guaranteed tomorrow.
But I have a Lord who is wonderful, loving, merciful and in charge. Despite the craziness going on all around I cling to that knowledge, to my faith in Him. At church we are taking a good hard look at the times we live in.
In my ladies class we are doing a series in the Book of Joel lead by Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of the Reverend Billy Graham. She is talking about the prophecies that are harbingers of the end times revealed in the Book of Revelation. So far we have gone over the unnatural disasters. Take a look at the weather headlines, just to start. Tsunami's, tornado's in places that there have never been tornado's, fire's that have never been seen before. The key phrase you should be looking for in articles is "record breaking." The fires in California are worse than ever before. The tornado's are stronger than ever. Locally, where I am, we have record rainfall. Every time it rains now, there is always flooding. I remember a time or two in the early 2000's that we had some bad floods back home. Now back home is getting the same rain that is flooding my home area now.
The warnings in the Bible are clear. Things will be unique to our generation. In the past few weeks I have seen things I never thought possible. People choosing their own gender, people choosing their own race, those that are to bring clarity to laws making up rules despite the will of the people.
All of this saddens my heart because it has to be grieving my heavenly Father. One of the cornerstones of my faith is the fact that I believe that my God does not make mistakes. So people saying that God made a mistake making them a man and becoming a woman horrifies me. And people denying their family and heritage to pretend to be another race - that is insanity.
This past week the Supreme Court of the Unites States of America ruled that gay marriage is a right in all 50 states. The amount of discord that I have seen is disappointing. People are burning bridges to friendships, there are fights in the news between the different positions.
Here is what I know. God says that homosexuality is a sin. As is fornication, adultery, eating food that has been given to idols, women are not to cut their hair, and more than a few other things. If people would stop picking and choosing from the Bible what pleases them they would see the bigger picture. Do I agree with what SCOTUS did? No, not at all. The Constitution of the United States of America makes it clear that any things not made clear in it is to be determined by the states. Many of our 50 nifty Unites States have made their choice known and decided to not permit "gay marriage" in their state. These decisions were made by the voters. The Justice's discarded the will of the people and that is horrifying. They have overstepped their bounds. Am I happy with what happened no. I do believe marriage is between one man and one woman. But to be honest, good Christian's have made just a big of a mockery of marriage as SCOTUS did with the divorce rate. If we really cherish marriage why aren't we fighting the demise of the family unit as it is being destroyed by divorce. I know what divorce can do to a family, to a person. My parent's divorced when I was my daughter's age and my mom had one more divorce after that. Thankfully she found what she was looking for 20 1/2 years ago when she met the man I call dad. I am blessed to have two man who love me and look after me, but that is not always the case. But even still there was a good deal of heart ache and hurt that I had to overcome as I grew up and started having dealings with men.
So no I am not happy with the decision. I do not agree with our President turning the White House into a rainbow (a symbol of God's promise) or calling the decision a victory. I am a realist though. I realize that not every traditional marriage will end in divorce and not everyone who is homosexual is going to want to get "married." The world we live in is very upside down these days, and it is only going to get worse. I do believe we are in the end times. Our Pastor is going over the letters to the seven church's in the Book of Revelation. He talked about the church that compromised this past week (God's timing/plan is perfect). America has compromised and has sold itself in the name of protection. But our real enemy is not each other but Satan. He is stirring the fires of discord and discontent to distract us from the real issues going on. Greece has stopped making their payments on their debt, their citizens cannot touch their own money. There is about to be financial upheaval unseen before. I heard about a stadium being built overseas. Some 4,000 people have died building it. The poor are being exploited. Every week there is another sting operation flushing out pedophiles and predators. The world is crumbling all around but we have our head so filled with junk we do not see it. We are focused on all the wrong things.
I do not agree with the decision but my God is in charge. Homosexuality is a sin in the Bible. Partaking in it is the same is being caught in adultery. Sin is all equal to God. And any sin anyone takes part in they will be held accountable for it. People can make a mockery out of God, His word, and the sacrifice His son made. They can do it, and while it breaks my heart, God is a gentleman and will allow it. But He is giving us warnings. The time I getting closer. And while we do not know when, eventually the time will come when all is over. God will send His Son back to reign. God want's all to repent and come back to Him. It isn't too late yet, but remember, we are not guaranteed tomorrow.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
My Ephesus Letter
Today I write from home, bunkering down from the rain known as Tropical Storm Bill. Mr. Bill is all bark, no bite, at least for us. There have been bands of rain and that is about it. My work was shut down today in case T.S. Bill was worse, so the children and I have spent the day at home not doing much.
Revelation 2:1-7New King James Version (NKJV)
7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’
I love the church that we are apart of. This week the youth is in New Orleans doing mission work in an area that is out of everyone's comfort zone. On social media I am seeing a generation growing and giving for the Lord. This isn't just a mission trip where you handout pamphlets. They are doing physical labor and it is a beautiful thing to see.
Our pastor last week started a series in Revelation, not the entire book, just the letters to the seven churches. This past week (church #2) I was in the nursery wing at church helping out, so this morning I heard his first part to the church is Smyrna. The first church though is Ephesus. What a letter John had to write on that island in isolation.
His sermon on Ephesus really spoke to me, convicted me actually. I realized that I have gone away from my first loves. The week after hearing the sermon I took a break from social media: no Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. Instead I prayed more, read devotions, download a Bible app for my daughter and had some personal reflection time.
My walk with the Lord grows stronger the longer I live. Some days are better than others, and some days need improvement. My husband is my accountability right now. Our marriage is stronger than ever and we talk all the time.
Hearing the sermon on Ephesus made me reassess my "priorities." I have given so much of myself over to my job and children that I have forgotten myself. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, it has become a passion, and as for my children, I will lay my life down for them if it is requires of me at any point. But I forgot about me in the past year or so. I have been so focused on my certifications and making sure to always have a good face on, that under the surface I have been falling apart little by little.
Once upon a time....I sewed, painted, gardened, cooked, and wrote. This is what I love to do. I love the domestics and crafts. But I forgot. So I have made time to do the things I love. I am working on a nightgown for my daughter, hope to finish in a week or so. The past few days I created some paintings for our guest bathroom that my dad will use when he moves in. I can't do much in the way of gardening this year. In fact I had my husband tear down our gated garden area so the grass could grow in for the children. I hope next year when A & S are about 3 1/4 and 1 1/2 years old, that I can at least do some container gardening with them. As for cooking - I have tackled that with a gusto. Our bills shifted some in the past few months so I am trying to cook at home more often. We had pancakes this morning and tonight I am whipping up some chicken fried steak. I can't wait!
My writing has obviously been neglected. For over a year this blog sat waiting patiently for me to bring life to it. And now within two weeks I have two postings! Not only that I have begun the character and plot development on a book based on the Book of Ruth. My goal in the next five years is to become published. I have ideas for several books based on the Books of the Bible.
God's letter was intended to bring the church of Ephesus back to Him. And while I have been talking about hobbies for myself, by being me, by doing what I love, I am coming back to Him.
***
Revelation 2:1-7New King James Version (NKJV)
The Loveless Church
2 “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write,
‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: 2 “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. 4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. 6 But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’
***
I love the church that we are apart of. This week the youth is in New Orleans doing mission work in an area that is out of everyone's comfort zone. On social media I am seeing a generation growing and giving for the Lord. This isn't just a mission trip where you handout pamphlets. They are doing physical labor and it is a beautiful thing to see.
Our pastor last week started a series in Revelation, not the entire book, just the letters to the seven churches. This past week (church #2) I was in the nursery wing at church helping out, so this morning I heard his first part to the church is Smyrna. The first church though is Ephesus. What a letter John had to write on that island in isolation.
His sermon on Ephesus really spoke to me, convicted me actually. I realized that I have gone away from my first loves. The week after hearing the sermon I took a break from social media: no Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. Instead I prayed more, read devotions, download a Bible app for my daughter and had some personal reflection time.
My walk with the Lord grows stronger the longer I live. Some days are better than others, and some days need improvement. My husband is my accountability right now. Our marriage is stronger than ever and we talk all the time.
Hearing the sermon on Ephesus made me reassess my "priorities." I have given so much of myself over to my job and children that I have forgotten myself. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, it has become a passion, and as for my children, I will lay my life down for them if it is requires of me at any point. But I forgot about me in the past year or so. I have been so focused on my certifications and making sure to always have a good face on, that under the surface I have been falling apart little by little.
Once upon a time....I sewed, painted, gardened, cooked, and wrote. This is what I love to do. I love the domestics and crafts. But I forgot. So I have made time to do the things I love. I am working on a nightgown for my daughter, hope to finish in a week or so. The past few days I created some paintings for our guest bathroom that my dad will use when he moves in. I can't do much in the way of gardening this year. In fact I had my husband tear down our gated garden area so the grass could grow in for the children. I hope next year when A & S are about 3 1/4 and 1 1/2 years old, that I can at least do some container gardening with them. As for cooking - I have tackled that with a gusto. Our bills shifted some in the past few months so I am trying to cook at home more often. We had pancakes this morning and tonight I am whipping up some chicken fried steak. I can't wait!
My writing has obviously been neglected. For over a year this blog sat waiting patiently for me to bring life to it. And now within two weeks I have two postings! Not only that I have begun the character and plot development on a book based on the Book of Ruth. My goal in the next five years is to become published. I have ideas for several books based on the Books of the Bible.
God's letter was intended to bring the church of Ephesus back to Him. And while I have been talking about hobbies for myself, by being me, by doing what I love, I am coming back to Him.
Monday, May 25, 2015
A long journey to here.
Last January was the last time I wrote anything. I have meant to write many times, but life has a way of taking one by surprise. Early last year I found out that my husband and I were expecting our second child. A beautiful boy born in October. SWR is such an amazing little boy. In the past few days he has started army crawling and jibber jabbering.
My unexpected pregnancy was not an easy one. I was sick and very sleepy while raising a toddler. Last year was not my best year. But despite everything that went on, I did grow closer to the Lord. An unexpected pregnancy can take a toll on a marriage, but my husband and I endured together. And day by day we are getting stronger and stronger in our bond. Our 4th anniversary is just two weeks away. We have had so much happen to us in such that short span of time.
Several moves, family health issues, job changes, uncertainty of the future, sleep deprivation, baby boy had RSV. Despite the ups and downs, there are truths I have held onto:
I do not know if I should be proud or ashamed. We have cleaned things out and up, and the amount of trash we are throwing away is pitiful (not in quantity!). Bag after bag of stuff that we have managed to put into nooks, crannies and on shelves. And with a three day weekend I have filled a good portion of our garage with stuff ready for the curb later this week.
It is over due though. I have felt the call for a while now (since early in my second pregnancy) to simplify our lives. With two children I imagine it can easily happen that a household is overcome wit stuff. We are fighting that every day. And with the big clean out that we have been doing we are setting a great example for our children. That more is not more. In fact we are teaching them that less is more. We are about the experience not the souvenir. Having children is a beautiful but weighty obligation.
My unexpected pregnancy was not an easy one. I was sick and very sleepy while raising a toddler. Last year was not my best year. But despite everything that went on, I did grow closer to the Lord. An unexpected pregnancy can take a toll on a marriage, but my husband and I endured together. And day by day we are getting stronger and stronger in our bond. Our 4th anniversary is just two weeks away. We have had so much happen to us in such that short span of time.
Several moves, family health issues, job changes, uncertainty of the future, sleep deprivation, baby boy had RSV. Despite the ups and downs, there are truths I have held onto:
- God will bring into your life the people you need.
- God will remove the people you do not need.
- If you keep your focus on the Lord you will get through the troubles.
- If your heart is set on Him, He will be your strength.
I do not know if I should be proud or ashamed. We have cleaned things out and up, and the amount of trash we are throwing away is pitiful (not in quantity!). Bag after bag of stuff that we have managed to put into nooks, crannies and on shelves. And with a three day weekend I have filled a good portion of our garage with stuff ready for the curb later this week.
It is over due though. I have felt the call for a while now (since early in my second pregnancy) to simplify our lives. With two children I imagine it can easily happen that a household is overcome wit stuff. We are fighting that every day. And with the big clean out that we have been doing we are setting a great example for our children. That more is not more. In fact we are teaching them that less is more. We are about the experience not the souvenir. Having children is a beautiful but weighty obligation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
The Homeschooling Wife
Eleven months ago, my husband and I settled that the current school year (22-23) would for now be our kids last year at their school. Going ...
-
Eleven months ago, my husband and I settled that the current school year (22-23) would for now be our kids last year at their school. Going ... -
Life is full of storms. Literal storms (like Hurricane Harvey) and personal/emotional ones. Reflecting on the past few years, my husband a... -
Friends, to be honest, I have wrestled with writing this post. I am not wanting to accuse anyone of anything, or not doing anything. I am no...
