Re-dedication

A friend of mine's favorite devotional book is Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, and she was excited to share when it went on sale at the end of January. Based on her high recommendation of it (that I've been hearing for years now), I took advantage of the opportunity to get it for the temporary low price. And I have to admit, I knew nothing about this book other than it was a devotional book that she loved... that's it. Now that I've started reading it, it's one of those devotional books that's written as if God is speaking directly to you - I normally chafe at those, but this one is different. It might be because I took the time to read Sarah's introduction, or it might be that her words are just the first truly inspired ones I have ever read, I'm not sure. She acknowledges that Scripture is far more inspired than these devotions, that she believes were from God speaking to her during her quiet times - and so far, I think she's right on target. The three that I've read so far have touched me exactly where I needed them. God is definitely using them in my life! They're short, simple, and cut right to the core.

God has used them to show me that during 2012 I drifted. I let life get in the way of my relationship with Him. He wasn't my number 1. It's not that I didn't want Him to be, I just struggled with priorities. I struggled with making the eternally important a priority over the earthly important - when if I would have taken the time to think about it, the two should be the same. I'm ashamed to admit that I pushed ministry aside for money - and we all know that you can't serve both God and money. I've been stressed to the max about everything on my to-do list. I have clients wanting to know when I'm going to complete their jobs, I'm surrounded by boxes from my move, and my family wants me to stop working and spend time with them. So what was today's devotion about? Being refreshed by God's peace because He is our burden-bearer. I don't know if that's a lesson that you needed at the start of this new year, but it's most certainly one that I needed.

I don't know how I'm going to get my life in order, it's a little too much to comprehend at the moment, but God knows. So today I'm laying my burdens at His feet. There's a lot of them, but He can handle them much better than I can, and I'm going to bask in His peace. In the secret of His quiet place, I'll wait for Him. I'm re-dedicating my life to Christ. I'm surrendering my goals, my priorities, and myself to Him, and Him alone.

 

Trusting God When Bad Things Happen - Guest Post

Trusting God When Bad Things Happen

Guest post by Shelley Hitz

My heart continues to be heavy for all those grieving today across our country.  I don’t believe it was a coincidence that I published a book this past week called, “Trusting God When Bad Things Happen.”  And even before the tragedy in Connecticut, I felt led to offer it free on Smashwords this month. 

Trusting God In The Midst of the "Storms" of Life

When bad things happen, what is your reaction? Do you trust God even when you don't understand? 

There was a dark season in my life when it literally felt like an earthquake had occurred. Everything in my life seemed to be falling apart...my family, my finances, our church. And I asked God the simple question, "Why?" This book is the result of my own search for answers. In the end, God gave me illustrations that I will share with you and brought healing to my heart and my distorted view of Him. I was able to trust Him again, even though my circumstances had not changed.

I pray that God uses this short eBook to deeply impact you as well. I have included questions for reflection for you to go through individually or as a group.

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I (Jesus) have overcome the world!" - John 16:33 

One Reader’s Response:

"This book has Biblical answers to the 'Why?' we are hearing so much today after the shooting tragedy in Connecticut. Thank you, Shelley, for the timeliness and wisdom." ~Barbara

Download This Book for Free

For anyone interested, you can download the book "Trusting God When Bad Things Happen" FREE this month.

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/263666

100% Off Coupon Code: HB95F

Expires: January 1, 2013

This book is also available for $0.99 on Kindle http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ALLQW5A

Please feel free to share this book and coupon code with anyone you think could benefit from the topic.

Life is Good

The past week has been simply amazing for me. I've been recovering from a pretty nasty virus, but I just keep being blessed!

Last Friday I found out that I won a copy of Jody Hedlund's newest book, Unending Devotion (and I LOVE Jody's books), AND that afternoon I found out that I had won Christian Womens Voice Magazine's Christmas Moments essay contest (my essay "Keeping Christmas about Christ" will be featured in their next issue).

Shelley Hitz and I started a new book marketing community for the website Self-Publishing-Coach.com that really took off over the weekend.

Our latest devotional book, "21 Teen Devotionals... for Girls!" was published on Sunday, AND that very same day we received a 5 star review of our first devotional book from Readers Favorite.

I guess that all of those amazing things happening in a row, especially when I've been over stressed and under the weather lately, have just really been showing me how blessed I really am.

Feelings vs Truth

Last night my son and I had a little conversation about feelings. He was struggling with some thoughts that he was classifying as feelings, but we both knew that his feelings were just imaginations. We talked about feelings vs the truth. Just because we feel something, doesn't mean that it's true, but then again, even if we know the truth it can be hard to ignore our feelings. I told him the best thing to do, is to focus on what we know to be true and acknowledge the other as false - a lie.

Oh how I needed that pep-talk today!

Let me back up a bit for you. I didn't blog on Wednesday, and I'm just now pulling together today's post that is normally up by 7am. My husband is sick, my mom is here visiting, I can't seem to get caught up with work, I received a list of typos from a reviewer for the book I published last week, and my kids act as if I never spend any time with them. I feel like a failure. And that's exactly how Satan likes it and I know it! God on the other hand, would rather I focus on the truth - His truth:

• He is accomplishing His good work through me, that He designated in advance for me to do. 
• He has the power to heal my husband, and will provide for us in the meantime.
• He blessed me richly by bringing my mom to spend time with me and giving us quality time to spend together.
• He is doing amazing things through my book that was published last week - it is bringing Him glory despite the typos!
• He is the perfect heavenly Father of my children and will provide for all of their needs, including their need of me.

All of my false feelings of failure can be countered by God's never changing truth - and I'm certain that yours can too. Will you trust your feelings or your God?

But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.

~Joshua  24:15b

2 Timothy 4:2

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

~ 2 Timothy 4:2

I was writing down the above verse earlier, and just as I got to the last part about doing it all with great patience and careful instruction my daughter, who had been doing a lot of playing instead of finishing her supper, knocked over her glass of water. Well, I didn't have great patience, and it certainly wasn't careful instruction that I snapped at her... It's ironic how things like that work. I was writing the verse down because it was so powerful to me, and I really wanted to work at applying it to my life, but even before I finished penning it down, I had already abandoned the message. 

God's Word has so much to say about patience and gentleness, I'm pretty sure that that's because of the fact that sinful human nature is the exact opposite. But the Bible does lead me to believe that it is possible.  So today, I want to ask you: How do you keep your cool? How do you develop great patience and respond with careful instruction instead of with harsh reactions?

Earlier this week I mentioned that I got some new books in the mail, one being "Uprooting Anger" by Robert D. Jones. I'm hoping that that helps with both of those things, because patience seems to be the opposite of angry reactions... 

Any thoughts?

Are you thankful for your children?

Well, are you?

Of course most moms will answer yes without even thinking about it, but I want you to actually take a moment and really think about it. When was the last time you told them you were thankful for them? When was the last time that you thanked God for them?

At Bible study a couple of weeks ago, we learned a bit about thankfulness - and I am so thankful! Our fabulous leader posed the question "what does thankfulness look like in your prayers?" and I must admit, I came up lacking in one strong area. You see, I thank God for being God all of the time. I thank Him for my salvation and for my amazing husband... but to be honest, I don't spend a lot of time thanking him for my children.

I really am thankful for the 4 little blessings that God has bestowed upon me, just as I'm sure you really are thankful for yours. I just don't seem to express that thankfulness very often. Our Bible study leader suggested that this is because we are pickers. We tend to pick at people and their shortcomings, rather then spend time cultivating our attitude of gratitude - and she's right (well, at least about me). One of my dear friends and sister in Christ said that we should "pick a little, praise a lot", and I really liked that. Do you think that my anger issues that I spoke about earlier this week could stem from a lack of thankfulness? I do.

So today, my goal is to praise God for my children more than I work on improving them. Every time I catch them being bad, or need to teach them how to do something right, my goal is to also to take a moment to thank God for bringing them into my life and for continuing to shape them into the people that He plans for them to be. Will you join me?

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 

~ Colossians 4:2

Anger Management

A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control. 

~Proverbs 29:11

Would you still follow my blog if I told you that I had an anger problem? 

Well, I do. 

It's not that I get angry about silly little things, but sometimes (okay, daily) my children push me over my limit, and like a fool, I give full vent to my anger - and that's a problem. I know it's a problem, but it still happens (that's kind of why it's a problem... right?).

God has really been using Proverbs 29:11 to convict me about this. I shouldn't give full vent to my anger. There are MUCH better ways to handle myself, why does anger seem to be my default setting? 

While some people believe that if you have habitual sin in your life you can't possibly be truly saved, I don't believe that. I believe that God is working in me, and will continue His good work until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6). I believe that even though I am a Christian, and want to do good, that there is still sin living in me, just as Paul confessed in Romans 7. 

You see, becoming a Christian doesn't make us instantly perfect. Yes, God is working in me. I'm completely different then I was 4 years ago when I started growing in Him - and I do mean COMPLETELY different. But I still struggle with sin. My biggest struggle is self discipline, and anger management is part of that - probably the biggest part of that... 

And of course, that leaves me extremely thankful for the Gospel. I'm thankful that even though I'm a sinner, I'm saved by grace. I'm thankful that I don't have to master my anger in order to be accepted in Heaven. Yes, I want to master it, but it isn't a requirement, and I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful that God knows my heart, and doesn't judge me just by my outbursts of rage. I'm thankful that the blood of Christ covers all of my sins.

Do you struggle with anger? 

If so, here's another Christian article that you might find helpful: 

Why do I get so angry and what does God think?

Bad Vibrations

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good...

~Genesis 50:20

Joseph spoke the above words after he had been through a lot. His brothers were worried that he would hold a grudge against them, because let's face it, he had every right to by human standards. However, he looked past the bad vibrations, past the hurt, the pain, the wrong doings, and he saw what God did through all of those bad things. 

Last Friday I had a bad day, to say the least! I was behind on my work and trying to get caught up when it happened. My cat knocked over a vase that I had sitting on my desk, soaking everything: my research, notes, to do list, keyboard, mouse, computer, laptop, spare printer paper, 3 of my notebooks, my work binder, a book, all of my notepads, me and the clothes that I was wearing... I could go on, but you get the point. 

As I sat there lividly looking at the water and desperately dabbing at the electronics, the words of Joseph flew to my mind. I had just read them the night before (because I'm already a week behind in my Bible reading plan for the year), and they just resounded in my heart. "God intended it for good." I don't know what good can come out of wet electronics and ruined papers, but God didn't call me to understand, He called me to trust. 

So as sat there sopping up the mess, I fought the urge to focus on all that was lost; the urge to focus on the things of this world. I had to shift my focus on how much greater God was then anything I could ever put on paper. My computer wasn't ruined. The water missed the power strip by an inch or two, so nothing fried. Yes, I lost some notes due to water damage, but it wasn't the end of the world. God is still God, and I am still not. 

I guess that the whole experience was humbling. It forced me to slow down and meditate on the reason that I do the things that I do. It made me look at the importance of material objects (replaceable or not), and really just refreshed my perspective. On a day when I was overwhelmed and beating myself up about being behind, I would have never guessed that a disaster like that would be the thing that improved my attitude, but if I had to guess, I bet God did.

Mr. Monday:

This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands.

~1 Peter 3:5

Mr. Amazing hates this verse. He is a strong believer that men and women were created equal, and that saying that as wives we should accept their authority speaks to the contrary. I lovingly disagree with that sentiment.

You see, as a Christian woman, I look at it as a picture of our relationship with Christ. When I am trying to rule over my husband, I am not being submissive to Christ. It isn't about being greater than or less than. Christ said whoever is the least now will be the greatest then (Mark 10:31). I know that God created us all in His image. That we are all equal, we are just created differently, with different roles. For me, living under the authority of my husband isn't about feeling like a lesser person than him. It's about submitting to a righteous God, who is the Greatest. 

I won't say that I am the perfect wife at living under my husbands authority. I am still a sinful human, and there are definitely things that I am stubborn about. But that's the best part. God knew that we would do that. It was included in the curse. But that's why Jesus came. He knew that we wouldn't be the perfect wives. He knew that we would need a Savior. I am so thankful for Him!  






~Special announcement:
For today only, you can download a free Kindle copy of my book, "Teen Devotionals... For Girls!" at Amazon.com. Check it out here.

Confessions of a non-homeschooler

Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ~Ephesians 5:19b-20

Earlier this week, I read something about trust that really hit me pretty hard. In my Women's Devotional Bible author Susan L. Lenzkes wrote that "STOOP-shouldered, foot-dragging, sighing resignation is not trust." That is exactly how I had been feeling about putting the boys back into public school. I know that it's what God wanted for our family, and I kept saying that I trusted Him with the situation, but I was very unhappy about it. So for the rest of this week, I have been working hard at being thankful for the situation.

Mrs. Lenzkes went on to write that "Real trust bounces on eager toes of anticipation- laughs with pure delight of knowing in whom it believes- rests easy knowing on whom it waits." That's what I should be doing. So, here is my list of the reasons I'm thankful that the boys are in public school.

I'm thankful that I was able to clean my house this week. I confess that it was a really great feeling to be able to clean during school hours and not feel guilty about it.

I'm thankful that I was able to play with my toddlers. I felt they were being a bit neglected while I spent time schooling the boys, so it really just felt great to slow down and play with them!

I'm thankful that I got to spend my husband's day off with him, actually spending time with him. It was incredible. When homeschooling was a priority if his day off fell on a school day, I didn't get to spend a lot of time with him. It felt good just to take the day and be with him.

I'm thankful for the wonderful lady that told me about Moms In Touch. While I am still learning about it, and trying to put a group together for the boy's school, it's wonderful to think about how much I can do in prayer for them. It will really help me learn to trust God in this situation, and to really put the boys in His care.

I'm thankful that Mr. Amazing's job schedule allowed me to attend my first PTA meeting. I have a lot to learn about how all of the stuff talked about works, but I now know what questions I need to ask, and a little bit more about how things work.

I'm thankful that Kainen loves school. He always has, but it's nice to hear about how much fun he had, and hear his teacher tell me how awesome he is (which of course I already knew!).

I'm thankful that the school pays for free tutoring. Even though I had the boys almost at grade-level from when they were both over a year behind when we pulled them out at the end of the school year 2 years ago, it's nice to know that they really will get the help they need to not stay behind, or get farther behind again.

I'm thankful that the boys eat both breakfast and lunch at school, and our grocery budget was just cut by over half.

I guess that I'm learning that while there were many, many reasons that I was thankful for homeschooling, and many more reasons why I don't like the public school system, I can still praise God in any situation, and trust Him to know what is best for my family.

What are you thankful for this week? Why not link up with Thankful Thursday over at Laurie's blog, Women Taking a Stand.

I Surrender

My attitude always improves after praying. This morning, well, it just wasn't a good morning. In fact, I don't have good mornings often. But the past few weeks, I have just felt defeated. The phrases "I quit", "I don't care" and others like them have been heard often in my home. I know that these are not godly words that will point my children to Christ, but it seems like the harder I have been trying, the harder they have been fighting. So I did quit. God spoke to me today though. He reminded me that when I am weak, He is strong. That is not code for "Suck it up girl!" It's meant to tell me that it's okay to be weak. It's okay to feel defeated, but the attitude I have been having wasn't okay. I wasn't really quitting at all, because I did care. I was still trying to do everything, to be super woman, and I was failing. My attitude didn't stem from being weak, it stemmed from failure. I was not dying to my self, and relying on Christ. I was mad that I couldn't do it all on my own.

That all changed today. Instead of quitting, I surrendered. I surrendered my days to Christ. I will do what He wants me to do, I will be what He want's me to be, I will listen and obey. I have been fighting God for quite sometime now. I have been fighting because my sinful, prideful self, wanted to do it all on my own. I wanted to show the world how great God was, by being perfect FOR Him instead of THROUGH Him. But it doesn't work that way. When we try to do it on our own we will fail. When we try to imitate someone else's walk with Christ instead of letting God direct our paths, we will fail then too. While I freely admit that God has His work cut out for Him in my life, I know that He can do anything, even perfect my stubborn, sinful heart.

There will be a lot of changes in my heart and home over the next few months as God does some house cleaning. I must admit that I am excited to see what comes of it all.

Picture Taken From Christian Clip Art

2 Corinthians 12:10~ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 13:9~ We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is for your perfection.

Romans 5:3~ Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;

30 Days of Thankfulness

Sonya, over at Becoming a Strong Woman of God, is hosting blog challenge during the month of November:

-The challenge:
to be thankful for every gift that the Lord has given you, and to teach your children simple ways to be thankful.
-The goal:
to learn to be thankful for the smallest things and see God all around us as we move through each day.
-The hope:
what is learned and observed during this challenge will have a lasting effect on our thankfulness.

Would you consider joining us on this journey? Hop on over to Sonya's blog:

Contentment

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ~ Philippians 4:12

This Scripture has been on my heart for several days now. What stands out to me the most is that Paul didn't just instantly become content, he had to learn to be content. I think that God is teaching me this, and I must admit that it's not an easy lesson. While I do know what it is to be in need and what it is to have plenty, and I even know the secret of being content. The secret is thankfulness. The secret is choosing to be content, even if situations aren't ideal. It's choosing to be thankful for what you have, instead of wishing things were different.

What does that look like to me? It means:
...being thankful for our pets, even though I don't like caring for them. It's choosing to be thankful for my husband who loves animals, instead of upset about the hair on the rug, the poop in the litter box and the algae in the fish tank.
...being thankful that my children are creative when they make a big mess, instead of feeling putout by it.
...being thankful God made the seasons, even when I have to go out early in the morning and shovel the sidewalk and clean off the car.
...being thankful for my family when I have to clean up the living room, again. It means choosing to be thankful for hungry people when I have to cook dinner, wash the dishes, and go grocery shopping (my least favorite thing to do).
...being thankful for little legs that run and play when I have to mend another pair of pants with holes in the knees.
...being thankful for food to eat, instead of grumbling about the mess in the kitchen, or spilled milk on the floor.
...being thankful for the time with my children when homeschooling them, instead of upset with their poor attitudes about learning.
...being thankful for a house full of love, even when I can't remember the last time I had a full nights sleep, a moment to myself, or a shower without someone banging on the door.

This list could go on and on, but I think you get the point. What does learning to be content look like in your life?

Philippians 2:14

I'm having a Philippians 2:14 kind of day. You know, one of those days where you have to keep reciting Philippians 2:14 in your head to remind you not to complain. I posted on Facebook a little bit ago that I was having one of 'those' days, and when a friend responded with a kind message I broke down in tears. It really is one of 'those' days. I know that I'm not suppose to complain, and I don't really think that venting is biblical, unless of course you are venting to God, and casting your cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7). But what is a girl to do on one of these days, where the smallest thing makes you break down?

I love my kids, I love being home with them all of the time, and I really don't want to trade it for the world, but I'm just overwhelmed! My writing career is taking off, but it's hard to concentrate with kids arguing over who gets to play with a certain block of clay! Part of me thinks that I should just set my career aside until the kids are older, but that means a drop in income, and at our current state, that might cost us supper ever other night. Another part of me thinks putting the children back into public school would give me the time that I need to get things done, but the very thought makes me sick to my stomach. So the last part of me is left thinking that there has to be a way to make this work! Which of course brings me to Matthew 19:26 and Philippians 4:13.

Sigh, and all of this is written to procrastinate because I'm having trouble getting my work done that is due today. So. I should go. Philippians 2:14.

The need of Christ.

Today hasn't been what I would call a good day. Would you like to know why? Well, let's start from the beginning...

I woke up and spent some time laughing and talking with my husband before he had to leave for work. The kids and I left for church just a few minutes later. The girls and I had our normal struggle to get things done, but we made it to church early. Since I had missed my devotional time, we sat in the van and read a few Psalms and my Proverb for the day together before going in. The sermon was absolutely fabulous. It was a sermon about God's grace, one I defiantly needed to hear. We came home and Kainen volunteered to make lunch, then he and the girls played in the pool, while Ty and I watched a movie. After the movie, everyone came back in to play computer games while I cleaned the kitchen. While I washed the dishes I thought about parenting, and how I want to show my children grace. I was thinking about all of the ways that I could do so, and that's when it happened. Ella wanted a snack, and I told her she had to wait until I finished the dishes. Kainen asked if he could get it for her, I thought that was extremely sweet and asked what he was going to give her, he said an orange. So I agreed. He proceeded to open the pantry door and ask her what she wanted, then opened the fridge and asked if she saw anything in there. He found a dirty plate and left the fridge and pantry open while he walked over to the cabinet and opened it, now the cabinet, fridge, and pantry are all standing wide open and he just stands there, doing nothing. I lost it. There were tons of godly ways that I could have handled the situation, but I chose none of them. Instead, I chose to scream at my children.

This decision ruined my entire day. I feel like such a failure. Here I was praying and begging God to help me show my children grace, and when the opportunity presented itself, I didn't do it. Not only am I damaging my precious children's view of God with my actions and lack of self control, but I am damaging His name in front of the two guys that are currently stay with us. At that point all I wanted to do was break down and cry. Instead, I sent my children to sit on the couch and spoke softly with them. We talked about how my actions were wrong, but how it built to that point. You see, this isn't all too unusual for my house. It doesn't happen daily or anything, but more often then it should. I am not what I consider a good mom, but the children and I talked about how we could make things better, or what some consequences would be if they kept going the way they were.

I was still tempted to go cry when we were done, but instead I got online to read through one of my favorite blogs. Before going to blogger, I went ahead and checked my facebook. One of my friends had posted a quote by Angela Hicks Heikkinen it said ‎"Becoming obsessed with what people think about you is the quickest way to forget what God thinks about you." Was that what I was doing? Was I caring more about the opinion of those around me than I was about God? I cared what they thought because I didn't want to damage God's name, but I was reminded of something I heard several months ago, "God won't save people because of me, he will save them despite of me." Nothing I do is powerful enough to counter God's grace, or the blood of Christ. While I want to live a life that glorifies God, it isn't the end of the world when I fail. My next stop was the blog I was looking for, and what I found was the gospel (that's why it's one of my favorite blogs :) You can read the blog here.

So while my day appeared to be ruined, God really just used my failure to remind me about His awesome goodness. My kids have already forgiven me, and because of Christ and His glorious work on the cross, God has too. If you ever have days (or moments) like this, I highly encourage you to read the blog above, and remember, God doesn't depend on you to save those around you. He might use you, but He can also save them despite your best efforts and all of your mistakes. The people around us need Christ, not us.

God is amazing!

On this wonderful, amazing, perfect thankful Thursday, I am so happy that I will probably cry. I found out yesterday that a little boy I use to babysit was moving back to town, and today his dad is here staying with us while he looks for a place to live and a job.

To understand where my heart is, you have to understand the situation. You see, many years ago (okay, 3 years ago) my husband had an employee who was from Florida that was in a custody battle for his son. When he was granted custody, his son moved from Florida, up here to Colorado to live with him. I thought the Christian thing to do was to offer to babysit his child (whom I had never met) for free. As a single dad with no family in the area, he didn't really have any other options. I should tell you that 3 years ago, I wasn't the worlds best Christian (obviously, I'm still not, but I have came along way in the past few years). While I was trying to do the right thing, I saw this extra child as baggage who got in the way and always foiled our plans. I almost insisted that he find a new sitter, but God was working in me. I started to grow in the Lord, and see many things differently. I asked many people to pray for me, and for this little boy. I knew that I wasn't loving him the way that God wanted me to.

Long story short, my prayers were answered. God really laid it on my heart that I was the only type of mother this little boy had. He was with us 5-6 days a week for most of the day sometimes. I started to love him as my own. But, he wasn't my own. Less than a month after I had developed this deep love for him, something came up and his father and him moved back to Florida to live with his dad's mom. I was heart broken. I cried and prayed, and prayed and cried. I wanted the best for this little boy and did my best to entrust him into God's care, but I have missed him so very, very much.

When I saw his father's facebook status that said he was coming back to Colorado, I had to contain myself not to instantly ask about his precious boy. I had to restrain myself not to cry tears of joy before I knew for sure. I had to attempt not to get my hopes up, as I really had no clue what was going on. I didn't dance. I didn't cry. I just waited and prayed.

Well, today his daddy showed up on my doorstep and filled us in. He is back, looking for a place to live, and a job. Once he finds those he will go and get his son (who is still at his grandma's house) and bring him back into my life. He wanted to store some stuff at our house while he went to get a room at the motel. By God's sovereign provision I had spent the last 2 days cleaning the basement (you can read that post here), so we had room to keep it. It turned out that the motel was full, so he ended up crashing here tonight (again, by God's grace we have a clean space for him to sleep!).

I'm just so thankful for the way this seems to be happening. I'm thankful that this precious little boy will be coming back into my life. I'm thankful that we are able to provide hospitality to his father, and hopefully share the love of Jesus with them. God is soo good!!

I LOVE THIS BOY!!!

Sinfully proud?

At our Women Discipling Women meeting the other night, we watched a video of a sermon by Martha Peace. The topic was 'Hurt Feelings'. It was a really great sermon for oh so many reasons. It helped show us how thinking about our feelings isn't the biblical response. She had a chart that showed what we think vs the biblical response. I didn't write any of her examples down but it was something along the lines of (going to the extreme):

We think: They didn't take my advice, they must think I'm stupid.
Biblical response: They have the freedom to make their own choices. This is not a sin issue, I will pray that their choice works out well for them.

She had several examples (and I'm now wishing I had written them down) like this one. It was such an amazing eye opener. But she also said one thing that is really sticking with me. She said "Overly sensitive = sinfully proud". At first I disagreed with this. You see I am not a proud person. However, I am very shy and rather sensitive. But the more I think about it, the more I see her point. By being shy I am afraid of getting hurt, or putting myself out there. Being shy is all about me.The same thing applies to being sensitive. When I focus on myself and how I feel about the situation, it isn't glorifying God. By being shy and sensitive, I am being self absorbed. Wow! I totally didn't see that before!

So now, I have to step out of my self protective shell, and start living to please God, not myself. Part of declaring Him Lord of my life, is trusting Him. It doesn't matter what others think of me (so there is no reason to be shy), because I don't live to please men, for if I was striving to please men, I wouldn't be a slave of Christ. When I allow others to hurt my feelings it's usually because they are disappointed in me, or something else about me. And again, if I am living to please them, I can not be called a slave of Christ. Does this mean that I will never have my feelings hurt? No, of course not. But it does mean that I need to think biblically about each situation and determine why I am feeling the way I am. Then decide if I really should be hurt by what has happened.

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. ~ Galatians 1:10

Who are you promoting?

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” ~ Mark 9:35

In the world we live in, we get ahead by promoting ourselves. It sometimes seems like if we don’t tell others about the great things we have done, no one will notice. It is also our culture to try to work our way to the top. We want to be in charge and pursuing the very best that life has to offer. We know we are doing well when others respect us; when we feel superior to others. The disciples had a similar thought process. Time and time again they argued over which one of them was the greatest. Jesus’ answer was simple: “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” He didn’t say that in order to be first we should work our way to the top or brag about what we did so all the world would know. In fact, in Mark 10 Jesus explained that the people of the world took their power and lorded it over people. They didn’t want you to forget who they were and how powerful they were. But He told His disciples that this should not be the way with them. He said that whoever wanted to be great in the kingdom of God should become a servant, just as Jesus came not to be served, but to serve and give His life for many.

It is so easy in life to want others to recognize the things that we have done. Or just to want to share with others how happy we are to have accomplished something. But at a certain point it becomes bragging and self-promotion. God says this is wrong. He doesn't want us to become great in the eyes of the world, He want's us to become great in the eyes of God. To do that, we must not follow the ways of the world. We shouldn't promote ourselves and all the great things we do, but humble ourselves and serve and encourage others.

December 2nd

Before I start my post I wanted to thank Laura for hosting Thankful Thursday last month and Iris for hosting us this month. I am so thankful for you ladies!


It's December and I can't help but be thankful for Jesus' birth. Not just for His birth, but for the fact that my family celebrates His birth instead of everything else during this time of year. While others are out fighting in stores over who gets the last Tickle-Me Elmo (or whatever it is this year), we are celebrating the birth of our Savior, who says it is better to give than to receive. How wonderful it is to give to others. I am so thankful that we have the opportunity to witness to others with our attitudes this time of year. For the opportunity to share Christs love with others when we are out in all the holiday hustle and bustle.

I am thankful for the story of Christ's birth being recorded in the Bible. Having read it so many times, there is still always something new. Today I read in a book (Why the Nativity?) about how crowded Bethlehem would have been because of the census. I can't help but to think that the streets would have been crowded with people trying to get where they were going, pushing and shoving to make good time, much like the isles of our shopping centers are at this time of year. I am thankful for this new imagery that I have to relate to in my mind when I go into the crowded stores. Thinking about how the crowds filled the streets that night, no one offering Mary and Joseph a room, will help me to be mindful of my own attitude in the stores. I am not a crowd person by nature, I prefer less crowded places and easily get stressed out. But being able to imagine Mary and Joseph on that night so long ago, being pushed and shoved, and turned away might be the best thing ever. Instead of getting frustrated with others who shove me aside, or cut me off, I can in turn still allow the person next to me, who was also cut off, to go before me. Instead of giving what I got, I can focus on loving others. After all, Christ came while we were still sinners to die for our sins. Not just mine, but all of the shoppers. The ones cutting me off and the ones who are also being mistreated. How much joy will it bring to them to have someone show them love in the midst of the madness and selfishness? Only God knows, but I am thankful for the opportunity to possibly share His love with them. The opportunity to become the least, and let them go before me.



Join me in posting 25 Christ centered Christmas songs this month. The goal is to post a Christian Christmas song each day (no songs about Santa, Christmas trees or anything like that). Are you up for the challenge?

Thankful Thursday!

I'm so thankful that it's thankful Thursday! This is going to be a personal challenge to me, because I don't think I am thankful enough... It's much easier to look around the room at everything going wrong and take on a negative attitude. This thankful Thursday came at just the right time, just when I needed to be reminded to be thankful. Philippians 4:6 tells us to Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. That is something that I need to work on. To thankfully give my requests to God. So today, on this thankful Thursday, I am thankful for homeschooling. The opportunity that I have been given, no matter what the future holds, I am thankful for homeschooling today.