"Do not be conformed any longer to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is. His good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2
When I read this verse, I get excited by the thought of "being transformed by the renewing of my mind." I think that this is a continual process. My life is a continual transformation. My goal and my hope is that I am transforming into Christ. This is what the being an active, growing Christian is.
So how does this process work according to this verse?
First, we are not to be conformed to the pattern of this world. God's ways contradict the world's ways. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD . "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9 We need to seek God for our wisdom. It doesn't come from other people or popular culture like books or television.
Next, we need "renew our minds." How do we do this? By earnestly seeking God's wisdom through the reading and studying of his Word and consistent and continual prayer.
According to this verse, the result of doing this is the ability to discern what God's will for our lives is. To be honest, sometimes I struggle a bit with this. I am confident that I am, for the most part, traveling down God's narrow path. The direction that my life is going is what God wants for me to do His will. But sometimes, I struggle with the unknowns. I feel like there is something else out there that He has in store for me and my family and it is just out of reach. I can't quite see what it is. I find this exciting and frustrating at the same time. Frustrating because I fear that I am missing something that God is trying to tell me - the direction that He is pointing. Then I doubt whether or not I am truly renewing my mind. Perhaps I am just caught of in this world's thinking and it is blinding me to God's will.
But the greatest reward for his effort is being in the will of God. As this verse describes that it is "good, pleasing, and perfect." True happiness is being in the center of God's will.
Monday, December 06, 2004
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
First Place
I have gotten out of the habit of journaling here. It has been months since I have make an entry.
I thought I would discuss something new I have been doing to improve my life. I should back up. Back in August, my back went out. I have had back pain before, but never to the point that I could not even walk. It was a crummy Tuesday evening and both my 2 year old son and my 7 year old daughter were sick with the flu which included throwing up and vomiting. Pleasant! My oldest had already had it over the weekend and my baby girl was totally grumpy - probably from teething pain. I was on my own with the children as my husband was in Alabama on business. My daughter began to get sick again and was heaving into a pan while she sat on the couch. I got up to comfort her and pull her hair out of her face and something in my back seemed to give out. Throughout the evening, my back just got worse and worse until I could not carry the baby and could barely even walk with great pain. I told my 10 year old that I was going to lay the baby down (she was screaming) and lay down myself for a few moments and see if my back would feel better. Not soon after this, Elizabeth came upstairs to tell me that Patrick had just thrown up all over the chair downstairs. I went to get up and couldn't because my back was in so much pain. It was as if my back could not lift the top half of my body. I had to have my 10 year old daughter clean up her little brother's puke! She ended up putting Patrick to bed and Anna crawled into my bed with her pan. THEN, I got sick as well. Because I had stuff coming out both ends, I couldn't just stay in bed and throw up into a trash can. So, I had to painfully crawl to the bathroom and hoist myself onto the toilet so I could have diarrhea and throw up into the trash can at the same time. Thankfully it was bedtime for all by this time and Elizabeth helped. She even slept in the hall so she caught keep an ear to Patrick. Anna and I kept getting sick all night. She in the pan and I after crawling in agony to the bathroom. When the baby woke to nurse and fuss, Anna had to pick her up for me and bring her into the bad. What a miserable night! The next day I called my parents and they came over and helped with the kids and I stayed flat on my back all day. I am so thankful that they were able to do this for me.
I went into all that detail, because what I realized through this is that it wouldn't have been so bad if my back had not given out and my back gave out because I am hauling around too much excess weight on my body. I believe that this whole episode was a wake up call from God. A kick in the butt, so to speak. For years, I have seen my weight steadily creeping upward, but have just been too busy to concern myself over it. I eat how I want to eat. God was saying NOW is the time to concern yourself over this. I know one of my purposes in life is caring for my children and for the first time ever, I was physically unable to do so. That was a horrible feeling that I hope I never have to go through again. What made it bad, is that I know that it was caused by my excess weight which is a direct result of my poor eating and exercise habits. It is one thing to be knocked off your feet by circumstances that are out of your control, but another to allow your own actions (sin) to cause it. I have been a poor steward of the body God has given me.
About this same time, a dear friend of mine told me she was starting a program called First Place. She didn't say any more except that if I knew of anyone interested in it to pass the info along. I had heard of this years ago. The program focuses on caring for our bodies, losing weight if necessary, by giving God first place in your life. The "diet" is eating normal healthy food using the American Dietetic and Diabetic exchanges as guidelines. And asks you to commit to prayer, bible study, scripture memory, exercise and the eating plan. Because I have gone through gestational diabetes with several of my pregnancies, I am very familiar with the diabetic exchanges. I was probably my healthiest and fittest ever when I had to follow them! Although I have the will power to follow this type of diet for the sake of the health of my unborn child, I have trouble when I am doing it for the sake of just my health. When God, knocked me off my feet with my back troubles, I realized that I need to lose this weight and be healthy for more than just myself. God has given me the job of raising these children for Him and I can't do it flat on my back in bed or even in a worse health situation.
But isn't God's timing perfect? I began the First Place program in September. During the 12 weeks I have been doing it, I have become more fit, conscious of my poor eating habits and how I am teaching these to my children and I have lost 16 pounds!
To get myself to a healthy weight, I should probably lose about 80 pounds total. I am nearly a forth of the way there and I estimate that it should take me about a year total to do this. Even then, I will always have to guard what I put into my mouth and choose to nourish my body with good food. This is a lifelong commitment to God because I want to be the best that I can be to do His will.
I thought I would discuss something new I have been doing to improve my life. I should back up. Back in August, my back went out. I have had back pain before, but never to the point that I could not even walk. It was a crummy Tuesday evening and both my 2 year old son and my 7 year old daughter were sick with the flu which included throwing up and vomiting. Pleasant! My oldest had already had it over the weekend and my baby girl was totally grumpy - probably from teething pain. I was on my own with the children as my husband was in Alabama on business. My daughter began to get sick again and was heaving into a pan while she sat on the couch. I got up to comfort her and pull her hair out of her face and something in my back seemed to give out. Throughout the evening, my back just got worse and worse until I could not carry the baby and could barely even walk with great pain. I told my 10 year old that I was going to lay the baby down (she was screaming) and lay down myself for a few moments and see if my back would feel better. Not soon after this, Elizabeth came upstairs to tell me that Patrick had just thrown up all over the chair downstairs. I went to get up and couldn't because my back was in so much pain. It was as if my back could not lift the top half of my body. I had to have my 10 year old daughter clean up her little brother's puke! She ended up putting Patrick to bed and Anna crawled into my bed with her pan. THEN, I got sick as well. Because I had stuff coming out both ends, I couldn't just stay in bed and throw up into a trash can. So, I had to painfully crawl to the bathroom and hoist myself onto the toilet so I could have diarrhea and throw up into the trash can at the same time. Thankfully it was bedtime for all by this time and Elizabeth helped. She even slept in the hall so she caught keep an ear to Patrick. Anna and I kept getting sick all night. She in the pan and I after crawling in agony to the bathroom. When the baby woke to nurse and fuss, Anna had to pick her up for me and bring her into the bad. What a miserable night! The next day I called my parents and they came over and helped with the kids and I stayed flat on my back all day. I am so thankful that they were able to do this for me.
I went into all that detail, because what I realized through this is that it wouldn't have been so bad if my back had not given out and my back gave out because I am hauling around too much excess weight on my body. I believe that this whole episode was a wake up call from God. A kick in the butt, so to speak. For years, I have seen my weight steadily creeping upward, but have just been too busy to concern myself over it. I eat how I want to eat. God was saying NOW is the time to concern yourself over this. I know one of my purposes in life is caring for my children and for the first time ever, I was physically unable to do so. That was a horrible feeling that I hope I never have to go through again. What made it bad, is that I know that it was caused by my excess weight which is a direct result of my poor eating and exercise habits. It is one thing to be knocked off your feet by circumstances that are out of your control, but another to allow your own actions (sin) to cause it. I have been a poor steward of the body God has given me.
About this same time, a dear friend of mine told me she was starting a program called First Place. She didn't say any more except that if I knew of anyone interested in it to pass the info along. I had heard of this years ago. The program focuses on caring for our bodies, losing weight if necessary, by giving God first place in your life. The "diet" is eating normal healthy food using the American Dietetic and Diabetic exchanges as guidelines. And asks you to commit to prayer, bible study, scripture memory, exercise and the eating plan. Because I have gone through gestational diabetes with several of my pregnancies, I am very familiar with the diabetic exchanges. I was probably my healthiest and fittest ever when I had to follow them! Although I have the will power to follow this type of diet for the sake of the health of my unborn child, I have trouble when I am doing it for the sake of just my health. When God, knocked me off my feet with my back troubles, I realized that I need to lose this weight and be healthy for more than just myself. God has given me the job of raising these children for Him and I can't do it flat on my back in bed or even in a worse health situation.
But isn't God's timing perfect? I began the First Place program in September. During the 12 weeks I have been doing it, I have become more fit, conscious of my poor eating habits and how I am teaching these to my children and I have lost 16 pounds!
To get myself to a healthy weight, I should probably lose about 80 pounds total. I am nearly a forth of the way there and I estimate that it should take me about a year total to do this. Even then, I will always have to guard what I put into my mouth and choose to nourish my body with good food. This is a lifelong commitment to God because I want to be the best that I can be to do His will.
Monday, July 05, 2004
Clutter Weakness!
My stress level lately has been high. This is unusual for me. I am usually pretty laid back and I can let most problems roll off my back so to speak. Recently I seem to get irritated with day to day living. It seems ridiculous to me, but it's the little things that put me over the edge and cause me to lose my patience. I have determined that most of this boils down to the fact that I am living in a cluttered chaos. Every aspect of my life is cluttered. This is most apparent in my home. There is not a room, or even a small space in my home that is not cluttered. My home is filled with more stuff than it can adequately hold. Therefore, the important things get hidden by the superfluous. I am an out of sight out of mind kind of person so this isn't good. The simplest project or errand becomes a mountainous task because I cannot lay my hands on what I need for it. Oh I know that's around here somewhere. This results in a lot of frustration but not a lot of productivity.
I have prayed to God about this. He knows my weakness and has the power to change me and my situation. But here I still am - trapped in the mire of the environment I have created. I feel confident that if I could just clear out all of the clutter in my life and start fresh, things could be so different. I have learned where I DON'T want to be, and would not allow my home and my life to become cluttered like this again. But, I am here amidst my clutter and it is SO diffecult for me to rid myself of it. I feel like Christian in Pilgims Progress. He was so tired from carrying this huge weight on his back. The luggage he was hauling around was sin and when he reached the cross, he was finally able to put it down. This is me. I am lugging around this huge weight. I have not really looked at it as sin before. Why am I this way? Is it from not trusting enough that God will provide for my needs so that I must stockpile so that I can do it on my own. This may be part of it, but there must be something more.
My SIL and I were discussing this. Although we are different, she and I have similar struggles. I thank God for placing her into my life. What a blessing to have someone to share my difficulties and my faith with! She and I were discussing our frustrations that although we have prayed to God to change us, things have remained the same. I have questioned this many times in my own life and have come to the conclusion that perhaps I am not fully handing this situation over to God DAILY and that I have not shared this weakness of mine with anyone. Of course, anyone close to me sees that I am not a organized, efficient person, but I try very hard to hide how bad it really is. I am embarrassed! Perhaps God wants to use this situation to His glory. But what does this mean? Must I bare all?
I have prayed to God about this. He knows my weakness and has the power to change me and my situation. But here I still am - trapped in the mire of the environment I have created. I feel confident that if I could just clear out all of the clutter in my life and start fresh, things could be so different. I have learned where I DON'T want to be, and would not allow my home and my life to become cluttered like this again. But, I am here amidst my clutter and it is SO diffecult for me to rid myself of it. I feel like Christian in Pilgims Progress. He was so tired from carrying this huge weight on his back. The luggage he was hauling around was sin and when he reached the cross, he was finally able to put it down. This is me. I am lugging around this huge weight. I have not really looked at it as sin before. Why am I this way? Is it from not trusting enough that God will provide for my needs so that I must stockpile so that I can do it on my own. This may be part of it, but there must be something more.
My SIL and I were discussing this. Although we are different, she and I have similar struggles. I thank God for placing her into my life. What a blessing to have someone to share my difficulties and my faith with! She and I were discussing our frustrations that although we have prayed to God to change us, things have remained the same. I have questioned this many times in my own life and have come to the conclusion that perhaps I am not fully handing this situation over to God DAILY and that I have not shared this weakness of mine with anyone. Of course, anyone close to me sees that I am not a organized, efficient person, but I try very hard to hide how bad it really is. I am embarrassed! Perhaps God wants to use this situation to His glory. But what does this mean? Must I bare all?
Magic Kisses
I spent a large part of my lifetime totally unaware that I have the gift of magic kisses. This power did not surface until I had been a mother for about 2 years. One magical day, my daughter came to me with a boo boo, I kissed it and tada it was instantly better. How exciting to discover that God had given me such a wonderful gift! Once my daughter discovered that I had this amazing ability, she was not shy about coming to me for healing of all sorts of injuries from scraped knees to hurt feelings. I was all too happy to use this gift of magic kisses to come to her aid. Interestingly enough, I tried using this power on myself with no luck and I found only limited success using it on my husband. Although I offered, no one else around me even wanted me to share my healing magic kisses with them. They even had the nerve to give me strange looks for even suggesting it. Oh well! I do not understand why, but after a couple of years, my powers must have weakened because my kisses seemed to lose their effectiveness. Both my kisses and my hugs were still a comfort to my daughter, but they didn't have the same healing power. I guess I just had to face facts, my magic kisses were gone. :(
Then one day when my second daughter, Anna, was about 2 years old, my magic kisses came back! Anna was thrilled with my ability and soon was taking advantage of it on almost a daily basis. I was only happy to share my gift, as I did notice that my kisses had their greatest effect on her. To my disappointment, once again my kiss' strength diminished after a time. Oh, God IS a provider of wonderful gifts and on rare occasions, when they were most needed, I would once again be the bearer of magic kisses, but for the day to day boo boos, my daughters claimed they didn't work anymore. :(
Well, God is good! He has once again bestowed the healing power of magic kisses to me. My son, Patrick, now takes full advantage of this. Nearly every day this rambunctious two year old has taken a tumble or gotten a bump because his actions don't match his abilities. He will come to me with tears in his eyes, pleading for comfort. One kiss and tada he is all better and off once more to test his strength and dexterity. I know that it is the kisses that have this effect, because occasionally I will miss the exact spot that Patrick said needs healing. He is quick to correct me and carefully point to just the right spot so I can be sure I direct my kiss to his boo boo. If my aim is correct, my kiss works without fail. The scrape or bruise will still remain, but its pain has been removed.
Only God knows how long my magic kisses will be in effect. I am confident that God knows just when this mommy needs them and will generously provide. I know that even though, my son may in time discover that they do not work as well on him anymore, God will super-charge my kisses when they are really needed. I am looking forward, as well, to the time when my baby girl, Abigail (now 6 months old) will have the pleasure of discovering that her mom has this amazing ability to heal her pain with just the touch of her magic kiss!
"God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God's generosity can flow through you." 1 Peter 4:10
Then one day when my second daughter, Anna, was about 2 years old, my magic kisses came back! Anna was thrilled with my ability and soon was taking advantage of it on almost a daily basis. I was only happy to share my gift, as I did notice that my kisses had their greatest effect on her. To my disappointment, once again my kiss' strength diminished after a time. Oh, God IS a provider of wonderful gifts and on rare occasions, when they were most needed, I would once again be the bearer of magic kisses, but for the day to day boo boos, my daughters claimed they didn't work anymore. :(
Well, God is good! He has once again bestowed the healing power of magic kisses to me. My son, Patrick, now takes full advantage of this. Nearly every day this rambunctious two year old has taken a tumble or gotten a bump because his actions don't match his abilities. He will come to me with tears in his eyes, pleading for comfort. One kiss and tada he is all better and off once more to test his strength and dexterity. I know that it is the kisses that have this effect, because occasionally I will miss the exact spot that Patrick said needs healing. He is quick to correct me and carefully point to just the right spot so I can be sure I direct my kiss to his boo boo. If my aim is correct, my kiss works without fail. The scrape or bruise will still remain, but its pain has been removed.
Only God knows how long my magic kisses will be in effect. I am confident that God knows just when this mommy needs them and will generously provide. I know that even though, my son may in time discover that they do not work as well on him anymore, God will super-charge my kisses when they are really needed. I am looking forward, as well, to the time when my baby girl, Abigail (now 6 months old) will have the pleasure of discovering that her mom has this amazing ability to heal her pain with just the touch of her magic kiss!
"God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God's generosity can flow through you." 1 Peter 4:10
Monday, June 28, 2004
LumaPix FotoFusion
LumaPix FotoFusion - Share your digital photos by email!
I am so excited! I actually won a contest! I don't generally find I win things very often, but I entered a FotoFusion scrapbook layout and tutorial contest. FotoFusion is fun little program that I am loving more and more to complete some great looking scrapbook pages. So I created a layout using the program and wrote a tutorial as to how I did it. (Actually I created 2). One of my entries won FIRST PLACE! I got some fun little graphics goodies and will be featured on the Lumapix website for 30 days (see link above). They asked if I could sent them a brief statement on why I like FotoFusion. I thought I would write it here:
Originally I purchased FotoFusion because I love how easy it is to use to create a scrapbook layout that includes many pictures on one page. I love how simple it is to just select pictures and hit "Auto Collage" and the page is practically done. As a mother of 4 young children, I have an abundance of pictures but not an abundance of time and FotoFusion allows me to quickly document events in my scrapbook attractively. To my surprise, the more I use this program, I keep discovering some really cool techniques that can be done very easily and quickly in FotoFusion that would be much more time consuming to do otherwise. One example of this my tinted mosaic layout.
I am so excited! I actually won a contest! I don't generally find I win things very often, but I entered a FotoFusion scrapbook layout and tutorial contest. FotoFusion is fun little program that I am loving more and more to complete some great looking scrapbook pages. So I created a layout using the program and wrote a tutorial as to how I did it. (Actually I created 2). One of my entries won FIRST PLACE! I got some fun little graphics goodies and will be featured on the Lumapix website for 30 days (see link above). They asked if I could sent them a brief statement on why I like FotoFusion. I thought I would write it here:
Originally I purchased FotoFusion because I love how easy it is to use to create a scrapbook layout that includes many pictures on one page. I love how simple it is to just select pictures and hit "Auto Collage" and the page is practically done. As a mother of 4 young children, I have an abundance of pictures but not an abundance of time and FotoFusion allows me to quickly document events in my scrapbook attractively. To my surprise, the more I use this program, I keep discovering some really cool techniques that can be done very easily and quickly in FotoFusion that would be much more time consuming to do otherwise. One example of this my tinted mosaic layout.
Saturday, June 26, 2004
Meltdowns and God's Signet Ring
After weeks of enduring the companionship of a toddler and a baby during my early morning (before 6am) quiet time, I have found that I am going through a sort of withdrawal. I am a person who CRAVES alone time. I love people, but I need a fair amount of quiet time to myself to study God's Word, commune with Him and gather my thoughts each day to maintain my sanity. I really have a loner nature. In a household of 6, I am finding it more and more difficult to carve out this time to myself each day. I usually rise early to beat everyone else awake. I find it so much easier to get up early now that it is summer and the sun rises early as well. Unfortunately, my two youngest children are ALSO finding it natural to rise early, too. I have done my best to keep a good attitude and just roll with it. Many mornings we utilize our Thomas the Tank Engine DVD collection which are my son's absolute favorite. These entertain him and he entertains the baby. It's not bad, but it isn't the same as the private quiet time that I crave. I have chosen to be thankful in this circumstance anyway. ("Be thankful in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thes. 5:18)
Now, I should also add that the baby, Abigail, is teething. I don't know if time has dulled my memory of how difficult this was with the other children, but she seems to be having the worst time of it than any of them. During the day when there is a lot of activity and distraction she is not too bad as long as she is kept full of Tylenol, although she hasn't been taking good naps. Nighttime is another story! We started this a week ago last Tuesday. She was awake nearly every half hour crying all night and nothing seemed to settle her. I finally realized at about 3:30am that she must be teething and in my sleepless stupor administered Tylenol and gum numbing gel and was able to get a precious few hours of sleep. After a couple of days she seemed to be in less discomfort, but those stubborn teeth are still just under the surface of the gums. So a few day later, her fussiness began again. Although under normal circumstances she is a good natured baby, she now has been getting in these icky crying jags.
Why am I sharing all this? Well, of late, I have had so much on my brain. There's the normal stuff, housework, teaching the children, apartment duties, bills to pay, and much much more. Add to that the fact that we are planning to build a new house on our property. What we feel we need is bigger than what we feel we can afford, so we are in the process of thinking planning and most of all praying that God will "show us the money" to pay for it or show us what the excess is that we need to trim off our house plan. This is the home we plan on living in forever, so we want it to be right. Then add to all that the fact that our home right now has become very disorganized and cluttered. This affects everything we try to do. I have been trying to get a grip on the clutter, but it is a slow and difficult process for me.
Anyway...yesterday as I drove the children home from swim lessons, I was feeling totally overwhelmed. The girls began bickering, Patrick was whining about something and Abigail was screaming. I reached the end of me. I reached the end of my rope; had all I could take. I am thankful that I didn't explode, get angry or scream. I have done this in the past and am not proud of it. But I did share with the children that I was stressing out. When I got home, I changed Abigail, gave her meds and tried to feed her (which she refused) and layed her down in her bed. I needed to escape, so I grabbed my notebook and my bible and went out and sat in the van alone.
After a good cry, I gathered my thoughts and begged God for His help. I opened my bible and it fell open to the beginning of the book of Haggai. This is not a book that I am very familiar with and I began to read. I felt such trust that God had just what I needed right there in His Word.
The book of Haggai is an account of how God revealed His Word to Haggai the prophet. The Lord was displeased with His people because they had been ignoring His temple which was in ruins but instead had put their own homes as a priority. "How is it that it's the "right time' for you to live in your fine new homes while the Home, GOD's Temple, is in ruins?" (Hag. 1:4 MSG) Hmm...what is God trying to tell me? Here we are focusing on a new home for ourselves right now. I really don't feel that God is trying to tell us that this is bad, but are we placing more importance on this instead of God's home. What IS God's home? It is our hearts. Our bodies are the temple of God. "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;" (1 Cor 6:19 NIV) I have to confess that I have been neglecting my body both physically and spiritually.
God also said that because of there neglect of Him, the people have been toiling without gain. The Lord had made this so because He desires them to return to to Him. He commands them to "Climb into the hills and cut some timber.
Bring it down and rebuild the Temple.
Do it just for me. Honor me." (Hag. 1:8 MSG)
They do!
I won't go into all the details. The entire book of Haggai is only two chapters long and well worth reading completely. But I do want to share the thing that impacted me the most in this short book. God was pleased with the rebuilding of His temple and said how he would bless His people now. Then He told Haggai to speak directly to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah who was responsible to leading the people in all this. He told him, "I will take you, O Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, as my personal servant and I will set you as a signet ring, the sign of my sovereign presence and authority. I've looked over the field and chosen you for this work." (Hag 2:23 MSG) As I read this, I felt God telling me that He wants me to be like His signet ring as well. (Just He wants all of those who believe in Him to be.)
I got to thinking about what a signet ring is. They were usually worn by royalty and used to make an impression in wax or soft clay leaving a seal. This seal bore the mark of the owner and was proof that it was of him. So, if I was God's signet ring, I would have His seal engraved upon me, and would be used as His tool to leave the impression of Him wherever He placed me. Wow! That's big! What an honor; that's what I want.
So how is a signet ring created? Is it carved? If so, that would mean that the creator would have to carve parts away from it until all that was left was the image of the seal. This morning I decided to look up signet rings. What I found was yes indeed, that traditionally they are hand carved into either metal or stone. The image is carved into the ring as a mirror image of the seal. The image does not stand out in relief like a sculpture but is instead the material is carved out of the ring to create the image of the seal. I feel so clearly that God is telling me that He needs to carved away so much of the excess in my life so that all is left is what will reflect His likeness. Another verse is brought to mind: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." (John 15:1-2 NIV) The Greek word for "prune" is kathairo {kath-ah'-ee-ro} which means to cleanse, of filth impurity, etc; to prune trees and vines from useless shoots. This word is used only one other time in the bible in Hebrews 10:2 and refers to being cleansed from sin. God is making it clear to me that there is so much in my life that is useless and therefore to hang onto it would be disobedience and sin. This brings a whole new light to my current battle with clutter. But its not just physical clutter, but spiritual clutter as well. It is SO IMPORTANT that I allow God to carve away everything in my life that is not of Him to that I can be used by Him as a tool to leave His mark on the world around me. How exciting is that? Lord, please reveal to me what needs to be removed from my life so that I can be used fully by you!
For more information on what the bible says about signet rings read:
Genesis 41
Esther 3 & 8
Jeremiah 22:24
Daniel 6
Now, I should also add that the baby, Abigail, is teething. I don't know if time has dulled my memory of how difficult this was with the other children, but she seems to be having the worst time of it than any of them. During the day when there is a lot of activity and distraction she is not too bad as long as she is kept full of Tylenol, although she hasn't been taking good naps. Nighttime is another story! We started this a week ago last Tuesday. She was awake nearly every half hour crying all night and nothing seemed to settle her. I finally realized at about 3:30am that she must be teething and in my sleepless stupor administered Tylenol and gum numbing gel and was able to get a precious few hours of sleep. After a couple of days she seemed to be in less discomfort, but those stubborn teeth are still just under the surface of the gums. So a few day later, her fussiness began again. Although under normal circumstances she is a good natured baby, she now has been getting in these icky crying jags.
Why am I sharing all this? Well, of late, I have had so much on my brain. There's the normal stuff, housework, teaching the children, apartment duties, bills to pay, and much much more. Add to that the fact that we are planning to build a new house on our property. What we feel we need is bigger than what we feel we can afford, so we are in the process of thinking planning and most of all praying that God will "show us the money" to pay for it or show us what the excess is that we need to trim off our house plan. This is the home we plan on living in forever, so we want it to be right. Then add to all that the fact that our home right now has become very disorganized and cluttered. This affects everything we try to do. I have been trying to get a grip on the clutter, but it is a slow and difficult process for me.
Anyway...yesterday as I drove the children home from swim lessons, I was feeling totally overwhelmed. The girls began bickering, Patrick was whining about something and Abigail was screaming. I reached the end of me. I reached the end of my rope; had all I could take. I am thankful that I didn't explode, get angry or scream. I have done this in the past and am not proud of it. But I did share with the children that I was stressing out. When I got home, I changed Abigail, gave her meds and tried to feed her (which she refused) and layed her down in her bed. I needed to escape, so I grabbed my notebook and my bible and went out and sat in the van alone.
After a good cry, I gathered my thoughts and begged God for His help. I opened my bible and it fell open to the beginning of the book of Haggai. This is not a book that I am very familiar with and I began to read. I felt such trust that God had just what I needed right there in His Word.
The book of Haggai is an account of how God revealed His Word to Haggai the prophet. The Lord was displeased with His people because they had been ignoring His temple which was in ruins but instead had put their own homes as a priority. "How is it that it's the "right time' for you to live in your fine new homes while the Home, GOD's Temple, is in ruins?" (Hag. 1:4 MSG) Hmm...what is God trying to tell me? Here we are focusing on a new home for ourselves right now. I really don't feel that God is trying to tell us that this is bad, but are we placing more importance on this instead of God's home. What IS God's home? It is our hearts. Our bodies are the temple of God. "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;" (1 Cor 6:19 NIV) I have to confess that I have been neglecting my body both physically and spiritually.
God also said that because of there neglect of Him, the people have been toiling without gain. The Lord had made this so because He desires them to return to to Him. He commands them to "Climb into the hills and cut some timber.
Bring it down and rebuild the Temple.
Do it just for me. Honor me." (Hag. 1:8 MSG)
They do!
I won't go into all the details. The entire book of Haggai is only two chapters long and well worth reading completely. But I do want to share the thing that impacted me the most in this short book. God was pleased with the rebuilding of His temple and said how he would bless His people now. Then He told Haggai to speak directly to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah who was responsible to leading the people in all this. He told him, "I will take you, O Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, as my personal servant and I will set you as a signet ring, the sign of my sovereign presence and authority. I've looked over the field and chosen you for this work." (Hag 2:23 MSG) As I read this, I felt God telling me that He wants me to be like His signet ring as well. (Just He wants all of those who believe in Him to be.)
I got to thinking about what a signet ring is. They were usually worn by royalty and used to make an impression in wax or soft clay leaving a seal. This seal bore the mark of the owner and was proof that it was of him. So, if I was God's signet ring, I would have His seal engraved upon me, and would be used as His tool to leave the impression of Him wherever He placed me. Wow! That's big! What an honor; that's what I want.
So how is a signet ring created? Is it carved? If so, that would mean that the creator would have to carve parts away from it until all that was left was the image of the seal. This morning I decided to look up signet rings. What I found was yes indeed, that traditionally they are hand carved into either metal or stone. The image is carved into the ring as a mirror image of the seal. The image does not stand out in relief like a sculpture but is instead the material is carved out of the ring to create the image of the seal. I feel so clearly that God is telling me that He needs to carved away so much of the excess in my life so that all is left is what will reflect His likeness. Another verse is brought to mind: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." (John 15:1-2 NIV) The Greek word for "prune" is kathairo {kath-ah'-ee-ro} which means to cleanse, of filth impurity, etc; to prune trees and vines from useless shoots. This word is used only one other time in the bible in Hebrews 10:2 and refers to being cleansed from sin. God is making it clear to me that there is so much in my life that is useless and therefore to hang onto it would be disobedience and sin. This brings a whole new light to my current battle with clutter. But its not just physical clutter, but spiritual clutter as well. It is SO IMPORTANT that I allow God to carve away everything in my life that is not of Him to that I can be used by Him as a tool to leave His mark on the world around me. How exciting is that? Lord, please reveal to me what needs to be removed from my life so that I can be used fully by you!
For more information on what the bible says about signet rings read:
Genesis 41
Esther 3 & 8
Jeremiah 22:24
Daniel 6
Friday, June 25, 2004
Swimming!
This week and next the girls are taking daily swim lessons at the New Haven pool. It is a smaller pool than others we could have chosen for lessons, but it is less crowded and set in a lovely small park with shady grass, a playground and even a staffed craft shack where the kids can spend change to do fun little craft projects right there in the park. They love it and I love that the mess remains there. While Elizabeth and Anna are taking their lessons, I spread a blanket under a shady tree in a spot where I can watch them as well as Patrick on the playground. Abigail is content to sit on the blanket with me, chewing on toys while a do a bit of reading. The weather has been ideal and this has been SO pleasant!
Yesterday, I decided to pack a picnic lunch for us to eat after the girls' lessons. We hung out in the park for a little over an hour eating, doing crafts and playing until the pool opened for regular swimming. Then we ALL went swimming! This was Abigail's very first time in a pool. I thought she was going to go to sleep sitting in her carseat, but she perked up and she joined Patrick and I in the kiddie pool while the girls enjoyed swimming and going down the slide in the big one. At one point I even took Patrick and Abigail into the big pool, as well. In the water, they are as light as a feather and I could easily carry them both. The water was warm and pleasant and all of us really enjoyed it. At one point Elizabeth took Patrick and played with him and I could use two hands to play with Abi in the water. She laughed and giggled and was so cute! We returned to the kiddie pool where Patrick informed me that he was swimming like a fish (a shark to be exact!) and Abigail fell asleep in the water on my lap. (So sweet!)
I don't know where my brain was, but I left the diaper bag with the camera in the car and didn't get any pictures. So I guess I shall document this event like this. On Thursday, June 24, 2004 Abigail took her first big pool swim. She, along with her Mama and siblings had a great time. (Except for some nasty sunburn on the girls. Yes, they were slathered in sunscreen! But we don't want to bring that up or they may start the complaints again.)
Yesterday, I decided to pack a picnic lunch for us to eat after the girls' lessons. We hung out in the park for a little over an hour eating, doing crafts and playing until the pool opened for regular swimming. Then we ALL went swimming! This was Abigail's very first time in a pool. I thought she was going to go to sleep sitting in her carseat, but she perked up and she joined Patrick and I in the kiddie pool while the girls enjoyed swimming and going down the slide in the big one. At one point I even took Patrick and Abigail into the big pool, as well. In the water, they are as light as a feather and I could easily carry them both. The water was warm and pleasant and all of us really enjoyed it. At one point Elizabeth took Patrick and played with him and I could use two hands to play with Abi in the water. She laughed and giggled and was so cute! We returned to the kiddie pool where Patrick informed me that he was swimming like a fish (a shark to be exact!) and Abigail fell asleep in the water on my lap. (So sweet!)
I don't know where my brain was, but I left the diaper bag with the camera in the car and didn't get any pictures. So I guess I shall document this event like this. On Thursday, June 24, 2004 Abigail took her first big pool swim. She, along with her Mama and siblings had a great time. (Except for some nasty sunburn on the girls. Yes, they were slathered in sunscreen! But we don't want to bring that up or they may start the complaints again.)
Thursday, June 24, 2004
FlyLady.net: Your personal online coach to help you gain control of your house and home
FlyLady.net: Your personal online coach to help you gain control of your house and home
Ugh! Barry and I have decided that CLUTTER IS EVIL! And I can tell you, we speak from experience because we have done plenty of living with clutter. A problem that we have is that both he and I are by nature pack-rats. This is good in one respect because although we get irritated with clutter, we don't tend to take it out on one another because we both can empathize with the other about how difficult it is to get rid of stuff. This is very bad in the other respect because we can find ourselves being strangled by our stuff. It also doesn't help that we live in a modest 84 year old farm house with four children that are creative and crafty (with equals stuff) and we homeschool (more stuff!).
It is kind of amazing that most of our difficulties stem from being blessed with TOO much. God truly has blessed us, but we don't manage what he has given us very well. :( I have been thinking about this issue from a spiritual perspective lately. WHY am I a pack-rat? Why does it literally pain me and exhaust me to get rid of stuff? Recently I have heard testimonies of women who give away stuff on a regular basis because they are trusting that God will provide no matter how their circumstances may change. One mom, for example always gets rid of her maternity clothes after a pregnancy even though she is hoping that she will again became pregnant. She gives them away to someone who needs them (does not just lend them) because otherwise she feels like she is not fully trusting God. She does the same with her kids' outgrown clothing with the exception of a few special items. She will never know what a witness she was to me because my eyes were opened to the fact that perhaps my difficulty with giving things away was a symptom of not truly trusting in God's provision.
Perhaps I am trying to take care of my family BY MYSELF by hoarding anything that we MIGHT need some day, instead of keeping only what we truly use NOW and trusting that God will provide anything that we may need in the future as our circumstances change. In my head I trust God completely, but perhaps I don't fully trust Him in my heart.
Lord, please guide me. My desire is to FULLY trust you in ALL THINGS. I commit my life to living in your will no matter what that means for me or my family. Help me to let go of worldly clutter that distracts from your will for me and the rest of my family. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight." Ps 3:5-6
So, why is the title of this article Flylady.net? Because she is a wonderful resource for anyone who is living in C.H.A.O.S. (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) due to a messy cluttered house and life. She has a great system for decluttering your home and becoming more disciplined with your household duties. I have partially followed her plan in the past and I felt more organized and on the ball than I ever have before. I mostly followed her routines but didn't do so hot on the decluttering. I am trying to turn over a new leaf and recently started utilizing the flylady website for inspiration. After having routines in place for years, lately I have been feeling undisciplined and rebellious towards them. I am not sure why and have examining my heart. But I suppose that is another issue to write about another day. Ü
Anyway, if you are anything like me, I highly recommend the flylady site!
Ugh! Barry and I have decided that CLUTTER IS EVIL! And I can tell you, we speak from experience because we have done plenty of living with clutter. A problem that we have is that both he and I are by nature pack-rats. This is good in one respect because although we get irritated with clutter, we don't tend to take it out on one another because we both can empathize with the other about how difficult it is to get rid of stuff. This is very bad in the other respect because we can find ourselves being strangled by our stuff. It also doesn't help that we live in a modest 84 year old farm house with four children that are creative and crafty (with equals stuff) and we homeschool (more stuff!).
It is kind of amazing that most of our difficulties stem from being blessed with TOO much. God truly has blessed us, but we don't manage what he has given us very well. :( I have been thinking about this issue from a spiritual perspective lately. WHY am I a pack-rat? Why does it literally pain me and exhaust me to get rid of stuff? Recently I have heard testimonies of women who give away stuff on a regular basis because they are trusting that God will provide no matter how their circumstances may change. One mom, for example always gets rid of her maternity clothes after a pregnancy even though she is hoping that she will again became pregnant. She gives them away to someone who needs them (does not just lend them) because otherwise she feels like she is not fully trusting God. She does the same with her kids' outgrown clothing with the exception of a few special items. She will never know what a witness she was to me because my eyes were opened to the fact that perhaps my difficulty with giving things away was a symptom of not truly trusting in God's provision.
Perhaps I am trying to take care of my family BY MYSELF by hoarding anything that we MIGHT need some day, instead of keeping only what we truly use NOW and trusting that God will provide anything that we may need in the future as our circumstances change. In my head I trust God completely, but perhaps I don't fully trust Him in my heart.
Lord, please guide me. My desire is to FULLY trust you in ALL THINGS. I commit my life to living in your will no matter what that means for me or my family. Help me to let go of worldly clutter that distracts from your will for me and the rest of my family. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight." Ps 3:5-6
So, why is the title of this article Flylady.net? Because she is a wonderful resource for anyone who is living in C.H.A.O.S. (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) due to a messy cluttered house and life. She has a great system for decluttering your home and becoming more disciplined with your household duties. I have partially followed her plan in the past and I felt more organized and on the ball than I ever have before. I mostly followed her routines but didn't do so hot on the decluttering. I am trying to turn over a new leaf and recently started utilizing the flylady website for inspiration. After having routines in place for years, lately I have been feeling undisciplined and rebellious towards them. I am not sure why and have examining my heart. But I suppose that is another issue to write about another day. Ü
Anyway, if you are anything like me, I highly recommend the flylady site!
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Yesterday I took Elizabeth over to another 4-H family's home for an informal muffin workshop. A couple of the other moms and I were talking about muffin techniques because our kids need to made muffins for Foods for the fair this year and decided that it would be great to get together and practice. All three of the kids (Taylor, Elizabeth and Matthew) had fun and got some good muffin baking experience under their belts.
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
A day in my life - Tuesday
Today:
I have to motivate the children to do their morning chores and eat breakfast before it is time for swim lessons for the girls. Swim lessons will be going on every weekday for the next two weeks. They love it! Patrick, Abigail, and I take a big blanket to sit on and hang out at the playground just outside the pool. If the kids are well behaved, I may just get some desired reading done.
Next we will be running to the apartments at Mourey to drop off an apartment application to a tenant who's son is interested in our open apartment, check out how well said open apartment was painted and cleaned by our new cleaning/painting service and retrieve the bill.
This afternoon we are planning on getting together with two other 4-H families to practice making muffins which is what Elizabeth has to do for Foods since she is in the 4th grade. They are all considering me the "expert" since I remember doing this myself in 4-H when I was a girl. (Scary!) Grammy and Gramps have graciously volunteered to watch the younger children. Yea!
This evening we will be missing Barry. He has to travel to St. Louis to visit a church for work. It's too bad the family couldn't tag along for this trip and visit our family there as well. :( Fortunately, it is not a long trip and he will return to us tomorrow. Perhaps, I can get some digi-scrapbooking done this evening after the children are all in bed. (He gets jealous of my computer time when he is home.)
Enough rambling....time to get to work!
I have to motivate the children to do their morning chores and eat breakfast before it is time for swim lessons for the girls. Swim lessons will be going on every weekday for the next two weeks. They love it! Patrick, Abigail, and I take a big blanket to sit on and hang out at the playground just outside the pool. If the kids are well behaved, I may just get some desired reading done.
Next we will be running to the apartments at Mourey to drop off an apartment application to a tenant who's son is interested in our open apartment, check out how well said open apartment was painted and cleaned by our new cleaning/painting service and retrieve the bill.
This afternoon we are planning on getting together with two other 4-H families to practice making muffins which is what Elizabeth has to do for Foods since she is in the 4th grade. They are all considering me the "expert" since I remember doing this myself in 4-H when I was a girl. (Scary!) Grammy and Gramps have graciously volunteered to watch the younger children. Yea!
This evening we will be missing Barry. He has to travel to St. Louis to visit a church for work. It's too bad the family couldn't tag along for this trip and visit our family there as well. :( Fortunately, it is not a long trip and he will return to us tomorrow. Perhaps, I can get some digi-scrapbooking done this evening after the children are all in bed. (He gets jealous of my computer time when he is home.)
Enough rambling....time to get to work!
Crosswalk.com
Crosswalk.com
Here is a great site for daily bible reading. I have it set as my start page and everytime I use the internet, it brings up my daily bible reading. If you keep up with it everyday, you will have painlessly read the ENTIRE bible in a year! To quote Martha Stewart, "It's a good thing!"
Here is a great site for daily bible reading. I have it set as my start page and everytime I use the internet, it brings up my daily bible reading. If you keep up with it everyday, you will have painlessly read the ENTIRE bible in a year! To quote Martha Stewart, "It's a good thing!"
Happy Father's Day Barry! For Father's day all of the children got their pictures taken at The Picture People. We had one portrait framed big. For this smaller one, I created a frame out of Sculpey clay and created shinky dink charms from tracing all the kids hands. The title at the bottom says, "Our DAD'S the best HANDS DOWN". The girls also each created their own sculpey frames with charms. Anna drew a portrait of our family on shrinky dink plastic for in it and Elizabeth created a mini scrapbook page hat says "I Love Dad!"
Introduction
So, I've decided to try this blog thing. I don't know what will come of it or if I will even share it with anyone. I am still undecided if I should make ita personal thing or something that I will want to share with others. Hmmmm.....maybe I should pray about that....stay tuned
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