Praise be to the Lord that carries me
Thursday, September 5, 2013
For the Lonely Hearts
Music speaks to me. When I become more consistent posting here, you will see music that touches my heart, makes me think, or is just plain fun! This is a song I heard for the first time after our little family moved to big 'ol Texas; I was alone and very much pregnant with our Little Love Bug. I usually listen to Christian music but sometimes I get in the mood fer some good old fashioned rock'n'roll so I flip stations. So while I was flipping, balling, and trying to drive (yeah, not the best scenario but hey...) I found this:
Saturday, August 17, 2013
A Lesson in Humility from a Six-Year-Old
"About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, 'Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?' Jesus called a little child to Him and put the child among them. Then He said, 'I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.'"
Matthew 18:1-3
Let me begin by saying that I'm not a huge fan of summer. I have come to the conclusion that God has decided to stretch me in this area, much to my dismay.
For the longest time the air conditioner in our car would decide to not work if the temperature was too hot outside. If it's in the eighties, the car is downright cold, but somewhere in the nineties a threshold gets crossed and bzzt! No cold air. We thought we fixed the problem last summer by changing out our often neglected cabin filters so, after three trips from South Texas to Oklahoma, we figured they needed to be changed again. Alas, that didn't work this time. Did I mention South Texas? Yeah....it's hot...
That rant aside, I was extremely humbled by my daughter The Scientist last weekend in the aforementioned car when we needed to go into the our closest (big)city. To drive into town we have to take the highway; heat + wind coming in four windows at 65 mph = grumpy mama.
Shortly after merging on the highway I hear my little girl singing the lyrics of the last song on the radio. The wind was loud and we couldn't even hear the radio anymore, I grumped about not wanting to turn the radio up even more. She's back there singing and I'm grumping. Then I looked back...this, this is what I saw:
My baby was praising her God, and I was complaining about the wind and the heat. My attitude shifted dramatically. It brought to mind everything we have been blessed with. I begged Him for forgiveness. My God, my God, forgive me for my ungrateful heart. Forgive me for the times I see my bad attitude come out in my children. Forgive me for not trusting in You and Your goodness. By His grace I am forgiven, we are all forgiven.
Now, I'm not going to even try and say that things have been roses and dewdrops since then, but precept upon precept we grow.
"God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us an boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Chist Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago."
Ephesians 2:8-10
I try to keep His blessings in mind as I go throughout my day. To shift my perspective onto the good.
Friday, July 26, 2013
A Desire for Excellence
...or how to not pull my hair out
How do you instill a desire to do better in your children? I just spent the last 20 minutes looking over my kids' shoulder while they did their Xtramath because if I leave the room, or even sit down where I can't see the screen, the don't do it correctly. Xtramath is basically timed math drills on the computer. It tracks their progress, the kids enjoy computer work, and, best of all, it's free! If you don't get the answer within ten seconds, it gives it to you-and therein lies the problem. Much to my dismay I have discovered that when they don't have the answer right off they wait for it to be given to them instead of counting up as I know they know how to do.
So, back to my question: how to instill a drive to excel? Both Stuart and The Scientist are perfectionists to a degree and it really upsets them when they do poorly-really really upsets them. I have tried use this to my advantage and turn it into a healthy desire for excellence (note healthy). Instead they get angry and spew answers that they know are incorrect all the while complaining loudly. I have done my best to be their cheerleader (which is hard for me having not been raised that way. God's grace is so good!). Cheering made them feel better after it was all said and done but didn't stop the complaining. Sooo I became drill sergeant mommy and told them I would take their afternoon screen time away if I heard any, well, bitching and moaning. That stopped that but we still had the issue of waiting for the computer to give them the answer.
Thus watching over their shoulder. It worked, their scores were better and they stayed on task but my flesh found it extremely irritating! Perhaps self-motivation will come with age- I sure hope so! Until then I suppose I will be praying for an extra dose of grace to show to my kids and maybe an extra cup of coffee after it is all said and done.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Do You?
We have been blessed to have my husband's parents and his daughter with us this past weekend! Dh was thrilled to have all of his children under his roof and I know his heart will break a little when she leaves. She's a great kid...teenager...oh my, I feel old....
She has decided that her code name will be 'Panda,' the girl loves her some pandas! Panda is fourteen now; when I first met her she was a little bit just staring kindergarten-how time flies! She starts high school back in Oklahoma in a few weeks and it is so awesome to hear her plans for life beyond high school! The Scientist has been bursting at the seams with excitement seeing her big sister, we just need to convince her she is not a toy...
On a different note, I have had a Bible verse in my personal reading really stand up and shout at me and I will like to share it with you. It comes from John and it's a story you have probably heard before. A man was sick for thirty-eight years, lying by the pool of Bethsaida. He had no one to help him get to the water when it bubbled up so he could be healed. No one to help him. Jesus saw him, the sick and lonely.
She has decided that her code name will be 'Panda,' the girl loves her some pandas! Panda is fourteen now; when I first met her she was a little bit just staring kindergarten-how time flies! She starts high school back in Oklahoma in a few weeks and it is so awesome to hear her plans for life beyond high school! The Scientist has been bursting at the seams with excitement seeing her big sister, we just need to convince her she is not a toy...
On a different note, I have had a Bible verse in my personal reading really stand up and shout at me and I will like to share it with you. It comes from John and it's a story you have probably heard before. A man was sick for thirty-eight years, lying by the pool of Bethsaida. He had no one to help him get to the water when it bubbled up so he could be healed. No one to help him. Jesus saw him, the sick and lonely.
"When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time,
He asked him, 'Would you like to get well?'" John 5:6
Would you like to get well... It seems like such a simple question doesn't it?
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
On Loss
Recently someone close to me suffered a terrible loss. Even though I didn't need to, they would have been none the wiser, I decided to talk to Sturart and The Scientist about it. I wanted them to know that sometimes bad things happen, things that will make us ask why. Why God? Why did something looked on with such joyful expectancy turn so tragic? Why, when we trust in You, does life get robbed from us?
Eleven years ago I was in a bad spot spiritually. I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior in 1999 and life was good. Life was good until I got lonely. Now there were other things at play, but that's the long and short of it. In 2002 and I was a girl very much conflicted, dropped out of college, found the wrong people to hang out with, et cetera et cetera. Then my Mom died. I was already having faith issues and that kind of sent me in a tail spin. Needless to say, I did not react well; became obsessed with some guy, followed him to Californian and got pregnant. Pretty much I was pretty screwed up in my head for a bit but God used that itty bitty little baby to begin to bring me back.
Fast forward a couple years and I was living with my boyfriend and my little boy. That man said he wanted to marry me and be my son's father. I said yes but I was still a little...screwy. Instead of doing things the right way, we decided to have a baby (isn't that usually when things go wrong, when 'we' decide and don't let God's will be done?). We were married when I was seven months pregnant with our forever angel Abby. When I went into labor we thought everything was normal and joyfully went to the hospital, then there was no heartbeat. When she died I didn't ask God why, I blamed myself. I thought my screwed up spiritual life and my sin left the door open for the devil to steal my baby. By the Grace of God, instead of running away in shame and fear, I ran to the Father and begged Him to take me in His arms and make everything thing okay. Within two months I was pregnant with The Scientist and life was good again.
In October 2010 dh lost his baby brother in a car accident, he was 28 years old-still a young man. I have never seen my husband that broken up and my dearest hope is that I won't ever see it again. I only knew him well enough to know he was a good guy, but the great injustice, in my mind, was that he had all this junk in his life going on that he never got a chance to resolve. Dh didn't tell me until later the full extent of what our daughter and his brother's death did to his spirit. The anger and confusion he felt. A life suddenly ended.
So there will be times in our life when we question God, His plan, His goodness. And that's okay, He wants us to bring these questions to Him. There is a thief in this world that comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Sometimes we don't understand when life doesn't happen the way we think it should, and we never will. But our hope comes from the Lord and He will comfort us in our time of need, we just need to call His name.
Eleven years ago I was in a bad spot spiritually. I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior in 1999 and life was good. Life was good until I got lonely. Now there were other things at play, but that's the long and short of it. In 2002 and I was a girl very much conflicted, dropped out of college, found the wrong people to hang out with, et cetera et cetera. Then my Mom died. I was already having faith issues and that kind of sent me in a tail spin. Needless to say, I did not react well; became obsessed with some guy, followed him to Californian and got pregnant. Pretty much I was pretty screwed up in my head for a bit but God used that itty bitty little baby to begin to bring me back.
Fast forward a couple years and I was living with my boyfriend and my little boy. That man said he wanted to marry me and be my son's father. I said yes but I was still a little...screwy. Instead of doing things the right way, we decided to have a baby (isn't that usually when things go wrong, when 'we' decide and don't let God's will be done?). We were married when I was seven months pregnant with our forever angel Abby. When I went into labor we thought everything was normal and joyfully went to the hospital, then there was no heartbeat. When she died I didn't ask God why, I blamed myself. I thought my screwed up spiritual life and my sin left the door open for the devil to steal my baby. By the Grace of God, instead of running away in shame and fear, I ran to the Father and begged Him to take me in His arms and make everything thing okay. Within two months I was pregnant with The Scientist and life was good again.
In October 2010 dh lost his baby brother in a car accident, he was 28 years old-still a young man. I have never seen my husband that broken up and my dearest hope is that I won't ever see it again. I only knew him well enough to know he was a good guy, but the great injustice, in my mind, was that he had all this junk in his life going on that he never got a chance to resolve. Dh didn't tell me until later the full extent of what our daughter and his brother's death did to his spirit. The anger and confusion he felt. A life suddenly ended.
So there will be times in our life when we question God, His plan, His goodness. And that's okay, He wants us to bring these questions to Him. There is a thief in this world that comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Sometimes we don't understand when life doesn't happen the way we think it should, and we never will. But our hope comes from the Lord and He will comfort us in our time of need, we just need to call His name.
"God blesses those who mourn,
for they will be comforted" Matthew 5:4
"I will turn their mourning into joy
I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing" Jeremiah 31:13b
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Sunday Morning Worship
"But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." Romans 5:8
A song that, quite frankly, brings tears to my eyes. "His kind of Love" by Group 1 Crew. Enjoy and be blessed!
Saturday, June 29, 2013
A Ramble on Human Nature
The minions and I were visiting some new friends the other day when one of the kids began to cry. Turns out that particular child has issues with taking turns which, let's face it, taking turns stinks. After it was all said and done I made the remark that The Scientist has issues with not winning competitions, hell hath no fury like that girl not getting first!
I was randomly thinking on this later on and it reminded me of my reaction to Romans 11 and how it all boils down to, well, jealousy.
Let me explain: in the book of Romans Paul is writing to the church in Rome (obviously) and in the particular chapter I reacted emotionally to, he is explaining where Israel fits in the whole salvation through Christ thing. To paraphrase 11:17-32, Paul is saying that the tree of Abraham is holy and it's branches are the Israelites. Since the Israelites rejected Jesus, their branches were cut away and the 'wild' branches of the Gentiles were grafted in. Paul then writes that the Gentiles should not be proud of this because it will only last until the full number of Gentiles are saved and then the Israelite branches will be put back in. He then goes on to write that Israel's heart is hard and this benefits us Gentiles, but that Israel is the one God loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Ouch, that kind of hurt a little...
Now Paul does go on to write about God's mercy being given to us and we know that "for God so loved the world he gave His one and only Son" but when I first read Romans 11 my feelings were hurt a little, and yes, I believe God's Word should evoke more than warm fuzzy feelings. There was a little 'that's not fair' going through my head.
Now I don't really have a point to all this other than to say, we are all human and we all have a sin nature. As much as adults like to think we are superior to children, we are not, we're just better at hiding.
I leave you with this: "Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His ways!" Romans 11:33.
ps. I haven't decided what song I'm going to post for Sunday but I would like to make it a regular thing :)
I was randomly thinking on this later on and it reminded me of my reaction to Romans 11 and how it all boils down to, well, jealousy.
Let me explain: in the book of Romans Paul is writing to the church in Rome (obviously) and in the particular chapter I reacted emotionally to, he is explaining where Israel fits in the whole salvation through Christ thing. To paraphrase 11:17-32, Paul is saying that the tree of Abraham is holy and it's branches are the Israelites. Since the Israelites rejected Jesus, their branches were cut away and the 'wild' branches of the Gentiles were grafted in. Paul then writes that the Gentiles should not be proud of this because it will only last until the full number of Gentiles are saved and then the Israelite branches will be put back in. He then goes on to write that Israel's heart is hard and this benefits us Gentiles, but that Israel is the one God loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Ouch, that kind of hurt a little...
Now Paul does go on to write about God's mercy being given to us and we know that "for God so loved the world he gave His one and only Son" but when I first read Romans 11 my feelings were hurt a little, and yes, I believe God's Word should evoke more than warm fuzzy feelings. There was a little 'that's not fair' going through my head.
Now I don't really have a point to all this other than to say, we are all human and we all have a sin nature. As much as adults like to think we are superior to children, we are not, we're just better at hiding.
I leave you with this: "Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His ways!" Romans 11:33.
ps. I haven't decided what song I'm going to post for Sunday but I would like to make it a regular thing :)
Monday, June 24, 2013
In Which We Hit the Pause Button
I skipped church yesterday and it was awesome. There, I said it, I feel purged. We were all up and getting ready to go, kids were eating breakfast while I fed the baby back in the bedroom...then Daddy laid down with us...then the kids crawled in and snuggled under the covers...then the music started. We spent over an hour in that bed, all five of us, just listening to praise to our Father. Now it wasn't some great spiritual experience that changed our lives and took all of our problems away, but it was counted as joy. It was awesome to just stop and enjoy the life put before us. There are so many times when we rush to get ready, get things done, that we miss the moments that could be spent cuddling. Someday they will be too old to want to snuggle in bed with their momma and daddy but I thank God that He gave us the time right now and the wisdom to see it for what it was-joy.
Afterwards dh went and picked up a crib and signed the kids up for swimming lessons! Last night I was able to sleep with my husband for the first time in four months and little love bug didn't put up a fight! Also, when dh gets home tonight he gets to do what he loves best: surprise the kids by taking them to their first lesson (I learned very early on that dh loves to surprise people, it's like his love language. I also learned not to try to guess and ruin it-if I'm right it's like I kicked his puppy, lol). Setting up the crib forced us to start organizing our bedroom, which hasn't been done since we moved in six months ago (and still isn't done but ya' know...).
By the grace of God it's looking to be a pretty stellar week and when obstacles come (and they will-probably by lunch time) His grace will carry us. So will His forgiveness when I don't always handle it well.
Afterwards dh went and picked up a crib and signed the kids up for swimming lessons! Last night I was able to sleep with my husband for the first time in four months and little love bug didn't put up a fight! Also, when dh gets home tonight he gets to do what he loves best: surprise the kids by taking them to their first lesson (I learned very early on that dh loves to surprise people, it's like his love language. I also learned not to try to guess and ruin it-if I'm right it's like I kicked his puppy, lol). Setting up the crib forced us to start organizing our bedroom, which hasn't been done since we moved in six months ago (and still isn't done but ya' know...).
By the grace of God it's looking to be a pretty stellar week and when obstacles come (and they will-probably by lunch time) His grace will carry us. So will His forgiveness when I don't always handle it well.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
A little something for Sunday
The Scientist and I recently bought a Britt Nicole cd, Gold, and we have been jammin' out! I think it's so awesome to be able to listen to such positive music with my little girl, especially in a day and age where girls (and boys) are under so much pressure to fit in and have the right image. It's also a great get up and go album!
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Not happy
So let's talk about expectations, specifically about changing them. That has been my biggest struggle since... always. I've been programmed to believe that you should never be happy where you're at, you should always strive for more. Can I just stop here and call bull----? Should people have goals and aspirations? Absolutely, but let's have some boundaries people! Paul writes in the forth chapter of Philipians "I have learned to be content with whatever I have.I have learned to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength."
Why is that truth so hard to grasp?! When we decided I should stay home with the kids, we adjusted. Went back to college, adjust. Aspergers, adjust. Homeschool, adjust. So life has been one big adjustment after another and I strongly suspect everyone elses' life is too. To be honest, those big adjustments are easy, a cake walk, compared to the everyday expectations we place on ourselves.
This year is a perfect example. We had a rough start to the year, not bad-just rough, but that was okay because we're homeschoolers so we can make up the time. Then a job opportunity came up and we moved in November. Then the holidays and trying to make it special for the kids without being able to see their friends and family. Then our little love bug was born, and the whole time I have been determined to plow through through and get school done. I have done a fraction of what I set out to do at the beginning of the school year. Not only that but my house is a disaster area and try as I might I cannot seem to get on top of it. My husband has come home to see me in tears because I just wanted to get the dishes done and the laundry put away. I just wanted.....dh would strike those words from my vocabulary if he could. He gives me ten kinds of a hard time when our six year old says those same words she's heard her momma say. Add to the craziness I have what the books call a 'high-need' baby. Very rarely can I put her down without her screaming. very very rarely will she fall asleep without nursing, and when I say screaming I mean back arching, ear piercing, head throbbing, screaming. While I've tried wearing her to get stuff done, it just ends up being a pain so expectations get adjusted. Maybe someday I'll learn to not be so hard on myself and be content but until then I'll just be content with my patient husband who, fortunately, doesn't care what the house looks like. And since the dishes have to be done the kids and I have taken to looking at each other and saying, "she's not happy Bob, not. happy."
Why is that truth so hard to grasp?! When we decided I should stay home with the kids, we adjusted. Went back to college, adjust. Aspergers, adjust. Homeschool, adjust. So life has been one big adjustment after another and I strongly suspect everyone elses' life is too. To be honest, those big adjustments are easy, a cake walk, compared to the everyday expectations we place on ourselves.
This year is a perfect example. We had a rough start to the year, not bad-just rough, but that was okay because we're homeschoolers so we can make up the time. Then a job opportunity came up and we moved in November. Then the holidays and trying to make it special for the kids without being able to see their friends and family. Then our little love bug was born, and the whole time I have been determined to plow through through and get school done. I have done a fraction of what I set out to do at the beginning of the school year. Not only that but my house is a disaster area and try as I might I cannot seem to get on top of it. My husband has come home to see me in tears because I just wanted to get the dishes done and the laundry put away. I just wanted.....dh would strike those words from my vocabulary if he could. He gives me ten kinds of a hard time when our six year old says those same words she's heard her momma say. Add to the craziness I have what the books call a 'high-need' baby. Very rarely can I put her down without her screaming. very very rarely will she fall asleep without nursing, and when I say screaming I mean back arching, ear piercing, head throbbing, screaming. While I've tried wearing her to get stuff done, it just ends up being a pain so expectations get adjusted. Maybe someday I'll learn to not be so hard on myself and be content but until then I'll just be content with my patient husband who, fortunately, doesn't care what the house looks like. And since the dishes have to be done the kids and I have taken to looking at each other and saying, "she's not happy Bob, not. happy."
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
The little things
My little love bug has a stuffy nose. While extremely irritating a stuffy nose is not that big of a deal, but when you're a week shy of four months it's huge. After her Daddy and I alternated between holding her down and picking the boogies out, we had a restless night and a rough start to the day.
The point of this little story is that sometimes circumstances beyond our control come up and they aren't necessarily that big of a deal, but they keep us up at night and drag us down in the morning. I can't count the number of times I've laid awake at night worrying about the things I wanted to accomplish only to be so tired the next day I either didn't get as much done, or I was a bit snappy with the kids while pushing through to get my to do list done- or both. So what is to be done?
Pray, pray a lot. Pray with your kids, it's good for them to see you struggle and turn to the Lord. Read the Word, reread the same verse if you're so tired you can't help it, but read it anyway. Adjust your expectations. Ever notice when God's trying to tell you something you hear the same message over and over and from random places? Yeah, that's been mine...
While it's easier said than done (sooo much easier said than done) let me encourage you to take a deep breath and talk to the Father about it. Then go laugh with your kids, it's good medicine.
"Let all who seek God's help be encouraged." Psalm 69:32b
Over the past couple years I have drawn a lot of inspiration and encouragement from God's Word and some really great writers. I put a widget (I think it's called) on the side called 'blogs I dig' that I will add to so anyone who needs more encouragement (or just more reading material) can easily find it.
The point of this little story is that sometimes circumstances beyond our control come up and they aren't necessarily that big of a deal, but they keep us up at night and drag us down in the morning. I can't count the number of times I've laid awake at night worrying about the things I wanted to accomplish only to be so tired the next day I either didn't get as much done, or I was a bit snappy with the kids while pushing through to get my to do list done- or both. So what is to be done?
Pray, pray a lot. Pray with your kids, it's good for them to see you struggle and turn to the Lord. Read the Word, reread the same verse if you're so tired you can't help it, but read it anyway. Adjust your expectations. Ever notice when God's trying to tell you something you hear the same message over and over and from random places? Yeah, that's been mine...
While it's easier said than done (sooo much easier said than done) let me encourage you to take a deep breath and talk to the Father about it. Then go laugh with your kids, it's good medicine.
"Let all who seek God's help be encouraged." Psalm 69:32b
Over the past couple years I have drawn a lot of inspiration and encouragement from God's Word and some really great writers. I put a widget (I think it's called) on the side called 'blogs I dig' that I will add to so anyone who needs more encouragement (or just more reading material) can easily find it.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Complicated
So Stuart, the Scientist, love bug, and I were rollin' in our caddy with the top down listnin' to the preacher man on the radio when a thought struck me:
we Christians make things way to complicated.
I'm not sure who we were listening to but he was talking about the difference between the Holy Spirit being within a believer or upon a believer, I didn't know there was a difference! I mean really, are we so hung up on our own intellect that we debate about whether the Holy Spirit is upon us or within us?! Correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't we be more concerned with saving the lost and living a life that is pleasing to God and is a testimony to others? In 2Corinthians Paul writes "Our letters have been straightforward, and there is nothing written between the lines and nothing you can't understand." 1:13. So why do we make it so complicated!
Jesus taught us that He is "the way, the truth, and the life" no more, no less. I am of the opinion that when we argue amongst ourselves about such trivial things we demean Christ. We who are supposed to be the light of the world dim that light with confusion and if our light is dim how are the lost supposed to find their way?
I suppose it is human nature to insist on our own way thinking. We are all right in our own eyes, but aren't there more important things? 1Corinthians 13 tells us that love does not insist on it's own way and several times we are told that the second greatest commandment is to love others as ourselves. These are the ways we reach unbelievers but yet if we are too busy debating semantics how are doing that?
Let our faith be pure and undefiled. Let us agree that Christ is Lord, son of our Father in Heaven, rose from the dead. Anything else, let us agree to disagree and quit picking at each other. I knew many people when I was younger that were so disgusted with the Christian faith because of the hypocrisy of professing faith in Jesus and His teachings but refusing to live in the way He taught us, instead living according to law which is exactly what Jesus warned us against.
Perhaps I'm looking to deeply into it. Perhaps my thought process is too jumbled to make sense but I do know this: "Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith." Galatians 3:14 That is what is important.
(we actually drive an Xterra and we were in the parking lot where dh's work is but that doesn't sound as cool )
we Christians make things way to complicated.
I'm not sure who we were listening to but he was talking about the difference between the Holy Spirit being within a believer or upon a believer, I didn't know there was a difference! I mean really, are we so hung up on our own intellect that we debate about whether the Holy Spirit is upon us or within us?! Correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't we be more concerned with saving the lost and living a life that is pleasing to God and is a testimony to others? In 2Corinthians Paul writes "Our letters have been straightforward, and there is nothing written between the lines and nothing you can't understand." 1:13. So why do we make it so complicated!
Jesus taught us that He is "the way, the truth, and the life" no more, no less. I am of the opinion that when we argue amongst ourselves about such trivial things we demean Christ. We who are supposed to be the light of the world dim that light with confusion and if our light is dim how are the lost supposed to find their way?
I suppose it is human nature to insist on our own way thinking. We are all right in our own eyes, but aren't there more important things? 1Corinthians 13 tells us that love does not insist on it's own way and several times we are told that the second greatest commandment is to love others as ourselves. These are the ways we reach unbelievers but yet if we are too busy debating semantics how are doing that?
Let our faith be pure and undefiled. Let us agree that Christ is Lord, son of our Father in Heaven, rose from the dead. Anything else, let us agree to disagree and quit picking at each other. I knew many people when I was younger that were so disgusted with the Christian faith because of the hypocrisy of professing faith in Jesus and His teachings but refusing to live in the way He taught us, instead living according to law which is exactly what Jesus warned us against.
Perhaps I'm looking to deeply into it. Perhaps my thought process is too jumbled to make sense but I do know this: "Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith." Galatians 3:14 That is what is important.
(we actually drive an Xterra and we were in the parking lot where dh's work is but that doesn't sound as cool )
Thursday, June 13, 2013
....Hi
Hi, my name is Courtney and I'm a homeschool mom...
In all seriousness though (really? probably not but I can try) I figured now would be the time to tell you a little about myself. Maybe one day I'll figure out what I'm doing and turn this post into a nifty little 'about me' tab!
I have been married to a wonderful man for ummm...seven years? Yeah, seven-we had an unconventional 'courtship' and one I will not encourage our babies to have! We started living together pretty much since our first date which will be nine years in October and that's the 'anniversary' I remember. Big disclaimer here: I am not perfect nor will I ever claim to be!! My little boy was six months old then and dh adopted him when we got married. I kinda like 'em, think I'll keep 'em ;)
When I told the kids I was going to start blogging we decided they could pick code names so that when I mention them I will use their super secret spy code names. My oldest is 9 and his code name is 'Stuart', I don't get it but hey. My tornado is 6 and her code name is 'the Scientist' which fits her well; perfect example is when she took down half of a display at her Daddy's work and she looks at me and says "sorry Momma, I just wanted to see what it looked like." I hear a variation of that statement fairly often, see, feel, what it would do, so on and so forth...I don't think I've gotten smell yet though but give it time. We also have a wee one that was born earlier this year that I will call 'love bug.' We also have another wee one safe in her Father's arms, she would be seven now and her name is Abby.
We just moved to a town outside of Corpus Christi, TX last November from Oklahoma for dh's job. We really like it here so far but people drive crazy!
The. beach. is. awesome!!!
Well, that's my family! We have fun together, occasionally give each other a hard time, and laugh at fart jokes. Oh, and we homeschool too! Feel free to comment and tell me who you are!
Peace out yo...because I'm a goofball like that.
In all seriousness though (really? probably not but I can try) I figured now would be the time to tell you a little about myself. Maybe one day I'll figure out what I'm doing and turn this post into a nifty little 'about me' tab!
I have been married to a wonderful man for ummm...seven years? Yeah, seven-we had an unconventional 'courtship' and one I will not encourage our babies to have! We started living together pretty much since our first date which will be nine years in October and that's the 'anniversary' I remember. Big disclaimer here: I am not perfect nor will I ever claim to be!! My little boy was six months old then and dh adopted him when we got married. I kinda like 'em, think I'll keep 'em ;)
When I told the kids I was going to start blogging we decided they could pick code names so that when I mention them I will use their super secret spy code names. My oldest is 9 and his code name is 'Stuart', I don't get it but hey. My tornado is 6 and her code name is 'the Scientist' which fits her well; perfect example is when she took down half of a display at her Daddy's work and she looks at me and says "sorry Momma, I just wanted to see what it looked like." I hear a variation of that statement fairly often, see, feel, what it would do, so on and so forth...I don't think I've gotten smell yet though but give it time. We also have a wee one that was born earlier this year that I will call 'love bug.' We also have another wee one safe in her Father's arms, she would be seven now and her name is Abby.
We just moved to a town outside of Corpus Christi, TX last November from Oklahoma for dh's job. We really like it here so far but people drive crazy!
The. beach. is. awesome!!!
Well, that's my family! We have fun together, occasionally give each other a hard time, and laugh at fart jokes. Oh, and we homeschool too! Feel free to comment and tell me who you are!
Peace out yo...because I'm a goofball like that.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Why I'm Doing This
"Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me." Psalm 51:10 (NLT)
So, why have I decided to start posting in this blog I started a year and a half ago? To help people? To help myself? My pride? Who am I to think I'm important enough to have people listen to? Will anyone actually read this or is it a lame attempt at relevance?
While I think it's important to ask these questions in order to stay humble it is of far more important to seek to hear God's voice. "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else" Matthew 6:33. This verse has been my mantra for 2013; knowing that if I seek Him, He has all under control. Which brings me back to why, why this, why now?
Dunno, your guess is as good as mine! The NIV translation says "create in me a pure heart" and that is my prayer. Do I hope I help others, of course, but more than likely it is to help myself-an attempt to reach out and say...hi.
While I admit I have a Pink Floyd song going through my head, "hello, is there anybody out there? Can anybody hear me? Is there anyone home?" my greatest desire is to do the will of the One that sent me, whatever that may be.
So, why have I decided to start posting in this blog I started a year and a half ago? To help people? To help myself? My pride? Who am I to think I'm important enough to have people listen to? Will anyone actually read this or is it a lame attempt at relevance?
While I think it's important to ask these questions in order to stay humble it is of far more important to seek to hear God's voice. "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else" Matthew 6:33. This verse has been my mantra for 2013; knowing that if I seek Him, He has all under control. Which brings me back to why, why this, why now?
Dunno, your guess is as good as mine! The NIV translation says "create in me a pure heart" and that is my prayer. Do I hope I help others, of course, but more than likely it is to help myself-an attempt to reach out and say...hi.
While I admit I have a Pink Floyd song going through my head, "hello, is there anybody out there? Can anybody hear me? Is there anyone home?" my greatest desire is to do the will of the One that sent me, whatever that may be.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Afraid to be a Jesus Freak
There is a Newsboys song called 'Jesus Freak' that was big when I first became a believer in 1999; the lyric I have going through my head goes something like this, "what would people say if they hear that I'm a Jesus Freak, what would people do if they find that it's true." See I've come to realize something about myself...I am a Jesus Freak. I love Him with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. I think about Godly things constantly. The problem? I stink at small talk because most people don't want to have spirit-filled discussions right when they meet you, people tend to quietly back away from the crazy person talking about Jesus. It doesn't help that I seem to be an exceptionally strange and painfully shy person anyway-my idea of fun is playing with a microscope and reading physiology books, oddly enough most people don't get into that kind of thing...
While I'm beginning to be okay with who God made me to be it does become a bit lonesome at times. My husband bears it well but I try not to make his head swim with all my ramblings ;) I guess my point is that I am afraid to let my freak flag fly, I am human after all and enjoy making friends, however we are not called to be lukewarm but to let our light shine before all men.
Whelp, that's all I got, deep thoughts for a Monday afternoon.
While I'm beginning to be okay with who God made me to be it does become a bit lonesome at times. My husband bears it well but I try not to make his head swim with all my ramblings ;) I guess my point is that I am afraid to let my freak flag fly, I am human after all and enjoy making friends, however we are not called to be lukewarm but to let our light shine before all men.
Whelp, that's all I got, deep thoughts for a Monday afternoon.
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