I have put this off as long as I could. I wanted to let everyone know how well things were going. Last week was a blessed week of life and school. All three of my children were so glad to get started back with our schooling. Of course they miss mama not being there all day, but they are maturing so well.
I could not believe how well they did with their Bible Study and how much they enjoyed it. We also started doing some Bible reading together as a family and I gave them each portions of scripture to read. Now let me tell you, not all of them were reading up to par. It was a slow progression, but when each of them read on Mon. evening, I was blown away. What blew me out the water was not only their readiness and eagerness for reading the Word together, but their level of reading, their fluency, their pronunciation, and sounding out words they weren’t familiar with.
Now, before I ever began home-schooling, I went to school. I read all the books I could get or request from other local libraries and I researched on the internet for hours & days, until I finally felt some comfort in the task I was about to take hold of. I knew what it all said, and yet, when it happened to my children, I panicked. I read about boys and their stages of development in reading and math, I read about the various learning styles and how they affect the learning of children. I didn’t push or force, I just let it happen naturally.
AMAZING is all I have to say. Now I watch and listen as my son really is enjoying math. No more tears. I listen as one of my daughters read and the words just spilled forth from her mouth…it astonished even her, the confidence she showed in herself.
God is so good to answer prayers…if anyone doubts (as I do sometimes), God is good and faithful to do just what He promised. If we will be about His business, He will definitely be about our business.(more thoughts on that quote later)
There have been some bumps along the way in just the first week of school, no different than when we used the Bible as our entire curriculum; except for math. Satan does not like it when we are sold out for Christ and trying to get closer to Him.
So overall, week one was wonderful.
8/31/2008
8/28/2008
How to Memorize Scripture:
1. Pick your topic- write it on the corner of a 3x5 index card
Once you have picked your topic.
2. Write all references in order from Old to New Testament pertaining to that topic on the card. JUST the references NO VERSES YET!!
3. Memorize References in Order
4. WALK As you work- walk as you try to memorize the references- if you sit not as much oxygen reaches the brain... walk as you try to memorize!
5. Write the verses to each reference on a separate card! Write by hand, not type... writing them yourself- will start the process of memorizing the scripture.
6.Repetition is the key to learning- Keep at it!
1. Pick your topic- write it on the corner of a 3x5 index card
Once you have picked your topic.
2. Write all references in order from Old to New Testament pertaining to that topic on the card. JUST the references NO VERSES YET!!
3. Memorize References in Order
4. WALK As you work- walk as you try to memorize the references- if you sit not as much oxygen reaches the brain... walk as you try to memorize!
5. Write the verses to each reference on a separate card! Write by hand, not type... writing them yourself- will start the process of memorizing the scripture.
6.Repetition is the key to learning- Keep at it!
8/27/2008
Our First Day of School & How to Study the Bible
Yesterday was our first day of school. We usually don’t start until the day after Labor Day, but my children have been anxious to getting going. I’ve struggled a bit with doing it God’s way, as mentioned in previous posts, but finally we dug in and just did it.
They did do some math, not much. Reading, they read their Bibles…A LOT, and read a missionary story (they will do this for some time as we are planning on going on our first missions trip sometime next year). They did a little bit of spelling, we seriously need to work on that a bit, especially my son. But we didn’t dwell on it as much as we usually do. We focused on the Word of God.
I attended a conference last month and learned how to study the Bible for myself and figured my girls are old enough to learn as well. I tell you, if someone had shown me this method when I first got saved, I don’t think I would be the same. It has transformed my way of reading the Bible. Priscilla Shirer taught the method and assured us we would never “need” to pick up another person’s written Bible Study again and I believe it!!!
I will start with John 1 (which is what we are all studying right now)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.' " 16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
19 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." 21 And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." 22 Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?" 23 He said: "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the Lord," ' as the prophet Isaiah said." 24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" 26 John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. 27 It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose." 28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.' 31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water." 32 And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' 34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." 35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"
37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?" 39 He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). 40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).
43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me." 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." 46 And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" 48 Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." 49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" 50 Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these." 51 And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."
So we read the entire chapter. Then we only study a few scriptures at a time. So for yesterday we focused on verse 1-5. Read those few verses again. Read them a third time, slowly while asking God to open His Word up to you. Meditate on those verses.
Now you will take each verse and write it in your own words. Below is what I actually did.
John 1:1- Before anything existed, Jesus was everything & He was with God.
John 1:2- Jesus was with God.
John 1:3- Jesus made everything and nothing was made without Him.
John 1:4- Jesus is life & light to all.
John 1:5- Jesus came into the world to be light but the world did not understand or accept
Him as the light (Savior, Messiah)
Then you close your Bible, because you have all you need at this point written in front of you. You meditate on the scriptures as you have re-written them. Please do all of these steps with prayer. I thought at first, it was like changing scripture, but when God is leading you, He really is opening your mind and heart to what He has for you. You will find nuggets of GOLD!
Now you write out what God is directing you to apply to your life now.
John 1:1- I need to remember that Jesus is everything I need.
John 1:2- I need to remember that Jesus is no longer on the cross but He sits with God.
John 1:3- Everything I have & everything I see, God made.
John 1:4- I need to remember that it is because of God that I have life and He must shine
Bright in my life in all I do.
John 1:5- Just as Jesus was not understood back then, it is the same now. But He does
Continue to be who He is and shine.
Now you write this out in a prayer.
Heavenly Father, I thank you for being You, I thank You for Your Son Jesus Christ. I pray Lord that You will enable me to remember that Jesus is everything I need and that He is no longer on the cross, but sits with You daily. All that I have and all that I see was created by You and through You. Help me to remember that it is because of You that I have life and that You must shine bright in my life. And Lord when I am faced with persecution and trials, help me to remember that You were rejected by Your chosen people even during Your time and it will be so now. But I am responsible for allowing Your light to shine forth in my life that You may be glorified. In Jesus Christ’s Name I pray, Amen.
Finally, you pray aloud the very prayer you just wrote.
Please write whatever the Lord is leading you to write. You can get as detailed as you need to or it may be just as simple as mine was above. I believe God did it that way so as not to overwhelm my girls since it was their first time. Whatever His reason, it worked…they loved it. A few times the oldest one kept writing and we were waiting on her. She just ran with it. Afterwards she had this big grin on her face and said mom, I love this. I really like doing this. It is easy, but God just opened up so much to me in that short time. All I could say is I know! That’s exactly how I felt. Now imagine here I am at 37 learning how to do this and I have taught my 15 & 16 year olds how to do this. How much more of an advantage they already have on me. Oh Lord that You would bless them indeed and open up Your Word to them that they will never be the same, that they would pass this down for generations to come and make a shift in the legacy left behind.
What this allows the Word to do is penetrate in Your heart, but it helps you to have a deeper understanding of it and grasp what it is God wants you to do in your life to apply it. I truly believe that if you are reading the Word and not applying it, you are merely a hearer and not a doer. I want to be both! According to Priscilla, she has notebooks of whole books she has done. She has done some over and God has enlightened her to something she didn’t see the first time. That is what excites me as well, you can’t get bored with it, because you don’t know what He is going to show you next.
They did do some math, not much. Reading, they read their Bibles…A LOT, and read a missionary story (they will do this for some time as we are planning on going on our first missions trip sometime next year). They did a little bit of spelling, we seriously need to work on that a bit, especially my son. But we didn’t dwell on it as much as we usually do. We focused on the Word of God.
I attended a conference last month and learned how to study the Bible for myself and figured my girls are old enough to learn as well. I tell you, if someone had shown me this method when I first got saved, I don’t think I would be the same. It has transformed my way of reading the Bible. Priscilla Shirer taught the method and assured us we would never “need” to pick up another person’s written Bible Study again and I believe it!!!
I will start with John 1 (which is what we are all studying right now)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.' " 16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
19 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." 21 And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." 22 Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?" 23 He said: "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the Lord," ' as the prophet Isaiah said." 24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" 26 John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. 27 It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose." 28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.' 31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water." 32 And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' 34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." 35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"
37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?" 39 He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). 40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).
43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me." 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." 46 And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" 48 Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." 49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" 50 Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these." 51 And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."
So we read the entire chapter. Then we only study a few scriptures at a time. So for yesterday we focused on verse 1-5. Read those few verses again. Read them a third time, slowly while asking God to open His Word up to you. Meditate on those verses.
Now you will take each verse and write it in your own words. Below is what I actually did.
John 1:1- Before anything existed, Jesus was everything & He was with God.
John 1:2- Jesus was with God.
John 1:3- Jesus made everything and nothing was made without Him.
John 1:4- Jesus is life & light to all.
John 1:5- Jesus came into the world to be light but the world did not understand or accept
Him as the light (Savior, Messiah)
Then you close your Bible, because you have all you need at this point written in front of you. You meditate on the scriptures as you have re-written them. Please do all of these steps with prayer. I thought at first, it was like changing scripture, but when God is leading you, He really is opening your mind and heart to what He has for you. You will find nuggets of GOLD!
Now you write out what God is directing you to apply to your life now.
John 1:1- I need to remember that Jesus is everything I need.
John 1:2- I need to remember that Jesus is no longer on the cross but He sits with God.
John 1:3- Everything I have & everything I see, God made.
John 1:4- I need to remember that it is because of God that I have life and He must shine
Bright in my life in all I do.
John 1:5- Just as Jesus was not understood back then, it is the same now. But He does
Continue to be who He is and shine.
Now you write this out in a prayer.
Heavenly Father, I thank you for being You, I thank You for Your Son Jesus Christ. I pray Lord that You will enable me to remember that Jesus is everything I need and that He is no longer on the cross, but sits with You daily. All that I have and all that I see was created by You and through You. Help me to remember that it is because of You that I have life and that You must shine bright in my life. And Lord when I am faced with persecution and trials, help me to remember that You were rejected by Your chosen people even during Your time and it will be so now. But I am responsible for allowing Your light to shine forth in my life that You may be glorified. In Jesus Christ’s Name I pray, Amen.
Finally, you pray aloud the very prayer you just wrote.
Please write whatever the Lord is leading you to write. You can get as detailed as you need to or it may be just as simple as mine was above. I believe God did it that way so as not to overwhelm my girls since it was their first time. Whatever His reason, it worked…they loved it. A few times the oldest one kept writing and we were waiting on her. She just ran with it. Afterwards she had this big grin on her face and said mom, I love this. I really like doing this. It is easy, but God just opened up so much to me in that short time. All I could say is I know! That’s exactly how I felt. Now imagine here I am at 37 learning how to do this and I have taught my 15 & 16 year olds how to do this. How much more of an advantage they already have on me. Oh Lord that You would bless them indeed and open up Your Word to them that they will never be the same, that they would pass this down for generations to come and make a shift in the legacy left behind.
What this allows the Word to do is penetrate in Your heart, but it helps you to have a deeper understanding of it and grasp what it is God wants you to do in your life to apply it. I truly believe that if you are reading the Word and not applying it, you are merely a hearer and not a doer. I want to be both! According to Priscilla, she has notebooks of whole books she has done. She has done some over and God has enlightened her to something she didn’t see the first time. That is what excites me as well, you can’t get bored with it, because you don’t know what He is going to show you next.
8/26/2008
Worry Free Living
Before I can even get into How God Read My Mail or must have been that proverbial Fly on the Wall at my house, let me first share some of the history of the past week for you to get a clearer understanding of where I’m coming from.
The saga with the house is still ongoing. Then we’ll add all my regular bills, plus money I owe to everyone that has helped me out when money got low or was non-existent. Then I get word of a few other “unexpected” bills that need to be taken care of with September’s paycheck. Never mind that I’m still trying to adjust to getting paid once a month.
So, I’ve got all that on my mind and trying to figure out where all this money is coming from…because aside from what my children may think, I really do not have a tree in the back that produces money. And then I will confess that I know that I am really struggling this month because I ROBBED GOD!
Confessions really are good for the soul, but can also show you how foolish you really are. Duh, I know this principle and I’ve obeyed it and watched God do some amazing things. Anyway, I’ve been mentally tallying up all that will be coming out of my check and I’m already in the red and I haven’t even gotten paid yet.
Next, God has clearly told me not to focus on academics for the next 2-3 months with the children’s schooling, to strictly focus on His word and disciple my children. He’s been so clear on what to do that we will only need a few items to get school started tomorrow. Nevertheless, how many of you know it’s easy to get out of Egypt but hard to get the Egyptian mentality out of you r mind? So here I spent the majority of my weekend trying to gather up the math curriculum we need to finish up, I’ve gone online and printed out free worksheet, etc. However, there is a kink in “my” well thought out plan. We didn’t pack their school curriculum in storage, yet we can’t find a set of math books. Mind you the house is virtually empty because we’ll be vacating it rather soon. So where are the books? I frantically searched for them. We went to the storage room on two separate occasions on Saturday to search for them; NOTHING! Well, we did find several other school books but not the math books. UGH
I worried/fretted, got anxious/nervous. I even cried! I wanted those books and I wanted them now. Never mind that GOD SAID to focus solely on Him for now. Surely He meant for us to also do some academic work as well. You know, surely I know better than God…as far as what my children need. After all, I’m their mother!
Well, we have to give up the search, but my mind is on books as I go to bed. I should have been preparing my mind for Sunday worship, but did that dawn on me?
While Pastor Evans is away on vacation, he invited several different speakers to minister to us in his place. He did a find job in the ones he chose. No, none of them can replace him, but wow they were all good. Well this Sunday it was Dr. Maurice Watson from Macon, GA. His message was on Worry Free Living. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm I thought, this may be good. Don’t you know God was already in my ear whispering, yes and this is just for you!
Within my ranting, I will attempt to include my notes, but I apologize in advance because I know that they don’t do justice to his message.
Please take a moment to read Matthew 6:25-34 – Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of he field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29”and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 “Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 “For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33”But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these tings shall be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Is worry/stress so common to you as breathing/sleeping? Worry causes sickness, diseases, rapid aging, abuse of legal/illegal drugs & alcohol. At the age of 4 we worry about a dark room. At the age of 13 we worry about our appearance & fitting in. Parents worry about their parenting skills, employees worry about job security, and senior citizens worry about cuts to their social security. But God has given us an instruction manual we refuse to use. In Matthew 6:25-34, there is a process to living a worry free life.
Comply with the command DON’T WORRY! To worry is to be distracted or torn in two different directions. To come apart at the seams of your mind. If God had enough sense to make us, doesn’t He have enough to provide our needs to sustain the very life He gave/gives us?
This reminds me of a song by Kirk Franklin…He Will Supply. One of the lines is He will supply your NEEDS not your GREEDS. There is a difference. My thought was – standing in a shoe store, a woman spots a bad pair of blue (navy blue) pumps. She doesn’t have any that look like that. She knows she shouldn’t buy the shoes but she justifies it with, I NEED these to go with an outfit in my closet. This was not a need, but a greed. God said He would supply our needs. He doesn’t mind us having more than our basic needs, if you get more, that is a bonus blessing.
Get your priorities in order. It clearly says to seek FIRST the Kingdom. Seek God, His ways and all these things will be added. Sooooo when I robbed God & didn’t seek His way, His Kingdom, I struggled to make ends meet. However, in the past when I’ve given the tithe, even though bills were more than my money, I paid all bills and still had extra. ONLY GOD!!!
Lastly it says don’t worry about tomorrow. Worrying about something you can’t change or about something that may never happen will cause you to go to an early grave. Face the future by planning wisely but don’t worry about it.
So I’m sitting there in service listening intently and thinking over my week & weekend. Boy did I have much to repent for. But it’s like I can hear the Lord…with a loud, long, sigh J (My interpretation) My child, didn’t I already give you guidance and instructions? All you needed to do was obey. If I care for the birds in the air & the flowers in the field, wouldn’t I take care of you & your children who are far more important to me?
Why do we worry? Why do we doubt? Especially for those of us that have seen God pour out blessings we had no room to receive. What stops us in our tracks and has us thinking God is not concerned with our needs that they must be too small or that they’re even too big for Him to do anything about? Dare I say it’s because we put God back in a box & figure we are more capable than Him. Yes we know He is the Creator of all but…Or we so easily & foolishly forget all that He’s already done for us.
Wow, sounds like the Israelites AGAIN!!! You know those chosen people that God brought out of slavery, covered , fed & protected them and yet time after time they forgot what He had already done and focused on what was before the. Or like Peter walking on water…at least he was while his eyes were on Jesus.
Take your eyes off of God and forget about His kingdom & you will have a life full of worry. Now I don’t know if you got the same conclusion I did, but I will leave you to draw your own.
The saga with the house is still ongoing. Then we’ll add all my regular bills, plus money I owe to everyone that has helped me out when money got low or was non-existent. Then I get word of a few other “unexpected” bills that need to be taken care of with September’s paycheck. Never mind that I’m still trying to adjust to getting paid once a month.
So, I’ve got all that on my mind and trying to figure out where all this money is coming from…because aside from what my children may think, I really do not have a tree in the back that produces money. And then I will confess that I know that I am really struggling this month because I ROBBED GOD!
Confessions really are good for the soul, but can also show you how foolish you really are. Duh, I know this principle and I’ve obeyed it and watched God do some amazing things. Anyway, I’ve been mentally tallying up all that will be coming out of my check and I’m already in the red and I haven’t even gotten paid yet.
Next, God has clearly told me not to focus on academics for the next 2-3 months with the children’s schooling, to strictly focus on His word and disciple my children. He’s been so clear on what to do that we will only need a few items to get school started tomorrow. Nevertheless, how many of you know it’s easy to get out of Egypt but hard to get the Egyptian mentality out of you r mind? So here I spent the majority of my weekend trying to gather up the math curriculum we need to finish up, I’ve gone online and printed out free worksheet, etc. However, there is a kink in “my” well thought out plan. We didn’t pack their school curriculum in storage, yet we can’t find a set of math books. Mind you the house is virtually empty because we’ll be vacating it rather soon. So where are the books? I frantically searched for them. We went to the storage room on two separate occasions on Saturday to search for them; NOTHING! Well, we did find several other school books but not the math books. UGH
I worried/fretted, got anxious/nervous. I even cried! I wanted those books and I wanted them now. Never mind that GOD SAID to focus solely on Him for now. Surely He meant for us to also do some academic work as well. You know, surely I know better than God…as far as what my children need. After all, I’m their mother!
Well, we have to give up the search, but my mind is on books as I go to bed. I should have been preparing my mind for Sunday worship, but did that dawn on me?
While Pastor Evans is away on vacation, he invited several different speakers to minister to us in his place. He did a find job in the ones he chose. No, none of them can replace him, but wow they were all good. Well this Sunday it was Dr. Maurice Watson from Macon, GA. His message was on Worry Free Living. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm I thought, this may be good. Don’t you know God was already in my ear whispering, yes and this is just for you!
Within my ranting, I will attempt to include my notes, but I apologize in advance because I know that they don’t do justice to his message.
Please take a moment to read Matthew 6:25-34 – Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of he field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29”and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 “Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 “For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33”But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these tings shall be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Is worry/stress so common to you as breathing/sleeping? Worry causes sickness, diseases, rapid aging, abuse of legal/illegal drugs & alcohol. At the age of 4 we worry about a dark room. At the age of 13 we worry about our appearance & fitting in. Parents worry about their parenting skills, employees worry about job security, and senior citizens worry about cuts to their social security. But God has given us an instruction manual we refuse to use. In Matthew 6:25-34, there is a process to living a worry free life.
Comply with the command DON’T WORRY! To worry is to be distracted or torn in two different directions. To come apart at the seams of your mind. If God had enough sense to make us, doesn’t He have enough to provide our needs to sustain the very life He gave/gives us?
This reminds me of a song by Kirk Franklin…He Will Supply. One of the lines is He will supply your NEEDS not your GREEDS. There is a difference. My thought was – standing in a shoe store, a woman spots a bad pair of blue (navy blue) pumps. She doesn’t have any that look like that. She knows she shouldn’t buy the shoes but she justifies it with, I NEED these to go with an outfit in my closet. This was not a need, but a greed. God said He would supply our needs. He doesn’t mind us having more than our basic needs, if you get more, that is a bonus blessing.
Get your priorities in order. It clearly says to seek FIRST the Kingdom. Seek God, His ways and all these things will be added. Sooooo when I robbed God & didn’t seek His way, His Kingdom, I struggled to make ends meet. However, in the past when I’ve given the tithe, even though bills were more than my money, I paid all bills and still had extra. ONLY GOD!!!
Lastly it says don’t worry about tomorrow. Worrying about something you can’t change or about something that may never happen will cause you to go to an early grave. Face the future by planning wisely but don’t worry about it.
So I’m sitting there in service listening intently and thinking over my week & weekend. Boy did I have much to repent for. But it’s like I can hear the Lord…with a loud, long, sigh J (My interpretation) My child, didn’t I already give you guidance and instructions? All you needed to do was obey. If I care for the birds in the air & the flowers in the field, wouldn’t I take care of you & your children who are far more important to me?
Why do we worry? Why do we doubt? Especially for those of us that have seen God pour out blessings we had no room to receive. What stops us in our tracks and has us thinking God is not concerned with our needs that they must be too small or that they’re even too big for Him to do anything about? Dare I say it’s because we put God back in a box & figure we are more capable than Him. Yes we know He is the Creator of all but…Or we so easily & foolishly forget all that He’s already done for us.
Wow, sounds like the Israelites AGAIN!!! You know those chosen people that God brought out of slavery, covered , fed & protected them and yet time after time they forgot what He had already done and focused on what was before the. Or like Peter walking on water…at least he was while his eyes were on Jesus.
Take your eyes off of God and forget about His kingdom & you will have a life full of worry. Now I don’t know if you got the same conclusion I did, but I will leave you to draw your own.
8/22/2008
Promises...still yours even with the delay
I just read someone else's blog and they were speaking of the promises that God has given, how they can't be taken from you because of disobedience, but they can be delayed. Then I was reading another family's blog and they have 4 children, one newly adopted (16 year old girl). Their journey is going well. Then I am on the phone with a lady trying to get medical information and she tells me they just recently adopted a baby boy. They got him when he was 10 days old and his adoption just became final.
My heart is so filled with joy for them and then................I wonder. Lord when will I receive the promises you gave me so long ago? Sigh...Then to top it off, I'm listening to a song by Vicki Yohe called In The Waiting:
Pain
The gift nobody
Longs still it comes
Somehow leaves me
Stronger when it's gone away
Pray I try and pray
For your will to be done
But I confess it's never
Fast enough for me
It seems the hardest part
Is waiting on you
When what I want
Is just to see your hand move
I want a peace beyond my
Understanding I wasn't to feel
It fall like rain
In the middle of my hurting
I want to feel your arms as they
Surround me
And let me know that it's okay
To be in this place
Resting in the peace that only comes
In the waiting
Time, time to let it go and just believe
Trusting in what no one else
But you can see
Free freedom from the fears that
Close me in when I can't beyond where
I have been but then Again the silence
Doesn't mean that I'm alone
As long as I can hear
That I'm still your own
I don't always understand the time spent waiting. Or rather I understand it, I just don't like it or always want it. I so desperately want to have my family whole and be a full time mommy again. I want to birth children from my womb once again and adopt those that aren't wanted by the ones that birthed them. I want to be what I was called to be...A MOM! I want to raise up mighty warriors for His Kingdom and know that they are doing much for His Glory!
Have you ever wanted something so bad you could taste it? You could almost touch it, the vision of it was so clear? Yet, it is out of reach to you and you wonder why Lord why? And you hear Him saying wait child wait. I promised it to you long ago, but you must wait until My timing, for it is perfect.
Oh how Sarai and Abram must have felt when they were growing older and older and they still had a heart and desire for children, but there were none. I have children and yet I know her emptiness. How discouraged they must have felt. Then God gives a promise that is humanly impossible. But God! and in the time of waiting, they make mistakes. That mistake didn't forfeit the promise, but what if that delayed it. Then, when all hope must have been lost, God opened her womb and gave her a son. A son!
I know God promised me a home filled with children. I clearly saw children of many races and colors, it's the waiting that gets me discouraged at times.
On that note, If the Lord says the same, I will have my tubes untied by the spring of 2009. He may choose to never allow me to bring forth children from my own womb, but I will be very close to the way He created me to begin with and many health issues will be reversed.
Whatever dream He gave you, don't let go and don't give up. He will make it a reality...in HIS timing!
My heart is so filled with joy for them and then................I wonder. Lord when will I receive the promises you gave me so long ago? Sigh...Then to top it off, I'm listening to a song by Vicki Yohe called In The Waiting:
Pain
The gift nobody
Longs still it comes
Somehow leaves me
Stronger when it's gone away
Pray I try and pray
For your will to be done
But I confess it's never
Fast enough for me
It seems the hardest part
Is waiting on you
When what I want
Is just to see your hand move
I want a peace beyond my
Understanding I wasn't to feel
It fall like rain
In the middle of my hurting
I want to feel your arms as they
Surround me
And let me know that it's okay
To be in this place
Resting in the peace that only comes
In the waiting
Time, time to let it go and just believe
Trusting in what no one else
But you can see
Free freedom from the fears that
Close me in when I can't beyond where
I have been but then Again the silence
Doesn't mean that I'm alone
As long as I can hear
That I'm still your own
I don't always understand the time spent waiting. Or rather I understand it, I just don't like it or always want it. I so desperately want to have my family whole and be a full time mommy again. I want to birth children from my womb once again and adopt those that aren't wanted by the ones that birthed them. I want to be what I was called to be...A MOM! I want to raise up mighty warriors for His Kingdom and know that they are doing much for His Glory!
Have you ever wanted something so bad you could taste it? You could almost touch it, the vision of it was so clear? Yet, it is out of reach to you and you wonder why Lord why? And you hear Him saying wait child wait. I promised it to you long ago, but you must wait until My timing, for it is perfect.
Oh how Sarai and Abram must have felt when they were growing older and older and they still had a heart and desire for children, but there were none. I have children and yet I know her emptiness. How discouraged they must have felt. Then God gives a promise that is humanly impossible. But God! and in the time of waiting, they make mistakes. That mistake didn't forfeit the promise, but what if that delayed it. Then, when all hope must have been lost, God opened her womb and gave her a son. A son!
I know God promised me a home filled with children. I clearly saw children of many races and colors, it's the waiting that gets me discouraged at times.
On that note, If the Lord says the same, I will have my tubes untied by the spring of 2009. He may choose to never allow me to bring forth children from my own womb, but I will be very close to the way He created me to begin with and many health issues will be reversed.
Whatever dream He gave you, don't let go and don't give up. He will make it a reality...in HIS timing!
Confessions, can be so hard/humbling
I've been reading Deut. 5 & 6,and Psalms 139 for the past week now. The children will have a "contest" to see who knows all of the 10 Commandments; they are doing really well. But this morning, as my sister and I were driving in to work, God began to weigh heavy on my heart. I had to get quiet and just mull over what He was saying. I didn't sit in the car and get in my Word as I had been, I quickly came into the office. I wasn't trying to escape (as if one could), I just wanted to be ALONE with what God had laid on me.
The Israelites had been wandering around in the wilderness. They took a 40 year journey that should have only taken 11 days. They grumbled and complained, tore each other down with their words and ridiculed Moses for their plight. I wonder, did they ever realize they were their worst enemy? Did they realize that satan was using them as a pawn and they were falling for the trap?
Well, with God's words bouncing around in my mind and upon my heart I sent the apology below to my sister:
I owe you a huge apology. I know that it is clearly written in His Word
Ex. 20:12
Deut. 5:16
Matthew 15:4, 19:19
Mark 7:10, 10:19
Luke 18:20
Ephesians 6:2
to honor (respect; not because it is earned, but because it is commanded of BY GOD. Kinda like we love Him because He first loved us) your father and your mother. I have not done accordingly and for that I owe you such a huge apology. It is not honoring anytime I have spoken a word against mom. I am clearly instructed to take all my cares to Him (who can do something about it) and leave it at the Mercy seat. I have not done this. I realize that in not obeying this command I have been the enemies pawn and the tool with which he can/will use to cut my life short. Since I desire to live a long life, I've confessed before God and now you that I was wrong. Please accept my apology. I am to use my words to build up and edify, not grumble, moan, groan,and complain. Again, if I take these things to Christ, who can move mountains, then He will do all He promised to do (and this is for any situation).
Humbled/convicted,
your sister
Man, I'm so glad God loves me enough to show me where I mess up and then He takes the time to show me how to fix it and make it right. And through it all...He still loves me. I don't know what else He will bring to my attention just from reading these chapters, but I know it will only be for my good because He wants the very best for me. He is not any different than an earthly father chastising his children, His love/forgiveness is just GREATER!!!!
The Israelites had been wandering around in the wilderness. They took a 40 year journey that should have only taken 11 days. They grumbled and complained, tore each other down with their words and ridiculed Moses for their plight. I wonder, did they ever realize they were their worst enemy? Did they realize that satan was using them as a pawn and they were falling for the trap?
Well, with God's words bouncing around in my mind and upon my heart I sent the apology below to my sister:
I owe you a huge apology. I know that it is clearly written in His Word
Ex. 20:12
Deut. 5:16
Matthew 15:4, 19:19
Mark 7:10, 10:19
Luke 18:20
Ephesians 6:2
to honor (respect; not because it is earned, but because it is commanded of BY GOD. Kinda like we love Him because He first loved us) your father and your mother. I have not done accordingly and for that I owe you such a huge apology. It is not honoring anytime I have spoken a word against mom. I am clearly instructed to take all my cares to Him (who can do something about it) and leave it at the Mercy seat. I have not done this. I realize that in not obeying this command I have been the enemies pawn and the tool with which he can/will use to cut my life short. Since I desire to live a long life, I've confessed before God and now you that I was wrong. Please accept my apology. I am to use my words to build up and edify, not grumble, moan, groan,and complain. Again, if I take these things to Christ, who can move mountains, then He will do all He promised to do (and this is for any situation).
Humbled/convicted,
your sister
Man, I'm so glad God loves me enough to show me where I mess up and then He takes the time to show me how to fix it and make it right. And through it all...He still loves me. I don't know what else He will bring to my attention just from reading these chapters, but I know it will only be for my good because He wants the very best for me. He is not any different than an earthly father chastising his children, His love/forgiveness is just GREATER!!!!
8/20/2008
S - t - r - e - t - c - h - i - n - g Me
It amazes me how God continues to reveal things to me and then I try to figure out how to make it happen. How many times do I have to do that and then slow down long enough to hear God saying "No child I don't expect YOU to do anything but follow my lead and obey". OUCH
I don't think there are words that adequately describe my love for my Savior. There just aren't any to express my adoration. But oh how I love Him and Adore Him.
Well, if you remember from the House Saga post, I mentioned that we would not have the funds to get our school books until October. Well, if I'm to be honest with you, I have to tell you I've been fretting over this daily. Why? well, it has a lot to do with still trying to please man and follow the typical schedule of the public schools. Oh but wait a minute. Didn't we start home-schooling because God told us too? So aren't I supposed to be pleasing God and following His time line? Need I say what the answers were? Sigh
So I have been earnestly praying in the last 3-4 days, Lord I don't know how to raise these children You blessed me with. I just know I want to raise them for Your glory, only I don't know how to do that either. This has been my hearts cry lately.
Wouldn't you know it, I've been listening to Voddie Baucham's teachings via podcasts and MP3's I've downloaded to my MP3 player. CONVICTION...and that's all I have to say about that. It was as if God Himself began speaking volumes to me. I had to ask myself some tough questions. 1. If my children have the greatest academics and don't know Christ, what have they gained? 2. Do I want them to have a firm foundation on the ROCK or in the world? I had to come to some conclusions as well. As great as knowledge is, I want them to know Christ more. If they never ( you read that right) accomplish any of their dreams, I don't care, but what is of great value to me is that they know the Savior in a personal way. I can't form and cultivate that relationship, but I can form and cultivate the ground which the seeds will be planted. AHHHHHHHHHHH, so much weight lifted off of me in that moment.
About 4-5 years ago, we began using a curriculum called SOW (Student Of the Word). We learned so many great things about God and His Word. I let that fall by the wayside trying to please others who said my children wouldn't have a well rounded education using the Bible ONLY. And from there we have slowly gone down hill. We will order our curriculum in Oct. as planned, as I feel it is what God has led me to for the season of their education, but in the meantime, I am going to contact the creators of SOW and seek a scholarship to purchase this curriculum and get my children back on the straight and narrow path of being in His Word daily.
We've also discovered some areas we need to work on to get our house in order. They are working on immediate obedience and I am working on my countenance when I arrive home from a long day at work. I've not been cheerful and thus my children have felt unloved, unwanted, and in the way. This is not what I want them to feel at all.
So please be in prayer for us as we embark on this leg of our journey with God. I'm glad He's the leader...just wish I would leave Him in that place and stop trying to take over.
I don't think there are words that adequately describe my love for my Savior. There just aren't any to express my adoration. But oh how I love Him and Adore Him.
Well, if you remember from the House Saga post, I mentioned that we would not have the funds to get our school books until October. Well, if I'm to be honest with you, I have to tell you I've been fretting over this daily. Why? well, it has a lot to do with still trying to please man and follow the typical schedule of the public schools. Oh but wait a minute. Didn't we start home-schooling because God told us too? So aren't I supposed to be pleasing God and following His time line? Need I say what the answers were? Sigh
So I have been earnestly praying in the last 3-4 days, Lord I don't know how to raise these children You blessed me with. I just know I want to raise them for Your glory, only I don't know how to do that either. This has been my hearts cry lately.
Wouldn't you know it, I've been listening to Voddie Baucham's teachings via podcasts and MP3's I've downloaded to my MP3 player. CONVICTION...and that's all I have to say about that. It was as if God Himself began speaking volumes to me. I had to ask myself some tough questions. 1. If my children have the greatest academics and don't know Christ, what have they gained? 2. Do I want them to have a firm foundation on the ROCK or in the world? I had to come to some conclusions as well. As great as knowledge is, I want them to know Christ more. If they never ( you read that right) accomplish any of their dreams, I don't care, but what is of great value to me is that they know the Savior in a personal way. I can't form and cultivate that relationship, but I can form and cultivate the ground which the seeds will be planted. AHHHHHHHHHHH, so much weight lifted off of me in that moment.
About 4-5 years ago, we began using a curriculum called SOW (Student Of the Word). We learned so many great things about God and His Word. I let that fall by the wayside trying to please others who said my children wouldn't have a well rounded education using the Bible ONLY. And from there we have slowly gone down hill. We will order our curriculum in Oct. as planned, as I feel it is what God has led me to for the season of their education, but in the meantime, I am going to contact the creators of SOW and seek a scholarship to purchase this curriculum and get my children back on the straight and narrow path of being in His Word daily.
We've also discovered some areas we need to work on to get our house in order. They are working on immediate obedience and I am working on my countenance when I arrive home from a long day at work. I've not been cheerful and thus my children have felt unloved, unwanted, and in the way. This is not what I want them to feel at all.
So please be in prayer for us as we embark on this leg of our journey with God. I'm glad He's the leader...just wish I would leave Him in that place and stop trying to take over.
8/01/2008
The House Saga Continues
I thought we would have our home moved by Monday Aug. 4th, but it seems it is not to be.
So here is the plan, please be in prayer that if this is the Lords will, all will go smoothly.
The mortgage company has arranged for the double wide to be moved at the end of Aug. I need to speak with them to see if they will hold off at least until the 3rd or 4th of Sept.
My home (single wide) is scheduled to be moved the 2nd of Sept.
I did get discouraged for a moment and shed some tears, buttttttttttttttttttttt You know God!
This is not a surprise to Him, but to me only. Therefore, if this was not a surprise to Him that means He already had a plan worked out and now I just need to walk in that plan.
So with that realization, that is where I took a deep breath.
Now, with the fees that need to be paid this week, I will have some money left over to purchase the paint for the interior of the home.
Then I can make the payment in Sept. for the home to be moved. I will have a day (maybe 2) to paint ALL the walls before the other home is picked up. (Anyone up for a painting party????);-)
This does mean that the AC will not get connected until Oct., but prayerfully things will be cooling down and we won't need the AC much. Prayerfully, fans will be enough to keep us cool as we wait. Besides we have been without air before and God was gracious then as well.
This also means that the funds aren't available to purchase school books for the children until Oct. So their new school year won't start until then, but thank God for home-schooling because you can start on your own schedule. Thankfully they have things to complete from the previous curriculum that will carry them over until then.
All I know is God is good and more than able to work this out for my good!!!! He keeps on showing Himself as True and Loving. He's got my back!
So here is the plan, please be in prayer that if this is the Lords will, all will go smoothly.
The mortgage company has arranged for the double wide to be moved at the end of Aug. I need to speak with them to see if they will hold off at least until the 3rd or 4th of Sept.
My home (single wide) is scheduled to be moved the 2nd of Sept.
I did get discouraged for a moment and shed some tears, buttttttttttttttttttttt You know God!
This is not a surprise to Him, but to me only. Therefore, if this was not a surprise to Him that means He already had a plan worked out and now I just need to walk in that plan.
So with that realization, that is where I took a deep breath.
Now, with the fees that need to be paid this week, I will have some money left over to purchase the paint for the interior of the home.
Then I can make the payment in Sept. for the home to be moved. I will have a day (maybe 2) to paint ALL the walls before the other home is picked up. (Anyone up for a painting party????);-)
This does mean that the AC will not get connected until Oct., but prayerfully things will be cooling down and we won't need the AC much. Prayerfully, fans will be enough to keep us cool as we wait. Besides we have been without air before and God was gracious then as well.
This also means that the funds aren't available to purchase school books for the children until Oct. So their new school year won't start until then, but thank God for home-schooling because you can start on your own schedule. Thankfully they have things to complete from the previous curriculum that will carry them over until then.
All I know is God is good and more than able to work this out for my good!!!! He keeps on showing Himself as True and Loving. He's got my back!
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