tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74503345863107824722024-03-19T01:37:28.666-07:00To Everything There is a SeasonLissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.comBlogger204125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-37680638085886452992018-06-07T07:23:00.001-07:002018-06-07T07:23:48.326-07:00A Time to Let the Land Rest<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="text Lev-25-3" id="en-KJV-3473" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof;</span> </span><span class="text Lev-25-4" id="en-KJV-3474" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the <span class="small-caps" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span>: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. ~</span></span></b><span class="text Lev-25-4" id="en-KJV-3474" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Leviticus 25: 3-4</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="text Lev-25-4" id="en-KJV-3474" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In the book of Leviticus we learn that God told Moses what he needed to say to the people of Israel when they would go into the land He would give them. They were to keep a Sabbath to the Lord. This meant that for 6 years they could sow the land, prune it and gather its fruits. However, in the seventh year they were to let the land rest. That meant no planting and pruning. Sometimes our lives need a season of "letting the land rest".</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It has been a year since my last blog post and I know that the Lord was telling me I needed a rest from it. Many times over the year I would have something on my heart that I wanted to share and I would consider hopping on and writing but the prodding from the Lord was, "No. Wait." I have loved this platform to be able to share my heart and what the Lord is doing with me and my family and how it has allowed me to connect with people I otherwise wouldn't know today. It's been a wonderful outlet, therapeutic even. But even good things need a time to lay dormant. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Now that I am ready to come back and be active here again I have been reflecting on what God has shown me over the last year, how He has spoken to my heart and to Ben's heart and how He is directing our family. It's been so interesting to see all the pieces come together and finally have that "I get it!" moment with God. And I want to share a little with you about where God has planted us and how we learned to bloom there. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There is a very popular saying today that tells us to "Bloom Where You are Planted". This is not a saying you will find anywhere in the Bible but the principle of the saying can be. I Corinthians 7:17 says, <b>"<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Only let each person lead the life<sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></sup></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. </span><sup class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-ESV-28488B" data-link="(<a href="#cen-ESV-28488B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 8.26px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; top: 0px; vertical-align: top; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></sup><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">This is my rule in </span></b><sup class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-ESV-28488C" data-link="(<a href="#cen-ESV-28488C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 8.26px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22px; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; top: 0px; vertical-align: top; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></sup><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>all the churches."</b> Basically Paul is telling the people here to "bloom where you are planted". It is so easy to get caught up in what everyone around us is doing isn't it.? I know when I hear someone speak passionately about a cause that is important to them it is hard for me to not get caught up in that. I start questioning whether or not I should feel as passionately about that too. My nature is to want to help and to solve problems. If you have a problem and I can offer a solution I'm all over that. This is a good quality to have...until it's not. It's important for me to recognize that God is not asking me to do it all. He has a specific plan and purpose for me and I need to stop and rest long enough to hear what it is. Once I hear what it is I have to be willing to run with that and honestly....that can be hard sometimes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In every corner of my world whether it is society, the church, the school there are areas that people place on the pedestal of importance. Sometimes when what God has called you to does not meet the perceived expectation of "that's so amazing" it can be tempting to ignore it and wait for Him to give you something more exciting; or even more dangerously, create something more exciting to do that He isn't asking you to do. We can convince ourselves of anything if we are desperate enough to have something big and important going on in our lives. My experience (limited as it may be) has taught me that I am likely not alone in this temptation: to look at where God has put me as just a stepping stone to something greater. The principal in the verse above to "live the life that the LORD has assigned YOU" can be life changing if you let it be. And that is something that I learned in my season of rest. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">God has our family here in our small, humble community , in our small, humble home, in our small, humble church with kids who attend a small, humble school to do small, humble things. He is asking us to minister His love to the people around us in our neighborhood, our church, our community and our school in small, humble ways and it has been so freeing to recognize and accept this. Ben and I see clearly what God has called us to and what He is asking of us and we are humbly obeying his direction and reaping multiplied blessings in return. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I plan to share more about the humble ministry God has given us and how He is asking us to live the life he's assigned us but for now I just wanted to encourage you, if you're reading and feeling similar to how I've felt to allow yourself a time of rest to just hear God. Too often in ministry, in churches, in society we are given unwise advice that is contrary to God's Word and what he says about rest and it is leading people to be unhappy where God has planted them. Instead of blooming they are like a parched plant in the heat of summer, begging for water that can't be found. There is no weakness in rest. In Matthew 11 Jesus says, "<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #252525; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light"</b> Sometimes rest is just stopping long enough to soak in His Word and allow it to refresh your soul. But sometimes rest comes in longer periods of time. Sometimes the thing God is calling you to is so humble it is often overlooked and if we aren't careful we will miss a tremendous opportunity to do God's humble work, being too busy striving to do the flashy stuff. Don't miss out on what God has for you. Stop. Rest. Listen. Obey.</span></span></span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><b></b><b></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><b></b><b></b><br />Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-30620040864688060832017-04-07T06:56:00.000-07:002017-04-07T06:56:43.088-07:00A Time to Uplift<br />
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The idea of being a vessel that God can use to build up other people is not a new idea; it's not even a new idea here on the blog. If you've been following this blog for any amount of time you know that I am passionate about encouraging and building up others! The Bible is clear that we are to walk along side one another, bearing each other's burdens and investing in the lives of those around us. We are a selfish people though so this doesn't come as easily or readily as we sometimes wish it would.<br />
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Have you ever been around someone who you would swear it costs them money to offer up a word of encouragement, to give a hug or even smile at you? I have and it can be so incredibly disheartening when you are in need of love, kindness, compassion, empathy, etc. and the person you find yourself with in the moment or the people you are surrounded by in life have clearly given themselves a limit on how many positive words and actions they can extend that day, month or year! Thankfully I serve a God who is available to all those who will call on Him, and he is the perfect comfort in times of need. BUT, just because He is always there and just because He is the one we should be turning to first does not mean that the rest of human kind is off the hook when it comes to this ministry of encouragement.<br />
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(<i><b>"Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." ~Gal. 6:2</b></i>) </div>
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Those of us who live in Maine were saddened today to hear about one of our meteorologists who was found to have committed suicide. It is incredibly sad anytime we hear of someone succumbing to the depths of their despair and taking their own life, whether they are a local "celebrity", a family member or the neighbor we hardly thought of...and it happens daily. This affects not just adults but youth as well. In one of my counseling classes we learned that <b><u>every 24 hours an estimated 6 teens will commit suicide</u></b>; about 1500 will make an attempt! People of all ages are broken and they are desperate for healing. People who are struggling begin to reach for anything that will anesthetize the pain and emptiness. And sometimes the only option they feel they have is to end their life. Many Christians will say and have said that, "if only they knew Christ this wouldn't have happened." While I agree a life in Christ, surrendered to the one who can make all things new is a great first step to healing, it is <b><u>NOT a cure</u></b>. Christ-followers are just as capable of deep depression and despair as someone who has no relationship with Christ because sin still exists in us. One of our dear senior saints, who was a Christian and who was a member of our church for many, many years took his own life a few years ago. So, please, don't be so insensitive and ignorant of the issue as to insist that if a person only had a relationship with Christ, these things wouldn't happen. It's not true and its an incredibly dangerous and discouraging mindset.<br />
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I believe every single person on any given day needs to be uplifted. And God uses us to be ministers of His love and compassion so we do have a responsibility to make sure we are building up those around us. I want to make it clear that I know suicide is a desperate last move to put an end to the pain and suffering and it in no way compares to someone who is having a "bad day". Depression and a "bad day" are very different and we need wisdom from God to know the difference. That being said, we are surrounded with people who are suffering on so many different levels and they often suffer silently and alone because they are embarrassed, they don't want to be a burden or they feel many around them are too busy to be bothered to help them. To be uplifting, or to "build up" or "bear one another's burdens" is FREE! It costs you nothing except time to offer words of encouragement, a listening ear or to visit with someone who needs a friend and "<b><u>time</u></b>"...time belongs to God. Each minute we are allowed to continue living on this earth is ordered by God. He controls our beginning and our end so we have no right to behave selfishly with time that is given to us as a gift. We are all busy with so many things but we need to make sure that we are not so busy that we can't take time to minister to someone who is hurting or discouraged. Sometimes all it takes is a "<i><b>word fitly spoken</b></i>" (Prov. 25:11) to bring someone up out of a bad day.<br />
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So what is the practical application to all of this? I'm glad you asked! Educate yourself on the signs of depression, first of all. Depression is a real thing and it exists among Christians and non-Christians alike. Know the signs and be ready to offer help to someone who is showing signs of depression. This is an area I feel the church is neglecting, some are even ignoring but its prevalent, which means it is needful to understand and know how to help those who are suffering. Not everyone who is down is depressed though and this is where wisdom comes in. Make it a point to pray and ask God to show you who is in need of being uplifted and then listen to His leading. I promise you each one of you reading this will have contact with at LEAST one person today who would benefit from a compliment, a text asking how they are doing, a card in the mail, a phone call, a hug or a smile or maybe even a visit. Not sure where to start? Start at home. Who do you live with and what do you think they could use from you? Family members are often the most overlooked when it comes to building up and yet they are the ones God gave to you...so don't neglect them. Then look to your neighbors, your church family, co-workers, the cashier at the grocery store or the lady at the post office. People are everywhere and they need to be uplifted. Start today being a vessel God can use to minister to those who are hurting.<br />
<br />Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-6874708773011024722017-02-06T06:16:00.000-08:002017-02-06T06:16:48.125-08:00A Time to Sit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.</b></div>
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<b>~Psalm 147:3</b></div>
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Yesterday was the Super Bowl and as a New England girl, my family and I woke up happy this morning! I am not a football fan by any means but I do enjoy the Super Bowl and I enjoy it more because my boys love football, so for them, I suffer through! Someone else who loved football and the Patriots was my grandfather. He and my grandmother would watch the games together and she tells me stories of how she would sit as close to him as possible so he could explain the game to her. As I was preparing food for the Super Bowl party we were having I got to thinking of my grandmother and how she'd likely be watching the game alone so I called her. During our conversation she told me a story and it touched me.</div>
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My grandparents always went to church together but since my grandfather's passing my grandmother has found it difficult to go to church alone. Yesterday was the first Sunday she went to church alone, and she sat alone, in the pew she and my grandfather always sat in. There is a lady, (she calls her a young girl, haha, but the lady is in her 60's), who has always sat behind them, alone also because her friend is hard of hearing and sits in a special room where she can hear better. My grandmother said she has always been fond of this girl and they talk at church on Sunday's when they see each other. This past Sunday, the lady had to sit in front of Memere because someone was sitting in her usual spot. At one point the lady turned and said hello to my grandmother. They began talking and Memere said that as she was leaving she turned to the lady and simply said, "Next week, you'll sit with me, ok?" The lady indicated that she would and Memere went home. </div>
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I don't know who this lady is and I am sure she has no idea what that simple indication meant for my grandmother. For my grandmother it means that maybe next week sitting through the church service might not be so difficult, because she will have a friend sitting with her. Then it got me thinking of all the widows and widowers we have in our church. We have an aging congregation and we have lost many of our senior saints over the years, which means we have several who sit alone. Our children are social beings who just love people and they have become very close and attached to several in our church. Every Sunday they ask us if they can sit with a certain person and most of the time, I say yes. The reason is that for my boys, the ones they are asking to sit with are men who have lost their wives or their wife is too ill to attend most services so they are alone. At first I felt bad because I didn't want my children to be a burden. Then one service, one of the gentlemen came up to me and thanked me for allowing my son to sit with him and said it touched him so much that my child would want to sit with him so he wouldn't be alone....because when this gentlemen asked my son why he always chose to sit with him my son answered, "because you're alone and I don't want you to be lonely". </div>
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I think sometimes we overlook the simple ministries our children can have in their church, in their neighborhood and in their community. Because we have allowed our children to sit with these different people, our children are so much more comfortable talking and holding conversations with people in our church and our community. They get to build relationships with people who are full of wisdom and who share their past with our kids. My boys love hearing stories about who these men were when they were younger and they are eager to share it with us on the car ride home. One of the gentlemen so enjoys helping one of my younger ones find the right page in the song book or the right place in their Bible. Not only are they not sitting alone but they get to feel as though they have a purpose and a ministry to our family. </div>
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I could be more selfish with my family and insist that we all sit together in church so that people can see us all together but you know, I much prefer allowing my kids to minister to those who find themselves sitting alone at church and giving them the opportunity to build relationships with them. That blesses me as a parent, it blesses my kids and it blesses those around us. I am thankful for promises in God's Word like we find in Psalm where it says that "He heals the broken in heart..." because there is comfort in knowing that God cares about our pain and our sadness and our loneliness and He provides for those needs. God has provided for my grandmother's need of not sitting alone in church by give my grandmother the courage to ask this lady to sit with her and for giving the lady compassion enough to say she would! God is so good and he is always working on taking care of our needs, long before we even realize we will have that need. </div>
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Sometimes we need to stop running long enough to see if God might be asking us to be the means by which He will heal the brokenhearted, those whose spirits are low or those who find themselves anxious or depressed. There are people all around us who have needs. Are we willing to leave the comfort of our little bubble in order to show God's love to other's by sitting with someone who is alone? It could be at church, at a kids concert at school, at a conference, at a restaurant...people are alone and lonely everywhere; we just need to care enough to see them.</div>
Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-89234893417528668602016-12-29T09:21:00.000-08:002016-12-29T09:21:34.868-08:00A Time to be Disciplined<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>He that hath <i>no rule</i> over his <i>own spirit</i> is like </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>a city that is <i>broken down</i>, and <i>without walls</i>.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Proverbs 25:28</b></span></div>
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It's that time of year again when we start to set goals, or make "resolutions" for the coming year. I have a love-hate relationship with this time because while I <i>love</i> the idea of starting fresh and setting goals for the new year, I <i>hate</i> that I will likely fail. I will start off excited and on fire to begin my newfound "plan" only to see the fire within die down after a few short months. And it is very discouraging. Thankfully God's Word comes jam-packed with encouragement for the disheartened! I can remind myself of verses like Matt.19:26: <u>BUT with GOD all things are possible</u>! <span style="font-size: x-small;">(emphasis added) </span></div>
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The past few weeks my mind has been consumed with thoughts of my grandfather, naturally. He is gone and I miss him and so I think about him and all the great memories I have of time spent with him. As I was thinking about my goals for the new year I realized how each goal I had required one thing...self-discipline. Which then reminded me of how disciplined my grandfather was and it seemed fitting that my goal for this year could somehow be a tribute to my grandfather. </div>
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I went to the Bible and searched for a verse that would be my verse for the year, a verse that would challenge me and encourage me to pursue the goals that I wanted to set for myself; I was led to the one above. One thing I have learned is that if I want to meet a goal I have set, I have to have a plan and that plan must first begin with the understanding that it is only through God and His working in me that I will be successful in accomplishing that goal. I don't care how strong in the Lord you are (or think you are), there is nothing we do that we do on our own. God must get all the glory and all the credit for anything we have ever accomplished. Any accomplishment is His accomplishment; Anytime we overcome a trial, obstacle or sin in our lives it is because of Him! </div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit:<b> <u>for without me ye can do nothing.</u></b></span><div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">John 15:4-5</span></div>
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The next step for me, is to write down my goals and write down a plan on how I will work toward accomplishing that goal. This is not a fool-proof plan because remember...I fail...a lot! But writing everything down does mean I have more of a chance at succeeding so I do it. I have a journal that I am keeping and the first page has the goals and plan of action written down. It goes something like this:<br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1. Daily Bible Reading: 52 Week Bible reading program; journal key thoughts after </b></span><b style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">reading</b></div>
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<b style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><u>(<a href="http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.html" target="_blank">52-Week Bible Reading Plan</a>)</u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">*I've done this one in the past and I like it because it mixes things up; I </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">like variety. Print off the chart and keep it in your Bible.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>2. Exercise at least 3 X a week: DVD workouts at home </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">*Because I still have little people at home and going out to exercise is not really an option, I find I am more successful with this goal if I find something that I can do at home. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I really like Jillian Micheals </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">30-Day Shred DVD and it is effective if you stick </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">with it....that is the key...stick.with.it</span><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: inherit;">!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>3. Better eating habits: Journal Food</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">* Everyone is different but in the past I have found that I make better </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">food choices if I am writing down what I eat. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">These are my goals and I am praying I am able to stay the course throughout the whole year. Two tools that I am implementing to help me stay focused are an accountability partner and reading a book that goes along with my goal of being more disciplined. When I was serving as a counselor at a Christian camp this summer we had staff devotions each morning. The devotions that we heard were taken from a book called: <u>The Disciplines of Life</u> by V.Raymond Edman. I have started the book but it is a challenging read and there is much to chew on so I think giving myself the year to read it is reasonable! I highly recommend this book if you are looking for something good to read! </span></div>
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Have any of you reading set similar goals for yourself this year or in the past? Were you successful or not? <b><u>I would love to hear your stories so I can glean from your victories and learn from your failures!</u></b> Maybe you don't have any goals other than to survive another year...that's okay too! I've definitely been there. I am just in a season in my life where I have the time to consider making some significant changes to my daily routine and I am trusting God to help me!</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>I can do all things through Christ which strentheneth me. </b></span></div>
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<b style="text-align: right;">Philippians 4:13</b></div>
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Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-62031287816246483042016-12-19T04:05:00.000-08:002016-12-19T04:05:23.432-08:00A Time for a Eulogy<div style="text-align: center;">
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And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts </div>
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and minds through Christ Jesus. ~Philippians 4:7</div>
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Last week my family had to say goodbye to my grandfather, unexpectedly. He was crossing the street in the town I grew up in and was hit by a car. It is a terrible accident that of course, we wish had not happened...but it did so we accept the reality and we grieve our loss. This is not my first time experiencing this kind of unexpected loss; my other grandfather was also hit by a car crossing the street...the same street...in the same town. I was about 11 then. He died from the injuries he sustained in that accident. If we go back even further, when I was about 8, my mom was also hit by a car, on Halloween night, on the same street...in the same town. She suffered major injuries, but, thankfully, survived. Crazy, right?!<br />
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I had the honor of giving my grandfather's eulogy at the funeral this past Thursday and I want to share it with those of you who could not attend the funeral, or who didn't know him. He was an amazing man and I already miss him so much. He was a very big part of my life, one of my biggest fans, always letting me know how proud of me he was. I adored him and I was thankful for the chance to share with other's the kind of man he was.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How do you sum up Pepere’s
life in 5 minutes? I don’t think you can, because in his 88 years on this
earth, this giant of a man, one of my heroes, brought more love, laughter,
courage and fun into our lives than a mere 5 minutes can convey. What I would
like to do is give you a glimpse into the life of this man we loved so, so
much.</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">So who was Reginald Boucher?
He was first a son and brother, born to O’Neil and Eva Boucher in 1928. One
story I remember him telling me from when he was a child was about the worst
Christmas he ever had. He had wanted a pair of ice skates very badly. Some
presents were under the tree and I am unsure if it was Christmas Eve or the
days leading up to Christmas but, he was so eager to find out if he got skates
that when his parents were not around, he opened the box with his name on it.
Sure enough, his wish had come true, he was going to get a new pair of skates.
He attempted to get the box back to how it was so his parents wouldn’t know he
had opened the package, but they knew. On Christmas morning when he opened his
gift he was surprised to find that in the box, where once his ice skates had
been, a large brick. He claims he never got those ice skates so I can’t tell
you if they later gave him the skates…or if this story is actually true, since
Pepere loved to tease us so much. It’s very possible Pepere was telling me this
story to keep me honest and show me what opening my own presents too soon could
lead to!</span></div>
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">He was then a soldier in the
United States Army, and fought in the Korean War. He shared with me that while
he was in the military he was a boxer. My grandfather was a great athlete and always
in very good shape, exercising till the last day! I haven’t known anyone more
disciplined than Pepere. He also learned to cut hair in the military and even
cut my husbands hair once, before we were married! My husband cuts our own boys
hair so a few years back Pepere gave him his old hair cutting kit he used in
the army. If you saw this kit you would understand why there’s no way Ben cuts
our kid’s hair with it but it made Pepere happy to think that there was a
chance it might still get used. He loved giving my husband his old tools, as
much as Memere hated it because she felt Pepere was forcing us to take his junk.
I assure you to my husband, it is not junk but very valuable treasures. So
often Ben will be working on something and he will need a nut or bolt or some
obscure tool and he will look through the hundreds of items Pepere gave him and
sure enough he ends up finding what he needs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Pepere was a loving and
devoted husband to my Memere. They were married in April of 1950 and they were
so happy. Pepere loved Memere so much and it was evident in everything he did.
She loved him equally. Their love was an example to me and something I kept in
mind as I chose my own husband. Pepere was hard working, at times working two
jobs so he could provide the best for Memere and his girls. Memere & Pepere
were wonderful hosts and they loved to dance and sing. I remember so many
family dinners that usually ended in us singing French drinking songs like
“prend un vers de bier mon mineu” and “C’est etait un jeudi soir” around the
dinner table. My younger sister, Chrissy, and I loved it when Memere let us set
the table for a meal because it meant that we could give Pepere all the unusual
dishes at his place setting. It might have been a big serving fork for his
dinner fork or a small tea cup plate for his dinner plate. He would pretend to
be so upset about this and we would laugh. He was such a good sport. There was
no person and no thing that Pepere loved more than Memere. What I will remember
most about Pepere as a husband was how he took such good care of Memere. He
made the coffee every single day. To some that may seem like a small thing but
I assure you to my Memere this is a huge thing and it must have been a pretty
big gesture for me to observe it and understand it to be an act of love and
devotion.</span></div>
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</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">He was then a father to three
girls, who he adored and would do anything for. He was just so proud of the
family he had built with Memere. My mom told me a story about how each
Christmas Pepere would pretend to be Santa Claus and go up on the roof of their
house and stomp on the roof above their bedrooms so they would think Santa had
arrived. I don’t know too many other father’s who would do that! He was not
only a wonderful father to his 3 daughters but he stepped up and played the
role of father to his son-in-law, Dave. He loved Dave like his own son and they
had such a fun relationship, the teasing never stopped between those two! Not
too many people can say they were friends with their father-in-law, but Dave
can, and it was a special friendship.</span></div>
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">He was also a grandfather.
And he was the absolute best grandfather three girls could ever ask for. He
loved us so much and spoiled us like crazy! As a child I was fortunate to be
able to spend a lot of time with my grandparents. When my mom was hit by a car
and in the hospital for a very long time my younger sister and I went to live
with Memere & Pepere for quite awhile. It was just after Halloween when we
went to stay with them and I remember Pepere teasing us that he would eat our
Halloween candy while we were at school. I would hide my orange plastic pumpkin
filled with candy so he couldn’t find it. He would find it and hide it from me
and just loved getting a reaction out of me. He never actually ate any of my
candy but he sure had fun letting me believe he did! Pepere and I had a close
relationship and we had a special countdown that started as early as I can
remember. Pepere would say to me, “Millie, when you turn 14, I can retire”. And
each time I would go visit, I would sit on his lap (it was, after all, the best
seat in the house!) and he would say that to me every time. Eventually the time
came that I turned 14 and he did retire and he was so happy for that day! He
would also always sing to me the song, “You are my sunshine”. That song has
held a special place in my heart all these years and it always reminds me of
the love he had for me and my sisters. Being the tease that he was, he loved
pretending to be upset with us girls for eating all his food, especially his
cheerios! Pepere taught me how to dive off of the party barge at the lake. One
of our favorite things to do in summers was to have Pepere take out the party
barge with all of us on it and go out to Peppermint beach where it was deep
enough to jump and dive off the float. As I got older and had a home of my own
he enjoyed sharing his love of gardening with me, giving me tips on how I could
make my own flower beds nicer. He was always so proud to take me to his flower
gardens and show me all the work he had been doing. The flower that will always
remind me of Pepere is the orange tiger lily, which used to surround the camp
when I was little.</span></div>
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</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Lastly, he was a
great-grandfather to 8. And he loved those kids so much! I remember when the
first great-grandchild, Andrew was born, how much both he and Memere adored
him. I have one particular memory of when Andrew was little. It was a holiday I
believe and Andrew was only about one or two. After dinner we were all sitting
in the living room and Andrew was on the floor doing what one or two year old’s
do…making noises, crawling around and maybe he even had a trick or two.
Whatever it was that he was doing he had Memere and Pepere captivated. They
loved every single thing he did and there was no child smarter in their eyes!
Then my own seven children came along and they adored them just as much. They
always took time to know my children. They asked them questions about their
interests, school and friends. Pepere’s recent thing was to give my kids
special coins when they came to visit. A couple of my kid’s special memories
are playing the table top golf game he taught them and of course, drinking
soda…because the only place they have ever been allowed to finish off a bottle
of soda in one sitting is at Memere & Pepere’s!</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
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</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">There is so much that can be
said about this man who was a loving son, devoted husband, proud father and
adoring grandfather, the brother & uncle, the athlete, the mill worker, the
painter, the swimmer, the man who loved to shop and who loved his flower
gardens…that time just won’t allow. For today though, hopefully you are left
with a glimpse of the kind of man he was to all of us who loved him so much. He
leaves a big hole in our hearts and we are so incredibly sad that we had to say
goodbye to him in this tragic way. One thing we can be thankful for is that God
allowed us to have this man on this earth for 88 years. Memere was allowed to
be married to the love of her life for 66 years. Sharon, Joyce and Nancy were
given over 60 years with their dad. Jenny, Chrissy and I were allowed to have
Pepere for over 30 years and our children got to know their great-grandfather. While
right now this seems of little consolation, it is so much more than many get in
life. He lived a long, happy and healthy life and was able to enjoy so much of
what this world had to offer.</span></div>
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</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">There is a verse in the Bible
that I have chosen to meditate on since finding out of Pepere’s passing. It is
found in Romans 8:</span></div>
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to
his purpose.</span></b></div>
</b><b><div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></b></div>
</b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">During difficult times like
this it can be hard to believe that “all things work together for good”, and
that God’s hand is in this because we are left with so many questions. Through
my grief and through my pain I have to remind myself that the God who is the
author and finisher of life never makes mistakes. He never moves without
purpose or plan and because I love God and because I trust Him I am choosing to
accept this plan God had for Pepere and I am trusting Him to comfort us and
help us as we mourn the loss of this great man that we have loved so much.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The funeral may be over and we may be returning to our homes and going on with our lives, because you have to. Life goes on. But for my grandmother, life as she knew it, will never be the same. The person she spent over half her life with is now gone and she must remain and learn to live without him. Her grief has just begun and I would ask any of you reading this, who pray, to please pray for Memere. She has been incredibly strong but this is so very hard for her and it will continue to be for possibly the remainder of her life. Grief is a funny thing and you cannot put a time limit on it. We all </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUEQ-ZvNAcsmB4xeNqFR28wO3RTaM_o6ePN2aRRxn9x4puoZ6sLkkO-M-od4FapMmzEU9g6SdlCLO8WucXqXKR38ODxbr-UZ8Qfkp1jL8tOKG8UGvRn8T9Jb87TK_3y2MoQwsh_3mhxA/s1600/9-17-2011_136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUEQ-ZvNAcsmB4xeNqFR28wO3RTaM_o6ePN2aRRxn9x4puoZ6sLkkO-M-od4FapMmzEU9g6SdlCLO8WucXqXKR38ODxbr-UZ8Qfkp1jL8tOKG8UGvRn8T9Jb87TK_3y2MoQwsh_3mhxA/s200/9-17-2011_136.JPG" width="150" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">have our own ways of dealing with our grief and it is not anyone's place to say that a person is grieving too little or too much, or that how they are grieving is wrong. I am praying that those in my grandmother's life, my mom and my aunt's lives and in me and my sister's lives, to have compassion and sensitivity as we grieve, in our own way and on our own timetable. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you to each one of you who has extended sympathy, love and compassion during this time. It truly has been overwhelming and we are incredibly grateful. I am wishing you and yours a happy, healthy and safe Christmas! </span><br />
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Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-33179271828463894552016-10-19T06:36:00.000-07:002016-10-19T06:36:44.297-07:00A Time to Keep them Innocent<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgehOMmU80Oeb2xVmeEnmknCgxRidRBn264VbeHhUuXqEExJ_-kHuAD9JMYZTtrKRAmWJWlPV7XS_-ScG1MioExnV_-jzSn2xFYgUooYYwITx-y9mWrAbCnihwneuUQyFZ6w0wut3484YE/s1600/spirit+of+fear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgehOMmU80Oeb2xVmeEnmknCgxRidRBn264VbeHhUuXqEExJ_-kHuAD9JMYZTtrKRAmWJWlPV7XS_-ScG1MioExnV_-jzSn2xFYgUooYYwITx-y9mWrAbCnihwneuUQyFZ6w0wut3484YE/s200/spirit+of+fear.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A couple weeks ago one of my sons walked through the door and asked me if I had heard about the "evil clowns" who were lurking in the woods waiting to kill children. Not exactly the topic of conversation I was hoping to have with him after school but there it was. I had heard rumblings of clowns but honestly had not taken a lot of time to find out what it was all about. Was this true? Was it a rumor? Naturally now that it was in my home, staring me in the facing waiting for an answer, I needed to do some research! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I don't know how you are when it comes to informing your children about current events but I am one of those parents who feels strongly that my kids don't need to know about everything going on. I don't think young children should be burdened by current events. We don't allow them to watch the news and even do not watch videos of news clips in their presence. We skim the surface with regard to the police shootings and racial tensions. We shelter them from news stories involving violence. We make them aware that terrorists exist and why they want to cause harm but again, we leave out the gory details. And even in this volatile election season, we keep the information to a minimum; they know who is running and we talk about the election process but that's about the extent of it. I intentionally do this because I remember how I was as a child. I scared very easily and to this day I have a very active imagination. I don't need any help being afraid of evil. My mind conjures up scenarios perfectly fine on it's own! I guard myself against the news and truly don't spend a lot of time reading it. I ask my husband to tell me what I need to know because I absolutely WILL lose sleep if I have too much information. As a child the worst time of year for me was Halloween. Everything about Halloween creeps me out. I just don't like it, I never have. It was also my mom's favorite holiday so our house was always decked out with scary faces and a fake cemetery and to her credit, she did an amazing job decorating...which is why I was so successfully frightened. I remember not wanting to get up in the night to use the bathroom because some of the decorations scared me so much! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Getting back to my kids. Clearly stories that children hear become exaggerated. In my research I never came across any credible report that supported the idea that clowns were murdering children, which is what a student on the bus told my son. I made sure to tell my son with much confidence, these were made up stories. Before I did that though I took the opportunity to talk to him about fear and what God's Word tells us. Since I struggle with fear, I have verses that I turn to and that help me put my fears to rest. I shared with my son my own struggle with fear and reminded him that God is with him no matter where he is. I pray every day when my children walk out of the house that God would put a hedge of protection around them and keep evil away. Every night when I go to bed I pray that God would put a hedge of protection around us and keep evil away. I have learned to have confidence in God to answer that prayer. This is not to say that God will never allow anything bad to happen because of my prayers. I just know that IF something bad does happen it is all in God's control and part of His perfect plan and I don't have to fear what man can do to me. Which leads me to the verse that I shared with my son and which helps me:</span><br />
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span class="text Ps-56-9" id="en-KJV-14765" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.</span>In God will I praise his word: in the <span class="small-caps" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span> will I praise his word.<span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"> </span>In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. ~Psalm 56:9-11</span></b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Unfortunately we live in a society where children have access to just about any news story they want. They own tablets and phones that allow them to search the internet and learn about every horrible thing that is going on. The sad part is that so much of what we read on the internet is either not true or grossly misleading and our young children do not have the discernment necessary to identify the truth from the fiction. I also feel we live in a society where adults want children to grow up much faster than they should. I understand that there will be some reading this that disagree with me, and I do respect that. For our family though, we have decided that it is in their best interest to shelter them from many of the issues facing our world, at least until they have the maturity to handle the information and we have had the time to lay a foundation, based on God's word, so that they can wisely handle the information. Sometimes, because they go to school and they hear what other kids are talking about, they are made aware of things I wish they wouldn't and that is something we need to leave in God's hands. As parents, we have to be ready to answer our children's questions and so when they come home asking about clowns, we do our due diligence but always bring it back to God's word...what does God's word say to help us understand how to handle this information or help put our fears to rest. <b><i>Always, always it comes back to God and His Word</i></b>. Parents, don't forget what we are told in Romans 16:19:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.</span></i></b></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We have a responsibility to keep our children innocent to evil. There will come a time when they need to know certain things and it is our responsibility to determine when that time is. Let's just be careful to not rush their childhood. Children today are under an incredible amount of stress; we see it all the time and it's sad. I have a hard time not being afraid of things I hear about and I am an adult who has <i>some</i> wisdom and <i>some</i> discernment to be able to process the information and bring it back to God and His Word. Imagine how a child feels when they hear some of these scary things but have a limited ability to process that information; many children also have limited resources at home to help them process the information! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The reality is that there is a lot to be concerned about and even fear in this world but I don't believe our children need to carry the weight of that burden. That's our job as parents, that and to protect our kids as much as we can from harmful information that is just too readily accessible to them. I am thankful I have a God that is faithful and trustworthy to lean on in times of trouble, fear and uncertainty. I am thankful for the many reminders in His Word to not fear but to have faith and confidence in God that He is FOR us and is in control... that's the story we need to be sharing with our children!</span><br />
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<br />Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-68123328191341074092016-10-07T06:00:00.000-07:002016-10-07T06:00:14.375-07:00A Time for a Few of My Favorite Things...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1sirzFwll4GSQSRBaWi00FPtb58WNjlUAaRRBcFB3Aw385ymGTud3I8BHd_FkHwxfESNye2JvhWllzAQ2ShAPdOy-o4DYDf2rP_UPf1X5XP1tgloJWid7oT00EQgAc99Q00RlvofPuY/s1600/favorite-things.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1sirzFwll4GSQSRBaWi00FPtb58WNjlUAaRRBcFB3Aw385ymGTud3I8BHd_FkHwxfESNye2JvhWllzAQ2ShAPdOy-o4DYDf2rP_UPf1X5XP1tgloJWid7oT00EQgAc99Q00RlvofPuY/s320/favorite-things.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My husband told me once, "you have such big emotions for things". Coming from a guy whose emotions are basically a flat line, I, of course, seem extremely feelings driven. And I think to an extent that is true; though, as I mature and grow in Christ I am trying to be more Spirit-led and less feelings-led. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I don't and that's life! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2b8n1kp8kW8PwXzIZ_BLGmsSNoC5JLigK7WyvhZFURMtSKxSgVg09pTJ0l8kcxM4hbwc3OOKrimHQm0QFlhspsnW1C5imW1u6qfrri7wGfaeFxL2Az4Hwn0dQNbQC1mqLJwpgcG8Doo/s1600/soap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2b8n1kp8kW8PwXzIZ_BLGmsSNoC5JLigK7WyvhZFURMtSKxSgVg09pTJ0l8kcxM4hbwc3OOKrimHQm0QFlhspsnW1C5imW1u6qfrri7wGfaeFxL2Az4Hwn0dQNbQC1mqLJwpgcG8Doo/s200/soap.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Nutritious Skin</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What is true is that I tend to either LOVE something or HATE something and I believe that is what he was mostly referring to. With so many new readers as of late I thought it would be fun to introduce myself by sharing with you some of my favorite things...because there are things that I. JUST. LOVE. To make this fun though I have decided that as a thank you to my new and old readers for sticking by me even when I lack the time to write and interact with you as much as I would like </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I decided to have a giveaway</span></i></b><span style="font-family: inherit;">! My sister-in-law recently began making soaps as as hobby and that hobby has turned into quite the business for her. She has taken her education as a Dietitian </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">and has used that knowledge to create all natural, healthy for the body soaps that not only nourish the skin but are so pretty you hate to use them and so delicious looking you wish you could eat them! She and I are partnering up for this giveaway and we need your help! All you have to do to be entered to win one of these beautiful soaps is first, go to Facebook and like her page </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Nutritious-Skin-1025995267495375/?fref=ts" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Nutritious Skin</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (click on the link) then head on over to my Facebook page,</span><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/nogwjte/?fref=ts" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">To Everything There is A Season</a> (click on the link), and hit the "like" button . Then choose a post from <u>EACH</u> page to like or share and we will put your name in the drawing! For extra chances to win do one or all of the following:</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">-Become a follower of To Everything There is A Season blog</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">- Comment on a post at our Facebook pages</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">-Share one of your favorite things in the comment section of this blog</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">-Share with Nutritious Skin your favorite soap scent on their FB page</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now for the fun! Here are a few of my favorite things...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><u>GOD</u></b></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Bible <span style="color: purple;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>Family</b></span> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Friends</i></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fall</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;">Lobster</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Games </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Snow Storms</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Albert Camp</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>MADAWASAKA</i> Cowboy Boots </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Skittles </b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Strong Coffee </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>JENA</b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sunflowers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: orange;"><b>The Color Orange</b></span> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><u>Dresses </u></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">BEN</span></i> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Planning & Organizing</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Babies</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hosting & Attending Parties</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Campfire's </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Blogging</span> </i></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Meeting New People</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Encouraging Others </span> <span style="color: #660000;"> <u><b>See's Chocolate</b></u></span> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sports Movies </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <i><span style="color: #e06666;">Music</span></i> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>WILL</b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Pig Roasts </span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Fresh Peas </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">OWEN</span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Yankee Candles</u> Purses/Bags <b>Storage Bins/Baskets </b> The Mountains </span></div>
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<b style="font-family: inherit;">POUTINE </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> <b>Riding Motorcycle </b></span></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>TESS</b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="color: blue;"><b> Camping </b></span> <span style="font-size: large;"> Christmas </span> Kettlecorn </span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="color: #0c343d;"><b>Thanksgiving Dinner</b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><b> </b></span> Manicures </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Flip Flops </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Traveling</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b><u> </u></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Laughing </u></b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Shopping</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Painting </span><b><u><span style="color: magenta; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Raspberry Almond Cake from The Beach Pea</span></u></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: magenta;"><b> </b></span> </span>AMAZON<i><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></b></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Coffee Crisp</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <i><b>The Story of Ruth </b></i> <span style="font-size: large;">Sweaters</span> Most Things Rustic </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>EMMA</b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b><span style="color: #4c1130;"> TAKING A WALK</span></b> </span><i><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: purple;">Lavender </span></span></b></i> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>GABE</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><i>Jewelry</i></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #783f04;"> </span> </span><b><u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All-Dressed Chips</span></u></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Taking Pictures </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b> </b> <span style="font-size: large;">Catan </span> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Albert Shuffle</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Flower Gardens <span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><b>Lilac </b></span> </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">My Memere's Chicken</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Hot Tubs </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Mr. Sketch Markers </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span> <b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Spending Time with Ben</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dancing</span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><u>Chinese Food</u></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Front Porches </span></b> <span style="color: red;"><b>Lakes </b></span> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Christmas Lights</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Whether you are new here or have been around for awhile, I want to hear from you! What are a few <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Nutritious Skin</td></tr>
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of your favorite things? Let me know in the comment section and then head on over to Facebook and start liking some pages so you can be entered to win a homemade soap! The more you participate the interact with us, the more chances you have to win! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">*Contest begins today and will end in 7 days. We will announce the winner of the soap on our Facebook pages.* </span></div>
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Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-34903594353680171982016-09-05T07:36:00.000-07:002016-09-05T07:36:10.103-07:00A Time to Go Across the Country<span style="font-family: inherit;">When Ben was a senior in high school his parents loaded up all 6 kids in their van, hauled a camper and took off to drive cross country. They began in. Madawaska and went to California, with many stops and many campgrounds in between. They came home through Canada and it all took 5 weeks. They planned and saved a long while for this trip and I have lived it through Ben's photo album complete with commentary. Our kids love taking this album out and seeing all the places they went to and hearing the funny stories. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ben and I have talked since very early in our marriage of taking a similar trip with our own family. Back then it seemed a lifetime away and yet, here we are beginning to plan. That lifetime is here and how fast it came! We want to take the trip when Noah is either a Junior or Senior in high school, depending on the circumstances at the time and that is only about 5 years away. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">***Excuse me while I die a little inside at this thought!***</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We began praying about all of this about a year ago. Things have changed in the 20-years since Ben's parents took this trip, mainly the cost of everything! It seems at times daunting how much this has the potential of costing but we also know that the God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills can provide for this trip and allow it to be affordable. The first thing we needed to figure out was how would we travel? Did we want to do hotels along the way? That seemed crazy since our family has to get two hotel rooms at any hotel we'd stay at! But camping in tents just seemed like way too much work. Setting up a tent site every other day and packing and unpacking...I'm tired just thinking about it. Then there was the thought of getting a camper...but any camper that fit us all would be way outside our budget. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A few weeks ago Ben saw a camping trailer for sale just down the road from our house. He stopped in out of curiosity to look at it and see what they were asking. He sat on it for a couple weeks praying, not sure if we should get it. Finally he had decided, after consulting with a few people who had experience with these types of trailers, that the price was too good to pass up and if it ended up not working we could easily sell it for twice what we would be paying. So he went up last night to get it and, come to find out, they were so desperate</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLN2MndDtvuVKUfPqubVKaB_81LiMywNlaiMpvGiCGOm739SPPDhesn32HGbl7v7Dze4TcUUUcdfJr_OCshkx0k4eZoVsJJRmAjL8_8pfXbhteUL8HKa-Em3EbFeyMFf5X7rRWvsvc-c/s640/blogger-image--180389532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLN2MndDtvuVKUfPqubVKaB_81LiMywNlaiMpvGiCGOm739SPPDhesn32HGbl7v7Dze4TcUUUcdfJr_OCshkx0k4eZoVsJJRmAjL8_8pfXbhteUL8HKa-Em3EbFeyMFf5X7rRWvsvc-c/s200/blogger-image--180389532.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">to get rid of it that we got it for even less than what they originally were asking. God is so good!</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What we appreciate about being allowed to purchase something so soon before the actual trip is this will allow us to test out camping in this way and see if it's for us. We will be allowed to practice hauling it before having to haul it across the country! We have also been given permission by a friend who owns many acres of land to store it on his property. So much goes into planning for a costly and lengthy trip like this and we are just feeling so blessed that as we pray for the different things necessary for the trip and all the little details, God is hearing and providing!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As we map out our routes and destinations we want to see, I ask you fellow travelers...what </span><b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">MUST</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> we see? </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">*** You can pray with us <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">***</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1. That we would continue to be able to set aside money each month to build up our trip fund...gas money, food, camp site fees, laundering fees, entrance fees to the places we want to go and any unforeseen expenses along the way. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2. Pray God would provide the right vehicle and that we would have the patience to wait on Him. Our current vehicle is a 1/2 ton and we really need a 3/4 ton in order to haul this trailer long distance. It also has to be 9-passenger or accommodate our 4th row bench seat. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3. Wisdom as we map out routes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">4. That God would prepare our hearts for any changes to our plans He intends to make...A lot can happen in 5 years!</span></div>
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Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-45344864211242048282016-07-18T08:05:00.000-07:002016-07-18T08:18:24.806-07:00A Time for Memories<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Pj5khXtORbaCUzewrAtyb3oA4I5AhPY2udpRKgnbuQLV2Q7xckDrUH8sK3Xoy0SE2b_IOMSypRPocMSDEvERRmhPU0uU2dXqy6fRZEGo2yfiDHvh00lqi3nXrVxyWdhdddBZRKaILBM/s1600/Youth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Pj5khXtORbaCUzewrAtyb3oA4I5AhPY2udpRKgnbuQLV2Q7xckDrUH8sK3Xoy0SE2b_IOMSypRPocMSDEvERRmhPU0uU2dXqy6fRZEGo2yfiDHvh00lqi3nXrVxyWdhdddBZRKaILBM/s1600/Youth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Pj5khXtORbaCUzewrAtyb3oA4I5AhPY2udpRKgnbuQLV2Q7xckDrUH8sK3Xoy0SE2b_IOMSypRPocMSDEvERRmhPU0uU2dXqy6fRZEGo2yfiDHvh00lqi3nXrVxyWdhdddBZRKaILBM/s1600/Youth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Pj5khXtORbaCUzewrAtyb3oA4I5AhPY2udpRKgnbuQLV2Q7xckDrUH8sK3Xoy0SE2b_IOMSypRPocMSDEvERRmhPU0uU2dXqy6fRZEGo2yfiDHvh00lqi3nXrVxyWdhdddBZRKaILBM/s200/Youth.jpg" width="188" /></a></div>
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My family and I just returned from a 3-week long vacation to visit family in our hometown on the Canadian border. It was an incredible and much needed time away from our busy and sometimes hectic lives. We were so blessed to be able to spend that time at my family's camp on the lake. I have so many wonderful memories that were made in my childhood here. Fourth of July pig roasts my grandfather would put on, time playing with cousins on the beach, the big black inner tubes we spent hours playing on <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCOnw1hlPz7_JUW2B6ENpsHudInp1etJKrK7xlnrpHldMCnpEj__t0u3t5zQImUCv-KK3pOc6uUcUwFLTajGXte5zvC_eJxN6oWqKBlHZZ-sV8Qc9m5FaXTTFonfV5DLCw4OGupvyZFg/s1600/Camp+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCOnw1hlPz7_JUW2B6ENpsHudInp1etJKrK7xlnrpHldMCnpEj__t0u3t5zQImUCv-KK3pOc6uUcUwFLTajGXte5zvC_eJxN6oWqKBlHZZ-sV8Qc9m5FaXTTFonfV5DLCw4OGupvyZFg/s200/Camp+1.jpg" width="200" /></a>in the lake, playing the "Albert Shuffle", a game some of my uncles created. There were nights of hide 'n' seek in the dark, fireworks on the lake and my great-aunt yelling at us kids, "don't slam the door!". Having the opportunity to share this place with my own kids and them having a chance to create their own memories at the camp means more to me than I can express here. Their fondness of this place will look different then mine, but I am sure will mean just as much to them. For them the memories are kayaking on the lake, walks across the beach to visit Mrs. Bouchard, sleeping outside in the "little cabin", canoe rides with Pepere, fishing on the lake, playing golf, finding clam shells in the lake, seeing who can make the bigger and better city on the beach and of course....learning to play the Albert Shuffle!<br />
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When I was growing up we were lucky enough to be able to drive a few miles down the road to the "other camp". On my mom's side of the family we had a camp also, on the same lake. I have just as many great memories spent there. The swimming wasn't as good or the beach as big but there were days spent on the party barge going to Peppermint Beach and having my Pepere teach me to dive. There were walks with Memere to pick wild strawberries and then bringing them home to eat them in a bowl with cream and sugar. There was fighting over the beds upstairs...my sisters and I all wanted the middle bed because the mattress was the best! There were nights of playing Scat for nickels and playing restaurant with a wooden caraf and goblet set my Memere had. I remember my grandfather's flowers and how anxious I was to be able to cut some Tiger Lily's to put in a vase. I remember him walking me around the yard telling me the names of the different things he had planted and smelling mint for the first time. This camp had a wooden glider swing that sat 4 people and I looked forward to being able to sit there with my Memere each day. Then of course my two favorite activities at this camp...skipping rocks and paddle boat rides!<br />
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Only those of us lucky enough to have grown up in this unique small town can truly appreciate it. While it is small and isolated and today offers very little employment opportunity we still love coming back to visit and share it with our own kids. I love that my husband also grew up here and loves coming back to visit as much as I do. This particular visit both my sisters were there at the same time I was! We took this rare opportunity and decided to explore our old stomping grounds in a <br />
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different way than we had before. When we lived in Madawaska we had a house on Main St. It was my grandparents house first, the house my dad grew up in. Behind us lived my grandparents and behind them my aunt and uncle. It was a great street to grow up on. One of the best friends I had as a child also lived on that street and we still make time to see each other today! When we moved an insurance agency bought our house and did many renovations. This visit my sisters and I went to the business and asked if they minded if we walked around the place. We explained that we had lived in the house years ago and wanted to see if anything was the same. As we began walking around it didn't seem like we would see anything that existed when we lived there. As we entered the basement we found a small door that we were certain was the door to the old root cellar. Sure enough when we opened the door the root cellar was as it was when we were kids. The same small, scary, cob-webbed, cement room we had remembered, complete with the same smell! My favorite part though was finding the door in the basement that led to the garage. When we entered the garage we were amazed with what we found. A red ten-speed bike that had belonged to my older sister, still hanging there! A bathroom sink that was in our bathroom and the vanity that belonged in my great-aunt's bathroom in the apartment she lived in above our house were also there. What we realized that day on our visit through memory lane was that our house was not as big as we remembered it, the street was not as long and the field behind all the houses on that street that we spent so many hours playing in was not as far away from home as we had thought when we were kids!<br />
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Everything is larger than life when you are a kid and that's the way it should be! Things and people pass away but our memories remain with us forever. Hang onto the good memories and make them larger than life! Share them with your kids because they are a part of you and have played a part in making you who you are today. Encourage your kids to make memories and be an active participant in them. As we are told in God's Word:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><b>"Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." </b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQfnKpHN96lrC98sww3flVoJUUwEb3VL80atJVdUYBHP3l_ZjstU2gybWoI8zKBmD-8gg8kUD_gTXfnzI8RD0yEckk7K-LgmF1hslJq5_yUbrEAwXp03g32I-7gVwkTUStXs1vN9xnf0s/s1600/Camp+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQfnKpHN96lrC98sww3flVoJUUwEb3VL80atJVdUYBHP3l_ZjstU2gybWoI8zKBmD-8gg8kUD_gTXfnzI8RD0yEckk7K-LgmF1hslJq5_yUbrEAwXp03g32I-7gVwkTUStXs1vN9xnf0s/s200/Camp+3.jpg" width="150" /></a> Life is too short and fleeting to not make the most of the moments life sends your way. Life is too short to wait until tomorrow to show your kids where you grew up and what you spent your time doing in your youth. Life is too short to get caught up with things that hold no value. What is valuable is creating memories and sharing memories. As kids we didn't take expensive vacations to Disney or Hawaii. We didn't have our summers filled with activities. We went to the lake and played with our cousins, we spent time with our grandparents and great-aunt's & uncle's. We looked forward to trips to Tastee Freez and Brian's for penny candy. Our days were not elaborate and jam packed with water parks and amusement parks. We spent time making club houses, riding our bikes and occasionally fighting with the neighborhood kids! We had simple, fun and creative days and this is the kind of childhood I want my kids to have. I want their memories to be filled with cousins, and building forts and riding their bikes and the occasional fight with the neighborhood kid....because <br />
those are the things a great childhood is made of! I want them to have stories to tell their own kids someday and having the chance to spend time at a camp where I made so many of my childhood memories to create their own memories is something I don't take for granted and will forever be thankful for!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLniWa9pusHhcAhdJHAhE-o4BhnMJXapAm6kdZfBVZXXez98yYfpHy9DrF79osck6aPPcuR-z3CUzMwdiIOxD_vcCmN00qxLaDfEexioED4IGY55dR94oo2X4OEjnDd7Yc5droYzANqs/s640/blogger-image--487139165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLniWa9pusHhcAhdJHAhE-o4BhnMJXapAm6kdZfBVZXXez98yYfpHy9DrF79osck6aPPcuR-z3CUzMwdiIOxD_vcCmN00qxLaDfEexioED4IGY55dR94oo2X4OEjnDd7Yc5droYzANqs/s200/blogger-image--487139165.jpg" width="200" /></a>For my "foodie" readers, we know that a trip back home isn't complete without a trip to the grocery store to get the food we no longer have access to! And don't be confused by the bag of All-Dressed chips...you don't know All-Dressed until you've had the authentic Canadian ones! Oh, and yes, Smarties really ARE better than M & M's! </div>
Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-12777751699054167032016-05-06T07:43:00.001-07:002016-05-20T13:00:38.190-07:00Women Building:The Blueprint<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Every wise woman builds her house; but the foolish plucks it down with her hands. ~Proverbs 14:1</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In this series I am talking about what the verse above states...a woman who is wise builds up but a foolish one tears down. It was important to me though, before getting to the meat of what the Lord showed me about how we can build up rather than tear down, that I touch upon a few basics. What is "basic" to one may be very new and not-so-basic to another and I don't want to take for granted that someone reading understands what I'm talking about! In the last post we talked about laying down a solid foundation. If you missed it, you can read it <a href="http://cyrfamily7seasons.blogspot.com/2016/04/women-builders-laying-foundation.html" style="color: #3d85c6; font-weight: bold;">HERE</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Today I want to talk about the blueprint we are given for building. Every good and wise builder uses plans when he builds. A blueprint is simply a "detailed plan of action"and tells the builder everything he needs to know about the structure he is working on from the layout to materials. As women who are desiring to wisely build up we too need to have a detailed plan of action if we want to be successful in our building. So where do we go? I go to God's Word, the Bible. In it you will find all the information you will need to build successfully and you will also find out how you can be foolishly tearing down! Too often we think we can be self-sufficient and do this thing called life on our own...and maybe we can. But I believe if you want to successfully build up your life and the lives of those around you it is imperative that you turn to God and search His Word, our blueprint, for a detailed plan of action. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One thing as I talk with ladies that I hear pretty much from each of them is that finding time to be in God's Word daily and consistently is a challenge. And this crosses all age groups and seasons of life. What worked at one time in the life of a lady may not work anymore when circumstances change. I recently ran into this when one of my child's school schedule changed. My elementary school kids start school later but once they get to middle-school the time school starts is earlier and the school is farther away meaning a longer bus ride and much earlier pick up time. I was used to getting up early before any of the kids were up but with this change came the loss of that time because now I had a child to get up and get on a bus during the time I would normally use for reading in God's Word. I have continued to find it very challenging to find a time of day that works consistently for me to find that quiet time. I know I'm not alone in this. Over the years I have had wise women share with me different ways they have been successful in being in God's Word regularly...and the fruit of it is how they are wisely building up their families and those around them. Here are a few things that I found to be gems of advice through the years:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1. <b><u>Use night feedings as an opportunity to be in the Word.</u></b> When Owen was a baby I was sharing with a more experienced mom how I was struggling to find the time to read my Bible every day. She could have been very critical and judgmental of me and pointed out all the ways I was foolishly using my time but instead she lovingly nodded her head in understanding and shared with me that she would use her night feedings with the babies to do her Bible reading. This made so much sense! It was the quietest time of day in a house with little children, no one to interrupt you and you had to be awake anyway to feed the baby so why not read. She even suggested writing some verses or passages of scripture on a note card and just meditating on the same verses for the week and allowing the Holy Spirit to speak in the silence. I don't know why I hadn't thought of doing that prior to our conversation but it turned out to be one of the best pieces of advice I received as a new mom. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2<u style="font-weight: bold;">. Feed your soul before you feed your stomach!</u> A few years ago I attended a Ladies Conference and the speaker was talking about being in the Word regularly. One thing she said that stood out to me and that I came home and implemented in my own life was how, if we are struggling to be in the Word consistently, to try disciplining ourselves to not eat anything until we have spent time feeding our soul with the Word of God. This was so practical and made so much sense! I can't say I have done this well every day since that time but overall it has helped me a lot to be in the Word more and reminded me how it is just as important, if not more so, to be fed from God's Word as it is to be fed with food. What is great about this advice is it not only places the priority on God rather than food but it also will likely cause you to do your Bible reading in the morning, at the start of your day...when we need it the most! I am not one to tell anyone that their Bible reading has to be done at a certain time of day but in my own life I know that when I start the day off with God I am going to be more successful in responding to my spouse, my children and the unexpected things that come up then if I neglect to spend time with God at the start of my day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3. <u style="font-weight: bold;">Get Creative!</u> Every season of life presents challenges. The mom of young children doesn't have it harder than the retired mother. The full-time working mom doesn't have it harder than the stay-at home-mom. The mom who homeschool's her children doesn't have it harder than the mom who sends her children to school. The unmarried lady doesn't have it harder than the married lady. EVERY life has challenges...the challenges just look different. One thing we need to stop doing as women is comparing our lives with each other. Because each of our lives is different and presents different obstacles, sometimes we need to get creative in how we spend time with God in His Word. Sometimes it's just reciting verses we have hidden in our heart and meditating on them when we are in the shower. Sometimes it's sitting down for 30 minutes each day, at the same time and reading the same amount of verses. Sometimes it's listening to the audio Bible on your commute. Sometimes it's reading between appointments on your smartphone Bible app. My point is that spending time in God's Word doesn't have to be the same for everyone. It's doesn't have to be a set amount of time, at the same time everyday. Your time in God's Word doesn't have to look like mine; what is important is that it is happening. Sometimes you have to get really creative in order to make it happen...and that's OKAY! Do you have creative ways you have implemented Bible reading into your day? I'd love to hear about it and I'm sure other reader's would too! </span><br />
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If your desire is to be a woman who wisely builds other's up then you need to discipline yourself to be in God's Word regularly. Knowing what His Word says allows us to understand what He expects of us and then we can put that knowledge to use as we build. We are told in Psalm 19:7-8<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The law of the </span><span class="small-caps" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the </span><span class="small-caps" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">is sure, making wise the simple.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The statutes of the</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span class="small-caps" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span class="small-caps" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">is pure, enlightening the eyes.</span></b></span></div>
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Everything we read in God's Word is right and perfect and what we glean from it makes the simple wise. You cannot expect to be wisely building if you are neglecting your time with the master builder and allowing Him to instruct you. If you have never taken the time to do a word study on the words wise and foolish I would encourage you to spend some time in God's Word doing just that. It is amazing how much God has to say about these two traits. Do you have a detailed plan of action for how you will build wisely? If not, then start today and begin by going to God's Word and allow Him to teach and instruct you and give you the plans you need for successful building.<br />
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***Next we will talk about WHERE we should build!***<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-39936922566140551232016-04-22T11:05:00.001-07:002016-04-22T11:05:40.169-07:00Women Builders: Laying the Foundation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Every wise woman builds her house: but the foolish</b></div>
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<b>plucks it down with her hands. ~Proverbs 14:1</b></div>
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In my last post I mentioned how I was inspired to do a series because of a devotion I was asked to bring to a group of ladies. The above verse is the verse that was chosen as the theme of the banquet I was to speak at and I have spent the last year studying and meditating on this verse and all that it encompasses. What I learned is that every woman is a builder; and she is either building up or she is tearing down. Later in the series I want to talk about <i>how</i> we do just that and which tools we <i>use </i>to accomplish the task; first I think it is important for us to understand that before we can begin wisely building up we need a good foundation to build upon.<br />
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A few years ago my husband designed a garage addition and we had our contractor and his workers here for several months as they took his vision and made it a reality. The first thing they did though was lay down a foundation. If you've never had the opportunity to see a foundation go down, it's a really neat process to watch. There are many variables and things to take into consideration. The type of foundation you will lay depends on the kind of structure you are putting on it. Even the depth of the foundation will vary depending on soil conditions. It is (in my opinion) a very complicated and delicate process that requires knowledge and experience. The foundation is everything when building a structure. The mistakes you make in the foundation will only get worse as you go up. </div>
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The same can be said when we are talking about building spiritually. The mistakes we make as we choose the foundation we will lay for our lives will have consequences. If we are attempting to build on anything other than a firm foundation we are foolish and can expect what we are building to crumble in the face of life's storms. A wise woman knows and believes that the only way to build wisely is to make Jesus Christ her foundation. We are told in I Corinthians 3:11:<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">which is Jesus Christ. </span></b></div>
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We have a children's song we sing and it is a particular favorite in this house. It's about a wise man and a foolish man. The wise man builds his house on the rock and when the rain comes down, and the floods go up, the house on the rock stands firm. The foolish man, however, builds his house on the sand and when the rain comes down and the floods go up, the house on the sand goes "splat!". The song concludes with the moral of the story which is to build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ and as your prayers go up, the blessings will come down; so build your life on the Lord. If this message is something that is new to you then I encourage you to get into your Bible and read in <u>Matthew 7</u> and see for yourself how this is Biblical truth, that if we want to be building wisely, we need to believe and understand!<br />
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Just as the solid foundation of a building guarantees a durable future for the structure, so does a solid foundation built upon Christ guarantee a durable future for our lives. What your foundation consists of is essential to the success of the building process. Take some time this week to read about what the Bible says about what our foundation <i>should</i> be and evaluate your life against what you learn. If you have changes to make then make them because it is never too late to begin laying a new, stronger foundation that will be able to withstand what comes your way!<br />
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***Next week we will talk about the blueprint for building and where it can be found!***<br />
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Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-3135719284084241542016-04-11T09:56:00.000-07:002016-04-11T09:59:01.614-07:00A Time to Slow Down<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Being still is something that I need reminding of often! I am not one to sit around and do nothing, I don't relax well and I definitely like to keep myself busy. While this can be positive in so many ways in one very big way it negatively impacts my life and that is when it comes to knowing God. I very often have to be reminded to slow down and spend time quietly with the Lord. Why is it that I know it is only through Him that I can accomplish anything and only because of Him I have the strength to get through each day and yet I have to constantly be reminded to "be still and know God"? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">These past few months have been a whirlwind of crazy for me. Each thing I had on my plate were things I believed the Lord was in favor of me doing and were given to me by Him as opportunities to be used of Him, but they were also things that required a great deal of time, study and perseverance. I was recently able to finish up my last class, earning me my diploma in Biblical Counseling. Now I can take a breath for a little bit until I begin taking classes for the Masters Diploma and focus on marriage and family counseling in the fall. While I am really looking forward to beginning this program, I am also thankful for the break from 4:30 mornings of listening to lectures and writing paper after paper! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was also asked last year to speak at a ladies banquet but just before it was to begin it was cancelled because of a family emergency. They asked me to keep what I had prepared and save it for this year and I just recently came back from speaking at this banquet. In the year that I had to study the theme verse and seek the Lord as to what direction He wanted me to take with it I learned so much more about who God is, who He wants me to be and what changes needed to be made in my heart so that I could be better used of Him for His glory. I am so thankful that I was given an extra year to prepare because the devotional took many shapes and forms over the course of that year as the Lord spoke to my heart. It finally became clear to me what He wanted me to say, just weeks before I was scheduled to present it. There were a lot of sleepless nights as I wrestled with whether or not I was handling His word appropriately and if I was having the right heart attitude as I wrote it...and of course pridefully worrying if I would meet their expectations!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Lord gave me insight into a verse that I had never really seen and I believe it will help me tremendously as I attempt to counsel women. Last year I didn't see the connection between the verse and what I felt the Lord leading me to do with my life but today I am confident He used it to give me a vision that will be valuable as I try to help people. I also want to share what the Lord has shown me and reminded me of here with you and I plan to do just that. There was no way I could have shared at this banquet all that the Lord showed me because the time just wasn't there. On the blog though I can really dive into the different things the Lord showed me and hopefully be a blessing and encouragement to those reading. My plan is to create a series titled, "Women Builders"...or something like that....and it will consist of different blog posts over several weeks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm excited to finally begin working on this series and I pray that it will be as much a blessing to the reader as it was to me as I studied it. For this week though, I plan to "be still and know God" because I have neglected this too much over the last few weeks. I trust that you too will be able to find a quiet space this week and allow the Lord to speak to your heart and show you all the great things He wants to do in and through you...if you will let Him!</span>Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-12480316113687392792016-02-11T07:13:00.001-08:002016-02-11T07:26:06.606-08:00A Time for Senior Saints<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is </b></span><b style="font-family: inherit;">the grey head. </b></div>
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<b style="font-family: inherit;">~Proverbs 20:29</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Let me explain to you what you will see when you walk into our church, the church we've been <br />members of for 10 years now. You will find a few families in their 50's & 60's, you will see our family and then you will see what the Bible calls the "grey head" and what we call our "senior saints". The majority of our membership is in their 70's & 80's, and while for some young families that would send them looking for a different, younger church, for us we have come to understand the blessing of being members of a church such as ours. With our senior saints comes a wisdom from a lifetime of experience and advice from a lifetime of decision making. With our senior saints comes the history of the church and a world gone by. To be wise means to recognize the precious gift we have in these senior saints and to take advantage of their knowledge while we still can; it's to build relationships with them and allow them to teach us. So many of these senior saints have shared with me stories of when they were raising their families. They teach me to not take life or myself too seriously because life is too short for that. They teach me to appreciate the days I have with my children, even the hard ones, because the days are fleeting and when they're all gone I'll be longing for those days again. </span><br />
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I would be foolish to tell them they are wrong because they have lived and I am just beginning to. To think I know better than them is foolish because they have experience I lack. To treat them as though they have nothing to offer me is foolish because in reality they have everything to offer me. Like their prayers for one. There are no prayer warriors more faithful then our senior saints. While some young families run from the "grey head", we have learned to see the beauty in it and to appreciate all they have to offer us, and our children.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our children. To reflect on the relationship my children have built with the senior saints in our church causes me to well up. It has been such a beautiful thing to watch. Each of my children has built special bonds with certain senior saints in our church; they run up to them when they see them and </span><br />
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offer hugs, they beg to sit with them on Sunday evenings, they ask if we can please invite them to their birthday celebrations. I believe too many young people are lacking a relationship with this older generation. I am so close to my grandparents and it is hard for me now to live so far away from them. It is hard for me that my children rarely see their own grandparents because of the distance. The relationships my kids are building with our senior saints is making up for that though and they are blessed to have so many in our church who love on them like they were their own grandchildren. They pray for them, they want to know what their interests are, they ask them how school is going, they compliment them when they have a new haircut or outfit on, and they spoil them like crazy! In return my children commit to praying for our senior saints and send them pictures and letters throughout the year. They sit with them in church, when they don't have anyone else to sit with. And sometimes they have to say goodbye. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That is the thing with belonging to a church with an aging generation. We have to say goodbye often and that can be very hard. Though we know we will see them again someday, we are sad because we miss them. Just a couple weeks ago we had to say goodbye to one senior saint who was such an encouragement to us. Some senior saints we have lost we think about on a daily basis, like Mrs. E. We have had to say goodbye (or see ya later, actually!) to 2-3 of these precious saints a year for the past 5 or so years now. As hard as it is to say goodbye, the blessings far outweigh our sadness when </span><br />
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they go. Sure it would be nice...it would be really nice actually, if there were families our age in the church with other children for our own kids to become friends with but what we have received from our senior saints is a gift we will treasure. Our churches need the young families because they are the future of the church but the future of the church needs the wisdom and experience of the past and when we neglect that generation and treat them like they have nothing to offer we become fools. If you have senior saints in your church but you have not taken the time to reach out to them, I encourage you to do that. You have no idea what a blessing it will be to you! </span></div>
Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-28491582491183758172016-01-20T09:12:00.001-08:002016-01-20T12:35:56.010-08:00A Time to BE a BLESSING<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwloFh1IqObe5czd5Is8peQDaVObuLBXoYqntsTR_3HFeTIPSidgC4bb3E6m2fuEpn2Bq0RUNBnyRE-jdDzpD7kGmc2r8tLWi-MXqHO82Q8N1b3CkYaLldR0L1y2rgPhJLmNuJSL1WzCM/s1600/bear+burdens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwloFh1IqObe5czd5Is8peQDaVObuLBXoYqntsTR_3HFeTIPSidgC4bb3E6m2fuEpn2Bq0RUNBnyRE-jdDzpD7kGmc2r8tLWi-MXqHO82Q8N1b3CkYaLldR0L1y2rgPhJLmNuJSL1WzCM/s1600/bear+burdens.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />It can sometimes be hard to know what you can do to be a blessing to someone else. Sometimes we have difficulty because we have not gone through what that person is going through so knowing what they need can escape us. Sometimes we are just too busy to take the time necessary to be a blessing and sometimes it comes down to just plain laziness. Making a choice to be a blessing to other's takes effort, planning and thought and sometimes we just don't want to make the time for it...I say want because I believe we HAVE the time we just don't always want to MAKE the time. Whenever I catch myself using, "I don't have time" as an excuse, I force myself to think of all the other things I made time for and if something like watching tv makes the list then I am reminded that I do in fact have time, I just don't want to make the time. It's a good reality check!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our best friends (and family because he is my cousin) are transitioning into a fairly big life change. They are moving 6 hours away from the only home their children have known because the husband is assuming a new role within an organization he has worked for for several years. As exciting as this transition is it also comes with more responsibility and facing the loss of a church family they've come to love and friends who've become like family to start all over building new relationships with a new church family and friends. Moving can be hard. I remember moving in 6th grade from a small french community to a place four hours away that was not french and not at all like anything I'd known previously. Making new friends and learning a new culture ( the communities were so different that it really was a culture shock to me) can be terrifying. I also moved several times in adulthood and had to start over with a new church and establishing new relationships in a new community and while all of that can be exciting, it can also be hard and it requires time and patience. Because I understand this and want to help our friends in this transition but live too far away to really be of much use I decided I would send a care package. This is one way you can be a blessing to someone else. Whether they are moving, just had a new baby or facing an on-going illness, a well thought out care package can go a long way to say "I love you" and "I want to bear this experience with you". Here is what I included in our friend's care package:</span><br />
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- <b><u>Hot Chocolate and Chocolate </u></b>(for when they need comfort)<br />
- <b><u>Gum and lollipops </u></b>(for when they need a little sweetness in their life...or to survive a long car ride!)<br />
- <b><u>A movie & popcorn</u></b> (to babysit the kids for a couple hours while mom and dad pack and unpack)<br />
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- <b><u>Lavender body wash</u></b> (for when they need to relax!)<br />
- <b><u>An age appropriate learning activity</u></b> for each child, that they can do independently, for when they arrive at their new home (this will help the home schooling mom feel less guilty about how behind they are falling due to the move!) <br />
- <b><u>Tissues</u></b> (for when the tears come...and they will)<br />
- <b><u>A note</u></b> letting them know we are praying for them with a verse to help encourage and lift them up.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Not everyone will have the means or ability to send a care package to someone and I do understand that, but there are a lot of other ways you can be a blessing. All it takes is a little thought and effort...and some prayers asking the Holy Spirit to guide you because HE knows what they need. Some ideas that I've seen or experienced for a variety of reasons would be:</span><br />
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-<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">bringing a meal</span></b> (great for people moving, sick, just had a baby or a neighbor who has helped you out)<br />
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-<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>send a card</b></span> with a thoughtful message: remind them you are praying, that you love them and miss them; whatever would be appropriate to say, say it..<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>don't be cheap with your words!</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>-<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>offer to help watch a friends children</b></span> so she can get away for an hour or two and encourage her to do something for herself! Do this even if you ARE that mom...taking the focus off ourselves is often the best remedy when we fall into a "woe is me" pattern of thinking.<br />
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-Send an email or text when you know someone is going through a trial or life change; send one if you haven't seen them in awhile and you miss them; send one just because...<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>you are paying for that phone plan so put it to better use than just browsing Facebook and taking "selfies"</b></span>! <br />
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-<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you don't cook and truly are too busy to bring a meal then</span> <b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">plan to order pizza for the family</span></b> just moving into a new home, or just getting home from the hospital or maybe even just because you know they've had a tough week and you want to encourage them.<br />
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-<span style="font-family: inherit;">Take an hour to</span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>visit someone who isn't able to get out</b></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">and may be lonely</span><br />
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-<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Make a phone call!</b></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Sometimes we have no idea that someone is struggling and just needs to hear someone's voice of encouragement and love. Allow your voice to be that voice!</span><br />
-<span style="font-family: inherit;">Have your children draw pictures or write notes to family and friends;</span> <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>teach them young how to encourage others and be a blessing</b></span><br />
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-<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Ask someone how you can pray for them specifically</b></span>...and then follow-up!<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are so many ways to be a blessing to others and my encouragement to you would be this: Be willing to go out of your way for other people and purpose to set aside even just 10 minutes a day to focus on someone else, even if it's just in prayer. Don't stress about what you should do but rather ask God to show you how you could bless someone that day and then be willing to follow his leading. Sometimes he leads us to do things that put us outside our comfort zone! Do it anyway! In this 'me-centered' society we live in the idea of sacrificing a little of our own 'me-time' in order to go out of our way for someone else is not encouraged and we really need to get away from the 'me-first' way of thinking. God wants us to bear one another's burdens, He wants us to put other's first; we will be much happier individuals when we take the focus off of ourselves, place it on the ONE who gives us life and let Him decide what we fill that life with! </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>What are some way's you have been blessed by other's that really lifted you up and encouraged you? </i></b></span></div>
Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-39992435203661318282016-01-02T17:51:00.000-08:002016-01-02T17:53:52.876-08:00A Time for New Every Morning<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">With a new year comes new resolutions; thoughts on how we can do things better in the year to come. We think about all the changes we want to make and all the time we want to redeem. I know I have the tendency to do this; Instead of beginning to eat right today, I will wait till Monday...the start of a NEW week. Instead of exercising this month, I'll start next month...at the start of a NEW month. This past week at prayer meeting, one of our deacons did the preaching and this one verse in Lamentations really spoke to my heart; the Lord has used it to help me ponder some things and it has given me a renewed understanding of God's mercy.</span><br />
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"<b><span class="text Lam-3-22" id="en-KJV-20377" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">It is of the <span class="small-caps" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span>'s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.</span><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"> </span>They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." ~Lamentations 3:22-23</b></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sometimes we can know something but not really know; we don't allow it to be true in our hearts so instead it just remains knowledge we hold in our head, never allowing it to do any kind of changing within us. I am so incredibly thankful that God's mercies are NEW EVERY MORNING! If you have not taken the time to ponder that lately, I encourage you to do so now. Maybe it is because I have a harder time extending mercy that it is difficult for me to believe that each morning, no matter how badly I failed the day before, is NEW; a blank slate and I get to start over again. That is an incredible truth! It's a truth that I want to intentionally believe in my heart and put to use in 2016. If I mess up I don't have to wait until the start of a new week, month or year because in God's economy, each DAY is NEW! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have absolutely no idea what 2016 holds for me or my family but God does know and I trust him to be preparing our hearts to handle whatever He has for us. In spite of not knowing Gods plan for the year to come, I still have goals that I am working towards; goals of losing weight (is that ever off the table?!), goals of being a better mom...not a perfect one but a better one, goals of continuing my education in counseling and seeing what doors God opens in this area as I work towards helping people. Most importantly I have goals of growing closer to God, surrendering my will to His and seeing how He wants to use me, my time and my resources for His glory. Will I fail? Absolutely. I will have failures and successes along the way but in the midst of all those is a God whose mercies are new every morning and whose faithfulness I can count on! What a tremendous blessing that is. I am excited to see what the new year will bring and I am excited to put to use the idea of God's mercies being new each morning; not waiting for next week, month or year to make changes but each day purposing to do better than I did the day before, relying on God to help me.</span>Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-24137402761970768282015-11-10T06:37:00.001-08:002015-11-10T06:40:00.421-08:00A Time to Stop Shaming<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I recently read a blog post written by a woman who wanted to make sure the rest of us knew she wasn't fooled by the "perfect" lives we try to portray on social media and how she had the collective "us" all figured out. I only got halfway through the article and then had to stop because her article did nothing to convict me of portraying something I'm not and frankly sounded more like the rantings of a bitter woman who is very dissatisfied with the life she is leading and clearly seeing other people happy or at least attempting to be happy, angers her. I would cite the blog post here so you could see for yourself but my blog is not about spreading that kind of negativity so I'm not going to; I'm sure a quick search would lead you to it...or one similar. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That's the thing with social media. I will be the first to admit that I love my daily dose of Facebook because it's an easy way for me to stay connected with people; something that is difficult to do when you are busy raising a family. However, it has become a place where people feel very free to say whatever they think with very little regard to other people's feelings. It has also become a place where shaming of every kind is taking place. We have all seen and heard about the "mommy wars", I even wrote a blog post on it [<a href="http://cyrfamily7seasons.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-time-to-judge-me.html"><b>A Time to Judge Me</b></a>]. It is also a place where a person will now be shamed for having a happy life, happy marriage and happy children. When did we become so cynical that it is hard for us to believe that a family can be genuinely happy? When did we become so bitter that we </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">doubt a picture of a happy couple is real? When did we become so dissatisfied with our own lives that seeing posts about a person being thankful and happy for their spouse and children and life in general upsets us? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Why is it necessary for us to know the "dirt" behind the photo? Why can't a frazzled, stressed out mom who has been taking care of her children who maybe haven't behaved the best the past few days or maybe were sick and cranky, post a photo of that rare second when the child was happy as a reminder to focus on the good and not the negative? Why can't a couple, who in reality have arguments and disagreements like every other couple, post a photo of themselves and celebrate the love they STILL have for one another despite the ups and downs marriage has brought? Why do we feel the need to tell people that if there is ANY negative anywhere in their lives then they are not allowed to focus on the ups but should instead dwell on the downs? </span><br />
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I love seeing photos of couples who are happily married and in love. I love seeing photos of couples who have stood the test of time & the "for better or for worse" moments and I love seeing photos of families enjoying each other and being happy; even if it's only for that one day, minute or second because everyone deserves to celebrate the good moments. Families are falling apart and that is no secret. There are a lot of hurting moms and dads and in effect, a lot of hurting children. Families need help, they need support, they need love, they need encouragement and most of all they need to know there is a God that loves them more than any one person could and who wants to help them succeed. I want to spread THAT message! I want to like every happy, joyful picture I see, not because I'm naive and think that that a happy picture is a total representation of what is going on but because that person is making a choice to focus on the good rather than dwell on the negative and that kind of focus is what is going to save marriages and save families!<br />
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Yes, there are those out there who will always feel the need to impress and portray something that isn't reality but I believe they are the exception, not the rule. The majority of people on social media are just trying to live their lives to the best of their ability and sometimes if they need to make something look a little better than reality to help them feel better, then just let them! If we want to be people who love the way God tells us to love then we will be patient & kind; we won't be rude, envious, boastful, proud or easily angered & offended. My family is made up of 9 imperfect people who have good days and bad days. Despite the ups and downs though we are able to genuinely put a smile on our faces and have genuine love for one another in the midst of our circumstances because we have the joy of the Lord in our hearts. So post those happy moments and don't let anyone bully you into believing you shouldn't just because your life isn't perfect. That's what life is: An imperfect existence filled with perfect moments and no one should be shaming you for sharing it!<br />
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<br />Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-89899494342546178872015-10-28T03:59:00.000-07:002015-11-10T06:40:20.976-08:00A Time for Two Wishes<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> walk in truth." ~</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">3 John 1:4</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As a Christian family it can be difficult at times to explain to other Christians why we feel so strongly the best place for our kids to be educated is in the public school. In comparison to the people who only have a negative opinion about it, there are few who support our decision and even fewer who share our vision of the kind of difference we can make there. I've never been one to shy away from a fight; not one I believe in anyway. Yes, things have changed and we don't agree with all the changes but I also know that you can't make a difference if you walk away from the issues, someone has to stay and try to make a difference. Our difference won't be lobbying legislators in hopes of repealing Common Core. That would be great and there are people called to that kind of fight. The kind of fight I'm talking about is on a smaller scale, closer to home. The change we feel called to make is by offering support to the teachers who work effortlessly to do what is best for our children; to let them know how much we appreciate them when they are forced to teach a curriculum they don't care for or have to implement a set of standards they know will only frustrate the students. It's the kind of change that shows other's God can still be a part of a child's classroom when our own children bring their Bibles to school to read during free time or on the bus, that He's there when a teacher allows one of our children to share from God's word what we believe about the creation of the world, He is there when we commit to teaching kids about who God is during our weekly Good News Club, He's there in the lunchroom when a fellow classmate asks one of our children who is this God they believe in? He's even there in our children's homework assignments if we have taught them that no one, not even the public school, can take God out of their hearts if they want Him there. Yesterday one such homework assignment came home that proves this point:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Overlook the several grammatical errors that it appears even the teacher missed because <b>the grammar is not what's important here...not this time</b>. What is important is what is seen in the heart of Owen. The boldness he had in sharing his heart in a homework assignment not knowing how it would be received by the teacher. What is important is that rare glimpse into the heart of a child who very rarely lets people know what is going on inside. To say I was proud when I read this is an understatement. The courage it took for him to write this, knowing that he may be mocked by other classmates (because let's face it....these days anyone who claims the name of Christ is fair game for ridicule) touched me. It's the kind of courage that can only come from God. Last winter we spent our family devotion time in the book of Joshua and had the boys hide the following verse in their hearts: </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." Joshua 1:9</b></span></div>
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He put the truth of that verse to work in that homework assignment! It may seem small in comparison to the battle Joshua was called to but even Joshua had to start somewhere. As Christian parents we need to be preparing our children for battle and teaching them to take courage in the face of opposition. They are never too young to learn this very important life lesson and I am thankful for the opportunities God is giving my kids to stand up for what they believe in their school, with their teachers and among their peers. Not every family will be called to put their children in public school; wherever you are called though, that is where your battle is and you have a responsibility to teach your kids how to stand up for their faith. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you ask Ben and I what our two wishes are we'd say we don't believe in wishes, but we do believe in prayer and our two prayers would be that each member of our family would "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind" and that our children will always "walk in truth". Pray for our children that God would continue to use them for His glory and that they would continue to have hearts willing to do His will. He CAN do great and mighty things through them...even in the public school. </span>Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-45522114542593379142015-10-08T07:14:00.002-07:002015-10-09T05:51:16.231-07:00A time for "I don't do baths!"<br />
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"Any man can be a father, but it takes someone</div>
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special to be a dad." ~Anne Geddes</div>
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I'm going to make this simple. I was away and Ben was left to hold down the fort here at home. One evening I received a text that read: <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I DON'T DO BATHS!</span></div>
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Assuming he was just being melodramatic about a task he's not crazy about I didn't pay it much attention and replied with: <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Oh come on! Your mom is there to help you. :)</span></div>
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What I received next was a series of texts with pictures of the most hilarious bath time I've ever read about. Enjoy!</div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It all started as a fun bubble bath. Lots of happy girls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> Then Tess started wincing and holding her rear.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And then the faces started.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Then, there it was. Bigger than most grown men.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> So we went downstairs and Oma rinsed hair...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">...and Emma peed on the floor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Then I had to clean the bathtub.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It grossed us all out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> But we recovered.</span><br />
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<br />Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-84806725932056732052015-09-15T04:08:00.001-07:002015-10-09T05:51:36.496-07:00A Time for Change...Again!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Have I ever mentioned I don't like change? Well, I don't. I like structure, schedules, consistency and familiar surroundings. I can handle spontaneous as long as it's organized...I sound like so much fun, don't I?! This is one thing I love about God. He NEVER changes. He is always the same, unfailing, loving God and I don't have to worry that He's going to change His mind. For someone like me, that truth is a real comfort. <br /><br />As I've shared before my morning routine is pretty structured and it works for me...well, worked. It was my "alone" time, while the house was quiet where I could get up at 5, have my coffee, read and do a couple chores and just prepare myself for the day ahead. Sadly, sometimes things change and you have to restructure your day or at least leave room for things to go a little differently. With a new school year came a new schedule for our oldest, who is now at the Middle School in another town. This is the age when the three towns in our district come together in one school so that puts us about a 30 minutes drive from the school....on a bus it's an hour and a half! So while I'm still getting up as early as I used to, I now have someone who needs to be up with me and instead of reading I'm making breakfast, lunch and keeping my 11-year-old, non-organized, son on schedule. Once he is on the bus I have about 40 minutes before the others start waking up and I begin the process of getting all of them ready for school.<br /><br />Things change! That is reality and I need to deal with it. Some of the retired ladies at our Bible study yesterday were commenting on what an adjustment retirement is; They went from having the house to themselves all day, making the decisions, having a set routine to now having their husband home and the routine getting thrown all off. It made me realize how true it is that there really is a season to everything! I say it all the time, it's sort of my mantra but I guess I hadn't realized how that statement penetrates just about every aspect of life. No matter what stage of life or what season of life we find ourselves in, it all comes with change. Some changes are big...retirement is a big change. Some of the changes are small...a new school schedule is a small change. The thing I have to remember is that God knows all these changes. None of it is a surprise to Him and if we choose to trust Him with these changes then we can trust He is going to give us exactly what we need to function successfully with these changes. I can choose to grumble and complain and focus on how this is affecting me negatively or I can choose to see the change as something positive and seek out what His will is for me in the change. </span><br />
One blessing I have already seen is that I now have some one-on-one time with my oldest that I didn't have before...and it's every morning! There are no distractions and no interruptions. We can open up our Bibles together and read while he eats breakfast. He also gets home before the other kids do, so there is even more one-on-one time. For my son, even he has chosen to see this as a positive. A couple of the things he said to me were, "well I'm up at that time anyway" and "I like the long bus ride; I get to talk to people." I do think as time goes on that getting up that early will not be as easy and I do think the long bus ride will get old but because we are choosing to see the good and positive in these changes, God is blessing us and we are thankful for the goodness He has shown us the past few weeks. <br />
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So if you are like me and you don't like change I encourage you to embrace it and look for the positive. Change is an inevitable part of life and not all change is bad. Look for what God might be trying to show you, teach you and bless you with during the change rather than dwell on the negative. If you find yourself really struggling to find the goodness in a change you are facing then I give you this verse:<br />
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<b><i>'Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.' ~Philippians 4:8</i></b></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />You can't go wrong when you put your focus on all the things this verse mentions!</span>Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-15912078016303152182015-08-25T12:19:00.000-07:002015-08-25T12:21:10.010-07:00A Time for the Right Perspective<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's been quiet here on the blog. Between having all the kids home
for the summer and taking classes, I haven't had a lot of time for much else.
However, <b>quiet on the blog does not mean quiet on my heart and God has done a
good deal of convicting, shaping and restoring.</b> I hope you can say that you've
had seasons like that. Seasons where it seems like you don't have much to say
but it's only because you are choosing to be still and know God. He can't speak
to us if we never stop talking or moving long enough to hear him; we can't make
changes if we don't know where change needs to happen. It's interesting
sometimes to see what God will use to stir your heart and bring about
conviction. For me it was a lecture in one of my classes and a book the kids
and I read aloud together over the summer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> In one of my
lectures the professor gave us an acronym: ALIVE. It stands for<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b><u>A</u></b>lways<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b><u>L</u></b>iving<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b><u>I</u></b>n<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b><u>V</u></b>iew of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b><u>E</u></b>ternity. We were
learning this as a tool to have in order to help someone we might be helping
<b>understand how our perspectives influence our responses to life's circumstances
and how our response influences the outcome 100% of the time. </b>We were being
taught to challenge someone to think about whether or not it is God's Word that
influences our perspective. Throughout our lectures and our teaching, while we
are being taught how to help others we also, if we are surrendered enough to
allow it, are being challenged ourselves to make positive changes and look at
life with a filter of hope and life in Christ. I began to see that there were
some areas in my life that I was not completely surrendered and this really
grieved me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Then as the kids
and I got to the end of our book on "Hero's of the Faith", we read
about two men: George Mueller and John Wesley. What these two men had in common
and what the Lord spoke to not only me about but the kids also was how these
men told only God of their needs and <b>trusted Him fully to provide; </b>they were
incredible stewards with what God had given them, giving back to God more than
what they kept for themselves. I realized that I had fallen away from the kind
of steward I wanted to be. I felt the Lord convicting me about letting HIM
provide for my needs rather than trusting in my bank account to provide. I was
also being challenged about what I spent my money on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> As I
realized that I needed to live my WHOLE life with eternity in view not just
part of it I realized that this had to extend into how our family spent our
money and on what. One night I sat down with Ben and shared with him what God
had been showing me and not surprising to us, Ben had been feeling convicted
similarly. I love how God does that and how<b> only He can make two hearts
one.</b>..it gives me goose bumps every time it happens. From there we talked about
ways that we as a family can live with a perspective more focused on eternity
and how we can be better stewards with what God has given us. We both wanted to
involve the kids and make them a part of this work that God is doing in our lives.
Showing our kids (and others too) practical ways we can practice what God is
showing us is really important to us... so this is what we did...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYWLO2VQA9zm8QfGN7Jhy71eOtTnVTtIq4m_vsuSB3aLYJsua0AWSCWdHtiKZygqYbbAD4cdxxXDRpKJYBuchnD67SOjo2npV9EyIkesjKphxpjIFHs8SoF7yhaCrLvezYq4kBaYHuOU/s1600/Jena+cleaning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYWLO2VQA9zm8QfGN7Jhy71eOtTnVTtIq4m_vsuSB3aLYJsua0AWSCWdHtiKZygqYbbAD4cdxxXDRpKJYBuchnD67SOjo2npV9EyIkesjKphxpjIFHs8SoF7yhaCrLvezYq4kBaYHuOU/s200/Jena+cleaning.jpg" width="146" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">We decided to give
the kids an allowance. The kids work really hard around the house. They all
have chores to do and for the most part they do them with sweet spirits and
little complaint. Because we have seen how hard they have worked this past year
we were okay with giving them a little compensation for their efforts with the
intent of using the allowance to teach them about budgeting and being a wise
steward with what God gives you. They will each receive 1/4 of their age per
week (I told you it was a little compensation!). From that amt. they must tithe
10%, save 70% and can spend 20%. We thank Ben's parents for helping us with the
percentages. It's what they did with their kids and I don't know about the others
but it was a good system for Ben! We have also told them that for each need or
want they have whether it is new sneakers or a new Lego set, we would pray
about it and give God time to provide it in a way where we can get the item for
the best deal possible instead of going out and just buying it brand new. We
want the kids to see that God is ABLE to provide ANY need we have and as we as
a family purpose to live this way, we are excited to see what God will show us.
<b>Keeping eternity in view will allow us to be more thoughtful on what we spend
our money on and hopefully give us even more resources to give back to God. </b>One
passage from the chapter on John Wesley read:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“When you [John
Wesley] were a young man, you made 30 pounds; you lived on 28 pounds and had 2
pounds to give away. The next year, you doubled your money to 60 pounds, but
you still lived on 28 so you had 32 to give away. And when you made 120 pounds
a year, you<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>still</i> lived
on 28 and gave away 92!" John Wesley laughed and said, "I call it
Kingdom economics!" ~Hero Tales by Dave & Neta Jackson</span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For Ben and I, of course there are set
bills that have to be paid but aside from those things we are responding to the
convicting of the Holy Spirit and leaving our budget and spending in Gods
hands. We do not know what the future holds and there may come a day where we
will have to live on less out of necessity; being convicted to live on little
and need little may just be a blessing for the future that we have yet to
understand! <b>God always moves with a purpose and a plan </b>and while I know
becoming more disciplined in this area will not always be easy, I am excited to
see God's plan worked out. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-81033576047857813202015-06-18T05:57:00.000-07:002015-06-18T05:57:38.065-07:00A Time for a Funny Story<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's been awhile since I've taken the time to sit down and write
something funny one or all of the kids has done. It's the last day of school
today and it was not without its funny incident at the bus stop! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Side Story</u></b>: My amazing neighbors, for the
past 6 years beginning when Noah was in Kindergarten, have put my kids on the
bus at the group stop for us. This has made it so that I don't have to get all
the kids dressed up and in the truck to go to the bus stop and has been an
incredible blessing and help; especially during the times I had a newborn to
care for. Since the weather is nicer and they want to get up to their camp
earlier, I have been putting the boys on the bus two days a week for a few
weeks now and it is for this reason I was fortunate enough to have this story
to share! A big thank you goes out to my neighbors; we should all be so lucky
as to have an "Ed & Elaine" living next door. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUVh3cmxQtLgYpdtNfppkIly-hOAJ5hl-vfbrL_b2dQRG8NnJehrPPvRfqFEZudAUBDjTrCBEa7Lpxda_FFgOcX8_mNCpxgjFrvIycweYTtRl6zkStyqNtUHc-DVzgM1zZF9dOiyGiMA/s1600/11400997_10153526848749369_278019715718325560_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUVh3cmxQtLgYpdtNfppkIly-hOAJ5hl-vfbrL_b2dQRG8NnJehrPPvRfqFEZudAUBDjTrCBEa7Lpxda_FFgOcX8_mNCpxgjFrvIycweYTtRl6zkStyqNtUHc-DVzgM1zZF9dOiyGiMA/s200/11400997_10153526848749369_278019715718325560_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our new 6th, 5th & 3rd graders!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was sitting in the truck as the bus was
pulling up. The boys had begun getting out of the truck and because I couldn't
see what was happening on the other side, just assumed ALL the boys were
getting their bags and heading onto the bus. I only saw two get on and I knew
the bus driver was smiling and mouthing something to me but I just assumed she
was saying, "Have a great summer!" and smiled and nodded at her. A
few seconds pass and she's still laughing and I see that one of the boys hasn't
gotten on the bus and I'm really confused because I don't see him anywhere. I get out
and ask her, "did he get on?" and she laughs, points behind me and
says, "He's peeing! I was telling you, boys will be boys!" Sure
enough, there's the boy heading my way thinking nothing of the fact that he was
peeing....out in the open....and with a big toothy grin got on the bus as
though nothing had happened. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was so shocked I couldn't even muster up
words to say to him. I admit this is not the first time one of them has had to
pee at the bus stop but I make them go farther into the woods and get behind a
tree...sorry Ed & Elaine! Why this particular time he thought right beside
the truck door would be a good spot is beyond me. I also don't understand why
one of his brothers didn't stop him; they must have thought it was an
appropriate spot too?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We're the Cyr family and apparently we like to
leave our mark...in more ways then one! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Happy Summer! </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you liked this story, you might also like the post <span style="color: #0c343d;"><a href="http://cyrfamily7seasons.blogspot.com/2010/11/time-for-rocks.html" style="font-weight: bold;">A Time for Rocks</a> </span>when Noah put a rock in his ear at school...and how we got it out.</span></div>
Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-42349748745859039312015-06-02T10:25:00.000-07:002015-06-02T10:25:48.489-07:00A Time to Let Go of Excuses!<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth </b><b>and forsaketh them shall have mercy. </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>~Proverbs 28:13</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So the Lord has given me another opportunity to be transparent
with all of you....great for you, not so great for me! <b>I do love transparency</b>.
Some of the women I admire most are the ones who have been willing to mentor me
through transparency. It speaks volumes and can often help but for the person
who has to do the revealing, it's not always fun. As I share this, please don't
get the impression that this is the first time something like this has happened
to us; I just felt led to share this particular incident and highlight a couple
valuable life lesson I am trying to ingrain in my children. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">No names will be shared but some of the
details need to be brought out for better understanding. There was a band field
trip. It was at an amusement park. It was a well-deserved reward for some hard
work during this school year. It may come as a shock to you but for my two who
were on this trip, it was their first time at a place like this because
well....amusement parks with 7 little children are just too overwhelming for
me. I was thrilled for my two boys to have this opportunity because it means I
don't have to bring them, ha! We've done Storyland but this place had big
rides, for big kids! <b>They were so excited for this trip, and I don't blame
them. </b>I knew that my two boys would be in the same group and I knew who their
chaperone was going to be; I couldn't have been more thrilled with the
situation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It never occurred to me that morning to
have a talk to my boys about their behavior on this trip, to respect the people
in charge of them and to just overall behave and be mindful of what our
expectations are. While they are not perfect by any means, this is an area
these two generally don't struggle with. So I sent them on their way with a
cheerful goodbye and skipped the pep talk. Whether it was a mistake or not I'll
never know; it’s possible the outcome would have been the same had they had it.
I was so excited to pick them up at the end of the day and hear all about the
fun they had; I knew it would be an evening full of stories. <b>It was full of
stories alright; just not the ones I was thinking of!</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When they got into the car the first thing
one of the boys said when I asked how it went was, "Well, the chaperone
was probably upset with me for not being patient; I was just really excited to
be there". Alright, I thought, a little excitement is expected so I didn't
say much about it. I decided I would just text her when I got home and make
sure things had gone well. Lets just say her version of the story and the one I
was getting were different. When I questioned said child and read the text to
him that said he had taken off on her three times he looked at me confused and
said that he hadn't run off on her. <b>Life lesson #1:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Children are always guilty until
proven innocent; except in cases where they are accusing an adult of harming
them </b>(in those cases, parents
should always believe the child and investigate). So with that in mind I went
back to my friend and made it clear that I believed her but not being there I
was going to need more details so I could get to the bottom of this; and she obliged.
When I read to my child the first instance he ran off he immediately made an
excuse. <b>Life lesson #2:</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>NO
EXCUSES! Own your behavior and take responsibility for your actions.</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>I immediately called him on his excuse
making and explained that what he thought was considered ASKING her was
actually TELLING her. The two are not the same and I made it clear to him that
he did, in fact, take off on her. He knew better to give me any excuses on the
next two points and so after a little scolding, a little reminding and a little
scripture to reinforce what I was teaching I then had him sit down to write the
chaperone an apology. <b>Life lesson #3: Teach your kids at a young age to apologize and ask forgiveness.</b> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Why am I sharing this? Because making
excuses is one of my biggest pet-peeves and I see it all too often. How many times have you heard a parent make an excuse for a child who is behaving poorly? How many times do we see adults making excuses for themselves? I
could have done it in this case. I could have said, "Weeeellll, he was
just so excited. Relax a little!" The bottom line and what I want my kids
to understand is that we have the power, with the help of the Holy Spirit to rein
in our emotions and our bodies. We don't have to get out of control, we don't
have to be impatient, and we don't have to throw tantrums because we can have
control over those things. Generally speaking, we choose our behaviors and I begin teaching this to
my children as soon as I know they understand the words coming out of my mouth.
That means my two-year-old does not have the luxury of throwing a fit just
because he's two and not getting his way or is over-tired. If we begin teaching our kids young these very important
character traits (or fruits of the spirit, Gal.5:22-23) then hopefully by the
time they are adults they are the kind of adults who can take ownership of
their actions and not instantly fall back on excuses. <b>My hope is that my kids
grow to be the kind of people who are able to say, "I'm sorry" and
really mean it. That instead of blaming circumstances and people for bad
choices they will be able to examine their own hearts admit they were
wrong. </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm also sharing this because it was a
reminder to me that parenting never ends and it requires constant prayer. Even
when you think you've done a really good job instilling principles in your
kids, they will still make mistakes. When there are several kids (and I'm sure
it happens in situations with fewer children) there are several areas needing
attention all at the same time and it can get overwhelming. I was reminded that
my two older boys are not adults yet and while they are great kids and
generally make good choices, they still need lots of prayer, direction and
guidance. It's so easy to get focused on the younger ones because they need so
much from you but that incident was a reminder that I really need to work on
balancing my attention and realize that my older kids need me just as much as
my younger ones do. <b>It was a lesson in humility for sure and reminded me once
again, to be extending grace to other moms; the same kind of grace I need.</b> I'm
most certainly thankful for this particular chaperone's grace in the situation; it made a discouraging moment a little easier to bear. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The great news is there will be more field trips and more opportunities for them to put into practice the principles we are trying to instill in them. </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">They will fail; they will succeed. How they handle those successes and failures will be the fruit of our labors!</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-77871564107196018012015-05-20T10:26:00.000-07:002015-10-09T05:52:03.219-07:00A Time to Pray for Change<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>'Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.' ~Jos. 1:9</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The end of the school year is coming upon us
and for most of us it is a welcomed sight! No more packing school lunches,
making sure homework is done, activities slow down (theoretically) and we can
look forward to the lazy days of summer. I don't know how you feel, but I love
having my children home for the summer. It’s with the end of the year
approaching that I have been thinking about public school, its students and our
teachers a lot.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_5kXPseaVwmddonGEp612iAXcyxzUSLaYDjI7CLzI-cjHvB944iWIOSe4V6a3ACPQM_xs6Ibs6vDMEIU1yUYyaq3WIcvgNN3wBYVjaawkj4H1Ku1xPN2B8Bd4J6rQomQYWdxAHRVnBM/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_5kXPseaVwmddonGEp612iAXcyxzUSLaYDjI7CLzI-cjHvB944iWIOSe4V6a3ACPQM_xs6Ibs6vDMEIU1yUYyaq3WIcvgNN3wBYVjaawkj4H1Ku1xPN2B8Bd4J6rQomQYWdxAHRVnBM/s200/011.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>We hear and read so
many articles about 'public school'</b> and these days most of them are not singing
it's praises. I've written before about the "why" we put our kids in
public school and what some of the misconceptions are with regard to God being
in the school. (Link: <b><span style="color: #0c343d;"><a href="http://cyrfamily7seasons.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-time-for-public-school.html">A
Time for Public School</a>.) </span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">While I do believe
what I wrote in that post is still relevant and needs to be understood, there
are so many other things that have people abuzz these days with regard to
public school. I am not interested in getting into the issues of
public school. The majority of us know what they are. Some people have an
accurate understanding of what is going on and others are very misinformed and
have a skewed understanding. To this, I will only say that if you are genuinely
concerned for public school and the welfare of the student's then please,</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">find articles from unbiased
sources.</b><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Don't just go
looking for articles from sources that support your negative thinking of public
school; be willing to hear the other side.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>There are innocent
victims</b> in
this war on public school. The teachers who give
of themselves sacrificially to teach our children because they DO care become casualties of this war. A
couple news articles about teachers who do harmful things to students or who have off-base ideas about education are not
the norm and we need to have sense enough to recognize that. The majority of
teachers are teachers for all the right reasons. Every time we make a
choice to put down public school we are doing so much more than criticizing our
Government and the curriculum they've chosen.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>We are
criticizing every teacher and every student and every family who make up these
public schools</b>. We are making a choice to speak negatively about a career
that thousands of people have spent their lives devoted to. And when I say
devoted I mean<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>DEVOTED.
Unless you witness firsthand what a public school teacher has to go through
when these changes arise and the tears of frustration they shed over what they<span class="apple-converted-space"> know</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>is detrimental to the students
learning and yet they stick around because they truly love the kids then you
have no idea how hurtful negative attitudes toward public school
are. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The other victims are
the students themselves</b>. Do you think they care about words like 'Common Core'?
No they don't. They just want to go to school, make some friends, learn some
stuff and have fun. Every time we criticize public school we are putting down
these innocent students....who are remarkable children by the way.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Christians, I would ask that you stop speaking as though children in the public school are bad kids and will
negatively influence your dear innocent children. You do realize your own child
has a sin nature just like every other child and could just as easily
negatively influence the public school kids, right? And how do you know that a
public school child won't POSITIVELY influence your child? <b> Parents need
to understand this and stop instilling the idea that as Christians we should
fear the public school<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b>and
those within its walls.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My heart is burdened
for public school; don't misunderstand. I know things are seriously wrong with
our education system and I know our Government does not have the best interest
of our children in mind. I also know that<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>change
does not happen by running away in fear.</b> Many of the people who are
speaking out in anger over what is going on in our schools sadly are doing only
that; talking. It takes a whole lot more than talking badly about something to
turn things around. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">To end I'd like to offer some advice from
a family who is in the trenches:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b><u>PRAY</u></b>. Instead of
criticizing people for keeping their kids in the school use that energy and
pray for our public schools, its teachers, the students and their families.
Pray for our Government and the leaders implementing these changes. PRAYER most certainly changes things so let’s take
that negative energy being directed at the public school and turn it
into positive energy by praying for change. Also, if you happen to come across a teacher this summer, <b>THANK </b>them for their willingness to invest in America's future.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">***To my fellow Christians who are in the trenches with us, here is a book recommendation for you. I have gleaned valuable information from it!****</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Going-Public-Child-Thrive-School/dp/0801018196/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1432142364&sr=1-1&keywords=going+public" style="font-weight: bold;">Going Public:Your Child Can Thrive in Public School</a><b> </b></span></span></div>
Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-63253036996623495782015-05-13T09:31:00.000-07:002015-05-13T09:31:00.438-07:00Things Don't Always Go as Planned!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<b>"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and </b><b>I am helped:</b><b>therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; </b><b>and with my song will I praise him." ~Ps. 28:7</b></div>
<br />When you are a planner, as I am, curve balls can be tough to handle. The past couple of weeks have been challenging as I try to balance life and my new adventure of going back to school. I have had to be more organized and manage my time more wisely than I ever have. And isn't it always the way that as soon as you begin to do something good, that bad things begin to happen. <b>The enemy loves to see us get discouraged and on the verge of giving up</b> and he has certainly tested me lately. <br /><br />I was sharing with the ladies in my Bible study last week how my very first assignment was not without its glitches. Things I have never struggled being able to do on the computer all of a sudden became obstacles in me getting my work done. As a planner, my game plan has been to be one or two steps ahead throughout this whole class, so that when the unexpected happens I'm not at the last minute freaking out that I still am not done my assignment. I wanted to submit my first essay early so one evening after the younger ones were in bed and my older ones were busy working on motorcycles with their dad I decided to seize the opportunity to get it done. As I was writing the last paragraph <b>the power went out!</b> We were not in the middle of a rain, snow or wind storm. It was perfectly calm outside so it was confusing why it went out. We later learned that an accident had occurred up the road and took out a power line. We did not get it back that evening and by morning when I was able to turn on the computer, I found my work was not recoverable. And it hadn't been saved. So <b>I had to start over.</b> <br /><br />Another part of my game plan is to get up early, before the kids do, to listen to my lectures uninterrupted. This morning I began listening to my lecture and shortly into it had to stop because Tess came running downstairs (at 5:30 am!). I had to explain to her that it was not wake up time and bring her back to her bed. Well, last night <b>Jena threw up</b>. When I walked into the room I learned she had thrown up again in the night, though in her bucket this time (thank you Lord!). I then proceeded to get the bucket cleaned up, made sure she was alright and then told them both to try and rest some more. I came back to my lecture and not long after had to stop again because <b>the boys (being boys) managed to get into some mischief </b>(have I mentioned my kids don't sleep?) and so I had to stop and deal with that. While I did mange to hear the entire lecture, I missed so much from all the stopping and starting that <b>I am going to have to listen to it again. </b><br /><br />Those are just a few things that have gotten in the way of "my plan". <br /><br />I could choose to complain, whine, get angry or give up. I could make a choice to decide God is wrong and doesn't know what He is doing by sending these obstacles my way. <b>I have decided however, to trust God.</b> I'm not saying I do this easily though. It is something I have to purpose to do because my flesh instinctively wants to worry about the fact that all 7 of my kids could end up throwing up by the end of the week or get angry with fact that I am not as ahead as I would like to be despite all my planning. Instead I am purposing to look at all of this as <b>"for my good"</b> (Rom.8:28) and rely on His strength. I cannot do any of this without God's help. I need Him every hour and it is only when I make a choice to<b> trust God rather than give into my flesh </b>that I overcome the obstacles successfully.<br /><br />God has been so good to me these past few weeks. When I lay down at night I can only think to praise Him and thank Him for what he allowed me to accomplish that day. He has been teaching me now more than ever,<b> how to rely on His strength</b> and it's been a precious gift amid some not so precious moments!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white;">*<u style="font-weight: bold;">I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR</u> by Fernando Ortega</span></div>
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Lissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00125320545179820894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7450334586310782472.post-84517833685594959452015-05-01T05:52:00.000-07:002015-05-01T05:55:42.019-07:00A Time for Changes, New Chapters and Much Prayer!<br />
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<b>"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man </b></div>
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<b>availeth much." ~James 5:16b</b></div>
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Our lives get so busy don't they? At the beginning of each month I start making out my calendar and usually it's not filled in too much and I think it's possible to have a quiet month. It doesn't take long before those days slowly fill up with stuff though and before I know it the days get fuller and fuller. I've written before about the importance of having wisdom when it comes to commitments and not becoming so busy that you no longer have family time. This is not what I am talking about. I'm talking about the things that can't be avoided...a visit from family, appointments at the doctor, meetings, a birthday here and there, dump runs, yard work, date night! All things that are good and some necessary to do and all things that slowly fill up the calendar. <br />
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Over the years I have found myself daily praying for wisdom. Not just wisdom in raising my children (which is SO important and something we all need to be doing) but wisdom for the day to day. I'm so thankful for the verse in James that says, <b><i>" If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." </i></b>I don't know about you but Ben and I need a LOT of wisdom when it comes to raising this family and navigating life and it brings us so much comfort to know that God wants to give it to us in abundance if we just ask! <br />
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One bit of wisdom that God gives and is so helpful in navigating life is the verse in Proverbs that says, <b><i>"Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established (15:22)." </i></b> There are so many times in life when we have decisions to make; big decisions or small they all require thought, wisdom and time to seek out God's will in the matter. One way that God helps us is by the people he puts into our lives who maybe have had to make a similar decision and can help us by offering insight that we haven't thought of. Sometimes they have just been around long enough and have seen people in similar situations make a mistake that had big consequences and they can warn us or they can be a prayer warrior for us as we are making the decision. It is so foolish of us when we let pride get in the way instead of using the wisdom God has put right in front of us: His Word and His people! <br />
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It is because of this that I turn to you, my readers (thanks btw...you have no idea what a blessing you are!) and ask for prayer. Life has been and is getting very busy. It is a good kind of busy as we see the Lord working but I have never felt more inadequate as I have recently. I am thankful that God chooses to use our family when He does but it is such a humbling feeling when He does. Who am I? God certainly does not need me to accomplish His will and yet, thankfully, He sets aside a small part for me to fulfill. I'm excited and impatient at the same time, to see what the future has for our family but we certainly need all the wisdom God has to offer us as well as the "multitude of counsellors". We also need prayer warriors and while I know we have several I also know we can't have too many! If you would take the time, when the Lord puts our family on your hearts, to pray for some of the specific needs below we would appreciate it so much!<b> Don't forget to scroll down and learn about a HUGE prayer God answered for us! </b><br />
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<b><u>Please Pray!</u></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Kristina O'Brien<br />Photography</td></tr>
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<b><u><br /></u></b>* I begin taking classes on Monday as I work toward a diploma in Biblical Counseling. I need prayer for good retention of information, time management ability and direction as I choose my next classes. <br />
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* We need wisdom for a decision that we are in the process of making. I'm not able to give details at this time but know that your prayers would be so much appreciated. We want the Lord to be clear and close the door if it's not His will. We do not want to force God into any decision for our family and want to be sure of His will in this matter. <br />
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* I was recently asked to speak at a ladies banquet in June. Please pray the Lord would give me wisdom to know what He wants me to touch upon. This is one of those "who am I?" moments. I'm humbled by the request and want to make sure that any words I speak that day are of the Lord and not of me. <br />
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* Ben's position at work changed recently and while it is going very well for him it still has a bit of a learning curve. Pray for him that he would have wisdom and a good testimony before his peers and that God would continue to teach him what He needs to do this job well. <br />
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* That as a family we would purpose to <b><i>"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."</i></b> (Eph.6:11) <br />
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<b><u>***Praise*** </u></b><br />
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With the changes for Ben at work came new hours, meaning he gets home a bit later than he did before. We, along with two other ladies, hold a Good News Club in our kid’s school on Friday afternoons; we just finished up our 6th year. In all those years, Ben has been the Bible story teacher but with the changes it looked like he would no longer be able to do that. When he first took the position he went to his new supervisor and explained the situation and was told that he could leave early on Friday's to finish out this year. We were still unsure about next year. We took to our faithful prayer warriors and asked that they pray for Ben to be able to continue leaving early on Friday's to teach, but if that would not be allowed, for God to provide someone different and make it clear who that someone should be. Two weeks ago, Ben went to his supervisor again and they discussed it. Without hesitation his boss told him he could leave early every Friday next year to continue teaching Good News Club! This is such a huge praise and we could not be happier with the way God answered. We are grateful to those who committed to praying about this with us. Your prayers were answered!</div>
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