Three gifts family...This would be so easy to write (yet again) about my husband and two kids. They are the most important people in my life and they make me so happy...and simultaneously crazy. I wouldn't trade the life I have now for anything in the world. But I'm going to try to write differently today...
Three gifts family...
Did anyone else sing that song in church "The Family of God." I remember at Hebron, John Williams would sometimes close the service with that song. "Join hands across the aisle." Anyone else remember that? "I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God. I've been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood. Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod, for I'm part of the family, the family of God." As a young person, even though I was a Christ follower, that song didn't make much sense to me. Honestly, I always thought it said "Join hands with Jesus..." I didn't understand that "joint heirs" meant that we had been adopted as children of the King. I didn't understand that we had been grafted in...a wild olive branch. Let me just say that again...I am a daughter of the King!!! He chose me! And did you know that, according to Jewish tradition, adopted children can never be disowned...a person can disown their biological children, but a child who has been adopted can never have that taken from them. So the King who chose me to be His child, will NEVER turn his back on me. I marvel today (and many days) that I have been grafted into the "family of God." That He would choose such a one as I.
So my three gifts "family" today are going to center around the amazing knowledge that God chooses to adopt us into His family. That through the bloood of Jesus, I am made clean and called a child of God.
61. Thankful for a godly heritage. That I was taught about God's grace, mercy, and love from a very young age.
62. Thankful for the "family of God" at the three different churches that have shaped me as a Christ follower: Hebron, Hollywood, Second Baptist. So thankful that the Word of God was and still is preached unashamedly and that these men and women are reaching their world in the name of Jesus.
63. So thankful that my earthly family will be with me in Heaven one day. We're still praying and teaching Sawyer (he's still very young), but the day that Elijah got saved was as good as the day I got saved. This momma's heart is so happy that my children are walking in faith.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Joy Dare-3 Gifts Full (#57-59)
A Full Life
Bursting at the seams-full of noise and movement and Lego's and kisses and sword fights and Sunday School art and laundry and Bible verses and prayers and...
Oh Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee.
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thy oceans depths its flow
May richer fuller be.
...at times weariness.
But in spite of my daily struggle to keep up with all that I have to do as a wife, mother, teacher, God manages to show me His abundance.
57. A pool full of water to splash and play on a lovely June evening.
58. An iPhone full of songs that fills my home with worship and "dance parties."
59. A lap full of praying boys.
...and a bonus...
60. A flower bed full of these beauties...that remind me of my mother...
Bursting at the seams-full of noise and movement and Lego's and kisses and sword fights and Sunday School art and laundry and Bible verses and prayers and...
Oh Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee.
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thy oceans depths its flow
May richer fuller be.
...at times weariness.
But in spite of my daily struggle to keep up with all that I have to do as a wife, mother, teacher, God manages to show me His abundance.
57. A pool full of water to splash and play on a lovely June evening.
58. An iPhone full of songs that fills my home with worship and "dance parties."
59. A lap full of praying boys.
...and a bonus...
60. A flower bed full of these beauties...that remind me of my mother...
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| "Old Maids" |
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Joy Dare-Gifts at 8, 12, and 2 (# 54-56)
54. 8:00-A new dress to wear to church this morning.
55. 12:00-My first Compassion sponsorship
56. 2:00-Being able to fill a grocery cart with a week's worth of food without having to worry about not being able to pay for my other bills.
I am SO BLESSED!
55. 12:00-My first Compassion sponsorship
56. 2:00-Being able to fill a grocery cart with a week's worth of food without having to worry about not being able to pay for my other bills.
I am SO BLESSED!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Emptiness
I have neglected Ann Voskamp's blog "A Holy Experience" for far too long! I followed it faithfully for a while, and for whatever reason, I stopped checking in. Well, I checked in today and she is counting three gifts a day all year until it hits 1000! So I'm going to start today in counting at least three things I'm thankful for each day...I'll call this #51-53.
Thankful for emptiness. That seems to be an impossibility. Emptiness is always equated with loneliness...uselessness. An empty tank in a car takes you nowhere. An empty stomach causes a gnawing ache inside. But what about an empty life? Is it painful? Is it lonely? Is it useless? This world would tell us "yes." Why else do we try so hard to fill our days with movement, noise, activity, acquaintances, busy-ness? Even Christ-followers are guilty of filling our time according to this world's standards. We satisfy ourselves on the things of this world, and because we are so full of the world, there is no room left for Him. The Bride has even become guilty of filling our lives with "church" instead of worship. We have become Martha...too busy to join Mary at the feet of Jesus.
So why should we be thankful for emptiness? Because unless we are emptied of ourselves, of the world, we have no room for Jesus to fill us. John the Baptist said, "He must increase, but I must decrease." I must be emptied of myself every single day. Because when I am full of myself and the world, that is when I become useless in the hands of the Potter. My emptiness...our emptiness of ourselves allows God to fill us to overflowing with his mighty, victorious power. So yes, emptiness is something to be thankful for. Emptiness allows God to use this weak and broken vessel for His glory.
51. An empty gas tank...because it means that I got to make a trip with my boys to visit Grandmomma and Grandaddy. I'm so thankful for my parents and their love for their grand babies. I hope my boys grow up with sweet memories of their time with their grandparents.
52. An empty composition book in which to scrawl and doodle and muse.
53. An empty classroom...because I desperately needed this summer break!
Father...that You may increase and I may decrease. Empty me of the troubles of the world and fill me with Your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
(ground) Beef...It's what's for dinner!!
Cheeseburger Macaroni...it's super easy, and I promise you'll never want Hamburger Helper again! This was a Pinterest find from my sister, and it is SOOOOO good! There are quite a few lovely recipes on this website.
Oh...look what I bought today!!
I've got a whole box...other than just eating them out of hand (which I will do lots of) I've got to turn them into something yummy! This makes me very happy :)
Oh...look what I bought today!!
Monday, June 4, 2012
Multitude on Monday 42-50
Ahhh...sweet summertime...
This time of year brings me so much to be thankful for. After spending nine months taking care of other people's children (which I do love doing...otherwise God wouldn't have called me to be a teacher), I get six(ish) weeks to spend with mine...just Momma and Elijah and Sawyer. We've got a busy summer ahead of us. Fun things...a week at the beach and days at the park. Not so fun things...Sawyer's going to have surgery this summer (tubes, adenoids, and tonsils). But in the midst of it all, God is giving me precious time with these precious boys.
42. My Keurig coffee maker...I seriously LOVE being able to have a cup of coffee in less that a minute! There have even been a couple of mornings that have been cool enough to drink it on the back porch, listening to the birds, feeling the breeze, enjoying the sweet time.
43. Exciting opportunities...Friday I have the privilege of interviewing with the Georgia Cyber Academy. This job would allow me to still be a part of the profession that I have a deep love for, but at the same time it would allow me to be more present in my family's life. I long for time to volunteer at my children's school. To be able to attend plays and parties without having to beg someone to cover my class. This job would most certainly give me those opportunities. I'll also have the choice of schooling for my children. Jason and I are praying about bringing Elijah home to home school him if this job pans out. We have done some research on the Veritas Classical School and we are very impressed with what we have seen there. Sawyer would go to school at least next year for Pre-K and then we might do the same for him. But the key is...this job. Y'all join me in praying that God's will be done in all of this and that Jason and I follow His leading in this area.
44. 15 pounds down!!! YAY :) Many more to go, but I'll take this for a start!
45. Time to do my working out during the day...instead of late at night after the boys have gone to bed.
46. God is still working on me in the idea of "remembrance." I can't tell you how many times in the past two weeks God has brought this into my life.
47. Fresh peaches, watermelon, and all foods "summer." My sweet friend Jan Morton and I are going to do some canning and freezing in the next couple of weeks. I'm so very excited about it!
48. Being able to make corn dogs for the boys' lunches today! They LOVED them, and it's something that I don't get to do all the time.
49. HYDRANGEAS!! God perfected flowers when he created these. My all time favorites :)
50. A stack of books waiting for me to crack them open...I would post a picture, but it's on my phone and not easily gotten to here. But reading is something I don't have time to do much of during the school year (at least not books that are on my personal reading list), so I'm so very excited to get the chance to pour over a stack of books during the summer. My reading...not something I have to read for school!
This time of year brings me so much to be thankful for. After spending nine months taking care of other people's children (which I do love doing...otherwise God wouldn't have called me to be a teacher), I get six(ish) weeks to spend with mine...just Momma and Elijah and Sawyer. We've got a busy summer ahead of us. Fun things...a week at the beach and days at the park. Not so fun things...Sawyer's going to have surgery this summer (tubes, adenoids, and tonsils). But in the midst of it all, God is giving me precious time with these precious boys.
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| Ready for T-Ball!! |
43. Exciting opportunities...Friday I have the privilege of interviewing with the Georgia Cyber Academy. This job would allow me to still be a part of the profession that I have a deep love for, but at the same time it would allow me to be more present in my family's life. I long for time to volunteer at my children's school. To be able to attend plays and parties without having to beg someone to cover my class. This job would most certainly give me those opportunities. I'll also have the choice of schooling for my children. Jason and I are praying about bringing Elijah home to home school him if this job pans out. We have done some research on the Veritas Classical School and we are very impressed with what we have seen there. Sawyer would go to school at least next year for Pre-K and then we might do the same for him. But the key is...this job. Y'all join me in praying that God's will be done in all of this and that Jason and I follow His leading in this area.
44. 15 pounds down!!! YAY :) Many more to go, but I'll take this for a start!
45. Time to do my working out during the day...instead of late at night after the boys have gone to bed.
46. God is still working on me in the idea of "remembrance." I can't tell you how many times in the past two weeks God has brought this into my life.
47. Fresh peaches, watermelon, and all foods "summer." My sweet friend Jan Morton and I are going to do some canning and freezing in the next couple of weeks. I'm so very excited about it!
48. Being able to make corn dogs for the boys' lunches today! They LOVED them, and it's something that I don't get to do all the time.
49. HYDRANGEAS!! God perfected flowers when he created these. My all time favorites :)
50. A stack of books waiting for me to crack them open...I would post a picture, but it's on my phone and not easily gotten to here. But reading is something I don't have time to do much of during the school year (at least not books that are on my personal reading list), so I'm so very excited to get the chance to pour over a stack of books during the summer. My reading...not something I have to read for school!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Remebrance
"Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by Thy help I come. And I hope by Thy good pleasure safely to arrive at home. Jesus sought me when a stranger wandering from the fold of God. He to rescue me from danger, interpose his precious blood."
Ebenezer? Besides Scrooge, what is it? It is a stone that Samuel in the Old Testament raised in remembrance of God's grace towards the Israelites. The Old Testament is replete with stories of God's people raising pillars of stone in order to remember some defining moment in their lives. Jacob and Laban set up heaps of stone to remind themselves that they would do no harm to each other. Samuel raised this Ebenezer stone after a long period of Israel's disobedience to God; as a reminder of God's mercy and steadfast love. Joshua and the 12 men from the tribes piled 12 stones at the place where God pushed the waters of the Jordan River back for the children of Israel to walk into the Promised Land for the first time. God commanded them to raise this pillar for it to be a sign among them that when their children asked, "What do these stones mean to you?" all of Israel could say, "This was the day that God fulfilled his promise to us. This was the day we have waited over 400 years for. This was the day that changed everything for us."
Each of these stories is a reminder that we are so "prone to wander"...prone to forget. We no sooner receive one blessing from God, than we forget it and begin asking for something else-something more. But God, with His "goodness, like a fetter" seeks to bind us, to seal us. He commands us, just like the Israelites in the days of old, to remember. To raise Ebenezers. Because in our remembrance, we will not likely walk away from Him. When we remember His goodness, we cannot help but fall before Him in the adoration and praise that he desires from us. When we remember the depths from which He saved us, the bondage from which he redeemed us, the miry clay that He took us from to set us upon the Solid Rock...well...that's when He no longer has to seek to bind us or to seal us, we will willingly set our hearts before him. We will gladly call Him Lord...Master.
"Oh to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be. Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord I fear it. Prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above."
#41. For the Ebenezers in my life...
July 22, 1991-the day I heard him call out my name. He said He loved me, and would never leave me, and I've never been the same!
February 1999- as a sophomore in college, God began showing me and teaching me to be totally dependent on Him.
July 10, 2004, July 17, 2005, December 14, 2007...the days that each of the most important people to me became part of my life.
March 7, 2012-The day that Elijah answered the call of God in his little life. And for anyone who thinks a six year old can't really know what they've done when they become a follower of Christ, I challenge you to talk to Elijah about it. He's reading a poem (that he wrote) tomorrow at school (the last day of this school year), and when I asked him what his poem was about, he very sweetly answered with, "It's about when I asked Jesus into my heart." He has told his teacher, friends, anyone that will listen to him about the change God has made in his life. I'm so proud of that kiddo!
May 24, 2012, the day that all of this dawned on me. These memorials are reminders of God's steadfast love, His mercies that are new every morning, and His grace that is marvelous, matchless, unchanging, and amazing.
Ebenezer? Besides Scrooge, what is it? It is a stone that Samuel in the Old Testament raised in remembrance of God's grace towards the Israelites. The Old Testament is replete with stories of God's people raising pillars of stone in order to remember some defining moment in their lives. Jacob and Laban set up heaps of stone to remind themselves that they would do no harm to each other. Samuel raised this Ebenezer stone after a long period of Israel's disobedience to God; as a reminder of God's mercy and steadfast love. Joshua and the 12 men from the tribes piled 12 stones at the place where God pushed the waters of the Jordan River back for the children of Israel to walk into the Promised Land for the first time. God commanded them to raise this pillar for it to be a sign among them that when their children asked, "What do these stones mean to you?" all of Israel could say, "This was the day that God fulfilled his promise to us. This was the day we have waited over 400 years for. This was the day that changed everything for us."
Each of these stories is a reminder that we are so "prone to wander"...prone to forget. We no sooner receive one blessing from God, than we forget it and begin asking for something else-something more. But God, with His "goodness, like a fetter" seeks to bind us, to seal us. He commands us, just like the Israelites in the days of old, to remember. To raise Ebenezers. Because in our remembrance, we will not likely walk away from Him. When we remember His goodness, we cannot help but fall before Him in the adoration and praise that he desires from us. When we remember the depths from which He saved us, the bondage from which he redeemed us, the miry clay that He took us from to set us upon the Solid Rock...well...that's when He no longer has to seek to bind us or to seal us, we will willingly set our hearts before him. We will gladly call Him Lord...Master.
"Oh to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be. Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord I fear it. Prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above."
#41. For the Ebenezers in my life...
July 22, 1991-the day I heard him call out my name. He said He loved me, and would never leave me, and I've never been the same!
February 1999- as a sophomore in college, God began showing me and teaching me to be totally dependent on Him.
July 10, 2004, July 17, 2005, December 14, 2007...the days that each of the most important people to me became part of my life.
March 7, 2012-The day that Elijah answered the call of God in his little life. And for anyone who thinks a six year old can't really know what they've done when they become a follower of Christ, I challenge you to talk to Elijah about it. He's reading a poem (that he wrote) tomorrow at school (the last day of this school year), and when I asked him what his poem was about, he very sweetly answered with, "It's about when I asked Jesus into my heart." He has told his teacher, friends, anyone that will listen to him about the change God has made in his life. I'm so proud of that kiddo!
May 24, 2012, the day that all of this dawned on me. These memorials are reminders of God's steadfast love, His mercies that are new every morning, and His grace that is marvelous, matchless, unchanging, and amazing.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Happy New Year! Post Idea Stolen from Sarah Van Nus :)
As I sit here this evening reflecting on the year that has just passed me, and thinking about the year that is before, I realize that it is a bittersweet thing...this start of a new year. It is the passing of time; the only thing that, once gone, can never be recovered. It is children growing up, parents growing old, grandparents dying-things that happen so quickly. Often, we barely notice the passing of time until it is to late to get back that good night kiss, that lesson taught over how to make the perfect biscuit, that chance to forgive or be forgiven. But in spite of the sadness that comes from reflecting on the lost year, joy comes from hopes of the new one. New babies to plan for, a first year of school to be excited by, together times as a family at the beach or in the mountains. And even though we are not promised one single day, we take delight, as we should, in making plans for the future. As James points out, "If God wills it, we will do this or that." There is no wrong in remembering the past...we grow and learn from it...we have much to be thankful for in it. But we must not dwell in it and miss what God is doing right now in front of us. There is no wrong in planning for the future...we must always "Be Prepared," as any good Boy Scout would say, but we must not waste our time only making plans for the next year, or we will miss the adventure that God has set before us today. We will miss the blessing, the joy, the grace that is given to us for this moment. With all of that being said, here is my list commemorating 2011 and looking forward to 2012...
Five things I am thankful for from the past year
I'm going to call these #36-40 on my way to 1000
36. I am thankful for jobs. There are so many people struggling to make ends meet right now. The question daily haunts them of how to pay the electric bill, or mortgage, or even put food on the table for their children. Forget about things such as new toys for Christmas or even going to dinner at the local Mexican restaurant. I so take for granted the fact that there is money in the bank. Out of milk? Kroger is just down the road. There's money in the bank to buy it. But while I'm out to get milk, I also grab some bananas, and cookies, and some of the good (rather expensive) cheese that I like, and a box of cereal (even though there are three opened boxes at home), and so on. By the time I'm out of the store, I've spent $50. All because I've got a little money in the bank and no milk in the refrigerator. Lord, the next time I want to complain about my job or Jason being home a bit late from his, help me to remember that we could be without these jobs that You have provided for us.
37. My parents. They have been married for 40 years. I'm very thankful for the example that I see in them. Once the passion of being "in love" wears off, you realize that true love is hard work and the two of you really taking on that "becoming one" thing that everyone talks about on the wedding day. Not saying that my passion for Jason is gone after 7 1/2 years...I'm still madly in love with that man (and there are many days that I fall in love with him all over again). But I can understand that when the flurry of passion flickers instead of flames, when the busy-ness of rasing children slows to the quietness of an empty house, when there is nothing but the "two of us" left, and you still, after all that time, like being with each other...enjoy the other's presence...the feel of her lying next to you...the sound of his breathing...that's true love.
38. Jason...my rock. The father of my babies. The washer of my dishes. The person I can count on to listen to my crazies. He never judges me. Always wants me to be happy. Makes me laugh every day. Tells me he loves me many times in a day. And I never doubt it.
39. God's faithfulness. It is great. There is no shadow of turning. I'm just being very real right now, I've not been a faithful follower of Christ this year. It seems that everything else has been more important than my time with my Father. But praise God, His heart is not the one that does the changing. He does not turn His back on me. I'm the one who walks away, and He stays right there, waiting for me to turn my heart back to Him. Read below about the 5 things I want to change for this year for more about how I plan to remedy this.
40. Shawn and Mindy Moore. Our dear friends who moved to Texas about 2 weeks ago. I'm so very thankful to have had them as a part of my life over the past 2-3 years. I'm also so very sad that they had to move, but I'm thankful that God has a plan for them and that they are seeing that unfold in their lives. I miss them very much, but I'm also looking at it as an opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and make some new friends. Shawn, Mindy, Ian, Owen...we love y'all and miss y'all very much!
**I'll add an extra, but I already talk about them so much, it feels like y'all already know I'm thankful for my boys. For the smart, funny, sweet, huggable, kind little men they are growing up to be. I thank God for them every day.
Five things I want to change in 2012
1. I want to be so much more careful with the way we spend money. It is my desire for next year to be my last year teaching. I want to go back to being a stay at home mom. Jason and I are still trying for another baby, so we will see where that adventure takes us, and I just really want to be able to spend my time taking care of my own children. Jason and I have even started talks of...gulp...homeschooling. The only way that any of that can happen is by us tightening our belts, getting rid of our debt, and learning to live lives that are less cluttered by the "wants" of the flesh. We are way too materialistic, and I want to change that. To teach my boys that it's not necessarily bad to have "things," but that those "things" too often become our idols.
2. Which leads me to my next "change" category for 2012...my time with God. Honestly folks, I talk a good talk, but don't really live it out in my daily life. I profess the name of Christ, but have seen in myself lately that it really goes no further. I've been in church long enough that I know all of the lingo. I know the Bible pretty well, but it's not because I've studied it recently...it's all from a life before a husband and kids and jobs. I'm not passing the blame onto anyone else. It's totally and completely my fault. I have let other things...important things...things that SHOULD be important...kids, husband, job...come before my walk with my Father. And as much as I love my husband and my kids, they are not supposed to come before my time with God. I've also let rather unimportant things like Facebook and Pinterest come before my relationship with God (sometimes even before my time with Jason and the boys). So my commitment in 2012 is to renewing my walk with God. I need only to remember the depths from which he saved me in order to understand how I truly need to spend time at the Master's feet each day.
3. I want to acheive a new level of self control. It seems that all of the stumbling blocks in my life seem to stem from this one problem: my lack of self control. This one Fruit of the Spirit that seems to be missing from my life also seems to drive all others. I lack patience and kindness with my children because I lack the self-control I need to discipline them properly. I love my boys to the ends of the earth...I can't imagine life without them, but I spend my time yelling, and threatening. Not loving and nurturing. I want to be a better mother...I don't want my boys to one day ask the question, "Hey...do you remember how much Momma used to yell?" I want them to remember me as kind, and patient, and loving. I'm praying fervently for this area of my life.
4. Also stemming from a lack of self-control...my weight. I know, I know...the most common New Year's resolution...but seriously...I've got to get this under control or I'm facing some serious health problems. I'm already feeling it in my feet and knees. Let alone the threat of diabetes (which runs in my family), high blood pressure (also runs in my family and I've already suffered from this), heart disease, and on and on. I want to have another baby, but I'm not all together sure that I'm healthy enough to be pregnant right now...maybe that's why Jason and I have been trying since July and haven't had any luck yet when it's always been so easy for us to get pregnant. I can't believe I'm about to type this, but I weighed myself this morning and it wasn't pretty...far from pretty...251. OUCH! I'm putting this here as a reminder to myself...I don't know how many people will actually read it, but if I see it in writing...maybe it will spark something in me to do something about this. And honestly y'all...it has nothing to do with the number on the scale...If I can be healthy a 190 pounds...so be it. If my blood pressure, and cholesterol, and sugar, and all of that is good...I'm happy.
5. My last one...this blog. I want to be more faithful in writing. I try to teach my students that writing is one of the most important things they will ever do. That to be a good writer, one needs to do two things...read and write...lots of it. So expect to see more posts more often. You may see me hashing out some of these issues I wrote about above. A hard day of dieting, a cry to God for a deeper walk with Him. You may see stories about the boys and my triumphs at being more patient. But whatever it is, I want to write. Whether or not anyone reads in...well...that's ok.
Five ways I want serve others in 2012
1. In Sunay School, I want to take the lead in planning fellowships and making sure that people in our class are taken care of. We've got a couple in our class who are struggling financially right now and God laid them on my heart in December that we as a class needed to do something to take care of those folks in a time of need. God showed me that there is a need for this ministry in our class. I want to be obedient to what I hear Him calling me to do.
2. Assistant coach an UpWard t-ball team this spring. I don't know enough to be a head coach, but I can get out there and throw balls for kids to run after!
3. I want to better serve my students this year. This entails a lot, but the general idea is that my morale as a teacher is very low right now. There is so much pressure being put on teachers; more training, more testing, more students, less planning time, less instructional time. The thing I want to remember...it's not my students' fault that all of this...stuff...is being put on me. I wanted to be a teacher, and that is exactly what I'm going to be. The extra...stuff...is just that...extra. And though it may be required of me to stay late for meetings and webinars and blah, blah, blah, I'm not going to let it affect me with in the walls of my classroom during the time I have those kids. They deserve a teacher who is eager, and excited, and ready to impart wisdom to them.
4. Notes of encouragement throughout the year to the special people in my life.
5. I don't know how, with my own full time job and all, but somehow I want to do some volunteer work at Hilltop Elementary, my son's school. Maybe after school in the library or in his teacher's classroom cleaning up from the day. I'll just have to see where I can fit in.
Well folks, there it is. It's a lot. I know that already, but by the grace of God, I'm looking forward to accomplishing so many great things in 2012. To God be the glory!!
Five things I am thankful for from the past year
I'm going to call these #36-40 on my way to 1000
36. I am thankful for jobs. There are so many people struggling to make ends meet right now. The question daily haunts them of how to pay the electric bill, or mortgage, or even put food on the table for their children. Forget about things such as new toys for Christmas or even going to dinner at the local Mexican restaurant. I so take for granted the fact that there is money in the bank. Out of milk? Kroger is just down the road. There's money in the bank to buy it. But while I'm out to get milk, I also grab some bananas, and cookies, and some of the good (rather expensive) cheese that I like, and a box of cereal (even though there are three opened boxes at home), and so on. By the time I'm out of the store, I've spent $50. All because I've got a little money in the bank and no milk in the refrigerator. Lord, the next time I want to complain about my job or Jason being home a bit late from his, help me to remember that we could be without these jobs that You have provided for us.
37. My parents. They have been married for 40 years. I'm very thankful for the example that I see in them. Once the passion of being "in love" wears off, you realize that true love is hard work and the two of you really taking on that "becoming one" thing that everyone talks about on the wedding day. Not saying that my passion for Jason is gone after 7 1/2 years...I'm still madly in love with that man (and there are many days that I fall in love with him all over again). But I can understand that when the flurry of passion flickers instead of flames, when the busy-ness of rasing children slows to the quietness of an empty house, when there is nothing but the "two of us" left, and you still, after all that time, like being with each other...enjoy the other's presence...the feel of her lying next to you...the sound of his breathing...that's true love.
38. Jason...my rock. The father of my babies. The washer of my dishes. The person I can count on to listen to my crazies. He never judges me. Always wants me to be happy. Makes me laugh every day. Tells me he loves me many times in a day. And I never doubt it.
39. God's faithfulness. It is great. There is no shadow of turning. I'm just being very real right now, I've not been a faithful follower of Christ this year. It seems that everything else has been more important than my time with my Father. But praise God, His heart is not the one that does the changing. He does not turn His back on me. I'm the one who walks away, and He stays right there, waiting for me to turn my heart back to Him. Read below about the 5 things I want to change for this year for more about how I plan to remedy this.
40. Shawn and Mindy Moore. Our dear friends who moved to Texas about 2 weeks ago. I'm so very thankful to have had them as a part of my life over the past 2-3 years. I'm also so very sad that they had to move, but I'm thankful that God has a plan for them and that they are seeing that unfold in their lives. I miss them very much, but I'm also looking at it as an opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and make some new friends. Shawn, Mindy, Ian, Owen...we love y'all and miss y'all very much!
**I'll add an extra, but I already talk about them so much, it feels like y'all already know I'm thankful for my boys. For the smart, funny, sweet, huggable, kind little men they are growing up to be. I thank God for them every day.
Five things I want to change in 2012
1. I want to be so much more careful with the way we spend money. It is my desire for next year to be my last year teaching. I want to go back to being a stay at home mom. Jason and I are still trying for another baby, so we will see where that adventure takes us, and I just really want to be able to spend my time taking care of my own children. Jason and I have even started talks of...gulp...homeschooling. The only way that any of that can happen is by us tightening our belts, getting rid of our debt, and learning to live lives that are less cluttered by the "wants" of the flesh. We are way too materialistic, and I want to change that. To teach my boys that it's not necessarily bad to have "things," but that those "things" too often become our idols.
2. Which leads me to my next "change" category for 2012...my time with God. Honestly folks, I talk a good talk, but don't really live it out in my daily life. I profess the name of Christ, but have seen in myself lately that it really goes no further. I've been in church long enough that I know all of the lingo. I know the Bible pretty well, but it's not because I've studied it recently...it's all from a life before a husband and kids and jobs. I'm not passing the blame onto anyone else. It's totally and completely my fault. I have let other things...important things...things that SHOULD be important...kids, husband, job...come before my walk with my Father. And as much as I love my husband and my kids, they are not supposed to come before my time with God. I've also let rather unimportant things like Facebook and Pinterest come before my relationship with God (sometimes even before my time with Jason and the boys). So my commitment in 2012 is to renewing my walk with God. I need only to remember the depths from which he saved me in order to understand how I truly need to spend time at the Master's feet each day.
3. I want to acheive a new level of self control. It seems that all of the stumbling blocks in my life seem to stem from this one problem: my lack of self control. This one Fruit of the Spirit that seems to be missing from my life also seems to drive all others. I lack patience and kindness with my children because I lack the self-control I need to discipline them properly. I love my boys to the ends of the earth...I can't imagine life without them, but I spend my time yelling, and threatening. Not loving and nurturing. I want to be a better mother...I don't want my boys to one day ask the question, "Hey...do you remember how much Momma used to yell?" I want them to remember me as kind, and patient, and loving. I'm praying fervently for this area of my life.
4. Also stemming from a lack of self-control...my weight. I know, I know...the most common New Year's resolution...but seriously...I've got to get this under control or I'm facing some serious health problems. I'm already feeling it in my feet and knees. Let alone the threat of diabetes (which runs in my family), high blood pressure (also runs in my family and I've already suffered from this), heart disease, and on and on. I want to have another baby, but I'm not all together sure that I'm healthy enough to be pregnant right now...maybe that's why Jason and I have been trying since July and haven't had any luck yet when it's always been so easy for us to get pregnant. I can't believe I'm about to type this, but I weighed myself this morning and it wasn't pretty...far from pretty...251. OUCH! I'm putting this here as a reminder to myself...I don't know how many people will actually read it, but if I see it in writing...maybe it will spark something in me to do something about this. And honestly y'all...it has nothing to do with the number on the scale...If I can be healthy a 190 pounds...so be it. If my blood pressure, and cholesterol, and sugar, and all of that is good...I'm happy.
5. My last one...this blog. I want to be more faithful in writing. I try to teach my students that writing is one of the most important things they will ever do. That to be a good writer, one needs to do two things...read and write...lots of it. So expect to see more posts more often. You may see me hashing out some of these issues I wrote about above. A hard day of dieting, a cry to God for a deeper walk with Him. You may see stories about the boys and my triumphs at being more patient. But whatever it is, I want to write. Whether or not anyone reads in...well...that's ok.
Five ways I want serve others in 2012
1. In Sunay School, I want to take the lead in planning fellowships and making sure that people in our class are taken care of. We've got a couple in our class who are struggling financially right now and God laid them on my heart in December that we as a class needed to do something to take care of those folks in a time of need. God showed me that there is a need for this ministry in our class. I want to be obedient to what I hear Him calling me to do.
2. Assistant coach an UpWard t-ball team this spring. I don't know enough to be a head coach, but I can get out there and throw balls for kids to run after!
3. I want to better serve my students this year. This entails a lot, but the general idea is that my morale as a teacher is very low right now. There is so much pressure being put on teachers; more training, more testing, more students, less planning time, less instructional time. The thing I want to remember...it's not my students' fault that all of this...stuff...is being put on me. I wanted to be a teacher, and that is exactly what I'm going to be. The extra...stuff...is just that...extra. And though it may be required of me to stay late for meetings and webinars and blah, blah, blah, I'm not going to let it affect me with in the walls of my classroom during the time I have those kids. They deserve a teacher who is eager, and excited, and ready to impart wisdom to them.
4. Notes of encouragement throughout the year to the special people in my life.
5. I don't know how, with my own full time job and all, but somehow I want to do some volunteer work at Hilltop Elementary, my son's school. Maybe after school in the library or in his teacher's classroom cleaning up from the day. I'll just have to see where I can fit in.
Well folks, there it is. It's a lot. I know that already, but by the grace of God, I'm looking forward to accomplishing so many great things in 2012. To God be the glory!!
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