words of wisdom

My 5 year old daughter just announced during bath time that commercials try to get you to buy things and you don't have to buy everything you want just everything you need! I think that should be my family's financial motto in 2008: to only buy the things we need!

anger management

SO if you haven't noticed by now we are working on anger management in our house. It seems my son, who is 7 1/2 really struggles with it -- now we are trying to teach him that it is okay to get angry -- and I just read in Exodus 4:14 Then the LORD became angry with Moses. And in Matthew 17:17 Jesus replied, "You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you?..... Both God and Jesus got angry with people - it is definitely a feeling that exists and I believe that trying to teach our kids not to be angry is a disservice to them! God has redirected my thinking and therefore my actions on how to deal with this. Do I want an angry child? -- NO WAY -- however I can not control my child even though I wish I could. Now when I see the signs of anger rising up I acknowledge them out loud "I can see that you are getting angry" Then I ask questions "what can you do that will help you calm down?" "how about playing the piano or guitar" "do you want to go listen to your worship cd or an adventures in odyssey cd?" "how about I read you a book?"

Now you need to realize it goes against every ounce of my flesh to do it this way. I want to say or shout STOP or GET A GRIP!! But he is 7 and I need to teach him how to manage it now -- not that it shouldn't exist. I want to help him find ways to deal now before he grows older and ends up using inappropriate ways such as: hitting or fighting, drugs or alcohol, food or smoking, spending money, crazy driving, or anything else that could harm himself or others!

I am thankful God got me to this place now! Is it easy? NO I wish I didn't have a kid that had anger troubles but you know what? Atleast I know exactly what he is thinking and struggling with -- he is not sneaky or passive at all -- it is all out in the open -- way out in the open! Is it fun when he kicks or hits me -- not one bit -- however instead of continually letting satan convince me I am a bad parent who is not doing enough I am going to CHOOSE to believe God chose my husband and I "for such a time as this" knowing that with Him we could survive this!

verse 21

Did you know that in Matthew 17 there is no verse 21? Check out your January 26th reading and look at the footnotes! So amazing that some manuscripts contain it and some don't. What do you think about the missing verse?

my mouth

Psalm 19:14

May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you,

O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

old testament soap opera

I just keep reading and reading and reading and reading and I still can't get over all the stuff about numerous wives, servants, lies, cheating, murder -- really I think they make todays soap operas almost seem tame. Granted they weren't doing all those things for others to watch and live vicariously through...... however I am amazed at God's patience and faithfulness to them. He kept his word -- when he made a covenant with them he followed through regardless of their future behavior. There are so many examples I do not know where to begin. Can you believe it? If, instead of focusing on the mess they got themselves into, I can focus on God and his role in it all I can truly walk away with some great lessons in parenting and marriage! I love my husband, son and daughter no matter what. On July 10, 1999 I entered into a covenant with my husband and God. -- No matter what the future holds that covenant will remain - my marriage is not dependant upon behavior it is dependant upon God! On Septmenber 13, 2000 I gave birth to my first child, a son, and no matter how hard it is right now -- he is a gift to me to raise for God and I want to do it right! On September 6, 2002 God gave me a daughter to raise for Him -- I have no idea how long she will be mine but I want to spend these days doing it His way!

As I type this I realize I do not enter into relationships lightly :) and you know what..... I am thankful for that --- it means that each relationship I am in is an important one to me - one that I want to invest in - one I want to grow with and one I want to share God with -- If you are reading this you probably already know that about me :)

life goes on part 2

Is anybody else treading water? I feel as though I am doing one of those lifeguard tests - you know the one where they ask you to have on all your clothes then you get in the water tread water for what seems like days and have to remove your clothes too? Does that sound like an impossible task? It does to me - however right now I feel like I being very unsuccessful at treading water and that several times a day I am gulping down yucky dirty water, spitting it out and trying to tread again with tired sore worn out muscles. Can I get my feet on solid ground? Why does everything seem to go way out of balance dependent upon my son's behavior? I am not talking about typical 7 1/2 year old boy stuff - I am talking about anger! anger towards me and my husband -- anger with his mouth and his arms and legs - it is crazy so crazy - and we have found nothing that works -- we have tried a lot and still feel as though we are failing -- it seems as though every other day I feel as though he is sabotaging our family! I know this is just a feeling! I know God is in control! I know this too shall pass! I also know it stinks too!

life goes on

WOW! I am realizing life goes on all around me -- and I need to keep up. There are so many things I want to get done each day -- yet there are so many things I need to do too! I am amazed that time flies -- I know people always say this but I am truly feeling that way right now. I just got a notice about kindergarten round up in March -- yes my baby girl will be heading to school - could this really be true! It seems like yesterday was Christmas and now it is tax time :( I think today I will try to get a hang of posting and contribute a few items to this blog -- I definitely have some comments on this whole bible in a year thing, then there's the new book I am reading -- From Clutter to Clarity - and then my dad's health and also my son's behavior. And that is just to mention a few things rattling around in my head!

day 5,6,7,8

So how is everyone doing? Anyone else completely blown away by some of the stuff they are reading? little details/big concepts!

• Matthew 5:19b ...but anyone who obeys God's laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. This is a tall order for me -- what about for you? I am trying to remember that I don't need to try harder each day -- I need to ask God for his help more everyday!!!!
• Psalm 5:3 -- Listen to my voice in the morning Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. Well another tall order -- I barely roll out of bed to get my son breakfast and ready for school -- this is definitely a pattern that could use changing. I said I wanted to read books that would grow me this year -- what was I thinking -- I was already choosing to do this -- boy I am feeling stretched right now and it is only the beginning. So is it read the bible in a year and then take a year off to consider all that was brought up? Kind of like a 2 year plan??
• Genesis 13:8-9 Lord may I have the desire to be more like Abram in the way he handles Lot by offering him his choice of land and taking what was left! How can I not know that God will bless me immensly if I follow this principle -- he will give me more (figuratively) than what I would have if I chose first and gave others the leftovers. This is definitely NOT what the world teaches!!!!!
• Matthew 5:47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. God totally got right in the middle of me while I was in a conflict yesterday! My kids were with me and it was with a medical professional. All I have to say is wow I am thankful for Jesus because without him I would have screamed, yelled, used a few nasty words and probably slammed the door -- and later would have wrote a letter about the incident and sent it to the governing board. However -- due to Jesus and the Holy Spirit's screams in my head and heart -- I kept smiling and spoke overly nice and continued to try to clarify the issue. When we left I explained to the kids we would not be returning and that we would be choosing another "place" to go. I also asked if I spoke in a mean voice -- they said "no", I asked if I called him mean names - first they laughed and then said "no", I asked if I kicked the desk and slammed the door -- again they giggled and said "no" . I kindly explained that I - me, me me, wanted to do all those things however God did not want me to! So I had this great conversation with him in my head the whole time and it went like this -- Oh please help me to be kind -- am I smiling? O Lord just help me to make it through the next 5 minutes, Okay I get it-- you don't want us to come back here, I am sorry I didn't listen in October I thought I was just being nice and giving him a second chance. Lord help me not to lose my cool in front of the kids! Wow it felt like I was dealing with an enemy -- and yes I know he is not my enemy but boy it felt like it -- and it took every ounce of everything God has ever wanted to do in me for me to do it his way! And you know what I got from it all ( from obedience)-- NO REGRETS! What some of you may or may not know is that my mouth has, in the past, gotten me into trouble - o really some of you say in jest -- however what I have learned is that since I began a relationship with Christ it is not necessarily my mouth that gets me into trouble -- it is the way satan uses my mouth to condemn me -- I end up giving him such a strong foothold in this area and I get paralyzed by it -- I review and review and review conversations -- I regret things I have said and I stew over them and satan keeps bringing them back for me to revisit. Honestly I don't believe my mouth is that much of a problem since I gave my heart over to God -- but because I actively chose God - in the moment not as an afterthought -- I was blessed with the peace that comes from HIM and him alone. What an awesome feeling and though it feels strange I know it is supposed to be the norm when I am living according to his purpose. Can I do it again? I am not certain -- however I know that God can!
• Proverbs 1:33 Fools are destroyed by their own complacency. But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear and harm. CONFIRMATON :)
• Genesis 18:14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? Why oh why do I continually think I can handle it without consulting him?? Do you?
• Genesis 18:27 - 33 Where did I get the idea that we are not supposed to ask detailed, fact finding questions ever? I was so suprised by the fact that Abraham asked over and over again each time getting more detailed and God never said -- "alright already - give it up and trust me"
• Matthew 6:34 - So don't worry about tomoorow for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today. Never has there been a truer statement or a better way to look at each day . I need this verse committed to memory!
• Matthew 6:25 - 7:14 -- There is so so so so so much in this I could barely digest it all!
• Proverbs 2:7? He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.
  

bringing up boys

Okay, where do I begin -- yes this was a good book -- however, what I walked away with had nothing to do with raising my son -- well maybe a little. It really had to do with my college education at Ball State before I was a Christian. Read on:

First - let me say I can not believe what I was taught and took for truth while I was there. Now let me preface to say I feel like I got a great education and because I was an older "non traditional" student I invested a lot into my studies and little into other "campus" activities. So here it is:

I was taught that we gender stereotype kids -- boys and girls -- by how we talk to them, the activities we engage in with them, the toys we buy them, and the colors and clothes we put them in from birth. WHOA -- God chose our gender and we can not "change" it by what we play with and the sports we are or are not involved in! Granted not all girls want to wear dresses - it is a personal preference sort of thing -- just as not all boys want to play sports. But it seems to me the mentality is that women feel "less" than men so they are fighting against it with this gender stereotyping thing. I personally believe women only feel "less" than men if they do not know who they are in Christ and that God created them "different" for a special purpose - and we are going against him when we try to be something so others will accept us and we will "feel" like we are just as important as a man. Now I believe, and I may be wrong, most of the people teaching me these concepts were not Christians at the time. Really this all came to me a couple of years ago while in my weekly MOTTTS bible study here in town but this book brought it all back.

Here is what I wonder: how would I have responded in that educational setting if I was a Christian? weren't there any Christians in the classes and major that struggled with this? why didn't they ever speak up in class and offer a challenging perspective?

So what I take away from this is --

• I can not believe how great my responsibility as a parent is -- to make sure the foundation in the bible my kids receive is strong - strong enough for them to have awesome filters to sort out what society is teaching them- as truth or lies!

day 2,3,4

• day 2 -- wow have I been getting into this -- I can't read very far without saying to my husband - "hey did you know....?" So much information and detail - it is incredible to me. So I read in Gen 3:16 Then he said to women, "I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. ----- I knew that but read on.... "And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you" whoa hold the phone -- I did not know this -- I have heard all about being a submissive wife and that it is what God wants and my husband actually makes it fairly easy for me to be submissive due to his respectful and loving and kind attitude towards me. But I had no idea this all came about with Eve eating that apple and getting Adam to do it too! Then in verse 3:22 he says they have become like us - does anyone find that intriguing?

• day 3 --Did you know that Enoch disappeared because God took him!! -- plus it says that when God was sorry he made us and put us on earth it also says "it broke his heart" now that is something to think about! And wow Noah did EVERYTHING the Lord asked him too! No wonder he was the only blameless man at that time -- he did everything - I don't feel like I am at 50% most of the time :( And as a gentle reminder Jesus' time in the dessert and how he handled it continually reinforces how I need to get into scripture so I can use it effectively as my weapon against satan when he comes knocking on my door.

• day 4 - this got me thinking Gen 9:6 -- if anyone takes a human life, that person's life will also be taken by human hands. So how do you take this? What do you think?

day 1

It has finally arrived - the first day of this great journey to read through the bible -- I have been looking forward to it with great anticipation. As with any new venture it can be exciting at the start - at this point I pray for all of us stepping out on this journey that we would continue even when the feelings of newness wear off and that we would realize that God's word in an of itself is exciting and can reach us right where we are at -- even when we don't feel like taking the time out to read!

Gen 1:1-2:25 Matt 1:1-2:12 Psalm 1:1-6 Proverbs 1:1-6

• As I was reading I couldn't help but be stuck by Gen 2:21 -- when God created a helper just right for man. Am I just right for my husband? I believe we were chosen by God to be together and be married - however do I continue to be just right for him? I know that my choices with my mouth and my actions have a direct impact on the quality of our marriage and family! I pray that God continues to make us "just right" for our husbands - that we would be a "helper" at the truest definition of the word!
• Then Matthew 1:17 where it talks about the 42 generations from Abraham to Jesus -- my goodness I can't even imagine the impact my choices will make on one generation never mind 42!
• Psalm 1:2,3 -- wow what a desire of my heart -- to delight in God's law - meditate on it day and night - to bear fruit - have my leaves never wither and prosper in all I do! That is incredible!
• And finally just to remember the purpose of proverbs - to teach us wisdom and discipline - to help us to do what is right, just and fair!

I am excited to take this journey and humbled that I have not done so this far in my walk - I am not doing it out of duty I am doing it out of desire -- a desire to take my next step toward Jesus!

happy new year

Just rang in the new year with some great friends,

fun neighbors and all around awesome folks

who live across the street!

What a wonderful night of laughs

and cries (not the adults just the 2 year old:) )

I just can't wait to see what God has in store in 2008 -

the cool thing is He already knows

and has been preparing us in 2007

so we will be ready for the good the bad and the ugly --

that way we will hopefully be able to be "good"

instead of bad or ugly in all circumstances and glorify Him!

Hope you had a great night too!