#3in30 August goals - Week 3 update

Wow.  I can't believe it's already time for my 3rd week update, but it is.  School starts on Monday and my hubby is so glad!  haha

Goal #1 - Clean out and organize the bathroom cabinets.   
Goal #2 - Finish my Good Morning Girls book study. 

I am still working towards finishing up all the SOAP scriptures for the GMG study before the 1 John study starts on 9/19. So far I've been doing one a day, right before bed, but I may sit down this weekend and try to get a few weeks worth finished. 

Goal #3 - Refocus myself to #hellomornings and getting up early enough for exercise and quiet time.

My Sleep Bot app says I only had 2 late days this week, which is better than last week.  I've made it a point of getting my QT and worship time in regardless of what time I got up.  Exercise is somewhat limited right now.  I strained my upper right arm somehow, and being the relatively same location as a 5-year old recovered tear injury, I'm being very cautious until I know it's fully healed.  I do not want a serious injury like that again!  Officially, #hellomornings is between sessions but the fall session starts 9/15.  Head over to Inspired To Action and keep an eye out for her sign-up post if you want to join us next time!

I'm loving that I find myself now thinking ahead for future goals and projects that need to be done.  It's funny when I come across something and I catch myself thinking - oh, that'll be perfect for next month or that'll work better scheduling wise if I wait until October.  LOL  And to think back in April I gave up so easily!

#3in30 August goals - Week 2 update

This week has been incredibly hectic for me.  Monday I was off work for a dental appointment and Friday I was off so I could help chaperone Andy's orchestra camp field trip.  So work was hectic cramming 5 days of things into 3, including the effort of scheduling 80+ people for software testing.  I love my job though and I'm so glad God put me in a position where my skills are both useful and appreciated.

Home has been just as hectic though, but it too has been productive.

My last July goal - to purge the boys' unused clothing - is complete.  To the best of my knowledge anyway. I admit that I have not entered their rooms to actually confirm that only the things they routinely wear remain.  That will be projects for another month. ;-)  But I dropped off 2 bags of clothing in the donation box on my way home from the grocery store tonight with a sense of satisfaction.

My 2nd August goal - to finish my Good Morning Girls book study - is also complete.   I'm still about 6 weeks behind on SOAP scriptures, but I'm going to make it a priority to do one scripture every night before bed until I'm done.  My goal though was to actually finish the book, and with 8 chapters to go, I spent the majority of my evening doing just that.  I'm not going to blog on the last 2 topics - Training and Service - because the answers to the study questions are ones that are more introspective to me and require thought and prayer. Maybe someday you'll get to read my answers.  I do want to share with you though my favorite quote from what I read today:

Sin in our lives makes us resist responsibility. (The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson, p. 191)

I can't explain why this one little sentence resonates so deeply with me, but it does. My own conviction perhaps?

Goal #3 - Refocus myself to #hellomornings and getting up early enough for exercise and quiet time.  Only 2 days this week did I actually get up at 5am and exercise, but I did work in a 20-minute Zumba session this morning before I had to get ready for breakfast with our friends.  I whined a little bit Friday to my online friends about not having enough time for everything, but I think I've figured it out since then.  

If I actually get up at 5am, I have 45 minutes to myself before Alex's alarm goes off. That's plenty of time as long as I get myself into a regular morning and evening routine and get to bed on time.  Keep praying for me my friends. LOL
I did decide I'm going to do Good Morning Girls' Fall Bible Study on 1 John.  It's SOAP format and I'm going to keep up with it a journal rather than online.  My mornings will be much smoother if I keep exercise short and QT simple. Trying to fit time for actual #B90Days reading into my morning is too stressful, and often leaves me feeling slightly resentful that my time is not my own. So my bible reading needs to remain something that I do in spare moments throughout my day and finish up with at night.  Lately I've taken to reading in bed until I fall asleep and I love it.  It's such a wonderful way to end my day.

However, I'm happy to say that I'm holding steady with the #B90Days reading.  I did fall a little behind earlier in the week when I was just so mentally exhausted from work I couldn't comprehend what I was reading.  But I made the most of my off-time Thursday night and Friday and on this lazy Saturday, and caught up. Tomorrow's reading is Day 35 and the start of Nehemiah. I think it also makes us about 40% complete.

On that note, I'm calling it a night my friends.  Even though all I've done is read all day, I'm tired.   Have a great night a blessed Sunday!

Giving Your Children the Gift of Faith

**It's a little bit past the weekend, but I did it.  I got caught up on my book reading and am ready to delve into the beginning of Training, which is our week 9 reading.  I'll start on it later today, after I finish day 2 of Bible in 90 days.  I'm really glad I pushed myself to catch up and not give up! **

Faith is defined as:

• Confidence or trust in a person or thing.
• Believe that is not based on proof.
• Belief in god or in the doctrines or teachings of religion.

Dictionary also refers the reader to the definition of “confide”, which means:

• To impart secrets trustfully; discuss private matters or problems.
• To have full trust; have faith.

It might seem silly that I'm starting each of these blogs with a definition but I'm loving the intricacy of the words. I think it brings an entirely different level of understanding to what ever it is I'm talking about.

I love that faith is linked so closely to confide, because that is what God wants us to do. He wants us to put our faith in Him and His Word; to trust Him, to rely on Him to meet our needs, to confide in Him with our problems, our worries, our secrets.

When I started thinking last night of what I was going to write about faith, I thought it would be such a difficult topic. Faith is something so internal, so deep, that you have it or you don't. There isn't a happy medium – either you believe in God or you don't, plain and simple. It's always seemed that way to me anyway, but I'm starting to think that maybe there is some middle ground in there somewhere and that's why so many people have so many problems giving their life over to Him.

When I was 6 or 7, a Catholic nun from my private school decided she was fed up with all my assorted questions about God and how He works, and told me, “If you have to keep asking all these questions about God then you must be incapable of having faith.”

Can I just beg you to please, NEVER EVER tell anyone that?? I cannot tell you how much it messed with my mind, with my spiritual journey, and how much longer it took me to find my way to Him because those little words, spoken by someone so important in my life at the time, were never far from my memory. I know now it was the enemy that constantly whispered those words in my ear, bringing them fresh to mind anytime I got to close for his comfort to discovering God. What a joyful, life changing moment it was that September day when I finally did ask Jesus into my heart, but oh what a journey to get to Him!

So as I started to explain earlier, I thought this topic on faith would be difficult. How do you teach someone something so intricately internal?

Sally says it best in chapter 11 of Ministry of Motherhood:

Through His Word, God had given me all I needed to live productively through the challenging circumstances he brought my way. He will do that for my children, too, which is why the Bible must be at the center of all do as parents. One of the central ways we give our children the gift of faith is to base everything we do on the Word of God.

How simple is that? We do what God wants us to do – we live our life faithfully to Him, learn to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to guide us and give the “patience, love, faith, strength, perspective, and understanding we need” (MoM, p. 131) and by modeling that behavior to our children, they in turn learn to put their own faith in God and the Holy Spirit. And by living a faithful life, we are also deepening and strengthening our own relationship with Him at the same time.

How wonderful that He gives us moms such an easy way to help us raise our kids!

1. Read Psalm 119:105. According to this verse, what will give our children a proper foundation and guidance on their path of life? In what ways does this apply to our calling as ministers to our children?

His Word will be the lamp to their feet and the light to their path. His Word should also be the lamp to MY feet and the light to MY path. My children will see this and desire to do the same.

2. Make a list of five things you could do to incorporate God’s Word more effectively into your everyday family life. Pick one item from the list and commit to applying it faithfully for six weeks.

1. Family prayer time
2. Reading the bible together
3. Sharing moments of God's faith in our life
4. Talking simply about why we need God's faith
5. ??

3. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith, it is impossible to please God. What circumstances has God recently allowed in your own life that call for faith? In what ways are you modeling faith before the eyes of your children so that they are learning how to have faith in God?

We've had some financial struggles lately and have really had to rely on God to know that regardless of the numbers, it's all going to work out the way it should.

4. Think of a time in the past when you have had to walk by faith but now look back to see what God has done. Tell your children about this experience in the form of a bedtime story. (If you can’t think of a time in your own life, look for a children’s book about faithful people. Or tell them the stories of Abraham and Sarah or Joseph in Egypt.)

5. According to Ephesians 2:8, what does God say is the source of our salvation? What does faith have to do with this? Do your children understand that God’s love is a free gift with no strings attached? Plan out how you can communicate this principle to them.

The source of our salvation is God's grace. I do think my children understand that God's love has no strings attached, but I'm not sure they actually truly believe that yet. 

Giving Your Children the Gift of Inspiration

**I've been so busy this weekend that this is the first chance I've had to sit down long enough to type clearly. Although I did manage to read and highlight 1.5 chapters of Faith while we were at the eye doctors earlier this afternoon. :) My goal is still to be completely caught up by the end of the weekend, so expect another post on Faith sometime later tomorrow night. **

Inspire means:

• to fill with an animating, quickening, or exalting influence.
• to produce or arouse (a feeling, thought, etc.).
• to fill or affect with a specified feeling, thought, etc.

Jesus inspired his disciples so much they gladly left everything and everyone behind in order to be with him. He inspired people to have faith that even the simplest of his touches would cure all illnesses and raise the dead. His last instructions to them was to “go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” He wanted them to teach everyone in the world about him and to love him and follow him, and because he'd inspired his disciples so greatly, they did what he asked and became inspiration to thousands, perhaps millions, of others during their time.

In her book, Sally writes:

Giving our children the gift of inspiration – helping them understand their spiritual purpose, which is to glorify God and to make him known – is one of the most crutical tasks of Christian parenting. … Each of our children has been given a specific personality and a particular set of circumstances that will give shape to God's purpose for his or her life. It is our privilege and responsibility as parents to help our children understand their particular fit in God's plans. … In other words, we are to help them see themselves and their potential and then to inspire them for God's purposes.

I desire to inspire my children, and to inspire them to live their life in God's will, and for the most part I feel I'm successful in this task at least.

It's easy with Andy. He's a gifted musician, a natural comedian, a social bug to the utmost extreme. He thrives when he's surrounded by people and his heart for God has been obvious from a very young age. He's indicated time and time again his desire to go to a Bible college, and he's received visions from the Lord for his life and sometimes for things for people around him. The Lord has even gifted me with glimpses of the things He has planned for Andy – wonderful, life changing things. It pains me though to see the spiritual battle – so strong it's often physically visible – he's going through to reach where God wants him to be. I know this is something he has to go through on his own. I can provide help, support, encouragement, inspiration, hugs, and prayers, but I can't fix it.

It's harder with Alex. I missed out on having a close relationship with Alex, and now it's difficult to develop one as he grows closer and closer to adulthood. Alex perplexes me; he always has. I've never been able to get inside his brain and understand his way of thinking, his way of looking at the world and I think that's always been a big part of the why we're not as close as I'd like. He's an extremely talented artist with a desire to use his skills in the media world. I know God has plans for Alex, but He hasn't chosen to share them with me. My prayers for Alex are often that he'll grow closer to the Lord, that he'll desire to know Him more intimately and stretch himself to use his skills however God directs him to use them. I pray that he'll be a Godly husband, the spiritual head of his household, a strong prayer warrior for his children. God has reassured me that this will be so, but I still struggle to inspire Alex spiritually.

1. For each child in your household, write out a list of characteristics (personality traits, skills, interests, etc.) that you believe God can use for his purposes.

2. Referring to the lists you just made, write a letter to each child expressing what you see in him or her and affirming that God has a special place for that child in his kingdom purposes. Whether you share the letter with your child now or save it for a future time depends on your circumstances. Don’t forget to commit this list to the Lord in prayer and specifically ask him for help in inspiring that child to use his or her gifts to help bring about God’s kingdom.

3. Read Matthew 6:33. This passage is clear about what our priorities should be, but priorities easily become skewed in the course of daily life. Consider the way you spend your time and your money. What does this say to your children about what is most important to you, and is this the message you want to send? In light of this verse, should a mother’s children be her first priority?

Jesus clearly tells us that we must first seek God's kingdom and God's righteousness. In light of that, our children should not be our first priority; to make them that would contradict God's word. I think our children should actually be our third priority – God first, husband second, children third.

This is really an issue that is close to my heart. I spent a lot of time where God was not my first priority – my computer was, or my books were, or {insert name of worldly object here} was. It took some major shakeups in my life and some serious time spent alone with God and his sledgehammer for me to realize just how messed up my priorities were and the impact it was making to my life.

I've spent a lot of time trying to make God my first priority, although I'll admit I don't always succeed. Some nights it's so much easier to just vegetate in front of a movie or a video game instead of having to try to think about that particular bit of scripture. At the same time though, I know that it's when I really don't want to delve into His word that I need it the most. I'm still working on it. ;)

4. Read Matthew 6:25-30 and Psalm 19:1. Then think of a time and place where you really felt the power and magnificence of God as displayed in the works of his creation. In the coming few weeks, be on the alert for opportunities to look, observe, ponder – and point out God’s wonders to your children. Set a goal of saying, “Come, look!” at least once a day.

Honestly, if I started telling my kids to “Come, look!” at something every day they'd probably think I'd lost my mind. LOL We do point things out when we see them, but since we don't live anywhere spectacular, I think we miss a lot of opportunities because we don't expect them to happen here.

5. Read Matthew 9:36. Can you think of some fears or prejudices in your life or your particular culture that might keep you or your children from seeing people as Jesus did? What kinds of people do you tend to shy away from or find it hard to care about? What might help you overcome these attitudes?

I'm ashamed to admit it, but homeless people give me the creeps. I'm getting a lot better about it though. Even though I don't always make eye contact with the person standing on the corner looking for handouts (and really, when said person is wearing expensive clothes or accessories, it's hard to consider that they may truly be homeless, especially in a big city like Houston). I've learn to just let the Spirit lead me. If He puts someone on my heart then I'll respond as I'm able, but I'm not going to go out of my way. Yes, I know that's the wrong attitude to have, but I haven't gotten past the flesh yet so it is what it is.

Giving Your Children the Gift of Grace

**I’m very behind in posting for The Ministry of Motherhood reading, but I’m working to get caught up. This is the first of 3 discussion posts to come (my goal is before the end of the weekend).**

Dictionary.com defines grace as:

• elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action.
• a pleasing or attractive quality or endowment.
• favor or good will.
• a manifestation of favor, especially by a superior.
• mercy; clemency; pardon: an act of grace.
• favor shown in granting a delay or temporary immunity.
• an allowance of time after a debt or bill has become payable granted to the debtor before suit can be brought against him or her or a penalty applied (aka, grace period)
• Theology:
• the freely given, unmerited favor and love of god.
• the influence or spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them.
• a virtue or excellence of divine origin.
• Also called state of grace. the condition of being in God's favor or one of the elect.
• moral strength: the grace to perform a duty.

A derivative of the latin word gratus which means pleasing, grace is such a small, simple word to have so many meanings. Used in 159 different scriptures in the KJV Bible (but only 92 in the NLT version), certainly God means for this little word to have a big impact in our life.

What jumps out at me from the above definitions are favor and mercy. God’s Word promises both favor and mercy to us, His children, and I can’t for a moment believe that there isn’t something spiritually deeper in the fact that grace is defined as both favor and mercy. Again, both are small words that have big impact on our life.

In The Ministry of Motherhood (p.28), Sally says:

Each of them for us, like Jesus, to extend to him or her the gift of constant love, grace, and forgiveness. And we can only do this by relying continually on the grace of our own relationship with the Lord.

I’m struggling to understand where it went wrong though. Why is it so hard for parents to show grace to their children? It’s not just in my household, it’s all around us, and it’s contributing to the social problems of the current and future generations. Where in history can we stop the timeline and mark the dot where it all started to go wrong?

Time is a precious commodity in our busy, media-intense and material-consumed world. We think we give our children grace by giving in to them, by buying them what they want or signing them up for a dozen different activities, when we best show them grace as we live our lives by example. How much time do we spend with them? How much do we allow ourselves as a parent to have a willing heart to take the time to life our children up in encourage and support rather than expecting someone else to do it for us?

I’m not perfect; I’m certainly guilty of putting things before time with my children and I’m ever so thankful to know God extends His grace to me because of that. And now with God’s convictions on my heart and teenage boys in my house, this is something that weighs heavily on both my heart and my soul. How many times have I cried out to Him during my prayer time, “How do I fix what I’ve spent so many years done wrong?”

And now my soul hears a whispered answer. With grace. With mercy and favor; with kindness, and patience and tolerance. You take each step at a time, start each day fresh and new, look with My eyes.

So that’s what I’m trying to do. When my boys drive me nuts, I take a few deep breaths and try to change my perspective of the situation. I try to figure out the source of the problem – is it a communication issue, confusion, a lack of something, a simple bout of laziness?

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes I feel we give them too much grace and not enough loving discipline. It’s a fine line in the sand and the more I look the more it seems like it changes daily. I just have to put my faith in my God and trust Him to guide us all through.


Ministry of Motherhood Study Questions, Ch 1-4: Grace

1. Read Romans 2:4. According to this verse, what leads us to repent? How specifically does God want you to extend his grace to your children so that his kindness, through you, will lead them to repentance?

We repent because of God’s kindness, tolerance, and patience with us, and he wants us to grant those same things to our children.


2. Read Mark 14:66-72 and then 1 Peter 4:8. Knowing that Christ gave Peter grace after he failed so miserably, how would he have you extend this kind of grace to your own children? What would this look like in your daily interactions?

Not be so harsh with then when they make a mistake. Be more forgiving, more patient, give them more time to do what they’re told.

3. The last night Jesus had with his disciples, he called them “little children” (John 13:33). Does this tell you anything about his attitude towards these grown men who were his most devoted followers?

He loves them as if they were his own children.

Read John 14:1 and see what his continued response was to Peter after he had confronted him with the fact that he would deny Christ. How does this show the loving grace that Jesus extended to his disciples? How does he want you to extend it to your children?

Jesus didn’t want him to worry, he wanted Peter to continue putting his faith in Jesus and in God. He’s demonstrating the kindness and patience referred to in Romans 2:4.

4. The Bible makes it clear that we are to disciple and correct our children when they do wrong. How do you do this faithfully while still giving them the gift of grace?

With love. I think we have to step back and look at the situation more calmly from an outside perspective, or the perhaps the child’s perspective. We have to take the time to speak lovingly and kindly to them, to show them again how to properly do whatever needs to be done or said. We have to give them the kindness and grace that God shows us.

5. Write down what tends to irritate you about each of your children and sometimes keeps you from showing God’s gracious love. Pray for each child he has given into your hands and make a plan for how you will respond more graciously to him or her, especially in those irritating situations.

I haven't written anything down, but I am praying for my children and me.

The Ministry of Motherhood - week 1

**Disclaimer: I know I am waaaaaay behind on my reading and my blogging and my SOAPing.  I had it in my head that I needed to type out all my study questions and wasn't able to get them finished before we left for a Memorial Day weekend out of town.  Then we came back and I was just too lazy to get back into a routine right away, so here I am today, trying to start catching up.  I decided that I'm not typing up my study questions, but I will be journaling them in my binder instead.   I'm also not going to be posting the missing week of SOAP scriptures but I'm sure most of you will survive.  ;)

(Originally typed 5/26-5/27 but not posted until 6/6)

As I've mentioned, I'm read The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson with the Good Morning Girls summer book club.  So far I'm loving it and I think I'll get much more out of this book than I did Sally's Mission of Motherhood.  Each week I'll be posting and linking up the study questions, so be sure to look for them. :)

I've shared before my struggles and fears that our late entry into the Word of God will have a detrimental impact on my kids.  God has shown me glimpses of the lives He has planned for them, and how dearly I want to see those lives lived out!  But he's also shown me that I have a very large role in those lives, and until I get my act together, my inability to show a serious commitment to my faith, and thus to my Lord, will continue to have a negative impact on my kids.  I have to stop the "do as I say, not as I do" parenting and turn to Him to be the mom he's called me to be.

Sally hit on this concept very well in the book intro when she's talking about what children need.

They need the authentic strength that comes from the true foundation of a biblical world view and a proper understanding of the real Christ who is worthy of their worship. They need an unwavering, internal moral and spiritual compass that will help them weather today's storms and tomorrow's and will guide them for the rest of their lives. They also need to see what real faith looks like when lived day in, day out, so they will have a pattern to follow. (p3)

How can my boys see what real faith looks like, learn to have that unwavering compass, if they don't see their parents modeling that type of behavior?

Many times in the Bible, Jesus tells us to drop everything and follow him. In Matthew 4:18-22, he calls his disciples to drop their fishing nets and follow him, for he will teach them to fish for men.  In Matthew 19:21, he tells a rich man to sell his worldly possessions, give the money to the poor, and to follow him. But we're not just supposed to follow him.  Oh no, he expects much greater things from us. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus says:

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

As Sally talks about our mandate to do as Jesus does, to reach out and be a disciple of all men, I realize that I don't do a very good job of this.  Sure, I share my faith with others; they see my sorrows and my struggles, storms and blessings, but I don't really talk to them about Jesus or why they need him in their life.  I don't even  do this in my own home for my children, not to the degree that it's needed so it shouldn't be any wonder we have the issues we have!

My children are a precious gift from the Lord (Psalm 127:3).  He entrusted me with their care and upbringing, and oh how I have seriously been remiss in my duties thus far!   Sally spoke my feelings for me when she wrote:

I sometimes feel I was digressing in my life instead of becoming more productive. My  mother heart wanted so much to give my precious children the best in life - even to disciple them the way I had been discipled. Instead, I felt I was actually loosing ground. ...  Effective spiritual, emotional, and social training in the lives of my children would have to be both intentional and planned.

This is exactly how I feel these days, and now it's time to get intentional and start planning.

Luke 6:40 says "A student is not above his teacher, but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher."

Lord, as I continue to delve further into your Word and train myself to your ways, help me learn to be a student like my teacher. Help my children learn to be students like their teacher.

GMG W2D4-5

Thursday - Proverbs 14:1

S - A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.

O - We are wise when we build our home on God's word; foolish when we focus on the world.

A - Practice the word of God in my home so my kids will grow up in it and do the same.

P - Lord, help me be wise and build my home and my children on your word and your promises.


Friday - Proverbs 31:26-28

S - When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness.  Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her.

O - God says we are to speak with wisdom and kindness to build up our family. We should keep ourselves busy in our home and not be lazy.  To be lazy is to be disobedient to God's will for me as a wife!

A - Think before I speak. Start 31 Days to Clean when I get back from vacation. No more excuses!

P - Oh God, you know this  is an area I struggle with greatly. There's always something better to do than clean!  But this is against your plans for me as a wife.  Help me, Father, learn to be obedient and care for my family and home the way you call me to.

GMG W2D2-3

Tuesday - Matthew 28:19-20

S - Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

O - Jesus says we're to disciple everyone, everywhere, but we can't do it without a relationship with the Lord and having accepted Christ as our Savior, and being filled with the Holy Spirit.  He's always here for us. We need to do what he says to do.

A - Make my relationship with the Lord my #1 priority. Pray for a refreshing of the Spirit within me. Study God's word and obey his commands.

P - Father, I pray for repentance of anything I did yesterday not becoming to your name. Lord, I pray you open my eyes and soften my heart to your desires in my life. Open my soul to the Spirit, Lord, and grant me wisdom to understand your word. Create in me a clean heart, O Lord, and renew a right spirit within me.

'Cause I don't want to live like I don't care
I don't want to say another empty prayer
Oh, I refuse
To sit around and wait for someone else
To do what God has called me to do myself
Oh, I could choose
Not to move but I refuse

Wednesday - Luke 6:40

S - Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher.

O - We'll never be as perfect as Jesus, but we can be like him to others.

A - Study and know the word! Learn 1 new memory verse each week. Keep up with my daily readings.

P - Lord, I thank you for the promise I can be like you! Help me remember that promise when worldly things distract me. Help me teach my boys to follow you, for you desire our obedience.

Awake my soul prepare an entrance for Your glory
And let my heart become a throne for You to dwell
And when I need Your Holy Spirit more than life itself
Then Christ is formed in me

GMG W1D4-5 & W2D1

I really struggled last Thursday because I felt I didn't get anything close to what my other GMG friends got out of the day's passage.  I had to remind myself that there are no wrong answers.  Well, okay, maybe if I was an atheist there could be wrong answers, but I'm not, so there aren't.  ;)   I just struggle with the depth of insight that other moms are getting and I'm not getting that. I desire it and I know I need to push forward and ignore the enemy's whispers in order to get there.

Thursday - 2 Timothy 1:5

S - I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother and your mother. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.  2 Timothy 1:5

O - I share faith with my ancestors. God believes in me. I have faith to share with those that come after me.

A - I will seek out a mentor; continue to look to others for guidance and support.  Stay strong in my faith and grow my children up in it.

P - Lord, help me a strong warrior for you, Lord, that my children will see it and seek out a similar relationship with you. Help me share my faith with generations to come.

What I really felt strongly about this passage was that we need mentors. I didn't have a grandmother and mother that shared their faith with me.  I desire to have that now that I'm searching to be that kind of mother, and eventually that kind of grandmother.  The Lord reminded me though that I am that kind of mother, and I'm that kind of Auntie as well, and if I stay strong all will end up okay in the end.

 Friday - Proverbs 6:20-22

S - My son, obey your father;s commands and don't neglect your mother's instruction. Keep their words always in  your heart. Tie them around your neck. When you walk, their counsel will lead you. When you sleep, they will protect you. When you wake up, they will advise you.

O - It's important to pay attention to our parent's advice. They have knowledge we need in order to grow, and that knowledge will be with us always.

A - Pray I give godly council to my children. speak words of love and wisdom instead of anger and frustration.

P - Lord, guard my tongue. Let it be a tool of love, not anger. Let everything otu of my mouth glorify you that they will see the change in me and be encouraged. 

And now it's Monday.  The start of a fresh day, a fresh week.  A day and a week to make a change.  Today we start reading the intro to our book. Mine came in the mail Saturday and for once I'm really excited to be part of a book club. 

Monday - Psalm 127:3

S - Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.

O - My children are a precious gift, given to me by the Lord because of His love for me.

A - I must always remember how precious my boys are, even when they drive me absolutely crazy.

P - Father God, thank you for the wonderful gift of my sons.  Thank you for loving me, for trusting me enough to raise them up to become the Godly men you've called them to be.  Lord, you've shown me glimpses of what is to come, and I must have faith in this. Your word is never wrong.  No matter how long it may take them to get there, no matter what bad choices they make until then, they have always belonged to you. It's my job to help them see that and to desire that, and I thank you so much for giving me this chance.  

GMG W1D3 & Wednesday Link Up

S - Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

O - If I desire to have a relationship with God more than anything else, nothing else will matter b/c he'll provide for me.

A - Make a conscious decision to always put God first and foremost in my life.  Stop & think whether my actions and words glorify Him.

P - Lord, I bow humbly before you this morning. I repent all those times you've been second or third or tenth in my life and ask your forgiveness.  Be my strength Lord as I work to overcome and help me remember you are first in everything.


Today is day 3 of Good Morning Girls summer book club and the Maximize Your Morning challenge, and so far I'm off to a good start.  I'm enjoying my quiet time in the mornings, even if it's not always as quiet as I'd hope it to be.  Aren't iPods great for those times?  LOL

God is really moving in my heart right now, showing that I have to build everything on Him, on His promises, on His word, or I'll fail in all my endeavors.   A new friend's comment yesterday showed me that if we allow our relationship with Him to be severed, then we will not be able to produce fruit.  We need that fruit - we need to be healthy, productive Christians that always put God first in order to reach other lost souls.  I know I certainly need it!

This all feels so new to me right now, and I think it's because I haven't really taken time to delve deep into his word and what it means to me. I struggle to find the right words, the right way to interpret these scriptures I'm reading, only to remind myself there is no wrong. However I interpret it is however the Spirit wants me to interpret it on that particular morning. I have to remember that and not stress over it, because next week I may go back and reread week 1 and find all new meanings in these scriptures.  I KNOW as time goes on and we move closer to the end of the summer session that I will have grown in my faith, grown in my relationship with the Lord, and grown in my knowledge of His Word.  I desire that, and I will do whatever I need to do to make it happen.

GMG Week 1, Days 1-2

Week 1, Day 1 - 5/16

S - Write out the scripture passage for the day.

Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. Psalm 127:1


O - Write down 1 or 2 observations from the passage.

1. Our efforts are pointless without the Lord behind us.

A - Write down 1 or 2 applications from the passage.

1. I will let the Lord be the foundation of my home.
2. I will pray for His protection over my family and all we do.

P - Pray over what you learned from today's passage.

Heavenly Father, thank you for blessing me with a home, a husband, and children. I pray that we will desire to build our foundation in you, Lord. Put a hedge of protection over all we do Lord, and remind us that we do it all for you. Amen.



Week 1, Day 2 - 5/17


S - Write out the scripture passage for the day.

Remain in me and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:4-5


O - Write down 1 or 2 observations from the passage.

1. I am like a fruit.
2. We need God in our life in order to be fully productive.


A - Write down 1 or 2 applications from the passage.

1. I must share my faith with others.
2. I must remain dedicated to a daily focus on Him.


P - Pray over what you learned from today's passage.

Father God, I pray you watch over me today and help me to be the fruit of your tree. I pray to be reminded to be quick to repent when I mess up today, that all may see I owe it to you.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Time to get serious

I decided it was time to stop making excuses. It was time to be serious and start taking action. Faith without good deeds is useless.   I'm not saying I've lost my faith, or that it's slipped, because it hasn't, but my actions certainly don't reflect that.    Although real life events and situations have kept us out of church recently, I shouldn't let those things impact and interfere with time spent alone with God, and I have.

So I decided it was time to get serious.  I signed up for the Maximize Your Morning challenge (#hellomornings, #mym3) to help me get up early and voice my concerns with the Lord each day.

I signed up for the new Good Morning Girls summer session.  Between the daily SOAP readings and the book study (my copy of Ministry of Motherhood will be here by Thursday), it gives me something to focus on when I'm up before the crack of dawn trying to spend time alone with the Lord.

I made a special playlist of my top praise/worship songs - those that I know I can listen to over and over because they have the most impact to me.  It consists of:

• Awake My Soul by Phillips, Craig & Dean (my 5 min workout song)
• How Can I Keep From Singing by Chris Tomlin
• I Refuse by Josh Wilson
• Your Grace Is Enough by Chris Tomlin
• Take Me In by Kutless
• We Give You Glory by Jeremy Camp
• Hungry (Falling on My Knees) by Kathryn Scott
• Saviour King by Hillsong Church
• Here I Am to Worship by Chris Tomlin/David Crowder Band

I'm also doing a re-reading of Warrior Prayers because my boys need the Lord in their life and it's part of my responsibility as mom to pray scripture over them each and every day.  Today's prayers are on submission, something I struggle with myself.  It's so hard to pray something for someone else when you don't even feel you have control over it yourself, but I pray that by doing this for my boys, that I'll gain from it as well.

So there you have my plan to put my faith into action, at least on a personal level.  I need accountability though. If you don't see regular updates coming from me, if I get through a week of blogging SOAP, or 2 weeks of the book club and stop posting - won't you please call me out on it?