Friday, January 29, 2010

The baking night and the lessons learned

A couple of weeks ago the boys and I were bored, so I decided to teach them how to make oatmeal raisin cookies. I taught them the importance of reading the recipe and listening to each other. I taught them how to measure out the wet and dry ingredients. To preheat the oven and explained how to tell if they are ready to come out of the oven. This was a really fun day and we got some wonderful, yummy cookies. I also taught them how to use my mixer.

This week I have been pretty sick and was really wanting some of those cookies, but they were long gone. I was sitting on the couch and I looked at the boys and said, go make some cookies. They went to the kitchen, a bit nervous and thinking that I was joking. When they realized I wasn't they jumped right in. Eric was reading the ingredients and measurements as Stephen measured out and mixed. All was well until the little voice said "Mom were we supposed to put a CUP of BAKING SODA?" OH-NO. I went in and looked. He had put a cup of Baking Soda into the bowl that held the rest of the ingredients. HMMM...... There was nothing I could do but start over, so remeasured everything and then I left them to mix and bake.

When the oven timer went off I went in to remove the cookies from the oven, not ready for them to do that yet. They are delicious. The best part is they had fun and I will be having them bake again. I also know that they will be reading the instructions better next time.

As my children grow my heart has mixed feelings.
I am training them up to be mighty men of God.
I am training them up to be amazing husbands and fathers.
Someday they will leave my home and hopefully take with them all I have taught them.
I look forward to getting to see the Men they will be, but for now I cling to the little boys who fill my home with laughter and love.
Being a mother is truly the best "job" on earth.
Thank you Lord for these wonderful blessing.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

The feet of the King

holy experience


Since January I have found myself immersed in the Bible and in books. Reading has never been my strong point, but I can't seam to stop. I am amazed at what God is showing me.


His love for ME is never ending. He truly delights in me and all that I do. I am not perfect and never will be until I am in my eternal destination and body. As I seek his face and grow closer to the truth He is allowing me to see who I am in Him. He delights in me, His daughter, His bride.



All I want is to sit at his feet and breath in the beauty of all that He is. Feel the touch of his hands and rest in the love of my Father, my savior, my Bride Groom. To drink in the beauty and the love is all that I desire.





I don't even see my self as worthy enough to be the foot washer of this Most High King, yet he says I am to be his Bride. Then my heart sings....

At the feet of the King I find rest and strength
I wash his feet with my tears that just keep flowing
and yet with just one touch from Him I am whole again and pure.
I am lovely in his sight.
He delights in me.
I am His and He is mine.
All I have to do is sit and be with Him.
My desires are His desires
I am whole.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Praise the Lord for the little things!

holy experience


This weekend was crazy busy, but there were so many things to be thankful for.



#73~An evening with just me and my husband working together to make our home how we want it

#74~A FUN trip to Home Depot to figure out together what we wanted.

#75~A fabulous meeting with the rest of the Kid's Church leaders

#76~and finding that we are all hearing the same things from God for our ministry, also that each of us had the missing piece to the solution.

#77~Hearing from God and being blessed on my 2 1/2 hour car ride to Lincoln City alone (but not really alone)

#78~For the song in my heart coming out as I drove over the mountain and the tears of joy shed.

#79~A hug so tight you can't breath from a friend who is like a sister, followed by a second one sent from far away....the other sister who we both wish would have been there that day.

#80~Getting to hold my "nephew" and him falling in love with me.

#81~buying Bibles (that the kids just loved and wanted)for Truelife Kid's, so we can take them deeper.

#82~finding the perfect CD's to go with them

#83~Meeting with God again on the way home and him making the drive seam shorted

#84~a wonderful talk with my Mother for almost an hour and never running out of things to talk about

#85~getting home to my house a wreck, but jumping right in and helping my husband work until late late late because he gave me the day to meet my friend

#86~never getting to my lesson in Kid's Church because GOD MOVED IN OUR KIDS!!!!!!

#87~Watching my son's worship in with the adults as well as in Kid's Church

#88~A picture shoot with my parents and sister, where the best picture taken was us laughing and piled on top of each other :)

#89~Picking out the pictures we wanted and my father saying he would buy them for us. He blessed us for his birthday. We now have beautiful new pictures for our newly painted house

#90~Dinner with the fam that was so funny and fun

#91~Getting home and finishing our house

#92~Learning that I am sick, but I get 1-2 house of much needed extra sleep

#93~Being able to look back over my weekend and see how blessed I really am.

Praise the Lord for the little things.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Thank you

holy experience


I love music. From the first note to the very last one that still makes your ears vibrate from it's gentle sound. It reaches into my soul and can touch me so deeply. I was raised around music and singing. It has been a part of my life for longer than my memory stretches. I can sing how I feel so much better than I can speak it. The Lord gave us music. He wants us to sing to him. What an amazing gift.

68. I am thankful that we have were given music.
69. I am thankful for the freedom to sing whatever we want 70. and to worship the Lord whenever we want.
71. The beauty found in just listening to a piano
72. I am thankful for the song of a child

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Strength

I have been reading a lot of books lately. I really felt that God was wanting to speak to me through some writers. I finished the Lineage of Grace books. They taught me so much about God's love and Grace. He used women like us, sinners and imperfect to bring about his biggest gift.


I got really discouraged this week with the complications of life and I just so wanted a touch from God. I wanted to sit at His feet and just worship Him, so in my worship this morning at Church that is what I asked for and boy did he give. I cried all through worship as he ministered to my heart, like no one else could do, then at prayer tonight. I am feeling the strength of the Lord now. I had to lay down the pride and ask for prayer over my discouragement.

The scripture I am feeling right now is "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up as wings like eagles." I feel strength right now that I wasn't. I know I can keep going. I know God is there and he has already decided what the answers are. He knows what job Jason is going to be getting and he is providing for us. He is guiding our steps and making the way. Hasn't he provided for us all this time?

I feel light right now, the heaviness is gone. He lifted it off as I was praying for others to have God's blessings and His fulfillment. He lifted it as I was praying discouragement off of another.

I am truly blessed and I am truly thankful that my Lord and savior knows how to minister to me in such a special, personal way.


Lean on the Lord, lay your burdens down at his feet. Worship through whatever you are going through and he will give you strength.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Wait, Pray, and Trust

Gen 16:1-

We try to bring about God's promises. He promises things to us and we don't like waiting so we try and figure out the answers and how to get there without Him. If we would only Wait, Pray and Trust. Then when the answer comes move! Keep walking in your waiting, don't give up. God is there. He sees and feels all you are going through

When we go about it on our own we are bound to have more pain and suffering then needed. God's timing and ways are perfect!





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Reading 12 books that I have never read or never finished. That teach me about God and God's love. To grow in my knowledge of Christ.

1. The Last Sin Eater (Francine Rivers) Finished
2. Deep Unto Deep (Dana Chandler)
3. Unspoken (Francine Rivers)Finished4. Unafraid (Francine Rivers)Finished
5. Captivating (John and Stasi Eldredge)
6. The Power of a Praying Parent (Stormie Omartian)
7. Same Kind of Different as me (Ron Hall and Denver Moore)Reading now8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

These are some already in my bookcase. I am looking for more, my search is for some that are studying books and some that are light readers, but all Christ centered. Suggestions would be great!

Monday, January 4, 2010

holy experience


64. I am so great full for fresh starts and (65) my quiet time with God. 66. I am thankful for the Internet that has me connected with the prayer house in KC. 67. My thankfulness for the ability to bring what God is doing in a house so far away into my home, into my prayer closet.


I am now watching the sun come up and I am feeling rested, even with only about 5 hours of sleep. I am ready to get up and get going. I want to see what today will bring and I haven't wanted that in a while. Thank you Lord for being the lifter of my head and my comforter. 68. I am thankful for today.

I wish this is what I was seeing right now, but I will settle for this is how I am feeling about the day. :)

Friday, January 1, 2010

Day 1

I followed the advice of one of my Pastors and started a Bible reading plan for 2010. I had been looking for one and thinking it would be a good idea, but I never got moving with it. I figured I would just "wing it again", not that that method ever worked.
This is the site he recommended. I set up my plan from what they had as choices. The goal is reading the Bible in 1 year, but at a pace that I can dig in and truly be taught by God.


So, here we go. I have my computer, Bible, Journal, Pen, colored pencils and marker. I also have John Thurlow's "Songs about Jesus" playing in my ears, this is to block out the family, so that 2 little boys don't have to be quiet for the next hour or so. I want to have no distractions. I am diving in and praying that the Lord will speak to me today. I am ready to go deeper and to Love Him deeper. I pray for a new song to rise in me this year. I pray for a new understanding of what it means to live wholeheartedly for Christ. Bible reading today is Gen 1-3 and Romans 1.

Gen 1:
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.27 And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.28 And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food:30 and to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for food: and it was so.31 And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. ...


God made a perfect creation, when he made the world. He made us so perfect that he gave us free will. God new the weaknesses of his creation, He knew what choices were there for us. Eve made a big mistake in choosing to believe the tempter, but how many times a day do we do the same thing. The choice is simply to follow God wholeheartedly or to not. We choose to either fill our minds with good and godly things or with the filth of this world. I am choosing today to reorganizing my priorities. My excuse has always been that I just don't have time. There is too much to do, yet I sit and watch T.V. or read books that don't edify Christ. I cry and complain at God asking "Where are you"? When he is right there, He is just waiting for me to reach out and take His had and let him lead me to where we are going.

I then read Romans 1 and the wrongs being done in that time are the same as our culture is doing now. Nothing has changed, just new and quicker ways to do them. We have turned our backs on what the world is doing and say "I am OK because I am not doing things as wrong as _____". This is wrong because misuse of time and putting ANYTHING above God is a sin. We are all in the same boat going down the rushing river without our GUIDE. God is the only way, the only truth and if we turn from him and his ways. If we worship other things above Him we are lost. Being lost in this time of the Universe is not an option. He is coming back and soon. We must turn back to God today. We must take the steps to prioritize our lives. It is time for a self check, who do I serve? Do I serve God more than myself? Do I put my needs above those of God? Do I put my husband and kids above God?

God must be first. If he is then the rest will fall into place and all things will be OK and work. I know I haven't been living this way. Today I will fix what is first and last in my priorities. Today I will choose to show my children the right way to live for our God by actually doing it. I will stop bellyaching about how hard life is and how unfair things have been lately. God has his reasons, God is the one in control. He knows what He is doing. My purpose, life and family is in his hands. I choose to not look back anymore at my past and where I went wrong, but to move forward into the new life God has for me. I am no longer who I used to be. I don't react the same to troubles and problems as I used to, I am a new me! I am who God created me to be! I am perfectly made by my God!

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One of my resolutions was to start memorizing scripture and having my boys do it with me. My first choice was Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be on His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of peace.

I am also working on my 12 book minimum of books I have never read or never finished.
1. The Last Sin Eater (Francine Rivers) ~reading right now
2. Deep Unto Deep (Dana Chandler)
3. Unspoken (Francine Rivers)
4. Unafraid (Francine Rivers)
5. Captivating (John and Stasi Eldredge)
6. The Power of a Praying Parent (Stormie Omartian)
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

These are some already in my bookcase. I am looking for more, my search is for some that are studying books and some that are light readers, but all Christ centered. Suggestions would be great!

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Now it is time for me to join my sons in doing some cleaning and then playing some games with them. Off goes the T.V. on goes the worship music. Time to spend quality time with my boys and enjoy them being home with me.

Thank you Lord for all you have spoken to me today. I know I can only accomplish your will if you are the one in control.