Everyone has their own story to tell...

I'm taking a 30 minute break before I finish the last 3 hours of my 12 hour shift.  This week has left me missing my husband and our sons, our home in an upheaval, and my emotions beating me down.  I try so hard to keep things in perspective and consider how this is only temporary...

My perspective is limited.  God sees the bigger picture and so I will have faith that He is working all things for His good, including me and my emotional tantrum.

A co-worker asked me today what I believed.  I made sure he was talking about my spiritual beliefs, which he was.   I shared how I believe that God created everything and everyone.  He loves us and has the bigger picture in mind.  I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died on the cross for our sins, leaving us with the Holy Spirit.

I asked him what he believed and he said the same.  I confirmed that he believes in God and then asked him why.  Puzzled, he questioned me.  I repeated myself and asked him WHY he believes in God.

He told an amazing story about going from religion to a personal relationship with God.  How God was still working on him but that he was a changed man.  God saved his marriage and him.  That's why he believes in God.

Everyone has a story to tell.

A story of deliverance and salvation.

What's yours?

Underestimating God

I underestimate God.  I just expect the minimum to avoid disappointment. 

Often, God surprises me with a greater and bigger plan that I could have never seen coming.

Flash back a year and a half ago.  I joined the worship team at our new church to meet people.

Now, come back to the present.  The worship team leader invited everyone who helps out with that part of the service to a cook out and pool party.  I planned on going until my insecurities began to take over.  Then, I hear this small voice remind me why I even joined the team.  To meet people.  Point taken.

So, we went and we had fun.  So much fun, we were the last ones out of the pool.  :-)

Everyone was so kind and I got to meet and talk to people that I normally wouldn't have.  The whole day was just such a wonderful experience and I got to thinking about all the blessings my family and I have received since I started singing on the worship team.

• I have met new people and can see friendships beginning to form.
• It's helped me be more comfortable at our church.  If you can get up in front of 400-500 people and sing, you can easily go to church on Sunday morning and talk to people.
• My level of worship has increased.  Singing is one form of worship that has always made me feel close to God.  It's been amazing to feel an even stronger connection.
• I research the songs we'll be singing.  When I know the author's story or what they were thinking when they wrote the song, it makes the song more meaningful to me.
• My children have begun to worship God through music.  When I began practicing and listening to more worship music, my children joined in.  I love to hear my two year old singing "How Great Thou Art."  Matthew, who is seven, enjoys worship music so much he's expressed an interest in working with me to write our own worship song.
• I am more confident in God.  I may not be Mariah Carey, but God can use what talent I have.
• My husband is proud of me and that's a good thing.  :-)
• I am learning to appreciate the encouragement that others offer me.  It has never, ever been an easy thing for me to accept compliments.  I have a huge, enormous, monster sized fear of pride.  After much prayer and a discussion with a friend, I just look at the kind things they say as a form of encouragement.

All I wanted was to meet more people but God had bigger plans for me and for my family. 

I think He's awesome.

Weekly Goals, 7-15-13

I'm not going to pretend I was awesome at achieving last weeks goals.  I'm good at acting, but I'm not that good.  Just keepin' it real.

1) Daily Devotion  Score!  I did good at this one... one out of five isn't bad and really, it's the most important one.  Right?

2) Avoid Eating Out  We ate out twice, I think.  Yes, twice.  But I refuse to swear on a bible.

3) Begin knitting a scarf  This did not happen.  I finished my gray scarf over a week ago and thought I would want to start another one right away.  Instead, I read a book and it was funny.  I laughed.  Out loud.  A lot.  (The book I read was by Janet Evanovich.  "Notorious Nineteen")

My last knitting project.

4) Research a vacation to Illinois  Nope

5) Make music shakers for an event on Saturday I waited until the last minute and then my youngest got sick.  I couldn't take him and infect other children, so I was unable to go and did not need the shakers.  :-(

Weekly Goals for 7-15-13

1) Sign boys up for summer reading and enter the books we've read so far.
2) Return library material and get some new stuff.
3) Water my hanging basket every day.  It's a little sad.

My sad, sad, hanging basket.  I am the worst gardener, ever.

4) Practice songs for Sunday's worship service.
5) Relax for a little bit every day.  Even if it's only reading for 15 minutes before bed.

To Bless My Husband

I read an awesome book last month, "My So Called Life As A Proverb's 31 Wife" by Sara Horn, and wrote a book review about it on this blog.  While researching the author, I came across her blog and her facebook page.  I loved her book and so I "liked" her and began receiving her posts.  Along the way, she offered a chance to be part of a group to help spread the word about her new book, "My So Called Life As A Submissive Wife."  I applied and was accepted!

I've spent the last month getting to know about 80 woman through the group "My Wife-Life Team." I would have never imagined being able to connect with a group of women who were seeking after God to help them become wives who blessed their husbands.  It's amazing. 

I want my husband to rise in the morning and feel blessed to have me as his wife.  Okay, maybe not in the morning.  He's not a morning person.  How about anytime throughout the day he feels blessed to have me as his wife.  A little more practical.

 I love my husband and my love for him grows each day.  I want him to love having me as his wife.  I want to bless him and be the wife that God knows he needs. 


August 1, 2013 is the release date for Sara Horn's new book.  You can pre-order it from her website, which you can find below.  You will also find the link for my book review on the Proverb's 31 book. 


We could make a huge difference by seeking out God's plan for our marriage.  Stronger marriages, stronger families, stronger communities, stronger countries and a stronger world. 

May God bless you and your marriage as He has and continues to bless mine.


http://www.sarahorn.com/

http://seekhispurpose.blogspot.com/2013/06/book-review-my-so-called-life-as.html

A Woman Who Fears The Lord #5

The Woman Who Fears the Lord

 

A Study of Proverbs 31

Verse 14

"She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar."

 

 

 

I should have someone else write about this verse.  Someone who enjoys finding all those awesome sales and knows just where to go and goes to get all the food her family needs. 

 

 As I write this post, my fridge is full of uneaten leftovers and takeout boxes. 

My pantry is mostly empty. 

 

My husband is the last one who went to the grocery store. He got milk, almond milk for our youngest who is sensitive to cow's milk and coffee creamer for me because he knows how miserable everyone would be if I didn't get my morning cup of Joe.  We had been out of milk for about three days when he stopped to pick it up. 

 

I despise grocery shopping... with a passion.

 

I have tried just giving my husband the list and sending him.  He enjoys shopping and so the plan made sense, until I looked at the receipt.  When my shop 'til you drop, love to spend money and buy things husband goes to the store with a list, he will return with everything on the list, multiples of the items that he thought were a good price, economy sized products, the three things from the clearance isle that he/we can't live without and just a couple of extra things that looked good.

 

BUDGET go K.A.B.O.O.M!

 

So, that leaves me to do the majority of the grocery shopping.  I spend days avoiding making the menu and the corresponding list, until I force myself to sit down and do it.  Then I make a whole bunch of reasons why I can't go right now.  I worked late, I want to spend time with my children without having to become the one-woman-circus you hear singing three isles over, the two year old is tired, I'm tired, the discount store I shop at is closed, and the list goes on and on and on...

 

So that leaves me with an empty pantry and a fridge full of takeout leftovers.  Not good.

 

This is how I picture our Proverbs 31 woman.

 

She has a plan.  She knows what she needs to make meals for her family.  There's no way she's coming home after a long day visiting relations in the village over without knowing what they're going to have for dinner. 

 

 If they had had electricity back then, I bet she would have used a crockpot. 

 

She goes to several market stands to find the healthiest and least expensive food.  If she lived in the 21st century, she would have had a coupon organizer and spent $42.28 for $197.73 worth of food.  She would have price matched and gone to various stores to get the best deals.

 

(sigh)

 

Since I'm pretty sure that these verses were meant to guide and inspire us, I'm going to shake off the feeling of total and complete inadequacy. 

 

What can I learn from this verse? 

 

I need to make sure my family has healthy, yummy food to eat.  Without blowing our budget.  I need to plan ahead and also have backup plans in place.  For me, it means I consistently need to go to the grocery store, according to the workable plan I have made.  I also need to cut myself a break if I'm having a hard time with things...

 

 and give my husband cash when he goes to the store.

 

 

 

The link to the series "The Woman Who Fears the Lord"

 

 

 

Weekly Goals, 7-8-13

Here is the update on last week's goals...


 1) Daily Devotion.  The devotion I am going through right now is "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young.  A friend of mine strongly recommended it about a year ago, I checked it out of the library and never really got into it.  The book was again recommended this spring by a woman in the bible study I was attending.  This time around I am more committed and try to keep the devotion in my thoughts and prayers through out the day.  It's pretty awesome to see things happening during the week that fit my intimate time with Jesus and my Heavenly Father.

 2) Read to the Boys Every Day.  I wasn't able to do this every day but it was a definite improvement from hardly ever doing it.  Matthew and I are reading "Nate The Great" and Liam is devouring ever single picture book we read.

3)  Make a Moving Game Plan. I avoided this one.  Still having a hard time believing it's ever going to happen.  We're having to come up with more paper work for the mortgage company and don't even have an official closing date on the house. 

4)  Encourage my husband, my children and at least one other person, every day.  This is addicting.  It's such a blessing for me to be able to lift someone's spirit.

Waiting for the North Liberty Independence Day Parade to begin.

5) Enjoy a summer activity with my kids. 

Easy as pie.  With the holiday of July 4th, we were able to enjoy a parade, playing at the park, swimming in the my sister's family pool, and fireworks.  On Saturday, we took a trip to the beach and followed up with a cook out at a co-worker's apartment complex.

Fireworks at Newton Park in Lakeville, Indiana

Weekly Goals, 7-8-13

1) Daily Devotion
2) Avoid Eating Out
3) Begin knitting a scarf
4) Research a vacation to Illinois
5) Make music shakers for an event on Saturday.

(I'm working about 47 1/2 hours during the week which only gives me an hour with the boys before it's time for them to go to bed.  My nights are pretty short and I'm typically drained by then.)
 

Weekly Goals- 7/1/13

Holy Cow!  I can not believe it is July already.  Half of the year is already gone. 

Here are my goals from last week and how it went...

1) Keep the house from falling in around us. Check and double check.  My husband even helped out when our landlord was coming by straightening things up for me/us.

2) Go to bed/sleep by 9:30.  4 out of 5 nights, not bad.

3) Let my husband know if I need him to do a few simple tasks.  Write them down for him.  Check.  Texting is a wonderful tool!

4)  Do my devotion every day.  Even if it's a night.  Check.

5)  Laugh and find joy in the everyday...  Check.

Goals for the Week of 7/1/13:

1) Daily Devotion.  Between doing my devotion every day, getting an adequate amount of sleep and the people I had encouraging me, last week was truly a blessing.  I would love to have a repeat of that!

2) Read to the Boys Every Day.  During my non-work season, we can't read enough.  Lately, it's hit or miss.  It's something both my children and I miss.

3)  Make a Moving Game Plan.  We're in the process of buying a house and I keep telling myself that until we have a closing day, I won't believe it's happening.  I'm praying that we'll have a date this week and things will seem real.

4)  Encourage my husband, my children and at least one other person, every day.

5) Enjoy a summer activity with my kids.