Friday, September 28, 2012

Plus to forgetting things

Quick post on forgetting things.  I need to stick with reading my Bible daily for I often forget what I wrote.  Thankfully I don't feel guilty anymore for this.  I know even if I can't remember the words that my soul is enjoying the food and is storing up all I need.

If I forget something, the next time I study it, it is new teaching and I am awed once more by the passage of scripture.  It also keeps scripture alive, for it is a living Word, it sustains my soul.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Life Verse

I studies Titus over the summer.  God when I got to:

It [God's grace] teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, Titus 2:12  brackets added.

The Spirit said this is to be your life verse.  Whether it is my life long verse I know not.  It is to be something I cling to until I get it.  It is only by God's help that I can say no the worldly passions.  It is only by God's grace that I can live self-controlled and produce any fruit in the present age.  

I read this verse every few days, who knows, I may even memorize it.  

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Another Affirmation

I may sound like I'm grasping at any justification for my actions, however I'm at a point in my walk that anything that brings God's call on my life into clarity it something to be grasp and recorded.  I mean clarity as in understanding the WHY behind the request and have another weapon against any guilt that tries control me.

Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.  Acts 20:28

What caught my eye is the Holy Spirit has made you.  The Holy Spirit has assigned you to your work.  And if He hasn't assigned you, you shouldn't be doing it.  To me it says: Don't lead because no one else does, trust that God will fulfill the need and allow time for the chosen one to respond to the Spirit's conviction. 

Does this mean that something might not get done when we want it done?  You betcha.  Does this mean that someone might fight with God, have a stubborn  heart about the call He placed on them?  Of course.  Does this mean I help the situation by doing it all for everyone?  No, I do not help.

Keep to the Path.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

The Book of Philemon

This is a little book tucked in between Titus and Hebrew.  You may not know it's there.  It's a personal letter from Paul to Philemon (Phi - Le - Mon), who was the owner of Onesimus (O - nes - i - mus).  Paul intended it be read to the entire church of Colosse.  Take the few minutes to read it, there is some great treasure there.

I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Philemon 6

Talk about stop you in your tracks kind of verse.  I just love it.  Active in sharing my faith and in doing so, my own understanding of all the good things of Christ grows.  I want more understanding.  I want to be closer to God.  A key to doing that is sharing my faith.  It opens my eyes to how God is working in others.  It opens doors to His path with I'm able to see Him clearly. 

Monday, September 17, 2012

The Cycle

God gave me clarity on the cycle I go through.  With this knowledge I can and will be on guard against the attack on my thinking.  It's breaking a link in the old rusty chain that weigh me down. 

It starts usually with a goal.  Say a desire to lose weight (for this is one goal I've visited much in my life).  Yes, the initial process lists healthy and glory to God.  It is an attitude of accepting who I am and how I will be patient to get where God is leading.

Then misplaced desire will creep in, via a photo or movie.  Then my thoughts become obsessed with how to attain the new goal, to take things in my own hand to make it happen and happen now.  Gone is patience, acceptance or any other good attitude.  Determination sets in and it brings all the laws that go with it.  I'm not a Bible scholar, but I know law means death.  Yet I still succumb to the laws.  I will do this and I won't do that . . . ugh!  Where do the laws lead, you guessed it - compromise.  'Well I will just put this on hold, just for this one meal, one snack, one day', which of course leads to more compromise, more determination, more laws and ultimately more failure.

This is just where the enemy wants me.  I'm not glorifying God.  I'm not following His plan for me.  I'm allowing my soul to die in order to live under the law.  I am full of guilt, disappointment and worldly desire.  That sums up to me being ineffective in my walk with God.

Then the funny thing happens.  When the Spirit finally gets through to me that this process is happening and I'm not glorifying God, what do I do?  I am determine to stop.  Good right?  Not when I'm determined to stop on my own.  For I can't do it.  The thoughts are still there.  No matter how much to try to divert my thoughts, the world is full of reminders to bring you right back to the thoughts and attitude that I shouldn't have.

Humbly, I fall to my knees and ask the one who can make it stop to send His grace to me.  Only by the power of Christ can I change.  Only by Him will my heart be softened and my focus centered on Him.  He so graciously gives, welcomes me back, refocuses me on Him and His goals for me.  Thank you Jesus.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Moses - a book review


I had to spot light another book we've read recently.  Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Kadir Nelson. 

This book is a Caledcott Honor book as well as the Corretta Scott King Award.  Harriet has always been one story I loved in history class.  How brave she was!  This book had me in tears - I haven't been moved to tears from a children's book ever.

The book leads up to Harriet accepts God's call to go back and lead others north.  It goes through how God prepared her from her early childhood for such a task.  To have such a strong call on your life and to willingly agree to God plan.  It was an encouragement to me. 

As a disciple of God's, I am called to lead people to freedom.  The freedom from sin and the hold this world has on our lives.  It live in the world, but not be part of it.  Just as God prepared the great people of the past, He prepares me.  To Him be the glory for the privilege and enabling to do His work for His people.

*This is an unsolicited review.  I received no payment for this review.  No money or products was exchanged for my personal opinion and experience of this book.  

Thursday, September 13, 2012

How It Could Be

The Spirit wouldn't let me go resting in the joy of God's affirmation.  Why it is so great is the change in me that allowed me to see it all.

Discontent would have been my attitude.  I would have been frustrated.  I would have blamed D or K for somehow moving what I was looking for.  Yet those thoughts never came until I looked for the difference.

Discontent over not having a greater work than caring for my home and family.  The world (and my father) dictates that an able, educated woman should seek full time employment so to make more money so we can have more things, hire someone to clean my home, eat junk because I deserved not to cook...oh I could go on, but you get the picture.

Thoughts of why things never stay where I put them.  Why couldn't things go smoothly?  Why must I be plagued with all these little frustrations that are causing others to be inconvenienced?  I would have been angry, full of self-pity and just plan ugly.  Oh, and I wouldn't have time to exercise or eat well either, because I need that food to make me 'feel' better.

Yes, looking at all the possible reactions to this circumstance, I can only praise God all the more.  For He has changed me.  I am being sanctified and enabled to respond to the circumstance with truth, not react with selfishness.  Any attempt at a bad attitude I quickly spoke truth and did not allow the thoughts to run free in my mind.

God is good!!

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Affirmation

I love it when I'm going down a path and God sends affirmation.  With each day, my trust in Him grows and I am enabled to kick doubt to the curb.  I don't have time to doubt.

However, I'll take affirmation anytime God wants to give.  Its that little extra 'you're doing well' that keeps me going on His path.

I had a meeting to pass on a service project that I headed up this past year.  I knew several months ago that God didn't want me doing that over the next year.  I've posted about giving up some service to focus on counselor training.  I stood firm even when the person pressed for me to come help.  Fortunately she understood the importance to obedience over the desires of men.

I came home from that meeting to an email from a friend who loaned me a DVD for the Made to Crave study I led earlier this year.  She needed the DVD back.  I looked all around the house, where did I put it so I wouldn't lose it?  The words from yesterday's post on why I cleaned my garage where in my head.  

Over the past month I have misplaced two other things.  One - an important quote with house measurements my brother gave me, the other - our well used desk dictionary.  I like to look up the words I don't know while reading.  I had bought another dictionary, but with the DVD I had three things missing.  I turned to God, as I had done on my other attempts to find the missing items, not allowing frustrations to impede my search.  I was able to declutter a few baskets while I searched.  I wondered what God was trying to teach me.

When my daughter came home, she needed dice to play a game her teacher sent home.  In looking in a game for dice, she found the quote.  (It had clung to a game board that we played several weeks ago.)  I praised her and God.  She was excited to tell Daddy and I put a call into my brother, who was relieved not to have to measure again.  

I began discussing the DVD with D and how I couldn't find it.  I said I found the books, one in a basket, one on the bookshelf.  As I thumbed the bookshelf again, I found the DVD, it had slid back behind two books.  With a high-five praise God, we were amazed that we had found two of our lost items in just an hour.

Getting ready for our evening activities, K needed to get her water bottle from her room.  In the process, she found the dictionary.  Amazing.

I know, I sound a little crazy, but praise God for this affirmation.  I knew He had something to teach me.  He waited until I needed three items before opening my eyes to find them.  

It's not that our house is total disaster zone, either.  I don't want to down play the need for me to take better care of my home, in doing so, take better care of my family.  This is a point God is working in me.  To be content in the work He gave me today and allow Him to lead me to the work He has for me.  I don't need to fill up my time with doing that I'm not serving.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Purpose of Garage Reveal

What's up with my reveal of my garage?  It doesn't really follow what this blog is about, does it?

Well, here's the story behind it. I need to simplify my life.  The things around my home that suffocate me and remind me of all I haven't done.  It is  spending time trying to find something and can't because it doesn't have a home so it is likely where ever it was last used and then buried under the next project.  

Releasing junk and getting rid of trash is trusting God as well.  If we keep an old wall outlet just in case something goes wrong with the ones in our home . . . where is that logic coming from?  Outlets cost less than a dollar.  I have a house full of them and if one goes bad I can go to another outlet.  I don't need to keep the one made in 1968 any longer.  I trust God that anything that went to the curb or was donated will be replaced if a need arises.  He has always cared for me.  I don't need to hold onto trash for security.

Freeing up space in the garage and in my house frees up me.  Instead of spending my time managing my things, I can do the things I love.  I can read a book in peace.  Create a painting or repurpose a frame.  

It's about caring for my home, being a good steward.  That is one of the essence of a Proverbs 31 wife.  She cares for her home.  She gets things done that need done to take care of her family. 

I know I can't do it all in one month, but I can tick away at each project, at each task until things are easier to manage because the clutter and trash is gone.  It's about making my home more hospitable.  It's realizing this work on my house is just as important as work else where, if I'm doing it for God.  He's called me to be the primary caretaker of my home.  I need fulfill that job the best I can.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Garage Reveal

Ok, here are some comparison pictures of all the work I did.  What I didn't take pictures of is the mess the took up the middle of the garage for three weeks while I sorted and trashed a lot of stuff.  This garage has been the hiding place for the past eight years.  I do hope I don't let another eight years go by without cleaning this up and out again.


This corner was piled high and I couldn't walk over there. 



I moved a shelving unit that was on the other side of the garage here.  Got rid of the corner counter top and replaced it with a straight shot counter that I received for free on Freecycle.  I mounted the shelf on the wall the free up counter space.  This was after much debate on using this shelf or repurposing it for something else.  I haven't ruled out repurposing this, because I love the curved lines, but for now, it is mounted to the wall. 

I removed the lower corner shelf to open up counter space.  I removed the door from our old kitchen cabinet to allow easy storage.

The area with the doors will be cleaned up a bit when they return to a closet or to the trash.  Then this space will hold the ladder and our soccer chairs.


This was the dumping ground for old household projects from paint, tile and roofing.  Along with the hopeful mantel that will one day be IN the house.  


Here is after.  The paint is moved to the above corner shelf area.  I put roofing in our outdoor shed.  The extra tiles I gave to my sister.  Just enough for her (her husband) to redo their children's bathroom.  Behind the metal cabinet is only one door we use to make an extra table.  The rest are gone.




Here's two different views, but I wanted to show the new space I created.  



This is the space where the metal shelves were.  I cut the old corner counter, moved the small freezer and drawers over and hung shelves on the wall.  I love this extra counter space and hope to keep it from being a hotspot.  I painted the front of the drawers with chalkboard paint.  Then my cats promptly came in, rubbed most of the chalk off.  Oh, well, it's fun to have.  The shoe box totes are labeled with what is inside.  See the one to the far right.  It has tape in it.  I don't know how much time I've wasted in this garage looking for tape!

These spaces all endured a lot a vacuuming.  A few spiders met their demise in the process. 

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Lord, I want

Lord, I want what You have for me, not what I can go get on my own.  I know there is much to gain in the journey.  I know You have a plan for me.  I could go the easier route, but You haven't given me peace about it.  You haven't sent affirmation.  I will trust what You do have for me.  I will trust your leading.  Oh, Lord above all else, I want what You have for me.  For You are the Giver of good gifts.  Your timing is perfect.  I will trust You, for I know You love me.  You equip those You call and I know You will equip me before You send me or even along the way.  The journey getting there is as important as the destination.  It is the time for growth, to being secure in You, to having confidence in You.  Yes, Lord, I want what You have for me.  If I'm misguided, trying to get things on my own, please reveal it to me fast, help me to get back to where You want me.  I trust You, God.  I love You, God.  You are the perfecter of my faith, always and forever. Amen

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

September Update

Wow, August just flew by.  I was able to get much done and drop a pound.  I worked on my garage until I was urged by the Spirit to pull the plug on the work.  I have some places left to organize and clean still.  My mind turned to mush after trying to decide what to do with it all.  As a bonus, the hubs cleaned up part of his tool area.  We're getting close to finding things we actually need.  I'll post picture soon of the areas done. 

I started a few other projects the last week of August.  I'll show that soon to after the paint smell goes away and they are up on my walls.  

I enjoyed Labor Day weekend.  Only wish I had taken my camera along to show you some.  You'll have to settle for my description.  It was rainy and overcast (praise the Lord for the rain).  We had a lot of family time.  

  • Saw two great movies - Odd Life of Timothy Green and We Bought a Zoo.
  • Put a puzzle of Yellowstone (map) together.  Very hard because we realized quickly into it, we only had a picture of the middle of the puzzle.  The rest was a guess.
  • Visited with my mom, her hubs and a few siblings - something we hadn't done in a while.  
  • Went on a boat ride on the lake.  We saw four white geese that have decided to live here.  Also a snake (yes snake!) swimming across the lake and a giant cat fish that only made me glad they are scared of us for it would make it hard to swim otherwise.

God's joy is bubbling in my heart.  I spent most of the day Sunday laughing, starting with my girl wearing two different shoes to church.  That will make her pay more attention to what she slips her feet into.  Fortunately, she had her Crocs still in the car.

For September, I have a few projects I need to get done including finishing the front flower bed and prep an area for a garden next year.

Counselor training starts tonight. 
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