"My" Bible



My daughter woke up earlier than usual today and as such, proceeded to watch me go through my morning routine. She watched me start the coffee, let the dog out, wash my face and brush my teeth. She followed me back to the kitchen where I prepared MY cup of coffee with plenty of fancies to make it taste less like coffee. ;o) Then, she proceeded to ask, "Momma, what do you DO this early in the morning?"  Chuckle. :)

I said, "Well, I have my coffee and read my Bible." Now, I'm not sure why, but that phrase of "read MY Bible" stuck in my head today. See, I read God's Word on my laptop because there is a fabulous website (www.biblegateway.com) that I LOVE because it has all these reading plans, different translations and devotions and I LOVE it! However, when I said the phrase "read MY Bible", I had a fleeting momentary sadness because I always remember my momma having HER Bible at the ottoman beside her bed. It was always open to the place she was reading that day and it was worn and tattered from all the good use. I used to have a Bible like that years ago and granted, I still do have several Bibles, but I realized, I don't really have a "MY" Bible anymore....

I have a Bible that I take to church because it's in a special case with my sermon notes book. I have a Bible that I do my studies with because it's in the translation that goes with the workbook. Yet again, I have several other Bibles that have devotions written in them, special translations I thought were cool and Bibles that were gifts from friends and family, but are any of them really "MY" Bible? No. :'o(

Wow, how very sad what this age of technology has taken from me, I thought to myself. I have no Bible with pen marks and highlighted Scriptures. I have no well-worn areas from reading them over and over. Instead, I have a laptop that pops up the exact page of my last reading. Chuckle. I suppose I could create a shortcut on my desktop for the page of my favorite translation on (www.biblegateway.com), yah? ;o) In my momentary sadness, I had another profound thought. Would you like to hear it? Of course you do, it was rhetorical, darlin'. ;o)

Lord, I'm so very glad You'll always be "MY" Savior, no matter the age of technology or renaissance we face here on earth. I never concern myself with whether or not You are here with me or whether or not You are "MINE". I know it, plain and simple...

"For Jesus doesn't change—yesterday, today, tomorrow, he's always totally himself." - Hebrews 13:8

A Very Unusual Thing

So, howdy, bloggy land. It's been a loooooooooooooong time since I wrote a blog, and I'd love to tell you all the reasons why it's been such a looooooooooooooooong time, but well, that would take a really looooooooooooong time and then you'd get bored and maybe click somewhere else and well, then I'd be sad.... :'(

So, I'm just gonna get to the point, k? ;o)

I did a very unusual thing the other day. A friend of mine and I were sitting at my table visiting at 1 in the morning - no, that's not the unusual thing, although that IS unusual for me! ANYWAY, we were sitting and visiting and I decided to pull out my journal I use during my devotional times and we went back and starting looking at OLD entries. It was hysterical if I do say so myself. So, anyway, I was brought to tears of mirth by mine own hand and I just thought I would share some with y'all. Now, this one isn't the funniest of all, but I just don't think I could put that entry out into the vast expanse of the Internet. I'd be embarrassed! YES. I DO have my limits! :D So, here it is, hope you like it! :D

Isaiah 64-66 / 2 Kings 20-22

Today's reading is about Hezekiah, Manasseh and Amon. I’m a bit baffled by Hezekiah. He did much to right Israel to a place of proper fellowship and relationship with Jehovah-God, but well, he seemed a bit more than selfish and maybe a bit prideful too??? I mean, he showed men from countries he was not allied with all that he had in the palace and temple. I mean, wasn’t that a little bit stupid? Also, when Isaiah came back and told him everything that was going to happen because of his poor decision, he was only concerned with himself and his lifetime. He basically didn’t care he’d doomed his children and / or grandchildren, but as long as it wasn’t going to happen in his lifetime, it was okay with him. Seriously, dude? SELFISH!

I’m Hezekiah… L I’m selfish. I don’t often think further than the end of my nose. I make hasty decisions that are prideful with no thought to the consequences of those decisions. Sigh. Lord, why do you put up with me? Sometimes, my only motivation is whether or not something is going to cause me turmoil. Now, I know that turmoil can be a sign of problems and / or issues, but it shouldn’t be my determining factor for what I do and how I act. God’s Word should have that distinction. However, I often find myself using the factor of whether or not my decision is going to cause me grief. Sigh. Seriously, Nell?

Lord, please forgive my selfish heart. I want to be pleasing in Your sight. I don’t want to only be concerned with my own comfort. Please cleanse me and grow me out of being selfish. I kinda cringe even saying that because I know it will be painful, but I need You to give me some gumption to suck it up through the pain and act like a grown-up. I love You, Lord.

Have You Checked Your Armpits Today?

White shirts.... ahhhh, one of my wardrobe nemeses.... A white shirt has a very short shelf life in my particular closet. Why, you ask? Well............ see................ um....................

I sweat like a horse.  There, I said it.

It's a very unfortunate truth in my world of clothes and shoes. White shirts leave a particularly tell-tale sign of the sweat in the, um, underarm region? I don't know quite what color to call it other than dingy and that's not really even a color, is it now? It's disgusting. No matter what kind of stain repellent, pre-treatment, laundry detergent and even special deodorant I purchase, within a few weeks of purchasing a white shirt, I begin to see the signs of the sweat. Blech.

I have tried to pretend as though it doesn't bother me. I have preached to myself on many a morning with thoughts like...  "It's only sweat, right? Everyone sweats, even Princess Kate!" Hmph. "The shirt is clean, I know, I'm the one who washed it!" Hmph. "I wear deodorant and who's going to walk around checking other people's armpits to see if they sweat alot?" Hmph.

Yeah, now ask me if that ever did any good... Uh, nope.

You see, the bottom line, for me, is that the markings of a previously sweaty day look filthy. It's not necessarily that I'm dirty or that my clothes are dirty, but they look dirty. The simple truth is that I do care what others think when they meet me or have a first impression of me and I don't want that impression to be that I'm unclean or unkempt.

Looks can be deceiving. The way things look might not be the way that they are and I am often guilty of judging based upon the way things look. Now, before you assume I'm going to give the standard pep talk about not caring what others think and just being yourself, blah blah, let me stop you. :o) I'm going to go another direction with this particular subject today............ Gotta keep you guessing!

Appearances play a very important role in a believer's life. As a believer, I have a responsibility to avoid anything that might appear  I am living anything less than a life led by the Holy Spirit. I know the popular Scriptural quote reads... "Man sees the outward appearance, but God sees the heart." - a very true statement - However, the cold hard reality is that while my perfect heavenly Father sees the heart, my frail human  eyes don't give me that viewpoint and the outward appearances are often what I look at to size up a situation or an individual. It's only with the guidance of the Holy Spirit that I am able to catch a true glimpse into what the Father sees when He looks upon the heart of man.

Okay, time for an honesty check. Am I always led by the Holy Spirit? Nope. I am human. I make mistakes and size up situations incorrectly all the time. Does that ever happen to you? Have you ever had a first impression of a person that was so far off base you wanted to cry when you realized what the truth really was? I have. Too often. :o(

Once again, I am challenged by God's Word, not only to remember that only God truly sees the heart of man, but also that how things look truly does play a role in a believer's life.

"Abstain from all appearance of evil." -  1 Thessalonians 5:22

 I don't say this because I'm afraid of what a judgmental person might think of me, but rather because I don't want to be a stumbling block to my fellow believer or to someone who is on the verge of becoming a believer. If I concern myself with the fact that God knows my heart and my heart is truly pure, I won't want to do anything that might dishonor my heavenly Father's name, will I? I must use this as a check and balance in my daily walk with Christ. I shouldn't allow it to become the primary means for evaluating my heart condition, but rather as a little reminder as I look in the mirror.

It's Been A While, Hmmm?

Good Morning!

It has been exactly four weeks since I've posted anything on my little corner of the Internet. Four weeks... I was truly surprised when I looked on my stats and found that I still had some folks checking out my page even after no activity all that time. It gave me a little happy feeling in my heart. :)

I must confess that my blogging break was a bit of a time out for me. See, I tend to have an "all or nothing" view on tasks and things and the Lord was, um, a bit unhappy with me because I hadn't been keeping up with things the way I was supposed to, yipe! I had to do a little bit of re-prioritizing and re-organizing and re-decluttering of my life. My family has to come before any other type of activity (save my time with the Lord) and I had begun to put writing a little ahead of them, ouch. So, the Lord put me in the "think about it" chair and that's what I did... thought about it... alot. 

Here's what I came up with... wait for it.... the brilliance is coming folks... :)  Okay, well, maybe not any brilliance, but I did come to a decision. I don't want to give up my blog. I do enjoy writing, it's an outlet for me and the Lord seems to be able to take my ramblings and bless other folks, so I'm gonna keep it up. I am gonna cut back again to only once a week this time. I think that will have to be my allowance to myself during the school year as life seems to be a little more than crazy and I just don't seem to be able to juggle it all with the best of 'em! :D In the summer, I might ask the Lord very nicely if He'll let me go back to writing a little more often and if I've been a very good girl, maybe He'll let me!  Yeah, I know, no one's holding their breath on Nell being a good girl, huh? What can I say, I like drama WAY too much! :D

So, if you are so inclined, please hop on here, bright and early on Monday mornings to see what odd topic the Lord has discussed with me that week. I'm also gonna post a little bit about my music classes and how the Lord has been using that this year. Just wait till you see my Kindergarten hand bell choir!!!! :o)

I love all of you and I want you to also know, the Lord has dropped it in my heart to pray for all of you and so I'm gonna keep to that task as well. You're all a blessing to me and I hope to return the favor! Have a blessed Monday!

The Bread Dough

I don't like to check my work. I was terrible about checking my work in Math class and the fact that I didn't do this step often reared it's ugly head especially in multi-step problems. However, I have learned the hard way that checking your work is a vital step. An example you ask? Of course I have an example! :o) 

When my husband and I married nearly 11 years ago, we received a bread machine for a wedding present with a cute little box of bread mix to go with it. What a wonderful gift for a newlywed! Easy peasy in the kitchen and still be able to look like a pro. Well.... the people who thought up this idea had never seen newlywed Nell in the kitchen before. ;o/

We'd been married two weeks when I decided to get the bread machine out of the box with it's little box of bread mix and give it a go. The only thing I had to do with the mix was dump it in, add the water and turn it on. Piece of cake right? Or should that be piece of bread? ;o)

The recipe on the box called for one cup of water on top of the dry mixture. Somehow in the steps to and from the sink with the measuring cup, I got it into my head that I only needed one third of a cup of water. Of course, I didn't see it was a problem when I poured the water in and turned it on. I walked away for a few minutes and came back to peer in the little window on top of the machine. I looked in and thought, "Uh-oh, that doesn't look right." So, I did what any newlywed would do. I said, "Babe, I need your help!  This doesn't look right to me." So, the dutiful husband entered the room and looked in and pronounced things just fine. He said, "Hon, it's okay, I'm sure it looks weird until it's risen."

So, I walked away for a few more minutes. Came back and looked in again and this time, the would-be bread mixture looked really bad. And again, I called for my husband. "Babe, I'm serious! Something isn't right here." Big sigh from the husband and he came to look again. Only this time he said, "Hmmm, no I guess that doesn't look too good, does it?" So, we got the box and checked and I saw my mistake. Sigh again. My hubby suggested I just throw in the extra water and see if it would just go ahead and finish working the dough and bake up okay. "It'll be fine," he said. "Just pour it on top and let it finish the cycle." So, I did.

I'm sad to say that what we ended up with was not a loaf of bread, but rather all of the mixture condensed into what looked like two slices of bread smashed together. What do you think my hubby did? Yep, you guessed it! He ate it. He's such a sweetie. :o) I have to say it was a most humiliating experience and the first of many, many kitchen blunders for me. ;o) However, as I thought about it, it made me wonder.... as I often do..... :o)

I often have a plan the Lord has so carefully laid out for me with clear instructions and somehow in a very short period of time, I have it all very messed up, but I'm not able to see the problem until it's too late, sigh. I take a look and something doesn't seem right, but there's nothing for me to "put my finger on", so I do nothing. I come back again and I know something isn't right, and by the time it occurs to me to check my Instructions, it's royally messed up.... I gotta check my Instructions a little more often because even when I can't figure out exactly what's wrong, I know my Instructions will provide the guidance needed to remedy whatever blunder I've gotten myself into, kitchen appliances included or not. ;o)

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,  that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

- 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The Unwelcome Visitor

One day, I looked up as I was fixing my hair and a very small spider dropped down right in front of me on his web. My first instinct was a sharp inhale of surprise. That was the wrong thing to do.

Upon my intake of breath, the spider was pulled in close to me and somehow, in the course of that one breath, the spider found himself inside my nose! I'm sure this was as terrifying to him as it was to me because he immediately began to scurry as fast as he could which, as you might imagine, sent me into a tizzy!

I just happened to have tissue nearby and I crammed it up my nose as fast as possible in the hopes of squishing my unwelcome nostril visitor. It worked. I pulled the tissue out and surveyed the mangled spider and breathed a sigh of thankfulness that the invader had been neutralized! Blech! I felt a fleeting momentary sadness over the poor little spider's fate and then, it was over and I moved on with my day, only shuddering every once in a while. ;o) I mean, I'm sorry, but it was my nose and I wasn't gonna share it with someone who would cause a ridiculous amount of sneezing throughout the day! Hmph.

Do you know what God spoke to me through that one little story? I'm just gonna warn you, it's weird! But then again, you already are prepared for weirdness through my little stories aren't you? Wait! Don't answer that! ;o)

God's anger is like that fleeting sadness I felt over the poor little spider. It only lasts for a moment and then He moves on. Why don't I? See, I just happened to be beating myself up about something dumb I did a while back. I had confessed it and been forgiven, but I was just absolutely positive that God was still a bit miffed with me about it and He used this memory of a spider and my momentary sad thought to illustrate the time His anger lasts. See! I told you it was weird! ;o)

Am I the only one who finds herself recounting past blunders and beating myself about the head and shoulders? Am I the only one who thinks God surely is not gonna forgive this thing, again! Am I the only one who thinks God is constantly annoyed and irritated with me because of something ridiculous I did.... years ago? Am I the only one? Seriously?

"For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning. " - Psalm 30:5 

Labor Day!

It's Labor Day! Which means we all do no labor, right? Well, at least that's what it means around my house!  ;o)

My sweet hubby has to work for a time today, so my girls and I are taking a short trip to a neighboring city to visit their mall and their Chick-Fil-A! Sadly, we have no Chick-Fil-A in our little corner of the world and so we take a road trip every now and again to have a little treat. I'm extremely excited to get to go with my girls and just enjoy the day!

For now, though, we are hanging out in our pj's watchin' tv and eatin' junk for breakfast! ;o)

We've only been through two weeks of school and I must say I'm extremely thankful for a break already! The Lord knows just what we need when we need it, doesn't He? An extra day of rest! Yippee! I plan on enjoying it! See you here on Wednesday for some Scripture and some meaningful thoughts... at least I hope so! ;o) Have a great day!!

Got Rhythm?

I am a music teacher. I love it. :o) I have taught music in many different ways over the years - church Christmas pageants, children's choir, piano lessons, etc. This year, I've started teaching music in a classroom again. I love it. Now, there are many aspects of music I love, but I think my very favorite concept is the one I always start the year with - rhythm. :o) Rhythm is a wonderful part of music that is the most versatile in my personal opinion. Let me show you something... :o) 

This is one of my favorite percussion pieces. Of course because it has kiddos in it! :o) But also, I think it's because it's so simple; however, let me tell you, it's not easy! Whew! I tried this particular piece with some students of my own and it was ALOT of work!  There are two things this piece employs.

A steady beat. An ostinato. These two things are not the same. One is an even pulse in which every beat has the same length. The other is a pattern that moves, and not every beat has the same length.The steady beat keeps the slow even tempo of the composition moving along, but can honestly be dead as a doornail all by itself. The ostinato keeps things interesting, gives you something to enjoy along the journey of the steady beat. However, if the ostinato didn't have the steady beat underneath it to give a firm footing, it would speed up or slow down and lose the continuity of the musical phrase. You can't have one without the other, they need each other.  

My faith is my steady beat. It's my even pulse that moves my journey of salvation along. My works in my faith are my ostinatos. They definitely keep my journey interesting. ;o) If I don't have the works to experience my faith in action, I am frustrated because God created us to be experiential, relational beings and something is definitely missing without my ostinatos in my faith walk. If I try to experience the journey of salvation without the firm footing of faith, my works fall apart and mean nothing and all I experience is frustration, again!  Isn't the Lord smart to remind us again and again we need both?

Like the piece above, it's so simple; however, that doesn't mean it's easy... ;o)

"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

 - James 2:26 

Failure to Communicate

Communication. The ability to communicate clearly and effectively is one of the cornerstones to being a civilized person. That was pretty profound, yes? Well, here's another in my confession series for you... :o)

I'm not a civilized person. Yes, that's right, you read correctly. I cannot always communicate clearly and effectively. Clearly means the other person 'gets the message' right? Effectively means something (hopefully positive) results from the communication, right? Growth? Change? Yipe! I'm in deep trouble here, people. You know what I take comfort in? Jesus wasn't a civilized person either! Yippee! :o) For those of you who think I've just lost my mind, let me explain. :0)

A few days ago while on the phone with a good friend, I was bemoaning the fact of failing, communicatively-speaking, in a certain relationship. I was very frustrated with myself of not being able to communicate a message to this other person in a way that they could 'get' it and I was truly ready to throw up my hands in defeat and never try again. It seemed every way, method, technique, approach or scheme I used had one of three responses -

1. Angry tears of injustice
2. Resentful and sullen backlashes
3. Inconsiderate disregard of attempt at communication

Anyone ever had any of those experiences? Sheesh! Makes me want to go live in the woods!  As I was going on and on about how I should be able to communicate!!!, my friend stopped me and said, "Nell, even Jesus didn't always communicate so that message sent was message received." Um, huh? She brought up the account of the rich young ruler and how he actually walked away from THE MESSIAH because he couldn't bear to give up his things. Message sent was not message received for this young man. She mused aloud about what impact my attempts at communication might have in a few years for this person. Would they think back to the many talks, conversations and dialogues and have an 'ah-ha!' moment?

I had to stop and repent a little that day... :'( Who do I think I am? I am a perfectionist and I want to see perfect results immediately and I don't often want to wait for the Lord's perfect timing. I want my attempts at communication to have instantaneous, positive responses and results, shouldn't that be the outcome in a situation where I'm led by the Spirit?  Unfortunately, I look in my Bible and I find passage after passage after passage all through Isaiah, Jeremiah and Lamentations (to only name three) showing God's unsuccessful attempts to get it through Israel's head that the path of worshiping other gods was going to lead to destruction. Even though He knew they weren't going to listen, God clearly stated to Ezekial the following... 

"Your job is to speak to them. Whether they listen is not your concern." 

 - Ezekial 2:7

Here's the deal. The message won't always be communicated so that the receiver 'gets' it. It's just part of our sinful human nature to reject something that isn't easy. Here's what I need to remember... that doesn't mean the message isn't worth communicating...

What would've happened if God had thrown up His hands at the end of the Old Testament and decided to not communicate in yet another way His great love for us through Jesus, His Son? Where on earth would I be? So, I guess if He can be patient for hundreds of years and still try, I guess I can make the effort, too, hmm?

But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” - Matthew 19:26

Oopsie

May I just be real here people? Of course I can, it was rhetorical, darlin'. ;o)

I just plain forgot to post yesterday! Oopsie! Like my momma used to say, that was plumb dumb! I have to be real and ask for forgiveness because the honest truth is that school started in my neck of the woods last week and well.... that first week just wupped my hiny!

So, I hope you can all find it in your hearts to forgive me and still tune in first thing tomorrow morning when I promise to be back on track!! :o)

See you then!

A Fresh Perspective...

A fresh perspective... I often ask the Lord for this when things become a drudgery in life and I begin to feel as though my life is having no impact for the kingdom of God. A fresh perspective... don't ask for it unless you really want it... :o)  Let me give you an example of a perspective I really didn't need to know...

I used to be an after school caregiver when I was in my late teens and early 20's. The hours were perfect for my schedule as I was a full time student and I enjoyed working with kids very much, still do. :)

It was one of my responsibilities to "show the ropes" to new employees and help to familiarize them with the after school program. Now, mostly, I had to orientate females, so one day, when a young man showed up at my desk, I felt myself rather unnerved as I often did around the opposite sex in those days. I managed to pull myself together and even sound more than a bit normal as I walked him around... I think.  ;o) We found ourselves in the younger school age classroom and spent some time with the kiddos coloring their latest artistic masterpiece, all the while, I was chattering about this policy and that paperwork, etc. I looked up to find one of the young boys studying me and the young man and I smiled.

The little boy took that as his cue and said, "Ms. Nell, are you and Mr. "So'nSo" gonna get married?" Tension filled pause..... Clearing of throat....
"Um, well, no sweetie, probably not, I just met him five minutes ago." I said with a smile on my lips, still managing to sound normal... I think.  The little boy nodded and went back to his art while the young man and I exchanged an awkward glance and nervous laugh. All was well until the little boy lifted his head again with a thoughtful expression.
He said, "I really think you should. You know why?" Sigh.
I said, "No, sweetie, why?"
"Well, it's only natural..." came his reply, "YOU HAVE MATCHING MOUSTACHES!"

I'll give everyone a moment to stop laughing, sucking in your breath or whatever other shock and / or hilarity response you might be having.... All done now? Okay, let's move on. :o)

My  response was to grab the little boy and give him the "noogie patrol" and then tickle him until he begged for relief. I looked up to see the young man had completely covered his face with his coloring page and all I could see was a bit of bright red and bulging veins near the papers' edge. Sigh. As I'm sure you've guessed, he never asked me on a date!  Can you blame him? ;o)

Ahhhh, the fresh perspective a child can offer. It's wonderful isn't it? At the time, I thought it was about as wonderful as being dunked in a vat of battery acid! However, as the humiliation of that moment has waned over the years, I have found much joy in the perspective of a child and the sheer delight it has often brought me. God gave us our children to bring delight and joy to our lives. God gave us our children to give us a glimpse of the perspective of a wonderful place.... heaven.   Oh! And I'm currently petitioning God to outlaw all facial hair once I get there. :D

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” -  Matthew 19:14

Simple... Yet Profound

Jesus, Jesus, Lord to me.

Master, Savior, Prince of Peace.

Ruler of my heart today.

Jesus, Lord to me.

This is the simplest of choruses, yet the most profound of messages. I find myself singing this song all the time. With all the changes in our world today, the message of this song remains a very constant truth. He's always Lord. He never changes. He never fails.

Can I confess again? :D I'm in the midst of the most intimidating season of my life I've ever faced. Now, I don't feel its the Lord's purpose for me to give details, but I have got to say I'm nervous and freaked out about where the Lord has me right now. I have never felt more under qualified and incompetent as I have in recent weeks. How's that for true confessions? ;o)

But can I say one more thing? Of course I can, darlin', it was rhetorical. ;o) God is good. In the midst of changing times, places and seasons, God remains good. Even when His plans include some bumps and bruises, God is good. Even when I'm afraid and I feel so hopelessly unprepared for what's ahead, God is good.

I serve a God who has called me for His intents and purposes and will qualify me to fulfill that calling in His timing and as He sees fit. He's my Lord, my Savior, my Prince of Peace. He's got this! I just gotta trust Him.... Oh! And I gotta remember to sing! :D

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" - Romans 8:28-31

Confessions of a Puzzle Maker

Here's another in my confession series for you... ;o) I am not a very fun individual. Sigh, yes, I promise, I'm telling you the truth.

I do not "play" very well. I do not like board games. I do not enjoy movies. I am not a fan of outdoor events. I detest amusement parks of any kind. I do not enjoy activities that do not involve work of some kind. Is this a bit odd? Yes, it probably is, but well, what can I say? Odd is often my middle name. ;o)

 All of these things have caused grief for me as most normal folk enjoy at least one of the above activities and well, I just don't. I'm sorry. :o( I try to not be a downer for others who enjoy these events and mostly have just opted out over the years here and there when they came up.

However, once I became a mother, "opting out" was no longer an option. My girls expect their mother to take notice and take part in their activities and I've had to "get over it" when something would come up that wasn't my most favorite part of life. An example you say? Of course! ;o)

Doing a puzzle. I cannot stand to work a puzzle. Nothing frustrates me more than having one stinkin' area of a puzzle incomplete and I cannot find the piece I need. I don't want to go on to another area, I want to fix the one I'm in!!! Hmph. If I can't fix it, I desperately want to walk away and be finished. As you might imagine though, that wouldn't go over too well with my children. ;o) Now, as I'm sure you've guessed, the Lord used my puzzle-making to talk to me. ;o)

 

I cannot stand for one area of my life to be 'incomplete' if you will. I want all the pieces to come together and make sense, immediately. I don't want to move on to another area. I want to fix the one I'm in! Here's an interesting thought though.... what if the area I move on to provides a new point of reference for the area I'm struggling in?

If I'm struggling in an area and no answers (or puzzle pieces ;o)) will come, what if I simply focus on something completely different? If I'm struggling in my relationship with someone and I don't have a clue which way to act because I'm terrified of doing the wrong thing...mmm... ouch, how about I simply shift my attention to praying for that person instead of constantly trying to relate to them? Now, am I saying ignore the problem? Yup, I am! Muwahahahaha! Are you confused now? Cool beans, misery loves company! Okay, seriously.... ahem...

Here's the deal, ignoring the problem, not the person for a bit might be the best medicine for the situation. Sometimes our constant focus on a relationship and it's issues is truly what the problem is.

 

• Maybe the other person just wants to be left alone for a little while and have their space.
• Maybe if I try to just be kind when they are around and not make every encounter into a counseling session...
• Maybe if I try to just have fun with them by putting together a puzzle.... ;o)
• Maybe if I just relax

Maybe, just maybe, the answers will come out of the other area I'm focusing on?

• Maybe a new light bulb will go off in my head about why I struggle so much in this relationship?
• Maybe I'll realize some sin I need to get straight between me and God.
• Maybe I'll understand the problems are on the inside of me and have nothing to do with this other person...mmm...ouch

Possible? Puzzle-making to solve a relationship issue? Who knew? ;o) Sometimes, we just need a little fun. ;o)

"Regarding life together and getting along with each other, you don't need me to tell you what to do. You're God-taught in these matters. Just love one another!"  

- 1 Thessalonians 4:9a

Oh! And here's a pic to prove I did do the whole puzzle! AND I did more than one! ;o)

A Routine, If You Please

Routine. Webster's Dictionary defines this word as "a habitual or mechanical performance of an established procedure." Want to hear Nell's definition of the word?  Of course you do, it was rhetorical, darlin'. ;o) Routine, ahem, "a salvation of Nell's sanity in which the order and organization of her life is kept in line by doing familiar things at familiar times in familiar ways."  Isn't that good?! I thought of it all by myself! :o)-

I love routines. I love lists. I love calendars. (the written kind, I haven't quite figured out my phone's yet ;o) I love all of these things that help my oh-so-forgetful mind to remember dates, appointments, important events... and the list goes on. I have a large notebook-style calendar. It is my closest and dearest companion. It has TWO columns for each day! I write appointments and activities on one column and make a 'to-do list' on the other column. It's great! :o)

However, this summer, the Lord asked me to put away those friends of mine for a season. Let me give you some background... I felt very convicted by the Holy Spirit a couple of years ago concerning my children and my role as their mother. I was teaching them and loving them, but I had left out an important part of that equation - I wasn't enjoying them. I've always said I want my children to be a joy. I don't want them to be a burden or a challenge, but rather a joy. One day the Lord asked me a question... "How will they know when they are a joy if no one ever enjoys them?" Now, that might seem right up there with "woodchucks chuckin' wood" to some, but it made perfect sense to me and my weirdness. :D

To make a lengthy tale short, I made a few changes to our summer.  We threw the routines out the window - in a manner of speaking.  We still bathed and ate and took care of essentials, but for the most part, we were just flyin' by the seat of our pants doing whatever we wanted to do everyday. I know this seems like bliss to some folks, but I gotta tell you -  it is beginning to make me nuts!!!

Now, don't misunderstand me, I have grown this summer. It has stretched me to watch movies, go shopping and swim with my girls instead of cleaning my bathrooms and running errands. I have absolutely increased my penchant for doing things my children enjoy doing. Granted, not by much, I still detest most of the fun activities that other normal homo sapiens seem to get a kick out of, but well... baby steps, right? ;o)

However, with all of this wonderful, exquisite, incredibly annoying growth almost over with, I find myself wanting to sing Handel's chorus of "Hallelujah!" over and over again! Thank the Lord summer is only three months long! However, I also felt a bit of a challenge issued to me... Oh, blech. Can I keep from complicating my life unnecessarily in the midst of all my routines? Can I refrain from complicating other's (my family's) lives with all my schedules, appointments and the like? Mmmm, ouch. We're gonna have to see, but here is the goal. Live life with a schedule and a routine to accomplish the days' tasks, but don't allow the routine and the schedule to become 'god' for the day. Leave that to Someone who is sooooo much better at organization. ;o) Time is in His hands, not mine...

Oh! And He's not green either! Purple would be a much better color choice, don't you think? ;o)-

"I do want to point out, friends, that time is of the essence. There is no time to waste, so don't complicate your lives unnecessarily. Keep it simple —in marriage, grief, joy, whatever. Even in ordinary things—your daily routines of shopping, and so on. Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you. This world as you see it is on its way out." - 1 Corinthians 7:29

Refreshing...

In the midst of a very busy season for me and my family, I had to stop and think and thank the Lord this morning. We are in the hustle and bustle of back-to-school, school supplies, back packs, lunch boxes, etc. etc. etc. :o) It becomes very hectic around the house and Momma can begin to have a bit of a "drill sergeant" attitude when it comes to getting everything done and such.

However, the Lord is so good and so wise and His timing is so perfect. My first day at work was moved back one day and I got one more lazy morning with my girls. We had so much fun! We colored and cut and cleaned and tidied. To top it off, My hubby had to work late last night and I have a girlfriend whose hubby is deployed (Military TDY) right now and our girls are very similar ages, so I said, "Hey, why don't you guys come and have supper and hang out with us?" So they did. :D

It was a wonderful evening with little girls' squeals of delight, Mommas' giggles over private talks in the kitchen and good food. Ahhhh, the Lord knows what we need just when we need it, doesn't He? He's so good!

My evening with my friend refreshed me, rejuvenated me and encouraged me in many things, not the least of which was my relationship with the Lord! After hugs were distributed and tears were shed at the disappointment of not having a sleepover, ;o) our friends left. My hubby who had just walked in the door, made the comment that it was cool for me to try to bless our friend while her husband is gone. I stopped and said, "You know what, babe, it was just as much of a blessing to me as it was to her."

It made me think.... isn't that what being a blessing is all about? In the midst of blessing others, the Lord blesses me in return. It fills up my tank to bless my friends and see them encouraged and lifted up and the Lord knows it! It's how He made me. Isn't He good?

"Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you."

2 Corinthians 13:11

The best part? We caught a gecko! ;o) No, really! We did! Here's a picture to prove it!!

The Morning

I love the morning. Most of my good friends think I'm just slightly insane because of how early I enjoy the morning., but I can't help it! I love it! :o) I must be honest...I look forward to the early morning because of the quiet. Quiet doesn't happen very often in my house and there are different types of quiet... :o)
Afternoon quiet in my house often means my children are out having fun, which always gives me cause to worry a little here and there, mostly about coats in the cold, water bottles in the heat and respecting of elders.
Evening quiet often means my children are bathed, fed and recently tucked into bed which usually finds me sitting on the couch, glassy eyed and fielding requests for water or bandaids for imaginary owies. 
Late night quiet in my house often means my husband is away working hard and I'm waiting trying to stay awake! :o)

Early morning quiet... ahhhh.... early morning quiet means my family is in a wonderful place - asleep and content. I am a very productive person first thing in the morning with those precious moments of quiet. I get so much accomplished and I'm much more focused than in the other quiet times of the day. The laundry is done in a snap! The house is clean in the twinkling of an eye! Plus, I get to write in my journal and have some time on the computer with my coffee cup all by myself! It's great!!! :o)

My early mornings are jealously guarded, but also for reasons other than productivity. ;o)

 I must remember to look toward the early morning quiet because of a certain Person I meet early in the morning. I must wait for Him to start my day. Even though crossing items off my 'to do' list is tugging at my sleeve, I must put those things aside and make time to surrender my heart to my Lord. I must have my meeting with Him. If I don't.... well, let's just say productive is not the adjective you would use to describe me! ;o)  

Now, if you're reading this late at night, don't misunderstand me... the day isn't over yet... ;o)  Have you had your meeting today?

I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits,

and in his word I put my hope.

I wait for the Lord

more than watchmen wait for the morning,

more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Psalm 130:5-6

My Little Siestas

"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."

- Psalm 119:11

This is one of my favorite Scriptures. I memorized it when I was about 9 years old and it's stayed with me. I love the promise of this Scripture.

Throughout most of my schooling, I attended Christian schools. I'm thankful for the education I received from a God-centered perspective. Of course, since there were human beings involved, ;o) there are good and bad points about all of the schools I attended. Now, when I was a student, one of the bad points, or so I thought, was the amount of Scripture I was required to memorize, especially 'cause my dad was the Bible teacher and a stickler about the King James version being the only way to memorize complete with proper emphasis, moderate understanding and correct punctuation! "No excuses!" , he would say. "Excuses are nothing more than lies covered with the thin skin of a reason." I have nightmares about those lectures! Oish. :o)

Now that I'm a bit older and wiser... ;o)- I've been very thankful on more than a few occasions for the amount of Scripture I was required to learn. God's Word hidden away in my heart has been something I've drawn from in the midst of battles and celebrations alike. So, I started a tradition this year with my two youngest girls. It's called the Siesta Scripture Memory Team.

Abbi's notebook!

If you're unfamiliar with the Ladies' Bible Study world, there's a certain gal by the name of Beth Moore who's become a pretty popular writer and teacher of Ladies' Bible Studies and she just so happens to have a blog community she affectionately refers to as 'Siestaville'. She challenged her group of readers and whoever else would like to join to memorize two Scriptures a month for one full year. That's 24 Scriptures if you were wondering. ;o)

Initially, I invited Abbi (my 9 year old) to do it with me, kind of a 'momma and me' activity. Well......... ahem...... when Chloe (my 7 year old) found out what we were up to, she let me know (in a hurry) she was not happy that she hadn't been included! So, I relented and we used the first verse as a trial run for her. If I can just brag on her for a moment... ;o) she can whip out 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 with the best of 'em!

The three of us have had a great time memorizing these verses and holding each other accountable to the correct recollection of said verses (particularly when Momma makes a mistake ;o). In the interests of all things being honest and truthful... I must admit, we are in a teensy bit of a rut the last couple of weeks due to the 'end of summer' slump. ;o) However, with school just around the corner, we are getting back on track and will finish strong with all our 24 verses! 

The kicker? Beth Moore is hosting a conference in January 2012 for all the folks who make it the whole year through memorizing at least 22 verses! Yippee! The girls and I are so excited and already planning our getaway! What could be more fun? ;o)

Learning to memorize God's Word is something I know my girls will draw from for the rest of their lives and I'm blessed to have a part in their experiencing the fullness of the riches of God's Word, definitely a 'perk' in the job of motherhood. ;o) He's so faithful and someday, they'll know it like I do... :o)

Reuben Sandwich

Had something the other day I've never had in my life... a Reuben sandwich...well, I guess what I had is actually called a Rachel cause I didn't know any better and I used pastrami instead of corned beef, but anyway! I LOVED it! Have you ever had one? No? Okay, I'll tell you about it! ;o) 

It's basically a sandwich made of two slices of rye bread with corned beef (or pastrami ;o), Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Thousand Island dressing. If it's my house, we fry up the meat and sauerkraut separately on my griddle, melt the cheese on top and then make a panini out of the whole thing in the grill pan. Add potato chips, a pickle spear and you're ready to go for a yummy taste sensation! We all so enjoyed those sammies!

Now, having said all that, may I be truthful? I don't care for the parts of a Reuben sandwich and my family has helped me paint pictures with their facial expressions as to my feelings about the parts of the Reuben sandwich... I'm sure you'll enjoy... ;o)

Rye bread isn't the most wonderful thing I have ever put inside my mouth. It's got a bit of whang to it, in my opinion.

Jordan agrees!

Pastrami is a little too peppery of a sandwich meat for my liking.

Chloe doesn't do anything spicy!

Sauerkraut standing alone makes me want to throw up in my mouth a little...

My hubby understands my revulsion...

and Swiss cheese, well... let's just say the memory of how my feet smelled when I was 12 pops into my mind anytime I open a fresh pack. Seriously, you don't want to know... ;o/

Abbi does NOT want to think about how bad
my feet must've smelled!

Thousand Island dressing is the only part of the sandwich I would ever desire on purpose! So, I was more than a little skeptical when my hubby posed this idea because I pretty much knew how I felt about all the above things and how on earth could these things be good all smashed together? However, he assured me I should give it a try and in the interests of being a good example for my girls about dinnertime behavior, I graciously consented. In my humble opinion... ;o) All the parts to this particular sandwich are gross! However, when you put all the parts together, the whole is fabulous!

I don't know why, but all these pictures of my family's silly faces made me think of the mouth. The mouth is a very dangerous part of the body, isn't it? Guess that's why the Bible declares it an unruly evil! I have a responsibility as a Christian to "speak the truth in love" to those around me and well, this does often require the use of my tongue.

Now, like this deli sandwich I've described, unfortunately the parts to my "speaking the truth in love" are sometimes gross all by themselves, particularly my choice of words, sigh. :o/ My words have been known to fly out of my mouth and burn those closest to me when remarks are caustic and believe me, when you are a witness to it, you'll find it gross! Not to mention the poor souls who are the recipients! Sheesh.

Timing and attitude... ahhh, my Thousand Island dressing...  I know these are considered "non-verbals", but they play a very crucial role in my tongue's life. Sometimes if I can't find the perfect words, if my attitude is heart-felt and my timing is chosen carefully, then the words seem to have an easier time being swallowed by whomever is doing the swallowing. If a heart change happens because of something I say with proper, although maybe not perfect words, humble attitude and well-chosen timing, then the whole of the situation is God-pleasing and isn't that fabulous? ;o)

"Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ." - Ephesians 4:15

Procrastinator Extraordinaire

Another confession for you... I am a procrastinator, sigh. I, far too often, put off today what I can do tomorrow. Here are my top three..... ;o)

I don't care for the fruit and veggie look. ;o)

I have a kitchen tile back splash that has been waiting for sanding and painting all summer long and I keep putting it off.

Please don't look at my dust! ;o)

I have a German shronk (that's a wall unit) with many cabinets and cupboards on it in need of organizing.



 I even straightened these shelves a bit
 before the shutter clicked cause
I was too embarrassed to take the pic!

Yet still, I have laundry room shelves in need of a good "going through" to get rid of things I'm never going to use and I haven't yet succeeded.

Now, at the risk of sounding totally insecure, let me just assure everyone I have no need of an organization specialist like the ones you see on the hoarding shows (very disturbing pieces of journalistic television by the way) but I do often stand and look at these areas and think, "Okay, I need to get going on this.... Nah, I'll start tomorrow, not enough time today."

What is it about me that causes me to procrastinate? Hmmm, think I already know the answer to that one! It's cause I'm a perfectionist! I'm extremely particular about how I clean and I often feel I don't have enough time to do a job properly and so with these kind of jobs that are 'hidden', if you will, I just put them off until that perfect time. The problem with that logic? The perfect time never comes, does it?! Usually, I finally make myself bite the bullet and just get busy!

I'm an emotional procrastinator too, oish. ;o(- As a matter of fact, I can remember a time a few years ago a struggle of being honest with someone close to me about a sensitive matter. I put it off and put it off and put it off! I finally had to tell myself to get an emotional grip on reality and just do it! I said what needed to be said and did what needed to be done, but because of the length of time I had waited, it made things very unpleasant and I lost a friend in the process. Anyone relate? ;o)

Now, I would love to tell you I have this one licked, but unfortunately, that'd be a fib. I'm still working on this area and striving toward excellence in a place that is very uncomfortable for me. You know what I love about my Heavenly Father, though? He is pleased with me and my efforts. He knows what's in my heart. He is still thrilled that I'm His child, even though I'm not a finished work - I'm so thankful my procrastination cannot ever change that. Isn't He good?

"...he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

- Philippians 1:6

The Doctor's Visit

My youngest daughter had an interesting first two years of life. Lots of doc appointments, a couple of surgeries and too many ER visits in my humble opinion. Like most moms, I pretty much had her medical history, complete with dates and diagnoses, memorized. I also had memorized what medicines she was taking, what she was allergic to, which antibiotic gave us a hard time, etc. This effort made the appointments, scheduled or not, flow much smoother, believe me! ;o) If you don't believe me, here's a pic of her with her lovely broken arm at 14 MONTHS OF AGE! The youngest orthopaedic patient in Bellevue, Nebraska ever! I was so proud... ;o/

One day, she had to go to see the doc, again. This particular time, I had another visit already scheduled for one of my other kiddos, so the responsibility fell to my husband. He was extremely nervous about taking her alone as he wasn't the one who had it all memorized, so I gave him a pep talk about the above info and at his insistence wrote several things down as to what he should ask the doctor, what she wasn't able to take, what the doctor should know, etc. I was very emphatic that she not be given a particular antibiotic because of a previous bad experience. I sent a happy little girl and a very nervous daddy out the door. The story that followed is one I'll never forget... :)

The doctor came in, checked my little one out, pronounced the diagnosis I had told my husband would more than likely be pronounced and proceeded to move on to treatment. As the doc was going over the instructions for the medication, my husband stopped her and said, "My daughter can't take that antibiotic." The doc, of course, began to question the reasons why, was she allergic, etc. My husband, growing very frustrated because he wasn't really all that sure as to why she couldn't have the antibiotic (cause I neglected to tell him) finally looked up at the doc and said, "I don't know, 'cause my wife said so!" Before the doc had a chance to speak, my husband said emphatically, "I have a NOTE!"  Well, the room was filled with women as the doctor was female and she was training two nursing students who were ladies as well, so as you might imagine, they all found a tremendous amount of humor in my husband's frantic reply. My hubby did say they had the good decency to cover their giggles with their clipboards. ;o)Thankfully, the doctor was particularly understanding about a daddy trying to take over for a momma for one day and read over the note with my hubby and they managed to find a medicine that would work for our little girl. Thank the Lord for understanding doctors! :o)

Have you ever wanted to holler those words when taking a stand for righteousness? I can remember many a time when I didn't do something just because I knew it wouldn't be a good thing. During those times, the appropriate Scripture to back up my decision complete with chapter and verse hasn't always come to the forefront of my mind.  I have fought back the feeling of frustration my husband had that day in the doctor's office, "I have a NOTE! I don't know why I'm not supposed to do this, but I just know I'm not supposed to!"  

The Holy Spirit is my note-taker. :o) He's so good at it. Even during the times when I cannot remember Scripture word for word, He nudges me and checks me. He keeps those notes for me and reminds me of them even when it's little more than a prick of my heart that something isn't right. It's kept me out of some unpleasant situations with unfortunate consequences. I'm so thankful for my notes and the One who keeps them for me...