~My Sweet Life~

Thank you, Holley!

I was so surprised and humbled by this Lovely Lady~Lovely Blog Award given to me (and 4 others) by my sweet blogging friend Holley. Thanks so much for thinking of me, Holley! You made my day--again! ;)

 

I believe the "rule" is to pass this on to 5 other lovely bloggers, but I don't even think I could come up with that  many, so I am simply passing this award on to my very deserving, blogging friend Sandy at Wholesome Talk. Sandy gets this award for inspiring me to be more intentional about living out my faith daily. (Sandy, all you have to do is post this award image on your blog and pass it on to other Lovely Lady bloggers that inspire you and share why you feel they deserve the award!)

Thanks again, Holley!

Throwing Off Everything That Hinders

I did something this weekend that seriously PAINED me! I threw away perfectly good food. It was food that I did not need. Food that tempted me. Food that makes me FAT when I eat too much of it--which I do!

I had made some cookies and some crushed oreo/cream cheese balls for Mac's Harvest Party at school last week and even after giving some away, I still had a lot left over. I also made some of the Pioneer Woman's apple dumplings last week. After Stephen and I each had a serving, there were lots of those left over as well. To the trash they went.

It's not that I'm big on wasting food, it's just that I got on the scale recently and SERIOUSLY nearly fainted from shock. NEVER have I seen a number as large as what I saw in front of me. Not even close. I just decided "I can't do this anymore".

Of course I want to be physically attractive, but more than that these days, I just want to FEEL good. I'm tired of my feet hurting, trying to catch my breath after going up a flight of stairs, and being uncomfortable in my clothes.

Since I have made several (unsuccessful) attempts at getting rid of this weight, I am really arming myself with scripture this time. Here are some that I am focusing on--AND writing on index cards and taping to my fridge and pantry doors!

"You were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6:20

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." ~Hebrews 12:1

"Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive." 1 Corinthians 10:23

That last verse, especially, has really got me thinking. I want to examine not only the kinds of foods I eat, but also the way I spend my time and my money and ask myself DAILY, "IS this truly beneficial to me?"

Some things are obvious...Nutter Butters dipped in white chocolate may taste good for a moment, but they are not truly beneficial to me. Crushed oreos mixed with cream cheese are YUMMY, but when you are 50 lbs overweight, they are not beneficial AT ALL! ;)

Other things in my life I can examine in light of that verse...choosing whether or not to watch a particular tv show...choosing whether or not MY KIDS should be watching a particular tv show...spending inappropriate amounts of time playing Bejeweled or seeing what all my Facebook friends are up to when there is plenty of work to do in my home...buying something at Target because it's a "great deal"! Ha! Are those things beneficial?

I feel the need to slow down and take a closer look at all the choices I make in my day and ask myself, "IS this beneficial--to me? to my family?" I'm always telling God I want to be a better steward of my time and money and body...I want to take my pastor's advice and turn my good intention into an action starting TODAY! Won't you join me?

For Today~October 27

Inspired by The Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside my window... rain and gray skies

I am thinking... a nap would be wonderful!

I am thankful for... the trials that God has allowed me to experience (with Him by my side) so that I can encourage others walking the same road

I am wearing... jeans, red t-shirt, sneakers

I am remembering... how nice it was to sit at the dinner table with friends recently and just BE.

I am going... to pray for the marriages of some dear friends today.

I am reading... The Power of a Praying Wife

I am hoping... to get my first letter from Taylor this week

On my mind...I feel so helpless with so many people around me hurting...I want to shout from the rooftops about everything that God has done for me and tell my friends to trust Him to do the same for them.

Noticing that... my kitchen has STILL not fully recovered from our dinner party 3 nights ago!

Pondering these words... "What if your husband's faults are God's tools to shape YOU?" ~Gary Thomas, Sacred Influence

From the kitchen... leftover chicken and rice casserole

Around the house... signs that an active little boy lives here :)

One of my favorite things...watching branches of leaves on the trees blow in the wind...calms me :)

A picture to share...

Mac at our church's Fall Fun Fest this past weekend.

Bringing Glory to God...in Everything

"How can we bring glory to God in the midst of the repetitive everyday tasks that we have to do?"

This was the question posted over at The Internet Cafe recently. And since one of my friends was just talking to me about this very thing...AND of course it is something I struggle with as well, I thought I would join in the discussion.

In the midst of our everyday cooking, cleaning, carpooling, parenting, and so on, I believe we can bring glory to God by responding according to His Word.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." ~Colossians 3:23

I love, love, love this verse because it reminds me what my ultimate motivation should be. Yes, I should put my whole heart into all my household chores because I want to bless my family, but I know me. That simply cannot be my primary motivation. My husband may hurt my feelings, my kids may get on my nerves, and then what? Do I FEEL like blessing them by picking up after them? Of course not! BUT...if I do those things as if doing them for the Lord, I'm absolutely going to work harder! I'll be more likely to go the extra mile for HIM because He has never and will never let me down in any way. If I truly keep in mind how much God sacrificed for me, the very thought of offering Him any less than my very best will never occur to me.

"Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." ~James 4:17

Here is possibly definitely my number one struggle. Procrastination. That's what we call it when we put off some chore that is not fun. We joke about it...we take it too lightly. But the bible clearly calls it sin. (ouch!) So we can glorify God in our everyday tasks simply by DOING what we KNOW needs to be done. (I feel like the biggest hypocrite in the world typing that, so please know there is room for MUCH improvement for me in this area! Yikes, that is a convicting verse!)

^"Do everything without complaining or arguing..." ~Philippians 2:14

How hard is this?? Do you see the word EVERYTHING in that verse? I'm thinking that includes: cleaning toilet bowls, taking the trash out, scrubbing pots and pans, missing out on a nap due to Sunday afternoon soccer practice,  driving down a busy street during rush hour, standing in a long line at the grocery store only to then be greeted by a rude cashier, etc. etc. etc.

But do you know what the verse before Philippians 2:14 says?

^"for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." ~Philippians 2:13

This pretty much tells me that I am NEVER "off the hook". Because God works in me to help me act the way He wants me to! If that's the case, I have no excuses! If God is working in me, I have the ability to practice self control. I just have to pause and ask God to help me act according to His will. And guess what? He will do it! I just have to be willing to ask Him for help AND step out in obedience. I have to push my stubborn will aside and let God have His way with me.  That will bring glory to God every time :)

God, please give me a humble heart. Help me to push my pride aside and be willing to admit that I need your help every single day. I want to be faithful to you even in something as small as keeping the laundry caught up. Help me focus on You and respond to my everyday tasks according to Your Word so that my life will glorify You and be a blessing to others. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Becoming God's True Woman

After reading on the Revive Our Hearts website about a True Woman Makeover (30 day challenge), I signed up and even got some Facebook friends to join me!

Starting today, and over the next 30 days, we'll be discussing the daily emails we receive from Revive Our Hearts and hopefully learn more about what it means to be the women God intends for us to be. I'm very excited about the makeover challenge and I am so thankful I have friends that share my desire to grow in our relationship with Christ. I pray that over the course of this study, He reveals many things that convict our hearts and help make us more like Him so we can have a greater impact on others for His Kingdom.

The Day One email we received asked, "Where do you get your ideas about what it means to be a woman? Who has the most influence on your behavior and attitudes?"

And there was a link provided that takes you to one of Nancy Leigh DeMoss' messages titled "A Biblical View of Womanhood". I love this part in it where she says:

"You take time to look through women's magazines to see what a beautiful woman, a beautiful home, a beautiful marriage looks like. I want to challenge you over this next month to put down those magazines. Put them away. I'm not saying they're necessarily sinful or wrong; I'm just saying they're what this world has to offer in terms of a picture of beauty....{We want to be women} who look in the mirror of God's Word and say, 'This will be my standard. This will be my ideal. This is what, by God's grace, I will allow to be the pattern for my life'."

This particular excerpt really got me thinking...and wondering...DO I turn to magazines or websites or other forms of media--more than I look to my bible--to shape my ideals regarding my home, my marriage, and myself? And if so, why?

I think I will spend some time reflecting on this and talking to God about it during my quiet time in the morning. In the meantime, I hope you'll think about it too and I would love to hear your thoughts!

For Today...October 20

Inspired by The Simple Woman's Daybook...

Outside my window...bright, warm sunshine!

I am thinking...I hope Taylor is doing well...hope I get his mailing address soon!

I am thankful for...the prayers and encouragement of friends and family...the phone call I just now received from a mother whose son also just left for the Coast Guard basic training.

I am wearing...red t-shirt, navy sweatpants and sneakers.

I am remembering...how sweet Mac was last night...telling his sister what a good job she had done on their video game and saying ma'am everytime he spoke to me :)

I am going...to finally get serious about losing weight!

I am reading...back through my old prayer journals and being very encouraged to see how God has taken care of all my concerns.

I am hoping...that Taylor is seeking God daily for his source of strength.

On my mind...what will I fix for dinner tonight?

Noticing that...it's time to turn our irrigation system off!

Pondering these words..."I love you"--especially when received unexpectedly and via text message from Stephen or Emily :)

From the kitchen...homemade vegetable soup calling my name!

Around the house...pumpkin and apple scented candles flickering and filling my home with wonderful smells!

One of my favorite things...knowing that God is present and at work in my everyday circumstances.

A picture to share: LOVE finding stuff like this around the house...and wondering what thoughts were going through his head while playing here. Makes my heart happy!

 

Why I LOVE My Prayer Journal

So yesterday I shared how much I love my journal and what all I like to write in it. Today, I really want to share just one little example as to WHY my journal means so much to me!

And I have to first reiterate--because I don't think I could say it enough--it BLOWS my mind how God actually takes the time to communicate with me-- teaching me, reassuring me, confirming things with me. I mean, He's GOD, for goodness sake! And I am just this "speck" in the universe!! I don't know of anything that humbles and excites me like recognizing when God impresses something on my heart AND then confirms it externally through my circumstances. Because I have become more aware of it, He is so much more real to me today than He was even a year ago. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt (and can PROVE!) that God is at work in my life every single day. It's not just something I wish for or hope for or listen to others talk about...I EXPERIENCE it for myself! I don't know about you, but I think that is an amazing privilege!

So the other night, I was looking over recent journal entries when a passage of scripture caught my eye. On October 5, I wrote out Psalm 121:8 "...the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore" which I found in a devotion from "God Calling". After looking up that verse and reading the entire chapter, I made myself a note to pray through Psalm 121 for Taylor as he was preparing to leave for basic training with the Coast Guard. I was nervous about him leaving home and I knew he was too, so I felt like this particular passage was perfect to pray. It was such a comfort to me, I knew God had led me to it!

I jumped ahead a few pages in my journal and noticed that on October 9, I thanked God for the late night text message I received from my son Taylor the night before. (At 11:00 he had texted me and asked that I come to his room so he could share something he read in his bible that he specifically told me was a comfort to him!) Can you guess where this is going? Yes, indeed, he had opened his bible to Psalm 121 and read it out loud to me. Is that cool??

My point is this...until I went back and looked through my journal notes, I had not made the connection. And you should know that I discovered this on a day when my heart was hurting because my son was gone. I kept praying, asking God to comfort me. That was all I could think of to pray, was "Comfort me". So when I realized the SAME passage I had made a note of in my journal was the SAME passage He led Taylor to in his bible, it felt like a warm, reassuring hug from my Savior. :)

Trust me, this is only one small example of literally hundreds I could share of God showing Himself faithful to me. And it illustrates so well why I believe it is important to slow down and take the time to pray and to even journal things we feel God laying on our hearts. I don't think we realize how many of the thoughts we have are actually "nudges" or promptings from the Holy Spirit to pray about those things.

I told my sister recently--and I know I've shared on this blog--that sometimes when I pray, I literally get goosebumps. It's like this confident feeling that what I am praying is not only pleasing to God, but also something that He has every intention of answering. Have you ever experienced that? I recently read this quote from Charles Spurgeon which helped me better understand why I sometimes get those "goosebumps":

"Only the prayer that comes from God can go to God. We must shoot the Lord's arrow back to Him. The desire that He writes on our hearts will move His heart and bring down a blessing."

~from Morning and Evening, October 8 evening devotion (which was the same night Taylor told me about Psalm 121 comforting him!)

I hope you will consider journaling your prayers and other things God puts on your heart if you don't already. It is so encouraging--especially on days when your faith is weak--to be able to flip through the pages and trace the fingerprints of God in your life.

My Prayer Journal

For at least the last 3 years, I have journaled my early morning prayers. I'm not sure how I got started doing that, but it is so much a part of me now, I cannot imagine going even one single day without doing it. There's something very exciting about documenting the prayers I pray for myself and others and then being able to look back and see how God showed Himself faithful through it all.

Up until a couple of months ago, each journal entry would have the date (duh!), a quote I especially liked from the particular devotion I read that morning, a list of things I thank God for, a confession, and a list of people with the prayers I prayed for them. I was happy with that, but I also kept a couple of other journals--one where I documented answers to prayer and one where I tried to write down things I felt God putting on my heart.

Then I met fellow blogger--and Christ follower--Sandy, whose blog I came across a few months ago and have been enjoying ever since. I knew she and I had a lot in common when I read the article she wrote about one of her favorite things--her notebook. She shared how she breaks her journal down into different sections for things like scripture she's trying to memorize, answered prayers, keeping track of quiet times, etc. I immediately loved the idea! I decided it was time for me to put all my notes together instead of trying to keep up more than a couple of different journals.

If you are someone who likes to journal, I recommend you try this too. Just as my notebook looks a little different from Sandy's, you may find that different categories work better for you. For instance, I LOVE  making daily to do lists and so I have incorporated a section just for that in my notebook. In fact, the sections in my notebook are: Daily To Do Lists, Quiet Time Notes, Answered Prayers, How God Speaks to Me, and Scripture (that I want to memorize). It started out differently, but after I used it for a few days, I figured out what "categories" worked best for me.

Here's why I'm sharing this with you...I cannot tell you how much encouragement I get from this journal of mine. I already mentioned that it is totally cool to be able to look back and see how God has answered prayers, but I have discovered something else that's exciting. In that section "God Speaks", I make notes when I feel God impressing something on me. If I stumble across a devotion or a sermon or even an email from someone that confirms what He puts on my heart, I photocopy it and stick it in that section as well.

Oh my goodness! When you actually take the time to do that, it is amazing to see in black and white, right in front of you, how often God speaks. Now I realize this is not something a lot of people would enjoy doing, but as I said, if you like to journal, and pray often, and want to be more aware of God at work in and around you, you should totally try this!! My eyes have been opened even more to the faithfulness of God as I look back and trace His footprints all through my day...every day! How encouraging is that??

"Lord, heighten my spiritual sense to see that which is not visible, hear that which is not audible, sense that which is not tangible, believe that which is unbelievable...Teach me to sort through the noises of this world to hear and discern Your powerful, wonderful, pure, precious voice."

~Priscilla Shirer, Discerning the Voice of God

Voice of Truth

There's another great discussion going on over at the Internet Cafe this week--and since I get "writer's block" quite often, I appreciate the writing prompts they offer their readers! Here goes...

This week's question is:  

"What is one message that your "tape recorder" (mind) is playing over and over in your head that is a lie? Since God's Word is the only thing that has the power to change our minds,  His truth is the only way to erase a lie...So find a scripture from the Bible that gives you truth over your lie."

_______________________________________________________________     Like most women, I am always hearing that tape play over and over in my head that tells me I am not good enough...pretty enough...smart enough, etc. Although I realize those are indeed lies I need to deal with and apply God's truth to, at this moment I am listening to a new "tape" that is continuing to play in my mind. It's tortured me and has had me paralyzed for the past few days.   My 19 year old son, Taylor, left for Coast Guard boot camp earlier this week. And I was not at all prepared for how hard it would be. I am a mother who has spent years praying for my son, but for the first couple of days, I worried sick about him anyway. I fretted about where he was, what he was doing, what he was feeling, etc. I cried until I couldn't cry anymore.   The tape that I keep hearing sounds like this: "He's all alone now. He has no one. What if something bad happens to him...or if he somehow fails...even after all the prayers that have been prayed for him?"   But God's Word tells me:   "The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." ~Psalm 121:8   "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8   "No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame." Psalm 25:3   "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him and I am helped." Psalm 28:7   "'For I know the plans I have for you', declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11   "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6   "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19     I know this list is barely the tip of the iceberg! There are many other scriptures I can meditate on that will comfort and strengthen me...and more importantly, expose Satan's lies. And I plan to spend more of my time replacing those things with God's TRUTH. I am seeing that is how you overcome paralyzing thoughts of worry. And as I was reminded earlier today, I don't want to  miss out on anything God has for me right NOW because I am too distracted looking back to the way things were or even looking ahead to my son's return.    Father, open my eyes to the blessings You have for me in this very moment, for I know there are too many to even count. Thank you for that! In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.        

One Prayer Request

There was a GREAT question posted for discussion yesterday over at The Internet Cafe, so I thought I would participate and encourage YOU to think about your own answer!

If God told you that He would answer any one prayer request today, what would it be? Why, this request? 

If I thought about it long and hard enough, I could probably come up with some other answers, but I thought to be honest, I should share the first answer that popped into my mind.

If God promised to answer only one prayer request for me today, it would involve my 3 children. I would pray that each one of them would grow in their love for and devotion to Him every day, serving Him boldly, faithfully all the days of their lives.

I have a lot of concerns in my life that I pray about, but if I had to narrow it down to just one that could surely be answered TODAY, that would be it! Why? Because my greatest wish for my children is that they each develop intimate relationships with Christ, experience His power and faithfulness for themselves, and share His love with others. Always.

How would you answer that question? I would love to hear!

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." ~3 John 1:4