You know you aren't a morning person when you enter the bathroom to get ready for the day and reach for the switch to turn on the lights only to discover that the lights are already on and the reason it's so dark in the bathroom is because your eyes are still shut.29 "He gives strength to the wearyIsaiah 40:29-31 (NIV)
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."
232. Humorous reminders of my human frailty and the knowledge that when I am weak, He is strong
233. Living long enough to celebrate my 40th birthday last week
Turning 40 must shrink or destroy a whole lot of brain cells because the same bike helmet that fit snugly and securely the week before kept blowing right off my head while I was biking the day after my birthday. It seemed as though the helmet was suddenly sizes too large.
234. Coming to faith early in life and the abundant joy walking with the Lord brings
Jesus has been my Lord and Savior for over 30 years!
John 10:10
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
235. The way God prepares our hearts in advance for trials awaiting us
A precious sister and friend in Christ shared with me that the Lord had set 2 Timothy 1:7 on her heart repeatedly as though He were intentionally reminding her to trust Him and to walk with courage.
I had a similar thing happen to me on an exceedingly smaller scale, which is a reminder that God prepares us for both the big challenges in life and the minor day-to-day inconveniences.
During a time of reflection one night before bedtime following an in depth Bible study on Proverbs 31, I felt convicted that I needed to look for ways to be a better servant to my family. Then at 2:00 a.m that night, our little one began a cycle of vomiting that is the worst we've ever experienced in our home. As I scrubbed vomit out of carpets, bed clothes, pillows, car seats, and the floor board of my SUV while trying not to breathe in the nauseating stench, I could not help but laugh at this new opportunity to serve and how different it was from the ways I had imagined that I would serve my family better.
236. Quick healing for a very skinny little boy following five brutal episodes of vomiting
A precious sister and friend in Christ shared with me that the Lord had set 2 Timothy 1:7 on her heart repeatedly as though He were intentionally reminding her to trust Him and to walk with courage.
2 Timothy 1:7A few weeks later during a routine physical exam, she discovered that she had cervical cancer. When the doctor gave her the news, she replied, "So that's why God gave me that verse. I trust Him to carry me through this trial, for He has always been faithful." Her courage was a huge encouragement to her doctor who was undergoing health concerns of her own. This dear friend faced the surgeries to follow with great courage, and no chemo or radiation were required following the surgery!
"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline."
I had a similar thing happen to me on an exceedingly smaller scale, which is a reminder that God prepares us for both the big challenges in life and the minor day-to-day inconveniences.
During a time of reflection one night before bedtime following an in depth Bible study on Proverbs 31, I felt convicted that I needed to look for ways to be a better servant to my family. Then at 2:00 a.m that night, our little one began a cycle of vomiting that is the worst we've ever experienced in our home. As I scrubbed vomit out of carpets, bed clothes, pillows, car seats, and the floor board of my SUV while trying not to breathe in the nauseating stench, I could not help but laugh at this new opportunity to serve and how different it was from the ways I had imagined that I would serve my family better.
236. Quick healing for a very skinny little boy following five brutal episodes of vomiting
The next day after he first became sick, he surprised me by installing one of the new interior bathroom
door knobs I had purchased the night before on the front door (oops). This sweet 6-year-old then attempted to change out all the hardware in the kids' bathroom. Clearly, the
stomach bug had passed and as he was back to his usual, handy, tool-loving self.
237. Inspirational quotes that address my biggest need on any given day placed conveniently within the pages of my Bible study lesson for that day
"On every level of life, from housework to heights of prayer, in all judgment and efforts to get things done, hurry and impatience are sure marks of the amateur.”
― Evelyn Underhill
"That in Christ, time is not running out. This day is not a sieve, losing time. In Christ, we fill – gaining time....We stand on the brink of eternity. So there is enough time. Time to breathe deep and time to see real. Time to laugh long, time to give God glory and rest deep and sing joy. And just enough time in a day not to feel hounded, pressed, driven, or wild to get it all done." - Ann Voskamp
238. God given human liberties freely exercised
Just as a spinning ballerina must keep returning her eyes to a given point to maintain her balance....the only way to to keep your balance [in this whirling world as it spins out of control] is to fix your eyes on [Jesus], the One who never changes." - Sarah Young
With all the recent banter about the Common Core Standards followed by Exxon funded television ads promoting CCS during major sports events, I had to laugh when I learned that Ron Paul is launching a new freedom curriculum (for free for the first six years) as a foil to CCS in September. No matter how you feel about the U.S. Constitution and individual liberty, you must admit that America would be a very boring place without all it's diversity and precious freedoms.
239. God's power which vanquishes fear
Isaiah 41:10
‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
With the domestic and international security at such great risk, the economy in such upheaval, socialistic ideals robbing the country of both freedom and prosperity, no wonder the mental health of Americans is at an all time low. This article describes the mental state of Americans and offers some practical advice for managing the stress of it all. Although for me, recounting blessings has been the best tonic of all. Because of Christ, none of these concerns should morph into anxiety. You can't pray and worry at the same time, and the Bible commands us to bring all our concerns to Him through prayer and petition. So I'm so thankful that no matter what circumstances surround me, I can find peace and rest in Him.
240. In Christ, there is no fear of death
As Christians, our family does not fear death by terrorists or any enemy because we are ready, even eager, to meet our Maker. He has established every single day before us, so He will not take us until that preordained time comes.
Psalm 139:16Christ came to provide a way out of this world which is so corrupted by evil. When He returns, those who believe will dwell with Him in a world absent of wickedness, pain or suffering. Hallelujah!
"Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them."
241. In Christ we need not fear economic collapse because God, our Jehovah Jireh, is faithful to meet all our needs
Genesis 50:21 "So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them."
27 "Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith!"242. The illumination of truth in the minds of those who have the Spirit of God
Hebrews 6:4-5 "For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come"After reading an article by a PhD'd astrophysicist friend, our 9-year-old explained to me how his evolutionary based arguments actually disprove evolution and the "millions of years" theory of the age of the earth. Thank you, Lord, for opening her eyes and for using the "weak" and "lowly" (in this case our little apologeticist-in-training) so that no one can boast. (1 Corinthians 1: 18-31)
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| Spirit Week at School: Dress to Impress Day |
Romans 1:20Thank you also for scientific discoveries which point to your magnificent design. They are like hidden treasures in an universal treasure hunt designed by You, with clues set above, below, and throughout the earth to point us back to You. Yet, we cannot truly see until we choose to believe.
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
244. The marvelous uniqueness God gave every single created human being
My daughter's right-brained tendencies are revealing to me how masterfully God designed each person's brain. No one is alike. All are masterfully intelligent, but each mind processes information uniquely according to God's design through DNA. Since my brain processed information differently than hers does, I have really enjoyed the discoveries into how she thinks. Recently she debunked the myth that math is harder for right-brained people than left-brained. It just takes her longer to solve word problems because she first needs to understand why the pen mentioned in the problem costs more than the notebook. She then begins imagining all the creative, elaborate, handy features this pen must have to make it more valuable. When she gets around to actually solving the problem, however, the answer comes almost instantaneously. She cracks me up!
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| School Spirit Week: Wacky Hair & Clothing Day |
John 14:26During a routine doctor's visit this week, I received some surprising news that will require months of costly, painful treatments to adequately address. Tears welled up inside of me as I sat there in the exam room waiting for the doctor to come in and give me an overview of the treatments. At the moment, my first thought was how much I wanted to share this news with my husband and have him hold and comfort me, but he was on an airplane leaving the area for a few days on business. I should have instead turned immediately to the Lord, for His comfort and peace surpass anything that any human can give me. This medical news isn't life threatening or anything of great concern, dear blog reader, but it is something that must be addressed, and the treatments are painful, and the entire ordeal had me quite frustrated because what mother of young children has time for more medical issues anyway? After finally getting some relief from all my back pain, I'm down to only one chiropractor visit a week compared to four visits per week last year, and those visits were relatively quick, easy, painless, and affordable. These upcoming treatments will be none of those things. I get overwhelmed more easily when my husband is away on business. (God have mercy on single moms who never have that extra support). Yet, I knew I needed to regain composure before the doctor entered, and then the Holy Spirit brought 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 to my mind to give me perspective.
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you."
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."As soon as those verses came to mind, my fears dissipated, and peace overwhelmed me. I realized how trivial this trial really is and prayed that God would use it for His glory.
246. Musical reminders of God's goodness
As I was driving home from that doctor's appointment, I heard the song, "Even If", by Kutless on the radio. I had been praying that morning for a friend had been rushed to the ER for heart problems, and another friend's family members who were undergoing a kidney transplant. The lyrics of that song were such a powerful reminder that regardless of our circumstances, God is always good, faithful, and true.
Here are a few lyrics:
"...Even if the healing doesn't come247. Positive reinforcement
And life falls apart
And dreams are still undone
You are God You are good
Forever faithful One
Even if the healing
Even if the healing doesn't come
Lord we know Your ways are not our ways
So we set our faith in who You are
Even though You reign high above us
You tenderly love us We know Your heart
And we rest in who You are..."
Our kids' school uses positive reinforcement to encourage desired behavior. While I greatly wish my son's teachers would not give out so much unhealthy candy in class, and while I wish the prize boxes used at church and school did not fill our home with clutter, I am thankful for the positive behaviors being affirmed.
There
are 3.5 girls for every 1 boy in our son's class not counting the two
female teachers. When I picked him up after school recently, he said to me, "The good boys got
kisses today". As my blood pressure soared, I asked for more details, and he clarified, "Hershey's kisses."
If people have sued McDonald's for making them fat, Hershey's better watch out because that company nearly gave me a heart attack .
If people have sued McDonald's for making them fat, Hershey's better watch out because that company nearly gave me a heart attack .
248. Evidence that my daughter has accepted the Biblical perspective toward modesty in a world that bares all
I overheard the 9-year-old talking to herself (will she ever stop all that incessant chatter?) while she was flipping through the mail, and she said, "Shame on you, Vaseline, for putting that photo in an advertisement! You can almost see that woman's behind."
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