Not gone!

Thought I would let you know...I have not fallen off of the face of the earth. I have just chosen to take a few weeks off to spend some time with my husband and baby girl. (Which has been a wonderful choice). I will return after the New Year...until then...TTYL!

James MacDonald

One of the pastors that we have been using for a small group and bible study recently has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Please join the many fans of this beloved man and pray that he will show God's glory through this trial.

http://blog.harvestbiblefellowship.org/?p=991#more-991

Great Song

While writing the last blog post, I was listening to an online Christian radio station. This song was playing and I think it is really powerful and quite appropriate. This is not a coincidence. Another God thing.

Sanctus Real "Legacy"

10 Choices - another must read!

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Here is another book plug! "10 Choices" written by James MacDonald is a fantastic book. In it he has 10 choices that you can make to change your life for the better.

There are many different ways you can read the book. You can read it cover to cover or read the most applicable chapters to you first and go in priority order for your life stage. My friend and I are reading this as a replacement for "A Call to Die". We have chosen to read the most applicable chapters and work in order of priority. We will read each and every chapter, but we just are working on our weakest or most important areas first.

We started with Chapter 7 "I Choose to Love My Family First". At first glance, I thought to myself that it would be a breeze for me. Of course I love my family, who doesn't. Well as usual God had a plan for me that I was not aware of! You go God! I needed a gut punch and as always, you are there to provide my every need. Thank you for opening my eyes again to your word.

So, this chapter speaks all about priorities and the choices we make due to our priorities. To paraphrase MacDonald, wrong choices flow from wrong priorities. He says that you need to love your family above all else and that family should be your top priority (obviously this is after you have put Christ as the Head of your household!). This should be a no-brainer right? Read on please...

Our Monday night small group has been watching a DVD on Legacy by Voddie Baucham . Wouldn't you know...it is all about making your home and family your first priority. By doing so you are leaving a legacy of believers from generation to generation. What you put into your family is what you leave as a legacy that spans all generations to come.

What a coincidence right! It's a good thing that I already have this down pat! I think my family is great! I love them more than I love anyone else. Of course they are my top priority. No need to pay attention...and then...wait for it...God happens to tap me on the heart (or cause a huge chest pain in my case). It takes a lot to get my attention and he has it!

After each chapter in our book there is a list of questions. Question one goes something like this: What other priorities in your life are demanding first place treatment? Out of the blue, after having such confidence in where I stand in these matters, I was able to rattle off 6 separate things that I put in front of my family on a regular basis. Do I love these things more than my family? Of course not. Do I treat my family as if they are more important that these things? Not usually.

Every time I choose to check my e-mail after putting the baby to bed. I am telling my husband that the time we have alone together can wait until I handle this very important task. Every time I place my daughter in her jumper to have a conversation on the phone, I am telling her that conversation is more important than spending time with her. Every time I choose to do something without consulting my husband, I am telling him that item is more important to me and I don't need his input. Am I showing my family that I choose to follow Christ by reading my bible in front of and to my daughter? Will she grow up to know that her mother is a God fearing woman and what that means? This is a lot to wrestle with and I am grateful to be able to wrestle with it now instead of when my daughter is 16 and I wonder where we went wrong in raising her.

I pray, now that God has clearly spoken to me and convicted me, I can put an action plan together to give my family the proper placement on my list of priorities. It should look like this: God - Husband - Child - everything else. Right now I am far from that and only with God's intervention can I change.

I hope that those of you that read this will look at your own list of priorities and make a change for the better before your family loses faith in you and their trust in you. As Rocky said to the Russians at the end of Rocky IV "I guess what I'm trying to say is, if I can change, and you can change, everybody can change".

Merry Tossmas!

I want to thank a wonderful friend for bringing this video to my attention. You can follow her blog at http://myblessedhome.wordpress.com/ to see the entire commentary. Great video!

Thanksgiving and Giving Thanks

I know it has been a while since I have written. I will be honest with you and say that I have been in a spiritual slump over the past week or so. Well, I have met with my best friend tonight and she has helped me put things into perspective through our wonderful conversations over dinner. It wasn't anything in particular that was said or shared, it was just being with someone who is willing to dig their heels in with you. Thank you dear friend!

So, I just reread my book for our Proverbs study and feel pretty inadequate right now. The feeling of inadequacy made my thoughts turn ugly against myself. I started to realize that my self-loathing was not what was needed or what the Lord wants for me. I decided that I will be dead to that way of thinking and think of good and pure things instead. In all of the good, the bad, and the ugly conversations I have been having with myself in the past 2 hours, I have decided that I need to just give thanks to God for all I have. So here it goes:

I am thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ (he paid the ultimate price and I will never be the same), my wonderful and hard-working husband (you do so much and sacrifice everything for our family without grumbling), my beautiful daughter (I have waited so long for you and you are worth every tear of impatience!), my best friend (where would I be without you), my sister (I love you more than you'll ever know), my mom (thank you for never giving up on me) , my family in general, my fabulous in-laws (you love me unconditionally), my wonderful friends new and old (you lift me up and bring me joy), my health (it could be worse), my freedom to worship (I am so blessed), and everything and everyone I have neglected to mention.

I am so blessed in so many ways and yet I get all caught up in the little inadequacies of my life. I need to be content and at peace with myself so that I can go humbly before the Lord and worship with a pure heart.

Lord, I have not forgotten you or all you have done for me. Things seem a bit crazy right now, but I know you are working in me for the better. I will just need to be more patient and search your will. My ears and heart are opened now. When you speak, I will listen. I will be obedient to whatever you have in store. I will praise you in all seasons of my life.

Amen.