WRITING

God has convicted me yet again about my writing. Most of the time I feel like I'm just writing for myself. It's something that I really enjoy doing, when I can find the time. My time lately has been taken up by homeschooling, taking care of the house, making sure bills are paid, and chasing after the baby. He's in to everything these days! 

But God keeps whispering to me that my writing really isn't just for me. Someone out there needs to hear what I say. They need the encouragement. They need to know that they are not alone. So here again I find myself at the computer, asking God what it is that He wants me to write. 

I've been studying Proverbs this entire month and ironically our preacher been preaching on Proverbs too. I love it when God does stuff like that! I've learned a lot and will probably do the Proverbs study again next month, but be more diligent in sharing my thoughts with you. That is, unless God takes me in a new direction with my writing. I've also been reading through the old testament and I'm currently in the book of 1 Kings.

I'm a tenderhearted person who has gone through a lot of changes in my life. I wear my heart on my sleeve, so you'll probably see more about my personal struggles. I hope that when I share my heart, you won't judge me. I'm human just like you and I will share my heart in hopes of helping others.

So, until next time (hopefully in the very near future)......

Be blessed my friends!

TAKING TIME OUT TO LOVE ON THEM IS OKAY

See this cute face!

           Ever have days where you think, "They're lucky they're so cute."?

                       Today has been one of those days. This poor thing has had constipation issues all day and of course it was my very first day homeschooling both of my other boys with no one to help me with him. It went worse than I had expected.  :(   But in the midst of it all, I calmed down and just took the time out that this little guy needed to be loved on. I've held him so much today that my back and arms hurt. But I can't get these moments back. I hate him feeling so miserable, but I love that he wants his mommy. He knows that I love him and will do whatever I can to comfort him. I love just holding him and rubbing my hand through his soft, messy hair. I love staring into his big, beautiful blue eyes; those eyes that look to me for the answers. I just hold him and whisper that it's okay.

So my first full day of homeschool didn't go as planned, but my boys all know that when they really need me, I'll stop whatever I'm doing to be there for them. Sometimes we need to see the bigger picture. It's not always about checking things off of our list. Trust God with all the details, do your best, and let the rest go. Sometimes you just have to remember to breathe. But God will get us through all the ups and downs in life. Here's hoping for a more productive tomorrow. But if it's another day spent holding my baby, that will be okay too.

Be blessed my friends! 

A LESSON FROM THE ANT, PROVERBS CHAPTER 6

Looking at the lessons from an ant (vs. 6-11) makes me realize what I need to do to make my homeschool run more effectively. It's not going to be an easy task because I'm not a morning person. 

So far homeschool has been mostly easy, but I think that will change tomorrow. You see, I started with my 1st grader on Monday and had my oldest son watch the baby while we did our work. The same happened on Tuesday. Today was my husband's day off, and my teen's 1st day of ninth grade. So, today I had my husband home to watch the baby. Tomorrow will be my 1st day where I will be teaching both of my older boys AND have the baby to take care of. This just isn't going to work out if I try to do it all at once, but I really want my kids to have their school work finished before the public school kids get home.

So...I've decided that I need to wake up early and get started on school work with my 1st grader and then have the rest of the time to focus on my high schooler while also taking care of the baby. *sigh* I just dread the thought of waking up earlier. But, here's a part of Proverbs 6:6-11 (MSG), 

A LESSON FROM THE ANT

"You lazy fool, look at an ant. Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two. Nobody has to tell it what to do. All summer it stores up food; at harvest it stockpiles provisions. So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing? How long before you get out of bed? A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there, sit back, take it easy - do you know what comes next? Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, poverty your permanent house guest!"

I may have to revisit this scripture often to help me remember the lessons learned from an ant.

Be blessed my friends!

PRINT-MAKING ART PROJECT

On our first day of homeschool, it went so well that we even had time to do a fun art project. (We got this kit from KellyKits.com, but it's so simple that you can do it yourself.) We made a Koi fish and seaweed print. It was so simple and fun that we plan on doing it again. This time for simplicity, we only used black paint. Next time we will experiment with other colors. Here are all the things you need:

Cardboard, foam piece with sticky backing, and manila paper are shown in this picture.

You will also need cotton balls, scissors, tempera paint, and a ball point pen

Step 1 ~ Figure out what you want to design. 

Step 2 ~ Draw your design on the impressionable foam with your ball point pen. If you have a younger child, it might help to cut out a template and help them trace around the picture and then add details. It's very important that you press deeply into the foam. 

Step 3 ~ Cut out your design and place it on cardboard or chipboard. If your foam doesn't have sticky backing, then you will need to glue it onto the cardboard.

Step 4 ~ Using a cotton ball, blot an even amount of tempera paint over your new printing plate that you just created. Immediately place a sheet of manila paper over it. Smooth the paper evenly and firmly to ensure good contact.

Step 5 ~ Gently remove the paper and allow your print to dry.|

Here's what our printing plate looked like after we used it a couple of times.

And here's the finished project!

Be blessed my friends!

Proverbs Study, Chapter 4

Let's take a look at Proverbs 4:23-27 from the Message Bible.  It says, 

"Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts. Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.

Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust."

In all of chapter 4, this is what stood out to me the most because I absolutely can't stand gossip and people who lie. I try to teach my children that even a tiny lie is just as bad as a huge lie. It's all sin! I'm not perfect by any means and I sometimes find myself saying things to other people that I realize later I probably shouldn't have said. I then have to repent, asking God to forgive me and then I have to make things right with the one whom I was talking about. When we are talking about other people, to other people in a non-edifying way, it's gossip. 

As Christians we are called to build each other up, not tear each other down. When you go behind someones back and you are talking about them, you are tearing them down. Even if they don't know about it! 

Let's focus on how God tells us to live in these verses! Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. When someone starts talking about someone else, RUN in the other direction! Okay, maybe not run, but make up some excuse that you need to leave and then get out of there as fast as you can. I'm trying to practice this more and more. I know a lot of people don't even realize they are gossiping. But when I recognize it, I become very uncomfortable because I know it displeases God. 

Continue to keep your eyes on God and turn away from evil and He will make your path smooth and wide!

Be blessed my friends!

Proverbs Study Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of the book of Proverbs is an awesome chapter to me. I have underlined and highlighted many points throughout the years that have helped me along this life's journey. 

The verses highlighted below couldn't have come at a better time for me. I was having some relationship issues the night that I read this. I was crying because I just don't understand why certain people treat me the way they do. They must not know the real me! I'm such a giving, caring person. I would do anything for anyone, yet one person in particular who I thought was my friend has shown me absolutely nothing in return. I don't give in expectancy to get back. But when you've been trying to work on a relationship for years and it's always seemed very one-sided, it's really hard to understand. So these verses immediately popped out at me:

God says to just trust Him. Don't try to figure it all out. Acknowledge Him in everything that you do and He will direct your paths. I know that my God is bigger than the situations I find myself in. And I know that by continuing to love this particular person (because that's what Jesus would want me to do), her heart and eyes will someday be opened to the truth about who I am. We don't have to be best friends. She doesn't even have to consider me her friend at all. All I care about is that she sees Christ through me. She can never say that I failed to try or that I was a bad person.

The next set of verses that speaks deeply to me is about giving. I actually have it written on an index card and I carry it around in my Bible to remind me to always give God my best, whether it's financially or physically.

When I really think about this, it touches my heart at the works God has done in my life. My barns really are full. I'm constantly trying to "de-clutter". I just have too much stuff. But really, all of that stuff is a blessing from the Lord! And why? It's because my husband and I have always tried our best to honor Him with our possessions and our first fruits. We are faithful tithers, even when that tithing money could go to pay a bill that we otherwise don't have the money for. God has always been faithful to meet our needs. We have had many years of struggling, but He has always brought us through and moved us on to bigger and better things. I challenge you that if you don't already tithe, test God, try it, see what happens in your life. It may be a huge sacrifice, but just think of the sacrifices that Jesus paid for us. Our giving a tenth of our income will never compare!

Lastly, there is one other group of verses that speaks to me so much that I also have it written on an index card too. I keep this one right next to my bed and I look at it often.

Proverbs 3:24-25 says,

"When you lie down, you will not be afraid;

Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet. 

Do not be afraid of sudden terror, 

Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes."

These verses just remind me that no matter what is going on at night, God is watching over me, keeping me safe. I have much more peaceful sleep when I remember that he tells me to lie down and not be afraid. He promises me sweet sleep! 

I hope you are enjoying this study on Proverbs! Feel free to chime in and let me know what you are learning.

Be blessed my friends!

Proverbs Chapter 2

*This study is already proving challenging for me. I have been keeping up with my reading, but not my writing and in keeping in touch with you. This started on Saturday when a storm knocked our internet out. Service wasn't restored until today (our 1st day back to homeschooling). So, I'm going to back up to Chapter 2 and try to catch up in sharing my thoughts with you.*

Chapter 2

Today I want to share with you the verses that meant the most to me. Something immediately stood out to me in chapter 2 and that is the 3 "ifs" mentioned in verses 1-5 (NKJ). The "ifs" in these verses show the importance of our choices. We are instructed to do our part in seeking wisdom in order to reap the wonderful, promised results.

My son, if you receive my words,

And treasure my commands within you, 

So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;

Yes, if you cry out for discernment,

And lift up your voice for understanding, 

If you seek her as silver,

And search for her as for hidden treasures;

Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,

And find the knowledge of God.

Here's a side note in my Bible that helps us understand more about the Fear of the Lord that these verses say we will understand if we do the things He has told us to do.

"Fear of the Lord" is the foundation for wisdom, the prerequisite for obedience, and the accompaniment of love (Deut. 10:12). "Fear" in this sense indicates submissive reverence and not stark terror. To reject this awe, which inspires respectful obedience, is to determine to go your own way (Prov. 1:31) and turn away from God's way (Is. 55:8).

The promised results of fearing Him are goodness, riches, honor and satisfaction (Ps. 31:19), a right relationship with others (Lev. 25:17), long life (Deut. 6:2), mercy (Ps. 103:17), strong confidence (Prov. 14:26), and God's constant attention (Ps. 34:7).

I don't know about you, but I sure want all of those promises. That is a huge reason why I try so hard to read my Bible daily and listen for God's voice in all that I do. 

Be blessed my friends!

Proverbs Study, Day 1

Proverbs Chapter 1 Study

I have to admit that it was hard for me to dive into this first day. I read chapter 1 in the NKJ version and the MSG, just trying to get more out of it. 

Here are the main points that I walked away with from this chapter:

1. Start with God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Vs. 7
2. Remember what your parents taught you.
3. Don't follow the wrong crowd. It will lead to destruction.
4. Don't wait for a catastrophe to strike to call out to the Lord. Vs. 25-28
5. Listen to the Lord and you will be safe. vs. 33

Two verses stood out to me the most. "My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother." ~ Proverbs 1:8 (NKJ) Perhaps this one stood out because I am raising 3 boys and trying to get them to understand how much more wisdom their dad and I have than they do right now. I think this is one that children should definitely learn. 

The second verse that stood out was the very last one, Proverbs 1:33 (NKJ), "But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, And will be secure, without fear of evil." If we would just listen to Him! I recently wrote a post called "Wisdom Waits". It basically sums up the fact that God has been trying to tell me something for over 2 years and I just wasn't listening to Him. Thank God for His mercy and grace!

How did you do with our fist day? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Be blessed my friends!

STUDYING PROVERBS THROUGH AUGUST

Today is the first day of August, a month that has 31 days, just like the book of Proverbs. Proverbs are brief but vivid statements taken from everyday life and used as practical guidelines for successful living. Please join me on this 31 day journey of studying the book of Proverbs. I may not post on the blog every day, but readers will be sharing their thoughts on my facebook page, Bible Momma. Please like my page and check back daily if you would like to join us and share your thoughts on what you are learning as you read the Bible with us.