Thursday, April 30, 2015

B90 Day 4

Today was a day of dr appts for one of my children, never a fun day...but it felt somewhat productive, so that's good I guess.  I did most of today's reading in the lobby of one of the appts, I am so close to finishing today's selection, but two and a half chapters short of actually completing it.

Sigh.

I am worn out from talking, listening, thinking, being a momma...so I will get up tomorrow and His mercy will be fresh and I will plug on in my reading :).

One good thing though is that my husband was off and so during the hour + drive to one of the doctors offices I talked to him about yesterday's reading.  You see yesterday I noticed something I had never noticed before but when it came time to blogging about it, I wasn't quite sure how to articulate what was racing through my mind.  Laban knew of God, but from reading vs. 24 - 55, I was left wondering did Laban ever surrender and allow God to become his one and only?  It bothered me, because when it's all said and done, just knowing who God is isn't enough is it?  Its what you do with what you know that matters.  I can be thirsty and know that getting a cup of water would help me,  could even go get the cup of water and tell others - it would be so good to drink this cup of water - but stop short of actually drinking it myself.

I would still be thirsty.

I don't want to be thirsty.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

B90 Day 3

I am still reading today's selection (still in Genesis), but fully anticipate being able to finish, I wanted to post before I forget.

I love, love, love chpt. 32 vs. 11&12 when Jacob prays to God, he asks for safety, he confesses his fear, & then he reassures himself with God's promise.

It has always bothered me how Jacob responded to Dinah's rape.  He ends chpt. 34 worrying about himself, his possessions, and his household, not about his daughter who had been so horribly treated. Also Simeon and Levi remind me of James and John of the New Testament and what a change comes over Levi (become the priestly tribe) and John (becomes the disciple whom Jesus loved).

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

B90 Day 2

I completed today's reading!!
My favorite verse this time through - Genesis chapter 24 verse 21.  'Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to see whether the LORD had made his journey successful'.  It reminded me to simply be quiet, watch, and see God move.
My question is one I have had for a while, why could Isaac not bless Esau too?  Did they place much more value in their spoken word than we do today?

B90 Day 1

I just finished Day One's reading!!

My favorite verse from this section is Genesis 15:1

I noticed something today...I am not sure if it is just because of the season of parenting I am in, or what, but in chapter 13 when Abram's and Lot's possessions grow too great and arguments arose, instead of insisting on what was rightfully his and arguing his point, Abram was more interested in peace.  Did he know God would bless him no matter what he chose or did he love his nephew more than the physical blessings?  Or did he just have that kind of heart that it wasn't a choice, it was his way of life to be humble and peace-seeking?

I meant to post this yesterday but accidentally pushed save :(

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Summer Reading Goals

me:
Bible in 90 days (completion date is July 25)
A Family Guide to the Biblical Holidays
30 Days to Understanding the Bible, break it down into lessons for fall
Finish Anne of Green Gables series
A stack of teaching books regarding language arts
Eragon series
Need more suggestions to round this out

read aloud or listen to for kids:
We are going to read through the Bible in a year as a family
American Girl History series in order
Little House series
Gooney Bird Greene series
More Clementine, How to Train Your Dragon, and In Grandma's Attic
We decided to make this a 'series' summer :)

B90

Tomorrow B90 begins!!!  I have completed the challenge two times, but this time I want to try to actually do each day's reading, each day.  Instead of my usual procrastination of letting a few days worth pile up and then racing through on a catch up day.  Last time I was tempted to blog or tweet my way through the challenge, but was reluctant to do that because I usually come away with more questions than answers and I never want to be a stumbling block for anyone seeking God.  But by the end of the last challenge I realized something, some of the questions from before were answered each time I returned to Scripture, and I wished I had kept a log of them to see how my understanding grew...

So this time I set a goal for myself, I am going to try to blog each day and answer: 1) did I complete that day's selection? 2) what was my favorite verse? 3) what questions or observations do I have?

See you tomorrow for day one!!

Friday, April 10, 2015

Bible in 90 Days

I just signed up to read Bible in 90 Days, will you join in?  Check out the challenge at Mom's Toolbox.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Yesterday

Yesterday was hard.  One of those days where it seemed like everything went wrong & nothing went right kind of days.  That statement, by the way, is never actually 100% true, because no matter what, God's still on His throne, so at least the most important thing is going right.  But nevertheless our feelings will trumpet so loudly it can quickly drown out common sense.

And yesterday was that day for me.  

It started with a kiddo who was sick which just makes the hard day she was experiencing sooooo much harder, then continued with a kiddo who would have rather have done anything, absolutely anything, than to complete the schoolwork we had to get done, and ended with another kiddo who seems to not be making any progress at all no matter what we try and how we go about it.  Two dogs who were into everything.under.the.sun.  Dirty dishes piled high in the sink, laundry backed up, (does it multiply at night?) toys everywhere...*sigh*. 

Me....oh my....I was a mess.  My husband and I started a lite version of the South Beach Diet and the craving for chocolate hit hard (I did indulge...by dinner time it was either eat some chocolate or have an epic meltdown....I know my will power is zilch on some days!!) I couldn't find my book of mnemonics to help with the rank of peerage we need to memorize for history, then at the last minute I had to purchase a book on kindle because I realized I had somehow missed purchasing it in January, turned on my kindle...battery low...seriously?!?  

By four o'clock I was reduced to tears and asking God to give me a verse.  Anything.  I felt like a failure, #1 in the running for worst mom of the year award, and just needed something, anything to hold onto to grasp a tiny seed of encouragement so that I could turn around and encourage my kiddos.  Nothing.  No verse came to mind, why was God so silent?  I didn't have an answer for that so I ate my chocolate bar and chalked it up to being a bad day.

Then a new day dawned.  His mercy is truly, truly fresh every.single.morning.

This article came to my attention this morning & I got to do my Bible study outside with a hot cup of coffee all by myself without anyone waking up!!!!!  The birds were absolutely beautiful.  And then it happened.  God answered my request for something from His Word to encourage me.  1 Peter 5:2-3 and Isaiah 41:10 practically leaped out at me this morning as I worked through my study.  

Hang in there if your today is like my yesterday, keep asking God, He will answer!!!  

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Listening to the birds slowly come to life outside my window this morning as the gray of dawn begins to steal over the sky, my mind wanders back about 2000+ years and I think about what today meant to those who lived and loved beside Jesus.  Totally broken hearted, scared, and confused what was it like to gaze upon Him?  See His eyes, hear His voice, realize that all your hope was not in vain?  Are there even any words to hang upon the feelings that welled up and bubbled over in their hearts?  Awesome.  Fabulous.  Joy unending. They seem to fall flat when compared to their reality.  Jesus rose!!!  Praise God for the awe inspiring gift and wonders He worked in and through Jesus, our Messiah.

Well, my house is beginning to stir, the rabbit banging his hay dish on the bottom of his cage, the puppy stretching and peering out the front of his kennel door, my youngest crawling in beside me saying, "Good Mornin' Momma", so I better go...but I can greet today with hope and joy!!!  Praying the rest of your Passover week is beautiful and that Jesus is lifted high in your heart each and every moment.