Tuesday, January 31, 2012

"Blessings" by Laura Story

I've been hearing this song on the radio for a while now, and the last couple days I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.  It's been on my heart and mind, and I thought I'd share it with you. 



Below is Laura Story explaining the story behind the song Blessings.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

With people, but feeling alone

I have blogged recently about my new church and how God is teaching me and my my family through the ministries of this church. I love Birchman Baptist Church and so thankful God led my family here. My family is growing spiritually and I praise God for the godly spiritual leaders of this church.

However, I am struggling in making friends and I'm a little discouraged as I sit in the cafe outside the church library while my kids are in their Girls In Action & Royal Ambassador missions class. I sit here watching people walk by and talking to one another I realize I don't know many people. It's hard. I feel alone.

I know as time goes on I'll begin to get to know more people, but for now it's hard.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Bible Study, Healthy Living, & Organization

I signed up for the ladies Bible study on Wednesday nights at our church.  The bible study is the Book of James, and we met together for the first time Wednesday.  I signed up as way to meet and get to know other women.  I am looking forward to the study of the Book of James and getting to know this group of women. 

On Tuesday I met with a friend and we made a commitment to hold each other accountable in the areas of health and exercise.  She and I have been walking together over the last couple months, but both of us had been gaining weight from bad eating habits.  She and her family eat much healthier than my family, but we are being an encouragement to each other as we learn to be healthy.  I haven't been the best role model for my kids and teaching how to be healthy.  I'm challenging myself with small goals throughout the year, so that by the end of 2012 my family and I will be healthier than we were at the beginning of the year. 

This week I accomplished cleaning and organizing the garage enough to accommodate two vehicles plus our bicycles.  Everything except two shelving units is neat and organized.  I know it sounds weird, but when I walk into the garage I can't help but smile.  It's clean and this helps my mood; well, until I have to come back inside to the unorganized house.  I'll be organizing the inside this weekend.  Ive got homeschool items, books, and some other things I don't use anymore, and I need to make more space for the items I do use. 

I know, it's a very random post.  :-)

Well, it's time for me to go finish my cleaning and reorganizing the inside of my house.  After that I plan to do a little bike riding with my favorite family. 

Thursday, January 12, 2012

He Is Enough

My heart and mind were heavy and I couldn't sleep.  I kept waking up.  I decided to move to the couch as not to wake Wes up, not that I could wake him since he was sleeping rather soundly.

The deal is I couldn't sleep, because I needed to take the concerns that were keeping me awake to the Lord.  I needed to pray.  I moved to the couch and began praying, but I knew what I really needed to be doing was reading the Bible.

I was tired and wanted to express my concerns in prayer then go back to sleep.  I have this tendency rather than open up the Word of God, which is why I don't know the scriptures as I should.

Anyway, after spending some time in prayer and expressing my heart to the Lord then opening my eyes, heart, and mind to His leading I got up from the couch and went to my computer to look up today's YouVersion Bible reading plan. 

As I checked my email for the YouVersion email I noticed I had also received Lifeway's daily scripture and devotion. 

The first scripture passage in my YouVersion daily reading plan is Psalm 2.  The last sentence of verse 12 is:
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.  (ESV)

The scripture passage from the Lifeway devotion is 2 Timothy 1:12
   And that is why I suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know the One I have believed in and am persuaded that He is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day. (HCSB)
and the devotional (courtesy of Open Windows) is this:
    We know the importance of placing our valuables and money in safe places. We put our important documents in the banks’ safety deposit boxes. The government insures our bank savings through the FDIC. 
   In today’s passage Paul wrote about entrusting something far more important than material things for safekeeping. He instructed Timothy not to be ashamed of the gospel or of his mentor Paul who was in prison. Paul described the gospel, its power to save, and its origin in the grace of God.
   Paul was suffering for the gospel, yet he was full of confidence and hope for the future based on the person of Jesus Christ, in whom he had believed. He had not placed his faith in some philosophy or creed. Because Paul knew Jesus intimately and personally, he was certain he could trust Jesus with the salvation of his soul. He knew it would be kept safely until that last day of accounting.

 Wow! I'm not in the midst of intense suffering, but I am struggling with some things.  I needed to be reminded to take refuge in Him and to have confidence & hope for the future based on Christ not on myself. 

After spending more time in prayer I decided since I was up and awake I would read a few blogs that I hadn't been to in a while.  I popped over to Priscilla Shirer's Going Beyond Ministry blog and the first post is Finding Enough, which I just skimmed over before checking out Angie Smith's Bring the Rain.  I skimmed down to her other posts and decided to check out The Tyranny of Choice, where I read her words: "He is enough." 

After reading those words I decided to go back to Finding Enough to actually read it. 

Yes, God is my refuge and he is enough for me.

In Him will I trust.