Chapter 1..............Growing in the Lord

One of my goals this year is to be a better wife and mother.  I've started reading A Wife After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George  again.  So I thought I would share it with ya'll.   I hope to cover a chapter a week, but we will see how it goes.    I've also linked the scripture to Bible Gateway.com  Whether you are married, or hoping to be married in the future.  I feel this book will help us if we truly obey and listen to what God is telling us through it.                          The first thing we have to do each and every day is to put the Lord first.  For months after my divorce, eight years ago.   I wondered if there was something more I could have done.  Had I not prayed hard enough or forgiven enough.  But we and God can only do so much.   The person we're praying for has to be willing to change.  God's not going to force himself on anyone.  We decide, whether the things of the Lord are really that important to us..or not.  We decide whether we schedule in the time it takes to grow, to meet with God regularly, to stop, look, and listen to Him by reading our Bibles.....or not.    We grow by putting God first.  That's how spiritual growth occurs.  The most tried and true way to put God first is by reading His word daily and obeying.  Also by spending time with Him through prayer.  My biggest fault is venting to everyone else instead of God. 

Step #1  Discover through reading the Bible what God says about your life and how He wants you to live it.   By reading His word we learn more about Him and His standards for righteousness.

Step#2  Discern through studying the Bible the meaning and implications of what you are reading.  Praying and seeking God to understand what He has said in His word.

Step#3  Through heartfelt obedience what we have read and learned, discovered and discerned.  This is where we put our knowledge into action into our lives.

How is your heart?  Is it strong in faith....or weak?  A woman and a wife after God's own heart is someone who follows after Him and close behind Him.   (Psalms 63:8)  The awareness of weak or sinful areas in our walk with God can be the beginning of even greater growth.  

Are you satisfied with your current condition, spiritual maturity, and rate of growth?  If so, you will grow no more.   If not, if there is a holy desire to grow in the Lord, to know God in a deeper, more intimate way, to be a woman after His heart, to strive toward His standards, to please Him, to be more Christlike, to identify, attack, and triumph over ungodly conduct and practices ........then yours is the soft, responsive-to-God heart that will grow in the Lord.

First is commitment, there is a commitment section throughout the book.  In which it will ask us to determine to grow, to determine to move out, to determine to take action, to determine to do the "putting off and putting on" of the practices and attitudes God calls us to , to determine to pay the price to follow after God...........to put Him first, whatever that cost may be and however high it may soar, no matter what.

Second, we are to write in our own way, in our own words, and from our heart, our personal commitment to God.  Make a commitment------a decision-----and determine to grow into the woman------and wife-----you yearn to be-----a woman after God's own heart, one who will do all His will.  Acts 13:22

There is also a Heart Response at the end of each chapter.  It's little things that make a big difference..

1.  Read your Bible every day.

Something is better than nothing.  Here are her suggestions of our Bible reading to go along with the book.

Day 1...............................Genesis 1

Day 2................................Genesis 2

Day 3................................Genesis 3

Day 4 ............................Ephesians 5

Day 5............................Colossians 3

Then go back and begin at Genesis 4 and finish the book of Genesis.

2.  Pray for your husband three times every day.

Pray before he wakes up, at noon, and right before he comes home. 

3.  Plan to go to church this week.

If your a little rusty on your church attendance, or haven't been going at all.  Place this all-imporant date on your calendar. 

4.  Sign up for a Bible class or Bible study.  Another great way of experiencing the joy of growing in the Lord.

5.  Purchase or borrow a Christian book on any topic.  As you learn from others sharing their knowledge and their passion for God and His son, you too will grow in knowledge.

The Sweet By and By by Sara Evans Review

There's not many books that interest me enough to stay awake late at night trying to finish them, or have a hard time putting them down.  But this one did.  I truly enjoyed reading it, and hope to read the other three of her books in this series. 
The book itself is about a girl "Jade" and growing up in a family feeling unloved.  Her Dad left when she was eight years old and her Mom was always off traveling with the latest fling.  Maybe her Mom was trying to find her own love also.  Jade was the oldest of three children and had to help her Granny raise her younger brother and sister.  But her Granny built the foundation that would later come back to Jade when tormented about her past mistakes.  Granny was a true christian lady that showed them love and compassion.
I myself can't relate to growing up the way Jade did but I'm sure there is plenty out there these days that can.  Families just seem to be torn apart more lately.
In later years Jade finally comes to grips with what has truly been eating away at her for so many years.  It's not so much the way her Mom treated her, but more her forgiving herself.   Several people comes into her life and show her what it's truly like to be loved and not condemned.   Just like Christ himself he came to love and forgive, not condemn us for the mistakes we make. 
Overall the book was contradictory to any other romance novel, or chick flick.  The girl meets the guy they fall in love and get married.  But it has it's twists and turns a long the way.  Jade coundn't move forward until she forgot the past and was forgiven for the mistakes she had made.  When she finally asked for forgiveness, Christ was there with open arms.  Just as He is with us, he's there waiting for us to come to Him.  He's there for us but he's not going to force himself on anyone.
Would I recommend this book?  Yes I would.  It's a christian romance story of true forgiveness.  I think it would be encouraging to anyone that is finding it hard to forgive themselves for past mistakes.  Also for those that may been looking for love by making bad choices.  We've all made mistakes but it shares the truth that Christ is there to love and forgive us.


You can purchase the book online at Thomas Nelson or through  Amazon .

Disclosure:  I received this book through Thomas Nelson to read and review it.  There was no other compensation.

A New Year, and New Beginnings

Everyone seems to blogging about resolutions and goals for the new year.  I can't remember the last itme I made any resolutions.  Probably when I realized that I don't stick to them so why bother.
But I do feel like the new year brings a chance for a new beginning.

One --- To spend more time reading my Bible.  One of the blogs I read, is suggesting in 90 days.  But that seems like quite a bit.  But then I'm also reminded of what my Sunday School teacher said a few Sundays ago.  She asked if we were reading a good novel about the same thickness as our Bible it wouldn't take us a year to read it.  Just a thought.  Not sure how fast I will read it.  My goal right now is just to read it more than I have in the past.

Two ---  I want to eat healthier.  I've lost weight in the pass by drinking water, and watching my sugar and bread intake and no fried foods.  For exercise I walked or either did the Biggest Loser 1 Workout.    It doesn't take any special foods, it's about portion control, and the way it is cooked.  My pitfall is I'm not a big fruit and vegetable eater, more of a meat and potato.  Definetly not one to eat salads of any kind.  I can still hear my Dad say when my Mom offered him a salad that he wasn't eating rabbit food.  My goal is to lose 10 lbs a month.  It's overwhelming when I look at the big picture so I'm focusing on smaller goals.  I also hope to share recipes that I find that I enjoy and are healthy.

Three  ---  I want to be a better wife and mother.  I have a bad habit of venting my problems to other family members and it leaves them with negative thoughts and feelings.  Also I'm reading the book by Elizabeth George  "A Wife After God's Own Heart", and I will be blogging once a week about it.

Four ---  I want to spend less time on the computer.  Makayla is at  school from 8:00 to 2:00, so no more than an hour of computer time in the evenings.    December was a blur with all the giveaways and trying to build my blog up.  I added followers but where are ya'll now that the giveaways are over.  Speaking of giveaways there is one coming up in the next week or so.  But that's the only one I know of for now.  I have worried about making my blog professional looking.  But came to the conclusion, that's not who I am.  I am what I am.  I received awards in December I haven't even taken the time to blog about.  Blogging to me is about friends and encouragement.  If I can encourage just one person through something I blog about or better yet lead someone to Christ that is priceless.  That is worth more to me than any amount of money I may or may not make one day blogging.

Five --- Last but not least exercise, in which it goes right along with the eating healthy.  It's one thing to watch the Biggest Loser every week.  But it's another to exercise, and not to be eating ice cream, or some other high calorie food while watching it.

Happy New Year!!!!

My prayer is that each and everyone of ya'll have a blessed New Year.  I can't wait to see what the new year has in store for all of us.  The prayers that will be answered.  The friendships that will grow stronger and new friendships to be made.  I'm not making any new years resolutions but I hope with God's grace to make some life changes.  More details of that in the coming days. 
Happy New Year my friends !!!!!!!!!

Last Random Dozen of 2009

1. Do you find it gross to share drinks with family? Friends?  Not necessarily share a drink.  If one of the kids ask for a sip I might have let them have it but remind them not to backwash. 

2. What have you learned this year? (You didn't see a question of that weight coming, did you? At least not for #2.)  That some people just seem too stubborn to change.  While others that you never thought could change, did through the grace of God.

3. When do you dismantle the Christmas decorations? We usually do it right after the New Year.  But what little I had out this year was taken down yesterday and all packed up ready to go in the attic until next year.


4. Something you wish to accomplish before the end of 2009 is: Just make it to the end of the year without going crazy will be wonderful.


5. How do you feel about winter (after Christmas)?   I'm not crazy about winter to begin with.  Even though I'm hot-natured I like cooler weather not cold.  In which that is what we have most of the time, but this week is just plain out cold.  So where is the snow?

6. Have you participated in after-Christmas sales? No.  It's worse after Christmas than after Thanksgiving.  There's nothing I need that badly to fight the crazy people for.

7. Do you have plans for New Year's Eve? Yes, we have church that night beginning at 9:00.

8. Is there anything special awaiting you in January?   Not sure its waiting on me.  But I do have two plans for the new year.  One, this weight is coming off, once and for all.  I have a daughter that's nine and a grandaughter less than a year old and they need me healthy.  The other is less stress, to try and stop worrying about things I can't change and leave them to God to change.

9. If your life this year was a movie, what category or genre would it be? (Romance, Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Suspense, Farcical, etc.) Drama, there is always something crazy going on around here. 

10. How much time per day do you spend blogging? Please do not lie. I will know.   Way too much, between posting, commenting, and reading.  Probably when the kids are in school, and I'm alone some days almost 6 hours.

11. Who runs your household?   We both do.

12. Share one hope/dream for 2010.  To see all of my family and friends, happy, healthy, and living for the Lord.

Thanks Linda for hosting this Meme this year.

Christmas 2009

Christmas has once again come and went.  I packed up all the decorations today and finally downloaded all the pictures.  Ours started the Saturday before Christmas when we traveled almost three hours to pick up Brianna and Kenneth my step-children, and then traveled another almost two hours to get to my father and step-mother-in-laws house.  After much eating it was time for the kids to open their gifts.

Makayla was so excited with her Project Runway Set.  It's a traditon there that when you turn 18 that's the last year you get a gift.  Therefore my step-mother-in-law makes a quilt for you.  This was Michael's year to get his.  He loves music, more specifically guitars.  Not many pictures, because everyone is opening their presents at one time.  It's one big whirlwind of paper and squeals.
This was Makayla Christmas morning opening her Wii.  She got so excited that when she hugged me so hard, I thought she was going to knock me down.   They were so excited that they almost forgot their stockings.

Then we were off to Megan, Denny's and Emily's.  Look who's already standing up for a few seconds on Christmas Day.  It won't be long now before she is taking her first steps, and then walking.

Caught Megan reading the manuel to her new camera.  Denny totaled surprised her with a new Nikon camera. 

This is my Mom.  We don't get many pictures of her because she hates for her picture to be taken.  Needless to say I had to sneak this one I'm sure she thought I was taking one, of one of the kids.  She would probably be devastated if she knew I put it on my blog.

Then Christmas afternoon we picked up Brianna and Kenneth and had Christmas all over again.

The following pictures were taken at my Mom's the day after Christmas.  I didn't get pictures of it because we were all so surprised.  But the journal jar that I gave her last year for Christmas.  As mentioned in an earlier blog, she has wrote her answers in books.  I have a second blog where I have been writing her answers because she gave me my book when she finished it.  But now each of my other four siblings also have one, her grandaughters have one, and even a sister-in-law that was once married to my oldest brother but has always remained a part of the family.  My book has been re-written because she said the more she has wrote the more she has remembered.  In which it has kept her memory sharp by doing this.  Also this year we did something we had never done at her house, we opened our gifts one at a time.  I think it was so much more fun that way.

Joy To The World