A little of this and a little of that…

Today, I am just going to share some random things with you, I hope you enjoy them!

I have decided to join in on the Hello Mornings Challenge again. This is a great way to start my morning off the right way. Spending time with God, making a plan for my day, and taking time to exercise a few times a week. This fall, the group is doing a inductive study on the book of Ephesians. My book is ordered and I am looking forward to the lessons God has for me.

Quite a few schools out here have already started and I believe many more will be starting in the next week or two. At this point, our plan is to start at the end of August or right after Labor Day (one of the benefits of private homeschooling!). We have most of our books, but we are waiting for this one last book to arrive. Just got an e-mail that it should arrive just in time for us to start. We have already gone through the first three books in this series and I have been waiting for this fourth book to be published and ready.

And I can’t believe that when I first started the countdown for our Compassion trip, the number was 203 days! Matthew’s passport arrived yesterday and I am still making things to fundraise for our trip. Take a peek at my Facebook page, you might find something you like!

Happy Friday, enjoy this summer day, and have a great weekend!

Walking on Water

“But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.” – Matthew 14:27-29

Have you ever heard Jesus prompting you to do something? Right now, I am kind of feeling like He has asked me to jump off of a cliff and I am suppose to trust Him to catch me before I am splattered all over the ground. He tells the disciples to ‘take courage’ and ‘don’t be afraid’, so why are we so different? Fear of failure, fear of what people might think if we fail, fear of disappointment, fear of discouragement, fear of not being good enough to follow the path you feel you are being led to follow?

I am not a writer, plain and simple. In school, math was my favorite subject. I loved algebra, trigonometry, pre-calculus, all those calculations! With a calculator and pencil in hand, I was one happy girl. There was a definite black and white answer for every problem. But English and writing? So subjective. The ‘right’ answer was in the red pen of the teacher. Couldn’t I just read my way through English?

So why I am telling you all of this? Because Jesus has asked me to ‘take courage’ and to ‘not be afraid’. He has placed on my heart a writing project that I really cannot say ‘no’ to. I really can’t give you a lot of details right now, because we are still working on some approvals, but it is a project that I am really exciting about. And for someone who is not a writer, that is saying a lot!

In the meantime, will you join me in prayer? I sure would appreciate it!

Investing in us

No, this post is not about where to put your money (because we don’t have a lot of money to put anywhere anyway!). This post is about making time for our spouse. You know, the one who leaves the house early every morning so we can stay home to do what God has called us to do. I know that my husband works hard and he deserves more of my time than sometimes I have to give (or am willing to give, which happens sometimes, just being honest here).

A few weeks ago, Kevin and I took the opportunity that we now have an adult child (who could be left to care for his younger sibling), and we went on an overnight getaway to the coast. This was the first time we had left our kids overnight at our home by themselves. We left in the morning on Friday and came back late Saturday afternoon.

 (In my opinion, not the best picture of the two of us, but had to use the self timer on this one and I know the settings were a bit off.)

I know it is not always easy to get away when you are right in the midst of raising up kids, but I do know it is important for our kids to see a healthy marriage relationship. We have made plenty of mistakes over the years (and our kids know this), but we are really working on helping our kids to see that marriage is a life time commitment. It is a choice.

“Let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” – Ephesians 5:33

Need some ideas on how to invest in your marriage? For a while now, I have subscribed to The Generous Wife’s blog posts. Her blog posts are short, but filled with great tips and encouragement to help you to be a more generous wife. She usually shares a few links also if you want to do a little more exploring on the subject. (There is also a blog for The Generous Husband, if you are interested)

Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. – Deuteronomy 15:10

Any tips you would like to share on how you invest in your marriage?

By His Wounds

 

“But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:5

He took on our sins, so that we can have a relationship with Him. The One True God loves us and wants us to know Him. Be sure to spend time everyday, not just this weekend, thanking Him for the life He has given you. We are healed by His wounds.