Would I linger?

     I was reading in Genesis 19 today for my Bible reading. Often times when I come to a "common" story I tend to skim.  This is something I am working on.  I want to dig deeper in my Bible study and grow closer to the Lord. 

I love when the Lord opens my eyes to new thoughts and I see a passage or phrase differently than before.  That happened this morning with the story of Lot.  A phrase jumped out at me and made me start thinking. 

     Genesis 19:16 "And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand,"  
What made Lot linger? What was he thinking about? Did he linger because of the things in his home or the friends he was leaving? What ever it was he lingered.  In the Strong's Concordance is says "to question or hesitate, that is, (by implication) to be reluctant:",  If an angel appeared to me and told me to leave because the Lord was going to destroy my city, how would I react?  Am I so close to this world that I would linger?   Matthew 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.  Are my treasures in this world? What treasures have I laid up in Heaven? 
                             - Children
                             - Family
                             - Neighbors
                             - Friends
                             - Co-workers
Or are "things" more important?  We know from Scriptures that Lot was immersed in the ways of Sodom. 
     
     We need to safeguard ourselves from this. God put us in this world so what do we do?  How do we safeguard ourselves but being like Lot and being so involved with the world that we would hesitate to leave?  The answer for this as in all questions can be found in the Bible.  (Here are a couple thoughts I came up with.  There are many more but just 2 that hit me today.)

1.     Be like minded with Christ.  Philippians 2 is a great passage about having the mind of Christ.  It is a guide of how to live as Christ wants us to live by thinking as he does.  Verse 15 "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;"  We are here to shine as lights.  We are in the midst of this world, but we do not have to be part of it.  When we wonder if we should do something, we need to compare it to the teaching of Scriptures. My mom had a saying growing up "If in doubt, DON'T".  There will be no doubt if we ask God to keep us like minded.

2.     Abide in Christ.  This goes with being like minded. If we abide in Christ, then our mind will be like His.   One of my favorite verses is Psalm 91:1 "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. "  When we are dwelling in God's Word we will be abiding under Him.  We need to meditate on what we read.  I fall into a trap often of just reading and not thinking about it.  I try to read through the Bible each year. Sadly, I am not always consistent, but I still press for the goal.  I have to remember to think as I read not just read to "fulfill" a set goal. 
I John 2:14-17 talks about abiding in the Word and being part of the world.
14   I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.  (We overcome when we abide)
15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 
16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  (Do the things I love fall under these categories?)
17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 
This goes back to being like  minded.  When we ask God to reveal Himself to us, he will.  We will not love the world if we are truly in love with God.

Lot clearly loved the world and the things of the world.  Did Lot Learn his lesson? We hear no more about Lot which brings me to believe that he probably didn't.  What about us?  If we are confronted with our sin (whether by a friend, in a message, or by Bible study) do we pridefully deny it or do we humbly repent and strive to sin no more.  As we study God's Word he will reveal sin and our hearts need but it up to do us to listen and do something about it.

Questions I am asking myself today and pondering:

What makes me linger?

Do I linger on things of the world or things of God?

Where is my treasure?

Will I make necessary changes today?

Stay in God's Word daily and he will show you what is right.  We don't need the opinions of people but the statutes of God.

What makes you happy?

Psa 100   Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
  Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
  Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
  For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Pastor used this passage for his message Sunday morning. He started with a question "What makes you happy?"  The key is not happiness but JOY! I have pondered this message and gone over my notes several times this week.  What effects me each day and my happiness?  Happiness is based on your circumstances, joy is a heart attitude based on your relationship with the Lord.
I have thought of this several times as I have thought of our weather this week. negative temps and extreme negative wind chills was not something I planned or wanted this week. BUT that is what God has brought our way.  I thought of this as I have read posts of people about the weather.  I have made comments of how cold it is and that we have lots of snow.  It has been interesting to see and compare other peoples temps and conditions.  BUT it is sad to see people that seem so disturbed, angry, and all consumed by it.  Their comments of been so negative and discouraging.

I.   Is your attitude joyful?
Acts 20:35  I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 

A joyful attitude helps us do what needs to be done in our daily life.  We teach our children that they are to obey with a right/joyful heart, but are we doing it.  Do we go through our day grudgingly? As a mom I do the same things over and over- laundry, dishes, cleaning, and teaching my boys.  How is my attitude? 

II.   Do I learn from God's Word joyfully?  

We know we are to daily be in God's Word, but do we do it just out of routine?  This really hit close to home!  How do I approach my Bible study?  Do I thirst for it and go into yearning to learn from the Lord? I need to remember that God's Word is ALIVE!

Pastor gave several points about learning from God's Word 1) It has unmatched strength  2)God's Word is perfect! Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.    3) God offers eternal salvation.  

God wants His best for us.  The circumstances that come in our life is there to grow us closer to the Lord.  The choice we have is how do we handle it?  Will I live with JOY or not? 

Some of these thoughts are my own the #) are points from Pastor's message. I summarized the Roman Numeral from Pastor's message as well. Just wanted to give right credit to Pastor.

I am not sharing this because I have it all together but the opposite. This is a real struggle for me to remain joyful, focus on the Lord and the good he gives.  I hope this was helpful to someone- it helped me typing it out.  

A new school year!

We are ready to start week 2 of our school year! I thought I would do a little blogging about our school year.

 I have had many people recently say "I don't know how you do it". I can honestly say- I don't do it!!!  The Lord is my strength!! I honestly have days that I dread the day because of the work it takes. I have had moments that I thought it would be easier to not homeschool. I could afford more if I worked and didn't school the boys.  Then I look at the alternatives. I see many children not succeeding academically because time is not taken by the parents to put their best in their child's education.  I have seen children also struggling in their walk with God because of the influences from public school.  On the other hand I am inspired and spurred on by many successful homeschoolers around me - godly families that I see their children growing academically and spiritually. Some of them have students graduated and others with a child graduating this year.

I know homeschooling is not for everyone. I am not putting down or condemning anyone who makes other choices.  It is a personal choice each family must make. I do think we can learn by watching others.  We have to make the best decision for our children.
God tells us in   James 1:5   If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
As we make decisions for our children we need to examine and be sure our decisions are not selfishly motivated but truly what we think God wants for for us and our children.
I am by NO means perfect nor do I have it all together!
I am constantly asking God to help me and yet I find my self making selfish decisions. Only through the strength of God am I able to follow what God wants me to do.
As I prepare for week 2, I ask God to help me follow through each day with the task set before me. Only with the help of the Holy Spirit can I succeed!

Gideon- a daunting task!

Judges 6-7
This passage covers the story of Gideon.  He was given a job by God- go against the Midianites.
In Ch. 6 he asks God multiple times for signs that God really wants him to do this job. He is shown very clearly that God has indeed  given him this task.

I find myself doing this in my day to day life.  Sometimes I catch myself complaining about the dishes, laundry, floors to vacuum, and toys to pick up.  I forget that God has clearly directed each path of my life.  I prayed for 5 years for children and God has given us 3 wonderful boys.  I prayed to be a stay at home mom- God allowed that to happen.  Each of these area have been given clearly by God, He will give the strength to accomplish it.  I also think of why Gideon and the Israelites were in the situation. They had sinned against God- they worshiped the idols of the land and put other Gods before Him.  When I complain or become discontented with my life it is because I am living the flesh (sinful nature).  When I am living in the flesh, my motives are selfish and all about ME.  Therefore, the tasks I have in my day- laundry, dishes, cleaning, and boys to care for, become an insurmountable army.

Gideon was given a very small army in our eyes- 300 men against the very powerful large Midian Army.   IMPOSSIBLE!!

My work seems that way. Until I remember that I do not have to do this along. As a matter of fact, I am sinning by doing it myself. I need to walk in the Spirit allowing my thoughts to be focused on God and therefore I will have His strength and also see the tasks through His eyes.  What a change in perspective.

Gideon was encouraged when he heard the men talking about the dream. He then went back gathered his men and went into battle.  God had the victory, but without Gideon actually moving forward there would have been none.

I struggle daily/hourly who am I kidding, by the minute most days to walk in the Spirit living for God.  I can move into my day joyfully when I see the day ahead as a way to serve Him and worship Him. I am a stay at home mom- my days consist mostly of my boys.  I MUST remember that my job/joy is training them to serve God. I must be that example of joyfully serving.

I pray that my ramblings may have helped someone today. If you were helped, PRAISE THE LORD!!  Feel free to comment or send me a message especially if you have any questions.

Have a super day and center your day and thoughts on Christ!!

Welcome Back!!

The title is for myself!! I would really like to get into a much better routine of blogging.  Maybe this time it will happen.

There have been many things going on in our family. Sickness, birthdays, sickness, school, sickness, music, sickness, and did I mention sickness. It seems that since the beginning of the year we have had at least 1 person with a cold or sick.  Praying we get on top of it soon.

The Lord has truly been doing some great things for us and I would like to share some of them. SO in the next few days, as God allows, I will be adding some of those things as well as some of what I have been learning through the Holy Spirit.

DAY 29

DAY 29 (I am a day behind)
I am thankful for discovering the benefits of gluten free eating. This is often called a diet, but it a way of life not a diet. Also, for many people it is not a choice but a necessity. For me it is not life threatening nor does it make me extremely ill, but for some that is the case. I am thankful that I decided to give it a try to help my Autoimmune Disease. I feel so much better and I also know when I eat the wrong thing. Praise the Lord for the new things out there that are Gluten Free.

DAY 26, 27, 28

Playing catch up again!
DAY 26, 27, 28
I am thankful for good LONG visits. I am so glad that my parents are retired now and can come for longer visits. They were here for 2 full weeks. We had a marvelous time!! I know they were ready to go home, but I am so glad they stayed for as long as they did. Pray for them as they head back to FL today and tomorrow. I really miss them!!! Praise the Lord for Godly parents!!

DAY 25

DAY 25
     I am thankful for my Christian heritage.  My parents and grandparents went to church and that is great be able to share with my children.  My Grandma Work wanted a Christian school for her grandchildren when she died in April of 1975 a fund was started to start that school.  It opened in the Fall of that year.  The school is still in existence today. I love listening to my Mom talk about verses her  parents liked or hymns. Today my mom and I sang a duet in church "Ivory Palaces" my Grandpa Work's favorite hymn.

DAY 24

DAY 24
I am thankful for spoiling and memories! My parents are here and have been since the 14. We are loving it! You know how grandparents are, they love to spoil. My parents are not bad about it but just little things. Well, my mom has a saying "I am not spoiling I am making memories". I am thankful my parents are able to make the trip from FL to MI. We are making memories the boys will talk about for a long time to come. We are enjoying them!!!!

DAY 23

DAY 23
I am thankful for the seasons of Michigan!  We got some snow today, a little more than flurries. It is SO fun watching the excitement in my boys as they see the snow coming down!  I love seeing it through their eyes!  God has given such beauty in His creation!

DAY 22

DAY 22
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!
Today I am just THANKFUL!!!!!!!

DAY 21

DAY 21- I am thankful for my children all 4!
Many reading my think, 4?  No I am not pregnant!  Yet, 5 years ago today I started my day excited to see an ultrasound of Baby #3.  Yet, by the end of the day, I knew that our baby had gone to Heaven.  Today is full of emotion.  I know if I had not lost that baby there would be no Little T! Trenton is my precious youngest who brings such joy to our lives. So, remember my little one waiting for me in Heaven and thankful for that loss that has also helped me help others.

DAY 16 - 20

OH MY am I way behind!! My parents are here and I haven't taken much time for the computer!

DAY 16 - Our wonderful home God has provided.  Thankful for the warmth.

DAY 17 - My inlaws- many people cringe when they hear in laws are coming. I am excited to see them.  It is great having family we get along so well with.

DAY 18 - Church family- We are thankful for the church family God has given us. They are loving and care for each other in such a blessed way.

DAY 19 - Wonderful opportunities that our children have!! We praise the Lord for the conductors the boys have in HSMA.  It is a blessing to see them learn their instruments with Godly leaders.

DAY 20 - Pastor and his family.  We are so blessed to be led by God to a church led by a wonderful pastor. The Lord has blessed him with a calm spirit and a great way of teaching and preaching.  We have learned a lot from him and his family in the few months we have been in our church. Our boys truly look up to their sons and it is wonderful to have Christ honoring teens for them to admire and pattern themselves after.

DAY 14 & 15

DAY 14 and 15- I am thankful for safety of travel for my parents from FL to MI. They will be here for 2 weeks!!! Praise the Lord for being able to visit with them.

DAY 13

  I am thankful for forgiveness! I am thankful first of all that God forgave me! He also continues to forgive me when I fall. I am also thankful for His help to forgive others. It is very difficult to forgive others, yet He can help us with that too. We must chose to forgive!! Not an easy choice, but a necessary one to be able to be open to God leading in our lives.

Moving Beyond Bitterness to Forgiveness

Posted on November 13, 2012

Canadian Rockies-Photo by: Mark J Booth

“I can’t forgive them.” “What they did to me is unforgivable.” “I won’t ever speak to them again.” ” I can’t forget how much they hurt me.” What do all these statements have in common?  They show an individual who has a bitter spirit.
Bitterness has destroyed many people because it enslaves them to the object of their bitterness.  They have no freedom to enjoy their walk with God and others.  A bitter person can infect their family, their workplace or even their church with their attitude.  “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;” (Hebrews 12:15)
God has not only given us a cure for bitterness, but He has also modeled this cure.  This cure is called forgiveness.  The word forgiveness means “to send away”.  The idea is that we throw the bitter attitude out of our lives; never to retrieve it again.  “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:” (Ephesians 4:31)
God gives us three reasons to cast out bitterness and embrace forgiveness.
1. Christ has forgiven us.  ”And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)  No matter what anybody has done to us, it is nothing compared to all of our sinful offenses towards God.
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant is a great illustration of the above truth.  The landowner forgives his servant an enormous debt; yet this forgiven debtor is unwilling to forgive his follow servant a very small debt. (Matthew 18:21-35)  How can we talk about God’s mercy and not share that mercy with others?
2. Christ commands us to forgive others. “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.“(Colossians 3:13)  A bitter spirit is a disobedient spirit.  When we forgive a person in our heart, we are walking in obedience to Christ.  
3. Christ is our example of demonstrating forgiveness.  When Christ was being mocked upon the cross, He didn’t respond with anger and bitterness.  He called out to His Father: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) When we forgive those who have hurt us, we are acting like our Savior.  These people didn’t ask Christ to forgive them, but yet Christ poured out His forgiveness towards them.
Forgiveness is difficult for us because we think that the offended party  is “let off the hook”.  In reality, we are let off the hook.  We are now free to live our lives without being controlled by our bitterness.  God shows us the following blessings of extending forgiveness to others.

• We have a testimony before others. “The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.” (Proverbs 19:11)
• We show God’s love towards others.  Charity “rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:6-7)
• We will have a joyful heart. “Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)
• We will enjoy true Christian fellowship. “To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;” (2 Corinthians 2:10)

Forgiveness is our choice.  We can continue to feel hurt and embittered, or we can choose forgiveness.  The offending party may never ask for forgiveness, but we can forgive them in our heart.  Many persons have lived a miserable life because they chose not forgiveness.  Is your bitterness worth it?
“Dear Lord, you felt the pain of rejection, hatred, misunderstanding and ridicule; yet you forgave.  Help me, to forgive those who have hurt me.  My bitter spirit has not only hurt me, but those around me.  I have lost the joy in my life.  Lord, in my heart I now forgive _____________.   Thank you for your forgiveness towards me when I don’t deserve it.  From now on, help me to exercise love towards even those who have hurt me. Amen.”

DAY 12

DAY 12
     I am so thankful for answered prayer.  We had been praying that the Lord would show us if I should become a Pampered Chef consultant (something we have considered for awhile and felt now may bet he time). The Lord gave us some very clear answers that now was the time to take this step of faith. Satan loves to put doubts when God has given a clear path, and I was praying for the Lord to show me maybe a little more that I was doing the right thing.  Well, yesterday he did just that!! I was sharing with a friend how the Lord was leading and the ways we made the decision and she gave me the money for my start up kit! I am SO overwhelmed by how God provides and makes his will clear.  I am excited about this new venture and how it will help provide for my family! 
   
     I recently heard a good message on prayer by Paul Chappell.  His outline was simple.
ASK
A- ask
S- seek
K- knock

God promises to answer we need to pray believing he WILL do it.  I am so thankful for a faithful Father even when I am not so faithful!

DAY11

DAY 11
   I am thankful for the Veterans who have served our country. I have 2 uncles and a cousin who have served. The all served during a war, and thankfully came home safely. I know many military families today who have loved ones serving and many away from home today. THANK YOU!!!

DAY 10

DAY 10
   I am thankful for God's provisions.  We have been blessed with a house that has yard enough to do a good garden.  This year as we were digging potatoes it didn't seem like we had a lot, but NOW 14 quarts of reds later and still MANY left for fresh potatoes I am amazed again at how God provides. 
 
    I know there are many that can't do gardens due to health or where they live.  My Mom would love to do one and has tried but has not succeeded yet, I know she will try again next year.  It is a lot of work and canning is work too. BUT in winter months when we have fresh vegetables ready for us at no extra cost it is such a blessing!

     Enjoy what God has given you today!!

DAY 9

DAY 9
     I am thankful for my youngest Trenton.  This child has more nicknames than any other child I know.
I have called him T from the beginning.  T Baby now T Bubba!  Grandma Bidlack calls him Tiny Might. Papa Walker calls him Trenton, NJ.  At church, we have a gentleman that calls him Shorty!  All those names sum up our youngest. My all time favorite it "The Mess". I said this one time to a dear friend and it has stuck. For many years, I have seen families and knew that each family has a "clown" T is our clown.  From a young age, his personality has always made us laugh.  He is truly a joy to us!!

 This is when he was 1 and being a clown.
He also had crazy hair as a baby!

I have really had fun looking through old pictures.
This summer at my family reunion he discovered water guns and pools!

I also used to call him Master of Disaster or Doctor of Destruction  cuz he is always getting into things and breaking things.

I will have to say that he keeps me on my toes more that the other 2 did at his age!!

We are also enjoying watching him learn to love the Lord.  He has not made a decision to accept Christ, yet, but we feel he is getting close.  He loves to sing in church and he will play church and "preach" to his stuffed animals.  I know God has something big for him too.

I am blessed to be the Mom of these 3 precious boys!!!

Viola Video

I had a couple people ask about hearing Raymond.  I will warn you this is not for the faint of ears.  I think he is doing well for only 9 weeks of Beginning strings class, and the first 2 weeks they didn't pick up the bow.  See if you can figure out the names of the songs.