I received much encouragement -- weeks ago -- at a church service on a Wednesday night. I've wanted to blog about it since then - and I finally got it done!!

Yippeee!!

The problem is - I tried to dual-post it here and at my Blogger Laundry Pile - and something in the formatting keeps changing -- and making it difficult to read. I'm still not sure I've got it fixed at blogger. 

Am I taking the easy way out?? ---> I'm going to just link over and let you read what I wrote and hopefully it will be encouraging to you - or at least make you think - or laugh - or ... well... I don't want it make you cry.                   Here's the link:

"Only Today"  

What can we do - Today?

Me? I'm going to do laundry.

...because I can't think of a catchier title. I'm title-less today.

I really don't want to whine - but I was able to log in - so I'm going to write about the day.

It was not pleasant.

Mini-E is teething hard. We know for sure the poor kids is getting 4 molars at once - but now we think we're seeing some 'Canines' poking starting to, as The Professor says, bubble up.

She got up at 3:30 this morning. She and The Professor can rock in the recliner and they can sleep. I can not and apparently, last night neither could MIni-E. She did everything in her power to stay awake. We don't tend to medicate the kids unnecessarily, so I never even considered giving her pain meds. (I will tonight, though) Anyway - I left her and the Prof. in the recliner and climbed back in bed with the instructions that he could come get me if she was still up in an hour or so. She never quieted down, she didn't go to sleep.

But when I hit the pillow, a "battlefield of the mind" hit me. With one forgotten memory. Goodness. I was shocked at the memory because it was recent, but for some reason hadn't remembered it. So I started to pray. But it was a tough battle.

I gave up on sleeping after Mini-E started crying again, but I was cranky. The "battle" had left me frustrated and cranky. Which is why, I do not think I gained victory in the battle. And poor Mini-E and I did not get along. She didn't want to sleep and I didn't just want to sit there. When she finally sat still on the floor and started falling asleep is when I tried to put her down. And then tried to sleep myself.

Needless to say, she's earned herself a trip to the pediatrician to make sure her ears are clear. We didn't do any schoolwork today, either. Which frustrates me, too. I want to be able to do it all. *LOL* How to homeschool with babies is something I need to reasearch more deeply, I guess. They can really throw a kink in your plans.

I'm much better mentally and spiritually than I was earlier in the day. I felt a change in the spiritual atmosphere (which sounds waaaaaay charismatic, I know) but after being under what seemed like a cloud all day, when it's gone, you feel the difference.

I certainly don't want to make the same mistakes I made today. And I love the fact that we never fail God's tests - we just get to have a do-over.

Ever have one of those days? One of those days that is just busy. You go through the day hopping from one thing to another. Nothing really great happened and nothing really bad happened. But by the time you get to the end of the day it's difficult to see the good stuff that happened over the bad stuff?

Because there's that one moment that stole your joy - and it's the end of the day and you're too tired to fight to get it back.

That's the kind of day I've had. It's not the best of days and it's not the worst of days.

And that one little moment just completely stole my joy. Oh I'm still Joyin' in Jesus and all that - now I'm just maudlin.

When I get like this, which isn't often, I get too hard on myself. So I sit and criticize myself. Am I doing enough? Am I doing too much? Are my expectations too high or maybe even misplaced? (There's a definite maybe to that one)

We managed to eek out 1 page of phonics from Mini-Me's phonics workbook. And that was it for school. Though, she had a life lesson at the Vet. Our cat has developed a bald foot. We're not sure why and neither is the vet. This cat was a nervous wreck when we poured her out of her carrier. She layed as low as she could go on the counter. She buried her self under the towel I took with me...and then turned until her back was to the Vet tech (Maybe If I can't see her - she'll go away).

I also went to the funeral of my great-uncle. I got there exactly at start time and found the church packed! It was amazing. It's a small church but still - people were pouring out into the halways. I sat with my mom and another uncle in the foyer. It was interesting to hear the service about a man I just knew as my uncle. I adored him even though we were not close. I was thinking, though, he always talked to me and treated me as if I were, I don't know -- let's just say he went out of his way to speak to me.

Though that's not even what stole my joy. Because he's in heaven with His Jesus....

Ahhh - I hear the squeaky cry of a cranky baby who is awake and shouldn't be.

That sounds like Breakfast.
Hey that could be a commercial

 Tired of your normal breakfast routine?

Try a blog-fast! A blog for breakfast -

it's better than reading the cereal box!!

Okay - Still doing the "Daniel" Bible Study by Beth Moore.

Week 6; Day 3 (homework)

"From satan's first entrance o nthe stage of earth in Genesis 3, he's tried to convince believers that God is holding out on them. Cheating them. Satan tries to suggest that this life is all we can be sure of: live it sacrificially and we've lost it all. He mocks, "How gullible - how stupid - could you be? Live it up while you've got the chance!" As we walk up and down the sidewalks of our pesent Babylons, stay alert to his seductions and to the songs in his town squares.

In reality, satan is the cheater and Babylon is his queen, offering false fulfillments for any taker.

Buyer Beware."

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I know people like this! I know people that believe this lie - and often times, I fall for it, myself. Anyway - for weeks I've thought God has been telling me to prune things back and I've not done so. So I don't know how I got a fast out of the above passage, but I'm going to take a fasting from blogging for a while...a week?

If I get tired of reading the cereal boxes, though, I'll stop by to chat - there's only so much nutritional content that you can read about.

~Bleach Free Blessings!~

I'm loving this Bible Study I'm taking. (Daniel by Beth Moore) It's rocking my world. It's also a good follow up to Believing God (also by Beth Moore).

I'm having way too much fun with the Hyperlink button.

The main point of the first six weeks of this study has been that we are Daniels in a modern day Babylon. The Babylon mentality is "I am and there is no other" NOT "God is - and there is No Other." It's an all about me, me, me world. So this study has been about getting us to think about that - and how we can effect the world with out it effecting us.

The video session for Session Six starts us reading Daniel 6:10-16

and Beth has us look at 3 ways we can react in an emergency.

We can Panic.

We can become Paralyzed.

We can Pray (compare Ps. 55:15-18)

When we panic - we do the wrong thing.

When we become paralyzed - we do nothing - which is also the wrong thing.

When we pray - we can do the powerful thing!

"Like Daniel, we want to practice a holy habit long enough that it becomes the old pattern." see also Philippians 4:6-7. "Giving Thanks" ---> Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Beth pointed out that we all have defaults that we do when crises arise. Some of us get mad, some of us sink into depression, some of us stress, etc. Sometimes we have old habits that we run to. And that's where she got me. I've been set free from a food addiction. Honestly - it was a true deliverance -but I still have those old habits that arise. And I've been thinking about them lately..thinking why, if I've been set free, do I still do this. And it's because it's a pattern.

It's a default in my system. Kind of like a computer that has a default screen or program that defaults to the opening splash screen. My default  is snack foods - preferrably chocolate. While chocolate is not a bad thing, the reason I want it is a fall back during a stressful or rough time. That's not good on my relationship with God.

Beth said something like "Wouldn't it be great if we changed our old habits - that our actions and urges defaulted to the spirit instead of to the flesh!"

God is all about relationship and, through prayer, He forces that relationship.

Do not be anxious for anything but in everything give thanks! We tend to compartmentalize the things that happen to us...but EVERYTHING can be effected through prayer. We tend to think that only certain things can be changed through prayer - EVERYTHING...

A lot of energy is wasted through anxiety.

There is power in the Spoken Word!! That's why we need to know the word! Know our sword in order to wound the enemy through the proper use of our weapon!

I'm a firm believer in speaking the truth out of our mouths - though every so often I forget and get to feeling odd about it - what will others think? But it doesn't matter! I've got the truth to speak out!!

We want to default into the spirit - not the flesh!

So that's a bit of what I learned last night. I'm still digesting it all...and every amazed at the choices we make. We can choose to panic, to be paralyzed or to be powerful.

On Monday, God put a Song in my heart - I LOVE it when He sings over me.

So I got my CD out,  

pumped up the volume, 

and the kids and I danced. 

The Holy Spirit invaded our house.

That is always incredible to me - when Someone so Holy comes to my crumb-filled house.

I was able to proclaim and decree all that He would want to do in our house... So I want to jot this down - I'll probably print it and journal it on paper, too -

So here it is - My Monday Song

My Glorious

God is bigger than

The air I breathe

The world we'll leave

God will save the day

And all will say

My Glorious

And all You ever do

is Change the old for new

People, we believe that (repeat above)

The world's shaken

With the love of God

Great and glorious

Let the whole earth sing

Clouds are breaking

Heaven's come to earth

Hearts awakening

Let the church bells ring

My Glorious

My Glorious by Stuart Garrard & Martin Smith

Found on the CD - Passion: Our Love is Loud

I want the world to know that He's truly changing the old for new in me - my life - my family - my future! But what He's changing happen to be things that are not public. Perspectives - thought patterns - that sort of thing! On top of that -- He's letting me watch and observe as He sets the paving stones in the road of my destiny! And I mean watch! It's almost so literal, it's freaky.

God is truly My Glorious!

I've had several revelations lately....so maybe if I type them out they'll sink in. Kind of like thinking out loud.

I can not compare myself to others.  Especially other homeschool moms. I was looking at all the things other HSers are doing with their kids - and I got a bit maudlin.

We do good when we do the 3 R's. but I want the kids to be well rounded! I want them to learn other stuff, too. (So do they) But I have to be careful because those that I would compare myself to - many of them don't have the age groups of kids that I have. And many of them only have 2 kids. That meanst - they don't have  teething baby or a two year old that actually fits the two-year-old typecast.

What's funny - I KNOW all this. But sometimes I have to revisit it. Kind of like reading a good book - you just have to re-read it.

My other revelation came from reading "Orgainzed Homeschooler". You know what I figured out?? I am organized! My problem comes from having too much stuff for the little space that I occupy. One thing we do lack, because of me, is the wherewithall to pick up what we get out.

I bounce from thing to thing - like that ball in a sing-along video.

But I really should spend time at night cleaning up after myself.

As usual, I digress.

So I'm going to bed...

And I remember the 3rd thing I wanted to ramble about - but why start a new ramble when I have a perfectly good one sitting right here?

There are just some days you feel like you're being pecked to death by ducks.

When the kids have more needs than I have hands - when there are outside forces pulling for you immediate attention - when there are household chores sitting there mocking you. (I firmly believe there are physical ducks and there are spirit-realm ducks.)

Those are the most important days to praise. I find myself at night, with my head on the pillow, having a "duh" moment - thinking, "I should have stopped to praise!" The lesson of Nebuchadnezzar going crazy - when all God wanted was for Nebbie to praise and say "Heaven Rules!" was a profound one to me. Those duck pecking days are the days I have to stop and say "Heaven Rules! My God Reigns! He is God and there is none like Him - or beside Him!"

Thus ends the editation of my ramble. :-)

My God Reigns in Heaven - There is none like Him!

Bleach Free blessings!

A small preface: My Bible Study group is doing the same Bible Study as Thoughtful mom -- Daniel by Beth Moore. I promise I'm not repeating! My group is a few weeks behind Thoughtful's. I'm also enjoying technology!  On the nights that I miss the video session in the main group, I've been downloading them and watching them via the internet. (I love cable internet! That would not have been possible to do with Dial-up) End of preface.

_______________________________________________________________________

Week 3 - Video Session

Tonight's session was powerful and all about Daniel's friends.

Shadrach, Meshach & Benny (to quote VeggieTales)

The King built an 8 story statue. Made of Gold. Look back on Chapter 2 - Beth suggests that he got the idea from that vision. I sort of think that he wanted to be remembered...and an 8 story statue sounded like something that couldn't be easily forgotten.  And hey - since we've got the statue - let's worship it.

The three amigos refuse. Here's a funny I noticed.

In Scripture - they're only supposed to bow down and worship the one statue. But when The 3 are called onto the carpet - it's not just the one statue - but also the other gods that they weren't worshipping. That was funny to me...talk about trumped up charges.

They were given a second chance and refuesed.  They were tied up - and then were thrown into the firey furnace!

They went through a firey trial...choosing to believe God instead of bowing down. They were thrown in fully dressed, Daniel even lists the items of clothes they were wearing and, yet, the only things that got burned up were their bonds.

Those things that hold us in bondage are the things that get burned away during a firey trial.  It's going through the firey trial that our faith is perfected! Refined! Thrilling...to be refined is to have no impurities...bondages are impurities. Keen Gear.

Then the 4th man showed up - way to go Jesus!!

When they emerged from the furnace - they didn't even smell like smoke. I've always loved that part of the story. I've been around campfires and could smell smoke in my nose for hours after!! Hair, clothes, skin all smell like smoke. Beth Moore pointed out that even Fajita's leave a smell on us!! That made me giggle because she's right.

When we go through the firey trial (and Isaiah points out that it's "When" not "If"), we have a choice to make. Will we go through it praising and believing God (like the Famous 3 in Daniel?) Or will we go out smelling like smoke? The smoke of bitterness, resentment, anger, self-pity...the list could go on and on.

Of course, I reflected on my life and circumstances: important and not, serious and not, homeschooling and not.  I do NOT want to smell like smoke!

I want to go through with my joy intact.

With praise on my lips!!

The question I need to ask myself - Smoking or non??

Wasn't that a song?

Oh - wait....that's "Breaking up is hard to do."

So it should be a song. I'm not going to write it though.

I had a nice long blog entry all typed out and inserted.

But then I re-read it and didn't like it.

So I deleted it.

Now that it's gone, I'm not sure how far back into my reaches of my brain I need to go to find a blog entry.

All I know is that if I tried it with an ink-pen, I'd be up all night. And Hubby won't be home until late tomorrow...so I have to sleep.  

He need's a name. "hubby" suits him, Doug suits him better...but in the moniker driven world of blogging - he needs a handle. If he were a load of laundry he'd be a gray load. Some fellas at work call him "The Professor". That might work -as it suits him. He could be the Laundry Professor. Definitely not nutty...I'll have to try out "The Professor" a few times and see how it sounds. For the sake of brevity, though, he might just end up being Doug.

I went away for the weekend (last weekend - not this weekend. I'm home this weekend. Obviously, for here I sit. Boy, I'm smart!!). I was helping on a women's "retreat". Not really a retreat - more of a get-away..and even more like church camp for adults. (Men have their own weekend)

And I got to see God move in lives and hearts of His women. I got to see freedom just come into someone's heart - it was beautiful.

I also got to hear a bit more of Him whispering to me.

He's whispering to me loudly, actually. Through the voice of the older woman in my life - but also in the books that I'm reading.

Lay down your self...

Flesh...

life...

Take up your cross daily - and follow me.

Homeschooling is much like this for me. It really is for kingdom purposes that I homeschool. Not my own agenda - but for Kingdom purposes.

On my return home Sunday Evening, after watching God move, I was surprised by the level of emotions that I felt. Mini-E was sitting with Daddy....J-man came running to me with open arms "Mommmmmy!!". G & Mini-Me greeted me with cheers and kisses. I was nearly in tears then - but then Mini-E just stared at me (her tooth was very pronounced by now) with a shocked look. So I got down on her level (on my tummy) and said Hi...she reached out with her hands and grabbed my hair and touched my nose and grinned. I guess she had decided it really was me. I was teary eyed big time.

And then J-man jumped on my back and hollered "Gidd-up" (his language for "giddy-up" and "horse"). It was both funny and a mood killer.

It was good to be home.

While Mini-E is teething and J-man wants to be in the midst of it all - I have to keep reminding myself - Kingdom purposes.

Besides - it's less stress to dress for for home than it is to dress four to go out to drop two off at school.

I can't believe it's Sunday afternoon. Just yesterday was Friday, wasn't it?

Oh - Friday. That was a day that will go down in infamy.

It was not a happy day. Far too much disobedience. Far too much shouting. Far too much arguiing.

I am like that with God, sometimes. I want to know "Why" when really, I need to say "Yes, Sir, Daddy" and then ask the why later. *sigh* I really feel like I've been in the washer - or at least the spin cycle. Wash me clean, My Lord!