The Cross-centered life, I mean?

This is what I want to know.  What I want to see.  What I want to, by God's grace, do.  Live it.  Daily.  So...as God has been revealing Himself to me in new and fresh ways, I have decided that one way to keep myself accountable to this focus would be to post here each day some new way He has shown us how to keep the Gospel of Christ at the center of our lives.

Yesterday it was through an experience where one family member felt that he/she should punish him/herself by hurting him/herself after sinning.  Our pastor graciously explained (we were at their home) to this person that by doing this, this person was saying that the punishment Christ bore, His death on the cross, was not enough. 

I'm so grateful for this simple but profound truth being revealed to us anew.  Do you desire to punish yourself when you've sinned?  If so, consider why.  If Christ has paid the price, God raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand, if HE is satisfied...why would we seek to "add" to it?  Why would we, mere mortals, not be satisfied?  After all, Scripture says...Jesus said...IT IS FINISHED.  No more payment is necessary.  The price has been paid IN FULL.  May we not cheapen the high price that was paid by our mighty and merciful Savior for our forgiveness and freedom!

May we live in light of God's glorious grace revealed to us in the cross of Calvary.  There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ!  Praise His Name for that!!!

Okay, so now it's really been awhile since I've posted!  I've got great reasons, though.  Lots of cuddles, kisses, diaper changes and all of the other newborn joys.  Since mid-May we've been enjoying our sweet little one, and to say that we're grateful to the Lord for her just doesn't come close to our true sentiments!  Thank You, Lord, for this precious miracle that You've brought to us!

We wrapped up our last school year and had our evaluation.  Our evaluator is a precious woman and dear friend now.  A kindred spirit who is filled with grace and wisdom.  It was a joy to share time together here as she measured the boys' progress and also gave me advice and godly insights.  Another evidence of God's grace to us...the gift of bringing her into our lives!

We are enjoying the new year's academic material, as well as our daily life lessons.  God continues to humble us by giving us very specific, detailed lessons and teaching us to trust in and depend on Him.  It amazes me, how the Sovereign Lord of the entire universe cares enough to chip away at the ugly sin in my heart and graciously work to make me more like His Son, Jesus.  It's ALL about Him, after all!!!  How we long to bring much glory to Christ in our lives, our home.  Our actions, attitudes, words...Lord, please help us to make much of Jesus and bring glory to Your Name!

Baby's well visit (4 months!) was today, and it was impressed upon my heart,  once again, what a gift from God our pediatrician is.  I love this woman.  She is kind, funny, brilliant, gentle, gracious, patient...and so much more!  We are so thankful to have a doctor who truly cares about us.  Each one of us.  It makes all the difference in the world!  She never makes me feel like I am a fool because I'm not a health care professional.  She listens with a genuine attentiveness that I admire and appreciate.  Each time I leave her office, I am either bouncing off the walls with giddiness, or blinking back tears of joy, humility and gratitude.  Another evidence of God's grace in our lives...our sweet pediatrician!

Then...a visit to a friend today who cares so tangibly for my family.  Prays diligently for us.  Serves us by coming to spend time and help and encourage.  Being around her always lifts my spirits....  She encourages me in Truth and gives advice and ideas to help my daily life be more fruitful.  I believe she "picks me up" on a more frequent basis than anyone else I know.  It seems as though she's made it her mission to reach out to me and encourage me on a daily basis.  And she's got plenty on her own plate, so this is no small thing.  More of God's grace.

Lord, I'm so thankful to You for these things and many more!  Like the way you enabled me to fix the alarm on the sewer pump/grinder last night!  What a blessing that was.  You amaze me.  Nothing is too difficult for Thee!!!!  I do not want to take Your grace for granted.  Please keep my eyes fixed on You, I pray.  Please remind me of all the ways Your grace is made manifest in my life.  I am humbled, grateful, blessed, filled with joy...all because of You.  May I bring You glory, dear Christ!  I long to be a light in this dark world for You.  Thanks for Your grace, which You truly lavish on me daily.  I love you!!!

In Your strong, mighty and matchless Name I pray, sweet Jesus,

Amen.

I cannot breathe without it.  Take a step.  Say a word.  Live another day.  And yet how often I forget that.  Rely on my own faulty, fallen self.  Fail.  Stumble.  Scold myself for doing the very thing I do not want to do.  Think I can somehow do better.  I can't.  Not in and of myself. 

Oh, Lord, how I need to be reminded not just daily, but moment by moment, of Your matchless grace and how I truly depend on it for every single thing in my life!  And how Your grace to me does not often look like I would expect it to look.  Sometimes Your grace is a painful window into my prideful heart.  A difficult review of a day that I've caused much hurt or exasperation for my family.  These moments are Your grace to me, as is the brilliant smile from one child that brightens our entire block.  The sweet encouragement and cuddles from another one that bring such deep emotion.  Tears flood the eyes to think of Your great gift of grace in my children.  And a husband.  Oh, a husband.  Such a gift I've never known...one who is patient, gracious, loving, merciful, kind...so filled with the Fruits of the Spirit!  Such a man I never expected nor deserve.  Thank You for him.  He is a picture of Your grace to me. 

Your grace is for my good.  Iron sharpening iron, fire used to refine.  These things are hard!  But GOOD.  YOU are GOOD.  Everything that comes into my life is from Your hand, Lord, and is a part of Your perfect plan to mold me and shape me.  I, the clay.  You, the Potter.  The Creator.  The Master.  I am Yours.  I BELONG to You.  You own me and can do as You see fit with my life.  Would You please remind me, Lord, that each moment I live is an extension of Your great grace to me?  That it doesn't matter what kind of moment it is.  It's all grace.  All in Your control.

Thank You for Your grace.

...since I've posted here, obviously!  It seems as though the days are a complete blur.  My energy levels wax and wane at different stages of this pregnancy.  I can't wait to meet this precious little one!  But there still seems to be such a long list of things I'd like to have accomplished before her arrival.

Do you struggle with focusing on all of the "to-dos" and task lists, to the detriment of what is truly of greater importance?  I really don't think I have a clue how often I make this mistake.  I imagine it's multiple times a day.  I am so selfish and prideful...I am easily irritated or frustrated when things distract me or interrupt me.  'Cause, you know, whatever I'm doing is the most important thing in the world at each minute, and anyone who wouldn't know that and act accordingly, well....  ARGH!  What incredible pride.  I continue to pray that the Lord would reveal this to me before I act or speak, and enable me to choose differently.

These are just some random thoughts here, but it's what is on my heart at this very moment.  I am really longing for the Lord to work in me a gentle and quiet spirit.  It seems so impossible, given my normal tendencies.  I'm so glad that His Word tells me that with Him, ANYTHING is possible!!!  So, Lord, I am asking You again, by Your grace and for YOUR ultimate glory, would you please work in me a gentle and quiet spirit?  May I be quick to extend grace to those around me and live in a way that brings peace and joy to our home and lives, and brings glory to You!  Father, I ask that You might reveal to me the things that I am doing that run contrary to that.  The things I don't even see when I'm in the midst of them.  I'm sure the list is long, Lord, but I humbly ask you to open my eyes and see what changes I can make to create a haven here in our home that is a blessing to all and makes much of Christ!

Father, I cannot do this.  With me, it is impossible.  But with You, it is possible!  Thank You that You never stop working in us.  I am SO undeserving of Your grace and mercy.  Thank You for continuing to give them to me, anyway!  I pray that You might do a mighty work in my heart and our home.  May our daughter be born into an environment that is different than the one that has stealthily crept in.  I ask You to work in all of our hearts for our good and for YOUR glory, Lord Jesus!  For it's in Your matchless Name I pray, Amen.

Molly has generously offered a chance to win a Vision Forum audio set on her Counter-Cultural School blog.   I have learned so much from this wise woman...you'll have to check this out!  I've not heard any Vision Forum messages yet, but I've wanted to for some time.  Some of my dearest friends rave about them, and I'm excited about the potential for getting a set here.  Check out her contest post here:

http://counterculturalschool.blogspot.com/2009/02/blog-contest.html

Have a wonderful week!

Ann at Holy Experience ( http://www.aholyexperience.com/ ) has reminded me, once again, of how we need to be grateful!  I am embarassed when I think of how much I take for granted in my life.  Back in November I meant to begin adding lists of things I'm thankful for to my blog, but haven't followed through.  Today, I'm attempting to start again.  Here are just a few of the things that come to my mind right now for which I am grateful:

Salvation - God's free gift of faith to me, by His grace!

My incredible, humble, servant-leader, gracious, loving husband.

My two boys who overwhelm me with great joy and teach me ever so much as we go through our days together.

A precious little girl on the way, one whom I cannot wait to meet!!!

God's Word - Truth - and all that it can do!

Yorkshire tea and highlands shortbread

Friends who are thoughtful

Incredibly hospitable people

Music

Sunshine

Time...I need to see it as more of a gift; use it more wisely and effectively, by God's grace!

Sleep

Thunderstorms.  LOUD ones.

People who express genuine interest, care and concern for me and my family.

Modern conveniences that make life easier.  Lord, may I use the ones You want me to, and set aside the rest!

Thank you, Ann, for your constant encouragement and your challenges.  I'm grateful for you, and for your reminder today to thank the Lord for the truly endless, limitless blessing He bestows on us daily!

Thank You, Lord!!!  May my eyes be opened to see all that comes to me by Your hand, and thank You for it, not taking You or anything You bring to me for granted.  I love You!

I've been doing pretty well getting back on track, thank the Lord!  I think our new eating habits have made an impact in this area, as well.  I do have more energy, and I'm very thankful!  Who would have thought that there would be a specific way to eat, depending on your blood type, that could seriously improve  your life and your health?  I've heard about it for awhile now, but hadn't given it a try.  We're seeing improvements already.  So...I believe that's enabled me to have more stamina for getting back on track.

Once again, Crystal at Biblical Womanhood has posted a place for us to be accountable in this quest.  I find it interesting that she and I have so much in common, though we've never met.  I must say that my goals are pretty much the same as hers right now, in this Getting Back on Track challenge.  Getting to bed earlier, getting up earlier, following my morning routine, and shining my sink.  I just started doing this (shining my sink) again during this past week, and it has made a difference already!  In the coming week I'm hoping to keep working hard and build consistency in these three things.  We've had one "off day" in the last couple of weeks, but for the most part it's gone really well.  Praise God!

You can find Crystal's latest post here:  http://biblicalwomanhoodblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/getting-back-on-track-kitchen-sink.html

Well, first the progress from last week...  I did the reading assignment, tossed the trash throughout the house, and started gathering things for our yard sale.  We are having one in a couple of weeks, so this is perfect timing!  I am still in that process, trying to be very thorough and more ruthless than usual.  I expect to continue that part of the assignment throughout this "Spring Cleaning" time.  I think for me, this is really about nesting and wanting to be prepared and restful and peaceful when this little one arrives in a few months!  I have really made a great deal of progress in other unrelated areas, as well, which have been important for me and our family.  We've made a major dietary overhaul in the midst, as well, not to mention daily homeschooling.  It all feels very good, to drop into bed exhausted at night from being so productive!  I'm so thankful to the Lord that my body is cooperating in this stage of the pregnancy so I can do this.

As for this week, I have done the reading so far, and will be starting in the living room tonight or tomorrow.  I have been doing my scrapbooking there the last few weeks, so I am first working on the craft area to make it more workable.  That way, when I remove all of the scrapbooking things from the living room, they can go directly where they should in the craft area, rather than just being piled up somewhere in this process.  Like I said, I'm nesting, and trying to be careful and thorough this time around.  The progress in the craft area is going to be slow.  I keep too many things, and am working on purging that.  I have made some good progress in there today, and will continue until I can reasonably bring back in the things from the living room.  Then...I'll begin the work in the living room for this week's assignment.  I'm really looking forward to it!

Many thanks again to Crystal, at Biblical Womanhood, for the challenge to do this, and the accountability.  You can find her post for this week at:

http://biblicalwomanhoodblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/spring-cleaning-for-normal-people.html

And thank You, Lord, for the many blessing You bestow on my each day!  Thanks for Your faithfulness and grace to meet each moment.  Thank You for my family and our home.  I pray that this process will bless them and bring glory to You!!!

Well, Crystal at Biblical Womanhood and I are in a similar stage of life - pregnant with little one # 3!  And...both hoping/wanting/needing to get our homes in order before these precious babies arrive.  So, when I saw her newest offer for accountability on this subject, I was thrilled to sign on!  Crystal has her assignment here:

http://biblicalwomanhoodblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/spring-cleaning-for-normal-people.html

I've already read the 16 pages in the e-book and gone through most of the house for trash.  Those were the easy parts.  Now I'll be on to the tougher items, and will post progress later in the week! 

Lord, please help me make some significant progress in this area, as You know it's been on my heart for some time!  For our good and YOUR glory, Lord, I ask it in Jesus' Name.

Well, I did not do as well as I'd hoped last week.  That being said, I was more productive than I'd been the weeks prior, so that was positive!  I realize I'd forgotten something even in Revision # 1 last week, and I'm really wanting to make this become completely automatic.  So...here is my morning routine goal, even though it's more than five things:

1.  Rise, take meds, shower/get ready for day

2.  Make bed (unless DH worked nights and is still in it!)

3.  Get laundry going

4.  Breakfast w/ kids, read Bible together

5.  Empty/re-load dishwasher

6.  Check e-mail quickly

7.  Start school

Now, for my goal for this week....  I would like to be in bed between 10:30 and 11pm, and rise between 6:30 and 7am.  My hope is for this to push to the early side over time, but to give myself a window as I get used to it.  To help with this, I plan to put my alarm clock across the room, rather than on my nightstand.  I'll have to get up to turn it off, and I do not want to allow myself to climb back in bed!  I will also set an alarm on my watch for 10pm to give me a warning to start wrapping up whatever I'm doing, so I can get ready for bed on time.  I've never done this before, and hope it helps get me back on track!

Well, yesterday I already found that I'm going to make a revision of my morning routine.  It's interesting how we can get something stuck in our minds so well that we have a very difficult time moving away from it.  For me, this is one of those things.  See, looking back at when I had the most productive and best study times in my walk with the Lord were those times when I got up early in the morning and had that time - about 90 minutes to 2 hours each day.  I LOVED it!  But...I was single, no children.  Life was very different.

Fast forward to today.  I would still like to have my time in the Word before I face the day.  But...to really be able to do some good studying I would have to get up much earlier than my children.  And that's just not working for me right now!  So...what I did yesterday worked out perfectly.  When they went to their rooms for rest in the afternoon, I changed the laundry around, made my cup of tea, and sat down for my study time.  It was great.  The house  was quiet, I could focus, and I was much more alert and could process what I was reading and journaling than if I tried to do it really early in the morning!  That's also the time of day that my body is very tired, physically, so it's a perfect time to sit down and move less. 

So...my first 5 things in the morning are now:

1.  Rise, take meds, shower, get dressed and ready for day

2.  Start a load of laundry

3.  Breakfast w/ the kids, read Bible together (see, I still get some Bible time in!)

4.  Empty and re-load dishwasher

5.  Start school

I also have a flip calendar in my bathroom, so I do have a Scripture verse each morning that I read as I'm getting ready.  That, along with reading with the boys, still gives me some Truth to consider until my afternoon Tea Time w/ my King.  Thanks, Lord, for opening my eyes to the window of time that now works best for me to have good time with You!  Please help each of us to be open to new and different things that You might use to draw us closer to Yourself, be more efficient or effective, etc.  For our good, and for Your glory!

Oh, how I need to do that right now!  I was so pleased to see that Crystal over at Biblical Womanhood is doing the same, and invited us to join her.  She'll have weekly accountability checks, which is something I need.  So...we're starting with the basics here.  Five items for a consistent morning routine to start the day off in the right direction.  Here are mine:

1.  Get up, take meds, shower and get dressed

2.  Start a load of laundry

3.  Tea Time with the King: Bible reading/prayer/pregnancy tea

4.  Breakfast w/ kids, empty/re-load dishwasher

5.  Start school

I'd love to have a set time for rising each morning, but with my pregnancy coupled with intermittent insomnia, I've got to sleep when I can.  So...suffice it to say that my ideal time to rise would be 6am, but I'm hoping to be up before 7 at the latest.  I'm excited to see how the Lord will enable me to be more productive at home simply by getting back into a regular routine (Which I USED to be quite good at, but have let it slide...)!  Once these things are consistent, I look forward to adding some afternoon and evening routines, as well.   Time to go...computer time is not one of the first five things for my morning!  :-)   

You can check Crystal's post out here:

http://biblicalwomanhoodblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/getting-back-on-track-morning-routine.html

Joy.  Isn't that something we all want?  Sometimes even long for?  Wonder why it seems to be lacking in our lives?  What exactly is joy, after all?  Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines it as:

The passion or emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good; that excitement of pleasurable feelings which is caused by success, good fortune, the gratification of desire or some good possessed, or by a rational prospect of possessing what we love or desire; gladness; exultation; exhilaration of spirits.

As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and looking at this definition, how can I NOT be filled with joy?  Well, that happens when I am not living in light of the Truth.  Let's take a another look at this definition, breaking it up a bit to examine it more closely.

1.  the passion or emotion  - this reminds us that joy is, in fact, something that we feel.  Passion would imply that we feel it strongly.

2.  excited by  - something causes, brings about, joy.

3.  (excited by) the acquisition or expectation of good  - Even from a human or worldly perspective, I can make a long list of "good" things that I have acquired.  I can probably even have some expectation that at least some more "good" will come into my life at some point.  Is that where it ends?  Is that where the joy comes from?  Or the lack of it?  I would argue that this thinking is exactly why many of us, as believers in Christ, ride a roller coaster of emotions in search of joy, but never seeming to stay joyful.  It is because we are looking at it from the wrong perspective.  We have become so assimilated into this world that is not really our Home, that we have taken on the mindsets that bombard us from all around.  We are continually told what will make us happier (joy?), make our lives better (I even saw an ad for a special kind of television screen that will supposedly "improve your life" if you purchase it!  Sad...), etc....  If we are not very careful, we will allow these messages to pervade our own thoughts, guide our emotions and hearts.  We won't even realize it, but we will look more like the world than we ever wanted to.  We will not look like foreigners that are serving a purpose before going HOME.

Let's look at those words again:  the acquisition or expectation of good.  Let's view this part of joy's definition through the lens of Truth, God's Word.  Have I acquired any good?  Oh, my.  Ephesians 2:4-9 says, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."  What have we acquired?  Salvation as a gift from God.  We have been raised with Christ and seated with Him in the heavenly places.  GOOD things, or not???  Wow! 

4.  This passage also gives us some of the next part of the definition: expectation of good.   In the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  Expectation of even more good from the Lord!

Psalm 103 reminds us of much good the Lord bestows on us:  "...forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.  The Lord performs righteous deeds and judgments for all who are oppressed...  The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.  He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever.  He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkiness toward those who fear Him.  As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.  Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.  For He himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust."  (vs. 2b-6, 8-14)  No matter that He knows in the grand scheme of life, the world, and eternity we are DUST...He still chooses to pour out all of these blessings on us!!!  Incredible.  I'd say that is some real good that ought to bring us true JOY!  We could search the Scriptures and find countless good like this.  Good that the Lord has already given to us!  Promises for our futures! 

5.  So we look at some more of the definition:  that excitement of pleasurable feelings which is caused by success, good fortune, the gratification of desire or some good possessed,  Does the great good we just touched on above excite pleasurable feelings in you?  If not, why?  Isn't that something to consider?  If we meditate on all that God has done for us, surely we ought to have pleasurable feelings beyond measure for all of the success, good fortune and good He has enabled us to possess!!!  Once again, I think that it is the assimilation of worldly values that causes us to miss out on so much of this.  Look again:  the gratification of desire or some good possessed - if the desires we have are not in line with God's will, if our definition of "good" is that of the world, then we will always long for what seems like unattainable joy.   We will always be disappointed.  And we will miss out on the immeasurable joy of the goodness of God and all He has for us - past, present and future!

6.  The next bit of joy's definition is this:  or by a rational prospect of possessing what we love or desire; Again, our perspective plays a huge role here!  What is it that we love or desire?  Man's admiration or attention?  Material possessions?  A large sum of money in our bank account?  A life of seeming comfort and ease?  The ability to do what we want, when we want to do it, how we want to do it?  Or do we LOVE our Savior?  Do we DESIRE Christ above all?  I last wrote that my prayer (one of them) for the New Year is that I would truly delight in the Lord and in His Word.  Let's see how Mr. Webster defined delight:  To affect with great pleasure; to please highly; to give or afford high satisfaction or joy.  Hmmm...how very interesting!  So...maybe it is possible that if we delight in the Lord and His Word, the Truth, that we might find ourselves experiencing true JOY???  Joy that cannot be taken away from us?  That we cannot possibly lose?

I remembered this morning a song I learned when I was a very young child in Sunday school.  "I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.  Where?  Down in my heart!  Where?  Down in my heart!  I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.  Where?  Down in my heart to stay!"  Hmmm...I didn't expect back then that the joy would not stay.  Why did it leave?  Because I didn't stay focused on Christ, the Author and Perfecter of my faith.  I did not keep my eyes fixed on eternal things, rather than the temporal things of the earth.  I'm so thankful that the Lord does not give up on us, that He continues to draw us closer to Himself no matter how many times we allow ourselves to get distracted or we build up walls to "protect ourselves" (foolish, right?!?!). 

7.  The last part of joy's definition says: gladness; exultation; exhilaration of spirits.  Psalm 4:7a says, "You have put gladness in my heart..."  May be continually ask the Lord in this new year to draw ourselves ever closer to Him.  To instill in us such a deep desire to know Him more, to really study His Word, to meditate on it.  Romans 12:2 tells us "...do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."  May we be transformed as our minds are renewed by dwelling on the Truth of His Word.  May we be filled with joy for all that the Lord has done for us, is doing, and will do!  And in 2009, by His grace, may we be able to say that the joy of the Lord is our strength. (Neh. 8:10)

Surely, if God would do this for us, it would be for our good and for HIS GLORY!!!  Father, would You work this in us, and make 2009 a year of Joy?  May You do it for Your Name's sake, that we might make much of You!  In Christ's Name we ask it, Amen.

...for 2009:

• That the Lord would, by His grace, work in my heart in order that I would truly delight in Him (Ps. 37:4) and His Word (Ps. 1:1-2)

Father, I am so unworthy of your love, Your grace, Your mercy, Your faithfulness!  Yet You continue to shower me with blessings.  I do humbly ask that You would do this mighty work in this selfish, idolatrous heart...that I might be a blessing to others and bring much glory to Christ!!!  It's in Your Matchless Name I ask it, Amen.

A must-read here:

http://www.mikeysfunnies.com/archive/richFamily/index.html

There really are no words, are there???

Good morning!  It is nice to be up and about at a decent time in the morning for a change.  The Lord reminded me today of a verse I learned back in high school, and needed to consider again.  Galatians 5:1 - "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."  I know that life with Christ is not meant to be easy or trouble-free.  In fact, there is much to learn as He guides us through difficulties and struggles and trials.  I'm so grateful that we do not walk through those times alone!  That said, I realize that I have allowed my mind to just give in or give up too easily of late.  The verse reminds me to stand firm, in His strength, by His grace, and resist the things to which the evil one would have me give in.  Lately, it's been discouragement and self-pity.  I realize now that I have been listening to lies.  And my Father has told me not to LET MYSELF be burdened again by a yoke of slavery!  So...I'm praying, that by His grace, He'll enable me to take each thought captive to Christ and live in the freedom that He has already given to me.

Okay...that was a bit windy, but hey...this is my blog, so I guess I'm allowed.  ;-)  Today's focus for the haven is making it inviting and giving.  This is neat, to see how the Lord orchestrates even the smallest details of our lives.  Feeling as poorly as I have for some time now, I've not been inviting many into my home, because I can barely manage to take care of myself and my kids!  However, yesterday we had five friends over for most of the day, and today I'm helping my neighbor out by watching her daughter after school as she's in a pinch with another commitment.  God has already given me the opportunities this week to invite others into our homes, and give something of ourselves to others by using our time and our home.  Thanks for that, Lord!

My plan for today, in addition to watching my neighbor and a child's Dr. appointment, is as follows:

1.  Keep the music playing!

2.  Try to finish the bedroom and closet, make more progress in the school room.

3.  Keep catching up on laundry.

This may be beyond me today, as there is still a LOT to do to reach a tidy/clean status in these areas!  However...I'm just wanting to make more and more progress.  Yesterday I did not accomplish much, as we hosted our friends for most of the day.  Hopefully today will be a bit different.  As for dinner?  I'm thinking we may just put in a frozen pizza.  I've really been feeling my worst around that time of day lately, and so I'm going to try to go easy on meals for a few days and see if that helps.

Lord, would You please guide us through this day?  Protect us from the evil one, give us self-control, help us to see things as You would want us to see them and live accordingly?  How we long to be a constant source of joy and blessing to each other and give glory to You with our daily lives!  We cannot do it apart from Your work of grace in our hearts.  We thank You that You love us enough to continue to do that work.  To YOU be the glory!!!

Well, this one is going to be tough for me today.  We have been battling nonstop with rebelliousness, disobedience and other issues this entire week.  I believe Monica was right when she mentioned that the evil one certainly does not want us to have an easy time of blessing our families and honoring the Lord in our homes!  He has put up a fight in this home, for sure.  I have really been struggling with anger as I deal with these constant problems lately.  That said, it seems like today may have more consequences and we may not have fun all day.  I know, it might sound like an excuse.  However...with my husband gone, it's even more crucial that I work hard to be consistent and not let things slide, or they quickly get out of control.

Today we prayed together for God's grace, we talked about our gratitude and need for God's mercies being new every morning!  We asked for forgiveness for things left unresolved last night, and we have moved on.  And, already, a tough morning so far.  Lord, we need Your help!!!  He spoke to my heart today on the fruit of the Spirit from Gal. 5:22-23, "...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."  Those things have not been my nature at all lately, sad to say.  Father, would You please work in us today to have this fruit be evident in the way we treat each other?  That our home and our lives would be characterized by these things?  We long to build each other up and bring glory to You each and every day!!!  For our good and Your glory, Lord, I pray in Christ's name, Amen.

So...the plan for today includes:

1.  Keep making progress on tidy and clean.

2.  Let music flow through the house and keep us cheerful and focused!

3.  Let the kids watch a movie at some point, they've been asking to do that for a few days now.

4.  Have some friends over to play.

5.  Go to the back yard and do some sketches of the mushrooms growing in the corner.

As for dinner?  I have no idea....  My all-day sickness seems to be back with a vengeance today.  So, it might just be frozen pizza or peanut butter and jelly.  Sometimes, it's all I can do.  Actually, maybe in honor of the fun focus, I'll have them choose and make what they want...we'll have to consider that option.  Lord, thank You for another day, for the sunshine, and for the lessons we're learning through our struggles!  To You be all the glory!