How do I do IT?

What is the IT? 'IT' is raising 5 kids. (Although, as a side note, I know people with way more kids than I have.)

I get that question a lot. "How do you do it?" 

People look at me with my five kids and say something like "Wow..."and then it's always followed by "How do you do it?" 

I have never put much thought into this question nor the answer. To be honest, I ponder more on the fact I wish people would just stop asking. It's the uncomfortable question. One that has no concrete answer. And, inevitably I give an insufficient answer that varies each time I'm asked.

I was asked again this week. "How do you do it?" I smiled and replied "I guess organization. You get more organized with each child." The lady just looked back at me as if not really knowing what to say. In that moment, I realized I was essentially telling her she was not yet organized enough. Scratch that response from the list. That one is offensive, weak and silly. And, clearly it is not my organization skills because if you've seen my laundry, my closet or my pantry, you'd know that skill doesn't even apply to me. 

So as I drove home, I pondered finally. How do I do it? Hmmmmmm.....

Once I looked at families like mine and made similar comments. 

But here I am...'doin' it'. And so how is it that once it looked so difficult to me and now seems so second nature? Hmmmmm.....

Ponder. Ponder.

Then it hit me. One word. Grace.

God's Grace! His grace is sufficient and his mercies are new every morning and without his Grace and his Mercy I could never "do it". 

He who has called you to a good work will bring it to completion. There is nothing you or I need to do when the job looks difficult but obey. He will equip us. He will give us grace and he will show us mercy. 

So when asked "How do you do it?" My answer is now "God's grace is sufficient."

 

Living Sacrifice ~ Becoming a Bondservant

Romans 12:1

Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God ~ this is your true and proper worship.

This verse has been popping up in all my studies and in sermons and books for weeks now.

But why? I kept asking. Why?

Haven't I done....xyz? Haven't I also done....this and that? I mean "look God, what else do you want? What else can I give? I really have nothing left and I already gave you my heart."

I have struggled with what exactly it means. I am a cubicle type person. I like to know God wants this here and that there and I like my life in a nice neat box. But God is flowing. He flows. I don't.

As He's been speaking to me about being this Living Sacrifice, he's also said "You've given me a little and now I want it all." Wow, really?! What does that mean? Another flowing God moment that doesn't fit in my box.

You see if he said "go, do....this or that" then I would go and do "this or that". But he's not giving specific actions. He's giving me specific lifelong command. Now, stop, no more boxes, just flow.

What does ALL look like. ???? I haven't a clue. YET. But I think I'm about to find out.

Some of it comes like this for me: Adoption. Home Educating. Teaching. Serving the Elderly. Serving the Children. But that's a list. See, it's my box. {Stop with the boxes! Gees! It's so hard. He wants me to flow with the Holy Spirit and stop with my boxes. They are probably driving him nuts.}


But I do know this. I have rededicated myself to Him these past 3 weeks. I have given myself to him as a Bondservant. I am a bondservant of my Lord and Savior and I am SO. IN. LOVE. WITH. HIM.

Exodus 21, a bondservant was someone who was bound as a servant to a particular personal/family. The law states that the bondservant must remain in that house hold for six years, but on the seventh year they were given the option to go free. The other option was to stay and serve his master.

And, if they stayed to be a bondservant, their master would pierce their ear with an awl. This was an outward sign that they belonged, forever, and that they were dedicated to their master, that they FREELY chose to stay and serve.

Jesus, is the only master I am willing to serve. He is the Good Shepherd. ~ Again. I am SO IN LOVE WITH HIM. The answer is easy for me. Yes, Yes, Yes, Lord I will stay with you, not a little while, not sometimes, but FOREVER.

Heart. Mind and Soul. And so-not-a-Stepford-wife.

The ladies in my life. They are fabulous. Lovely. God-fearing. Supportive. Encouraging. And yet each of them has something I want. One goes on lots of vacations.~ Another has kids in public school and she has free time to get her nails done and have coffee with friends.~ Yet another has a house that is not only immaculate but she also has a house keeper. ~ And let's not forget the one who has a nice career and a get away with her husband each year. None of these things are wrong. But what is wrong is this....Part of me wants to be part of each of them.

I am a stay home mom. I homeschool my kids. I rarely get my nails done. My house is rarely immaculate and vacations, although we take them, are done on a dime. At times I escape my reality and mentally enter my friends realities. I go on a trip down "Wishful Thinking". I dream of that vacation alone with my husband, getting my nails done while my kids are at school, laughing over coffee with a friend and then going home to a quiet house that is immaculate because kids aren't there all day to mess it up. And when I do this, I miss the point of my life. I miss who I am. I miss who I was created to be. I miss the blessing.

One day, I had the chance to have coffee with a friend. It was the middle of the day. Her kids were in school. My kids were at home with my servant-leader-husband. This friend talked about her days. I dreamed of what it would be like in her shoes. I left the coffee time knowing my heart was in the wrong place. I sat quietly in my car, head down, asking the Lord to reveal to me what was missing in my heart at that moment. Something, something didn't feel right. Only He could point out what it was.

Then it happened. I saw a miniature movie flash before me. A movie of a ladies life. She was devoted to her Savior. She had been called and set aside by the Creator of the Universe for a special work. He had entrusted her with much. He never gave her the desire to carry a child but had given her the desire to love the orphan. As a matter of fact, he had brought to her life 4 orphans that were now her children and another was on the way. He gave her The Fatherless. He gave her his own. She worked tirelessly at this calling. Teaching them. Raising them. Rearing them in academics and to honor the Lord their God. Her life would be fully devoted to this calling. She would be the mother of many. She would stand out among the crowds. Some would snicker at her. Some would praise her unjustifiably. Some would recognize the calling. She was set apart. She was the Lord's hands and feet. She was, well, she was....me.

I didn't need to be them. I needed to be....me. I fell in love that day with the life the Lord flashed before me. I fell in love that day with my calling.

Don't get me wrong. I have always loved my calling. But I have led a double-life. Loving what I have. Wishing for more.

Let us not wish for more than the Lord's call upon our life. Let us not grow weary in the work of our hands. Let us honor the Lord our God with all our *hearts*, *minds* and *souls*. Let us love what the Lord is doing in our life. What has he put in front of you? Whatever it is, it's from Him. It's His calling in your life. Grab it with both hands and love it more than a fudge-covered-chocolate-brownie. Love it more than you love your neighbors life. Love your calling because it's the gift of your life the Lord has given you. Don't be afraid to blend in if that's what God has called. Don't be afraid to stand out like a freak-show if that is what God has called. Don't be afraid. Let go. Let God. And while we are at it, let's encourage one another to be different from each other. Let's encourage each other in our uniqueness and let's see how far from the Stepford Wives we can possibly get.



“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” - Luke 10:27


"A capable, intelligent and virtuous woman, who is he who can find her? She is far more precious than jewels and her value is far ABOVE RUBIES or pearls." ~Proverbs 31:10

Confessions of a 'Material Girl'

It surprises me sometimes how very different the mindset our Western World is from other cultures and that of our Biblical Ancestors.

A Contest:
In Biblical Times woman considered the command to be fruitful and multiply as serious business. In fact, if they weren't multiplying, they were giving over their maidservants to multiply for them. Just look at the story of Leah and Rachel in Genesis Three for one example. It was literally a contest to see which wife would have the most sons.


Quiver Full:
The more the merrier was seriously acted out. Lots of sons was considered a blessing from the Lord. "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate."


Barren Woman:
Isaiah 54 even tells "barren" (childless or infertile) woman to rejoice and not because they are childless but because there are so many children that need a mom. So many! More children than the fertile woman.


Sweet friends, I'm not judging. I was once very westernized in this area as well and in some ways, still am. Each time the Lord says "go. adopt. go. now." I indeed go and go happily BUT think and even say "this is it Lord, I'm done. No more." The Lord is showing me the error of my western thinking slowly. There has not ever been one huge revelation, one giant leap where I said "I want a gazillion kids." I am stubborn. And the Lord is patient to work slowly on my heart. But as he does, I see it. I see the falsehoods I once held too.


My western thoughts included:
1 child, esteemed private schools, an escalating career, a beautiful car, exotic vacations, lavish dining, beautiful furniture, and a very large knock-your-sox-off-diamond ring (you get the picture)


I grew up and loved (and still to this day dance to)...Madonna's Material Girl: We-are-living-in-a-material-world-and-I-am-a-material-girl. Yep, even typing it makes my shoulders bounce. It's a great tune. But, its meanings run deep within us and shapes who we become, what we decide, what we hold to and yes, even how we JUDGE others (oh, no, judge? did I just say judge? Us, conservative Christian gals would n.e.v.e.r judge, now would we? Oh, yeah....I did.)

Judging. So what did I judge? Whom did I judge? Shall I tell you? Will you loathe me? Will you judge me back? I judged the mom with lots of kids. Yep, I did. I judged the stay at home mom. Yep, I did. I judged the mini-van driving mamma. Yep, I did. Honest engine. I did. I even made terrible, unrelenting comments that were nasty-heart-sickening-comments repeatedly saying all them mommas did was watch soap operas and eat bon-bons. Lord, how naive. Insensitive. Judgemental. Selfish. Cruel. Unloving. Un-christlike I was. Lord, forgive me. All moms, everywhere, forgive me? Please. I have seen the error of my youthful thinking.

Now gals, if you think I have changed 180 degrees the other way and am now judging you because you: have a career, use private school, have only 1 or just a few children, drive an expensive car, go on exotic vacations and have beautiful furniture. You're wrong. I made envy you to great lengths but I'm not judging you. Now you know envy and judging are 2 different sins and I can only work on one thing at a time, alright? Be patient with me. God's not done with me yet.

Accountability:
We are accountable to the Lord. Only the Lord. Not to a subscribed western way of life. Not to modern ideologies. Not to each other even. Only to the Lord.

The only thing I want to share is that once I opened up my heart to the Lord in this area of my life, he began revealing to me a plan, a master plan. A plan that I never dreamed up. But he didn't reveal it all at once or I might have shot myself or maybe drank one too many martinis. Okay, I've never had a martini, seriously. But had the Lord said "You will stay home, homeschool, have 5 (or more children), drive a mini van and live for bon-bons" I would have seriously taken to Martini's and burned my Bible. I am so glad he was slow with me. I am so glad he was patient. I am so glad he changed me, is changing me.

Open your heart to the Lord today. Lay your plans down right now. Surrender yourself. God will make you a new creation. God will bless you richly and shower his love upon you so much your heart will burst.

Happy 3rd Birthday Son

Aaron Gabriel ~ son of my heart. He fills my day with laughter, my arms with hugs, my house with pitter patters and dinosaur growls. He loves Thomas the Train, McDonald's French Fries and Chuck E Cheese as if they were the main thing the universe evolved around. At the age of 3 he knows his ABC's, colors, shapes and can count to 13 and even 18 by skipping 14 of course. :-) He loves to read to himself but not be read to. He loves music and his guitar but can't sit still in a music class. He spends mass amounts of time digging through books and playing his guitar and using anything he can for railroad tracks. Some days he naps and other days he turns his room upside down but he always sleeps through the night. He's always happy to see me. He loves his bath and thankfully because he literally rolls (and I mean rolls) in the dirt and mud. He is all boy. He is my boy and I am blessed.

A Guatemalan Princess Turns Three

It started out with a little plea
Please, God, please, oh let it be
Please fill my arms with love so dear
To love and nurture year after year
I'm not worthy to love one of your own
But if you allow, your grace will hone
My abilities to give of me
To guide and love and grow to see
The Lord above called her his
No DNA nor flesh could hiss
at the love of a Father from above
or at a Mother who waited in love
To hold her forever was what I asked
And God above said yes, at last.

Now you are three, how could it be
You here with me though and that's how it was meant to be
No doubt at all, sweet girl, you were meant to be mine.
It was all laid out by the Father's design

A Woman - Divided

I am torn. My heart struggles with my mind and body.

I am a woman divided.

I am supposing there are many woman like me, struggling with the exact same thing. It's for those that I share my heart, so you know you are not alone. So you know I am interceding for you.

You see....there are 140 MILLION orphans in the world. Orphans? No! -- Children, lives, little people. Children with a Hope and a Future. Children that right now life seems hopeless and the future seems bleak.
~They have no mom or dad to tuck them in at night. Nannies do this? No. The nannies are few, the babies and children are many.
~Hungry? Sorry. There is only a designated feeding time.
~Sick? Sorry, not enough medicine.
~Lonely? Sorry, we can't hold you, not enough hands.
~Need a little love? Sorry, we do love you but we are just to busy to give you more than a few seconds each day.
~ Need a good cry? Go ahead but you'll have to cry alone in your crib with nobody to hold you - not because we don't care (we do!) but we just can't hold all of you.

The laborers are few but the fields are full of the fatherless. Who will labor for them? Who?

When God said "Whom shall I send?" We said "Send me". We went. Four times we went. Four times we loved with all we have. Four times we gave our lives, hearts and everything over. Four times we were blessed more than what we gave. But five?

*The bank account is empty. *The job market unstable. *I am tired. *I am up to my neck in school work, diapers, dishes, laundry, poop, pee and throw up. *I have little time left to regroup, to catch a breath. *Some days I need more grace than what I ever should be asking for.

And, truth be known, with my heart so tired, my body aching, I wonder do I have more love to give. Will I be the ugly stepmom to child #5? Can I get my act together enough to do it?

Then I have those wonderful little birdies that say "don't rescue a child" a child wants to be "loved" not "rescued" and so with guilt I back away. Then the birdies say "you've done enough". Then they say:
-"you can't save the world"
-"you are already crazy"
-"you just need to interceded, not adopt"
-"you are broke"
-"don't fund raise"... and it all leads to this...

DO NOT GET OUT OF THE BOAT. - STAY ON CALM SEAS. - STAY COMFORTABLE. - DON'T, WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T TURN YOUR WORLD UPSIDE DOWN BECAUSE GOD IS NOT BIG ENOUGH TO HELP YOU.

And so you see, all this leaves me divided. Men say they have it easy because they do not flutter up and down with hormonal emotions. I do not believe that is true. Many men struggle with budget and time and housing factors that weigh in on their decisions. Man or woman....it doesn't matter. We ALL have issues of this world that stop us from hearing God's calling in our life.

And so with my own heart and mind full of emotions, ups and downs, some days I never know if I have gotten out of the boat ENOUGH!

I do know this. One day I will stand before my maker ( a day I very much look forward to ) and when I do, I want to say "Lord, Lord, I gave that life on Earth all over to you. It was not about me. It was all about your Kingdom".

Right now...I don't know if I can say that.

Home

Home:
A place of refuge

Sometimes we are torn from the things we love. Sometimes we are stripped of what we think is so very important in our life. Sometimes we don't always have the best attitude about it. Sometimes we think we obey but our hearts really are not in the right spot so it's not really obedience. Then sometime later you have a heart check and you get in line with God and then, and only then, does all seem okay with the world. Then you know that what he took from you was so that he could place you right where you belong. Then you realize that even when you were too scared to spread your wings and fly and when you were too intimidated to go after that dream, that God did not give up on you and your dreams. Even in your disobedience of an unyielding heart, he blessed you. That is just how he works. He brings us home.....

We are home.

And here at home, we find much peace, because we are just where God wants us, trusting him, guiding us and loving us.

And here at home, little feet roam freely and hopefully learn the lesson we ourselves had a hard time with....to just dream....to just trust God....just let go and be FREE in Him.

About our Florida Visit

It was a sweet visit. We enjoyed each minute we got to just absorb with our friends and family. I only wish we had a little time to see a few more folks. We've only been gone from Florida for less than 3 months but I was missing everyone so badly. I wondered how this visit would sit with me emotionally. Would I miss everyone more? Thankfully, our God is good. He is sovereign and He used this visit for healing. It helped me to not feel so far away from everyone. I did miss my husband and the cooler weather of the northeast. It was good to come back home. I felt peace, a peace I didn't expect to feel. Joy, actually an abundant joy, for what the Lord has done. He has given me great friends, sweet family, wonderful trips to sunny Florida and a beautiful life in the northeast. I get to live in one post card town and visit another post card town. He is the creator of all things and the beauty of his creation just surrounds us. As I came home and felt much joy, I found praise in this Psalm. Those of you who know my heart and know our struggle since October 2007, you know it's been a long road and that road may or may not be over but I praise God in all He's done. He does have a perfect will and perfect plan and I am so glad He is in charge and not me! I would certainly muff it up and yet, he never does.

Psalm 34

I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
My soul will boast in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.

I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.

This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.

Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing.

The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking lies.

Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.

The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their cry;

the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;

he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.

Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.

The LORD redeems his servants;
no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

10 Things we did in Florida

Number 1: Hanging out with Family



Number 2: Visiting the YMCA


Number 3: Cooling off with watermelon


Number 4: Having a little girl time


Number 5: Reuniting with an old friend, Elvis Elmo


Number 6: Puttin' on a concert


Number 7: Havin' a little girl talk


Number 8: Lettin' *uncle* Vito give a giant spoon of coolwhip


Number 9: And, more Swimming with the girlfriends


Number 10: Letting your best *boy* friend cool you off from the hot, hot sun

Pray for my brother...

A big brother...what can one say...you always love them. They just have your heart. There is nothing that can change that.

And my big brother, could use as much prayer as he can get right now. Him and his wife and their 2 boys were traveling from IL to GA for a job transfer when they had to stop in TN and go to an ER because of my brother's intense pain. As it turns out, he is having surgery tomorrow morning to remove part of his colon. His wife and the kids are staying at a hotel. Hospital recovery time will be 4 to 5 days and then they still have to continue their journey to their new home and start their new life. What a way to begin it! Please pray the Lord covers my brother with his protective hand. All I can do is lift him up to the Lord and let him know I love him. I love you Jim! Please get better soon. A little piece of my heart will be broken until you are healed. I miss you!



~ photo: Dawn & Jim - October 2001 - the night before my wedding ~

Update: May 6, 2009: Jim underwent successful surgery yesterday. There was no infection in his colon and therefore no infection spread to the rest of his body. His in now resting and recovering for a few days at the hospital.

Dedicated to My Love

When you have to face a storm, go through the dessert or the wildnerness, who on earth would you want to be with?

The last 8 1/2 months of our life has been quite the wilderness period. We only had income for 8 weeks of that 8 1/2 months. It could easily have been the setting for tension, arguments, ignoring one another, resentment and the list could go on. But, in my storm, in our wilderness period, I got to dance all the way through it. I have the most amazing husband and I am honored to be his wife. He put forth every effort to find work and to remain dependant on the Lord and to honor our family. He held me when I was scared and made me laugh when there was nothing to laugh about. The memories are of over 2000 world-wide applications, a van load of Yellow Pages to try and earn a buck, almost having to clean U-Haul trucks, by God's grace every bill paid, 3 meals a day as a family around our table and prayer preceeded each of those meals, many afternoon talks, the quite mornings before the kids woke ....We spent 8 months of every day together, every waking hour and we had lots of mid-day hugs, on the spot kisses and even a few little slow dances on the kitchen floor. Dale, you knock my socks off. You are the most amazing man I know. I love you more than I did 8 months ago. Nobody ever wants to really go through a wilderness period. But, I can tell you, that when I reflect back on this one, I will not ever look at it as a wilderness period. It will forever be the very best 8 months of my life. Thank you my love for being by my side and for the dance.


~ The song on my blog is for you!

I Shall Not Want

It has been hard for me not to want. With my husbands unemployment status we don't have enough money in the bank to pay the bills next month. How can I not want even just the money to pay our bills? The birds of the air are well fed, so shall I be? But with no money, how? And, yet I'm not supposed to worry about it? I don't want riches and glory. I only want the basic essentials. I'm not trying to be greedy. I'm just trying to be responsible to feed my family and pay the lenders we owe. So how do I not want that? How? How?

David penned the words himself....I Shall Not Want. (I Shall NOT...) I was begging of the Lord this morning to reveal to me exactly how this works. How can one be in such need and not want?

"After all (David) he had been hounded and harried repeatedly by the forces of his enemy, Saul, as well as those of his own estranged son, Absalom. He was obviously a man who had known intense privation: deep personal poverty, acute hardship, and anguish of spirit. - Therefore, it is absurd to assert on the basis of this statement that the child of God, the sheep in the Shepherd's care, will never experience lack or need." (taken from Phillip Keller)

I have my own personal story that can attest a twist to this a bit. We typically know what we want in life and we go after it. For me the desire was to adopt a third daughter. I wanted a third daughter with all my heart. The Lord opened a few doors and we had the referral of a beaming, beautiful 4 year old Asian child living in California. The day we thought we were booking airline tickets to go meet her and possibly bring her home, things changed. With the Lord's prompting and the family who had her deciding to wait on a decision, we had to walk away from this precious child, that had become the child of my heart. To say that this was painful would be an understatement. We had clothes and bedding for her. We tucked it all away, got on our knees and cried and asked Lord how to move forward. Within 2 days we had the referral of a 2 month old baby girl from Guatemala (that is yes, now our 21 month old daughter toddling around our house.) And when we saw her, yes, we knew that all along she was meant to be our daughter. But there is more. You see God had to take away what we thought we wanted (the precious 4 yr old child) to give us something else....something else we wanted so deeply that we did not even know the desire of our own heart. The Lord himself alone knows the deepest most intimate desires of our hearts and he chooses to bless us with those, even though we ourselves don't know what they are. For me, the Lord took away that precious child I thought I wanted and gave me, not only Lily (which I knew I wanted) but gave me a son. My son, he was the deepest longing desire of my heart and I didn't even know it, but God did.

There are times that the Lord is stripping us of things we cling to with much emotion. The stripping process is extremely painful. But what the Lord intends to give us is the desires of our hearts that we don't even yet know exist. My son is my constant reminder of this.

So the Lord is stripping me of much right now. He may strip me of our financial standings, of our home, of many things, but when it is all done, I will look around me and say "This is what I really wanted. The Lord knew where I needed to be and what I really wanted." So I am working on "I Shall NOT Want" because what I think I want is really, in the end, not really at all what I wanted.



(And, the beautiful, precious child we lost the referral of, is now adopted by some very sweet friends that dreamed of a daughter for many years. God also fulfilled the desire of their hearts. He has a plan and He DOES want to bless us, but sometimes it is not without painful stripping first.)



The Lord IS my Shepherd. I Shall NOT want.
~ Psalm 23 ~

What Really Matters?

Has not the one God made and sustained for us the spirit of life? And what does he desire? Godly offspring. - Malachi 2:15 RSV

I am learning so much about what really matters. I have so far to go, but I wanted to share a small tid-bit on my heart today. I struggle as a stay-home, homeschooling mom. I do struggle. It's not a fantasy. It's a calling and not everyday to I give my heart 100% to that calling. I am still a selfish human, still learning to surrender to my Shepherd. This simple verse though in Malachi is not really so simple. It states what God desires....he desires Godly offspring, not just offspring, not just cute, sweet, fun loving, eager offspring but GODLY offspring...that means we have a huge job to do. And as a homeschooling mom I am responsible for everything I choose to teach my children, what curriculum I buy, what/how much we do each day, redirecting our focus if it gets off course. I want my children to be anything they want to be in life. I want to give them the world....that is what most parents say right? But, I am re-dedicating my focus to give my children the Kingdom, that is so much better, so much more biblical than giving them the world.

Last week I was learning to Get Up and Start My Journey for the Day and this week I am learning to redirect my focus on my motherly and educational teachings, and remember what really matters...the Kingdom. God is coming soon and the sooner the better. I want our home to be ready to meet him face to face and say "we lived it all for you my King, all for you my Love."

Wonderful Wednesday

It's a new day!

I love this excerpt from Above Rubies....


Begin! What an important word.

Are you dreaming about doing something? Perhaps getting that bedroom cleaned up. Or catching up with the laundry so that your laundry room looks spic and span. Maybe you have some great ideas about homeschooling you are planning to put into operation. Then there’s that habit you want to break.

Deuteronomy 2:24, “Rise ye up, take your journey..."

Wow, we ALL have a journey, don't we. Some domestic, some career driven but we ALL have a journey....how profound is our Bible to just tell us.... RISE UP AND BEGIN! and the Bible even calls it a JOURNEY. I love journey's, especially the one the Lord puts us on, they are never boaring are they?! The Lord always gives us twist and turns we never expect and if we allow them, they can be so completely exhilirating. Will you go with me today? Will you rise and begin the journey in front of you this moment? Together we will see what the Lord has in store. And if you are a stay at home mom....remember there is no higher calling! Don't fret that all you have to do is laundry just...rise up and begin!