O the Blood

I heard this song at church last week for the first time and was blown away. After we sang it again today at church I knew I needed to share it with you.  Please watch this video and worship with me the One who died for us even in our sin...Jesus.

O the Blood sung by Kari Jobe - Gateway Worship
Lyrics:

O the blood
Crimson love
Price of life's demand
Shameful sin
Placed on Him
The Hope of every man

CHORUS
O the blood of Jesus washes me
O the blood of Jesus shed for me
What a sacrifice that saved my life
Yes, the blood, it is my victory

Savior Son
Holy One
Slain so I can live
See the Lamb
The great I Am
Who takes away my sin

O the blood of the Lamb
O the blood of the Lamb
O the blood of the Lamb
The precious blood of the Lamb
What a sacrifice
That saved my life
Yes, the blood, it is my victory

O what love
No greater love
Grace, how can it be
That in my sin
Yes, even then
He shed His blood for me

Sins Like Weeds

Let me start by saying that I haven't been able to blog for a while because I have been taking care of my husband who had knee surgery (ACL reconstruction) three weeks ago.  Thankfully, he is recovering and doing better and better every day! Since it was on his right knee, he still is not able to drive.  Hopefully as his knee continues to get stronger, he will be back behind the wheel before too much longer! To all of you who knew about this and prayed for him, I am very grateful! Now on to what God has been teaching me...

It's Spring and that means that its time to weed the garden and flower beds. That is exactly what I have been doing. I love being out in the sunshine and working in the gardens! Since we had such a cold winter, I am especially ready for time in the warm sun!

As I was weeding my rose garden I began thinking about how those weeds in my rose garden can be compared to sin in my life. There were some weeds that were a booger to get up because they had rooted in one area, then spread out into several different directions, then rooted again, then spread out even more, then rooted themselves AGAIN, and on and on and on.  Get the picture? This is not very fun to think about, but I know that I must examine my heart and see if there are any sins in my life that could act like these weeds.

So what did I find? One that I will share is my selfishness and my quickness to say "no" to my children when they ask me to do something for them. Sometimes in all the busyness of my life, I tend to not want to waiver off the planned path that I have for that day. For instance, when my tween daughter wants me to roll her hair, in my selfishness, many times I have said no immediately. I have said no before even thinking about it. Why...? She cares about how she looks and loves for her hair to be rolled. It takes about eight minutes to put the rollers in her hair... Ugh! This makes me sick to think about all the times that I've said no without even considering how important it might be to her. Conviction has been hitting me hard over this one.

Another example of my selfishness is when my son wants to show me something on a game he is playing or to look at something on the computer with him, I shouldn't let "no, not right now" be the first words out of my mouth. It usually only takes a minute or two for me to pay him that attention that he needs. If I let this continue, he will stop asking and then our relationship will be hindered. I have got to be interested in what is important to him.

I think that saying no once makes it easier to say it the next time, then the next time, then the next time.

Does this mean that I should always say yes to whatever they want me to do?  Absolutely NOT! What I am realizing again (seems like God has shown me this before and I went back to my old ways) is that I need to be aware of why I say NO and why couldn't I really say YES every once in a while.

This is not the kind of behavior I want to impress upon my children. This is not the kind of character quality that I want them to remember in me. It is certainly not a character trait that I want to teach to them.
In general, I would not consider myself to be a selfish person. In fact, most of my time is spent serving my family and I LOVE it! Spending time with them is my favorite thing to do! God has blessed me with a wonderful husband and three beautiful children who love me! God continues to show me ways that I need to grow more like Him. I am so grateful that God shows His mercy to me when I mess up!

Moms, listen - I am not saying that we are to be slaves to our families and never take time for ourselves!  Please understand that this was a lesson with the condition of my heart! Usually when this affects me the most is when I have to many irons in the fire. I want to slow down and enjoy these special bonding moments with my kids.

It is definitely okay to say no to your children. I just want to make sure that when I do say no or don't take the time to listen to them right away, it is not because I am being selfish.

Is there something that needs weeding in your life? It's not fun to go there really, but it is necessary! I don't want us to be walking around with sin crowding out what God intends to grow in our lives! I want for us as Christian mothers to be growing the fruit of the spirit!

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

There is a Harvest to be Reaped!

Do you ever just get tired of doing the same everyday tasks of life?  For a mother, these tasks can sometimes seem tiresome, overwhelming, monotonous, boring, hard, stressful... Are you with me?

I woke up this morning and said to my husband, "It's Friday!" Then right after that came, "But that doesn't mean anything for me, because my Saturday and Sunday are just as busy as my Monday through Friday." I guess you could say that I didn't wake up with the best outlook. I think I was still just extremely tired from a big day yesterday.  Thursdays wear me out!

Let me just get this out of my system: You see, yesterday afternoon, after searing and putting a tenderloin in the crock pot for our dinner, I drove to take the kids to band (15 minute drive from the house), then back home because I forgot to put a little bit of water in the crock pot with the meat so it wouldn't dry out, then drove back to pick them up from band, then drove across town to take one to violin, then drove just around the corner to take one to the theater, then back to pick up the one from violin, then drove back across town to drop her off at softball practice, then went further across town to take son to baseball practice, then right back across town to the theater! Thankfully my wonderful husband picked up the two from softball and baseball practice. I left the theater at 6:30 and came back home to finish supper.  See why I was tired? Sorry for that little rant, I feel better now!

Let's just say I didn't wake up feeling very motivated to do anything because I am still TIRED!

However, I asked the Lord to speak to me this morning and help me have the motivation that I need to keep going.  This is what he gave me:

Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

I know that what I am doing as a mother - yes, even carting kids back and forth across town - is "doing good". For you see, I am not really just carting them around.  It's much deeper than that! I am encouraging them in their talents. I am listening to them. And we are having life building conversations in the car. This reminds me of the scripture in Deuteronomy 6.

Deuteronomy 6:5-9
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

I guess driving them to their practices is my "walk along the road" time with them. So in light of this scripture, I see a bigger calling than being their chauffer. 

My encouragement to you is that as you go about your daily "chores", make sure you are talking to your kids about loving the Lord with all their heart, soul, and strength. If we as moms can continually teach this truth to our children, if we can stay encouraged, and if do not grow weary in doing good, THEN we will reap a harvest. I want to reap the harvest that God gives in Proverbs 22:6. It says, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Isn't that an awesome promise from God!

I may be tired this morning, but the perseverance of sticking to the schedule of events for today is so worth it! Although we did start out a little late, we are getting things done. I have had special time with my Lord, kids have done their chores and are now doing their schoolwork.  So glad I didn't go with my first feelings for the day and stay in that frame of mind - it is a trap from the enemy!

I am so grateful that God can renew my mind and my strength.  I will be trusting in Him today to do just that! Let me leave you with the scripture from Isaiah.

Isaiah 40:28-31
²⁸ Do you not know?
   Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
   the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
   and his understanding no one can fathom.
²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
   and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
   and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
   will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
   they will run and not grow weary,
   they will walk and not be faint.

How am I treating those I say that I love?

I just finished reading Karen Kingsbury's This Side of Heaven: A Novel. I love reading Karen Kingsbury stuff! She helps put life into perspective. Without giving away too much, this book has made me not want to miss a thing in my kids' lives.  As I've been reading this book, I have been reminded of the importance of loving people "this side of heaven". I'm talking about REALLY loving them and listening to them. God has given me special gifts - my family and friends - and now I am made freshly aware to love them without passing judgment. 

I know that I need to take time to listen to those I love and to give them opportunities to tell me about their adventures, their dreams, their successes, and even their failures without the fear of being judged. As I'm reading this book and crying through the pages, I find myself thinking about what the Bible has to say about love in I Corinthians. 

I Corinthians 13:4-8a
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

This is causing me to reflect and make sure that  I am loving others the way God intends for me to love. I have so many people in my life that I love, and I know that I do not always love them with the kind of love that was just described.  Sometimes, in the moments of conflict, it is really hard! But after reading this book and after being reminded that life with our family is a gift and we don't know how long that gift on this earth will last, I want to show this kind of love! I'm also reminded that I'm not to stand in judgment of their behavior. I'm to love them unconditionally and pray for them.

First let me say that without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, it is impossible to carry out this kind of love.  I John 4:8 says that "God is love." Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  God sent his only Son to pay the redemption sacrifice for our sins! That is the ultimate gift of love! Because of this amazing love, we can place our trust in Him and let Him love through us.  Please let me know if you want more information about how to give your life to Christ. You can click here to learn more.

Maybe it's time for a quick evaluation of our relationships:
 
How about you? Are you being kind and patient with those you love? Are you prideful toward someone that you love? Are you bringing dishonor to your loved ones? Are you self-seeking around them, looking out for your own interest? Are you easily angered with them? Do you bring up old conflicts from the past? Or do you try to protect, trust, hope in and seek to persevere with those that you love?

I pray that as we evaluate our relationships (gifts) that God has given to us, we will become more Christ-centered and show love the way He desires. If you struggle with this, ask God to help you show this love or to love through you. It is not in our human power to love someone when they seem unworthy, but it is our responsibility, our calling from Jesus who said, "love your neighbor as yourself."

I don't want to have any regrets when the day comes that I am separated from my loved ones in this world!

And I highly recommend this book - but make sure you have a box of tissues!

Prayers for Japan

I've been watching all the video clips of the earthquake and tsunami devastation in Japan and am so saddened.  I can't even begin to imagine what they are going through right now.  My heart breaks for those who have lost loved ones and for those whose loved ones are still among the missing.

As a mother, I think about those who have lost their children - incomprehensible. 
As a wife, I cannot imagine living my life without my husband, my best friend.
As a daughter, I am so sad for those who have lost their parents - my parents mean so much to me.

Its hard for me to try to put myself in the shoes of these who have lost so much.  Along with the personal loss of loved ones, many have also lost all their earthly possessions. Everything they knew as normal everyday life - gone. Now they have the nuclear radiation scare that is threatening what they have left. 

I have been praying that God will be evident to those who are surviving this horrible disaster and that they would cry out to Him and Him alone!

I am reminded to be grateful for the time that I have with those that I love. It can all be swept away in just a few moments. 

With all that said, God is still God and He is still on His throne!  Nothing is too big for Him or without purpose. I know that He allows all things. Sometimes our earthly minds do not understand, but we must trust in Him. 

Psalm 147:3
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Join with me in praying for those living in Japan and for their loved ones who are scattered all over the world.

The song in this video is a reminder that this world is not our final destination! 

Making a List and Getting it Done

Are you a list person?

I am!

Today was a good day for lists, too, because I had so much to do! It made me feel so good when I got home and saw everything checked off my list! 

Here is what my list for today looked like:

1.go meet second daughter's softball coach
2.go to an educational store to buy paper to make a time line
3.stop in at a used book store to check it out
4.go to library #1 to get a DVD
5.go to sister-in-law's house to pick up a bird cage to use in a production of My Fair Lady that my oldest daughter is in
6.go to a friends house for coffee and to borrow some books to look at for evaluation for next year's homeschool curriculum possibilities
7.go to library #2 for a music CD that was on hold.

What a good feeling it was to check it all off the list.  To top it off, the weather was beautiful and I got to hang out with my two favorite guys - my husband and son. 

However, I didn't include EVERYTHING that needed to get done today on my to do list. 

Now, I'm sitting here wondering what to do next... ironing or grocery list...  Doesn't seem like I'll get to them both tonight.  I need to finish my menu and grocery list, which includes cutting the rest of my coupons that need to get cut out. I also need to do some ironing and make sure that we all have clothes ready for church in the morning.  What to do, what to do?

Well, now that I have written them both out, it's almost like a list.  Maybe I'll get them both done after all!  I think I'll get our clothes ready for church first, then sit down to watch Like Dandelion Dust with the family and clip coupons/make menu/finish grocery list! 

Guess I better get up and going!  Oh, and next time you feel overwhelmed with so much to do, make a list and get what you can done.  If you don't finish it in one day, just carry it over to the next day.  It really will make you feel good to cross things off your list.  Go ahead, give it a try!

God Bends Down to Listen!

I remember when my kids were small and they really wanted my attention, what did they do?  They would come to my side and pull on my shirt and say, "Mommy, Mommy!" Sometimes I could answer them quickly and they would rush off to play again. BUT, when they really wanted my help, really needed me for something that they couldn't do alone, they didn't stop calling my name until I bent down and looked them in the eyes and asked them what they needed. 

Does this sound familiar to you? I'm sure it does!  The role of a parent is so demanding!  It seems that our children are in constant need of our attention. Unfortunately, I am not always the best at answering them right away. Maybe because they call so often, it seems like their requests aren't always "important". 

Wow!  I am so glad that my heavenly Father doesn't look at me this way!  He is the best role model ever in parenting.  He does it right, all the time!!!

Psalm. 86:1  (New Living Translation)
Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help.

This is a constant prayer of mine, it seems.  I so need the help of my heavenly Father - every day, all day long!  I am so glad that he never gets tired of me calling on Him for help.  Jesus even says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28.

Psalm 116:1-2 (New Living Translation)
I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. 
Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!

God is wanting us to cry out to Him and ask Him for help.  Will you take his offer today? Will you let him be that loving father who wants so tenderly to love you, to listen to your needs, and to help guide you along the way?

When I think of the awesome Creator of the Universe, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the One who parted the seas, I am in awe that HE would want me to call on Him and that He would bend down to listen to me!  I agree with the psalmist in saying, "I will pray as long as I have breath!"