Hello again

Summer is flying by...It's already July. This month we are going to give another diet the old college try.This time it's YOU on a Diet. I'll let you know how far we make it.My hopes are firmly, quietly optimistic.

When I start school again, I am interested in a style that Joyce Swann used. She schooled her 10 kids 3 hrs a day all year round. They were excellerated and finished school and college at home early. I am not interested in that, but I would like to be totally done w/ school by noon. Working hard for 3 hrs. seems like it could really pay off.we'll see w/ all of the special needs around here! ;)

The GREATEST news ever is that Joe can walk again. I thought I might die from the stress. This weekend I just fell apart and rested.

He is taking on the responsibilities of the children's ministry at church.Our first event was a treasure hunt for the kids. We hid clues at the park and they solved them to find a pinata at the end. Not alot of kids from church came, but we recruited some kids from the park.

I would love to make a blog for the kids' ministry and post pictures and the schedule, but I don't want to just take over! It has been a little hard for me to learn how to work "for" Joe. I am beginning to realize that my job is to list ideas and his job is to actually be the one to make the final plans. Honestly I do not want the pressure of leadership, so it's a good thing! I am getting it!!

I am being pressed and squeezed in many directions, but am all the better for it.

30 Days to Live

This is the title of the latest sermon series at church. Not that we have been to church or anything in the last few weeks(because of the broken ankle), but we are reading the book.

How would you live if you had 30 days left on the earth? And of course the moral of the story is, what is holding you back from living life to the fullest NOW?

One goal if I only had 30 days would be to not leave anything unsaid. I have already told my mom I think she is great. She started to cry, so thank goodness I didn't say "awesome". ;)

My mom hates to have her picture taken and I always lecture her that it is a bad example for the kids to put herself down like that. On Sat. I didn't want my kids taking pics of me and my mom was quick to remind me that I don't let her get away w/ talking like that. I said that I feel like I look terrible and confessed that in my mind I want to put off taking pics til I look better.

"If you only had 30 days to live, would you stop them from taking your picture?"

Her question just cut right to my heart. Of course I wouldn't stop them if I only had 30 days to live.

I like this experiment. It is very clarifying...and life changing.

the small stuff

Hello again.

We are back in the rhythym of time4learning. I am really learning to do each and every pleasant and unpleasant task as a service to Lord. It totally changes everything!

Many thanks to my pastor's wife for this priceless reminder!!!

I wanted to point ya to my pastor's blog. Joe reads it regularly and so I have checked it out and there is some good stuff there!!

Sunday Musings

One of the reasons I started blogging here is that I wanted a place to comment on the pastor's sermons on Sunday.

The church we go to has a unique little niche. Actually every church has a niche, it's just a matter of figuring out where you belong. I am not one to complain that this or that church is too deep or not deep enough or too worldly or too exclusive. I may think those things when I visit a church, but it just means that I don't belong there. I don't hold it against them.

The pastor and his wife have a heart for people who don't enjoy traditional church. He has listened to people's reasons for not attending church, and the general uncomfortable feeling and made some changes to the typical church service.

Today was another homehitting message. Randy(the pastor), continued his sermon series "Saving Christmas". I love that this church teaches how to have a real relationship w/ the Lord. Today he taught that the secret to joy is in the daily time w/ the Lord, memorizing scripture and praying and worshipping.I am not going to claim no other church has taught this before, but maybe just hearing it in this BASIC way, maybe now I am ready to hear it? I don't know.

So many times I would hear a sermon and attempt to live it out, all the while not having a time everyday where I would read the bible and pray. Maybe it was assumed I was doing it, maybe I thought that was too easy and wanted to skip to the "better" parts, I don't know!! I know if I would read a book that suggested the first thing you should do to help w/ whatever the topic of the book was would be to pray and read the Bible, And THEN here are some other things to try, after that, I would just skip to the "after that" part. Probably intending to pray and read the bible, but never actually doing it! Trust me that it is very hard to live out bibical principals in your own power, in fact it is impossible and leads to much frustration!!

Another thing I like about this church is that he purposely does alot of "men" things geared to men. He figures if you appeal to the husband, the whole family will benefit. If the church is full of men who love the Lord and love to come to church, the women's minitries and the children's ministries will automatically grow too.

Having spent most of my childhood in an all male household, I always thought I knew alot about the male species. And then I got married and had 2 boys and I REALLY thought I knew alot. Randy talks alot about men and they characteristics of men and I have really enjoyed learning EVEN more about male tendencies.

For one, a few weeks ago, Randy was specifically talking about dating relationships and he said that men in chick flicks aren't real men, that men in real life don't do those kinds of things, so you need to watch out for having unrealistic expectations.I need to watch it for myself and it is something I need to impress upon my girls as they grow! Just the other night we were watching tv and the guy puts his hand on the window longingly and the girl on the other side puts her hand up too so it is against his.

I said to the kids "SEE!? This is what Randy is talking about! Real guys don't do that!"

Well, we have to dash off to choir practice for the kids, but I am glad to be able to express myself here. I don't really think about all the other people at church(during the sermon), I feel that the sermon is a conversation that the pastor has w/ me, and now I can come here and give my "response". ;)