The past few days I have had several things rattling around in my mind that I wanted to post and never could quite decide which one to do, so I am going to combine a couple of topics....hang with me!!
First, for anyone that attends RE and heard John's sermon on Sunday, we should all shout a collective AMEN!!! How awesome was Sunday. I felt at times like he was talking directly to me. Have you ever sat through a sermon and listened intently, but quickly on you felt it was directed at you? Then as the sermon progresses, you are still listening but when you leave you really can't tell anyone what was said, but only how it spoke to you. For me that was Sunday. I was talking to a friend that was out on Sunday telling her how great the sermon was and when she asked what it was about, I really could not nail it down except to tell her what I took away from it. I have really been struggling lately with my heartitude (another post!!) and Sunday was awesome for me!
Okay, now on to topic two!! There is an outstanding lady at my church. She is one of the people that I would choose, if I could, to just sit down and listen to her talk. She has more kiddos than me!!! Hers are all boys and one beautiful daughter. She seems so soft spoken, I would love to hear how she raised her children and ran her household. She is homeschooling as well! Her husband and she are such Godly, kind people. Anyway, what I am wanting to share is that she has been on my heart lately to pray for her. Have you ever had God lay someone on your heart like that? I mostly am praying thanks for her and the example that she is to me. Who do you look to for an example?
Topic two leads to topic three.....This fabulous lady, same one from topic two, gave me a book to read on Sunday call Open Heart, Open Home by Karen Mains. It is about practicing Godly hospitality and how God uses us to make others feel welcome and wanted. One thing that has really stuck out to me is the author talking about us using our humaness and weaknesses to get out of being hospitable. I am really guilty of this. I have been known to not answer the door if my house is not clean enough for company. She talks about how hospitality has nothing to do with impressing people, but it is about making them feel welcomed and loved. She says "True hospitality comes before pride." When I want everything to be perfect before someone comes over, this has nothing to do with the person being welcomed in my home, it has everything to do with me! That is not hospitality! I have trouble getting myself to have people over if I do not have enough matching dishes for us all. This is not about sharing God's love and blessings with others, again, this is about me and how I want to look.
What are your views on hospitality?
Showing posts with label Church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Church. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Sunday, April 22, 2007
30 Days of Nothing
The title of this post is a bit deceiving. It would best be called 30 days of less. Starting this coming weekend, our family is going to go through an exercise. We have decided what is necessary spending and we will attempt to buy nothing extra. Now, let me clarify necessary spending. Of course gymnastics is not necessary spending and could always be dropped, but since it is a skill that Tori is trying to develop, it would be disruptive to stop for only a month. I am talking more about the eating out, Starbucks, taking the tollway (for the girls and I), etc. It does not sound like a lot, but think it will end up being more than what we think. The girls are really excited about doing it.
Our purpose is two-fold, we want to remind ourselves how blessed we are at the same time turning our attention to the needs of others and frankly I am curious at how much money we throw away each month. I am going to use this blog to help hold myself accountable. We are going to have different activities as a family each week. Week one will be to have a beans and rice day. We will study they way that many people in other countries have no money for food and we will make a feeble attempt at seeing how it feels to have our choices to restricted to these staples. The next week we will wash one load of laundry outside by hand. Just another experience in less. The third week we will have a no electricity day. Cold water, candle light, cooking outside on the grill and no computer will be the highlights that day!! The girls are pretty excited about this day, but I think we will all be in for a little bit of a shock. The final week we will spend one night all together, sleeping on the floor. I am hoping that by doing these activities, we will not only turn our eyes towards others needs, but also see some of the benefit in some of these activities.
I heard about this from a fellow blogger and teacher of the Simplicity class I have mentioned before. I think we are all excited, but I must admit that I feel I have already cheated! In preparation for the month, I went ahead and bought us season passes to Hawaiian Falls and went and bought $300 worth of clothes over the weekend. Is that not pathetic!
I am praying that this will be a benefit to all six of us! I will keep you posted.
On to a different topic. What an awesome sermon we heard at church today. It was over how we need to notice people to make a difference. Not just out of the church but in as well. I reminded me of that song by Casting Crowns, "Does Anybody Hear Her".
Does Anybody Hear Her"
She is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
She is trying
But the canyon's ever widening
In the depths of her cold heart
So she sets out on another misadventure just to find
She's another two years older
And she's three more steps behind
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even knows she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
She is yearning
For shelter and affection
That she never found at home
She is searching
For a hero to ride in
To ride in and save the day
And in walks her prince charming
And he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason
And she gives herself away
If judgement looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can't see past her scarlet letter
And we never even met her
He is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
How different would our world be if we noticed people. I think of stories on the news and in the paper about people that have gone unnoticed until they cry out so loud that we can't help but notice. How many times have we ignored someone's cries because we don't take the time to hear them. I am so guilty of this. I pray that I will slow down and listen and notice people.
Well, enough for today!
Later :)
Our purpose is two-fold, we want to remind ourselves how blessed we are at the same time turning our attention to the needs of others and frankly I am curious at how much money we throw away each month. I am going to use this blog to help hold myself accountable. We are going to have different activities as a family each week. Week one will be to have a beans and rice day. We will study they way that many people in other countries have no money for food and we will make a feeble attempt at seeing how it feels to have our choices to restricted to these staples. The next week we will wash one load of laundry outside by hand. Just another experience in less. The third week we will have a no electricity day. Cold water, candle light, cooking outside on the grill and no computer will be the highlights that day!! The girls are pretty excited about this day, but I think we will all be in for a little bit of a shock. The final week we will spend one night all together, sleeping on the floor. I am hoping that by doing these activities, we will not only turn our eyes towards others needs, but also see some of the benefit in some of these activities.
I heard about this from a fellow blogger and teacher of the Simplicity class I have mentioned before. I think we are all excited, but I must admit that I feel I have already cheated! In preparation for the month, I went ahead and bought us season passes to Hawaiian Falls and went and bought $300 worth of clothes over the weekend. Is that not pathetic!
I am praying that this will be a benefit to all six of us! I will keep you posted.
On to a different topic. What an awesome sermon we heard at church today. It was over how we need to notice people to make a difference. Not just out of the church but in as well. I reminded me of that song by Casting Crowns, "Does Anybody Hear Her".
Does Anybody Hear Her"
She is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
She is trying
But the canyon's ever widening
In the depths of her cold heart
So she sets out on another misadventure just to find
She's another two years older
And she's three more steps behind
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even knows she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
She is yearning
For shelter and affection
That she never found at home
She is searching
For a hero to ride in
To ride in and save the day
And in walks her prince charming
And he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason
And she gives herself away
If judgement looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can't see past her scarlet letter
And we never even met her
He is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
How different would our world be if we noticed people. I think of stories on the news and in the paper about people that have gone unnoticed until they cry out so loud that we can't help but notice. How many times have we ignored someone's cries because we don't take the time to hear them. I am so guilty of this. I pray that I will slow down and listen and notice people.
Well, enough for today!
Later :)
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Being.......
Ever heard the phrase, you can't be all things to all people? This has been one of my life motto's. With four kids and homeschooling, I really don't see how one could think any differently. What I have realized today is that I need to reevalute what I am to whom.
I am a wife to my fantastic husband. I realized a couple of weeks ago that even though I am pretty patient with my children, I was not in any way patient with William. I guess it is just that feeling of he will love me no matter what that made me start to neglect my treatment of him. When I would get upset with anyone, he bore the brunt of my frustration. Granted that is one things spouses are there for, to vent, but I was not displaying the respect and kindness when venting that I would to a complete stranger and this is my soulmate! Anyway, I became aware of this and have worked hard to correct it. So again, I am a wife, friend, (any kids stop reading now!)...lover and more to William.
I am mom to four wonderful daughters. Something I have recently realized with them is that in choosing to have four children, I give up the right to stay at home many nights. When you have 4, just doing one extracurricular thing at a time adds up to not being home much during the week. I had been really bothered by that, but I have excepted the fact that they each need to have an outlet and I need to provide it. I am also trying to make better use of our time at home and our waiting time. I am going to stop sitting on my bumpkin during gymnastics and walk around the neighborhood right next to the building. I am going to plan better so that we are not waisting time waiting!
Now I have talked about all of this to get me to this point.....I am a member of the body of Christ or church. This has been my aahhaa today! I have always tried to do "my part" at church. I am seeing that "my part" really has been more providing for my girls since I have tried to stay involved with what they do. We had a sermon and service today based on us as a fellowship. I see that I have failed here completely! I have my few friends from church that I try to keep in contact with, but other than that I mostly get in, get done what needs to get done, and get out. I think a lot of this comes from an anger I have deep down with any assembly. Not to get into details, but this comes from growing up and I think it is still there. Sometimes it is hard to realize that first the church is made of humans who mess up and second that if there is a problem with the church and I am part of the church, then I am part of the problem! I love my church. It was really hard for William and I to find a church and we were so blessed to find RE. There are outstanding people there. I have neglected this part of who I am and what I need to be to others.
Anyway, thanks for sticking with me this long! Probably most of this was rambling, but I needed to put it in writing for myself. What do you think? Do you take the time to not just be the worker bee, but to immerse yourself in the body?
I am a wife to my fantastic husband. I realized a couple of weeks ago that even though I am pretty patient with my children, I was not in any way patient with William. I guess it is just that feeling of he will love me no matter what that made me start to neglect my treatment of him. When I would get upset with anyone, he bore the brunt of my frustration. Granted that is one things spouses are there for, to vent, but I was not displaying the respect and kindness when venting that I would to a complete stranger and this is my soulmate! Anyway, I became aware of this and have worked hard to correct it. So again, I am a wife, friend, (any kids stop reading now!)...lover and more to William.
I am mom to four wonderful daughters. Something I have recently realized with them is that in choosing to have four children, I give up the right to stay at home many nights. When you have 4, just doing one extracurricular thing at a time adds up to not being home much during the week. I had been really bothered by that, but I have excepted the fact that they each need to have an outlet and I need to provide it. I am also trying to make better use of our time at home and our waiting time. I am going to stop sitting on my bumpkin during gymnastics and walk around the neighborhood right next to the building. I am going to plan better so that we are not waisting time waiting!
Now I have talked about all of this to get me to this point.....I am a member of the body of Christ or church. This has been my aahhaa today! I have always tried to do "my part" at church. I am seeing that "my part" really has been more providing for my girls since I have tried to stay involved with what they do. We had a sermon and service today based on us as a fellowship. I see that I have failed here completely! I have my few friends from church that I try to keep in contact with, but other than that I mostly get in, get done what needs to get done, and get out. I think a lot of this comes from an anger I have deep down with any assembly. Not to get into details, but this comes from growing up and I think it is still there. Sometimes it is hard to realize that first the church is made of humans who mess up and second that if there is a problem with the church and I am part of the church, then I am part of the problem! I love my church. It was really hard for William and I to find a church and we were so blessed to find RE. There are outstanding people there. I have neglected this part of who I am and what I need to be to others.
Anyway, thanks for sticking with me this long! Probably most of this was rambling, but I needed to put it in writing for myself. What do you think? Do you take the time to not just be the worker bee, but to immerse yourself in the body?
Thursday, April 12, 2007
You know how excited you get when you reach the last hour of an eight hour drive? That hour seems to fly because you have entered familiar territory and you see an end in sight! That is how I feel today! First of all, tomorrow is the beginning of the weekend and then after this week, we have only 5 weeks of school to go!! Yoohooo!!! I am ready for an awesome summer with the girls. I don't think we are going to travel as much this summer, we are going to spend lots of time hanging out around here. I think Kalli is old enough this summer that we will be able to do more all together.
The girls received their awards for LTC last night. They were very pleased with the results, though a bit disappointed that chorus (yes, the one I directed) got a silver. I don't agree with the final result, but such is life. I told the girls that a lot of times we don't get what we deserve, and most of the time that is a good thing!
We were able to go to church last night for the first time in about three months. The girls had swimming and then gymnastics which made us unable to go. I had really been a bit restless with my church experience. We had talked about looking elsewhere for a place to attend. We have really discussed and prayed about the right thing to do. Our main concern was that our 12 year old and our 5 year old really have not found their "place". Brianna is pretty laid back and rolls with the punches, but it was really bothering Emaleigh (5). She does not seem to have any problems making friends anywhere except for at church. I must admit that when we invited everyone her age a year ago to her birthday party and only two even bothered to RSVP or come, I was pretty discouraged. She has never been invited to a birthday party of anyone her age at church except one sweet little boy! Pretty discouraging! Anyway, we have decided that we are needed where we are at and can use it as a lesson of what we should be with our church family. I do however hope that they can both find some friends there. I remember growing up that was where my best of friends came from! It was great to be back last night!
I attended a class last night about simplifying your life to further the kingdom. I have thought about simplifying before, in fact I have read many books about it, but never for the purpose of living a more Godly life! What a great thought! I really started to think about where we were in this picture. We have simplified our stuff. Every few months we go through and get rid of any excess and it feels pretty good. Last night has shown me though that we are hoarding something else now in its place, activities. We are gone all of the time and though it is for good things, how can we further the kingdom if we never slow down to experience it! I am really glad that I was able to attend this class. The girl that teaches it is such an inspiration! She had a baby just about 2 months ago and yet she is there, very prepared and ready to go. Boy do I feel bad about my whining about being too tired! I am going to start praying about where to cut back on our commitments and see what happens!
Well, I had given the girls a 5 minute break and I thought I would spend a couple of those minutes typing, but it looks like my 5 went into 10, so I guess I need to skat!
Later!!
The girls received their awards for LTC last night. They were very pleased with the results, though a bit disappointed that chorus (yes, the one I directed) got a silver. I don't agree with the final result, but such is life. I told the girls that a lot of times we don't get what we deserve, and most of the time that is a good thing!
We were able to go to church last night for the first time in about three months. The girls had swimming and then gymnastics which made us unable to go. I had really been a bit restless with my church experience. We had talked about looking elsewhere for a place to attend. We have really discussed and prayed about the right thing to do. Our main concern was that our 12 year old and our 5 year old really have not found their "place". Brianna is pretty laid back and rolls with the punches, but it was really bothering Emaleigh (5). She does not seem to have any problems making friends anywhere except for at church. I must admit that when we invited everyone her age a year ago to her birthday party and only two even bothered to RSVP or come, I was pretty discouraged. She has never been invited to a birthday party of anyone her age at church except one sweet little boy! Pretty discouraging! Anyway, we have decided that we are needed where we are at and can use it as a lesson of what we should be with our church family. I do however hope that they can both find some friends there. I remember growing up that was where my best of friends came from! It was great to be back last night!
I attended a class last night about simplifying your life to further the kingdom. I have thought about simplifying before, in fact I have read many books about it, but never for the purpose of living a more Godly life! What a great thought! I really started to think about where we were in this picture. We have simplified our stuff. Every few months we go through and get rid of any excess and it feels pretty good. Last night has shown me though that we are hoarding something else now in its place, activities. We are gone all of the time and though it is for good things, how can we further the kingdom if we never slow down to experience it! I am really glad that I was able to attend this class. The girl that teaches it is such an inspiration! She had a baby just about 2 months ago and yet she is there, very prepared and ready to go. Boy do I feel bad about my whining about being too tired! I am going to start praying about where to cut back on our commitments and see what happens!
Well, I had given the girls a 5 minute break and I thought I would spend a couple of those minutes typing, but it looks like my 5 went into 10, so I guess I need to skat!
Later!!
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