As A Little Child

Tuesdays are my piano teaching days. I have four students, and I like to call myself the "travelling teacher" because I go to the student's homes to teach them. We have a great schedule worked out that allows me to visit each home for a 45 minute lesson and even get to work on time at 2:45.

In the middle of that busy, ram-the-roads day, I take my lunch to a local park. It is in a pretty secluded spot, and while there are a few others there on lunch break sometimes, it is often a quiet place where I have a half hour to enjoy the peace.

The scenery lately has been beautiful. Situated on a river, the leaves peaked in their full autumn glory and the acorns have fallen thick on the ground. There is park benches and a swing set that always sit empty, squirrels darting back and forth beneath.

But not this day.

I saw his face as his mom parked their car beside mine. He didn't seem to see me, his only purpose was to get out of the car as quickly as he could.

I didn't hear any words exchanged between his mother and himself. She didn't instruct him on what he could and couldn't do. He merely exited the car. No words were needed.

He ran across the grass as fast as his un-coordinated legs would take him. He waved his hands in the air with excitement, then grasped the swing and carefully balanced on the seat. He began to pump his legs and go higher. Gaining full balance and control he again waved his hands in the air, overcome with excitement.

"Whee!!"

A smile on his face, pure joy emanating from his entire being.

And he kept swinging. Back and forth, back and forth...with no signs of growing tired. In fact, he was still there, still overjoyed, when I left for my next lesson.

Watching him brought a smile to my face. The happiness was contagious. I don't know what others around were thinking. Some gave him strange looks...after all, it is a little out of character to see a grown man, nearly 6 feet tall, swinging in a park. It took a second glance to realize the truth: that the grown man we saw had a mind as a little child.

As I watched him, I was reminded of how we look in the eyes of God.

We try to look and act grown up. We're adults, after all, and we bear the weight of the world on our shoulders. We have responsibilities, burdens, appointments and schedules.

But when we come before God, it must be as a little child.

The boy on the swing helped me see what that means.

His life may not be easy. Depending on his comprehension, it may be very difficult and frustrating at times. But none of that was visible. Only pure joy, not worried about what had happened that morning or what might happen later in the day, or week...or lifetime. Just complete trust, faith, and joy that wasn't dependent on his circumstances.

And that is the attitude I want to have.

Not an attitude that ignores responsibility or doesn't "man up" to things that need to be done. But the child-like faith that just trusts God to work things out and have things under control. The child-like faith that is joyful, not based on circumstances, but based on my God who holds all of us in the palm of His hand.

And so to the boy on the swing...thank you.
To the mother waiting patiently in the car...thank you.
And to the Holy Spirit who convicts our hearts and shows us these areas we need to grow...thank you.

I'm looking forward to my next day in the park.

Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:4

Linked up to: Weekend Wind-Down

Change, part 3

If you missed Change Part 1 and Part 2, you'll want to get caught up and then come back to this post.

I has been 6 months since I got kicked out of Canada.

via

The last 6 months have held lots of questions and wondering about what was to come. They have also held countless blessings as the Lord has met every need and provided in ways I never would have dreamed possible. And I'll be honest...while I am repeatedly thanking the Lord for the way he provides, I am even more repeatedly asking Him, "why me?" I don't think God minds if we ask Him "why," but we must be content to wait and be content with His answer.

And I cling to these verses:

Feel free to use/download/share/print that photo, just please give credit back to this post. The background picture was taken by yours truly in Lockeport, NS

And so I've been waiting. Waiting to see the goodness of God. Waiting for His will to be evident. Waiting for my heart to be strengthened. Because goodness knows there are moments days when it needs strengthening.

And then an answer I was waiting for.

I found out that the stream of immigration that I working towards applying for has been closed permanently.

In plain English, this means I don't qualify for any visa to live in Canada at this time.

Although it was abrupt and harsh and not exactly the answer I expected, it was a blessing in so many ways. I was about to dump several hundred dollars into an English test required to get a visa. Later on I would have dumped several more hundred dollars into the visa itself. So I am very thankful that I hadn't paid any money yet, only to have my visa rejected or discover another hoop to jump through.

What does this mean for my future? 

Great question! I'm asking it all the time. :)

I can't tell you exactly what it means, but I will tell you this: God has made the way so abundantly clear up to this point, even if I don't understand it or don't expect it, so I am 100% confident that He will continue to make the way plain if I am willing to walk in it.

There is a song (that I don't necessarily endorse, fyi) with these words:

"When I look back on every season, I can find there's ten thousand reasons
To trust that YOU will work all things for good."

That describes me. When I get discouraged at life or overwhelmed at the unknowns that are ahead, all I have to do is look back. Even in my relatively short life there have already been ten million reasons to trust Him. I just have to remember to take it to Him and leave it there.

So for now, I'm working part time for a Christian couple. I'm teaching piano and always trying to grow the So Sew Organized shop. I'm involved in the local church I grew up in and I'm having a blast being with family after 8 years away. God has literally given me a car, a new-to-me computer, a cell phone and countless other little blessings over these months.

I'm not sure what the future holds, but it's ok...well, most of the time I believe it's ok. :) I'm just going to continue to wait and continue to trust that He will work all this for good. Thanks for following along with my crazy journey and for supporting me through it all!


Linked up to the Lou Lou Girls

So Sew Organized + Guatelmala + YOU!!!

I have a very exciting opportunity to share with my readers today!

"But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 19:14

I would like to give you an opportunity to do just that, bring children to Jesus. Will you read on and find out what you can do to help?

 I would like to introduce you to two special children:

Guatemala is located in Central America just below Mexico. It is estimated that 657,233 children do not attend elementary school in Guatemala, corresponding to 26% of the total population between 7 and 14 years old.

Like many of Guatemala's children, Alan (age 13) and Ruth (age 15) do not have the financial means to attend school on their own. Through fundraisers done by Team Guatemala and the generous support of Christians Ruth and Alan have been able to get a Christian education for several years. At each of their respective schools they learn about Jesus and His plan of salvation, as well as English, music, sewing, physical education, Bible, missions, computer skills, woodworking, and more. I will be sharing more about their particular schools in an upcoming post.

Team Guatemala is doing a fundrasier throughout the month of March to raise the amount needed for these two scholarships. That is where you come in!

My Aunt, who organizes missions trips with Team Guatemala, writes this:

Dear Friends, Because I am not taking a team to Guatemala in 2014 I don't have the usual funds for our sponsored children, Ruth and Alan. That is why I am asking for your help to cover the costs of their scholarships for the current school year, which in Guatemala is from January through October.  

I have had the privilege of working with Ruth and Alan in their classrooms, getting to know their teachers and visiting their homes, siblings, and families. They are both good students and very thankful for the opportunity to attend school. Not all the children are as faithful. Ruth and Alan are very dear to my heart and I miss them. 

Your contribution helps show them and their families the Love of God. I have seen first hand how this program has spiritually transformed children and families in Guatemala.

Throughout the month of March, So Sew Organized will be donating a portion of each sale towards Alan and Ruth's education. I am so excited to be a part of this and be able to send a small piece of So Sew Organized all the way to Guatemala!

The cost of these scholarships is very minimal compared to the normal here in the States. My goal is to be able to cover a month's schooling for each of these children. Will you help us achieve our goal? Here are some things you can do:

1. Make a purchase from So Sew Organized. This would be a great time to stock up on gifts. All of So Sew Organized's items make great wedding gifts! To put it in perspective, the profit of 6 Medium Totes from my shop would cause us to meet our goal. I know we can do it!
2. Share this opportunity with others. You can share this blog post, the graphics on this page, or share our Facebook and Twitter statuses. 
3. Pray for this fundraiser, how you might help, and most of all for Ruth and Alan. I'll keep you updated throughout the month!

Thank you so much, friends. I am beyond excited to see what God will do through you this month!

"And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward."

Matthew 10:42

My Current Devotional Plan

While we are still close to the beginning of a new year {its still January, so it counts, right?} I wanted to share a bit of my plan for my personal Bible reading schedule this year.

Some people stick to the same devotional plan year after year. Nothing wrong with that, but I am not one of those people. I don't want to get caught in a rut of doing something just because it is what I've always done. I like trying new things and sometimes pushing myself to do better than I have in the past.

In the past few years, I've read through the Bible in a year, then did a year of concentrated study on a few particular topics, and then last year read through the Bible twice in one year. That was particularly stretching, but I feel it gave me a great look at the Bible as a whole. I think it will be a while before I attempt it again, however. :)

To start this year off, I'm following a daily reading guide in a quarterly called Feature. This edition is a few years old, but the Bible does not change, so it doesn't really matter. This particular book has a passage to read and a short summary that explains it. So far I'm enjoying it, the writers really have a way of making some pointed, convicting summaries.

I'm using this simple chart to keep track of my progress.

I simply colour in every day that I complete my reading. You can see that I've missed a couple days...I'll be honest! While my goal is to complete this reading every day, the Christian life isn't lived keeping a score card. I want to have that daily communion with the Lord to have fellowship with him, not to make a check mark on this chart. Does that make sense?

This chart will be an eye opener because as the years go on I'll be able to see how many days I really do miss. It is easy to think, "I just missed this one day, its not a big deal." But really seeing how many "one days" I have will show how they all add up! I'm going to work on having the rest of this chart filled in completely by the end of the year.

Besides this reading, I'm also reading a chapter of the book of Proverbs each day, and going through a study book with a group of ladies from church.

I enjoy sharing my current study habits with my blog readers to help keep me focused and accountable, but also to encourage you to have a daily devotional time of your own! Share your current habit with us in the comments. Do you have a devotional time each day? If so, what is your current reading plan? If you don't, what is keeping you from achieving that goal? If I can be of help to you in this area in any way, don't hesitate to contact me privately.


Linked to the Weekend Wind-Down Party

Bring Him to Jesus

I just can’t make him listen. I’ve tried everything - asking, pleading, bribery, threats - nothing works. He is rolling around on the floor, not listening to the teacher (yours truly) and distracting all the other kids.

He’s not my child; in fact, I’ve never met him before. I am just here to teach a kids class. I was looking forward to a fun week of VBS, but I wasn’t expecting this. I just wanted them to learn about God, have fun, and hide God’s word in their little hearts. But no one can learn anything, much less even hear what I am saying. Am I a failure?

Well, the fact is that it is not all about me, but I’ll get to that part in a minute. What do you do when you feel powerless and helpless, knowing you very well could fail?


Bring the problem to Jesus.


That is it. It is that simple. It almost seems too simple, right?

Jesus says, “Bring him unto Me.”


But they all seem passive, not caring whether they learn about God or not.


Bring them unto Me.


But I can’t make them listen, and nothing I say seems to be penetrating.


Bring them unto Me.


But they won’t participate or interact with any of my (perfectly planned) songs or games.


Bring them unto Me.


But their friends are laughing,
And the parents aren’t much help, either.
And they are too embarrassed to do what is right…
I’m not even sure they know what is right.

Bring them unto Me.


It really is that simple because it is what Jesus told us to do in Mark chapter 9. A man from the crowd had brought his son, who was demon-possessed to the disciples, but the disciples could not cast out his demon.

The disciples, bless their hearts; I see myself in them so often. They tried to do what they could for this boy, but they were powerless in and of themselves. They failed. Miserably. In front of a multitude.

In a way, that is just how I feel when I am in front of a class of little people. Their parents have brought them to me, have trusted them with me, expecting me to heal their sin sickness, or at least give them something that will benefit them. {I’ll let you imagine the correlations between the demon possessed son and some of my little charges! ;) }

But I fail. I feel powerless. I am powerless, and I know it. But what to do?

{Jesus} answereth him, and saith, “Bring him unto me.”
Vs. 19

It is redundant...but it is the only answer. In myself, I am powerless. I lack faith.

“Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”
Vs.23

All things.

“And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”

Vs. 24

That needs to be me.

Help thou mine unbelief.

I don’t see how any good is going to come out of this situation. I can’t see how they will learn anything or grow up to be Godly servants of yours, or anything. I am so unbelieving...but help thou mine unbelief.

Jesus went on to say that this kind - the kind that is unbelievable - can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. Prayer - that is the channel by which we can bring our problems to Christ. It can and will bring about unbelievable things!

Whether the problem be a disobedient child, a looming bill, a serious illness, or even just a sad and heavy heart, we can take it to Jesus! I’m so thankful that the all-knowing, all-wise God knows the answer to all of life’s problems!

So next time you stand to face that class of young souls, waiting to hear your words -

Don’t give them your words. Simply bring them to Jesus.



Linking up with: Womanhood With Purpose

How to plan a Noah's Ark VBS for 4s and 5s

For the past two years, I’ve taught the 4s and 5s class during our week-long Vacation Bible School. It is a lot of fun, and a lot of work! We don’t purchase curriculum for this event, it is up to me to provide the material for my class. The little kids do almost everything independently from the big kids, so that is roughly two hours of time I have to fill up.

Sound a little scary? It really isn’t bad...but like I said, it is a lot of work!

Today I am going to share how I put materials and resources together to make my “curriculum” for the week, as well as my online sources and how I plan the week out. {Warning, its a novel!} Hopefully this will be a help to someone else faced with this situation in the future!

This was our nursery-turned-classroom...excuse the lovely "ark"

This week our VBS theme was Noah’s ark...a pretty simple theme, great for the 4s and 5s! All of my kids this year were unchurched, so that made it challenging...I started to realize about the second night in that they pretty much had no concept of God, the Bible, etc. That made it a bit more interesting!

When planning for the week, I find the first thing to do is plan a rough schedule for each night. Mine looked like this:

Monday

--Washroom --
Take attendance - put stickers on chart

Sing theme song

Explain rules + prizes

Song  - deep & wide, fishers of men

Lesson

Snack

Song - the joy of the Lord

Extra info - dinos

Learn verse - Genesis 6:8

Song - theme song, fishers of men

How to draw a dino

Announcements - tomorrow is colour a rainbow night, say verse

Candy, quiet seat prize

It is a vague schedule that probably doesn’t make much sense to you, but it is a starting point! Then, I just have to prepare each aspect of the night. This includes planning the lessons, making song and verse posters, making an attendance chart, etc.

We started each night in a general assembly with the other kids for about 15 minutes. Once we were dismissed to our class, we always stopped by the washroom first thing! I don’t want any have-to-go moments in the middle of a lesson, and with this preventative step that doesn't usually happen.

Once down in our classroom, they got stickers on the attendance chart for attendance, bringing a Bible, bringing a visitor, and saying their verse.

This was the attendance chart.

Our theme song this year was “Wide, Wide as the Ocean.” We also sang, “Fishers of Men,” “Deep + Wide,” and “The Joy of the Lord.” Most of those are action songs, so I don’t make a poster for them. My hands need to be free to teach the motions, and besides, these kids can’t read anyway! I only had a poster for “The Joy of the Lord,” and that was actually left over from last year. This song is a hit with kids, one girl requested the “happy” song in the middle of the week. :)

My rules for any kids class of any age are always the following:

Sit up
Look up
Zip up

That pretty much covers everything and keeps it simple to remember!

A landing place for everything I might need throughout the week.

For the lesson time, I always open my Bible and read one or two verses straight from the text. Do they understand it? Not much. But I want them to know that I’m not making this stuff up, it comes straight from God’s word. Then with this age group, I proceed to tell the story in my own words.

My lessons each night were quite short - I just broke up the story of Noah into 5 parts - but they are little! I heard once that kids have an attention span about as long as their age. So my overall attention span was 4 minutes! My lessons weren’t that short….but I did try to keep things moving.

I typed out a general outline of what I wanted to say, and made sure I was very familiar with the text and story. I tried to give them specific things to remember, certain things I emphasized and asked them over and over throughout the week. With the Noah story I tried to emphasize that sin caused the flood, and sin has consequences in our lives, too. One girl told me she never did anything to make her parents sad. She’ll learn! =)

This year I tried something new and brought in some “extra info” each night. I figured the story of Noah was a good time to plant seeds in their minds that would contradict with the evolution they will be taught once they start school. I obviously kept it super simple - we didn’t actually talk about evolution or anything - but I gave them some info about different things from Noah’s day or the effects of the flood.

During the week we talked about Dinosaurs, Sharks and large fish, and fossils. I also was prepared to talk about the Grand Canyon, but we ran out of time. (plus I am not sure these Canadian kids would have even known what that was!) They especially loved the Dinos and Sharks. I gained most of my info from the Answers in Genesis website, including the How to Draw a Dino we did as an activity on Monday. I did the drawing with the narration first, and then let them try it. I printed off little veggies and leaves (from Microsoft Office Clip Art - what would we do without it?) and they glued those in the thought bubble to show what the dino’s ate. It was a fun activity that taught them a little bit of truth about Dinos!

I already talked about how I taught verses throughout the week, but here are all the specific verses we used:

Genesis 6:8 “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” (this was the theme verse, and all of my kids learned this one!)

Genesis 7:5 “And Noah did...all that the LORD commanded him.”

Hebrews 11:7 “By faith Noah...prepared an ark…”

Hebrews 11:6a “Without faith, it is impossible to please him…”

Nehemiah 8:10b “The joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Each night I gave out a coloring sheet with their verse printed on it so they could review it at home. I used coloring sheets from here and wrote the verses on myself.

I like to give out lots of candy during the week. When I ask review questions, I give a small piece of candy (tootsie rolls are perfect) for each attempted answer. Plus I sometimes just randomly reward good behavior throughout the night. This helps to keep them alert to what they should be doing! At the end of the night, each child gets a piece of candy for each sticker he has on his chart that night. And one gets picked each night for a quiet seat...that person gets to take a handful of candy from my bucket!

I have found the best way to handle all the rewards is to start the night by giving each child a paper bag with their name on it. Candy goes directly into the bag when it is received, they are not allowed to hold it, play with it, or eat it! If necessary, I don’t even give them the bag, but set it all aside until the end. I haven’t had any issues with this method!

I have also tried to do other small incentives each night. One night they could bring in a stuffed animal to show the class, one night they were supposed to wear clothing with an animal on it, etc. However, this age group rarely remembers to do any of that. So I’m thinking next year I’ll skip that...it might be perfect for older kids, however!

At the end of the week, I give out a larger prize for the child with the most stickers on the chart, the one who said the most verses, and the one who brought the most visitors. Again, these kids didn’t really seem to understand that they could be working towards those prizes; however they did enjoy getting them. That is why I think giving the small candy rewards is important for this age. It is an instant reward, they understand what they are being rewarded for. They don’t seem to understand that all those good things add up throughout the week. This too would depend on the age!

The prizes sat there tempting them all week! Whenever I allow them to go look at the prize table, I make them put their hands behind their back. No touching the prizes until Friday night!

Well, this has been an extremely long post...if you’re still reading, kudos to you! I think I’ve covered all the basics, but there are a lot more details to consider. If you have any questions or would like more explanations about anything, just leave a comment or shoot me an email, I’d love to help you out!

I’d also love for you to share tips or suggestions for working with the younger age groups. I’m sure some of you have been doing it longer than I have and have more wisdom to share! Please do, I’m looking forward to learning from you!

Scripture Memory for Little Ones

We are in the middle of an exciting week of VBS here at Calvary Baptist Church! I plan to share a detail post at some point with my game plan for the week, as well as some helpful links. But for now, I just had to let you in on one exciting and extremely necessary aspect of our class.

Helping these little ones hide God’s Word in their hearts.

My class so far this week has consisted of three 4-year-olds, and one that is age five. And yes, they are learning verses! You might ask, “Isn’t that a bit young?” but it isn’t! I have heard children younger than that recite memory verses in their own broken way. Fours and Fives are definitely capable of committing God’s words to memory!

I’m not talking lengthy passages, or even multiple verses per night. We’ve been focusing on one verse, or even just part of a verse, each night. Two of my kids came back Tuesday night and recited Monday’s verse. I can’t tell you how that thrilled me!

I know there are hard words in the King James English. I know that these kids don’t completely understand all I am teaching them. As far as I know, all four of these kids are unchurched, and sometimes when I speak about God they look at me like they don’t know Who I’m referring to.

But they are getting scripture, snippets of truth lodged in their little brains. God has promised that His Word will not return void!! 

Our theme for the week is Noah {did you see my “ark”??} so several of our verses directly mention his name. That has been easy for them to remember. We’ve used verses such as…

Genesis 7:5 “And Noah did...all that the LORD commanded him.”

Genesis 6:8 “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”

Hebrews 11:7 “By faith Noah...prepared an ark…”


I have found that the old wipe-a-word-off method is tried and true. I write the verse on a chalkboard, and we repeat it...and repeat, and repeat, and repeat. :) I make sure to point to each word as we say it. These kids can not read, but they can still associate words with their placement on the board, or even by the first letter. It is not hard now for them to recognize the name “Noah” or “Genesis.”

In the course of repetition I draw attention to other key words as well. I explained “commanded” and we repeated that long word by itself. I explained “grace.” And of course we talked about “Lord.”

And then I start erasing words. Just those main ones, mostly. Only 4 or 5 words, and each time we repeat the verse again. And before the night is over they know it!

Each night I send home a colouring sheet for them to finish at home with that night’s verse printed clearly on it. I reinforce that they need to have their parents help them memorize the verse at home, so they can say it to me the next night. They take it very, very seriously. And so far they’ve been doing it!

And yes, they also get rewarded! =)

It thrills me to no end that these precious little souls are grasping something...and that I have the privilege of giving them the gospel for the very first time. I pray that they will have many more opportunities to hear God’s Word in the future!

I’d love to know...what is your desire for your little ones in the area of memorization? How early would you start? Any other tips or tricks you can share?


Linked up with: Womanhood with Purpose, Classy Clutter

My Beautiful new Wallet

Here is a peek at the adorable wallet I picked up a few weeks ago!!

I know I don’t normally share pictures of my wallet - seems kind of odd, right? But I’m trying to infuse a bit more personality into my posts...a little more of “me” than just projects, sewing, etc.

I actually picked this up at a Christian bookstore in Oregon.

I have carried this style wallet for years, and LOVE it! My old one was falling apart, however {it was white with cherries!} and I’d been on the lookout for a new one.

Lo and behold, I found these super cute ones with Bible verses on them! Score!

There were some other prints I liked even better, but this verse caught my eye above all the others. Last year during VBS we sang a song based on this verse, and it has become one of my favourites! When the woes of life threaten to get me down, I try to remind myself - It is the joy of the Lord, not of my circumstances, that will give me strength!

Of course, the happy teal colour doesn’t hurt my feelings, either. {wink!}

Inside, there are convenient spots for money, change, and plastic. If you are the type to carry 65 different credit/loyalty cards, I don’t recommend this style wallet. It only fits a few...but for my minimalist self that is perfect!

I love slipping this thin wallet into one of my medium totes and carrying it everywhere! It is easy to use and leaves plenty of room in my bag for other junk stuff. =)

Do you have a favourite style wallet or bag that you carry? What small items bring inspiration for you?


Linking up with: Womanhood with Purpose, Show and Tell Friday, Diana Rambles, Classy Clutter

On Getting Old{er} and Glorifying God

Sometimes I feel that I’m getting so old that the evil in this world is just going to eventually smother me.

I know, that made absolutely no sense. But it seemed like the best way to put it.

I guess it is a combination of the two things that can get me down if I dwell on it. For starters, I am beginning to feel very old. I have a birthday coming up, a sort of mile-stone birthday...and for the first time in my life, I wish it wasn’t coming. I wish I didn’t have to get any older. I wish I could stall time and finish things I have yet to do.

I’m really overreacting. When you find out how old I’m going to be, you’ll laugh out loud. I am not old, and I know that. But I’m older than I ever have been before, and I guess the seriousness of the fact that I can’t go back and change past events is really sinking in.

Maybe that is a sign of maturity?? Ha!

And then the evil in this world. Ya’ll, it is depressing. As time goes on, sin seems more prevalent than ever...and often it hurts. I mean, how do you react when 6-9 year old kids ask prayer for the family of a girl that committed suicide? These are just young children, already having to face the reality of suicide. It seems like that shouldn't be so!!

And last night, I had a similar conversation with that same group of young kids about the Boston events. It was enough to break my heart.

“I heard there was people running and they had bombs in the finish line.”

“Who would put bombs there?”

“I heard that one girl lost a limb….what is a limb??”

And finally, one 7 year-old gal summed it up:

“Those people who put those bombs there must not know about God.”

How do you even begin to try to explain something so horrific to these young children? What happened to the innocency they are supposed to have?

I’ll admit, when the news of the Boston events first started to come over my Facebook newsfeed {yep, that is where I get the latest} I just wanted to close my computer and pretend I didn’t know about it. I was just so tired of dealing with this sin-cursed world, enough is enough already!!

My bottom-line feeling in all these above situations is “come quickly, Lord!” Oh, it seems if we could but just get to heaven - like, yesterday - and not have to deal with earth any longer! Could anything be sweeter?

But I have to stop myself, and think...why do I desire heaven? To get away from earth? To live in a perfect place with no more sin? To not have to face my own sin and deal with myself each day?

Is my desire simply to walk streets of gold, or see loved ones waiting there? Am I looking for my mansion, home, and crown?

Or do I desire to worship and glorify God?

Yes, all those other things are wonderful benefits that we will have in heaven, and I don’t think it is wrong to look forward to them. But really, when we get there, I think all of that will pale in comparison to one thing: worship.

It is what we were created for - to glorify Him.

Once we are in heaven, glorifying God will be our supreme desire. We will take our crowns and cast them at His feet...not keeping any of the glory for ourselves. Worshiping Him will consume our every moment.

And then the thought...why not now?

Yes, the earth is wicked and vile and filthy. Yes, I am aging and time is going on and there is nothing I can do about it. But I’m not in heaven yet...I am here. Now. This moment. And I can worship God and glorify Him with this.

Can I choose to take today and use it to glorify God? Can I take all my imperfections, failures, and weaknesses and use them anyway? Can I take the mundane and call it worship?

I can...if I choose. If I see each moment as God’s, not as just another mark of a sin-cursed world. He has a plan far bigger than any I could imagine or hope for. Why not trust Him with it?

Wouldn't you agree?



My heart goes out to those suffering from the events of Boston. I am in no way diminishing that pain and suffering. I know several who had friend’s/relatives/neighbors at the marathon, and I pray your family is safe. Feel free to share your story below!

My Scripture Memory Tips

I shared yesterday some of my background in memorizing Scripture, how I fell off the bandwagon after college, and some of my crazy thought process that brought me back around. Read all that here. It is really more interesting than I just made it sound.

Today, I’d like to share how I make Scripture memory a daily habit - and the trial and error that led me to this system.

I’ll start right out by spilling the beans - I use 3x5 note cards. And every Bible School student shudders…

3x5 note cards have the tendency to give me hives, but I found it was the easiest way. That must be why they were so encouraged in college. :) I did my best to avoid them...but couldn’t. They really make the system work.

After trying a few different combinations, I decided that 3 verses a week is an attainable goal for me right now. That number may be different for you. Don’t be discouraged if you choose to just memorize one...a little progress is better than no progress at all!

Every Monday morning I write out my three verses for the week on note cards. I keep the stack I’m currently working on with my other Bible study materials.

I pin up one of the cards on the white board over my sewing desk. That way I can review it during down time - like while waiting for a bobbin to wind.

As you can see, I jot down a lot of other things there, too...it is super handy! Just a little hard on the eyes...

I have found it easiest to be reviewing one chapter at a time. So this week I am working on memorizing Philippians 3: 7-9, but each day I also review the other verses I’ve learned in chapter 3. This helps keep everything cohesive...I know not only each verse but the order they go in as well.

When I finish a chapter, I take a couple week to just review all the chapters I’ve memorized so far. This is so important. If I don’t review it, I’ll lose it. Simple as that. Review is so necessary!

Another thing to note:

I was so surprised how much easier it is to memorize a whole chapter as opposed to a bunch of separate, out-of-context verses. Memorizing a whole chapter is so cohesive...it is like instead of remembering a whole bunch of random words, I can remember an entire thought. Also, memorizing in this way sheds a lot of light on that particular passage. Verses that before didn’t make sense, now start to come together as I chew on them in context. Funny thing about that, right? It is like I am memorizing and meditating all in one whack.

So there is a handful of my memorizing tips, and what I have found works best for me right now. I am sure I've missed some things, and you probably have some great ideas, too, right? So tell us about them...what helps you memorize a bit easier? Do you have a love/hate relationship with 3x5 cards? Any review tips you can share?

On Memorization and My Failing Memory

I read somewhere that at the age of 30, your mind begins to slow down. You are unable to remember as much as you could in your younger years, and a normal aging process begins to take place.

When I read that, I panicked.

And then I thought, ‘how much can I cram in before I turn 30?’ :)

This was just one reason why I began intentionally memorizing scripture several months ago.

But for you to fully understand where I was coming from, you have to know some of my scripture memory history…

I grew up always attending kid’s programs in our local church. Always there was verse memorization required, which seemed to come pretty easy for me.

Because really, after a few years, many of the verses were the same. I am thankful for that repetition, as it drilled those verses into my head even further. But at the same time it gave my little inflated ego the idea that I “knew them all.”

I didn’t have the whole Bible memorized, but I felt like I had the key verses down pat - and surely that was good enough.

Fast-forward to college. I attended a small Bible school, which again required lots of verse memorization.

Only this time it wasn’t so easy.

Oh yes, I still got to pull out my old stand-bys every so often, but there were many, many verses required that I did not know already. Hard verses. Verses I didn’t fully understand. Tongue-twisting verses, sometimes.

And I struggled.

I could do ok with the verses..but remembering all those references? Forget it! Have a few dozen verses with references and punctuation memorized for an exam? It seemed impossible.

I did alright. I passed, anyway. :) Slowly the verses became easier, as I developed a system for memorizing and retaining them - at least long enough to get them on a test paper.

And when I graduated, it pretty much stopped.

I knew verse memorization was important. But I had done so much of it over the years...really, hadn’t I performed my “reasonable service” already? I was daily reading and studying the word, but memorization was gone.

And then the teens. Those beautiful, Christ-like teens.

They came up here from North Carolina to help with our VBS last summer. And as a motivation, they were promised help with their financial needs for the trip if they memorized the entire book of James.

Shut the front door. The whole book of James??

And they did it too. One gal did it not even thinking she was able to come...and it paid off. The whole book of James...I just couldn’t wrap my mind around that!

And I thought, “If they can do it, I can too!”

And that was the day I began memorizing Philippians. The entire book.

It has been slow going. I didn’t start out with much of a plan, so some days and weeks it still got pushed to the back burner. Now I have a better system going and really feel that I am making some progress!

I’ll be back tomorrow to share what my system is, in hopes that it will help you develop your own habit. In the meantime, I’d love to hear - what is your view on memorizing scripture? Have you done it in the past? Do you have a “served my time” mentality, or do you still make memorization a part of your worship to God in the present? I'd love to hear what works or doesn't work for you!

When Sleep Won't Come

It was the teeth grinding that made me notice it.

I’ve never been one to grit my teeth. It is a horrible feeling, if you ask me. But there I was, jaw set, not in anger but in anxiety. Not only were my teeth clenched, but I suddenly realized that my hands and feet were balled tight, and I was lying in a fetal position, my entire body tense.

What was the cause, you ask? Well, absolutely nothing, to be honest. I don’t live a life of anxiety and worry. But it was one of those nights...a night I couldn’t sleep because my mind wouldn’t shut off...a night where my thoughts were jumping from one thing to another,  and I was beginning to worry about a few small situations.

None of these thoughts were worth worrying out, but when all jumbled together it was making me feel anxious about everything. I was trying to sort through some difficulties and figure out how things would “work out.”

And then the teeth grinding.

That is when I realized what I was doing. I was laying there trying to make life work on my own. Trying to come up with human reasoning and purposes for those situations. Trying to figure out how I was going to handle things. On my own. That was a mistake.

So I began to relax. I started with my jaw. Slowly I un-balled my fists and stretched out my legs and relaxed, letting my joints and my petty worries sink into the soft sheets.

And as I did, I began to thank God.

Thank Him for those situations I had been worrying over. Thank Him for the people I was worrying about. Thank Him that He holds tomorrow and that He has it all worked out better than I ever could anyway.

And I thought of this…

So often when a problem comes, we fail to fold our hands in prayer. Instead, we clench them into fists of made-up control, or busy them in work trying to provide for ourselves. We try to hold on when we should be letting go.

What if we simply folded them in prayer instead? And not just prayer, but praise as well?

It worked for me that night. That mind that I couldn’t shut off? Once I started to thank the Lord for the many things on my mind, I was asleep in 5 minutes flat.

I’ve heard that if a person doesn’t exercise his mind or his body on a given day, sleep will be long in coming. Either your body will be craving more work instead of more rest, or your mind will be trying to work after being at ease all day. It seems to be true. Often if I can’t sleep, reading a book or working on a mind game will help.

But now I have a new exercise plan: praise. Try it, it may just work wonders in your life as well!

Be careful for nothing;
but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God,
which passeth all understanding,,
shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7

You Don't Say!

A few weeks ago, I was chatting with my family. We were talking about Facebook.

More specifically, we were talking about what we don’t like about Facebook or the people that are on Facebook. {Don’t give me that innocent face...you don’t like people on Facebook, too. Admit it.}

In the course of conversation, I made this comment: “She is the.most.annoying. person to have as a Facebook friend.”

I didn’t mean it in a malicious or mean way. I didn’t mean that I thought she was a horrible person and no one should ever be her friend, on Facebook or otherwise. I just meant her posts were not up my alley, and I would have rather not had them cluttering up my newsfeed. That is all.

Three days later, I got word that she had passed away.

She was not a lady I knew very well. I had not even seen her for nearly 10 years. But I was convicted that the last thing I had said about her had been negative and unnecessary.

The Bible has so, so much to say about our words. We know and understand the admonitions against lying, deceit, anger, and other sins we can commit with our tongue. But what about negative, unnecessary, and idle words? Does the Bible have anything to say about those?

Oh yes, my friend. It surely does.

Proverbs 29:20
Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? There is more hope of a fool than of him.

Ouch.

We could paraphrase that verse with the maxim, “Think before you speak!” It is so true! A similar verse says,

In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.
Proverbs 10:19

Are you about to say something about someone else? Just stop. Many times you will change your mind! Are you babbling on just to make conversation? Just stop! There is an old quote that says, “Better to be quiet and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” We would be a lot better off if we followed that truth! So many of our words are just simply unnecessary to say out loud...stop them before they come out!

The verse that perhaps convicts me the most in the area of my speech {and thoughts!} is Philippians 4:8

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there by any praise, think on these things.

If the thoughts I am thinking about others are lined up with the criteria in this verse, those idle, unnecessary words are not going to come out of my mouth. On the flip side, if my thoughts are not lined up with this list, they are probably sin! So therefore the words that follow those thoughts are sin as well. How convicting!

Lets take a minute and examine our words based on these criteria:

Are my words true? Or am I telling a falsehood?
Are they honest? Or am I using flattery to win friends?
Are they just? Are they fair to the other person?
Are they pure? Or am I saying this with a double meaning?
Are they lovely? Will they edify the other?
Are they of good report? If they are repeated, with they still line up with these criteria?
Are they virtuous? Am I explaining the way of God more perfectly? (Acts 18:24-28)
Are they full of praise? For God and for others?

Convicting? Oh yes. So much so, that it is hard to read that verse!

But necessary? Oh, abundantly so. We would all do well to check our words with this verse on a regular basis.

One final verse to ponder as we consider this important topic:

Proverbs 21:23
Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.

God’s word gives us the answer: we can keep ourselves out of trouble by keeping a check on our tongue and the words we speak.

I am often convicted about my speech, even to the extent that I have made this topic a deep study many times over the past few years. Every time I study what God’s word has to say on the subject, and am convicted and challenged about another area that needs work. Clearly, I still have a ways to go. :) Will you join me in carefully examining your own speech, and seeing if your words line up with Scripture?

Let's be known as wise women by the words that we say...or don’t say!

Proverbs 31:26
She openeth her mouth with wisdom, and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

Easter Reading 2013

It is high time we chatted about the Lenten season.

Since, you know, it has already started {weeks ago} and I’ve been reading this fabulous book and not telling you about it.

If you’ve been reading here in past years, you know that I do my own spin on observing Lent. My denomination does not typically observe Lent, but I think it is a shame for the celebration of Easter and all Christ did for us on the cross to be limited to one day. We spend weeks and weeks preparing for Christmas and celebrating Christ’s birth...why do we pass lightly over His death and redemptive work?

That is the short version of my feelings toward Easter. You can read more here if you want. :)

In the weeks leading up to Easter {call it Lent, call it the month of March...the name doesn’t matter, the point is preparing my heart for Resurrection Sunday) I normally read a book that deals directly with some aspect of Christ’s death and His redemptive work. In 2011 I read The Incomparable Christ and in 2012 I read Knowing Christ.




This year, I chose a book that has been sitting on my shelf for years: Salvation by Earl D. Radmacher. I had to read this book for a class in college, but I am ashamed to admit I couldn’t even remember what the book was about, let alone what I supposedly learned from it! For shame!

Flipping through it, I felt that it would be a perfect book to focus on this Easter...and I was right! It covers our salvation through Christ in detail, and breaks down words like justification, redemption, and propitiation in ways that are easy to understand. I especially liked the chapter on common grace - God’s Grace to the world as a whole. It gave me a whole new glimpse into the awesomeness of our God!

I also have been memorizing and meditating on certain verses that deal with this topic each week. These are normally verses that I am already familiar with, but in light of this season I want to focus on them even more! Two that I have chosen already have been II Corinthians 5:17 and Hebrews 2:10.

It worked out that in my normal daily Bible reading schedule I am still in the Gospels, so in addition to the Radmacher book, I am also reading the passages that detail Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. Had I not already been reading these, I would have made them part of my study as well. I don’t like to focus only on man’s words (although Radmacher uses bushels and bushels of scripture in every chapter of his book) but to dwell primarily on His words! Those are the words that God has promised to bless and use in our lives.

So there is a little glimpse into my plan for the next few weeks. I would challenge you to spend some time prior to Easter Sunday dwelling on Jesus Christ and what He has done for us. In past years, I have seen this make a huge impact on my spiritual life, and give me a deeper sense of gratitude to the Lord. It can be a life-saver spiritually!

Do you typically observe Lent? What does it mean for you? Is there a way that you prepare your heart to celebrate the Resurrection?

The Words I Speak

“I sure would like to be able to play that piano as well as you can.”

I smiled down at her. It was a grimacing smile...a bit embarrassed that I was being praised. I don’t like being praised, but I am thankful that my piano playing can be used as a blessing to others.

So I prepared to offer one of my usual statements in such a case. Something to the affect of, “well, all it takes is practice!” Or, “I’ve been practicing a long time...I haven’t always been able to play this way!”Other times I might spiritualize my answer to try to get the focus off myself: “I”m thankful that the Lord has given me this ability.”

But before any of these well-practiced answers could pass through my lips, my eyes glanced down to the hands folded in her lap.

Gnarled, twisted fingers.

Some fingers were curled, others slightly bent back. All were misshapen in some way. While they were able to grab and hold onto objects, those hands lack the strength and coordination to even push her wheelchair forward.

What could I say? I couldn’t stand there and tell her “all it takes is practice” when her hands clearly did not have the ability to even strike one chord. Even attributing my ability to the Lord might seem offensive...I did not want to give the unspoken meaning that the Lord had not gifted her.

All of this dashed through my thoughts in the split second I had between her initial statement and my fumbling answer. What could I say?

I mumbled something about how I pretend to play well, and said how glad I was she enjoyed the music. Not the most eloquent moment of my life. Those beautiful eyes, looking up at me, deserved a better answer than that!

In a few moments I left her in her room at the Nursing Home, and headed back down the hall to get my coat. What could I have said differently? Had I been prepared with a better answer, could I have encouraged her in some way?

Proverbs 10:20a says, “The tongue of the just is as choice silver.” Silver is beautiful, valuable - but my words that day were anything but!

The next week as I again pushed her to her room, I was not surprised to hear the same words coming out of her lips. After all, she has been saying them to me most weeks that I’ve been volunteering at her Nursing Home. But this time, I was more prepared.

You see, the Bible gives us the assurance that we can have gracious, appropriate words. I believe it is our duty and privilege to point people to Christ with our lives, and that includes the words we use. I wanted to be an encouragement to this lady, and show her I cared about her...most of all, show her Christ’s love.

“Did you ever play any instruments?” I’ve found that elderly people love to talk about their past...many times they can remember that better than the present! {wink!}

“Oh yes, I always played the organ.”

She proceeded to tell me about the church she attended, and for how many years she had been their organist. The conversation did not last long, and I closed it by adding,

“We can certainly thank the Lord that he has given us both the opportunity to serve Him with music!”

I left her room with a lighter heart. The conversation, though it had been simple and brief, had been much more encouraging and spiritually edifying than my past blabberings. I am thankful that the Lord promises to help us, and give us words that glorify Him!

Friends, are words are so, so important. Are yours honoring the Lord today?

“In the lips of him that hath understanding, wisdom is found.”
Proverbs 10:13a

Promises From God, Truth During Grief

So, I unexpectedly dropped off planet earth last week.

Did you notice?

Well, I didn’t really leave the planet {way cool} but I did leave the country. As I mentioned before, we had to take an unexpected trip to Maine last week...for a funeral.

I guess all funerals are somewhat unexpected, aren’t they? But this one was even more so. A young life, just 43 years old, ended. And while the death wasn’t in my immediate family, it was close enough that it felt like a loss in my immediate family.

It was a pretty difficult week.

But y’all, I’m so thankful for family. I’m thankful for the way we rally around each other, encourage each other, cry and pray with each other. Some of these same people comforted me and my family during the deaths of my grandparents. Now we were able to do the same for them, just be there, supporting them in any way we could during this time.

And while death is never easy, I am so thankful we can still claim the promises of God:

John 14:18 

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Even if we didn’t have the support of family and friends, we will always have the Lord to comfort us. He can comfort better than any human can! How often do we stumble over words, trying to say the right things, but just not knowing what to say? Turn to God. He is the ultimate comforter who is never at a loss for words.

Hebrews 13:8 

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

The same Jesus who wept with Mary and Martha is with us, praying for us. He is not a God who “cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities” {Heb. 4:15} for he lived on earth as a human, with the same feelings, emotions, and experiences that we face. He knows what we face, and with us - yesterday, and today, and forever.

And some of my favourite verses, Psalm 27:13-14 

I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

We might not see the goodness of the Lord right now. We might only see badness in our present circumstances. But if we believe in the goodness of the Lord, and wait courageously, He will strengthen us for this time, and bring that goodness from our circumstances. It is not up to us to “fix it,” it is up to him. All we have to do is wait for it.

Right now, there is a family mourning the loss of a son, brother, dad, and uncle. They are hurting deeply. But they are also claiming the promises of God, and trusting Him to bring goodness from this time. Will you join me in praying for their healing, and that this circumstance will succeed in glorifying God?

Journaling for the Future

I have never been very good at keeping a journal. Are you? Oh, I have random scribbles written down from my teen years, but I never lasted consistently beyond a few days. I would attempt to begin a journal, intending to be consistent in writing, only to have my determination fizzle out shortly after.

So I never did make it a habit. Until recently, when I decided to include it in my goals for this year.

There are a couple of main reasons why I have decided that keeping a journal of some kind is important. The first is to simply record life events. There are already so many things that I’ve experienced in my relatively short life, “momentous” occasions that I will some day want to remember more clearly. And I failed to write them down. :( Major bummer! Already I regret that!

I know that someday when I have my own kids, I will want to record the funny things they do and say, and the big moments of their lives, like their first steps, or first day of school. As the years fly by, the memories I found most precious will begin to fade - my memory isn’t good enough to remember everything!

I have an aunt that has been a fantastic, consistent journaler for many years, and it is always fun to hear the things that went on when my cousins were younger. It is the only way I can know about these momentous things that happened before I was even around! Yes, I believe it is important to be able to revisit my families past and heritage through the pages of a journal.

But the other main reason I believe a journal is important is found in scripture. Yes, scripture! Even though the Bible does not talk about keeping a journal, I believe there is a principle that applies here.

Over and over through the story of the Israelites, God instructs them to build memorials or institute a sacrifice to be a remembrance long after the event has taken place. We find one such account in Exodus 13:14,

And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage.

The sacrifice that was established just prior to this verse served one purpose: to teach the children that were not present what the Lord had done in their parent's lives.

This pattern is repeated over and over through the story of the Exodus and wilderness wandering, and I believe it is an important thing to consider. How can we show future generations the greatness of God? By letting them see it in our own lives. Then as they learn from our example to depend on Him and trust Him, they can see these same great things in their own lives!

Keeping a journal to record the great things the Lord has done is like setting up a memorial or a sacrifice. It can remind us of the greatness and power of God, and of His working in our lives. Yes, there may be times in our life when things aren’t looking so great and powerful and wonderful. I believe these need to be recorded as well, because the Lord will work some good out of them, and His greatness will be shown through even the hard events of our lives. We can’t ever know the effect that our testimony could have into the future!

So I’ve begun to journal regularly - several times a week. Beyond life events {because lets face it, there aren’t too many journal-worthy ones these days!} I’ve found it a great place to jot down spiritual tidbits that I pick up in my personal Bible study. Things the Lord is teaching me through His word, or things I want to ponder and sort out longer - having them written down allows me to go back and revisit them if I need to! It is turning out to add a wealth of meaning to my devotional life.

If you don’t keep a journal, why not give it a try and see if you find these things to be true in your life? It doesn’t have to be a daily, time-consuming thing unless that is what works for you. Just a few simple lines, a funny thing someone said, or a verse that struck you today is enough. And remember, you are setting memorials -showing God’s power and grace to the generations to follow you.

If you already journal, I’d love to hear about your method! Why is keeping a journal important to you? What sorts of things do you include?