More Bible Verses

So I have two new verses for my scripture memorization goal.

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. Revelations 3:15-17

That one I have memorized. It definitely is one of those verses that pierces your soul. I certainly struggle with being "lukewarm" in my faith and often forget how much I need Jesus. He alone is the author and perfecter of my faith.

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth. Deuteronomy 11:18-21

This is the one I am working on. As you can see, it is a lot to memorize! I can paraphrase it, but I'm working on really knowing the words. I hope to apply this by frequently talking to Hannah about Jesus and making every thought captive to Christ.

Speaking of Hannah, she now says "amen" and attempts to say "Bible". She also folds her hands to pray when we prompt her. It's so adorable!

Bible Verse Monday

So in addition to cutting our family's grocery budget, I also want to memorize two Bible verses/month. This was inspired by Beth Moore's Siesta Scripture Memory. I will not be following along with that program, but rather doing it on my own. I absolutely love accountability, but Beth Moore's style of writing really doesn't fit me.

Anyways, here is the first verse I am attempting to memorize: "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2:6-7

I originally wanted a verse about wisdom, but this one caught my eye instead! In order to help me memorize it, I plan to read it aloud 5x each day. I learn well through repetition. So hopefully by the end of 2011, I will have 24 new verses memorized!

Perpetual State of Waiting

I'm whining, I know.

Really though, I feel like I'm waiting for so many things.

-My hcg levels to go down to 0
-AF to arrive
-TTC again
-Getting pregnant
-Dave leaving his job

I am trying so hard to be patient, and I honestly feel like my heart has been more trusting in the Lord. I think I'm just so anxious for those events to occur that I think about them frequently.

One of the shining spots in life is that Hannah is such a joy right now. She's been a bit cranky about going to bed but I hope it's just a short term phase. She recently learned how to blow kisses, and it's just about the cutest thing she's ever done.

We've been reading a chapter of Proverbs aloud during snack time every day too. I know she doesn't understand what it means but I think it's important to expose her to Bible principles and verses at a young age. I want her to grow up familiar with the terms and lessons within. After we read, we also pray which I think is so important for Hannah to see and for us to do as a family.

Impatience

Throughout the last few weeks, my church has been doing a series on sins that are "not that bad" Sins like anxiety and impatience.

Impatience. Now there is one I struggle with.



That picture? That is exactly how I'm feeling on several occasions. I get so impatient with slow drivers, or getting lost, or not being able to find a place to park. I get impatient with the internet and things not working the way I think they should.

I'm paraphrasing here, but our pastor created a working definition of impatience that goes something like this: Feeling very annoyed by the perceived faults and failures of others. That's me. And that's sin.

My goal this week will be to pray when I start to feel impatience. Specifically, to pray for those to whom I am so impatient. And to remember this verse:

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Philippians 2:3-4

What is God's calling for me?

That is a question I've been wrestling with a bit lately.

I know God has given me the following gifts and desires:

-To be a wife and mother
-To know and apply Scripture
-To work with young children


And I know these things are all glorifying to God. But I don't know exactly how to use these skills to further His kingdom.

This post likely won't make much sense because I'm still trying to figure this out myself. Let's put it this way, things were much different when I was involved with college ministry. Back then I was dating and engaged to Dave, but we weren't married yet. I didn't have the responsibilities that come with marriage. And I definitely didn't have any kids to take care of! So back then I could attend 2-3 Bible studies a week plus Sunday service. I was getting together with friends and frequently giving Scriptural advice. It's at that time I realized God had given me a unique ability to recall Bible verses and use them to advise and encourage others.

The main point is that when I was in college, I was working for God's kingdom in a very tangible way. I don't feel that way much right now. I do have our couple's life group where we help each other, and it really is a blessing. But ministering as a mother is very different than ministering to college students. I can read Bible stories to Hannah and pray with her, but it's not the same as guiding 18-22 year old women through the Bible in face of our culture's opposition to it.

I guess I'm still trying to figure out how to work for God in this stage of my life. In the years of pregnancy and caring for young children both at work and at home. I want to live my life so that God tells me "Well done, good and faithful servant". Not as one merely escaping the flames.

Are you stupid?

"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid."
Proverbs 12:1

I believe the Bible is true. That means this verse tells me I can be a real idiot!

Hating correction is so very common. It stings our pride and attacks our need to always be right. I know I don't like it when people point out my flaws. Rationally, I hear them and even agree, but emotionally, I just get angry! I have this sense of "I am an adult. Hmph! How dare you correct me?"

But this verse is not only for children. It's an important one for parents to instill in their kids, but everyone who hates correction is stupid. I need to pray for a humbler heart so that I can gladly receive correction. No matter who it is from.

I will not be a POAS addict

I won't.

Even though I'm dying to test.

I'm expecting my period to come sometime between yesterday and tomorrow. Obviously, it's not here yet.

However, I'm not going to take a test until I am at least 1 day late. I don't want to waste a test and get a false negative. Now that we're down to a couple days though, the waiting is HARD! I feel much more hopeful this month.

In other news, we are trying to live life on a budget. We never really budgeted before just made vague statements like "let's eat out less" and "let's limit our spending". No concrete plans for our money. Right now we are only in the beginning stages but I'm hoping that September will be a new start. As we move toward Dave being a stay at home dad, we'll need to be sure our finances our in order!

In the end, we want to be good stewards of God's gifts to us. God entrusts us with children and with money, and we ultimately need to be wise with both.

Thoughts

I think a lot. That sound ridiculous, but it seems like my mind is constantly running. Most of it with plans. And not daily or weekly ones, but future goals. I have this running dialogue of "We will have a baby in April 2011 (nope not pg yet), we will have Dave become a stay at home dad, I will look for additional employment, oh yeah maybe I should PRAY ABOUT THIS!"

I like to be in control. I like to know what's going to happen and at least attempt to plan ahead. The idea of not knowing what my life will look like in a year's time is overwhelming. It's the sin of Eve, and I definitely inherited it.

I'm struggling with just learning how to relax. Learning to stop thinking months and years in advance and just living each day. It's not easy, but I don't think anyone ever said it would be.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14

Getting into the Word

So about my Bible reading...

It's been a struggle lately. Our church does something called The Text Project-(http://text.rivchurch.com/) where they email you one chapter of the Bible each day. I get that in my Google Reader. Whether I read online or in my "real" copy, I'm having a hard time getting into it.

Sometimes I read and it just doesn't interest me. I almost want to whisper that because it sounds so bad! But it's the truth, and I want to be open about my struggles. Other times I read it, and I think "I know this. I've read this". I'm having trouble with reading the Bible as though it is a living document. I want the Spirit to help me increase my understanding because I know I have more to learn.

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12

Church, on the other hand, has been great lately. I'm getting a lot out of the messages. Lately, they've been about the legacy of families. And how your flaws are often passed on to your children. My biggest sin issue? Probably negativity.

"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe" Philippians 2: 14-15

The infirmary

I think my family is finally somewhat healthy. We found out last week that my nephew (who we had been staying with in WA) was diagnosed with pink eye. Cue Hannah's gross eye discharge and pink eyelids. Then a couple days later, Dave has the same symptoms. They both have completed their antibiotics and are doing much better.

Have I said before that I love this age? I love the walking, the receptive language improvements, the independent play. She's not really into temper tantrums yet and we are several months (if not more than a year) away from the dreaded potty training. It's just easy-going. Which is probably why we want to ttc soon!

I recently watched a sermon online from our church. The pastor talked about the nuclear family and what that ideally would look like. The part that stuck out to me? Teaching your kids how to submit to authority. I grew up with the idea that my mom was my biggest advocate. A noble idea, but I think it went too far. Anytime I was remotely upset about something or the slightest inconsistency presented itself, my mom would swoop in. As a result, I will do what the person in authority says, but I often bitterly complain about how unfair it is. My heart is no where near as submissive as my actions would suggest. The pastor talked about how his kids are in baseball and that if the coach tells them to do something a different way, do it the different way. I would argue with the coach. It's something for me to be aware of and work on.

Busy Week!

We met with a mortgage lender this week and got approved for more than we were hoping for. It was such a relief since getting all the paperwork ready for this meeting was so stressful! They require so much to approve you for a loan. Now we get to contact a realtor and start looking for a house!

Hannah and I took our first swim class today. She did really well in the water. She was a little scared at first, but by the end of the 30 minute class, she wasn't quite so clingy. There were some really nice moms there too. Speaking of nice moms, Hannah and I have our first group play date this weekend. I'm hoping to meet some great women and that Hannah enjoys the crawling time.

Oh and the day after I last posted, Hannah started pulling up on things. My mother in law thinks she's going to be a climber. I guess the higher energy level attributed to young moms like me will help!

Our life group is starting a parenting study next week. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also a bit nervous. Parenting decisions are just so...personal. I often read/participate in parenting message boards and some of the philosophies I read just make no sense to me. I mean, I somewhat understand what they are staying, but I completely disagree. But I'm sure others feel the same about my views ;) We'll see how it goes!

Beginnings

I'm starting this blog to share my life with family, friends, and anyone interested. It will most likely be very family-centered since that's just where my life is at right now.

Recent happenings:

-Dave and I are dedicating Hannah at church on November 8th. I'm trying not to focus so hard on who to invite and all the logistics, but more on what the promises really mean. We're about to stand in front of our church and promise to raise Hannah in the ways of the Lord. I feel like we need to talk more about what that means. I so want her to accept Jesus, and I want us to be a model for her faith.

-We are starting to look at houses to buy. First time home-buyers right here. It's exciting and a little scary! We're not working with a real estate agent yet. Just checking some listings online to get an idea of prices and what we like.

-Hannah is rolling over, trying to sit up by herself, "talking" much more, and sleeping in her crib for naps and bed time. She sleeps 10-12 hours per night.

-Now that Hannah is much easier, I've started getting really excited/anxious for our next baby. Then yesterday I took an antibiotic that made me extremely nauseous, and I remembered feeling that way every day for 11 straight weeks due to my pregnancy last year. That made me willing to wait a bit longer for Hannah's brother or sister. Yes of course it was worth it in the end, but it was still a miserable experience at the time!