Sometimes life is messy. Sometimes little boys are messy. I was glad to be with this messy boy on a camping weekend in Southern MN last weekend.
He enjoyed it too.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
(Not So) Famous Amos
Famous Amos. He made some good chocolate chip cookies if I do say so myself.
But then there is the not-so Famous Amos. The one that God called to speak to His people. Amos. A little book in the Bible, but known to possibly be one of the earliest recorded books of the Old Testament.
So what do we know about Amos? Not-so-much? Yeah, me too. This year in CBS (Community Bible Study) the two books we are studying are Amos and Isaiah. I was super stoked to study Isaiah and I figured Amos would be fine too.
Once I started the study of Amos my opinion changed (unfortunately, not for the better). I read Amos 1 & 2 and was all, "Ummm, blah blah blah, let's get on to Isaiah." I started answering the questions and couldn't get my brain to wrap around the significance of it all. I thought, "C'mon, there must be something here because it IS in the Bible. What am I missing?" So that's what I prayed and guess what! God proved to be faithful once again! Shocking, I know ;)
As I dug in more several things hit me.
1. Israel is God's. You've heard the statement "Don't Mess With Texas" right? Well those little words pale in comparison to how our attitude towards Israel should be. Don't mess folks, don't mess. God chose them. CHOSE. He made a covenant with Abraham long ago and said that He would keep it and He does and He will. I knew this before, but the reiteration of this hit me harder this time. Right now, little Israel is sitting right smack dab in the middle of a whole bunch of haters and it ain't gonna be pretty if they keep on hatin'. Me? I'm gonna stick with Israel.
2. The way that the people surrounding Israel were acting was appalling. They were so corrupt and wrong, just wrong. But then I think about our society today and how awful it is here too. People were being sold into slavery. People now are sold into slavery (we just don't like to talk about it much). People (literally) "ripped open the pregnant women... in order to extend his borders." People now take babies from their mommy's tummies- and what's worse- mommy's do this by choice now. People were killing others. People now are killing others. People turned their backs on God and worshipped silly things like golden calves. People now turn their backs on God and worship silly things like cars, homes, sporting events, tv shows, education, hobbies, etc. Hmm. Interesting how we aren't so different now than those we shake our heads at from back then.
3. Fire. This is what hit me the most. The Lord says that he's going to send fire to all these different people groups and their cities. The initial thought of this is yep, that's the God of the Old Testament- cold, distant, punishing, old man with long white beard sitting on a big throne- not caring. But that can't be further from the truth. Deuteronomy 4:24 says, "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire..." So when He is going to send fire He's not sitting from afar throwing out punishments on the people. He knows how they've behaved badly and He is interjecting Himself to make them new again. We also know that matter cannot be created or deleted- basic physics here kids. So when God sends fire to these places- it's not to get rid of them, it's to change them. Just as forest fires are necessary for regeneration of forests, it's the same basic principle.
I think of myself as a parent (well that was profound, since well, I am! Duh self!). When one of my kids disobeys, I can scream and yell and send them to their room. Or I can go to them and talk boldly about how I'm disappointed in what they did and how I expect them to behave better in the future and their punishment will be X, Y, or Z. This is what God is doing. He's not sending them to their room and out of his presence, He's immersing Himself into their domain and showing them that they are acting out of disobedience and they will be punished.
I think that as adults we get desensitized to punishment. We think it's only for kids (and some adults don't even think that kids should be punished). Side note: I'm going to be bold here and say that as a general statement kids who do not get disciplined for disobedience don't turn out to be responsible, integrity filled adults. I digress. We think that adults shouldn't be punished. Well guess what- adults still behave badly and choose poorly sometimes. And why shouldn't we be punished for these things to get it through our thick heads that our behavior needs to shape up!? We act greedily, selfishly, proud, rude, and disrespectful towards God and towards others. What makes us think that we should be exempt from being disciplined? We shouldn't.
God used fire- Himself- to discipline and change the behavior of those who had turned their backs on him.
The beauty in this- God cares so much for His children. He LOVES them! He's HUGE and so detail oriented at the same time. He rules from His throne and intertwines Himself in our lives. HE LOVES US.
4. Past generations. A relative of Israel, Edom, was one of the groups that was going to be punished for their raging, unchecked anger and their stifled compassion that manifested itself in killing others. If you look back, Edom was descended from Esau. Esau had never truly forgiven Jacob (his brother) for stealing his father's blessing from him. Look how this unforgiveness was then handed down through generations and caused so much more sin to abound. For all of us parents out there and people who wish to be parents in the future, please, please examine your hearts for unresolved sin and get rid of it! If you don't, it will only serve to destroy your children and your descendants. You won't "take it with you to the grave." It will be passed on to them. Ick. I don't want my parents to do that to me and I don't want to do that to my children!
Whew. I was so blessed this morning by our CBS group. We had fantastic discussion, much learning and I had the overwhelming knowledge of the Lord being in our midst. How grateful I am for CBS!
But then there is the not-so Famous Amos. The one that God called to speak to His people. Amos. A little book in the Bible, but known to possibly be one of the earliest recorded books of the Old Testament.
So what do we know about Amos? Not-so-much? Yeah, me too. This year in CBS (Community Bible Study) the two books we are studying are Amos and Isaiah. I was super stoked to study Isaiah and I figured Amos would be fine too.
Once I started the study of Amos my opinion changed (unfortunately, not for the better). I read Amos 1 & 2 and was all, "Ummm, blah blah blah, let's get on to Isaiah." I started answering the questions and couldn't get my brain to wrap around the significance of it all. I thought, "C'mon, there must be something here because it IS in the Bible. What am I missing?" So that's what I prayed and guess what! God proved to be faithful once again! Shocking, I know ;)
As I dug in more several things hit me.
1. Israel is God's. You've heard the statement "Don't Mess With Texas" right? Well those little words pale in comparison to how our attitude towards Israel should be. Don't mess folks, don't mess. God chose them. CHOSE. He made a covenant with Abraham long ago and said that He would keep it and He does and He will. I knew this before, but the reiteration of this hit me harder this time. Right now, little Israel is sitting right smack dab in the middle of a whole bunch of haters and it ain't gonna be pretty if they keep on hatin'. Me? I'm gonna stick with Israel.
2. The way that the people surrounding Israel were acting was appalling. They were so corrupt and wrong, just wrong. But then I think about our society today and how awful it is here too. People were being sold into slavery. People now are sold into slavery (we just don't like to talk about it much). People (literally) "ripped open the pregnant women... in order to extend his borders." People now take babies from their mommy's tummies- and what's worse- mommy's do this by choice now. People were killing others. People now are killing others. People turned their backs on God and worshipped silly things like golden calves. People now turn their backs on God and worship silly things like cars, homes, sporting events, tv shows, education, hobbies, etc. Hmm. Interesting how we aren't so different now than those we shake our heads at from back then.
3. Fire. This is what hit me the most. The Lord says that he's going to send fire to all these different people groups and their cities. The initial thought of this is yep, that's the God of the Old Testament- cold, distant, punishing, old man with long white beard sitting on a big throne- not caring. But that can't be further from the truth. Deuteronomy 4:24 says, "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire..." So when He is going to send fire He's not sitting from afar throwing out punishments on the people. He knows how they've behaved badly and He is interjecting Himself to make them new again. We also know that matter cannot be created or deleted- basic physics here kids. So when God sends fire to these places- it's not to get rid of them, it's to change them. Just as forest fires are necessary for regeneration of forests, it's the same basic principle.
I think of myself as a parent (well that was profound, since well, I am! Duh self!). When one of my kids disobeys, I can scream and yell and send them to their room. Or I can go to them and talk boldly about how I'm disappointed in what they did and how I expect them to behave better in the future and their punishment will be X, Y, or Z. This is what God is doing. He's not sending them to their room and out of his presence, He's immersing Himself into their domain and showing them that they are acting out of disobedience and they will be punished.
I think that as adults we get desensitized to punishment. We think it's only for kids (and some adults don't even think that kids should be punished). Side note: I'm going to be bold here and say that as a general statement kids who do not get disciplined for disobedience don't turn out to be responsible, integrity filled adults. I digress. We think that adults shouldn't be punished. Well guess what- adults still behave badly and choose poorly sometimes. And why shouldn't we be punished for these things to get it through our thick heads that our behavior needs to shape up!? We act greedily, selfishly, proud, rude, and disrespectful towards God and towards others. What makes us think that we should be exempt from being disciplined? We shouldn't.
God used fire- Himself- to discipline and change the behavior of those who had turned their backs on him.
The beauty in this- God cares so much for His children. He LOVES them! He's HUGE and so detail oriented at the same time. He rules from His throne and intertwines Himself in our lives. HE LOVES US.
4. Past generations. A relative of Israel, Edom, was one of the groups that was going to be punished for their raging, unchecked anger and their stifled compassion that manifested itself in killing others. If you look back, Edom was descended from Esau. Esau had never truly forgiven Jacob (his brother) for stealing his father's blessing from him. Look how this unforgiveness was then handed down through generations and caused so much more sin to abound. For all of us parents out there and people who wish to be parents in the future, please, please examine your hearts for unresolved sin and get rid of it! If you don't, it will only serve to destroy your children and your descendants. You won't "take it with you to the grave." It will be passed on to them. Ick. I don't want my parents to do that to me and I don't want to do that to my children!
Whew. I was so blessed this morning by our CBS group. We had fantastic discussion, much learning and I had the overwhelming knowledge of the Lord being in our midst. How grateful I am for CBS!
Friday, September 9, 2011
Wisdom and Knowledge
I don't know if there has been anything that has ever made me feel more insecure, lacking, self-non-confident, unsure, and just plain dumb as being a mom. I'd heard it said all the time before kids, "You just don't understand until you have kids of your own." I was truly very arrogant before having kids (and even a little while into having them too) thinking that I'd have all the answers and I understood the overwhelming responsibility of having children. Wrong I was, oh how very wrong I was.
Even as I only had one child it hadn't really hit me. I was fine focusing my energy on him. Teaching him scripture, teaching him manners, saying prayers with him, teaching him how to build towers and recognize letters/colors/shapes, even memorize state capitols (What?! For what?!) I was good, I'll admit it, I was gooooood. Had I only had one child I would have won for Best Parent (until he got to be a teenager and all that would probably come to a screeching halt, lest my arrogance get ahold of me again!).
Then there were three. THREE children. I had no idea the ways in which I would be pulled. I had no idea that it wouldn't just happen that the 4 of us wouldn't be able to just sit down and all do our little projects together with no squabbling, screaming, whining, needing help, tantrums, messes, etc.
Oh boy, nothing, nothing, nothing has humbled me like being a mom. Nothing.
A couple months ago our Pastor said how he reads through the book of Proverbs every month, because there are 31 chapters. Hmm. Novel idea. I didn't think about it again until during our Small Group someone brought that up. I thought to myself, "Hmmm, I'll have to start that next month of the 1st. Er, wait, I guess I could just jump in on today's date- doi." So I did. I've been reading through Proverbs for two months. Have I read everyday? Unfortunately no. Have a given it a good shot? I'd say a decent one? A good shot would be at least reading quickly through the chapter for the day. A fabulous shot would be actually thinking about the chapter. I run the spectrum of some days I read, think about it, pray about it and comprehend it. Some days I just read it and maybe ponder it later in the day. Other days, I read nothing.
Some of the ones I have hit talk endlessly about Wisdom and Knowledge. These ones have hit me hard being a mom and a wife. I want to have wisdom and knowledge in the situations I handle with my family. This is something that I've started to fervently pray for and ask for. I've been stopping myself before reacting, asking for wisdom and knowledge before I proceed. The situation is always less dramatic when I take a lil breather.
Taking a step back is hard for me. When it comes to fight or flight, I'm a fighter. I generally jump in immediately, ready for battle. Sidenote: this tends to be a little problem on occasion with Jeremiah and I as he is definitely Mr. Flight. I'm ready to tackle the problems and issues with him and he'd rather forget that they exist. I almost always take this personally, thinking that he does not want to fight for me. I just have to remember how he is and how to gently, quietly and peacefully find a middle ground of not jumping at the problem, but not ignoring it.
Anywho, like I said stepping back does NOT come naturally to me. But Proverbs has been a gentle reminder of needing to do just that. Wisdom is thinking through a situation. Knowledge is what I have to tap into during the thought process.
In today's chapter, Proverbs 9, it says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Oh how beautiful this is! It is SO much bigger and broader than me. I love how BIG God is! And how intricately small he can be too. What an amazing picture.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowlege him and he will make your paths straight." This was the first Bible verse I ever learned. I was in 6th grade. It was during VBS. It was put into a song and at the time I had no idea that it was a Bible verse. This has been the first verse that I have taught my children- well the older two at least.
I can use my wisdom and knowledge until my ears bleed and I will still inevitably fail. But if I truly trust in the Lord with all my heart my paths will be straight. I know that I will fail. I know that I will never even be close to perfect. I know I will mess up. I can only pray that my children will have grace and mercy for me as their mom. I can only pray that they will be refined by my mistakes. I can only pray that they will love the Lord more fervently than me and that their paths will be straighter than mine. I can pray. And that's what I'll continue to do.
Even as I only had one child it hadn't really hit me. I was fine focusing my energy on him. Teaching him scripture, teaching him manners, saying prayers with him, teaching him how to build towers and recognize letters/colors/shapes, even memorize state capitols (What?! For what?!) I was good, I'll admit it, I was gooooood. Had I only had one child I would have won for Best Parent (until he got to be a teenager and all that would probably come to a screeching halt, lest my arrogance get ahold of me again!).
Then there were three. THREE children. I had no idea the ways in which I would be pulled. I had no idea that it wouldn't just happen that the 4 of us wouldn't be able to just sit down and all do our little projects together with no squabbling, screaming, whining, needing help, tantrums, messes, etc.
Oh boy, nothing, nothing, nothing has humbled me like being a mom. Nothing.
A couple months ago our Pastor said how he reads through the book of Proverbs every month, because there are 31 chapters. Hmm. Novel idea. I didn't think about it again until during our Small Group someone brought that up. I thought to myself, "Hmmm, I'll have to start that next month of the 1st. Er, wait, I guess I could just jump in on today's date- doi." So I did. I've been reading through Proverbs for two months. Have I read everyday? Unfortunately no. Have a given it a good shot? I'd say a decent one? A good shot would be at least reading quickly through the chapter for the day. A fabulous shot would be actually thinking about the chapter. I run the spectrum of some days I read, think about it, pray about it and comprehend it. Some days I just read it and maybe ponder it later in the day. Other days, I read nothing.
Some of the ones I have hit talk endlessly about Wisdom and Knowledge. These ones have hit me hard being a mom and a wife. I want to have wisdom and knowledge in the situations I handle with my family. This is something that I've started to fervently pray for and ask for. I've been stopping myself before reacting, asking for wisdom and knowledge before I proceed. The situation is always less dramatic when I take a lil breather.
Taking a step back is hard for me. When it comes to fight or flight, I'm a fighter. I generally jump in immediately, ready for battle. Sidenote: this tends to be a little problem on occasion with Jeremiah and I as he is definitely Mr. Flight. I'm ready to tackle the problems and issues with him and he'd rather forget that they exist. I almost always take this personally, thinking that he does not want to fight for me. I just have to remember how he is and how to gently, quietly and peacefully find a middle ground of not jumping at the problem, but not ignoring it.
Anywho, like I said stepping back does NOT come naturally to me. But Proverbs has been a gentle reminder of needing to do just that. Wisdom is thinking through a situation. Knowledge is what I have to tap into during the thought process.
In today's chapter, Proverbs 9, it says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Oh how beautiful this is! It is SO much bigger and broader than me. I love how BIG God is! And how intricately small he can be too. What an amazing picture.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowlege him and he will make your paths straight." This was the first Bible verse I ever learned. I was in 6th grade. It was during VBS. It was put into a song and at the time I had no idea that it was a Bible verse. This has been the first verse that I have taught my children- well the older two at least.
I can use my wisdom and knowledge until my ears bleed and I will still inevitably fail. But if I truly trust in the Lord with all my heart my paths will be straight. I know that I will fail. I know that I will never even be close to perfect. I know I will mess up. I can only pray that my children will have grace and mercy for me as their mom. I can only pray that they will be refined by my mistakes. I can only pray that they will love the Lord more fervently than me and that their paths will be straighter than mine. I can pray. And that's what I'll continue to do.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
First Day(s) of School
To get to this...
We had to start with this...
Because, I mean really, who doesn't love a good routine chart?! Everyone in my house does, I know that. And if they don't, they'll come around, just you watch.
Big Man at school this year. First Grade Baby!When I asked him what he did on the first day he said, "I can't tell you. Too much to remember."
And Little Miss, all set and ready to go for her first day of Pre-School. She told me, "Mom, I'm not excited for school. I'm REEEEEEEEEALLY excited for school!" When I picked her up and asked what she did she said, "Mom, do you want me to tell you everything I did?" to which I replied with, "Of course!" to which she did just that :) 
New black/gray camo backpack. I didn't think that I'd get him a new backpack each year, but decided otherwise when I realized that since he wears a uniform, his backpack is his only form of individuality that he gets. So I obliged when he asked for a new one. Plus this one has a lunch bag that clips right on to the outside of the backpack- he loves that!
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