Prayers & Promises Week #9

It's hard to believe we're to the beginning of a new month coming up this week. For March I've chosen the theme of HUMILITY for my verses for each week.

Right now I am listening to an audio book on humility (Humility: True Greatness by C.J. Mahaney). I'm excited to share my review of the book with you in the coming days. So lately I've been thinking a lot about humility, being humble, pride, etc.

This week's verse is James 4:10--

"Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up."

This is a verse that I'm familiar with but is one that sticks out in my mind about being humble. It really goes against our selfish nature to live humble lives, yet that is exactly what Christ wants us to do. He was the ultimate example to us of humility.

Please remember the following people in prayer today and this week.

~ Debra, one of our dear blogging friends.

~ the family of the Sea World trainer who was killed this week. This story just makes me so sad.

~ continued prayers for Harlan in his recovery and his wife as she cares for him.

Join others at Spiritual Sundays and read many posts that will bless your day.

Have a day of blessings!

2010 Book #10: "Into the Mud" by Christine Jeske

I am so glad I had the opportunity to read Christine Jeske's book Into the Mud. This is a collection of stories written by the author about real people, real lives of South Africa.

From the publisher:
Each of its interwoven stories and related discussion questions addresses a broader issue of missions and development, including: evangelism, literacy and education, microfinance, health services, urbanization and refugee assistance, and more. Reflection questions at the end of each chapter help readers to apply lessons from the chapters to their own ministry contexts.

My thoughts:
This was an amazing book. I loved the author's writing style, and the stories she told touched my heart. It was so easy to understand, and she did an excellent job telling stories about the people of South Africa. Reading this book has shown me a culture I've never experienced myself and given me ways to pray for the people there as well as those serving there to spread the Good News. I really appreciated the way the author told a story and then was able to make an application for the reader's every day life. Also, I liked the study questions at the end of each chapter which would make it good for group study. You can find out more about the book at the Into the Mud site. (I think the cover is great too!!)

Have a day of blessings!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Moody Publishers as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Thankful Thursday: Always something new

Today join us over at Grace Alone for Thankful Thursday and visit many others who are giving thanks. Thank you to Iris for hosting for us this month.

Iris talked about new things in her post this week. Something new that happened for us was snow! Several times this winter it snowed all around us, but we did not receive any except a few flakes on Christmas Eve. Caleb prayed on Monday night for 50 to 100 feet of snow. Tuesday morning it was icy and snowy. I was so excited as I watched the beautiful snow fall all morning long. In Texas you never know really what your weather will be. It was in the 70s and the boys went to play tball in their tshirts on Sunday. I thought how wonderful it is for God to give us all different types of weather to enjoy. It was just beautiful to see everything covered in the soft blanket of white. And I loved seeing the excitement of my little boy as he enjoyed being out in the snow after getting out of school early Tuesday afternoon.

What are you thankful for today? This week I am thankful for...

~ my sweet husband helping out so much. He just amazes me every day with all he does for us and our family, and I love him so much!

~ my sweet boy praying and having his prayers answered. Wednesday as he saw the sun shining and the snow begin to melt he said, "Maybe tonight I'll pray that it snows again tomorrow." Our Bible story before bed was about Hannah's prayer so we talked about how God sometimes gives us an answer right away, sometimes we have to wait or He says no and sometimes He gives us something better than we could have imagined.

~ playing in the snow with my boys!

~ hugging the necks of sweet friends from high school. We attended the funeral of a classmate and it was nice to reconnect for a few minutes with a friend I hadn't seen for many years.

~ finding new audio books to listen to on sale cheap at the library book sale. I found some books that I've been wanting to read and just haven't. I was running out of audio books, so I was excited to find some new ones!

Have a day of blessings!

2010 Book #9: "Across the Years" by Tracie Peterson

I have finished another audio book. I have found I really enjoy listening to books when I am by myself in the car driving back and forth to town.

Across the Years is book #2 in the Desert Roses series by Tracie Peterson. Ashley Reynolds is a Harvey Girl in Winslow, Arizona, living with her grandfather and daughter Natalie. Ashley was disowned years before by her parents when she married the "wrong" man, Ethan Reynolds, who she later finds out was killed in the war. Through the years she holds onto her pain of losing her husband as well as her love for him. Natalie wishes for a new Daddy and tries to play matchmaker for her mother and a local architect. As her grandfather becomes ill and close to death, his dying wish is to be reunited with his two daughters once more. Will Ashley be able to face her mother and the pain she has caused her for so many years? What lessons can Ashley learn from her visit?

I enjoyed the story and the lessons learned by Ashley. The reader of this audio book was interesting to hear as well. I borrowed this book from my local library and look for more by this author.

Have a day of blessings!

Pursuing Love: The Unloving Twins

This week in Pursuing Love we are looking at bragging and arrogance, two more things love is NOT.

Marsha shared this: Last week we looked at jealousy and wanting what someone else has. This week we’re looking at the unloving twins – bragging (boasting) and arrogance, or trying to make others jealous of what we have. While jealousy puts people down, bragging and arrogance puts ourselves up much higher than we desire.

Personally I do not like being around people that are constantly bragging or arrogant. It seems there is at least one in every bunch, as they say. Online there have been people that seem to have to constantly "one up" anything you say about your life, kids, or family. I remember certain people through school who had a certain arrogance about them and seem to continue to portray this attitude to others. These type of people are so full of themselves and their accomplishments that they make you seem insignificant. No one wants to feel like a nobody!

Thinking about myself, I don't like to tell people what I've done. There are certain accomplishments that I haven't told people in my life because I don't want it to seem I'm bragging about them. (Even typing that sentence makes me feel like I should delete it because I don't want to be boasting in myself!) But even though I don't like to say it, I do admit that sometimes I think to myself an "I'm better at...." attitude. God wants me not to be judgemental though but instead to see everyone through His eyes.

Thinking about this I think it's important to point out that God does want us to be proud of who we are in Him, but we don't need to be haughty in our pride. Maybe confident is a better word for that.

Have a day of blessings!

"Nothing Without You" by Bebo Norman

Today I'd like to share the song "Nothing Without You" by Bebo Norman. I was reminded of this song a few weeks ago on a blog I was visiting. The lyrics are great. I hope they bless you today.



Truly all we have comes from the Lord. I really like the lyrics at the end that say "Take my time here on this earth/And let it glorify all that You are worth." Without Him in our lives we really are nothing. He gives us life and makes life on this earth worth living.

Thanks for visiting. Have a day of blessings!

Prayers & Promises Week #8

Since I've been choosing verses on grace, I've come across so many things relating to this subject. I read a nice post this week on grace that I wanted to share with you today as well. I am blessed every time I read a post at Mommy Accountability and I hope you will take time to read her wonderful post "Extending Grace."

Also on Saturday Linda reminded me of a great song called Wonderful Grace of Jesus.

This week's verse on grace is Titus 3:5-7--
"He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."

Please remember the following in prayer:

~ Harlan as his foot continues to heal. He went to the doctor this week and got a good report as far as no infection. He'll be off his foot for 3 months. Pray for his wife as she cares for him and their two young girls.

~ Steven's family. Last Saturday Steven died in Cancun where he was on a trip with his wife. He was only 30 years old. Pray for his family and friends as they have so many questions right now.

~ Rita's family. Rita's sweet Mom passed away this week after a lengthy illness.

~ Denise and her husband Eddie.

Thank you for visiting today on Spiritual Sundays.

Have a day of blessings!

Pursuing Love: No room for jealousy

This week's topic for Pursuing Love is "No room for jealousy." Marsha asked some great questions with this post.

I think most everyone has felt jealous at some point about something if we are honest about it. I notice it in myself when I see someone else have a real great idea. I think to myself, "What a great idea! I wish I would have thought of doing that."

There's a story I remember from my middle school years. Some girls were very mean to me constantly. I didn't know what I'd done or why they kept treating me so hatefully. I came home upset many days after their rude remarks as I'd walk by them, and one day in gym I even got hit in the back with a basketball that was thrown rather hard in my direction. I tried to ignore it, but it got to the point that my Mom felt she had to address the issue with the principal. It finally came out that the girls were jealous of me. I had no idea. It took many years for me to really forgive those girls. One even became a good friend to me in later years. This has shown me how ugly jealousy can be.

Jealousy may start as something small but it can quickly get out of hand and grow into something that damages many relationships. We will hurt people in our attempts to try to be better than them. These wounds and scars will last many years. As Christians we need to be on the watch for jealousy.

Have a day of blessings!

Laced with Grace: "Do you trust Me?"

Today I'm over at Laced with Grace with a devotional called "Do you trust Me?" I hope you will visit me there.

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

Each day we have so many blessings. Today is no exception! I hope you will join us at Grace Alone in giving thanks to God for your blessings.

I am very thankful for many things this week:

~ celebrating Valentine's Day with my husband. I told him how special it was to me that he honored, cherished, and showed me love every day not just on February 14. I feel so blessed to be married to my best friend!

~ having fun at the park with my boy. We went down the slide and played hide and seek together. It was sunny and a nice day to be out at the park.

~ my friends in my high school class. As I mentioned earlier this week one of my classmates from high school died over the weekend. I'm thankful for the friendships among classmates and how we have cared about each other through the years. Many of us went to school together K-12 and we've always been close it seems.

~ being able to volunteer at my son's school. I got to help this week on class picture day. It was fun and I'm so glad I could help!

I hope you are having a good week. I pray you take a little time to count your blessings!

Have a day of blessings!

"How You Live" by Point of Grace

For this week's song I've chosen "How You Live" by Point of Grace.

I have been reminded this week of how we never know how much time we have on this earth. Sunday I found out that one of my classmates passed away. Steven was with his wife in Cancun and took a nap and didn't wake up. There are not many other details available at this time and a lot of questions.

News of Steven's death spread quickly among our classmates. I was asked to pass the information along since I keep the email addresses for class reunions and such. Our little class was always very close so this has come as a shock to so many. I believe this was the first death of a classmate.

There is some great advice in this song. I've been reminded on the shortness of life and the importance to make the most of every moment, telling people you love them, and not taking life for granted.

Please join me in prayer for Steven's family.

Have a day of blessings!

Prayers & Promises Week #7

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you have a wonderful day and that no matter what you know that Jesus loves you!

This week's verse is 2 Peter 3:18--
"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen."

Are you growing in grace? Something to think about for sure.

Last week there were a couple prayer requests shared in the comments that I'd like to share here for you to pray for today:

~ Robin, a prodigal causing much pain for her family.

~ Shawn, looking for a job since Thanksgiving.

And a couple other requests:

~ Buddy, the brother-in-law of my aunt who had some heart problems with week.

~ Harlan, nearly lost his foot in a farming accident. I grew up with him, we went to school together K-12th. The doctors were able to save his foot. Pray for him and his family as he recovers.

~ Also, let's say a prayer for those who are single. Valentine's Day is not a fun day for those who don't have someone to share it with so let's remember them in prayer.

Let me know if there are other requests. Join us today for Spiritual Sundays.

Have a day of blessings!

A dozen things I remember...

Thursday afternoon I received a surprise delivery. The UPS man pulled up. Caleb said, "I hope it's for me." And I said, "I hope it's for me." The delivery man got out and had in his hands a box from Proflowers. Inside were a dozen multi-colored roses. The card said there was one for each year I've been his Valentine. I was so excited. Soon after that my Valentine got home from work. He said he thought they were coming on Friday. It was so sweet and such a sweet surprise!

I've had my very special Valentine for 12 years. He asked me if I could believe it has been that long and really, I can't! On February 13, 1998 he gave me a card he had made and asked me to be his Valentine. I'm so glad I said yes. :)

So today I'm remembering. I'm remembering a dozen things that have happened in the past 12 years since I said yes.

1. Remember giving me a Valentine in the Bean during lunch. You must have been nervous! It had the poem in it about the value of a smile. It made me smile again to read it the other day.

2. Remember not being sure you'd be able to come back to ACU yet God made a way and you were there every year and finished your degree there. I was so proud of your hard work and determination through those years. It really was inspiring to see you work so diligently in pursuit of your dream.

3. Remember on December 2, 2000 when you surprised me with a marriage proposal (which I will say I was expecting at some time, yet not at that time!) What a great surprise! I loved it!

4. Remember when people asked us where we would live or how we would make it when we got married. We didn't know all the answers but found out God did!

5. Remember our perfect, beautiful wedding ceremony, those delicious chocolate covered strawberries at our reception, leaving without shoes on, and our wonderful honeymoon together (and getting sunburned!).

6. Remember when God provided my first teaching job for me in a district that was closing schools at the time and said they weren't hiring.

7. Remember the excitement we felt when we found out we were expecting our first child only to go through a miscarriage a few weeks later. You were such a rock for me of love and support during that painful time filled with questions, sadness, hurt, doubts, and fears.

8. Remember when God gave us good news (just when we needed it) of a new job for you, one for a position that you really specifically hadn't even applied.

9. Remember how we watched our home being built and we'd drive out most days to see the progress that was made. We have so many special memories here in this home.

10. Remember on that wonderful day in August when the doctor said "It's a boy!" Our lives have never been the same! Parenting has been an amazing learning process with you. You've supported me in countless ways, and I appreciate that more than words can say. Seeing you with our son brings me great joy as well. You are such a great daddy.

11. Remember how we helped each other through the painful times, including sicknesses and the deaths of our loved ones. Having each other to lean on helped so much. I know there will be other times of pain and sadness through the years, but I know we count on each other.

12. Remember, always remember that God has a plan, His timing is perfect, I am proud of you always, and you are the best.

It's wonderful to remember (and kind of hard to stop because I keep remembering more things) and be reminded of all the ways God has been there for us through every thing we've been through together. Thank you for so many wonderful memories. Happy Valentine's Day to my sweet wonderful amazing forever Valentine! I love you...

Have a day of blessings!

Love & War by John and Stasi Eldredge

I'd like to share a book I'm reading right now. It's called Love & War: Finding the Marriage You've Dreamed Of by John and Stasi Eldredge.

From the publisher:
What the Eldredge bestsellers Wild at Heart did for men, and Captivating did for women, LOVE & WAR will do for married couples everywhere. John and Stasi Eldredge have contributed the quintessential works on Christian spirituality through the experience of men and the experience of women and now they turn their focus to the incredible dynamic between those two forces.

With refreshing openness that will grab readers from the first page, the Eldredges candidly discuss their own marriage and the insights they’ve gained from the challenges they faced. Each talks independently to the reader about what they’ve learned, giving their guidance personal immediacy and a balance between the male and female perspectives that has been absent from all previous books on this topic. They begin LOVE & WAR with an obvious but necessary acknowledgement: Marriage is fabulously hard. They advise that the sooner we get the shame and confusion off our backs, the sooner we'll find our way through.

LOVE & WAR shows couples how to fight for their love and happiness, calling men and women to step into the great adventure God has waiting for them together. Walking alongside John and Stasi Eldredge, every couple can discover how their individual journeys are growing into a story of meaning much greater than anything they could do or be on their own

My thoughts:
I am not finished with this book yet but I am enjoying it. The thoughts shared by the authors seem to be common stories that happen in many marriages. I look forward to finishing this book.
You can buy the book online here. This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday: Love

Today we are at Grace Alone for Thankful Thursday. Please join us in giving thanks. We have so many blessings.

This week I am thankful for:

~ my husband did NOT have to go on his trip. It got cancelled due to the weather.

~ my son having time off school this week for the local fair. He visited at Gramma's school though and it made our hearts happy to hear reports that he was so well-behaved and polite.

~ wonderful memories I share with my sweet hubby of our special dating days back in February 1998.

~ having food to eat and a house to stay in.

~ God's never-ending love.

Have a day of blessings!

Pursuing Love: Love is Kind

I enjoyed reading the posts shared last week in our first week of "Pursuing Love." This week's topic is Love is Kind. We'd be glad to have you join us over at Marsha's Musings. Click the above link for more information.



"It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice." ~Author Unknown



"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." ~Mark Twain



"Kindness, like a boomerang, always returns." ~Author Unknown



The definition of kindness is "compassion, generosity" while the opposite is "cruelty, harshness, meanness." We sometimes hear about "random acts of kindness" in which someone does something kind anonymously for another. Kindness is another one of the fruits that will be growing in us when we have the Spirit living in us. There are all different ways to show kindness to others. It can be a kind action or kind word spoken.

One of Marsha's questions that I particularly noticed today was are you kind in your own home? Our family lesson last week was on kindness so we talked about how we can be kind to each other in our home and at school or work. This has made me think about what we each can do to show kindness to each other. I've heard before of how people are always doing for others and yet not doing for those in their own home. I think we need to be careful that we find ways to be kind to each other. One way to do this is to learn each person's love language and then act on that love language and start speaking those languages to each other to show them kindness. It might be an action you perform, like cleaning up a mess for them, or some simple words of praise and love.

Something that comes to mind that my husband does for me is put up the dishes. He helps clear the table after we eat every night and I'll wash the dishes. Some nights he will put the dishes away too. Sometimes he does it while I'm washing and we'll talk or some nights he does it later. It is always nice to have them put away and not have to do that myself. That is something so simple yet it is such a kind thing for him to do for me.

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Colossians 3:12

I posted a song called "Love Never Fails" on yesterday's post that goes along with our pursuit of love.

Have a day of blessings!

"Love Never Fails" by Brandon Heath

For this week's song in honor of Valentine's Day I want to share "Love Never Fails" by Brandon Heath. I have been hearing this song regularly on KLOVE. It is based on I Corinthians 13.




I'd like to dedicate this to my husband today. He has taught me so much about God's love and lived that for me. We have grown so much deeper in our love for each other and God I believe through the years we've been together. I'm so thankful for share this life and love together with him.

Have a day of blessings!

2010 Book #8: "So Long, Insecurity" by Beth Moore

I was excited to be able to review Beth Moore's new book So Long, Insecurity: You've Been a Bad Friend to Us. This is a book that every woman should read. When I first saw the book was going to be available for review, I thought I'd like to read it because I've enjoyed Beth Moore's work for several years now. As I read it, though, I was really thankful to read the message.

From the publisher:
Perhaps one of the biggest issues all women face is their own insecurity. Beth Moore, one of today’s most admired and trusted Christian writers, wants women to be free from the insecurity trap. So Long, Insecurity will strike a chord with women everywhere, as Beth speaks truth into the lives of readers, showing them how to deal with their innermost fears, rediscover their God-given dignity, and develop a whole new perspective—a stronger sense of self. Women of all ages and backgrounds will resonate with this message of security and discover truths that will free them emotionally and spiritually and lead them to a better life as they walk with God.

My thoughts:
Several times as I was reading I was laughing and shaking my head in agreement to see myself in her stories and words. Beth wants to encourage women that we don't have to live in insecurity. Through the book we see the damage that is caused because of our insecurity. We live in a society that adds to our feelings of insecurity. What I liked about the book was that Beth used real comments from real women that she gathered doing a survey on her blog. She also has feedback from men, which was very eye-opening to see men's perspective on women's insecurities as well as insecurities that men have. Insecurity is not just for the female gender.

I highly recommend that YOU read this book. There is something in this book for women of all ages. I already have two friends who've asked to borrow it, and I have many others I want to share it with too.

"She is clothed with strength and dignity." Proverbs 31:25

Also, I'd like to mention there is a simulcast event on April 24, 2010 on this topic.

Thank you to Tyndale House Publishers for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book.


Have a day of blessings!

Prayers and Promises Week #6

This week's verse on grace is I Peter 5:10--

"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast."

This is just an encouraging promise to me today. We have to know as Christians we will face suffering. Through this suffering and after it Christ will restore us. He is our God of grace and makes us stronger in Him after we have suffered.

Please join me in prayer for these requests and let me know if you have any this week.

~ Alson, 17 year old high school sophomore who is the great grandson of one of my pen pals. He found out recently he has a Chiari and left alone can become epindymoma tumors like she (my pen pal) had. It is near his brain stem and serious.

~ my husband. He is having training in DC this week. As you probably know they had a snow storm this weekend. Pray for this trip and his safety as he is there and travels. This has been another practice in patience as we wait on the announcement if the class will continue or be cancelled due to the weather. Also he still has ringing in his ears and is on medication again for that.

Join us at Spiritual Sundays today. Have a day of blessings!

2010 Book #7: Shadows of the Canyon by Tracie Peterson

I finished another audio book by Tracie Peterson. This one is called Shadows of the Canyon which is book #1 in the Desert Roses series.

In this historical fiction novel Alexandria Keegan is one of the Harvey Girl's at an elite hotel, El Tovar. Alex is searching for a way to help her mother escape her father because of his flirtations and affairs with other women. She then fears for her mother's safety after she is accused of murdering her father when she comes to confront him regarding his actions.

This was an enjoyable book to hear. I look forward to checking out book #2 from our library.

Have a day of blessings!

Bible reading: Genesis--The Life of Joseph

It seems all my posts this week have been on patience and waiting! I had one more for today to share.


In my Bible reading I am just finishing the story at the end of Genesis about Joseph and his life. This has always been one of my favorite stories because of all the lessons we can learn from it for our lives today. This time when I was reading I noticed something I don't remember reading before at the beginning of Genesis 41. After Joseph interprets the dreams of the cupbearer and the baker, it is another TWO years before Pharaoh has his dream. TWO years! This made me think about Joseph. What was he doing during this long stretch of time? How did he spend his days in prison? He'd asked the cupbearer and baker to remember him, which they did not do at the time. It was two years later that the cupbearer remembered Joseph and recommended to Pharaoh that maybe he could interpret his recent dreams.


I try to imagine how Joseph's life must have been to be despised by his brothers and then sold to travelers to end up living in an unfamiliar place. Yet God used Joseph where he was to touch lives and eventually help his family. He was wrongly accused and put in prison for it. He stayed there a long time until he was remembered by the cupbearer.


How does this relate to my life today? I like to think of Joseph as an example of patience and obedience as he waited on God. We don't see that he did anything in prison to try to get the attention of the king or to remind the cupbearer of the promise to remember him. I can see myself trying to pass a note or say hey, remember this, what about me? We don't see that from Joseph, at least we don't read of it in Genesis. I can see myself trying to guess what was going to happen or try to make it happen on my own time. I am encouraged by this story of waiting. When the time was right Joseph was remembered and he was released from prison to become a man of high importance in Egypt.


I want to encourage you today as you wait to remember that God's timing is perfect. It probably isn't going to happen in our time. We need to remember God has a reason for the trials we go through as we wait and we need to be patient as we wait for him whether that is a day, month, or two years.


Hope you have a nice weekend. Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

This month for Thankful Thursday we are meeting at Grace Alone. Iris talks about being thankful for our daily blessings. There are things we do each day part of our routine, have you ever stopped to be thankful for these things? Some of the daily blessings I enjoy are snuggle time with my sweet boy in the morning as he is waking up, stopping in my day for a quiet time reading the Bible (some busy days it just feels so refreshing to just stop and be still for a little bit), emailing my Mom in the day, encouragement from blog friends, supper together as a family, those moments of "aha" learning I get to see from my boy, welcome home hugs and kisses for my husband, and our talk time at night before we sleep.

I am thankful this week for:

~ My husband is a man of integrity. It made my heart smile this week when he told me before they left on the trip one of his coworkers asked him if he was going to be their designated driver. They know he doesn't drink.

~ My sweet boy taking care of me after school on Wednesday after I had my dental work. He brought me some apple juice and gave me a sweet little hug.

~ surprise flowers from my sweet husband to cheer me when I didn't feel good. He is the sweetest thing! They are so pretty too, various purple flowers in a bouquet.

~ warm bed, blankets, and heater to keep us warm.

~ days at home to catch up on chores and other stuff I've needed to work on.

Thank you for stopping by! Have a day of blessings!

Pursuing Love: Love is Patient

Click on the heart above to join us at Marsha's Musings in "Pursuing Love" over the next several weeks.

This week's topic is "Love Is Patient." Well isn't that such good timing! I've mentioned before that we do family Bible lessons together on Wednesday nights. Right now we are going through the Fruit of the Spirit. Last week was on patience. Then Friday night I realized how impatient I can be! I ran into Walgreens to pick up some pictures. The store was pretty empty and I grabbed the couple other items on sale and went to the photo counter. No one was there and I didn't see any employees around either. Then a girl walks in and asks if I needed help. I said yes and she hollered down an aisle at some lady who was pulling old price tags off of a shelf. That lady never did come and the other girl came back later and got the pictures for me. I probably wasn't there five minutes. It felt forever to me because I didn't want to stand and wait when there wasn't even a line and all I needed was my pictures grabbed off the shelf! It annoyed me as I went back to the car. Later I realized how silly it was for me to be impatient to wait on such a silly thing.

God used this to remind me that I need to be patient for His timing. I think He uses little things like this to see how we'll respond as we need more patience to wait longer or for bigger things. As I mentioned yesterday waiting is hard. I know I have got to just trust Him though as I wait.

I know from past experiences that His love has been patient with me. I want to show that love to others, both my family and strangers in line at Walgreens, by being patient with them.

Have a day of blessings!

"While I'm Waiting" by John Waller

I know I've posted this song before. Since it came to mind as I was reading about Joseph (more about that in another post, probably on Friday), I thought it would be a good one to share this week for my song of the week. I went and looked up the previous post I wrote when I posted this song and read it to see what I said then and if my thoughts were the same as they've been now. They aren't really so I'll add to what I said then. I'm glad I read it because I needed to read what I wrote back then.

Right now I feel like we are in the waiting stage. Waiting is so hard for me. I want to be patient, but at the same time I want to know what's ahead. I feel like God has been showing me lately though how He is with us and we just have to take one step at a time. I think I've mentioned before there are specific things we are praying about right now. We don't know what's going to happen. We don't know how long we'll be waiting. But as the song says we can be patient, bold, confident, obedient, faithful, and serving during this period of waiting. (and just an FYI for those of you who are guessing what we are waiting on....I'm not talking about waiting to have another baby right now!! It's big but not that!)

I hope this song encourages you today.




Have a day of blessings!

Marriage Monday:How to Celebrate February 14 Every Day of the Year

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This month, your challenge is to share how you and your husband make each and every day of your marriage special. What are your daily relationship rituals? How do you nurture the “us” factor? Tell us the big or little things that make your marriage sing like a fine-tuned violin. Click the button above to join us for Marriage Monday.

February 1st begins what I like to think of as "our month." We started dating in February 1998 and have many special days in this month. Add Valentine's Day (and my birthday!) to the month and we have a full month of specialness. :)

I firmly believe that if we wait until February 14 to go all out to show our love to our spouses, our marriage won't be strong. But what do we do to keep the love strong all year round? For me it seems to be all the little things we do that mean the most. I don't expect my husband to buy me roses or gifts. Those things are nice and I love surprises; however, it is the little stuff we do daily that makes me happy and makes me feel so cherished and loved by my man.

We have a little stuffed red heart we hide for the other to find. It's always a great surprise to find it. We have code words for each other that are special to us. We go on dates. We both look forward to each week since Caleb has been in school is our lunch dates on Thursday's. We spend time together talking and laughing. We miss each other when we are apart. We talk about and remember our early dating days.

It's fun to have a special day to celebrate love on February 14, but I'm all for doing little things to show love every day and not just wait for a special occasion.

Have a day of blessings!