Ultimate Blog Challenge Wrap Up

Today I have done something that I was not sure I was going to be able to do.  I have had a new entry on my blog every day for the past 31 days.  It was because I took part in the Ultimate Blog Challenge.  It is amazing to think I found things to write about every single day.  I have enjoyed sharing, remembering, feeling and writing about so many things our family has experienced over the years.  

I want to be able to continue this journey.  I know I have many more words, stories and posts to share.  I have more pictures, recipes and homeschooling posts to share.  I love getting the opportunity to record my thoughts to where years down the road, my children will be able to read them and gain insight into their mother.  So even though the Ultimate Blog Challenge ends today.  Tomorrow, I am starting a new challenge.  I am beginning the NaBloMoPo November Challenge.  Plus I am beginning the NaNoWriMo challenge.  

The NaBloMoPo challenge will involve blogging every day during the month of November.  So stayed tuned to see what topics come up.  The NaNoWriMo challenge involves me trying to write a novel.  I have tons of material to share thanks to my husband and family.  So my goal will be to write 50,000 words by the end of the month.  I have some ideas of what I want to write about, but we will have to wait and see what develops.

As my children grow up, I really enjoy sharing memories and stories with them. But more importantly I enjoy making memories with them.  Every day is a blessing given to us by God.  Each day deserves us giving our best

Today is not just the ending of the Ultimate Blog Challenge, it is also the final day of the Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Study for "The Best Yes" by Lysa Terkeurst.  I have learned so much from this book.  I don't want to focus on "people pleasing" instead I want to focus on pleasing and honoring God.  I want to spend time in His Word and in prayer.  I want to draw closer to God.  After all, He is God the Father.  He is a father who willingly sent His Only Begotten Son to die on a cross for our sins.  He was the perfect sacrifice.  I need to give Him my best yes.  This means I need to give my best yes in everything I do, say or think.  I know I will never be perfect.  As Romans 3:23 - 24 says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus".  

I want to strive to honor God, even if it means I give "small no's", so I save time to give my "Best Yes".  It means I need to take time to listen to the sometimes small, still voice of God - even when it is not the answer I want to hear.  I pray you strive to give your "Best Yes" as well.  I pray you have enjoyed the journey this month.  I would love to hear from you. 

So today I say good bye to this past month and this past study.  But I say hello to new challenges and around the middle of the month I will be saying hello to a new Bible study as we begin Max Lucado's book Before Amen and I invite you to come along with us for the journey.  This study is all about prayer.  And what better time to begin a study on prayer than in the month before we celebrate Jesus' birth.  The best part about this study is that the conference calls are FREE!  That is right for this study the conference calls cost NOTHING!  So I hope you will join us.

MY FAVORITE THINGS

I have quite a few favorite things in my life.  One of my most favorite things is my family.  My husband, three sons and one daughter bring a lot of blessings, love, joy and fun into my life.  I can not say growing up I expected to have four children.  Nor can I say I pictured my life looking as it does.  But I can not imagine any other life that would suit.  

My husband is truly the love of my life.  He is such a blessing to me and the answers to my prayers.   We have been married for 22 years and while they haven't always been perfect, we are still together and more in love than ever.  I can't imagine spending my life with any other.  When your parents separate when you are in your last year of college and then wind up divorcing the following year, it can't help but color your perspective.  However, having a personal Savior, Jesus Christ, sustained me.

We have four children - three sons ages 18, 16, and 14 plus a 12 year old daughter.  They are a blessing.  They are enthusiastic, active, funny and amazing.  God truly blessed my husband and I when He allowed us to be their parents.  These children mean my house is never quiet, dull or unimaginative.  Homeschooling them means I get to see these amazing children grow in their faith and in their interests.  I am truly thankful for them.

My second favorite thing is my collections of Bibles and Christian resources.  I love being able to spend time in God's Word and in prayer.  The resources help me to develop as a Christian.

Another favorite thing in my life is my teddy bear that I recently blogged about.  This bear was a wonderful gift from my husband for our anniversary.

Another favorite thing is reading.  There is nothing like a good book on a rainy or cold or snowy day.  Books can take me wherever I could imagine.  They also mean I am never bored.  I love discussing books with family and friends.  In the last several years, I became part of an Online Bible Study ministry through Proverbs 31 Ministries and I love the way the books challenge and touch my soul.

I love snow.  I love watching it fall softly and quietly.  I enjoy watching my children play in it.  I love seeing their snow creations including snowmen and snow forts.

Another favorite thing is attending homeschool conventions.  These conventions allow my family to connect and have fun while learning so many things.  Plus we get to see neat places and acquire more books.

These are just a few of my favorite things.  What are some of your favorite things?

Wisdom and My Best Yes

So I am in day 7 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge and at the same time I am on day 2 of week 3 of The Best Yes:  Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands which is the current Bible Study being done by Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Studies and boy do I need this book.  Being a wife, a mother, homeschooling teacher, FRG leader, member of a church, chef, driver (at times), shopper for all things needed in our home means I have lots of different hats and lots of different responsibilities all pulling at me at the same time.  I feel like I am juggling a ton of balls in the air at the same time.  But at any minute they could all come crashing down on me.

So I need lots and lots and lots of wisdom.  I need to have the discernment to rely on God to help me make the right decisions.  This means spending time in His Word and spending time in prayer.  I don't want to make a wrong decision, but as Lysa Terkeurst puts it, I don't want to suffer from "Analysis Paralysis".  You know what I mean, you get so caught up in the "what ifs" and worrying about them, you just don't make any decision at all.  Or you get so caught up in believing the grass might be greener on the other side that you don't make any decisions.

A "best yes" means relying on God's wisdom to help make the right decision at the right time in the right place.  It means not being afraid to make any decision at all.  It also means listening to others around us who God may have put directly in our path.  It is so easy sometimes to get caught up in what we want that we forget to put God into the equation.  I want wisdom like God gave Solomon, but the only way to acquire wisdom is to focus on God.  He has to direct our footsteps.  He has to direct my path.  Oh that God may grant me peace and wisdom to make the right decisions.

Why I love my Online Bible Study

So instead of talking about homeschooling or my family today, I want to take a minute to invite you to join in the next Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Study.  You can visit the Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Study page to sign up.  The study begins on September 22nd and the book is fantastic!  While real life might be crazy, this Bible Study won't be.  You can follow along on the blog for daily posts or if you prefer you can participate in a Facebook Study Live for a different kind of experience.

I have been involved with Proverbs 31 Ministries OBS (Online Bible Study) for about a year and a half now.  I started off just doing the study and being in a Facebook Small group for Let.It.Go.  by Karen Ehman.  I absolutely fell in love with the study.  I love that I don't have to be at a certain place at a certain time every week.  In my Facebook small group or with the Study Blog, I can interact on my time around my schedule.  But every time I visit the study page or the Facebook Small group I am tremendously blessed.

Back in the spring, I took a leap and decided to volunteer as a Facebook Small group leader.  I helped lead our group for the study for the Limitless Life by Derwin Gray.  It was one of the best experiences of my life.  I can't wait for this study to begin.  Over the next few weeks, you can expect to see more posts from me regarding #TheBestYes!

So if you are looking for a Bible Study that gives you flexibility I invite you to take a look and to join us for #TheBestYes!

FROM ORPHAN TO ADOPTED - PROVERBS 31 OBS MINISTRIES BLOG HOP LIMITLESS LIFE WEEK 2

Well we are in week 2 of our Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Study for Derwin L. Gray's book Limitless Life.  This book is so powerful and has so much to say.  This week I want to discuss going from orphan to adopted.  Oh I am not literally an orphan.  I have a wonderful mother who lives with me and has been one of my best friends for quite a few years.  Over 23 years ago, my parents separated and eventually divorced.  My father choose to basically drop out of my life.  He completely missed my wedding.   He has only seen my oldest son several times (probably 3 or 4 at the most).  He has seen my second son probably a total of 3 times at the most.  He has seen our youngest son only about once.  While he has never in his life set eyes on my beautiful, wonderful daughter.  

As I look back on my life, at the time I thought my parents had a good marriage, although my father tended to raise his voice and could cause fear to come into my heart.  Now I would call what he displayed as verbal abuse.  But I still had a fairly good relationship with him (or so I thought).  I was the good child - the one who did what was she was told and got good grades in school.  I went to college and was in my senior year of college when my parents separated.  I was torn between my mother and my father.  At the same time,  I met my future husband.  He is a wonderful man who has a wonderful father and grandfathers.  For the first few months, my father and I seemed to continue as we had been in the past.  He had left my mother for another woman and that really hurt.  He took a job out of state and my future husband and I saw him one time.

Over the next year or so, my father got angry at me over something and basically cut off all communication.  I invited him to our wedding, but he did not come.  He claimed he got lost, but I don't necessarily believe that.  We really did not see or talk with one another.  When we had our first son, my father and my sister came to to his dedication.  It was one of very few times he ever saw any of my children.  Then he saw my oldest two one time.  The next time he saw any of my children was at my grandmother's funeral.  He saw my middle two sons.  Since then, he really has not seen any of my children or spoken to me.  We invited him to come to see my oldest two get baptized approximately 3 years ago.  Then two years ago, my oldest two sons achieved the level of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts.  We planned a huge party and my mother called to invite him to the party.  He told her not to contact him again and he wanted nothing to do with any of us.  It broke my heart. 

But I AM NOT AN ORPHAN!  I have a heavenly Father who loves me and was willing for His Only Begotten Son to die for my sins.  I redeemed by the blood of the Lamb called Jesus Christ.  I am a beloved daughter of the most high God.  Until I get to heaven, God has provided a wonderful earthly husband for me along with a wonderful father in law along with countless other men who have served as Godly examples of what a father should be and how he should act.  Granddaddy Pierce, Pastor Koss, Elder JM Horne are among some of these men.  My own sons and one daughter have a wonderful group of men to look up to and they know they are loved.    Sorry this is so long.  But I needed to get this out.

I choose today to forgive my earthly father.  I refuse to be held captive any more.  I have no way of knowing if he is still alive or not, but I plan on writing a letter saying so and sending to the last known address.  Even if he never receives the letter on Earth, I know my Heavenly daddy will know what I have done and for me right now that is enough.

3 Simple Steps - Proverbs 31 Online Bible Studies Living So That by Wendy Blight Blog Hop

3 Simple Steps I take to combat the flesh and feed the Spirit - after all Jesus did not just feed His flesh when He was in the desert for 40 days.  He told Satan that Man can not live by bread along and this is true.  The first thing I do is try to spend time in my Bible.  I have an Ipad and I absolutely adore the YouVersion Bible app.  It allows me to choose from an incredible amount of Bible study plans that fit my needs and interests.  Then it gives me the option to send myself reminders at a specific time of day to ensure I complete my reading plans. It also gives me the chance to catch up on my plan if I get behind.  I find this invaluable.  Also, if I find a plan is not what I thought it was I can stop the plan.  Also, I can share my progress on Twitter and Facebook - which allows me to share with my friends what I am reading.

Second, I try to spend time daily in prayer - and more than twice a day.  As I am going about my daily routine, I often find something or someone on my mind that I feel drawn to pray for and I don't worry about where I am at the time.  Also once a week, I try to attend our Salvation Army Corps' weekly prayer meeting along with my husband.  Now I have to admit sometimes life gets in the way!  Also, we try to have prayer with our family.

Finally, I spend as much time with like minded believers.  God's Word tells us this is a necessity.  We have to be around His people.  Almost every day of the week, we are involved in some activity(activities) at our Salvation Army Corps which is our church.  We reach out and try to become involved.  My husband and I both feel we have a calling from God to ministry work.  So we seek out and join in various activities - including what we call our League of Mercy - which involved visiting two local nursing homes/assisted living facilities once a month and helping with our soup kitchen once a month.

The biggest blessing I get from this is spending time with our family.  We homeschool our children, so most of the activities we do together. 

These are just three of the things I try to do to feed the Spirit.  God calls us to deepen our walk with Him.  We need to reach out in what ever ways He leads to accomplish this.  When we reach out to Him, He reaches back to us.  As we just celebrated Easter and the Resurrection, it reminds me of Romans 5:8, "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

#MadetoCrave - Emotional Triggers

So we are in week 5 of our Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Studies, and here we go with another blog hop.  I know I am made for more, but boy do my emotions get in my way!  If I am celebrating something, I want a treat!  If I am sad, I want the comfort of food and crave items I should not have.  I eat for tons of emotional reasons, and it is wrong.  

I need to go to God when I have those cravings.  I need to seek after His Word and pray to Him for guidance, direction and strength.  God promises He will never give us more than we can handle.  However, there is nothing in that promise that states we can do it alone.  We need to rely on God's strength and guidance to reach the other side.  When I spend time in prayer and in God's Word, things go smoother in my life.  When I try to rely only on myself, I get chaos.

Of course, it also helps when my husband and I are on the same page and praying for and reaching for the same goals that God wants for us.  I know that God only wants the best for us.  But sometimes, we need to stretch and grow, which causes me to focus on emotional eating.  But when I chose to put my trust, hope and faith in God, I avoid temptation and chose to dive into God's Word, prayer or spending time exercising.  After all, I am#madetocrave God!