A Fun 5K - Race for the Cure

I ran another 5K today! With my friend Lori and hundreds of other people!
It was a slight drizzly rain, but it actually felt wonderful...

And my men came out to cheer me on! It was such a joy to see them when I got to the 1 mile mark! And I was very proud to complete the run in 29 minutes and 25 seconds, my best time ever!!


As I was posting this David came and sat beside me and asked what I was doing. I told him I was thinking of something to write and he said I should write this:

"Great is our Lord, and mighty in power!"
Psalm 147:5

And that He is! So tonight, may this be a reminder to you that our Lord is great and mighty in power! I praise Him for giving me the strength, energy, and endurance to run today... for I run in the path of His commands, for He has set my heart free! Psalm 119:32

Word-Filled Wednesday

"For God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.
For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God."
1 Corinthians 7:10

This picture makes me think of digging deep into the things of God... Are you spending time daily in His Word, digging deeper and deeper to get to know Him more intimately? I encourage you to do so... The Word of God holds mysteries that His Holy Spirit will reveal to you as you study His Word. Dig deep and discover those mysteries for yourself!

For more WFW posts visit 160acres.

Wordless Wednesday

Thankful Thursday

How priceless is your unfailing love!
Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.
Psalm 36:7

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Give thanks to the God of gods,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Psalm 136:1-4

Today I am giving thanks for:

• The unfailing love of my Lord... I can always find a place of refuge in Him!
• For a friend calling to make plans to do something with me... such a simple thing can really make a lonely heart sing...
• The joy of seeing my children learn new things and actually enjoying the process of learning... what a blessing homeschooling my children is...
• The quickness of my children to pray for me when I tell them I am not feeling well... I am so thankful they know how to pray and are not hesitant to do so.
• For my family... they are such a blessing to me and are becoming more and more dear to me every day!

What are you thankful for today? I have missed doing my TT posts lately, but hopefully I can get back in some sort of a routine and can begin to blog more regularly again... take some time to stop and give thanks!

Word-Filled Wednesday

By His Word our Lord created this whole world and everything in it! Can you wrap your mind around that, just by His Word... have you spent time in His Word today? If His Word can create this magnificent world, just think of all the things His Word could do in your life! Carve some time out of your day to spend in His Word...


For more WFW posts visit Susan...

Wordless Wednesday

Friends along the journey...

I have started a couple of new Bible studies in the past couple of weeks...

In one we are doing an in-depth study on the book of John from now until May. I am really looking forward to digging into one of my favorite books of the Bible. I also am looking forward to the new friendships that will be formed as this is a new group of women for me to be doing Bible study with. Just today I met a lady who has a son the same age as mine, and another lady who has twin boys who are 11. I was so excited that the Lord has placed these ladies in my life at this time... mom's with "kid stuff" in common who also love the Lord and are passionate about Him and His Word, this is an answer to prayers that I have been praying for some time!

The other study is a class the ladies are doing at church by Priscilla Shirer, One in a Million. This quote below from her introduction has really stuck with me. It has caused me to think about several of you, my blogging friends, and my local touchable, huggable, flesh and blood friends, whom the Lord has used to bring me great encouragement along this sometimes lonely journey in my walk of faith... I am thankful for each of you, and you know who you are!

God's call from mundane Christianity to a radical experience of Him has taken me down roads that, honestly, have been quite narrow.

On occasion, I've had to whisper a prayer for help when loneliness knocks on my front door and comes in to stay a while. When I've met other travelers willing to brave these winding roads, our eyes have met and an instant heart connection made. Without having much to say, we've encouraged each other to continue. Priscilla Shirer, One in a Million, page 5.

I am so very thankful for my true friends in the faith. You know the kind... those who you have a stronger bond and connection with because you share in the things of the Spirit. I thank God for each and every one of you. I am thankful for the bond we share through His Spirit. And I am so very thankful He has placed you in my life and for the encouragement that He brings me through your friendship and your words...

Wordfilled Wednesday

Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills
From whence comes my help
My help comes from the Lord
Who made Heaven and earth

He will not allow your foot to be moved
He who keeps you will not slumber
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep

The Lord is your keeper
The Lord is your shade at your right hand

The sun shall not smite you by day
Nor the moon by night

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil
He shall preserve your soul
The Lord shall preserve your going out and coming in
From this time forth and even forevermore.

Psalm 121 is precious to our family. My husband's grandmother used to pray it over her family before leaving each other after times of fellowship, and we had it read at our wedding. It touches my heart that my children (both have it memorized) already know it by heart and have it hidden away in their hearts. I have even heard Paul comment to someone that he gets his help from the Lord. Are you hiding the Word of God in your heart?

We've Been Away...

We spent a week here...

Hanging out and relaxing together...

Having "loads" of fun...

Playing really hard...

We had a wonderful vacation, and are ready to go back again!!

Thankful Thursday

Today, for Thankful Thursday, I thought I would share a conversation I had with my Lord on Monday evening...

It all started out with me having a grumpy and complaining attitude... I was grumpy because I wanted my family to help me clean up after dinner. I didn't want to ask for help, I just wanted them to know that I wanted help and to get up and help me. I had cooked dinner, cleaned up all the dishes after dinner, and we were all having a brownie and some ice cream. I was the last one at the table eating my brownie... every one else had finished and left their dirty dishes sitting on the table.

Now our boys have been trained to take their dishes to the sink, and my husband has also been trained :) However, as I sat there by myself, looking at all the dirty dishes left on the table (while the dishwasher was open and conveniently waiting for more dishes to be put in), I couldn't help but feel a bit angry and slightly resentful. They had gone off to do something fun and I was left in the kitchen to CLEAN!

So I cleaned up the dishes, started the dishwasher, and disappeared to soak in a bubble bath. Well, as I was soaking and trying to relax, I heard that still, small voice:

"You need to have a thankful heart."

"You need to focus on me and not on yourself or on others."

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ."

So... I chose obedience to the voice of God, and I began to tell Him the things I was thankful for.

Here are some of them:

• I am thankful that I have a family to cook for and to clean up after...
• I am thankful that we have money to buy food to eat,... good food, healthy food...
• I am thankful for my children... there are those who desperately want children and yet for some reason have not been blessed with them yet...
• I am thankful for modern conveniences, like my dishwasher, my garbage disposal, my trash can with the foot pedal so I can open it with my foot...
• I am thankful for my big bathtub so that at times I can break away and relax...
• And I am so thankful for the still, small voice of God... thankful that He chooses to speak to me, thankful that I hear His voice, and thankful for the God-given desire to respond in obedience to His voice...

So, since Monday evening I have been very conscious of my attitude and whether or not it has been the same as that of Jesus Christ. I am consciously trying to have a thankful attitude in all that I do, even the everyday mundane things that often do not evoke thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for that really there should be no room for grumbling in my heart. May God help me to always chose thanksgiving over grumbling...

For more TT posts visit Laurie at Women Taking a Stand.

Wordless Wednesday

New Reasons to love...

After attending the Beth Moore simulcast this past Saturday, I headed out to lunch, just me, myself and I... and my Lord. I ate at one of my all-time favorites, a place I never mind going by myself... you know there are some places you just do not want to go alone, but Panera is not one of them!

As I was sitting there waiting for my food to be prepared, I was talking to my Lord, and listening for His voice and those promptings of His Spirit. I asked Him to open my eyes to what He wanted me to see, I so do not want to be so focused on myself that I overlook those He places in my path for a particular reason. He directed my eyes to a sign hanging on the wall and I heard His voice loud and clear through the words on that sign, (not really audibly, but in my spirit)...

Discover new reasons to love...

This has stayed with me... it resonates in my mind numerous times daily. God's Spirit has prompted me to ask Him to help me discover new reasons to love... to love Him, to love my family, to love friends and acquaintances, to love neighbors, and even to love those who seem unlovable and who are hard to love...

So I am on a journey with my Lord, discovering new reasons to love... I desire to be compelled by the love of Christ, not by my flesh and not by the things of this world, but solely and wholly by the love of Christ...

13If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. ¹⁴For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 2 Corinthians 5:13-15

Heart of our Desires... notes from the Beth Moore simulcast

This past weekend I was blessed to be able to attend Beth Moore's simulcast, and as always, she left us with much to think about and ponder. What she shared was so good that I wanted to share it with those of you who happen by my blog...

Her message was based on Psalm 37:1-9:

Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of those who do wrong;

² for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.

³ Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

⁴ Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:

⁶ He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

⁷ Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

⁸ Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.

⁹ For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

Her entire message centered around verse 4: "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." She had 7 points that she shared with us over 3 sessions. I will share with you each point and one or two of her statements that spoke the most to me... I took tons of notes but will try to make it more brief here...

1. NOTHING dictates our lives like our desires!

We are motivated by what WE want to do. We are dictated by our "Want to". A legitimate or true heart's desire necessitates a wait... it is a sustained longing that is unaffected by our moods (our hormones), our surroundings, or our circumstances. It is a desire that we would carry with us if everything else in our lives changed.

2. Beneath the desires of our hearts is the HEART of our desires.

We need to allow God to tend to the heart of our desires... every single desire we have implies something that we lack. God will trump the desires of our heart to get to the heart of our desire if destiny is at stake for us or if glory is at stake for Him.

3. Delighting in God adapts our desires into inevitabilities.

She encouraged us to pray daily... "Dear God, Grant me a heart that delights in You!"

(and I added for myself, "All day long") I don't know about you, but sometimes stuff that is thrown at me throughout my day tends to hinder my ability to continue to delight in Him, it gets my eyes off of Him and onto "stuff"... so I am praying that God would grant me a heart that delights in Him ALL day long.

The desires of my heart boil down to the heart of my desires - I was created to delight in Him.

4. Nothing external can steal our right to delight.

We have given people rights they DO NOT have - no one can steal our delight in God. If we are a Christian, and if for any reason we do not delight, it is an internal reason.

She shared here 3 things that come to steal our delight, and deform our desires...

• J- jealousy - Jealousy is desire tinged with resentment. What desire in our hearts is motivating jealousy?
• A - anger - anger is an evil form of overtaking passion; it is the polar opposite of delight.
• W - worry - (fret) to eat or gnaw into, to affect something as if by gnawing or biting.

An easy way to remember these 3 is to think of our JAW - What is taking a bite out of my personal delight? Is it jealousy, anger, or worry...

5. To make room for delight we have to COMMIT!

We have to be willing to commit to become and be who is it we long to be and to do those things we long to do. If we never make a commitment to work at those things they will never come to be... we are to commit our way to the Lord.

6. Nothing is passive about patiently waiting for desire to turn into delight.

My God is constantly at work doing things I can not see. Do NOT give up in prayers for loved ones that you have been praying for years... we need to be careful to not become all talk and no hear! Sometimes God wants us to be still - to stop, to hold our peace, to be silent, to listen and watch eagerly and anxiously for Him.

When we are hurting in the wait, we need to turn the hurt into praise.

7. Till faith becomes sight, trust God and do good.

Romans 12:21 "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good."

Others do not have to think we are "right" in order for us to do good for them. We can still do good for others who do not agree with our Christian beliefs... we are to dwell in the land where God has planted us right now, we are to do good there, and we are to feed on His faithfulness.

"Till Christ returns, or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I'll stand."

I am taking some time to write out my desires, all of them, laying them out before the Lord, big ones and little ones, and asking Him to reveal to me the true heart of my desires. I desire for my desires to not be ones that would hinder my destiny or His glory... I desire to have a heart that delights in God all day long, all the days of my life. What about you?

Thankful Thursday

I haven't done a Thankful Thursday post in the past few weeks. Life has been busy and we have been getting into our "new" routine for our new season of life these days. We have started homeschooling, on our 3rd week now, and I sold in and worked at a huge consignment sale, so that took much time, getting my stuff together and working. So hopefully now we can get settled into our "new" routine and I can get back to some sort of normal blogging routine... I have missed sharing my thoughts and what is happening in our little corner.

This week I am giving thanks for the following:

• For the faithfulness of my Lord... He reminded me of His constant faithfulness with the rising of the sun this morning...
• For the privilege and opportunity to homeschool our children. They are enjoying it and I am really loving it! It is a greater blessing and privilege that I thought it would be...
• For my wonderful husband... he has blessed the boys with a great play area out back, with tons of sand, that is covered so now we have some shade (we have no trees thanks to the developer of our neighborhod)...
• For all that my kids are learning... they caught a frog out back the other day. We have been reading and studying about frogs and tadpoles in our science book... it was so great to hear them talk about and look for things on the frog that we had read about. And last night James asked David what he was learning in school, and David talked to him for about 30 minutes telling him very specific details of things we have read about and talked about! I was extremely impressed with the details of his memory!
• For my big bathtub! Relaxing in a nice warm bath has been my new way of relaxing nightly after a busy day with the kiddos...

So what are you thankful for? I encourage you to take time to notice the things in your life you need to be thankful for, and give our Lord the thanks He deserves. You will be blessed by doing so!

Wordless Wednesday... on thursday

I finally got it to work... enjoy the pictures. One from James' birthday, the other from our visit with his dad.

Wordless Wednesday

or maybe not...

I have tried on numerous occasions yesterday and today to post some pictures for Wordless Wednesday and they just will not post. Anyone else having problems posting pictures?

I will try to post a "words" post soon :)

Just a few thoughts...

Just thought I would share a few thoughts I have had since we started homeschooling about a week and a half ago... so far it has been a wonderful experience!

• I have found homeschooling to be very refreshing and extremely fulfilling! There is no hectic rushing around in the mornings to get out the door to be somewhere on time... And seeing my boys excitement for learning and their desire to work hard and do their work good is such a blessing!
• Honestly, I am finding I enjoy teaching my children much more that I had really thought I would! I wanted to home school them for their sakes and for the benefits they would receive from it, I never really considered that it would actually be fun for me and a blessing also! However, it is tons of fun and a huge blessing!
• It has not been sad for me to have my children start Kindergarten as it has been for so many of my friends... it is a blessing to be able to spend so much time with them and to watch them learn and discover new things with such excitement.
• I have found that they are not as clingy and needy of attention as they previously were at times before. It seems that by the time we finish school each day, they are content to play with each other or just by themselves without needing my constant attention... and (I hesitate to type this, as soon as I do it may change, but I will go ahead) they are fighting less, ( I did say less, not not at all :) This has made it nice in the afternoons as I am able to catch up on housework or whatever else I need to get done without so many constant interruptions.

So, all in all, this home school experience has been a wonderful one! I am very thankful that my husband and I have followed the Lord's leading and have embarked on this journey... I believe it will be an extremely fulfilling one, no matter how hard it is at times. Thanks to each and every one of you who have prayed for us as we have embarked on this journey. Please continue to pray, as we are just beginning... I am so very thankful it has been such a wonderful beginning!


There is absolutely nothing more fulfilling than doing what God has called you to do! Are you doing whatever it is that He is calling you to do?

The Journey Has Begun...

Well, this week we officially began our journey into the world of homeschooling! We started on Monday morning, and I just wanted to share what my wonderful Lord blessed me with during my time with Him before I started my day... it just made my heart soar how He spoke to me through His Word!

I was a couple of days behind in my read through list, so I was playing catch up and read Psalm 78. I just love how God's timing is so perfect! He knew that I would need to read this on Monday morning and timed it just so...

	Listen, O my people, to my instruction; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
	I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old,
	Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us.
	We will not conceal them from their children, But tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.
	For He established a testimony in Jacob And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers That they should teach them to their children,
	That the generation to come might know, {even} the children {yet} to be born, {That} they may arise and tell {them} to their children,
	That they should put their confidence in God And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments,
	And not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not prepare its heart And whose spirit was not faithful to God. Psalm 78:1-8

Through these verses God gave me His purpose and vision for calling me to homeschool our children! I was and am so excited! I knew God was calling me to do this, but to have words straight from Him detailing our purpose and vision just spurs me on...

Our purpose and vision for homeschooling our children:

• To tell them the praises of the Lord, His strength, and His wondrous works;
• To lead them to put their confidence in God;
• To lead them to not forget God but to keep His commandments;
• To lead and enable them to prepare their hearts and to have a spirit that is faithful to God.

Just wanted to share that! Our week has gone wonderfully so far... we have 3 days of homeschooling under our belt and we are all loving it! I am using Sonlight curriculum and could not be more pleased, I am so very thankful that the Lord led me to use this particular curriculum, I think it fits our family perfectly!

Thankful Thursday

A faithful man will abound with blessings... Proverbs 28:20

Today I am giving thanks for my wonderful husband!

• I am thankful that he loves me always... even when I am moody, irritable, frustrating, and all out hard to live with! He still loves me and doesn't hold it against me!
• I am thankful for when he surprises me and draws me a nice warm bubble bath to crawl into after putting the boys to bed after a hard day...
• I am thankful for the sweet love letters he occasionally sends me via email...
• I am thankful for how wonderful he is with our boys... every night after dinner he tries to do something fun with them, to enjoy them, and to give me a much needed break from the incessant talking and question asking...
• I am thankful for how supportive he is of me... he always fully supports anything I attempt to do or take part in...
• I am thankful that he is faithful, in word and in deed...
• I am thankful that we are both "aliens" in this world and share the spiritual bond that we do...
• I am thankful that he loves my cooking and never complains about what I feed him :)
• I am thankful for his unconditional, undying love for me...
• I am thankful for the man of God that he is, and thankful that God has blessed me with him!

What are you thankful for today? I encourage you to take time to stop and give thanks for the many blessings God has bestowed upon your life... and tell those loved ones in your life that you are thankful for them! They like to hear it...

Word-Filled Wednesday

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
through which the world has been crucified to me,
and I to the world.
Galatians 6:14

In my slow reading through "don't waste your life" by John Piper, the following thoughts and insights he shares have had me in deep thought about the cross of Christ and how it really is the only thing I should be boasting in in this life. I thought I would share them with those of you who happen upon my blog...

"Life is wasted if we do not grasp the glory of the cross, cherish it for the treasure that it is, and cleave to it as the highest price of every pleasure and the deepest comfort in every pain." What was once foolishness to us - a crucified God - must become our wisdom and our power and our only boast in this world. ...



God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. We magnify God's worth the most when he becomes our only boast. ...



May the one thing that you cherish, the one thing that you rejoice in and exult over, be the cross of Jesus Christ. ...



Paul means something that will change every part of your life. He means that, for the Christian, all other boasting should also be a boasting in the cross. All exultation in anything else should also be a boasting in the cross. If you exult in the hope of glory, you should be exulting in the cross of Christ. If you exult in tribulation because tribulation works hope, you should be exulting in the cross of Christ. If you exult in your weakness, or in the people of God, you should be exulting in the cross of Christ.



Why is this the case? Because for redeemed sinners, every good thing - indeed every bad thing that God turns for good - was obtained for us by the cross of Christ. Apart from the death of Christ, sinners get nothing but judgment. Apart from the cross of Christ, there is only condemnation. Therefore everything that you enjoy in Christ - as a Christian, as a person who trusts Christ - is owing to the death of Christ. And all your rejoicing in all things should therefore be a rejoicing in the cross where all your blessings were purchased for you at the cost of the death of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.



One of the reasons we are not as Christ-centered and cross-saturated as we should be is that we have not realized that everything - everything good, and everything bad that God turns for the good of his redeemed children - was purchased by the death of Christ for us. We simply take life and breath and health and friends and everything for granted. We think it is ours by right. But the fact is that it is not ours by right. We are doubly undeserving of it. (all quotes taken from pages 48-52)

Wow... I think these are some great insights to spend time thinking and pondering over. I desire to have the mindset which leads me to boast in the cross of Christ. I want to see all the good in my life, and the bad that my Lord has redeemed and used for good, against the backdrop of the cross of Christ, realizing that it is only the cross that has made these things possible in my life. I want my life to be Christ-centered and cross-saturated... what about you?


For more WFW posts visit 160acrewoods.

Wordless Wednesday