Quotes and thoughts from my reading...

I am currently reading The Grand Weaver, How God Shapes Us Through the Events of Our Lives, by Ravi Zacharias.

Today I read the chapter, "Your Calling Matters"...  and thought I would share with whoever still stops by to visit some thoughts that I found encouraging, motivating, and inspiring.

A calling is simply God's shaping of your burden and beckoning you to your service to him in the place and pursuit of his choosing. 


When your will becomes aligned with God's will, his calling upon you has found its home.


It is God's vital purpose in positioning you in life and giving you the vocation and context of your call to serve him with total commitment to do the job well. 


This is what we are seeking - a life and a calling that do not get corrupted along the journey, that cannot be defiled by earthly distractions, and that will not grow dim or dull with time.  

He then shares with his readers 3 ways we can know our calling and recognize its impact...

1.  Have a devout prayer life.  One simply can not know one's call without coming near to God in prayer.
The purpose of prayer and of God's call in your life is not to make you number one in the world's eyes, but to make Him number one in your life.


2.  Be willing to be outshone while shining for God.  Humility is the touchstone of serving God.
Someone who stands under the bright lights of history will never, in God's eyes, outshine the humble attractiveness of the one who humbly serves God.


3.  Make certain that you stay close to those who walk closely with God. 


Know that you are God's temple.  Bathe your life in prayer.  Live out your life in humility of spirit that serves for the right reasons.  Seek the counsel and example of godly men and women.   Finally, exhibit a commitment  to the preeminence of Christ in all things.  These are the components of a call.

May we all recognize, know, and fulfill His calling upon our lives with total commitment...

Wordless Wednesday... We Had SNOW!!!

Running the Race...

This past Sunday, on Valentine's Day, I ran my 1st half marathon!  I ran in celebration of the freedom that Christ Jesus has brought into my life... freedom that can only come from Him!  My running verse is:

"I run in the path of Your commands,

for You have set my heart free!"

Psalm 119:32

I run because Jesus has set me free...

I run because my body is the temple of His Holy Spirit and I desire for it to be a fit place for His Presence... 

I run to keep in shape, so I can do the things He calls me to do...

I run to clear my mind and for stress relief...

I run to spend time with my Savior... the time I spend running is devoted to talking to my Lord and listening for His voice...

Throughout my training my Lord has taught me many lessons.  This has been a spiritual journey just as much as it has been a physical journey.  I wanted to share just a few of the things He has taught me...

No one can do the training for me.  If I want to run the race I have to do the training... it is a choice.  Just as no one can seek His face for me... If I want to know my Lord more intimately, if I want a closer walk with Him, I have to make the time to spend in His Word and in prayer.  I have to choose Him over other things, even other good things...   And just as the strength and endurance come from the training, so does the deeper walk and closer intimacy with Him come from spending the time in His Word and in prayer.


Even if no one is there to cheer me on, I can still run the race.  Approximately 2 weeks before the race my husband found out he was going to have to go out of town for work.  Now, he almost never travels for work.  In the past 12 years he has worked at his job he has had to go out of town maybe 2 times.  Needless to say, I was very, very disappointed... I really wanted him and the boys at the finish line.  I wanted them to cheer me on...   He even tried to get some people to be at the finish line, but couldn't...  However, God had a lesson for me!  He taught me that even if no one is cheering me on here on this earth, my Father in Heaven is cheering for me in the spiritual realm.  I was running for Him and He wanted my eyes on Him, not on whoever might be there cheering for me...  And there are things He calls me to do daily that no one cheers me on in.  I am not to let that discourage me, I am to keep my eyes on Him, and He will, through His Spirit, graciously encourage me to keep going...

Endurance is the key, for the physical race and the spiritual race.

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, 

let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, 

and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, 

who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, 

despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  

For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself,

so that you may not grow weary and lose heart."  

Hebrews 12:1-3

My Lord taught me that just as I need physical endurance to make it across that finish line, I need spiritual endurance to make it in this spiritual journey I am on.  I am to consider Jesus, who endured in the face of hostility and rejection,  who endured for the joy that was to come, who kept His eyes on His Father in Heaven, and who stayed focused on the goal, which was redeeming us from our sins.  So during my training and on race day, when I felt weary or tired, when my muscles felt tight and I wondered if I would make, I turned my focus away from myself and toward my Lord.  I would begin to praise Him for the freedom He has given me, for the many gifts, spiritual and physical, He has blessed me with, and for the countless ways He has shown me His love (after all, the race was on Valentine's Day, how could I not think of His amazing love!).  And do you know what happened in those times?  Those were the absolute best times of my running... He empowered me with physical and spiritual strength to continue on, and not to just continue on wearily, but to continue on victoriously in His power and strength!

And by His strength and His power I continued on, straight to that finish line!  And what a joyous feeling that was!!  How I praise Him and thank Him for loving me and setting me free, and for giving me feet to run for Him!

And for those who are curious... I ran the 13.1 miles in 2 hours, 10 minutes, and 51 seconds!  To God be all the glory!!

He gently leads...

See, the Soveriegn LORD comes with power,
and his arm rules for him.
See, His reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.

He tends his flock like a shepherd;
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
Isaiah 40:10-11

I read this this morning during my morning devotion time... the Lord spoke to me and encouraged me through these verses. How wonderful that:

• He gathers me in His arms,
• He carries me close to His heart,
• He gently leads me since I have young ones.

I was really encouraged by the fact that He gently leads me... He does not get irritated with me and lead me out of frustration, as I admit I sometimes do with my children... He gently leads me. He leads me with a heart filled with peace and love... I pray that today I would be able to gently lead my children, out of a heart filled with my Lord's peace and love, and not out of the frustration that sometimes comes with homeschooling two six year olds.

Thankful Thursday

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
to which indeed you were called in one body;
and be thankful."
Colossians 3:15

Today I am giving thanks for:

• Our fenced in back yard! I am thankful for the moments, and sometimes hours, of peace I can get while the boys play out back!
• For morning snuggles with my boys, which I most likely would not have time for if we were not homeschooling...
• Our new mattresses which are being delivered today!! And very thankful for how God provided the finances for us to buy them! We will all be eager to go to bed tonight!
• A good haircut! My favorite hair stylist moved months ago and I have had great trouble finding someone else I like... I may have found her now!
• The privilege of hearing my children pray for others... their prayers are so simple yet heartfelt, they are just precious...
• Jesus showing us the "full extent of His love" as described in John chapter 13...
• Leftovers! I will not have to cook dinner for 2 nights in a row since we have some yummy leftovers in the frig! And I am thankful I have a husband who does not mind eating leftovers!
• The fact that our Lord's mercies are new every morning...
• For friends, old and new...
• For this life that the Lord has blessed me with... I truly love where He has me and what He has called me to do and be...

What are you thankful for today? I encourage you to take some time to think about it and give Him all the thanks and the glory that He deserves... you will be blessed by doing so!

For more TT posts visit here...

Wordless Wednesday

Highlights from Paul & David's Party!

Happy Birthday to my Double Blessings!

Happy Birthday
to
Paul & David!!!

For breakfast we had chocolate chip muffins
with candles!

Paul blew his out quickly...
It took David a bit more time...

2 very excited little boys!!

One of their gifts was real big boy tools...
so they can help daddy with all his many projects!

Thankful Thursday

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
to which indeed you were called in one body;
and be thankful."
Colossians 3:15

Today I am thankful for:

• The peacefulness that comes with homeschooling... yes, I said peacefulness! Our mornings are usually very peaceful, as we do not have to get up and rush to get ready to get out the door. The boys get to play for a bit before we start our day, and we all get to eat breakfast together before my husband goes to work...
• The warmer weather we have had this week! It has been wonderful to get outside and enjoy the sunshine!
• Answered prayers... how thankful I am that my Heavenly Father hears and answers my prayers, big and small!
• A new homeschool group I have connected with! We have several fun field trips planned that we are all excited about... Blue Bell tour, tour of all the departments at a local Publix, Bud's Best Cookies factory tour, a day at the American Village...
• A new like-minded friend, in the same stage and season of life as me!! This is a huge, huge answer to prayer that I have been praying for years... my new friend loves Jesus, studies the Word diligently, and home schools her oldest of 3 boys, who are close to my boys ages. What a blessing her friendship and the friendship among our boys is!
• My health...
• Strawberries being reasonably priced again!
• New recipes tried that turned out yummy!
• My husband, his love for me and our boys, and for how well he provides for us and takes care os us!
• My double blessings, Paul & David, who will turn 6 years old tomorrow!

What are you thankful for? I encourage you to take some time to look over your week and give Him thanks for all the many things, big and small, that you have to be thankful for! For more TT posts visit here...

Wordless Wednesday

Lessons from the Gospel of John

I have been attending Bible Study Fellowship weekly since September, where we doing an in-depth study of the book of John. I have been so blessed by this Bible study, by what I am learning and by the friendships I have made with other moms...

I have so wanted to share here what I am learning, but time has not permitted me to do so. With homeschooling and just being a mom and a wife, time for blogging has been limited. However, today I have several hours to myself and thought I would take the time to share!

I want to share what we learned from John chapter 9...


In John chapter 9 Jesus heals a blind man. This blind man received physical as well as spiritual sight. Once the blind man is healed, he begins to face difficulties and persecution. However, through these difficulties and persecution he begins to see even more clearly who Jesus is.

As this blind man received greater spiritual sight he became bolder in his witness. You see, he had come to know this Jesus personally, He had touched him, He had healed him... so he boldly stood up for Him.

As a result of this man's bold witness he is thrown out of the synagogue. Yet, Jesus found him and brought him to Himself! Isn't that just precious... Jesus knew what had happened due to his bold witness, He knew what a big deal it was to be thrown out of the synagogue, so He went searching and found the man whom He had given sight to, physical as well as spiritual. And in finding this man and bringing him to Himself, Jesus revealed even more of who He was to him.

(The following portion is from our notes and so spoke to my heart... I wanted to share it...)

The Jews had thrown the man out of God's temple, Jesus, the true Lord of the temple, found him and brought him to Himself. Jesus never leaves any person alone who witnesses for Him. If the witness leads to rejection by one's fellow men, it always brings Jesus nearer than ever before. Jesus says, "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in Heaven" (Matthew 10:32). Jesus stood with the blind man and shared in the rejection that was really a rejection of Him.

To have the true approval and personal companionship of Christ is worth any loss. In fact, only after we have given up something for Christ's sake do we discover that what we have lost in order to belong to Christ seems only like waste or refuse in comparison with the intense joy and satisfaction - the excellency or supreme value - of knowing Jesus personally in a real way (see Philippians 3:8). The blind man lost earthly prestige, but he gained for all eternity. He is an example of bold, courageous testimony in face of difficulties, and of the experience of being found by the Lord and brought near to Him. This applies to us. Jesus says He will acknowledge before the angels of God those who truly acknowledge Him now (Luke 12:8).
(from notes on John, Chapter 9, Lesson 15, BSF, pages 6 and 7).

May these truths from John encourage you to stand bold in your witness for Christ. And if you have experienced rejection and difficulties due to your stand for Christ, may these truths encourage and strengthen you as they have me...

Thankful Thursday

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
to which indeed you were called in one body;
and be thankful."
Colossians 3:15

Today I am giving thanks for the following...

• I am thankful for our warm home, warm clothes to wear, and good food to eat...
• I am thankful for the love and care of my husband... God has blessed me with a wonderful man!
• I am thankful for friends and times of fellowship together...
• I am thankful for snuggles and laughter on these cold mornings with my family...
• I am thankful for God speaking to me and giving me clarification and guidance in some decisions I have been praying about...
• I am so very thankful for the 3 week break we have had from homeschooling! I have gotten my house pretty much back in order, feel rested and renewed, and am looking forward to starting back next week...
• I am thankful for the precious prayers of David for the family here in our neighborhood whose house burned to the ground...
• I am thankful for lots of fun times playing games with my family... it is so nice to play games other than Candy Land and Hi Ho Cherry-O!
• I am thankful for the life God has given me, for the health of my family, and the love we have for each other...
• I am thankful for sweet memories...

I encourage you to stop and take time to find things to be thankful for, and give thanks for them! It does your heart and your attitude good to focus on being thankful... so, what are you thankful for today?

For more TT posts you can visit here with Lynn...

10 Things in 2010...

Happy New Year!

I have been thinking about this new year, the year 2010... wondering what it may hold for me and my family. Whatever comes our way, I know this, our Lord is faithful and true... He is our strength and our hope, and in Him we have put our trust. So I start this new year with eager expectations of what my Lord has in store...

I thought it would be fun to think of 10 things I would like to do this year, some big, some small. Not really resolutions, just 10 things I would like to do or accomplish this year...

1. I want to know my Lord more, through His Word and through times spent in prayer... I want to hear His voice more frequently; and I want to be more obedient to what He speaks to me...
2. I desire to pray more... I desire to strive to pray daily without ceasing. I want to keep my mind and my heart focused on my Lord, and the best way to do that is to keep in constant communion with Him through my day.
3. I want to read more...
4. I would like to successfully complete our 1st year of homeschooling...
5. I would like to run a half marathon, hopefully in February... however, this frigid weather needs to leave so I can get out and run!
6. I want to have friends over for fellowship more often...
7. I want to find a ministry or outreach opportunity that our family can participate in together. One that is outside the walls of our home and our church, one that opens all of our eyes to how blessed we truly are and to the needs all around us...
8. I want us to have a missionary to pray for daily... one for each day of the week.
9. I desire to continue to strive to be a Godly wife and mother...
10. I really would like to get back to blogging consistently... I really want to share the wonderful truths I am learning from my study of the book of John, I want to share what the Lord is teaching me through my training for the half marathon, and I would love to share precious homeschool stories...

So we will see what our Lord has in store for us through the year 2010... and how much time He will give me to blog about it! May He bless you this year with much love, joy, and peace in your hearts and in your family!

Books I read in 2009

These are some of the books I read in 2009... I also started homeschooling in 2009, so I probably have left a few off of my list...

• Heaven by Randy Alcorn
• Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper
• Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
• Take One by Karen Kingsbury
• This Side of Heaven by Karen Kingsbury
• Holiness, The Heart God Purifies by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
• What your doctor may not tell you about Menopause, the Breakthrough Book on Natural Progesterone by John R. Lee, M.D.
• The True Woman, The Beauty and Strength of a Godly Woman by Susan Hunt
• Searching for Spice by Megan DiMaria
• The Pursuit of God, The Human Thirst for the Divine by A.W. Tozer
• Surrender the Heart God Controls by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
• Every Now and Then by Karen Kingsbury
• The Valley of Vision
• Streams in the Desert by L. B. Cowman
• The Bible

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you!

If you normally get a Christmas card from us you have probably noticed yours has not arrived in the mail yet! I have run out of time... so instead we are planning to do a New Year's card along with our annual letter of the happenings in our household this past year, so be on the lookout!

May you have a wonderful Christmas and may Christ be the center of your heart and your celebrations!

Thankful Thursday... on Friday...

"Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord while I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being."
Psalm 146:1-2

I have really missed doing my Thankful Thursday posts, and am really planning to make an effort to get back into the habit of doing them again in the New Year... I thought all day yesterday about what I wanted to share that I am thankful for, but did not have time to do the post... so instead of not doing it at all I am going to do it a day late.

I am giving thanks to my Lord for:

• The gift of Jesus... how thankful I am that Jesus was willing to leave the glory of Heaven and the presence of His Father to come to earth to live among sinners, to show us the love of the Father, and to pay the price for our redemption... what a gift!
• The opportunity and privilege to homeschool my children... it has been a wonderful adventure so far, definitely trying at times, but also definitely worth it. It is priceless to see them learn new things and apply them, and such a blessing to have hugs, kisses, and laughter in the middle of the day!
• A very much unexpected gift for our children... a friend of my husband's gave him money yesterday to buy the boys a BIG Christmas present! A wonderful, unexpected blessing in the midst of tough economic times...
• The blessing of studying God's Word through Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). We are doing an in-depth study on the book of John... what a wonderful and "meaty" study this has been. I have been blessed with a deeper understanding of God's Word and blessed with new friendships with ladies who also hunger for God and make time to dig into His Word. And an added blessing is that my children also are studying the book of John as well as learning hymns and songs during music time, they absolutely LOVE going!
• The ability to run! I so enjoy getting out and running... it gives me time to clear my mind, to spend time in prayer with my Lord, and is a great way to take care of my body, His temple. I am currently attempting to train for a 1/2 marathon, knowing the Lord has lessons for me to learn as I commit myself to training for such a long run...

It feels so nice to share what I am thankful for again! I have missed this part of my week and hope to be able to make time for it again... what are you thankful for this week? I would love to hear from you!

Wordless Wednesday

Special or not so special...

Do you like to be made to feel special?

Do you like to know that you are appreciated, loved, and cherished?

I certainly do... there is just something nice about someone you love doing something nice for you, going out of their way for you, to make you feel loved and special. Especially on those "important" days... like birthdays, an anniversary, Mother's Day, and really any gift giving occasion, such as Christmas or Valentine's Day. What is even more special is when someone goes out of their way to make you feel special for no reason at all... just to let you know you are special to them.

As I have been attempting to prepare for Christmas this year I have been thinking about this... and about making Jesus feel special, especially at Christmas, when He left the glory of Heaven, and became flesh and dwelt among us.

I also have been thinking about how we feel when we are not made to feel special... when someone you love forgets that birthday or that anniversary, or maybe just doesn't make such a big deal out of it as you would for them, so you begin to feel less special... less appreciated... less loved...

As I have tried to make my shopping list for gifts for this one and that one, I have found that I just really can not get into the "Christmas spirit" as the world portrays it this year. I feel that much of what our world does for Christmas does not make Jesus feel special at all, much of it does not even point to Jesus at all... it points to ourselves... to greed, to selfishness, to worldliness...

The busyness of this season often times takes away from Jesus rather than encouraging others to focus on Him. We rush from this party to that one, from one store to another, spend extra time and money decorating and getting our house to look like Martha Stewart's, and often times spend money we do not have to buy things for people that they really do not need or even want... how does any of this make Jesus feel special?

My desire is that others could take a peek into my life and be able to see how special Jesus is to me... but can they do that? Is the way I spend Christmas a reflection of how special my Lord and Savior is to me, or does it look just the same as the world's way of celebrating Christmas?

What do you and your family do during Christmas to show Jesus that He is special to you? What have you seen others do that shows that Jesus is special to them? I would love to hear...

Still here... a short update!

Life has been busy... but we are still here!

With homeschooling and preparing to host Thanksgiving here
this year I have had little time to blog.

Now I am sick and David is sick,
so this week has just been spent in survival mode...

I have much that I desire to do to celebrate Christmas with my boys...
several fun ideas for celebrating advent,
but we haven't started any yet due to our sicknesses.
Hopefully after a restful weekend we will all feel better...


I did want to share some pictures of our Thanksgiving celebration...

The boys made place cards for everyone...

The cousins feasting at the kids table!

Grandfather all bundled up to watch everyone play soccer...
we had to burn off some of those calories we consumed!

The backyard was transformed into a soccer field!
All had lots of fun!

Thanksgiving evening we put the tree up
and all the kids helped to decorate it!

The Schmid cousins...
David, Timothy, Katie, John, Paul

Grandmother and Grandfather...
with all their grandkids!

The whole Schmid family,
except for Aunt Susan, who is in Africa
serving our Lord...

Paul and David ready for Christmas!