So, this week was quite busy. We have had quite a bit of sickness in our home this week. Though, the boys are doing well today, Sophie is still struggling quite a bit. She now has a cough and I am praying that we will see her healthy very very soon.
I was able to order our school books already! I always enjoy purchasing our school and getting planning on it! It is busy keeping up with 5 little ones, and last year, when I was pregnant with Sophie, I had everything planned through Christmas. It really helped with our crazy fall schedule to have it all planned out and the kids have done extremely well so far. They are keeping up with their school work and all is planned through the rest of the school year. I am very obsessive about being ahead when it comes to things to do and it has helped to be so prepared when crazy things happen....and in our house crazy happens often!
In my devotion for today, John Piper talked about "Starving for the Greatness of God". I really do believe that so often we neglect God Himself when we talk about things relevant for today. I love the last paragraph ~ " The greatness and the glory of God are relevant. It does not matter if surveys turn up a list of perceived needs that does not include the supreme greatness of the sovereign God of grace. That is the deepest need. People are starving for God." We do need God. We do seek desperately to know Him. It is His presence we need everyday of our life. O, for more of the Father that we might see even a glimpse of His greatness.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
My Faithful One!
So, this week has been quite interesting. We started our week coming off of a conference my husband and I help at every year. It was a bit interesting as we had the youngest 2 with us ~ Sophie by default because she needs to nurse and Ioan because our babysitter had to travel to a funeral in Florida. We really had a great time....and the speaker was excellent. I was able to hear the last two main sessions and the session for women. The main speaker spoke on one of my favorite Psalms~ the 73rd. I was greatly encouraged by the Word and the fellowship with other believers and friends.
Monday, I was a wee bit on the stressed side. After a crazy Sunday (not unusual), I began our crazy week with an extra child (my friend was away for a family member's death) and was not doing well. As I felt the stress rising, the Lord brought to mind a verse that had been important to me years ago....
"From the ends of the earth I cry out to Thee, when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I."
I vowed to find the reference for it and during supper prep, I was able to discover it's location- Psalm 61. As I read that psalm, as well as the one following, the Lord spoke to my heart and encouraged my spirit. That night, as I prepared for bed, I read out of my devotional for the year. It is an excellent devotional called "How Great Thou Art" and is a devotional on God and His character. I have greatly enjoyed it so far this year. As I read the devotion for the day, I glanced across the page and was delighted to see that the verse the Lord had impressed on my heart was the same one for the next day's devotion.
As a mother of young children (many young children), it can seem difficult to find good times to study the Word of the Lord. While I can read books with chaos ensuing, I cannot focus for longer than 5 minutes sometimes on a particular passage. While I was single and even in the earlier days of mothering, I was able to spend hours studying and praying. This week, I was reminded that God uses His Word in our lives. I have often thought of the verse (reference not currently in my head) in the Old Testament where it talks about God dealing graciously with those with young. As a young mother with young children, I am greatly encouraged with that truth ~ God will pour grace on my life and minister to my weary spirit with the Word that He has rooted in my life. Monday morning, I wept as I sought to sing the song "Faithful One". Oh, what truth in the words- God is truly Faithful. Faithful in pouring Grace. Faithful in comforting a weary Mother's heart. Faithful in bringing about His glory in my life. Praise be to the Rock. My Mighty Fortress. My Faithful One.
Monday, I was a wee bit on the stressed side. After a crazy Sunday (not unusual), I began our crazy week with an extra child (my friend was away for a family member's death) and was not doing well. As I felt the stress rising, the Lord brought to mind a verse that had been important to me years ago....
"From the ends of the earth I cry out to Thee, when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I."
I vowed to find the reference for it and during supper prep, I was able to discover it's location- Psalm 61. As I read that psalm, as well as the one following, the Lord spoke to my heart and encouraged my spirit. That night, as I prepared for bed, I read out of my devotional for the year. It is an excellent devotional called "How Great Thou Art" and is a devotional on God and His character. I have greatly enjoyed it so far this year. As I read the devotion for the day, I glanced across the page and was delighted to see that the verse the Lord had impressed on my heart was the same one for the next day's devotion.
As a mother of young children (many young children), it can seem difficult to find good times to study the Word of the Lord. While I can read books with chaos ensuing, I cannot focus for longer than 5 minutes sometimes on a particular passage. While I was single and even in the earlier days of mothering, I was able to spend hours studying and praying. This week, I was reminded that God uses His Word in our lives. I have often thought of the verse (reference not currently in my head) in the Old Testament where it talks about God dealing graciously with those with young. As a young mother with young children, I am greatly encouraged with that truth ~ God will pour grace on my life and minister to my weary spirit with the Word that He has rooted in my life. Monday morning, I wept as I sought to sing the song "Faithful One". Oh, what truth in the words- God is truly Faithful. Faithful in pouring Grace. Faithful in comforting a weary Mother's heart. Faithful in bringing about His glory in my life. Praise be to the Rock. My Mighty Fortress. My Faithful One.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Another year gone by....
Wow, I can hardly believe that I am never on this blog anymore. Life has sped up at a pace that keeps me never slowing down. I have a great desire this year to document/ journal more and thought...well let's pull up that old blog and give it a go! So, here I am. The last year + has been filled with more change and craziness than I care to have. The last 7 months especially have been crazy one's for me.
After experiencing my 4th miscarriage in the summer of '09, we found out in the fall that we were again expecting. I was beyond thrilled, and it began such an up and down journey. Two of my sister in laws were expecting as well and I was so excited to join them! One of them, sadly lost that pregnancy just as I had found out I was expecting. It was such a difficult experience carrying my baby while she grieved her child. I experienced such conflicting emotions for the remainder of my pregnancy- struggling between joy for my child and grieving for her. My pregnancy also carried a lot of difficulties with it, and on June 10th, after struggling with high blood pressure and various other problems, we delivered our fifth child and third girl. While her birth was surrounded with some concerns for my health, it carried the joy of my sister in law sharing news of another baby for her! It really helped me as I worried for her as we held our precious blessing. However, this uninhibited joy would be short as 4 days later my dad has a minor surgery that caused more problems than it helped, it seemed, and my precious sister learned the day after dad's surgery that the precious babe she carried had some alerting problems. This would bring even greater struggle for me and our family in the next months as we worried, waited, grieved, and buried a precious baby boy. Watching the Lord's strength in my sister's life has been one of the most amazing things to see. While we sorrow and grieve, still she demonstrates such belief and trust in the goodness of the Lord. She has become someone I look up to and pray that my faith will grow even as hers has.
So, that has summed up most of what has happened minus the bouts with strep throat, the tonsillectomy of my two-year old, and the various other minor details of our life. Hopefully, I will keep up this year in sharing what I am learning as well as changes in our family. Who knows what the Lord has in store for us this year....
After experiencing my 4th miscarriage in the summer of '09, we found out in the fall that we were again expecting. I was beyond thrilled, and it began such an up and down journey. Two of my sister in laws were expecting as well and I was so excited to join them! One of them, sadly lost that pregnancy just as I had found out I was expecting. It was such a difficult experience carrying my baby while she grieved her child. I experienced such conflicting emotions for the remainder of my pregnancy- struggling between joy for my child and grieving for her. My pregnancy also carried a lot of difficulties with it, and on June 10th, after struggling with high blood pressure and various other problems, we delivered our fifth child and third girl. While her birth was surrounded with some concerns for my health, it carried the joy of my sister in law sharing news of another baby for her! It really helped me as I worried for her as we held our precious blessing. However, this uninhibited joy would be short as 4 days later my dad has a minor surgery that caused more problems than it helped, it seemed, and my precious sister learned the day after dad's surgery that the precious babe she carried had some alerting problems. This would bring even greater struggle for me and our family in the next months as we worried, waited, grieved, and buried a precious baby boy. Watching the Lord's strength in my sister's life has been one of the most amazing things to see. While we sorrow and grieve, still she demonstrates such belief and trust in the goodness of the Lord. She has become someone I look up to and pray that my faith will grow even as hers has.
So, that has summed up most of what has happened minus the bouts with strep throat, the tonsillectomy of my two-year old, and the various other minor details of our life. Hopefully, I will keep up this year in sharing what I am learning as well as changes in our family. Who knows what the Lord has in store for us this year....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)