Moving In

Many things come to mind as I think about the phrase "moving in." Of course there is moving in to a new home and in this area we have military families moving in often. We recently moved our oldest son into his first college dorm...so many things to fit into such a small space. For our middle and high schoolers, they are moving into their school lockers and settling into their new schedules. In the fall we have our own rituals that help us move into the new season.

Another place we need to move into is our Bibles. This past spring I purchased a new study Bible and while I opened it for Bible study, it just didn't feel right. It was hard to feel at home when I opened its new crisp pages. I realized what was missing...I wasn't leaving reminders of where God had taken me along the pages. I decided to go through my old Bible and made many of the same markings in my new Bible so I could see what God has taught me throughout the years. It was an amazing journey as I reflected on many of the studies I have done. Now, my Bible feels like home. I realize that sometimes it is good to read from a clean, unmarked page, but sometimes we need to have home-like remembrances.

How do you mark your Bible or keep a record of what God is teaching you?

Failure

Do you ever get so frustrated with yourself that you decide to do nothing? Do you ever fail so often that you just give up? I'm that way with many things, this blog being one of them. I get so bogged down by my failure that I do absolutely nothing, except berate myself. I feel that as a blogger, I should have something to offer, if indeed there are any who actually follow me. And, recently I don't feel like I have anything to offer...part of the failure thing. I've been so dreadfully inconsistent, those who may have followed have probably given up on me, sorry!

God has repeatedly brought Romans 12:2 to my mind. "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

I am learning that in many ways I copy the behavior of the world (I see a lot of this in the expectations I have for myself as a wife, mom and ministry leader) and am praying that God will change the way I think. I am being stretched and challenged in many ways that I will share as God leads me to. I'd ask for grace as I may not be posting routinely and encourage you to subscribe to my posts so you'll get an email notification when I post.

Perhaps today you need to give yourself a dose of grace and ask God to change your way of thinking. If you do, let me know and I can pray for you!

Mama Bear Moment

This morning it is will a very heavy heart that I send Caleb, my soon to be high school sophomore to school. We received word last night that one of his classmates (and her mom) was murdered by her father. It's been all over the news and is especially shocking when you can put a face to such a horrific news story. Joy was part of Caleb's group for an English project that the kids have been working on for a couple weeks. They all met here at my home and I had the opportunity to meet the friendly cute, polite young Joy. Actually all the kids in the group were great and very appreciative. The group met on Sunday and Joy didn't show up. They repeatedly called, texted and tried to contact her via facebook, but they never received a response. Now they are left wondering...was she in trouble then, was she already dead, etc.

The Mama Bear in me wants to protect my children from such terrible things. It is difficult when someone takes their own life or dies unexpectedly in an accident, but murder?! I cannot begin to know what drove Joy's dad to such an act. It is incomprehensible to me! And while I cannot prevent my children's lives from being exposed to these things, I do have the power of the Almighty to call on, which I have done. Would you join me in prayer for the freshman class at South County? Pray for comfort as the kids try to make sense of something so senseless. And pray for opportunities for believers to share God.

My week will hold many more mama bear moments...I'm thankful God will be by my side!

Self Control

You might see the title and just moan - I know there are many times I've done the same thing. There are many things in my life that would not be a problem if only I had more self control. And how does one build up their self control...I'm not sure I want to be tested. My past track record reveals a rather large deficiency of self control. I've been struggling with my weight since about the 8th grade. I've tried many diets and have gained and lost the same weight far too many times to count. Then there is the area of self control over my emotions, especially around that not so "special" time of the month.

As I was praying before I fell asleep last night God interjected a thought...what I need is the Spirit's self control, not Sherry's self control. Sounds so simple and yet for me so profound. You see I'm one of those who likes to be in control and rely on my own strength far too often. I might lose a few pounds with my own self control or willpower, but I believe I won't ever make lasting changes without God's help. (And I still have far to go in regards to having faith that God will help me conquer this weight issue once and for all - though I suspect it will be a life long dependence on God with this one!)

So, last night I prayed for Spirit filled self control. And isn't is just God and His perfect timing that we have been learning about the Spirit on Sundays at LCC?! I hope Pastor Steve has some insight on this on Sunday.

How about you? Do you need to pray for the Spirit's self control? Will you join me? Please let me know how I can pray for you!

As is typical for me, I need to apologize for my unfaithfulness in blogging...just realized though that faithfulness is also a fruit of the Spirit...something else to add to my prayer list! Please bear with me, the next two weeks will be busy for me as our family prepares for the graduation of my firstborn, Josh. I'm not sure where the last 18 years went, but do know that God has been good though it all!

Oh, and just in time for Father's Day I'll be doing a series of posts from Lillian's awesome devotional from our Mother's Day activity. You'll receive some fashions tips as well as how God wants us to clothe ourselves.

My Life as a Supermodel...

I am looking forward to our annual Mother's Day Activity this Saturday, May 1st. The theme has been fun to work with...My Life as a Supermodel. It has also been very challenging because my life and my appearance are so far from what I think of as a supermodel. And while we are not in any way advocating adopting the appearance of a real life supermodel, we are attempting to realize that as moms we are models to our children. I don't know of anyone who could the expense of high fashion, but I do know the Father who paid the ultimate price so that I could be clothed in righteousness. One God can adequately equip me to be the model mom for my kids.

Would you be surprised to know that the Bible says how to clothe ourselves? Lil will be sharing some insights from Colossians on this topic. We'll also have some fun with current fashion trends.

Does anyone know the new "hot" color for this spring? What are your favorite trends? Leave a comment and share your thoughts. I'll announce next week what the "hot" new color!

Weeds and other garden work

I mentioned a few posts ago that I was looking forward to seeing the result of all the bulbs I planted last fall. And, I have to report that I was sorely disappointed! I obviously have some type of pesky varmint who came along and ate most of my bulbs. I'll have to look into it if I want to plant more bulbs in the fall - I definitely don't want to do all that back breaking work for nothing!

Speaking of work, as I look at my perennial garden in the backyard, I am reminded of the maintenance required to keep it looking good. There are the usual weeds that need to be pulled and then there is the bee balm that is trying to take over so I need to pull that (let me know if you want some...I can bring it to church on Sunday.) I can't help but think of spiritual parallels when I think of my garden. First, it requires work. It is easy to see what needs to be done in the garden but not so easy to get my fanny out there and do the work. It is going to take time and I don't always have huge blocks of time and, as you can see it is easier for me to blog about!

In my spiritual life there are weeds that need to be pulled and things that are trying to take over. I often don't see these things, but I believe I don't see them because I don't look or as I say to my children don't "look with my eyes open." I get discouraged often when I invest time in something (like my bulbs) and don't see the results. Then, there are seasons when I am just so busy that only the urgent things get done and in the case of my garden it waits for my attention.

So, what am I trying to say? I'm not really sure except that I know when we take time to weed and cultivate our lives, there will be a beautiful harvest. I encourage you to ask God where to start and to start small. Let me know of your gardening projects (both physical and spriritual) so I can encourage you!

Life Inspiring Faith Enriching

One thing you may not know about women's ministries is that we have the tag line of "Life Inspiring Faith Enriching." As we plan and execute each activity, Bible study and event, I try to keep this thought in mind. Are we inspiring the women of LCC in their unique roles in life? Are we enriching our faith or just adding to our to-do list? Of course what inspires or enriches me is totally different from what inspires or enriches you.

These are great words, but I wondered what they really meant. Inspire means "to fill with an animating, quickening, or exalting influence." We have the most exalting influence indwelling us - the Holy Spirit. Inspiration is at our disposal at any given time.

Enrich means "to supply with abundance of anything desirable or to add greater value or significance to." (Definitions are from www.dictionary.com) Oh, how I desire that with all we do, we add greater value or significance to our faith.

So, this brings me to my question of the week. What inspires or enriches your life? What could we do as a women's ministry to inspire or enrich? I look forward to your comments.

Spring Excitement

I love this time of year...getting outside and seeing new growth in my garden. My favorite flower is the tulip and I planted a bunch this past fall and can't wait to see how they look. I am praying that my spring excitement will also translate into my spiritual life. I desire to see growth there as well. The women's retreat was a wonderful opportunity to shed some spiritual weight and prepare us for that new growth we see in our physical world.

So, I'd love to know what your favorite flower is and what you are currently studying in your spiritual life. I look forward to your responses.