Daily Bible Reading

Love these daily devotionals by the Scripture Union titled Discovery (E100).  You can get them on-line for free at this link.  The quarterly books can also be mailed to you for a suggested donation of $25.00.  Another option is that if you "like" Discovery on Facebook, the daily readings will appear on your news feed.  What a great reminder!  I put the bookmark on my task bar right next to my facebook button.  Hopefully that will help me remember too. My days get so crazy, sometimes I forget to eat!  We read the Bible everyday in homeschool and sometimes at dinner, but what a lovely time to read it by myself!

For me, writing thoughts down helps me to learn and remember what I am reading.  So, for my daily devotions I purchased a Standard Diary, Daily Reminder for the year.  All the dates are printed on the page, and there is plenty of room for notes.  What I like about this diary is that it is hardback and bound.  This way I can keep each year, and look back on my past thoughts.

In my diary I copy the 2 prayers in the Discovery devotional for that day, always writing it from my point of view.  Then I answer or copy the application.  I always do those 3 things.  If there is a scripture in the daily reading I want to remember or makes an impression on my, I copy this down also.  Of course, if I have any thoughts either from the reading, devotional, or just from my life at the moment, I record those too.  Finally, at the bottom, I may write one sentence about the day.  For example, "JP lost his first tooth"; or  "We went on a field trip to a garden today."  Little treasures I want to visit again!

My Turn! | Catherine

Hi Friends,

This is Catherine posting.  I hope you enjoy getting to know me a little better through the following questions. :)

What am I reading?

 In the Bible, I'm going through Deuteronomy right now.  It sounds like a dry book to read, but I loooove Deuteronomy!  It's actually filled with quite a lot of drama and woven throughout is the amazing faithfulness of our God. 

For fun, I'm also reading my camera manual (yes, I think that's fun!) and anything and everything related to photography!  Check out I Heart Faces and ILP for some great photography forums.  You can also visit my blog to see my latest photo shoot.

What can my children do instead of watching TV?

We're not a no-TV kind of family.  I do permit them to watch one show in the morning and one show in the afternoon.  But when they're not doing that, they can do chores!  Seriously!  The more I involve them in doing chores along with me, the happier they have been.  It sounds strange, right?  But there has been less bickering, more joyful attitudes about helping Mommy (not so at first!), and I just enjoy their company. 

What am I grateful for?

I am grateful for all the little things I take for granted each day.  Healthy children, a roof over my head, food and water, heat when it's cold, and clothes that we're literally swimming in (and have bought literally none of it).

What have I done for my marriage lately?

We're going through Love Dare. :)

The Essentials

All of life comes down
To just one thing
And that's to know You oh Jesus
And make You known
"One Thing" by Charlie Hall

It's a new year; a fresh start on life, a fresh start in all my roles: of being a Christ-follower, a woman, a wife, a mother, an educator, a pastor, a church planter. With each new year, however, I continue to realize the truth of the above lyrics, words that I've known (and hummed) for over 10 years.

It's all about Jesus. My single priority in life, the foundation in all the roles I fulfill, in all the hats I wear, must be about Him and Him alone. There are always "good things" that I can focus on, there are always pleasant distractions that life has to offer, but if my heart is truly His, then all is for His glory. Each role I've been called to will call me to know Him more intimately, each relationship I'm part of will challenge me to constantly point to Him.

And so I'm challenged...and humbled. How can I know the One who sang the earth into being and yet walked (and skipped, and jumped) upon the earth as a little boy, not so different than my own little boy? How can I deepen my walk with the One who I can't wait to spend eternity with; and how can I know Him better this side of eternity? And how can I become a woman, a wife, a mom, a pastor, a homeschool teacher, who makes Jesus known in all the roles that He has called me to? What needs to drop away in my life, that I can focus on the essential? When I'm knee high in dirty dishes, when I'm building lego towers, when I'm sharing coffee with a friend, how can I bring it all back to this "One Thing"?

All of life comes down
To just one thing
And that's to know You oh Jesus
And make You known

My Personal Retreat - Update!

Hi Ladies,
I just posted about how my personal retreat went here. A personal retreat is some time away to reflect on what the Lord has for this season of your life. It was a sweet, refreshing time with Him. I feel more focused now and I just got a sense of confirmation about the work that He wants me to do at this time.

Weeding Out Distractions

Hi Girls,
Last night I posted what is probably my last post (or at least for a long while) on my other blog Daisy and Pear. The computer has quickly become something that consumes too much valuable time. It's tempting to go on the internet instead of spending extra quality time with the girls. It's the first thing I run to after they're tucked into bed, and it has begun to steal time away from my husband in the evenings. We haven't been operating as a cohesive family unit. We only have a vague idea, if that, of where our family is headed in terms of service to the Lord. And how can we if our evenings are spent consumed with individual interests? It's time to close the laptop and have a face to face, genuine conversation with my husband. Sharing the couch, a conversation, a blanket, and some tea with my love sounds really good right about now... so much better than staring at this cold, mechanical thing.

Jesus is stirring up a desire in my heart for more of Him, and that means I need to shake off the distractions. It's never easy, and I truthfully don't want to give up my cutesy little blog. However, I was clearly convicted, I know it's His will, so how can I refuse? His plans and ways are always better than mine. His promises are good. I'm excited!