Direct Hits {A Little More Serious Sunday}

Since I do love unnecessary reading, ie. Regency Romances, I sometimes have to work a little harder to counteract all that nonsense. In addition to my daily devotions,  several times a week I do a lesson in a Beth Moore bible study workbook.  

I think they’re designed to take like six to nine weeks if you do five lessons a week, so it takes me about three to six months to get through one.  I finished The Help in 24 hours but it takes me 90 days to do a bible study.  I am not proud, only honest.  Anyway, I finished the Esther workbook back in the summer.  And now I’m working on Breaking Free.  Mrs. Moore is awesome.  

What amazes me most is that no matter the day, time, season I’m doing a lesson, it hits me exactly on target.  

Last Thursday, the lesson was on being in God’s will.  Beth says we often ask God to bless whatever we’re doing.  Basically saying, “Hey God, here’s what I WILL be doing today, so if you could show up and bless it, that’d be awesome.”  Direct hit. 

My standard morning family prayer goes something like this (okay exactly like this) “bless daddy at work, bless mommy at home/work and school, please bless Josh, Jared, Josie, and Jill at school...”  And while I know those places we’re going are not optional, I CAN choose to change my prayer.  Giving our day to God and asking Him to lead us and direct us in all things.  Above all those blessings, please help us to hear His voice and, even more help us have the courage to obey.

Beth gave these verses Jeremiah 29:11-13 as reference.  Don’t just focus on the very popular v. 11, make sure you spend some time on 12 and 13, too.  I was so inspired we had an impromptu family devotion on Thursday after dinner so I could share my revelation.  Where my eldest interrupted me because he wanted to also include v. 10.  Which I said, yeah, but that’s just about the prophecy (yes, I did say it in a snotty tone), and he says to me but mom, it’s all about the TIME it sometimes takes before those plans are revealed. 

Another direct hit.  So I humbly suggest you read v. 10-13.

Thanks Beth Moore...and Josh.

Pam

This is Day 7 in our 31 days series (okay, we may or not make it a full consecutive 31 days, but it's technically Day 7).

You can check out our other posts here:

Day 1 - Jen
Day 1 - Pam
Day 2 
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6

Dream a Little Dream of Me

Warning: I've decided to forgo any long and involved backstory to this post, I've decided to take it directly from my journal. Also I was going to say in this case the devil ISN'T in the details but honestly I've never been sure how to appropriately use that particular phrase. Feel free to enlighten me.

Some days I am crushed by the weight of making decisions. All decisions, the big, scary, life-changing parenting/career decisions and the itty-bitty 'what's for dinner' decisions. I love my family. I know it's cliche but they are truly my pride and joy. They are also my identity. Thankfully it's one I've worn proudly for many years. (I'm sure I'll continue to display the Mom badge on my vest for many years to come! I've earned it!)

(Awe, aren't they cute little, life force drainers? I kid, I kid! I adore them!)

But I know God has begun to plant the tiniest seed of a new dream deep within my soul. And I am afraid of what He's going to ask of me. I tremble to even ask Him what the plan is or what it might (and I stress MIGHT) entail.

But on rare days, like today, I dream of accepting the position without even reading the requirements. My dreams soar and dip and twist. They send my pulse racing with excitement and at the same time my chest tightens in anxiety. (Dare I hope that you, my sweet little blog, will be part of this change?)

There it is again, that fear of the unknown comes creeping back. No, not fear of the unknown, fear of exposure. Exposing a new identity to my world. Showing a different side of me, the 35-year-old, mother of four who could stand to lose a few (okay a bunch) of pounds.

I hide behind my four beautiful children. I hide behind my home. I hide behind my responsibilities. I hide behind my weight. I hide behind my mom uniform (jeans and a plain black tee). I hide behind my routine in the every day.

So in the year of our Lord two thousand and eleven, I'm making a to-do list. No goals or resolutions.

Number one on my list? Rediscovering me. I don't have a 12 step program or even a *new* self-help book. Nope, I'm gonna do that by doing this:

Loving the Lord my God with all my heart, with all my soul, and all my mind. ~paraphrasing Matt. 22:27

May 2011 bring you many days of peace, happiness, love, discovery, and of course many, many days of staying in your PJs til Noon.

Enough

You may or may not know that I am in charge of Children’s Church at our, well… church. Tomorrow is going to be a super crazy Sunday for this pastor’s wife.

We’re having an Egg hunt instead of Sunday School in hopes to draw folks from the surrounding neighborhood in. After the hunt, we’ll have coffee and doughnuts and mingling.

Then there’s praise & worship, which I’ll lead (even though I’ve been trying to hand this off to someone for a while now.) And then there will be Children’s Church. I’ll try to herd our regular kids and any guests back to the fellowship hall without the running and screaming that seems to naturally combust whenever a child exits the sanctuary. Once there, I have a simple craft planned to go along with this simple lesson.

1. God loves me.

2. Everybody sins

3. Jesus died to save us.

I have a few kids that don’t have a great home life. I have no idea what kind of situations our visitors tomorrow will come from. I may only get one chance to light a spark in their very impressionable lives. I want this to stick.

I think about these kids in the future. I can foresee some very rough roads for some of them, just judging on their surroundings and the norm that comes with them. I want this to stick.

No matter what road they are on, no matter what hole they find themselves in, be it a pigsty or a crack-house or a house in the suburbs, if they reach a point where hope seems lost, I want this to stick.

1. No matter where you are, no matter what you’ve done, God loves you and you can’t do anything to change that, even if you wanted to.

2. Nobody can be good enough on their own. As bad as you think you are, everyone else is in the same boat. Sin touches us all, no exceptions.

3. Jesus was beaten and died so that he could make up for our sin. He knew death was the punishment required and willingly took it just so we could be reunited with God.

I know there’s so much more I could teach these kids. There are other themes that I could hit. Resurrection being one. I’ll definitely cover it, but I’m hitting the 123 hard tomorrow. There’s so much about the Gospel that I can’t do it all in one day. Boil it all down and this is what you get.

And it’s enough.