The Perfect Pairing

³ Clean living before God and justice with our neighbors
mean far more to God than religious performance. (Proverbs 21:3, The Message)

I am joining Jonni again this Sunday-hope you all have stayed warm no matter where you are!!!

A mom's journey to finding "Margins" in her life

"It takes wisdom to have a good family, and it takes understanding to make it strong. It takes knowledge to fill a home with rare and beautiful treasures" Proverbs 24:3&4

I have picked the word "margins" to be my theme for 2010- Margin being defined as: having more that what is needed/necessary. I have decided to use my blog to keep me on track and post once a week my journey or learning experience in trying to add "Margins" to my life and my families lifestyle.

I have been surprised how this week has gone, I knew for sure God would lay it upon my heart to give up an activity or rearrange something- however that has not been the case (this week that is). In order to find margin -God is showing me I first have to have the "wisdom" to recognize that if Margin is the space around what is necessary, then "What is necessary?"


God has been teaching me that He is necessary! Not only in having a relationship with him through prayer and time in his word, but following his wisdom, direction and ways are necessary! His ways are perfect and bring peace. I may not understand his logic or his ways at times, but God has been asking "Why do you call me "Lord, Lord" but do not do what I say?" Luke 6:46
You see the word says that Jesus has became wisdom for us (1 Corinthians 1:30) so even if I don't understand his ways I should follow his way not my own. I admit I enjoy watching a popular TV show that follows a group of "housewives". However I shake my head at some of the episodes when they show some of the "housewives" older kids getting thrown in jail, going off to parties at the Playboy mansion. The ladies themselves have friendship's that are not lasting, their marriages are falling apart. These ladies are honestly shocked, surprised and devastated that their lives have spiraled out of control into chaos and most are living unfulfilled lives - even though they all have been blessed materially with so much that our culture tells us is important.
God has been stressing to me that Satan tries to distract us with things, and needs that offer "False Fulfillment " they do not last! God's way are perfect and bring peace. I watch the show and I know I do not want my life to end up like theirs not for all the money in the world! It takes "Wisdom" /"Jesus" to have a good family. If that is the body of my life then the margins will fall into place around that.
Signs that my life has lost it's balance-it's focus on God:

*I avoid people (on purpose) that I don't like

*I can't remember where I put my bible

*I spend more time on Facebook than I do in the bible or in prayer

*My purse is messy (I don't know why but this is always a good indicator to me when I have lost control or balance in my life - it might not apply to you)


What do you find are signs in your life that you have lost your focus on God??? How do you keep your focus on God??

Perfect Pairing

Psalm 78:4 (New International Version)

⁴ We will not hide them from their children;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD,
his power, and the wonders he has done.

I am joining Jonni over at :

http://soundslikebaloney.blogspot.com/

Join me each Sunday.

Post your own bible verse and photo pairing and leave a note in the comment section on Jonni's blog to find other blogs that participate in this. What a great way to blog on Sundays!!!!

Margins in my time

Well this is the second week of my posting my adventure into developing "Margins" into my life. The word "margins" is the word I picked out to be my own "theme" word for 2010. However the word margins is also being discussed in the sermon series at our church (http://www.lifechurchtv.com/) the message this week challenged us on our "margins" with our "time".

Brent and I discussed that one of our love languages is quality time together, and there are certain TV shows we really enjoy watching together. (We laugh at the jokes, it prompts conversation, as well as we mock some of the crazy plots sometimes). However since we have gotten a laptop, usually one of us finds our self on the laptop while the other watches the show. Thus we are two individuals occupying the same room, but not really enjoy each other's company. So therefore, we have decided to take 2 and 1/2 hours free from computers most nights -we have chosen the time frame of 8pm-10:30 pm due to the fact that is our usual time together.

I have also been working on a Beth Moore bible study by myself off and on for about a year now. My goal is to discipline myself to finish this bible study with daily time alone with God.

I have also decided as a mom to try to get up 15 mins prior to getting my kids up (I know I am not a morning person some of you will be shocked, I actually get my kids up, while I am still in bed- there I admit it) However I am personally trying to make the effort to allow more time in the morning so that we have "margins" in our schedule in arriving to school on time.

As of right now these are the main changes that Brent and I have decided to focus on in our "time change" in order to allow more margins in our life with our time.

Does anyone have any tips that works for them to allow more margins in scheduling their day to day life? What works for you? or where do you wish you had more margins in your life in regard to time management???

Well here is the latest update with my blog: it is Tues. and the kiddos are still out of school! They have had a long weekend due to Martin Luther King day, and the school district added a professional day. So I have taken the time off to play with them. Even though I have been playing I have thought about my blog, and have decided that I would have more time to blog a "deep" blog about our Margin shift in our lifestyle by moving it to Monday when the girls are usually in school, so I am going to join Jonni over at http://www.soundslikebaloney.blogspot.com/ for her perfect pairing on Sundays. Hope everyone has a good week!

A Word

Have you ever read something on a blog and thought "that is neat" or "that's something to think about" and then later that thought keeps creeping back into your mind when you least expected it? Well that is what Tara's post from Jan 4th from her blog "Family Traditions...One story at a time" did to me!

Tara posted on her blog about picking a "word" as a theme for your upcoming year. An idea "of having a WORD to define you and move you through the upcoming year." I thought this was an interesting idea, and then I found myself at quiet times thinking about this concept. What word did I want to pick for 2010? The more I thought about this, the more I tried out different words, but nothing really struck a chord with me, that is until I went to church.

At church our pastor Craig Groeschel talked to us about living life in the margins. Our culture tells us we need to live our lives chasing after more, bigger, faster and we are worn out, it is not working for us! God tells us in Romans 12:2

²Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

If we choose not to live our life chasing these things, and choose to live our lives in the margin. Margin being defined as "the amount available beyond what is necessary". Having more of what you want than you need- $, time. It is a choice. If you want to learn more the sermon can be seen here at: Lifechurch.tv

The concept challenged me, made me uncomfortable and hit way too close to home. So I am making a commitment to try to change my life to living a life within the "margins". I am going to post on Sunday's each week about my challenges, and choices to try to live life with margins. I will be honest with you this may not be a pretty ride, but my husband and I have made a commitment to try our best to reorganize our lives.

So you probably have guessed by this point that my "Word" for 2010 is (drum roll please:) : "Margins". What word would you pick or have picked to be your word for 2010?

What makes you special?

Well what makes you special? Is it your hair color? The size of your waist? The color of your eyes? That you know all the words to about any song? Notice I did not ask what about you is special, I asked what makes you special? God is forever showing me and teaching me,that what makes me special is that he loves me! 1 John 3:1 states "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us, is that it did not know him. "

How Awesome is our God that he loves us, and calls us his and has "made" us his children!!! God has lavished his love upon me! However the sad truth is I get busy with my day to day activities, worries, and frustrations fill me mind, I loose my focus on God and before long I have forgotten what makes me special! I wish I could say this is not the case, but I have realized that people we are fickle!!!! Everything is so relative in our life!! Last week it was 40 degrees - that was cold!!! BURR!!!!

Now Saturday's low is to be 1 degree- (yes, I did type that correctly) now we think that is cold, and we long for 40 degree weather again!!! Well I believe that when we allow ourselves to be overscheduled, overwhelmed, and consumed by what this world says is important and what makes us important- we forget!!! We forget what it is that really makes us important!!! We forget whose we are!! We are like the children of Israelites who God delivered from Egypt started grumbling saying "why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children die of thirst?" Exodus 17:3 The same people who witnessed!! The plagues, and the parting of the Red Sea!!! These people walked through the parted sea onto dry land and they were grumbling whose they were and if they would be provided for! I always thought they were so ungrateful!! Until God showed me, I am the same way!!! I forget what makes me special is God! I ended up acting and looking just like this little girl all down and pouty wearing my tiara- how quickly I forget God's love!
I think we need to visually remind ourselves whose we are, and why we are special, and some days we need to even be reminded that we are special! I have a girlfriend who bought me a special mug that says "Princess with Attitude! Daughter of the King 1 John 3:1" What a great reminder but I am sad to say, some morning I drink my coffee and go "yeah, right" you see my memory is fickle everything is relative and because I don't "feel" loved and special I forget! Well those are the days I need to spend a little more time with God in prayer or in bible study so that he can remind me. The other day another friend used a picture of the two of us together for her profile picture - I was so surprised! You know how that made me feel? You guessed it,-it made me feel special! Why? because she showed me and reminded me I am important to her. Don't miss out on the opportunity to let God show you and remind you how important you are to him today.