Happy Friday! (Links for you!)

I'm enjoying some quiet right now (it's really blissful!) and wanted to share a few links that I came across this week. I hope you enjoy!


~ Quiet Times for Desperate Mothers at Raising Homemakers. This post is written by Arabah Joy, one of my favorite bloggers (seriously, please check her blog out!)! I really love her thoughts on quiet times! She says, "Don’t underestimate the small things! You can take a passage, a phrase, or even a single word and meditate on it all day long. God changes our thinking and deepens our understanding through meditation. "


~ School ADD isn't Homeschool ADD - This is a fantastic article on a real life experience of a child labeled with ADD. It's fantastic, no matter what you're schooling choices are to see these kinds of perspectives! Every child is different and learns differently. Think outside the box! 

~ Organized Simplicity (the kindle version) is FREE right now on Amazon. I got it and started reading it yesterday! I'm really loving it so far! It goes along perfectly with my goal to live a more simplified life!

~  What's the Answer to Anxiety? You all know my love for Ann Voskamp. I could post any of her posts here because they are all good but this was my favorite. Oh ok, and this one too.


Have a great weekend! 

Links for you!

Yes, you!! I have come across a few good links this week and wanted to pass on the goods!


Motherhood Is A Calling ... if you only read one, read this one. It is so good. I even printed it to re-read over and over! Here is an exerpt:

"Live the gospel in the things that no one sees. Sacrifice for your children in places that only they will know about. Put their value ahead of yours. Grow them up in the clean air of gospel living. Your testimony to the gospel in the little details of your life is more valuable to them than you can imagine. If you tell them the gospel, but live to yourself, they will never believe it. Give your life for theirs every day, joyfully. Lay down pettiness. Lay down fussiness. Lay down resentment about the dishes, about the laundry, about how no one knows how hard you work."

When You Get To The Root of Some of The Fears by Ann Voskamp. This spoke right to my heart. It stung because it pointed at my sin. But the grace and encouragement Ann gives was a balm to my soul ... "Humility births courage and is brother to the brave."

Laura at 10 Million Miles shares what she and her girls do for Morning Circle Time. I love her ideas and hope to implement some of them!

We had some friends over last night and I made "World's Best Lasagna". It's a recipe my mom uses all the time and it's great! It's a little work but I think it's worth it for a good homemade lasagna! The only thing is that it makes more sauce than you need! This is great for us because the boys do not eat lasagna, so I just boil them some noodles and use some of the leftover sauce for spaghetti. The rest of the sauce (which is almost 3 cups!) can go in the freezer for spaghetti or another pasta dish later down the road!


iPad, iPod, iPhone or The Great I AM is a wonderful post from Courtney on media and your walk with God. Honestly' this is something I struggle with and I am looking forward to reading the rest of Courtney's series on this. She lists four concerns of social media and each one of them gives you lots to think about.

"Media is a-moral. In and of itself – it is neither good nor evil. It is our use of it that determines it’s morality." Courtney @ Women Living Well

I hope you check these out! Let me know if any of them blessed you! Have a great weekend!

Preschool Letter P

I'm having a hard time finding my Letter P pictures!! I must catch up with these so that it won't be so hard putting together the posts!! We are finished with the alphabet now, so I'll be coming up with some different activities for us to do and also incorporating the lower case letters although he is doing great at recognizing most of them!

Here is Luke doing his Homeschool Creations Letter P collage!




I think Luke was tired of pictures here! We made our P is for Penguin letter craft from Totally Tots!




He also colored and put together a Letter P Itsy Bitsy Book and a Hidden Image worksheet! He really loves these!







We made Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins! And I remember that I forgot to take pictures of the process but I did remember to snap their faces after they ate!



We also did some fall Planting together! The boys helped me plant Pansys! And you wouldn't believe the success I've had with them! I STILL have yellow blooms on them! They were planted in October and I have the blackest thumb around!!



We also made a Pumpkin to help decorate the house for fall!



And we visited a local Pumpkin Patch!! The boys had fun running through the pumpkins, petting the anmials, riding the hayride and especially playing in the corn crib!



Our memory verse for the week was:

"Be patient with everyone." 1 Thessalonians 5:14

That concludes our letter P week!

My Top Blogs of 2010

We're spending New Year's Eve with my parents and my sister. My mom had a fall almost 2 weeks ago and hurt her leg. She started having some complications and had to go to the ER today to check for a blood clot. Praise God there was no clot! She does have the beginnings of cellulitis and was given strict orders to stay off of her feet and keep her leg elevated above her heart! Hmm.. seems like someone has told her that already!??! ;) Please keep her in your prayers that she will completely heal!!

So, I thought that as we all sit around and watch the ball drop I'd share my top favorite blogs! I can promise that reading these blogs will be a good use of your time on the internet! So, in no particular order:

1. Women Living Well by Courtney. Courtney writes great posts on family and marriage. She also post some great video blogs! Her friendliness and sincerity comes through in her posts! I have been so encouraged by her!

2. Grace is For Sinners by Serena Woods. Serena is a must read. She shares honestly and beautifully God's message of grace for sinners through her own story. Her words to Christians on giving grace to others have challenged and changed me. I have learned so much by reading her story and her words. I can't wait to get her book!

3. Like a Warm Cup of Coffee by Sarah Mae. Sarah Mae is the first of many new blogs that I began reading several months ago. Not only do I love reading her words, she introduced me to so many new fantastic bloggers! She is open and honest about her walk with Christ and it is so refreshing. She is business savvy and offers awesome blogging consulting services! Check her out!

4. A Holy Experience by Ann Voskamp. Ann's blog is food for my soul. It is evident through her writings that she has truly been given a gift from God. I am captivated by the artistry and beauty in each post. Her words ooze grace. She has new book too.. and I can't wait to get my hands on it!

5. Stay at Home Missionary by Joy. I am fairly new to Joy's blog but I so enjoy reading about her life as a stay at home mom in another country. She is such a godly example to me. Her posts are so uplifting.

6. Love Well by Kelly. I have been reading Kelly for some time. I actually remember when I first started reading. Her sweet baby girl Teyla had just been born! That was almost 3 years ago! Kelly weaves wonderful words together about her faith and family. She is real and I like that.

7. The Crow Family by Jessica. Jessica is a real life friend. She is even more precious in real life than on her blog! Right now her hubby is serving over seas on his 3rd deployment. She encourages other military wives through her blog and is an inspiration to me! The faith she has in God is evident! :)

8. I Take Joy by Sally Clarkson. Sally is a HUGE encouragement to me in the area of mothering! I have read her book The Mission of Motherhood (which is a MUST read by ALL mothers) and I read her blog regularly. She is such a godly example. She shares amazing advice that comes from years of mothering. Her words have driven me to seek God in my pursuit of being a godly mother to my children. I just truly can't say the impact she's made in my life!

9. 10 Million Miles by Laura. I have just started reading Laura too! I found her through the Raising Homemakers blog (another great blog by various writers started by Sarah Mae). She gives great parenting and homemaking advice. Her two girls are precious! She's encouraged me with her Family Fun Friday posts and right now she has a great Blogging for Your Life series going on!

10. Time Warp Wife by Darlene Schatch. Darlene gives wonderful posts about what it means to be a godly wife and mother. Her advice ranges from how to be a better helper to your husband to how to set up a weekly cleaning schedule to keep your home in order. Love her blog!

What are some of your favorite blogs? I truly am thankful for these bloggers. God has used each of these blogs to encourage, convict, and challenge me. They have made me laugh and cry. I am thankful for their words. Blogging can truly make a difference. Words can make a difference for the kingdom! Be blessed!

Links You'll Want To Check Out!

Have you got some time on your hands today? If you're like me, you don't! But maybe you're taking a break from all of the busy! I've got some wonderful links for you to take a look at!

Ten Things To Do On Christmas Morning: When All of the Gifts Are For Him ~ Wonderful ideas! I've been praying for God to show us what He wants us to do on Christmas Day... for Him.

I mentioned this blog post from Sally Clarkson a few days ago but I must mention it again. It's so good. And it's something I needed to read. And read again. It's all about living with Him.. living in grace... knowing Him in the everyday, even mundane... being close to His heart. "You can’t just read God’s Facebook profile and suppose you can be close to His heart."

Check out these Christmas Table Decorating Ideas from Courtney at Women Living Well. There are some beautiful Christmas tables here! I love them all! And Courtney gives some tips on how to create on a budget! I'm actually going to go out today and see what I can find for really inexpensive! I don't have a need for anything fancy.. candles and anything breakable is no good with my little monkey. But I am looking for something simple to go on my kitchen table. I think making our homes beautiful is just one way to glorify Him! It's an area that I struggle with because I don't have much decorating sense! But I'm attempting! :)

I made these cookies this week and they are yummy! I used mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and chopped pecans. I wanted to add cranberries but we didn't have any! They were really yummy and it makes a lot! So give some away or freeze!

Have a great weekend!

Change Me

I've been thinking a lot about my blog here lately and wondering what God would have me to write about. I'm still not sure exactly but this post I read today has encouraged me to continue blogging and sharing. I'm praying that God will sharpen my focus though. I need sharpening in so many ways.

Speaking of that, one journey that I'm on.. okay, so I just started tonight... is Scripture memory. Oh yes, I've memorized a verse here.. a verse there. And of course the verses that the boys learn. But I want to know God. Deeply. So, I must know His Word.

What convicted and compelled me to do something about this lack of discipline in my life were these two posts. Go read them! I am new to A Holy Experience, but I promise you Ann Voskamp posts will captivate you. She is so full of grace and God. It is definitely good use of computer time.

So, I want to memorize Psalm 139. I'm not sure why, I just feel like that's where I need to start.

I want His Words to pierce my heart, change me, sanctify me. And I know they will if I let them. If I let them.

Here is a great short video by John Piper. He gives 8 reason why we should memorize Scripture. My favorite is the last. That is my desire.

Yummy Treat: Homemade "Starbucks" Frappuccino

I found this recipe over at Women Living Well and tried it out yesterday! YUM! I love Starbucks but we don't go often. It is a very special treat when we are able to pick up a coffee out! Well, when I found this recipe I had to try it... and then try it again today.. ahem. I'm promising not to try it again for a while! Here is the recipe:

Mocha Frappuccino

3/4 cup chilled, double strength coffee
2 TBS sugar (Courtney's calls for 3 but I've found that 2 is good for me! Always trying to cut back!)
3 TBS Hershey's Syrup
2 cups milk
2 cups ice

Pour all into a blender and blend until smooth. This makes two servings!

Today, I left out the Hershey's and it was yummy! I think my hubby would like this one best! He tried the mocha one yesterday and liked it! We don't have a blender but we do have a stick immersion blender and it works fine! You can also sub caramel syrup for a Caramel Frappuccino. Use decaf if you want!

I made 6 cups of coffee, with a full scoop (for 12 cups) then just chilled it a pitcher in the fridge. This will last about 3 days. We use a 1/3 measuring cup for a full 12 cup pot of coffee. My mom taught us this... and it kind of makes me wonder how others measure out their coffee.

I highly recommend you checking out Courtney's blog. I really love it! She writes a lot on marriage and how to love, respect and submit to our husbands the way the Bible teaches! I've watched many of her videos and she is such an encourager too! She's also a homeschooling mom!

Check it out!

I think this post just might be number 300! Crazy huh?

Anyway! I just wanted to share a few new blogs that I have found! There is so much on the Internet that can steal your time and it's so important to manage that time well, as I am ever learning. But there are some fantastic blogs out there that are such great encouragement! God has really been working on my heart here lately about what biblical womanhood is. And these blogs have really been helpful. First and foremost, the Bible should always be where we go to seek counsel and instruction. But these women seek Him and have a great way of encouraging and sharing wisdom on what it means to be a godly woman. I definitely suggest you spend some time looking around their sites! It will be time well spent!


A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

Like a Warm Cup of Coffee

The Stay at Home Missionary

Friday Link Up!

I thought I'd share a few links with you on this HOT as hades Friday! Seriously, turn on the AC and just relax today. Or, if you have a pool, go to jump in. Otherwise, don't even go outside. Ninety-four degrees in the shade. Yep, it's summer time in Alabama.

1. Speaking of summertime... it's time for some fun summertime parties. I haven't shared anything about Luke's big day but I will save that for a post all in itself. If you're looking for a yummy summer dessert that is healthy for you, check out this recipe for Healthy Strawberry Shortcake. I haven't tried it yet but I'm definitely going to! (ie, healthy in my book = natural sugars, real fat milk/butter/eggs, whole grains)

2. Check out my Baby Weight blog to see how I did this week with my 30 Day Shred in 60 Days.
3. Most of you know about sweet Cassidy who was in a horrible 4 wheeler wreck a few weeks ago. I keep everyone updated on Facebook about her progress and how we can pray specifically for her. But I also wanted to share her Caring Bridge site. You can read all of the recent updates in her journal, see pictures of her beautiful face and read/sign her guestbook. If you're someone who has been praying for her, I encourage you to sign the guestbook and let the family know you are praying. I know they would love to hear of those who are praying for their daughter, even those who don't know them personally and be so encouraged by it. You do have to create a Caring Bridge account but it's as easy as entering your email address and creating a password. Her site is:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/cassidyestes1

And for those of you out there who don't know about this story, please add Cassidy to your prayer list! I know God is working a miracle!

4. Something you may not know about me: I am super passionate about car seats and car seat safety! So when I read this article, I was THRILLED! I have been convinced for some time that rear facing your children in their car seat until they reach the height and weight limit is safest. I have read studies and articles... watched videos and crash tests. I was hands down sure that rear facing for as long as you can is best and safest for your children. When I read this article and saw that, "The American Academy of Pediatrics and many child-passenger safety advocates have expanded their recommendations to suggest that infants and young children remain rear-facing up to the maximum height or weight limits of their car seats", I was like, FINALLY! I've heard so many pediatricians say it's ok and even advise parents that their patients be turned around a one year and 20 lbs (AL Law). I just cringe when I hear that. It's legal to smoke at 19 too, but I don't think it's a good idea to go out and by your teenager a pack of smokes on their 19th birthday. Eli's car seat rear faces up to 35 lbs, so we have a while.. I mean like probably until he's 3! Luke didn't pass 35 pounds until after he turned 3! But you do have to make sure that the car seat fits properly at the shoulders, too. There are so many things we, as parents, can't prevent. But we can do what we can, when presented with valuable, correct advice to keep our children safe as possible. I don't consider it being over-protective, when there is legitimate evidence stating (not to mention the new AAP recommendation) that your child is safest in a crash rear facing. So, keep those babies rear facing.. and if you've turned them forward facing but they are under the RF requirements... turn them back. It doesn't take long! I just want your babies to be safe!

5. Ladies, if you have ever had anything waxed you know how painful it can be. I found this video from a link the other night and laughed until I cried. It is so funny! This is one brave woman to actually do this on video. Her face is hilarious! And she should have read the instructions first!!! If you need a laugh go watch it!

Have a good weekend!

Friday Link Up

Here are a few good links I wanted to share with you!

1. Here is a link to a video made up of pictures from the flood in Nashville. It really shows the devastation. But I think, more importantly it proves what a classy city Nashville is. The quotes in the video are from this article entitled "We Are Nashville" by Patten Fuqua. My favorite quote: "A large part of the reason that we are being ignored is because of who we are. Think about that for just a second. Did you hear about looting? Did you hear about crime sprees? No…you didn’t. You heard about people pulling their neighbors off of rooftops. You saw a group of people trying to move two horses to higher ground. No…we didn’t loot. Our biggest warning was, “Don’t play in the floodwater.” When you think about it…that speaks a lot for our city. A large portion of why we were being ignored was that we weren’t doing anything to draw attention to ourselves. We were handling it on our own." I applaud you Nashville, and my prayers are with you!

2. Remember before you had children? I know I do. And I know I thought I had all (or at least most) of the answers! Having my own children quickly taught me that I didn't know much of anything! Thank goodness for grace! Laura at Heavenly Homemakers wrote a terrific post, I Knew So Much Before I had Kids, on that very subject. It's funny and oh so true!

3. I love Bakerella! Love! She posted these a few days ago and they look so yummy! I haven't tried them out, yet. But I will. Just go look at the photos! You'll want to make them too!

4. It's time for bugs, right? Especially pesky mosquitoes! Yuck! I've never felt comfortable spraying my kiddos down with DEET but I never could afford to pay the price (and shipping) to order an all natural brand. Well, I found All Terrain Kid's Herbal Armor at Target the other day. We've been using it in the evenings on the kids and ourselves and it seems to work really well!

5. I'm a big John MacArthur fan! And yesterday's Q&A with Johnny Mac was "Judging Others: The Verse Pagans Love to Quote". Sadly, many Christians misquote this verse as well. I think it's so very important to understand what Scripture really means. Don't get me wrong, the Bible speaks for itself, but sometimes it's nice to have gifted commentators on God's Word to help some of us (ME!) out! Click on Read From the Commentary for MacArthur's notes on this oft misquoted passage.

Have a great weekend!

Good stuff

Update: Link #5 is working now!

No weigh in today! GASP! I know! I did not want to weigh Friday. So, I didn't. I had a really bad week. After Easter and all of the candy I just was not about to get on those scales. So, it's a new week and I'm back on track! I also splurged on a new work out DVD: The Biggest Loser Cardio Max. I've let exercise fall to the wayside the past 2 weeks. I mentioned before that we had a bathroom remodel that my dad and another guy was doing. And well, they just finished Thursday. It totally messed up our schedule around here since we spent the better part of our day at my mom's so I'm glad to be getting back into a better routine tomorrow. I am very thankful that we now have two working bathrooms!! Anyway, hopefully, I can get back into an exercise routing. After last week, I need it! So, to start off the week here are a few good links for you:

1. I picked up some Dove Cream Oil Shea Butter Body Lotion this past week. I normally stay with my Suave (my favorite is Natural Oatmeal but I can rarely find it!) but I won a game on the Dove website and my prize was a coupon for a FREE bottle of lotion! I picked mine up from Target, it normally retails $5.99 and considering I will barely pay half of that for lotion, I doubt I'll get anymore without coupons and a sale! BUT, it is great lotion. It's sooo smooth and it smells good! I sniffed the other Cream Oil but I didn't like the way it smelled.. too chemically. And although it's called 'cream oil', it's not oily! So, try it out if you are able too!


2. Last week I made Heavenly Homemaker's Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix. I used it on our Tex Mex Turkey Burgers, as well as made a Tex Mex mayo for the buns. (I'll share more about that later this week because I have a few recipes to share!). It was super simple to make (pour in a jar and shake!) and although I don't know the exact cost difference, I'm sure in the long run it's much more cost effective. Maybe one day I'll take the time to figure out how much the cost compares! It's MUCH healthier too! No msg and the sodium content is less! Plus you can read all of the ingredients!


3. This is a fantastic article on Christians and educating their children by Tedd Tripp. Here is a little excerpt:

EDUCATION IS A PRIMARY concern of Christian parents. That concern focuses on two points: We want to ensure that our children's fund of knowledge is rich enough to equip them for life, and we want them to be people who know and love God.

In our culture, the paradigm for education is the state school. Most states enacted compulsory school attendance laws in the 1800s. Through the years since then, even Christian parents have come to accept the notion that education is the state's task.

But what does the Word of God say? Deuteronomy 6 provides us with biblical non-negotiables for the education of our children.

4. Sometimes reading all about the bad things we're eating makes my head spin. I am a mommy and a wife and my job is to take care of my family. I feed them and nurture them. And it's my job to do that to the best of my ability. So, I'm attempting to take things slowly in this process but I really wish I had the time and money to just trash everything and start from scratch.. literally. BUT here is a list of chemicals/foods to avoid from My Busy Life. It's a great place to start. And seriously, I had NO idea about the BPA in canned foods! I just don't understand why this stuff isn't regulated!!!


5. Another great article: Christian Faith: Calvinism Is Back. And while I don't believe many people will actually go read this article, you should. Here is a little excerpt from it too:

"A lot of people think religion is something you piece together [from] ideas you think are sweet and that you personally find beneficial," says Mr. Dever. "No. It's like a doctor's report.... It's an objective reality. It's just what is."

More broadly, the Calvinist revival reflects an effort to recast the foundation of faith itself. From conservative evangelical churches to liberal new-age groups, the message of much modern teaching is man's need for betterment. Not New Calvinism; its star is God's need for glory. And the gravity of His will is great: It can be denied, but not defied.

Have a fantastic week! And let me know if you check out any of the above links!

Link Love

Here are a few links that I wanted to share!

1. Yep, I'm giving myself link love... I've mentioned a few times that I was going to be doing a weight loss challenge for myself soon.. if you want to read about it, go HERE!

2. I recently found this blog, Heavenly Homemakers, and I love it! I highly recommend spending some time just browsing around. There are lots of recipes! I love her emphasis on healthy, real food, eating. I'm sure I'll be sharing more things that I find there but here is a post the author, Laura, wrote on homeschooling titled 'Homeschool Hubbub: Am I Qualified to Teach?' It was such an encouragement to me!

3. I forgot to link up the recipe I'm using for my BBQ meatballs. So, here it is. It's from the Pioneer Woman so I'm sure they will be great! And my menu said we were going to have it with green beans, but I forgot the gb's when I grocery shopped... but my mom gave us some broccoli last night! Isn't it amazing how God provides!? So, I'm thinking broccoli and cheese sauce.. or maybe a broccoli salad.. hmm.

4. This is another recent find: Totally Tots. It's a great (and huge) resource for lots of preschool activities. It was developed by a mom who wasn't really sure what to do with her Tot while she homeschooled her older children. I've gotten great ideas from it and we even did this activity Tuesday afternoon. And I just looked at the post today. CUTE! I cannot tell you how excited this kind of stuff makes me! She also has a few other websites that you can find here. My favorite thing is that she gives tons of ways to incorporate Scripture and Bible stories into learning. Hello! That is what it is all about!

5. And on a more serious note... I read an article on the Desiring God blog entitled, What Happens to Infants Who Die? There you can read the transcript of the video or watch the video, where Piper answers that very question. I share his opinion for the biblical reasons he gives as well as other reasons (here is a blog post by my pastor). It definitely debunks the lie that is so often told (even in my very hometown) that Calvinists believe infants who die go to hell. Oh, there are so many lies told and so many things very misunderstood. But that is for another time and place.


6. Speaking of Calvinist, my pastor has a blog! What a way to segue, right? And I had no idea that his most recent post would be on that very subject! Go read it! Seriously, check it out! Maybe it will debunk some more myths, clear some confusion and give better understanding!

And I'd like to end on a lovely note.

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends..." 1 Cor. 13:4-8a

Happy Reformation Day! (A Give-A-Way and great links)

I wanted to tell you about a sweet give-a-way that The Preachers Wife is having over at her place. She is giving away 5 copies of John Piper's book, Spectacular Sins : And Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ. So hop on over to this post and enter yourself to win a copy. I'm a huge fan of Piper and would love to have this book. I'm sure it will enter our library one day even if I don't win it though! You've got until November 7th to enter!

And if you do enter tell her I sent you! :)


Now, I've got some fantastic links for you!

Since election day is drawing near (thank goodness!), I'm sure we're all wondering who the next President of the US will be. Well, John Piper writes a fantastic article on Christians and voting. I'll let you go read it for yourself (if you do let me know what you thought). I've heard many people talk about being worried about this or that. But as Christians, let's all remember Who holds everything in place. Psalm 20:7- "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God."

Next... I've spoken many times about my passion for all things pro-life. I came across this blog post by Randy Alcorn a few days ago when reading Kelly's (Love Well) blog (she had it listed in her sidebar). I'm a huge fan of Randy Alcorn and his position on prolife and abortion issues. It's a great article on prolife issues and the election. He answers this question: As a Christian, should we vote for who we think should lead our country solely based on their stance on abortion? And again, if you check it out.. let me know what you think!

Have a blessed and safe day!

Finshed!

Well, it only took me 6 months to finish the book of Isaiah! I finished reading chapter 66 today. I took it slow.. really slow! I really wanted to read it and understand it. I didn't have any study helps besides the notes in my study Bible, so many days I'd read a section and then re-read it. I guess averaging 11 chapters in one month isn't that bad. And I must admit there were days when I was so tired that reading just didn't happen. During reading Isaiah, I also read The Holiness of God by RC Sproul and What's the Difference- Manhood and Womanhood Defined According to the Bible by John Piper (both were great, although the Piper book was super short and kind of an excerpt from one of his larger books that I hope to read in the future).

So, where am I going next? I'm so glad you asked. I will be reading the book of Revelation. My friend, Misty, has invited me to be a part of a Bible Study group with a few other ladies. We will be going through the book of Revelation and using John MacArthur's study guide (are you loving all of these links??). During the month of July the girls' class that I teach had four lessons on the book of Revelation and I loved studying it! (I blogged a 2 part post that you can read here: Part 1 & Part 2) So, needless to say I am excited about starting this new book of the Bible! I'm not sure how active I will be able to be in the actual Bible study meetings considering I'm due in 2 weeks but I'm going to do my best to keep up with them on my own even if I can't make it! About 2 weeks ago, I also began reading a book by Donna Morely called A Woman of Significance. I'm only on chapter 3, but so far it's really good.

I'd like to end with two of my favorite verses from chapter 66 of Isaiah.

"Thus says the LORD: “ Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,” Says the LORD.“ But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word." Is. 66:1-2

What a beautiful reminder that God doesn't need a temple of stone. His desire is to dwell in the heart of man, someone with a poor (humble) and contrite spirit (broken with godly sorrow over their sin)... someone who trembles at His Word.

May I desire His Word above all other resources and wisdom. May my thoughts and ideas be determined and weighed by the Scriptures. May His Word correct and lead me in sanctification. This is my prayer.

I need a moment to organize my thoughts...

I have been staring at this page for a few minutes.. wondering what to write. There are so many things that I'd like to share about this week but as of right now they are all jumbled up in my head! I need to somehow sit and collect my thoughts... organize them so that when I do type them out, they make some kind of sense. You will appreciate it, I promise.

So, until then I just want you to know that this week has been one of the most encouraging weeks I've had. I have been blessed, convicted, corrected, overwhelmed and mostly encouraged. I feel showered by God's mercy and grace just by being allowed to hear His truth. I am grateful for pastor's who preach His Word.. the entire council of His Word. I am so thankful for God's promise to continue His good work in me. I must never take that for granted.

May God get honor and glory for the work that was done this week. He alone deserves it.

Like I said, once I can sit and gather my thoughts a little better I'll share more. If you have time please visit Don Currin Ministries. My friend Misty also posted a blog, highlighting the points of the first message that the evangelist (Don Currin) preached on. Check it out :)