The Frazzled Female Week 3

Week 3? Really?  I can't believe it! This is the halfway point of our study!

This week's study was entitled "I Don't Have Enough Time!"

Have you ever said that?  I think we all have.

One of the big things that I came away with was that I need to focus on God.  I was reminded of that this morning at church when we looked at Matthew 22: 37 when Jesus commanded, "You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your mind."

"What's that got to do with time?" you ask.

If I love God the way I am supposed to, if He is truly the center of my life, then I will be passionate about Him.  His thoughts will become my thoughts. His ways shall become my ways.  My mind will be occupied by Him.  If I do that, then I will know what things I'm involved in that I shouldn't be.  I will know when to say no, where to draw the line with extra activities.  I will be able to manage my time in a way that brings honor and glory to Him.

Our priorities should be:
1. God
2. Family (spouse then children)
3. Work

If I get my priorities out of whack, them my relationships will suffer. 

Satan is good in the fact that he takes our "I don't have enough time" excuse and uses it to break us.  He makes us believe that we don't have time for Bible study and prayer.  When we think this way, we are pulled away from God.  The other areas in our life begin to suffer.  But in all honesty, we should not have to make time for God.  It should not be an option.  Everything else can wait.  The laundry will always be there (trust me).  The toys will be gotten back out right after they are put away (trust me). We need to focus on storing our treasures in heaven.  We need to read our Bibles. We need to pray without ceasing. We need to worship God throughout our day.  Busy or not, God must be first in our lives. 

When we put Him first, God will bless us in the other areas of our lives.  He will help us become the mothers, wives, daughters, sisters, friends, and even housekeepers we are supposed to be.  When we have a passion for Christ, to become and remain intimate with Him, we can't lose! 

Matthew 6:33-34 says, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about its own things."

This week, I encourage you to seek God's will. Study His Word. Talk to Him. Listen to Him.  Put Him first.  If you do, He promises to bless you in unimaginable ways.

Book Review: How We Love Our Kids

Do you ever feel like, as a parent, you are messing up big time with your kids?  If we are honest with ourselves, we will see that we do make mistakes as parents, but those mistakes are fixable.

In their book, How We Love Our Kids: The 5 Love Styles of Parenting, Milan and Kay Yerkovich offer hope to parents.  In this book, they describe five ways we parent our children and why we parent that way.  With each parenting style, the Yerkovich's offer suggestions on how to overcome problems that arise from being that type of parent.  They then go on to discuss the types of children and how to best parent them. 

This is not a "do this and you will be the greatest parent" guidebook. It is simply a book that teaches parents to understand before reacting.  Parents must understand why they parent they way they do, and they must understand what is really behind the behavior of their children.  Doing both of these, encourages the authors, will strengthen the family relationship.

I highly recommend this book to parents who are eager to better the relationships in their home.  I enjoyed reading this book and have already begun to use what I have learned from it.

I received a free copy this book from the publisher for the purpose an honest review.

(Not) Wordless Wednesday

The Frazzled Female Week 2

This week we have focused on keeping a positive attitude.

Oh, I'll admit, sometimes that is hard!

This past week a couple of things have happened that could very easily cause one to lose heart and be negative.

First, we had progress monitoring meetings at work. My meeting was set up on the second day. I had heard how horrible some of the other meetings had gone, that the teachers came out feeling attacked and worthless. I had a choice to make, I could either expect the worst and go in on the defensive, or I could go in with a positive attitude and roll with it.

I chose to go in with a positive attitude.

Now, I am not saying that the meeting was perfect and I was never attacked about my abilities as a teacher, but I was able to handle the situation and take it all in stride.  I didn't come away feeling disgusted and disappointed.

Now if I had gone in expecting the worst and having a clear dialogue as to how I would respond to negative comments, the meeting may have come out differently. I definitely would have come out feeling worse than I did!

The second thing that happened, didn't happen to me, but an elderly couple in our church.

Tuesday afternoon, severe weather struck our community.  We gathered our students in the hall until the all clear was given.  We thought everything was OK until I learned that a home in the county had been destroyed.  It was the home of Mr. Will and Mrs. Eleanor from our church.  Thank God they were not home, but in Nashville with Mr. Will's family.  However, rescue workers were searching for their bodies because both vehicles were home and the couple was no where to be found. 

When interviewed by the news stations, both Will and Eleanor were very positive and up beat about the situation.  Their church family and community friends had come to their aid, packing up what was not damaged and taking it to storage for them.  Mrs. Eleanor told us this afternoon that they have been offered 3 houses to rent while they rebuild.  She said, "Will and I are strong people, but this is all God. He is blessing us in so many ways. I don't know why this happened to us, but He does, and we just have to trust Him."

Now, this elderly couple has so much to feel negative about. We would almost expect them to with their home of 20 years and vehicles and so many personal items destroyed. But Will and Eleanor have chosen to be positive and see God at work through this.

My point is that we do have a choice. We can choose to be negative, or we can choose to be positive. Our attitude is a choice. 

Sometimes we feel entitled to our negativity, that so much has happened to us, and we are just so pitiful and don't deserve all that we have laid out before us.  I think we all have moments like that. If we do, that is fine, but we must move pass that....quickly.  We have to choose to see the beauty in the midst of darkness, the flowers among the weeds, the love behind the hurt. 

It is hard, but possible. We can do anything through Christ.  We must ask for His help.  We must make having a positive attitude a daily choice until it becomes who we are. 

***

I am so excited about meeting with our study group tomorrow night. I am so thankful I'm not sick anymore!  Most of the ladies should be there, although we had almost 20 last week, that wasn't the entire group. 

I do have a prayer request...

Please pray for our team of five (Brad and Brandy, Janice, Teresa, and Cindy), who will be leaving Saturday to help build an orphanage in Haiti. I am so excited for them.  Pray for their safety, health, and for lives to be changed!

My time is His time

I have been working very hard at spending my time wisely.  Trying my best to spend it in a way that honors God. 

I have done great keeping up with our E100 Challenge.  When I signed up on the military spouse webpage, that ensured me a daily email with the scripture attached.  That has come in handy when I am out somewhere having to wait.  I just pull it up on my email, read it, use the reflection questions, and punch my card.  The reflection questions have really helped me to take a bigger look at the scripture. I was even able to use the scripture one day for our first Bible study meeting!  So proud of myself!

Speaking of my Bible study...

I thought I was going to have to cancel the first meeting!  Last Thursday, I had a terrible stomach thing going on.  Thankfully, we had a snow day Friday, and I was able to take it easy.  Boy did I need it because we spent almost 12 hours Saturday at Colin's Robotics competition (I'll get to that soon).  I felt terrible all day Saturday and Sunday, even missing church Sunday morning.  Monday was MLK Jr. Day so we were out of school and I was able to rest some more.  With an aching body and temperature of over 100, I decided I couldn't cancel Bible study.  We had a great group of women there...almost 20!   During the middle of discussion, my fever broke!!  It was so crazy. 

The discussion of the week went so well. The other ladies had some amazing things to share. We have so many similiarities on our "stresses" and what keeps us distracted from the Lord.  It is wonderful to have the fellowship and support of these women. 

This week, our lesson is about positive attitudes.  How appropriate with a stressful week at work!  It has been helpful to have the study for a week like this.  Can't wait to share my thoughts at the end of the study.

As for Colin's Robotics competition.....well.....

Colin's team won 2nd place in the Innovative Solution part of the competion.  There were about 9 categories, including the overall champions.  A total of 42 teams from across the state competed.  It was a long, amazing day!  I am so proud of Colin and the rest of his team.  They worked really hard with their "coach" Mrs. Rowland.  She is an awesome woman (that's her behind Colin and the trophy).

If your school does not do the First Lego League program, I highly encourage you to get involved. I found out at the competition that you don't even have to be a school. The second place over all winner was a homeschool group.  There were neighborhood groups, church groups, and 4-H groups as well. 



The Frazzled Female Bible Study: Week 1

According to dictionary.com, frazzled means worn out; fatigued.

Does that sound like any of you?  I definitely fall into that category.

This past week, I began my journey with The Frazzled Female: Finding Peace in the Midst of Daily Life Bible study by Cindi Wood.

So, I will tell you, it has been a journey so far, trying to find peace when your almost two year old has decided to quit sleeping and you are coming down with something days before you lead the study in front of a larger than you imagined group of fine Christian women!

Whew! OK, girl, breathe!

But doing the first week's study, God has spoken to me (and if you let Him, He will speak to you too).  We must first make time for Him.  This is something He has really been after me about. 

Our first assignment for this week was a DEFRAZZLER: find a spot where you can rendezvous with the Lord each day.  Here is mine:

Now, it doesn't always look this good and I usually don't sit there alone. I don't even rendezvous at the same time each day. But it is my space.

Where do you go to spend time with the Lord each day?

As I continued my study this week, I came to realize that EVERYTHING I need comes from the Lord.  I just have to put Him first.

At the beginning of the week, we read about Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42).  I had first learned of these sisters during my first Bible study as a very new Christian. I was much like Martha. When people came to my house, I wanted to make sure that everything was as good as it could be.  When guests arrived, I would rush around making sure everyone was taken care of, the food was ready, and do whatever else needed doing.  I didn't take the time to talk with my guests like I needed to, to learn about them, become intimate with them.  Now, I am trying to be more like Mary, putting the important thing first. Jesus is the most important thing. 

And I think this story of Mary and Martha fits nicely with the closing scripture for the week, Colossians 2:1-7, specifically verses 6 and 7:

 I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.  My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ,  in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.  For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.  So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him,  rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

I like to think that Mary was rooted in Jesus; she lived her life in Him by sitting at his feet. Therefore, her faith was strengthened.

That's how I want to be. 

Yes, I am the mom of 3 boys (the reason why I have been working on this post for about 3 hours now). I work fulltime. I have afterschool work responsiblities with my job. I teach Sunday school. My two big boys are playing basketball and have afterschool responsibilities as well. I have a toddler who decided 2 months ago not to sleep anymore.  Now add in all of my regular mom and wife duties. Many times we live out of clean clothes baskets and from drive through restaurants. I often don't spend time with my husband like I need to and can quickly lose my temper with my kids. 

Yes, I am frazzled, but if I stay rooted in the Lord and stay intimate with Him, then He will give me the strength I need to get through my daily life. He can give me peace. I must however acknowledge His desire for me and sit still long enough to hear Him speak to my heart.

I hope that you will join me on this journey of finding peace in the midst of everyday life.  I would love to hear from you if you are. 

There is so much more that I wish to say, but I've already unclogged the toilet this morning of sippy cups and sippy cup tops, broke up several fights, and caught a toddler do flips off the couch.

Tonight, I meet with a wonderful group of ladies at church, ladies in all seasons of life. Although I am the group "leader," I know that I will learn so much for them.  I can't wait to let you know how it goes! 

I will LIVE....

.....by making the most of my time.

Have you ever thought about how much time you waste? Or maybe you aren't really wasting it, but what you are spending your time doing doesn't amount to anything?  I have considered that often, but yesteday, I got slapped in the face with it (not literally). 

Our Sunday School lesson talked about things that influence us, making wordly (or even highly unbiblical) things seem, well, not so bad.  When we spend our time watching programs or reading books that almost glorify an ungodly way of life, we almost become immune or numb to the fact that it is wrong.  Then last night, as I read my devotional, there it was again....

Ephesians 5:15-16 tells us "Be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time."

If we spent less time being consumed by worldy affairs and spent more time in the Word, imagine what a difference that would make in our lives.  Knowing God's Word and His expectations of us would guide us to make better decisions.  The use of our time would be spent more in prayer and worship with Him. We would be consumed by HIM! 

As I taught this lesson yesterday morning, I (hopefully) let my class know that this is an area that I need growth in.  I love my iPad.  It is so easy to check the whether and email by cell phone. And sorry to say that sometimes after several nights of little sleep, vegging out in front of a TV is all I want to do.  But I can't live my life by that.

In order to become the person God has intended for me to be, I MUST spend time with Him through prayer and Bible study. I MUST listen to Him.  My guidance MUST come from Him and Him alone, not these talk shows on TV. 

We all gripe and complain that there just isn't enought time.  As a mom of three, I am right up there in front of the line yelling that some days.  But honestly, there is.  We just have to step back and look to see how we are spending our time. Then we need to make adjustments to put our priorities in line.

So, to LIVE the life God has laid out for me, I will make the most of my time, putting my focus on Him and His will for my life.

To Haiti, With Love

We have a team from our church preparing for a mission trip to Haiti. I am so excited for them and what they are going to be able to do.  Tonight before church, we were able to make Salvation Necklaces for their trip. What a blessing it was to be part of that.

There is dog food in my laundry.....

...(clean) diapers tossed about,

sweet tea in the cat's bed,

and this box of whales didn't last an hour

Aah, being the mom of boys.

Today, I LIVE...

...the life of an Army wife.

Jeff is at drill this weekend, taking part in a change of command ceremony. He will also have a worship service at his unit and the unit he may be transferred to.

As for us at home, Colin has Robotics camp at 10. Carson has his FIRST EVER basketball game at noon. Then we have round two of basketball with Colin at 5:00. A busy day for us.

This is another first that Jeff will miss. We have learned that it goes with the territory of being a military family.  By no means am I pouting or thinking we have it so terrible. I know how blessed we are.  Jeff is only a state away instead of a totally different continent in harm's way.  I will take that any ol' day!

But as I go, I wonder why I get so lucky to teach the adult Sunday School lesson that begins with "sensuality vs sexuality."  Afterall, I'm supposed to be teaching my kindergartners, not the adults!  Thanks, honey, for having drill on the weekend of this lesson!

I LIVE...

....for moments like this



Joy is....

Several bloggers I enjoy keeping up with have chosen their word or theme for the new year. You may remember that mine is LIVE.    I thought a good way to live is join fellow blogger Nicole in finding JOY  in my everyday life. 

So today, I LIVE by the JOY found in the innocence of 5 year olds.  These moments won't last forever.

 

Wordless Wednesday

Could it be???

Yes, my friends, I believe it is....SNOW!

Book Review: God Strong

Back when Jeff was at CH-BOLC, our youth group provided us with a wonderful gift basket.  They gave Jeff some items that would come in handy during his stay at Ft. Jackson and gave me a copy of Sara Horn's book God Strong: The Military Wife's Spiritual Survival Guide.

I'd like to say that I was able to read the book during our 3 months apart, but with a new baby at home, going back to work from maternity leave, school starting back, and being a soccer mom, that didn't happen.  So now, finally, I have had the time to start over and finish the book.

As I read, there were so many things that stood out to me:

I am not superwoman and no one expects me to be. It is a pressure I put on myself.

I am not alone. There are woman out there just like me. Most importantly, Jesus Christ is beside me each step of the way.

My focus should stay on God. Pity parties don't help. Isolation doesn't help. Blaming others doesn't help.  Each of those things puts the focus on me, not HIM. 

In her book, Sara uses her experience as a military wife to reach the hearts of others.  Being God Strong is what matters. We have to stop being Me Strong.  Our true strength comes from the Lord.  We can only go so far on our own.  This is true not only for military wives, but for all women. 

A couple of things that make this book useful as well are the Strength Builders and Strength Trainers (the scripture and questions) that go along with each chapter. I also appreciated the testimonies of other military spouses (and girlfriends) included in each chapter.

I recommend this book to military wives, or girlfriends, who are going through (or will go through) a deployment or long term military related separation. Sara also offers some online resources. 


**As previously stated, this book was a gift. I wanted to share my thoughts about the book with other military wives through this post.**

E100: Military Edition

I knew there was a military edition of the E100 Bible reading plan. What I didn't know was their was a

military spouse edition too!  How cool is that???

Click here to find out more!

I love the questions and prayers that come with the online scripture.  I don't do FaceBook, but if you do there is some stuff on there as well.  You can find audio available too!

So, check it out and let me know what you think.  Are you going to join in?

This Year I will LIVE

Well, the first day of the New Year will be coming to an end in just a few hours.  It has been an exhaustingly good day here.

We welcomed the New Year with a semi quiet evening at home with Hilarie and her family and Jeff's parents.  We enjoyed good food and played games.  The kids ran wild until well after midnight.  And then 9 AM Sunday school came very quickly! 

I hope you have some wonderful things planned for the year.

Our church is taking part in the E100 Challenge. In the next 100 days, we will read the 100 " big picture" passages from the Bible. I am really excited about this. I've read Day 1 - Creation: Genesis 1 and 2 and Day 2 - The Fall: Genesis 3. Following the daily plan, I should complete it around Easter.

On the 16th of this month, I will be leading The Frazzled Female Bible study at church.  I am excited at this as well. It looks like we are going to have a great group of women gathering for this 6 week study.  I would love for you to take part in it as well. I will be posting my thoughts and reflections throughout the study, so feel free to grab a book and join in! 

I recently read a post by Patti at Wives of Faith about her theme for the year.  It got me to thinking about life, about things I've been reading, about how I've been living. So, if I had to choose a theme for this year, I would choose LIVE. 

Why?

I've been reading Sara Horn's God Strong, a gift given to me by our church's youth group while Jeff was away at CH-BOLC. And so much of what she says has really struck a chord with me.  I must LIVE what I BELIEVE.

I trust God.
I know God is in control.
I know that God has a plan.
I believe that Jesus will walk by my side regardless of my situation.

I, however, don't know what this year holds for me and my family.  The Army Chaplaincy board will be meeting soon to decide whether or not Jeff will be a chaplain.  If he is, then there is always that possibility that he could be deployed. 

If he is deployed or my family is faced with any other type of hardship, I can't lose faith in my Jesus.

I have to LIVE my life by what I BELIEVE.  I have to LIVE my life being the best me that I can be.  I have to LIVE my life learning to say no and asking for help.  I have to LIVE my life focused on God.

So this year, I will LIVE.

I will LIVE the life God has planned for me the very best that I can. 

Happy New Year, friend!  May you LIVE a life pleasing to Him as well.