So much more to say about what this song did for/in me during the service on Sunday, but for now simply listen.
"By Faith"
Keith & Kristyn Getty
By faith we see the hand of God
In the light of creation's grand design
In the lives of those who prove His faithfulness
Who walk by faith and not by sight
By faith our fathers roamed the earth
With the power of His promise in their hearts
Of a holy city built by God's own hand
A place where peace and justice reign
We will stand as children of the promise
We will fix our eyes on Him our soul's reward
Till the race is finished and the work is done
We'll walk by faith and not by sight
By faith the prophets saw a day
When the longed-for Messiah would appear
With the power to break the chains of sin and death
And rise triumphant from the grave
By faith the church was called to go
In the power of the Spirit to the lost
To deliver captives and to preach good news
In every corner of the earth
We will stand as children of the promise
We will fix our eyes on Him our soul's reward
Till the race is finished and the work is done
We'll walk by faith and not by sight
By faith this mountain shall be moved
And the power of the gospel shall prevail
For we know in Christ all things are possible
For all who call upon His name
We will stand as children of the promise
We will fix our eyes on Him our soul's reward
Till the race is finished and the work is done
We'll walk by faith and not by sight
8.31.2011
8.30.2011
One (Extra)Ordinary Family
While most people have heard of the Duggar family, or seen their show on TLC (currently called "19 Kids and Counting"), many have not heard of the Bates. I was "introduced" to the Bates family during an episode of the Duggar's t.v. show a few years ago. Both families believe as we do that children are a blessing and God is in control of the *when*, and the *how many*. Recently, Primetime Nightline on ABC did a special featuring the Bates. In my opinion, it is worth your time to watch.
8.29.2011
Get off that wheel.
Dr. Kevin Leman has written a new book entitled, "It's Your Kid, Not a Gerbil". Here's a snippet from the website:
"Do you sometimes feel like a gerbil running on a wheel inside a cage as you scurry from place to place, chauffeuring your children from one endless activity to another? What if, for one moment, you could just step off of the wheel . . . and relax? How would you feel then? And what if that single moment could stretch into an hour, or even a whole day? In his new book, It’s Your Kid, Not a Gerbil, Kevin Leman will provide practical solutions and helpful insight to get off the activity wheel so that you can put your time and energies where they really count: in establishing strong character and a love for home and family that will serve your kids well for a lifetime."Check out the website, and enter the contest to win an iPod touch, a copy of this book, or a prize pack of Dr. Leman's books.
Calm Down!
I often have people comment on how calm I am. It makes me laugh (usually inside) because I am not a calm person by nature. My tendency is to react rather than respond, to over-react, to yell. Being a mother - especially one with many children - has caused me to calm down some, but I still have a long way to go! With each new baby, I "unwind" a bit more. I believe this is out of necessity. If I were as uptight now as I was when Alex was born 13 years ago I'd be in a padded room by now.
Last week was a breaking point for me. I got hot under the collar. I yelled - a LOT. I over-react to everything. All-in-all, a rough week. After a particularly difficult Friday (I COMPLETELY lost my cool with almost every child) I knew I needed help. Divine help, to be specific, was what was needed. And I "checked out" for a bit. I thought, I prayed... I calmed down.
Peace that passes all understanding (Phil. 4:7) was mine for the asking! And I am relieved and excited that I was able to make it through not one, but TWO days without raising my voice to my children. I've been tempted, and my patience sorely tried, but I persevered. God is with me. He will calm me when needed. He will help me teach my children a better way.
I want to clarify here that I believe my tendency to yell and get bent out of shape is a genetic one (but one that I can overcome with God's ever-present help). It certainly was not environmental... my parents rarely (if ever?) yelled. In fact, when I was a teenager, it completely drove me batty that my dad could be so stinkin' calm all the time. One of my greatest "accomplishments" as a teen was pushing him until he actually showed some real strong emotion and raised his voice (we were doing a project together and it wasn't going all that well).
I continue to pray for an unearthly calm to surround me. Even in the midst of the chaos that is inevitable in a tiny house with many bodies.
Last week was a breaking point for me. I got hot under the collar. I yelled - a LOT. I over-react to everything. All-in-all, a rough week. After a particularly difficult Friday (I COMPLETELY lost my cool with almost every child) I knew I needed help. Divine help, to be specific, was what was needed. And I "checked out" for a bit. I thought, I prayed... I calmed down.
Peace that passes all understanding (Phil. 4:7) was mine for the asking! And I am relieved and excited that I was able to make it through not one, but TWO days without raising my voice to my children. I've been tempted, and my patience sorely tried, but I persevered. God is with me. He will calm me when needed. He will help me teach my children a better way.
I want to clarify here that I believe my tendency to yell and get bent out of shape is a genetic one (but one that I can overcome with God's ever-present help). It certainly was not environmental... my parents rarely (if ever?) yelled. In fact, when I was a teenager, it completely drove me batty that my dad could be so stinkin' calm all the time. One of my greatest "accomplishments" as a teen was pushing him until he actually showed some real strong emotion and raised his voice (we were doing a project together and it wasn't going all that well).
I continue to pray for an unearthly calm to surround me. Even in the midst of the chaos that is inevitable in a tiny house with many bodies.
8.24.2011
Mid-Night Mania
With our crew, it's inevitable that at some point after they've been sent to bed, at least ONE will be upstairs again. There are the usual excuses: I forgot to go potty; I need a drink; my lips are dry, I need lip stuff. But last night was not quite so 'usual'.
The first kid to come upstairs was Alex. To his credit, it was about 2 hours past the time they'd gone to bed (usually we're in the 10-30 min range). I'm not sure what his original 'reason' was, but before he headed back to bed he said, "I was thinking about the numbers from 1-9. And I wondered how many combinations you could make. So I figured it out. It's 361,880**." He went on to explain the process he used. Then he headed off to bed as if this was all perfectly normal behavior. LOL (He clearly got his skill with numbers from his dad...) I wonder when he sleeps?
Phoenix often makes a trip upstairs in the middle of the night as well... but that's usually because I'm still up when he wakes to eat, or he needs a diaper change. Last night was the latter. While we were up, I decided I'd just nurse him while sitting on the couch so I wouldn't fall asleep with him in my bed. We both seem to sleep better when he spends most of the night in his own bed... As I got up to head back down to bed, I heard Jericho crying. By the time I got to the top of the stairs, she was nearly all the way up (we moved her from the crib to a cot a few days ago, so getting out of bed is something new for her). I told her I had to put PJ back in bed and she should go back to bed too (this happened around 3am!). Instead, she continued up the stairs. I asked if she needed something. Clear as a bell, she said, "Potty". Wha!? She's not potty trained AT ALL, but I thought I'd better go with it! LOL So, I got PJ settled, and headed back upstairs to get the diaper off the *other* baby and put her on the potty. Her diaper was still dry at that point! She sat on the potty chair, but because someone else used it at bathtime and it hadn't been emptied yet I really don't know if she actually went or not. When she was "done", I put her diaper back on and she happily went back to bed.
Weird.
I hope tonight is a bit less eventful. ;)
**He corrected himself this morning: it's actually 362,880. So clearly he thought about it more after he went back to bed, and caught his error.
The first kid to come upstairs was Alex. To his credit, it was about 2 hours past the time they'd gone to bed (usually we're in the 10-30 min range). I'm not sure what his original 'reason' was, but before he headed back to bed he said, "I was thinking about the numbers from 1-9. And I wondered how many combinations you could make. So I figured it out. It's 361,880**." He went on to explain the process he used. Then he headed off to bed as if this was all perfectly normal behavior. LOL (He clearly got his skill with numbers from his dad...) I wonder when he sleeps?
Phoenix often makes a trip upstairs in the middle of the night as well... but that's usually because I'm still up when he wakes to eat, or he needs a diaper change. Last night was the latter. While we were up, I decided I'd just nurse him while sitting on the couch so I wouldn't fall asleep with him in my bed. We both seem to sleep better when he spends most of the night in his own bed... As I got up to head back down to bed, I heard Jericho crying. By the time I got to the top of the stairs, she was nearly all the way up (we moved her from the crib to a cot a few days ago, so getting out of bed is something new for her). I told her I had to put PJ back in bed and she should go back to bed too (this happened around 3am!). Instead, she continued up the stairs. I asked if she needed something. Clear as a bell, she said, "Potty". Wha!? She's not potty trained AT ALL, but I thought I'd better go with it! LOL So, I got PJ settled, and headed back upstairs to get the diaper off the *other* baby and put her on the potty. Her diaper was still dry at that point! She sat on the potty chair, but because someone else used it at bathtime and it hadn't been emptied yet I really don't know if she actually went or not. When she was "done", I put her diaper back on and she happily went back to bed.
Weird.
I hope tonight is a bit less eventful. ;)
**He corrected himself this morning: it's actually 362,880. So clearly he thought about it more after he went back to bed, and caught his error.
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