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To Be Continued......the story never ends 2006/9/18 Thankfulness...an attitude of contentmentI have been involved in a girls club, mentoring program with my church for about 3 years now. The GEMS club has a theme that they work on every school year. This year is the best one yet. My enthusiasm for this subject is causing me to do a lot of deep thought.The theme is Having a Thankful Heart..Livin' the secret! What is thankfulness? Is it a syrupy, sweet emotion that causes a person to smile while they are getting all the things in life that they hope and dream about? Is it a polite gesture given to another when someone has done something nice for you or has given you something? Thankfulness can be something that you apply as a form of proper ettiquette, which can be very superficial and not a genuine heart felt attitude. Thankfulness is as misunderstood as any other genuine attitude of the heart. Now, as Paul say in Phil. 4:12 " I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in every situation whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Contentment is an attitude of the heart. The heart has to be taught genuine contentment. When we are content we CAN be thankful IN all circumstances. I Thess. 5:18 says, "Give thanks IN all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
So, the deeper meaning of thankfulness is being content in all situations. If you are not getting the things you want in life and that generates an attitude of hatefulness or discontentment then you are not applying a thankful attitude. If you spend your energy on being thankful in every situation in life you will not have the time to feel sorry for yourself, or angry at someone, or wishing for something or someone to come along. A thankful heart will take the focus off of self and teach you that there is something greater than YOU. It should point to the only thing in this world that will never leave you or forsake you. That is my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It will stamp out selfishness, hatred,loneliness,jealousy,anger,self-pity...and the list goes on.
It seems to me that a thankful attitude denies yourself. I must confess that I have not mastered this attitude. It is humbling to think about all the times I have failed to apply this selfless attitude.
It is much easier to say thank-you than it is to think thankful. My prayer is that I will become more thankful in every circumstance, just as Paul became as he grew in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. 2006/9/10 "Stuff" that makes your dayI know that it has been a very long time since an entry has been posted. What have I been doing you might ask. Well, the summer has flown, school is back in session and I still haven't been able to eliminate all the STUFF out of my house that seems to magically appear after I spend precious daylight hours and lots of sweat to throw away and pack up in plastic bins to hide in my ever increasing store of "stuff" in the attic. It seems like an exercise in futility. I do get a great sense of accomplishement for about a day as I sit and admire my hard work,but somehow (maybe throughtout the night while we all are sleeping) the "STUFF fairy" comes in and puts the "stuff" that was chosen to stay in my house all back over it! I get so frustrated with my small spaces. Do not get me wrong. I do appreciate the blessing of my house and "stuff" but why can't I keep it put up? It has been a passion of mine to minimize my clutter in the home. I try not to buy new "stuff" that will ultimately just clutter it more. I have spent the last decade accumulating things, maybe it will take another decade to eliminate it. Well, enough of the whining. I really am NOT a whiner or a least I do not see myself as such. Rick and Katie do not see what the big deal is. I have to admit, the clutter does not always bother me. Just certain times of the month and then it really becomes an obsession to clean, clean, clean. I can recall when I was a child that my mother was good about pointing out the things that she saw needed to be put up or cleaned. I NEVER saw it until she pointed it out to me. In the summer she would come and sit at my bed side in the morning and wait for me to open my eyes. (You know when someone is staring at you, even in your sleep!) When I opened my eyes she would sing,"open up your heart and let the sunshine in!" She was always wanting to get the house work done early in the day so we could have the whole day to do fun things. I was a good helper but I did have to be told what needed to be done. A question I would pose to mom was "what needs to be done?" or I would grumble and say,"I do not see anything that has to be done!" She would quickly point out the numerous tasks that she wanted to be completed before she was satisfied with the home. The job description of mom must come with a set of new eyes to see the things that need to be done. I say this because before becoming a mom the "stuff" that I now see was not visible to me. The house duties did not bother me if they did not get done. That has all changed for me and I now see what my mom was seeing when I was a child. It is really amazing how time changes our outlook on the same "stuff" that has always been around us. What is unimportant today will be the "stuff" that makes your day tomorrow! 2006/5/17 We must be the protector of our childrens soul!I have been studying a book by Tedd Tripp: Shepherding a Child's Heart. An excellent read so far! It has been a passion of mine to instill in my child the desire to follow God's way. I have questioned how this is effectively done. This book has great insight. I recommend this to any parent that desires to know how to raise a child with the word of God as their focus.
I believe a parenting philosophy that thinks "if it was good enough for me, then it's good enough for them" is a very narrow and shallow philosophy. Or, I'm not going to be like my parents! What an arrogant concept. Do not look upon the example of others' mistakes to base your parenting skills for your child's soul. A child's soul needs the nuture and protection from a Godly perspective from a parent that takes the time to learn the instruction of the Lord. God does not make mistakes but we do. So why should we base parenting philosophy on the mistakes of others? Just learn from your own mistakes and correct your own soul with the word of God. Then with the correction that God's word has performed in your own soul you can be a source of Godly strength for your children. We as christian parents can have a positive effect on our children. We can instruct them in a way that is pleasing to God and very different from the world. We must show them the difference! It is up to them to chose it! We are not responsible for their refusal to believe God's word. But we are responsible to teach it to them. 2006/4/18 Seven friends I think should do this list of sevensSeven-7
1. Lynn
2. Cathy
3. Kelly
4. Jeanette
5. Regina
6. Melissa
7. Lauri Seven activities that I enjoySeven-6
1. long walks on the beach( barefoot)
2. looking at old pictures/and home movies
3. watching movies late at night
4. long talks with my best friend.
5. spending time with my mom
6. sitting in the shade of a tree on a warm, breezy day
7. bible study on Saturday morning!
Seven things I hateSeven-5
1. a sore throat/ nausea
2. an empty dessert plate
3. the end of the weekend
4. a messy house
5. PMS
6. spiders
7. a sink full of dirty, cold dishwater with dishes left in it! Seven places I would like to visit before I dieSeven-4
1. Austrailia
2. Alaska
3. The United Kingdom/Republic of Ireland
4. Central America/Carribean
5. Israel
6. Africa
7. Central united states (Ha!) I want to see where all the potatoes come from!
2006/4/13 Seven things I say most oftenSeven- 3
1. I am sooo proud!
2. I love you!
3. Thanks- I try.
4. How was your day?
5. There's something wrong with this picture!
6. Hellooo-(valley girl accent)
7. What ya doin' ? Seven things I cannot doSeven-2
1. Spell in the air.
2. Do math in my head.
3. Make sense out of politics.
4. Public speaking without getting shakey.
5. Get to bed before 11 pm.
6. Eat just one serving of chips (any variety).
7. Surf the cable channels without getting disgusted. Seven things I would like to do before I dieSeven- 1
1. See my daughter grow up.
2. Have grandchildren.
3. Landscape my yard.
4. Jog around the block without getting out of breath.
5. Wake up in the morning and feel like I had plenty of sleep.
6. Redecorate my house.
7. Wear a size 14! 2006/4/6 Recognizing sin Thank you God for the power in your word. The world has its own way of dealing with the lusts that are driven by a jealous heart. The world makes it seem OK to covet what someone else has. To the carnal minded it is acceptable to lust after the flesh, after food, after material things, after someone elses achivements ( and the list goes on, just add in your favorite lust ). If you want it then just do what you need to to get it. Work hard so you can buy the things you desire. God promises that if we "delight in Him, He will give us the desires of our heart". I do not think this is referring to material things but of Godly desire. The desire to please our Saviour. The sincere desire to delight in the Lord is evidence that we are thinking on spiritual things and not thinking about ourself. And when we are focusing on Gods plan and God's kingdom we are so far away from the desires of our flesh. The world is so far away from the light of God's word. God's word tells us that envy is a sin and its sibling, selfish ambition work together to create disorder and evil works(James 3:16). We are to guard ourselves from sin. God forbids us to have these thoughts and actions (Romans 13:13). These sin patterns cause dissension. This behavior is being fleshly minded (1 Cor. 3:15) and hinders spiritual growth in grace (1 Pt. 2:1,2). So I praise the Lord and Master of my life for calling me out of this world and into His light. God is the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me ( Jesus Christ the Son of God).
Amen 2006/4/1 A day well spentToday was a perfect day! It started out by sleeping in, but not too late. I proceeded to make a perfect pot of coffee and then I opened the front door to check on the world outside. What I discovered was a slightly breezy, warm day with plenty of sunshine. My precious daughter and I decided to go out to the back deck swing and take our favorite books! (Narnia for Katie and The Bible for me!) We had a few interruptions from Two Socks the cat and bugs landing into our drinks but for the most part we were involved in our own thoughts. She would chuckle and I would have to ask her what she was laughing about. Then she would proceed to read aloud the sentences that were so amusing that she had to share! I could have stayed out there all day but I knew that the yard man was going to come today. We then cleaned up the yard to prepare for our first cut of the year. I just love the smell of fresh cut grass and the wild onions that are sprinkled all over the yard. As I looked over the back yard I could not help but notice the array of different weeds that were decorating the lawn. Dandelions and wild orchids ( which I just learned the name of today from Mom), wild onions, clover, crab grass or some hybrid of crab grass that pulls up quite easily, and a few different types of grasses at all diffent heights and shades of green. But now the yard looks clean and trim. As I sat and watched the sun set from our front porch today I had a sense of peace and great accomplishment. A day well spent! My daughter was enjoying playing outside with her cat and dressed as a princess! Days like this should never end. Good night........ 2006/3/30 Welcome to the world according to ElizabethGood evening to all you folks in cyberspace. I have just sent out a mass e-mail to invite many of my friends and family to check out my space. I am waiting to see who will respond. Tick-tock, tick-tock. You know a watch pot never boils. Who will comment first?! I wonder and wait, ponder and fidget in my chair just waiting like someone who dropped a pebble into a wishing well and listening for the splash at the bottom! But then I realize that one must actually throw something out before one can get a response. I really must get a hobby and read some novels, maybe a subscription to a magazine,or watch the evening news so I can blog on something with authority and sound interesting. Oh what the heck, why change now? After all, my life could be half over( did that sound pessimistic?). Yes, this is the ramblings of a middle aged, overweight, silly hearted women that loves her God, family and country. May God bless us all! 2006/3/29 Just getting started It was't long ago a good friend of mine encouraged me to start my own blog so I thought I would give it a whirl. It will be a good place to come and share my ideas with those that are as intrested in reading others thoughts as I am. I am so eager to blog my first time that I am not really concerned about is content as much as the presence it will occupy on my SPACE. So for now I must bid farewell.
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