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Sunday, March 30, 2008

Grateful

Today I finished reading "Captured by Grace" by David Jeremiah. It was a wonderful book that I would recommend to anyone. The end of the book was about praise, thanksgiving and being grateful and I thought these points were amazing:

  • If you own just one Bible, you are abundantly blessed. Most people in the world do not.
  • If you awoke this morning more healthy than ill, you are more blessed than one million people who will not survive the week.
  • If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of more than five hundred million people around the world.
  • If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75 percent of this world.
  • If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish somewhere, you are among the top 8 percent of the world's wealthy.
  • If you prayed yesterday and today, you are in the minority because you believe in God's willingness to hear and answer prayer.
  • If you have the ability to choose between churches where you may freely worship, you have a blessing many people in this world do not.
  • If you are a devoted follower of Jesus Christ, you live with the daily assurance that you will have eternal life, and that your Savior has gone to prepare a mansion for you in glory. Millions of people believe this sad life is all there is.

Yes, Lord, I am abundantly blessed. Help me to be more grateful for all You have given me.

Friday, March 28, 2008

Five miles and making babies

Today I walked five miles. The first two weren't bad at all. Mile three was a little tedious but mile four felt like mile 40. The last one clicked off pretty easily (but slowly) because I knew I was in the home stretch. I have started a new walking schedule because I am thinking about participating in the Avon breast care walk. It consists of walking a marathon or a marathon and a half over a span of two days. I'll keep the blog updated with my progress.

Changing subjects here......I just had a hilarious conversation with Joy's grandma about home remedies for getting pregnant. Someone had told her about taking vitamin C or vitamin E to increase your chances of getting pregnant. That got me to thinking about the various suggestions I have received over the almost 17 childless years we have been married. I have been recommended to eat sweet potatoes (that one may have a scientific basis), and various other suggestions that would not be appropriate to post on this blog. I told Marie that someday I should write a compilation of all the various "Tips and Tricks to Get a Bun in the Oven". Sounds like a good working title to me!

The truth of the matter is, when God wants us to have a baby, then we will have one. It's just that simple. I have to look no further than the examples of Sarah, Hannah or Elizabeth in the Old and New Testaments to know that God can open the womb when it suits His plan to do so. The giving of life (or the taking of life, for that matter) is all up to Him. If we think for one second that we are ever in charge of that, we are grossly mistaken. Every detail of our lives, even our family planning, is filtered through His loving hands. Knowing that fact is what keeps my heart at rest on this matter.

Here's a thought...if you have heard any hilarious home remedies, leave me a comment so I can include them in my future book!

Monday, March 24, 2008

Confessing faults

Today I heard a man on Focus on the Family talking about how Christians do not follow James 5:16 very well. That scripture says, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed." The man was saying that Christians will confess their needs to one another but not their faults because confessing needs is safe, such as prayer requests for an ailing relative. There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking for healing on behalf of the sick but that was not the intent of James 5:16. When was the last time you heard someone be gut-level honest and ask for prayer regarding a struggle with _________ (fill in the blank with your own strongest temptation)? I have rarely seen it and have rarely done it. The rest of the verse says, "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." Could it be that I see fewer positive answers to my prayers because I am skipping the first step?

Saturday, March 22, 2008

umm, sorry mom!

Okay, I never was very good with doing math in my head...March 21st would have been my mom's 74th birthday. Sorry, Mom!

Friday, March 21, 2008

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today would have been my mom's 73rd birthday. Man alive, I sure miss her. Days like today make heaven seem all the sweeter.

I heard a good quote on my podcast yesterday by Chip Ingram. He said, "To hold a grudge is to doubt the Judge." That is worth chewing on for awhile.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Spiritual sobriety

I have been reading "Captured by Grace" by David Jeremiah during my quiet time. The following sentences really stood out to me today. I have never heard the term "spiritual sobriety" before but I think it is a powerful idea based on Titus 2:12.

"Spiritual sobriety is the maturity to exercise sound mind and judgment. It is inner self-government that reins all the passions and desires that war against us. The grace-driven believer disciplines his passions as a military leader would discipline his troops. And what passions? Eating, sleeping, talking, playing. The Spirit of God will point you to the specific issues of your own life. The idea is that the poor, rescued reprobate will not only give up the old, worthless pursuits; he will exercise wisdom and restraint in the new choices he makes of his time."

Good stuff, huh?

Monday, March 10, 2008

Initial post

This is my first foray into the weblog world and I think I just might like it! This is part of an assignment for my Technology in Education course and I could see myself using this in the classroom. I did a quick google on education blogs and found an interesting example of a library in New Jersey. The library used a weblog on their site to promote upcoming events or to recap previous events, such as visiting authors, items in the showcase, exhibits, raffle winners, etc. It is easy to think of ways weblogs could be used for English or writing classes such as collaborative writing or classroom critiques. I saw an example of a weblog for AP European History that included a weekly class schedule, an introductory information and an email link for the teacher, and even a You Tube link to one of the teacher's favorite bands. I also think it would be fun for younger students to use weblogs similar to the way we used to have pen-pals many years ago. It would be very interesting to partner with another classroom possibly a world away and learn together through weblogging.