Monday, April 30, 2012

The Cry of A Newborn Baby

The "newborns" at church yesterday





“Jesus  answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  John 3:3


Yesterday was one of those perfect days you’d want to relive over and over again!  First of all we were able to take our newborn to church for the first time and what a blessing that was.  It was a wonderful service!  During the service, as we sang the second or third song I couldn’t keep the tears from flowing:

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives.
But greater still the calm assurance,
This child can face uncertain days because He lives.

 

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

As I’d sat earlier in the week and wrote down the current and world events in her baby book, I admit it was a little depressing –to think not only the shape of our world right now but what it may be like in years to come if it continues on the same path.  However, as it said in the song because he lives there is hope!  By the end of the service, we were able to witness first hand some of that hope as a first grader we’d been praying for for some time made her way to the altar and accepted Christ as her Savior!

I thought about when “Sunshine” was born how the doctor took her and I was waiting to hear that first cry to let me know she was alright.  How sweet it was when this newborn came from the altar and we heard her say “I was saved.”   Nothing like hearing a newborn cry and knowing everything is alright! 

Then my older daughter asked what was going on as everyone was rejoicing.  I told her she had been saved.  She asked “Why?”  I said so now she can go to Heaven.  Her response was “She’s going right now?” J  I’m thankful for what she is witnessing and for our church that’s going to be raising her.  Yes, there is still hope!


Wednesday, April 25, 2012

A Heritage from God


"Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord:  and the fruit of the womb is his reward."
Psalm 127:3

Our precious baby girl was born a week ago today.  She truly is a gift sent straight from God to be in our lives.  I've thought about the above scripture a million times over the past week.  

Her•i•tage-(noun) property that can be inherited or passed down; a gift.

When you think about a heritage it is something usually of great value and meant to be passed down from generation to generation.  God knew her before we even thought about her (Jeremiah 1:5).  When I think about the fact that He looked down and saw fit to pass her down to us even for a season I feel so humbled.  However, He has also given us a responsibility and that is to teach her His word and His way so that it can be passed from generation to generation.  His plan from the beginning of time wasn't for us to build up a nice college fund for her or even to provide her with a huge house but to keep His Word on our hearts and teach it to her diligently.  (Deuteronomy 6:6-9)


I think today's  "society" has underrated the role of motherhood today.  It's seen as a "second job" or something you do on the side.  However, to me it is the most important job I'll ever have and because of that it is a priority in my life.  The impact I have on my children is one of if not the only thing that will last an eternity.  What I teach and show them  will be carried on through them and through their children and so on.  What an impact Moms really make!




So while I look into those newborn eyes I know I'll make mistakes, but I'm thankful for the plan God has laid forth.  I'm thankful for his grace, mercy and forgiveness that will be there as I need it.  I'm thankful He chose me to be their Mom.  I'm thankful for those moments when "Miss Priss" is whining,"Sunshine" is crying, the dog is barking, phone is ringing, and someone is knocking at the door (yes, we've already had those) and He whispers sweet peace to me amidst all the chaos!  He lets me know that my "job" is the most important one I'll ever have and that since this is His plan He'll equip me with whatever I need!

So I just want to give a word of encouragement to all of you Moms out there!  You're doing a great work, day by day.  You're shaping a soul that will have an eternal impact!  You have been blessed with a heritage and that heritage will be passed from generation to generation.  God has placed this precious child in your hands to mold and shape.  I want to leave you with two of my favorite quotes from a book study I'm doing right now The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson: 



No matter what you do in other areas of your life, when you have a child it is a calling of God. A calling to use your intelligence and skills and your mind and your heart and your time in such a way you have the privilege of shaping children whose souls will last an eternity.

I have come to believe that being a mother encompasses all that is best within me.  To embrace the mission of motherhood requires that I understand God and his design for life and can relate deep theological issues to the everyday minutes of my life. It requires that I become a mature counselor, ready at any moment to make decisions judiciously.  It also requires that I develop skills in hospitality, nursing, intellectual prowess, diplomacy, leadership training, and more, and that I stretch my creativity to the max.
For more on this book study check out Mom Heart.

Linked to:


Tuesday, April 10, 2012

It's A Wrap


Blogging has been a little slack lately as we've been getting ready for our new arrival!  We're down to less than 2 weeks and I'm counting down so ready for her to be here!!  Over the next few weeks I plan on enjoying our last few days as a family of 3 and then embracing those first few as a family of four!  Blogging will definitely be on the back burner. So here's about 3 blog posts I've been meaning to write over the last week or so wrapped up into one big blog post (Btw-I'm pretty sure this breaks the rules of blogging but Sorry!)


31 Days to Clean:

I officially finished 31 Days Friday. And while I didn't do it as thoroughly as the 1st time I must say I'm feeling pretty accomplished!  The biggest struggle for me this time was cleaning out the closet!  Why is it when you first build your house your closets seem huge then they start shrinking??!  At first I found myself wishing we'd built bigger closets but as I started cleaning out and finding things we SO didn't need (like 9 button up solid white shirts) and others things still in shopping bags with tags still on it, I realized that if my closet was bigger then I'd just put more unnecessary "stuff" in there!  So instead I filled up 3 trash bags and a box with things we no longer needed!  Do you have any idea how nice it is to actually be able to see what clothes and shoes you have and find the ones you need?  I do now!!   I hope those of you doing this challenge along with me finished too or if not you're still hanging in there! Hey, it's OK if it takes a little more than 31 days!  Believe me it'll be worth it in the end!

Before Cleaning out Closet - picture really doesn't do it justice!

After cleaning out closet


Good Morning Girls:

GMG also wrapped up our session on Ephesians Friday. There are so many things I've learned from Paul while studying out Ephesians.  That's one thing I love about studying letters to the churches.  They cover so many things that are so relevant today!  Perhaps my biggest lesson I've learned is how we are all united through Jesus.  No matter who we are, what we look like on the outside, or where we've come from if we've accepted Christ as our Savior then we are a child of the King!  We are brothers and sisters in Christ!  Paul really tried to get this message across at a time when it was first coming to light that Jesus had died and rose again for "whosoever" not just the Jews! 


"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling. one Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father all in all, and through all and in you all." Ephesians 4:4-6.
Unfortunately, telling the truth landed Paul in prison just as I feel many of us in today's churches have imprisoned ourselves and limited God being able to work in us b/c of our narrow minds!  My eyes were opened to see what we have in common-Christ uniting us-instead of letting our differences separate us.  When we as a church can do that then so much more can be accomplished for Him! 

During our break, I plan on catching up on some reading. I hope to finish Francis Chan's book "Crazy Love" (which is FREE for Kindle right now!) and "Mission of Motherhood" by Sally Clarkson, studying the scriptures that go along with them.  The next GMG session will be from May 14-Aug 17 and will be on Proverbs 31 for some free downloadable resources check out the Good Morning Girls blog or follow them on FB.

Resolution Check-In:

So I'm about a week late on this one but here's how I did on my March Resolutions:

  1. Finish nursery-Check!  Except for a few minor things nursery is complete!  Bedding is complete, everything is washed up and stocked up and we are ready for "Miss Sunshine".


2.   Finish 31 days to Clean-Check!  It's finished and I feel not only like the house is cleaner but more organized.  I've also had a great refresher on my role in our home. All of this once again just in time for "Miss Sunshine".

3.  Be Revived:  Mostly check!  I have definitely been revived. While there are still prayers I'm waiting to see answered we had a wonderful revival at my home church and I have been able to visit several others throughout the county and  see souls saved. I am a little disappointed in myself and say "mostly check" because while I did make a few phone calls or invite people I ran into I did not visit like I'd hoped. But I do feel truly revived and I'm looking forward to going to a few more that are still going on.

4. Sharecropping-  Check (thanks largely to my wonderful brother-in-law)! We have our lettuce, tomatoes and onion planted. Although I must admit all they really would let me do is watch while my brother-in-law did most of the work.  Now if we can just keep the rabbits out I'm looking forward to planting a few more things and enjoying a fresh salad this summer!  My BIL was also kind enough to come plant 3 apple trees at our house so I'm looking forward to enjoying those in the next few years!!

April Resolution:

Have a baby!!  That's pretty much it this month! I feel that's enough!!  Preparing for her arrival, then adjusting once she's here. I hope to make this time as stress free and simple for our family as I can!  I thought I'd feel more prepared with the second one and while I do on the basics there's also a whole different area of feeling unprepared!  So if anyone has any tips on making the transition from one child to two then I'm all ears (or eyes in this case)!!

Monday, April 2, 2012

Tot School: Very Hungry Caterpillar


As I mentioned in a previous post, last week was Spring Break around here so we had a very relaxed week!  We did two days of Tot School with The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

Table Time:

  1. Cut and Paste Caterpillar
  2. Dot Pages for the Very Hungry Caterpillar
  3. Created a Watercolor Butterfly using a clothes pin, pom-poms, googly eyes, coffee filter and water colors.  We have the caterpillar on the clothespin then we can clip on his "wings" to transform him into a butterfly.
  4. Line Tracing Sheet



Floor Time:
  1. Story Sequencing Cards
  2. Color Matching Cards

Our Caterpillar/Butterfly

Matching Color Cards




Then we took a "field trip" to the zoo:


She kept wanthing to see the elephants!!

Checking out the monkeys

Resting a bit

Riding a Camel with Aunt Katey





Additional Resources:
Very Hungry Caterpillar Printable Pack
Tot School - C is for Caterpillar