making the best use of the time

This year, these months, day & hours are flying by. Am I being faithful? I know there are things I must do to take care of my family... prepare food, clean our home, fold piles of clothes, etc. But what is most important? Marking something off my never ending "to do" list or discipling, cherishing & loving on two sweet little boys? I get so deep in doing "work" that I can see the results of right away that I neglect the "work" that is of more lasting value.

This is eternal work.

Father, give me eyes to see things the way You do. To not be so busy doing "Your work" that I can't set the work aside to love on my boys. 

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." Ephesians 5:15-17

To keep my eyes fixed on You & the simplicity of what pleases Your heart. He has withheld no good thing.

al

p.s.
These 2 amazing women inspire & challenge me to be fruitful in each moment!

http://www.aholyexperience.com/

http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/

do what you can

So if you're a young mom reading this (or a student or in any other season that keeps you really busy) I'm sure you, like me, have to fight to make time with the Lord a priority. I believe making time to seek my Lord will be something I'll have to fight for for the rest of my life. It is of the upmost importance & should be our first priority! 

At the worship God conference Mike & I went to 2 weeks ago we got to hear Donald Whitney speak on "Simplifying your Spiritual Life". It was, to say the least, EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED TO HEAR! He gave a few practical things that I've already started implementing in my day.

*If you only have 10 mins to read the Bible, don't just read for 10 mins. Read for a few minutes then meditate on it for the rest of the time. Most of us can read a few paragraphs & zone out so much that we have no idea what we just read. So to read a smaller portion & meditate on it will be more beneficial. 

*To meditate is more than just reading a scripture over & over & trying to think about what it means. Try reading a scripture & changing the emphasis on each word. "WHOEVER is slow to anger has great understanding", "whoever IS slow to anger has great understanding", "whoever is SLOW to anger has great understanding" (Prov. 14:29).

*Have Bibles opened to the scripture you are meditating on for the day in different rooms of the house. So if you're in one room changing a diaper you can lean over & read the verse. If you're in the kitchen making dinner you can read it again, etc. (We have an easel for Jude in the kitchen that I've started writing my verse on. :) )

*Praying scripture. We all can get "bored" praying. Donald Whitney says it's because we say the same old things about the same old things. If we open to a Psalm & pray that over our family we will have endless things to pray about. 

So great! These things are so simple, but can bring a lot of fruit in our lives. I want to be faithful in seeking my Lord & I wish I had an hour each day to be in the Word, but it's not going to happen during this season. 

al

refreshed

I feel SO refreshed! Our family just got back from a 2 week trip to North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia & Chattanooga! It was long & we were all ready to be home, but it was so amazing to disconnect from everything here in Memphis for a little while. On our way to Maryland we saw Mike's Aunt Melanie & Uncle Daryl & their wonderful family, & we saw my Uncle Brad & his wife Tracey. Mike & I attended the Worship God conference in Gaithersburg, MD. So amazing! We were surrounded by fellow believers with like hearts, all there to worship our Savior & be equipped to lead the body of Christ before the throne. (Side note: If you haven't heard of Soujourn or Enfield you should seriously check them out... good stuff!) Mike's family came to the conference as well so we got some good family time with them. 

After the conference we headed into DC for the day (hopefully I'll get around to posting pictures later). Our family went back to Covenant Life Church, the church the conference was held at, for church on Sunday, again... so refreshing! Then we headed to Fredericksburg, VA to spend a few days with my Aunt Pam & Uncle Carl. It is always a blessing to be with them. Then we started making the long trip home, 14 hours of driving... WITHOUT TRAFFIC. Needless to say, we ran into quite a bit of traffic so it made for a longer trip, but the boys were troopers & made it easier than it would've been. We stopped in Roanoke, VA... cute place! I want to go back & explore. We trekked on to Knoxville, TN & spent the night. Then headed to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. We all had so much fun! We made a stop for dinner & TRADER JOE'S (when oh when when when will Memphis get cool & open a Trader Joe's?!) in Nashville... then we were HOME! I love our home so much! We are blessed! More than a building... I love the 3 guys that make our home HOME. We really bonded as a family & I was in desperate need of a break from the mundane. 

goodnight

al