Looking Forward and Up!

In a couple of weeks, our community Bible Study group which just began its 4th year (yea!) will begin to study the book Crazy Love. I just watched the above video about the book and am already chomping at the bit to read and discuss what Francis Chan has put together. Right now, we are just wrapping up a study of The Red Sea Rules. It has been a 10 week course (broken up over the summer) on how God, who brought us to something, will see us through whatever it may be.

The online resource for Crazy Love is found at www.crazylovebook.com
It is fun to take a sneak peek at each chapter. Awwww, go ahead take a look. Who knows, you may even start a Crazy Love Book study group too.

"Be Still and Know that I am God"

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.”

I want to share with you some thoughts about being still. I had the privilege a couple of weeks ago of doing for 5 days what young moms do everyday and that is to take care of young children day and night.
At the end of each day after Ethan and Clare had had their showers, I read to them the same book each night because that is what Ethan wanted. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I would even mix up the stack of books and he would root through them until he found it. That was the best part of my day with the younger 2. We were still. Ethan and Clare just sat there and listened. They didn’t say, I want that, I want to put the peanut butter on the bread, I want to carry the plates, etc. They were just still.
We need to be still everyday. Your idea of being still may be different than mine. I like to be alone and read a book. You may like to go for a walk. It doesn’t matter how you are still just seek to have that time.
When I was in school as a student, my teachers made it clear that we were to leave margins on our paper. Both sides and top and bottom. I looked up the definition of margins and the one that applies here is: the blank space that surrounds the text on a page; "he jotted a note in the margin"
We need margins in our lives. Blank time, down time, time to think and not to do. Without the margins and spaces on a page, all of the words would blend together and we would have a very hard time deciphering what is written.

We are all so different. Let’s really focus on God and what He would have us do. He says, Be still and know that I am God.
Any science experiment or art or craft project needs down time. Time to dry, time to set, time to ferment, time to dissolve, whatever. We too need time to “not do”.

It's a Good Day!

This song is so happy. Since this is such a beeee-u-tiful day, thought I'd share this song and words!! Enjoy:)

Oh! It's a good day, for singin' a song,
An' it's a good day for movin' along,
Yes, it's a good day, how could anything go wrong?
A good day from mornin' 'till night!

Yes it's a good day, ( it's a lovely day for shinin' ) for shinin' your shoes
An' it's a good day ( if you wan' a silver linin' ) for losin' the blues
( You got . . . ) Everything t' gain ( everythin' t' gain and nuthin' ) and nuthin' t' lose,
'Cuz it's a good day from mornin' to night! ( You're right! )

I said to the sun, "Good Mornin' Sun!"
"Rise an' shine t'day!"
You kno' you gotta get goin' if you're gonna make a showin'
And you kno' you got the right of way!

'Cause it's a good day for payin' your bills,
And it's a good day for curin' your ills,
So, take a deep breath, throw away all your pills,
'Cause it's a good day from mornin' 'till night!

Just this very day, I said to the sun, "Good Mornin' Sun!"
"Rise an' shine, why don't you rise and shine?"
You kno' you gotta get goin' if you wanna make a showin'
And you kno' you've got the right of way!

'Cause it's a good day for payin' your bills,
And it's a ' gooood ' day for curin' your ills,
So, take a deep breath ( Ahhh! ) throw away all your pills,
'Cause it's a good day from mornin' 'till night! ( Say that again! )
Oh it's a good day from mornin' 'till night ( That's what he said! )
Yes it's a good day from mornin' 'till night!

Labor Day Weekend

Today is Sunday of Labor Day weekend. Yesterday, we celebrated our older daughter's 29th birthday. Yes, I was in labor on a Labor Day weekend that many years ago. The day was picture perfect weatherwise. We had a friend and some family over for gourmet sandwiches and a specialty cake from one of our favorite local cafes. I got to go shoe shopping with my daughter. I got one pair and she got two pairs. I also talked to our younger daughter several states away who couldn't be here and found out she too had gone shoe shopping and purchased four pairs. When our older daughter was just a baby, she was dubbed the name "Shoe Baby" by a toddler friend. I guess at that point in her life, she probably liked chewing on shoes or something because he could see her fascination with shoes at an early age. I do not know how many pairs of shoes she has, but needless to say, she does love shoes!!
Anyway, I digress. Today, we had a great sermon at church from Ezra chapter 4. The gist of the sermon was not to despise the small things. It has been a relaxing Sunday. I even went for a fun jog late in the day. Tomorrow, I will go to the Y early, visit my mom, and get rid of some clutter in the family room and around the house. Since it will be Labor Day, I will spend part of the day doing decluttering/organizing work.
When I was a teacher, I always felt ready for the new school year after Labor Day. Although, most of the years that I taught, school began before that day. When I was a child and all through my high school days, school always began afer Labor Day. Maybe that is why I really looked forward, as a teacher, to beginning school then. I guess I felt in the school mode. In a couple of days, I will go to the school where I taught for 20 years and give a talk to the younger children of the school during their Chapel time. That will be fun because it's after Labor Day! I am ready!! All I really need is my trusty red plaid sachel that I carried when I was in elementary school. I loved to carry that stewart plaid book sachel with my Dick and Jane book and other school supplies. Oh well.... I will take my green Y bag instead filled with my workout clothes, stretch bands and a few other things to share about the topic of "Flexibility".
Thanks to this three day weekend of celebrating, relaxing, worshiping, exercising and working, I am one happy and thankful lady!!