Shine Today

I have a problem staying organized and keeping up with housework.  I'm not looking for spot free, dust free, dirt free, everything in it's place.  But, I would like a little more order.  My biggest issue is that I can never seem to finish.  Like, I'll start in one room, mess up another and then never finish either.  Then there's the garage.  I finally was getting close to being able to make it usable, but never finished.  Now it's packed again.  Funny thing is, there really was a time nothing was in it except a car.  The not so funny thing is it gets overwhelming and I find myself spinning in circles.  I can SO see how people become hoarders...

I am pretty sure this one will offend some, but I really believe it needs to be said.  Time and time again I read comments about how amazing the power of it is.  I realized that pretty much the only time I hear about how amazing prayer is is AFTER prayer has been answered the way we want it to be - Got the job! Healed! Found a new home! Married! Safe travels!  - fill in your "answer" to prayer.  How often do we hear about how great the power of prayer is when the answer isn't what we want?  God's answer to prayer is ALWAYS amazing! No matter how He chooses to answer! I have prayed for people to be healed only to see them die or continue to suffer.  I have prayed for marriages only to watch them stay the same or crumble in divorce.  I have prayed for finances, organization, families, prosperity, for people to fall in love with Jesus and many other things only for my prayers to be answered, well with a "no" or a "wait."  Does that change the awesom

Today's message was led by our youth.  Got me thinking.  A comment made stated that those born in the late 80's to late 90's desire to be a part of something big.  I've taught some of these kids.  I've shared the gospel, taught about the way we should live, spoken to them about planting seeds, shared bible stories, shared stories of martyrs, and so much more.  Yet, right in the middle of today's message, I asked myself "where are they now?"  This led to the following... Where are they? Did we do enough, did I? How many young people sat through chapel, youth, main service, heard the truth about Jesus, even committed their life to Christ, only to walk away?  I look back and think about all the young adults who have walked through my life.  I think about some of the messages I taught to so many of them.  I remember what some of them said they wanted to do.  I had really great talks with so many, but my heart breaks as I consider where they are today.  I

So, I read a blog today about limits (you can find it here http://leadingandlovingit.com/ ).  It got me thinking.  There are things I really want to do but just can't seem to find the time to get serious about it (like this blog & photography).  I realize I am a mom (who also happens to homeschool) and I can't just leave my youngest at home by herself, but that's not the point (that's just a good excuse).  What really caught my attention is the simple truth - we all have limits.  And we need limits in order to function at 100% at the things we do.  It's just, how do you figure out what to say no to and what to say yes to? I have seen people do it.  No, I am not comparing myself, just stating a fact.  I am not looking to be superwoman, just a woman who can run her household efficiently.  I wouldn't mind de-cluttering a bit more too.  And, I want to finish.  Not just start in one room or one corner at a time. I've been there, done that.  All I end up doi

I have come to realize that most of my life has been just doing, just being.  For me, I never had to be told to do my homework, I just did it.  I didn't have to be told to get a job, I just did.  Lots of things, I just do.  Its been this way since I was little.  By the time I first learned how to tie my own shoes, I did it, no help, even if it took 30 minutes to get them tied, I did it (my mom tried to help, but I always said I can do it).  Even when it came to teaching my kids how to do math, I can show them all the ways to solve a problem, but learned that I was just doing it, not really teaching it.  This comes in to play in several areas of my life.  The problem is that there are times I need to have an answer as to HOW I do it or WHY I do it.  Or, better yet, to show someone else how or why to do something.  But, my words rarely seem to come out right.  When this happens, I watch the response of the one I am trying to explain something to and it's not a good sight.  It o

So, I read a book. Well, actually, I have read lots. But, this one I just finished, well, something needs to be said more then just what I wrote in my review (which you can find here: http://shine2day2bookreview.blogspot.com/ ) The book is called "Life, in Spite of Me." It is about a young lady who lived after a suicide attempt. The thing that makes me want to share it here too is that her story is the story of MANY of our young adults and youth today, for that matter, even adults. Suicide is huge, almost popular. When I was growing up, if you heard someone had killed themselves it affected you simply because you didn't hear about it very often. Today, suicide seems to be happening all the time. Worse is the amount of people who struggle with depression, who feel there is nothing worth living for or that life is just a bummer. Just the other day I heard about 2 young girls who both struggled with depression and together, ended their lives at what should have been

Sometimes I just want to let it all out, you know, tell it like it really is. See, homeschool, parenting, taking care of a house, life, they're all hard. There is not ANYTHING easy. OK, wait, maybe...no, never mind, nothing. See, making the decision to teach your children is time consuming, takes discipline and has it's challenges. At times, I'd much rather be doing other stuff. Then there's the never ending laundry, dishes, cooking, cleaning... As a parent, wow, where do I start. Raising kids is a challenge like no other! You WILL question your self over and over. But then, living single has its ups & downs. Sending your kids to public school has its moments. Not taking care of my home has REAL bad consequences! (sorry, had to throw that in :) ) Then there are those moments where you listen to your child read on their own. And the times they just randomly draw you a picture. And you do get all the housework caught up, even if just until the next meal.

You know, sometimes I find myself just asking a lot of questions. Well, recently it's been about our explorer and what to do with it. Oh, a Ford Explorer that is. Back on Thanksgiving, it broke down. While trying to figure out what to do with it, and finding someone to fix it, I felt as though I was supposed to go ahead and take it to a shop vs having "friend" do it. Well, $6200+ later, my husband said no way. So now what. Well, this morning I called the shop to tell them I'll have it towed home. While waiting for the shop to let me know it's ready, I went ahead and placed an ad for sale on the web. Within 5 minutes max, someone called. Long story short, he bought it, as is. Hiss uncle is a mechanic. I loved that truck. It was sad to see it go. Then, I go and help my daughter look at a place for rent for her and her husband. As much as I don't want them to move out, I know they plan on more children and it's already crowded in our 3 bedroom 1

Could marriage really become obsolete? A friend of mine sent me a text saying that new surveys show 39% of American's believe so. That's up from 1978 when only 28% felt that way. Really? I told him I disagreed and he asked me why. Well, because I believe that there will always be enough people, especially believers in Christ, that will believe in marriage. BUT, 39% is a LOT of people! That's about 4 out of 10 that believe marriage is becoming obsolete. Could we end up in a place where less than 50% believe in marriage? With living together increasing yearly, up 13% just last year, where will marriage be in 10 years? So, my questions... Is it that we don't believe in marriage, or that we just don't like the way it looks today? Why do more people believe marriage is on its way out then ever before? What is marriage to you? And lastly, who are these people interviewed?