Hello friends,
This morning I took sometime to catch up on some missed bible sermons. I'm so grateful that I did. This is what I took away from it and I hope that it inspires or helps you, as much as it has me.
Have you ever felt like you have been called to do something, but felt like you didn't have time? I know, I have. Maybe, you just didn't understand what was being asked of you. God's favor isn't always what we imagine it to be. His purpose is often so different than we would ever plan. Sometimes, what we feel is interruption is actually an invitation to something greater. I think about how young Mary felt when the angel
Gabriel appeared and told her that she would give birth to Jesus. Did she think interruption or invitation? Actually, the bible clearly tells us that Mary was confused and disturbed at first.
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” 29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. Luke 1:26-29 NLT
*************
38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” Luke 1:38 NLT
Remember friends, things you could never plan for can become the greatest blessings, because God has a greater purpose in his plans.
I know, I'm going to be looking at interruptions very different for now on.
I also wanted to share with you something that has been on my heart for a while now. I recently started reading a little book called
Coffee Break with God. I received this book a few years ago, from my
mil. I remember reading through it and putting it on a shelf. Well, through the years the book collected quite a bit of dust. I saw this and decided it needed to be cleaned. I picked the book up to dust it off and decided to keep it out, to read later. That evening I opened the book to a random page and WOW! It was just what I needed to read and have felt a strong urge to share the message.
The first words I read were ---When Life Becomes Routine.
I know as a homeschooling mom, that stays home a lot, I have felt that things have became very routine. The same this, the same that. Friends, I never realized that these feelings could be signs of oncoming depression. I needed to ask God for a change of attitude. I had been falling into a very destructive thought pattern. I realized that I needed to find a hobby, family activity, etc. One thing is certain, God doesn't want us to abandon dreams he has giving us. He wants us to fulfill the dreams he has put in our hearts.
What are you afraid of? Fears attack the most precious parts of our life and keep us from living the life meant for us. God wants to help us overcome our darkest fears as we learn to Fear Not. I would love it if you would join me now or at one of the 61 experiences this week to find out more! You can join us at
http://go2.lc/11a. See you there!
I feel so fortunate to be part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew and be able to receive the Yearly Membership Option to SchoolhouseTeachers.com. While I haven't been a member long, I have already found so many favorites on the site. For example, my oldest daughter has recently started learning the guitar and they have a page dedicated to guitar lessons with instruction from Jerry Jennings. She has been doing the lessons and I can see evidence of how much they have already helped her. This friends, makes me so happy. She also got very excited about a writing contest they are currently conducting. She had so much fun creating and writing her own story.
This week my girls and I took the opportunity to go through all of the books we own and pick out all of our Christmas books. We have a cute blue basket in our living room that now stores them for easy access. It's so nice to have them all in one convenient place. We have enjoyed taking the time in the evenings to gather together and read them. So far our favorite books are The Story of Christmas, The Magic of Christmas: A treasury of Holiday Stories, & The legend of the Candy Cane. Our all-time favorite though is most definitely The Story of Christmas. We love this book, because it's the story of our Savior's birth. I have enjoyed reading this book to my girls and talking with them about why Christmas is special. I'm reminded year after year, that the snowmen and elves are fun, but the true story of Christmas is far more amazing and so important in our lives. 
Brrr... It's cold out there today. We have been enjoying the day inside, staying warm. I managed to get a fire going in the fireplace and a huge pot of potato soup cooking. I seriously love potato soup and we are patiently waiting for my hubby to arrive, so we can eat this delicious dinner together.
