Everything Under the Son
Because JESUS is my everything
Preparing a fun surprise!
Friday, September 26, 2008
I am working this morning, preparing for a little surprise for Natalie and her classmates. Every other Friday, I spend about 45 minutes reading to the girls. It is a fun way for me to get to know them all a little better and it give the teacher some prep time for the next week's adventures.
Today happens to be Johnny Appleseed's birthday. I know that the girls are going to be talking about it some this morning, so I decided to do something a little different for 'story-time'. We are celebrating! It's a Johnny Appleseed birthday party!! I have party hats for the girls to wear, and each will get a party bag that has apple pie and apple juice. We are also making sun-catcher's in the shape of an apple while I read them stories about apples, and Johnny Appleseed! I can't wait!
But shhh, don't tell them...I won't go until later this morning! :)
I love surprises!
Today happens to be Johnny Appleseed's birthday. I know that the girls are going to be talking about it some this morning, so I decided to do something a little different for 'story-time'. We are celebrating! It's a Johnny Appleseed birthday party!! I have party hats for the girls to wear, and each will get a party bag that has apple pie and apple juice. We are also making sun-catcher's in the shape of an apple while I read them stories about apples, and Johnny Appleseed! I can't wait!
But shhh, don't tell them...I won't go until later this morning! :)
I love surprises!
Are you ready??
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
I am definitely ready! Ready for what, you ask? Ready for FALL! I am ready for the changing leaves, and the cooler temperatures. I am ready for the smell of apples and cinnamon, pumpkin and spice. I am ready for brisk mornings, when a sweater or light jacket is in order. I am ready for fun pictures of the kids at the pumpkin patch, and the joy of choosing Halloween costumes. I am ready!
Are you ready? What is your favorite thing about FALL??
Are you ready? What is your favorite thing about FALL??
I am the One
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
This song speaks to me...what a wonderful reminder of just how much the Lord seeks me out...little old me. He wants me, and He loves me, and He will always come to find me when I have lost my way.
Are you thirsty, standing in the rain?
Not sure where you are or how you lost your way
Are you drowning
Some bar outside of town?
Searching for something given not found
A crowd of people totally alone
At the front door
Worlds away from home
And light up the night's last regret
Burn your only safety net
Step to the edge it's such a long way down
And I left the ninety-nine to find the one
and you're the one
I walked a thousand miles in this desert sun
Only to bring you back
Are you tired of chasing the wind?
Under water, do you aspire to breathe again?
Are you dying?
Is that the best that you can do?
Cause you can't find your place in a world that wasn't meant for you.
I left the ninety-nine to find the one
And you're the one
I walked a thousand miles in this desert sun
Only to bring you back
Hello, it's me i couldn't sleep I was just counting sheep.
I'm missing you.
Hello, it's me i couldn't sleep I was just counting sheep.
I left the ninety-nine to find the one
And you're the one
I walked a thousand miles in this desert sun
Only to bring you back.
I left the ninety-nine to find the one
And you're the one
I walked a thousand miles in this desert sun
Only to bring you back
Not sure where you are or how you lost your way
Are you drowning
Some bar outside of town?
Searching for something given not found
A crowd of people totally alone
At the front door
Worlds away from home
And light up the night's last regret
Burn your only safety net
Step to the edge it's such a long way down
And I left the ninety-nine to find the one
and you're the one
I walked a thousand miles in this desert sun
Only to bring you back
Are you tired of chasing the wind?
Under water, do you aspire to breathe again?
Are you dying?
Is that the best that you can do?
Cause you can't find your place in a world that wasn't meant for you.
I left the ninety-nine to find the one
And you're the one
I walked a thousand miles in this desert sun
Only to bring you back
Hello, it's me i couldn't sleep I was just counting sheep.
I'm missing you.
Hello, it's me i couldn't sleep I was just counting sheep.
I left the ninety-nine to find the one
And you're the one
I walked a thousand miles in this desert sun
Only to bring you back.
I left the ninety-nine to find the one
And you're the one
I walked a thousand miles in this desert sun
Only to bring you back
To Bring You Back - by Paul Alan
YOU are the One, and He wants to bring YOU back!
YOU are the One, and He wants to bring YOU back!
Something to think about...
"[God] is not proud...He will have us even though
we have shown that we prefer everything else to Him."
--C.S. Lewis in The Problem of Pain
What's your preference?
Think on this...
Friday, September 12, 2008
Ann over at The Holy Experience of Listening has done it again. She has written some beautiful words, posed some excellent questions about our lives as God's children. My favorite question of today's post is this one...
"Why do we live as if God can be hemmed in, cut off and
compartmentalized from all the other pieces of our lives?"
--Ann V. @ Holy Experience
compartmentalized from all the other pieces of our lives?"
--Ann V. @ Holy Experience
Please take a moment and go read what she has to say today. Her way with words is amazing, and you will not walk away un-touched. I know I never do.
Crazy-Busy!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
It has been a wonderful but crazy-busy week for the Jones'! I have been teaching at Mother's Day Out, which leaves me happy but exhausted. Natalie's school is going great! She comes home having learned something new every day. She has memorized probably 6 or 7 poems/memory verses already! She is working hard and loving it!! I have been the snack mom for her class this week, and of course worked hard to find fun and healthy snacks for the girls to enjoy. I am also going up tomorrow to read for about 45 minutes to her class...I LOVE BOOKS! I can't wait to spend some time with the girls, reading and getting to know them better. Of course with story-time on my calendar, I made a mad dash to the library today, booklist in hand, trying to find something fun to share. We will see how it goes.
Levi is having a great time at school. His teachers tell me he is super helpful, even helping the other 2 year-olds put their shoes back on after nap-time...so funny! He is also eating like a horse...wow, who knew a 2 year-old could put away so much food. The funny part is, he is as skinny as ever. When we potty-train that little man, his pants will not stay up! The only thing holding those things up now is the diaper :) Oh well, at least he has Nathaniel's metabolism and not mine!
As I type this, Nathaniel and Natalie are having a Daddy-Daughter date night to the rodeo! Fun times! Both dressed in their boots, they were smiling as they headed out for an evening together. I love that Nathaniel makes time to spend with Natalie. She is learning so much about how boys should treat her, and I know there isn't a better example for her than Nathaniel. Thank you God for amazing daddies!!
Levi is in bed, so I am going to use this time to get ahead on some of my lesson planning for school. I like to be ahead, and there is precious little time for working without being disturbed. I will make the most of it by working with my feet propped up, sipping some yummy tea, and watching something mindless on T.V.
Blessings over your busy-ness!
Levi is having a great time at school. His teachers tell me he is super helpful, even helping the other 2 year-olds put their shoes back on after nap-time...so funny! He is also eating like a horse...wow, who knew a 2 year-old could put away so much food. The funny part is, he is as skinny as ever. When we potty-train that little man, his pants will not stay up! The only thing holding those things up now is the diaper :) Oh well, at least he has Nathaniel's metabolism and not mine!
As I type this, Nathaniel and Natalie are having a Daddy-Daughter date night to the rodeo! Fun times! Both dressed in their boots, they were smiling as they headed out for an evening together. I love that Nathaniel makes time to spend with Natalie. She is learning so much about how boys should treat her, and I know there isn't a better example for her than Nathaniel. Thank you God for amazing daddies!!
Levi is in bed, so I am going to use this time to get ahead on some of my lesson planning for school. I like to be ahead, and there is precious little time for working without being disturbed. I will make the most of it by working with my feet propped up, sipping some yummy tea, and watching something mindless on T.V.
Blessings over your busy-ness!
What voice are you listening to?
Monday, September 08, 2008
I think we all have them...those voices that speak negativity to us. Sometimes those voices are attached to other people. Instead of speaking encouragement and love, they speak negativity and judgment. Sometimes the voice is in our head, reminding us of all that we are not, and all that we never can be.
It's a hard one...not listening to those voices. As the old saying goes, if you hear something enough times, you truly start to believe it. I think this really comes into play with these voices. After hearing that you are not smart enough, not thin enough, not pretty enough, not rich enough, not (insert your 'thing' here) enough...we begin to believe that to be truth about ourselves.
I am guilty of this. Guilty of letting all of the voices (other people's and the ones in my head) tell me I am not ever enough, and I have believed it. Over the last several months. though, I have been working at being intentional about NOT listening when those voices begin to speak to me. You see, really there is only ONE VOICE that matters...God's.
A while back I was convicted that I was listening to every voice but God's. I have found myself distant from Him, not something I am proud of. The truth is that I have to know His voice to hear His voice...and knowing Him means spending time with Him, reading His words, and drawing near to Him. I am working on all of that. I am finding that the more I know Him, the more I recognize His voice. It wasn't that the Lord wasn't speaking to me, it was that I wasn't listening.
Now that I am listening to the One True Voice of my Father, I hear Him saying things like:
"For I know the plans I have for you (Anne)," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." --Jeremiah 29:11 (italics mine)
"You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out." --Deuteronomy 28:6
"Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." --Proverbs 31:30
"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven." --Matthew 10:32
The Lord also used the lyrics to this popular christian song to minister to my heart. He used these words to remind me of the voice I am to always be listening for...and that voice is the VOICE OF TRUTH!
It's a hard one...not listening to those voices. As the old saying goes, if you hear something enough times, you truly start to believe it. I think this really comes into play with these voices. After hearing that you are not smart enough, not thin enough, not pretty enough, not rich enough, not (insert your 'thing' here) enough...we begin to believe that to be truth about ourselves.
I am guilty of this. Guilty of letting all of the voices (other people's and the ones in my head) tell me I am not ever enough, and I have believed it. Over the last several months. though, I have been working at being intentional about NOT listening when those voices begin to speak to me. You see, really there is only ONE VOICE that matters...God's.
A while back I was convicted that I was listening to every voice but God's. I have found myself distant from Him, not something I am proud of. The truth is that I have to know His voice to hear His voice...and knowing Him means spending time with Him, reading His words, and drawing near to Him. I am working on all of that. I am finding that the more I know Him, the more I recognize His voice. It wasn't that the Lord wasn't speaking to me, it was that I wasn't listening.
Now that I am listening to the One True Voice of my Father, I hear Him saying things like:
"For I know the plans I have for you (Anne)," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." --Jeremiah 29:11 (italics mine)
"You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out." --Deuteronomy 28:6
"Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." --Proverbs 31:30
"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven." --Matthew 10:32
The Lord also used the lyrics to this popular christian song to minister to my heart. He used these words to remind me of the voice I am to always be listening for...and that voice is the VOICE OF TRUTH!
Oh,what I would do to have
the kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown
Where Jesus is,
And he's holding out his hand
But the waves are calling out my name
and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
time and time again
"Boy, you'll never win,
you'll never win."
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
the voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the voice of truth says "this is for my glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
Oh, what I would do
to have the kind of strength it takes
To stand before a giant
with just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound
of a thousand warriors
shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand
But the giant's calling out
my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
time and time again
"Boy you'll never win,
you'll never win."
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
the voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the voice of truth says "this is for my glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
But the stone was just the right size
to put the giant on the ground
and the waves they don't seem so high
from on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
when I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
singing over me
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says do not be afraid
And the voice of truth says this is for my glory
Out of all the voices calling out to me (calling out to me)
I will choose to listen and believe (I will choose to listen and believe)
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
I will listen and believe
I will listen and believe the voice of truth
I will listen and believe
'Cause Jesus you are the voice of truth
And I will listen to you.. oh you are
the kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown
Where Jesus is,
And he's holding out his hand
But the waves are calling out my name
and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
time and time again
"Boy, you'll never win,
you'll never win."
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
the voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the voice of truth says "this is for my glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
Oh, what I would do
to have the kind of strength it takes
To stand before a giant
with just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound
of a thousand warriors
shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand
But the giant's calling out
my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
time and time again
"Boy you'll never win,
you'll never win."
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
the voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the voice of truth says "this is for my glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
But the stone was just the right size
to put the giant on the ground
and the waves they don't seem so high
from on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
when I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
singing over me
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says do not be afraid
And the voice of truth says this is for my glory
Out of all the voices calling out to me (calling out to me)
I will choose to listen and believe (I will choose to listen and believe)
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
I will listen and believe
I will listen and believe the voice of truth
I will listen and believe
'Cause Jesus you are the voice of truth
And I will listen to you.. oh you are
Now more than ever, I am convicted that the only voice that matters is the one that belongs to my Father. His voice is the only one I need to listen to. I can identify so much with the lines in the song about the voices reminding me of all the times I have failed, and all the ways I am not good enough. But to all of the 'other' voices, I have a new thing. Picture me with my fingers in my ears, my voice saying LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA! That is my new approach to all of the negative, worldly voices. "The voice of truth tells me a different story" and I am listening!
What about you? Are there voices that seem to speak more loudly to you than the Voice of Truth? How can we drown out the maddening noise and focus on the voice that matters? And share some of the things that God is speaking to you...what ways has He encouraged you with His voice?
What about you? Are there voices that seem to speak more loudly to you than the Voice of Truth? How can we drown out the maddening noise and focus on the voice that matters? And share some of the things that God is speaking to you...what ways has He encouraged you with His voice?
Quotable
Thursday, September 04, 2008
C.S. Lewis has some great things to say. My husband loves Lewis. He has read all of his books, and took a course in college devoted to all things C.S. Lewis. While Nathaniel has shared much with me about the things Lewis has to say, and encourages me always to read Lewis and be challenged, I actually heard the following quote on tv the other day, and found it worth mentioning here. It really made me think, and has me convinced that I myself should start to read some C.S. Lewis.
"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our
conscience, but shouts in our
pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."
--C.S. Lewis in The Problem of Pain
Can I hear God's whispers...His speaking...His shouts? Am I listening?
conscience, but shouts in our
pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."
--C.S. Lewis in The Problem of Pain
Can I hear God's whispers...His speaking...His shouts? Am I listening?
