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Dec

Bible Reading Plan for 2010

How do you spend your regular Quiet Time? Do you have a standard practice of Bible reading, devotionals, journaling, and/or prayer? Do you have a “plan” that you have been using successfully?

Are you – like me – looking for a fresh “plan” – or at least a fresh sense of direction when it comes to having your daily Quiet Time with the Lord?

When I schedule my alarm to get up at 5:30 in the morning – it seems that inevitably, one or both girls begin waking up at 5:15 a.m.

When I schedule my quiet time for 8:30 p.m. at night – that’s when one or both girls are dealing with bad dreams, wild imaginations or “Mommy, I’m thirsty.” =)

But sometimes, I want a “plan” so that when I find myself – all of a sudden and unexpectedly – facing an hour of time for which I do not have to be responsible for (or to) anyone else – I want a PLAN so I can jump right into my Quiet Time with the Lord. Having a plan means that when some unexpected free time arises, I CAN jump right into my Quiet Time with the Lord!

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Dec

Finding Quiet Time in the Real World

queenmommy

Ohhhh – do you remember – or maybe you know now – what Quiet Time is like. You know – those quiet moments spent with the Lord – just learning, growing, worshipping, praising, thanking, praying, reading, writing.

Sigh.

I used to hate the quiet – it was eerie and bothersome. Unless it was my ritual bubble bath and then I loved the quiet. Now I LONG for those quiet moments where I can clear my head and get in touch with the Lord again.

Funny how things change.

“Quiet Time” has taken on new meaning in my life. My “Quiet Time” is usually during nap time, and some days those moments are fleeting and brief. I know – I know – Enjoy these times with my girls because they won’t last long. Bubble baths are rare – often short – but still nice. I will say that I have learned (and am still learning) to adjust to the moments when chaos reigns and noise overpowers. It’s a work in progress…

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Category: Faith Tags: Bible Study, Bible Study aids, Quiet Time 2 Comments

Dec

Kettle Club – To Get Things Rolling

queenmommy

kettleclub Exemplify Online has a monthly Kettle Club, where questions are posted at the beginning of the month and those who participate can jump in at the end of the month to share their experiences via their blog.

It just so happens that the theme for December has been Knowing Christ better and how to do that. For some time I’ve been struggling in my personal daily walk with the Lord. It’s hard to “schedule” Quiet Time when I have trouble scheduling anything… But I’ve been craving more time with Him and knowing Him again in a daily relationship. Having decided to commit to that, the Kettle Club just gave me a little push in the right direction…

KC Question 1: What tools did you use in getting to know Christ better this month? (devotionals, study, prayer, Scripture…)

I downloaded a Bible study from Cindy Rushton many months ago and decided to print it and walk through it in December. It’s a study on the life of Hannah and I’ve been able to spend many hours really taking in the work of the Lord in Hannah’s life. I’ve also been committed to MORNING TIME with the Lord on a daily basis – as committed as I am to coffee, my coffee time is being shared with the Lord. It’s not just about praying but about listening and asking God to speak to my heart and be real to me throughout the day.

KC Question #2; Did you learn something about yourself through learning more about Jesus?

It has been eye-opening. The more time I spend with Jesus, the more I want Him in my life. I am so self-absorbed and not so full of the Spirit – and I am asking Him to continue the painful process of dying to self in my life. I have really lived so long in my own power and don’t have a grasp on the full power available to me in Christ, and I am praying for Him to continue to reveal Himself to me in new ways.

KC Question #3: Did you find Him waiting to be found by you?

SUCH a great thing about God. He relentlessly pursues me and if I only stop and turn – there He is. He has been so close to me in some brokenness in my life this month – and I have been drawn closer to Him because of it. I’ve had some tough weeks of late – my miscarriage, my Algebra class (which I ended up withdrawing from and will have to retake at a local college next year), and stomach flu for each of us the week of Christmas. I’ve been broken more often than not, but God has poured out His grace and mercy over me and I am being drawn closer to Him.

I think the biggest effect it has all had on me is this CRAVING I have for time with Him – in His Word – in prayer – listening to Him speak – discovering more hard places for His hand to soften – yielding more of myself and allowing Him to till up the soil for more planing. It’s not easy. It’s not. I don’t like to give up what is “mine” to anyone – and yet in surrender, I’ve found such great peace in Him.

Next month, I’m going to study the book of James. It’s a hard book but it’s one that God has been speaking to me about, so that is my next in depth Bible study. After reviewing a bit of the “inductive Bible study” method” I am going to take a deeper look at what God has to say to me from the book of James.

Category: Faith, blogging Tags: Bible Study, Exemplify Online, Kettle Club, Nature of Christ Leave a Comment

Dec

Singin’ At Home with Michael Buble

queenmommy

Whew – the preparation for Christmas has NOTHING on the aftermath of Christmas!

This is the pile of boxes remaining from our Christmas extravaganza!

My dad always had a “system” for opening gifts on Christmas morning. After one of us kids was selected to play Santa, one gift was passed out at a time and opened individually so that everybody enjoyed each other’s Christmas gifts. As each gift was open the wrapping paper, boxes, and other packaging materials were collected IMMEDIATELY into a garbage bag, or broken down as needed. The only aftermath I ever saw was a stuffed-to-the-brim garbage bag.

We all used to laugh about it – but truthfully, he made sense! It wasn’t just because he’d been a drill instructor in the Marine Corps! It was logical and neat and there was NO PILE of boxes needing to be moved to the garage with the other trash.

So – to make my home sing – I’m going to get the remnants of our Christmas Extravaganza OUT of our house. It makes me crazy to see it sitting there – especially in my KITCHEN of all places. If I could fashion it into some sort of new countertop work space I’d do it – but it’s not feasible, so the boxes will be broken down and removed and new toys will be put into their place. Old cookies are going to be thrown out, wrapping paper will be stored for next year, and I will be able to walk from one room to another without stubbing my toe on something!

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Granted, each of us dealt with a bout of the stomach flu through the week – Roy’s and mine peaking Saturday and Sunday – so the aftermath lasted much longer than it might have otherwise. And maybe next year, we’ll implement a “system” for unwrapping gifts and taking care of the wrap & packaging as we go…

For today – it’s on to laundry and straightening and trash removal – and back to the semi-chaos that is the normal everyday life here! And while I’m at it, I’ll just sing along to Michael Bublé’s CD “Crazy Love” – which I recently won on Blogher.com!!! It’s much easier to ba-ba-ba-Broom my way through the kitchen with a smooth crooner like Bublé!

This post is linked up to:

Category: Cleaning, Holidays, Home, Life Tags: Christmas aftermath, Making Home Sing meme, Making Your Home Sing, Michael Buble 2 Comments

Dec

Unwrapping Christmas

queenmommy

As Christians, we often find ourselves fighting to keep our focus on the REAL meaning of Christmas. Many people focus on family time and how blessed we are to have one another. Some people focus on Jesus birth and the baby lying in a manger. It’s easy to think of Jesus – innocent and vulnerable – lying there in a manger amongst the cattle and other animals.

But ultimately, Christmas is about something much bigger. Much larger. Much harder for us to fully comprehend.

Christmas is not simply about Jesus’ birth. It is about Jesus’ death. Of course, he had to come to earth – take on human form – live in human flesh among us.

God with us.

But His story – OUR story does not end there. If it did, Jesus’ life would not matter. If he grew up and died for all mankind it would not have been enough.

Christmas – as much as Easter – is about Christ’s victory over death. It is about the war – that eternal battle that wages on – already won by our Lord and Saviour – born of a virgin – crucified upon a cross -

Lord-&-Saviour

Risen Again and seated at the Right Hand of God.

THAT is the ultimate gift of Christmas. No other gift that can compare.

Jesus Christ fulfilled more than 300 Messianic prophecies in order to fulfill God’s plan of redemption for humankind. His death sealed the fate of our enemy – the defeated one – and offers life to all who believe.

When you think of the real meaning of Christmas – don’t just leave baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. Don’t stop in amazement at the wonder of an angelic chorus revealing the Messiah’s birth to shepherds in a field. Don’t just focus on the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh brought to Him and how we need to give to others.

Focus on our Redeemer and King – the VICTOR – holding the keys to death and Hades.

And the Ever-living One [I am living in the eternity of the eternities]. I died, but see, I am alive forevermore; and I possess the keys of death and Hades (the realm of the dead). Revelation 1:8 ~Amplified

For without His birth – His death – and His resurrection – there would be no Christmas.

christmas04

Category: Faith, Holidays, Home, Uncategorized Tags: Christmas Leave a Comment

Dec

New Christmas Traditions

queenmommy

So it’s a busy week and I didn’t get my post done early – but I’ll share with you a couple of new Christmas traditions as a mommy!

A couple of years ago I really wanted to bake cookies. My mom has cookie baking with her grandkids – but our schedules never coincide for us to be able to get together with Curly and Georgie. So I started making cookies and having my niece & nephew, Moe & Larry, help decorate them. As Curly & Georgie have grown – the tradition continues.

This year we are having it at the last minute – between our schedules and sicknesses, we didn’t think it was going to happen – but we’re scrambling to get together today to get some cookies baked, decorated and delivered to a few friends. =)

Another tradition we’ve shared is visiting the local Christmas lights display at the county fairgrounds. It’s a drive thru display and we’ve gone for many years together. This year – Curly & Georgie got to go with Mamaw & Papaw – and we’ve taken some side roads at times so we can all enjoy lights together.

I have other traditions I’d like to add – buying new ornaments for the girls each year, reading Luke 2 Christmas morning, and having a birthday cake for Jesus – but those are coming in time.

Hope you’re enjoying many family Christmas and holiday traditions this year!

Category: Uncategorized Tags: Christmas traditions Leave a Comment

Dec

Christmas Traditions of my Adolescence

queenmommy

Yesterday I wrote about the childhood Christmas traditions I celebrated with my family. Today I’m writing about my Christmas remembrances as a teenager…

As we got older, of course my mom was able to incorporate us into some of the holiday preparations – and this is when Christmas REALLY got fun for me.

Through the years, my mom had collected BOXES and boxes (and boxes) of Christmas decorations and collectibles that always came out as we began decorating for Christmas. The disorder and chaos (and our intense enthusiasm) often drove my dad out of the house! We would begin opening boxes and talk about the candles that mom got from “so and so” that I didn’t remember seeing before because she received them just last year. Or finding the ornaments and decorations my brothers and I made as a child and how special they still were to my mom and how they would find a place of honor among the decorations.

The years that mom let my brothers and I have free reign with the Christmas decorations were so much fun. On some levels it gave her more time to spend in the kitchen – but I’m sure it was still crazy-busy for her because we’d be trying to do 3 things at once!

We ALWAYS put the tree up the day after Thanksgiving. That was the beginning of the Christmas season for us.

My brother Dan was so talented, and the year he painted a huge Christmas display on our front window was so awesome. I got to put out all the candles and knick knacks and collectibles as I packed away our everyday things. One box at a time – each new box revealing treasures and trinkets that added to our Christmas festivity!

Getting to help make the Buckeyes, English toffee, Monster cookies, Haystacks, decorated Sugar cookies, Chocolate-Dipped Ritz & Pnut butter cracker sandwiches, White bark pretzels, Fudge, Church window candy, Graham cracker cookies, Date cookies, and more – oh was THAT great!!! My mom kept cooking and baking and pulling out more recipes – and our freezer was PACKED full of sweet, sugary, chocolatey goodness. Sometimes we’d plate them up immediately and take them in boxes to church to pass out to our friends. We’d have plates of goodies for neighbors, too – and of course, we’d sneak a few goodies every chance we got! Being part of the baking & cooking was great fun for us and I really learned to love baking during these times!

When we had the chance to visit my grandparents – who lived in New Mexico at the time – we had even MORE special memories. We didn’t often have Christmas with family because my dad was in the Air Force and we were stationed miles away from them. But during high school – while we lived in Washington state, my grandparents lived in New Mexico.

My grandmother was a preacher’s wife. She was always giving away stuff to people in need – she was always so generous and loving. And she ALWAYS had a pot of coffee on…

She & my grandpa drank coffee all day long – and when we’d hug or kiss – I’d get that whiff of coffee on their breath – and I think that’s when my love affair with coffee really began! My grandma’s soft cheek mingling with the smell of fresh coffee – now THERE’S comfort!!!

My grandma’s house was often decorated in lots of beautiful and sweet and whimsical Christmas items, too – many of them gifts from friends and family (including the 3 of us kids). She made Hard Candy, fudge, church window candy, date ball cookies, and we could eat our fill. Like many grandmothers – she’d sneak us an “extra” of whatever it was we wanted – and grinned while she did it.

I can remember the last Christmas dinner we had with her. She used her special china and let me set the table for everyone. It was SOOOOO incredibly beautiful. I was in awe of the lovely plates and dishes and she let me have my way making the table pretty. We had these Christmas goblets and mugs that she collected from McDonalds (do you remember those?) and when we got to drink eggnog out of the goblets, it was BIG stuff!!!

There was more food than we could possibly eat, and again – even if we didn’t clean our plates, she was handing us sweets as we’d walk past her. What a woman!

When I think about Christmas as a teenager – this Christmas with her was really very special to me.