Monthly Archives: May 2011

May31

ROAD TRIP 2011

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ROAD TRIP 2011

Our family returned last week from over 3 weeks on the road!  It was a working vacation, as we call it.  My husband had shows in 3 different states, so we came with and made a vacation out of it.  I thought that as I journaled for you where we went and what we did I would include some ideas for how to make vacationing, traveling, packing etc easier.  We also have some VERY funny stories to tell you about things that happened to us along the way.

We left the day that Osama Bin Laden was killed.  Which now seems like a really long time ago.  We stopped by Tim’s parents for a night on our way to Florida.

You may wonder what we are traveling in….well, with 5 kids and 3 weeks on the road, I am glad it wasn’t our minivan.  We actually were really blessed in 2007 to be able to purchase a brand new 31 foot RV with a slide out. If you don’t know what a slide out is it makes a portion of the RV slide out.  Imagine that?  It makes for a lot more living space.

We had been looking at RV’s and dreaming about maybe owning one for a couple years already, but had told ourselves we wouldn’t go into debt buying one.  Only if we paid cash would we get one.  Through a series of events we were able to do just that, thanks to God.  We had looked at purchasing a used RV, but our dealer called us out of the blue and offered to sell us a new one at a lower price than any of the used ones we had looked at!

This trip took us through Southern IL down to Orlando FL, the space coast of FL, up through South Carolina, into Washington DC and up to Philidelphia PA, with a very quick trip home for more shows.  I think we traveled through 13-14 states!

Next post will let you in on how I pack for 5 kids!

 

May27

Then Reality Hits…..

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Then Reality Hits…..

I had big ideas for everything that I would get done once we got back from our big trip.  It seems every time we go on a vacation, we have the same conversations on the drive home.  Maybe you have the same ones.  It is always the dreams of having a schedule for our family, how I am going to menu plan well and eat healthy meals at home all the time, and how we are going to accomplish everything on our to do list. You know, have the perfect life.  LOL!

It’s not that we aren’t happy with our life but there is always room for changes and improvements.  But then reality hits, and I realize how much has to happen just to “recover” from vacation.  Laundry, and grocery shopping, getting back into activities etc.  WOW, there just isn’t much time for everything that we had dreamed of doing!

I have come to realize in the days this week that it isn’t all going to get done, but what is important will get done.  I try to make a priority to ask God to help me order my day.  What He sees as important and what will help us best is what I want to do.

Remember my last post about Evernote?  Yeah, that hasn’t exactly happened this week.  Still on my list but I will try not to get stressed about it.  Are there things on your list that just aren’t happening?  What kinds of things do you do to not get stressed out about it?

May23

It has Taken a lot of Convincing….

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It has Taken a lot of Convincing….
It has taken a lot of convincing by my husband but I am now caving and excited about it.
He has been using Evernote for about a month now and constantly talking about how great it is. Don’t let him know, but I have actually been getting tired of hearing about it.  I am glad he is excited about something and it is making a difference in his life, but it wasn’t until now that I have been convinced enough to try it.
From the best of my understanding (which is very limited) it is like an online, searchable  filing cabinet.  You can file websites, photos, scanned items, documents etc.  The cool thing about it is that it will search any text and you can also tag items.
They are adding users at a rate of 27,000 a day!  And what’s great is that it is free (until you reach their limit, then you have a small fee each year for unlimited use).
I am thinking of organizing my recipes, websites I have saved with things to do with school topics and important papers I want to save. I think it will also help me with blogging!

As I get it set up and working I will let you know how it is working.  Do you use Evernote and if so what for?

May19

While we are waiting for Jesus’ return-A closer look at 1 Thessalonians 5

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While we are waiting for Jesus’ return-A closer look at 1 Thessalonians 5

A couple days ago I posted on my thoughts about waiting for Jesus’ return.  If you missed that post you can check it out here.

What should we be doing while we are waiting for Jesus’ return?

OK, let’s pull out our Bibles and take a closer look at 1 Thessalonians 5. Go ahead, get your Bible, I will wait…

I am going to head down the chapter and start expounding at verse 6. Take a minute and read the first 6 verses. Verse 6 tells us that as Christians we should be alert and self-controlled. Heading down to verse 8, it once again states we are to be self-controlled. We should also have faith, love and hope. Jesus died so that we may live together with him. (v. 10) Verse 11 tells us that we are to encourage one another and build each other up. My hope is that this blog will help you be encouraged and that you will be able to encourage others in comments that you may make. The world spends so much time tearing us down, we should make special effort to build others up. Make a conscious effort to build up our children, spouses, friends, family etc. It doesn’t happen as much as it should, unless we make a special effort to do so.

We are to respect and place in high honor those who teach us in the Lord. (v 12-13) What kinds of things do we do to show those that they are in high honor and that we respect them? I know we could do more to show our pastor that type of respect. Sending a note of thanks, making them a meal or bringing cookies for their family on Sunday are small tokens of appreciation. Praying for your pastor is also very important!

The end of verse 13 sneaks in another thing we should be doing as we wait for his return. “Live in peace with each other.” We all know what that means, but as soon as we have conflict it is easy to add to the end of the statement “except in such and such case”. Please remember, God didn’t write this verse with a fill in the blank ending.

We are to warn the idle, encourage the timid, help the weak and be patient with everyone. (v 14) Wow, that is quite the list. “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong and try to be kind to everyone” sums up verse 15. Paul is about halfway through the chapter and the verses shorten up with a long to do list:

  • Be joyful always
  • Pray continually
  • Give thanks always
  • Don’t put out the Spirit’s fire
  • Don’t mock prophesies
  • Test everything
  • Hold onto good
  • Avoid every kind of evil

He finishes off the chapter by stating that God himself will sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I think we have plenty to do as we wait for Jesus’ return.

May17

Harold Camping Got Me Thinking…..

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Harold Camping Got Me Thinking…..

Harold Camping has been a trending topic on Twitter for quite a few days now (and probably on the news, but we wouldn’t know since we cut our TV off 18 months ago). In case you haven’t heard of him, he is predicting the end of the world is this May 21st at 6pm local time. While I don’t agree with him and am pretty sure that Jesus will not be returning then there are some things that we should remember. (no one knows when Jesus is actually returning see Matthew 24:36 ff)

We are to always be watching for His return. 1 Thessalonians 5 offers so much wisdom and admonition for believers as we are waiting for Him to return. I know for me it is easy to get busy with the day to day grind and lose focus that He will be returning.

When I was pregnant with our 5th child God showed me that just as I am waiting and anticipating labor and a new baby so am I to be waiting and anticipating His return. I knew that I would go into labor and have a baby, but I didn’t know when it would actually happen. Was I going to go about my business without getting ready for labor and delivery? NO! I was going to do certain things to prepare for labor and bringing a new life into our family.

  • We talked with our children about what to expect and that we would have a new baby. It became daily conversation as the days grew closer. Likewise, we should talk with others and prepare them for the reality that Jesus will return and that they will be held accountable for their lives.
  • I took care of my body while I was pregnant. I fed myself well. I read and talked to others about things I should be doing while I am waiting for the upcoming birth.We should be doing the same as we wait for Jesus. We should be feeding our souls well. Spending time in the Bible and praying each day. Studying His word so that we know how we should be living in our day to day lives.
  • I read books about labor and birth and baby care. I prepared myself to know what would be happening. Once again, we should be doing the same as we wait for Jesus’ return. We should be knowledgable about His return and not be deceived by false teachers.
  • As the days of my pregnancy went on I longed to be with and hold our baby. Each and every day I grew more attached to her. Even though I wasn’t able to see her I knew more and more about her. I knew how active she was, when she slept etc. I imagined what it would like to be with her. We don’t know exactly what life will be like with Jesus but from what we read in Scripture we can imagine it will be absolutely amazing.

I leave you with this:2 Timothy 4:8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.

Are you longing for His appearance? It may not happen Saturday, but it may be happening soon.

Next post: What should we be doing while we are waiting for His return? A closer look at 1 Thessalonians 5.