I Will Not Knock On Wood!

 I think I've written about this before, but it has come up in my life again lately.  The other day I overheard a conversation and someone wanted to knock on wood.  I am saddened that Christians feel the need to do this.  After thinking about it, I could picture my self interrupting saying, "No!  You do not need to knock on wood!  We believe in the Almighty God!  He is good and all powerful!  He will take care of you, not this piece of fake wood you are knocking on!"
The bible makes it clear in the Old Testament that we are not to believe in these superstitions of the world.  Yet, the other day when my daughter said, "I think I am the only kid in my school that hasn't had the stomach flu since first grade," (she's  in seventh grade now) I marveled at her innocence and boldness.  She was not afraid to say something good about her life.  She was not afraid that the opposite would come true.  I did not burst her bubble, but I did pray.  I do not want her to loose her child-like faith like I have.  I admit, I am afraid to say something positive about my life.  I am afraid to admit things are going well for fear that things will take a turn for the worse.  Maybe Satan has done this to me in the past.  He has made me, and others feel like if they actually knock on wood everything will remain good.  What fools we are.
I don't want to be a fool or a fraidy cat any longer.  I want to have faith in the all powerful God of the universe.  The God who loved me so much He sent his Son to die for me so I can have a direct relationship with Him for eternity.  The God who lives in me.  I am going to listen to the song, "Greater" by Mercy Me, and remember that the God in me is greater than he who is in the world.  I will be thankful for all the things God has done for us, and not be afraid to say them out loud.  I will not give Satan an edge by bowing down to a piece of wood!
Dear Lord, I pray for the confidence in You to not be afraid.  I stand against this lie Satan has fed me. I pray for a child-like faith and not fear.  You are the greatest, and You live in me.  Praise Jesus!  Amen

Reminder: Rely on God

Yawnnnn!  School starts tomorrow and I am tired!  Gone are the days of sleeping in and being fully awake throughout the day.  Back are the sleep deprived days requiring me to depend on the Lord.  God has wired my body to need 8-9 hours of sleep in order to fire on all cylinders.  That's not easy in this world!  I love being awake and fully functional, and detest the opposite.  While it's good to know this about myself, it can also make sleep a crutch.  I get so caught up in what time I need to get to bed that I forego all else, including dear hubby.  This can cause big problems.  I need to find that balance between being smart with my time and relying on God to meet all my needs.  If hubby needs to stay up late talking, I should count my blessings that he confides in me, not worry about my lack of sleep!
Dear Father,
Thank You for meeting all of my needs.  May I be open to the Holy Spirit's leading throughout the day, and be wise with my time.  Please lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from the evil one.  I give You this upcoming school year, and look forward to what You teach us.  Please show me how I can be a blessing to my children's teachers.  May our faith in You shine through.  I pray that I will remember to rely on You, the God of all creation, and not on myself.
In Jesus name I pray--Amen 

Having Faith, Not Fear

Do you ever fear that things are going too smoothly and a bomb is about to drop?  We just had a glorious Sunday, and it feels like all is right in my little world.  As I told my husband how happy and content I was, I began to think of all the terrible things that could happen.  I have to fight that...the feeling of needing to knock on wood.  The bible says we should not partake in these superstitions.  Our God is controlling the universe, and He is for us, who can be against us?  Satan would love to knock me down off my joyful pedalstol, but God will lift me back up.  The joy of The Lord is my strength.  Therefore, I dare to say, I enjoyed a fantastic day yesterday!
Thank you God for days like these.  May we never let Satan rob us of our joy.  May we always follow you and never be afraid to testify of the great things in our lives.  May we never knock on wood, but always come sit before your throne, and trust in You alone.  In Jesus all powerful name I pray--Amen

Life Changer: What's Truly Important in Life?

I just had a phone conversation with a neighbor that brought life back into perspective. She had lunch last week with a friend, that I know as well, and informed me today that her friend is now at the end of her fight with cancer.  This woman has been fighting for years.  So many treatments, and now she is finished.  The cancer is throughout her body, and she is done.  And yet she still goes on.  She is fighting to see her youngest son graduate high school and her first grandchild be born.  But, reality is, she might not make it that long.
My neighbor and I talked about how we hear news like this, and we feel terrible for spending so much time dwelling on all the little things in life.  Things like, wrinkles, belly fat, and clutter.  We vow to enjoy life and not worry about the superficial, but then we slide right back into stinking thinking.  What will it take to truly change our outlook on life?  How do we balance enjoying the here and now with life's demands?
Dear Lord,
I seek the answers to these questions.  I want to enjoy and treasure life now.  Please save me from having to experience a traumatic, life-altering experience in order for me to truly understand what is important in life.  Please show me what is important to You.  Bless me with your perspective.  May I not waste time on superficial, worldly goals and thoughts.  May I follow you, and live life to the fullest.  In Jesus all powerful name I pray--Amen

Pray Sooner

Wow, what a morning!  Hubby comes into our room this morning about six am.  My head is covered up with my pillow in an attempt to muffle the hammering and drilling sounds coming from the roofers fixing our roof.  "The rooster got out," he tells me.  "He's behind the club house.  Don't let Will go back there.  You'll probably have to use the chicken stick."  And off he goes to work.  I keep my head covered for a few more hours.  I am so thankful to have a hubby who wants me to have a job that let's me stay at home when the kids have vacation!
Rewind to six weeks ago...we picked up nine baby chicks and brought them home!  We've had chickens before, so this is not new to us.  We have been keeping them in the kid's clubhouse until last night when we moved seven of them into their chicken palace.  Two of the nine are still living in the clubhouse due to the fact that they are ROOSTERS!  Sad to say, one is already crowing and trying to dominate the ladies by pecking them.  Well, apparently, when my sweet hubby went out to check the roosters this morning, one had had enough and somehow escaped.  I wish I could have seen that happen.  :)
So, this morning my son and I are in the backyard chasing the rooster around while still in our bathrobes!  After approximately 30 minutes, my son gets too hot for his winter robe, and sheds it in favor of his boxers and cowboy boots.  My mother's heart loves this, and will treasure the memory. Finally, after about an hour we decide we have to let the dog outside.  Who knows if we will ever catch this rooster, and she is only one year old.  We can't keep her inside for much longer without messy consequences.  MISTAKE!  Puppy almost kills rooster!  Puppy is banished to the house until rooster is caught.  Suddenly it occurs to me, we haven't taken time to pray about this.  I walk around to the other side of the clubhouse and stopped my son.  We pray a short prayer for wisdom and speed.  Guess what?  That rooster was caught in the next 3 minutes.  More like 5 seconds my son, who is reading this as I write, says.  Lesson learned?  PRAY SOONER.  Don't wait so long to include God in what you are doing, or struggling with.

RESET Continues

Wow, so it's been a month since my last post.  So much for documenting my RESET, but such is life.  A lot has happened in the past weeks.  Shortly after the last post, I stumbled across the GAPS diet again, and they used the term RESET.  I decided to take a closer look since we seemed to be on the same page.  My library didn't have the book and I refuse to spend money on things like that when we have the internet at our disposal and, really, I am the only one in my family interested in this stuff.

Long story short, it seems to boil down to getting your gut in order.  LOTS of probiotics and bone broth.  I spent a week eating only boiled meat, crazy cake without the cocoa - which is yummy, baked apples, boiled veggies, and lots of chicken broth.  Then we went out of town and I ate pizza--felt totally gross that night and the next morning.  Got back on track and implemented even more probiotics the next weekend, and had another yuck day.  I am pretty good during the week, and not as good on the weekends.  This has prompted my Baby Steps page.  I seem to be best with no dairy and little wheat.  I am not concentrating on the blood type diet, but instead focusing on my body and how it reacts to foods.  For instance, I now think I can link stinky gas to tomatoes-which is, btw, on my blood type  no-no list. :)  And, I think I can finally admit that pizza and grilled cheese just aren't for me.  I wake up in the morning with major sinus drainage.  :(  But when there's nothing else in the house to eat...Baby Steps.  :)

RESET Day 0

Wow, it's time for a reset.  Fall is here, and my daughter just turned 11 years old.  The celebration is over, work should be settling down, and it is time for a reset.  Time to get back to healthier eating.  October is one of my worst allergy months.  My plan is to really test this blood type diet, keeping in mind what I've learned about traditional eating.  According to the blood type philosophy, type A - me - is really susceptible to extra mucus and allergies.  I've never had this problem until a few years ago, when I thought I was getting colds all the time.  It was so frustrating, thinking I was eating so healthy, and yet feeling so miserable.  Finally, I went in to the doctor asking for antibiotics, something I hate.  He told me I did not have an ear or sinus infection, but rather an allergic reaction.  Also, my intestines are rarely regular.  So, time for a reset.  The goal: to regulate my body.  We'll see how it goes...

Passion

God is awakening me to my passions, and I am thankful.  I am so blessed to have two days during the week to myself.  Listening to God's Word and praying all day long as I do what needs to be done.  For every time there is a season, and now is my season of awakening.  Awakening to how God is working in my life, to how He made me, to what relationship with Him really means, and to the power within me through Jesus.  I am becoming a true Power Mom as I spend time every day on the porch enjoying the beautiful surroundings of God's creation, giving Him time to talk to me, and praying for my family.  Warring against Satan through prayer has become a daily occurance.  God loves and values my heart, and I want to keep it open to Him.  I should be exhausted today, as I have been up at 5:45am all week, and while I prefer 9 hours of sleep, I am only getting 7.  But, I am not!  A bit tired, yes, but still thinking clearly and efficiently.
I love to write.  I finally admitted it.  Things become clearer when I write.  My confused, angry mood can be calmed through journaling.  God is awakening this inside of me again, and it is making me feel more alive.  He has made each of us for a purpose, and our passions come from Him.  What do you love that you are not doing?  Are you letting Satan take your passion and purpose from you?  Talk to God about this, and listen to the Holy Spirit.  Let Him in to heal and restore you.  Here's to living for Him, and not worrying about what anyone else might think about it.  :)

Power Mom

As I rolled out of bed before everyone else in my family today, I realized how powerful I am. I am Mom. My choices make or break things for this family. I could stay in and sleep as long as the rest of them, but the morning would then be hectic and unpleasant. Instead, I choose to rise early, get myself ready, pray for my family, and set us up for the day with a good breakfast and things in order, ready to go.
Power Mom...not a mom who seems to have it all together, or rushes around always busy. Not a mom who works out at the gym or who manages a career. These don't give us power. Our power lies in our choices. Do we pursue our selfish desires, or do we sacrifice for our family. And, is it really a sacrifice? It's a pleasure for me to serve my husband and family. In fact, it's why this blog is so sporadic. They always come first. Life goes so much smoother that way, and I love it. Really, I don't need "me time" if my mind is set in the right paradigm. The paradigm of being the helpmeet I was created to be.
So, off I go...a quick bath while I pray for my family. Then I will pack up what we need for our day and help them enjoy the time we have together this morning eating a healthy breakfast that will feed our bodies. We're not perfect, but wow, this morning I just realized how powerful my choices are. Am I going to be a Power Mom, or a Martyr, "poor-me" mom? I choose Power Mom.