August Evaluation

Spiritual

• Read through the entire Bible in a year following a chronological reading plan- Got a little off the last couple of weeks but will eventually catch up
• Memorize a verse a week (for full disclosure I am starting with verses that I have previously memorized but have lost full memory of)- Not really doing this, but working on verses with my kids and believe this is where I need to focus my Scripture memory right now
• Spend 30 minutes daily concentrated on prayer and Bible reading- Did this about half the month 
• Continue to record daily blessings to cultivate thankfulness (Goal is 10,000 things)- Still doing this you can see this months blessings here, here, here, and here and the rest of the month will be up tomorrow 
• Praying throughout the day for specified things (still developing lists and plan for this)- Still struggling with this. We're finding a new normal for our routines

Personal

• Read a book a month apart from SWI matrerial- Yes! I read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Walk Two Moons and finished The Horse and His Boy as a family
• Journal 5 days a week- No
• Write (working on books) 5 days a week- No, but working on incorportating this
• Finish my first fiction book- Still seriously behind where I hoped to be at this point- This may not happen not this year either
• Write 3 blog posts a week- Did this 2 weeks
• Continue to meet once a month with writing group- Met today!
• Have one day a month for personal retreat time to pray, read the Bible and write- Um, no
• Complete Level 1 of Rosetta Stone Russian- Plugging away
• Begin working on a Christ-centered prenatal/delivery/postnatal education- Have a date for the first class at the end of September. This month will be polishing information and setting up what we need for the class.

Marriage

• Go on a date once a month- Yes!
• Go on one overnight trip away- Done in May
• Read together for 30 minutes once a week- Um, No 
• Discuss and plan the week to come on Sunday afternoon- Yes

Kids

• Take each child on a "date" once a month- This might have happened. I cannot really remember
• Spend individual time with each child at home once a week (at least 20 minutes)- Still working on this. Some weeks were better than others
• Work on memorizing Psalm 23 with Jamey and Lillian- Yes! Both have it memorized as well as Psalm 67 with most of Proverbs 31:10-31 and Psalm 1. We are now working on verse with the school curriculum
• Finish current Pre-K curriculum with Jamey and Lillian- Started school this month
• Continue going to playgroup on Tuesdays- Yes
• (I need to develop more educational goals, so I guess a goal for this year will be learning to do this for next year)

Homemaking

• Begin a garden planting at least tomatoes (hoping to do more)- We have lettuce which we have eaten, and currently have plants growing for tomatoes, watermelons, cucumbers, green beans and maybe peppers (we're unsure due to labeling confusion)
• Try 1 new recipe a month- We tried 1 or 2 this month
• Keep up with cleaning calendar- No
• Develop general cleaning schedule- Working on tweaking the calendar I have to get everything but fits our lifestyle

Health and Fitness

• Exercise for at least 30 minutes 3 days a week- This happened about half the month
• Lose 30 lbs- Another plateau

Ministry

• Continue hosting Women's prayer once a month- Yes, still praying for more people to pray
• Email workers once a month- This month was crazy and this did not happen 
• Send 2 encouraging notes a month- No, still hoping to catch up and improve in this area

August has been a busy month as we wrapped up our summer, planned for school, started the kids' school, the rest of us started classes and are working to figure out our rhythm for this semester. God has been good and gracious to us, but it has still been a crazy time. Hoping that the semester will be productive even if it does fly by, as it seems it might.

How was August?

August 19 to 25

4821. Catching an hour and a half nap after being awoken at 4:45 am
4822. Freezer chicken biscuits
4823. Kids playing together
4824. Gabriel going back to sleep
4825. God's strength
4826. Getting through school even with everyone being sleepy
4827. Jamey wanting to do school even though he is exhausted
4828. Trying to figure out how much extra to let him do
4829. Jamey desiring to do more and more
4830. Watching Lillian grow in understanding
4831. Figuring out how to teach Lillian more clearly
4832. Lillian using the toilet!
4833. Reuben doing well during his school time
4834. Reuben growing in knowledge
4835. Reuben growing in his love of learning and doing
4836. Reuben wanting to help more
4837. Snuggling with Reuben
4838. Yummy tacos
4839. Jamey grocery shopping with Jim
4840. Gabriel exploring more and more
4841. Gabriel loving Cheerios
4842. All kids napping
4843. Great dinner time with rested kids
4844. Getting out of the door for class well on time
4845. Childcare for us during our marriage class
4846. Meeting many new couples in our marriage class
4847. Many of the people in our class from GA
4848. Many of the people interested in missions of some kinds
4849. Connecting with people
4850. Laughing and connecting
4851. Finding out part of the class includes a "date" time every week
4852. Kids doing well in child care
4853. Smooth bed time
4854. Sleeping from 10pm to 6am without waking up! (this is huge)
4855. Getting an extra hour and a half nap on the sofa
4856. Becca feeding the kids breakfast and helping the get ready so I could get extra sleep
4857. Flexibility
4858. Kids playing well without school time
4859. Playgroup
4860. Good prayer time when running back to get the food bag
4861. Being reminded that in Christ we have no reason and nothing to fear
4862. Wrestling with God
4863. Meeting new people at the park
4864. Seeing Caroline
4865. Seeing Lauren
4866. Seeing Margaret
4867. Talking and encouraging each other
4868. Kids playing well together
4869. Kids playing well with other kids
4870. Kids eating their lunch well
4871. Staying for a while
4872. Enjoying being outside
4873. Catching up with Caroline
4874. Jim having a good first day of Hebrew
4875. Restful afternoon
4876. Great Dinner
4877. Time to read
4878. Guy/Girl night at CG!
4879. Really yummy home made ice cream sandwich
4880. Time to listen and share
4881. Meeting a new girl in Louisville
4882. Time to encourage
4883. Doing life together
4884. Sharing life
4885. Getting some sleep
4886. God always blessing us
4887. God blessing us in unexpected ways
4888. Jim and I getting up early together
4889. Getting some school done
4890. Kids devouring their sandwiches at lunch
4891. Running to the Little Treasures Sale
4892. Finding a pack-n-play for $20
4893. Meeting new people
4894. People being friendly in line
4895. Nice quick dinner
4896. Going to CG Sync meeting
4897. Meeting new people
4898. Seeing Brothers and Sisters
4899. Pizza!
4900. Meeting Baby Junie
4901. Connecting with other CG leaders in our area
4902. Sharing what's going on
4903. Praying for each other
4904. Being able to encourage each other
4905. Taking home free pizza
4906. Meeting with our CG deacon
4907. Learning about a group with internationals in it
4908. Excitement hearing how God is moving
4909. Kids doing well with another late night
4910. Time to sleep
4911. Everyone sleeping until after 7 am! (This was glorious!!!!!)
4912. Smooth morning
4913. Getting out the door in a timely manner
4914. Orange juice
4915. Family vigilance day at Southern
4916. Free childcare
4917. Singing with Brothers and Sisters
4918. Seeing lots of Brothers and Sisters we have not seen in awhile
4919. Free lunch on the lawn
4920. Jamey and Lillian eating really well
4921. Not too hot weather
4922. Learning a little history
4923. Being encouraged by those before us in the faith
4924. Learning about keeping a vigilance on our soul
4925. Hearing about purity
4926. Hearing practical steps to help those who are struggling with addictions
4927. Kids doing relatively well with a long morning
4928. Getting a little rest in the afternoon
4929. Good dinner
4930. Trying a new recipe
4931. Jim having a good first church history class
4932. Smooth bed time
4933. Lying down early
4934. More wonderful sleep
4935. Feeling mostly rested
4936. Everyone getting out of the house on time going in different directions
4937. Doing well with 4 kids on my own
4938. New year of MOMSTogether
4939. Meeting new Sisters
4940. Seeing Sisters I have not seen in a couple of months
4941. Hearing the diversity of moms in the group
4942. Yummy food
4943. Coffee with amaretto creamer
4944. Great conversation
4945. Time to encourage each other
4946. Kids having fun and learning at MOMSTogether
4947. Yummy sandwiches for lunch
4948. Getting the first international package sent to a friend
4949. Learning how to be more consistent with the kids
4950. Yummy chicken, corn and biscuits for dinner
4951. God teaching me through my kids
4952. Getting to lie down early
4953. Sleep
4954. Becca bringing home leftover sandwiches from work
4955. Feeling rested this morning
4956. Good breakfast
4957. Kids playing outside
4958. Jamey looking for Jesus when I told him I was going to talk to Jesus
4959. Spending some extended time praying and reading my Bible
4960. Kids playing well together
4961. Jamey telling me he can see God
4962. Low key day
4963. Kids wanting to play outside instead of watching TV
4964. Jamey asking to turn off the TV
4965. All 4 kids taking a nap
4966. Time to relax in quiet
4967. Working on a couple of things in the quiet
4968. Writing in my journal
4969. Jim sleeping really well
4970. Really yummy chicken and corn for dinner
4971. Gabriel trying corn
4972. Relatively smooth bedtime after naps
4973. Getting to lie down and relax
4974. Watching The Blind Side with Becca
4975. Getting to sleep early
4976. God helping me through with broken sleep
4977. Kids playing outside
4978. Jim getting a nap before church
4979. Going to the 11:15 service
4980. Walking to church
4981. The whole White family joining us for church
4982. Sitting with several people from our CG
4983. A wonderful message about who Jesus is and what the Gospel is
4984. Jesus being my Savior
4985. Missions Cookout!
4986. Seeing people we have not seen in a while
4987. Meeting lots of new Brothers and Sisters
4988. Making connections
4989. Hearing the hearts of others
4990. Hearing more of what Sojourn International will be doing the next year
4991. Learning about next steps
4992. Time of prayer for workers
4993. Encouraging each other
4994. Learning of another Sister interested in Eastern Europe
4995. Jonathan making it to the cook out
4996. Seeing Sojourn International grow
4997. Learning Jim can get some seminary credit through School of Missions!
4998. Watermelon
4999. Great afternoon
5000. Getting half way through my goal of recorded blessings for the year!
5001. 3 out of the 4 kids taking naps
5002. Leftovers for dinner
5003. Talking to my parents
5004. Learning about new babies and marriages
5005. Kids going to bed smoothly
5006. Time to relax with Jim
5007. Finishing a movie together
5008. God's grace in all things
5009. A great day
5010. Going to bed early

August 12 to 18

4591. Being able to get out of bed at 6 am mostly awake
4592. Jim being able to get out of bed just after 6 mostly awake
4593. Getting breakfast going in a timely manner
4594. Stealing a couple minutes to pray
4595. Starting school with the kids
4596. Having a good start to the morning
4597. A good Bible story book
4598. Songs to go with our Bible verses
4599. Kids remembering our beginning routine from last year
4600. Starting with The Boxcar Children as our first read aloud
4601. Formally starting Reuben this year
4602. Reuben responding well
4603. Realizing we need to make a schedule adjustment on the first day
4604. Reuben using more words
4605. Reuben saying "moo" when we showed him a cow
4606. Reuben saying "karova"! (that's cow in Russian)
4607. Starting Jamey with formal handwriting
4608. Schooling my kids so I can tailor their education to exactly where they are
4607. The first day showing me where each child is academically
4608. Kids loving their math books
4609. Even after a full morning Jamey and Lillian wanting to go back and do more work
4610. Starting Lillian with Developing the Early Learner
4611. Jamey having his own DEL books to continue (no more making copies!)
4612. Starting Jamey with his own Rosetta Stone Russian profile
4613. Teaching Jamey how to use a mouse
4614. Jamey learning to use the program
4615. Reuben playing well while the older ones did school
4616. All 4 kids napping at once
4617. Time to read my Bible

4618. Time to journal
4619. Reflecting on where God has brought be and what He is doing
4620. Exercising as a family with the dance game
4621. Jamey and Lillian beginning to understand how the dance game works
4622. Making a huge pot of quinoa chili
4623. Drew and Heather coming over for dinner
4624. The kids doing well waiting until 6 to eat
4625. Fun conversation
4626. Being able to discuss fun and serious things
4627. Learning more of our friend's story
4628. Telling more of our story
4629. Jamey and Lillian playing school while the adults talked
4630. Smooth bedtime after naps and guests
4631. Going to bed by 10
4632. Getting up around 6 again
4633. Eggs for breakfast
4634. School getting started on time
4635. Kids still excited about school
4636. Schedule adjustment helping smooth out the morning
4637. Reuben saying square in Russian (though would not in English, go figure)
4638. Getting all of our required schooling done before playgroup
4639. Going to the park
4640. Gidget, Silas and Margo coming to playgroup
4641. Ashley and her gang coming to playgroup
4642. Learning more about each other
4643. Kids playing really well together and with others
4644. Jamey and Reuben playing in the spray area
4645. Lillian sharing carrots with Silas
4647. Seeing Esther, Jude and Haddie
4648. Talking more about childbirth
4649. Getting the encouragement needed to propel me forward in preparing for childbirth class
4650. Good rest time
4651. Getting information written for childbirth class
4652. Getting emails/text written for childbirth class help/info
4653. More exercise as a family
4654. Being productive in a short amount of time
4655. Great family dinner time
4656. Kids asking to play outside (not having to force them!)
4657. Finishing The Horse and His Boy
4658. Playing together
4659. Community group!
4660. Meeting 4 new girls at CG
4661. Handing out flyers for Sojourn's Medical Clinic
4662. Meeting a few people in Germantown
4663. Jim seeing a former patient
4664. Being able to pray for people and encourage them
4665. Sharing highlights of the week
4666. Hearing about other people's highlights
4667. Having a full house at CG
4668. Getting in bed by 10 even getting home late
4669. Getting out of bed at 6 am
4670. Having a few minutes to pray
4671. Everyone up and going by 7 am
4672. Starting school at 7:30
4673. Great morning of learning
4674. Jamey excited about making a continuous timeline
4675. Lillian doing well with her math workbook
4676. Reuben getting more into learning
4677. Reuben beginning to ask for things
4678. Discovering more about how Reuben learns
4679. Cool weather
4680. Jamey and Lillian both doing well with their Language Arts
4681. Dancing together
4682. Jim sitting with the kids during rest time
4683. Exercising
4684. Free Chick-fil-A dinner!
4685. Kids playing on the playground
4686. Getting more read in Redeeming Childbirth (need to get a move on and finish it :) )
4687. Member meeting
4688. Seeing lots of Brothers and Sisters
4689. Being reminded of the Gospel and how it relates to the church and life
4690. Being reminded that the church is a family
4691. Installing new deacons
4692. Installing new elders
4693. Being reminded you cannot get away with sin
4694. Being in a Body that takes church discipline seriously
4695. Learning more about Scarlet Hope
4696. Finding out about opportunities to help connect people
4697. Talking more about childbirth
4698. Learning about the possibility of a birth center being built here (this would be great!)
4699. Finding out a Sister is having another baby!
4700. Kids going straight to bed
4701. Getting more together for care package
4702. Bed!
4703. Still rolling out of bed around 6 am
4704. Lillian and Reuben sleeping until after 7 am!
4705. Not having to be at school at a certain time
4706. The morning going smoothly with 3 sleepy kids
4707. Another cool morning
4708. Jamey getting a 100% on his first spelling test
4709. Jamey and Lillian talking to each other with normal conversation
4710. Making lunch
4711. Yummy tacos
4712. Reuben and Jamey falling to sleep as soon as they were in bed for naps
4713. Watching Lillian dance
4714. Lillian encouraging others
4715. Lillian's spunky personality
4716. Smiles
4717. Finding out a friend is one step closer to adopting her kids
4718. Working on writing
4719. Writing about Walk Two Moons
4720. Watching Jim dance
4721. Reuben trying to do the dance game
4722. Lillian finally going to sleep
4723. Date Night!!!!!
4724. Getting the majority of what was left for a care package
4725. Going to Shalimar
4726. Really enjoying my dinner
4727. Growing in my enjoyment of Indian food
4728. Getting a Shalimar rewards card
4729. Finding interesting coffee on clearance to try
4730. Good conversation
4731. Just being with Jim
4732. Officially meeting Becca
4733. Becca (sister) having more people involved in her life
4734. Even with kids going crazy getting in bed before 9:30
4735. Getting up this morning (I am really struggling with feeling like I am getting enough sleep these days)
4736. Washing my hair
4737. Time to pray in the shower
4738. Being reminded of things I need to pray for that I often forget
4739. God's grace in reminding us to pray
4740. Short school day
4741. Kids doing well with school
4742. Reuben getting more into his individual time of learning
4743. Reuben responding well to reading
4744. Jamey asking to do the timeline
4745. Jamey making connections between 2 different maps
4746. Jamey growing in understanding of geography
4747. Lillian showing interest in the map
4748. Jamey reading well all week
4749. Having a great first week of school with the kids
4750. Getting the first week done before the rest of us are in classes
4751. Yummy sandwiches and chips for lunch (I love sandwiches)
4752. Lillian and Reuben eating all of theirs without complaint
4753. Chowing down on grapes
4754. Reuben being a meat and fruit/veggie boy (he seems to dislike most starches!)
4755. Becca being silly
4756. Reuben napping for a long time
4757. Time to work on reading Redeeming Childbirth
4758. Time to read my Bible (this came first :) )
4759. Gabriel napping well in the swing
4760. Watching Gabriel grow and explore
4761. Nice dinner and reading time
4762. Crockpot BBQ pork
4763. Jim getting ready for work quickly
4764. Time to watch most of a movie together before Jim left for work
4765. Smooth bed time
4766. Doing little and going to sleep early
4767. Sleeping in while the kids watched a movie and played
4768. Gabriel sleeping well in the swing
4769. Good breakfast
4770. Going to Brown Park
4771. Meeting other homeschool families
4772. Talking about homeschooling
4773. Talking about curriculum
4774. Gabriel doing well in the stroller at the park
4775. J, L and R all playing well on the playground
4776. Jamey and Reuben both attempting to pet a dog
4777. Good homemade lemonade
4778. Seeing other people we had met before
4779. Getting out of the house for 3 hours
4780. Kids doing well waiting for lunch
4781. Kids asking for unexpected leftovers for lunch
4782. Ravioli
4783. Sandwiches
4784. Having food to eat
4785. Nap time
4786. Getting to doze some too
4787. Smooth and early bed time for the kids
4788. Time to clean out some email
4789. Getting to sleep by 9:30
4790. Getting about 3 hours of straight sleep
4791. Being able to function on Sunday morning
4792. Cinnamon rolls for breakfast
4793. Walking to church
4794. Nice walking weather
4795. Talking with Jamey and Lillian as we walked
4796. Sitting with Karey
4797. Talking about John and Jesus
4798. Being reminded of who we are as witnesses of Christ
4799. Being reminded of who Christ is
4800. God's grace
4801. Time to pray as I tried to nap
4802. Wrestling with truth and lies
4803. Battling in my head
4804. God meeting us where we are
4805. Being able to get mad and yell at God
4806. Nathan, Karey and Jonathan coming over for dinner
4807. Everyone being able to meet
4808. Fun conversation
4809. Getting to know each other better
4810. Talking about vision of mission and possibilities
4811. Talking about next steps
4812. Really yummy dinner
4813. Karey bringing a delicious salad
4814. Jonathan bringing biscuits
4815. Similar views
4816. Talking next steps
4817. Planning to meet up at the missions cookout next week
4818. Praying for free moments in the chaotic semester to meet again
4819. Kids smooth bed time
4820. In bed by 9 pm!

Walk Two Moons

I read this book in 1 day over the weekend as it was an easier read. I still am not quite sure how I feel or what I think about this book. It is an interesting story told from 13-year-old Sal's point of view. I enjoyed that it was in the narrative form and clean. In some respects, though, it made me quite sad. Let me say it was meant to be sad, but it was not only the obvious things that made me sad. What made me sad was the sense of hopelessness and Sal praying to trees because she felt they were safe. I wanted to share hope with this young girl as well as her friend that she told a story about throughout. Her friend's family also made me sad.
I did enjoy Sal's grandparents. They made me laugh out loud. There was a coming of age element as well that was subtle and tasteful that I appreciated.

I do not know how readily I would recommend this book. It was given a Newbery Medal for Children's Literature, but I would not consider this children's literature. I definitely believe that the child's maturity should be taken into account before reading this book as the overall discussion is quite difficult. If you are considering this book for your child I would recommend reading it first.

The Horse and His Boy

This fun story captures your attention from the start as poor Shasta meets Bree, a talking horse who has been captured, and they take off on an adventure together. The scenes are vivid as they flee away from those who abuse them. The conversations are hilarious and there is a great sense of humor throughout. Our kids really enjoyed this book as did we.

Though not a direct or obvious allegory like The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, there are definitely Christian elements throughout, particularly when Aslan appears and talks with those around him about their journeys. There are glimpses of "Christ" in how Aslan describes what he has done to guide the characters on their way. Each one also has a fault that he is not afraid to call out.

This was a great family read and it will likely be read again as our children get older. I recommend this book for an easy, fun read.

August 4 to 11

4371. Getting some sleep
4372. Becca getting the kids breakfast
4373. Really yummy breakfast
4374. Going to the grocery store
4375. Time to pray in the car
4376. Doing really well at the grocery store
4377. Finding good deals on a couple things we wanted to try
4378. Jim getting a lot of the yard work done
4379. Jamey cleaning the dryer vent without being asked
4380. Very good sandwiches for lunch
4381. Lillian scarfing down her food
4382. Reuben loving the ham
4383. Gabriel loving to eat
4384. Having Gabriel at the table with us
4385. Teaching Jamey how to rest again
4386. All 4 kids napping in the afternoon
4387. Finishing Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 
4388. Learning to pray even more
4389. Wrestling with God
4390. Wrestling with myself
4391. Making dinner
4392. Dinner being really good and low calorie
4393. Losing 3lbs at my weigh in!
4394. Lillian pooping the toilet
4395. Jamey and Lillian asking to say Bible verses
4396. Getting to the Climax of The Horse and His Boy
4397. Really enjoying reading together as a family (even if the kids are not fully into it yet)
4398. Having over 20 tomatoes growing
4399. Having some green beans and a watermelon growing
4400. God blessing our garden
4401. Dancing together
4402. Laughing together
4403. Being together
4404. Kids going to bed smoothly after napping
4405. Watching a movie and playing a game
4406. Keeping connections
4407. Getting up early
4408. Lots of time to pray and wrestle with God
4409. Jamey and Lillian mostly chilling this morning
4410. Eating cheese grits with our eggs this morning
4411. Gabriel eating yogurt
4412. Time to read before leaving the house
4413. Going to Willow Park
4414. New mulch at the park!!!!!
4415. Meeting new people
4416. Lots of kids to play with
4417. The kids playing well with others
4418. Lots of energy expended
4419. Teaching the kids to climb the ladder
4420. Pretending with the kids
4421. Eating lunch at the park
4422. Kids eating well at the park
4423. Jamey's imagination going
4424. Jamey asking to start school again
4425. Staying at the park for 2 hours
4426. Playing the dance game with Lillian (she loves that game)
4427. All 4 kids napping
4428. Time to write in my journal
4429. Stretching
4430. Hearing from Gidget
4431. Working on things
4432. Writing on the blog
4433. Gabriel pulling himself to standing without help!
4434. Remembering you must be careful what you say around kids :)
4435. Watching the first half of The Two Towers
4436. Jamey napping for 4 hours!!!!!
4437. Playing more dance game
4438. Chick-fil-A for dinner
4439. Dinner with our CG
4440. Laughter with friends
4441. Kids doing well at dinner
4442. Kids playing in the playground
4443. Gabriel smiling at Courtney while they played
4444. Very smooth bed time
4445. Getting out of bed after feeling like I had not slept
4446. Getting breakfast for the kids while in a complete fog
4447. Reading more of What Jesus Demands from the World
4448. Taking the kids to the library

4449. Seeing Dave and his kids
4450. Seeing Noelle and her kids
4451. Kids getting there prizes for summer reading
4452. Jamey singing "It's a super trendy hat" when getting his reading hat
4453. Kids reading a little at the library
4454. Finding a couple of fun books for the kids
4455. Becca making lunch
4456. Yummy lunch that was well balanced and low calorie
4457. Taking a nap
4458. Dinner with Jim
4459. Trying a new Mexican restaurant Sol Aztecas (really good!)
4460. Sweet Tea
4461. Checking out 4th Street Live (don't understand the hype)
4462. Running errands with Jim
4463. Finding PJs on clearance for Jamey
4464. Good deals on soap and shampoo
4465. Free plus money back on nail polish!!!!!
4466. Finding a few great supplement workbooks for the kids
4467. Getting a coffee maker
4468. Nice night out with Jim
4469. Getting to sleep until 9 am!!!
4470. Getting a general plan and schedule made for the semester
4471. Preparing for the school year
4472. Getting our science kit
4473. Everyone getting excited about a new school year
4474. Pancakes for lunch
4475. Kids having a good rest time
4476. Hanging out with the family
4477. Reading together
4478. Going on a double date with the Robinettes to the Melting Pot (Yay for groupons!)
4479. Learning more about each other
4480. Talking about community
4481. Eating really good food
4482. Laughter
4483. Sharing and being real
4484. Life together
4485. Better sleep
4486. Coffee!!!
4487. Playgroup at Ashley's
4488. Lots of kids!
4489. Meeting Jamie
4490. Seeing Amy
4491. Seeing Andrea
4492. Talking homeschool
4493. Learning more about foster care
4494. Talking kids and parenting
4495. Talking writing and blogs
4496. Finding out Amy is also a writer
4497. Being encouraged
4498. My kids playing really well with all the other kids
4499. Pizza for lunch with friends
4500. Lillian learning to "style"
4501. My kids volunteering to help J & J with their yard work
4502. Sharing with like minded people
4503. Having great Sisters to share with
4504. Really good chicken for dinner
4505. Jim getting to nap
4506. Just hanging out
4507. Relatively smooth bed time
4508. Reuben doing well today without a nap
4509. RAIN!!!!! (we have been needing it for days)
4510. Quiet evening
4511. All kids sleeping until after 6 and no one getting up during the night!!!!!
4512. Very nice breakfast and smooth morning
4513. Jim getting to sleep quickly
4514. Making a run to Walmart with all the kids
4515. Teaching the kids about buying gifts for other people
4516. Jamey picking out a couple things for Phin
4517. Finding most of what we needed to get
4518. The kids all doing well and enjoying shopping
4519. Getting shopping done in a timely manner
4520. Getting home right at snack time
4521. Gabriel doing OK without a morning nap (he refused at the store)
4522. Reuben growing in his communication
4523. Getting lunch ready quickly
4524. Kids growing in playing together well
4525. Reuben napping with little fuss
4526. Dancing with Jamey and Lillian
4527. Jamey actually playing the dance game with a remote
4528. Lillian napping in her bed
4529. Snuggling with Jamey
4530. Becca being able to go for a run
4531. Jim sleeping well during the day
4532. Nice family dinner
4533. Good dinner table discussions
4534. Kids answering questions
4535. Reuben "praying" (this was so precious though I understood nothing but Amen!)
4536. Only 1 chapter left in The Horse and His Boy
4537. Sitting in the floor
4538. Hanging out with my kids
4539. Watching too much TV (this will be ending this week so it is a blessing :) )
4540. Jim getting off to work well
4541. All the kids waving to Jim as he left for work
4542. Lillian playing with my hair
4543. Teaching Lillian how to take out a braid
4544. Popcorn for snack that was already made
4545. Very smooth bed time
4546. Relaxing evening alone
4547. Reading Walk Two Moons in 1 day (I am not really a fast reader so this is really a blessing)
4548. Reading a home birth story
4549. Playing a game
4550. Remembering to pray before lying down for sleep
4551. Waking up well (even if it was early)
4552. Getting breakfast ready in a timely manner
4553. Cinnamon rolls for breakfast
4554. Jim getting home safely
4555. Kids getting ready for church mostly on their own
4556. Walking to church
4557. Talking as we walked
4558. Helping stuff bulletins
4559. Gidget coming to church
4560. Helping get Margot checked in
4561. All of the nursery people being friendly and helpful
4562. Introducing Gidget to people
4563. Finding out a Sister is pregnant
4564. Seeing Pastor Robert and Karen
4565. Sitting with Cory and Courtney
4566. Starting our year long series in John!
4567. Commissioning many new CG leaders
4568. Learning about more groups
4569. Talking to Jamey about what he learned in Sunday school
4570. Jamey beginning to process more
4571. Reuben praying
4572. Kids resting well
4573. Jim getting a good nap
4574. Making meal plans
4575. Going to the grocery store (having to find a new time for this)
4576. Learning more about advocate teams for workers
4577. Sharing a little of what is happening with our workers
4578. Time to pray
4579. Learning about expectations for advocate leaders
4580. Being encouraged that we are on the right track for advocate leaders
4581. Meeting more women
4582. Learning about more prayer groups for workers
4583. Being given more responsibility in Sojourn International
4584. God using me where He has put me
4585. Yummy left overs for dinner
4586. Just hanging out
4587. Not turning on the TV
4588. Working on daily schedules for the week
4589. Gearing up for the start of school
4590. Going to bed well before 10 pm!

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

I was familiar with this story before reading it, but reading it made it sink so much deeper and really hit home the message of the book. I also very much relate to Jekyll/Hyde. In fact the past few days I felt a little like Hyde inside and in some respects wanted to be him. It is a story of wrestling with good and evil. Though clearly not a Christian text, there are elements of truth in it. Like Jekyll, I sometimes want to let out the evil side with out any repercussions or consequence to my name.

Don't you? 

That's what Satan tempts us with, the idea that "freedom" is something that comes with no boundaries, no rules, no laws, no morals. Jekyll thought it would be freeing and in one sense it was. But the ultimate toll it took on him cost him is life. And it is the same with sin. As we flex the muscles of sin they become stronger and destroy our conscious.

But thankfully, God has provided us with His Son so that in Him, we can live and not give into the evil side over and over until we have no conscious. Christ died that we might live in True ultimate freedom under the loving guide of our heavenly Father. God is the one who tells us how to live and declares what life should be. I am thankful to be in Christ and that I can overcome the flesh through Him. I'm thankful that God allows us to wrestle with Him.

No, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde says none of these things, but it is what I got from this book. It was a timely read for me and God used it in a powerful way to speak to me.

I highly recommend this book not only for what you can learn of humanity in it, but because it is beautifully written and a well crafted story.

July 29 to August 4

4101. Being able to get out of bed
4102. Granola and yogurt for breakfast (I am really liking this a lot!)
4103. Losing 2lbs this week!
4104. Gabriel turning 8 months (should have been on last weeks)
4105. Jim's knee still being clear
4106. Time to work on class plans while waiting to see Practitioner
4107. Doing really well at the grocery store
4108. Going to the grocery store with Jim
4109. Good deals at CVS this week on things we needed
4110. Subway sandwiches
4111. Seeing Caroline and Joseph at Subway
4112. Kids playing outside
4113. Reuben loving to sleep
4114. Jamey bringing out my creative side
4115. Kids resting
4116. Getting some things organized in our room
4117. Playing a dance game as a family
4118. The great workout you get from playing said dance game
4119. Getting a Honey Baked Ham
4120. Seeing Jim's fun side come out more
4121. Learning to recognize spiritual attacks for what they are
4122. Hearing from friends
4123. Playing Wii Fit as a family (seriously my kids' favorite game)
4124. Kids week on Jeopardy
4125. Playing a game with Jim
4126. Kids going to bed smoothly and out by 8
4127. Time to relax after an early morning
4128. Sleeping until almost 7
4129. Jim getting up at 6:15
4130. Jim making breakfast
4131. Enjoying eating breakfast as a family
4132. Getting out of the door ready to go by 8 am
4133. Going to the Louisville Science Center
4134. Getting into the Science Center for free
4135. Becca being able to stay home with Gabriel
4136. The kids loving the Science Center
4137. All that there is to explore and learn about
4138. Seeing Noelle
4139. Seeing Rosemary
4140. Seeing Jen
4141. Meeting Felicia
4142. Meeting other ladies from Sojourn East
4143. Being able to invite Felicia to Sojourn
4144. Story time
4145. Meeting Gidget
4146. Hearing some of her story
4147. Being able to invite her to community group
4148. Finding out she had a VBAC home birth
4149. More open doors
4150. Meeting Laura
4151. Encouraging moments
4152. Watching J, L and R run around and explore
4153. Reuben building and putting blocks together
4154. Jamey building
4155. Lillian looking at everything
4156. Being able to demonstrate some things we discussed in science last year
4157. A really fun, exhausting morning
4158. Left over Subway for lunch (yay for counting calories!)
4159. Reuben and Lillian napping
4160. Time to read my Bible
4161. Finishing Let the Nations Be Glad
4162. Thinking through my outline and purpose of class
4163. Hearing from more Sisters overseas
4164. Getting free pictures ordered (with free shipping too!)
4165. Emailing more people
4166. Great dinner time
4167. Time to read as a family
4168. Getting free material figured out and saved onto disk
4169. More Wii Fit as a family
4170. Community Group
4171. Being able rejoice in community
4172. Lots of laughter
4173. Finding out great news from friends
4174. Talking about God's mercy
4175. Being open about our struggles in showing mercy
4176. Encouraging each other
4177. Discussing ways to grow in showing mercy
4178. Praying
4179. Planning a double date
4180. Discussing future CG stuff
4181. Wonderfully fun and productive day
4182. Having both in one day
4183. Waking up to kids playing well together
4184. Time to pray for awhile
4185. Nice time to read my Bible
4186. Working around the house
4187. Working on childbirth class
4188. Journaling for a few minutes
4189. Kids playing outside well together
4190. Teaching Jamey and Lillian when not to pick food
4191. Skype
4192. Getting to see Dawn and talk to her
4193. The kids getting to see Dawn's kids
4194. Being able to pray with Dawn when we are on different continents
4195. Encouraging each other
4196. Time to clean off some stuff off the laptop
4197. Getting the kitchen and living room cleaned up
4198. Jamey helping clean
4199. Good rest time for the kids
4200. Nice down time for us
4201. Getting some emails sent
4202. Shucking corn
4203. Working on our budget
4204. Making really yummy BBQ pork in the crock pot
4205. Meeting Jonathan
4206. Great conversation
4207. Openness
4208. Jim leading conversation well
4209. Finding a lot of common ground
4210. Sharing life stories
4211. Getting blog posts written
4212. Getting a little extra sleep on the sofa this morning
4213. Snuggling with Jamey
4214. Eggs and Oatmeal for breakfast
4215. Time to look at school stuff for next year
4216. The ability to rethink constantly
4217. God teaching us all of the time
4218. Realizing we forgot something needed now instead of when we need it
4219. Kids playing well outside together
4220. Becca enjoying a book
4221. Time to Read and journal
4222. Getting emails written
4223. Getting pictures downloaded
4224. Getting a list completed
4225. Laughter
4226. Jamey being silly
4227. Jamey excited to start school
4228. Thinking about what God will teach all of us with this next semester
4229. Jim and Jamey working in the back yard together
4230. Reuben, Lillian and Gabriel napping well
4231. Getting more organized bit by bit
4232. Beginning to form healthier habits
4233. Forming better routines
4234. Pancakes for dinner
4235. Going to water aerobics
4236. Seeing Liz
4237. Getting a good workout
4238. Washing my hair
4239. Sitting with Lillian
4240. Lillian wanting to wear a scarf
4241. Smooth bedtime
4242. Playing a game with Jim
4243. Watching a movie together
4244. Time to reflect on the day
4245. Hearing from more workers
4246. Sleep
4247. Snuggling with Lillian
4248. Really good breakfast
4249. Satan being threatened
4250. Getting completely ready this morning before everyone came
4251. Meeting Jamie
4252. Having 7 other women here for prayer!
4253. Wonderful time of prayer with Sisters
4254. Praying for our workers together
4255. Praying for each other
4256. Time to talk with Sarah
4257. The kids doing really well today
4258. No fights!
4259. Getting some cards ready to send
4260. Jen staying for lunch
4261. Really yummy sandwiches
4262. Talking about gardening
4263. Sharing hearts
4264. Jamey and Lillian "driving" places and parking together outside
4265. Jamey asking to rest (though he did not sleep)
4266. Good rest time
4267. Having a restful afternoon
4268. Shredding our own cheese for enchiladas
4269. All working together to make dinner
4270. The cheese melting better in the enchiladas
4271. Fun dinner together
4272. Getting to read and say Scripture together
4273. Reuben repeating Genesis 1:1
4274. Reuben asking to pray and holding hands
4275. Enjoying some fun time together
4276. Kids waving to Jim as he went to work
4277. Jamey trying to sing Video Killed the Radio Star
4278. Very smooth bedtime
4279. Jamey falling asleep very quickly
4280. Watching Wheel and Jeopardy
4281. Getting cards ready to send
4282. Finding out about the Sausage sensation pizza at Papa John's
4283. Successfully counting my calories all week and doing well with it
4284. Losing weight
4285. Getting diapers done early
4286. Sweet Tea
4287. Popcorn
4288. Movie night with Becca
4289. Getting emails sent
4290. Finding out a Sister had her baby
4291. God moving in mighty ways
4292. Being able to function with very broken sleep last night
4293. Taking advantage of learning opportunities
4294. Learning to control my temper and take my immediate anger and frustration to the Lord
4295. Becca making eggs for breakfast
4296. All the kids eating well at breakfast
4297. Making a quick run to the grocery store
4298. Getting a good coupon for next grocery trip
4299. Kids playing in the whole yard together
4300. Getting a little exercise with Wii Fit
4301. Really yummy lunch (though horrible for you)
4302. Jamey eating all of his lunch without a fight
4303. Gabriel being able to nap upstairs
4304. Getting exercise playing a dance game with Lillian and Becca (Lillian did pretty well)
4305. Having fun together
4306. Nice rest time on a Saturday (these are usually hard)
4307. Writing in my journal
4308. Starting Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
4309. Jamey being very sweet to Lillian during rest time
4310. Jamey and Lillian not fighting during rest time
4311. Jim sleeping well
4312. Having a nice family evening
4313. The kids asking to read the Bible and our book
4314. Seeing God work little by little in our kids
4315. Gabriel taking a 4 hour nap this afternoon (much needed)
4316. Playing together
4317. Very smooth bed time
4318. Kids going to sleep very quickly
4319. Time to relax
4320. Hearing from Gidget
4321. Encouraging blog from Ashley
4322. Jamey eating all 3 meals without a fight today
4323. Extra calories from exercise
4324. Not using all my calories
4325. Learning to love and seek Jesus more than sleep
4326. A relatively smooth morning with crazy sleep 2 nights in a row
4327. Cinnamon rolls for breakfast
4328. Being reminded why we do not eat these for breakfast everyday
4329. Walking to church
4330. Talking to the kids as we walked
4331. Beautiful walking weather
4332. Teaching Jamey new descriptive words
4333. Seeing Heather
4334. Seeing Celenia
4335. Sitting with Karey in church
4336. Becca connecting with a friend at church
4337. Jamey not wanting to leave Church
4338. Learning a little more about our special needs kids ministry
4339. That we have a special needs ministry
4340. Being reminded of how great and mind blowing our God is
4341. Being reminded how great and personal my God is
4342. Being able to gather and worship together freely
4343. Reuben communicating very clearly
4344. Watching Gabriel explore his world
4345. Laughter
4346. Jim and Jamey reenacting movie scenes
4347. Being reminded of God's grace
4348. Having 2 children that want to take naps
4349. Getting meal planning done quickly and painlessly by myself (this is a huge deal!)
4350. Realizing we have dinner plans with 3 sets of friends 3 weeks in a row (also a huge deal and probably will not happen again until after the semester)
4351. God growing us in different ways
4352. Jamey and Lillian learning to communicate with each other and play well together
4353. Reuben napping
4354. Getting August calendar planned for now
4355. Jamey completing a puzzle by himself again (lately he has not been wanting to do that)
4356. Time to read for fun
4357. Getting a notebook to put childbirth writings in
4358. Cleaning out a lot of the fridge eating leftovers
4359. Kids eating well at dinner
4360. Just hanging out
4361. Picking up Tyler for prayer
4362. Praying for our friends in another country
4363. Praying for each other
4364. Good conversation
4365. Sweet tea
4366. A day off from counting calories
4367. Good chips and salsa
4368. Taking Tyler home
4369. Fun laughs
4370. Kids going to bed well

Why We Pray

"The reason we must send them in a manner worthy of God is that they go out for the sake of the name. The name of God is at stake in how we treat our missionaries. God is glorified when we support them substantially with our prayers, our money, our time and myriad other practical ways. God is not glorified when our missionaries are simply a name on the back of a church bulletin or a line item in the budget." Tom Stellar in the Afterward of Let the Nations be Glad

Tom Stellar summarized well for my why we gather to pray every month. We want to be a sending church that supports our workers around the world. Praying is the most important and powerful thing we can do. Period. When we pray God responds. When we pray for those around the world, God moves. Prayer supports our workers in a special and unique way that they appreciate so much. If you don't know anyone in the field, find out someone who is and begin praying for them.