August Blessings

August flew by and life has been crazy but full of amazing blessings. God is so good to His people, even though we do not deserve it at all.

1. Fellowship with Kimberly
2. Talking about what God is doing
3. Seeking to understand together, Finishing The Silver Chair
4. Learning about contending for the faith
5. Talking with other Sisters about contending for the faith and how God wants to change our hearts
6. Going to Half Priced Books
7. Reading with Jim
8. Hearing Jim's heart
9. Good day as a whole
10. Jim getting a good raise
11. Bonus pay
12. Jamey helping dress the little boys
13. Getting clothes sorted
14. Jim coming home at 1500
15. Relaxing, fun evening
16. Starting The Last Battle
17. Going to playgroup by myself with all 6 kids
18. Taking the kids to see Jim at work
19. Meeting another mom with stairstep kids
20. Going to water aerobics
21. Rain
22. Jim letting me sleep in
23. Chocolate chip cookie dough milkshakes
24. Nehemiah sleeping well
25. Doing school work with Jamey
26. Everyone taking a nap
27. Washing my hair
28. Getting Norwex party set up
29. Going to water aerobics
30. Making it through a relatively good day
31. Sleeping in a little
32. Jamey doing some school work by himself
33. Going to playgroup
34. Meeting with Jessica
35. Getting more things talked through for August
36. Talking
37. Writing
38. Pajama movie day
39. Getting some work done
40. Reading
41. Making it through a Saturday with Jim at work
42. Dancing with the kids
43. Going to bed early
44. Getting all 6 kids ready for church by 7:25 am and to church before 8 by myself
45. Everyone napping 4 hours
46. Blog posts
47. Jude
48. Planning
49. Norwex
50. Sam loving on Neo
51. Very productive day
52. Talking through the school year, schedules and routines
53. Time to hangout with Jessica
54. Facebook Norwex Party
55. Looking at possible ministry opportunities
56. Going to playgroup
57. Going to water aerobics for the last time
58. Getting box-tops ready for co-op
59. Enough box tops to play for all our classes!
60. Fun time at the playground
61. Getting co-op paid for
62. Reconnecting with people
63. Getting errands run
64. Good doctors appointments
65. Meeting with Dawn
66. Free Coffee
67. Date night in
68. Heart conversations
69. Having a decent day while Jim was at work
70. Dancing with the kids
71. Everyone sleeping 
72. Talking to Brit
73. Reading with Jim
74. Having a good day with Jim at work
75. Lots of dancing
76. Getting 2 weeks of school plans finished
77. Movie night with Jim on the sofa
78. Sleep
79. Jamey picking roses for me
80. Meeting with Karey
81. Becca getting home safely from her work trip
82. Jim and kids getting some cleaning done
83. Cheap pizza
84. Getting homeschool letter sent
85. Relaxing evening
86. Church as a family
87. Beginning the Exodus series
88. Serving with babies
89. Lunch at Harvest
90. Gift card
91. Deep conversation
92. Working through more issues
93. God's faithfulness
94. First field trip to Schimpff's
95. Candy
96. Kids doing well during the field trip
97. Getting the first hostess package from Norwex
98. Getting Phase 10
99. Good blessing us in mysterious ways
100. Playgroup
101. Nice conversations
102. Never being alone
103. Jamey getting a lot of math done
104. Same praying at dinner
105. Great discussion at CG
106. Jamey finishing handwriting and language arts!
107. Everyone sleeping
108. Good doctor appointment
109. Jim being able to come over for a minute
110. Chilled evening at home
111. Spending the morning with the Felix family
112. Encouragement
113. Calling Daddy for his birthday
114. Celebrating Hannah and Abbey's birthday
115. Meeting new people
116. Sam swinging Nehemiah
117. Jim getting extra work hours
118. Making cookies
119. Working on more school plans
120. Going to the Home for His Glory pool party
121. Lillian dunking herself in the water
122. Fellowship with friends
123. Meeting Kimberly for coffee
124. God using my hurt to minister to her
125. Nehemiah doing well during our time
126. Getting a really good deal on folders and binders
127. Napping
128. Reading with Becca
129. Hanging out
130. Learning more about redemption in Exodus
131. Meeting to discuss Love to Eat Hate to Eat
132. Becca sharing
133. Planning
134. Talking with Jim
135. Sharing my heart
136. God moving
137. Getting started on co-op lesson plans
138. Jim working extra
139. Lillian reading to her little brothers
140. Sam praying 
141. Meeting new people at co-op orientation
142. No TV for 24 hours!
143. Sarah and Asia coming to visit
144. Lillian doing well at music class
145. Good CG time
146. Being encouraged
147. Sleep
148. Day 2 no TV!
149. Getting stuff finished for N Good Health
150. Completing first 4 weeks of school plans
151. Trying a new French restaurant
152. Making plans to start eating real food more
153. Only TV for dancing
154. Working on co-op class plans
155. Getting prayer list sent
156. Nice paycheck
157. Having some fun with Jim
158. Getting our Norwex stuff!
159. Going to see the Nina and the Pinta
160. Terry helping me
161. Co-op field trips
162. Time to sit with my girl and love on her
163. Figuring out what's important
164. Meeting with Sisters to discuss how God informs every part of our life
165. Panera for lunch
166. Adults talking about schedule
167. All kids napping
168. Time to talk with Jim 
169. Learning together
170. Walking to church
171. Family day at the fair
172. Hearing 4 great bands
173. God growing my heart
174. Meeting another big family
175. Double date night in with Ryan and Becca
176. Getting errands run
177. Talking through priorities with Jim
178. Pizza and a movie
179. Book club
180. Nehemiah having a good appointment
181. Beginning to make daily life plans

August Evaluation

Due to circumstances this past year, I'm not really changing my goals. Some will go that are not top priority, but I'm keeping the ones that fit with the overarching goal of having a God-centered life and the things I see Him leading me to right now. So thus far this is how it goes:

Spiritual

• Spend at least 10 minutes praying daily- Yes, I'm working more directed prayer into my day
• Spend at least 10 minutes reading and reflecting on the Bible daily- Yes! 
• Memorize verses with the kids - Starting this with our homeschool next month
• Memorize Scripture- Not much

Marriage

• Go out for a date once a week- Yes
• Go on a night away once this year- Yes we went away for our anniversary!
• Read 3 books together this year- Have started 2 books this past week
• Discuss plan weekly on Sunday Saturday afternoon- We are discussing plans but still need improvement on consistency and sticking to our plans as much as it depends on us

Kids

• Spend 30 minutes of one on one time with each child every week- still need to work on this
• Go to playgroup each Tuesday- I think we made it to all of them for at least a little while
• Write in individual journals at least 3 times this year- Got a little behind this month, but still on track to do this
• Finish Jamey's 1st year Scrapbook- Finally went through some of the stuff and looked at what I need to do with what I already have, nothing additional

Homemaking

• Keep up with cleaning schedule- Still really struggling to do this
• Keep up with my calendar- Status quo, still need improvement here
• Being fully present when with my family- Getting better at this, but still struggling

Ministry

• Continue sending out Prayer List- Yes

Personal

• Read a book a month for myself- I'm 3/4 through "War and Peace" 
• Journal 5 days a week- Yes! God has really been giving me opportunity to do this in the morning
• Write (books) 3 days a week- Did not work on this 
• Edit novel to prepare for publishing and research publishing options- No additional work on this during the month
• Finish Rosetta Stone Russian level 1 - Have not worked on this
• Continue to meet once a month with writing group- Again, did not happen
• Blog 3 days a week- Did well at the beginning of the month, but the later half was crazy

Health

• Go to water aerobics once a week- Started back to find out that our instructor was moving and they are going to begin charging for classes so only did this half the month and this will be no more
• Maintain weight until birth- Did well with this, still gained some but far better than other pregnancies
• Lose weight after giving birth- Have started this, but it's slow

August was a crazy busy month and I have no idea where it went, hence me writing this post half way through September. We were still adjusting to being a family of 8 and really working on being together as a family as well as prepping for homeschool. Most of August was spent getting things organized and attempting to figure out schedules. In fact I was on the computer very little during August and have barely been on it in September thus far. Life has been so much about learning and seeking what God would have our life look like right now, in particular what it means to be a family under His rule. This is our top priority right now, and we are continuing to learn this everyday.

How was your August?

Happy 4th Birthday, Reuben!

Today we celebrate Labor Day in a different way. Today we celebrate that 4 years ago, I labored and delivered our third child, our precious Reuben Yates. It's so hard to believe that 4 years have already passed since welcoming Reuben into our family. He is such a blessing to us and our family because he is so different. Reuben is very quiet and mild mannered. But he is opinionated. It makes me laugh how much like Jim he is. He loves being around people, having fun and laughing, but he will not insert himself just because. He is content to be alone and enjoys sitting by himself quietly.

Reuben is so funny, but is very subtle about it. He loves to dance and can keep up with the best of them when we play the dance game. He loves the TV way too much! He will watch anything and play any video game. He enjoys acting out what he watches and plays with his siblings. He is such a bundle of energy and is so fun to watch.

It is a blessing to see Reuben learning to get along with his siblings. He can be very sweet and is generally agreeable. Most of the time he will give them anything, especially Lillian. I pray he will be a great protector of his big sister. They enjoy doing many things together, especially dancing and acting out movies. He also enjoys building with magnets and Legos. I hope he will grow in his love of building.

This past year, Reuben has begun to like reading more, which is a huge blessing. Tomorrow he will be starting pre-school in his first official year of homeschool. He seems to be excited and has grown in a love of learning recently.

Some of Reuben's favorite things are dinosaurs, robots and super heroes. He loves to eat fruits and vegetables, especially carrots. He has also developed a great love of coffee and enjoys sharing a cup with Daddy in the mornings. He also likes his siblings. Occasionally he will ask to hold Nehemiah, which is very sweet.

As our family grows together, Reuben has grown in praying. He likes to pray at meals and at night when we pray together. He is also diligent to pray for his siblings as well and makes sure to tell us who he is praying for.

I am so thankful for Reuben. He has grown and challenged me. I love his sweet smile and love of life. He is such a blessing!

Father, thank You for giving Reuben to us to raise for You. Thank You for Your mercy and grace in parenting. Please save him by Your grace and grow him into a mighty man after Your own heart.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY REUBEN!!!!! May God bless you with many more years.

The Silver Chair

Our family finally finished the 6th book in The Chronicles of Narnia series and I was sadly unimpressed. The story line, though somewhat interesting, was very slow and seemed to drag on. For me the last fourth of the book was the only exciting part, with a couple of others thrown in. For an adventure, it did not come across as real adventurous. My kids seemed to like it OK, but my husband did not like it much either. After the 1st and 3rd books in this series, this one was just a let down like most of the others. I found the ending too abrupt also, though an element of it was neat.

I would give this one 3 stars.

Very Funny, Elizabeth!

I read this book with my daughter after reading the Felicity series with her earlier this year. We found it at the library and Lillian was so excited! It was an interesting story. It's primary focus was on Elizabeth (Felicity's best friend) and her family. It is about Elizabeth's sister, Annabelle, getting engaged and Elizabeth playing jokes on her sister who is all about being prim and proper and becoming a lady in England, hence the title, though I feel like the title is not the best for this book.

I did enjoy reading about the engagement and seeing Elizabeth's view on it. I also enjoyed reading the historical view of marriage during that time. It was interesting, but not that great.

I would give it 3.5 stars as a whole.

The Call To Renewal

This is the second part of Jude that we studied this week at Sojourn, with the continued theme of renewal that we are called to as Christians. Pastor Mike reminded us today that every true Christian is a convert, that is we are renewed and changed as an individual. Yesterday we looked at Jude 14-25:

14 It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with [p]many thousands of His holy ones, 15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” 16 These aregrumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; [q]they speakarrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.

17 But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, 18 that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” 19 These are the ones who cause divisions, [r]worldly-minded, [s]devoid of the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith,praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on some, who are doubting; 23 save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.

24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and [t]forever. Amen.

The Dangers of Not Renewing
It is evident in verses 14-16 that there is a final judgement coming where God will separate the Righteous from the unrighteous. We cannot take sin lightly. This can be a hard word in our anything goes culture, but you cannot take hell out of the Bible. If you pluck out hell and judgement, the whole Gospel Truth unravels and Jesus died for nothing. It cost God everything to send His Son to earth to die for us and make us righteous. The more we understand judgement, the weightier the cost of the cross is.

The Call to Renew
We are commanded to keep ourselves in God's love by building up our faith and praying. We are wired to build things as we are made in God's image, so instead of focusing on building our house/garden/car etc, let's build our faith. Our souls are the most important things we can build up. How do we do this? By reading the Truth of God's Word and praying in the Spirit empowered by Him.

Pastor Mike encouraged us to start a Bible project. What is a Bible project?
Pick a book of the Bible and study it. Make a plan on what you want to read, memorize and study more in depth, then implement. He gave a 15 minute a day basic plan to help you start.

1. Read a chapter/passage
2. Meditate on what the chapter/passage says. (Meditate means to chew on, mull over, think about, contemplate) This is where our hearts are effected
3. Pray about what you read

Take 5 minutes for each to begin building your faith and see what God does with it.

Renewal is also a community project. We are to go after the lost, those who are doubting, those who are wavering. We also need to be willing to share our struggles, sin, and doubts with those around us. Do be on your guard so that you do not get sucked into sin yourself. Be wise in pulling others out of the fire. Renewal happens when you reach out.

The End of Renewal (The Purpose of Renewal)
Renewal begins with God's grace and ends with God's grace. The purpose is sanctification as God grows us in the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ. All of our effort is underwritten by God's grace. There is often contention between it being all God or all us in renewal, but it is clear throughout Scripture that it is both. It's 100% God's grace (v 2,24) and 100% our effort (v 3, 21). It all works together for our sanctification. We persevere in doing our work by God's grace.

Our chief end and purpose is to live a life that brings glory to God.

A Blueprint For Renewal

Last Sunday Pastor Mike talked about the first half of the book of Jude and a blueprint for renewal.

Jude 1-16

1 [a]Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of [b]James,

To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: 2 May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.

3 Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the [c]saints. 4 For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand[d]marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

5 Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that[e]the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, [f]subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day, 7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after [g]strange flesh, are exhibited as an [h]example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.

8 Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile [i]angelic majesties. 9 But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”10 But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are [j]destroyed. 11 Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay [k]they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. 12 These are the men who are [l]hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, [m]doubly dead, uprooted; 13 wild waves of the sea, casting up their own [n]shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the [o]black darkness has been reserved forever.

14 It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with [p]many thousands of His holy ones, 15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” 16 These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; [q]they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.

The Source of Renewal
Right off the bat in verse 1 we are reminded of our identity in Christ. We are called, loved and kept by God. It is important to note that all of these are passive, meaning that these things happened to us, we did nothing to attain this identity. God called us. God loved us. God kept us. Our identity is based on what God has done for us alone. We cannot earn our place or His favor. It is given to us.

Gospel renewal starts with Jesus.

The Call to Renewal
Grace meets us right where we are, and it changes us. When Jesus renews us, He changes our hearts. His grace meeting us where we are is not license to do whatever we want, it gives us the grace to live the way He designed us to live. (Titus 2:11-12)

We are called to contend for the faith. Contend means to exert great effort. God's grace gives us the ability to extend the effort to say no to the flesh and the world and yes to God's ways. When we darken our hearts in some way, we cannot see God clearly and can easily fall into sin. When we deny the authority of Jesus, this will happen. He is the example of how we are to live and to contend.

The Danger of Not Renewing
God does not play around with sin. Jude gives 9 pictures of judgement from the Old Testament and Jewish history to remind us of this. If we are not renewed, then we will face eternal judgement and darkness.

If we do not continue in faith with Christ, then we are not saved. 

Contending for the faith is both external and internal. Internal contending is Jude's main focus, because if we are not contending in our hearts, our external efforts mean nothing. We are simply coasting.

Coasting	Contending
Great Intentions	Agonizing Forward
Tossed back and forth	Deepening Convictions
Unconcerned about sin	Putting Sin to death
Faithful to externals	Internally Striving
No leadership in home	Leadership in home

Are you coasting or contending? How can we contend together?