Words of the Wise

Proverbs 22:17-19

17 Listen to the words of the wise;
apply your heart to my instruction.
18 For it is good to keep these sayings in your heart
and always ready on your lips.
19 I am teaching you today—yes, you—
so you will trust in the Lord.

Dear Friends,

As I continue to memorize Romans 12, God is showing me on a daily basis what it means to be a living sacrifice. These scriptures are becoming engraved on my heart as I have had several opportunities to share and teach these scriptures to my children in our day to day living (sleeping, eating, going-to-school, being on the basketball team, hanging out with friends, family life, chores, ordinary living). That is what it means to have it in your heart and ready on your lips. I especially love verses 9-21 in the Message version.

Romans 12:9-21 (The Message)

9-10Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

11-13Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

14-16Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody.

17-19Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it."

20-21Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.


Have a Blessed Day!!

Prissy's First Day of Puppy Preschool

Today was Prissy's first day of Puppy Preschool.

This was just a bad hair day! We all have them.

Suffering for Doing Good

Doing the right thing is not always easy. People are not always going to agree with you or understand why you have to do what you do. But always keep your conscience clear by your tongue and your actions. Colossians 4:6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

1 Peter 3:13-17 (New Living Translation)

Suffering for Doing Good

13 Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. 15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. 16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. 17 Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!

"Chicken Livers"

I found this poem the other day that I wrote when I was in highschool. It was a true story. When I was growing up I can remember my mom cooking chicken livers. I hated those things. Still do. So here it goes...

"Chicken Livers"

I hate their smell.

I hate their taste.

I hate the way they look.

I close my eyes and hold my nose

when they begin to cook.

I cry and fuss

and am threatened with a whippin.

But I stand back and shake my head.

It is a terrible waste of chicken.

I know that there are some of you out there that like those things and that is great. I am happy for you, but this is one thing that I won't make my kids eat.

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails....that's what little boys are made of......hmmm! There may be a little more to it than that.

The other morning when I walked by my little boy's bedroom after he had headed off to first grade for the day, I was so impressed with his bed making skills. I stepped into his UK Kentucky Wildcat bedroom to admire how clean it was. But something that was sticking out from under the bed caught my eye. So I decided to do some motherly investigating to check out what was actually under there. Well low and behold....it wasn't just one thing, but several. Check out the pictures below. I just had to laugh and go get my camera to take some pics so that I could remember these little things.

His clean bedroom....not bad for a six year old.

This was everything that I raked out from under his bed.

Mr. Piggy Bank and His Player of the Game Ball

His Bible, Puppy Dog, and Superman Coloring Book

Sports Cards

One of his books

This is his blankey. It is in threads. Looks pretty bad. It has to be washed on a delicate cycle.

Remote control car and other stuffed animals

Left over mini muffins bag where he ate muffins and threw the bag under his bed to hide the evidence.

His first love... UK basketball. A magazine that his grandfather gave him so that he can learn the history of the Wildcats. Very important stuff.

Empty Nerds box....his favorite candy. Also some leftover Christmas candy. Note to mom...must not be his favorite or it would be gone. Miscellaneous sock....I find these all over the house. Doesn't surprise me.

Batman Laptop. Never know when you might need this in the middle of the night.

Money jars for his allowance.

Fellowship of Christian Athletes Magazine that features Sam Bradford
and a lightup matchbox car.

Just thought I would share. Can any of you moms out there relate?

A Cup of Tea, Please!

I wanted to share this little analogy with you about the Tea Cup by Donald S. Whitney. Since I collect tea cups and love drinking hot tea, it really helped me understand why scripture memory and meditating on God's Word was so important.

You are the cup of hot water and the intake of Scripture is represented by the tea bag. Hearing God's Word is like one dip of the tea bag into the cup. Some of the tea's flavor is absorbed by the water, but not as much as would occur with a more thorough soaking of the bag. In this analogy, reading, studying, and memorizing God's Word are represented by additional plunges of the tea bag into the cup. The more frequently the tea enters the water, the more effect it has. Meditation, however, is like immersing the bag completely and letting it steep until all the rich tea flavor has been extracted and the hot water is thoroughly tinctured reddish brown.

New Year's Resolution

Romans 12:2 (NIV)

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve of what God's will is ~ his good, pleasing, and perfect will.

I am proud to say that I just typed this verse out by memory. One morning during my quiet time God softly whispered this verse to me. "But Lord, how can I do this on a consistent basis?" He said, "By hiding my word in your heart." Psalm 119:11 ~ I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." "Do you love my word enough to hide it in your heart?" When scripture is stored in your mind, it is available for the Holy Spirit to take and bring to your attention when you need it most.

So I decided that I am dedicating 2009 to scripture memory and meditation. My first passage of scripture to memorize is the entire chapter of Romans 12. So far I have memorized 8 verses.

The other night I was in my bedroom with my bible and note cards out when my little girl came in and asked what I was doing. I explained to her how God wanted us to hide His Word in our hearts. She let me practice saying my verses to her a couple of times and then she said " I am going to do this too." She went to her room and came back thirty minutes later with her Bible, notebook, and highlighters. She had already memorized 8 to 10 verses. I was so proud of her. She was such an encouragement to me. I was only going to work on one verse that night, but after I saw how many she had memorized I decided to do three more.

So let me encourage you. If I can do it, you can do it. Just memorize and meditate on a scripture a week or a scripture a month. Whatever works for you. Fill your mind with God and truth. There you will find treasures beyond measure.