To Brighten Your Day "In Christ Alone" - Lauren Daigle

Though You Slay Me

      These songs really cut deep when you think about them. We are so tempted to take our circumstances and base God's goodness on what is going on in our lives. The truth is that God is good ALL the time. He is refining us even with sorrow and pain. Scripture says that He prunes those who He wishes to bear more fruit for His glory.

     During a particularly sad time in our lives, my husband and I listened to these songs constantly trying to remind ourselves of the promises of our Lord. We know that God uses even simple music to help point our eyes. Enjoy these songs and the deep scriptural truths revealed in them.

Enjoy One of My Favorite Songs - "You're Beautiful" Sarah Reeves Cover

I hope you enjoy this music video!

Did You Say Schedule?

     The most successful moms are the ones who can have a schedule and follow it, right? I think there is definitely at least a little bit of truth to this. Ouch. Yeah, I said ouch. If I'm being completely honest with you guys, I've got to tell you...I am not a scheduled person, like, AT ALL. I know, it's terrible. You should see me when I start to make a schedule. I go WAY overboard and plan things down to the quarter hour...and then I get uber overwhelmed and wonder how exactly I am going to be able to stick with it. And then I don't stick with it. This happens to be a pattern in my life. I actually sat down yesterday and started a schedule. I decided to put the major things down like, "wake up", "eat lunch", "dinner", "bedtime" etc. It took me an hour before I realized that I was getting way too detailed again. I was bummed but realized that I can't have and be everything. God made me more of an outside of the box, fly by the seat of my pants sort of gal.

     I plan to continue working on my scheduling techniques as I go. I'm in no way going to see myself become a "by the books" person overnight. That's okay, right? I want to be a successful mother, wife, and homemaker and I think that making a schedule will help me do those things even better.

     For those of you who happen to be like me, you are blessed with the ability to fly by the seat of your pants. Hey, it can be a great thing! Yet I see the value in being able to know what the heck is going on, at least half the time.
     I'd love to know how other mamas out there use scheduling and/or non-scheduling as a tool to help the day run more smoothly. Love to hear your thoughts! Please comment :)

Chris and Stephanie Teague's Amazing Story of Redemption and Restoration

I heard this amazing couple on Moody rodio one afternoon as I was house cleaning. I am encouraged by their humility and their courage to tell their story. Feel free to listen! Also check out their music below!

Becoming MomStrong by Heidi St. John

For all of you out there who are journeying on the wonderful road of motherhood, please don't miss out on this lovely book. It is a great reminder to moms about how to become good mothers simply by becoming devoted and loving Christ followers. Heidi is so personable and fun in her style and brings you right into the depths of her struggles as a mom. I love how she is continually pointing to Christ and encouraging her readers to gaze on Him in their daily lives. Love this book!

 

Eternal Value = Imitating Christ

I am currently reading in 1 Thessalonians where Paul starts out in his usual manner, "Grace to you and peace..." etc. He tells the Thessalonians that he continually prays for them and "makes mention" of them to the Lord. He speaks of their conversion and the power of God shown through their new belief in the gospel.

Paul goes on to mention how the Thessalonians became imitators of them and of the Lord even in the midst of much trial and tribulation, therefore becoming a great example to all of Macedonia and Achaia. They became like a sounding board and broadcast the Gospel not only to these places but in every place their faith toward God went forth. This strikes me and makes me think about the average Christian walk in America. So many people look for what is popular and "hip" and they strive for it and live as if their lives are only as great as the next big fad. I know that we can all get caught in this. I know that I do...

It's fun to keep up with the newest Christian bands. Churches with bookstores and coffee shops are pretty hip and cool. I like being comfortable and served...but is the church where I should seek my personal comfort? Nope. As imitators of Christ, we come not to be served but to serve. Because of this call to be like Him, our faith and the spread of the Gospel are so much more important than popularity and relevance in this generation.

We are living lives that have eternal value. We can choose to place our bet on worldly things and our eternal value is wasted. If we are actively choosing to work in light of the Kingdom our eternal value is multiplied a thousandfold!

All in all I guess I am trying to make a point of the importance of our role as imitators. We can imitate the world and be no earthly good whatsoever, or we can imitate Christ and be and ambassadors for the Kingdom of the Almighty God. Which do you choose?