Life in His Hand

Happy New Year! I am wondering what you'd like to accomplish this year. I know one of the major things I want to do is really declutter my house and get more organized. I want a house I can keep clean easily which means everything needs a home. Well, in a small house with too much stuff, that means...something's gotta go! I actually started the process last week. I rearranged my tiny living room, which I didn't think was possible, and found that the new arrangement "forced" me to get rid of a bookshelf and table and the room looks a lot neater. I just need to work on the "entryway"--if you can call it that :) It's just a space behind the front door. The horrible problem I am having is my bedroom! Things are a mess and this is where the cutting will really need to happen as well as the need for creativity. All of my things (even Christmas stuff) are basically stored in my small room, so this will be a challenge for me, but worth doing because whe...

I decided to start reading the Bible to the girls each evening. I thought it would be good if I let them pick a topic that we could read about. I asked them what they'd like to hear about and they said--the end of the world. So we went to Mathew 24. Verses 36-39 really stuck out. 36  “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  37  As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.   38  For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;   39  and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. We talked about Noah and how life was seemingly normal for everyone besides he and his family. They were consumed with building the ark and preaching about the coming flood. T...

Today, I gathered my three girls together and read two Bible verses to them and prayed for them to be safe while they're away from me this weekend. Then I hugged them good-bye. They're staying with their dad and going to church with him in a nearby city. I think this is the first Sabbath I have spent alone. After they left, I came across a quote by a religious author about the importance of having family worship daily, morning and evening. I was going to share it tonight at our prayer vespers, but found something else. Funny, when I got there, another lady brought a story to read called-Family Prayer. So I dug my quote out and shared it. I had been praying about what God was calling me to do. And this is it! Once again! I don't know why I so struggle with this simple thing, but I DO!! For the New Year, I wanted this to be the only thing I was going to do and it's been terribly neglected. God is nudging me to pick it back up again. I wish this was easier for me, I wis...

Usually at the new year, I make several resolutions - there are so many areas I need to improve in. In the past, I had the enthusiasm to really try, but this year I didn't want to make the usual list...lose weight, spend more time with God, be a better mom, etc. This year I only wanted to take on one thing and that was to have a very simple family worship with the kids everyday. Dad was welcome, but not pressured. It would consist of reading a daily devotional and having prayer together. I've struggled with being consistent in this area for years and we had completely gotten away from doing it. God never let my mind rest though, and I was always thinking about it. So I decided that that would be our family resolution. It's been a little over a month now and I am seeing good results. The kids' minds are more drawn to God and they are thinking about their relationship with Him. I also teach their class at our small church and God has given me the wonderful opportunity o...

Happy 2012 everyone! Hope this year is great and full of blessings for you. I didn't make the New Year's resolutions that I usually do. Such as eating healthier, spending more time with God, or being kinder, or being a better...you fill in the blank, etc. Seems those things are always on my mind to improve.  The one thing I did decide to mark as a resolution was - to have  regular family devotions. Even if that only means 5 minutes with a devotional and prayer. That's the one thing I want to do. It's small and just my speed. This is the most important thing I've struggled with and have let go of, pretty much. So I am not placing high expectations on myself - just to do it. So last night we started a devotional. It was about making God first in your life and we enjoyed it. My kids are great, including my niece, Heather, who is like one of my own. They're at the age where they like to discuss what we're reading, so we had a good time talking about what it...