How Do I Love Thee?

Today is February 1st.  Hard to believe that the first month of this new year has already come and gone, isn't it?

As we look forward to this second month of the year, much of the focus will be on love.  Valentine's Day is February 14th, and stores are already stocked up on things that will help you show your loved ones just how much you love them.  Although, I'm sure you realize that no "thing" will do or take the place of what your "words and actions" should be doing!

The poem, "How Do I Love Thee?" came to mind this morning.  Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote these famous words, sure to be found in some of the Valentine messages from the past.  How interesting that when I went to BibleGateway.com this morning that this was their verse for the day:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”

Deuteronomy 6:4-5

These two phrases - one by Ms. Browning and the other penned by Moses and inspired by God - can go together:  How do I love thee, God?

1.  With all of my heart.

2.  With all of my soul.

3.  With all of my strength.

Can you and I answer that question truthfully with those three answers?  That is what God wants from us, doesn't He?  He wants all of our love and devotion.

At the end of Ms. Brownings poem is this verse:  "I shall but love thee better after death." How we live our lives now, and how we choose to love God now matters.  At the end of life - in eternity - I want to be able to say to God, "I love thee better after death."  I pray that you do, too.

To read more about loving the Lord, read the whole chapter of Deuteronomy 6.

The New Addition!

After waiting five months for the process of adding on to our home to begin, we got the ball rolling towards the end of July 2011.  This addition was something we had been hoping for and praying for several years.  So, on this GRATITUESDAY, I am very, very grateful for this new space.  

Being a family of six, with our three boys sharing a big bedroom, we were needing more space - and definitely more closets.  This light green room will be a den/office and will connect to the larger, remodeled kitchen.

As soon as possible, I put two wreaths up on the new windows.  With all of the Christmas decor in the rest of the house, this new part needed something!

The new laundry room isn't huge, but it is very sufficient.  I really like the light turquoise and the mini chandelier!  At the time of this picture, it wasn't up there, but soon we added a long rod over the washer and dryer - perfect for letting all of the clothes dry that we don't put in the dryer.  So much easier doing laundry now!

Our two youngest boys that got the new bedrooms are sharing this Mickey Mouse bedroom.  This is before the sink was cut out, but it has been great having an extra bathroom!

This is the room that was previously shared by all three, which now belongs to the oldest.  He's using the extra space on the left side of his bed to make a putting green.  I'll blog about that some day!

Our 13 year old boy wanted a Rt. 66 room.  He has a collection of cars and old bottles, which are displayed on the desk to the right (which belonged to my grandparents).  The madras plaid bedding was on sale at Pottery Barn Teen.  This was my first purchase ever through Pottery Barn Teen, and it is easy to tell (by touch) that the quality is very good.

The youngest boy wanted a Texas Ranger room.  I'm usually not into themed rooms like this, BUT, since it was Texas Rangers, I agreed!  This is before it was all put together, but a few days after Christmas, I found this blue tree at Garden Ridge in Oklahoma City.  WoooHoooo!  It will be his Texas Rangers' Christmas tree next year!

I found this canvas the day after Christmas.  It was a great addition to the new den/office area.  Love what it says!

Demolition Day!  It was great to get home from a ballgame and find that the wall between the old part and new part had been torn down!  How exciting (and very dusty!).

Looking from the other direction into the old part and after some things had been done in the new part.

The only thing we have left to do is to put rock on the corners of the brick on the outside of the house, get closet doors on the two bedroom closets, and get door knobs on all of the new doors.  There are a few "tiny" things we have to do, as well.

Many years ago, we had a teeny, tiny little house.  Our third child's baby bed was in the dining room.  We rarely had people over....there wasn't extra space.  I made a promise then to myself and to God, that if we ever had a home with more room, I/we would use it for HIS glory.  We would have people into our home and have church events in our home.  I kept that promise (Though I know God is used to me and others breaking our promises and is forgiving.  It was important for me to keep that one.)

With this new addition, we plan to serve God even more.  I am thankful that when people need a place to stay, we now have room for them to stay with us.  When we have the youth group over now, there will be even more room to accommodate them (they'll be here in a few weeks!).  We will have church groups, school groups, and hopefully the opportunity to invite new acquaintances over to our home even more now. 

So, on this GRATITUESDAY, I am grateful for this new addition.  Having another bathroom, two new bedrooms and several new closets is so nice.  The boys are very thankful.  We are all very thankful!  

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

"I Did It My Way"

Many years ago, I heard about a man who had passed away.  At the funeral, the Frank Sinatra son, "My Way" was played.  Here is the first verse of that song:

And now the end is near

And so I face the final curtain

My friend I'll say it clear

I'll state my case of which I'm certain

I've lived a life that's full

I traveled each and every highway

And more, much more than this

I did it my way.

Sadly, as humans, we sometimes to try to live our lives just how we please.  We try to do everything, "My Way".  But the sad part about it, is that the Bible plainly teaches us to NOT to it "my way", but to do things "God's Way". 

Last week in Bible class, we were studying about the Israelites and how they were continually trying to do thing their way.  God gave them so many opportunities to do things His way, but they continued to sin.

Many times he delivered them,

but they were bent on rebellion

and they wasted away in their sin.

Psalm 106:43

What a sad verse!  "They were bent on rebellion and they wasted away in their sin."

God's Word tells us how to do things "His Way".  It's not that difficult, but we have to give up/resist the temptation to to things "My Way".  We may fail at times, but we can always get back on track.  We can strive to follow in the steps of Jesus.  And, at the end of our lives, we can truly say, "I did it His way".

 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

     “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 

Matthew 7:21-25

"This Little Light of Mine"

Typically this sweet little song is sung by children, but have you ever thought about the word and how applicable they are to all Christians of any age?  Here is chorus in the song:

This little light of mine,

I'm gonna let it shine.

This little light of mine,

I'm gonna let it shine.

This little light of mine,

I'm gonna let it shine.

Let it shine.

Let it shine.

Let it shine.

In our busy, and sometimes crazy lives, it's easy to get so wrapped up in the "stuff" of life and forget what it is all about - eternity.....specifically eternal life in heaven for those who are saved.  We get down, depressed, stressed, tired, grumpy, grouchy and all kinds of things that aren't always appealing to the outside world.  It's in those hard and difficult times that, instead of looking and turning inward, caving in to the pressure that is weighing down on us, we should let our lights shine even brighter.  That is when our faith should be evident even more.  If we're not trusting in God during those times, as well as during the good times, it's as if we are telling God that we don't believe Him.  It's like we don't believe He will do what He has said He would do.  It's like saying we are all alone, without any higher power to give guidance and support.

So.....when you're troubled....let your light shine!

When you are sad....let your light shine!

When you are worried....let your light shine!

When you are lonely....let your light shine!

When you are grieving....let your light shine!

When you are scared.....let your light shine!

When you are stressed...let your light shine!

When all is good....let your light shine!

Whatever you are and whatever you are doing....let your light shine!

Why?  Because in doing so, you are advancing Christ and to advance the gospel (The gospel is the good news:  The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus!). (Read how Paul advanced Christ here.) You may be the only light that someone sees today!  You may be the only example of Jesus someone sees today.  And maybe, because of that example, someone will decide that they need Jesus, too.

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:14-16

Shine brightly, friends!  SHINE LIKE STARS!

Are You a Fan or a Fanatic?

Every year at this time, our family is busy going to basketball games five out of seven nights.  Thankfully, in our part of the state, Wednesday night basketball hasn't become part of the schedule like it has in many places, and Sunday's are still free from games.

With the many, many games each year, comes a variety of scenarios and outcomes with each game.  However, without exception, fans show up and cheer on the team.  Some fans cheer with every "do right".  Some fans yell with every thing that was "done wrong".  Some fans just sit quietly, while others choose to make the referee the bad guy(s) by pointing out everything they miss.  Something interesting that I've noticed is that if a call is charged against us, it's the wrong call or if they miss something the other team did wrong and don't call it, they're wrong, but if is the other way around - where we foul and it's not called or we mess up (walk, double dribble, etc.) and it's not called, we don't seem to notice.  Why is that??!  (As a side note:  My husband likes to use this true statement:  "Until you have made 100% of your shots, and until you have 0% turnovers, then it is NEVER the refs fault for anything."  So true! )

Thinking about the word "fan", I decided to look at the definition.  Here it is: A person who has a strong interest in or admiration for a particular sport, art or entertainment form, or famous person.   So, by the definition, a true fan has a strong interest in or admiration for whatever it is.  Interesting.


In comparing the fan of a sports team to being a fan of Jesus, I began to wonder just why it was that it was acceptable for people to be HUGE sports fans, but if you are a HUGE Jesus/God fan, you're labeled a fanatic.  Why do you suppose that is the way it is?  I looked up the word fanatic.  Here's the definition: A person filled with excessive and single-minded zeal, esp. for an extreme religious or political cause.


So, I see now that the word fanatic is a single-minded zeal and that is the difference.  A fanatic is a much stronger word, isn't it?  A fan might like one team one year, but then the next year, the fan might like another team.  It might still be the same sport, but not the same team.  It could be the same team, but maybe the teammates have changed.


In your Christian walk, are you a fan or a fanatic?  I believe God wants us to be FANATICS!  He wants us to have a single-minded zeal for Him and His Son, Jesus, and His church!  If we are only a fan, we might not be totally devoted to His cause.  We might be really into the "game" one month, then not so much the next.  Just like there are seasons/times for sports, maybe we only worship God or rely on God during certain seasons of our life. Or maybe you're a fan who once was a fan of Christianity, but now you no longer are part of that team.  What happened to your zeal?  Were you ever a fanatic for Jesus?


Have a single-minded zeal is being Christ focused.  He is your motivation for living the life God wants you to live.  Be zealous for Him!  Be zealous for the church He died for!  Be zealous to help win others to Christ!


BE A FANATIC!  God's team is the best team to "cheer" for!

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

Romans 12:11

Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them. It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you. 

Galatians 4:170-18