Siesta Scripture Memory Verse 2.15.09

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord is the Rock eternal." -Isaiah 26:3-4

I am going to continue with my theme of trust this month. This is a verse that I have always turned to when I need to be reminded who to put my trust in, but have never quite memorized it. I love how it repeats the Lord's name twice at the end. Repeating His name twice just drives home the importance of placing my trust in Him. The Lord, The Lord is the Rock eternal! No one deserves my trust more than Him. I want to trust Him to the core of my being. I want perfect peace! So every time my mind begins to wander, when I begin to think negative thoughts, or when I start down the slippery slope of distrust, I will meditate on this verse.

Perfect peace. Steadfast mind. Trust in the Lord. He is the Rock eternal. Amen!

He Sustains Me

(Scroll down for Company Girl Coffee.)
I am 35 years old, and I am starting to gray. Sometimes when I look in the mirror it makes me feel rather old to see gray hair sprouting out here and there. I really can't afford to dye my hair every month so there they are, sticking out like a sore thumb! I am trying to have a sense of humor about it though. After all, I do have 5 children! I can blame it on them, right?

Today I remembered a verse in the bible that talks about gray hair. It was rather comforting to read these words... "Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life." -Proverbs 16:31

When I was looking up the word "gray" in my concordance, I also found another comforting verse. "Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." -Isaiah 46:4

The words "sustain" and "carry" in the Hebrew have a very similar definition meaning "to lift up, carry, take, sustain, or support." The Hebrew word for "rescue" is deliver, or save.

Now, I don't consider myself "old" yet, but it is very comforting to know that as the years go by, and change takes place and this body begins to age, there is one thing that remains the same. The God who made me will sustain me...even carry me when I need Him most. He is the great I AM. Never changing, ever present. For this, I am eternally grateful.

How has He sustained you lately?

Company Girl Coffee 2.13 - A Sticky Situation!

The first thing I thought of when I read Rachel Anne's post on "Sticky", was the song from Friends "Sticky Shoes." It cracks me up every time I hear it. I do happen to have a couple pair of shoes with something "sticky" on the bottom of them waiting to be cleaned...but that's not what I did for yesterday's points. That wouldn't qualify me for the silly points. And I LOVE being silly with my kids and getting points while doing it! So we had to come up with something fun to do yesterday together.

My three oldest kids have Valentine's Parties at school today so we decided to make Valentines together. They also all came home with suckers...which are sticky all by themselves...but I won't go there! Anyway, we worked on cards for each of their classmates and so that my youngest two didn't feel left out, they got a package of Valentines also, which came with...you guessed it, stickers!

Now my kids seem to be going through this phase where they put stickers all over their bodies. Anyone been there??? The other day when they were ready to go to school I happened to glance over and they each had at least a half a dozen stickers on their hands. I find stickers in their beds and other places that stickers definitely do not belong. It frustrates me beyond belief to find them in my washer/dryer because they didn't get removed before being put in the laundry basket.

I have to say though, a two year old covered in stickers, is pretty silly! I wish I would have taken pictures. You'll just have to use your imagination. It was funny enough to make my anger melt away and have a good laugh instead. I'm sure you've had moments like that. I'm so glad I was able to maintain self control, enjoy the moment, and laugh with all my kids. Laughing managed to get me out of a very "sticky" situation!

"A fool gives vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control." -Proverbs 29:11

10 Things Tuesday...TRUST!

I'm so glad it's Tuesday! This week I want to focus on TRUST in my thankful list. God is really doing a work in my life right now and I am thankful that He is teaching me how to really trust Him in everything. It has been a very repetitive theme for me so I thought I would share.

1. I am thankful that God uses His scripture to speak to me and show me the many reasons I can trust Him.

2. I am thankful that I can trust God with every area of my life.
Psalm 31:14-15a "But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hands;" (Home Sanctuary Scripture of the Month)

3. I am thankful that when I trust in Him He puts a song in my heart.
Psalm 28:7 "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song."

4, 5, and 6. I am thankful that when I trust in Him He gives me hope, peace, and joy.
Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (My own scripture memory verse for Feb.1-15)

7. I am thankful that I can trust Him to direct my path.
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths." (Amplified)

8. I am thankful that I can trust Him to provide for our family.
Psalm 23:1 "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want."

9. I am thankful that I can trust Him with the lives of my children.
Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

10. I am thankful that even when I walk through trials, I can trust Him to be by my side.
Psalm 23:4 "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

If you have the time, I recommend watching Beth Moore on Life today. I watched her series on Trust, and it really challenged me. You can find it in the archives here. It's called "Who Do You Trust?" Just scroll down until you find the right title.

I'll leave you with one more verse today. It's one of my favorites. Perhaps it will be my memory verse for the second half of February! : )

Isaiah 26:3-4
"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. 4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal."

Company Girl Coffee 2.6

Welcome! Sorry for you coffee lovers this morning...I'm serving tea. I'm having a procedure done on my ankle this morning and one of the instructions was to have only clear liquids after midnight. I am having a "Nevus" removed today. I had a mole removed back in August and it came back with some rather shady results so they wanted to go back in and take out another 5mm border. My dermatologist called it a "mole gone bad." It's not skin cancer, but they wanted to be sure to get it all out before it gets to that stage. All that to say, I learned an important lesson. I will be watching my moles for change, and be mindful of new moles. And I will be having an over all skin check up once a year now, just like my annual physical. I'll let you know how the procedure goes.

Let's see...on to feeling like a woman! I am on board with that! My husband bought me a special manicure kit for Christmas. I'm not a big nail polish fan, but boy does this buffer make my nails shine! No application necessary! Then I finish it up with some very luxurious hand lotion made with ingredients from the dead sea. That's exactly what I intend to do when I get home from the hospital today. : ) Flirty is fun too, though I'll have to wait and see how I feel for the outrageous!

Well, I need to get on with my morning. Thanks for stopping by this week. I'll be seeing you! Have a blessed weekend!

-Melissa

UPDATE: The procedure went off without a hitch and now I will be the proud owner of an inch long scar. I have two layers of dissolvable stitches. I talked with the doctor about his vacation the entire time he was working on my ankle and watched most of it. Thanks for your prayers!

I Am Thankful...

I think it's about time for another 10 things Tuesday list. I haven't seen X-Box Wife this week yet, but that doesn't mean I can't choose to be thankful! :)

1. I am thankful for peace and quiet. I am sitting here in my living room listening to worship music and enjoying an empty house. This doesn't happen very often. Usually even when kids are at school, I have two extras at home with me. My DH took a trip out to Walla Walla and with him he took my two youngest children. The result is that I get two whole hours all to myself! You would think I would spend that cleaning and getting things done, but not today. I'm just taking a mini retreat, sipping my latte, and being thankful.
2. I am thankful that my DH is only gone for one day. I missed both him and the kids last night. I look forward to seeing them and getting hugs all around when they get home tonight. It's good to miss them, and it's good to be missed, but I will be thankful when they get home.
3. I am thankful that my brother in law is willing to let us use his car while he is gone over seas this year. That's what my DH is in Walla Walla to do...pick up the car. I am also thankful for my sister in law who took her one day off this week to travel there so we could pick up the car.
4. I am thankful for the new furnace that is on it's way this week. Ours has a crack in it and needs to be replaced as soon as possible. Not only did God provide the means for that, He also provided someone in our church to install it, saving us about $800.
5. I am thankful for our health. RH seems to have gotten over her Strep. Looking back, we made it through most of January without any illnesses. I pray the same for February.
6. I am thankful for extended family both on my side and my husband's side. We could not make it in this economy if it weren't for our loving family. Be it food, a little extra money, or supplies for the household, our families have really pitched in to help us during hard times. Most recently, I am thankful for my DH's Grandma, who sent a very sweet letter along with some money. Her example of how important family is has been such a blessing to me over the years.
7. I am thankful that my own grandma is recovering from her fall in a home where she is being taken care of by a skilled nurse. She hurt her knee and her ribs when she fell. She's 95 years old, lives in her own place, and amazes me at how active she still is. (Actually, she's where I get my stubborn "I want to do it all myself'" attitude from!) I am thankful that her kids were around to help take care of her when she fell.
8. I am thankful that we have the room in our home to extend the invitation for a friend at church to live here for a while. I love having the capability to offer up our home to meet his need. We have done it in the past for family and friends and this is no different. I love the chance to practice hospitality!
9. I am thankful that the sun is shining bright again today...even though they say the groundhog saw his shadow yesterday!
10. I am ever so thankful for God's Word. I am reading through the bible chronologically this year. It reads more like a story this way and I'm seeing new things that I never noticed before. I am also memorizing two verses a month and that has already had a huge effect on my thought life and attitude.

Well, I hope X-BOX Wife is doing well, my prayers are with her. I am very glad I stumbled upon her blog because she reminded me that there is always something to be thankful for. What kinds of things are you thankful for this week?

Siesta Scripture Memory Verse 2.1.09

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

This is the verse that I have chosen to memorize for the first half of February.
The things in this verse that I will be focusing on as I commit it to memory are:

1. God is my source of joy, hope and peace.
2. I will overflow with hope, joy and peace as I put my trust in Him!
3. When I pray this scripture, I will pray "Living God of hope, fill me with all joy and peace by the power of the Holy Spirit, as I trust in You."

If you would like to join me and thousands of other women memorizing scripture together in 2009, then you can join the Siesta Scripture Memory Team too! It's never too late to start memorizing God's Word! : )