SSMT Verse 17 - Help!

School started this week, and one of the things I always tell my children when they are in school is "if you don't understand something or have questions, don't be afraid to ask for help."

That's good sound advice, right?

It's important that my kids know that it is ok to ask an adult when they need help solving a problem, learning to do something correctly, clarifying instructions and rules, or even getting directions to their next class. (For my 6th grader, who just started Middle School this year.)  There is no shame in admitting you need a little help.  We've all been there.

Even me...

What's good advice for my kids is good advice for me, right?

Why then, is it so hard for me to ask for help when I need it?  Perhaps it is because I expect too much of myself as an adult, mom, wife, homemaker, employee, and daughter.  Um, that's a lot of hats to juggle.  Maybe it's because I'm a bit of a perfectionist and I see myself as failing in some of those areas above mentioned.

Whatever the reason, I think after this week I have realized that it is ok, in fact, necessary, for me to recruit help managing the several different areas of my life.  For instance, the kids are old enough that they can help assemble their lunches for school.  And they can even do their own laundry, or at least help with their laundry in the afternoons.  They can also help themselves to a snack if they are hungry when they get home from school.

Those are all physical things that help me stay organized and take a little pressure off my daily schedule.  Let's talk a little about the spiritual side of things.

I live in a valley, so on most days when I am driving anywhere or even just sitting and looking out my dining room window, I look up to see the beautiful hills surrounding us.  They are breathtaking in any season.  In the Fall (the approaching season), they change colors.  Into Winter, they turn white with fresh snow.  Then in the Spring you can see the fields of rolling wheat and rows of grapevines or whatever crop is in season growing new.  Even in the Summer when things are dry the hills are a variety of color.  I love to watch the change and gaze out into the beauty of it all.

When I was determining what verse I wanted to memorize for Siesta Scripture Memory Team this first half of September, a particular psalm came to mind.  It is one that I have probably read again and again, but never taken time to memorize.  It is Psalm 121:1-2

"I lift my eyes up to the mountains -
Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth."

I have the ultimate helper on my side: the Lord.  What a comfort to know that any question, any problem, any sadness or hardship that I come to Him with, He is able to help!

Every time I look at the hills for the next two weeks I will repeat these verses to myself and remember that God is my helper.

When I start to feel overwhelmed, (and maybe a bit sorry for myself,) I will remember where my help comes from - first and foremost, God - and then know that it is ok to ask for help.

The psalmist closes Psalm 121 with "The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever."

He's looking out for me.  He knows September is one of my busiest, craziest months.  The chaos of it all can often get to me and cause high levels of anxiety.  But not if I remember who my helper is.  Not if I keep my eyes and my thoughts focused on Him.

Philippians 4:23
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God."

I'm so thankful that He is my helper.  How about you?

Phone Photos and Company Girl Coffee

Well, I figure if Rachel Anne over at Home Sanctuary can take time to post with the week she had, so can I!  I haven't had any major crisis or life changing events this week, just been busy getting kids ready to go back to school and winding down the Summer.  Here are a few pictures from my phone to re-cap our week.  (Please excuse the quality, my phone camera isn't that great.)

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

This is a small section of my grapevines.  They span the entire length of my deck.  Though they are beautiful to look at, I learned this year that the more leaves you have, the less fruit they will produce.  Next year I will prune them as the Summer progresses.  I think that there might be a life lesson in there somewhere.  I'll save that post for another day.

My two youngest kiddos (CD 6, and LR 8) playing on a neighborhood playground that we stopped at while out for a bike ride the other day.

This is my oldest (12) taking a break when we went out for a run this week.  She's joining the 7th Grade Cross-Country Team this year. Although I haven't run in years, I am determined to help her train, and maybe get back in shape myself!

JS, who is going into Middle School (6th grade) this year!  I can hardly believe it.  Where has the time gone?

And that's BC hanging from the monkey bars...he'll be in 5th grade this year, only 11 months younger than his brother.

Some of the scenery from one of our runs this week.  I really do live in a beautiful valley. Too bad my camera can't capture the awesome details of it all.  The sheep, the vineyard, and the surrounding hills...just BREATHTAKING! 

 

 

On Wednesday, I had the unfortunate bad luck of hitting a stray S hook/belt (you know, that is supposed to hold stuff down in the back of a truck) on the highway.  I made it home before my tire went flat though and my husband, who is my hero, put the spare on so I could make it into town the next day to get it checked out.  Turns out we needed a new tire.  Thankfully, we were saving up for two new rear tires anyway.  This just sped up the purchase.  God always seems to provide for us right when we need it. 

Siesta Scripture Memory Team Verse 16!

"But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever."
-Psalm 52:8 (NIV)

When I read this verse, I just knew I had to memorize it.  First of all, I love that it is written in the first person.  I am like an olive tree flourishing...I trust in God's unfailing love. 

I also love that word flourishing.  Doesn't it just drip off your mouth like a waterfall? The Hebrew word from Strong's Concordance for flourishing is raanan. (Pronounced rah-an-awn) It translates: luxuriant, fresh. 

I didn't know much about olive trees before I read this verse so I decided to look them up and learn something.

Did you know that olive trees are evergreen? They will live and produce fruit in spite of circumstances - hot, cold, wet, dry, rocky or sandy soil.  In the same way, as Christians we must learn to "flourish," no matter what our circumstances.  How is this possible?  The answer is in the second half of the verse.  Trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever.  When the sun is shining and when the rain is pouring down.  When you are walking through a dry season and when your cup seems to overflow.  

You get the point.  God's unfailing love is the one constant in every season of our lives.  I am reminded of a song by Jesus Culture called "Your Love Never Fails."

Nothing can separate
Even if I ran away
Your love never fails

I know I still make mistakes
But You have new mercies for me everyday
Your love never fails

Chorus:
You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There may be pain in the night but joy comes in the morning

And when the oceans rage
I don't have to be afraid
Because I know that You love me
Your love never fails

Verse 2:
The wind is strong and the water's deep
But I'm not alone here in these open seas
Cause Your love never fails

The chasm is far too wide
I never thought I'd reach the other side
But Your love never fails

I'm so glad that His love never fails.  Thanks for stopping by, and may you flourish in His love today and always.
-Melissa 

Siesta Scripture Memory Verses 13-14

It's been a while since I could get to the computer to post, but I figure if I'm going to take a few minutes to write about something, it will be how memorizing scripture has made such an impact on my life.  I've stretched myself a little this year and tried to memorize more than one verse at a time.  Siesta Scripture Memory Team with Beth Moore has helped a lot both because there is accountability to get my memorization done in a specific period of time, (the first and 15th of the month is when we pick our verses) and because Beth Moore often shares tips about memorization technique and the story behind why she chose a particular verse.  If I haven't had anything jump out at me in my reading then I sometimes just memorize her verse right along with her.  It's inspiring to know that there are so many women out there memorizing scripture and if I get discouraged, I come back to the SSMT post and scroll through some of the verses that everyone else has posted that they are memorizing.

This month I focused in on a psalm that stood out to me while I was walking through Priscilla Shirer's new Bible Study "Gideon, Your Weakness.  God's STRENGTH."  I have some AMAZING thoughts that I would love to share from this study, but for now I will stick to my memory verses.  The verse that was in the margin was Psalm 103:2, but when I picked up my Bible to read it, I knew that I just had to memorize verses 1-5.  I'll break it down the way that I memorized them.  In the first two weeks of July I memorized Psalm 103:1-2:

"Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;

The first time I read this I thought "What?  How could I forget the many blessings and benefits of knowing the Lord?"  But it happens.  It is easy forget that the Lord is constantly on our side and looking out for our greater good.  Romans 8:3 says "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."  So why would we forget the amazing things He's done?  Pride.  Priscilla calls it "spiritual amnesia."  Just like the nation of Israel wandering in the desert, we have to be reminded of the One who rescued us.

For the second half of the month I have been memorizing Psalm 103:3-5.  Lets take a look at the benefits the psalmist is talking about.  I've broken them down for the sake of memorization into two parts.  First, God takes away the bad.  Then, He replaces the bad with the good.  I focused on three key words to memorize the next three lines (ps. 103:3-4a).  God pardons, heals, and redeems:

"Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit,

The next words I focused in on were crowns, satisfies, and renewed. (ps. 103:4b-5)

"Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle."

So that's my thinking process.  I wake up almost every morning declaring "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget NONE of His benefits!"  That's the impact that memorizing scripture has had on my life.  It's the perfect way to start my day...remembering all that He has done for me.

Thanks for stopping by,
Melissa

Every Matter Under Heaven

Seasons.  We all know that there are four of them, right?  Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.  They mark the coming and going of certain types of weather, scenery changes, and temperature ups and downs.  Most of us here in the U.S. follow what's known as "Daylight Savings Time" and set our clocks to "Spring forward," or "Fall back," accordingly.  But that's not what this post is going to be about.  No, lately my mind has pondered the coming and going of different seasons of life, and how quickly they can change.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven."  (ESV)  I have started a new Bible Study this Summer by Priscilla Shirer called "Gideon, Your weakness.  God's STRENGTH."  One of the questions she asked in the first week of the study was "What realm of life do you think God wants you concentrating on while doing this study?"

Part of being a mom is having the capability to transition from one season of parenting to the next.  When my children were ages 5, 4, 3 ,2 and newborn, life brought completely different challenges than my current season, where they are ages 11, 10, 10 (no, that's not a typo, I have two 10yr olds for another 13 days), 8 and 6.  I think back at the many stages of motherhood and I am completely aware (now) of God's presence through each one.   He knows where we have been, what season we are currently experiencing, and yes; He knows what the future will hold as well.

I love what Rachel Anne had to say about seasons in her post on Friday: 

When things change, we feel the earth move beneath our feet and become afraid that we'll never find a firm footing again. That's just where I am today. 

But....I know this and I cling to it: God is faithful. 

He keeps us in his loving care and sets our feet on solid ground. We will find our firm footing if we trust Him.

Psalm 40:2 ...He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

I am also in a season of uncertainty.  While my younger children are still in their grade school years, my older two are in Middle School.  Sure I wish I could keep them young forever, but that's not possible.  As I watch them grow I have to be prepared for change...and I'll be the first to admit, I don't like change much!  What I have to remember though, is that each season is preparing me for the next.  Things can't remain the same forever or I get comfortable.  Complacent even.  I start to rely on my own strength instead of God's.  I think to myself "yep, I've got this parenting thing down."

So as much as uncharted territory scares me a bit, I move forward keeping in mind that God is with me every step of the way.  And I, like many mothers who have gone before me, will cling to the one thing in my life that will never change: His faithfulness.

"For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations." -Psalm 100:5

Siesta Scripture Memory Verses for June

June 1st Verse: 1 Chronicles 29:11  The NET Bible
O Lord, You are great, mighty, majestic, magnificent, glorious, and sovereign over all the sky and earth!  You have dominion and exalt Yourself as the ruler of all. 

I love this first verse because it shows so many of the names of God.  It was so encouraging as I was memorizing it, repeating it over and over again and praising His name all the while!

June 15th Verse: 1 Thess. 3:5 NASB
May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ. 

The second verse I chose because it speaks right to the core of my being about the depths of Gods love for me and how I am to persevere in Christ.

I hope you find encouragement in His Word today,
Melissa 

Pockets to Fill

Today Rachael Anne over at Home Sanctuary challenged us to sit down and make a list of what we can do in 5, 10, and 15 minute "pockets" of time.  While I have done this exercise before, I thought it would be fun to take my first floor main rooms and group some "pockets" together.  Then I went back and looked at my last pockets list that I made here a few years back.  What a fun comparison to make!  I was in a different season and different home back then so I had a few things on my list that didn't come up this time.  But for the most part, a lot of the things I listed were the same quick tasks as before.  I just grouped them by room to help me maximize my pockets of time better. :)

Here's what my list looks like now:
In the Kitchen:
Load the dishes/wipe down the sinks
Wipe down the counters
Clean the stove top
Clear off the island
Wipe down the appliances
Empty the dish rack
Wipe the dining room table & straighten the chairs
Change the calendar (Wipe off white board, once a month)

In the Living Room:
Stack attack! (Sort papers)
Dust the phone table and the coffee table
Wipe down the phone
Straighten the book shelves
Check the answering machine for messages (Which often gets forgotten!)

In the Main Bathroom/Laundry Room:
Load/Move along laundry
Wipe down washer/dryer
Straighten counter top/wipe it down
Clean the mirror
Clean the toilet
Replace light bulbs

In the Master Bedroom/Bathroom:
Make the bed
Pick up any stray clothes and put away or in laundry
Straighten bathroom counter top/wipe it down
Clean the mirror
Clean the toilet
Straighten the towels

Other:
Clean out purse
File receipts
Clean out/organize a "junk drawer"
Schedule a dentist/doctor appointment

What a fun exercise and a great reminder that you don't have to have big pockets of time to accomplish Small Things that build Sanctuary in your home!