Growing by Heart

This week my sister and family have been visiting us. Always special to get together, it is even more special since they are missionaries over seas and are only here for a short time on furlough. Hense you try to cram in three years worth of visiting and shopping to last until the next furlough time! One of the main things we have been doing this week is look for homeschool materials for her to take back with her--thus saving on postage. The airlines may charge now for luggage, but it is still less to pay that fee than to pay airmail postage for mailing books!

Anyway, while we were brousing in a great used book store in my area, we found a scripture memory book written specifically for women. My sister is actually the one who spotted it first, but since she wasn't going to buy it I decided to nab it. Scripture memory has always interested me--sometimes I have had more success with it than others. Usually I have been most successful when I have been drilling my son, trying to help HIM learn some portion of scripture! But anyway, this book just caught my eye---"Growing by Heart" by S. Charlotte Rich, published by Navpress.

It is written as a sort of devotional book, only instead of a devotional reading for each day, it has a little reading for each week, and then gives you a couple of questions for you to journal about in your Bible journal. In addition to this, it has in the back of the book little scripture memory cards that you can pull out and carry with you during the day--with two verses assigned for learning each week, though the author also says to change the pace to fit your personal needs. I honestly may have to slow down the pace a bit for me, since I am already committed to reading my Bible through this year, along with the "Conflict of the Ages" series......can I squeeze in a bit more time into my quiet time in the mornings? I don't really know...but just may pull out the cards and carry them with me and see what happens! Even if I only learned a small fraction of the verses recommended in this book, it would still only be good and benefit me!

In the introduction of the book were some suggestions for making memorizing easier. First, she gave what she calls "A Week of five-minute Memory Helps":

Day 1--Write out the verse in your journal. Read the devotional and then practice the verse aloud several times, putting the reference before and after the verse. (For example: "John 3:16, For God so loved the world.....John 3:16"). If possible, ask someone to listen to you say the verse and prompt you. Write down how you can apply it to your life. Put the verse card in a convenient place to review whenever you have a spare moment.

Day 2--Write out the verse. Erase key words and practice the verse. Write it once in your own words.

Day 3--Copy the key words, then fill in the rest from memory. Put your name in it to personalize it, because God said it to you. Reflect: What does it mean to you personally?

Day 4--Review. Make up your own sign language and add physical gestures to accentuate the verse.

Day 5--Sing the verse to a tune you know, or make up a tune. Sometimes it's fun to sing verses to music as you are driving. Ask God to use this verse to change your life.

Day 6--Try writing out the verse without looking. Review your verse aloud using gestures.

Day 7--Draw a simple cartoon picture that reminds you of what the verse means. Each week, review the verses you learned previously. Remember, some verses will be easier to memorize than others. Persevere.

Also listed in the introduction of the book are tips for easier memorizing:

~Pick the verse and version you are most comfortable with. Keep it fun and personal; this is ment to be a blessing. What works for someone else may not work for you. Reward yourself for success.

~Copy and post the verse several places where you will see it daily: bed table, bathroom mirror, kitchen sink, car (when stopped!), desktop, computer screen, refrigerator, treadmill, or stationary bike. Get creative! This really helps keep it in your mind.

~Read the words, putting the emphasis on a different word each time, thinking about what the words mean.

~Copy the first letter of each key word on the back of the card to jog your memory.

~Ask a family member or a friend to memorize with you.

~Pick a certain time of day to review. Then use unexpected pauses in your day to review.

~Use physical gestures when you practice the verse (for example, for love, touch your heart). Sign language is an excellent help.

~Read the verse over several times aloud throughout the day. Think about what the verse means to you personally and how you can apply it to your daily life.

~See it, say it, write it, draw it, sing it! Put it on tape, computer, or PDA so you can review it often. Make those verse cards look used!

~Set reasonable goals for memorizing. Don't give up if you miss a day or a week. Life happens to all of us. Keep the verse cards with you and review them whenever you can.

~Persevere. Picture yourself succeeding.

~Find the key word or phrase in the verse Spend some time meditating on what it means in your life.

~Make two lists: reasons why you want to memorize Scripture and how it benefits your life.

~Ask God to keep verses in your heart and mind, to use them for good in your life and the lives of those around you. Plant. Grow. Bloom.

I hope someone can find these memory tips helpful. Even if you do not have this specific book, I thought the different memory tips could be used with any passage that someone wanted to memorize. I may not try to add this in for myself this week, but next week is coming--Happy Memorizing everyone!

What are you doing here?

This past January, when the new year was beginning, a friend of mine talked me into reading through what is known as "The Conflict of the Ages" series. She was going to be joining a group of people on Facebook who would also be reading through the series this year, going at a rate of one new chapter each day and completing the five book series sometime a little bit before the end of the year. It sounded like a lofty but probably unreachable goal to me, as I had already committed to reading the Bible through this year, and I wasn't even sure I was going to make it through that. You know how it is, especially when you are a mom. Unless you can drag yourself out of bed WAY before anyone else is even THINKING of getting up, well, your best laid plans of having quiet time with the Lord are soon lost in the midst of "Help me get dressed" "Have you seen my socks?" "Can you help me with my hair?" and "I need a lunch packed for today." All good things, but once the day starts it's like a river that just carries you over the waterfall at the end!

But on the other hand--I know myself well enough to know that it just MIGHT make a difference for me, if I was doing the reading as part of a "group". For me, just knowing that other people are doing the same thing as me really helps me to stick with it. So still half believing that it was impossible for me to keep up, I agreed that I would add reading the "Conflict" series to my list of goals for the new year.

Well, here we are, almost 1/4th of the way through the year, and I have to say I have been tremendously blessed by my readings. Oh, there have been a few days here and there that it has been impossible for me to get in that day's reading, but knowing that I would soon be sunk if I didn't catch up quickly I made it a priority and got caught up!

Which brings me to today. I have already read through "Patriarchs and Prophets", the first book in the series which goes from creation to the end of King David's reign, and am now starting into book two which is "Prophets and Kings". This book tells about from the end of King David to when Jesus was born. The past several days the chapters have been telling about the time of Elijah--how the Children of Israel left worshipping the true God, and started worshipping idols just like all the other heathen people who were living in the nations around them. It makes me think about influence, and how we are all effected by others. My cousin-in-law, who influenced me to read through my Bible this year. My friend Lynda, who influenced me to read through the "Conflict" series. These are positive influences. Yet when I look back at my life, I can see clearly where I have also been negatively influenced by those I was hanging out with--and I regret now some of the choices I made. It's easy to read in the Bible or other books about the Children of Israel, and how they did wrong and we think to ourselves that "WE" would never be like THEM. Surely "WE" would not have forgotten all the wonderous things God had done for us if only "WE" were the Children of Israel. "WE" would have never worshipped idols......but the truth is that we do. And just as others have an influence on us, we also are being an influence on them. Are we encouraging others in their attempts to walk closer with God?

Today the chapter I read was based on 1 Kings 19:9-18. Elijah had already had the showdown on top of Mount Carmel with the priests of Baal. Fire had literally come down from heaven in front of everyone--burning up not only the sacifice Elijah had prepared to the true God, but had burned up even the very stones the alter was made of. The people of Israel had repented of their idol worship, and declared that they would worship the true God once more. Yet--after all these miracles--when Queen Jezebel threatened that she was going to kill Elijah since he had killed her prophets of Baal, he ran. Elijah, the prophet who was fearless when delivering his message to King Ahab, who told Ahab straight out that it was HIS own sins that had caused the trouble (years of drought), who plainly pointed out the sins of the people and pleaded with them to repent and return to God. THIS is the man who turned and hightailed it away into a wilderness, running from the evil Queen very much like a child who runs and hides under their bed when they have done something wrong. But Elijah hadn't done something wrong--it was the King and Queen who had. But somehow, even after the great display of God's power, Elijah lost sight on just who it was that he was working for,and instead of standing firm, he ran.

Of course, God knew where Elijah was. And He knew why he was there. But God did not give up on Elijah. He did not say "Oh well, HE certainally failed THAT test, didn't he? I'd better find another prophet." No. Instead God sent an angel after Elijah. When the angel came to Elijah who was hiding by that time in a cave, the angel asks him right out "What are you doing here?" God had not sent Elijah to the cave--fear did. When we are doing what God has asked us to, we do not need to fear for what may happen. We may not be doing what the world would say is the "wise" thing for us to do. But if it is what God has asked us to do, it is exactly where we will be the safest.

A couple of my favorite sentences from Prophets and Kings, the chapter I read today, are as follows:
"Abiding in God's love, you may stand every test." p. 175
"Walk by faith in the path He marks out. Trials will come, but go forward." p. 175
"Christ will never abandon those for whom He has died. We may leave Him and be overwhelmed with temptation, but Christ can never turn from one for whom He has paid the ransom of His own life." p. 176

What are you doing here? Am I where God wants me to be, doing what He wants me to do? Are you?

Manna

Manna.
The name that was given to the food that God used to feed the children of Israel when they traveled in the desert for forty extra years. They would have gone into the Promised Land much sooner, except for their unbelief that God could actually keep His promise and help them drive out the heathen people who currently lived in that land. Yet even though they were being punished, God did not neglect to provide for their needs. He gave them water out of a rock, and bread from heaven--each morning except for Sabbath, for forty years--and Sabbath was provided for with a double portion being given on Friday.

In the past few months I have thought a lot about "manna". No, I do not feel like we are wandering in the desert--quite the contrary. I love where God has moved our family, and I do not feel like we are being punished at all. Yet at the same time, as everyone well knows, costs and expenses have very much gone up in the U.S. over the past several years. And for most people--us included--income has not gone up. I am VERY thankful for my husbands good job. And several months ago God started showing me one of His ways to provide for us, of which I knew nothing.

Last August I ended up learning about coupons from a lady who goes to our church. I mean, I knew coupons existed before--you know, a measly 25 cents off your purchase, and it hardly covers the tax on the item. I would occasionally use a coupon here and there, but usually felt that I could save more by merely purchasing the store brand of whatever item I was needing.

I have now learned a completely different way to shop. In a nutshell, my friend taught me all about stores that have "Buy one, get one free" sales, and also stores that double manufacture coupons. I now save my coupons and try to spend them when the item has already gone on sale--thus being able to purchase it for much less than normal price. Of course, you end up with kind of an odd meal, if you were going to go right home and prepare it all for one meal. Sale items do not always go together into a well planned meal--so you have an extra pantry or shelves where you store the "extras" that you were able to buy. Then when you need an item, instead of going to the store and paying full price, you go to your own shelves filled with items you bought when they were on sale, and "shop" there.

Today, as I made my weekly "what's on sale?" shopping trip, I was able to purchase $101.15 worth of groceries for only $35.95. And it would have been even less, except that we were totally out of natural peanut butter so I went ahead and spent $7.17 on three jars. (I now cringe to have to purchase something that is NOT on sale, but sometimes you have just got to do it anyway!) I don't think we will eat the pineapple, Triscuits, peanut butter and popcorn all together in the same meal, but I have other things in my cupboards that these foods can go with.

Water out of a rock? Bread from heaven? God has a thousand ways to take care of us. And we only need one.

"Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. " Is. 59:1

"Spring Hunt" Finds & Treasures

Volunteer green onions coming up in our garden. Last year the bunnies ate them all!

Alison enjoying the flowers. A year ago Fall I planted them all throughout our woods.

Volunteer parsley in the garden from last year--planted in hopes of attracting Black Swallowtail butterflies.

Weeds in our yard--but still pretty.

Forsynthia volunteering underneath another shrub. Maybe the birds planted this?

^^A beautiful peach bud.

^^Daffodils in our woods.

^^Daylilies starting to creep up among all the weeds in our front flower bed.

Spring has Sprung!

Spring feels like it is finally creeping it's way up to our corner of Tennessee. The winter here has been much colder than usual--like it has been for much of the U.S. We had snow that actually STUCK to the ground several times. Kids got a chance to make snowmen, etc., and it has felt like it would never turn spring--just tempting us with the occasional warm and sunny day, before returning to cold, rainy, and overcast. But finally, today, the sun is out and it is feeling warm! :D I have started giving my teen some clean-up-the-garden chores (Teens are VERY useful--everyone should have at least one!) to get our garden beds ready for planting. I only have a few minutes before I need to leave to take the little one to swimming lesson, but I am going to grab those minutes and go on a "Spring hunt" with my camera. We'll see what I find....