Busy D's

A Different Bible Reading Plan....

2012-01-03T01:51:00.003-06:00

Tim LaHaye's book, How to Study the Bible for Yourself, has a Bible reading plan that I find interesting. I have not followed it myself, but it does look very good.

I created a document that can be printed out and tucked into a Bible to help with tracking where you are in the plan. I uploaded the document to Scribd and it is here.

And it should embed here:

Bible Reading Plan LaHaye

(I only read one book in the Left Behind series. It really was not my cup of tea. But this book I found helpful and inspirational. Probably as much as any book, it encouraged me to read the Bible daily. Not that I always do that, but I do try.)

December 2011 Roundup

2011-12-29T23:54:00.000-06:00

Doing a Roundup for the first time. Does this link? I think it does! Katie the Scrapbook Lady's blog. I have not done it all, but I have tried to answer a few questions.... Everything following is Katie the Scrapbook Lady's post, copied here for me to answer and to do. So the links in the Monthly Tasks are to her blog posts. (And I am thinking that maybe I am not supposed to do it this way.)

What books and/or magazines did I read this month? Just finished 44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith. Doing BSF and read some of Acts and all of Hebrews this month. Bought two books: What Women Fear and What Is It Like to Be Married To Me?.
What movies, television shows, plays, etc. did I watch this month? No plays, not much television: An episode or two of Friday Night Lights, which I am recording, and Return to Cranford (Masterpiece Theater). No movies. We did go to see the King Tut exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Our family of five, plus three friends (one for each kid). Granddad and Lee. We also went to the Houston Symphony earlier this month to see Christoph Eschenbach conduct the orchestra in Mahler #5. Just our family of five and one friend.
What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends? Christmas!
What gifts did I give and/or receive? Lots of Christmas presents to give.
What special or unusual purchases did I make? Bought new bedroom comforter set. And a new purse.
What illnesses or health concerns did I have? 1) Only one migraine! 2) I'm not exercising enough. 3) And at Weight Watchers, I had to pay because I was more than two pounds over goal. (But that was after Christmas dinner, lots of pumpkin pie with whipped cream and a dinner at Sweet Tomatoes.) (Not all on the same day.)
What were my accomplishments this month? Hmm...
What were my disappointments this month? Maximize Your Mornings did not go well for me at all.
How did I do on my goals for the month? (Or any current short or long term goals)
Anything else noteworthy to include? Yes, we had two visitors: Grandad and Lee.
Volunteer work: December 4th, Lanier Christmas Party. Was an all-day event, outside, on the Lanier grounds. Cold and wet, rained during the day. It was fun, but miserable, too.

Upload all digital pictures to my hard drive and clear off memory cards in camera. Place all photos for the month in a computer folder labeled with the month and year. Make a backup copy of the photos from the month on my external hard drive and a dvd. I also upload all photos to my flickr account (you can use any offsite photo storage site, but here is why I love flickr). Ideally, these activities should be done every time you process any pictures through your computer so you don't lose any precious files, but if you have lapsed during the month, now's the time to get it done!
Choose photos or digital layouts to be printed out and get it done while I'm thinking about it.
Backup any other documents or files as needed. I use an external hard drive, I also upload many documents to Google docs. I don't like to lose stuff.
Backup my blog. It's easy to do if you have one, just use Typepad backup or blogger backup.
Clean off my work area, empty my inbox, and clean up my computer files. Here's a link to my digi organization post.

.
This is a great way to finish off the current month and prepare yourself for a fresh start.I hope you will try it! If you post your roundup on your blog, it would be great if you could give a link back to me so others know where to find the roundup tool, but it's not a requirement or anything. LOL! Also, feel free to edit the questions and tasks however you want to make them useful for you.
The important thing is to just take a few minutes to record the memories of the month before they are forgotten!

The blog is the first thing to go....

2011-12-29T23:30:00.000-06:00

When I get busy, writing here is the one of the first things to go.

Hoping to post more regularly in 2012.

A new year is a fresh start. Fresh starts are good!

Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Living Proof Ministries December 1st

2011-12-13T00:05:00.000-06:00

So late on this one!

Therefore, since w have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.

Hebrews 4:14, NIV

Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Living Proof Ministries November 15th

2011-11-17T13:44:00.000-06:00

Memory verse from October 15th:
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Colossians 3:12, NIV

November 15th verses:
13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Colossians 3:13-14, NIV

Funny how we have a Bible of 66 books, filled with the gospel (good news), letters, history, prophecy and laws. And it is so powerful that you could spend your life working on three verses. (Granted, you wouldn't want to just open and point to three verses and try to live by those--people do that and are disappointed when it is not something meaningful to them--but there are many, many verses you could spend a lifetime trying to master.)

I just love the Word of God so much!

Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Living Proof Ministries October 15th

2011-10-16T16:07:00.000-05:00

My Siesta Scripture Memory Team Verses for October 15th:

Colossians 3:12:

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

("Clothe yourself" makes me think of slipping on a comfortable coat.)

Photo via stock.xchng. Credit to Shine4Him8.

I'll be working on this passage til the end of the year:

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Socks

2011-10-14T14:01:00.001-05:00

Laura, at I'm an Organizing Junkie, asked us to tell her the best single tip but I will put it here, too:

To tame the sock monster, do two things: first, buy lots of the same design of sock (more than you need so that as you throw out the worn ones, you still have pairs) but only one design per type (only one kind of no-show socks, only one kind of dress black socks, only one kind to wear with sneakers, etc.) and second, when folding laundry, don't bother matching up pairs, instead, just stack the sock together that are alike.

(You asked for one sentence so I complied, but it is one L-O-N-G sentence!)

The Sin of Ingratitude

2011-10-03T18:34:00.001-05:00

The sin of ingratitude.

During a walk today, I confessed that to God.

I have been unwilling to keep after my gifts list, my list of things for which I am grateful. The list of things I love that are gifts from God.

Why had it become so hard?

And why was I so easily irritated? So quick to get angry?

I turned to One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, thinking that I might find some help there.

I bought this book shortly after it came out, but since I was involved in the challenge to read the Bible in 90 days (in addition to my BSF study), I put it aside. (Believe me, I needed every moment to accomplish the Bible in 90 days goal, and I still ran over by 13!)

Then it was summer and surely I would have time. But summer was very busy and I had my summer Bible study to do and no time to read One Thousand Gifts slowly (for that is how I knew I wanted to read it).

So although I had read the first chapters quickly when I got it, and skimmed some of the rest, I hadn't read the whole book. And I had not read slowly, marking what I needed to remember.

You know those people who save the very nicest things for "someday"? Well, that is what was going on with me with One Thousand Gifts. Once I started it, I knew I would finish it and then I wouldn't have it to look forward to.... And somehow I cannot mark a book until I have owned it for some time and I needed to mark lots in this book.

But I picked it up and re-read the heartbreaking first chapter and then further on.

And this is what I got:

I am suffering from the sin of ingratitude.
Giving thanks changes things.
I have to learn how to do this.
Practice. My list is my practice of being grateful to God for the gifts He has given.
It is my way of receiving the gifts.

Eucharisteo -- thanksgiving
root word: charis -- grace
derivative: chara -- joy

Being ungrateful is a way of saying that I know better than God. That He doesn't really love me. At least, not as much as He loves others.

So I resolve to take up the list. The list that I started in November 2007 and kept off-and-on through early July 2011. Three years and eight months. And my gifts number only 301. That is an average of six or seven gifts a month.

I almost cry for the time lost due to my stubbornness. Not so much because my list is not long, but because I have not made a practice of gratitude; I have not healed the hard, anxious heart. I have not opened my eyes to the good things. I have not surrendered my will to God's good and perfect will for my life. And I have affected those around me.

Today, I thank You, Lord, for the gifts...

302. breeze against my arms--not cool, not warm, just ... perfect
303. the color of leaves on a tree: some dark, some light. And how they move!
304. swaying of trees in the wind (so comforting)
305. remembering that at one point I resigned myself to no husband and no children: a husband and three kids
306. Lord, I love seeing birds fly
307. And airplanes in the distance
308. and that one house with the landscaping that I love.

And by naming, thanking, I receive and I hope and pray that I change. Please, Lord, change me! Amen.

Prayer Appointed for the Week: Sunday closest to October 5

2011-10-02T23:36:00.000-05:00

Almighty and everlasting God,
You are always more ready to hear than we to pray,
and to give more than we either desire or deserve:
Pour upon Your church the abundance of Your mercy,
forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid,
and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask,
except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior;
Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

We've moved into the book The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Vineyard Church in Ann Arbor has the Divine Hours prayers on its website.

This prayer originates from The Book of Common Prayer. It the Collect (Contemporary) Proper 22, for the Sunday closest to October 5th. Page 234 in my copy of the BCP.

(Vineyard Church in Ann Arbor seems to be one week behind. Or maybe I am one week ahead.)

Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Living Proof Ministries September 15 and October 1

2011-10-02T17:58:00.000-05:00

My Siesta Scripture Memory Team Verses for September 15th and October 1st:

After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

Isaiah 53: 11 and 12 (NIV)

(Both late. Again. Sigh.)

Menu Plan Monday 9/19/11

2011-09-19T23:15:00.001-05:00

I'm linking up to I'm an Organizing Junkie Menu Plan Monday.

Okay, so last week I didn't post a menu plan. I like things better when I plan dinners! Although I have to stop trying to do it PERFECTLY (it takes too long and doesn't work anyway) and just plan!

Monday: We had Cheesy Vegetable Lasagna. It was delicious! (And yes, it was on my plan earlier. Didn't make it until now.)

Tuesday: Greek Stuffed Peppers (Slow Cooker), Greek Salad and maybe a Greek Pasta Salad, too. (Because I think the Stuffed Peppers may not go over well with a couple of the kids.)
I got these recipes out of the newspaper. This recipe looks like the one I have.

Wednesday: Cheesy Shells from 30 Day Gourmet.

Thursday: Parsley Parmesan Chicken

Friday: Tacos filled with seasoned ground turkey

2011-09-18T14:42:00.001-05:00

Menu Plan Monday (on Tuesday) 9/6/11

2011-09-06T13:58:00.003-05:00

I'll be linking up to I'm An Organizing Junkie, if it is not too late.

This is my third consecutive week to plan menus. This plan is kinda wimpy. I didn't want to do it at all, but I really want to make this a habit.

{Report from last week: I had four dinners and Sunday lunch planned. I made two of the dinners exactly as planned and one needed some improvising. It was a new recipe that I didn't read carefully. One dinner was moved to this week. We did have the Sunday lunch. Why I feel compelled to clarify all that, I don't know, except that I try to keep it real.}

Tuesday: Frito Pie with salad (recipe from HEB)

Wednesday: Cheesy Vegetable Lasagna (from Finding Joy in my Kitchen)

Thursday: Crockpot Chicken with Black Beans and Cream Cheese from Food.com.

Friday: Homemade Pizza with Salad

Saturday: Greek Stuffed Peppers with Greek Salad (got these recipes from my newspaper a long time ago, but here it is on Martha Stewart).

Sunday After Church Lunch: Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce and Green Salad

I also hope to make this week:
Classic Bran Muffins (didn't get done last week)
Greek Pasta Salad (for snacking)
Millionaire Pie (didn't make last week; for dessert one night).
and maybe some Chocolate Chip Cookies
I have teenagers, you see. Hungry teenagers.

I am also evaluating my method of planning. I'm just not sure about Say Mmm. I want to like it. But it seems like it is taking me too long to get the hang of it. I also wonder....what if it is not successful? Will all my work inputting recipes and grocery items be for nothing?

In many ways, I am still a pen-and-paper planner. What appealed to me the most was that grocery list, but maybe writing a grocery list out each week isn't that hard?

I found these excel templates for menu planning. One even generates a grocery list! Pretty handy. I downloaded them and I may play around with them a bit.

The other option is one I tried a while ago, after I had put most of my recipes in page protectors and then into binders. One binder is dinner recipes, another is all the rest.

My plan was to pull recipes and move behind tabs. I was hoping to plan for four weeks, so I had "Week 1," "Week 2" and so on. That didn't work for me, so I recently changed the tabs to things like "Pasta," "Beans," "Chicken" and so on.

Planning a week at a time is plenty. So I will just pull the recipes to the front of the binder and then refile in the proper section next week. If I put them to the back of their section, then the recipes I have not made will be near the front of the section when I look through the dinner recipe binder for ideas next week.

I also need to organize pantry and make a grocery list of the staples we keep on hand.

But now, I just need to get through this day and dinner on the table this evening!

By the way, I would love to know how others plan their menus and generate their grocery list. Please comment if you want to share!

Prayer Appointed for the Week: Sunday 9/4/11

2011-09-06T09:45:00.000-05:00

(This is late. A headache and a holiday...)

Grant me, O Lord, to trust in you with all my heart; for as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with 7ou and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Vineyard Church in Ann Arbor has the Divine Hours prayers on its website, here.

This prayer originates from The Book of Common Prayer. It the Collect (Contemporary) Proper 18, for the Sunday closest to September 7th. Page 233 in my copy of the BCP:

Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

In the Divine Hours, the prayers have been changed for individual use. In the BCP, they are written for use in a group.

(Vineyard Church in Ann Arbor is using the Collect for the Sunday closest to August 31st.)

Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Living Proof Ministries Septbember 1st Blog

2011-09-02T23:45:00.000-05:00

One day late posting my memory verse to the Living Proof Ministry blog, but this is my verse:

Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes[a] his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
Isaiah 53:10 (NIV)

This is the Suffering Servant passage about Jesus:

Isaiah 52

13 See, my servant will act wisely[b];
he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him[c]—
his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being
and his form marred beyond human likeness—
15 so he will sprinkle many nations,[d]
and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
and what they have not heard, they will understand.

Isaiah 53

1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression[a] and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.[b]
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes[c] his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life[d] and be satisfied[e];
by his knowledge[f] my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,[g]
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,[h]
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

How to get wisdom and what does soap have to do with that?

2011-08-31T21:24:00.000-05:00

I LOVED this video! In a very clear way, Wayne Cordeiro explains why you should read the Bible and how to write about what you read in your journal. He explains the SOAP method.

It is long but very worth your time!

Starting Your Daily Devotions: Pastor Wayne Cordeiro from cedarcreek.tv teaching on Vimeo.

I would love to know what you think of it.

Multitudes on Monday for August 29, 2011

2011-08-30T02:34:00.001-05:00

church and worship
GoBible
answered prayers: God has given me motivation here at home!
books
chiropractor who can help with neck problems (which means fewer migraines)
self education
The Hobbit
early mornings
exercising
dreams
prayer journal, prayer cards
scripture spiral
and other prayer journals
memorizing
Night Hours

Giving thanks is hard! I don't understand why, but sometimes it is so hard.

Menu Plan Monday 8/29/11

2011-08-30T01:31:00.001-05:00

Menu Plan Monday! Linking up to I'm an Organizing Junkie Menu Plan Monday.

Last week I had great success in that I made four of the five dinners I planned. Since I am new to this discipline, I feel very happy about that. (And this is new. In the past I would have considered it a failed venture because I missed one.)

Using Say Mmm again and let's see if this works:

Day	Breakfast	Dinner	Other
Mon 8/29	Oatmeal with butter and maple syrup	Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce, Green Gobble-'Em Garlic Bread Chunks, Green Salad	Greek Pasta Salad
Tue 8/30	Scrambled Eggs with Toast	Tortilla-Black Bean Casserole, Lettuce, Sliced Tomatoes
Wed 8/31	Classic Bran Muffins	Panda Express Orange Chicken with Rice	Rice Cooker Rice, Half and Half
Thu 9/1		Texas Chili & Frito Pie, Fresh fruit	Green Salad
Sun 9/4		Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese, Crispy Cucumbers and tomatoes in dill dressing

And this should be the grocery list:
http://www.saymmm.com/printgrocerylist.php?grocerylist%5B%5D=cWiAujjFRC

Prayer Appointed for the Week 8/28/11

2011-08-28T16:02:00.000-05:00

Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things:
Graft in my heart the love of your Name;
increase in me true religion;
nourish me with all goodness;
and bring forth in me the fruit of good works;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Vineyard Church in Ann Arbor has the Divine Hours prayers on its website, here.

This prayer originates from The Book of Common Prayer. It the Collect (Contemporary) Proper 17, for the Sunday closest to August 31st. Page 233 in my copy of the BCP.

In the Divine Hours, the prayers have been changed for individual use. In the BCP, they are written for use in a group.

(Hmmm... Seems like Vineyard Church in Ann Arbor is using the Collect for the Sunday closest to August 24th.)

From Desiring God blog: Motherhood is Application...

2011-08-25T13:42:00.000-05:00

This post is very good:

Motherhood is Application
by Rachel Jankovic

Multitudes on Monday for August 22, 2011

2011-08-23T00:33:00.000-05:00

Inspiration from other bloggers, these days, A Holy Experience (always this one), I'm an Organizing Junkie and Home Ec 101.
Good report from a doctor
Understanding husband
I get to be a mom! Yes, this is old news, but I need to remember the miracle of it.
Insights from books, such as The Highly Sensitive Person (maybe I am?)

Menu Plan Monday: August 22, 2011

2011-08-23T00:11:00.001-05:00

Linking up to Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

I did one Menu Plan Monday over two years ago. To be useful, I need to plan a week's worth of menus more than once every two years, don'tcha think?

Monday: Baked Ziti from Cook's Illustrated magazine.

Tuesday: Harvey's Lentils with Sweated Onions, served on rice (half brown, half white)

Wednesday: Tuna Macaroni Salad

Thursday: Garlic Lime Chicken

Friday: Homemade Pizza with maybe this crust and this sauce.

Say Mmm: a free meal planning site that I am trying to figure out how to use!

2011-08-21T13:32:00.000-05:00

I signed up for a free Say Mmm account.

Honestly, the biggest area of stress in my life now is food for my family. I've got a husband with a big appetite who also cares a great deal about eating healthy foods. Three teenagers (one boy, two girls) who are always hungry, busy with life, school and sports.

I have tried meal planning before. I over-think it and feel like I have to do it perfectly and so it is very time-consuming. (The couple of times I tried to do it.) And then, something would throw off the meal plan, so it was easy to conclude that the time invested was not worth it.

Here's why I think it is worth it:

that sinking feeling in the late afternoon/early evening when I realize that dinner should already be at least partially prepped and I haven't even decided what to fix...

rushing to cook so dinner won't be too late...

the mess that that kind of cooking (rushed, frantic) makes...

not having all the ingredients I need...

finishing dinner later than I like, which means kitchen clean-up happens when I am tired and moving slowly...

All unpleasant.

I am going to try Say Mmm.

But so far I am having a hard time figuring it out.

Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Living Proof Ministries August 15th Blog

2011-08-19T14:24:00.000-05:00

Continuing to memorize from Isaiah. I have wanted to memorize this passage for a long time!

Isaiah 53:7
He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
NIV

The passage is this one:
Isaiah 52
The Suffering and Glory of the Servant
13 See, my servant will act wisely;
he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him—
his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being
and his form marred beyond human likeness—
15 so he will sprinkle many nations,
and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
and what they have not heard, they will understand.

Isaiah 53

1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life[d] and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Living Proof Ministries August 1st Blog

2011-08-04T00:28:00.000-05:00

Here is my verse:

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:6, NIV

Siesta Scripture Memory Team: Living Proof Ministries July 15th Blog

2011-07-18T15:34:00.000-05:00

My July 15th memory verses:

Isaiah 53:4
Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we consider Him stricken by God, smitten by Him and afflicted.

Isaiah 53:5
But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.

NIV

I need to get back to working on this more actively.

Thirty Days of Reading the Bible using Professor Grant Horner's Bible Reading System -- Update One

2011-07-11T18:00:00.000-05:00

Well, I started off great.

Then stumbled.

But now back to it!

This is what the Bible Reading System is all about:

Professor Grant Horners Bible Reading System

Now, normally, with this system, if you get behind, you just pick up where you are. This is the beauty of it, in that those who are likely to just give up when they get behind no longer have that excuse to stop reading.

But the downside of this is the upside of a system tied to specific dates. It can be easy to get out of the habit of reading. Or, like what has happened to me since I started in April, you find that you are not reading more days than you are reading.

So, I decided on a challenge. To get me in the habit of reading each day. And then I fell behind.

I am hoping to catch up (remember, the system does not suggest you do this) and then try to read each day for thirty days.

Thirty Days of Reading the Bible using Professor Grant Horner's Bible Reading System

2011-07-07T12:17:00.001-05:00

I am going to challenge myself to thirty days of reading the Bible using Professor Grant Horner's Bible Reading System. I am hoping posting here will help with accountability!

Praying the Offices: Why I Like This Form of Prayer

2011-07-07T12:13:00.000-05:00

My watch alarm just beeped and it reminded me to pray. I set this alarm for a few minutes before noon so that I can pray the Lord's Prayer at noon. Today, I also prayed the office with Phyllis Tickle's book, The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime.

Why do I like this form of prayer?

One day, I just got sick of my prayer list. My eyes were opened to the selfishness of the list. I was praying for good things for family, friends and myself. But it was just one long list of things I wanted God to do for me. Yes, many of them were spiritual things, but still....

1. Praying the office causes me to pray in the language of the Bible. Psalms and other portions of scripture are used extensively.

2. Praying the office lets me use some of the deepest and most beautifully worded prayers that I have ever seen. And they are things I want! For example, "The Prayer Appointed for the Week" for this week, from The Divine Hours:

O God, you have taught me to keep all your commandments by loving you and my neighbor: Grant me the grace of your Holy Spirit, that I may be devoted to you with my whole heart, and united to others with pure affection' through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Divine Hours, page 206. Taken from the Book of Common Prayer, slightly adapted for individual use.

3. By using the form of prayer, over time, I will begin to remember these phrases, ideas and perhaps eventual even memorize psalms and prayers.

I think those are my top three reasons. More later.

Counting gifts and graces...

2011-06-23T14:24:00.000-05:00

Saying thank you, Lord, for the gifts and graces:

Summer Bible study with our summer Bible study group

Hospitality

Improved SAT scores

Much-needed rain yesterday

A group of friends helping a friend in need

Another group praying for the friend in need and the group helping

Seeing, really seeing, what God is doing through us

Gitz: I choose the joy.

2011-05-25T09:37:00.000-05:00

Recently ~~discovered~~ was led to the blog Gitz or GitzenGirl.

I came across this paragraph in this post:

I choose the joy. When something is going badly and I’m dwelling on it, I think instead of something for which I am grateful. I swear to you, it’s as simple as that. You just have to decide today, and again tomorrow. And before you know it, you’ll have an attitude of joy more than any other attitude you have at your disposal.

Here is a button:

You will be blessed if you spend time reading her blog.

Time Spent on the Computer

2011-05-17T11:39:00.000-05:00

The amount of time I spend on the computer is something I have to watch constantly. I can do well for a while (meaning not much wasted time at all) and then I start to spend a little more time each day or so until I am back to spending too much time on the computer. Insidious.

As an introvert, I use the computer to go into my own little world where I escape all the input from family. The funny thing is, I would enjoy reading a book so much more! But, to me, reading a book is a clear escape and pleasure and I am not entitled to that until my work is done.

On the other hand, I can easily find something I need to do on the computer. Check email. Send an email. Do a bit of research. Find out if there is a book about "that."

And I can feel like I really need some inspiration, so I will go to one of the blogs I enjoy reading. And which gives me inspiration to do something.

Irony alert: I'm not doing something (productive in my home or life) if I am on the computer reading a blog to get inspired to do something.

As I said before, I need to recognize the end point and then quit.

I found this page about apps and programs that help you monitor your time on the computer: 10 Ways to Measure Your Time Spent Online.

And I think I just downloaded RescueTime. (I tried Toggl and didn't like it very much, but I recognize I was impatient with the learning curve, too.)