Friday, July 31, 2015

Clean and Shiny



Its all clean!    That won't mean anything to many, but it means so much to me.  I was so busy today.  Between babysitting and teaching piano, carting Ronnie to work and taking Eileen to AT&T,  today was hectic.  In another time, I would have felt so overwhelmed that I would have left the mess for tomorrow.  I would have felt like a failure in spite of all that I had accomplished.  Thanks to the tools I get (for free) from Flylady, I will go to bed with the knowledge that the kitchen, the heart of my home, is clean and ready for a new day.  Its rarely this neat during the day, I mean, we live and eat here.  But, at least for a few hours, peace reigns in Rhonda's kitchen.

"How to change the whole look of your house, for free!"

I just read that title on one of my favorite blogs, Money Saving Mom.  I didn't read the post, but I got to thinking about the title.

My mom is trying to sell her house.  In preparation for that, they have cleaned, fixed, decluttered and painted.  They have also "staged" the house for the pictures that will go on the Realtor's website.  I asked her if she was having second thoughts about selling, now that the house is cleaned, fixed, decluttered and painted.  She ruefully said yes.   Its not that she doesn't want to sell her house, its just that it looks really good now.  I know the feeling.  We fix up our house or car to please someone else.  Why didn't we do it for ourselves?  Don't we deserve to live in a beautiful environment?  I am trying to keep the house clean and neat, not for anyone else, but for me and my family.  I owe it to us to make our home as beautiful as I can.  Its our home, and its where we live.

Do it my way

Or, do whatever floats your boat.

It seems like there are two (at least two) camps of thought.  One is that there are those of us that like to tell others what to do and how to do it. My way is the right and only way. The other is the "live and let live, we're both right" idea.  While it's easier to get along with others when you live and let live, it's not true that we are all right.  We're all usually right about something and we're all probably really wrong about something else.

I hate being wrong.  OK, I said it. I like being right.  I hate to be corrected....at first.  Then I have to ask myself if I am so proud as to think that I know and do everything the right way. I sure hope not. And from whom should I take instruction?  From anyone who knows more than I do about a particular subject.

Humility is required to receive instruction.  That is a great thing because God gives grace to the humble.

Thursday, July 30, 2015

The fastest way...

....to get people to see the love of God is to smile at them.  Not a fake smile, but a real one, knowing that what you have inside is going to make all the difference in the world to them.

On the other hand, if someone tried to tell you the Good New about Jesus, and wasn't smiling at some point, wouldn't that make you just a little suspicious about the sincerity of their message?

What I have been teaching

I have a ladies' Bible class that I teach on Sunday mornings.  I love teaching Bible classes.  The best part is that I am teaching many women who did not grow up in Sunday School.  Why is that good?  Because I get to be the one to teach them the stories of the Bible.  Sure, most of them have heard about many characters in the Bible, but most couldn't tell me the stories.  So it has been a blast, being a story-teller along with teacher.  We had the most fun with the stories from the book of Esther.  I read the story straight from Scripture, and then dramatize bits and pieces.

Last week, we started the book of Nehemiah.   I love the book of Nehemiah! My mother first taught-shared with me about Nehemiah. There is so much to learn for our lives today.  Last month, at Spiritual Leadership Conference, R.B Ouellette preached on Nehemiah, and it was so good.  So, I am pumped about sharing this with my ladies!

What is interesting to me about what I love or what I think is interesting is that it seems as much related to the teacher as to the subject.  If you have a teacher that is excited and passionate about algebra, anyone can learn to like algebra.  That is the kind of teacher that I always want to be.  One that is truly excited about sharing life-changing truth from God's word.  Nothing phony, nothing bland.  I want to be able to shine the necessary light on so that God's words show in all their glory.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

My current favorite





I post this every once in a while on my Facebook just because I love it.

Here are the lyrics.

Every power on earth and in heav'n 
is a shadow in His light
No authority, law or government
Challenges His sovereign might
His reign and rule have no boundary
All that is, His hands have wrought
Nothing ever can, nothing ever will,

 overcome the Lord our God


We are well aware, we were orphans once, 

Bent and broken in our shame
Then He sought us out and adopted us
And now we bear his royal Name
Every sin or crime we have ever done,

 Is no match for Jesus' blood
Nothing ever can, nothing ever will, 

Overcome the Lord our God 

We are rescued out of darkest night, 

Free from Satan's evil hold
And the Kingdom of our Savior's light, 

Is our souls' eternal home
Though the enemy tries to steal and kill, 

What the death of Christ has bought
Nothing ever can, nothing ever will, 

Overcome the Lord our God

Our God is victorious He always wins, 

He always wins
In love He reigns over us, He always wins, He always wins



We, the church, declare Jesus Christ is king, 

For He conquered death, once for all
We will live in light of His victory, 

Following His gospel call
And when the story ends, we know Jesus wins, 

For his power cannot be stopped
Nothing ever can, nothing ever will, 

Overcome the Lord our God

My Bloggy intentions





Why do I blog?  Well, sometimes its just nice to express yourself.  However, since blogs eventually get read by someone, I should have a plan of sorts.

My Goals

1. To encourage Christian women in their walk with the Lord and their ministry to their families.

2. To encourage non-believers to get to know Christ.


My desire is that this would be a place to find biblical encouragement and practical ideas for life.  I did an online test yesterday.  It says that I am type-A.  I find that hard to believe since most type-A's out there seem to have it all together and they seem to prosper.  I feel like I do a lot of stuff but I am not great at anything.  I am not trying to be self-deprecating, but I often feel jealous of people who are really good at stuff.  I don't have any particularly marketable skills.  That being said, I am an eternal optimist, trying my hand at different things and being open to learn a variety of skills.  I don't mind failing, and I don't mind not being perfect.  I may be featured in the Pinterest "Fails" but I am sure I had a lot of fun trying!

New series in my Sunday School class




I had the privilege of teaching this in English this past Spring.   Now I will start in my Ladies' class in Spanish on Sunday mornings.    I really like the idea that we are and we behave the way we choose.  We decide.  For better or for worse, in obedience or not.  The choice is yours!



Why I take pictures of my sink

I am sure my Facebook friends cannot comprehend why on earth I would take multiple pictures of a clean, empty sink.   For my Flybaby friends, this is a badge of honor, a joy, and an accomplishment. Ridiculous, you say?  Not to me.  Not when I get up and see the possibilities of the great day ahead, and not the remnants and drudgery of yesterday.

BTW, I really like the new technology.  I can take a photo with my phone, and then upload it directly  to Blogger.  Loving it!

My Bible reading.

As with one of my original posts on my original blog, I will share with you my daily Bible reading.
I read the One Year Bible.  This format has been with me for many years and I still love it.  One change, though, I read it online now.

What's more, what I really like to do, is to go really early to the gym, workout, and then while I get a 10 minute hydro-massage, I read my daily reading on my phone.  Talk about blissful multitasking!

One of the things that is encouraging about Flylady is that she tells you to jump in wherever you are and start from there.  I say the same thing about the Scripture.  Don't wait for New Year's to start reading through the Bible.  Jump in wherever you are and read!

Things I am still doing. Flylady!



Since it has been more that six years since actively blogging, I was thinking about the things that have changed, and things that have stayed exactly the same.  Flylady is still my "friend" and encourager.

Homemaking is still a passion for me.  Not that I am great at it, to the contrary.  However, I am still passionate about the fact that homemaking is such an important ministry to ourselves and our families.  A clean, peaceful home can do wonders for each member of the family.  Flylady is my coach and cheerleader.  I still don't do the Flylady system perfectly, but what I benefit greatly from is the spirit and attitude that Flylady teaches.  Sink Reflections is her book, and I highly recommend it!

Finally, back to Blogging! I hope.

I don't know if anyone can relate, but, I cannot go back and continue my old blog, because I cannot remember my login information.  Isn't that ridiculous?  I had an older email address, which I can't remember, and it's not even worth trying.  I guess it's God's way of telling me to start over.

Our lives are drastically changed.  We no longer live in Chile.  We now serve God in Arizona.  What a change! Climate-wise, it couldn't be more different.  My husband is pastoring a Spanish congregation in a larger English church.  More on that later.

Since the birth of our last daughter, I have not had the time nor the inclination to blog.  And with the rise of Facebook, things have changed.  But I have been feeling the need to write things that aren't really Facebook posts.  Therefore, a new blog is born.  Just as in the beginning of the first on, I wonder if I will get any readers or followers.  I wonder why I should even care.  Not that I don't care about people, because I do, its just that I need to care more about pleasing God, than getting "followers".  Does that make sense?

If for nothing else, I will have my blogs as a journal that my children can read one day to know more about what was going on in their Mother's mind!