Tag: rejoice

How to Enjoy Life (and have a clean kitchen!)

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Each week the children rotate chores between lunch duty/dinner duty/kid’s bathroom. This is Andrew’s week to clean the kitchen after lunch. He is required to put everything up, load the dishwasher, and wipe the counters. Since he is only 7 I usually do the sweeping and mopping. However, since starting school this week I’ve been a little behind. So, I thought I would have Andrew do the mopping for me. His little mind is rather creative so why not turn the chore of mopping into a slip-n-slide?

What was I thinking….right?

So there I was, reviewing latitude and longitude with Abigail and I look into the kitchen to see Andrew in his swimsuit “cleaning the floor.”

This is where every mother stands at the crossroad of two decisions. I could reprimand him for acting out, stress out from the extra water and soap on the floor, and take over the job adding to my already full load. Or…….. I could smile, grab the camera, remind him to wipe up the water when he’s through, and remember what blessings children are.

I choose the latter.

By the way, the floor and Andrew ended up rather clean. Talk about multitasking!

This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Rejoice! Women’s Bible Study on Philippians Give-a-way

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If you have followed my blog for anytime you know how I feel about studying the Word of God.  I believe that the best way to study is verse by verse, line by line, precept upon precept. (Isaiah 28:9-10)  This method insures that we learn the whole counsel of God and keeps the scripture in context.  (For more information on this read here.)

It is because of this that I have written two expository Bible studies for Women called Living Out the Word.  One is through the book of James called Faith.  And the other is through the book of Philippians called Rejoice.  I am currently working on a book through the Epistles of John called Love.

I am going to give away one of my Philippians books in two weeks to one of my readers.  Mandatory to Enter: Leave a comment with your favorite verse from Philippians.  Additional entries:  TOS Crew members, Subcribe to this blog (rss or email), spread the word about this giveaway (blog, facebook, etc) and leave link in comments.

 I will choose a winner (US Residents only) and mail it out on Friday, July 3oth.

You can take a look inside the book here at amazon.com.

Rejoice

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book cover

With my proof copy in hand, I thank the Lord that I can say my Bible Study through Philippians is available. If you know of any ladies bible study groups that would be interested please refer them to this link. https://www.createspace.com/3391206  The book will also be available on amazon.com in a few weeks. Thank you all for your encouragement and prayers. Below is an excerpt from the introduction.

“Happiness is overrated,” was the response my good friend gave one day when talking about her life’s circumstances. What? Isn’t being happy what life is all about? If we will look around we will see that all the self-help books and motivational speakers seem to be telling us just this. Look up the word “happiness” in any dictionary and you will discover that it means the state of being happy or having joy, pleasure, delight, etc. Happiness results from the attainment of what one considers good. In other words, the world’s view of happiness is based on current circumstances. Are you happy when your husband brings home flowers for no apparent reason? What about when your children go an entire day without tears, fighting, and/or blood? We are happy when our finances are secure, the doctor visit goes well, our church has no problems, the in-laws went home a day early, and the bathroom scales are being generous. But what happens when it has been years since you have seen flowers from your husband? What happens when all of a sudden your children have become enemies and you work all day on getting a peace treaty signed? What happens when your clothes are fitting tight and to make matters worse your scale has been lying to you? What happens when your church family is having troubles or your in-laws announce a two week visit? What happens when the doctor brings bad news? What happens when your finances are a wreck? What happens to your happiness then? If we will be honest we will say it leaves. As a child of God, is this world’s happiness what we should really seek? Is our happiness what God is concerned with? Is being happy the same thing as having the joy that the Bible speaks of? Just what is the difference between “happiness” and Biblical joy? Here it is – happiness can come and go. But, biblical joy is rock solid. It comes from deep within your soul and cannot be moved. Glory Hallelujah, it is here to stay. The joy that comes from the Lord is not based on our circumstances but on Christ alone. I am going to say that one more time for emphasis. The joy that comes from the Lord is not based on our circumstances but on Christ alone! It has nothing to do with us, it is all about Him. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. (Psalm 32:11) When the storms in life come, my joy is in the fact that God is my refuge. When I am weak, my joy is in the fact that God is my strength. When others oppose me, my joy is in the fact that God is my defender. When I am afraid and do not know what tomorrow holds, my joy is in the fact that God is all knowing. When the fiery darts from Satan are thrown, my joy is in the fact that God is my shield. My joy comes from the fact that God IS.