loving my soap box a little much…

you know, I HATE it when people jump to conclusions like they are just waiting for someone to bring up a subject dear to their heart, and as soon as they read anything not completely supporting it, (or so they think they read), they get all excited, and miss the whole POINT of what the poor person was trying to say!!

Oh, wait… that was ME!!  I did that over at Amy’s… see previous post.  I still agree with myself :), I just don’t think it was the time or place to share it!! sigh… I suppose we are all learning, some a little slower than others… I am one of the slow ones!

Elaboration on my comment over at Amy’s Humble Musings

This article bothers me some… well, a wee more than that!  I DO believe God speaks today, within the Scriptures which are alive, and apart from Scriptures.  I don’t believe God is any more bound by His written Word today than He was in Biblical time, pre and post church. He spoke in Bible times, in the early church, and through out church history. Since He never changes, I think it is correct to deduct that He continues to speak today the same as He spoke then.  And since He never changes I DON’T believe he would ever contradict Scripture!!

Can the statement “God told me…” be abused? yeah, but that doesn’t mean He never does!  People take Scripture out of context all the time… that doesn’t make the Scripture invalid!!

Has God spoken to me? Yes. And it was confirmed and so very much “not me” to be considered my own imagination.  Was it more special than Scripture? Just different! If it is God’s voice, who cares where it comes from, if He reveals Himself!! I am just thrilled to be in conversation with the Almighty, and amazed that He would reveal Himself to me.

Its been a long while!

Its been a while since I have blogged over here…

For the most current notes and thoughts by Renee 🙂 you must come to

https://alifeofbalance.wordpress.com/

Eventually I’ll move everything from here over to there, but that hasn’t happened yet.  Too much going on amidst trying to get renters out, and getting them out finally and finding the place TRASHED and doing major renovations as fast as possible trying to get it rented out, then changing our minds and trying to sell it. That is where we are at now… renovating adn selling. SIGH!!  HUGE job!  amazing!

I am 33 weeks pregnant !! yeah – getting large and uncomfortable!!

anyway… come visit over at the other place and say hi!

Honor developing…

two precious stories…

This afternoon we were walking down to the car… it was snowy and its been very icy, so Keenan, my 7 yr old, was holding my hand saying “I got you, I got you, Mama!” 🙂 “I said thank you for ‘helping’ me” (picturing my pregnant large self being held up by my tiny 7 yr old should I slip and fall down the stairs!!) When we got to the bottom, he says to me, “mom, was I doing honor?”  And when I exclaimed YES! – he had the HUGEST most priceless smile on his face… absolutely precious…

And then in the car on the way home from the Imaginarium, Thad climbed in first, and found the little sucker that Keenan had lost yesterday from the hairdressers… and he handed it to Keenan along with his mitten.  Keenan says, “Thanks Thaddeus!  You are honoring me.”  It was sweet to hear them talk about it.

Thad even emptied the whole dishwasher for Keenan today (ok, with my help, he is not yet four after all) as a special surprise for him!

uninspired to share my uninspiring thoughts…

MAN, I cannot get into sharing anything with you all… there’s stuff, sure.  But it seems trivial.  In amidst trying modified bedrest (self inflicted, not Dr ordered – though he might if I told him what REALLY happened in my uterus!)  and continuing to carry one with teaching piano, homeschool (kind of – yikes!), home church and worship gatherings and leading worship, AND on top of it all a FINALLY empty condo that has to be completely renovated so we can… SELL it!!!

Yeah, we are ready.  Its just a pain, and that way we’ll have the needed money to do some things to our triplex we bought last summer… some of which is REALLY  needed!!

SO we got some quotes for reflooring the WHOLE place, we are going to pay some friends to get the bathroom done and all the doors hung this weekend, and on Bryan’s Friday off, we will hopefully have enough college students to come by and pay pittance to paint the place.

Yes, 3 of the 5 inside doors were trashed, including one frame, and the front door was completley smashed in.  there is stains NASTY in every carpeted room of the house, including cigarette / candle burns (yeah, she didn’t smoke?!?) and markers / crayons ALL over the wall where her kiddos slept – that won’t come off.  Those are just the MAJOR things.

On the UPSIDE!!  we will get a new roof, most probably, this summer! I would be more excited about a new bathroom and new kitchen counters for all three units… I don’t actually SEE the roof, but I can appreciate not getting rained on or iced in because our roof failed us!!

the BEST news EVER… my eldest sister and husband are coming to visit me… HERE in ALASKA!!! its not just the price of an international flight… its from one side of Australia to another, and then from San Fransisco to Anchorage… they’ll be enroute a good 30 hours.  There’s a teeny bit of me that says, its about time someone knows what I go through when I go visit them with two children all by myself… BUT the rest of me is only excited about dropping life and enjoying family!!!  YEAH!!  Bryan has already put in for vacation time for that week, so it should be good.

ok.  that is it for my uninspired post.  take care!

LENT readings for this week and NEXT

I know… two weeks in a row?  since I am so bad at posting them early enough, maybe that would be good!

Starting… today… although all of YOU will be in bed!

Lord God, by Your Word, fill me with a spirit of Love and Servanthood

Sunday – Matthew 23:1-12

Monday – Mark 10:35-45
Tuesday – John 15: 1-17

Wednesday – Romans 12: 9-21

Thursday – Romans 13: 8-14

Friday – I Corinthians 13: 1-13

Saturday – I John 4: 7-21

Lord God, by Your Word, fill me with a spirit of Discipleship and Commitment

Sunday – Luke 5: 1-11

Monday – Luke 9: 22-27
Tuesday – Matthew 10: 16-33

Wednesday – Matthew 10: 34-42

Thursday – John 15:18-27

Friday – 2 Timothy 2: 1-13

Saturday – 2 Timoth 3: 10-17

Pictures of Noeo Science, baby room and whatever else

 Keenan wanted to take a picture of Bryan and I so he could remember us when he was a baby (?) – I don’t know, but his whole explanation was just SO SO sweet, what could I say?  LOVE (not) the angle!

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Keenan finished up his little study on muscles and joints… here we show you a fabulous example of a hinge joint and ball and socket joint, as well as Keenan covered with muscle and bone labels.  These will go in his work samples this week to turn in…

  

And finally, Thad dressed in his brother’s pants “from the up drawer”, after a threat from me that I didn’t want to hear about wet pants, or he just might get a spanking… he changed himself, but ALAS he has no more pants… they all smell like pee in the wash, or are in the washer or dryer… It at least made me smile today and lighten up over the whole thing!!

   

SO there you have it, a few pics from our day to yours!

Lent readings for Sunday – Saturday

a day late!! Sorry anyone who was wanting these!

Lord God, by Your Word, fill me with a spirit of Gratitude and Thanksgiving

Sunday – Luke 17:11-19

Monday – 2 Corinthians 9: 1-15

Tuesday – Ephesians 5: 6-20

Wednesday – Philippians 4: 1-9

Thursday – Colossians 3: 1-17

Friday – 1 Chronicles 16: 7- 36

Saturday – Psalm 103

honor and “genetic compliments”

I have put myself on some bedrest the last few days… lots of braxton hicks… too many for my comfort level with my premature labor history!!!

All that to say… I am “directing” my kids, from the couch, as they set up a painting station (Aagh!)  Keenan lovingly tells Thaddeus, after he is bemoaning his “messed up” painting, “Oh Thad, your painting is just beautiful!”

Daddy, who has just gotten home, catches his eye and gives him an encouraging nod.  He continues…
“Thad, its beautiful, even if it is mixed up!”

Daddy looks at me and says… “I am sorry, he has inherited the Morris men ‘how-not-to-compliment’ gene”.  We just laughed and laughed… because it is true, though not just to Morris’ men… I thank it might be rather male, in general.  Somehow compliments come out sort of… only half complimentary.

I am remembering one particular time, WHILE I AM SITTING ON THE TOILET, mind you, (not the most becoming position!) and Bryan gives me some fabulous compliment which was turned hysterically into something quite derogatory by the prepositional phrase at the end!!  Of course as soon as he said it he tried to back track, quite unsuccesfully, as I almost fell off the toilet laughing so hard!  Its a male thing.  They try.

Leading worship and unworthiness

I almost quit my ministry this week.  There are LOTS of ins and outs and “good” and bad reasons and excuses and weaknesses and insecurities… but a wise wise mentor said to me, “PRAY about it.  God doesn’t usually tell us to quit through strife.  Unless He already told me to quit and I ignored Him and disobeyed!!”

You know, I am an insecure leader.  Not a worshiper, but a leader.  And that is a good thing!!  God NEEDS to be my security in leading.  the team and the congregation.  And when He is NOT, my eyes are in the wrong place.  (as in on me or what others think!)

Whether we lead worship, or a Bible Study, or in ANYTHING that we are called to do or are gifted / not gifted in… the place to be is on our knees, aware of our weaknesses, aware of our dispensability and the HONOR to be His servant and the possible “temporariness”  of this ministry and time.

To be in God’s holy presence is to realize GOD, and  to see our hearts for what they are.  And as heartbreaking as that can be, God can then put us back together as a stronger, purer worshipper.  To be STRIPPED of ME in His presence can be incredibly uncomfortable and lonely and wretched… but to be then pieced back together and “oiled” with His love afterwards, is exquisite.

From Isaiah 6 “Woe is me, for I am undone!  Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”

Psalm 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and and contrite heart, Oh God, You will not despise.”

Francois Fenelon, a French Christian from the 18th century, wrote, “All our falls are useful if they strip us of a disastrous confidence in ourselves, while they do not take away a humble and saving trust in God.”

This post was brought on by last Sunday and “The Unquenchable Worshipper” by Matt Redman