What I Learned About Keeping God as My #1 Priority

Courtesy of Grant Cochrane

 

Wow, January is already almost over. And that means that as much as I hate it, I need to evaluate my goals and see how I did. My goal for this month was to be more intentional about the time I spent with the Lord. I wanted to read my Bible and pray every day, as well as incorporate other spiritual disciplines into my week.

As much as I wish I could tell you I was successful, I really can't. This life as a disciple of Jesus is hard. It's hard to keep God at his number one spot in my life. It's hard to find time for prayer, Bible reading and Scripture memorization. And it's hard to not be selfish. Because let's be honest. At the end of the day, if I didn't make time for God, I can't really blame it on anything other than that. I didn't make time for him because I chose not to. I chose to do something else.

Preschool Lesson Plan, Week 17

Capital/Lowercase Sorting

Click here to view and print my Week 17 Lesson Plan. We're done reviewing and back to new stuff! In this lesson plan, you'll find activities for the following:

The Letter M
The Bible Story of Hannah and Samuel
Time (Days of the Week, Months, Telling Time, etc.)
The Season of Winter
Colors, Numbers, Shapes review

Fun Friday Favorite Links

Look at that silly face! I told him to smile:)

There were some really great posts this week. I hope you enjoy the round-up I've provided for you!

1. Shining up our scars by Jon Acuff.

2. The Power of Asking the Right Question by Michael Hyatt.

3. 34 Words on Improving Empathy In Your Family by Amy Sullivan.

4. Simple Ways to Teach Your Children Scripture by Ruth Schwenk.

5. On the Altar by Cheryl at thebettermom.com.  If you are a parent who tends to worry, you need to read this post!

6. Fried Apples recipe over at Lynn's Kitchen Adventures. Yum! 

7. Friendly Fire by Glennon Melton. I LOVE this post. It's due time we moms stop beating ourselves and each other up!

8. Giving up Worry by Ashley Moore. This post has some great tips on how to get rid of worry. 

5 Ways to Guarantee You Never Read Your Bible

One benefit of not growing up in the church is that you don't know anything about the Bible. I know that sounds awful, but hang with me for a minute.

When we first started going to church, we felt stupid. It wasn't the church's fault. Once you've been around Christians for very long, you don't even realize how much "Christianese" you use. Words like baptism, confession, and communion were normal to them, foreign to us. Because of how dumb we felt, we took action. We began meeting with the senior minister at church and digging into our Bibles at home. Before long, I read through the entire Bible.

Sometimes I miss those days. Fifteen (plus a few) years later, and my longing to learn isn't near as strong. This month, I've been focusing on my relationship with God, trying to be more intentional about putting Him first in my life. In the process, I've learned several things NOT to do. Here are a few ways to guarantee you never read your Bible:

Preschool Lesson Plan, Week 16

Number Flash Cards

Click here to view and print my week 16 preschool lesson plans. We're still reviewing this week, so you'll find activities for the following:

1. Review the letters A-L.
2. Review the numbers 1-20.
3. Review previous Bible stories and verses.
4. Review basic shapes.
5. Review basic colors.

ABC Puzzle

Fun Friday Favorite Links

Happy 3rd birthday to my little boy!

Some of these links were actually from last week, but hey, it doesn't really matter, right? Enjoy!

1. Lazy Chicken Alfredo by Becky, guest on I'm a Lazy Mom.

2. How Differences with Your Spouse Can Make Your Marriage Stronger by Michael Hyatt.

3. The Boldness of Youth by Billy Coffey. (As a side note, I just finished Billy's book Paper Angels, and I highly recommend it. It's a very touching story about one man's journey to healing after some major disappointments in life.)

4. Canadian Bacon Cheese Soup by Lynn at Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.

5. Snowmen Learning Activities by Bekki at Chasing Supermom.

6. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Mousse also by Bekki at Chasing Supermom. Doesn't the name even sound delicious?!

7. My "So What?" Attitude Toward Hospitality by Ginger Kolbaba at the Kyria blog. This is a great read for perfectionists like me:)

8. 10 Ways Your Family Can Serve Others by Amy Sullivan. 

When God Feels Distant

God said no. Not once. Not twice. But three times.

It all started in August of 2010 when my husband and I found out we were pregnant with baby number two. We couldn’t wait to welcome him or her into our home. Couldn’t wait to watch our son, Rylan, interact with his new sibling. All of our plans came crashing down, though, when I was twelve weeks pregnant. . . .

I'm guest posting on Kristen Hamilton's blog today. You can read the rest of the story here.