Annual Post...
Happy 2013! Hopeful that you and yours find the many blessings of the Lord in your life this year! Look for them ~ they're there!
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Happy New Year!
Remembering the important things
Friends,
This has been a blessed year for me and my husband. There have been rough spots. Many days when I didn't know what was going to happen next, or how we would be able to take care of very necessary items like rent and transportation, But those dark days always made it more evident that the Lord shines His love on us, 'exceedingly, abundantly above' anything I could have ever dreamed.
We have been blessed with parents, siblings, and two beautiful nieces, all of whom are loving, kind, and very special. We have been blessed with the time to spend with our family to grow closer to them and to help them. We have been blessed with a spiritual family that continues to amaze us in their love for the Lord and for His Word; Christians like those in Acts who search the scriptures and who love and support their brothers. We have been blessed in having all of our physical needs met. We have been blessed in having the ability to help and give to others even though our own circumstances are not 'great'. We have been blessed in the changes in our lives this year: losing transportation and finding that our brethren will help us; losing our income and learning full dependence on the Lord; gaining partial employment and continuing to see God's plan working in our lives; finding out that we HAD to travel in December, and then discovering that the entire trip for both of us barely cost anything; returning home to a warm cozy home that was still safe and secure even after 3 weeks of vacancy; learning from our brothers and sisters. The list of God's grace could go on forever.
It would be easy to go through the 2011 calendar to pinpoint the hardships and trials that happened each day, each week, each month. Easier, perhaps than looking up to see the blessings in each of those situations. We tend to dwell on negative things. But I think of Joseph, and I think of Naomi and Ruth. Evil things happened to them- imprisonment, famine, death, poverty. But God took them through those points to bring them into times of peace and blessing; He meant it all for good. And while the plan for my own life has nothing to do with something as grand and wondrous as the plan of salvation, I know that those hard days, and that this hard year is meant for good.
Looking forward to a peaceful and happy 2012. May you all find yourselves blessed and remember the One who blessed you!
Happy New Year!
This has been a blessed year for me and my husband. There have been rough spots. Many days when I didn't know what was going to happen next, or how we would be able to take care of very necessary items like rent and transportation, But those dark days always made it more evident that the Lord shines His love on us, 'exceedingly, abundantly above' anything I could have ever dreamed.
We have been blessed with parents, siblings, and two beautiful nieces, all of whom are loving, kind, and very special. We have been blessed with the time to spend with our family to grow closer to them and to help them. We have been blessed with a spiritual family that continues to amaze us in their love for the Lord and for His Word; Christians like those in Acts who search the scriptures and who love and support their brothers. We have been blessed in having all of our physical needs met. We have been blessed in having the ability to help and give to others even though our own circumstances are not 'great'. We have been blessed in the changes in our lives this year: losing transportation and finding that our brethren will help us; losing our income and learning full dependence on the Lord; gaining partial employment and continuing to see God's plan working in our lives; finding out that we HAD to travel in December, and then discovering that the entire trip for both of us barely cost anything; returning home to a warm cozy home that was still safe and secure even after 3 weeks of vacancy; learning from our brothers and sisters. The list of God's grace could go on forever.
It would be easy to go through the 2011 calendar to pinpoint the hardships and trials that happened each day, each week, each month. Easier, perhaps than looking up to see the blessings in each of those situations. We tend to dwell on negative things. But I think of Joseph, and I think of Naomi and Ruth. Evil things happened to them- imprisonment, famine, death, poverty. But God took them through those points to bring them into times of peace and blessing; He meant it all for good. And while the plan for my own life has nothing to do with something as grand and wondrous as the plan of salvation, I know that those hard days, and that this hard year is meant for good.
Looking forward to a peaceful and happy 2012. May you all find yourselves blessed and remember the One who blessed you!
Happy New Year!
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Allison, I'm so sorry you guys have been though so much (and I'm sorry I wasn't more aware). It's the rough patches that sure draw us closer to God... and cause us to lean on Him more. Though they're rough, they're blessings because of the spiritual benefits. I'm praying that your burdens will be fewer this coming year... and I'm thankful for you, and for your sweet example. Happy 2012! *hug* -
And I just saw your post below, too. I'm so sorry for Kevin's loss and yours, too. Praying for all of you and wishing you comfort!
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That's an amazing attitude.
12/01/11 7:45PM
Kevin's grandmother passed away early this morning (2:30 pst). Though she was a good woman, she was not a Christian, which makes this so much harder.
I'm here in Carson City with his parents for the next 2 weeks. He'll be joining us next Thursday, when he is able to get off work. This is going to be a very long and draining month.
I'm here in Carson City with his parents for the next 2 weeks. He'll be joining us next Thursday, when he is able to get off work. This is going to be a very long and draining month.
Little ones at church.
I have Wednesday's off. Its sort of nice to be able to sleep late on a weekday! I'll be putting lasagna in the oven later on for a yummy dinner before church tonight.
Tuesday nights, I have a Bible study with two sisters, one a recent convert. She has 5 kids, two are 17 and 18, the younger three are 11, 3, and 4 months. She brings the 11 year old with her, all the time, and sometimes the youngest too. She is concerned especially with the 3 year old, since he doesn't know how to sit still or behave in Bible class or church. The other lady we study with and I have been trying to encourage her to bring the baby and the three year old more regularly. Last night, after we finished the study, we talked more about it, and how the three year old will never learn unless he is trained and taught. We both had some funny examples of our own children (or nieces in my story) who misbehaved in church- trying to illustrate that all children will act up, but that you have to teach them better.
I would like to make up a small tote bag of things for the 3 year old. Maybe a Bible story book and a coloring book. For those of you with children, especially boys, how did you teach them to sit still at church? Did you have activities or quiet toys for them, or did you just train them to sit quietly during the sermon? What sort of help would you have liked, and how can I help this new sister and her children?
Tuesday nights, I have a Bible study with two sisters, one a recent convert. She has 5 kids, two are 17 and 18, the younger three are 11, 3, and 4 months. She brings the 11 year old with her, all the time, and sometimes the youngest too. She is concerned especially with the 3 year old, since he doesn't know how to sit still or behave in Bible class or church. The other lady we study with and I have been trying to encourage her to bring the baby and the three year old more regularly. Last night, after we finished the study, we talked more about it, and how the three year old will never learn unless he is trained and taught. We both had some funny examples of our own children (or nieces in my story) who misbehaved in church- trying to illustrate that all children will act up, but that you have to teach them better.
I would like to make up a small tote bag of things for the 3 year old. Maybe a Bible story book and a coloring book. For those of you with children, especially boys, how did you teach them to sit still at church? Did you have activities or quiet toys for them, or did you just train them to sit quietly during the sermon? What sort of help would you have liked, and how can I help this new sister and her children?
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No boys here, but for what it's worth, here's my thoughts. It helps to practice at home. We have Bible story time on the couch and the girls are required to sit quietly, on their bottoms, without wiggling. It's easier to work with them at home than during church. :P As for church itself, my rule of thumb is that they only get taken out of the auditorium if they need "correcting" and then they're brought right back in. (Sometimes you see kids that act up so that they'll be taken out... and when they're taken out, they get to play... and so you have a problem that repeats itself.) As for things to take to keep them quiet and busy, I love Bible story books. You can find lift-the-flap ones, touch-and-feel ones, etc. We also got a boogie board for drawing. (Until M got old enough to copy words... and now she takes notes from the overhead.) The beauty of the boogie board is that you can draw and erase over and over... and you don't have the rustle of paper. Plus it's just cool and that's guaranteed to fascinate them and hold their attention. (And should you lose the stylus, a finger or capped pen works just as well.) As for what we do, my kiddos usually have nothing during singing. The singing entertains little ones and I want the older one to learn to sing, too. The books come out during the sermon. Also, maybe you could let the 3yo sit with you. Having a baby really makes it hard to work with your kiddo and it can really frazzle you. That or maybe you could sit with her... or maybe hold the baby for her.
I think it's wonderful that you're wanting to help her... and I'll sure keep her in my prayers! -
We allowed C to hav toys when he was tiny. But I'd say by 9-12 months I started requiring more of of him. Now he has to hold a songbook or sit quietly when we sing. He is only allowed activities during preaching. All activities are either biblically or generic (animals or notebook and crayons). My mom got him a felt busy book from Etsy and that's his favorite thing to do. We have also let him use a drawing app on our phone or iPad.
Color wonder are really good for worship. They have plain paper if you search for it a bit. We also bought some crayons that twist up. These are nice because there's no paper to rip off. Stickers can be good if he will put them on paper. We do not allow toys.
Little ones at church.
I have Wednesday's off. Its sort of nice to be able to sleep late on a weekday! I'll be putting lasagna in the oven later on for a yummy dinner before church tonight.
Tuesday nights, I have a Bible study with two sisters, one a recent convert. She has 5 kids, two are 17 and 18, the younger three are 11, 3, and 4 months. She brings the 11 year old with her, all the time, and sometimes the youngest too. She is concerned especially with the 3 year old, since he doesn't know how to sit still or behave in Bible class or church. The other lady we study with and I have been trying to encourage her to bring the baby and the three year old more regularly. Last night, after we finished the study, we talked more about it, and how the three year old will never learn unless he is trained and taught. We both had some funny examples of our own children (or nieces in my story) who misbehaved in church- trying to illustrate that all children will act up, but that you have to teach them better.
I would like to make up a small tote bag of things for the 3 year old. Maybe a Bible story book and a coloring book. For those of you with children, especially boys, how did you teach them to sit still at church? Did you have activities or quiet toys for them, or did you just train them to sit quietly during the sermon? What sort of help would you have liked, and how can I help this new sister and her children?
Tuesday nights, I have a Bible study with two sisters, one a recent convert. She has 5 kids, two are 17 and 18, the younger three are 11, 3, and 4 months. She brings the 11 year old with her, all the time, and sometimes the youngest too. She is concerned especially with the 3 year old, since he doesn't know how to sit still or behave in Bible class or church. The other lady we study with and I have been trying to encourage her to bring the baby and the three year old more regularly. Last night, after we finished the study, we talked more about it, and how the three year old will never learn unless he is trained and taught. We both had some funny examples of our own children (or nieces in my story) who misbehaved in church- trying to illustrate that all children will act up, but that you have to teach them better.
I would like to make up a small tote bag of things for the 3 year old. Maybe a Bible story book and a coloring book. For those of you with children, especially boys, how did you teach them to sit still at church? Did you have activities or quiet toys for them, or did you just train them to sit quietly during the sermon? What sort of help would you have liked, and how can I help this new sister and her children?
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I found the more I had to 'keep them quiet' the less quiet the experience was. I have a 3 year old right now and she has 1 notebook she can draw in, sometimes I'll allow a coloring book. With the boys, too, in the past I found only having 1 thing for them was the best route. Any continued rowdiness (after being reminded to be quiet) would result in being taken out and more involved discipline and coming right back in.
Or a book - there are some good Bible story books out there.
