Thanksgiving Weekend

What a great weekend we've had. Marranda had a great time spending the night with her mommy Wednesday night. On Thursday we all got together at James parents house and had a lot of turkey and stuffing and pie. We had a good time hanging out with the family.

After supper we headed to my parents so that I could get up and hit the sales with my mom and sisters and Dave. We were up and at Kohls by 4am. I really wasn't looking for anything special, I just like to go and have fun, but this year I found some great deals and did most of the Christmas shopping for my family. We still have to do James family, but we'll get that done soon. James stayed home with my dad and Marranda. After we got all the shopping out of our systems for the morning we had an early Christmas party for Marranda. She had a blast opening up her presents. My family's taken her in as one of their own. Unless we make special arrangements sometime, that was the last time they'll see her for a while. I love going home to see my family. I miss them.

We had fun this morning. The kids got up and sang "I Will Enter His Courts." After lunch we took Marranda out and played in the snow. It was fun. That's the one other thing I wanted to do with Marranda before she went home. I'm glad we got to play. Tonight we have the annual "hanging of the greens" and our soup supper to follow. The gals here really do a great job decorating the church. It'll look nice. I'll post pics.

This week Marranda and I will begin baking and decorating a lot of cookies to deliver to the church people. I bought her a fun gingerbread apron so that she can help me. We're going to have lots of fun this month.

Marranda

One thing I am thankful for is the time we have had with Marranda. We found out today that she will be going for good on the 19th. We're sad that she will be leaving us, but we are happy that she will be able to be with her mom. Right now the sad's bigger than the happy.

It's hard to believe how much our life has changed in the last 2 years. Even just the last year. Marranda will have been with us 8 months by the time she goes home next month.

Right now it kinda feels like we're in a room full of doors, none are open yet and there all pretty blurry. We're not sure which will open and which will remain shut and which we'll go thru. The job door has shut for now. It's not really a fun place to be, but God always walks with us. We just have to wait for His lead.

I don't mean to sound so sad, I really am looking foward to the coming months. God is Good... He will provide as He always has. It's always fun to see when, where, and how God will show up.

graduation postponed

I've decided not to graduate this year. We found out that since James is going to be a full time seminary student that I get to go to school for half price tuition. That will allow me to finish the Masters of Religious Education degree instead of the MA in Christian Ed. It's a better degree that will open up more doors in the future. It was my first choice of degree until I got married and money was an issue. I'm excited about being able to finish it. The deadline for my thesis is April 1st. I am on track to finish it by then. I'll have the second chapter turned in by friday. I shared a small piece of it earlier.

That's the latest from our neck of the woods. We'll find out more about Marranda's near future next wednesday. My sister gets married next month. I can't believe Christmas is almost hear.

Proverbs 31... a real woman?!?!

Here's some of my musings on the Proverbs 31 woman...

So many Christian women are trying to figure out what it means to be “mature.” Often times they will turn to Proverbs 31 to read about the “woman of noble character” and hurriedly run the other way. At first glance the woman in this passage looks like a June Cleaver makeover, but that is not what or who this woman was. June Cleaver is far from the ideal woman. Many have suggested that this poem is simply a picture of wisdom personified and as such it summarizes the whole of Proverbs. However, others have argued that it is a picture of a wise woman of God. Here, as a conclusion to the book of Proverbs, Lady Wisdom is indeed personified and as such gives the readers a concrete example of a wise woman. The standards for Godly wisdom and maturity are beautifully laid out in this poem. If our goal as Christ followers is to become like Christ and true wisdom comes only from God (as the Bible says), then Proverbs 31 “certainly presents a pattern for women who want to develop a life of wisdom." It can be used as the measuring rod for godly maturity, for wisdom. A mature woman is a wise woman. Many women in scripture have exemplified the qualities embodied in this text [Deborah (Judges 4), Ruth, Abigail (1 Samuel 25), Elizabeth and Mary (Luke 1-2)].Today’s women should strive to do no less. I could be wrong, but for now, I'm thoroughly that this woman was real.

The Proverbs 31 woman will look different just about every time you see her, but the same qualities will shine through. We know that the foundation of her life is a healthy fear of the Lord. She is strong, honorable, and virtuous. She knows her worth. She respects her husband and he trusts her. She is strong physically, mentally, and spiritually. She watches her tongue and speaks carefully. She uses her blessings wisely and realizes that she has been blessed to be a blessing. She prepares for the future and has a joyful disposition even in the face of hardship. Finally, she leaves a legacy for others to follow.

God does not expect perfection, but he does expect perseverance. David is heralded as a man after God’s own heart, yet he failed miserably at times. Biblical womanhood is much more than the do’s and dont's of character attributes and outward changes. It’s a matter of the heart. It’s a mindset. A heart set on Christ. The whole bible supports and exemplifies biblical womanhood. A biblical woman is one who seeks Christ first and forsakes all else. All are welcome to join the pursuit. Isaiah 55:1 says “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!”

I have enjoyed my study. It has challenged and stretched my faith and my prayer life. There are many things I need to work on when it comes to being like Christ. The 2 chapter of my thesis will probably turn into a Bible study in the near future. I've been wanting to write my own, perhaps this will be the first. We'll see where the second half of this chapter takes me.

time management

What an easy concept to understand, but such a difficult one to put into practice. You’d think there’s not that much to do in a day. Take care of Marranda; keep the house clean; and do my thesis; keep up with church stuff; read my Bible and pray; and keep my sanity. Really those few things shouldn’t be all that hard to accomplish within a weeks time. I know I can’t do everything every day, but seriously. As I sit in my chair writing this Marranda has created another tornado. There are two basket’s of laundry sitting on the floor in the bedroom and more in the dryer. That pile never ends. The kitchen table has playdough caked on it and the dining room table has all of my thesis books on it. I’m not complaining, I’m just reflecting. Granted, when I get up from my chair in a few minutes I will begin to remedy the situation, but it will all be back in a mater of 24 hours… if I have that long. Some days I do well managing my time others need serious help.
This is all fresh in my mind, because of two reasons. First of all, Marranda woke up screaming before 5 this morning and none of us got back to sleep and have gotten little accomplished today. Second, I just finished a big part of chapter 2 of my thesis that describes the proverbs 31 woman. A big reason she was able to accomplish all that she did was her ability to be efficient and organized; to plan and manage her priorities. I really think that she is the picture of a mature Christian woman. I’ve got more to it than that, but her efficiency is mind boggling and is probably the thing I struggle with the most in that whole passage of scripture.
Well… James is now calling for lunch, so the tornado will have to wait and it’s time to go add to the dishes in the dish washer. …which I really think the proverbs 31 woman would have had, had it been available.