Monday, October 27, 2008
Feeling a bit like Job
"But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold."
Job 23:10 (NIV)
How long has it been?? To long. What has been going on? Where to begin…Dave started a government job YEAH! Federal. Better!! Half the pay. Excuse me? Yup, and I’m told that it’s because of his experience in the Army that he got pay THAT good! Doesn’t take the sting out the clipping though. All in all we have been doing well…prospering even. My Mary Kay business has been growing! Kind of on its own; Cecily and Nicole’s academics have been wonderful. That’s a TOTAL miracle! Not to do anything with my girls but their teacher (me) is a total lunatic with all the crazy stuff I have going on! Dave says I’d doing too much but for the life of me I can’t find anything that I can cut! And like I said somehow the girls are prospering! Perhaps it is just preparing them for the stress of life and college learning how to cram and complete school work a day or two before it’s due. Running from one mad errand to another! We are also fighting over the favorite computer (mine). Well, somehow between school and work and errands I am also meeting up with old long lost friends! I met up with one of my girlfriends whom I haven’t seen since high school. She now lives; get this, in North Carolina! What a hoot! I never knew!
Job 23:10 (NIV)
How long has it been?? To long. What has been going on? Where to begin…Dave started a government job YEAH! Federal. Better!! Half the pay. Excuse me? Yup, and I’m told that it’s because of his experience in the Army that he got pay THAT good! Doesn’t take the sting out the clipping though. All in all we have been doing well…prospering even. My Mary Kay business has been growing! Kind of on its own; Cecily and Nicole’s academics have been wonderful. That’s a TOTAL miracle! Not to do anything with my girls but their teacher (me) is a total lunatic with all the crazy stuff I have going on! Dave says I’d doing too much but for the life of me I can’t find anything that I can cut! And like I said somehow the girls are prospering! Perhaps it is just preparing them for the stress of life and college learning how to cram and complete school work a day or two before it’s due. Running from one mad errand to another! We are also fighting over the favorite computer (mine). Well, somehow between school and work and errands I am also meeting up with old long lost friends! I met up with one of my girlfriends whom I haven’t seen since high school. She now lives; get this, in North Carolina! What a hoot! I never knew!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
2 Corinthians 4:7-10 NASB
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;
we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing;
persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;
always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
It has been busy around the Phillips/Orwan/Ziegler home these past few weeks. Work to be done, school to be accomplished, potty training and any number of other dispatches in-between. I look back at the whirlwind of activity any wonder at how it all got done! Somehow the girls are receiving an education, groceries are acquired, and the house gets clean. Of course with seven people, three dogs and five cats I do use the term “clean” loosely! But, the point is that somehow God has granted enough of whatever it is that we need to see us through each day. Not without some challenge and sometimes grumbles; there has certainly been some stressful moments as we struggle to incorporate 7 souls and two houses into one all while adjusting to a new area and everything else. God Is SOOOO gracious and He is SOOOOOOOOOOO faithful - He has provided. Basic news; we are still visiting churches in our area but have decided on what youth groups to be a part of – there are two different ones. Schooling in Pennsylvania is a challenge because of the organization it requires of me – which for those of you who know me well is self explanatory! David got a job! First he took a job at Sam’s club then the Federal job came through. He will begin next week – we are excited about that. He continues to work on his bachelors, and keeping a good grade average.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;
we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing;
persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;
always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
It has been busy around the Phillips/Orwan/Ziegler home these past few weeks. Work to be done, school to be accomplished, potty training and any number of other dispatches in-between. I look back at the whirlwind of activity any wonder at how it all got done! Somehow the girls are receiving an education, groceries are acquired, and the house gets clean. Of course with seven people, three dogs and five cats I do use the term “clean” loosely! But, the point is that somehow God has granted enough of whatever it is that we need to see us through each day. Not without some challenge and sometimes grumbles; there has certainly been some stressful moments as we struggle to incorporate 7 souls and two houses into one all while adjusting to a new area and everything else. God Is SOOOO gracious and He is SOOOOOOOOOOO faithful - He has provided. Basic news; we are still visiting churches in our area but have decided on what youth groups to be a part of – there are two different ones. Schooling in Pennsylvania is a challenge because of the organization it requires of me – which for those of you who know me well is self explanatory! David got a job! First he took a job at Sam’s club then the Federal job came through. He will begin next week – we are excited about that. He continues to work on his bachelors, and keeping a good grade average.
Monday, September 8, 2008
बुस्य life
Sorry it has been so long since I’ve last posted…school started and it has just been crazy around here! In the past three weeks lots of stuff has happened; we are waiting now on confirmation of David’s job, Cecily & Nicole have signed up with a youth group and are excited about it. I will have my Mary Kay debut this coming Tuesday, Grace and I started MOPS, Cecily & Nicole are helping put in classrooms and hoping to attract possible babysitting opportunities. We have not yet decided on a church but have started to visit Susquehanna Valley Evangelical Free Church. I recall, in North Carolina, when we were looking for a church and God showed me His vast riches. It was like He was showing off “See my children?” He would say as he moved us from place to place. It was finally the youth group at ALBC that sold us – don’t get me wrong I loved the worship and Pastor Jeff, well; there is only one Pastor Jeff! But the fact is if it hadn’t been for the structure of Pastor Phil’s youth we could have easily chosen a church closer to where we lived. I’m so glad we didn’t. Now, I feel God is doing it again. Once again we are faced with the question of where can we serve and grow. Where do we fit? Once again it will come down to the youth.
In the meantime I have begun to keep a prayer journal (again) this time I have added “promise verses” they are simply verses that “speech” to me. Yesterday for my children I wrote:
Philippians 2:13 “For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” For another category John 15:16 [Jesus speaking] “You did not choose me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give you.”
In the meantime I have begun to keep a prayer journal (again) this time I have added “promise verses” they are simply verses that “speech” to me. Yesterday for my children I wrote:
Philippians 2:13 “For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” For another category John 15:16 [Jesus speaking] “You did not choose me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give you.”
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
Massive Monster Meltdown
It was a REALLY busy day! First my good friend June traveled all the way up here from North Carolina to support me (maybe breath life into) my Mary Kay business! She brought along her daughter Anastasia much to Cecily’s delight!
Earlier that day our new dentist called and told us he had an opening to see the girls for a regular exam. I jumped at it. One more chore off my “to do” list! While there Grace went potty. She had been doing REALLY well with this because we give her the right bribe-bubble gum! Except, lately she has been swallowing her gum instead of throwing it in the trash; I believe it’s just out of laziness. Anyway, I had told her that she wasn’t going to get bubble gum anymore because of this problem and the fact that we have enough problems with constipation we don’t need to do anything to aggravate the situation. Tell this to a 3 year old in the dentist office before she has seen him. Grace doesn’t like anyone in a white jacket or who wares scrubs! Her answer to me was “but I peeped in the potty” really don’t you get it? I tried to appease her with stickers. She threw them down; she didn’t want no sticken sticker! One of the dental workers came by and said (this really gets me) “The dentist doesn’t like you to chew gum because IT’S BAD FOR YOUR TEETH” WOW! That REALLY helped! Grace doesn’t care what the dentist thinks about chewing gum - I don’t care what the dentist thinks about chewing gum! She said this THREE times…three times. By then Grace was in the beginning stages of whine and headed for scream. I took her to another room and placed her in timeout. She thought it was no big deal – she didn’t want me anyway. I didn’t give her gum. Now she was going into her own little world where she disengaged from us. I saw that being alone was not what she needed so I pulled her into my lap. She released her venom on me. Screaming to the world her anger and hate at the unfairness of not receiving gum when it was clear that she deserved to be rewarded. Both Cecily and Nicole saw the hygienist and dentist while Grace raged and I held her. She tried to pull away; she told me she didn’t need me that she was angry with me. She screamed for help she said that I hurt her. She told me she wanted a new mommy and I held her. Not since Cecily did I have to hold like this at one point I was sure she was going to bite me but she maintained a form of control. I am blessed to have such a strong willed little one – she will develop leadership skills and not easily follow the crowd!
Earlier that day our new dentist called and told us he had an opening to see the girls for a regular exam. I jumped at it. One more chore off my “to do” list! While there Grace went potty. She had been doing REALLY well with this because we give her the right bribe-bubble gum! Except, lately she has been swallowing her gum instead of throwing it in the trash; I believe it’s just out of laziness. Anyway, I had told her that she wasn’t going to get bubble gum anymore because of this problem and the fact that we have enough problems with constipation we don’t need to do anything to aggravate the situation. Tell this to a 3 year old in the dentist office before she has seen him. Grace doesn’t like anyone in a white jacket or who wares scrubs! Her answer to me was “but I peeped in the potty” really don’t you get it? I tried to appease her with stickers. She threw them down; she didn’t want no sticken sticker! One of the dental workers came by and said (this really gets me) “The dentist doesn’t like you to chew gum because IT’S BAD FOR YOUR TEETH” WOW! That REALLY helped! Grace doesn’t care what the dentist thinks about chewing gum - I don’t care what the dentist thinks about chewing gum! She said this THREE times…three times. By then Grace was in the beginning stages of whine and headed for scream. I took her to another room and placed her in timeout. She thought it was no big deal – she didn’t want me anyway. I didn’t give her gum. Now she was going into her own little world where she disengaged from us. I saw that being alone was not what she needed so I pulled her into my lap. She released her venom on me. Screaming to the world her anger and hate at the unfairness of not receiving gum when it was clear that she deserved to be rewarded. Both Cecily and Nicole saw the hygienist and dentist while Grace raged and I held her. She tried to pull away; she told me she didn’t need me that she was angry with me. She screamed for help she said that I hurt her. She told me she wanted a new mommy and I held her. Not since Cecily did I have to hold like this at one point I was sure she was going to bite me but she maintained a form of control. I am blessed to have such a strong willed little one – she will develop leadership skills and not easily follow the crowd!
Hosea 2: 15
There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
My Homework
Psalms 139:7-10 says, "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me."
I’m doing this for my friend June. It is my homework; name 10 positive things about me. They don’t necessarily need to be true to my life right now but the ideal of how I want my life to be…Proverbs 31:10 – 30 “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet. She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women have done excellently but you have surpassed them all.’ Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Love her, hate her – my goal is to BE her. It may take an entire lifetime! Anyway, back to my homework. I am to speak these things into my life.
1. I spend each day beginning with a personal quiet time devoted to the LORD
2. I spend my time wisely
3. I look after and maintain the well being of my home
4. I look for creative and fun ways to educate my children
5. I maintain the harmony of my surroundings
6. I am well grounded in the scriptures
7. Others look to me for guidance and direction
8. I am wise and have discernment
9. I am generous
10. Strength and dignity are my clothing
I’m doing this for my friend June. It is my homework; name 10 positive things about me. They don’t necessarily need to be true to my life right now but the ideal of how I want my life to be…Proverbs 31:10 – 30 “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet. She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women have done excellently but you have surpassed them all.’ Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Love her, hate her – my goal is to BE her. It may take an entire lifetime! Anyway, back to my homework. I am to speak these things into my life.
1. I spend each day beginning with a personal quiet time devoted to the LORD
2. I spend my time wisely
3. I look after and maintain the well being of my home
4. I look for creative and fun ways to educate my children
5. I maintain the harmony of my surroundings
6. I am well grounded in the scriptures
7. Others look to me for guidance and direction
8. I am wise and have discernment
9. I am generous
10. Strength and dignity are my clothing
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