Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for....

1. An entire family saved and baptized Sunday at church.

2. Spring Break...craft time, nap time, DVR time

3. Spiritual clarity regarding some decisions that I needed to make

4. A full day of sunshine...only one, but still

What are you thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday

So much to be thankful for this week...

1. Safe travels in the pouring rain to and from Dallas.

2. Dinner with friends we hadn't seen in 6 months.

3. Encouragement from the conference we attended.

4. Broken people coming to Jesus.

5. A day at home to get caught up on all things home related!

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful Thursday

Thanking God for these blessings this week:

1. Fun day out with a friend.

2. Extra hands on deck for a project at church.

3. That God restores what Satan robs.

4. Energy I haven't had for months.

5. Inspiration.

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for...

1. A new sound system at church

2. Bruce and Savannah's trip to A&M, the clarity it brought and the plans for the future

3. Prayer partners

4. Sunshine after what seems like weeks of rain

5. God's strength for stressful days

What are you thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for....

1. A sweet time of fellowship and learning at the Restore My Joy Ladies Conference

2. Fun times with our church family at our Super Bowl Party

3. Better health

4. Rejoicing together with friends over spiritual victories

5. New faces at church

6. A financial error that was corrected and made right in our favor

What are you thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday

Join me in giving thanks every week this year. Just comment below to give thanks for something that you are thankful for...big or small. Gratitude changes me and encourages others....it's not always the stuff we have...but rather our perspective on what we have and what really matters!

1. Fresh starts
2. Organized closet
3. New Curtains
4. Plans for the future
5. Cleaning music

Back on Track

It's no secret. I love when school starts. The steady rhythm of routine. The promise of cooler weather. The nights home alone as a football widow....LOL. Yep...I love every last bit of it. And I didn't even talk about the food....that deserves it's very own stand alone post.

This fall finds our family in the middle of a bit of craziness. School starts tomorrow, I start teaching piano lessons tomorrow, Savannah is playing volleyball, we're starting new ministries at the church and oh...we're moving. 

You might remember about a year ago when I posted about the 2 acre farm that we hoped to build....well...sometimes plans change. For over a year we've worked hard to pay off the land and to try to decide on houseplans....in fact I think I've pinned over 200 house plans...but nothing ever felt completely right. The idea of building excited me...and horrified Bruce and we had trouble finding peace together. Who knew it would be so hard to agree? (Those who have ever built a house with your spouse are frantically screaming at your computer..."we did, we did"..LOL) So we had just about decided on staying put...slowing down our plans...and just dreaming a little longer. Until I received a text about a 114 year old farmhouse ... be still my heart. I forwarded it to Bruce and his response was surprisingly..."Let's go look at it tomorrow".  After two more looks and an inspection we made an offer, it was accepted and we put our house on the market. And 20 days later we had a contract on our current house. It's all happened so fast! 

We've living in an old house before...the first house we bought was 100 years old...so we are aware that old houses need special care....in fact we have our fair share of painting and scraping and elbow grease ahead of us. But this new house definitely has some things going for it....awesome character, hardwood floors, an in ground swimming pool and lots more. It's got great bones and details. We are so excited!

God's timing has been impeccable (always is) in this process. And we weren't even looking. I'm thankful He knows what's best for us...even when we don't pay particularly good attention! In fact...I pinned the top house on pinterest last year, the bottom picture is the house we hope to be in at the end of the month: 

So....September for the Stinson's is going to be crazy....But we are embracing it....trying to stay on track with school and everything else....and we're busy packing up boxes...everyday. We will be the best kind of tired at the end of this month!

Days of Thanks #1

What are you thankful for? Join me and a host of others in giving thanks for something(s) each day during the month of November. Post to your twitter, Facebook, instagram, blog….anywhere….about the blessings of God on your life!

Day #16 Beautiful Quietness

I'm writing this post in my den, small corner lamp, feet propped up on an ottoman, sweet tea within reach....everyone is asleep. It's beautifully quiet. I almost want to pinch myself because in this house of piano lessons and Taekwondo forms and homeschool and nerf guns this is a rarity.

I'm learning though, that to enjoy the quiet in my home, it takes effort.

- Effort to plan ahead so there aren't distractions.
- Effort to get up early or stay up late when the eyeballs are wishing otherwise.
- Effort to settle myself, to relax, to not feel guilty.
- Effort to be prepared with Bible, books, journal, computer.

It's almost as much work to prepare for quietness as it is to get quietness. And sometimes, if I'm honest, it's too much work and in my laziness I miss the beauty of the quietness.

Because it's in the quietness that I hear things otherwise unheard. Sweet truths of Jesus fly off the pages of His Word when I sit quietly before Him. I recall things in the quiet that I would otherwise not take the time to savor....memories, answered prayer, intercessory request. In the quiet I also realize my own worth and my own sin. I have the time to confess and praise and thank.

Being still before the Lord isn't some silly mantra that we obligate ourselves to as Christians. It's a privilege....we are being still so we can KNOW the Lord God. (Ps. 46:10) Depending on your season of life, you may or may not have plenty of time to do this at anytime during the day....for me, it requires effort. A real, purposeful, decision to get up or stay up so that I can spend quiet time getting to know the Lord.

Here are a few things I do....

- Get comfortable
- Sit quietly for a few minutes, settling my mind down
- Consider things to be thankful for, write them down if desired- Pray
- Read God's Word
- Confess sins that are brought to mind- Pray
- Think about the gift of salvation and praise God for giving me salvation - Pray
- Think about others and their needs and requests - Journal these
- Meditate on 2-3 scriptures that have something to do with something I'm struggling with
- Listen for anything that God may be saying to be through His Word.

There's no set rules for spending time with God. No time limit. No list of things you must do in order. Find what works for you. I can honestly tell you, when I start my day sitting in the beautiful quietness with the Lord, it does help me through out the day. I'm finding too, that when I don't have time for some quiet time with the Lord, in reality, that's really all I do have time for.

I've come across journaling ideas through pinterest and thought they might inspire you to document your beautiful quietness:

What's On Your Mind Today (printable)

Story Analysis (printable)

Complain Much?

One of the many hazards of homeschooling is that my kids aren't always quite as polite to the teacher as they might be if the teacher were someone else. There's a comfortableness that, while endearing, can also be taken advantage of if we aren't careful.

Complaining seems to be the most popular issue at hand right now. Complaining about doing schoolwork, how much schoolwork, how hard the schoolwork is, how boring it is, how tired they are, how long it takes....need I go on????

Anyway...I've explained until I'm blue in the face, we've spanked (yes, we do that), we've prayed, we've raised our voices (ok..maybe that was just me), I've lectured....And I've grown weary.

And since I'm not a complainy type person for the most part, this is under my skin. WHEN DID THEY BECOME THIS WAY??? I think the same way we all do sometimes.

1. We only want to do what we want to do.

2. We think what we want is the most important thing on earth.

3. We think we are right.

4. We don't think of the effort others have made for us to have, do, be....

5. We become covetous. We want what others have even if that mean different but not better.

And so now I'm figuring out a plan of action that might help my kids think before they complain...at least some of the time.

1. Gratitude. Speak and write thanks when you are tempted to complain.

2. Do something for someone else when you are tempted to complain.

3. Pray about your attitude. Is this really something that is important enough to complain about?

4. File your complaint. Write it down and place it in the complaint jar. If it's still worthy of conversation at the end of the day, we will read it.

As I was thinking about these things I thought how they really apply to any area of our lives. We waste so many words complaining about things that don't matter, that when we really do have a concern that deserves our words, no one listens. I'm praying that I can teach my own kids the extreme value in a word spoken in due season. Just because I'm an adult doesn't mean I've mastered this concept. In fact, it's just a great reminder to use my words wisely.