Goodbye NaBloPoMo!

I did it! I participated in National Blog Posting Month! I posted every day in November! I loved reading the posts of everyone else who posted everyday too! I think I might miss it! Here's to November!

Happy Birthday Gabe!

Happy 5th Birthday to our nephew Gabriel! We can't believe how big he is, it seems just yesterday he was born! Last night he told me that he just knew he would feel different when he woke up today! We love you Gabe!!!

Psalm 84

Psalm 84 is a great Psalm, two of our choruses have come out of this Psalm. As I was reading it yesterday I was struck with verses 5-7. I have been working on the discipline of perseverance in my life. I have one great day, then I sin horribly the next day, when I fully know that it is wrong. I wonder how do "those people" do it, you those I mean, the perfect Christians, the ones who never miss a day in their devotions, who are allway exhibiting all of the fruit of the Spirit all of the time. They never give in to temptation, they never get selfish, they never get depressed. As we all know, "those people" don't really exist. There are definetly people who are walking much closer to the Lord than we are, but they certainly are not perfect, but for the most part they are persevering. These verses in this Psalm gave me an insight into how they continue to persevere. "Blessed are those whose strenth is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion."
Firstly, their strength is found in the Lord, not in themselves, not in their family, not in their circumstances. For their strength to be in the Lord, that means their focus is on Him, they are trusting Him, relying on Him, talking to Him. They have the right perspective on this life, that is an eternal perspective, not jsut temporal. They set their hearts on the pilgrimage. They are focused and dedicated, they don't let things distract them. The Valley of Baca is not an actual Valley but rather it means a valley of tears, these are the trials we all go through in life. But, do you see how they handle these trials? They don't give in to their tears and wallow in despair, but again, they have the right perspective. They don't focus on the horribleness of the now, they see the beauty in the trials. They see what God is doing and what He will do through them. They make their trials a place of refreshment. I really liked the phrase, "they go from strength to strength". This is a day by day process. They don't get strong at one point in time and remain that way. They keep getting stronger, they don't give up, it's a moment by moment thing. How long? Untill they appear before God! This is the end of their pilgrimage, this is what they have been focused on and now they will enjoy thier eternal reward.

Oh, how I long to be like them! What is stopping me? Just myself, I have no excuse. He will be my strength.

Ryan's New Blog!

My wonderful husband has started his own blog, http://outofthemiryclay.wordpress.com . He is an excellent writer and has a lot of wisdom to offer. His blog will have great Theological truths, things he's learned from his own personal devotions, and of course thoughts on our family life. I think you will find him very insightful and inspiring. I may be bias, but this is now my favorite blog! Go check it out!

Lumination Studios

*Editors note: I forgot to include the website where you can buy a copy of Gid the Kid, here it is: http://www.luminationstudios.com/sitemax/default.aspx?tabid=215&CATReferrer=amywood76@msn.com
Check out my friends, Allen and Chris' blog: http://themillerbrothers.blogspot.com/ . I have mentioned them before, when their first children's book was published. It's called The Legend of Gid the Kid and the Black Bean Bandits. It is awesome and would make a great Christmas present. You can order it from their web site or Amazon or even find it your local Christian book store. This is the first in a series of books (which will also probably be turned into movies, much to Rylie's delight). The second book in this series is due to come out in January. They have several other projects they are working on, but I don't know if I'm at liberty to share those or not, as they are in talks with various publishers, etc. (that's right, I'm on the inside!) As well as being great authors/illustrators, they are also friends, brothers in Christ, and Dad's to three (soon to be four) of Rylie's good friends, and husband's to two of my friends! Go check them out!

Peace Like a River

I haven't had a very good day. Nothing particularly bad happened, but I felt tired, impatient, and crabby all day. As the day progressed I felt more and more anxious and restless. I felt like I needed a break. When Ryan's counseling appointment cancelled, I was glad, this meant that he could play with Rylie so I could have some time to myself. I thought that might make me feel better. I perused a magazine, that didn't make me feel better. I figured if I did the dishes, I would feel good because I was doing something constructive and I wouldn't have them hanging over my head. Since that didn't work, I moved on the reorganizing and cleaning the medicine cabinet. I called my parents and told them I needed a break and asked if I could send Rylie over there tomorrow. They said "of course", then I felt guilty that I was sending my child somewhere else so I could have some rest. I had a good cry and heard reassuring words from my parents. They assured me that I wasn't being a bad Mommy or wasn't loving my girl just because she would be spending the day with her Grandparents. That made me feel some what better, but still had that moody feeling. I decided maybe I just needed some time with the Lord. I spent some time in prayer, then read the Word. It washed over me like a cool balm. Finally, this is what my soul needed! He promises us peace, but only if we go to Him. Of course I wasn't finding peace in all those other things I was doing. I needed to go to Him and confess my sinful attitudes and spend time in His presence. I also read this from the Valley of Vision:
"May his comforts cheer me in my sorrows, his strength sustain me in my trials, his blessings revive me in my weariness, his presence render me a fruitful tree of holiness, his might establish me in peace and joy, his incitements make me ceaseless in prayer, his animation kindle in me undying devotion. Send him as the searcher of my heart, to show me more of my corruptions and helplessness that I may flee to thee, cling to thee, rest on thee, as the beginning and end of my salvation."

25 weeks (from Babygaga.com)

Fetal development in pregnancy week 25:fetus in sixth month Your little grower’s physical proportions are evening out at this point and most of their remaining development will largely be weight gain and lots and lots of nervous system development. The good news is: if your child is born premature now they’ll be more likely to survive without too much trauma as their lungs began to produce “surfactant” last week, which means their tiny respiratory system is getting stronger with each passing day. Yes, now’s a good time for a minor sigh of relief and a quick pat on the back. All that hard work and conscientious living is really getting your child prepared for a healthy delivery. Keep up the fabulous work mama! This week they’ll be scootching slowly out of the old breech position and start rotating (already!) into a better position for exit during their birth. Their head and feet are slowly rotating so that the head is pointed down towards the birth canal. Time is short (or really long, depending on who you ask)—just (still!) 14 weeks left before you can go back to being a single-resident human.