Well it's the second month already, and I feel like it's just dragging. I had a rough night the other night thinking about all the things that hubs is going to be missing with the kids. I had started to think about ideas for Miss A's first birthday that is coming up quick, and started to get sad that he is going to miss it. We were very lucky that hubs was home for a lot of the important holidays for D, but we aren't going to be as lucky with A. We don't know how long we are going to be apart at this point since he hasn't gotten new orders yet for the next ship that he will be going to, but more than likely, once he's finished with school, he'll be gone on a deployment. It breaks my heart to think about all the stuff that he is missing. When we planned for her, we had the hope of him getting shore duty since he would have done his almost 5 years at sea, but his order options weren't great so he chose to do back to back sea duty. God always has bigger plans for you than you have for yourself it seems, so I'm sure there is a reason that we are going through this.
Since my word for this year is Strength, this whole season in our lives will take a lot of strength to get through, along with so much other stuff too. I know that I need to strengthen and repair some friendships that I've kind of pushed to the backburner because of what I felt were obligations to my family, but I know that while my family is important, so is my sanity and I need friends to help me though this. So I'm slowly coming out of my hiberation and working to make plans so that I can get people back in my life.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Restless: Because you were made for more! Review of Jeannie Allen's book
Restless!! That is a good word for how I feel some days. I feel like there is something about my life with Christ that seems off at times because I'm still searching (which may be a life long process). In Jeannie's new book, she lets me know that I'm not alone in feeling like this. Her book is divided into three parts: The Call, The Threads, and Living on Purpose. Each sections has chapters that are great about looking at each of these parts to help build the big picture.
A favorite quote from the book for me is: "There is a time and a place to search for our unique parts in God's story...but...here is my admonition: Respond to the need you see. Right now." (p35)
We need to make sure we ask God for what he wants in our lives and listen to that so that we can find our call and hopefully quit the cycle of feeling restless.I am going to recommend this for my women's group I think it would be awesome to work though this with others so we can all grow and learn together about the purpose God has for each of us.
Book Description
A practical plan to identify the threads of your life and how to intentionally weave them together for God's glory and purposes.
Restless explores the fact that God has called each of us to do great things in his name, and then helps us discover what that might mean for each of us individually. Jennie says, "We are called to dream but we're afraid to. But because we are called, when we don't act on it we become restless—restless to find purpose, to make a difference in the world, to matter."
Jennie doesn't suggest women add one more thing to their to-do list, but instead invites them to stop and listen where they are. She frees them to be themselves and to see themselves as valuable. In addition to this permission to dream she helps them get over themselves and their issues and then offers a simple process on highly designed journal pages to identify the raw materials—the unique threads—they've been given by digging into five areas:
And since living out our purpose is often filled with uncertainties Jennie addresses the doubts, fears, and challenges that hold women back from what they've been called to do. This repositioning of their lives is not a promise that all things will be perfect, or will go perfectly, but a promise that it will be the start of the best part of life—the part that completes what we were made for.
Restless explores the fact that God has called each of us to do great things in his name, and then helps us discover what that might mean for each of us individually. Jennie says, "We are called to dream but we're afraid to. But because we are called, when we don't act on it we become restless—restless to find purpose, to make a difference in the world, to matter."
Jennie doesn't suggest women add one more thing to their to-do list, but instead invites them to stop and listen where they are. She frees them to be themselves and to see themselves as valuable. In addition to this permission to dream she helps them get over themselves and their issues and then offers a simple process on highly designed journal pages to identify the raw materials—the unique threads—they've been given by digging into five areas:
- Gifts
- Suffering
- Places
- People
- Passions
And since living out our purpose is often filled with uncertainties Jennie addresses the doubts, fears, and challenges that hold women back from what they've been called to do. This repositioning of their lives is not a promise that all things will be perfect, or will go perfectly, but a promise that it will be the start of the best part of life—the part that completes what we were made for.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the
publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book
review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The
opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with
the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255
<http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides
Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Thursday, February 6, 2014
#peace.... with my body? well....
The word for this week in the Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study of Made To Crave by Lysa TerKeurst is #peace. We are supposed to find peace with our bodies. Well, I for one, know that is a big task for me to take on. I don't think I've ever been at peace with my body. I've had so many problems over the years with different parts of it, from ankle injuries that crushed my ability to dance as much as I wanted, to knee injuries that still plague me and back problems as well, then we get to the weight issue. I wasn't always overweight. But once I moved away to college and wanted to fit in with friends from work, going to Outback and eating cheese fries with loads of ranch, well the weight came on. My highest weight was 230+ ( I didn't keep track much after the 230 part). Right before I got pregnant with our first child I was down to 192, and it was great. Then I started working hard to get off that weight, then the stress of being a mom and having a husband gone alot started to add up. Then we had our second daughter and again the stresses of being a mom without my hubby around have added up and I'm up in weight again.
Well this year is going to be different. I am going to learn that the numbers on the scale don't always define me, but they do tell me that I do need to make some changes. I want to learn to have the peace with my body that I know I should. I know what I need to do, but knowing and doing are always two different things. One reason I joined the M2C study this year was to actually do it, unlike the last time. Sure I read the book (and I've got tons of highlighting and marking to prove it) but I want to actually apply the book to my life. I joined the Ymca as well, even though I've only made it once so far (thanks snow and illness), but I have the goal of going, and it will help since trying to do a workout with a 9 month old trying to get under your feet is really hard.
I want to find peace with my body, and I plan on doing that this year. My word for the year is strength anyway, so I need to get physically strong as well.
Well this year is going to be different. I am going to learn that the numbers on the scale don't always define me, but they do tell me that I do need to make some changes. I want to learn to have the peace with my body that I know I should. I know what I need to do, but knowing and doing are always two different things. One reason I joined the M2C study this year was to actually do it, unlike the last time. Sure I read the book (and I've got tons of highlighting and marking to prove it) but I want to actually apply the book to my life. I joined the Ymca as well, even though I've only made it once so far (thanks snow and illness), but I have the goal of going, and it will help since trying to do a workout with a 9 month old trying to get under your feet is really hard.
I want to find peace with my body, and I plan on doing that this year. My word for the year is strength anyway, so I need to get physically strong as well.
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