I can't catch my breath! Life is moving at a pace too fast for me. We are in the midst of many wonderful things at our home, which makes it far too busy for me to write, much less think. So while I am celebrating two girls' birthdays, helping to move Ray's office, helping to get a nursery set up for our fist grandchild, helping with marriage retreats, attending baby showers and soccer games, please whisper a prayer for us. We need to stay joyful in the midst of this crazy life and stay true to the calling that God has called us to. When the day is over-filled, I can't give in to the temptation to sleep. I must be faithful to rise and shine and give God the glory! And I can't wait to share tons of pictures in the next few weeks.

Singleness

I am the first to admit that I may have encouraged behavior in my own children that hints, even screams, marriage is the ultimate goal in life.  Yes, I do discuss that they should seek after God with their whole heart and it's better to serve Him than anything, but sometimes my attitude tells them differently.  I'm sure I've thrown out 1 Corinthians 7:40 to them, but I haven't been faithful to teach it.  I have encouraged dreams of the knight in shining armor and a perfect wedding.  My girls have even asked, "What if God calls me to singleness?" -like it's a disease. The church in general hasn't done much better, contributing to the false idea that it is better to be married and that singleness must be "fixed".

1 Corinthians 7:40 Yet in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God.

Rereading that verse should cause us to pause and wonder. Paul said that the single woman would be happier if she remained single. Some versions render that word - better, better to be single!

On speaking of her granddaughters, Barbara Hughes writes "... Life is not about getting God to give them what they want; life is about discovering where they fit into God's plan, whether single or married."  The Disciplines of a Godly Woman, page 134

Psalm 119:20 My soul is consumed with longings for your rules at all times.

This verse keeps coming to mind in relationship to singleness. So as I pray for my girls' future husbands, now I am also praying that they would be consumed with longings for God and his word.

Mary Mohler's Take On Scripture Memory

I am still working on memorizing Psalm 119 and have the first thirty verses committed to memory. My friend Becky sent me this link of Mary Mohler speaking at Together for the Gospel on this subject. Mary spent some time on these verses as evidences that we must hide God's Word in our hearts.

I Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. 

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

One quote that got my attention- "Reading and studying gets you in the word, memorizing gets the word in you."

Here is the link to the Charlotte Mason scripture memory system that Mary describes in her discussion. I have always used note cards and thought I had a pretty good system, I just never carried it farther to maintain the verses. I hope to get that going soon.

Psalm 119:30

I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me.

On my recent trip to Charleston with Ray, it was easy to be faithful to spiritual things. I had no hindrances or distractions of daily life, food was sumptuously provided, and sleeping was great. We took nice long walks, looked at beautiful scenery and talked about Scripture and things that mattered to us. We ate whenever we were ready to eat. Life was easy...Too easy. I certainly didn't have any trouble reading my Bible sitting in a cozy hotel bed next to a fireplace.

Back at home life takes over - discontentment sets in. Abigail wakes earlier than expected, breakfast needs to be prepared, and I can't seem to get to my Bible today. Who's able to read Scripture and pray with a baby crawling everywhere and girls "discussing" whose day it is to load the dishwasher? Walking through my own neighborhood isn't exciting, I've seen these houses hundreds of times. Same ole, same ole...

But things ARE different. The trees are changing colors, reminding me of God's faithfulness through the seasons; the children have grown, every day is new for them. It's wonderfully satisfying to get the house clean and hot meals on the table. This neighborhood is home, and I love it. I am so very thankful for God's faithfulness through the seasons, even when I'm not!