My Bible reading method

I wanted to share how I've been reading my bible the past couple months because I just love it! For a while I was using Prof. Horner's system and I liked it, but reading from SO many places did get a bit tiring. At the beginning of this year I started using the One Year Bible method and the very loooooooong OT passages, short NT and Psalms passage, and 1 or 2 Proverb a day was not what I wanted. So I developed my own method and I am loving it.

I have 6 bookmarks in my bible and read from each section each day (or less or more depending on the day).

Bookmark 1: Genesis-Job, read in order.

Bookmark 2: Psalms, from which I read the 5 Psalms of the day (for example today, the 17th, I read Psalm 17, 47, 77, 107, and 137).

Bookmark 3: Proverbs (the one that corresponds to the day of the month).

Bookmark 4: Ecclesiastes-Malachi, read in order.

Bookmark 5: Matthew-Acts, in order.

Bookmark 6: Romans-Revelation, in order.

I love this method because I am still reading from all different parts of the bible, but it also has a lot of freedom and is not overwhelming.

I hope to share what I am doing with the kids soon. We are doing something new too!

A Gentle Mother

But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 1 Thess. 2:7

This morning I found myself reprimanding my little girl for being harsh with her baby dolls. She does have five brothers and can be a little rough (so I'm glad that she likes to play with dolls at all!). "Cara, why are you hitting your baby? That is not nice! Why are you trying to hurt her? You love your baby! Don't speak to her in such an ugly voice! You don't want to yell at your baby!"

I realized as the words came out of my mouth that I was more guilty that she was in the way I treated my real babies! Could she possibly even be more influenced by her own mother than her brothers?? Ouch.

Over the past couple years and especially the past few months, I have really felt the Lord speaking to me about being a more gentle mother. It seems every time I open the bible I am convicted. I have been seeking Him more and more about this issue and two key words keep popping up--Gentleness and Grace. Tough words for someone whose natural bend is toward harshness and legalism. I know my shortcomings and I know God has better things in mind for me and my children.

I know my outbursts mainly stem from my own selfishness and struggles with anger and impatience, but I have noticed other triggers that only make things worse:

• when I don't get enough sleep
• when I don't care for my body through healthy food/drink choices and feel bad as a result
• when the house is overly messy/dirty
• when I haven't spent more time with my children than other things, like the tv, have!
• when I'm distracted from my calling to be a helpmeet, joyful mother, and keeper at home by other interests and my priorities are out of order
• and number 1--when I haven't spent enough time with the Lord

When those things are neglected, I am much more quick-tempered, so taking care of those things is a start.

I can do my part in that way and working on my own self-control, but ultimately, I CANNOT be a godly gentle mother on my own. No matter how I try and try I will fail. I think this is the main reason I am still struggling after all these years. Only through the power of God and His Spirit working in me, can I ever even begin to become the kind of mother God wants me to be. Prayer and constant dependence on Him is the only way.

So I am on a journey to be a more gentle mother. I am seeking Him to find out what this really means. I am asking Him to reveal His ways to me and enable me to follow those ways. I'm imploring Him to show me how to be gentle when I don't feel gentle, and how to show grace to my children--the way He shows grace to His.

Starting here: God's Word

And here: Give Them Grace

Another child. What could be better?

As I anxiously await the arrival of my seventh baby, my second little girl, I feel her quickly-growing body squirm and kick within mine. Waiting to meet her, to hold her in my arms and smell her sweet newborn-scent is almost too much--much harder than being a child waiting for Christmas.

I think about how rare a seventh child is, how blessed I am that I will have her in my life. I wonder, what could possibly replace the joy this child will bring? What could I possibly desire to have instead of her? What would I have if she had not come that would make her absence worth it?

More money?
More room in my house? A cleaner house? A quieter house?
More time for myself?
More freedom to go where I want, do what I want, or even do what I need to do with more ease?
A thinner body with less stretch marks?
Nine months of my life free of morning sickness, fatigue, and discomforts?
More sleep?
More acceptance from others?
More "peace" and less stress?
Less responsibility?

Of course, all of these things combined could never come close to even compare to my child. How could I ever choose these temporary pleasures over the eternal treasures that a baby would bring?

Another child does not take time away from the children I have. But she will indescribably enrich the time we all have together. And any time I have alone with each child is special, precious, and treasured--even if it must be carefully planned for.

Another child does not force me to divide my love into even smaller doses. The love in my heart is only multiplied--each child I have only increases the capacity of love my heart can hold. Each child is loved as if he were the only one, cherished to the point of tears, so much I would give my very life for any of them in a heartbeat. And the thought of losing even one is unbearable.

Another child does not take away from my ministry to others. My children expand my ministry--together we are more hands, more feet, more hearts, more love, more power. And besides that, they ARE my ministry.

Another child does not take me away from or hinder my relationship with Christ. Nothing has caused me to grow closer to Him, to depend on Him more, to see my need for Him more, to be more thankful to Him than my children. Nothing has forced me to lose my self to gain more of Him than my children. And nothing has shown me more about what true joy, true life, true blessing is all about more than His gift of my children.

Yes, I cannot wait to meet this new little blessing from the Lord. Neither can my husband and children. I know I will never regret her. I know she will bring us greater joy and happiness than we can even imagine right now. I know I would never trade her for anything else this world tells me I need to be happy. God is making her, God knew her before she was conceived, God has a plan for her. The world may stare in shock at her, may even say she should not be. But He calls her a blessing and I know that is what she is.

Who I Am

There are many things I like to talk about on this blog and elsewhere. There are many choices I have made that might be a little off of the mainstream. I have a lot of passions and I have strong opinions. I have lots of interests and preferences and I do enjoy sharing them and maybe helping someone else through my experiences.

I am a stay-at-home wife and mom and believe my calling as a woman is in my home. I homeschool. I am a mother, I have 7 children planned by God and I will let Him decide if I will have more. I use cloth diapers. I wear my babies and I sleep with them. I exclusively breastfeed on demand, anywhere and everywhere, and I do it much longer than average. I don't vaccinate my children. I love my husband and believe in my heart in submission to him, but I am selfish and many times I don't. I believe in embracing femininity, not feminism. I love to read, but I don't enjoy tv and movies very much and there is not much I will watch anyway. I love the bible. I love music of all genres (but mostly Christian because I'm very picky about that too.) I choose to be VERY picky about what I allow into my mind and heart. I want to eat healthy and natural and provide good nourishing food for my family, but I tend to be lazy and undisciplined and usually choose what tastes good. I enjoy homekeeping, but my house is usually a mess!

All these things are things I might enjoy discussing with others. Some of these things I am proud of and others I am not. BUT these things do not define me. These are things about me, but they are not WHO I am. They are not what I believe and they are ultimately not what I want the world to know.

WHO AM I?

• I am a child of God.
  John 1:12
• I am a branch of the true vine, and a conduit of Christ's life.
  John 15:1-5
• I am a friend of Jesus.
  John 15:15
• I have been justified and redeemed.
  Romans 3:23-24; Romans 6:6
• I will not be condemned by God, I have been set free from the law of sin and death.
  Romans 8:1-2
• As a child of God, I am a fellow heir with Christ.
  Romans 8:17
• I have been accepted by Christ.
  Romans 15:7
• I have been called to be a saint
  1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2
• In Christ Jesus, I have wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
  1 Corinthians 1:30
• My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in me
  1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19
• I am joined to the Lord and am one spirit with him.
  1 Corinthians 6:17
• God leads me in the triumph and knowledge of Christ.
  2 Corinthians 2:14
• I am a new creature in Christ.
  2 Corinthians 5:17
• I have become the righteousness of God in Christ.
  2 Corinthians 5:21
• I have been made one with all who are in Christ Jesus.
  Galatians 3:28
• I am no longer a slave but a child of an heir.
  Galatians 4:7
• I have been set free in Christ.
  Galatians 5:1
• I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
  Ephesians 1:3
• I am chosen, holy, and blameless before God.
  Ephesians 1:4
• I am redeemed and forgiven by the grace of Christ.
  Ephesians 1:7
• I have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.
  Ephesians 1:13
• Because of God's mercy and love, I have been made alive with Christ.
  Ephesians 2:4-5
• I am seated in the heavenly places with Christ.
  Ephesians 2:6
• I am God's workmanship created to produce good works.
  Ephesians 2:10
• I have been brought near to God by the blood of Christ.
  Ephesians 2:13
• I am a member of Christ's body and a partaker of His promise.
  Ephesians 3:6; Ephesians 5:30
• I have boldness and confident access to God through faith in Christ.
  Ephesians 3:12
• I was formerly darkness, but now I am light in the Lord.
  Ephesians 5:8
• I am a citizen of heaven.
  Philippians 3:20
• The peace of God guards my heart and mind.
  Philippians 4:7
• God supplies all my needs.
  Philippians 4:19
• I have been made complete in Christ.
  Colossians 2:9-10
• I have been raised up with Christ.
  Colossians 3:1
• My life is hidden with Christ in God.
  Colossians 3:3
• Christ is my life, and I will be revelaed with him in glory.
  Colossians 3:4
• I have been chosen of God, and I am holy and beloved.
  Colossians 3:12
• God loves me and has chosen me.
  1 Thessalonians 1:4

This is who God says I am. This is who I am in Christ. This is me. By the GRACE of God, this is who I am.

Getting into God's Word...and getting it into you

The Bible is one of my passions. I have been in love with it since I was 13 years old and it is truly something that gets more meaningful and amazing with time. It can never be exhausted and is always new! Another of my passions is encouraging people, including myself!, to read it every single day in some form. I thought I would share all the different ways I try to read the bible each day.

Bible Reading

My bible reading is just that--reading the bible. I usually use some sort of plan. Right now I am using the One Year Bible schedule and hope to be able to complete it this year. My only real goal is to just read it, get it into my mind and heart, get a good feel for the bible as a whole. But this is also when I journal or write notes on what I'm reading when something speaks to me or stands out in a new way. I keep a small notebook, pen, and my different colors for highlighting (I am using these!) with me as I read.

Bible Study

I love doing written studies to draw me deeper into certain passages, books, or topics. Right now I am doing a Beth Moore bible study with a group of women. But of course, bible study doesn't have to involve a written study. You can study deeper for yourself using the many resources available online, a study bible, commentaries, and so on. I love it.

Bible Memorization

This is something I started last year that has been life changing. I never knew how doable, or how beneficial, memorizing long passages was. First I heard this series on Revive Our Hearts, then I read the book His Word in my Heart by Janet Pope, and it really inspired me to memorize. Last year I memorized the book of Philippians. It took me about six months. Right now I am working on James. I keep the passage posted above my kitchen sink and really work on it while I'm working in the kitchen. Then I go over it in my head as I'm doing other tasks. One verse at a time. Verse upon verse, line upon line. This has really changed my thinking, my prayer habits, and my understanding.

Bible Copying

I have always loved having my children do copywork. I could see all the benefits of it, but never thought of doing it myself. Last year I discovered these lovely bible copying books. Of course you can use any notebook to write in, but these do have great features. I really enjoy copying the bible. I do just a few verses each day. It doesn't take long at all. I'm currently writing out James. It goes along with my memorization and bible study.

These are a few ways I enjoy getting into the Word and getting it into me. I'd love to hear what you do!

It's a...

This was me before I went for my 20 week ultrasound today.

And this is what I came home with...

We're having another girl! I am SO happy and thankful to God for this gift.

Just can't stop talking about the blessing of children!

The past few days I have been reading back through my old blogs--this one, the one before it on Xanga, and the one even before it I had forgotten about on Homeschool Blogger. It was so wonderful to look back and read about all the memories and thoughts I had forgotten. That really is the purpose of my blog--to keep a record of my life, my thoughts, my ideas--my online journal that I have chosen to let others read. I don't see it as a means of trying to teach others or convince them to agree with me. It's just an outlet for me and turns out to be a record of years past that I can look back on.

In recent times I have gotten a little weak about sharing things I know many people will disagree with. I have been confronted quite a bit and I do NOT like confrontation or debate! However, this is my blog, my journal, my thoughts, so I've decided that I shouldn't be afraid.

With that said, I want to share something I shared WAY back in 2006 when I had 3 tiny children. I haven't read these quotes in years so I totally forgot them, but I LOVE them!

First I shared this quote from Dr. B. H. Shadduck:

"If people want to limit the size of their families, they should wait until their child is two years old and then decide whether to kill the child. There would be very little limiting of families, you may be sure, on that basis.

Nearly every child is its own proof that it had a right to be born. The love and joy and pride that come from a child proves that God was giving an infinite blessing when the child was given, and that it would have been a foolish sin committed against their own happiness for the father and mother to have prevented the conception of that little one which later turns out to be so precious.

Every reason for one child is a reason for other children. If one child brings happiness, more children bring more happiness.”

After that I added my own thoughts:

"When I look at each of my precious boys I shudder to think of what if they had never been? If I followed the typical way of the world, none of them would be here! What a dreadful dreadful thought! And along that same line of thought–if and when God chooses to bless us again (or again and again!) I will one day look at that child and think the same thing. I will look into that precious face which is that of an eternal soul and say, “HOW did I ever live without you, my little treasure?” Oh, nothing causes me to praise God more than my children. They truly are the greatest blessings He gives. By far. By far."

Now I am expecting my seventh child and still wholeheartedly agree! Now I know 3 of those precious faces I talked about and KNOW that what I said was true! I will meet another precious face in May and I know I will also look at him or her (we find out tomorrow!) and once again say, "HOW did I ever live without you, my little treausre???"