I have no photos (again). How embarrassing. I wanted to get a good close shot of the old granddaddy kangaroo who was camping out down by our pond--but not long after he was given a bale of hay to munch on, he moved on. Since then, I have had no inspiration for photos. Sorry.
Instead, today's blog consists of a comparative list of "Ups" and "Downs" over the past few weeks, starting with "Downs"...
DOWNS
1. Having a respiratory virus for four days last week, thus rendering all my good intentions for the week quite useless
2. Very hot weather and some extremely windy days, which resulted in a lot of sand blowing off our foundations and exposing the footings around our house
3. Lack of energy, partially due to the virus
4. Being informed that our next phone bill will be humungous, due to the efforts of teenage son keeping up with girlfriend long distance
5. Holiday time giving more time to miss overseas family
6. Petrol prices near $1.45 per liter, which makes us think twice about going anywhere in the car
7. Holiday almost over, meetings starting on Friday and preparations all next week, school starting on Feb 4th
UPS
1. Lived through the virus and hopefully gained some immunity for the beginning of the school year
2. The addition of 3 air conditioners to our house made it livable through the hot days
3. Beginning to feel like doing things again
4. Prayer times are longer and I haven't been forgetting prayer and Bible study
5. Received email from an old high school friend whom I hadn't heard from since 1967
6. Haven't really had to go out much and have enjoyed being at home
7. Have been able to do extra cooking to put in the deep freeze for school breakfasts and lunches
8. School hired a second full-time music teacher, which gives me additional help and relief
9. School has built 2 new music classrooms, a new office and teacher prep area for music, which also gives additional help and relief
10. Was able to attend a seminar which will really help in teaching the year 12 music this year
11. Our family is alive, well and thriving
12. We are more than halfway through summer
13. Things are really going well at our church both spiritually and materially
As you can see, the ups have definitely outweighed the downs over the past few weeks.
Isn't God gracious and loving!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Saturday, January 12, 2008
A New Year's Resolution
It's just a little late to be posting New Year's Resolutions, but if I have one wish for 2008 it is to spend more time in the Word. 2007 was a difficult year, adjusting to a new job and trying to juggle the keeping of the home and care of its inhabitants with a demanding work schedule.
Why do spiritual things take a back seat to the everyday demands on our time? Oh, I didn't miss church meetings, and I prayed every day; but somehow it wasn't the same as spending quality time each day reading God's Word and praying and drawing closer to Him.
The work schedule this year will be more difficult than in 2007. How will I fit in the spiritual feeding which should be the most important thing in my life? Or should I be thinking this way? "Fitting in" the time somehow doesn't seem right. Shouldn't it be "my spiritual life comes FIRST, then I fit other things around it"?
Our spiritual lives have been compared to our daily bread. Most people's lives are centered on earning money to acquire their day-by-day necessities, or perhaps on supporting the person who acquires them. Their lives put JOB first, with other activities "fitting in" around that job. Others may put ENTERTAINMENT first, with jobs and other activities "fitting in" around it.
When Jesus was on the earth, He put His Father's will first. He taught his disciples to do the same, and made that clear to them when He asked them to leave everything behind and to follow Him.
When I look back over 2007, I can see that I put my job first--however reluctantly. I got up in the morning with "just enough time" to get ready for work. Most mornings, this meant getting up quite early and waking my teenage son, having breakfast and preparing for the work day, then a 45-minute drive to school. Oh, yes, I prayed. But the prayer time was usually either when I first woke and as I was getting ready, or later as I was driving to school. At my school, teachers and staff have a half-hour devotion and prayer time once each week. If I remembered to, I might also pray at bedtime. In other words, I was "multi-tasking" with prayer! Can you imagine Jesus doing that?
When I thought about it, I realized that this is not what God wants, or expects from His children.
There may be times when it is necessary to pray when other things are going on around us, or even when we are busy. But even in a busy household, good parents will try to spend quality time with each child. Married couples who love each other seek to spend time together.
My goal for 2008 is to spend real quality time daily--not shared with anything or anyone else-- with the Lord. How will I do it? This requires putting my priorities right and putting Him first, then "fitting in" everything else. Will it be easy? I don't think so.
Perhaps in later posts there will be updates on this Resolution for 2008.
God bless you!
Why do spiritual things take a back seat to the everyday demands on our time? Oh, I didn't miss church meetings, and I prayed every day; but somehow it wasn't the same as spending quality time each day reading God's Word and praying and drawing closer to Him.
The work schedule this year will be more difficult than in 2007. How will I fit in the spiritual feeding which should be the most important thing in my life? Or should I be thinking this way? "Fitting in" the time somehow doesn't seem right. Shouldn't it be "my spiritual life comes FIRST, then I fit other things around it"?
Our spiritual lives have been compared to our daily bread. Most people's lives are centered on earning money to acquire their day-by-day necessities, or perhaps on supporting the person who acquires them. Their lives put JOB first, with other activities "fitting in" around that job. Others may put ENTERTAINMENT first, with jobs and other activities "fitting in" around it.
When Jesus was on the earth, He put His Father's will first. He taught his disciples to do the same, and made that clear to them when He asked them to leave everything behind and to follow Him.
When I look back over 2007, I can see that I put my job first--however reluctantly. I got up in the morning with "just enough time" to get ready for work. Most mornings, this meant getting up quite early and waking my teenage son, having breakfast and preparing for the work day, then a 45-minute drive to school. Oh, yes, I prayed. But the prayer time was usually either when I first woke and as I was getting ready, or later as I was driving to school. At my school, teachers and staff have a half-hour devotion and prayer time once each week. If I remembered to, I might also pray at bedtime. In other words, I was "multi-tasking" with prayer! Can you imagine Jesus doing that?
When I thought about it, I realized that this is not what God wants, or expects from His children.
There may be times when it is necessary to pray when other things are going on around us, or even when we are busy. But even in a busy household, good parents will try to spend quality time with each child. Married couples who love each other seek to spend time together.
My goal for 2008 is to spend real quality time daily--not shared with anything or anyone else-- with the Lord. How will I do it? This requires putting my priorities right and putting Him first, then "fitting in" everything else. Will it be easy? I don't think so.
Perhaps in later posts there will be updates on this Resolution for 2008.
God bless you!
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