Draw Near To Me {Five Minute Friday}

I have missed out on the last few Five Minute Fridays, so I'm going to try to finish the year strong! This week, the word of inspiration is...NEAR.

A lot of words come to mind when I think of the word Near. So many scriptures rush to the brain of how God promises to stay close to us as long as we draw near to Him. But I am also thinking more of my boys. Both of them are growing up so fast--one is 7 and the other is 11 with a birthday not too far away. They are navigating this adventure we call life and I enjoy seeing their personalities grow.

One of my sons is a snuggler. Oh how he LOVES to come near me ALL THE TIME. His day cannot begin until he has "mommy lovin's". And he's so soft and warm fresh out of the covers, that I never complain and could hold onto him forever. We have all sorts of lovely conversations. And throughout the day he loves being by my side to help me, or he simply wants me to watch him and be there in case he needs me.

My oldest son loves his lovin' time, but he's getting to be a big old clumsy puppy dog. He's zipping between the need for me and the need for independence. He loves attention from me and being near me, but can't sit still worth a dime. He comes to me for small sessions. But oh how refreshed his emotions are when I give him that one-on-one time he so desperately NEEDS.

We are the same you know.
We need God in similar ways.
Some of us are like my youngest son. Content to dwell in His presence all day long. To never leave His side. Asking Him to constantly let us give it a try--but only if He stays near. But you know most of us--probably the vast majority of us--are more like my oldest. We come near when we feel like we need Him the most. Maybe we are too busy with our lives for any LONG periods of time with God. We are sure we can't slow down long enough to encourage that relationship. But then we remember how much we do need Him, and we drop everything to draw near to Him. And our souls become refreshed. And we can tackle the world again.

I guess the balance is finding a way to do both. Seeking Him first thing every morning. Knowing we can count on Him to help us with anything and everything. Yet boldly going forward with our souls refreshed to tackle whatever this world has for us.

Yep. This is what I am thinking as I ponder the word...
Near.

What Will My Story Be? {Five Minute Friday}

I am currently away in Lake Junaluska, NC worshipping with about 600 brothers and sisters in Christ as we celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles this year. It's been an amazing few days thus far--and I've been thinking a lot about the topics that have been covered by the speakers. Interestingly enough, I believe that they tie in with this week's theme of STORY for Five Minute Friday...

AND START

Story
A Tale
An adventure of some sort. Be it through a romance. A trial. A quest. Or even just the adventure of life.
Stories move us. Stories encourage us. Stories teach us.
Some of the most inspirational stories can be found in the pages of God's Holy Word--the Bible. There are oh so many tales to be discovered. And they teach so many lessons. Faith like Abraham. Patience and Meekness of Moses. Courage of Joshua. The boldness of David. The persistence of Hannah. The cowardness of Jonah. The stubborness of Balaam. The passion of Paul. The Strength of Christ.

All these stories are there for our benefit. I know I learn much from them. The psalms of David can lift me up. His life story and his ups and downs bring me comfort in his humanity.

What about my story?
What kind of legacy will I leave for those who follow behind?
Will my life's tale encourage someone? Will it build them up?

This is when the chorus lyrics from a song pop into my head. They are very profound and something I need to be thinking about every day...

I want to leave a legacy

How will they remember me?

Did I choose to love?

Did I point to You enough

To make a mark on things

I want to leave an offering

A child of mercy and grace

Who blessed Your name unapologetically

And leave that kind of legacy

Not well-traveled, not well-read

Not well-to-do or well-bred

Just want to hear instead

Well done, good and faithful one

("Legacy", Nichole Nordeman)

I hope you have a wonderful weekend surrounded by family and friends! If you have a blog, I encourage you to join in our weekly Five Minute Friday posts!

He Will Be Your Guide {5 Minute Friday}

Whew! After a busy week last week with the 5 Days of Back to School Blog Hop, it was nice to have a slower week of blogging. I have been busy canning my garden produce instead. That's a lot of work, but the reward of seeing your jars on the shelf makes it totally worth it! Today is Friday, and that means it's time for another edition of Five Minute Friday. This week, the word is GUIDE.

GUIDE.
What is the definition of guide?
Well, as a noun there are four definitions:
1. a person who advises or shows the way to others
2. a thing that helps someone form an opinion or make a decision or calculation
3. a structure or marking that directs the motion or positioning of something
4. a soldier, vehicle, or ship whose movement determines the position of others

And then there is guide as a verb:
1. show or indicate the way
2. direct or have an influence on the course of action

Have you ever thought about how the God and His Son Jesus Christ fulfills all of these definitions?

God is our Guide--someone who advises and shows us the way. He is a guide who helps us form opinions and make decisions through His Word (the Bible) and Holy Spirit. His words to us through the Bible are a structure and marking that directs the motion we should be making. And He is a guide like a ship that should determine our movement as we follow Him. But let's not forget that He also GUIDES. His Son guides us by showing us the way we should go. He even calls Himself "the Way". And God directs and has an influence on the course of action this world takes.

Here are a few scriptures that reveal this to us:

Psalm 31:3
"For You are my rock and my fortress;
Therefore, for Your name’s sake,
Lead me and guide me."

Psalm 32:8
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye."

Psalm 119:105
"Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path."

Isaiah 49:10
"They shall neither hunger nor thirst,
Neither heat nor sun shall strike them;
For He who has mercy on them will lead them,
Even by the springs of water He will guide them."

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

So this boils down to the question I have for you today...
Will you let God be the full definition of guide in your life?
Will you let Him BE the guide AND guide you?

I know how hard it is to let someone else take control, when I am so confident that MY WAY is best. It takes humility to allow God to be the Guide in your life, not battling Him for control. It takes a soft and willing heart to allow Him to guide is in the way we should go. I pray that I will allow Him to be MY guide and that I will seek after His guidance with my whole heart.

Join us this week!

May you and yours be blessed today and as we enter another weekend.

A Place To Belong {Five Minute Friday}

It is interesting to me that the scripture that I wrote down today ended up including the word for this week's Five Minute Friday. Coincidence? Maybe. But I call it inspiration. The word for this week is PLACE. When I think of place, I often think of the phrase, A Place to Belong. There are SOOO many people who eagerly long for a place to belong. Many are in situations in this life

Try Me Now In This {Five Minute Friday}

The word this week for Five Minute Friday is TRY. When you think of the word TRY, one of the most famous quotes to pop in my head is from Star Wars. You probably are familiar with it too. The Jedi Master Yoda tells young Luke Skywalker "Do or do not, there is no try." It's a great motivational quote to remind us that every action we take we are either doing or not doing something. Also that we must remember to say "I will" instead of "I'll try." But you know, that is just one quote that comes to mind with the word TRY. There are several scriptures in the Bible with the word TRY in them. One of my favorites though comes from a lesser known book Malachi. 

Inspired Word of God {Five Minute Friday}

Five Minute Friday has the word: Inspire as our theme this week. When I think of inspiration I think of God's Word. Nothing can inspire me more than when I find a beloved passage from the Bible. The words fill my heart with so much love and encouragement. Words for any situation. It doesn't matter if you are brokenhearted, devastated, mourning, feeling lost, feeling joyful, feeling thankful, feeling despair. There is a verse that will surely comfort and inspire you. One of my favorite passages of inspiration can be found in Micah 6:8. It's a passage that I fall back on when I need a "reboot" about what is important in this life when things seem to be getting out of hand. 

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? ~Micah 6:8

The next time life starts getting out of hand and you wonder what you need to do next, remember this passage. Do justly. Love mercy. And walk humbly before God. Think of what kind of world we would live in if everyone chose to follow these three rules of thumb? Talk about a major world reboot!

Have a beautiful rest of your weekend!

You can play along too!

What Do You Collect? {Five Minute Friday}

It's been awhile, but I am back with Five Minute Friday, the post where I set the timer and ramble on inspired by a picked word for about 5 minutes. Today's word is Collect...

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Collect Collection
Most of us collect something.  What do you collect?  I collect pens. That's my primary collection I would say. Because I have about 5 million of them.  Okay. Not true. Maybe more like just 1 million.

What Does the Lord Expect of Me? {Five Minute Friday}

Here we are again on Five Minute Friday. I don't know about you, but our sunset was gorgeous! As the sun was preparing to set, my husband was able to roll his last bale of the first cutting for our hay season. He got done just before our Sabbath began and is happy he won't have to go back to rolling on Sunday like they thought. But as I was saying, here we are at another Five MInute Friday, and this week's theme is...expect!

Future and Hope {5 Minute Friday}

I cannot believe that this is the first Five Minute Friday post for June--because I am in denial that it is even June!! Hello? 2017? What are you doing to me?! This week the theme is "Future", and there is nothing more perfect for this, than a favorite scripture and song. So join me as I jot some notes over the next 5 minutes about "Future".

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Future
There is a song that I sing as a duet with my mom that has the most gorgeous words and it is based on one of my most favorite scriptures in Jeremiah 29:11-13. I encourage you to click on this link and then read the words as you listen to this most inspiring and encouraging song about a future filled with the love of God the Father.

Mom- A small word for an amazing person {five minute friday}

This week's Five Minute Friday post was themed appropriately...Mom. I am so happy that THIS YEAR, my mom LIVES out here so we can get together for Mother's Day on Sunday. I am so grateful that my boys have BOTH sets of grandparents to grow up around!

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Mom. A word that means so much, even though it's so short. 
My mom was amazing growing up. I always had plenty to eat. Clothes to wear. She was always there for me. She says I was her joy. Her sunshine. I made her smile. She introduced me early on to books. I could say my ABC's by the time I was 2 or 3. I helped her around the house. We went for walks. I demanded to know the names of the flowers--she didn't know, so she had to learn. She made me clothes. Pretty dresses. She knew EVERYTHING. 

Shoulda Woulda Coulda {Five Minute Friday}

Can you believe we've already knocked out the first week of May? This year is going by so very very fast, isn't it? There are just so many things that I wanted to have done this week, this month, this year...but sadly, I still haven't got to them yet. But it IS another week for Five Minute Friday--and the theme for this week is...should.
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Should The word should has a couple definitions in the dictionary... 1. used to indicate obligation, duty, or correctness, typically when criticizing someone's actions
2.used to indicate what is probable
3. used in a clause with “that” after a main clause describing feelings

Open Wide Your Mouth {5 Minute Friday}

It's time for another week of Five Minute Friday--where I set my timer and get to ramble about a word inspired theme for 5 minutes. Last week, it revolved around the word enough. This week, we have another e word--empty.

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Empty
What do you think of when you hear someone say they are empty? In my mind, I assume this means that they need to be fed. But fed what? Are they empty in their belly? Are they empty in their heart? Are they empty in their minds?
I know there have been times when I had a deep deep hunger. This usually happens around the Day of Atonement--a Holy Day of God that I observe--which requires a complete 24 hr fast. Boy, do I feel EMPTY as that 24 hr mark nears. And if I could just get anything--even the smallest bite, or smallest glass of water, I knew that my hunger would be satiated. My emptiness, maybe for a moment, less. Or other times where you feel the need that you HAVE to have _____________ or you will STARVE! Desperate to eat anything! Just give me something!
But what about God? Do you treat the desire to seek out His word, His gospel as if YOU are empty? Do I do this? Do I reach for spiritual food with the same desire as physical food? We are supposed to. We are supposed to seek Him out in the good times, as well as the bad times. To be that one thing we crave, as if we were empty inside. For we ARE all empty without Him. And He PROMISES that He will fill us. 
We can read in the gospel accounts of His Son, Jesus Christ referring to Himself as the bread of life and the living water. That if we eat and drink of Him (as in partake in His way of life, commandments, and gospel) every day, it will sustain us forever. We won't be empty.
One of my favorite Psalms reads:

I am the LORD your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. ~ Psalm 81:10

He promises to FILL our emptiness inside--that emptiness of heart and mind. That emptiness that can wear us down. That emptiness that drives us to try to fill it with something--ANYTHING to make it go away. But the emptiness will continue to grow like an all consuming black hole, unless we choose to FILL it with God. So many broken people out there...who believe that they can live life without choosing God. And so they stay broken. They stay empty. Hungering for something...but they just can't seem to find it.

If only they would look up... He's there.  He's waiting.  He will FILL your emptiness. If only you will let Him.

AND STOP

Thanks for joining me in this week's 5 Minutes Friday post! We are finishing out our Spring Break today and Monday, returning to "school" on Tuesday. I am hoping to have some fun with the boys in the first week back to get back into the groove--but only Tuesday to Thursday because...FRIDAY is the Great Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati! I am so excited to go this year--mostly because for the first time ever, my mom is going with me! It will be great to have her around for picking her brain about things. I am also eager to try doing some LIVE footage of the convention while I am there that day. 
And don't forget that NEXT WEEK (April 17-21) is the first of our 5 Days of Homeschool...Blog Hop with the Schoolhouse Review Crew! I will be sharing my topics for next week's posts on Sunday--so make sure you come and check it out!
Have a simply marvelous weekend, my friends! 

Is it Enough? {Five Minute Friday}

Here we are in April with the first of this month's Five Minute Friday posts. I really like these, because they give me a change to just sort of ramble about something I might not normally chat about. This week's FMF theme is inspired by the word...enough.

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Enough What do you think of when you hear the word? I hear it several ways in my mind. I hear a mom who has had it up to HERE yelling "ENOUGH!" I hear a worried provider of a service, asking "Is there going to be enough?" I hear a coach asking his team (while they are running stadiums) if they have had enough. One word. So many uses or implications. 
I like to think of a well known Bible story in Matthew 14 dealing with "enough". In this story, the disciples of Jesus are worried about there being enough food. You know the story. A multitude gathered together to hear the word of Jesus. And then they get hungry. And Christ wants to feed them with physical food. So He asks what there is. The disciples respond "ONLY 5 loaves of bread and two fishes." 
Clearly they knew it was NOT going to be enough to feed the 5,000 hungry mouths.
But for Jesus...it was enough.
We know what happens next. He tells them to separate the food into twelve baskets. And it is enough. MORE than enough. It's enough to the point of leftovers.
Did you know this happens AGAIN? Yes, in Matthew 15. Again, another multitude. Again, a desire of Christ to feed them. And AGAIN a disbelief of the disciples that there would be enough. The funny thing is that there are less people and more loaves/fishes. After what they saw just a short period of time previously, why were they worried about it being enough? Shouldn't they have known without a doubt that it was? Shouldn't they have brought him the 7 loaves and few fish, confident in the fact that all would be fed?
How does this play out in your life? Do you ever feel like the disciples? You look at your needs. You compare your needs to what you have. You don't see how it could possibly work. It won't be enough. So what do you do? Do you simply accept that it isn't enough? Or do you ask God to bless what you have--just as Jesus blessed the small amount of food available? Could it be that what you see as not enough--God says it IS enough? 
I can't tell you how many times I have been in a situation where on paper--it shouldn't work. Logic says it won't work. Yet, with God---it works. 

Because God is enough.  No matter what the situation. No matter what the odds. No matter who is involved.  With God, you have enough.
Remember this verse--one of my most favorites, and one I draw comfort from time and time again:

But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. ~Matthew 19:26

We must not get so caught up in the things we can see, that we forget the power of the One who is unseen. 

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Friend of God {Five Minute Friday}

Oh man. What a week here at the farm! My mama had a full hip replacement on Wednesday, so it's been a bit nutsy here as I helped my dad with her on surgery day, and off and on the last couple days. And let's not forget crazy "SprInter" weather going on. LOL. Can you believe Monday is the first day of Spring?! Does YOUR weather look springish? Mine sure doesn't! LOL. But here we are on another Friday and that means time for another entry in Five Minute Friday!

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Kaleo philos theos

He was called the Friend of God

Are you familiar with this statement from the Bible? Do you know who this is referring to? Many do not. But the man who received the distinction as being known as the Friend of God was the forefather Abraham. We can find this description in James 2:23.

And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.

Can you imagine what an honor it would be for God to call you a friend? Obviously, it's not something that is to be taken lightly, for the title is only held by Abraham. So think about what that means to be a person that God calls a friend. A friend is someone who has a conversation with you whenever you want to talk. Someone who cares about the things you do. Someone who regularly takes time for you. Someone you can have deep meaningful conversations with. Someone to hold you when you cry and laugh when you are happy. 

Does this describe the relationship that YOU have...with God?

Do you feel like He is YOUR friend? Or is He the acquaintance you "know" but don't associate very much with? Or maybe a fair weather friend--for you anyways---do you only "need" Him when times are rough? Do you believe God with all your heart? Are you willing to give up EVERYTHING if He "calls" you to walk with Him? 

Let's be thinking about our relationship with our mighty Father. Let's check to make sure that we value a friendship with God more than any friendship on this earth...but most of all, let's make ourselves worthy to be called...A Friend of God!

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I hope you have a great week. It seems like it will never slow down here. We just have one thing and then another. But hopefully the weather will improve to just plain old Spring and leave SprInter behind...LOL

For This Purpose {Five Minute Friday}

Happy Friday my friends! I can't believe that we are already in the month of March...yet here we are. I have gotten slack in completing the Five Minute Friday posts the last couple weeks, so I want to get back in gear for them starting this week. 

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Purpose \pər-pəs\
the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists
When I think of purpose, I think of all the times in the Bible that people were told by God "For this purpose I called you..." One of the main ones that pops into my head is Queen Esther. Did you know that the book of Esther is the only one in the Bible that doesn't mention God? There are some who questioned whether it had a rightful place even in the Bible. Yet all who have read the story, know that God doesn't have to be named, to clearly have a role in the story of Esther.  One of the most important lines to sum up Esther, was given by her relative Mordecai when he stated--after it became known that Haman was going to destroy the Jews and that in her unique position as queen had the power to potentially change the future of the Jews--

"For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” ~Esther 4:14

Mordecai was pointing out that Esther had a purpose. Maybe even put in place by God for such a time. For this purpose.

Could we also have a purpose from God in a situation we are in? Could you be placed in the role you are because God has a plan to use you for something great? Something that maybe only you could do? You never know. I have a friend in Australia who is closely following the health trial that a girl in our church family is going through. Long story short, the 18 year old girl had an accident in the Australian Outback, that resulted in her being pinned under a horse trailer in the over 100 degree sun for 4 hours. Now the girl is fighting for all it's worth in the hospital. Despite the best efforts made by the medical staff over the last few weeks, she just had to have her leg amputated at the hip due to severe infection. But the one thing that keeps showing up--is that the staff is amazed at her attitude and her parents' attitude. They see her witnessing her faith in God's power and protection, despite the continued crisis they face. And the medical staff is talking about it. Talking about how her resilience and the healing she's experienced thus far is a miracle--even in light of the amputation. She is continuing to be a light to the world, even when in and out of an induced coma. Even when faced with a life changing injury. She is still witnessing to the world her faith and complete trust in our God.  Perhaps this is HER purpose, strange as it may seem.  God may be working something in your life...remember, even the Pharaoh of Egypt had a purpose in God's plan...

"But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth." ~Exodus 9:16

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I hope you and yours have a simply delightful weekend. I will hopefully be able to come back either tomorrow or Sunday and share some fun bible studies we have been doing in the Judges--one of my favorite collection of bible stories in the whole Bible.

Just Breathe {Five Minute Friday}

I totally missed last week's Five Minute Friday (I might still do it, just later), but I wanted to make sure I completed this week's themed post first. A couple things popped into my head when I heard the prompt--so lets get set and go for it.

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Breathe

To things that I think of. First, my #1 favorite essential oil blend. The one that convinced my husband that essential oils were the bomb. It was a bottle of a blend called BREATHE and was designed to help you get a clear sinus passage. It smells so fresh--eucalyptus, peppermint, cardamon, and more...and it works so well. A shot of clarity to the nose and brain. I just love it and it works so well.

The other thing that I think of is a Christian song called Breathe by Jonny Diaz. Have you heard it before? It's a great song. The lyrics just grab you...but my favorite part is the chorus.

Breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at My feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls but all you really need
Is to just breathe.

The song is about how crazy life gets and it goes ninety miles and hour. Chaos surrounds you. Saying yes to a million things. And you are getting overwhelmed, but then you hear God whisper to you...Breathe. Just Breathe.

This is the reminder that I need to hear on the days when I'm overwhelmed by what my life has thrown at me. I try to take time to just stop. Stop. Take a deep breath. Slowly let it out. And be thankful that I CAN breathe. And that my God will help me through another day if I make sure I spend some time at His feet.

So make sure YOU take time to Breathe today.

Refine Me, Lord...gulp {Five Minute Friday}

Happy Friday! Can you believe it is already the 20th of January? I'm sure many of you are staying up to date on the events occurring in Washington DC today. It is hard to believe we will be swearing in a new president today. New changes on the horizon, and like always, we have no idea how things will play out. The one thing that I take comfort in, is that my Father is in control. He puts people into power, and He removes people from power as He wills it. He is an active God. And He is definitely active in my own life. And that leads me to today's Five Minute Friday word...refine.

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Refine
When I think of refining, I think of a process of removing flaws and impurities. My dad worked in steel and so he knew a lot about what goes into the refining process. No impurities could be in the steel he was using or the pipe fittings they created would be jeopardized. Refining is a long process. And it involves HOOOOOOOTTTTT conditions for it to work. And then there can be beating of metal. And plunging into icy water. And then it can repeat and repeat.

I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people'; And each one will say, ‘The LORD is my God.' ” ~Zechariah 13.9

God talks about how He is working to refine us the way that one would refine gold and silver. Research that process. Watch it. Now think of God doing that to YOU. Holding you in a fire until JUST the last moment when you will be compromised and useless to Him, and then removing you from it. If it isn't to His satisfaction--back into the fire you go. It is said that a refiner knows that the work is done when he/she can see their face in the object they are refining. Thus it stands to reason, when God can see attributes of Himself in us, He knows He can remove us from the fire.

Thus, my heart must ask Him to refine me.
Refine me, Father.
Make me shine so You can see Your face in me.
Even though that means I must go through a hot fire.
Even though that means I might have to go to the very limit of what I can stand without breaking.
All the same...
Refine me, Lord (gulp)

AND STOP

I hope your family has a simply marvelous weekend! Need a dinner idea? Make sure you check out my latest recipe--Chicken and Biscuit One Skillet Pie...It's like Chicken Pot Pie, but healthier and easier!

Meet in the Middle {Five Minute Friday}

Hello and happy Sunday! I hope that your weekend has been going along just wonderfully. Were you in the path of the supposed major winter storm Jupiter ice storm? We were at the edge--but it ended up completely fizziling out and doing nothing but dump rain. I am so happy they were wrong with THAT forecast! Here is my Five Minute Friday post. It took me a bit to be inspired, but I think I have something to share about this week's word...middle

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Middle
What do you think of when you hear the word middle? I would venture to say most of us simply think of being in the middle of a creek. Or reaching for something in the middle. Or maybe you are the middle child? It's the one that isn't first, nor last. Somewhere in between.

When I think of middle, an older country song pops into my mind...it's from the band Diamond Rio, an old favorite band of my parents when I was younger. Here is how the chorus goes:

I start walking your way, You start walking mine. We meet in the middle 'neath that old Georgia pine.We gain a lot of ground, 'cause we both give a little. And there ain't no road too long, When you meet in the middle.("Meet in the MIddle", Diamond Rio)

You know. With the chaos that is around us these days, it sure would be nice if more people in the world practiced this philosophy. Wouldn't we be able to accomplish so much more in this country if each "side" started walking towards each other? If they both gave a little? Why do we think it is so wrong to meet in the middle on things? That's how you make things work! That's how you make relationships work! So why can't we apply that philosophy across the board? Are we so incredibly stubborn that we would rather watch our country fail, than work out a compromise where EACH is willing to GIVE UP SOMETHING for the better of the whole?

If you have children, isn't that what we teach them when they are young? In essence, it's the idea of sharing. So why can't we continue to practice this when we are "old"?

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I hope you have a simply wonderful week! And remember--if you are a homeschooler and haven't read my post about SchoolhouseTeacher website and their INCREDIBLE deal, you need to do it TODAY. Because there is a coupon included that will give you a 50% off price--and TODAY is the last day to use it before they raise their prices tomorrow (1/16/2017)!

Check Your Connection {Five Minute Friday}

Hello and Happy Friday!
I started participating in the Five Minute Friday link up towards the very end of the year last year, and I am excited to spend an ENTIRE year linking up for 2017. Hopefully I will have 51 blog posts all inspired by 51 different words by the end of 2017! So let's get started as I join Five Minute Friday with this week's word...Connect.

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Connect.

Connect makes me think of connection. 

Image Source

It actually brings to mind a scene from last night's episode of The Crown. In the episode, it featured an old fashioned calling center with all the call girls hooking up the cables into the correct slots to allow two people--Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth--talk to each other. If they didn't have a good connection, they would not have been able to hear each other. The call girls might have put the cable into the wrong spot. Or the wire might have been loose. So it was very important that they make a good connection.

How is your connection with God? Are you plugging in daily? Are you on a secure one-on-one line? As part of our journey on this earth, we are to be strengthening that connection. Making a relationship through our connection. The best connection we could ever possibly make, is one with God the Father.

Our minister gave us a GREAT "connection assistance" document this past week, in a Spiritual Growth Training Workbook. 

With it's 52 weeks of assignments--and daily spiritual writings, it is definitely a "manual" for making my connection the best it can be!

So why not start the year by checking YOUR connection with your heavenly Father?

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Want to Join in?

I hope you have a simply marvelous weekend!