Seeds Family Worship

I am always looking for ways to fill our lives with scripture.  A few months ago, I ran across Seeds Family Worship. They take scripture and put it to music.  We have been listening to it in the car and during meals and I LOVE it!  Scripture memorization is something that I know that I need to do personally, but I am not always that great on following through with it!  Listening to these verses through song has been a wonderful way for me to learn!


How do you memorize scripture?  How do you make scripture apart of your home?

Date Night

Hal and I often talk about how we took for granted the time we had alone together before we had kids.  We were blessed to be able to travel a lot before kids, but I don't think you completely understand what a blessing that time is together until you are not able to get the one-on-one time quite as often when kids come along.  We both know it is important to get that time, but it seems life often gets in the way. It doesn't have to be an elaborate meal or a big event, it is just important to spend time with your man when your attention can be solely focused on him and not the hungry baby or inquisitive 3 year old.  Since we took my mom with us to Disney, we were able to sneak away each night for some much needed Hal & Lindsay time. 

Monday night after we put the boys to bed, we just walked down to the pool area at our resort and put our very tired feet in the hot tub. It was nice to talk kiddo free and my sweet man bought me a Pumpkin Spice Latte to go along with the conversation.  

Tuesday night we headed to Downtown Disney to do a little shopping without D's input.  Going in a store with him wasn't a pleasant experience.  He was sure he needed everything he saw! Of course we managed to spend some $$$, but we did pick up several Christmas gifts.

Wednesday night we left mom with both boys and headed back to Epcot around 5:00. We had planned on doing dinner at one of the restaurants in the World Showcase, but once we saw the International Food & Wine Festival our plans changed!  We had the best time walking around and trying food from the different countries that we wouldn't have normally tried.  Each country offered a few different choices.  It looks like we are eating a ton and we did try a lot of things, but the portions were small.  We enjoyed it so much that we would plan our next Disney trip around this festival.  Here is our culinary trip around the world!

Greece: Fried cheese with honey and pistachios

France: Coq au Vin

Ireland: Cheese plate with apple chutney

Japan: Spicy Tuna Rolls and Pork Kakuni(spare ribs)

Poland: Keilbasa and Potato Pierogi

Italy: Ravioli di Formiaggia all Emilliana

Ready for the fireworks!

We found freshly made carmel corn in one of the stores in Germany.  If I could make this for my husband at home he would be a very happy man.

Epcot Fireworks

What is your favorite date night?  Share your ideas with us.  How do you make date night a priority?

Waiting

There is no easy way to put it ... waiting is hard.  Part of having a depraved nature from birth means that we don’t like to wait.  My baby doesn’t like to wait for his bottle.  My three year old is struggling to learn how to wait every day particularly since his little brother arrived.  I am constantly saying and having to repeat, “WAIT” or “I be patient.”  Whether it is waiting on God to bring the right man for you, struggling through infertility, or waiting for direction from the LORD about a decision, waiting isn’t easy.  We are all called to wait at some point in our lives.  This week we are going to look at how we should face times of waiting as well as experiences of waiting from myself and others I know.

And the Winner Is...

Amber from Homemaker By Choice won the GraceTags necklace and selected the necklace below!  Thanks for playing along!  I loved reading all of your choices.

Growth Moments

Source

It is important to look for and recognize the times whenever you can see the work that God is doing in your life. Those moments where we “put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24)  When we recognize these moments there are a couple of things that happen as a result.

• Praise: When we overcome a temptation or see the result of a difficult obedience, we can take the opportunity to praise God for His faithfulness and give Him glory for what He is doing in our lives.

• Encouragement: Victories in our lives, no matter how big or small, give us encouragement to keep going forward in our faith.  When we share those experiences with others they are able to receive encouragement as well.

Last week I was able to experience a growth moment while Hal was out of town on business.  He had left on Sunday afternoon and was supposed to get back home on Wednesday evening.  Tuesday night, I had a friend over for coffee after we had put our kids to bed.  As she was walking in the door, Hal called to tell me that their trip was going to be extended through Friday.  

Let me first describe how the scene would have usually looked: I probably would have let out a loud sigh and then whined about how difficult it would be to have the boys by myself, blah, blah, blah.  I then would have spent the next three days making sure he knew how hard it was by complaining and trying my best to make him feel sorry for me.  And even nastier than my actions would have been my heart attitude that was full of the “poor pitiful me” attitude.

This particular time was different.  I was able to express to him that I was ready for him to be home, but that we would be fine and that the hard part was going to be explaining to Big Brother why we weren’t going to get daddy at the airport the next day.  I made it through the week, with joy I might add.  I have been praying for the LORD to cultivate that gentle and quiet spirit that His Word talks about and I saw a glimmer that night. A growth moment. Praise Jesus!  We won’t talk about how I completely acted like a baby less than an hour after he landed at the airport!

Okay, now it is your turn!  When you experience those growth or victory moments, take note and remember them.  Send me an email and tell me about your moment. And if you would like, we can share it on Rubies and Rewards and let others receive the encouragement and God receive the glory!

How Firm a Foundation

I have a confession to make ... it may sound stuffy, old, and out dated, but I must confess that I love hymns.  I love to listen to praise and worship music too and you can find David Crowder, Chris Tomlin, and Christy Nockels on my iPod, but I over the last few years I have fallen in love with what I used to call "old" hymns.  So many of them are filled with theology and doctrine and many are straight from scripture.   At Bible study yesterday morning, we sang one of my favorites: "How Firm a Foundation."  You can find almost direct quotes from Isaiah 41:10, Isaiah 43:2, 2 Corinthians 12:9, and Hebrews 13:5 in this hymn.   Something about singing these verses out loud just makes me what to raise my hands in victory!  

How Firm a Foundation

(Rippons Selection of Hymns, 1787)

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,

Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!

What more can He say than to you He hath said

Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?

"Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed,

For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;

I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,

Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

"When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,

My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply.

The flames shall not hurt thee; I only design

Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.

"The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose

I will not, I will not, desert to his foes;

That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,

I'll never, no never, no never, forsake!"

Glad I could get that off my chest today. :)  Do any of you share my love of hymns and want to join the "Bring back the hymnals movement"?  What is your favorite? 

What Fall Means to Me

Around 3 years old..ready to cheer on dad's team

If you have read the “About Me” section, you know that I love football. Those who know me well know that it has been a huge part of my life. My mother loves to tell others that I went to my first football game at 4 months old and that I grew up watching game film on Saturday mornings instead of cartoons. Unlike some girls, I can name all the positions on the field and can tell you what the penalty is going to be before the official announces it. Why do I know these things? Because I grew up as a coach’s daughter, a title I have always worn with pride.

Although it wasn’t always glamorous and pretty, I loved growing up the way I did. We didn’t always take a big summer family vacation like some of my friends did, because my dad was getting a football field ready for the fall. I can remember many trips to the field to turn the sprinklers on or off. I can remember helping him use diesel to mark the lines on the field in the heat of August or playing around as he mowed the grass. I can remember the fall Friday nights. I can still feel the chill in the air and hear the band songs playing. Those things still signal to me that it is football season. Even though I remember all of these things vividly, the one thing that will always stick out in my mind the most is my dad. He poured almost 30 years of his life into students: first as a football coach and then as a principal and athletic director. This past year, one of the players he had coached passed away. When my parents went to the visitation, the mother of the player told my dad how much he had always meant to her son and thanked him for the impact he made in his life. I have seen that in the eyes of these men over and over when they see my dad around town. Although I have never heard him say it quite this plainly, I know he never coached to see how many ball games he could win. He wanted to help young men ... which is why I will always wear my title as a coach’s daughter with pride.

What Will I Blog About

In yesterday’s post, I talked about why I wanted to start this blog. Today, I wanted to share what kind of posts you will see.

Biblical Teaching: I am confident that the best way I learn to take care of those around me is by studying the Bible regularly. A mentor of mine says that God’s Word meets you where you are. I am constantly amazed at how no matter what part of Scripture I am studying, I find it applicable to exactly what is going on in my life. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing the soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” 

We will look at a particular attribute of God’s character, look at a biblical doctrine in depth, or study a passage of Scripture. For example, the first month, we are going to take a look at the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).

Meet My Friends: I am blessed to have amazing friends in my life. Women who have been blessed with many different talents and areas of ministry. I am excited to share them with you, but only for a day! :)

Meet My Mentors: I have also been blessed to have several women in my life who serve as incredible mentors. It seems that in different seasons of my life, God has brought someone along to teach me, correct me, and encourage me. 

Encouragement: No one has ever said that being a wife and a mother is easy, but I hope we can share encouragement about how to enjoy our roles as wives and to enjoy our kids and not just go through the motions day in and day out.

Practical Tips: Recipes, organization, Bible Study, couponing, time management, entertaining toddlers. Hopefully this will be a place where I can offer practical tips and suggestions, and you can offer yours in return!

Laughter: Yesterday as I was putting the boys back in the car at Kroger after grocery shopping, I thought I heard someone yelling at me, so I started looking around and I said, “Can I help you?” only to realize that it was actually Sir Topham Hat from Thomas and Friends DVD that had come on when I started the car yelling at me! It was crazy hot out and I had started the car while I was getting the boys in. I just started laughing out loud! D didn’t know why I was laughing, but he joined in. It was a nice way to end a hectic shopping trip! I hope we can laugh with each other, as well.

These are just a few of the goodies I have in store as we learn and grow together. 

What is something you would like to see? What is something you would ask a mentor mom? What would you like to study? Leave a comment and share with me!

A Blog is Born

“Yay, Momma, you did it” my 2-1/2-year-old exclaimed as I closed the dishwasher after putting the last cup away. I am not sure what prompted D’s cheers, but he was proud of me. If at 2-1/2, he could understand how important this first post is, he would be even more excited. I might even get a “Yay Momma, you did it ... woo hoo!” as he often yells when he gets REALLY excited.

This blog is something I have wanted to start for several years, but between laziness and the fear of thinking no one would read it, I never sat down and got started. Once I finally opened my computer and started typing, “Rubies and Rewards” was born. In some ways, I feel like I have given birth to two babies this summer! B was born in May and “Rubies and Rewards” in August. 

About Me

I am a wife, mother, daughter, aunt, and friend.

I am a wife to Hal and a mother to D (2-1/2) and B (3 months). I am a daughter of the King who longs to hear “well done good and faithful servant” at the end of every day.

I love football, sweet tea, and hanging out with my three boys. If I can enjoy all three of those things at the same time, it is a great day!

Why “Rubies and Rewards”?

“She is worth far more than rubies ... Give her the reward she has earned” (Proverbs 31:10, 31, NIV).

The idea to put this blog together came out of my desire to find a place where I could be encouraged to be the woman and wife God created me to be by hearing hard truths about what the pursuit of that goal looks like. A place where I could be challenged. A place where I could learn about who God is and what His Word says and how that applies to my relationship with my husband, children, and those around me. A place where I can be encouraged to know that I can lay my head down on my pillow at night and know that I accomplished something of value that day. A place where we learn that the value of a woman who fears the LORD is worth far more than any gem, and where we are reminded of the reward God has in store for those who honor our families and pursue godliness.

What will you find here?

I hope that you find sound biblical encouragement that strengthens you in your personal relationship with the LORD Jesus Christ. I pray that you will find Scripture, stories, and ideas that encourage you in your journey and challenge your thoughts about what it is to be a wife and a mother.

What you will not find here?

A mom who has achieved it all or a woman who has it together all the time! I am asking you to join me in my journey and grow with me as we share our struggles and victories together.

Join Me?

I am excited to have 2 copies of Jordan Richmond’s new CD!  We met Jordan and his wife, Heather, when we lived in Florida.  His CD just came out last month.  Check it out here for a preview.  Become of a follower of Rubies and Rewards by registering on the right hand side of the page and this awesome worship CD may be yours! I will give away the CD’s on Friday.