10 Commandments

We are working on learning the 10 Commandments. I am hoping that it will help with some of our attitudes around here. You should have heard us on the first day arguing over whether C was going to read and write the 10 Commandments. I had to stop, back up, and say a little prayer that I would approach this in the right way.


Here are a few links that I was able to print some information and a craft to reinforce what we learned.


From DLTK:
http://www.dltk-bible.com/guides/god_saves_his_people4.htm with plenty of links.

http://www.dltk-bible.com/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.dltk-bible.com/exodus/cten_command.gif color


http://www.dltk-bible.com/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.dltk-bible.com/exodus/bten_command.gif black & white

And from Free Lessons Plans: Look at the list on the right. 10 Commandments is at the bottom. I used the lesson plan to give me ideas of questions to ask.
http://www.christiananswers.net/kids/lesson-plans.html#tencommandments

And your favorite Bible.
There is a ton of information out there and many people have done this study more in depth than what we did. I wanted her to learn what the 10 Commandments where. We still have time to understand all the details surrounding them.

What I learned while doing this was that my daughter had heard of the 10 Commandments but she really could not go into a lot of detail. Some were obvious to her and others needed a bit more conversation. Now when something goes wrong in the house, someone is not being honest, or someone is not obeying she easily falls on her 10 Commandments.
Hopefully I can post some pictures when Daddy gets here with his camera. Maybe he can fix mine.

IPOP 31 Bible Study - part 4

Amy is doing such a fabulous job over at In Pursuit of Proverbs 31 with the Proverbs 31 Bible Study. You can check out part 4 here. When I began this bible study, I thought great she is going to break down what these verses mean and I will learn a thing or two. Man is she making me work, some people may see this bible study as easy and simple, but I am struggling. My struggles are a good thing, I am learning quite a bit about myself and what God is saying to me in this season of my life.

Let's jump in!

List some of the scripture you highlighted in Psalm 37 and tell what God revealed to you about them.

Psalm 37:7 "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.." Who out there does not need help with your patience? My patience is tested on a daily basis and I ask the Lord to please help me pass this test. Sometimes I wish that I could remember to pray for help with my patience before my mouth opens.

Also, as a family, we have made some decisions about our future. We completely feel that the Lord is guiding us to stay in the military and fully embrace being a military family. That means standing up for the military families. It also means that we will never be as financially stable as my husband's family wants us to be. That is a big deal to them. They would prefer that we get out of the military and both went to work full time (that is success to them).

Psalm 37:8 " Cease from anger and forsake wrath..." OK! so my patience is all but gone these days and my words and actions seem to come from anger. I am tired and ready for this deployment to be over. God in all His Glory showed me that my lack of patience was leading to some ugly and snide remarks that were hurting my children. I have been and will continue to be on my knees seeking help and guidance.

Psalm 37:10 "A little while, and the wicked will be no more..." and Psalm 37:13 "The Lord laughs at them, for He sees that this his day is coming." I automatically thought of what it would be like when my Lord returns. There will be no more wicked ways. Oh what a glorious day.

There is so much more that could be pulled out of these scriptures but that is what spoke to me right off.

Discuss the difference between "priority" and "authority."

Bowing down to God's authority or getting out of the way of God's authority is hard. If you allow God to have authority over your life and to guide your ways you will find that your priorities are more in line. God does not make life easier because we bow to His authority but He allows our priorities to work within our lives. Sometimes I wish that we didn't have to sweat over the hard things. (I hope that makes since).

Have you been following Him or trying to make your own path? You must have been following me around while I made some good and quite a few bad decisions. Consider whether or not you have become a slave to wordly priorities and "to do" lists. Oh My Goodness! Did I not tell you that Amy was doing a good job. She is hitting me right on the head with things that have become a struggle in our own home. From the moment my feet hit the floor in the morning I have an ongoing list of to do's. Our life has changed with homeschool and while homeschool fits, house work suffers. I am trying to down size and eliminate junk to avoid some of the messes that drive me crazy. What I really need to do is get on the floor and enjoy the kids instead of worrying about the mess they make.

I am tired, but it is good. My heart is cleansing and being filled with a bit more peace.

Take a look over at IPOP 31 to see what everyone else had see about part 4.

IPOP31 -part 3- The True Woman

I am a few days late posting my IPOP31 Bible study post, but this one is a bit difficult for me. This weeks theme is The True Woman of Proverbs 31. Who is this woman and how can knowing her make you a better woman/wife/mother? I am not sure I am qualified to even guess on that subject.

Amy did a great job giving us examples of scripture that would lead us to look further into our own hearts. What does Christ want out of me? Am I listening and following?

Amy asks, Find other scriptures that are similar to particular verses in Proverbs 31.
I found (or it found me) James 1:27 "...to look after orphans and widows in their distress..." to be similar to Proverbs 31:8 "Speak up for those that have no voice, for justice of all who are dispossessed."
Many years before I began to homeschool my kids, God placed the desire to homeschool on my heart. We fought it. We thought that we were not cut out to teach our kids and we had no family back up to tell us we could do it. Now after beginning to homeschool, we feel we are doing exactly what God has wanted us to do all along.
Now there is another desire on my heart. I have to say sorry to my hubby if he reads this from the desert, but you know I have talked of this before. Wipe the surprised look off your face and start asking God if this is a desire for our family. That new desire is adoption. Particularly adopting from another country. That is why those two scriptures are what speak to me. I am once again being challenged by God. I so want to be a bride of Christ, a Proverbs 31 lady, and pass this test. In that, I will be able to see the desires of my heart. More on all of that later on.

Give an explanation as to why it is important that you don't compare yourself to other women. I can easily get caught up in blog hopping. Jumping from one blog to another to see what people are up to. My family always suffers when I do that, they get left to fend for themselves, and arguments always happen. I am suffering as well, because I always end up comparing myself to the women that I am reading about. I see a sugar coated version of their lives and wish that we managed that well. Truth is they may not be managing any better than we are. Comparing yourself to others is not living up to what God desires for us.

I hope that someone can help me with this scripture. There is a story that I just recently reread about. It is about a pros*titute that becomes a Christian and in turn saves her families lives. She hangs a red ribbon out of the window of the room that her family is hiding in and avoids death. I looked for it last night and could not find it.

That is all I have got for right now. I like where this Bible Study is taking me. I am also doing a Bible study on Wednesday night while my kids are in GA's and Mission Friends. Both of these Bible studies are asking me to look at the desires of my heart and God's purpose for me. Amazing that one compliments the other.

Have a good night y'all. I officially have a sick kid, so I am off to find what the military calls Vitamin M (motrin).
Amanda

Proverbs 31 Bible Study-Part 2

Amy at In Pursuit of Proverbs 31 has gotten started on her Bible study and I am glad to be along for the ride. This week we begin by Shattering the Myths of Proverbs 31. For instance, who wrote Proverbs 31 and who was it written about and for.

One of the things that she asked us to do is compare Matthew 6:33 to Proverbs 31.

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:33 KJV

I think whenever you find a "to do" list on how to be a good mom, wonderful wife, best teacher, greatest friend you need to look and pray to see if this is in God's will. Proverbs 31 is not a "to do" list on how to get it all done. In The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren he notes that sometimes we take on to much because we think that is what society wants from us.

"It is impossible to do everything people want you to do. You have just enough time to do God's will. If you can't get it all done, it means you're trying to do more than God intended for you to do." Rick Warren

Wow! Not even Bathsheba would want someone to do more than what God has intended for us. We must seek God in order to find our purpose and to find what it is to become a Proverbs 31 woman. We all have it in us, we just have to find it.

Another thing that Amy asked us to do is to list 3 things about Bathsheba. I am not sure that I have 3 things but this is what stood out to me. She probably wrote about what she knew and what she desired. She had plenty of experience in her life and could see mistakes that she had made. She wanted her son, Solomom, to be strong but compassionate and to speak up for worthy causes.

I want to write something here about finding the right partner in life, but that is not coming out so I will hold onto it for now.

Finally, Amy asked, what is the one verse in Proverbs 31:11-28 that you would most like to accomplish. It seems very silly to answer this question this way, but I wish that I could sew clothes. I have no way of contributing financially to our household income, but I feel that i could help our dollar stretch by making some of the kids clothes. Also, I would like to make clothes or blankets to add to baby layettes that are given to new parents on base when they finish the new baby seminar. That has been on my heart for some time and I am hoping when my husband gets home from deployment I can take some sewing lessons. I know that may not be what Amy was asking, but that is what stuck out to me.

My Memaw is a Proverbs 31 southern lady. She is strong and loving in all the right ways. She is a long post all to herself, but I am so glad to have such a strong Christian influence in my life from the very beginning.

Check out Amy and see who else participating in this Bible Study.

Proverbs 31 Bible Study

Amy from In Pursuit of Proverbs 31 is doing a Bible study on proverbs 31. I am excited about this, although I have read Proverbs 31 and been in Sunday School when Proverbs 31 was taught, I have never gotten down and really studied it. I know I still have tons to learn.

Visit Amy's blog to answer the following questions and sign Mr Linky.

For this introduction post, I would like for everyone who intends to participate to post about it on their blog and answer the following thought provoking questions:
What do you hope to get out of this bible study? I hope to get more understanding. It has been 5 months since my husband deployed to Iraq. I would like for him to come home to house that is a bit more calm that it normally is. I am hoping to be a better Christian wife and mother.
What, if anything, has prevented you from studying these scriptures in the past? I have read these sciptures and I can give an insight into what they are saying. But truly studying and truly living Proverbs 31 is a whole new thing.
What have you found helpful or frustrating about living out these scriptures? I may have to answer this one later, but I think that hardest for me is not being lazy. Not neglecting everything around me because I want to, or my feelings are hurt, or I am mad because my husband is not here to help. I have a long way to go!

Check out Amy if you want to join in this Bible Study.