June WELCOME Check In

In case you missed it, my word of the year is WELCOME, described by the acronym below. For more details on why I chose this word go here.

Worship – Making room for God
Embrace – Making room for my family
Learn – Making room to grow my mind
Care – Making room for my health
Offer – Making room for others
Minimize – Making room by clearing a thing or practice from my life
Everyday Blessings – Recording the little joys that occur when I make room

WORSHIP
Goal: Focus on a particular child in my praying.

It is exciting to see how God is working in the lives of each of our children. Sometimes I fall into a rut of praying for them collectively. I’m trying to focus on them as individuals more as I pray since they have very individual needs. While I continue praying for them all, I’m focusing on one of them in particular this month.

A big emphasis in the sermons I’ve heard this month is witnessing to others. I’ve always been a big proponent of just letting my lifestyle show Jesus to others. I’m pondering and praying about how to be more vocal in my faith without damaging the hidden work God is already doing in the hearts of those I meet. The evangelist at our camp meeting mentioned the verse from I Timothy on how our works should “adorn the doctrine of….our Savior in all things.” Am I accessorizing the Gospel with my lifestyle?

I’m still following this Bible reading plan. This month’s books had fewer chapters per day so I meandered a little bit into other paths of God’s Word at times.

EMBRACE
Goal: One on one times with each child and Jeff.

I was able to spend time individually with each child this month, even if it was just a trip to the store together to chat along the way. Jeff and I did some shopping and went out to dinner for our 22nd anniversary.

LEARN
Goal: Finish learning Rhapsody and write 1-2 afternoons a week.

I have decided to be finished with learning Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin. I did get through all 29 pages. I skipped 11 lines near the end because they were difficult and I also didn’t like the sound of them enough to put effort into learning them. So, did I meet my goal? I’m saying yes since I’m the only one to answer to on this one.

As far as writing, I did not have time to do much of that other than this blog. I hope to get back to my projects next month.

Always, I’m learning through reading – one of my favorite pastimes. Anytime I recommend a book (or anything for that matter!), remember it is not infallible and I’m not recommending or endorsing every part of it. With that caveat, here are a few good books I read this month:

Devotional: Daring to Hope: Finding God’s Goodness in the Broken and the Beautiful by Katie Davis Majors
This is not actually a devotional book, but I’ve been reading a chapter along with my devotions. Katie’s heart and her story have touched me in so many ways. I’m only halfway through, but I am intrigued by her unique missionary life in Uganda.

Parenting: Fledge: Launching Your Kids Without Losing Your Mind by Brenda L. Yoder
There are so many books on raising kids and even on raising teenagers. However, I want to make sure I finish well. I will soon have 3 teens and one of them is about to leave her teens in the next year. I want to learn from the wisdom of parents ahead of me, and Brenda is one of those parents. I copied many quotes from this book.

Fiction: Hidden Justice Series by Cara C. Putman
It’s usually hard for me to get through legal thrillers because I understand so little of the court system and what lawyers do. However, Cara Putman does a masterful job of pulling in even people like me. As a side note, she seems like an amazing person: a law practice in D.C., working on her 32nd book and homeschooling her 4 children. I’ve long ago quit comparing, but I applaud those women who can accomplish so much and live the Christian life as well.

Memoir: Awful Beautiful Life: When God Shows Up in the Midst of Tragedy
I chose this book because of the co-author who helped Becky write her story. It is truly an awful but beautiful story of how she fell from a wealthy lifestyle through no fault of her own while walking through unimaginable pain and grief. She presented the details of what her husband’s sin did to her and their children while leaving me with deep sadness instead of anger towards him.

CARE
Goal: Move back to 16:8 fasts and walking daily.

I’ve done better with fasting and saw a chiropractor for some annoying issues which seems to be helping. I have not established any kind of consistent routine around walking yet. Baby steps….quite literally.

OFFER
Goal: Sing in a camp meeting and meet a few specific hospitality goals.

We did complete the month of May with our first overnight guests and our first gathering in our new home. We were able to have guests for Sunday dinner twice and a few impromptu gatherings for coffee and dessert. The kids were able to attend a birthday party, and some of us participated in a kindergarten graduation. We completed singing for our first camp meeting. God was gracious and helped in the camp, and we enjoyed worshipping with old and new friends.

MINIMIZE
Goal: Put away school things from this year and pass on what I can.

I was so excited to find that all of our school books fit in the designated school closet in our new home. I did get them all out of their bins, put away our books from this year and passed on everything grade 5 and under. I also love to share school curriculum we’re not using, so I got that taken care of as well. I began the process of ordering things for next year, and a few of them have already arrived.

EVERYDAY JOYS
A few highlights from our everyday below:

QUOTES OF THE MONTH:

The opposite of people pleasing is leadership.

– Emily P. Freeman, in her monthly newsletter

That leap of faith continues every time I say yes when I’d rather keep my kids under my wings. My security in these moments is knowing Jesus is with my children when I can’t be….If you can trust God with your life, can you trust Him with the life of your child?

-From Fledge by Brenda L. Yoder

No matter where you go, you will always be there. Make sure it’s someone you want to spend time with.

-Joshua Becker, becomingminimalist.com, “You Can Never Escape Yourself”

I can’t fold my arms to the hurt of this world and simultaneously reach out for my Savior.

-From Daring to Hope by Katie Davis Majors

I feel like I should have been adding a disclaimer to the music videos I share each month. I no longer have many CDs, and I listen to all my music through Spotify. This means that I may find a particular song by a search for a word such as home or faith. It also means that I may not know much about the artist or other songs that artist may sing. So, please know that I am only sharing the particular song I have heard. Even then, I’m not fully endorsing every part of it, especially if there are ads involved through these videos. Thank you for understanding! Now, carry on…

I hope you all had a beautiful June and are ready for an amazing July! I’d love to hear some of your goals in the comments or in an e-mail. I’ll be crafting my new goals for July while the calendar commitments pile up — in a good way.