Galatians Bible Study

I started this inductive Bible Study a few months ago and this week's really got to me. I am just going to cut and paste everything I had typed up, so it starts off with the passage we were "studying" and then all the notes I had typed up as I went through it. I'd love to know what you think!

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

SUMMARY, MY WORDS: Okay, we all know what ‘counts’ as a sin. All of the people who live consumed by these things known to be wrong, well, they will not be welcome in Heaven. If you live by the Spirit, you do not feel the need to sin. Instead, you will be driven to live wholesomely and happily. When you believe in Christ and have accepted him as your Savior, you have let go of the need/desire to sin. Stay with the Spirit, accept him into your soul, do not let yourself get carried away by others who are not living by the Spirit.

THOUGHT: Today I was thinking about some people whom I feel have it “better” than I do. I was allowing myself to feel some sense of jealousy when it totally hit me “out of the blue”.  God said, “Audrey, nobody’s life is perfect. Where you see perfection, you are overlooking the negative. Where you see happiness and ease, you are not looking at the struggles that come along with it. You only see the outside or the times when people allow you to see. You will never see anyone else’s full story. You will never know what is going on behind their scenes. You have to be happy with what I have given you and make the most of it because I know it is what’s right for you at the time.” I felt this so deeply, I had to tape record myself saying it! This is so true. We all know what sin is. Fine. This I understand. What I wasn’t understanding is that it’s not about “provoking and envying each other”. It’s about loving each other. Loving people for who they are and what they do. Being truly happy for them when they meet with good fortune. Feeling truly upset WITH (alongside) them when they meet with struggles and/or setbacks. Not feeling envious because they got something you felt you should have been blessed with. Not pitying them when you are the one who is feeling fortunate. It is so important to just stay in the moment and LIVE YOUR OWN LIFE. Take things as they come. Friendships and other relationships are important, but they are not to be used as a guideline for how you feel your life should go. All too often I have chosen friends for the wrong reasons. People who have things I want – maybe if I am their friend they will share, or maybe I will learn the secret to obtaining what it is they have? No. Prayer and Faith. This is how you obtain the right things. You will get them in due time. When you truly need them. I have also turned my back on people for the wrong reasons. You can’t ask, “What is this person doing for me?” You have to realize there may be people out there who need you as a friend. Not to help you, but for you to help them. You have to recognize that sometimes just being there for someone will alter their entire life. You may not even get to see it in action or reap any rewards for the help you’ve given. You just have to trust that when you are truly living through the Spirit you will affect people in the right ways and you will, in turn, realize ways others can lift you up at the right times. I LOVE LEARNING THIS!!!!


CROSS REFERENCES:
5:22 But the fruit*(Eph 5:9) of the Spirit is love*(Col 3:12-15), joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Ephesians 5:9 – (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)
Colossians 3:12-15 – Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature*(Romans 6:6) with its passions and desires.
Romans 6:6 – For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin - *(Romans 7:24)
Romans 7:24 – What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
5:26 Let us not become conceited*(Php 2:3), provoking and envying each other.
Philippians 2:3 – Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.*(Romans 12:10)
Romans 12:10 – Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Quick note: Romans 12:9-21, awesome. All of this is so much more powerful than just the simple, “Love thy neighbor.” Starts off strong!! “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”…I have to type the whole thing – it’s all fantastic!!
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Is it me or is this exactly what God spoke to me about during my drive to the YMCA today? For once all four kids were in the car and being quiet…I felt so spoken to that I had to record it on my phone. Wow. What a great day! I knew I had a good day, but now that I am having this sort of epiphany (for lack of a better word), today is off the charts good! G’night.

It's 9 PM?!?

Today flew by. Seriously! This morning the boys woke up super early and seemed to have some energy to burn, so we let them outside around 7:30-ish. It was chilly, but they did NOT care! Shaun and I managed to get lots of laundry done and I rearranged Zoe's room (yay!)...then, at 9:30, I started getting the boys ready to leave for the Y. Conner started swimming lessons today. He did so good!! I wasn't planning to hang out in the pool because I figured he would do better without me in the room, but I really didn't feel like working out, so I hopped in the pool and did some water exercising. Mostly treading water and diving to the bottom. :) Whatever. Conner loved, loved, loved being in the pool and was very obviously exhausted afterwards. We got the twins out of the daycare and headed to McD's. Kind of a Saturday tradition for us. While we were at the Y, Shaun took Zoe to the hardware store. I love when they have daddy/daughter time...I think they love it, too. Apparently she did great the whole time...until she saw me when I got home and she began to cry and scream as if she had missed me so terribly! Of course I picked her up immediately and we spent most of the rest of the day together. I did get her down for a nap around 2, then got Henry down and had Jack and Conner on the couch watching a movie...this is when I headed out and got my hair cut! Majorly cut. Super shorter than I've had it in a long, long time. The woman cutting my hair was very sweet and seemed to be having a good time, so I just went with it. It's hair. It will grow back. I am quite pleased with the final product, though! Shaun likes it, too. Zoe and I ran to the grocery store to pick up some things for dinner and breakfast tomorrow. Also, the twins are starting a parent's day out program next week and I will need to pack their lunch, so I grabbed a couple small things for lunch bags! I'm very excited. I love those boys (duh), but this momma is in serious need of a break. Zoe is on the waiting list for the infant room...I am trying to find some ways to make some money. I have lots of ideas of things I can do "from home"...I am really not eager to go back to work for an actual "employer". My most recent job seriously soured me and I feel that God truly has a better plan for me and my use of the talents he has blessed me with. I've been praying lately for Him to give me a really clear picture of what He has in mind....all in due time, I know. :) So, we grilled out this evening and played in the yard until the dark came, then everyone (well, all the kids) hopped in the bath, put on pajamas, and headed to bed. Zoe just needed a little bit of milk to "top off" for the evening and even she sacked out pretty easily. Sorry for the uneventful post, but it was a surprisingly fun, laid back day! We are having some funny moments with the boys "potty-training". Conner has learned the joys of peeing outside in the grass, and the twins think it's awesome. Today we were having a picnic in the front yard with our McDonald's and Conner walked around to the side of the van in the driveway where we couldn't see him, but the rest of the neighborhood and passersby could...all of a sudden, our neighbor comes out of her house laughing hysterically. Turns out Conner had dropped trow, facing the road, and was just letting it go for the world to enjoy. Hard not to laugh. This prompted the twins to begin pulling down their pants and removing their diapers. We are having a hard time with "the line", so as Shaun and I attempted to figure out our next course of action (and stop laughing so hard), Conner grabbed the twins' diapers and hit both boys with their respective diapers. Seriously? This is my life. Welcome. We quickly grabbed everyone and got them indoors before Child Services was called....or America's Funniest Home Videos. Talk soon!

Rough Day!

Whew!!! We just got back from "vacation" and I'm already worn out! Jack kept taking his diaper off in the car yesterday during our 11 hour drive home (yikes!), so I thought maybe he would like to work on potty-training this week. Sigh. What was I thinking? This morning both twins took their diapers off before coming out of their room. Both went to the potty, so I decided we would start the training today. Well, they were super excited this morning...taking turns sitting on the potty and straining, straining, straining to get something-anything!-out. It was starting to get a little boring - cheering every time any amount of pee came out - so, I tried to wrap things up and put some clothes on them. Oh no, they were having none of that! Whatever. Zoe needed her diaper changed and they were excited because they had finally gotten some poop out (yes, in the potty), so I left them alone. For 2 minutes. All of a sudden, Jack is running into Zoe's room with poop on his hand. "Yuck." I head towards the bathroom and see three little piles....of poop....on the floor. Jack is crying, poop is everywhere, Henry is still sitting high on the throne. I put them both in the tub, run back to Zoe (who has starting rolling a little bit!), and get her finished up. Now the twins are getting out of the tub, getting in the tub, getting out, up on the toilet, back in the tub...it's exhausting! Zoe is crying because it's breakfast time (yes, only breakfast time!) and the boys are frustrating me to no end because they think they are big and have emptied out half of the soap before I grab it and put it up higher. SO - Jack falls asleep naked promptly upon getting out of the tub. I manage to get a diaper on him and let him sleep for two hours on the couch. Meanwhile, Zoe won't go to sleep after breakfast and nursing...I have asked Henry to bring her a toy to play with while I fold laundry, so he's busy bringing EVERYTHING from the boys' room in to Zoe's room. She's buried under books and superheros and he just keeps bringing more stuff! I manage to get the laundry folded and away...Jack wakes up just in time for lunch. Spaghetti. Another brilliant idea courtesy of yours truly! So, major mess in the kitchen...major mess of toys in Zoe's room...major mess in the bathroom due to bath and potty fun. Good times. Henry falls asleep after lunch. Zoe goes to sleep. Now it's just Jack and I staring at each other. The lawn is way overgrown, so we can't play outside (till lawn-guy comes Friday!). Can't go anywhere because 50% of us are sleeping. Jack is rubbing his eyes, so I try to get him to lay down and watch tv...nope. He would rather throw things. Like food. And my cell phone. Nice guy. Henry wakes up in a crap mood and takes his diaper off. Jack follows suit. I have cleaned the house, so they get busy trashing it again. I block off the kitchen. Zoe wakes up. Jack pees all over the floor in Zoe's room. Henry pees in the living room. I put diapers on them. They take the diapers off. I try pull-ups. Nope, off. I call Shaun and let him know I will be leaving the house as soon as he gets home. :) That's just what I did...he literally pulled in the driveway and I headed out to my car with Zoe. Jack followed me with his t-shirt and nothing else on. Henry was completely naked when he came out the door. Oh, except for a pair of orange sunglasses and my flip-flops. I left for the grocery store amidst shouts of "put some clothes on", "mommy!", and "I need a diaper change!". I love Kroger in times like these...especially when the two-bite brownies are the first bin by the door. Thank you. Talk soon!

Back online and ready to *blog*!!!

Good morning and Happy Easter!! Shaun's aunt has bought us a beautiful new laptop and I am currently ignoring the children to catch up on all I have missed over the past several months with no internet. :) We are in The Villages, Florida, visiting Aunt Meme and Uncle Tom. Today we are planning to hunt for eggs after breakfast and probably head out to the pool. I have been keeping a story saved in my head for a week now wanting to post it, so here goes... The kids and I have been going to the local YMCA 3-4 times per week. I get to work-out and they enjoy playing rowdy in the nursery. I also enjoy them playing in the nursery because I don't have to clean up after them! So, during the week, the twins, Zoe, and I go for about an hour and a half three times, then I take the boys all on Saturdays. Last Monday was just like any other time we've been...until I went to pick them all up from the daycare after my long workout and satisfying shower. Love the water pressure there! Anyway, when I stepped in to get Zoe the old woman who was rocking her in the chair scolded me for not brining a pacifier. She says, "You have to bring her pacifier because she just needed it so badly." I explained lightly that Zoe doesn't take a pacifier at home, so I don't always remember. "Well, she would have taken one today. She's been crying for a long time. I would say she's been screaming for a full hour." I asked why she didn't come and get me or call or anything? She had no answer for that...just explained, "She's asleep now, but she really needed that pacifier." When she could tell I was angry she didn't come to get me, she told me she liked my "top". I just took my baby from her and left. Trying hard to she no tears at the thought of my sweet girl crying for an hour. I get the twins quickly and they want to go upstairs to ride the elevator down. Of course. I was carrying Zoe because she hates the carseat and I didn't want her crying anymore, so rather than fight I let them head up the stairs. We walked around towards the elevator, but had to pass the senior citizens' exercise class first. This proved to be trickier than usual...Henry must have found someone especially intriguing because I couldn't get him to leave the glass doorway! He's staring, staring, staring. Jack was interested for a minute, but then he realized the elevator was so close. Meanwhile, I had a thought to check Zoe's diaper because of previous experiences where the nursery said she was being fussy, and she had a dirty diaper. Sure enough - poop, lots, in the diaper. Great. I am trying to pull Henry away from the seniors who are all laughing and waving to him. Jack has pushed the button for the elevator and gotten on. I run down there and push the button again to make the doors open....they open.....no Jack. I quickly grab Henry and sprint back to the elevator. We get on, press the button for the first floor and take the slowest elevator ride of my life! When we get downstairs I see Jack going in the daycare door. Thank goodness someone saw him, recognized he was alone and took him back there! So, I did change Zoe's diaper - in the toddler section, NOT the infant side. I told one of the girls who works there about the situation with the old woman in the infant nursery and explained I would not ever be leaving Zoe in their care again. I intend to keep going to the Y, but I will be walking the track with Zoe in the Snugli. The worst part of that idea is not being able to take a shower there, but I might figure something out. I also have been working on my Bible study there and that will be tricky if she is awake. My mother says I need to put my big girl pants on and tell the woman I will be checking back every 20 minutes and, if she has a poopy diaper, I will "HAVE YOUR JOB". I don't have balls for that. Talk soon!

4?!?!

Oh, geez. What are we going to do with 4 kids? I mean...it's not like it's that big of a step up from three. What's one more when we're already outnumbered? Problem is, I don't know anybody with 4 kids. I really know VERY few people with 3 kids...and none live close. So, now I'm the one my friends will refer to when they are speaking to other friends about, "I know a girl with 4 kids under the age of 4! And all before (around) her 30th birthday!" I didn't want to be that person. Honestly. We weren't trying. We haven't tried to have any kids! I will admit we were not too careful in the beginning...we expected Conner. Didn't plan, but expected it. Then, the twins were definitely not supposed to be twins, but we weren't trying much to NOT get pregnant again. This time, though. Totally different. We have been actively trying to NOT get pregnant. I guess we'll try something more permanent. So, yes, we're having another bundle of joy. Should be due around November 4th. I'll have my first doctor appointment on Tuesday, March 25th, so more postings after that! I definitely think I need to get back into writing on here because there are going to be some crazy thoughts going through my head!

Another attempt!

Let's see if I can figure out how to post pictures from Word…

This is everyone eating breakfast the other day. Henry refuses to let anything distract him at a meal-time. J

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone is doing well these days. Conner's tantrums are out of control, but we just keep trying to remember "this, too, shall pass". Jack is walking all over the place, but Henry still seems a bit tentative. We are planning dinner at the twins' sitter's house Saturday night and then my friend, Jessica's, little one, Katie, turns one on Sunday! That party will be Sunday afternoon, and I'm very much looking forward to it. Unfortunately, as much as I like to think Jessica and I will get a chance to "catch up", we both realize it will not happen while kids are running around and being nuts. J I'm going to sort through my pictures and post some good recent ones. Especially from the holidays.

Trying Something New!

I noticed at work when I would click "New" in Word 2007, it asked if I wanted a new document or new blog post. So, I'm trying this "new blog post" out! Fun!! Before going on a long-winded session that I'm not even sure will work out in the end, I will just attempt to post something small. The holidays were great, the boys are all doing well, Shaun and I are plugging along…marriage-wise, I feel things have really been great, but we are (like everyone) continuing the $$ struggle. If this works as I hope it will, I can guarantee daily postings. Hooray! My next mission will be to see about working pictures in? Hmmmm…