"For this very reason, make every effort

to add to your faith goodness;

and to goodness, knowledge;

and to knowledge, self-control;

and to self-control, perseverance;

and to perseverance, godliness;

and to godliness, mutual affection;

and to mutual affection, love.

For if you possess these qualitites

in increasing measure,

they will keep you from

being ineffective and unproductive

in your knowledge of

our Lord Jesus Christ."

2 Peter 1:5-8

Beautiful Mums from Joanne. Thank you, friend.

Today

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

Ephesians 4:29

I love this verse. It's one I posted in my classroom and had the students memorize back when I taught at a Christian elementary school. This ended up being our main classroom rule. Really. Since most of the problems ten year-olds face at school come down to the words they say and are told, this verse really covers a lot. This, and "do to others what you would have them do to you" from Matthew 7:12 pretty much covers it all, don't you think?

I am working on learning more Scripture. We are also starting to repeat verses to Pumpkin since he's such a sponge right now. I'd rather hear him reciting the words of God than lines from his random story books. (I am soooo tired of "tractor tipping!" six hundred times a day, but I digress.)

What I love about both of these verses is that they encourage and admonish us to more. It's not just about not saying or doing mean things. It's about, instead, what should be replacing those mean words, thoughts, and actions. We are not to just be silent and still. It's not about, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." While a good idea, it doesn't go far enough. We are to be building one another up and benefiting those who hear us. We are to be doing the things, serving others, that we wish someone else would do to or for us.

So, today, and everyday, I am encouraging you, but not only you, myself as well, to speak the words and put into action those things that will encourage those around us. We can start with our families. Think of all they hear us say! Start there. Let's not just try to not nag one another, but instead to speak in kindness. And let's not stop there. Maybe there is something we can do, a simple chore, that maybe someone else's responsibility, that we can just take a few moments to do as a way to serve that person. Who knows? Maybe it will lead others to follow in example. Maybe not, but either way, we will be doing what we who follow Christ are to be doing everyday.

I am sure that to some of you this will seem silly, or is simply something you already do without thinking because that's just who you are, or who you have become. Great! I just know that when I was reading the other day this is the verse that spoke to my heart. I've been trying to control what I say and sometimes consider it a victory to have just remained silent when I've sooo wanted to just lash out, but what I've seen is that I need to do more. I need to speak words of love and kindness and encouragement. Not what I'd want to hear, but what is "according to their needs".

Blessings to you this day!

Matthew 11:28-29

"Walk with me

and work with me-

watch how I do it.

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.

I won't lay anything heavy

or ill-fitting on you.

Keep company

with me

and you'll learn to live

freely and lightly."

I love how fresh and new the words of Jesus are in this passage from The Message. I usually read and study the Bible in the NIV, but sometimes I pour over The Message translation to just let His words sink into my soul. I love "the unforced rhythms of grace". That's what I want. And so I must learn from Him.

***

I will be posting rather sporadically for awhile. I have managed to completely mess up my computer, and am having to use Sweetheart's to do this posting. His computer and I don't work well together, so doing anything on it for me is a challenge. I don't know when he'll have time to fix mine. Of course, he programs computers his job everyday. Yup. That's the way it goes!

Also, we're down to the last 10 days, or so until the baby is due. I'll try to put up a post for prayer, but who knows. (With Pumpkin I labored for days and had plenty of notice, but we'll just have to see with this one!) I just thought I should do a posting to let folks know that everything (except the computer) is fine in our little world.

I wanted to also thank everyone for their sweet comments. It's been so encouraging! I am truly blessed by each one of you.

1 Timothy 6:11

"Pursue a righteous life~

a life of

wonder,

faith,

love,

steadiness,

courtesy.

Run hard and fast

in the faith."

I love how The Message translates this verse.
The word wonder always makes me pause.
I want to live a life of wonder.
I want to pass that on to Pumpkin as well.
And yet, I think it's more him passing it on to me.


I love walking with him holding my hand.
It's slow.
Really slow.
But it's so good for me.
I've spent so much of life speed-walking through it all.
Since becoming a Mommy, my life has slowed down tremendously.


Now, I wonder what I why I was always in such a hurry.
Even today, as we visited one of the schools I taught at and Pumpkin and I walked slowly down the halls and slowly back to the parking lot, I thought to myself;
I wonder if any of the teachers I taught with would notice the difference in me now.


I'm sure they would attribute it just to holding the hand of a toddler (and the slight waddle of being due in two weeks), but it is more than that.
As we walk, we talk.
He points out everything, and I mean everything, that he sees.


Each ant, each bird, each flower is noticed and mentioned.
He revels in his words and loves to tell me what he sees and knows.
He is full of wonder, and truly wonderful.
He rejoices in all of God's creation.


And I rejoice with him.
And I think about t how much I've missed along the way.
But now is not the time for regrets.


It's simply the time to live, and wonder.

Psalm 139

O LORD, you have searched me

and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise;

you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue

you know it completely, O LORD.

You hem me in--behind and before;

you have laid your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths,you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me

and the light become night around me,"

even the darkness will not be dark to you;

the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is as light to you.

For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me

were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

Were I to count them,

they would outnumber the grains of sand.

When I awake,

I am still with you.

If only you would slay the wicked, O God!

Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

They speak of you with evil intent;

your adversaries misuse your name.

Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,

and abhor those who rise up against you?

I have nothing but hatred for them;

I count them my enemies.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting.

1 Timothy 6:11

"Pursue a righteous life-

a life of wonder,

faith,

love,

steadiness,
courtesy."

Images: Allposters.com