Ever feel like that? The process is never “fun”…the refiner’s fire isn’t icing on the cake…it hurts. It’s painful. It’s broken. And…it’s part of it. The process. But—the process…will always, always, always, ALWAYS friends—lead to praise. Because—HE IS FAITHFUL. ALWAYS. Do you believe that?! Looking back on my life at just the wee age of […]
The Young Family Farm »
Category Archives: One Year Bible Study Yesterday I received the SWEETEST thing in my mailbox from a photographer in Asheville, North Carolina. I can’t believe I’ve never met this sweet family in person because we have so much in common and have kept up with each other for a couple of years now through photography—our hearts connected when we discovered we […] Love the book! I will have to look that one up! Also look up Tsion’s Life! Great book! Ab really enjoyed showing me things about his life in it. Charisa…trying her best to focus on Jesus…but sometimes I feel like I need the horse eye cover things so I can’t see to the left or the right! that is awesome adn so sweet of them to get that for you! we are hoping to find some good ugandan recipes to make for when we bring home our little one! April–this book would have them! It’s features recipes from the WHOLE continent!!! Loving the readings….and staying connected! 🙂 Ok girls, I’m reading along, but I was wondering which translation you guys are using, there are a lot of reading lists for different translations, and I was just curious if you all decided to use one particular one? If so can you let me know? I’m just now figuring out that you guys are discussing here! I love to study the Word with sisters in Christ! Kim Aww, you are so welcome! I think this dude is adopted too…I might be wrong. Did you see the other little thing that was in there? I forgot to wrap it so it might have gotten lost at the bottom of the package. ASHER! You have to tell me what I missed in that package! I’m so not beyond diggin’ through some trash to find a treasure! And I can’t stand the thought of tossin’ a treasure. You just tell me what this momma is lookin’ for and I’ll put on rubber gloves;) And Kim—we all are reading different versions I’m sure. We didn’t pick one…I’m pack and forth between NIV and Living.  We got a new chandelier over the holidays and FINALLY got it hung this weekend…and well, you have to do SOMETHING with the box…I used the chandelier box and an old carseat box that I was sure we could use one day—and now it’s officially been used as a pirate ship! Complete with a looking […] Andrea is it just me or are you a bit excited for the summer months to be upon us?Hee hee:) Thanks for posting todays lesson. We are studying “Fearless” by Max Lucado in our small group so your message today ties in perfectly:) love the little pirate! and yes, pirates have to be bad! LOL! understand that…I hate it when kids play shooting games…I’m the mom who says let’s love each other…how do you love each other when you are playing bad guys/good guys? reconciliation at the end maybe?? how adorable is the “bad pirates” box and sign! The pic of the little man in the hat is so adorable too! Charisa–I’m with you…I do NOT get the wrestling with God part of this story in today’s reading. I understand our prayers should be like wrestling as we plead…but I don’t get wrestling with God or that whole part of the story. Scratched my head on that one. Would love more insight if someone has some! AND YEESSSSSSSS…we obviously need some outside time Shannon! Don’t you forget how EASY it is to send the kids outside where they play for HOURS on end. Now I’m being put to work inside doing things like…pirate ships:). AND how does one get your 14 month old to wear a pirate hat AND an eye patch?! Can you say—candy corn left over from Halloween? Disgust I know…but it worked:) Love your new chandelier! I wouldn’t add shades but that’s just me! I like the rustic feel of it! I feel like someone wrote a really good explination of the whole wrestling with God part of this reading but I can’t remember who it was…Beth Moore maybe? If I figure it out I will link it. I also think it’s interesting that you hear people talk about how horrible today’s society is with all of the crazy things that go on then you open up the bible and see all this: Dinah getting rape and Levi and Simeon killing a whole people group and kidnapping the women and children to keep as slaves, and that’s just in 3 chapters. It’s just so clear that man has had a HUGE sin problem from the very beginning, once Adam and Eve ate the apple it was all over. Sin didn’t slowly creep in and just in the last 100 years exploded it has always been here and it has always been bad. It’s something has humans that we have to keep in check constantly, we have to be fully submerged in God’s love and constantly on our knees to even come close to overcoming it. LOVE the pirates…I am sure they are good pirates 🙂 Love the chandelier. On the readings…I just am overcome with the thoughts of how others say the Bible does not relate to today’s times…HELLO! It is all there…what happened then…happens now. Same sin, same ugliness, same curiosity…SAME GOD, SAME NEED FOR A SAVIOR. Thank you God for our Savior. Candy corn….good choice. TicTacs are my secret weapon! (And I go with white…no red/orange drizzle in all my Easter pics!) I was just blown away while reading last night. Again, and again and again, God uses such ignoble persons for His noble purposes. What a FAITHFUL, PATIENT God we serve! How does He keep His wrath at bay with generation after generation falling so far off of the ship. It also struck me how Abraham, issac and Jacob are continually setting up monuments, memorials to God, to remember His promises and faithfulness. How easily we forget the great wonders and answered prayers of the Lord! I love it without shades! And the pirate ship looks like SOOO much fun! oh, i love the pirate ship..my kids need one of those 🙂 I need to start looking for some boxes around the house…kj Genesis 20:25 – 31:55 Today’s reading continues with Jacob beginning to want to go back to his own land. TWENTY years he has been at Laban’s land working–slaving–for both of his daughters (14 years for the girls) and he’s about to work 6 more for his flock. Laban and Jacob make an agreement–Laban keeps the […] First of all how cute are those pics! I love the little grocery cart! We love bananas in our household too! What a cute face the little guy made eating snow! I have a question, where did you get those Go, seek, love shirts? I LOVE them! have a great day! April–you can get those cutie pie t-shirts here: http://duboisadoption.com/t-shirt_fundraiser.html AND they now have sweatshirts too:) Good reading today..I also felt more compassionate toward Leah…maybe because I have also felt her unloved feelings…you are right …we do need to pray for the Rachels in our lives and think of why they do what they do..the insecurities behind it. I had a very different thinking on Jacob’s with the sheep…always love how God does that! …My reading didn’t jump out that he was deliberating streaking the sheep…but that herdsmen believed vivid impressions at mating (the branch) would influence offspring…hmmmm….I will have to go in an research that…back to those old hebrew words! LOVE diving into the Word with you! Charisa…that makes complete sense! I think that sounds right and I remember reading something about that years ago. I need a shepherd expert right now;). I have a friend doing a study on shepherds so I need to ask her what book she is reading! Love the pics of the kids in the store. So cute. Paul’s parents were here this weekend, so we are going to makeup our missed reading tonight. You are so right about the bananas….a home can never have too many! Hey….we like to put them on a popscicle stick, dip in melted chocolate and freeze…yummy! And, Evangeline also loves to take her cart to the store. More than once I have come home and discovered I (or she!) have bought something I had no idea about 🙂 Praying for your approval letter! Loving reading through with others 🙂 More drama! Laban & Jacob have a horrible relationship. Jacob is afraid of confrontation it seems. He shows this over & over.  Happy 10 day anniversary for those of you reading the Word with me this year! Isn’t it AMAZING to have your heart SATURATED with His Word?! I just wrote the LONGEST post…and with one click of the wrong button—it all erased…don’t you hate it when that happens? But I have something to say–and I guess […] I love Jacob’s vision. “Jacob’s Ladder” is what we hear it called. God told him He would bless him & be with him where ever Jacob went. Jacob & Esau both married their cousins! Esau went to his dad’s brother to find a wife, & Jacob went to his mom’s brother to find a wife! Interesting! Jacob must have LOVED Rachel. It said that him working for her for 7 years was only like a few days to him because of his love for her! That’s precious! But I often wonder, why didn’t he realize the first girl he married wasn’t Rachel, it was her sister Leah, until the morning? What took so long? That just seems a little strange to me, but I don’t know all of the culture from back then. This is all just the start of a bad father-in-law & son-in-law relationship! Here on out Jacob & Laban pretty much constantly are trying to deceive one another. Then Leah is blessed with 4 little boys! Rachel is jealous & gives Jacob her maid & she has 2 boys, then Leah gives him her maid & she has 2 also. Then Leah has 2 more! Wow! Finally Rachel has 1 child, Joseph, & I believe he turns out to be a favorite! Back to 30:15, that’s a big OUCH! I can’t imagine how Leah felt. Her husband didn’t really want her, he wanted her sister & her sister is jealous of her. I’m sure in Leah’s eyes she doesn’t think there’s anything to be jealous of except her children because Jacob is deeply in love with Rachel still. He shows that over & over in the next few chapters. It’s a little crazy though, Rachel & Leah are bargaining or “selling” him out! I wonder how that made Jacob feel!? Andrea..thank you for the reminder on prayer! I had the priviledge of being at the bedsides of 3 of my grandparents before they went on to glory, and each one reminded me that they had prayed for me earnestly my whole life, and instructed me to pray earnesly for my children. I spend lots of time nowdays praying for our adoption and our adopted child… but this was a good reminder to pray for the hearts and minds of those littles ones in my care now! OK, so as to Jacob and all of his women…. let me just say I am so glad that I did not live back in the day. Ugh, can you imagine, these women (sisters no less!) and fighting over a comon husband and even throwing their maidservants (slaves) at him, fighting for nights with him…um, so glad God saw fit to intervene in this lifstyle. I’m kindof laughing, thinking, “what you sow, you shall reap.” Take a lot of wives… you are pretty much asking for it! Since we’re going to be dealing with this issue throughout much of the OT, I have to say that every single time I read about men sleeping with — and having children with — more than one woman, it makes me sick to my stomach. I can’t imagine how broken those women were, how defeated they must have felt. It’s no wonder they sought to have the most children, to be the “favorite”, to literally fight for their husband’s love… because it’s not the way God designed it to be. So sad… and yet again, God does so much with so little. Amazing. Thanks so much, Andrea, for taking the time to spur us all on in the reading! 🙂 thanks so much for mentioning about colt mccoys link…i sent it to my husband who is a BIG football fan! Hey Andrea: joy- I just started my readings for the year….almost caught up. What can I say….we have had a really rough start. I know reading the Word is where I need to me. I was not in the Word enough for many years….same thing really. I would have great spurts, but that was it. Last year I was challenged by another blog to read the Bible in 90 days (which was a little longer than that for me, but not bad). I LOVED IT!!!! So if there is anyone out there in doubt- it may not be easy….may seem like a chore….may seem like too much to ask, but once you are into it….once God has Blessed your socks off……..you will CLING TO IT!!!! Because STORMS WILL COME- not if, but WHEN they do……your heart will be GROUNDED in HIM!!!! Just know that 🙂 thanks for posting the books you have gotten so far…i have a mother for choco but want to get many more! I feel convicted all the time of my lack of devotions and personal prayer time. I keep justifying to myself that I’m busy and later is okay. But you’re right, NOW is the time! So thank you again for starting this Bible study. I feel grateful that I feel a sense of accountablility to actually do my devotions every day. And yes, when you are immersed in The Word you have a whole different perspective on life! Even something as simple as my husband asking me to make dinner after I’ve had a crazy day and I’m tired. I want to answer, “How about you take a turn” but instead I catch myself not even hesitating to not only make him dinner, but serve it to him. And the glory goes to GOD because that is soo not me! =) More thoughts on the reading on my blog. Hey Andrea… I just have to add that my husband and I also pray for our children to one day go into “all the world”. Their little hearts are already so sensitive in that arena. We have some friends, who are 11th generation missionaries. Way back when, a little old lady on her deathbed prayed that God would raise up missionaries from her descendants, and now 11 generations later, her descendants are literally all over the globe, still spreading His good news! SOOO much great insight! Andrea, I just love your commentary and I’m so thankful God led me to your blog and you invited us all to take this journey. I love what you said about excusing ourselves because of the “season” were in. With four kiddos it would be easy for me to try to justify my lack of time for bible reading and devotion. But look again at my life and yes I am busy with four kids but there are so many other “things” that distract me from being in the word and in prayer with Him. Oh how I have loved doing this reading and how I feel Him calling me each day to open up my bible and read more. The best part is I CAN’T wait to spend time with HIM! I love what Megan said about your change of perspective when you’re immersed in the word. I find myself doing/saying things that are not from me but truly the Holy Spirit working…praise God! Something I want to share that keeps pressing on my heart as I do this reading is how disgusted and disappointed I feel with so many of these people. Why couldn’t Abraham learn his lesson and stop manipulating? Why did Sarah have to be so hurtful to Hagar and Ishmael? What kind of wife and mother is Rebekah to play favorites and then fool her husband? And then’s there’s Jacob and his deceit and of course Rachel and her cruel heart towards Leah. Just as I’ve had enough of these people guess what He does? He reminds me I am no better. I am a sinner just like them, I fall short every day and He STILL loves me even with all my messiness. I manipulate, I judge, I covet and the list goes on. Oh thank you Lord that your ways our not ours. Thank you for forgiving me and thank you for your word that I can see how since the beginning we have been falling short and since the beginning you continue to love us. I love children’s books! So far in my “collection” I have On my wish list is: Have you been to the Amharic Kids website? They are linked on my blog, near the bottom right I think…. |
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by admin
yes, agree! One time I had to do a lookback at my life and write down how God was there. I put it off and put if off because I didn’t want to deal with all that old stuff. Finally did it…and I could finally see where God was ….I didn’t know it at the time (I was not even close to walking with the Lord) but I could see where God had place people around me or kept me safe and lots of other things…Because He WAS there whether I knew it or acknowledged Him!
I just studied this with the kids the other day. Did you notice that Joseph says that it is GOD who brought him to Egypt. Not his brothers. He understands that what others intend for evil, God can cause good out of it. He was there all those years later to save their lives during the famine. God knew it all along. He just had to continue to wait for God’s plan.
I know we all want to see the big picture, but we have to trust God and His plan and rest in the truths of knowing He is in control.
Beautiful post my friend.
cris
TRUE, but the process is still tough……trying
I’m with you Dawn…and that’s why my flesh would just like to SKIP the hard stuff. The process. Speaking of—Dawn, have you purchased Steven Curtis Chapman’s new cd “Beauty Will Rise”???? You would love it…especially during this hard time in your family’s life. PRAYING.
awesome post..I love the pic of you…You haven’t aged a bit 🙂 kj
I have to share my devotional for today as it is so fitting for the “process.”
Oh this is bitter work for Him and us-bitter for us to go, but equally bitter for Him to cause us pain; yet it must be done. It would not be conducive to our true welfare to stay always in one happy and comfortable lot. He therefore puts us forth. Take heart! It could not be better to stay when He determines otherwise; and if the loving hand of our Lord puts us forth, it must be well. On, in His name, to green pastures and still waters and mountain heights! He goeth before thee. Whatever awaits us is encountered first by Him. This is the Blessed Life-not anxious to see far in front, nor careful about the next step, not eager to choose the path, nor weighted with the heavy responsibilities of the future, but quietly following behind the Shepherd, one step at a time. From Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman
Happy Thursday!
I remember that picture! You sent it to me when you were over there. I have it saved in my scrapbook! I loved this picture! Just precious! So neat to see God’s fingerprints on your life and I am glad I have been able to be apart of a lot of it!
preach it, girl! That is one of the BEST posts I’ve ever read, anywhere! It speaks of our Father’s faithfulness and love for His people. Thanks for posting. I really need it!
Don’t you wonder where Shang Dan-Dan is and how she’s doing?
This is so right and so timely, that I had to link to it on my facebook and send it to a couple folks.
I needed this reminder and fresh word, that he is all over this process…and that what may be intended for evil or looks like it doesn’t fit with what we know of God, like Joseph, is meant for our good, the saving of many souls…including mine!
Thank you for speaking life and encouragement.
Wow. I really need that today. So tired of the pain of the process,but keep feeling in my soul that God has a purpose in the timing.
Thank you so much for your encouragement!!