Louder Than the Voices

Happy Saturday! This has been another long week for me, and after a 12 and a half hour day at work yesterday, I was thankful to not be controlled by the alarm clock this morning! I am glad I stayed there last night though because HOPEFULLY, by the end of this day, my new home office will be a lot further along, and I wanted to get work off my plate so I could concentrate with Andrew on getting my new "cloffice" set up. Anyway, on with our Bible Study! For the past three weeks, we've talked about nutrition, physical fitness and finances. We've talked about taking care of the bodies God gave us, making wise choices with our money and being good stewards of the blessings He's entrusted to us. But this week, we're going to talk about the one thing that ties all of those together. Our FAITH. I saved this one for last because I truly believe our relationship with God influences every other area of our lives. And just like our bodies, our finances and our habits, our...

 Over the past two weeks, we've talked about nutrition and fitness and what the Bible tells us about taking care of the bodies God has given us. This week, we're going to talk about something that can be a little uncomfortable for some of us. MONEY! We work for it, spend it, save it, worry about it, and sometimes wonder where in the world it all went! But have you ever stopped to think about what the Bible says about how we handle it? The Bible actually has quite a bit to say about money. And I think one of the most important things we can learn is that being a good steward isn't necessarily about how much we have. It's about what we do with what we've been given. Today I want to share 3 things the Bible says about money. 1. Everything we have ultimately belongs to God. “The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” Psalm 24:1  The last 10 days have been absolutely brutal for everyone on our staff. We are short-staffe...

 Good morning! What a week! I had my stitches taken out this week and then had some weirdness happening so I made the 2 hour trip to Champaign 2 days in a row. Happily, I just had some wayward tissue that didn't know where to go so it came out through my gums, scared me but thankfully, was harmless. Everything is doing well there. I made a mad dash trip to Lincoln to see my sister and the Pink Pumpkin Auction that she is one of the sponsors and directors of, and then right back to work. It was our first days of LIHEAP and those are always crazy but I have gotten to embrace the week and live this life God has given me to the fullest. This plays right in to what my topic is this week. Part 2 of my series. 3 Things the Bible Says About Strengthening Our Bodies Last week we talked about nutrition and being a good steward of the body God has given us. This week, let's talk about actually strengthening that body. I think sometimes Christians almost feel guilty for putting time into e...

 Good morning! Happy Saturday! I hope you are all doing well. I had oral surgery this week, having bone grafting done between 4 of my teeth, so it has been a week of ups and down. Happily, yesterday, I felt great just in time for our Homecoming.  So, Andrew and I enjoyed our town, the parade and the game last night. What a great day to be an Eagle, and make me really thankful I am back home. We live 2 blocks from the high school; where I attended and Robert attended, so we were able to walk to the game last night. We would have walked to the parade but I knew I wanted to look for some things at Rauch's jewelry and gift shop and didn't want to have to carry it home on foot, and of course, I found what I was looking for. :-). Anyway, I have decided to do another 4 part series. This time, looking at what the Bible says about certain areas of our lives. We are going to talk about Nutrition, Fitness, Finances and our Faith. So, let's get started! 3 Things the Bible Says About Nu...

  James 4:17 “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” Last week in Bible study, we were studying Titus 1, and our discussion turned to sin. We talked about the fact that no matter how hard we try to live good Christian lives, we are still going to sin. Sometimes we may even sin without immediately realizing that we have done it. I think sometimes the world looks at Christians and assumes that we think we are perfect—or that because we call ourselves Christians, we are somehow claiming to be better than everyone else. But most Christians I know have never claimed that. In fact, Christianity begins with admitting the exact opposite: we need a Savior because we aren't perfect and never will be on this side of Heaven. I might even call myself a Christian perfectionist. I want to get it right. I want to do my best. I want my life to reflect what I believe, and when I realize I've gotten something wrong, I want to correct it. But being a Christi...

Good morning! Happy Saturday! This morning I want to share something a little different. This isn't something I have figured out and now want to teach you. This is something God is working on in me right now. In fact, it is something He has been showing me more and more lately, and this morning I felt like maybe I wasn't supposed to keep it to myself. Since my mom died, I have done a lot of second-guessing myself. I lost my mom, which is a loss I don't think I will ever be able to adequately put into words, but I also lost one of my greatest sounding boards. Mom was someone I could take my thoughts, ideas, problems, frustrations, and decisions to. She knew me well enough to know when I needed encouragement, but she also knew me well enough to tell me when I needed to get over something! More importantly, she had wisdom—and a lot of that wisdom was rooted in her faith. Without her here, I have felt a little lost at times. But recently, God has been showing me something about...

 Good morning! Happy Saturday from right in the middle of the craziness for me. I just got home from a few days in St. Louis for a work conference, and Andrew and I are leaving Monday afternoon to go back to St. Louis to catch a plane to San Antonio Tuesday morning for a board meeting and conference planning. I love San Antonio, so when things worked out that we could stay a couple of extra days, I was game. I will get back, though, and have four days left before I have my major staff training of the year. There is a lot going on with LIHEAP right now too, so that is a lot to plan for. Then, to keep life interesting, four days after the staff training, I will have oral surgery and have a bone graft on my front lower teeth. September is going to be something. So, I am trying to fit making a quick trip to Hob Nob, Laundry, repacking, and spending time at the office getting ready for my training all into today.  And maybe that makes this the perfect week to talk about the last pa...

 Happy Friday- I am a day early! I'm posting a little early this week because I'm heading to my sister's for Lincoln's Balloon Festival, and tomorrow morning I plan to be up early watching the balloons instead of sitting at my computer writing a post! And maybe choosing to make room for something I enjoy fits pretty well with what we're talking about this week anyway. We are back for Part 3 of Self-Care Isn't Selfish , and I have to admit, this one may be harder for me than caring for my body. In Part 1, we talked about learning to rest before we run completely empty. In Part 2, we talked about caring for our bodies and actually listening when they tell us they've had enough. This week, we're talking about our minds—and apparently life decided I needed some real-life material for this one too! Earlier this week, I went to the periodontist. I've had periodontal disease for years, and I had a troublesome spot on my gum that just wasn't clearing up....

 I’ve been dealing with periodontal care for many years, so taking care of my teeth and gums at home has become a pretty important part of my daily routine. I’ve tried a lot of different products over the years, but there are a handful that I continue to use because they work well for my routine . I thought I’d put them all in one place in case you’re looking for ideas for your own dental-care routine. Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase through one of my links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Of course, I’m not a dentist or periodontist. These are simply products I personally use. If you have periodontal disease or other dental concerns, talk with your dental professional about what is appropriate for you. 1. Philips Sonicare Electric Toothbrush My Sonicare is the foundation of my daily routine. I prefer an electric toothbrush because it makes it easier...

 Good morning! I'm back! I missed you last Saturday, but as it turns out, life gave me a pretty good lesson in the very series I had just started. I was on our girls' trip, trying to enjoy a few days at the beach while also dealing with a splitting headache and what was believed to be shingles. I had plans for that trip. I wanted to be out enjoying the beach, doing all the things we had planned and making the most of our time away. But my body had some other ideas. There were times I had to go back to the room, get out of the heat, rest and accept that I simply wasn't going to do everything I wanted to do. And apparently, I didn't completely learn the lesson, because I came home and jumped right back in! In Part 1 of Self-Care Isn't Selfish , we talked about how easy it is to keep putting ourselves at the bottom of the list, promising we'll rest or take care of ourselves after everything else is done. And we decided there is just one problem with that: everythi...