Making Your Home a Haven Monday

So, even though I'm posting this on Tuesday I did do the challenge on Monday. The challenge was to tackle a pile. I started off with one, but ended up doing three. Our mail basket & secret chair, pantry shelf, and the file cabinet.

Oh...and it's called the secret chair, because it's the place where I discreetly place the mail/junk/things to be filed that don't fit in the mail basket and remains unseen because the tablecloth covers it. (*so sneaky*)

Here are my before and after pictures:




Yay! It's all done.

Making Your Home a Haven Monday

Well...I don't have many drawers in my house and all of those stay in a pretty tidy shape, at least most of the time. But Friday I was working on straightening up a few cabinets. Here's my before and after pictures:

This is my craft cabinet. I forgot to take a picture before I started taking things off the shelf.

Here's what was on the top two shelves. I decided to make this cabinet our "extras," all the things we've stocked up on from sales. And a few crafty things that wouldn't fit in the new cabinet. I also have lots of lotions and potions from my students. It's great to get gifts--and I definitely won't need to make any trips to Bath and Body Works any time soon! ; )

This is the new craft cabinet. I still haven't gotten to the top right shelf, but I'm working on it.

To see what others are doing this Monday, check out Biblical Womanhood.

Making Your Home a Haven Monday

I just wanted to share what I read this morning in my quiet time. Yesterday, our pastor preached from John 15:1-7 starting a series on intercession. His main point, as I took home, was that our prayer life is directly related to our intimacy with Christ. The closer we are to Christ the more we'll be like him in all things, in this case how He prayed and intercedes.

Each week, there are a series of Scriptures and questions to reflect on throughout the week. This morning I read Exodus 32:7-14.

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, "Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.

"They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, 'This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!'"

The LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people.

"Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation."

Then Moses entreated the LORD his God, and said, "O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?

"Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, 'With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people.

"Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'"

So the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people.

There were two things that stood out to me about Moses relationship with God (in essence his prayer life, since talking with God is prayer). The first is how confident Moses is to request that God would change His mind. God's ready to destroy these people for all their evils and Moses comes up and says, "Please don't." The second thing is the evidence that he knows God and His heart. He reminds God of his promise to Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob to give them the land and make their descendants like the stars.

For me, what encouraged me most about this passage is the confident Moses had in approaching God and how Christ has given me that same confidence in approaching the throne of grace. It is a sweet truth.

Making Your Home a Haven Monday

This week's Crystal at Biblical Womanhood is starting up "Making Your Home a Haven" with a new challenge.

Refresh your Spirit...

For me, today was a getting back into the work routine day. My two weeks of winter break are over and I was back at school teaching. It was a pretty good back-to-school day considering the kids have been out of it for two weeks and we had a new student.

It was a good day. A big day. After a few months of thinking and praying about this Joe and I decided its a good time for me to cut back my working hours to part-time. Talking with my director was a little nerve wracking to think about. We've had an up-and-down relationship since I've been working at the school. I was definitely walking in fear of man.

So, this morning in my quiet time I brought that before the Lord. And Sunday, one of my good friends prayed over me about the decision. Another one of my friends works with me in the same classroom, so she'd told me earlier she'll be praying when I go in to talk with my director. To keep this short, I went in and talked with her and it all went smoothly. She was compassionate, gracious, and willing to work with me if it works with the school. It just showed me God's covering and faithfulness.

When I was leaving the gym this afternoon, I turned and saw a most beautiful sight. The clouds were covering the sky. They were magnificent. Purple, white, and blue...The clouds were all different sizes with some even looking like shooting stars. It was beautiful and reminded me of how great and faithful our God is.