Weekend Wrap-Up and an Admission of Defeat

We had a very busy, but productive weekend.  And, as always it came to a close far too soon!  The past couple of Mondays I have woken up to my alarm going off totally thinking it was Sunday.  Talk about a terrible way to start a week. 

Our weekend started off with Koby having a swollen jaw.  Brandon got home from work before I did and called me because it looked like he was hiding a small golf ball in his cheek.  He sent me this picture, which did not do it justice because I was shocked when I got home and saw it for myself.  We called the vet and they said it could be a bug bite or it could be an absessed tooth but to give him some Benadryl and bring him in first thing in the morning.  So, we gave him two doses of Benadryl and saw a little improvement.  Brandon took him to the vet first thing Saturday morning and she confirmed that it was a bug bite and gave him a shot of cortizone and he was good to go.  We were a little worried we were going to have to pay for surgery to remove an absessed tooth, so needless to say we were very pleased it was only a bug bite.  Now, we just need to figure out how he got bit because he was inside all day...

While Brandon took Koby to the vet bright and early Saturday morning, I headed to the RUN2BELIEVE race.  It was a beautiful day and a beautiful tribute to Kylie and Kyle.  Last I heard they had more than 1,000 runners (amazing turn out for a first annual event) and raised close to $20,000!  The Chamber had a great turnout of participants and my co-worker, Pat, even won a medal!!  Brandon also ran in the race and placed 7th in his age division.  Pretty good considering he hadn't run in quite some time.

After the race, I headed to lunch with my good friend and her little girl.  We had a fun time just visiting and browsing Target!  After my lunch date, I headed home to join Brandon doing yard work.  We pulled up a bunch of random weeds/plants that were growing under out deck.  We also pulled out a HUGE ivy plant that was growing into the house.  The back side of our house looks pretty bare now which has got us itching to get plants to fill it up again :)

We spent a nice evening out on Saturday night.  We had dinner at PF Changs, quickly browsed in the new Cabela's, and ended our night with frozen yogurt.  The weather on Saturday could not have been prettier so it was fun to spend a lot of the day outside!

Sunday was pretty low-key.  After church Brandon finished up working in the yard while I painted the stair case, cleaned a little bit and hit up the grocery story.  We ended the day having dinner with my cousin and his family and then it was time to get ready for the week.  I'm hosting Bunco at my house tonight so I did a little bit to get ready for that before I really shut it off for the night.  We slept with the windows open and unfortunately neither of us got much sleep because the darn geese who hang out in the lake behind our house were sqawking ALL. NIGHT. LONG.  So annoying!!! 

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And now it is confession time....

I've obviously not been very good at keeping up with posting the daily devotionals so I am going to try to figure out how to post the pdf as a link and share the whole devotional with you. 

Devotional -- Day 29

Day 29

• Read John 11:1–45.
• Talk to someone today whose life was dramatically changed by Jesus. Ask them how that transformation came about.
• How has Jesus “brought you back to life”?

  

Devotional -- Day 28

Day 28

• Read Psalm 130.
• Draw a sketch of yourself in the “depths.” Then draw a picture of Jesus pulling you out of the depths.
• How has God shown his unfailing love to you recently?

  

Devotional -- Day 27

Day 27

• Read John 4:5–42.
• Write down the arguments the Samaritan woman gave Jesus.
• Are you giving Jesus any similar arguments?

Devotional -- Day 26

Day 26

• Read Romans 5:1–11.
• Chart the progression in verses 3–4.
• How can suffering lead ultimately to hope?

Devotional -- Day 25

Day 25

• Read Psalm 95.
• Publicly share with someone how great God is.
• Is there any area in which you are hardening your heart?

Devotional -- Days 23 and 24

Day 23

• Read Matthew 17:1–9.
• Sketch what you think this scene looked like.
• How did this experience further reveal who Jesus is?

 

Day 24

• Read Exodus 17:1–7.
• Consider an area in which you are “thirsty.”
• Are you “testing” the Lord by your unbelief?

  

Devotional -- Day 22

Day 22

• Read John 3:1–21.
• List the things in your life that show you love the light. Now list the things that show you love the darkness.
• Which of the things on your “darkness” list can you ask God to begin to move into the light?

  

Devotional -- Day 21

Day 21

• Read Romans 4:13–17.
• Think back to a time you tried to keep “the law” and failed.
• How is Abraham the father of all?

  

Devotional -- Day 20

Day 20

• Read Romans 4:1–8.
• Thank God for giving you something you don’t deserve.
• How do works and faith intersect in the Christian life?

  

Devotional -- Day 16

Day 16

• Read Romans 5:12-21
• Write down one law that you know you have broken.
• What joy do you find in knowing Jesus has justified you despite your sin?

Devotional -- Day 15

Day 15

• Read Colossians 1:9–13.
• Pray this prayer for someone today.
• Which of these things would you most like God to work into your life?

Devotional -- Day 14

Day 14

• Read Genesis 3:1–7.
• Discuss with someone else the fatal decisions in this passage.
• What similar dialogue are you having with “the serpent” these days?

Devotional -- Days 11, 12 and 13

I thought I had scheduled my Days 11 and 12 posts to publish over the weekend, but apparently I didn't...  Oops!

Day 11

• Read 2 Corinthians 6:4–10.
• Write a note of encouragement to a spiritual leader who has sacrificed time or effort for you.
• How have you experienced the kind of victory during difficulties that Paul is talking about in these verses?

Day 12

• Read Matthew 6:1–6.
• Give away something of value today, whether it is money or a possession.
• What kind of motives do you generally have when giving? What do you tend to expect in return?

Day 13

• Read Genesis 2.
• Jot down the good things surrounding Adam in this passage.
• What in creation can you thank God for today?

Devotional - Days 9 and 10

Sorry about being MIA yesterday.  Life is crazy and work is crazy and I just didn't get to the computer much.  So, here are days 9 and 10 all wrapped into one!

Day 9

• Read Psalm 51.
• Write the sins that God brings to mind on a sheet of paper. Confess them, then shred the paper to symbolize that they are in the past.
• What is one area in which you need to feel that you are “whiter than snow”?

Day 10 This one is totally hitting home with me today...funny how that happens!Read 2 Corinthians 5:20–21.

• Consider to whom you might be an ambassador for Christ today.
• What should be the distinguishing characteristics of an ambassador for Christ?

Devotional - Day 8

Day 8

• Read Isaiah 58:1–12
• Ask God to show you if you are going through the outward motions of Lent yet acting unjustly before him in everyday life
•  Is there someone you need to be helping right now?

A Day Without Media

Yesterday I went the entire day without checking my personal Twitter or Facebook accounts, reading blogs, browsing the internet, checking my personal email, watching TV, listening to the radio, and with limited cell phone use.  Why this "media fast"?  Well, as part of our new small group Bible study, as well as the devotionals I've been posting here (a coincidence that both required some sort of fasting??  I think not!), I was encouraged to take a one day break from media in an effort to create more space in my life for God, or at least the opportunity for me to focus on God.  Brandon also joined me in the effort.

Before I get into the things I learned yesterday, I do need to give one short disclaimer.  As part of my job, I am responsible for all communications in our office, along with overseeing and managing our website and social media channels.  So while I was fasting from personal social media and internet activities, I still had to use media at work. 

Okay, now on to my media-free observations (I jotted down a list throughout the day yesterday so I wouldn't forget anything):

• the drive to work was eerily quiet and I found myself humming and whistling
• my work day was a little more productive because I was not doing anything personal online
• realized I will survive without knowing all of the breaking news via Twitter
• the break provided me with more "thinking" time in the car sans the distraction of the radio
• Brandon and I actually had conversations when we got home from work instead of vegging in front of the TV
• we got more accomplished around the house last night since we were not distracted by TV
• realized how much time I do spend online or watching TV
• I actually read part of a book without falling asleep -- this is MAJOR!

So now that we have particpated in that little exercise and made these observations, we have decided that we need to refocus a little bit.  From now on, we are going to instill a no TV from the time we get home from work until after dinner.  This is a good opportunity for us to decompress and talk to each other about our days, and in all hoensty it was sort of nice to have some peace and quiet after a full work day.  I think we will also eventually limit our TV intake all together, or at least not feel like we have to watch our shows "live" since we do have a DVR and can watch them when we literally have nothing else to do.

One thing that I know I need to work on is my connection to social media.  I will be the first person to rattle off its benefits, and I do believe there are benefits, but it does not need to rule my life.  I can live without all of the tidbits of information I gather on Twitter and Facebook.  In reality, I do not need to check Twitter and FB right when I get up in the morning.  I watch the news and will find out any pertinent information that I need at that time.  And really, sometimes it is nice to be in the dark a bit -- for instance I did not know about the shooting in Ohio until this morning when we turned on the news.

So, all in all this was a good exercise for both Brandon and me.  I would encourage all of you (the few who do read this thing) to try a similar exercise in your own life and then re-evaluate how you've been doing things.  It really was refreshing.

Also, my faithful readers may have noticed that I had two posts yesterday but have no fear, they were both scheduled posts that I wrote on Sunday night :)

Devotional - Day 7

Day 7

• Read Joel 2:12–17
• Ask God to show you if there is something you need to repent of
• What does it mean to “rend your heart”?

Devotional - Day 6

Day 6

• Read Joel 2:1–10
• Sketch this passage
• What does this description make you feel? Why?

Devotional - Day 5

Day 5

• Read Colossians 3:12-17
• Ask God to show you if there is someone you have wronged.
• Is there someone you need to reconcile with as you focus on Christ?