"Hair's the long and short of it..."

The title speaks volumes. Today we took Reggie our "long haired" wienie dog to the groomer to become our "short haired" wienie dog. I had no idea what he would end up looking like and was a teeny bit nervous about it, but he turned out SO cute! I tell you the truth, I was about fed up with the Reggie hairs....they were EVERYWHERE! I know I am gonna rest so much better knowing that now he won't leave a trail of hair behind him when he walks down the hall. There is no covering up with hardwood floors....and white is also impossible to overlook. YIKES!! So needless to say, I am pleased with my new and improved buzz-cut pup. Now, I must get the evidence up that he was ever a long-haired breed(-:. Some serious vacuuming is fixin' to start in the Helton home!

Grapes...

This afternoon God gave me the priveldge to teach to my kiddos something that was very cool for me. As I was making lunch (hot dogs, mac & cheese, apples and grapes), I felt as though God told me to do something! Please know that I don't have these moments often...so I am super excited about it (not super spiritual). I just want to make that clear because lots of times as I'm making lunch I'm fuming with frustration or raising my voice to someone or just not being anywhere close to hearing from God. Well, back to today at lunch...God told me to tell the kids about what He says in John 15 (about Jesus being the vine and we are the branches). I had the grapes in hand and I showed them to the kids. I said that in the Bible, Jesus talks about Jesus being the vine and we are the branches (and I pointed to the vine and then to the branches that the grapes were on). I then went on to point to the plump juicy grapes on the branches and I said (or God through me said)..."see how healthy and full these grapes are?" I then got a grape that was in the bottom of the grape bag that had fallen off of the branch. It was squishy, wrinkly and just not very full of juice. I told them "this is like what we are when we are not attached to the vine (Jesus). We are all flimsy, not healthy and we have no way to grow. We dry up to prunes. BUT, if we remain on the vine (Jesus), we are able to bear healthy fruit just like these grapes. Our lives can be full (like the grapes) and we can grow (in knowledge of God) like the grapes can grow and be fed while still on the vine!" They got it! Oh it was such a special moment. I will never forget that! I just had to say out loud, "Thank you God for speaking to me a word that I can speak to kids to help them understand YOU in a better, more "real" way"! It is funny though when I have a time such as this. Satan wants me to think that this illustration is something that is old news and not such a big deal. It might be old news to some or an illustration that pastors, teachers or even parents have used millions of times. But ya know what I say to that? It is a big deal to me because I heard from God himself. I've eaten grapes many many times and had never had that encounter before!! Satan tries to discourage us, but nope, not today!! I just had to share this today. Thanks for being patient and reading my "lengthy" blogs.

Going Beyond with Priscilla Shirer...

This past weekend I had an amazing opportunity to go to the "Going Beyond" women's conference with Priscilla Shirer with some ladies from church. It was such a wonderful learning and growing experience. For those who have never seen her before in person, you have to go if given the opportunity. She is a dynamic speaker who is "real" and relateable (is that a word?). She is a parallel kind of speaker. She makes the Bible come to life in a very practical way that you can relate to presently in your life. When she teaches, you can see a parallel in your life to what she is focusing on in the Word (it was Moses leading his people from Egypt to the Promised Land of Caanan this past weekend). Wow. I loved it! I love it when God gives me those "light bulb" moments. I almost have to laugh out loud because it is like I could sense God tangibly teaching me. It's so amazing that He loves me so much that He'd give me that special time of learning and growing.
First, let me say that Priscilla is a firm believer that we DO NOT need "the next Bible study" to grow in the Lord. We have all we need in the Bible. She spoke on and gave specific direction and detailed guidance for "quiet times" or as she coined it "Soul Stirring Conversations with God". This was huge for me!! I needed this simple direction of having a genuine quiet time. So often, I'll think I'll have to open the Bible and read chapters and pray for lengthy times. There are so many factors (that I made) involved that I'd get overwhelmed...what book do I read from?...how much should I read?...do I pray before or after I read the Bible?...should I do it first thing in the morning?...if I don't do it first thing in the morning, I feel as though I blew it so just forget it...(I'm an all or nothing kind of girl). Who doesn't want to REALLY hear from God...it is something I truly desire, but unfortunately not always the reality in my day to day life. I really would try do these things at times and just be doing a quiet time to check it off of my list (if I did one at all). WELL...I don't have any excuses any more. Priscilla laid out a very simple 5 step plan to having conversation with God in a "real" way. Let me share................
1) POSITION yourself to hear from God (alone and quiet place) Habakkuk 2:1 & Psalm 27:14
PICK out 1 or 2 verses ( or more according to whatever time you have) from whatever book of the Bible that interests you.

2) POUR over (read) the verse/s and then PARAPHRASE the major points in YOUR own words (in a spiral notebook/journal/whatever). List the points. James 1:25; Joshua 1:8.
(Tips for Paraphrasing: ask WHO are the major participants...WHAT are they doing/saying?...WHERE are they going?...WHAT is the happening?....WHEN is this occurring?)

3) PULL OUT the spiritual principles from your paraphrasing (write them down). Then, CLOSE THE BIBLE! (This part was freeing for me in some ways. You have in front of you what you need if you've done step 1 & 2).

4) POSE a question TO YOURSELF based on the spiritual principle that you've seen in the verse/s. Ask yourself...am I doing that spiritual principle? Do I let Him... Do I desire... Is that spiritual principle evident in MY life?...You can go on and on depending on what the verse/s are about.

5) PLAN obedience and PIN DOWN a date to do it! James 1:22; Jeremiah 7:23
It's like drawing a conclusion from the questions you asked yourself and then the Holy Spirit WILL convict/draw/make clear those things that you need to change to be more like Jesus.

You'll find in doing all of these steps that you ARE having a genuine dialogue with the Holy Spirit of God and fulfilling the very purpose of a quiet time that is "real" and not forced.

Pretty great stuff (for me anyways). Just wanted to share with anyone who might struggle in the same areas of genuine quiet times with the Lord.

She shared these points to those at the conference, but there is a Bible study of hers that is based on this very way to study the Bible for yourself called "Can We Talk? Soul Stirring Conversations with God by Priscilla Shirer".

My sweet hubby...

Where do I begin? Adam is the best husband anyone could ask for. Really. Here is a bit of "Helton History Trivia" for you: 1) We were high school sweet hearts (Go Bears) 2) We were best friends in 9th grade 3) We were prom king & queen (I know...don't laugh) 4) We dated for 3 years before we got engaged 5) We were engaged for 3 years before we were married 6) We'll be married 10 years this October! The great thing is...we're still friends! He cracks me up. Has the best sense of humor of anyone I've ever met. He is such a great husband to me. He is such a great daddy to Emma and Ian. They adore him. When he comes home, they just light up and get so excited. He is really fun with them...always doing those fun dad things like wrestling, playing, reading to them. I am thankful to the Lord for such a great husband that is also my best friend.

Homeschool "R" Us

Well...This is blog post #2 for me...maybe I'm getting on a roll. Thought I'd mention a bit about homeschooling and what's going on in our lives with that. I homeschool Emma, my precious 2nd grade girl...this is our 2nd year. Tomorrow makes the start of official school week #3 for the year so far. So far so good believe it or not. Let me back up a bit...homeschool is not what I had planned when I had my sweet little babies. As time (and circumstances with a rough school year in school for Emma in Kindergarten) went on, I felt the "call" to homeschool Emma. It was more like a fog horn (-:....it wasn't what I had necessarily desired or expected, but here we are. I am blessed to be able to spend time with my children during the day, see them both bonding (I love that part), and attempt to teach in a way that will please the Lord. Do I do it right all the time???? Are you kidding? No way. Do I do it right some of the time??? Well, it depends on who you ask :). In my own power, I never do school right (or parenting for that matter). When I am led by the Lord, things DO go right and He shines through. It is at those times when I am encouraged to keep going strong. I have determined that God wants homeschool for us at this time as much to change and mold me to who He has called me to be as a mom and as a Christian. I want nothing more to be a woman after God's own heart and to teach and train my children in the ways of the Lord. I fail miserably on a daily basis, but praise the Lord that He is always there ready and willing to forgive me and help me back up on my feet! Parenting is....HARD!!! Wow, is it hard. I love my kids so much. They are both so unique and fun! Emma is very creative and empathetic. She'll be the first to go get you an ice pack if you've fallen (well...she usually gets an ice pack for every kind of boo-boo...I guess she thinks ice is a cure-all (-:). She can't stand for someone to be hurt. She is also very just and will get EVERYONE straight if there has been an injustice that she sees (especially if it has to do with her little brother). Very FAIR-minded little girl. She'd be a great judge. When I say creative, let me give you an example...tonight we went to Las Palmas after Church (with a coupon FYI Christy..:)). Well, she tore a piece of Adam's taco aluminum foil, made a swan bowl out of it, put cheese in it and then proceeded to dip her chips in the swan bowl instead of the regular cheese dip bowl. I just love her imagination...it truly inspires me at times! Ian...well...he's just a little dude! He is very sweet and hilarious (takes after his Daddy for sure). He is very much into super heroes right now. He is very independent. He is determined to pick out his own clothes and every day he has his own idea of what he wants to wear and you just cannot get him to change his opinion (and I do try sometimes when it is pajamas or a sweat shirt and jeans in the middle of the summer). I'm working on letting go of some (okay...a little) of my control. This is a hard one for me I must confess. I know it is necessary though and God is helping me through that one. Well...I didn't know I was gonna go into so much...but remember, I'm new at this. Hopefully I'll get better at it with time!

Never Say Never

Hey there folks. This is my new blog, can you believe it?? I promised I'd never do this. Never say never. I might be the only reader, but I can say I did it (with help from my friends). That's all for now. Bye, bye. Check back for updates..........although there might not be any :). I'll do my best! Have A GREAT DAY!