OK, so I'm new at blogging. Well, at writing one . . . I have been a blog junkie to 2 or 3 blogs for quite a while now. But being the mother to five young children (five 5 and under -- there's a pair of twins in there) and the wife to a very talented (if I do say so myself) seminarian who is admittedly stretched a little thin (work, school, church, kids, ahem . . . wife), I find myself needing a place to organize my thoughts. So at least SOMETHING of mine will be organized!

I am realizing that there are 3 main things that help my sanity:

1) Getting a shower before the kids are up. Well, OK, before the kids are out of their room and into the kitchen and . . . eating lunch.
2) A large cup of homemade iced coffee, especially if it's a mocha.
3) Sunshine! Pouring in the windows, splashing across the floor . . .

But these are really incidentals. Of course, I have to include the No. 1 Priority, which is . . . Time in the Word (you knew that was coming, right?). Spending time in the Scriptures will not clean my kitchen OR re-wind the tape that my 22 mo.-old daughter has (AGAIN!!!) pulled out of the Hank the Cowdog audiocassette OR fish the cereal out of the milk carton (courtesy of my 22 mo.-old son) OR take away the responsibilities that come with the blessing of children.

BUT!!! Spending time in the Scriptures WILL bring me to where I am supposed to be. It WILL remind me that I am just a temporary citizen in this (very messy) Kingdom of Man but a permanent citizen of the (cleansed through the blood of the cross) Kingdom of God. It WILL take my focus off of myself and my eensy teensy little part of the world in this eensy teensy little part of history and WILL show me God's focus and His hand in history.

Spending time in the Scriptures reminds me, once again (because, like those ever-grumbling Israelites, I am more than a little forgetful), that cleaning my kitchen and re-winding an audiocassette and fishing cereal out of milk are not stumbling blocks to my sanctification. They are part and parcel of my day, to be used for the glory of God.

And, when I can order them, so are showers and iced coffees and sunshine.

"This is the LORD's doing;
   it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day that the LORD has made;
   let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Ps. 118:23-24).