A Pocket Full of Poseys

Dear Bible Bee Contestant Families, Volunteers, and Friends,

As most of you know, we are less than two weeks away from the 2009 National Bible Bee Contest in Washington, D.C.  As we make our final plans and preparations, we have an urgent prayer request.  The National Bible Bee cannot function without lots of key volunteers and we are currently short. 

We have a number of volunteer roles to fill (judges, proctors, runners, prayer warriors, etc.) and we need to have all of our volunteers signed up by October 30th (but preferably this week), so we appreciate your fervent prayers on our behalf.  

Please pray that God will open up the floodgates and bring in all the volunteers that are needed to carry out this inaugural event.   It is our desire to equip children and youth to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ as they learn, speak, and live out God’s Word.  Help us turn this nation back to God by joining us in intercessory prayer as we prepare to boldly proclaim God’s Word in our nation’s Capitol!

If you, or any of your family or friends, are able to volunteer, please click one of the following links:

For Volunteer Information                                                 http://www.biblebee.org/nationals2009/volunteers.php

To Sign up as a Volunteer / Prayer Warrior                           http://www.biblebee.org/nationals2009/vvolunteernow.php

If you have any questions, please email us at info@biblebee.org.

Please feel free to pass the word on and forward this to others. Thank you very much for your faithfulness, prayers, and support!

Proclaiming God’s Word and Exalting our Savior!

I’m continuing to pray for guidance as I seek to hone in exactly how I might write a book on Christians and breastfeeding.  Your comments would be greatly appreciated!  The Lord is still nudging me in this direction.  It still seems so complicated, but his is where some of my only credentials lie.  My target reader would be moms that are Christian and trying to live like Godly Biblical women, but have questions or concerns with nursing a baby.  This would not be a “how to book”, but more encouraging and supportive on the emotional side.  There are already lots of “how to” books.  I talked to many mothers who had valid reasons that they didn’t breastfeed, even though they knew it was best.  I heard stories ranging from past sexual abuse to husbands that told them not to nurse their baby and everything in between, like those of women that had been in fires and burned.  So, I’d like to be the encouraging writer that can combine these complicated:  God’s design for a mother to feed her baby (and other roles breasts have in God’s eyes), why it’s best for mom and baby for baby, past/present circumstances and problems that make it impossible (or seem impossible), finding peace and not feeling guilty when you don’t breastfeed, finding support and help, and suggestions for others to be more supportive (doctors, husbands, grandmothers, pastors, church bodies, etc.).  I still believe their will be other major elements to add and I don’t want to leave any out.

Here is an exercise I did and you might want to try also if YOU are like ME and trying hard to put people before things.  Sometimes "life" can distract you from the most important assests of your life:  your husband and kids.

If you’d like to do this, follow these directions. 

ANALYZE YOUR PRORITIES.  WRITE DOWN YOUR CURRENT PRIORITIES, THEN RECAST THEM IN LIGHT OF YOUR DESIRE TO BECOME AN EFFECTIVE _____________________(you fill in the blank).

Here are my answers:

My priorities before deciding to become a writer in addition to mom, wife, homeschooler:

(I have these tabbed in my DayRunner in this order)

1.  Self-Physically, Spritually, Socially/Mentally

2.  Wife

3.  Mother

4.  Home Maker/Manager

5.  Homeschool Teacher

6.  Relative/Friend

7.  Church Member

8.  Business Bookkeeper

9.  Hobbies

Ok, NOW my priorities tweaked some to give room for writing:

1.  Self-Physically, Spiritually, Socially/Mentally/Journaling

2.  Wife

3.  Mother

4.  Home Maker/Manager

5.  Homeschool Teacher

6.  Writing Career (with the bulk done @night according to when Mhubby is home)

7.  Relative/Friend

8.  Church Member

9.  Business Bookkeeper

10.  Hobbies

I have a Microsoft Word document that I block these priorities in.  Just leave a comment if you’d like a copy:)  It helps me try to hit my targets in order.

This is an area I am always experimenting with new schedules and tinkering our existing routines.  If it will help you, I am glad:)  From what I’ve read from authors in situations like mine (homeschooling, part-time work at home, social/church life with not much family/babysitters to help), I’m going to have to use every spare moment to write, journal, or research, even if it’s junk and I have to edit it all later.  I like being on a schedule so I’m setting some work hours when the kids nap in the afternoon, but only for an hour. Also I must get everything done before they go to sleep so that I can actually have quiet time to write before I go to sleep.  This is my problem area.  There is ALWAYS still work to be done.  Even though interruptions have become a way of life, I really must adopt a rule that on weeknights, the boys must go to sleep at 8 p.m. and unless there is a life threatening emergency, I must only use that few hours to write, study, and research.  I’ve started sleeping later one hour in the morning so I could stay up one hour later at night to write and I really like that better.  My husband has agreed to take all the kids with him one night a week when another has to go to practice so I’ll be home alone for about 2 more hours by myself to work then. Saying “no” to extra activities will lead to over-commitment and during this season of my life I’m going to have to let other people lead except within our immediate family so that we don’t get any busier.

I can’t believe I missed this, but a picture I submitted was put on Lifeway’s ParentLife Blog back in April.

Click on this link to see it (you’ll need to scroll down about 3/4 way down).

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/parentlife/fun-friday-photo/

The picture is of our 2 year old during a long drive when I did NOT want him to wake up.  I "invented" a way to hold his head up using mostly socks.  IT WORKED:)

I’m still laughing about it!