Sounds weird, doesn't it?
Fly Swatter Word Game
What the heck is that?!
Well, Carrie is 4 on Sept 27th. The girl is scaring me with her spongy brain. She knows her letters, sounds and knows how to sound out words and even spell a couple.
Carrie is also a very wiggly, active child. She can do 4 puzzles in a row for 30 minutes, sitting quite still. After that? She's on the move!
So I made up a game.
I used an excel spreadsheet and on one column I wrote the following words in their own "box" or cell:
hat, mat, cat, rat, bed, net, pot, pup, cup
then I found clip art that matched the words
I enlarged it and printed it
I had Carrie practice her cutting skills and cut out the words and picture in each "box"
She accidentally cut a few, but nothing a glue stick can't fix.
Then after she cut them out, I took cardstock and cut it into pieces a little larger- and we pasted the word on a piece of cardstock, and then pasted the picture on another.
(So there is a matching "card" - word with picture)
Okay, so I took it to Office Max where I had them laminate it. $4 for the laminating and they are super laminated. Holy cow, I had no idea it would be thick and hard! Nothing can destroy these things!
So then we bought 3 fly swatters.
I put tape on the smacking side of the fly swatter.
I laid the clip art cards on the floor side up.
I put the word cards face down in a pile.
For each turn, we drew a card and each person got a turn to find their matching picture card and smack it with the fly swatter, causing the card to "stick" to the fly swatter.
After a while, we didn't take turns, we would race each other. (Mommy lets Carrie win most of the cards.)
This game is two days old, and just tonight, we played it in reverse.
We had the word cards spread on the floor and drew the picture cards.
I watched as Carrie would move her swatter over to "bat" and then hesitate and sound out the word, and then find the correct word, "bed."
A wonderful game.
If she needed help learning letters I could use that to.
You could use any matching cards- math, letters, Q and A for a test, whatever!
The Adversary is strong.
But God is stronger.
The Adversary tries to weaken us by putting pressure on different areas to try and push us down.
We can fight him off. We have the victory. We are conquerors. We have been bought with the precious blood of Christ, the Lamb of God- who takes away our sins.
Who comforts us, who rescues us, who has redeemed us, we are HIS.
I have been under some stress here lately, and I am tired. I am emotionally, spiritually, physically tired. Both of us are. We decided to lift a few things off our plate to give us a season of rest. But I don't feel the rest just yet, but I know it's coming. A few more things to "tidy up" so to speak and then I will have my rest I have been waiting for. A season to embrace my family, my kids, to love on them with fewer distractions.
In a time of short rest and relaxation in my bathtub two days ago I could feel Satan trying to attack me. I did not "feel" the power of the Holy Spirit at that particular moment, but I knew I could tap into it. So I started chanting,
"Satan go away, go away, go away
Satan go away from me
I'm saved by the blood of the Lamb on the cross
You have no power over me.
Satan go away, go away, go away
Satan go away from me
I'm saved, I am loved
poured out from his blood
You have no power over me."
I said it over and over again, and believing that God would still rescue me at that moment, even when I did not "feel" it. And after saying it for some time, I began to feel the weight lifted off my shoulders. I felt lighter.
And it reminds me that we must always be on guard. And often lift up words that speak the Truth. Because even if we don't have the "feelings" of one who has the victory in Jesus, we can rest assured that He protects us because He told us so.
And yesterday I started to feel tired again, and so I went another route, I chanted it again, and went to my treadmill. And I ran for Jesus. I ran to fight whatever depressing mood was trying to creep up on me. And I ran with praise music. And I felt so much better.
A daily battle, I cannot forget that it is a daily battle, and I must be ready to fight. Daily. And on that note, I'm going to sign off and go say a prayer for Jeff, to defend him on the spiritual battlefield today.
I have a family member who is going through a really rough season, and when it looks like it could get better - another hard day comes at her, so I wrote this for her
And it reminds us all that on the hard days- He is still here...He has always been there, and He will remain ...right here. And for me personally, if He seems far away, it's because I've moved. And when life is painful for us, don't think for a second that His heart doesn't break for us...He is our Father, and He loves us so
I remember a time back when
life was easier than this mess I'm livin in
My days were filled with laughter and with smiles
these days are gone with once upon a time
Just when I think I have come up for air
Life has beat me down again
My journey's long and my journey is tough
When will my Lord say I have hard enough?
(Chorus)
Then I reach for you to hold me
and I close my eyes and you are here
I feel your hand brush against my cheek
and you gently wipe away my tears
and I know You are here
And now I go to the source of strength
b/c the strength in me is gone
I would cry but I have nothing left
I'm empty, Lord, I'm empty
Come and rescue me
(Chorus)
-You’ve never left me, Lord
I know that You are here
Always by my side I know that You are Here
I’ll close my eyes and know that You are right beside me
I have been spending some time in Genesis.
Chapter 18 is where we find something I find I want to model.
The Lord appears to Abraham and then when he looked up Abraham saw three men.
Abraham 's immediate response was serving them.
He asks the men to grant him the honor of serving them.
As if it were a favor to Abraham for him to serve.
And he rushes to wash their feet, to serve them food, and he stands under a tree near them. Standing, awaiting their next need..a servants heart.
As you read on, The Lord speaks while in the presence of the three men and Abraham suggesting that perhaps the three men were angels or holy beings. God then talks about the future destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
So, in Hebrews 13:2 it says, "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it."
Okay, so
1- I need to approach the Throne is such a manner
God doesn't need me, He doesn't need me to do anything.
He grants me the honor of serving Him, by doing something FOR Him that He could ultimately do Himself.
I need to approach the Throne with such thankfulness when He asks me to do something for Him.
And remain standing, ready to serve His Majesty.
2-In serving Him, I may be serving one of His own holy beings! Wow!
and oh, by the way, did you know that Abraham was the first one called PROPHET?
Genesis 20:7
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