A Social Media Fast {REPOST}

{This is a repost from previous Wednesday. It will be posted each week during the duration of my fast!}

A lot has been going on in our house lately.
I mean a LOT!
Since I began my maternity leave on December 1 it feels as if our lives have been in constant motion. Okay don't misunderstand me. I know that life continually moves and develops and progresses but it is as if someone has pressed the fast foward button and I can't keep up! I'm not sure if it was even possible this last month and a half!
Now that 2013 has begun it has caused me (like almost everyone else!) to take a moment and reevaluate our lives at the moment.
Originally this was to be the year I ran my first marathon! BUT...two pregnancies have pushed that date back a little into the unknown future! It will happen however!
There is more to it than just that though. There are many areas of my life besides fitness that have taken a back burner in the daily struggle to just keep up. Areas of my life that should have been in the front at all times.
"For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also" Luke 12:34

Our pastor has asked that as a congregation we take part in a 21 day fast. You can fast anything or everything. There are different degrees of fasting but the most important is not the type of fast you partake in but your state of heart in doing so.
Originally I had decided to skip this fast. I figured since I was breastfeeding I had already cut out so much of my diet and needed to maintain a healthy diet for LJ.
Yet, I could feel God working on my heart. I knew there were areas of my life that needed some serious attention. Mainly my marriage and my home life.
I thought by now my children would be in a nice routine. Hubby Dearest and I would be settled and I would be preparing to return to work. All the while having thrown myself full force into my training.
How naive I have been! There is NO routine in my house right now! I'm talking zip, zadda big fat NADDA! Heck, I don't even think I have a shower routine further than get clean right now! And it shows in the kids. LJ doesn't have a sleep pattern. It's either he sleeps good or not at all! Lil Mister is all over the place (especially with tantrums!) and goes to bed whenever he falls asleep and takes a nap if he is willing. There was a 3 day period in which our brother Q visited and Lil Mister ate NOTHING except ice cream, candy and chips! God help us!
And most of all my poor Hubby is getting so little of my attention. Because the kids aren't in a routine, I can never predict when I can spend time with him. Then by the time I get anything accomplished in the house another kid needs my attention and Hubby is left to his own. He deserves better from me!
1 Timothy 2:1-2 ESV / 18 helpful votes

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

The more I looked at the state of my home life and my marriage (or what seems a lack thereof) the more I realized I needed more of God in my life. See...that too is suffering! I'm so exhausted because I'm chasing my own tail most days that I have been slipping on going to church (please let us not discuss my daily devotions :-[ ). I'm embarrassed as to how far I've slipped backwards.
So there I sat....feeding LJ (of course...I spend 50% of my time doing that!) and allowing the Spirit to work in me. Then what do I do....I take out my phone and log into my Google Reader because there are a pile of blogs that need read! I gasped...I couldn't believe what I was doing.
I'd cut off the most important person in my life (GOD!) for social media. I started thinking about it. How much time do I spend on Twitter, Facebook, Blogs a day? I realized that if you added up all the times I just "quickly" check everything I was easily on these sites 5 plus hours a day! Everytime I feed LJ I log on. Heaven forbid I miss what nonsense the Kardashians are spewing across Twitter or fail to upload a photo to Facebook. Oh and don't forget all you lovely ladies out there pounding out amazing posts day in and day out! I must be loyal to you as well!
But what is happening during this time? Nothing....Lil Mister is watching TV. LJ is feining my attention and love. Hubby Dearest is wanting a conversation. And God...well God is knocking at the door of my heart!!
I was....I am ashamed of myself.
So I put aside my phone and listened to God speak to my heart. How important is a healthy relationship with my husband to me? How much do I want to set an example for my children? How well can I be a mother and a wife without God's guidance?? Oh....Lord....I am so sorry. Why have I let myself get so deep?
I remember as a young teenager if I would start to become to 'obsessed' with something normally my parents would ration me off. Like when I hit 1000 sms in one month...my phone was taken. When at the age of 12 I covered EVERY square inch of my walls with Aaron Carter posters...my parents took them down and took his cd's. When I started drinking at 16... my parents grounded me.
So I thought harder about how to be more involved and structured in my home.
Then God asked again....how important is all of this to you?
The answer is easy....more than anything else in the world my family is number one. They're needs and priorties and even wants come before all else.
Then God hit the nail on the head and drove it straight into my heart. How important is social media to you? Because you spend more time and energy there than with your family. Even when you aren't online you're thinking about it. Drafting blogs in your head. Wondering about Tweets and pondering status'.
So there it was. I was going to fast. Nope not food. But social media!
I need more of God in my life and my children and husband need more of my undivided attention in theirs!
Social media isn't bad (nor is chocolate or wine!) but it does need to be rationed.
So for 21 days I am fasting. I will take 30 minutes each day to do my hops and only if both kids are asleep and Hubby Dearest is either working or asleep too!!
During this time I will not be posting or reading on Twitter or Facebook. Neither will I be on my Google Reader (I'm scared what a mess that will look like after 3 weeks!). Although I will check email because of work and it is how I communicate with my parents, I will not be reading my subscriptions!
Please if you are reading this as a follower or through a hop, I vow on all that is bloggy responding to all of your lovely comments will be my first order of buisness when I return!!
I have a few posts scheduled over the next 3 weeks so I'll still be showing up for you!!
I will be replacing my internet time with reading my Bible, praying, reading stories to Lil Mister, spending quality time with Hubby Dearest, or just enjoying a moment with LJ. This is time to recenter my focus and my family and get my priorities in line. I pray that not only will this improve my structure and quality time at home with my family but when I return it will also improve the quality of my blog!

Continue praying for us and I'll see you in 1 week!

(verse 6) “Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
(7) Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?"
Benefits of fasting
(verse 8) "Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9) Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
(Isaiah 58:6–9)

Shana..

A Social Media Fast {REPOST}

{This is a repost from previous Wednesday. It will be posted each week during the duration of my fast!}
A lot has been going on in our house lately.

I mean a LOT!
Since I began my maternity leave on December 1 it feels as if our lives have been in constant motion. Okay don't misunderstand me. I know that life continually moves and develops and progresses but it is as if someone has pressed the fast foward button and I can't keep up! I'm not sure if it was even possible this last month and a half!
Now that 2013 has begun it has caused me (like almost everyone else!) to take a moment and reevaluate our lives at the moment.
Originally this was to be the year I ran my first marathon! BUT...two pregnancies have pushed that date back a little into the unknown future! It will happen however!
There is more to it than just that though. There are many areas of my life besides fitness that have taken a back burner in the daily struggle to just keep up. Areas of my life that should have been in the front at all times.
 "For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also" Luke 12:34
Our pastor has asked that as a congregation we take part in a 21 day fast. You can fast anything or everything. There are different degrees of fasting but the most important is not the type of fast you partake in but your state of heart in doing so.
Originally I had decided to skip this fast. I figured since I was breastfeeding I had already cut out so much of my diet and needed to maintain a healthy diet for LJ.
Yet, I could feel God working on my heart. I knew there were areas of my life that needed some serious attention. Mainly my marriage and my home life.
I thought by now my children would be in a nice routine. Hubby Dearest and I would be settled and I would be preparing to return to work. All the while having thrown myself full force into my training.
How naive I have been! There is NO routine in my house right now! I'm talking zip, zadda big fat NADDA! Heck, I don't even think I have a shower routine further than get clean right now! And it shows in the kids. LJ doesn't have a sleep pattern. It's either he sleeps good or not at all! Lil Mister is all over the place (especially with tantrums!) and goes to bed whenever he falls asleep and takes a nap if he is willing. There was a 3 day period in which our brother Q visited and Lil Mister ate NOTHING except ice cream, candy and chips! God help us!
And most of all my poor Hubby is getting so little of my attention. Because the kids aren't in a routine, I can never predict when I can spend time with him. Then by the time I get anything accomplished in the house another kid needs my attention and Hubby is left to his own. He deserves better from me!

1 Timothy 2:1-2 ESV / 18 helpful votes
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

The more I looked at the state of my home life and my marriage (or what seems a lack thereof) the more I realized I needed more of God in my life. See...that too is suffering! I'm so exhausted because I'm chasing my own tail most days that I have been slipping on going to church (please let us not discuss my daily devotions :-[ ). I'm embarrassed as to how far I've slipped backwards.
So there I sat....feeding LJ (of course...I spend 50% of my time doing that!) and allowing the Spirit to work in me. Then what do I do....I take out my phone and log into my Google Reader because there are a pile of blogs that need read! I gasped...I couldn't believe what I was doing.
I'd cut off the most important person in my life (GOD!) for social media. I started thinking about it. How much time do I spend on Twitter, Facebook, Blogs a day? I realized that if you added up all the times I just "quickly" check everything I was easily on these sites 5 plus hours a day! Everytime I feed LJ I log on. Heaven forbid I miss what nonsense the Kardashians are spewing across Twitter or fail to upload a photo to Facebook. Oh and don't forget all you lovely ladies out there pounding out amazing posts day in and day out! I must be loyal to you as well!
But what is happening during this time? Nothing....Lil Mister is watching TV. LJ is feining my attention and love. Hubby Dearest is wanting a conversation. And God...well God is knocking at the door of my heart!!
I was....I am ashamed of myself.
So I put aside my phone and listened to God speak to my heart. How important is a healthy relationship with my husband to me? How much do I want to set an example for my children? How well can I be a mother and a wife without God's guidance?? Oh....Lord....I am so sorry. Why have I let myself get so deep?
 I remember as a young teenager if I would start to become to 'obsessed' with something normally my parents would ration me off. Like when I hit 1000 sms in one month...my phone was taken. When at the age of 12 I covered EVERY square inch of my walls with Aaron Carter posters...my parents took them down and took his cd's. When I started drinking at 16... my parents grounded me.
So I thought harder about how to be more involved and structured in my home.
Then God asked again....how important is all of this to you?
The answer is easy....more than anything else in the world my family is number one. They're needs and priorties and even wants come before all else.
Then God hit the nail on the head and drove it straight into my heart. How important is social media to you? Because you spend more time and energy there than with your family. Even when you aren't online you're thinking about it. Drafting blogs in your head. Wondering about Tweets and pondering status'.
So there it was. I was going to fast. Nope not food. But social media!
I need more of God in my life and my children and husband need more of my undivided attention in theirs!
Social media isn't bad (nor is chocolate or wine!) but it does need to be rationed.
 So for 21 days I am fasting. I will take 30 minutes each day to do my hops and only if both kids are asleep and Hubby Dearest is either working or asleep too!!
During this time I will not be posting or reading on Twitter or Facebook. Neither will I be on my Google Reader (I'm scared what a mess that will look like after 3 weeks!). Although I will check email because of work and it is how I communicate with my parents, I will not be reading my subscriptions!
Please if you are reading this as a follower or through a hop, I vow on all that is bloggy responding to all of your lovely comments will be my first order of buisness when I return!!
I have a few posts scheduled over the next 3 weeks so I'll still be showing up for you!!
I will be replacing my internet time with reading my Bible, praying, reading stories to Lil Mister, spending quality time with Hubby Dearest, or just enjoying a moment with LJ. This is time to recenter my focus and my family and get my priorities in line. I pray that not only will this improve my structure and quality time at home with my family but when I return it will also improve the quality of my blog!

Continue praying for us and I'll see you in 2 weeks!

(verse 6) “Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
(7) Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?"

Benefits of fasting
(verse 8) "Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9) Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
(Isaiah 58:6–9)

Shana..

A Social Media Fast

A lot has been going on in our house lately.

I mean a LOT!

Since I began my maternity leave on December 1 it feels as if our lives have been in constant motion. Okay don't misunderstand me. I know that life continually moves and develops and progresses but it is as if someone has pressed the fast foward button and I can't keep up! I'm not sure if it was even possible this last month and a half!

Now that 2013 has begun it has caused me (like almost everyone else!) to take a moment and reevaluate our lives at the moment.

Originally this was to be the year I ran my first marathon! BUT...two pregnancies have pushed that date back a little into the unknown future! It will happen however!

There is more to it than just that though. There are many areas of my life besides fitness that have taken a back burner in the daily struggle to just keep up. Areas of my life that should have been in the front at all times.

"For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also" Luke 12:34

Our pastor has asked that as a congregation we take part in a 21 day fast. You can fast anything or everything. There are different degrees of fasting but the most important is not the type of fast you partake in but your state of heart in doing so.

Originally I had decided to skip this fast. I figured since I was breastfeeding I had already cut out so much of my diet and needed to maintain a healthy diet for LJ.

Yet, I could feel God working on my heart. I knew there were areas of my life that needed some serious attention. Mainly my marriage and my home life.

I thought by now my children would be in a nice routine. Hubby Dearest and I would be settled and I would be preparing to return to work. All the while having thrown myself full force into my training.

How naive I have been! There is NO routine in my house right now! I'm talking zip, zadda big fat NADDA! Heck, I don't even think I have a shower routine further than get clean right now! And it shows in the kids. LJ doesn't have a sleep pattern. It's either he sleeps good or not at all! Lil Mister is all over the place (especially with tantrums!) and goes to bed whenever he falls asleep and takes a nap if he is willing. There was a 3 day period in which our brother Q visited and Lil Mister ate NOTHING except ice cream, candy and chips! God help us!

And most of all my poor Hubby is getting so little of my attention. Because the kids aren't in a routine, I can never predict when I can spend time with him. Then by the time I get anything accomplished in the house another kid needs my attention and Hubby is left to his own. He deserves better from me!

1 Timothy 2:1-2 ESV / 18 helpful votes

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

The more I looked at the state of my home life and my marriage (or what seems a lack thereof) the more I realized I needed more of God in my life. See...that too is suffering! I'm so exhausted because I'm chasing my own tail most days that I have been slipping on going to church (please let us not discuss my daily devotions :-[ ). I'm embarrassed as to how far I've slipped backwards.
So there I sat....feeding LJ (of course...I spend 50% of my time doing that!) and allowing the Spirit to work in me. Then what do I do....I take out my phone and log into my Google Reader because there are a pile of blogs that need read! I gasped...I couldn't believe what I was doing.
I'd cut off the most important person in my life (GOD!) for social media. I started thinking about it. How much time do I spend on Twitter, Facebook, Blogs a day? I realized that if you added up all the times I just "quickly" check everything I was easily on these sites 5 plus hours a day! Everytime I feed LJ I log on. Heaven forbid I miss what nonsense the Kardashians are spewing across Twitter or fail to upload a photo to Facebook. Oh and don't forget all you lovely ladies out there pounding out amazing posts day in and day out! I must be loyal to you as well!
But what is happening during this time? Nothing....Lil Mister is watching TV. LJ is feining my attention and love. Hubby Dearest is wanting a conversation. And God...well God is knocking at the door of my heart!!
I was....I am ashamed of myself.
So I put aside my phone and listened to God speak to my heart. How important is a healthy relationship with my husband to me? How much do I want to set an example for my children? How well can I be a mother and a wife without God's guidance?? Oh....Lord....I am so sorry. Why have I let myself get so deep?
I remember as a young teenager if I would start to become to 'obsessed' with something normally my parents would ration me off. Like when I hit 1000 sms in one month...my phone was taken. When at the age of 12 I covered EVERY square inch of my walls with Aaron Carter posters...my parents took them down and took his cd's. When I started drinking at 16... my parents grounded me.
So I thought harder about how to be more involved and structured in my home.
Then God asked again....how important is all of this to you?
The answer is easy....more than anything else in the world my family is number one. They're needs and priorties and even wants come before all else.
Then God hit the nail on the head and drove it straight into my heart. How important is social media to you? Because you spend more time and energy there than with your family. Even when you aren't online you're thinking about it. Drafting blogs in your head. Wondering about Tweets and pondering status'.
So there it was. I was going to fast. Nope not food. But social media!
I need more of God in my life and my children and husband need more of my undivided attention in theirs!
Social media isn't bad (nor is chocolate or wine!) but it does need to be rationed.
So for 21 days I am fasting. I will take 30 minutes each day to do my hops and only if both kids are asleep and Hubby Dearest is either working or asleep too!!
During this time I will not be posting or reading on Twitter or Facebook. Neither will I be on my Google Reader (I'm scared what a mess that will look like after 3 weeks!). Although I will check email because of work and it is how I communicate with my parents, I will not be reading my subscriptions!
Please if you are reading this as a follower or through a hop, I vow on all that is bloggy responding to all of your lovely comments will be my first order of buisness when I return!!
I have a few posts scheduled over the next 3 weeks so I'll still be showing up for you!!
I will be replacing my internet time with reading my Bible, praying, reading stories to Lil Mister, spending quality time with Hubby Dearest, or just enjoying a moment with LJ. This is time to recenter my focus and my family and get my priorities in line. I pray that not only will this improve my structure and quality time at home with my family but when I return it will also improve the quality of my blog!
Continue praying for us and I'll see you in 3 weeks!

(verse 6) “Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
(7) Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?"

Benefits of fasting
(verse 8) "Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9) Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I."
(Isaiah 58:6–9)

Shana..

Rock Solid

Oh yea!! It's Worship Wednesday!! I've been craving this all week!!

Yahweh Tsuri: The Lord My Rock

I get daily devotions in my email. These devotions always seem to have a purpose and a place and therefore I am registered with more than one!! I actually have three that I am currently working through. The first is a devotion I read everyday as it comes in! Some days it gives me exactly what I need and on others it gives me food for thought. The second devotion is a weekly couple’s devotion. I print and file these. Although I read through them, I pray that one day my husband and I will do them together. The final devotion is a study. It is about the many names of God. Last weeks name was particularly ground breaking for me and I thought it would make a wonderful topic for this weeks worship!!

Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war my fingers for battle. He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer… Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful I will sing a new song to you, O God; on the ten stringed lyre I will make music to you, to the One who gives victory to kings, who delivers His servant David from the sword. Psalm 144:1-2, 7-10

What does it mean for God to be our rock? It means firstly that He is the foundation that we stand on! We must build our lives on a strong, firm, and sturdy foundation. Rocks of many forms (bricks, stones, ect) are used to provide shelter and safety. Stones were piled to commemerate events in Israels history and the ten commandments were also written on stone. We grind rocks to create the foundation in which we build our houses today on. In essence a foundation is one GIANT stone plate. Is it not appropriate then that we should consider God a Rock in that we make Him our Foundation!

He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure. Isaiah 33:6

It is vital to our relationship with God that He is the ground in which our lives are built upon. A weak foundation will surely crumble.

Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of the Lord abstain from wickedness.’ 2 Timothy 2:19

No matter what happens in life, no matter how bad it seems, as a child of God our foundation of hope is in God and that can NEVER be ruined.

Secondly, God is unbreakable. He will not crumble. The rock of His promises stands firm. We can depend on what God says to be true! It will happen. He is our strength, our refuge, our tower!

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and he horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—from violent men you save me. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. 2 Samuel 22:2-4

So, what exactly is all of this about??

More than six years ago, God started pressing in my heart a certainty I couldn’t deny. This was a very low, LOW, point in my life in which I will share another time. I wasn’t aware it was God at the time, but He placed a passion in my life for South Africa and I willingly investigated this passion. As the years passed I was given the means and people necessary to straighten up and got right with God. I turned my life around in ways I never knew possible and learnt the strength God instills in His children! He brought me up from the bottom of myself and gave me a new foundation. Someday I will share with all of you the details but today is not focused on the past but the future!

Four years ago I learnt why God had placed a passion for South Africa in me. I’d been planning a missionary journey to South Africa when a friend convinced me to go out one night with her. During that evening I met Hubby Dearest! God let me know immediately that I had misunderstood Him and that I was looking into the eyes of my future husband. It was quite a shock! I’d just turned 19!! Yet, I trusted God. I trusted His voice and His leading in my life. Over the next 7 months I tossed and turned the idea. I went full steam ahead and then pulled away. I couldn’t make my mind follow what I knew God wanted. It just seemed to irrational! Marrying a guy I barely knew!

Please read all about how Brendon and I met at The Boys! It is a fairytale. Finally, though, I gave into God. I allowed the Holy Spirit to lead me. I listened to what I was being encouraged. God promised that He wanted the best for my life. He wanted to pour out blessings and love over me. He purposed me to be more and do more. I would reach people. I would be a light for Him. I would please Him. I would do it in America South Africa!

So, I did. I packed my bags and followed God into the arms of my husband. I am so thankful everyday that I listened to God. It isn’t always easy. We still disagree and have our lows like any marriage. BUT….God is my ROCK. I have the rock of His promises. I have the foundation that He will not stray from me. He always has His hands on my life. The Lord is my Rock means that I can not fall on weak grounds. My feet are planted firm in the promises He made to me. When my marriage seems destitute and weak, I have the Rock of His Word. When my marriage seems like it can’t get any worse, I have the Rock of His Love. When my marriage seems like it is falling apart, I have the Rock of His Mercy. And when my marriage seems like Hell, I have the Rock of His Glory!! My marriage was a gift from God for obeying! My children are blessing from God for doing His works! He is a Rock and I stand firm with Him!

You will keep in perfect peace Him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever for the Lord, the LORD, is the Rock eternal. Isaiah 26:3-4

Pray with me: Take some time now and thank God for His unfailing love and faithfullness. Praise Him for being your Rock and Foundation. Thank the LORD for all the times He has provided you with a steady path to walk on and for all the times He will continue to provide. Praise Him for the promises we can rely on from Him! Admit that you are weak without Him. Sometimes we only see the world and how it is coming down on us just as Peter only saw the waves crashing around and began to sink. We fail to place our feet on the solid ground and we suffer as we watch our houses crumble on unstable foundations. Ask God for guidance in building a life centered on Him being your Rock! Ask for help in creating a solid foundation in your homes, work, and relationships. Praise Him! Worship Him!

Shana