April Update

Wow, what an awesome month this has been! Very busy and a bit stressful with the move, but AWESOME! I am just loving this new season of my life! It feels so strange to actually be a family after two years of sporadically seeing James and one year, of him being in Korea. What a great change!

Let's see...the first week of April I spent doing last minute moving stuff. I packed up the basement stuff but didn't do a thing with all of our tools. I brought everything up from the basement and stacked it by the door. Pretty much everything was ready to be loaded by the time James got home on the 8th. I even had time to clean all of my tack, saddles, bridles and saddle pads. I washed all my saddle pads by hand in the tub with a scrub brush and bleach (for the white ones), and they came out so nice and clean! I am so happy I was able to get to the tack, because our garage is so nice and I wanted all the tack to be clean and dust-free, since it has to go in the garage!

On the 8th, we picked up James at noonish, and came straight home. I told him I had a surprise for him but he had no idea what it was. I had made arrangements with my next door neighbor to watch the children for a couple hours. So, when we passed our driveway, he said, "Is Lori watching the kids for the night?" I told him it was just for a couple hours, because I felt that they should be able to be with him, too! So, anyway, we had an interesting couple hours to ourselves! :) It was so awesome...and I am so thankful that Lori agreed to watch the kids for me, and was understanding about it! What a great memory we made! ;)

The 9th, and 10th we just relaxed around the house and then the 11th and 12th we loaded the uhaul, went to church, and then we left on Monday morning the 13th.

Our church had a farewell party for us after the Easter services. They had a huge cake for us that was delicious, and they also laid hands on us and prayed for our family, that we could make an impact for Christ in our new neighborhood, and church, etc. It was a very emotional time, with a lot of tears and hugs. It was hard to leave. They also (much to our disapproval) took up an offering for our family. It was crazy. I kept telling them we didn't need or want it, but they insisted. When we got in the car we didn't even want to open the envelope. I cried when we finally counted it. We didn't know what to do with it, so we put it in savings...what an amazing group of people, that I love so dearly and will miss so much! At least we are only 6 hours away! :)

On Monday, our friends Ty and Amanda and their little daughter Mia, showed up with their truck and horsetrailer, loaded Hope up for me, and James and I did a few measly last minute stuff and we left. James drove the U-haul and our little black lawn trailer, I drove the Suburban and our Camper, and then ty and Amanda drove their big trailer with Hope in it. It was quite the caravan. We had an awesome trip and were only about two hours behind schedule. Nothing whatsoever happened on the trip which was nice! :)

We got to our new home around 8:30 pm. We LOVE it! :) My husband is about 25 min away from work, and he doesn't even have one stoplight to go through, to get to the east gate of Ft. Lewis. His drive is very stress-free...with mostly roads full of forest! :) Our road was worse than we thought, and has some very interesting people living on it. I say hi to them and they won't even wave. We live at the very end of the road, and have the nicest home and property on the road, so I think that they probably refer to us as "those people who live at the end of the road", and won't associate with us. I have some extra Army Bibles laying around and I am thinking about walking over next door and giving one to that family and try to get to know them better.

Our house has a nice privacy fence and we can't see anyone who lives on our road, the driveway to our house is really nice and the property perfect for Hope and the kids. My landlady is working with the county to get an easement road put in for us that will take us down to 2nd Avenue instead of 8th, which will by-pass our horrible pot-hole road and the very un-friendly people who live on it. we are hoping that happens, soon.

Our house is bigger than I ever imagined! The bedrooms are huge! The wall-space is incredible, and I have had a horrible time trying to decorate all of it. It seems like everything I have is too small and the walls too big. The cheapest way to go is probably to get some very tall house plants to put on some of the walls. I have looked at big pictures and clocks and they are just too expensive for our budget.

When we got here, James fried my dryer, so he bought me (with CASH) a brand new Whirlpool front loader Washer and Dryer and a huge chest freezer for the garage. I love them! Unfortunately, the control panel went out on the washer and it took them a week to get out here. Then the lady didn't have the right part, so it still isn't fixed. Hopefully, it will be fixed by Thursday. That will make it two weeks without my washer! My launrdy has really piled up and I will be doing laundry everyday all day! At least it was under warranty! I thought that I had ruined it and just started bawling. James was outside, and he came in to find Abbie in tears. He asked her why she was crying anf she said she didn't know. I was in the bedroom crying and told him that she was crying because I was crying. He asked me why I was crying and then I just started bawling and told him that I was sorry and that "I am just a hick, redneck woman who can't even operate these new electronic things". He started laughing. Fortunately, the lady who came out to look at it, told it was impossible for me to be the one to break it! That made me feel better!

James also bought a little beater truck for shoeing horses out of and running back and forth to work. We paid cash for that too, and still have our emergency fund! :) So, with all the money that the Army gave us to move and our wise spending of it, we got everything we needed and still have the emergency fund! :) I am so happy! We really need new furniture but it will have to wait! Ours is so hick, but oh well.

I have ridden my horse a few times, and James put front shoes on her since it is so rocky here. She seems to be very happy! :) And I also have a really nice area for teaching the kids how to ride!

I will have to add some pictures to this post tonight, later...We went to the zoo in Seattle on Saturday, and then we just have a lot of cute pictures of the kids! :)

Even though it is wonderful to be a family again, it has been a time of adjustment for everyone. It is hard not to treat my husband like one of the kids and I think it is hard for him to not treat me like one of his guys. The kids have had to adjust a lot, too, to being disciplined by him, instead of just me. We will work it all out though...it is just a matter of time.

James goes back to work on the 1st of May. I think he is looking forward to it.

We used the time while we were moving for Spring break from homeschooling and we started back up on the 20th. We will be done on June 5th and I am so excited for the summer break! :) Zane is really reading well, which is so fun to watch.

We visited Sarah Neblock's church, Emmanuel Bible Fellowship. We really liked it, though the music is different from Trinity. At Trinity we sing hymns and praise songs by request. Emmanuel is very similar to the church that we went to before Trinity (Grace Bible Church), so it was easy to swing back into their form of worship. The sermon was good, and was by their associate pastor (I think). I am looking forward to hearing Kieth's messages (though I have listened to him online before already). The kids were awesome during the sermon. I stood up in the back and held Sheldon until he fell asleep, so I got to hear the whole message. The kids had already gone to Sunday School and I didn't feel comfortable sending them to another one during the sermon, so they stayed with us, which Zane and Abbie are used to anyway. I want the kids to be with us, during some point in church, so they can learn to sit and listen and be patient. It seemed very strange that no kids were in church during the singing/worship time. That was the only thing I didn't like about it. Hopefully they won't mind if my kids stay in for the worship time...


Anyway, I need to attend to things in the house and I will try to post some pictures later! :) Blessings!

March Madness

It has definitely felt like a month of madness, for us so far this month. It's the 21st, so I figured I had better post for the month, since the rest of the month will be really, really crazy!

This month we have really been blessed in so many ways! James re-enlisted for 6 more years, in the Army. At first we were supposed to get a 14,000 bonus, but it ended up that someone didn't know what they were talking about and it was actually less...so we got 11,000. We were both really disappointed but very happy to get something, at least. We actually only got 7,000 and most of the rest we will get back at tax time.

We were also blessed by getting the house we wanted to rent! You can see pictures, if you haven't already, on my last post. We are very excited about it and the landlady even said she will have a barn put up for us, if we want. We will be getting the garden in as soon as we get moved in. It is top priority for us. We will save money if we can have lots of fresh veggies. We are also planning on doing major berry picking and fishing, to fill the freezer! :)

It's been very cold and rainy, but the snow IS melting and it won't be long before the driveway is clear. I am positive that there will still be snow when James gets here. There is still a lot out there! We had one nice day this week, where it was about 52 degrees or so! It was really nice and I opened the doors to let the house air out, which I love doing.

The kids are doing so well! Zane is taking off in his reading, Abbie is learning letter sounds, and Sheldon finally said two sentences. He is so late in talking and it is so frustrating! It was so cute to finally hear a sentence from him! :) They were, "Uh-oh Mommy", and "Uh, Uh...Uh, Doggie" (he was telling the dog, no). Very, very basic, but when you have boys who talk late, it is a joy to finally hear something!!!!! :)

We cut Abbie's hair to about jaw-length. It is really cute and she will love it for the summer! A few days afterward she cut her bangs really bad though! I had to straighten them out and they are so short, but have grown a lot in a week!

I have just been packing here at the house and trying to sort, give-away, and take things to the thrift shop. I have this table that is full of odds and ends...it is so frustrating when I am really organized! :[ I have just been throwing little things that I am finding on that table, and it is driving me a bit crazy! :)

I am just ready to be done with this season in my life! We have 18 more days until James is home and I just want to have a normal life again for awhile! God has been so good, and even though there have been some bumps in the road this year, He has taken care of us, blessed us, grown us, satisfied our longing hearts and given us fresh bursts of energy and refreshment and just DONE everything! :) I don't think James nor I give much credit to ourselves for having done so well this year! ;)

I need to upload some pictures on here, of recent stuff...I have no idea what is on my camera right now! :) I will be so happy when I have high speed internet, and can upload faster! Way...faster ! :)

*Pause and reflect time*

Has God been teaching me anything this month? Have I slowed down to hear His voice? How can I encourage someone reading this? I want my posts to be worthwhile....

I have tried to slow down to hear God's voice, but not enough! I am still reading His word, daily but my prayer life is still not doing well. Will it ever? I hope so. It is actually a bit better, but not enough...

What God has REALLY been laying on my heart lately, is to respect my husband more than I do. God wants me to stop assuming things about my husband. He wants me to have a few seconds of quiet to assess my attitude before I speak to my husband about something. Especially during an argument, or more importantly, at the beginning of one. I am so disrespectful when I get mad, or hurt....I just hate that. I am going to work harder on it, for him and for God. I love my husband and there is no excuse for blowing things out of proportion, even when I am hurt.

Well, I will end here! I hope you are all having a marvelous spring, preparing for your gardens and doing your spring cleaning! :) I am looking forward to all of those things, myself! :) God Bless!

Pictures of our New Rental....

I really, really, really like this house and the yard! It has 4 fenced acres for Hope, which I am very excited about, also! There are no pictures of the horse area...

I so do not deserve such a beautiful home! :) Take a look! :) The pictures I wanted first ended up being last, but I don't have time to fix it!

One of the other 3 bedrooms...they all look similar to this one...

The master bedroom

Master bathroom

Master Bathroom

Living Room

View of kitchen from livingroom...

Close up, of kitchen and island...

Dining area off of kitchen...

I think the Laundry room/Mudroom is through that door in the Diningroom
leading to the garage...

The backyard with fire pit and in-ground hot tub...there is a sliding door there
on the end of the house, from the master bedroom, to outside! :)

Another view of the backyard...

There is plenty of room to park our camper here, beside that low privacy fence.

The front yard with some low-maintenance landscaping started...

The front/side view of the house...it is 2200 square feet...4 bedrooms...and built in 2005.
There are trees all around it and not many houses around...the house is in Roy, WA which is a little south of Fort Lewis, WA...out in the country! :)

~ 20 Things I Want To Do Before I Die ~

*Originally from my Facebook*

This is a personal list I have been wanting to write down for future reference, but anyone is welcome to use this idea in their notes!

These are not in order of importance...


#1 Visit Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, especially the USS Arizona!

#2 Go to Ireland...my dad is almost full Irish, and I would really love to go someday!

#3 Visit the common European places that everyone gets to go see...Spain, France, England, Italy, etc...just general sight-seeing.

#4 Go on a cruise

#5 Become Debt Free

#6 Tithe 10% on a regular basis

#7 Compete in Cross-Country Jumping again....obviously not with my horse, as she is 20 years old, but maybe after James retires from the Army..

#8 Buy brand new furniture...especially a bedroom suite, Livingroom set and a china cabinet

#9 Complete my fine China set

#10 Go on a missions trip to a third world country

#11 See one or more people truly come to Christ because I witnessed to them, and God worked through me!

#12 Work at a library after the kids are gone....books, and quiet! Two of my favorite things! :)

#13 Do some college while my husband is in the Army and possibly get a degree of some type.

#14 Learn to knit and crochet.

#15 Finish my kids scrapbooks (birth to one year, and one year to two years)...and any others that I have in the works...

#16 Be baptized with my husband

#17 I want to live to see each of my children marry godly spouses! And I want to live to see grandchildren!

#18 I would be delighted to see my boys serve in the military, but this is totally up to them...I think it would be especially cool if my boys were 3rd generation Nightstalkers, like their daddy and both of their grandaddies...and you know, it would be cool if Abbie was a Lady Nightstalker like her momma and both of her Grandmas! :) This is probably impossible, but it WOULD be awesome! :)

#19 I want to have a marriage made in heaven, and live to be married for over 50 years! :)

#20 I want to know that I mattered, that I pleased and served God in everything I did, and with everything that I had! I want to make a difference in my kid's lives...and want them to know the Lord, and serve Him, because of mine and my husband's example to them!

I guess I better get to work....

February Update

The month of February was pretty much annoying, but we made it through! Even though it was a short month, which was nice, it was just so slow! I wish I had written a post about it a week or so ago, because now I can't remember all we did! :(

Around Valentine's my friend (Cheryl) and I went to a free showing of Fireproof, at the church where I lead AWANA. My friend is separated from her husband, and my husband is gone, and neither of us really wanted to go alone, so we went together and it was a nice evening out of the house. There was free childcare. I own the movie, but I could watch it over and over...
On Valentine's Cheryl and I, and the kids all went to a Spaghetti Dinner/Feed in benefit of the Back Country Horsemen Club here in our area. I have a friend in that club who paid my and the kid's way, so another cost-free outing. :) Valentines was annoying...it is my favorite holiday, so ....

About a week after Valentine's I was sick of arguing with my husband over the phone, the general distraction of Facebook and the internet and people calling me, or me calling people... Also, my prayer life hasn't been what I have wanted it to be, so I decided to go on a communication fast for one week.....no internet (we didn't even turn the computer on), no making phone calls (I didn't turn my phone off or anything...people still called me, but I didn't chat with them. I just got off as soon as possible), no radio, no tv..... It was really hard at first but then I had no desire to even get on the computer. My husband and I didn't even call each other. It was very needed. I was at the point that I couldn't focus and was turning everything into a fight and being generally disagreeable.

I also started preparing myself mentally for moving so I could get started packing on the first of March. We have found a rental that we really like, and are pretty sure we will get. It's really nice and I will add a link to this post... :)


We didn’t get any snow in January or February, except an occasional powdering. It was so nice not to have to shovel snow. Everyday when I go out to feed my horse, a teeny bit more of the driveway is showing, but there is still a lot of snow out there! And the temps are still cold...freezing at night and just above freezing during the day...our highest temp this spring has probably been about 40 or 41. I am getting very discouraged! :( I hate cold weather and I am so happy to be finally moving to a different part of the northwest!

We have about 37 more days until James gets home. I have already gone through all articles of clothing and sorted it all, given stuff away, and found the clothes that Sheldon will need for 2009...(out of Zane’s old things). And then yesterday I started packing all the fragiles, pictures, music and movies. Today I am doing the books and part of our schoolroom. I love moving because it gives you a chance to sort and give things away that you don’t need or want anymore!

The animals are doing well. Hope (my horse) will need her shots, coggins test, and health/traveling certificate this month (the end of March or very beginning of April). We have friends that will be moving her for us, since we gave our horsetrailer to my parents in 2008. They are good friends we have known since 1999. :)


The kids are all doing well! :) Zane is almost done with his Kindergarten this year....he has a few pages in his mathbook, 2 readers left and about 50 pages in his Phonics Book. He is excited! We will do school until the 8th of April, take a break to move and then continue around the 20th of April, and into May and a few days in June. I was hoping to be done by the time James gets home but it is not going to happen, mostly because of his Readers. I can’t push him, so that will be all we will work on finishing in May. I am looking forward to the summer break!

Abbie is doing great! She is so smart and never ceases to surprise me with what she already knows and learns from Zane. She can memorize scripture better than most of the kids I teach in Sparks and she is only a first year Cubbie! :) I am so proud of her! I need to more randomly post things, because nothing really changes month to month with the kids! It just seems I only have time to report on a monthly basis right now!

Sheldon turned two on the tenth of February and we haven’t celebrated, yet. We are planning to have a little party for him at our new house. It will probably just be a family party! Birthday parties are actually really expensive, and I tend to go overboard! Ha! Anyway, he is becoming a monster child and I am having several obedience issues. Part of me just wants to let it all slide because of the move coming up very soon and just the fact that I am so tired! I need to buckle down, though! The other two are getting annoyed with him, his screeching and his bad attitude and yelling! Just writing this down makes it a lot easier for me to come to the conclusion that I need to do something about this before it embarrasses my family! .....

Well, that is about it for now...I will try to post more whenever I want to write something (which happens a lot). I have things I want to write and then I tell myself to remember it for later, but I never do!

Anyway, sorry for the most boring post ever!................. Happy Spring you all! :)

Womanly Strength

I just have to share this with you guys....

My Army wife girlfriends and I exchange HOOAH Army Wife gifts on Facebook....one I have sent out to a few of my friends is titled "Strength". I really like it, and it not only applies to Army wives, but to all women, who seek to be strong for whatever purpose they need to. A weak woman really frustrates me, for some reason....maybe because at times I have been her, have been where she is, or because of my lack of strength, caused problems in my marriage, my children's lives, or whatever. But even before finding this little piece of writing, God has been strengthening me for only He knows what. I want to share it but I want to elaborate on it, as well....anything in parenthesis will be my little spiritual elaborations....

~ STRENGTH ~

~My mind, body and spirit are strong...(this strength is not of my own doing).

~I take time each day to rejuvenate and recharge... (this rejuvenation I find, in taking a hot bath each and every night, in staying in God's Word almost every day, in the mutterings of prayers to my Heavenly Father of my frustrations, my heartaches; every ounce of me asking for His strength and His grace to fill me, just so that I can make it through each 24 hour period....days and nights....)

~ I draw from a deep well of peace and calm....(none of us, without God, has anything such as this to draw from...you may think you do....you may think anything that you find pleasure in, can give you the peace and calm that you need...but only Living Water can give you this....only the Prince of Peace).

~ I breathe in strength and release my fears...( I breathe in only The Breath of Life --I know He is really called the "bread of life" but I think Breath is very nice, too----...for nothing else will do...no one else is as strong as He).

~ I go after my hearts deepest desires...( I personally go after a desire to please God, a desire to serve my family and a desire to love my man, passionately, and with no regard to his past, present or future mistakes.....I desire to stick with him through thick and thin....to respect him no matter what....it is hard....no man is ever perfect and neither is any woman.....marriage takes work, and my strongest earthly desire is to keep my marriage strong. I have made mistakes in the past...I have disrespected my husband....I have not supported him very well in everything, but I have stuck with him, at least, and weathered his decisions....but ultimately I want a marriage made in heaven).

~ I can accomplish anything....( So often, we do it on our own strength, though. I want God to give me the strength to accomplish anything).

~ All of my dreams are coming true....( I could not say this 2 years ago...my dreams were crumbling before my very eyes....but by putting my faith in Him, he has given me my heart’s desire, and I can honestly say that my dreams are coming true, and in 2 months, I will again have the life that I have known all along that I was born for. Yes, there will be deployments....there will be financial hardship at times...yes, Army life can be frustrating...leaving friends and family is hard...but it was the life I was born into, raised in for 17 years, and married happily into 6 ½ years ago...I love it. So, yes, it is hard but it is my dream...my calling).

~ I focus on my goal and have the strength to make it happen....( I was blessed with a very focused and goal-oriented mind, to begin with....but who gave me this blessing? The Lord, of course. I do make things happen, and find a great deal of joy in following through with my goals on a daily basis, but only God can be given credit for this trait).

~ I choose to be unstoppable....( I do choose this, I will admit. Some days, I am burned out and tell my husband or trusted friends that I cannot go one more day....but I do, somehow. I guess it is because my husband tells me I can, and that I have to. I guess because godly friends encourage me to keep going. Or they watch my children. But honestly, it is not the children, like I blame...I can have someone watch my children for a few hours, only to feel relatively the same afterward. I get through burnout because ultimately, I ask God for the strength to get through it. When I cannot take it anymore, God pulls me up...He gives me a new set of batteries...and just like that, burnout is gone, as quickly as it came....).

~ I am strong...( I wasn’t always, and wish sometimes I was stronger, but I can say, “I am Strong” and know that it is true.......when before I would say, “I am trying to be strong”...)

~ I act in spite of my fears...( I could wake up tomorrow and my husband be taken from me...it is scary...anyone, military or otherwise has to face this same fear...In fact, I worried more about my husband dying while he was a truck driver than I ever did when he was deployed. Other things can cause fear...doing something you have never done before....I could be afraid to change the oil in my lawnmower....I could be afraid to step up and handle all the finances...I could be afraid to raise my children by myself at times...I could be afraid to live all alone in the North Idaho Sticks, if I wanted to be afraid....there are a million silly little things that stifle the conquering of fears. I act because I have to, essentially. You may not see that fear is the culprit for not doing things...not learning new things...but all in all, it is the fear that causes us to let someone else do it. I act on my fears because I have no reason to fear anything. God gives me something to conquer and to learn...not something to fear. That is silly. God gives me these little things so that I can act on my fear....and so that ultimately I can face my biggest fear, and that is losing my husband...).

~ I am bigger than my concerns and worries...( This is basically the same as fear...God has made me and continues to make me bigger than my worries....I do not do this on my own....there is a measure of faith involved).

~ I go for it with gusto....( I rip through my house, cleaning, organizing and living life as a stay at home mom....which I dearly love....but like I said before....God gives me the new energy that I need everyday....as well as the brain enough to eat organic food and drink lots of water! :)

~ I can do anything I put my mind to...( I can do anything that God has told me I need to put my mind to....if it were up to me I would sit all winter and do puzzles, watch Jane Austen films and lay around. But everyday when my feet hit the floor, I try to remember to ask God what He would have me do. His agenda, not mine, though I do wish I could sit and be lazy...but to watch the house fall apart around me would be more stressful than just getting it done....and I know that getting it done, is something God wants me to do....He is a God of order, you know! :)

~ Each day I am getting stronger....( This is particularly true for Army wives....because for no other reason, than, that we are FORCED to grow stronger! :)

~ I take great care of myself...( Yes, it is true...I am obsessed with organic food, and I am guilty of buying second hand clothes for myself in order to afford organic food, for my family, but it is worth it....and water...and green tea, and the study of Herbs aids me in caring for myself and for my children...but God has given me this knowledge and I have more to learn....He has also given all herbs for our use and healing! It is to his glory!)

~ The strength of others inspires me daily....( Yes, without certain people I know, I would not have made it through difficult periods, and again, only God knew who and what I needed and he provided those things/people for me!)

~ I trust my intuition and live a courageous life...... ( My intuition is almost always right but I don’t agree that that is what I trust!....obviously from what I have written above, there is someone whom I trust, far more....the One who gave me the intuition in the first place. As to the courageous life....I would not be full of courage without the people who have encouraged me! Thank you....you know who you are! :)


And these are my elaborations on someone else’s writing...someone who was obviously an Army wife herself, but sounds as if, she did not know God.

Now, for the gals who share the HOOAH Army wife gifts with me....*hint hint*....I’d love this one, for my facebook wall! :) Blessings!

Gentleness ~ 2009

My italics didn't copy and paste, unfortunately....so hopefully you guys can understand this....there were parts of it that I wanted to be in italics....

FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT
2009

This year, for my fruit of the Spirit, I am studying Gentleness. What does it truly mean to be gentle....what does the actual word mean and how do I apply it in my daily life as a wife and mother? These are the beginning questions I ask each January in reference to my favorite Bible verse of all time...Galatians 5:22-25. Armed with my dictionary and at least three different Bible translations, I take time each January to study a particular Fruit, for that year. This is my 8th year doing this! This is the first time I have ever written my study out for my live-journal and blog, though!

In 2002, I studied love. I made it through a very difficult time, waiting for my fiancé and the love of my life to graduate Basic Training and AIT. We began our life together, and the fruit of our love brought the joy of new life! A strawberry represents this year...red and sweet for new love! :)
In 2003, I studied Joy. Our first child was born in 2003. A pear represents this year, for “round with child.” LOL!
In 2004, I studied Peace. I miscarried this year, and was taught to have peace in all situations and to be peaceful and bring peace to our home. Oranges (my favorite fruit) bring me peace (if they are good ones), so that represents this year.
In 2005, I studied patience. I had Abigail in 2005 and everyone knows how trying it can be to adjust to having a second child, and I definitely needed patience that year! I think an Avocado will go perfect for that year....since I craved it while pregnant with Abbie!
In 2006 I studied Kindness. We were wrapped heavily up in a family business deal, and I will admit, that I tried to be kind to everyone involved but I failed in becoming more kind, that year. A tomato can represent that year because everywhere I turned, I felt I was being bombarded by flying, rotten tomatoes! The joy of doing the Fruits of the Spirit each year, is that when you are done with them, you can wrap around and do them all over again, thank heavens.
In 2007, I studied Goodness and failed yet again at being a good wife and mother. Though our situation was awful, our marriage going down-hill, and my faith being tested, I cannot excuse myself for my behavior in regards to all that happened that year, and look forward to working on that particular one again, and digging deeper the next time. An un-ripe and bitter Kiwi, will represent 2007, because that is what I was...Bitter and green with envy of others who had it better than I did...
In 2008, I studied Faithfulness. Was I full of faith in my Heavenly Father? At the beginning of 2008 it seemed like just a repeat of 2007, in regards to our situation. I will admit, I had no hope that my life would ever be the same again. But I studied that word, anyway, and things made a definite change for the better in March 2008. An Apple can represent 2008, for I became the Apple of my husband’s eye, again, and he, mine!
So here we are arriving at Gentleness for 2009, and here is my study! I don’t know what fruit I will use to represent it, yet, though! Enjoy!

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A few days after I sat down to do my study, my poor husband and I got into a nice argument over the phone and I thought to myself, “Yes, I will be challenged this year.” The devil never fails to try to get me to do the exact opposite of my fruit, for that year! Sometimes he fails and sometimes he succeeds. I want to write this study in conversation format, because I talked a lot to God and myself while I was doing it, and I think it will be interesting, for you all. Anything appearing in italics, will be my conversing with God!

I start out by asking a few questions like the ones I wrote in the first paragraph. This gets my mind moving, and gearing up for my study! I take this whole thing VERY seriously if you can’t tell, already! :) Next, I do a word study, and some sub-word studies, which I always find intriguing. Throughout the year, I make it a matter of prayer, and try to keep it in mind and think of it daily. I sometimes write out verses pertaining to that particular Fruit, on my calender. Each month will usually have one verse. This is not to memorize...it is just so that I see it, and it reminds me to think on it. Then at the end of the year, I write about what I have learned, how I did, how I could have done better, etc. I encourage you all to do this! It is a lot of fun! Thanks go to Roberta Dahlin, for sharing the idea with me in 2002! She has done it with me most years, since! Where she got the idea, I don’t know! Here is the verse:

Galatians 5:22-25
“But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

Fruits of the Spirit, are the virtues that God prunes and manicures in us. Without them, others do not see Christ resident within us. Where there is no growth and good fruit, you might question whether or not you are really saved. Jesus speaks in His Word multiply times about fruit, trees, etc. Bad trees produce bad fruit. Good trees produce good fruit. It is just logical. But, you cannot do the growing on your own! You must ask God to help you and then meet Him halfway.

In the verse above, it says “Against such things there is no law”...if you don’t understand what that means, this is what it says below the line in my husband’s study Bible:

“ Christian character is produced by the Holy Spirit, not by the mere moral discipline of trying to live by law. Paul makes it clear that justification (that is the act, process, or state of being right with God) by faith does not result in libertinism (that is a free-thinker especially in religious matters) The indwelling Holy Spirit produces virtues in the believer’s life.” I do believe however, that you can make it very hard on yourself, by not allowing the Holy Spirit to do these things in your life....by simply not thinking about it, and by simply not getting serious about growth!

So, now we begin on the word study....what does it truly mean to be gentle?

Definitions:

GENTLENESS: The quality or state of being gentle, (yes, but what does it mean to “be” it?), especially mildness of manners and disposition.
GENTLE: Belonging to a family of high social station (well, I am ruled out here), chivalrous ( a male trait, or so I think), honorable, distinguished, of or relating to a gentleman, kind, amiable, tractable, docile (hmmm...), free from harshness, sterness (Lord, this will be challenging, won’t it?), or violence, soft, delicate, moderate.
GENTLEMAN: A man of noble or gentle birth, a man who combines gentle birth with chivalrous qualities, a man who’s conduct conforms to a high standard of propriety or correct behavior.
GENTLEWOMAN: A woman of noble or gentle birth. A woman of refined manners or good breeding.

Sub-word Definitions, chosen from the actual definitions:

CHIVALROUS: (yes, I was at the time, not wanting to focus much on myself and was thinking of Mr. Darcy and men in general, so this was the first sub-word I looked up! ) Valiant, marked by honor, generosity, and courtesy. Marked by gracious courtesy and high-minded consideration, especially to women.
MILDNESS: Gentle in nature and behavior. Not being or involving what is extreme, not severe, temperate (What does that mean?), comparatively soft, and easily worked, malleable.
AMIABLE: Pleasing, admirable, generally agreeable (yes, Lord, this I need work in), being friendly, sociable and congenial.
Amiable implies having qualities that make one liked and easy to deal with (*raises eyebrow*), good-natured, obliging, and complaisant.
MODERATE: Avoiding extremes of behavior or expression (*grits teeth*), observing reasonable limits, calm, temperate.
HARSHNESS: irritating ( I am definitely guilty of this, or so my husband says, sometimes), severe, lacking in refinement, crude.
NOBLE: Possessing outstanding qualities, very good, or excellent, grand or impressive, lofty.
TEMPERATE: Marked by moderation, keeping or held within limits, not extreme or excessive, mild, restrained (ouch, Lord this applies to my tongue, I know it does...).
DOCILE: Now...I think we all think docile to mean quiet, and subdued, maybe, but the definition is so much richer and I was glad to have looked it up, instead of over-looking it, because I think it really spoke to me! Easily taught (*sigh*), easily led or managed (double ouch....I know this is probably talking mostly about animals, but Lord, it is so hard to be led by the authority you have placed me under. When I let my husband lead, sometimes it gets hard....and I know it is worth it in the end, because we grow and learn, but I am forever scared to put myself under the headship of a mere man, even when I know it is Biblical, and right. Help me to have faith in your purposes....), obedient, tractable.
SOFT: This definition is another that was so much richer than I thought it would be! And men.....you are NOT excluded in this one....it is part of being a gentlemen, so read up! Pleasing or agreeable to the senses, subdued, quiet in pitch or volume (hmm....no yelling this year....), not violent, marked by a gentleness, kindness, or tenderness, engaging, kind, based on a negotiation and conciliation rather than on a show of power or threats (hmm...interesting), unassuming (ugh, I am always assuming the worst of everything), low-key, of a consistency that may be SHAPED or MOLDED, capable of being spread, occurring at such a speed and under such circumstances as to avoid destructive impact (this is talking about landing spaceships and aircraft, but how applicable in the grind of daily life! ).
MALLEABLE: Capable of being ALTERED, or controlled by outside forces or influences. Having the capacity for adaptive change (this can be looked at from two angles...you can be influenced for the good, or influenced for the bad....you pick....and your hormones and emotions WILL influence you for the bad!).

Very interesting! Good definitions, and much to think about and ponder throughout this year! Now here are the life-giving verses from God’s Holy and Fully-Inspired Word:

~Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
~Ephesians 4: 2-3 Be completely humble, and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love, make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit, through the bond of peace.
~ Philippians 4: 4-5 Rejoice in the Lord always and again, I say rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near!
~ Colossians 3: 12-14 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And above al these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
~1 Timothy 6 :11 Paul to Timothy But you man of God, flee from all this and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
~1 Peter 3:4 Peter speaking to women Instead it (your beauty) should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
~ Titus 3:1-2 Paul to Titus Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate (gentle in the KJV), and to show true humility toward all men.
~ Matthew 11:29 The words of our Savior, in red-letters: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will FIND REST for your souls!

In my daily Bible reading I came across this passage and wanted to add it to the end of my study:

Luke 13: 6-8

Then he (Jesus) told this parable: “ A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So, he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
“‘ Sir, the man replied, leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.”

Below the line it says this:

In the Old Testament, a fruitful tree was often used as a symbol of Godly living. Jesus pointed out what would happen to the other kind of tree- the kind that took valuable time and space and still produced nothing for the patient Gardener. This was one way Jesus warned his listeners that God would not tolerate forever their lack of productivity. Have you been enjoying God’s special treatment without giving anything in return? If so, respond to the Gardener’s patient care, and begin to bear the fruit God has created you to produce.

~ HE WHO HAS EARS, LET HIM HEAR ~