Yes. I know. It's been a long while without a blog post. I've had every itention everyday during the past two weeks to post, but by the time I actually have time to sit down at my computer, I'm just too tired. It's fair to say I've reached a new level of exhaustion. I'm not saying that as a bad thing. I'm just saying I'm TIRED. And it's not necessarily Ellie's fault either. It's second grade and homework and dance lessons and Boy Scouts and homework (oh, I already mentioned that one) and laundry and mealtime and homework (there's that word again) and church and . . . I won't even bother to mention nursing . . . because we'd be here all. day.
I took Mason to a birthday party yesterday. This was after I'd taken him to get a haircut and we'd waited for an hour before I finally had to leave without getting him a haircut because it was time to nurse Ellie, and we were also going to be late to the party. He's in desperate need of a haircut. But it just didn't happen. Anyway. So we finally made it to the birthday party. I was talking to a friend I hadn't seen in awhile. She asked, "So what have you been up to lately?" And I found myself speechless. I mean, where do I even begin? And then, when I do begin, it just sounds like a lot of nothing, and I start to wonder what in the world I do with my time and why in the world I continue to stare at so many unfinished projects that seem to be taunting me and reminding me on a daily basis that I'm falling short.
Awhile later another friend at this same party got a phone call. She was standing beside me so I heard her end of the conversation. Obviously someone asked her why she couldn't do something or go somewhere. She responded that she was busy. And then they obviously asked her what she was busy doing. Her response? "I'm busy being a mom. What are you doing?" That pretty much sums it up.
Nearly three weeks ago, Hannah Kate and I began going to our usual Wednesday morning Bible study. She asked all summer when we were going back to "VBS in Baton Rouge," as she calls it, and we were both excited to be starting back. Last year we studied the book of Acts and Paul's epistles. I love this Bible study because that's just it. That's all it is. It's studying the Bible. It's a group of women from all different walks of life, ages, backgrounds, nationalities, ethnicities and churches. But the one thing we all have in common is the study of God's Word. I think there are nine different denominations represented in that sanctuary each Wednesday morning, but we don't talk about our churches or our "religion." We talk about God's Word and what He has revealed to us through the study of His Word. There are no commentaries. We have "homework" everyday. We read a passage of Scripture, and we answer questions based on the Scripture we read. We do not research the internet or consult those big study Bibles with notes in the margins. It's all about what God is revealing to me personally through His Word. And I. love. it. It takes awhile to do the homework each day, and it's been difficult this year to find the uninterrupted quiet time I need to do it, but I'm just plugging away at it.
The children's program is awesome! They study the same passages of Scripture we do, only it's presented to them in a way they can understand. They have snacks, sing hymns, play games and even have a 5 minute quiet time in which they sit on their towels and think about God. Yes, it works, even in the 2-year old room! I saw it first hand when I volunteered in the children's program last year. So Hannah Kate and I are able to talk to each other about what we learned and what we've been studying.
Here she is on our first Wednesday back. She insisted on wearing her "Big Sister" patch, as she calls it, which is a button she got at the hospital the day Ellie was born.
Initially, I was nervous about Wednesdays. I have to get up earlier than usual, coordinate Ellie's nursing schedule accordingly (I'm not pumping so I'm all she's got right now!), get Mason fed, dressed and off to school and get Hannah Kate fed and dressed as well so we can make it to Bible study on time. I can honestly say that after three weeks, Wednesdays have become one of my most favorite days of the week! I enjoy getting out of the house, I absolutely adore my small group and the women God has surrounded me with in my group this year and I just crave the study of the Word. A sweet friend blogs about her Wonderful Wednesdays. Initially, that was the day of the week she did not work and spent time at home with her son. She dedicates her blog to her family and the time she spends mothering and teaching her boys. So I can't help but say my Wednesdays are wonderful, too.
We are studying the book of Genesis this year. We spent two weeks on chapter 1. Yes. Two weeks. How is that possible? Well, I knew God created the world in six days, but we've been digging deep, and I have learned so much more about God through just that first chapter. You know, God's Word is absolutely amazing! It's alive and active and powerful. If you doubt that, I dare you to start reading. Don't just skim the page. Read it. Study it. Read it some more. Study some more. Eat. it. up.
I love the book of Genesis. It's so fascinating! On the first day of class, my small group leader asked us if we'd share what we wanted to be when we were little and how what we've been through had brought us to where we are and how we ended up at BSF. And I hadn't even thought about it until she asked . . .
The first 2 years I spent in Louisiana were definitely not the best 2 years of my life. As a matter of fact, they were probably the worst. I was trudging through a valley, and I saw no way out except the desert. I was parched and thirsty. I was beat down. It was about that time that one of my favorite Bible study teachers (Beth Moore, anyone?) came out with a new online Bible study (Believing God). So I signed up for it. As I began to go through the study with her, God had a Word for me (more than one, actually), and He transformed my life, my thoughts, my attitude, my heart, my desires, EVERYTHING. The truths that I learned in that particular Bible study are still with me today. I can quote them to you even now, ten years later. And guess where we studied? Genesis. And, now, here I am again.
I am excited. During the past year, God has called me to some things that I never imagined I would do or even wanted to do. He has blessed me tremendously. I've often felt like I was on the verge of something, but I still don't know what that something is. I have a feeling that my time in Genesis will, perhaps, be just as transformational as that first time.