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~ Yesterday & Tomorrow ~

I love reading all the reflections and goals that start to come out this time of year.  I may join in over the next week.  I am planning on carving out some time today to answer Simple Mom's reflection questions for 2009.  I am looking forward to her guide for generating goals in 2010 which will be posted tomorrow (although I have some ideas floating around already).

It is very easy to look back over your past year and put emphasis on regrets.  I loved reading this devotional in My Utmost for His Highest this morning.  It is worth me re-typing the whole entry!  I hope it blesses you as you reflect on 2009!

"You shall not go out with haste,...for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard" Isaiah 52:12

Security from Yesterday.  "...God requires an account of what is past" (Ecclesiastes 3:15).  At the end of the year we turn with eagerness to all that God has for the future, and yet anxiety is apt to arise when we remember our yesterdays.  Our present enjoyment of God's grace tends to be lessened by the memory of yesterday's sins and blunders.  But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual growth for our future.  God reminds us of the past to protect us from a very shallow security in the present.

Security for Tomorrow.  "...the LORD will go before you..."  This is a gracious revelation - that God will send His forces out where we have failed to do so.  He will keep watch so that we will not be tripped up again by the same failures, as would undoubtedly happen if He were not our "rear guard."  And God's hand reaches back to the past, settling all the claims against our conscience.

Security for Today.  "You shall not go out with haste..."  As we go forth into the coming year, let it not be in haste of impetuous, forgetful delight, nor with the quickness of impulsive thoughtlessness.  But let us go out with the patient power of knowing that the God of Israel will go before us.  Our yesterdays hold broken and irreversible things for us.  It is true that we have lost opportunities that will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future.  Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ.

Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.

Happy New Year!  Hello 2010!

~ Another Debt Bites the Dust! ~

We have been following Dave Ramsey's plan for money management for about a year now.  Most of that time has been spent on Baby Step #2 - the Debt Snowball.  We had to slow down our plan for about 5-6 months.  We continued to chip away as best as we could.  Today we paid off another debt!  Woo-hoo!  That's one more closer to being debt-free!  I am excited about our finances as I peer into 2010!  We are setting up some goals for where we will be one year from now and I love it!  Our ball will really be rolling once our house sells and we get into our new permanent housing.  I can't wait to be fully back on track.  In the meantime, every extra money we can spare is going to our e-fund for the closing of our house or the debt snowball.  We just keep rolling, rolling, rolling!

~ Lovin' Kids' music! ~

One of Josiah's Christmas presents was Volume 5 of Seeds.  I had heard some samples of songs online before buying it.  I turned it on to listen to about a half hour ago and I am lovin' it!  It is Bible verses put to music for kids and it is NOT dorky or hokey!  It is something I would actually want to listen to also.  Josiah ran off and now it is just me.  LOL.  I will definitely be buying more volumes of this in the future!  The best part?  They give you a second full cd to share with someone.  I am still contemplating who in my life would really appreciate it and listen to it...

~ Merry Christmas! ~

Josiah has a toy nativity set.  He was playing with it and holding the angel up in the sky and saying, "Don't be afraid.  I have good news for you. Jesus is coming!  Glory to God!"€ My heart was full as a parent. 

That 3 year old version of the Christmas story is what we celebrate!  Jesus did come - glory to God!

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~ Josiah's 1st Performance - Pt 2! ~

The long awaited video is now available!!!  Enjoy!

Josiah's Christmas Program Debut from Jonathan Herron on Vimeo.

~ Can't Get Enough of the Reindeer! ~

We've already visited reindeer once this season to feed them apples.  We found out about reindeer making an appearance at the library only blocks from the house and just had to go!  Josiah is a HUGE animal lover.  He was a little nervous the reindeer would bite, but they were very friendly and surprisingly soft.

~ Rebates - Go for it! ~

Rebates are a great way to get some extra cash back - especially if it is items you are buying anyway.  Here is some encouragement to go for it with rebates.

1)  I found out about a rebate by Real Simple only a couple days before the cut off date.  I was very fortunate and had happened to have already purchased mandatory items on the list!  The bad news is I had not saved one of my receipts and without it, I was a measly two cents short for the rebate.  I decided to sacrifice a stamp and try to get it anyway.  What do you know?  I got my rebate check in the mail today! 

2)  I have already gone on an on about how wonderful Ebates is!  Here is yet another example from last week.  My friend Melanie decided to sign up from my referral resulting in us both getting $5!  She called me asking if you get cash back on buying a gift card through the Ebates link.  I wasn't sure.  I told her to go for it and see what happens.  She had nothing to lose anyway.  Guess what?  She did get a rebate on her gift card purchase!  It's not too late for you to start saving with Ebates too.  They give you and me both $5 for signing up AND you get cash back on online purchases from all your favorite stores!  You can receive a check or paypal money as soon as your balance is over $5.01.  I already received over $35 last week and have even more accumulated to mail out in February!

~ Josiah's 1st Peformance - Pt. 1 ~

Tonight was the Children's Christmas program at our church.  This was Josiah's stage debut.  I think Jonathan and I were more excited than he was!  We were hoping he wouldn't freeze on stage and our hopes were granted.  He hammed it up just like he would if no one was watching.  We were so proud of him doing all the moves (jump, clap and dance).  This kid has some serious dance moves too!  I hope to have the video to share with you in the next day or so (still trying to find cords in boxes to hook up to upload).  Here are a few pics for you in the mean time...

Waving to Daddy...

He likes to jump!

He likes to clap!

 

Bustin' some moves!

But the VERY BEST part of his whole performance came at the end.  He literally froze a pose at the end of the song and took, not one, but TWO bows!  LOL.  And no, the whole class was not taking a bow, it was just our little man.  Can't wait to share the video!

~ Why did Jesus come?~

I found this piece of a devotional I read this morning to be appropriate with the Christmas season.  There is a lot of talk right now about why Jesus came.  The angels told the shepherds that He would bring peace on earth.  Before peace comes, however, Jesus came to bring a sword.

I did not come to bring peace but a sword -Matthew 10:34

Let Oswald Chambers further explain his perspective on this...

Thousands of people in this world profess to be happy without God.  But if we could be truly happy and moral without Jesus, then why did He come?  He came because that kind of happiness and peace is only superficial.  Jesus Christ came to "bring...a sword" through every kind of peace that is not based on a personal relationship with Himself.

Are you lacking in peace today?  Perhaps it is the sword of Jesus cutting something out of your heart that is replacing Him this holiday season.  Jesus is the best heart surgeon I know.  He always brings peace and healing after we allow him to cut out the disease that overtakes our heart in this world. 

~ I *heart* Ebates! ~

This came in the mail today...

It's my first "big fat check" from Ebates.  I used the link from their site to do my online shopping and now I have cash in my hand!  The Herron's will never look at online shopping the same way again.  So exciting to get "free" money in the mail for something you were doing already!  They seem to be connected with every online store (except Amazon - boo hoo).  Don't delay!  If you are an online shopper, go here and sign up.  They give you $5 when you sign up just to get you going!