I just am not doing as well as I hoped I would do at keeping up this blog.  Well, today is a new day and I can post what I am thinking of today!

I am very excited that I just found that Precept Ministries is doing an online study of 1 Corinthians.  I have wanted to do a real Precept study since I was about 12.  My mom did them when I was a kid and very often brought me along.  Since we lived in Chattanooga, where they are located, it meant that I got to see the tapings.  I was there when they taped the study of Daniel which has influenced my life greatly!  I am so excited to participate in this study and hope that it works very well so that they will keep doing them!  If you are interested check it out here.  Along the same lines, if you have children and need some help teaching them to study the Bible I highly recommend Precept's D4Y series.  M has been working on How to Study the Bible for Kids and is really enjoying it.  She has learned so much.

I was challenged at the beginning of the school year to memorize Isaiah 53.  I am ashamed to say that it took me about 7 1/2 months to start, but I have been doing about a verse a day using a method I learned from my Mom and Dad's pastor in his booklet An Extended Approach to Memorizing Scripture.  It has actually been easy and I have verses 1-7 down pat.  I  started using a version of this method with M and her friend E working on their Awana verses this year.  I have had trouble knowing how to help E memorize her verses, but reading them aloud 5 times has worked miracles.  She has been able to learn many more verses!

Tomorrow is M's last day of school. She is so blessed to go to a great school and to have a great teacher this year!  But I am ready for her to be able to fit in with her Papa's schedule a little bit better!  During this busy time of year she does not get to see much of him because he gets home after 8:30 and she has to be in bed by then (she actually went to bed at 4:45 today after having E spend the night)!  Starting on Thursday, she can stay up late and see her Papa.  I know they are both looking forward to that!

My parents celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary this month and my in-laws their 40th.  How blessed we are to come from such a godly heritage!

Trials of Various Kinds

So the last couple of weeks have been totally crazy! Since we are supposed to consider it pure joy when we face many different trials I am trying hard (with some success I am happy to say) to find joy in the thing that have been occurring.

It all started about 3 weeks ago when M and I both got sick. Not a big deal, but it is the third time I have had the same ear/throat infection in 4 months. Very frustrating. Then, on the way home from Awana two weeks ago I hit a 350 pound calf. It had gotten out and was across the road from its mama when I drove by and scared it back across the road. It wasn't catastrophic, but it did do quite a bit of damage to our Jeep and left it undrivable. God was definitely with me as I drove home that night when I normally would have been driving 65 or 70 mph I had slowed down and was going about 25 causing much less damage to me, the Jeep, and the calf! I thought that I had done pretty well in dealing with this trial and giving the glory to God. I think He was just preparing me for the next big thing.

I am currently doing a Bible study at church based on the book One in a Million by Priscilla Shirer. It is a fabulous Bible study that deals with living life in an intimate relationship with your Creator. It is one more example of God placing me in a study that deals with me exactly where I am and exactly what I need to be hearing right now. Well, just after the calf incident the Bible study talked about the purpose of trials and how we deal with them. It talked about how God can use things in our lives to bring our focus back to Him, to trust Him more and to have a more intimate relationship with Him. It asked me to think back on a trial that I had not succeeded in trusting God and to make it right with Him. During that conversation with God I told Him that I would trust Him with my family. Little did I know that He was preparing me for the next day.

Remember that M had been sick, so she was on an antibiotic. I forgot to give it to her on Tuesday morning before school, but I had to go to Guymon for Bible study so I figured I would take it with me and stop and give it to her when I passed the school. Well, for some reason I didn't make it before the study. That is a part I can't figure out, I had time and I remembered, I just didn't do it. So after Bible study on the way to my weekly lunch date with my dearest Love I stopped at the school. It was time for after lunch recess so I went out to the playground looking around for M, I finally found her sitting on the teacher's lap. I walked up and Mrs. Harrington turned and said “well where did you come from? I just sent Mrs. Portillo to call you”. M had been hurt on the slide when someone else slid down while she was still sitting at the bottom. Later we found out that she had broken her wrist in two places essentially dislocating her wrist. We were originally told that the break was very bad and that she would have to have surgery to repair it. Fortunately, God led us to a great orthopedic surgeon who was able to easily spot the problems and set the bone without surgery.

I know that this post has gone on and on, but I feel that I had to tell the whole story in order to give God all of the glory. I can see how He so carefully orchestrated all of the events of the past two weeks. Of course, they are not things that we wanted to happen. There are several concerns about all of this like M's frustration in dealing with limitations and having the grace to deal with it well and how are we going to pay for another major medical event, but through it all I see God and how He has put us just where we need to be and when. These major questions, instead of being something scary to me are something that make me excited to see how our Awesome and Amazing God is going to work out this situation! I am encouraged to see how much He cares for us, to see how He is shaping my little girl into His image, and how He can use even the “bad” things or painful things in our life to pull us into a more personal and loving relationship with Him. He is such a great God, I hope that you know Him, if you don't please ask someone who does know Him. You can find out more information here or email me at mmking at gmail . com. It is the most important decision you will ever make!

So for now, all is good. M's arm is casted, but not hurting her. The Jeep is not totaled and getting fixed while the insurance company is working with us. And I am trusting God to use these events to help me know Him better!

Something Worth Sharing

Living.Laughing.Loving.Playing

Happy Valentine's Day

I just need to share my dearest love and his lovely little Valentine on this Valentine's Day.  

This might be my new favorite picture ever!

Dave asked her out on a date this evening.  She wanted to wear a dress and some makeup.  She sure is a beautiful almost big girl!

Goings on

It has been way too long since I posted on here...no one would believe that I am actually trying to keep people up to date on my life...Honestly it feels as though we lost 2 months of our lives to sickness this Christmas season.    But it seems as though the coughing and runny noses and MRSA infections are done with for awhile!  Praise the Lord!

Dave and Mollee got me one of the best birthday presents I have ever gotten this year...
 I love that it was something they knew I loved and something I didn't expect.  Dave is so thoughtful!

We have welcomed 3 new baby goats to the family in the last month.  They are so cute, 2 black ones from my big goat Megan...they are named Ezekiel and Daniel...and one from my Nigerian Dwarf, Lucy named Eli.  Eli has the funniest ears...they are half floppy and half like donkey ears.  I suspect that they will stand up like Lucy's do when he grows up.  I am ashamed to say that I don't have any good pictures of them yet...but here is one of Lucy just before she popped and one of Mollee playing with some of the other babies...I think that these are Stacy's babies and I am not sure if they have names.

We have enjoyed several snow days this year.  I think this is the 4th in two weeks, and I am loving all of the extra time to spend with Mollee.  We have gotten to play a lot of Wii and My Little Pony as well as watch some Andy Griffith Show, do quite a bit of reading, and baking...here is Mollee helping me to make some Bierox.
  Last night Dave and Mollee had a pillow fight.

And today Mollee is earning her $3.00 and playing in the snow at the same time.  Please, no one tell her anything different! =D

We have also, I am sad to say, missed the last 2 weeks of Awana because of the winter weather...that is sad...I miss those kids when we don't get to have Cubbies! I guess that is a whirl wind update on at least a few months of our lives.  Things are going well, God is good as always, and I am thankful for every blessing He sends our way!