Lent

So I did a thing over Lent.  My giving up for Lent to draw me closer and change my perspective was to give up cussing.

I found an app and downloaded it; and I started my own swear jar for Lent.

I didn't tell anyone what I was doing; it wasn't about getting recognition for it.  It was about me changing my perspective and response.  So, I didn't just count the swears I said out loud, but the ones in my head as well when I was upset or angry. 

$92 will be going to charity.

Scissors

Hatchimals Aren't for Playing With

Elinore has been collecting and loving all things Hatchimals for about a year or so now.  She's gets them for gifts; she saves her money and buys her own and watches YouTube videos to learn more about them.  We even play a Hatchimal card and board game. 

Last night Elinore told me, Hatchimals aren't for playing with.  They are for looking at, organizing and for setting up.

Mark

I realized I forgot a few of my additional personal notes on my reading of Mark. 

• Teachers of the law went to hear Jesus teach
• Jesus needed personal space too.  (He went out on boats.)
• Jesus must have been a loud person to teach so many in a crowd.
• Just as the bleeding woman believe, so must I believe I am forgiven, saved, redeemed, blessed!
• 600+ written laws and unwritten law in Jewish tradition
• Jesus was so followed that people went without food for 3 days. (Or with only what they carried.)
• Jesus' followers discussed the meaning of His teachings.
• Jesus had a hard time getting away from crowds of people.

Fresh Out of Amazing

I finished this book up last night.  It was an alright read.  Sections of it were relatable, and reference to scripture was good.  I think personally I've already learned some of these lessons too, so there was some repetition, but some new things too. 

Mark

• John prepares the way for Jesus, preaches of changed hearts and lives with forgiveness
• People went to John and were baptized
• John live in the wilderness and wore different clothes; he ate honey and locusts
• Preached of someone greater coming
• Jesus comes and is baptized then goes into the desert for 40 days and is tempted by Satan, then the angels take care of Him
• Once John was imprisoned, Jesus went to Galilee preaching, change hearts and lives and believe the Good News
• Jesus told 4 fisherman to follow Him to fish for people (Simon & Andrew, James & John)
• Jesus, teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath, commands an evil spirit out of a man and the news about Jesus spread quickly
• Jesus left the synagogue to Simon & Andrews home where Simon's mother-in-law was sick with a fever, Jesus took her hand, helper her up, the fever left and she served them
• That evening many people gathered to be healed
• Early in the morning, Jesus left, went to a lonely place and prayed
• When his friends found Jesus, He told them they must travel and preach - that is why He came
• Jesus heals a sick man with a skin disease and tells him to quietly go make an offering at the priest, but he tells everyone and Jesus can't enter towns anymore and people come to Him from everywhere
• Jesus went to Capernum to teach and people filled the house to listen
• 4 people carried a paralyzed man there and couldn't get in because of the crowd, so they dug a hole in the roof and lowered him
• Jesus forgave him sins and told him to get up and walk because the teachers of the law were thinking why Jesus was acting like God and forgiving sins (Did He have authority for that or only God?)
• On the way to the lake, Jesus gathered Levi in a tax collector booth to follow Him
• Jesus ate with Levi and tax collectors and sinners; Pharisees questioned this and Jesus said healthy people don't need a doctor, but sick do; He came for sinners
• Pharisees ask why Jesus followers don't fast - no while with the bridegroom, but they will when He is taken away from them
• Jesus and followers picked grain and ate on Sabbath and were criticized, but the Sabbath is to help people and Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath (hunger and others in need cannot be ignored because it is the Sabbath); Sabbath: do good, not evil
• Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath
• So many people came to hear and follow Jesus He had His disciples get a boat He could get on to keep people from crowding against Him
• Jesus chooses His Apostles - wanted them to be with Him, to preach and to send out demons
• Jesus had so many people following Him He couldn't eat
• Teachers of the law claimed Jesus had the evil spirit in Him; Jesus said an evil spirit wouldn't come to chase out evil, a family divided cannot continue
• Do not speak against the Holy Spirit (unforgivable) - calling spirit evil in Jesus
• True family are those who follow God's will
• Planting seed on by the road, rocky ground, thorny weeds, and good ground and it produced crops
• The seeds are like people and the message of God - some produce more than others
• Some will look and not learn, some will listen and not understand, if you learn and understand you come back to Jesus and are forgiven
• Kingdom of God is like person planting seed; the person doesn't know hot it grows night and day
• use what you have, don't hide it
• A mustard seed is small seed and grows great and provides place for birds
• Evening Jesus and followers go across the lake, while Jesus slept a wind came throwing water in the boat and the woke Jesus who calmed the water, He asked his followers why they still had no faith
• A strong man who lives in the burial caves came to Jesus, Jesus removed the evil spirit and they went into the pigs, then drown in the lake
• In a crowd, a woman, bleeding for 12 years and spending all her money to heal it, touches Jesus cloak; Jesus feels the power and looks for her; she falls at His feet
• A synagogue leaders daughter was dying and he sought Jesus, in his home they thought she was dead and laughed at Jesus, so He threw them out and brought her to life
• Jesus preaches in His hometown and few believe Him; He sends out His disciples with only the clothes on their backs to teach and heal
• Herod enjoyed listening to John the Baptist even though some of his teachings bothered him; Herod's wife didn't like John because he told Herod it was wrong to be married to her; Herodias, because she was his brother's wife
• Herodias daughter danced for Herod on his birthday; Herod enjoyed it and promised her much, she asked for John's head on a platter and it was done
• The followers return to tell Jesus of their time teaching and so many people gathered they couldn't eat, they tried to go away to a lonely place to rest by boat, but the people ran ahead and met them there
• Jesus felt sorry for them and taught them; the followers wanted to send them away to eat, but Jesus said freed them with the 5 loaves and 2 fish they had; Jesus blessed it; they fed 5,000 men and had leftovers
• Jesus sent his followers out in the boat and He stayed to send people home and pray in the hills; later He walked on water to them as they struggled to row in a storm in the night, the followers thought He was a ghost then were amazed
• Jesus taught them to obey God's law, not human law - it isn't what enters someone from outside that makes them unclean, but what comes from the mind, those things begin inside (evil, sexual sin, stealing, murder, adultery, greed, etc.)
• Jesus removes a demon from a non-Jewish woman's daughter "even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs"
• Jesus heals a deaf man - He takes him off so they are away from the crowd and heals but tells them not to tell anyone, but they continued telling everyone Jesus was amazing
• Jesus fed 4,000 men with 7 loaves of bread so they could journey home nourished
• Pharisees asked for a miracle as a sign, Jesus said no
• Beware of others teachings, follow God
• Jesus heals a blind man and send him home saying "don't go into town"
• Jesus tells his followers what is going to happen to Him and He corrects Peter when he says not to talk like that
• You must give up your life to follow Jesus
• Jesus, Peter, James and John went up the mountain and Jesus appearance changed, white and bright and he talked with Moses & Elijah, a voice from the cloud claimed Jesus his son
• They returned from the mountain to arguing by ran and welcomed Jesus - arguing because His followers couldn't heal boy with seizures, but Jesus did with prayer
• Jesus seemed frustrated with how little they still believed - the boys father asked Him to help him believe more
• Jesus goes away with followers only to teach them and tells them of His coming death and rising
• On the walk the followers argued among themselves who was the greatest, but Jesus said to be most important you must be last and servant to all and accept children
• If not against Jesus, for him
• Remove temptation and don't lead others astray, but full of salt
• What God joins, man should not separate
• Divorce and remarriage is adultery
• Accept the kingdom of God like a child; let the children come
• A man asks Jesus how to have life forever, Jesus says sell all possessions and give to the poor; the followers ask who them can be saved - people cannot do it, only God can
• Those highest now will be lowest and the lowest will be highest in the future
• On the road to Jerusalem Jesus took his followers aside and told them of His coming beating, death and resurrection
• James and John asked to be on either side of Jesus in glory in the kingdom - Jesus said they cannot as God has prepared that
• Jesus came to serve others and we must too
• A blind man called to Jesus on the road and Jesus healed Him
• Jesus enters Jerusalem on a new colt with coats on the path and praise all around
• Jesus had a tree produce no more because it was fig less when He was hungry - the tree died
• Jesus went to the temple and threw people out for not treating it as a house of prayer
• Leaders question Jesus authority, Jesus asks them who's authority John the Baptist had and they refused to answer after arguing to admit they didn't believe it was God or anger the people who believed him prophet
• A farmer prepared a vineyard then left, at harvest he sent servants to collect but they were all beaten or killed, so then the son went and he too was killed - Jewish leaders knew this was about them and wanted to kill Jesus but were afraid of the people
• Give Cesar what is his and God what is his; Jesus knew they were trying to trap him asking about tax paying
• Sadducees tried to trick Jesus about marriage when they rise from the dead - when we rise we will be like angels in heaven
• Most important command is to love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind - love your neighbor as yourself
• Christ is not the Son of David - David calls him Lord
• Do not pray, clothes, seek importance to be seen
• Jesus watched the money box in the temple - the woman who gave a penny gave more than the men with riches because she gave all in her poverty
• The temple will be destroyed; wars must happen for the end to come, and earthquakes and famine - like pains in labor before new birth - but the Good News must be shared before this
• Don't worry about words in arrest, they will be given to you (Holy Spirit)
• People will fight with family and hate you for faith, but keep the faith until the end
• Destroying terror will come; it will be short; run for the hills do not grab anything
• Earth and sky will be destroyed but God's word stands forever, only God knows when
• Always be ready
• The leaders were trying to find a plan to kill Jesus but were avoiding the feast for fear of the people rioting
• People will remember the woman who poured expensive perfume (a year's earnings) on Jesus to prepare him for burial - she did what she could
• Judas went to the priest to plan to turn Jesus in - he waited for the best time
• The followers went into the city as Jesus directed and prepared the Passover
• Jesus told them one of them will betray Him
• The Lord's supper happens, bread and wine = body and blood
• Jesus told the followers they will all stumble in their faith, but they denied it - Peter will deny Jesus before the rooster crows 3x
• Jesus prays alone, distressed seeking the 'cup' be removed from Him, but seeking God's will not His - his followers fall asleep
• Judas came and kissed Jesus and he was arrested, a follower cut the eat off the servant of the high priest - the followers all ran away
• A young man in a loin cloth following Jesus was grabbed too, but his cloth fell off and he ran away naked
• Peter followed Jesus from a distance
• The leaders couldn't find Jesus guilty until He claimed to be the Son of God
• Peter denied knowing Jesus and the rooster crowed and denied him again and again and the rooster crowed again; then peter remembered what Jesus said and cried
• Pilate, the governor, questions Jesus, Jesus is quiet
• Pilate tried to free Jesus for Pilate knew they had brought him Jesus in jealousy
• The crowd had Barabbas freed and Jesus sent for crucifixion; Pilate agreed to please the crowd
• Jesus is crucified and people make fun of Him; at noon, for 3 hours, the country became dark; at 3, Jesus asked why God has forsaken Him; Jesus cries out and dies
• The curtain in the temple tore in two when Jesus died
• Women who followed Jesus watched from a distance
• Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for Jesus body to be wrapped and put in a tomb; Pilate was surprised Jesus was dead, but gave him the body
• Mary and Mary Magdalene saw where He was laid
• The women went to the tomb with spices but found the stone rolled away - they had wondered how they would move it
• Inside there was no body of Jesus, only a young man in a white robe telling them Jesus rose and is going to Galilee and to go tell the followers and Peter to meet Him there, but the women ran away and told no one

• Jesus went to Mary Magdalene and then she went and told the followers
•  The followers didn't believe
• Jesus showed himself to 2 followers but when they told the others, they still didn't believe
• Jesus showed himself to His 11 followers and criticized them for not believing, then He told them to go spread the Good News and work miracles
• Then Jesus was carried to heaven at God's right hand

Love on the Line

I had picked this up on a whim at Goodwill and rather enjoyed it.  It was an easy read, and I was only luke warm to it for awhile, but the ending really made me think, which made me like it more.

Chasing Superwoman

This may be one of my least favorite books I've read.  It was pretty bad.  It reminded me we can all be victims of the choices we make in life, or we can embrace them.  And if we feel like the victim, we can change it, we make those choices.  What is your motivation?  You can't love both God and money. 

Of Mess & Moxie

I finished the book a week or so ago.  I didn't love it when I started, but I was a fan by the end.  The humor and relatable real life talk was refreshing and fun.  And I even pulled a couple ideas from it to have my own family start.