Learning to Listen

Laying in bed in our awesome cabin in the woods and listening. There are few car noises and no one yelling at each other or needing my attention. Listening to the quiet.

Listening is a skill and it is learned intentionally.

Many relationships suffer because one or both parties don't know how to listen. Oh, we are good at reacting and defending ourselves, but do we really listen to understand or just to respond? To get our two cents in. I am as guilty as the next guy.

What about with God? Do we ask for answers and then not listen for a response? My kids are notorious for this. If we really asked God to get an answer and not just as as venting mechanism, wouldn't we listen for a response? That is called communication: one speaks while the other listens and then you switch roles.

So when we listen, what is God saying? God speaks to me a lot and not because I'm anything awesome, but because he has taught me how to be a listener. I'm naturally a doer and a planner and a analyzer, so I've had to learn to turn all of that off and just listen. With no thought to my expectations of what God is saying but just listening to really hear what he says. God speaks a lot and when he is silent, that is also God speaking.

I think we often separate the physical world we live in from the spiritual world in which God moves and speaks. When we realize these are connected, existing together, we are just beginning to hear and see everything God is doing and saying around us.

Bare Minimum

I have a friend who needs a physical miracle for her son. She went to Facebook to ask her community to pray, if they were the praying kind, for peace and wisdom.

As I started to pray for them and him, I couldn't help but think how often we expect bare minimums from God rather than the miraculous. Now, I have no idea what their beliefs are, but I know that God can do so much more than she even asked for. I serve a God who can do miracles, grow missing limbs and body parts, raise from the dead, but we are often too scared or reserved to ask God for miracles. We limit the hand of God by our asking.

Now I am fully aware that it's risky to put your full trust in God, because sometimes he doesn't give us what we ask for. But sometimes he does!! What have we missed because we haven't asked God?

God, help me to have faith to believe your word and ask you for all that you can do, not limiting you according to my plans and thoughts about your provision or willingness to answer!

It is Well With My Soul

So January has come and gone, already. The 2 crazy weeks getting payroll forms completed are behind me and I'm getting back to normal.

My life seems to be surrounded by change right now. There is the looming pastoral election, additional responsibilities at church, change at work, BJ schedule change in addition to the normal (which is always at least a little up in the air with 5 kids and 7 schedules to keep an eye on.)

And yet in the middle of this all, I'm at peace. Because God is my peace. My ability or inability to control everything does not determine the status of my soul.

The old me would have been stressed to the max, breaking into tears if someone looked at me wrong, but not anymore. If nothing else, this season is proving to myself that God has done a great work in me. Praise God!

Wednesday night, I had the privilege of speaking in the adult Bible study. My primary scripture was from Joshua 1:5 where God encouraged Joshua that he would be with him through the transition to leadership just like he was with Moses. As our life focus changes from making everything perfect and appear like we have it all together to being closer to God than ever before and obeying his direction each day, the details of this life seem rather insignificant. They are not worth losing my peace over, that's for sure.

OK, now for a quick update on the kids.

Haley (13) is doing well at school. Taking responsibility for her work and just overall growing up rather than feeling the need to argue when she doesn't agree or act out to get attention. I'm so proud of her.

Daniel (11) has the desire to do well and is learning to have self control and refocus himself when he gets distracted. He is taking responsibility for his choices, able to redirect himself rather than letting one incident ruin his whole day, and apologizing to teachers and friends when needed. Math is his best subject, which I love. I always knew math came naturally for him, but we had to get to a place where he could pay attention and not dread the work. It's been a self confidence issue and I think we are getting over that hurdle.

Katelynn (10) is doing well. Math is her weakest subject, but she is getting better and better at it. They are working on telling time right now, which she is happy about because she gets that. Science has always been her strong suit. She is still talking about being a nurse when she grows up, which I think is a good fit for her.

Seth is being a strong willed 4 year old. He is in that stage where he wants to do everything by himself, but he gets frustrated when it isn't perfect. For example, he asks one of us to make him a bite because he gets mad when his food falls off the fork. He can count to over 100, recognizes most letters and he just started learning to write/trace his letters. He asks us to spell words for him from time to time, loves rhyming, and singing songs. I am looking at a preschool/mother's day out program starting in the fall. I'm thinking 2 days a week so if anyone has recommendations that would be great.

Julia is 17 months old and as sweet as can be. Unlike Seth she is not a picky eater and loves feeding herself with spoons/forks even if she makes a message. She eats part of my dinner most nights and generally loves food. I've just started giving her milk in a cup (like Seth of course) and last night she drank it all. She still nurses in the morning, but more for ease than because she needs to. She wants to control everything Seth does and more. She easily crawls up the stairs and scoots down on her bottom. (Seth always wanted to walk down the stairs which made me nervous).

She loves to talk and says a lot of words: Seth, Daniel, Haley, Sissy (Katelynn is too hard right now), mommy, dad, table (sounds like apple and means she want to eat), run, jump, bubbles, bottle, trash, cup, side (outside), song, music, Nana, Papa, Ama (Grandma), Apa (Grandpa), no, mine, up, down, apple, snack, wet, swing, pop, fishies (sounds like Aggies), baby, Neno (Nana's dog Reno), Mimi (which is either Mickey or Minnie Mouse), pease (please), owie (when she hurts herself), head, nose, eyes, hair, knee, toes, shoe, sock, march, walk and she repeats anything you tell her.

She loves music, singing and dancing, and we can usually stop her from crying by turning music on. I lay her down with her baby and blanket awake and she goes right to sleep at night and occasionally at nap time. I don't have her often for naps, so she tends to fight that more.

She is very independent and likes to get herself dressed and undressed with a little help. For comparison sake, I'm just now getting Seth to help me get himself dressed and undressed. He can do it but has just never shown interest. Maybe it's boy vs girl, maybe it's just Julia vs Seth.

And just so this is out there, and to deter the unasked question, our family is complete. We have no plans for anymore children, 5 is enough. I think my boss has this fear I'm gonna show up pregnant again because she has asked more than once lately. Haha! Unless God just wants to surprise us (which I wouldn't put past him), the Fowler 7 will stay the Fowler 7 until my kids get married, which is many years away.

I'd love to get in the routine of blogging more, but just haven't made it a priority. We will have to wait and see if I get in the groove again this year.