Okay, so other than at work, I don't spend a lot of time on my computer. I get flack all the time from my sisters that I don't update my facebook page or comments from you all that I need to post something to my blog. Today, it is slower at work and I told Amy a couple weeks ago I would post something, so I guess I better.

Hopefully tonight the latest sonogram picture will be posted. We are about 19 weeks along and the baby weighs about 9 oz. I understand how they can do length measurements but how can they measure weight??? Oh well, the baby (yes, we're not finding out if it's a girl or boy until we deliver which is driving everyone crazy) is healthy and growing and I'm not getting nauseous any more...so pictures to come.

As for what I told Amy I would blog about:

I am in charge of the St. Paul's women's Wednesday night Bible study. We started the book A Woman's High Calling by Elizabeth George last week. After attending the Come to the Fire conference last October, I really felt impressed to lead a study on becoming a Titus 2 woman. Amazingly Elizabeth wrote an entire book on about 3 versus from this small book - it is only on one page in the Bible I used last Wednesday so I almost missed it.

So far, I have been very drawn into what she has to say. To be honest, I started the book for selfish reasons - I wanted the older women in my life - not just in my church - to realize that they are called to be spiritual leaders to me and the other younger women, not just hospitality leaders. As I began the first chapter, I realized that while that is something I so need, God has a lot more to say to me before even talking to the ladies in the study about stepping up. So, I began last week focusing on the fact that the most important thing is for me to be changed...and if the other ladies allow God to speak to them and change them from the inside out, so be it...but I was going to soak in as much as I could for myself.

I would love to extend this study to any women who come to my blog. I'm going to try to share my thoughts and things I learn each week and hope to hear from others so we can all grow to be godly women together.

First two chapters: What is in us, is what comes out. If there's nothing overflowing from us, how do we expect other's to see God in us? I used a visual aid at our study of a pitcher of water half full. It was placed in the room before everyone got there. At the end of the study, I asked them if they noticed the pitcher. They said they saw it but didn't think anything about it. I then asked them, if it had water overflowing out of it, would they have noticed it. And of course the answer was yes. In the same way, if we are not filling our lives with whatever is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, good, virtuous, and praiseworthy (Proverbs 23:7), how do we expect people to see that flowing out of us.

Elizabeth shares in chapter two that the first two ways to become a godly woman are through the meditations of your mind and the things that leave your mouth. If you fill yourself with godly things, that is what is going to flow out of you. If you fill yourself with things that are not so godly (books, conversations, tv shows, movies, etc) and allow your mouth to speak ungodly things (slander and gossip - discussed in chapter 3), that is what other's are going to see. And when they see those things, there is no way for them to see God.

Some suggestions she gave as ways to change your mind and heart: be in prayer - prayers of praise and adoration throughout the day. Pick some place or thing you do that you do a lot throughout your day, if you are at home - choose entering your kitchen, if you drive a lot - choose a red light, etc. and each of those times, offer up a prayer of adoration to God. Choose a psalm and read it out loud in the morning - then reflect on it and make it yours througout the day. Find a hymn in your personal or church hymnal and sing it (even sing it with your families) - think of all the silly jingles that stay in your mind all day that annoy you...now think of replacing that with a hymn. Great ways to mediatate on what is true, noble, etc.

I tried a few of these last week before the study...and boy does it make a difference. Even the things that would have normally brought me down at work, didn't because I was so filled with God and thoughts of His love and protection that those things didn't mean anything. I also found myself choosing to not watch shows that I had watched for years - not ones that had in your face bad things but enough that as I thought of them - they didn't match up with Proverbs 23:7. And from that, I found more time to spend with my family, working on things that matter - my scrapbooking memories for Will, and for my relationship with God. I actually pulled out my iPod and listened to praise music - apparently singing loudly as Todd came in and asked if I could remove one ear bud so I could hear myself. :-) I told him that I was worshiping and could hear myself which he appreciated and left me to that...but I did tone it down a little...

The first week is always easy because you're gung ho about changing...the second and subsequent weeks seem to trail off a little...but I think because I am blogging and holding myself accountable, that will help.

My prayer this week - God allow me to be so filled with all that is true, pure, lovely...godly, that those things will have no where to go but to spill out to others. Allow them to see you...not me this week.