Hallelujah- New Lyrics with A new FOCUS! Yay!

I’ve heard there was a secret chord 

That David played, it pleased the Lord.  

But You don’t love us for our music, do You? 

Sin goes like this: The fourth, the fifth, 

Adam’s fall, the major rift, 

The baffled king neglecting Hallelujah. 

 Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.

Nathan said, “I see your lust. 

You violate a soldier’s trust. 

Your pride, your pomp, at night they overthrew you. 

You steal, you kill, you get your way, 

But God has said, your child will pay,  

And from your lips He’ll draw the Hallelujah.” 

David prayed, “Have mercy, Lord, 

You saved me from Goliath’s sword. 

Yes, I lived for self before I knew you. 

Now, more evil in your sight, 

So I give up, I cannot fight.  

Mine’s a cold and broken Hallelujah.” 

“Blood your hyssop, I’ll be clean. 

Wash me so my sin’s not seen. 

Give me of your Holy Spirit, will you?  

Create in me a new, clean heart. 

Give me now a strong, fresh start,  

So every breath I draw is Hallelujah.” 

“You don’t delight in sacrifice. 

You don’t excuse our secret vice. 

You want from us a broken spirit, do you? 

You’ve shown me what I did was wrong. 

I’ll stand before You, Lord of song,  

With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah.” 

New Cover Lyrics By: Marvin Olasky 

www.worldmag.com 

Decluttering-and Getting Organized-Focus

So, I have so much stuff around my house... it's hard to focus!  I think we have been on the road so much (4 different therapies, piano, church, etc) that the clutter collects, and just gets shoved from one room or place to another.  Frustration sets in, and then I feel my walls closing in on me.

One thing I have started focusing on is a Home Organization Binder.  If you are on Pinterest, I am sure you have seen a bazillion free printables pinned by your friends.  Well, I have jumped on the band wagon.  I am trying to maintain two blogs, and a family of four homeschooling children.  Organization, smorganization, right?

I slowly started last fall gravitating towards pantry rotation sheets, menu planning sheets, and Daily to do lists,  and that is when I found Erin at HappyOrganizedLife.  She was great to work with on customized sheets to meet my finicky needs, and made them all customizable in Adobe Acrobat, so that if I didn't want to hand write, I could type it and read better!  Plus, they are pretty!  She even made me this awesome coupon shopping list with price match columns.  Seriously, that small amount I paid for the sheet has been saved over and over again, just by helping me get organized when I grocery shop!

Right now on her blog, she is doing a series on Home Organization Binders, and giving away free downloads of prints that she usually sells on her Etsy store.  If you don't see something specific you need, ask her.  She will either find it or make it!

Have a great FOCUSED day!
Amanda

In My Quest for Focus-Prayer Journals **UPDATE** Link to PDF file Fixed!

I am ashamed to admit it, but here you go-

I don't feel like I have taught my kids how to nurture a good prayer life.

Sure they pray well at meal time, but honestly, and really, opening themselves up to pray for others consistently and whole-hearted.  Acceptance (confession) is good for the soul, right?

So, in an effort for me to focus more on my faith, and family, it seems my pastor has pointed me down the path of prayer (he handed me 2 books about prayer last night after church).  I realize I am lacking in my prayer life, and in that, I am lacking in teaching my kids the power of prayer, the right way.

So, I created these printables for my home life, for my family to use to learn about prayer, and to give them something to look back on through the year to see answered prayer as well.

  You can click on the picture, and it will take you to a place to print and download the PDF file!
I am offering these for free, for anyone else who sees the need to give their child (or themselves) a starting point in their prayer life.

Let me know what you think, and feel free to share!

Linking Up to Only A Breath- 2013 One Word Reveal!

Yesterday, I blogged a little bit about what my one word was going to be for 2013, and a little about why.  After the Watch Night service last night, I almost changed it.  There was so much preaching surrounding the word "Rejoice."  I had a hard time!  I still just really feel like focusing on Faith && Family is going to help with the rejoicing. 

My son Wyatt is there on the left with his arm crutches, and this is my husband (suit in the back) and some others playing music during our eating break between preaching sessions last night.  God gave us so much to praise him for last night... and issued some clear challenges for the year ahead and listening to His preached word, but the only way I can be a better ministry tool for Him is to focus on my ministry at home.  For those that don't know me personally, I will just tell you that with the amount of nurses, therapists, and teachers that filter through my home, I don't have to leave home to be a witness for Christ!  In that same breath, I have a second layer of accountability as well.  We have had people get saved here, and people get right with the Lord here, just because of the environment that is, and how encouraging in the Lord we try to keep our home.  It's not always easy, I promise!  

I am so excited for the One Word link up, and the accountability.  I am more excited that through linking up with others, I might be able to be an encouragement to someone who is struggling with children with disabilities.  

Amanda :)

Reflecting on 2012, and Forging Ahead to 2013 With Purpose

Looking back over this last year, I find it hard to believe it's over.  Our family has grown leaps and bounds.  We had birthdays, we had life lessons, but most of all, it seems we really lived!

Dylan got his headpod, and and ipad, and has made some amazing strides in communicating with us (future blogs on that).  Wyatt has come so far with walking, and this year he even walked across the dining room with only one arm crutch.  Elizabeth surrendered her life to God, and submitted to him that what ever he called her to do, and where ever she was called to go, she would (I hear Ruth as I am typing that) go.

This year, I have chosen to participate in a challenge at www.oneword365.com.  I prayed about what my one word would be, and have come to rest on "Focus."  Bucky & I were talking last week about how I felt so spread out, and nothing seems to come together because we are all over the place.  So this year, I am really feeling the pressing urge to focus on the things that matter.  Faith & Family.  So many things fall under those two categories, but I feel like God is sitting in my home, waiting, and begging me to draw nye unto Him, and allow him to be my refuge and strength.

As for the family portion, I need to focus on structure, discipline, and home life as well, with God being brought to the forefront of that.  We get so caught up in the hustle & bustle, I am truely missing out on the best years of my kids!  So, we have decided to pare down our schedule, so we can spend more time here together.  There will still be therapy, and piano lessons, and all those important things... but we are trying to work on concentrating them to one day, so that school isn't being put on the back burner.

So, what do you say?  Are you brave enough to take the OneWord365  challenge with me?  I am going to be trying to chart my course and journey here and on my personal facebook page, so if you would like to join me, or share your challenges and experiences, feel free to follow my blog and join along!

Amanda