1 Corinthians 5

S: 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough? Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened. For our Paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

O: Paul knew there was wickedness in the community. Here, yeast is a symbol of corruption that spreads throughout the community.

Yeast, as you probably know, works by consuming sugars and lets off carbon dioxide and alcohol derivatives. That’s how the bread rises and gets fluffy. Funny is that yeast itself is a single cell fungus. Paul, using yeast as a symbol here, shows that it only take a single person or thing to consume the goodness of a Christian and cause them to become full of themselves, emit sins, and not have room for God. 

A: Paul was calling for the Corinthians to “clear out the old yeast”, or those in the community who were corrupt, and begin as a new “fresh batch” of people for Christ. He wanted them to be like unleavened bread, and God wants us that way today. 

In verses 9-12, it shows he wasn’t asking us to remove ourselves from all immoral people, as we can’t remove ourselves from the world, but rather those in our closer area. If there were people in my group of friends that could be considered the “bad yeast” I should remove myself from them. Same for those who have vices, they would remove them from their house. Wanting to stop eating sweets or drinking Coke? Remove them from your house. Easier said than do, I know. #goals

Stop associating with people (or things) that go against your call as a Christian. Otherwise, you will become corrupted. I had to learn the hard way to stop allowing infectious people in my life, because once in, no matter how hard I tried, they dragged me down. 

K: Lord, thank you for all the blessings in my life. Thank you for the hard times, as I didn’t think of them as blessings then, but now see Your goodness from them. Thank you for the women in this study. I pray we continue to be lights for each other, and continue the encouragement for growth as women in Christ.

"Sexual immorality had defiled the church in Corinth.  Paul called on the church to purify itself by removing those who were sinning in arrogance, in hopes that they would become repentant.  These instructions were specifically for those inside the church and it was meant to be a loving act, seeking restoration.  Those outside the church were not to be judged by the church but rather left for God to be the judge.

Have you experienced the church winking at the sin of those inside the church while judging harshly those outside the church?  While it may seem loving to overlook the sins of those inside the church, it hurts the holiness of the church and those participating in the sin.  But we cannot hold those outside the church to the same standard. In what ways have you been too judgmental of those outside the church and how can you show more love to those who are lost in their sin?" (https://womenlivingwell.org/2019/09/its-time-to-begin-intro-and-resources-for-1-corinthians-1-5/)

Appreciation of my mother

I know I wasn’t truly as appreciative all those years ago. All the times she stayed up after bedtime or worked during nap-time, sewing clothes. For all the hours she put in spray painting shoes, measuring, pinning, cutting, re-pinning, sewing, ripping and re-sewing, adding sequence or feathers to dance, band, Halloween or skit costumes. All the cutting, sanding, painting, building, crafting sets for band or Jr. Beta skits. Now it’s my turn to start the journey of wondering why my back hurts. And all the pain staking hours are so worth it to see their face light up. Thanks momma! And thank you to all the many parents who helped make things for us all those years ago. 

My mom had given me a binder a year or so back full of costumes patterns that she used for us when we were younger. Well, a few weeks ago I figured it was time to pull it out if I had any chance of making costumes before Halloween. Katie is going to be a unicorn, since she has a unicorn dress from her 4th birthday party. All I need to do is make the unicorn horn more "magical." Got it. Also, my church group is having a Trunk Or Treat at the end of October, so I need to work on my unicorn magic trunk. So, I let Hunter and Jeanne go through the binder and choose. Hunter decided to be a Jack o' lantern, and Jeanne wanted a poodle skirt. 

When I pulled the patterns out of their little envelopes, so many emotions and memories flooded me. I can paint a picture of my mother's utility room floor covered with material and pattern pieces, pins, measuring tape, and I couldn't wait to jump in. After reading the instructions, re-reading them two more time, and writing down all what I needed (man, that was a lot of stuff), off to Jo-Ann's I went. At this time, my mom was on a trip without phone service, so I couldn't call her to ask a few questions that I didn't remember. It had been 7 years since I last read a pattern. What was the selvage? How do I figure the grain flow? There was a really nice lady at JoAnn's who helped me out best she could. That trip was fun, looking through all the material and things I would need to get to replenish my lack of sewing tools.

I washed the orange and green material, and waited to iron it the next day. Cotton wrinkles. And I had a tiny ironing board that I had had since 2008 with a really thin padding underneath. I went to Target and got a grown up size ironing board. 😀I re-ironed the material and started pinning and cutting. Same for the fleece insides. Fleece stretches, and that made cutting frustrating. I had bought a cut rotary cutter, thinking it would help my cutting go faster (and I swear my mom had one), but I wasn't sure how to get the blade to keep exposed. So I held the button down and started using it, only to realize a minute or two later as I had a burning sensation in my thumb and had blood on the material, that I should not have been holding it down. Googled and saw just using it forced the shield to go down. Duh! Bandaged my thumb and got back at it. Wouldn't be the last mistake I was sure.

Once I got all of Hunter's pieces cut out, I started pinning and piecing things together for the body. After the fact, next time I will try to cut cotton out with my pinking shears. It became really stringy on the inside and the edges frayed. Then I went to put on the Jack o' lanterns face. I cut out the pieces of black felt, put them on the  brand new ironing board, put the bonding material on top, and ironed the felt to my ironing board cover. 😑Well that was dumb. I tried to peel the sticky goo off the cover, and got most of it off. I then saw that the bonding material should have been ironed to the entire felt piece, then cut out. I was not able to get all the goo off the cover no matter how many different ways I tried. So I just ran to Target and got a new cover (put that under house expense on the budget). 

The cording and elastic were also fun (not fun) times. I put the safety pin through the 1/8" cording and tried to ease it through the 1/4" seam. I lost count how many times the pin pulled through the cording and I had to start over. I finally got 2 inches from the end the last time, when it pulled through. I was so frustrated, but just ripped the seam  there, fished the cording through, held it close to the top, re-stitched the seam, and called it good. The elastic at the bottom was just as tough. It didn't get lost, but they asked for 1/2" elastic to go through a 1/4" seam. Not possible. So I made a 1/2" seam, right? Well it was still tough, and after my fingers cramped, I finally got it through just to see it all twisted. I only know a few words in French (the ones my grandma used when she was mad at us), and they are the ones I chose to use at this moment. There were a few other moments with the leaves and the hat, but it finally all came together. Hunter was so excited to be able to try it on, and loved to get to bounce around with the newspaper inside making funny noises.

Then I started on the skirt with cats, not poodles. I laid out the material on my table, and noticed the material looked short. The pattern extended over it. I refolded the material, and tried again. Nope. So I ironed the material, hoping it would give me the few extra inches. Again, nope. I measure it. Yes, it was 1 3/8 yards I requested. But I didn't think to look for 60" width material. This one was only 50". 😡Back to JoAnn's I guess. Then I looked online, and you can order from JoAnn's and pick it up! Yes please. So I placed the order for the same color (because I already had the thread and zipper to match), and picked it up later. I didn't have to go search for it and wait for it to be cut. Awesome! Later that day (or the next- it all runs together now), I took the pattern back out and began cutting. She is tiny for her age, so I cut based on her measurements. I have a lot of felt left over, for future fun projects. 

The skirt was easier to cut and get started, being that it is felt. I cut out the cats and trim for the front. I had some liquid stitch that was several years old, and tried to use that to no avail. So pulled out the hot glue gun, and got the trim on. Managed to get the bonding material on the cats with no problem this time (I actually used the old cover on top the new cover to make sure I didn't mess up the new one). It came out rather nice. The instructions called for black thread to do the eyes and nose, but I used a pen. I may go back and hand stitch over the ink, though Jeanne seemed to love it as is. The trick part of the skirt was the zipper. I don't have a zipper foot for the sewing machine, and didn't want to go buy one, so I did the best I could with what I had. It's not perfect, but she can't tell. Next was getting the waistband on. I ripped that two or three times, before getting it where it was supposed to be. After getting her to try it on a few times I noticed it is still a little big around her waist. Luckily the last two Halloweens have been pretty cold, so I'm banking on her having to wear sweat pants and tights underneath, so hopefully that will help hold it up. 

She loves it! Now I just need to find the right shirt to go with it. Though it may not matter, if we are having to wear sweat shirts. It's hard to find plain colored sweatshirts for kids at the stores here. Now Katie keeps asking when I will get to her magical unicorn. That'll be next  on the list, once I am done with Hunter's birthday planning! Never a dull moment.

Learning to Drive

So today, as I was bringing my youngest to pre-k, I noticed I was behind a student driver. We needed to get to the grocery store, because someone ate all the bread and lunch meat that I had planned out for the week, and Katie needs lunch for school. At first, I had a hint of frustration because this road is not passable and because I had to go to the store. Then, I quickly thought again. That driver is learning. He/she is probably very fearful at the moment, taking this test on wet roads. This is a new experience for him/her. There are several curves to get around carefully on the wet
road for an experienced driver, much less a new one. Who am I to get mad because they are driving a little slow?

Katie asked why we were going slow, and I mentioned the car in front of us having a student driver. She looked through the window and said "yes its because they have cheese on their head." (The car had the yellow sign on top saying "Student driver." Ha!

Then I realized how mad I have been getting at my own student drivers for being slow. This world, these tasks, daily expectations of school, life, homework, soccer, dance, etc. is new, has its own curves and wet roads, and perhaps is fearful to my own kids. Who am I to get mad at them for taking things slow? And why is it easier for me to be patient for someone else but not for my own children?

I know when I get frustrated at my children for being slow, it's usually because I didn't prepare myself enough for whatever the next task is going to be, and I didn't plan ahead to have little hands like to try to tie their own shoes or zip their own jackets, or can't find the matching shoe. I am rushing and honking my horn at my kids to move out the way because I didn't get myself together. It would only require me to do a little more prep work. Before bed, have them get their shoes in their buckets (so they match in the morning). If there is an extra minute in the morning, remind them they have soccer and to put their gear in their bags to change into after school. And make it a point in my day to double check their attempt to be organized and make sure all the stuff if by the door, ready to go.

Then, I need to be like the driver teacher. Just sit in the passenger seat, and let them take the wheel (while keeping my foot on the emergency break!).

1 Corinthians 4

If you didn’t see the comment on 1 Corinthians 1 post, Apollos is not the Greek god; go back to Acts 18:24 and read about him.

S: 1 Corinthians 4:10-13 We are fools on Christ’s account, but you are wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clad and roughly treated, we wander about homeless and we toil, working with our own hands. When ridiculed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we respond gently. We have become like the worlds rubbish, the scum of all, to this very moment. 

O: Paul mentions these things to show a difference between the apostolic living and the Corinthian living. But not out of pity. The Corinthians believe they are above all others and have already reached glory. Paul reminds them here of the beatitudes Jesus taught us
Matthew 5:3-11
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and other every kind of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.

Like 6:20-23 echo these and include the woes in verses 24-26
But world to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. But world to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. World to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. Whoa to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.

A: As apostles and disciples of Christ, we will face persecution of our belief. But we must persist, and continue with our journey. Those who try to cut us down will be admonished and judged by God. 

Even in our own homes or families, we may face questions. But we should never belittle ourselves or our beliefs for the sake of others. Sadly, my husband doesn’t believe and has on occasion stated things in front of the children about his unbelief. But I continue to ensure God’s role in our lives to our children and keep Him first, so they may follow the right path. I pray for my husband daily, that his heart may be opened to God. I don’t know how he doesn’t see all the good things we have as blessings from God; only the burdens as “proof” of his unbelief.

K: Lord, almighty God, thank you for all the blessings you have given us. Thank you for all the hills we have climbed, because without them we couldn’t truly appreciate your mercy and grace. I pray for those who think they are better without you, that their hearts may be turned to you so they know what goodness really is. 

1 Corinthians 3

S: 1 Corinthians 3:18-19 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool so as to become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God...

O: The leaders at the time were valued by their human wisdom and their importance was exaggerated.

A: We have talked of wisdom before. Wisdom, true wisdom, is a gift from God. We should use this wisdom to help us in difficult situations, not the “wisdom” of the world. The wisdom of the world has made false leaders guide people wrongly. We should always turn to God first, be submissive to Him above all things. 

Our Priest talked about wisdom and knowledge in his homily a few weeks ago. He said, “The more you learn, the more you realize how little you actually know. The wiser in God you become, the more foolish you realize you are. The closer you become to Jesus, the further away you see yourself.” And to this effect, we are to keep trying to get closer, to become wiser, to learn more. Because there is always more to learn. 

I am in a Mom’s Bible Study at my church, and right now we are reading “Life Lessons from Women in the Bible,” by Rhonda Kelly. I am really enjoying learning from other women who have gone through trials similar to what we face, having to make decisions. In 1 Samuel 25, Abigail’s wisdom saved her people. Funny thing is I don’t remember this story the same way when we read 1 Samuel together. I only remembered David getting the food and not being angry. But now I have a different perspective on it. Our husbands may be the head of the house, but again we must first be submissive to God. Abigail widely submitted to God and not her husband’s poor judgement, and saved her people. 

Think of a time God have you wisdom to help or deal in a difficult situation. Thank him for that wisdom. Continue to pray for wisdom to face each day’s circumstances. 

K: Lord, thank you for the blessings in my life. Thank you for the wisdom in dealing with our potential next chapter. I pray that you continue to give me wisdom so I may see which is truly the path you want me to take.

"God tests our works based on what “sort” of work it is.  Works that are as wood, hay and straw will burn up in the fire but works that are as gold, silver and precious stones, will be rewarded.  In its context, this verse is referring to the building up of the church with truth.  Those who mix in human wisdom, may make it through the fire but without rewards.

God knows our motives of the heart.  It does not matter how many hours we have spent serving him by building up the church.  If it was not with a right heart, right motive or right truth, it will be as though we did nothing at all.  On Judgement Day, our works will be tested and only what remains will be rewarded. Evaluate the ways that you are currently serving the Lord.  Will they make it through the fire? What changes do you need to make, so you can be sure that your service is honoring to the Lord?" (https://womenlivingwell.org/2019/09/its-time-to-begin-intro-and-resources-for-1-corinthians-1-5/)

Faith and the Big Move

Faith is complete trust in something or someone, without needing to see proof. In the Bible, the story of Ruth shows her faith. Ruth was a Moab, but married a man from an Ephrathite family from Bethlehem. That family had fled their homeland because of a famine. During the marriage, we assume the family told Ruth many of the stories of God and his promises. Years later, when Ruth's husband as well as her father-in-law and brother-in-law died, Ruth had faith that she needed to stay with her mother-in-law, Naomi, as they traveled back to Bethlehem (a new place for Ruth), even though her own husband had died. She told Naomi, "Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you! For wherever you go I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge, and your God will be my God." (Ruth 1:16) God is telling us the same thing! He won't abandon or forsake us, so we should not ask. Wherever we go, He will go. We just need to have faith that He is always there with us. Faith is a choice. It is not something we are born with. Ruth was not even born into a family that believed in God. But she chose to believe in the God of Naomi's family after hearing about the good deeds done. 

In 2016, Shawn was finishing up residency and doing his year of internship. We knew that after that, there was a possibility of moving to a new place for his job. There were a few places he had mentioned briefly of places to interview, Manhattan, KS being one. Kansas?? Who wants to move there?? I was strong against that at first. He had an interview in New Orleans, that I was super excited about. After 5 years of being 8 hours away from our family, it would be great to be closer to home. The interview went ok, but after a few weeks of discussion and learning about what they were (or rather, were not) offering, we both stepped away from that thought. I was really sad about it, because I had a friend I was working with at the time who was moving to the New Orleans area for a similar job, and I would have loved to continue working with her. But that wasn't "in the cards" for us. 

A month or so after the Nola interview (and at that time it seemed like an eternity when you are looking for a job), he again mentioned the Manhattan, KS, option. Again, I was hesitant, but I listened to him on it. Up front and on paper, all seemed ok. The hardest part for me was that I knew it would be a 14 hour drive from south Louisiana, and with kids in school, we would hardly get to see family. Then the company offered to fly me out with him for the interview. Ok, that was a shot in the right direction. They cared enough to know that though the head may make the move, the neck turns the head go in direction. On the flight, I was ready to see the flat lands of Kansas, so plain and boring in my mind. Then we flew over some hills before landing, and I was like "What is that and where are we??" Funny enough, MHK is in an area called the Flint Hills (https://www.manhattancvb.org/210/Flint-Hills , which was beautiful and brown in October. Apparently this was after burning season, we learned in the interview. I fell in love with the little town during the interview. We were toured around, but were also allowed plenty of time to drive by ourselves. It was a small town, maybe 20 square miles from end to end, around a college campus, which was a beautiful site in itself. Once the interview was over, and we returned to Arkansas, I was on pins and needles waiting to hear back. This seemed like a great opportunity for the family, though far. The town had a really good school system and lots of activities for us to do in the summer. 


While waiting to hear back, Shawn had another potential offer from Arkansas itself, so we would be able to stay in Little Rock. That's when I started praying, and praying hard. I said rosaries every day driving to work, praying that if God intended us to move, that He would open the door and open it wide. I put my faith in God for the answer, knowing He would always be with me. Finally, Arkansas gave Shawn a time limit, that he had to give them an answer in 2 weeks. Stay or go? Be further from family or in a town we are already familiar? I be a stay-at-home mom or continue working at the Crime Lab? Those were tough things to consider, especially since we hadn't heard from Kansas. Shawn called them to see if they had made a choice or not (at the time of the interview, they mentioned they had another candidate to interview before they decided). They said they would get back to him soon. I continued my daily rosaries, and we heard really soon from MHK, and they offered the job. After long back and forth, Shawn chose the MHK over staying. He chose the road untraveled instead of the familiar. He thought it best for our family. So I followed him. Luckily enough, we visited again in March (Drove this time) and found a house the same weekend. A few weeks later, I was ready to become a substitute teacher, the kids were in daycare, Jeanne signed up for school and church. Everything had fallen in place. I hadn't stopped praying my rosary. I knew it was going to be ok because God was leading us. I kept my faith in God's choice. 


The move was hard and fun. The kids hadn't seen the house at all until we moved them in a week after Shawn and I actually moved all the furniture in. They were at my moms during that time. It is still hard being so far from family, and we only get to do down twice a year, but this job is taking care of our needs, helping us pay off our debt he accrued from medical school, and it's allowing us to live in a safe town with great people. We love it here. I am so glad I put my faith in God (and my husband), and prayed daily. This is our place for now. 

1 Corinthians 2

S: 1 Corinthians 2:12-13 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God. And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit, describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms.


O: As Christians, we are people born of this world, but our souls should not be of this world. We have been given new life through Jesus death and resurrection. Our Spirit from God should be talked about not with our own words, but those from God.


A: Later in Corinthians, we will read about our Spiritual gifts. Just having been blessed by our God and given the Spirit is a gift. I should be sharing this gift with others, using my spiritual gifts. In life, we will come upon people who don’t want to hear, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. Whether verbally, through acts of kindness or service, showing others what God has done for us and what he promises for them is what we have been called for; it’s why we were given the Spirit. 


K: Lord thank you for my blessings you have given me. I pray I continue to serve you justly, showing others your love through my daily life. For you, Lord,  it for me.

"The rulers of this world could not understand the wisdom of God in Christ and so they crucified him.  But as believers God has revealed to us, through the Holy Spirit, the wisdom of the cross.  Yet, our limited minds cannot comprehend all of the blessings in store for us!

Imagine planning a surprise party for someone you love. Perhaps you would choose a place they’d like to visit, a gift they’d like to receive and their favorite foods. Now, you prepare this elaborate blessing to give them and you know they are going to thoroughly enjoy it.  This is how God has prepared for us. He knows better than we do what we desire and enjoy, and we cannot even fathom what he has prepared for us.  How does this truth encourage you today?"  (https://womenlivingwell.org/2019/09/its-time-to-begin-intro-and-resources-for-1-corinthians-1-5/)