E so Sweet

But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Luke 6:27-31

Tonight we concluded our discussion of Self-Control by talking about controlling our actions. We have previously discussed that our thoughts lead to our words. Both our thoughts and our words can lead to our actions.

We can’t control any actions other than our own and we must be careful what we do. If we are acting in an uncontrolled way we don’t look like we respect our parents or rules. If we are living in such a way then our actions become a distraction to to others. A big area where we have to make sure don’t be come distractions is at church. If we…

That’s how long Mary Perry has been in our lives. We so love having her live with us. She is sweet and cuddly, most of the time. 





Just look at that cute face, who couldn’t love her?


*Merry Mary Mondays are a new feature here at EsoSweet. I thought it would be fun to share pictures of her each week and maybe some cute stories.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Ephesians 4:29

We’re still talking about self-control on Wednesday nights. Last week we discussed controlling our thoughts. The kids helped point out last night that it is important to control our thoughts because our thoughts become our words. We talked about those times were you say what you were thinking without really meaning too. That can be really embarrassing, right?

We also talked about some phrases that we use to justify saying something we shouldn’t:
“Don’t take this personal, but...”
“I’m not trying to be nosy, but...”
“I was just kidding/joking/playing.”

We also talked about how you can’t take words back once they have come out of your mouth. Once they are out they are no longer in our control. You can say that you want to take it back, but you can’t really do that. You also shouldn’t repeat things that…

I teach the kids at my church on Wednesday evenings, I thought it would be a great idea to recap what I am teaching on an adult level for some good discussion. Most of my thoughts will be written before the session (I am the teacher after all) but I will tweak them before I publish them.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things. Phillippians 4:8

We are doing a study on the Fruits of the Spirit this school year, spending a month on each fruit. In August we are talking about Self Control (We are going backwards, in case you're confused). Tonight we focused on controlling our thoughts by using self control in what we put into our minds. This is a topic that tends to hit home for me. I think so often that as an adult I feel like, I can watch what I want or listen to anything without it necessarily affecting me. 

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Yes, I am going to advertise on this blog.

Why? I'm glad you are here to ask the tough questions. I am advertising on this blog to bring in some extra income to our family. I am trying to figure out what makes blogging a viable resource for income. I have started with AdSense and Amazon Associates.

I have also looked up some advice on this online and found the problogger.net to be a treasure trove of advice and information.

I will tell you what I am most nervous about is advertising with AdSense because they determine what ads to place on my blog based on what I write about. This means I don't have control over what is posted. Has anyone else used AdSense and run into problems with the ads that are placed on your blog?

Allow me to introduce myself.
I am first of all a Christian. Not one that has it all figured out by any means, one that is merely trying to figure out what it looks like to live as Jesus, today.
Second, I am a wife. My husband (we'll call him Pop Rocks) and I just celebrated our second anniversary.  I am working on realizing each and every day how amazing my husband is (and he is) and how blessed/lucky I am that he chose to live life at my side.
Third, I am a daughter/sister/in-law/granddaughter/niece/you surely get the picture by now. I have a rather large extended family that has its fair share of adventures. Epics that are peppered with laughter, salted with tears, and seasoned with love.
Fourth, I am a friend. I am blessed with an incredibly rich array of friends who make my life better each and every day. Friends who lean on me and who I lean on. I have come to believe that our friends are some of life's truest blessings, they can, after all, easily choo…