words – Page 3 – The Bless Your Heart Blog

How to Study the Bible: Personalization

One of my favorite types of Bible study is the personalization of Scripture. It takes the message of the written word of God from a epistle for everyone (which it is) to an epistle for me (which it is). For me, personalization really makes Scripture come alive and it helps me take ownership of the truth in His word. Part of the personalization process involves reading other translations and breaking down the verbage, so for a lover of words and their meanings, that part appeals to me, too.

How to personalize Scripture (for this example, we’ll look at Ephesians 6:10-18)

1. Pray and ask the Lord to teach you and to show you HIs perfect and personal word for you.

2. Read a passage of Scripture to yourself.

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

3. Read it aloud.

4. Underline words or phrases that really catch your attention.

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

5. Read some different versions and use them to gain deeper understanding of the text.

¹⁰In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides]. ¹¹Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil. ¹²For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere. ¹³Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place]. ¹⁴Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God, ¹⁵And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the ^[a]firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness ^[b]produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace. ¹⁶Lift up over all the [covering] shield of ^[c]saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one]. ¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit ^[d]wields, which is the Word of God. ¹⁸Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).

6. Copy the text as written.

7. Re-write the text in first person.

I must be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. I will put on all of His armor so that I will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. I am not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Therefore, I will put on every piece of God’s armor so I will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle I will still be standing firm. I will stand my ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, I will put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that I will be fully prepared.In addition to all of these, I will hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. I will put on salvation as my helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

I will pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. I will stay alert and be persistent in my prayers for all believers everywhere.

8. Expand the text.

Write alternate meanings for words/phrases
Write it out in your own words
Write it as a personal prayer

I must be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. There is no one stronger than Him! All He possess, I possess through His Spirit. I will put on all of His armor so that I will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. It is possible to stand firm! That’s what His word is saying – it is possible! I am not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. I am fighting the devil himself.

Therefore, I will put on every piece of God’s armor so I will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. I WILL be able to resist his schemes. Then after the battle I will still be standing firm. I will succeed! I will triumph victorious! I will stand my ground; I will not waiver; I will not be moved. I will put on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, I will put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that I will be fully prepared.In addition to all of these, I will hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil, because they WILL come…but can be prepared. I will put on salvation as my helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Is there a more powerful weapon than He?

I will pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. I will stay alert and be persistent in my prayers for all believers everywhere.

9. Pray through the passage.

Oh, you guys…even just taking these few minutes to run through this passage simply and quickly has sooooo ministered to my heart. Reading and re-reading and expanding and making it my own just brings so much understanding – and not just regarding the text – but about the Author of the text…and isn’t that the point? Intimate fellowship with Him as we study His word and apply it to our life = the key to Biblical study, and personalization does just that.

How to Study the Bible: Inductive Study

In college, I had extraordinary study skills; I was the girl that made money selling her notes to the other ~~slackers~~ less studious types. (I had a killer wardrobe several of those years. Maybe I should try that again…)

Fast forward 10 years…

When we lived in Denver, we were so incredibly fortunate to have a deep source of great Bible teachers and mentors that propelled us forward in our understanding of the Word, and thus, THE Word. I remember sitting at a weekend Bible intensive and the light bulb FINALLY flicked on in my head – study the Bible like you studied in college. What a novel idea! This is the most important material we will ever cover, so why not treat it the same way? Over the next week or so, I’ll share several different methods for doing so. Plus, what’s better than a hot cup of coffee and some Bible action when it’s -2 outside?! YIKES!

Today, let’s look at an inductive study. An inductive Bible study uses the Bible as the main source of information about the Bible. Essentially, it uses the Bible to prove or validate itself. (If you’ve ever done a Precepts Bible study, this is the method you’ve used.) It’s a way of study that has you extract, or draw out, information from the text to understand its meaning.

The inductive method uses three basic steps…

Observation – what does the passage say?
Interpretation – what does the passage mean?
Application – how does the meaning apply to me?

Observation – the 5 W’s and H

Pray and ask the Lord to teach you.
Select and read a passage of Scripture.
Note the obvious and answer the 5 W’s and H: who, what, when, where, why and how…

Who wrote it?
Who are they writing to?
Who are they writing about?
What are they writing about?
What is the purpose in writing this?
What are these people like?
What were they doing during this time?
What was their reaction?
When was it written?
When did the event happen or when will it take place?
Where was this done?
Where was this written?
Why was this written?
Why did God want me to know this?
Why did the author say so much about this?
Why did the author say so little about this?
Why should they do ____?
How did it happen?
How did they do it?
How did they react?

Interpretation

Interpretation is not necessarily a separate step from observation. As you carefully observe the text and answer all of those questions, you often begin to see what it means.
Be objective in your reading and let the Scripture speak for itself. Don’t try to make it say what you’ve always thought it said. Ask God to make His truth obvious to you.
Let Scripture interpret Scripture. Use the Bible as a cross-reference tool to make sure your interpretation isn’t contradictory to the entire Word of God. The Bible will not contradict itself.

Application

Application is putting the truths you’ve discovered through observation and interpretation to use in your life. Bible study is meant not merely to enlighten or inform, but to transform us and renew our minds.

Application happens when we are confronted with truth and we decide to respond in obedience to that truth. When you know what God says, what He means, and how to put His truths into practice, you will be equipped for every circumstance of life. To be equipped for every good work of life—totally prepared to handle every situation in a way that honors God—is the will of God.

I will admit that this was never my first choice for study types but OH MY GOODNESS, I have changed my mind! I always learn so incredibly much when I take the time to go through a passage of Scripture in this way. The inductive study is leaping it’s way into my top three faves. Fickle, fickle me.

If you’ve never tried this method of study, I highly encourage you to give it a whirl. I guarantee you’ll be blessed and fed and emboldened and convicted and drawn closer to the heart of God. Let me know what ya think, k?

Not Where We Store the Lawn Mowers

Dora the Explorer and I have a love/hate relationship. Sawyer used to really, really like watching her and it brought me joy because it brought her joy, but she has slowly grown out of that phase.

281459_10152216277720335_1496654890_n — Halloween 2012 – Dora, Dora, Dora, Dora, Dora!

29822_10152216277990335_534593912_n — She’s that super cool exploradora…

I mean, it’s sort of a cute little show; Map is adorable, as is Boots…they always have a goal, a place in mind that they have to get to…but I’ve noticed an increase in the number of times I have to get up and shut it off because of witches or wizards or other crazy characters casting spells. As a Bible believing family, we’re just not going to support that kind of stuff, especially in children’s programming. Same for the overly dramatic, whiny, disrespectful characters that are in way too many shows. Aint nobody got time for that!

As a parent, it is my God appointed responsibility to act as a gatekeeper for my kiddos. Our eyes and ears are two huge camps of infiltration and our babies don’t have the full capacity or discernment yet to know when something is trying to come in and inflict warfare on their hearts and minds.

Even though she only gets to watch a (heavily regulated) show a day, there is still sooooooo much stuff all around us that she’s exposed to – radio commercials, stories from other kids, loud phone conversations, pictures that pop up in Google search results (when only searching for “silly kitties”), attitudes and words from neighboring diners in restaurants, magazine racks at the checkout line, spending time with other peoples’ children – the list could go on and on.

At this young and impressionable age, if other peoples’ kids are treating each children disrespectfully (including yours) or don’t get disciplined (or get disciplined poorly or not in love) or have issues with physicality – don’t subject your kids to that! This can be so hard, especially if you really enjoy spending time with the parents of said children, but it’s just not worth it. One, they need to be in a place that feel safe and secure and if they’re getting beat up or verbally assaulted every time they “play” together, then they aren’t safe and secure. Two, they’re gonna bring that stuff home and we can’t be (or at least I’m not) willing to let that happen.

It’s my job to protect my babies from some of the things they’re just absolutely too young to think on, and to talk through and counter the rest with the Truth – the Word of God. I’m not saying you need to shelter them their entire lives and then just throw them to the wolves one day when it’s time to leave the nest, but I am saying that we have to be intentional about what and who they surround themselves with, even at age three.

We have to act with purpose by planting the wisdom and truth of the Lord into their hearts. Unfortunately, it’s not just going to happen on it’s own. We have to take an active stance and it’s going to take some (more) of our precious, dedicated time. (Have you ever had to die to yourself so much in your entire life?!? Yeah, me either…)

But? They will be better for it (and so will we). They will be well equipped with truth to combat the hundreds of lies thrown at them by the world every day. They will have a firm foundation of the Word of the Lord so that they can begin to navigate these things for themselves. They will be filled with the wisdom and discernment that comes from being saturated in Him…and they will begin to see themselves and others through the lens of the Lord and not the the lens of the world. Their hearts and words and actions and thoughts will bear the fruit of the Spirit – it will have no other option!

Guess what all of that means for us as parents? We have to do those same things for ourselves, too. We have to be cognizant of what we’re seeing and hearing and thinking on. We have to be led by the Spirit…we have to be full of wisdom and discernment…we have to be basking in His Word or else we won’t be able to give it away to the littles.

This post comes on the heels of 1.) the Grammy’s, which I did not watch but too many of my friends and their kids did (and I wished they wouldn’t have…see above) and 2.) an overly embarrassing episode in our home last night. As I was putting a spoon in the sink, our glass, dish soap holder fell (loudly) in the sink and scared the daylights out of me! (Me? Jumpy and high strung? Never. Ahem.) Before I had even uttered anything except a small scream, Sawyer said, “Oh, shed.” Yeah. Isn’t that nice. I’m pretty sure she wasn’t referring to the little building where we store the lawn mowers. Apparently, ahem, I have a habit of saying a semblance of that lovely phrase often enough for her to notice. I mean, we don’t go too many places for her to pick this language up, so I’m gonna have to call dibs on this one.

I turned around and asked what she said and she replied, “Oh, shed. That’s what we say when we drop something.” Nice one, mom. Dora should be the least of my worries, eh?

So, we then got to have a talk about how imperfect mommy is and how I don’t always say things that honor Jesus, but that I need to work on that. We talked about how out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks and that I need to do some work on my heart so that my reactions when I get flustered or scared are more righteous.

So now that I’ve completely outed myself (embarrassed, flustered, red face, queasy stomach and all), I hope to practice more of what I’ve preached here. Lord, help me. And I’m hoping you’ll still let your kids come over – I really try to make a point not to use curse words, really, I do.

The point is, evil/vile/sinful things, thoughts and words are all around us vying for a piece of our allegiance. We have to do our best to protect the gates of our homes and the gates of the homes of our souls – our hearts. Let us love righteousness and hate sin…and watch less Dora…because that’s probably good for everyone.

Freeze Frame

I was playing dollhouse with Sawyer tonight when I jokingly pulled her pajama pants down to be funny. She reached down and grabbed them and cinched them back up with ease and my memory recalled a time when she was too little to do that on her own.

She has grown up so much here lately…too much for me, sometimes. I just want to freeze time right now, right in these moments we’re in, and just live here forever; is that too much to ask? These are some of the best days of my life, of that I am sure.

I love to hear all of the songs sings; the ones she makes up and the ones she knows by heart. When she belts out Amazing Grace and raises her hands to the Lord in worship to Him, I just about melt. (I know He has to about do the same).

I love her little laugh when something really tickles her. You can’t help but laugh right along with her.

I love the little ticks she and repetitions she’s designed for herself…like smelling the candle in the bathroom every time she’s in there…or her tooth brushing routine (it’s quite detailed)…or how she “starts” the dryer by pushing her little system of “buttons.”

I love how she gets so excited to wear pretty dresses and sparkly shoes and likes to change clothes several times a day.

I love how she loves her little brother. She always wants to hold him and help him and play with him. She is sooooo ready for him to walk, but until then, I’ll “take bubba into the toy room” for her every time she asks.

I love the elaborate picnics and birthday parties she creates in the toy room. There is always food and dishes and treats galore; she takes such care in making the occasion special.

I love to hear her speak truth to our entire family (and all of her dolls and toys for that matter). When “boy baby” gets scared in the dollhouse, she reminds him that Jesus is always with us…and when we dig in without thanking the Lord for our food, she’s quick to remind us that we should pray…or when she gets a word from the Lord, she’s always quick to share.

I love her gentle spirit and how quick she is to accept correction. Discipline isn’t always fun and sometimes it downright kills me and she always receives it with such grace…and the times I don’t do it right, she’s always so quick to forgive.

I love how in the mornings, she wants to come snuggle us if she wakes up first. She’ll be really still for a few minutes and then you find her kissing all over you and petting you; can’t get upset about that.

I love how she likes to make graham cracker soup (broken up graham crackers in milk) and how she likes to dip everything in ranch…how she won’t eat the ends of her pickles and how she’ll lick a salt shaker given half a chance.

I love her mind and her penchant for learning. She’s so interested in space and planets and making letters and numbers and counting and patterns and cattle breeds – and I could go on and on and on! She’s a little sponge and it’s so fun to get to research and teach her and show her more of the things she’s interested in.

I love how she loves to make pictures and drawings and in doing so, always use crayons and stamps and markers and map colors and stickers and scissors and glue and creates a complete masterpiece! She loves office supplies; a girl after my own heart.

I love how she likes to hold hands and give hugs and cover you in kisses. I will never get enough of those.

I love how much care she gives our dog Trigger, even though he doesn’t always return the favor. She’ll go out and pray over him and color pictures for him…she always makes sure he has food and water…and she gives him about 10 little treat bones a day, even though he tries to bite her every time she does. Her heart holds no grudge. I need to be more like her.

She is such a special little girl. I know I’m biased, but she really is. I never imagined I would be this blessed. She makes me want to do better, to live better, to eat better, to speak better, to think better, to love better, to forgive better, to play better, to be better.

Lord, help me to make these days count. It feels like I look up again and it’s Friday and a whole week has gone by…and pretty soon I’m gonna wake up and she’s gonna be four…and then 10…and then 16…and then…I can’t even let myself go to the ‘and then’…

Being a mommy is hard on the heart; to know something so intimately and to love something so completely and then to let it grow and let it go just seems so……cruel. I suppose women have done it for thousands of years before me…and I’m sure I’ll survive…but if I had my way…….

One Track Mind

This cute little fella…

has a one track mind these days…..and I LOVE it!

He’s said “Momma” now for a while…remember? He’s just making it known that it’s pretty much his favorite word and I am totally ok with that. Watch this…and try not to melt. I know the link just makes it look OH SO EXCITING (in opposite land) but really, it’s cute. You’ll probably want to watch it twice.

IMG_3475

Are his little facial expressions and eyebrows not the best? He is definitely an emoter!

When we were 16 weeks, we had an early ultrasound and our doctor was 80% certain we were having a girl. We picked out a name, finished up our announcements and sat around and waited for the 20 week because Wrex just wasn’t so sure. There was a little something between the legs but the doctor was almost positive it was the umbilical cord. Ahem.

Fast forward to 20 weeks. I hopped up on the table and she put the sensor on my tummy and immediately asked if we wanted to know what we were having. Wrex replied with a, “That’s the only reason we’re here today!” Geez. She replied, “Well, it’s most definitely…” and I cut her off and said, “A girl!?” She looked at me and said, “Uh, no…a boy.”

I cried. Not in a bad way; all babies are blessings and miracles and I’ll take as many as He wants to give me…but I was just so………..shocked and unprepared. I had the girl thing down! We had all the stuff we needed for another girl! I’d already picked out a name and finished my announcements; a boy just didn’t fit in my little type A plan.

Little did I know how incredibly WONDERFUL he would be! He is such a sweet, smiley, snuggly little guy! He loves his momma and doesn’t really ever want her to leave the room without him. He’s sensitive and loving and just down right fun!

By the way, he can say “da-da” and “bubba”…but apparently he has a favorite. 😉 I’m totally digging his one track mind!

I’ve Been Thinking About Jesus

I think I’ve mentioned it before, but Sawyer has ministered to us on several occasions and in several different ways. It always catches me off guard…I guess I’m not used to that quite yet…but it’s such a sweet, sweet thing.

Friday, before we left, I went to wake her up from her nap. She was already awake and I could tell she was whispering/talking. She said, “Mom, I’ve been thinking about Jesus!” (Words a momma delights to hear, let me tell ya!) And then…

She pulled me close to her and she laid her little hands on my head and just kept saying, “God is powerful and mighty. He is always with us. I love our God and He loves us. He is good and what He does is good.” Just over and over. At one point I kind of leaned up and she pulled me back down and continued speaking that over me. It was such a blessed, anointed little moment.

I assured her that what she had heard and what she was speaking WAS indeed truth and that it blessed me…immensely.

I pray that she always lends herself to the Lord…that she listens for His voice and shares when she’s supposed to share. I pray that she follows Him all the days of her life. I pray that everything that she puts her hands to will prosper. I pray that she will never feel ashamed of sharing His news, His story, His word…she can change her corner of the world by doing so.

She blesses my heart…

Thankful Tree

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name. Psalm 100:4

The first of the month kicked off our family’s thankful tree activity. Nothing fancy – just pure, unadulterated gratefulness for the countless blessings we have in our lives.

We ARE a blessed people! We have a roof over our head that is comfortable and climate controlled…we have access to a clean, safe water supply (that can be heated for comfort and cleanliness)…we have the cheapest, safest and most wholesome food supply in the world…we have the privilege to worship how we so choose…we live in a democratic society that although, not perfect, is better than every other alternative… we are healthy and thriving…my husband has a job and one that provides for our financial needs…I have the benefit of staying home to raise our children…we have more than enough food in our cupboards and freezers and stomachs…we have totes of clothes we aren’t currently wearing…we have extra shoes in our mudroom…we own animals for pleasure…we have access to more than one vehicle…we have MORE.THAN.ENOUGH.

Let us not forget from whom all blessings flow.

Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. James 1:17

So, we will praise Him. We will praise Him with our voices and words and blogs. We will praise Him with our attitudes and the posture of our hearts. We will praise Him with our paper leaves.

It’s funny how something so simple can evoke such emotion. To hear Sawyer say she’s grateful for her…

just takes my breath away. She gets it.

Daddy said he was thankful that…

to which Sawyer quickly replied, “No, silly! We live in Holyoke!”

And the past couple of days? I’ve been especially thankful…

The ways in which He provides for us are many and we’re really good at celebrating the gift…but let us not refrain from worshiping THE GIVER.

My heart overflows in gratitude for all He has given…and for the things He took that He knew I didn’t need. Really thankful for those things, too…

Let us cultivate a spirit of gratitude among us, in all things and in all times. It leads to joy. It leads to selflessness. It leads to a greater perspective. It leads to Him.

Fall Living Room Tour

As my About Me page dictates, I looooooooooooooooooove fall! I love everything about it!

I’m a snuggler – fall’s good for that!

I love pumpkin – fall’s good for that!

I love football – fall’s good for that!

I love overcast weather – fall’s good for that!

I love all things cozy – fall’s good for that!

I love hot coffee – well, anytime’s good for that but – fall’s good for that!

With this chilly, overcast day making it REALLY feel autumnal, I decided to take you on a little living room tour, fall style. Here are a few things I love that make it feel cozy in our family room.

I am a lover of words so I have a few fun, chatty prints scattered about our living space.

I don’t know why I’m so drawn to that apples one, but I have quite an affinity for it. It might just stay up post-Christmas, too.

Wrexy hand-painted these pilgrims and indians when he was around 9 years old and I think they’re adorable (like him).

I put them out last year but had them on our coffee table. I’m thinking they work better up high so little hands aren’t too tempted. This one is my favorite…

the indian momma with her little papoose baby. Aren’t they sweet?

Our picture window needed a little color (color is GOOD!) so I made this felt leaf garland that I think turned out pretty cute.

leafy — See that overcast goodness outside?!

These were super simple to make! I just free-handed a leaf shape, traced it onto multiple colors of felt and cut them out. Then, I had Wrex thread the yarn through the leaves (that felt can be kinda tough to poke through.) Told ya it was simple! 😉

Told ya it was simple! — Thankful for the hubs

I really dig reclaimed wood and I think this tree is so fun. I always have something hanging from the hooks and the twine, so for fall, I just did a berry wreath and a few more seasonal prints (that I’m betting little Wryder will attempt to pull down as he’s in his ~~circle of neglect~~ jumper.) We’ll use the actual branches come November when we add leaves to make a thankful tree.

tree wall — If a tree grows in a living room…

This is above Sawyer’s and my desk where we do our preschool and computer work. I think the girl in the leaves is super cute; she’s just kinda whimsical and trendy and nonchalant all rolled into one. Plus, she has curly hair – who doesn’t love a girl with curly hair? Sawyer is in love with that little jack-o-lantern, so I put it where she can see it during our lessons.

There are other random pumpkins in a few more nooks and crannies around the room, too.

You can't have fall without pumpkins — You can’t have fall without pumpkins

All of these warm oranges and reds make it feel extra cozy in here. Now if only I had a fireplace…and some Red Raider football on TV……….