Reflections and Devotions

Resurrection Day Curriculum

2011-03-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited!! It's finally done! I've been working for several months on a new curriculum called The Lamb That Was Slain Resurrection Day Curriculum. I finally finished it and its ready to sell on my new website!!

I wrote this curriculum because I couldn't find what I was looking for to teach my own children last year. It starts with a Bible reading plan for the month leading up to Resurrection Day. This is assuming a 5-day week of family Bible reading. It goes through Jesus' death and resurrection, with a Psalm for each day. I chose Psalms that related to Jesus or prophesied about Him.

The next section is Study Questions and Answers to help delve deeper into the text. Some of them are very basic for younger students, some are much more thought-provoking and theological for older ones. My hope was that each mom could determine which questions would be appropriate to discuss or write about.

After that is a lapbook study, which I'm pretty excited about. I love lapbooks, and this one is custom-made to exactly what I was looking for to teach my own children. It goes through the Passion of Christ, but also talks about the Passover supper, linking Jesus as the fulfillment of the Passover lamb.

And then last is my favorite part of all! It is a Christian Seder Haggadah. The Seder is the Passover meal that has been celebrated by Jews since Moses. Jesus took it and used it for His last supper and Communion with His disciples. The Haggadah is the order of service that they use. I rewrote one to be completely based on Christ. I'm excited to use this with my own children this year. We've done them in the past, but never one this stream-lined or focused on Christ!

two kinds of kids

2010-08-27T19:46:00.000-07:00

I was thinking today about how there are two kinds of kids--there are the "younger brothers" who get wild and want to live it up and blow all the inheritance and there are the "older brothers", the "good" kids who want to stay home and be responsible and please their parents. Parents tend to be naturally drawn toward the older brothers, feel like they're doing really well spiritually, less prone to worry about them and take them for granted, enjoy being around them, give them more positive reinforcement, etc, etc. But, in God's eyes, the older brother and the younger brother are equally sinful and in need of grace, it's just that their struggles and their needs are completely different and manifest themselves differently on the outside.

The older brother is more prone to be jealous and judgemental, to say 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people!' The older brother is more likely to think that he's doing pretty well on his own, that he doesn't need grace. That God loves him because he's so loveable.

I know because I'm an older brother.

So I think we need to be careful that we don't grow comfortable with the older brothers, thinking they don't need our guidance, prayers, and focus. We need to be careful to recognize that each of our children has their own sinful flesh struggles. That they each need parental guidance and the help of the Holy Spirit in a different way.

Basic Biscuits

2010-07-21T15:51:00.000-07:00

I have a basic biscuit recipe that I have memorized. It has come in handy countless times when I've needed a quick bread solution for dinner (or breakfast) or something to feed the kids.

Basic Biscuit Recipe

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 Tablespoon sucanat or sugar choice
1 Tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
1 teaspoon salt (Redmond's Real Salt is the best!)
1/2 cup butter softened
1/4 (ish) cup milk

You mix the dry ingredients, cut in the butter, and add milk in small amounts to get it the right consistency. Knead 10 times, just until it forms a ball, roll out and cut biscuits, or just form them with your hands. Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes.

What I've realized is that there are countless variations to this recipe. I've made garlic cheese and broccoli cheddar. I like to use it as the crust for chicken pot pie, and a mexican pot pie that I made up. And yesterday, I discovered one more way to use this recipe. Here's what I did.

Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits
(basic recipe is doubled)

4 cups whole wheat
1 cup sucanat
2 Tablespoons cinnamon (I like cinnamon a lot! You could cut this by half)
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt (because it's sweet)
1 cup of coconut oil
1/2(ish) cup milk
Raisins

After I formed them in balls, I kind of broke them in half and pressed raisins into the middle before I baked them.
These weren't super sweet (although still sweet enough to feel like a treat for breakfast), so if you wanted to make them more like cinnamon rolls, you could make a glaze out of powdered sugar and a little vanila and milk!

Isaiah 1: 16-18

2010-07-01T17:57:00.000-07:00

"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, REPROVE the ruthless, DEFEND the orphan, PLEAD for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool."

In the context of the passage, He is saying that their sacrifices are meaningless to Him, because they are not pursuing justice. What really stuck out to me in these verses was the verbs that I highlighted above. It's not just a quiet righteousness, it is an active voice, crying out for justice for the oppressed, working to reprove the ruthless and plead for the widow. I pray to know how to fulfill this calling in Atlanta, Georgia, amidst the oppressed, the weary, the broken, the poor! Please pray for us as we seek to discern where our place is in all of this!

Homeschool: Math

2010-06-02T12:05:00.000-07:00

A while ago I started a series of posts about what we do for homeschool. The methods and resources Bible memorization and Bible reading posts are here. What we have used for the last two years for math is Math-U-See. The Old Schoolhouse Magazine rated it as the most popular math curriculum for two years in a row, I heard lots of good reviews from friends, it was listed on the approved list for both Charlotte Mason websites, and so I thought we couldn't go wrong. But after much consideration and prayer, I have decided to try a different approach next year. It's not that it's a bad program. But it's very rote, extremely repetitive, and quite boring, to be honest. I don't think everything should be fun and exciting and I definately want my children to learn to do things they don't want to do, but I was finding that math was consistently her most dreaded subject. I just hate to start off her school career with a hatred for math that, once established, will be extremely hard to get rid of. So we're going to try something new. I'm thinking about Horizons Math, but I haven't completely decided yet. Any suggestions?

I wanted to go ahead and post this, even though our math hasn't exactly been successful so far, because I came up with an idea that will work for any subject, and I think can bless you. Can you see in the picture how the page she is working on is covered with a page protector? This works wonderfully well to preserve books to use for the next child without having to copy pages. I just cut off the end of a plastic page protector and slip it over the page we're doing that day. She uses dry erase markers, and then when she's done and I've checked her work, we rub a wet dish towel over it. This would work for any book that handwriting is not necessary (it's hard to make it look neat with a dry erase marker) and will really save a lot of money!

Yummy Scones

2010-05-26T04:23:00.000-07:00

This scones are really yummy! They are great to have on hand for a quick breakfast or snack, although they do dry out in a few days!

2 cups flour (I like to use Kamut, but any flour will do)
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/3 cup sucanat or sugar choice
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup pecans
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup flaked coconut
1 cup milk
1/3 cup butter or coconut oil

Preheat oven to 400. Mix the first four ingredients. Then add the fruit/nuts (any combination of fruit and nuts that equals 1 1/2 cups will work--you can play around with it! The ones in the picture have M&Ms because that's all I had that day!) Then stir in the milk/butter and knead 10 times. This should be the consistency of biscuit dough. Then roll it out. As you can see, I use my pizza stone, which works great, but any cookie sheet will do. Cut into 12 pieces and spread them apart a little bit to bake.

Another good quote

2010-04-18T18:39:00.000-07:00

This is from Comforts from the Cross, by Elyse Fitzpatrick.

"Faith is all that is necessary. However, not only is faith necessary for your salvation, but it's also necessary for your ongoing obedience. Responding to His love and grace is the only way to true or what I call "gospelized" obedience, because all other obedience always degenerates into penance or trying to avoid punishment. Other forms of obedience simply don't measure up, because love for God isn't the motive. And if love isn't the motive, your obedience will always be motivated by love for yourself. It seems upside down to say that God motivates our obedience by freeing us from law and by declaring that He has no wrath for us, but it's true, and true faith embraces it. . .
. . . Of course, sometimes we feel guilty, and we don't really care that God isn't angry with us. We know we've let our spouse or kids or parents or friends or employer or church or ourselves down, and we just can't seem to get past it. In these times we've got to see that our problem with guilt stems from our pride and from our idolatry of people's opinions. There's only one Person whose opinion really matters, and all the rest of our guilt is just our desire to [have the approval of others] and make ourselves happy. Rejoice because your Savior bore even this sin for you!"

Profound!

2010-04-04T19:55:00.000-07:00

6 year-old: How did Jesus get out of the tomb?
Me: The angels rolled away the stone.
6-year old: Angels can't do that, only men could do that.
Me: Actually, angels are much stronger than men, they can do much more.
6-year old: Oh. . .I thought their wings would get in the way!

2010-03-11T10:48:00.001-08:00

I am reading a ridiculous amount of books right now. I already had a bunch I had started, then I got my Kindle with all of the free downloads, and I recently ordered a bunch of books from Sovereign grace ministries because they were having a big sale. So I'm overloaded with books that I've started. They are strewn around the house and I just pick up whichever one happens to be around when I have a minute and start reading. Not the best for retention of anything, I'm sure. So I'm going to try to post some insights I am gleaning, so I can keep track of the thoughts I'm having.

So, in Life Management for Women, by Elizabeth George, she was talking about managing our bodies. She says, "So, my friend, instead of having a passion for food, pleasure, laziness, self-indulgence, and the things of this world (1 John 2:15), let's seek to walk by the Spirit and have a passion for wanting what God wants for our lives more than what we want. We aren't meant to live as we please. We're not meant to have what we want. And we don't have the right to live our lives any way we choose. Why? Because, as we've been learning, we are not our own but we are bought with a price. Therefore, as God's woman, we are meant to live a life of self-denial, self-restraint, and self-control so that God's plan for our life is realized."

This really hit home for me. Lately, I've just been in this funk (that time of the month!), where I'm just wandering around, trying to find satisfaction in something. I get a cup of coffee, I grab a handful of chocolate chips, I make a cup of hot tea, I eat a piece of bread, I lay on the couch even though I know I should be taking care of my children and read a few pages of a good book, I put off doing the laundry and planning the meals until the last minute and then I'm running around like a decapitated chicken.

All of my little whims and desires aren't meant to be realized! I'm meant to be living for His glory, not my own comfort! This is a good reminder.

2010-03-11T05:54:00.000-08:00

Crazy how something
As small as a sneeze
That she does differently--
She holds her head still
Waiting patiently
She sneezes into her sleeve--
Can remind me
She is not mine
She is her own
She will grow
And she will be gone

Idol Factory

2010-03-10T14:42:00.002-08:00

Dave and I have been listening to this amazing series lately, by C.J. Mahaney, called Idol Factory. He is talking about how our hearts are prone to make and worship idols. We can make an idol out of anything that takes the place of God. It is really good; I highly recommend it. God is revealing the idols in my own heart. On the surface, I can make an idol out of food, exercise, health and nutrition, and managing my home. But it runs so much deeper than that. God is also revealing to me the idol of fear of man. I care so much more about what other people think than anything else. And the idol of perfection. I strive to be perfect, to get it all right, by my own power, for my own glory. I want to be seen as good and righteous. God is showing me that I am trampling His grace and stealing His glory. It is not about me, my striving, my working. I am trying to be my own Savior, my own hero. Jesus said no one is good but the Father alone. It is all about him. I cheapen His grace when I think there's anything I can add to draw myself near to Him.

Studying Easter

2010-03-07T18:03:00.000-08:00

The last few years I have wanted to make Easter a really special time of year for our family. I want them to see it as equally if not more significant than Christmas. So we spend the whole month before Easter studying about it. This year I found this great lapbook study on Easter that I really like. This is our first lapbook experience. Maybe I'll put a picture of the finished product when we get done. But I love the idea. And the neat thing about this particular one is that they assume you know nothing, so they show you exactly how to do everything, where to place each little booklet, etc. It is made for grades 2nd through 7th, so some of it may be over her head, but I really like it so far. And the best part is it's on sale right now for only $4! We're also doing another lapbook glued onto that one about the Passover, but I don't like that one as well. I wanted to find one that linked the passover elements with the symbolism and fulfillment found in Christ, so maybe I'll just make my own for next year. We are planning on doing our Seder again this year. We did it last year and love it! It is such a neat way to reflect on the connection between the Old and New Testaments, Jesus as our Passover lamb, etc. And its another thing for the kids to get into and look forward to.

2010-02-17T19:17:00.000-08:00

I turned 30 a few weeks ago (wahoo!), and Hubby got me something I never would have imagined owning, and certainly never would have spent the money on myself. That's right--I actually got a Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6" Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation)"!! I originally started looking at them because of this review . He saw me looking at them, and completely surprised me for my birthday!

What I love about my kindle:

*It holds up to 1,500 books. The first thing Dave got for me was a study Bible. It has all the notes, commentary, maps, etc. at the click of a finger. But I also have lots of other books that I'm reading at the same time. So if I'm sitting at the doctor's office, I can pull it out and study my Bible, read Josephus (I got that for .99! Totally fascinating!), or a Christian fiction novel I downloaded for free.

*Most new releases are 9.99, which may not be a great deal (I buy my books at the thrift store or get them at paperbackswap--I'm a thrifty book buyer!), but there are literally thousands of books you can download for free. All public domain books are free. And Amazon randomly offers newer books for free, too. Also, a lot of older books are really cheap.

*It automatically holds your place in every book you're reading. You can also save notes and underline parts that you like for easy access.

*I can use this for homeschool. We read a lot of public domain books online, but we have to sit at the computer to read them, which can get really annoying. But with the kindle, I can download them onto there and it's portable.

*I also download a lot of e-books that I never get around to reading because I have to sit at the computer to read them. There is a free computer program called Mobipocket that will convert any e-book into a kindle-friendly format. It only costs $.15 to put them on the Kindle, and then I can read them anywhere! You can also directly download word and pdf files.

*There is a free web browser, with constant internet access no matter where you are, and no monthly fees. Its really slow, but you can browse the web, look up a map, check your e-mail, etc.

It's still not quite the same as having a paper and ink book in your hands. Nothing electronic can ever measure up to the pleasure of holding a book. But this is still an amazing product. And for someone who reads and uses books as much as I do, definately a good buy.

Food, Inc.--II

2010-02-16T19:20:00.000-08:00

Continuing that thought. . .

The other day I was reading in James 5:1-6
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.
I have never connected these verses to myself until now. But He is talking to us! We are the rich, we are the self-indulgent, who are with-holding the wages from those who slaughter our meat, who pick our fruit, who harvest all of our indulgent pleasures. We need to know where our food is coming from, we need to know where our money is going. It is of vital importance! I truly believe that. It is of eternal importance. We are withholding the wages of those who do the dirty work for us, so we can lay up more treasures that will be eaten by moth and rust tomorrow. We have to be willing to sacrifice some of our own comforts for justice’s sake!!

Food, Inc.

2010-02-11T20:07:00.000-08:00

Hubby and I saw this movie a few weeks ago. I had read Fast Food Nation several years ago, so a lot of this information wasn’t really new, but it was a good reminder of all the reasons I wanted to stop eating out and purchasing anything but organic and local when possible. But the thing that really struck me about this movie was the moral implications of our food choices. They really brought to light this chain of perhaps unintended but never-the-less real consequences of the choices that have been made. Basically, it all started with the advent of fast food, with McDonald’s in the 50’s. They brought the factory model to food, making it faster, easier, cheaper to produce food for people. The idea spread like wildfire and these restaurants and their knock-offs began popping up everywhere. Because they needed lots and lots of beef quickly, cheaply, uniform in taste and composition, they completely changed the way food was produced in America. There was so much money in this industry, they were able to convince Washington to pass laws that made it possible to buy corn for less than the cost of producing it (to feed the cows). Because they were able to sell corn for so cheap (due to government subsidies), they basically put all of the corn farmers in Mexico (one of their chief exports up to this time) out of business. So there was a mass group of people in Mexico who now had no way to support their families. At the same time, the meat processing industry needed workers the same way they needed animals. Cheap and lots of them. So they began actively recruiting workers in Mexico. Our government basically just turned a blind eye to it. They brought people up here to do the dirty work. Because these people are under the radar, they can treat them however they want, with no repercussion whatsoever. This is happening right under our noses, on American soil! This is Upton Sinclair's The Jungle all over again! These workers are put under horrific working conditions. Underpaid, overworked, treated just like the cattle they are butchering. And when the government decides to make a show of cracking down, they basically have a deal with the meat-packing plants, that they can pack up a few workers and send them home, as long as they don’t take too many to mess with production. It is an injustice. A terrible injustice. There is more than that on the film. That is just one of the injustices brought to light. But I believe that, as God’s people, we have a responsibility to stand for justice. They will answer to God for the way they are treating His children. But we will answer for the information we have been given, the wealth that we have been given, as well. It matters how and where we use our money. It matters. And that’s what it all comes down to. The pocketbook. Unless we are willing to stand up for justice with our pocketbook, nothing will ever change. I encourage you to watch the film with your spouse, pray about your place in all of this and the decisions you can make for change.

Looking Back on 2009-III

2010-01-20T11:48:00.000-08:00

Also in 2009, Baby 4 Quelle was born, on October 11, weighing in at 8 pounds 14 ounces. I know I already posted about his birth, but I thought I would put up a few more pictures.

He's becoming quite the chunky little guy, isn't he?

Another wonderful event of 2009 is that Hubby got his RN license! We are so excited about this. He started with nursing school the year after we got married, and he is finally done with that leg of the journey! This increases his pay quite a bit, and also will open up so many doors of opportunity for him. His first change will be a move to the ICU, which he’s really excited about! I’m very proud of him and all the hard work he’s done so far. School is by no means over, but I’m proud of how far he’s come!

Looking Back on 2009-II

2010-01-20T10:53:00.000-08:00

Another momentous event of 2009 was the tree that fell on our house. This has been a work of God. A week before it happened, Hubby and I were praying about moving out of the city. We told God—If you want it to happen, You have to make it happen. Then a week later, on a perfectly calm, non-windy, non-rainy, warm and beautiful day, a huge pine tree hit our house. We got a complete remodel of one-half of our house. I told you before I’d post before and after pictures. Here they are:

In this random picture, you can see so many things: our horrid white floors that were IMPOSSIBLE to keep clean, The VERY bright yellow and green walls, the small walkway between the fridge and the cabinets. Through that door is the dining room. The kitchen was very small and crammed with things. Along that wall wiht the fridge was also the washer and dryer.

In this picture you can see our dark panel walls, partially still wall-papered, the archaic, and the ugly heater thingy sticking out behind that I never trusted to turn on. To her right is the door into the kitchen.

This is our dining room ceiling. (We had just painted the dark panel a few weeks before this happened!)

Here's the tree going all the way through the kitchen floor.

This is me and my girls all dressed up to go to The Nutcracker on Christmas Eve, but you can see in the background how the wall is not there, the room is all opened up into one, with beautiful hardwood floors!

And here you can see my new laundry room and pantry!
As much as we love our house, especially all of these new additions, I believe that 2010 will see our house sold! As for what will come after, I’m not sure. I think we will be renting for a while, probably out in the country closer to our church, but as for long-term plans, we’ll see what He has in store for us!

Looking Back on 2009-I

2010-01-20T10:45:00.000-08:00

2009 was a very eventful year for us as a family. At the beginning of the year, we decided to find a new church. The church we had been going to was not working for us. We needed something that was a little more family-oriented. What we found was Sovereign Grace. A church that I never would have imagined being a part of just a few years ago, but that is so amazing and beautiful. We feel God’s blessing being there. It is full of families in love with the gospel of Jesus Christ. They make the gospel the center of every meeting. The children’s program is wonderful and dynamic. They believe in equipping parents to be the spiritual leaders of their children. Almost every family that I have met there homeschools. We are a part of a wonderful, nurturing small group. And I am confronting the idols in my own heart. I have always tried to save myself. I have strived, worked, strained, to be good enough. To get it all right. I would have said Jesus was saving me. But that’s not what I was living out. Not only that, I was living for the glory of man. I wanted everyone to see me, to see how good I was, to praise and exalt me. I wanted God’s glory for myself. But I am truly coming to understand what grace is. It is truly not about me. You can say that all day long, but there’s a point where it hits your heart and suddenly, you get it. It is not about me. From start to finish, He takes the wrath of God on His own head, He puts the desire in my heart, He draws me to Him, He puts a new heart in me, He raises me from the dead, He changes me, He puts His Spirit in me, He breaks the bonds of sin, He, He, He, HE! From start to finish, it is not about me. And thank the Lord it’s not!

Healthy Pecan Pie

2010-01-17T18:53:00.000-08:00

Okay, this one I got online somewhere, and I can't actually remember where! It was a little different from your traditional pecan pie, but I thought it was pretty good. (Of course, I have a more health-trained palate than most people. I think a few of Dave's relatives thought it was a little weird!)
1 basic pie crust (I used this one)
3/4 cup pecan halves
3 eggs
1/4 cup butter or coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses (I got mine from Amazon Ship and Save--Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade Organic Molasses, 32-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 3)
1/2 cup maple syrup, honey, or brown rice syrup (I used honey)
1 tsp vanilla
few drops brown rice vinegar (I omitted this because I didn't have it with no adverse results)
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Place pecan halves in pie crust, rounded side up (you can make a pretty pattern!) Beat together eggs, melted butter, molasses, sweetener, vanilla and vinegar. Stir in chopped pecans. Pour filling into pie crust. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until center is set. Cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Green Bean Casserole

2010-01-17T18:34:00.000-08:00

This was my favorite creation of this year. I was very proud of the finished product!
I don't know the poundage on the fresh green beans I had. They fit comfortably in a 9 by 13 inch pan.
1 1/2 cups broth (beef or chicken)
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
8 oz mushrooms, cut into little cubes (I love to chop things into little cubes! Something so fun and therapeutic in that for me!)
2 large cloves of garlic, shredded or pressed
salt and pepper
thyme
2 Tablespoons flour
1 package of Neufstatal(however you spell that) or cream cheese
a can of fried onion thingys (or you can try to make your own--I probably would have because I was in that kind of crazy mood, but my mother-in-law already had them on hand.)

Start by steaming or boiling your green beans (after you wash and snap off the ends). While those are cooking, saute the onion, garlic, and mushrooms in the broth until tender. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Add two tablespoons of flour and stir until well blended. Then put in the cream cheese and stir until melted and all blended in and thickened. By this time, your green beans will probably be about done. Stir that all together and put in your pan. Spread the onion thingys on top, bake for 30 minutes or so, until it is bubbly and crisp on top.

Sweet Potato Casserole

2010-01-17T18:07:00.000-08:00

4-5 large sweet potatoes
pinch of salt
1 cup sucanat, divided
3/4 cup butter, divided
1/2 cup chopped nut of your choice
1/2 cup flour of your choice
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 Tbsp cinnamon

So you boil and mash your sweet potatoes. Then butter or spray a 9 by 13 inch glass baking dish. Preheat your oven to 350. Add a pinch of salt, 1/4-1/2 cup sucanat or sugar choice, and 1/4 cup butter to your sweet potatoes. Mash that all together and spread in the dish. Mix 1/2 cup sucanat, nuts, flour and unsweetened coconut in a mixing bowl. Add 1 Tbsp cinnamon (optional--I love cinnamon, and its a superfood!) Cut in 1/2 cup butter, or you can substitute half of the butter with apple juice concentrate. Spread that on top of the casserole and bake at 350 long enough to warm the sweet potatoes and crisp up the top a little bit, maybe 30 minutes.

Turkey

2010-01-17T17:12:00.000-08:00

Okay, so first I chase my turkey until I can grab its neck with my left hand, lay it across a stump of wood, raise my hatchet in my right hand. . .just kidding. This recipe is actually amazingly easy. Rub it down with butter, salt, and pepper the night BEFORE the big feast. Put it in a turkey bag and into the pan. (The original recipe said to use a roaster pan with a lid, but we didn't have one.) Put it in the oven at 350 for a full hour, then turn the oven down to 200, go to sleep, and when you wake up--voila! Succulent and juicy turkey done!

Gingerbread Candy Corn

2010-01-10T18:57:00.001-08:00

I came up with this recipe on my own by combining several recipes. It's great because this is yummy and healthy! (blackstrap molasses has lots of good stuff: calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, and vitamin B6)

You need:

1 stick of butter
1 cup of Sucanat
1/4 cup of blackstrap molasses
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
dash cloves
15 cups of popped corn

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Spread popcorn on a large cookie sheet (or two smaller ones). Melt butter on stove. Stir in Sucanat, molasses, and salt. Stir for 5 minutes on medium heat. Take off heat and stir in baking soda and other spices. Pour over popped corn and stir until well-coated. Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Holiday menu

2010-01-10T18:26:00.000-08:00

I am usually pseudo-in charge of the meal with Hubby's family because I always have recipes I want to try and I'm the only one who cares about making things from scratch.

So here's some recipes I came up with or found this year:

Gingerbread Candy Corn
Turkey
Sweet Potato Casserole
Green Bean Casserole
Healthy Pecan Pie

I still haven't found a recipe I like for homemade rolls, so let me know if you have a good one!

Eating Rats

2009-11-12T11:30:00.000-08:00

I spend so much time reading blogs and books, researching foods and how to ensure that my family eats the most nutritious foods available.

This week I got a letter from World Vision, my favorite humanitarian aid organization. Here are the opening lines:

When our field team met Mundi, he was hungry. This 12-year old orphan was all alone in the world, and living on nothing to eat. But rats.

Every day he hunted rats in the field next to his deliapidated mud hut. Caught them. And ate them.

In Malawi where he lives, and other impoverished places around the world, chronic hunger and malnutrition are growing. Children are eating rats, insects, poisonous roots, and all kinds of horrible things.

This letter really gave me pause to think how blessed and fortunate we really are. Can you imagine, having to watch helplessly as your children wasted away to nothing? Can you imagine listening to their cries as they fell asleep because their bellies were hungry, with nothing to do but hope and pray? Can you imagine being able to offer no nutrition to your special children than a rat in the field?

Let's take time this year to truly be thankful for how much we really have. Let's find a way to give out of our abundance (no matter how little you think you have) to bless those who truly have nothing. One easy way to do that is to give here, to World Vision's most needed fund.

A New Haircut

2009-11-05T10:49:00.000-08:00

My first boy has this beautiful, curly hair. But lately, he's started to look like a girl. I've wanted to cut it myself, rather than paying someone else to do it, but last time I tried, it was a total failure! I had to have my mom fix it for me. But after I saw this post on one of my favorite blogs, Heavenly Homemakers, I decided to try again. I figured if I butchered it again, I would just buzz it. But it worked! The most helpful thing was the hand-drawn picture showing what angle to cut the hair at each part of the head. Last time I tried to cut it all the same length all the way around his head!

Here's the before picture. And you get a closer look at Daniel!

It's not perfect, but it's decent. I must say, I was pretty proud of myself!

2009-10-31T13:15:00.000-07:00

Baby 4 Quelle is here. He was born on October 11th, almost three weeks ago. We are really enjoying having him around. All of the kids are super excited about him and our family already feels more complete with him here.

God is Love

2009-10-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

I was reading in 1 John this week. 4:8--He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God is love. I’ve heard that my whole life. It conjures images of a sweet, heavenly father who wants to do good for us and take care of us and give us good things. Which is true. But it occurred to me when I read it the other day that I tend to read that and define God by what I believe love to be. If God is love, then whatever my definition of love is, that is what God must be. But really, it should be the other way around. If God is love, then I should define love by what I know God to be. So when I read the hard passages, that don’t sound loving, I start by saying God is love, love is His very nature, so that must be love. That action has to be included in the definition of love.

Love is spanking my kids when they need it, because I know the fullness of life and joy come only through obedience and submission. Proverbs 13:24 says: He who withholds his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently. In the same way, Hebrews 12:6 says: For those whom the Lord loves, He disciplines. So when the hard times come, instead of complaining and whining and questioning God, I can rest in the assurance that God is love, that this action is love, that he works all to good to those who love him.

all things for good

2009-09-16T18:17:00.000-07:00

I haven't written on here in forever. I have so many ideas of things to write about, but all of them involve pictures. At the moment, our lives are in chaos. So I'll post now, and put pictures later.

The other day, I was sitting on our front porch, watching the kids play in the front yard. Normally, we would have been in the kitchen doing dishes, but it was a nice, relatively cool evening, and the kids begged to play outside. Suddenly, the kids across the street started pointing and yelling, "The tree! The tree!" I heard a crash beside me and looked over to see the branches of a tree come down along the side of my house. At first, I assumed it was the neighbors', as they had been doing some renovation. But I quickly realized that this was not the case. I went into the backyard and saw that a huge pine tree had been uprooted (on a completely calm, unwindy, unrainy day) and had fallen across our yard and the entire width of our house. By this point, neighbors were swarming around the house, gawking. At first, I thought it had just damaged the roof, but when I went inside, I saw that a huge branch had gone through our kitchen ceiling and penetrated all the way through the floor. The ceiling in the dining room had caved in from the pressure. And some of the drywall on the side of the house had been pushed in as well. It was a mess.
I was in shock at first. Noone expects a pine tree to fall on their house out of the clear blue.

But the cool thing, through all of this, is to witness firsthand how God truly does "cause all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." You would think a tree falling and crushing our house would be a tremendous curse and burden. But it's not. A contractor lives a few doors down from us. He has done some stuff for us before, so I knew that he was trustworthy. He rushed over right after it happened and took over, so I didn't have to worry about who to call and what to do. That same evening, he had a tree guy over to inspect it, and the next morning, the tree was removed. He's letting Dave take the money allotted for redoing the floor and painting to do the labor himself, so we'll end up with a much nicer floor than we had before. And we're getting several other renovations done that we really wanted. It's really exciting.

Hubby and I have been praying about whether to put the house on the market. Ironically, just earlier that week, we had prayed about it, asking God to really give us some direction. He had a list of things that he considered essential to get done before we could consider selling the house. Now three fourths of those things will be done, covered by insurance. Sure seems like an answer to me! As to what we'll be doing and where we'll be going, that's still up in the air, but I really think God is calling us to trust in Him, and watch Him do amazing things.

A Woman After God's Own Heart

2009-08-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

I have recently finished this book, A Woman After God's Own Heart, by Elizabeth George, and I highly recommend it. In the past, I have shied away from these kind of authors. I guess I've always felt they would just be a bunch of fluff. I'd rather get into a book that gets into deep theological material. But lately, I've been feeling more drawn toward women authors. I guess I'm feeling the need for a mentor. I've actually been praying for a mentor for years, but in the absence of a flesh and blood person, this book was the next best thing. I felt like I was sitting at the feet of a woman who was couseling me in pretty much every area of my life. She starts with our relationship with God, encouraging us to go deeper by being more devoted to Him, abiding in His Word, being committed to prayer, and obeying. Then she tackles our relationship with our husbands, calling us to serve, submit, and love. Then she talks about children, having a heart that values being a mother, prays faithfully, and overflows with motherly affection. Next, she talks about the home--making a house a home, watching over the home, creating order from chaos, and weaving a tapestry of beauty. Then she addresses ourselves--being strengthened by spiritual growth and enriched by joy in the Lord. And lastly, she talks about our ministry to others by showing we care and encouraging. In the last section, she addresses priorities, how to put first things first and follow after God's heart. I got all of that from the table of contents, so it's pretty much a rundown of the whole book. But it was so good and applicable in so many ways, especially for us young wives and mothers who are still trying to figure all of this stuff out!

1 Peter 1:17

2009-08-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth.

We have no real ability to do good works on our own. (Jn 15:5) He designates the work we must do (Eph 2:10), gives us the gifts to carry it out (1 Co 12:4-31), and only by His Spirit do we have the strength and ability to do those things. (Jn 14:12,16; Col 1:29) And yet, we are held accountable to the works that we do.

There are two sides to this coin. We must approach our works with humility, knowing that it is not by our power or ability that we do good things. And not for our own glory. (Mt 5:16) Any works done for our own glory "don't count." (Mat 6:1) The other side is that if we feel inadequate, unable to do good things, we have to trust that the Spirit within us will strengthen and enable us. We have to step forward anyway, in faith, knowing that it is through, for, and in Him and not in ourselves, that He will meet us there and give us the strength we need to accomplish the good works He has given us to do.

It says--"conduct yourselves in fear." I can't just sit back and do nothing. As Jesus told in the parable in Matthew 25:14-30, He has given us talents to be multiplied for His kingdom and His glory. If I don't choose to do those things, He will not be happy when He returns. James 4:17--Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Passionately in love with Christ

2009-08-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

I finally got through the first of Charlotte Mason's books (yay!), and I'll probably post more quotes when I go back through it, but one thing really stuck out to me toward the end of the book. She was talking about how to teach our children about God. Here is part of what she said:

The very essence of Christianity is personal loyalty, passionate loyalty to our adorable Chief. We have laid other foundations--regeneration, sacraments, justification, works, faith, the Bible--any one of which, however necessary to salvation in its due place and proportion, may become a religion about Christ and without Christ. . .In the idea of Christ is life; let the thought of Him once get touch of the soul, and it rises up, a living power, independent of all formularies of the brain. Let us save Christianity for our children by bringing them into allegiance to Christ, the King. How? How did the Cavaliers bring up sons and daughters, in passionate loyalty and reverence for not too worthy princes? Their own hearts were full of it; their lips spake it; their acts proclaimed it; the style of their clothes, the ring of their voices, the carriage of their heads--all was one proclamation of boundless devotion to their king and his cause. . .If a Stuart prince could command such measure of loyalty, what shall we say of "the Chief amongst ten thousand, the altogether lovely"?
-Charlotte Mason, emphasis added

Do you catch what she's saying? We can make our religion about so many other good things, but if it's not about a passionate love for Jesus, we're missing it. How do we teach that to our children? Our own hearts must be consumed with love for Him. Love for Him must be at the center of all we are and all we do. If falling more in love with Jesus is the focus of our lives and hearts, and the center of what we teach our children, everything else--doctrine, works, etc--will fall into place.

Hospitality

2009-08-03T18:47:00.000-07:00

I threw a surprise party for Hubby this weekend, for graduating from his RN program (even though he won't officially graduate until next month). Of course I was too stressed to take pictures. It was fun, but I've realized I have a lot of growing to do in the area of hospitality/hostessing. I really enjoy putting parties together and wish I could do it more often. But, the problem is, I am very much a task-oriented person. He was supposed to wake up at 3:30, so I had everyone come at 3:00. Well, he woke up at 2:00, realized my parents were there, and decided to stay up! So all of my carefully laid plans went by the wayside. I wasn't able to get nearly as much done as I had hoped, and I had to come up with a different plan for the surprise. (Not only that, but Hubby had sprung a house renovation project on me earlier in the week, so I was really set back in my preparations). So when everyone came, I rushed them inside without so much as a hello, and went to get Hubby for the surprise. I forgot to offer drinks (my mom did so, thankfully), and I was still so busy trying to cook all the food and get everything ready, I missed the first half of the party. So, here are some things I have learned:

1. It's not possible to have all the cleaning done the day before because of little kids, but there are lots of things I can do to be prepared ahead of time. I can choose foods that can be made and frozen or refrigerated, I can have much of the cleaning done.

2.But when my guests arrive, I need to have everything done. I need to focus on them. Give them a warm welcome, hug, and hello, and fix my attention on making them comfortable. I need to immediately offer drinks. It's better to have a less than perfectly prepared house and to be warmly focused on them and make them feel welcome, than to have everything put into perfect order and food that is perfectly prepared (which never happens anyway) and to be running around in a frenzied state.

3. I need to make sure that I am not so stressed and tired that I can't even enjoy the company and the party. (Granted, I am 7 months pregnant, and our air-conditioning is out, but still.)

So I want to grow in this. I want my home to be a warm haven of comfort and rest for everyone who comes in. I want the Holy Spirit's presence to be felt. I want to focus on people, and not tasks. I want people to feel loved, welcome, and taken care of.

Garlic Pasta Salad

2009-07-21T10:32:00.000-07:00

The other day I put together this recipe, which I thought turned out pretty well. It's always nice to have fresh ideas for dinner, so I thought I'd share. We are really big on spaghetti, but this is a different twist for summer.

1 13.5 oz box of whole wheat penne rigate, or other small pasta
4 chicken breast tenderloins, cut into small pieces
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, divided, shredded as small as possible
1 cup fresh spinach
salt
pepper
3 garden fresh tomatoes (I would have used 4 if I had had them)
1/2 cup cheese (parmesan would probably be best, but I used mozzarella since I was out)
1 carrot, shredded
1 tsp dijon or spicy mustard
3 T red wine vinegar (mine happened to be garlic flavored, but regular would be good, too)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 T expeller pressed flax oil
basil, oregano, parsley, salt, rosemary (and/or any other italian herbs you like)
(Black olives would also be good with this recipe, if you like them)

1. Boil water for noodles and cook as directed.
2. Meanwhile, saute chicken, onion, three cloves of garlic, spinach, salt and pepper. When chicken is cooked through, immediately spread on a plate and put in freezer to cool off.
3. Make dressing: Combine carrot, mustard, red wine vinegar, olive oil, flax oil, I clove of garlic, and herbs and spices.
4. When noodles are done, rinse with cold water (I normally don't do this because it takes away some nutrients, but it will get them cold faster if you do everything last minute like I do.
5. Combine noodles, chicken, dressing, parmesan, and tomatoes in a large bowl and mix until well mixed. Put in fridge if you have time to cool.

Homeschool: Bible-reading

2009-07-09T18:05:00.000-07:00

What I have done for probably the last year or so is a (semi)daily reading of God's word with the kids. It has been really successful and profitable so far. What I have done up to now is to train the kids that this is quiet time. They are allowed to color in their coloring books or sit quietly and listen. This has been hard for the two year old, but we're working on it. I read a chapter or two of the book we're in. I started with Genesis and alternated between an old and new testament book. And then I read a chapter of Proverbs that corresponds to the day of the month, and then if things are going well, I read a Psalm. This has become routine and a part of our school day so the kids expect it and even enjoy it, I think. I started this not expecting them to really understand what was read, but just more for the benefit of hearing the written word read aloud, the beauty of language, syntax, grammar, etc. And I thought that God's Word would be profitable for them to hear even if they didn't take much in. But I have been surprised at how much they do hear and understand. I chose coloring because it is a quiet activity that occupies them, but doesn't distract from their ability to listen. My oldest will ask questions and really understand a lot of what's going on.

But either way, I strongly believe in making the straight, unadulterated, un-watered-down, un-kid-versioned, reading of God's Word a regular part of our lives!

Homeschool: Bible-memorization

2009-06-21T19:55:00.000-07:00

This is a part of a series of posts I want to do about our homeschool methods, to share some of the things we're doing and what's working for us.

One of the first things we started with in "homeschool" was scripture memorization. Hubby started this with our oldest when she was 2 years old. Honestly, I wouldn't have thought to start so young, but I'm so glad he did! It has worked amazingly well. I am always surprised at how well their little minds work and how much they're capable of. We sell them short so often by assuming they are capable of less than they are. To date she, and now the other two, have learned--I'm going to guess 75 verses. Of course I know they don't understand everything that these verses mean, but I believe strongly that the truth and power of God's Word is taking root in their hearts, and will be there for them to draw on later as they have need. Unfortunately, I haven't done a good job of keeping track of which verses they have learned, I just try to go back periodically and review them, but I recently found a good system for keeping track of that--http://simplycharlottemason.com/timesavers/memorysys/ that I want to start implementing. Some of the verses that we have learned are:

John 10:11 (our first one!)
John 15:5
Galatians 5:22-23
Psalm 23
Psalm 1
Micah 6:8
Matthew 22:37
Daniel 2:20-22
Exodus 20: 1-17

I know there's more, but that's a good sample. Right now we're in the process of learning the Sermon on the Mount. It really is possible and it really is beneficial!

2009-06-09T06:38:00.001-07:00

I was reading Colossians the other day and this little verse popped out at me: Colossians 1: 4-5 . . .since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; because of the hope laid up for you in heaven of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel which has come to you. . .

The hope laid up for us in heaven--here it's described as a motivation for faith and love, and a major part of the gospel message. And yet, how long has it been since I even gave a thought to heaven, to what is to come? I get so wrapped up in myself, in the here and now, in the daily grind of wiping poopy bottoms, reading books, breaking up fights, that heaven, the hope of Jesus' return, my eternal reward and inheritance, are so far from my radar. I listened to two different sermons online recently that really drove this point home. The first was a talk by Corrie Ten Boom. You can listen to it here.. She described being in a concentration camp and studying the Bible with women there. She said that they didn't discuss their doctrinal position on predestination or Revelation. They focused on the most important things--the hope of heaven. She said that she really believes that America needs the same message. I think she called it "the certainty in the midst of uncertainty". I also listened to a really good talk on Christ's Return that you can listen to here. What a good reminder! Christ is coming back! This is not all there is! This should be informing who we are and everything that we do.

Consider one more verse from 2 Corinthians 4: 17-18

For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Yesterday:

2009-05-28T20:13:00.001-07:00

4 year-old: Mommy, I want to be a boy.
Me: Why?
4 year-old: So I can have what brother has.
Me: What does brother have?
4 year-old: A Hummus.
Me: You mean a penis?
4 year-old: Yeah, a penis.
Me: Why do you want a penis?
4 year-old: So I can be a boy.
Me: Why do you want to be a boy?
4 year-old: So I can have a penis.

Should I be worried?

Habakkuk 3: 17-19

2009-05-24T18:39:00.000-07:00

Though the fig tree should not blossom
And there be no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive should fall
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flock should be cut off from the fold
And there be no cattle in the stalls,
Yet I will exult in the LORD,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength,
And He has made my feet like hinds' feet,
And He has made me walk on my high places.

Amazing Prenatal Videos

2009-05-15T05:32:00.000-07:00

The above is a still picture of where my baby would be a 20 weeks. I found this amazing website where you can actually view videos of each stage of prenatal development. They are clips from The Biology of Prenatal Development (9 Weeks) DVD.

Today I learned: (1) By 20 weeks the cochlea, which is the organ of hearing, has reached adult size within the fully developed inner ear. From now on, the fetus will respond to a growing range of sounds. (2) All skin layers and structures are present, including hair follicles and glands.

#4, Take 2!

2009-05-12T20:08:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been forever since I've been on here. I have had zero motivation lately to get on here, but I'm realizing that, whether I want to or not, I need to. Even if no one reads this (which is likely since I haven't written in months) I need a creative outlet, somewhere where I write regularly and express myself. So I'm going to try to be more disciplined and get on here more regularly.

Part of the reason I haven't been on here regularly:

Here we go again! I'm 20 weeks now, so I think it's safe to post this picture and let you know that #4 is on his/her way. I just had my first visit last week with my new midwife, who delivers at a hospital that does water birth!! Yay! I'm really excited about the possibility of doing a water birth. I've given birth with three different doctors and two different hospitals, and none of them have fit the vision I have of the ideal birth. I have been hooked up to an IV with all three for different reasons, and, while I haven't had an epidural, there is just so much intervention that it really can't even been called "natural". I believe God made my body to work and childbirth to be a beautiful, natural process. The absolute ideal would be to give birth in the comfort of my home, surrounded by generations of women who have walked the road before me, but unfortunately our society isn't built that way. Home birth techinically isn't even legal in Georgia, and, while I could find a midwife to do it, Hubby isn't comfortable with it. But this seems like the next best thing. Something about being in the water sounds so soothing to me. And being surrounded by a midwife and hospital staff who truly believe in natural childbirth, it just sounds so wonderful. We have also started reading Husband-Coached Childbirth (Fifth Edition): The Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth. We've never done this method before, but it is really intriguing. It seems like a lot of these principles were what I did naturally last time--laying quietly on my side, internalizing everything, focusing on relaxing and letting it happen. I'm interested to try it out.

Lily-Me

2009-03-28T12:04:00.000-07:00

Your expectations
Lay on me
Like damp heavy
Dirt heaved
They press in
Suffocating
Until I can't breathe
Rejoice
It is a command
It trickles in like rain
And I find a way
Slowly
I grow
Rise up to meet
The reality
Of what you expect of me
What I need to be
And I find the place
Where I can smile
And I rise up
And greet you
With the kiss of dew
Upon my face

A Passover Unit Study

2009-03-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

I just found this neat unit study on the Passover and how it relates to Easter. I think it will be neat to do with my kids. I'm thinking about even doing a Passover feast as a family, talking about how Jesus is the lamb who was slain.

There's also an easter unit study here that could be good.

In light of our economic woes. . .

2009-03-08T18:47:00.000-07:00

I thought this verse was very fitting and applicable:

Isaiah 8:12-14

"You are not to say, 'It is a conspiracy!' in regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, and you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. It is the LORD of hosts whome you should regard as holy, and He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread. Then He shall become a sanctuary. . .

Double Chocolate Banana Surprise Muffins

2009-03-07T11:05:00.001-08:00

I've been wanting to post some recipes that I've either created or modified to make more healthy. Since I didn't have a picture of this recipe, I thought I'd share one of my not-so-hot recipes. I was trying to make eggs with pureed broccoli and spinach. It didn't taste that bad, but it's hard to eat green eggs. Unless, of course, you're having a Dr. Seuss party. Doesn't that make you want to eat some chocolate muffins?

This recipe was originally for a bread, but I don't like making sweet breads. It takes a lot longer and it's hard to get it cooked all the way through. So I usually turn sweet breads into muffins. But this recipe would give you two loafs of bread if you wanted to do it that way. Just cook for 60 or 70 minutes.

Double Chocolate Banana Surprise Muffins

1 1/2 cups sucanat (or your sugar choice)
4 eggs
2/3 cup coconut oil (or your fat choice)
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups whole wheat flour or w.w. pastry flour
1 cup cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
6 mashed ripe bananas
1 cup chocoate chips
1/2 cup finely chopped prunes (or dates)--that's the surprise!

Heat oven to 350. Prepare muffin tins.

In a large bowl, beat sugar, eggs, and oil at med speed. Beat in vanilla. Beat in bananas.

In med bowl, stir together flour, cocoa and baking soda; beat into sugar mixture at low speed just until combined. (Batter will be very thick.)

Stir in chocolate chips and prunes.

I think I cooked the muffins for 25 minutes. This recipe gave me enough for two breakfasts! We ate some and froze some for later. Yay!

Homeschool: Method and Resources

2009-03-04T13:49:00.001-08:00

I want to do a series of posts about our homeschool. As I've probably said before, our method of choice is Charlotte Mason. You can find the entire 6 book collection of her books for free here, as well as English paraphrases, and a summary of her principles. Obviously I love this method, and one of the greatest things about it is it's a very inexpensive way to homeschool. There are two free curriculum options online--www.amblesideonline.org and www.simplycharlottemason.com--and most of the books are classics that are easy to obtain or even get from the library. My favorite way to get books is www.paperbackswap.com. I find books for really cheap at the thrift store, and then post and trade them for ones that we need for homeschool. If it's not up there, you can put it on your wish list, and a lot of times it will come up eventually. Another great resource is homeschoolclassifieds.com. People list all of their used materials and usually the price includes shipping.

The basic tenets of a Charlotte Mason education as I understand them (I haven't finished all of her books yet) are:

-a focus on "living" books, rather than dry textbooks, or "twaddle" (those are the pointless, silly books that serve no purpose and clutter our children's minds.) It is very important to choose the books in your house carefully. If nothing else, you can use the charlotte mason websites, as well as sonlight and five in a row, to build a list of good books to have around for your children to read. It is more important to have a few great books than many mediocre books.

--nature study. She wants you to have the kids outside, exploring their world, for most of the hours every day, especially in the years before they turn 6 and "officially" start school. Then they start nature journals, where the draw collect what they find and document it.

--Copywork. They copy good literature like Bible verses or poems, and learn vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, and handwriting.

--Dictation. They write what they hear.

--Narration. They repeat back and eventually write down what they've learned.

--Holistic learning. Unit studies. Timelines. Lapbooks.

The list could probably go on much longer. But if you are homeschooling or considering it, I would definately encourage you to look into this method.

Changes

2009-03-02T19:20:00.000-08:00

I'm making some new changes, obviously. I got this pretty template from suckmylolly.com. She has lots of free options. Also, keep an eye out on the sidebar. I added some blog links, and I'm trying to add more website links and maybe a few other things. I can't figure out why it's not letting me, but hopefully I'll have it up soon.

8, 9, and 10----finally!

2009-02-23T18:39:00.000-08:00

You shall not steal.

We had our girls memorize the Ten Commandments. Shortly after we finished, we went to a friend's house, and Mikaela accidentally carried off a marble. Later I told her, "Mikaela, you can't take things that don't belong to you, that's stealing." She thought about it for a while and a few minutes later, she told me, with grief in her voice, "Mommy, I didn't know I was stealing. I'm sorry." I could tell that her conscience had been stricken by the Word of God. It was really neat to watch that happen.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Not much to say here? Does this speak to anybody else?

You shall not covet your neighbor's wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, his manservant, his maidservant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.

This one is a hard one sometimes. I don't ever desire to be rich. I don't like the pretentious culture of the South. I like things to be simple. But I also like things to be beautiful. I've always had expensive taste. We got pregnant the first month we were married, so we've always had one income. And I'm okay with that. God has always provided. But it's sometimes a temptation for us to look at other couples, who've both been working, who don't have kids, or who have made different life choices, and feel envious. But, as Dave pointed out to our girls when we were studying this, the root of this commandment is gratitude. We need to be thankful for what we have been given. We have a great house, everything we need, three beautiful children that make any financial sacrifice completely worthwhile. I have a great life, I absolutely love being a wife and mother, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

2009-02-19T18:23:00.000-08:00

I've been doing my Bible reading outside the kids' room the last week or so to keep Eli from climbing out of his bed. The other day, Faith had burned her hand a little bit trying to help me make dinner. That night I heard her say, "God, please heal my hand." (small pause) "Thank you! He said yes!" Then Mikaela asked her, "So does it hurt anymore?" She laughed and said, "Silly, I asked God to heal it!" As if that question didn't even deserve to be graced with an answer. Later I heard her pray, "God, give us good dreams tonight--Cinderella dreams. And give us good thoughts--Cinderella thoughts." Mikaela started complaining about being tired and wanting to go to sleep. So then Faith said, "God, please help my sissy to go to sleep." There was a long silence, and then, "Thank you, God." And then the last thing I heard that night was, "Owwie, God, please heal my hurt." And then a moment later, a small and tired, "Thank you, God," and then she drifted off to sleep. It was so sweet and precious!

The Sixth and Seventh Commandments

2009-02-19T18:22:00.000-08:00

You shall not murder.

As I'm sure you know, Jesus uped the ante on this one in Matthew 5:22 "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
Mat 5:23 "Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,
Mat 5:24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.
Mat 5:25 "Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.

I think it's interesting that he says whoever is angry with his brother is guilty. And then, if you remember that your brother has something against you. . .Either way, it's your responsibility. The ball is in your court.

You shall not commit adultery.

Once again, Jesus brought this deeper in Matthew 5:28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Mat 5:29 "If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
Mat 5:30 "If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.

2009-02-09T09:35:00.002-08:00

I've been having issues with Eli climbing out of his crib. I have had to camp out by their door the last two nights(until they fall asleep) so that I can be consistent with discipline and nip this thing in the bud. All of the kids share a room, and so that makes everything more complicated. They egg him on just by laughing and being spectators. At one point, after I'd been in there who knows how many times, I heard Faith (who will be 4 in April) whispering something. I couldn't hear what she was saying, but I thought she might be encouraging him to climb again, so I got really close to the door to try to hear. Finally, I made out what she was repeating. "Eli, obey and find joy. Obey and find joy, Eli."

The Fifth Commandment

2009-02-09T09:35:00.001-08:00

Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

I think it's interesting that He doesn't say obey here. The word is honor. With my own children, we stress so much the obedience, but there is a heart aspect here that is more important. They can obey without honoring. And I think of myself. I am past the point of obeying my parents, but I still need to honor them. This is something I really need to grow in. I can be really critical of my parents, but I've got to learn how to honor and uphold them, even if I don't always agree with their choices.

The Fourth Commandment

2009-02-03T17:56:00.000-08:00

Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall not do any work. . .And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

What other God is there, who shows himself in such mighty wonders as our God, who rescues his people like our God? I am still undecided as to whether the Sabbath is necessary as New Testament believers. Jesus never seemed to revoke it, but then there are passages like Colossians 1:16 that seem to make it obsolete. But I think, even if it's not a commandment, it's a really good idea. Especially in our fast-paced culture, to take a day to stop, slow down, rest, and find joy in God--what could be better? Not only is it a day of rest, but a holy day. I don't make a law out of it, but I usually try not to do any of my everyday "work" on Sunday, and I don't do things that threaten to become idols, like exercise. I try to just focus on God, though I definately don't always do a good job of it. I heard Denny Kenaston say in one of his lessons that the New Testament always bumps it up a notch. In the Old Testament, He wanted your firstborn, now He wants them all. In the Old Testament He wanted ten percent, now he wants all of our money. He doesn't want less, He wants more. So every day should be holy to the LORD. But I think Sabbath-taking is a great idea, not because I have to, because I want to. I want to take one day to rest and say, it is not because of my working and striving that is keeping us afloat, but it is your grace and provision, O Lord.

2009-01-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

In the midst of reflections on the Ten Commandments, consider these truly amazing and beautiful words from Deuteronomy:

"Do not be shocked, nor fear them. The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place." Deuteronomy 1:29-31

And you shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. And He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD. Your clothing did not wear out, nor did your foot swell these forty years. Thus you are to know in your heart that the LORD your God was disciplining you just as a man discipilines his son. Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and fear Him." Deuteronomy 8:2-6

Aren't God's ways amazing? Even in the midst of discipline, He is tenderly caring for His children, pleading with them to love Him, to obey Him. How much better their lives would be. How much better our lives would be. Why can't we learn that God's way is the only good way, it is life and light and joy, fullness of life. We miss so much when we rebel.

The Third Commandment

2009-01-27T08:56:00.000-08:00

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

The Jews never even spoke the name of YHWH because they held it in such reverence and fear. Maybe we should adopt a little of that spirit?

The Second Commandment

2009-01-23T17:47:00.000-08:00

You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

There is no middle ground. He doesn't talk about those who are indifferent. Either you hate Him or you love Him. If you love Him, you keep His commandments.

The First Commandment

2009-01-22T11:41:00.000-08:00

I have been reading through Deuteronomy, my favorite of the law books. So I'm going to focus on a different commandment every day.

I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.

He has rescued me from bondage. He is the one. What am I looking to for comfort? Food, coke, chocolate, my husband, escaping to a good book or movie, what am I looking to for satisfaction? He has rescued me. He alone is God.

My New Year's Project

2009-01-15T19:20:00.000-08:00

Do you want to know what I got for Christmas this year? Are you ready? Drumroll, please. A grain mill!! I'm so excited. After much deliberation and research, I decided on The WonderMill. So far I love it. The flower is really fine, more so than whole wheat flour bought at the grocery store. And there are lots of varieties of wheat that you can use for different things. I've only done one batch of bread so far, so I'm still experimenting. But it's really fun. There's even something called soft white wheat, which works well for pastries, cakes, and cookies (so I've heard), but you still have the benefits of whole grain! It's very exciting.

So now I've been feverishly working on a new project. This may sound crazy, but I've been trying to put together a meal plan for the entire next year. That might be a little over-zealous, but I keep telling myself that if I put a lot of work and effort in now, it will really pay off later. I'm hoping I can even re-use it every year, with modifications based on what worked and which recipes we liked.

The reason I'm trying to do the whole year is that I was afraid that if I only did a month or so, I wouldn't keep up with it when the time came for the next installment. So I want to do it now, while the idea is fresh and exciting. Two different blogs have been immensely helpful to me in this endeavor. One is called Heavenly Homemakers And the other is called Passionate Homemaking Both of these ladies grind their own flour and have lots of recipes for homemade stuff like tortillas, bagels, graham crackers, muffins, etc. (Passionate Homemaking even has recipes for shampoo, deodorant, and toothpaste!) Yes, I am getting ambitious. But I think if I could make all this stuff myself, how much money we would save, and how much healthier at the same time! My other indespensable resource is the book Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats. Sally Fallon explains the important benefits of soaking your grains.

So basically each day I have to prepare breakfast for the next day and possibly dinner for that night. It sounds really complicated, but having it all planned out on a calendar makes it really easy. I just do what my schedule says without having to think about it. I'm also trying to incorporate a baking day each month, to bake and freeze many of the things I will need for that month. Each day of the week is coded. So every Sunday we have pancakes for breakfast and a crockpot meal for lunch (no dinner). Every Monday we have grains (oatmeal, etc) for breakfast and a tortilla meal for dinner. Every Tuesday its eggs and soup. Wednesday is toast and pasta. Thursday is muffins and a new meal. Friday is smoothie and a meat and vegetable. Saturday is grains and a rice or casserole dish. I don't plan lunches because we usually don't have an official lunch. So it makes it really easy to plug recipes into my calendar. So far I'm at April. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up enough steam to make it to next Christmas. Do you have any ideas or suggestions for me?

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

2008-12-25T20:23:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of the girls blowing out the candles to Jesus' birthday cake.

Christmas traditions

2008-12-20T12:35:00.000-08:00

Every year I have two goals at Christmas time. To keep the focus of the season and my children's hearts toward Jesus, and to further create and solidify our family traditions.

For the last few years, I have used this schedule, based on the advent schedule and also on the alphabet. We made the crafts based on the stories, and then used them as presents for family. It was a good springboard for our lessons, but I wanted to find something different this year.

I came upon the idea of the Jesse Tree It is this really cool idea of going through, not just the story of Jesus birth, but the whole story from creation, linking Jesus to the Old Testament, showing some of how and why he came the way he did, fulfillment of God's promises and prophecy, etc.

Unfortunately, we traveled the first two weeks of December to Dave's family and I didn't have time to get all of my lessons together. We have just read through the Christmas story and talked about it without really doing any crafts or anything.

But I just found a really good compromise. It is not as thorough as the full Jesse Tree idea, but it is probably better for the age and comprehension level of my kids. It is a book called One Wintry Night. It goes through the Old Testament, hitting the highlights and linking it to Jesus. Mikaela and I have read it together and she has really enjoyed it.

Another idea we've implemented and plan on doing this year is to have a birthday party for Jesus. We wake up Christmas morning and have birthday cake (as healthy as I can make it and still call it cake!) and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. Then everyone gets three presents (based on the wise men). I've convinced my mom to get on board with the three present idea, so that really cuts down on the mountains of toys!

Also, this year I want to start a new tradition of us picking as a family a gift for World Vision. You can give really amazing gifts like a goat or chickens, or fresh drinking water. I would love to hear more ideas of Christmas traditions if anyone wants to share!

Thanksgiving

2008-11-22T07:21:00.001-08:00

This year, I am thankful for so many things, too many to mention, really. But the biggest thing I can think of is my husband. He is such an amazing gift of God to me. I can not imagine anyone being more perfectly suited to me. He was obviously hand-picked as a gift from God. He is funny, affectionate, gentle, understanding, patient. He is an amazing father. Every week he lets me get out on my own, to recoup away from the kids and to work on writing my novel. He helps out so much around the house and with the kids. It is so neat to see him grow in boldness and giftedness. There are so many men that I see that I think--I would have such a hard time being submissive with him, He would drive me nuts! But with Dave, I may still struggle with submission because of my own sinful heart, but he makes it easy for me. I trust him and I have no problem respecting him and letting him take the lead. He has proven himself over and over to be worthy of my respect and honor, of my trust and of my submission. Thank you God for Davidik moi!

2008-10-31T19:48:00.000-07:00

John Chapter 6 presents this beautiful and intriguing idea of Jesus as the bread of life. First, He illustrates it practically by feeding 5000 people on a hill. The details of this story are interesting. These people have not been with Him and then grown hungry. Before they even join Him, He asks his disciples specifically, "Where are we to buy bread (not just any food-bread), so that these may eat?" And it says He did this because the Passover was near. There is so much symbolism and meaning here. They find a boy with bread and fish, and Jesus distributes it, but it is the bread that is multiplied to excess, with exactly twelve baskets left over (one for each apostle as a momento?)

"For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world."

"I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst."

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him."

This gave people so much trouble that many left him. Why did they leave? What did they hear that I do not? What are the hidden depths of meaning and implications of this passage? Any ideas?

2008-10-30T19:06:00.000-07:00

On the way home from our new house church, I heard a little three-year-old voice, "Mommy, what is sufferwing?"

I recently read a book, Beautiful Boy, a father's memoir of his son's battle with a meth addiction, and how it affected him. Of course I thought of my own children. They are so sweet and innocent right now. Sure, they have their selflishness and pride already intact, but they know so little of sin, of pain, of suffering. And I so wish that I could hold them from it. I keep telling them to stop growing, but it's not working. I wish I could keep them little, keep them safe, keep them close. Shield them from every sorrow. I wish I could freeze time, and keep them all exactly the way they are today. Oh, if only I could find a way!

2008-10-25T06:38:00.001-07:00

I went to a Revival Conference this week and heard a man named Paul Washer speak. If you've never heard of him, you should check him out. Check out www.sermonindex.net, where you will find many great sermons, including the link for the one I heard, called Ten Indictments.

Here are the notes. They're long, and as I read through them, it is apparent how inadequate they are. I hope they just wet your appetite to go and hear the real thing. I was filled with the conviction of the Spirit that what He said was true.

We can't cry out for extra-Biblical manifestation when Biblical principles are ignored. We have been given truth.

Moses was given detailed instructions in the building of the temple. God is specific in His will. When we compare church to Scripture, some things must change. All of us bear a measure of guilt. What do you have that you have not received? See that your knees are bleeding before beginning a reformation. Have the courage to change everything.

10 Indictments:

1. Practical Denial of the sufficiency of Scripture. 2 Timothy 3:15
To believe it's inspired is half the battle. Is it sufficient?
Social science has taken precedence in the building of our churches. We should say-What is Thy will, O God? We are called to glorify God. We are meant to be a peculiar people. Isaiah 8. Yes, we should be seeker friendly. There is only one seeker and that seeker is God. Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?

2. Ignorance of God
When you start talking about the true, Biblical attributes of God, people say, that is not my God. They love a god they have made. Jer 9:23-4, Psalm 50, 1 corinthians 15:34 People have to be given trivial worldly helps to walk right because they don't know God. To know Him--that's what everything is about. Eternal life. Study His Word to know Him. We use satanic devices and worldly intelligence, and make God into a Santa Clause figure.

3. Failure to address man's malady.
1st three chapters of Romans are spent bringing all men into condemnation. A means to bring salvation. They must be brought to a knowledge of self before they will come to God. When we treat sin superficially we are working against the Holy Spirit. Primary ministry of the Holy Spirit--convicting of sin. We must do so compassionately, lovingly. We are deceivers when we say peace, peace, when there is not peace. We think they'll be angry. No one has ever been able to bear the gospel. We are thieves. As the night turns blacker, the stars shine brighter. When you don't preach depravity, you are stealing from the glory of God. If they don't see their wickedness, they can't love God, boast in Him.

4. Ignorance of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The gospel begins with the nature of God, goes to the nature of man. There is a Great Delimma. If God is just, He cannot save you. He who justifies the wicked is an abomination(Proverbs). He must condemn you. For His own glory, in love, He sent His Son. He became a curse. He became sin. The cup in the garden was the cup of God's wrath poured out on His Son. Forsaken of God by His justice. Crushed by the wrath of God. Under the justice satisfied justice. And so God is just and the justifier of the wicked. God slaughtered His only begotten Son under the hand of wrath. You can study the cross for a lifetime and not wrap your mind around it. We will be studying it for eternity.

4. Ignorance of the doctrine of regeneration.(I took really cryptic notes here, so I can't do it justice--watch the video!)
Salvation can not be manipulated by the preacher. It is the work of God. Greater work in regeneration than in creation. A man out of corruption, like the Savior from the dead. The Spirit gives life. We proclaim as a prophet standing in the valley of dried bones. Wind of God must blow or they will not rise again. If there is no evidence of spiritual life examine yourself. You think you were sincere but there is no evidence of supernatural work. Any man in Christ is a new creature. Sinner's prayer sends people to hell. Repent and believe the gospel. They trust that one time they prayed and someone told them they were saved. One time in life they prayed a prayer but they live like devils. Men judge the sincerity of their own decisions. Examine yourself to see if you are in the faith. There must be ongoing fruit in your life.

5. Unbiblical gospel invitation.
God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. No, that is the wrong message. The Lord God is compassionate, slow to anger forgives sin but will not leave the guilty unpunished. And Moses bowed low and worshipped. Starts with the nature of God. We must have a standard to bring repentance. Who God is. Tell him it may cost him his life. We treat sin so superficially, we are not solemn. It is a terrible malady. Judgment is coming. Is the Holy Spirit working so the sin you once loved you now hate? Do you want to go to heaven, we ask. Yes, everyone wants to go to heaven, they just don't want God to be there. Do you want God is the better question. Do you desire Him? Men are haters of God. Has Christ become precious to you? Throw yourself upon Christ. Trust in Him. We have no authority to tell someone they are saved. A tree is known by its fruit.

6. Ignorance regarding nature of the church.
The ultimate goal is the planting of Biblical churches. There is not a remnant in the church. The church is the remnant. And we are one. The church is a beautiful bride humbly walking with God. We need to be careful how we talk about her. Saying the church is full of sin, she is a whore. No! There are goats in the midst and the lambs are blamed. The name of God is blasphemed. Jer 31:31-34 He has written His laws inside their hearts-regeneration. They will all know Me. Just because someone says they're a Christian doesn't make it so. 32:38 The church has always been one. Don't talk about the body of Christ that way. There is very little Biblical, compassionate church discipline. We will pay a high price because we didn't have the courage to confront the wicked. Many of the lambs are lost because of the goats in their midst, and the pastors will be held to blame. Churches cater to the wicked and the flock is starving to death. 39-Christ and holiness. The evidence that you are saved is that He put fear in you. If He doesn't discipline you, you have no convenant with God.

7. Lack of loving and compassionate church discipline
Matthew 18 If we walk in obedience, the world will hate us. We can either start obeying, or God will do it for us. We must love enough to lay our lives on the line.

8. Silence on seperation.
Holiness. Sanctification without which noone will see the Lord. If He truly converts, He will complete the work. God showed favor for Jacob through discipline. Romans 12:1 Bodies. Bring everything in life under lordship. Mind eyes ears tongue dress--clothing should be a frame for the face, not the body. (Puritans were good examples of this) If I want the power of God, something's gotta go. Be with God. come out from their midst.

9. Psychology and Sociology have replaced Scriptures with regard to family.
The home, marriage, family is evidence of a strong church. Judges 17;6 Found family upon Scripture. Husband, father should be the teacher. Genesis 18:19 Like Abraham, they must command children to keep the way of the Lord. Romans 12:2 I will never have to violate the will of God and sacrifice my family for ministry. Fathers are to teach their children. Proverbs 13:20 He who walk with wise men will be wise. Youth to be with adults to put away foolishness.

They violate Biblical principles and then wonder why they fall into sin. 1 Timothy 4:1-16 Be constantly nourished on the words of faith and sound doctrine. Must follow and obey doctrine. The more you trust in flesh, the less you'll see the power of God. Train yourself to be godly. Discipline yourself to prayer, systematic reading of Scripture, speech, company, go to bed, rise early. This is a war. Our culture and generation lack discipline. Men used of God are men of discipline. This is hard--it costs everything. Broken but strong. Live for eternity. We serve God and God will honor us. We fix our hope on what to come and that gives us strength. While we have strength, preach. Labor for kingdom. We are made for greater things. Nothing on earth can satisfy. We must be absorbed in the things of godliness and character. Absorbed in God. There should be an otherness about us. We should open our mouths, and the word of God should come out. Ensure salvation for ourselves and those who hear.

The Hard Thing

2008-10-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

In every decision there is an easy thing and a hard thing. I believe most often the hard thing is the better thing. This plays out in many different areas. For Dave, the hard thing is to sit still and rest. The hard thing for me is to work. In parenting, the hard thing is not just to react, but to instruct, to lead hearts. As a church, the hard thing is to truly love and not just throw money at the poor. But the example that I have in mind right now is our doctrinal position. The easy thing is to subscribe to a particular pastor/preacher/teacher or denomination, or group, and just accept everything they have to say. But the reality is, no teacher or group has it all right. And probably that's by God's design, because he doesn't want us depending on anybody but Him. The hard thing is to go to the Bible and seek out a position on each issue on our own. The hard thing is to take the time and care enough to think for ourselves instead of letting someone else do the thinking for us.

A Good Find

2008-10-10T19:50:00.000-07:00

I have made the most amazing discovery: Big Lots!! If you haven't checked it out yet, you should. My grandma always shopped there, and I just always thought of it as a cheap store with a bunch of junk, but I was wrong. It is so much fun!! It is like a treasure hunt every time. You never know what you're going to find, but they almost always have something to make it worth your while. They usually have a lot of organic options, healthy cereals, Annie's whole wheat mac-n-cheese, Hershey's Organic Chocolate Bars, the possibilties are endless. I've found our Tom's Natural toothpaste there, organic handsoap, a movie we wanted to buy, and they sell our bread that we love (really nice big slices with lots of whole grain) for only 1.20 a loaf! It's always an adventure and it's always different, but I love a great bargain! I guess I'm turning into my grandma.

2008-09-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

I went to the first half of a Women of Faith conference tonight (my mom is sharing her ticket with me.) I don't know, maybe it's my state of mind right now, but I was disturbed. The topic was Infinite Grace. It was somewhat encouraging, but I just kept thinking about how this is not the message that the American church needs to hear.

I've been awakening to this truth slowly. I come from a church that teaches holiness, and have joined a church that teaches holiness, but I'm coming to understand that the mainstream American church gets a gluttenous portion of grace and little else of a picture of God.

Yes, God is infinitely loving and full of grace, but we don't need to hear over and over again that He will love us whereever we are, accept us no matter what we've done. We need to hear that a life of faith is a life of holiness. He does meet us where we are but He expects to take us out of the pit. He expects to change us. Our God is a holy God, a consuming fire. He is Love, but He is also Just.

I read a quote from a book (that I don't necessarily recommend all of) called "To Train Up a Child" that really stuck out to me--"There is a twisted perspective that has edged into Christian thinking. It goes something like this: 'Since God is love, He is not discriminating, demanding, vindictive, or vengeful.' Essentially, they view the love of God as imcompatible with the justice of God. It seems to them that He must be either one or the other. There is a vague, undefined sense that God was once vengeful, but is now passive, tolerant, and ecumenical--the Universal Father. God is stripped of His balanced personality and defined in a non-threatening way. Heaven is well received; hell is suspect. 'Judge not,' the most popular verse in the Bible, is quoted as if God Himself could no longer discriminate between right and wrong. As much as God is love, He is also holy, just, and true. It is out of His love of righteousness that He is coming in 'flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thes 1:8)' To choose one side of God's character as a model for our actions while rejecting the other can hardly be called a virtue."

I say if we focus on either side of God's character while rejecting the other, it is called idol worship.

Temptation

2008-09-22T18:40:00.000-07:00

So anytime there's a renewed focus on holiness or pursuing God, or actually putting my faith into practice, Satan is right there, ready to ramp up the temptation. I guess I should take it as a compliment, huh?

I've always dealt with what I would call a sensual mind (Mark 7:22). Satan uses all manner of means to try to take my mind off of the heavenly and keep it on the physical. Beth Moore said something in one of her lessons that really stood out to me. She said something to the effect of--Satan has our culture so permeated with sex(for me this also takes the form of food) that it's always there, everywhere we turn. Our senses are so heightened all the time, that when temptation comes knocking, we're already half-way there.

Just today, in the doctor's office, I picked up a women's magazine and opened it to find half the magazine full of advertisements featuring half-naked women in provocative poses. Why would women want to look at pictures of sexual women? It is part of Satan's ploy to keep us sexually-minded, and also insecure and inadequate.

Please pray for me! (And let me know if I can pray for you, too!)

Seeking God

2008-09-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

Today we sang the worship song "the more I seek You, the more I find You; the more I find You, the more I love You." It inspired me to embark on a new and hopefully successful (as far as my consistency) journey to seek God.

I've been on this journey for a long time, but I feel like it's been put on hold for the last few years (since I got married and had kids-I guess Paul was right, as much as I didn't want to believe it) So I'm recommitting. I will seek God with everything I have.

Not because it's the right thing to do, not to seek answers for the many questions I have. But just to know Him. I want to know the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. I want to know the God who created the universe with a word, "who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and marked off the heavens by the span", who knows every sparrow that falls and numbers the hairs on my head. I want to fall in love with Him again. I want to know Him more deeply, love Him more fully, follow Him more nearly than I ever have before. Will you join me on this journey?

Today I started in John, my favorite gospel. From the first two chapters, this is what I have gleaned:

Jesus is God. We did not understand God until Jesus came, but He explains His father (He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature-Heb 1:3) So if we want to seek God, we can look to Jesus to understand who He is.

In the first two chapters of John, Jesus is Light, the Word, the embodiment and fulfillment of grace and truth, only begotten, Son of God, Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, Christ, the one who baptises in the Holy Spirit, Jacob's ladder, on whom the angels ascend and descend. He is social, passionate for His father's glory, authoritative, prophetic. He sees into the hearts of men.

I Corinthians

2008-09-03T08:56:00.000-07:00

It's interesting to study I Corinthians in relationship to the problems in the church today. My inclination is to sit in judgment on the church, to criticize and look down upon her. To want to give up on her in frustration. But I Corinthians is a great example of the attitude that God calls us to. Paul opens the letter praising the church as santified saints. He talks about the grace, knowledge, and gifts that were poured out on her by God. That, to me, is evidence of not only Paul's acceptance of the church, but Christ's as well. He then goes on to outline some horrendous problems in the church. It seems evident that the problems in the first century would easily compete with our own. There is division, arguing, heinous sexual sin, misuse of their spiritual gifts and the Lord's supper, self-exaltation, false doctrine. Paul addresses these problems, to be sure, but he does so as an insider, and from a platform of love. If I want to address the problems in the church, I first have to truly love her, to see God's absolute care and patience (not only for her, but also for myself) and seek her interests above my own.

2008-09-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

It's ironic that I wrote about the baby finally, because I've known for several months that I was pregnant. But the week after I wrote the last blog, I went to the doctor for the first time (I was lazy about making the appointment because this was number 4, and I felt totally fine). She couldn't find the heartbeat so she did an ultrasound. It turns out that there was no heartbeat and the baby had stopped growing at 9 weeks. So it's been a sad week. It was last Wednesday that I found out, and now I have to wait for my body to recognize that the pregnancy is over. I still feel completely pregnant, and I have a belly, which is no fun when there is no good reason for it. I'm nervous about the ultrasound. She said that it often feels like labor and can last up to 24 hours. If it doesn't happen by next week, I'm going to schedule a d&c, which I don't want either. So please pray that God will just work out what's best. It's all scary and nervewracking, and I'm ready for it to be over.

2008-08-23T19:25:00.001-07:00

Wow, it's been forever since I've been on here. I'm sorry for those of you who actually read this thing. I guess I should post that I'm pregnant with #4!! Hence the long silence. I've been super tired as usual, and actually nauseated, which is not usual for me. But I am 13 weeks tomorrow, so things should be looking up. Dave has adamantly insisted that we not find out this time what the sex of the baby is until it's born, which will be very hard for me. (I'm secretly hoping we accidentally see during the ultrasound). Which means we have to come up with a boy and a girl name. Any ideas?

2008-07-13T10:46:00.000-07:00

Why is it that there are no perfect churches? Every church seems to have a few things that they do really well, that they just really nail, and then a few things that they completely miss. As far as I've seen, that's the way it is across the board. I keep searching for a church that gets it all right, and I just can't find it.

Partly, its because churches are made up of imperfect people. No matter how much a body of people seeks the guidance of the Lord, they are still people and they are going to make mistakes in judgment, focus, and message.

But I think it runs deeper than that, as well. Just as we won't find a perfect earthly kingdom in the sense of nations or rulers, because we await a heavenly kingdom, the church herself is groaning for the perfection that will only come through the fulfilment of the kingdom in Jesus Christ. If we had a perfect setup here, we would not yearn for heaven. God has left a void in all of our earthly institutions, that only He can fill, ultimately with the return of Christ.

I also believe that each individual church group doesn't get it all right because the goal of Christ was unity in His body. That was His prayer in John 17, and I believe that is his heart. The truth is, that each denomination and group has a strength that they bring to the body of Christ, and it is only in unifying these groups, uniting our strengths and bolstering our weaknesses, that we will be made perfect. Perhaps that won't happen until the return of Christ, but I believe His heart is for unity now, and I believe He is leading many in that direction. If we would come together the way we were meant to, rather than bickering and fighting amongst ourselves, we would be the strong, beautiful, prepared bride of Christ, each member doing what it was created to do, fulfilling its purpose. If we would stop looking at our differences as points of contention and exalting ourselves at our own strengths, instead seeing them as agents of unity, as we each focus on what the Lord has given us to do, working together and trusting each other that the things we disagree on will be worked out in time.

His Perfect Plan

2008-07-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, our preacher was talking about the fact that the Lord’s perfect plan for man was the Garden, but man messed up his plan, and so God made a plan B, and sent Jesus. But I just don’t agree with that.

I think that God’s perfect plan from the beginning was to send Jesus as the spotless lamb. It is against the nature of God to say that He wanted us to be perfect in the garden, because if we were perfect in ourselves, we would be the ones to receive the glory for our perfection. But if we are weak and depraved, and He comes in and rescues us, displaying His pefection, light and love, in contrast to our darkness, then He receives the glory. Grace is not grace if we deserve it, and that’s the whole point of the story.

Revelation 13:8 says that “All those living on earth will worship it, everyone whose name is not written in the Book of Life belonging to the lamb that was slaughtered from the foundation of the world.” How could He be slain from the foundation of the world if that was just an afterthought, God’s plan B?

And Ephesians 1:4 says “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him”. How could he chose us from the foundation of the world if this was plan B?

Romans 11:3--For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all. That is His nature. To show us our weakness and need, and to be the Rescuer, Strength, Goodness, Grace. I believe His plan has always been the same from the beginning. Jesus is the same, yesterday and today and forever. His plan is to shut all up into disobedience and then show His amazing love by sending His Son to die and rise again. Where would be the beauty, the grace, and redemption, the whole point of the glorious story, in us staying in the garden and just choosing good with our own strength?

................................................................................

2008-06-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

I have a dream, that stands beconing me from the horizon, close enough to see, but always just out of reach. Alluring and yet elusive. Similar to the prize of heaven, that we're working for, striving for, but not quite able to grasp.

My dream: that every room of my house may be clean and in order all at the same time!

2008-06-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

Dave's mom came to visit the other day. She was reading a book about dinosaurs to Mikaela(who turned 5 while she was here!) She was really struggling to read the dinosaur names, so she asked Mikaela to go find another book. Mikaela responded, "It's okay, Grandma, when you get old you can't read as well."

2008-06-12T18:39:00.000-07:00

The girls got a copy of for Christmas, which is amazing, by the way. It's a documentary that covers the whole earth, from Antartica to deep caves and oceans. They go places humans have never been and show some incredible footage. We all love it.

I've always thought that the earth, aside from humans, glorified God just by living and doing what they were created to do. But, in watching this video, it is really evident that nature does not follow the laws of God. The laws of nature are brutality, strength, ruthlessness. Animals do not show mercy, they do not love and forgive. It is kill or be killed, and may the strong one win.

I have a few thoughts, all just speculation and for fun.

Was the fall visited upon the animals, or did they participate? In Genesis 3, it is a serpent who tempts Eve. What if this is not Satan taking the form of a serpent, but literally a serpent being used as a vessel for Satan's evil? After all, it is the literal serpents who are punished, by being made to crawl on their bellies.

Genesis 6:11 says, "Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth." Is all flesh just man, or did animals choose corruption?

And what if some animals do choose to follow God's law. Animals like dogs, horses, dolphins, who choose to do loving things, unselfish things.

I don't know, just something to think about. . .

Striving for Humility

2008-05-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

It will go to the foolish
so make me foolish
it will go to the weak
so don’t make me strong
it will go to the hungry
so keep me wanting
it will go to the little
so don’t make me tall

Please keep me humble
Help me to see
That everything I am is you inside of me
I am nothing on my own
Selfishness and greed
But your power makes me great
Lifts me up and sets me free
It is all for you
From you and to you
I am an empty vessel
Filled up to make you great
I am a song
Lifting up your praise
I am the aroma
Of your intoxicating name

Let all who see me
see you in my place

Where have they gone?

2008-05-20T10:46:00.000-07:00

What has happened to my breasts? The nursing days were glorious. But I didn't understand that what gave would also take away, twofold. Now they just hang there like deflated balloons. I guess vanity is a small price to pay for my three beautiful children. I'm just afraid if I have any more, I won't even maintain a pretense!

2008-05-07T07:19:00.000-07:00

Insecurity is really a form of pride. I am so concerned about what other people think of me that I don't reach out to people and love them as I should for fear of what they might think of me. I end up adding to their insecurities by giving in to my own. Its a vicious cycle perpetuated by Satan and I don't want to play into it any more. I want to seize every opportunity to make people feel special, important, loved, noticed, no matter how wacky it makes me look or feel. What's better--I touch people and make them feel important, and I come across as a little weird a few times, or I go through life so turned in on myself, so afraid of saying the wrong thing that I don't say anything at all, and I get to the end, selfish and proud and touching no one. I want to be radical in my love for others. I want to be secure in God's love for me, not afraid to step out, not afraid to take a chance, not afraid to love.

Waffles

2008-04-27T05:30:00.000-07:00

I just perfected my killer waffle recipe.

2 Omega-3 eggs
1/2 large zucchini
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup oil
1 T Sucanat or honey
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup flax meal
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup-1 cup berries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup chopped nuts
(Or you could add any other fruit, choc chips, etc of your choice)
Honey

Whip eggs. Grate in zucchini. Add next 8 ingredients. Stir in berries and nuts. Put in waffle iron. Top with honey. Enjoy!

Adventures in Owning a Home-II

2008-04-18T06:31:00.001-07:00

Our washer and dryer are in the kitchen. It is a very small kitchen and a very inconvenient place for them, but its the only room right now with the hookups. In order to make room for the table (which sits right in front of a window with a gorgeous view of our little peach tree in the backyard), Dave had to move all of the pipes over a few feet and put the washer and dryer against a different wall. This entailed drilling a new hole in the floor to the crawlspace and relaying the pipes. You can just imagine all of the things that could go wrong with such a project. And all of them did.

Dave has no experience with plumbing. So he went to Home Depot and got some pipes. He came home and started to lay them. He got them glued together, and then realized they were the wrong size. So he went back to Home Depot for some new pipes. He began to glue those back together and then realized that they were not lined up properly. He went back to Home Depot for some more pipes. He lined them up and then glued them together and then realized that he was missing a piece to connect them all. He got all of the pipes layed and glued and connected. He came up to the kitchen and connected the washer to the pipes. He turned the wrench to tighten them, and one of the pvc pipes completely snapped off.

Water was pouring out of the pipe like a geiser all over the kitchen floor. He ran to find the water turn off and I was grabbing everything I could to try to catch the flow--bowls, cups, towels, dirty laundry. By the time he found the water turn-off out by the street, I had every spare piece of cloth in the house on the kitchen floor. Water was pouring into the heating duct on the floor and I was standing in an inch of water on the floor.

I don't mean to disparage Dave. He did a great job figuring it all out and now he knows how to do it all for the future. But it was quite the initiation into owning our own home.

2008-04-18T06:25:00.001-07:00

Faith, looking at a picture of the Statue of Liberty--"Mommy, is that God?"

Pet Peeve 2

2008-04-04T05:48:00.000-07:00

I want to wage war against the inventors, sellers, and buyers of stuffed animals! They take up space and serve no valuable purpose. And people keep buying us more, and More, and MORE! It's driving me crazy. I keep getting rid of them. But then I feel bad because what if the giver came over and realized that the hundreds of stuffed animals sent over the years are not visible. But I can't just pull them out when someone comes over. That would be deceptive. But I have no room for these things! What do I do?! (Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.)

2008-04-03T15:53:00.000-07:00

Some funny conversations lately that show our kids personalities.

The other day, in the car:

Mikaela: Mommy, what does food eat?

Me: Well, plants eat from the dirt the sun and animals eat plants or other animals.

Mikaela: Do we eat other animals?

Me: Yes, we do. We have to kill them and cook them first.

Mikaela: Oh, I guess that's why the people were chasing Bambi, because they wanted to kill her and eat her.

Me: Yes, you're probably right.

Mikaela: Mommy, I want a pink hammer for my birthday, so I can go out and kill some animals and eat them. (This because a hammer is the only weapon she can envision, knowing nothing of guns or knives.)

Today, at the dinner table:

Mikaela: It's raining outside.

Dave: Not yet, but it looks kind of cloudy out there.

Mikaela: A dark rain cloud. The color of this--(pointing to the dark part of a cooked mushroom.)
Maybe we could cook a mushroom and put it on a cloud.

Dave: How would we get up there?

Mikaela: We could climb a really, really, really tall tree.

Faith: I know! We could sing Jingle Bells!

2008-03-22T04:12:00.000-07:00

I watched The Passion of the Christ last night, which is my yearly tradition. The movie shows in graphic detail the pain and suffering of Christ, from the garden through His terrible death.

I've heard some say that they took it too far, but I think its probably a pretty accurate depiction of the pain and persecution that He suffered. Satan had his hour of triumph (though it became the greatest glory of God) and I'm sure he milked it for all it was worth. The very Son of God was in his hands, in the hands of his servants. You could just see on the movie the delight that they took in humbling Him, in debasing Him, in inflicting every imaginable pain and suffering on Him.

Not only that, but Satan was doing everything He could to get Him down off that cross. He used most everyone there to taunt Him, to tempt Him, to cast doubt and discouragement, disillusionment with His purpose. Every moment he was trying to get Him to turn back from His plan, and every moment he was delighting in the pain he could inflict on God Himself.

What really struck me, the most, though, was Christ's reaction. When I am tired or hungry, have a headache or a bad day, it is really hard for me to look beyond my own need and serve others. I will do the minimum required for my husband and children, and then I want to relax and tend to my own needs. Any yet, Christ, in the midst of the greatest imaginable suffering, not only of body but of soul, was able to look beyond that, rise above it, and think of others, love others. How can it be? He prayed for those persecuting Him. He looked to the needs of His mother and His best friend.

What depth of love is this? I cannot even comprehend it.

I want the best

2008-03-09T13:13:00.000-07:00

I've started this new thing with my girls. They each have an egg carton, with the twelve holes in it. Whenever they do something really good that I notice, such as sharing without being asked, do something really sweet for their brother or sister, obey without complaining, they will get a penny and put it in one of the holes. When the egg carton gets full, I told them they'd get a special prize. I have used this a few times as a bribe because we were really struggling with Faith getting out of bed, and threatening and punishing didn't work. This did. But, for the most part, I've tried to make it an unexpected reward. So they both filled up their egg cartons for the first time this morning. I had several things in mind as prizes, such as a jumprope that Mikaela's been wanting, a special date with Mommy, pick of any candybar at the store. I asked the girls what they wanted this morning, chocolate or a special date with Mommy. They both picked a piece of bubble gum (I didn't offer this--this was their idea.) They have both recently discovered the joys of bubble gum. But the thing is, they can have bubble gum any day. I usually let them have one piece on the days they ask for it. And it just got me thinking. Isn't that so like our relationship with God? Instead of reaching for the best that He has for us, the "riches of our inheritance in the saints", we settle. We settle for what's comfortable, for what we know, for what we can see right in front of us. And we miss it. We miss the fullness of blessing that He has for us. We settle for fine and miss the best.

2008-03-02T11:31:00.000-08:00

So many times when we talk about someone "getting saved", there is this total focus on remission of sins. The grace of God will cover any sins, just lay your burdens before Jesus and He will take them away, trust in His grace and all will be forgiven. And all of that is true absolutely. But I think there are two equal components to receiving Jesus. What we often don't hear about is the acceptance of His Lordship. Yes, you are receiving forgiveness of sins, but you should be also saying, I accept Jesus as Lord of my life. He is my master now. My life is not my own. I am dying in my baptism to my old self and being reborn as a new baby in Christ. I will follow Him, I will obey Him, I will surrender. It's not just about what He will give me, but about what I give to Him. Salvation is a gift freely given, and my response is not what saves me, but it is only given to those who respond. It's not enough for us to say, I'll take what you give, Lord. We must then turn around and say, and I give You all that I have. It may not be much, but He wants it. And He will take even the darkest hour that He washed away, bathe it in light, and use it for His glory.

Pet Peeve #1

2008-03-02T11:13:00.000-08:00

Not number one, as in my top, but the first I've written about (assuming there may be more).

When worship leaders call out the words of the verse before you sing them. Especially when you have the words on the screen right in front of you, but regardless. To me, it feels insulting to my intelligence, disrupting to the flow of the song, and downright annoying.

2008-02-28T19:15:00.000-08:00

The other day I was standing in the line at the post office in front of this guy. We started talking about the weather, which eventually led to our poor stewardship of the earth, which led to a conversation about Jehovah. Eventually it came out that he was Jehovah's Witness. Every time I've talked with a Jehovah's Witness I have been so impressed with how friendly, open, and quick to share their faith they are. This man, and many others that I have spoken with, knew the Word of God so well, quoting off verse after verse to me. I don't know everything about what they believe, other than vague, wild rumors. I'd probably have much to disagree with. But I do know this--I also have a lot I could learn.

The Baby Debate

2008-02-16T19:33:00.000-08:00

I have this huge delimma raging in my heart right now. Do we have more children? On the one hand, you look at the Bible and you never see God close wombs, except to open them again for His glory. He's all about, be fruitful and multiply. And, children are a blessing from the Lord (may your quiver be full!) Before I got pregnant with Eli, I asked God, if you want to be in charge of my womb, and if you will choose what is best for our family, then wait two months for me to get pregnant. I got pregnant right away. So I took that to mean that I should use birth control (well, condoms anyway). It's almost like getting pregnant is a force of nature like gravity, rather than a divine direction every time. Which really makes sense when you look at all the people who get pregnant when they really shouldn't be, for their sake or the child's. I'm not saying that those children are not formed by the Lord in the womb and loved by Him from birth, I'm just saying, He's set up this system and it goes. So I have to decide, do I want more children or not. When I think of not having more children, I am overwhelmed with sadness and loss. The thought of never nursing again. Never cuddling that little baby frame. It is so sad. And yet, it has to end sometime. There will be a last nursing no matter how many children I have. I also have a real desire and passion for children who need a solid place to stand. I want to eventually do foster care and/or adoption. But I see that being several years down the road, when our kids are a little older. I feel like Dave and I are good parents. I think being a mom is one of the things I was created to be. I love it. And yet, I want to be more than a mom, too. I want to write. I want to finish college. I have dreams. I still dream of mission work. I knew a family who were missionaries with twelve kids. So I know it can be done. But there is only so much time and energy in the day. That's another thing. I don't want to have more kids than I have the ability to give them the time they need to be nurtured. And part of that has to be saved for children who need it most. Those who will require extra time and attention. I don't know what to do! I keep going back and forth, weighing costs and benefits. Sometimes I wish God would just lay the blueprint right in my lap.

Our Car Saga or My Miracle

2008-01-28T18:35:00.000-08:00

So we've had a long history of frustration with our Mazda. We got it a year or so after we got married from this dealership in Kentucky, and they totally took advantage of us. I am so embarassed to say we actually believed a story about a one-owner old woman who only drove it to church. I can't even begin to go into the long frustration of the bank loan they got us. It was a horrible, harrowing experience.

We finally got the car paid off last year, but we've been having transmission problems since we bought it. We've had it rebuilt once before (keep in mind, this car only has 98,000 on it now and this was several years ago. This should not have happened!) and several months ago, we started noticing it slip again. We talked about getting another car, but then the problem just kind of went away for a while (I think it was the first blessing).

So then several weeks ago, it started up again. On a Thursday, Dave said to me, "Miracle, I'm feeling the car acting up. I think we need to go ahead and trade it in now before the transmission goes so we can get some money for it." I was like, "Well, you work for the next three days anyway, so let's pray about it over the weekend, and we'll decide what to do on Monday." That Saturday morning, he calls me--from the side of 75/85. The transmission was completely gone. (Blessing #2--only he was in the car. Can you imagine trying to get three kids out on the shoulder and figure out what to do?) He was coming home from a prayer meeting at church, so he called one of the guys to pick him up (Blessing #3).

We had already decided that our next vehicle was going to have to be a van. We were already busting at the seams in our little Mazda, and we hated the fact that we could never give people rides after church. I'm reasonable certain that we are not done having kids--if not our own, adoption or foster care. Plus, as our kids get older, they're going to want to have friends over. So we just needed more space. So that Saturday I started the van hunt--researching, checking classifieds, e-mailing friends. And praying. Really hard.

Ever since our car first started acting up, I had been praying for a miracle. It seems so ridiculous to say that I had been asking God to give us a van, because I don't think He's a genie in the bottle. You don't just ask Him for whatever you want. But, we needed a van. And I saw no earthly way we were going to be able to afford it. Especially after researching that day and looking at what kind of loan we were going to need. Not to mention the extra insurance. . .

So I was praying that God would provide for us. Give us what we need. And He did provide, in the form of wisdom (Blessing #4). I was feeling seriously sick about all of the money we were going to have to come up with every month for this van. Dave was talking about working more. I have this fear of him becoming a work-a-holic (because his dad was) and I just believe that we shouldn't choose a lifestyle that requires him to work more than a normal work week. So we finally realized that a van wasn't our only option (Blessing #5-Dave listened to me!). We realized that older versions of the Volvo Stationwagon actually have a third row of seats, giving an option of 7 seats. The Volvos built in the 90s were amazing cars--safe, reliable, durable. We had a Volvo growing up, and it survived 3 teenagers and 250,000 miles. So I feel really good about Volvos.

So anyway, we found one. It is amazing what these people did with this car. They bought it a year old for $30,000, and have put $15,000 into it (they kept copious records). They have changed out EVERYTHING. So we were able to pay cash for it, and we got what seems like the best possible car for the age and mileage (1996-140,000)-Blessings 8, 9, 10.

I say we were able to pay cash, but we borrowed the money from Dave's mom until tax time. (Two other blessings wrapped in--Dave had to chase down the mailman to get our certified letter with the check the day we were to buy the car, and he found him! And then the bank cashed it, even though they weren't supposed to.) So, even though this is a tremendous financial blessing, we still had a real financial bind. I had prayed for a miracle, but I felt like God had provided and would continue to provide over the next few months to get all the finances straightened out.

So this Sunday, we went to church. Our pastor calls us up out of the blue and says, I heard your transmission went out, and I want to take up a collection for you. Probably 70% of the people in our church come off the streets. It was so touching to watch these people who don't have much to give, walk up and put a dollar or five dollars in the bucket. People we don't even know.

God gave us our miracle. Not in the way or time I would have expected. But He gave it to us just the same. It was almost like He said--Are you going to believe even when it seems I don't come through? And then, when I stopped even looking for it, there it was.

2008-01-26T15:13:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to reading The Davinci Code. It was entertaining and interesting to read. If you haven't read it, it's basically about this guy who figures out that Jesus had a secret bloodline with Mary Magdalene, with a lot of suspense, action, and intrigue thrown in. The funny thing that I discovered while doing some research is that the "Priory of Sion", the supposed ancient group guarding the blood line, was actually a hoax started in 1956 by this guy Pierre Plantard who wanted to prove he had a right to the French throne. But, anyway, the book brings up one point in particular that I want to talk about.

One of the major themes in the book is the worship of the "Sacred Feminine". The book says that the Catholic Church wanted to perpetuate male dominance and so they made God into a man, when He is actually man and woman. They worship sex as the sacred union between man and woman. Most of what they propose and practice is secular and humanistic. It does not honor the one true God, but man and the pleasures of this world. But I've realized that usually Satan does not sell us an outright lie. Usually he takes a truth and twists it until it is more palatable to our selfish ears. Most, if not all, of Satan's lies have some amount of truth to them. And I believe that is true in this case, as well.

I believe God is the perfect amalgamation of male and female. He is the nurturing, gentle shepherd, and He is the fierce, intimidating warrior. Man and woman are two parts of one whole. The whole is God. That is what marriage is all about. The bringing together of the two to make one. That is what sex is all about. In that moment, the two are completely one.

Sex was meant to be holy. It is not a product of the fall, but a holy, perfect gift. Only by the grace of God, Dave and I were both virgins on our wedding night. (I am so grateful, and I pray so earnestly that my children will have the same--it was such an amazing experience) I came to him, even though I'd never done it before, completely unashamed. It felt so pure, so right, so holy. And that is what He has created it to be.

Satan has stolen sex. He has taken it for his own purposes and he has largely won. This supreme act that, in a way, brings us as close to God as we will ever be, that celebrates His creation, that honors Him just by being, has become dirty, carnal, worldly, unholy. This is such a travesty.

2008-01-18T17:48:00.000-08:00

One of the neatest things I've learned about faith from my children is the way they pray. From the time they could voice prayers, both of them have prayed with a formula that was not taught to them by me or my husband. I will ask them what they want to pray for and they usually respond with something like, "Cartry and Navy (my 4 1/2 year old's two long-standing imaginary friends) are sick, so I want to pray that they will get better." And then the prayer will go, "Thank you, God, for making Cartry and Navy feel better. Thank you that they are not sick." That is always the way it has been, no matter what they are praying for. I know they don't fully understand what they are saying and why, but it sure teaches me a lot about faith in my prayers. They don't even bother to ask God for things, they just assume he hears their hearts, knows what they need, and will give it to them. They spend the whole time thanking God for what He will do in advance.

I learned to pray that kind of prayer when I was dealing heavily with sin. When I could not break a sin cycle on my own, I learned to pray, "Lord, thank you for my deliverance, even though I can't see it or feel it. Thank you that You have set me free, and I accept Your deliverance. Teach me to live in it."

But my daughters have shown me that that kind of faith can reach to any aspect of life. God sees my heart, he hears the cries I can't even speak. Maybe I should spend more time praising God for meeting my needs (because I know He will--doesn't He always?) rather than telling Him over and over what He already knows.

Why I Hate War

2008-01-03T11:13:00.000-08:00

I don't doubt there will always be war, as man has had evil and murder in his heart from the beginning. But I question our role, as Christians, in participating.

It's true there was plenty of war in the Old Testament. I'm sure God had good reason for completely obliterating whole groups of people by the Israelites hand. I'm sure He appealed to them in every possible way, gave them every chance He could, and, seeing the utter darkness in their hearts, decided it was time to do away with them. It's not something I understand, but I trust Him.

But it seems to me that for every concrete, physical reality in the Old Testament, there is a spiritual counterpart in the New. We are under the New Covenant. Jesus Christ has explained God in a way that He wasn't understood before. Grace and truth were realized through Him. (John 1:16-17) Just as the physical Promised Land in the Old Testament corresponds to the life lived in the fullness of deliverance, blessing and power, and the physical prosperity promised in the Old Testament relates to the spiritual blessings of the fruit of the Spirit, so physical war in the Old Testament corresponds to a spiritual war we are waging right now.

We are at war, and we continually will be. "But our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12) "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses." (2 Corinthians 10:3)

With the spiritual eyes that Jesus provides, we don't see people as the world does. (2 Corinthians 5:16) We don't see people as the enemy, we see the dark forces behind them as the enemy. Bringing death, destruction, division, hatred. All of these are the work of Satan, not God. Rather, we should be bringers of light. We should be countering hatred with love, forgiveness, grace, holiness. Those are the only true weapons that will bring God's kingdom to the earth.

Jesus told me to love my enemies, pray for those who persecute me, turn the other cheek and let someone harm me, steal from me, take away my dignity and pride, even crucify me if it comes to that. He told me to love. How can I profess to believe in Him if I'm willing to point a gun at someone's head and pull the trigger. That's really what it comes down to.

Creative Giving

2007-12-04T19:54:00.001-08:00

At http://worldvision.org/100Ways, there are some really cool options to teach our kids about giving. Not only are you just giving to someone "in need", but you can actually contribute toward something specific and tangible.

For $100 you can contribute toward a well. A child dies every 15 seconds from a water-related disease. You can help provide safe water.

For $75 you can buy a goat for a family. A goat provides a family with fresh milk, cheese, and yogurt, plus vital income through the sale of offspring and dairy products.

For $60 you can plant 10 fruit trees.

For $32 you can help a child enroll in school.

For $25 you can buy two chickens.

For $25, you can even give locally to inner-city kids in New York.

There are so many amazing ideas there, I wish we could do all of them! It really puts Christmas into perspective when you think about providing safe water to drink, or giving someone a sheep so their children will have the warmth and nutrition to survive another winter. We truly do not know the breadth of our blessedness.

2007-12-03T17:09:00.000-08:00

God, I praise You for choosing me
The Judas
Who has betrayed You
The Peter
Who has denied Your name
The David
Who has abused the power of my place
I praise You for choosing me
To give the gift of life
The hope of more than what I see
I praise You for loving me
When there was nothing more
Than selfishness and greed
I praise You for choosing me
For trusting me with a purpose
For granting me a goal
For implanting your perfect being
In my corrupted soul
I praise You for cleansing me
For seeing only You
For rescuing my flailing heart
Giving me a foothold
In the strong
Rock of You
God, I praise You for choosing me

Adventures in Owning a Home-I

2007-11-15T20:40:00.000-08:00

So I walked into the bathroom and there was a rodent sitting on the floor by the toilet. At first I thought it was a mouse. But then I noticed the long tail. A rat!

I quickly shut the door and ran to find our two cats. I put both cats in the bathroom and waited to see what would happen. After a few minutes, I peeked in. They were both sitting calmly by the door, licking themselves. The rat was nowhere to be seen.

Isn't rodent-repelling one of the beautiful perks of having cats? Today they were not earning their keep!

So I took the cats out and tiptoed into the bathroom. I found him staked out behind the litterbox. It was time to call in reinforcements.

I woke Dave up and sent him in with a broom and a shoebox. He was supposed to get the rat into the shoebox.

I heard shuffling. Yelling. "Don't get bit," I yelled. . .several times. Finally I stuck my head in. "Do you need any help?"

"This is not working!" So he went to get a bigger box. I got a broom and put on some boots.

We tried to block off the area so the rat was forced to go into the box, but somehow he squeezed past our barricades every time. Once he even leapt up and tried to bite my leg on his way by. Thankfully, I screamed and jumped out of the way just in time.

He kept jumping up on the the toilet and sniffing the water. That, coupled with the fact that he was wet, clued us in to the fact that he was probably trying to get out the way he came in.

Finally, somehow, we managed to get him in the box. I scrambled to shut the lid. He was trapped.

But now what. We had no way to kill him. He was obviously aggressive. All the legends of rat intelligence convinced me that we couldn't leave him in the box. I knew he would find a way out and wreak havoc in our house. So we did the only thing we could think to do. We took him to the woods behind our house and let him go.

I pray that our mercy left an impression and he headed off to torment somebody else.

2007-11-10T18:33:00.001-08:00

I don't know where these words originated. I got them in a forward. But I thought they were so beautiful. . .

HE IS JESUS. WHO IS HE? IN CHEMISTRY, HE TURNED WATER TO WINE. IN BIOLOGY, HE WAS BORN WITHOUT THE NORMAL CONCEPTION; IN PHYSICS, HE DISAPPROVED THE LAW OF GRAVITY WHEN HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN; IN ECONOMICS, HE DISAPPROVED THE LAW OF DIMINISHING RETURN BY FEEDING 5000 MEN WITH TWO FISHES & 5 LOAVES OF BREAD; IN MEDICINE, HE CURED THE SICK AND THE BLIND WITHOUT ADMINISTERING A SINGLE DOSE OF DRUGS, IN HISTORY, HE IS THE BEGINNING AND THE END; IN GOVERNMENT, HE SAID THAT HE SHALL BE CALLED WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, PRINCE OF PEACE; IN RELIGION, HE SAID NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH HIM; SO. WHO IS HE? HE IS JESUS! JOIN ME AND LET'S CELEBRATE HIM; HE IS WORTHY. The Greatest Man in History: Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master. Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher. Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer. He had no army, yet kings feared Him.. He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him. He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today. I feel honored to serve such a Leader who loves us!

2007-11-05T20:26:00.000-08:00

We've started something really cool. Well, I think so. Everybody else might just think its weird and gross. But it's called vermicomposting. Basically, you get earthworms to eat a lot of your leftover food and trash, thereby reducing the amount of trash you add to the landfills. Plus, it creates really rich soil for your garden, which we've also started this year. It's also a neat project to do with your kids. Other people have dogs. We have worms. But really, it teaches them all kinds of good lessons, like caring for all creatures, conservation, responsibility. Plus, they think it's fun to feed the worms!
We got our worms here--www.wormwoman.com