Teach Me

After writing my earlier post (Equipped), I was reminded of a song that I love, by Serene and Pearl at Above Rubies. The first time I heard this I thought it came straight from my heart, a story of my life. Here's a sample of it, and below are the lyrics!

I never thought that I’d be living like this,
Never thought that I’d believe this way,
If somebody had said that this would be me,
I would have laughed at the impossibility!
But look, yeah, look what You’ve done,
Look what I’ve learned,
Look what You’ve made from this broken urn,
I want even more, I’ve set my sights,
I want to feed on Your words of life.

CHORUS:
Teach me, I will listen, I’ll be open
And Your truth will change me.
Teach me, I am willing, I am wanting
For you to finish this work
That You’ve already started in me.

I never knew that truth could feel so free,
I never knew I’d find joy in losing more of me.
Every day You reveal a little more
And I can only smile when I think of what’s in store.

Just look, yeah, look what You’ve done,
Look what I’ve learned,
Look what You’ve made from this broken urn,
I want even more, I’ve set my sights,
I want to feed on Your words of life.

CHORUS.

What a view from this mountain top,
I could never go back,
I can see there're more hills up ahead,
But I’m on the right track.

CHORUS.

Equipped

"To suppose that whatever God requireth of us that we have power of ourselves to do, is to make the cross and grace of Jesus Christ of none effect" - John Owen

This quote is one that I keep in my mind often. I have a confession - I love being a mother, wife, homemaker. I am called of God to be these things. But I am not very good at it. And there are times when I don't "love" it so much, and wonder why God put me in a place where I have no talent or natural ability. It is hard, hard work. And not very rewarding all the time. I have nothing specific on a day to day basis that brings me great recognition or accolades from those I know and love, and much less from those I don't know. It can be discouraging, overwhelming, and not very fulfilling. I am a happy homemaker, but not by nature. I am not one of those who dreamed of being a wife and having babies my whole life. In fact, I grew up as a very independent, introverted person - I enjoy quiet, aloneness, time to read lots of books. So, why has God placed me in a position so contrary to my nature? Therein lies the beauty and the power of the Lord.

The world says to pursue a life where my strengths, talents and interests are highlighted. Where I have lots of personal self-fulfillment, lots of recognition and "esteem". But what does the Lord say? He says "die to yourself", "become like Christ", "My strength is in your weaknesses". It is exactly these reasons He has called me to be where I am. So I can become more like His son, trusting in His strength to bring about His will in me.

What is my (and, actually, anyone's) ultimate purpose in life? To glorify the Lord and enjoy Him forever! What could be more glorifying than His strength making me into the woman He wants me to be - the woman I am not, at all, by my own strength. He equips me for His high calling, He alone. I can take no credit for the changes He's brought about in me, as they are so far from who I was and imagined being.

So when I feel discouraged, depressed, and like I'm sliding down the terrifying slope of failure, I remember - He is my strength, my source, my encourager! It is He whom I am serving, and He will not let me go. The Lord does not fail! Hebrews 13:20-21 reminds me: "Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, {even} Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom {be} the glory forever and ever. Amen." Amen!

Demographic Winter

I came across this website and found it very interesting, especially in light of the regulations for population control that many countries are trying to (or have) enforce(d) for the sake of environmental protection. Click on the banner to watch the trailer. Please feel free to share your thoughts!


Also, just on a mathematical note - 2.1 children per household is simply the "replacement" rate of the population. In order to see an actual population increase, a family needs to have at least 3-4 children each!

Salvation

Such simple and beautiful testimonies. The truth in Christ is true freedom - "and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." John 8:32

(Don't forget to pause the playlist to the left!)

For my Boys!

The boys love this song and video, so I am posting it in their honor! Enjoy! (Oh, be sure to pause the music to the left before playing this!)

Nathan Speaks Out

I had shared this message from Nathan on a message board I'm a member of, but decided that maybe all of blogger world should be made aware, as well. This happened a few months ago, and Nathan has still not recovered from the trauma - I fear he may be terrified of man-sized robins forever.

Nathan wants me to spread the word:

"Do NOT go out to eat at Red Robin restaurants. It is potentially life-threatening, and at the least, psychologically damaging to young children. The food is excellent, but not worth the trauma I experienced. I will share it with you.

We went out last night as a surprise from my daddy. We ordered the usual hamburgers and french fries, and I got some cantaloupe to gnaw on. All was well and good, until the THING appeared. This THING was the most horrifying THING I have ever witnessed in my entire life of 13 months. Absolutely terrifying. It was the size of a grown up person, but it had the appearance of a bright red, overly cheerful.... BIRD. Its beak was big enough to swallow me and other small children whole, and abnormally bright yellow. It waved its wing at me as it passed by, quite obviously a threat to my existence. I did my best to alert every other diner in the restaurant of this threat to their and their children's lives - I screamed, very loudly and repeatedly.

My mom tried to rescue me, but all she did was take me to the bathroom. I insisted to be put down and tried to RUN away, screaming, but I could not find my way out of the bathroom. My mom made me stay in the bathroom until I got a grip on myself, and only then did we emerge cautiously, looking every direction for the wretched thing.

Apparently, I did a decent job of scaring it away, as it did not appear for the rest of the night. I was not to be fooled, though, so I refused to sit back in my highchair where it saw me last, and instead hid in the booth between my mom and dad.

Please, do not submit your children to the dangers and terrors of this child eating, man-sized, bright red robin. I can only assume that the restaurant by the name of Red Robin is really a cover-up for its operations and it makes me wonder just what kind of hamburgers my family so readily enjoyed.

However, they do give out balloons to the children who manage to make it out alive, which is a decent reward."

As this was a few months ago, he has an update:

"My parents must be trying to get rid of me, as they continue to frequent this horrifying place. However, I have only seen the monstrous beast once more, and it does seem that screaming at it sufficiently scares it away. In fact, the past few times we have been to this place, I have not seen it at all, which makes me think its evil deeds have finally come to light and it has met its demise. It has been wonderful to be able to relax and enjoy my tasty meal without fearing for my life, as the food is quite good."

Our New Routine

Just for Kathy ;-), here is the new schedule Michael and I worked out together. We officially start getting on track again June 2nd :-) Also, while all of these have times attached to them, we don't follow the clock that strictly - its more for me to figure out how long things can take and where meals and naptimes can fit in.

5am-6am I wake up, work out, and shower (this is all assuming I actually get up then!)
6-6:30 my quiet time with the Lord
6:30-6:45 check email, brief computer time
6:45-7 make Michael's breakfast (if he's working at the office that day) and get ready for boys to wake up
7:15-7:30 boys wake up, start their before breakfast chores (brushing teeth, making beds, etc)
7:30-8 Breakfast
8-8:15 Morning Chores
8:15-9:45 Errands or Nature Walk (Michael suggested we now do this first thing since it gets so hot in the day, and also doesn't break up our schoolwork)
9:50-10 Snack
"School" Starts!
10-10:20 Bible from Adventures in MFW
10:20-10:35 Handwriting/Preschool with Joel
10:35-10:55 Ezra English (Isaac plays with Joel and Nathan)
10:55-11:15 Isaac English (Ezra plays with Joel and Nathan)
11:15-11:35 I read aloud to everyone, short children's stories
11:25-11:55 Science/Art/Music/Projects (whichever is planned for the day)
12-12:30 Lunch
12:30-12:45 Isaac, Ezra and Joel read quietly while Nathan goes down for a nap
12:45 Joel naps
12:45-1:15 Isaac, Ezra and I have quiet time to spend with the Lord individually
1:15-1:30 I read a chapter from a chapter book aloud to Isaac and Ezra
1:30-1:45 History
1:45-2:05 Math/Spanish
2:05-2:25 Spanish/Math (the boys rotate)
2:25-2:50 (Joel and Nathan are usually starting to wake up) Isaac and Ezra practice instruments
3-3:15 Afternoon snack and Bible from MFW 1st
"School" ends for the day!
3:15-3:45 Afternoon chores
4-6 Time with Daddy (go to park, etc)
6-6:30 Finish dinner prep
6:30-7:15 Dinner
7:15-7:30 Nighttime chores
7:30-8 Family Devotions
8 Bedtime
9 Lights out

Phew! My goal is to be in bed myself by 10 or 10:30 each night. After the boys go to bed, I finish my chores and Michael and I do some bible study using "Balancing the Sword". Its a full day, but we also try to keep it flexible and open to the Lord's leading. The beauty of homeschooling is that our time is available for His use, so if something comes up and our plans need to be dropped to help someone else, we are able to without concern!

Fridays are much lighter for us. Our morning outing is to the library, and when we get home, we cover only Bible, Handwriting, Science, Art Study, and Reading Aloud. The rest of the day is spent preparing for Sabbath (I make Challah and do some deeper cleaning) and then some rest, relaxation, and fun!

Aprons

Aprons are awesome! I have one that I absolutely LOVE, I don't know if I could go back to having just a "regular" apron. What makes mine so special? Its a dishtowel apron! A dishtowel is sewn into the front, making a perfect place to wipe my hands quickly, or an impromptu pot holder. Usually while washing dishes I'd throw a dishtowel over my shoulder, but no need anymore. It also serves for a place to carry toys or baby items while picking up, to deposit them where needed as I go along. This wonderful creation was handmade by Steph at Lamplight Boutique. She makes all sorts of aprons - dishtowel, reversible, children's, matching mother/daughter, and just beautiful regular ones, as well. Her fabrics are high quality and the sewing is impeccable. I couldn't live without my apron! Thanks Steph!!

Here's mine!

My Crew

Its been awhile since I've posted pictures of my handsome men, so here are some from my sister-in-law's wedding earlier this month!

Is it edible?

It may be look like a muffin, but, alas, it is not edible! What exactly IS a Prairie Muffin? Actually, I am! You may be, too, and just don't know it yet! Click on the manifesto below for the exact description - and when I say exact, I mean exact. No mincing of words there! But every point made is one that I strive for daily. I have my failures daily, as well, but as Paul says it so well, "Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:12)

(Oh, and once you've read the manifesto, please explore the rest of her site. Its got a lot of great posts!)

Surrender

Since discovering the sling, I have been a devout babywearer. I have gotten rid of several strollers and the two that remain (a running stroller and a large standard stroller with all the bells and whistles) sit in my garage unused for most of the year. I have found that my babies are happier the closer they can be to me, so I enjoy wearing them. As an infant, I use a ring sling or a pouch, as they grow I move them into my Ergo carrier, which is just about the best baby invention ever created. ;-)

However, lately I have found myself desiring a stroller more and more! Ezra is getting allergy shots twice a week now, so we spend 20-30 minutes each visit sitting in the office, and keeping Nathan contained and happy is a bit of a struggle. While I know with more training it will get easier, I prefer to do the majority of training in the privacy of home so that he is not a disturbance to others so much. Lately there have also been more "social" outings that would be nice to have a place to put him other than my back so that I can participate a little more (such as bowling, for example!).

So, I surrender to those who say strollers are a daily part of their life and a need for moms. I "get" it now! I am not too proud to admit they have a (very good) point for those unique times. While I will still be wearing Nathan most of the time, I am very excited to have my newest gadget - a simple, lightweight Evenflo stroller. A bit bigger than an umbrella stroller for easier pushing, but still more compact and lightweight than our standard stroller, I am thrilled to have it!

It goes back to the old adage of "never say never". It wasn't more than a few months ago that I swore I never used a stroller nor had a need for one... and look at me now! *blush*

Mama Said

There'd be days like this...

A few days ago, I had one of "those" days. Sometimes they come few and far between. Other times they come much too frequently. Let me lay out the scene:

It was 15 minutes before Michael was due home. Somehow, I had inadvertently given him the impression that I had "done alot of work" around the house. If work counted as getting the dishes halfway done and keeping the kids alive, that was a true statement. However, that was not how he interpreted it. So he was excited about coming home to a nice clean house. Which was NOT the condition it was in, to say the least.

While I was busy handing out directives on what the boys could do to help, Nathan got into Molly's water bowl and spilled water everywhere. While I was cleaning it up, I realized I had forgotten to stir dinner and it was probably sticking (or burning) to the bottom of the pot. Then Joel started crying from downstairs, and Ezra, trying to vacuum the stairs, had a vacuum malfunction, spilling the entire contents all over the landing. I laid a rag over the spilled water, gave a quick stir to my stuck dinner, told Joel he must be alright if he's still able to be crying, and got out my vacuum to get the stair mess cleaned.

While I vacuumed up the mess, I became overwhelmed, as yet more chaos ensued. Nathan was positive he wanted to climb on the vacuum, or at least touch the fun spinny things inside, Ezra and Isaac were arguing, Joel had forgotten his task and was asking me 101 questions, however, they all happened to be the exact same question.

I began to cry. I called out to the Lord -"WHAT Lord?! I want to live my life to glorify you, and I know THIS certainly isn't accomplishing that! Jesus never fought with a vacuum and was such a helpless failure! There has got to be something else You must be calling me to. I'm certainly no good at this and how can that be serving You?!"

The crying ended, everyone was back on track, and I reflected on my moment. I turned to the Word, His wonderful source of Truth. I read about how Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve. I read about how God wants me to become like Him, dieing to myself, as He laid down His life for me. I read of His love for children, for families, His desire that His Word be carried on through generations. And I remember His purpose for me. Of course, Jesus never fought with a vacuum. He fought with so much more. For me. For my children, and my husband. For all of those that I come in contact with, in real life, or through this blog.

How am I serving Him? By serving my family. By laying down "my life" at His feet, at their feet. By loving the ones He's given me, and teaching them how to love Him and the rest of the world he created, as well. By showing His love, His mercy, His tenderness... even through the chaos and the stress. Is it a great and glorious task? Not glorious to me! But glorious to Him! I may not be a big huge person in ministry or in the mission field or evangelizing. But I have a calling to become like Him. To lay down my life for others, and to love. This is my calling.

Its a beautiful thing to know His peace, even if it takes days like this to find it.

Some Silliness

You're a Labrador Retriever!

Labrador Retriever

The Caretaker

Your family is what makes you tick, and you never "flea" from an opportunity to hang out with the whole gang. A family picnic complete with hot dogs, deviled eggs and a refreshing swim in the lake is hard for you to stray from. Your sparky temperament and dogged intelligence mean you are not only a blast to hang out with, but great to work with as well. Your close pals appreciate your patience and forgiveness, knowing you'd rather let sleeping dogs lie than dwell on the mishaps of the past. Your dashing good looks may one day lead to a modelling career, if only you can tame the unfortunate clumsiness that sometimes causes you to go flailing from the catwalk. Learn more »

FAMOUS LABRADOR RETRIEVERS: Bill Cosby, Jackie Onassis, Dr. Phil, David Beckham

LIKELY PROFESSIONS: Doctor, Sales Executive, Teacher

Take the Quiz Yourself!

What Kind of Tomatoes?

I have another book review! There are a few Christian parenting books that I really treasure and enjoy - two, specifically, are "Shepherding a Child's Heart" by Tedd Tripp, and "Child Training Tips" by Reb Bradley at Family Ministries. Both books are excellent at pointing out what scripture says about our job and responsibilities as parents, revealing character and heart issues developing in a child, and offer basic suggestions on how to deal with or prevent these issues. Kind of the "why" behind many of the questions that come up in parenting. But until now, I've found it hard to find a book that focuses on practical, daily steps that can be taken to address a child's character and actively "raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4). The "how" of the "why". Then my sister-in-law blessed me with this book:

"Raising Godly Tomatoes" by L. Elizabeth Krueger. Her website can be found here, with many of the articles from the book available to read online, as well as a message board!

I really can't say enough about this book. It is incredibly thorough, covering every topic that could possibly come up in raising and training children for the Lord. Her suggestions are filled with wisdom and usefulness - one can start "Tomato Staking" their children just after reading a few chapters! And, the blessing of love and obedience that results, begins to bear fruit quickly. This book is not necessarily for the faint-of-heart parent - she is direct and to the point, and there were times when I was reading that I had to take a break and let it all assimilate in my heart and mind for a while. But there is no doubt that this lifestyle is one that will benefit both parents and children, and aligns with the truth of Scripture. One of the features of this book that I very much appreciated was her frequent usage of scripture throughout the chapter, deepening my understanding of the truths that the Word holds for parents.

Happy Mother's Day!

An excerpt from an encouraging email by Doug Phillips. Have a wonderful, blessed Mother's Day!

The Cost of Motherhood

Once a lady went to visit her friend. During the visit the children of the friend entered the room and began to play with each other. As the lady and her friend visited, the lady turned to her friend and said eagerly and yet with evidently no thought of the meaning of her words: “Oh, I’d give my life to have such children.” The mother replied with a subdued earnestness whose quiet told of the depth of experience out of which her words came: “That’s exactly what it costs.”

There is a cost of motherhood. And the price is no small sum. And if you are not willing to pay this price, no amount of encouragement about the joys of motherhood will satisfy.

But the price of motherhood is not fundamentally different from the price of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. In fact, Christian mothers see their duty as mothers flowing from their calling to Jesus Christ. And what is this cost?

Christian motherhood means dedicating your entire life in service of others. It means standing beside your husband, following him, and investing in the lives of children whom you hope will both survive you and surpass you. It means forgoing present satisfaction for eternal rewards. It means investing in the lives of others who may never fully appreciate your sacrifice or comprehend the depth of your love. And it means doing all these things, not because you will receive the praise of man — for you will not — but because God made you to be a woman and a mother, and there is great contentment in that biblical calling.

In other words, Motherhood requires vision. It requires living by faith and not by sight.

These are some of the reasons why Motherhood is both the most biblically noble and the most socially unappreciated role to which a young woman can aspire. There are many people who ask the question: Does my life matter? But a mother that fears the Lord need never ask such a question. Upon her faithful obedience hinges the future of the church and the hope of the nation.

...

As we approach America’s national Mother’s Day celebration, lets remember that we are fighting for the Lord, and it is He who prioritizes motherhood and home as the highest calling and domain of womanhood “that the word of God be not blasphemed.” Titus 2:5.

May the Lord fill our churches with faithful mothers.

The Music

I wanted to make a note about my Playlist to the left. My sweet DH pointed out that music with lyrics playing in the background can sometimes be distracting when trying to read something. I replied that the lyrics of the music could quite possibly edify someone more than something I could write ;-) So if the music is distracting, there is a "pause" button on the widget, feel free to press it. Or, take a break from reading and just enjoy the music for a bit. I pray that it touches your spirit as it does mine!

Harder than it seems

As I've mentioned before, I am committed to serving the Lord through serving my husband and family. At least, I like to think I am. Saying that is easy. Doing that is much, much harder. I cannot do it according to my own determination. My focus, instead of being on what can "I" do, needs to be grounded in what can Christ do through me, in my full submission to Him.

Here's a small, but revealing experience I recently went through. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we finished our school year and are taking a few weeks off to reorganize. Part of that reorganizing is looking over my current schedule and seeing where it needs tweaking. In the past, I struggle over this burden on my own, and after a few days, emerge with a basic outline, which I show Michael. Michael will look it over, say "looks good!" and on I go.

This time, the Lord told me not to do it on my own. Michael, as the head of our home, needs to be more involved in our daily planning, and I need that accountability and to deepen my dependence upon him in that way. Often I get irritated when he "interrupts" my perfectly laid out plans - a fault, I now see, that demonstrates that I feel "in control" of this area of my life.

So we sat down to go over everything. Michael gave many suggestions - and I am humbled to admit that I argued with all of them! I thought the things he suggested we add to our day as wasteful, and the things he suggested we remove from our day as essential! Why couldn't he see things MY way?! We didn't argue, but we shared some frustrations and decided to call it a night and try again tomorrow.

I went to the Lord and said "Lord, please help him to see what's important in our day!" and the Lord said to me "Why are you afraid to trust? Did I not give you this man to lead, guide and protect you?" and immediately 1 Peter 3:6 came to mind - "just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear."

I had given into fear, and lost sight of the fact that the Lord created Michael for the purpose of leading and guiding our family! My faith doesn't rest in if Michael is making the right decision for us, it rests in God and His appointment of Michael as our leader. I have to ground my trust in the Lord, believing that His plans all have purpose, even if I don't necessarily understand them myself.

My job is to submit to the Lord and His purposes... and above all else... trust. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." Praise the Lord!!

P.S. When we reconvened the next evening, I apologized to Michael and confessed my lack of faith, and submitted myself to him. Things went significantly better (beyond comparison, actually!) and we are ready to start our new school year with a wonderful schedule in place! And for the record, all of Michael's requests stood firm ;-)

Affiliated!

I'm excited to share that I am now an affiliate with Vision Forum Ministries! I have been very blessed by many of their materials, so I encourage you to check out their website and take a look at what they offer.

Our favorites here are the Coonskin cap (see Isaac's 7th birthday picture - he loves it!), the CD "The Wise Woman's Guide to Blessing Her Husband's Vision", the books "Desperate Housewives, Passionate for God" and "Family Driven Faith" (see my review below), and the DVDs of "Entrepreneurial Bootcamp For Christian Families".

They have many, many more resources, as well! So please check them out and treat yourself to a blessing of God's Word applied to today's Christian families!

Family Driven Faith

I recently finished this book by Voddie Baucham, Jr. He has two websites, Family Driven Faith, and his main site, Voddie Baucham Ministries. He can also be found on YouTube for clips of his lectures.

This book is excellent! There were a few points in the book that the Lord had already convicted me of beforehand, but Voddie expresses them in such a refreshing, to-the-point manner, that it was a pleasure to be reminded. Overall, the book really deepened in me the understanding of God's purpose for the family - how important family is to the Lord, what a Biblical worldview is and why its essential to live in one, and the struggles that our youth are facing in their faith and why. I gained a deeper understanding of the perpetual covenant that needs to be passed on to our children, so it can be passed on to their children, and so forth. Our days will pass away, but the legacy of the Lord that we can lead our children into will be what carries on. And what could be more important?

The book can be found at amazon.com and also at Vision Forum, and possibly at your local library. I highly recommend it!

180 Days

Here in Georgia, we are required to complete 180 days of Homeschooling attendance. We've done it! We've "officially" finished our first year of homeschooling. Well, in the state's eyes anyway. To me, we're in the middle of our 7th year of homeschooling ;-) Ezra completed My Father's World Kindergarten, and even got a diploma from Daddy!

He is so excited to be moving on to 1st grade! We will still be using My Father's World curriculum, and 1st grade will be spent learning to read from Bible stories and memorizing select Proverbs. Isaac is just a little more than halfway through Adventures and we're still enjoying it very much. We plan to take a week or two off to get re-organized, and then our next "school year" begins. Organizing is going to consist of making chore charts, downsizing clothing and toys, deep cleaning, and working on better discipline in all of us! Things that can sometimes fall to the wayside in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.