It Is Well....

I feel like I have had my fill of trials over the last couple of months, so when someone said at the retreat Saturday not to be discouraged if you go home and face trials, I honestly dismissed it thinking I had hit my goal number.  : )  I know that's not how it really works, but there was no part of me that thought I was going to head into a tough week. 

I don't even want to really call it "going through a trial" because nothing specific happened this week where I can share with everyone about a particular trial I am facing or going through.  Simply put, it has been a hard week.  Kids have been overly whiney, tattle tailing has been at an all time high, Ellis is crying through our morning of school (which actually isn't new), I was fighting a cold and skipped all my workouts (which I usually love), and Andy had travel.  Plus, we have more house decisions to make, and trying to find a moment to think about those decisions can overwhelm me.  In fact, the other night it hit me full force that the house thing isn't going away for awhile.  Not only is it going to take approximately 9 months to build, but then we will be moving in and finding new places for where our things go (which I am NOT good at), and over time we'll be working on decorating each room.  In my head I keep thinking....This is the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friend....Did you ever know that song? 

Through it all I have continued to read my Psalms and Proverb for the day.  It has been such a blessing to be in God's Word each and every day.  Sometimes I find so many verses that pierce my soul I can't wait to write them down, and other days I may not write anything, but there is peace and joy in my soul from spending time with Him. 

Pastor Jon Courson, who I have mentioned before, is teaching on the Psalms right now on Wednesday nights.  From his web page you can listen or watch his teachings.  I have been in the process of watching his most recent teaching, and was finishing it up this morning.  It was so good!  Even if you can't listen to the entire teaching, I encourage you to consider listening to the last 10 or 15 minutes.  Courson teaching on Psalm 10-15

As I was listening, so many things resonated with me.  Pastor Jon said that the theme of most of the Psalms is "life is hard, but God is good" or "God is good, but life is hard".  :)  He said many of us desire a David heart, but don't realize or recognize the pain he went through in order to get there.  He said if we're going through a hard time, God has heard our prayer.  I immediately thought of my recent prayers asking God to take away certain desires that I felt were a distraction, asking God to give me a passion and desire to spend time with Him, asking Him to refine me and prune me to be more like Him.  I don't always love the methods God uses to answer these prayers, but I do love the intimacy I find with Him.

God has heard my prayers.

Courson said that going through what we are going through will result in an anointed and inspired Psalm from the depth of our soul.  Then he encouraged us to write a Psalm.  I have never thought about doing that, and I immediately thought it was a great idea.  I could express my hardships, cry out to Him, and in the same breath praise Him. 

I was going to wait to write a Psalm until I had time alone, but instead I started dictating one on the way to our field trip today because I had words to say.  What's interesting to me is that on the way to the field trip today my Psalm had one tone, and when I finished it on the way home it held a completely different tone.  What was the difference?  LOVE  I just had so much fun being with friends and watching the kids have fun.

Here's some pictures of the fun!  There are quite a few, so feel free to scroll quickly.  ;)

Here are the kids learning how to churn homemade butter.  Can you see the back of Ellis with the pigtails?  She was thrilled to be a big girl and a part of the fun.

Each of the kids got to have a turn churning.  On the weekends they will cook cookies in the wood burning stove.  They are delicious!  We've been there to try them.  :)

 



Everyone got to taste the butter on a cracker.  My kids were fans.

 



 

  The kids then did some work in the garden.

 

After visiting the farm we headed to the schoolhouse to experience what that was like back in the "olden days".  They even had suspenders for the boys and long skirts for the girls.  Davis didn't care that he picked suspenders with one strap.  Just like Ellis, he loves to be a part of things.

 



It was really interesting how they have the kids act as they would have back then.  They practiced writing on their slates and even had a spelling bee.

 

 

While the boys were busy with school, Ellis was having a great time with her friend Hollis.  Hollis also has 3 big brothers, so I have a feeling she and Ellis will have lots to share about in the years to come.  They have known each other since they were born, and it's so neat to finally see them beginning to enjoy one another as friends.

 

 While the students were finishing their spelling bee, Ellis and I headed outside to the butterfly garden.  I was surprised when we got there that instead of seeing it full of butterflies like we have so many times, I didn't see one.  We almost left, but there was a bench, so we decided to sit.  It was within a few seconds that Ellis and I saw our first butterfly flitting around.  We got so excited!  Then we saw two more.  Although she and I were only alone for a few minutes it was a special moment that I'm glad we decided to wait for.  It is true that good things come to those who wait.  I always feel like I'm rushing, and I really do want to slow down and smell the flowers (or watch the butterflies).  :)

 

I want to close by sharing my Psalm I wrote today.  There's nothing special about it, and like I said earlier, it was written in my car.  But there really was joy in writing these words, knowing they were for the Lord.  I encourage you to take some time to write your own Psalm.

 

Lord, you hear my cry

You see my days

Second by second I need You.

 

You fill me with joy

And surround me with love

 

Your praises I sing

Your praises I sing

 

You are never far

My soul delights in Your Truth

 

May I always rest in Your goodness

and knowing who you are.

 

Remind me that our life is but a breath

and all that really matters is You.

 

May I open my hands to release the cares that oppress me

and may I lift those hands in praises to You.

 

Today I cast all my cares upon You

for You care for me

Your child, your daughter, your creation.

 

In you I rest.

Retreat Part 2

I have no idea why I labeled my last post Retreat Part 1, because Retreat Part 2 is that it was over.  :)

But, I didn't go straight home.  So maybe that's what I was thinking. 

Andy had been invited by a friend to come to his farm outside of Tallahassee.  Andy and the kids headed out there in the afternoon and when I was dropped off at my car after the retreat, instead of heading home I got a text from Andy telling me I needed to see this place.  Although I was tired from lack of sleep, I'm so glad I decided to join them. 

This farm is a 500 acre hunting preserve.  (I'm not sure if that's really the proper term, but since I'm still recovering from this weekend, that's the best way I could think to describe it. :) )  They have a stocked pond, exotic animals, deer and goats you can hand feed, and go cart/4 wheeler thingies.  By the time I got there, the big boys had already had a turn driving the small go cart.  When I arrived, we went and fed the deer.  All the kids loved it!  After that I stayed behind to help watch them prepare dinner.  We were having venison burgers and hot dogs.  Drew now says that he likes venison better than "regular" hamburgers.  While dinner was being prepared, the boys took off on the larger go cart and headed to the race track.  Andy said his friend races professionally, so I trusted that he knew all about safety and that the boys would get a great ride.  They had so much fun and came back soaking wet from hitting puddles.  It was a perfect place for the kids to be outside and to enjoy.  And Ellis fell in love with the farm cat.  Too bad for her I'm allergic, so she will just have to enjoy other people's cats.  :)  Here are some pictures from the day.

 

Drew and Knox ready for action

 

Here's Davis in the back seat ready to go.  He's next to another little 3 year old, but she ended up not being able to go, because the straps weren't tight enough on her.:(

 



 

2 thumbs up!  He's ready!

 

 

Here they are feeding the deer.  They ate corn and graham crackers.

 

 

 

And just to go back to the retreat for a moment.  Although the time of the retreat is over, there were friendships grown and deepened.  Last night after the apologetics class I stood around for 30 minutes talking and laughing with 2 of the girls that were roommates from this past weekend.  Although I was soooo tired, none of us wanted to call it a night because we were having so much fun!  Retreats are great, but I love when relationships begin to blossom from time together.

 

It's such a good reminder to me that I should keep relationships as a priority in my life.  They fill me with great joy.  So any of my friends and family that might be reading this, thank you for being a part of my life.  :)

Retreat Part 1

I'm back and had a wonderful time!  I enjoyed every single second of this retreat!  I wasn't sure what to expect out of this time, but I don't think it turned out how I pictured it.  I had thought so much about the speaker and was excited to hear what she was going to share with us, that I kind of forgot that I was going to be hanging out with a bunch of great ladies.  Well, that was quickly rectified.  I met 2 of my roommates, Jana and Debi, at church so that we could ride together and I think it took about 30 seconds before we were all laughing. 

I know Jana fairly well (and LOVE her!!!), but I have never really gotten to know Debi, although we've been at church together for years.  You know how you look at someone and "make up" who they are?  Well, I had done that with Debi.  I always thought, what a sweet, gentle, lovely woman.   Here's a picture of her so that you can see for yourself that my thoughts were along the right lines.

Okay.....so I was soooooo wrong!  Debi is hilarious and a spitfire (for lack of a better word).   Not that she isn't sweet and lovely.  :)  I can't tell you how much I loved hanging out with her, and now I just want more time with her!

When we arrived, Debi and I dropped Jana off at the beautiful chapel where we would be meeting, so that she could prepare for worship that she would be leading.  Look at this beautiful chapel we got to meet in. 

 

Debi and I headed to our cottage that we would be sharing with 5 other ladies.  We walked in and the first person we saw was Andrea, who heads up our Women's Ministry at church.  Just a side note, I love her too!  She is so funny, and real, and laughs a lot.  I always love people that laugh a lot.  Anyway, the first thing she said to us, after hi, was that she left her clothes at home!  So once again....laughing!  Luckily, her close neighbor would be coming later and was willing to swing by her house to pick up her bag.  :)

 

I loved many things about this time away, but I really think my favorite part was time with my roomies.

 

 

We laughed (a lot), cried, prayed together and stayed up WAY too late talking!  It was awesome!!!

 

Friday night Andrea and I walked back to our cottage together.

 

 

Side note:  We couldn't see for a good 60 seconds after this selfie with the flash right in our eyes.  :)

 

When we got back to the cottage we knocked a few times but no one heard... so we thought.  Since I kept misplacing my key earlier that day, another roomie Tara showed me how to attach the key to the nametag around my neck.  Brilliant, right?  Anyway, since no one answered I figured I better open the door, but why would I take the key off from around my neck?  I didn't only grow spiritually, but I also learned some practical applications this weekend.  In the future I will take the key off of my neck before inserting it in the door.  So here's the rest of the story...apparently one of our roommates heard us and just needed a moment to get to the door.  Since our door sticks, she needed to yank it pretty hard to get it open, thus yanking me in the door by way of my key necklace.  There was a lot of laughing due to this, but I just want to share this story to save anyone else from unnecessary whiplash. ;)  I wish I was Andrea and could have been a spectator.  I'm thinking I looked pretty funny flying through through the doorway by my neck.  :)

 

Although the retreat was fairly short we had a wonderful time.  Worship was amazing!  Jana, and another friend Tara, were wonderful.

 

 Our speaker was Cheryl Broderson.  She is Pastor Chuck Smith's youngest child.  Chuck Smith is the founder of Calvary Chapel, our church.  I think Cheryl said that there are over 1,500 Calvary Chapel's today.  She was immediately captivating and told so many funny stories.  She also would be sharing from our main text and throw in extra verses here and there from other parts of the Bible.  You could tell she knew the Word.  Her focus this weekend was on refreshing and being still in the Lord.  I can't wait to digest her words as I have time to re-read my notes, but did want to share something that really struck me.

 

Before our Saturday morning session she prayed that each woman there would receive a specific word from the Lord.  I wrote that down, because that had been my prayer leading up to the retreat.  This was one of my favorite sessions.  She camped out in Hebrews 4 and I took many notes.  She was talking about Jesus being our High Priest and she threw in one of those side verses.  Cheryl mentioned that in Isaiah 40 it says He will gently lead those with young and carry them.  My heart grabbed hold of that, so I knew I needed to find that verse.  As she continued sharing I turned to Isaiah 40 to find the verse for myself.

 

Isaiah 40:11

He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.

 

I am so grateful to know that my Shepherd has me.  He will not only lead me, but He will carry me.

 

This makes me think of the Footprints poem.  I'm sure many of you are familiar with it, but if not, I hope that you will look it up and read it, in it's entirety.

 

Here is the part that struck me.  This is the ending...

 

 

I am so glad to know that God is always with me, willing to carry me when it all seems to be too much.

 

I'm grateful to Cheryl for sharing the Word with us this weekend.  I'm thankful that the Lord always has a specific word for each of us, and I pray that I will continue to be drawn to Him and His Word.

I'm off!

In about 15 minutes I am heading to our church's women's retreat and I am so excited!  It's only 24 hours, but I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for me and the other ladies. 

I wanted to quickly share with you an e-mail I received this week titled Testimony.  I for one LOVE hearing others' testimonies.  How someone answered the call to receive Christ.  Maybe one day I'll take an opportunity to share mine on here, but in the mean time I hope this will minister to you today.

 

Blind Sight

 

My story is simple;

 

I was clueless,

 

helpless,

 

hopeless

 

and blind

 

until I stumbled across the path of

 

the Savior of the World.

 

Written By:

 My Dad  :)

 

(Dad, Hope you don't mind that I shared this!)  :)

 

I really better go finish packing, but I can't wait to share upon my return....

 



Iron sharpens Iron

I had a friend text me this morning asking about a passage she was reading in the Bible.  She wasn't asking me because I have some super spiritual insight, but because she knows I have a good commentary that I can reference.  : )  I love this for several reasons.

1.  I love that I have a friend who is really digging into the Word and wanting to examine it, study it, and apply it to her life.

2.  I love that I have a friend who thinks nothing of texting first thing in the morning :), because she has already been in her Bible.

3.  I love that I have a friend who loves talking about things of God, but also texts me about working out, hair products, cute clothes, homeschooling, etc.

4.  I love having a friend who helped me take a second look at a story I read a few weeks ago, and caused me to really meditate on it and look at it deeper. 

I'm not sure if this sound strange to some of you, but I had so much fun texting back and forth with her several times discussing our thoughts on this passage.  So much so, that my eggs began to burn because I was distracted (in a good way). : )

I have lived in Tallahassee for almost 14 years and I feel so blessed to have several close girlfriends with whom I can get encouragement, share my heart, ask for prayer, and grow in the Lord with.  What a wonderful gift from the Lord!

This story that my friend was talking about is in Acts 7, and it is about the stoning of Stephen.  Oh, what a powerful story, and one that I'm sure I could camp on for weeks and continue to receive insight about. 

There are a few things that immediately stuck out to me about this story.  One has to do with the actual stoning.  I think about how as Christians we may not be hit with actual rocks, but there are times when "stones" are thrown.  It can be someone making fun of you for your beliefs, it can involve being excluded from a group because you don't "fit in", it can be getting a reprimand at school or at work because you said the name of Jesus, or any number of things.  Some stones hurt worse than others.  In our apologetics course this week, our instructor shared a quote by C.S. Lewis that I wrote down.  (As much as I could because it was long!)  Here's part of it.

"One of the greatest difficulties is to keep before the audiences mind the question of Faith.  They always think you are recommending Christianity not because it is true, but because it is good.

 

One must keep on pointing out that Christianity is a statement which, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance.  The one thing it cannot be is moderately important."

 

That really makes me think.  Are the stones worth it?  Absolutely.  Are they painful?  Most of the time.  But, as this quote was shared, there were different faces that popped into my mind.  Faces of people I care about that don't know the Lord.  I know that Christianity is real and true.  How do I know?  Because it is confirmed deep down in my soul, and I have witnessed God work in my life and the lives of those around me.

 

Steven lost his life.  He was murdered sharing the Gospel.  It's hard to even think I can compare my "stones" to the ones that were thrown at him, and that's not what I'm trying to do.  What I am trying to say is that obedience to the Lord is what brings complete peace and joy and purpose.  So, no matter what comes at me, I desire to keep my eyes looking up, and not around. 

 

But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to Heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.  "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

Acts 7:54-55

This was right before he was stoned.

 

I care too much what people think about me.  I always have, and it has been a struggle for me.  I want to get to the point where if God urges me to share the Gospel with someone I will do it, regardless of the "cost", because as C.S. Lewis said, if Christianity is true, it is of infinite importance.

 

I won't go into it now, but if you continue reading you will see that the people persecuting Stephen laid their clothes at the feet of a young man.  This man was there giving approval to his death.  This man persecuted many Christians.  This man was Saul....who soon would be known as Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament. 

 

Is there someone in your life that you have given up on?  You think there's no way they will ever receive Christ?  Read Saul/Paul's story and be greatly encouraged.  His story is one of such a powerful transformation that there should be no one in whom we give up on. With God "all things are possible!"

 

Here's Knox's favorite praise song to encourage us all that nothing is impossible with our Lord.  Amen.

 



 

 

Psalms

So a few friends and I decided to read Psalms and Proverbs this month.  If you read 5 Psalms per day and 1 Proverb you will have read both books in one month.  It's been a definite blessing to be reading these books of the bible, and also to be encouraging one another as sister's in Christ.  So far, I have had an opportunity to read mine first thing in the morning before the kids get up.  Since Andy hasn't been in town, I have been skipping gym time and instead waking up early for some alone time.  Although, I shouldn't really say it's been alone time, because it's been a precious time with the Lord.

Each morning I would have my journal open, ready to write any verses that particularly speak to me. 

Yesterday, our reading involved my favorite verse, Psalm 37:4.

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."

I think that used to be my favorite verse because I thought that meant if I was being a "good" Christian girl then God would give me anything I wanted.  : )  I now have come to understand, in a real way, that if I am delighting in the Lord and spending time with Him, His desires become mine.  I have found His desires to be much more fulfilling than what I desire.

I love that as we mature in our walk with Him, he constantly teaches us and opens our hearts and eyes to new, deeper, more fulfilling truths.

Today started off in Psalms and Proverbs and then Andy and I headed to our building site to have a meeting about some questions we had.  Everything went really well.  We are in the beginning stages of building, and I must say that it has been stressful for me, especially when things don't go how we think they are supposed to.  But, every time we talk with one of our builders we come away with deep reassurance that everything is going to work out.  That's a large part of why we chose these particular builders, because we believe they are wonderful and clear communicators, which is so important in this process.  I am learning not to let things linger, but to put in a call or e-mail when it's necessary and to work it out as quickly as possible.  Today, we got to see some of the roofline.  So exciting!

When we got home I needed to get some school done, and since Drew was getting over being sick, I was able to work one on one with Knox.  Oh, how I pictured this being such a special time for the two of us.  That's where I began to set myself up for frustration.  Anytime I have an expectation set up in my mind, and it doesn't happen I begin to get upset. 

For starters, Ellis and Davis had already been playing that morning.  Now, looking back I realize that it would have been helpful to spend some time with them first before trying to jump into school with Knox.  Knox and I sat down to do some work, which was hard for him, since he was the only one having to do anything today, so already he was struggling with his attitude a little.  Add that to fairly consistent disruptions with the littles, and my nerves were already on edge.  We completed Language Arts and moved onto Math.  I thought I was leaving him with something he knew how to do since it was a review, so I went to spend time with the littles.  He came to me within a few minutes, proudly showing me his book and I saw that every single problem was wrong.  I was biting in my words and did not use loving words to point out his mistakes.  I could see that I had begun to crush his spirit.  I went back to the table with him to begin to work out these problems, and was frustrated because I felt he wasn't putting forth any effort.  At that point we should have taken a break and had a breather.  It's so easy to look back on what I should have done.  Instead, I thought about how important it was that we completed this assignment and ended up pushing Knox to the point of tears.  Eventually, I realized that enough was enough and we put it aside until tomorrow.

Tonight at dinner Andy was asking Knox how school went and he looked at me, waiting for my response.  I told him that he should share since daddy asked him.  What he said really made me sad and also made me take a closer look at my actions and words today.  He didn't remember any of his accomplishments today, which he did have that I didn't mention, he just talked about how he messed up and how he wasn't concentrating and working hard enough.  I know words have great power, yet I continually fail as I spew out words that are unkind on those I love the deepest. 

It made me think of a Psalm I read last week and wrote down.  Psalm 19:14 says...
"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength and my redeemer."

I want my words to be acceptable.  I know I will fall short.  That's part of having a sin nature.  Yet, my prayer is that the more I fill with Him, the more my words will reflect His love, and the more I can love on this little guy, regardless of the situation we are in.

 

Tonight I also got a some special time with this guy.

 

 

Andy needed us to pick up some medicine at Publix, so the two of us ran out to get it.  Even though that doesn't sound exciting, any time I can get time one on one with one of the kids is special.

 

Since he hasn't been feeling well, I told him to let me know if he saw some sort of food that looked good.  We began in the bakery, but go figure, he picked out cantaloupe as his special treat.  :)

 

After Publix, I needed gas, so I let him pump for the first time.  I forget how such little things can become so meaningful to these little guys.

 

 

We had one more stop, and after we dropped off some much overdue library books we headed home.  We had to take a detour which took us by Andy's old high school, and we saw that the band was out practicing, so we pulled in to watch for a few minutes.

 

I'm not sure if everyone knows this, but I was in band from 6th-12th grade and I LOVED IT!  I was also a cheerleader, so from 10th grade on, I marched at half-time in my cheerleading uniform.  Looking back I am so grateful for such a great band teacher and cheerleading coach who allowed us to do both and didn't make us choose.  Although I cheered a few years in college (Junior College!!), looking back I have such fond memories of band and playing music.  I'm so glad I got to experience both.

 

So Drew and I sat and watched for a few minutes and just enjoyed being together.

 

 

I'm so thankful to the Lord for all that He's blessed me with and how He is continually teaching me and pruning me.  It's not always easy and many times it's painful, but on the other side it always brings me peace and joy.

 

Here's a song that remind me once again it's not about anything in this world, but it's all about Jesus.  This is also a touching tribute to Ruth Graham.

 

I am praying that I will continue to be open and willing to receive what the Lord wants to speak to me.  May the same be true for you. :)

 

Our weekend

Andy got home Friday and we were all sooooooooooooo happy to see him!  It felt like he had been gone such a long time and I really do think it's true that "absence makes the heart grow fonder".  Andy held Ellis and she kept kissing him over and over.  She loves her daddy.  When the boys saw his car pull in you would have thought they had just seen a superhero the way they all screamed and ran to the door.  (Of course, he is OUR superhero) 

Andy was able to put Davis and the big boys to bed, which they loved.  This gives them time to read together, cuddle, and be alone with him.  By the time he got downstairs we attempted to watch our new favorite HGTV show, Fixer Upper, but within a few minutes I heard soft snoring from the big leather chair.  Even though he was asleep I was content to eat my pretzel M&M's and search for plumbing fixtures on line for our house.  Exciting Friday night?  Maybe not.  But in my book it was perfect because we were all together again, (and I was eating m&m's).  Did I mention that? ;)

Saturday morning I skipped the gym, which surprised me since I had missed working out all week, but I really desired a morning home with the family.  We hung out and then decided to go and see the progress on our house since they started framing this past week.  It was so exciting to see actual walls going up!  Here are a few pictures.

 

Here are the kids in the room we are planning to make into our family game room, where we can play board games and hang out together.  It's the living room in the front of the house.

This is looking out the front of that room.  It will have French doors that lead onto the front porch.

 

This is what will hopefully be one of my favorite rooms, the homeschool room.  We spend so many hours doing school that I'm looking forward to turning this into a space that we will enjoy being in.

 

The homeschool room will have doors that will lead onto this area, which will be a screened porch.  I envision us opening the doors and schooling in and out.  And then we will probably be tempted by the outdoors and have to take some breaks to go run around.  (At least that's what I hope will happen.)  :)

 

 

This is the view out one of our master bathroom windows.  Those are horse pastures across the road.

After we checked out the house, we went to Drew's football practice.  I watched for awhile and then the littles and I went to the playground for the remainder of the time.  It turned out great, because someone was having a birthday party and invited us to have some of their leftover cake.  Normally, I am polite and pretty much say thanks but no thanks, but today I thought, why not?  The mom mentioned how glad she was that we came over because she feels like people can be so stand offish.  I think most of us think we are being polite, but I figured she wouldn't have asked anyone if she didn't want others to share.  Davis and Ellis loved it, and I got to meet and talk with a sweet mom who is a Christian, and we found out we have a mutual friend.

 

 

The rest of our Saturday involved football on TV.  Go Gators! And, a girls grocery shopping trip.  Nice and normal is great with me!

 

This week at Classical Conversations the presentations were to tell a New Testament story.  Each of the boys picked what they wanted to do, and then we brainstormed together what props we could bring.  Drew wanted to share about the man with leprosy being healed and Knox came up with the idea of putting marks on a shirt.  So the 3 boys cut out red splotches and taped them to a jacket.  This way in the beginning of the story Drew could wear it, and then when the man was healed he could take it off.

 

Knox wanted to tell the story of the Passover Last Supper.  His props were fairly easy to figure out.  He just needed wine (grape juice) and bread.  Knox asked if he could do communion as a family to practice and since Andy was leaving town again early Sunday and we weren't going to make it to church, we thought this was a wonderful time to do this.

 

Knox did a great job leading our family!

Not to be left out Davis wanted to do his "presentation" too.  He decided on David and Begliath.  In case you've not heard of Begliath, you may be more familiar with Goliath.  :)

 

Davis wanted to act his out, so he and his brothers did so.

 



 

Here is Begliath getting his head cut off.  As a family of  3 boys we can't leave out this important part of the story.

As I said before, Andy was back on the road again early yesterday and we really missed him, but we are so grateful that we got to have a great Saturday together.  And he comes home tonight and will be home a little over a week before traveling again! 

 

Today I was so ready to see friends again, and I am so thankful we have such a wonderful community to look forward to attending each Monday.

 

This is Knox's class after completing their "vertebrates" for science.

I'm also thankful for a place where the boys can do a few projects/crafts so that I don't have to feel guilty about rarely doing them.  :)

 

I hope that you had a great weekend and

Happy Monday!

 

Here's another favorite song.  I've listened to it for years and love it.  It's all about Jesus.  : )

 



We Sing Hallelujiah, The Lamb Has Overcome

It's been a really good week!  But, if you had asked me leading up to this week what I was expecting it to look like I would have anticipated it looking something like this...

 

or like this...

 

That's because Andy left early Monday morning before the kids woke up and wasn't come home until today (Friday).  I don't know the last time he has been gone this long at one time, but it has been a while.

 

Initially I was anxious leading into this week, because I was worried about how things would go.  We had several things planned, like our first day of Classical Conversations, football practice, etc.

 

But, I have been spending time in the bible daily and I have been encouraged and filled with peace.  The peace that passes understanding. : )  I knew I wouldn't have had peace if I began to ponder what this week may entail on my own.

 

So Monday morning I told Andy good-bye and Knox got up with me to say good-bye and then told me his tummy hurt.  I was sure it was because he was going to miss daddy so much and he is the one in our family who LOVES all of us being together.  A little before lunch I could tell he wasn't doing too well and so he laid down and eventually got "sick".

 

A few months ago I began the tradition of letting the big boys sleep with me when Andy's out of town.  I know they like it, but honestly it helps me to feel less lonely when I crawl into bed each night.  Even if Knox tends to sleep all over us. :) Since Knox was sick, Drew decided to sleep on the floor next to us.  About midnight I woke up to Knox throwing up in the bed and all the way to the bathroom.  Drew promptly sat up and announced that he would be sleeping in his room that night.  I helped Knox and then began to peel off the bed sheets to wash, and I was suddenly struck with the thought...."I'm not melting down!"  In the past I think I would probably have begun to cry or sulk or allow myself to have a little "woe is me pity party", but instead I just did what needed to be done and tucked Knox back into a pallet on the floor (with a bucket beside him), and laid a blanket on the bed for me to sleep on.  An incident, that in the past could have grown to epic proportion, was nothing more than a middle of the night interruption.  And, I can tell you I praise the Lord for that.  I have no doubt that the filling of His Word lately has affected me.

 

The next day Knox rested up and was completely better by Wednesday to attend our co-op.

 

We had several things planned this week, many of them fun, along with some unplanned things, like a dr.'s appointment I forgot about and a piece of my car dragging from underneath that I had to get fixed, but none of them made me come unglued.  It hasn't been a perfect week as you can see from sweet Ellis' picture and I haven't reacted calmly and lovingly in every instance, but I know the Lord is working on me and filling me with His presence.

 

Last night I went to bed exhausted!  I thought how glad I was that it was the end of this week alone, and how I could hopefully sleep in with the kids, but around 6:15 this morning the Lord stirred my soul and I got up to have some "true" quiet time with Him.  I've been reading Psalms and Proverbs with a few friends and they have been so calming, encouraging, and challenging, but this morning I also spent some time in Acts.

 

Lately I have felt like I'm having my own personal revival and that has gotten me interested in the early church, especially after it was mentioned in our Apologetics class last Monday.

 

This morning I was really struck by a story in Acts chapter 5 where the apostles are being persecuted.  Here's a little synopsis of the story.

 

The Sanhedrin is filled with jealousy over Peter and the apostles performing miraculous signs and wonders, so they put them in jail.  But, an angel of the Lord came, opened the doors and let them out and told them to "Go tell the people the full message of this new life".  So at daybreak they were again teaching the people.  When the Sanhedrin found out they brought the apostles before them and said "we told you not to teach".

 

This is their response that I think is so important to take hold of. 

Verse 29 "We must obey God rather than men!"

How powerful!  Obeying God and what He calls us to do, no matter what the consequence.  Then in verses 30 and 31 they proclaim the gospel message. 

 

That angered these men listening and they wanted them put to death, but a man named Gamaliel who was a Pharisee, teacher of the law, and honored by all people stood up.

 

That made me think...would I stand up?  Do I stand up?  Will I stand up when I see an injustice?

 

In verse 35 he says "Consider carefully what you intend to do to these men."  He then mentions two different men who led groups, but they were killed along with their followers.  He told them to let these men go.  He ends it by saying (vs. 38-39) "For if their purpose is of human origin it will fail, but if it's from God you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

 

It says that his speech persuaded them so they let them go.  BUT, not before they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus.

 

So what would I do?  What would you do?  It's easy to read what the apostles did...

"Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is Christ."

 

But, for just a moment I really want to put myself in their shoes.  If I had been put in jail, beaten, and told more than once not to do something what would I do?  I pray that I would have the boldness and conviction that these men did to continue answering the call that the Lord put on their lives.  I guess we never truly know how we will react in a situation until we are in it, but their example is one I want to live by.  And as verse 41 tell us...

"The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the name."

 

This morning I heard Pastor Courson share that we are more concerned with our present state, but God is more concerned with our eternal state.

 

May God continue to open my spiritual eyes to see what He wants to teach me, and may I continue to put away the distractions of this world.  I want to remember that it's not necessarily about this week, or next, or even 10 years from now.  What God is doing is for eternity!

 

I've had many seasons in my life, valleys and mountaintops, but I must say from where I am now, the more I am in the Word, the more I want of Him and the more I yearn for truth.  May you be encouraged today to dig into the Bible to see how our living God wants to speak personally to your heart today.

Oh, and if you were worried about Ellis, shortly after the tears, things got much better. 

 

 

Here's another worship song that I pray blesses you, and is where the title of my post came from. :)

 



And Here We Go....

CC is back in session and we were all so excited to go this morning!

 

Andy is out of town, but our morning went very smoothly.  Praise the Lord!  I am the opener for our group, which means I have to be on time.  In fact, I almost didn't sign up to do that job again, even though I really loved it, because I know what a challenge it can be to get everyone ready and out the door in a timely manner.  Especially if Andy isn't home to lend a helping hand.  But, when I made the decision to sign up to open the group, I knew I just needed to do what I could to prepare the night before.  So, I laid out clothes, got our cooler ready to be filled with lunch food, got out pre-packaged muffins for breakfast that I had been reserving for this first day back (Hey-whatever it takes!), and tried to go to bed in a timely manner so that I wouldn't be too tired this morning.

 

So here are the kids ready to head out the door.  I bought an apple for each of the kids to give their tutors for the first day of class.  Davis was so excited to have one to give his teacher (in the preschool nursery), that he wouldn't put it down.  One of the kids forgot to give theirs, and Ellis ate part of hers during the opening ceremonies.  Oh-well.  It's the thought.  :)

 

 

This is the first year that Drew and Knox aren't in the same class.  Knox has my good friend Ms. Kelly as his tutor, and Drew has the same tutor he has had the past 2 years, Mrs. Lindsey.  We couldn't ask for better tutors. :)

 

Here is Knox playing a review game in his class.  It's a sweet class of boys and Ms. Kelly did an amazing job!  This is the first class that she has ever tutored.

 

 

We always get to have lunch with our friends on the playground after class.  The boys run around and play boy games, and Ellis will either hang out with one of her older girl friends or go explore.  Today, she and her sweet friend Hollis decided to use their mama's CC books to have a little learning time themselves.  I'm wondering how much they will already know before they are ever officially in class.

 

 

I love our community and I love the concept of Classical Conversations.  The longer I'm exposed to it and the more I learn about it, the more I see the benefit of schooling this way.  I don't believe there is any "best" way of schooling, but I feel so blessed that the Lord orchestrated our path to be a part of this community.

 

And, on a side note, one of our fun movies that I ordered for the boys and I to watch when daddy's out of town came.  We began watching it last night, and we were thoroughly enjoying it!  I can't wait to watch more!

 

 



Apologetics

So I signed up for a 6 week class at church on apologetics.  And in all seriousness I don't even know what that means.  :)

A few weeks ago I was at Wednesday night church and they made an announcement about a bible study called "Defending the Faith".  I immediately felt an urging in my spirit to sign up.  I had heard it announced several times, but this night I knew that it was a class I should take, so as soon as church ended I went and signed up.  I knew if I waited until the next day I would talk myself out of it.  Monday is our homeschool co-op day which usually leaves me worn out, I also knew Andy would be out of town for at least the first 2 classes which means I would need to work out childcare, and although I didn't know it at the time, it is also going to conflict with Knox's flag football practice.  But, I signed up and made the commitment....and was introduced to apologetics.

Tonight was our first class.  Andy's parents happily agreed to watch the kids for me, which made it very easy to have that aspect taken care of. 

Just to backtrack for a minute....this morning I decided to continue on in 1 Peter and I when I came to 1 Peter 3:15 I stopped and was struck with the thought that this was exactly what my class tonight was all about.

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect"

I kept thinking about that verse throughout the day and it was getting me excited about what was to come tonight.  I want to be prepared.  I do have hope, but I want to be able to clearly share that hope with others.

Well, wouldn't you know it, that's the verse our teacher opened with tonight.  I wanted to raise my hand and let him know that God led me to that very verse this morning in preparation for this class, but I decided it probably wasn't the time to share that. :)

But, it did confirm for me that I was there to prepare.  I want to dig in more.  I want to know how to engage with unbelievers and those who are deceived.  And I want to do this with gentleness and respect as it says in this verse. 

I took pages of notes tonight and want to share a few of the points.

He said it is so important to be building up our spiritual muscles.  I need to be spending time in the Word and with God through prayer.  John 14:6 says "Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."  Since Jesus is the only way to the Father, then I need to know Jesus. 

Then he began to share about Paul in Acts 17 going and speaking to others on their own turf, in the meeting of the Areopagus.  I have never even heard of Areopagus!  But apparently it was full of the philosophers of the day.  Paul established a line of communication with the audience and then moved from their world to Christianity and gave them Truth.  At this point our instructor Mark stopped and said something that really hit me.  He said that it's not enough to know "about" Him, we need to "KNOW" him every second of every day. 

I've always believed that you are the best example of Jesus that people can see.  Yes I mess up, as I've already blogged about several times :), but I want to be real and to share with others about what Jesus has done in my life and is doing in my life.  I don't just want to tell someone a good verse to read, I want to tell them how a verse changed me.  I don't just want to tell someone a prayer request, I want to tell someone how God answered my prayers.  I don't just want to read verses to my children about God being love, I want to shower them all day with God's love.  And as I was sitting and listening tonight, God was putting faces and names in my mind of people that I don't just want to care about and have a nice friendship with, but people that I want to share Jesus with.  

A realization hit me tonight.  I don't have to be perfect to be used by Him!  Of course I know that perfection isn't possible.  If it was, we wouldn't need a Savior.  But, I guess I keep believing that I need to be more mature in the Lord, or know more verses, or.....something.  But, what I realized is that all I need to be is willing. 

We are just called to give the message. 

"And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.  For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.  My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,  so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power."

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

It's not up to me.  It's not my power or my words or my knowledge....it's all God.  It's His power that saves.  It's God that works through us. 

So that brings us back to what is apologetics? 
According to Wikipedia:
Christian apologetics is a field of Christian theology which attempts to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defending the faith against objections.

So I want to leave you tonight with something Nancy Pearcy wrote in her book Saving Leonardo that our teacher shared with us. 

Many people operate as though the definition of faith were, Don’t ask questions, just believe.

They quote Jesus himself, who taught his followers to have the faith of a child (Mark 10:15).

But I once heard Francis Schaeffer respond by saying, “Don’t you realize how many questions children ask?”

 

We are surrounded by so many with questions and as our teacher kept saying tonight, they are stuck.  For me it all goes back to 1 Peter 3:15

 

...Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have...

 

May I be prepared, willing, and ready to allow God to do a work.