Slava Bogu

Change is Good!

2007-06-12T15:13:00.000-05:00

I have finally done it. Against my initial desires, I have switched from Blogger to WordPress. There are just so many features that make this jump worthwhile.

You can find me at http://slavabogu.wordpress.com/

Please change your links to reflect my new site address, and happy reading!

Oh, the Funny Things They Say

2007-06-12T09:30:00.000-05:00

A few nights ago, I got a call from my mom. "3 1/2 minutes to launch. The Space Shuttle. Turn on the T.V. Bye." Click.

This was the first time all three of my kids were old enough and understood enough English to really enjoy watching the shuttle take off into space. There were many questions throughout. Towards the end, after I had said they were traveling to the space station, Funny Boy very seriously asked, "Mama, do they have to dress up like aliens to go there?"

Later, when we had recovered from laughing, Sweet Pea asked, "Mommy, can they breathe up there?" to which Bossy Boy replied firmly before I could answer, "They can breathe for two hours." Really, he does think he knows everything!

We got a kick out of watching the kids' excitement and curiosity about space travel.

Then yesterday, my heart melted when my husband told Funny Boy that "Mama is crazy" after I did something silly. Funny Boy said, "She's not crazy. She's just right for me."

You tell him, Funny Boy, because we are just right for each other. :)

Menu Plan Monday

2007-06-11T07:14:00.000-05:00

If you didn't see my post on the beef chimichangas from last week, click here. They were awesome! aaaaa

Once again, I am recycling a recipe I did not use last week.

Monday: Leftovers & Salad

Tuesday: Crisp & Creamy Baked Chicken

Wednesday: Family Night Supper at church

Thursday: Kielbasa, veggie, fruit

Friday: Something in the crockpot

Saturday: Sandwiches for lunch, Taco Soup for dinner (unless I think of something cooler I am interested in:) )

Sunday: On the road again...picking up children from grandparents!

So there you have it folks...the menu is not so well thought out this week, but I am off to take two of my three children to their grandparents.

Happy Cooking!

Sunday Scripture

2007-06-10T08:21:00.000-05:00

Ananias and Sapphira

1Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet.

3Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."

5When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

7About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?"

"Yes," she said, "that is the price."

9Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also."

10At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

I read this passage during my quiet times this week and was reminded of how arrogant we are to think we can deceive God. My children have been learning a catechism. On of the questions is Does God know all things? followed by the answer, Yes, nothing can be hidden from God.

We would do well to remember that no how much we deceive ourselves and others, God cannot be deceived. May our fear of the Lord and our reverence for Him keep us living lives of integrity.

Have a blessed day of worship!

Summer 2007 Update

2007-06-09T00:55:00.000-05:00

In May, I shared the goals we wanted to accomplish as a family this summer. To help us meet those, I decided to do regular "checks" to see where we are. Below is a list of goals and where we are on meeting them.

1. Read books together. We are currently reading Traitor in the Tower together. Two of the three children can hardly bear to wait for the next chapter to see if Richard's father will be released from prison and what John Bunyan will share with Richard.

2. Work on math skills. We have been very successful in doing this with our older son, but I have been less successful at including the younger kids in working on this.

3. Physical Exercise. The kids are doing great in this area. Mom and Dad are not doing so well. :(

4. Household Chores/Projects. We are doing okay in this area. We have cleaned out some things, but have a long way to go in decluttering and deep cleaning. Still, I think it would be unreasonable to expect much more than what we have accomplished at this point, given our schedules and the fact that it is summer, after all!

5. Cooking. I am doing terrible in involving the children in this area. My oldest has helped once or twice, but the youngest two are often napping when I prepare dinner. I have decided to table (pardon the pun) any real effort in this area until July, when our schedule slows way down from the busy rush of sports camps and VBS.

6. Scripture Memory. Horrendous. Only one child has memorized a verse, and it wasn't in Philippians as planned. It simply had to do with his heart attitude and what God says about it. I have got to get better in this area.

7. Time with extended family/fun. We're doing well here. We have spent time with grandparents and extended family already, have played with friends, have been to the pool, have watched together the only TV show the kids really watch (Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?), etc. One area we need to work on is father/children time.

8. Catechism/Daily Bible Reading. We are doing so well in this area! We have worked a lot on learning a catechism together. So far, we have memorized just over 30 questions and answers, and the kids love to quiz each other and especially their parents. :) Also, we have made it a point to have the kids start reading their Bibles daily as Mom and Dad do. I can't say we've made it every day, but they are reading their Bibles most days. It has been so exciting to hear what they are learning.

So there you have it. My grand ideas for the summer and the reality of where we are with those ideas. To see the original goals and descriptions, click here. If you have any tips on accomplishing these goals, please let me know.

Smart Habit Saturday: Making the Bedroom a Haven Again

2007-06-09T00:24:00.000-05:00

It's Saturday again...time to review the habits I am trying to establish and decide if I want to implement a new one.

This Saturday, I want to start making a habit out of making up my bed every day. This is something I always did prior to marriage, and due to schedules early in our marriage when I worked outside the home (or maybe just due to my husband's generosity), DH started making the bed in the morning, and I got out of the habit. This went on for about 5 1/2 years.

Shamefully, I must admit that now I have been home 5 1/2 years, and I have never regularly gotten back into the habit. My DH no longer makes the bed...after all, I am up last. There is something about going to sleep in a bed that has been made up during the day that just makes it feel cleaner. I miss that feeling. I also am tired of pillows laying all over our bedroom floor. Our bedrooms are supposed to be a haven of peace, and mine just isn't right now. This is a small step to reclaiming the room.

I actually started this new habit three days ago, and I am going to try to keep it up, even if it means getting rid of half the bed pillows that irritate me as I put them on the bed each morning!

Now, for an honest assessment of how I am doing in my other SMART Habits:

Touch the mail only once: Week 1 has gone really well...6 out of 7 days, I have met my goal.

Drink no more than one diet coke a day: I'm still working on this. About half the time I manage it. The other days, it might take me three to get through the day!

Friday Photo: Love My Dogs, Hate Their Hair

2007-06-08T07:50:00.000-05:00

How many times of running the washer do you think it took to get rid of the hair from the dog's towels? Care to share any tips?

Wow!

2007-06-08T07:41:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally made the Beef Chimichangas after their presence on my weekly menu for three weeks. They were a HUGE success!! My husband raved about them, my kids couldn't get enough of them, and best of all, the recipe was so easy!! These were so good I couldn't wait until the next Menu Plan Monday to share.

We will definitely keep this in our recipe file, although due to the fact that they are fried, we won't have them a lot.

I would make one change: the sauce for the chimichangas was really spicy, and the filling was not, so next time I'll probably put half the jalapenos in the filling and the other half in the sauce. With the exception of my younger son, we all really like spicy food in this house.

Count Your Blessings, Name Them One by One

2007-06-07T09:22:00.000-05:00

I have so may things to be thankful for, but sometimes, when I am dealing with ~~wild animals~~ ~~the natives~~ my children I forget that. Sometimes, when my husband ~~makes me want to scream~~ ~~irritates me~~ ~~forgets things~~ gently disagrees with me I forget that.

Seriously, my husband and children are blessings and I believe it is useful to have a list of my blessings and things for which I am thankful to reflect on upon occasion. God gives us so much, and it is so easy to think we deserve to have this or that or just to take our gifts for granted. With that in mind, I present my first weekly set of 7 things for which I am thankful, in no particular order.

1. St. Mary' Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana (It was here that I became convinced that God was real and not a fairytale--yes, I was quite slow on the uptake).

2. Daffodils (They are the first sign of spring to me. I used to love picking bunches of them from my Grandma's yard).

3. The color blue (I find it very peaceful).

4. My younger son's laughter (It is a belly laugh, full of good humor, and makes me want to join in).

5. My daughter's hugs. (They are, quite possibly, the sweetest things on earth. There is nothing better than to have her little arms wrapped around me and hear the words, "I love you, Mommy. You are the best mommy in the whole world.").

6. My husband and older son sumo wrestling on the sand (To see the two of them cutting up together gives me great pleasure, especially to see my son having a father-son relationship and enjoying it so much).

7. Gulf Shores, Alabama (Growing up, I spent many weeks here with my cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. After being to a variety of beaches around the world, I still prefer Gulf Shores and the surrounding area).

So there you have it, this week's list of seven things for which I am thankful. What are you thankful for?

Adoption is at the Heart of the Gospel

2007-06-07T05:16:00.000-05:00

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" Romans 8:15

And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. Romans 8:23

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" Galatians 4:4-6

Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:4-6

Adoption is at the heart of the Gospel. There are several biblical instances of adoption, such as the adoptions of Moses and Esther. In both cases, God used their new life circumstances for His glory. Even more apparent is that our relationship as children of our Heavenly Father, as demonstrated by the verses above, is made through adoption.

All of my children are adopted. I love them deeply. Yet for all my love, there have been trying times. One child, extremely angry over his life circumstances, has allowed his heart to be eaten up with rage and self-centeredness. You may think it unkind of me as a mother to say such a thing about my child, but I could tell you many things which have happened that demonstrate this. Has this child been difficult to love? Yes, at moments, because I am sinful. Will the reward ever be known? I don't know, but God has shown me much about who He is and who I am through these circumstances. And, graciously, He has given me a great love for this child who so desperately needs the hope of Christ. God has also made very real to me the fact that He alone can bring true healing to the human heart.

If we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that prior to knowing Christ, we too were ugly on the inside (and occasionally after knowing Christ), yet He loves us. The Bible tells us that we love Him because He first loved us. Yes, even as we were ugly and "unlovable". Despite who I was, my God was faithful to adopt me as a co-heir with Christ.

Isaiah 64:6 teaches us that our righteous acts prior to grace are as filthy rags (or filthy garments or polluted garments, depending on the translation). When my child does disgusting things to exert control or does cutesy things that ring false to gain favor, I must remember the state of my own garments before knowing Christ.

As an adopted child, I cost the Father greatly. His Son carried the burden of my sin. Yet, He has remained steadfast in His relationship with me. Through adopting my children, I have experienced motherhood, a wonderful privilege accompanied by tender moments and humorous moments. I have also experienced knowing God more, and learning about the wickedness of my heart.

My love is not as easy and forgiving as I once thought it. My perseverance and patience is not longsuffering. My ability to put my neighbor or even my child's needs above my own has been weak, at times. But, through it all, God has brought me into a deeper knowledge of Him, a more honest examination of myself, and a life that has eternal meaning. He is teaching me to be faithful, to persevere, to show a true love rather than a fickle one.

I don't know for what purpose God chose my children out of the millions who need mothers and fathers, but I do know that He chose them to be mine for a time. I pray that one day His call on their lives will bring glory and honor to Him and His truth will be made known in a greater capacity. I thank Him for the privilege of loving my children and having them for however long He allows me to.

To learn more about how adoption is at the heart of the gospel, I strongly urge you to read this message by John Piper and the accompanying letter he wrote his wife as he shared his commitment with her to adopt their daughter.

Menu Plan Monday

2007-06-03T20:56:00.000-05:00

Okay, so my mom decided to drop in at my sister's house for a week. Of course, my sister lives a mile from me and works during the day, so I spent lots of time with mom, which was good, really good, except my menu plans were extremely messed up for the week. Aahhh, but if life were too organized it would be boring (at least that's what I keep telling myself).

Below is the key for new recipe ratings:

aaaaa As my grandpa used to say, "luscious"
aaaa A new family favorite
aaa Pretty good, worth making occasionally
aaNot our favorite or a mixed review
aYuck!

Last week we tried:

Aussie Sausage Rolls a

This recipe is definitely not a keeper! We were a little surprised by how much we disliked it as it had a 5 star rating from Taste of Home. Perhaps we just didn't know what we were doing with the phyllo dough, but it tasted like many many layers of paper were around the meat--not something we cared for much. It might be good with some modifications, but with so many other recipes out there, I doubt we'll bother.

Here is the game plan for this week:

Monday: Hamburgers, Chips, Salad

Tuesday: We'll eat at the ballpark as our choir is performing the National Anthem!

Wednesday: Family Night Supper at church or sandwiches at home

Thursday: After three weeks, we're finally going to try and get the Beef Chimichangas on the table!

Friday: Grilled Chicken with a side of pasta

Saturday: Chicken & Rice Casserole, a green vegetable, Bread

Sunday: Crisp & Creamy Baked Chicken, Broccoli Casserole, Bread

Happy Cooking!

Sunday Scripture

2007-06-03T08:50:00.000-05:00

Faith Without Works Is Dead

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe--and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"-- and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

James 2:14-26, ESV

Smart Habit Saturday--Oh, How I Used to Love the Mail...

2007-06-02T18:35:00.000-05:00

It's Saturday again, and that means it is time to reflect on the last smart habit I tried to establish, and implement a new one.

This week, I am going to start going through the mail and getting rid of it each day it arrives. I used to love getting mail, but now I get junk, and bills, and more junk...and occasionally something I am interested in. Thus, I have developed a bad habit of looking through the mail, pulling out what I am interested in, and leaving the junk for another day. When I finally sort it, it becomes several little piles--shred, discard, pay, reply, magazines to read, etc. I have grown to hate all these little piles that clutter up my living room. I want to start sorting the mail and doing everything that needs to be done in regard to it on the day it arrives (except, maybe, for reading the magazines that day). My family will certainly appreciate our living room being paperless!

Last week's smart habit was to reduce to one per day the amount of diet coke I drink. I succeeded every day, even going without diet coke at all one day, until today, the start of a new week, when I have had 2 1/2...okay, yes, it's soon to be three...diet cokes. So, I feel pretty good about it, but need to regain control after today!

What's your Smart Habit? Join Lara over at the Lazy Organizer to share what you are working on this week.

ABC Meme

2007-05-29T15:32:00.000-05:00

A - Attached or single? Very, very attached, with superglue permanent bonding.

B - Best friend? The person very, very attached to me--my husband!

C - Cake or pie? Cream Cheese Pound Cake with a sad streak made by Granny.

D - Drink of choice? Diet Coke (or a non-alcoholic strawberry daiquiri, or any of a variety of frappuccinos made at Starbucks)

E - Essential item? Kleenex…if I don’t have them, my little girl will definitely sneeze and you have NEVER seen a sneeze like hers. I take them EVERYWHERE!!

F - Favorite color? Blue, followed by purple

G - Gummi bears or worms? Worms, but I really prefer chocolate.

H - Hometown? Mableton, GA

I - Indulgence? I think I indulge myself too much, but if I have to choose, I would say books are my main indulgence.

J - January or February? January…we have 7 birthdays and our anniversary to celebrate that month.

K - Kids? Absolutely. My life would be entirely too sane without them. :)

L - Life is incomplete without? Knowing and glorifying God

M - Marriage date? 11 Januarys ago (no, I didn’t forget…I just don’t like to post these dates on the web)

N - Number of siblings? 3

O - Oranges or apples? A crisp, cold, tart, juicy apple

P - Phobia/fears? MRIs. I almost had a panic attack last time.

Q - Favorite quote? He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. Jim Elliot

R - Reasons to smile? My God, my husband, my children, my two crazy Chihuahuas who think our living room furniture is a puppy-sized version of Pump It Up, flowers, the ocean, mountains, need I go on?

S - Season? Uh…spring and summer?

T - Tag three. Emmyjmommy ...okay, so I'll just tag one.

U - Unknown fact about me? I was listed in our senior class yearbook as the fastest reader in the school.

V - Vegetarian or oppressor of animals? Absolute oppressor!

W - Worst habit? For me to know and work on and for you to never notice. :)

X - X-rays or ultrasounds? Both. I am so thankful for anything that proves helpful in difficult situations.

Y - Your favorite food? Fried Okra or Mississippi Mud

Z - Zoo animal? My favorite is the meercat, closely followed by seals, elephants and monkeys.

Menu Plan Monday

2007-05-28T00:14:00.000-05:00

As we are out of town, I am posting early and without the banner, but for more Menu Plan Monday ideas, visit the Organizing Junkie.

Well, we fairly successfully carried out last week's menu items minus a few changes necessitated by a sick child and travel plans.

I decided to review the new recipes we try each week. This is the key:

aaaaa As my grandpa used to say, "luscious"
aaaa A new family favorite
aaa Pretty good, worth making occasionally
aa Not our favorite or a mixed review
a Yuck!

Here are my reviews of last week's new recipes (find the recipes in last Monday's post):

Bacon Chicken Alfredo aaa

This was pretty good, although a little heavy. We liked the flavor. We used 12 oz of fettuccine rather than the 16 oz the recipe called for, and we still found it a little dry. Next time I make it I will use more sauce or less pasta. This made enough for two meals for a family of 5.

Apple-Onion Pork Chops aa

We had a mixed review on this one. I liked it and found it easy and healthy. Our oldest son liked it, our daughter liked everything but the onions, our youngest son did not like it, and my husband liked it but said he only cared about the meat--the apples and onions he could take or leave. If I make it again, I will cut the amount of vinegar in half as it was a little strong.

This week's menu:

Monday: Fast food or sandwiches as we are traveling home

Tuesday: Aussie Sausage Rolls, Potato Salad, Green Beans

Wednesday: Family Night Supper at church

Thursday: Chicken & Rice Casserole, Bread, Salad, Dessert (all doubled as we are preparing supper for a family whose child was just born)

Friday: Beef Chimichangas (we didn't get to make them last week), Chips & Salsa, Ice Cream

Saturday: Breakfast for Dinner (muffins, eggs, bacon, fruit) or leftovers if we have enough. With the children home during the day for summer, I am not sure how much will be consumed at lunch.

Sunday: We are meeting some out-of-town friends on their way home from vacation for lunch. For dinner, we'll have a sandwich and an apple on the way home from church.

Hope all of you have a great week of preparing meals for your families!

Sunday Scripture

2007-05-27T07:45:00.000-05:00

Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents--which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.

Philippians 1:27-28

Smart Habit Saturday--A Diet Coke A Day Keeps the Doctor Away

2007-05-26T00:06:00.000-05:00

Lara at the Lazy Organizer has started a great trend of choosing to intentionally form smart habits at the rate of one (or so) per week. Since I have so many things I need to intentionally work on, I decided to join in on the fun.

The idea is to choose a new habit every Saturday and work on implementing it in our lives, giving blog updates on a regular basis. These habits can be personal, work related or family oriented...any area where you realize a change needs to be made.

This Saturday, I would like to start a new habit of drinking only 1 diet coke per day. That may not sound like much to many of you, but diet coke is sort of my addiction (ranging from 2 - 4 a day depending on the availability).

Occasionally, I break the chains of addiction, but then I fall right back into my bad habit. Not only do my friends regularly tell me that the artificial sweetener used in diet coke is bad for my mental and physical health, I have also discovered that I have severe headaches for 3-4 days whenever I go through withdrawal. Surely that is not a good sign. Beginning today, I am striving to cut way back, saving money, my health, and my memory.

What's your Smart Habit? Let us know.

Friday Photo(s)

2007-05-25T00:41:00.000-05:00

My babies are growing up. We are now officially in the flip-flop wearing, running-thru-the-sprinkler-playing, sleeping-in-late (I can dream, can't I?) and relaxing days of summer!

A huge "Thanks a Million" goes out to the incredible team of teachers who worked with my children this year! We will miss you all! You have been a blessing to our family.

Thursday Lyrics: He's All You Need

2007-05-24T10:24:00.000-05:00

He's All You Need

When you're alone,

Your heart is torn,

He is all you need.

When you're confused,

Your soul is bruised,

He is all you need.

He's the rock of your soul,

He's the anchor that holds

Through your desperate times.

When your way is unsure,

His love will endure

And peace you will find.

Through all your years,

The joy, the tears,

He is all you need.

When you give in

To that familiar sin,

He is all you need.

Guilt has you paralyzed.

It slowly eats you alive.

He is all you need.

He'll be faithful to you

Though your heart is untrue

And your love's grown cold.

His forgiveness is real.

It'll comfort and heal

Your sin weary soul.

God loves you so.

He'll never let you go.

He is all you need.

He'll be faithful to you

Though your heart is untrue

And your love's grown cold.

His forgiveness is real

To comfort and heal

Your sin weary soul.

Through all the years,

The joy, the tears,

He is all you need.

I used to love the music of Steve Camp. I haven't listened to him in a long time, but today I was reminded of what an excellent musician he is. Camp uses his craft to the glory of God, for which I am thankful. You can listen to this song here. For other Steve Camp music, visit audience ONE.

The words of this song remind me that God is indeed all we need, all sufficient for every situation, feeling, struggle, or joy I have in life. Thank you, Jesus, that I can rest in You!

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

2007-05-22T07:46:00.000-05:00

For the spring play, the Drama Club performed The Wizard of Oz. For a drama club composed entirely of second and third graders, I thought it was a bit ambitious, but I was pleasantly surprised by how nice of a job they did. To make it manageable for the children, they divided lines between multiple children playing the same parts. Thus, there were eight Dorothys and multiple scarecrow, tin men, and lions among other things.

Our oldest son played a munchkin (see the above pictures). He had more lines than last time and did a great job. I am continually amazed at how adaptable children are. He has been in the U.S. less than two years, and yet he has learned English well enough to nicely perform parts with multiple lines in his school's drama club.

A big thanks go out to all the teachers who spent extra time after school to teach our children this art!

Menu Plan Monday

2007-05-21T15:48:00.000-05:00

Last week was the first time in a long time I planned a week's menu ahead of time, and I didn't post it. But, having deciding it really worked to be more organized (something only procrastinators--me--and spontaneous people--not me--ever disbelieved), I am doing it again this week.

Here's the plan:

Monday: It's soccer night and the kids' last week of school, so we are celebrating by eating out!

Tuesday: Bacon Chicken Alfredo, French Bread, Salad

Wednesday: Family Supper at church

Thursday: Apple-Onion Pork Chops, Steamed Broccoli, Mashed Potatoes

Friday: Either leftovers or Beef Chimichangas

Saturday & Sunday: Eating at the grandparents!

You can check out more menus at the Organizing Junkie. Happy eating!

Sunday Scripture

2007-05-20T08:18:00.000-05:00

7But whatever former things I had that might have been gains to me, I have come to consider as [[a]one combined] loss for Christ's sake.

8Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]. For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs), in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One),

9And that I may [actually] be found and known as in Him, not having any [self-achieved] righteousness that can be called my own, based on my obedience to the Law's demands (ritualistic uprightness and supposed right standing with God thus acquired), but possessing that [genuine righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ (the Anointed One), the [truly] right standing with God, which comes from God by [saving] faith.

10[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [[b]which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]

11That if possible I may attain to the [[c]spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body].

Philippians 3:7 - 11, Amplified Bible

Friday Photo

2007-05-18T06:25:00.000-05:00

These pictures were taken in May of 2002. Sweet Pea was wearing her great-grandfather's christening gown for the child dedication service at our church. She was not quite a year old, and the cutest little bundle of joy I had ever seen. Now, she is finishing kindergarten.

Those of you who know me well know that I become on occasion, ~~sentimental~~ ~~teary-eyed~~ a basket case of emotions over Hallmark commercials, sad stories, happy stories, anything sentimental, and most of all, my family. So you can imagine what I am going through now that my baby is finishing kindergarten! I actually have two children finishing kindergarten, but somehow it is knowing that my youngest is getting this big that has me so emotional. I know I should be happy, but it seems time is flying by so quickly, and I wonder if I have made the best use of it.

I know that we read and played and learned and laughed a lot together, but I'll be honest. I regret every moment spent reading my own books, every moment she was awake that I watched TV, every moment that I wasted on the computer, because those days will never be back. Even though most of our friends and family would probably say I did more than enough with her in those years, it doesn't change the fact that those years are now gone, in the twinkling of an eye.

So, I am renewed in my determination to make the most of this summer...spending both quality and quantity time with my children. I want our home to be a place where they want to be, a place where they want to bring their friends, a place where they feel loved and secure and cherished, a place where their mom and dad teach them about what is truly important in life (and folks, contrary to the "I Love Money" song they learned at school, that ain't it).

Moms and dads, let us all remember that we have them but for a short season. Let's enjoy those moments.

Prayer Needed for Pakistani Christians

2007-05-17T11:10:00.000-05:00

The Taliban has informed Pakistani Christians in a northwestern town that their churches must be shut down by today, and that they must convert or die. The government is offering little protection. Please pray for our brothers and sisters to have faith that cannot be shaken, a peace that passes understanding no matter the circumstances, and for their persecutors to be thwarted.

You can read more about this story here and here.

Thursday Lyrics: Heavenly Father, Beautiful Son

2007-05-17T09:37:00.000-05:00

Heavenly Father, Beautiful Son

Father, You loved me
Sent Your Son to redeem
Jesus, You washed me
By Your blood I am clean
Spirit, You’ve opened these blinded eyes
And brought me to Christ

Heavenly Father, beautiful Son
Spirit of light and truth
Thank You for bringing sinners to come to You

Father, You gave me
To Jesus to keep
And Jesus, You love me
As a shepherd, his sheep
Spirit, You've given me faith in the Son
And made our hearts one

Father, You're waiting
To hear my requests
Jesus, Your loving
Open hand is outstretched
Spirit, You're in me, You intercede
And help in my need

Words and music by Mark Altrogge
As recorded on Valley of Vision

I really enjoy this song. It is from the Valley of Vision recording by Sovereign Grace Ministries. Click on the link above to hear a clip of this and other songs included on the CD. The music in this recording was based on the puritan prayers compiled in the book, Valley of Vision. I have not read this book yet, but it has been recommended to me numerous times.

Tell Me Something I Didn't Know

2007-05-17T09:23:00.000-05:00

You Will Not Be a Cool Parent

And that's pretty okay. While your kids may not think of you as a friend, they will respect you.
You know that kids need discipline and structure, and you're not afraid to give it to them.
Just be careful that your strictness doesn't lead to rebellion.
It's good to have standards and rules, but you don't need to have an iron fist when enforcing them.

Would You Be a Cool Parent?

High Paying Jobs :)

2007-05-14T07:03:00.000-05:00

My daughter found a dime a few days ago. This weekend, she put it in her pocket and added two pennies I generously gave her. She felt rich.

We were on our way to a birthday party at the bowling alley. Almost always of a sweet nature, she excitedly said, "Mom, I brought my money. I have a dime and two pennies. I can PAY today."

To which I replied, "Sweetie, that is so thoughtful, but how many cents do you have?"

DD: "uh, 12 cents."

Me: "That's right. I imagine it will take about 800 cents for you to go bowling, though."

DD (with a gasp): "Mom, do bowling lane workers make the most money?"

Me: "No, sweetheart. Even your lunches cost more. Did you know we send about 2,000 cents a month just for you to have lunches at school every once in a while? Not even every day?"

DD: "Wow." And after a thoughtful pause..."Do lunchroom people make the most money, Mom?"

You CAN make a difference!

2007-05-12T16:17:00.000-05:00

I have a hero. I don't know her name, but I chat with her frequently. She is just another mom who picks up children at the local elementary school. Two of her children are special needs, and she has to be there when school is released to get a daily report. Her other children are much the same as mine, laughing and bouncing as they arrive to tell Mom all about their day at school. Three of her children are adopted, all from foster care she provided. I admire her desire to make a difference in the lives of a few children, her willingness to sacrifice normal for something better.

May is National Foster Care Month. Click on the picture below to find out more about how you can make a difference!

There are 513,000 children in foster care in the United States. Here are the most recent stats I could find on foster care in my state.

As of 2003, there were 6,079 children in the foster care system.
25% were under the age of 5.
52% were between the ages of 11 and 18.
The average length of stay for these children is 34 months. 34 MONTHS.
Over half of these children are not reunified with their birth families.

Imagine being a toddler or elementary school age child and spending three years without a family of your own. Now imagine being a teenager and doing that. Adolescence is hard enough with a family to support and guide you.

Think about spending your formative years in a group home and then trying to be a spouse or a parent, maintaining a home and having had no one to learn how to do these things from. How do you know how to be a mom or dad, a husband or wife? Where have you learned how to solve problems and work through disagreements? Who has shared Christ with you? Prayed for you? Disciplined you? Felt joy in your successes and sadness in your times of disappointment?

Scripture tells us that pure and undefiled religion is caring for orphans and widows in their times of need. How are we doing that?

Great Posts by Hubby

2007-05-10T06:34:00.000-05:00

My excogitating hubby has written two great posts lately.

One is about Mother's Day and those struggling with infertility. As one who formerly struggled with this, I urge you to read his post and encourage a friend struggling with this on Mother's Day.

The other post is about how we should view our brothers and sisters in Christ.

I am so blessed to have this man as my husband!

Summer 2007

2007-05-09T10:35:00.000-05:00

The summer of 2006, with the exception of our family trip to the beach, was a complete disaster. I was new to being a mom of three. My sons were new to almost every experience they had. They needed more structure, something I don't particularly enjoy in the summer and didn't implement as needed. They couldn't understand that because we didn't go to the pool one day did not mean they would never go again. Their responses to not getting their way (as well as my response to their responses) made a house full of noise, disorder, and unhappiness. A lot of cleaning was left undone. We had to do a lot of ~~fixing things they broke~~ normal repairs.

We lived in chaos, trying to have fun together, but disappointingly, in the end , we were all overjoyed about school starting, except for my daughter who was content, even happy, to be at home by my side.

This school year, we have come a long way. We understand each other better. We have learned about ourselves. God has taught us about Himself. I do not want to go back to last summer.

This summer, I am determined to have a game plan. A friend wisely recommended that I make a few goals for the summer, and then order my summer around accomplishing those goals. She also suggested that I give more structure to my son who needs it, and more freedom to the ones who don't, while still accomplishing those goals. For example, one son may need a schedule for his day. My other son may need to know what must be accomplished by week's end, but I can leave him to figure out how to accomplish that.

With this in mind, here are my goals for the summer, in no particular order:

1. Read some books together. My goal is to read seven or eight books together, and then the children will have some reading to do on their own. Our current book list includes Shanghaied to China (a Trailblazer fictional story that shares part of the true story of Hudson Taylor), Spy for the Night Riders (another Trailblazer book, this time involving Martin Luther), Traitor in the Tower (A Trailblazer book involving about John Bunyan), a biography about Walt Disney, a biography about Betsy Ross, The Call of the Wild, and Little House on the Prairie.

2. Work on math skills. There are a number of reasons for this, but the main one is that my son will hopefully be in a different school next year with a tougher math curriculum, and thus he needs some help catching up to others in his grade.

3. Physical Exercise. My boys NEED this, my daughter loves it, and I could certainly do with some as well. To this end, we will be spending time outdoors and participating in some summer half day camps as well as swimming.

4. Household Chores/Projects. Being part of a family means pitching in to be good stewards of what God has given us. Also, we need to teach our children how to do certain jobs for the time when they eventually move out of our homes. Thus, this summer, we'll be doing some regular chores and some special projects around the house.

5. Cooking. My children all want to help in the kitchen. Honestly, this is often difficult during the school year. I want to take the time to teach them how to cook some things this summer. I haven't decided if this will mean one night a week per child or several nights a week with all the kids.

6. Scripture Memory. I will be ~~memorizing~~ trying to memorize the book of Philippians this summer. I would like my kids to memorize part of it. I am still trying to decide which part, but it will probably be the second chapter. In any case, their minds soak up so much information it should be a piece of cake to them, right?

7. Time with extended family/Fun. Summer also provides us with extra time to spend with out of town grandparents and other family members, and we would like to do some of that as well as create some fun family memories.

8. Catechism/Daily Bible reading. Last summer, we worked on a catechism but once school and thus, AWANA started, we fell out of that habit. We will be picking that up again. Also, now that all the kids can read independently to some degree, I want them to be in that habit of daily spending time in the Word.

Given camps, VBS, time away with relatives, etc., it will be hard to have a firm schedule for the summer, so at the moment I am thinking a weekly one will work better.

What are some things that have worked for your family during the summer? I would love to read your ideas on this subject.

Sunday Scripture

2007-05-06T07:56:00.000-05:00

Praise the LORD, all nations!

Extol him, all peoples!

For great is his steadfast love toward us,

and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.

Praise the LORD!

Psalm 117

Teaching a Boy to Fish

2007-05-04T14:08:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I went to our state's nature center with my oldest son. We were on a field trip to a destination that his teacher had never before taken kids to see. I was delighted that we were doing something other than going to the zoo for the umpteenth time as most of the other classes were doing.

I think his teacher was as surprised as I was when we heard that one of the activities was going to be fishing. Mind you, we were with a bunch of eight and nine year olds. As we were being led in this, our wildlife instructor told the kids to hold their poles and hooks in a certain fashion and then gave examples of people who didn't listen and got hooks barbed in them. All I could think about, at least rationally, was the legal liability, but inside I was secretly feeling pleasure. Almost everything is sanitized these days, and I was glad my Boy would have an opportunity to do something basic, something that has been done for thousands of years.

My son had never been fishing before. This is partly because he hasn't been home that long, and partly because his father would rather sit inside and read a book or blog on the computer. My hubby, who is a wonderful gift from God, killed all the romantic spirit of one of our early dates when he refused to sit out and look at the stars with me on his Papaw's farm. The road was gravel, and he "might get dirt on his jeans."

Anyway, back to the fishing. As a child, my uncles took me fishing, but my father (like my husband) would rather figure out a gadget inside the house than get dirty outside the house. His one exception to this was his pride in having a beautiful yard. And, after all, he could always go buy fish if he wanted some to eat.

For me, memories of fishing are reminders of easier days when, as a child, all I cared about was getting a fish to bite, not how am I going to pay for something or how are we going to reach our children's hearts about a sin habit they have or whether or not the mass they found might be cancerous.

No, fishing was relaxing...sun and sparkling, splashing water, proving that girls could bait their own hooks, and getting a little muddy without caring. It had been a long (as in at least a decade) time since I had done that. I was excited about passing on the bug to my son. After all, his father and grandfathers weren't carrying on the tradition the way my husband's grandfather and my uncles had done for us. Some of you may have heard about catching fish with dynamite--you just didn't know that it started with my husband's grandpa. My uncles, on the other hand, were purists who spent vacations fly fishing in Oklahoma and Arkansas, or in the salty waters of the gulf. Nothing tasted better than our own fish caught and cleaned at the beach, then fried up that night.

The Boy was wildly excited, giddy with happiness, bouncing with sheer joy at the thought of catching a fish.

And then...

The worms. They. Freaked. Him. Out.

Here he was, with his peers, who mostly were handling it, with his teacher, who caught more than anyone, and with me, who showed him how to do it the first time around. The second time, it was his turn. I knew the feeling he would get after successfully baiting his hook. I had had that same feeling before.

I eagerly awaited his expression.

We never got there.

He picked the worm up (f..i..n..a..l..l..y) and screaming, dropped it to the ground. It almost escaped, but mom deftly caught it and once again baited the hook.

The next time, I told the Boy he must do it. After watching him almost lose the whole container of worms (provied for usage by many people), and seeing him fuss for a few seconds, I gave in.

And then I got the greatest pleasure, because he who baits, fishes. Or in this case, she.

And so, even though he enjoyed fishing when he got the rod back from Mama, I think I enjoyed the experience even more.

Oh, yeah...he did manage to catch one himself! Triumph.

And the next time he fishes? Well, it's coming up soon, and Mama won't be around!

Friday Photo

2007-05-04T06:08:00.000-05:00

Saturday is Grandma's birthday! We love you Grandma!

Thursday's Thoughtful Lyrics: There You Go

2007-05-03T07:57:00.000-05:00

There You Go

Is this the strange feeling
Of you working all to good
'Cause I am so confused
I don't even ask for what I should

When I asked for and deserved a stone
You broke and gave your body as bread
And even the stone that dropped down and rolled away
Spoke of the one who bled

There you go working good from my bad
There you go making robes from my rags
There you go melting crowns from my calves
There you go working good of all I have
Till all I have's not that bad

When I asked for and deserved a serpent
You gave a net full of fish
And even the serpent that told the lie
When lifted high foretold the gift

For you so loved the unlovable
That you gave the ineffable
That who so believes the unbelievable
Will gain the unattainable

This song, put out by Caedmon's Call a number of years ago, remains one of my favorites. I don't own many CDs put out by Caedmon's Call and can't speak to what they do now, but I loved this CD and still enjoy listening to this song.

Unfortunately, half the time that I listen to "Christian" music, I think to myself that while the song may not necessarily be bad, there is nothing overtly Christian about it. Sometimes it seems that to be a musician in the genre of Christian music, you don't have to be familiar with the Scriptures, you just have to sing wholesome songs. That is one reason why I still listen to some older music, such as Rich Mullins or Keith Green or Scott Wesley Brown.

Pathlight is Online

2007-05-02T11:51:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post to tell all of you about an exciting new adventure my hubby and I are embarking on today. We are the new owners of Pathlight, an online Christian bookstore.

We both love books, and are excited about this opportunity to be involved in the book business. I purchased a few titles from my own store this week, and was able to get several missionary biographies to read with the kids this summer for a slightly lower cost than Amazon offered. They were from the Trailblazer Books series, by the way, and have been highly recommended to me. I can't wait to get into them soon!

Since I am a SAHM, hubby and I thought this would be an exciting way to generate some extra income. I wouldn't ask anyone to purchase items they didn't already need/want, but if you're considering purchasing a Bible, or a Christian book, CD, or DVD, please check us out and give us a try. Our website is http://www.pathlightstore.com/.

National Tax Freedom Day

2007-04-30T12:04:00.000-05:00

From the Tax Foundation...

America's Tax Freedom Day Arrives April 30 in 2007, Two Days Later Than 2006

Tax Freedom Day, which shows just how long we work for the government rather than ourselves, will fall on April 30 in 2007, according to the Tax Foundation's annual calculation using the latest government data on income and taxes. (Click here to read the full study).

"Tax freedom will come two days later in 2007 than it did in 2006," said Tax Foundation President Scott A. Hodge, "and fully 12 days later than in 2003, when tax cuts caused Tax Freedom Day to arrive comparatively early, on April 18."

However, 2007's Tax Freedom Day is still slightly earlier than it was in 2000, when the economic boom, the tech bubble and higher tax rates pushed tax burdens to a record high, and Tax Freedom Day was postponed until May.

For those of us living in Alabama, our tax freedom day actually arrived much earlier than the national average, occurring on April 12th!

Sunday Scripture

2007-04-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

The Preeminence of Christ

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Colossians 1:15 - 23, ESV

Friday Photo

2007-04-27T06:04:00.000-05:00

My hubby went to Korea in 2005. It always amazes us to see the English signs in foreign countries, particularly Asian countries. Now, before anyone gets up in arms about this, let me say that their English tends to be much better than my Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc. Still, it is funny to see Billboards that say "I Feel Coke!" How, exactly, does one feel coke?

The sign captured in this picture struck me as humorous as well.

Hope everyone has a good Friday!

National Park Week

2007-04-26T20:39:00.000-05:00

According to the National Park Service, National Park Week is being observed from April 22 - 29, 2007. America is fortunate to have some incredibly beautiful and awe-inspiring national parks.

The picture above was taken at St. Mary's Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana. I had the privilege of working in Glacier National Park one summer while I was in college. God used the beauty of His creation to begin drawing me to Himself. Formerly a scoffer, I began to realize that something so majestic and intricate in design as the places I was seeing could not be an accident. Although God sent someone my way to share the gospel several months after this, His drawing in this place was the start of my coming to know Him.

Going to the Sun Road, Glacier National Park

So, in honor of National Park Week, enjoy the pictures which are of some of the national parks I have visited, and thank you, God, for the wonders you have made!

Yellowstone National Park

Petrified Forest

Mesa Verde

The Badlands

Thursday's Thoughtful Lyrics

2007-04-26T06:32:00.000-05:00

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin,
Yet from what I do inherit,
Here Thy praises I’ll begin;
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.

This is another of my favorite hymns. My heart is prone to wander, and I am so thankful that God has sealed my heart, that His goodness like a fetter does bind my heart to Him.

News That's Weird But True

2007-04-26T06:07:00.000-05:00

DNA from unfinished Cinnamon bun nabs thief .

Love my cat, love me!

Another story of being so stupid, it's criminal.

President Gets His Groove Back

2007-04-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

President Bush has some fun after promoting Malaria Awareness Day on Wednesday.

NPM: John Donne

2007-04-25T12:04:00.003-05:00

Another personal favorite when it comes to poetry is John Donne. Here are a couple of his works that I greatly enjoy:

Death, be not proud (Holy Sonnet 10)

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou are not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou'art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy'or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

Batter my heart, three-person'd God

Batter my heart, three-person'd God ; for you
As yet but knock ; breathe, shine, and seek to mend ;
That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force, to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
I, like an usurp'd town, to another due,
Labour to admit you, but O, to no end.
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captived, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain,
But am betroth'd unto your enemy ;
Divorce me, untie, or break that knot again,
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

What poems speak to you? Please share your thoughts.

NPM: Emily Dickinson

2007-04-25T12:04:00.001-05:00

Emily Dickinson is one of my favorite poets. I did a major paper on her work during college. Here are a few selections in honor of National Poetry Month.

IF tolling bell I ask the cause

IF tolling bell I ask the cause.
“A soul has gone to God,”
I ’m answered in a lonesome tone;
Is heaven then so sad?

That bells should joyful ring to tell
A soul had gone to heaven,
Would seem to me the proper way
A good news should be given.

GIVEN in marriage unto thee

GIVEN in marriage unto thee,
Oh, thou celestial host!
Bride of the Father and the Son,
Bride of the Holy Ghost!

Other betrothal shall dissolve,
Wedlock of will decay;
Only the keeper of this seal
Conquers mortality.

and perhaps the one I enjoy the most...

SUCCESS is counted sweetest

SUCCESS is counted sweetest
By those who ne’er succeed.
To comprehend a nectar
Requires sorest need.

Not one of all the purple host
Who took the flag to-day
Can tell the definition,
So clear, of victory,

As he, defeated, dying,
On whose forbidden ear
The distant strains of triumph
Break, agonized and clear.

National Poetry Month

2007-04-25T11:41:00.000-05:00

April is National Poetry Month. In honor of it, I am posting a poem about where I live now.

Daybreak in Alabama

When I get to be a composer
I'm gonna write me some music about
Daybreak in Alabama
And I'm gonna put the purtiest songs in it
Rising out of the ground like a swamp mist
And falling out of heaven like soft dew.
I'm gonna put some tall tall trees in it
And the scent of pine needles
And the smell of red clay after rain
And long red necks
And poppy colored faces
And big brown arms
And the field daisy eyes
Of black and white black white black people
And I'm gonna put white hands
And black hands and brown and yellow hands
And red clay earth hands in it
Touching everybody with kind fingers
And touching each other natural as dew
In that dawn of music when I
Get to be a composer
And write about daybreak
In Alabama.

by Langston Hughes

I love poetry. The sound of the words read aloud, the rhythms and rhymes, the nuances of each carefully selected word communicating a picture made from letters rather than sight. I think in our day of digital photo and Internet, this is becoming a lost art.

Tuesday Trivia

2007-04-24T13:21:00.000-05:00

Your Vocabulary Score: A-

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary!
You must be quite an erudite person.

How's Your Vocabulary?

Take this quiz and see how erudite you are!

Georgia Finally Integrates

2007-04-23T12:42:00.000-05:00

I grew up in a middle class suburb of Atlanta. I read Gone With the Wind for the first time in 5th grade, and wept at Scarlett's bad choices. I enjoy Southern food, Southern hospitality, sweet tea and kids running barefoot outside. When I hear Ray Charles' recording of Georgia on My Mind and think of the moonlight on the pines, it brings back fond memories.

My grandmother and grandfather were baptized together as teenagers in a "warsh" hole made by damming up a small creek. They were double cousins (no, that's not blood related--her aunt married his uncle). Grandma dropped out of school after 8th grade to go to work so her sister could continue in school. They were dirt poor, but she is one of the most industrious women I know. Having worked hard to create a better life for her children, she never lost sight of her values and belief in God and His ability to change people.

I remember when Jimmy Carter won the presidency. I was a child and didn't know about the politics...but I was proud he was from Georgia. In sixth grade, several students got to eat lunch with the Governor when he toured our school. I was one of them. We had fried chicken that day, and to be polite, we all tried to eat fried chicken with plastic forks. It didn't work out that well, and I think the Governor himself was relieved when we went to the finger-lickin'-good way of doing things.

Georgia football is ~~pretty much~~ the best football there is. There is nothing like watching the Silver Britches hunker down 'tween the Hedges. I marched in the band at UGA. Long before I got there, someone made a stink about the band playing Dixie, so they switched to playing Tara's Theme, from Gone With the Wind. Sweet Georgia Brown was another staple for the after game show.

Atlanta has become a city of opportunity and growth. While I do not support the lottery, Georgia has made good choices with their profits--enabling students to attend college through the HOPE scholarship. When education, income, housing and other ways of measuring one's standard of living are calculated, Georgia fares much better than many of her counterparts in the Southeast United States.

Yet for all my love of Georgia, I am amazed and embarrassed that Ashburn, GA found ways to avoid integration until the year 2007. Read the details here. It is unbelievable to me that in this day and age, a county can have separate proms and homecoming kings and queens based on race. Here is an example of a place where "separate but equal" is still being practiced. It seems to me this is a lot worse than the Imus incident of a few weeks ago that everyone was up in arms about.

My husband and I have been fortunate enough to travel to many parts of the world, meeting many people along the way. The hopes, dreams, feelings and needs of people are basically the same--God, food, water, shelter, clothing, family, friendship.

A Kazakh child crying in an orphanage feels the same emotional loss as an Eastern European child abandoned by her mother. A black child with a scraped knee feels the same pain as a white child. A man without a job, unable to support his family, has the same feelings of shame and loss of respect for himself. A woman watching her daughter or son marry feels the same love. A couple, watching their newborn enter the world, feels a similar pride and joy.

I know there are enormous humanly insurmountable problems throughout the world. I probably should be happy that this town is stepping in the right direction. But, frankly, it is without comprehension that despite how far American society has come, we still have areas where it is okay, yea even normal, to practice racial discrimination.

I long for the day, and at this point am convinced it will only be in heaven as we fall at the feet of Jesus, when people will love and care for one another without regard to race. There, we will be too busy worshipping God to care about skin color.

Watching Dreams

2007-04-23T06:59:00.000-05:00

Many months ago, I posted about how children often take everything literally. One example I mentioned was when my daughter, at about age 2 1/2 or so, asked why we stand on the word of God when we aren't supposed to stand on books. This question came about from singing the B-I-B-L-E.

Yesterday, she once again reminded me that she understands things very differently than I do. I woke up after having a disturbing dream. Hubby and I were talking about it, because I often wake up and find my mood is based on the kind of dream I had. It is weird, but my theory is that I am waking up before my body is ready and my dreams are interrupted.

My daughter said she didn't dream. I said, "Honey, everybody dreams, you just don't remember yours." She said, "Mama, I don't have time to watch any dreams. I'm too tired." Apparently, she thinks of dreams as little movies we can watch while we're asleep--if we're not too tired!

Sunday Scripture

2007-04-22T22:39:00.000-05:00

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.

But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

Philippians 2:12-18, NIV

Friday Photo

2007-04-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

Freshly picked cherries outside Kyiv

I came across this picture today on my computer, and it reminded me of the wonderful fruit we had in Ukraine.

When we travelled to Ukraine, we were warned, as we had been on several other occasions prior to travelling overseas, that it was not safe to eat fresh fruits and vegetables prior to cooking them. A noted exception was fruit with a thick peel, such as oranges and bananas. We always try to heed these warnings. On at least one occasion, despite heeding them, my better half fell ill due to ingesting bacteria his body wasn't familiar with.

In Ukraine, partly because we stayed much longer than we had anticipated, these warnings were put to the test. First, our adoption facilitator, Sveta, took us out to her sister's house and offered us fresh strawberries picked from her yard. How do you politely refuse that? We didn't, and had some of the best strawberries I've ever eaten. On another occasion, while in Crimea (an autonomous republic just south of Ukraine), Sveta's husband picked some fresh berries from the hills we were on just outside and behind the orphange our sons were in, and offered us some. We tried those as well.

Since we had already "broken the rules" and these cherries Galya picked of the tree looked so fantastic, we had no hesitation when she offered them to us.

One thing I really miss from Ukraine is the cherries. They are abundant and cheap. Ukrainians use them in a variety of ways, including varenyky. My sons love cherries. They remind them of their former home. Sometimes, I oblige them by purchasing from the local Food World, but I have to cut off my arm to afford them in the States.

By the time we left Ukraine, we were positively feasting on apples, raspberries, cherries and the like. Miraculously, hubby and I managed to stay well.

Thursday's Thoughtful Lyrics

2007-04-19T08:03:00.000-05:00

Jesus! I am Resting, Resting

Jesus! I am resting, resting
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,
And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For, by Thy transforming power,
Thou hast made me whole.

Chorus:

Jesus! I am resting, resting
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.

Oh, how great Thy loving kindness,
Vaster, broader than the sea:
Oh, how marvelous Thy goodness,
Lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in Thee, Beloved,
Know what wealth of grace is Thine,
Know Thy certainty of promise,
And have made it mine.

Chorus

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,
I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,
Satisfies my heart,
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings,
Thine is love indeed.

Chorus

Ever lift Thy face upon me,
As I work and wait for Thee;
Resting 'neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth's dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father's glory,
Sunshine of my Father's face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting,
Fill me with Thy grace.

This is my new favorite hymn. I had never heard this hymn before our family joined Morningview, and I believe more churches should invest in singing hymns of this caliber. The lyrics are wonderful, and I love the melody. I downloaded the song as it was sung by Alisa Dishong from itunes , but I most enjoy hearing it when my daughter is sweetly singing it.

I really appreciate songs that have something worthwhile and edifying to say.

Tiny Drops of Water, Tiny Grains of Sand

2007-04-18T10:09:00.000-05:00

Give me the splendid, silent sun.

Walt Whitman

There comes a time in every rightly constructed boy's life when he has a raging desire to go somewhere and dig for hidden treasure.

Mark Twain

To find a seashell is to discover a world of imagination.

Michelle Held

Don't grow up too quickly lest you forget how much you love the beach.
Michelle Held.

Forgiveness

2007-04-18T09:17:00.000-05:00

Our church is reading through the Bible together this year. Recently, my daily Bible reading included this passage:

Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him." Luke 17:3-4, ESV

Now, many of us, including myself, have read and studied this passage numerous times. We know that we are to forgive as our Father has forgiven us--repeatedly. For some reason, though, it struck me the day I read this that not only am I to continue to forgive, I am to do so even if additional violations happen the same day, provided my children say that they repent. Not only should I do so, I must do so.

I don't know about you, but I am guilty of having a suspicious spirit occasionally. When my children lie, and say they are sorry, and yet lie or disobey seven more times that day, I am no longer inclined to believe their apology and extend forgiveness. I question their sincerity, because I believe repentance includes turning from a wrong action or heart attitude to a right action or heart attitude. While I know that as parents, we must examine our children's hearts, and help them by modelling what true repentance looks like, I was challenged that I have been in error to not have a forgiving spirit to them no matter how often they sin in one day.

I desire to be a doer of the word, not a hearer only, so I am encouraging my husband and friends to help keep me accountable in this area. :)

Raising Children Who Love the Word

2007-04-16T10:33:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, our family worshipped, as is our usual custom, with other members of our church family. This Sunday was a little different, in that children in the first through sixth grades led the worship. They sang praises to God, read scripture and assisted in collecting the tithes and offerings of God's people, while the adult choir had the day "off" from leading in worship.

My son was very excited to be a part of this. He was especially excited about being one of the ushers who collected the offering. And yes, I have to admit, I was proud of him. He is a boy who rarely stands still, who has a flair for the dramatic, and his quietest moments are usually when he is up to mischief (or worse). Yesterday, he behaved himself and looked like a little man in a boy's body...it was like seeing a glimpse of him serving the church one day in the future.

Afterwards, he commented to one of the godly men in our congregation that his favorite part was "passing the plates" to which this man replied in a quiet and serious voice, "Well, son, I hope the preaching will be your favorite part one day." I was so thankful for his words of wisdom, something I think my child would have let in one ear and out the other had mom said it. The truth of what he said really struck me. My desire is to raise children whose love for their God will compel them to reach maturity and to have a love for the Word that is central to their worship.

How do we, as parents, accomplish this?

Our children attend the worship services with us rather than attend any children's church or go to a second Sunday School class as some churches offer. At their ages, I believe this is good and appropriate.

As their parents, we made some decisions early on that we hoped would turn their hearts in the right direction. Our youngest, even as a new four year old, couldn't just play with any quiet toy or color or sleep during worship, even though items to play with and color were generously provided by our church at the time. She could color or read books, but it was always Bible stories. As she has gotten older, she participates along with the rest of us until the music is over. During the sermon, she either reads her Bible, copies Scripture, or draws a picture of what the preacher is discussing.

I loved her drawing from Palm Sunday. Jesus was standing on top of a donkey walking over palm branches while people were shouting Hosanna. Somehow, the image of Jesus standing on the donkey struck me as humorous.

Our sons read their Bibles and occasionally write Scripture as well. Now, there are times when we know the schedule is the fault of the parents and the kids really are exhausted and we allow them to sleep, but it is rare, and we try to avoid scheduling things that make exhaustion an issue. The idea is that we don't want them to take worship lightly. We want their minds to be set on God. We want them to learn at least what their young minds are capable of learning.

For all this, there are days when I feel I didn't learn a thing or really enter into worship between correcting children, finding the scripture passages in their books, the songs in their hymnals, taking away pens they are playing with, removing Bibles because they are pointlessly flipping through pages as loudly as possible, reminding them to be quiet so as not to disturb others, ushering them to bathrooms (even though we take them before the service), teaching them to pray rather than play, and the list goes on. Just this Sunday, one of my children, who is generally of the sweetest temperament, was spitting on a paper, and when it was taken away, began drooling on an outfit, and our children are 5, 7, and 9. :(

I know discipline is part of parenthood, and it seems particularly momhood (is there such a word?), and I accept it, mostly with joy, hoping the outcome will have been worth persevering for. My question is, how do we get our children to a point where they love hearing the word, learning the word, and worshipping in song and reverence?

Please share any ideas you have and what may have worked with your family.

Sunday Scripture

2007-04-15T14:39:00.000-05:00

Isaiah 55 (ESV)

The Compassion of the LORD

1"Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;
and he who has no money,

come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without price.
2Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,

and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,

and delight yourselves in rich food.
3Incline your ear, and come to me;

hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,

my steadfast, sure love for David.
4Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,

a leader and commander for the peoples.
5Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,

and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,
because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,

for he has glorified you.

6"Seek the LORD while he may be found;

call upon him while he is near;
7let the wicked forsake his way,

and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD,
that he may have compassion on him,

and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
9For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

12"For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you

shall break forth into singing,

and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;

instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the LORD,

an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."

We discussed verses 10 and 11 in Sunday School this morning as a footnote to our lesson from I Peter. I love the comfort and assurance we have that God's Word will succeed in accomplishing His purpose.

Male Superiority is Not Dead

2007-04-13T12:07:00.000-05:00

I was reviewing my son's math homework last night when I noticed his answer to the following question:

Sally wants to water her garden. Circle the container she should use. Tell why.

Next to this question were two pictures. One was of a small watering can and one was of a large watering can. Boss Boy had circled the smaller watering can. Here is his response:

Because it is not hevy (sic) and Sally is a girl. And girls can't hold it.

From that response, I honestly couldn't tell if he was discussing the watering cans or the bathroom, but suffice it to say, Mom had a chat with him last night.

Well, actually, after turning away so he wouldn't see her laugh, she asked Dad to have a chat with him. Of course, it isn't very effective when Dad asks in front of the boy what he is supposed to say. Finally, my sweetie coughed up this: "Next time, it would be better to circle the large watering can and write that her brother is going to carry it for her."

Thanks, hon, that's not exactly what I meant for you to say. :)

Friday Photo

2007-04-13T11:24:00.000-05:00

Rice Paddy at Danau Ranau, Sumatra, Indonesia

Indonesia is, without question, the most beautiful country I have visited. The lush beauty of the islands is incredible, standing in stark contrast to the extreme poverty in which most people dwell, particularly those outside of the cities. The people we met were friendly, especially the children who tagged along after us learning to count in English or showing us special places in their schools and villages.

Thursday's Thoughtful Lyrics

2007-04-12T10:55:00.000-05:00

Taking a different approach from the Excogitating Engineer and his contemplative cohorts, I have decided to think on what is good by posting good song lyrics on Thursdays. Of course, I am wondering whether a song the excogit finds bad will be a song I find good. :)

Please take a minute and leave a comment about your thoughts on what constitutes a good Christian song.

Today's song is:

Blessed Be Your Name

Matt & Beth Redman

Blessed be your name

In the land that is plentiful

Where the streams of abundance flow

Blessed be your name

When I'm found in the desert place

Though I walk through the wilderness

Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,

I turn back to praise

When the darkness closes in, Lord

Still I will say...

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be your name

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be your glorious name

Blessed be your name

When the sun's shining down on me

When the world's all as it should be

Blessed be your name

On the road marked with suffering

Though there's pain in the offering

Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,

I turn back to praise

When the darkness closes in, Lord

Still I will say...

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be your name

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be your glorious name

You give and take away

My heart will choose to say

Lord, Blessed be your name

Our family recently went through a difficult set of circumstances, and at the time, all I could think was why was something done in obedience to God so painful. This year, God has taught me so much about how what He tells me to do is not always about me. It is about God and His will, which may include using dh and myself in the lives of others, but also the why may be something I will never know this side of heaven.

I like this song because the lyrics reflect that God's name is to be blessed at all times and regardless of our circumstances. I believe this is scriptural. Just yesterday, in preparing to teach my three and four year olds in children's choir, I was struck by how God can and does use any thing, person or circumstance to bring glory to Himself. We were using our voices in different ways and made and sang different animal sounds. Our craft involved a frog, and I was struck by how God used even frogs to show His might and power that He might be glorified when He sent the plague of frogs in Egypt.

I hope that no matter what my circumstances are in the future, still I will say Blessed Be the Name of my LORD!

Where I'm From

2007-04-11T08:46:00.000-05:00

I am from a life in books, from Kleenex, laughter and tears.

I am from the big, open room where you dance and dream. From strong women who share everything and don’t speak for years.

I am from the dogwood trees and azaleas blossoming in spring. I am from the first daffodils and the vibrant purple thrift, the popping impatiens and unfortunately planted marigolds, the Christmas camellias and the stately beauty of an old magnolia tree.

I am from Christmas Eve dinners and magical moments, from soaking, cooling car washes with Gramps and kitchen cooking with Grandma, from the Ross’ and the Danner’s becoming the Grimes.

I am from a love of adventure and the unknown, adding family from far away places, enjoying family from whence I came.

I am from the rushing impatience and the need to prove. From the incessant chatter of a mind that always thirsts.

I am from a relationship with my Father, through my Lord, forever and ever without end. A grace so amazing, a love so freeing, a God worthy of worshipping.

I'm from the new South, but unable to forget the old, from fried okra and Mississippi Mud. Go Dawgs and Sweetwater Creek, Amacolola Falls and picnics with ribs. Lightning bugs, caterpillars, roly polies and learning to shuffle a deck.

From a determined red-haired woman who crossed rivers in a covered wagon to teach, from grandfathers whose years sacrificed were more difficult and more honorable, and yet whose vows had a strong permanence.

I am from Frances, whose discomfit never leaves at quitting school early to make a way for others, and yet, in ways, she has taught me more than Franklin ever did.

I am from traveling cross-country, camping and exploring…go west young man, never north.

I am from the warmth of the sun on the gulf coast, memories of laughter and love, flashlights and buckets, fresh gumbo and go-cart tracks closed down for the night.

I am from a place where brothers, sisters, cousins…in a word, family, is important. A tangled mass of knots at times, but strongly woven.

You can find a template to create your own "Where I'm From" poem at Fragments from Floyd.

Still Dreaming of Spring Break!

2007-04-10T13:30:00.000-05:00

Always on the lookout for seashells...

Sumo wrestling on the sand...

Note dad's face when victory is secured :)

It's even sweeter when you've conquered two!

Children's Hospital, Kyiv

2007-04-09T05:53:00.000-05:00

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

James 1:27

When we travelled to Ukraine to adopt, the process took much longer than we originally anticipated. During the weeks when we were literally just waiting for another appointment to obtain a child referral, we had the privilege of visiting several orphanages and a children's hospital. We spent many days visiting the children's hospital. The benefit was mutual--it helped us pass the time and it gave the children fun visits and attention they so desperately needed.

Young children who were abandoned or found living on the streets were sent here, as well as sick children from the orphanages. If a child was abandoned in Kyiv or the surrounding area, they were supposed to spend one month here before being sent to an orphanage to begin the twelve month wait to be eligible for adoption. Sometimes, there was no space for them in the orphanage, so they would languish at this hospital for up to six months or more...not even beginning the paperwork necessary to start the twelve month wait to be eligible for adoption.

This was an eye opening experience for dh and I. The building was an old communist style building--note the metal bars on the windows. The conditions were appalling--filthy floors, horrid baths and toilets, thin mattresses (sometimes rotting) on metal springs and old dirty blankets. There were no toys, no crayons, no paper or books except what the friend we visited with gave to the girls. There were no adults spending time with the children. They saw an adult at mealtime as workers dropped off a tray with porridge and extremely hot tea for young children and the doctor occasionally. When the children were done eating, the remains of the food and dishes were placed in a wooden cabinet for retrieval, sometimes sitting there for many hours. The downside of this was that workers could pick up the trays without having to interact with the children again. The employees at the hospital seemed nice, and were always pleased to see our friend coming to spend time with the orphans. I have no way of knowing, but I'd like to believe they would have done more had they been given the resources to do so.

In addition to orphans, Ukranian citizens brought their children here for care. The conditions were not greatly better for those children, although they obviously got much more love and attention.

When we visited, we always brought fresh fruit, sausage, sometimes bread, and juice as well as bubbles, coloring books, etc. The smiles from the children made every moment there worthwhile. I will never forget the girls we played with as well as the little boy upstairs who was still in a crib.

The children were precious. Obviously, they had faced difficult circumstances early in their childhood, and some were handling it better than others. But, as with any children, they loved human interaction, and enjoyed playing, coloring and talking. Watching their faces light up upon our arrival and hearing their laughter during our visits made us feel good. Hearing their cries when we left after several hours, knowing they had to while away the time for sometimes hours, sometimes days before another visit broke our hearts.

These children were beautiful to us.The plight of these children still weighs on my heart deeply. We have been given so much, and so little was needed to brighten their day--more than material things, they just needed a human connection. I know we cannot aid every child, but we can make a difference in the lives of a few. To learn more about the situation these children face and how you can help, visit Hopeful Hearts Foundation's website. They regularly send ministry teams to paint rooms, replace beds, provide foods, secure medicine, etc. They spend time playing with the children. They send occupational therapists to work with the children and show the orphanage staff how to help the children with developmental delays. Most importantly, they share the love of Christ with children and adults they come into contact with while working there.

He is Risen Indeed!

2007-04-07T21:32:00.000-05:00

Thanks to holylandphotos.org for the picture!

How Deep the Father's Love for Us

How deep the Father's love for us

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give His only Son

And make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss

The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the Chosen One

Bring many sons to glory

Behold the man upon the cross

My sin upon His shoulder

Ashamed I hear my mocking voice

Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no power, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom

Why should I gain from His reward

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom

As we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ, I am reminded of the words to one of my favorite songs. I hope that each of you enjoys a blessed day of being with family and friends, and rejoices in remembering the sacrifice our Lord made for the joy set before Him.

As Far as the East is From the West

2007-04-06T21:11:00.000-05:00

We've all read about Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's condemnation of the Brits, and western culture in general, for allowing a female soldier to be deployed to the Persian Gulf. He apparently questions our "family values". Ahmadinejad criticized Britain for deploying Leading Seaman Faye Turney, one of the 15 detainees, in the Gulf, pointing out that she is a woman with a child. "How can you justify seeing a mother away from her home, her children? Why don't they respect family values in the West?" he asked of the British government.

When kindergartners are proudly interviewed on television reciting martyrdom poems to celebrate their mother's demise as a suicide bomber, and boasting how many Jews were killed by their mother, I believe his culture has lost any authority to comment on the family values of other societies. Somehow, in the fight against the West it is apparently okay to send mothers permanently away from their children.

While this video deals with Palestinian children rather than Iranians, it does give some insight into the radical nature of the culture war and religious war being waged in the world. I do not assume that every Muslim, Middle Easterner, or Persian thinks what is shown in the video is good. In fact, I have had the privilege of being friends with a Persian that would never support this. Still, the radicalism is real and violent and we must be vigilant in our attempts to understand what is happening, defend ourselves, and give the hope of Christ.

h/t: reformedchicksblabbing.blogspot.com

Voila!

2007-04-05T12:08:00.000-05:00

5 Minutes for Mom is having another giveaway! This time, a free Presto is the prize. If you have a dear, sweet grandmother like mine who is content to be unconnected in the world of connectivity, this is the perfect gift. You can send her pictures and notes that print right out of the machine over a regular phone line that does not prevent regular phone calls and does not require a computer or any technical knowledge. If you're interested, visit 5 Minutes for Mom by clicking on the link above to register!

Does Better Mean Less?

2007-04-04T10:42:00.000-05:00

5 Minutes for Mom is giving away a Dyson Slim vacuum cleaner. To enter the contest, visit the site before 1 p.m. EASTERN time today.

The Dyson Slim is highly rated, but my question is, does a better vacuum cleaner mean less vacuuming?

Spring Break Photos

2007-04-01T22:57:00.000-05:00

The kids had a blast at the beach. Even though the water was cold and we didn't fully get in much, we enjoyed dipping our toes in the water while looking for shells every single day.

We visited the Audubon bird sanctuary while there. We didn't see many birds, but we had fun walking in the woods together.

We went without the kids to Bellingrath Gardens, where I was once more amazed at the beauty of God's creation.

Poost Bog Blagoslavit Vas

2007-04-01T17:05:00.000-05:00

Many people have asked what Slava Bogu means. It means "Praise God" in Russian. It is one of the many Russian phrases we learned while spending the summer of 2005 in Ukraine. It is also probably the most important phrase we learned.

We spent 6 weeks and two days separated from our 3 year old daughter as we sought out the children God would have us adopt. While the end result made the journey worthwhile, I have to be frank in saying that after three weeks in Ukraine with the process to adopt a particular child not begun, we were somewhat discouraged. The most difficult decision of our married lives was made during that time when we visited a child that we did not have a peace about adopting. I remember weeping into the night, second guessing ourselves, and to this day remember the child frequently, praying for him as he comes to mind, although sadly, I don't pray for him daily as I was sure I would in the intensity of that moment.

While the adoption process was discouraging, we had the pleasure of staying with a Christian lady and visiting her church several times. This was of great encouragement to us. Singing praises to our Lord in English while our brothers and sisters were singing praises in Russian was a highlight of our trip. Worshipping with people of other tribes and tongues seemed to be a glimpse of heaven. And so, declaring Slava Bogu! Praise God! reminded us of whom we had placed our hope in--the Living God who had led us thus far.

And by the way, Poost Bog Blagoslavit Vas means "May God bless you all!"

To read more about our 2005 adoption journey, visit www.caringbridge.org/al/theoues .

Jonathan: The New Model

2007-03-31T16:58:00.000-05:00

Many of us, when we first marry, wrongly think we will be able to "fix" personality "flaws" in another. Some of us wrongly assume things will never change. Reality is often very different.

When my husband and I first married, I thought his introverted personality and my extroverted personality would cause some moments of friction. After all, he wasn't going to desire socializing as much as me, and I was going to want him to communicate a lot with me. As it turned out, we did have friction over this area in our first year of marriage, but not the way I anticipated. Whenever I wanted to sit and read a book (and by read, I mean leave me alone for several hours please because I am completely absorbed in this), giving him what I thought would be quality alone time to recharge his batteries, he wanted to be right by my side and talk. Over time, this issue became a non-issue, but it created some disharmony early on in our marriage.

What happens, though, when your spouse really changes? When we first married, Jonathan liked to watch football and basketball, and occasionally would read, but didn't really like to, because, in his words, he's "a slow reader." He wore jeans, didn't really like to dress up (slacks would be dressing up), and enjoyed watching T.V. with me. He was a peacemaker at almost any cost. He believed in the doctrine he was raised on, but didn't really think it was a matter of great importance. He loved bread and was afraid of babies.

Now he wants rice (actually, that changed about six months into marriage. When you're raised on it as a staple at every meal, you want it a lot.) and loves the babies that come into our family (he's still afraid to hold the others--they might break). After careful thought and study, his doctrine has changed and he believes it is of vital importance. He still prefers peace, but will speak/disagree forthrightly when necessary. He doesn't like to watch T.V. much, unless it is UGA football--he's even given up a lifelong love for the Wildcats in basketball. He never wears jeans--thinks they are too uncomfortable (huh?).

The biggest change, however, has occurred in his reading habits. He loves to read, and does it almost all the time. I am not talking about some light summer reading here. Even while at the beach with his family during spring break this year, he could be found on the sand reading Mark Dever's 9 Marks of a Healthy Church. He reads at lunch, during the evening, whenever he has extra time at church or during a kid's sports practice. He has a voracious appetite for it.

But so far, I can still beat him at Scrabble!

Water on Their Wings

2007-03-31T08:02:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, my husband and I were sitting around the dinner table with our three children and our niece, all between 5 and 9 years old. My 9 year old has just begun studying dinosaurs at school and my other two just finished studying them. My niece is a self-proclaimed expert (age 6) who "just knows" because she reads about them.

I made the mistake of asking about the name of the ones who fly (come on, mom, don't you know that?). My 5 year old immediately said "Pterodactyl". Then they started talking about a movie they have been watching at school where some Pterodactyl tries to fly from one ocean to another but gets really tired and barely makes it. At this point, my 5 year old again speaks up. "Mama, Pterodactyls ate fish, but they didn't like water on their wings. They could dive down and eat fish and never get water on themselves!" "Really," I say. "And just how do we know these creatures did this?"

Before she can answer, my second-grader starts telling his father all the various class opinions on how dinosaurs came to be extinct. "My teacher's opinion is that they all died when Noah's flood happened, Daddy. But Mama and I had the same question. We thought Noah was commanded to get two of every mammal and bird (his classifications) on board the ark. But my teacher say the ark was big, but not that big." He follows this announcement by saying he thinks "it got too hot" and "they died."

My daughter pipes up again: "The reason the dinosaurs are 'tinct is the sun was too close to the earth and they couldn't live." I ask the kids why the dinosaurs died because it was too hot, but people didn't. Our self-appointed expert, aka my six year old niece, completely ignores her uncool aunt and says, "Listen, I know this. I read about this. The sun was too close to the earth and all the plants died. The plant-eaters didn't have anything left to eat, so they died. Then the meat-eaters had nothing left to eat, so they died too." I ask her if she was taught this in school. "No, I just know. I read about this stuff." I ask again why humans didn't die if it was so hot. With a look of exasperation, she says, "Nooooo...like a hundred million years ago!" My second grader says, "My teacher thinks the earth is 200 million years old."

I ask the kids what God says about how long it took to create land, light, plants, animals, people, water...after an answer of "a couple of weeks" (really, we have studied the creation account many times), I remind them that God said he created the earth in 6 days and rested on the seventh, so there were not millions of years between the dinosaurs and people. I ask the kids who we should believe, God or their teachers. With a look of confusion, they say that believing God is right.

At this point, my husband tries again to emphasize what he has been saying intermittently throughout the conversation--we can't know if the pterodactyls disliked water on their wings or not, because we don't know anyone who has seen a dinosaur, and we don't know anyone who knows anyone who has seen dinosaurs, and their teachers are not even scientists. He points out that some large animals were mentioned in the Bible that we do not know much about, but we cannot make as many assumptions as are currently being made over finding some bones that are old.

With a reminder that we need to respect our teachers--they are trying their best to teach us what others have learned, and they are in authority over the children during the day--I remind the children that everything that teachers say is not fact. In fact, *gasp* everything we see in movies is not a fact. I find all too often that if my children see something in a movie, particularly if it is not animated or is supposed to be educational, they accept it as fact without thinking through it.

I have to ask myself, was my worldview shaped much like theirs? Am I a thinker, or do I just accept whatever a person I respect says with no questions asked?

There are many theories about many things out there...I just hope we can teach our children to reason and believe things based on the filter of God's word.

How many trash bags are you on?

2007-03-29T19:59:00.000-05:00

Today, as I was having lunch with a friend, we met ran into some old friends of hers. The wife had been a grade school friend and she and her husband just happened to be eating in the same restaurant. As they were leaving, we spent a few moments talking about how many children we had, how old they were, etc....just the kind of things that you try to catch up on when you haven't seen someone in a long time.

The couple was (for the first time) experiencing the joy of recruiting a babysitter to watch their infant daughter while they celebrated their anniversary over the weekend. My friend and her husband are hitting 10 years this year, and the couple I met were celebrating nine years this weekend. They were very happy to have been together in a relationship this long, and began to tell us how excited they were to open the third case of trash bags from Sam's Club (400 a case?). Apparently, all the people they know have only made it to the second box thus far.

Now, my husband and I celebrated 11 years this January and have passed through several milestones--finishing grad school, having our first child, buying a house, then having our second and third children, no longer spending our anniversary dates discussing the top 5 places we want to visit (but talking instead about the future of our children's education), and going to bed at 9:30 or 10:00 instead of midnight or 1:00 a.m. However, I have to say that it was a first to hear someone measure the length of their relationship by how many trash bags they have gone through over the years.

How about you? How do you measure the longevity of your relationships? Is there a milestone in your marriage that really made you sit back and say, "Wow"?

Inaccurate, but it's fun...

2007-03-26T20:44:00.000-05:00

Check out my visual DNA--they say I am physically fit based on my choices (ha), but it is fun. I stole this idea from Em...

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

I Do Not Like Them, Sam I Am

2007-03-08T11:58:00.000-05:00

Recently, my two youngest children celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday by going to school dressed as their favorite book character (from any author) and listening to Dr. Seuss all day. My daughter was Laura Ingalls Wilder from Little House on the Prairie. My son chose to dress up as Sam I Am from Green Eggs and Ham.

This brought to mind a recent conversation with one of my sisters. I told her about my children's rules for spending money at the book fair--no Disney Princess books, no Nemo or Cars books, no toys, no junk. My husband actually took my daughter to the book fair so she did not shop on her own, but she did come home with a My Little Pony book (in other words, junk).

My sister stated that it really didn't matter what the kids read, as long as they were reading. On the surface, this sounds good. In actuality, however, this rings false. Children learn the art of telling and writing stories from hearing and reading stories. They learn syntax, rules of the genre, and creativity from the books they read. In reality, we don't live in a Disney Princess world, and while it might be okay to watch a movie or read an occasional story about a Disney Princess, I would rather have them spend their time on worthwhile literature--biographies on people who have impacted the world for better or worse, stories that promote creativity, perseverance or problem-solving, not fluff written without a story in mind because the book is all about a movie.

Here are thoughts from others on the matter:

The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.
Mark Twain

Many books require no thought from those who read them, and for a very simple reason; they made no such demand upon those who wrote them.
Charles Caleb Colton

It is a great thing to start life with a small number of really good books which are your very own.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Let me know what you think.

Weird is as Weird Does

2007-01-29T20:39:00.000-05:00

“People who get tagged need to write a blog post of 6 weird things about them as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says ‘you are tagged’ in their comments and tell them to read your blog.”

Well, my husband tagged me, so I guess I must be weird since he knows me better than anyone else. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your perspective), all my blogger friends have pretty much already been tagged, so this is the end of the line.

1.) I hate eating things I am not in the mood for even when they are readily available and what I want isn't.

2.) Despite my self-proclaimed love of travel, adventure and the outdoors, I had to take a sleeping pill for the first time ever while in a rustic location in Southeast Asia where I was told, just prior to going to bed, not to sleep with my mouth open in case a chichak (small lizard) decided to drop in from the ceiling. I was doing fine until I laid down, when panic ensued. Of course, in my defense, this followed a night of trying to move my plate around fast enough for the bat droppings to not land on the food! Strangely, I would love to go back to this country.

3.) Nothing bothers me more when watching a movie or T.V. show than to miss a word. I will rewind three times to catch the word if necessary (I love Tivo!). It has gotten to the point where my husband makes us put on closed captioning all the time so I can read the words (exceptions are made for sporting events). And yes, now my family makes fun of me saying I am really getting old.

4.) Speaking of things I hate, I despise the sound of dry things rubbing together. Just thinking of the examples I am about to give makes me break out in goosebumps. Dry hands against a dry wall...cardboard tearing, or my most hated sound--dry feet scraping against dry carpet--these sounds cause me to go nuts, and my husband and children know to STOP immediately!!

5.) When I am tired or nervous, I repeatedly make a strange sound in the back of my throat. Since my soon to be Ph.D. in pyschology brother does it also and hasn't gotten over it, I guess there is no hope for me.

6.) I am a huge fan of 24 and Jack Bauer. My secret dream is to do something important to stop those wanting to harm America (okay...do something important sounds good, but let's admit it, I'd like to kick some major butt!).

Christmas 2006

2007-01-29T13:00:00.000-05:00

The children enjoyed Christmas this year, although our goal to slow down and enjoy some days at home was not met. We enjoyed time with extended family and enjoyed celebrating our Savior's birth, and yes, we enjoyed presents too.

Although we cut back this year on the amount of gifts we gave the children, we still had one child who couldn't understand that Christmas was not about getting. Next year, I hope we can really help him to understand--maybe by forsaking our gifts and gladly giving to those in need.

For those who know me, it will not come as a surprise that I greatly enjoy receiving gifts. According to The Five Love Languages by Smalley and Trent, it is one of my two strongest languages. Yet this year, I did not enjoy it as much as normal. It was financially stressful to meet the expectations of extended family, and none of us really needed as much as we got. I kept thinking of the orphans we have seen overseas and the sheer desperation and neediness of their situation and felt guilt at my abundance. It isn't that exchanging gifts is wrong, but the tradition has become more of a burden than a joy. I think I would receive greater joy from meeting a need that might allow the love of Christ to be shared and received.

For all that, I am enjoying my presents, and enjoyed the season.

A Worthwhile Ministry

2006-11-03T18:16:00.000-05:00

Today, as I watched the 2006 video for Hopeful Hearts, my heart was stirred anew to help the orphaned children around the world. Hopeful Hearts is the sister ministry of the group who facilitated the adoption of our sons last year. They have a tremendous ministry in Ukraine. Good changs have been seen since their work began.

Now, they are able to begin helping the older children who "graduate" on their 17th birthday from the orphanage system. 70% of these children die within 5 years--a truly sobering fact. Many more live a life of crime--prostitution, drugs, gangs, etc. as they struggle to survive on the streets. These children are in desperate need of someone who can show them how to perform basic tasks they have never done such as laundry, cooking, etc., as well as learning about God's love and how to have stable loving relationships with others. How can they be parents when they have never been parented? How can they be a loving wife or husband when they have never seen a healthy marriage before?

Please watch this video and remember these children through your prayers and your giving.

Heroes

2006-11-03T18:08:00.000-05:00

My sons enjoyed dressing as different heroes for Fall Festival.

The Karate Kid and a Garden Fairy

2006-11-03T17:47:00.000-05:00

My daughter was a Garden Fairy for our Fall Festival at church. She loves being all girly-girl, but as you can see below, she tries to be serious about her self-defense also. :)

Birthday Girl Pictures

2006-08-02T23:14:00.000-05:00

Apparently only purple paintbrushes would do, so she went around to every jar of paintbrushes and took out the purple ones.

Blowing out candles on a My Little Pony Cake...

Her brothers managed to have some fun too!

Public School

2006-08-02T22:47:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, my youngest son and daughter found out who their teachers would be for kindergarten. I was excited to know that they will have the teachers I requested.

Today, I told my daughter that her teacher loves Jesus. When she acted as if that was no big deal, I explained to her that some of the teachers at school do not worship God. Her face twisted up in perplexed shock as I explained that she would no longer have a weekly chapel time in school to learn about God and sing praises to Him.

Strangely, in all my emotion about her becoming a kindergartener, I had never really dwelled on the fact that she would no longer learn about God in a formal setting at school. Although I never considered anything other than a Christian preschool for her, the basis of my decision on where to send her was made on curriculum and scheduling, not the quality of chapel time (although I did make sure our theology was similar). I have always assumed that as her parents, my husband and I have the primary role in teaching her about who God is and why we worship Him.

I do not love everything about the school she is attending, but I am 95% happy with it...about as much as one can be, I think. They did a phenomenal job teaching my son last year. He was also blessed to have a Christian teacher who talked about the meaning of Good Friday and encouraged art work depicting nativity scenes. Then again, I did see kindergarteners singing a song about how much they love money and can never have enough...an ungodly view of money.

For the first time in five years, she will have relationships with those who do not believe as we do. We have constantly taught her the importance of sharing about Jesus with those who do not know Him, but this will be her first opportunity to do that on an ongoing basis. Now, instead of simply talking about not hiding your light and shining for Jesus, she can it into practice.

Is it good for her to be in this situation? I believe she will be fine, but I certainly understand the desire parents have to shelter and ground their children more before exposing them to the world.

Birthday Girl

2006-07-28T22:28:00.000-05:00

Today, my daughter turned five. While we were celebrating her birthday, I found myself oddly sad. She came to us as a beautiful gift of God at the age of six months. Tiny for her age, yet feisty in spirit, we were told by adoption workers that we would need a lot of energy to keep up with her. Other than an odd refusal to sleep, which one can understand after six months of little stimulation, she has been quite an easy child to raise.

I will never forget the first time her cousin, 10 months older than her, came to see us after our daughter arrived. With a ten month old and a twenty month old, things are bound to be interesting, yet our little one took everything, including my niece's desire to love on me, take her toys, and have my attention, pretty well. Finally, when she could no longer handle this other person talking over her and gaining my attention, she pulled up on me, drew in a huge gulp of air, and out of this tiny body came the most unimaginable roar--she was like a lion.

My father bonded with her immediately, which exasperated her grandmothers who were momentarily left in the cold. In fact, he could not believe she would ever have a frustration tantrum as my husband and I claimed, so I finally video taped one showing that she had incredible lung power. She still has her first present from him...the first thing she "picked out" in a store at just 7 months of age...a worn out, patched together, pastel colored Moo Cow who has seen better days. Just in the last few months, though, her tastes have run to other stuffed animals. Moo Cow no longer is by her side every night.

Last year, she needed help opening her gifts and cutting her ice cream with a spoon--this year, she is a big girl...no help wanted unless absolutely necessary. She has always been a Mommy's girl, but Mommy's presence at her side is no longer as necessary as it once was.

In a few weeks, she exits babyhood, toddlerhood, and preschoolhood in the biggest way possible--she starts school. She is smart and excited about learning. I am happy for her and know she has the potential to be amazing to more than just her daddy, mommy and other family members (she is already more than amazing to me). I want her to grow and learn, to be more like Jesus, to love and serve Him more, to be in the process of growing more beautiful on the inside. Yet, part of me is sad that this period in our lives is over. I can honestly say they have been the best years of my life. I pray the next years are just as special.

To my wonderful daughter, Happy Birthday!

The Dress

2006-07-25T07:43:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of pictures of the dress I sewed. It orginally had two flowers, but she managed to get one off before church. The other did not handle laundering well, so it is now flowerless. Oh well, live and learn!

Real People

2006-07-21T22:50:00.000-05:00

In another time, before I was a parent and a homemaker, I spent part of my summer in the beautiful country of Indonesia.

This week, we have heard about 546 (?--the number keeps climbing) people killed by a Tsunami there. It obviously was not as devastating as the Tsunami in 2004, and it seems as if the news blurb rushed by, with little attention given to it as we deal with war in the Middle East and tensions in North Korea, not to mention politics, the economy, and whether the U.S. has any leverage in foreign policy.

Still, we cannot forget that these are real lives...real families devastated. The children pictured above represent countless others whose lives were as a vapor. Of these 546, I have to wonder if any, even one, knew the Savior.

What are you and I doing about that? Does anyone besides me wonder if we will wake up one day and believe we have wasted our chances to be purely devoted to God, to be a difference maker?

Mission Possible

2006-07-20T23:18:00.000-05:00

I finally completed a project. After a crazy year of constant interruption, a year with little commitment to anything other than family, a year where everything has spun wildly out of control, I have finally finished a project I set out to do. Today, I completed my first sewing machine project--a dress for my daughter. Granted, it took me six months from the time I started on it, but the satisfaction of finally finishing something is indescribable.

Infinitely more satisfying was my daughter's reaction. She didn't notice that the zipper didn't exactly match up or that the ribbon wasn't precisely flush when it met. She just twirled endlessly in the dress with a full skirt, reveling in the fact that mommy made it just for her. She felt beautiful and wanted to wear it the rest of the day.

To make my daughter's heart happy while accomplishing something serviceable felt useful to me.

It is amazing how good it is to feel useful.

A special thanks goes out to a dear friend who helped me learn where to begin with patterns and helped me make it to the end of the project. If you get some wild, wacky, crazily sewn gifts from me in the near future, you can thank her!

Do You Want to Be a Coconut?

2006-07-20T23:10:00.000-05:00

Do you want to be a coconut? (clunk, clunk on the head)
Do you want to be a coconut? (clunk, clunk on the head)
If you want to be a coconut (clunk, clunk on the head), then you might as well be it, cause you can't be a fruit of the Spirit...

Cause the fruits are...

Love,
Joy,
Peace,
Patience,
Kindness,
Goodness,
Faithfulness,
Gentleness, and self-control... (x2)

Thanks to Laurie Miller for the very interesting song we taught our Sparks Wednesday night. Did I mention that Kiwis, Bananas, and Watermelons have pretty weird sounds/actions too?

The song is staying in my head, but I honestly haven't decided if that is good or bad.

The gift of children

2006-07-17T22:35:00.000-05:00

Check out Russ Moore's moving post earlier this year regarding missed milestones, parenthood and the gift of children.

An Entreaty

2006-07-16T15:21:00.000-05:00

Man in remote village, S.E. Asia

"'Not called!' did you say? 'Not heard the call,' I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters, and servants and masters not to come there. And then look Christ in the face, whose mercy you have professed to obey, and tell him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish his mercy to the world."

William Booth

Many things are said so well by others that I need not try to restate them.

Happy Gotcha Day!

2006-07-16T14:45:00.000-05:00

Our boys the second time we met...

Yesterday, we celebrated Gotcha Day with our two boys. It was a year ago yesterday that the courts recognized us as legally the parents of two precious boys, then ages 5 and 7. Due to some paperwork and logistical issues, we did not actually get to take our boys with us for three more days.

In a year, they (and we) have grown and changed so much. Raising boys is certainly different from parenting an only child who is a girly-girl. It has not been an easy year. In fact, you could say that it has been one of the two most difficult years of my life--perhaps the most difficult year. It has been challenging, frustrating and sometimes hair-pulling as we searched for the wisdom and love necessary to help our boys heal from what life has thrown at them.

Have we found all the answers? No. Are they totally secure and healed? No. But they have learned about what family is. They have enjoyed the love of extended family. They have had opportunties to receive an education. They have learned that they can push, and we are still here to love them. My youngest is not skin and bones anymore. Most importantly, they have learned about the God who loves and cares for them, who forgives and restores hope.

We, who were yet sinners when Christ died for us, who were adopted by God as co-heirs with Christ, have learned so much about true love and commitment this year. We have learned about perseverance in situations that are not easy. We look forward to seeing them continue to grow and learn, and pray that one day, with confidence in their worth as seen by God, they will serve Him wholeheartedly.

I am thankful that God blessed us with these children.

Our children now...

When carrying our country's flag...

2006-07-13T10:44:00.000-05:00

...never let it touch the floor or ground.

My daughter learned this rule and colored a picture of the American flag for a program she is involved in on a weekly basis. Was this at school? at Girl Scouts? at a citizenship club?

No to all of these. It was yet another example of time spent in the AWANA program's Sparks division. How do we explain to our children that as Christians, our citizenship is not of this world when we spend time at church teaching them to be proud Americans.

As stated in a previous blog, I am a patriot. I love the U.S. and am thankful for the freedoms I have. However, meeting with the church family is a place to encourage Bible learning, fellowship, love for the lost, a heart for the nations, worshipping God, etc. It is NOT a place to encourage nationalism.

I feel we are wasting precious time with these children when they are hungry to hear the truths of God.

Daisy

2006-07-10T20:59:00.000-05:00

Daisy is home. She arrived in this world on May 9th and joined our family on Saturday, July 8th. Since Chihuahuas often live 20 years, I figure she is really a family member now.

So far, she has done really well. We are working on house training and other things of course, but she doesn't seem too nervous. The kids all like her and are loosening up around her...except they don't like the feel of her paws on them, so they use a towel when she sits in their laps.

Our oldest son is amazingly good with her, and she settles right down with him. The biggest surprise has been my husband. For all of his delaying in getting a dog for many years, he is so taken with this animal. He is tender and kind, holding her sweetly, and getting on to others who refer to her as the puppy or the dog instead of Daisy. I told him he talks to her like he talked to the first baby in our family (you know, the human one!).

How Crazy Are We?

2006-07-06T15:32:00.000-05:00

To add a little zaniness to our life (as if we need any more zaniness), we will soon be the family of a proud little chihuahua puppy. It's sort of our gift to our oldest for his upcoming "Gotcha Day"...one year since the courts officially made us a family.

He had several dogs in his earlier years and remembers them with fondness, so we are hoping this will be a great experience for all involved. And, yes, we would appreciate you joining with us in praying that this will be the most angelic chihuahua to grace Planet Earth. :)

Awana Pledges Missing the Point

2006-07-06T14:28:00.000-05:00

Last night, as is my normal custom, I worked with children in our church's Sparks program, a division of AWANA (Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed). I love hearing the children memorize and come to understand various verses in the Bible, and am glad all three of my kids enjoy this.

In general, I think AWANA is a good program. However, this year, I have realized there is definitely room for improvement. Perhaps my biggest concern is the amount of time we spend on non-Bible memorization. Before a child can begin the first workbook of Bible memorization, earning jewels for their crowns, the following must be memorized:

The Pledge of Allegiance to the United States of America
The Pledge of Allegiance to the Awana Clubs "We pledge allegiance to the Awana flag, which stands for the Awana clubs, whose goal is to reach boys and girls with the gospel of Christ, and train them to serve Him."
The Sparks song "We are Sparks for Jesus"
The Sparks motto "My Friend for Christ"

For my daughter, who memorizes quite easily, it is no problem to learn these items quickly and move on to Bible verses. For my youngest son, however, who has been speaking English for only a year, this is more of a problem. In addition, we have several other non-native speakers in our group as well as children who either have trouble memorizing or who have parents that do not work with them at home.

Therefore, why are we wasting our time on the non-essential?

I enjoy living in America, but what place does the Pledge of Allegiance have in a local church program to memorize scripture? Americans are not, contrary to the belief of one Music Minister at a church where we used to live, God's chosen people. The Bible is not about extolling the virtues of America.

Even worse is the silly pledge to the AWANA clubs...I would like pledging my allegiance to something to have meaning, and there are far more important things I would pledge my allegiance to than this. I feel as if we are cheapening those words for our children.

Then there is the motto: "My friend for Christ." I could understand if it was "Helping my friends to know Christ", "Sharing Christ with my friends", or even "Christ for my friend", but what in the world does "My friend for Christ" mean?

For the sake of the children we only see on Wednesday nights, for those who have language difficulties, for those who only hear Scripture when at church, and for the boys and girls who genuinely have trouble memorizing, I believe it would be far better to focus solely on memorizing verses and understanding verses rather than making the children memorize a bunch of unnecessary stuff before they can even move forward to Bible memorization.

What do you think?

More Beach Pictures

2006-07-03T13:39:00.000-05:00

Walking Near the Sea Oats

2006-07-02T12:51:00.000-05:00

The Fab 5

2006-07-02T12:47:00.000-05:00

Beach Times

2006-07-02T12:01:00.000-05:00

Last week, our family vacationed at a beach on the Gulf of Mexico. With three young children, it wasn't quite as relaxing as I remember the beach being in the past, but we still had a great time. Here are a few pictures:

It was definitely interesting to spend a week with extended family--differing points of view on a variety of issues, different disciplinary styles, and, for my only real complaint, some were **morning people** (gasp) who love to bang open cabinet doors and talk loudly even when 5 children under the age of eight are sleeping (not to mention their parents).

Still, it was great to spend time with family, to have the kids not only see their 86 year old great-grandmother swimming, but to have her teach them how to swim better. Our oldest son particularly enjoyed walks with her on the beach. My mom had two of our three children floating on their backs in the water by the end of the week and partnered with me to solidly whip my sister and my husband in "friendly" games of Spades. :)

Okay, okay, I might have lost a game or two myself.

My nephew got himself into all sorts of trouble...it was especially funny to see an eighteen month old walk down the hall banging a toilet plunger to punctuate his every step. He lived like a king around his Grandmommie and Granny, after all. My niece and my daughter went to bed close to their regular bed times, but kept themselves up later than the adults on occasion as they enjoyed their week long slumber party in the girls room.

Both of my sons are swimming now after a week in the ocean and the pool. The real surprise came with our younger son, who although he is frightened, actually swam with the best stroke of any of the kids with us when made to do it. The decision to make him learn despite his fear came after his second or third jump into the deep end of the pool.

We had a wonderful time and the kids are already asking when we are going back to the beach. Luckily for them, no one will want to go back more than I! The sooner the better!! As for what we will do this week now that vacation is over...why, go to the pool of course! Isn't summer wonderful?

The Arrogance of Mankind

2006-06-22T14:32:00.000-05:00

Here is an interesting article from the Baptist Press about mankind's attempts to reinvent God according to their desires rather than as He has revealed Himself. Written by Dr. Al Mohler, the following excerpt gives a glimpse into the article:

"The doctrine of the Trinity is itself a truth revealed by God about Himself as an act of His own self-giving grace and mercy to His human creatures. He does not invite His creatures to experiment in worship by naming Him according to their own desires."

That we should even wish to define God's character from our own skewed desires rather than from studying what He has revealed about Himself is an act of arrogance and a glimpse into the murky waters of our hearts.

Through the Eyes of a Child

2006-06-19T13:31:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend, my children saw someone who appeared to have a deep dislike for black people. Not accustomed to this, despite living in an area where racism and prejudice linger on, my kids were shocked. Then, showing a complete lack of seeing an ethnic group as a whole, for which I am thankful, one child said, "Mommy, are you black?" I am considered to be white on forms with little check boxes, but the appearance of my skin is far from white. Some would say we should use terms like Caucasian and African-American, yet we have friends who are 1st or 2nd generation American citizens who are from Africa and yet would not be considered African-American. Perhaps trying to put a term on an entire group of people is the problem.

In my immediate family, we have a Caucasian, 2 of Slavic/Turkish descent, one Asian, and one of Asian/Caucasian descent. I fear these lessons and eye-openers will be coming with more frequency. Where does this leave us? For me, sad that my children were now made the tiniest bit aware of racism and yet thankful they were unaware for so long.

Happy Father's Day

2006-06-18T21:25:00.000-05:00

To all dads out there, Happy Father's Day!

Today was my husband's 1st Father's Day with our two sons, and thus was extra special. The children all made cards and filled in various questions and statements. One child thought he was 40--that may not have been his favorite part of the day!

It was interesting to read what they thought was most important to him--one child put "telling the truth", another put "hugs and kisses". Our oldest son wrote that he loved Daddy because he was his dad...from a child who has been without an earthly father, that meant a lot. Our daughter, when asked what Dad's name was, said "daddy". When I said I was asking for his real name, she looked at me strangely and said, "uh, David..." very hesitantly and incorrectly (that is his middle name). Clearly, in her mind, his only identity is Daddy.

I did the same exercise with my Sunday School kids. Their answers for what was most important to dad were also telling. I got everything from "me", "kids", "family", and "praying" to "not touching his guns". These same kids loved their dad because "he is my dad" and "he plays with me" to "he has a cool car".

Our pastor talked about the importance and biblical role of fathers. It was a good message. The statistics are staggering--whether a child ends up in crime, attends church as an adult, or does poorly in school is impacted to a great extent by whether or not a father is present in the home. The Bible is clear that a father is to lead a home, and thus the children, in learning who God is and how to relate to Him.

So fathers, children need you. Your leadership is vital to the family. Please don't abdicate responsibility or feel undervalued!

To my own father, thanks for being there for me as a child and an adult. To my husband, thanks for being such a great father to our children.

Sacrifice

2006-06-18T21:14:00.000-05:00

This weekend, my husband and I had the wonderful privilege of visiting with a family that is going overseas through Wycliffe. My husband was a childhood friend of the man, but neither of us had met any of the children or ever spent quality time with the wife. How refreshing it was to meet with a couple who was willing to sacrifice all and move with six children to a part of the world that is not easy and a lifestyle that is not comfortable in order to obey God.

Our children had a delightful time playing with their children, and we had a wonderful visit with the couple. As the time drew near for them to leave, we prayed together, and I have to say that their prayers for us and encouragement to us may have been greater than our attempts to encourage them. It was encouraging to hear how God was honoring their obedience and providing for them each step of the way, albeit not always the way they had in mind. Our time with them proved to be a great reminder that as we step out in faith and ask God to do things we cannot, our faith is deepened through God's meeting of those needs.

It also rekindled our desire to be making an eternal difference through our lives. Our prayers are with this family and their upcoming ministry as they seek to bring glory to God through changed lives.

Literal Learning

2006-06-16T22:25:00.000-05:00

Lately, my children and the children I work with at church have been a real source of laughter. My daughter has discovered a new soft drink she loves to have when eating out--"Mr. Pig," more commonly known as Mr. Pibb. This reminds me of a song she learned at church--"Jesus' Love is Sweet & Wonderful". The lyrics go something like this:

Jesus' love is sweet and wonderful,
Jesus' love is sweet and wonderful,
Jesus' love is sweet and wonderful,
Oh, oh wonderful love.

Higher than the mountains,
Deeper than the oceans,
Wider than the universe,
Oh, oh wonderful love.

When she first learned the song, His love was wider than the university, which I can attest is very accurate.

At church this week, a child was reciting John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, He gave His only forgotten son...". I explained to her that Jesus is definitely not forgotten by His Father!

Children are so literal. Once, when singing "The B-I-B-L-E" our daughter said, "but Mommy, I thought we weren't supposed to stand on books." That was the only way she processed the line "I'll stand alone on the Word of God, the B-I-B-L-E". Our oldest son came to America eleven months ago from Ukraine. He is in elementary school and has learned a tremendous amount of English. Yet just this last week, when reading his Bible with his grandparents, he couldn't understand that someone lying could mean reclining rather than being dishonest.

This should be a reminder to me as a mother and children's worker to ensure that children don't just memorize what I am saying. The goal should be understanding and internalizing. If a child memorizes Bible verses to earn prtend money and patches or can read enough words in a certain amount of time to pass a test at school, but has no understanding, what has been accomplished? In the case of Bible memorization, we can be confident that if retained, it will bear fruit as a child's understanding increases. The problem is, without understanding, there is a much lesser chance of retention.