A Drink for Weary Moms

Isa. 55:1-3 - 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. Why 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.  Incline your ear, and come to me; hear that your soul may live; and I will make with you and everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

As moms, our lives can and generally do spin into the daily monotony of screaming kids, diaper changes, spilled sticky fill in the blank, dirty dishes, mountains of laundry, cooking, cleaning, and more cleaning as the littles follow you around like an aura of dust and filth, undoing what you just did in 2.61 seconds. Add to that grocery shopping, homeschooling, discipling, gardening, miscellaneous activities, and oh yea, supporting hubby and making him happy too. When we finally get a breather, we are bombarded by picture perfect Pinterest and Instagram houses and families whose kids must not have hands because there is not a fingerprint to be found in their perfect white paradises. Girls, we are drained, exhausted, spinning plates and juggling, and there comes a time when we know we are at the end of our rope. We are out of gas and we're just ready to quit. We don't have the energy to shepherd our children, we'd rather parent from the couch. And romance???? Let's not even go there... LOL! So what do we do?

Our culture tells us that we need more "me time", a girls' night out, a retreat, a vacation, more shopping. While these things are nice and not inherently bad or wrong, they are not what you need. They are not going to sustain you and nourish you much more than a candy bar will. Sure, they may give you a quick burst of energy in the short term, but in the grand scheme of things you will still crash if you are not receiving true nourishment of your own personal time in the Word. What we really need is a change in perspective that comes from drinking from the well of living water found in the scriptures. You see, if we aren't abiding in the true vine (as beautifully illustrated in John 15), our focus gets all out of whack, and we begin to think and act like this life is all about us and our comfort, our ease, and our happiness. And when we come to verses like Luke 17:7-10, we aren't comforted. We look at that servant and think, "Of course I want to come in and relax at the table, but this servant doesn't get to." And ultimately, this servant displays an attitude of humility, recognizing his undeserved gift from the master and a willingness to persevere in serving.

So our first perspective shift comes by knowing WHO GOD IS and WHO WE ARE. It comes in realizing that man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, (Westminster Shorter Catechism #1). Once we realize this by faith, then we also realize the truth and comfort of Matthew 11:28-30  Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Now, as you take up the yoke of Jesus, it may be that you are convicted to simplify your schedule, extra activities, or maybe not. But what WILL happen, is that as you go throughout your day, you will realize that you are glorifying God by cleaning the toilet, changing diapers, picking up the toys, cooking the meals, etc.  Instead of these things seeming mundane, now you can realize that you are serving the God who created the universe, the God who sustains each star, the God who formed your inmost being, the God who converted your heart; something that you did not deserve and can never repay. How can you not love and gladly serve such an awesome Savior? The joy of the Lord becomes your strength throughout your day, because you have discovered and abide in your first love. From that joy, you now have strength to serve your husband, your children, your home, and your family in Christ. Because you are drinking from the vine, out of your heart are flowing rivers of living water. Do you see that? Your circumstances didn't change, but by letting the Lord change your perspective, the burden/load/work becomes more joyful, lighter, and you recognize there is a greater purpose which is bigger than you.

The other perspective/focus adjustment I want to address comes from Proverbs 14:4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox. There are so many applications in this little nugget of Scripture. Our blessings generally come with responsibilities: no garden - no canning, no chickens - no cleaning the coop, no cattle - no feeding them in the winter, etc... You get the idea. But here's where it hits home to me EVERY TIME: I wouldn't have diapers to change if I didn't have a baby. I wouldn't have shoes laying all over the house if there were no feet to wear them, I wouldn't trip over toys if there were no kids to play with them, I wouldn't have fingerprints to clean up if I didn't have children, I wouldn't have a sink full of dirty dishes if we didn't have food, etc... Do you get the point, Sweet Mom? All of this is so worth the blessing of a home, food, and a family. So the next time you feel frustrated, remember this proverb and let the Spirit speak its truth into your life.  I'm thankful for the dirty diaper because it means I have an Elijah and he eats and is healthy. I'm thankful for the EIGHT pairs of shoes not put away because it means I have many healthy, active children who fill them.  I'm thankful for the sticky fingerprints on the fridge because it means my children have abundant healthy food to eat. I'm thankful for each of these blessings in disguise because by them, the Lord is sanctifying me (Romans 8:28-29).

So weary sisters, come to the fountain of the pure word. Drink and be refreshed! Worship and abide in your creator. Let your focus be fine tuned to your Savior through the Word EACH DAY. There, and no where else and in no one else, you will find rest for your souls.

May our Daughters be like Palace Cornerstones - Psalm 144

I was recently invited to a baby shower for a baby girl. One of the gifts my girls and I made was a rustic wooden sign with the scripture from Psalm 144 which says: ...and may our daughters be like palace cornerstones. When I make scripture word art, I love meditating on the truths of the verses I am working with. I pray for the recipient of the creation and hope that it will be a blessing to them. That was the case with this verse/sign.  As I was meditating, I was wondering what the deeper meaning was behind these simple words: May our daughters be like palace cornerstones. So I began to do a study on the verse for my own personal devotions. About a week before the baby shower, I was asked if I would be willing to give the devotional. WOW! Yes, I thought... and I know EXACTLY what I'm going to talk about!

So below is a copy of the devotional that I gave. I left it in "speech" form, so as you are reading it, that's why it sounds like I'm talking to you.   The resources I used were Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible, .Kevin Swanson's Family Bible Study series on the Psalms, and my own personal study of the scriptures. After the devotion, there is a list of a few of our favorite resources.


Before you begin, open your Bible to Psalm 144 and read it.... ENJOY!!!

May our daughters be like palace cornerstones...

Psalm 144

This Psalm is a Psalm of faith: in God's provisions, promises, and protections. We are going to look at a few different aspects of this Psalm, but focus mainly on verse 12. Towards the end of the Psalm, we see David (who represents a type of Christ) praying for two main topics: 1. a faithful progeny/future generation and 2. prosperity for the nation. Certainly (as indicated) a people are truly blessed whose God is the Lord! God has made promises about faithful posterity and prosperity in many places in scripture and we see here that David prays for those things already promised. Keep that in mind, as this applies directly to us as well.

We are going to focus (in the first place) on verse 12: “Our daughters as corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace”.

When I do an in depth study, I generally go to a lexicon and Bible dictionaries and study the words in the original language. I'm not a Greek or Hebrew scholar, so those are helpful resources. However, in this case I was disappointed! There were no rich goldmines, synonyms, or deep thoughts for the word cornerstone or cornerpillar. Basically, what you see is what you get. So then I had to ask myself: What is the function of a cornerstone, and how does that apply to our girls? A cornerstone is an integral part of the foundation (of a palace in this case), and it helps hold together two walls. Like I said: nothing earthshattering here.... But how does this apply to our daughters? We are going to talk a bit about two different ways our daughters function as cornerstones. I'm sure there are more, but time is going to constrain us to just two. As I speak of each of these functions, realize that when I say “daughters”, I'm referring to GROWN UP DAUGHTERS who are (hopefully) functioning as cornerstones. So picture your little girls in your mind and fast forward a decade or two as we look at their future roles.

***CORNERSTONES BETWEEN TWO FAMILIES:

Matthew Henry said that by daughters, two families are united and connected to their mutual strength. It took me awhile to decide if I agreed with that or not, because at first thought it seems like the man as head of the family would be the one binding families together. However, after reflecting upon my experience (which I'm not trying to promote as a method of Bible study), it is the daughter/wife who has the power to bring families together or drive and keep a wedge between them. Think of families you know which have been filled with strife. Is it the son or the daughter that typically resists reconciliation and relationship? We certainly don't want to raise daughters who are easily offended, hold grudges, or who are unforgiving and selfish. We want them to exhibit 1 Cor. 13 love and to be humble peacemakers. As anyone who has been married for any length of time knows, there are ample opportunities for offenses, discord, and for Satan to work in the in-law relationship. We want to raise our daughters to do everything in their power to bring Christlike unity into the inter-family relationships. In Romans 12, we are told that “as much as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all” and also “repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all”. So after reflecting, I agree with Matthew Henry, our daughters are cornerstones between two families and can strengthen both of them. ...or tear them apart.

***CORNERSTONES BETWEEN HER FAMILY AND GOD:

My dear friend and prayer partner and I were discussing daughters as cornerstones and their roles within their own families, namely with their husband and children. The daughter who has now become wife and mother has the opportunity to be the cornerstone between her family and God. Again, I'm a firm believer in male headship, and I'm not trying to discount that. But our daughters as wives have the opportunity to be a helpmeet to their husbands in a physical and spiritual sense. She can pray for him, encourage his spiritual walk, and encourage his accountability with other godly men.... OR NOT. She can be supportive of him in family worship... OR NOT. I won't go in to a lot of application on the marriage aspect of this cornerstone since this is a baby shower and not a bridal shower. But I'm sure you get the idea.

But another major arena in which our daughters have the opportunity to be a cornerstone is the influence that they have upon their children. Even if they work outside the home, and especially if they stay home and/or homeschool their children, our daughters' impact on that next generation is hard to overestimate.

Again, as I'm speaking of daughters, we are still looking into the future at what role we see them performing. In the physical sense, the daughter is the one who will decide how nutritious of food she will feed her family: fast food, pre-made, gummi-worms, fresh, organic, whole, frozen, etc... She will decide how they are clothed, bathed, or how clean the house is kept, etc... In the spiritual sense, the daughter (who is with the children most of the time) will either actively or passively determine what goes into the hearts and minds of her children. Will she lead them to God? Or away from God? What kind of story books will she read to her babies? What is the worldview behind the toys she allows into her home? What kinds of songs will she sing to them? Will they be babysat by the TV? What kind of shows will she let them watch? What will she do during naptime? Will she fill her own mind with godly, nourishing things or soap operas? Proverbs 14:1 says: The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down.

As you can see, our daughters' influence on the next generation is very great. Discernment must not only be made between right and wrong, but between right and almost right. Will our daughters be a cornerstone between their families and God? That is what we pray. That is what David prayed.

Now that we have looked at a deeper meaning of the word “cornerstone”, we need to glean some truth from the 2^nd part of this verse.

ESV – cut for the structure of a palace

NAS – fashioned as for a palace

NIV84 – carved to adorn a palace

NKJV – sculptured in palace style

KJV – polished after the similitude of a palace

We see words like cut, fashioned, carved, sculptured, and polished. Notice that the cornerstone wasn't just picked up out of the quarry and set into the foundation. There was a lot of work done to it to get it prepared “just right”. In the same sense, when God gives us our daughters as little 6ish pound packages all bundled in pink, cute and perfect as they are, they are hardly fit or prepared to be a cornerstone. When I speak of “daughters” from here on out, I no longer am referring to them as the grown up product. I'm referring to them in their current state as diamonds in the rough who need to be prepared. There is much work to do and a whole lot of “fashioning” to accomplish. As firm believers in God's sovereignty, predestination, and His hidden will, we must not make the grave mistake of neglecting His revealed will, especially in the bringing up of our children. God gives us many promises and instructions for raising our children in His word. We need to cling to these, pray over these, and seek wisdom in implementing them, because this process of fashioning will be a real battle, in fact, a war.

Going back to the beginning and rest of the Psalm, we see that God is the one who has ultimately defeated the enemy and allowed David to triumph. BUT, we also see that despite that, God TRAINED David's hands, even his fingers, for the war. DON'T MISS THIS: God won the battle. God trained David to fight. It applies to us... particularly in the battle for the hearts and minds of our children. We have to actively be fighting: on our knees and in our decisions and actions. Thankfully we have the entirety of Scripture before us, to guide us, to train us. Our pastor has been preaching on Eph. 6, and it is very applicable in preparing us for the battle.

This brings us to the next truth in raising our children/daughters: THERE WILL BE A WAR! THERE IS A WAR! Unfortunately, not every parent recognizes this fact, and to miss it is a costly error. According to this Psalm, who or what is the enemy? Those whose mouths speak lies and whose right hand swears falsely. In our culture, we are bombarded with false teachers, false Christs, false gospels, and very inviting ½ truths. Discerning the enemy is not easy. Remember that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. And we can find him in our movies, TV shows, advertising, educational systems, books, music, the liberal left, even in twisting scripture... But that's nothing new, there is nothing new under the sun.... We need to be prepared and fight the battle well for the hearts and minds of our children and daughters as we endeavor to cut, polish, fashion, and sculpt them to one day be palace cornerstones.

***Application – How do we apply this to our daily lives?

1. Immerse yourself in the truth!

-Daily read God's Word.

*Always be systematically reading through the whole Bible! The pace doesn't matter so much as that you are constantly working through it in a scheduled manner: once/year, twice/year, once every two years, etc... You CAN do this. I prefer using the chronological plan.

-Be studying passages in depth.

Regularly do topical studies, spend time on what your pastor is preaching on, use resources like Ligonier online, listen to teachings available on SermonAudio, etc...

-Memorize Scripture – long and short passages... YES YOU CAN!

Memorize with a friend, memorize with your children, memorize passages that will help you in areas of temptation in your life, etc...

-Know the truth about God – Study Good Doctrine

WSC, Westminster Confession of Faith, Knowledge of the Holy by Tozer, AW Pink's Attributes of God. The scriptures warn us of thinking that God is like us. Know his attributes! Beware of cotton candy theology! This is where Satan easily invades our minds and hearts with stuff that sounds good and sounds biblical... but is not! Don't get sucked in by your emotions!

2. Be vigilant about what is coming into your home!

Titus 2:5 uses a word that means working at home/keepers of the home/guard of the home. You are the guarding over what in entering into your domain. What are you letting in? Where is Satan deceiving you? ---TV, movies, books, people, devices, clothing, music, toys... What is the worldview behind them? Remember how Absalom stole the heart of David's people? Don't let “well meaning” and seemingly innocent things come and steal your daughters' hearts.

*Example – what are the roots of Barbie? Did you know she was modeled after a doll sold as an adult novelty in Germany? She was sold in bars, tobacco shops, and adult themed toy stores. Does she portray a model of a polished cornerstone that we want our daughters to emulate?

YOU NEED TO KNOW YOUR ENEMY AND BE EVER SO WATCHFUL AS HE TRIES TO INVADE!!!

3. Have a vision – know why you are doing what you are doing and convey that to your children. This helps protect against legalism where you have the actions without the heart behind it. Why do we learn to read? So we can read God's word. Why do we learn to write? So we can write about God's Word to others. Why do we learn to speak well? So we can accurately tell others about the gospel. Why do we memorize scripture? So we will not sin against God.....

4. Don't underestimate the ability of your kids!

-Matthew Henry learned to read early and was reading the Bible independently at 3 years old.

-The WSC was written for children! Yet we have striven to make it easier and condensed it into just a few words. Our little kids are capable of memorizing it.

-Have your kids memorize scripture – even long passages! Have a systematic review system in place. Every kid is different, but they are capable of a lot! My 7 year old has several chapters and verses memorized... including the entire sermon on the mount.

-Lack of diligence on the parent's end tends to be what limits our children... it isn't their lack of ability.

5. Teach them wholesome songs: The Psalter and Great hymns, set scripture to music

-We all know the power of music. What lyrics do you want flowing through your daughter's mind throughout the day? Truths about God? Or the indoctrinations of man? Don't be fooled into thinking that there isn't an agenda behind things like Disney's “Frozen” and “Let it Go”.

6. Read them Good Literature/ Provide them with Good Literature and Godly heroes/role models.

-Hudson Taylor, John Paton, Gladys Alward, Amy Carmichael, and Elizabeth Elliot are much better role models than Superwoman.

7. Bathe them in prayer and cling to the promises God has given to us in His Word.

This is not easy, it is not for the faint hearted, and it is EXHAUSTING! Sometimes battling Satan feels like the game Whack-a-Mole. You win one victory and he immediately rears his head in another arena. Persevere, Sisters! Each minute spent discipling your daughter is effectively fashioning her to be the polished cornerstone God is calling her to be.

So I'm asking all of you grown women here: Are you polished cornerstones between your families and God? Between your extended and in-law families?

And as mothers, grandmothers, and mentors, are you actively polishing these little daughters in our midst to be palace cornerstones?

Recommended Resources:

Standing on the Promises – Douglas Wilson

With the Children on Sundays – Sylvanus Stall

Knowledge of the Holy – Tozer

The Attributes of God – AW Pink

The Child's Book on Repentance – Thomas Gallaudet

Christian Heroes Then and Now series – Janet and Geoff Benge

Hero Tales – Dave and Neta Jackson

Training Hearts Teaching Minds – Starr Meade

Family Driven Faith – Voddie Bauchum

Shepherding a Child's Heart – Ted Tripp

Leading Little Ones to God – Schoolland

The Ology – Machowski

Large Family Logistics – Brenneman

The Shaping of a Christian Family – Elizabeth Elliot

Truth and Grace Memory Books

Dangerous Journey ---- a beautifully illustrated version of the Pilgrim's Progress

WSC set to music – Holly Dutton

Baby number seven...

I have been blessed with the BEST family and friends!!!! It has been a whirlwind over the past week and a half but as the light at the end of the tunnel shines through, I am able to reflect on God's goodness and provisions, His trials and His mercies, and His steadfast love and faithfulness in answering prayers.

Last week, a major snowstorm was predicted for our area. I love snow storms, but being due with number 7 at any moment, and knowing how fast my labors can progress, we were concerned about baby picking such a weather pattern to make his/her appearance.  When I woke up Monday morning, it was evident that labor was going to happen within the next couple of days. Since the snowstorm was predicted beginning Monday night, we went to the midwife Monday afternoon who checked our progress and non-medically got our labor started at about 6pm.  Based upon past experience, we figured the baby would be born within a few hours and we could make it home before the snow and wind began. However, that was not to be. Overnight my contractions were 10 minutes apart, but lasted a hard 3 minutes each.... ALL NIGHT!  By morning, I was exhausted and only dilated to a 6.  Had I been in a hospital, I would have asked for an epidural and told them to wake me up when the baby got here. But that wasn't an option. The only option was to keep persevering in my exhaustion through transition. My lifesaver was the jetted tub. This was a new experience for me. The hot, jetted bath did wonders for refreshing my body and spirit and fairly quickly got me through the transitional phase and into the ready-to-push phase.

Then there came the pushing. Again, I am not used to having to push. Only on one of my previous 6 did I have to push and she was "sunny side up".  But pushing on this baby wasn't making any progress. Finally, at 10:26 A.M. on February 4th, Ezekiel Jon was born..... yep, he was sunny side up and he was also cock-eyed in my pelvis.  It just goes to show you what a difference mal-positioning makes on labor progress (15 minutes on baby 6 to 15 hours on baby 7)!  Zeke was 19 1/2 inches long and 6#2oz.

God was faithful in answering all of the prayers that went up for the little guy from the beginning of pregnancy through the birth.  We stayed at the birthing center for just a couple of hours before heading home. The snowfall was already significant, but at least the winds hadn't kicked in yet. It was a slow trip home, but we made it without any mishaps.  As you can imagine, we had quite the welcoming party when we got there: 6 older siblings to welcome the new addition home!

He is the perfect little baby, but unfortunately I wasn't able to fully enjoy his first week as I had hoped.

About day 4 I started having a tooth ache on one of my molars (on baby #5 I had the same thing a few days post partum but it got better).  I did salt water rinses, tea tree oil, thieves' oil, and just about every other home remedy I could research. But the toothache only got worse. By Sunday my lower jaw was swollen and it got worse by Monday. I was crying out in pain (FAR WORSE THAN LABOR)! I thought I was dying.  By Monday evening I wanted to die! I started antibiotics ad stronger pain meds Monday night and by Tuesday I was feeling great. The pain was better, even when the pain meds were wearing off, and I could at least enjoy my newborn again!  However, I looked awful as my jaw was swollen to the size of a baseball. My hubby made me go to the dentist (actually he made the appt. and escorted me there... I would not have called or gone as things were improving). The dentist pulled the tooth..... NOT A PLEASANT OR PAINLESS EXPERIENCE... but at least the problem is taken care of and my swelling is back to normal.

So after a whirlwind of a couple of weeks, life is back to normal! As I reflect, again, I'm reminded about the goodness and faithfulness of our God who has blessed us with great family and friends who have stepped up to help out during this craziness! We have been given great meals and lots of help around the house. Our other kids have also been awesome in pitching in when I was not exactly functioning at a high level.

So as we settle in to our "new normal" of seven kids, we dare not forget to worship and praise our Lord who has blessed us far more abundantly than we could ever ask or hope... even and especially in the midst of trials.

Encouraged, Inspired, and Gearing up for the Homeschool Year!!!

Our campsite at family camp...

 We just returned from the "Renewing the Family" camp late last night and I can't say enough great things about it! This was our first year attending and I'm sure it will now become an annual event. It was held at Maranatha Bible Camp in Maxwell, NE and that facility is just amazing. The activities were endless, the weather was beautiful, and the people were so encouraging! It was a breath of fresh air spiritually, emotionally... (not really physically, I think it will take a while to recover from family camp)!

Lets face it, when you have a parcel of kids and embrace intense home discipleship as a means of bringing them up in the training and instruction of the Lord, you are in the minority. When the days get hard, there isn't always another like-minded family around to pray with you and encourage you. It is always such a joy to meet others who have the same convictions (especially those who are further along and have survived the process)! That being said, we do have a great support in our current community, but not everybody is that fortunate. So meeting a lot of other people who have decided to walk this route through life is such a blessing. We realize that we are not as isolated as it seems at face value!

But now that family camp has come and gone, it is time to channel that excitement and energy into getting our school year jump started. Last year, after much prayer about the focus of our time, the Lord impressed 2 Peter 1:5-9 on our hearts and it became our theme. It was such a blessing to have such a great verse to constantly meditate on and strive toward. This year the Lord has given us another theme... it really has gotten a bit comical as to how often this same idea has repeatedly come up! Matthew 6:33 says: "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."  For us, there are so many great things that we try to fit in each week that we end up rushing through stuff, eliminating others, or doing it all and barely surviving.  By the end of the week, we are all exhausted and burnt out! The Lord has been impressing upon me that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom".  Fearing Him means obedience and also seeking Him first. If we are faithful to do that, then He is faithful to do His part. If I am teaching my kids to love the Lord their God with all their hearts, souls, minds, and strength... then I am not failing even if the 6th page of the logic workbook didn't get completed! As we have put this into practice the past several weeks, I am in awe (but not surprised) at how much we are able to accomplish without the stress. God is faithful to His word!

Kezi doing Bible reading at camp.

So this morning, after several late nights, my "flesh" was quite ready to wake the kiddos up early and get a flying start on their studies... rushing through devotions so we could get on to "school". But the Spirit led me in a different manner. I let the kids have a good night's sleep and we had a great family worship time (minus Daddy who had to be to work).  Last year we focused on the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and while we will continually be working and re-working through that book, our focus for the next couple of months is a little book called "The Child's Book on Repentance" by Thomas H. Gallandet (1834). We've been having great discussion times surrounding each chapter culminating with each child making a goal of how they will apply the discussed concept to their life that day. The kids are also working through a precept workbook on James and memorizing James at the same time.  We took time to re-discuss Psalm 110 (which was discussed at camp) and then we sang it. (Psalm singing has been a real treat for us after buying a psalter a year ago, but that is a whole different topic). Again, we didn't rush through this worship time. It was a blessing and the rest of the day has been blessed as a result.  Needless to say, it wasn't 8 a.m. when the kids were done with worship and ready to start daily Bible reading and the rest of their studies.... it is the middle of the afternoon and we are still plugging away on math, book reports, english, reading, etc... The kids are still joyous, diligent, and applying character concepts from our lesson this morning. Was the day successful? You bet it was... after all: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom!

Kaser enjoying the beach. Happy birthday, he turned 1!

 It is amazing that after spending 5 days with a group of like minded families (of which 99.999% of them also homeschool), I only had ONE curriculum discussion! And that mom used the same thing that we are switching to! What a wonderful, sovereign God we serve who divinely crossed our paths! It was a blessing to get tips/tricks from her and get to share some of my own insights as well. Again, what a blessing family camp was.  I'm posting a few of our pictures... enjoy!!

Evening chapel was too much when Kyli skipped her nap!

 There was a cardboard and duct tape boat building contest that we did with another family. Who knew how fun that was going to be. Let me tell you, they built a GREAT boat and it floated for a LONG time, even with two 11 year olds in it!! In fact, it didn't even sink. But FYI... duct tape doesn't really like to stick to cardboard!

 Happy birthday, Kenan!!! He had a birthday at camp too!!

We all enjoyed the sweet shop, that was a fun little hangout (albeit loud)!

Kaser eating Daddy's shake.

Kaleb jumping on the blob.

Kyli having fun swimming!

Kezi on the rocket.

Quiet Time.... When there is no quiet and there is no time?????

I have wrestled about writing this post for several days now; prayed about it, thought about it, mulled over in my mind what I would say and how I would say it. Even now, I’m not anticipating that the words will come easy. And why has writing this post caused me such turmoil? Because I want to make sure that my motives are pure. It would be very easy to write this while standing on my soapbox because the very subject matter is very near and dear to my heart. However, I wanted to make sure that I was motivated by a love for my sisters in Christ before I wrote a word. I want this post to be an encouragement for you to grow in Christ.  So, with that in mind…..

I don’t spend a lot of time doing the “social networking” thing. (Obviously I would have a lot more blog posts if I did…). But there are 2 main blogs that I follow. One of them only posts a couple of times a month, the other posts several times a week, but it takes a minimal amount of time to scan through the information and get on with my day. Anyway, one of the bloggers posted an entry about having a quiet time during this busy, child-rearing time of our lives. By the end of the post, the author had validated about every excuse possible to let busy moms “off the hook” from spending meaningful, intentional time with the Lord and not even feel guilty about it. My take home message was that if I said a quick prayer here and there throughout my day, that was OK because eventually there will be a season where a busy mom would have more time to sit down with the Lord. I read the first several comments on the post and ALL of them were full of thankfulness for the release of the “guilt” they felt for not getting in the quality time with God on a regular basis.  At that point, I thought to myself, “Am I the only one who disagrees with this post???”  So I read it to my husband to get his opinion. He said, “Well, it sounds good, but it isn’t biblical.”  So, all that being said, the blogger did post another entry with some corrections to the previous post.  I’m not posting a link to the blog, because my intention is not to criticize the author at all. But the subject matter in question is the springboard to this subject which I am passionate about.

A couple more disclaimers before I get started. I am not some well-known blogger. Most people that read my blog are friends and family whom I know personally and would consider friends.  In Proverbs 27:6 we are told: Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse and the kisses of an enemy.  We all know that only a true friend is going to speak the truth even if it is going to hurt. The key is to “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15). That being said, I hope these words will be helpful in carving out time in your day with the Lord. And if you are struggling in this area, remember: “a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench” (Matt. 12:20). Although scripture will not “tickle our ears” (2 Tim. 4:3) on this issue, it will provide a light to the path we should be striving towards.  None of us are perfect and even the most devoted disciple will have hills and valleys in his/her walk, but the general picture of our lives should be a whole hearted devotion to the Lord, loving Him with our WHOLE heart, soul, mind, and strength. That kind of devotion requires spending intimate time with Him.

So how do you make a quiet time when there is NO QUIET and there is NO TIME? Let me first say that we have all been given the same 24 hours in each day. People who have a very intimate relationship with the Lord do not have one second more in their day than people who squeeze in an occasional prayer before a meal.  So, there IS time, the better question is “how are you spending your time?” A relationship with the Lord will not come naturally. In fact, until the Spirit causes us to be born again (John 3) our hearts will not be bent towards Him at all.  (We may think that we are seeking him by being a “good” person and being “religious”… but outward “motions” in the absence of  inner change are futile. We must be born again).  But even after we are born again and have received a new heart (Ez. 36:26), many factors work against us conforming to the image of Christ: our sin nature, Satan, our culture, etc…  Trying to cultivate intimacy with Him without being purposeful is as fruitless as trying to run a marathon without intentionally making time to train. It isn’t going to happen. You will not be walking down the road one day and suddenly trip and fall into a deep, personal, growing relationship with your creator.  Hudson Taylor once said (in effect) that Satan will always find something to distract you with, even if it is just adjusting the window blind.  Oh how many times I have sat down to be with the Lord and immediately I’m distracted by the dust I see on the furniture around me! Hudson Taylor’s quote pops in my head quite often and I give myself permission to get to the dusting later!

So first of all, you need to realize that you do have time. We make time for what is important to us. You take time to eat, drink, and sleep so how much more important than these is time with the Lord? Most of us won’t have to cut back on those basic items in order to find time with God (although some may have to). The majority in our culture are filling their days with many things that although may be “good” things (or maybe not), they aren’t the “best” things. We commonly substitute “good” things in place of God’s best for our lives. Take some time to write out (or at least think about) what your days are being filled with and start cutting out those things that aren’t necessary. Some obvious things that come to mind are: TV/movies, internet/email, too many outside activities that keep you away from home several times/week, scrapbooking, too much exercise, video games, facebook, puzzles/games/smart phone apps, talking on the phone,  texting, etc…  Not that any of these things in and of themselves are inherently bad, but if you are finding time for them and not finding time for God, something needs to be cut back.  Even serving and ministry areas need to be evaluated in light of your own personal time with God. Just look at the example of Mary and Martha. Martha was busy serving and was irritated at her sister because Mary chose to sit at our Lord’s feet. Mary was commended by Jesus for choosing the better option. If we aren’t getting our own time at the feet of the Lord, we are serving in vain.  If you are a wife and a mom, your first area of service is to your husband and children (Titus 2:3-5). We are to bring up our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). How can we do that if we do not have a grasp on the discipline and instruction of the Lord ourselves? You can not give what you do not have. You can not teach your child about being a disciple if you aren’t discipled by the Lord yourself. The great commission (Matthew 28:18) is to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. If you are a parent, this begins at home with teaching your children. Again, if you do not have a grasp on the teachings of Christ and the scriptures, how can you teach your children? No, you do not need a seminary degree to learn the scriptures. You just need the Holy Spirit to guide you through them, teaching you bit by bit each day (Isa. 28:10 – For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little). God equips you to carry out His commands. Matt. 6:33 says: Seek ye first the kingdom of God and HIS righteousness, and ALL THESE THINGS will be added unto you. Don’t feel that the task is impossible. God will guide you and equip you. But you need to SEEK HIM FIRST.

I personally believe that your quiet time needs to happen when you first wake up. We are to give the Lord the first fruits of our labors/money and I think that you have a “first fruits” of your time as well. If you have early-rising itty-bitties, you may need to get up 30 minutes earlier. If a child wakes up with you, (you know this will certainly happen)… have a game plan. They can snuggle on your lap and you can pray out loud with them. Read your Bible reading to them. Let them be a part of your confession and thanksgiving time. Another option would be to have a “prayer closet” which is at a minimal distance from your bed enabling you not to disturb any sleepers as you tippy toe to your meeting with the Lord.  Sometimes when I get interrupted in the morning, I continue my study during nap time, play time, (or the older children’s quiet time).  Sometimes my study has to continue after the kids have gone to bed. But, my goal is to have 30-60 minutes before anyone else is awake. If it doesn’t happen, then I go to “plan B”, and if that doesn’t happen then “plan C” is enacted. But NOT having a quiet time is an immoveable pillar (even if it means I lose sleep or a meal).  If you keep quiet time as “optional”, you will opt-out of it more often than not. That is how Satan works. (And there will be a “good excuse” for not having it every time…) Remember, that those days in which we are too busy for God are the days when we most need to get quiet before Him.

There will always be an excuse as to why you can’t have a good, consistent quiet time during a given season of life. Don’t look for an excuse as to why it won’t work for you. Instead, look for a way to make it work. Pray that God would show you how to have time with Him. Ask Him to give you wisdom in overcoming the obstacles (children???) and interruptions.  Ask Him to give you a game plan (A, B, and C) so that you can get intimate time with Him.  He will be faithful in answering your prayer (James 1:5-8) Ask your husband to pray about it too. Better yet, ask him to lead you in this area. Ask him to evaluate your schedule with you to see what needs to be cut out or rearranged. You will soon find that your time with your creator is the most blessed part of your day!

The Joys of Teaching, Working, Playing, Praying, and Serving with your Children

OK, that's a long title just to communicate some of the random things we have been up to lately! First of all, the kids have been studying the 13 original colonies, memorizing them, learning about early colonial life, strife and friendships with the native Americans, the Quakers, the Puritans, pirates, witch trials, etc... and reading some AWESOME living books to solidify their knowledge of this time period. They made a "map" of New England out of different materials and then painted the Atlantic Ocean... Here are some pictures of their work:

 So, we have been busy enjoying our "trial period" of a different curriculum. I'm thinking that we will be making the switch for sure come August.

Our Kezi just had a birthday last weekend (she turned 7). Keilah and Kaleb each made her a present: Kaleb built her a wooden airplane out of some scrap lumber. He sawed and nailed it together all by himself (he designed it too).  Keilah made her a little zippered, lined pouch for putting her toy horses in. I talked her through how to sew it, but she did the work all by herself. Here is a picture of their handiwork: I'm proud of the work that they both did... even though you can't see the fine details in this picture...!

The other thing we have been up to is running! We love being active together as a family, but I thought it would be fun to train for a 5K (the older 3 kiddos and myself). I don't know if we will do an actual, organized race, but we will be trained up for one none-the-less.  Sometimes we train with all of the kids (3 runners and 3 in strollers which means I push the double stroller and Kaleb gets to push the single). Sometimes we go 3.1 miles, sometimes we go 5 miles. Sometimes we run on the road. Sometimes we run trails in the pasture on the hills. At any rate, I'm quite proud of their endurance and heart (even and especially when we are pushing the strollers on the dirt). The best part is sitting down with our water after we are done and talking to each other. I usually tell people that I hate running, but I LOVE how I feel after I run: thankful, refreshed, energized, strong... It is fun to share that feeling with my kids. They are so encouraging to each other during and afterward; it is almost as if running wards off strife! We will probably be ready in a week or two. I'm surprised how quickly the kids have built up their endurance! I would encourage you to get active with your kids: walk, run, bike ride, hike, geocache.... whatever... it is an awesome experience to share and a great way to enjoy God through His creation.  Truth be told, I tried to get my husband to train with us.... He said "no". But he happily volunteered to ride the 4 wheeler with the 3 little ones and carry water for the runners. Isn't he a great husband?

Random Lizard Entertainment!

I am amazed at the amount of time Americans (both adults and children) sit glued to the idiot box (um... TV).  On the average... 40ish hours a WEEK according to the research. I have looked at research from a couple of different sources... and they all pretty much agree. In my opinion... that is just a waste of time. There are so many other ways to spend our time, I don't know why we would choose the "couch potato" route for either ourselves or our children!

Keeping TV viewing at a bare minimum allows our children to use their imaginations and I love to see the latest "game" they have created... which I'm briefly sharing about right now....
Lizard hunting!

Items needed:
a plastic lizard (or other type of toy)
nerf gun
nerf bullets

and a place to adhere the lizard....

I'm not sure who came up with the idea for this very entertaining game... but it really is addicting! We placed the lizard in a grout line of our fire place and took turns shooting at him with the single shot nerf pistol. (Which, by the way, is not sighted in very accurately). I think that if you had a nerf gun that held more than one bullet at a time, you would be more successful. But we use what we have... right??? Anyway, the first to knock down the lizard wins...

Just so you know... Mommy is currently the lizard hunting champion!  This has been great fun and the kids have added in more "targets": a plastic coyote and a Diego figurine.  What silly game does your family like to play?

Family Time Picks for January and February

A.W. Pink once said: "The Bible is not designed for lazy people.  Truth has to be bought (Prov. 23:23), but the slothful and worldly minded are not willing to pay the price required. That "price" is intimated in Proverbs 2:1-5: there must be a diligent applying of the heart, a crying after knowledge, a seeking for an apprehension of spiritual things with the ardour and determination that men employ when seeking for silver; and a searching for a deeper and fuller knowledge of the truth such as men put forth when searching for hid treasures - persevering until their quest is successful - if we would really understand the things of God.  Those who complain that these articles are "too difficult" or "too deep" for them, do but betray the sad state of their souls and reveal how little they really value the truth; otherwise they would ask God to enable them to concentrate, and reread these pages perseveringly until they made their contents their own.  People are willing to work and study hard and long to master one of the arts or sciences, but where spiritual and eternal things are concerned it is usually otherwise."

How true his words were and very much still are today. How many times have I been told: "I've gone as deep as I want to go," or "I don't have time to read the Bible," or "I have other things I have to do," or "Look at all the ministry things I do and how I serve at church... that is how I serve God", or how many people simply read the Bible without meditating on its truths or even think about what it means to apply it to their life? Today's culture has lost the love of simply being alone with God and seeking Him.

Does it take time? Yes. Does it take discipline and determination? Yes. Is it worth it? Absolutely. Is the wisdom gained worth as much as gold and silver? It is worth much more!  Sadly, convincing others of that truth is not easy. Even though (as the western church) we say we are christians, where we we prioritize our time paints a much different picture. Statistically we are spending 40+ hours a week watching TV (and that doesn't include the time spent on the web, playing video games, reading novels, sports, etc...). Jesus takes a back seat to our other priorities. Where our time and money is... there is where our hearts are.

We want our children to grow up with the mind of Christ, with a insatiable love for the Word of God, with a love FOR God which translates into habitually spending time with Him, meditating on and memorizing His word. We want them to see the world how God sees it, to love people how Christ loves people, and to humbly serve Him with their lives. We want them to know about and study the great minds and missionaries of the past (Baxter, Bunyan, Bradford, and the puritans, Edwards, Calvin, Waldo, McCheyne, Murray, Augustine, Brother Andrew, Brother Yun, Mueller, and countless more). We want to teach them to work hard, study hard, and to be men and women of virtue. We want to pass the truths of the faith on to them through a lifestyle of discipleship which is what we see illustrated in Deuteronomy 6:4-9. Home schooling Discipleship allows us to pour our time into our children, molding them, training them, teaching them, and demonstrating the love of Christ to them.

Do we struggle and fail? Epically and every day. We constantly have to repent and seek forgiveness from our children and our Lord as He sheds light on our shortcomings. We constantly "examine ourselves" to make sure we are in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5). But is that an excuse to give up? No. Is it hard? Yes. Is it exhausting? Yes. Is it worth it? Yes! Do we have it all figured out? No we do not. With much prayer we seek to know how to raise our children in this manner as we plow through this unbroken ground hoping to pave a family legacy for generations to come. We read books and follow blogs by others who had this vision. We seek other families and listen to teachings from Godly men who are leading their families, pouring into their children, and washing their wives with the water of the word. But we also thank God for the resources that are available to us. Especially, because in the eyes of this culture (and EVEN in the eyes of the typical western church) we are extremists who "take the Word too far.."  Our "friends", family members, acquaintances, and even those within the typical church see us as that family: You know, the weird, unsocialized homeschoolers who eat weird, take the Bible too seriously, have a ba-jillion kids, reject dating and encourage courtship, make-people-want-to-sin, etc... you know.... we are THAT family. So to have a community of believers who have the same vision is invaluable!

But while we are serious about God's Word and giving them a Biblical worldview, it does not mean that it is a "dry" and super-serious undertaking that bores our kids to death... quite the opposite. There is so much wonderful, biblically-founded media out there and we are always looking for more things to learn from. But finding a place to start can be overwhelming, so I wanted to share some things that have blessed our family time so far this year! We are fortunate to have resources available to help immerse our family in the truth of God's Word and the application of it to everyday life! These resources have been so fun the last several weeks, and while we don't do them ALL EVERYDAY, we have routinely used all of them the past couple of months.

Balancing the Sword - This is a 2 volume set that gives questions/answers for every chapter of the Bible. It is filled with awesome illustrations and quotations from a variety of Christ followers of old. We use it to ask the kids questions about their daily Bible readings from their chronological reading plan and their monthly Proverbs reading plan.

Trial and Triumph - This is a book with several biographies of people in church history. It has been a great family read-a-long spurring many great discussions. From Peter Waldo, Augustine, Anselm, Bunyan, St. Patrick, etc. there are 46 biographies and you are sure to learn a lot!


Dangerous Journey - This is a great retelling of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress with AWESOME illustrations! Another great read-a-long stirring great family discussions!

How A Spider Saved A Man's Life and 51 Other Spurgeon Stories - We love C. H. Spurgeon and this little, fun book of children's stories is just great! They are concise, interesting, and keep our kids wanting us to read several at a sitting. There are great lessons to be learned from each story.  There is also a 2nd volume by the same author that we will definitely be getting!

The Peleg Chronicles - This series of 3 books is set in post-Babel times where paganism abounds. But there are some who still believe in Noah's God! The Bible speaks of huge beasts and giant people... what would it have been like to live back then??? Join us in reading about dwarfs, dragons, giants, and the faithfulness of a few in this series. These novels are packed with scripture and action. My 10 year old and I are reading them now. My 7 year old will begin soon. We are loving this series!

How to Disciple Your Family - a 200 Year Plan - I got my husband this DVD series for Christmas and we are carefully working through it. It has been great in giving us a model for family discipleship, prayer points for our kids and generations to come, a family catechism, etc... Doug Phillips and Geoffry Botkin are the presenters on the DVD's. Both of them are great teachers and examples of fathers who are raising godly children. I would definitely recommend this series (and almost anything that Vision Forum sells)!

The Kingdom Series - Wow... what can I even say about this series to do it justice? This is a series of 6 books (we purchased the audiobook version) that is a medieval parallel to the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Be sure to click on the link to read more about the plot... but I highly recommend this! The audio (drama) books are SOOOOOO well done! Because our family tends to spend a lot of time on the road, we listen to it in the truck during our hour long trips between here and out west. The story has ALL of us captivated and sitting on the edge of our seats! It is really worth the money! I love how the audiobook allows us all to enjoy it together! Even our 2 year old begs us to turn it on!

Well, there you have it! These are the resources that are blessing us at the moment! What are your family's favorites????