Another contest

So, in order to get my name in a draw for a free pass to an online homeschool conference, I have to link to Amy’s Humble Musings and her post about the contest.

Now I have to head over there myself and leave her a recipe or pep talk, Bible verse that is not from Psalms and the link back here so I can have my name in three times.  Amy likes to make you work for your chance at freebies.

{You can also enter a draw over at Preschoolers and Peace and Kendra doesn’t make you work so hard for your entry.  But she also only gives you one entry.  So visit both blogs and get your name in four times!}

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BRF: 1 Samuel 1 – 10

I’ve been reading along. I’m not keeping up, as you can see, but I am reading along. I’m finding it slow going, which frustrates me a bit, since it’s a straight narrative and not sorting through doctrine like we do in the epistles. I’m going to blame it on sickness, tiredness and busyness. Like everyone else, we’ve had our share of them in the past month.

I’m home from church this morning. My littlest man and I are having trouble shaking this latest virus and my husband thought it would be best if we stayed put. I’m glad he did. I would have pushed myself to go and the whole congregation would have wondered what beautiful germs I was spewing through the building every time I coughed. (We had to make a trip to the city yesterday for a piano competition and we did some shopping afterwards. The kids had birthday, lawn-mowing and babysitting money burning holes in their pockets, you know. When we got home they all agreed that although they are sorry I have a cough, it came in handy in those big stores. I guess I was easy to find.) So I’m going to take advantage of the last few quiet minutes before the crew returns and keep my promise to my sister to get something posted before the weekend was out.

Back to 1 Samuel.

Like I said, I’m getting bogged down. This will probably be a more-questions-than-answers kind of review. That’s great, as long as I discipline myself to keep looking for the answers!

First of all, aren’t you glad that you aren’t in a polygamous marriage? And aren’t you sad that we women can be so mean to each other? The Hannah and Peninnah story breaks my heart. I feel for both of them. If my understanding of OT marriages is correct, neither wife had much say in the situation.

Peninnah knew she was only there to produce children. Life would be pretty tough with a husband who puts clothes on your back and food on your table but obviously prefers his other wife. I don’t condone her actions, but I do think I can get a feel for what drove her to them. When we are sadly lacking in one area it is very tempting to taunt and flaunt what we do have.

Hannah had Elkanah’s love, but no children. I don’t know what it is to be childless unwillingly, and I don’t have to deal with the pressure of a culture that places your ability to produce children above everything else, but I do know what it is to want a child and believe yourself unable to do so. I have spent years crying along with Hannah and praying for God to work in my situation.

So God answered Hannah’s prayer and Hannah kept her promise. I don’t know how Hannah did what she did. How do you give up your child? Did she know how poorly the priest had done raising his own boys? I’m really not sure she did the right thing, but what is obvious is that God used it. That’s comforting to me, because I of all people know that I have not done, do not do, and never will always do the right thing. God can and will still use me and my bungled attempts to show Him how much I want to honour Him.

I’m not saying Hannah did the wrong thing. I’m saying I don’t know. Whether it was right or wrong, she trusted God and did the best she could with what she had. There are so many situations in my own past where I can look back and know that given the same set of circumstances now, I would handle it differently. But the truth is, I did what I could with what I knew at the time, and it was the best I had to give. We always need to be growing and learning, don’t we?

Reading about Eli’s sons makes me all the more determined to raise my kids well. I trust the Lord that if I train ’em up in the way they should go, when they are old they will not depart from it. How sad for Eli to see his sons as grown men living such blasphemous lives.

Reading about the ark of the covenant made me realize I have no sweet clue what the ark was all about. God told them not to worship a graven image, then He gave them the ark, and it seems to me like the people sort of worshipped it. You know, if the team mascot is stolen the game won’t go well kind-of-thing. I have some study to do in that regard.

Reading about Saul showed me that I knew the end of his story, but not the beginning. It’s very sobering to read of such a great start when you already know the dismal end. A good reminder for me. Starting well isn’t enough. I need to finish well.

I loved the part about God changing Saul’s heart. All of this OT reading is showing me how wrong I’ve been to always think of the Old Testament as works, works, works and the New Testament as the glorious age of grace. All those sacrifices and rules were still only the outward manifestation of the work God had already done inside. Very cool.

I loved how everyone who knew Saul saw the change in him immediately and was amazed. It wasn’t that he was such a bad guy before – he was a choice and handsome son – but when God changes your heart, it’s obvious. You’re a new creation. The change was so great that it even inspired a new expression among the people. Can’t you just hear the townspeople years later when something incredible happened: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” Kind of like us saying, “well, if that don’t beat all!”

That’s it for this time. The gang’s all here, lunch is ready to come out of the oven, and I have to get on with my day.

{I’m adding one more thought. The last verse I’ve read so far says that there were a few people who weren’t happy with God’s choice for their king. They despised Saul from the get-go. Some people just won’t be pleased. Sad, isn’t it? God was their king, but they rejected Him because they wanted a flesh and bones leader that they could see. So God gave them the desires of their hearts and it would bring leanness to their souls. Another good reminder for me – it’s always better to want what God wants. Sounds obvious, but we miss it so often.}

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Just read it.

You’ve probably noticed that I’ve pretty much given up blogging. I have lots to say, but I also have lots of other things to do first. Priorities, you know. If I ever get around to getting this computer fixed, I hope to get back to the fun, daily, picture-filled posts I started out writing. I hope.

In the meantime, you need to go read what my sister wrote today.

If I thought it was just her opinion, I wouldn’t get so excited about it. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and all that. But I think, no, I KNOW she’s on to something big.

Seriously, you need to read it. And if you get annoyed, dig out your Bible and see if it’s true. It might take a while: days, months even – there’s a lot of Bible to study, isn’t there? – but if you’re annoyed enough, you might be willing to do it.

And that’s a good thing.

Just read it.

{I can’t tell on my computer whether those links are working or not. If they don’t take you to watchthesky.wordpress.com, just copy and paste and get there yourself.}

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Morning

PSALM 30
I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.
LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.
I cried to thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication.
What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?
Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.
Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

Things are much better around here. Thank you so much for the caring comments and emails sent my way after my Easter post. I thought you’d be glad to hear that along with that HOPE, I’ve been feeling a little JOY and VICTORY in recent days.

More later. My computer is crippled and slow, and the days are just packed ~ no time for longer posts today. It’s planting season, you know! Today, our peas are in. How exciting is that?

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Easter Hope

It is early Easter morning, and my boys are bouncing around in their room, waiting to be allowed out to find some not-so-carefully-hidden chocolate eggs. My daughter is far more able to control her excitement, and is probably reading in her room. My husband is probably trying very hard to get a few more minutes of precious sleep.

Easter ~ the holiday on which we celebrate Christ’s resurrection. A day of joy, victory and hope.

These past three months may have been the most difficult of my life. Then again, they may seem like the most difficult because they are the most fresh in my mind. This week I managed to have my whole local family over for a birthday party, served homemade pizza and welcomed everyone to a neat main floor (we won’t discuss the downstairs for a week or two yet) and a clean bathroom. That is huge, folks. I spent the three following days feeling miserable again for overdoing it, but I can’t tell you how good it felt to be able to pull off one meal again.

This winter of 2008 has not been characterized by joy or victory. What may not be evident to anyone but me, however, is the fact that HOPE has been there every step of the way. It is HOPE alone that has pulled me through. Christ faced my sin and separation from His Father in order to give me that HOPE.

When the Bible talks about HOPE, it is not exactly what we know as hope today. Biblical HOPE is not looking forward to something and wanting it to happen but doubting whether it will happen (I hope it doesn’t rain on the day of the picnic). The HOPE that Christ offers us is a confident, doctrinally founded belief that God will do as He has promised.

It is this HOPE that has seen me through some very hard times. Times that became days (and weeks, no doubt) without reading my Bible, without praying, without joy and victory. Dark days with a constant undercurrent of HOPE: my confident belief that God has brought me to this place for a purpose and that He will bring me through, the knowledge that someday I will be free from this sin-cursed body and my own willful choices. This too shall pass.

And so, this morning I will go with my family to church, and celebrate the resurrection. I’m glad I am the pianist for the service, because I doubt if I’ll be able to sing the hymns. The truths of those beautiful old songs find their way straight to that raw place in me that is still struggling and not quite through yet. I may be less joyful this year, but I will be more thankful than ever: Christ’s HOPE is certainly real to me today.

Happy Easter.

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A contest I can’t resist

(I hope I win, I hope I win, I hope I win… said with hands clasped and pleading eyes)

Rosetta Stone has been the #1 foreign language curriculum among homeschoolers for a while — next week they are unleashing a brand new curriculum, and you can WIN the *all new* Rosetta Stone Homeschool Version 3… FOR FREE! 

This is a $219 program (and believe me it’s worth every penny!) and the winner gets to pick from any of these 14 languages: Spanish (Spain or Latin America), English (American or British), Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Irish, Hebrew, or Russian.
This will also include a headset with microphone, and students will participate in lifelike conversations and actually produce language to advance through the program.  Rosetta Stone still incorporates listening, reading and writing as well, in addition to speaking.  Many homeschoolers requested grammar and vocabulary exercises, and with Rosetta Stone Homeschool Version 3, they’re included!  For parents, the new Parent Administrative Tools are integrated into the program and allow parents to easily enroll students in any of 12 predetermined lesson plans, monitor student progress, and view and print reports. 
 
To win this most excellent program — in the language of your choice — copy these paragraphs and post it in (or as) your next blog post — then to enter the contest, go to the original contest page HERE: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JenIG/501132/  and leave a comment with the link showing where you blogged about it.  And please make sure the link works to get back to the original contest page when you post it.  And good luck!  The winner will be picked randomly on March 26, and will be notified thru the link they left to their blog pg.   And if you have more than one blog, you can post them and enter those separately for more chances to win.   Yay for free stuff!

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Hymns of Faith

We’ve all been moved, challenged, motivated, comforted by the words of a hymn. Yesterday I read two that made me laugh out loud. It is so true that “a merry heart doeth good like a medicine”, and that laugh made my day. I thought I’d share the two hymns with you.

My two oldest had read a history lesson on Habakkuk, and for an assignment had to write their own version of Habakkuk’s hymn of faith, found in Habakkuk 3:17-19. I thought I’d share them with you. If you know my kids, you won’t have any trouble guessing who wrote what.

Here they are:

A Mom’s Hymn of Faith

Though the kids keep gettin’ badder,
And the baby cry all day;
Though the wrinkles start appearing,
And the brown hair fade to gray;

Though the bills just keep on pilin’,
And the toilet overflow;
Yet I will joy in You, O LORD,
My Salvation: this I know.

The Lord God is my strength,
He will make my feet like deer’s.
He will make me walk on high hills,
And rest my cares and fears.

Habakkuk 3:17 – 18
Although the rabbits push aside snares,
and the van once again breaks down at {the meat market}.
the cat throws up in the hall,
and {little brother} pees his pants.
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

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A mind to work

I was excited when I saw that the next Book Review Friday assignment is Nehemiah. One of my favourite verses comes from that book: “So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.” (4:6) I love to talk about work, plan work projects, read about how other people are teaching their children to work. It’s the actual work itself that I have trouble with.

It’s been a rough go here at Seven Meadows for the last, oh, about 7 weeks. Well, actually, I could probably go back to October or so, when my annual Christmas panic and subsequent inability to do anything productive set in. But for the sake of the topic at hand, I will focus on the last two months or so.

The first trimester of pregnancy can be a very difficult time. I find the nausea a little more manageable this time, but I am more exhausted than I have ever been in my life. I have a lot more to manage this time: I have older kids getting behind in their older schoolwork because I’m not up to planning and correcting, a toddler who requires constant supervision, and an almost thirty-eight-year-old body which is constantly reminding me that pregnancy is a whole lot different now than when I was twenty-something.

To top it all off, we are just on the other side of that horrible virus from which all of North America seems to be recovering. I’ve just spent five days trying not to cry. Six people with diarrhea + one pregnant woman + one bathroom. Somehow we survived.

All that to say.

It’s been rough. We have been in survival mode. It is when we have to go into survival mode that we find out what we’re made of and what we aren’t made of. In the past, these downtimes have always left me somewhat encouraged because my kids rose to meet the challenge. Let’s just say that this time around, the challenge is getting old and the response has been somewhat sub-par. I’ve been a little concerned (to say the least) about the work ethic and quality standards I’ve been observing. I have obviously let some important things slide. Mr. Man, do we have work to do.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to chat with a lady who really enjoys my sister’s blog. She made a comment that made me laugh heartily on the inside, and I wish my sister had been there to hear it. This lady has enjoyed reading about our recent acquisition, #59, and said that she’d like to take her kids over to my sister’s place for a few days so they could learn how to work.

Good one! Guess what? My sister’s kids don’t know how to work, either. (And yes, I have her permission to say that.) That’s part of the reason why she and her husband are more than willing to take on new responsibilities like a big garden, an old home that needs repair, laying hens and the family cow that will add to their daily workload significantly. They give their children chores to do, not because they have already proven themselves capable, but in the hopes that someday they will. We learn to work by working. And for some of us, it takes our whole lives!

I’ve written plenty about what I expect from my kids. Please don’t ever assume that my kids are good workers because I’m expecting them to pull their weight. I’m expecting them to pull their weight in the desperate attempt to make good workers out of them someday. Someday way, way in the future. The more I talk to older moms, the more I get the feeling that it’s going to be a good eighteen years of blood, sweat and tears and then the rest of my life praying, but I believe that if we lay a good groundwork now (a la Proverbs 22:6 and Deuteronomy 6), some happy day I will be pleasantly surprised that my kids turned out okay after all.

So we are in training. I envy my sister her big garden (we’ll try to remedy that this year), her chickens and cow, and her husband’s work schedule that allows him to spend more time teaching their boys boy things. My husband is a great father and I am thankful for his sales job, but he does have to be more creative (and self-sacrificing) with his off time in order to spend enough time with our boys.

And guess what else? We don’t do it because we’re saints and it comes naturally to us. We do it because we’re not and it doesn’t. We’re selfish and we’d rather spend our time doing what we want, and don’t think for a minute we don’t have our share of pity parties over it. In training up our kids, we are training up ourselves. We’re learning to raise these kids the way that honors God and asking Him to make us content in that, and we hope to accomplish the same things in us as in our kids: we are learning to have a mind to work, to live the way God intended.

These are the things I have to remind myself of several times each day, when I’m tired, when I’m nauseous, when it seems like we’ve lost too much ground, when I want to give up. Do I make it sound like raising a large family is all grief, struggle and sorrow?  It’s not. Like anything worthwhile, it has its challenges, but the joys far outweigh the growing pains.  Yes, it’s hard, but it’s worth it.

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When words escape me

If you know me well, you might think that never happens. I certainly have plenty to say. Then again, if you only know me a little bit, you might be thinking, “What else is new?” I’m not much of a conversationalist in public places these days. When I’m trying desperately to be friendly and chat with someone I’d like to get to know, I always come away kicking myself for not being able to think of a single interesting or relevant thing to say. Give me two hours and a coffee and I’d warm up real well, or put a keyboard under my fingers and I can’t seem to shut up.

There have been many times in the last ten years when I bring myself before God and have nothing to say. I know I should pray, but the words escape me.

Sometimes it has been because I have coasted into a place of numbness and indifference and I can’t bring myself to even care.

Other times it is because I know the mountain I face is far, far beyond my ability and I cower in fear and uncertainty, unable to put my thoughts into words.

There are also those seasons where I have so much to bring before the Lord, so many diverse areas of this complicated life, and I know exactly what to pray for but the vastness of it all overwhelms me and I don’t know where to begin.

These are the times when I pray Matthew 6:9-13. I memorized The Lord’s Prayer as a child, and have never forgotten it. Helping my children memorize it for Sunday School, Awana, Vacation Bible School over the years, and listening to it put to music by one of my favourite groups have helped to keep it fresh these three decades later.

When I pray it, I say it slowly. Not to make a chant out of it or to dramatize it and make it an experience thing, but in order to concentrate on it, study it, and understand what it really means.

The Lord Jesus Christ didn’t tell us to pray this way so that we’d have a magic prayer in our pocket, and we’d know that if we said the right words in the right way, everything would work out just fine. Sadly, I know that’s how I’ve treated prayer far too often.

By praying this way, I’m not just repeating a bunch of words. I’m learning by doing, and as I pray in obedience “the Spirit itself maketh intercession” for me when I don’t even know where to begin. Romans 8:26

I have been amazed at how this scripture has come alive through the long nights of reciting, concentrating, being still and knowing that He is God. He teaches me through this prayer, and I know Him a little better for praying it.

I have felt the numbness subside just enough to give me hope, to see a small but bright light at the end of the tunnel, and to make me want to care.

I have been comforted by the assurance that God is in control and able to handle any situation or decision He brings my way. I have been given direction and answers and strength for the next step.

I have been reminded that no matter how complicated my life seems, God has a plan and a purpose and if I live according to His principles, relying on His strength, it will all work out just fine (eventually). Not because I said the magic words, but because He is God, and His will will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

He has helped me to focus and find the source of the problems that overwhelm me, rather than running around putting out fires.

I had intended to share some of the specific things God has shown me through this prayer, but I think I’ll save that for another post. In the meantime, if you find yourself before the Lord with nothing to say, turn to The Lord’s Prayer and ask Him to teach you how to pray. He will. He’s always faithful. Aren’t you glad?

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Fear, Part I

Our pastor preached a hum-dinger of a message tonight. (That is nothing unusual. We are blessed with excellent Biblical teaching at our church.)

His message gave my kids a good scare. He taught from Ephesians 6, a timely message on spiritual warfare, and shared some personal experiences he has had with facing demonic activity. My second youngest said he was sure he would have bad dreams tonight, and a couple of other little heads nodded as if they wanted to say the same thing but were afraid to say so.

The world seems to have forgotten what Satan is: he is either worshipped or laughed at. I’m sure he prefers the worship, but I doubt if he minds being thought of as an imaginary bad guy. Those who bow down to him know his power and actively seek its influence and demonstration in their lives. Those who shrug him off as the figment of over-active imaginations unwittingly invite his influence and power by default.

We are very careful what we allow in our home, more careful than most and probably not as careful as we should be. Our kids don’t read the books, watch the movies, play the games (and who knows what else) that most kids their age are “into”. We brought a book home from the library the other day, grabbed in haste as we gathered up our stack of books and someone realized he had spent the whole time reading one book and had nothing chosen to bring home. It was a cartoon book and the cover was such that I was not surprised it attracted the interest of a young boy. I didn’t notice it in the pile until we got home and I had a look through it before it went into our library book basket in the living room.

I am here to tell you. It was VILE. It was violent and graphic. It was demonic and I am sick to my stomach at the memory of it. AND IT WAS IN THE CHILDREN’S SECTION OF OUR LOCAL SMALL-TOWN LIBRARY. I wasn’t long hopping in the van and dropping it in the library’s return slot, and I’ll be stopping in tomorrow to express my disappointment and concern that such a book was found in such a place.

We are even careful what “Christian” media our kids enjoy. I look over everything they bring home, even from the church library. Pretty sad what constitutes Christian literature and entertainment these days. Does no one read the Bible anymore?

I’m not sorry my kids heard my pastor’s message tonight. I’m not sorry that they were scared; they should have been frightened at what they heard. What a good talk we had, all curled up in jammies and blankets, before they went to bed. The demons in the Pastor’s stories made their presence known because they were invited to, in one instance by someone who knew exactly what she was doing, and in the other instance by someone who probably knew better but didn’t really understand that she was playing with fire. My kids now have a better appreciation for why we are so careful. We can allow Satan’s influence in our lives without making a conscious choice to do so. The more we study God’s Word, the more we see Satan’s hand at work everywhere. He is busy. He knows his time grows short. The good news is that Satan only has the power that God permits him, and he has no power over those of us who have placed our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ unless we invite him in. He has no power over Seven Meadows, praise God!

It’s all part of training them up in the way they should go. We are doing our best to teach our kids to be discerning and to not give Satan a foothold in their lives. We are learning the same lesson ourselves, and in some ways are just a few steps ahead of them. I talked months ago about our decision to get rid of the tv. Well, we didn’t. We don’t watch it very much. Hardly ever, in fact. And we have a few pet movies that we love, as well as our Moody Science Videos (a fantastic set, a great way to show your kids that God and science are irreconcilable) which we wouldn’t be able to watch without a tv.

This weekend my husband thought of something we’d never thought of before, a solution that will allow us to watch our (very clean) videos and protect us from the temptation to turn our brains off and sit and watch the filth that Satan is happy to pour into our brains. We packed away the rabbit ears. We haven’t had cable for years, and without the rabbit ears we don’t even get one station. Good-bye, tv!

Tonight I reminded the kids of another time when they were sure they were going to have bad dreams. We were visiting Woodleigh Replicas and when we entered the door of a castle, a husband was downstairs in the dungeon making spooky sounds in an attempt to scare his wife. I don’t think his wife was spooked, but my kids sure were! Back in the hotel room, with three little sets of eyes round with fear staring back at me, I suggested that we pray and ask God to keep the bad dreams away that night. It was a step of faith even for me. It didn’t take much to bring on the bad dreams back then.

We prayed, we slept, and no one made a peep until morning. How good God is!

And so we are trusting God to keep us safe and secure tonight. I reminded my kids of Psalm 91:9-11:

Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.

I told them to picture angels all around the perimeter of our property, standing shoulder to shoulder and armed with the power of God. Very cool.

I thought that it might be helpful to sing a song and asked if anyone could think of one that they would like to sing. My second youngest, looking a little less frightened now, suggested Number Two. We sang Number Two, and I was pleased to find that we knew three verses by heart. Probably not one I would have thought of, but as we sang I thought it an excellent choice.

O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works Thy hands have made.
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy power through-out the universe displayed.

When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin:

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

We find much in this life to fear, but we have a great God who promises peace, safety and security and a future hope to those who will place their trust in Him. Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world! How great He is! That was a welcome reminder in my house tonight.

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