Brrrrrrr... (well, sort of)

How do you know you live in Florida? When it's 62 degrees out and your children are dressed like this!

Our Father, who art in Heaven...

For the past few Wednesday nights, our Program Director at the Salvation Army has been going over the Lord's Prayer with the children who attend our Corps. Last week, after reading the first line of the prayer, one little girl (age 9) turned around and quietly asked, "Miss Sherrie, what is Heaven?"

Amazing.

In the year 2010, in the United States of America, we have grade school children who have no idea what Heaven is, let alone the good news of how they can get there. But thankfully after last Wednesday night, there is now one more who does. :-)

Changes

Hello! It's been awhile since I've posted anything here on my blog, but be assured it's been for good reason. You see, over the past few months the Lord has been busy turning our family's world upside down. Oh not in a bad way, but rather in an amazingly wonderful way.

I've shared with you in previous posts how our family fellowships and serves at our local Salvation Army Corps. It's been our church home for the last 5 years. Well, much to our surprise, my husband and I were asked if we would consider coming on staff as Mission Specialists. This position is primarily evangelistic in nature, ministering God's Word to those residing in our social services facilities. In faith Jay and I have agreed to accept this awesome responsibility.

We are continuing to homeschool, so please pray for wisdom and endurance as we serve our family, our church body and our community. I look forward to sharing with you the wonderful (and challenging) things the Lord will bring into our lives.

God Bless!

Forever Young?

I have discovered yet another reason why I love teaching children's Sunday School. It is my students' inability to determine an adult's true age.
After class yesterday, one of my 3rd grade boys asked me, "Miss Sherrie, how old are you?"
"44," I responded.
With a puzzled look on his face he said, "Wow, I thought you were 26."
Gotta love it.

Hiding God's Word in our Hearts

For the past three years our family has been memorizing Scripture verses following the Simply Charlotte Mason Scripture Memory System, and what a blessing it has been. Recently however, the Lord has placed on my heart a strong desire to begin memorizing much larger portions of Scripture (books even) in their entirety. I was particularly inspired by Ryan Ferguson and others like him.

This upcoming homeschool year we will be studying the Gospels. So to coincide with these studies, we have decided to memorize Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7. (Actually, we started memorizing it this week to get a jump start on it!) Memorizing two verses a week, we hope to have it completed in a year.

Here's the interesting part, and what convinces me this is of the Lord...we have never been so excited about Scripture memory as we are with this project. In fact, we find ourselves practicing our verses throughout the day with real enthusiasm, and without any prompting. This has never happened before.

I truly believe this is a turning point in our lives that will draw us even closer to the Lord, and I am excited about it.

Another benefit to homeschooling...

floating libraries!

Almost There!

After a longer than expected hike with some friends the other day, I overheard one of the moms telling her 3 year old son, "Don't stop now, we're almost there!" And she was right, we were almost there. But I can assure you that "almost there" from our perspective was a much shorter distance than it was for her young son, whose tiny legs had gone just about as far as they could go!

Watching her little one struggle to the end of the trail reminded me of how it sometimes feels on this journey toward Heaven. To me, the trip often times seems longer than expected, and I don't feel I can go any further. But from the Lord's perspective, I know it's just a hop, skip, and a jump to the finish line. Thankfully it is in these times that I hear Him lovingly whisper in my ear, "Don't stop now. You're almost there!"

A Picnic to Remember

Today we went to the state park with our homeschool group. As our girls and I headed toward the picnic tables where our group was located, we were met on the path by a young woman who was severely handicapped, both mentally and physically. I did not realize the extent of her deformities, however, until she turned and fully faced me. The sight of her mangled and partially amputated body literally took my breath away. Trying very hard not to show my anguish over her physical condition, I smiled and stopped to greet her. Unfortunately, she could not speak.

I looked to see who was caring for this precious lady, and there, to my right, was a middle-aged woman preparing a lovely picnic for another 4 or 5 severely handicapped individuals. She was their caretaker for the afternoon, and was treating them to a lovely time at the park. What a beautiful servant of God. I found myself staring at her in amazement, as though I were looking at an angel in disguise, a beautiful picture of God's mercy and compassion.

Tonight, I regret not stopping and talking with this woman. I would have loved to hear her story, but something tells me I will get the chance in Heaven.

Farewell Cable TV

A couple of weeks ago, our family made the joint decision to disconnect our cable TV service. (Yes, you read that correctly - no more cable.) We don't watch much television, but for the times that we do, we all agreed our time could be better spent.

So, we contacted the cable company and were assured it would be disconnected promptly. However, a week went by and we still had cable TV. Maybe they had forgotten to cancel it. But no, the new cable bill reflected a substantial discount from our cancelling it. Bottom line...someone had forgotten to physically turn our service off and we now had free cable. Satan works in clever ways.

I decided to call the cable company to tell them of their mistake. After telling the sales associate our situation, she became very quiet on the other end. (You know she was thinking what a nutcase I was for bringing such a mistake to light.) After a few moments, I decided to break the silence by saying, "I know, I know... but when God tells you to do something, you better do it."
"Yep, I guess so," was all she could say.

They'll be here tomorrow to disconnect the line, and you know what? I'm actually looking forward to it.

Drawing Near the Thick Darkness

"Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking,and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. Then they said to Moses,"You speak with us, and we will hear, but let not God speak with us, lest we die." And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid, for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin." So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was." Exodus 20:18-21

While reading Scripture last night, this particular passage caught my attention. It made me think of all the times I have stood trembling at the foothills of a frightening "storm" in my life, terrified that the "thunderings and lightning flashes" would consume me. Just like the Israelites, I wasn't sure I was willing to endure the scary stuff just to have an intimate experience with the Creator of the Universe. I mean, what if getting closer to God meant losing someone I loved, losing my health, losing my job, or losing my marriage...these were all major "storms" that frightened me. But I am learning as Moses says, not to be afraid of such storms.

For we see in this passage that God does not bring trials into our lives to destroy us, but rather to test us, and teach us to reverently fear Him so that we may not sin. These are crucial elements in the life of any believer. Crucial elements that draw us closer to our Maker.

So I have purposed the last few years to stop resisting the trials in my life as the Israelites did, and model my behavior after Moses, boldly drawing near the thick darkness, fully confident that God will meet me there.

Spiritual Slide Shows

You know the feeling you get when you sense that others don't appreciate your vacation photos quite as much as you do? Where maybe you've just returned from this amazingly incredible trip, and the only thing friends seem capable of saying is, "Gee, looks like you had a nice time." And you think to yourself, "A nice time?! Are you kidding me? It was sensational! Can't you see from my pictures how great it was?!"

I think the same frustration can sometimes hold true when trying to share with others the incredible things the Lord is doing in our lives. We may find our words (like vacation photographs) falling painfully short of the actual experience, and folks around us merely nodding their heads in polite agreement. It's like showing a spiritual slide show that no one but you is really interested in. We expect others will jump up and down with excitement upon hearing the news of our spiritual revelations, but they don't. For they did not experience the lesson as we have.

It is in these times that we should remember that just as all vacation photos need not be shared, not all spiritual lessons need to be proclaimed from the rooftops. There are many lessons the Lord intends for us to treasure privately. For example, this week there was an important lesson the Lord taught me, one that I originally thought I would share on this blog. But after a few minutes of typing, I realized I could not adequately put into words what the Lord was doing in my heart, so I abandoned the project.

Posting my spiritual lesson would have been like posting all the photographs of our Grand Canyon vacation. It would have cheapened the experience, and most likely bored you to tears. What was important to me this week, most likely would have been inconsequential to others. And that's okay. It actually should comfort us to know that our God is such a personal God, and many times has customized lessons just for us.

So I have chosen to keep this particular lesson to myself, something I'm sure I will privately review over and over again in my mind...kind of like families watching slide shows of their own vacations...something only they could truly appreciate.

Cozy Corners

Give a child a good book to read and you may find them in the most interesting places!

A Belated Christmas Gift

"You shall not steal." Exodus 20:15

This morning while rummaging through my top desk drawer, I came across an unused gift card worth $30. My initial thought was, "Oh, good! Today is grocery day and in this season of our lives, every little bit helps!" However, my elation quickly diminished as I remembered who the gift card really belonged to. It was given to our girls as a Christmas gift by a family member. I had put the card in my desk for safe keeping on Christmas morning so it would not be mistakenly thrown away with all the wrapping paper and had completely forgotten about it until today. (Obviously our girls had forgotten about it too!)

As I closed my desk drawer and headed toward the girls bedroom to tell them the good news, something strange happened...something ugly. I became tempted not to tell the girls that I had found the card and quietly use it to help pay for groceries. My "practical" way of thinking was actually tempting me to sin. For about 2 minutes I actually entertained the thought of keeping the card from the girls. Here's how the conversation in my head went:

"Wow, Lord, an unused gift card. Thanks!"
"Yes, that's great, but it's not yours, Sherrie."
"Well, technically no. But as their parent, don't I have the right to decide what the best use of this gift card should be? You see Lord, if I give it to the girls they might spend it on some frivolous toy that they don't even need. And right now Lord, wouldn't You agree that groceries supercede more toys? Besides, they have completely forgotten about this giftcard. They won't even miss it!"
"It's not yours, Sherrie. It was a gift given to the girls. What they do with it is between Me and them."
"Well, yes Lord, but..."
"Haven't I already given you money for groceries this week?"
"Uh, yes Lord, you have." (My husband had handed me just enough cash for groceries earlier this morning.)
"Then why are you considering stealing this gift from your children?"
"STEALING?! Lord, that's a bit harsh don't you think?"
(silence)
"Well, when You put it in those terms, I certainly can't keep the card. Oh Lord, You always have a way of calling my behavior what it really is. In my mind it was practical, in Your mind it was stealing. I'm so sorry, Lord."

As I proceeded to the bedroom to show the girls their belated Christmas gift, my heart suddenly became filled with joy at the thought of seeing their reaction. They squealed with delight. "What should we do with it?" they asked each other. "Let's save it!" they agreed.

The Lord was right. I was wrong. They would not rush out and spend it unwisely. It was between them and the Lord, and they had made a good decision. And the weight of my conviction only increased as I walked away and heard them call out, "Hey Mom! How do you tithe off a gift card?!"

Happy Holidays! (Or shall I say, Holydays!)

Agony by Leonard Ravenhill

He's No Fool

Last week for April Fool's Day, one of our daughters asked me for some ideas on how she might pull a prank on her dear old dad. I told her, "Well, first you need to think of something he uses every day where you might plant a surprise for him." Now in my mind, I was thinking along the lines of his toothbrush, shoes, pillow, etc. So you can imagine how blessed I was when she cried out, "His BIBLE!"

Spoiled Rotten

As our girls and I were grocery shopping this week, we were suddenly startled to hear a young child one aisle over, yelling at the top of her lungs, "I hate you!" As we turned the corner we soon realized it was a girl about age six lashing out at her own mother. The problem? Her mother was not buying her the Easter gifts and treats that she wanted. The young girl's ranting and raving then continued to escalate, until it was loud enough for the entire store to hear. On and on she went about how absolutely horrible her mother was for purchasing second rate Easter items.

But just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, I witnessed something that literally made me sick to my stomach. In her sweetest possible voice, the mother gently leaned over to her daughter and said, "Oh, I'm so sorry honey! I didn't know you didn't like the things I picked out for you. I will get you whatever you want," and proceeded to hand her daughter a giant, lavender teddy bear. "Will this make you happy?" the mother asked. The girl quickly grabbed the bear from her mothers hand and nodded her head. In the background I saw grandma, smiling in approval. Oh dear, this was a generational problem I was witnessing! The store was once again quiet, but at what cost?

I pushed my cart not knowing what to do. One one hand, I wanted to run over to this woman and give her guidance from God's Word. But on the other hand, I wasn't in the mood to get chewed out by a total stranger! Besides, what would I say? "Um, excuse me, I see that your child is completely out of control because you've spoiled her to death, and if you don't do something now you're going to greatly regret it later! Yes, I'm sure that would have gone over real well.

After praying about it...I think the Lord is instead leading me to make up a little homemade tract that has some gentle words and Bible verses regarding God's love and His plan for the family. So that the next time I find myself in this situation (and you know that I will!) I can lovingly approach the mom, give her my little booklet for later reading, and hopefully she'll be thankful that I took the time to try and help her. If not, I guess I'll just run like the dickens!

Say Cheese!

From the very beginning, my husband and I felt the Lord calling us to make God's Word the foundation of our homeschool studies. So not only do we use the Bible as our guide for spiritual life, we have also made it the 'spine' upon which the majority of our academic studies are based.

At first you may think, how is that possible? Won't there be huge 'gaps' in your children's education if you limit yourself to studying only those topics found in the Bible? But for our family the answer would have to be a resounding 'no'. In fact, making God's Word the foundation our girls' education has given us great peace and confidence in our homeshooling experience.

I will not go into all the details of our daily schedule here, but in a nutshell, we study the Scriptures in the morning, first gleaning all the spiritual lessons the Lord has for us that day. This also includes vocabulary, geography, and cultural studies from the lesson. In the afternoon, we then study any science, history,or sociology lessons that are associated the morning's lesson. For example, in the morning if we study the story of Samson eating the honey from the lion's carcass, we might take a field trip that afternoon to a local bee keeper and learn all about bees and making honey. Or when studying about King Saul's quest to kill David, we may spend the afternoon studying the serious consequences of jealousy. The complexity of the lesson of course depends upon the age of the child.

Now for the first few years, I put these mini-unit lessons together myself, but later (and quite thankfully) found a wonderful curriculum written by Dr. David L. Bedell that follows this same idea. Most days we follow Dr. Bedell's lessons, other times we select our own topic to study. Either way, it makes for a very interesting homeschool experience.

One of our lessons this week was from 1 Samuel 17 where David's father tells him to bring bread and cheese to his brothers who were facing a possible battle with the Philistines. So after our afternoon Bedell lesson on 'how cheese comes from mold' (eeew!), we decided to spice up the lesson and make our own cheese! (photo above) We went online, found a kid friendly cheese recipe, and in about an hour had some delicious homemade cheese! It was great fun, we learned alot, and it was tasty too. I love using the Bible as our homeschool curriculum!

And for those of you who may be wondering about how we study history beyond the Ancients...Dr. Bedell does a wonderful job of relating American and world history events to Scripture. As these topics arise in his lessons, we read wonderful Historical biographies that correspond. As for Math, that's where we draw the line. Math curriculum, Teaching Textbooks has become my newest best friend!

A Homeschooler's Solution to Spring Fever...

Outdoor math lessons!

A+ for Effort

"As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him; For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust." Psalm 103:13-14

I love this card. First, because it's a great reminder of our youngest daughter's love for me. But second(and more importantly), it's a great reminder of God's grace.

How so? Well, just as my daughter's love for me far outweighs her spelling mistakes, so too our love for the Lord far outweighs the mistakes we make. Now I'm not talking about wilful, sinful behavior...for that may require some loving discipline. But in those times when we are trying to follow the Lord and just plain miss the mark (as my daughter did here), I am comforted to know that God not only overlooks our mistakes, but actually pulls us close and tells us how much He loves us, just as we would our own children. Can you for one minute imagine me being angry or actually punishing my daughter for incorrect spelling on this card? No, of course not. So why would we think any less of our Heavenly Father who loves us with a perfect love? Do you feel condemned for the mistakes you've made while trying to follow the Lord? If so, it's not His voice you're listening to. For the Lord 'pities us as a father pities his children...He knows our frame and remembers that we are dust.' Thank you, Jesus!

Look Mom, look!

Just had to share this photo. Remember the joy of blowing your very first bubble?

In Step With the Master

"Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving." Colossians 4:2

As I looked out our front window this morning, I happened to see our neighbor walking her three little pug dogs. What was interesting was how the dogs had positioned themselves. The first dog was way out in front, pulling so hard his two front paws were off the ground. The second dog was so far behind, my neighbor was having to pull him along, its hind legs in a locked position. But the third dog was walking contentedly beside its owner, keeping step with her exact pace.

The Lord used this picture to remind me of the importance of staying close beside Him on our journey through life. For if we rush out in front of Him, we will experience all the strain that come from striving. And if we lag behind, we will grow weary from resisting His will. But if we stay close to Him and in tune with His pace, we will experience peace and contentment.

How do we maintain this perfect pace with the Lord? Prayer. Not a little prayer. Not some prayer, but much prayer. Keeping in step with the Master requires faithfully communicating with Him throughout our day. Are you weary of striving ahead or lagging behind? Commit yourself to praying more.

No More Fly-by-Greetings

"Love does not behave rudely." 1 Corinthians 13:5
This week as I was attempting to pull a stubborn shopping cart from its corral in our grocery store entryway, I heard a familiar voice behind me. Someone I knew was speaking to me. As I turned to confirm who it was, I quickly realized this person had no intention of stopping. They merely kept their pace, speaking a few friendly words in my direction and then quickly disappeared into the grocery store. I didn't even get a chance to say hello...or good bye for that matter. In fact, they flew by so quickly I have no idea what they even said to me. I just smiled and nervously laughed, pretending I understood what they said.

Afterward, I thought how sad it is that people don't take time anymore to stop and enjoy each other's company. It seems in our modern-day world of emailing, texting, and voice mail that personal, one-on-one conversations are becoming a lost art. Now don't get me wrong, I certainly don't expect folks to sit and gab with me for 20 minutes in the grocery store, for I realize we all have things to do and places to go. But it's not good when we feel we can't stop for a mere 60 seconds to politely greet one another. 60 seconds to say, 'You're important enough for me to stop what I'm doing and converse with you.' 60 seconds to say, 'I care more about you than getting my bagels and cream cheese.'

But please be assured, I have no ill feelings towards the individual who passed me by that evening, for I am equally guilty of doing the very same thing. I too at times have felt it more important to get my deli order filled than to stop and chat with someone. I too have felt that a quick, fly-by-greeting is sufficient enough when I'm 'in a hurry'. But I'm beginning to realize how much I am missing out on when doing that. I am missing out on God's blessings and the beauty of having relationship with those people He puts in my path. More important, I am exhibiting rudeness to those I pass by.

So that evening at the grocery store I purposed to be more sensitive to the leading of God's Spirit and stop to greet people when I see them out in public. And sure enough, the next day I had opportunity to put this conviction into practice. On my morning walk with the Lord, I ran into one of our elderly neighbors. My first thought was to merely wave and keep on walking, after all this was MY time. But after my grocery store experience I felt it necessary to stop and say hello, so I did. And you know what? It was nice. Nothing miraculous, but nice. 60 seconds to let my neighbor know that she was important to me. 60 seconds to let her know I cared about her. 60 seconds to extend the love of Christ to someone.

Trusting the Lord in Uncertain Times

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own under-standing." Proverbs 3:5

My husband and I recently put our home up for sale. Oh, we don't have any specific plans in mind, just seeing if the Lord would have us make some changes in these challenging economic times. Well as you can imagine, this decision led our 10 year old to begin asking a flurry of questions. "Will our new home be in the country or the city? Will we live in a house or an apartment? How big will my room be? Can I bring my toy horse collection with me?"

You see, our oldest daughter is a planner. She likes all her ducks in a row, knowing all the details of when, where, and how things are going to play out. And most of the time I can give her answers to these questions, but not this time. For I do not know what lay in store for our family. So with great empathy I looked into her turmoiled eyes and said, "Honey, I realize this is difficult for you and that there are aspects of this situation that you will not be able to understand. You're just going to have to trust that mom and dad love you very much and will take care of you."

'You're just going to have to trust...' No sooner were those words off my lips did the Lord use them to pierce my own heart. For apparently I too had some questions and insecurities about the future. Are we going somewhere, Lord? What are you doing in our lives? Is it all going to be okay? My words to our daughter about trusting reminded me that just as she cannot understand what the future holds, neither can I. And just as our daughter needs to trust her parents, I too need to trust my Heavenly Father.

I then turned to our younger daughter and said, "Honey, do you have any questions or concerns about mom and dad putting the house up for sale?" "No, not really," she replied, "Actually sounds like fun!"

Now there was a different perspective! I replayed her words over again in my mind...'actually sounds like fun'. And as I did, I pictured the Lord lovingly winking at me saying, "Sherrie, do you think you could ever get to a place in your life where you think completely letting go of control 'sounds like fun'?

I didn't answer Him right away. In fact, I'm still pondering it.

Today's Family Bible Time Snapshot

"And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children..." Deuteronomy 6:6

Our Bible lesson today was from 1 Samuel ch. 8 where Samuel warns the Israelites of the consequences that would come if they rejected God as their King. To help make the story 'come alive' the girls made little clay figures to represent the characters of the story. (The chubby, little blue fella on the right is Samuel. And I think the yellow guy lying flat on his back is one of the rebellious ones, weary of prophetic messages.) Hey...whatever it takes, right?

For more ideas on making family Bible time the highlight of your day see Thoughtful Bible Study for the Family.

Radical Sacrificial Living

"...and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again." 2 Corinthians 5:15

It's that time of year again...Lent. A season when many God fearing people choose to abstain from doing something they love as an act of sacrificial devotion to the Lord. For some it means giving up chocolate. For others it may involve walking away from the Internet or unplugging the television. These are all good things, and for those whose hearts are truly pure in such endeavors, I believe God imparts spiritual blessings.

But may I be so bold as to say that I think this temporary season of partial self denial falls painfully short of what God intended our lives to be? For God doesn't say, "He died for all, that those who live should give up one thing they love for 40 days." No, 2 Corinthians 5:15 implies that we are to yield every selfish desire we have over to God everyday. Sounds a bit more radical than the traditions of Lent wouldn't you say?

But this shouldn't surprise us. For we serve a God who radically loves us and therefore it is only natural that He would desire us to live lives radically given over to Him. For the believer, there is nothing part time about following Christ. Denying self is not a seasonal event, it is a privileged way of life.

I fear there are still some areas of my life that are not completely yielded over to Him, and I am convinced this is because I am not fully embracing the sacrificial love Christ has for me, nor am I consistently walking in the reverent fear of the Lord. I am prayerfully considering this, for I am weary of the meaningless fruit that my selfish living produces.

Praise the Lord for His living Word that convicts us and His Holy Spirit that enables us to change in order that we might experience fullness of life!

Blog Time Blues

"But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." 2 Corinthians 10:12b

Can I be honest with you about something? Sometimes blogs that are meant to be a source of encouragement...actually discourage to me. Oh, it's not their fault. The ladies who create these blogs do a beautiful job bringing some much needed refreshment into the world. It's my own weak mind that occasionally allows the light of their glory to cast a shadow over my day.

You see, most of the time when I look at these creative blogs, with their eloquent wording, soothing background music, and delightful photographs of children romping around the antique farmhouses in which they live, I am enlightened. I sit back and let their brilliance shine blessings into my soul.

But not today. Today these blissful blogs became a thorn in my side. It all started while our girls and I were making chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen. Everything was going just fine until I became painfully aware of my old, plastic sugar container sitting on the counter. It's cracked cover and vanilla stained masking tape label made me wince.

"I bet the Blog Ladies (that's what I affectionately call them) don't have sugar containers like this," I thought to myself, "I bet their sugar containers are beautifully, hand painted crocks handed down by their great, great grandmothers - crocks so lovely they are purposely left on the counter for others to admire. No, the Blog Ladies would never have an eyesore such as mine tainting their kitchens."

These thoughts prompted a strange sort of twinge in my heart. Not a twinge of jealousy per say, for my plastic sugar container has served me well over the years. And I suppose if I really wanted a beautiful antique sugar crock I could go out and get one. It was more of a twinge that my sugar container was a representation of my life in general and that maybe I had somehow fallen short.

You see, I'm not creative like the Blog Ladies, and we don't live on a rambling ranch with sheep and chickens and vineyards in my back yard. My children don't wear hand knit sweaters or sleep in iron post beds. We're just your typical suburban family with scooters in the driveway, Target brand clothing and yes, ugly, plastic sugar containers.

But the Lord reminded me that it's okay. Actually, its more than okay. For it doesn't matter what the sugar container looks like as long as it serves the purpose it was intended for...storing sugar. The same holds true for my life. I may never acquire the Better Homes and Garden lifestyles that I see on other ladies' blogs, but I will be faithful to serve the Lord (just as they do) in what He's called me to do - to love and care for my family. And the truth is, my children could care less what the sugar container looked like today, all that concerned them was that I was spending quality time with them. Oh Lord, please bless the Blog Ladies and help me never to unnecessarily compare myself to them again.

The Power of a Wife's Words

"And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai." Genesis 16:2b

Sarai had waited long enough to have a baby (or so she thought). It had been 10 years since God promised her and her husband, Abram a child. Yet here it was a decade later, and she still remained barren. So in her desperation, Sarai did what any normal wife would do...she talked with her husband about the situation. Problem was, Sarai didn't just talk. Sarah controlled. She used calculated words that would convince her husband it was time to take action. Time to fix the problem. Time to take the bull by the horns and bring about the changes she so desperately wanted. As a result, Abram 'heeded the voice of Sarai' and agreed to take Hagar, her handmaid as his concubine. Hagar would conceive the promised child in Sarai’s stead.

Sarai’s plan came to fruition, but not without great cost. For God never intended Sarai to take matters into her own hands. He desired her to prayerfully wait on His timing. Unfortunately those involved suffered grievous consequences from Sarai’s lack of faith and controlling words to her husband.

We as wives have tremendous influence over our husbands decisions, and this is not to be taken lightly. Our words carry great power with these men who love us so dearly. Do you have a situation in your life that is troubling you, something you would like to see changed? And does that change require your husband’s leading or cooperation? If so, be careful with your words. Make sure your heart and motives are right with God before opening your mouth. I know Sarai wished she had.

Overcoming Homeschool Worries

“For your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:32b-33

In my first few years of homeschooling, I found myself occasionally worrying that our children would not be academically equipped when it came time for them to leave the nest. Would they know how to add fractions that lacked a common denominator? Could they appropriately locate all 50 states and recall their capital cities? Would they remember that there's only one 'm' in 'tomorrow' and two in 'committed'? Or more important, what if a total stranger stopped them on the street and asked them to diagram a sentence, would they be able to do it? Oh, the needless worries that can plague the mind of a homeschool mom!

It was in the midst of one of these fretful sessions that the Lord graciously brought to mind Matthew 6:33, "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." Could it be that all these things went beyond food, clothing, and shelter and actually included math, science, and history? Could it be that if our family truly made seeking God's face the priority each day that He would be faithful in helping me teach our children all the other things they needed to live fruitful, productive lives?

The answer was a resounding yes! But claiming this promise required faith on my part. Faith to believe the Lord means what He says. Faith to believe that "the fear of the Lord truly is the beginning of wisdom." I had a choice to make. I could either take the Lord at His Word or I could spend the next 18 years fearfully spinning my academic wheels and wringing my hands, only hoping it would be sufficient.

Thankfully He gave me the ability to trust Him. It took awhile, but once I allowed the truths of Matthew 6:33 to sink deep into my heart, my fears regarding homeschooling were replaced with joy...the joy of knowing that if I loved God with all of my heart, He would take care of the details. Whew!