Saturday Morning

What a glorious day!  The windows are open, the weather is perfect, and the house is busy. 

Soooo, I'm playin with my camera.

Here's what's going on....

Mayfee is getting grapes ready to freeze.  I'm impressed that more are making it into the bowl than his mouth.

LB is doing some leftover homework in bed.

J is unloading the dishwasher.

While these guys are stirring up eggs.

  Spinach and cheese omelets take 41 eggs + 9 pieces of toast + a gallon of juice.

A serious talk through the screen door.  Looks like Jes might be in trouble with Lane....

E is patiently waiting for Meg to get outa bed.  Notice there are no pix of her this morning.

 

And all the while we are being entertained with some praise music. 

So are the neighbors.

So it's a fun and lazy morning.   Beautiful weather for a 3-day weekend.   Time to start those eggs and go play outside!

AWANA Night 1

I spent a week praying for my Awana class and wondering who'd be in there.  As far as I  knew, I had no girls.  I read my leader book and thought of different ways to help my kids memorize John 3:16.  I made up hand motions and tried them out on my own kids. 

Then finally it was Wednesday!  And all day I was excited. 

We didn't get to leave as early as I wanted b/c we had to get the van from the shop.  LB was disappointed that the dinner was made before we got there and she didn't get to help.  Hopefully next time.  One of my favorite things about Immanuel is how generous their church is.  They are feeding these kids every week and supplying all Awana materials.  Sweet, b/c most of these kids probably couldn't participate otherwise. 

Dinner was 1/2 bologna sandwich, chips, pickle, lemonade, and ice cream.   I mingled around during dinner talking with some of my guys....asking how their day was, if their new teacher was nice, what they ate for lunch.  

We got started a little late and that cut my class time some.  Turns out I had 9 boys and 1 little girl.  I made a big show of her and told the boys how they were going to treat her in a gentlemanly fashion and she'd always get to go first, so don't ask. 

Many of my kiddos already knew John 3:16 or at least part of it.  And it helps even if you've just heard it before.   They seemed to enjoy the hand motions and the little games.  LB was in my class helping me while Lane was helping Geo with games. 

Caleb is a new friend of mine.  He's the cousin of one of my VBS boys.  A sweet and quiet type but a good participant.   He had a harder time with the verse.  I don't think he'd ever heard it before.  He could remember the hand motions but not the words.   He doesn't have a Bible but he thought there might be one somewhere in the house.  Only he couldn't stay there anymore b/c they didn't have power and now he has to live with so-and-so.   Ooohhhhhh..... I hate the way some of these little ones live. 

He tried hard and was very eager but all too soon our time was up and we had to leave for game time. 
I did have the chance to work with him afterward though.  And I wrote it out on a piece of paper for him to take home.   Oh Lord, bless them with Your Word and let it never return void! 

Wednesday is my new favorite day of the week!

Cocoa Cupcakes

These are the greatest muffin/cupcakes ever!

And even if you don't like healthy foods, you'll probably like these. 

A friend of mine made these and won a prize at the fair! 

Cocoa Cupcakes

1 2/3 C whole wheat flour

1/2 C. cocoa

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Mix all these dry ingredients into a bowl and make a well in the center.  Into to the well add the wet ingredients...

1 C honey

1/2 C. milk

1/2 C. water

1/3 C. oil

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

Mix all together with a mixer until it resembles a boxed cake mix.  Like this. 

Let all your little people gather around and take turns scooping batter into the muffin pans.

And it's ok if you slop the glop a bit.   Really it is.  Any Cooking With The Cat fans out there?  It all comes out the same.  I promise.

Bake them at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Ta Da!

And serve 'em up on coffee filters for easy clean up since you'll already have enough sloppy glop mess to clean up plus chocolatey chefs. 

A Little Bit Of Lately

Check it out.  Here I am at Taekwondo and my laptop works!  Nifty.  Now I'm sure to blog every Tuesday.  ;-)

~I told Mally that it was time to change the sheets.  She said, "Do I give mine to Meg and she gives her's to me?"  Reminds me of Amelia Bedelia. 

~Joey has a terrible ear infection.  Antibiotics, steroids, and ear wash everyday.   I have had too many dog issues this week. 

~Honey and our eldest son just finished an all-weekend referee course.  They are both Grade 8 refs!  They have ordered their uniforms and have a tournament lined up. 

~For date night last week, I went to Walmart and bought a rotisserie chicken, some onion rings from the deli, a bag of salad, and a box of oreos.  Dinner was instantly ready!  I got the chickens for $3 each so I bought 3 and stuck 2 in the fridge.  As it turns out, my dinner plans for Monday didn't come off as expected so those extra ready-made chickens came in handy.  I had some boys pick off all the meat and I made a quick chicken pasta dish.   The bones are in the freezer to make some soup when it gets a bit cooler.

~Awana starts tomorrow night and I'm so excited!  LB will help in my class, Lane will help Geo with game time, and my 6,7, and 9 yos will be in my class with me.  Oh yes!!  I've been reading over my leader's guide and praying for my boys.  I think all my class will be boys...or close to it. 

~I got word that one of my VBS guys is having trouble in school.  WHAT??  Chicken's such a good boy.  I wonder what's going on?  I've been praying for him extra hard. 

~My sewing class at church has changed to cooking class this month.   Thursday we're making apple pies.  I'm taking L & L with me since I don't think they've ever made a pie from scratch.   AND we'll have pies for the freezer.  Bonus! 

~This Sunday is our first Sunday night kids/youth service.  My family will spend the week practicing all the songs we're going to do.  I'm excited.   And I'm going to love all the extra music in the house. 

Today's meals -
Breakfast - scrambled eggs, toast, plums, kiwi
Lunch - chinese chicken salad, carrot sticks, crackers
Dinner - tuna melts
Snack - chocolate muffins

This Week's Menu

Well I skipped school yesterday to try to get things put back together from the mess of the weekend.  I'm thankful for Kim, who let me borrow her steam cleaner for our carpet.  I was hoping to not only put the furniture back in place, but also to get some cooking done for the week. 

It didn't happen.

I spent the whole morning at the vet's office,  the afternoon was spent with the kids' science class, then it was dinner.   Sooo, now I feel a bit behind in the kitchen.  And uncreative.  But here we go anyway....

Tuesday -
Breakfast - scrambled eggs, toast, plums and kiwi
Lunch - chinese chicken salad, crackers, carrot sticks
Dinner - tuna melts (Taekwondo night ya know.)

Wednesday -
Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - tomato soup and grilled cheese
Dinner - lasagna, bread sticks, salad

Thursday -
Breakfast - oatmeal
Lunch - leftovers
Dinner - burgers, oven fries, salad

Friday-
Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - leftovers
Dinner - pizza, salad

Saturday -
Breakfast - omelets
Lunch - leftovers
Dinner - enchiladas, spanish rice, refried beans

Sunday -
Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - BBQ chicken sandwiches, potato salad
Dinner - Date night!  bean burritos for kids
Date night chicken, fries, salad for us. 

Since Eldest is in school and rarely home for lunch I'm looking for some ideas of healthy lunches and snacks she can pack with her.  I made some chocolate muffins today and I think I'm going to offer up some cooking projects for money for the older kids. 

Yesterday LB made some cinnamon rolls for us.  We haven't had them in forever and they were soo good.  They went fast and we barely had enough for Honey and Meg for breakfast today.  I going to try to make an extra big batch for the freezer.  With cream cheese frosting!

I'm also wanting to try my hand at making cheese crackers and graham crackers.  This is intimidating even though the directions say it's easy.  The fact that I'm intimidated means I'll probably procrastinate and it won't happen.  :-)

Anybody have a recipe for ketchup that tastes like the real thing?

Bananas are on sale for $.25/lb this week so I stocked up.  We will eat them as long as we can then I'll start in on the smoothies and banana breads.  Maybe we'll even have enough for the freezer.

Stupid Dog

Here's what it looked like when we came home from church.  Irritating, yes, but since the dog is rarely in the trash AND it looked somewhat easy to clean up, I didn't feel like I needed to explode just then.

Then I saw this.  My beautiful (and only) deviled egg dish that he pulled off the counter and broke into bits.  Now I'm about ready to explode.  Not only was he in the trash, but he was also counter surfing.  Notice the blood.

It got better.  This is blood on my white carpet in my bedroom.  My bedroom that is clear on the other end of the house, mind you.  NOW is the time to erupt!  There were meat packages in the trash and apparently he decided to drag them ALL OVER THE PLACE!!  And I didn't take a picture of the wall, or the nightstand, or my bed that had blood on it too. 

What in the world?!  He took it in the girls' bathroom and played in the BATHTUB?  Seriously?  And this isn't all.  It was also on the potty, the toilet paper, the wall, everything.   It looked more like someone had been killed in our house while we were gone than just a dog dragging out meat packages.  I mean how could that much blood be in the trash when I drained it first? 

Unbelievable. 

Bad dog.

Last Week In Pix

Meg's first day of school!

A marble game with Dad

Awana Fun

Remember this guy?!

Brewing a science experiment

Wating for their turns to race

Pure sweetness!

A Little Bit Of Lately

~My Eldest started college this week!  I'm so proud of her.  Apart from parking issues and remembering where she left the car after she finally did find a spot, she's doing great.  She's already delivered her first speech and has a ton of homework. 

~The a/c is out on the van.  This will be the 4th time to fix it.  We've put it off for a couple of weeks, but it's time.   I think it goes in Monday.  

~I'm reading a new book, A God Centered Church by Henry and Melvin Blackaby.  So far so good.  It's my autographed copy that I got when I met him last year.  Neat!

~There is lots of swimming going on around here.  We got a new filter for the pool and it's starting to shape up.  Not that it ever mattered to our kids, but still.  I like it to be at least kinda clean.

~Honey and our eldest son is taking a referee class this weekend.  My son isn't old enough to get a "real" job but he's old enough to make some money refereeing some soccer games. 

~My friend, Mrs. P, is teaching my kids science this year.  I love it!  I'm intimidated by science so I'm thrilled to let her do it for me.  The first week they did 3 experiments. 

~Things you might not hear at your house...
"My shoe is stuck on the roof."
"Why are those toys in a disposable enema box?" 

~I'm getting farm eggs again.  I picked up 8 dozen this afternoon and smiled when the lady asked, "What in the world are you going to do with 8 dozen eggs?" 

~We had a skating day with the homeschool group today.  Most of my kids had never been to a skating rink.  Now they are asking for it for Christmas and b-day presents!

~This weekend I'm hoping to do some cooking.  Bread, burgers, salad, deviled eggs, oven fries, and some muffins and cookies for the freezer.  I need some new cookie recipes.  My freezer stash is getting low. 

Today's Meals...
Breakfast - oatmeal and scrambled eggs
Lunch - leftovers
Dinner - pizza and salad
Snack - Chocolate cookies from the freezer

AWANA Here I Come!!

Fun fun night at the AWANA party last night.  There were about 40 kiddos, pizza, and games.  It was a kick-off party to get an idea of numbers.  And guess what?  My Bigboy was there!!   It was just a treat to see the one that I've prayed for so often again.  There were lots of my other VBS peeps and many faces I've never seen.  New friends! 

I love to see how God works through Immanuel.  Such a little bitty church, such big faith.  There were enough workers, enough pizza, enough everything. 

I came home tired and happy.  But thinking that I probably wouldn't be involved beyond that.  It's not something that many of my family will do and I didn't feel so good about being gone once a week for such a long commitment.   But I couldn't get it off my mind.  I woke up early and it was still there.  I prayed about it some more and asked Honey's counsel.  

Much to my surprise, he thought it was a good idea.  And that's what I asked for.  Not if it was ok with him.  But if he sincerely thought it would be right and if he felt like there was any danger of neglect to our own family b/c of it. 

And I'm all smiles.  I asked the church if I could have my boys back and got the sweetest answer.  It went something like...."I can't think of another person that would pray for them like you do."  

So this school year I have the privilege of teaching some 2nd graders to be approved workmen that are not ashamed.  My own little 2nd grader will be joining me as well as LB who is quick to help with everything.  I love it.  I love being a part of training up these boys.  I'm excited about encouraging them to work on their verses.  I look forward to oohhing and ahhhing over their patches.  And I am humbled by this opportunity to alter the landscape in a new way. 

I'm so happy!!

Make Me A Noah

I'm spending some time in Genesis and finding new truths in a familiar book.  I find myself wishing there was more about certain people in the Bible.  Like what they thought and the specific things they did in the day-to-day. 

Exactly how did Enoch walk with God and become so pleasing to Him that "he was no more"?  Enoch especially is one that I'd like to spend some time getting to know. 

But this week I'm thinking on God's commands vs man's reasoning.   How easy it is to reason ourselves away from the things God asks. 

In chapter 2 verse 17 God says clearly, "but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."   Pretty clear cut with even the consequence attached. 

But Eve, after being tempted by Satan, reasons herself away from God's best. 
She saw "that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it."  (3:7)  She relied on her senses and not on God's Word. 

Oswald Chambers says, "Never enthrone common sense.  Our ordinary wits will never worship God." 

I imagine Eve asking herself, "now what was wrong with this again?" 
Asking what is wrong with something is the wrong question btw. 

And then there is Noah. 
"But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord." (6:8)
"Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God."  (6:9)
"Noah did everything just as God commanded him." (6:22)

This man did not enthrone common sense.  It appears that he relied on God moment-by-moment and obviously stood alone.  In all the time it took to build the ark did he ever wonder if he misunderstood the Word of God?  It doesn't matter.  He did not waver, but "did everything just as God commanded." 

I want that to be me.  I want to be a Noah.  But I find myself being caught up in my own reasoning.  Making a mental list of good vs bad.  

But Noah walked with God, Enoch walked with God, and my earnest prayer is that I will walk with God.  That my family will walk with God.  That wherever He leads we will follow and not reason ourselves on a different road. 

Menu Plan For This Week

Just in case you were dying to know what was on our table this week, I thought I'd tell ya. 

Monday -Breakfast - It was supposed to be cereal but you know what?  Apparently we drank too much milk this weekend and there was none for Monday morning.  Surprise to me, since I always assume there's more in the garage.  But no.  So instead, we pulled out a batch of morning glory muffins I had stored in the freezer. 
Lunch- Leftover ravioli and salad from date night last night.
Dinner - Oh happy day!  My friend is bringing sloppy joes over just b/c she's a sweetie that way.  I'm making some potato salad and cole slaw to go with it.   And watermelon.

Tuesday - Breakfast - cinnamon honey toast and watermelon b/c I'm not planning on going to the store between now and then.
Dinner - Tuna sandwiches b/c it's TaeKwonDo night and it needs to happen fast. 

Wednesday - Breakfast - cereal (Can you tell when errand day is?)
Dinner - We're joining our friends at Immanuel for the Awana kick-off and so I'm feeding everyone a big snack beforehand of spicy broccoli dip, crackers, carrot sticks, and watermelon.   There is also food there so we may or may not need to eat again later when we get home.  If so, there's cereal. 

Thursday - Breakfast - oatmeal
Dinner - Chicken spaghetti, corn-on-the-cob, salad, and bread

Friday - Breakfast - cereal
Dinner - pizza - I'm doing a grilled chicken pizza with tomatoes, onions, black olives, and banana peppers.  I think E is making us some brownies if he has time.  The poor guy is swamped so we'll see....

Saturday - Breakfast - omelets
Dinner - Big turkey, stuffing, gravy, and summer salad

Sunday - Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - burritos - this is a huge fave so I'm going to do this every Sunday.   I'm making up a recipe combining beans, taco meat, and rice.  The beans and rice will enable me to use less meat. 

Snack ideas...
breakfast cookies
ice cream sandwiches...I want to make some homemade ones and store a batch in the freezer to pull out as surprises. 
Jello.  I haven't made jello in years.  But Jes and I were thinking it would be fun to do together and the littles will go crazy over it b/c I'm not sure if they've ever had jello before. 
watermelon
popsicles - apple cranberry is the fave right now.

Pizzas!

This week my littles wanted to help with pizza so I gave them their own little pizzas to fix. 

Aren't they cute? 

Playing with the dough was ok, but they were really looking forward to "decorating" the pizzas.

Yummy....if you like tons of olives.  They do!

LB even got in on the action and made a white sauce for her pizza.  She loves a white sauce pizza but I hardly ever make it. 

This has got me to thinking how I want to experiment with our pizzas over the next few weeks.  I want to try to copy some of the specialty pizzas from take out places. 

What is your favorite pizza and toppings? 

Opportunities

Ever since VBS I have not been the same.  I've been spiritually discontent.  And while I'd never consider ourselves to be pew warmers I still could not shake the fact that there needed to be more.  But more what??  Not sure.

A few things came to mind.  I wanted to be able to share the Gospel without blinking an eye, without using church words, and for it to roll off my tongue...more like jump out of my mouth.  I want my life to count for God.  I don't want to waste it on myself.  I have a greater compassion for the lost and look at people a bit differently.  Apartment ministry sounds appealing.  Outreach is huge.   I want to be approachable.  I'm willing to get messy.  ...and to re-think some things about various ministries that I've believed for a long time. 

Problem is that I felt a bit alone in it all.  No one else in my family had the same stunning experience I did.  And while Honey was a good listener and very willing to back me in whatever I wanted to do, he didn't have the same heart for it that I felt. 

And so I've felt stuck.  But trusting God to bring about the right thing at the right time without me trying to make something happen.    I've clung to this verse... "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To him be glory both now and forever!"  2Peter 3:18

And things are slowly changing.  It hasn't been the WOW that I've wanted.  I haven't saved the world.  But there have been some tiny things that have been meaningful.  I have had 3 opportunities to share Christ this summer.  It was wonderfully easy and made my heart rejoice.  Yep, "to him be glory". 

I've been praying for a family ministry.  Something that most of us could be involved in.  Something that we could work on together, pray about together, reach out together.  But for the life of me, I couldn't possibly think of what it could be.   

A couple of weeks ago, my pastor approached Honey and asked we'd pray about our family leading youth worship for 3 months.  Did you catch that?  Our family.

I didn't. 

In fact, my first response was "Of course not."   I mean, that's not our sort of thing.  And just as soon as those words left my mouth I was reminded of Henry Blackaby.   He always says, "Pray and watch for what God wants to do and join Him."

In the course of my regular reading I come across this.."in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation."  Ps 5:3  Nothing I was looking for, just in the usual reading pattern of the day. 

What I think is funny about that is that I had no idea what I even had in mind, but I was sure that couldn't be it.  Why do I think I could have a better idea than God? 

Tonight my family was invited to do music at Immanuel.  Something totally different from our church.  An outreach opportunity.  Our family.  Outreach.  Oh yes, Lord. 

So now I am eagerly waiting in expectation to see what's next.   However, I'm trying to put aside my own ideas and trust God. 

He has better ones than I do.

Dad Does Dinner!

Come See!

This is what happens when the Lego magazine comes in the mail.

If you don't already get it, you should look into it for your boys.  It's free!

I love it when they all pile into each others' beds. 

Worship Through The Worm

Being the girl I am, I hate creepy crawlies.  Worms are on the top of that list b/c they are creepy, crawly, and slimy which makes them extra disgusting. 

The Lord has blessed me with a most precious 6 year old son.   His reading book happens to be a nature reader and we recently finished the chapter about worms.  Did you know that worms are actually kinda cool?  I mean they have all sorts of good purpose that I would've never have dreamed.  

As I'm reading Don't Waste Your Life, the worm comes to mind as a creature that fulfills God's purpose and brings him glory.  There is nothing about a worm that is wasted. 

I'm pretty sure I learned more from that nature chapter than he did. 

My son and I were walking around the block when he finds a huge (like 6 inch!) worm on the street.  He says, "Mom, I hafta save it!"  He knew that the worm shouldn't be in the hot sun on the concrete.  He picks him up and puts him in the wet grass.  And my mother heart rejoices over my little guy who loves God's creation. 

I'm reminded of my Savior who stoops down to make me great. "to the One who remembered us in our low estate and freed us from our enemies."  Ps 136:23-24

Yesterday my 7yo son was remembering the bird that kept slamming himself into my bathroom window last spring.  Weird.  But he says, "I don't really like birds anyway."  When I asked him why he said, "Because they eat the worms." 

But Son, don't you see that that's God's good purpose for that worm.  By dying, the worm is actually fulfilling God's design.  He created him for that very thing and the worm does it perfectly.   It's also a tiny picture of Christ laying down his life that we may live....but that's another lesson. 

"and who gives food to every creature.  Give thanks to the God of heaven."  Ps 136:25-26

My Grandmother

See this beautiful lady?  She is almost 80!  I had a great weekend celebrating her life and visiting with the people who love her.  

Wanna hear a funny story?  This is one of mine and my grandmother's favorite memories of when I was little. 

The Cemetery

I was about 8.  Around the corner from my grandmother's house there sat a small cemetery.  Not the pretty ones like you see today but more like the older types that are surrounded by chain link and not cared for as well. 

While visiting with her one day I asked if she wanted to go and see that cemetery.  I had never been to one before and wanted to check it out.  Sorta.  I was also a leeetle scared.  But my grandmother is never one to pass up anything new or interesting so she said "Sure!" 

We walked over, just the two of us.   We looked all over the place at all the stones and talked about all the people.  One of our favorite past times was to pick out strangers in public and make up "lives" for them.  It was no different with dead people. 

But then we came upon a baby's grave.  It had no stone but only a small temporary looking marker even though it was very old.  I felt so sorry for this baby that I wanted to run back home and get some flowers for it. 

Of course, Grandmother said "yes".   She dug around and found some plastic flowers and started preparing for our walk back.  But I was stalling.  Asking dumb questions.  Making excuses.  Wondering if Grandmother was too tired.  Or maybe we should get a sandwich.   And was it almost time for that show to come on that we wanted to watch? 

She saw right through it.   Somehow between the baby's grave and the walk home I was so freaked out and too scared to go back! 

How we laugh at that now.  And hardly a time passes when we're together that one of us doesn't bring it up.

My Family In TX

This weekend we celebrated my grandmother's 80th birthday with a SURPRISE party!

Me and my cousin Carri.  All the way from California!  We hadn't seen each other in 12 years.  We hardly left each other's side.  It was so good to be together again.   We talked boys, hubbies, God, homeschooling, awwwww......... It definitely won't be another 12 years.

Some of our boys.  We're missing 6 of them between the 2 of us. 

See little Christopher...isn't he precious?   I wish we could get them all together.  That would be FUN!

LOVE this!  From left to right...My mom, Auntie B (Carri's mom also from CA), me, my grandmother, and Carri.

Paw Paw loving on some littles. 

More to come...

Who Is Your Elijah?

Reading some Oswald Chambers this morning and totally not getting it at first.  He spoke of letting go of your Elijah. 

That would be the one you are leaning on spiritually.  And it's ok for a time as long as God puts him there for  His purpose.  But when that time is up, you must step out on your own.   You must still go to the Jordan, to Bethel, to the next place.  Even if you think you can't. 

Do you have an Elijah?   Is there someone that God is using in your life to grow you?  Mentor you?  Disciple you?  And when that time is up will you be able to walk alone? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I feel like I am losing friendships left and right.  Well, maybe not losing exactly, but certainly changing to be sure.  And I'm asking a million questions.  Is it me?  Why am I stirring up trouble all of a sudden?  Or is it just a time when God is teaching me to rely on Him more?  Was I leaning on an Elijah (or two) instead of trusting in God?  Were my affections misplaced?    

Thinking and praying......

Enthroning Common Sense

Excellent message last night at Immanuel.  Pastor Geo spoke about the purposes of the Holy Spirit. 

1. To Guide
2. To Equip
3. To Enable

A great example is in Acts 16.  In verse 6 we see that the Holy Spirit guided Paul and his companions away from ministering in Asia.  Instead they were sent Macedonia. 

On the way they met Lydia.  It says in verse 14 that the Lord opened her heart (enabled her) to respond to Paul's message. 

In verses 16-18 it talks about Paul meeting a demon possessed girl.  We see the equipping of the Holy Spirit when Paul commands the demon to leave by the power of the Most High God. 

Unfortunately it did not go so well for them after that.  The owners of this slave girl were furious and started an attack against them.  They were stripped, severely flogged, and thrown in prison (vv 19-24).

At this point, I'd probably be thinking that I made a mistake.  That I misunderstood the prompting of God.   I'd have a mental list of all the reasons I should've gone somewhere else. 

In My Utmost For His Highest this morning, Oswald Chambers talked about this very thing.  "Never enthrone common sense.  Common sense never yet detected the Father.  We have to see that this mortal flesh is kept in perfect subjection to Him and that He works through it moment by moment." 

Have you ever decided to do something just because it seemed like the right thing to do?  There was nothing wrong with it? 

I want to be at a place where I call upon the Holy Spirit for guidance and not just my own thinking.   Dethroning common sense as it were.

I love the next part.

Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.  (v 25) 

I don't know about you, but songs wouldn't be on my lips in the middle of the night after I was naked and beaten and thrown in jail w/o any hope of anything better.  But Paul and Silas were filled with the Holy Spirit and He enabled them to praise and look heavenward. 

Oswald Chambers says this, " Our ordinary wits never worship God unless they are transfigured by the indwelling Son of God." 

Isn't that true? 

The chapter goes on to record the famous story of the earthquake and the salvation of the jailer. 
"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
"Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.  You and your household."  Acts 16:31

Beautiful!  Guiding, enabling, and equipping.   And all because they were sensitive to the Spirit's leading.


Lord, please help me to stop relying on my own wits and to depend entirely on the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Story Time This Week

Ms. Lynn is out-of-town so we had a guest for storytime this week.

Ms. Turner!!

I've been so excited for my little kids to get to hear her.

She did storytime for years when my older ones were little. 

 She was just as wonderful as she was then.

She always makes it so fun for them!

Craft time!

Thank you Ms. Turner!

Dirty Boys

My boys played out in the backyard this afternoon.   I didn't think it would last long seeing as it was 105 outside. 

 But I was surprised. 

 They didn't even ask to swim.  They just filled up a big water jug and headed out with swords and shields.  It reminded me of when they were babies and would spend hours in the backyard playing under GeorgeBush and digging in the dirt pit. 

They came in happy, hot, and filthy.  Without shirts, of course.  I sent them straight to the shower.  Only they picked a bath instead.  All four of them at the same time. 

The 3 older ones washed up and got out leaving ZBoy all the room to play.  They also left a mess.

Check out this water.

And what the water left behind.

I'm thinking we need to stick to my shower idea since this is probably just the first layer. 

I Won An Award!

Thank you Valerie!  I love winning something! 

It's sad to say that my nice side is not the one that usually wins out.  (Did you read my last couple of posts?) 

I am very thankful for a Savior who loves me and forgives me. 

There are 10 questions to answer to go along with this award and sometimes these sorts of things are fun to get to know someone better, so here goes...

1.  What is the silliest prank you've ever played on someone?

Well I'm not all that creative, my kids are much better at this than I am.  Once I painted Honey's toenails red when he was sleeping.  Does that count?

2. If you could take a trip anywhere out of the country where would you go and why? 

Europe and tour all the castles.  The girly side of me could imagine myself all princess-like.  Honestly though, I'm really quite the homebody and I think that would be too much work. 

3. Who plays the most influential role in your life? 

God, Honey, my kids, and lots of different authors I've "met' throughout the years. 

4.  Are you ok with your significant other being friends with an ex? 

No.  And I hate stupid questions like this. 

5.  Favorite Candle Scent?

Vanilla or anything food related.  Not pumpkin though, and not floral. 

6. Next movie you're excited about seeing?

Toy Story 3.  I don't care about seeing it in the theater.  I always think I'm going to get lice from the seats.  Besides I know I'm going to cry my eyes out. 

7. You must ban one word from the dictionary and all usage, to be no longer uttered or written. What word do you ban?

Probably none from the actually dictionary but I do ban words in my house from time to time.  "Thing" is the one that is banned right now.  There is always a better word to describe what you are talking about than "thing". 

8. Do you have any relatives in jail?

I don't think so.  Do we Dad?

9. What crazy fads were popular when you were a teenager?

Rubber bracelets, parachute pants, big hair.

10. Have you ever been mentioned on newspaper or on TV? 

A few times.  I was interviewed on the news about homeschooling twice.  I think it was titled, "Don't Let This Happen To You!"  :-)  My picture was in the paper when I was in college, then again a few years ago at my son's soccer game.  I think that's it. 

Now for the hard part.  I'm supposed to pass this award along.  Although I have many blogs that I enjoy, I don't think everyone will enjoy getting an award like this so I'm just going to pick a couple that I think might have fun with it. 

Servant Princess..http://musingsofaservantprincess.blogspot.com/

Aspiring Mom 2 Three...http://aspiringmom2three.blogspot.com/

Covet The Dust.. http://covetthedust.blogspot.com/

Conflict And The Progression Of An Idol - The Conclusion

I have learned a lot from this brief study.  Here's some more from Ken Sande's book, The Peace Maker...

As we have seen, an idol is something we love, fear, or trust.

Love, fear, and trust are words of worship.  Jesus commands us to love God, fear God, and trust God only (Matt 22:37; Luke 12:4-5; John 14:1).  Anytime we long for something apart from God, fear something more than God, or trust in something other than God to make us happy, fulfilled, or secure, we worship a false god. 

There is only one way out of this bondage and judgment:  It is to look to God himself, who loves to deliver people from their idols.  God has provided the cure for our idolatry by sending his Son to experience the punishment that we deserve because of our sin.  Through Jesus Christ we can become righteous in God's sight and find freedom from sin and idolatry. 

Confessing our sin brings freedom and opens the door for God to work through our humility.  Thinking back over the summer, there's many times I wish I had just been quiet.  Many times I wish I had prayed and left it there.  Many times I wish I had waited patiently for God to work instead of stepping out on my own. 

"Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.  You guide me with your counsel."  Ps 73:23-24

One more...
"Finally brothers whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." Phil 4:8

This verse is used so often and applied to absolutely everything.  While it is a wonderful principle to apply, reading it in its context we see that Paul is speaking in regard to conflict here.   Imagine how different conflict would be if we concentrated on the good in the other person instead of reminding ourselves of the bad.  

So there ya have it.  I still have 1/2 the book to go and I'm curious as to what else could be said.  Seems like he covered an ocean of goodness in just the first 1/2. 

Now let's see if I can finish the summer as a peace maker instead of trouble maker!

Conflict And The Progression Of An Idol Part 2

This morning I had a thought.  I've been working through this Peace Maker book for a couple of months now.  I've liked it.  It's hard though, and I haven't been very diligent.  In the time I've had it, I'm only about 1/2 way through it.  But I'm glad.  I'm glad that now when I've returned to it, it is at the very place and chapter that I need to read.  I think God has been saving it for me! 

Today I want to share with you what it says about judging.  Remember that conflict always starts with some sort of desire.  When our desires aren't being satisfied, we criticize and condemn either in our hearts or with words. 

It is an act of playing God in some respects..

The Bible says, "There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you to judge your neighbor? 

Who are you (me)?  None other than a God wannabe.  In this we become like the devil himself (James 3:15, 4:7)  We act exactly like the adversary who seeks to usurp God's throne and who acts as the accuser of the brethren.  We play the self-righteous judge in the mini-kingdoms we establish. 

Yikes.

Now understand, it is not wrong to evaluate or even judge others within certain limits.  Scripture teaches that we should observe and evaluate others' behavior so that we can respond and minister to them in appropriate ways.  (Matt 7:1-5; 18:15; Gal 6:1) 

We cross that line, however, when we begin to sinfully judge others, which is characterized by a feeling of superiority, indignation, condemnation, bitterness, or resentment. 

And this is the part that got me.  When I see something out of line, I have the tendency to address it in a fashion that suits myself and not necessarily to benefit them.  My pride...the feelings of superiority, indignation, and condemnation is the red flag. 

I wonder why it's not received well.  And the idol progresses...

Idols always demand sacrifices.  When someone fails to satisfy our demands and expectations,  our idol demands that he should suffer.  We will find ways to hurt or punish people so that they will give in to our desires. 

Sometimes we react in overt anger, lashing out with hurtful words or physical abuse.  Other times we react in more subtle ways like acting cool toward the other person, withholding affection, acting sad or gloomy,  being perpetually critical and unhappy, or even abandoning the relationship altogether. 

Such behavior is an act of unbelief.  Instead of relying on God's means of grace to sanctify, we depend on our own tools of punishment to manipulate them into change. 

In the midst of conflict, have you ever thought of your behavior as judging and punishing?  I haven't.  I have always justified it as "working through it".  

I have so much to learn and so many things to turn away from...... 

More later. 

Conflict And The Progression Of An Idol Part 1

My blog is therapeutic.  Typing to an unknown, unseen audience of question somehow helps me to sort out my thoughts. 

I'm learning some things that I don't want to forget.  In order to do that I need to practice going over them in my mind.  Alot.  I need to regurgitate it in order to internalize it.   I'm using my blog to do that...again.  So I'm going to be a bit real with you and do a short series on conflict and what is churning around in my heart. 

Here goes...
June and July have not been my best months.  I've found myself in one conflict after another.  Sometimes they have been "outloud" confrontational types and others have just been conflicts in my heart.   I've been reading The Peace Maker by Ken Sande.  This has taken me a looong time to read b/c it is so hard.   It's not a book to skim that's for sure. 

So as I spent another sleepless night thinking, praying, and committing it to God I decided to just get up and do some more reading.  (Most everything from here on out is straight from the book.)

~Conflict always begins with some sort of desire.  Some desires are good, some are bad.   It is not unreasonable to speak to someone who is standing in the way of a good desire.  But when it is not being received well or not being acted upon then the ball is back in my court.  And this is where I am failing. 

~Unmet desires have the potential of working themselves deeper and deeper into our hearts.  This is especially true when we come to see a desire as something we need or deserve and therefore must have in order to be happy or fulfilled.  And there are many ways to justify or legitimize a desire.  One of the subtlest cloaking devices is to argue that we want only what we legitimately deserve or what God himself commands. 

Then where does it go?  And what do I spend my time thinking about?  Where do I put my trust?  What do I fear?  And is there something I desire so much that I am willing to disappoint or hurt others in order to have it? 

And how is that played out?  In my case, pouting, crying, yelling, hiding behind sarcasm, judging, accusing, whining and my personal go-to....withdrawal.  Just being honest here. 

In Biblical terms an idol is something other than God that we set our heart on (Luke 12:29; 1 Cor. 10:19), that motivates us (1 Cor 4:5), that masters and rules us (Ps. 119:133; Eph 5:5), or that we trust, fear, or serve (Isa 42:17; Matt 6:24; Luke 12:4-5).  In short, it is something we love and pursue more than God (Phil 3:19).

This is where I am stumbling, or more appropriately, falling on my face.  In thinking that I am only seeking what is "right", I am actually creating an idol that is rising up to overtake what is good. 

Sigh.....

The good news?  God is working. 
Stay tuned for part 2.

Some More Psalm 37

"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun."  Psalm 37:5-6

Committing my way to the Lord brings freedom.  I no longer need to worry how things will turn out, whine when I don't get my way, or be consumed with the "what if's??". 

I've been spending some time in Psalm 37 lately, and with this verse in particular the last couple of days.  And as things in my life come to mind that bring concern I've been praying about them on the spot, "committing" them to God and letting it go.   Of course, I do have a tendency to revisit the issue on occasion but then I recommit it and go on. 

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him."  Psalm 37:7

I'm thankful that God hold all things together and for the freedom in leaving my burdens with Him. 

An Impromtu Tea

I found myself at a rare moment with just my Bird around.  I asked, "Hey, you wanna have a tea party with me?"
Oh yes, she did!

We had milk and these yummy muffins that LB had made earlier in the day.

All of my kids love these little tea pots that they can pour themselves.

A few minutes later her big sister joined us. 

Thank you girls for a fun time!

Morning Glory Muffins
2 C. flour
1/2 C. chopped nuts
1 1/4 C. sugar
1/2 C. chopped apple (I used applesauce)
2 tsp baking soda
3 eggs
2 tsp cinnamon
1 C. oil
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 C. shredded carrots
1/2 C coconut
1/2 C. raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Grease muffin cups.

2. In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients.  Stir in carrots, raisins, nuts, coconut, and apple.

3. In another bowl, beat eggs, oil, and vanilla.  Stir egg mixture into dry mixture.  Batter will be thick.

4.  Scoop into muffin tins.  Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.