A New Blog to Try

It was with sadness that I recently deleted the link to the very informative and thoughtful blog, Spunky Homeschool, because its author decided to quit writing.

I have just discovered a brand new blog, quite different from Spunky's, but written by another Christian woman whom I greatly admire. Ann Voskamp of Holy Experience has teamed up with writing buddy, Tonia, to create a new blog, The Sacred Everyday. I have added it to my list at right, precisely where Spunky's blog used to sit.

I urge you to check it out!

Of Vines and Such

Compare the unwise and uncaring "advice" of Eliphaz to Job regarding wicked men (which, in Eliphaz's opinion, include Job), with the words of our Lord in John.


[The wicked man's] branches will not flourish.
He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes,
like an olive tree shedding its blossoms.
Job 15:32b-33 (NIV)


"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me."
John 15: 1-4 (NKJV)



Dear Lord,
Thank you for your mercy. You don't leave us alone to rot in the garden. You don't leave us alone to wither in the scorching sun. You don't leave us alone to be attacked by unrelenting winds and snow. Instead, painful though it sometimes is, you prune us to bear more fruit. You, the perfect Gardener, allow us to abide in You. Because of you, we are clean.

"What Star is This, With Beams So Bright?"

THE FIRST SUNDAY OF EPIPHANY

This was our recessional hymn in church today. It was new to me, but the words were written in 1736, and the melody comes from the 15th century. You learn something new every day! Click on the title below to hear the melody.

"What Star is This, With Beams So Bright?"

What star is this, with beams so bright,
More lovely than the noonday light?
’Tis sent to announce a newborn King,
Glad tidings of our God to bring.

’Tis now fulfilled what God decreed,
“From Jacob shall a star proceed”;
And lo! the Eastern sages stand
To read in heaven the Lord’s command.

While outward signs the star displays,
An inward light the Lord conveys,
And urges them, with force benign,
To seek the Giver of the sign.

True love can brook no dull delay;
Nor toil nor dangers stop their way
Home, kindred, father land and all
They leave at their Creator’s call.

O, while the star of heavenly grace
Invites us, Lord, to seek Thy face,
May we no more that grace repel,
Or quench that light which shines so well!

To God the Father, God the Son,
And Holy Spirit, Three in One,
May every tongue and nation raise
An endless song of thankful praise!

Pray

A friend of mine sent this photo to me, along with this prayer:

"Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen."

We've got troops putting their lives on the line every second of every day. Please remember them.

And remember my friend. He and his wife recently went through their second Christmas without their son who was killed in Afghanistan. Please pray that God would comfort them.

Lessons Learned

While our son was hospitalized for his broken leg and multiple surgeries, I learned a few lessons:

When you think you can take no more, you will be given more...

...but God is there to strengthen you.

When you are at your lowest point, the Deceiver will attack...

...but God is there to strengthen you and fight back.

When you realize you would willingly take every bit of your child's pain upon yourself...

...you comprehend just a wee bit more, the sacrifice Jesus made for us.

When the first people to provide you with food are the very families who can afford it the least...

...you thank God for them.

New Year's Resolutions

As I contemplate New Year's Resolutions I am reminded that the Bible is full of God renewing His covenant with us, His wayward children. He keeps pulling us back, keeps reminding us who we are and in Whom we should rest. God, in His mercy, grants us many opportunities throughout the year to begin anew: birthdays, the beginning of a new school year, anniversaries, and during Lent and Advent. But I suppose it is on January 1 that everyone typically thinks of resolutions, because this is the one day which is common to everyone.

A quick perusal of a Bible concordance will not reveal many references to any form of the word "resolve." Yet this search does lead to Jehoshaphat, one of the "good" kings of Judah, whose actions are recounted in 2 Chronicles 20. Jehoshaphat is informed that a large army is advancing in order to make war with Judah.

Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. 2 Chronicles 20:3

After the people of Judah gather and fast, Jehoshaphat prays and concludes, "For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You." 2 Chron 20:12b

The spirit of the Lord comes upon one of the Levites, who proclaims to the assembly,
This is what the Lord says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's.' 2 Chron 20:15b

As Jehoshaphat sends his army out to defeat the invaders, he places men at the head of his army who are appointed to sing praises to the Lord.
"Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever." 2 Chron 20:21b

Our lives on this earth are a battle against a formidible army and it is quite alarming when we come to experience this first hand. Yet, we can follow Jehoshaphat by: inquiring of God, realizing that we have no power to face this vast army, and admitting that we do not know what to do. We must quickly cast our eyes upon Him, not become afraid or discouraged, give thanks to the Lord, and let Him fight the battle.

This year I resolve to cast my eyes upon Him and let Him fight the battle.

Thanks be to God for giving us new beginnings, for His infinite patience and mercy, and for being the One in whom we can rest.

(Clip art from http://holiday-clipart.net/)

In the Blink of an Eye

In the blink of an eye, a new life is brought into this world. In the blink of an eye, a life enters into eternal rest. In the blink of an eye, a life changes.

There is much that leads up to this life altering event. There is much that follows in its wake. But, what is constant is that lives are forever changed.

One day after my last post, my son fell and broke his femur. He had surgery to repair the break, and during the long surgery, complications arose with his good leg. After a total of six surgeries, and three and a half weeks in the hospital, he came home to begin his slow and painful recovery in early October.

He has progressed from being wheelchair-bound to adding a walker and crutches to his arsenal of transportation methods. Just last week he was able to begin putting limited weight on his broken leg. After months of needing a wheelchair to attend church, today he entered church using a walker for the first time since he fell.

Praise and glory to God for His mighty power, mercy, and love!

(The above photograph is a close up of a bumblebee eye.)

The Constitution--Part II

This is an unretouched e-mail sent to all teachers and principals in a nearby government school district. The words in boldface were originally sent that way. I have not highlighted that myself. All I have done is remove the listed resources and the identifying information about whom to contact which were at the end of the e-mail. Please note which other observance occurs near Constitution Day, and of the two, which observance should be celebrated on the actual day.

SENT ON BEHALF OF THE CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER


Please share this information with your principals and teachers. Thank you.


September 17th is Constitution Day!

As of last year, there is a new federal law in effect requiring us to teach about the Constitution of the US on or near September 17th.

On May 24, 2005, the U.S. Department of Education released a Notice of Implementation (for the full text, visit: http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/other/2005-2/052405b.html), announcing that all educational institutions receiving federal funding must provide an educational program pertaining to the United States Constitution on September 17 of each year. This date in history marks the actual signing of our Constitution. However, when September 17 falls on a weekend or holiday, such as this year, programming must be held during the preceding or following week. In order to avoid a scheduling conflict with programming for September 16th, Mexican Independence Day, we recommend that elementary schools observe Constitution Day any time/day during the month of September. The intent of the law is to help our students gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of our Constitution. Teachers can choose to use any of the resources listed below, the materials they currently have and/or the activities that they will receive in school mail. If you have any questions, contact......

The Constitution of the United States of America

We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this CONSTITUTION for the United States of America.

(the preamble to the U.S. Constitution, signed September 17, 1787)

Thank you, Lord!

September Sixteenth

On September 16, 1984, my husband and I both became Christians.

On September 16, 1994, we received word that our adoption agency had a child chosen for us, and we saw our son's picture for the first time.

On September 16, 1998, our two children became U.S. citizens.

Today, September 16, 2006, we gave our children new Bibles. This was our daughter's first full-length Bible, after having used only a children's Bible. She looked at it and said, "Is there a bigger Bible after this?" We replied, "No, honey. This is the whole Bible. Every word that's in the Bible, you now have in your Bible!"

Thank you, Lord!

James' Flag

Last year during the week surrounding September 11th, our town had thousands of American flags flying in a huge field by the library (pictured here). Each flag represented either someone killed on September 11th, or one of the service persons later killed in Afghanistan or Iraq. This Healing Field gave the citizens of our town an opportunity to remember, reflect, and pay our respects to those killed as a result of the war that has been waged upon our country.

In addition, citizens were allowed to purchase one of the flags to fly at our home, and to help defray the costs of our own September 11th Memorial, dedicated just yesterday. Our family chose to receive a flag of an American serviceman killed in action, and we received the flag bearing the name of a young man from Iowa who was killed in Afghanistan. For a year now, we have flown it in our backyard flower garden on all national holidays, his birthday, the day he was killed, and on this day, September 11th.

I see his flag from our kitchen sink every time we fly it, and I think of his parents, Jim and Theresa. I caught myself several times today, forgetting to be thankful for my blessings. When will I ever learn? Our son was hanging around me while I did a little gardening at our lunch break from school. I wanted him to pull some weeds along with me, and I felt angry inside when he "didn't feel like it." Wouldn't Jim and Theresa have loved to have their son, James, in their yard today, balking at pulling dandelions? Our daughter interrupted us a couple of times when my husband and I were trying to talk at the end of the day, and I snapped at her. Wouldn't Jim and Theresa have loved to have James interrupt them several times at the end of their day?

Yes, our son should help with yard work, and yes, our daughter should refrain from interrupting. But, I should also be patient, thankful, and loving as I tenderly mold our children. This morning I got to watch my son pound the rebar into the ground by the mums in order to post James' flag. He's getting so big, and he does this chore quite willingly each holiday. I got to take our children to the new 9/11 Memorial by the lake near the library. It was cold and drizzling, but the kids said, "This is nothing compared to what those people went through." I got to see my daughter's amazed face when she saw the number of names engraved on the monument depicting the people killed at the Twin Towers. And then, I got to tuck my two precious children into their beds, pray for them, kiss them, and later look in on them as they peacefully slept.

Thank you, Lord.

Thank you, Jim and Theresa.

"Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee"

We sang this as our recessional hymn this morning in church. I can't listen to the stirringly beautiful melody without remembering my favorite Beethoven story. I urge you again to listen to one of Beethoven's symphonies this week. The melody in this hymn comes from the final movement of his Ninth Symphony, but any of them would be wonderful to listen to.




"Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee"
Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!

All Thy works with joy surround Thee, earth and heaven reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee, center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea,
Singing bird and flowing fountain call us to rejoice in Thee.

Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blessed,
Wellspring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, all who live in love are Thine;
Teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.

Mortals, join the happy chorus, which the morning stars began;
Father love is reigning o’er us, brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward, victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us Sunward in the triumph song of life.

Just for fun...States I've Visited

I saw this on another blog and thought I'd see if it worked on mine.


create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

Part-time Christian

Honest insight from Frederick Buechner's preface to his book, The Alphabet of Grace.

"I am a part-time novelist who happens also to be a part-time Christian because part of the time seems to be the most I can manage to live out my faith: Christian part of the time when certain things seem real and important to me and the rest of the time not Christian in any sense that I can believe matters much to Christ or anybody else...From time to time I find a kind of heroism momentarily possible--a seeing, doing, telling of Christly truth--but most of the time I am indistinguishable from the rest of the herd that jostles and snuffles at the great trough of life."

Grafted by God

Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name...

So began the Collect of the Day in today's worship. This had new meaning for me, having just endured a gum graft two days ago, now sitting in the pew with a swollen and slightly sore face. The dictionary states that grafting produces uniting, joining, attaching, or implanting. But, as all gardening books tell you, the process involves cutting and a period of recovery.

When we grafted our children into our family, via adoption, there was certainly some cutting and pain involved. Pain for my husband and me when we couldn't conceive, pain for the birth mothers as they decided what to do, pain as they placed their babies for adoption, and the pain that our children may yet experience in the future. But as we look at our family, the family that God built for the four of us, we can't imagine it any other way. The pain of the past subsides, and we are left with the delicious fruit of the graft.

When God grafts us into His family, there is some pain involved. There is pain when other family members reject the faith (and you, too, in the process). There is pain as you gradually come to realize just how sinful you truly are. There is pain when you see yourself struggle in life, and non-Christian friends or family experiencing "success." And yet, triumphant over all of this, is the thankfulness for God's grace and mercy, the joy of studying His Word, and the wonder of worshipping Him with fellow believers.

Just as one recovering from gum surgery, you may be tempted to think, "I felt better BEFORE the surgery! Everything was just fine!" In reality, none of us is "fine," and we weren't better before the surgery. We were dead in our sin! God, in His mercy, takes us, saves us, draws us to Himself, and graciously grafts us into His family. May we love His name and worship Him forever!