(HT:Josh Harris)
Have you ever thought something in your house was out of place, but you seriously couldn't remember moving it yourself? I'd check my closet if I were you... check out this really strange article. btw, I have so many more questions about this that the article just didn't answer...
Sunday, June 22
Thursday, June 12
Post Leftovers and Summer Fun
Ok, somehow that sounds really gross to me, (leftovers...) but in effort to get some comments from you readers out there, I'm going to do a...
BUMP! (also known as TTT or To The Top)
from a previous post: Summa-time
BUMP! (also known as TTT or To The Top)
from a previous post: Summa-time
I didn't think that the thought of summer would ever be a daunting
one for me. However, now that I've had our first school year of consistent
home-life structure, I'm a little intimidated by the prospect. That's not to
say that we don't have plenty of things clamoring for our attention. It's
more a matter of the desire I have to make the most of our time.
Both Caleb and Anna are pretty good at playing together and
independently, but I really want to keep some semblance of structure going
on instead of depending on their abilities to keep busy (or tv and computer
for that matter). So, consider this a poll of all you moms out there: What
activities and other things do you institute during the summer for your
kiddos? What would you like to put in place? Please click the comments link below to add your very appreciated two cents!
I really want to hear your ideas!
I LOVE to share things I find, so here are a few things I've come across, thanks to the girls at GirlTalk.
- Summer is Important
- Summer has Potential
- DEAR time
- Summer Vacations here and also here (The second has a linked-to pdf file with more ideas.)
- Summer Meals (includes pdf file link with 30+ recipe ideas)
- Summer Goals and Projects (This one has a link to a pdf file of ideas also.)
- Summer Activities (Check out the pdf link here, too.)
Monday, June 9
Heard at the McDonaldspot
Lest you think our kids are perfect, let me fill you in on what we heard at the grandparent's spot tonight:
(setting: dinner with a family friend is over, and we're sitting at the table talking. The kids are playing in the toy room, but they're getting restless. Caleb wants to build a marble run, but it's not safe to do so around Anna. We've told him "no" twice.)
Caleb from the living room: You know what would make me happy? Getting to play with the marble tower right now. I really want someone to make me happy right now.
We tried really hard not to laugh. Of course, the situation was dealt with, but have you ever been there? I don't mean with kids... have you ever been there?
Both the tune from this Chase Credit commercial and the theme of this settlement commercial sum it up pretty well, but haven't we all had a (several) bout(s) with that yucky part of our sin natures called selfishness?
...Not to mention the instant gratification that we crave from technology, fast food, and just about everything else in life.
I searched for some applicable verses when I decided to post this funny comment by our sweet boy. Here's what I found that encouraged and challenged me:
(setting: dinner with a family friend is over, and we're sitting at the table talking. The kids are playing in the toy room, but they're getting restless. Caleb wants to build a marble run, but it's not safe to do so around Anna. We've told him "no" twice.)
Caleb from the living room: You know what would make me happy? Getting to play with the marble tower right now. I really want someone to make me happy right now.
We tried really hard not to laugh. Of course, the situation was dealt with, but have you ever been there? I don't mean with kids... have you ever been there?
Both the tune from this Chase Credit commercial and the theme of this settlement commercial sum it up pretty well, but haven't we all had a (several) bout(s) with that yucky part of our sin natures called selfishness?
...Not to mention the instant gratification that we crave from technology, fast food, and just about everything else in life.
I searched for some applicable verses when I decided to post this funny comment by our sweet boy. Here's what I found that encouraged and challenged me:
2 Corinthians 5:14It's definitely a daily battle, but with the Holy Spirit's help and strength, I'm up to the challenge. Are you?
For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.
And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.
Philippians 2:3,4
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
both NIV translation
Monday, June 2
Constant Awe, Weighty Responsibility
I can't fully express the awe, excitement, joy, and gratitude I feel when I get yet another glimpse of how from the beginning of time, God has had a purpose in everything and how everything in Scripture points to Jesus and our need for Him. Whether that be the need for a Savior to restore what was lost when Adam and Eve sinned, the prophecy statements in Isaiah that Jesus fulfilled to the "t", or the symbolic example set by Jonah -- three days in the depths, then coming back to live anew, every story whispers His name.
I love the big picture of God's plan. I've recently studied about the Promised Land (linked to in previous post), and I read through Deuteronomy to get some context. There were the Hebrew people, poised (for the second time) to enter the land God had promised them . They had been there once before, but because they didn't have the faith to enter the wonderful land due to its formidable people, they were punished with years of wandering.
Now, at the Jordan River opposite Jericho, Moses stopped the people for some important words. The book of Deuteronomy (Greek deuteronomium = second law) is named for what Moses did there: he recounted the law God had given their parents' generation and reminded them of everything the Lord had done for their people. The new generation that would be entering the land (minus their faith-less parents who died during the wandering) must know Who gave them the land, His love for them as His chosen people, the necessity of obedience to His laws, and the consequences that would definitely come if they disobeyed. It was really a first-things-first situation. They had to be reminded in order to fully appreciate what was about to happen: God's faithfulness, provision, and protection.
The Hebrews went on to conquer the very peoples that their parents' generation had feared. Many of the battles were won without much effort on their part, because God led the way and showed His glory. Obedience led to victory and blessing. Disobedience led to failure and deaths at the worst, and assimilation in to a culture that worshiped other gods at the least (maybe that was the worst). The book of Joshua recounts this process of the Israelites possessing the land.
The people had been faithful to the Lord for the time of Joshua's leadership and the elders' leadership during that time. Then we reach the book of Judges.
In the first chapter we see that the tribe of Benjamin refuses to drive out the people in their territory. Assimilation begins. In chapter 2, we learn that enough time has passed for that faithful generation to pass away. Here's the disheartening part:
There arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work He had done for Israel.
Thus the weighty responsibility:
to teach our children faithfully. To recount to them how God has moved throughout history and also personally in our lives. That's a hard thing to do! It doesn't come naturally to me to speak of spiritual things face-to-face with people. Is it the fear of being hyper-spiritual? Is it lack of gratitude or recognition of God working in everything? I hope not! But how convicting that blogging is another situation entirely for some reason. I pray that the Lord will guide me in making daily talk about Him a more consistent part of our family's life together. I pray that He'll give me boldness to make every moment a teachable one, that perhaps the Holy Spirit will use me to awaken their hearts to the One who can free them from the entrapment and despair of our sinfulness.
but there's a tangent to that...
to share Truth with others. After all, we can see evidences now that faith is much less important these days. Scratch that... religion and "spirituality" are important, but very relative and often composed of a mish-mash of different belief systems. I'm praying that I'll be bold enough to speak openly of the difference Christ makes. Not to make converts; rather, so that no one has to live life without a relationship with the One who made them, that life can be more than just "hopeful". Instead it can be one of true hope: a guaranteed hope you can "take to the bank." The promise is that we can be freed of our inability to measure up to God's standard if we'll accept that Christ sacrificed himself to pay our penalty for sin -- that giving our lives over to Him is actually freeing and allows us to live abundantly and bring Him glory. I worry sometimes that when I am bold enough, I don't communicate effectively. Yet the urgency of making sure that current generations know the Lord makes me want to combat that worry and trust that the Lord can use even my flawed communication for His glory.
I'm tempted to apologize for a lengthy post, but I'll stop myself and be reminded that to be more comfortable speaking of Christ is exactly what I'm needing.
Want some parenting resources to help you accomplish teaching your children as well? How about Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp, Teach them Diligently by Lou Priolo, and the Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. I love these, and though I'm not proficient at what I've learned from them, I'm working on it! Another, which I haven't read but looks promising, is Parenting with Scripture by Kara Durbin.
How about music? We LOVE Hide 'Em In Your Heart vol. 1-3 by Steve Green and Seeds Family Worship (4 CDs) All-Scripture-lyrics make it easy for the kids (AND ME!) to memorize and internalize God's Word so we can apply it to our lives.
I love the big picture of God's plan. I've recently studied about the Promised Land (linked to in previous post), and I read through Deuteronomy to get some context. There were the Hebrew people, poised (for the second time) to enter the land God had promised them . They had been there once before, but because they didn't have the faith to enter the wonderful land due to its formidable people, they were punished with years of wandering.
Now, at the Jordan River opposite Jericho, Moses stopped the people for some important words. The book of Deuteronomy (Greek deuteronomium = second law) is named for what Moses did there: he recounted the law God had given their parents' generation and reminded them of everything the Lord had done for their people. The new generation that would be entering the land (minus their faith-less parents who died during the wandering) must know Who gave them the land, His love for them as His chosen people, the necessity of obedience to His laws, and the consequences that would definitely come if they disobeyed. It was really a first-things-first situation. They had to be reminded in order to fully appreciate what was about to happen: God's faithfulness, provision, and protection.
The Hebrews went on to conquer the very peoples that their parents' generation had feared. Many of the battles were won without much effort on their part, because God led the way and showed His glory. Obedience led to victory and blessing. Disobedience led to failure and deaths at the worst, and assimilation in to a culture that worshiped other gods at the least (maybe that was the worst). The book of Joshua recounts this process of the Israelites possessing the land.
The people had been faithful to the Lord for the time of Joshua's leadership and the elders' leadership during that time. Then we reach the book of Judges.
In the first chapter we see that the tribe of Benjamin refuses to drive out the people in their territory. Assimilation begins. In chapter 2, we learn that enough time has passed for that faithful generation to pass away. Here's the disheartening part:
- 2:10
- And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.
- 2:11
- And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals.
- 2:12
- And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger.
- The remainder of the account in Judges shows the downward spiral of God's people, as God brought a Judge to bring them out of disobedience to faithfulness, they obeyed for a while and prospered, and then they began to worship other gods again.
There arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work He had done for Israel.
Thus the weighty responsibility:
to teach our children faithfully. To recount to them how God has moved throughout history and also personally in our lives. That's a hard thing to do! It doesn't come naturally to me to speak of spiritual things face-to-face with people. Is it the fear of being hyper-spiritual? Is it lack of gratitude or recognition of God working in everything? I hope not! But how convicting that blogging is another situation entirely for some reason. I pray that the Lord will guide me in making daily talk about Him a more consistent part of our family's life together. I pray that He'll give me boldness to make every moment a teachable one, that perhaps the Holy Spirit will use me to awaken their hearts to the One who can free them from the entrapment and despair of our sinfulness.
but there's a tangent to that...
to share Truth with others. After all, we can see evidences now that faith is much less important these days. Scratch that... religion and "spirituality" are important, but very relative and often composed of a mish-mash of different belief systems. I'm praying that I'll be bold enough to speak openly of the difference Christ makes. Not to make converts; rather, so that no one has to live life without a relationship with the One who made them, that life can be more than just "hopeful". Instead it can be one of true hope: a guaranteed hope you can "take to the bank." The promise is that we can be freed of our inability to measure up to God's standard if we'll accept that Christ sacrificed himself to pay our penalty for sin -- that giving our lives over to Him is actually freeing and allows us to live abundantly and bring Him glory. I worry sometimes that when I am bold enough, I don't communicate effectively. Yet the urgency of making sure that current generations know the Lord makes me want to combat that worry and trust that the Lord can use even my flawed communication for His glory.
I'm tempted to apologize for a lengthy post, but I'll stop myself and be reminded that to be more comfortable speaking of Christ is exactly what I'm needing.
Want some parenting resources to help you accomplish teaching your children as well? How about Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp, Teach them Diligently by Lou Priolo, and the Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. I love these, and though I'm not proficient at what I've learned from them, I'm working on it! Another, which I haven't read but looks promising, is Parenting with Scripture by Kara Durbin.
How about music? We LOVE Hide 'Em In Your Heart vol. 1-3 by Steve Green and Seeds Family Worship (4 CDs) All-Scripture-lyrics make it easy for the kids (AND ME!) to memorize and internalize God's Word so we can apply it to our lives.
Summa-time
So today is the start of the first day of summer... for our family at least. Caleb just realized this last night when Scott asked him what he was going to do tomorrow. Caleb easily came up with some ideas, but I was at a loss.
I didn't think that the thought of summer would ever be a daunting one for me. However, now that I've had our first school year of consistent home-life structure, I'm a little intimidated by the prospect. That's not to say that we don't have plenty of things clamoring for our attention. It's more a matter of the desire I have to make the most of our time.
Both Caleb and Anna are pretty good at playing together and independently, but I really want to keep some semblance of structure going on instead of depending on their abilities to keep busy (or tv and computer for that matter). So, consider this a poll of all you moms out there: What activities and other things do you institute during the summer for your kiddos? What would you like to put in place? Please click the comments link below to add your very appreciated two cents!
I didn't think that the thought of summer would ever be a daunting one for me. However, now that I've had our first school year of consistent home-life structure, I'm a little intimidated by the prospect. That's not to say that we don't have plenty of things clamoring for our attention. It's more a matter of the desire I have to make the most of our time.
Both Caleb and Anna are pretty good at playing together and independently, but I really want to keep some semblance of structure going on instead of depending on their abilities to keep busy (or tv and computer for that matter). So, consider this a poll of all you moms out there: What activities and other things do you institute during the summer for your kiddos? What would you like to put in place? Please click the comments link below to add your very appreciated two cents!
They're Exploding!
...Anna's language skills, I mean!
This past week has seen her putting together micro sentences much more adeptly than before! I love this stage where we are communicating better and better. She's even singing to herself. I've yet to understand most of those songs, but it's fun to listen! She's such a sweetheart!
This past week has seen her putting together micro sentences much more adeptly than before! I love this stage where we are communicating better and better. She's even singing to herself. I've yet to understand most of those songs, but it's fun to listen! She's such a sweetheart!
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