Humility & Rest

     My man works 6 days a week and volunteers at the fire department on top of that.  We have started going to a Saturday night service for church.  It makes for a long Saturday but a glorious one whole day with no commitments. Maybe other stay at home Mom's have run into this.  Hubby just wants to do nothing on his day off and Wife just wants to go do something on the day off. Now my man is amazing  at going on adventures and making them so fun. Every once in a while he asks, "can we just not do anything on Sunday this week."  Just the question sends me spinning with disappointment and dread of the day off.  Its not that he is asking can I keep to myself and not spend time with the family.  He just doesn't want to go on some grand adventure.  He's rather play legos or tea party at home. Not something I should be upset about.  It came to my attention last weekend when the request was made and we stayed home and I acted like a toddler who wasn't getting what she wanted.....I DON'T know how to REST!  Oh man!  That's kind of a big deal and I have always chalked it up to "personality" or "Mom cabin fever."  The truth is I have my own car I can and do get out quite enough (maybe to much).  I struggle with down time.  Feeling like time is always better spent being productive.  On down days I always end up getting a jump on chores for the next week thinking of my self better than my husband who is playing video games for the first time in 6 days or playing with our kids and just being with them!  EEK!!!  Gross!!!  So there is the problem.  A little long winded but I wanted to paint a proper picture of the situation.  The need for rest is build in me weather I like it or not.  Even the God of all rested on the 7 day.  How arrogant for me to think I don't need to or just to not do it because its uncomfortable to just stop.  Since that weekend I have been asking the Lord to show me how to rest.  Of course He has been faithful to do it.  What I didn't expect is that He would show me there are times to rest all through out every day, not just the day off.  Not only that, rest is totally connected to and impossible without humility 

Matthew 11:28-30 AMP

²⁸ Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]

²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.

³⁰ For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good—not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.

     What! I totally know this verse by heart because I knew it had to be important but I didn't know how important!  This affects every second of our day!  It takes humility to "come to Him" and not just try to get it done our own way.  He lays it out.  Come to Him and he causes us to rest!  Oh, Lord that coming to You would be more reflexive for us!  I fight the simplest act of submission and humility.  The word Yoke means "beam of balance!"  Don't we all long for balance in our lives?  It starts with a simple act of going to Him.  I believe that this is what God is talking about when He tells us to, do justly love mercy and walk humbly with Him.  One step at a time, one moment at a time though out our day.  Going to him in all things.  This going of course doesn't mean having a quiet time for 4 hours while you ignore your kids.  It's more like in the midst of trying get 3 kids strapped into a tiny car, that you know you should be thankful you even have but its so stinkin hard to strap them in because the car seats are so tight. Everyone is talking or crying at once in your face because the car is so small you have to bend over all of them to strap the middle kid, one is pulling on your necklace that you have already fix 3 times because each child has broken it but you still want to wear it because even though you didn't get a chance to put make up on that morning you feel a little pretty with your favorite necklace on....in that moment in our heart/mind go to Jesus.  Some times all you say is keep me calm and you enjoy the rest He gives to help you address each need one at a time with our yelling at and shaming your kids for being kids. 

Wish I had a better picture, notice the over
lapping of the car seats.  Ps. I really am thankful for my car! 

     That is the kind of rest I have experienced so far.  Rest between me and Jesus, lest frustration with my kids and more power to handle the duties of the day. Cleaning the house is nothing compared to the duty of training up children.  Yet both need to get done in a fairly consistent manner.  There is rest to be had even in the craziest moments and the hardest circumstance.  We need grace for those times.  God gives grace to the humble.  As we go to Him in humility He will give us grace for the need and rest. Yay! 

Side note we have a 3 day weekend coming up and I am excited to put skin in the game on this rest thing. We will see how it goes! 

MODESTY

1 Peter 5:5

Likewise, you who are younger and of lesser rank, be subject to the elders (the ministers and spiritual guides of the church)—[giving them due respect and yielding to their counsel]. Clothe (apron) yourselves, all of you, with humility [as the garb of a servant, so that its covering cannot possibly be stripped from you, with freedom from pride and arrogance] toward one another. For God sets Himself against the proud (the insolent, the overbearing, the disdainful, the presumptuous, the boastful)—[and He opposes, frustrates, and defeats them], but gives grace (favor, blessing) to the humble.

     ^{When I hear the word modesty I usually think back to my young teenage years when my Mom, would make me do the bend over test to make sure the shorts we were about to buy weren't to short.  I never really thought about modesty beyond the outward.  Just as we dress our bodies each day we dress our hearts/minds.  We can cloth them with different attributes that bless our Jesus and make for a much more enjoyable life.  In 1 Peter 5:5 we are told to clothe ourselves with humility.  In looking closer at the fibers of the garment of humility I found that it is made of modesty. (Literally the Greek translation of humility is modesty) I looked up modesty in our English dictionary and man was I blessed by the definition. 
Modesty: Freedom form conceit or vanity
Conceit: A result of mental activity, favorable opinion;    especially excessive appreciation of one's own worth or value. 
Vanity: something that is vain, empty, or valueless.
     As I shared in the last post the Lord had been drawing my heart to study humility and I didn't want to because I didn't feel like denying myself about something else.  This is classic because in our flesh we think denying ourselves brings bondage but in reality if we are denying self for the purpose of worshiping Jesus more fully then the result will always be more FREEDOM!  Who doesn't love to be more free!  To not humble yourself before God is to choose bondage to conceit and vanity. Conceit and vanity will always put strain on our relationship with Jesus and others. ALWAYS! I know. 
     We are to clothe ourselves with modesty.  A right thinking about ourselves in relation to God and others.  That relationship is defined well in scripture.  I think that is a whole other study though. Blessings to you who are reading. Lets choose freedom today from vanity and conceit.} 

Troy did his Sister's hair! Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder!

Jazz Hands!

     While I was in SD this summer I had a friend comment that Face Book can be so distracting to doing what God has called us to in our own families.  There is the tendency to become a show off Mom.  The more I thought about her words the more the Spirit said to my heart, "that is you."   Oh man!  Dang it!  It totally was me.  I would put pictures on my FB or Instagram of the "amazing" things I was doing as a Mom because I was worshiping the approval of people!  The moment I realized I was a show off Mom, it almost made me sick.  I asked God to forgive me,why do I do this, and were did it come from.  He comforted me with Phil. 2:3-4, "Don't be selfish, don't try to impress other's, be humble. Think of others as better than yourself."  The kids and I had been memorizing this scripture for a few weeks...you know with hand motions and everything.  It was so rad that the truth was already in my heart with some great elementary visuals.  As the kids and I say, "don't try to impress others" we throw our jazz hands in the air.  That's what I had done with my social media outlets.  I was being a "Jazz hands" Mom.  This scripture was encouraging because if its in Scripture not to do it, you can rest assure your not the only one struggling with it.  For me the motive to Jazz or impress came from a fear of not being good enough, this way of thinking was recently challenge by all that I learned about grace, so showing off wasn't doing it for me any more.  The timing of teaching Phil. 2:3-4 to my kids, my friend's comment and the work of the Spirit in it all culminated in to powerful conviction.  There were several other areas in my life that I started noticing myself get out my jazz hands.  (Side note, growing  up in theater you would use jazz hands in dancing. Arms out, fingers out and give them a good shake and you have jazz hands.)  So as I could no longer get away with such a sad little show, I felt God's leading to study humility.  I went on a pushed it to the back of my heart cause lets face it there is nothing more unnatural to our flesh than humility.  Finally a month later God has graciously shown me my need for humility once again.   Humility affects all of your relationships.
     With out humility I don't abide in Christ, without humility I  make my plans but don't bother to ask God to direct my steps.  With out humility I am offended easily, with out humility I think highly of myself and not of others as better than myself.  Humility affects even the most basic of foundations. Salvation comes by receiving. Before humility we might think its a big deal that we received Christ and it is. In Humility we realize its a bigger deal that He received us.
     I recently learned much about GRACE.  Now that I know and have experienced just how liberating grace is I am motivated to begin to understand why and how to put on this garment of humility because "God resist the proud, but give grace to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5
If i want to continue to enjoy the grace that if so freely given I think I'm gong to need to wrap my heart around this concept of humility and put my jazz hands away for good.  I am looking forward to what God will reveal to me though His word and life experience on becoming more like His Son in this area. As I learn I will share.
Ps. not every post about our family life has been tainted with pride, just some :)

Me and my family, we never get a good shot on the first try. 

The Grace Pack

     Most of my walk with God has been exhausting.  I'll admit.  When I would hear people talk of freedom like it was real and the "load" being lifted I could never fully relate.  Sad right.  I have had times of lightness in my relationship with God and moments of freedom but usually to fallow is the heavy load of condemnation. "there is now therefore now no condemnation."  What?  I have often wondered why I can't seem to get ride of this driving need to be "perfect!"  I shared with my Mother-in-Love that grace seems like a foreign language to me.  I have the intellect but I lack implementing and enjoying the benefit.  She prayed for me after or conversation as she always does, and days later told me that in her praying she felt the Lord tell her that its not that I don't understand grace because I can explain it forwards and backwards.  Its that I don't receive it on a continual basis.
     Receive grace continually.  I had know idea what that means!  So I told God, I have no idea what she is talking about.  In the middle of a rough week (you know the hormonal one), I needed to take the dog out which was good since if I hadn't walked out the door I may have screamed at my kids one more time.  On my front law, dog pooping, near tears, I verbally said, " God is this it? Is this when I am supposed to receive grace?  But I don't know how or what that means.  So, by faith I receive it.  Pour it out.  Make it fruitful and helpful right now in this situation."  He DID!  I didn't feel any different but when I walked back into my house it was still full of 3 kids in the midst of conflict but I was settled.  If you have kids you know if Mama is settled and peaceful its half the battle. We ended up having a wonderful rest of the day.
     I love that God met me right in the rough moment.  I still desired to understand better.  So I kept asking.  God show me what it is to RECEIVE grace continually.  He said yes.  Yesterday morning there was conflict between my man and I.  Most of it was it was a direct result of yours truly walking in the flesh.  I pushed my man to the point of just wanting to go to work and get out of the house.  If you know anything about his work its really sad that he would rather be there than on the living room couch with me.  So I screwed up.  I don't usually have a problem knowing how I mess up its the "what to do with it" that I get tripped up on.  I had a choice to make.  Be super co-dependent and wait till he gets home to have peace and order restored in my world.  Or do business with God and trust Him for the resolve with my husband in His timing.   I thought I would do the trusting one cause I did not want our 3 to deal with the out come of me waiting.  Which would just look like angry Mama.  So I said, "Help me Jesus today, I confess my selfishness and believe You for my cleansing and receive your grace to move on from it."  All of the sudden it hit me!  "Lord, is that it?! I confess, You cleanse and I carry away Your grace which is easy and light.  Not my condemnation which is so heavy!"
     God gave me a picture of a girl going on a life hike.  (I love to hike) She has a day pack.  The pack is only big enough to carry what she needs for one day.  As she sins the pack gets heavy.  At any time she can whip it off and dump it out.  There on the forest floor she says," God this is my sin, would you take it from me."  Reflexively He says, "Yes of course, that's why I sent my Son."  With out thinking she would say thanks and then pack the heavy load all back in her pack and wonder why the hike was so hard.  That was before.   She finally got it!  The truth that Jesus spoke in Matt.11:28-30, Come to Me, all who labor (feel fatigue) and are heavy laden (over burdened with ceremony or spiritual anxiety) , and I will give you rest (like a reflex He refreshes) .  Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and my burden is light.  Its easy and light because its GRACE! Now she notices the weight of her pack, remembering that she can dump it out she does, she again asks her reflexively, gracious God to take if from her and then she lets Him.  He doesn't leave her with an empty pack.  In wonder and a sweet peace that she is only a little familiar with she watches Him.  Carefully He re-packs.  In her one day pack she finds grace.  It's white and looks just like down feathers.  It has just enough weight so she doesn't forget its there but never tires her out. Which is great cause energy is so precious when you hike. She sets camp for the night. That was a good day. The next morning before she even gets started she does something new.  "Lord, could you fill my pack?"  There was the trail before this truth and there is the trail after. She rejoices as hiking just became so much more fun!

     Ps. Paul and I are just fine. I got to confess my sin to him, share what God showed me and we are back at enjoying one another again.

BEING BEAUTIFUL

     My entire life I have not believed I was beautiful.  If someone caught wind of this I was often told I need better self-esteem.  One boy growing up told me the most unattractive thing about me was that I didn't think I was beautiful.  There is much in the past that has lent to this thinking but bottom line this thinking is wrong.  The issue came up one more time last night in conversation with my husband and he was rightfully offended.  He said that he is genuinely attracted to me, thinks I am beautiful and for me to keep on believing this lie is like telling him that I think he made a bad choice.

     At first I thought, this isn't about you but God was graciously using him to get my attention.  If I am offending my husband the one that chose me to be family we have a problem.  We had gone to bed with out much resolve, I couldn't sleep so I got up.  I began to think and pray through my belief system on beauty.  For me it boiled down to a fear.  What if I believe I am beautiful my whole life and others are standing by thinking I am delusional.  I would be the fool.  I have often struggled with the idol of what others think of me.  So, I decided to study in the scriptures.  What dose God consider beautiful.  I knew right were to start because its something I pray for my daughter almost every single night.  Lord, would you teach Abigail to have a gentle and quiet spirit which is so valuable in Your sight. 

     but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptible apparel of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. 1 Peter 3:4 (American standard)

    Some versions say incorruptible beauty instead of apparel.  So God didn't say much about my style or the the latest make up trend or the sweet outfit idea's I see on Pintrest.  Earlier in 1 Peter 3 God says don't let your adornment merely be the out side things.  So its totally OK to enjoy fashion and looking nice. But what we put on our bodies or how skinny and fit we are DOES NOT determine if we are beautiful or not.  This is not new concept but I think it is one difficult to give ourselves fully to in light of the world we grow up in. 

     I desire to be beautiful and after my study of God's word He is redefining what beautiful is.

To God beauty is:

     A mild and humble disposition. A woman that can keep her seat and be still.  She is undisturbed and undisturbing, peaceable and quiet.  This is extremely expensive, and very precious to God.

God who has made heaven with streets of gold calls these things costly and expensive! This meekness and humility in the true biblical sense is not even possible apart from Christ.  Every single one of us is going to get old and no longer be considered "beautiful" in the eyes of mainstream media.  There is something more and completely untouched by the decay of time.   The hidden person of the heart. That comes with you after you die and determines your quality of life here on earth! 

      I was like a princess with beautiful gowns to wear and yet I snuck out of the palace to go live amongst everyone else to wear rags and call it beauty. 

     This is all new for me to actually believe what scripture says is beauty.  I look forward to how this will change my marriage, how I parent and how I value others.

self-portrate. 

DANCE WOUNDED

     We have talked about what it looks like to wait with God.  That it is a time to bind together and adhere to each other.  We have talked about how trials of this life are normal and even a healthy part of the human experience because if we go through them bound to Christ we receive much benefit.  The benefit being more intimacy with Jesus.  There is nothing that makes life more enjoyable the being intimate with Christ.  There is one more thing that I found in my study on waiting that I am just bursting to share.  Maybe it is dear to me because of my back round in Musical Theater I don't know but I love the word picture. 
     Jeremiah, wrote the book of Lamentations.  He was a prophet so that just means that God told him what was going to happen before it did.  God told him of judgement but also of redemption.  Many ask how can a God that judges be good.  I would humbly respond to that how can a God that doesn't judge be good.  There has to be a separation between good and evil.  With out it our entire existence is pointless.   Jeremiah laments over the condition of Israel in the Lamentations but there is this sweet spot in the middle of the book where the mercy and grace of God comes into focus. 
Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therfore I hope in Him." The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him, it is good that one should hope and wait for the salvation of the LORD. 
Lamentations 3:24-25

  The word HOPE is used twice in these two verses.  The first time the meaning is what we would most often think of the word hope to mean.  It is to wait, be patient, stay, tarry and to trust.  The second time it's used it means to twist or whirl in a circular or spiral manner, to dance, to writhe in pain, to grieve, to be in pain, trust, to wait carefully and to be wounded! 
     What!  How can one word mean to dance and be wounded at the same time!  That can often be what pressing on in this life looks like. 
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed- always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 2 Cor. 4:7-10
     The encouragement today is to dance wounded. There is usually something that is painful happening. A loss of a dream, a person we love, health we once knew. Still because we have the hope of heaven and the desire for others to join us we dance. Twist and twirl in the hope we have. 

FIRE & WATING

     I often want a perfect life.  Anybody else with me?  Maybe its because we were created for perfection and will one day enter back into it (those who have accepted God's free gift of grace through belief in Christ death and resurrection to take care of the debt we owned for our sin).  I can get distracted by my desire for things to be perfect.  Living life with excellence is one thing, unrealistic expectations is an exhausting other.  When I say perfect I mean trial free.  I want easy.  Peter helps bring perspective to this kind of thinking in 1Peter 4:12, Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's suffering, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 

Huh, not quite what you want to hear if your going for easy.  This verse doesn't give way to easy but it is extremely validating, right?  We are not alone in the fiery trials of this life.  They are supper normal.  Accepting that can in and of itself relieve some serious stress.  It has for me.  So we know that trials are normal and that God's word has much to say about trials, how to handle them and their purpose in our lives.  I would like to just encourage you with a couple of truths on the matter. 
     As we have discovered in the last few days that waiting is not just holding out for relief from unresolved matters, it is a time of actively adhering and binding ourselves to Christ.  It is a time for intimacy and gentle help from God for our moment by moment life.  Waiting in and of itself can be the trial, as it is in our lives right now.  Or as I search the scriptures I find that in every trial there is an element of waiting.  The biblical waiting.  The active abiding in Christ.  It is possible to be tried and come out on the other end rejoicing to suffer with Christ!  Which is still a very new concept for me. 
     The books Isaiah and Lamentations have some pretty dark scenes.  Also woven through our are some bright nuggets of hope. A few that have to do with waiting in the trials are:
But those who wait (Bind together as in twisting) on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. Is. 40:31
     A classic bumper sticker but such beautiful truth.  We need renewed strength daily!  For seasons of walking and seasons of running.  We get that renewal in binding ourselves to the Lord! 
The LORD is good to those who wait (bind together) on Him, to the soul who seeks Him.  It is good that one should hope and quietly wait (active waiting) for the salvation of the LORD. Lam. 3:25
     When God's word simply states something is "good," we will always benefit to pay attention.  In the midst of a trial that heats things up as fire does, it is "good" to bind ourselves to Christ. In Him, we will receive the peace and even joy to endure His style. My style involves lots of complaining and trying to figure it all our.  His style has a settle assurance that He is in control and that there is purpose in hard and terrible of this life. 
     There are so many deep truths in these verses I couldn't hope to unpack them all in just a few post. I pray reader you are build up to take one step at a time.  If you are in a season of fiery trial, you are not alone, there is relief in adhering and binding yourself to Christ.  It will always be in His intimate mercy that we find help in our times of need.  He stoops down to handle us gently. Leap into His embrace!  That will always look like spending time in the Bible, prayer and then being attentive to Him through out the very regular daily stuff we all have on our plate.  Press on and press in. 

24Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, “Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?” They replied to the king, “Certainly, O king.”25He said, “Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!”26Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he responded and said, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the Most High God, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego came out of the midst of the fire.27The satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king’s high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them. Daniel 3:24-27

WORRY & WAITING

     My natural state of mind when I am waiting on something is to worry.  To think about all the tiny details and "what if's" that go with them.  I have found in my abundant experience with anxiety that nothing paralyzes ones heart for trust like worry.  Corrie Ten Boom said, worry is like a rocking chair, you are always moving and never going anywhere.  So true.  In the last post I touched on Isaiah 30:18.  We found that God desire to adhere to us with His grace and mercy and we can adhere to Him in humility and meekness. Producing a life that pours out His love to others.  Today I want to talk about the benefits of not worrying.
     Worry and Joy will never keep company together.  We know what worry looks like but often I think there is confusion between joy and happiness.  I looked up "happy" in the dictionary and the first definition of it is, delighted, pleased, or glad, as over a particular thing.  What do we do when our particular things are not fun or good.  Its the bad, hard and ugly that God gives us the part of Himself that is joy.  Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of your life; the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be all right; and the determined choice to praise God in all things. 
     To settle in assurance of God being in control can be the tricky part.  I find it helps to know who it is that I am settling into.  Isaiah 30:18 paints such a beautiful picture of some of God's heart towards us. 

Therefore the LORD will wait that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all who wait for Him. 

Isaiah 30:18

     When I study God's word I love to look up the meaning of the words in the original language.  I am not highly educated so I don't like to assume that I know fully what a verse is saying with out doing my research.  I am going to lay out some definitions and then restate this verse. 

Wait: Adhere to, hence to await, long tarry

Gracious: bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior

Mercy: to fondle, love, have compassion

Fondle: to handle or touch lovingly, affectionately or tenderly, caress

Justice: verdict 

Blessed: happy 

     The Lord will adhere Himself to you that He may stoop in kindness to you the inferior, as a result He will be exalted, that He may lovingly and tenderly handle you. He is the God of the verdict; Happy are all who adhere themselves to Him. 

     I can settle into that!  The heart of God towards us is so gentle.  You maybe in a time of waiting and feeling like God is doing this "to you."  We see in Is. 30 that He is in fact having you wait "for you."  To those who are in Christ and waiting on Him for something.  Take heart, settle into Him and remember He is for you not against you.  Lets take this opportunity to practice joy in the waiting.

This is my latest Mother's day gift. It now joins me and Jesus in the mornings. 

Wait: Isaiah 30:18

Therefore the LORD will wait that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all who wait for Him. 

Isaiah 30:18

    This is a fun one!  Often when I am in the middle of something really tough I struggle with my perspective of God's character.  As if bad things happening in life change who He is and His love for me.  I know I am not alone in this struggle.  This is when it is crucial that we go to God's word and remind ourselves who He is because we know from scripture that there is no shadow of turning (James 1) with Him.  He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  He is just, merciful and gracious even in our darkest times. 

     There is one aspect of God's character I want to point out in this scripture. His loyalty.  He never goes anywhere.  Even when we are in a great storm Christ is close at hand.  We are the ones that pull away and believe things about Him that are not true.  Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. James 4:8 NL 

     I am not saying there are not times when it seems God is quiet.  Those can be tough times.  We feel like we are coming close and don't walk away from our quiet time feeling like He came close to us.  Its a good thing we have scripture to remind us of the truth beyond our "feelings." 

    In Isaiah 30:18 we find the world wait twice.  In the Hebrew this word means: to adhere to.  We see in vs. 18 that God adheres to us for the purpose of grace and mercy toward us.  When we exalt Him in our lives we are putting ourselves under the flow of that grace and mercy.  Exalting ourselves and our wants and desires only every leaves us dehydrated.  Vs. 18 also tells us that blessed or happy are all who adhere to Him. 

     Back when we lived in San Diego before we had any kids, my parents were putting a pool in their back yard.  One of those rad one that are really small but have a current so you can swim forward and stay in the middle of the pool.  I was helping my mom with the underground piping.  As we connected the pipes that would one day have water flowing through them is was important that we used an adhesive that would keep them secured together. It was a two part adhesive. One wouldn't work with out the other but put them together and the bold was solid. Water could flow through the pipes with out leaking and causing a mess. 

     This scripture makes me think of this to part adhesive.  God adheres to us and we adhere to Him.  In so doing we exalt Him and He is gracious to us. When these to states of being are in proper order the result is a pouring out. We actually become a pipe line of God's love, grace and mercy to others.  God is loyal to wait on us with His half of the adhesive ready to go.  We have to humble ourselves and come close to Him with our half of the adhesive that we might connect and live a life of pouring out.  Often for me coming close or drawing near to God requires a humbling of myself.  Meekness towards the Lord as I accept the trials He has aloud.  Not acting like bad things are good and fun but submitting to God's sovereignty in them and that He has a purpose. Meekness and humility are the make up of our adhesive while grace and mercy make up God's.  What a beautiful bond. 

WAIT

     Paul and I are in a season of waiting right now.  I have wrestle much with the Lord over my desire to know His plan for our lives NOW!  I didn't want to wait, I didn't want to participate in any doing or undoing in my heart that He had planned for this time.  Since that is a rebellious attitude you can just guess how miserable I was.  In the past I viewed waiting as being displaced till God gave you what you wanted.  I would never have said that out loud but deep down that was my perspective.  God had gracious plans to undo that very wrong thinking!  So, I found that I don't wait well and I want to.  I began to study what it looks like to wait God's way.  I have been floored by the things God is teaching me. This human experience is so dynamic and multifaceted that I think it is safe to say that we are in one way or another waiting for something always.  If you are waiting on God for something I would be honored to pass on what He is showing me that you may be encouraged and strengthened in the wait.  I will have to write several post on the matter. A book could be and I am sure is written on this issue.  I am no book writer but here is what I have so far:

The Doing and Undoing in Waiting 

     Psalm 25:5.

"Lead me in Your truth and teach me, 

for You are the God of my salvation; 

on You I wait all the day long. " 

     The most prominent definition of wait that I found in the Old Testament was the Hebrew word Gavah (Kaw-vaw'). A primitive root; to bind together (perhaps by twisting), that is, collect; (figuratively) to expect:- gather (together), look, patiently, tarry, wait (for, on, upon). 

     To BIND TOGETHER!  What!?  How John 15 (abide in me and I in you) is that!  So to wait God's way is not a sitting on your hands miserably but it is the action of binding ourselves to Christ.  All day the day long!  When the Holy Spirit seals us and takes residency in us upon salvation that is totally the work of God.  As we walk out our salvation we called to certain spiritual disciplines.  Abiding in Christ being one of them.  An issue that is unresolved in our lives forces us to wait on the solution.  There are some life issues that we are completely out of control of such as health, salvation of loved ones, healing, some aspects of income, and so on.  We do have control over how we wait on those desirable things.  We can bind ourselves to Christ in the unknown or try to handle it on our own.  Binding ourselves to Christ in the times of unresolved issues, doesn't take away the hard, but even in the difficulty God has shown me that there can be an element of fun at times.  Trusting Him is always more fun that not. 

     That's it for today. There is so much more. Be encouraged reader. Today lets bind together with Christ.  That will look a little different for everyone but some basic in binding is to get the things out of the way that get in between us and Christ. That idea of "twisting" will come from time spent with Christ. 

     

Get Thankful.

     I notice around the Thanksgiving holiday a lot of thankfulness.  I think its rad that people post "30 days" of things there thankful for.  I read the book that's out right now about 1000 thanks.  Great book great reminder to stay in that mode of being thankful. I am currently documenting with my friend Heather on Instagram our thankfulness in pictures with the goal of getting to 1000!
     There are moments that I am not thankful.  I know the gospel, I know that circumstantially I am blessed with sooooo much more than the people I witnesses when I went to India ( at age 17).  Yet, I fail to remain in an attitude of gratitude.  I start to complain.  I grumble.  It never makes me "feel better" on the contrary its like digging a pit mentally and launching myself down it.  It's actually more effort to complain than to be thankful even though complaining is so natural in our flesh.
     I have been asking the Lord to show me how to "get thankful."  I love that His answer is so very simple.  He gave me this scripture and thought.

     For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are with out excuse, because although they knew God they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Romans 1:20-21. 

      To glorify in this scripture means to praise, extol, magnify, celebrate, honour, render excellent. (Thyer's Greek Definitions)  God reveals Himself to EVERYONE.  Every single person comes up against a choice to believe He is who He says He is or to reject the truth and move on with their lives.  If there is rejection there is no glory given to God by that individual.  If there is belief unto salvation then that person does glory God.  It seems to me in this scripture that thankfulness is a natural by product of the heart that is glorifying God.

     So to get thankful isn't really the concept to be focused on is it?  The goal is to glorify God.  To praise Him, to render Him excellent.  I love that one, render excellent.  When I think something is excellent it gets my attention.  God is jealous for our attention.  A perfect and beautiful jealously to hold our attention before any other thing in life.  When I give Him my attention, I glorify Him and I can't help but be thankful!  A thankful life is so much more fun than a complaining life....for me personally and everyone else I interact with.  You know what He does with our attention...shows us how much He loves us!

     My 3 year old, Bear walks around all day long telling me what he Wuv's. "Oh, Mommy I wuv your dress, Mommy I wuv my RaRa (his stuffed puppy), Mommy I wuv oranges." What a great example found in a child.

     I desire to live my daily life telling God what I "wuv" about Him and all He has done.

For: Hand me downs

For: Being a team with my husband with sick kids. Tired but unified

For: a husband that loves our kids

For: My little brother that constantly reminds us of the most
important things. Enjoying the race even if you come in
dead last. 

For: the fact that waiting is not being miserable till you get what
you want but a time for God to do or undo things in your heart. 

For: Friends

For: Post pig tail hair! 

MASON JAR

 
      At small group the other week God gave me a word picture for the last 3 years of our life and the change in season we are in now.  A mason jar.
     Three years ago we said good bye to the youth that Paul was shepherding at a church in California.  It was one of the hardest choices we have ever made and the season that fallowed was shocking.  We moved from Sacramento to Kentucky and things fell apart.  Our circumstances with work and income gradually declined.  There wasn't money for bills let alone the new baby that was on its way (Abigail).  Our perspective of God's goodness was challenged to the core.  We know that in our leaving the church we made a good and right choice.  We were extremely wounded in the process.
     We have learned that in walking with God, financial security doesn't equal anything.  It doesn't mean you are loved it doesn't mean God is good.  Financial security is simple a blessing if you have it.  Some have it in season's some have it their whole lives and some never do.  It is simple a circumstance that God will use to show us his love. Having it or not having it.  He will work all things for good for those who love Him and are called according the His purposes.
     God was so merciful to take away our ability to provide for ourselves.  Through the season of lack,  He convinced us of the truth that He is the provider.  We are not to be negligent under that truth.  You still get up each day and work hard but ultimately God gives and God takes away.  We found in our lack just how rich God has made us.  We learned in suffering that He is good.  I could go on and on about the details put our "mason jar" as we went through a season of healing and clarification.  Healing from the wound of the church we left but more impacting clarification of who God is.
     We call our old perspective of Jesus the "American Jesus."  You obey Him and you get the blessing you want.  In reality you are so thankful that your greatest problem of separation from God is solved in Christ blood you are thankful. Thankful, you live your life in obedience to a merciful, good and angry God. The only God.  He is pure because He doesn't not accept sin.  Angry because of unrighteousness but good and merciful be cause He Himself made a way out from under His wrath that it pure and right.  Jesus.  The Jesus of the Bible, is one of the 3 part God that we worship now with more clarity.  In His mercy God walked us through a season of suffering and trial to draw us into Himself.

Psalm 119:65-80
Vs.67 "Before I was afflicted I went astray"
Vs.71 "It is good for me that I have been afflicted"
Vs. 75 "I know, O LORD, that Your judgements are right and that in faithfulness You afflicted me"

     Before this season I would read this scripture and be confused as if this made God not good.  Now I read this scripture and my soul wants to bust out of my chest and scream AMEN!  I have tasted the sweet benefit of suffering.  Of wrong perspective of God getting burnt off in the fire of trial and the grace to come out of the fire with out the smell of smoke on me!
     God worked all this wonderful change in us in a season that felt like forever.  Three years is a long time but when He was done with this specific work it was done!  God poured into the mason jar suffering, His faithfulness, us resisting and then drawing near to Him and then He has screwed the lid on tight.  The lid is made of His goodness and our unwavering belief in that part of His character.  I heard God speaking to my heart at small group the other week.  Put it on the shelf.  Put that mason jar on the the shelf.  Don't ever forget about the work done these last 3 years but put it up and move on.
     During the 3 years Paul in I were in a time of healing and not really serving much in the body.  We are now praying that God would lead us in using or gifts to edify the body.  We are looking forward to His answer.
     God has unexpectedly released us from the debt that stacked up in the time of a lack of income and we are free to move on to serve Him in part or full time ministry.  Our desire to serve full time in ministry was not burnt up in the fire of trial. Very much the opposite it was refined and straightened.  Here we are Lord, send us!

In the the jar I put papers and cards and other things that remind me of the last 3 years. 

One and Done.

Therefor we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Heb. 12:1-2

     There is so much rich truth in this one very long sentence.  The part I would like to share on is the bit in yellow.  I have been newly impressed and a touch depressed with the idea that I am such a sinner!  I have been diligently lately to keep my precious extra time that I have to myself, in the World of God.  When all three of the babies are occupied through out the day I have been listening to sermons.  The pockets of time are not always long but with these smart phones I can listen to a sermon while its quiet and hit pause when its not.  All this to say the more I am in the word the more clear cut my sin is.  I am grateful to see my sin so clearly and have to constantly remind myself that when I see something new or something old again I am under no condemnation.  The goal is to see it, confess it, do what ever needs to be done to make it right and move on. 

     For the first 5 years of parenting I was shocked that my kids needs continually changed. I have to confess I was also put out by it.  I had no intention of continuing to grow my whole life. I wanted to simply get it right and bask in my perfection.  Absurd I know but when I got habitually frustrated with the change I found this was my secrete rotten heart's desire.  An idol if you will.  The same has been true for myself in my walk with God.  I want to get it right and be done with the whole mess.  I'd like to be perfect and not deal with this sin issue ever again in my whole life! 

     Since this is not the reality of the human experience my desire now is to bask is thankfulness that I even see my sin and have been given the power to not choose it.  Laying aside the weight and the sin is such a privilege.  Is it work, yes!  But, it is a work that is made lighter with the perspective that it is profound grace on God part that I get to run this race at all. 

     How does this affect my everyday?  Well, my every day is spent with 3 little sinners and a chocolate lab.  I have been given the duty to train these babies up (ages 5,3,1 1/2).  I find myself at times...well most days being disillusioned with the same problem.  I want to train my kid in a manner that Paul (my husband) calls "one and done!"  When I am focused on my own comfort and desire (idols) for peace and obedience I get frustrated that my kids aren't getting in line with the plan.  One and done!  I teach you once and we shouldn't have to teach it again.  What a double standard when my Lord has patiently walked through out my life with me teaching me to trust and obey time and time again. 

     Lord, help me cast of the weight of my idol and the sin of worshiping them instead of You.  Help we raise my babies in the same manner that you continue to raise me. Consistent, gentle and full of grace.  I pray that if there are other Mommy's that read this blog that struggle in this area that you would strengthen them to lay aside their idols and cast of the sin that entangles them.  To run after you and bring the babies with them!  We love you Jesus.  We need our existence to be abiding in you to produce the fruit we desire to honor you with in this life!  Amen. 

God of Hate.

     Can you even handle that title?  I couldn't until recently.  In church there has been a gradual shift from teaching about God's hate to mostly teaching His love.  The wrath of God is even offensive to us if we don't understand it.  I have been studying, well listening to a study of ROMANS. I was a little taken back by how much was taught on God's wrath but if you listen to it you will hear a very simple truth as I did.  The "Good News" isn't as good until you hear the bad news.
    The bad news is this in a nut shell: We have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  He is only righteous and can not in any way shape or form mix or have anything to do with unrighteousness.  This is what is so safe true and constant about Him.  A righteous, holy God must have a reaction to unrighteousness, sin.  His reaction is judgement.  I said it, God hates sin and judges it!  EEK!  Maybe it is so offensive because we are hopeless on our own to mix or be with God.  This is the reality of life apart from God.  Judgement death and Hell for eternity after death.  So not exciting.  When we really get it that God isn't going to just let everyone into heaven in the end and that there really is existence after death it makes the gravity of righteous judgement weigh more.
     Good News!  God and Jesus before the creation of the world knew mankind would not make it to eternity with Them on their own.  They planned for Jesus to come to earth, humble Himself to live like us, be tempted like us with out sin and die a brutal death.  There wasn't a currency in existence before Christ's death to buy us.  His blood is the currency the only one of its kids.  God continues to hate sin to this day but because Christ died the consequence of sin (death) has been taken care of for those who Abide in Christ. WHAT!
     I have been on a wonderful journey to better understanding of grace in the last few years.  I used to treat grace like left overs.  I would eat them but I just want something new.  Grace is not left overs.  It is a feast we don't deserve to even look upon and we not only get to look at it we get to smell it and taste it and be filled by it.

     I have always loved the truth in John 15.  This chapter of the bible is were the title for this blog came from. Abide!  Thus far in my salvation I have been abiding in Christ  but it feels like just recently I am getting to know who I am abiding in more fully.  I would be so uncomfortable with scriptures that talked about God's judgement.  I was trying to make God like man.  I was trying to understand who God is through my experience of who man is.  This should not be done.  We are made in His image not the other way around.  The God of scripture is a God of Hate and a God of Love.  If this is still offensive to you, I encourage you to ask Him to reconcile to two aspects of His character for you.  I trust that you will find that it is not an offence but the safest most wonderful truth.
     When we see God for who He is and not just the comfortable fluffy comfort and love part then grace becomes so much more valuable.  If it is valuable how could we not share it with the world.

IMAGINATIONS

 
      I have been undone in God's grace this morning.  I want to share because this in a game changer in any human life and very much so in mine.  If you have known me or have had a single conversation with me you may have thought to yourself at one time or another, "Man, she is intense."  I am.  I know that some of the intensity is God given and a good thing.  I have been told I am like a spiritual "Elf."  I get excited about Jesus like the Buddy the elf gets excited about Santa in the movie Elf.  There is another side to the coin or my intensity.  A battle being fought constantly in my thought life.  Thinking is something we do more than anything else during out time on earth!  No matter what we are doing physically we are thinking all the while.  Now I have heard of the ability to "zone out."  The brain not really having any particular thought going on.  I have not personally ever experienced this.  My entire life it have felt like my brain is on over drive.  Some of this has to do with the Perceptual Motor Issues I experience and some of it has to do with trust.  Its the TRUST issue I'd like to share about today.
     I have been in relationship with Christ since around age 7.  I have been a student of the Word of God since the year after high school graduation.  13 years.  I have studied the bible for 13 years now and in that time I have come across many verses that SEEM powerful but just haven't been to me yet. There are two very familiar verses that became powerful to me this morning for the first time.
 
Phil. 2:12-15 
   Therefor, my beloved, as you have always obeyed not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.....

2 Cor. 10:5
     Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and  bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. 

     Sunday night, the end of the weekend I was doing the dinner dishes and I got louder and louder.  As I handled the kids my tone became harsher and harsher.  Paul, asked me what was going on and after trying to dodge the question several times I finally got to the bottom line.  "I'm angry that it all starts again tomorrow."  We are in a season right now that has seemed to me to be long and there is not grantee of change or relief in sight.  Paul works 50 at his factory job and volunteers another 10-20 a week for the fire dept.  The goal is to have a fire job some day which would provide more time and money.  The thing I care about the most is time.  Just recently I felt like I had a break through in my heart and was settled into the circumstances.  In meekness I said and lived to the Lord, "OK, this is it. This is the season and I'm going to worship God with my life in this season weather its enjoyable or not."  And of course it became more enjoyable with that perspective.  As I slammed dishes around last night I realized I am no longer in that frame of thinking.  I was back to the destructive thinking of entitlement, being done, hating the circumstances, and not wanting to do it all over again tomorrow.  Paul encouraged me, I calmed down and got through the rest of the night.  I woke this morning still angry at God about our life.   He whispered to my heart "what did I tell you in church yesterday."   Yesterday, He had told me that contentment can be mine.  He reminded me that I can worship Him in the midst of anything and it will change my perspective on everything.  I knew that I wasn't impressed with Him right now and that I need to be to live life fruitful today.  I told Him, "Lord, I'm not impressed.  Can you take my hard angry heart and impress me with yourself this morning."  Well, He said yes, now finally getting to the point I will share how He impressed me this morning. 
     
      My whole life I have read Phil. 2:14 "Do all things without complaining or disputing," in reference to my relationship with other people.  In context there is not as much being mentioned about other people as there is our relationship to God!  This scripture is saying do your life with out complaining and disputing it with God.  Now of course you can be real with God and tell Him things that are in the deepest darkest places of your heart that you would be modified if another person knew.  He wants to hear it all.  I am speaking on a continual complaint or dispute over something in your life He has not seen fit to change at this time.  Sunday night I was in a place to complaint and dispute over or life circumstances.  God is not changing them right now so I have the choice to make.  Complain or worship.  Complaining in the Greek means a grumble or murmuring.  Disputing in Greek is a discussion that is internal and externally a debate, dispute, doubt, imagination, reasoning or thought.  My discontentment with God over our life snuck in to my thinking.  It was all internal for a while a murmur to myself about how I don't like my life and then it turned into an outward dispute as I slammed the dishes and yelled at our kids.  Discontentment never hits us like a Mac Truck, it always sneaks in the back door of processing life with out the filter of thankfulness. I thought it was interesting that disputing with God had in its definitions the word imagination.  I have always thought of the word imagination as something you use as a child to make a fun wonderful world in your head.  It is, but in this context it is as 2 Cor. 10 says a high thing that exalts it self against the knowledge of God.  When I don't like my life circumstances the first high (imagination) thought that comes to mind is that God doesn't have my best at heart.  He isn't good or to be trusted that He doesn't want me to be happy.  This of course if false.  We know that God works all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom.8:28).  Any thought that tries to exalt itself against that truth is an imagination or dispute against God.  We are told to bring every thought of that kind to the captivity of Christ! 
     As I feel my heart lean towards murmuring and complaining I have to snatch it and put it were it belongs.  It belongs in the captivity of Christ.  Christ not only died for our sin to allow us to be right with God but He is an active part of us living fruitful lives now.  He will take those thoughts if we would be discipline to give them to Him and hold them under guard where they can not destroy our thinking and render us fruitless and slamming dishes.  
     I have spent so much time in my walk with God trying to "figure things out."  All in the name of "its my personality to process deeply."  Really, I have wasted time and energy on fruitless thought.  I have replace trust with imaginations.  Imaginations in the Greek from 2 Cor. 10:5 means computation and computation means an act of processing or a method of computing, calculation.  I have try to figure things out instead of trust my Lord to handle the things that concern me.  His ways are higher than ours. There is a place for processing and evaluating life and then there is a time to let it go and trust that even if it doesn't all add up in the limited perspective we have this side of heaven, we can trust God who is calmly in control of EVERY aspect of our life. 

This is my favorite mug. It joins me in most of my big life lessons. 

Vinyl in the House

     We always know when we get a box from Mamo and Papa (My parents) because my Mom always wraps it up in vinyl from the Sing Shop. They have owned their own sign business my whole life. Totally great when you are the creative type. Or maybe that is why I have become the creative type. Anyways, Mom wraps the boxes in vinyl with the backing and all so I decided to put some of our packaging to use. I made a "back off" line in the kitchen. This has come in handy when I am working in the hot area. They all know to stay back but with a definite line I can easily say,"Please get behind the line." There is a clear reference. I don't plan on having vinyl on my kitchen floor forever but its working for this season. 

couldn't get this to rotate :(

      I love being able to tell my 3 and 5 year old, "Go take a bath." I most often say this after dinner when I am getting the kitchen cleaned. With this arrow system they can go run the water themselves. I usually check on them but they can get started all by themselves! Yay!

Boys just line up the arrows and turn the water off when the bath is full.

I don't know what you would use if you didn't have vinyl handy. Any ideas?

Home Education

     This is the first week I had a real lesson plan!  Paul and I had a discussion when we were engaged about the education of our one day children.  The conversation lasted about 3 seconds.  He said I'd like to home school our kids.  I said me too.  The end.
     Present day we have a 5 year old, 3 year old and 1 1/2 year old.  Our 5 Troy knows how to read and write. Mainly because I hit the academics hard with him at an early age and he is the kind of kid that does well with structure and a class room, sit down type setting.  I backed off with Troy for a while as God convicted my heart that I was trying to make sure my kids knew how to read above all else.  The English language is my greatest weakness and it affects every other subject.  There was a heart issue that needed to be dealt with.  I was trying to fix what I don't like about myself in my kid. That's like parenting 101 what to never do ever with your kids! I may have had a 4 year old how could read and I could brag about but the motive was super off.  I was encouraged by a wise and dear woman in my life to slow down.  Teach my kids how to do life and do it well.  For the last year or so I have had troy read books here and there but really spent the bulk of our days at home learning how to be a team and run the home together.  Teaching things like cooking, cleaning, setting the table, doing loads of laundry, putting away the laundry, playing with the dog, and so on. Just everyday life stuff.  Its amazing how much to can teach your babies in running the home.  Heart issues, problem solving, math, reading, writing and most of all appropriate interaction with others.  If you are going to do life tasks with 3 little ones you really have to slow down!  I had to search my heart for idols like "my way," "perfect," and "efficient." None of these things are bad in and of themselves but if worshiped will cause you to be frustrated in parenting and frustrated quickly!
     Our home by no means looks perfect....ever but it is maintained.  Our kids understand the concept that life is work and play is a reward.  We work and do lessons 5 days a week.  We have what we call "play day."  This is also Mom's bible study day.  No chores just play.  I of course continue to maintain the home but not to the level or intensity of a "regular" day.
     Now that things are running more smoothly at home I felt is was time to implement a little more structure into our lessons.  Currently we are going through the Alphabet.  One letter a week. This week (my first week of actual preparation and lesson planning) we are learning about the letter "E."  I asked the boys if there was anything they would like to learn about that stared with an "e" sound. They said EGGS!  So I went to the library (BY MYSELF!) and got 8 or so books on eggs.  I pinned a ton video's and craft ideas on Pintrest having to do with eggs.  I started into this week with a plan for each day.  Books, crafts, and games all having to to with eggs and incorporating reading, writing and math.  It took probably 2 hours on my "weekend" and now I wake up with a plan to teach each day already ready to go!  This is so exciting!  I understand that this is  probably very basic to the experienced Home Educator but I am in the beginning stages and just wanted to share as I go through the process God has for us.  I'm sure next week will look a little different.
     To encourage anyone who would like to educate at home but think they can't.  Let me tell you if I can do it any one can!  I also want to mention that I don't think school at home is "the way."  I think God calls different families to function in different ways.  School (lessons) at home is what we believe God has for us.
     If you have any tips on educating my babies I would love to hear them!

Had to get tires on Dad's Truck so we did 1/2 our lesson there. 

Crunched up egg shells from eggs that were given to us from a farm 

Beautiful! 

One on one time

building

Ps. I didn't spend a dime on the whole week of learning. There may be times that I will have to spend $ but since there isn't an education budget to speak of God is so faithful to give creativity to work around that.