No Accidents

So Wyatt had took a little fall last night and bit through his front lip. I didn't panic but almost passed out from all the blood on my baby and all over my shoulders. But before I got off the phone with the nurse he was dancing around the front room with Allen as if nothing had happened.

One of the books I'm slowly rereading is The Purpose Driven Life. I found 2 passages this morning in a chapter that hit home. One for a friend, one for me. Thought I'd share and maybe they are for someone else too.

Because God made you for a reason, he also decided when you would be born and how long you would live. He planned the days of your life in advance, choosing the exact time of your birth and death. The Bible says "You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your Book!"

God also panned where you'd be born and where you'd live for his purpose. God left no detail to chance. He planned it all for his purpose. "From one man he made every nation,...and determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live."

Nothing in your life is arbitrary. It's all for a purpose. God's purpose took into account human error and even sin. God never does anything accidentally, and he never makes mistakes. He has a reason for everything.

---Purpose Driven Life (Chapter 2)

There you go raising the bar

So here's a little quip out of my other current bathroom book. Sometimes I can make an entire page before someone starts yelling..."mom! Where are you at?!"
"What does it mean to be Christlike? Christlikeness expresses itself in a tenderness and mercy that forgive sin and in a strength and boldness that pursues the offender regardless of the cost or the risk. It means being willing to submit ourselves to suffering, even death, for our spouses. It means remaining committed in spite of conflict within the marriage."
---Intimate Allies, Dan Allender and Tremper Longman

This was a friends question/response to the quote:
I've always had trouble understanding what God wants us to do in the case of "love the sinner, hate the sin". (Maybe a little of the subject, but slightly on, ok? :P) That part is obvious, but then what do we do? Do we overlook the sin until God opens a window for us to express our views? Do we love the sinner from afar?...so as not to be tempted or to be confused w/ compromising? (I cannot think of the word I'm thinking of here...what's it called when you actually make it easier for someone to continue in their sin b/c you go along with it? The opposite of tough love, kinda...??...grrr, hate it when I do that...)

I know this is talking about marriages, but 'to be Christlike' goes beyond that, so I'm just broadening it a bit...ok, a lot. I battle from w/in telling myself that it's not my place to convict. My mom feels it IS her place. So that's where I get it, but it comes off judgemental...and you see it all the time around here. Anyway, just thinking outloud.....


This was my response to her:
Family Life had a great program on just this thing the other night. I have tried to follow the "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." If you don't have a relationship and try to convict or set them straight, it rarely comes across as caring and further separates. If you have a relationship with someone and can come in a caring way we are suppose to confront our brothers in Christ, after prayerful consideration as to what it is Christ wants us to say. We all make rash decisions at times, but when we are at His feet, He'll lead us and sometimes that requires an apology on our part. But we are not to be their Holy Spirit trying to convict them as it will only come from Christ, we are not to be always judging. It's kind of like our kids, we can find empathy with their faults by coming along side and saying, here is an area I see you are struggling with...I too am a fallen creature with plenty of my own faults...iron sharpens iron. We can give answers when asked for counsel. Once again after prayer. Am I rambling?
Jesus loved people and ate among the sinners but they weren't in His inner circle of fellowship. His 12 disciplines.

I saw something last week that I felt was out of line for a christian to have done and expressed why I felt a gentler approach would have been better. Then the group owner of the Christian group called my thinking lunacy. I checked out her previous posts and found her gravely lacking in grace. This was just sad to me. She is in a position of being able to mentor other younger women and yet has an air of pride about other moms that have kids that act out. There was so much condemnation that if I was a non christian would never try to build a friendship with her. And that is part of why we are here...to reach out to the lost and court them so to speak with love to come closer to their bridegroom. To have a small taste of the sweet honey He offers with His own love and mercy and forgiveness. Attract more flies with honey, salt the oats....you know.

There is also the time when you need to turn and only continue to pray for those who have a hardened heart. God turned his back on people and nations because of their actions, sometimes for years. And if we can see that we need to distance ourselves after we have given our best effort and feel released, that still doesn't give us the right to be judgemental and feel as if we are better, but we should have a broken heart for those who are lost.

This life is not about us, our "rights", our feelings.

Is this anywhere close to what you are asking?

James 4:11
Rom 14:13-Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.
Rom 14:3-5 The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. ...Each man should be fully convinced in his own mind.
Gal 6:1-restore with meekness.
1 Thes 5:11-
Matt 5:7
Roma 2:1
Matt 7:1-2
Jn 7:24
Prov 18:17
1 Cor 4:3
Eph 4:2
Prov 14:21
Matt 18:15-16-17
Prov 11:17
Matt 20:1-16
Lk 5:29-30
Num 14:1-4
1 Sam 24:10-17
Lk 23:34
1 Cor 16:14

Schools back from Summer

We started school back up officially last Monday after taking time off. It is just so hot outside, our upstairs airconditioner is broke and my van has been a little chosey as to if and when it is going to start. So if I'm going to be entertaining them and they have to be inside then they might as well be learning. We are using a plethora of different things. As a friend said, "There are too many good options out there to be pinned down to just one." So what is on our book shelves? The main one is Charlotte Mason. I have long been a lone ranger to not go the traditional route of starting our kids our with formal school at age 4-5 so that we have the smartest kids. It is a little scary at times, but have felt the need to train them and allow their little minds and bodies time to mature to start "actual schooling". The Moore's Institue recommends that that age is anywhere from 8-10 or possibly even age 12 for some. In the past we have done a lot of hands on "living" school and bible studies. This will continue every where I can. I did a little test with Brian on his math and although he hasn't had any formal school yet, he was at the 1st grade level of math. He can't sing the ABC's perfectly but he can read quite a few words. We have a little Konos, a little Danielle's place, a little Abeka, a little sonlight, Animals A-Z unit studies, English from the Roots, Italic Handwriting, Phonics, Polished cornerstones for the girls, Plants grown up for the boys, Instructions in Righteousness, Managers of the Home (gifted to me just today from a friend...yeah! What a blessing. I have long wanted this book but after a run of expensive breakdown items this week, I knew it was going to have to wait), online unlimited options, our bookshelves are overflowing, the library, museums, nature, life, lots of good stuff.

There is nothing like getting new books and markers and crayons and notebooks to revive an excitement to learn more. We have our basic course to follow and then the other gets added in. We attempt to school year round which also gives me more freedom when I can take off and what we can cover. I'll have 3 this year...although Gabby and Brian are still in their maturing growing stage.

Hear My Cry O Lord

Psalms 55

I have to admit I have been hunkered down in my little cave for some time now. Feeling as if I could hide forever, never to venture out to face the world with all my failures and nakedness. Not having the strength to take one more hit of hurt. I have felt that if I did disappear, would the hole I left be much like the hole left when I take my hand out of the sink of water? Or would life as everyone knows it just close back in and the ripples quickly subside and where I once held a place instantly fill and the imprint lost?

This Psalm is such a powerful one for me when I get to that black hole in my life where from nothing else by weary exhaustion of feeling like I'm doing all I can and giving my best, it just isn't going to be enough. This is the Psalm I'm drawn back to. When I'm hiding and crying in my cave, hiding from my enemies, it is in that darkness and quietness when there is noone to call out to but Him.

In the scriptures here was David. Chased, mocked, attacked, ridiculed, running, hiding, lost. I also think of Christ. How exhausted He must have been in those last days, trying so hard to reach the masses and while the numbers grew, all was closing in. The time was coming for Him to have to drag his cross. He bore far more weight and pain physically, emotionally, spiritually then I couldn't even being to understand. So of course if the King of all Kings and David the chosen King for God's Chosen people had to face heartache than there is certainty that I too will at times be in dark places.

David wanted to fly away and be at rest far from his enemies, far from his problems. I understand that. There are times I think, I could just sleep all day, be in my own world, just wake me up when enough time has passed that the problems will have drifted by. But with 4 little ones...sleep is not always possible...even at night.

vs 12-14 If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God." This is where the heart of the most painful of hurts comes for David. These foes had once been his friends. Yesterday I was blessed with getting to spend some precious time with a friend and we talked about how that sting of friends acting as foes hurts so much worse. Those times in my life that I can think of where I felt most defeated and those are those times when my friends acted as my own enemies. I think this is why the NT instructs when to not gossip, not be busy bodies and not be chattering fools. These are the times when I want to close off my world except to my protective circle of 12 ladies and my family. To just hide and not be vulnerable, to not put myself in harms way, to not be a voice...to be invisible. Yet I'm to go to the ends of the earth to proclaim His glory.

And there is victory and glory coming. For God is sovereign and we can turn to Him. He is waiting for us to call out to be picked up. Life is not unfolding around us by randomness or by the hand of the evil one. God is orchestrating and using lives of those who do not believe, using the events that cause us pain and worry using friends that act as foes as part of His comprehensive plan for the universe.

I Peter5:6-7 Humble yourself under God's mighty hand that in due time He will lift you up. When worry comes we can cast that worry off by praying to God. When heartache comes we can find some relief and true agape love in Him.

Phil 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything. But with prayer and petition with thanksgiving , present your requests to God, which transcends all understanding, and he will guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ.

It is imporssibe to not worry unless we have faith and faith comes from hearing the word of God and hearing Him speak to us through the Bible.

Good Ol Days Weekend

Visited Family-my brother taking Brian for a ride on the Harley.

Went to Good Ol Days festival and watched the parade. These are the official Clydesdale's horses for Budweiser. They are beautiful creatures.

Speaking of beautiful creatures...here's Allen next to horse's head. Or it the other way around?

Kids in front of a Clydesdale. Notice how my kids and Allen all have matching shirts. I love it, how fun. Allen...he's a good sport and puts up with it.

Rode some rides in the kids carnival.

The kids all got wrist bands so they could ride all day.

This is my nephew Denton. I love his shirt! This is after he rode 1 ride too many and threw up. I promise after I took the picture I cleaned him up and got him a drink.

This is Brian's head at the bottom. Notice Bra Top girl in the background.
"If you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all." -- Thumper

BBQ with good friends. This is Allison and her hubby. We went to high school together and got each other in lots of trouble. Her sister is the gal I got in a fist fight with in the parking lot. Good times.

left-right: Daniel (belongs to Taira) funny guy with a contagious laugh, Jennifer-she has 7 kiddos and homeschools-ugh, she makes me look bad. Teresa - the most tenacious woman I've ever met, Taira - One of those gems, she is so funny and bubbly. And one of our classmates that wasn't there that we talked about:
Alex McCord from The Real Housewives of New York City. If I can get our new scanner hooked up I'll post our high school picture.

I also got to see a dear friend for a brief time that was cut short from having to spend time looking for Brian as he got lost. It was a little unnerving- ok after about 10 minutes I thought I was going to pass out I was so scared.