Back to School! January 4, 2008

Whew! The first week back in the swing of school…did I say in the swing of school? Well, that’s hardly how it looked. We juggled appointments and Christmas clutter, a trip to Portland, late nights, early mornings and a reorganizing project (my brilliant idea). All the while we attempted to throw ourselves back into the books without much success. Monday I was frustrated. Tuesday was a glorious day. Wednesday I was tired. Thursday I was distracted…and Friday is just barely here…

I looked back over my week and prayed. Asking God to make every day like Tuesday. Wouldn’t it be nice if every day were like Tuesday? He gently reminded me that each day holds its own challenges, and it’s own victories. However, He is the same….yesterday, today and forever. I feel comforted somehow, by being reminded that He is the one constant in my life. No matter how much the world spins around me, no matter if the school work is complete, or if I took a field trip, baked bread, finished the laundry, journaled each day, spent quality time with each of my children individually, encouraged my husband, and spoke only kind words….the Lord is never changing. He is a part of my homeschool experience and the rest of my life. Whether the day is successful in my mind, or a total flop… He is the same.

Thank you Lord that you love me. Thank you Lord that you gave me this life. That you have so much in store for me. Help me to be the woman you have called me to be. Always remembering that you are here and you never change.

Worship, Seek, Know and Love… January 4, 2008

One of my greatest desires in educating my children at home is to encourage a love for the Word and a deep love, and reverence for God. I want my children to see and understand that God is actively working in their lives. That He loves them and cares about the details of their thoughts, hopes and dreams. My prayer is that they will grow and learn as they worship Him. That they will see worship well beyond the songs we sing to honor God, and that they will recognize worship as a lifestyle and committemnt to continuously pour their hearts out to the God of the Universe. My prayer is that they will seek Him in everything they do and that they will learn what it means to live out the passions that God has laid on their hearts. They are uniquely created by a God who adores them. He knows their inner-most desires, knows their strengths and their fears. He wants them to pursue Him with everything they are – right now! That their love for God would be so contagious, when they walk into a room the atmosphere would change.

Lord, use me to encourage their creativity, their passions, their hopes and dreams – that they would see me as a living example of one who pursues you and loves You with great fervor. Let me see them as You see them. Cause me to encourage them as You would.

Great Books January 4, 2008

Sharing coffee and great conversation with a friend today, I was reminded of how desperate I am for a great book. It seems that most of the books I read are about parenting, homeschooling, adoption, attachment, and other excellent topics that promote self improvement and a deeper walk with God. I love the books I read. And, I am looking for something new to dive into that will bring encouragement to my spirit and stir my creativity! Please send suggestions….

Some time ago, I had the opportunity to read four great books by Francine Rivers. Keep in mind that I do not usually read novels. I have a stack of books by my bed, and they are all non-fiction. However, these books came highly recommended and once I started I could not stop.

The first was Redeeming Love. This book parallels the book of Hosea in the Bible. It is such a beautiful and heart wrenching story about deep wounds in an unredeemed life and how God beautifully orchestrates love, healing, and redemption. I don’t want to say too much, as I would not want to give away the details of this story. It should be noted that this book is not appropriate for children and contains difficult content. The prologue was very hard for me to read, and yet it gave significant information about the life-history of the woman in the story. 

Three other Francine River’s books that I read were from The Mark of the Lion Series. The first being A Voice in the Wind. These were excellent historical fiction novels about life in Rome during the rise of the early church and the persecution of the Jewish and Christian people. I would again suggest that the content in these books is not appropriate for children. The author has amazing insight in character development. As I read I recognized many parallels between our American society and the debauchery in Rome. Beautifully written.

*I no longer have these books in hand, so please forgve me if I have made mistakes in any of the titles. Happy Reading!