Observing Advent 2011

This year, we'll be doing these readings through the Jesse Tree symbols at breakfast or dinner each day.  Until a few years ago I didn't know of the Jesse Tree Advent symbols; but I wanted a simple advent wreath we could use annually and found the one above online.  I hope to pick up a round glass centerpiece mirror to go under it this year.  We've never done any readings to go with it, so I guess we're starting a new tradition!

For personal reading, I cannot recommend this book enough and look forward to reading it every year:

Adding to my collection, I've picked up a used copy of this (by one of my favorite authors/commentators James Montgomery Boice) to read this year, thanks to AbeBooks, the best place to find used books online!

There's nothing magical about Advent and observing it, no sin if you don't, it's simply a time of building up expectation to the celebration of Jesus' birth at Christmas - a great opportunity for extra focus and heart preparation, similar to Lent.  Boice reminded me yesterday that the Christmas story is far from sentimental and cuddly - it's raw, rough, and intense.  The Angel told Joseph to give the baby the name Jesus, because He would save His people from their sins.

To do that, He knew He was coming to die, and did so willingly and joyfully, that God's people might be restored unto Him.  The wonder of Christmas points to the toil of the crucifixion and the glory of the resurrection.  Christmas turns our hearts and minds to the God our Emmanuel, who came to be with us, and who will one day make His dwelling with men, forever and ever.

Amen!

May God bless you in the Advent season

as you prepare your homes for the holiday

and your hearts for the celebration!

Since You Can Already Buy Christmas Decorations ...

*I posted this last year about this time; I want you to have time to get the book before advent (which begins on November 27.  I've read it over the last couple of Decembers; excellent for Christmas heart-preparation!

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

Advent begins in just a few Sundays, Nov 27. Advent: the season where we remember the waiting for the long-expected Messiah, the many promises of God, the cries of the hearts of His people.

Then, Christmas Eve we celebrate the arrival of that promised Savior, THE King of kings, and Lord of lords!

Okay, now I am getting excited about Christmas and will henceforth quit my complaining when I hear the carols in the stores. Here's my book recommendation to prepare your hearts through the Advent season: Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus ed. Nancy Guthrie, a collection of readings by a collection of well-known Christian theologians, preachers, teachers & speakers.

My pastor recommended this when I was seeking some Advent "enrichment" last year. You will not be disappointed if you get your hands on this book! (There's plenty of time to order before November 27th.)

How the people of God waited for their Messiah! How he challenged their expectations!! How he changed so many lives!!!

May the Scriptures and these reflections do the same for us as we approach Christmas Eve. Jesus is the reason for the season, let's not lose Him in the lights, the gifts, the festivities, or even the religious traditions.

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

Isaiah 9:6-7

Book Review: Mere Christianity

Since it's "back to school" month, I got to finish up some books of this summer, and there's a giveaway going on, I'll share some book reviews in the next couple of posts.  I will begin with

Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis.

I must confess, first, how much I love old British writers, particularly theologians.  Lewis was not a theologian by trade, but he was a master of the English language and of analogy.  He became a Christian quite late in life, after years of atheism.  Mere Christianity was given as a series of radio talks during the Second World War, when many were asking questions about faith, right, and wrong, as their sons, fathers, husbands, and friends were sent off to war ... and many did not return home.  Later the talks were converted into book format.

This book is a treasure for a Christian.  In addition to introducing me to new idea or challenging my understanding, Lewis put together some things for me that were previously either confusing or just not quite sorted out in my brain.  For example, as I grow in the faith and am a person who is interested in learning more about doctrine and theology, I've thought to myself, "Oh there's just so much, how can I present the gospel to someone when there's so much to explain and understand all at once?!"  In one of the chapters (and I can't find it now, so you'll have to read for yourself!), he draws the analogy of early faith being like man - long before he knew anything about the workings of vitamins, minerals, and calories - knowing that when he was hungry or feeling faint, a good meal made him feel better.  When we begin to see our problem is sin and that Jesus is the Savior, we believe - all without an in-depth understanding of all of Christian Theology.  Learning that Theology (as learning how it is that food makes a hungry you feel better) as you grow in your faith enhances it, deepens and enriches it, but it doesn't change the basic fact that then you look to Jesus, repent and believe, your sins are forgiven.  That meal still satisfies.  I can certainly share that truth quite simply.

For my little brain, Lewis' simple analogies aided my understanding and, in that case, helped me to breathe a sigh of relief!  God gifted this man with the ability to take the profound and make it such that even little children, like this 32-year-old one, might comprehend.

There are not many Scripture references in this book, which could be considered an asset or a defect, depending upon where you're coming from.  For the 'Christianity investigator,' I believe it is an asset - because he would not be distracted by too many references.  For me, as a "slightly further on" believer, it caused me to open my Bible and look for things now and then, a good practice. But if you're looking for lots of references, you'll be disappointed.  If you have a friend who's looking for a lays-it-all-out kind of book about Christianity, this would be perfect.  Though, I'm not sure it is a great book for someone who's clearly not interested, no matter how much you want them to be.  Keep praying!  And read this yourself so you know if and when you should hand it to someone.

I can imagine reading this book regularly for three reasons:

1. the edification of my own faith,
2. to keep simple apologetics fresh in my mind, and
3. there's too much to "get" in just one read.

We're off for a weekend with family at at wedding in Illinois, my mom's homeland and my birth state.  I hope you all have weekends that restore and refresh!

Becoming a Reader, as an Adult

When I was young, I read.

And read.

And read.

What a delight it was to complete the Anne of Green Gables series as a twelve year old!

Shortly after that, school got more intense and required large chunks of study and reading time. Reading for pleasure fell by the wayside as athletics, homework, and friends took over.

In college I read a little more, but my studies demanded so much reading, I was rarely interested in MORE reading in my free time.  But post-college I was able to rediscover the fun in reading!  Reading opens doors into new worlds and ideas to which we don't have access without literacy.  On our honeymoon (which was not long after graduation) I started Tolstoy's Anna Karenina; nothing like starting small, eh?  I've been reading ever since.  I even completed some books by reading while nursing Elizabeth in the dark hours of the night.

This morning as I chatted with some friends, I thought perhaps it would be helpful to share on the blog how it is I keep reading.  Life is not less busy with a husband and children.  How can we continue to read when life already seems so full?

Several years ago, I made a new year's resolution to read a chapter of a book every day.  If you're reading books with thirty chapters (give or take), that's twelve books a year.  That's quite a few books.  I have not kept up with this intentionally, but by the end of that year, the reading habit was ingrained!

This afternoon I began a book that is 252 pages.  The chapters are really long, so I can't do a chapter a day.  But if I commit to 10 pages a day, I'll wrap that book up before May is out.

See how easy it is to start a regular reading habit?

The other thing you have to do to develop your reading addiction habit, is decide that it's worth it to take that time to read, rather than something else.  You can easily read a chapter of a book in the time it takes to watch a sitcom in the evening.  Or you'd be amazed at how recharged you feel after reading a bit with a tasty beverage - I take mine caffeinated - in the middle of the afternoon; make the kids rest and you sit for a spell too!  You'll all be better for it.  The mornings might work better for you, so perhaps getting up 15 minutes ahead of schedule will allow you the indulgence of a good book.

In summary, to read more you need to do two things:

1. Decide how much you'd like to be reading
2. Choose a regular time for reading

I'm a non-fiction junkie, particularly Christian living or Bible teaching books.  You can see some of my recommendations in the Deepen Your Roots tab at the top or click on book/review tabs over in the column on the right.

Picture Book Authors We Love

I'm always looking for good books for the kids, good stories with creative and/or beautiful illustrations.  (I'll be sad when our shelves and library bag are no longer stuffed with picture books!)

Here's a small selection of authors we've grown to love over the last several years:

Paul Collicutt has a series about vehicles called This (insert name of vehicle). (This Train, This Car, This Rocket, etc.)  The illustrations are beautiful and the text is brief but full of information for little toddler/preschool minds.

Kevin Henkes is a prolific writer with a range of books for kids of all ages on a variety of topics from relationships to nature.  I'm never disappointed by anything I pick up from that section of the library shelf!

Leo Lionni writes sweet little stories with creative illustrations.

Byron Barton's illustrations are bold and colorful and he gets right to the heart of my little boy with lots of trucks, trains, and planes - though he does have some other stories, like the Three Little Bears.

Gail Gibbons is AMAZING!  She has written so many books about such a variety of science (and other, but lots of science) topics, all at the perfect level for early elementary students.  For almost anything we're "studying" in school we're able to find a book by Ms. Gibbons to read.  Her illustrations and text keep us all interested!

Saxton Freymann's photography of fruits and vegetables captivates the kids and amazes me.  His creativity knows no bounds!  He has some board books in addition to regular books.

Who are some of your favorites?

The Call: Motherhood

I was going to quote parts of this on Facebook or in a post, but then realized I just need to link you to this post by Sally Clarkson.

Please read the whole post HERE, but I'll give you this little teaser:

When I studied scripture and found that the stewardship of a child’s life, his training, education, character, emotional health, spiritual vigor, well-being, mind heart was entrusted to me, I realized that I needed to give my whole self to it. I had to work through selfishness, giving up my rights to my own time, my body, my sleep, and I had to learn what a servant heart was, as I had not been trained to be mature or to give up myself.

But, as I learned to embrace my call to intentional motherhood as God’s will and design for me, I began to fall more in love with my children. I had this grid in my mind through which I saw all of life. I love God. God has shown me what He wants of me. I need to give myself fully to this design.

I second her motion to get one (or more!) of her books.  Begin with Mission of Motherhood and Ministry of Motherhood.  You will never be the same.  And neither will your family.

I'm so thankful for how God "accidentally" brought me into contact with WholeHeart and MomHeart ministires.

Praise!  The!  Lord!

Dr. Mary Poplin and Finding YOUR Calcutta (part 2)

As promised, here are other thoughts Mary shared that have stuck with me:

• We're all slaves to something. Paul often referred to himself as a bondservant of Christ - Christians are slaves to Jesus!  Mother Teresa lived this out.  Based upon Matthew 25:31-46, she cared for the poor, but her primary service was to Jesus.  So when she was looking into the face of an untouchable - feeding, bathing, or hugging - it was as if she were feeding, bathing, or hugging her Lord.

• Her advice to a young speaker and writer:
• study people who are doing what you'd ultimately like to do, for me Beth Moore and Joyce Meyer types.
• think about who you can help - this is likely "your" best target audience
• think about what grieves you most - that's likely your Calcutta

• On abortion:  In her book, Mary shares about her own abortion experience and the process of accepting God's forgiveness.  I mentioned how I really appreciated that she included that.  Then, she shared a story of a woman who came to her after a talk distraught because, while Mary was not a Christian when she aborted, this girl was and "should have known better."  Mary said the Lord immediately brought King David to mind - the man after God's own heart, God's anointed king of Isreal - who committed adultery and had the woman's husband murdered in battle.  He knew God; God forgave Him.  Profound.  Is our God not full of mercy?

I loved being with Mary.  Her heart is so warm, her mind so keen.  I most appreciate her understanding that all of us Christians need each other, the Presbyterian needs the Pentecostal, the Catholic needs the Baptist, the Eastern needs the Western, and vice-versa on all of those!  Her heart is open to learning more and God has used this to shape her life/ministry (I have to write it that way, for they are one, as per Ephesians 4.)  In her book, on a chapter about the Church she says, Isn't it a magnificent thing to be a molecule in the body of Christ.  No mater where we live in the world, we are instantly joined to a larger body. p. 138

I'll leave you with this final teaser if you want to get to know more about Mary and her experiences with Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity, from her book Finding Calcutta: What Mother Teresa Taught Me About Meaningful Work and Service.

At night, [after her time in Calcutta] I would lie wake and reflect on the various stories of miracles among the Missionaries, the healing of Babloo, his love for the picture of Jesus, the bottle nipple that arrived just in time, the Indian money, the special help to the Delhi Plane, the entry into the cloistered monastery, the voice from the icon ... So many experiences rolled around in me with nowhere to put them.  I hardly had any categories that could accommodate my experiences.  My old categories of coincidence and serendipity crumbled under the weight of new experiences and understandings.The Lord was resurrecting something that had long laid dormant in me, and I was beginning to come more alive.  I felt like a child allowed into my Father's study for the first time to experience certain secrets.  I was seeing things t I had never noticed before.  Like a child, I was pointing to them and waiting for him to give me the word.  p. 146

God's Faithfulness: Meeting Dr. Mary Poplin

Who is like our God?

Here's the back story:

In college, I was involved with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF).  Sidenote: Met Colin there, yup!  The first two years, Tom Grosh was our staff worker.  He trained us well in Bible study and alway encouraged us to seek the Lord, get to know the Word, step out in faith.  I learned a lot from Tom.

We've maintained a connection over the years through prayer/support emails for him and his family and seeing each other a few times.  This past summer, now that we're back in Pittsburgh, we were able to visit with the Groshes at a small bbq with other supporters and old IVCF friends.  I mentioned to Tom my desire to grow as a speaker and writer.  And, God bless him, he's taken my comment to heart and is offering me opportunities to develop through reading good literature and (maybe - it's in the prayer phase) doing some writing for the Emerging Scholar's Network blog.

With the retreat coming up in April, I asked Tom if I could borrow a book.  As God would have it, Tom was coming to town the following weekend, was able to stay a night with us, and

brought me FOUR books.

I started by reading one that I had not requested, but seemed to fit well with the retreat topic: service.  The book?  Finding Calcutta: What Mother Teresa Taught Me About Meaningful Work and Service by Mary Poplin.

I was so taken with the writing, Mother Teresa, and the challenging questions Mary posited throughout the book.  I was half way through before the middle of the following week.

And Mary Poplin was going to be in Pittsburgh that Friday!

Unfortunately, I was not going to be able to attend her talk at the CMU Veritas Forum.  But, Tom knew Mary's schedule, and arranged for her to come to our home for a brief interview.  If you're my friend on Facebook, you know I was just a little excited!

Wow, an author and scholar in my kitchen!  And what a lovely Christian woman.  You can read the story of her conversion (in her forties!) here.

I planned to share some of that interview with you here, but it will have to wait for the next post.  For now, I'll leave you with these thoughts:

• Praise God for the body of Christ, the Chruch, and how He uses us to sharpen, encourage, and spur one another on!  Meeting Mary would not have happened if Tom had not taken in interest in this young lady's heart's desire.  And, of course, there was Mary willingness to come to a strange girl's house for a chat.  I'm so grateful!

• It's been less than two years since I decided to try pursuing a dream, and God has been SO FAITHFUL in giving me experiences and speaking through His word into my life.  What do you dream about, how can you step out and develop and use your gifts starting TODAY, trusting that God will prove Himself faithful?

Stay tuned for a post about my conversation with Mary.  Until then:

The LORD bless you and keep you;

the LORD make his face shine upong you and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.

Numbers 6:24-26

Drum Roll, Please!

I'm excited to announce the winners in my first blog giveaway!

CONGRATULATIONS TO:

CHRISSIE KOERBER

JENNIFER KYES

and JENNY VICKERS

I'll be in touch to get your details if I don't already know them!

Thank you SO MUCH for participating in this very first giveaway.  I'm trying to figure out where this blog is going and it's been exciting to get some feedback and have friends get into the giveaway!

Here are some photos of the lovely Frankie, my friend's daughter, helping with the drawing. 

The Screwtape Letters

This is almost it, folks.  Tomorrow's post will round out a month of daily posts.  Wow, it went by fast.  Tomorrow we'll also reveal the winners of the Sally Clarkson book giveaway ... last chance to throw your name into the ring!

Since I read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis this month, I want to share a couple of passages that have stuck with me.  This is one marvelous book!  It's fiction, but bursting with rich Biblical themes.  Adjusting to the perspective can take a couple of chapters, e.g. "The Enemy" is God since it's an exchange between demons, but it doesn't take long to get into the story.  What an amazing reminder that there are powers at work that we don't see but are part of reality, whether we're giving them any attention or not!


It seems one cannot go wrong reading a work by Lewis.  What a gift God gave to the world in C.S. Lewis; I'm so glad He called him to be His own!

Okay, on with the show.  Two of my favorite passages concern the topics of suffering/trials and dying to self.

On Suffering/Trials: (p. 45-46)

To decide what the best use of it is, you must ask what use the Enemy wants to make of it, and then do the opposite.  Now it may surprise you to learn that in His efforts to get permanent possession of a soul, He relies on the troughs even more than on the peaks; some of His special favourites have gone through longer and deeper troughs than anyone else.  The reason is this.  to us a human is primarily food; our aim is the absorption of its will into ours, the increase of our own area of selfhood at its expense.  But the obedience which the Enemy demands of men is quite a different thing.  One must face the fact that all the talk about His love for men, and His service being perfect freedom, is not (as one would gladly believe) mere propaganda, but an appalling truth.  He really does want to fill the universe with a lot of loathsome little replicas of Himself - creatures whose life, on its miniature scale, will be qualitatively like His own, not because He has absorbed them but because their wills freely conform to His.  We want cattle who can finally become food; He wants servants who can finally become sons.  We want to suck in, He wants to give out.  We are empty and would be filled; He is full and flows over.  Our war aim is a world in which Our Father Below has drawn all other beings into himself: the Enemy wants a world full of beings united with Himself but still distinct.

On Dying to Self: (p. 68)

Of course I know that the Enemy also wants to detach men from themselves, but in a different way.  Remember always, that He really likes the little vermin, and sets an absurd value on the distinctness of every one of them.  When He talks of their losing their selves, He only means abandoning the clamour of self-will; once they have done that, He really gives them back all their personality, and boasts (I am afraid, sincerely) that when they are wholly His they will be more themselves than ever.

The latter quote I have found to be quite true in my own life; though I never could have expressed it so eloquently.  God has taken this people-pleasing woman and turned her away from manipulation and self-aggrandizement to service for the joy of serving and loving God and others.  Things I used to do because I felt I had to in order to get my way or look good, I now do because I want to.  Only God can do that - free us from what binds us and then hand it back to us, repackaged to bring us delight, because He created us in specific ways, with specific purposes in mind.

I could quote so many more paragraphs from The Screwtape Letters.  Instead, I"ll leave you to pull the book off the library or bookstore shelf!

A Giveaway!

IT'S TIME TO PUT MY MONEY WHERE MY MOUTH IS!

Next Tuesday, in honor of the end of NaBloPoMo, we will crown three winners in a Sally Clarkson book giveaway!

Apologies to any of you dad or childless readers out there; though, wait, I will let you submit your wife's or a friend's name - good Christmas or baby shower gift maybe?  These books are specifically written for moms.  (Being pregnant certainly counts, so submit your name if you want to!)

Here are the books to be mailed to your home if your name is chosen:


Ministry of Motherhood

The Mom Walk

Seasons of  Mother's Heart

this is for homeschooling moms

Here are the contest rules and regulations (ha!):

1. You must comment on the blog to have your name entered into the drawing.  I will submit your name separately for each book, so let me know which you're interested in, (one, two, or all three)
2. You may only win one book and only one entry per book per household.
3. You'll have to email me your address, or some address, to receive your prize.  Arrangements will be made privately, not here on the blog.
4. I will mail anywhere in the world!
5. Get a friend to enter and I'll give you an extra entry on the book of your choice!
6. The contest organizer reserves the right to do whatever she wants; these rules are subject to change at any time.  (I'm a dork.)

Reading

I read a lot.

I'm a non-fiction junkie, but am being drawn back into reading classic fiction now that Elizabeth is in school and we're reading chapter books together.  (Think: Chronicles of Narnia, Winnie-the-Pooh, Secret Garden, etc.)

With the new year approaching you may be thinking about resolutions for 2011.  In my family growing up ,we had a wonderful tradition of all making some goals for the new year.  My dad has a folder of all of the resolutions we made throughout the years, chronicling our development moving from things like "not wetting the bed" to "reading a specific number of books."  I need to go back and see how many times I said I'd stop biting my nails.

I still do.  Though certainly less.

Sorry, dad.

Anyway, back to the topic of reading.  There's a lot of wonderful literature out there, folks!  A couple of years ago, I wanted to increase the amount of reading I was doing.  Many moms will attest to the fact that it's easy to let these nice past times slip away when you have small children.  My goal was to read a chapter of a book a day.

This was such an achievable goal and so beneficial!

If you've been wanting to read more, perhaps all you need to do is give yourself a challenge for this coming year.  There's no punishment or shame if you don't read each day, but it does make you stop to think before automatically turning on the tv in the evening or just putzing around online in your free time.  I try to stop in the middle of the day, rest at the beginning of the time when the kids are resting, and take 15-30 minutes to read something challenging or soul-nourishing.  We all need a break, folks!

Where to get books:

• your local library
• used book sites - I particularly like AbeBooks
• as gifts from birthday & Christmas wishlists
• your local used book store
• and, of course, regular old bookstores

Where to get good book recommendations or warnings about bad ones:

• people you trust or know have reasonable taste
• books that come up in conversation (this is why I just read Screwtape Letters)
• amazon reviews
• lists of classics like one from the BBC that a friend of mine just posted on facebook
• this book is good for recommendations for the whole family: Read for the Heart

What are you reading these days?  You can see my list to the right.

READ ON, FRIENDS!

If You Are A Mom

then you know you can use a little encouragement now and then.

This year I've been getting to know Sally and Clay Clarkson through their books and website. Their ministry is called Whole Heart, and while I came across their stuff in my homeschooling research, I've been impressed by their desire to minister to the whole family, particularly parents. Rather than put their efforts into designing homeschool curricula, they've labored to produce books, conferences, and events to spur moms (and dads) on in the faith, and in passing it on to their kids.

Whether you homeschool or not, you need to get your hands on Sally's books! She doesn't offer a 12-step plan, but she does encourage moms to take their job seriously, to seek God for guidance, to create a vision for their kids and family. I can recommend The Mission of Motherhood and The Ministry of Motherhood. And I look forward to reading Seasons of a Mother's Heart and others in the coming months. She's having a 15% off sale leading up to Mother's Day; now's the time to get these books!

A word of warning: you need to go into reading these books extending yourself a lot of grace. Sally has thought a lot about being a mom, raising her family, and scriptures that apply. And her kids were not all toddlers at the time of writing. You may find some of her stories intimidating, thinking, "I could never be like her! She seems to have it all figured out!" But the point is not to become a mom like Sally; she doesn't write for that reason. The point is to be encouraged to think about family, faith, child-rearing, and, above all, seek the Lord in your labors as a mom (or anything you do, really!)

This mom thing can wear you down! But God's given you the task of raising your kids, and you're just the mom they need. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 As I said in yesterday's post, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! And take advantage of Sally's insights if you need a little hope that it's all worth it or some ideas on how to think Biblically about mommy-ing beyond the day-to-day routine.

It May Have Been School Vacation Week

It sure was vacation week!

After a week off, here was the state of Elizabeth's desk at the beginning of this fine Monday morning:

front

looking down from above

Her mother may or may not be responsible for these crazy piles of books and papers and toys and gift bags and stickers and markers and more. I suppose we'll never know.

The Half-Way Point

We're roughly half way through the school year! It's been a while since I've written about homeschooling; the last post was my list of book reviews in November. It's January. I had hopes of doing a serious review of the first several months over Christmas, but never got to it. (When a husband is in the last few months of thesis writing, he's not exactly available to take the kids for afternoons at a time so his wife can reflect and plan. But those days are not too far away now!)

the student

You may wonder about our method of homeschooling. It's not exactly unschooling, because we do specific things each day that constitute school work, usually in the morning. But we are also not following a specific curriculum. I guess that makes us relaxed or eclectic. I plant to read more about Whole Hearted education. For now, my primary guides are the books Home Learning Year by Year by Rebecca Rupp and The Three Rs by Ruth Beechick. Putting their suggestions and guidelines together with resources you can get from simple workbooks and library books, it is relatively easy to walk through a Kindergarten year. Seriously, I spend probably two hours a week in prep. I LOVE the library and am so thankful for the many authors who have created such educational picture books! Using the interlibrary loan program and Amazon, you can come up with lists of great books on specific topics, request them, add an activity or two, and you've got a simple unit.

the beginning reader

A typical week of our lessons looks like this. I'm not sure if you'll be able to access it; it's s Google document. Let me know if you can't. If you can, you'll notice that it isn't much. "School" typically takes about an hour, maybe a little more if we're working on some project. Frequently we will listen to the month's hymn in the car while traveling from place to place or sing together right before bedtime. We read the chapter book most often before afternoon rest time, when Brian's already down and E and I can snuggle on the big bed. For reading, we're currently taking our time working through Dr. Seuss early reader books, 3-5 pages a day depending upon the amount of text. For writing, we've been focusing mostly on copying sentences I have written, helping E to practice uniform letter size, learn spacing, and some punctuation. We began math concepts using the Math Counts series by Henry Pluckrose (requested from the library), focusing on one topic per week. And this workbook has been helpful in continuing math work; I will purchase more from Spectrum in the future.

the artists

Some of the topics we've explored (in varying levels of detail) so far this year include: trees, the United States, Washington D.C., water, birds, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, the continents, the Earth's composition & rocks, Martin Luther King Jr., and now we're taking about winter weather. I've used library books, websites, field trips, games, crafts, and other activities to create mini units around each theme. Without all of the print and electronic resources available, I'm not sure how I'd teach!

the loves of my life

(well, 2/3 of them)

Okay, so basically this post has become my year-so-far review. Thanks for giving me the platform. I'm assuming, of course, that you want to know what I do. If you don't, I hope you have not felt obligated to read this far! You may have noticed that I've offered little personal reflection and have discussed my feelings about the homeschooling experience. For now, I will publish this and leave those thoughts for my next post!

So Much To Study, So Little Time!

Last summer I launched into a personal study of the book of Joshua; the posts can be found here and here. And, as God would have it, in the fall I was given the delightful privilege of leading this year's Tuesday morning women's Bible study. We have been marching our way through Joshua, learning about God's faithfulness, judgement, mercy, holiness, and promise fulfillment. It has been good, very good. We are now nearing the end of or time in the book and, as I have studied very little other than Joshua for the last 7 months, I have been looking to move on.

In these early days of the new year, I read through the book of John, a few chapters a day, preparing for another wave of study. I plan to follow the same pattern as I did with Joshua: read the whole book once, read through chapter by chapter using the New Bible Commentary (published by IVP), then read through it again with a more in-depth commentary by James Montgomery Boice. (Little did I know last June that I was preparing to lead a group of wonderful women through the book! God is gracious, isn't He?)

A few days ago, I was wondering how long it would take me to do the same with all of the books of the Bible. I calculated that if I spent 3 months in each book, I would be (almost) 47 when I finished! Now, I know that some books in the Bible are quite short, so perhaps the time is a bit overestimated. But it doesn't make 16.5 years seem any less overwhelming! The goal, however, is to get to know the Word by reading, meditating, and taking advantage of the study of scholars with more knowledge than I'll ever have. Making time to do it would be invaluable, even if it is L-O-N-G! And truly, I'd like to spend whatever days God gives me getting to know Him, before I'm standing (what?! I mean, falling on my face!) before Him giving an account.

In addition to starting up with John, our pastor recently brought to our attention Ad Fontes (which means "to the sources"), a full year of daily readings in Calvin's Institutes. A group from church will meet weekly (at a pub, over a pint - and I'm not kidding!) to discuss the week's readings. I just read today's reading. I have not read anything from The Institutes since the one and only seminary course I've ever taken (Systematic Theology I) that I took the summer before Elizabeth was conceived. Have you ever read any of Calvin's Institutes? I remember been AMAZED at how accessible they are & how invigorating to one's faith! And it was brought back to my attention today, as I checked out Ad Fontes. I hope I can stick with them. The readings are short and just started today; let me know if you decide to read, too. And if you're free on Fridays at 4pm and live near Cambridge, MA, there will be folks gathering for discussion with our pastor, Rick Downs,at The Field on Prospect St.

Oh, so much to read, so little time! Fortunately, the Christian's hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness, so if I fall behind or never make it through another thorough study of a book of the Bible, I need not fear. But for the time, I'm thankful to God for His Word, the desire He's given me to study it, and wise saints who have gone before us and left their words behind to guide us through the Scriptures. In the craziness of life with kids, family, and other obligations & commitments, I sure feel the need to have my feet grounded on a solid rock. How about you? God's Word offers that sure place to stand, loving arms in which to rest, and hope and peace for our weary souls. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Christmas Story Party

I haven't posted in a while because I've been spending my free-ish time getting ready for this morning's Christmas Story Party that our church is sponsoring here where we live.

Around Thanksgiving, the Lord placed on my heart the desire to share the real Christmas story with my neighbors. I had entertained the idea of an Advent Bible study, of sorts, but when one of the pastors mentioned the excellent story telling in the Jesus Storybook Bible, it occurred to me that we could do a kids event! (Thanks, Bradley!) My dear friend and Children's Ministry director, Lydia, jumped right in with me to get it planned. (Thanks, Lydia!)

So this morning from 10-11:30am, we will be making crafts, sharing the Christmas story, singing some carols, and icing cookies with at least 20 kids and their parents. I'm very excited! A handful of MIT connected church members will also be there to help. (Thanks, Andy, Sam, Jenny, & Chris!) Two neighbor friends of mine helped to get all of the crafts cut and ready. (Thanks, Katie and Liz!) And every family will go home with a Jesus Storybook Bible. (Thanks, John!)

The Spirit has really guided this whole endeavor from the very beginning and has used my community to mold and shape it with great ideas. (Thanks, Lord!) Here's to God's Word going out and not returning to Him void. Please pray for this event with us!

Providence

The providence of God is like Hebrew words - it can be read only backwards.

-John Flavel
Puritan writer

At such times, [times in life that don't seem to make any sense] Flavel's words have often comforted me and helped me to readjust my myopic spiritual perspective. They have reminded me to fix my mind and heart on God's wise, gracious, and sovereign rule, and on the assurance that He works everything together for His children's good, so that I do not inquire too proudly into why I cannot understand His sovereign purposes.

-Sinclair Furgeson
In Christ Alone
(I highly recommend this book.)

Furgeson offers this reflection at the beginning of a chapter entitled God's Mysterious Will. I found it both encouraging and convicting. How precious and dear is the thought, based on the truth of God's word, that our Lord is wise, gracious, and sovereign! Do not fear, Christian. Trust and obey, whatever the circumstance. God is in control. This gives us hope and encouragement in the journey.

And I am also convicted, being reminded of how I proudly try to imagine I can understand the mind of God. In a later paragraph Ferguson says this about how we'd act if we knew God's will: So perverse are we that we would use our knowledge of God's will to substitute for actual daily personal trust in the Lord Himself. You got me there, Furgeson! I'd never thought about it this way, but it's true. I want to know God's will (the plan He has laid out for my life) so I can be my own god and get set on pursuing that path...rather than pursue God Himself.

Yesterday as I prepared for Bible study, I was delighting in studying Scripture and all of the fun there is in making connections, asking good questions, thinking deep thoughts. And then it hit me that I'd much rather be studying and thinking, than getting myself dirty in the business of loving the Lord with all my heart, mind, and soul, and loving my neighbor has myself (Matt. 22:37-38), trusting God and not leaning on my own understanding (Prov 3:5-6), and repenting and believing the good news.

Yet it is there that God calls us to be.

To trust Him.

To obey Him.

To love Him.

I don't know where you find yourself today. But I do know the God who made you, loves you, and wants to transform you. He's more than reliable; He's the solid rock. How desperately we need to be reminded. How much we need to be encouraged to trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey!

Back to Joshua

A while ago, I posted some of my thoughts on my recent study of the book of Joshua. I left you hanging with the truth that God is holy. I have not contemplated it enough myself, but the Lord is gently working this reality into my thinking. For that, I am grateful. And I apologize for taking so long to follow up, this post has been long in the making.

Some comments on how I've been studying Joshua: I've now finished reading through Joshua section by section using the commentary I purchased by James Mongtomery Boice. It is excellent. (Made only slightly more excellent by the fact that I learned today that he grew up in McKeesport, outside Pittsburgh! But I digress....)

So this has been my method of study:

1. read through a book of the Bible chapter by chapter
2. read through it again with a companion commentary
3. work through a Bible study on the book

Currently I'm into #3, using a Life Changes study guide. It's got lots of questions, plenty of additional questions you can read/think about, definitions of Bible terms, and many helpful Bible study tips throughout. I've gotten through a few studies and appreciate it's thoroughness and desire to lead the reader to understand the text, learn about who God is, and apply the Word to life.

Now, where did we leave off last?

Ah yes, God is holy.

He is holy, holy, holy. And this is serious business. This holy God calls people to Himself, guides them, protects them, and keeps them. God made promises to Abraham that he kept and fulfilled in the days of Joshua. But in the process, He also called them to obedience. This holy God cannot be in the presence of sin, He is too holy.

This brings me to the second major thing that has been impressed upon my heart, soul, and mind through the book of Joshua: God's Word is of utmost importance to the believer. The "B-I-B-L-E" really does need to be "the book for me." All of life needs to be lived out of and in response to the Word of God. I don't understand how to do this, but I think that's because I make it too complicated. I want to live on some ethereal, super-spiritual plane that doesn't have much connection with reality. The bottom line is that to live by faith, the Christian must live in obedience to to Word of God. Through the hearing and doing of the Word, we are transformed.

My shortcomings with respect to the Scriptures are many. I don't think about them or treat them as living and active (Hebrews 4:12), therefore I rarely go to the Bible when life is good, to praise and thank God, or when life is tough, to seek His counsel and lean on Him. I don't meditate on it day and night (Psalm 1:1-2), therefore when I do find myself in need of wisdom, there's not much Scripture in my heart for the Spirit to use to instruct, comfort, guide or give me hope. I often let my mind wander during Scripture readings on Sunday mornings ... or give a silent cheer in my heart when the passage is short. (Seriously people, if there is a woman in need of God's grace, I'm she!)

Being in Joshua has encouraged me not to take The Good Book so lightly. In conjunction with teaching about 10 Commandments to Kindergarten and First Graders this summer, I'm so very thankful to have been forced to think about the place of God's Word in my life, and in the life of all believers. When Jesus sums up the commandments, He puts them in two categories, and I'll leave you with these verses on which to meditate until next time.

Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it; love your neighbor as yourself." - Matthew 22:37-39

Today, by God's grace, because of the blood of Jesus, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, may you too find some time to get into God's Word and consider its place in your life. And may you be surprised at the good that comes of it!

These Days - Part 1

A month back or so Elizabeth and I were reading the story of Jericho in her kids Bible. I was reminded how familiar I used to be with the stories of the Old Testament, and decided it was time to do some study there. It was very opportune, because we had just finished up our yearly women's Bible study, the latest of which had involved daily readings and questions. So I needed new devotional material. I wasn't sure where to begin, but "something" - Holy Spirit be thanked and praised! - prompted me to start reading the book of Joshua, from whence comes the story of the "battle" of Jericho.

I started reading.

Over the course of several days, I made my way through all 24 chapters. Since there was a lot of history and geography with which I wasn't familiar, I decided to read through it again, this time reading a chapter from Joshua and the accompanying commentary from the New Bible Commentary. I also printed a map of the promised land and how it was divided among the tribes, so I had some clue as to where they were talking about! In true OT style, there are many lists of cities, towns, and other landmarks mentioned as the tribes are settling into their new territories.

I'm now quite close to the end of this second phase of study. I cannot express how immensely important it has been for me to be in the book of Joshua. (Again, Holy Spirit be thanked and praised!) I had a little extra birthday cash and purchased another, more thorough commentary as well as this study. I'm anticipating - at my pace - a couple more months of reading and learning. The motivation and the perseverance I owe only to the Lord. I'm not sure how I got here, why I'm eating this up so much, or where it will take me. But for now I will stay in this book.

Some thoughts thus far
In Joshua, the Israelites FINALLY enter and possess the land God promised them as far back as Abraham. It is beautiful. It is profound. After hundreds of years of waiting, there is rest in the land. After decades of manna, there is fresh food from the land. After longing, there is fulfillment. I cannot imagine what it would have been like to be there, to have waited, and then to have seen God fulfill every one of his promises in my generation! Wow. The story can take your breath away.

But there's way more to it than that. The most emphatic truth that hits your heart and jars your senses is this: God is God and He is Holy. He must be dealt with and related to on His terms. He is good. He's slow to anger and abounding in love. But first and foremost, He is Holy....




More reflections to follow. How's that for leaving you hanging?!