Last night, we read about Anne Bradstreet who died at age 62. After hearing the age at which she died, Alyssa exclaimed, "Wow! That's young for her deadness!" which meant that the woman was quite young to die.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Dying Young
We just bought a cool book called The Church History ABCs. It contains short, biographical sketches on various people from church history. It has fun drawings and my kids love learning about different people in church history.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Things to Look Forward to...
Today at lunch, the girls brought up what life would be like in the resurrection. They were describing all the things we have to look forward to and here is the list they came up with:
"No more hospitals because there will be no more sick people."
"No pain."
"No bad people."
"No sadness."
"And Mommy, you'll be able to cook!"
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Do Not Become Weary
In case you haven't noticed, it has been pretty hard for me to make time for blogging. It is always in the back of my mind, but actually doing it gets pushed aside. The choice is usually sleeping or blogging, spending time with the kids or blogging, reading my Bible or blogging, prepping for school the next day or blogging, tackling that to do list from last month or blogging. You get the picture.
These are busy days for us. My days are filled with the regular stuff a mom of four would be doing with homeschooling on top. It has been an adjustment this year and just when I feel like I'm getting into a rhythm of living, something else comes my way or I realize that I have conveniently forgotten, well, all that I've forgotten.
Our plates are full and sometimes I get bogged down by all that I have to do. Sometimes I get plain discouraged, but here are a few verses that set my perspective straight and encourage me to be faithful in the tasks that God has set before me.
I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Psalm 34:1-2
Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
Psalm 37:3-7
To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
Eccliastes 3:1
For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Galatians 6:8-9
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
2 Corinthians 2:14-15
Monday, December 7, 2009
Just So You Know I'm Still Alive
No time to write, but I finally downloaded some pictures to my computer so here are a few:
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Four Children: Busy, Busy, Busy
One of my first responses about having four children was something like, "It is no different than having two." Four months after Abrielle's birth, I have thought a lot about this and I think it is very much true...and very much not true. ;-) Let's see if I can explain this.
The biggest distinction in my mind between "having four is just like having two" and "having four is more than having two" is the difference between stress and busy-ness. Having four children seems no more stressful to me than having two. When I had only two children, if one thing went wrong then everything seemed to go wrong. That hasn't really changed now that I have four. Everything seems to come crashing down at once (I'm sure it doesn't really, but it does seem that way). I do not feel I am going from crisis to crisis day in and day out, just that the crises seem to pile up in a moment's time. However, having four is definitely more work and makes my life much busier. I have a lot to do. I have more clothes to wash, more food to make, more times in a week to clean the bathroom, etc. But more work is not a bad thing. More work may take more time, it may mean you never get to the end of your to-do list, it may mean that you need to be more creative about housework, it may mean you get less time to hang out with friends, but it is not the end of the world. It is not necessarily more stressful.
All of this brings to mind some important principles. First, we must remember that we are not adequate to do anything of import apart from Christ. I often think of the verse 2 Corinthinas 3:5 in my parenting. It says that we are not adequate or sufficient, but God is. I know the context of this verse is not parenthood, but I think it applies to us in the state of parenthood just as well.
Second, I think we need to embrace the fourth commandment which says to remember the Sabbath day. It is strange to me that we want so much to do away with this commandment when it is such a blessing. I do not think remembering the Sabbath means that we have to put dour looks on our faces and only think of serious things while we sit quietly. Actually, I think it is quite the opposite. I think we get to celebrate it by feasting, worshiping corporately, fellowshipping with other saints, and by resting, which for me means no to-do list and also often translates into a good, old-fashioned Sunday afternoon nap. As my husband puts it, we get a vacation one day a week. This does not mean I have NO work to do on Sundays, but I do not view it as "just another day" to get things done. And since I have been implementing this in my life, I have experienced much refreshment and it seems that I have actually been able to accomplish more. Our ways are definitely not God's ways.
Third, it means not burning the candle at both ends. I recognize that there are seasons in life when our busy-ness is above and beyond anything approaching normal. But I do not think it is a coincidence that the same Psalm that tells us that children are a reward says that it is "vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep." God not only gives His children weekly rest; He gives daily rest, as well.
Finally, we have to remember that we should not grow weary in doing good and that we are reaping a harvest (Galatians 6:9). Raising children in the training and admonition of the Lord is a good thing. It is not always easy, but it is rewarding.
The biggest distinction in my mind between "having four is just like having two" and "having four is more than having two" is the difference between stress and busy-ness. Having four children seems no more stressful to me than having two. When I had only two children, if one thing went wrong then everything seemed to go wrong. That hasn't really changed now that I have four. Everything seems to come crashing down at once (I'm sure it doesn't really, but it does seem that way). I do not feel I am going from crisis to crisis day in and day out, just that the crises seem to pile up in a moment's time. However, having four is definitely more work and makes my life much busier. I have a lot to do. I have more clothes to wash, more food to make, more times in a week to clean the bathroom, etc. But more work is not a bad thing. More work may take more time, it may mean you never get to the end of your to-do list, it may mean that you need to be more creative about housework, it may mean you get less time to hang out with friends, but it is not the end of the world. It is not necessarily more stressful.
All of this brings to mind some important principles. First, we must remember that we are not adequate to do anything of import apart from Christ. I often think of the verse 2 Corinthinas 3:5 in my parenting. It says that we are not adequate or sufficient, but God is. I know the context of this verse is not parenthood, but I think it applies to us in the state of parenthood just as well.
Second, I think we need to embrace the fourth commandment which says to remember the Sabbath day. It is strange to me that we want so much to do away with this commandment when it is such a blessing. I do not think remembering the Sabbath means that we have to put dour looks on our faces and only think of serious things while we sit quietly. Actually, I think it is quite the opposite. I think we get to celebrate it by feasting, worshiping corporately, fellowshipping with other saints, and by resting, which for me means no to-do list and also often translates into a good, old-fashioned Sunday afternoon nap. As my husband puts it, we get a vacation one day a week. This does not mean I have NO work to do on Sundays, but I do not view it as "just another day" to get things done. And since I have been implementing this in my life, I have experienced much refreshment and it seems that I have actually been able to accomplish more. Our ways are definitely not God's ways.
Third, it means not burning the candle at both ends. I recognize that there are seasons in life when our busy-ness is above and beyond anything approaching normal. But I do not think it is a coincidence that the same Psalm that tells us that children are a reward says that it is "vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep." God not only gives His children weekly rest; He gives daily rest, as well.
Finally, we have to remember that we should not grow weary in doing good and that we are reaping a harvest (Galatians 6:9). Raising children in the training and admonition of the Lord is a good thing. It is not always easy, but it is rewarding.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Four Children: A Blessing
Since Abrielle has joined our family, I have been asked several times, "How is it having four kids?" Just recently I was asked by someone to write some "words of wisdom" about having four. I don't feel like I'm very wise in this area, but I can share some of my thoughts/experiences/convictions about having kids in general. For anyone keeping track this will be the first installment.
Today I want to focus on the complete blessing it is to have four children. I am not saying it is always easy or that I never get frustrated, but it is turning out to be a wonderful experience and I am enjoying each child immensely. So at this point I am going to do something dreadfully embarrassing and that is to point out that I was the one confidently telling everybody a few years ago that we were done with two! And of course I ate my words and now I have four. And the best explanation I can give about this is that I really started believing that Psalm 127 is true. Children (and more specifically godly children) are truly a blessing from the Lord. I am NOT saying that if others have only two (or less), then they are in the wrong. But as I prayed for and about my family, God showed me that my reasons for only wanting two children were plain old selfish and didn't quite match up to His reasoning.
How are these little ones a blessing? It is a blessing to watch each child as they go through each stage of life. It is a blessing to hear them tell me that I am a wonderful mother (oh, if they only knew!). It is a blessing to see how very different four little personalities can be. It is a blessing to watch them grow in the grace and knowledge of God. It is a blessing to be puzzled at how to raise these immortal souls and to throw myself in humble reliance on God for the grace to do it. It is a blessing to laugh with them. I cannot adequately explain it and I can't seem to convince enough people, but having a houseful is definitely a blessing from the Lord.
Today I want to focus on the complete blessing it is to have four children. I am not saying it is always easy or that I never get frustrated, but it is turning out to be a wonderful experience and I am enjoying each child immensely. So at this point I am going to do something dreadfully embarrassing and that is to point out that I was the one confidently telling everybody a few years ago that we were done with two! And of course I ate my words and now I have four. And the best explanation I can give about this is that I really started believing that Psalm 127 is true. Children (and more specifically godly children) are truly a blessing from the Lord. I am NOT saying that if others have only two (or less), then they are in the wrong. But as I prayed for and about my family, God showed me that my reasons for only wanting two children were plain old selfish and didn't quite match up to His reasoning.
How are these little ones a blessing? It is a blessing to watch each child as they go through each stage of life. It is a blessing to hear them tell me that I am a wonderful mother (oh, if they only knew!). It is a blessing to see how very different four little personalities can be. It is a blessing to watch them grow in the grace and knowledge of God. It is a blessing to be puzzled at how to raise these immortal souls and to throw myself in humble reliance on God for the grace to do it. It is a blessing to laugh with them. I cannot adequately explain it and I can't seem to convince enough people, but having a houseful is definitely a blessing from the Lord.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Recovering
I thought I would let everyone know that I had surgery on Thursday to remove my gallbladder. Right before I went into surgery, the doctor asked if I had had any problems since I had last seen him. I hadn't and as I told him this I realized that he seemed to think my stones weren't too bad. No big deal; I was confident in my decision and he and I had discussed how once you get gallstones, the gallbladder continues to make them.
Going under was much better this time than the last time I had surgery. As they were prepping me in the OR they couldn't get a reading on my heartbeat. The guy checking me and I were joking that I was dead. I love that God always seems to surround me with people who can laugh with me when I really need it. I fell asleep just as they got a reading on my heart. The dreaded part was waking up. I realized just after coming to that I had woken up yelling, "I'm in pain! It hurts! It hurts!" So I asked one of the men in there, "Was I just yelling?" Now if that isn't embarrassing enough, I also then realized that I was soaked and it wasn't from sweat.
Well, the doctor was quite surprised. He said my gallbladder was packed full of marble-sized gallstones leaving absolutely no room for the gallbladder to do its job. As a result, he had to make a larger incision than he planned to get it all out.
I have had wonderful help here at home from many friends at church: meals, taking care of my kids, house stuff, etc. I realize that I am totally blessed.
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