Ponderings In The Field of Grace

The kids and I have been studying Proverbs. We’ve just been getting together letting everyone read the passage from their own Bible and discussing what it means. Today we talked about Proverbs 2:1-5. It sounds like more than it is. It’s really just one sentence, but it has a lot in it.

Today we discovered that in order to be wise 5 things had to happen.

1. We have to listen to  God.

2. We have to remember what He says.

3. We have to listen to Him again.

4. We have to do what He says.

5. We have to beg God for wisdom.

Then we have respect for the Lord, and that is when we begin to learn wisdom. Which goes right back to Proverbs 1:7 “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

Hope you have a blessed day!

This week the kids and I started reading Proverbs, just a few verses at a time, and discussing them. It’s amazing how much I am learning as we go. I think the kids are too. They seem to actually be remembering things as we discuss stuff each day. We’ve also gotten some very practical advice as we’ve dealt with problems on a daily basis. Amazing how God works isn’t it? As things have popped up during the day, I can just hear God speaking and saying, “Remember what you talked with them about this morning? Live it out to them now.”  What a challenge.

Well, it’s three weeks into the new year and I am already behind again! Argh!

Ok, now that’s out of my system!

Here’s a catch-up in case you are interested:

Lil’ Guy:  He’s really starting to grow up. I’ve been really impressed with how well he is doing in school. I think for the most part he is loving life right now.

Lil’  Princess:  She started the new year off in a big way. She got glasses. The good news is, she only has to wear them for school/computer work. Otherwise she’s good to go. [I guess being far-sighted has it's advantages! ]

Sports Guy: He started basketball so he is on cloud nine. He moved up to the Panthers division and is playing full court now.

The Professor: He’s definitely hit the teenage years. He’s doing some better in school. He’s retaking a course to see if he can improve his grade. I’ve been encouraged so far. He is trying to put forth more of an effort. We’ll see how it goes.

Me: Finally realized I am going to have to do my planning at least one or two weeks ahead. Otherwise I get overwhelmed and nothing gets done like it should. I think my buzzwords for this year are going to be discipline and perseverance.

The Knight: I saved him for last because he has the biggest news. He won an award at work. One of only 6 people from the entire company. He has to fly out to the west coast soon for the awards dinner. That night they will announce the trip each of the winners and their spouse will receive. Right now the rumor is somewhere toward the South Pacific. We’ll see.  We’re both in shock. Looks like this is going to be the trip of a lifetime!

What a day it was yesterday. We were so busy, and I didn’t even leave the house!

I’ve been working on being more consistent with school, so we really knocked it out yesterday. Everyone was busy catching up on projects, working on papers, and doing their workbooks. The Professor got a 100 on his math chapter test and a 93 on his grammar test. I was so proud of him. The grammar tests are usually very difficult for him, so seeing him do so well really was fantastic!

After school the kids pulled out my old Disney Trivial Pursuit game. They have been having a blast playing it. I cracked up when Sports Guy was reading a card and said, “Mom, who is this Springsteen guy they are asking about?”

While they were doing that I was working on a sewing project. I’ve been messing around with something for the last couple of weeks. I even made a stocking for Lil Princess. It wasn’t the greatest, but it turned out alright.

Once The Knight got home we settled in for a movie night again. Sports Guy and Lil Guy wanted to watch Phineas and Ferb’s Christmas Vacation Special while everyone else was pretty much glued to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. We got the Blu-Ray and I have got to say the movie and all the special features are awesome! One of these days I’m going to have a Harry Potter marathon and watch all the movies in either a weekend or a week.  The sneak peek at The Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 was exciting. We were shouting, “Ooo, that’s a scene from…”I swear I think The Knight and I were worse than the kids!

As you can probably expect things have been busy around here lately. We have been taking our time getting ready for Christmas and are enjoying hanging out with each other, for the most part anyway! The kids had friends over for the weekend which was great. We played, watched Christmas movies, colored in coloring books, played games on the computer, baked cupcakes, and cut down our Christmas tree. Everyone seemed to have a blast! The Professor then topped it all off by playing Lazer Tag with his journey group at church. While the Knight and I enjoyed a quiet dinner at Applebee’s.

We’re planning on working on the tree a little more tonight, and we’ve begun the Christmas clean-up for the house. So there is plenty to do. we’ve only got seven more days of school left before Christmas break. Everyone is counting down.

Hope you are enjoying this time of year as much as we are! Merry Christmas!

Chris has been talking about getting “Traction” in life. Here’s a link to this past week’s sermon. As Chris likes to say, “It’s AWESOME!!”

Traction through Forgiveness

Today is the day the Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it!

Even though I don’t feel like it…

Even though I don’t want to…

Even though I want to have a pity party..,

I simply can’t.

Why?

Because I’m sure HE…

…didn’t want to be beaten.

…didn’t want to carry that cross through town.

…didn’t want to die on that hill.

BUT HE DID…

…because HE loved me enough.

…because HE knew HE was the only hope I had.

…because HE felt my pain even before I did.

So how can I…

…stop because I don’t like it?

…quit because I don’t want to?

…whine because I didn’t get my way?

It’s Labor Day! The unofficial end of summer is here. The kids are working on their chores. The Knight has gone to run some errands and I am going to try and get some school work done. I’ve fallen a little behind, and want to get things caught up some.

Meanwhile, it’s a gorgeous day outside. The breeze is blowing. The sky is beautiful. I hope I get outside some today. The only thing that would make it nicer would be if the hay was already cut.

Looking out at all of this, I thought about a passage from Psalm the pastor at church read yesterday.

Psalm 1:

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of the water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth not so; but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

Looking out at the field this morning and thinking about that Psalm gave me a picture of God’s goodness right here. I want to be that tree taking in my nourishment from God’s living water. In John, Jesus says He is the vine we are the branches, and we are to remain in Him. Unfortunately, I have not done much remaining in Him these last three weeks. On the surface no one knew, but Jesus did. I did too. There is a reason Jesus tells us in Luke to pick up our cross and follow Him daily. If we lay down our cross and stay, then things Jesus would have for us keep moving farther and farther away. And let’s admit it, after a while it just seems too far away. We get overwhelmed with the effort, and don’t even really try anymore. However, if we pick it up and walk with Him daily, we will be amazed at how far we came just by taking one step at a time.

As I try today to take that one step and follow Jesus, I encourage you to do the same. He’s not asking you to climb a mountain today. He’s just asking you to take one step. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Then in the tough times He will be there to carry you when you don’t have the strength to do it yourself.

The last few days have brought a nip in the air here.  The kids have went digging for jackets in the morning, and their favorite breakfast beverage is hot chocolate once again. That can only mean one thing…Fall is in the air! We’ve opened the windows and let the fresh air drift in the house.  What a refreshing feeling.

The smells are delightful. There is a crispness to everything. In a strange way it’s like everything is brighter, fresher, newer.

I love this time of year. Days like these make you appreciate everything just a little more!

It’s the beginning of another week. So much is going on, just trying to keep up is going to be an adventure!  The kids are doing great. They are growing up so fast. It’s hard to believe how much they are changing. Since school started we’ve implemented a chore system. Between chores and school they have a lot of work to do, but they have been adjusting pretty well so far, and I have been impressed with the work they’ve been doing overall. They are good kids. Even Lil’ Guy is starting to pull some weight around.

This week we start co-op. I’ll admit I am nervous. We haven’t done co-op in three or four years. I’m hoping this time things will go a little smoother. It’s going to be crazy trying to get everything done and fit it in, but I think we can do it. We’re going to try and settle into the routine of that, then once we get back from the beach I think we’ll finally start science (for the younger three). That’s the only course they aren’t getting everyday now. We’ll start it up two days a week, and once co-op ends I think we’ll move it to everyday. At least that’s the plan right now…

Meanwhile, I think everyone is counting down the days until we go to the beach. We all need it. I don’t know what I am going to do once I get down there, but I can tell you it is going to involve a whole lotta  nothing. I am going to RELAX. The kids can play, and I don’t care if I leave the driveway of the house all week once I get the groceries! (Whether this actually is going to happen is a whole ‘nother story though!)