In a Whisper

It often starts with a whisper.  Barely audible but something of a murmur there.  It stirs our hearts and peace seems to enter the place where we are. 

Were it not for our faith, our understanding of His truth in His word, we wouldn't know what was there... WHO is there whispering and bringing such peace.

I live for these moments.  I love when my life has gotten so muddled that I can't see the way out because I know that very soon after that, God will make His presence known and begin whispering to me until I hear the Words of His heart over my own.

The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." 

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.  

- 1Kings 19:11-13

It is our faith that restores our hope.  It is our submissiveness to the Lord and willingness to stand out on a mountain and wait to hear His voice... to realize His whispers, as we draw our cloaks over our heads, will bring peace and guidance and answers.

God's presence will always bring peace, His Words will always coincide with scripture.  He does not seek destruction or heartache or sorrow.  He comes when you call but sometimes he speaks when you least expect it.  

Sometimes He calls you outside of yourself.  To do things for others or to do things you have never done before.  Sometimes he tells us to wait, other times he tells us to GO.  

Every time you follow His  Words and His leading His peace will go with you and your obedience will be rewarded with grace.

Listen for the whispers, wait for the direction, and know... no matter where you are and what is going on, God is there just waiting on you!

May you hear His whispers today.

Blessings,

Every life has testimonies of how God intercedes to show His power and glory.  To read the first installment in a brand new series of books about God's divine work in one person's life, click below

The Mother's Homeschool Journal #16

In my life this week…
I FINISHED LESSON PLANS!!!!  Yes, all capitals, cause it is that great!  And only second to my favorite thing this week (scroll down!)  I feel like I can finally breathe and not worry/wonder if I will be ready in time for school to start Tuesday.  Brooke would have been devastated if we hadn't!  

Handed out the school supplies we have been raising for underprivileged families.  Went from this....

to this....

It blessed our hearts to see so many helped!  (A lot of which were homeschool families!)  We hope and pray for an even bigger event next year!

And the book club meeting we planned and looked forward to attending last Friday was apparently suppose to be this week!  No idea how I missed that, but it was OK.  God blessed our time as we arrived, waited, and then went exploring one of the most diverse parks in our town (since I wouldn't count Glacier Park as in town!)

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
Our fabulous friend Finny has a birthday on Saturday we look forward to attending and praying with him for another wonderful year!

School starts for us next week, no big plans other than getting into our new school year schedule.

My favorite thing this week was…
Meeting with a friend to share our ministry vision and seek some guidance on the path we travel.  We were not only blessed with his aged advice but also invited to join his team on staff with his ministry!  A venture we had prayed about last fall but God said 'wait, not now'.  We feel a peace about pursing this route.  The ministry would bless us by helping us grow and develop our vision and eventually help launch us into our own corporation.  We would be able to begin raising support and offering tax deduction, we have not been able to offer receipts before this (a big thing to some).

We are in prayer on this position, though we do have a peace.  The biggest question is, what next?  We look forward to seeing that answered!
 

Things I’m working on…

With lesson plans done, I am going to log off Blogger and get to work on classroom organizing today!  Brooke is looking forward to loading her new pencil box today :-)

Ok, this is an old picture (I think she was 2 or 3 here!!) but I had to throw it in here!  Not a lot has changed in the last 5 or 6 years... she still LOVES whipping out her pencil and working hard!  My sweetie!
 
I’m praying for…
The offer in ministry and direction surrounding all.  Also praying for a blessed school year for my oldest (who has decided to graduate a semester early, I know officially feel a little old) and for the rest of us.  We are trying to, with the guidance of God, maneuver all we do this year for good final foundations.  As we pray to travel with our ministry, having the kids ready for more self-paced learning in future years is going to be critical to their success.  This year is (possibly) the last year to prepare them for that before we head into the field.

More of God and less of me.

Questions/thoughts I have…

How do we make the sweet precious moments of our children's young lives last just a little bit longer?

 
A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

  

As August fades to September this week, may you be blessed by God's transforming spirit in your heart.

Make the Call

God is always with us when we are trusting Him with our hearts.  He never leaves the room or takes a break.  Sometimes he is like another person sitting at a table with  you and when you ask for help they get up and step closer to give you a hand.

The LORD is near to all who call on him,
   to all who call on him in truth. 

- Psalm 145:18

If you feel like you are sitting alone, rest in His presence and know he is there with you.  All you need to do is call on him and he will answer.  He will step closer and lend a hand.

May you hear His divine answers today.

Forgiveness of Self

Does it sometimes seem like crossing the bridge of forgiveness produces a view that still looks somewhat similar?  We have just explored why we were hurt, we issue the 'I forgive you' and we choose to let go of the wrong.  But there is still that twinge of pain.

What we often neglect to see as we shuffle over the boards of the bridge we cross to forgive is the residue still in our pack on our back from our reactions, words and even thoughts in the process of the hurt.  We have not realized that forgiveness is two-fold:  Forgiving others and forgiving self. 

 

You have searched me, LORD,
   and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
   you perceive my thoughts from afar.  

- Psalm 139:1-2

We may not have done anything 'majorly' wrong, it could have been one word out of line (it could have been ten!).  It could be the sheer presence of anger, hate, jealousy or any multitude of thoughts that can become sin because we entertained them through the course of being hurt or unjustified.

The mind is a powerful thing when our thoughts are not tended to properly.  Negative thoughts taken captive and thrown out, right thoughts acknowledged, and all thoughts passed through God for approval or rejection.  He, after all, is the supreme quality inspector in our lives.  Nothing is hidden from his critique and all needs to be acknowledged for his forgiveness or approval.

When we neglect to maintain our thoughts before God's scope we can fall into a dejected and self-condemned state and our souls may grow weary.  We may even reach a point of feeling unforgivable.

 Stock.xchng

But we are never unforgivable, just as we are never outside of God's grace.  Like a child and a parent, we never push our children away no matter how much they may hurt our hearts, we still readily draw them back to us and forgive them their wrongs.  So our Heavenly Father waits for us to lay our heads in His lap, wet his robes with our tears, and submit to His love and forgiveness for our actions, however minor, in the course of others transgressions against us.

As in my article of "You are So Worth It", remember that we are never outside of His grace when we submit to our need for His forgiveness.  If Jesus did so much for us, we can do much more for Him.  Others may hurt us but it isn't until we stop the resulting cycle of hurting and condemning ourselves that true healing and the peace of forgiveness can begin.

Forgive yourself.  After all, God has already forgiven you through Christ, you need only accept His gift each and every day.

May you cross the bridge of forgiveness today and find a new and wonderful view.

Blessings!

Every life has testimonies of how God intercedes to show His power and glory.  To read the first installment in a brand new series of books about God's divine work in one person's life, click below

T is for Teachable Moments

 

When I think about the important things in a homeschool curriculum (especially ones that begin with T!) one of the first that comes to mind is Teachable Moments.

When we began our homeschool journey I read up on how to go about homeschooling, the different methods, and what others did.  I often saw parents exhort homeschoolers to utilize teachable moments.  I know they referred to academic impromptu opportunities.  But God put something else on my heart.

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 

- 2 Timothy 4:2

He showed me how every situation my children and I encountered had a Bible passage to coincide and I needed to be ready (in season and out) to facilitate His lessons.  Ever since they were little I have tried to counter all elements of life with God's word.  Disobedience or a difficult situation often found us in scripture asking, "What would Jesus do?".  Celebratory moments were used as an opportunity to remind them of Who deserves the glory and gratitude.

The Teachable Moments I look for first are not usually textbook, they are Good Book.  They are pertinent and important and the key to raising self-confident, well grounded kiddos.  It is the supreme example of cause and effect with the ultimate reward chart being tallied in Heaven.  To have God's love and grace intertwined with the very soul of ourselves is the greatest gift we can help God give our children. 

Teachable Moments in the Truth of His Word are the lessons that will last a lifetime.  When the sun sets and algebra equations are long forgotten, prepositions have retired, and the order of presidents has become muddled... His love and truth will still be nestled perfectly safe in their hearts.  His wind will fill their sails and His lessons are somehow never forgotten.

Don't miss those Teachable Moments in His Truth... you can't get them back!  Like all moments in life; they are fleeting and only livable in the moment!

May God bless you with teachable moments in abundance that you and your family may live His glory every day.

Multitudes on Mondays #311-325

Counting my miscellany blessings in multitude today...

 - Washing dishes as a guest all alone, me and family, looking up and seeing them through the panes enjoying the serenity of beauty and nature

 - Warn but not without function

 - We collect the beauty, they collect the sweetness... nourishment mind, body and soul

 - It takes time to cultivate beauty but time is worth taking when the beauty can be enjoyed.  I am reminded of this value in our own spirits.

 - God could have created in black and white, but instead he created a palette to please our eyes, and His creation declares His glory

 - The rugged and the brush... who, but a great God could perfect such a balance?

 - Together they (and we) are always better than apart.

 - The fruit of the spirit comes to mind.

 - In season and out of season, we bloom in our own time.  And they shall be known by the fruits they bare.
 

 - So gentle, so tender, so patient and calm.
- These little boy hands have hurled rocks, swung hammers and hauled wood, yet here they sit patiently holding a delicate lady bug.

- Winding mountain roads and wondering how far they will lead.

- Crying to sleep and waking up renewed
- Oh how he loves me enough to show me His way.

- When the words of my mouth and the meditations of my  heart are in line with His Holiness... the peace that proceeds.

May you be gently blessed in multitude by His magnificent grace this week.

The Mother's Homeschool Journal #15

In my life this week…

 

They say a picture is worth a thousand words... perhaps this one gives you some idea of 'in my life this week'.  This one too...

So that is two thousand words for you math majors ;-)  EVERY spare moment has been on final lesson plans.  Science/Health was finished and a HUGE pile of Language Arts pulled out (I took many more pictures to document my insanity adventures, I plan to share them all here in the next week or two!)

It may be madness, but I love a little madness every now and then :-)

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
My niece and nephew have been gone all summer.  The kids are looking forward to their return.  Also, we may get a last rush of summer heat and, God willing, wait out the hot weather down at the beach.  

All my lesson plan work has been at the exclusion of Corp work.  I must get back into my 'office' routine on Monday because we have a big meeting on Wednesday to discuss our vision with a friend who may be able to help us get into a good (and forward) direction.  He runs a local equipping ministry and we are looking forward to some time with him to bounce around ideas. 

My favorite thing this week was…
Progress on Lesson plans.

 

Dreaming big while on a walk we have hoped to take all summer... and finally did... through historical downtown.

 

Things I’m working on…

Language Arts Lesson Plans and then Math (and then done!!!)  After all the plans I then need to organize our classroom and prepare for our first day on the 30th (yeahhhhhh!)

I’m reading…
... text books!!!  I have not had time to even crack the covers on my two latest reads.  I even borrowed, "Educating the Whole Hearted Child" from the library and have only gazed at the cover.    

   

The kids and I are still reading Avi though.  

I don't think they get the puns in this book, it may be better read by someone who is clued in.  Would really like to just spend an hour and shoot through the entire text... and be done!  Kinda bummed we never made it to the Penderwicks :-(  I guess there is always next summer.

I’m praying for…
Peace and not stress over whether we will be ready in time... for the meeting and for school.  Am also praying daily for a friend who desperately needs it just now.

Questions/thoughts I have…
  How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?
 
A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

Thanks to my 13 year old daughter, this song has been stuck in my head.... at least it is up-beat and relatable!  I do so love the way He holds me!

Blessings to you, may God make your week special in some wonderful way!