Gentle Grace, Steady Breaths

I had one of those weeks... the kind that only comes around once in a while.  The kind where you step back at the end and say.... Wow, God, I remember when this week would have been a battle... but this week was beautiful.

God blessed me with an ability to take the kids and attend a conference retreat with the Mission Service Corp (part of the North American Mission Board) in Gold Canyon, AZ at the base of the Superstition Foothills.  I love the names of everything around here!  I feel like I am in an old western with modern conveniences!  The time of fellowship and sharing was such a blessing.  The workshops offered tools for ministry and the testimonies reminded me of how this missionary life may be rough sometimes... but it is always rewarding when we see the Kingdom come through the work God calls us to.

I had hoped to progress in some schoolwork the rest of the week but Brenden was sick Wednesday (his sisters were determined to nurse him back to health!), another meeting popped up on Thursday and here we are, Friday, and I have resolved to just consider this week an impromptu vacation (for the kids anyway!)

It was a combination of that realization and an event the night I came back from the conference which opened my eyes to the growth in grace God has brought me to.  I know I am not "there" yet, but He has brought me so far.

An email Tuesday night telling me my storage unit was going into auction for non-payment.  An intersection of God ordained events which left our funds shored up shorter than expected, my eyes were opened to ask the needed questions: Can I really let go of things in this world?  Can I really trust God for EVERYTHING.  Like we ask so many in the Truth Project: Do I really believe that what I believe is really real.

There was some heartache at first, as I ripped away from my flesh to truly embrace the Truth.  It didn't take long to see the answer was YES.  God is in control.  The many testimonies of his care and provision prove this.

The storage problem has since been straightened out and, no, we are not going to loose everything.  But I know now, for certain, that the hard answer is: it is OK if we do.

but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.

- Matthew 6:20

It is in that gentle grace... the slow steady breaths through the week... trusting that God is in control of ALL things... even the goofy looking things that make you feel isolated or like the ground is shaking... yes, these things too are under God's grace, God's control.  The upturn of expectations and schedules and ideas yet simply walking through, trusting God's grace to lay them all day where they need to be.

Not all weeks are like this.  But this week was.  How did I walk through, maybe it was the peace found in the conference retreat, maybe it was simply so many steps before which brought me to a place of steady breaths and gently walking, maybe it was simply God and simply embracing that Truth... HIS Truth... he will never leave nor forsake.

I pray you know these simple truths, His wonderful and, yes, amazing Grace in all the moments on mountain tops and valley lows.

Blessings,

 

Linking up today with: 

 Homegrown Learners, iHomeschoolNetwork, and Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

Intentional Me, Mercy Ink, Whole Hearted Home , Domestic Randomness, Titus 2 Tuesdays

A Way of Life

We are not saved by our works (the things we do for Christ or for others).

But

We are saved for works... the Spirit that comes to dwell in us wants to move through us.  We won't have to try or do... we simply won't be able to help ourselves... good works will just fall out of us all over the place!

The good things we do should be our very way of life... like breathing and blinking.

It is how God prepared it.

It is how he intended us.

Let us breathe Christ.

May you be led by the spirit into a way of life filled with good works... may you shine to others through the good works God has created you for!

Be Blessed this Sunday,

also linking with:

Sandra Heska King, My Freshly Brewed Life, Glimpse of Our Life

All The Ways NOT to Perform an Experiment

Thomas Edison actually had 3,000 attempts to create the light bulb. When asked about the failures he said "I didn't fail 3,000 times. I found 3,000 ways how not to create a light bulb"

I've seen this quote in various forms and suggesting various quantities of attempts... but you get the idea.  And while we were not trying to develop a light bulb this week... we took the Edison stance in our attempts at a science project this week!

 It started with this book we borrowed from the library.

We were wrapping up the plate-tectonics portion of our science studies; volcanoes, earthquakes, creation of mountains, etc.  We have done some small experiments along the way but when I saw some of the ideas in EARTH, I wanted to just spend an afternoon exploring more!

We had hoped to do at least 4 of the experiments but the time we took on the 2 we got done... we had to call it good at that!  Time because this mama learned, living in surroundings NOT my own, it isn't enough to know supplies exist... one must also have supplies in hand the day before planned experiments.  (Apparently, other people figure they can move their own stuff without telling anyone!! *haha*)

Therefore, we were missing 2 vital pieces to our first experiment and had to improvise.

Experiment #1 - CO2 within a Pyroclastic Cloud and the effect on Oxygen
The idea:
- create CO2 with baking soda and vinegar
- observe Oxygen with burning candle
- funnel CO2 into container with candle and watch as flame goes out, indicating O2 leaving the area

We were suppose to have a votive candle, a jar, a straw, some clay, a bottle, vinegar, and baking soda.
The votive should have set down in the jar creating an environment easy to trap CO2.
The straw was suppose to stick into the clay, covering the bottle, filled with the CO2 producing mixture.
The other end of the straw was supposed to be placed OVER the candle so the CO2 could 'pour' onto the flame.

We had NO votive or straw... both of which I thought we had!

So we improvised:
 Attempt #1, How NOT to perform Experiment #1

 

 Idea: Quickly lift lid of bottle as CO2 pours out and watch as it extinguishes match.

Result: The matches wouldn't stay burning for an effective observation.



Attempt #2, How NOT to perform Experiment #1

 Idea: Use larger candle in our possession, place in large plastic bucket, create CO2 in bottom, watch CO2 rise in accordance with flame going out... had to trap CO2 by placing a 'cover' over bucket so we taped on Wax Paper.

Result: Almost set fire to the lot behind the church.  Half-expected a neighbor to call the police on the 'crazy people' playing with matches on church property!!  Simply: I didn't stop to consider the height and heat ratio when compared to the flammability and and relative height of the wax paper covering.  Evidenced by middle two pictures.


Attempt #3, Listen to 9th grader, who actually pays attention in science, because she made this less dangerous suggestion from the start!.... How TO improvise in performing Experiment #1!!!

This

is

how

it

is

done!

Idea: We lit a piece of slow burning, thick paper after anchoring it in clay inside of a tall thin glass.  Baking soda in bottom of cup, we poured in the vinegar and as the CO2 rose, the flame went out.  

So cool

Result: It worked!

We had a BLAST and even though we didn't get everything done - or everything done RIGHT, they got it!  And Ashley recorded it:

I loved the wet-legged, barefoot snapshot as she worked at her Science journal.  Wet why?

Because Experiment #2 explored the continents, density and drifting on the mantel:

Much less trouble then the flame.  Brooke began to stack rocks to simulate volcanic build up to create an island much like Hawaii!

Wet also because of clean up from our...er.... attempts at CO2 vs. O2!

There sure was a lot of H2O!

In the end we ended up with extra experiments:

1 in Centrifugal forces as a bucket full of water is swung around without spilling
1 in refraction (bottom right)
1 in reflection (water from cement onto wall under awning, bottom middle picture)

Oh, and for those who are wondering, yes, quite the water fight ensued... it was in the 70s here and to our Montana skin.... that is a heat wave!

I am loving this Charlotte Mason-y type of exploring.  What did we ever do before it?  Thank you to those who have encouraged me in these adventures.  If you haven't tried learning through exploring... you should!  Soooooo much fun for all!

Be blessed,

 

Linking up today with: 

 Homegrown Learners, iHomeschoolNetwork, and Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers