How Long...

How long, can you hide behind your smile...
How long?
How long before your sorrow seeps through...
How long?
How long will you keep up your deception...
How long?
How long before your secret is exposed...
How long?
How long before you realize that though man may not know your deception, God does...
How long?
How long before you turn your heart back to the Lord who can heal your brokenness...
How long?
He's waiting for you...

Covenant...

I just finished Kay Arthur's study on Covenant this week.  I've done a few Precept studies by Kay Arthur and have always loved them- they've all challenged me spiritually and academically- but there's something different about this study.... The leader of the study asked what everyone has gotten out of this study, something I'd been pondering for a little bit, and though it took me a while to really be able to communicate this journey (which isn't over, by the by), here's where I've been, and here's where I am... 

With this study I've gone from one side of the spectrum to the other.  I entered the study with great anticipation, certain of my salvation, looking forward to a deepening of my knowledge of and relationship with my Lord and Savior.... then was perplexed to question my salvation- because of the depth of my sin and the ongoing nature of it.  I've questioned God's grace upon a covenant broken, for the times I've made wrong choices (sinned) when I've known I shouldn't, wondering if God's judgment should/would be upon me.  Then, by God's amazing grace and healing power, because of His enduring love for me, being reassured that NO sin-  my sin included- is not beyond the redemptive, cleansing blood of Christ.  He's shown me that  I can No Longer live in such a way as to cheapen the work Christ did on the cross- the covenant He cut with Me- and You- No Longer cheapen the grace God has poured out upon Me - and You- to take away my sin- and yours- for all time: past, present, and future. 

"The truth of covenant is in accepting that although we are not all we ought to be, we are in process."  (2Corinthians 3:16)*

Through it all, the Lord has shown me that I've left my First Love and had begun at some point to live under the Law vs. living under the new covenant of Grace...  I'm so very thankful for God's grace and desire to draw me unto Himself continually, to not let me live under the condemnation of the Law, but to bring me to living in Freedom...  a Freedom that can only come from Him!

"Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever, Amen." ~Hebrews 12:18-13:21

*Covenant, God's Enduring Promises by Kay Arthur.  pg 187 pp4

Judgment: It's a Delicate Balance

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye. Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Matthew 7:1-5

 

It is a delicate balance as a Christian between 'charitably' judging another and 'critically and negatively' judging them... If you make such judgments are you doing so as unto the Lord or as unto yourself......

 

If you are making such judgments as unto the Lord, you are compassionate, standing on His truths, understanding, building up your brother/sister in Christ in an encouraging way so that you part ways both being the better for the confrontation...

However, if you are making such judgments as unto yourself, you are condemning, critical, defensive, tearing your brother/sister in Christ down, discouraging them, you display a lack of understanding and compassion...

So, I ask you as I ask myself, where do you fall in this delicate balance?

Captured by Grace- Dr. David Jeremiah

Until you have betrayed a loved one and cannot bring him back.  Until you have befriended every darkness and are  desperate for the light.  That's when God's relentless, amazing, very personalized grace finds you.  It reached a slave trader onboard a ship raiding Africa's coast in March 1748.  He later gave the world its most beloved hymn.  It struck the Christian church's most treacherous enemy on a Damascus road in AD 45, and he became the gospel's greatest messenger.

And it can free you too... of any shameful memory, open would, unthinking mistake, or willful choice.

It is God's grace.  It changes lives.  In his book, "Captured by Grace-No One Is Beyond the Reach of a Loving God," Dr. David Jeremiah chronicles the lives of two men whose lives were forever changed by the overwhelming power of God's grace.  In this book, Dr. Jeremiah bridges the span of time by connecting the lives of John Newton, a slave trader in the 1700's, who penned the hymn, "Amazing Grace," and Saul, later called Paul, who was chief in murdering the Christians of his day in AD 45.  In so doing, he illustrates the depths of God's grace all the while challenging his readers to seek Him, deepen their relationship with the Savior, and understand more fully the extent of the grace of God.
All in all, Dr. Jeremiah takes his readers on a wonderful journey, though it was at time a little tedious going back and forth between Newton's and Paul's lives.  But if you're looking for taking your relationship with the Lord deeper, this book is a great resource, and I would recommend it.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”"

School Days....

Well, school officially begins for us next week!!  I have to admit that, though I'm excited for this year, I also am beginning this school year in a weary state.... not the ideal physical, emotional, mental place I desire to be at the onset of our school year.  Anyway, I am confident in the Lord that He will sustain me physically, mentally, and emotionally through all the things He has for me to accomplish!  This year I'm feeling the pressure of my oldest being in 4th grade and raising the bar for him academically... of course this is the child who was really excited about reading a WWII book on the sinking of a warship and wrote a report about it during our church's quarterly business meeting, so maybe I don't need to worry about him as much as I am...  I also am planning to jump way out of my box and do more hands-on projects w/ my youngest, who is a hands-on learner and not nearly as bookish as his older brother at this time, anyway... who knows once we find his academic hot-spot he just might dive in and be writing reports randomly as well!  Since I struggle w/ keeping things simple in my life (and subsequently in my family's lives), I am working on being really intentional about not over-complicating the boys' schooling and hopefully keeping our schedule workable for all of us....

.... and who knows, I may even have the time enough for myself to go to the gym....  :)

That is the most difficult part of being a stay-at-home homeschooling mother is that I quite literally have no time to have a hobby or do something just because it's something I enjoy.  I know this is a temporary season of life and I am so thankful to the Lord for allowing us to have this time w/ our boys, but I do long to have just a little something I like just for me (I should add 'and have the energy to do it' to that). 

So, here's the scoop on our 4th Grader:
 Saxon Math 5/4
 Writing Strands 3
 Spelling Wisdom
 Intermediate Language Lessons
 My Father's World History- Creation to the Greeks
 Science (which follows the history program)
 Art and Music
 Reading from his reading list

Here's the scoop on our 2nd Grader:
 Saxon Math 2
 Spelling Wisdom
 Adventures in Phonics 2
 Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind
 MFW History - Creation to the Greeks
 Science
 Art and Music
 Reading from his reading list

There you have it.  Our core subjects (math, language arts, phonics, etc.) we will complete this academic year, but our history and corresponding science we will take 1 1/2 academic school years to complete, which will allow us to keep a simplified schedule.  :)  We also have a service day once each week where we clean my mother's house and will focus on some God-directed act of service for someone else as well... 

What about all of y'all?

Irritated.....

I just have to say that I'm continually irritated that I am unable to load up a new template and cute background on my blog!!!   Grrrr.....  :(

Life These Days....

It's been a while since I last posted anything, so I thought I'd break down and write a bit while I had a "quiet" moment.  :)  With another year of 'Family Camp' under our belts it's time to hit hard getting school stuff organized... you know, daily routines, lesson plans, weekly meal plans, cleaning schedules, etc.  I know, for the 'normal' person all that planning and scheduling sounds rather overwhelming and a bit (or  a lot) restrictive, but to the weird one like me it's fun and liberating when it's all finished.  The hard part is sticking to the routine when there are so many other great things that come up in any given day/week.

So, with that said, I have accomplished goal #1: a bi-weekly menu plan!  (The plan only includes dinners.)  And I have to say that my husband is an amazing man for being on board with this b/c he does appreciate variety (hence the two-week plan).  So, here it is:

WEEK 1:

Sunday: Leftover Chili

Monday:  Mexican

Tuesday: Leftover Mexican

Wednesday:  Family meal at church

Thursday:  Crock pot- pork, w/ rice, steamed veggies and salad

Friday:  Brinner  (eggs, sausage, toast & juice)

Saturday:  Chili w/ Salad

WEEK 2:

Sunday:  Leftover Hamburger Soup

Monday:  Chinese- General Tsao's chicken & sweet & sour chicken, fried rice and salad

Tuesday:  Leftover Chinese

Wednesday:  Sandwiches, fruit and veggies

Thursday:  Pasta night!  Chicken alfredo and salad

Friday:  Homemade pizza night

Saturday:  Hamburger soup

Now, while this is the plan, dinners will vary a little depending on my dear husband's work schedule... homemade pizza night (one of his specialties) will probably be for his day off so he and the boys can make dinner together, etc.  Overall, I'm REALLY excited about this since I can have a standing grocery list and regular grocery day each week (the trick will be figuring out which day will be grocery day! lol).  

Phase 2 of my scheduling madness (and yes, it is madness) is a workable daily schedule and as I've written out most of our weekly activities, I've realized that life is just be BUSY and I need to quit complaining about it, embrace it and rejoice in and trust the fact that the Lord has given me the strength, endurance, and patience to go where we need to go and do what we need to do.  (Though I do long to return to the days when we were home all day most days and were out and about only a couple.) 

The problem with all this scheduling madness is that my husband is not much into scheduling and planning and is much more spontaneous and fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants than I have become.  (I used to be that way until having children forced me to become more structured.)  I have very often wondered why the Lord gave me such a husband that loves spontenaity (spelling???) when I find the most peace in structure and stability... probably since my own childhood could be characterized by unstability and chaos much of the time, so I learned to just go with the flow and fly under the radar so I wouldn't be noticed too much.  :)  So, with that said, I do need to keep an attitude of flexibility in the midst of all my scheduling madness.

All in all, I'm looking forward to another amazing school year!