His Amazing Protection!

I imagine that there are countless times our lives have been spared and protected from things we don't even know. But don't you just love it when our Father lets us see one of those times??

Isaiah, our just turned thirteen year old loves to fish. Yesterday was a beautiful afternoon and he had gotten some new fishing gear for his birthday, you guessed it, he went fishing in our pond.

While he was talking with our neighbor, the neighbors grandson picked up Isaiah's fishing pole. Isaiah went over to encourage him to put it down when the little guy decided to try his hand at casting. In a split second Isaiah had a hook in his face.

He came into show me. Yep, it was in there good. I calmly called Brian who said, 'call the doctor, I am packing up my work right now. I'll meet you.' ( I just love this man!) I, of course, being a 'doctor wannabe' thought I might be able to get it out. Good thing wisdom from the man prevails.

Of course you have the thoughts like, 'thank You, Father, it could have been his eye'. But suddenly I thought, what happened to the string? Did Isaiah cut it? When I asked him he told me it just untied when it got hooked in his face. The string just untied???!! Seriously?

I began to play in my mind the casting motion. You fling it back and then you strongly fling it forward. Ummm, I don't fish all that often, but, that fling forward can be pretty strong. I would guess that often times whatever gets hooked from behind would tend to go forward with that fling. Which, by the way, could have been a chunk of my sweet Isaiah's face! Nope, the string simply untied!!

Some might think it wasn't tied well, or that it was a fluke. But not me! Oh no, it was my Father protecting my son! I'm not sure why it got hooked in the first place. I'm not sure why we had to sit for hours in the Urgent Care. But I do know Isaiah could have lost a chunk of his face that day and he didn't.

Ask me how ironic I think it is that this same Isaiah is the one who came to me a couple of days ago sharing his thoughts and revelations on Psalm 91.

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. (Ps. 91:11)

The LORD be magnified!!!

Let's Do This Together!!

Good morning, Ladies! I have been overwhelmed with the joy of the Lord yesterday and today. As I was reading Psalm 71 today I was struck by how many times we are exhorted to 'praise the Lord', to 'tell of His righteous deeds'.
Below are various verses from Psalm 71.

My mouth shall be filled with Your praise and with Your honor all the day.

But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more.
My mouth shall tell of Your righteous acts and of Your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is more than I know.

I will come in the strength and with the mighty acts of the Lord God; I will mention and praise Your righteousness, even Yours alone.

O God, You have taught me from my youth, and hitherto have I declared Your wondrous works.

Yes, even when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not, [but keep me alive] until I have declared Your mighty strength to [this] generation, and Your might and power to all that are to come.

My lips shall shout for joy when I sing praises to You, and my inner being, which You have redeemed.

My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long; for they are put to shame, for they are confounded, who seek and demand my hurt.


You probably know as well as I do that recounting, praising, thanking and telling of His wonderful faithfulness is smattered from one end of the Bible to the other.

Let's obey that admonition. Joy truly does bubble up when we stop focusing on the 'woes' of life and start magnifying the Lord. So, let the LORD be magnified this morning! Just off the top of you head list five things you are thankful for or want to praise Him for. Don't stress yourself out, whatever comes to mind, spend the few seconds to type them in the comment section. If it is a particularly difficult morning it might feel like a stretch, but look around, there are literally tons of things to be thankful for. I'll start.

1. a beautiful day of rest yesterday
2. joy returning to my heart
3. the opportunity to teach and train today
4. one more day to glorify my God (help me, Father ;-)
5. schedules, menu plans and lists

Your turn! Imagine a day filled with 'declaring' His goodness . . . all the day long!! Join me!?

Please Be Praying!

Sweet Alex

My very dear friend and neighbor's precious grandson needs our prayers. His grandparents and parents do too. Please go over to Cindy's blog and read her story. Thank you!

Graduation

Below is a video our oldest son put together of photos from our third son, Joshua's graduation ceremony and party on September 26, 2010. Matthew did an awesome job with the photography and video. Thanks, Love!

You will see pictures of our children sharing a scripture or a word to their brother. It was so sweet. They each sought the Lord on just what to share with him, even the nine year old.

Also, there is a woman speaking to him in a few of the pictures, this was his piano teacher for years. We love this woman. She comes to our house to teach our children. She is the epitome of the perfect teacher. She inspires them, she is firm, yet gentle. She truly loves and values them. She is such a gift.

Joshua's Chemistry, Latin and Hebrew teacher is in one of the pictures also. This man is brilliant! He knows, I don't know, a bazillion languages and is a Professor of Physics at an University near us. He tutored Luke and Josh for several years. He too is a gift!

It was a beautiful day of honoring and sharing, surrounded by loved ones. Praising God for His leading to homeschool our children. It truly is an awesome, most wonderful experience. We would not trade it for the world!

Planning the School Year

My mother blessed me and took all the children for the whole day so I could plan our school year. The Lord truly blessed my time. I got so much accomplished. I started with a large decaf latte with an extra shot, a water bottle, computer, copy machine and a table full of books and binders! When I would get 'stuck' on something I would pray and He would lead. I did dip into the chocolate a little at one point though, to help the thinking. (wink, wink)

This year is a 'light' year, it seems. I only have five students and a toddler. Seems doable, really, Michelle, it does. Sorry, just encouraging myself. I am kidding. I truly am looking forward to this school year. I did not get to do the school year I had planned last year because I got sick before I could even start. It feels like a privilege to get to do school, which it should, by the way, because it is!

Here is what I have lined up for each child.

Victoria 9th grade

Algebra 1

American Literature

Easy Grammar

Apologia General Science

Sonlight 7 American History

Evangelism 101

Copy Work

Spelling Wisdom

Piano

Isaiah 7th grade

Algebra 1/2

Learning Language Arts Through Literature

Easy Grammar

Apologia General Science

Sonlight 7 American History

Copy Work

Spelling Wisdom

Piano

Sarah Grace 4th grade

Abeka Math

Learning Language Arts Through Literature

Italic Handwriting

American History (reading list)

Piano

Isabella and Josiah (grades ??)

Rod and Staff Phonics

Rod and Staff Reading

Abeka Math

American History with Sarah Grace

I am working out the 'bugs' with the schedule. I highly recommend Managers of Their Homes. I discovered it years ago and it changed my life, really!

We will be starting our day with:

Morning Circle Time

Prayer, Bible Lesson, Hymn, Scripture memory and Gratitude Journals

From there we, in theory, flow in and out of subjects, each of us having something to do at each half hour block. Maybe when I get it typed up I will try to post it.

Please feel free to ask any questions about what we are using or what our day looks like.

What Scripture Has Been Speaking To Your Heart?

There is a scripture that has been on my heart for weeks now. No matter what I am going through the Lord seems to being me back to this scripture.

But as for me, I will look to the Lord and confident in Him I will keep watch; I will wait with hope and expectancy for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Rejoice not against me, O my enemy! When I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light to me. (Micah 7:7-8)

I even quote the above scripture with attitude some days!

What scripture have you been meditating on lately. Please share your heart, we would all be encouraged by it! Don't you just LOVE the Word of God??!!

Conviction or Condemnation?

With all this talk about repentance, I thought it would be beneficial to describe the difference between condemnation and conviction.

Condemnation

. . . feels almost like badgering

. . . it is usually harsh and driving

. . . the feeling rarely leaves even after repentance

. . . could be nagging, confusing, over and over

. . . makes you feel hopeless

Conviction

. . . is a gentle nudge from our Father

. . . it is always restorative

. . .you may certainly feel brokenness for your sin, but not heavy burdened and guilty

. . .a tap on the shoulder, never a slap in the face

. . . brings hope and desire to change

So, which one have you been listening to?

Has your Father been speaking to you on an area that needs repentance?

Or, has the accuser of the brethren been hounding you?

If you recognize the accuser, by all means repent for listening to his voice

and listen to what your Heavenly Father has to say.

BTW, He thinks you're pretty special.

He loves you with an everlasting love.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.

You are precious in His sight.

You are the very apple of His eye.

How Often Do You Take a Spiritual Bath?

Since my post on Repentance, I have wanted to share on that subject some more.

2 Corinthians 7:1 has been on my heart a lot and I have been studying it out.





"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."



The few verses before talk about the promises we have. God will dwell with us and walk with us. He will be our God and we will be His people. We are to be separate and He will be our Father and we will be His sons and daughters. (2 Cor. 6:16-18)



So, how do we 'cleanse' ourselves? I believe, in part, this speaks to me about repentance. Recognizing when I have sinned and taking responsibility, repenting, renouncing and removing it.



I'm not talking about the 'big' sins here. Most people recognizes those and sees a need to repent of them. I am talking about other sins that seem to go unnoticed and most likely unrepented of.



How about fear? God has not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and sound mind. "Do not fear." I wonder how many times we are commanded to not fear? I bet way more than "do not lie" or "do not steal." Yet we do fear, sometimes everyday. (stress and anxiety fall under fear, sorry)



Not loving ourselves. Doesn't the bible tell us to 'love others as we do ourselves'? Didn't God create us fearfully and wonderfully? Who are we to hate ourselves or be unloving to ourselves?



Bitterness, unforgiveness, resentment, retaliation, anger, hatred. If we do not forgive others He does not forgive us. Ouch.



Thou shalt not murder. What about 'murder with the tongue'?



Doubt and unbelief? Listening to and taking in accusations from the enemy. He is the accuser of the brethren, and we listen to him???



Guilt, self-pity, drivenness, control, comparison, envy and jealousy, shame, complaining, excessive need to be loved, perfectionism, performance, strife . . .



Need I say more?



How often should we repent? Every time we sin! Psalm 101:8



Morning after morning I will root up all the wicked in the land, that I may eliminate all the evildoers from the city of the Lord.



I think morning after morning would be a good starting point. Or evening after evening, for that matter.



When I was reading through the bible in 40 days, I was so humbled as I read through it seeing so many areas that I needed to repent of. God's word is a mirror like that.



How shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed and keeping watch [on himself] according to Your word [conforming his life to it]. (Ps. 119:9)



And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 1 John 3:3



Let's be 'doers' of the Word, ladies. Let's seek the Lord, ask Him to search our hearts and see if there is anything wicked and REPENT when He shows us. How easy it is to recognize, say, bitterness, and say, 'oh, yes, that is bitterness' and then walk away without repenting!! Ask me how I know this?!!



Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.



But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.



For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:



For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.



But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. (James 1 :21-25)



Father God, thank You for Your mercy towards us. Father, I pray that You show each one of us where we need a spiritual bath. Open our eyes, give us discernment. We want to be 'doers' of the Word. Remind us by Your Holy Spirit to humble ourselves and repent, then and there, the moment You bring conviction. And Father, help us to discern Your voice that comes with conviction from the voice our our enemy that comes in with condemnation. We love You, Father. In Jesus mighty name, we pray!



If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.



If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.



If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

(1 John 1:8-10)

I've Been Ignorant!

There are two areas that I have been so ignorant of the past several years. (I suspect there are many more, these are just two biggies the Lord has shown me of late. I reserve the right to add to this list as they come up! ;)

One being the fact that we have an enemy who seeks to kill, steal and destroy! And two, the importance of repentance.

Today I will focus on the first one. We had previously sat under teaching that felt like you were looking for a 'devil in every corner' or were rebuking demons at every turn. Having moved on from there, we sort of swung way to the other side. I think we became oblivious to the 'wiles(trickery) of the enemy'. Everything sort of turned to a more "God is sovereign, everything comes from His hand" type of mindset.

I had thoughts like, 'we just give Satan more power when we talk about him. Ummm, no, he actually already has power. Some of us have just been oblivious of it.

Brilliant move on the enemy's part, really. If we are ignorant of his schemes and wiles, how can we obey the scriptures that tell us to resist him? Ignorance is NOT bliss, trust me.

I'm not suggesting an all out '36 week study' on the enemy, but we would do well to recognize that we do have an enemy and he does seek to STEAL, KILL, DESTROY! Do you get that?

A friend recently very passionately shared with me this revelation she recently had.

She said, "the enemy comes to STEAL our children, KILL our children, DESTROY our children. He comes to STEAL our health . . . finances . . . peace . . . life, KILL our health . . . finances . . . peace . . . life, DESTROY our health . . . finances . . . peace . . . life. He comes to STEAL, KILL and DESTROY our marriages!"

It was quite sobering to hear her go through each one of those statements. Ladies, we are NOT to be ignorant of the devils wiles and schemes. (2 Cor. 2:11) Do you know he has wiles and schemes? Shouldn't we at least acknowledge that he is a force to be reckoned with? Shouldn't we be resisting him?

Ephesians 6:11 says to "put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."

In 1 Timothy 3 and 4 it says it is possible to fall into the reproach and the snare of the devil, and that there are actually doctrines of devils being preached.

2 Timothy 2:26 mentions again the possibility of being caught in the snare of the devil and being taken captive to do his will. These letters are written to the church! It is possible for a believer to get caught in the snare of the devil!

James tells us to RESIST the enemy. Seems to me it might be relevant to know what I am resisting if I am going to obey this scripture.

We have been given power over the enemy (Luke 10:19) Why would Jesus give us power over the enemy if we didn't need to use it?

We are to be sober and vigilant because we have an adversary that walks around seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8) This at least implies that there is a possibility of being devoured by the enemy.

I don't think for one second that we are to FEAR the enemy, but we do need to be aware of him and recognize his activity in our lives. This by no means is an exhaustive teaching on Satan and his kingdom. My desire is to share where I have been ignorant and exhort you to not be ignorant to the wiles of the enemy.

Homeschooling With Little Ones

Today I have shared some ideas on how to homeschool with little ones around. It can be very challengeing to get things done. I hope you are encouraged and get a few ideas. You can read more . . . Homeschooling With Littles over At the Well.

How To: Repentance

There are two areas in Christendom, including myself, that I have come to realize have fallen by the wayside a bit over the last several years.

One area is repentance. It seems like an obvious one. I mean, we all repent, right? Well, I have been learning just how much I DO NOT repent. I acknowledge I have sinned and feel sort of bad about it, but do I really and truly repent?

In addition to this, do I even recognize something that is a sin? For example, Fear, Stress and Anxiety is the main spiritual root (sin) behind Adrenal Fatigue/Exhaustion. Do you know how many times I read verses about not being anxious? I would read them, memorize them, post them all over the house, yet it never occurred to me to repent of it and remove it!

FEAR IS A SIN! (This is the makings of another post)

Back to repentance and a how-to. There is no formula here. No rules or have-tos, just an example, okay?

This morning the Lord revealed to me that I have once again been listening to fear and anxiety. I found myself going down the same road I used to go, almost getting anxious over anxiety instead of just repenting of it and moving on! This is what I did this morning.

Okay, Father, I recognize that I have been anxious (which really is fear) and troubled with the cares about my life.

I take responsibility for participating with this spirit of fear, including doubt and unbelief, worry and anxiety and I repent and renounce it. Thank you that You forgive me

I tell all fear (and his little buddies ;-) to go, in Jesus name by the power of the Holy Spirit. (remove)

My Father knows what I need, I am worth much more than the birds that He feeds and provides for.

I consider the lilies, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin, yet they are arrayed in splendor. He, my Father, clothes the grass in the field.

I am just a girl seeking my Daddy's kingdom, and He will add all these things. He will take care of all my needs.

I will not be struck with fear, for it is my Father's good pleasure to give me the kingdom!

Simple! Recognize, Responsibility, Repent, Renounce, Remove! (Resist and Restore will be discussed further another time)

Also, if you noticed I was renewing my mind with the Truth after my repentance.

Where Do My Thoughts Come From?

Have you ever thought about where your thoughts might be coming from and what to do with them?

We are learning that thoughts come from three places. Our own intellect (something we have learned), the Spirit of God, and the enemy and his kingdom.

An example in scripture that shows the three places thoughts come from is found in
Matthew 16:13-23.

When Jesus asked the disciples who He was, their response was from what they had heard and learned from others. That is one place that our thoughts come from.

When He asked them who they say that He is, Simon Peter had the perfect answer. Jesus
replies and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. This thought is from the Spirit of God.

Later in the these verses, Jesus was explaining to them what was going to happen and Peter began to rebuke Him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.

Jesus’ response was, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. This shows the third place where our thoughts come from, Satan’s kingdom.

Peter was not possessed by Satan; he just spoke out a thought that was from the enemy's kingdom.

In the verse John 13:2 we see another example of a thought coming from the enemy’s kingdom.

"And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;"

This, of course is just a tiny teaching on this whole concept, but it was revolutionary to me. It is not like this was totally new information. When I began to really understand this and began to discern where my thoughts were coming from, it was so freeing. Thoughts I assumed were my own thoughts actually were from the enemy’s kingdom! As I practice discerning my thoughts I am able to make a choice of whose kingdom I want to display in this world. Do I want to speak and act on thoughts that come from my Father’s kingdom or the enemy’s?

Hebrews 5:14 says, But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

I want to exercise my senses to discern both good and evil. I want to be able to teach my children this. Just because a thought comes into my mind, this does not mean it is from God, and I can choose to not act upon it.

I need to become a doer of the Word and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

I challenge you to begin really paying attention to your thoughts. Discern where they came from. Does it line up with the Word of God? Is it just something that you have learned or have heard? Is it part of Satan’s kingdom? Grab hold of that thought and by the power and authority you have in Jesus Christ tell it to GO! Replace it with the Truth.

As our two year old son questioned me one day, “Who’s talking to you”?

We Are Home!

Our trip to Thomaston Georgia was a complete success, I would say. We learned so much through the course For Their Life at the Be In Health campus.

We met some wonderful people while we were there. It was very hard to say good-bye on Friday night. We all just wanted to linger and hang out with each other just a little longer. It was such a blessing to be around so many believers who are all on similar paths.

There was grace to leave our children in the wonderful care of my mother. I barely cried waving good-bye to all those sweet faces waving in the driveway.

Before we left we prayed with the children and I just had such a sense that we were going to have such favor and our trip was going to be blessed. It was! I think all of our flights to and fro were either early or on time and without incidence. I am usually a little anxious about flying and leaving my babies, but once I dealt with the spirit of fear I was perfectly at peace.

The picture is blurry, but I think you can still see how pretty Elizabeth is!

Before we settled into our little cabin in Thomaston we met with Elizabeth. A sweet friend that I have grown to love from blog world. This sweet thing drove 2 hours just to meet us! We had an awesome time of fellowship. As we shared from our lives, she encouraged us so much. She has ten children and they are a little older than ours, so it was such a treat to talk to someone with very similar convictions who is a little further down the road than us. She was so sweet. She brought us a few things from Georgia. Georgia pecans and peanuts, yum! A branch of cotton for the children to see and feel. A copy of Facing the Giants, which was filmed, in part, right in their neighborhood! Love you Elizabeth!!

Our first day full day in Thomaston was Sunday. We attended Pleasant Valley Church which is affiliated with Be In Health. It was a treat to worship with believers who believe in the WHOLE bible, including the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The meeting was very much like the New Testament church, which it what Brian and I have desired for years now. It was simply very cool to actually 'see' a body operating like this.

Monday began with our first class and it was a whirlwind from there. We learned so much! It was awesome to be sitting under such scriptural teaching all day long! We could not take notes quickly enough. The Holy Spirit spoke so much to our hearts. There was much conviction, encouragement and hope all week long.

I hope to be able to share some of the gazillion things we learned, but I can some it up into one word, LOVE! The Father's love, Jesus' love, our love for one another, how to minister the love of the Father, on and on, with love. Now, don't get me wrong, there was a ton of other stuff, but this is what struck me most.

Natalieh!

We met an adorable blog friend in person. Her name is Natalieh. She is the most wonderfully sweet Godly young woman I know. She has such a sweet spirit about her. She is only 24, could not believe her maturity and love for the Lord. I told her I would LOVE to have her as my daughter, she is so precious! We got to be with her a lot, but not nearly enough, if that makes sense. I LOVE you Natalieh!

Gloria

On Tuesday, we went to Gloria's home for dinner. Gloria is a wonderful home school Mama who I met through blogging. It turns out she also had been to For My Life. When I went through it, she was able to encourage me and keep me on the straight and narrow. I was able to pass on some of the advice she gave me this past week. We were greeted by her lovely family and a wonderful simple and delicious meal. They home school and have three very precious children who are so smart and entrepreneurial minded. We were so impressed! Her daughter Julia has her own jewelry business. Her boys have written a few books, check out their Warfare by Duct Tape. The boys showed us all the 'weapons' they have created. We had a wonderful time with them. It was hard to pull ourselves away around 9:00. We were so tired, but the fellowship was so sweet.

The rest of the week was filled, and I mean filled with awesome teaching, worship and fellowship.

This is a 'short' (ha ha) recap of our week. I want to be able to share some of the very specific things the Lord showed me during this week. I am trying to keep my focus on this ministry of being a mama, so be patient with me, okay? I wish we could all get together for a whole day and just share!

Off We Go!!

Twenty minutes from right now, Lord willing, we will be on our way to the airport! So excited! Pray for all of us, please!

Amazed by His Grace,

Brian and Michelle

I'm Leavin' On a Jet Plane

We are leaving tomorrow for Georgia! Just Brian and I! For eight days! One would think I would be jumping for joy. Well, as much as time away will be wonderful, I will miss my children greatly! They will be here with my mom and her husband, who has graciously offered to care for them while we are gone. I know, I am so blessed!

As you may remember, we are going to Georgia for a 'For Their Life' conference. We are so excited. Sitting under 40 hours of great teaching, praying, being prayed for, sounds like my kind of 'vacation'!

Please pray for us and for our children. Pray for safety and peace. Pray for wisdom and that the eyes of our hearts would be opened.

Will be back here in about 10 days. I will miss you! {{{{hugs}}}}

I Am Finished!

Thursday, August 26, 2010, by the grace of God and a tremendous amount of support from my family I finished reading the entire bible in 39 days!!! One day early!! We began on July 19, 2010.

There were plenty of nights I would go to bed with tears in my eyes, feeling overwhelmed by the magnitude of this commitment. Each time my dear husband and the Lord would encourage me that HE would give the grace to finish what He called me to.

Thank You, Father, for all you have taught me. Don't stop! Continue to teach and lead. I love You.

Come, Lord Jesus come!

Oh, The Fun of Blog Friends!

This past weekend I was privileged enough to have three blog friends over for our children's baptisms! Now, two of them were friends before blogging, but we had reconnected through blogging.

From left to right, Kathy, from Regan Family Farm. Cindy, from Farmgirl Cyn. Angie, from Maple Valley Farms. And me!

What fun!

As you probably know, Brian and I are going to be going to Georgia this weekend. We are going to be able to 'hook up' with three blogging friends from Georgia! Are there any others who are in the Atlanta area??

I will finally be able to meet Elizabeth, from Yes, They're All Ours. Gloria, from Gloria In Excelsis Deo. And my sweet Natalieh, from Pure Heart!!

Almost There!

As of right now I have 96 pages to read to finish the bible in 40 days!!

This time has been so amazing, I am sort of sad to see it end. I have learned more than I could ever tell, reading the bible through in such a short time.

Just a few things . . .

I am in awe of our HOLY God!

The Fear of the Lord has definitely increased in my heart.

I think, after reading through the Old Testament, we (the church) may have swung a little too far towards 'grace'. You don't hear much (or see, for that matter) about holiness. Lots and lots of teaching on the grace of God, not much on the HOLINESS of God.

The fact that young 'Christian' couples are living together before they get married and then, in church, say in their vows about being 'best friends and LOVERS' while parents and pastors just smile!!! Makes me crazy! How is this okay?

Or, 'Christian' teenagers reading the Twilight series by the millions!? Are you kidding me?

Sorry, for the rant. I'll get back to that in another post. It just slipped out ;-)

Do you know that there were sacrifices even for sins you did not know you committed?? Once you realized you had sinned you needed to sacrifice. Sounds like taking responsibility for our sins.

While we serve a God who demands and expects holiness, we also serve a God who is merciful beyond belief. Over and over again He showed His mercy to a people who continually disobeyed His commands. That encourages this sinner.

His love for His people was beautiful to behold.

I was inspired over and over again by the beautiful prayers throughout the bible. Not just the Psalms, but prayers by Nehemiah, Daniel, Jehoshaphat and others who poured out their hearts to the Sovereign God of the universe.

Reading through the Gospels and Acts was quite convicting. I hope to share more in the future, but what has happened to the Church??!! The following verse will not leave me:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. (John 14:12)

What works did Jesus do? Which of those works are we doing greater? Do we really "believe" in Him?

Do you know over and over again, as I read through huge chunks of the Gospels at a time, that one could not help but notice that Jesus healed over and over and over again? He cast out demons over and over again?

Are we really obeying the whole counsel of the Word??

Do we love the Lord our God with ALL our heart, soul, mind and strength?

Do we love our neighbor as our selves?

Are we willing to sell all and give to the poor?

Do we obey Mark 16?

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Oh, we send out the missionaries, but what about the signs and wonders??? I haven't had any following me lately, have you? What about casting out demons? Speaking in new tongues? Laying hands on the sick and them actually recovering!

I could go on, but I won't right now. The Lord began stirring in our hearts quite awhile ago and reading through the Word has only excited and ignited the fire more. I think we are actually getting fed up with living life 'as usual'. We don't know what it means, but we are quite sick of it. Sometimes when I think about my shallow life compared to the followers of Jesus I get a sick feeling in my stomach.

Am I willing to go where ever He sends me? Am I willing to give it all up? The comfort of my home?

We saw this video several months ago and it stirred us up. The Lord recently brought it back across our path. It was so neat to remember how we felt the first time we saw it compared to now, several months into this journey He has us on. It is only about 2 minutes long and it is quite powerful. ( I have the book, a couple of my children have read it, I have not. I am not posting the video to advertise the book. I think the video says quite a bit!)

I thought our thinking was pretty radical before, but I think we are about to get a whole lot more radical. Care to join us?

Believe And Be Baptized!

Six of our children were all baptized Sunday, August 22, 2010!

The children have been expressing an interest in baptism for several months now. We have been studying and teaching them. It was so great to have the Holy Spirit teaching us simply from the from the WORD of God.

Initially, only four of the children were going to be baptized, but two more joined the ranks in the last couple of weeks. Luke, our oldest at home, recently repented of some things and has really turned his life towards the Lord in a much greater way. Isabella, our seventh child, has been listening to all the teaching and wondered if she too could be baptized seeing as how she also has believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.

As we studied, we saw how adults can sometimes complicate the simplicity of the Gospel and baptism. Over and over the bible admonishes "believe and be baptized" Simple as that. If you know enough to believe and be saved, then you know enough to be baptized.

Also, we were struck by how it was such a common thing, you believed and then you were baptized. You didn't wait until the 'first Sunday of the month', or sometime later, maybe after a few classes. Nope, believe and be baptized.

We invited a few families that we have grown close to over the last couple of years, as well as some old friends and some family. It was so awesome to have so many people with such similar hearts. We felt honored, humbled and loved by their attendance.

Brian shared a few scriptures on baptism, and then we headed out to the pool. He baptized the children. What an honor. Afterward, we gathered together and people prayed over the children and we finished with a beautiful rendition of Amazing Grace.

Below is a video that has each of the children's baptism. The video is only 7 or 8 minutes, please watch it if you can. Each child shared why they wanted to be baptized and a scripture. The first one up was Luke, and he shared his heart as well as repented to the crowd. It was quite touching. I will also post pictures, for those of you who can't or don't want to take the time to watch the video.

This is Luke, our 20 year old.

Joshua, our 18 year old.

Our sweet Victoria, 14 years old. She shared her heart so well.

Isaiah, our 12 1/2 year old. He has such a heart and zeal for the Word of God.

Sweet Sarah Grace, who is nine. She is the one that made us all realize just how simple the Gospel is this past week.

Little Isabella, almost 8 years old. She loves Jesus so much and has such a tender heart.

Definitely a day full of Amazing Grace!! Thank You, Father!

P.S. The video should be fixed now.

Big Day Today!!

Today is a big day for several of the children in our family!!

Can you guess what it is?

Hint: it involves water.

More to come, pictures and all!

It Finally Happened, I Repented First!

We ran a bunch of errands last night. Everyone was tired, some little ones crabby. Dear husband was graciously going from place to place so I could find some things I needed. We even went to Walmart, which I don't like and he DESPISES. He so sweetly helped me find what I needed, even bringing me different sizes to the dressing room. Did I mention he despises Walmart???

This man works all day, comes home and is rushed out the door. Handles all of the children so I can get what I need done. All the while just laying down his will. Dealing with a very tired and unreasonable almost 3 year old, again, so I can get what I need. Big trip to Costco, in and out of other stores.

We get home late. Children are not getting to bed as they should. He is the one who puts the children to bed, so the burden of all this is on him. He is growing impatient and is not handling things as perfectly as I think he should.

Recap, worked all day, rushed out the door for a trip that mostly revolved around ME, crabby children, all eight of them with us, confusion and chaos that just comes with a large family, a slightly less than supportive wife, Costco products everywhere, children not in bed when they should be, late at night, bible to read . . . you get the picture, right?

I am about to tell you how this SHOULD be handled and then how I actually DID handle it!

When he grew impatient and was beginning to 'lose it', I should have come along side him and helped him out! I should have said, 'it's okay, I have this one'. Pulled him aside and quietly given him some facts he didn't have on a situation so he might handle it differently.

How DID I handle it?

I continued going about what I needed to do and then, when he needed my support most, snapped (rather harshly) "Just an FYI . . . so and so really did this, not what you thought!"

AWFUL!

But here is the really encouraging and redeeming thing in this whole yucky story. I was immediately convicted of how awful I was and what a horrible example I just was for the older children just sitting there with jaws dropped. Thank You, Holy Spirit! In the shower I was praying that God would soften my heart, make me able to separate him from the sin, go and repent to him. I didn't 'feel' anything different, as usual.

I got out the shower marched in the bedroom and without even thinking went right up to him and repented for being so harsh and not being his help meet in that situation. It was a very tender moment, we cried and prayed. I went out and repented to my children for my behaviour.

But wait! It gets better! Later, he said to me, "you melted my heart earlier". I was oblivious to what he was talking about. He said, "that was the first time you came to me first with a softened heart and repented to me."

OUCH! He was right. He ALWAYS repents first. I don't like that about me. I feel awful that it has always been that way. I've tried to, I pray, even in the middle of my hardness of heart and I can't ever seem to 'let it go'. But tonight was different! God had done something in my heart. Something broke, finally.

And to add just one more really cool aspect. Just that morning the Lord had showed me some areas of self-hatred, guilt and shame that I repented of and renounced. Normally, when Brian would share something like this with me, I would feel just awful about it and beat myself up for a very long time. Lament about how I wish I was different and apologize over and over again. Well, I started down that road and immediately recognized the self-hatred, guilt and shame and refused to go down under it! I chose to praise God instead of beat myself up and break the old pattern of thinking!

Two HUGE patterns were broken last night! I am not sure I will always handle it right, but in both of these scenarios it was a huge breakthrough. Maybe next time I might even get my focus off myself before a blow-up even happens. There is a novel idea ;-)

Press in ladies, continue to seek Jesus, trust HE is changing us from glory to glory!

Need A Little Pick Me Up??

Come visit me over At The Well today. Maybe you are 'overwhelmed' with life. Or, maybe you are completely exhausted. Or, perhaps you are downright angry with life right now. Hop on over and hopefully be encouraged.

We Are Being Invaded!!!

I think this cute, little guy is the Captain of the Tomato Army!

Kind of a cute little guy, isn't he? Last year we lost pretty much ALL of our tomatoes to some sort of blight. I think that I maybe ate 3 or 4 the whole year. This year it is unreal! Our plants are well over Brian's head and they are dripping with fruit. We are so thankful. I have already begun the canning process. Thanks to a tip from my dear friend, Ang, from Eclectic Culture Farms, it is so easy.

I freeze the tomatoes as they get ripe and then on canning day, I thaw, peel, heat and can! This way I do the canning on the day I want to and the freeze/thaw makes the skins peel off easily!

All these tomatoes in all these pictures are from 2 or 3 days! Brian goes out after work and comes back with baskets of tomatoes.

We grew some funky Zapotec tomatoes this year. The minute I took the first bite I was immediately reminded of my childhood and eating tomatoes out of my Papap's garden. He was the cutest little Italian guy with an adorable thick accent. He used to grow tomatoes on a tiny plot behind his house in the city. I don't think I have tasted a tomato like that in years!

Aren't they the funniest shape?

I think I am in Tomato Heaven. The funny thing is, I am the only one in the house who loves to eat them raw and whole. Luke does like the cherry tomatoes, but otherwise they are all mine. Well, I do share with neighbors and my mom ;-)

One hundred and seventy-two tomatoes in the pile below. Just from tonight's pickin'!

Do I Treasure His Word?

This post is in NO way meant to heap condemnation on anyone! Got it? I am just sharing my heart, recent convictions and some observations. I am NOT trying to make some new law or add a 'burden' on anyone.

With all that said, it dawned on me this weekend that this is my first time to actually be reading every single word in the bible. I am surprisingly knowledgeable of the scriptures. Trust me when I say it is a gift and not my wonderful intellect and memory retention ;-) But even as knowledgeable as I am, I still, until this forty day fast have never read every word of the Bible.

We are so privileged to have the very heart of our Father in written form at our fingertips. We have the opportunity to know what are His desires and commands. We really have no excuses to not be reading the whole counsel of His word.

It hit me when I read the following verse from Job 23:12,

I have esteemed and treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.

Do I do this? Really? Really treasure His words MORE than my necessary food, or even other even less necessary things? Ouch.

Just read through Psalm 119 sometime, you will probably fall head over heals in love with His law!

Your word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against You

How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Your testimonies have I taken as a heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart

The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the [whole] person; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.


The following verses from Psalm 19,

The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure and bright, enlightening the eyes.

The [reverent] fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, even than much fine gold; they are sweeter also than honey and drippings from the honeycomb.

Moreover, by them is Your servant warned (reminded, illuminated, and instructed); and in keeping them there is great reward.

I am humbled and convicted as I realize how much time I waste on 'worldly pursuits'. How much time do I spend increasing in knowledge about healthy eating, how to best home school, how to best . . . anything!?

How many times have I used the excuse of 'not enough time'? I have time for checking other's blogs, or formulating my own posts, or researching, or just vegging out watching a show, or mindlessly 'blog surfing', reading other books, (volumes and volumes of books) or talking on the phone. The list goes on.

How many hours do I spend 'studying' the wrong things, or the less important things?

We really do show what our priorities are by what we spend our time on. Is it possible that how we spend our time reveals the true desires of our hearts? ( I realize we all have responsibilities, I am not talking about neglecting God's call on your life ;-)

Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth. (2 Tim. 2:15)

Please hear my heart here. You are in no way to listen to the enemy if he comes knocking with condemnation. (let me know if you need a lesson on the difference between condemnation and conviction, please pay attention to 'who' is talking to you!) If the Holy Spirit is bringing conviction, then simply repent and ask Him what changes you need to make and what it would look like.

Happy Days!

Thank you for all my birthday wishes! Thank you to my sweet son, Joshua, for surprising me with that post.

While the week started out very sad and gloomy, the Lord certainly redeemed it and turned my mourning into dancing. On my birthday the children really blessed me with fun family time out by the pool and then a wonderful dinner, complete with table cloth, flowers and candles.

Brian surprised me with a Costco cake!! Chocolate with chocolate mousse! Does it get any better?? ;-)

Friday, Brian and I had to whole day to ourselves! We stopped at an antique store and then spent the entire gorgeous day on the beach at his parents. They have a home on Lake Michigan. We had the beach ALL to ourselves!



The ONLY drawback to the private beach is this walk down, well, the walk up too. But trust me, I am NOT complaining, though my calf muscles are today ;-)

This is the view down one way on the beach. Notice, not a person in sight!

This is the view the other way . . . again, nobody in sight!

Just these two, goofy, madly in love people!

We enjoyed the beauty and solitude. We read our bibles, prayed for our children and just rested! It was such a blessing after a difficult week.

Can you believe it? Just look at those clouds trying to creep in on my perfect day! Just kidding, it was perfect, but these truly were about the only clouds of the day.

Isn't it gorgeous. I have this thing with going to the beach. My family can hardly get me to go home. We have been blessed with years of being able to have our family vacation on a private beach. Every time I am on the beach I never want to leave. Even when we run out of food and water, I try to drag it out as long as I can.

This may be, in part, why I don't want to leave the beach ;-) Ugh, the dreaded steps. It is so worth it though.

Did I mention that we were the ONLY people on the beach the whole day! All this glory and beauty just for us! So spoiled, I know. Praise the Lord for His mercy and love poured out to us this beautiful day.

Happy Birthday Mom!

This is Joshua, Michelle’s third son.

She doesn’t know that I am doing this but I wanted to let you all know that today is my mom’s 38th birthday. (Though she is really 44. She would like to think that she is only 38) I suppose that almost everybody thinks that their mother is the best in the world, I really think that my mom tops them all. She is the most loving and kind person I know. She shows by her actions and words that she really cares for us and truly loves the Lord with all her heart, soul, and mind.

Without our mom, the whole household would fall apart. If she didn’t direct chores and school, nothing would ever get done. She also makes the best food ever. Even though she doesn’t make every meal, she certainly plans and directs those she doesn’t make, as well as having taught us all we know about cooking. And let me say that the meals she doesn’t make aren’t anywhere as good as the meals she does make. (No offense to my older brother)

Now I know that my mom isn’t perfect, but what really matters is that she loves God and is trying her hardest to please him. Every morning she starts the day with a lengthy quiet time with God and throughout the day, in her free moments (which are usually seconds), she tries to read the Bible.

I haven’t been the best son to her, and have caused her a fair share of pain, but I love her just the same, and I am confident that she loves me.

Happy Birthday Mom!

This is my Mom and my Nana.

This is Mom and Josiah

This is Mom picking strawberries with Elijah

What Would You Ask For?

Suppose, for just a moment, that the Lord came to you in a dream, as He did Solomon and asked you, "What shall I give you?"

In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night. And God said, Ask what I shall give you? (1 Kings 3:5)



What would your answer be?

It's Official

Well, today my oldest son got married. Neither sets of parents were there. Though I tried, I walked up to see the end of the 'ceremony' from 50 yards away and could not follow through on my desire to put my emotions aside and show support. Brian was out of town on a trip he could not change. (he only had two days notice about the wedding) Her parents were un-invited just minutes before the 'ceremony.' The circumstances were far less than ideal. Mamas and Papas cried, sad tears. Hearts were broken once again. Little ones who struggle to make sense of sin and its consequences need comfort and words of wisdom. (from a sorrowful mama, no less) Older ones wrestle with bitterness, heartache and confusion.

Sorry to unload and invite you to my rather small pity party ;-) I thank you so much for your prayers today. I sensed the Lord's strength and grace to stay out of the pit. I was able to feel the emotions yet not let them overwhelm me. Brian had to stay out of town overnight, so our hearts are heavy that we are apart. But, we have the Lord to comfort and I have my eight other blessings to love on and to comfort me! I am blessed. Oh, and I have 30 more pages to read in my bible! No time for wallowing in the pit!

I feel Him picking me up and 'training my hands for war' as we battle in the heavenlies for our son and new daughter (whom we already love as a daughter, btw, which makes it doubly painful)

Come back tomorrow, I have a thought provoking question for you! Love to all!

Looking To Him

UNTO YOU do I lift up my eyes, O You Who are enthroned in heaven.

Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, and as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He has mercy and loving-kindness for us.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on and loving-kindness for us, for we are exceedingly satiated with contempt.

Our life is exceedingly filled with the scorning and scoffing of those who are at ease and with the contempt of the proud (irresponsible tyrants who disregard God's law).

(Ps. 123)

Looking to Him today. In need of His great mercy and loving-kindness. Would you mind lifting this Mama's heart to the Lord today? Oh, and her son also?? Thank you.

Repentance and Heartache, But Also Hope

Whoa! This past week has been a rough one. BUT, it has also been so awesome.

The Lord keeps reminding me that there is a big picture here and He is doing a much bigger work than I could imagine. There is going to be many bumps and bruises along this journey to where ever our next step is with Him. I hadn't thought of that ;-) I am good at just 'jumping off the cliff' and asking questions later.

This past week has been filled with lots of repentance and heartaches. In the natural, our hearts are hurting. But, in the spiritual, we see that the Lord is doing a major cleansing in all of us as we seek Him in a bigger way. We sense that He is bringing us to an incredible place of unity and oneness. You simply cannot achieve that if everyone is not on board. You can't have 'sin in the camp' because it affects everyone!

It was wonderful yesterday morning when certain members of the 'camp' were doing some serious confessing and our 12 year old son and myself had the same revelation. We immediately thought of Achan and how he had unrepentant sin and it caused the whole group to lose in battle. If we are going to go out there and fight battles and hope to win, there simply cannot be hidden sin in the camp! We realized that this 'forty day fast' is doing way more than we could have ever imagined.

We are learning so much. I feel like our resolve is being strengthened and we are becoming increasingly excited for what the Lord is doing and going to be doing. Victoria was reading a book called True Religion (which I highly recommend) to me and it was only stirring and fanning what the Lord has already put in our hearts.

My new motto is "Go BIG or go home"

We want to live BIG for our Lord or we might as well just go home! Serve BIG, love BIG, lay down our lives BIG, live radically sold out, BIG!

The bible reading is going pretty good for everyone. We all are where we are supposed to be or close to it. While we desire to reach our goals, we also don't want to skim or quickly read to meet a goal and miss some precious truth.

I still struggle with this dumb computer! I am drawn to check emails way to often, and nobody is even emailing me, yet I go check anyway! It is crazy what a 'habit' it is! I am about ready to just chuck it in the pond. The Lord is speaking to me greatly on time spent on the computer. This thought floated in my head all weekend.

We have enough time in our day for the things that are important to us. (priorities)
And
We show what is important to us by what we spend our time on.

I'll share more on this later. Can I just say, "OUCH!" that whole thought really hits home!

Have a lovely week and if you think about us, please pray for us. We some other issue to deal with this week that are difficult on a Mama and Papa's heart.