Preparing for the Most Important Jobs of our Lives....

Rebekah and I will be having tea again this morning...and I know exactly what we will be talking about. The topic doesn't come from any book..it's just been on my heart this morning. As I was having devotions, I was thinking about a song I wrote last year that I sang for my sweet daughter-in-law last week. It's called, "The Heart of A Servant".    It's about one of the most important jobs in the world..one that almost EVERYONE...man or woman ends up doing and yet this job it is one of the least appreciated and poorly prepared for jobs in the world...that of being a parent.

Near the End of the Parenting Journey

We are rapidly nearing  the end of the most intensive part of our parenting journey. Our little chicks have been leaving the nest one by one and of course, like all parents, we are anxious that their first flight be a successful one.  I find myself worrying--"Have I prepared them adequately? I know my husband's thoughts are consumed with the same concerns.  We quit worrying, long ago, about our own personal dreams and aspirations. We have a whole lifetime ahead of us for doing that. But our children need us now. The opportune moment for preparation is TODAY.

We are talking about things like college, ministry, character building and future relationships. Our natural instincts with our oldest children are to find the best college or the best opportunity for developing our children's natural gifts and talents with an eye to future occupations.  And of course, we think often about how we and they are going to pay for all of this preparation. Possible scholarships, financial aid, SAT scores,  jobs...are all part of our decision making process.

Do We Have The Right Focus?
But this morning as I was thinking about the song the Lord gave me about being a servant as we love and train our little ones and reading Colossians 3: 17-25, I began to be concerned that we might be focused on the wrong thing altogether!

Our Real Job
For those of us who are Christians, our real 'job' in life..is to become more like Christ...to love Him more...to serve Him with all our heart..and to love our neighbor (and our family) as Christ as loved us.  Our lives, regardless of what job or occupation we might spend our days pursuing, will ultimately become very daily...and that daily focus must be to grow in Him. Relationships are God's best training ground for developing character in our lives.

With that in mind, I realized that the job of being a good husband or wife and a good parent, jobs that fall to 90% of us regardless of how we earn a living...must be prepared for!  And if we don't do that preparation before our young adults leave for college, we may never get the chance.

What is most important: Family or Career?
Whether you are a doctor, teacher, engineer, lawyer, or computer tech, you will also most likely end up with a job for which you will be far more concerned about your performance than in your career--..that of being a good  wife or husband, mom or dad.  Yes, we must prepared for the jobs that provide food for the table and I know the Lord wants us to pursue those things he has gifted us with and uniquely designed us for. But
 

the most important thing we must do well at is living our lives 

in the Love of Christ. Loving those he has given us to care for.

The Lord has amazing ways of making the finances 'work out', especially for families who put their trust in the Lord and who put their calling of living godly lives ahead of their desire to have a great career.

Visiting An Amazing Family...
We spent such a special and enjoyable day with a family who, like ourselves, have done exactly that. The stories of our ups and downs with cars and the other mundane joys of making ends meet were so similar that I laughed out loud.  Honestly, I felt so humbled in talking with the mother because she just exudes the Lord's peace and wisdom. I felt that I had so much to learn about the ways of the Lord after talking with her. It wasn't what she said or didn't say..it was just her whole countenance and manners and spirit. But I have not suffered like she has...three whole years of simply waiting on God to restore her health while she lay on the brink of death.  I've never known a single woman alive who has had to go through a trial like that..nor such a sweet family who carried her through it with such grace.  You cannot help but be changed and affected..and she and her family have been.

Both our families, like so many other home school families, are grappling with the question of how to best help spring our children from the family nest so that they have the best possible future. As we talked, though, of our lives and our journeys...it was really a story of how we each learned to love our husbands and our children and be good parents.

Careers and ministry dreams eventually took a back seat to the most important job of our lives...loving those God has put in our care the way He would love them and teaching them how to do the same thing.

Do Not Worry About the Future!
So though I am anxious for Rebekah's college pursuits and the possibilities on the horizon as we look into fashion design or how to clep courses for credit, and Jacob's SAT scores and 'can we get a scholarship at our nearest university' for his pursuit of a Criminal Justice degree,  I remember what the Lord says in


Matthew 6: 31-34

Do not worry and be anxious, saying, "What are we going to have to eat? or, What are we going to have to drink? or, What are we going to have to wear? For the Gentiles wish for, crave, and diligently seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows well that you need them all.

But seek (aim at and strive after)first of all His kingdom and His righteousness and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.  So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.

Our Lives Should Be Stories of God's Amazing Grace and Provision
The stories our families shared yesterday were a memory book full of miracles of God's provision in the most difficult of circumstances. We all planned our careers and pursuits..but none really turned out the way we had quite planned. And still...we have grown in the Lord...we love our children and each other and more importantly...our children love the Lord and each other.  Like so many Christian homes chool families, we have very little of this world's goods to show for our 20+ years of marriage and career pursuits...but we have served the Lord with our whole heart and laid down our lives for our families. 

How I Will Prepare My Children for the Future
So I will do my best not to worry about my children's futures while making every diligent effort to help them pursue their goals, but while we are doing that...I'm going to do all I can to help them focus on the Lord and becoming more like Him...and how to be the best wife, husband, father, or mother they can be--the best school I know of for developing Christ-like character.

Because careers come and go and change, I will try to help them realize that success there, while very important, is not the most important thing.
 

With all our best efforts, careers and jobs can fail...but if we fail to love and serve our families there is nothing that will console us.  

As we learn to love our spouses and children and to meet their needs, we become more like Christ and more fit for the kingdom of heaven. 

May we always keep an eternal perspective as we guide our children towards their future pursuits and lifelong happiness.

Decorating Grandma's Sugar Cookies..with recipe

You know...you just can't go to Grandma's and NOT make cookies although I was afraid we wouldn't quite make it that far with all the other things we did this week.

Is this play dough Grandma??

I think we need a little help!

Push real hard Brenan!

Colin, You're doing so good!!

Colin and Brenan had a great time rolling out, cutting, baking and decorating their sugar cookies.

The best part was putting chocolate chips all over the cookies.  I accidentally left the bag in front of Brenan for a minute. He had quite a few in his mouth when I got back to him. I must say they had a an even funner time eating them!

  Of course, their mommy had the thrilling task of cleaning up the boys...while I played with the baby...Tee!Hee!

Here's the recipe we used. We made one change. We substituted 1 tsp. cream of tarter and 1/2 baking soda for each teaspoon of baking powder called for because Brenan is allergic to corn starch. Frankly, my kids didn't care for the taste...but for the little guys...it was no problem. (I tasted a teeny bit of dough..by accident--Really! And it tasted fine to me. :o)

Grandma's Rolled Sugar Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
6 T. butter or margarine
1/3 c. shortening
3/4 c. shortening
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
1 T.Milk
1 t. vanilla

(Decorations are up to you. :o)

• Stir together flour, baking powder, and 1/4 t. salt.
• Beat butter and shortening for 30 seconds; add sugar and beat till fluffy. 
• Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well.
• Add dry ingredients to beaten mixture, beating till well combined.
• Cover and chill at least 3 hours. (We put our dough in a gallon zip bag, flattened it, and stuck it in the freezer. We took it out 30 minutes later and it worked just fine!)
• Working with 1/2 of the dough at a time, on a lightly floured surface roll to 1/8" thickness. (Ours was more like 1/4"..easier for little hands to pull off the extra dough and pick up to put on the cookie sheet.
• Cut into desired shapes.  Add decorations as desired.
• Place on an ungreased cookies sheet.
• Bake in a 375 degree oven for 8 minutes or till done.
  

 Happy Homemaking!

Readers’ Q & A: Family Devotions

Q.How Do You Do Family Devotions? 
Trudy at Sewing with Trudy asked me to talk about this…so here it is! 

A. Ever since the children were very young, we have taken the time to teach our children about God and the bible. We always pray together during these times and I sometimes play the guitar and we sing a worship song together. The singing is optional for those who feel hesitant about that though. We usually sit in the living room but sitting around the dining room table and reading and praying together after supper or breakfast is a great way too… It helps to establish the habit of family devotions if you have a set time.

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Everyone’s family has a different approach to family devotions, so I could never possible say that any one method was the best. We have changed many times over the years!
When the children were small, we used devotional books geared to their age, sang simple songs and said very short prayers. :0) Tim always read a bible verse or even short passage to go with the devotional book.
When they were little older we relied on Our 24 Family Ways. It allowed more study and had a color page, memory verse, suggested activites, etc.


In middle school, we used the Character Sketches Series series which is just fantastic! You learn character qualities through nature and through famous people in the bible. The kids especially loved these books! They are pricey but worth every penny and include phenomenal drawings and amazing science facts too. They are really almost encyclopedic in size! Each one would last a year.

And in their early teens, we have read chapter by chapter through the  in their Old Testament, and then we switched to the New Testament when they were in high school. That’s when we got into apologetics in a more serious way.

Sometimes, I lead if Tim can’t, but most of the time Tim leads.  We always ask them what they think and when they are done, we share what we feel they need to understand about the passage as well. I have to say we have some very interesting theological discussions!  This is a great time to teach them why they believe what they believe.

Singing worship songs during a break at an NCFCA tournament.

Honestly, to tell you the truth, they no longer all agree with all of our ‘particular’ doctrinal positions nor our standards. As far as we are concerned, by the time they are older teens, that is their decision. Of course, they had to respect our standards at home, but we allow a lot of freedom for them to listen to what God is saying to them. We want it to be their faith…not ours.  There’s an old saying that I find to be very true…

God has no ‘grandchildren’…only children. We want them to ‘own’ their faith!

Suggestions for How to Do Family Devotions:
Any or all of these things could be part of your family’s group devotional time just as they are or have been in ours.

• Start by praying and asking the Lord to help everyone listen to what he is trying to say to you through this passage. 

• 
  
  Sing a worship song appropriate to your kids’ age.  Like Wee Kids Tapes or Videos, music on the radio, hymns that you play on the piano, contemporary music you play on the guitar…etc. (I even write worship songs which you can find here.) I loved to let the kids ‘help’ play sometimes. Get instruments that they can use to join in. Now my kids are old enough to lead the music themselves, since they play guitar too—all five of them in fact!

•   Read a devotional story geared towards your children’s age group. 

This was our favorite devotional book when the children were Pre-School age…this 1971 version uses real famous art masterpieces in every picture! For those of you wanting to introduce your children to art, this adds an extra benefit!

Some suggested devotionals: The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes, Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon...online, Max Lucado Daily Devotions

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  Read a bible passage and discuss it. Ask the children what it means to them.  Most good devotional books will have questions you can ask. Ask the kids how you can DO the things you just TALKED about.
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  Ask if anyone would like you to pray for them today. Discuss people you know who need prayer especially friends and family. Ask each child to pick one person to pray for. You and or hubby, pray for the children as a way to close the prayer time.
   

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  You can start a family prayer journal to record requests and God’s answers as they have happened! It will build their faith in a way that nothing else can. We’ve yet to have an unanswered prayer!The miracles God has done in our lives are a huge part of our family’s history and heritage.

Our favorite resource when the children were school age!

• Memorize a verse and write it down. Tape it to the fridge for everyone to see and work on.

If you are married and don’t have children, or if you have young adult children preparing for the day they will get married, then the very best book for daily devotions I have ever read is The Love Dare. It will help you really learn how to build your relationship with each other. 

I wish they would write it for families!! We’ve been using it for our teens and I just paraphrase it as I go, to make it as applicable as possible. It’s really helped me kids understand how to treat each other  and others the way they should. It spells out what Love, the heart of real life in Christ, is supposed to be and how it should look as you live with those around you.  Jacob, my 17 yr. old, said that the best devotional he’s ever read to help him through the struggles of older teen life is Every Young Man’s Battle. They also have Every Young Woman’s Battle as well. These would be good to do one on one with a parent and child, especially since the go into some very adult topics. You might want to pre-view these before buying just to make sure that is the direction you want to head.

There are many other things you can do, but these ideas should help you get started. 

There are so many good resources that I’d love to have you guys comment with your favorites so that others could get them too. We are only one family and our kids are older. Tell me how you do family devotions!



Another Answer to Why Do You Home School?

Country Mama of Life and Love in the Country wrote..

This is one of my favorite sites and there was an article in this week's newsletter I thought you might like to read. I really enjoyed it.
http://www.homestead.org/SheriDixon/Homeschooling/HomeschoolingfortheHomesteader.htm
Country Mama
Country Mama is the reader who asked my why I home schooled with prompted the long post I wrote in response.  You can read that post here. But I have to say her link leads to a really good answer with some other angles to the question. Check it out if you have questions!  She also writes very interesting articles that I think are very hopeful to new homeschoolers on her blog, like this one about their first trip to a home school book fair.

 

Just a quick reminder, that I'm gone to a tournament with the kids and can't get to the internet except to check emails via my Ipod..maybe...   I'll be home Sunday evening. :o) This is a previously scheduled post. :o)

Hooded Bath Towel for Children

I have to admit that this is not MY idea!A dear friend, Mary Schultz,  from Sugar Land showed me how to make this and it's been my favorite gift to send for baby showers or children's gifts ever since.  She so inspired me with her frugal ways!

She would stock up at the outlet store on beautiful bath towels and hand towels on clearance and then spend a day sewing them into these towels. She didn't choose 'childrens' designs per se..just beautiful multi-colored towels. They lasted long after the baby had grown to be a small child. Her children all had one and she used them when they went to the beach or swimming lessons.

To  me, one of the best gifts I can give to you, my readers, are ways to show you care and give a gift that doesn't break the budget.  If we can live on less, we can spend more time living...

The reason I can stay at home, and my hubby can work from home is that we find these little ways to do the same thing we normally would, for less money. Besides, when you give a homemade gift, you give a little of yourself...don't you think?

This bath towel gift is for my darling grandson, Brennan.  I will certainly make one for Colin and Nikolai before the year is out, but it happens to have just been Brennan's birthday, and the green towel with a frog and dragonfly was just too cute to pass up!

Here's how you do it....

Project: Hooded Bath Towel

Supplies: Large bath towel
                Matching hand-towel

Steps:

• Fold over about 1" of the long side of the hand towel, pin in place and stitch about 1 inch in the center of the fold to hold it in place. This makes a nice edge to the hood.

• Fold the hand towel in half, right sides together and sew the back of the 'hood' together with one straight seam. The back of the hood will be the opposite side to the edge that is folded over.k

• Find the middle of the large bath towel and mark it with a pin. Match the back seam of the hood with the center of the bath towel and pin in place with the right sides together.

Now you have a darling gift for the next baby shower or birthday!

Family Fridge Chat..using Magnetic Letters

Message left by daughter who left for class at 6am

Sometimes you get an idea that is so GREAT...that you just have to share it ASAP!  Family are dropping by to grill out on the deck because it is so beautiful outside..spring is almost here!! So I don't have time to say much, but this was too good to pass up.

                               Message to friends who were staying overnight...from the boys

Sometimes we discover our children's dreams and aspirations...

I got a set of magnetized letters for my granddaughter to play with while I'm busy in the kitchen.  Then I thought, well, she might try to swallow them..better put them up high for now.  The rest as they say...is history.

Message left by my computer programmer hubby...(see if you can de-code it!)

Little did I know that in spite of this high-tech age of non-stop communication, that I could foster better communication..right here at home and it didn't require a single electronic gadget!

Somebody was having a bad day...Hmmm...

A picture is worth a thousand words...so I'll let the pictures do the talking here. (I had no idea that my kids were not too old for magnetized alphabet letters!)  We bought two sets...because one was just not enough....priceless!

Left this one for my hubby while I was gone to a tournment with the kids..it only took him three days to find it....all brains..no eyes--Ha! (It scared him half to death! He thought someone had gotten into the house while he was out.-Ha!)

Happy Homemaking!!!

Shona's Art Class Quilt

Shona Cole taught and art class to several children at our church and printed their work on cloth. She and Terry Brenon asked me to make it into a quilt. Here you see it almost finished.