Author: Diana B.

I am a wife and the mother of two beautiful adult daughters and a wonderful new son-in-law. I am a seminary student and also do some part-time freelance writing, editing and graphic design work. My interests include reading, photography, baking (mostly bread and chocolate), and studying God's Word.

School Begins: Days 1-7 in Review

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Today is Day 7 of our school year, which is moving right along. We are busy walking through the calendar each day, reviewing letter sounds, learning the hymns “This is My Father’s World” and “All Things Bright and Beautiful,” and keeping track of what God created each day of creation week. Linnea is putting together a book and a poster about the seven days of creation. We started Kindergarten already half-way through our reading lesson book (we started it last spring as an experiement), so Linnea is reading pretty well. She is learning more sound blends and words with the long vowel sounds now.

We took our first field trip last Thursday when we studied Day 3 of Creation, when God created the trees and plants and flowers. The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum was the perfect place to take in all the growing things, and the girls loved it! You just can’t imagine how many fairy homes we found — some among the flowers and others deep in the woods! They also enjoyed the maze and the enormous goldfish in the Japanese gardens.

Our second field trip was today; we went to Como Zoo to observe the animals God created on Day 6. We took special note of the birds, zebras, turtles, goats and penguins because we will be studying those and other animals more closely later in the year.

This week we will wrap up the introduction part of the curriculum and move into Lesson 1 on the Sun. The Biblical concept is that Jesus is the Light of the world. We’ll be exploring space, making raisins, talking about shadows and reading the book Bear Shadow by Frank Asch.

For the most part, homeschooling is going well. We are still experimenting, of course. Last week we kicked things off right after breakfast each morning. Linnea loved it, but it seemed to cause some understandable resistence from Laurel. News flash: 3-year-olds don’t go to Kindergarten! Duh! I had been worrying all summer about how to ensure she felt included, and I guess I overcompensated and overlooked that whole short attention span factor. This week we’ve been doing school in the afternoons while Laurel naps, and it has been much easier!

Laurel does enjoy playing in the “classroom” with her bag of school supplies. She doesn’t care much for coloring, but she’s a big fan of Post-It notes, scissors and glue, and she loves to draw stick people and pretend to write her name! She also loved the painting projects we did last week.

Tomorrow is Day 7 of Creation when God rested. I think we will all take a nap!

Countdown to Kindergarten

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Three weeks until we begin Kindergarten! I say “we” because I will be teaching Linnea at home. If you had told me a year ago that I would be a homeschool teacher, my eyes would have popped out of my head. I honestly never entertained the idea until Linnea was diagnosed with asthma last fall.

Last September Linnea had a scary asthma attack that began at preschool and led to an ambulance ride and a full day in the hospital trying to get her breathing and oxygen levels under control. That day was a turning point and put many things in perspective for me.

I’ve spent much of my spare time the last 11 months reading books and articles about homeschooling, listening to other parents and experts talk about homeschooling, asking questions about homeschooling, and really trying to follow God’s leading on this. The deeper I dig, the more confident I am that homeschooling Linnea is the best educational choice for this year. I am excited to begin.

All that said, I have those moments of doubt. I have those moments when a friendly store clerk asks Linnea where she’s going to school… And then the strange face the clerk immediately makes when Linnea tells her that she is going to learn at home. Maybe it is a bit radical, a bit weird not to choose the easier option. But for Linnea’s sake, I’m willing to be the odd ball.

In her book Discerning the Voice of God, author Priscilla Shirer says, “When you face two options and each seems to please God, consider the one that displays God’s glory, power and strength. This makes room for God to reveal Himself to you and show Himself through you. God wants us to see the wondrous things He will accomplish in us. Don’t be fearful about the hard road He may ask you to take. Be encouraged and excited about seeing His divine, supernatural activity in and through you… God’s voice commands the option that will display His power. He desires to show Himself strong in you and will encourage you to do things that require trust and faith.”

I have our curriculum and supplies all prepared, and I am committed to involve Laurel in this as much as she shows interest. All three of us are eager to start this challenging road, but I know my personality and my weaknesses, and I am first to admit that I can’t homeschool Linnea on my own strength. That’s why I am tapping into divine resources. Homeschooling requires trust and faith, and my hope is in the power of God working through me for His glory. Second Timothy 1:7 says that God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid; He gave us a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline. I’m going to need all of those daily!

Now I’m off to enjoy this beautiful day because summer is fading fast!

My Umami Story is BEEF’s Cover Story

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This month’s issue of BEEF magazine features “The Taste of Protein,” a story I wrote about umami in beef. Umami is the fifth taste in addition to sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Oh, and by the way, I don’t recommend reading this story on an empty stomach. I got pretty hungry writing it! Here’s the link:

http://beefmagazine.com/issue_20080501/

Angel on a Pink Schwinn

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One of my favorite songs is “Sweet Summer” by Diamond Rio. It takes me back to summer time when I was a kid, spending endless hours biking up and down our street with my brother and the neighborhood boys. I remember the smell of freshly cut grass, the aroma of hamburgers sizzling on the charcoal grill, and just the genuine freedom you feel on a lazy summer day. Here are the lyrics.

Sweet Summer by Diamond Rio

He had a freezer full of otter pops
Push ups, drum sticks and dreamsicles
And a paint chipped change box
Full of sticky quarters, dimes and nickles
It was automatic when we heard that song
Run home and get your money before he’s gone

Lookin’ underneath the Chrysler, in the driveway
Hey, dad whatchya doin’
The smell of summer twilight
There was always somebody barbeque’n
Truth or dare with the kids on our road
Hide and seek, till your mama called you home

Sweet summer, yeah I remember that
Sweet summer, let me take you back

Both our moms were best friends
she was the youngest of three daughters
An angel on a pink Schwinn, my first crush
‘Til this day, I aint forgot her.
Those days were never too long
And never too hot
And even though I was out of school
I was learnin’ a lot

Sweet summer, yeah I remember that
Sweet summer, let me take you back

There’s not a day that I don’t remember
From the end of May to the first of September

Nicaragua Story Published in BGC World

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This month’s issue of The BGC World, a magazine published by the Baptist General Convention, features a shortened version of my story about the mission trip to Nicaragua as well as a photo of the team (which included my husband!) Here’s a link to the PDF of the page:  

 http://216.177.136.28/images/stories/PDFs/Magazine/April_08/Page0203April_08.pdf

Whiter than Snow

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Except for a few small patches, nearly all of the snow that had been covering our lawn since Dec. 1, 2007, melted earlier this week. We all rejoiced to be finally rid of that old snow; it had turned ugly and gray over the last three months. 

On Wednesday Linnea was able to ride her bicycle and play outside all afternoon. Laurel blew bubbles and scooted around on her trike. Neighbors we hadn’t seen in months came up the street to chat. The hope of spring that had sustained us through this long, bitter winter was finally becoming a reality!

But today it’s a different story. It’s Good Friday and the first full day of spring according to the calendar. But just like Jesus’ disciples felt on Good Friday, we’re feeling confused and discouraged. It’s snowing. Actually, it’s blizzarding. We must have nearly six inches of fluffy white stuff out there right now, and it’s still piling up! We’ve lost a little hope. 

So what does snow have to do with Good Friday? After David had committed adultery with Bathsheba, the prophet Nathan came to him and encouraged him to repent of his sins. David wrote Psalm 51, and in verse 7 he says to God, “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”

Likewise, Isaiah 1:18 says “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.”

All week I’ve been reminding Linnea and Laurel that Easter isn’t about brightly colored eggs or tasty chocolate bunnies. It’s about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. It’s about Jesus paying the blood sacrifice so that we, like David, can be made whiter than snow.

So even in the midst of a March blizzard, we still have hope. We have hope that spring will arrive and the rain will wash away our snow. The grass will reappear and turn green. The birds will return. The trees will bud and the flowers will bloom.

Though our hope for spring may come and go, our hope in Jesus will continue. He cleanses us and gives us a fresh new beginning. He will not disappoint us. He is risen indeed!

Sunday School Dreams

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I’ve wanted to teach Sunday School ever since I was a little girl. When I was still young enough to play with dolls, I would line them up on the floor in my bedroom and teach them whatever Bible lesson I had just learned the previous Sunday. The dolls behaved well in class, but they sure didn’t say much! Fast forward a few years to high school. That’s when, in the “dreams and goals” section of my senior memories book, I predicted that in 10 years I’d drive a green Ford Explorer, own a gift shop, be a published writer, and teach Sunday School.

Of course life doesn’t usually go as we predict. I never got the Explorer and I haven’t opened the gift shop. But nearly 15 years later, I am a wife, a mother and a published writer who is finally teaching a Sunday School class of real live 5th and 6th graders!

Well, co-teaching is more accurate. My friend Darla and I alternate teaching the lessons every other month. Darla is my hero, and we have a great class – seven boys and seven girls all together.

Sometimes the girls remind me of those dolls in my original class; they quietly stare back at me with a frozen smile when I ask them a hard question. As we teach them about the more than 700 names for God, I am certain we are learning more than they are.

But when these kids come to life, they are fascinating people! Some of them look up Bible verses with lightning speed. Others impress me with their diligence to keep searching until they find that elusive verse. Some of them brought us presents at Christmas, and one of them bubbled over with joy when I showed up at her piano recital. Each student is truly a blessing to get to know, and you quickly grow to love them.

Teaching this 5th and 6th grade class isn’t easy, but few things worth doing are easy. I spent hours and hours preparing the first time it was my turn to teach, and then my two-year-old got so upset about being left in the nursery she got sick! I was so disappointed when I had to ask Darla to cover for me. Looking back, I think that was a test to see how dedicated I was to the role.

It’s a joy and a blessing to volunteer in “The Oaks,” our nickname for the children’s ministry at church. It’s also a regular reminder to align my desires with God’s desires. I want Jeremiah 17:7-8 for these kids, and my own daughters, and my friends’ children. I want The Oaks to become hardy trees, rooted and established in the love of Christ so they don’t get blown over by a storm or wither in a drought. I want these kids to bear acorns of spiritual fruit for the glory of God. And when they reach the autumn of life, I want their branches to be ablaze with vibrantly colorful hues for the display of God’s splendor.

By the way, the curriculum we are using is from Children Desiring God (www.childrendesiringGod.org), and I think it’s excellent! We study God’s character, and there’s no sugar-coating it or watering it down. Over and over we’ve seen that God loves His name and will not allow it or His reputation to be dishonored. As my friend Carla says, “God is not a big fuzzy teddy bear; the last thing our kids need is another teddy bear!” Indeed! God is so much more: Strong Creator, Unchanging One, Almighty, Master, Provider, Healer, the God Who Sees, the Lord of Hosts, the Lord My Banner, the Lord Our Peace, the Lord My Shepherd, the Lord is There, the Lord God of Truth, the Lord My Defense, the Light, the Most High, Abba Father, the Word, Lamb of God, Savior, Messiah, High Priest, Cornerstone, Overcomer, Coming King, Judge, Counselor, and Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End.

 

“Holy Cows” Gets Published

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An article I wrote last summer about STEER, a stewardship program that helps missions organizations, appears this month in BEEF magazine. Here’s a link to the full story. 

http://beefmagazine.com/people/steer_stewardship_program/