I read that somewhere recently — probably over at A Holy Experience — and those simple words have encouraged me to use my blog to give thanks to God for His abundant blessings. And what better time to start than right now?
One person in my life who I am especially thankful for is our senior pastor.
Pastor Steve shepherds his flock like no other pastor I’ve met. God has given him amazing gifts for encouraging and teaching, and Pastor Steve faithfully uses them for God’s glory. He’s a genuinely friendly, gentle, humble and wise man who is constantly striving for holiness. He deeply loves the Lord, studies diligently, and preaches heartfelt messages straight from God’s Word.
My simple words will never do this man justice, but I assure you he will have many rewards in Heaven!
Pastor Steve is on a mission trip, which is probably why he came to mind when I set out to write this. He’s spending the week in Nicaragua, leading a conference for pastors and their wives. He’s also visiting some remote churches very near and dear to my husband, who also traveled to Nicaragua two years ago on a mission trip.
Please join me in praying for Pastor Steve and his lovely wife Sharon. They are wonderful, wonderful people, and I thank God for them.
What are you thankful for today?
“I think of the lost language of thanks and I wonder what will happen to the culture of Christians if we don’t speak the tongue taught by the Father… He gives grace and we speak the language of Christians when we give thanks. This is who I am. Gratitude is the culture of the sinners made saints.” -Ann Voskamp
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” – Revelation 3:20
Kids in costumes can be cute, yes. But Halloween really can be annoying.
I have many fun childhood memories of Halloween. As an adult, though, I’ve never really been a fan of the day and all the scary, gross stuff that comes with it. I especially dislike all the scary, gross stuff invading the aisles of nearly every store I frequent. Unexpectedly bumping into creepy, bloody costumes and decorations tends to wig out my kids while we are shopping. And isn’t the world dark and scary enough already? Must our culture go to such lengths to delight in fear?
In our small-town neighborhood, more than a hundred trick-or-treaters come knocking on our door every year. They come early and they come often. It’s a lot of candy. It’s a lot of door-answering. It’s a lot of scary costumes! Sometimes my daughters get spooked, run away and hide.
Every year I’m tempted to be annoyed by Halloween. I’m not spooked, but I am tempted to run away and hide myself. I’m tempted to buy no candy, turn off all the lights and pretend to be gone. It’d probably be easier to hide. It’d be cheaper for sure.
But then I am reminded to make the most of every opportunity.
Ephesians 5: 15-17 says, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”
How often do we have 100 kids knocking expectantly on our door? Would I be foolish to run away and hide? What is the Lord’s will on Oct. 31?
It’s the same as any other day: Love God and love your neighbor.
Neighbor. Oh, the very word reminds me of all those unique little faces that come knocking on the door — some sweet, some scary, some goofy, some painted, some masked, some friendly, and some unfamiliar. Each one is my neighbor. Behind every mask and under every hat, wig and cape is a person God created, a person God loves — and most importantly — a person God calls me to love as I love myself.
Galatians 5:14 says, “The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ “
What’s more, in Acts 26:17, when the Lord first speaks to Paul (then Saul) on the road to Damascus and calls him to be a missionary, He says, “…I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ “
So the Lord’s will is that I use this day, this opportunity, to love my neighbor and to fight fear with faith by shining God’s light into a dark world.
But how exactly?
Well, this is how is looks in our family this year. We offer candy to satisfy the neighbor’s sweet tooth, but we also offer the One who can forgive their sins and satisfy them with His unfailing love.
We turn on all the lights. We let the kids dress up in innocent costumes. We encourage them be friendly and kind to our neighbors. We answer each knock. We give out candy. We give out Christian tracks. And later we pray for each child — big or small — who came knocking. We pray that they read the little books we gave them. We pray that they hear the voice of the Savior as He knocks at their doors. And we pray that they open the door and let Him in.
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” – Revelation 3:20
One resort north of here is advertising that they have more colors than your crayon box.
And it’s true. The trees are gloriously ablaze in especially vivid colors this year.
As Minnesotans, we tend to savor every drop of color — knowing the stark whites and greys of winter will soon blanket everything.
The leaves may be dying, but they are going out with a bang. They are displaying the splendor of the One who created them.
Fall is a reminder that we are all dying, too. Our bodies will eventually fail in one way or another. And while we are in the “fall” of life, aren’t we, too, called to display God’s splendor?
My baby is turning 5 this week. And soon we will be reuniting with relatives who live far away, and already I can hear them exclaim how tall my girls are growing.
Growing, yes. But not like weeds. Like trees.
“…They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.” -Isaiah 61:3
God keeps bringing Psalm 145 to my attention lately — a timely reminder to pass on to my children all that I know about the one true God.
First, as part of our homeschool curriculum this year, I purchased a fabulous new family Bible story book by Starr Meade called The Mighty Acts of God.The author’s note for parents explains that the book gets its name from Psalm 145:4. “One generation shall commend Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.”
Meade goes on to explain that the purpose of telling stories of God’s mighty acts isn’t for entertainment value or good moral examples. The purpose is to make known the wonder of God’s great character. What a great verse Psalm 145:4 is for parents and grandparents!
One way of declaring God’s mighty acts is by talking about them, and another is by writing about them. Psalm 102:18 says – “Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD.”
Over Labor Day weekend, our family had the privilege of seeing the Dead Sea Scrolls at our local science museum. How amazing to see those ancient words of God that He miraculously preserved in jars inside of caves for two thousand years. What a mighty act of God! And how thankful I am for those men of long ago who obediently and diligently wrote those precious words down on scrolls so that my generation could see them and praise God!
My daughters also were quite inspired by seeing the Dead Sea Scrolls, and they were eager to create their own scrolls at home. (We just glued parchment paper to wooden dowels to create them.)
Laurel writes in her scroll.Linnea uses hieroglyph stamps on her scroll.We wrap each scroll in felt to help preserve it.our jar of scrolls
Another way to pass along truths about God is through song. And that’s actually another way God brought Psalm 145 to my attention. While my husband was leading worship music at church a few weeks ago, he found this fantastic song for a Sunday morning offertory. Our very talented friend Mia sang “The Lord is Gracious and Compassionate” beautifully. It’s one of those songs that you can’t help but sing along to, and the words are right from Scripture. Many are right from Psalm 145. Listen to this version from Vineyard Church and you’ll see what I mean:
Putting Scripture to music usually helps greatly in attempts to memorize it. So when the fall Sunday School classes kicked off at church this week, I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised to discover that my oldest daughter’s weekly memory verse comes from Psalm 145. It’s verse 9: “The LORD is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made.” She came home from class with it already memorized, thanks to that song she’d heard over and over!
What’s more, my youngest daughter and I have been studying the seven days of creation in Genesis this past week, so “all He has made” has been at the forefront of my mind. Her memory verse isn’t from Psalm 145, but it dovetails nicely into this message of God’s mighty acts. Luke 18:27 says, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” Preserving words on paper for two thousand years would be impossible for man, but it was possible with God!
So, as we dive deep into a busy new school year — teaching the next generation about God — I am thankful for the fresh encouragement in these ancient words of Psalm 145. When I am tempted to be angered by my children’s attitudes or behaviors, I cling to those words “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in love.” Lord, help me respond to my children the way You respond to Yours!
I am so thankful that God is good to all and compassionate on all He has made. I am thankful that He provides for my needs and watches over me. He is worthy of praise for ever and ever!
Psalm 145
A psalm of praise. Of David.
1[a] I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.
5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works. [b]
6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
9 The LORD is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
10 All you have made will praise you, O LORD;
your saints will extol you.
11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The LORD is faithful to all his promises
and loving toward all he has made. [c]
14 The LORD upholds all those who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and loving toward all he has made.
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
20 The LORD watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.
By the way, the girls and I have been reading The Mighty Acts of God aloud, and it’s really well done. I highly recommend it.
Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.”
-Isaiah 1:17 NLV
Earlier this week the girls and I went shopping for boystuff!
Can you imagine how excited they are to buy boy stuff? You see, as part of our sponsorship of a little boy at Kind Hearts Orphanage in Ethiopia, we are putting together a little care package that will be delivered to Dawit this fall.
So we bought a little toy car, a soccer t-shirt, chewing gum and lots of other little stuff — emphasis on little because it all has to fit in a gallon-sized zip-lock bag.
I had to keep reminding my little shoppers of this noteworthy detail throughout our shopping excursion. They are so generous, and they think so big when they are excited!
The girls also are full of questions about Dawit’s life in Ethiopia and why he can’t just go to the store and buy these sorts of things for himself. Oh, how tender and compassionate their hearts are growing toward this little boy living such a different life half-way around the world! Laurel is so ready to adopt him and be his mama herself. I keep having to explain that he isn’t available for adoption, not to mention that he’s older than she is and probably wouldn’t like her bossing him around!
Still available for sponsorship through Children’s HopeChest are several children at Trees of Glory orphanage. For more information or to sign up as a sponsor, please contact Karen Wistrom at kjwistrom@yahoo.com or hop over to her blog, Family from Afar.
Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.”
Today I write in celebration of God’s divine goodness toward our family during our Boundary Waters vacation earlier this month.
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
Psalm 23
Father in heaven, thank You for leading us to this captivating place where I count so many blessings.
1. Fresh, gentle breezes drifting through open windows.
2. Daisies showing You love me.
3. Raspberries ripening, wild and sweet.
4. Waters parting as canoes glide quietly.
5. Water lilies floating elegantly.
6. A strong man persevering.
7. Hikers exploring new boundaries.
8. Rocks welcoming young climbers.
9. Water falling like stairsteps.
10. Little girls wading deep in clear water.
11. Pine trees scenting the air.
12. Wind rustling the leaves, which encourage it to slow down.
13. Hummingbirds darting to and fro while chickadees sing cheerfully.
14. Chipmunks bravely scurrying to play hide-and-seek.
15. Friends treasuring time together.
16. A sailboat whisking away in the wind.
17. A dog flying, fetching into the water.
18. Lupines growing tall but fading.
19. The moose evading the camera.
20. Popcorn promising to pile up like winter snow.
21. Tired little girls resting in snug bunk beds.
22. Loons crying lonesome in the night.
23. Your Love Lights, aurora borealis, brightening the dark night sky in the wee small hours.
Thank You, Father in heaven, for this peaceful place beside the water, this place where You give me rest and restore my soul. Your goodness and love follows me. My cup overflows.
“Gratitude is the culture of the sinners made saints.” –Ann Voskamp
“What to use, what to do?” That’s the deep question I’ve been asking myself and God lately in regard to homeschool curriculum this fall. I thought I’d have all this settled by now, but I don’t!
A fellow homeschooling friend recently asked me what I’d be using to teach religion/Bible to my 7-year-old second grader. That was a tough one to answer because I haven’t yet figured that out.
The previous two years we have used the materials and Bible lesson plans provided in My Father’s World since Bible study is a big chunk of their curriculum packages. I do not think I’ll be using MFW again until 3rd grade; we used their 2nd grade curriculum this past year so we’ve created a little gap. So now the problem seems to be too many options! And which combination of options is right?
Here’s a list of some the options I’m prayerfully weighing at this point:
ReadingLeading Little Ones to God by Marian Schoolland. It’s for ages 4-8. We’ve had this book for a while, and I think it will work fine for both my 4-year-old and my 7-year-old. But it has only 86 lessons, which will get us just part-way through the year.
Reading the Bible in 90 days challenge using the Kids’ Devotional Bible. We may just do the reading part and not stress out about the 90-day part. The handy reading plan for 6 to 10 year olds is pretty nifty.
Enrolling in Awana at a nearby church (our home church doesn’t offer it yet).
Reading this new family Bible called the Mighty Acts of God by Starr Meade. Here’s a fantastic review of it.
On another note, Ann Voskamp, one of my favorite bloggers, just posted this comprehensive list of 29 well-loved picture books for children. And “well-loved” might downplay it a bit. She literally just duct taped many of these back together for her home library! I’ll be studying this list further to see which books might make good birthday and Christmas gifts.
Ann also happens to be the author of another book I just received in the mail a few days ago. It’s called A Child’s Geography, and I am so thrilled about working through it this fall.
The “Reaching out to His World” segment is what sold me on the book.
“Knowledge without love is an empty, heartbreaking gong. It would be a very sad state if our young geographers knew much of His world…but had hearts that were indifferent to the people with whom we share our home. What are we without love? Each chapter includes a “Reaching Out” segment that takes the information of the chapter and places it into a practical context, encouraging geographers to do something to show His love to His world. We are called to be Christ’s hands and heart to a hurting world. Let’s not fail Him!” -Ann Voskamp, author of A Child’s Geography
Ann’s words were fresh in my mind yesterday when I stumbled upon the site of an organization I had never before heard about: The White Cross, which provides support for missions work in the U.S. and overseas. They offer a downloadable 56-page book of Mission Service Project opportunities, which I’ll be checking into further to see how what service opportunities might be a good fit for our homeschool and perhaps even our church’s children’s ministry.
If you read this post of mine from early spring, you know what books have been on my nightstand and coffee table for the last several weeks. Now that it is summer, the Spring Reading Thing is officially over, and I’m ready to report back about some of the books on my list.
Top of the Pile
Feathers from My Nest by Beth Moore is a beautiful, heartfelt work that inspires me to savor every moment with my daughters. A long-time fan of Beth’s Bible studies, I was delighted by this peek into her family life and church life, too. Beth is the ultimate storyteller, and so Feathers from My Nest is filled with fantastic stories about bringing up two lovely daughters — some will make you bawl your head off, some will make you roll on the floor, and some will make you do both. I was a little hesitant when I purchased this as an audiobook, but in retropect, I am so glad I did. Hearing Beth read the book while I drove felt like she was riding in the passenger seat of my minivan, telling tales and giving me advice mom-to-mom. It was priceless.
A Must-Read for Women
So Long Insecurity also by Beth Moore (I do read other authors, I promise!) sheds so much light on women and why we do or say the things we do and say. The book is very worthwhile, and the powerful prayers in it can be life-changing. I started reading Bringing Up Girls while I was still reading this book, and I found several parallels, especially in regard to culture and women. I think God has a powerful message for women of today, and He’s used both Beth Moore and Dr. Dobson to pen it.
On My Nightstand
Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp is still on my coffee table. I’m only few pages into it, but I plan to make reading it a higher priority since I hear over and over how wonderful this book is.
Also on my reading list are Bringing Up Girls by Dr. James Dobson, The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace, Becoming More Than Just a Good Bible Study Girl by Lysa Ter Keurst, Grace-Based Parenting by Dr. Tim Kimmel, and My Heart’s at Home by Jill Savage.
Reading Aloud
This summer, the girls and I are reading several science books by Gail Gibbons, as well as Mountain Born by Elizabeth Yates and Nora Spicer Unwin. Linnea is 200+ pages into The Secret Gardenby Frances Hodgson Burnett, and she is doing her first somewhat independent Bible devotional: Mona Hodgson’s Real Girls of the Bible. Laurel, meanwhile, is working through Life Lessons from the Princess and the Kiss by Jennie Bishop and Susan Henson, and she is listening to me read some of The Secret Garden. We’re only on chapter two because we’ve been distracted by Sandra Boyton books lately.
Pastor Steve shepherds his flock like no other pastor I’ve met. God has given him amazing gifts for encouraging and teaching, and Pastor Steve faithfully uses them for God’s glory. He’s a genuinely friendly, gentle, humble and wise man who is constantly striving for holiness. He deeply loves the Lord, studies diligently, and preaches heartfelt messages straight from God’s Word.
Starlight Writer 
