O.B.E.Y.

I'm sitting here pondering the idea of obedience...

And how it's the total antithesis of everything we are taught today.

So, you know, nothing too serious.


The funny thing about God is that he tells us essentially the same thing our parents tell us when we are little---

"Because I said so."

And there might be an explanation, and there might not. And it might take 5 seconds (in the way that we realize quickly why Mommy shouted "STOP" as we were running into the street) and it might take 5 years (in the way that we realize slowly why Mommy said "You cannot date that boy" many years later) and it might not come at all.

Hebrews 11:1 says "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." I think we usually take this verse in the context of blessings--- I'm going to have faith for something I don't have right now. But we also have to take it in the context of obedience--- we have to have faith that there is a substance, a reason, a "why" to what we're doing even if we don't see it at that moment, even if it doesn't make sense.

But that's not our way of life, is it? We do things because they have a reason, or because no one has given us a good enough reason not to do them. We don't "obey," we choose to follow, or choose to not follow. If someone tells us "no," we want to know "why not?" And if someone tells us "go," we want to know "why?"

That's not how God works. God wants our obedience, not our acquiescence. God doesn't want us to do something because we decided it's a good idea, because it makes sense in our crazy logic, because it serves us, because it's fun or pleasant or popular. God wants us to do it BECAUSE HE SAID SO.

Even the things in our lives that we *have to* obey aren't really concrete. How many times have I gone over the speed limit (broken the law, let's be honest here) because I thought "Well, when I get caught, I'll suffer the consequences." How many times have I downloaded a song onto my computer without paying for it, thinking "No one will ever know." I think that mindset extends deep down into our Christianity. We read the bible and think that "obey" really means "you probably aught to..." And we also think "Hey, I'll deal with the consequences *if* I get caught."

But here's the kicker: God knows. You always "get caught." You are caught before you even do it; God isn't a cop with a radar gun that we can avoid if we take the right streets. He's not an anti-piracy commission that's only going to go after the kids ripping off millions of dollars.  He's God. He's there. He tells us (for hundreds of pages, thousands of verses) "This is what I want you to do, and this is what will happen when you don't."  Isn't that crazy? I'm thinking about my life and thinking "How many things am I paying the price for right at this second because I let myself be deceived by the mindset that I would just deal with the consequences *if* I got caught?"

Don't get me wrong--- I feel like I have to add the obligatory "Jesus loves you" (He does) and "You can't lose your salvation once you've accepted Him" (you can't). But there are consequences for our actions.

How many things in the bible have I been waiting to obey, or accept, until I understand them? And how PRIDEFUL does that make me--- to say to the maker of the world, the Lord of all, "I'll do this once you give me a good reason. I'll obey that law once I feel like it."

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit,  for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.  

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?

Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”  ---Luke 6:43-49

In the whale

I found possibly the best book ever at the library.

It's called Jonah's Whale

 

Yeah, it's a kids book. So what?

 



I found it lying at the end of the shelf during story time, and since Jonah is one of our tried-and-true favorite bible stories around here, I figured I'd pick it up for the girls to read.

They like it, but that's not what this post is about.

What this post is about is the fact that this book BLEW MY MIND.

And here is why:

It's all about the whale. It's all about how God created this whale, nurtured him, loved him, and basically orchestrated his entire life to be present for that fateful moment when Jonah had a rare inspired second of courage and told the sailors on his boat to throw him overboard.

And the whale was there. Not to punish him, but to SAVE HIM.

Maybe it's just me, but I have NEVER looked at that story (and, as I said, it's a favorite around here, so I've read it pretty often) with that perspective. But I don't think it's just me.

We read it thinking that the whale is a consequence, a punishment, a trial for Jonah. That due to his disobedience, he gets to spend 3 days in nasty-intestinal-fishiness.

And we apply this metaphor to our lives. That our problems or our trials or our difficulties (our "whales," if you will) are there as a valley on the way to the high places of our callings. That if we can get through all these bad things, we will make it to the other side.

But what if we change our perspective? What if God really did orchestrate that whale to be there at that moment not as a punishment, but as a savior?

"Suddenly, Whale saw the man Jonah flying through the air, hurtling into the sea. And God said to Whale, "Save the man Jonah." Whale had never saved a drowning man before. He opened his mouth as if to swallow a thousand tiny fish and--- sluuuuuurp! went the man Jonah..."

 

What if all these problems we are encountering are there not to hinder us, not to punish us, but to SAVE us? See, I realize now that the punishment, the consequence in the story was that Jonah was to drown. His disobedience and stubbornness and sin were causing the storm and were going to cause the deaths of the entire crew, and he knew that he had to jump overboard and drown himself to save everyone else. THAT was what was due to him. But God had mercy on him, and sent the whale to save him.

 

I'm sure Jonah didn't see it this way. Reading Jonah's prayer from inside the fish, he sounds pretty miserable. And I always picture him being kinda whiny (is that just me? He sounds like a whiny dude, right?)  He was in there for 3 days, and all we read is a short snippet, that starts (basically--- my paraphrase) with "God, YOU did this to me!" And that's the way we sound most of the time, isn't it? "God, why are you doing this to me? God, why am I in this job? Why don't I have more money? Why can't I be happier/stronger/wealthier/more talented? God, why have you forgotten me?!?"

 

But maybe we need to shift our perspective and consider that maybe, just maybe, we are in the belly of the whale to be saved from drowning in the storm of our own making. Maybe, just maybe, what the consequences of our actions SHOULD be is much worse than fish guts and whale goo and seasickness (I mean, he must have been seasick, really).  Or much worse than driving a dinky car and not being able to afford steak and working a job that sucks or ~insert problem here.~

 

Maybe God orchestrated our current situations from the very first moment of creation to save us from ourselves.

 

And maybe what we can learn from Jonah is to lift our eyes to the Lord (even hundreds of feet under the sea, in the belly of a whale) and say:

 

"When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God's love for them. But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, 'Salvation comes from the LORD.' " (Jonah 2:7-9)

 

Because when Jonah finally did this, when he said "I'm going to praise you and keep my vows to you no matter what's going on, and I'm going to focus my eyes on the LORD and not on my circumstances," a great thing happened.

 

"...the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land."

 

The end. 

 



Little Hands to Heaven--- Week 2

We finished our second week with "Heart of Dakota's Little Hands to Heaven" (read more about my search for a "good fit" preschool curriculum HERE).

I am SO SO SO happy with this program. Even though I had a bad stomach bug for about 4 days, school still got done. It is so easy and yet still hands on and interactive and FUN.

Week 2 was "B" week, and also the week we worked through the story of Noah's Ark and the Tower of Babel. Even though it's technically Bean's "school," Bug is really enjoying it as well. They both LOVED the finger play for this week and Bug is still walking around saying "Boat did float! Boat did float!"

We are using the recommended preschool bible, A Child's First Bible (click on picture to view!)

... BUT it's really not deep enough for Bean. So we're supplementing with The Beginner's Bible

 

and our own family bible, of course!

 

Also, we're using the recommended devotional for "older" pre-K kids, and it's working out really well. It has a memory verse for each letter of the alphabet and a 2-page story to go along with the verse. I put the verses to music because that really helps both Bean and I remember them.  

 

 

 

 

Here are some highlights from Week 2!

 

 

Doing the "sink or float" experiment...

 ... and splashing around with little sis afterwards

 

This experiment was GREAT. Not only did she get to predict what would sink or float, but then she got to practice reading the chart and figuring out what they would do the second time. They have been "replicating" this for a week--- throwing all their toys in a laundry bin and pretending they're doing science!

 

 

Bean's BFF (we'll call her "Curls") spent a day doing school with us!

 

Decorating "B"s with bubble painting. Just mix a little water, some NON-TOXIC (very important, because all 3 girls decided to take a sip) paint, and some dish soap. So fun! I got in on the action too, but there's no pics of that. Thankfully :)

 

 

We also did some "credit-card" painting... Dave Ramsey would be so proud that I'm finding productive uses for my old credit cards ;) Had nothing to do with "B" or an ark, but it was fun!

 

 

 

Until next time... 



The new double standard

We have a weird double standard going on in our culture, which is this:

 

We collectively consider news stories about pregnant woman being hurt or killed horrific. I was going to say more horrific than a regular murder, but we have all become so desensitized to violence that “regular” murder rarely makes a blip on our radars anymore. Run-of-the-mill assaults or car crashes don’t even have a radar to blip on.

 

But when a pregnant woman is involved in one of these things, it suddenly becomes a monstrous occurrence. Men who beat their wives: bad. Men who beat their pregnant wives: monsters. Random knifing… unpleasant. Random knifing of a pregnant woman’s stomach: Horrendous. Car accident: run-of-the-mill. Car accident that involves pregnant woman: terrifying. We even see this echoed on TV shows. How many dramas have used the “pregnant woman in danger” scenario to increase tension? We are re-watching Lost and came to the episode where Ana-Lucia is shot. You find out at the end that she was pregnant… shortly before she kills the shooter. And you want to cheer for her, which is, I’m sure, what the writer’s goal was. You think “You go girl! He killed your baby! SHOOT HIM!!”

 

We find these things to be heart-wrenching, even sickening. And they are. But if the same woman chose to get an abortion in order to not bring that child into an abusive household, we’d cheer her on. If that lady made it through that assault or car crash and into the planned parenthood to “terminate the fetus,” she’d be a champion for women’s rights. If the same character on Lost had a storyline about choosing to kill the baby that she was murderous over, we’d be proud of their feminist stance.

 

Here’s the problem: What does this say about us?

 

It says that a person’s value and worth, even their basic humanity, is dependent on how much someone wants them.

 

We are horrified by the first set of stories because we know they parents are horrified; that was their baby that they were planning for and naming and loving already.  We accept (or even cheer) the second set because the babies were unwanted and it was the woman’s choice.

 

If you are wanted; if you are loved, you are valuable.

 

If you are a burden; if you are an inconvenience, you are worthless.

 

Does that sound scary? It does to me! It terrifies me that we are going down a road where our humanity is dictated by how other people feel about us.

It’s funny, because it’s very anti-American at its core. Our core values tell us that people have value because they are people, and that it doesn’t matter who your parents are or where you come from--- in fact, a vast majority of our laws are built to protect those in society that are unwanted or unloved.

But our abortion laws tell us just the opposite. They say that the ONLY thing that matters is who your parents are and where you come from. Your entire future is based on who you will (or will not) be born to. Your worth as a human is completely reliant on and determined by your DNA.

We’ve had this in the past--- frequently--- and we find it abhorrent to look into the periods in our own history (both human and American) where people were judged based on their social class, their ethnicity or the color of their skin. They are probably the biggest blemishes IN human history--- these decisions to oppress (or destroy) entire people groups because they were deemed invaluable, or worthless, or because they had the wrong DNA. These decisions to deem people "less than human" because they are unwanted or a hindrance, or because their presence makes someone else uncomfortable or less prosperous.

 

I wonder how history will look at us…

"Our" Story, Part One

Yep, this is gonna be one of those sloppy messy gooey love stories.

Nik and I, February 2009. BC (Before Children)

Eh, probably not ;)

But when I read other people's blogs, I am nosey and always want to know a bit of their backstory, so I'm sharing mine here.

My husband and I met in October 2004. At a pool hall. Yes, my friends, that is the story of how a youth pastor/worship leader and a youth pastor/homeschooling mother met. At a not-so-swanky much-more-divey pool hall.

He, as he would like to tell you, was a 23 year old "heathen." I was a *slightly* off-track 19 year old Christian girl. I was not newly but still pretty freshly off a bad breakup, and was not at all interested in entering a relationship. He as madly in love with me at first sight *hehehe.* (Hey, may not be the *completely* correct version, but that's what he gets for staying absent from the blogosphere. My version wins).

Nik used his best friend with the sexy Kiwi accent to try to lure my best friend and I into conversation, and it worked.

~~The Kiwi and I~~

We became very fast friends and "pool-hall" buddies, but that was it. He was too much of a wild-guy for me, and I wasn't interested in dating someone who... drank as much beer as he did! (Sorry hubs, tried to find a nice way of putting it, but there just isn't one.)

One night after we played pool for a while, he drove home. Drunk. He says he was screaming out to God, asking Him for a reason to keep living and proof that He existed, when this happened.

 

 

He took at railroad crossing WAY too fast and flew into a pole. He was honestly lucky to be alive, only a foot or so to the left and he would have been... mush.

 

As he was sitting in his car (unharmed, mind you), still raging at God, his phone rang, and guess who was on the other line?

**Me, Circa 2005**

When I pulled up to the crash site (unaware, mind you, what I was pulling up to, as he had told me he had "car problems" and needed me to come pick him up), he was being arrested for Drunk Driving (serves. him. right.) Apparently, me standing on the corner with the Kiwi laughing at him (hey, as I said, he deserved it) was the wake-up call he was asking for.

A few weeks later (post jailing, mind you), I was at a bible study with my (now) pastor and best friend. I spent the majority of the 2 hours on my face, crying, praying for healing. I wasn't sick, but I was broken--- a year of anger, hurt, and flat-out craziness had left me bitter and brokenhearted. I felt God touch me that night and begin to heal my heart, and by the end of the evening I remember telling God I was ready to start again, and move on with my life.

Only a few minutes later (literally as my phone re-gained service), my phone rang and Nik was on the other line. He invited me to go out with our friends that night, and I did.

I know it sounds crazy, but he was a different person and I saw him in a different light. You know that verse "All things work for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose"? He's pretty much a living example of that. He may not have "loved" God at this moment, but he was seeking Him and he is definitely called to Him.

I can only attribute it to God answering both of our prayers and Him opening my eyes to see Nik as God saw him that night. It was obvious after only a few minutes that he really was pretty in love with me (this time, it's the honest truth. Really). I decided to give him a chance.

--Niks first Kings game--

And the rest, friends... is for another time.
Stay tuned for Part Deux.

Heart of Dakota

Ah, the seemingly endless (although I hope it isn't) search for a good homeschoolling "fit."

The past 6 months have been quite an adventure for me--- trying to figure out what to teach Bean and how to teach it. It has been a learning experience for us both, and a lesson in patience and understanding! Although it continues to have some days of struggle, I am really enjoying this homeschooling journey of ours. I am learning so much about my daughters strengths and weaknesses and how she learns. And I am learning so much about my own strengths and weaknesses as well!

I don't have experience from the "other side" of things, but I am really happy I started doing this so young. It has given me a lot of room to experiment and change my mind and mess up without Bean missing out on any vital information. I'm sure she would have been just fine, but I would have felt very guilty if I did this much mind-changing and wobbling and slacking off through 1/2 a year of 1st or 2nd grade!

All that is to say that I have made yet another change; one that I hope will stick this time! I am just not organized or dedicated enough to design a whole curriculum myself. I am still sticking with our character program, but we are adding in Heart of Dakota's Little Hands to Heaven Preschool Curriculum.

I am so excited about doing this program. I downloaded the first week and did it with Bean (Bug tagged along too, and actually did really well with some of the activities) and we both really enjoyed it. I love that it only takes about 30 minutes a day, is pretty much totally prepared for me, and is BIBLICALLY CENTERED. It doesn't just have "bible lessons," it revolves around the bible. In the first week we went through the story of creation, the fall, and Cain and Abel. And in enough depth that Bean can tell you what Cain and Abel did and how Cain sinned (she can tell you the other stuff, too, but Cain and Abel was the one new story for her).

The only thing (besides the character training) that I am adding are some art projects. It has a devotional that we will be going over every night with my husband and even has its own simple art projects and worksheets.


I'm waiting impatiently for all the materials to arrive in the mail! I'll let you know how it goes once we start!!!

Church Busy Bags

I have a problem.

A problem that really is in need of some 12 step program that provides support counselors and addition sponsors.

It's called "Dollar Tree."

I know, I know, it's a shameful issue, but it is what it is.

Good thing is that I tend to get lots of cool stuff that then benefits my family, because I need to DO something with all that stuff!

As I was shopping today, I decided I was going to make Bean and Bug some church "busy bags." My husband (and our family) has been very blessed and honored to be invited to play other churches and events lately, and I anticipate this is going to continue to happen, and more frequently, throughout this year.

That leaves me with a little bit of a problem--- trying to entertain Bean and Bug, while making sure Baby isn't starving or dying of boredom, in some new places that usually don't have childcare. Or, if they do, I don't generally utilize it until I'm really familiar with the church and their policies, etc. I very rarely leave my kids with people I don't know... (like, never, up to this point, that I can remember!).

Anyway, the past few times I have gone flying through the house trying to find things to shove into the diaper bag at the last minute to keep them entertained. And it usually fails miserably, either because I miss something, or they fight over one particular object, or the stuff is so buried in my bag that I end up frazzled and frustrated just trying to get them entertained or packed up.


So, as I was shopping in my own personal addiction heaven, I got some things to make them Church Busy Bags. I wanted to get things that would keep them quietly entertained, be easily contained in a small area, and would be special for church--- that way they will not get bored as quickly.

What I ended up with was (for each bag):
-A pad of paper
-Crayons
-A Bingo "dotter"
-Stickers
-A small book
-Magnetic Shapes
-A small doll
-A magnetic "chip clip"
-A pizza tray

If you are wondering "Why, oh why, do you need a pizza tray and a chip clip??"

It makes a perfect, contained lap work space. The chip clip holds the sheets of paper (I know if I give them the whole pad at once, it will be gone in one sitting with one little scribble on each page) and the tray can sit perfectly on their laps so that they don't have to use chairs or the floor to work. Also, they can use the shapes to play on the tray when coloring gets old.

For both bags, I spent $14. The books came in a pack of 2, the chip clips in a 3-pack, and the crayons in a 4-pack. The stickers came in a pack of 5 sheets, which I cut in quarters (so 20 "refills," essentially). Obviously, its something that needs to be customized to your child's needs. I have been trying to do more messy, creative art projects at home so coloring isn't really a "regular" activity for my girls; at least not to the point where it won't keep their attention for a few minutes. The bingo dotters are completely new for them and something they only have in these bags. They also rarely get to use stickers to just go crazy with, so that is pretty novel for them too.

I got bags big enough to hold everything plus their bibles, but small enough for them to carry themselves--- it's good practice for them and me to start teaching self-sufficiency. This way, they can be responsible for carrying their things into church and cleaning them up when they're done. It's also good practice for all of us to remember to pack our bibles every Sunday!!

A view of the inside...

 

I do try to train them to sit still and be attentive for as long as possible during service, but I don't expect a 3 and 1 1/2 year old to sit through an entire message. I can use these as a "reward" for sitting still and paying attention for a "Mommy-Approved" time period and make sure that we are being a blessing and not an annoyance or a distraction to churches that we are visiting!