Enjoying the Sonshine
Nov. 2, 2005 - Reflections
Wow, it's been a long time since I wrote
here! My hubby wanted me to write more on the blog he created for
me, so I've been writing there and haven't had time to write in two
blogs :-). However, I do miss the fellowship here. This is
such a super group of friendly homeschoolers :-)
Anyway, it may be awhile before I am writing consistently here again, so if you want to come and see me at Reflections, feel free.
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Aug. 3, 2005 - The Light of Heaven
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The Lamb is the light thereof.
- Revelation 21:23
"Quietly
contemplate the Lamb as the light of heaven. Light in Scripture is the
emblem of joy. The joy of the saints in heaven is comprised in this:
Jesus chose us, loved us, bought us, cleansed us, robed us, kept us,
glorified us: we are here entirely through the Lord Jesus. Each one of
these thoughts shall be to them like a cluster of the grapes of Eshcol.
Light is also the cause of beauty. Nought of beauty is left when light
is gone. Without light no radiance flashes from the sapphire, no
peaceful ray proceedeth from the pearl; and thus all the beauty of the
saints above comes from Jesus. As planets, they reflect the light of
the Sun of Righteousness; they live as beams proceeding from the
central orb. If he withdrew, they must die; if his glory were veiled,
their glory must expire. Light is also the emblem of knowledge. In
heaven our knowledge will be perfect, but the Lord Jesus himself will
be the fountain of it. Dark providences, never understood before, will
then be clearly seen, and all that puzzles us now will become plain to
us in the light of the Lamb. Oh! what unfoldings there will be and what
glorifying of the God of love! Light also means manifestation. Light
manifests. In this world it doth not yet appear what we shall be. Gods
people are a hidden people, but when Christ receives his people into
heaven, he will touch them with the wand of his own love, and change
them into the image of his manifested glory. They were poor and
wretched, but what a transformation! They were stained with sin, but
one touch of his finger, and they are bright as the sun, and clear as
crystal. Oh! what a manifestation! All this proceeds from the exalted
Lamb. Whatever there may be of effulgent splendour, Jesus shall be the
centre and soul of it all. Oh! to be present and to see him in his own
light, the King of kings, and Lord of lords!"
(taken from the August 3rd morning entry of Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening Devotional....)
Lord Jesus, You are IT for me. You are the light of heaven.
You are joy! You chose me, loved me, bought me, cleansed me,
robed me, kept me, glorified me. Anything beautiful in me is
clearly rooted in You Jesus. Thank you for your great
salvation. You are the exalted Lamb of God and I give you glory!
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Jul. 28, 2005 - Fruit
I tasted some heavenly fruit the other
night. The moment it touched my lips, I knew it was not of this
world. Clearly it was rooted in the spirit of God.
We were washing dishes, Rebekah and I. Deborah Jane was finishing
up the wiping and sweeping. She finished with a flourish, and I
could see her turn to go downstairs and join the fun with Daddy, her
brothers and Uncle Ben. But she stopped as though compelled,
turned toward Rebekah and I, and said, "I'm finished with my job
Mom. But you guys are still working......can I help?"
For me, it was a moment I have been waiting for, training for, hoping
for - and I was stunned by how my emotions were affected. To have
a child of mine voluntarily giving up their own desires to love and
serve others is clearly a step toward having the mind of Christ, and I
could do nothing but weep with joy and thankfulness (and sing Phil. 2
in my heart).
God, you are so good! My thoughts are of your glory and
the joy of seeing it manifest in my daughter. Thank
You!
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Jul. 27, 2005 - I'm It!
1. What is your favorite all-time movie?
For a long time I think I considered my favorite movie to be The Jesus
Movie starring Brian Deacon. Then the Lord of the Rings came
out:-) I was stunned by the grandeur of it. It must be the
most magnificent movie of all time.
2. Where is your favorite place on earth?
At home. I particularly like to hang out in my backyard, in the woods, watching my kids play.
3. Do you run a home business, and if yes, then what is it you do?
We have lots of business ideas presently, but none of them have been
successfully implemented...none of mine anyway:-) My husband is
another story. He has finally figured out what to do with his javanut site! He's a programmer, not a coffee nut.
4. What are some lessons in life you had to learn the hard way?
People
cannot be depended upon to meet your needs; God has already done so in
Christ Jesus, most abundantly. Also, having patience in my
younger years would have saved me a lot of grief in my life.
5. As a parent, what is the one thing you are (or would be) happiest to see in your children?
Fruit! And I enjoyed a tasty bite last night when my daughter
finished her kitchen job. I was still working with a younger
child on the dishes. Deborah finished her sweeping job and then
asked us, a bit hesitantly, "can I help you guys?" I could tell
she wanted to go and check out the fun going on downstairs. My
heart was so full of delight that I literally cried right there as we
finished the work! God is so good. I can't wait to taste
more:-)
6. Who do you most consider to be your role model, the person you most
want to be like? (No fair saying Jesus. Pick someone else.)
There are many....so I'm just going to randomly pick. There is a
wonderful gal back in Iowa whom I admire tremendously. She is
always serving others; always loving them. She cooks and takes
meals to others often. She seeks out those who are needy and
seeks to provide for them. My son once said of her, after she had
been watching my kids for a week straight while I was packing to move,
"Mommy, it seems like she really
loves us." Her name is Sheila Tu. You probably won't read
this Sheila, but if you do, know that you are much loved by the Tippys!
7. What is the greatest blessing you have gained from home schooling?
Definitely my own zest for learning. It has been slowly
increasing since I embarked on this wonderful journey of motherhood!
8. In your opinion, what is the most important thing to train into your children?
I used
to think that it was obedience, and that still ranks highly. But
loving and serving others is definitely the most important thing for me
right now.
Now, who can I tag?
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Jul. 23, 2005 - Knowing.....Loving
Inspiration:
I was inspired to write this post when I realized that I was beginning
to recognize a particular kind of bird in my backyard. In fact, I
was listening for his voice. I realized that I really loved to
listen to his song because it was becoming familiar to me; because I
recognized it.
My son David is determined to memorize every dinosaur that ever
lived! When we go to the library, he can usually be found in the
dinosaur section. He makes lists of dinosaurs on the
computer. He really loves dinosaurs and wants to know everything
about them. And the more he knows of them, the more he loves them .
My
daughter Deborah Jane is in love with the Little House stories (and so
many of you are also:-). She often listens to one during her
quiet-time in the afternoon. She will tell me some little tidbit
that she has memorized from these precious stories. And the more
she knows of these whispering souls and the lives they lived, the more
she loves them.
I
have become convinced that familiarity does NOT breed contempt when it
comes to someone or something worth loving. When we really know
something we begin to recognize it's nuances; we begin to appreciate
it's character. Recognition is the fuel that fans this flame of
love in our souls. And that is the essence of worshiping
God. Seeing Him; Recognizing Him; Loving Him.
I
know of people who talk in a very animated fashion about their
interests. Their eyes light up and their voices take an
enthusiastic turn. They are engaged by something they really LOVE!
This reminds me of some precious verses in the scriptures:
"Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of thine heart." (Psalm 37:4)
"Whom
having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet
believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving
the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter
1:8-9)
"If
ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where
Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affectiona on things
above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your
life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall
appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Col. 3:1-4)
I've
found that delighting myself in the Lord brings about a change in my
heart like nothing else! All of those other interests and desires
that I am prone to love are veiled in light of HIS glory.
O,
God, let your glory blind me! Plant within my heart new
passion for the things of God. I want to delight in you as I draw
breath; to recognize you in all that my eyes behold; to drink you into
my parched soul. Let me recognize and delight in your glory which
is present in each moment.
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Jul. 19, 2005 - Preparation
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In
1998, we moved from a condominium to our very first house (I was
9-months pregnant with our very first child at the time). On
moving day we were completely prepared; we had even moved everything
from upstairs to downstairs to facilitate a rapid move. All of
the boxes were labeled with the room they would go into and the ease of
it all was quite wonderful! We received many compliments that
day:-)
I
absolutely love being prepared. There is something wonderful
about having dinner ready, guest rooms prepared, duckies in a
row:-). A clean island, a clean desk, a clutter-free living
room.....these are truly "ahhhhhh" moments for me:-) It is exciting to
go into a situation where your full attention (such as it is) can be
devoted to the task at hand.
On
the other hand, it is truly disappointing when I have failed to
plan. For instance, the other day I intended to color pictures
with my kids, and I sat down at the computer to find some great pics
online. I handed the pics out as they came out of the printer and
by the time I had given up on finding my oldest the perfect outline map
of the continents, all of the other children were finished with their
pictures!
As
I begin to plan out our homeschool year, I am realizing that the true
dilemna of the homeschooling mother of young children seems to be
finding the time to plan, and doing so effectively. When the
children are finally tucked in at night seems to be the only time
available, and by this time my gas tank is running on fumes. If
anyone has any good planning tips, I'm all ears!
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Jul. 16, 2005 - I Remember
I remember....
The blissful quiet of tousled heads abed
Lingering in Your presence
Soaking in the early witness of morning
With herring, stepping through the misty edge of pond
Hovering hummingbirds like bees buzzing
And the singing! Recognition brings delight Lord.
Lord,
you know how I long to be with You in the morning. Help me
rebuild this essential habit. I NEED to be with You. When
sleepy children arise early, let it not be an irritation, but a desire
of my heart fulfilled in You.
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Jul. 14, 2005 - Tagged, huh?
This must be the friendliest place on earth! My other blog
was running for months with few visitors; save family. And
here I am at Homeschoolblogger for one day, and I've been welcomed so
warmly and TAGGED! I never thought I'd be tagged:-) Q.: What is your favoite night-time snack? A: If
I have something, its usually because there are cookies in the house
(though hubby and I are known to partake of chips and cheese also). I
have this fantastic new recipe for flax-seed cookies which are full of
wonderful ingredients oats, whole wheat flour, sucanat. I
add the optional chocolate chips, which makes them
ooey-gooey-chewy-mmmm. Usually a recipe with sucanat doesn't go
overly well with chocolate chips; it lends itself to nutty or fruity
flavors. But something about the flax seed blends it together. Q:
If you could choose 3 comfort items to take with you for a year on a
desert island, what would they be? (Your husband, children, and your
Bible don't count.) A: This is a hard one. But Im a very practical person. Id bring my wide-brimmed sunhat (I know, I'm supposed to enjoy the sunshine:-), my lipbalm (I detest getting chapped lips), and a notebook for writing. Rats, I used up all three things and now I dont have a pencil! Ok, skip the notebook, I probably wouldnt have time to write in my frantic fight for survival. I think a knife would become a great comfort to me in such a situation. Anything I wrote Id have to memorize in song:-). Q: Why did you choose each item? A: Implied above.... Q: What is your first memory? A: My
first memory is when I lived in Flagstaff, AZ. I was perhaps 3 or
4 years old. I remember that some older siblings (I'm the
youngest of 6) were walking away from the house, toward the mountains
and I was wanting desperately to go with them. They insisted that
I return home and I continued to look longingly after them, trudging
home backwards. When I finally lifted my forlorn head long enough
to search for our house, my little soul was lost. Someone found
me and brought me to the police station and I remember sitting there
calling home, eating candy. My parents retrieved me, but I
continued to live a rather backwards lifestyle:-) That is, until
Jesus really "found" me. Then I made a beeline for a narrow path
and I've been going forwards (mostly:-) since then. Actually,
I'm a little confused. We lived in King Lake, NE also around the
same time, so maybe my first memory was of taking a shower with my
whole family, in the middle of a rainstorm, in our underwear! The
drain spouts poured down in such a way as to make a great
shower:-) I know that my first memory was not when I
started my father's van on fire, but that one sure is "burned" into my
memory:-) Thanks for the tag, Dalyn!
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Jul. 13, 2005 - I'm Here!
Ok, I've done it. I am officially a Homeschoolblogger. I'm not sure if I will copy any entries from my other blogsite or not. It seems like a lot of work:-)
Does anyone know of a quick way to do it?
UPDATE: I AM SLOWLY TRANSFERING THE "GOOD STUFF" FROM MY OTHER SITE ...YOU'LL FIND IT BELOW, SHOULD YOU BE INTERESTED:-)
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Jul. 6, 2005 - Excited About Jesus
Yesterday
Rebekah (my 3yo daughter) said something that made my heart sing.
We had spent the morning outside in the sunshine, watering and feeding
the flowers and garden. Rebekah was very talkative when we
came inside.
"Mama, if God came to our house and sat down on the floor, then I would run around the house!"
"Really?" I questioned. "Do you mean that you would go outside and run in a big circle around the house?"
"No, Mama, I would run all over INSIDE the house because I would be so excited to see Jesus!"
This
made all of my "inadequate" moments pale momentarily. A
simple childlike excitement about the presence of Jesus.
How simple all of life becomes when such joy is present.
Thank you Jesus! May she always be so excited about Your presence.
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Jun. 29, 2005 - Let It Shine!
Last night was my first opportunity to explore the library. Alone.
O,
mother of multiple young children, have you ever wondered what it would
be like? I enjoyed myself thoroughly! Though I must say it does
not outshine the glory of seeing my brood eagerly rifling through
masses of peaceful activity. However, the peace of lingering; and
of seeking literary treasures that might otherwise remain hidden behind
the distraction of looking 4 ways at once, was truly a delight.
Driving
along I-70 toward home, I was greeted with a most peculiar sight.
In the truck slightly in front and to the right of me, a man leaned out
of the driverside window. As if this weren't a dangerous enough
feat when driving, this man's arm was engaged in vigorous
activity. The kind of shaking, finger outstretched, that goes on
when one is scolding a rather naughty child. It took me a moment
to realize that I was the subject of this dreadful chastisement.
In a flash, I realized that I was driving home in the darkness.
Literally. I had forgotten to turn on my headlights! The
interstate and prior roads were well enough lit that it wasn't
immediately apparent. Whatever happened to getting behind someone
and flashing your lights? I immediately flipped on my lights and
proceeded with chagrin, hoping that this crazed gentleman would not
deem me worthy of further attention.
Humbled
and thankful, I pondered the incident on the drive home. What
would have happened if I had proceeded without my lights? Driving
in the dark I may have driven over or into something in the
shadows. But it was more likely that another would have run into
the invisible darkness of my forgetfulness. Headlights are for
seeing and being seen.
I
wonder if my light is being seen. Surely not on the Interstate
(harhar)! But do the little eyes that watch me see the light of
my Lord? Are they drawn to His warmth and glory? As a
flower turns it's face to the sun, so will a child be drawn to one who
radiates the light of Christ. I want my child to see that light
in me; to see me in that light. I want him to see me dancing in
the Sonshine. My heart beats for those sweet moments of
recognition, along with all mothers in the Body of Christ.
We are surely recognized only as we bask in the Sonshine of God's glory.
"But
if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one
with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from
all sin." 1 John 1:7
"For
God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in
our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ. " 2 Cor. 4:6
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Jun. 21, 2005 - Adventures In The Dark
I
remembered that the frogs came out after dark, so I gave the oldest two
children a special dispensation to be night owls (and you thought I
wasn't a dispensationalist!) :-) I hovered in the background
while they scampered into the backyard, eagerly scanning for hopping
shadows. In the meantime I dodged the swooping bats, which my
husband assured me were not actually trying to nest in my hair, but
were merely attacking the mosquitos hovering near my warm form
(yikes! hurry up kids!). It wasn't long before they both
ran back to me, eagerly holding up their treasures. Then they
were off again to put the frogs in the special habitat they had created
in the woods. They returned with two more frogs, and I
reluctantly allowed them to camp out in our cooler in the garage (but
really they were more reluctant than I:-). The only fresh food we
could find were June bugs, so we settled them down with some water, a
rock, some leaves and said bugs. We found out in the morning that
frogs don't like June bugs. Or maybe they just don't eat them
until July, when they are cheaper. Anyway, here's a picture of
the kiddos with their prisoners....
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Jun. 15, 2005 - Childhood In Color
Yesterday
we spent quite a bit of time outside. I weeded the garden and
finished mowing outside, while the kids took turns riding with me on
the mower and playing in our little "forest".
The
children caught several frogs at different times and their delight was
contagious! They created a special frog habitat, replete with
rocks, leaves, branches & an ice cream bucket prison. I was
their "get out of jail free" card when we came inside, having persuaded
the kids that the frogs may need to take care of babies or fulfill
other familial responsibilities ;-).
When
we came inside last night it was almost dark. David and Deborah
were both excited beyond containment. Deborah kept telling me
over and over again...."Mama, I can still feel the frog in my
hand! O, Mama he was sooo cute!" David proceeded
immediately to his little Z-50 computer and started a document called
"Frog Thoughts". Within this document, he typed items from his
Children's Dictionary that he hoped to build for his frog tomorrow.
As
I pondered this it became clear that this is a very special moment,
worthy of framing. All of the vividness and wonder of childhood
is being experienced RIGHT NOW! I'd better make sure my
priorities are straight because I don't want to miss it :-).
[We'll post some pictures of the frogs and kids soon if I can capture them.]
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