Archives for October 2012

To Carve Out a Light

31 Oct

People talk of carving out time for God…family…exercise. But what if we are the ones being carved?

A pumpkin is plucked from the patch, taken home and carved into simple Jack-o-Lanterns or  intricately formed pieces of art. Similarly, God takes people, like pumpkins rotting in the sunshine, and carves lives that will bring him glory. Like the pumpkins, our flesh (Romans 8:1-11) feels the blade take away that which is to make that which we cannot yet see…a life more closely resembling that of Christ.

Do not despair if you are presently under the surgeon-like precision of a God who infinitely loves you. He disciplines us for our good that we may share in His holiness.

And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you. So you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. ~Deuteronomy 8:3, 5-6

He carves out from the innermost darkness to replace it with His light; His glory revealed.

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night, ” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you. ~Psalm 139:11-12

But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God. ~John 3:21

Here are our favorite pumpkin and magical reads of October:

That is what we are reading this Wednesday!

Leave a Comment
Share This Post With Your Friends!
Filed Under: What I Am Reading Wednesday Tagged With: ,

Harvesting Hearts with Principle

29 Oct


Every mom and dad likely agree that parenting is one of the hardest tasks of a lifetime. Tending the soil of little hearts, growing them into Christ-followers with convictions, character, and principles that will weather all seasons of life, takes perseverance and commitment. Even then, it is Christ and the choices of our children that will give the increase.

To do my part, I desire to memorize and convey to my children Biblical truths which teach the principles behind the discipline in our home.

Hebrews 12 teaches that just as an earthly father disciplines his son so too the Heavenly Father disciplines us for our good, “that we may share in His holiness (vs. 10)” Even when our little pumpkins have left the patch, they will not leave the strong, tender hands of their Father.

 

In the book, Help for the Harried Homeschooler, Christine M. Field writes a wonderful chapter on discipline and encourages parents to focus on “principles and relationships, not rules (p. 57).”

 A rule says, “Don’t kill.” The principle is “Love your neighbor.” A rule says, “Don’t be disrespectful.” The principle is, “Honor your father and mother.” ~Help for the Harried Homeschooler, p. 57

 

Here are 10 verses to harvest hearts with principle. Perhaps this will encourage you to write your own list that addresses issues specific to your children. Our children are still preschool age. With that in mind, parents of teenagers might add more verses about honoring God with their bodies and respecting their bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit.

1. “Honor your father and your mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise) “That it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” ~Ephesians 6:2-3

2. “Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” ~Philippinas 2:14-16

3. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ~Matthew 22:37-39

4. The Golden Rule: “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” ~Matthew 7:12

5. “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”~1 Thessalonians 5:18

6. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” James 1:2-3

7. “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:4

8. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,” ~Colossians 3:23

9. Persevere “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”~Galations 6:9

10. Pray “I lift my eyes unto the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” ~Psalm 121:1-2

2 Comments
Share This Post With Your Friends!
Filed Under: Discipline, Family, Scripture Memory Tagged With: , ,

Stepping Back in Time

24 Oct

Imagine stepping back in time. Dressing and living as the early Americans over 200 years ago. Long dresses, bonnets, and button up shirts were the norm. Store bought was a rarity and homemade the everyday. Making your meals off of the land and the animals that you raised yourself rather than gathering them from the freezer section or a drive by window. That is what Tasha Tudor chose to do with her modern-day, twentieth century life.

Our Emily loves this era often requesting, “Please call me Laura.”

In the book, The Private World of Tasha Tudor, she and Richard Brown tell her story as a farmer, author, illustrator, and reminisce about her childhood. This book isn’t only for the young at heart, but the young as well. Emily and Joshua listened intently and looked on with wide eyes at the beautiful photography in this book.  It was rather surprising!

I enjoy doing housework, ironing, washing, cooking, dish washing. Whenever I get one of those questionnaires and they ask what is your profession, I always put down housewife. It’s an admirable profession, why apologize for it. You aren’t stupid because your’re a housewife. When you’re stirring the jam you can read Shakespeare. ~ The Private World of Tasha Tudor, p. 104

There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God ~Ecclesiastes 2:24

Do not romanticise Mrs. Tudor completely, she warns:

People have a rose-colored lens when they look at me. They don’t realize I’m human. They don’t see the real me. As Mark Twain said, we are like the moon, we all have our dark side that we never show to anybody. ~The Private World of Tasha Tudor, p. 101

The exquisite illustrations in all of Mrs. Tudor’s books come from the world and people around her. Thoughtful words, combined with beautiful drawings, capture the hearts and imaginations of all who chose to read the books she has published. Below are a few of our favorites.

The following are books that we have not read, but hope to this Christmas season:

 That is what we are reading this week. What is gracing your shelves today?

Leave a Comment
Share This Post With Your Friends!
Filed Under: What I Am Reading Wednesday Tagged With: ,

Simple Addition

22 Oct

Most people would think that addition is a simple task of taking objects and grouping them together and determining their sum. However, when talking about adding love and lives a messy process can ensue.

We are so happy to welcome our Little E. He is observing our every move and learning to interact with siblings. His siblings are also learning to interact with him.

This weekend my mom and dad came for a visit and they embraced Little E with open arms and hearts. It is so wonderful to see all of our family embracing him as their newest addition. Both sides of the family have made E feel like he joined us from birth at the hospital. Truly a sweet working of God.

Transitioning from two to three kids has been as difficult as from one to two. Anyone who says that the jump from two to three is easier than one to two is either too far removed from that point in life or had a nanny! Seriously, God is working in some patience and revealing our need for prayerful surrender.

One area that is triple the work is the cleaning of objects and kids. There is never a break! I know this is a point in my character that reaches borderline OCD but everything has a place and everything should be in its place…at least that is what my philosophy is.

With this in mind I know there is selfishness being worked out of me or at least being brought to the surface for repentance and redirection.

Through this first two weeks into foster care, I can truly say that the Body of Christ has reached out to us in tangible ways. Prayer support, texts of encouragement, and gifts to help in caring for E have poured in. We are so thankful for all of the support and know that it is God’s way of saying “I love you” to us.  Thank you to each of you who have prayed and reached out in kindness towards our family.

The greatest hurdle so far has been health. Our E came in a sick little dude and has been on medication the entire duration of his time with us. Last week Joshua was diagnosed with pneumonia (this came out of nowhere) and we have all three kids on breathing treatments. At least 9 times a day a nebulizer machine is running in our home. We may need to pass a clean air act!

Thankfully, Emily’s treatment is more preventative and Ron and I have remained in good health. Both boys appear to be on the upswing. However, any prayers for the runny noses and coughing to cease would be much appreciated.

Addition, therefore, looks simple on paper, but in real life it can be beautifully messy. Addition with the foreknowledge of possible subtraction is even messier…so is the way of foster care.

I am hopeful that our family and His will use this as a means to earnestly seek Him.

 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. ~Psalm 63:1

2 Comments
Share This Post With Your Friends!
Filed Under: Family, Life, Walking in the Spirit Tagged With:

Quietly Working

15 Oct

We are well here at This Temporary Home. It has been a very fast paced week with our newest edition. I continue processing it all so that whatever the Lord prompts me to write might be shared with you.

This week will be another quiet week on the blog as Ron and I have a writing deadline. We are each writing two chapters for a book that will be published in 2013. It is our very first book project and we are truly honored that Dr. Jay Strack would ask us to be a part of this collaborative book for teens.

Please pray for Ron and I as we finalize our chapters. Pray that we would write with God’s wisdom and for such a time as this to speak to the hearts of the teenagers and youth workers that this resource will find its way to.

I look forward to returning to my schedule of posting next week. Thank you so much for your prayers for our fostering and writing. God is working.

Leave a Comment
Share This Post With Your Friends!
Filed Under: Uncategorized

A Merging of Lives

8 Oct

 

 

Yesterday we had the privilege of joining in the celebration of a merging of two lives in marriage.  The union of man and wife is a covenant that reflects that of Christ and His Bride, the Church.

As we watched Tyler and his beautiful bride, Laura, exchange vows, I reflected on our own wedding ceremony. Funny how even the details of our wedding were a foretelling of the personality traits of each of us and the ways in which we would work out this life together. Yet on our wedding day I would propose that in comparison to present-day, I hardly knew myself, let alone the wonderful godly man that I was marrying.

Yesterday, the pastor said that our covenant relationship of marriage is one that we continue to choose to make each day of our lives. It is true; as our love and the years grow, so will our understanding of one another and ourselves, as well as our graces with both.

Today, if everything goes as planned,  our family will travel to be united with our first foster child. As we venture this new path together, merging our lives with that of another child and family, I pray God’s name is glorified and His people edified. This child will have a wonderful temporary daddy in my Ron. Of that there is no doubt. God placed adoption on my heart from a young age and he placed a man in my life that equally embraced the idea from the start.

We will not be walking down an isle as we start this newest journey together, but with each step, and the facing of the unknown, we will do what we have done in marriage and parenthood to date: grow, laugh, cry, fail, fall, be renewed and seek His face and wisdom through the scriptures.

Thank you for joining in the celebration with your prayers! I will see you back next Monday as I am taking the week off to get acclimated.

This home is temporary but the rewards of heaven in His presence are eternal. Press on and in.

Leave a Comment
Share This Post With Your Friends!
Filed Under: Family, Life Tagged With: , ,

Virtuous Reads

3 Oct

Virtuous character is not decided in a moment; it is formed by predetermined resolutions acted upon in each subsequent opportunity for vice.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue and virtue with knowledge.

~2 Peter 1:5

Two books to help young ladies become virtuous women, clearly aside from the Scriptures, are highlighted this week on What I Am Reading Wednesday. I recently finished the first and am reading through the later. Both are rich in vocabulary and principles: the first, no doubt,  requiring a dictionary.

This movie version is equal to that of Pride and Prejudice staring Keira Knightley. Don’t be scared off that it begins rather odd.

Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be. If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth? They have a worth–so I have always believed; and if I cannot believe it now, it is because I am insane–quite insane: with my veins running fire, and my heart beating faster than I can count its throbs. Preconceived opinions, foregone determinations, are all I have at this hour to stand by: there I plant my foot.” ~p. 221 Jane Eyre

We know that God is everywhere; but certainly we feel His presence most when His works ar on the grandest scale spread before us; and it is in the unclouded night-sky, where His worlds wheel their silent course, that we read clearest His infinitude, His omnipotence, His omnipresence. ~p. 227 Jane Eyre

Character is not given to us; we build it ourselves. Others may furnish the material, may set before us the right standards and ideals, may give us reproof and correction, may guide our actions and mold our thoughts. But we build our own character. It is we who absorb the good influence about us, adopt the ideals, reach for the standards, and make ourselves what we are.~ p. 30 Beautiful Girlhood

Do you have any character books to recommend? Please leave them in the comments section or send me an e-mail.

That is what I am reading this Wednesday; what about you?

Leave a Comment
Share This Post With Your Friends!
Filed Under: What I Am Reading Wednesday

Pour Another Cup

1 Oct

 

Today as I pour my morning cup of coffee it is with the realization that number three is days away from making his or her debut. We have decided not to find out the sex of the baby; rather I should say we haven’t made preferences known. We were officially licensed for foster care last Thursday, September 27, 2012. It happened only minutes after we picked our kids up on our return from the Grand Canyon.

I half expected a phone call in the night on Thursday: foster care families are in high demand. An empty bed is a scarce commodity in our county and little bodies in transition ready to fill them are at all time highs. Thankfully, we made it through the night without a call.

I am certain that God has plans in this foster care/adoption journey and they begin and end with giving Him glory. In the middle is pruning and sanctification; both of which I and my family need.

As we prepare for baby number 3, I consider the sacrifices that parents of young children are called to make. Another baby will ground us more. It is only in the last year alone, our children were “old enough” to leave overnight for the very first time to go on mission to Honduras and just recently a GTD trip (click here) to celebrate 10 years of marriage. Trips like these may have to be revisited later than I would like. That is the hard truth we face as we begin to foster; however, equally true is the fact that the babies that will enter and exit our home are known and loved by their Creator God and He has chosen us to be a part of their journey.

I pray for these children, as I pray for our own, that in the time we are blessed to raise them (even in those moments I do not want to pour another cup of milk or change another dirty diaper) that their early years will have a lasting, visible effect as that seen in the life of Moses:

By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.

~Hebrews 11:24-26

We want all the children who pass through our home to have a Homeward focus because of being here and influenced by the living and active word of God: the Bible.

So we will ask the Holy Spirit to pour another cup of grace, mercy, provision, and wisdom into our hearts and minds through prayer, the Bible, and His people so that we may turn and pour Him into the lives of His kids.

Please pray for us on this journey. Thank you sincerely for reading friend.

1 Comment
Share This Post With Your Friends!
Filed Under: Life, Missions Tagged With: , , ,