Here are some recent pieces I’ve posted…

Examiner:

Backyard chickens on the rise in urban areas, six week wait for chicks on order

Overscheduling and the consequences of rushing around

More people choosing smaller homes, downsizing for simpler living

Suite101:

Fall Lesson Ideas for Apple Farmer Annie Book (I also wrote about this adorable book I just found on my learning blog)

Enjoy! 

So what are your thoughts on swine flu?  Will you get the vaccine if it is available?  Will you give it to your children (if you have them)?  Think the swine flu threat is overblown?  Deeply concerned?

I have to admit that I am a bit up in the air about this one.   Part of me thinks it is being blown way out of proportion.  The other part of me that follows history knows that the world is due for something large.  Overdue, really.  We never get a flu shot and never get the flu so I’m not sure I want to start with this one.

Please vote in the poll and feel free to leave a comment regarding how you are planning (or not planning) for the fall and winter flu season.

“There we saw the giants” (Num. 13:33).

Yes, they saw the giants, but Caleb and Joshua saw God! Those who doubt say, “We be not able to go up.” Those who believe say, “Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able.”

Giants stand for great difficulties; and giants are stalking everywhere. They are in our families, in our churches, in our social life, in our own hearts; and we must overcome them or they will eat us up, as these men of old said of the giants of Canaan.

The men of faith said, “They are bread for us; we will eat them up.” In other words, “We will be stronger by overcoming them than if there had been no giants to overcome.”

Now the fact is, unless we have the overcoming faith we shall be eaten up, consumed by the giants in our path. Let us have the spirit of faith that these men of faith had, and see God, and He will take care of the difficulties. –Selected

It is when we are in the way of duty that we find giants. It was when Israel was going forward that the, giants appeared. When they turned back into the wilderness they found none.

There is a prevalent idea that the power of God in a human life should lift us above all trials and conflicts. The fact is, the power of God always brings a conflict and a struggle. One would have thought that on his great missionary journey to Rome, Paul would have been carried by some mighty providence above the power of storms and tempests and enemies. But, on the contrary, it was one long, hard fight with persecuting Jews, with wild tempests, with venomous vipers and all the powers of earth and hell, and at last he was saved, as it seemed, by the narrowest margin, and had to swim ashore at Malta on a piece of wreckage and barely escape a watery grave.

Was that like a God of infinite power? Yes, just like Him. And so Paul tells us that when he took the Lord Jesus Christ as the life of his body, a severe conflict immediately came; indeed, a conflict that never ended, a pressure that was persistent, but out of which he always emerged victorious through the strength of Jesus Christ.

The language in which he describes this is most graphic. “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed, always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be manifested in our body.”

What a ceaseless, strenuous struggle! It is impossible to express in English the forcible language of the original. There are five pictures in succession. In the first, the idea is crowding enemies pressing in from every side, and yet not crushing him because the police of heaven cleared the way just wide enough for him to get through. The literal translation would be, “We are crowded on every side, but not crushed.”

The second picture is that of one whose way seems utterly closed and yet he has pressed through; there is light enough to show him the next step. The Revised Version translates it, “Perplexed but not unto despair.” Rotherham still more literally renders it, “Without a way, but not without a by-way.”

The third figure is that of an enemy in hot pursuit while the divine Defender still stands by, and he is not left alone. Again we adopt the fine rendering of Rotherham, “Pursued but not abandoned.”

The fourth figure is still more vivid and dramatic. The enemy has overtaken him, has struck him, has knocked him down. But it is not a fatal blow; he is able to rise again. It might be translated, “Overthrown but not overcome.”

Once more the figure advances, and now it seems to be even death itself, “Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus.” But he does not die, for “the life also of Jesus” now comes to his aid and he lives in the life of another until his life work is done.

The reason so many fail in this experience of divine healing is because they expect to have it all without a struggle, and when the conflict comes and the battle wages long, they become discouraged and surrender. God has nothing worth having that is easy. There are no cheap goods in the heavenly market. Our redemption cost all that God had to give, and everything worth having is expensive. Hard places are the very school of faith and character, and if we are to rise over mere human strength and prove the power of life divine in these mortal bodies, it must be through a process of conflict that may well be called the birth travail of a new life. It is the old figure of the bush that burned, but was not consumed, or of the Vision in the house of the Interpreter of the flame that would not expire, notwithstanding the fact that the demon ceaselessly poured water on it, because in the background stood an angel ever pouring oil and keeping the flame aglow.

No, dear suffering child of God, you cannot fail if only you dare to believe, to stand fast and refuse to be overcome. –Tract.

I wrote a different post earlier, but decided I really didn’t want to get into a political rant on a Sunday evening.  So instead how about a post about the music of our lives?

I had been thinking about this lately while listening to an old Glad album in the car. To this day I enjoy listening to Romans.  I looked at the date on it and it came out in 1989.  Yeesh. I was still in college.  But Glad done a capella in person?  A foretaste of heaven on earth for me. I think the last concert I went to many years ago I spent over half of the time with my eyes closed, just totally enjoying the music.

Then all of the coverage about Michael Jackson got me thinking about when I was in high school and watching Thriller was A. Big. Deal. I watched part of it on YouTube last evening.  I don’t watch even moderately gory stuff any longer, but I did advance it to the dance sequence in the middle which after all these years still fascinates me.  It is so amazingly cool to watch.  And I remember the original moonwalk and how cool it was and still is.

I’m sitting here listening to Journey’s Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) while typing this post. I’ve never been a Journey fan, but this song takes. me. back.  We did a Rock Show in marching band in high school and this was the opening number.  It was the most incredibly awesome marching band show.  As in so awesome that as soon as we started our first number at festival (competition) pretty much everything came to a screeching halt in the stadium and all of the other bands gave us a standing ovation.  This song probably means high school more to me than any other song.  So it takes me back, for sure.

And if I could have an opening song every time someone came to my blog, do you know what it would be?  Willoughby (Instrumental) from Sense and Sensibility.  I defy anyone to listen to that piece and not feel at least a tiny bit happier and lighter.

I could go on and on all night about favorite songs, but it’s time to head to bed.  What do you still enjoy?

I haven’t done a Caroline post in a long time so thought I would sneak a few pictures in and share a little bit about life with our thirty-three month old daughter.

Yes, 33 months!!!  I know some of you have been reading here since before I was ever pregnant and wondered if I ever would be. My Little Miss Peanut is going to be three years old in just a few months.

We’ve noticed in the last few weeks that Caroline’s lost that toddler look and is looking more and more like a preschooler/little girl.  I will admit to feeling very slight pangs of “where is my baby?” but for the most part I am totally fine with it.  I am enjoying the toddler stage so much more than I thought I would.  In fact, it has been almost the opposite of what I expected. I thought I would love the baby/infant stage and dreaded the toddler stage.  I have enjoyed the toddler stage much more than I expected and found the baby stage less enjoyable than I would have thought.  Go figure.

Caroline also recently hit a growth spurt in terms of her language.  I was SO looking forward to when she would start talking enough to have conversations with us.  I absolutely love it!!!  I love not having to wonder what is going on in that little brain of hers.  LOL!  She is a little chatter box, has a huge vocabulary, and loves to learn.  I absolutely LOVE having conversations and being able to “discuss” things with her.  Lately we have been dissecting Pride and Prejudice (A&E).  No, I am not joking. I watched it several times when I was sick and she is enthralled with the dancing and Mr. Darcy.  She ASKS to watch Mr. Darcy with me.  She puts on her fancy dress up dresses and prances around during the dancing scenes.  She knows about Mr. Bingley, knows Mr. Wickham is a bad man, and probably knows more about the culture of that time than I did when I was eighteen!  LOL!

So my “complaint”?  I can hardly get her to wear anything but a dress. And not just any dress.  She has four casual cotton dresses I bought last year on sale from Land’s End and saved for this year.  She doesn’t want to wear anything but those four dresses (unless it is the jumper Grandma S. made her which is not summery and looks awful with white sandals or one of her nicer dresses for church). The only time she will put something else on is if she is going outside to help in the yard or going outside to play.  Then she’ll put on her “outside play clothes” (denim capris and a top or something like that) without any argument.  But as soon as she comes in, she wants them OFF.  She wants her dress back on NOW.  She couldn’t even sit down to lunch the other day until we had changed her from her outside clothes to her dress she was so distraught about it.

Now on the one hand, I’m a total girly girl. I vastly prefer dresses and skirts myself. (Out of preference, not conviction.)  I never thought I’d be in a situation where I would wish I could get her out of dresses and into some jeans! Oh well. I’m glad she likes her dresses. I just try to keep them washed.  Hopefully they won’t be in shreds by the end of the summer from such frequent use!

The pictures of her in her blue and white checked dress are from the Frederik Meijer Gardens earlier this week.  While we were there I was reminded yet again of the fact that I am a Girl Mom.  I was never designed to have boys.  There were so many active little boys there in the Children’s Garden that it just made me stand back and think all over again how grateful I am for my girl! God bless you moms with boys!  One of you out there is raising up a godly man for Caroline to fall in love with someday and I’m so thankful you are there to do it. I’m just glad you got the boy job and I got the girl job! 

I’ve been busy writing and thought I would provide some links in case anyone is interested…

On Examiner:

Suggestions for living well in a small house

More Americans moving downtown and into new urbanist housing areas

Downsizing and letting go of stuff brings freedom in simple living quest

On Suite101:

Simple Comfort Food Recipes for Leftover Ham

Monarch of the Glen Series 7 BBC Scottish Drama

Grace Livingston Hill, Prolific Christian Author

Lesson Ideas for Classic Book Miss Suzy

Enjoy! 

Every day I check out the free MP3 downloads on Amazon.  Right now they have a free collection of patriotic songs (Documentary Recordings Presents- Patriotic Music - Amazon Sampler).  If you like a capella men’s choirs, you will enjoy the first four tracks (God Bless America, Battle Hymn of the Republic, America the Beautiful, and The Star Spangled Banner).  The rest of the tracks didn’t do anything for me personally, but I thoroughly enjoy men singing a capella and this group is pretty good! 

Enjoy!

I saw this being discussed elsewhere today and thought it was an interesting question.  I’m sure it is one being faced by many Christians given the current economic climate.

At what point would you decrease and/or stop giving to your church if you were in financial difficulty?  (For the sake of argument, let’s not go down the rabbit trail of Christians not being required/required to give 10% based on the Old Covenant versus the New Covenant.  Let’s just focus on people deciding what they give based on personal convictions, regardless of the exact mathematics of it.) Someone in the discussion also brought up whether they would cut their support to their church or missionaries they personally supported first.

Would you continue to give your predetermined amount each month, even if your income dropped drastically?  What if you were living on your savings? Do you tithe/give a percentage of whatever you make and would you continue to do that even if in dire financial circumstances?  Would you keep your cable tv and cut your giving at church?  Would you still eat out and cut your giving to missionaries? Would you keep giving your full amount to God’s work even if you couldn’t pay other bills and expect God to intervene miraculously because you were being faithful?  Would you stop giving and focus on making ends meet?  At what point would you speak with someone at your church about your cutting back on giving and the financial troubles of your family?

In short,  how would you biblically counsel someone in this kind of a situation?

David upgraded my version of WordPress this afternoon and added some nice new features.

You will now have the opportunity to edit your comments for five minutes after you post them.

We’ve installed a new spam filter so no more math question to filter spam. (Numerous readers do happy dance!)

Everyone will have to be moderated again the first time you leave a comment so if you want to get that out of the way (hint, hint), please leave a comment here and that will be done.  Maybe for fun tell us your favorite celebrity crush when you were younger.  Just to be fair, I’ll go first.  Mine were Harrison Ford and Michael J. Fox.

Enjoy! 

“Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left” (Isa. 30:21).

When we are in doubt or difficulty, when many voices urge this course or the other, when prudence utters one advice and faith another, then let us be still, hushing each intruder, calming ourselves in the sacred hush of God’s presence; let us study His Word in the attitude of devout attention; let us lift up our nature into the pure light of His face, eager only to know what God the Lord shall determine–and ere long a very distinct impression will be made, the unmistakable forth-telling of His secret counsel.

It is not wise in the earlier stages of Christian life to depend on this alone, but to wait for the corroboration of circumstances. But those who have had many dealings with God know well the value of secret fellowship with Him, to ascertain His will.

Are you in difficulty about your way? Go to God with your question; get direction from the light of His smile or the cloud of His refusal.

If you will only get alone, where the lights and shadows of earth cannot interfere, where human opinions fail to reach and if you will dare to wait there silent and expectant, though all around you insist on immediate decision or action–the will of God will be made clear; and you will have a new conception of God, a deeper insight into His nature and heart of love, which shall be for yourself alone a rapturous experience, to abide your precious perquisite forever, the rich guerdon of those long waiting hours. –David

“STAND STILL,” my soul, for so thy Lord commands:
E’en when thy way seems blocked, leave it in His wise hands;
His arm is mighty to divide the wave.
“Stand still,” my soul, “stand still” and thou shalt see
How God can work the “impossible” for thee,
For with a great deliverance He doth save.

Be not impatient, but in stillness stand,
Even when compassed ’round on every hand,
In ways thy spirit does not comprehend.
God cannot clear thy way till thou art still,
That He may work in thee His blessed will,
And all thy heart and will to Him do bend.

“BE STILL,” my soul, for just as thou art still,
Can God reveal Himself to thee; until
Through thee His love and light and life can freely flow;
In stillness God can work through thee and reach
The souls around thee. He then through thee can teach
His lessons, and His power in weakness show.

“BE STILL”–a deeper step in faith and rest.
“Be still and know” thy Father knoweth best
The way to lead His child to that fair land,
A “summer” land, where quiet waters flow;
Where longing souls are satisfied, and “know
Their God,” and praise for all that He has planned.
–Selected