How Important Is It?

"Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance.

The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."

~C. S. Lewis

Has it become moderately important to you?

A Victory

**Warning: Shameless bragging ahead. I apologize in advance. Since I have no baby books recording first steps, first tooth, first hiccup, I should at least record somewhere an accomplishment that my children and their parents (us) were impressed with that did not involve how much food was packed away into their stomachs in a 45 second time span.




This guy is a machine. We enrolled our children in the AWANA program at our church in September. He has taken on the books and the verses like a beast. A beast of memorizing that cannot be stopped.

He just won 1st place in the "Belt of Truth" competition having memorized and recited the most verses. He was the last man standing in the stand off, so to speak.

Since September he has logged away 65 plus verses in his noggin as well as the entire Psalm 103.
He also has completed 2 full books in this short time there. This alone has earned him the "shortest- time - for- someone- to- accomplish- so- many- discovery- assignments" title in this particular AWANA club this year.

As his momma, I am proud as punch! I think I'll reward him with a haircut.

This girl too has been driven. She won 3rd place in the "Belt of Truth" competition beating out girls in the 6th grade. I have been so impressed with her independence in this feat and her confidence.

I really wish that I could say that somehow I am responsible for this. That I had some sort of great system that I trained them in, kept them accountable and rewarded their diligence.

But, umm...no.

I had no idea that they were doing as well as they were until some other parent told me. Awkward?

Yes.

My only contribution to these babies accomplishments has been keeping their T&T duds clean. I can't really brag about that because they have been known to attend AWANA with ketchup on their shirts.

Oh, and I have rescued an occasional book from Baby Mys chubby grasp who likes to mercilessly scribble on them. She doesn't like to be left out.

They do however come by their great memorizing ability honestly.

Or not.

I have been trying to memorize a verse a week myself using the igoogle application for memorizing scripture. Although it's great and I am memorizing. It does not come easily, but rather goes easily.

Week 1 the verse is memorized, week 2 and 3 new ones are added. I then try to recall what week 1's verse was and for the life of me I cannot remember a single thing about the verse or where I might find it in the Bible and the 3 post it notes that it was scribbled on can no where be found. They have now joined the missing sock pairs, baby toothbrush and pencil sharpeners that are never to be located again.

I figure that the Holy Spirit is more than able to help me recall the verse when it might be needed the most. So I continue to plow through anyway.
Although, it would be nice not to be shown up consistently by my children who ramble off verses by the tens, and laugh at my feeble attempts to recall one.

I blame it on television and video games. I watched far too much as a child and played way too much as well.

Darn Pacman.

Let this be a warning to you young mothers. :)

So young man and baby girl, I am VERY proud of you both!

Love, your mama xo

p.s. You both may be better at memorizing, but I got you beat in the dancing department. I do a mean polka and you know it.

Randomness

On children ~

You know you let your 4 yr. old watch too much Veggie Tales when you hear him indignant after being kicked out of his sisters room open up the door one last time to bellow at them
"I'll have you know that I am no ordinary tomatoe!!"

On husbands ~

Hearing him talk on the phone to a customer... loving how professional, intelligent, and funny he sounds and thinking that you can't wait until you have him all to yourself later.

On homeschooling ~

Marking and explaining Algebra is no more fun or exciting than doing Algebra was.

On spring ~

Man, I need to shave my legs more often.

On exercise ~

Why, oh why does this just not get easier...and why when taking a very small break 4weeks does it feel like you have never run in your life or used your legs or lungs before, for that matter.

On chocolate ~

Must find 12 stepper for this...it is getting reeediculous.

On teenage boys ~

It matters not on how much food that you make, you CANNOT fill their bottomless stomachs with all the food prep in the world. While you eat your small salad with a large side of air, they consume every morsel of food in site plus some. And yet my abs are nowhere to be found and he has a 6 pack.
No fair.

On the movie "Amazing Grace" ~

I loved, LOVED this. Relating with how William Wilberforce delighted in the Lord, was giddy to just spend time with Him. Seeing his internal struggle with what God was calling him too.
We are to delight fully in the Lord AND we are called to action. Williams physical suffering, personal sacrifice, and persecution all for the cause to which He was called.
The triumphant ending resulting in myself consumed by the ugly cry and much partaking of chocolate.

On giving your almost 12 yr old boy his own cool multi-tip screw driver and leaving various electronics unattended ~

Don't.

On writers bloggers block ~

You end up with some weird, makes no sense contents of your head poured out for all to see, post.

sorry.

On trusting God ~

He is faithful. And I am humbly grateful.





p.s. Feel free to leave your own randomness in the comments..I would love to read them.

Children Won't Wait

"There is a time to treasure every fleeting minute of their childhood. Just eighteen precious years to inspire and train them.

We will not exchange this birthright for a mess of pottage called social position, or business success or professional reputation.

An hour of concern today may save years of heartache tomorrow, the house will wait, the dishes will wait, the new room can wait, but children don't wait.

There will be a time when there will be no slamming of doors, no toys on the stairs, no childhood quarrels, no fingerprints on the wallpaper.

Then may we look back with joy and not regret. God give us wisdom to see that today is the day with our children.That there is no unimportant moment in their lives.

May we know that no other career is so precious, no other work so rewarding, no other task so urgent. May we not defer it nor neglect it, but by Thy Spirit accept it gladly, joyously, and by Thy grace realize that the time is short and our time is now, for children won't wait!"

~Helen Young

Resolve to live this day like you won't get it back, because...

well, you won't.

Not for the Faint of Heart

You are thinking that she looks cute perched here.

It all looks rather harmless.

How about now?





No, my baby girl is not perched on a fence post while I lie on the ground so that I can get cute photos of her.


Why do you ask?




I would never be that terrible and crazy as a mother.

I assure those of you that are having heart palpitations at this moment that tradesman is very much close by. I had to crop him out of the pictures.

She was quite proud of herself.

Really, it was all her idea.

A Fruitful Sacrifice

"To many in my generation, my decision to stay home is a fruitless sacrifice, a waste of feminine intelligence and abilities.

To me, though, it is a small sacrifice if by it I can send my children into the next generation bursting with spiritual life ready to change their world for Christ. Fruitless? Only by the world's standards. By God's it is a fruitful sacrifice that will yield a harvest of righteousness."

~Sally Clarkson in the book "Seasons of a Mothers heart"






Tend to your seedlings mommas.



Love,

I Belong to You

Tears fall on the dark wood floor. My shoulders, they feel so heavy. The weight is unbearable, how I ache to put it down.

This burden of my sin. It cuts deep knowing that after all that He did for me, I still so easily fail Him. His death means freedom from eternal punishment, His resurrection means hope, new life and yet, I still weep.

I know that He is my everything, my all and all and I long to please Him.

Oh Father, how I long to please you.

I wander aimlessly around lost in my thoughts these last couple of days in the aftermath of the Easter weekend.

I reflect at how Jesus still seems to get brushed to the side no matter how much I vow to put Him front and center. I promise every year it will be different. I add new traditions, I am intentional, but in all its planned purpose, it still lacks.

Can we really ever be reverent enough, can we really ever dwell on His holiness, His sacrifice in a way that will satisfy our innermost desire to embrace His suffering and death to the point that somehow we will have given it justice.

Never.

I am human. I am selfish. I will always be at a loss.
Each day as I lay here at His feet, I again realize that it's daily.

Deny, Deny, Deny.

I will deny my flesh. I NEED to deny my flesh.

My humanness is a mess, always such a mess. He is perfect, blameless and He loves...Oh, how my Saviour loves.

I shield my eyes from the mess, the gory, brutal mess of my first love hanging there on that cross. His blood it drips and spills, pours out for me and I feel hot tears fresh on my face. I watch them drip on the floor and marvel at how broken I am yet again.

You bring me to my knees, your love for my wretched soul. I come knowing that I am not worthy, you alone are my ransom. Bought and paid for with the blood stained tree, the spikes encased in flesh, the bruised, battered body and the salty, tear stained face.

Its clear.
My pride, my selfishness, my laziness, my impatience, my anger, my lack of self control, it's all here.

I am led to the cross. In all its ugliness there is beauty too great to put into words. A beauty that takes my breath away.

He thinks I am worthy enough, he has seen something worth saving that I don't see.

I am humbled, my soul stirs deep and I count the cost.


I belong to you.


I belong to you.

Take up your Cross

"Salvation is free, but there is a price to pay in following Jesus."

~Billy Graham

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus.

Matthew 16:24 ~

"Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (ESV)


What's your cross to bear?

Sunday's Coming

(remember to turn music off in my sidebar to watch video)

Remembering my Saviours suffering and death today.

Counting the cost of my sin.

Feeling set free.

On my knees in gratefulness.

At the Cross

There is forgiveness.

At the Cross

I know redemption.

At the Cross

I find purpose.