My boys, the lawyer and the creative poet

Thaddeus the lawyer

When discovered sitting on the couch reading, he was asked why he wasn’t sorting the books into piles to put away.  His  answer:

“I am! I am sorting by looking at the number of pages!”

Always the lawyer – always ready with a GREAT reason and excuse!!!

Keenan the Creative

When talking about moving to the lower 48 (where there is mud to make mud pies like I did when I was little 🙂 – don’t you love breakfast table conversation?)

“Oh Dad.  You are just like a bird flying different places to work”

Beyond Music Conference

Night One:

SO… if I am Jacob, my ministry is more of a Leah than a Rachel… but which one births more babies? Does God want me to accept my ministry?  Or LOVE my ministry?

Yeah, we all know the answers to that one.  Leah… not what I expected.  Things I didn’t “sign up” for.  But what was given to me anyway.  And I WILL LOVE it… cherish those that God has placed under me to love and guide and teach and lead.

Its going to be a good weekend.  NO, it’ll be a great weekend.

nope – haven’t died… or moved…

so.  life is crazy.  Made more intense with an emotional “blech” going on in our worship team.  Its really too bad you have to deal with stuff like this.  I mean really.  Shouldn’t every one love me and think I’m the best ever and always give me the benefit of the doubt and understand and agree with my heart?

yeah.  don’t comment on that! 🙂

I am going to a worship conference tonight – this weekend.  REALLY looking forward to soaking in God’s presence, worshiping without responsibility or tensions, enjoying the teaching and challenges that come with these sorts of events.

Baby is cute… sorry no pics.  I will get some up again soon.  On a cute funny note, here is a poem written at 6:30 in the morning by my son:

When baby’s eyes are open it means she is awake;

When baby’s mouth is open it means she wants to eat;

when baby’s hands are up it means she wants to play;

When baby’s legs are up, that means she’s grown away.

p.s. that means she’s grown up mom.

Check – language arts done.

Homeschool Highlights

• the ZOO – that is always fun, right? The wolves chased our pack of (10) kids (with two moms!) back and forth, up and down the path. They were PLAYING with our kids, how cool is that? And the polar bear was very active, playing in the water, and the kids thought that was spectacular. They never tire of it, you know?
• We finished our read aloud “Socks” by Beverley McCleary… and I just couldn’t resist picking up “A Wrinkle in Time” at the library, although there are multitudes of books at home waiting to be read.  Keenan is loving it… almost as much as me.
• I’m starting a new Math curriculum… just you average, normal, public school textbook type thing… complete with a teacher’s edition (2 volumes!) that I picked up free.  I am followign the lessons plans it includes and everything… he needs my undivided attention right now for Math.  SO as much as I don’t really want to.  Ideally I’d love this to be what he does on his own, but he is such a social learner, and math is not his forte.  I think this is going to work!  And once a week is math game day.
• We made bat magnets and a bat notebook page,  a construction paper prairie / grasslands / an alligator, complete with hexagon shaped scales… did you know hexagon patterns are consistent through out nature? (ex. pineapples)  AND
• I learned Giraffes had blue tongues.  (Keenan already knew that ?!?)

what a weekend

MMM… I am tired.  So tired.  thought I’d write a quick blurb as I finish my glass of red (thank you honey!) and unwind.

I hate finding links, but I had a great visit this weekend with Leah, Lyn, Lydia, and Molly, all previously from Choosing Home… Molly from Adventures in Mercy… and I can’t remember your previous blog’s names… sorry Lydia 🙂  What a fun and fabulous time we had.  lovely. THANKS girls!

Then we went to my husband’s aunt’s funeral / memorial service.  It was lovely, I thought, very celebratory… the kids did AMAZING, we enjoyed a great evening with the family, drove back in time to get overwhelmed at the house, scurry about and leave for church and…

Shand’s dedication service.  It was also lovely. (Kind of handy to have a baby on hand to dedicate when you are preaching on Hannah taking Samuel to the temple. ) Yup.  That’s us.  Multi-sensory and relevant!

And bed will also be lovely.  Good night!

God Speaking in the Psalms 41 :)

yes… and on we go… cuz you just can’t get enough praising done in a life time, so why stop just because 40 days is past? 🙂

Psalm 139 is my favorite.  it speaks into every milestone of my life, every altar, every death and every life.

Psalm 141

this pretty much sums up our worship service and the battle going on.  “May my prayer be counted as incense before Thee; the lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.  Set a guard over my mouth;  Keep watch over the door of my lips.  Do not incline my heart to any evil thing to practice deeds of wickedness… and do not let me eat of their delicacies.”  “For my eyes are toward Thee, O God, the Lord;”

The Spirit  revealed to me Satan has a stronghold in our church…

Its a mountain.  But God moves mountains.  And that is what I am counting on.  That and a whole lot of humility on my part.

Psalm 142

“When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, Thou didst know my path.”

Psalm 143

“Teach me the way in which I should walk;”

I win!

My 4 yr old lawyer-to-be just informed me, at 9:45 pm, that:

“You’re a great cover-upper”…

This is how he argues…

How can I say no to that?

That is why I must, once again, go tuck him in, although it is so far past his bedtime its almost mine.

God Speaking in the Psalms 40

SATURDAY

Psalm 132

“Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness and let Your saints shout for joy!” – yes… we ARE His priesthood now… each of us, men and women and children, priests before the Most High… cool.

Psalm 133

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! ”

Father God, it is the cry of my heart, that You unify our worship team.  Let this cry be stronger than and drown out my fleshy cry of self-righteousness and defensiveness and the cry for the honor of my name.

“It is like the precious ointment poured on the head, that ran down on the beard, even the beard of Aaron…

“It is like the dew of lofty Mount Hermon and the dew that comes on the hills of Zion;

“For THERE the Lord has commanded the blessing…”

Oh God, I want Your blessing.  I want Your blessing for Souljourn.  I want Your blessing for our worship team.  I want Your blessing for our home church.  Is that what is missing?  Unity?

Psalm 138

“I WILL confess and praise You O God with my whole heart;”

“In the day when I called, You answered me; and You strengthened me with strength (might and inflexibility to temptation) in my inner self. ” Yes, Lord, You alone keep me from self pity, from the victim mentality, from bitterness, from gossip, from unforgiveness.  And You alone keep me from justifying my sin when I don’t take Your hand and I give in to flesh.