Housewifing

soccer baseball fun and a Rock

Mike's called me more in the past two days than he has in the past two weeks.  When he left for Spain he left without us saying goodbye, because I took the kids to see "Nims Island" at the movies and we didn't make it home in time.  A large part of the movie was Nim waiting for her dad to come home, so it struck the kids when dad was gone.  All three were crying.  Not good.

Today Rachel has T-ball practice at the same time that the boys have baseball practice.  Then in the middle of practice the boys have a soccer game.  It's gonna be intense.  I strive to involve my children in physical activity.  I want to lay a groundwork of an exciting and challenging (not stressful) and disciplined life, and that discipline includes physical rigor.  I want that foundation laid BEFORE they hit puberty.  I want them to have something to dedicate themselves to, before the pressures of peers, sex, drugs, and depression go after them.

We (Matt, Pat, Rachel, and I) read the Bible together for over an hour and a half.  Patrick went to bed still reading, and I had to make him go to sleep when I caught him reading past 11:00pm.  We read about the sick touching Jesus' robe (the tassle) and being healed, about Jesus walking on water, about Peter making it a little way (on the water), about Jesus' physical appearance, about the demon possessed being healed.  About how we can do the same; and we went to Peter's shadow cast on the desperate sick, and even they were healed because their belief on Jesus.  We talked about Peter being named by Jesus as the "Rock" (in Greek).  And how "Jesus" is the Greek of "Joshua".  And back to the Rock.  We talked about in great detail of the Rock as the Foundation and what a foundation is in a building, in a church, in our life.  About the confession that "Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ!" and that is what the Rock is (not Allah, not Tao, not a red thread of a bracelet, not a cow)!  Peter Knew!  and only God the Father in heaven can reveal that to him, to my kids, to anyone.  And we talked about the keys to heaven  (Do you know the key to heaven?).  We talked about much more.  Do you blame Patrick for reading the Bible until 11:00?  I have great expectations for this summer and sharing and learning and discovering what God has plans for us.

what's up

My husband's in Spain somewhere near Barcelona.  He returns Thursday and then turns around next week and goes to Germany.

Last week Patrick recovered and Rachel and I took our turns being sick.

I've been reading "Chalie Wilson's War", not for the faint-minded.  I'd rather be seeking what I can find in the Bible; but, I am almost done with the filth of it.  The Afghans must be Edomites.  I cannot describe the atrocities.  McAfee would surely block it!

I have been reading the Bible, still, night and day.  My most important goal is to get my children into it.  That is my plan for this summer.  I pray that they will all be Pastors when they grow.  They all read to me yesterday and today.  They picked their predictable passages: Rachel read Genesis 29-30 because it was about Rachel and Jacob.  She didn't ask any questions about all the babies being born... Patrick read the book of Jonah, (again).  Matthew picked out of Matthew, chapter 4.  Not light stuff (about Jesus and the tempter going back and forth).  He stopped at Matt 4:19 "And He said to them, Come after Me [as disciples-letting Me be your Guide], follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men!

There's gonna be a lot of fishing this summer.

what we've been up to

The days are flying by and now we have about a monthh to go 'til the end of the school year.

Yesterday Rachel was the best player on her soccer team.  She played goalie and no one scored on her.  Also on Friday she ran in a mini-olympics at school.  She accidently got called for the 3rd and 4th grade run (she's in 2nd grade) and she got first place.

Saturday morning before Rachel's soccer game Patrick went in to his allergist and had to get his shots and a check up because he got put on antibiotics for an ear-ache.  He was out of school for 2 days last week and should have been out the whole week.

Even so Pat and Matt played great soccer.  As soon as Rachel's game was over the rain started and it poured.  Cats and dogs and mice and lizards.  Matt had 13 soccer balls go in for the net when he played goalie; he blocked all but 2.  Pat played incredible too.  I don't think I ever saw Pat run.  He ran fast. 

Today church was great.  Then we went over to our parcel of land on 26 mile.  It seemed like about 300 or more people were there.  Four people from the band played and we worshipped outside.  Then all the pastors took turn shoveling a ceremonial shovel full of dirt.  Then more worship and everyone shoveled a little dirt before we left.  That will be cool if construction starts tomorrow!

cutting down on tv and computers and video games

My babysitter is fired!

No, not really.  I haven't used my babysitter in a long time.  Mike and I don't go out.  The kids are cutting down on their tv, computer, and game time.  We are throwing them outside and making their inside time a little more productive.

This morning Matthew worked on his "8" time tables and went outside and played basketball and his ripstick (a ripstick is a skateboard that takes 10 times the coordination).  Rachel worked on her addition/subtraction and played basketball.  Patrick read about David and Saul, then while I forced him to eat his whole bowl of cereal (Patrick is never hungry in the morning and it takes him hours to fully wake up and be cheerful.) we talked about David and Saul.  We talked about the Lord sending the evil spirit to Saul.  And why would the lord do that?  Saul was bitter and jealous.  Bitterness and jealousy are the door openers to evil spirits.  Saul struggled with that his whole life and David watched that.  David played music and sung to Saul and comforted him.  David comforted the very man who seeked to kill him, time and time again.  David prayed for and comforted his "enemy", Saul.                  If someone is our enemy, we are to comfort them and love them.  David was never Saul's enemy.  Saul was David's enemy.

saturated

Donna is thriving from her critical surgery.  She was very brave.  The heart doctor said she was very rarely healthy.  ie., the typical heart patient found in her condition is not seen in her health.

I praise God for the multitude of opportunity that occurred today.  It was a massive field.  And God let me see it and participate.  It was such an awesome day.  There are precious people out there and Jesus is coming VERY SOON.   We need to function with that belief imprinted in our foreheads (deep in our innermost thoughts, and imbedded in our thoughts).  We need to function

My cat, Pepper.

Last night, actually all day and night yesterday I wrapped presents for my neices and nephews for our family Christmas in Grand Rapids.

My cat, Pepper was having a hay-day pouncing on all the paper that I was trying to keep crisp, and wrinkle+ free.  She attacked every ribbon, bow, and scraps; and helped make more scraps when she was destroying all my hard work wrapping.

She found an old, yellow, fuzzy pipe-cleaner that she has been tramping around the house for a week.  I got up and threw it for her so she could attack it, and chase it down.  She did.  Then I got up again and threw it in another placce.  She chased it, attacked it again.  Then she brought it back to me.  So I threw it again.  So she fetched it and brought it back to me.  This went on another 10 minutes. 

Yes, my cat plays fetch.

She also goes to the bathroom in the bathroom.  That's another story.

trusting God pt 2

This Hannah, Sammuel, Eli connection is crucial.  I have got a hold of something; and I think God is pointing out my error.  And I think I'm finally "getting" it.

There is a state of viewpoint in cultue nowadays that says.  there is no god and everyone should go after his own way.  There are two scriptures that come to mind. II Timothy 3:7 "These weak women will listen to anybody who will teach them: they are forever inquiring and getting information, but are never able to arrive at a recognition and knowledge of the Truth. and another one that says that a man in his heart says that there is no god and that every man goes after what is good in his own eyes.  (In Deut 12:8, but I'm looking for a different example 11Tim 4:2-5 is along the same line, Proverbs 3:5)

My point centers around the answer to the question: Why would righteous Hannah take her son to be raised by a feeble fat washed up priest who couldn't even rein over his two own base sons? 

Because she promised God that if He would give her a son; she would then give the son back to Him.

Our ways are not His Ways.  Our understanding is not His understanding.  ISam16:13 shows the answer.  Sammuel is the one who annointed David king.  Sammuel is the one who cried and travailed in spirit just like his mom did.  Sam15:11 ...And Samuel was grieved and angry (with Saul) and he cried to the Lord all night.

When something is grieving you all night or for years and you call out to God in it, God listens!  God will do it in very unexpected ways.  God trained Sammuel through a very inept high priest.  Can we learn also from someone whom we deem in our own eyes, incompetent?  Would God pick someone in error to teach us?  Would God pick a man, full of faults to train us?

What is man that God is mindful of him?  Why does God bother with us? 

I don't know, but I'm sure glad he does.

trusting God when man lets you down

A very comforting account in the Bible is found describing Sammuel.

Hannah was barren and was in terrible anguish and pain.  Not only that, her husband's other wife taunted her on her barreness.  Not only that her thick-but-loving-headed husband says, aren't I better than 10 sons?  Isn't it good enough that you have me?  No one understands Hannah and her gut tearing grief, her travailing with nothing but sorrow to birth.  So when they go to the temple; and Eli witnesses poor Hannah pouring out her heart to God, then big old fat gluttony Eli wants to throw Hannah out of the temple because he thinks she must be drunk.

Oh my.  And after Eli gets it straight and Hannah's petition is answered.  Hannah weans her son and sends him to Eli.  Oh my.  Oh my.  And Eli's sons are a mess.  And Eli is the mentor to the progeny Sammuel.  And Hannah makes a linen ephod for Samuel.  She doesn't get to have a direct impact on the way he should go.  She has to trust big old fat dense,  no that's not right, annointed by God Eli to train her son.

God worked through all that.

We are not to trust in man.  Every man is a liar and only God is truth.  We have to trust God.  And still rub shoulders with people.  And trust God when our children are under other's care.  And trust God when our loved ones are being cared for by doctors.  And trust God concerning Eli rearing Sammuel...

My mom is in unbearable pain.  It's hard to understand that God is still in control, when she goes through torturous treatments by doctors that feel that her pain in psycho-semantic (in her head).

Pray for my mom.  It's kind of a Hannah situation.

curses and blessings

I just posted earlier how our tongue can get us into trouble.  It tumbles out of control and has a bigger impact than we ever thought.

My son had to understand the consequences of his actions.  But our whole family could learn a lesson.  I already have our nativity out on the fireplace.  I had the kids all take turns arranging it in the middle of the family room.  Then they all took turns telling me what was going on.  Then we went to Luke and the kids all took turns reading.  It was better than great.

Then my son and I went over about 10 passages that talked about sin, and the tongue. 

The kids want to do it again tomorrow.

Their computer is turned off, the tv is off and they are all upstairs in bed reading and taking turns.  They are reading Genesis.  All I told them was to go upstairs and read before lights out.  They picked what they wanted to read.

Do you see how God can work everything out for His good?

the tongue has the power of life and death

The tongue can be a wicked little member.  It has the power to deliver life and death.  Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.  And what is said in darkness is broadcast loudly in full daylight.

oh my, oh my, oh my.  Why would I be talking about all those scriptures all taken together, for?

If you want to be tested as a Christian; just have children.  You will have to beg for mercy and forgiveness from our Father.  I thank God I have Jesus to plead my case and give me mercy.

Here's what happened. 

Some time ago I was really mad at Mike.  I think it must have been a full-moon and right at the feminine cycle time.  I yelled at him (my loving, caring, compassionate, forgiving husband), something I should never say and something I didn't mean, not even a little bit.

Guess what happened?

On Monday my son said that very thing to a little innocent precious little 1st grader who is our neighbor and rides the bus with our kids.  He looks up to my son.  He believed what my son said literally.  My son did not mean what he said at all.

The little boy was so scared of my son that he didn't want to take the bus.

It is all resolved now.  I think Jesus interceded.  I think he sent his angels too, to lift us all up.

I had talked to the mom in the beginning of the year about coming to church.  About joining a Bible study.   Please have mercy on me.  There had been a tiny opening of the door,  she had seemed interested.  Her son still looks up to my son.  My son gave him a gift and a sorry card.  It went a long  way.  My son isn't going to get off easy.  And I don't know what I deserve.