Friday, June 25, 2010

Monday, June 21, 2010

Oh How He Loves Us- David Crowder

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us oh
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us oh,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

And we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If His grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
And heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…

That He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

This can only mean one thing...

That's right! You guessed it, we are moving again! What you might not know is that we have already moved once since coming to Illinois! That makes 4 moves in one year. The BEST news is that we have found a dream property and can't wait to buy it and live there! Now, for what to do during the 3-4 weeks that we will be homeless.... Always an adventure!!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Sacred Parenting



I have been reading Sacred Parenting- How Raising Children Shapes Our Souls by Gary Thomas the last couple of weeks. One chapter a day so that I can really savor it and understand what he is trying to say. (short lessons, as Charlotte Mason would say!)

I love the perspective that Thomas gives in this book. It's not about me or my selfish desires! When we first decided to have kids, it was all about us. We wanted, we decided, we timed it, and so on. The focus was on what we wanted and even what we believed we were entitled to- kids. Many years late (14 to be exact), God spoke into our hearts His desire for us to have more kids. He spoke into our hearts to say, "Let me be in control of every part of your life. Not just the parts that you want me to be in, but all!" What a different perspective. 16 months later, along came Isaiah! What a wonderful and merciful gift! And again, our perspective has changed. This child was born out of a desire to bow to our sovereign Lord, to glorify Him, to use our lives to make a difference for Him. And God gave him to us to shape our soul.

In Sacred Parenting, Thomas sums it up really well. yes, God gives us these children to bring to the throne of grace, but he also gives us these children to bring US to the throne of grace. Through them, we are being sharpened and honed, matured, and made ready for His service. It's undoubtedly the hardest job we will ever have. It's also a job that lasts our lifetime. It's a job that requires us to order our lives in such a way as to do the very best that we can- from God's point of view. And that requires a different perspective- that this life is not our own and that we must sometimes sacrifice and give sometimes until it hurts.

Thomas says, "Sacred parenting calls us to focus our brief lives on what will create the most impact for the future generations. We will soon be forgotten on earth, but we'll be remembered in heaven. Let us humbly accept this fact, and them embrace the sacred trust of children that God bestows upon us. We must reprioritize our lives according to our own relative insignificance, finally learning to think as God thinks... generationally. We are born, we die, and then we get out of the way. But those who hold parenting as a sacred journey, and treat it accordingly, will leave behind something wonderful and lasting."

Monday, June 7, 2010

Isaiah is 6 months old!






The Road Home...

This is the road that our home is on. So beautiful!



Saturday, June 5, 2010

Homemaking Blog


I have recently been introduced to a wonderful new blog- Raising Homemakers.

This is their description of their purpose:

"RaisingHomemakers.com is dedicated to inspiring, teaching and blessing mothers who have an interest in raising their daughter in godliness and preparing them in the arts of homemaking to the glory of God."

What an encouragement in our walk to raise up godly women! I am so excited to have this resource as I strive to give Emmie the tools that she will need to be a godly keeper of her home. To help her learn the art of homemaking, the privilege of child bearing and training, and the joy of impacting her family for generations.



Take a look, I think you will be blessed as well!