Language is a Gift

I've been reading Honey for a Child's Heart and Honey for a Teen's Heart, both by Gladys Hunt.  Both of these books are about the importance of reading to your children and WITH your children.  Reading together as a family creates a unique experience and precious memories.  I recommend them both!  But there was one particular passage that has been sticking with me, and that concerns the words we speak and hear and read.

Readers, Science, and more!

Hunt says:  It is no small thing that we are able to take these shining symbols known as words and communicate with each other.  We have this ability because we are made in the image of God.  He created the world with His own speech...He communicates with us with language and allows us to speak to Him and to each other with words.  This is a sacred trust.  Just as God created a world for us to line in, so with our speech we also create a world for others to live in...Careless words are an affront to our Maker.  What are we saying about ourselves, our view of God, and other people by our language?

School books for Hannah next year

There is so much we could say about words and speech and language, but I'd like to camp out on the words that we consume, that we invite into our lives and hearts and homes.  As a lover of reading, I have chosen to surround our home with good books.  I don't think I could ever truly have too many books (my husband may disagree!).  But the issue here is "good" books.  I want books that we can not only read together and think together over and discuss as pieces of literature, but that we can also filter Scripture Word through our reading.  Literature is a great way to apply Truth and Grace and Obedience and begin to practice how all of "life must be seen through the framework of revealed Truth".  Learning to read is about learning to think and learning to think Biblically.

Science and horses and more!

This is really difficult to post this mess!  I have more books than I have shelves for and this is not even all of them.  I have not read all of these yet, and I want to move past just being a book collector.  But I think it is important for us each to have ready access to good reading, and we are looking forward to plunging in to this reading experience as a family.  

Kids' Fun Reading

Soul Food for Soul Hunger

Ever since a friend pointed out John 6 to me in a text message at 6:45 am last Friday, I've been camped out in this passage.  The "I AM" passages of John fascinate me, and this passage contains Jesus' statement:  


"I AM the Bread of Life"


Christ claims deity calling himself the I AM.  He is the new Manna given to the people who are needy and hungry.  Soul food for Soul hunger.  He doesn't just take the edge of the hunger until something more filling comes along.  


He IS the filling.  


Feast on the Giver of Life.

"Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, 

so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives." Psalm 90:14

To be full, have in God's love and mercy and faithfulness excess and abundance now in our youth, so that even to the end joyful praise to Him will be on our lips.

 "Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink -- even if you have no money! 

Come, take your choice of wine or milk -- it's all free! 

 Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? 

Why pay for food that does you no good? 

Listen, and I will tell you where to get food that is good for the soul! 

"Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the life of your soul is at stake.  

Isaiah 55:1-3a

Spiritual Anorexia.  Bulemia.  Remember that post?

"We live by every word that comes out of God’s mouth.  

God’s Word sanctifies us.  

As the words that have been formed in God’s mouth are digested as the Bread of Life in us,

 they begin to form our thinking, affections, and volitions in a wonderful way. 

If that's true, then we have an eating disorder on our hands!  I'm struggling with spiritual anorexia!  Am I now on a binge?  I hope that's not true...in the sense that I'm gorging myself with no real taste or ability to digest only to find myself in another anorexic binge.  Maybe this analogy makes you laugh, but I am dead serious.  Starving leads to body functions shutting down and doing without.  Spiritual deprivation from the Bread of Life will lead to parts of our lives being neglected and shutting down."

 I am in danger of starving myself.  I spent a few weeks gorging on the WORD, and then I spend days only nibbling, thinking that I was OK.  That I could go a few days without renewing my relationship with my Savior.  Just as I need food daily, throughout the day, I am only fooling myself by not nourishing myself as often with the True Bread.  When will I learn?

"Morning by morning he awakens me 

and opens my understanding to his will"  Isaiah 50:4

But the LORD's plans stand firm forever

Let the godly sing for joy to the LORD;
It is fitting for the pure to praise him...
For the word of the LORD holds true,
and we can trust everything he does.
He loves whatever is just and good;
the unfailing love of the LORD fills the earth...
But the LORD's plans stand firm forever;
his intentions can never be shaken...
He made their hearts,
so he understands everything they do...
But the LORD watches over those who fear him,
those who rely on his unfailing love...
We put our hope in the LORD
He is our help and shield
In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
Let your unfailing love surround us, LORD.
for our hope is in you alone.
Ps 33 NLT


Today is a day that our church has set apart for fasting and prayer for our dear friends Kendra & Ryan and little Colton.  Oh, how we love them and want this cancer inside Ryan to be defeated.  When facing a life-taking disease, it seems there are so many aspects that need attention:  obviously physical, spiritual, emotional, mental.  I didn't know where to start, and turned to this next Psalm in my daily reading, and am comforted.


Loving Father, I pray:

• Ryan & Kendra would sing to you with joy today
• Ryan & Kendra would use their skills to praise you today
• Ryan & Kendra would stand in awe of you today
• Your plans would remain firm for Ryan & Kendra
• Ryan & Kendra need your watch-care and unfailing love
• Rescue Ryan from this cancerous death
• Ryan & Kendra would put their hope in you alone
• Ryan & Kendra would trust in your holy name
• You would be their help and shield

Kendra posted this video on their blog, and it has become a favorite of mine:

Our God is Greater
Our God is stronger
Our God is higher than any other...


Our God is healer
Awesome in power

Practicing Easter: Can I get a Witness?

I'm so excited to think about extending Easter...Living Easter.


By Divine Providence, our homeschool Bible reading landed us right on track to read the Passion week last week, perfectly aligning with Easter.  And after that comes Acts.  And it's been amazing.  


The LORD Liveth! 
And blessed be my Rock
And let the God of my Salvation be exalted.


"You will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere!"


Good Ol' Peter, who is living un-Deny-ably after the resurrection.  Testifying of the LORD.  Proclaiming his witness to the Living Savior.


Am I a witness?  Do I know this Living God-Man?


I want to know Christ Crucified.
To know Him and this Resurrection Power.
"I am the Resurrection and the Life and He who believes in me will live."
"I am crucified with Christ.  It is not me who lives but Christ lives in me."


O Death, where is thy sting?  Our bodies are buried in brokenness,  but they will be raised in glory!  When that trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever.  With Him. ( 1 Cor 15)


So now, dear sisters, be strong and immovable.  Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. (I Cor 15:58)

Can I get a witness?


Isaiah 43:10 says, "But you are my witnesses, O Israel!  Says the LORD.  You are my servant.  You have been choses to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God.  There is no other God--there never has been, and there never will be.  I, yes, I, am the LORD, and there is no other Savior."


Can I get a witness?

Passover: what is this Jewish celebration all about?

Not so long ago, I thought little of Passover.  I knew what it was for.  I knew why the Jewish people celebrated it.  It couldn't be for Christians today.  I was wrong.  In our God's good plan, this is a foretelling of the Messiah.

q       God’s chosen people were slaves in a far away land

q       God wanted to rescue them & bring them to the Promised Land where they would be free to worship him.

q       Evil Pharaoh said no!

q       God sent 10 signs to prove his power over the Egyptians.  He turned water into blood, sent frogs, lice, flies, death to livestock, boils, hailstones, locusts and darkness.  Still Pharaoh resisted God.  So God sent the final and most terrible of the plagues.  The Death of the Firstborn

q       The Chosen People were instructed to choose a choice lamb—one that was perfect, healthy, without a spot.  They were to sacrifice this lamb, and with its blood, wipe it around their doorframes.  Be ready to walk away at any moment, have on sandals, make your bread without any yeast. 

“For the LORD will pass through the land to strike down the Egyptians.  But when he sees the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe, the LORD will pass over your home.  He will not permit his death angel to enter your house and strike you down”. Ex 12:23  

God will see the blood and know that the lamb died instead of you!  The lamb was the price to pay for redemption

Only recently, did I put pieces together in a thoughtful way.

Why did Israel remember this day thousands of years after?

q       The Chosen People were instructed to remember this special day of Rescue every year.  Remember when God spared our lives, saved us from slavery, and brought us into the Promised Land.  He is our Rescuer!

q       A Day of Celebration for being brought out of slavery!  Day of Deliverance! An even Greater Rescue was coming.  Many years later, God was going to do it again.

Yeshua—Passover Lamb

q       Hundreds of years later, the Chose People still celebrated Passover.  They were waiting for another Redeemer to come and rescue them.  Yeshua celebrated too—he gave thanks and had the Passover Meal with his followers.  He was betrayed and lead like a lamb to the slaughter

q       He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.  From prison and trial they led him away to his death. But who among the people realized that he was dying for their sins -- that he was suffering their punishment?  He had done no wrong Isaiah 53 7-9

q       Yeshua became the Lamb, the One who was perfect and pure.  This time, it’s the Son of God’s blood that was smeared on the wood for our salvation.  It’s his blood that sets us free from slavery—the slavery of sin.  It’s his blood that allows us to go to the Promised Land—to live the full and rich life that God promises.  This time, the chosen people are free forever and ever.

q       This is the only way that God could destroy sin and not destroy his children whose hearts were filled with sin.

q       Just like the Israelites, we too must trust that the Blood sets us free.  Jesus Himself has paid a great price for us.  We too, have a great Day of Deliverance—The day that we ask Jesus to set us free from the wrong things we do that displease God, ask Him to be the One who Saves us and sets us free.  We too become God’s Chosen, special people.

q       Once we are God’s child, we will always be God’s child.  We don’t have to ask him to save us again, or fear that we have done something so wrong that we can’t belong to him anymore. 

“You are a chosen people.  You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession” 1 Peter 2:9

q       Have you asked Jesus to be your Savior?  Are you one of God’s chosen people?  Do you believe that Jesus is the Lamb that took care of your sins?  “Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world!”

q       “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” Jesus says during Passover gathering.

q       God tells his Chosen People to never forget the day that He rescued them from Egypt & slavery and brought them into freedom and the Promised Land.  This year remember Passover.

Remember how Jesus is the Passover Lamb that rescued you & me from our sins.  This is why we celebrate Easter.  This is why each month we have a communion fellowship with the grape juice and the bread.  We don’t want to forget the sacrifice Jesus made for us and the amazing miracle of his defeating death by rising again 3 days later.

Tassels of Grace

Have you ever wondered why the Jewish people of old wore the symbols and boxes on the arms and heads? Sure, God told them to way back when Moses was leading the Children of Israel, but WHY?  I only recently considered that Jesus would have worn these same tassels and boxes and followed this rule of the law.  After much thought and reading, I concluded that maybe they weren't such a bad idea.  I need a daily putting "on" of my commitment to loving God fully with all that I am.  I need constant reminders and a prayerful heart towards giving up of myself and setting myself apart from what my flesh craves for and calls out to.  When we marry, we wear a symbol that shows all of this love and commitment as well as a reminder to ourselves.  Should we be any less obvious in our love for Jesus?

I created this to go along with a bracelet I recently purchased.  This bracelet goes on every day with a prayer of daily commitment.  I don't suppose this bracelet will last forever.  It's just a piece of string.  But I like it because it's blue, like the Jews were commanded to wear.  It has the infinity symbol on it, which reminds me of God's enduring faithfulness and eternal love he has for me.

A few weeks ago, I was pulling up to the ATM at the bank, when a song came through my minivan CD player.  Come thou Fount of Every Blessing.  Familiar, beautiful, striking notes.  This time the words of verse 3 struck me anew:

O to Grace how great a debtor

Daily I'm constrained to be!

Let Thy goodness like a fetter

Bind my wandering heart to Thee:

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here's my heart, O take and seal it;

Seal it for Thy courts above

Along with this physical reminder that I'm wearing, I was also convicted as to how I decorate my home.  I want visual reminders for ME to see, as well as my family, of how I ought to live.  I found these 2 verse plaques as the Family Dollar Store--doesn't have to be fancy!  Only $2 each.  I found a few more things that I'll be sharing later.  While these pictures aren't terribly clear, you can see that they contain Scripture.  Faith--Hebrews 11:1, and Hope--Romans 10:18.  These are on a shelf above my couch, and I was standing on the couch to take the photo, trying to keep my balance.  My 4-year-old decided to join me on the couch and wouldn't stop bouncing!

What do you do to remind yourself daily?

Where is the Good in This?

"Ryan has cancer".  Monday evening, I received a text from my husband.  Our friend, who had just spent an evening with his wife over to our house for a game of Apples to Apples only 2 weeks before.  His wife, who I  had discussed jogging together on Monday evenings.  It doesn't make sense.  I had to scribble this out in my Eucharisteo journal:

Where is the good in this, Lord?  The hard eucharisteo is here.  I don't understand how you get more glory in this than in living the full {long} life.  But I want to trust.  Give me and us eyes to see only with faith.  We promised to walk this life together, to "do life together" with this group of friends we have, and we don't know where it's leading.  We don't even know how to set down our feet, layed bare and raw, to start this journey.  This doing life together we promised to do, is not what I expected.  I don't even know how to pray when it doesn't make sense.  How do I be a friend?  I wanted to share Eucharisteo with her.  Should I still?

"Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand."
Isaiah 14:24

A good God plans everything.  A good God can only make plans for good.

Here's a little bit of God-glory that I have experienced through this already.

I have reaped so many benefits from A Holy Experience, that I wanted to read the book written by Ann, One Thousand Gifts.  This book was so good for my soul, that when I ordered a few books from Amazon a few weeks ago, this book found it's way into my shopping cart.  I don't know why.  I didn't know who to give it to.  It was just too good not to share.  The mail man dropped off the box of books, and I celebrated the 4 books in the box, all just for me.  One to study with a friend (Made to Crave), another book that I couldn't bare to part with after returning it to the library, so I bought my own copy (Sitting at the feet of Rabbi Jesus), and then this book that I didn't know what to do with.

I had this book for a few days, not knowing.  Then news of Ryan came on the phone, and we waited and prayed.  Kendra's name popped into my mind out of nowhere that I should give her the book.  I wrestled with the idea--in the midst of difficulties, a book isn't always most welcome.  I decided to present her with the idea and let her decide.  Sunday morning nursery found us together, and I shared the idea of this book with her.  She got this funny look in her eye, and said, "Is it eucharisteo?"  Lee, our sweet friend, had been telling her about this the night before.

Tuesday evening, I was heading north from Muskegon, and I picked up a little dinner for these friends.  I called to ask if I could drop by with the food and book.  They were already in Muskegon, visiting another dear friend of ours who just had a baby (who was also on my list of visits).  I met them at the hospital, exchanged greetings, gifts and book, and hugs to all.

Wednesday, I was sharing a little of this with Lee, and unbelievably enough, had planned on buying this book this very day for Kendra and FORGOT!

Praise Jesus for His presence in and through all of this.  For from Him and to Him and through Him be the glory forever!