We had a great 2nd week at school. Time moves along steadily throughout the day.

The kids finished up today, with a little loud joyful worship dancing. (Their idea, not mine.) They have seemed to gravitate towards Matt Redman’s song “You Never Let Go”. I just realized as I was adding this link, that this song echoes the 23rd Psalm that we are memorizing this month. I don’t think that is a coincidence.

So I thought, I would leave you with a few questions I received this week:

• Mom, how come if I have 2 eyes, I only see one thing?
• Mom, can I paint?
• Mom, why is the sky blue?
• Mom, can I paint?
• Mom, why are there always dark colored people riding in the back of trucks and never white people?
• Mom, can I paint?
• Mom, can we have a dog?
• Mom, why are there starving people in the world? Can we send them some of our food?
• Mom, can we worship, and I sit in your lap while you hold the guitar and I do the strings?
• Mom, can we read some more of Pilgrim’s Progress?
• Mom, what does “redeemed” mean? Mom, what does “deemed” mean?
• Mom, the wind is really strong right now, can we fly the kite?

Can you guess who asked what? So I am off to fly a kite.

Peace to all kite flying enthusiasts today~

So I am a little late to actually posting within the flickr community. I noticed my amazing artistic husband’s flickr page is rockin’ and I thought I better get going. He always does that to me. Spurs me on in all the good and appropriate ways. So, next month I am upgrading to the pro account, so I am not limited to how many images I upload.

I’ve kind of thought, well, I post my favorites here on this blog, so why should I upload there. Well, I just figured out why. I was wrong to not participate and am happy to admit it. The more people critiquing your work, the better you get! So I am now psoting to some of my favorite groups. So go get your own flickr page and get posting:-)

My stream

Mikes stream

Enjoy!

in a very loud voice!

“I WILL FEAR NO EVIL FOR YOU ARE WITH ME!” over and over. Our youngest was having his quiet, alone time and was acting something out with a play sword. I have been working on the 23rd Psalm with the children. Each day, we go over another portion and find a beautiful photographic image to go with each section. Then we recite the portion we have memorized.

It is true, that if you feed your children good mental food to eat, they will grow big and strong. Oh I am sure the Charlotte Mason says it much more eloquently and flowery, but that is the basic concept. I think it is interesting that our youngest is resonating with this portion of the Psalm. He is very brave for his young age. Really people you have no idea!

We tell him often:

• Yes son, I know you are big, but you can’t work with matches. That is very dangerous I don’t care how many big kids (teenagers in our church) you saw doing it at the fourth of July.
  • (Matches and all flame starting devices are now banned from our home. Some of you may find it cruel that I pulled up stories on the computer, thanks to Google, about how children burned their houses down, and killed their entire family because they played with matches. My older 2 were crying their eyes out. For them, all I would have to say is, they are dangerous and no problem, with Hudson I have to go 500 extra miles for his little brain to get it.)
• Honey, we know you are very big, but you are still only 3 and you can’t use sharp knifes yet, no matter how well you think you can use them.
  • (Knives are now hidden on the top shelf of our cabinet and even I have to use a stool to get them. )
• Honestly child, I know you are very, very brave, but you may never, ever ride your bike away from home looking for your Mommy.
  • (Mommy was upstairs taking a shower, and then realized you were gone. I went out frantically looking for you, not ever thinking to check the gated pool. This was a big mix up in communication. Mike and Chloe went out for the morning and left the boys with me. Hudson assumed I left with Mike, and since he knows he isn’t old enough to stay home by himself, he decided to go and try and find us- dear child. I am now coloring my gray hair)
• I know you are strong and brave, but you can’t prop your bike up against a 6 foot high fence, then climb up on your bike and jump on top of the fence, in order to get a better view of the whole neighborhood, in search of your Mommy, who is now calling 911, hyperventilating, screaming your name like a maniac. Thankfully, you jumped down into the gated pool area, were contained and then found by a neighbor because you couldn’t get out again. I knew, I knew, I KNEW what I was doing when I started you in the pool at 6 months and started teaching you to swim. By 2, you could swim like Michael Phelps.
  • (I had an all points bulletin search going, with several cars canvasing the neighborhood. Our dog walking neighbor found him in a place I would of never thought to look. Inside a child proof gated pool. Ha - so much for child proofing.)
• Yes, I know you think you can handle watching the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe because you are very brave, but you are not old enough to handle CS Lewis’s epic. You have your whole life to see it. Let’s wait a year or two shall we?
  • He sees the cover of the DVD and sees the young boy with the sword the shield and is ready to fight and thinks it is all for him.

  

So we felt we were to name him Hudson Taylor for a reason. This child talks about seeing the world all the time, is obsessed with maps and randomly speaks of China fondly. Trust me we NEVER brought this stuff up to him. It is just coming out. Out of all our children, Hudson is the one who speaks of Peru often and wants to return, today as a matter of fact. I think that portion of the Psalm is God’s way of reminding me, that he is covering this child, and that I am digging my heals in and hanging on for dear life.

Seriously, I have a MAJOR problem that I can not remedy. Please give me some tips if you have any.

I have two young men in our home. Okay let’s be honest, they are little boys and they are both independent in the restroom. I think they are training to become fireman or something as they are experimenting with spraying. They must “miss” often because the smell of urine has slowly been escalating the past few weeks. With the summer heat and my need to keep the door always closed, because it is located in a walk through area and if it stays open it blocks the path, the smell intensifies.

I drench it in pine sol and wipe it down and, and, and…… NOTHING! I am disgusted and have to apologize to guests as the walk in to use the facilities. We are leaving for the weekend, and I am literally leaving raw pine sol on the floor the entire time, in hopes that the smell will be gone already!

Any Helpful de-stinking tips? Please….anyone…… help!

So I am wondering out loud here. When I first even thought of homeschooling when Jackson was a baby, Mike and I didn’t want to do it alone. We had hoped in some small way, that we could do it together with other like minded families in the area. Maybe even families that would be a part of our faith community.

Now, in our particular church context our kids are the youngest right now and there are many homeschooling families in our church but they are all high schoolers. They all do tons of things together, but that isn’t something we can take part in. I have tried the local Christian home school group and it is very clicky to say the least. There is something at a local church, but you have to be in upper elementary to participate.

I was just saying to a friend, that next year I would love to have one or two days a week, where I invite some other families over to do some co-op stuff, just for our kids to be able to interact with others and learn something in a larger environment. Then my sis in law sent me this link and I sighed and wished that something like that was here.

One of the down falls of a home school environment, is that you are Mom/teacher/ and everything else. So you children react to you in a way that they probably wouldn’t in a traditional school environment. For instance, our daughter would excel and go way above and beyond if someone else was teaching her something, and when I do it, I get “Mom, do I have to?” Um, yes my dear, you do!

So I am a bit ticked, sitting here at 6am, frustrated that I didn’t run, wondering why I always end up having to start something? Seriously, can’t there just be something already established and going? Ugh - I am off to change my attitude and have a brilliant day!

Any like minded, homeschooling, kingdom minded, missional church living, families with young children are welcome to move here and join in the fun. Umm, it is warm here year round and we have the beach.

I have realized 2 things.

1. The summer allows tons of time for children to forget what they had down so naturally a few months earlier. I am hoping it will come back quickly. How do I negate this in future years? Is that even possible? I did a small amount of school this summer but obviously not enough.

2. It takes much longer to school all of them, then I originally thought. Hopefully, they will get into the flow of it and so will I. Hudson is my interrupter. I HAVE to work on that for sure.

On another note, I had the “littles” arrange some flowers for our school table. I got our new lens, which will take some time getting used to. More excuse to work away on it:-)

Peace to all those who are putting one foot in front of the other~

perfect penmanship (trust me for a boy this IS perfect)

and puddle play.

Ah yes, a perfectly splendid, orderly, efficient, yet gentle, done by noon, day of education. I was TERRIFIED that we wouldn’t fall back into the routine, because no matter how hard we tried this summer, things just kept getting postponed. Well, today, it was like riding a bike. All cylinders firing, and happy children. Oh Happy Days! Now, tired children will be going to bed early and we will hit it out of the park again tomorrow. I am doing a serious happy dance.

Peace to all Homeschoolers Today! It’s going to be another great year.

“I long to accomplish great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks

as if they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes,

but also by the aggregate of the tiny shoves of each honest worker.”

~Hellen Keller

I am off to accomplish my humble task. Pray with me!

(7 fresh bluberries on my white plate.)

It’s been seven years since we left Gainesville. I think it is funny, it was also 7 years of training, between the time of hearing God call us into ministry, specifically church planting, and leaving to go to parts unknown. I remember distinctly sitting with a few friends praying and waiting on God in Gainesville about moving forward. We knew that we would be moving soon, but were newly pregnant and were not sure of when to actually pull the trigger. In our best thinking, we thought we should stay in Gainesville, have our first baby, and then move with a new born. Knowing what I know now, I am so thankful God moved us when we were 7 months pregnant. At the time, I couldn’t see that but now I do. Do you see a pattern?

(Mike and me at 7 months pregnant. With our first child, that was my favorite dress, by the third baby,I hated it.)

As I was saying, Mike and I were sitting and praying with friends and I got the very vivid picture of the number 7 etched into a large rock. At this time, we were wondering what to do. Do we recruit some from Gainesville to move with us as is conventional church planting wisdom, or do we go, by ourselves and trust God? I felt like God impressed upon me that 7 would be the number of people that we started this little church with and that they were here in South Florida waiting for us. And, I am here to say, that 7 it was, and yes they were, our new born baby being one of them.

It became radically apparent that we were to move, and within 2 weeks our house had sold, we packed all of our belongings in a little Uhaul truck, or church family laid hands on us, prophesied over us, ordained us, cried with us and then in a bitter sweet moment, sent us out. Just the 2 of us, pregnant with not only our physical baby, but this hope and vision that God had so deeply sewed into our hearts. It is sewn so deep, it causes us to limp. It has forever changed us and who we are. I think that is what calling does. It wrecks you for normal life. We had no idea what we would be getting into.

(Our first home in Gainesville, FL. Those trees dropped some wicked leaves.)

Upon settling into temporary quarters (did you know we have moved 7 times since arriving here-I know it is getting strange), Mike felt deeply that we were to wait until the baby was born before we did anything formal. And so, we began to detox, from the business of ministry we had always known. We read, we prayed, we slept, we were introduced to ancient church mystics, we asked for guidance, and one by one, those 7 dear friends were drawn together and we started asking, “What is church?”. What does it mean to be the sent and called people of God. How do we help people actually become a student of Jesus in their real lives. How do we reach the world where they are at, instead of asking them to come to us? What is really essential and important in being the church, and what can we just chuck by the wayside? So many questions, so much unpacking, so much unlearning and relearning.

Last Thursday we had 2 birthday celebrations in our home. Our physical baby turned seven. He has moved into a level of growth a maturity that is new for us all. He has lost teeth and grown adult ones, he has learned to read, write, speak intelligently, have an opinion and take care of basic needs. God forbid he ever get lost somewhere, he would have the ability to find his way to help and then home. Now, he is at a place that we can deeply call out and instill values that will take him far in this great life. It is a fun stage of parenting. Much more of what I had envisioned when I was dreaming about being a parent. I just didn’t realize you have to go through all the messy, sleepless stuff to get here:-)

Well, our little church, or faith community as we like to call it, turned seven too. It too has lost teeth, painfully I might add, and grown new adult ones. Learned to think and respond and take hold of what it means to be a called gathering of Gods people. God has called many people to come along side of us, to take hold of what God has placed in their hearts and dig in here. It has been a hard and rewarding process for all of us. It looks a bit like what we hoped it would in the beginning, and yet, just like with our little 7 year old boy, we only have glimpses of what it may look like fully matured.

Last week, I had not thought of any of this, until I was doing dishes and God showed me that rock again. Mike and I call them anchors and we have many of them in our journey of faith. We write them down, remember them, review them often. Those little moments that you are sure that God is saying something profound, and that for some reason you must remember them. Encouraging words from friends that were straight from the thrown room of God, personal visions, dreams, particular verses and passages in the Bible, all things that God has been speaking and saying to us for years now. We were told early on, by our church planting assessor, that these anchors at times would be the only things that we could hold onto in ministry. At the time, I thought it was a bit morbid, now I understand.

The first year, Mike did not work conventionally, as we worked out this calling of ours. In time, we made the choice, to be just like everyone else. So he started working as an engineer again and currently works 50+ hours. How could we ask others to grab hold of their discipleship to Jesus in the midst of real life, a life that we would not be able to understand if we did not do it as well. So, no mid week pastors lunches, yearly pastor retreats, pastor appreciation gifts, or even the title pastor. And yet, it is hidden, and quiet, and not paid for, but he pastors and leads and assists with the best of them and doesn’t get one red dime for it. We like it that way. Guess what? God has led a few others who are doing it to with us. My dear sweet amazing husband has given up a lot these last 7 years. There aren’t many patting you on the back in this space. So I pat him on the back as often as I can. He is brilliant and humble and stubborn in all the good ways, always pushing past the good in pursuit of the best. I love living this thing with him. There isn’t anyone else I could do this with.

So, as I was doing dishes and God reminded me of that rock, I felt like He said, There are 3 periods of 7 here in South Florida and we have just completed the first leg of this 21 year experiment. It was almost like I heard the click of a door closing behind us and a new door opening in the spirit. Everything we learned the first 7 years of training, and everything we added, omitted and rebooted our second 7 years of detoxing will propel us forward into the next 7 years of gathering. Mike and I think it is interesting that Hudson will be 18 at the end of the third 7 years. So It will be fun to see, who keeps moving along with us, and who new may be added to the mix.

So what’s next? Stay tuned and I will keep you posted!

Yeah right! Are you kidding me?

A teenager in our church just invited us to her sweet 16 party. The invitation reads and I quote, “kickin’ it old school for a 80’s themed sweet 16 party”.

Seriously, I am old, and now there is proof that defies my beauty and good looks:-) Thankfully for me, I hear that 50 is the new 30. I lived the 80’s through elementary and junior high and the beginning of High school. I saw bubbles skirts, leggings, parachute pants and ray bans galore, and now, I think I am seeing them all again.

So for all of you out there who lived the 80’s for real, this one is for you! You know it had to be a great song if Jessica and Brittany remade oversexed covers of the classic. (Tongue firmly planted in cheek on that one! I worn you, don’t you tube these covers…no I said not to, Oh man I warned you!) Seriously, so many current artists have covered this that they must be rolling in royalties.

Peace to all those who wore jellies, bubble skirts and leggings the first time around, Congrats, you are old just like me:-)

(Happy Sweet 16 Savannah! Life moves fast. Enjoy every minute!)

This a.m. we had donuts for breakfast. Hey, it’s a birthday treat! It’s every 7 year olds dream don’t ya know:-)

And we did a little jumping, and swimming, and all around playing. Pool water helps clear a stuffy head.

And I watched from the sidelines and reflected on the lat 7 years. So many things have been born and grown in our lives the past 7 years and Jackson isn’t the only thing. More on that in a later post.

Peace to all who are stewards over growing, living things today,

Poor kid turns 7 tomorrow and is sick as a dog.

I was gently stirred this morning at 5am, by his little brother yelling “COME QUICK IT IS AN EMERGENCY” and the subsequent sounds of wretching in the background. That is always a good way to start any day I am here to tell you!

Boys are sick, Sissy is fine, but wants to stay in her PJ’s and drink Gatorade too. Only thing we did different, I took the boys to the Super Wal-mart (first time, new germs) to kill some time while sissy was on a princess play date. They are sick, she is fine, you do the math! So who’s up for Gatorade and Ice-cream today?

Mommy wants a nap! Mommy is thankful for the stupid box TV on days like today, and Kleenex and flushing indoor plumbing and washing machines and air conditioning,and Gatorade and…..and…and….. I am a spoiled western American. Every time I go through this, I think what do single working Moms do, what do Moms with no medicine and sanitary conditions living in third world countries do? Mommy is thankful in the midst of vomit, and you can’t say that everyday now can you!

Yesterday I was talking with my friends and the topic of chores for our children came up. Hey, this is my philosophy. If I had to do it when I was a kid, so do they. I am joking really, but my parents expected us to clean right along with them. They both worked, so this practice was the only way we ever got everything really clean. I remember Saturday morning family clean up time and I always did the bathrooms. I learned early how to do laundry. My brother and I had to do our own, and around 12 or so, started occasionally cooking family meals. The cooking thing was more because I was interested in doing it and not because I had to, but I even remember being sent to the grocery store with a list and a check to get the groceries.

I love being a “stay at home” Mom but it could be easy to fall into the trap of “Oh well, I will just do it myself. I can do it faster, and better and it is just easier.” Well easier now, will get me in a heap of trouble later. I think that is true with most things. Or even worse, the false thinking that this was my job alone. Wow - that will burn a Mom out fast. Hey people, I subscribe to the philosophy that “team work makes the dream work.” I routinely say, “I am not the servant, we are a team we do it together.” My children are now 7,5 and almost 4 and they have to strip beds, sort laundry, take their plates into the kitchen and take out the trash. My oldest is doing more advanced work like helping load and unload the dishwasher, starting the washing machine and making his own breakfast and lunch. My little girl loves to help me organize and wants to wear gloves with me when I clean the bathrooms, so I let her work next to me. Our youngest is the trash boy and although he drags it across the courtyard to get it to the trash can, I let him do it, because he is so ready to do so.

Yes, I admit, it isn’t efficient. Sometimes, it is messy. Even as we speak, I need to vacuum up laundry detergent on the hallway next to the laundry machines. BUT….it is training them in life learning. They are beginning to understand that we all work together. That they need to be responsible and lend a hand and that they can do it. It really does make them feel important and competent. I have more to say about this and will work on forming an age appropriate list that will hopefully help some new Moms starting out!

Peace to all cleaners today.

It works, trust me…just do it!

I have said before that for the last year we have consistently been taking an hour a day to have time by ourselves. Now, yesterday, Chloe asked (as I was running a bit late) Mommy is it time yet for quiet time? They all three ran up the stairs. Now Hudson is just now transitioning into the “honor and privilege” of not napping and being able to be have alone time too. I explained, with great theatrics’s, how special and grown up it was to do this and that he mustn’t bother his brother and sister because this is just their special time all to themselves. He stayed in his room working and singing away, which I must say is a huge milestone. So you see, you just keep doing things, over and over and over and in time even the strongest willed of the bunch gets it.

When I called them out to go to the library they all started saying, “Mom not yet, we need a bit more time to play.” Guess what. I said “NO”. I made them take a break and said, “Sorry, we must go”. Now I am not mean, there is a method to my madness..I want them to crave that time again the next day and literally run up the stairs to have some quiet space to themselves and pick up where they left off. In time, my prayer is that they will value this time as they are able to be still and quiet enough to hear the Holy Spirit nudging them along in this great life.

I have had other parents tell me they thought it was “strange” that I did this. Oh well wouldn’t be the first time. My kids are all together all the time practically from the day the 2nd and 3rd were born. I don’t want dysfunctional kids who don’t know who they are on their own. Oh My that is another post in and of itself.

See you all tomorrow,

“Contemplative practices are basic grammar to our discipleship to Jesus”. As in, you have to have them in order to develop a beautifully written story of faith with your life. Our good friend, Dave Nixon has some amazing thoughts about the contemplative life. (Just play around over on the sustainable faith site. Read away, it will do you good.)

Over the past 9 years, Mike and I have been becoming fluent in contemplative traditions and how they relate to our discipleship to Jesus. It is still stunning to me how few people really want to dig into this. We don’t understand how such a deceivingly simple practice can bring a deeper level of healing within. Few people want to sit still and be quiet. I was sitting quietly before the Lord the other night with a friend and she asked me, “Do you do this a lot?”. I thought, well yes, I do, and you know what, I could stand to do it a bit more for longer periods, like days to be precise but I digress.

Being rooted in the Vineyard tradition, gave us great experience in kingdom theology, power ministry, flowing in the Holy Spirit, worship and ministry to the poor in spirit. Upon being sent from our dear sweet church in Gainesville, we began to realize that we only had half of what would be important in helping people recover their whole life in discipleship to Jesus. We needed to understand about contemplative exercises and how they help the inward journey, not just for those who God would call to travel with us, but for our own life in Him. I guess you can think of the last 7 years as gathering tools to put in our bag. Valuable tools, that will keep us moving forward in ministry for a lifetime. There is no duality in our lives. We are who we are everywhere, ministering as Jesus leads, hopefully stewarding well everything He has given us from the environment to our monetary resources. Our whole life is ministry, is holy, redeemed and valuable.

So now, 7 years out, I have a dream of taking all the amazing and wonderful practical knowledge we have from the Vineyard, season it with a good does of Celtic contemplative practices, set in a deep narrative of social justice all wrapped up in a bow of people who are hungry to worship the true and living God. I don’t think that is too much to ask…do you? As a matter of fact, that is my prayer for the next 7 years.

Let it be so Lord.

Well, for many reasons, Mike and I are tightening the belt, and being creative with the resources God blesses us with. I am a big advocate of using what you have, buying used and not getting something because it is the newest or just because you want it. God is steadily delivering us, form poor financial choices within our control and hard circumstances outside of our control. Now we want to be faithful to both save and be generous to those who need it. We are coming into a new season on many fronts, but one of the ear marks of this time, will be how we learn to save and control our spending.

So, I am cleaning out and organizing our closets (again) and getting ready for school this week. Some how or another, I always find something I can list on eBay. So this week I am listing 4 or 5 things and also going through clothes. Not to donate but to scavenge from. I grabbed these bottons from an unused shirt and will turn the body of the shirt into interfacing for something else I am making.

I enjoy sewing and hate going to the fabric store with the kids, so I have given myself a new challenge. What can I make that is new from something I already have lying around. So I am creating “out of thin air” and excited. Look at how this women turned her old t-shirts into cute baby clothes. I need a wallet as I don’t have one, so I am going to make this one.

Pray for me!

Just checking in. I will be back in a day or two. Until then, you can watch this and shed a tear with me.

Peace to all~

are on the way! I can’t wait. Here is our book list for year two.

I splurged and bought both the audio cd version and the written version of Pilgrims Progress.

This summer we did school a bit. Math, reading and a few family read out-louds. Heidi was a favorite. We got through half way reading out loud, and then found the audio version from the library and finished up listening to it.

Now, to assemble our handmade Book of Centuries and off we go again. I CAN’T WAIT TO GET STARTED! I feel like I need to lay my clothes out and get all my pencils in order.

Peace to all book lovers today!