Middle of life... middle of the road... middle of somewhere

Riding on Mt. McClure by our place in Twisp, WA

Dan is living one of his many dreams! We've camped and hunted around the area where our place is on the Methow River for 30 years. My Grandpa has gone to this area since the 40s. Each time we go over to our home there I wonder what it'd be like to live in a different place. You see, I've never moved from the county where I was born.

I'll be 50 next spring and my extrovert personality has done a 180! A friend who has has a "life-coach" certificate, says that around mid-40s we practically switch to the opposites of the personality traits we endeared. She said that when we hit our 60 & 70's we balance out the two differences rather nicely. It's probably just because we obtain more wisdom...

So my love to live for being with people is now the opposite. I love to be alone. I love to have time-outs!
I wonder if it's from always being surrounded with people & children... busy-ness of life which I've now come to know as the barren of busy-ness!  For me the constant pull between being a Mary & a Martha... I'm so torn!  I love to serve but I love to sit in stillness & worship my Father - Author who began my story & will be the Grand Finisher of my Faith-walk!  He is still writing this adventure God-tale!

Mama to 5... ( really 7!)

Danielle & her family Oct. 2010
Ted and his 2nd buck. It's been 13 years since his 1st.
April w/ the girls at Molbak's Dec. 2010

Keeps me too busy to blog... so pictures of my 5 will be it for today.



Grace is 15, Isaiah 13 1/2 and Ezekiel is 9 October 2010

BUSY BLESSED WORLD!

Gramma to 5 Grand-Princesses 6 1/2, 4, 3, 21 mos. & 2 mos. Oct. & Nov. 2010

Sponsor a Child - Compassion

Sponsor a Child - Compassion

Patrick Coffie - age 9 lives in the

coastal community of Anyaa,GHANA - home to approximately 15,700 residents. Common health problems in this area include malaria, skin rashes, malnutrition and HIV/AIDS. Half of the adults in Anyaa are unemployed but some work as market traders and earn the equivalent of $20 per month. Patrick's father is a "petty trader."

A letter came yesterday telling us that our Patrick's mother died yesterday. "Our project staff has not indicated the cause of death."

A REAL feeling came into my heart. So many times sponsorship seems surreal... as though it is just a normal part of our blessed life. Something we "should" do. A routine - like a payment. Upon receiving this news that I think is 2 months old - something changed.

We've been priveledged to sponsor him and Kisuze (age 14 from Uganda) for almost 5 years. Ezekiel is the most faithful to pray for our 3 children. We have Magie Sincere now 15, was our 1st, when she was 6.5 from Uganda. Each time I write I think how trivial our words are to these precious children who know nothing of material wealth. We don't know what to write as it seems like any thing is as if we are boasting. We have so much - what could we say that would be of a fresh encouragement?

I've just begun reading "The Hole in Our Gospel" by Richard Stearns, president of World Vision and know that the timing of my heart changing and being challenged is all a part of God's perfect timing to once again MOVE ME! We, in the American Church as Stearns says, "is the wealthiest community of Christians in the history of Christendom." What is "living a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God?"

Heavenly Father, I ask that you would soften this old aging soul - set in it's comfortable ways... Oh that I will daily see the photos of our 3 sponsored children and not make it so trivial a prayer - a payment - an act. BUT that You oh Lord, would let Your great love that does not consume, increase my compassions so that they would begin to never fail. Because Your's are NEW every morning and so very great is Your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3) Let it be to these children today... and especially to Patrick Coffie right now - In Jesus Hope-filled Name, Amen.

Link to Ghana via Compassion Int.
Prayer Requests

Opinion, I agree whole-heartedly with

and found to be true with our 1st two children...
(Click on Title to read great article about community college & entering early)

Grace's 1st High Point Show

My profound thought for yesterday...

Growing up has been fun (even through the hard times now that I can look back on them.) But this "getting old" thing, I'm just not seeing the fun in it at all!

A piece of advice I'm heeding on this Monday...

"... if you homeschool - your children MUST BE obedient and compliant otherwise you will not have the control you need which will cause you to "NOT" be able to guide, direct, and make them overall do their work, leading to an unsuccessful attempt which will likely end in failure - (sorry to be so blunt but this is serious business), their failure means that their future is affected negatively, closing doors of opportunity in their teen and adult life, and possibly even sending them to find "bad things" to help them cope, or even getting in with other "failed" people ending up in the "wrong crowd." One element that you have mentioned that demonstrates that homeschooling will likely not work, is that your child "won't do sports" showing that your child has "control" and in this situation the parent MUST be the one in control."
From Susie
www.TruNorthMusic.com

GOD's PURPOSES for yourself & your children

Have you read any of the Thomas Jefferson education books? http://www.tjed.org/ I got them from our library and enjoyed the philosophy. In a time when our country seems to be erring in education and politics - I want to do my part to encourage my children and others to look at our TRUE history, heritage and teach our children about the great leaders who went before us in times of hardship. As our last 2 sons have learning struggles I can lose my VISION, get discouraged in thinking that they won't or can't be leaders. I must remind myself daily: GOD HAS A PLAN FOR EACH of US!

Directing my children in a PURPOSE THAT WILL BRING GOD GLORY is my homeschool goal. As He has placed desires, talents, motivations and gifts in each one of us - my aim as mama-teacher is to help my children discover them so they can be God fearing, Christ centered, responsible and independent adults.

Our 2 daughters are very artistic - 1 from my womb & 1 through adoption. Our now 28 year old created and sold the wood crafts she designed, cut out and painted in bazaars by age 12. By 11 had consistent paying babysitting positions. This month she will end/close her 2 successful preschools when they are finished for the school year, as they will have 3 daughters under 3 in Aug. 2010. She got her ECE and AA degree by 20 She interned at our mega church's children's ministry, employed there after that, spent 3 months in an orphanage in India, worked in a Christian school preschool and then ran her own preschools. (She also has no high school diploma - a concern for some homeschool families but it hasn't hurt her in any way.)

Our very artistic 14 year old sells her WoolyWoofs (see at http://woolywoofs.blogspot.com/ or Etsy or Facebook)
on her own and in a local store. She receives special orders and as 1 person purchases one, another order comes in. She gives horse riding lessons to younger girls at our barn.

When our children dream - they need to see that dreams can become reality. They need to get a chance to be entrepreneurs! We don't spend a lot on curriculum but invest in things that will encourage our children's interests. We go to the library or bookstore to get books & DVDs on the subjects that they're inquiring about. Any ways we can encourage their God given dreams & let them soar! We must build & encourage a 'working' heart/mind/body in a day in age when many youth are unmotivated to do anything but play video games. We need more Christian led self-employed businesses!

I leave The Purpose Driven Life where I can easily read little blurbs from it as encouragement for me and my children. Even though it seems like we have no idea what direction we should go with our homeschooling or directing our young - we can TRUST that GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN US! I love Romans 8 from The Message - That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. Have a super day - dreaming & "entrepreneur-ing" with your children!

Suffering - a "Sullivan Crisp" perspective

I've read the 3 Sullivan Crisp Novels by Nancy Rue & Stephen Arterburn. Loving Christian fiction as a way of escape, (& longer than a movie,) their books have been intriguing because they have a twist of a Christian counselor who is working his way through his own pain to help others be delivered from theirs.
In book 2, Healing Waters (which won Novel of the Year from Women of Faith,) Sullivan Crisp states:
I've posed the question: 'Why God, if You are such a loving being and You care about every bit of toe jam and belly button lint that affects us' - I think the Bible says that much more poetically - 'why, then, do You allow suffering?' It's a question most of us have asked, especially in our own personal moments of misery. I don't have the answer yet, because I think that I, at least, have been directing my query to the wong place. Rather than asking God, why not put the question to Suffering itself? When Suffering grabs me by the heart, as long as we're that close why not take the opportunity to say, "What's your deal? What's this about" Since we're spending so much time together, can't I ask, 'Look what do you want from me? What can I do to get you to leave me alone?' Or better yet, 'What do I have to stop doing so you can heal me?" Some of you may think this is blasphemous, but I'm not going for the shock factor. I know this to be true: since we cannot eliminate suffering in this world, we must have relationship with it, because God apparently does. Rather than merely hate it - which we have every reason to do at times - or try to eliminate it completely, which we can't do - we have to get to know it, as it so intimately knows us. That is truth. Where that takes us, we have yet to find out. And Father - please, please, let me."

For the suffering that many are enduring right now - I am praying Our Faithful Father to give you His peace that can pass any of our understanding...

Identity... who am I?

Child of God's
wife
Redeemed
mother
Saved from hell
pray-ER
teacher - homeschooler
friend

Identity. Identify with.
Who am I?
Who do people think that I am?

Today while showering (again when I could blog my best thoughts,) I was thinking about how my last 3 children know a different mom than my first 2. The above list hasn't changed much over my almost 30 years of being a married adult. But when I think of who I was and to who I feel I am today - it just has a totally different look.

I used to love to move furniture, paint a room, wallpaper a wall, lead worship, stencil a border, sew a dress, bake cookies, host a party, do the music at a wedding, add an extra family to the dinner table, babysit an extra child, teach Sunday School, clean the house in an hour and on a weekly basis, and so the list could go on! A changer and a doer ... I was.

I used to be such a multi-tasker. When I got a great idea - I did it. Today when my ideas begin... they may not even go any place further than my head or heart.

Today, what a different woman I am. When I know what I need to do, what I have to do, and what I want to do... I come and sit at the computer and don't get any of it done.

These last three will know me as quite the shopper, Gramma Candy, Gramma Kiss, reader, computer sitter... seems like I've become quite the vegetable in my aged years.

But at least that first list hasn't changed and what God sees me as - His Own - I am not my own, I was bought with a price (I Corinthians 6 and again in Chapter 7) - I want to honor God in ALL I do! So I better get going today and DO it!

Understanding TRUST...

Seems like it's my theme lately as last week a fine young husband & father of 3 beautiful daughters, was taken by a freak accident. Now this week the Haitian earthquake and then AGAIN in our small community - a friend's precious baby grandson's life was stolen by SIDS.
Oh for grace to TRUST Him more - I keep singing the line of that hymn over and over.
In Nov. 08 - I wrote part of the words and here I am in Jan. 2010 still singing it. The last verse says:
I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee,
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
And I know that Thou art with me,
Wilt be with me to the end.
Oh how I am clinging to my Faithful Father, knowing that His Word holds the promises for life that we so desperately need. The same questions keep coming up and the exact answers may be hard to find but I know my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge— Ps. 147:8

Colossians 1 - from The Message

...asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard... As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. From Col 1: 9 - read the rest through vs 18 from The Message