Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Micah 6:8


He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
 
I think many christians at some point in their walk with the Lord find a verse that really speaks to them. It's a verse that really hits them deep for whatever reason. Micah 6:8 is mine. Sure many other verses have made life changing impact in my life, but this one shapes every choice I make. It's a "rule" I live by.
When making a choice this verse inspires me to ask 3 questions:
Is it JUST?
Is it MERCIFUL?
Is it HUMBLE?
As an adult, that one verse is enough to keep myself in line. Children however, require a bit more direction. So were born our house rules. Each rule is based on scripture because there is no better place to turn than to the word of God when you need to know how to raise your child!
 
House rules
1. Be Kind
Ephesians 4:32
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

2. Obey the first time.
Ephesians 6:
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

3. Be Happy, Speak only of good things.
Psalms 34:1
I will bless the Lord at all time: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.


4. Never lie. Always tell the truth.
Proverbs 12:22
Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight.

5. Treat others how you want to be treated.
Matthew 7:12
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

6. Do not whine or complain.
Phil 2:14
Do all things without murmurings and disputings.

7. The first answer is the answer; do not nag.
Ephesians 6:1
Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.


8. Show respect.
Romans 12:10
Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.

9. Share what you have.
Deuteronomy 15:11
For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy need, in thy land.

The kids all have or are working on memorizing these verses and the rule that goes with them.
We've also used them for copy work for repetative infractions.
 
I have also found the Child Training Bible to be a great resource.
 
I wish I could take credit for this idea, but the idea and most rules came from Trivium Academy.


 

Monday, January 28, 2013

My you have your hands full

Anyone with more than 3 kids knows, when you leave the house you're going to hear a few questions and remarks...

"Are they all yours?" No, I love taking extra kids to the store!
"My you have your hands full!" Better full than empty!
"Don't you know what causes that?" Yes, and I seem to be good at it.
"Don't you own a TV?" If you think TV is more fun, you're doing it wrong!
"Better you than me!" I'd have to agree.
"Are you insane?" Not yet, but if people keep asking personal invasive questions I will be.

But not once has anyone asked me WHY... Why do I have 6 kids?

Well, that is a story of conviction that I would like to share with you and this story perfectly showcases how absolutely stubborn I am. It's a good thing the Lord never gives up on us.

I'd love to say the answer was a simple "While we were engaged we agreed to leave all matters in the hands of the Lord, including the womb." That answer means a lot less pain in my life. Truth is I wasn't saved, engaged, or at all open to the idea of someone else controlling my life when I found out I was pregnant with my first. I was happy but angry. Babies are great and all, but I was on the pill and had only known my boyfriend a few weeks.

We did the "right" thing and got married. After Alex was born I started using the birthcontrol patch. Only to discover that when my sweet baby girl was only 3 months old, I was once again pregnant. There were a lot more emotions this time... I knew how much work this was going to be, I hadn't even gotten to sleep the night again, and *surprise* my husband wasn't exactly a real prize. I was happy because I knew how wonderful motherhood was, but I was also scared, felt betrayed by my body and was really mad...

I started joking that clearly I was just created to make babies, but I still tried to prevent another child after Baillie. This time I tried an IUD. Shortly after discovering I had concieved again, I miscarried.

I was just angry. I was angry with a God I had placed no faith. Angry that He would let this happen to me. Angry He would take my baby. Finally, angry I hadn't trusted Him.

If I thought God had the power to ignore my attempts to control my life and He could circumvent birthcontrol so that I concieved maybe this guy deserved some respect. I became what I now call a "lukewarm Christian". I acknowledged His exsistence and that He had a great deal of power. But I still didn't show Him much respect and I certainly still maintained that I was the one in control of my life.

When the birth control ring failed, I welcomed Cheyenne with more excitement than fear or anger... but I was still upset that God did this to me! I wanted more time, I wanted time to myself, I wanted a lot of truly selfish things and God kept giving me babies that made those things so hard achieve! I loved them, but I was still waiting for what I really wanted.

Of course, with all that anger also came the feeling that I am in control of this. Dakota is the result of nursing and the mini pill "failing". After Dakota was born I finally started going to church and actually reading the bible. I started to be more than lukewarm for the Lord.

When I discovered Emmilynn was on the way, I was thrilled to recieve another blessing! Sure, I hadn't planned her and the Deop shot should have prevented her exsistence but I was so excited to welcome her! And actually I bit sad that she would probably be my last child... I mean, the van was full and we're not those crazy people who end up on TV!

Oh, how the Lord worked in my heart after Emmilynn's birth! I had never disagreed that children are a blessing but I had over and over told the Lord through my actions that I was blessed enough and knew better for my life than He did. Who did I think I was!?

I spent a long time trying to find some bible passage to back up my desire for control... because that's what I wanted and everyone seeks what they desire. I never found what I was looking for.

I found time and again the words surrender, abandon, sacrifice, follow and the resounding truth that every child is a blessing and the Lord is the only one with control over the womb. I prayed and prayed and prayed. I talked to my husband.

And I resolved to never again take that control into my own hands, I will leave that power to the Lord where it belongs. No matter how scared, fearful, angry or displeased I am with the path the Lord leads my life down at any given time, it's His choice because my life is His.

A lot of people have commented since my husband left me over a year ago, that at least I don't have to worry about getting pregnant again. My heart breaks that Finnegan may be my last child. That I may concieve only one son through complete surrender to the Lord.

I want to be blessed by my heavenly Father and children are a prized blessing!

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Simple Matters

In our house, we strive for simplicity.
 
Which is a lot harder than it sounds...
 
Living simply can free up your time, attention and resources. The more of those you have freed up, the more you can use them for the Lord's glory.
 
Sometimes simple means less...
Less house to clean.
Less clutter to manage.
Less money spent.
Less time wasted.
Less stress.
 
Sometimes simple means more...
More time to enjoy.
More happiness.
More fun.
More space.
More purpose.
 
Simplicity quality over quantity.
I'd rather have a few well made items than a house stuffed full of things I'll never use and have to keep organizing to make room for more stuff.
 
We dress simply.
We live simply.
We spend simply.
 
We simply enjoy life!

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Jesus Loving

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31


That's us. We are bible believing, conviction following, obedient children of our heavenly Father. Why?

God sacrificed His son to forgive my sins.
Jesus Christ allowed himself to be crucified for my sins.
I didn't deserve to be saved from eternal suffering in hell.

But Christ still died for me.
and for my kids.
and for you.
For everyone.


Now, as a mom I think about this. I would do ANYTHING I could to protect my children from harm. Jesus suffered unimaginable pain and abuse even before His crucifixion and then died a slow and agonizing death on the cross. How much does God love us to stand aside and allow all of that to happen to His only child so that we may be saved? There are many people I love, people I love so much I hurt when they hurt. But if I had to make a choice between them and one of my children.... well... I would do anything to protect my children.

God's love for me is beyond my comprehension.

Out of respect for that sacrifice and love for a Father who would make a choice in my best interest even when it hurt Him so greatly, I obediently follow His word. We are called to do everything to bring glory to Him. The best way to bring Him glory is follow His word, listen when He speaks to your heart and try to live as much like Christ as possible.

We are all weak in our flesh. We will sin. We will fall short.
Our lives can still serve as a living sacrifice. A moving breathing example of Christ's love!

We're saved only by believing that the Christ died for our sins. God's grace grants us that.
No amount of good works will get you through those pearly gates.
But when I reach those gates, I want God to know that I took everything He gave me and used for His glory, spread His gosple not only with my words but my actions, and that gave my life to Him as a living sacrifice our of appreciation for what Christ did for me.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

In the begining...

In the begining God created the Heaven and the Earth. Genesis 1:1
 
He had to start somewhere and so do I. The Lord started with the foundation, the basics and who I am to think I can start anything in a manner better than He did!
 
We are a.....
 
*Jesus loving
 
*Home schooling
 
*Cloth diapering
 
*Simplicity striving
 
*Quiverful minded
 
*Homestead loving
 
*Hard working
 
*Single parenting
 
.... family of 7.
 
I look forward to sharing experiances, encouargement and fellowship with those who find themselves here.