Jesus and my Husband

Since my last post, I have been considered deeply what the CALL OF GOD is on my life.  I am a child of God. I am a wife. I am a mother. That’s a simplified list, but where the Lord is wanting me to focus right now.

As a child of God, my first calling is to seek out my Father.  This is my privilege, to be a child of the King. I ought not to take this lightly. He seeks me out, He pursues me with His love, I am the apple of His eye.  He desires to hear my heart and to pour into me. He has absolutely everything I could ever need for this life.  2 Peter 1:3 ”…His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us…”  Jesus should always be my top priority. Not only if it’s convenient. Not only if I feel “spiritual”. Not only if I’m desperate. Not only if I’m blessed.  Always. Every day. Day in and day out.

I am a wife. I’ve got a great husband. I didn’t say perfect but he is great. He loves Jesus more than he loves me. He loves me with all his heart, and I don’t deserve it. He loves our five children. He works hard for Jesus. Serves His people faithfully. He works hard for his family.  And I am the one that God gave him to care for him, cook for him, wash his clothes, clean his house, love him selflessly, above my own needs or wants.  Honestly, because he is an adult, and with five little ones running around needing me to care for their needs, it is real easy to let my husband’s needs slip to the bottom of the list. And that’s not right. Nor acceptable. 1 Corinthians 7:34″ … she who is married cares about the things of the world–how she may please [her] husband.”  So, Jesus first; my husband needs to be second.

And next… the call of God to be a mother.

Since this call is pressing in on me now, check back in a few days! I’ll share some of my thoughts and vision that God has given me for being a godly mother.

Re-evaluating Life

Bebe took the two big kids and went on anexcursion. A two day trip to Utah with a mission…snowboarding! They are all thrilled, this being the only time they’ve gotten to ride this season.

Last night, Joy girl spent the night at her friend’s house. This was her first “real” sleepover! Wow.  She’s getting big…

So that left me with just my two little ones last night.  And some much needed time to think…

I’ve been having a bit of overload lately.

My two youngest, we’ll call them “Grace” and “little Man”. (Ironically, Grace is her middle name and she sure needs a lot of God’s grace to keep her safe as she tumbles through life! And then, little Man is as just as stubborn as an old weathered man!) Anyway, they are at each other constantly. I am attempting to homeschool the other three: 4th grade,  2nd grade and Kindergarten. Yes, attempting; feeling like quite a failure these days.

On top of the normal, we have had a terrible time lately with allergies and asthma. This has meant numerous breathing treatments and “chest clopping” daily for the last month. Add to that, crazy house cleaning like I’ve never done…and don’t enjoy – and you’ve got one worn out mom.

Last night was good for me. I sat down to do my bi-yearly (or so) “homeschool review”. It’s a time to reconsider what each of my child’s needs are. Their strengths, weaknesses; how I can care for each one individually. And then I reformat a new schedule that will hopefully accomodate everyone.

I didn’t get far at all.  All of my kids need more of me.

And I already feel like there is not enough of me to go around (and I’ve not at all mentioned that I am a wife and have a responsibility to my husband too!)

So, I somehow ended up on a few websites, blogs, and the Lord brought me to a better place.

Re-evaluating my life! Yeah, that’s big.

Instead of trying to “fix” this one area of “how do I fit all my homeschool in?”, He brought me to a deeper issue of what is my purpose and how can I work with HIM to fulfill the call He has put on my life.

Now I’ve got some praying and thinking to do. I will certainly revisit this. It all needs to simmer in my mind and heart for a bit first.

Plus, little Man is climbing on the counter and I need to go get their chest x-rays done again before picking up Joy girl.

I’ll be back again soon. Until then, may the Lord give you vision and clear instruction for your calling!

Stirring myself up again

A couple weeks ago I received a notification of a new comment on my blog.

This surprised me as I haven’t posted anything in probably about 5 or 6 months!

So I was looking over my blog, and it hit me …I need to “stir myself up some more”.  The whole point of my blog was to (mostly) encourage myself to remember the goodness and grace of my God. If other people happen to stumble upon it and find encouragement as well, then that’s a bonus.

I can get so buried beneath the day to day tasks of mothering, homeschooling, home-making (although I feel “home repairing” would be a better term these days!), cooking, cleaning, blah, blah…that I need to do this.  I knew it then, it was for me to remember.  And although I still “know” God is good and God is faithful, it is important to sit down and actually purposefully do this.

So, maybe, you’ll see me here more often…no promises though.

Homemade Basil Chicken Pasta

I said I would do this, so here it is.  Even though it’s been probably about 2 months, better late than never!

I have two children allergic to peanuts, and other nuts, and so I have been very hesitant to give them traditional pesto with its pine nuts.  I’ve tried to find out if they are in the same family as the other nuts, but haven’t been able to figure it out.  (If you know anything about, let me know please!)  Since I’m not willing to risk it, and I love pesto, I thought I’d make my own version.

I start with a can of great northern beans. Yup, you read that right.  That’s my base.  Pour it into the food processor. Then I cut up some fresh basil from my outdoor pot (it’s one of the two things I can grow and not kill).  And for a little extra sneaky fun, I add baby spinach.  I use equal amounts of these two. The spinach flavor is so mild that I feel like I can get away with it.  Adjust for your own liking.  Probably about 1 cup each. Then blend away.

I store it in 1/2 cup portions in ziplock baggies in the freezer.  As I am cooking the chicken on the stove top (along with some fresh garlic, salt and pepper) I just add a portion and let it melt into the mix.  Once the pasta is cooked (we like the “butterfly” pasta, otherwise known as farfalle) I add it to the pan and let the basil sauce mix in well.

Wa la! Quick, easy, and healthy.  And to top it off, my Joy girl will eat it with a little coercion, so it pretty much pleases everyone.

Treasure Quest

Well, this summer was our first time leading our church’s VBS.

Wow! What an amazing project!

Bebe goes all out when he’s got a project set before him, and this was certainly no different.  In fact, he may have even gone further on this!

Our theme was “Treasure Quest”.  He and a good friend built a “castle” with a working drawbridge…very cool.  The church’s patio was done up to be the King’s Courtyard, complete with a  blacksmith, carpenter, baker and tanner’s booth.  We had some fun medieval costumes and props.

Each day had a sub-theme, which was conveyed through everything…the object lesson, snack, craft, games and of course the Bible teaching.  It was really great.  I had fun leading the 2nd and 3rd graders around the campus for the various activities.  I also had the chance to create the “banquet hall” and come up with some fun snack ideas.  It surprised me to realize that this was the first time that I’ve helped with VBS, hands on, involved with the kids.  It was a blessing.  There were about 90 kids, and each one of them definately walked away from the campus learning something about our great and mighty King.

One of the coolest things about it all is the “Treasure Room” of the King.  Bebe’s vision is to have the kids store up God’s Word in their heart, understanding that it is God’s eternal Word that is our greatest treasure.  As the children return to church each week, and have memorized scripture, it “unlocks” the Treasury, where they can then enter and redeem a prize.   A sweet gentleman in the church went to work and built an amazing treasure chest to hold all the little treasures…from jump ropes, yo-yos, bracelets to matchbox cars.

And right here should be a picture of it, of which I do not have yet!

It’s awesome to see the excitement they have, and to say to them, “That’s cool! Tell me the memory verse you used to unlock the Treasury!” and then the quote a promise of God.  Really sweet.

“In the house of the righteous there is much treasure”. Proverbs 15:6

Almost done!

I have been working hard, along with the kids, to get our schooling finished.  The weather has been warming up and the kiddie pools are out.  Swimsuits and towels now litter the front patio, along with flip flops and buckets.  I’d better get used to it, that’s probably how it will be for the next few months!

Annalisa and Eli are working hard, I am proud of them and how diligent they are!  We have entirely enjoyed My Father’s World Exploring Countries and Cultures this year.  (http://www.mfwbooks.com)  It has been great.  Eli loves studying maps, and this has been right up his alley.  With Dad having done so much traveling over the last couple years, they have been really interested in checking out his passport with all its stamps from different countries.  When we’ve “crossed the border” traveling into a new country, one of their favorite things has been having to present their “passports” to the border agent (me). 

It has truly given them an appreciation for other people, cultures, traveling…and a thankfulness for all the blessings and freedoms we enjoy in our country.

And then, as if to top it off, our library (http://www.prescottlibrary.info/) and Michael’s (http://www.michaels.com/) are both having a ton of “Around the World” activities and crafts going on all summer long.  What a fun way to summarize (and review) some of what we’ve learned traveling around the globe!

 

A New Season

We have been adjusting to a new schedule.  New in many ways! I think I’ll get to that in a later post though.  For now, a little background.

My dear husband (“Bebe”) has accepted a full time position at our church.  This is huge for us.  It has been our prayer for over 12 years to be able to serve the Lord in a “full-time position”.  We have basically been serving the Lord “part-time” for many years, although not for a wage.  We are so very blessed by this answer to prayer. We are free to commit all our energy to Him!

This change has also come on the heels of a very long few months for our family.  Bebe had been working a lot out of town, spending a  night or two away, working 16 hours a day (no joke).  Then when he was home, he was too utterly exhausted to do much of anything else but rest.  That can be challenging for 5 little ones who are excited to see their daddy, and a wife/mother who is desperately needing some adult interaction and reprieve from those 5 sweet little ones.  In fact, we were ready to pull back from serving in the church all together. 

I “had it out” with the Lord one day.  I told Him, “Well fine, Lord.  If you just don’t want us to serve you right now, FINE! I’ll stop fighting with you, I give up God!”  And, interestingly enough, it was that very weekend our senior pastor invited Bebe to join the pastoral team.  Wow.  Maybe I should’ve “given up” sooner!

Job 23:10, 14   ”But He knows the way that I take…For He performs [what is] appointed for me…”

Don’t you wish you could just remember this basic truth more often? I wish I could! 

During those few months, I struggled.  Too much really.  I could look around and see others in more difficult situations than myself.  Husbands that had to be gone for months.  I could see marriages falling apart.  I was trying to be thankful that Bebe was only gone for a few days at a time.  I was definitely thankful for our marriage, and the faithful love that we have for one another.  But, I just found myself really struggling.  I don’t know why, still.  And it kind of bothers me. 

I desire to trust the Lord so completely that all else that transpires in my life is truly viewed through a heart and mind that is at peace with Him and that which He allows in my life. 

Psalm 25:4   Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths.