Church Picnic

I had grand plans for blogging this week. And that's what they have remained: plans. So today I share pictures from our church picnic on Sunday.

The first few pictures are just bunches of people stuffing their faces, after which we were definitely a "full" gospel church.

Next we have Pastor Derek flipping burgers. It poured down rain just prior to our picnic so we had to wait on the burgers. Thankfully, we also had BBQ that was already cooked.

Pastor John, also manning a grill. Apparently, it's some unwritten rule that pastors have control of the grills. Must go along with that whole "feeding the flock" thing.

And this is the lovely Pastor Sarah and Kate.

Have you ever heard of water volleyball? My son is the guy in the back with the ball cap.

Volleyball without a net? My daughter is on the far right.

These are the Popes. That's plural, as in this is their family name. I didn't want you to think the Pope showed up at our church picnic.

This is part of the Dixon clan.

The patriarch and matriarch of the Dixon clan.

This gentleman is Mr. Billy, the wonderful neighbor who fixes everything for me, with his daughter, Tracy, and granddaughter. He doesn't attend our church, but Tracy does.

Finally, we have Perry, Sheila, and one of their children. Perry is Mr. Billy's son and he's also our realtor so when that glorious day finally comes that I get to move to another house, Perry will be my hero.

I didn't get pictures of the toddlers swimming in a giant mud puddle. They were so cute...and muddy...and soaked.

That's all for now folks.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Has anyone noticed that the world is falling apart?

I got a good dose of chaos yesterday. I went to Walmart to pick up some things and Walmart had gasoline. If you don't live in the south you might not understand how significant it is that someone has gasoline. We have NONE around here. I passed at least four gas stations on the way to Walmart that had bags over their pumps.

The line was so long that people probably ran out of gas before they could get near a pump. I could barely get in the parking lot because of the traffic. I learned from a Walmart employee that when gas tankers arrive at gas stations these days they are under police guard.

Just before I arrived at Walmart, a bank robbery had occurred and a police chase ensued. The robbers crashed on the highway and fled the car. At least twenty police cars and numerous policemen with automatic weapons lined the highway and others with K-9 units were scouring the nearby areas looking for the suspects. They eventually found them right near my friend Patti's 92 year old aunt's house. Chaos!

Then we have a presidential campaign that could save or destroy America.

And don't forget the economy is collapsing too.

And we're still at war. I know because a dear friend's son is deploying to Iraq in a few months.

If we look at the world around us, it's a pretty bleak picture.

But....

When we focus our eyes where they are supposed to be focused- on Jesus- everything looks completely different. God has peace. He has provision. He isn't the least bit moved by any of the world's chaos. He's still God and He's still on the throne. That isn't going to change- ever.

I thought today might be a good time to post the words of a favorite hymn as a reminder to turn our eyes back to Jesus:



Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s a light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!


Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.


Through death into life everlasting He passed,
and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!


Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.


His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!


Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.


This is not a moment to panic, it's a time to shine. As we turn our faces to the Lord we reflect the light of His glory to a world without hope. As the world gets darker (and it will), the light shines brighter and people will be drawn to that light. This is our moment to offer hope to a world that has none.

That's My Boy!

WARNING: Proud mother bragging ahead.

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you're just "on"? That has been the kind of week my son has had.

First, he auditioned for the youth group worship team on Wednesday and made it. I've always loved to hear him sing, but it took some coaxing from teenage girls to make him realize that maybe he would like to be on the worship team. Mother just doesn't hold the sway that she used to.

Yesterday in Geography class at co-op he won almost every game they played and came home with way too much prize candy. This doesn't surprise me as he's always been tops in Geography.

Last night he had a baseball game. I didn't go at first because my husband said it was chilly, very windy, and light sprinkles were falling. I don't handle sitting out in that type of weather very well. But then my husband called to say that my son had hit his first homerun! It was a three run homerun which means two guys were on base when he hit it and they all came home.

It made me so mad that I'd missed my son's only homerun. I threw off my jammies that I had already gotten comfortable in, threw on layers of warm clothes, and headed for the ball field a mile away.

A few innings later #12 stepped up to bat with the bases loaded.

The ball left the pitcher's hand.

#12's bat connected with it- hard!

The ball soared...and soared...and soared...right out of the ballpark.

GRAND SLAM!!!!!!

I'm not usually a loud person at ball games, but at that moment blankets and sunflower seeds went flying and I was happy dancing and shouting all over the bleachers.

The coach looked at us and said, "What did you feed that boy today?"

Altogether, my son batted in 7 runs, plus he hit and ran the bases once himself for another run, and he caught the ball that created the out that ended the game. He single-handedly batted in more runs than the entire other team scored altogether. Woo Hoo!

Last night as we were getting ready for bed I was questioning him about how many runs he had actually batted in and he said, "These are the stats, Mom, so you can get it right on your blog."

He knows me so well.

The Missionary

My children and I love to read the YWAM Christian Heroes Then and Now Series. If you aren't familiar with these books you can check them out here. Yet, when we read them I can't help but think that one name is missing from the titles, a name that will one day be there along with all the other missionaries that have traversed the world reaching people for God. That name is Kara Dixon.

I've known Kara for over 20 years. We've attended church together at two different churches for nearly that entire time. I remember little Kara in my husband's children's church class crawling around on the floor pretending to be a sheep for God. I remember Kara longing to turn twelve so she could go on her first mission trip with the church team. As a teenager she went on mission trips, taught children at church, and served as a godly example to her peers. She was the best babysitter you could ever hope for, always arriving with bags full of crafts and things to do with the kids. Our kids wanted us to leave so Kara could come over!

After high school Kara went to live in a third world country for nearly a year before heading off to college. She graduated from college and returned home where she now works for our church office and heads up- you guessed it- the mission team. Kara has a deep love for people in foreign countries and an even deeper desire to help them. She has traveled many places sharing the gospel from Guatemala to Afghanistan!

I've been Kara's mother's friend for many years and we spent a good many Thanksgivings at her grandparent's house early in our marriage. Her grandfather and my father-in-law even served together in the military over 50 years ago. Quite a coincidence, especially considering they were from different parts of the country! I know most of her aunts and uncles and cousins. But recently, I've gotten to know Kara in a whole new way. She's a grown woman now, not just little Kara or Tammy's daughter. She's becoming a friend, someone that I enjoy getting to know as an individual, aside from her relations.

Kara is also a writer, and a very good one I might add. Recently, she started a blog and I'm excited that she's taking this step of faith and beginning to share her writing and insights with others. I'm telling you people, this girl is going places! One day I fully expect a YWAM title that reads: Kara Dixon: Woman with a Heart for the Nations of the World.

Would you take a moment to stop by Kara's blog and welcome her to the blogosphere? I forewarn you, though, you're going to love her every bit as much as I do!

To find Kara, click on the purple words "Kara's blog" in the final paragraph or go here: http://www.karadixon.blogspot.com/

The Faithful Steward

Have you ever met someone who is truly faithful over something? I've met a few in my lifetime. Today I want you to join me in celebrating someone who has truly been faithful over spending time in God's word and over writing the insights she receives from Him. Her name is Pam and she is one of the subscribers to my Encouraging Words for Writers emails.

A few years ago Pam started writing devotions from the things the Lord showed her in her quiet time each day. At some point she began sharing those devotions by daily email and last I heard had a subscription list that was nearing 200. Then she created a blog so she could share those devotionals with an even wider audience.

I have to pause here to say that it takes incredible faithfulness to write daily devotions for years at a time. I send out a weekly email to writers and staying on top of that is a challenge sometimes, but to write and send something daily is a Herculean sized task!

Pam emailed me this morning to share some awesome news. She just wrote her 800th devotional!
Did you hear that people? 800 devotions!!!

I'm so proud of Pam and wanted to share her with all of you. Would you do me a little favor? Would you stop by Pam's blog and congratulate her on this enormous accomplishment? You can visit her and read some of her devotions at her blog.

Not only has she been faithful to spend time with the Lord each day. Not only has she been faithful to expect Him to teach her something every day. Not only has she been faithful to write down the things He shows her. But she has been faithful to share those insights with others which means being transparent and honest and vulnerable. That's faithfulness in action and a great example for all of us.

Congratulations, Pam, and thanks for the work you're doing for the body of Christ and to reach unbelievers!

Editing to say that you can get to Pam's blog by clicking on the purple words "her blog" in the text of this post. If for some reason you don't see the purple words "her blog" about two thirds of the way through the text of this post, you can find Pam here: http://pathways2freedom.blogspot.com/

The Perfect Onion

Do you see this onion?

I don't know if you can tell by the picture, but this onion is nearly perfect. It's round and the skin is shiny and without blemish. It doesn't have bad spots on it. In fact, I've never seen a more perfect onion in all my 44 years of living.

Why am I taking time to point out this perfect onion from my pantry? Because it is so perfect that I didn't use it in my omelette this morning. Instead, I opted for a regular old imperfect onion, that tasted just fine. This one was simply too perfect to cut.

The moral of the story is this: So often in life we strive for perfection (at least if you're a perfectionist like me!). We think that if we can only obtain absolute perfection we will somehow be good enough, we'll be someone God can use, we'll finally be satisfied...if only we can obtain perfection. Yet, we can't. All of our striving only brings more of our imperfections to the surface.

But the reality is that God doesn't require perfection. He uses regular old flawed people like me and you to do just about everything that gets done on this earth. Our only perfection is found in Christ, but we all still live in an old oniony flesh that is flawed and sometimes stinks and sometimes makes people cry. But that same oniony flesh, when subjected to the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, can be sliced and chopped in such a way that the goodness (Jesus) inside us comes out and adds flavor and zest to our lives and the lives of others.

Our ability to be used by God has nothing to do with perfection. Find one person in the Bible, other than Jesus, that was perfect. You won't find a single one. Yet, God used those people in tremendous ways and He'll do the same for us. It's not about perfection, it's about yielding to God and His word. That's what makes us usable. That's what brings satisfaction. That's what it's all about.

Welcome Autumn!

Okay, I officially give it leave to be fall now. I can't say that I feel 100% fallish or that I have anything planned that resembles an autumn celebration and I can pretty near guarantee that I won't be rushing to dig out fall decorations (do I have any?), but in my mind I'm allowing it to finally be autumn. Summer is gone. Anyone have any ideas to put me in more of the fall spirit?

Today I'm also giving a brief run down of life for the last few days. That's what you do when you can't think of anything else to blog.

Thursday was co-op and I'm so loving co-op this year. I have a wonderful writing class that I thoroughly enjoy teaching. I am the assistant for two hours in the K-2 grade group and enjoying that too and I have an hour break with several good friends. Can't beat that!

Thursday after co-op spare daughter came home to spend the night with us. I think everybody I know called me for counseling that evening so I had a busy night.

Friday the girls did their schoolwork and made a big gourmet lunch for me and my friend, Melissa, who had half a day off from work. For the rest of Friday I took it easy because my neck hurt.

Saturday morning my son had a baseball game followed by my daughter's softball double header in the afternoon. I stayed until the last few innings of my daughter's game, but should have stayed the whole time because the umpire passed out in the final inning and a nurse might have come in handy (though if he wasn't in labor I'm not sure I could have helped him).

Saturday evening a friend from church spent the night with my daughter and my husband got up and took them all to church bright and early Sunday morning because it was youth Sunday and the teens were in charge of everything in both services. I showed up at the usual time. My husband and I went to brunch at Cracker Barrel after church while the kids finished up the second service. Loved youth Sunday!

For the remainder of Sunday I did something I almost never do. I watched TV and rested. My husband commented that he was so proud to actually catch me relaxing. I also looked at some Taste of Home magazines that I scooped up at a yard sale on Saturday between ball games. I have no idea why I'm looking at those. It's not like I'm going to suddenly like cooking or anything.

This morning was a visit to the chiropractor who told me that I spend way too much time at my computer. And that's why, Kelly, the pictures of me and my assistant show us outside away from the computer working on writing. Plus, it was a gorgeous day and I can't stand to be cooped up inside in beautiful weather. I'm not sure how exactly a writer goes about spending less time at the computer, but I'm working on it. Hence, the scheduled posts that may or may not appear this week on my blog.

And that is a synopsis of the weekend life of the definitely not rich and definitely not famous. Hope all of you had great weekends.

Entangled

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perserverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1

A spider the size of Texas lives somewhere in my backyard. I see its long silvery strands everywhere. They reach from the trees in my yard all the way to the back deck (no small distance) and over to my square foot gardens. The size and strength of those strands have made me realize that I'm not sure I ever care to meet this spider!

One morning this week I went out to pick tomatoes and got entangled in web threads that I didn't see. They were everywhere, wrapping around my arms and my hair and I was waving and batting trying to break free and expecting a giant Tarantula to dart out ready to suck the blood right out of me.

That same morning I emptied the clothes from the dryer and found that one of hubby's dress socks had unwound into a mass of string that caused havoc among the clothes. My son's work uniforms were all tied up in knots. Strings were on the other clothes. It was a bit of a mess.

As I thought about these two incidents I realized how easy it is to get entangled in the things of this world. We go on our merry way serving the Lord and suddenly we're caught up in things we never intended and they steal our focus. That's what happened to me when I went to pick tomatoes. My mind was focused on my garden, but as soon as I felt the spider's web I was consumed with getting it off of me and tearing down all the other strands I could find in the yard. Tomatoes? What tomatoes?

Notice that the scripture in Hebrews says it's "the sin that so easily entangles". We all have those things that we fall prey to far too easily. It's different for each of us too. You might find yourself easily entangled in something that wouldn't even tempt me and vice versa.

The cool thing is that we don't have to become entangled. Hebrews 12:2 offers the antidote to entanglement: Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith... Remember Peter? When he walked on the water he did fine as long as he kept his eyes on the Lord, but as soon as he looked at the storm and his surroundings he started sinking.

We can't focus on two things at once. Let's focus on Jesus.

My Assistant

I've been longing for an assistant to help me and now I have one.

Meet

My

New

Assistant

He jumps right in the middle of everything and offers to help. In this picture he's helping me write my next curriculum.

This is us working hard (or hardly working).

Sometimes we really have to put our heads together and come up with new ideas.

He's really affectionate and loving too, always available to lift my spirits when I need it.

As you can see, I get so much more accomplished with him around.

A Filthy Post

The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart, his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45

Monday morning I was on my way to the chiropractor when I encountered a disgusting sight. A garbage truck threw up (for lack of a better word) most of it's contents onto the road. Apparently, it has just happened because the lone driver was doing his best to direct traffic around the area.

Oh, the adjectives I could use to describe what I saw! Gross! Disgusting! Repugnant! Sickening! Nasty! Get the picture? It was one giant mess of pure filth.

My first thought was, "Who on earth cleans up messes like this?" And my second thought was relief that it wasn't me!

As I was thinking about the mess it occurred to me that our words can be just like that garbage. Our heart fills up with criticism, bitterness, judgment, unforgiveness, anger, mean stuff and suddenly something triggers it and we send it all spewing out our mouths creating one big disgusting mess.

The trouble is that it doesn't just affect us. Once that filth is out it gets on everybody else. It creates a situation that needs to be cleaned up, just like the sanitation workers I saw cleaning up on my way back from my appointment. We can't just shove it all back inside us. Once it's out there, the damage is done. We've created a stink!

And it all goes back to what we are allowing to fill our hearts. Garbage in, garbage out, as I so literally saw expressed. Proverbs 4:23 says it so beautifully: Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

My Day in Court

Guess where I'm not today. I'm not at jury duty, nor am I serving on a trial. And when I see my chiropractor on Friday I'm going to hug his neck right off his body because he is the reason I'm not at court today.

God is just the coolest. I woke up yesterday kind of not really wanting to go to jury duty and was bumming when we were told they needed juries for four trials and there was only 101 of us there to choose from. That sounds like a lot, but not when they start weeding through everyone.

I made it through the morning unscathed, but right after lunch I saw a baliff come in and sure enough, they called 25 names and one was mine. I was seated as potential juror #11.

The case involved a car accident and a plaintiff who received chiropractic care at the very same office that I go to! In fact, another juror also goes to the same chiropractor that I see. The prosecuting attorney was cool with that, but the first chance the defense attorney got juror #11 was history, as was the other patient.

Now this is the cool part. When I sat down in that juror chair I finally relinquished all of "my will" about the situation and said, "Okay, God, whatever you want." When I 100% let go of my little self will, He stepped in and said, "Okay, just testing you. Don't need you to serve after all."

The other really neat thing is that I never saw this chiropractor until a couple of weeks ago when my neck started hurting. God knew weeks ago when I went to this particular doctor exactly why I needed to go there and not somewhere else. He also knew exactly what court case I needed to be "randomly" called for today.

I'm not saying serving on jury duty is evil or to be avoided. I'm just saying that God used this incident to show me once more that He is totally in control of my life and all the little things I don't even think are important are still part of his carefully orchestrated plan. It makes me feel special when I see Him do all of these things that I could never do in a million years and do it so perfectly and precisely.

Oh, and I have to say that the jury department has improved immensely since my last visit. It's more like the jury resort now. Big snack room, quiet room for reading, three big jury holding rooms with wall mounted TVs and movie theater chairs, business room with computers and cubbies, giant windows looking out on the city, arcade, billiards, fooz ball, free popcorn and two movies. Way cool!

Plus, being that I had been called for jury duty more times than anyone else there, I got to sort of serve as a guide for the "rookies". In the process, I got to know a lot of really nice people and even have some fun.

So, even though in a former post I said it's just not about me, in a way it really was about me. It was about me once again seeing that it's safe to trust God because He has everything under control even down to the smallest detail of my life. And it was definitely all about exchanging my will for His will and being okay with it. A very satisfactory day in court!

Jury Duty- AGAIN!

As you sit calmly reading this I'm somewhere else entirely. I'm at the courthouse for jury duty. I wrote this as a pre-scheduled post.

Last evening I had to call to find out if I was actually needed for service (per protocol). Sometimes they summon you, but then tell you not to come. Oh, how I prayed that would be the case, but it wasn't. I was disappointed. I was mad. I had a little hissy fit between myself and God. (Don't act like you never do that!).

This is my fourth time for jury duty. I have such a full plate already. Why on earth would I have to serve now? Why can't they call some woman sitting home eating BonBons and watching soap operas? I'm just not that wonderful of a juror, people!

Last time I went I reasoned that God must have some profound mission for me to accomplish or someone to reach for Him or some other lofty (prideful) spiritual stuff. Well. If any of those things took place I must be really dense because all I remember is a day of sheer boredom when I thought I would literally climb those stark white walls. And it was even National Juror Week and they showed movies and I won a prize and I took stuff with me to do, but it was still a looooonnnnnnnggggggg day.

So, the idea that God is sending me on a mission just doesn't hold much sway with me this time. But in the stillness of my room as I was getting my clothes ready I think I heard the Holy Spirit whisper a little something in my ear. "Bonita, if you were in court in a trial, would you want you for a juror?" And the answer is yes. I'd want a person who knows God, listens to God, and really wants to make the right decision. I'd want me.

This is my chance to serve my country and other people in a way that I don't typically get to do it. I may not even be put on a case, but just showing up because my country summoned and because my Lord wanted me there is enough. That sounds all noble and all, but I don't mean it that way. What I mean is that we're just called to do our duty and sometimes it really isn't about us at all.

I got a little attitude tune up and I'm ready for whatever the day may hold because, after all, it just isn't about me.

The Man in My Refrigerator

This morning I opened the refrigerator and look who greeted me.

An original creation of my daughter. She says his name is Bob. I would have thought Mr. Watermelon Head, but whatever.

Do you suppose she might have watched too many episodes of the Food Network?

If only I could get this guy to clean the refrigerator while he's in there!

Boundaries

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and care for it. Genesis 2:15

I've probably talked about boundaries on this blog before, but I'd like to revisit the topic again especially since it's been something I've had to address multiple times this week.

Lately, I've experienced a personal revival in my relationship with the Lord and it simply stems from earnestly seeking to do what He wants me to do with my life and my time. This is an area that I've struggled with and with God's help, I've been able to make headway. And it feels good. It feels really good.

But it hasn't been without challenges. I've found that when we set boundaries, or God sets them for us as He did with Adam, they will be challenged. For me, the area that I seem to be challenged in most concerns writing and teaching writing. I get a lot of requests to teach here, there, and everywhere, to tutor, to consult, to write books on certain topics, to increase the size of my writing class or teach more of them, to write books on a particular subject, to develop seminars, to teach in foreign countries etc... I also get a lot of folks wanting to "hook me up" with various projects or publishers. Being that I'm absolutely passionate about writing, most of these requests are very alluring. But they aren't all God's will. In fact, most are not.

I'm sure most of you can relate in some way. You can only do so much, yet well-meaning people are constantly asking you to do more. The answer, of course, is to say a simple, "No." Yet, we all know that saying "No" is rarely as simple as just doing it because that word doesn't always meet with a favorable reaction from others and we might feel guilty or confused or whatever. So how do we stick within our God-given boundaries?

First, we have to get with God and discover where our boundary lines fall. It's hard to stay within parameters if you haven't a clue where those parameters lie.

We also need to understand that God gives us boundaries for our protection and our good. Notice how he put Adam in the world, but He didn't give him the overwhelming task of tending to the whole earth. He provided a garden, something manageable that Adam could actually take care of without getting stressed out and exhausted.

Along with seeing boundaries as a good thing, we need to understand that when we step (or live) beyond or outside those boundaries we also step outside God's will for us. We might survive, but it won't be the best.

Accountability is so important too. I know in my own life my husband always lets me know if he feels I'm overextended or if it's time to say "No" to something or someone. When I start losing steam, he starts hunting down the reason for it.

As I've blogged about before, saying "Yes" to one thing always means saying "No" to something else so before we give a "Yes" we need to determine what we will be saying "No" to and whether or not it's worth it.

One other thing to remember is that boundary lines aren't always set in stone. Some are rigid. For example, I only have one husband and won't be venturing outside of marriage to find another. But some parameters are flexible or changing. For instance, recently I deleted some things from my life and schedule, but I also added a couple of things that are very important for this seaon such as a Bible Study on prayer that my pastor's wife is leading and my own personal study of a particular Bible topic at home. Because some boundaries change, it makes it all the more important to maintain our personal relationship with the Lord so we can receive notification from Him when it's time for a change.

While I've dealt primarily with time constraints in this post, boundaries fall in other places too such as relationships, behavior, possessions etc... In some cases it just boils down to good old self-control.

Boundaries are not a prison. The world will tell you that they are and that you need to be "free", but there is no freedom apart from Christ. True freedom is found when we've hit the bullseye of God's will for our lives.

This week if your boundaries are challenged, and they probably will be since you read this post, stick to your guns. In doing so, you will stay in God's will and you will set an example for others, one that unfortunately is rarely seen anymore. A simple, polite "No" can be a wonderful word.

Self-Conscious

When did the consciousness of self enter the picture of mankind?

Way back in the Garden of Eden before the fall we see man focusing on God, the garden, one another, the animals, the mission God gave them to do. We don't see a record of either one focusing on self. In fact, they were both naked and felt no shame. God even had to decide for Adam that it wasn't good for him to be alone. It was all good.

Then along came a snake. Immediately, he gets the woman to focus on him (Isn't that usually the case with women and snakes?!). He does this by asking her to clear up a misconception. Paraphrased it goes like this, "Eve, I heard this awful rumor that God won't allow you and Adam to eat from any of the trees in the garden!" Naturally, she wants to clear up the issue, but in doing so her focus shifts to the devil. She also reveals to him her knowledge of the word of God- they could eat from all the trees except one. Unfortunately, she also reveals what she actually believes in her heart- they shouldn't touch the tree either. This gives him ammunition for taking her to the next level.

Next he gets her to focus on the tree, the one thing she can't have. God said in Genesis 2:16: You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die. God's terminology lets her know that she has a tremendous amount of freedom and food variety. He's only denying her one thing and it's because He's protecting her from harm. The enemy takes those words and focuses on the negative part of God's words "you must not". He makes it seem as though God is denying her something, not protecting her. Now she wants to taste the fruit all the more because God is keeping something from her.

Finally, she eats of the tree, as does Adam. The immediate result is that they become conscious of self. They realize they are naked and a new word enters their vocabulary- "I". I heard you, I was afraid, I was naked, I hid. Suddenly, not only are they conscious of self, but all of life becomes about self preservation.

It changes everything. They relate differently to themselves. They see everything wrong about themselves now. It's interesting that God points out to us that they were naked before the fall and it was no big deal. Now it's a great big deal! "Others will see me as I really am! Have mercy! I have to become defensive and protective and guarded. I have to take care of myself."

It changes the way they relate to God. Instead of the loving, open relationship they once had, it's all about fear. "Let's get away from Him. We sinned. He won't like us. He might hurt us. Let's hide." Yet, all the while God is searching for them and when He finds them He lovingly provides for their needs. His love hasn't changed, only their perception of Him has changed.

It changes the way they relate to one another. Now it's the blame game. "It couldn't possibly be my fault so it must be someone else's. I'll shine the spotlight on someone else to preserve myself. Let's point out someone else's flaws so I'll look okay." Not only do they focus on their own flaws, but they feel free to focus on everyone else's too. They see the ugly in one another that they were oblivious to before.

That was then, this is now. We can see the total destruction that results from self consciousness, the way it seperates us from God and changes everything about how we think and live. But how do we deal with it?

Enter Jesus.

He restores everything. I love what Ephesians 3:12 says: In him and through faith in him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence. Jesus restores that right relationship with God and with self. Suddenly, it's not all about us anymore. It's about Him! We are free to focus on God again and forget about self. Like Adam and Eve's nakedness, we know we're not all that and without God we are nothing. No big deal. It's all good again.

Father, help us to forget about ourselves and be all about you. Thank you, Jesus, for restoring us to a place of freedom and confidence before God.

TLC Writing Class Assignment

If you are one of my Teen Learning Center writing students you are in the right place. View the following presentation and complete your assignment per the instructions on your homework sheet. Contact me if you have any questions.

If you are not one of my writing students I highly encourage you to watch this clip anyway. It's powerful! You may have seen it making it's way around blogs, but if you haven't seen it take a few minutes to watch it. You won't be sorry.

Fruitfulness

What does fruitfulness look like? I imagine it looks a lot like my square foot gardens.

Last week I ventured out to my garden. Yes, I went back out even after the snake incident.

I looked at my tomato and pepper plants. I guess no one informed them that the summer growing/harvest season is just about over. They look a bit scraggly, but production is still high. In fact, I counted over 170 tomatoes, not counting the 50 or so that I had in a bag ready for hubby to distribute at work. I only have six plants and one is a grape tomato plant that went wild and produces incredible amounts of tomatoes. Let's just say all the neighbors run and hide now when they see me coming with a bag.

I planted them way back in the spring and was harvesting tomatoes by mid to late May. That means that these plants have been prolifically producing for nearly four months and show no signs of stopping. They outlived my writing spider, Charlotte. They made it through all the violent rains and storms of the summer. And they've nearly outlived my enthusiasm for gardening. I mean I'm glad I'm not a brown thumb anymore, but it's not like I want do this all the time either.

My garden reminds me of Psalm 92:14-15: They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming,"The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him."

Recently, I saw a human example of that verse as well. My neighbor, Mr.Billy, came to help me with a project in my office. Mr. Billy is in his 70s, but he's the hardest working man you'll ever meet. Not long ago he gave me a large paper sorter, about 3' by 4' for my office. We won't discuss how much time it took me to decide if I wanted it and how many times he took it up and down from it's high corner in his shed over the last few weeks. I finally decided that I did want it, but I didn't want it in plain view. I wanted it in the closet.

One problem: It won't go in the closet fully assembled. Hence, he came over to disassemble it and put it back together inside the closet, sort of like trying to fit an enormous square peg into a tiny round hole. As he worked sweat poured from his forehead and he had to take frequent rests. I verified with him that he did indeed have nitroglycerin in his pocket as he was making me a trifle nervous.

At a time when most folks are looking to retire and rest, Mr. Billy works nearly a full work week, volunteers at his church, does all the upkeep at his home, and helps poor neighbors like us when we have projects around the house that we can't master. And did I mention that he's a fairly recent widower? Yet, he's full of life and vigor, still bearing fruit.

I hope that when I get older I will be that way too. And for those of you younger folks who read this, I am not in the older age category yet. It gives me hope to think that even though our bodies may grow tired and weak, our fruitfulness doesn't have to diminish. At any age and in any circumstance we can bear fruit, and plenty of it.

Good Golly, It's Goal Time!

Time to check in on my goals for the year.

1. I will lose 15 pounds and develop a regular exercise routine.
Fatty, fatty two by four couldn't fit through the kitchen door...to get those cookies, chips, and other high cholesterol junk foods that she's lovin. Maybe if she did a little exercise she might be limber enough to squeeze in. Don't get the wrong idea. I'm still a petite girl, always have been. I'm just maybe not as petite as I was before I went on vacation LAST MONTH!

2. Feed my spirit (more than just my regular quiet time)-
Honey child, the Lord and I have been tight lately! Mucho progress on this one.

3. I want to build family relationships.
My daughter and I have been doing a lot more together lately. In addition, my marriage has had an amazing revival and I'm really liking it!

4. I'd like to try some new venues of writing.
Well, an editor solicited an extra article from me this month with an assigned topic and I delivered. I'm also investigating this new thing called knols that Google is doing. Looks interesting.

5. I'd like to create a pretty, comfortable home.
The office and bedroom are finished. I've slowed down on the home improvements lately to allow my focus to shift more to writing and to replenish funding.

6. We will get out of debt this year.
Hanging in there.

7. I will set aside regular writing time, preferrably 15 hours per week.
It hasn't been regular yet, but I have been getting a lot done.

8. I want to learn to relax.
I won't say I've done fabulous on this one, but I did take a proactive step. When my neck started hurting from an old injury I did head to the chiropractor before it reached excruciating pain level which is not something I'd ordinarily do. I thoroughly enjoy my therapy sessions with those little electrode thingies on my back- so relaxing!

All in all, a better month than I've had for a while.

Homeschooling Q&A (Part 3)

Is homeschooling for everyone?
In an ideal world, I think it's best for children to learn at home. We don't live in an ideal world so that throws that idea to pot. I've seen kids successfully raised and educated in all sorts of venues. The most important thing is seeking the Lord to find out what is best for your child in your particular situation. That and giving them lots and lots of love.


Have you ever seen a homeschooling failure?
I want to be very careful in answering this question because I don't really think it's up to me to decide whether or not a homeschool situation is a failure. However, if we're talking about kids who aren't achieving academically because of the homeschool situation, then yes I've seen this happen. I remember one instance with neighbors we had when we were first married. The mom slept until noon everyday and had no real plan for the kids' education. When they finally put them in school (wise move) the kids were grade levels behind where they might have been if they had been in the school all along. This is the exception, not the rule. Most homeschooling parents I know are very concerned about their children's education and err to the side of too much, not too little.


What makes a homeschool successful?
Again, this varies widely. I can only tell you what has helped us be successful. First is making the Lord the foundation and center of all we do- Genuinely loving one another- Keeping a long term vision in front of you of what you want that child to be like as an adult and making decisions based on the big picture- Forgetting what the world says and doing things the way God is leading your individual famliy-Discovering each child's learning style, natural bents, and catering the education to the individual- Not letting homeschooling take over your life- Putting your family relationships before education. The list goes on and on.


What are the benefits of homeschooling?
Family time, making sure the children have a solid foundation in the word of God, flexible schedules, traveling in off seasons when prices are cheaper and crowds smaller, ability to tailor the education to the child, time for the children to explore and discover their own natural abilities, less exposure to worldly teaching or influences, less peer pressure, choice of curriculum, more time for community service and apprenticeships... Also, I get to see firsthand how my kids learn, their strengths and weaknesses (and they get to see mine!), rather than hearing it through a third party. I feel like I really "know" them and that helps when making choices about their education and other areas of life.


What are the sacrifices or hard parts of homeschooling?
The parent who does most of the teaching will have less free time or time for self. For right now, homeschoolers still swim upstream and deal with a lot of flack and people who don't understand us. Personally, for me, homeschooling has brought out some of my own weaknesses and I've had to face them squarely- not very easy I might add.

What have you, as the parent, learned through homeschooling?
I've learned that I received most of my education through my parents or by learning on my own even though I attended public school and nursing school. I've learned that I can do a lot of things I didn't think I could with Christ's strength. I've become a lot more organized and a much better homemaker. Most of all, I've learned that I have two of the most awesome kids on earth and I'm incredibly thankful that we've had the privilege of spending all these years together and having so many fun learning experiences. And I've realized that I don't want to ever stop learning. Not ever.

If anyone has any other questions about homeschooling or any comments please leave them in the comment section.

Homeschooling Q&A (Part 2)

Today I'm continuing in a series of questions about homeschooling.

What about socialization?
Hands down this is the question most often posed to homeschoolers. I think socialization is one of those issues where as a whole our society has accepted certain things as the "norm" that may not be biblically correct. Our society considers it normal to group kids of like ages together for long periods every day away from their parents and under the guidance and supervision of other adults. Yet, in the scriptures the emphasis is on family and church family, not on education as we know it today.

That said, I don't think it's wise to live as hermits and we certainly want our kids to be well adjusted and have friends. In our neck of the woods, social opportunities for homeschoolers abound and it seems people have more trouble with becoming overextended in their social commitments than underextended. Aside from personal friends, our kids also are involved with neighbors, church, sports teams, homeschool support group, co-op, classes, clubs, parties, etc...They don't have social interaction with kids their own age every single day, but they have a healthy social life nonetheless.

Do you ever leave home?
Honestly, I have to laugh when I'm asked this because it's usually asked during periods of time when we're having trouble staying home at all. We tend to go in spurts. We have seasons when we're home a lot and seasons when we're on the go. But, yes, we actually do cross over into the outside world now and then. LOL!

Do you get tired of being together?
Let me pose that right back to you. Do you get tired of being together with your family? My guess is that we answered the same. Yes, we get tired of each other, get on each other's nerves, just want time away from one another from time to time. When that happens we take a break if we can. If not, we use it as a time to develop character traits like patience, love, kindness, etc... Because we are together a lot, we are forced to find ways to get along.

Have your kids ever attended school?
Yes, both kids attended playschool from the time they were 2 until they were 4. My son went to kindergarten at our church. One year they both attended a university model school where they had classes a few mornings per week and the rest of the time were homeschooled.

What if your kids decide they want to go to school?
We've never given a hard and fast rule that we would homeschool forever. If they ever want to attend school we will talk through it as a family, pray about it, and make our decisions from there. We have always taken the stance that we take homeschooling a year at a time and re-evaluate the decision each year. Thus far, they've never expressed a desire to go to school.

What classes or activities have your kids attended outside the home?
We've been involved in our homeschool support group the whole time we've been homeschooling so they've taken lots of classes, been on field trips, and had plenty of activities through the group. Both took swimming lessons at the local aquatic center. My son plays baseball and my daughter plays softball. My son played soccer for a year. He also took drawing lessons, oil painting lessons, and keyboard lessons. My daughter has taken several craft classes. Both have taken classes through a 4-H summer program. My daughter has served in the church nursery and hospitality department. Both worked at church camp this summer. We've done more that isn't coming to mind right now.

More Q&A tomorrow.

Homeschooling Q&A (Part 1)

Since the school year is back in swing for nearly everyone, I thought I'd take a few posts to answer questions we're frequently asked about homeschooling. I hope this will be of help to anyone who is curious about homeschooling or considering it as a possibility for their family. Also, I hope that all of our well-meaning friends and relatives who don't understand us will read this and get an education on homeschooling. My kids asked me to provide said education because they want to enjoy your company and not feel interrogated every time they are with you. Nuff said.

Why do you homeschool?
We have multiple reasons for homeschooling, but the chief one is that we believe it's what God desires for our family. In addition, we like having time with our kids, building strong relationships, getting them rooted and grounded in God's word, and giving them the opportunity to discover who they are and what they are here on earth to do. The schools in our area are far from great and we haven't been happy with any that we've investigated so we feel that our kids are getting the best education we can offer them.

What does a typical school day look like at your house?
This is a hard one because no two days usually look alike. When the kids were little we spent a lot of time doing hands-on activities together, reading books, going on field trips with our support group and things of that nature. Now, the kids pretty much do their schoolwork on their own which may seem boring to some, but is what works for us at this stage of the game. They study typical middle school and high school subjects. We participate in a co-op once a week where they take four additional classes.

Are you qualified to educate your children?
If you're asking if I have a teaching degree, the answer is no. However, I am an educated woman with a fair amount of common sense. If I don't know something, we learn it together or I find an alternative way to teach a subject such as taking a class from someone else. I'm also a parent. My husband and I know our kids better than anyone and care more about their education than anyone else so we seek out the best educational opportunities we can find for them. After ten full years of successful homeschooling, I think I must be qualified.

Do you feel like your kids are getting an adequate education? I sure hope not! I hope they are getting an education that is far superior to adequate. We don't aim for adequate, but for the best we can possibly give them. We believe they are getting that right here at home and their grades and standardized testing certainly bear witness to that fact.

Won't your kids miss the benefits of the high school experience? Prom? Yearbook?
When I look back on my own high school experience in public school I don't think missing the high school experience is always such a bad thing. However, we do have opportunities to get in on the usual high school activities if the kids want to participate. Our support group and our co-op offer yearbook clubs. Each year a local group hosts a dance akin to a high school prom. Both of my kids play on sports teams. We have several different sources for a public graduation from high school. Our support group also has a chartered Key Club. I can't think of much, if anything, that is offered in a high school that doesn't have a counterpart in the homeschool community. That may not be true everywhere, but we live in a very homeschool friendly area.

What about college? Will your kids have a hard time getting accepted?
I don't know a single homeschooled student that has a hard time getting into college. I'm sure some have, but I don't know one. In most cases, the colleges are thrilled to accept homeschoolers. Currently, my son takes a class at the community college through concurrent enrollment and I don't anticipate a problem when it comes time to apply to colleges.

What about gaps in their education? What if you miss something important?
They will have gaps in their education. That's a given. I spent twelve years in public school and didn't realize just how many gaps I had in my education until I started learning all sorts of new things alongside my kids as we homeschooled. It isn't my job to make sure they know absolutely everything. It's my job to teach them how to learn. That way when they encounter things they don't know, and all of us will do that throughout life, they are equipped with the skills to find the answers.

Tune in tomorrow for more answers to questions about the homeschooling lifestyle. Feel free to leave additional questions or comments in the comment section.

Looking Back on Nineteen Years

Who is that young couple?

Would you believe that nineteen years ago today that young bride and that handsome groom stood outside in a pecan grove and covenanted their lives together?

Let's take a trip down memory lane and revisit some of our favorite, happy memories of nineteen years of marriage as I review them with my husband (who may or may not read my blog).

-Remember on one of our first dates when you took me to your company picnic at Carowinds. We ate that big fried chicken dinner and immediately got on that ship that keeps turning you upside down. You thought it was great and I nearly tossed my cookies. One more turn upside down and what a fun date that would have been.

-Remember how I rocked back and forth during the entire wedding ceremony and didn't even realize I was doing it and how your sisters fussed at you for having a five o'clock shadow even though you'd shaved that morning?

-Remember in our pre-kid days when we spent Saturday nights on the sofa eating chocolate chip cookies and watching Cops? That was when you first start rubbing my feet and you weren't anywhere near as good at it is you are now, you old pro.

-What about the time you made a special dinner for me while I was at work- spaghetti. Guess you didn't understand that you don't dump the entire container of chopped garlic in to flavor it. To this day, my mouth still puckers when I think of that taste.

-Of course, we won't mention my brussel sprouts or the salmon patties you told me I should never make again!

-The girls at work used to get so jealous when you'd call and I'd get off the phone and they would say, "Let me guess. He's taking you to J&K Cafeteria for supper?" That was our favorite little eating spot, except for Quincy's on Wednesday nights before church with our favorite waitress, RonRon. And your sister got so mad because you took me to J&K for Thanksgiving dinner one year, but I was so happy because I'd worked all day and just wanted food.

-Speaking of Thanksgiving, remember all the years we spent with the Dixons? They just expected us to show up every year like all the rest of their "kids".

-What about the day you babysat the neighbor's six week old while I was at work and she was having surgery? Ya'll had a great time except when I picked him up from his nap and you had his sleeper on backwards. The buttons go in the front, honey! I laughed so hard that I had to hand the baby over to you so I could fall on the floor.

-I remember when you ran your one and only marathon and it was frigid outside. Your face was covered in frozen salt crystals and I nearly had to carry you upstairs to our apartment. But you did it!

-Back in those childless days it seems we were forever on the go: Massachusetts, Kansas City, Chillicothe, Ft.Worth, the Bahamas, Linville Falls, Maggie Valley, Franklin, Rhode Island, Myrtle Beach, Long Beach, Chimney Rock, Banner Elk, Charleston, Helen...

-Though it wasn't the happiest memory, who could forget your burn and the weeks of treatment and that awful debridement tank. Our first big crisis and we pulled together.

-Remember when "Papoose" was born. I saw you cry for the first time ever. We thought we'd never sleep again (that wasn't why you cried). How thankful I was when you got me that big honey burger from Hayden's and a brownie delight from Ben & Jerry's. And then we went home and you had forgotten to close the windows and the house was freezing. Remember looking at our son sleeping in his little car seat and thinking, "What do we do with him now?" I guess we figured it out all right, huh?

-Remember the first time we put Papoose in his own crib in his own room. I stood there terrified to leave him and you held me close and told me to close my eyes and picture a room full of angels watching over him and you reminded me that God loved him even more than we did and He would watch over him while we slept (and boy did we ever need sleep!).

-Then Baby Girl was born with your mother and two sisters present. What was I thinking??? Remember that Papoose passed up a trip to McDonald's because he was too excited to see his baby sister. My how things change!

-I'm sure you haven't forgotten all the times at our former church where you sang to me publicly every chance you got and at every party or special event. Granted, I always knew it was because you enjoy hamming it up at the mic and not necessarily for me, but it was fun anyway. I know you can sing way better than you did in those goofy performances.

-What about the time we let that strange guy clean our gutters and do odd jobs in the yard only to find out a few weeks later that he was on the FBI's most wanted list. He was robbing our neighbors blind and never touched our stuff or us. I even made him lunch a couple of times for crying out loud! Thank goodness you came home that day to find police and SWAT team everywhere and they whisked him off.

-Of course, I'll never forget the year that I saved so much money on groceries that you rewarded me by spending that savings on pearls for Christmas- earrings, bracelet and strand. You got a lot of brownie points that year!

-Who could forget the great 'possum incident of 2003? Nothing like a 'possum in the basement to ruin a romantic evening. And you asked to borrow the neighbor's gun so you could shoot it and he got worried after he gave it to you, thinking you might be borrowing it to shoot me! I told both of you that you were crazy and nobody was spilling 'possom blood in my basement. Then the next day when the 'possom met me in the vent of the woodstove and I jumped up and hit my head so hard on the wall nearly knocking myself out and attempting to run get you before you left the house all while I was seeing stars and unable to fully walk. Then the guy from animal control came and he was more afraid of 'possums than any of us. Too funny!

-What about our trip to Cancun and how much I hated it there. Those security guys boarded our plane looking for someone and we just really wanted them to hurry up and find the criminal so we could leave, but it turned out they were looking for me! Apparently, if your name is Bonita and you try to leave Mexico, it warrants suspicion. I prayed so hard and told God if He would just let me leave that country I'd never ever go back there. I'm sure you wouldn't have left without me, right?

-And remember the night you decided to be goofy and go out on the back deck to "whale channel" (we aren't near the ocean, remember?) In the dark. In the dead of winter. And we won't discuss what you were wearing. And I locked you out and threatened to turn on the lights so the neighbors could see you. For those who might be wondering about us at this point, my husband had watched a TV show about whale channeling and thought it was the silliest thing he'd ever seen.

-Remember all of our parenting events which are too numerous to record here, but oh so fun and sometimes trying.

-And one of my favorite current memories is how we go out on dates, but really sneak over to Tony's ice cream for giant sized cones that the kids know nothing about.

I'm sure I'll think of a zillion more memories as soon as this posts, but these are good for now. All in all, though we've had some doozy trials, it's been a happy 19 years of marriage. By the way, just in case you might read this, "I still do."

Happy Anniversary, you handsome hunk of man!

Happy Labor Day!

One of the things I really enjoy is discovering things in the word of God that are in opposition to what our culture teaches and then, with the Lord's help, correcting those things in my own life. Since it's Labor Day I thought we might take a look at what the world says about work and compare it with what Scripture says.

The world generally has one of two viewpoints about work. Either they think work is a dreaded evil, something to be avoided if at all possible or they think you should enslave yourself to it and work all the time so you can be wealthy. Neither of these viewpoints is founded in the word of God.

First, let's look at the point of view that says work is something to avoid if you can possibly get away with it. I understand that work can be tiring and sometimes we are all ready to say, "TGIF!" But work isn't a curse. In fact, work was instituted way back in the garden of Eden before the fall of man. God gave Adam the job of tending the garden. Evidently, even in a sinless world, we need something productive to do.

Honestly, that's a relief to me. When I see pictures of people sitting around on white fluffy clouds strumming harps in heaven, it makes me nervous. Can we say BORING? I can't hardly sit around at the beach for a week or sit still through a movie. I need something to do. Let me go create a world or something, but please don't make me sit idle on a cloud!

Work is good. It's what enables us to take care of our families and make worthwhile contributions to life on this earth. It makes us feel useful and keeps us out of trouble. Yes, work is good. But too much work is bad.

Some people think we need to all be workaholics and stress ourselves out to climb the company ladder, to achieve success in life, to build a big fat bank account. If we're stay-at-home moms we may feel pressure to keep a perfect house, raise perfect children, and never stop till we drop. This isn't God's way either.

Why do you think God instituted a Sabbath in the old covenant and even before it? Why do you think he scolded Martha when she was scurrying about ignoring His presence? What about when Jesus called his disciples away to rest or when He rested Himself? If anybody had a big job to do it was Jesus, yet he took time to slow down, to rest, to spend time with God. Even when God finished all of His creating in Genesis He stopped and rested. If the God of the universe can take time off, surely we can do the same.

Before ending this post I want to think for a minute about why these viewpoints are prevalent. Why do people view work as a hardship? My theory is that they aren't doing what they love or what they are designed to do. Granted, we may all go through jobs that we don't particularly like, even under God's leading, but God has created each of us to do something and when we are doing it we find joy in it. It's not drudgey. It doesn't even feel like work most of the time. Every aspect of the job might not be wonderful, but as a whole it's something we're glad we're doing. Like I tell my kids, "Find what God designed you to do and do it with all your might!

Another reason folks don't want to work is due to a poverty mentalilty that says, "The world owes me something." Sorry, Charlie, the world doesn't owe you anything. In fact, you came into this world with a big debt to pay and, thankfully, Jesus took care of it. You were in the red, not in the black, when you arrived on earth.

Why do people become workaholics? I can think of three reasons off the top of my head. They aren't trusting God to be their source, but are relying on their own strengths and abilities. They're missing something in their lives, probably intimacy with God, and they look to work to fill the void. They have gotten caught up in a spirit of greed and are never content with what they have. Naturally, practical things enter in too like becoming a single parent or getting head over heels in debt, but I'm talking about people that are workaholics without a pressing need involved.

Now that we've talked about work, I want to wish you a Happy Labor Day, and I hope you have the day off!