almost 4 years

Wow, it's been almost 4 years since my last blog entry!
April 7, 2009 to be exact. Apparently I'd typed up a draft around September of that year... the shell of which was pretty good but definately not yet perfected. I wonder what was going on then that I didn't return to finish it; doesn't much matter I suppose.
Anyway, I thought I'd throw the draft up here... no revisions... just to share. It's all about God's Faithfullness & Grace.
So much has happened since then. So much change. So much growth. God is SO Good!

draft from September 2009

Real HOPE comes w/experience of God’s ever faithful GRACE
Real Hope is strengthened with each & every trial we go through.

Back in 2002, I was suffering from postpartum & panic attacks, full blown, hyperventalating, ears ringing, heart pounding, world closing in, panic attacks. Tonight, as I was looking through old prayer notebooks, I came upon the following entries that I'd made – that was an absolute turning point for me...Listen to what it was about…

Today I am burdened by my sins of anger against my family. I found "Psalm 38, A Prayer for the Afflicted Sinner";  It speaks to my heart.

Psalm 38 says, 'My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. I am bowed down & brought very low; all day long I go about mourning....I am feeble; utterly crushed, I groan in anguish of heart. All my longings lie before you....Oh Lord, do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God, Come quickly to help me, O Lord, my savior.'

6-8 hours later I made another entry...
James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so you may be mature and complete not lacking in anything."
God is SO patient, gracious, merciful!!
Lam 3:22-26 "…because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for him. The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."
Rom 5:1-5 …having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ… and not only that but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; perseverance, character and character, HOPE!!

Looking for an inspiring read? Try Hebrews 11!
This chapter is a list of our 'great cloud of witnesses who’ve gone before us' and how each of them were commended by God for their FAITH…
When you follow up this chapter with research of these amazing brothers & sisters lives; you can see God's AMAZING grace!

HOPE

Hope: The world's view of hope is merely wishful thinking or an optimistic outlook. Do you ever catch yourself saying "I hope my shorts will fit this summer" or "I hope this is the winning ticket" or if you are a second grader.... "I hope we have a SNOW DAY tomorrow!"

It's like we are just wishing; like we have absolutely no control, no say-so, no faith, nothing to base hope upon.

Well, I have had it with the world's view of hope for quite some time now and since it is the Easter Season. I'm just going to lay it all out there today.

Hope: a confident expectation based on certainty. I have HOPE; Real Hope. My hope rests on God's promises. My hope comes from personal experience of God's ever-faithful grace in my life. My hope comes from Jesus Christ. Christ is my HOPE made manifest.

We have a future with God. "There is surely a future hope for you and your hope will not be cut off. Listen my child, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path." Proverbs 23:18-19

God is Faithful to those who trust in Him. "Even youths grow tired & weary, and young men stumble & fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength." Isaiah 40:31

God wants good things for us. God is available. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me, and come pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me, and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you!" Jeremiah 29:11-14

With God, anything is possible. "Against all hope (against all that was certain) Abraham in hope believed & so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him..." Romans 4:18

Hope comes from Christ. What in your life are you truely confident of? For Me it is one thing... GOD LOVES ME!!!

What in your life are you CERTAIN OF? I, a Christian, am certain of the basics of my faith... Christ Died, Christ is Risen, Christ WILL come again.

God didn't go through all the trouble of sending His son, writing a best seller, having 100s of prophies fulfilled, etc.etc.etc. just so we could spend our lives on earth being devoured & overcome by the daily grind of life. What would be the point?

God did all this so we would have HOPE. Saint Paul says in his first letter to Timothy, "God is our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ is our HOPE!"

....well, I'll write more on the topic of HOPE in the days to come... Stay tuned!
Jules

A Lesson in Humility

So, yesterday I was particularly ugly toward my family. Do you ever have these kinds of days? Where no one can do anything right in your eyes and you are just irritated by everything? A day where you show no self-control and just walk around with a puss on your face? Well, this is how I chose to handle my day yesterday.

I'm not going to sit here and analyze why I acted this way; the 'why' doesn't matter. In fact, I know that there is absolutely NO reason to walk around with a grumpy demeanor. I do wonder, however, why do we often treat others better than we treat our own families?

What else strikes me is how easy it was to apologize to my girls this morning for yesterday's behavior but I have yet to apologize to my dear husband. Of course, for most of the day, I've successfully convinced myself it is because he is working & I'm just waiting till after work but I know the truth... I'm being childish and prideful.

My man is no saint but I'll tell you, he could be mistaken for one on occasion. That man loves me. He is patient with me & each of my faults. For this I am eternally grateful. For this he deserves all my love & respect. For this, he deserves my apology.

Since he works from home, just a wall away, he shouldn't have to wait till 'after-work'. I'll just go knock on his door and give him a big hug, kiss and apology right now.

Weekly Review

We had a good week. Accomplished a lot. Joined Awanas. Practiced & went to lessons for Drums, Guitar & Dance. We are contemplating hosting an International Foreign Exchange Student next year. The girls & I think it would be GREAT - Ferris isn't convinced yet but, he hasn't said NO either!

History: Rosie & Delly studied about Sargon taking over the King of Kish in ancient Mesopotamia, did their extra readings, map work, essay questions, & had a test. Both did great.

Science: R&D have decided on & began research for their science projects. Rosie is going to research tree frogs. Delly is completely fascinated with sugar (big surprise) so she is going to delve into the world of sweeteners!

Math: Rosie is LOVING geometry! Delly is attacking the concept of 100,000.

Spelling: Both are working their way through Spelling Power & LOVE IT! They had a lot of fun playing a crossword type game with their word lists this week.

Grammar: Both are using grade appropriate Rod & Staff English texts. They actually enjoy this 'hard-core' grammar program.

Writing: Delly composed & illustrated a delightful story about a boy & his dog at the zoo. Rosie is working on her 'novel'.

Pumpkin is just SO good. She mothered her babies, built block towers, assembled puzzles, 'read' books, cut, pasted & colored. We have been working on recognizing letters, saying the alphabet, and learning letter sounds.

A Few of the Reasons We HomeSchool

Desired effect on family as a whole
Daily attention to personal & familial philosophy
Avoid falling standards
Provide richer learning
Meet individual needs
Assist daughters to be secure in who they are
Provide emotional stability
Spiritual Nurturing
Consistent Morals/Morality
Extra 30 hours together every week
Being there for 'firsts'
Structured, yet relaxed, learning environment
Chance to build deep relationships with siblings
Teach them to be socially responsible
Help them reach their fullest potential
Foster deep friendships amongst sisters

Wordless Wednesday

I couldn't wait till Wednesday to share these pictures. The sound that dear hen made this AM was unbelievable! Poor thing could probably have used an epidural!

This egg was still warm when Rosie brought it in! WOW, a double-yoker & it was delicious!

Excited about my girls

They are a fun bunch of girls - LOTS of energy, very imaginative with their play, art & ideas!

Lately, they have just been kicking butt with their instruments. I actually WAKE up to Delly playing the drums and I'm not annoyed! (LOL)

And Rosie plays the beginning of Hendrix Purple Haze on her electric guitar and it sounds GREAT! It just cracks me up, since she hardly even know who Hendrix IS!!!

They LOVE making music & it sounds pretty good! I am so very excited for the two of them. It is just amazing when your children find something that they love to do and are good at - there's no better feeling ...