Wordless Wednesday

Every once in a while they all work on something together and all is quiet.

Excuse me, I need the soapbox.

Today is Earth Day.  I cringe inside. The news is constantly telling us about how WE are destroying the earth and if WE don't change then the world will have a horrible end.  

Here's my not so humble take on the subject.

1. The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it. Psalm 24:1
   
   
2. Since God made the world, He (not people) will decide how and when it's destroyed. How arrogant are we to think that mere humans can destroy what The Almighty spoke into existence?
   
   
3. The world is cursed because of sin. Romans 8:22   Because of the sin , we humans make big messes of all our relationships, including our relationship to God's creation.
   
   
4. The Second Law of Thermodynamics states: All processes go from order to disorder.   This means that the state of planet Earth is also tending toward disorder.  Can't argue with physics.
   
   
5. God gave man dominion over the earth. Genesis 1:26-27 As Christians, we are commanded to be good stewards of all of God's gifts, including the world's animals, plants, water, fossil fuels, etc. just as we are commanded to be good stewards of our time and money.
   
   
6. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-discipline (sound mind) 2 Timothy 1:7.  It makes me so mad to see little children being made fearful of global warming and begging grown-ups to "do something or I may not grow up."  God gave us brains to think. We must weigh our decisions carefully by considering the motive behind and the consequences of changes we are asked to make.
   
   
7. There are no totally good environmental decisions. For example, there is a push for everyone to use compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL's). They are more expensive up front, but they last longer and use less electricity. The environmental downside--they are hazardous waste because they contain mercury vapor and cannot be put in household trash. I will have to store used CFL's until there is a hazardous waste day at the county landfill and then drive 20 miles to take them.  Also, most CFL's are made in communist China, while incandescent light bulb are made in the USA.  See, changing a light bulb isn't simple. Even growing organic crops (which I totally support) has its share of problems, and the ethanol issue is much more complex.

OK, so where does that leave my family on Earth Day. We do without what we can. We don't waste food, electricity, or water. We have some compact fluorescent light bulbs. We recycle what our recycling center takes. We write on the backs of envelopes and junk mail. What little garden we have is organic. We buy used when possible. We don't eat a lot of processed foods. We use grocery bags for trash bags. We drive as little as possible, though more than we would like. We use mostly homemade, natural cleaners.  That being said, I used disposable diapers on my children and I refuse to feel guilty about it.  Our "green" habits generally correlate to "cheap" habits.

I guess my point is that there is no"magic bullet" that will rid the world of pollution or solve our energy problems.  I can only attempt use what God has given me wisely and encourage others to do the same.   Worrying about it only wastes my time and energy.   

A Week Off?

I wish. We have been busy like many families this time of year.  Doing taxes (Historian's job), a vet appointment (Historian's job), the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, providing refreshments for homegroup, making a final exam, and a friend's Mary Kay party are all extras on the agenda this week.

I'm usually good at rolling with the punches, but right now I am close to burning out.  I feel as if all of my energy and creativity are gone.  I haven't had taken time to plan out the rest of this year much less think about next year.  I have been in “do the next thing” mode for several weeks now.  We haven't done any projects or experiments or any of the fun stuff lately.  The Crafter is cooperative, but bored.  I think she needs a break too.

Anyway this week we have the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.  Another mom asked me if I was going to count the testing days as “school days” since we weren't doing any “instruction”.  You've got to be kidding.  Of course I'm counting them!  Don't public schools count their standardized testing days?  Why shouldn't we?

That got me thinking, why not take the rest of the week off?  We finished up a test prep book on Monday, and we've been reading the latest stack of library books.  That was enough for one day, right?  Tuesday and Wednesday are test days.  Thursdays are tough on homeschooling because I'm not at home from 8:30-12:30.  We generally don't get much done on Thursday anyway.  Friday's the only day left.  Who wants to start working on Friday?  Not me!

A couple of days off so sounds like a good plan.  We could plant the garden.  We could spend some time reading aloud together.  We can watch something noneducational on TV.  We can just rest.

A Slight Case of Cheating

I'm sure this happens to everyone eventually, but I was not prepared for it to happen to us. The Crafter cheated on her school work.  Here's how it went down.

There was a play that she disparately wanted to attend.  It was at night.  The Historian works at night.  Wild Thing and Sweetie do not do well being out past their bedtime.  The Crafter's best friend's mother graciously invited her to attend the play with them and to spend the night afterward.  We gratefully accepted the offer on the condition that the Crafter diligently complete her work for the week.  I even got organized and made a color coded spread sheet listing each assignment for each day.

Everything was going well.  The Crafter completed her work on Monday in only 3 hours—including piano practice.  The Historian and I strongly encouraged her to work ahead a bit.  Thursdays and Fridays are difficult school days because I teach at the college.  She didn't want to work ahead; she wanted to have extra play time.  Tuesday and Wednesday passed in a similar fashion.

Thursday was not good.  I wasn't here to stay on top of her work.  The Historian was busy with Wild Thing and Sweetie and couldn't help as much as he would have liked.  I arrived home and saw what was happening.  We gently reminded the Crafter that going to the play depended on getting her work done. She said she understood, but the diligence of earlier in the week was gone.  She messed around and spent two hours on math instead of the 30 minutes it should have taken.  She didn't finish Thursday's list. There was still time though.  Her Friday list was short with only math, reading, piano, and a spelling test. She could manage the undone items from Thursday and do Friday's work with time to spare.

If only she had asked for help with her math.  I arrived home to the Historian looking at some math problems or rather some correct answers to some rather involved math problems with no supporting work.  We knew some mischief was afoot.  We asked her to redo the problems and show her work this time. Thirty minutes passed with no math.  I point blank asked her if she had copied the answers from the answer key.  She said no.  After another thirty minutes, she began to cry.  The Historian finally got her to confess to copying the answers and then lying about it.

Daddy handled the discipline.  There would be no play, no spending the night with her friend, and she would have to apologize to her friend and tell her why their plans changed.  The Crafter shed many tears.  I believe that the toughest part of the punishment was when she actually had to confess her sin to her friend.   I pray that we handled this appropriately.  The answer keys are now in a less accessible area.  I hope this doesn't happen again.

Resurrection Sunday

He's Alive

by Don Francisco

The gates and doors were barred and all the windows fastened down;

I spent the night in sleeplessness and rose at every sound
Half in hopeless sorrow and half in fear the day
Would find the soldiers breakin' thru to drag us all away

And just before the sunrise I heard something at the wall
The gate began to rattle and a voice began to call;
I hurried to the window and looked down into the street
Expecting swords and torches and the sounds of soldier's feet

There was no one there but Mary so I went down to let her in;
John stood there beside me as she'd told us where she'd been.
She said "They moved Him in the night and none of us knows where;
The stone's been rolled away and now His body isn't there!"

We both ran t'ward the garden, then John ran on ahead;
We found the stone and empty tomb just the way that Mary said.
But the winding sheet they wrapped Him in was just an empty shell;
And who or where they'd taken Him was more than I could tell.

Well, something strange had happened there,
but just what I didn't know;
John believed a miracle but I just turned to go.
Circumstance and speculation couldn't lift me very high
'Cause I'd seen them crucify Him, then I saw Him die.

Back inside the house again the guilt and anguish came;
Everything I'd promised Him just added to my shame.
When at last it came to choices, I denied I knew His name;
And even if He was alive, it wouldn't be the same

But suddenly the air was filled with a strange and sweet perfume;
Light that came from everywhere drove shadows from the room.
Jesus stood before me with His arms held open wide;
And I fell down on my knees, and just clung to Him and cried.

He raised me to my feet and as I looked into His eyes,
Love was shining out from Him like sunlight in the skies
Guilt in my confusion disappeared in sweet release
And every fear I'd ever had just melted into peace

CHORUS
He's alive! He's alive, He's alive and I'm forgiven!
Heaven's gates are open wide:
He's alive, He's alive, oh He's alive and I'm forgiven
Heaven's gates are open wide
He's alive, He's alive, hallelujah He's alive!

An Escapee

Thursday, I arrived home to find the door dead-bolted. I was mildly surprised, but Sweetie recently mastered the doorknob and I figured that the Historian needed added security. He opened the door and immediately asked if I had heard the news. Uhh, what news? There was an escaped inmate in the neighborhood. The school closest to us was on lock down. Oh. Great. There's an escaped criminal hiding near my house!?  I wanted details. The Historian had none.

I checked the local news. A 16 year old boy being taken into custody when he ran from police. He was already in handcuffs. Then I saw his name. We knew this kid. He used to be our neighbor when we first moved here. He had been to our house countless times. He played in our backyard with 3 of his older brothers. The Historian took those boys to the movies and for walks in our woods. They would show up nearly every day looking for something to eat and to see the Historian. They eventually went to church with us and attended youth nights at the Christian Youth Center.

Without going into major details, it is not surprising what happened. There was no father in the home. The mother usually looked like she was under the influence of something. An older brother was already in criminal trouble when he was 5. They moved further away about 7 years ago and we rarely saw any of that family. I haven't really thought about them in years.

Until the escape. The Historian calmly stated "I don't think he would hurt us." I don't think he would either, but he might hide near us. I don't like the thought of bumping into him under these circumstances. The command center for the search was about .5 miles from our house. As of this moment, he hasn't been caught.

I hesitate to even bring this up, but with a serious threat to homeschooling in California, I will. This kid was public-schooled from the time he was 4. The family was on public assistance. Why did all of the "professionally trained” teachers and case workers allow him to become a statistic? Shouldn't all of that supervision and oversight prevented him from turning to crime? Had this child been homeschooled...well you can imagine the headlines. I will stop now.

Please pray for this boy.  Pray that he will turn himself in.  Also pray for his soul.  I know that he has heard the Gospel. The seed was planted when he was younger. Pray that it will sprout and grow. He still has time to turn his life around.

First time parents can be so funny.

My brother-in-law will probably not be pleased that I share this, but it is too funny. My 2 month old niece has been having a lot of trouble with spitting up.  My mom and I both suggested that a little rice cereal in the bottle might help. (Before you comment about breast feeding, my sister tried for 4 weeks and her milk never came in.)  My sister would not try rice until the doctor said it was OK.  He did.  So she sent my brother-in-law to the grocery store for rice cereal.  He comes back with a huge bag of puffed rice. My sister asked, “What in the world do you have?”  Brother-in-law said, “I figured we could eat what the baby doesn't.” 

Silver

I do not know the original author, so I cannot give proper credit.

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver"

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.  One of the women offered to find out the process of refined silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work.  She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up.  He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.  The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver"

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whold time.  The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire.  If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment.  Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy--when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

Valentine's Day

Not exactly what you would expect for Valentine's Day is it?  On Valentine's Day we are supposed to express love and show appreciation to those we love.  So what do we do?  We make heart crafts and go to parties.  We send cards and flowers.  We buy gifts and eat treats.  I am not condemning any of these things.  I do them myself.  I enjoy doing all of these little things for those I love.

But on this Valentine's Day the Holy Spirit posed this question:  Have you expressed love for your Saviour today?

No, not really.  On a day set aside for love, I have barely acknowledged the greatest act of love ever.

Why is He beaten and bloody?  Love.

Why is He nailed to a cross?  Love.

Why is He dying?  Love.

Love for sinners like you and me.

Isaiah 53:4-5  Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

John 3:16  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Thank you God for loving sinners like me.  Thank you for not sparing Your Son.  Thank you Jesus for loving me.  Thank you for taking my punishment.  Thank you for dying for me.  Thank you for saving me.

Wordless Wednesday

Guess what the Crafter found on her leg after playing outside this afternoon?

Can you believe we have ticks in February?  Fortunately it hadn't seized yet.