Right Now

fifteen year old dacshcund is lying beside me snoring.

sun is out...finally.

my girls are creating with paint. and they are getting along. i picture their future lives as friends and smile.

my son and my man are playing chess. pieces clink against the board, as son asks father, "what can I do?" i just heard son say, "you've got an impossible situation. you're losing your queen also!"

classical music is playing through the t.v.

finding joy in the ordinary. waiting on God to provide the extraordinary.

Some of My Favorite Quotes From Today

During our family prayer time dd3 said, "I wanna say a prayer just fo mysef, okay? God, thank you for da foxshes and da rainbows and da ballewinas."

During same family prayer time, dd(almost)6 humbly said, "God you made the Herdmans." I guess she understood one of the most touching points of our read-aloud this week, "The Best Christmas Pagent Ever" by Barbara Robinson.

And during our nightly pick up of his room, I inquired of my son, 7, if his sweat pants needed to be washed or not, to which he replied, "No, I've only worn them, like, 3 or 4 times." I suppose that I might have gone a bit overboard on telling him he didn't have to throw his jeans in the wash after one wearing!

Praying for Piglet

The three-year-old was wailing from her bed this evening. I went up to inquire about the circumstances since she had just been down to visit me where I had prayed with her about her fear of "scawee bad dweams". I went up to give her a talking to, truth be told. But when I got there, she held up her stuffed cuddle, Piglet. "I prayed for you, remember? You will be fine. You need to go to sleep now." To which she sadly replied, "Yeah, mommy, but Pigwet's still scaaad. You need to pray for him too." Or maybe, sort of like Piglet says of Pooh, my little baby just wanted to be sure of me.

“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh," he whispered.

"Yes, Piglet?"

"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw, "I just wanted to be sure of you."

Do you think God's answers prayers for stuffed Piglets? Let's hope so. For the sake of three-year-olds.

Sometimes Their Prayers Put Me to Shame

During our circle time today, we were praying for some church friends who are in Guatamala for the summer and we got to our "thanksgiving" portion of the prayer time. My two oldest blew me away by what they shared. One said, "Thank you God for our home and our family and for music and for books." The other said, "Thank you God for your Bible and your words that Jesus brought to us." I was astounded that the once simple prayers of thanks for home and family (which are very valid in their own right) had turned into thanksgiving for his good gifts of books and music and His wonderful Word. I am humbled to be praying with my little people. Through these simple every day experiences, sometimes God gives me a glimpse into the Kingdom people that He is growing them to be and I think about them in the future and I am excited and blown away and scared all at the same time. I am so thankful that as a mom I get to see these little pieces of their hearts during our prayer time.

Me, Lately

Watching Dancing With the Stars, American Idol, and Jon and Kate Plus 8

Reading Seasons of a Mother's Heart by Sally Clarkson, 1 Corinthians

Meditating On Matthew 6:25-34

Praying for My brother's family (my sister in law is in treatment for cancer) and hubby's job, my friends (various needs)

Cleaning out my garage and my bedroom closet (ugh!)

Looking forward to golfing with my husband this summer (didn't get to while in England)

Missing the English parks with their lovely spring blooms

Can't wait to plant my flowers

Listening to Michael Buble

Working on less worrying

Cooking lots of muffins lately

Most recent purchase shoes at Payless (it's BOGO, you know!)

Trying to figure out a good way to do family devotions with Dad

Praying for the Job Search

My brother recently sent me a package with two books in it. One was titled, "Worry: Pursuing a Better Path to Peace" and the other "Running Scared". Do you think he's trying to send me a message? I had recently spoken to the sweet man about our family's uncertainty regarding hubby's job. The plant where hubby has worked since getting out of college fifteen years ago is closing in June. We are uncertain as to where God is taking us next. We are waiting expectantly for God to provide a new job for this family.

Throughout this season of uncertainty and waiting I have wrestled with many questions and seen my faith for what it is...and isn't. I now realize that one of the faulty beliefs I've held is that God is always waiting to "teach me a lesson". I have been surprised to learn how very little I trust in God's goodness. Could God actually gift this family with the desires of our heart? That has been tough for me to think, say, even to type here. The key scripture that God keeps taking me back to to confront that faulty thinking is from Matthew 7, "What man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf would give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him." Now, that is not to say that the "good gift" that I desire is or is not the will of God in this particular situation, but it is life-giving to know that my Father will provide good gifts for his children, which includes our family. I find it very hard --presumptuous even -- to say and believe that, but I choose to believe based on the truth in this Scripture.

Right now, we are living to enjoy each simple moment in our wonderful life. And, we are simply praying that the God of the Heavens, the Giver of every good and perfect gift, the God who is our Provider will align our will to His. And in that, I know that He will answer our prayer.

Lifting Hands Blog

I have been so blessed by this site. It is a site where prayers for children, usually taken right from scripture and highly influenced by Stormie O'Martian's work, are written at the beginning of each week. I write these prayers down on my spiral-bound notecards and then put them up in my kitchen to pray for my children as I am reminded throughout the week. I highly encourage you to visit and pray for your children as well through using this wonderful tool.

Preaching the Gospel to His Little Self

He runs upstairs, something triggering a thought and an excitement to share something good, something very good.

He comes down with this.

He proceeds to read us all a Psalm. We are all encouraged.

He tells us how the Psalms are ministering to his little boy heart. "At night, when I am scared, I read a happy one and it makes me feel better."

Father God, thank you...thank you...thank you. Continue to remind me that it is YOU who is the heart-wooer. I trust you with my boy. Never let go of him. Pierce his heart with your love each day until You consume his very life.

Can't Stop Thinking About...

***Updated to add...Check out the new Compassion Uganda button on my sidebar to track these bloggers on this important journey. And don't forget to pray!***

Today as I was cleaning out my freezer and throwing away old, forgotten meat, etc.

Last night as I was looking at those new valentine's day placemats from Target that I just "had to have".

When I was wrapping the many things that I had gotten my baby girl for her birthday this weekend.

As I was making a list of the new books that I "needed".

I was thinking about, remembering, and being convincted by the truth of these words.

Forgive me, Jesus. Forgive me.

I have so far to go to give up my stuff-ism. I hope this post and the truth shared in it will never, ever, ever leave my mind. Or yours.

Please pray for the blogging team on the trip with Compassion International. And please pray for us rich Americans to release all that we think we need to embrace real life.

Fruit

As the ambulance and fire engine roared past, we began doing what we often do...praying for the one in need of such help. My son was praying from the back seat, "God, please heal the woman or man or child who is sick. And God, please don't just heal their body. Heal their hearts too."

Amen.

Sometimes I wonder if the things I say and do in the parenting journey bounce off my children's little ears --if they even penetrate their brains and hearts. And then, God smiles down at me, encouraging me with fruit that I can see in the hearts of my children. It overwhelms a tired mommy's heart with joy and gratitude.

Pondering the Importance of Prayer with Spurgeon

This came in my inbox today from "Morning and Evening":

"We may be certain that whatever God has made prominent in his Word, He intended to be conspicuous in our lives. If He has said much about prayer, it is because He knows we have much need of it." -Charles Haddon Spurgeon

You Know I'm a Quote Junkie -- Praying for Our Children

"Earnest, secret, believing prayer should never cease to be daily presented for our offspring. Daily we should wrestle with God for their eternal salvation. That parent has neglected a very important branch of his duty, who has suffered one single day to pass by without bearing his children upon his heart before God in private prayer." --John Angell James

A Favorite Quote

Here's a favorite quote by Jill Churchill:



"The most important thing she learned was that there is no way to be a perfect mother, but a million ways to be a good one."

Soon after I became a first-time mother to a colicky baby, I realized that there are no perfect mothers. Of course I tried everything I knew, asked every mother I knew, and removed lactose, caffeine and refined sugars from my diet, to no avail. That baby would not stop crying!



I once talked to a friend whose child was grown who lamented over all of the hotdogs her son ate as a child. "Who knew," she worried, "that hot dogs could cause brain cancer!?" Why is it that we as mothers blame ourselves for every problem our children experience or shortcoming they exhibit? I'm certain, for example, that they learned that ugly character trait from me, that their shyness reminds me of myself as a young child, and that the older ladies at church must think we never use "please" or "thank you" at our house.



That's why I love this quote by Jill Churchill. I read it a year or so ago, while looking for a great quote for a lovely page in my scrapbook. I am learning to embrace it. In fact, I recently added it to my scrapbook, along with some journaling about all the fears that I have for my children about their not having the perfect mother.



Who is she anyway? I've realized that for myself, she's a composite of my own mother and grandmother, Betty Crocker, June Cleaver, and the Proverbs 31 woman all rolled into one unattainable ideal. What I know is that while I'm not perfect, God made my children for this mom, This broken, self-centered, imperfect, blessed-beyond-belief, mom. God blessed me with children to change me.



Sara Groves has a song I resonate with regarding these imperfections. It's on her CD Station Wagon. The lyrics read:



"Baby, I'm afraid you're a lot like me

You can't help feeling everything.

I can see you trying to hold it in

I see your eyes and your trembling chin.



And for you and myself I will pray

Let our weakness become our strength.



Baby there are some holes you just can't fill

You try and try but you never will

Baby I believe a God who can

He loves the boy and He'll love the man.



And for you and myself I will pray

That our weakness becomes our strength."



I love these lyrics because they are rest for my weary, perfectionistic, mother-soul. They provide a way out. A way to a life-changing Savior who turns our weakness into strengths. A way to pray for myself and for my children. A realization that I need not blame myself for every weakness they exhibit. A small feeling of community with another mother living with the same feelings of responsibility that I have.

We Have Power!

Whew! Sunday night we got hit by the big storms that crossed the midwest. We've been without power for a day and a half. But last night, as hubby and I drove home from church, we were overjoyed to see lights! As we drove over the hill, and looked at each dwelling heading toward home, we checked each one. Yes, the school had lights, the next neighbor's house had lights, the church had lights. Indeed, even we had lights.



I never realized how totally dependent on "power" that I am. I was really freaked out about the "no power" thing. I felt completely isolated from the rest of the world and worried about the house being too cold for my children and me. I worried about what to do with the stuff in the fridge and who was going to come and tarp the roof, so it wouldn't leak.



My children, to my dismay, had cold pop tarts and water for breakfast yesterday. Talk about some mom-guilt kicking in! Yep! It's true. I always hearken back to my childhood when I correctly (or incorrectly) remember my own mommy handling every situation with ease and perfection. I'm quite SURE we would not have had cold pop-tarts and water for breakfast growing up, even if the power had been out for a week!



It wasn't until the next morning after the storm hit, that we could see the damage that the storm had done to our house. Roofing was off. Our children's big wooden playset had been thrown across the yard and stood in a tangled heap. Our window screens were severed. Our gutters and soffets were damaged. And our siding had big gashes, holes, and even some of the neighbor's shingles embedded into it. I saw all this and was so thankful that we had been protected inside our little under-the-stairs closet. That's right, 2 grown ups, 3 children and a wiener dog inside the little closet under the stairs. It's not too comfy! But seeing the destruction that I had, I said extra prayers of thanksgiving. God is always protecting us, even when we don't know we need protected.

The God Who Sees

Apr. 1, 2006
The God Who Sees


For the past year and a half, I've been doing a study on the Hebrew names of God. I started the journey with a book by Ann Spangler that I highly recommend, entitled Praying the Names of God. This book started me on a remarkable adventure. As I studied each new name, I learned more about the character of my God. And, oh I love Him ever so much more with each new revelation!



One of my favorite names as the mother of young children is El Roi, the God Who Sees Me. It was the name revealed through Hagar, after God had rescued her and Ishmael from certain death in the desert. Hagar was comforted that God saw, cared, and rescued her and her precious son.



I love to think about God being the God who sees me...regular old me... Joni: homeschooling mom, wife, friend, daughter.



I need to know that He sees all the diapers I change.

I need to know that He sees when one of my children is hurt and I'm worried half to death.

I need to know that He sees when my children aren't with me and I can't protect them.

I need to know that He sees when I need His wisdom for a discipline situation.

I need to know that He sees when I am going crazy-out-of-my-mind because we all have the stomach flu and I'm just plain worn-out!



I also need to know that He sees when I get impatient with my children.

Or when I am wasting the time He's given me.

Or when I'm choosing other things over Him.

Or when I'm not the best wife, mom, or friend.

I need to know that because in that kind of seeing, that kind of knowing, I can rest.

How you may ask? Because I know that El Roi sees me as I really am, in all my impatience, all my idleness, all my idolatry and all my pride. He sees regular old Joni and He loves her anyway. Now I can rest in that!



Praise El Roi, the God Who Sees!