Drowning in the sea of unending work.

It is an ever present battle for any mom, and I'm guessing the homeschooling is adding to it since I have 0 moments alone in the house to get some uninterrupted work accomplished.  Not that it would matter if I did have those times, because as soon as 5 little pairs of feet come back into the home it will look very similar to the way it did before.  When my mood starts on the rollercoaster, I often ask "Why do I bother??"  What I do is undone in so short a time.  

And my darling precious man will tease me when he comes home -- I try to convince him that I did do something during the day, and will spout through my list.  He gives me the wry smile telling me not to kid myself, that he knows I just sat on the couch all day.  

knowing him 

will help you appreciate 

that comment 

all the more, 

especially how frequently 

he will take on all 5 kids 

and give me a break.  

Anyway, I have recognized that I needed to release many things, that my home will not look a certain way, and I have reduced my daily expectation to a few things (like a few loads of laundry and keeping up with the dishes!)  So while struggling with this issue day after day, month after month, I read this blog post over at Holy Experience.    

She says, "I want things seen.  These can be idols."   

Wow.  Ok, yes, I was the one that prayed that God would show me the things I have in that position in my life.  Prayer is continuing to be answered.

Maybe I don't achieve it, and maybe I can accept that it won't get that way, but I still yearn for certain things in my heart.

painful.  

So finishing up, Ann says this:

Again, today, I must: Slay the idol of the seen.

Today, a thousand times again today, I will: preach the truth to this soul prone to wander. I will seek the affirming smile of Father.

“Unseen. Things Unseen. Invest in Things Unseen.”

The dishes pile on the counter and we sit, read Scripture, take the hand beside us, and we pray.

Moms, give yourself a blessing and read the entire post through, prayerfully, examining your heart.  

Why I've got the best husband ever.

Isaac, Elliot and I were out yesterday morning, and upon my return I opened the door and saw Jeremy in the kitchen wearing an apron.  An apron?  It is not unusual for Jeremy to cook or bake (I hate to admit that he's probably better than me...) but he never wears an apron!

"Why in the world are you wearing an apron????"  I exclaim.  

He doesn't answer, just standing there in the doorway to the kitchen holding some utensil....

.... and then I see my sweet Orli step into the doorway, also wearing a little apron!!!

Someone had given us a cute little cupcake kit, and while we were out and the twins were napping, Orli had some special Daddy time making special cupcakes!!!!  Oh, it just melted my heart.  

That memory definitely goes in the treasure box!!!

Two toddlers deciding they are going to have their "mommy-attachment" time does not leave much time to spare.  For anything.  So, adding that into the start of fall activities this has been a whirlwind of a month!!!  

5 well child appointments later, and I think we confirmed that everyone is growing well and very healthy -- praise the Lord!  The twins continue in their height/weight race -- and this time they were exactly the same height, and only a few ounces off in the weight.  What surprised me was that Isaac and Elliot are the same weight!!!  :)  (No wonder I constantly get asked if there are 2 sets of twins!!!)  Now if I can just find enough time to get on the phone and make all the dentist appointments. --I doubt there is a receptionist that likes to schedule appointments with me--it must be impossible to hear with all the noise in the background!!!

School.  Yes, school, which I had grand intentions of continuing in small part through the summer--and I gave it up!  I decided that not only did the kids need a break, I did too.  I was a little concerned about this year, since I was adding Elliot to my list of students, and I didn't know where I would come up with the time to get it all in.  But alas, I married my hero, and that brilliant (and brave) man stepped in to help me educate our kids!  YAY!  So we get the boys up early and begin Math at 6:30 AM.  It is working beautifully, except for the fact that I do *not* wake up well (never did--ask my MOM).  But sometimes I'm able to get a little violin playing in between the kids' music lessons, so that is some nice incentive.  

Job and Jude are keeping up by reading books continually!!!  All of our kids have loved books, and these little guys are no exception!  They are talking a little later than their siblings, but I think they might have a little bit of their own thing going on.  Thankfully they haven't worked together too much, but maybe that mischief is yet to come.  And since Orli is talking nonstop while I am typing I think I will resume posting at a later time....   ;)

Teach Me the Patience of Unanswered Prayer

"A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to Him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon‐possession." Jesus did not answer a word."
Matthew 15:22‐23

It can be severely trying and highly perplexing to us to cry out to Christ in prayer for something, and to have Him seemingly pass by without saying a word. Unanswered prayer is one of the hardest tests of faith. In the account cited above, a Canaanite woman followed Christ crying out for Him to heal her daughter. But Jesus did not answer a word. How striking is this! How shocking, really. Yet, how true to our own experience. Most of our prayers go unanswered, at least at the moment we speak them. We get no “angel visitant, no opening skies,” and we rise from our prayer time with no sensory evidence that our prayers got any further than the ceiling when we uttered them. Faith alone enables us to walk away from the hour of prayer confident that God has heard. Yet, we are urged to persist, to persevere, to “always pray, and never give up.” (Luke 18:1) That means we are to keep asking until God answers! And how frequently does He makes us wait!

In 1639, the great Puritan pastor Richard Sibbes published a sermon entitled “A Breathing After God,” subtitled “A Christian’s Desire of God’s Presence.” In that message, which he based on the text “As a deer pants for the water, so my soul pants after you.” (Psalm 42:1), Sibbes took up the issue of why God makes us wait in prayer. He discerned five reasons:

1) God loves to hear the desires of His servants. God enjoys being pursued, being sued unto, because He knows it is for our good and His glory. If He were to give us what we want immediately, we would spend less time asking for it.

2) God desires to keep us in a perpetual humble subjection and dependence on Him. Our hearts are prone to independence and self‐reliance. God yields to our requests little by little to keep us in humble dependence on Him. If God immediately granted to us anything we ask, we would grow pompous toward Him, forgetting who is the Master and who the servant!

3) God seeks to exercise all our spiritual graces, for a spirit of prayer is a spirit of the exercise of all grace. We cannot pray but that we exercise faith toward God, love for His church, sanctified wisdom to discern what are the best things to be prayed for, and the mortification of the fleshly desires that take us from God. All these graces grow stronger the longer we pray. Sibbes also said, the spirit of prayer itself is usually better in God’s sight than whatever we’re asking for!

4) God also would have us set an ever higher value on what we are asking for. The longer we ask for something the greater we desire it. God finds our desires too weak, and His delay in answering our prayers helps us value it properly and to be filled with incredible joy when it is finally granted.

5) God instructs us during the delay, so that we might better use what we are asking for when we get it. Without the delay, we would not have time or cause to think how the matter fits into God’s overall plan for the world.

In 1854, George Croly wrote the classic hymn, “Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart.” In the third stanza, he wrote, Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh; Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear. To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh, Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer. In our modern Baptist hymnal, some editor thought it would be best to change the final line to “Teach me the patience of unceasing prayer.” Croly’s original is far better… God has enrolled us in the school of unanswered prayer that we may grow in Christ. Do not murmur under this discipline, but pray all the more!


----Andrew Davis

poor sad blog, that I never update anymore.  

we have started school, 

but I will come back 

and post an update

about 

our 

kids.

Cousin visit....

My sister came to visit briefly on their way to the beach. Who knew you could fit so much fun into one day!!!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Humble Christians.

I listened to a very convicting sermon on humility (among the many on that subject I've been listening to this year!) and Mark Driscoll gave 8 questions to assess your progress in the journey pursuing humility.  I thought I'd share.  Oh, and if you really want to examine yourself, he rightly suggests having someone that knows you well answer these questions about you. 

Yes, tough.  

1.  Are you teachable?

2.  How do you respond to correction or rebuke?

3.  Do you repent quickly and thoroughly?

4.  Are you considerate of other people?

5.  Do you serve and receive service well?

6.  Are you consistently aware of the evidences of God's grace in your life? 

(but for Jesus, we are sinners deserving hell -- or do you feel entitled to ______?)

7.  Do you disagree agreeably?  (in a loving, kind way?)

8.  How much attention and affirmation do you desire? 

(can you serve quietly, simply, and discreetly?)

speechless.

God has been teaching me a lot over the last year.  

I mean, a lot.  

Maybe the year before was really difficult.  But this year as things have settled down a bit, I feel that I have been stretched.........molded.........kneaded.........pulled.  I have been striving to come up with the words to express what I’ve been learning, and each time I try, I’m blank.  

Nada. 

I could tell you that I understand the gospel in a new way.

I could tell you that I understand worship in a new way.

I could tell you that I understand pride and humility in a new way. 

I could tell you that I understand idolatry in a new way.  

But to tell you how each of these things interweave and how my life has been impacted...  I still am at a loss.   Not because there is nothing to tell, but because it is so monumental.  

this makes for a boring blog post...

So all I can do is hope that all these come together in such a way that my life is (yet again) dramatically changed.  

That I will continue to seek out the sin that plagues me, that the One who dwells within me might be seen with utter clarity.

I've been trying to work on a blog post with some substance, but alas, many of you know how life goes. 

I did want to pass along this little goodie, though!  

Children's Place is having their end of season sale, so I was grabbing a few things for next summer.  I have a habit of checking for coupon codes before I buy something online, and if you are shopping this sale click HERE to try these coupons!  I got an extra % off my already reduced merchandise!  

Happy Shopping!!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Big Trip

Up and coming is the video montage from our trip to PA.  Elliot is planning on moving our family up!  :)

Prior to the visiting part of our vacation, Jeremy and I attended the Advance 09 conference.  Check out the audio online here.  Especially powerful were Matt Chandler, and Mark Driscoll's second talk on Idols.  wow.  Get ready to change your life after listening to those!!  Not to mention John Piper.  Go stock up on some good edifying words!!!

messy face pictures

Free downloads.

I'm looking at all my coupon/discount sites, and here are some links for free music.  Always a good thing, right?

Here are some free jazz downloads from 1959.

Here are 500 (I think) free downloads from Amazon.

And Here is the free album from Coldplay.

Preschool Worksheets

We are still working to finish up our school year -- or at least get to the point where we can do some laid back school for the summer.  (yes, I will still do a little, since my kids behave much better when we have a little bit of that sort of structure.)

I have started using jelly beans as a reward for worksheets that are finished neatly and in a timely manner.  So each kid probably could earn about 4-5 jelly beans for the day.  This has increased productivity and excitement, so for now that is what I'm going with.  Elliot and Orli have been really enjoying participating in school as well, and now with increased incentive they love to practice their letters!  

I know lots of books can be purchased, but I have been doing some printouts for our preschool work.  I thought I'd share our favorite sites...

http://www.kidslearningstation.com/

http://www.first-school.ws/INDEX.HTM

This is not a site for printables, but is an interactive way to focus on phonics.  All my kids LOVE this site, and I believe it has been a huge tool in knowing their letter sounds, and beginning reading skills.  

http://www.starfall.com/

Diapers on sale...

OK, all you mamas with young children, check this out from Amazon.com:

Save up to 30% on Pampers and Luvs Diapers

Save up to 30% on select Pampers and Luvs diapers sold by Amazon.com. Save 15% when you enter code PMPRSJN9 at checkout. Plus, save an additional 15% when you combine the instant rebate with your Subscribe & Save order--bringing your total savings to 30%. Subscribe & Save is only offered on select Pampers and Luvs products listed below. Offer valid through May 31, 2009. See rules and restrictions.

Nothing is better than having diapers sent to your door, right?  Here's the link.

Thanks, Mommysavers!