Sitting By or Sitting Under?

Criticism- it causes a wide variety of emotions to surface. I have been at the brunt of it, I've also been mixed up in it many times. How can I get a handle on this destructive habit?

In Luke 5:17, the Pharisees and the doctors were sitting by listening to Jesus teaching. How many times have I sat by the teaching of the Word, instead of sat under?

Matthew Henry wrote, " How many are there in the midst of our assemblies, where the Gospel is preached, that do not sit under the Word, but sit by! It is to them as a tale that is told them, not as a message that is sent them; they are willing that we should preach before them, but not that we should preach to them."

Criticism is tricky, deceitful and self-seeking. The Pharisees were sitting by, watching for a chance to criticize Jesus for something. They were totally missing the point of His message. They didn't hear Him at all.

How many times have I totally missed what someone was saying because I was drawing my critical conclusions in my mind?

This morning, my devotional by Beth Moore, Jesus, 90 Days With the One and Only, was so powerful! She said that the most merciful people are the ones who have been sitting under the faucet of God's mercy instead of sitting by with a critical eye.

Sometimes we are convicted best just after we've been criticized. In fact, being on the end of it where people readily find fault with you, opens your eyes to your own damaging judgements of others.

Francis Frangipane wrote," To inoculate me from the praise of man, He baptized me in the criticism of man, until I died to the control of man."

We go to town, take one look at someone, and figure they're on food stamps, because they certainly look too lazy to work.

We go to church, hear someone share a testimony, but discount it because of a glaring fault in their life.

We see the young teen, tattooed and pierced, and move to another aisle at the grocery store.

We hear about some one's call from God, but completely reject it, because they aren't in the right church denomination.

We see someone make changes in dress, and hear them talk about what God is doing in their life, and we figure it can't be the same God we serve.

She shares in Sunday School class, but she has so many issues, that we just feel sorry for her instead of challenged by what God is doing in her life.

And on and on it goes.

So help, me, God. I pray that I would care enough about people to give them the gift of understanding, mercy, and love. I pray that Jesus would be so real in my life that I could be Jesus with 'skin' on to those I come in contact with. I pray that I would hear first, love next, and always care.

Blameless people are rarely those who cast blame. (Beth Moore)

So what will I do? Will I sit by Jesus teaching or will I sit under His teaching, and allow it to change me?

Oh, The Things They Say

Aren't children just such a treat to be around? they say the funniest things sometimes. Today I'm doing a post with random funnies from our house.

Brooke: (after shrieking loudly) "Did I blow your earballs out?"
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Brooke: "Dad, last one up has to make the bed."
Dad: "No, I don't think so."
Brooke: "Yes, that's the way it is."
Dad: "Not for Daddy and Mommy."
Brooke: "Yes, it is."
Dad: "That's shocking."
Brooke: "Shocking? It'll shock you if you don't."
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Jamison, while watching Mom wash a big kettle.: "I thought that was supposed to be stainless steel."
Mom: "It is stainless steel."
Jamison: "No, it isn't. Look, there's a big stain on the bottom.:"
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Annika, during Bible School: "Are we the children of Israel? Are we going to build up the Twin Towers?"

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Logan, referring to a concession stand, called it a 'consolation stand'.

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I was telling Brooklyn about the activities we had planned. After each event, she would say, "And then what?" So I would tell her the next thing on the agenda. When I got to the end, she said, "And then what?" I said, "That's all." She looked at me and said, "And then we'll be dead?"
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Brooke: "Mom, you might've not knowed this, but when Annika was born, I was still up in Heaven and God was making me."
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Jamison: "Peter Piper pickled a pickle on his hot pepper plantation."
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Brooke: "My tummy is getting full, but I can still put jelly bread in my mind."
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As you can tell, the three year old is the funny one around here. I think I should just follow her around for a whole day and write down every thing she says. And her prayers, oh my. There are the cutest/funniest ever. I bet God loves to hear three year olds pray.

And a few sweet pictures....

Jamison raised this watermelon in his own garden this year. I think it was the best watermelon I ever tasted. He was so proud of it!

These little ladies can spend hours in imaginative play. They filled many buckets with 'water' this particular day, from our old broken pump.

The actors in a Robin Hood play the children did for us recently.

Life with kids. What a treat!

Happy 12th Anniversary

                                                            to the love of my life

my best friend

wonderful daddy to our children

I hope we have another 60 years together, you and me!

Camping

All summer long we've been talking about camping with the kids. It seemed every weekend that suited, the weather was predicted to hit 100 degrees. And since we tent camp, that was a little warm to be comfortable. We watched our summer tick away, and finally we saw our one remainiung weekend had a full Saturday schedule already. So we asked the kids if they'd be okay with camping at home in the backyard. The all consented. so last weekend we set up tents, and we camped. It was so much fun! I realize that this might not work when they are older, but it was great fun for us all, and oh, so convenient. We didn't have to pack, we could use the dishwasher, ;) and we still got that awesome campfire food and made some very special memories.

The first evening....

It was chilly enough that jackets and blankets felt good.

During the night we woke up and heard a kitty purring. Upon investigation, we discovered a kitty asleep deep in Brooklyn's sleeping bag. We threw Miss Kittycat out and she wasn't very happy about it, but Brooke never found out about her visitor until morning.

Daddy and Brooke snuggling.....

We wrapped up our projects on Saturday by late afternoon and then the fun began. Leon had a bunch of fireworks to shoot off and he set those up. I prepared a yummy meal of steak kabobs and roasted potatoes over the fire and we ended the meal with 'campfire donuts'. (Biscuits cut in fourths, roasted over the fire on sticks, rolled in butter and cinnamon/sugar, mmm!)

At dark, the fireworks began. What fun!;)

I love hanging out with my family. Sometimes these special times aren't all we think they'll be, but we gotta fight to have family time anyway. It's so easy to take time to have fun with other people but what about the little people you live with and love more than anything?! It's extra work, of course, but the memories you make are priceless. The time we have with our children is so short. Finding that balance between work and play is tough, I know. We've muddled through it all summer and still don't really know what we're doing. But I think our kids know if they are important to us or not. Work is important. We don't want to raise selfish little tyrants who think the world revolves around them. And yet, they gotta know that sometimes our work stops just for them. I hope this past weekend made them feel loved. I guess we'll find out in 10 years if they even remember it.;)

You love, you give, you invest, you sweat, you wonder if it's worth it....

You're a parent, so you do it all over again, and again, and you pray that God takes your mistakes and redeems them. You pray your kids grow up to know you loved them. But most of all you pray that your kids grow up to know the Father and His love.

Do Hard Things (Just Do It)

No, this is not an overview of the teen book "Do Hard Things" by the Harris brothers. (although that is a great read.) Neither is it a Nike commercial to Just Do It.

I love to work. This morning I even confessed to God that sometimes I love to work, to be productive, even more than I love to mother. I love to look back on the end of the day and see what I accomplished and feel satisfied. But my new goal is to look back on the end of the day and know I started well, (with God), the middle was fun, (I took time for my kids) and we ended well. (By having a calm, relaxing end to our day.) Granted, it doesn't always go like that, no matter how hard I try. But I really want to keep my priorities in the correct order.

I can also be lazy. Sometimes I lack motivation. Or maybe I have a very crazy productive day, and then the next day I'm recuperating and get nothing done. I guess there's a lack of self discipline going on there. Alright, I know my issues.;)

There are several jobs that I detest! This week, the week before the week before :) school starts here at our house was the week of Doing Hard Things or Doing The Things I've Been Pushing Off.  I patched/mended some things, ironed the shirts, painted the school room, (which ended up being fun because I had a new friend over to help me, and good conversation makes any job more fun!), and today was a real doozy- I cleaned out the jars that had spoiled food in them from my basement...oooh! Yuck!, and majorly cleaned out and organized the mudroom and laundry room closet. I pounded in more nails, hung stuff that had never been hung before, and totally loved the finished product. I'm trying to figure out why I push off those nasty jobs for so long?! When I made up my mind that I will attack those jobs, it really wasn't so bad.

So here's the rest of my to-do list for this week-

1. plant fall stuff in my garden
2. can strawberry tapioca
3. put tomatoes in the freezer for marinara sauce
4. clean the van
5. mow the yard
6. help my husband butcher several pigs
7. fill out the home school forms and send in to local school district

Next week is our last week of vacation and we have fun things planned.

What is one job that you hate doing?

Gratitude

After three days of incredible pain from sores in her mouth, diagnosis of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease by her Mom, there was no way I could say "No" to Brooklyn last night when she asked "Couldsh you please come watsh me play soccer, Mom?" Her words were still slurred together from those nasty sores on her tongue.

The rest of the family was at church, hearing a missionary presentation on their work in China. Brooke and I went for a long walk, and when we got back she really perked up. Watching her little legs run around the yard, seeing her big smile, watching the sun shine on her head, it was all such a Gift. I know, she was only sick for 3 days, refusing to eat anything or drink anything, even ice cream. The only way to get any nourishment in her was when Daddy forced it in, making her cry in the process.

When I was rocking her at night, I couldn't help but think of all the momma's who have sick children, not just a 3 day yucky virus, but a sick that goes on forever. I began counting my blessings that my little girl was actually quite healthy and would recover from this.

But then I thought, why does it take this to make me grateful? Yes, I often thank God for our children's health, but I also often totally take it for granted. How can gratitude be more a part of my life, instead of just after a calamity arises?

I am an avid follower of aholyexperience.com, Ann Voskamp's blog. I have her book "One Thousand Gifts" here on my shelf, waiting to be read. I absolutely love how she challenges me to think. But I still feel like a pretty ungrateful person.

I don't think we have to go through hard times to make us more grateful. I think for me it's more of an AWARENESS that everything I have is not really mine; it's a GIFT from God.

Today I am thankful for

• beautiful weather
• healthy children
• a hard working husband
• my garden
• sweet tea
• friends that challenge me
• my time with God this morning
• money to buy groceries
• the 1 1/2 inches of rain we had last Saturday!!!
• clean laundry

I got to thinking that for each of these I just mentioned, I could make another list that looks something like this.....

• the weather has been terribly hot and dry here
• Brooke has been sick for 3 DAYS!
• Leon has entirely too much to do right now and we don't get to see him nearly enough
• my garden needs tilling so I can plant fall stuff, but who knows when my husband will have time
• sweet tea rots my teeth and puts fat on my belly
• where are my good friends?
• I'm too busy to have a regular time with God
• the money barely reaches right now
• we could sure use more rain to end this drought
• I only did 18 loads of laundry last week!!!!!!!!!!

Sometimes, even when I'm counting my blessings, I add these clauses to my gratitude that almost erases it completely.

God, help me to be truly grateful for what You have given me. And if You choose to take it away, help me still be grateful. I know that you desire a heart of gratitude in me. I choose to be graeful in whatever situation I find myself in.

The Wedding

He headed to college and started attending a new church, not realizing that  he was about to meet that Special Someone. It's a sweet love story, with enough humor to make it fun. We celebrated their marriage last week. Leon's second to youngest brother, a very special young man. Congratulations to Karlin and Megan!

My two nieces are getting the little flower girls all prettied up.

My 10 year olds attempt at a picture of Mom and Dad.

Leon's parents

The two oldest grandchildren

Flower girls and their Daddy

Brooke with Uncle Lowell

 Lowell with his sweet girlfriend

The only picture I have of the bride and groom. Isn't she cute in his tux?

It was a very special celebration of their committment to each other.