I came across this image recently, and it certainly encouraged my heart. I enjoy reading Mr. Pink’s books, but I had never before read this quote. I hope it encourages other moms out there as well.
I pray God will help me to keep a right spirit as I labor in my home today; and may He use my meager efforts to further His kingdom.
With love,
My entire Christian school ate lunch at the same time, and while I never ate with her, I could always see her. I knew she was close. If Dad forgot to pack my chips, I could seek her out, and she would share hers. If I lost a tooth at school or skinned my knee at recess, I could find her, go to her, and she would help me. I had some sweet teachers, like Mrs. Parson and Mrs. Smith, who would have helped me. But it wouldn’t have been the same. Melanie was better. And as I filed in to the gymnasium with my class for lunch on that first day back to school, I looked for her at her table. Then I realized how stupid that had been! She was gone. I tried to push back the tears as I sat down and opened my lunch. I swallowed hard. I hoped Dad hadn’t forgotten my chips.
When school dismissed, I made my way outside, to the place where we used to wait for Dad to pick us up. Only this time, there was no we, there was just me. I didn’t like this new aloneness. I wasn’t cut out for it, I had decided.
At supper time, Dad sat at the head of the table, then Melanie, then me, then Mom. We usually enjoyed the talking even more than the eating. It was awkward now. Mom and Dad didn’t want to be sad in front of me, but they couldn’t hide it. I didn’t try to hide my heartache. I hoped they would see how terrible this was and go get her! They didn’t.
I would lie in bed and feel the emptiness on her side of the room. It seemed to be tangible. I cried in the darkness, and even resorted to playing Southern Gospel music softly on a tape player in order to get to sleep. Whenever I used to have trouble sleeping, Melanie would cuddle close to me and whisper a story. It was easy since we had scooted our twin beds right up against each other. We each had our own electric blankets and the controls hanging on her bedpost gave a dim, warm glow in the winter time. After she left, I had more trouble than ever getting to sleep, and all I had was a dumb old tape player!
I suppose I’m remembering all of this because my sister, Melanie, just had to send her son to college. I’ve been grieving for her, across the miles, because I sort of know how it feels. The transition seems to be easier for the people who leave than it is for the ones left behind. Melanie was at college making friends, learning things and seeing Chicago. I was at home staring at her empty chair and hearing the echo of her laughter in my mind. I learned early that change – and loss – is hard.
As I began down memory lane, though, I came across the picture at the top of this page. How true! I have experienced loss and sadness, like a lot of people, but the reason I felt it was because I was so lucky! I was so blessed to have a sister who was my friend. She didn’t argue and bicker with me, she loved me and took care of me. Not many girls can say that about their older sister. Our sweet fellowship is what made – and still makes – saying goodbye so hard. How lucky I am to have that! How wonderful it is that I have a loving mother whom I miss terribly; and to have had a Dad who was my friend and a real-life Christian hero. It’s hard to be downhearted when I think of how privileged I am to have had, and still have, these people in my life.
I love you, Mom and Melanie, and I love Dad. I’m so lucky to miss you.
I do believe I’m finally finding a rhythm in our school day. And just think! It only took three weeks! The first week I felt nauseated, ate little, had trouble sleeping, and had a horrendous backache. The next week, I had sleeping and eating issues, but no back pain. This week, no back pain, no eating trouble (sadly) and less trouble sleeping. I’m still having trouble getting up thirty minutes earlier so I have time to hit the gym – and clean up – before school. There’s something about getting up at 5:30 as opposed to 6:00 that just gets me. Hopefully I can make that adjustment soon, too. Especially since my appetite has returned. 😉
Here are some highlights from last week:
This is a collage of three photos of the pirate ship at our library. The children’s section is getting a much needed face lift. This ship is being built in honor of our wonderful Miss Heather, who died last May.
I hit an all-time distance and calorie burn record in thirty minutes on the elliptical. (But, since I didn’t get up at 5:30, I was about 15 minutes late starting school.) The best part was that I was able to walk out after this.
Our church sponsored a tent meeting to reach the Native Americans in our area. This meeting was a great success and isn’t over yet – a brand new church is being gathered to reach various tribes of Native Americans in our area. If you think of it, please pray for the Lawton Indian Baptist Church! The Gospel isn’t just an important thing, it’s the main thing!
We began our year with high hopes for our math curriculum. I’ve used Saxon Math for four years and have been very pleased. We had planned on using Saxon again for Lauren’s Advanced Math and Mitchell’s pre-Algebra (Algebra 1/2). When Lauren attempted the Advanced Math, we realized a hard fact: we would have little time for other subjects due to the four + hours that she would be spending on math alone. After prayer and discussion, we decided to try Math U See for her geometry. I have used Math U See in the past for elementary and it just didn’t work. The pace was too slow. After watching sample lessons of this material, however, I think it will work well. Now, why am I switching Mitch? Well, that’s easy: I bought the wrong materials for him! I bought the wrong edition of the text book – or of the test book, answer key and CD Rom – whichever way you want to look at it. My cost would be the same whether I bought new materials from Saxon or Math U See, so we decided to let him use Math U See as well. He was having to spend a lot of time on math last year, so perhaps this will be quicker for him. A huge blessing in all of this was that I was able to sell our Advanced Math materials on Ebay and recoup some of my investment. An added blessing was that it sold in 1 hour! I have yet to determine what to do with Mitchell’s books. I suppose I will sell them, or some of them, in the future. All of this, no doubt, has been part of the reason for my high-stress level the first few weeks. We begin using Math U See tomorrow! {fingers crossed}
Here is a glimpse of what Matthew did last week:
In the first video, he is quoting his first poem of K5 from memory.
In the second video, he is quoting his memory verse for the week, Psalm 139:14.
When I played the video back for him, he said, “I sound like a child!” Oh boy, he keeps me laughing!
I have enjoyed a nice leisurely day today so far, for Labor Day. I have done laundry, written some notes, had lunch with my main man, and am about to write some lesson plans and a grocery list. I hope to squeeze in some reading, too. I’m currently reading To the Golden Shore, a biography of Adoniram Judson and When Comes the Spring, the second book in the Canadian West Series by Janette Oke. I read all of the Canadian West Series when I was a young teen, but Lauren’s great-grandma gave them to her so I’m enjoying re-reading them. I have always liked Janette Oke’s books.
Oh! Last week I celebrated – minus the actual “celebration” – my 8th year of blogging. Hard to believe I’ve been rambling for that long…okay, so maybe it’s not hard to believe. 😉 By way of irrelevant information, this is my 1,193rd post on this blog.
Thank you for reading. Whether you’re a new visitor or an old friend, I’m so glad you’re here.
With love,
To access this entire series, click HERE.
Last week’s term:
Infidelity – No faith or unfaithful. The proper description of a person’s way of life, who neither claims nor pursues any faith. Also used to describe the act or practice of violating commitments to faith or faithfulness which have been made.
This week’s term:
Materialism – The system which ignores the distinction between matter and mind, and attributes all the phenomena of the world, whether physical, vital, or mental, to the functions of matter. All random mutation evolutionists basically must subscribe to this religious philosophy.
I must add that I always thought materialism was simply elevating “material possessions” above the Lord. I suppose that is one definition of the word, but this is the theological definition. To put the above in my own words, I would say that “materialism” is making the material (matter) a god.
Thanks for reading,
There is a lot of misinformation about the Doctrines of Grace available in the online world. I realize that in any theological discussion, there are often two people (or twenty) who agree on the main points, but disagree on minor ones. I cannot speak for anyone but myself. Before you shrug me off as a nut or a heretic, please take a minute to scroll through a few of these popular myths about the Doctrines of Grace:
1. The Doctrines of Grace is the teaching of a man, John Calvin.
FALSE. Many people who believe the Doctrines of Grace have been labeled “Calvinists”. These truths were systematized into the “TULIP” as a response to the teachings of Jacobus Arminius about 45 years after Calvin’s death. (Meanwhile, the Waldensians [ancient Baptists] were teaching these truths all along.) John Calvin was not a good man. Most people who believe these truths do not want to be associated with him, and I am one of those people. They are more accurately called “the Doctrines of Grace”. However, I am no longer afraid of the name itself, because I know that these things are not Calvin’s truths, but rather, they are BIBLE truths.
*For sake of convenience, “Calvinism” and “Doctrines of Grace” will be used interchangeably in this post.
2. Calvinism teaches that God chooses some people for Heaven and some for Hell.
FALSE. We are all bound for hell. There is none righteous, no not one. (Romans 3:10) The fact that ANY of us can be saved is a gift of God’s grace. (Romans 6:23)
3. Those who believe in Sovereign Grace do not witness to others.
FALSE. There are some “hyper-Calvinists” (sometimes referred to as “fatalists”) who believe that “whatever will be, will be” so why bother? That is not accurate of just regular, run-of-the-mill Christians who believe in Grace. My church witnesses to strangers, passes out Gospel tracts, and even prints Gospel tracts! Why do we do this? Because the BIBLE says to do this. (Mark 16:15 and many other places) But, while we’re on the subject, as a member of seven churches which were not Sovereign Grace churches, I can tell you that those people struggle to get out and witness for Christ, too. Let’s be honest: door-to-door witnessing is hard work and we are all in the flesh.
4. You can only become a Calvinist by reading a modern “perversion” of the Bible.
FALSE.(“Perversion” is a little phrase I picked up in ‘Nam.) My husband and I have studied these things by using a King James Version of the Bible, and using only the Bible. Our church is KJV only, and the churches with whom we fellowship are KJV only. Not to mention, John Gill, John Bunyan, Andrew Fuller, William Carey, Adoniram Judson, Isaac Backus, and many other Baptists before 1900 who also used the KJV and believed these same truths.
5. Calvinism is the same as Reformed Theology or Presbyterianism.
FALSE. Those who call themselves “Reformed Baptists” and Presbyterians do believe in the Doctrines of Grace, but that is not what all Calvinists are. My church is not “reformed” – we need no reformation, our doctrine has existed since the Apostles tread upon the Earth. We are not Presbyterians because we do not believe in Presbyterian covenant theology nor do we baptize babies.
6. It is a new thing for Baptists to believe in the Doctrines of Grace.
FALSE. Read Baptist history and you will find numerous examples of Baptists of old (see #4) who preached these same blessed truths. Spurgeon is the most popular Baptist Calvinist. I heard him quoted countless times in my childhood, and I must ask, why would those preachers espouse a heretic? Probably because he wasn’t one. Yet Spurgeon was, most definitely, a Calvinist. He even wrote “A Defense of Calvinism“.
7. Calvinism is a false Gospel.
FALSE. A “false Gospel” adds something to salvation. What does Calvinism “add”? Does it claim that you must be good to get to Heaven? No. Does it say you must “work your way there”? No. If anything, this is the purest Gospel you’ll ever hear: “Trust Christ! He does EVERYTHING!”.
Thanks for reading.
A few weeks ago, my family and I were able to attend a preaching conference at Victory Baptist Church in Kansas City, Missouri.The theme of that conference was “The Work of Christ”. It was unlike any conference I’ve ever been to in my whole life. There was very little singing, and a lot of preaching. But even the preaching was unusual. It was more of a “teaching” conference or a series of lectures or seminars. (I wonder how many synonyms I can think of?) I admit that I felt very ignorant! I had my steno pad and Bible and I was taking notes like crazy! There were a lot of big words used – some I had heard before, but rarely; some I’d never heard before, and some I think I’ve been mispronouncing. I learned a lot and was greatly edified by the teaching. The message was clear: Christ is the center of everything. It’s not about us, it’s about Him.
I got to meet many new people and had some wonderful conversations. I met a blind lady who was telling me how God had enabled her to live quite normally and happily in her blindness. When offered a surgery that *might* have given her sight, she rejected it. “If God wanted me to see, then I would see!” she said. It was very humbling to listen to her and reflect on the things in my life that I have tried to maneuver so I could have my own way. Another woman shared how a drunk driver crashed into her home, her bedroom to be exact, and was nearly killed. Her husband was killed. He left her with a tiny baby and four other children to raise. She tearfully shared how God had met her every need since that horrific day. Again, I was humbled as I thought about how many times I’ve pouted about my circumstances. When I pause to realize that God is in control of every single molecule on this planet, how can I be unhappy? This life, and these problems, are His will for me. But He doesn’t hand me these problems and walk away. He gives me grace and guidance as I follow Him. I have so much for which to thank God! I thought about the song, “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow”. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow – or in ten minutes! – but I know the One Who does! I wish I could have spoken more with these new friends, but time was short for us. We had to get home a day before it ended. I hope we can go back next year!
A sermon/lecture/lesson was taught on each of these topics.
We were late arriving to the conference, so our first evening was rather rushed. We missed supper, so after we unloaded at the hotel, we enjoyed some delicious candy bars from the vending machine! In the process of unpacking, we realized that Matthew’s suitcase got left behind! It was all packed and waiting with the other luggage, but somehow, it was overlooked.
This is how he looked at church:
Fortunately, he is small, so not many people noticed. He didn’t seem to mind at all! A sweet lady in the church heard of our mistake and offered to bring us some clothes that might fit. Her son had outgrown them so she was going to give them away anyway. What a blessing!
Much better. She even had a belt for us! In case she’s reading, I want to say thank you to Mrs. Julie!
It turned out to be a scatterbrained week for sure: We not only forgot Matt’s clothes, but I forgot to bring my coffee creamer (which is my only means of caffienation) and my small fan (which is the only thing that drowns out the snoring of *ahem* certain male children). This means I didn’t sleep well, or have any way of getting coffee in my bloodstream.
Until I saw this at the conference at lunch time… (insert female chorus singing “Hallelujah!”)
It’s my brand AND my flavor! Praise the Lord for the little things!
The church takes a photo of all the kids at the conference every year. Matt was too shy to pose with the other kids in this one.
Here’s the photo they took of us. If you go next year, you might see us on the wall in the hallway. Or somewhere. Maybe.
As I mentioned, we had to get out of Dodge…I mean, Kansas City, pretty quickly, so we didn’t have time to do any sight-seeing. I have several friends in the area, too, but there wasn’t time to say hello. We did manage to swing by the Kansas City (MO) public library and pose for some photos in front of their GIANT books. I’d read about these online and was quite curious about them. They are on the side of the library’s parking garage! The actual library must be amazing. At least I want to imagine that it is. We didn’t get to go inside.
It was quite impressive!
I love trees, but in this situation, they seem to be in the way.
This book staircase was cute.
Matt liked it!
We couldn’t resist the Huck Finn photo op.
We also couldn’t resist taking a photo with Laura Ingalls Wilder’s book. Although, I thought she deserved her own “spine”.
Dickens, Tolkien, and E.B.White were represented.
I tried to demonstrate how tall they were, and show that Stephen E. Ambrose was represented. I love his books.
It’s hard to see, but this spine says, “Truman (by) David McCullough”, another of my favorite writers.
Look at this cute bench!
We stumbled upon this statue of Twain quite by accident.
It was a very brief, but very blessed trip. The kids got to go swimming at the hotel, we heard some great preaching/teaching, made some new friends and sweet memories. I am so grateful for each opportunity the Lord gives us do something as a family. Whatever we do, wherever we go, it is all by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanks for tagging along!
With love,
Part I Words and Terms Describing Philosophies of God
Last week’s term: Agnosticism – The denial that God is knowable. It is not the denial of God’s existence, as is atheism, but simply the denial of His knowability.
This week’s term:
Infidelity – No faith, or unfaithful. The proper description of a person’s way of life, who neither claims nor pursues any faith. Also used to describe the act or practice of violating commitments to faith or faithfulness which have been made.
Thanks for reading,
We began the week with a great shock. Last Sunday, the Labor Commissioner for Oklahoma, Mark Costello, was tragically murdered by his son, Christian. He was stabbed to death at a Braum’s restaurant in Oklahoma City. We didn’t know Mr. Costello, but we know some people who were close to him. They have had only kind things to say about him. We did have the opportunity to meet him at the Stephens County GOP Fish Fry last May. Our hearts ache for his wife and four other children as they laid him to rest last week and who now must watch as their son and brother is prosecuted for this crime. It came to light that Christian suffered with mental illness. Mr. Costello and his wife have tried to help him in that fight for many years. It just goes to show that everyone – even those who walk in the marble halls of the state capitol – have burdens that are hard to bear. We should take every opportunity to show kindness, to offer a helping hand, and most of all, to share the Gospel with those we meet.
Mark Costello and Leslie, Laci and Matt at the fish fry last May. Mr. Costello gave out the cute elephant hats that the kids are wearing.
We began another busy week of school, which included the beginning of volleyball and the second week of band. Mitch is getting to play volleyball for the first time this year and so far, he likes it. Lauren is really enjoying playing in band. I’m so thankful for the many opportunities the kids have here in Oklahoma. We homeschool our children so that they can learn the Word of God and Christian values in their curriculum, not to isolate them from the world. However, there are many activities that require a large number of people in order to do them, like sports. I’m so thankful for our homeschool group leaders who make these activities available for us.
The little girls made me smile this week with this Lego version of their dad:
Matt enjoyed using play-dough in phonics time to make some letters. Here’s his “I”. He also made “U” and “E”.
In our school, we believe the Bible should be studied by adults, children AND stuffed animals. 😀 Matt arranged his bear this way to wait for him to finish his work. *Awwww!*
I use these felt pieces to teach patterns and practice counting with Matthew. Laci used them to create a felt masterpiece!
When Matt gets a little unruly in school, I just shove him in this cabinet.
I’m *just kidding*.
We celebrated Lauren’s birthday on Thursday. Hard to believe I’m old enough to have a sixteen year old! She sure is a blessing to her mom.
Her giant cookie decorated in orange and black – OSU colors!
Leslie gave her a note and a tract that looks like money. She said, “You’re worth a million!”
Matt drew her a picture, and enjoyed eating his portion of the cookie, as you can see!
We gave her a season of The Big Valley, because that’s what she asked for. She sure is easy to please! And I can’t think of a better role model than Victoria Barkley. 😉
By the end of the week, I was pretty wiped out. I have been losing my voice a little each day, which for some reason, seemed to please my entire family (?), so by Friday I was tired. I decided to retreat to my “happy place”, Mayberry, North Carolina. “The Pickle Story” puts a smile on my face every time I see it!
We had a wonderful day in church today. Great spirit, great singing, and of course, great preaching from my pastor, and even from my Sunday school teacher! [That’s an inside joke. 😉 ] I’m so thankful for the opportunity to be in this place. I still struggle with loneliness and homesickness from time to time, but when I do, the Lord reminds me of the wonderful people here that I am blessed to serve God with. I sure do thank the Lord for them. In fact, I think they are the sweetest people on Earth.
I hope you all have a great week. Don’t forget to tune in tomorrow for my “Theological Term of the Week”! I’m sure you’re wishing I’d go ahead and post it now, but patience is a virtue.
Thanks for reading,
Lauren, with the Mark Twain statue in Kansas City.
It’s hard to believe that my Lauren Kassidy is sixteen years old today! She will be driving alone in a matter of months! This doesn’t seem possible. I mean, I remember when I was sixteen!
I am so thankful that the Lord placed Lauren in our lives sixteen years ago. For a lonely girl living in the hills of West Virginia, she was, quite literally, my reason for living. Her toothless grins lit up my world, and cuddling her was the highlight of each day. I can still remember when she said “uh-oh” for the first time, after I dropped a bottle of shampoo into her bath water. My! That seems like last year. Each new thing she has learned has given me the hope that I’m doing okay as a mom; that I’m not blowing it! Words cannot express how much I love her, or what a testimony of God’s grace she is.
Here are some traits about my girl that I wanted to share:
L eader – I suppose this is natural since she’s the oldest of five children. She is a “take charge” kind of girl. I hope she will always strive to lead others to do right.
A dventurous – There is nothing she won’t try! She will admit to being nervous, but she doesn’t let it stand in her way.
U nique – She has developed her own style: a tomboy with a lovely smile and a flare for bright colors. Her favorites are Grace Kelly, Star Wars, Dr. Who and Dr. Pepper. She’s athletic and tough, with a bit of tenderheartedness mixed in. She’s got a great sense of humor and a rich vocabulary. I don’t say it enough, but I love the woman she is becoming.
R eader – Ever since that day in second grade when she picked up her first Magic Tree House Book, she is rarely without something to read. She devours books like I do chocolates.
E ager – Whatever she is supposed to do, she does with gusto! If it’s Algebra II, she rises at 6 AM to do it. If it’s walking 20 miles a day canvassing for Bill Cassidy in Louisiana, she tackles it happily. No job is too large for her to at least attempt.
N eat – Lauren is organized and likes to keep things tidy. This is a great blessing to her mother! 🙂
I have made a lot of mistakes these last sixteen years of raising Lauren, but she forgives easily, and holds no grudges. I do not deserve her, but I’m so glad she is mine!
I love you, Lauren, and I thank my Heavenly Father for giving you to me.
In this short video, I am passing along a tip that has helped me teach my children to read using the Abeka phonics program. It was too complicated to share in writing, so I decided to make a video of it. {Please ignore the hick accent, if possible.} If you cannot access the video below, please click HERE to view it on Youtube.
Another tip (that doesn’t require a video to explain) is for the short “a” sound. For this one, mime the action of taking a bite of an apple as you say the sound for the first few times. You can do this any time the sound is hard to hear for them.
Happy homeschooling!
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