In which I would like to burn this into my memory...

Is there anything in the world sweeter than a child with a heart for God?
I think not.

Trusting faith in Him and a love for His Word--these are always gifts, but they're exceptionally precious when He plants them in the heart of a child.

It's late.  8:48 p.m. on a Wednesday.  We don't do much at bedtime, since they've just spent the evening at Wednesday night Bible study.  It's quick kisses and hugs, and lights out.

Tonight she asks, "Can I read my Bible to my sisters for a couple minutes?
(We've been making our way through Proverbs together at bedtime.  Just finished chapter 2.)

"Sure," I say.  "Six minutes, okay?  Read a few verses and pray, and then lights out at 8:55."

I sit at the bottom of the stairs, unseen, as she reads through verse 10, giving simple explanations along the way.  My mama heart swells as she tells her sisters, "...that means God will be pleased with your actions... and this means God will help you through all your life... shun evil means--well, it must mean not to do wrong things."

And her prayer sent me running for the Kleenex box.

Dear God,
Thank you that you give us wisdom.  Thank you that all we have to do is just ask you for wisdom, and you give it to us.  You are mighty and strong, and you can give whatever you want.  Thank you for always taking care of us.  Help us to honor you.
In Jesus' name,
Amen 

Book Review: Really Bad Girls of the Bible

Liz Curtis Higgs is the award-winning author of the Bad Girls series.

In Really Bad Girls of the Bible: More Lessons from Less-Than-Perfect-Women, Higgs takes a fresh look at 8 more of the most infamous women of the Bible:  Jael, Bathsheba, Tamar, the bleeding woman, the adulteress, Athaliah, Herodias, and the medium of EnDor.

Higgs places each of these women in one of 4 categories:

• Bad for a good reason (Jael & Tamar)
• Bad, but not condemned (the adulteress & the bleeding woman)
• Bad moon rising (Bathsheba & medium of EnDor)
• Bad, and proud of it (Athaliah & Herodias)

Each chapter begins with a modern-day version of the historical account.  These proved very effective in bringing an ancient dilemma into perspective.  

I liked Higgs's writing style; she takes a sort of "girlfriend" approach that's very conversational.  You get a good feel for the kind of woman she is: a hilarious straight-talker, who spent her share of time in the pit before the Lord rescued her.  

I appreciated her attempts at digging deeply into the cultures and customs of the women she described.    It was evident that Higgs had "done her homework."  

Each chapter ends with 2 sections--"Lessons we can learn," and "Good girl thoughts worth considering," though the latter are nearly all questions to promote further introspection and study.  I found these helpful.

While she did take care to admit on several occasions that the Bible was not clear about such-and-such (for example, we do not know Bathsheba's thoughts or intentions when King David summoned her), I was a little concerned about some of Higgs's commentary about these women, with Tamar being the most blatant example of this.

After God took the lives of Tamar's first two evil husbands, she seduced her father-in-law in an effort to get pregnant by him and thereby secure her future and maintain her dignity.  It seems Higgs can't really make up her mind about Tamar.  Higgs calls her "brilliant" and "clever."On page 220, Higgs says, "Her method wasn't noble, but her motives were.  In God's economy that counts for something, simply because none of us gets either the actions or the motivations right much of the time."  

I was shocked when she said plainly, "Her sin was deliberate... That reality does not make her actions "good," but it does make her motivation clear.  Sex with her father-in-law was a necessary evil to produce a necessary good.  (It goes without saying, the rules have changed.  Don't try this at home. Ever.)"

But then, three pages later, Higgs again says plainly, "Tamar sinned too."  Higgs cautions us, "Yet if we allow the fact that she is in the lineage of Christ to excuse her "badness" in the situation, we lost the ability to learn a lesson from her story.  Tamar is not to be praised--God is."

Higgs's desire is to display God's sovereignty in each situation.  I believe she could have accomplished this without seeming to condone or excuse sin, whether intentionally or not.

I'd give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah as part of their Blogging For Books review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

On Christian Friendship

A big drink of cold water, that's what she was yesterday, and she's just a little thing.

A busy little mama to 5 kids 8 and under, who invited us in for 3 hours.  We kept her baby from napping and got out every single toy and toppled the tee-pee over.

We ate up her mini-muffins and I slugged her coffee and asked her one question after another about her home school, her chickens, her garden, and those precious kiddos.

She's just the kind of friend I need, and the kind you need, too.  She's the kind of friend I want to be.

It's been a long time, and many things have changed.  We do make a little small talk, but life looms large and in every corner of it is God, after all.  There is no small talk.  The Lord's been teaching her, patiently leading her to trust Him and to obey Him in all areas of life.  She says it over and over, "God, He's been so gentle with me."

There is so much I don't know, so many ways in which I need to grow.  She is gentle, too.  She must sense the hunger I have for deep fellowship and friendship, because she asks a couple of times with concerned eyes, "Do you have anyone?"  Goodness, I must seems like a woman dying of thirst.  But I know what she means.  Iron can not sharpen itself.  It is not so easy for one lone flailing mama to pick herself up and go on.

What a messy job this is, motherhood.  In all its elation, ugliness, wonder, and challenge, it is rewarding and messy work.

We agree that nothing sanctifies so intensely as this, us nervous, pecking mother hens trying to train up all these little chicks.  

She points out the window, "See that big hen there?  We think it's because of her that the others won't lay."  I learn that hens only lay eggs for about three years.  

She also tells me that chickens are big-time suckers for peer pressure.  Since this old hen has stopped laying, the others in the brood will not lay either.

The solution was hard and also easy:

The big, tough one has to go.  If you want any more eggs, the bad one has to go.

Oh, how I want to be an encourager to others... to my husband, to my children, and to the rest of the Body.   I pray for continued fruitfulness that spurs others on to love and good deeds!  

I'll take a true friend's wounds over an enemy's kisses. 

Any day of the week.

"Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel."

Proverbs 27:9 ESV

Yay for the Library!

We love our local libraries.  Love them!

The girls used to run off to play with the dollhouses and toys and thingamajigs.

Now they grab an armful of books and sling them onto the closest surface they can find.

We actually have two libraries, and we love them both.  The smaller, older one has a giant cart in the children's section, with stamping supplies, coloring books, and a stack of fresh, blank paper.  GLORIOUS.

This week we found a whole slew of books by Sally Lloyd-Jones.

She authored our beloved and very popular Jesus Storybook Bible.  

Did you know she also wrote such adorable picture books as 

The Ultimate Guide to Grandmas and Grandpas?

and How to be a Baby...by Me, the Big Sister.  Adorable!

and Being a Pig is Nice:  A Child's-Eye View of Manners

also:  How to Get Married... by Me, the Bride

"No one will marry you if you don’t ever brush your hair and it looks like a bird’s nest back there.  And never get married when it’s dark, because you might not see the groom, and marry the wrong person.  When you have found your Own True Love, you must ask permission.  'Can I marry you please?' you say.  'Yes, please,' he says."

We will soon be walking into our library not with a tote bag, but with a giant Rubbermaid tub and a dolly.  These girls are voracious readers, and I couldn't be more thankful!

**Sally Lloyd-Jones doesn't know me, and she didn't pay me to promote her books.  We just love 'em!

A few thoughts on Aging

32 is not old.  I know this because 

(a) I am 32.  And 

(b) I am not old.  

Those mathematical postulates and theorems and other various Whatnot did not fall on deaf ears during 9th grade Geometry.  I'll let my solid B-minus speak for itself.  

But it is worthwhile to note the following:

#1:  I do not tolerate the cold very well anymore.

 And we haven't even had much cold weather in the past couple of winters.  This photo gives me the chills, and I'm already wearing my bathrobe and slippers.  Yes, yes I am.

#2: I fear for my personal safety while doing perfectly normal and not-dangerous activities.  Like descending the basement stairs, all 7 of them.  Or navigating a corner whilst carrying a laundry basket.  

#3:  Olivia has learned how to knit recently, and I have been begging her to let me do a few rows now and then.  It's really not that hard, and it is a nice thing to do while you listen to music in the evenings.  I might ask my friend to teach me how to cast on, so I can work on a project of my own.  (I don't even know myself anymore.) 

#4:  I often want to linger out-of-doors and breathe in the fresh air, enjoying the beauty of God's handiwork which proclaims His glory at every turn.  So maybe this means I'm merely maturing, and not OLD.  Right?

#5:  I am turning into a Homebody.  5 days out of 7, I would rather be home, puttering around the house and yard or snuggling with my punks...than out-and-about.  I never thought I'd say that.  But it's true.

#6:  I think to myself every single day, how quickly the time is passing by.  These children are such a precious loan from God, and they are sprouting up right before my eyes!

Valentine Surprise

IF YOU ARE MY PARENTS, PLEASE STOP READING NOW!

Snapfish is running a deal: get their 20-page 5x7 softcover photo book for free, using code HPREWARD at checkout.  Offer expires January 31, 2013.

Here's what we're doing:

(SERIOUSLY, MOM & DAD, LAST CHANCE!  LOOK AWAY!)

1.  Take a whole mess of photos.

2.  Put 'em in the photo book.

Okay, that's all!

Start with one of you and your sweeties.

But really, don't put more than one in there.  Grandparents get kinda testy when you "ruin" their photo gifts with shots of yourself  (personal testimony).

Then, I just told the girls which emotion I wanted to see, and I started snapping away!

"Okay, girls, let me see....  your thinking face."

"How about your super-surprised face?"

 "Okay, now your meanest face!"

 "Your very saddest face."

 "Now, your silliest face!"

 "Now do a dance!"

 Okay, this CRACKS ME STRAIGHT UP.  Ellia's hair makes her look like a cocker spaniel, and Olivia's face is just wild!  

"Now, pretend you all are the best friends EVER."

If they're really into it, have them do all the classic poses.

Be ready for some giggling when you do the pile-up pose.

If it's nice out, take them for a walk.  

"How much you you love Grandma & Grandpa?"

 THIIIIIIIS MUCH!

This next series makes me laugh, too.  

So I told the kids, "We're going to say, 'I love you' with our hands!  We'll point to our EYES for 'I,' and then make the motion for LOVE, and then point at the camera for 'YOU!'  Ready?"  

I.....

(That was actually our second attempt.  This was our first.)

 WOW, scary.

 love...

YOU!!!

I'm no photographer, but you don't need to be!  The photo books look great!  Snapfish's site is easy to use; I'm all about the dragging and the dropping.*

No grandparent would be disappointed in a sweet Valentine photo book...

...so long as YOUR face appears only once!
Right, Mom?


*NOTE:  Snapfish did not pay me to advertise for them; I just like their stuff.  That'd be cool, though! 

Sometimes your heart tells you to do crazy things.  I've always hated the popular mantra, "Follow your heart!"  Our hearts ARE liars, after all, more dastardly and evil than we can understand.  But not always.  The Lord lays people and situations and needs on our hearts through His Spirit, and when that happens, there's no choice.  You either act on those promptings, or you are disobedient and therefore miserable.

I've got a longing love for a bunch of kids who aren't even my own.  I think about them every day, multiple times a day.  I wake up in the middle of the night, wondering if they're warm enough and worrying about their hollow bellies.  And I hope someone locked their front door tonight, and I wonder if anyone will wake them in time for school tomorrow, because certainly no one's making sure they go to bed at a decent hour.  And I wonder if I could talk my way into teaching them for summer school--I'm sure I could get them reading pretty quick.  And boy, I wish they wouldn't watch so much garbage on the TV.

I can't understand why we have so much when they have so little.  Knowing them for the last 18 months has rocked my self-centered little world.  I can't possibly complain about our old, slow computer or my worn-out slippers or the fact that my hair's getting too long for my preferred hairstyle... not when I come face-to-face with their bare mattresses and sewage-filled basement, in that house with six televisions and an empty fridge.    

We're always feeding them.  We take them every chance we can, but it's never enough, and I must sound like this broken record:  

"Are you sure you're full, buddy?  You just eat until you don't feel hungry anymore."

It's a small thing, food, but it's one of my love languages.  And I don't care if it's the last little bit of flour and oil we've got.  It's theirs.  Because when Christ talked about the least of these?  I'm certain He had those kids in His mind's eye.

I'm so crazy, I'd scoop them up--all 5 of 'em--and bring 'em home for keeps, if I could.  There's talk of sending them away in a year or two, for good, to live with relatives anyway.  Why not?

Why not?... It doesn't help my already-bleeding heart that Olivia is constantly asking, "Mom, pleeeeease can't we just keep them?  Then we'd never have to take them back home."

But maybe that's not "for" everybody.  I gotta be honest here:  I don't even know what that means.  Is that just one way of saying "I don't want to"?  Doesn't God "call" all believers to act like Him?  To step in and rescue those who can't rescue themselves?  We know God has a special place in His heart for those fatherless, pitiful ones.  How can I call myself a Christ-follower if all I ever do is shake my head and tsk-tsk and say, "Aw, I'm prayin' for you, you poor, pathetic little things."

Have you ever looked up all the references in Scripture?  The ones with the words "fatherless," "orphan," "children," and so on?  Staggering, I tell you.  That, THAT... is "for" everybody.  There is no list of qualifications or pre-requisites to love on a child.  If you've been graced with the love of God yourself, then you turn around and give it away, even if you have to go out of your way.  Is it not that simple?

I come away from all those verses believing this:  There's no way God does NOT want me involved here, in some way.  So I will keep bringing bags of snacks for them and keeping them over the weekend, stuffing them til they're sick.  I will keep explaining to the almost-five-year-old girl why it's so important to wipe, every single time, and really, you should always sit facing forward, not to the side.  I'll keep offering to do laundry for the mother, five pungent loads at a time.  And my sweet husband will keep reminding those boys that the way to take a shower is to actually stay in the shower.  And no, you don't wipe off the suds, you have to rinse them off.  IN the shower.

But it isn't even about meeting all those basic needs.  The underlying burden is for their souls, their eternal destiny.  They are trapped in that vicious, damning cycle of rebellion.  They're blind, helpless to rescue themselves.  But they're strong, every last one of them, and boy can you IMAGINE the impact that those five rescued souls could have on the world?  They are so upset if they miss their ride to church, and they are learning SO MUCH.  It's astounding!  In their own fumbling way and in their own ghetto-speak, they tell us what they're learning about the God we claim.  I want so badly to be able to share Christ with them all day, every day, in every situation.

None of the possible solutions is easy.  But a couple of them are unacceptable.  I can't be hostile, and I can't be passive.  Were it not for God and for grace... I would still be blinded by my own sin as well.

I don't know all the right answers.  But I do know a few of them.

To serve a needy child (or anyone, for that matter) is to serve God Himself.
God loves those who give cheerfully.
God will honor those who honor Him.
God's Word will do what He says it will do.  
We are not to grow weary in doing right.  The harvest will come.
To serve selflessly with compassion is to model Christ.

Book Review: The Truth About Grace

In his book, The Truth About Grace, author John MacArthur performs a rigorous academic study of grace.  This is not a feel-good book or an easy read.  Many criticize the book on this basis, but I appreciate the attention and the detail paid to the subject.

MacArthur's writing style was simple, and yet the topic commanded such focused attention.  I found myself re-reading sentences and paragraphs, so as to allow the weight of the words to sink in.  My heart was renewed in its thankfulness for the undeserved and abounding grace which God bestows on all mankind.  The book is chock-full of Scripture.

It seems to me to be ideal for a pastor or a teacher, as sort of a topical reference guide.  The Truth About Grace is just one book in a series, "designed to give readers a focused experience that centers on God's character and how it applies to their daily walk of faith."

It's a short book--105 pages and 5 chapters--but again, not a quick or "easy" read.

MacArthur doesn't disappoint.  He's thorough, focused, Biblical, and passionate!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Booksneeze.com as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Yeah, the family photos are going to be bad for awhile...

My baby defies me by continuing to insist on growing up.

I tell her all the time to quit eating her vegetables and to stop drinking her milk and reading so much.  

It isn't working!

Homegirl lost her first tooth last week!

(Whoa.  Sister's got a weird eye thing goin' on here!)

And then she lost her second one today!  I think it was just out of spite.

For now, she's proud to show off the gaping hole in her smile.  I hope the rest of her teeth wait a little while.

We had Olivia's dear friend over today.  K was her classmate in Kindergarten last year.  They did foot baths and manicures and played dress-up and dolls.  And they had an exquisite luncheon together:  a bride, two princesses, and a ballerina.  It was fun to see them having such a good time and playing so wonderfully together!  

These little people continue to grow (SLOWLY!) in their relationships with each other, becoming better and better friends each week!  

Anatomy of a Good Day

It was a good day.

Not because I had an indulgent day at the spa... or because I spent the day lounging in my PJ's sipping coffee.  I didn't immerse myself in a great book for several uninterrupted hours, and I certainly didn't relax on the beach.

Come on!  It's January in Michigan!

{{Disclaimer:  I'm not saying any of those days are bad or unwholesome or unworthy of a blog post.  Just wasn't that kind of day:  the kind most moms-in-the-thick-of-it seem to long for.}}

I just... spent a nice day with my people, doing nothing spectacular in the least.  I feel like I should journal these kinds of ordinary days more often, and not hold out for the moments that most would consider really extraordinary.

{{Disclaimer, cont'd:  I realize some will take issue, theologically, with a post about a singularly good day.  I do know and believe that every day is a gift from God and, as such, is good.  Just humor me here, okay?}}  

These good days happen often, they really do.  I think they probably happen more often than you realize, too.  What constitutes a "good day" for you?  Here are a few reasons it was a Good Day:

~Because when I put my 4-year-old in the tub, her 6-year-old sister begged to go in with her so they could play.

~Because when we told eldest daughter that tomorrow she will go on a date with her Daddy, she could not stop smiling and talking about it all.day.long.  She has her fanciest dress picked out.

~Because I sent three little sillies into uproarious laughter by suddenly singing loudly & off-key while making funny faces.

~Because a certain 1st-grader has FINALLY got a loose tooth, which she delights in wiggling about.  It practically dangles out of her mouth.  [shudder]

~Because of an earnest question posed tonight:  "What would we do if a homeless person knocked on our door wanting to stay the night?  And what if you could just tell that he was really and truly homeless and not a robber?"  Our conclusion was that we are very thankful for a strong and wise Daddy who would certainly do all he could to help the poor while protecting his family.

~Because today I overheard Olivia talking to her fish.  Scolding it for picking on its tank-mate.  "Seriously, Molly.  Mom flushed the last two fish that picked on others.  You'd better stop."

~Because they were so thrilled and thankful when I bought them a hot cocoa to share while we grocery-shopped.  I didn't even mind all the slurping and sighing.

~Because at said grocery store, the holiday-edition coffee creamers were marked down.  After combining with my sweet coupons, I paid a mere $0.62 for all three yummy flavors.  Sometimes I think I can feel the Lord winking at me.

~Because when we went coat shopping this afternoon, the older two girls loved every coat I tried on and loudly told me so.  (More great deals there, too!  *WINK!*  I got this one in tweed.  And a larger size.)

~Because when we stopped to play at the mall play area, they mostly just wanted to play with each other  (though they did graciously include others who wanted in on their game of chase).

~Because even though what they really wanted was to ride the little mall train for THREE DOLLARS PER PERSON, they were delighted to get a gumball instead.

~Because we rode the escalator a couple of times, just because they wanted to.  Even though I was certain I'd pull a Buddy the Elf move, trying to navigate myself and 3 eager kiddos onto it.  (Escalator acrobatics around 1:05)

~And because a funny three-year-old, elbow-deep in dish suds making Bubble Soup with my whisk, said,
"Mommy, thanks for letting me do the dishes for you."

These ordinary, simple days are the ones I want to remember when I'm old and my kids have flown the nest.
They are good, good days from a good and gracious God.