3 hours ago
Showing posts with label Quotes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quotes. Show all posts
I just looked back in the blog archives and saw that I apparently haven't shared a Wednesday Five post in almost a year! That is unacceptable, because these posts are so simple to put together. They give me a simple chance to share some good finds, or a bit of encouragement, without having to sit down and outline a more intensive article-type post. I am making a goal of sharing one of these every other week over this homeschool year (or at least once a month?), and this is the first installment!
A Quote
"For my own part, I tend to find the doctrinal books often more helpful in devotion than the devotional books, and I rather suspect that the same experience may await many others. I believe that many who find that 'nothing happens' when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hand."
-C. S. Lewis
I share this quote because if you replace the "pipe in their teeth" with "a cup of tea on the table", this perfectly describes my own experience with trying to read more Puritan books. I have been more moved, inspired, and convicted by the Puritans than any modern devotional book I've ever read, and whenever my devotional time starts to feel dry, I pick up a selection from my little stack, and it's a breath of fresh air. Highly recommend reading the Puritans if you never have - currently I'm reading Contentment, Prosperity, And God's Glory by Jeremiah Burroughs, and I think it would be a great choice for dabbling in Puritan writings, especially as Americans (as we are pretty wealthy compared to much of the world).
A Recommendation
I recommend you try making evaporated milk ice cream. I first came across this concept on a random recipe forum, when a commenter explained a traditional Mexican guava ice cream recipe. You don't need a churn, you don't need any fancy ice cream equipment, and the first time I made it last year I didn't even have guava, so I substituted orange juice concentrate. It turned out so yummy, like an orange creamsicle, and my kids have brought it up so many times since then.
I finally got around to making another batch recently, with raspberries this time, and it was delicious. For a very rough, basic idea of the process, you refrigerate an unopened can of evaporated milk until it is very cold, then you whip it up with a hand mixer, add sugar and some sort of fruit puree, and then freeze it. I can't find the original recipe I used (like I said, it was literally just typed in a comment on a forum I've long forgotten), but I'll try to type up an actual recipe to share soon.
A Bit Of Nature
I have to re-share a couple more wildflower pictures. This was the most glorious bit of nature from our summer!
A Book
I've been reading alot of books that were “just okay” lately, so I don't have any firm recommendations in the book category. I did recently start one called The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay, set in East Germany during the Cold War, and so far it’s promising! I will share a reading round-up at the end of September, so keep any eye out for that to see how it turns out.
A Moment Of Happiness
Autumn is approaching, and as I reflect on our summer, I am all too aware that I have a limited number of free summers left with my kids. Every year I feel pressure to squeeze in as much fun as we can and make alot of memories while we have them, especially in the warmer months.
Unfortunately, prices have gone up for practically everything (if you haven't noticed), and between that and several home appliance repairs, our wallet was feeling a little thin. It was necessary to change my expectations for what kind of summer memories we could make this year, because the memory-making part is not optional.
To save money, we recently changed our idea for a day trip to a mountain town festival and swapped our plans for a more local hike. It turned out to be just beautiful. The day was sunny and unusually warm for the mountains, we walked along a completely deserted trail. We saw so many flowers, we enjoyed a snack under a bristlecone pine, and we made plans to come back soon on a day when we could walk a little farther. On the out, we ran into some horseback riders, and my sweet, social kids had such a sophisticated little conversation with them as they stroked the horses' necks and gave them treats.
It was a whole afternoon of simple, satisfying enjoyment, for only a few bucks of gas. In leaner times, I might have to let go of some of my ideas, but that doesn't mean I have to let go of making good memories with my family. Good memories don't have to cost a thing.
Regardless of the state of your wallets, I hope you too are finding ways to make good memories with your loved ones as we tumble into the fall.
It has been quite some time since I shared a Wednesday Five. They are such easy posts to put together, and easy is what I need right now, so I'm going to try to share these more often.
A Quote
"Whenever the Psalter is abandoned, an incomparable treasure is lost to the Christian church. With it's recovery will come unexpected power."
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer
I read this quote in a book I read recently about Psalm-singing, which will be in a book round-up post later this week. I've been incorporating psalm-singing with the kids into Bible time with the kids this summer, and it's been so sweet to learn to sing the Psalter together.
A Book
I just started "A Biblical Case For Cessationism" by Tom Pennington, and I can already tell it's going to be thorough and helpful. You can watch his talk about Cessationism from the Strange Fire conference a while back to get something of a preview, since in the book he's fleshing out alot of the arguments he made in that message.
For a fiction book, I finally started "Homecoming" by Kate Morton. Her books always feel perfect for the fall to me. A little bit of homeyness, and little bit of mystery. I'm sure a full review is coming if I ever catch up on sharing books.
A Bit Of Nature
We visited the Botanic Gardens last week, and there were so many pretty plants. It was the perfect time to catch the flowers before things start to die off in the fall. These are some sort of crabapple, apparently.
A Recommendation
I am going to recommend this with an abundance of caution, but if you have long-ish hair, and you are getting a bit sick of it or feel like your hair is boring, this is for you. I have been feeling bored with my hair for a while, and was considering going back to a bob, but I was hesitant because I do like to be able to pull my hair up sometimes. I wasn't sure what to do about it beside going to my hairdresser and asking what she thought, but a hair appointment is also just not in my budget right now. Then one night, I stumbled across this video on Youtube comparing a wolf cut with a butterfly cut, and a wild hair (ha!) must have struck me, because I decided to give myself a butterfly cut. The worse that could happen is that I'd have to schedule that hair appointment sooner than planned. I followed this tutorial.
I'm going to qualify this by saying that I do have some experience cutting my own hair, so I felt pretty comfortable taking the risk of trying this out, because I knew I could probably salvage it into a nice bob if the cut went wrong. But that said, the tutorial worked perfectly. It added lovely, bouncy layers into my hair that look great when I curl them, and my hair has been feeling pretty glamorous ever since.
A Moment Of Happiness
My girls spent some time at their grandma's house for my 8 year old's birthday recently. When they arrived home, my 5 (almost 6) year old ran up to the door shouting "Mama, Mama!" I hurried over to greet her, and she threw her arms around me, sighed, and said "Ah, you're so comfy." I'm not sure if that would be a compliment from anyone else than my children, but from her it just made my day.
Happy Spring!
It's been a difficult start to spring for our family because my grandfather passed away three weeks ago. I don't want to write alot about it here, but that's what's been going on. He was a wonderful grandpa, and I miss him very much.
It's felt weird to write anything on here with so much sadness the last few weeks. I'm just going to ease back in with a Wednesday Five today.
A Quote
"This is strength - this is peace - to feel, in entering on every day, that all it's duties and trials have been committed to the Lord Jesus - that, come what may, He will use us for His glory and our own real good!"
-John Paton
A Book
I've been slowly working my way through several larger books, so I haven't read as many books this month. I did, however, order a new one called 32 Christians Who Changed Their World by Glenn S. Sunshine. This one looked interesting to me because it's supposed to be short biographies about more ordinary Christians in history that made an impact.
I've also started reading the Sacketts Series by Louis L'amour. It's a nice time to be starting this series, because my grandpa read many Louis L'amour books over the years and it reminds me of him.
A Bit Of Nature
We honestly have not been out in nature much this spring so far, but the sunrise this morning was so interesting...there is moisture in the air, and instead of a blazing sky, it was as if all the air outside had turned a luminous pink.
A Recommendation
If you are reading this before Thursday, I want to recommend that you sign up for this three-day, online webinar from Generations curriculum - they are giving away a free PDF resource to all the live Zoom attenders each day! Yesterday I got this book for free, which is a resource I was thinking about buying for my second grader next year. I'm looking forward to seeing what the freebies are today! (Also note, the Generations website has a deal to get a free read aloud - usually $15-20 - with every order of any amount! I might have taken advantage of that deal yesterday too.)
For a really random recommendation, also check out this mascara, which has long been my favorite and was an asset this month - it really stretches out my lashes and makes them look so long! I prefer the waterproof kind - I can confirm it doesn't run at all.
A Moment Of Happiness
My moments of happiness this month are all related to losing my grandpa - from getting time to reminisce about him with my family while looking through old photos, to Derek giving grandpa a touching tribute at his memorial, to all my friends who have sent such comforting texts and notes or just checked up on me when they knew I was grieving. I've felt very cared for all around this month.
A Quote
"It is very difficult to be resigned, left alone, and in sorrowful circumstance; but feeling immovably assured that my God and Father was too wise and loving to err in anything He does or permits, I looked up to the Lord for help and struggled on in His work. I do not pretend to see through the mystery of such visitations - wherein God calls away the young, the promising, and those sorely needed for His service here; but this I do know and feel, that, in the light of such dispensations, it becomes us all to love and serve our blessed Lord Jesus so that we may be ready at His call for death and Eternity."
-John G. Paton, written after his young wife's death on the mission field
You get a bonus book recommendation with this first quote, because I have to point you to John Paton's autobiography - he was a missionary to cannibals in the South Pacific, and his book is so interesting and edifying!
A Book
Another book I'm reading in my morning time is The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace. In our modern world, some women would surely be offended by some of the things she writes, but as far as biblical advice for being a better wife, I don't think I've read a better book. I've been convicted in some way by every chapter so far.
A Bit Of Nature
I'm including this scene from our weekend snowmobiling with my parents recently. Snowmobiling is such a nice way to get outside in the winter! We zoomed around in this winter wonderland in 9 degrees Fahrenheit, but when you're having fun it doesn't feel so cold.
A Recommendation
The kids got some oven-bake clay for Christmas, and they've been having fun making little creations...then I remembered seeing videos about making earrings out of polymer clay, and I got rather sucked in yesterday. I like the earrings on this channel, and this channel explains more. Somehow the process of making these earrings is really fascinating to watch! I kind of want to buy some of my own clay and try it out now.
I'll also include one other recommendation that I threw out there on Instagram the other day - G3 ministries is addressing The Chosen in some of their articles and podcast recently, and I think they make some really good points. Unpopular Opinion: I've been skeptical about The Chosen, because I don't like the premise of putting words in Jesus's mouth that He's not recorded as saying in Scripture for the sake of entertainment (or any other reason, but entertainment seems a particularly frivolous reason). But G3 has a whole other angle, and it's given me alot to think about.
A Moment Of Happiness
On a whim, after seeing a post on Instagram (dratted Instagram! I still have a tolerate-hate relationship with it), I purchased a disco ball. Yes, a disco ball. I saw a post with twirling spots of light sparkling in someone's living room, and I guess I was inspired. I almost immediately regretted ordering it - what was I thinking? It was only $15, but still.
It arrived, and I was determined that I would send it right back to Amazon. But I was still curious about what it would look like in the sun. So before I determined to send it back, I pulled it out of the box, and held it up in front of the sunshine string in from the window.
Immediately the room was filled with flashes of light, dancing on the floors and walls, and I knew right then we'd be keeping it. The kids were fascinated as soon as they saw it, and whenever it stilled they climbed on the chair to give it another twirl. One of my kids was sprawled out on the floor, finishing his language arts work, but every now and then he'd just pause, and look at the ceiling with a peaceful smile on his face.
Was it a frivolous $15? Yes. We can live without a disco ball, of all things. But has it added some sparkle and life to these long winter days? It has, and I'm not sorry I bought it. Seeing the bits of happiness on my kids' faces these humdrum school days was worth it.
As I mentioned in a recent post, I am reading C. S. Lewis's The Abolition Of Man this month, and I just finished the third and final chapter of this short book. I have to get a few thoughts out. This book really is very deep and impactful, and I recommend everyone read it.
As I explained in my previous post, Lewis starts the book by explaining this idea which he labels for convenience the "tao", the idea that there is an inherent worth to things, which we recognize when our affections are rightly ordered. The value of those things (or actions) doesn't come from our affections but is inherent, and we have to recognize their value through our right affections in order to be in "alignment" with this greater meaning which underlies creation. I believe that this greater meaning and purpose is given by the true and living God, the Creator of everything - if He doesn't give things their meaning, there is no meaning, and that's the problem that Lewis starts to dip into in the third chapter.
To sum up the third chapter, Lewis is arguing that man's quest to "conquer" nature is dangerous when we stifle, or try to explain away (which amounts to the same thing), the inherent value and morality that underlies the universe. There has to be a point when we stop and recognize that there is something deeper at work in the created world, that the universe and human beings themselves are more than just the sum of their parts - and if we won't stop there, we don't truly conquer nature at all, but we become a slave to nature without God. And that is a terrifying place to be.
"It is the magician's bargain: give up our soul, get power in return. But once our souls, that is, ourselves, have been given up, the power thus conferred will not belong to us. We shall in fact be the slaves and puppets of that to which we have given our souls. It is in Man's power to treat himself as a mere "natural object" and his own judgements of value as raw material for scientific manipulation to alter at will...The real objection is that if man chooses to treat himself as raw material, raw material he will be."
-C. S. Lewis, The Abolition Of Man
Without a deeper meaning to the universe, all that is left is our arbitrary desires, motivated by untethered emotional impulses, and not even our own impulses, but whatever we have been educated to think about our impulses by those who have more earthly power than ourselves.
When we start to reduce everything in nature to some "scientific" explanation, and even reduce our own selves to mere molecules with no significant purpose, except perhaps "the survival of the fittest" - but even the survival of the fittest means nothing if our species is of no more value than anything else - well, we haven't risen over nature at all. We've merely destroyed ourselves - we've rejected the underlying thing that makes us human. We've scorned the value of being made in the image of God, we've thrown it away by treating the universe and worse, ourselves as parts with no divine Hand holding us together. We've abolished man in it's truest sense.
"'White!' he sneered. 'It serves as a beginning. 'White cloth may be dyed. The white page can be overwritten, and the white light can be broken.'
'In which case it is no longer white,' said I, 'And he that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom.'"
-Conversation between Saruman and Gandalf, The Fellowship Of The Ring
This third chapter was somewhat horrifying to read, because I can see these philosophies at work in society today. Scientists all over the world have, in the words of Malcolm in Jurassic Park, been so busy wondering if they can, that they've neglected the very important question of whether they should. They've scoffed at and rejected the true purpose of all mankind, which is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, and instead they have sought to wield their own power over nature, to their own ends. As the sinful, fallen creatures as we are, this whole thing turns dystopian pretty quick.
So how can we stop this frightening progression? I don't truly know. It may be that only Christ Himself will stop it when He returns in judgement. But I think we, as Christians who care about the image of God in man and the glory of God in His creation - we slow it down by teaching our kids that there is more to this world than what meets the eye. That they themselves have inherent value because of the meaning and purpose that God Himself put into every molecule of their being - the same God who that at this very moment holds up all of the universe by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). Man may remove all meaning and morality in his own mind, but he cannot do it in reality. Someday every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:1-11). There will be no explaining away then.
"But you cannot go on "explaining away" forever: you will find that you have explained explanation itself away. You cannot go on "seeing through" things forever. The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it. It is good that the window should be transparent, because the street or garden beyond it is opaque. How if you saw through the garden too? It is no use trying to "see through" first principles. If you see through everything, then everything is transparent. But a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To "see through" all things is the same as not to see."
C. S. Lewis, The Abolition Of Man
As always, Lewis says it better, these are just my thoughts on the chapter! I highly recommend the book, it gives so much food for thought.
A Quote
"True wishes proceed from humility, a realization that the fulfillment of human desires depends on God's Will and Divine Providence and not entirely on willpower or hard work."
-The Mysteries Of Life In Children's Literature, Mitchell Kalpakgian
A Book
I just listened to In The House Of Tom Bombadil by C. R. Wiley on Canon+, and I have to say, it shifted my whole view of Tom Bombadil and his wife Goldberry. I never thought too deeply into his character in The Fellowship Of The Ring before, but I have to say, now I have a desire to re-read the book and figure out everything I missed the first couple times. Tom Bombadil can potentially represent so many things, it's pretty fascinating. Highly recommend if you're a Lord Of The Rings fan.
A Bit of Nature
A Recommendation
Since we're in the middle of fall and all things pumpkin, I'm recommending International Delight Pumpkin Spice coffee creamer. It has to be International Delight. I read on a blog once that it is the best pumpkin-flavored creamer, and I truly think they got that right.
A Moment Of Happiness
Last weekend we went to a corn maze and pumpkin patch as a family. We had a fun time, and we topped off our outing by letting the kids pick out their own mini pumpkins to decorate their room. My four year old asked if her baby pumpkin would rot, and I said that it might, but it would probably last until after Thanksgiving.
About an hour later, she asked me repeatedly when Thanksgiving was, and I answered her and didn't think much of it.
Fast forward a few hours, and right before bedtime she comes into my room sobbing. She lays her head down on my lap, wailing, and declares, "Mama, I don't want my baby pumpkin anymore, because I don't want to see it get all ROTTED!! You can have it. It will rot and you'll be able to see all it's CUTS!! I'm just so SAD that my baby pumpkin is going to ROT!!!" (Exclamation points signify extra wails thrown in there).
I reassured her multiple times that it would take a long time for it to rot, but she wouldn't have any of it. I tried not to laugh so many times, and we finally agreed that Baby Pumpkin would sleep in my room each night, and I'd check it each morning for any sign of rot before she looked at it. I still want to laugh when I think about it, because she was truly distressed about her pumpkin rotting, and it was so pathetically cute.
"We make men without chests, and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful."
-C. S. Lewis, The Abolition Of Man
Last night I started reading C. S. Lewis's book The Abolition Of Man, and I read this phrase "men without chests". Now, I've heard that phrase used many times, but now that I've actually read the chapter, Lewis meant something slightly different than I always thought, having not read the book before.
If I were to summarize the argument, it would be that there is an intrinsic quality in certain things - things in nature, things in literature, things in life itself - that requires a certain response from humans, and that quality is not given to the thing by our feelings, but is inherent within it. Mountains don't make us feel majestic, they are majestic. Babies don't make us feel precious feelings, they are themselves precious. A noble act isn't noble because it makes us feel noble feelings, it is inherently noble in a mysterious way. It is proper and right that we feel those things, but our feelings are not what give those things their admirable qualities - our feelings are just the correct response to them.
If a man walked by a gorgeous mountain view and had no ability to recognize the awe-inspiring quality of it in his own feelings - something would be a little wrong with that man. As Lewis says, his head and belly aren't connecting. He has no chest.
A man without a chest is a man who does not or cannot feel about certain things the way he ought. He can't recognize the good and true, the beautiful things in this world for what they are. His values are askew and his right feelings taught out of him. I would say that he can't see things the way God intended and created him to see them, because I believe God himself intended us to see glimpses of His character in the deeper feelings that certain things should inspire, and our God-given conscience is what tells us when we are not feeling about things as we should.
"Until quite modern times all teachers and even all men believed the universe to be such that certain emotional reactions on our part could be either congruous or incongruous to it - believed, in fact, that objects did not merely receive, but could merit our approval or disapproval, our reverence, or our contempt." -Lewis
And that "taught out of him" part was particularly interesting to me. Lewis gave the example of an elementary textbook in which a story is told about two visitors viewing a beautiful waterfall. One declares that it is pretty, and one says "That is sublime"! The authors point out to the student that the waterfall itself isn't sublime, it is just giving the man sublime feelings. You can see the whiff of postmodernism and relativism here, can't you? Lewis spend the rest of the chapter arguing that no, the value of the waterfall does not lie in the man's feelings - there is something intrinsically sublime in the waterfall that rightly produced those feelings in the man, and by not teaching the child that fact, the textbook writers were training him that there is no deeper meaning in anything than our subjective feelings.
That whole example was frightening in that it is so easy to subtly undermine a person's better inclinations through their education. A person who is well-educated in the fullest sense is someone who has been taught how to feel about things as he ought to feel. A well-educated person likes certain things because he recognizes they are things worthy of being liked, because he has been taught from a young age what is beautiful and what is ugly, what is noble and what is base, what is true and what is false. People don't come to these proper views of things by their own feelings - they come to it by being carefully trained in the better things from a young age.
The implications for parents and educators, and especially those parents who take on the whole education of their children themselves, is obvious. We must show them the beautiful things, and help them absorb them into their soul. We must teach them what is right and noble, through all the means we can find, especially through the word of God, so that they can recognize the wrong and cowardly and sinful for what it is. We must give them true things to aspire to, to innoculate them against what is false. We must train them in righteousness through the word of God, so that they are thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). If that is not part of our homeschool or educational plan as parents, we are in danger of producing people without chests and crippling our children against fully living life as they could.
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Obviously C. S. Lewis says it better than me and this is his concept, so if you are interested in this idea at all, I highly recommend picking up a copy of The Abolition Of Man - even just the first chapter is worth it. I am going to be reading through The Abolition Of Man this month, and may have more posts coming about what I learn if you'd like to join me! I also saw that there is going to be a webinar from one of my favorite homeschool bloggers discussing it that I am considering purchasing as well!
A Quote
"In Christian circles there is constant talk about free salvation. It is free, thank God. But it is only free to us. God paid a great price for it. Jesus paid with His blood. It is free to us because someone else paid a great deal.
And this is why we do not work out our salvation by never doing anything that might be hard or difficult to us. We imitate Christ, and we make sacrifices for others. We do things that are hard, that cost us much, because we want our gifts to be free to others.
So imitate Christ in your giving. Do it daily, do it in as many little ways as you possibly can. Find a way to imitate Him in the folding of the laundry, in the stocking of the fridge, in the picking up of other peoples' socks. And then decide consciously that you're giving this meal, this clean room, this cheerful Christmas - that you are giving it all freely.
And much later, maybe thirty years later, you would like to see your children turn a profuit on it. You would like to see your kids taking what they were freely given and turning it into still more free giving. This is because God's story is never little. He works in generations, in lifetimes, and He wants us to do the same."
-Rachel Jankovic, Fit To Burst
I loved this quote when I read it in the context of giving freely to my children and being generous to them in various ways as we start school this fall. It was such an encouragement to me!
A Book
I've been reading a bunch of books at once, as per usual, but I just started Skeletons On The Zahara by Dean King, which is about this harrowing survival story of two men in the 1800's who were kidnapped, made slaves, and forced to travel across the desert. I also read Land Of Hope by Wilfred M McClay this morning, because I bought it a while back because I wanted to re-study American history, and then forgot about it until now.
A Bit Of Nature
The last of the summer columbines.
A Recommendation
I recently dug a Lemoncello La Croix out of the back of my pantry, and now I have declared that no one else in my household can drink them. The four remaining cans are MINE. It's a lemon-y vanilla flavor, and for some reason it really hit the spot.
A Moment Of Happiness
I took my four year old grocery shopping this past week, and she wanted to ride in the basket of the cart. I know they say not to do that, but whatever, this is America, we do what we want! She tried to stand up as I was walking toward the shelf to grab something, and I advised her to sit back down. As I turned to look at her plopping back down into the cart, she looked at me with her wide brown eyes, and asked "How did you KNOW I was standing up?" I declared that I had eyes in the back of my head, and her eyes got even wider, and she said "You do?" I, feeling a little mischievous, nodded my head and said "All mamas do."
I foolishly assumed she knew I was joking, but she was overheard by my husband later informing her siblings that Mom has eyes in the back of her head, and then trying to exercise her own back-of-head-sight skills. He texted me the story as I was leaving the gym, and I laughed to myself all the way home!
Disclaimer: After that I did clearly explain to her that I don't have eyes in the back of my head, but I am not quite sure she believes me.
A Quote
'Which blow breaks the stone?' he asked. Then, pointing with his whip, he said 'Thee must never say, thee must never even let thyself think, "I won that soul for Christ." It is the first blow, and the last, and every one in between.'
-The "Dear Old Man", to Amy Carmichael; A Chance To Die
A Book
At the risk of being redundant, I'm going to mention the same book from which I took today's quote, A Chance To Die by Elisabeth Elliot, a biography of Amy Carmichael. This has been a fascinating book to read because I didn't know that many details of Carmichael's life. I also didn't realize how great of a writer Elisabeth Elliot was - this is the first book of hers I've read. It has given me so much to think about, and I imagine it will be mentioned in many upcoming posts, so I won't go into it too much here. But if you want to sharpen your own focus on Christ, this book holds so much inspiration.
A Bit Of Nature
It has snowed once every week or two in January, which is ideal in my book. There is always a bit of snow on the ground right now, and I enjoy that so much. Winter isn't nearly as beautiful without long-lasting snow. Every morning, as the sun comes up over the mountains in front of our house, it shines this bright golden lights, and it glints off the crystals of snow and frost that are clinging to the trees. It's like a little glimpse of Heaven to start the day.
A Recommendation
Today I'm going to recommend Kay Arthur's Precepts Bible studies. If you ever get a chance to do one of these studies, jump at it! One of my friends at church leads a Precepts study each year, and I decided to try to work it into my schedule for this spring. We are doing the study on Colossians and Philemon, and we have only done the first week of lessons so far - our meeting yesterday was cancelled due to a snowstorm, so I haven't even seen the videos that go along with the study. But just this one week of study has been so rich and meaningful so far. What I love about the study is how the entire thing is focused on getting you deep into the text of the book, guiding you through the observation process - there is no fluff here. Many women's Bible studies end up being surface level, but this one is a deep dive, and I'm loving it. It's the Bible study guide I've always wanted.
A Moment Of Happiness
I find that when I think back to "moments of happiness", my mind always goes to quiet moments at home, and we have unfortunately had few of those in the opening weeks of 2022. I don't have a specific moment that stands out to me this time, just snatches of family life that are flashing into my brain - hearing Gwen singing a hymn from her room upstairs; catching Georgie asleep on the floor next to my bed in the morning and picking her up to snuggle under the covers for minute; watching the Clarice play an elaborate "cops and robbers" game on her "bouncy car", dressed up in a police uniform and all; wondering wear the boys are, and then opening their bedroom door to see them deeply focused on building Legos; picking up bits of popcorn that fall between the couch cushions while Derek and I watch a movie while the fire crackers in the woodstove. We've been out of the house too much this month, and it's made me realize again how valuable our home moments are.
A Quote
"Feast, Christian, feast! You have a right to feast. Go to the house of feasting tomorrow! Celebrate your Savior's birth. Do not be ashamed to be glad - you have a right to be happy. Solomon says 'Go your way, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God now accepts your works. Let your garments be always white and let your head lack no ointment.' - ' Religion never was designed, To make our pleasure less.' Remember that your Master ate bread and honey. Go your way, rejoice tomorrow, but, in your feasting, think of the Man in Bethlehem - let Him have a place in your hearts, give Him the glory, think of the virgin who conceived Him - but think, most of all, of the Man born, the Child given! I finish by again saying - A Happy Christmas To You All!"
-Charles Spurgeon
Ever since reading this last year in this book, this quote comes to mind when I am anticipating Christmas festivities, especially the part about having every right to be happy. We have every right and reason to celebrate, don't we? We can approach the throne of God with full confidence, knowing He has credited to us the righteousness of Jesus - and it all started with Jesus's birth, God made flesh for us. There is happiness to be found there, in pondering the great truths of His works on our behalf - more happiness than in all the trappings of Christmas!
A Book
Oh, don't ask me about books right now - I'm stuck in the biggest reading rut I've had for years. I've started probably ten books in the last couple months, and nothing is sticking! The only books that are getting read consistently are the ones I read with my devotions, so I'll just mention Worship by John MacArthur. Our church has introduced a "staff recommends" library this year, and there are some good picks in there, so I've been trying to choose one of the recommended books to read after I read my Bible in the mornings. I love the way MacArthur presents worship as something that we do in every aspect of our life - it's not about singing only. One more quote!
"Rather we have been redeemed so that God may receive worship - so that our lives may glorify Him...The sole purpose of our being in heaven is that we might worship God rightly and forever. We, along with the redeemed of all ages, are saved to that glorious and unending end."
-John MacArthur, Worship
We also started our advent with the kids, and we've been reading through Jotham's Journey, which my aunt surprised us with in the mail! It could be a little scary for young or sensitive kids, but my kids have been really riveted to find out if Jotham will be reunited with his family. Each chapter, meant to be read each day of Advent, also ends with an advent devotional that ties in with the story. It's been a really fun addition to our advent time!
A Bit Of Nature
As I came to this prompt and looked through my phone for some nature pictures, I realized how little we have been out in nature this last month! It would be a good time to be outside, because it's been unseasonably warm out. But in a way, I think that's putting a damper on nature exploration for me right now. I want some snow! If I wanted 60 degree weather in December, I'd move to Florida with the rest of the country. We actually need some snow to prevent wildfires next year too, so I hope we get some moisture soon. One advantage to the warm weather is that our yearly Christmas light adventure was much less complicated, and that's the last time we were in nature, so some light-covered nature pictures will have to do.
A Recommendation
I really have to recommend Pam Barnhill's morning time plans. At first I thought they wouldn't be worth the money, but I tried one out, and oh my goodness, they are so rich. Her full morning time plans are especially meaty, and they tie concepts together in different ways by coming at a theme with math, art, music, books, etc. I request the books from the library, and the rest of the activities are usually links to free activities or videos online that go with whatever we are learning about. All the work is done, I just open up the document and follow the plans, and it's added so much enjoyment to our homeschool this fall! I actually joined her membership, because I loved the one set of plans we tried so much, and I'm so looking forward to working through many of the plans in years to come. If you want to try out a mini version of her plans, the Christmas Around The World morning time explorations are free right now. I would say they are good for elementary and up (it might be trickier to use with preschool and kindergarten).
A Moment Of Happiness
My happy moment goes back again to when we went to a local "trail of lights" this last weekend for my dad's 60th birthday. As I mentioned, this year has been weirdly warm outside, so we didn't even need to bundle up in snow clothes like we usually do. We walked through all the lights, and the cousins ran and played, and Georgie kept making her cute four-year-old quips, and I was just so thankful to be able to do something like that with family. Then we all went for pie at a restaurant after the lights, and gave my dad presents, and laughed when the restaurant hostess brought out a pan for the "birthday spanking" (we didn't actually subject my dad to that, but it was funny). It was a lighthearted and cheering evening, a perfect night of just being together.
A Quote
“As for the notion of some lost golden age, it is truly very hard for any competent historian to be nostalgic. What past times were better than the present? An era before antibiotics when childbirth or even minor cuts might lead to septicemia and death? The great days of the 19th century when the church was culturally powerful and marriage was between one man and one woman for life, but little children worked in factories and swept chimneys? Perhaps the Great Depression? The Second World War? The era of Vietnam? Every age has had its darkness and its dangers. The task of the Christian is not to whine about the moment in which he or she lives but to understand its problems and respond appropriately to them.”
-Carl Trueman, The Rise And Triumph Of The Modern Self
A Book
The book I'm working on right this moment is called Call Me American by Abdi Nor Iftin. It's an immigrant story, about a man that came from Somalia. I'm only a little bit into it, but I just feel like it's going to be good. I love reading immigrant stories from people who have escaped difficult circumstances in their homeland - so many of them have an appreciation for the blessings of freedom in America that a lot of Americans-by-birth take for granted. I think this is going to be one of those uplifting immigrant stories, and I'm here for it.
A Bit Of Sparklers
Excuse me for sharing sparkler pictures instead of nature this week - we had way too much fun last weekend with our ridiculous stash of sparklers! We had probably 20-30 boxes of sparklers that we had somehow gathered over the years, and we used most of them in one night when my family came to visit on the 4th.
A Recommendation
This section is going to be a little long!
I've got an interesting recommendation today, and it's from a podcast I listen to occasionally called "Sheologians". In the latest episode they were discussing gossip, and as I feel there is a definite dearth of Christian resources on gossip, I clicked on it. The actual discussion starts around 20 minutes, but basically what they are doing is taking the Westminter Larger Catechism question surrounding the 9th commandment to help explain what qualifies as gossip or "bearing false witness" against someone. It's a lot more than you might think! I was so convicted by so many of their points. If you want to get the gist, you can read the relevant Larger Catechism passage here (Questions 144 and 145). How many of us think about gossip like this? How many of us recognize the sin of lying in the way we are thinking about others? My mind was kind of blown to be honest.
On a related note, their episode from a while back on forgiveness also gave me a ton to think about. They discuss that "therapeutic forgiveness"(the idea that forgiveness is for myself, not the other person), is actually not the biblical model of forgiveness. They argue that forgiveness in scripture is a transactional thing - a person is repentant toward the person they wronged, and the other person then gives them forgiveness, and it's followed by reconciliation. I take a little bit of issue with the way they expressed certain things, but they explained their points more fully later in the episode, so listen to the whole thing. I love the distinction that forgiveness isn't just some internal feeling, it's an external process that happens between two people that ultimately results in reconciliation in some way. I think we've lost that idea by making forgiveness only something that happens within someone's heart.
Like I said, I'm still mulling it over, but if you want some spiritual meat to chew on, give these episodes a try.
A Moment Of Happiness
A met up with a friend last night that I haven't seen in over a year - for no other reason than that we are both very busy moms of big families, and we were just slacking. What I love about this friend is how there is no awkwardness over the fact that we haven't seen each other in so long - I just send a text saying, "hey, let's get dinner together", she says "I'd love that!", and we make it happen. It's rare to find those friends that you can connect with easily even when it's been a long time between visits, and it was so refreshing to catch up with her over ridiculously large bowls of pasta.
How is everyone's week going? Are you getting back into swing of things after the long weekend?
It's getting to be that time of year when I start thinking about homeschool curriculum for next year. I think I am mostly continuing on with a lot of the same curriculum we've been using, but there are a few areas where I'll probably change it up a bit. I'm thinking of switching to a more structured history curriculum for my (soon to be) 3rd grader and 2nd grader, while still adding in the read-alouds we've been doing. I've done something similar with Wyatt's curriculum this year, using America's Story 1 as a spine, and adding in books from the BFB booklist. Textbooks are thorough, but there is nothing like a living book to bring history alive, and I wanted to make sure I was incorporating plenty of them. I've mostly been having Wyatt read these extra books on his own, but I was reminded the other day that it's beneficial for me to still read historical living books to him too.
I was reading one of Wyatt's assigned books to him. called "Of Courage Undaunted", about the Lewis and Clark expedition. He was having trouble getting into it, so I had him read some of it aloud to me, and then I read some of it aloud to him. I'm so glad I did, because I came across this quote by Meriwether Lewis:
This day I completed my 31st year, and conceived that I had in all human probability now existed about half the period which I am to remain in this sublunary world. I reflected that I had as yet done but little, very little indeed, to further the happiness of the human race, or to advance the information of the succeeding generation. I viewed with regret the many hours I have spent in indolence and now soarly feel the want of that information which those hours would have gotten me had they been judiciously expended, but since they are past and cannot be recalled, I dash from the gloomy thought, and resolve in the future to redouble my exertions and at least endeavor to promote those two primary objects of human experience, by giving them the aid of that portion of talents which nature and fortune have bestowed on me; or in the future, to live for mankind, as I have heretofore lived for myself.
I mentioned in my post a few weeks ago that I have been struggling through having more time for deep thought. You would think having more time for some good, hard thinking is a good thing, and in the wide view it is, but it's difficult to remember that when I spiral into hashing out a bunch of events from the past, regretting the way I've handled certain situations, or mourning the time I have sometimes wasted.
Since this has been my frame of mind lately, I was almost relieved to read this quote by one of our nation’s heroes, written when he was pretty close to my age, about how he had experienced and managed similar thoughts. I had assumed I was struggling through this because of the absence of social media, which I've admittedly used to numb myself from difficult thoughts for years now.
But maybe it's not so much of a result of leaving social media as it is the fact of being in my early thirties. Maybe this is the time that people usually evaluate how life has gone so far, how they could have done things better, ways to serve others more meaningfully in the future.
Knowing that someone else in history, well over two hundred years ago, worked through some of the same personal reflections that I am working through now, is comforting to me somehow. There is nothing new under the sun. People have gone through this before. Significant things often happen in the latter half of life, and misused beginnings don't doom a person to repeat the same mistakes forever.
I find it interesting that Lewis wrote those words when he was actually in the middle of the task for which he is remembered most. He bemoaned his wasted time while in the middle of what is considered his greatest accomplishment. It makes me wonder if he didn't see the importance of what he was doing at the time in exploring the Louisiana Purchase for his young country, or if he had some other accomplishment in mind as even more meaningful.
What did he do after that grand expedition? Apparently, according to the book, he settled down on some land and raised a family. And you know, I don't think he forgot about what he had written in the wilds of the Rocky Mountains. I like to think that in investing the rest of his future into his family, he did indeed further the happiness of the human race and advance the information of the succeeding generation, in all the hidden ways that every parent should.
A Quote
“He must have forgotten that in the mind of a boy, a warning isn’t much different from an invitation.”
-Andrew Peterson, On The Edge Of The Dark Sea Of Darkness
(My boys, throwing snow in the air this last weekend.)
A Book
Since I just quoted it, let’s talk about the first book in the Wingfeather Saga! I read this book over the weekend, while it was snowing, and I loved it. We are introduced to the Igiby family, and their lives under the oppression of the Fangs of Dang, which are reptilian creatures that took over the land of Aerweair many years ago. Janner is the oldest, tasked with watching over his two younger siblings as they cause all kinds of trouble...until suddenly their quiet life falls apart and they realize there is much more to their family’s history than they thought. What makes this book is the completely quirky history of Aerweair, and the funny footnotes throughout. I am very anxious to read the next book in the series!
A Bit Of Nature
A snowy sunrise, the morning after we got two feet of snow (it doesn't look it because the snow didn't stick to the trees, but there was a lot of snow). One of these days I’ll put some effort into geting a different view for my “bit of nature”, but for now you get these shots from my porch. It’s cold out there!
A Recommendation
Since I only get to these posts every couple weeks, I hope you don’t mind if I include more than one recommendation.
First, I must reiterate my longstanding recommendation to update your pajamas every six months or so. Let’s be honest, after about six months to a year, most pajama sets start to look...grungy? Ill-fitting? Stretched out? They just don't look fresh anymore, and there is nothing like a fresh pair of pajamas! It makes me feel like I look cute in the evenings for Derek. He probably doesn’t care, but I think he deserves to not always see me in ratty pajamas (or maybe I deserve to not let him always see me in ratty pajamas).
(My newest pjs/lounge set, these were only $15 at Sam's.)
Next, I want to recommend this documentary on the life of Martyn Lloyd-Jones (free on Prime right now). I didn't know much about Martyn Lloyd-Jones before, and I was so inspired by his zeal and commitment to preaching the Word. We could use more of that today.
And finally, go watch this video from Matt Walsh, in response to a “Dear Abby” letter from a man who is disappointed that his wife wants to be a stay-at-home mom and thinks less of her for it (which, sorry-not-sorry, is so ridiculous to me). I loved Walsh’s point about the difference between phoning it in as a parent and parenting ambitiously. I agree that parenting is a highly worthy area in which to pour ambition.
A Moment Of Happiness
(Gwen, building a snowman.)
I realized on Wednesday that I had not given my children proper instruction on how to build a really good snowman. I struggled into my too-small snow clothes and went outside to demonstrate for Wyatt. Before I knew it, all the kids were outside requesting repeat demonstrations, and 30 minutes later a snowman representation of our family sat in the backyard.
Time well spent.
A Quote
"Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!"
2 Chronicles 14:11
When I was trying to come up with a quote today, this quote from one of the kings of Judah, Asa, came to mind. King Asa started off so well - he prayed this prayer and the Lord gave him success in the battle, and then encouraged him later that the Lord would be with him if Asa kept relying on the Lord. And Asa did, for quite a while, removing idols and making a covenant to seek the Lord with all his heart.
But later, he forgot Who the help of Israel was, and he turned to the king of Syria as an ally instead of the Lord. Asa didn't seek the Lord but only physicians when his health went south. I don't think it was the act of making an alliance or using physicians that was sinful, but it's the fact the his heart was not loyal to the Lord at all, and that's why he went seeking help elsewhere (2 Chron. 16:9).
That was a sobering thing for me to read about this morning, on a personal note. I think it's worth considering in our own lives, whether we have loyal hearts to the Lord and seek Him first before turning to outside help or the wisdom of men.
I also thought it was interesting how growing older doesn't always mean growing wiser - in this instance, I'd rather be like the young Asa.
A Book
I'm going to mention a few books this week that have been enjoyable for my kids lately. First, Little Sure Shot is an easy-to-read book about Annie Oakley which I read when I was a kid. I gave Gwen a copy a couple weeks ago - she tore through it and subsequently announced that Annie Oakley is her favorite girl in history now. We've been on an Annie Oakley kick ever since!
We also have renewed our commitment to How To Teach your Children Shakespeare in morning time this week, and I was shocked to discover that even though we haven't picked this book up in two months, my kids could still recite the portion of "A Midsummer's Night's Dream" that we had previously memorized. We worked through more of the story of the play today, and it inspired some drawings of Tatania the fairy queen.
Also, anybody else stocking up on Dr. Seuss books this week? Guys. This you-know-what culture is complete madness. BUY PHYSICAL COPIES OF BOOKS. People were right to be suspicious of e-readers when they first came out.
A Bit Of Nature
A Recommendation
I wanted to point you all to this Easter unit study, which is on sale this week. I try to incorporate some activities and books throughout the year that will be fun for my preschoolers, and the Gentle + Classical preschool unit studies have been sweet. We used their Christmas study which inspired the Night Tree project, and I am excited to try the projects in this resource for the month leading up to Easter. I'm not a very crafty mom, so I need inspiration if any craft projects are going to happen around here.
A Moment Of Happiness
We had Wyatt's birthday party last week, which as I mentioned was a nerf war party. The way we structured it was similar to capture the flag, only in the house, with nerf guns. As you can imagine, it was chaotic, but overall very fun!
My moment of happiness came when I noticed Georgie (3 years old), walking around with her little single-dart shooter, pointing it at her Uncle Ben. She pulled the tiny trigger, and announced in the sweetest voice - "I got you, Uncle Ben! Come on, let's go to da jail." It cracked me up how even Georgie got into the game in her adorable little way.
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