Creeds

I know this one by heart, and as such, it is a familiar comfort, and truth for me, but I adore the beginning of the Nicene Creed-

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

God of God.

Light of Light.

Very God of very God.

like rays of light radiating from the sun,
the Son, one with the Father.
Creator of all things.
And therefore,
we worship Him.

(photo credit: Sunrise at Bantam Lake, by Patricia Wilcox)

More coffee!

Look! Now I have a GiveAway! (except that I'm not really giving ANYTHING away...) The good folks at Dunkin Donuts want to give us coffee! There are NO Dunkin Donuts in the otherwise great state that I live in, but they will send me coffee, nonetheless.

If only they could send me a chocolate cream filled donut, too...

Enjoy!

Coffee, Toffee, Ready for Safari

Coffee.

Toffee.

Ready for safari.

(in the background, cue "These are a few of my favorite things..." from The Sound of Music, or maybe the soundtrack from Out of Africa...)

It's a GiveAway at Amoretti!

Wordful Wednesday

Since I obviously have no original ideas on Wednesday, thanks to Seven Clown Circus for hosting Wordful Wednesday!

The rules, as written by SevenClownCircus herself...
*Wordful Wednesday is for those of us that like to showcase a photo but that just can't seem keep our mouths shut about it. If you'd like to play along, post a photo on your blog, and let the words roll. Feel free to "capture" my 7 Clown Circus button on the left to link back to me, and be sure to add yourself to Mr. Linky. Thanks for playing along!

My photo, taken just this afternoon, as we made caramel apples!
HOMEMADE caramel apples in all of their rich sticky goodness!

And it was easy! And they look so pretty!

(So pretty! We won't include photos of the wrappers floating all over my kitchen, or of youngest daughter burning her finger when sister "helped" her twirl the caramel, or the pan that is yet to be cleaned and is probably crystalizing into caramel hardness...
So pretty!)

Wordful Wednesday!

What Works for Me Wednesday- "Best Friends"

Adding my .02 to the grand carnival of great ideas at Works-for-me-Wednesday over at Rocks In My Dryer...

It happens sometimes in my house of 5 kids- there are days when two just cannot seem to get along. No matter what. Little things. Big things. Squabbling and arguing and general discontent with a brother. (or more likely, in my house of 4 girls and one boy- a sister...)

I guess common wisdom says to separate, send each to his or her own corner, and never the two shall meet. I found that doesn't solve the heart problem at all- rather, it just gives each time to stew in a self-justifying-how-wrong-the-other-kid-is simmer.

So, What Works for Me? Best friends. I purposely make the two that are at odds with one another play with each other. Two games, each one chooses a game that must be played together. Two chores- two chores (my choosing!) that must be completed together. And they are to remain together, a best friend unit, until they can be cheerful with one another. Partners.

If they really don't want to be together, it serves them well to play nice and work hard, so they can be finished and released from duty. But, usually by the time they finish playing and working, they have forgotten why they were mad at one another in the first place, and they not only keep playing, but then the others wonder what is going on and want to join in too.

It Works for Me...
Check out Rocks in My Dryer to see what works for others...

Thou Shalt Not Covet...

Some neat Etsy (and etsy-like) finds...

I don't have any "kid" jewelry, but if I did, I'd like this from The Vintage Pearl.

I don't have a 2009 calendar, but if I did, I'd like this (in blue) from Lotta.

It's hard to pick just one favorite from Geninne, but I sure am fond of Bird Tree.

Sometimes Etsy is just too much work- too much of a good thing. Any of you have Etsy favorites to share?

The Bottom Line

Thanks to Palm Tree Pundit for this link. I found it to be a worthwhile and issue clarifying read. Randy Alcorn highlights the thoughts that I have been ruminating over for a while. For me, this is the bottom line in determining how I will make my choice at the poll next month.

Writer's Workshop

I'm a day late, but with encouragement from One Crafty Mama , I'm going to try out Writer's Workshop Wednesday from Mama's Losin' It.

The Prompts:
1.) Recall a time when you did something to get noticed. Write about it.
2.) Begin with “I wish someone told me…”
3.) If you could rearrange three things about your life what would they be?
4.) What do you love to create?

In general, I dislike doing anything to get noticed. I'm the I in INTJ. I like to be on time, because if you are late, people notice you. Especially when you have five kids trailing you... And like my oldest daughter, I don't really enjoy when the waiters sing to you at your birthday, except for the fact that it comes with dessert.

However, I ran with a really fun group of friends in high school, and we sometimes did things that got noticed. My favorite memory of being noticed was at the talent show at the annual summer gathering of student council members from around my state.

Please realize, I don't really have any demonstrable talents. Growing up, an annual ritual for me and my sister was to watch the Miss America pageant. As we grew up, my ever ambitious mom would look at my very talented musician sister and say, "You could be Miss America! You could play the clarinet as your talent!" And then she would look at me, and she would hesitate, and then she'd say something like, "Maybe you could... (awkward pause)... juggle the soccer ball..." But truthfully, I couldn't even juggle the soccer ball THAT well.

However, despite that we weren't great musicians or baton twirlers or rhythmic gymnasts or even possessing any ability to do stupid human tricks, my girlfriends and I were determined to be in the talent show. Fortunately, it was the 80's and air bands were king. We came up with the perfect song on an album. (remember those?) The beginning notes were familiar... Devo's Whip It. However, the voices- not quite the same. We "sang" to Alvin and the Chipmunk's Chipmunk Rock. And like the Chipmunk's, we rocked.

OK, well truthfully, I don't even remember if we won a thing. Or if they gave out awards. Funny how unimportant that stuff is 20 years later. But I do remember that we had a blast. And I still love air drums, especially on the dashboard of the car.

But I don't do it to get noticed anymore...

What about you? Think about one of those prompts and write! And then go leave a link at Mama's Losin' It.

Ay ay ay ay...

The BeeGee's & Stayin' Alive...
turns out that they are good for more than just disco...

Mia's Bongo Room

My breakfast buddy and I tried a new spot today, branching out from the usual to try something new. I've passed by Mia's Bongo Room for a while in my traversing through Benson, but had not taken time to stop. My loss! Tastiness awaits you at Mia's! The decor is fun, and there's local artwork on display and for sale as well. The service was good, and the food piping hot. The coffee dark!

The lunch and dinner menu looks intriguing as well, so this could be our next date night destination...

Mia's is just the kind of place that makes Benson great! Give Mia's a try!

"The Vision of Gallant Greatness"

I read this quote yesterday, not in the context of politics at all, but rather, as a "clarion cry" for women to serve- to serve their families, to serve one another, to serve in the church; to encourage women in the "righteous and venerable tradition of people actually investing themselves in people- rather than in programs, projects, or perspectives." (from Spiritual Mothering by Susan Hunt)

Do we see as we ought to see? Do we see the warrior witnesses around us- or are we like the servants of Elisha, purblind and incognizant of the battle raging in our midst? Do we see the Savior before us- or are we like the disciples on the way to Emmaus, obsessed and possessed by our own concerns? Do we see- or are we casting about in darkness, flailing with sightless eyes? With what encumbrances have we ballasted the Gospel of grace with our lack of vision? Surely the Kingdom of Righteousness does not lack for resources. Surely the church is not bereft of ingenuity. Surely the just have bounteous opportunities. Yea and indeed, the single and solitary need- of the hour, the day, the epoch- is vision: the vision to see, the vision to do, and more, the vision to be. Lord of the Harvest, give us we pray: great men, great women, and great families. Lord of the Harvest, give us we pray: vision- the vision of gallant greatness.
- Theodore Roosevelt

Teaser Tuesday

Here's a fun idea from my friend at Life is a Patchwork Quilt (and she borrowed it from Should Be Reading... thanks to both of you!)

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!

The book sitting next to my computer right now- the one I finished reading this morning!- is The Believer's School of Prayer by Andrew Murray.

"Prayer from a heart that is not right- either with God on the one side, or with men on the other- cannot prevail. Faith and love are essential to each other."

Exactly! That's Matthew 11:25- loving God and loving our neighbor are inseperable.
The Believer's School of Prayer is FULL of such nuggets of common sense, but oh-so-valuable, wisdom. A great devotional, instructional, and motivational read.

Persecution

It seems like we don't hear enough about stories like this or this.

Real life.

Pray for the persecuted church.

No Reservations

T. and I celebrated another anniversary- #18 this time.

We traveled to Spain and Borneo, and ate a piece of cake.

That will do, for now.

As Bourdain said, "I am ready to go someplace that I have absolutely no idea where I am going."

Happy anniversary, babe.

Art Music Justice tour

Got to go to this concert last week.
Terrific!

To hear what the concert is about, where the tour is headed, and to hear a few music samples, go here.

Photo Tag

My bloggy diva friend, Michelle, tagged me! I've known Michelle for years and years and years. She just started doing this blogging stuff, and WOW! Now I can say, "I knew her when..." :-) Go visit Michelle's blog! It's fun.

But first, FOCUS!, the instructions of the photo tag command me to:

Go to your photo files, pick the 6th folder and the 6th picture and post it!

So I did it and here's what we find:
That's my L. girl at practice a few weeks ago. She's a soccer playin', hard kickin', go-get-'em, kid. When asked about this picture, she said, "That is me, kicking at Quinn's dad, and I know that I scored." That's the confidence of L.

(Confession: I cheated just a little bit! See, my photo files are listed chronological for 2008 Jan-now in one list, and now back to Jan. in the other one. The picture I chose is from the 2nd list- it was taken in September. The 6th folder and the 6th picture in the other list was, well, boring. It's my blog. I can do that!)

I'm supposed to tag 5 others, but I'm going to just leave that to you all...
what's your 6th folder, 6th picture look like?

El Conguero

Overheard walking out of the Holland Performing Arts Center at intermission, a conversation between two teenage boys:
"One hour of Poncho Sanchez is enough to make you give up rap?!?"
"Dude, I'm never listening to rap again!"

It was THAT good.
We were thoroughly entertained by the Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band last night. The sounds and rhythmns that Poncho Sanchez gets out of the congos is amazing, as is the entire band. Those guys can play! And they played the Holland like it was a club. They got us up on our feet and dancing in the aisles. Terrific musicians and terrific entertainers. If Poncho comes to your town, don't miss him and the Latin Jazz Band.

Here's a promo video for this concert tour, just to tease...

What kind of man?

This morning I was here, and notice, at the end, the disciples ask, "What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

Matthew Henry comments, "They were astonished. They never saw a storm so turned at once into a perfect calm. He that can do this, can do any thing, which encourages confidence and comfort in him, in the most stormy day, within or without, Isa 26:4."

And then I was here, and the disciples question is answered,

"The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my delieverer,
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
My shield and the horn or my salvation and the horn or my salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the lord, who is worthy to be praised..."

Reminder- that's who I call on in the stormy days...

(art credit to Rick Lawler, Sea Storm Whidbey Island)

Friday Five- Weekend agenda

Today's Friday Five: what this weekend looks like...

Vacuuming and general clean-up: always a good idea, now desperately required daily due to how much Aussie Shepherd Deke is shedding.

Tickets to hear the Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band at the Holland.













Volleyball.



















Soccer.

nap.

And you?

October Paint

We have been reading Carl Sandburg in our anthology of poetry this fall, and I am excited to get to October and share this one. Sandburg was from the Midwest, and travelled west, and indeed, that experience is evident in this piece of his poetry.

October Paint by Carl Sandburg

Flame blue wisps in the west,
Wrap yourselves in these leaves
And speak to winter about us.
Tell winter the whole story.

Red leaves up the oaken slabs,
You came little and green spats
Four months ago; your climbers
Put scroll after scroll around
The oaken slabs, "Red, come red,"
Some one with an October paint
Pot said, And here you are,
Fifty red arrowheads of leaf paint
Or fifty mystic fox footprints
Or fifty pointed thumbprints.
Hold on, the winds are to come
Blowing, blowing, the gray slabs
Will lose you, the winds will
Flick you away in a whiff
One by one, two by two... Yet
I have heard a rumor whispered;
Tattlers tell it to each other
Like a secret everybody knows...
Next year you will come again.
Up the oaken slabs you will put
Your pointed fox footprints
Green in the early summer
And you will be red arrowheads
In the falltime... Tattlers
Slip this into each other's ears
Like a secret everybody knows.
... If I see some one with an
October paint pot I shall be
Full of respect and say,
"I saw your thumbprints everywhere,
How do you do it?"

(art credit for Fall Leaves to my favorite of Western artists, Georgia O'Keefe),

Give me...

I've been hearing these lyrics, from Brandon Heath's Give Me Your Eyes on the radio, and they echo my constant prayer...

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

Now I just discovered that Heath, along with other songsters that I adore, will be in the area next week, in concert!
Gotta work on that!

Extraordinary?

I'm nodding in response to a quote from this week:

"It is extraordinary to me that you can find $700 billion to save Wall Street and the entire G8 can't find $25 billion to save 25,000 children who die every day of preventable treatable disease and hunger," the U2 lead singer told Clinton's fourth annual philanthropic summit in New York. "That's mad, that is mad."

Bono goes on,

"Bankruptcy is a serious business and we all know people who have lost their jobs," Bono said, referring to the bankruptcy declared by Wall Street investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc (LEHMQ.PK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz). "But this is moral bankruptcy."

(from Reuters.com via Thunderstruck)

The Branch

I came across this in reading this morning-

Now listen, Joshua, the high priest, you and your friends who are sitting in front of you- indeed they are men who are a symbol, for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch. Zechariah 3:8

and this,

Thus says the Lord of hosts, "Behold, a man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the Lord." Zechariah 6:12

So I started thinking about that idea, Branch.

I looked the word up, and found the Hebrew word, tsemach, which Strongs defines as a righteous branch or offspring of God, a sprout or shoot (of Messiah from the Davidic tree).

And that led me to this-
In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and the adornment of the survivors of Israel. Isaiah 4:2

Ah, the grace and comfort of the Gospel foretold!

(photo credit to Tammy Siegel and TrekEarth)

You-niverse/Me-niverse

New quiz!
This is a fun little quiz, that called it pretty close for me.
"The open road and a full tank of gas can take you pretty much anywhere," it tells me.
yep.

(credit to my mom for this one!)

The Simple Woman Daybook

The Simple Woman Daybook

FOR TODAY, Monday, September 22, 2008...
Outside My Window... darkness, and the sound of rain.
I am thinking... about what will be accomplished today.
I am thankful for... the Word, for mercy, "for then I will give to the peoples purified lips, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord, to serve Him shoulder to shoulder." Zephaniah 3:9
From the kitchen... silence.
I am wearing... flannel bottoms and a tshirt.
I am creating... a blog post.
I am going... to the laundry room next.
I am reading... a little here, a little there.
I am hoping... rain cancels soccer tomorrow (shhh... don't tell my girls!)
I am hearing... wind, and raindrops, my keyboard taps, & my husband's sniffles and turning the pages
Around the house... everyone sleeps except us two adults.
One of my favorite things... being awake before anyone else, with silence and a cup of coffee.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: school, ESL, sports, study and prep, dentist appointments, piano concert
Here is picture thought I am sharing... the view from early morning, with silence and a cup of coffee, in Alaska

Exult

Yet I will exult in the LORD,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
The Lord GOD is my strength,
And He has made my feet like hinds' feet,
And makes me walk on my high places.
Habakkuk 3:18-19

"Thus the prophet, who began his prayer with fear and trembling, ends it with joy and triumph. And thus faith in Christ prepares for every event. The name of Jesus, when we can speak of Him as ours, is balm for every wound, a cordial for every care. It is as ointment poured forth, shedding fragrance through the whole soul. In the hope of a heavenly crown, let us sit loose to earthly possessions and comforts, and cheerfully bear up under crosses. Yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry; and where he is, we shall be also."
Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Bible, on Habakkuk 3:18-19

Mind Your Manners

And in the spirit of voting and campaigns and all that...
I love this commentary on proper election season behavior!
(Credit to Rocks in My Dryer)

Vote...

for your favorite literary character.

Half Price Books is holding an election. Vote now!

(and our list of take-aways from a pre-movie visit to the store...
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Housekeeping
Love Has a Price Tag
3 mini Moleskin squared journals
Emma
Welcome to Josefina's World
Kirsten Short Stories
Andersen's Fairy Tales)

Friday Five- 5 Bloggy Reads

The Friday Five reappears!

Here's five bloggy reads that got me thinking this week:

Edupunk

Pronouns

On Abortion and Voting

Bad Day

Home

Let All Things Now Living

I love this sweet hymn from worship yesterday. It was written by Katherine K. Davis, who was born in 1892. I'm sure you would recognize one of Miss Davis' more famous pieces, the Christmas tune, The Little Drummer Boy. She later quipped that piece "...had been done to death on radio and tv." Let All Things Now Living has not! This hymn so simply reminds us of God Sovereign, Creator, Guide and Comfort. "Hosanna and praise!"

Let all things now living a song of thanksgiving
To God the creator triumphantly raise.
Who fashioned and made us, protected and stayed us,
Who still guides us on to the end of our days.
God's banners are o'er us, His light goes before us,
A pillar of fire shining forth in the night.
Till shadows have vanished and darkness is banished
As forward we travel from light into light.

His law he enforces, the stars in their courses
And sun in its orbit obediently shine;
The hills and the mountains, the rivers and fountains,
The deeps of the ocean proclaim him divine.
We too should be voicing our love and rejoicing;
With glad adoration a Song let us raise
Till all things now living unite in thanksgiving:
"To God in the highest, Hosanna and praise!"

Remember

This was the Jeff Koterba editorial cartoon in the Omaha World Herald on Thursday. I was ready to post it here right after I read it, but it wasn't yet available.
And then I had website troubles.
And then I saved it in the wrong format.

But finally, it's correct.

Better late than never.

Remember.

Random September

I took this photo of my town from downtown yesterday.

Doesn't it look like a friendly place?

This picture doesn't show the family of geese that waddled by, or the mean black squirrel (aren't all black squirrels mean?) that stood and chattered, as if on his own personal squirrel soap box.

The other photo is a self-portrait. Those are the so hip shoes that were my birthday gift.
Love those shoes. I've only worn them once, but I love them.
In a comfy hip shoesie kind of way...

Obviously, it's slow in Bloggerville...
:-)

On forgiveness...

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Matthew 6:12

"Such forgiveness as a living experience is impossible wihout a forgiving spirit to others; because just as forgiven expresses the heavenward so forgiving expresses the earthward relation of God's child. When I pray, I must be able to say that I know of no one whom I do not heartily love."

from Andrew Murray's The Believer's School of Prayer

Words

The word geek in me is exposed...

Here's a link to a really neat graphic, showing word use frequency during speeches made at both Democratic and Republican party conventions.

(thanks and credit to Harrison Scott Key and the WORLD magazine blog...)

Sound familiar?

From today's Baby Blues comic...

(they've been spying on my family for years, you know...)

Farewell to Summer

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1

And now is the time to move from summer to fall.

We enjoyed a terrific summer!
We traveled, we worked, we played, we rested.
We went to concerts and sporting events and movies.
We read, we listened, we watched.

And now, we're ready for fall.
We've been in school for three weeks already, but here's a Fall 2008 class picture, along with the two resident canines.

Rejoice and do good

Without forgetting this, and this, I am thankful for these reminders this morning...

He has made everything appropriate in its time He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime;
Ecclesiastes 3:11-12

We mistake if we think we were born for ourselves, no, it is our business to do good in this life, which is short and uncertain; we have but little time to be doing good, therefore we should redeem time.
Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Bible

Give until it hurts, because real love hurts.
Mother Teresa

This morning...

This morning
I'm thinking about

the fourth person in the fire
nothing new under the sun

this storm, and that one
a new blog look
ESL
a salad
a movie
croquet
the giggling going on upstairs
more coffee in the cup

You?

Mom of 5 and...

Who knew that a mom of 5 could generate so much excitement?


A day after I almost gave up the idea of voting, my interest has been renewed...

Peace Like a River

Just finished Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. What an entrancing story!

To tease...

"Let me say something about that word: miracle. For too long it's been used to characterize things or events that, though pleasant, are entirely normal. Peeping chicks at Easter time, spring generally, a clear sunrise after an overcast week- a miracle, people say, as if they've been educated from greeting cards. I'm sorry, but nope. Such things are worth our notice every day of the week, but to call them miracles evaporates the strength of the word.

Real miracles bother people, like strange sudden pains unknown in medical literature. It's true: They rebut every rule all we good citizens take comfort in. Lazarus obeying orders and climbing up out of the grave- now there's a real miracle, and you can bet it upset a lot of folks who were standing around at the time. When a person dies, the earth is generally unwilling to cough him back up. A miracle contradicts the will of earth.

My sister, Swede, who often sees to the nub, offered this: People fear miracles because they fear being changed- though ignoring them will change you also. Swede said another thing, too, and it rang in me like a bell: No miracle happens without a witness. Someone to declare, Here's what I saw. Here's how it went. Make of it what you will."

New Website

My church has launched a new website. Go visit. Or even better, come visit!

A Glorious God

What a wonderful reminder of why we worship on this Sabbath day...

Sing to the LORD a new song;
Sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Sing to the LORD, bless His name;
Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.
Tell of His glory among the nations,
His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.
Psalm 96:1-3

"God extends grace to broken people for His own glory. God is glorified when He is treasured above all, when He is your greatest prize, when He is your fountain of delight."
Tedd Tripp, Instructing a Child's Heart

Power Washed

I do believe that the power washer is the most miraculous of outdoor tools. Talk about Instant Gratification! The power washer gives it. I adore it!

I woke up deciding that Today Was The Day to clean and paint my front porch. Oh sad front porch. It was most recently green, but since the snow scrapings of winter, you can see the gray that it once was, and the cement that was it's genesis.

We have owned a power washer, a little sort of hand held pressure washer, that remains miraculous in it's performance. But, it has been out of commission for a while, for reasons I did not remember except that it didn't work. That changed today. Motivated by my waking desire to clean and paint, T. fixed it. And it worked it's charm. It blasted that chipping paint off. It blasted the dirt and grime and webs and leaves. It cleaned that porch. And then I painted it, with an oil-based glossy dark green cement paint, and it looks quite clean and shiny and new.

So as I stood, blasting away, oh so cheerfully blasting away (did I mention, I adore! the pressure washer?), I thought about all that dirt...

Truthfully, I can't think about cleaning away dirt without thinking about this.

What can wash away my sin
What can make me whole again
For my pardon this I see
For my cleansing this my plea

Oh, precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow
No other fount I know
Nothing, nothing, nothing but the blood of Jesus

Nothing can for sin atone
Not of good that I have done
This is all my hope and peace
This is all my righteousness

Oh, precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow
And no other fount I know
Nothing, nothing, nothing but the blood of Jesus
Nothing, nothing, nothing but the blood of Jesus

Now by this I'll overcome
Now by this I'll reach my home
Glory, glory, this I see
All my praise for this I bring
All my praise for this I bring
All my praise for this I bring

Oh, precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow
No other fount I know
Nothing, nothing, nothing but the blood of Jesus
Nothing, nothing, nothing but the blood of Jesus

Even better than a power washer...

Great Quotes

Oh! I enjoy this! I hope you might, also.


(thanks to Rocks in My Dryer for the link!)

Award?!

Surprise! My good Internet mom-creative at all things scrapping-Uppercase Living rep extraordinaire-friend, Julie, has presented me with my first blogging award. There are blogging awards? Go figure! But I'll certainly keep the accolades going!

The rules for receiving this award are as follows:
1. Only 5 people allowed.
2. 4 have to be dedicated followers of your blog
3. one has to be someone new or recently new to your blog and live in another part of the world.
4. you must link back to whoever gave you the award.

4 "dedicated followers" of my blog? Are there 4? I think Julie might have taken my four readers when she gave also gave the award to Michelle, Tina, Val and Karen!

I have to send out the first award to Sperlonga, who was my blogging inspiration. I figured if she could do it, so could I. (which, really, is completely ridiculous because there are SO MANY things that she can do that I can't, including sing an incredible tune, and this, probably while singing!)

And, gotta send out an award to my folks, who in their travels in their RV, blog from all over the country! Right now they are in upstate New York, loving on family, and blogging all about it.

To satisfy #3, I'm sending out the award to Palm Tree Pundit, who lives in Hawaii, which seems just about as far from where I sit as anywhere! But besides satisfying the geographical qualification, I do so look forward to her musings and reflections, which seem to so often mirror my own.

And finally, I present the award to Not Dark Yet, who will probably spit out her morning dark roast from laughing out loud when she reads this! I really cannot imagine the Gold Card image on her blog, but I send it out sincerely, friend! Your blog is the closest thing I get to hanging out with you, besides in wedding pews with silly and extraordinarily cute little girls in fancy dresses and cut up slips! I love your writing and your links and you!

Motive

from Sojourners Verse and Voice, August 12, 2008-

We should not serve the poor like they were Jesus. We should serve the poor because they are Jesus.
- Mother Teresa
In My Own Words

One Word MeMe

This MeMe comes from This One's For the Girls who is the sister of Half Pint House who is a friend of not dark yet. And so am I, a friend of ndy that is. How's that for degrees of separation?

The rules are these are one word answers. In one word, tricky!
You try!

1. Where is your cell phone? Charging
2. Where is your significant other? Work
3. Your hair? Straight
4. What you’re not? Blond
5. Your spouse? Hoarse
6. Your favorite thing? Quiet
7. Your dream last night? None
8. Your dream/goal? Hebrews 12:1-2
9. The room you’re in? Diningroom
10. Your hobby? Hobby?
11. Your fear? bigtree+wind
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Serving
13. Where were you last night? Home!
14. What you’re not? Bored
15. One of your wish list items? Order
16. Where you grew up? Albuquerque
17. The last thing you did? Lunched
18. What are you wearing? Sandals
20. Your pet? Neurotic
21. Your computer? Laptop
22. Your mood? Determined
23. Missing someone? S.
24. Your car? Van
25. Something you’re not wearing? Makeup
26. Your summer? Complete
28. Love someone? Family
29. Your favorite color? Blue
30. Last time you laughed? Earlier
31. Last time you cried? Sunday
32. Your church? Home
33. How many sisters? One
34. How many brothers? None
35. How many children? Five
36. Your favorite drink? Limeade
37. Your TV? Dusty
38. Your life? Full
39. Favorite store? Books
40. Who will repost this? You?

Bibliophile's Delight!

School time!

Here's 31 inches of academic richness!

And that doesn't include the instructor guides, the lab manuals, the DVDs, and the books and curriculum that we already own.

We LOVE new books!

This year's topics: Bible, American history and literature, Physical Science, Electricity, Magnetism and Astronomy, Algebra, Pre-Algebra, Fractions and Division, Spanish and Latin.

We're excited. We hope you are, too.

Ten Truths

from Instructing a Child's Heart by Tedd and Margy Tripp:

"Truths to impress upon our children:

• Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. It is not found in new jeans, a new iPod, a car, one's abilities, or exciting, heart-pounding experiences.
• We need to walk in wisdom, submit to the goodness of God's way, and turn away from our own agendas.
• A life of prayer and godly counsel is our desire.
• Choices that are principled rather than popular, foregoing immediate gratification for the sake of eternal reward, are the goal.
• God's authority structures are a blessing.
• Loving parents are a blessing from God. Loyalty to parental instruction is an expression of gratitude to God. The majority culture offers a fraudulent counterfeit by encouraging young people to be loyal to their peers rather than their parents.
• The heart is the wellspring of life. The things children give their hearts to- the hopes, ambitions, desires, dreams, joys, and concerns- will set the course of life.
• Our hearts cannot be trusted (Jer. 17:9). Our hearts will lie to us. Children (and their parents) are easily entrapped and need to be accessible to others for counsel, instruction, and nurture.
• Friendships are for the purpose of glorifying God, encouraging others, showing love and compassion, and gaining encouragement to do what is right.
• There is a sowing and reaping in the Bible and we need to develop a harvest mentality. Children who trust and obey God find their heads crowned with wonderful blessings. Of course, this truth cuts both ways. The ten-year-old boy who is lazy about his chores will reap what he is sowing because God will not be mocked."

Wedding!

A wedding celebration! We had a terrific Friday evening celebrating the marriage of A&T! Su was the wedding bell ringer, so she was able to take part in all the activities. The rest of us just enjoyed dancing the night away! But the pictures say it all, so enjoy!

Folks

"No, everybody's gotta learn, nobody's born knowin'. That Walter's as smart as he can be, he just gets held back sometimes becuase he has to stay out and help his daddy. Nothin's wrong with him. Naw, Jem, I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks."

from To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Leave it

"Arise, cry aloud in the night at the beginning of the night watches;
Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord;
Lift up your hands to Him."
Lamentations 2:19

from Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible:
"Prayer is a salve for every sore, even the sorest, a remedy for every malady, even the most griveous. Our business in prayer is to refer our case to the Lord, and leave it with Him. His will be done."

I love the picture that forms from this verse, of crying aloud in the night, pouring out prayer like water, lifting up my hands to Him. And then Henry reminds, I am not to offer solutions. I am not to go out on my own. Mine is to "leave it with Him."

And our promise comes just a chapter later, in Lamentations 3:25-26:
"The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seks Him. It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the Lord."

Your will be done, O Lord.

Friday Five- The Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony

Five reasons I'm excited about the Olympics starting today:

1. No one does fireworks like China.

2. Watching sports we play in the backyard, like badminton and table tennis, only completely different.

Quote:
"I've got respect for the game."-- Basketball player Michael Redd, on why he doesn't call table tennis, "ping pong."

3. Stories of courage, like this one.

4. The National Anthem, and the medals.

5. I've BEEN TO CHINA!!! Seeing all these places that I've been to- very very neat!

The Loot

One more thing...

my family gifted me richly. My kids blessed me, and made me smile, with the careful deliberation and exuberant enthusiasm they used in picking out the perfect gifts. And they did well! Even if the secrets were hard to keep... :-)

I have a new pair of sneaks, to replace my beloved Felony Flyers I splattered with paint in Laredo, a coffee mug I've been covetting the entire summer, the same notebook I bought for a friend earlier in the summer that K knew I really wanted for myself, and a candle to make the house tropical mango fresh. And, lots of handmade card art to enjoy too.

Thanks fam! You all are my treasure!

Party

I mentioned earlier that I was celebrating a birthday around this time. And others have celebrated with me. A group of some of my favorite ladies were able to gather at a favorite sweet spot for birthday dessert. What a delight- yes, the sweets, but especially, the sweetness of fellowship! Thanks girls, young and, ahem, older! :-) Here's some pics of the party:

The Lofty Will Be Felled

See, the Lord, the LORD Almighty,

will lop off the boughs with great power.

The lofty trees will be felled,

the tall ones will be brought low.

Isaiah 10:33

And today the lofty tree at our house was felled, too. This was the tree that suffered so much damage back during our big June storm, and that once broken, was shown to be rotten to the core. The city marked it to come down with a big orange X, and today, a crew from Kansas showed up to take it down, one piece at a time.

It was kind of sad, how quickly that big ol' tree came down, in really just 30 or so minutes, considering the decades it took to grow. But, it was fun to watch. We called our neighborhood buddies and gathered a crowd to watch. The bucket operator offered rides for $5, but there were no takers.

I'll miss the tree, but I won't miss having one less tree to worry about in the next severe storm!

Slide Show

This is the slide show that T & I put together to show as part of the Summer Missions Wrap Up at church last weekend. Photo credits go to my family, and one sweet 5 year old girl, Princesa, who adored my digital camera and actually, got some pretty good shots. Music credit to Salvador for Alegria and to Phil Wickham for Divine Romance. As a warning, it is 7:20 (seven minutes, that is...)

Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul

This hymn was part of our worship service yesterday- oh the comfort and truth in those lyrics! It was written by Anne Steele in the mid-1700's, and yet, is incredibly relevant today, as we experience similar suffering, trials and tears. I'm thankful for that mercy seat offered to us, even today; for Christ Himself, our atonement.

Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul
1. Dear refuge of my weary soul,
On Thee, when sorrows rise
On Thee, when waves of trouble roll,
My fainting hope relies
To Thee I tell each rising grief,
For Thou alone canst heal
Thy Word can bring a sweet relief,
For every pain I feel

2. But oh! When gloomy doubts prevail,
I fear to call Thee mine
The springs of comfort seem to fail,
And all my hopes decline
Yet gracious God, where shall I flee?
Thou art my only trust
And still my soul would cleave to Thee
Though prostrate in the dust

3. Hast Thou not bid me seek Thy face,
And shall I seek in vain?
And can the ear of sovereign grace,
Be deaf when I complain?
No still the ear of sovereign grace,
Attends the mourner's prayer
Oh may I ever find access,
To breathe my sorrows there

4. Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet,
Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet
©1998, Kevin Twit Music. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Lessons Learned

I'm soon celebrating a birthday, though out of respect to my always security conscious husband, I won't tell you when. (though I will remind him that his fears about ProneToWander have never been realized)

So, as I was spouting off yet another K-ism to my children the other day, I thought, what a perfect blog post idea, lessons learned this far, in no particular order:

• If you can't be nice, be quiet.
• With your ice cream cone, lick and turn.
• Never hold your take-out cup by the lid.
• Treat others better than you want to be treated.
• If in doubt, go with your gut. (though now I know that's the Spirit's leading...)
• Humility goes farther than pride.
• Going to bed later does not mean children sleep longer in the morning.
• Three girls playing together is iffy (though this rule is generally broken with my twins...)
• Dark coffee, dark chocolate, dark beer.
• Black fine tip ink, sharp pencils, new crayons.
• Early in the Word is always better.
• First things first.
• Pray first.
• "Do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself." (Mt.6:34)
• The book is always better than the movie.
• Wear layers.
• Make the bed right after you wake up.
• A smile goes a long way.
• Good shoes are worth it.
• Think before you speak, then, think again.
• It's ok to cry.
• Friends that you can cry with, and that cry with you, are priceless.
• You never stop learning.
• There's always another book to read.
• Men and women think differently. That's ok.
• Boys and girls play differently. That's ok too.
• Know your limits.
• Fresh is better than frozen.
• If you learn only one word in another language, make it "thank you".
• Always take a book to the doctor's appointment.
• "Do all things without grumbling or disputing." (Phil. 2:14)
• Life doesn't always make sense; but God does.
• Moderation.
• If you wouldn't do it in front of your mom, you probably shouldn't do it.
• "Where your treasure is, there your heart will also be." (Matt. 6:21)
• Wear black when travelling.
• If there is a restroom, it's always best to try.
• Saying sorry does not mean that you are guilty.
• You do not have to answer the phone when it rings.
• "Rejoice in the Lord always..." (Phil 4:4)

I bet you all have others...

"Conversation"

This short piece, written by Andree Seu, originally appeared in the World Magazine blog, July 15, 2008. I understand this voice. In a very real sense, it is mine. It reflects my delight in being in conversation with God. It shadows my path of really learning how to pray over the last 20 years. It echoes my wonder at the union we have with the Holy Spirit. And it shares my humility in acknowleging that I still have so much to learn.

Do others of you wrestle similarly?
I think that wrestle is good. I hope that I am never content, in the sense of being complacent, in the sense of it is "good enough."
Lord, keep me longing to know you more.

Conversation is an art. Even with God. When I first set myself to seeking Him with all my heart, my prayers were awkward, like a person on a first date.

Over time I have noticed a change I did not expect. My prayers begin to resemble those recorded in the Bible. I find myself lingering long over sentiments about God’s awesomeness, holiness, mercy, great deeds — and similar things I used to pass over quickly in Paul or Ezekiel as the obligatory, overly pious, and slightly boring prolegomena to the interesting bits in prayer.

More of my dog-walking time than ever is taken up thanking Him. And I didn’t realize how many things He has done for me until I started “counting them one by one,” as the old hymn goes. If thanksgiving is pleasing to God, it is energizing to me. It’s not for His sake but for ours, turns out, that He bids us “enter His gates with thanksgiving.”

Like Moses and Daniel, I find myself wrestling more on the basis of God’s Name (His glory or reputation). I am also thus emboldened to ask more vehemently, because I stand on better footing. The contents of my prayers has changed too. I like the joke about the 6th grader who handed in his completed geography test, praying, “Dear God, please make Chicago be the capital of Illinois!” But I don’t ask for those things so much anymore because I know better, being a parent myself.

The most interesting change in my prayer life is, unfortunately, ineffable. It is as if the Holy Spirit takes over at some point and does the praying. This is my favorite part, because I still don’t know how to pray as I ought.

Return

I'm dipping my toes back in the blogwater, slowly but surely. My fingers are increasingly itchy to tap out some new thoughts.

I started a new place while away from ProneToWander...
QuiverFull is where the happenings of the H family will be kept up to date.

Around these parts we're
enjoying the end of summer,
prepping for school,
eager for a wedding,
waiting on 3 H birthdays,
"doing nothing," says the restless teens.

Stay tuned...