striving for 31

Christian Schools

2010-01-06T09:05:00.000-08:00

One of the great misconceptions about Christian schools that I have encountered is that people have an impression that the schools are filled with families trying to shelter their kids from a sin filled world. I was often engaged in this conversation with my son’s ex-girlfriend who was from a strong Christian family but attended the local high school. She, along with others that I have talked to, felt like many parents obliviously send their kids to Christian schools thinking that only Christian kids will surround them and that these “oblivious” families do not realize that kids at Christian schools get into trouble, may party, and some kids may not even act like Christians. My response remains that we send our boys to the school for the teachers and staff, not the kids. We want our boys to have a Biblical worldview. We know the kids at MVCA are not perfect. There will be wild and rebellious teens in every class, but I know that at MVCA there are Christian leaders who will guide them during these years. I know my boys will have to figure out their own beliefs, but I am hoping that while they explore, they will have the reinforcement of teachers that are steering them toward Christ. I know that at MVCA when a child engages in inappropriate behavior, the staff will use Biblical reasons to show why it is inappropriate. As a parent, I want to know that I did all I can to encourage my boys to have a strong foundation before they leave our house. If my kids turn their back once they leave home, I know that they have, without a doubt, heard the Truth, and in time, they will return to it

FALL

2009-10-25T07:48:00.000-07:00

I really don't like to decorate country style-except for this shelf my grandpa made..somehow it makes it feel like we are out on a ranch, not in the middle of a suburb!

Every year I am so excited about summer and warm weather but by the end of July I anxiously await fall. I love the colors, the cool nights, the smell of the falling leaves, and wearing sweaters, jeans, and heels. I love decorating the house for fall!

Sorry the rest of the room is looking a little blah-my younger son and I have been under the weather for a week now.

This year I got busy and made a new wreath for the fireplace

I made a new arrangement for the entry out of a pumpkin basket on clearance at Michaels, some feathers, and dried leaves and flowers

And one last arrangement for the first floor bathroom

Schedule II

2009-09-26T08:16:00.000-07:00

I have found that the schedule carries over to other areas of life, too. How did Maxine have this figured out? Recently, my husband was complaining about headaches, stomachaches, etc. Well, one of the many majors I studied in college was nursing. I pulled out my old texts and found his symptoms all fell under anxiety and stress. Not surprising when he works in the financial industry. With the chaos of the markets, he has had one heck of a stressful year. Throw in a teenager beginning to date and drive and a younger son wanting his dad to coach every sport he participates in. So, I used Maxine's schedule on him to work some physical and mental stress relieving activities into his busy week. It makes sense. God divided time into days, days into weeks. Schools are set on schedules. My husbands workplace runs on a schedule. Every Monday morning he has a 7 am meeting. This doesn't change week to week. When I ran in a marathon, the only way I was able to build up to 26 miles, was by following a schedule. A certain number of miles on certain days, strength training on certain days, etc. My husband may have thought I was a bit of an optomist about this solving everything, but I think it is working.

Monday: 9:00 devotions and prayer
Tuesday: 6:00 weights 9:00 devotions and prayer
Wednesday: 9:00 devotions and prayer
Thursday: 6:00 weights 9:00 devotions and prayer
Friday: 9:00 devotions and prayer
Saturday: am run 2 miles

Schedule

2009-09-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

One of the most important things I learned from Maxine is keeping a schedule. It still is amazing to me that she taught herself everything about housekeeping. Unfortunately, her mother didn't keep house very well. Grandma talks about her with love, but says she feels something was going on with her mother that she never knew about.

As I spent some time talking with her about how overwhelmed I get keeping house, she shared this secret with me. "I had certain days that I did everything on. On Mondays I would clean all the pictures and woodwork..." She would say that it is just "common sense" to do it that way-but if so, she has a lot more sense than I do.

So, I wrote down all the things I need to do to keep the house clean. I then split it up into the 5 days of the work week, putting laundry and vacuuming down several days and included weight lifting. I came up with the following:

Monday: laundry, weights, clean* the upstairs and change sheets, brush dogs
Tuesday: volunteer at school, clean baseboards, vacuum
Wednesday: weights, clean* basement and first floor, clean blinds in one room
Thursday: Laundry, volunteer, clean windows and appliances, vacuum
Friday: weights, organize one room, yard work

* includes dusting, straightening, and cleaning bathrooms

It is amazing! It may sound like a lot, but when it is broken down like this it is not. Each week got easier, too , because there was less dust and mess. The bathrooms didn't require as much scrubbing either ( I have 4 to clean) Laundry didn't pile up.

Doing this also revealed another little secret that Maxine has...Now I know why women in the early half of the 20th century didn't gain so much weight! You burn calories doing all this and you don't have time to snack. My arms were sore and it wasn't from the weights!

The nice thing about this was that I had it all done by the time the boys were home from school. My husband doesn't expect a perfectly clean house and never complains when it looks like a tornado went through, but he admitted that it was really nice to come home to a clean house.

The Things I Learned From Maxine

2009-09-26T07:31:00.000-07:00

I recently had the privilege of spending quite a bit of time with my grandmother, Maxine . Of course, every girl thinks their grandmother is the most wonderful person, and at 34, I still think that Maxine is the most wonderful, amazing woman alive. Everyone needs a Maxine. In this crazy world, where I am always trying to find myself and where I fit in, my grandmother has always had a way of reminding me who I am and what is important. I have decided to spend a few postings sharing this lady.

My grandmother is well in her 80's. She grew up in the depression and tells me stories from it so detailed that I feel as though I experienced it right along with her. She wore flour sack dresses and hand-me-down shoes that blistered her feet to school. Yet, to see her today, she is one of the classiest ladies I have ever met. She is the meaning of survivor.

She shows me that no matter what your situation, pull yourself together and put on a smile, and go on. She said "just because we were poor didn't mean we had to act poor".

She grew up with little money, married very young, had 4 children, her husband became sick with Hodgkins when the youngest was around 7 she spent the next 7 or so years driving him to another state for treatment, raising the kids, and taking over her ailing husbands job managing a store. He passed away, leaving her with 2 children at home. She made it without any government assistance or help from her family. She found a way to pay the doctor bills, the house, the car, and provide food and clothing for her kids. She remarried several years later and helped her new husband run his business while forming a new blended family with his 4 children.

She has shared so much wisdom about life. I often wonder what the world would be like if every woman had a Maxine for a grandmother. That sounds like a silly thing to write, but I am being honest. I know that some women have to work...obviously, my grandmother had to work at times,too. But, what if women didn't feel the need to have a sucessful career outside the home to feel important? What if every woman found some pride in keeping a house clean and comforting, was fulfilled preparing a healthy meal for their family and making sure sheets and clothes smelled nice and fresh. My boys love it and that makes me happy! But even more so, I love it and that is rewarding. How is it that in today's world, being a housewife has become thought of as "simple" and not as important as working outside the home. Why is it that some women consider it insulting? My grandmother may not have been able to get a great education, but she has more wisdom than many "educated" women. I think that today's world values knowledge more than wisdom. If we take a look at proverbs, God seems to find high value in wisdom.

The Pathetic Blogger

2009-09-25T07:33:00.000-07:00

Wow-it has been a long time since I last posted! I am going to spend no more than 10 minutes on this because there are a lot of things to do around the house. So I am getting to the point!

If you are reading this, I want to encourage you to wake up and be alive in Christ! I know for me it is so easy to get caught up in the craziness of the world and problems and slowly lose my pizazz for Jesus. I am determined to do something for Him. I don't know what but I want to have my mind renewed and my focus on Him so that I can be a vessel He can use to reach others.

I encourage you to read Proverbs 31, in fact, read all of Proverbs! Start by reading a chapter a day. Pray the verses. Ask God to renew your mind and heart toward Him. Get a Bible Study going at your church or with a group of friends or join one that is already meeting.

It is only through God that we can find permanent peace. Trust Him. If you are reading this and you are discouraged...PRAY. He tells us to turn to Him with our problems and worries. Believe His Word. Put a smile on your face, walk in confidence knowing how much you are loved by the Lord. That is how we can reach others. When they see the peace, love, and faith we have in God and the contentment we have because of it-they will want to know Him, too! That is how we are witnesses. So I pray that God will guard my tongue and guide my steps so that I can be salt and light to the earth.

Keep Me Humble

2009-01-20T07:57:00.000-08:00

One of the prayers that I always pray is that God will keep me humble. There is so much in the Bible about remaining humble that I feel it is quite important to God. However, I must admit that the humbling experience isn't always so enjoyable. A few weeks ago, I was reading in I Peter 3 about how beauty is in the heart and how we shouldn't be so concerned with being beautiful by our clothing, hair,etc. This really hit me b/c I had been feeling not so good about myself (aging) and tried to solve the problem by a new haircut, some new clothes, and purchasing some pricey cosmetics. Hate to admit it, but I was feeling so much better and thinking that I had achieved my goal of looking "prettier". My hair looked great, I had my new sweater and shoes on. My new makeup evened out my skin tone so wondrously. (I have been cursed with sensitive skin and will break out in a rash to perfumes, detergents, soaps, lotions, you name it). Wow life was looking up! For some unknown reason, in the midst of this euphoric time, I decided to cut my dogs toenails. Needless to say, within 5 minutes I had a HUGE bloody gash across my face. From a distance it looks like a mass of pimples on top of a wrinkle. Nice. Keep me humble, Lord? It brought back to mind some other times throughout the years that similar things have happened. I remember in college I was going through a stage where I was quite toned and felt the need to show it off. I wore a miniskirt that was way to short to be worn in public. I was walking across the parking lot after class ever so confidently (passing a group of guys) when all of a sudden I was flat on the ground. There was nothing to stumble over, I still have no idea what happened-it was like I blacked out. I just remember a guy running over to me and asking if I was okay. During this same time period, I worked at a department store. I recall walking out of the bathroom after primping away, confident in my new "beautiful" designer outfit. I strolled through the break room and was just 2 steps out the door into the store when a girl came running up to me to let me know that my skirt was tucked into the back of my pantyhose-revealing my entire behind. He didn't stop with those days. There have been many vacations when just about the time I start to think a little too much of myself with my nice tan and pampering sessions, the sun and citrus flare up huge sores on my lips.

Could hardly smile or talk in Texas-you can hardly see but in the pic below I have a huge painful blister on the middle of my lower lip. It was so grotesque that my boys had to take a snapshot of it.

Just about a year ago, I started thinking that I was happier with my looks than I ever had felt (not better than others, just the best hairstyle, skin, weight,etc I had in comparison to previous years). I started having some jaw/teeth issues. I went to the dentist and orthodontist, thinking maybe invisalign- ended up needing braces. And, the ceramic/clear would not work (with my severe grinding/clenching issues)-I needed full metal braces for 18 months to correct the issue at hand. Braces. And with the braces came the mouth sores. Half the time I can hardly smile b/c of a sore somewhere on my lip or mouth from the brackets. And a few months ago, I had to start wearing rubber bands.

Atleast my metal mouth matches my jewelry

Thank God that beauty is to be found in the heart. Now, if only I could work on and regard as highly the inside as much as I do the outside.

Why I Believe

2008-12-09T10:27:00.003-08:00

I remember about 7 or 8 years ago sitting in the living room of my first house. My grandfather asked me why I believe in Jesus and what made me think He was the one true God. I remember how I stumbled over my words, nervous and shaky. Crippled with my shyness and insecurity, knowing why but not knowing how to put into words something that would make sense to a man that I thought so much of. I probably made him walk away thinking I was more confused than anything. I still struggle to express myself in a way that makes sense but sometimes I can be a little clearer when I write. So, since this has bothered me for the past 7-8 years...
Why do I believe in Jesus and why do I think He is the one true God?
Faith. It is said that "faith" is believing in what you can't see. Like how we take trips in airplanes even though we don't know the pilot or really understand (well, most of us) why or how the plane can fly. We just have to have faith to get on the plane. If we don't, if we wait until we fully understand aerodynamics and know all the facts, we will never fly. We take a step and just believe in the pilot and that what is said is true.I don't understand everything about God. I don't understand why certain things happen. I just have Faith. The Bible says that it is by grace we are saved through faith ( Ephesians 2:8 ).

I decided to believe that the Bible is true. That it is really the Word of God.I don't believe it was really an emotional experience for me. I started believing when I was young because I was told it was the way. I accepted that Christ died for me. During my teen years, I tried testing other things and finding my own meaning in life and doubted it and then I came back around and decided that I was going to step out in faith. I was going to stop spending so much time challenging the Bible and just try living like I really believe it. I prayed that God would help me to fall in love with His Word and desire to know Him and believe Him. I still pray everyday that God will give me strong faith that cannot be shaken. The Bible says that if ask Him, He will give us the desires of our heart and if we ask according to His will, He will answer it (John 14:15). I decided to really believe and accept His grace. The Old Testament shows us over and over again how man is unable to keep the law. We are sinful and can never be perfect enough no matter how we try. The New Testament is all about God sending a Savior. Jesus was the final sacrifice. We no longer have to do all the sacrifices of the Old Testament, we just have to accept that Christ died as punishment for our sin. He died for us. We can either believe it or we can spend our life doubting it and denying it, waiting for more proof. I choose to believe it. I have chosen to believe that each Word in the Bible is true. I choose to believe and find rest in His promises.That I should be anxious in nothing and cast all my worries on God. I have chosen to believe that God will never give me more than I can handle. That when the burden seems so bad or temptation too great, if I bow to Him in prayer and tell Him, He will, without a doubt get me through it(1 Corinthians 10:13). I don't know how things will work out, but I just have to trust Him. I believe that when the Bible says not to be "unequally yoked" it really means it and I must be very selective of my friends. I believe in the wisdom of each and every Proverb. I have no doubt that anyone who chooses to believe that Christ is their Savior and asks God to reveal Himself, prays that God will give them faith and a desire to learn about Him and obey Him will find God and will understand why I believe in Him.

My Grandpa's Ornaments

2008-12-09T09:18:00.001-08:00

This year I finally put up two trees. The tree in the dining room is more formal

My tree in the sun room is more sentimental. The boys have all of their ornaments on it. My mom always buys the boys a Christmas ornament from some place that she and my dad have traveled. There are ornaments from Europe, Hawaii, Colonial Williamsburg, etc. The tree also has all the ornaments the kids have made at school or church. However, the most precious ornaments on the tree are the ones that my Grandpa Arnold made. Starting in 1977 (that is the first I could find), he made each of his grandchildren and great grandchildren a Christmas ornament. He hand painted them all. Some he even crafted out of wood. This was no easy task. Grandpa has 16 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren. The ornaments always meant so much but this year I was really thinking about how special it is that he chose the colors, the object, everything with each of us in mind. Some had a special meaning for an event that happened that year. In 2001, he made an American flag in memory of 9/11.

The first one he made in 1977

Unfortunately, he is no longer able to make the ornaments. He battled lung cancer a few years ago and survived after having a portion of his lung removed. He recently was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. The last ornament that he made was of a WWII airplane. Grandpa was a pilot during WWII and flew the "hump" to china to drop off supplies. It is so fitting that his last ornament was of this plane.

I have so many wonderful memories of him. I remember drinking soda with him and my grandma in downtown Defiance. ( I think it was actually in a drugstore) I remember his store, The Hobby Den, and all the wonderful toys and crafts he sold. Recently, I pulled out the stamp collection he gave me when I was 8. It had belonged to him. He had collected stamps from all over the world from the early 1900's on. After all these years I finally started sorting the stamps and properly placing them in the albums beside the ones that he had placed years ago. I cherish the fact that he entrusted me with his collection. I am so blessed to have my grandparents.

Teachers, Pumpkins, and a Dog

2008-11-13T07:21:00.000-08:00

Thanks to this wonderful kindergarten teacher, my youngest son developed a love of gardening. Last year he grew 2 pumpkins from plants that he started in his kindergarten classroom. This year he grew 6 big pumpkins at our old house. (and at least 50 tomatoes) He watered his garden several times a day without me having to remind him. He was very proud of it. I should have taken a picture.

Sadly to write, this is the lone survivor. This was the 7th pumpkin that was rescued before he got to full size.

Thanks to this amazing first grade teacher,

this adorable black pup came into our lives....

He thought it was very nice of my son to grow those delicious smelling treats in the backyard.

This remaining little pumpkin didn't get out without scars

I think my son learned some valuable lessons through this. Sometimes we can work so hard at something for so long and it seems to be going great. Then in one day our hard work can be destroyed. It helps if we 1)remember to do everything we do for God and not for man 2)find lessons in all our trials and 3) let our trials shape us into someone more dependent on God. Nobody except our family ever got to see his big orange pumpkins. His mom never thought to take pictures. But I think that he found comfort knowing that God saw his hard work and was pleased. He also learned that next time he needs to plant his pumpkins somewhere that Walker cannot get to.

Why I have so few posts

2008-11-13T06:27:00.000-08:00

I have been amazed at how so many people can post something everyday and it has taken me 6 months to post 3 times! As I wrote earlier, I am striving to be like the woman in Proverbs and so putting God, family, and housework before blogging leaves little extra time. However, don't think for a minute that I am that righteous! I do manage to have my quiet time every morning while I have my coffee. After I make my husband and oldest son their breakfast and send them out the door I have from 7:25-8:00 to spend time in prayer and read a chapter or two from the Bible....but I must confess that the rest of my morning tends to be less like the woman from Proverbs.

I spend ridiculous amounts of time on unimportant (but ever-so-important at the time) decorating decisions...like should I have this fake tree in the corner near the window

or should I have a different tree along the wall

on this side of the room?

or just keep both in the room?

And I spend a lot of time THINKING about what

I need to be doing...cleaning the pool cover off and

raking around the pool...Yikes! I told my

husband if we had a pool I would take complete

care of it.Doesn't it make you want to swim?

atleast someone thinks the pool looks inviting

PS here is a before shot of the dining room. I have managed to do a few things. Hopefully you think it looks better now. I am sure the blue striped wallpaper and burgundy shades were very stylish in the early 90's (I wish I had a picture of the blue floral swag)

Moving

2008-10-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

I have really seen answered pray! Two years ago, we tried to sell our house to move closer to the Christian school and church our family attended. After a total of 8 months on the market and over 30 showings we took the for sale sign down. We didn't understand why our house did not sell. Since then it has become so clear. Issues arose at our church which caused us to take a deeper look at the church and the Christian school supported by the church. We had always prayed that God would lead us to the place He wanted us. We found ourselves being drawn back to the church we had left several years ago and the Christian school that our sons had attended back then. We prayed that God would open doors for us if that is where He wanted us to be. In the mean time, exactly one year after we took our house off the market, my husband noticed a house for sale that was quite close to the "old" school. We attended an open house and did not like it! It had a leak in the ceiling and smelled awful and needed so much work inside and out. I said that they needed to drop the price $50,000 and my husband said "more like 75,000 to $100,000". So we crossed it off the list. Over the next few months our son was accepted into his old school and we started attending our old church. We were warmly welcomed. We had left the church in search of greener pastures...a larger youth group and congregation. Through a whirlwind of events God showed us what is most important: A church that is seeking to do God's will, not just keep up with the times. If a church is seeking God first, all the other things will fall into place. If a youth group is created for the pupose of teaching teens to walk with God through out life and get to know Him more intimately....then God will bless that group! Well, Ave now attends a group of only 10 or so kids but it is such a blessing. The youth leader has such a passion for leading the kids to Christ and showing them how to walk with God. He communicates this passion to the parents. I had prayed for a youth leader like this since Ave was 8. My husband and I wish we had just stayed put but I guess God did allow us to learn a lot through our journey. Since we were staying in Anderson, we decided to start looking for a home with more land. I had grown up in a small town and really missed the woods and natural setting that I had grown up with. We found several homes but they were never quite right. Finally in the summer, I looked on the MLS at the house we had toured in Feb. It had dropped $50,000! I told my husband that we had to look again. He wasn't convinced. A few weeks later it dropped 70,000 from when we first toured it. The home had become a "short sale".Needless to say we ended up going through it again putting in an offer and getting money for repairs. A total of between $75,000 and $100,000 less than the price back in February. This all happened in July. We didn't even have our house for sale so we put it up by owner but didn't print any info or advertise in the paper because we wanted to make some repairs to the other house first. We knew that my husband made enough to cover both mortgages but prayed all along that if God didn't want this to happen that He would close the door. We were quite nervous with the 2 houses and repair work needed,etc. We tried to find every reason to back out of the deal and everytime we had questions or hesitations, God came through amazingly. One example is that we were worried about the septic system, because we had no records on it and the inspector said that the repairs could cost up to $15000. I picked up the phone book and called the first septic service company I saw. Turns out that was the company the previous owner had used and the lady on the phone read me the entire service report for the past 10 years. THis is only one small piece. I saw how as I gave my worries and anxiety over to God He comforted me. I knew that we were supposed to be here so I stopped worrying about selling our other house. We prayed daily for the right buyer to come along and love our old house. As I mentioned we didn't even put info out. Shortly after we finished some major repairs to the new house a lady started calling to see the old house. We were so busy we didn't even return her call for a week. She kept calling. Finally she came through two times in one day and put in an offer the next. In less than a month we closed. This is during the time that houses are not selling. I have no doubt that God wanted us here. I know that we are right where He wants us. To make it clearer He even added confirmation. Two weeks ago I was out talking to my new neighbor about the election. She said "Pray about it. You know prayer works...that is how we got you here". She went on to tell me how a while back she and her husband had started praying for a family like ours to move in. God has shown me how to depend on Him. He has shown me to lean on Him and give my worries over to Him. If our house had sold two years ago, our family would be miserable. We didn't know that at the time but God did.

Prayer Works!

2008-10-21T05:19:00.000-07:00

I have seen God working in my life so much recently. It is so crazy when I look back on the last few years and see how I tried to find where God wanted me to be. When I finally realized that I was going in circles and gave control back to Him, He guided our family so clearly! Over the next few days I will post about how God worked in our life.

Chicago Marathon 2007

2008-03-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

Last year was the year of my first marathon. My sister-in-law and I teamed up to run the Chicago Marathon for World Vision. I had run a few miles at a time before we started training-but that was it. Wow! It took some serious dedication. It was great! By the end of summer, we were running 20 miles with little problems. Not any fast pace-but okay for beginners. We were so prepared and trained. Ran through the heat of summer, knew all the great running spots...Well, luck hasn't always been on my side... Twenty miles into the marathon-it was canceled. Stopped! One of the only marathons to be called off in the middle-and that was the one we chose to run!

Yes, it was hot and yes, they ran out of drinks and cups...but look how prepared we were...We each carried drinks with us. Multiple drinks. (it doesn't even look like we are running)

Well, we did atleast get a medal. We were in a small group of people who were redirected and ran through the finish line from the wrong direction. I don't think they knew what to do with our group-we were past the half marathon point but not close enough to the finish to let us continue without risk. Anyway, we do have some great memories. Splashing in fountains that we would normally not let our kids near, refilling our bottles from garden hoses, getting upset about silly things (like the lack of bananas and what some of the people were wearing), singing,etc., etc. We ran at a slow pace and talked the whole time-we decided we were oblivious to the chaos surrounding us. When we got to the finish it was like a war zone. First aid tents and ambulances, announcements of "runner down"....I guess we should just be thankful that we were both okay.

I think my oldest son was getting a little hot and bored. (along with my little niece) Atleast the 7 year olds were happy!