Who do you follow?

I'm like a dog, really. When I'm out with the kids and I see another mom, I check her out. Sniff around. Is she like me? Lots of kids? Baby strapped on back? School aged kids in tow during school hours? If we seem compatible I might venture a "hello". And the sniffing continues. We night start to talk about parenting. Is she like me? How does she feel about schedules? Breastfeeding? Vaccination and alternative medicine? Homeschooling? Spanking? Cloth diapers? Cosleeping? And on and on and on. And I tend to judge folks based on their opinions about these issues.

Similarly, in mom group situations (the church nursery, the park, etc), different child-rearing teachers often come up. Folks quickly identify themselves with one teacher or another (Ezzo, Sears, Lehman, etc). And again, the judging continues.

The apostle Paul dealt with this in I Corinthians, Ch. 1:10-12, "I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, 'I follow Paul'; another, 'I follow Apollos'; another, 'I follow Cephas'; still another, 'I follow Christ.'

The truth is, we should all follow Christ alone. He is the best teacher. He knows our children in ways that no one else can and freely gives of His wisdom to those who ask. As much as we have good plans and intentions for our children, His plans and intentions are more glorious and awesome than we can imagine. Why do we avail ourselves of man's wisdom to the detriment of God's? Why do we allow differences in parenting to divide us, instead of allowing Christ to unite us? Many men and women have valuable things to say, but only when we learn at the foot of Christ we will be truly wise.

The age of ...

Nate saw my birthdate on a form the other day and said, "Oh my gosh, Mommy, I didn't know you were born in the 1900's! Wow! Was that the Pirate Age or the Age of Exploration?"

I'm pretty sure it was the Age of Double Knit Polyester. Rock on Bicentennial Babes!

Ummm, no

This week the children's Bible verse is Matthew 12:34b, "Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks."

While they were copying it from the board, I explained what the verse meant and asked them, "If the overflow of your heart is what comes out of your mouth, what is in your heart?"

Anna sat for a moment, looked at me, and said, "Spit."

Thanksgiving movie

My friend Kimberly is a missionary in Ireland. They are having a traditional Thanksgiving feast next week and she asked me if the kids would act out the story for them and then say what they were thankful for.

Here is our (not quite) high quality video:

hard words

So, can I tell you how much God has been showing me His love lately? (Aside from the rockin' awesome full over twin bunkbeds with mattresses He gave us for FREE!)

Philip and I have been in a rough patch in our marriage. Busyness, illness, finances and everything seem to have ganged up on us all at once. I had seriously gotten to the point where I wondered why I was married at all.

Then, a week and half ago, God spoke to me.

After our homeschool co-op on Fridays, many of the families head to a local park for a picnic lunch. My friend Bonnie (who lives over an hour away) called me as I was leaving co-op to ask if I was going to the park that day. I said yes, and she said she had been heading home, but the Lord told her to come back. We met at the park and began eating.

As the kids played, I started to share a little bit about what was going on in my life, really just expecting to vent (isn't that what we ladies usually do under the guise of sharing - complain about our spouses?) Bonnie wasn't about to have that. She gave me some gentle, loving and difficult to swallow words about my heart and my marriage. She reminded me that I cannot change Philip, only myself. She talked with me about submission, freedom, wounds and a lot of other things. I found myself fighting tears (and I HATE to cry in front of people). She and my friend Alysia prayed for me and I drove home sobbing.

For the rest of the day I cried and prayed while I made dinner and cleaned house. I felt like God was breaking something in me. Like a wall that had been erected in my heart was being knocked down with a sledgehammer. But at the same time, I felt a lightness in my soul that I hadn't felt in a long time.

I've been trying some new things this last week and a half. Like shutting my mouth when I want to be sarcastic. And really focusing on keeping the kids on a schedule. And things are improving.

The thing is, Bonnie and Alysia didn't give me what I wanted that Friday afternoon. I just wanted to gripe and have someone commisurate. They gave me what I needed, and I am so grateful. Proverbs 27:6 says, "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses." I wish more of us in the Christian community had the courage to give wounds when they are necessary, instead of applying superficial kisses that heal nothing.

Quacking me up

We were reading Proverbs this morning when we came across a verse about prosperity. Nate asked, "So, if we follow God we will always be rich?" I explained that this was not true. That God blesses us, not so that we can be rich, but so that we will have more to give others after our needs are met. I told him that if he needs 30 dollars to live on, but God blesses him with 50 dollars, it is so he can use the extra 20 to give to the sick or poor.

Nate smiled and said, "I'd give mine to the poor. 'Cause the sick should have asked about Aflac at work. You know, the duck that pays for your groceries and gas."

What's that again?

Philip and I were talking last night when Susannah popped in with a question.

"Mama, how do make an earl?"

"Pardon? What do you mean 'an earl'?"

"Well, I made the 'g', but I don't know how to write the rest of 'girl'."

Philip and I just about died laughing.