Faithfulness in the Mundane ( Inspired by Oswald Chambers):

One of my favorite preachers of the past is Oswald Chambers.

A constant theme in his sermons is the idea of thriving in the mundane.

What’s revealed in my character when I’m left alone with my mundane duties?

Do I meet my duties with dread and a lack of motivation or with joy?

When I think about my usual response to the mundane I’m deeply convicted. But I’m thankful for the reminder when I read Chamber’s devotions, to approach the mundane with joy.

I want more than anything to be faithful in these simple tasks.

I’ve been asking the Lord, “How is joy and faithfulness in the mundane accomplished?”

In answer to my question, God has been reminding me lately about the simple, obedient act of being thankful to Him; thankfulness with my words and my thoughts.

I’ve been thanking God for hot water, for family, for time on this Earth to know Him more. I’ve been trying to deliberately notice His blessings, whether wonderful or difficult, in my life and be thankful for them.

It’s amazing what a flood gate of joy this has unleashed!

Essentially, thankfulness focuses us on Jesus and His face and leads us to joy!

When we speak words of thanksgiving, the words penetrate our minds.

It's simply wonderful to see what joy the Lord can give us through this obedience!

My Fear, Bellie's Fear

I've never thought of myself as being concerned about what other people think.

But I have had to admit to myself lately that my lack of risk taking is rooted in a fear of being rejected.

Maybe even more than my fear of rejection, I have a fear of someone valuing me enough 

to take me seriously and challenge me to go farther.

Lately, God has been helping me to understand this fear

by revealing desires in me to be creative.

When creative desires arise I'm frustrated by my paralyses to move forward.

Like God does so many times, He recently used Bellie to illustrate a simple lesson on overcoming fear.

As many of you know, Bellie loves to perform.

And waiting for the street car is the perfect time to have a performance.

As we stood in the cold the other day waiting, Bellie emptied her backpack.

First she took out her hat, which she placed on the ground and in it she placed a few coins

(so people would know what the hat was for).

Then she took out her music maker and played her song of choice.

She was all ready with a big grin on her face except one thing, FEAR.

She told me that she was afraid of what people would think, that they would reject her.

This broke my heart. Especially because I can empathise.

We talked for a few minutes about using our gifts to make God happy, not man.

And that we can't let fear stop us. It's not about whether you fail, it's about trying, for His glory.

After our talk Bellie stood with renewed confidence and courage.

She not only performed on that street, but later that day she performed outside the cafe'

window as I ate lunch with a friend.

She danced her heart out and made 50 cents!

Bellie heard the truth, do everything for the glory of God and don't allow fear to overcome you.

Then she moved forward in those truths.

She made it look so simple!

God still has a lot do do in me regarding fear but I'm tired of living in paralyses and I'm ready to get up 

and walk, like Bellie did!

Post 1: God in Home Schooling

Does God have anything to do with home schooling?
For me it absolutely does!
I have had the desire to home school since before I knew if we would even have children.
Side note:
You see, we were married 8 years before we had Bellie. We never prevented it, we just left it in God's hands.
(Hence having only one child, God has not chosen to bless us with more children, yet at least.)
My best home school friend, my sister in WA (mother of 5), has teased that I'll probably be about 45 and will discover I'm pregnant while Bellie's in College. That is a funny picture!
So back to God in Homeschooling (HS)...
When it got closer to that time, I began to panic about my lack of ability to HS Bellie.
But I had such a strong calling to do this, as if there were no other choice.
I prayed to God about all my fears and inadequacies.
He flooded me with such a confidence in His ability to guide and teach me how to teach her that I have never looked back.
Not that I don't have fears that creep up, I do.
But I don't let them stay. God has made it clear, this is His desire for our family.

Also, my eyes have been opened to our calling as her parents to disciple her, to teach her and guide her.
To us, they're all one in the same.
Math and Bible verses: they have everything to do with each other.
Wasn't it God who created math in the first place?

I would love to hear your thoughts!

Here We Go...

So I have wanted to start this blog for a while. The truth is, words scare me.
Another truth is, I love to write.
I have a hard enough time filtering my words while talking to someone, so the idea of writing my thoughts, ideas and doubts is frightening.
It also leaves me in a vulnerable position. I don't like to share everything that's going on in me or in my life.
But the more God teaches me about community, the more I'm learning that I need to put myself out there in order to encourage and love other woman.
So here I am, sharing my life with whomever is interested.
I have also had a hard time getting plugged into a home school community.
And home schooling one child can be a lonely endeavor.
So I started thinking, "Maybe there are other home schoolers out there who need encouragement.
Maybe there are other home schoolers out there who don't have seven children, they have one."
So, here I am starting this blog journey.
I hope this can be an encouraging and thought provoking blog for those who are looking for encouragement or a place to express their thoughts and fears about being a wife, a mom, a Jesus follower, or even a single person looking forward to having a family or wherever God has you in this life.
(I know that was a long sentence but I'm not going to worry about things like that. )
So, here we go....