Want to learn some Latin?

Well, don't come and ask me for lessons! I know very little!

Semper paratus - was our school motto - "always prepared", as I remember...well, THAT needs some application in my life.

Moving swiftly on....

Life in a shoe is a blog written by Kim, wife to1 and mother to 10 (only 2 boys...poor guys! lol) ...she describes it like this...

"Our blog is our home on the web, and we try to keep it like our real-life home: fun and friendly, a little opinionated, but always striving to glorify God. "

She is very generously doing a give-away of "Visual Latin".  They have kindly offered to give away the 25 lessons in Latin 1 - either as a DVD, or as a download (perfect for us Brits!).

Go to her blog  here for your opportunity to win this highly recommended set of lessons.  If you visit here, you can download 4 introductory lessons for free!

So, head on over to her blog for a chance to win! 

Be careful what you ask for...

This morning I was reading in Isaiah, chapters 34-39.  I find it to be a book of surprises - where you get little gems of verses, in amongst prophecy that is hard to understand!

You also get, as I did this morning, the telling of history that you find in other parts of scripture.  This was a story that I remember very clearly, from reading it with the children in II Kings 20.  It's the narrative of King Hezekiah, and his death bed request.

He had come to the end of his days, and was about to die.  Isaiah comes and tells him to set his house in order, because he will die.  THE PROPHET, Isaiah - God's messenger.  Bringing the word of the Lord to King Hezekiah.  But, Hezekiah decided he doesn't want to die. Yet. So he sulks (turns into the wall), and cries.

Now, I am not suggesting that it is wrong to be sad, humanly speaking, at various times in our lives.  Not at all.  Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus (and HE knew that Lazarus was about to be alive again ;-) )  No, I have an issue with him not accepting God's plan for his life.  You can't have it plainer than a word spoken by God's messenger, and the message from God was that he was going to die.

So, Hezekiah asks to live.  And, God answered his prayer.  He doesn't just add a few days.  He adds 15 years.

So, what happens in those 15 years, you may ask?  15 long, happy years, of him continuing to follow after God?

Well, 2 significant things happen. He decides to be prideful, and boast to some visitors about all the wealth and treasures he possessed.

"sure, come in guys!  Have a good look at my vast treasures!  I'll show you every last little thing that I possess!  No problem!  Take a good mental note!  It's so good to have you here from Babylon anyway...such a long way for you to come and see me......"

*screeching sound effect* - what's that, you say, from BABYLON????   OOOOOOOOH yes siree.  Those lovely friends from Babylon.  Really friendly place, Babylon.  Do you need to look at a timeline to place Hezekiah and Isaiah?   That's right....BEFORE Daniel.  Really not long before Daniel at all.  Daniel.  Who lived in Babylon.  Because he had been taken captive by the Babylonians, who came along and decimated the land of Judah.

Isaiah comes and speaks to Hezekiah.  He tells him that EVERYTHING that the generations before him have stored up, will be taken away by the Babylonians.  NOTHING will be left.  All his sons would be taken away.  Was this worth living for?

What else happened in those 15 years?  Well, 3 years later, he had a son.  Manasseh. Read II Kings chapter 20.  Please, read it.  He was one of the most wicked kings in the history of the nation.  So wicked, that God promised to have so much evil come upon Jerusalem and Judah, that "whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle".   He was going to wipe them out, like you wipe out a bowl, turning it upside down to make sure it is empty. (verse 13)

So, Hezekiah.  You don't want to accept God's plan?  You don't want to die?   Are you sure about that? What?.... you can't see the future, you only know your own selfish heart?  Only GOD knows the future?  God, who had sent word that you were to die?

Sobering.

Thought-provoking.

Do we ever question God's dealings in our life?  Do we question the path that God has placed us on?  Do we want change because "it's too much to cope with"?

Do we have thoughts of discontent?

"I didn't know that being a mum would be so hard....it was so much easier when I just went to work for 8 hours a day, and then came home"

"Lord, my husband is such hard work....why can't he be perfect...does he not understand my needs...the way I think....why should *I* do all the work....why should it be *my* job?"

"when I started out with this home-schooling, I thought it would be such fun...why did you lead me to do something that can be so challenging?"

"Lord, people with 1 child have it so easy...they get their foreign holidays, they don't need to shop in charity shops...they can get everything new....life seems so easy for them...."

"this house is not very big...why did we ever live here...I know people with lovely big houses, and they look so nice..."

Before you carry on with your thoughts of discontent...before they become a prayer, desiring change.

STOP


THINK VERY CAREFULLY.


BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU PRAY FOR.


We need to learn contentment.  That's why Paul said "I have LEARNT in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."

God knows better than we do.  Although, by the way we behave, and think, sometimes others may not believe that is what we think.

If we are following God's will for our life, according to the instruction given in God's Word, then we need to accept what follows, whilst walking that path.

I am also not saying that we shouldn't pray, and ask for things of God.  I'm just saying, be careful.  Make sure you pray "thy will be done", in all things.  That pride, selfishness and discontent are not the reasons for our prayers.

We wouldn't want a "Manasseh" to result from God granting our foolish desires.

Be careful what you pray for.

Chats on the farmhouse porch

I found this blog link-up, via Anne Morrison's blog, "Homeschool on the Croft".  It's just a fun sharing about each other, by answering a few questions about yourself.

1. What color was your first car? 

Well, it was a kind of turquoisey blue, Peugeot 206 (?) Diesel.  It was really Robert's, first, but when we got married, it became mine, too!  I drove it more than he did - a 40 minute drive each way, to Dungannon Hospital.  We had it until 14th February 2001, when I crashed it (coming down a steep, bendy hill....on black ice...into the only tree in the hedgerow....).  I still maintain it was the shock of Robert remembering to give me a Valentine card!   I also thought  I was pregnant, but they did a test at the hospital ( that's a whole other story....) and it was negative.  Joshua is positively my son, however....born that October....so, false negative!  Bit of a deviation form the colour of the car, but I can't think about that car without thinking about crashing, and without remembering the pregnancy part of the story! 

By the by, I still get nervous driving in icy conditions!

2.  Do you dance or sing when you're by yourself?

Sing - YES!  Especially on my own in the car!  I whack up the volume and sing away!   I sing a lot around the house, too.   But, then, that's very seldom by myself!  My latest singing "issue", is that I put my ipod on, with the headphones in, after the children go to bed, to listen to music whilst I do jobs  (on the nights that Robert is out).  However, I don't realise how loud I am singing, with the headphones in, and I frequently get children appearing, asking me to tone it down! (my boys room is downstairs, near the kitchen, so it's usually them!)  LOVE singing - we sing a lot as a family, too.

3. What were your favourite and least favorite subjects in school? (I'm thinking high school or younger, but if you want to tell us about your PhD, go right ahead.)

LOVED music.  LOVED English.  I loved being able to express myself in both those areas.  I need to spend more time playing the piano than I do.  I also need to pick up teaching the oldest two to play.  And, it's a dream of mine to write children's tory books about the Covenanter's.  However, reading one about that just now, I may not be able to achieve such high standards myself, and it will probably never come to fruition.  

I wrote a Paraphrase of Nehemiah 9, and wrote a tune to go with it.  I guess that fulfils my burning ambitions of music and English?!?

I liked Maths up until Higher level. Then I couldn't stand it!  Also, Physics got a bit beyond me.  No, it got WAY beyond me. Not a maths mind, me.  I know how to spend money...does that count? (ha, no pun intended!)

4.  What was the last dinner you made?

Ah, now, that's an interesting question.  I just made a LOT of dinners.  I just bulk cooked several things.  Overnight, in the slow cooker, I made a massive batch of savoury mince.    I also browned  about 4kg of minced beef yesterday - some of it went in the savoury mince, some went in the massive batch of bolognaise that I made this morning, and the last bit went in the chilli I also made this morning, for tonight's dinner.  I also cooked 2 chickens, froze the meat from it for using in pasta bake, curry or on pizza, and am making my first proper batch of chicken stock, from the carcasses.  PHEW! busy 24 hours!

5. Please finish this: "I feel naked without ---------------------." (Now, you know there's someone out there who will answer "clothes". See. I caught you! :)

Nope, not my answer! I feel naked without 2 "things" - firstly, my rings - wedding band, engagement ring, and my pre-engagement engagement ring, that Robert gave me. (it was for my 18th Birthday - we started "going out" when I was 17 - we knew right away we would get married, but knew my parents would freak out if I mentioned it.  We knew they wouldn't want me getting engaged at 18, so we bought a ring, that WE considered as our engagement ring! lol)  If I don't wear those ring, I am forever fiddling with my fingers, because they are not there.  I take everything other than the wedding band off, at the end of pregnancy's, as my fingers swell every time. I wear them on a necklace sometimes, then.

The other thing?.....a necklace that co-ordinates with whatever I am wearing!  I get them from charity shops, or reduced in the shops.  In fact, recently, I got a new top with green in it, and I realised I had no necklace to match.  I popped into a charity shop on the way to where we were going, and got one that matched perfectly!  I felt much happier afterwards! lol  Mad!  I know!  On the other hand, I never wear make-up, or face cream.  I don't always wear perfume.  Those things that women regularly seem to not be able to miss out doing.  Not me. 

If you go to Patrice's website, Everyday Rurality, you can link up with the questions yourself!

When my heart is overwhelmed.....

It's been one of those days.

Irritable mother.

Highly strung children.

Fatigue.

Exhaustion.

Lots to do.

Angry words spoken, instead of gentle ones.

Impatience, instead long-suffering.

Pride, instead of humility.

Words, instead of silence.

Martha, instead of Mary.

I need to be Mary.

I need to end the day, the way it began, with the Word of God.

The only place we can turn to in the midst of trial.

The Only One who can calm the storm.


"Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,...."

Psalm 51:4

(others affected by it...but God is the one who counts over all...)

 "Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. 

 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, 

when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 

 For thou hast been a shelter for me," 

Psalm 61:1-3

(oh, how overwhelmed....but OH, how strong...and high...and sheltering...that Rock, Christ Jesus....)

"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;"

Ephesians 1:7

(forgiveness....so undeserved....the riches of his grace....so unworthy....) 

 "Blessed be the LORD: for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness..."

Psalm 31:21

(kindness...despite failing and sin....oh, what matchless condescension....)

 "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 

 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 

  The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. 

The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him." 

Lamentations 3:22-25

so thankful for His unfailing compassion...new every morning....faithfulness, great and undeserved...

simply hoping, waiting and seeking...a new day lying ahead...starting again...girded with a new hope...)

Oh, what a blessing to know that my transgressions are blotted out as a thick cloud.

Past comprehension.

So undeserved.

The chance to start a new day, rejoicing in His faithfulness, and seeking not to make all the mistakes of the day that is past.

Grace, grace, God's grace.....

How can we raise a godly generation? - Part 1

I mentioned in this post, about the warning we read of in Judges, about a generation who fell away from following after the Lord.

So, how can we raise a godly generation, you ask?  What should we be doing to lead them away from following after the world, and all it's allurements, and to follow after God instead?  I should also point out here, that we CANNOT save our children.  We can only guide them and train them in the ways of the Lord.

Also, before I begin,  I KNOW my children are still relatively young, so this is very much written from the "going through" point of view, not the "finished the journey" perspective!  I am just trying to live out a life that will raise my children to follow God's ways, and not man's ways.

I am going to cover this in a few posts, as I realised quickly that there was a lot to share about!

So, here are the first areas which I believe are important in raising a godly generation.

1.MAKE SURE YOU ARE OBEYING GOD FIRST

We cannot possibly teach our children how to walk in the right ways, if we are not doing so first.

Are we reading God's Word....seeking how to follow Him daily, and honour Him in our lives? - do you have a daily quiet time - immersing yourself in scripture - in learning how we are to live our life in a way that is pleasing to Him?  Are we following God's ways in our life? - are we living in obedience, or do we just have an empty profession?   Do we seek continually to make sure that our lives are being lived in accordance to God's Word?   - do we seek to weed out the sin in our life, and daily come in repentance for our failings before God?  Do we know about God - who He is - what He expects of us - what He does for us?  Do we know what the scriptures teach us about how to do be the wives and mothers that we should be? - do we seek to put it into practice?   If we don't do all of these things, then we simply can NOT teach them to our children!

There are many ways to study the scriptures.  As I mentioned here, I am methodically reading through the Bible in a year.  It's amazing how many truths you see afresh, as you read through lesser read parts of the Bible.

Do make sure you note down thoughts on the way through.  I currently have a page in my Prayer Journal titled "God....." and then I take a note of things I learn about who He is, and what He does for me.  There are many things you could pick out - promises, rebukes, prayers, instructions.  Don't overwhelm yourself with too many at once.  Keep your thoughts focussed, and you will remember them better.

You can also do a more detailed study, only studying a couple of verses each day. In our Good Morning Girls group, we studied the book of James like this, earlier this year.  We used the SOAP method, which I had never before heard of!

S - Write out the scripture for that day
O - take a note of a couple of observations you make from the verses
A - how does this apply to your life?
P - pray, and ask the Lord to plant these observations and applications in your life, and cause them to take root and grow.

We are thinking of studying through the book of Ephesians until the end of the year, using this method.  We were so blessed and challenged by the truths that we learnt, through studying God's Word this way.

There are also many Bible Study books, that study through a theme, or character in the Bible.  Elizabeth George has many good studies like that.

You could also use a programme such as e-sword, which is a free, downloadable Bible Study software, to search for instances of certain words or themes in the Bible, and just study through them one by one, to gain a better understanding on a topic.

Whatever you do, DO study God's Word.  Your heart will be blessed, and your life drawn into sweeter communion with the Lord.

"That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;"

Colossians 1:10  

2. DON'T BE A HYPOCRITE!

I know this is something that I need to work on more, and is VERY important.  You can NOT start telling your children about the way they should live, and not apply it to your own life.  Children can spot a hypocrite a mile off, and they will not respect your instruction if they can see your are not living it first.  I knew of someone who always said "Do as I say, not as I do".  I don't like that much. Yes, children need to obey us, but if our own actions do not match up with our instruction, that is a terrible example to our children.

"don't read your book until you have tidied you room, Johnny"
(whilst Mum sits with her book, dishes stacked up in the kitchen, not cleaned.....)

"don't get so angry with your brothers and sisters, Jane"
(spoken by the mother who just lost the rag with her children 10 minutes before)

"think before you speak"
(says the Mum, who just spoke to Dad in a less-than-patient tone)

"don't leave that job unfinished"
(with Mum's unfinished projects in the corner)

There are many more examples I could give, but better that you think of ones that apply to your own heart and life!  And, trust me, this is an area that I need to put a lot of work into...


 "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy."

James 3:17 

3. THE POWER OF A GOOD EXAMPLE
As a flip side to not being a hypocrite, we NEED to be a GOOD example.  You want your children to learn Bible verses? - YOU learn Bible verses.  You want your children to read their Bible? - YOU read your Bible.  You want your children to be generous? - YOU be generous.  You want your children to be kind?  - YOU be kind.  You get the idea.....


"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

 Matthew 5:16

Please, PLEASE share about your experiences in these areas!  Some small thing that you do, or an experience you can share about, may be an unimaginable blessing and encouragement to someone else! 

Link up below, or share in the comments section below.   

(If you have trouble with the comments log-in, just sign in as anonymous, and then put your name at the end.  Signing up with google is fairly quick, though!)

Raising a godly generation

There are often verses in the scriptures which just strike right at the heart.  They challenge and they subdue, with one swipe of that two-edged sword.

I read one such verse on Tuesday, and didn't have time to share it then.  In fact, it was several verses, all through the second chapter of Judges.

"And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?" (verse 2)

"And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel."  (verse 10)


"And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:
And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers....and provoked the Lord to anger," (verses 11 & 12)


"they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so."

OH, so sad.  SO very, very sad. More than sad - tragic.

The Israelites had been given the promised land.  They were clearly commanded to drive out all of the false gods from the land - all those things that would tempt them away from God.  The older generation started off doing so, but then the next generation arose, and they disobeyed the commandments of God, which their parents had followed.  With such terrible consequences - they stirred up the ANGER of God against themselves.

God hates disobedience.  He hates it when those who claim to be His, do not follow after Him and obey Him as they ought to.

Sadder still, however, was the conclusion that I drew.  HOW DOES A GENERATION ARISE THAT DOESN'T KNOW THE LORD????

A WHOLE generation - not just one family, or the odd child or two.  A WHOLE GENERATION.

I drew one conclusion.  I'm fairly certain it's not a quantum leap.  For someone to know what is the right thing to do, THEY HAVE TO HAVE AN EXAMPLE.  You need to know what the right thing is, to follow it.

"And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?"

I think this is a warning to all parents - you need to make sure that your children are brought up understanding the precious truths of God's Word.  We need to make sure that we are faithful in teaching our children - in shielding them from the world and it's snares.  In protecting them from the ungodly influences that seek to crowd in our lives.

You can NOT allow yourself to crack under the pressure of

"well, little Johnny comes from a NICE non-Christian home, he won't do our wee one any harm, playing together every day!"  

Or,

"it's ok, they are learning so many good truths in Church, I don't need to do too much more at home....."  

 Or, (sticking my neck on the line here, with as much love and tenderness as I can muster)

 "school gives them such a broad education, and I really don't think I could manage home-schooling, and I don't want to wrap them in cotton wool anyway....."

We NEED to protect the next generation...and can I say, the influences from which they need protecting, and taught about the errors of, is becoming more foul and horrible every day.  I am getting more and more UNBELIEVERS being sympathetic to my confession  of being home-schooler's, than any Christians I meet!  The hairdresser I had the other day said "you must be able to keep them innocent for so much longer - that's really lovely"!!!!  SHE could see that they lose their innocence at school!

Home education aside - TV, children's books, toys, friends, advertising, music.  There are so many things that we need to protect our children from.  As it said in verse 2 

"ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of the land"

We need to not make friendship and familiarity with the world and it's ways.  You do it to your own peril.

No.....you do it to the peril of the next generation.. And the current generation is already being lost.  Fast.

We need to claim back our children for the Lord..  We need to stop compromising our standards, and lowering ourselves to the standards of the world.

Their standards on leisure...their standards on entertainment....their standards on family values....their standards on education....their standards on children and their "rights".

I fear and I despair, when I look around at the children that are growing up.  I pray that we will all be challenged in our responsibilities and duties before the Lord, to bring up our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, which simply CAN NOT be merged with a toleration of the world and it's standards. Well, it can, but we will lose them....we will raise a generation who "know not the Lord".

Pray that the Lord would challenge and convict you about the ways in which you may be in "league with the inhabitants of this land", and seek to get rid of them, by God's grace and enabling.

I will follow this up with some suggestions and resources which could be useful.  

Have a blessed day.

Top Tips Tuesday - Rising Early/Making a New Habit

I am nearly half way through our Holiday Bible Club week.  That's why there has been silence on here since Friday! :-)

It's a hectic, but rather enjoyable week.  We have been very encouraged by the children who have attended, and how well they have listened to the Bible Stories.  Lots of fun, but tiring!

I'm not sure that my brain is up to thinking about any top tips at all!  But, I'll tell you what mine is!

Learn to get up earlier in the morning!

I had read of so many ladies who rise up early in the morning, before their household.  I could see the wisdom in it, but never quite achieved it.  I used to get up at about 7.30am, or whenever I was wakened by some child or other!

However, when I was revising my whole Bible study and prayer life, I realised I needed to make a concerted effort to rise earlier in the morning.  SO, how did I do it?

1.  PRAYER - the day I started "going out" with Robert, we went to a County Show, and I felt car sick on the way there.  I remember Robert asking me what was wrong, and when I explained, he said "have you prayed about it?"?!   I hadn't - I almost thought that I didn't need to pray about something like that.  But, I did, and I started to feel better so quickly -  it was an immediate answer to prayer!  There is nothing in life too big or too small to pray about.  SO, pray and ask the Lord to help you physically, emotionally and spiritually in your task.

2.  DISCIPLINE - in all the areas that making changes is required, in order to achieve the goal of rising early, you need to be disciplined. Set your mind to do the task in hand.  Really motivate yourself and determine to make the necessary changes, so that you can get up earlier.

3. DO IT GRADUALLY - don't jump from an 8.30am rise, to a 5.30am rise!  You'll never manage it for very long, and you'll quickly get tired and give up!  Do it in small time increments, say 15 minutes earlier for a few days, then another 15 minutes, and so on.

4. SET AN ALARM - I know it seems obvious, but you can't just hope that you might waken earlier - and, if need be, put it somewhere that requires getting out of bed to turn it off!  That always helps!  Or, that's loud enough for you not to ignore (whilst not wakening anyone else in the house!)

I would recommend that it is a time before your children waken.  If you are wanting to do it to get your quiet time done QUIETLY, then it's the only way to go!

"But my children waken SO early in the morning already"...well, maybe here's something else you need to deal with first?!?  Or, you need to just tell them to stay in the room until you tell them to come out.

I would also recommend discussing it with your husband.  I currently rise at 6am and would like it to be earlier, but to achieve that, I would have to go to bed a bit earlier.  My husband is a night owl, and I will end up eating into my precious time with him, in the evenings, if I go to bed earlier.  So, make sure you have agreed on a schedule that your husband is happy with!

I have had such precious times in the mornings, doing my devotions when the house is quiet.  I also get a lot more jobs done in the mornings, before the busyness of the day.  I get the dinner ready now, most days, before breakfast.  It means I don't have to do it later when the children get tired, and Elijah is more demanding! (those who know him, will understand!!!)  It just gets my day off to a better start all round.  Your day isn't then always playing "catch up", with the children ahead of you!

I especially love the winter mornings, when it is still dark, and I just turn on a little lamp by the sofa, and get snuggled under a blanket, with a coffee, and my Bible! Bliss!

Your body quickly gets adjusted to the new sleeping pattern, and I know I can easily rise at 6am now, with few problems, so long as I have had enough sleep!  Even with less sleep, I can still rise at that time.....I just feel RATHER tired by the middle of the day! *yawn*

I may have forgotten something vital, but I am rather tired, so I wouldn't notice!

So, on the thought of enough sleep. I must got to bed!

Please share your experiences of early rising, or how you made a new habit.