life of seven

Knitting gray (always)

I know the very foremost question on everyone's minds surely must be, "What has Jen been knitting?" Well, even if that's not your top question, gear up, because I am going to tell you, anyway.

I am knitting a second Boxy. Why, you ask? Well the simple answer is it is just about exactly the level of knitting concentration I seem to be able muster lately. I have started a number of other projects in the past months, that I'm certain I'll return to at some point, but for now, casting on a million stitches, joining them in the round, and doing absolutely nothing for weeks but knit them, is just where my knitting needs to be just now. Had I written a knitting post on any day in the last three weeks, it would have read exactly like this one, and would have looked almost exactly the same, too, just not quite as much knitted up. Though, from day to day, the difference in this project is indiscernible. One day, though, I'm sure I'll finish the endless gray rounds and have a sweater done. Then I'll have to find another project to knit, and if my knitting mood is the same then that it is now, what will I do? Surely not knit a third boxy...that would be crazy! Wow, I sure get what the appeal is for the thousands who have knit this sweater. More than the sum of it's parts, like peanut butter and jelly, or BLT's. Simple done to perfection.

I'm using almost the same yarn as last time; this is Plucky Single and it is very close to Tosh merino light except it's possible that it has been improved upon with the addition of 20% silk. Having knit with both yarns, the jury is still out on which is my favorite. I prefer Plucky colors, I think, but Tosh merino light seems like such a classic yarn that I feel disloyal preferring a different yarn.

How does one take a photo of gray and not have it lean pink or purple or green? I'm not sure. This is such a great charcoal gray. And, I'm pretty sure my wardrobe is lacking severely in gray items. Snort. (That was a joke.) Nevermind, I can always make room for more gray. One thing about gray, it goes with any color I put with it, on those days I decide to wear a color. Actually, if you look at my Ravelry page, the colors gray and yellow pop out the most. This is unintentional. But, lucky me, what are apparently my two favorite colors happen to always go together perfectly.

Are you wondering what colors the projects I mentioned having started in the past months are? One's gray. One's navy. One's blue gray. Oh, dear. Well, that's what I've been knitting.

By the way, I set up a Life of Seven Facebook page, in case you that is something you'd be interested in. I need to put a button my page to link to it, and I will soon. But, meanwhile, if you like my blog, I'd love it if you'd like my Facebook page, too!

On Loving my Children

I am going to attempt to describe to you the love I have for my children .

The moment I laid eyes on my oldest, Cate, and she made me a mother, I knew I would do anything, absolutely anything for her. That feeling did not alleviate or lessen with time or with subsequent children being born. No, it only grew stronger and more intense, as the time and energy and love that I invested into each one of my children grew greater and greater.

It takes a whole lot of love to suffer through the first three months of pregnancy. Even if you don't suffer morning sickness, I discovered. With Truman I did not have any nausea. I thought I was going to get off pretty easy the first trimester, when I realized I wasn't getting sick each day. Well, I didn't know that there is apparently some sort of trade-off that happens to moms who don't get morning sickness in the first three months. Instead of feeling nauseous morning to night, I was hit with a tidal wave emotion unlike any I have experienced in my entire life. Even now when I look back and remember those three months I shudder and thank God that I somehow made it through it. Everything seemed wrong and nothing made sense. I felt numb to everything and at the same time cried about everything. It was a nightmare. Yes, I made it through that trimester without being sick to my stomach but I definitely paid for it in another way.

Similarly, that's how the first trimester of my pregnancy with Clementine went, as well, only instead of paying emotionally rather than nauseating-ly, I paid for it with insomnia. No, I didn't feel sick with Clementine, either, but for three solid months I would wake up at night, after sleeping for a few hours, absolutely wide awake, as awake as it is possible for a first trimester mom to be. It felt like the middle of the day and I learned after a few nights of this that I would not be going back to sleep for hours and hours. Yes, every night, from about one until five A.M. for close to 14 weeks I lay in bed wide, wide awake. Doesn't sound so bad, right? Well, the infamous first trimester exhaustion had not left me, even though the nausea did. Somehow I still had the need to sleep at least 10 hours every 24, and I had to make up for those hours at some point other than the middle of the night, when normal humans sleep. I craved sleep during the day as much as I've craved anything in my life, and yet, when night came I found it absolutely impossible to sleep. Again, looking back on it, I don't know that the trimester of insomnia was any better than the trimester of being sick at the sight or thought of food or the smelling thereof.

And you know what comes next, right? After the morning sickness, at the end of pregnancy? Birth! I made the personal decision, for a variety of reasons, to not take any pain meds while in labor. Cate was born naturally in the hospital, and the rest were born at home. I don't need to describe that process for you. But there are absolutely no words to compare to the joy of seeing a brand new healthy squealing baby after a night that seemed would never end. A night where afterward, with overwhelming love, you whisper to your child, "I would do that ten times over for you", while thinking, Thank God I don't have to.

The relief when pregnancy and labor is over with and you can move on from that segment of your life is indescribable. And, naively, with Cate, I thought, "Thank God the hard part- the worry, the fear, the work, the pain- is over." 

No. No, no, no, no, no, it is very much not over. In fact it has not even begun. Pregnancy and labor and delivery were only my entry ticket so that I could walk through the door into motherhood. 

The intense love, and sleeplessness, and exhaustion, and emotion, are only just beginning. How in the world is it possible to love a baby so much that you had never seen before, while still feeling frustration and astonishment and amazement at how much this little one needs you, trusts you, depends on you, would not survive a day without your constant vigilance and care? It's a pendulum of overwhelming emotion that goes from one extreme to the next. Nursing that baby and feeling a love you had no idea existed, while being terrified that something could harm it, being spent to your very bone and what I call "touched out" where there is so much contact holding the baby 24 hours a day that even a hug from someone else feels like sensory overload.

How I cherished every single one of my babies. How I stood back in amazement and pride as they grew and learned. How does this miracle happen every single day, around the world? How have billions of women survived this common thing? How can it be common? “Babies are never common,” said Anne of Green Gables, followed by Marilla quoting, "Every baby is the sweetest and the best."

My heart melted with pride when each learned to call me "Mama." You're only a few months old, you haven't lived on this earth for even a year, and you already know I'm your Mama? How can this be? How can you know what a mama even is, and yet that is the very first thing your little mind learned. You and me, little one, we need each other, we are dependent on each other, we will never be apart.

Do you remember your first trip to the grocery store without the baby along? Freedom! It feels amazing! But, I feel naked without the baby clinging to me. Is she okay? Is she crying right now? Is she needing to eat and I'm not there for her? Let me modify my grocery list in half so I can be out of there in 15 minutes. I thought I wanted time to myself, but I don't- I want her. I need that little baby as much as she needs me.

Down through the years, the love grows, where it is not as emotionally intense, an up and down roller coaster ride, but gets deeper, and deeper, and deeper, as every one of your child's accomplishments become your own. You hear the words to "Wind Beneath my Wings" and you can't do anything but cry, because now that you are a mom, you understand it, how true it is. Now the thing that brings you some of your greatest joys is watching your child succeed. Walking across the room. Talking. Riding a bike. Learning to read. Saying the times tables. Hitting a baseball. Playing piano. Winning a competition. Hearing others speak highly of her. Hearing her pray. Following a recipe. Showing compassion to others. Helping without being told. Doing things you never dreamed she would do when you first met her and you held her in your arms and she looked at you and her eyes said, "I need you- I need you if I'm going to be anything, if I'm going to learn anything, become anything, do anything. I need you."

Let me ask you- after putting all this work and love and time and joy and hope and energy and effort and delight into my children, would I ever, in a million, billion years, abandon them halfway through and leave them to raise themselves the rest of the way? Would I ever tell them, "Forget it, I'm pretty tired of this job, and I'm done with you" ?

Never! Never in a thousand years.

Do you remember what Jesus said? "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?"

If you are like me, at one point or another you’ve become discouraged in your walk with Jesus Christ. At some time you experienced fear and doubt and felt abandoned and alone. You’ve stood in the shadows of guilt wondering how God could ever love you and questioning if He is even still with you after all the stupid things you’ve done. Well, let me tell you - if God traded Heaven for Earth, leaving strength and riches to become poor and weak; If He humbled Himself and took on flesh and bone to walk in our shoes; and if He then humbled Himself further by submitting to death on a cross; if He suffered all of this – laboring to bring you to life – straining unto death that you could be born again - I promise you, as someone who has been through the grief and joy of childbirth - I promise you that after He has suffered all of this and moved Heaven, Earth and Hell to make you His child - He is not about to give you up at the first inconvenience or bump in the road. He will never just abandon you out in the cold, to make it all on your own.

It is a lie.

Listen to God’s words:

"He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also freely give us all things?" Romans 8:31,32

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" Phillipians 1:6

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;" Hebrews 12:2

I know we all go through times of discouragement. Where we wonder if God still loves us, where we fear that we are all on our own.

No, no, no, a thousand times no! Jesus said, "I will never leave you or forsake you. I am with you always, even unto the very end of the age."

Jesus is the Master Builder and no master builder would spend weeks, months, and years designing and building a house, only to abandon it halfway through, leaving it neglected and on its own against the elements.

God will finish what He started in you. Stay the course. Don't give up the fight. Don't be discouraged. If God is for you, who can possibly be against you? Don't give up. Don't quit. Stay in that race. Jesus has already done the work. He's already paid the price. He's already won the victory. You are His child, and He wants you. Though your enemies seem undefeatable, He has already vanquished them.

Now, I am not a very big person, I am not even 5'2" and I don't weigh much over 100 pounds. But I’m telling you that if my children were ever in any type of danger or threatened in any way, I wouldn't stop for even an instant to think about my well-being or whether I even stood a chance in the fight, and I would give every drop of blood in my body, if necessary, to save them. My own survival wouldn't even enter my head.

Listen. Your Father came to save you. And He came to save you at any cost.

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame.”Heb 12:2

He went down into death to save you from every one of your enemies. He paid the price with his life's blood so that He could place every one of them under your feet. He endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him and you - you were that joy. When I was in the hospital, laboring to bring Cate into the world, I heard the brand new cry of a newborn in the next room, and despite the work and the pain I was in, somehow the sound was able to bring a smile to my face in that moment like nothing else could. That baby's cry reminded that soon my labor would end and I would have a baby in my arms with her own precious cry. Listen: When Jesus hung, tortured and dying on the cross, He was thinking of you.

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." Romans 8:35,37

God's gonna finish what He started. He's going to see you through to the end. He's going to complete His work in you. He's going to make you perfect.

Yes, I said, "perfect." It's a scary word, but it's in the Bible.

"Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."Ephesians 4:13

"Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Jesus Christ." Colossians 1:28

"That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Timothy 3:17

"Making you perfect in every good work to do his will" Hebrews 13:21

"But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."James 1:4

"But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you."1 Peter 5:10

I don't understand how it all works out. I know that I am far, very, very, far, from being perfect, but each day God does something new in me and brings me closer to being "perfect and entire, wanting nothing." Wanting nothing? Nothing? Not lacking in peace? Not lacking in love? Not lacking in joy? Not living in fear, or as a slave to sin or worry, anger, or depression? That sounds really good to me. If I could give my children these good things, I would do it without hesitation. And if I being evil would give these good gifts to my children, how much more does my Heavenly Father want to give them to me? He died to give me this gift, and He wants me to receive everything He purchased with His life.

This is the truth that is the rock at the very foundation of my life. I believe it to my very core, and I don’t doubt it any more than I doubt my love for my children.

God is able. He. Is. Able. And God is not giving up on me until He finishes what He started. He authored my faith many years ago, back when I was ten and called to Him and asked Him to save me. That day, He called me by name and made me His child, and He will never, never, ever give up on me. His love will never stop. His provision will never end. He is the Author, and one day He will be the Finisher of my faith.

As much as I would never abandon my new little baby girl that I spent nine months growing and the most agonizing hours of my life delivering, God won't abandon a single one of His children. 

As much as I wouldn't ignore the cries of my brand new little baby, God will not ignore the cries of a hungry heart seeking Him.

As much as I would never tell my child, "I'm done with you- you go figure life out on your own," God will never leave you to try to navigate through life on your own.

He is for you. He is with you. To the very end.

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38,39

Words that perhaps only a mother could fully understand.

Bunting the ball

Well, it's sort of all baseball all the time around here. I never really expected that, since Ben and I really aren't sports people, and figured our kids wouldn't really be either. They love exercising and being outside, but have never been terribly excited about any specific sport. Until this past year, when Gideon and his Grandpa began sharing the love of football together. My poor dad, who went to college on a baseball scholarship, and then switched over to golf and held a position as a golf professional for over 30 years, never got any of us three girls to enjoy any of the sports he was interested in. We did stints at gymnastics and figure skating, but that's not quite what he had in mind, I'm sure. I think it was my husband who was the one to explain the rules of football to me (and who I bothered to give a moment of my time to listen to). Yes, I'm sure we weren't the most exciting daughters for a sports lover, but I think my dad's grandsons are making up for it. My three sons and my sister's two, who love nothing more than to play a game of softball or something similar. Grace and Cate enjoy playing, too. I'm glad, because if someone asks me to jump into a game of volleyball, my face flushes and gets hot, and I remember the half hearted attempts I'd made at playing in the past, ending with me walking away from the game, humiliated, tears burning my eyes. I remember a neighbor giving me a football to throw when I was about 12, and it honestly being the very first time I'd ever held one. I was so embarrassed when I admitted I didn't know how to throw it. And, in gym class when I was very young, I stood at the very lowest hoop for the entire class, trying to get the ball to go in, and failing, when all the other kids were getting basket after basket, at all the different heights. Ice skating, gymnastics, those types of activities, I was very, very, good at. You should have seen me do the splits. But It's not very often that I find myself using those skills. Okay, never. And, I would probably kill myself if I attempted a back walkover. Hey, I pulled muscles in both my legs just when running at full speed during Cate's softball game. Anyway, I'm glad my daughters have listened to my stories growing up, and decided to at least attempt to be able to play a sort that involves any type of ball. It is more than I ever did.

Anyway, look at little Truman bunting the ball and then scoring a home run. Cutest thing ever, and he's got lots of siblings to teach him exactly how it's done.

Perennials

 Well, this weekend I'd had enough and decided to clean up this little area at the front of the house. I knew Ben would be thrilled because while he doesn't enjoy doing that sort of yard work, and furthermore, even if he did like doing it, doesn't have the time for it right now, he definitely  loves having it done and the yard looking nicer. It worked out perfectly, because the kids and I are discovering that we actually really enjoy cleaning up an area and planting it with flowers. On top of that, my dad, who truly does love to work in the yard, stepped in and roto-tilled the ground for us (tilling the soil by hand was NOT something I was looking forward to) so we could get the plants in easily, as well as gave input and an extra hand with the entire project.

A few years back I discovered that my dad always whistles when he's doing something he really enjoys. I don't know why I didn't know that all my life growing up, since I would often hear my dad whistle, but what always prompted the whistling had never occurred to me up until a few years ago. Anyway, I've learned a couple things that cause my dad to whistle without fail. My dad always whistles when he's playing golf. Also, he always whistles when he's working on a project outside, whether it's planting, showing the kids how to garden, or driving a tractor, somehow fixing up the outside to make everything nicer. When we worked on this spot by the house, I kept hearing that familiar whistle. 

We planted lupines, peonies, black eyed susans, and something else I forget the name of but is supposed to attract hummingbirds. We get the occasional hummingbird by our house, but have not been able to get them to visit on a regular basis. Maybe this plant that's supposed to have bright red flowers, whatever it is, will be the draw that keeps those hummingbirds coming.

The funny thing is I have been terrified of perennials practically all my life. I know, weird phobia, right? Of course what I mean is I have always been afraid of trying to get them to grow. I've always had some idea in my head that I wouldn't be able to get the perennials to come back each year, and that they'd be hard to care for, and would never flower. Well, I realized a few days ago that other people did, in fact, have perennials that thrived in their gardens, and that they didn't have to buy flowers and replant every year. Furthermore, the look of the substantial plants with the huge flowers was not something that I could buy at the local nursery each year. Surely I am not such an idiot that I can't figure out how to get those flowering plants to grow- after all, thousands of people probably do it every year! Well, obviously I don't want to speak too soon about whether I have a green thumb or a black thumb, since time will tell, but buying the plants and getting them in the ground really was not a big deal. Let's wait and see if they decide to come back next year, though.

 

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Gardening with Grandpa

Golden Days

Golden morning

Some golden daybreak Jesus will come 
Some golden daybreak, battles all won 
He'll shout the vict'ry, break thro' the blue 
Some golden daybreak, for me, for you.

The moment I walked downstairs this morning and glanced outside the words to this song came into my head. Beautiful green-gold, thanks to that new patch of grass we are planting where an old, beaten down stable used to be, and then became over run with weeds as tall as I am, this year finally tilled over and grass seed started. The brand new baby grass is the loveliest shade of yellow-green in the morning sun.

Oh, I have big plans for this grassy area. A fire pit, for one thing. Hammocks, a gentle swing, a play set, little white lights in the trees, and, dare I say it, I'd love to remodel a bus or camper and park it there and make it into a playhouse. Oh Pinterest, you are absolutely killing me with all your infinite ideas. I think we'll start with the fire pit. Our yard is so much fun, if quite a bit overgrown and junky in places, still. You never know quite what you'll discover. A month ago it was a patch of poisonous weeds that gave the kids instant rashes the moment they touched them. Those weeds are gone now. 

We have so much potential with what could be done with the yard. There is plenty of room in the field to set up a baseball diamond, or keep a flock of sheep, or a couple of horses, while nearer to the house I have been considering getting some perennials going to enjoy each year, and I definitely want to plant at least ten lilac bushes. No garden this year; I want to focus on other areas of the yard instead. 

Furthermore, we have a huge workshop that I would love to string with twinkly white lights, set up long tables and chairs, maybe put a pool table in, add a soda machine- wouldn't that be the funnest?- and host parties there. My friend suggested a kitchenette, too. Now we're really talking. Were Ben reading this right now, he'd be rolling his eyes and reminding me of all the things he needs to use that big workshop for.

My husband has quite the busy work schedule this summer, and money is very tight as well, so he doesn't really like to discuss my dreams and plans for the yard right now (To put it mildly, but then again I can hardly blame the guy). Well, that must be what I have a blog for. It's just the place to talk about my dreams.

 

Expanding horizons

The funny thing is Cate isn't the softball player of the house (there she is, on the left, sitting). That would be Gideon, who is quite a good catcher, pitcher, and hitter. The even funnier thing is that they needed a sub that had to be a girl, since it's a co-ed league. Guess who filled in for them. Yes. Me. 

Let me explain that I have not had anything to do with a game of baseball since I was in second grade at gym class and kept having the ball pitched to me, over and over and over again. I kept swinging. No hits. How the boys teased me. I'm sure it was in tears that I walked off base and silently vowed to never humiliate myself again when it came to ball games.

The things I do for my children. I agreed to play right field for the church's team, so that they wouldn't have to forfeit the game. I was told no balls would come my way. Then, in practice they tried pitching to me, and to my utter shock, the ball and bat connected on nearly every try (it is slow pitch softball, so I suppose not worth bragging about). I was so relieved to know I could somehow hit the ball that I didn't feel too humiliated when I walked onto the field for the real game. Other than pulling both hamstrings when chasing after a ball and the fact that it rained during half of the evening game, it wasn't too bad. Yes, I connected with the ball enough to hit two fouls and finally actually hitting it, though because of my injury, I couldn't make it to first base in time. Well, you know, that's what you get sometimes when you need to hire a sub. Haha. Cate made it to home twice, and our team ultimately scored 13 runs. Which wasn't good enough to win, since the score ended up at 23-13. I will say, though, that besides my injury, both the first baseman and the catcher were also injured and couldn't run for the balls either. So, not too bad, really, for a group of young adults who don't normally play softball. 

"Live a little," I remind the kids often. I guess I needed that reminder, too.

 

 

Apples of Gold

My post a couple weeks back generated quite a bit of response on here and among my real life friends. (Hey, guys- thanks for reading!)

I know writing about morning devotionals isn't an original concept in the least, but I am glad it resonated with some of you, as it did for me. I've been thinking about it a lot, still, since then, and a couple of questions have come up because of it. One thing I have been asked, by my sixteen year old daughter, for one, as well as by others, is "Where do I start?"

If you have ever picked up a Bible and flipped through it, it only takes moments to feel a little overwhelmed and hopeless. So much in it, much of it so confusing, so many ideas and doctrines, so much allegory and poetry, so much prophecy, and so, so many pages and words. Where to begin?

As my kids have gotten older and begun reading the Bible on their own, this question comes into my mind more and more. I know there are many, many ways to approach scripture and the study of it, but I want to give you some of my ideas, whether you are a new Christian; have teens who are beginning to study the Bible; don't feel like you know God's Word like you should; or for anyone in general who may be interested in my approach to reading and studying the Bible.

To begin with, Cate and Grace have adopted a simple habit over the last year or two that they came up with all on their own,  that I think is an excellent place for anyone to start. During every sermon or Bible study, they write down every single scripture reference in their notebooks and then look them up during the week. This is helpful on many levels.

First of all, looking up so many scriptures gives them familiarity with the geography of the Bible itself. The Old and New Testaments. Where the Gospels are. What comes before Psalms, you get the idea. The more they flip through the Bible and look up scriptures the less intimidating it feels. It's such a great way to get to know the Bible.

Second, when the girls look up each scripture that was used in a sermon and read it for themselves later, it helps teach them about study and interpretation. Why was that verse used to teach that concept? How was it applied? Sometimes they don't remember. Over time, though, it sharpens their minds and over all causes them to pay more attention at church, too.

Finally, of course, going and looking up scriptures each week and reading them in their context helps them learn those verses, even if they aren't memorized. Hearing a scripture preached on then to look it up and study it is a great way to cement what that verse says in a natural and organic way.

This brings me to scripture memorization. You know, this isn't something that Ben and I really push or promote with our kids. Yes, we do own a number of kid's songs that are scriptures put to music, and I promise that is the absolute easiest and most mindless way to memorize verses without even realizing what you are doing, but beyond that it is not a huge emphasis for us. Our goal is for our kids to love the Bible, and to find it the most interesting, fascinating book in the world. We read them lots of Bible stories, have them read through The Picture Bible many, many, times (it truly is a great book to give an overview of every single story in the Bible), have lots and lots of questions and discussions about the Bible, and finally, hopefully, when they get older, their imaginations are sparked and their curiosity is aroused, and they begin to read the Bible for themselves. I don't want them to think of God's Word as school, or a chore, which is why I do not push them to memorize scriptures. What I want is for them to love the Bible. If you love God's Word and meditate on it often, memorizing it will happen on its own.

That's all well and good, but how should you read the Bible, if you haven't really done it much before and don't really know where to start?

 2 Timothy 2:15 says, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."  Therefore, a great way to approach the Bible is to study it, and the easiest way to do this is by topic. 

For a very user friendly study Bible that references key words and helps you find scriptures that say similar things, I highly recommend the Thompson Chain. It's been my favorite Bible since I was 16. Grace loves it as well. If you are beginning to study ideas and doctrine, it makes the job so much easier. It is a great tool because it organizes scripture by subject, and in the margins lists where the next scripture on that particular subject can be found. For instance, I was reading scriptures on meditating on God's word that inspired me to write this blog post. Ps 119, "Oh how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day." In the margin is a reference to the next scripture on meditation- 119:148: "Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in they word." Next reference to meditation is Psalm 143:5. You get the idea. If you decide to purchase this Bible, I don't recommend the Handy size because the pages are pretty crowded. The Regular size is much easier to read.

And, of course, there is Blue Letter Bible, a free handy website that looks up any verse by key word, reference, whatever. I use it all the time. There is a great Blue Letter Bible app for your iPhone.

Another way of learning the Bible is meditation.

"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." Joshua 1:8

The idea of meditation on scripture is an important one. How do I meditate on scripture? In general, some Bible verse or idea will lodge itself in my mind, whether when I pray, or during a sermon, or while reading the Bible. I think about this verse. I look up other verses that say a similar thing, whether using the Thompson Chain (here it is free online) as a tool, or Blue Letter Bible. I think about it some more. I talk about it with friends. I read other chapters in the Bible in light of the idea. I talk about it more. Pray about it more. Read it again in the Bible. The more these things are thought on, and discussed, then thought on some more, the more solid they become in my mind. The Bible says to encourage one another in the faith, and to forsake not the assembling of ourselves together, and if you have Christian friends, discussing what you are thinking about and studying can be one of the most invaluable tools to gain a deeper understanding of God's Word that you have at your disposal. Having a friend as a sounding board for the scriptures you are thinking about will inevitably lend perspective that you might have never found on your own. You guys, I do this All. The. Time. Discussing the Bible with others has been one of the most important elements of my life as a Christian. I could not begin to describe what an impact this has had on my life over the years. If you  haven't discussed the Bible with friends much before, I encourage you to start doing it now. "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." Proverbs 25:11. So very, very true. Conversations about the Bible with my friends are akin to discovering a gold mine. 

Finally, maybe you don't have a friend to encourage you or discuss the Bible with, or maybe I am your friend, whether in real life or through this blog. Well, then, I will put here a list of some of my favorite chapters and books that I feel are a great place to begin reading the Bible to help you get started. Many of these chapters I've read hundreds of times, and, of course, since all scripture is profitable, this list is not an exhaustive one. They're just a good beginning.

First, I recommend reading either one or all four of the gospels- Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Perhaps start with Mark, though I love John.

The following are favorite chapters that are easily read in a day:

Psalm 119 is about God's word and how important it is to learn, and know and meditate on. If you want to inspiration to study the word of God, this is the first chapter you should read, and study.

John 4, 14, 15, and 16 are favorite chapters.

The book of Acts, especially 1-5.

The book of Romans, particularly 6, 7, and 8.

I Corinthians 12, 13, and 14.

The book of Galatians, pay attention to chapter 5.

Ephesians is a favorite book of many. I especially love chapters 1 and 2.

Phillipians and Colossians are each easily read in a day.

I love Paul's words to Timothy in the first chapter of both I and II Timothy.

Hebrews is an amazing book, but very deep and can be overwhelming. Hebrews 11, 12, and 13 are great chapters to start with.

James has lots of practical advice.

I and II Peter are excellent. I love I Peter 1-3.

I have read I John many, many times.

Revelation can be an overwhelming book, but the first three chapters are a great place to start.

You could spend your entire life of Bible reading in the book of Psalms alone, and I have many, many favorites. I love Psalm 1, 37, 46, 51, 91, 119, whatever, you get the idea. The entire book is encouraging and easy to read.

The first 8 chapters of Proverbs, Proverbs 31.

Isaiah 12, 53, 55-66.

Job 38-42.

Ecclesiastes is a great one to read all the way through in one sitting.

A.W. Tozer once said that Deuteronomy was the most spiritual book in the Bible. It may surprise you when you read it- it may not be what you think.

Jeremiah 18, Ezekiel 18.

Okay, you get the idea. I think this is a good starting place and from there, I do believe you will have become familiar enough with God's Word to be able to find favorites of your own.

I hope you find these ideas helpful, whether for yourself, or for your kids who are beginning to approach the Bible themselves. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section.

The Swing

 

How do you like to go up in a swing, 

   Up in the air so blue? 

Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing 

   Ever a child can do! 

 

Up in the air and over the wall, 

   Till I can see so wide, 

Rivers and trees and cattle and all 

   Over the countryside— 

 

Till I look down on the garden green, 

   Down on the roof so brown— 

Up in the air I go flying again, 

   Up in the air and down!

The Swing, by Robert Louis Stevenson

 

This poem has been quoted around here for the past several days, and you may be able to guess why. We (okay, you can see in the pictures it's really not a "we", it's Ben) finally got this swing up. We put it between two tall cottonwoods because we didn't have a single branch that went out far enough from a tree to make the swing work. Nothing scarier than swinging on a swing that is dangerously close to a tree trunk. And, I probably shouldn't have posted the pictures of Ben in those top most branches. He had to take a chainsaw up there to remove some of the dead ones. I am absolutely sure that the way he did it was not the safest way. It's hard to get a perspective from the pictures how high the swing is. 

 

This is a really great swing design. I've seen some do it yourself swings similar to this on Pinterest, however, this one was a kit. Kit or no, this was not an easy project. It took hours and I'm thankful my husband didn't die in the process. Hah. My kids have recently watched the Little House on the Prairie episode where Pa falls out of a tree and breaks his ribs, so they were pretty worried about their dad way up in the tree. I bluntly explained to them that if Daddy fell out of the tree, only broken ribs would be a miracle. 

 

Now that the swing is finished (well, Ben says he still needs to tweak it), there has been quite a bit of arguing about whose turn it is. Meanwhile I'm waiting for a little kid to walk in front of it and get knocked unconscious. Despite all my fears, honestly, it is an amazing swing. It is possible to sit or stand on it, and two little ones can easily ride it together. 

 

We've done several projects around the yard so far this year, and hope to do quite a few more, thanks to too much Pinterest inspiration. Ah, Pinterest. Way too many ideas on there that are much more difficult and expensive than they look. Sure is fun to look, though!

Mom Thoughts

The hardest part about having seven kids is making sure that each child, at each age gets the same experiences the other children got. Are the older kids stuck doing a baby activities all the time? Are the little kids getting to play enough Candyland? Do the middle ones get lost in the shuffle? I think about these kinds of things a lot. Lately I have discovered the couple hours I have  of free time during Cate and Grace's piano lesson is a good time to give my three littlest ones my undivided attention. Last week it was exploring a park we'd never been to before, thereafter christened "The best park in the whole wide world!"

The morning reminded me of the five mornings a week, every week, I used to have with Cate, Grace and Gideon. The sky was the limit back then, because our days were empty and free. Some weeks ended up with visits to library story time on Tuesday and Thursday, and Barnes and Noble story time on Friday. Hour long walks, mornings at the swimming pool (when I took Cate as a toddler, entrance cost me just one dollar), visiting every park I could think of, power walking through the mall before it opened in the winter, when it was too cold to go outside. My life isn't much like that anymore. I actually can't remember the last time I purposely tried to exercise. Or even worried about it...

I've been enjoying being able to focus solely on my littlest ones on these piano mornings. We start with discussing what would be the funnest thing to do, and inevitably they decide that would be a park, though I may surprise them and sneak some swimming in one day, just us, no older kids. They would love that.

On the other end of the spectrum, I've realized that while life is easier for me when we stay pretty homebound and get normal bedtimes for the whole family, that the so called "teenagers" (long story, but the word is jokingly taboo in our home) in the house might like to do something more exciting with their evenings than simply concentrate on getting a good night's sleep. Of course eight hours of sleep at night is ideal, and of course, as you know, I love to get my day, and subsequently our family's day, going at the crack of dawn. But, a while back I decided to be flexible about the older kids' bedtimes. I told Cate and Grace they didn't have to go to bed at any set time, but I was still going to wake them at the same time each morning, even if they stayed up late the night before.

I'm surprised at how well this has worked. I had to stop and think about what it was like for me when I was a teen. Certainly, it was full of late nights and crazy sleep schedules, and occasionally sleeping in on the weekend to make up for it. But I had then, as Cate and Grace have now, a schedule with enough commitments in it make me consider if the youth group all nighter or the late night baby sitting job, was worth taking or not. I quickly figured out how un-fun it was to pay for hours of lost sleep the next day. And sometimes I decided that the lost sleep was worth it, and sometimes not. But, I survived growing up with the occasional night of three or four hours sleep. Hey, I still do. It may be easier on me to treat them like they are still little kids and stick them in bed at nine o'clock every night, but it can be fun to live a little.

Live a little. That's what I tell my kids often. Try something new, don't just stand on the sidelines and watch. I want my kids to experience life and fill it with memories. This mantra is what had Cate, Grace and Gideon playing softball with friends one afternoon in the middle of a huge downpour. They came home soaking wet and begging for hot chocolate and laughing their heads off. Yes, school work all day without a break may be more ideal for me as a teacher, but it is often the sudden change in schedule to randomly decide to paint a dresser, or hang a swing outside, or buy flowers to plant, that stays with them longer than the lesson they were reading.

Over the years, I have gone from being a very scatterbrained person who procrastinated and never got any work done, to realizing my kids were never going to learn to read if that was the way I approached school. Then I buckled down pretty hard on the kids and became more of a drill sergeant, ensuring we would learn our times tables and spend our free time reading and practicing instruments; and it is in the last couple of years that I've learned to recognize that there is a legitimate balance between the two that can be reached, for optimal learning, and enjoying life. 

Life as a parent is amazing, isn't it? How is it possible that each day is better than the one before it, with new milestones reached, while at the same time utterly heartbreaking because the day before is never coming back? Soon, Jude, Truman, and Clementine's days with me at the park during piano lessons will be over. I wonder what they will be doing instead? Soon, my teens will be finished with school and lessons and my authority. I wonder what their lives will look like then? It's dizzying to even think about. In summary of all these scattered thoughts that I am thinking today, I will conclude with this simple but accurate thought: Life is such a gift.