"Even If"

Sometimes all we have to hold on to
Is what we know is true of who You are
So when the heartache hits like a hurricane
That could never change who You are
And we trust in who You are

Even if the healing doesn’t come
And life falls apart
And dreams are still undone
You are God You are good
Forever faithful One
Even if the healing
Even if the healing doesn’t come

Lord we know Your ways are not our ways
So we set our faith in who You are
Even though You reign high above us
You tenderly love us
We know Your heart
And we rest in who You are

You’re still the Great and Mighty One
We trust You always
You’re working all things for our good
We’ll sing your praise

You are God and we will bless You
As the Good and Faithful One
You are God and we will bless You
Even if the healing doesn’t come
Even if the healing doesn’t come
kutless

dragon slaying

"Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten." -G.K. Chesterton

8

Mad turned
Energetic
Insightful
Genuine
Hilarious
Tenacious
this week.

Eight!

You were made to fill a purpose that only you can fill. There will never be a more beautiful you.

in this we have hope, you are the Lord God Almighty

I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that I've gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You
Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It's never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain

I am Yours regardless of
The dark clouds that may loom above
Because You are much greater than my pain
You who made a way for me
By suffering Your destiny
So tell me what's a little rain
So I pray

Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
mercyme

in this we have hope, beauty will rise

It was the day the world went wrong
I screamed til my voice was gone
And watched through the tears as everything
Came crashing down
Slowly panic turns to pain
As we awake to what remains
And sift through the ashes
That are left behind
But buried deep beneath
All our broken dreams we have this hope

Out of these ashes beauty will rise
And we will dance among the ruins
We will see it with our own eyes
Out of these ashes beauty will rise
For we know joy is coming in the morning
In the morning, beauty will rise

So take another breath for now
And let the tears come washing down
And if you can't believe, I will believe for you
Cause I have seen the signs of spring
Just watch and see

Out of these ashes beauty will rise
And we will dance among the ruins
We will see it with our own eyes
Out of these ashes beauty will rise
For we know joy is coming in the morning
In the morning

I can hear it in the distance
And it's not too far away
It's the music and the laughter
Of a wedding and a feast
I can almost feel the hand of God
Reaching for my face to wipe the tears away
You say, "it's time to make everything new"
Make it all new

This is our hope
This is a promise
This is our hope
This is a promise

It will take our breath away
To see the beauty that's been made
Out of the ashes, out of the ashes

Out of these ashes
Beauty will rise
And we will dance among the ruins
We will see it with our own eyes
Out of this darkness
New light will shine
And we'll know the joy that's coming in the morning
In the morning
Beauty will rise

Oh, beauty will rise
Oh, oh, oh, beauty will rise
Oh, oh, oh, beauty will rise
Oh, oh, oh, beauty will rise

s.c. chapman

building catherals

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'

Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this??

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

Some days I'm a crystal ball; 'Where's my other sock?, Where's my phone?, What's for dinner?'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history, music and literature -but now, they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . She had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when she turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'With admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: 1) No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. 2) These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. 3) They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. 4) The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A story of legend in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was Almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does.

No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, no Cub Scout meeting, no last minute errand is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for 3 hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, he'd say, 'You're gonna love it there...'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible mother.

The Will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not keep you.

author unknown

nothing else matters

"This is what the Lord says: 'Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,' declares the Lord." Jer. 9:23-24
em told her doctor today that her greatest accomplishment was accepting Jesus and knowing God. love her heart.

old and cranky

tonight mad told me about a dream she had the other day.
"there was a cranky old woman."
i interrupted, "was the cranky old woman me?"
"no, it was another old lady."
"yeah, thanks."

and so it begins

179 days until summer vacation.

twilight

a couple of nights ago mad was talking to me in her vampire voice. i laughed and said in my super low, sick as a dog voice, "i am a vampire."
she responded in all seriousness, "you are?"
"of course not, why would you think that i am?"
"because you are really white."

she must be reading twilight in her spare time.

perhaps

just for amusement

growing up

em's 10th birthday!

under consideration

socialization

the term socialization is defined as:
1. To place under government or group ownership or control.
2. To make fit for companionship with others; make sociable.
3. To convert or adapt to the needs of society.
the top definition sends shivers down my spine for obvious reasons. ownership and control are pretty strong words!
the second definition is all well and good. of course, i want my children to be considerate and loving of others. one might argue (not me of course, cause i hate to argue - ha ha ha) that home-schooling gives them more opportunities to be sociable with a wider range of age groups better equipping them for the future. after all, once you graduate from college you don't continue to travel in same-age social herds. you work with and communicate with people of differing ages. most home-schooled children learn this skill much earlier than traditionally educated children.
the last definition also sends chills to my soul. it states, "convert or adapt to the needs of society." society is adapting to sin at an alarming rate; that's certainly not what i want for the girls.

further research into this topic revealed the goals of socialization.

Arnett,[1] in presenting a new theoretical understanding of socialization (see below), outlined what he believes to be the three goals of socialization:

1. impulse control and the development of a conscience
(shouldn't that be the dad and the mom's responsibility not another child or teacher?)

2. role preparation and performance, including occupational roles, gender roles, and roles in institutions such as marriage and parenthood
(these roles have been completely skewed by our society from there original intent. do i want the girls to understand these roles and others as God designed them or as man has distorted them?)

3. the cultivation of sources of meaning, or what is important, valued, and to be lived for.
(once again, shouldn't this be the responsibility of dad and mom - especially christian dads and moms. what if those cultivating your children have different values?)

i believe that the family is the primary unit of society. it is also the first institution established by God. a child learns unconditional love, trust and faith from their family. his status doesn't change on the whims of his peers. it is constant. he is always loved and taught to show love. the child learns values, principles, and truth from people who have his best interest at heart. the child will learn to value creativity and their own uniqueness from those who encourage them to think outside the box and be what God created them to be - instead of being shoved into the box and told to be like everyone else. (yuck! the world would be so boring if everyone conformed to the ordinary!!! i'm so thankful that isn't God's desire for his children!)

can a christian kiddo survive public school and turn out ok. - absolutely!!! i think they will struggle more because for 8 or more hours a day they will be enveloped in lies from every direction, but it can work.

also, not every child should be home-school and not every parent should home-school!!! trust me, i'm not for home-schooling if it's not done well! every parent needs to figure out what's best for their kiddo. maybe that is public school, or private school(that's another post) or home-school.

btw, our oldest went to public school in k5, so i'm not just defending the home-school movement b/c that's what we do. we've been there and done that. yes, she was socialized by other five and six year old kids. it's not all that it is cracked up to be.

emily visiting
the sick room











maddie when she had
pneumonia























a couple weeks later:






a "spider web"
the girls created











doing some yoga
in the midst of chaos

just a few pictures of the season and em's new glasses.

fright free fun night - aka - halloween

our very unhappy
fairy and her happy
butterfly sister













the fairy fishing

















butterfly fishing

















taking aim at
goliath

















the chicken
catapult


















em taking aim















mad taking aim

(teaching them early)



















































the woodland sisters









happy all hallows eve

hmmmmmmmm.....2

this just made me laugh and i wanted to share it with you:

One of the greatest founding principals of our great country was the right of free speech (thus a right to your own opinion) - and during these trying times, I fully support everyone’s right to make their own decision. With that said, I also believe that when someone does something irresponsible, they should be called out on it and held accountable - this entails all aspects of life.

Read the short story below - a great read that will make you smile and it should make you think as well. There are only 7 days left until the election -

Your challenge of the day - let them have a taste of Obama ‘08

——————————————————————————–

Subject: Obama Experiment

Yesterday on my way to lunch I passed a homeless guy with a sign that read “Vote Obama, I need the money.” I laughed.
Once in the restaurant I noticed that my server had an “Obama 08″ campaign button pinned to his tie. Again I laughed at the manner in which he had given away his political preference — just imagine the coincidence.

When the bill came I decided not to tip the server — and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need–the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight.

I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside because I had decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful.

At the end of my rather unscientific experiment I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn …… even though the actual recipient was in greater need of the money.

I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application.

hmmmmmm...

"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.

The average age of the world's great civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage."

-Alexander Tyler 1787

Our Cinderella

She spins and she sways to whatever song plays,
Without a care in the world.
And I'm sittin' here wearin' the weight of the world on my shoulders.
It's been a long day and there's still work to do,
She's pulling at me saying "Dad I need you!
There's a ball at the castle and I've been invited and I need to practice my dancin'"
"Oh please, daddy, please!"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh I will dance with Cinderella
I don't wanna miss even one song,
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone























































She says he's a nice guy and I'd be impressed
She wants to know if I approve of the dress
She says "Dad, the prom is just one week away,
And I need to practice my dancin'"
"Oh please, daddy, please!"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Ohh-oh ohh-oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't wanna miss even one song,
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone
She will be gone.















































Well, she came home today
With a ring on her hand
Just glowin' and tellin' us all they had planned
She says "Dad, the wedding's still six months away
but I need to practice my dancin'"
"Oh please, daddy please!"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Ohh-oh ohh-oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't wanna miss even one song,
(even one song)
























































'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone
(steven curtis chapman)


so, our little cinderella might enjoy batman and transformers and stars wars. but she's still our little ciderella and she's growing up all too fast.

happy 5th birthday mad!


special thanks to uncle g and aunt caslon for some of these pictures!