highlights

No matter how little I blog each year, somehow I feel that I should always begin the new year with a blog post.  I’ve written several that were philosophical in nature, like this one, this one, or this one.  But, today is not the day for that.  Today is the day for a little trip down memory lane as we remember that 2015 was a fun year …

we had drama ~
Anne of Green Gables

Pilgrim

Two Dwarfs and Seven Whites

and Peter Pan (rehearsed, but not performed, so no pictures yet)

we had travels (some day trips, some vacations) ~

Disney World in February

Landrums in Laurel, MS

Day trip on the Natchez Trace

Atlanta for OCC

combined with a trip to Tennessee in November

we had church fun

and most importantly …

FAMILY FUN!

There is no doubt that 2015 was a good year and we are looking forward to new and exciting things in 2016.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

educated?

It happens every year about this time. I realize that we are approaching the end of the school year and we haven't accomplished as much as I would have liked.  It doesn't matter that we school year-round, so the end of the school year simply means that there will be a change in our extra-curricular activities … we go from drama and dance to Vacation Bible School preparation … but that is another story in itself.

This year is different, though.  Now that I have my first high-school student, I am feeling the pressure to “keep up” with what her counterparts in public school, or even other homeschoolers, are doing.

But, that is not why I am educating my children at home.

All of this contemplation has led me to really search out what it means to be educated.  I looked up the definition … and the word means exactly what I thought it meant, but what does that really mean for my kids?

Simply put, what is it that I want my children to know before they graduate?  More importantly, what do they need to know before they leave the safety of our home and make their way in the world?  Does my responsibility for my children's education end with a list of courses to finish and credits to list on a transcript?  Somehow, this seems to miss out on the whole point of what I have spent the last 10 years doing … or at least aiming to do. I don’t want my kids to leave home thinking that their education has been limited to the time we have spent doing bookwork.

With that in mind, I am working on a list of the “things” I want the kids to know or understand before they leave the nest.  This list probably won't scratch the surface of everything that they really need, but I am just going to start and see how far I get.

To my children:

·        Each of you is loved unconditionally.  The love that your Daddy and I have for you is in no way tied to anything you might (or might not) accomplish ~ academically or otherwise.  But, never forget that we do not love you perfectly … we don’t have that ability.  We have made mistakes and we will continue to make mistakes.  Our mistakes don’t mean that we love you any less, they simply mean that we are human.

·        I want the three of you to learn to love each other unconditionally.  Someday you just might need each other … don’t wait for that day to come to become friends.

·        On the same train of thought as #1, you each need to understand that you are not the center of our world.  I don’t believe that God ever intended it to be that way.  Someday, you will step out of our home and make your own way in the world.  When you do, it will go easier for you if you already understand that you aren’t the center of the universe. This may not make sense to you now, but someday it will.

·        I want you to know the value of hard work.  Sometimes teaching you this seems like a losing battle to your daddy and me.  But we will continue plugging along.  You may not enjoy hard work now, but I pray that you learn to do it anyway. (See Colossians 3:17)

·        I also want you to know the beauty of serving others.  This is something that I already see each of you embracing, and I am extremely proud of you for it.  Just don’t lose the joy you now find in service. I don’t claim to have learned too many things in this life, but I do believe that you will never regret time spent serving others.  Oh, and don’t worry if they don’t seem to appreciate what you do.  Ultimately, what you do isn’t for them anyway.  (Again, see Colossians 3:17)

·        I want you to know the importance of being willing to step out of your comfort zones and try new things.  This was probably one of the hardest lessons I had to learn as an adult.  Don’t wait like I did. You will be amazed by the things you can accomplish if you are willing to try.

·        I want you to learn how to be a friend.  This is a tough one.  I am “full-grown” and I am still learning.  Learn to forgive, even when it is hard.  Learn that just when someone seems most un-lovable, this is most likely the time that they need someone to show them love.  Ask God to allow you to see people the way He sees them.

·        I want you to know how to think outside the box.  I don’t want you to buck the system just for the sake of being different, but I don’ t want you to follow the crowd either.  Think for yourself.  And more importantly, pray and seek God’s guidance and then follow Him!  (See Proverbs 3:5-6)

·        There is one final lesson that I want you to know before I type up that final transcript.  I want you to know HOW to learn.  In the immortal words of Ernest T. Bass, you will learn how to “read a little, write a little, and tote up yer ciphers” during the years we school together, but unless you walk away knowing how to learn things on your own, I will have failed you.  And what is probably more important, I want you to WANT to learn.  I hope that you will never forget the saying that hangs on our school room wall –

If you are not willing to learn,

 no one can help you.

If you are determined to learn,

 no one can stop you.

This list is by no means comprehensive, but maybe it is a good beginning.  I am thankful that I still have a few more years to be involved in my children's education, but I know that the time will fly and I will be typing that final transcript before I know it ... 

but I'm not going to dwell on that thought right now.

one thing off my bucket list

At this time last year, my 40^th birthday was looming large in front of me and I was looking for things to make me feel like the kid that my brain heart still thinks I should be. So, I decided that sometime during the year in which I turned 40 I really needed to complete a 5k race. Somewhere in my childish, 39 year old brain, I thought that running said race would be a good idea. But, somewhere along the way, my 40-year-old-out-of-shape body told my still-thinks-I-am-a-kid brain to hush and I decided that walking a 5k would be a more realistic goal.

But, I got busy and my daily walks got pushed to the back-burner, so I kinda gave up on the idea of actually achieving the goal I had set for myself. I'd like to play the martyr and say that I sacrificed my goals so that my kids could accomplish goals of their own, but the truth is that I allowed the busyness of life to crowd out the daily walks that I really should have made time for each day.

So, time passes and my 41^st birthday creeps closer and closer and then we go to Disney and walk an average of 10 miles per day and it doesn't hurt me as bad as I thought it would. And then a friend at church … one who is a little older than me … tells me that she has been walking in a 5k a month since she had heart surgery. And then she invites our family to join her in a walk to support missions … a walk that is scheduled before my birthday.

And that is how I came to spend a Saturday morning in March walking in the rain, up and down hills that were described as rolling when the word killer would have been a much better description. And that is why, for the next week, I couldn't stand up without groaning, and possibly moaning, with every step.

Now that I have done one 5k, I could just say … been there, done that, got the t-shirt. But, now that I have done it once, I know that I don't want it to be the last.

Finishing that race, even in the pouring rain and knowing that I would be feeling every hill we had climbed for days to come, felt good … I mean, really good.

Like a feeling that I don't know how to put into words.

Besides being able to mark this goal off of my bucket list, I also had the pleasure of sharing my first time with Lora for her first time. We had a great time talking while we walked … except for the times that I was puffing too hard trying to make it up a hill and she was having to work hard not to run off and leave me. Her 15 year old dancer's legs weren't struggling quite as hard as my 40 year old ones. Somehow, doing it together made it easier and definitely more fun.

I think it is safe to say that this won't be my last 5k. Besides the fact that I actually enjoyed it, now my boys want to get in on the action and Lora has already been looking for our next race. I never realized how many opportunities there are to get off your duff on a Saturday morning and support some cause.

I has occurred to me, that it is slightly possible that those Saturday mornings might be just a little bit easier if I'll get off my duff during the week!

I couldn't resist taking a couple of pictures of the day.  Certainly, this is something we want to remember!

This was pretty much the only sunshine we saw the entire day.

This sign was along the road on the biggest hill ...
I was not amused.

This is a terrible picture, but it does give a little
perspective on the hills.  You can see that Lora
wasn't struggling quite as much as her poor, old Mama!

We were soaking wet and looking a little ragged,
 but happy thankful to have reached the finish line!

Proof that we finished!  Lora and I both placed in our age-groups,
which explains the medals.  I think it is great to have a memento of
our first race, but it was such a small race that I don't think that
it is exactly honest to say that we "won" or anything.

abundant life - part two

Yesterday, I shared the beginning of Mama's Sunday School lesson on how to live an abundant life. (Click here to read part one)  Today, I am sharing part two … pay attention to the last point … it is the one that really got to me.

3. Sacrifice

John 15:13

“Greater love hath no man than this,

that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

One of the main characteristics of someone who understands what it really means to live abundantly would be their willingness to lay down their life for someone else. Of course, Christ is our supreme example of this, but we can see the importance of this type of attitude in our own lives. In order to be able to die for someone else, you must be able to see that they have a need for someone to stand in their place. This cannot be seen if we are constantly focusing on what we see as problems in our own lives. If we are content with where we are, however, we will be able to see the needs of others much more easily. We can also serve the Lord better when we have a sacrificial spirit. Someone who is not totally committed to the work of the Lord, such as to lay down his life for a friend, will have a hard time doing all that the Lord might call him to do. Consequently, if we are not doing all that the Lord has called us to do, we are not really living an abundant life. We must be willing to sacrifice ourselves to be a blessing to others.

4. Obedience

2 Kings 4:1-7

“Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? Tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children on the rest.”

The final point we need to look at is obedience. This is certainly a common thread that runs through what we have already talked about. Paul was obedient to the Lord throughout his ministry in all manner of circumstances. The Lord Jesus was obedient even unto the death of the cross. Here in this very practical illustration, we have yet one more example of the connection between obedience and the abundant life. Here we have a lady who is down to nothing and she is about to lose even that. Desperation is an appropriate term, I think.

She cried out to God in search of hope. The reply she received might have seemed foolish, but that was all she had to go on. She obeyed what the Lord told her through Elisha. Because of her obedience, the Lord blessed her. She had an abundant amount of money so that she could pay the people she owed as well as provide the essentials of life for herself and her family. Her obedience yielded an abundant life.

How many blessings do we miss for failure to yield to the command of God? This woman did not know why she was to fill the jars with oil until she had finished. Her instructions were given in pieces. How often do we choose not to obey God because the outcome is not clear or the instructions seem impossible? Perhaps we have never been in a place  such as this woman was in; a place where depending on God was all we had. We should not wait until we are on the absolute bottom to begin listening to God. Surely He speaks to us before we get there, we just can't (or won't) hear Him because we are too busy listening to the other noise in our world. Perhaps the only way for some to enjoy the abundant life is to come to a place where they are far too aware of their need for God's hand to sustain their life. Until we see our need to obey God in all points, we will have no idea what Christ meant by us, His children, living abundant lives. John 10:10 will simply be another verse that we don't see as having any real application to our lives.

Conclusion

Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God, and keep his commandments:

for this is the whole duty of man.

For God shall bring every secret thing,

whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”

These are only a few points that seem to be a must for a truly abundant life. There is one final passage of scripture that seems to cover all areas of life. The last two verses in Ecclesiastes leave no question about what our lives are to be like. Christ said that we would have abundant life and Solomon sums up how to do that. Solomon was the man who had it all. Whatever life had to offer, Solomon had it. Not only did he have all the material possessions of life, he also had more wisdom than anyone else. It was his wisdom that enabled Solomon to see all the material things of life as mere vanity. To him, they amounted to nothing because they would only be left behind at death. He was also wise enough to know that his wisdom was nothing because whether a person is wise or is a fool, both die the same. What is the point? He wasn't really being negative about life; he just saw things for what they were. Solomon was a man who lived an abundant life. He knew that all is in vain if one does not see the need to fear God and keep His commandments. All that we do shall be judged one day and no amount of fame or fortune or wisdom will make a difference at that time. Are you prepared to stand before the Lord on that day? If you are not, you need to be. At that time, you will be alone. You won't have your husband or wife or mother or father to help you. You will be responsible for yourself. Be sure you are ready. Be found living the abundant life that Christ died to give you when He returns to get you. Claim the promise that has been made to you!

I hope that these words that my Mama wrote so many years ago, probably sometime in the mid 90's, have touched your heart as much as they have mine. Though I didn't read these words until after Mama died, I watched her live them during her years of battling cancer. And for that, I will be forever thankful.

abundant life

Many moons ago, I wrote a blog post about how much I love our church's Wednesday night services. That post is still back there in the dark recesses of this little blog of mine, just in case you are interested. When I wrote that post, I obviously had a plan to write more posts on the role of the church. Somehow, I never got around to doing that, but maybe this one will speak just a little bit of what I might have been thinking back then. My love for our church and our Wednesday night services still holds true, even though we have made a few changes since then. We have begun doing six week studies led by our pastor. While I enjoy these studies, I miss the time spent with just the ladies. So, I was happy when we finished the last study and Bro. Don announced that we would take a break before beginning the next one and in the interim time would go back to breaking into prayer groups (ladies in one room, men in another).

I volunteered to do the Bible study the first week. I have had several topics on my mind lately and felt sure that I would go in one of those directions. I was wrong. Wednesday morning, I sat down to figure out what I was going to present to the ladies that night, and nothing would work. I got ready for school and we made the 10 minute drive to Daddy's and our schoolroom … where I saw my Mama's computer. I knew that she had typed quite a few Sunday School lessons for the class she had taught for more years than I can remember, so I started looking through them and I realized that I have been given a wonderful gift. My sweet Mama's thoughts about scripture and about her Savior and about the life we, as Christians, are supposed to lead. I printed some of the lessons for later … for those moments when I am needing a wise word from my Mama. I chose one to share with the ladies at prayer meeting. I chose this one because it touched my heart, so now, I am going to share this same one with you. Since it is pretty long and I am going to give it to you just as Mama wrote it, I'm going to break it into two parts … I'll share one today and the other tomorrow.

The Abundant Life

John 10:10

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:

I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Jesus said in John 10:10 that He came so that might have abundant life. What is abundant life? What is Jesus saying? Does He mean that He wanted His people to be wealthy? What about having the most affluent circle of friends? Does He want us to have the finest house or vehicle? Perhaps Christ was not talking about our physical life at all. Maybe He only meant we should have abundant life in Heaven. No, I don't believe Christ was only speaking in a spiritual sense about Heaven, although life there will certainly be abundant. Nor do I think He was referring to any of the other possibilities I mentioned. Christ is our example in everything and none of the ideas mentioned applied to Him, so that could not be what He was talking about. Christ most definitely lived an abundant life. Our question is not only “What is an abundant life?” but also, “Are you living one?”

1. Contentment

Philippians 4:11

“Not that I speak in respect of want:

for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am,

therewith to be content.”

One of the primary factors that seems to be important to living an abundant life is to be able to truthfully say you are content where you are. Paul made this statement as a man who was sitting in a prison somewhere, most likely in Rome. Not only was he imprisoned at the time but he had a list of other reasons as long as your arm that would be sufficient evidence to cause him to be discontent. Most likely he was a man prone to grumble and complain just as any other human. He was simply a man. Paul was no better or worse than any of us. The scripture tells us, however, that he learned to be content. Paul had learned that no amount of complaining in the world would change a situation. It would not reverse a set of circumstances that seemed undesirable. Never will complaining provide food during a famine. Paul learned that the best thing to do, if you are going to get any enjoyment out of life, is to learn to thank the Lord for whatever troubles you might be facing and be content with the situation. There is no need to fret over something you can do nothing about.

We have a good example of how contentment is key to the abundant life in Proverbs 15:15.

“All the days of the afflicted are evil:

but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.”

Notice first of all the description of the afflicted. According to the scripture, all the days of his life are evil. This simply means that he sees nothing good in life. Nothing ever goes the way he wants it to. There is no joy in his life. However, “he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.” The difference is in the attitude. Both people have problems and trials in life, they just deal with them in different ways. One man sees life as nothing but negative and so he leans a miserable life. The other man, who might be facing the exact same trials, maintains a good attitude and therefore experiences a continual feast. The second man knows the secret to the abundant life. If someone can be truly content with life in all manner of circumstances, he can expect to know the meaning of Christ's statement about the abundant life. Without contentment, the abundant life is impossible.

2. Service

I Corinthians 9:16

“For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of:

for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”

Paul was keenly aware that the Lord had appointed him to a specific place of service. He was willingly serving the Lord in whatever area he was needed. Paul felt as though his life would be lacking something if he were not busy about the work God had called him to. In other words, Paul felt as if he had to preach. Never in any of his letters did he mention being tired of serving the Lord. Why is this? Very simply put, Paul was enjoying the abundant life. He had no regrets about the time he spent in the ministry. Paul would not have been content any other way, except to serve the Lord. Should we expect our lives to be any different? For a child of God, I don't see any reason to think such a thing. We are called to service. Granted, we are called to differing areas of service, but we who are born again are expected to be serving the Lord. Service is a must if the Christian intends to live an abundant life.

Tomorrow I will post the second part of Mama's lesson on living the abundant life, where she looks at the role of sacrifice and obedience in living an abundant life.

(Want to read part two? click here)

life lessons from disney world

Our family recently returned home from our second trip to Disney World. Before our first trip two years ago, I was convinced that I would not enjoy “the happiest place on earth” … I was wrong. It is true that I don't like crowds and that I have always had a healthy fear of roller coasters. Add these things to the fact that a perfect vacation to me includes a good cup of coffee, a good book, and a mountain view … none of which are available in Disney and you can see why I was a little unsure about our first visit. But, I have learned some things about Disney and about myself (and about my kids) during these trips … here's a hint, most of these things have to do with experiences (good and bad) outside of our comfort zone.

So, without further ado, here's my list of things learned … in no particular order.

#1 You shouldn't expect a 9 year old to enjoy gourmet food just because he doesn't want a kid's meal. We chose to buy the dining plan that includes a table service meal each day. Ronnie and I carefully chose the restaurants and made reservations. We even looked at the menus to see if we thought that the kids would be able to find something they would like at each one. What we didn't anticipate was the fact that our youngest would simply get tired of the foods that he isn't used to eating. This little guy of mine isn't an extremely picky eater. Actually, he can be quite adventurous at times. But several days of eating under-cooked veggies (we are from the South, people … we don't eat our green beans crunchy!) and having raw beef delivered to your table (we sent his back … I wish I had sent MINE back) will likely take away any kid's adventurous spirit. So, we learned to ask for a kid's meal, just with a little larger portion (since we had paid for him as an adult). This worked well, but the process of ordering almost always brought on tears...and he usually ended up eating cereal back in the room before bed.

#2 Another thing about kids …. you shouldn't try to make a 15 year old ride the rides if she is dead set against it. And, you should ride the kiddie rides that she does like with her. With that in mind, I finally gave up on getting LB to ride the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Big Thunder Mountain with me. These are my two favorite roller coasters, but my totally un-adventurous (when it comes to rides, at least) daughter is terrified of them. So, she rode Peter Pan's Flight and Winnie the Pooh and It's a Small World and the other slow-moving rides. She did ride one of the boys' favorite rides – Star Tours, but I can't say that she enjoyed it. She does have an absolute favorite ride … Soarin' … it may not qualify as a thrill ride, but we all like it. So instead of riding rides, she and I spent plenty of time browsing in the shops and we even met a few princesses and along the way LB rediscovered her desire to do the Disney college program and spend a semester working there. I hope she does.

#3 Someday, I really want to go to Disney with just Ronnie. That may sound a little strange and I hope it doesn't offend my kids, but I just can't help but think that it would be fun to get to walk around and do exactly what we want to do and actually spend some quality time together while we are doing it. I'm not talking about leaving our kids behind while they are still kids … just thinking ahead to future days.

#4 Another thing about food … there are a few things anyone going to Disney for the 1^st time should know. First of all, seared is not the same thing as cooked. I realize that I am revealing just how unsophisticated I am, but I don't really care. If I order a roast beef sandwich, I DO NOT want blood soaking into my bread. So, by the end of the week, I just made a point to choose poultry … no one serves chicken raw! The flip side is that I found out that I do like Brussel Sprouts if they are cooked properly and blueberry barbecue sauce may sound strange, but it is actually extremely yummy. In other words, a little gourmet never hurt anyone, you just have to know how to order. One more little tidbit about Disney food … thanks to my friend, Donna, we took time to try one of the cinnamon rolls at Gaston's Tavern in Magic Kingdom. Every visitor to Disney world should make time to indulge in one of these massive and delectable treats. It is well worth calories!

#5 This one is the most important thing that I have learned in Disney. The number one way to have fun (especially with your kids) in Disney World, is to step outside of your comfort zone. To that end, I did my best to ride every ride my kids wanted me to ride. It is true that there were some rides that I really wanted to ride. There were others that I really didn't want to ride (like Rockin' Roller Coaster and Expedition Everest) but my 13 year old son really wanted me to, so I did, and I LIKED THEM! It is also okay to do things that make you feel silly … like riding the teacups or taking pictures with characters. These are the things that the kids will remember and I want them to remember that I did these things with them, not just that I let them do them.

One more thing: I love to travel, but I also love coming home!  As a matter of fact, I think traveling is a perfect way to remind myself to be thankful for my little house in my own little hometown ... not to mention my friends and family!




So, now you have it. A little bit of my own personal, Disney inspired, life-lessons .... now, go be silly with your kids!