Ok, so I have a new favorite something or other like every other day. I guess that’s because I am always on the look out for more information, more knowledge, more wisdom on how to live this life the way God intended it to be:)

So, this website came from my wonderful and ever resourceful neighbor, Jodi:

http://www.ezhealthydiet.com/

As with everything, this website is not the be-all-end-all in health or healthy living, but I give it two thumbs up for the recipes and the major ideas of where to start in eating right.

Hope everyone who is at the campground is having a good time. We are enjoying it online:) Thanks to those who have put such an effort into making that possible. It’s been a blessing to listen. I really appreciated what Brother Buzzard had to say. Gotta love people who do their homework.

http://www.ezhealthydiet.com/healthy-breakfast-idea.html This is the cereal I am going to try tomorrow… I will let you know how it turned out. Thought it would be a good alternative to half-baked granola.

Ok, so I am little late getting out the details; but here they are nonetheless. Every year the church we attend here has an International Meeting over the holiday weekend. Fellow believers from all over the world gather together once a year to fill our sanctuary and our homes. I have always loved being able to keep people for a meeting. It is such a blessing to be able to serve God’s people in a home environment. I have always wanted to have a huge house where I could house families for varying periods of time and help them out. When I first got saved, or gave my life to Christ, an older couple took me in and gave me a good home to live in while I got myself on my feet.  I learned so much while living in that communal atmosphere, good examples and not so good:) But all in all, it put a deep desire in my heart to want to do the same for other young families. I want to be able to minister to them, show them a godly and biblical pattern for family life, for living healthy, for raising children for the glory of God.

Anyways, so if you hadn’t guessed, acts of service is my love language and I love to “do” things for others. And it also means to much to me when someone “does” something to me. It speaks volumes to me. (That’s why I rave over my new friend Jodi for helping me out at the end of our first homeschooling year - she’s awesome, by the way.) So, being able to keep my friends and their parents that past weekend was truly a blessing to me. They wanted me to sit down and relax, but I tell you, I got more pleasure and joy from serving them than I ever would just resting:) So, thank you my sweet friends, Amber and Rachel, for allowing me to take care of you for a few days. I had such a great time of fellowship and wished our time had been longer where we could have just spent days talking and working together. Rachel’s mom had suggested that I open a “wellness center” where I would take people in and teach them how to live a healthy lifestyle and prepare/cook healthy meals and snacks. If I did, Rachel and Amber would the perfect people to help me pull that one off:) I am blessed to have such wonderful friends.

I am sure the messages were great during services. I did not hear all that much, working in the nursery most of the meeting. But the night service that I was out (and the one I snuck out of during song service) the Spirit was rich and I had a wonderful time praising and worshipping the Lord with friends I do not see so often. I know some might call this just an “emotionalism”, and you can call it whatever you want. God made us with emotions and if He wants to use those as a vehicle to allow me to “feel” what being in His presence must be like, I am totally in for it. I know that serving the Lord is not all in what you feel and that your feelings will often lead you astray, but it is refreshing when God uses them for what He created them for - to assist us in praising Him. As the song says, “The reason I live, is to worship Him.” I was created to serve and bring glory to God. And I have to say, it is the most fulfilling reason for living I have found, and trust me I looked.

Well, I was asked for some recipes that I used this weekend. So, here they are:)

Partially Baked Granola

2 cups barley flakes

2 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup raw honey

1 cup sunflower oil

3/4 cup flax seeds

3/4 cup sesame seeds

1 cup mixed premium nuts

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup pumpkin seeds

1 cup dried fruit (cherries, cranberries, apricots, etc.)

dash salt

cinnamon to taste

Mix all dry ingredients first, then add oil and honey. Stir. Bake in glass casserole dish in oven on the lowest setting your oven will go (mine was 170) for a few hours (you could leave the door partially cracked if you don’t have little ones running around at that time). If you have a dehydrator, that would be the ideal way to have some raw granola. (But for me this, is just going to have to work. I consider it to be partially raw, kind of like Ezekial bread.) Stir occasionally. Remove when slightly browned. Place on aluminum foil to dry and cool. When it has cooled, place into an air-tight container. And enjoy:)

Double Chocolate “Oatmeal” Cookies

Preheat oven to 375

1 cup butter

1 cup turbinado or raw sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 egg

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cup whole grain flour (I use spelt)

1 1/2 cup barley flakes (or rolled oats)

1 cup dark chocolate chips

Mix. Bake for about 10-12 minutes.

I usually double this recipe for my family (cookies don’t last very long around here).

Nut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Preheat oven to 375.

3/4 cup butter

1/2 cup nut butter ( I use sunflower)

1 - 1 1/2 cup raw sugar cane (the less sugar the better;) I often use 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce as a substitute for 1/2 of the sugar allowance, then I just have to add a bit more flour to make the consistency thick enough)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cup whole grain flour (still using spelt)

2 cups rolled oats, or barley flakes

1 cup dark chocolate chips

Mix. Bake for about 10-12 minutes.

Oat Bran Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Preheat oven to 400.

1 cup whole grain flour

1/2 cup flax meal

1/2 -3/4 cup oat bran

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 beaten egg

3/4 - 1 cup milk ( I use vanilla almond milk) (May need more milk, oat bran seems to absorb the liquid)

1/4 sunflower oil

1/3 cup raw sugar (or use some applesauce, or honey, or xylitol)

1 cup chopped apples

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix. Fill paper muffin cups about 3/4 way full. Bake for 20 minutes.

I usually triple this recipe so that they will last for a week or so around here. They make great quick breakfasts for the kids on busy days. Add in a protein smoothie and they’re good until lunch.

Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake

This is a treat around here. I was glad I was able to make it and enjoy it with my friends. It’s a lot of work, but worth it for those who truly appreciate a not too bad for you, once in a while treat.

Preheat oven to 325.

1 cup walnuts or pecans, coarsely ground

1 cup cookie crumbs ( I used the double chocolate cookie crumbs that are left in the bag)

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 tablespoons raw sugar

12-16 ounces of dark chocolate, cut up

1 cup milk (I use the vanilla almond)

5-6 beaten eggs

3/4 cup raw sugar

1/3 cup whole grain flour

1. For crust, combine pecans, crumbs, melted butter and 2 TB sugar. Press onto the bottom and about 1 1/2 inches up the sides of a greased ( I use coconut oil) springform pan. Set aside.

2. In a large saucepan or double boiler, melt chocolate and milk over low heat till completely melted. Transfer to a mixing bowl and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, 3/4 cup sugar and flour; beat 10 minutes or until thick and lemon colored. Fold 1/4 of the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture. Fold chocolate mixture into the remaining egg mixture. Pour into crust-lined pan.

4. Bake cake in a 325 oven for about 45 minutes or until puffed around edge and halfway to center (the center will be slightly soft). Cool pan for 20 minutes. Remove sides of pan. Cool for 4 hours. Serve with fresh strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries.

Cover and store any leftovers (yea right) in the fridge.

Be careful! This stuff is really, really rich. A small piece goes a LONG way:)

Okay, I think that was all the recipes I was giving out. The grilled Mahi-Mahi recipe I got off of allrecipes.com, and the wild rice vegetable side dish as well. Oh, eggplant! Okay, here’s how I do mine:

1. Peel eggplant. Slice into 1/2 inch circles. Set out on towels and sprinkle sea salt over all. I use about 2-3 eggplants for my whole family. Let the eggplant dry out for as long as possible (all day, or all evening and then dry and put in the fridge for the next day). Flip eggplants and re-salt.

2. After they are done drying, I rinse off the excess salt and pat dry. Now you’re ready to assemble your “lasagna”.

3. Put it together just like you would lasagna. Layer of tomato sauce, then eggplant, then ricotta mixture, then sauce, then cheese and repeat until eggplant is gone.

4. Bake covered for 40-45 minutes in 325 oven. Remove cover and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until liquid is dried and top is slightly browned.

Ricotta mixture:

1 tub of ricotta

1 beaten egg

1 TB of parsley

1 cup Parmesan cheese

For the cheese on top, I use a mixture of Asiago, Romano, and Parmesan (all freshly grated).

I can’t give away my famous Italian tomato sauce, sorry;). (Just kidding, if you really want it, email me.)

Enjoy!

I am really looking forward to seeing everyone at Campground next week (Lord willing that we can make it!). I also had a great time visiting the White Bear Lake assembly in Minnesota. Hopefully, Aaron will post some pictures from our trip to the zoo online. It was fun. The kids had a great time. The Patton family in White Bear are such wonderful hosts and always treat us so kindly. Makes us want to stay longer and visit more often:) I had a really, really awesome time fellowshipping with Priscilla, Jessica, and Rebecca (and the guys too). I especially enjoyed our late night talk. Why is it that we always bond over those last few moments before we turn in for the night? I always have such good conversations then! Anyways, I am thankful to be able to call them my friends and look forward to seeing them again.

Looks like we are going to get as much traveling in as possible before our newest arrival makes her long awaited debut. I love this time of year when we get to visit and spend time with good friends and make new ones.  Looking forward to seeing more of everyone next week!

So, let’s see..how much did I actually get done this weekend? Well, most the list, except the healthy living classes… didn’t get my outline done for that. Oh well, I just have to set a date for the class, then that will make me get myself into gear:) Always work better with a deadline.

I learned a lot on Saturday night, though. Friday night the girls were over and we stayed up way too late, so I was mostly tired come Sat night. This night, though, it was just me and the boys (and Hannah). I have been scared to stay at home for as long as I can remember. I grew up in a large family. I went to college and had roommates and house mates; when I got saved I was living with some other saints; but when I divorced, I lived on my own for almost a year, before I got a roomie (Aleeta, miss that girl). I hated it. I was always trying to overcome my fears of being in a house, so unprotected, in the midst of much bigger and armed than myself. I would sleep with my Bible; praying, reading, until I passed out from exhaustion. I would overcome fear for a little while, but then it would come back again and I would have to go through it all over again. Fear is torture, to say the least.

So, I was doing good Saturday night, turning out the lights, keeping myself talking positive. I went upstairs to go to bed, had my prego tea, my Italian “cake”, and my “Created to be His Helpmeet” ready for a relaxing evening before drifting off to peaceful sleep. Well, that was the plan, until I heard the sound of a glass falling over onto the counter. I had so many dishes out from the girls being over, and most of them were still drying on towels on the counter. This noise totally freaked me out and of course, my mind started thinking the worst. Someone’s in the house, they are going to kill me, and my unborn baby… who will take care of my children… and on and on. I was paralyzed for a good while at the top of the stairs, wondering if I should go and investigate. I chose not to follow along with the classic horror movie plot, and opted to finishing up my night time clean up and getting in bed (all the while keeping my eye on the staircase area). As I sat up in bed, with all the lights on, I read my book, trying to get my mind off of my fear. The chapter just had to be on how this wife’s life was able to turn around an abusive, drunk to a decent person. Instead of being uplifted, I was now combatting my past and fears of the uncertain future of my children, along with the fear of someone in the house.

I decided that I have gone around this “mountain” too long and it was time for me to get to the root of my fear and dig it up. I began to think of scriptures and logically go through the process of what fears I had. I was afraid that someone might kill me and harm my children. I thought of the old lady who faced a mugger calmly who held a gun to her, demanding money, and how she smiled at him and said, I am ready to meet my Savior, but are you ready to face your eternal damnation? What courage! Death was not something to fear; God has appointed the number of my days, I thought to myself. He said He would put a hedge about those who fear Him and angles encamped about those who trust in Him. I was protected and covered and so were my children. My fear then became what it really was - a lack of trust in God’s almighty providence and character. God knows just where I am and what I can go through; I have to trust that if anything ever were to happen, given I am not bringing it upon myself, it is planned of God and will work for my good. That anything that would happen to my children would be for their good, since they are still under the covering of the parents. I told myself that I could not let an evil heart of unbelief steal my peace. God was full in control and I had nothing to fear. I called Aaron. I knew he would make me feel better. He spoke comforting words, timely scriptures that soothed some fears. As I got off the phone with him, and prayed and meditated some more, I really felt a peace in my heart and was looking again out of eyes of fear for the Lord instead of fear of my surroundings.

Well, I hope that I have finally gotten the victory over this once and for all. I know that fear will try to come back and bother me again, but I hope that this time I will be ready, girded up with truth that God loves me and nothing can harm me without His divine permission. That whatever situation that comes against me I can overcome, because He placed it there to help me.

Oh, and the glass had fallen over because I had placed it on the edge of the towel it was drying on, and the vibrating from the dishwasher underneath caused it to tip over. Nice, huh? I saw it in the morning and laughed at myself.

I have been wanting to do a research on Walt Disney, from its onset to the present day company and track its anti-Christian themes and secular slants. I always found it most disturbing that this company, who seemed to act as the voice of American families, is no where near what a Christian-minded family truly is in the Biblical sense.

 Anyways, my favorite people, Vision Forum, have put together a critique on Disney before I got around to it. I found the summary article very much echoing my own thoughts on this pervasive, “seemingly innocent” company. So, here’s their take ( I am thinking of getting the dvd set, as soon as we finish with the other educational series we have:)

Go to Doug’s Blog here: http://www.visionforum.com/hottopics/blogs/dwp/ to read the full article.

This was in my devotional from Proverbs 31 Ministries today…just thought I would share:

Spreading the Word…Then and Now
By Karen Ehman
 
 “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Mark 16:15 (NIV)
         
Devotion:
As a family, we enjoy learning about great missionaries of the faith – whether from the pages of the New Testament and the travels of Paul, or from current day servants who try to spread the wonderful, life-saving news of Jesus in remote places. Did you know that this month there is another missionary we can glean from as we hear of his longing to reach others for Christ? I am talking about St. Patrick.
What do we really know of St. Patrick, in who’s honor patrons don green? To look around at the way modern day folk celebrate St. Patrick’s day, you’d think it all had to do with shamrocks, leprechauns, rainbows and the ever famous pot of gold at the end of them. Well, that and the traditional “wearing of the green” to prevent any pinching that might occur on March 17th each year.  But there is actually some wonderful truth that we can celebrate at this holiday and can pass along to the children in our lives.

For as far as history can tell, the story goes like this: At about the age of 16, Patrick, a Scottish young man born into wealth sometime in the late fourth century, most likely around 385, was violently captured by Irish raiders and forced into a life of slavery. Patrick later escaped and was reunited with his family, but in a dream, felt called by God back to Ireland to spread Christianity to the people of that isle. So this godly young man set about to make this dream come true. He prayed for God’s strength and then studied scripture to ready himself. Then He was prepared to return to the land of his captivity. He preached the Gospel and built churches throughout the country until his death on March 17, 461. For the modern day Irish, St. Patrick’s Day is considered a time for spiritual renewal as they fondly remember the slave-turned-evangelist who spread Christianity to the Emerald Isle. For our family today, we feel we can use him as an example of what a young person, sold out for God can do in their generation.

Just think about this man. How many of us, after being captured and held as a slave and forced to work in a foreign land, when finally set free, would actually return to the very place where we were enslaved? It must have taken a great deal of maturity and immense faith in God’s protection to go back to that island. And Patrick must have known that spiritual bondage is far, far worse than physical slavery.

In some ways, don’t we see modern day examples of just such a story? The drug addict who finds freedom from a life of addiction through faith in Christ, sensing a call to return to their old neighborhood and preach the freedom and everlasting life Jesus offers. The women who made a bad choice resulting in her and her unborn child both being the victims of abortion. Now she longs to counsel young girls to choose life for themselves and for their precious baby. All of these people serve as wonderful examples of someone who found freedom and longed to lead others there as well.

So at this time of year, when you spy a leprechaun or see a shamrock, whisper a prayer that God continues to raise up men and women who have been set free to return to the land of their captivity and lead others to the same liberating, life-giving freedom.

Okay, so today is get involved day…

 But seriously, we watched The Business of Being Born last night on netflix. It’s crazy, because I knew like the tip of the iceberg when it came to the state of the billion dollar birthing industry we have in America; but this documentary went further. It went to the roots of where this all came from and where it is trying to take us, if we let it. I am disgusted with the false amount of information American women are being fed; and also disheartened to know that we digest it without doing our own research, or checking up on things.

Even if you are done having children, or too young, this documentary really should be seen by all Americans. This is our children and our lives that are being harmed, put in danger.  Our way of life and all its natural principles, put into place by God, have been altered to fit an industrialized country since the 1920’s. We have not progressed as a nation, but rather have digressed. We have put the good of nation-building before God, before family, and before the health and well-being of children and mothers. 

As I have been researching and listening to various films about this and other issues regarding homeschooling, and even entrepreneurial avenues, I am finding that our country took a serious nose-dive for the worst when it began its nation-building during the early 1900’s. It was at that time that our country really lost its focus. No longer was the family, freedom, God, or biblical principles the lead, but instead it was power,money, and greed of the few “most important”.  “Social efficiency” became the accepted philosophy of the day - and has continued since.

Family businesses were discouraged and the spirit of independent thinking and the entrepreneurial spirit was broken as “bigger” businesses became the thing to do. Public schooling was introduced and enforced as the corporate powers realized that if you can control the mind of the youth, you can control the mind of the nation. Evolution and other philosophies were placed into the curriculum that directly challenge God and biblical teaching.

Hospitals were introduced as the “safe” place to give birth. In 1900 almost all births were done at home (like over 80%). By 1955 only 1% were at home. What happened? And since that time our country has become second in the world for the highest number of infant deaths. The philosophy that “professionals” are smarter, better qualified, and better equipped to handle the issues of life was largely promoted through propaganda. Ads portraying scary looking, backwards, “old-world” looking, uneducated, unintelligent type of women as midwives were shoved down every American’s throat as the hospital and medical field went out to convince people that birth was a medical procedure to be handled by “trained professionals”, of whom, not one had actually witnessed a human birth.

America has been on a slippery slope since that time. That was also the time where the government illegally slipped in the 16th Ammendment  that would create income tax for all Americans, since they were all employees now of the large industries that were coming into power… Our constitution was being thrown out even then, and has been snowballing ever since.

I find that I cannot just sit on false information. Especially information that I once believed and now am coming to terms that we have been lied to over and over again. We are in a spiritual battle. I do not believe that any one person is to blame for what has happened to our country; but I do believe that the devil is trying his best to destroy a country who started its journey because they wanted to worship God the way He was leading them to.

The battle is not over. And if you read the back of the book, we win. I am determined to fight this good fight of faith until God sees fit to move me out of the way. When our world gets the darkest, now it is when our Lights will shine the brightest. It is not time to cower back in fear, or retreat to our own little corners of the earth, but it is a time to stand boldly for all that is holy, true, and right in the strength and power of the One who created the heavens and this earth. 

In his 1828 version of the American dictionary, he prefaces it with this quote:

In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government ought to be instructed…No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people

Under his definition of education he wrote:

The bringing up, as of a child, instruction; formation of manners. Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties.

I find it so terribly sad that our government and nation has drifted so far from the pioneers who worked so hard to ensure our freedom here.

I am sure that I could blog for an hour on it… but I think Mr. Webster’s words are more than sufficient.

 If you want to see the 1828 version of the American dictionary, click here.

I find it sad that it was not until this past year that I learned of who Valentine really was. Why do we celebrate this day? I am not big into doing things, “just because it’s what we’ve always done”. I have to know the why; life has more meaning if you know why you’re doing what you’re doing. It’s what I call living on purpose and not on accident.

 So, if you haven’t read the story of Valentine, I encourage you to do a search on his life. Basically, the general story (with its minor alterations of course, since no one has an accurate record) is that this Christian minister lived around 250 A.D. He lived in a tumultuous time of the Roman reign, when the Great Empire was on the brink of collapse. the Emporer had made a decree that no soldier was allowed to marry, in fear that they would not focus their duties to the Empire but instead to their own families. This, of course, will never build a nation, but merely tear it down, since our very existance and happiness depends on the stability and strength of the family. That is a whole blog in and of itself.

Christianity was not the religion of the day, still, and was persecuted with malice. Valentine was supposedly a noble man of the land and honored as such. He also preached Jesus and His love to all that he could. He married couples, although the law forbid it. He encouraged others and strengthened the scattered church. He was also a physician and helped many of the infirmed.

Some of his friends that he had married were caught and sentenced to death. Without thinking of his own life, Valentine went to the leaders and offered his own life, proclaiming openly that he was indeed a Christian. The agreed and took him to prison instead of his friends. While he was in prison, he ministered to the jailer’s daughter, who happened to be blind from birth. Blindness then was considered a curse of the “gods” and that you were a horrible condition. He taught her of the love God had for her and how she was not accursed. Before he was led to his execution, he prayed that the girl be healed. She was cured of her blindness.

Supposedly, the concept of giving notes of love also came from this Valentine, who sent words of encouragement on little papers, signed, “from your Valentine”. Not sure how accurate that one is, but it fits:)

At any rate, this holiday (holy day) is not the holiday commercialism mascarades it to be. Instead, it is a day created to commemorate and encourage all mankind of the love of Christ as exemplified in this man, Valentine’s, life. He stood bold in his faith for Christ and gave his life for his friends.  Jesus taught us that the greatest one among us is the servant of all. We are created to serve and give of ourselves, unselfishly, to one another. Whether it be in the home, among friends, or in the community, we are to be unselfishly dying out to ourselves in order that others may have the love of Christ in their lives.

1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

 8Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

 13So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Sorry, couldn’t think of a good headline;)

Anyways, I have been really bad about my daily devotionals and such ever since the holidays. Whenever I go out of town, it seems I lose touch with all realities of routined life. But after trying to get back into the swing of things, I had read an article on Above Rubies that really sparked my desire to do better with devotions, not just for myself but for the children as well.

The author talked about how she used to pray and study for like 3 hours a day before she had children (I can’t even fathom this). But then after having kids, she has had to grab bites here and there. The thing that she said really helped her through was writing a scripture down a day. After trying to grab bits and pieces of the Bible throughout the day, she would write down one scripture that really spoke to her in a really nice, hard-cover journal. By the end of the year, she would have 365 scriptures that the Lord had directly given to encourage her! How awesome is that? She said, when she had more time, she would write down what the scripture meant to her, and then a prayer along with it.

I had started the kids on a prayer journal a while back. It was a similar concept. They read 1-2 chapters (or until a scripture spoke to them) in a books of their chosing (I told them to start in Psalms); pick one scripture and write it out. Then they were to write a prayer. Well, I added now the “what does this mean to you” part. And now before our morning devotional together as a family, we all share what scripture God gave us, and what it means to each of us.

This serves a multi-purposed plan for me: 1) they are held accountable to do this everyday, 2) they can see how God deals with others and what it looks like in actual everyday life, 3) they will be encouraged to know that God really does talk to His people everyday, 4) I want them to understand the importance of having daily “quiet time” with God, and 5) I don’t want to be always telling them what the Bible is about, I want them to experience it and search it for themselves.

Anyways, I thought I would share what I got out of my reading. I was reading in Genesis 46 and verses 1-4 really stood out to me -  this is the account of when Joseph has just been reunited with his brothers and tells them to tell their father to move to Goshen so that he can take care of them all and be near them.

So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

 2 And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”
      ”Here I am,” he replied.

 3 “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. 4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”

What really stood out to me was that, here is Jacob, moving his whole family of 70 people away from the land where he was. He is so connected with God and God loves him so much, that He appears to him in a vision to affirm that what Jacob was doing was the right thing. But not only that, but that God Himself would go before him, protecting, keeping, preparing the way for him not only for his time in Egypt but also for the time when God would lead them out.

Isn’t that amazing? I want that relationship! I desire to be that close to the Lord, that I can hear Him speak words of affirmation when I am doing the right thing, and even words of rebuke if I am heading the wrong way.  That is the prayer of my heart… that I might be intimately acquainted with God, and all His ways.

Lately, we have been listening to the Jonathan Park series  on creation with our children.  The Scripture they keep referring to is, “…and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” (I Peter 3:15) The series is about how science actually supports and proves the creation story in Genesis. It’s really quite fascinating; facts I didn’t know about and I hope to understand as well as engrain my children so they are prepared to give an answer for their beliefs.

Anyways, when I go out, I usually get the comments of “My, you have your hands full” or “Are these all yours?” or “My, what a lot of children!” It really drives me nuts. I feel like giving a rhetoical answer, “No, I just go around the neighborhood and gather up all the children I can find to go grocery shopping.” But as of late, I felt like the Lord has been dealing with me to “be ready to give an answer” for the hope that lies within me. To have an answer prepared for those who see that I am expecting another child and wonder “what ever would poessess someone to have 6 children?” (This was an actual question someone asked me, by the way.)

I have never been one to follow the crowd or accept what everyone else in society accepts as “normal”. I have found this to be helpful when I became a Christ-follower. Because almost all of our beliefs go against the grain and are completely counter-cultural. The belief that most Americans hold as viewing children as a burden could be one of the root causes for people’s response to our larger than average family.

In “Moments Together” by Dennis and Barbara Rainey, there’s this snippit (A Burden or a Blessing?), which I think says it well:

Psalm 127:3,5
Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.

Many parents today feel like kids are a burden. That’s not what the Bible calls them. It doesn’t say, “Behold, children are a burden of the Lord,” or “Burdened is the man whose quiver is full of them.”Our views have become distorted. What we see as a burden, God sees as a blessing. Some of us need to knock the windows out of our corrupted views and let the Spirit of God come into our homes and refresh our hearts and minds so we can see clearly again that children are a blessing.

Don’t get me wrong. Barbara and I will be the first to tell you we are in process with our children. We have failed many times. And I have been so frustrated, after exhausting all rational reasoning, all reward systems and all “biblical approaches,” that the only thing left for me to do was yell, throw a box of Kleenexes at the floor, slam the door and walk out-just like my kids do. Which just convinces me that one of God’s greatest purposes for parents is to bring us face-to-face with our own depravity.

We want life to be easy, or at least bearable. And when children make our lives difficult, we begin to feel they are burdens. But we fail to realize what God makes clear-our children are gifts from God. God has given us our children for His glory and our good.

When I speak at our FamilyLife Marriage Conferences, I’m always struck by how surprised couples are when I explain that our mates are gifts from God. Why are they so astounded? Don’t they know our God? He wants to bless us. He’s out for our best interests!

In the same way, you need to receive your children as gifts from God. If you do, your whole attitude will change. No longer will you try to change your kids…no longer will you consider them burdens. Instead, you’ll view them as true blessings from God entrusted to you.

 If children are a blessing, then where does the blessing come from? Genesis 33:5 says “And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said , Who are those with thee? And he said , The children which God hath graciously given thy servant.” Children are a gift given to us by God. Why would He give us such an incredible gift? Deuteronomy 4:10 says, “Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together , and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.”  So that the message of salvation and of God’s love will be passed on from one generation to the next; a righteous line of servants.

Of course, the most famous children-related verses is Psalm 127:

  3Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
    the fruit of the womb a reward.
4Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
   are the children of one’s youth.
5Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!

Here are some commentary I found about these verses: 

John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible - Old Testament - Ps 76-150 - Ps 127:5
Psalms 127:5

Happy [is] the man that hath his quiver full of them
That is, his house full of them; called a quiver, referring to arrows before mentioned, this being the case in which they are put up: to have many children was always reckoned a great temporal blessing and happiness; see ( Job 1:2 ) ( Psalms 128:3 Psalms 128:4 Psalms 128:6 ) . The Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Ethiopic, and Arabic versions, render it, “that fills his desire” has as many as he desires or wishes for: they shall not be ashamed;
the father and his children, as Aben Ezra; parents rather are meant, who are not ashamed when they have many children: with the Romans, those that had wives and children were preferred in honour to senior persons that had none; and they that had most to those that had fewest; and so with the Persians; (See Gill on Esther 5:11) 

Here is Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Children as a Blessing

The value of the Divine blessing.

- Let us always look to God’s providence. In all the affairs and business of a family we must depend upon his blessing. 1. For raising a family. If God be not acknowledged, we have no reason to expect his blessing; and the best-laid plans fail, unless he crowns them with success. 2. For the safety of a family or a city. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchmen, though they neither slumber nor sleep, wake but in vain; mischief may break out, which even early discoveries may not be able to prevent. 3. For enriching a family. Some are so eager upon the world, that they are continually full of care, which makes their comforts bitter, and their lives a burden. All this is to get money; but all in vain, except God prosper them: while those who love the Lord, using due diligence in their lawful callings, and casting all their care upon him, have needful success, without uneasiness or vexation. Our care must be to keep ourselves in the love of God; then we may be easy, whether we have little or much of this world. But we must use the proper means very diligently. Children are God’s gifts, a heritage, and a reward; and are to be accounted blessings, and not burdens: he who sends mouths, will send meat, if we trust in him. They are a great support and defence to a family. Children who are young, may be directed aright to the mark, God’s glory, and the service of their generation; but when they are gone into the world, they are arrows out of the hand, it is too late to direct them then. But these arrows in the hand too often prove arrows in the heart, a grief to godly parents. Yet, if trained according to God’s word, they generally prove the best defence in declining years, remembering their obligations to their parents, and taking care of them in old age. All earthly comforts are uncertain, but the Lord will assuredly comfort and bless those who serve him; and those who seek the conversion of sinners, will find that their spiritual children are their joy and crown in the day of Jesus Christ.

So it is that many children from the Lord are a blessing, but only if you keep Christ as the center of your home. The point of the Lord giving us children as a heritage and blessing is so that we may be honored in “bringing the little children to Him”

Matthew 19:13 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, 14but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 15And he laid his hands on them and went away.

And so, when people just have to say something to me because I have more than the 2.5 children, and who do not act all crazy when we’re in public (for the most part;) I have an answer for them. Children are a blessing from God. They are a gift entrusted to me to bring to Him when all is said and done in this life. There is no possession that I may take with me when I die, but if I can live in eternity with my family, my children whom God entrusted to my care, then it is worth all the self-sacrificing and putting aside my selfish motives. While others may strive for earthly gain, I am striving for a heavenly reward that I might enjoy with those I love. I pray that God can use those awkward moments to bring glory to Himself and that I will have the courage to say what is really in my heart; being ready to give an answer for this amazing journey God has given to me.