The Week in Review by Joshua

This is the week in review from Josh’s perspective. I typed what he said.

This past weekend we went to a slumber party at the Hickins’ and stayed up until 3 in the morning. And we only got three hours of sleep. We went sledding, had a snow ball fight, and ate lots of pizza. It was my friend Andrew’s birthday. Then the next day we went to a birthday party for Jonathon Stewart. It was a super hero party.

We played football in the snow with our neighbors. We like to play football in the snow because we don’t get hurt when we’re tackled.

We had co – op yesterday. First we played basketball in the basement with Jesse. Then we learned about the circulatory system. We learned about the heart, blood, and blood vessels. In the blood there is plasma, platelets, white and red blood cells (okay, my inner homeschool mom is just beaming right now ). We made blood soup (I can explain this if you’re interested. no children or homeschool moms were injured in the making of blood soup). We also learned about the respiratory system (oxygen just doesn’t compete with blood for information retention).

We played handbell harmony for family night (a wii game on wii music). Even Grammy and Aunt Karyn played.

Grammy and Aunt Karyn were here last weekend. They came for 4 days. We had loads of fun with Grammy and Aunt Karyn.

I went to the dentist and they said me and Caleb need braces (cha-ching). Caleb said he is going to get the color red and black. I’m going to get green and black. I didn’t have any cavities. Caleb had two even though the dentist said he brushed better than me (must have his mother’s teeth, poor guy).

So that is what happened this week.

Anyone Can Do This: Energy Boosters

Ya know how that one day that you r-e-a-l-l-y need a nap ends up to be the one day that your baby doesn’t want to take his? Well I discovered a couple of unexpected (non-caffeinated – which doesn’t mean that I don’t do the caffeine sometimes too) pick-me-ups to get me over the hump in the late afternoon before dinner needs to be done. Just thought I’d pass them on:

1. Drink water. Being dehydrated can make us grumpy, tired, and head achey. If you find this a pattern in the early afternoon, you may not be lacking sleep as much as water. I didn’t believe this until I made a concerted effort (somewhat out of desperation) to drink more water throughout the day. I am now a believer in hydrating to battle fatigue.

2. Mom-nap. You know the kind: doze off on the sofa for 15 minutes while your littles watch a video or play in the room you are in.  I find 15 minutes does wonders.

3. Brush your teeth. Seriously. You will be amazed at how rejuvenating it is to your whole body.

4. Go outside (just outside the front door) for 2 minutes. even if it is freezing. Take a few deep breaths. Walk back in.

5.  PRAY. Ask for that extra energy to deal with the remainder of the day. It’s the obvious, but so easy to forget.

What’s your can’t-get-a-nap-in but I’m really tired pick-me-up?

New Poll: Internal Body Cleansing/Detox

Okay, you gotta weigh in on this one. I have always wondered if the whole body cleansing/detoxing thing (I mean internal, not soap) was real or unnecessary. If you have done it and swear by it, vote, but also if you would leave the name of the system or approach you use in this comment box, that’d be great. If you had a terrible experience with it, would you share as well.?

Thanks gang!

MOMentum: An Ordinary Mother’s Gospel Opportunities

The handsomest guy to enter a pulpit (my husband, of course ) gave an excellent teaching (last year) on Philippians 1:12-18 entitled Advancing the Good News. It was the third teaching in the series on Philippians entitled: Good News For Real Life. To listen to it go here. Also, you can subscribe to the COG cast by clicking the red button on our website here.

Paul could see the gospel opportunity in everything. He was in a cell chained to a prison guard whose shift rotated every four hours. With each different guard came a new opportunity to share the gospel until Paul could say, the whole guard has heard… He was excited that many had become even more bold in the Lord to declare the gospel. He was even able to give thanks that people who were preaching the gospel for wrong motives were still being used by God to advance His purposes. Paul was captivated by one cause: the gospel of Jesus Christ and it affected how he viewed EVERYTHING.

So, what does that have to do with me, a full-time homemaker from Wadsworth, Ohio? My opportunities to preach the gospel seem few and far between. I can go days without even stepping outside of my home. But if I know that God’s mission is to see the glory of the gospel go forth, than I have to believe I am a part of this plan. Am I seeing the gospel opportunity in my life? I want to step back and let the gospel transform how I view things like:

picking up the hundredth cheerio off of the floor

dealing with toddler melt-down

teaching a less-than-enthusiastic fifth grader how to write a good topic sentence

greeting my husband with warmth and love not the attitude of a tag-team wrestler

bringing correction for the many fights and arguments that take place in our home

sleepless nights

sick kids

mountains of laundry

aching back

These things that can often feel like inconveniences, interruptions, delays, even obstacles are actually God-ordained gospel opportunities. So often I just move through my life not considering the fact that the gospel truly is the most important thing.

Not peace and quiet.

Not order.

Not obedient children.

Not good sleep or pain free living.

God has orchestrated all of these seemingly mundane aspects of life in a way that would provide the best opportunities for the gospel to go forth in and through my life. A gospel perspective means that when a normally selfish mom picks up her hundredth cheerio joyfully, without complaining, the effect of the gospel is on brilliant display. It means that when my toddler is melting down, I see that this little sinner needs a Savior and this is an opportunity to sow the hope of the gospel into his or her heart. A gospel perspective means that I see my son’s lack of enthusiasm for school as an opportunity for him to experience how the gospel relates to real life. He can do all things…even write paragraphs…even work hard on things he dislikes…through Christ who strengthens him.

Even though my sphere of influence is small right now, I want to have eyes that see beyond my circumstances to how God is using them to advance His glorious gospel. How I need His help to have this perspective! My prayer is that I would be a wife, mother, woman who loves the gospel and views all of life as a mission to see it advanced both in demonstrating its transforming affects, and proclaiming it’s glorious truth…for now that means getting dinner on the table right after I correct my un-named child for not responding to my request to set the table. Sweet gospel opportunities!

*this post has been slightly modified from it’s original form posted in February, 2008.

I’m Glad I Blog

This cracked me up when I first saw it.

In January, 2005 I started this crazy online journal. I had never heard of a blog. I had no idea what “blogging” was supposed to look like. All I know is that I was googling a friend’s name whom I hadn’t seen for years, and their “blog” came up. I noticed in the upper right hand corner a little button that said “start your own blog”. As I clicked through the tutorial, I was thrilled to have found a way to express myself through writing which is something I have always enjoyed. I loved the idea of “publishing” without any real pressure. I could just write something, click a button, and voila – a little web page of my own. A little place to pontificate or quote my kids; a place to think through what God was showing me or had shown me in the past; a place to put pictures, recipes, or quote others….and read comments from real readers.

But my blog has always been dangerous as well. It can be an escape. There aren’t many places in real life where you can carefully construct the “you” others will see. There aren’t many places in real life where you can go to a little box of kudos and encouragement about what you wrote, shared, or made. There aren’t many places in real life where you can visit thirty friends in the course of twenty minutes. So, it is tempting to look at my real life which isn’t bloggy perfect, and want to escape into Ordinary Mother.

I have spent these last four years blogging with a constant tension as to how much is too much time to devote to writing and reading others’ blogs. It’s a good tension, and one that I have some accountability for with my husband, and soon (because I am writing more these days) with Kathy Stewart – my home girl. I am also grateful that my blog is small which lets me keep it personal. I don’t know how the uber bloggers do it – they must feel so much pressure about everything they post. I know most of my readers – hi mom – and except on the rare occasion that I get linked to from a real blogger, my numbers stay pretty low, and I that’s a good thing.

Knowing that at times I will need to back off of the blog and tend to real life, I am still so glad I blog. Last week I did something I never do, I read old blog posts. It was such a blessing to have a chronicle of what was going on in my life and in my kids’ lives. I loved being reminded of everything from my favorite pretzel candy snack, the scooter story, when we got Betsey, and funny things my kids said over the years (the older they get the less they have those one liners) to favorite Piper teachings, poetry (not great poetry, but still, my poetry), and spiritual musings. Even with its unique temptations and constant need for evaluation, I am still so grateful for this medium to publish bits of life. Are you?

I’m just curious to know how you started blogging. How do you use your blog?

Anyone Can Do This: Rubber Band Edition

This video cracks me up. My son, Caleb is so funny. My son, Israel is the photographer and if you get motion sick watching this, I apologize ahead of time.

Also, I meant to say this in the video, but the idea of rubber bands identifying cups comes from Kathy Wilson of By Grace We Build. (We went to her house for dinner and I saw this and thought, “genius!!!”).

New Poll

Hey gang. Just wanted to let you know I added a new poll this week. It’s on the side bar of my blog.

This week’s question:

What is your favorite decorating style?

Resources for the Reality of Mercy

Here is a meditation I found by Charles Spurgeon from Morning and Evening, August 17th.

“The mercy of God.”
–Psalm 52:8

Meditate a little on this mercy of the Lord. It is tender mercy. With gentle, loving touch, He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He is as gracious in the manner of His mercy as in the matter of it. It is great mercy. There is nothing little in God; His mercy is like Himself–it is infinite. You cannot measure it. His mercy is so great that it forgives great sins to great sinners, after great lengths of time, and then gives great favours and great privileges, and raises us up to great enjoyments in the great heaven of the great God.

It is undeserved mercy, as indeed all true mercy must be, for deserved mercy is only a misnomer for justice. There was no right on the sinner’s part to the kind consideration of the Most High; had the rebel been doomed at once to eternal fire he would have richly merited the doom, and if delivered from wrath, sovereign love alone has found a cause, for there was none in the sinner himself.

It is rich mercy. Some things are great, but have little efficacy in them, but this mercy is a cordial to your drooping spirits; a golden ointment to your bleeding wounds; a heavenly bandage to your broken bones; a royal chariot for your weary feet; a bosom of love for your trembling heart.

It is manifold mercy. As Bunyan says, “All the flowers in God’s garden are double.” There is no single mercy. You may think you have but one mercy, but you shall find it to be a whole cluster of mercies. It is abounding mercy. Millions have received it, yet far from its being exhausted; it is as fresh, as full, and as free as ever. It is unfailing mercy. It will never leave thee. If mercy be thy friend, mercy will be with thee in temptation to keep thee from yielding; with thee in trouble to prevent thee from sinking; with thee living to be the light and life of thy countenance; and with thee dying to be the joy of thy soul when earthly comfort is ebbing fast.

Also, I don’t know how much time I’ll have to recap. the conference I attended on Mercy. I’m still catching up on listening to the teachings from Thursday . But I encourage you to go to the website and download them. They are all available on MP3.

MOMentum:Back to Life; Back to Reality

MOMentum is a new feature of Ordinary Mother. My hope is to connect the impelling power of the gospel to ordinary motherhood.

Tomorrow is the first day of “real life” following a wonderful conference. Even though I came home late Saturday night, life has still been unusually easy. We spent Sunday with the Stewarts and Hendricksons eating fantastic food mostly provided by the Stewarts. The kids watched the game, sledded in the back yard, and played with their friends with narry an argument between them. Then today was Jason’s day off which gave me a fairly undistracted opportunity to catch up on laundry, and restock the pantry.

So I sit here tonight considering tomorrow, my first day back to reality for quite a while. I love my reality. I can’t imagine any other life for myself that could possibly be as rewarding as being a wife, mother, and homemaker. I’m not just saying that! I really am grateful for my life’s work in this season.

As much as I am grateful for my real life, it does require selfless serving, that I haven’t encountered for the past few days. I was thinking of a verse that might prepare my heart for tomorrow. I thought of Romans 12:1

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, [1] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Tomorrow I want to offer my body as a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable to God, my spiritual act of worship. I marvel at the fact that what seems like mundane work around the house, or typical moments of mothering, or ordinary services for Jason can actually be received by God as worship! This is amazing, truly.

But it isn’t the most amazing thing about this verse. It isn’t what will keep me motivated all day long. What I hope to keep in view tomorrow is the most amazing phrase, “by the mercies of God”. Yes, I want to live sacrificially for the glory of God tomorrow. I long to have awareness of the sacredness of what I am doing for His glory. But I know that if I jump into my day with my sacrifice in view, I will ping pong between pride and condemnation as I have success and failure.

Tomorrow I want to keep His sacrifice in view with an eye toward the mercies that I receive as a result. Because Jesus Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, took the wrath my sins deserve when He suffered and died on the cross, now I receive mercy. Not just mercy but mercies. It could have been “by the judgment of God, offer yourselves” or “by the fear of God’s wrath, offer yourselves” but amazingly it is “by the mercies of God”. What a gracious God!

I pray that tomorrow, with all of what reality will look like, I will take time to consider God’s mercies to me and allow that to motivate my living sacrifice. I pray that I won’t just live conscious of the reality of motherhood, but conscious of the greater reality of mercy that is constantly flowing from the throne of grace, covering my sins and my attempts at righteousness.

That is my life.

That is my reality.

funny video clip from retreat