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Trim Healthy Mama as a Framework for Life (not a diet)

Trim Healthy Mama can be an eating plan for life. It is flexible and adjustable as in its essence it is an educational framework, not a diet.

Over the last 8 years I have followed the plan somewhat religiously and at other times (often whenever moving house) I have abandoned all healthy eating in favour of convenience – and regretted it. In more recent times, I have been struggling with more health issues (which are in no way a reflection of THM – more so my body, my lifestyle and circumstances) in particular hypoglycemia and worsening fatigue. So I’ve been tweaking my diet to try and stabilise my blood sugar levels. THM is fantastic at helping to stabilise BSL but for some reason my body has decided to revolt.

After several years of eating the THM way and eating off plan on several occasions I have come to learn that *I* can go off plan occasionally and the sky will not fall in. I know that I can eat some off plan items without a negative reaction and both my body and my mind cope just fine.

Labels

Labels can sometimes be helpful in quickly helping others to understand who we are or what we do but they are very ineffective and only partly truthful. I don’t particularly like labels although I do, at times, use them. But in order to be honest with myself and others it is important that I not confine myself to one label. My eating for health isn’t just a blog category, nor a protocol, nor a bunch of rules. For many years I’ve been learning about nutrition and food as medicine. It’s not just a vague interest, it’s a passion! I learn things, experiment with them and either toss the ideas, file them in the deep recesses of my mind or put them into practice. I’ve experimented with primal, paleo, vegetarian, vegan, whole food/plant based, very low carb/high fat and more.

THM as a Framework

Yet THM is and will likely always be my framework. My template. Not a dietary restriction that I must abide by or else. My life is too busy, too full, too rich, too everything to be bound by more rules. yet, without some sort of framework my health would deteriorate into something that leaves me with no functioning life. I need some sort of template in order to function and work towards health.

What This Looks Like

I am careful about the food products I buy. I try not to purchase off plan foods. However, I don’t freak out or pay ridiculous amounts of money just to buy an on plan dressing so I can avoid a seed oil. I mainly eat THM dressings anyway but on occasion I do use a store bought dressing and it may even have seed oils in it. I don’t freak out – I don’t view these foods as good and evil or clean and dirty. I simply don’t eat it often or regularly. I have my own foods that my body doesn’t tolerate, even though they are on plan – quinoa and oats don’t like me all that much.

Some of my best online and offline friends are strict THM/Paleo/GAPS people and they are wonderful people. I’m super glad they still love me. And that they are happy in what they do. I need to be happy too, and for me that, that involves eating off plan occasionally with my beloved or with my family. For that does the heart and soul very good.

My SimplySusan version of THM does not make me feel restricted, deprived. I don’t feel like I am a failing THMer or that I’m doing it wrong because I don’t live in a box with a label on it – I am a child of God who fuels her body for health and pleasure. And that’s okay. Any diet (we all have a diet, it’s not a negative, restrictive word) should not make you feel like a loser, deprived, make you feel you aren’t following the rules, feel guilt, shame or less than as a person. Your identity should not be in a diet, a plan, a lifestyle or any kind of label. My identity is in Christ!

This is the THM plan tweaked for me and my lifestyle. Do I recommend the THM lifestyle for everyone? You bet I do! I wholeheartedly suggest reading and implementing THM to anyone who needs to start improving their health or change their weight. (Notice I didn’t just say ‘weight loss’ – THM is for anyone and everyone). For those with conditions that are aggravated by certain foods like heartburn, leaky gut, digestive issues, etc. then yes! Go with THM. The knowledge you’ll learn will likely blow your socks off! And the plan is so do-able. You’ll learn lots about your own body and also about health and nutrition. After awhile, simply tweak it to suit your needs. Use it as a framework to create your ideal diet. This will be the diet that makes you feel more vibrant, more energetic, more peaceful and stronger. It will be a diet that will nourish your body and mind, that will allow you freedom to enjoy all types of foods, in all types of situations. It will be the opposite of guilt, shame, etc.

Originally written in 2016. Updated 2021.

Deep S meals with THM

A few weeks ago, someone on the THM in Australia group asked about Deep S meals . Here is a brief rundown of what Deep S is and what it is good for.

Deep S = high fat, but with fat from only pure sources with negligible carbs (meat, oils, eggs, etc.)

Deep S meals contain pure fat with zero carbs. extra virgin olive oils and the natural fats found in meat and eggs, butter, ghee but the queen of them all is coconut oil and MCT oil.

When doing a pure Deep S meal, we do not include some of those S friendly foods that we would otherwise in a straight S meal. Foods such as berries, dairy, tomatoes, onions, nuts, seeds, avocado are not included in Deep S meals. They are great S foods but not Deep S as they contain some carbs.

Deep S meals focus on leafy greens and low carb, non starchy veggies, liberally dressed with superfood oils.

Example: Chicken or Beef on a huge plate of green, dressed with olive oil, a little MCT oil and a tad of vinegar. or a few fried eggs in coconut oil, with a side of leafy greens or okra. See Deep S Salad in a Jar (“Quick Single Salads” chapter in the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook)

THM does allow 1 TB of Parmesan cheese or a light sheep’s cheese such as Pecorino to the salad but don’t go overboard.

Deep-S meals are extremely slimming and can be used after a cheat meal to help rid the damage of excess sugars and starches. A couple of Deep-S meals in a row are the best way to do a THM reset.

Make sure to read Chapter 11, “Higher Learning” (page 90), for an explanation of a Deep- S meal, which is a little different from a regular S.

THM… Finding Your Own Way

The sisters often encourage us to do THM our way. What does that mean?

It isn’t a justification for eating off plan foods. Off plan is off plan.

It doesn’t mean ignoring THM principles of separating fats from carbs, protein centred meals, timing of meals, etc.

It does mean having the freedom of not starving or being hangry. It doesn’t mean counting calories or macros but to be aware of them.

It means the freedom to choose your S, E or FP meals based upon your needs, your wants, your budget, etc. some people need more E meals than S meals or vice versa. Some need more FP. Anything done to excess becomes unbalanced and is not THM any way.

It means not being bound to follow your best friend or popular blogger but instead choose when you will eat and what food category you’ll eat.

It means that you don’t have to like or consume smoothies if you hate them. Substitute nearly anything in place of the word ‘smoothies’. I don’t much care for kale, shakes or oats.

This is THM your way. And THM, unlike most other eating philosophies, has room for ALL types of people!

Your home looks different to mine and they both look different to someone else’s. As they should be.

If you have any questions about doing THM your way, feel free to ask.

THM Hack for QuirkyJo’s Coconut Lemon Chicken Soup (S)

I was having an S day and some of my folk have a cold so this is the perfect recipe to serve for tea. So quick and easy as well. I made a double batch so made it on the stove instead of the Thermomix.

To boost the protein content I added 2 tablespoons of Just Gelatin, like Serene does in her bisque’s.

As this is quite a tangy soup that we love, I also added 2 TB Baobab powder.

Result = Wowsers! This soup tastes even more amazing than before!

Note: I added half a packet of konjac rice noodles ( I LOVE that stuff!) to my bowl and poured the soup over keeping it to an S.

For my menfolk, I added rice vermicelli (but rice works better) to the bottom of their bowl before pouring over their soup, making it is a Crossover for them.

See QuirkyJo’s lovely recipe here: Coconut Lemon Chicken Soup.

Hack for Golden Chana Soup (E)

Hack for Golden Chana Soup

E p 99 THM Cookbook
After our holiday we are a bit tight so we’re eating out of the fridge and pantry, purchasing only small selected, mainly fresh, ingredients until payday. I decided to make Chana Dhal soup because I had all the ingredients.

At the store, I found one of those pre-packed root veggies in a foil tin going out cheap. So I roasted them, threw them in the Thermomix/food processor along with about 2-3 cups of the soup and blended it, then added it back into the soup.

Result = More Veggies = Even More Delicious!

PS: This meal was a straight E meal for me but I added a dollop of butter to everyone else’s meal and the 5yo also chose to add some grated cheese on top – making this a Crossover for everyone else.

Ingredients Trump Numbers

Ingredients Trump Numbers Every Time.

There are lots of weight loss plans and diets. Many of them focus on numbers. Doing the numbers means that I can make a Mars Bar fit if I try hard enough. And I may lose weight doing that… but I will NOT be gaining the health that I could be if I focussed on quality ingredients.

Paleo, WAPF and other such diets focus on food quality but with no guidelines in place many people still over-consume, playing yoyo with their blood sugar levels and put on some weight.

Trim Healthy Mama gives you the best of both! I simplify it in my own mind to think that the numbers help me to be trim but the ingredients we use help me to be healthy.

We can be trim. We can be healthy. And we can be both! Not all diets, plans or ways of eating offer both – THM does.

Low Carb Milk: THM Friendly (S)

By jove, I think I’ve done it!

You know how I have been on my quest. A quest to satisfy my daily habit. I have tried everything – almond, cashew, coconut, sunflower, flax, hemp and blends but none of them have been able to satisfy me.

Until now. The inspiration came to me while making the instant cookie dough protein bars which are yummy and hit the spot. So I experimented and I still may not fully be there yet but I think so. This has been in the works since mid November and now I’ve learned to tweak it each time I use it depending upon my needs for that time.

I won’t lie, it is calorific. But it is an S and as low/moderate/high in protein as you make it. You can customise the recipe depending upon your budget, taste, dietary needs, etc. Leave out the Sunflower Lecithin if you don’t have it. Use 1/2 TB of WPI and 1/2 TB of Collagen Peptides if you’d prefer. You can even use 1 TB of cream if you find 2 TB too heavy for you. This is similar in composition to a Rich Trimmaccino but I don’t much like the texture or taste of MCT in my beloved coffee. I also tried to make it similar in composition to normal dairy milk… it comes pretty close except my recipe has more protein, more fat and less carbs so quite different really. 🙂

And it texturises just like dairy or soy milk! BUT it isn’t dairy milk! It’s dairy though, just not dairy milk.

As it is the nutritional breakdown is:

Protein: 13
Fat: 12
Carbs: 2
Calories: 164

Susan’s Low Carb Milk

1 cup water
Pinch of mineral salt
2 tbsp of cream (pure, no added sugar)
2 teaspoon Natvia or sweetener of your choice (sweeten to taste)
1/8 tsp Sunflower Lecithin
1 Scoop (30g), 100% Whey Protein Isolate – Natural Flavour

Blend gently to combine in Thermomix, food processor or whatever you use. I then use this was a 60ml shot of espresso to make my cappuccino because this milk froths and textures up beautifully!

Let me know how you go with this recipe. I hope this enables you to enjoy a rich, delicious normal tasting cappuccino occasionally.

Why I LOVE Trim Healthy Mama

You know why I appreciate Trim Healthy Mama even after many years?

Because it isn’t just trim. And it isn’t just healthy. And it isn’t just for me but the whole family. It is Trim *AND* Healthy.

I’m 174cm tall and am not quite at goal weight (so say the experts) but I am very happy where I am at. Because I have been 65kg and I was skinny but not healthy. (That’s why I use the term ‘skinny’ and not trim in this sense). I was dieting all the time – existing on low fat everything, 1000 calories per day and exercising my butt off.

I have been 125kg and felt healthy yet overweight. Too many refined white products – still low fat and even exercising heaps but still no balance.

THM encourages healthy fats, low GI carbs to help me be at *my* trim. The emphasis on real, whole foods help me to improve my health. It is family-friendly which is super important for it to be sustainable. I easily adapt everything to feed my family – everyone one of their unique needs – be it health, weight loss or weight gain. And it complements my own food philosophy – eating real food which is local and seasonal.

THM can be used with every budget, age, condition or allergy. And mostly, I don’t have to deprive myself of treats! Want chocolate? Cookies? Cakes? Drinks? mains? Desserts? THM has you covered! It is an eating plan for life that is affordable, sustainable and achievable in the long term.

It is adaptable for each stage and season of life. Pregnant – no worries! Nursing, menopausal, exercise junkie? THM is adaptable to any age and stage. This is because it provides an educational framework. Sure one could approach it like a typical ‘diet’ filled with all the rules but we all know that diets don’t work in the long term. THM teaches you about the foods and food groups and encourages you to try different things and do what works for you.

Why do you like Trim Healthy Mama?

Typical Meals in my Home

I’m a creature of habit and convenience. I’m a Drive Thru Sue with Purist ideals. I don’t like shakes or smoothies and I’m quite conservative with my drinks. I’ll try about 3 shakes or smoothies per year and gag every time. It’s just not my thing. Coffee is though. Hmm coffee. I also drink chamomile tea, green tea and Good Girl Moonshine – these are regular drinks for me. One of my ‘must-have’s’ is a big daily salad. I just don’t feel ‘whole’ if I don’t have a huge plate of veggies every day.

Breakfasts

Nourish Me Proats (carb-fuelled)
Alpine Sproutedtoast with ham, tomato & hummus (carb-fuelled)
Sautéed Zucchini & Mushrooms with a poached eggs, bacon and collagen tea (fat-fuelled)

Lunches

Soup with ryvita’s or on plan bread (carb-fuelled)
Soup with Swiss Bread and Greens Salad (fat-fuelled)
Popeye’s Power Soup, chicken-free version (fat-fuelled)
Sautéed Veggies in Butter/Coconut Oil, sprinkled with Nutritional Yeast (fat-fuelled)
Salmon fillet with Sautéed Lettuce and Mushrooms (fat-fuelled)
Superfood-Loaded Salad with boiled eggs – lettuce, spinach, capsicum, cucumber, tomato and a dressing (fat-fuelled)
Left Overs from previous night’s tea

Dinners

African Beans with Rice (carb-fuelled)
Chana Dahl Soup or other Lentil Soup (carb-fuelled)
Trim Mac Salad (fat-fuelled)
Small tin of sugar-free Baked Beans with fruit and a collagen coffee (carb-fuelled)
Chow Mein which is similar to Egg Roll in a Bowl (fat-fuelled)
Stir Fry Chicken with Veggies (fat-fuelled)
Eggs Purgatory (fat-fuelled)
Usually tea is a form of animal protein with lots of veggies. Just enough fat or carb to make it yummy.

Snacks

Ryvitas x 2 or Rye Cruskits x 4 with hummus (carb-fuelled)
Carrot/Cucumber/Capsicum/Broccoli Sticks with Hummus (carb-fuelled)
Fruit (Winter strawberries, kiwi fruit and mandarins are beautiful) with Aquafaba Meringue (carb-fuelled)
Handful of Nuts or Nut Butter with Cucumber (fat-fuelled)
Skinny Chocolate (fat-fuelled)
Popcorn with spray of olive oil and sprinkled with Nutritional Yeast (carb-fuelled)
Yogurt (coconut if DF) with nuts and seeds (fat-fuelled)
Muffin in a mug (fat-fuelled)
Dark Lindt Chocolate
Fruit with 1 TB hummus or fruit with a collagen tea (carb-fuelled)

If you look closely enough you may notice something missing is a little sparese: milk. More specifically dairy products. I have been dairy free for more than three months and really enjoying it. Going dairy free has opened my imagination and I’ve been eating more veggies than ever before which is a good thing. Dairy has always been my weakness. I never dreamed I could live without it but it’s a mindset. I knew dairy wasn’t helping with chronic sinusitis and the arthritic symptoms which are a part of fibromyalgia. And it wasn’t helping with weight loss either. Dairy doesn’t need to be fattening but when one has a weakness as serious as mine, when dairy becomes a part of every meal and snack then it isn’t going to remain a good thing for long.The main thing I’ve missed is Parmesan Cheese. I know it’s a good food but my inability to have parmy cheese in the fridge for longer than 2 hours is simply wrong.

What is your food weakness?

2021 Edited to add: I am no longer dairy free, I include Chobani yogurt, all the cheese and dairy milk because I simply don’t want to live without dairy in my life. 2021

Forgiveness and Reconciliation

grieving tears image

I’ve learned some things about forgiveness in relationship to reconciliation. I am not struggling with lack of forgiveness – it is something different. So as to continue to maintain the privacy of all concerned I can best relate my thoughts via an analogy – an imperfect one but its the best I can do and remain discreet. I will say though, that my situation has nothing to do with my husband having an affair but it conveys my point.

Let’s say Ann and Bob are a married couple and Ann has had an affair with another man. There are a few different possible outcomes but in this instance I’ll point out a few to illustrate my point. Upon finding out about the adultery, Bob and Ann have options – to separate and go their own ways or to remain married and work things out. Rebuilding the marriage can only happen if Ann is repentant, if she acknowledges her sin. Then together they can work forward in the marriage – both understanding that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They could acknowledge that Ann has a particular problem and they could devise strategies to deal with temptation and honesty and open-ness would have opportunity to strengthen the marriage. No, it wouldn’t be easy but with repentance and forgiveness it can happen.

But what if both Ann and Bob wanted to continue to be married and work on it but Ann refused to accept responsibility for her actions? What if she blamed Bob or other people? What if she honestly believed that she should not be held responsible or accountable for her actions? How could Bob possibly continue on in the marriage, expecting it to heal, grow and mature? It wouldn’t matter how many times Bob forgave Ann… without her acknowledgement of her own actions, without repentance, how can they both move forward together on the same page?

**********

And therein lies my struggle. My person can not/will not even listen to some of the things they have done. They refuse to hear how they impacted my life. I want my person to acknowledge their actions and to acknowledge that I had been hurt. But they will not listen. I have apologised to them, asked for their forgiveness. I have tried to acknowledge my own wrong doing and also their hurt even though I had their best interest at heart and never meant to hurt them. I forgive my person. I love my person. However, it is extremely difficult to have a relationship with my person – what do we build upon? We have two very different beliefs about the world, its Creator and therefore how we should live as well as how we see the current status of our relationship and everything surrounding it.

Counsellors and godly people in my life would normally advise me to step away. To forgive and yet accept this non reconciliation, to protect myself. But that isn’t so easy. My situation is such that I cannot separate myself. I can forgive. I have forgiven my person and I love them. But full restoration can only come about through acknowledgement, confession, forgiveness and commitment of both parties.

And this is the struggle that leaves me feeling battle-weary and worn down. So if you see me down the street, looking haggard or overwhelmed, chances are… I am overwhelmed. Trying to navigate through life where decisions must be made, actions must be performed within a state of forgiveness yet without reconciliation. Yes, God is good. All the time. But I am still overwhelmed and taking each moment as it comes.

Homemade Cashew Milk

Regular readers and friends will know about my search for a dairy milk replacement that I can tolerate. I can’t stand Almond Milk unless it is combined with coconut milk but even then I don’t really like it, I just manage to tolerate it. So I kept experimenting and have found Cashew Milk to be something I can enjoy. Although I suspect I might also like this with macadamia nuts or brazil nuts but cashews are a little cheaper. But do you know the best thing about this milk? It doesn’t need straining! Wahoo! The secret is in the soaking. By soaking for only 2-6 hours it doesn’t need to be strained but if I soak longer than that I don’t like the un-strained texture so squeeze it through a nut milk bag or new paint strainer bag.

Homemade Cashew Milk

Serves 7

1 cup Raw Cashews
6-8 cups of water
Pinch of salt
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Optional Ingredients

1 TBS Hydrolyzed Collagen (Great Lakes green can)
1 Doonk Stevia Extract (A doonk is a THM measurement for 1/32 of a teaspoon)
1 Doonk Glucomannan Powder
1 tsp Sunflower Lecithin

Options:

In fact, everything except the cashews and water is optional. You do not have to include the collagen, stevia, vanilla, lecithin or gluccie.
When making this into a hot chocolate or latte or smoothie, the fat count can be increased by adding 1 TB of MCT oil, if desired.

Method

Stay with me here, it’s long and complicated. Not.

Soak the cashews for 2-8 hours. Then, drain excess water and plop into the Thermomix or good blender with the other ingredients. Blend, blend and blend again. Fire up the latte machine and marvel at how quick and easy it all is.

Just an Ordinary Day

Today was one of those days. Of not coping. As much as I love them I am so over The Wiggles. Do the Propeller, Do the propeller around and around, Do the propeller.. “Do the propeller, Do the propeller around and around, We’re going up and up and up and up”
Stop Susan, have a normal conversation for once!

No, not even the toilet is safe. Jax, being like an only child, just needs me to be parental, best friend, helper, educator and entertainer, friend, cook, nurse and playmate 24/7 whilst I just need some Quiet Time. And I need it now. If I resign myself to doing nothing but The Wiggles on DVD he doesn’t want to watch it. But he can’t let me sit two feet away and be on the computer while he watches tv or plays – he has to climb all over me whilst doing the Wiggles! And as any respectable parent knows, you can’t simply watch the Wiggles one has to DO the Wiggles! Can’t do the dishes – he breaks a glass. Can’t do the laundry without liquid being spilt on the floor and played in. Can’t cook as he needs to help me. Of course. Can’t watch him play outside because he needs me to be actively involved. Of course. Every minute of every waking hour. Of course. If you could see this boy. He is delightful! And I love him to bits! I really do, it’s just to tiring.

So…

I needed to get out so I decided to go window shopping. Not retail therapy just window shopping, with maybe a Dirty Chai but… as it happened, John and Jax went with me, because you know, that is my quiet time, my space. Uhh. So we went and got a coffee (and yes, I’m back on dairy for now) and a new cookbook (always a yay!) and layby-ed some pretty dresses. Score! I also bought a new (new to us) Wiggles DVD, which only proves that I am totally crazy and deserve everything I get.

Went home and put on the Wiggles DVD (Gee, I should get a commission from The Wiggles!) – Jax was QUIET! Enamored! And even though it is the Wiggles, it is all new to me! Booyah! I’m rockin’ this parenting gig. Second time around, fingers crossed.

And then, in between picking 20yo up from work, (because he has lost his license-as you do at that silly age) and dropping 18yo off to work, (as you do because his parents are too darn lazy to take him for driving lessons so he can’t get his P’s yet), you then attempt to get spiffied up to go out to tea with your husband for a nice meal.

With a 2.5yo in tow.

Silly, silly grownups.

It took us longer to get dressed and ready to go out than it took for us to eat the meal. Which wasn’t even yummy.

Bring on tomorrow. Quickly. This too shall pass. Tomorrow is another day. What other things did I used to tell homeschooling mothers of Little Ones? C’mon, gimme some encouragement, mamas!?

Just an ordinary day in the life of me.

The Beauty of Grey

I’ve always changed my blog design. That’s not new. But I’ve never been one for grey. I’ve previously thought it to be mediocre, dull and lifeless with zero personality. Oh! What a turn around! I’ve come to love and appreciate all things grey. From light grey to darker shades of grey, the complements and contrasts speak of my life. Grey is not just grey!

I used to be fairly black and white. Not that I thought so at the time. But I was. And that is probably not a bad thing when you’re trying to teach and guide your children. But every day, every week I realise how broken, how messy, how imperfectly grey our lives are. No one has it all together – they just might look like it. Or maybe they really do feel like they’ve got their ducks in a row… but life has a way of teaching us painful lessons. Lessons such as the world simply isn’t only various shades of black or white but many shades of grey. And whilst they may seem painful things to learn at the time, they are indeed profitable and I’m thankful for them.

About Susan

Simply Susan

Musings of a messy mama navigating through the seasons of life: marriage, motherhood & mess.

Married to the same man for 33 years/blended family/instant step-mama at 18/mama to many/ex-nomadic lifestyle/ nurse/softball/ health/nutrition/ex-defence force family/nutrition coach/.

Follower of Jesus Christ.

I am a 50+yo woman who delights in being a wife, mother and Nonnie (grandmother). In a nutshell, I could be classified as Bible-First, keeper-of-the-home, eclectic, literature-loving, God-fearing, Daughter of The King. I want to proclaim the gospel to my children, and anyone else who will listen.

I manage the home and family logistics.
I taught my children at home.
I build and manage websites. I read and study for fun.
I drink copious amounts of coffee and eat chocolate.
I don’t always cook but when I do, it’s pretty good.
Aged Care worker, Nutrition Coach

I love being with my family and love nothing more than a good coffee with a slice of baklava. I’m partial to a good Pecorino or Parmesan Cheese and dark chocolate. I enjoy Bible study, nursing in Aged Care, hanging with family, grandchildren and friends, reading books, studying health and nutrition, pottering around on a block, growing herbs and watching TV. I like a wide range of shows from drama, comedy, docutainments, fantasty and sci-fi. My dirty little secret is Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. I enjoy learning about website design and creating websites primarily using Joomla, WordPress, New Zenler and IPB.

Why This Blog Exists

We started investigating home education in late 1997 and it was during the Nov/Dec break of the same years that we started homeschooling. Although we homeschooled for about 19 years I consider that we homeschooled all of them, all the way through – because what happens in utero is important and then we go on to teach our babies all those essential learnings. There are many other people who had walked many more miles in this journey than we have. I cannot and do not aim to teach you, the reader, anything nor do I feel that I have anything astounding to offer, except the blisters on my feet from walking round and round the garden path so much because I can be so stubborn and set in my ways.

Who are/were the HomeGrownKids?

It might help you to know the members of our family. There is Beloved otherwise known as John, then myself followed by the kids:

Mr. D who is 38yo
Mrs Abi (from Gio & Co) who is 30yo and has 3 beautiful children with her husband, Ian.
Miss R who is 28yo
Mister J who is 26yo
Mister C who is engaged and to be married in September, is 24yo
Master Jax who is an 8yo bundle of joyous mischief.

Abi, R, J and C were all homeschooled. Master Jax goes to a private Christian school as we’re not as young as we used to be.

Labels, Names & Denomination

Baptist? Church of Christ? CRC? Reformed? Presbeteryan? Pentecostal?Actually I’d say I’m all of those and none!

I do not like labels. I don’t like to ‘follow’ or adhere to any particular preaching or teaching. However, for those who really need labels to help define a site or person it might be said that I lean toward a slightly more Reformed and Calvinistic mindset. 🙂 You can see my thoughts here on even calling myself a Christian! Why do we need labels? Why do we feel the need to rally together under any other banner other than Christ?

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.
1 Cor 3: 1-9

What Else?

I love receiving comments! Whether or not you agree with something I’ve written or disagree I’d like to hear it. Maybe you have a different perspective on an issue – feel free to share how you think or have acted in a situation. It will encourage and minister to me and the other readers of this blog. If you don’t understand something I have written, feel free to ask me to clarify it. I know what I mean in my own mind…I know my background, my recent history, the books I have read and teachings I have sat under that often bring me to the things I say…but you, the dear reader, do not know that. At times, I can be quite unclear so I always appreciate being asked to elucidate upon something I have said or written. Please read my posts with a view to chewing over the little pieces of meat but be sure to spit out the bones.

My greatest desire is not that my children become great academic scholars or millionaires rather that they learn to walk in the Truth of God’s word, to know Him and love Him. However, I also write for others: not that my words are anything spectacular or insightful rather that I have found that sharing our thoughts with one another via the written word is in itself, stimulating, helpful and illuminating. I do not seek to share anything ‘new’ or profound, rather I seek to share the good news of Christ throughout my everyday life. This doesn’t mean I always share the 4 step plan to salvation or even that I mention verses and chapter in my post for my walk as a believer is a relational walk.

My Story

I have been joyously married to my love John, for over 33 years and together we have four, five or six children, depending upon how one looks at it. Confused yet? Yes, we are a blended family which only adds to the vitality, energy and choas!

I was not raised as a Christian – very far from it! My childhod was… shall we say – um, colourful. Something that those who were raised in the ways of faith will not understand – and thankfully so. Suffice it to say that I carried some baggage with me into my marriage and parenting years. I learned the hard way how to be a parent. In fact, I am still learning even now – as a mama to an 8 yo!

This blog is an attempt to journal my day to day thoughts, struggles, growth and learning in the process of wifehood, motherhood and being a Daughter of the King! Sometimes I may share recipes or the like, as it may be something that I’ve had to type out for a forum so to save typing it again one day, I will post it here. I don’t expect or suppose that others will find this blog to be very interesting or academically stimulating. That’s okay. I primarily post for me…for this is my journey and writing helps me to process my thoughts. I also periodically print my posts out and keep them in a box, just in case my children should like to read them one day, once I have moved on/graduated.

Posts About Susan

Topics

Topics I write about

Our Story

Abi’s Wedding

Reflections

Articles

Code Of Online Ethics

I hold myself to certain standards of conduct. They are:

I guard my online relationships
I am careful to visit websites that do not compromise my life in Christ
I take care that my written communications reflect Christ in my life
I guard my time to assure that my time online is kept in proper balance with the rest of my life.

Green Matcha Yogurt

Over the years I have put some weird tasting stuff in my body. Even though I have mellowed and settled a lot in this area (thanks to THM) I am still susceptible to subjecting my body to obscure sounding and weird tasting foods. That’s not to say that I like the taste but I’m drawn to the health benefits. Chlorophyll, spirulina, chlorella, maca, bee pollen… the list goes on. I’ve not found them easy to ingest, rather it’s a chore I do in the name of health.

So it with great surprise that I have found Green Matcha Powder quite easy to take! And for a latte lovin’ gal such as myself, I do not prefer it as a Green Matcha Latte rather in my yogurt. A side note: The THM authors make a mean looking Green Matcha pudding here.

What is Green Matcha Powder and Why Would Anyone Put It In Their Body?

Organic matcha from Little Tokyo image I could go on… but I’ll leave that to those more knowledgable. But quickly…
Matcha is premium green tea powder from Japan used for drinking as tea or as an ingredient in recipes. While other green teas are grown throughout the world, matcha is unique to Japan. It is the heart of the Japanese way of tea and has been celebrated in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony for hundreds of years.

Matcha Green Tea Powder is:
Rich in powerful anti-aging antioxidants
Full of cancer-fighting catechins
A natural mood enhancer
An energy booster
Unparalleled nutrition in a single serving – one cup of matcha is equivalent to 10 cups of green tea!

Follow the links…
Matcha Source – matcha benefits. About Matcha…

Where To Buy Green Matcha

I sourced this beauty from Little Tokyo, a small specialist store in the Adelaide Central Market but even my local Tea Emporium stocks it so I’ll be buying local from now on. It can be purchased online but I encourage you to look locally.

Here is my daily Green Matcha Yogurt

Start with this basic Fuel Pull version then add S/E ingredients if desired.

½ cup blueberries
½ cup no-fat or low-fat Greek yogurt
1 scoop WPI (I used 20gms)
½ – ¾ tsp Organic Green Matcha Powder
THM Pure Stevia Extract to taste (or equivalent THM sweetener)
1 tsp Vanilla Paste

Method
Sift matcha powder over yogurt and blend well. Then add berries, stevia, vanilla and other (S or E) ingredients. The matcha must be sifted else it will clump and be inedible. Honestly, just believe me on this one.

Optional Ingredients for a Satisfying Snack

Ground flax
Coconut flakes
Chia seeds
Nuts
Choose low fat Greek yogurt

Optional Ingredients for an Energising Snack

Choose kiwi fruit, apple, mango or fruit of choice
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 tsp chia seeds

Use this recipe as an introduction to green matcha powder. Feel free to mix it up and create your own tastes.

Do you use Matcha in your THM lifestyle? I’d love to hear more about your ventures with it!

Not Allowing Social Media to Change my Agenda

When I wake up in the morning I start to plan the day. I say good morning to God, cuddle hubby and organise my thoughts. I plan my agenda for the day, considering what is flexible and what is set in concrete. Sounds ideal, right?

And. Then. I. Log. On…: Facebook, forums, blogs, etc. And it isn’t so much the amount of time that I spend online. It used to be, too much time online has often been a struggle of mine but not in recent years. The problem with it is that…

Click to enlarge

My Agenda Changes

I am quick to put off the laundry for another day because I am chasing bunny trails that I’ve stumbled across online. I’ll research and ponder a THM or homeschooling question to help someone and this pondering can take a few hours or all day. In the meanwhile, my heart is everywhere else but directed toward my home, my family or what was my agenda.

I’ve always believed that we do best when we bloom where we are planted. That we have been put on earth in this time, in this place to glorify God… that whatever we do we should work at it wholeheartedly as if directly working for the Lord. And God put me here in 2014, with this man and this mish-mash of children. This is where I’ve been planted and should be blooming. That’s not to say I should never venture outside my door, or never develop interests, serve others, work, play or anything else. Rather that this ground is my first priority. For me, homemaking is the God-given domain of womanly authourity. It is not only my responsibility, but it has been and still is my place of influence and authourity. Visiting (online or IRL), studying, researching, supporting, helping and socialising are all necessary and valuable aspects of daily life but they shouldn’t be my first priority nor happen at the expense of my family or home.

And yet so often I have allowed the Internet to dictate my thoughts, my actions, my prayer life, my study, my time… I have allowed my daily rhythm to be changed, I have shifted my focus.

Moreover, as they go about from house to house, they learn to be idlers, and not only idlers, but gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not say and talking of things they should not mention.
1 Timothy 5:13

I’ve written before about daily quiet times. And no, before you click out of this page I’m not going to suggest that everyone should be up at 5am having a daily quiet time with God. I have been there and done that. I think that lifestyle suits a certain personality (maybe type A?) but it certainly isn’t easy to maintain with a large family who has a lot of emotional happenings, illness, depression or when one simply isn’t a morning person! Of course I dedicate my day to God upon waking – just like I cuddle my husband and think about the day, God is always present and acknowledged. How can He not be? But if I’m to give him the best of me, of my time and head space then it isn’t going to be the mornings. I used to be a morning person but that changed. Age, depression, adrenal fatigue, busyness, weariness may account for it but I am definitely not a morning person anymore. And I think He is okay with that.

Different Seasons

I’m also in a different season of life now. I’m not actively homeschooling as Falcon is 17yo and doing the bulk of his work independently. I am working part time, raising a toddler and well, life is completely different to what it was 5 years ago! I’m out and about more but consequently I am not online much at all. And I like it! I’ve noticed this particularly in this new season of life because I can see how much it affected me and my homeschooling life many years ago. There are so many things that I wouldn’t do differently if I had opportunity for a re-do… but this is an aspect I would love to do over again – no Internet until after the ‘must-do’s’ of my daily agenda have been tended to. Rather than decry the evils of the Internet and social media and how we should avoid it, I now schedule it. This also helps me to live more fully present in the moment as I’m not checking FB on the phone all the time.

Of course life looks different depending upon the season we are in. I loved being a homeschooling mum. Our choice allowed me to learn, grow and develop in so many areas, even being based at home and with children all day. I’m not suggesting that I should have never been online or had personal interests or friends. Hehee, that would be quite silly. It has been beneficial for me that I continued to learn new skills and gain knowledge whilst homeschooling. Now that my children are older I have many (far too many) interests and passions to pursue. Thankfully, my husband and I both agreed that continuing to develop spiritually, intellectually and socially was of great importance. However, these areas of growth shouldn’t come at the expense of a clean, tidy (level of tidiness varies for everyone) home where children are trained in character, nourished emotionally and physically and the hubby is loved and respected beyond a shadow of doubt. Simply doing my main priorities FIRST before I check online keeps my eyes on my agenda. Once I check social media, my agenda changes and becomes something else. All good, noble things but it still takes me away from my domain.

So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander.
~ 1 Timothy 5:14

How about you?

Have you found scheduling Internet time to be beneficial? Have you found that being online early changes your daily agenda? Or maybe you have a tip to share?

Confused by my Grief

grieving tears image

It’s been 16 and a half years since Mum passed away. I visited my Mum’s grave last week. And as happened in the past I got angry and frustrated. With myself. I don’t believe she is in the grave. Her body is but her soul has crossed from this earth and this time to that of eternity. I don’t see why the burial plot should hold significance for me. I don’t see why it has emotions tied to it. Right?

But it does.

And that frustrates me. Why do I get sad and upset and emotional when visiting her grave, even though I know she’s not there? I know that grief isn’t wrapped up in neat little bundles… that it manifests itself in many different ways and at all sorts of odd times. Yet I can’t seem to accept this for myself. My reasoning says I shouldn’t be emotional but I am. The real part of me knows that it is normal to feel like this yet on the same hand I am frustrated that I do. Am I denying my emotions?

Humans… Were a weird mob.

Susan

Sharing My Story Without Over-Sharing

All over the Internet I see articles encouraging budding writers to share their story. That their story is unique to them, that there is someone, even just one person who will be touched by that story… you know, I’m sure you’ve seen and read them for yourself. And that’s not bad advice. I’m just ferhoodled as to the practical outworking of sharing my story throughout the seasons of life.

I want to share. There are events in my life that have shaped me, touched me and changed my thinking and my beliefs but I often feel stifled in sharing because I don’t know how to do so in a way that tells only my story. I’ve written before on why I don’t write much anymore about my children. Because I want them to own their own story. And it is theirs to tell.

I believe that my story is mine to tell but how do I do that without it having an effect upon some of those people who were indirectly involved? My life is so closely interwoven with the lives of my loved ones and they have also been affected by those same events. Some details and some events seen in print will hurt them, even though I would only ever share things once I’ve dealt with them through forgiveness. Even though I can forgive and have moved on, doesn’t necessarily mean that others in the story wouldn’t be reminded or hurt.

And as such, this is my dilemma with blogging. I’m not the best cook nor do I have any original recipes so I can’t blog regularly about that. There are already a plethora of housekeeping blogs out there. Do we really need another one? There are sites that encourage godly marriage in a much better and deeper way that I can. And motherhood? Oh dear… is there anything I can say on that matter that is either practical or inspiring?

So why bother? Why not just give up?

That would be a fair question. Because I love to write. I need to talk. By nature I am a fairly positive person. Even when in the midst of depression I still lean toward positivity. I like to encourage others. Not from a high, lofty place but from deep within the trenches. I find sharing to be therapeutic, healing and clarifying. So it’s not all about me being a great servant and encouraging others… it’s also about my need to express, to ponder, to journal my way through the seasons of life.

What about you? How do you manage to share deeply yet not over-share or not step on the toes of those intricately involved in the story?

Entering the Workforce

I have joined the work force. As in, I am now working outside of the home in paid employment. Granted it is only two afternoon shifts per week but it is exactly what I wanted.

I’ve been studying for the past few months for my Certificate III in Aged Care and Certificate III in Home & Community Care so I am now a Personal Care Assistant. Old friends and long time readers may remember that I did my Enrolled Nurse training way back when I was a young girl. Actually it was 26 years ago. I’ve wanted to do something like this for many years but it had to be the right time. But is it ever the right time for a SAHM? Especially a SAHM who has a baby to care for and raise? It wouldn’t seem that study would once again go on the back burner but John encouraged me to do it. It would never be the perfect time, I’d just have to do it. And so I did.

Let me say, it was not easy being out of the house 3 days of every week for 9 weeks. Not easy at all. John did a fabulous job of keeping the home under control and keeping me well fed but it’s not quite the same. I enjoyed studying and it has really whet my appetite for more but I noticed that my heart wasn’t turned to the home anymore. And that is completely understandable. How could my heart be turned homeward when I had assignments due and had to be out at class every day? But wait Susan, there’s more!

3 Weeks Full Time

I had to do 120 hours of full time work at an Aged Care facility. I did day and afternoon shift and I volunteered for night shift. I did this to see how it would fit in with my family and home life. It doesn’t. I’m not too keen on day shift either. Up and away by 7am and not home until 3.30pm meant that I arrived home tired and ready for tea and bed… not particularly in the right frame of mind or body to be a wife and mum. It left very little time for heart or home. However, afternoon shift is great and works well for us. I feel like I get the best of both worlds. I can be at home looking after Bumples or cooking or visiting the grandkids until work at 3pm. Then, I get to go to work and have fun! I get to have family time and work!

Whilst I enjoyed it all, I am glad it is over. The good news is that on the last day of placement I submitted my resume. Imagine my surprise and delight when a few days later I took a call asking if I still wanted to work at the Aged Care facility! So far, I’ve worked two shifts as a paid employee. And I am enjoying it – getting out and about, serving the elderly, working and talking with others is really satisfying in many ways.

I missed writing though – both here on the blog and in all the other places I write. It confirms to me that I love to write and I need to write. I just find blogging to be so time consuming. Not the writing part but finding legal and appropriate images takes all the fun out of it for me.

A New Season

And so, as I have entered a new season of my life I feel it is time for change. Yes, another change. Soon, I will be moving my blog to a new domain, removing many of the older posts and starting to post anew. This new blog will be a little more minimalistic as that reflects the changes in my own home life and house. Less physical clutter has meant less mental clutter. And I like that.

Keeping In Touch When They've All Left Home

The Bravewriter Facebook page posed an interesting question a few days ago. I posted my response but also wanted to elaborate more here.
A question for moms with grown kids:

How do you keep up with everyone? How frequently do you talk to your kids and by what means?

As regular readers will know, we are a crazy-blended family with ages from 11 months through to 31. Most of our children have left home to pursue their adult lives. Only Falcon is left and he is 16.5yo, completing Yr 11 at home. Strangely enough, Falcon is the only one we use Facebook with. I generally send him a PM to remind him of activities, chores or to ask him to make me a cuppa. Bumples lives with us and he is 11 months old so there’s a while yet before he launches into the wider world. It’s all happened so quickly! One year I felt like our house was ridiculously busy and the next few years and they’re all gone!

Just as my relationship with each child was different when we homeschooled, so it is now that they are adults. And so we have different ways and times with each of them. I hear from one adult child about five times a day. These times of communication are equally initiated by both of us and we use many means : phone, facetime, SMS, email and Pinterest. Another adult child I hear from a few times a week and then yet another only about once a week. I’m fine with it all. They are each off in the outside world finding themselves and their purposes and I’m proud of them for making it on their own. I can’t complain. We raised them to become independent, free thinkers – and that’s who they have become!

Some of us in 1999

It is a balancing act with some of them though. I don’t want to seem like I’m nagging or harassing them by texting or calling too much but I want to let them know that I love them and am thinking and praying for them. I don’t want my kids to dread picking up the phone or to only call me out of a sense of duty or obligation. So I have repeatedly told them that I only want them to call if and when they want to, although it is nice to hear, even via text message, that they’re alive and well. I’d rather hear from my son once a week when he calls willingly than a few times a week out of obligation. I’ll often send them a quick message saying that I love them but I don’t always expect a response. I’m thankful for the times they do connect with me and that they want me to share in a little part of the lives. Being a parent of an adult child is a wonderful opportunity and I’m thankful for the times that they do connect with me and share a part of their lives with me.

What’s My Motive?

I’ve often had to consider my motivation in expecting communication. Am I needing it for my own self or do they need the communication? The last thing I want to be is a needy, smother-mother. Once we consider our own motivation we are then free to allow our young adults to set the frequency and mode of keeping in touch. And that can be a tricky maneuver, especially for parents who have homeschooled and been with their kids almost 24/7. However, we spent the first part of their lives serving them, training them and being an example and that doesn’t need to change in itself although aspects of it certainly need to. I can still serve them and I can still be an example. It just means that they have needs and I’m not the only or even the main person who will meet those needs. And that’s a good thing especially when we’re a part of the Body of Christ.

How do you keep up with the adults kids in your family? How often do you speak with them?

Coconut Pancakes with Blueberries & Vanilla Cream {S}

Coconut Pancakes {S}

I’ve been following trim healthy mama style of eating for a year and a half. Using coconut flour was new to me, until about a year ago. It can be temperamental. It doesn’t follow the normal rules of baking/cooking. But don’t let that scare you – simply follow my easy peasy recipe and you will be nom nom noming on some delicious coconut pancakes for breakfast or lunch. Please note that this recipe doesn’t have a load of protein. You could add half a scoop of Whey Protein Isolate (WPI) if you wanted to… or you could have a Fat Stripping Frappe (FSF) for morning/afternoon tea.

I’ve found that my body functions best when I have {S} breakfasts. If I do have an {E} breakfast, it is usually only a very small serve. E breakfasts seem to affect my blood sugar levels in a way that makes me slightly dizzy, light-headed and feeling spaced out. But a gal can only eat fried eggs, boiled eggs, omelet, scrambled eggs and frittata so many times before it becomes monotonous, eh? Enter… Coconut pancakes!

Coconut Pancakes

Coconut Pancakes with Blueberries & Vanilla Cream

Serves 1 (with 2 pancakes)

1 egg
1 TB coconut oil
1 Tsp Natvia or other plan approved sweetener
pinch of sea salt
1 TB coconut flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
40ml coconut milk (to cut about 8grams of fat content of this meal you can use unsweetened almond milk instead)
1/4 – 1/2 cup blueberries (as many as you like but to keep this as an S do not exceed half a cup)
40 – 50 ml cream or Greek Yogurt seasoned with 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract and a pinch of Natvia

Mix egg, coconut oil, Natvia, salt, coconut flour and coconut link in a blender, stick blender or magic bullet. Set aside.
Gently heat blueberries in a little water until thawed or nice and syrupy. Add a sprinkling of natvia. Set aside.
Combine cream, vanilla and another sprinkling of Natvia. Set aside.
Heat a non stick fry pan, with a teeny little of coconut oil or butter. You only need a smidgen. Pour in half of the pancake batter and gently cook through. Flip to cook the other side. Repeat with remaining pancake mix.
Serve on a plate, topped with syrupy blueberries and vanilla cream.

Easy peasy and yummy in my tummy.

A new, Australian, online store to source all those ingredients!

I have purchased from iHerb.com and their shipping and prices are good… but there is an Aussie mama, who is also a THMer and she has opened an online THM type store called Aussie Mamas. Go check it out!

Four Things I Want In My Life

I don’t do New Year resolutions and haven’t for quite some time. And yet here I am going to post a list of things that I’d like to either achieve, work on or try. But don’t be fooled into thinking it has anything to do with the New Year. It’s just timing. We’ve had our tree-change. A major family crisis also happened. One that has affected both John and I physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially and in any other way that I can’t think of how to express. You’ll have to stay tuned into future posts for more information on that one.

I miss reading books

I read all day. Online. It’s not the same. Even great blog posts don’t simmer in my mind as much as reading a whole book. I want to read more books.

I started a new novel yesterday and even though I’ve wanted to read it for a few years, it just didn’t hold my interest. But I’ll persevere a little longer. What did catch my eye was an autobiography. So I paid $1.99 for it and downloaded it to my Kindle app. That’s a start.But I’m very far away from what I used to read – I’d have at least three different types of books on the go at any given time.

I miss music

I’m not sure why music took a back seat but I want to listen to a wide variety of music again. I’m happy to listen to Giggle & Hoot but I also want some more Paul Wilbur, Enya, LOTR soundtrack, Paul Potts, Transiberian Orchestra, Classical and more! Pandora has been helpful and I will use it more each morning.

I want to write more

I am committed to only sharing my story and not that of my kids. And that doesn’t always leave a lot for me to say because our lives are so intertwined and it’s hard for me to write my story, from my perspective without intruding on their privacy. Whilst that is tricky, it’s not insurmountable. I used to write a lot, even when I homeschooled all four children and had a small business. This 500 Word Challenge is my way of starting to write more.

I want to exercise

Even just a little. Enough said.

My list is not very spiritual, is it? Read the Bible more, pray more, visit the sick, feed the poor, etc. are all things we should desire to do – borne out of relationship with Our Father. I have never put them on such lists.

I Am A Good Mum

I know what it’s like to feel like a failure as a mother. Having a prodigal challenged every belief I had about God, man, myself, my husband, my educational and parenting philosophies. For too many years I felt like it was all my fault. If only I had done better, made fewer mistakes, been more attentive, prayed more, played more, laughed more or disciplined more then surely things would have turned out differently. Yeah?

Nowadays I am confident about one thing.

I was a good mum. I did my best. I am a good mum and I’m still doing my best.
I didn’t choose for my child to go AWOL. I didn’t want it or work toward it. It happened anyway. But it’s not my fault. I worked hard to be the best mumma I could be. I devoted my time and energy to developing relationships with my kids, to educating them, to meeting their emotional, physical, spiritual needs. I focused on reaching their heart. I applied myself to creating a warm, loving atmosphere in the home. And I loved my husband, the kids dad.

Every fibre of my being screamed and rebelled against what was happening. Shattered dreams, not only for the beloved prodigal child but also for the other children who were affected. Regardless of my prayer, my cries, my despair and my hope – it still happened.

Sure I made mistakes. Show me a parent who doesn’t. Only God is a perfect parent but He is the Ultimate Parent. Every single person since the dawn of creation is only a parent, only a reflection of the Ultimate Parent. Every single parent is also imperfect.

I’ve felt shame and despair. I’ve been lonely. I’ve listened to the voice that told me I was a total failure, that I should have done better, done more.

But that voice isn’t telling the truth. That voice lies. For I was a good mumma. I am a good mum. Even when one didn’t want to be mothered by me I was still a good mum. I fought for their heart in deed and in prayer. I grieve for the years we lost, the years I didn’t get to mother her. But I prayed and loved regardless. For His reasons, God gave these children, this particular child, to me (us) to raise and love and care for. He knew my heart and my desires. And no one could have mothered these children better than I did. It is not my fault. Oh what sweet relief to finally know this truth.

I love my children fiercely. I care for them, protect them, nurture them, encourage them and listen to them. I believe in them. More importantly I believe in a great God, an awesome God, who loves these babes even more than I do. Even though I’ve learned this truth through having a prodigal, I know it is applicable to many mothers, many parents who are in different situations yet have the same heart.

I did not fail. I am not a failure. It’s not my fault. God is in control still – always was and always will be.

God is good. All the time.

Disclaimer
This is a post written from the heart. It is not a doctrinal or theological discourse on parenting. This is a truth that I know is truth for me, for my heart condition at this time. Feel free to chew on it but spit out any bones.

My Journey with Health – Loose THM style

Over the years I have written at length about my journey with health and fitness. It has been an ongoing battle for me and I have often felt like I was paddling a canoe upstream.

I’ve tried juicing, green smoothies, lots of raw foods, coconut oil and more. I’ve read and tried BodyTrim, Jenny Craig, Dukan Diet, The Maker’s Diet, Nourishing Traditions, Eat Fat to Lose Fat, Changing Habits Changing Lives, and then some!

I know that many carbs and grains do not sit well with my family – but how to know the difference between them? How to prepare meals for the whole family when I’m the one one who needs to limit those carbs? We lived on pasta, rice, flour products, potatoes, rice and bread for years. Especially when you’re a one-income wog family like we are.

Everything is permissible, but not everything is helpful.
1 Corinthians 10:23

It’s been 12 months now. I have lost 10kgs although weight loss has been an unexpected bonus. My motivation was health. And I’m happy to report that I have indeed experienced an increase in my health. Physically I am much stronger now than what I was 12 – 18 months ago. My blood sugar levels are a lot more stable now whereas they had been starting to cause some issues with light headedness, fatigue, vision, etc.

How?

Trim Healthy Mama!

I am not a purist. I own and use a microwave occasionally. I drink milk in my latte. I still forget to eat regularly. I don’t combine my fuels correctly. In fact, I am only on the THM between 70 – 80% of the time. I can do fine all day but then eat a crossover (combining 3 fuel sources at a meal) which will inhibit weight loss. I don’t use many special ingredients although I have easily learned how to swap some ingredients for better alternatives.

I eat lots of chocolate that helps to raise my metabolism and heat my body. I eat [THM] chocolate muffins for breakfast. In fact, the more chocolate and muffins I eat regularly, the more weight I lose and the better I feel! I eat meat, chicken, veggies, fruit, cream, cheese, yogurt, nuts, seeds and more! I’m eating more calories than I ever have before. Anywhere between 1600 – 1800 per day! I tell you, the 1980’s have a lot to answer for (and none of it good) with the low fat, aerobic exercise only craze!

I’ve noticed that I naturally eat more on some days than on others but it all evens out over the course of a week. There will be a day or two where I simply don’t feel hungry and/or I’ll forget to eat. But boy, I make up for it the next day. This isn’t good practice for those with CFS, AF, Thyroid issues or BSL fluctuations but the stronger I get the more I cope with it – in fact, my body seems to like it. So I am mostly THM with a little bit of [natural] Intermittent Fasting thrown in.

Now of course, I have my Therminator so I’m trying to create THM meals in the Thermomix. Hmm, I’ve had a few meals that need improvement, that’s for sure.

Goals for 2014

I want to continue with my current eating plan but I want more:

More regularity with meals
Even better quality of foods
To do more S meals during the day with the main dinner meal being an E or a Crossover
To regularly do T-Tapp and/or walk

All in all, I’ve had a good year health-wise. It’s the first time in a very long while that I can see, feel and touch hope. But now I want more. I want to be fitter, stronger, healthier. And I have the tools now to do it.

CatchUpdate

Greetings from Sunraysia, Victoria!

Interstate Move and TreeChange

Remember I wrote that it was time for a tree-change? Well, it has happened! So many changes packed into just a few weeks. The move went well. Fairly uneventful as far as interstate moves go. This was our 7th move in 13 years of defence force life. I suppose I’m stating the obvious but wow, civilian life is very different to Defence Force life!

The homes we have been in for the last 13 years have been great. They’re usually quite large, spacious and fairly new with all modern conveniences. Even though we do try to declutter regularly we have tended to simply store everything. This move into the civilian house is akin to playing tetris with boxes and furniture. There is simply not enough room for our furniture, nor all the boxes of books. We need to hire a separate storage facility.

Mr Greystash fared well throughout the whole ordeal. John is building him a cat run so that he can exit the house through a cat door but only go to a restricted area. Grey has cost us far too much money in vet bills over the years. We’re not letting him outside, unsupervised again. I’ve planted a few herbs: basil, tarragon, stevia, chilli, mint and parsley. But the best news is… I have a square, Hills Hoist clothes line! I love those things! Defence homes usually have fold-a-lines and I don’t like them and I tend to use the clothes dryer more than I should.

We’ve had a trip back to Adelaide and Abi and Ian brought the twinlets here for a weekend visit. We plan to make several more visits to Adelaide over the next two months but then we are hoping to truly settle and stay put. For the time being, we are alone. Just the two of us. It is very different yet exciting and very pleasant. Falcon has stayed in Adelaide for now and will join us once we have room for him – and after the Christmas break. Falcon is finishing his schooling with OAC, and has many commitments with Cadets until mid January. I guess that’s what happens when one has their children fairly close together in age – they’re all little at once but they all start to leave home around the same time too!

Small, Smart Kitchen

My Thermonator

Some awfully exciting news is that I finally succumbed. Yes, I am now the very proud owner of A Therminator! Well, that’s what I call him. He’s tough. He’s solid. He is one mean machine!

I first heard about the Thermomix several years ago on AussieHomeschool. But I didn’t mind cooking and couldn’t see why I needed one. And did I really need yet another kitchen appliance when I already had so many?

Our diet has improved over the last few years but the amount of kitchen mess has not. Cooking and cutting utensils were continually dirty and I noticed this even more when my dishwasher decided to go on strike. So I purchased a Bellini from Target. I used it a few times and was quite disappointed. If I hadn’t researched the Thermomix so thoroughly and didn’t know what it could I may not have felt so let down by the Bellini. But I had and I was.

So when John said that I could indeed purchase a Thermomix, I booked my demonstration quicker than one can say, “the world’s smallest, smartest kitchen”. A quarter of my house was packed up in boxes on the day I had the demo. The day of Pre-Pack (where furniture removalists take over the house and pack anything and everything in sight) is when I had my Delivery briefing. The consultant walked me through cooking soup and bread which we had for tea that night. Normally the delivery would have been to my home but it too chaotic so I went to her house and picked it up. My consultant was fantastic – a great help! They could have delivered it to me once I was in our new house but my impatience and excitement was too strong – I needed it immediately. even though I couldn’t use it until I was in the new place. ☺

So far, I have ground flax finely, made custard, a few soups, Beef Stroganoff with Rice, Pasta with Bolognaise Sauce, fresh lemonade, green smoothies, juice, nut milks, fruit muesli, Chicken Velouté with Steamed Veggies, Thai Chicken Curry, Chocolate Muffins with Coconut Oil, Fruit Sorbet, Raw Beetroot Salad, Vegetable Stock and more! And I am back to baking our seeded, healthy bread again! All in and around moving interstate! Can you tell I’m a little excited?

Yes, it does reduce the amount of clean up in the kitchen. It has been excellent in preparing foods for our combined diets, which I haven’t even told you about yet. but, and this is me being transparently honest – it is fun! yes, not really the best selling point but it is fun. And the best thing? I have not burnt a meal since using it! Sadly, I have burned a pan beyond recognition, whilst preparing hard boiled eggs. I can’t do that now. It won’t let me. I set the timer and it beeps when it is cooked. No more burned pans.

In fact I like it so much and think it is such a valuable appliance that I applied to be a consultant! I’ve even been back to Adelaide for the 3 day training course! No wonder I’ve been absent online.

White Goods

My washing machine was also on its last breathe when we moved here. But then we discovered that this house has some unusually sized doors. There is no way our old, large machine was getting through the laundry door! So, John hooked it up outside in the backyard. I didn’t mind it so much except I did miss washing my whites and linen in hot water. Time for a new machine. Enter the front loading Beko machine! It’s sleek and slim – looks real pretty. I’ve never had a front loader before so it’s taking me some time to get accustomed to it.

New Website

Also in the middle of moving, I had a website job and the client wanted to launch her business and website 3 days after our move! The business is Autumn Glow – hand-crafted, soy-scented candles. They are beautiful and well worth the money. Thanks to AbiGrace for helping me to put the finishing touches on Autumn Glow. Couldn’t have done it without you!

What is happening in your life?

Links I Like

Is Your Girl Drowning in Busyness? at TrueWoman
How can we raise up the next generation of true women if they don’t have time to know God’s Word? How can we pass the baton to a group of girls who are too tired to finish the race? We can’t hope for our girls to value silence, stillness, and Sabbath if they never see us doing the same.

Influence Trumps Authority by Cary Schmidt
Do you want your children to love God? Do you want them to truly enjoy living life with and for Jesus Christ? There’s an unspoken principle that many parents or leaders miss. It often goes ignored, unrecognized, and completely invisible.

Pursue the heart of your child! Like the Apostle Paul, be “affectionately desirous” of them. Expend yourself in authentic relationship. In so doing, you will build influence.
When it comes to protecting you child—think “authority.” But when it comes to directing your child—think “influence!”

If you like Skinny Chocolate then you’re sure to like Raspberry Chocolate too. Or maybe some Coconut Oil Candies. Speaking of Skinny Chocolate, here are 3 variations that are delicious. Take my word for it.

Labeling Children by their Behaviour at HomeschoolandWork is a challenging and thoughtful read. “Before you say something about your child while your kid is standing there, imagine how’d you feel if your parent, husband, or even child mentioned … ‘Mommy and Daddy have yelling problems’.”

Parenting Series at Defending Contending
Parenting – Biological or Biblical? – Part 1
Complacency or Hypocritical? Part 2
Parenting – Making an Application – Part 3

Shared from my Facebook page this week

Post by Susan-Priolo’s Blog.

Our goal is to have powerful sons and daughters, not powerless, limited, mindless robots.
~Danny Lee Silk

My Story with Depression

Have you ever experienced a heavy weight but you didn’t realise how heavy until it was removed? That sums up my life all this year. I have previously shared with you a little of my journey through depression and my hard struggles but now I can honestly say…

I suffered with depression for several years

But it is only now, this year that I have truly realised and accepted it. And I can honestly say that through accepting it, healing has begun. I don’t know why I fought it for so long. Healing may have been quicker if I wasn’t so stubborn and independent. I know depression is real and valid for Christian people and I don’t have an issue with that. I simply thought that I could fight it, that I was stronger than that.

I am a person who sees the glass as half full but also sees it as half full of a caramel latte. I always try to look for the best in a given situation and I’m keenly aware that many of my concerns are first world issues. I try to speak positively, knowing how influential negative words are and how powerful our words and thoughts are to our entire being. I am self motivated, reliable, passionate and energetic. Or at least, I used to be.

I’ve had periods of feeling ‘down’ or blue or unhappy. Don’t we all? But I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about something much deeper. Something I could not talk myself out of, wish away, juice myself better, exercise until the happy endorphins took over, or pray through. It just didn’t work that way. Heaven knows, I tried. But all my trying only seemed to make the issue worse.

I feel like my whole being has been encapsulated by a black hessian sack. Everything around seemed clouded by darkness, as though I were only seeing the world through little pin prick holes. I wasn’t seeing clearly nor hearing clearly. And I’m being real honest here. I’m not talking metaphorically but physically as well.

I felt lost, so hopelessly lost yet I knew that my faith in Jesus was real. And I trusted Him. I just couldn’t see, hear or feel clearly. Nowadays, I still feel like I have a hessian sack that encompasses me. But now it is a light grey sack with larger weave. I can see and hear more clearly. Some days are darker than others but this year there are more brighter days than dark ones.

How It Started

It won’t make a lot of sense without some history to provide the backdrop.

Immediate [step] mum at age 18.
Four children born two years apart.
My own mum passed away only a few months after our youngest son was born.
I started homeschooling just days after her funeral.

—> —> Life continues. —> —>

Then came:

Teenage difficulties and prodigal child
Constant moves (both house and state)

—> —> Rinse and repeat —> —>

Major lifestyle change as John went back into the army and we began our nomadic lifestyle, leaving friends and family behind. Four homes in a 3 years started to take its toll as we stopped going to church and making new friends. It was just all so hard to make new friends and find a church only to leave it a few months later. So I simply stopped trying and let the weeks morph into months and years.

By the time one of our children decided to forger her own path in life in 2005/2006 (I write about our journey with a prodigal here and here) we had lived in yet another two homes and two towns. No family, no close friends or mentors, no church family = no support. And so we went through the most trying time of our married life together but with no support whatsoever. We had no one. We felt totally alone. Even our homeschool and Christian friends seemed to shun us. I have never felt so totally alone in my whole life, as when our young child went for a prodigal walk. Had we been homeschooling in the same town for years it would have been different. Had we stayed in Strathalbyn all that time I know it would be different because we were all involved in the wider community, Church, homeschool and sporting groups. But that wasn’t our life. It wasn’t to be. We didn’t stay put. We moved and lost contact with everyone.

Homeschooling can be isolating.

Homeschooling can be isolating. It shouldn’t be and doesn’t have to be but eventually it became that way due to my life circumstances. In the early years, homeschooling was the opposite of isolating as I was a social butterfly! I created support groups. I made them happen. But after several moves, I became so tired and heart sick from moving that my emotions were wearied and I was empty. I just didn’t have it in me anymore to go out and make groups happen nor even to attend any that were already in existence. The constant moving really took its toll on me, physically, emotionally and mentally.

I always felt like it was a little better for John. It wasn’t better for him at all but it was different. He went out to work everyday and interacted with different people. Sure, they weren’t close friends or confidante’s but he would get out and away from the hurting drama and away from (what felt like) the constant scrutinisation of online, homeschool friends.

I will not blame homeschooling because I love the concept of home education. I cannot blame the Defence Force because it isn’t the DF’s fault. However, the combination of the two shaped my life so that it became the perfect environment for severe depression to set in.

So, homeschooling + defence life + prodigal youngster = Deeply Depressed Susan.

I still kept homeschooling and for awhile I retained my passion, but as depression engulfed me more, my passion for everything disappeared. I would have bouts of energy and I would work hard at trying to get better, get more energy. I’d start projects only to have them fall by the wayside later on, once the depression took hold and my energy levels drained. I felt like I had lost my voice. I felt like I wanted to share with others yet I also felt like a complete and utter failure as a mother and homeschooler. I felt like a failure as a Christian.

This may come as a surprise to some friends and many family members.

They simply didn’t see it because I learned to hide it and mask my feelings. After all, when you only see someone occasionally or at Christmas and they ask, “How are you?” do they really want to know that I am so tired I can barely get out of bed, that there is no light at the end of the black tunnel? That my whole life is running in slow motion yet I am still powerless to act in a way that impacts my own life? That every bone and muscle in my body aches compounding the chronic migraine headaches? I don’t think so. So I smile weakly and say, “I’m fine thanks. How are *you*?”

Fast forward to Sept 2012…

A dear friend was coming to stay with us for a week all the way from north Queensland. I was elated yet fatigued at the thought of all that energy required. I spent two weeks in bed, with bad migraines and fatigue and tiredness and aches and pains just before she arrived. I barely managed to clean the house two days before she got here. The two weeks in bed was a milestone for me. I finally accepted that I was not right. I didn’t know why or how I wasn’t but I knew I wasn’t and it was time to stop fighting it, and just accept it. Accept my weaknesses and limitations.

After Amanda’s visit I felt like it was time to start waking up. I still felt horribly fatigued but something clicked inside me – mentally and emotionally. I started looking toward the future. I compiled my resume, applied for a job, went for an interview, etc. I still struggled majorly with fatigue and tiredness, aches and pains. And I still do. But… the mental/emotional switch has flicked. There were also quite a few significant dietary changes I made at this time and I believe they have helped immensely.

During all this time, John had been away on course and injured his back. He has been on medication and generally having a pretty hard time of it all. Which means I have been too, in my own way.

Doctors have suggested Depression, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Adrenal Fatigue, Fibromyalgia and more… and I’ve had various tests for this and that. Who knows what came first? My mental/emotional state or the physical state? I do not know. But, I think I am on the tail end of it. I sense the fog has started to lift… I’m not there yet, I still have some ways to go. But I know one thing – through my acceptance of my weakness, healing and restoration is coming.

This may sound dreary but it is my real life. I will continue to write about depression but from the perspective of what has helped and contributed to my healing.

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live…
Deuteronomy 30:19

God Delights In Us

There is so much beauty in this video. So much for us to learn from. So many parallels with our life with God. The dog’s human has obviously done some work to collect the leaves and provide such a playful, enjoyable environment. And then the dog simply delights in having fun with what his human has provided. He isn’t exercising as a chore or duty yet he is using his body to its full extent – the way God intended. and he’s obviously having a boatload of fun doing it too!

And the human – look at him. Is he complaining about the mess? Is he telling the dog to sit still? Is he barking (pardon the pun) orders at the pooch? No,he is delighting in it all. Is the dog trying to please his human friend or is he simply enjoying life, using all his senses to the best of his ability? Delight all round!

This is how God looks upon us as we live the lives in the place He has provided for us. God delights in us. Our lives don’t have to be full of rigidity, somberness and dull faces. We can live life! And have fun. We are allowed to enjoy life! In fact, He wants us to. He is pleasured when he watches us living and enjoying life within the environment He has provided for us.

If knowing that God delights in me as His child, how does this reflect in my role as a parent to my children?

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness.”
Zephaniah 3:17

Time for a TreeChange

Our life is about to radically change. Again. We’ve had a few major changes before – when we started homeschooling, re-joining the Defence Force and having a child enter the school zone have all been major changes that our family has undertaken. And there is a new one coming our way.

Moving Again

Moving interstate is nothing new for us but completely changing lifestyle is not something we do every other year.

Last year in June (2012) John went away up north on an military exercise. He came home early. And injured. Life has never been the same since. John has been working half days since that time. The injury, the medication, the half work days have all brought changes to our life. Changes we didn’t ask for nor want but they are ours to deal with nevertheless. He has done rehabilitation but the condition has not improved so he is being medically discharged. This will be massive for John as he has been a military man since 1976 (when he was 17 and I was only 7).

So in 42 days we will be jobless and homeless. Where shall we go? What shall we do? How shall we live? Making huge decision is different now that we have grandchildren.

Our first choice of lifestyle is not the city. We have only been in cities since we’ve been in the Defence Force. And we haven’t always been in the military. In the early days of our marriage, we owned a 10 acre block at Mannum (population: approximately 2,000) and lived in the shed that we built and our bus. John had stripped the bus, lined it out and that was our bedroom area for one and a half years. It was beautiful, all lined out with tongue-in-groove pine to make our bedroom and the nursery for Abigail. When I became pregnant with Rebekah, we made the hard decision to have a house built for us and forgo our dreams of building our mud-brick home. Fast forward a few years and yet another child and pregnancy and we moved to Strathalbyn (population approximately 3,500) . This time we only had a 1/4 acre block but we were satisfied and content to be contributing to the local community. Then after that started our journeying around the nation with the Defence Force.

And so, in 42 days we will be free from military life but we will also be homeless and we have no idea what we will do for an income. Scary!

Where Will We Be Next?

We’ve been in Mannum, Strathalbyn, Queanbeyan, Canberra, Bonegilla (15min out of Albury/Wodonga), Warner in Brisbane, Arana Hill in Brisbane and in the northern suburbs of Adelaide. My dad still lives in Broken Hill, John’s mum is in Adelaide and currently all of our grown kids are in Adelaide. Oh, the grand babies are all in Adelaide too. It may seem that Adelaide would be the most obvious choice but it’s not that easy. We loved the lifestyle but not the weather in Canberra. We love the weather and lifestyle in Brisbane. But we don’t like the city. Adelaide is a beautiful city… if one likes the city. And we don’t. Ideally we would like to be in a large country town that is independent of the city yet close enough for us to visit Adelaide (and we all know that I mean visit the grand babies, not the city itself) regularly. Any guesses on where we have decided? Feel free to throw a suggestion into the mix!

Prayers would be appreciated as we navigate ourselves through the next few months with regard to income, housing, lifestyle and John’s injury and changes to his medication and rehabilitation.

True Woman

The way to true femininity, true masculinity, true womanhood, the path to wholeness is to know God and to love Him.

The more we know God and understand who He is, the more we understand true sexuality – both masculine & feminine sexuality. We are made in His image.Once we understand the nature of God, our Creator, then we can quit striving to be feminine and we can just be who we are as women – and that will be feminine. Of course, that will look different to the many modesty/purity/feminine books with teacups and flowers on them but it will be true femininity.

Our womanhood, our femininity, is not found in hair salons (as much as I like them) or the nail salon nor in makeup or clothes. Our attempts to glorify our-self starts and ends with self confidence and self esteem – all substituting ‘self’ for God. But made in His image, He has given us dignity, purpose and respect… we can stop focusing on what we achieve in life and instead focus on what we have been given.

My Role as Grandparent

I’ve done a lot of thinking and reflecting over the last few months as I want to know what my role is as a Nonnie. Naturally I want to spoil my grandchildren with a few little treats. I want to spend time with them, and maybe even do those things with them that I never got around to with my own children. The messy things like art and craft.

But there’s more to parenting and grand parenting than that. It’s not only about the grandchildren but also about our adult kids as well. I want to help and support my kids as they strive to be godly parents.

I have searched through the Scriptures to see what the Bible has to say about the role of grandparent. To be honest, there wasn’t a lot in the way of direct commands… but we know that God’s Word is wisdom and so from my reading I have collated some ways that I intend to be intentional… and grandparent with purpose.

Marriage

I know it’s a controversial issue in the Christian blogosphere but it has never been in our family. I strive to model biblical submission as I subject myself to God and then to John… Our marriage is a living example of the church’s loving submission to her head, Jesus Christ. ~Ephesians 5:24 ~Ephesians 5:25

Just as we carefully guarded the hearts and minds of our children from the sexual immorality, we want to do the same for our grandchildren. We aim to support our adult kids parenting choices but even if they are not the same as ours, we will exercise discernment and self control with our choices of entertainment and speech.

Confession – Apologise

I want to be an example in the area of confessing my sin, apologising, seeking forgiveness and restoration whenever possible. John and I believe that the three most important words in our marriage are not so much “I love you” rather, “I am sorry“. ~Colossians 3:13

Stewardship

Living with integrity, being a positive role model with our time, money and resources is another way I can be a role model to my grandchildren. I want them to see me leaning on God for provision of my needs. I want them to see me being a good example of looking after my own body and health. ~Matthew 6:31-34

Model Seasoned Speech

I want to model the THINK principle for words are very powerful.I want to be an example who speaks kindly to others, one who speaks with godly wisdom, one who speaks words that encourage and edify. ~Ephesians 4:29-31

Tell them the Gospel

Rom. 5:12 I want my grandchildren to know the whole story.I want to share God’s overwhelming grace with them – not just teach them about obedience or adherence to codes and rules. I desire, as much as our adult kids permit me, to impart the Scriptures to the little ones. I want to impart to them the law of God, to show them their need for a Saviour. I want to point them toward Jesus Christ – for He is the only way to be saved. ~Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Model Love

If I love God with my whole heart, mind, soul and strength then it stands to reason that I will also love my neighbour and those in need. I hope and pray that my grandchildren will see me model this love. ~James 1:27

I will be a Chief Story Teller

Oh, the stories I will tell! But we learn through stories. They reach deep into our heart and help us connect with God and with others. Stories join people together with strong cords of history, of culture… they give a sense of belonging. The fibres of that cord are laughter, familiarity, grace, forgiveness, repetition and security. ~Deuteronomy 11:19

Relationship

I want to build a relationship with my grandchildren. Relationships are life’s most vital, most central, often most impacting vehicle for which we learn lessons. When the heart is filled with nurturing and right relationships, abundant life will flow. Christlike behaviour and Christlike attitude will be developed. As well as a relationship with our Father, God uses relationships as a means of grace, in His transforming work in our lives.

I want to be a role model – I guess that much is evident. Just when I thought our hands-on, full-on days of younger children were coming to an end there is nothing further from the truth! Parenting and Grand Parenting are all about being a role model, a living example to those who are watching. We are to model the love and character we desire to see in our children and grandchildren.

Pray, pray and pray some more

This parenting gig is almost designed to have us on our knees, desperate for God, leaning upon Him daily for sustenance, grace and strength. And so I will pray for my grandchildren but I will enthusiastically pray for my adult kids… I pray that they will see the need for His grace and strength, that they will rely upon Him and not upon their own strength and understanding. I pray that they will be led by the Holy Spirit, that they will grow in godly wisdom and knowledge and understanding of the Lord.

Flashback Friday

Two of my guys are behind bars in 2006.

A Journey Through Life – A Fairytale

Once upon a time there was a young married couple. They were passionate, zealous and on fire for God. They were on many various ministry teams and always doing something for God. Not only would they talk about God but they would also talk about church. Most, if not all, of their time was church and ministry – always serving others.

And then they learned what the true Church is. They looked around and couldn’t see her, as she is supposed to be, anywhere in action. It all looked fake. People playing at church. Playing at serving others when the widows and single mums still did it hard every other day of the week. This young couple saw some things that were absolutely atrocious and should never be associated with God’s people. The young couple became disillusioned.

Everything was wrong, wrong, wrong. Everyone was wrong and on the path to eternal damnation. But they could see this. They had the truth. It was up to them to show the lost the way!

And so the couple started speaking out, telling anyone who would listen. They stopped attending church for it was all just modern counterfeit, man-made ego antics anyway. When they did occasionally see people they would yell, er preach about the pagan origins of modern church practices, decrying all the hypocrisy. What the couple failed to realise at the time was that they simply were not helping anyone or any situation. They were just as much part of the problem that they were speaking against! Not only were they yelling to the believers (although they believed them to be false converts or duped believers) but the non believers were also witness to all these outpourings of misplaced zealousness. What a shame the non believers didn’t see the love and passion the couple had for the Lord God. Instead what they saw was a man and a women, bitter and angry. Instead of being told all about the Lord God, they were yelled at and told how wrong everything was, how evil the world is, how bad the church is. If only they would repent and turn to THEIR way of thinking – then they would be saved. No, sadly the unbelievers saw nothing of value, no treasure to be sought. Instead they turned their hearts away from the Lord. They filed that anger, which looked like hatred to them, in the back of their mind. If you are reading this and are one of those people, please stop by and spend a few minutes to view this presentation.

A few years went by and life dealt this now not-so-young couple some blows. As it does. The couple experienced some dark and down moments. They realised that they were not the only ones with the truth [end sarcasm]. They realised they had ‘thrown the baby out with the bath water’. They had gained a little insight into the beauty of the Church but became disillusioned because it wasn’t always so. However, they had stopped being part of the Church, thereby becoming part of the problem. They had started pointing to the Church more than they were pointing to Christ. Throughout all this, sadly, there was little support from friends or brethren in the Lord. I’m not too sure why not but that’s sometimes how life goes. Isn’t it?

This couple’s journey isn’t wasted and it isn’t sad. The road that they walked was instrumental in getting them to where they are now. Now, they do not point out the evils of the church or of every Christian they see. They are busy enough minding their own business, striving to live a life pleasing to the Lord. The not-so-young woman in this story doesn’t believe she has all the answers. She doesn’t think that life is Us vs Them. She knows Jesus Christ. He has transformed her life, He has forgiven her and saved her from the wrath to come. There is nothing worthy in her, aside from Christ. She has no goodness to be emulated, she doesn’t have her doctrinal ducks all lined up in a row. She has a website but in it she doesn’t tell you how to live, how to homeschool, how to worship, what to watch, what to listen to, what to believe, what to wear, or what to eat. She simply wants to point to Jesus Christ. She has stopped focusing on all that is wrong with the Church and the world and is just getting on with living to the glory of God. Those who listen and watch, do so. But she has learned that she is not responsible for their actions, their beliefs or even whether or not they believe her. Her mission is to preach Christ.

I have seen enough of life to know and appreciate that we are all different. We come from different cultures with different backgrounds. We each have different assumptions or preconceptions about the Bible, about God and how the world should be. I am not going to attempt to tell you what the Bible says or how the world should be. But I will encourage you – I will strongly tell you – to examine what you know about Christ. If you know nothing of Him, then please take a look at this website. If you do Know Jesus, then I encourage you to tell people about Him. Don’t tell them what they should believe – tell them of Jesus. Tell them of God’s love for mankind. Lead them to the Cross. And trust. Trust that the Holy Spirit has led them to that point and He can take it from there.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me,is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

~ Jesus Christ in the Book of John, chapter 10, verses 27 through 30.
John 10:27-30

AhmoCoco – Almond & Coconut Milk

Almond & Coconut Milk

AhmoCoco? Have I gone mad? What am I concocting in my kitchen now?

After my successful attempt at making a latte from homemade almond milk I knew that I wanted to try and thicken it with natural ingredients. I considered using oat milk and that would certainly raise the protein amount per cup but it would also add a few more carbs – not what I want. I thought also thought about incorporating flax milk and that is certainly is on my to-do list.

However, my son-in-law, who is a Personal Trainer and certified Holistic Lifestyle Coach gave me the idea of adding in some coconut milk. And so my AhmoCoco was born!

Same ingredients as my Almond Milk except I added 1/2 cup of Coconut Milk. Textures it beautifully. And if I don’t have any coconut milk in the cupboard or fridge then I will simply add 1/4 cup of dried coconut to the almonds for soaking and make as usual.

AhmoCoco Milk

1/4 cup almonds
3.5 cups water or coconut water
2 medjool dates or 3-4 dried dates
½ tsp vanilla
Pinch celtic sea salt
Stevia Extract (Nunaturals Pure Extract Powder or NOW Stevia or Nirvana Choc Flavoured Stevia Drops)
1/2 cup coconut milk

Soak almonds and dates in water overnight.
Drain and rinse almonds and dates.
Put into blender with coconut water. Blend.
Add salt and stevia to taste.
Place tea towel or nut milk bag over bowl and drain/squeeze. Pour liquid milk back into the food processor, add the coconut milk and give a quick whizz. Season to taste.

Notes:

Left over almond pulp can be used in cakes, muffins, breads or dehydrated and processed in food processor as almond flour.
The addition of coconut water gives this milk an extra boost of nutrient goodness.
If coconut milk is unavailable, simply add some dried coconut to the almond/date mixture , soak overnight and complete the recipe as usual.

Flashback Friday

Some time in 2002.

I’ve never been real good at keeping my photos organised so it’s no wonder I never dated them. I simply cannot remember exactly when this photo was taken but it was before John re-joined the military. We were living in a small country town, out past the hills of Adelaide, SA. we had been homeschooling for about 4 years as we started when Falcon was born, in 1997.

And for a fast forward to the present week…

Highlights of my week – Almond Milk Latte, getting THM bound at Officeworks and three munchkins!

My Easy Almond Milk Latte

courtesy of abigrace.com.au

I can’t believe how much my palate has changed since eating according to TrimHealthyMama. THM has been a bit of an adjustment at first, but it gets easier. One thing I simply couldn’t let go of was my daily latte. I love my milk! I tried to make almond milk, but it was quite yucky to me. I bought almond milk in a carton from the supermarket. Just as yucky. I let it go and resigned myself to just doing THM but with milk consumption.

What’s wrong with milk?

Real, raw milk? Nothing per se, except that it is liquid carbs… carbs and fat combined together in liquid form. Liquid carbs are the most potent fat promoting form. Whilst raw whole milk may be a healthy superfood it is best for for growing children, pregnant women who don’t need to watch their weight, or husbands who have a high metabolism. Sadly, for the rest of us, in today’s modern world, it only fattens us up.

Which makes my morning tea latte a crossover meal. Too many crossovers inhibit weight loss. Yet I haven’t been doing THM for weight loss. I’ve been following THM for the sheer health benefits. The science behind it just makes sense! My health has improved nearly 90% and I’ve only been doing THM since early January. And, having said that I am only adhering to THM principles for 70 – 80% of the time. In the spirit of honesty I will admit to eating take-away foods more than once a week. Which means huge crossovers. Despite that, I have lost 6 kgs since the beginning of the year. But honestly, I have not been trying to lose weight but gain health. Now I am losing slowly though, I have been motivated to be a little more adherent to the weight loss part of the THM plan. And that means giving up my daily (make that twice or thrice daily) latte.

And so I made Almond Milk again.

Would you believe it? I actually can tolerate it now! How…is beyond me. But to prove it I have made my homemade almond milk and had my local barista (thanks AbiGrace) make me my afternoon latte. It is nowhere near like cows milk to work latte art with and as a barista she taught me how/why and wherefore that the milk could not be textured in such a way as to produce the same artistic pour… but for right now I am not concerned with that. Protein and carbohydrates (as opposed to dairy milk which has protein, fat & carbs) are what concerns me.

courtesy of abigrace.com.au

What do you think?

There are heaps of almond milk recipes on the Internet… I can’t lay claim to liking them all. Not at all. Some are lower in carbs than others. Some are too watery, too weak. I like my almond link to be thick and creamy but not overpowering with its nuttiness. For now, this recipe is the one that suits me just fine. I may tweak it as I go along. In fact, I already have an idea up my sleeve to increase the protein levels.

Almond Milk

½ cup almonds
3.5 cups water
2 medjool dates
½ tsp vanilla
pinch celtic sea salt
Stevia Extract (Nunaturals Pure Extract Powder or NOW Stevia or Nirvana Choc Flavoured Stevia Drops)

Soak almonds and dates in water overnight.
Drain and rinse almonds and dates.
Put into blender with water. Blend.
Add salt and stevia to taste.
Place tea towel or nut milk bag over bowl and drain/squeeze. Use liquid as milk!
Left over almond pulp can be used in cakes, muffins, breads or dehydrated and processed in food processor as almond flour.
Yummo!

And it tastes okay. Actually, it tastes mighty fine! I had 3 latte’s yesterday so it must be okay to keep me going back for more!

Addendum: This recipe is not THM plan approved. Not at all. It is simply that I am enjoying this whilst also following the THM eating plan between 70 -80%.

More Thought And Less Talk

I used to write passively, weak and ineffectual. (The archives contain old posts that haven’t been revised.) It doesn’t grab anyone. It looks wishy-washy. Why should anyone regard what I have to say when I sound so unsure of myself, of my own thoughts? I used words like “maybe, perhaps, in my opinion, for me, your mileage may vary, I think, there is no one right way,” and other such atrocious writing. I wrote this way because I didn’t have hard and fast rules, my life wasn’t black and white. I assumed people would appreciate that. After a friend offered me encouragement and advised me to stop writing passively, I spent a few years learning to be a better writer whilst also learning through living life.

Yes, my writing improved. I stopped writing passively and starting using words that displayed more authority. The problem is that now, a few years later with more life experience under my belt, I have realised that my original self was fine! Sure I needed some writing help, and it was necessary for me to learn how to communicate more effectively, but my style of communicating was okay. I think I am returning to my former self!

Not much to say

I don’t write about every new-to-me idea I read about or every new health cure that comes from the beans that the Himalayan goat digested on the peak of Mt. Everest. Maybe my experience and my opinion will not suit you. And that is okay. In fact, it is more than okay. It is good. Because our lives are not parallel or mirror images. I’ve gone back to using passive words. Again I am saying, “if it fits, maybe, perhaps, and if it works for you“.

I now see that there are more than one way to accomplish a goal, to eat, to be healthy, to exercise, to homeschool, to worship, to study, to serve. There is more than one way to live right. And I am a true homeschooler/unschooler at heart. I know that people will learn what they need to learn when they need to know it. And that what a person digs for herself will truly be theirs.

Ready for Long Service Leave

I’ve been homeschooling for 16 years now. What have I done with my 16 year effort? Am I an authority on the subject? Have I authored a book? No and no. And that is not going to happen. Because I can’t give anyone else explicit instructions about anything! I probably should have written that book years ago when I was more sure of things but now I have had more experience I am less dogmatic on many topics, I think more deeply about them now – I listen to different ideas with the aim of trying to understand.

The more I’ve experienced the more I have learned. Since gaining life experience I have more questions and less answers. More pondering, which in turn, leads me to say less.

My Weird Book Reading Quirk

I have been known to stop reading two chapters before the book ends. I’ll just put the book down and not pick it up for days.

I do that because I have loved being a part of that world, I love the characters, the setting, the story. And I don’t want it to end. Once I’ve read the last page, it is over. I can never again go back and be in that world in the same way and so I don’t want to leave. Reading the last chapter, reaching the last page makes me feel like I have said goodbye to a dear friend and I’ll do almost anything to prolong the ending.

What quirky reading habits do you have when reading a great book?

Becoming Grandparents

Several months ago, John and I recently became grandparents. We went from simply being parents to being grandparents of three babies. All within three months! How did that happen? Having two babies at once will do that.

Our eldest daughter (AbiGrace) had twin girls in mid February. Oh, they are just beautiful. They are now five months old and growing each day. Our youngest daughter, (20yo) gave birth to a bonny boy a few month later in mid May. He is shaping up to be a typical Priolo lad – growing at a ferocious rate!

Our twin grand-daughters

I was blessed to be present for the arrival of all three grandchildren. Yes, I truly have seen my girls at their best and their worse. And I count myself very fortunate indeed.

I’ve been busy helping the girls when and where it is appropriate. I try not to overwhelm them with my thoughts, ideas and advice… they have enough of that already. Besides they know they can always call me if they feel the need.

This is truly a most precious time of life – being a grandparent. It is a whole new season of life. I love how life seasons overlap each other. It adds to the fun and richness of life. I see the grand-babies regularly and am reminded of how tiring the early years of motherhood can be. I love having them visit but I also appreciate my pillow that night, knowing that I will get many hours of uninterrupted sleep. But all things in their time. I am well past the baby and toddler years so there is no point in looking back. I seek grace to embrace each new season as it comes my way, courage to let go of the season that has passed and wisdom to know which season I am in.

What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
John 6:25 – 30

Jesus is talking here to a crowd of people. He had walked on water, fed the 5,000 with only five barley loaves and two fish which has compelled the crowd to seek Him out so they might attain more food. Jesus teaches them that they should not be seeking for temporary food that perishes, but for food that is eternal. The crowd asks him what they must do to get this eternal bread. See, these were Jewish people who believed in the Mosaic law. They were asking, according to the works of the Mosaic Law what they could do in order to find eternal life. They were accustomed to working and they recognised that God had a requirement for them to fulfill. They wanted to know what the requirement was so they could please God and obtain eternal life by doing good works. In verse 29, Jesus flatly denies this thinking. They could not please God by doing good works!

There is only one work of God – only one thing that God requires. For us to put our trust in the One the Father has sent. How are we to work for salvation, for eternal life? Only by believing in the one God has sent, Jesus the Messiah.

What must we do, to be doing the works of God?

“This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

Skinny Chocolate

After much trial and error I have finally tweaked the Trim, Healthy Mama (THM) recipe to [my] perfection!

Recipe

4 tsp up to 1/4 cup xylitol, ground OR 1-3 TB Homemade Sweet Blend (see recipe below)
A few shakes of NuNaturals Pure Stevia Extract Powder (do not add if using Homemade Sweet Blend)
1/4 cup pure cocoa
1/2 cup coconut oil
1Tb cream (or cream cheese will also do the trick!) – *optional
¼ tsp. of salt

*Optional additions: coconut, berries, chopped nuts, berries, peanut paste, etc. Maybe even a squirt of Nirvana Stevia Chocolate Drops.

Note: I have the handy dandy shaker that came with the NuNaturals Stevia. I open the lid to only have the powder come out from three little circles. I then give the Stevia about 3 gentle shakes. However, it’s all personal taste learned through trial and error.

A Serving Size is about one third of this mix at each sitting.

I only buy pure cocoa. Cacao is too expensive for me, and I don’t particularly see much difference between it and pure cocoa. Simply check the back of the packet for the ingredient list to ensure you have pure or 100% cocoa. Some producers add all sorts of sweeteners and fillers to their cocoa so you don’t want this.

If you want to know what Trim Healthy Mama is, pop on over to my Nutrition Coaching website and have a look around.

If you want to read more variations on the THM Skinny Chocolate recipe, see the THM Pinterest board.

Addendum 11/03/2015: I was finding my own Skinny Chocolate tweaks to be missing the spot… and then I stumbled across a homemade sweet blend that does the trick perfectly.

I tsp. THM Pure Stevia Extract
1 cup erythritol
1 cup Xylitol

Blend together in processor or bullet. Use spoon for spoon.

A Tip for Each Year of Marriage

Earlier this week, John and I celebrated our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Like any married couple, we have had ups and downs, times of plenty and been in need. Also like every other couple, we have fought and cried together.

Here are 25 things that I have learned and am still learning to do.

Forgiveness is the backbone of any successful relationship. Never let the sun go down on your anger. Be quick to apologise. When having an argument, try holding his hand.
Share Scripture and other learnings with him.
Study each other. Know the others likes and dislikes. Make a conscious decision to put him first.
Dream big dreams together.
Make love regularly and enjoy it.
Never leave the house with giving him a kiss and saying “I love you“. Say “I love you” often.
Find out his biggest pet peeve within the home and take steps to improve it. It will often be small things like wanting clean socks each day. Clean socks aren’t that difficult to provide when I am aware of the need and make it a priority.
Let him catch you perving on him and admiring him. Touch him as often as he can stand it.
Accept his help and his suggestions. Be willing to learn from him.
Remind him gently of important dates like his own mother’s birthday.
Remember his favourite things – foods, clothes, movies, etc.
Love him – even when you don’t feel like it. Love him anyway.
Do something special for him (favourite movie, food, etc) when in a bad mood with him.
Don’t expect him to understand completely.
Ask for his advice and use it.
Let him speak, uninterrupted.
Use phrases like “I feel ____ in this situation” rather than “You always“.
Let him have the car window down while driving. Let him choose the music on a road trip.
Pray for and develop intimacy – emotional, spiritual and physical moments. It’s the little things, little moments, that build intimacy.
Say please, thank you and excuse me on a regular basis.
Watch the football with him, even if you despise it. Show an interest in his work, his hobbies.
Laugh at his jokes, even the not-so-funny ones.
Appreciate his efforts as a husband, a father and a provider. Support him at work or in front of his friends/work colleagues.
Smile at him every day. Welcome him home with a kiss and a seductive smile.
Cook together, play together, pray together, laugh together.
Pray for him.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
~1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Okay I cheated and added an extra tip. But I couldn’t stop without mentioning #26. Everyone’s list will look different but what would you add to this list?

Five Necessary Gospel Points to Share

As parents we all want to raise our children in the ways of the Lord, to teach them His ways, to teach them His story. Oh, but there is so much to do, to read, to share. Where do we start? We start with the good news. We end with the good news. But what exactly is this good news? Have you succinctly shared the gospel with your children?

Why succinctly?

Maybe your children go to school which means you really have to maximise every hour spent with the children? Maybe you have teens – we all know how fast and hectic the lives of young people can be – you need to maximise every hour spent with them. There are many reasons why our time is limited but, it is also good for all believers to know the essential message of the gospel – it also helps them to share the message with others.

I am the best curriculum for teaching and showing the gospel to my family. And that is an awesome responsibility. There are many days when we don’t read from ABCXYZ Bible Curriculum [insert any Bible curriculum here], and that is okay.When I am baking, or driving, or gardening, or writing I make it a point to share all the time. Naturally in conversation, as real life affords these opportunities all the time.

What Is It Exactly That I Share?

1. God is holy. God is just. God is righteous and perfect.
2. I am not.
3. At the end of my life I am going to stand before the just and holy God. And I will be judged on either my own righteousness or that of another. I am not justified by my own works or efforts, nor any deeds I could manage but only by faith. By faith alone.
4. Jesus lived: perfect, righteous & obedient. He offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice to satisfy the justice and the righteousness of the Holy God. He has done for me that which I could never ever do for myself.
5. This cost God. It isn’t cheap. The forgiveness we receive cost God His own Son, Jesus Christ. When I put my trust in Him alone, He declares me just. He adopts me into His family, forgives my sin and calls me His beloved.

And When They’re Older:

(a) Jesus is the Messiah predicted by the OT prophecies. His ministry of teaching, his actions, his death, resurrection and ascension all comport with the prophecies, and affirm him to be Messiah.
(b) His death was God’s act to deal with sin. His resurrection attested to the effective power of the Cross, and affirmed Jesus as Lord over life, death, creation.
(c) Men and women must, therefore, believe his Lordship, believe on him, repent of their sins, and receive forgiveness from their Saviour, Jesus.

For more detailed writings on this topic, I thoroughly recommend the excellent teaching at New Creation Teaching Ministries. Download and read True Preaching: The Agony and the Ecstasy by Rev. Geoffrey Bingham

Hmmm…

The modern-day gospel says, ‘God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. Therefore, follow these steps, and you can be saved.’ Meanwhile, the biblical gospel says, ‘You are an enemy of God, dead in your sin, & in your present state of rebellion, you are not even able to see that you need life, much less to cause yourself to come to life. Therefore, you are radically dependent on God to do something in your life that you could never do.
~David Platt

Is It Harder to be a Wife or a Mum?

I recently had the most wonderful weekend when I attended the Mum Heart Conference in Newcastle. I was asked to sit on a panel, along with five other women. The audience had opportunity to ask the panelists any question and each woman had a minute or so to respond. I really like the idea of panels as the responses given are always so diverse. It really goes to show that there is no one right way. One of the questions asked was, “Have you found it hardest to be a wife or a mum?”

For some, parenthood and mothering may be very natural and intuitive. For others – maybe not so. When I married at 18 years old I was an instant mum to an adorable little five year old boy. My husband’s son. When I chose to say yes to my husband, I also chose to say yes to his son.

And that for me is the crux of my answer. I chose to marry John. I spent time with him, got to know him, enjoyed his company and chose to devote the rest of my life to him. He knows everything about me, has seen me at my worst… and he still loves me! I can be completely relaxed when I’m with him. He doesn’t look at me with judgement or condemnation even when I’m having a ‘flesh moment’. I can snap at John and he, being a mature, gracious adult, chooses to forgive me, and we move on. We enjoy similar hobbies and pastimes. I don’t get his sense of humour, and he sometimes annoys me no end but that’s part of a marriage. When I said ‘I Do‘ I was really saying that I choose John to be the instrument that God would use to refine me, to rub me the wrong way but ultimately, to grow me.

And then we had kids

Now don’t get me wrong. I loved my kids, and I still do. I love them to bits. But it’s different. I was a wife before I was a mum. Whereas I could totally relax with John, I had to be on my guard with this whole parenting gig. I have learned, and am still learning, the art of patience. I’ve learned to think before I speak. We all know that children will pick up on everything we say and question it. I’ve learned that even when I’m silent, my kids are always observing and learning.

With parenting, I’m expected to be the adult. It’s expected that I should be the mature one. I’m responsible for leading and guiding, for teaching. I’m expected to train and discipline. I’m supposed to be the example. The example of what? Everything that I want my children to be. I am also a representative of God. I represent God to my children. When I’m angry, yelling and throwing a hissy fit I am representing God the Father. When I choose to respond in love and gentleness, I am representing the Father. Now that is HUGE.

Mothering requires sacrifice, commitment, time, energy and diligence. All the time. These traits are not something that comes naturally to me. But I have learned to appreciate them, to practice them as it has been my hearts desire to reach my children’s heart with the grace of God, to show them His unfailing love.And so, I have found my role as a mother to be harder than my role as a wife.

What about you? What do you find harder – being a wife or a mother?

His Purpose is My Hope

I am so alone
unable to speak with words, only groans.
I see the looks;
hear the whispers…

I turn to the left and sense the sighs. I hear the unsaid words,
“If only you had done this, or done that…”
I turn to the right only to see other parents pull their children away in fear
just in case it is infectious.

I look behind and see their looks of pity.
They know I see it but they choose to be aloof.
Yet I also sense fear in their eyes, “If it happened to them, will it happen to me?”

Blue eyes, brown eyes… ooze with thick, black condemnation
eyebrows raised, lips pursed.
Tsk, tsk…
Chiding me with every breath.

I turn around. Momentarily relieved to have found a place of rest.
Of peace,
an absence of condemnation or self righteousness…
But it is an illusion. Not real. It’s there, veiled behind music and smiles, preaching, prayers and Bible verses.

I soon learn and accept that all is not as it seems
This place – is filled with dark hopelessness and resignation
“Oh well, what can ya do?” and “Kids will be kids” and other such empty, throwaway lines…

I look forward…
look straight ahead…
to The One who knows and see all,
who is not bound by the earthly constraints of time and physicality.

I see hope.
He has her,
in His hands,
He will call her in his time.

This One.
He knows me,
knows what I have done,
where I have tried and failed.

Everything is in His hands,
not mine.
He has His purpose,
As if I could stop it.

No more control,
or shame,
or guilt
when I abide in Him and Him alone.

God Knows

When our young teen started to question everything I wanted to quickly set this child straight! This didn’t always turn out so well which led me to ask, “Why? Why me? Why my child?“

This question then turned to “How? How can I straighten this mess out? How can I straighten this child out?”

I had a lot to learn.

Looking back, I can now recognise a few lessons that God wanted to show me. I needed to understand that everything that came to me had first passed through the hands of God. I was presented with an opportunity. An opportunity for my growth and maturity. An opportunity for me to be transformed more and more into the image of Jesus. Yet I was looking for the closest exit!

God is The Multi-Tasker

God is working in the life of my child at the same time He is growing me. He is choosing to use my prodigal child to mature me, to grow me, to transform me into the image of His Son. At the same time, He is working in my child’s life, even if I can’t see it at the time. That is good news!

Does God Really Know What’s Going On?

My present life is quite different to the dreams and ideals that I had for our family and each child all those years ago. Broken dreams, grieving for that which will never be… this was not what I had dreamt of when I was holding each new baby in my arms.

Did God know that I would have to face this challenge in my family or did it catch Him by surprise?

God saw all of this. He knew this was going to be my reality. Yet He chose to give me this child to raise, to train, to teach, to love. He placed this child in our family for a purpose! Not just for the child’s sake but for mine.

What I am facing today is what I am meant to be going through. I need to stop looking for the quick, easy exit and learn to grow through it. By wishing for my situation to be different I am losing an opportunity for growth, for transformation.

Father God, give me wisdom for today. Help me to see that I need this lesson for my maturity, for my faith. Father, I want less of me and more of You. Help me to have peace through this painful lesson, this transforming work that You are doing in my life. I thank you that you are working in our lives. Help me to see the bigger, long term picture. Help me to look further ahead – to Your glory.

He must increase, but I must decrease.
~John 3:30 (ESV)

What Parenting Recipe Do you Use?

There comes a time in everyone’s life where they start to examine and question the big issues of life:

Why are we here? Who put us here? What happens when we die? Our answer or thoughts to these big questions will dictate our actions.

There is a lot of myth and fear surrounding the teen years, especially amongst home schoolers. We don’t need to stick our heads in the sand and only discuss that which we want to hear- we need to know what is happening.

We want to pass on our beliefs and faith to our children. So we teach them. We homeschool so we can spend more time with our children, building the relationship, instilling values, etc. And then comes that time. That time when our child starts to question those beliefs. And we get are horrified and panic.

However, this process doesn’t need to be terrifying. It can be a necessary and vital step toward maturity and adulthood. This transference of faith is vital for one to grow as a child of God, to take ownership of their faith. After this process, the child or young adult will no longer rely upon their parents for maintaining their relationship with God and others.

What happens if this process does not happen?

The shift may still occur but instead of relying upon the parents, they may rely upon someone else’s: their boyfriend, husband, pastor, friends, magazine, TV, books, etc. (The enemy is vying for the heart of all and is actively working toward gaining it via any means). They either take ownership of the faith they were raised in or they transfer it and take the beliefs or faith of someone else.

So, is there a formula?

Early on in my parenting journey, I thought I had found the recipe!

Simply take 1 child + a godly homeschool and you will = Success

We think that if we homeschool, then our children will turn out okay. Further to that, we have to homeschool a certain way or it won’t ‘work’. We have to avoid this, avoid that, do this, don’t do that… Oh, it’s all so hard – so many rules!

But we make a grave mistake if we attempt to use any kind of formula.

Raising children is a matter of grace.

It isn’t about a formula or a recipe. We need to know and accept that we cannot obtain our child’s salvation! Whether or not a person realizes they’re forgiven and walks in that when they are 15 or 45 doesn’t change the fact that it’s all about grace. Salvation is a work of grace. After all, salvation is what most of us desire for our children more so than simply the appearance of right living.

We can lead our children to Him, lead them in the ways of Him… We can teach them all about Him, and teach them to obey us as parents… but that internal work of the heart – the individual’s response and subsequent obedience to God are not within our control. We are not the Holy Spirit. We are the messenger, the herald who proclaims the message. The onus is on the hearer to hear and obey.

So what can we do?

We can pray! We can proclaim the message unabashedly! We can live by example. We can train in matters of outwardness. And we can hope.

There will come a time in their life when they question what they believe… it might look shaky for awhile but if the foundation is solid (the foundation being the message of the work of the Cross through Christ) then we can be assured that God will indeed graft them into the vine and call them His own. They will start to see this as their faith… their belief and not just that of their parents. This is a most beautiful happening! Truly wondrous!

The Homeschooling Community

We shouldn’t look at a 15yo, who is mulling over the big issues of life and struggling with it (which can be a normal part of maturing into an independent adult), and judge his family.

In the same way, we can’t look at a family who has an obedient and God-fearing 16yo and assume that they have perfected the formula, thereby desiring to emulate their parenting. We don’t know where that person will be when they are 30, once away from the watchful eye of parents and responsible for themselves. So often we overlook the operative word in Proverbs 22:6 “when he is old”; not when he is a teen.

Relationship

Let us not become weary with our modelling and teaching. Let’s keep on teaching our children God’s ways, keep on loving them, laughing with them. We can be firm with our children yet not get too hung up on the minors. We can pray with them and for them. If we homeschool – keep building our relationship with them. If your children goes to school – keep building your relationship with them! And pray.

Prayer

God cares about your children even more than you do. Ask God to reveal Himself to them, that they will see their sin and need for Him. Pray that God will humble them (and us, while we’re praying) and pierce their heart so that they will see their need for great grace. Ask God that He will draw them back to Himself each time they stumble.

We can let our children know that there is nothing they can do to earn our love or God’s love. Pray that the gospel will be the motivation for their growth. Teach them and model that our obedience is a response that overflows from our heart.

Why Am I Online Today?

So many times I tell myself that I am working online. Or researching. Or writing. Or doing Bible study. Rarely do I say that I am socialising, chilling out, debating or pushing my own agenda. But if I am truly honest with myself, I do a lot of the latter.

Earlier on this week I thought about deactivating my Facebook account and disconnecting my email and social media accounts from my iPhone and iPad. I need to hear the voice of God. I can’t hear His voice clearly because there is so much mental noise screaming for my attention. That funny meme on Facebook, the latest discussion on AussieHomeschool… it all adds up to mental clutter. And I am feeling the beginnings of overwhelmedness. (I think I just invented a new word. Noun: the state of being overwhelmed = overwhelmedness). Whether or not I disconnect for awhile, I still need to re-examine why I am online in the first place.

What is my plan, my purpose for being online today?

What am I talking about with others? What is the point I am trying to make in my discussions? Am I pointing to Christ and trusting that God will draw others and then nurture them along into their own relationship or am I simply telling them what they should believe? Am I majoring on minors or am I pointing to Christ? Am I pointing another way to yet another religion or am I pointing to the One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life?

Susan, stop. Breathe, Susan. Hold back from typing, Susan.

Susan. Pray.

Father, I do thank you for placing me in this era, this time of 2013. God, you have put me here for a purpose and that is not simply to eat, drink and be merry but that I might point the way to you. Father, I want to use my time online wisely, to tell others of your great love and grand grace but I so often get caught up majoring on the minors. Help me to just shush, to be still, yet to be ready with words of grace. Help me and fill me with Your Spirit so that I might be ready at all times to tell of your goodness and your redemption. Father, help me to guard my online time and use it wisely – for your glory.

Stories or Opinions

What do you share? Your story or your opinion? What do you like to read? Opinions or stories? Maybe a mixture of both!

I was raised in a home where I didn’t express my opinion much. I was an only child, and one of my parents was quite opinionated and strong willed (guess who I took after?) which didn’t leave a lot of room for anyone’s else thoughts or opinions. I had them, I just didn’t share them.

Then, I got married. My wonderful husband also has lots of opinions and is also strong willed, but he wants to hear my thoughts! This was all a little new to me as a young wife. Could I safely express my opinion without being mocked or corrected? Therein began the saga of how I started to offer my opinion. In the early years of parenting, I gave my children a lot of my opinion. Oh yes, I had a lot to say and I had a captive audience!

When my children were little, it was easy to give my opinion. But as they developed and matured, they need more – they needed relationship with me and relationship with the opinion or idea. They needed a story upon which to see truths played out in real life. My children are now growing up to have their own ‘story’. It is a necessary part of life. The various chapters that make up their story scare me and I wonder if they’ll be alright. But I come back to my confidence, my rock. I come back to the end of God’s story and keep focussed there.

Life, being a beautiful but messy narrative, has a way of teaching us lessons. And so, I realise that my opinions and sayings mattered less and less. Nowadays I find myself waxing rather in-eloquently… relating stories instead of opinion. The listener or reader can take from it what they will. Take from it anything the Holy Spirit impresses upon you. Or not.

Stories are relational, opinions are more like facts. Grace and truth are conveyed through stories. The Old Testament is filled with stories that convey the nature of God, and we see how He relates with His creation. Yet we need to immerse ourselves in the story, we have to work harder to see the grace and truths through stories than if we simply read through a chapter of proverbs. They are different vehicles for nuggets of truth.

Jesus Taught Using Stories

Jesus told parables or stories to teach the disciples. Of course, He also taught by example. Jesus employed the use of a variety of methods to communicate with people. He gave instruction, He taught in parables, used object lessons and more. The main point is that He was relational. He communicated in such a way as to reach the heart of the listener! Many years ago, I took a year or two to study the life of Jesus and that included learning how Jesus was taught and what sort of teacher He was. What methods did He use to teach? And how did that apply to me and my family? It’s a great study and well worth the time and effort.

Stories Take Time

Stories have characters, actions and outcomes which all takes time to be played out. They are intricately woven and allow the listener to make their own rich connections. Stories communicate much, although it’s not always so easy to find the ‘moral’ of the story, if there is indeed one moral to be learned. It takes longer to relate a story and to be a part of someone’s life than what it does to offer a pithy wise saying. I can tell my children to be thankful. I can have them copy verses. I can read Bible verses to them that speak about thankfulness. But a much better way for them to learn thankfulness is for me to be truly thankful- to model it. To be the living example.

My dear Mum passed away in late 1997. She was a story teller and I loved to hear her repeat her life experiences. I learned from them. Providentially, another woman stepped into my life for a short time, and she shared her life with me. She didn’t set out to ‘teach me’ anything in particular, but she taught me a lot, simply by sharing her life and her stories with me. They taught me more than the Philosophy of Christian Womanhood course I did in 1987/1988 in preparation for marriage. I’ve learned that the people that influence me the most are those who share their life, their story with me and not just their opinion.

How are you relating grace and truths to your children? What influences you the most in your walk as a Christian and/or as a parent? Tell me in the comment section below.

Christian Homeschoolers Don’t Cut. Do They?

Ask an average parent about self harm and they will likely look at you with a quizzical look.

Many Christian and/or homeschooling mums simply aren’t aware of self harm or they don’t believe it will be an issue in their family. Self harm is what other kids do. Right? Certainly not kids in Christian families who have been raised on God’s word.

There are many forms of self harm. Even good kids can wind up practicing self harm and self mutilation. Just because you are a Christian who homeschools don’t be fooled into thinking that your child could or would never do something like that.

Self-harm can include, but is not limited to:

cutting
hitting or burning of oneself
binge-eating
starving oneself
taking medications to induce vomiting or diarrhea
playing ‘chicken’ with cars or repeatedly putting oneself in dangerous situations.

Self harm can also involve the abuse of drugs, alcohol or other substances, such as over-the-counter or prescription medication.

Who Self Harms

According to some research, girls are seven times more likely to self harm than boys. The behaviour usually starts in adolescence but is also known amongst younger children.

Self harm is no respecter of age. Self mutilation and the thought processes can start quite young. It may not look the same in each child but but the attitude, the pain, the inability to deal with the guilt, the anger is still present. When strict punishment, resulting from anger rather than restorative action stemming from love is practiced, our children may learn that punishment relieves their guilt. Self harm is often a measure of a person trying to ease their pain, shame, hurt, anxiety, stress, pressure, frustration or guilt.

Why Do Some People Self Harm?

Many people say that self harm brings a momentary sense of relief. It may, for a short time, take their mind off their pain or anxiety. It can brings a sense of calm or a feeling of release. Many people who self harm experience feelings of guilt or further shame once the effects of the self harm dissipate.

But we’re a Christian family!

Yes, even Christians self harm! Even Christian children self harm. Hiding away, denying it, trying to avoid the shame and humiliation from other Christians is not going to help the problem… it simply reinforces to the child that denial of sin is the way to deal with it. Ask for prayer… see your pastor but don’t live with it alone or trying to pretend it can’t be happening.

What Can Parents Do?

Become informed. Learn to recognise possible warning signs. There is a lot of information available on the Internet, but please exercise caution. There is a lot of pop psychology in the Christian arena and secular worldviews pervade worldly magazines, articles and organisations so do line compare everything else alongside the word of God.

Discreetly observe your child. Young teens may often cut or burn themselves on their wrists, arms, thighs, or stomach. Often they will wear long sleeves shirts or trousers in an attempt to cover the marks. If you suspect your teen is self harming, resist the urge to dive straight in with accusations or assumptions. Rather, try a gentle, questioning approach – focussing on how they feel when they self harm and what they believe it does for them. Seek to understand your teen’s behaviour rather than jump in with a band aid to fix it.

We all can observe our children. Study them, learn how they respond to hurt, pain and guilt. When they make a mistake, how do they react, how do they cope? How does my child respond after being corrected?

I was totally clueless as to the concept of self harm. When I realised what was happening, I won’t lie and tell you that I handled it all like a model parent. Sadly, I reacted from ignorance. I found it hard to believe that my child could possibly cut themselves. I was devastated. I felt like a failure. I thought, surely I was the only Christian homeschool parent to experience this. It wasn’t until I risked embarrassment and spoke out, that I saw that not only was I not alone, but that this issue was a lot more common than I ever thought. My child didn’t need my judgment or accusatory tone. They needed me to understand or at least be willing to try to understand. Once my pride had been dealt with I was in a much better place to help my child.

How To Deal With Guilt

We need to teach our children correct Biblical views about guilt, forgiveness, (atonement for sin) and shame. Teach them how to deal with and/or express their anger. Teach them and lead them to the Cross for the forgiveness of their sins. Teach them Scripture. Teach them who they are in Christ and what He has done for us. But more importantly, model these things. Our children are watching us and learning how we deal with anger and guilt. When we’ve done all we can do, we need to pray.

For more information on Self Harm, read the Self Harm fact sheet at the Mayo Clinic.
The Lysamena Project on Self-Injury has a lot of Christian-based self-injury information and resources. Another organisation, To Write Love on Her Arms, is working to raise awareness and get help for those affected.

Receiving Christ

There is a difference between hearing about, believing in Christ and receiving Him. Only those who receive Him become God’s children. Jesus is the only way to God. Many people believe in God. Those present at the Crucifixion believed in God. In fact, the Jewish leaders crucified Christ in the name of God. Saul, who later became Paul, believed in God and thought he was serving Him when he was seeking out Christ followers to kill them. There are atrocities committed all over the world, in the ‘name of God’. But believing and receiving… that’s different.

What does it mean to receive Jesus… to believe in His name? Christ comes to us. He reveals Himself to us. He confronts us. We simply respond to Him by completely trusting and accepting Him. To fully reply upon Him and give him our allegiance is to receive.

‘He gave’. Two little words that carry great significance. The word gave tells us of the grace of God within salvation. We are not naturally born as children of God. We aren’t born with the authourity to be a child of God. There is no part to us, no desire, no identity, no resource that can bring us to salvation. It is a sovereign act of God! We supernaturally become the children of God by the work of God, the Father.

God gave, we receive. Not much happening there on our behalf. Grace: received, not achieved.

This act of God is a mystery; we cannot understand it with our human understanding. But by faith, we know it is true. When we accept Christ, God changes our heart. His Spirit will flows into our heart and we have new life. It’s all about Him!

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God…”

Bearing Witness of Christ

John pointed to Christ. Jesus is the object of belief. John’s ministry and purpose are important but he was merely the forerunner who announced the coming Messiah. Like John, we bear witness to the light but it is Christ in us which shines! Everyone that sees us – sees a few gleams of the true Light. We cannot save anyone. We can’t get them into heaven. We cannot give life. But we can point. We point the way to the lost, the dying, and the hurting. We point them to Christ: the one and only true light.

But how can we point others to Jesus? What are some practical ways in which we can bear witness to Christ? We can witness with our words. Sharing daily with our children, that which the Lord is doing and revealing to us. Telling others what He has done for us. Do you blog? Write your testimony on your blog. Always looks for ways to point others to Christ. We are often quick to share a health tip or a money saving tip with others – how about sharing The One who can guarantee eternal life? What ways can I point my children to Jesus? How can I use my time online to bear witness to Him?

We also bear witness through our lives. When we claim to be a Christian, a follower of Christ, we are His witnesses. His representatives – in word, thought and deed.

“He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.”

A Plan for Every Life

John the Baptist was sent by God. He was equipped and commissioned by God for a special ministry. He pointed to The Truth of Jesus, the Revealer of the Father. We too, are here on God’s business – sent by God into this world. For a purpose. God has a plan and a purpose for each life.

Do you think that the people in the Bible were exceptional… with their own specific errand on their own specific mission? Maybe so. But it is also true that we, homeschool mums, are on a similar mission. I’ve not seen a burning bush nor received my commission from Jesus’ lips directly but nevertheless, I have a definite work to do. My work, my mission, is in simple obedience to God. I am to submit to Him. I am commanded, like John the Baptist, to point to Jesus Christ.

Am I living out God’s purpose for me? Am I doing that which He wants me to do? Am I using my gifts, talents, passions and interests for His glory?

I want to make the most of the time I have here… I can only do this by looking to God for direction. In this, I will know that I am fulfilling the mission that He has for me here on earth.

“There was a man sent from God.”

In the Beginning

In the beginning was the Word…

In the beginning, before the time when heavens and earth were even created the Word already existed. The Word existed from all eternity… from the beginning of beginnings. The Word was not created and didn’t have a beginning.

… The Word was with God…

The Word was in relationship with God.

…and the Word was God.

Here we see an identity both of God and The Word. The Word was in relationship with God and yet He was God. He was God and yet also present with God in the beginning. It is this Word who became incarnate in Jesus. The word, incarnate, simply means to clothe with flesh or to embody in flesh.

These truths seem impossible or hard to grasp with our logical minds yet God is not bound by our humanness (God’s ways are not our ways). This is indeed the most profound truth in the universe. This sentence is quite simple yet it is one that theologians for centuries have grappled with because these words talk about the deity of the Godhead and deity is only comprehended by faith. Christ was there in the beginning. He always was. Surely then, we can trust in Christ, we can rest in Him and know that he is the same, yesterday, today and forever. Your Saviour is God and He will keep you safe.

As we journey through the next 31 days, I want to point you to Jesus Christ – Christ as God in human flesh – the incarnation of a divine person with God before creation. As we learn about Jesus Christ and His nature we will see that these are indeed divine attributes- that He truly is God. I want to reflect upon that child, the babe born in Bethlehem and how He is the living God manifest to us. For it is in Jesus that the unknowable became knowable, the invisible became visible, the untouchable became touchable and the unreachable became reachable.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Who Should We Follow

I am a Christian. I am a homeschool mum. I’m a Christian homeschooler. I’m all this and much, much more.

But I am not defined by those things. I don’t like labels. I don’t like to ‘follow’ or adhere to any particular preaching or teaching. However, for those who really need labels to help define a site or person it might be said that I lean toward a Puritan, Reformed and Calvinistic mindset. Why do we need labels? Why do we feel the need to rally together under any other banner other than Christ?

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.
1 Cor 3: 1-9

What Is A Christian

There is more to being a Christian than looking like one. It is not so much about how we dress or how big our Christian library is… it is about who Jesus is and what he has done! It is about how He interferes with our life and what impact He has upon us. How do we live? How we love and serve others who are not able to return that kindness or those who do not know His grace shows the type of God we serve. Around our country we can see many people who identify themselves as ‘Christian’ yet they live to please themselves. What would you do if you were on the way to church and there was a car broken down on the side of the road? Would you stop and risk being late to church or not making it there at all? Or would you just pray for them asking that God would send someone along who could help them?

Jesus was not a Christian. He never asked anyone to become a Christian, never built a steepled building, never drew up a theological treatise, never took an offering, never wore religious garments, never incorporated for tax purposes. He simply called people to follow him.
~Jesus with Dirty Feet

So, this begs the question, what is a Christian? Is it someone who goes to church? Puts a bumper sticker on their car? Decorates their home with pretty pictures and scripture? is it someone who dresses well for church and rarely misses a prayer meeting? Or is it someone who doesn’t swear, doesn’t smoke, doesn’t dress fashionably? So then, what does a Christian homeschooler look like? Do they wear brown dresses and braid their hair? Do they wear make-up? Do they bake their own bread? Do they use an approved Bible curriculum?

We all have our own ideas of what Christian should look like, or what is acceptable. We have put Christianity into a box and labelled it. We love to have the Holy Spirit in our church meetings so we can feel His presence but do we allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in the lives of that young, unmarried mother who still runs outside after church to have a cigarette? There are so many ways in which we try to be the Holy Spirit in other’s lives. We need to stop trying to be the Holy Spirit in other peoples lives. Rather, we can rest in the fact that the Holy Spirit will do the work of convicting others…surely we have enough to tend to by acting justly, loving mercy, walking humbling with our God?

Am I a fan or a follower of Christ? Do I preach Christianity or the good news of Jesus Christ: that He, being the Messiah, died, rose again to conquer death and that all we need do is to believe in Him, repent of our sin and receive forgiveness?

The Promised One: The Tower of Babel

The story of the Tower of Babel challenges us to consider where or in whom is our trust, our safety, our security and our provision? It is a story of mercy in action. Again.

To read the previous studies you can go here to the archive.

Do:

Read Genesis 10:1 – 12:3
Read and complete the Personal Bible Study on pages 119-122
Read the teaching chapter on pages 123 – 140

This city of man is not my home. Christ is preparing a home for me where I will be safe and secure

Up until this point in the Bible, the whole world had one language – one common speech for all people. Man became skilled in construction and decided to build a city with a tower that would reach to heaven. By building the tower they wanted to make a name for themselves and also prevent their city from being scattered.

God new what was going on in the city, the building of the tower and in the hearts of man. He perceived their intentions, and in His infinite wisdom, He knew this “stairway to heaven” would only lead the people away from Himself. In His mercy, He confused their language, causing them to speak different languages so they would not understand each other.

God does not desire that we should attempt to work our way to Him or that we try and make something of ourselves apart from Him. The story of the Tower of Babel is mercy in action. It shows us again how God came down to us, to mankind to save us from ourselves. He has built the way for us, through Christ.

God’s Intention

Remember Eve in the garden? She believed satan when he said you will be “like God”. Her desire for glory became greater than her desire for God’s glory. And so it was in the heart of man at the time. After the flood, God recommissioned Noah with the same task as He did with Adam and Eve. God’s intention is for the earth to be filled with people who worship Him.

The Ambition of Man in Building the Tower of Babel

God had said to “fill the earth” But they didn’t do that. Instead they sought to create safety and security in significant numbers. They were trusting and glorying in themselves and not in God, the Father. God saw this and He knew their hearts. He knew that if left to their own devices their hearts would harden and they would not sense a need for salvation.

God Intervened

God again showed mercy and grace to mankind. By dividing them (which is what he had initially commanded them to do) He made it harder for them to communicate. He limited their progress in order that any damage might be limited.

To Takeaway

Is your life going to be all about what you will do, what you will accomplish, what you can build, or what you can make of yourself? Or is your life going to be all about what God has done, what God will do, and what God will give to you and make of you? Do you want your life to be about building a monument to yourself and your ingenuity and abilities and accomplishments? Or do you want your life to be about God seeking you out when you weren’t even looking for him, calling you to leave everything behind to follow him? Do you long for your life to be about God blessing you, protecting you, and filling your life with significance, with himself?

I don’t have to build a tower to find my way to God. God has come down in the person of Jesus Christ

Discussion

For those who are trying to follow along but don’t have the book, here are a few of the discussion questions. You might like to share your thoughts with us.

~ What are your thoughts about this picture of people sticking together to build a city in defiance of God and building a tower to get to God on their own terms? What is this about?

~ Looking back at the work you did in the Personal Bible Study, what was especially interesting or challenging to you?

~ There is some humor in this story (whether or not we recognize it) in the way God responded to the tower-building project. There is also judgment and mercy. How do you see humor, as well as judgment and mercy here?

~ Some people have said that the story of the tower of Babel is in the Bible as an explanation of why there are different people groups and languages in the world. Do you think that is why Moses told this story? If not, why do you think Moses included this part of primeval history for his original readers, the children of Israel who were preparing to enter the Promised Land?

~ There’s nothing inherently wrong in our desires for security and significance, is there? The question is where we will look to have those needs met. How do you think we can distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate ways of having those needs met?

~ The big question of this week was, “How will you meet your needs for security and significance?” As you look back over your life so far, do you see evidence of trying to secure your own future or make a name for yourself? Would you be willing to share that with the group?

~ Throughout this study, we’re trying to grasp how some of these familiar stories fit into the bigger story of God’s plan for redemption. What part does Genesis 10–11 play in understanding God’s story of salvation through the Promised One?

~ What jumped out at you this week in the study?

~ Have you been pondering a particular verse?

~ What have you learned so far?

~ Share a favourite passage or paragraph from the book.

You have all week to share your responses and you can come back and comment and often as you like.

I don’t have to make a name for myself. I will glory only in the name of Christ

Latte Art Appreciation

Not your typical Art Appreciation as a homeschool subject. 😉

[media url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4AA8ZHf0b0″ width=”600″ height=”400″]

My eldest daughter (now married) at her work as a barista. How do you take your art?

The Promised One: Week 4: Noah & the Flood

This week, we are blessed to have Jenny (Bluewren) outline the study and facilitate the discussion.

To read the previous studies you can go here to the archive.

To Know the Favour of God is not to be loved as you are by nature, but to be loved as you are in Christ. It’s not that you never do wrong or naturally do right, but that God’s grace gives you eyes to see your own sinfulness and a heart of repentance. God’s grace in your life transforms you into a person who loves the world around you less, even as you have an increasing affection for God. Most significantly grace gives you faith to believe in the promised one.

Nancy has said it all here hasn’t she? I think I could easily leave the Bible Study and go and sleep in the sun instead.

God’s promise of a child in Genesis 3:15, who would bruise the serpent’s heel and restore the world from the consequences of Adam’s sin, was passed down to future generations. This child was eagerly awaited by those who trusted God. In Genesis 5:29 we learn Lamech was full of this hope when he named his son Noah, which means comfort and rest.

The world Noah grew up in sounds very much like our own. People had turned away from God and were living selfish lives, only interested in their own pleasure and gain. The Western world today has been dubbed “post Christian” and people say this proudly as if we have somehow cast of the ignorance and shackles of the past. Many of our laws which were based on Biblical principles are being thrown out as being old fashioned and discriminatory. Christians are facing increasing amounts of ridicule and contempt, just as Noah did for being strange and different in the eyes of the world.

God was angry when he saw the selfishness and sin and decided to destroy the life he had created, but His promise to send a saviour to restore creation was not yet fulfilled and as we know, God always keeps his promises. He decided to save one righteous man and his family, the man he chose was Noah who “walked with God”. Noah was not a perfect man, without sin, he was righteous through the grace of God and had a relationship with him.

We all know the story, but do we just think of the nursery version with all the fluffy animals getting on together and Mr and Mrs Noah smiling contentedly? The reality is far scarier, the water rising, people panicking, racing to high ground, hanging on for dear life, trying desperately to save their children, dead bodies of people and animals floating past. Then the realisation there was no escape from horror of death by drowning. Noah and his family would have heard the cries of those who had refused to listen when there was still time and would have been mourning the loss of loved ones, friends and neighbours.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,
Titus 2:11

Afterwards God tells Noah to build an altar to make a sacrifice to him and then God placed a rainbow in the sky, a sign of his promise never to destroy the earth again. Nancy reminds us the bow is actually a weapon. This bow is not drawn tight with an arrow ready to fire, but is held loosely at peace. The rainbow also reminds us of the promise God kept when he sent the promised saviour Jesus Christ to earth to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, so we could be enjoy life forever with him.

… so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:7

How can we possibly miss seeing Jesus in the account of Noah? God’s promises concerning him shine brightly out of every single event. Maybe we are too caught up with the “nursery story”” of the ark and animals and forgetting to look at the overall picture.

Sadly Noah’s story doesn’t end happily ever after; we don’t teach the kiddies the bit about him becoming drunk and being discovered uncovered “naked” by his sons. It is important though, because it reinforces the fact Noah is a man who was not righteous because of his own “goodness” but because of God’s grace. What a beautiful ending, two of his sons lovingly cover their father, just as Jesus covers the sins of believers so we can be spotless before God.

Nancy ends this study by reminding us that this world in is present state will come to an end. The prophecy in Matthew 24:36-44 reminds us that just like the people of Noah’s day we do not know when this will be. It is vitally important to be awake, watchful and ready.

“The good news at the end of Noah’s story is the good news at the end of our stories if God’s grace has found us and is clearly at work in us. We do not have to fear that sins in our past or in our future will disqualify us from enjoying the benefits of God’s gracious covenant. God has bound himself to us and NOTHING can come between us”.

… nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:39

Discussion

During this study I have been considering God’s wrath and the violence of the flood and of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah etc. It isn’t easy to comprehend. As Christians we are called on to spread the gospel, I have found, as I am sure everyone has, that when I speak to about Jesus to non-believers, I am often questioned about how a loving God could destroy people, send people to hell just because they don’t have faith in him or how he could let bad things happen. How do you think we should go about trying to answer these questions in a loving respectful way?

[note color=”#E9DFCE”]Thank you Susan for allowing me to share my thoughts on this study of Noah. Please answer as many of the questions and discussion points from the book as you are led to and please feel free to share your thoughts on what has stood out for you from the study this week.[/note]

God’s Blessings to you and your families

Jenny (Bluewren)

Mother’s Day: A Message for All Women

For Mum’s and those who aren’t and those who were… for those who are a daughter.

I have four biological children and one non biological son. And I have been in the class of ‘infertile’. Long before Mrs. Graceful entered the scene we attended the Infertility Clinic. Subjected to daily poking, prodding and hormonal medication was all par for the course. Being told when to *enjoy each other* and ‘when to abstain’ was also part of it all. Marital intimacy on cue! Each month would arrive with hopeful expectation only to be burst by the news that we were unsuccessful. Again.

Mother’s Day was such an emotional hurricane for me. I had my own dear mum and mother-in-law to honour and I encouraged my son (non biological son) to honour his mum but all I really wanted was to be pregnant, to carry John’s child. Oh, what mixed emotions. Intense, strong longing, such anger… such gratefulness mixed with jealousy, envy and a range of conflicting emotions from each end of the scale. I saw that appeared not to appreciate that which I so desired.

Finally one day, we received the good news. We were pregnant! Now I would get to talk that fabulous journey that is motherhood… A few months after Falcon was born my own mum, my best friend, died. A few years later and I became the mother of a prodigal who, it seemed, wanted to make my life miserable. To have every special day ruined, as a reminder of how much I was despised. Pain. Hurt.

A Word of Encouragement

So my heart reaches out to those who are mothers but don’t have not a child to hug and kiss. For those that are mother’s yet have not a husband to share the journey with. For those that are mother’s and have lost a child to death. To those who would love to honour their mother today but can’t. To those mother’s who feel like a complete failure. To those who have not what they desire… I want to offer you a hug and an ear to listen. And a word of encouragement.

Motherhood does not define us

I know your heart aches. I know it hurts. But please remember that being a mother is not the greatest virtue or good or calling that can happen to you as a woman. It’s hard at this time of year when *motherhood* is held up as the ‘be all and end all’. Motherhood does not define us. Even being a wife is not the greatest calling. It is a role, within a calling but it is not our primary goal. Being a woman, a daughter of God – a woman being transformed into the image of God’s Son is who we are.

So if motherhood is not the goal or purpose then what is? Being conformed to the image of Christ – to the glory of the Lord God!

Whether or not you are infertile, have miscarried, have had an abortion, have one child, a child with disabilities, or more than one – my purpose is the same as your purpose… to glorify the Lord God. How? By being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ!

God uses many ways in order to do His transforming work in us. For some, He uses motherhood. Others, He uses non-motherhood. But the goal is the same – being conformed to the image of Christ.

All women: single, married, mothers, pregnant or not have a similar common factor – to be transformed into the image of God’s Son.

Mother’s Day? It’s all about Jesus!

The Promised One: Week 3: The Fall

Are you trying to hide from God? Are you embarrassed or ashamed of something in your past or even now in the present? Then this study of Genesis is for you!

This week’s chapter is of great interest to me… we’re looking at Jesus present at The Fall. To read the previous studies you can go here to the archive.

Do:

Read Genesis 2:4-3:24
Read and complete the Personal Bible Study on pages 61 – 67
Read the teaching chapter on pages 68 – 85

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman.
~Galatians 4:4

Nancy describes what Eden was like and the life that Adam and Eve had in the Garden. She describes the Fall of man in her own words. She describes how satan (Who was created perfect but fell away through pride and he carried many other angelic beings with him in his rebellion against God) twisted God’s words and also added to them. The serpent was planting the idea that God had been unreasonable. Then she showed us how we still do that today. Satan still comes to us suggesting that what God has commanded is unreasonable and is intended

So the Serpent questioned God’s word and added to God’s word, and finally he denied God’s word.And both Eve and Adam fell… their eyes were opened and they saw their own nakedness. They were ashamed. Their flaws were exposed. But instead of seeking God and confessing their guilt they hid. And lied. And played the blame game. They were not only filled with shame but they lived in fear.

But where they and we hide in shame and fear, God seeks us out. In His grace, mercy and love He provides the way back to life.

On page 77, and in Genesis 3:21 we see God displaying His grace, by providing the shedding of blood – where the innocent dies for the guilty. A picture of Christ. Adam received grace in the midst of the curse – a covering for his nakedness, provided by God.

The Second Adam

Adam failed the test in the garden. He failed to live up to all that God intended for him. And because he disobeyed, Adam lost for us the perfect environment, the perfect fellowship, that he and Eve enjoyed with the Father.

Jesus is the the “last” or “second” Adam (1 Cor. 15:45). Like the first Adam, Jesus was tested by God and tempted by Satan — not in the garden, but in a barren wilderness where he was weak from hunger and dehydration. However, Jesus knew that God provided everything He would need. He didn’t believe the lie that God was holding out on them, like Adam and Eve did. Adam and Eve also allowed satan to question, to twist, to deny, add to the word of God whereas Jesus overcame temptation by the power of God’s word.

Adam and Eve faced temptation about a tree in a bright, sunny garden, a paradise with no pressure. But Christ faced temptation about a tree in a dark garden.

Through Adam, life was lost but at the cross, Christ hung full of shame. Not his own shame but your shame. And my shame. (Hebrews 12:2) Why would he do this? Romans 10:11. Hover over the scriptures with your mouse and you’ll be able to read them.

The cross of Christ reaches to all people, throughout all time- proclaiming that we do not have to hide, we do not have to live in fear, that we can be made right with God again – because of the sacrifice of Christ. His sacrifice is sufficient.

For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
~Romans 5:17

Discussion

Share any of your responses from the Personal Bible Study section on pages 61-67.
Feel free to share and expand upon any of the 9 discussion points that are in the book (p. 86-87).
What jumped out at you this week in the study?
Have you been pondering a particular verse?
What have you learned so far?
Share a favourite passage or paragraph from the book.
You have all week to share your responses and you can come back and comment and often as you like.

For those who are trying to follow along but don’t have the book, here are a few of the discussion questions. You might like to share your thoughts with us.

~ God did not explain to Adam why eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was prohibited. He simply expected them to trust and obey him. Usually we don’t mind obeying as long as it makes sense to us. Why do you think God did not explain the logic behind this prohibition?

~ Notice that God was not in the garden all the time. He came to walk in the garden in the cool of the day, but for the most part, Adam and Eve had to operate on God’s word that had been given to them. That is what faith is still about: living according to what God has said. What makes living by faith so challenging?

~ What do we learn about how to successfully withstand temptation when we compare the way Adam and Eve dealt with temptation to the way Christ handled the temptations of the devil?

~ Though we think of Genesis 3 being primarily about sin and the curse, there are also some wonderful pictures of grace and presentations of the gospel. How do you see the gospel of grace in this part of God’s story?

~ Many people feel and express anger with God when the brokenness of this world impacts them in ways that bring pain. How could you use what you’ve learned in this study of Genesis 3 (perhaps also using the truths in Romans 8 and Revelation 21 and 22) to help someone who is angry with God to put the blame where it belongs and place their hope in Christ?

Our Story ~ The First Impression

Once upon a time, my Dad, Mum and I drove the 500kms from Broken Hill to Adelaide to celebrate the wedding of a long time family friend. I was 17 years old and had recently committed my life to the Lord. Due to various circumstances I simply wanted to follow God and be used by Him, without any distractions from the opposite gender. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life other than travel and serve the Lord, and finish my nursing studies. Looking for a boyfriend or even a husband [gasp!] was the absolute last thing on my mind.

The wedding we attended was a small and quiet affair. The family friend was somewhat indirectly related to me and she was older by about 15 years or so. After the wedding and afternoon tea in the church hall, close friends and family spent a lovely celebratory evening at their house. A lamb-on-the-spit and bonfire in their backyard. To be honest, I felt a little bit ‘out of it all‘ as everyone was at least 10 years older than me, or so it seemed.

My mum was pretty keen [an understatement if ever there was one!] to see me with a nice, Christian guy. Considering the alternatives, which she had witnessed due to my rebellion, I can see why she felt this way.

Whilst I was chatting to the next youngest person I could find, my mum was busy asking the bride about the best-man – was he single and available? Was He a Christian, a real Christian? (to quote my mum) Mum sidled up to me, pointed toward the best man, who was busy basting and sweating over the roasting lamb. She winked and uttered a few words that mothers and daughters can understand and as such should never disclose.

I looked over at this guy. Um, did my mum realise how old he was? He had a beard for pete’s sake! And a moustache! What was she thinking?

I was too busy talking to the other, slightly younger guy who, it turns out was a student at Bible college. Even though I wasn’t interested in the slightest I did think that he would have been a better option – after all, he was more my age and he was a Christian. The other, older guy looked like some rough and tumble bikie, (as opposed to biker) trying to look decent by dressing in a suit. Both Mum and the bride encouraged me to at least talk to him, for he was:

male
not married or in a relationship, and a
Christian

But I simply wasn’t interested in male company. Eye candy maybe, but not a relationship. C’mon, give me a break. I was 17, raised in the world and only been a Christian a short time.

I went into the lounge room to get my ugg boots and he (the bikie dude) was there. Gulp, no avoiding him without being rude. So, we started talking. He was quite easy to talk to and he laughed a lot. But he was still old. I was still young. Turns out that he was indeed a Christian! Who woulda thunk it? It turns out that he was best mates with the younger guy and he too, was a student at Bible College!

He seemed smart yet not smarmy. A genuine believer who really loved the Lord. He asked me lots of questions about myself, but not in a stalker type way. He really encouraged me in my walk with God. He quoted Scripture and spoke in Biblical words. Even his jokes were Bible puns and Christian funnies! How could I not be impressed? (Okay, fast forward a few years — I am not so easily impressed any more)

As we were sitting in the lounge-room talking, the cutest little boy, with a round face and the cheekiest smile ran inside and started tapping him on the leg…

“Daddy, I’m cold. Where’s my jumper?”

To be continued…

Teaching Children to Honour Others on Mother's Day

I once met a woman whose children and/or husband didn’t celebrate or surprise them on Mother’s Day like they wanted and they feel disappointed. I suggested teaching and training the children to go *all out* and make an effort to bless others, including mum on Mother’s Day but they thought it sounded too selfish and self serving.

But the resentment this woman was harbouring was hardly right either so how can we approach training our children to serve and bless when we are supposed to be the object of that appreciation?
read more…

The Promised One: Week 2: Creation

Is there any hope, in this world where everything gets old, to actually become new? More significantly, is there any hope for those of us whose lives are marked by deteriorating health, broken relationships, and destructive habits to be given a fresh start, a new perspective, a virtual reset button on life?
~Nancy Guthrie

Creation: Week2

Last week we started our study of Genesis with the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry. This week we will continue on at the beginning!

Do:

Read and complete the Personal Bible Study on pages 31 – 37
Read the teaching chapter (p.38-54)

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
~Gen.1:26

Nancy opens this chapter talking about newness of the world and how The Eternal Word Illumined the darkness, ordered the chaos, filled the emptiness and breathed the breath of life into man and then… rested.

She then points us to the gospel of John where we read…

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
~John 1:1-3

Nancy then shows us some snapshots from the gospels (p47) and also showed that the same Jesus who was present at creation was the same Jesus who walked the earth. She presents us with a quick summary of the gospel of Jesus Christ (p48)

There are two common responses to the gospel: some receive him, and others do not. Those who receive him are ‘born again’, a new creation. Nancy explains that just as we had nothing to do with our first time of being born neither is it in our power to born again or born the second time. Which is where we get to New Creations… even today! Yes, we can become a new creation! We can be made new! What good news!

If you would like to, please share your story of how and when you were born again.

Nancy then writes and shows us how Genesis points to what is yet to come in the new heaven and new earth and for mankind.

Discussion:

Share any of your responses from the Personal Bible Study section on pages 31 -37.
Feel free to share and expand upon any of the 10 discussion points that are in the book (p. 55-57) Imagine that you are having these discussions with your children or your neighbour. Share your responses in the comment section below.
What jumped out at you this week in the study?
Have you been pondering a particular verse?
What have you learned so far?
Share a favourite passage or paragraph from the book.
You have all week to share your responses and you can come back and comment and often as you like.

"Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament: The Promised One"

The Promised One: Week One: The Road to Emmaus

Prayer: God, open our eyes to see Jesus! Make our hearts burn in your presence. We want to see Jesus. Father, we ask You to open our minds and soften our hearts to learn more of You…

Read the Introduction, written by the author.
Read the first chapter “The Beginning in Light of the Ending”
read more…

Meet n Greet for Online Bible Study: The Promised One

Purchase a copy of Seeing Jesus in Genesis, The Promised One (details here)
Introduce yourself: Post a comment below with your name, where you are from, and answer to this question- What is your favourite story from the Old Testament?

I am Susan… you can learn more about me on here. It’s ridiculously difficult to choose on story or even one book from the OT to name as a favourite… but I guess I’ll have to try.

The life story of Joseph. I love seeing God’s sovereignty and His purpose unfold- despite mans efforts. Seeing how God used all the events, especially the not-so-pleasant ones in Joseph’s life, to bring about His plan for His glory gives me great strength and comfort when I’m going through my own not-so-pleasant times. Through Joseph’s life story I’ve learned that God is in control at all times, in all circumstances. He alone is worthy of my praise.

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good”
~Genesis 50:20

FAQ for Participating in the Online Bible Study

Are you getting ready for the Bible Study, Seeing Jesus in Genesis: The Promised One? We’ll “meet” once a week, starting on Monday. You have all week to join in! It is an affordable online bible study class for everyone.

How to Participate in The Promised One Bible Study

Purchase a copy of Seeing Jesus in Genesis, The Promised One (details here)
Introduce yourself: Post a comment on the Meet n Greet Bible Study Page with your name, where you are from, and answer to this question- What is your favorite story from the Old Testament?

How do I subscribe to the Bible study?

I recommend that you sign up to get the blog posts by email. Look in the right sidebar of this page or at the bottom of every post and you’ll see a place to put your email address, or click here to register for the email updates. This will lead you to Feedburner, a blog tool that allows me to send you posts by email. Your email address is protected and I do not sell or spam you with information.

What day and time do we meet?

Unlike a traditional Bible study where you travel to a location we are meeting online. However, we all have different time zones and times of availability, which is the beauty of online study! We can be flexible. So we aren’t meeting online at one specific time.

How do I participate in this online study?

Similar to a Bible study group IRL, I’ll ask questions about the current lesson. Please post a comment and answer or ask another question. You may share as little or as much as you feel comfortable in doing. You might also like to ask for prayer. This is a great opportunity to learn from one another so all questions and comments can be beneficial and helpful. Participation will make this study more productive.

Each week you should complete the Personal Bible Study (PBS) section of the study. You might like to read the the Teaching Chapter for the next week on the weekend before the new study starts. (This will make more sense once you have the book and have started)

What church am I affiliated with?

I am non-denominational and any/all Christian women are welcome to join me. (See more about what I believe here) However, please be aware that the book we are using as our study guide is from a Reformed Protestant perspective.

What happens if you missed the starting week or need to take a few weeks off?

Again, the beauty of online study allows you to not ‘fall behind’. The discussions, notes and questions aren’t removed so you can catch up whenever you are able!

I’m looking forward to seeing Jesus in Genesis with you!

How Do You Share the Gospel?

Do you ever struggle in sharing the good news with others throughout your day? Maybe you don’t know where to start? With the creation of the world or just hit them with their need for a Saviour?

Dr. Julius Kim, Dean of Students and Associate Professor at Westminster Seminary California, provides insight into how he shares the gospel. This is also a good video to watch with your teens.

Hand Raising Tips During Worship

Okay, this is funny to me. Because I’ve been there, and done that.

My Book Reading Term One

I used to devour books. But I spend more time reading articles and blogs now. I want to get back to reading more real books so I have decided to record the books I read each term.

Theology/Faith/Spiritual

Daily Readings From the Life of Christ, Volume 1 by John MacArthur
The Truth War by John MacArthur (re-read)
Slave – The hidden truth about your identity in Christ by John MacArthur
A Visual History of the English Bible by Donald L. Brake

Health

The God-Given Diet: If God Didn’t Put It Here, Don’t Freaking Eat It by Michelle Kennedy Hogan
The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson

Finances

Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn

Organisation

Organize for a Fresh Start: Embrace Your Next Chapter in Life by Susan Fay West

Biography/Autobiographical

Out of Mormonism: A Woman’s True Story by Judy Robertson

Personal Growth

40 Unforgettable Dates with Your Mate by Gary & Barbara Rosberg
A Fine Mess: Living Simply With Children by Michelle Kennedy Hogan
Your Special Gift (A Preteen Primer to the Facts of Life)by Carol McCormick

Fiction

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Paradise Valley by Dale Cramer

What books have you read this term?

“Don’t rush. Now is the time you should be discovering who you are, and not trying so hard to be part of someone else.”

The Hunger Games for the Christian Parent

Yes, I have read the trilogy. Yes, I have watched the movie. Yes, Falcon has also read the trilogy. And yes, as soon as he gets home from camp we will go together and watch the movie. I am using this as a tool- to teach many valuable lessons whilst shielding my son from the harsh realities that exist in the world around us. This is part of our goals, for our children, for our homeschool… Good! Now that’s out of the way. 🙂

** Falcon is a fairly mature 14yo, which is the recommended minimum age for this series.

When looking for articles and reviews on The Hunger Games from a Christian perspective there are a multitude that will say it is not productive, beneficial or the right type of material for Christians to watch. (I have to wonder how many of the nay-sayers have actually read the trilogy though) I guess that all depends upon one’s worldview. We aren’t training our children to be ignorant of the world around them although we desire for them to be innocent of the same practices. (Click here to read a previous post on Training Children in Innocence or Ignorance) Literature is an excellent medium for teaching all kinds of themes and concepts that are simply icky and difficult for young adults to comprehend in the real world.

The following links are not biased with a negative bent toward the books. Just FYI.

I’m not going to write a full review and offer details. The links I provide do a great job of that. If you want to know more, grab yourself a copy of the books and read them for yourself. It’s probably quicker and more beneficial that you do so anyway. For you. They’re not a difficult read. I’d rate them about a Grade 7 level in literary quality.

Good Links for Reading About The Hunger Games

Hungry for the Hunger Games: Why We Need Dystopian Tales over at her.meneutics, Christianity Today’s blog for women
Tim Challies writes on What Makes The Hunger Games So Popular?
Hunger Games book review at Focus on the Family
My Life in the ‘Kingdom’ Capitol: What I Learned from The Hunger Games over at Kingdom Civics
Some thoughts on the Hunger Games by our very own AussieHomeschooler, Ganeida at GaneidasKnots
Posts tagged with The Hunger Games – A few posts by Julie at OneHandClapping
The Hunger Games at The Point with John Stonestreet
Teen Lit Review: Real Reviews for the Christian Parent
Why the Hunger Games Matter at Easter at the FOTF Online Community
Christians and the Hunger Games at Credenda Agenda
And of course, Jesus in the Hunger Games from Christianity Today
The Hunger Games at ChristianAnswers.net
Amusing Ourselves At Their Deaths by Mark Meynell
The Hunger Games Discussion Guide from CultureWatch
I knew it was only a matter of time… but yes, there is now a Hunger Games Bible Study. Oh man, say it ain’t so. Read more about it at the Christian Post.
Cinemagogue on The Hunger Games (video)

Disclaimer

I, in no way, endorse or encourage you to flippantly read the books without careful consideration. I do not agree with the information contained in all these links. These links are for your information.

Join Me for the Jesus in Genesis Bible Study

I’m going to start a new Bible study… and I thought some other women might like to join me. I am super excited to start. Want to join me?

Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament

By Nancy Guthrie. This is a ten-week Bible study through the book of Genesis oriented specifically for what Genesis has to show us about who Christ will be and why he will come. There are weekly lessons, including discussion questions. Participants could either respond on their own blog or here in the comment section. Click here to download a pdf sample of the study.

I love the Old Testament. I’ve studied for several years now and I always learn new (new to me) things with every reading. Last year I did another Bible study called Taking the Old Testament Challenge by Judson Poling and it was fantastic… so I just know this one is also going to be excellent.

The weeks or chapters of this study are:

The Road to Emmaus (Luke 24)
Creation (Genesis 1:1-2:3)
The Fall (Genesis 2:4-3:24)
Noah and the Flood (Genesis 6-9)
The Tower of Babel (Genesis 10:1-12:3)
Abraham (Genesis 12-15)
Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 16-24)
Jacob (Genesis 25:19-35:21)
Joseph (Genesis 37-50)
The Sons of Jacob (Genesis 29-30, 34-35, 38-39, 48-49)

Who is Nancy Guthrie?

Nancy and her husband, David, and son, Matt, make their home in Nashville, Tennessee where Nancy occasionally teaches at her church, Christ Presbyterian Church, along with speaking at conferences around the country and internationally. She is currently pursuing graduate studies at Covenant Theological Seminary through their distance education program. Visit her website to learn more.

Considerations

You will have to purchase the book but Amazon has the Kindle version for under $10. Alternatively, Word and Koorong also have the book and/or ebook for a good price.
This study uses the English Standard Version and the New Living Translation. Available freely online.
Nancy Guthrie is from the Reformed/Protestant perspective
Term 2 starts on the 23rd April… so you’ve got a few weeks to purchase the book and get ready. 🙂

So, are you in? Let me know if you are going to join in so that we can link up.

Who Are You Following?

This video belongs to Igniter Media.

My Response To Those Who Have a Different Viewpoint

The world is made up of so many different varieties of people. Even in the world of Christendom, the number of differences is astounding.

And we all tend to think we’re right. But the trouble is that we all wear glasses. And they’re all different shades. We have all lived different lives, had different upbringings, read different books, hold different beliefs, have different physical bents, and all these things cause us to form assumptions about the world, about others, and about God. And the difficulty is that these things affect the way in which we approach the Bible. Now we’d all like to think that despite these glasses, we can come together and read and interpret the Scriptures and hear the same thing. Sounds great. But does it work that way? It can but more often than not, it doesn’t.

There are two different trains of thought in Christianity

Actually there are more but these are two foundational biggies

1. There are those who believe that human beings repent and believe because God causes them to do so by choosing them to be saved.

2. And there are others who believe that the ultimate reason people believe is our free will.

This fundamental and basic belief about God and our belief will affect the way we go about our daily business. Sounds simplistic but it is true. If you are of the latter view then it is quite likely that you and I will disagree on many other points in life. And vice versa.

Many people simply cannot get over this fact- that there are differing beliefs. In fact it prevents them from discussing theology with anyone who shares a different view or it causes them to shout instead of talk, yell instead of listening. But I actually like discussing issues with those who share a different view, so long as the discussion is respectful and polite. If I wanted to read and learn without too much questioning or hearing other points of view then I’d read a book. But to participate in discussions and online forums means that there will be disagreements and they will be verbalised.

After a few years of inserting my foot in my mouth I am seeing how much I cut conversations off or I diss people, although that is not my intent.

I have changed and am continuing to change though. I used to be a lot more rigid. Some might say intolerant and un-accepting. But I’ve realised that just as much as my mind is not going to be changed by an online discussion, my argument is not likely to make someone else change their mind either. Discussions provide fodder and there’s always the possibility that a seed will germinate (Grammarians may feel free to ignore that yucky sentence) but minds are rarely changed in that environment. In fact, some people may even go into battle- losing sight of the discussion but focusing upon having the last word or ‘winning’. Time has a wonderful way of revealing things to us. It is a rare discussion that does not benefit from the value of time. It’s okay to take a breathe.

via Wikimedia Commons

I’m not becoming liberal, post modern or emergent… just listening more. I want to understand others and their viewpoints. I accept that we don’t all look at the elephant in the room from the same angle. It’s okay Susan… stop. Breathe in. Breathe out. It’s not my job to convince Christian evolutionists that they are wrong. I can now sleep well at night- despite the fact that others are wrong. (Feeble attempt at humour)

Here’s my new list of ideals… for myself

I will:

not use words like ‘basic’, ‘simple’, ‘plain’ and ‘easy’ when referring to an ancient book, which has been written in a completely different time, language and culture.
remember that it’s okay to admit that I don’t know. I don’t have all the answers. I don’t have all my ducks in a row

I will not:

use the Bible as a sword or a weapon. The Bible is likened to a sword but I don’t have to pick it up and stab you with it.
question your commitment to God just because you have a different belief to me
use God’s word as a discussion ender, rather as a conversation continue-er

Lord, please give me your grace. For I need it so.

Being Dead

I’ve been pregnant. Five times in fact. And I’ve been in a state of non pregnancy, obviously. But I’ve never been a little bit pregnant. With pregnancy you either are or you are not pregnant. You can’t be a little bit pregnant.

Life is like that too. You are either are alive or you are not. You can’t be a little bit alive.

Death is the same. You are either dead or you are not. You can’t be a little bit dead.

“… the Holy Spirit must get in to our insides and there apply the work of the Cross and Resurrection in destroying the old death and bringing the new life.”
~Geoffrey Bingham

We had a farm with many animals. I know what it’s like to kill an animal and bury it. I was also a nurse. I’ve cared for terminal patients and cared for the bodies of dead people. There’s not much middle ground there. Try as one might, there is no way to get a dead body to do respond to stimuli. It simply cannot. It has no mind, no will. It cannot be reasoned with, manipulated, encouraged or cajoled. A dead animal cannot will itself to life or to change. Dead is dead. Without life.

Yet, as Christians we often expect this very unnatural law of other people. People who are not believers, who have not been born again, who have not been drawn to God, repented and confessed Jesus Christ as Lord. Without God, mankind is dead in their sins. I was dead in my sin before God revealed Himself to me. I was dead. Incapable of choosing life, incapable of getting up, dusting myself off and putting on new clothes. Why or how do we expect those who are dead to the things of God to love Him, respond to him and live according to His ways?

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the bodyt and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
~Ephesians 2: 1-9

With what resources do we expect [spiritually] dead people to arise from death and live? Will power? A desire to live a clean life? They’re dead. Incapable of response. How can they choose the action to live?

What choice does a baby have to be born? He/she doesn’t. The earthly decision to be born is the result of the parents decision. An external force, if you will. Spiritual birth is similar! It is a work of God.

That’s how it was in my life. I was dead in my sins- it’s not like I had the wherewithall or the reseources to do it myself. God picked me up, dusted me off and breathes his life into me through the blood of Jesus. The decision to give birth is that of the Supreme, Divine parent – our father, God the Creator of All. It’s His decision!

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
~Colossians 2:13-14

So why do we expect godly behaviour and attitudes from those who have not been made alive in Christ? Why are we shocked when dead people act dead? Let us not be guilty of putting pearls and fine linen on a corpse for appearance sake. Let’s pray and preach the good news of Christ for the dead’s sake- that they may hear the word of God and be made alive.

Anyone who is involved in personal evangelism can share countless examples of persons who, though presently living in gross sin, will nonetheless tell the evangelist that they are fine because they “made a decision for Christ” a certain number of years ago. They have never had any change in their life; they have no interest in church, the Bible, or even God. But they have made their “decision.” Can we not see how dangerous such a system is to the souls of men?
~ Jim Ehrhard

That before the creation of the universe God thought of me! For some reason known to himself, He chose me to be on his team. He didn’t choose me because I had made a decision (for I was dead in my sin when I realised that I was on God’s team). He didn’t choose me because I am holy or righteous. Rather, that through Christ I might become holy. All that I am is grounded in the fact that God freely chose me. What then do I have to boast about except His goodness, His mercy, His grace?

And We Need To Accept Him?

“We have reduced Him to a poor puny Savior who needs us to accept HIM?”

I’m not too sure that Mr Platt is preaching a theological treatise rather a message to those who use this style of contemporary evangelism.

I was ‘born again’ in a Christian revival Crusade… and went from there to the AOG. I have raised my hand, repented, recommitted my life, been down to the front and accepted Christ as my Saviour more times that I can count on two hands and feet. And none of it was necessary. I was caught up in playing the game of church Christian but I was living in the fullness of the Lordship of Christ. I was a baby Christian, lapping up milk instead of growing and moving on to solid food.

Altar calls where the continuous call is, “Are you willing to commit your life to following Jesus?” or “Are you willing to allow Jesus Christ to take over as King and ruler of your life?”

What is really being said is “Accept Christ…receive Christ…make a decision for Christ.”

Where does it say in Scripture that a Christian is to make Christ Lord? When did accepting Christ become an evangelistic message?

Christ does indeed call us. But from my perusal over Scripture, He calls the one who is already a believer.There are calls to discipleship, calls to death, calls to sacrifice, calls to laying down one’s life, calls to obedience, calls to submission and so on…

“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as… what… Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”
Romans 10: 9

Weekly Wrap 'n' Catch Up

I took the photo below a few weeks ago when Falcon and I went for a walk to do some photography. There is a little waterfall and picnic area. It is a serene and peaceful area and I’m glad to have spent an hour or so there. But life has not been quite so smooth over the last week or so.

John had to go away for three weeks to Victoria, for work. As usual, something went wrong and I had car troubles again. If you visited our home you wouldn’t think it possible. For me to be car-less. But I assure you it is. Yes, there’s a car in the shed, one on the front lawn, one on the kerb and two in the drive-way. Yet at one stage, not one of them was usable! Egads! I ended up driving one of them around but I prayed every time I got in and out of it.

Rambo also went away during this time. He went on a school camping trip as part of Outdoor Education. They went rock climbing and he had a great time. This left Falcon and I at home. Alone! Good times. Quiet times. Clean and tidy times!

Eventually all my men-folk came home and all seemed fine. Seemed fine. John hurt his knee. He’s had some time off work and will have even more as he waits to see a specialist and be assessed for surgery. Poor John, it seems to be one thing after another with him. 🙁

So I’ve been playing taxi – to my husband! That will obviously continue for awhile, until he’s able to drive… and work.

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”
~Matthew 4:4

Links Worth Reading

Perhaps you should sue God
I’m not sure how you look into those almond shaped eyes-grasp that warm hand smaller than most-hold close the body vibrating with life and say “We wish we could have aborted you”.

Underage Dating: The Elephant in the Social Conservative Living-Room
I have a bone to pick with young, socially conservative Americans, and I know it’s something that will get under your skin. Just sit tight, though, and hear me out, because the elephant in our tidy little room is starting to tear things up. It’s time we acknowledge his existence, and maybe even call in some animal movers to take him back to the zoo.

Gracious Candor: A Tutorial in Speaking Truth in Love
I’m going to go through this with the boys this week.

Letter to an Incomplete, Insecure Teenager
But God is good. He has his plan and it is not to make this metamorphosis easy. Just certain. There are a thousand lessons to be learned in the process. Nothing is wasted. Life is not on hold waiting for the great coming-out.

Milk, Mush or Meat? What are you growing on?
The Bible says that young Christians are like infants who drink milk, while mature Christians are like grown-ups who dine on porterhouse steaks. Me? I put a glob of ketchup on my medium-rare kobe and drank it down with a wine glass full of Yoohoo.

How To Enjoy Bible Study
Bible study is not optional in the Christian life. It is both the obligation and the privilege of all believers. If you are not involved in regular, systematic Bible study, you are missing one of the primary means God uses to bring us to maturity.

Tim Challies on Kony2012
I always enjoy being mentally stimulated by Tim Challies. Once again he offers a few thoughts, this time on the topic of Kony2012

10 Steps to Raising Generous Children, Part 1
I’ve had conflict most of my life between what I think I want and what I really need. Most people share this conflict with me. That conflict also appears in our children as well. We don’t have to teach them to struggle with determining between wants and needs, because they will do this naturally and, if not, they will learn it from us.

The Most Powerful Parenting Practice
What wise parents do when they don’t know what to do.

Diapers, Nursing, Clinging to Christ
The details of last Sunday’s sermon might be foggy, or lost entirely. How much more so the teachings from a year or more ago. But don’t let that trouble you. If nothing else sticks, remember this: Cling to Christ.

Forgiveness for Moms Who Fail
I don’t think I have met a mom, including a preschool mom, who feels like she has done a good enough job. Most mothers labor under the weight of guilt—of frustrated ideals, imperfect performance, and deficient production. The laundry remains undone; story books unread, and tempers flare. . . .

Keys for Kids
You can learn more about God’s love every day! Read a fun story and hide God’s Word in your heart with the Key Verse of the day. Check out today’s Key, or look for your favourite story in the archives!

“A tree gives glory to God by being a tree. For in being what God means it to be it is obeying Him…. The more a tree is like itself, the more it is like Him….”
~Thomas Merton

Sharing My Story

Being that I primarily blog for the glory of the Lord, for my own enjoyment and for my family I’m going to start relating a few stories from my past. It’s been a long time since I wrote much about my children. That is a deliberate and intentional plan. I’m really thankful that my past was not captured on the Internet. When John and I met, we had to get to know each other the old fashioned way. We spent time together, asking questions and going through the full range of emotions that arose from those discussions. I want that for my children. I don’t want my child’s prospective partner to log on to my website and find out quirky little details about the person they’re interested in. I want a partner to learn from my child that they struggled in Maths, not read it on my blog.

Sharing My Story

I want to share my story with you, not my children’s story. Their story is theirs to tell.

Juicy Scandals

You’ll just have to sign up to receive all the gossip as it is written. Seriously though, I won’t be writing much of my early childhood and certainly not my teen years as to relate it via writing would not glorify the Lord. It would be about me, me and me in grisly detail. What’s the point of that? Sin is sin is sin is sin. That’s all I need to share about it and that’s all you need to know.

Why Now?

I have felt a check in my spirit about sharing such things before yet now I feel released to do so. I wanted my children to hear things first. I didn’t want them hearing or learning my thoughts, beliefs, values and events via my blog. They are my children. They deserve to know about me before anyone else does! But these things take time. Life takes time to live.

Sign Up

So, are you going to sign up to receive email notification of new posts (see sign up form below) or will you join me at my facebook page?

The beauty of the written word is that it can be held close to the heart and read over and over again

Florence Littauer

Yr 9 Photography Class

Yr 9 Photography Class (Homeschool style) Yr 9 Photography Class at our place.

Weekly Wrap Up

Here’s a few good links that I posted to the kerugma facebook page this past week. I hope you enjoy them. Incidentally, our facebook page has a new look!

Living Better at 50
In a world that’s highly focused on twenty and thirty something’s, it’s not always easy to find information that honors our age group. LivingBetterAt50+ is changing that! Our intention is for this site to become a trusted resource for women over 50, a place where you can find up-to-date information on topics that touch your life daily.

Encouraging young people to read the Bible – Creating a culture of Bible reading
You might want to give them a crash course on the Bible: what it is, who wrote it, what’s in it, how to find different books, the big picture etc. You could do a short Bible overview spanning a few weeks. And when you mention Bible passages or verses, get them to turn to them (and read them out loud), so they get used to handling the Bible and reading it for themselves. If we take the alien-ness out of the Bible, it becomes a normal practice to turn to God’s Word, not a last resort.

Teach Children the Bible Is Not About Them (I love this article!)
Ask your children these two questions today. Do you sometimes think you have to be good for God to love you? And second, Have you ever thought that if you aren’t good, God will stop loving you?
When we drill a Bible story down into a moral lesson, we make it all about us. But the Bible isn’t mainly about us, and what we are supposed to be doing—it’s about God, and what he has done! When we tie up the story in a nice neat little package, and answer all the questions, we leave no room for mystery. Or discovery. We leave no room for the child. No room for God.

10 Ways to Lose a Teen’s Attention
Quick post—the top ten ways to completely bore and disconnect with those you teach. What do you think? Have you been turned off from hearing someone because of these things?

Children’s Activity Pyramid
A printable physical activity pyramid – an excellent idea. Families that play together stay healthier together!

Living Ideas in Living Books: Choosing Worthy Books for Home and School Libraries by Jeannette Tulis
What happens to a child when inspired by a living book? What are the qualities one should look for in a living book? Why is the choosing of a child’s books so important?

It is crucial that when your children look into your eyes, regardless of the circumstances bearing down on them, what they see is someone that believes in them.
~Danny Lee Silk

A Needed Pintervention

Cast your mind back to the year 1988. There I am, a newly married 18year old girl, with an instant family (son). We honeymooned in Tasmania, during the cold month of July. And it was the best! Nothing gets a couple closer than sharing a Kombi van for a month. It was during this time, that my husband introduced me to the world of cooking! Yes, he cooked me my first ever packet of 2 minute noodles. It was a had-to-be-there moment.

Anyway… we returned to South Australia and moved into my son’s mother’s house. Yes… even as an 18yo life wasn’t to be easy. We moved into her house. At least we would have our own furniture, right? Bom bom. Not so. They, being my son’s mum and her husband, gave us our bedroom furniture and dining room suite. It’s just furniture you say? Try telling that to a newly married 18yod girl. Anyway, I digress. They were to be some of our dearest friends, as life would have it, glory to God.

I was newly married and, naturally I wanted to create a beautiful home for my new husband. Not so easy to achieve when one is on a ridiculous (read that as ‘unemployed, out-of-work youth pastor) budget. I bought many Country Homes magazines from the op shop (Opportunity shop) but after awhile I had collected so many magazines that I couldn’t keep track of my favourite pictures. So, I bought a paper scrapbook (and I mean old time scrapbook – nothing like the scrapbooks of today!) and cut out my favourite picutres and posted them into my scrapbook. That was my version of today’s concept of the Inspiration Board or… Pinterest. I would collect the magazine pictures in my scrabook to show John, and we would dream together. I scoured the op shops, looking for quirky, vintage, unique items to make my house a home. Those were the days when I knew the best Vinnies in town, the Goodwill that had the better vintage items… the Salvo’s that just had everything cheap! Those were the days. And then vintage became popular. That kinda killed it for us.

Fast forward a couple of years to where we lived in a shed and a bus. (Hands up if you knew we lived in a shed for 18months) After having one child born in the shed, I was working part time managing the service station where we both worked. Plus ministry. Plus a 10 acre block of land.Plus 2 dogs, 2 horses, goats, sheep, a cocky and a ram! I found myself pregnant again! Yay!!! But, knowing that the shed was not a desirable nor practical environment for raising two babies we abandoned the dream of our mud brick home (sob sob) and instead went with a transportable house and a [low] mortgage. Even though I had to let go of one dream I still kept many others. I still kept my scrapbook, filled with beautiful, dreamy pictures of ideas that I one day hoped to own or recreate in my own house.

Reality Hits

Whilst designing and building our transportable home, I realised, albeit slowly, that we couldn’t afford all the grandiose ideas that I had pasted away and drooled over. Reality check! Over the months, God spoke to me… reminding me of what was near and dear to my heart. But that’s okay, I thought. One day they will happen. Right?

Fast Forward

Twenty four years later and we are a little better off (financially) than when we first started. Praise God! But you know what? Reality bites. Hard. With sharp teeth! Especially when one chooses to be a one income family that focusses on relationship more so than possessions. I stopped my ‘home scrapbook’. I stopped collecting Country Home magazines. I stopped drooling. I had to.

All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.
1 Corinthians 10:23-24 ESV

My Weakness Is Not Your Weakness

My weakness is consumerism, coveting pretty things and hoarding, along with envy. Aside from being sin, this leads to discontent. And it’s horrible to live with. But I found that it is quite easy to replace my real life with a virtual one, and that includes collecting and drooling over things online – a virtual hoarding of sorts. Sites like Clipix and Pinterest still foster materialism, desire and discontent in my heart. Seeing these sites filled with the most gorgeous pictures is almost like home porn. It doesn’t encourage my heart toward godly things. I am not compelled to be satisfied with less. See my weakness? I know many friends who use these sites as inspiration to be creative in their own lives, kitchens and homeschools without struggling with the temptations that I do. I am truly happy for them but their strength is my weakness.

Why I Do What I Do On The Internet

Playing with various social media has allowed me to examine why I don’t like some sites and why I prefer others. I’ve learned that I prefer forums and Facebook. For me, forums and facebook are my virtual community and these tools foster relationships. My friends live at AussieHomeschool and Facebook. Relationships are cultivated there. Words are obviously how I connect relationally with others.

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV

The Pintervention

I read books by the Puritans. I listen to guys like John Piper, John MacArthur and Paul Washer. I can’t then head over to Pinterest and drool. I just can’t. I know I sound like one of those missionaries that puts everyone on a guilt trip (~smile~) but really I’m not. I’m not telling you what to think or what to pin, I’m telling you of my weakness. I needed to go cold turkey. No trifling around with sin. I deleted my Pinterest account.

Calling

I desire to focus on others. My heart is sinful and it is very easy for me to focus on myself and my needs or my wants. This isn’t in line with Christ’s calling. It’s not part of dying to self. There are people all over the world who are suffering and dying. Now may not be my time to proactively be out there and serving them but I do hope that one day it will be the right time. Pinterest does not encourage me to follow Christ, deny myself, take up my cross and follow Him. (Matthew 16:24)

As a woman who has limited energy and yo-yo health, I find it exhausting. Planning, dreaming, shopping, lists and purchasing is fun, exciting and sometimes even an adrenaline rush (when you get a bargain). But then I bring it home and then devote even more energy as I store it, use it, wash it, insure it, rearrange it, etc. Maybe the 9 house moves in 10 years really knocked me around but I am tired of being controlled by my stuff!

I want to be content, happy, satisfied right here, right now!

And so, I took out a Pintervention upon myself. Aside from the whole violation of copyright issues which are for another time, these are the reasons that I had a check in my spirit… a prompting, no a directive from the Holy Spirit to stay away from Pinterest. And that’s all I would encourage others to do… to seek the Lord and follow His direction. That will look different to the path that I and others are on because we all have different strengths and weaknesses. But Our Father knows us best. He knows what we need, what is best for us and what we should avoid. Which is why we should follow Him.

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:11-13 ESV

Mr Greystash

The master and ruler of our home – he who must be obeyed.

Many, many years ago… in the age of dial-up connection. Remember that?

Yr 9 Daily Schedule Term One

Falcon’s Schedule Term One 2012

A few weeks ago I posted the subjects that both boys were studying – at school and here at home. This is Falcon’s schedule. It looks pretty heavy but he devised this schedule (and tweaks it to suit) pretty much by himself.

Falcon is a stickler for abiding by the schedule… almost down to the last minute. You can imagine that this trait drives me batty. But it’s how he works best.

Download the pdf of his schedule: mon-thur2012yr9

Our schedule this year looks completely different to any other year. But, this is the first year that we have ever had only one child at home! I always knew this child liked learning and liked schedules but it’s not until this year that I see him thriving in his new environment!

I think his workload is quite rigorous. Others may not think so but I do. However, it goes hand in hand with our goals, for this child, for this year. Not bad, considering that he was pretty much unschooled for the most part of his life so far.

Breaking Out Of The Bubble

Bubbles, Censorship, Filtering, Personalisation, Relevancy… I’m tired of it all. Tired yet mad.

Personalisation is the process of tailoring pages to individual users’ characteristics or preferences.
Censorship is the control of the information and ideas circulated within a society.
Filtering search results is a fancy way of saying censorship.

When I search the Internet I do NOT want results tailored to me. I want real information presented to me without bias. If and when I want biased information I can and will search for it. I’m quite capable of doing that. I am a free thinking person who is capable of searching and discerning what to read or not read. I don’t want a 3rd party (google/facebook/BB) censoring, er filtering information for me.

I used to like Google, I really did. It wasn’t all that long ago when they respected users privacy and the search results were unbiased (not tailored) and impartial but now they seem to care more about competing with facebook and other social media than being the best search engine. The new Google motto of Search Plus Your World has changed everything.

John and I noticed a trend with our searches so we deliberately and intentionally tested it. Obviously we both have different tastes and this was being reflected in our searches. Our search results were filtered/tailored based upon our gender, our search history, our click history. The problem with this is that as I click on things that I want to see and I agree with, I just keep getting more search results geared toward that. All the other results gets demoted (filtered). I wanted to know what I was missing out on!

I don’t want to live in a bubble that only shows me things IT thinks I will like or want to view. When I search for information I don’t want the results to be filtered UNLESS I intentionally filter them with various options. I want to do my own processing and filtering, thank you.

TedTalk – What FACEBOOK and GOOGLE are hiding from the world

Breaking Out Of The Bubble

Breaking out of the bubble and away from the grasping claws of Google isn’t easy. It is something that I’m looking into. So feel free to share any ideas with me.

Want Out But Still Want A Good Search?

StartPage: startpage.com/
When you search with Startpage the Web results are generated by Google but Startpage does NOT record your IP address! Nor do they share your personal information with any third party.

DuckDuckGo: duckduckgo.com/
Provides a clean interface together with a no-tracking privacy policy. Offers keyboard shortcuts to navigate and zero-click information sources. See their privacy page for more info.

Bing might be a good option for now… but I can’t help but wonder if they will end up going down Google Street too?

And Just for The Conspiracy Theorists…

Did you know that both the big G and FB (along with those in Amazon and LinkedIn) attended the Bildeberg Conference 2011? If you don’t know what I’m referring to… then StartPage is your friend. 😉

I know I might sound like a crackpot to some… and if you think I am that’s okay. Simply disregard this post as the raving of a mad woman. But don’t say you weren’t warned. 😉

Acquainted with the Scriptures from Childhood

Lend me your ear as I share yesterday’s Bible reading with you. I am not claiming to know everything nor have all my theological ducks in a row… I just want to share with you.

As Falcon and I were reading in the second book to Timothy yesterday I happened to backtrack a few verses and I was greatly encouraged by the passage below. (Any emphasis is mine)

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
2 Timothy 1:5-7

The Apostle Paul is writing to Timothy, his son in the faith. He mentions how Timothy has been raised in the ways and knowledge of God by his Grandmother Lois and his mother, Eunice. He says that this faith first dwelt in these women and it has been passed on to Timothy. Timothy has received a very rich faith. He has been instructed from childhood and, no doubt, much prayed for. Oh what great encouragement I take from that.

Looking further I read…

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
~2 Timothy 3:15

From childhood… acquainted with the sacred writings, from childhood.

Shortly after Falcon through me for a loop and asked as to the whereabouts of Timothy’s father? We talked about the possibilities. Of course I couldn’t leave well enough alone. Enquiring minds need to know these things. What about Timothy’s father? Was he an unbeliever? Was he dead?

Acts 16:1 gives a little insight about Timothy’s dad. He was a Greek. However, we still don’t know if he was alive or dead during Timothy’s childhood. Either way, Timothy was taught the Scriptures and had a rich heritage in the [Christian] faith.

Should our goal be to raise godly children (outcome based goal, over which we have less control) or to acquaint our children with the Scriptures… exposing our children to a rich faith and the word of God. (Focusing on the process.)

Are you encouraged by these verses? What have you been reading in God’s word this week?

First Day Back 2012

Last week was our first week back at school lessons. Rambo started in Yr 11 at the local school and this particular school starts a week after the public schools. So Falcon and I also started back at establishing a whole new routine. This is the first time I have ever homeschooled one child at a time. It’s all a bit new to me. It’s all new to Falcon too as he is the youngest child and has always had his older siblings around to keep him company and provide lots of distractions.

First Day of School 2012

Yr 11 – Rambo

Even though Rambo isn’t specifically homeschooling this year, we still take great interest in his education so I’d I’d like to share his subject choices.

Faith Studies (all students have to do this subject)
Maths
English
Physics
PE
Outdoor Ed
Business & Enterprise
Automotive Studies
IPP
Psychology

In his spare time he keeps fit, is learning to drive, is experimenting with DJing and mixing music, gaming, game mapping, photoshop and is a Corporal in Air Force cadets.

DS isn’t set with his future yet so is keeping his options open as to his interests. He’s going for good grades in Eng, Maths & Science if he wants to apply to ADFA but he’s also doing OE, PE & Psychology in case he decides to become a PT or work in the fitness industry. He’s continuing to work on his IT skills and do Business and IPP in case he wants to work in the IT industry.

Yr 9 – Falcon

Bible:

Bible readings
Bible Study Techniques
Christian Biographies
Hymns
Catechism

Personal Development:

Public Speaking unit
Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations

Current Events

Youngzine

Maths:

English:

Literary Lessons through Lord of the Rings
Jensen’s Vocabulary
Jensen’s Punctuation
Two Shakespeare plays
Various Research Projects on National Holidays

Science:

Basic Science Mysteries
Supplement with videos from the Kahn Academy

SOSE:

Literature selections, Poetry, Research papers on significant days, and Movies for Australian Studies

Photography:

Photography unit from CurrClick
Weekly photograph uploaded to blog
Process two photographs using LightRoom or Photoshop per week

Art Appreciation:

Weekly study

Music Appreciation:

Informal weekly study

Falcon may attend the same school as Rambo next year for Yr 10 so we are preparing for that. I am considering adding Skwirk to our program to supplement English and SOSE. Have I overlooked anything? Any thoughts?

Why You Should Not Read My Blog

Musing with Simply Susan

I can think of several reason why you would not want to frequent my site.

1) My grammar and sentence structure is atrocious.I vacillate between ‘we’ and ‘I’ and at other times I get my tenses all confuddled.

I (Susan) write the posts on this site. All of it. However, when it comes to matters of family and whatnot it is ‘we’, as in John and I or John, I and the family. This blog originally started as a compilation of forum posts and then it grew to include my own personal thoughts and some of our family life which means that sometimes I write in the first person (singular) and other times I write as plural (we). Be assured that this site is a joint venture between John and myself and nothing is published here without his knowledge, consent or against his will. Whew! I’m glad that’s out of the way…

2) I can never quite decide what to write about. Do I write on homeschooling, Bible study, cooking, photography, coffee, softball, theology, social media or website design? I just can’t make up my mind!

3) I don’t post regularly. Apparently, to be a successful blogger one should aim to post daily (Gasp!) or at the very least, regularly (Say what?). Well, I guess I’ll have to hand in my pro blogger card, hang my head in shame and have another latte.

Okay, three points qualify as several, don’t they? If you want to know more, subscribe to the blog and be notified of every riveting post I write.

Bartering Your Skills or Subject Lessons Over At AussieHomeschool

I’m posting about Lesson Swaps and Homeschool Bartering over at AussieHomeschool today. Come and join me?

I'll Do My Best and God Can Do The Rest

I do my best to be the wife, the mother, the friend that God wants me to be but I cannot escape the fact that God is The One who holds my future in His hands, despite what I do or don’t do.

When life is peachy, it’s easy to fall for the lie that I must have done something good to cause it to be this way. The flip side of that is that when life is somewhat less than peachy that my actions have been the cause. This is not always true. Sometimes we reap the consequences of our choices and actions. But sometimes bad stuff just happens!

I don’t like the bad or sad times. In fact, I hate them. I wish I didn’t have to bear them. But after they are over, I know that God works through me when I am empty, when I have nothing left. It’s when I am dry, He can fill me up! When I am broken, He picks up the pieces and mends me.

I know that the way to restoration and healing is not a 12 step plan (not dissing plans for health and wealth but it must be noted that they are different to our spiritual condition). Many people read the Scriptures and search for the formula, the prescription. But in doing so, they have missed the point! The Bible isn’t a book of rules, it’s a book about God. It’s HiStory! His Story of Glory!

We may scatter seed and water it, but God alone gives the growth!

In looking around my little world, I see many parents who have diligently taught their children the ways of the Lord from early childhood only to be dismayed when the child grows to adulthood and turns his back on all that he grew up with. Yet, I also have many friends who were raised in atheist homes, being brought up in families that mocked Christianity, yet as adults they have come to know the Lord. Oh the unnecessary guilt and pain that comes from such things when one has trusted in a formula for parenthood! We may wonder what they did wrong as parents or what they failed to do but that is totally missing the point!

Read the Scriptures. Entirely!

Did Jacob do anything to deserve or earn becoming the patriarch of Israel in Genesis 32? And look at the life of Joseph? He may very well of been a downright annoying, smug little brother! Did he deserve to be imprisoned? Then again, did he deserve to be favoured and thus used by God in Genesis 49? Did the Hebrews who crossed the Red Sea deserve deliverance? Were the second and third generation of Israelites any better in Joshua 1? It isn’t about their goodness but in their weaknesses, God displays His glory.

I’m not saying that the Scriptures do not speak of blessings for obedience and some loss for disobedience. They do. But that is not the totality of the Scriptures. God is much bigger, more mysterious than that. Often in life, there is no logical answer for why some things happen. They just happen. It isn’t necessarily the result of an action or non action on our part and to attribute it to such is to fail to give God the glory.

The point I see in Scriptures is not how we are to Do This + That To Get (=) Favour. My future, the future of my children does NOT depend upon me! It depends upon God. Oh, what a relief to all parents! What a relief to me! Now I’m free to live, to love, to serve and glorify God as His child, His slave, without the burden of creating the perfect environment to raise the near-perfect child.

What’s the Bottom line?

Do your best and leave God to the rest. Our hope is in Him. He is the great Healer, the restorer. He is our Saviour, Our Lord and our Master. He is more than capable.

Share His goodness with your children every day. Yes train them, guide them, discipline them. But always be pointing to His goodness, His strength, His power, and His sovereignty. This is the way to teach your children that they are saved by grace, not works.

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
~1 Corinthians 3:6-7

A Change of Seasons

I’ve sensed the change coming. I’ve prepared for it. And now the change is here. A typical season even has a different atmosphere during the beginning, middle and end of that season. And over the last few weeks we have been in the transition between the end of one season and the beginning of another. Whilst I don’t want to hurry these last few moments of this season I also don’t want to cling to it when the change from one season to another is a necessary part of life.

John and I have observed our son, continually prayed about his needs and decided that it is time. Time where his needs will be best met by going to school.

Long time readers may see how we’ve slowly prepared him for this new season. I’ve known this time was approaching. Our homeschooling approach has changed in preparation for it. We went from unschooling to using ACE paces to being enrolled in Open Access College. School seems like a natural progression for this young man. I know he’s ready because, for the first time ever, he is keen to go and is looking forward to it.

I have a great relationship with my sons. And I want that to continue. However, I was finding it more and more difficult to maintain our relationship whist being his primary educator. We both found it difficult to go from school marm who is dishing out consequences for assignments not turned in to the supportive, cheerleader, mum that I am naturally am. Our relationship was suffering because of it. That is the main reason he studied through OAC. I wanted him to learn valuable skills in the area of time and resource management. Skills that I simply was not able to teach him nor impart to him by myself.

The year at OAC was beneficial in a few ways. I saw how much he needed the structure, the one-one-one direct instruction, the consequences and the constant pushing. I can’t facilitate that at this time, nor have I for the last few years. So going to school is a natural progression – it’s what he needs in order for him to grow, develop and mature. He has had s solid foundation through his years of homeschooling and it’s time for him to have even greater exposure to the world in ways that will benefit him.

Maybe if our lifestyle and family circumstances were different, school wouldn’t be necessary to further his growth and development but it isn’t different. We are who we are. We don’t live on a homestead. We aren’t self employed. My husband doesn’t work flexi hours. We cannot employ our son in our own business. Some can and that’s great. It’s not our life. Rambo needs to learn further skills and develop tools that we simply cannot facilitate.

For Whose Sake?

It’s times like this that I have to remind myself of the real reason we homeschool. I ask myself, “For My Sake or For The Children’s Sake?”. Is this whole homeschool thing for them or for me? Having had one child attend school from Yr 8 onwards I know the painful process of dealing with homeschool mama pride. My life experiences have taught me that homeschooling is for our children, our family, for us. As long as I’m seeking the Lord and we are putting the needs of our children first, then there is no need for me to worry what others will think. and to do so is a form of pride. Time is too precious to waste on that. Been there, done that. Not going back!

Our goals haven’t changed over the years. They are still process oriented, not product oriented:

Build and maintain relationships
Develop the character of his heart
Develop needed learning skills and a love for them

Not all homeschoolers have the same goals so I’ll try to expand on how the above points are our goals and how we used academics and curricula as a tool:

1. Build and maintain relationships
By working with the child, we grow in intimacy. Using curricula as the tool, I will demonstrate love, grace and patience, thereby building trust. Academics are not the sole priority here but I want him to see that he is much more important to me than forging through a workbook.

2. Develop the character of his heart
Through this time I hope to help my child recognise any wrong attitudes and learn how to deal with them, leading him to submission to Christ.

3. Develop needed learning skills and a love for them
I don’t adhere to any standards of school or state. I don’t follow a syllabus that dictates to me when or how I need to proceed with new disciplines or subjects. Rather, the Holy Spirit reveals my child’s needs to me and I trust that He will shape the approach and requirements for each child. I desire that Jesus Christ become Lord over our education, approach, methodology and processes of learning. Academics and education are secondary to that.

The Freshness of Every New Season

And so he is enrolled, has new uniforms and stationary and is excited to start in year 11 at King Grammar Baptist School. Even though I’m not the one going to school I am giddy with excitement too. We had a tour of the school and I had to wipe the drool from John’s mouth when we were in the Design & Technology rooms! Ah, all that guy stuff – the power, the tools, the equipment! It is a new learning experience for all of us but it was our decision to do what we believe is best for our son at this stage in his life. I am excited that I will be able to support him, guide him, have fun with him and all those great parent type activities (including the discipline, at times. I mean he IS a teen boy. Can you imagine the state of his bedroom?) without being his school marm. Yay!

I also have a fresh vision for Falcon’s education for 2012. I am excited to be able to do lots of one-on-one work with him. I’ll share more of that in future posts. Just imagine, going from a full family of 5 children at home to now having one child at home. Whatever will I do with myself?

The View From The Shower Cubicle Floor

It all started when I found myself on the cold, wet tiles of the shower cubicle floor.

Thursday morning started like every other Thursday morning since we’ve been on holidays. A cup of hot tea, my comfy chair, laptop and my man sitting right next to me. After doing the morning rounds on the Internet I jumped up and went to have a shower. I felt a bit light headed but that isn’t new for me, so I ignored it. I rationalised that I’d have a quick rest after my shower. I spent the next hour rationalising.

I didn’t quite make it to the end of my shower. The lightheaded-ness got worse, the walls were moving and the shower room floor cam up to meet me. When I came to, I felt weak and both arms were numb and I had tingly pins and needles running through them – from the shoulders through to the fingers. I tried calling to John but he was too far away and couldn’t hear my weak cries. I yelled but it came out as a pitiful yelp. I tried knocking against the glass shower cubicle but again, I was too weak for it to have any effect. All I could do was with lie on the floor until I regained enough strength to hoist myself up and out of the shower, slowly scrambling for the bed.

John was on the telephone (and as we all do when on the cordless phone, he was) walking around. He came into the bedroom to find me crawling halfway between the bathroom en suite and the bedroom floor, reaching for the bed. He hung up the phone and put me on the bed. I was having difficulty breathing, my arms were tingling, I was lightheaded and had a tennis ball in my chest. He didn’t waste any time and called the ambulance.

After resting on the bed for a few minutes I started to become more aware of where I was and what had happened. I tried telling him I didn’t need an ambulance. Both he and the ambulance telephone operator strongly disagreed. The ambulance was on its way so I should just lay down and shush. There was one huge, glaring problem that they didn’t seem to understand.

I WAS NAKED!

No, I was not dead nor paralysed but I was butt naked. Despite their reassurances and also despite the fact that I was a nurse (before children) this was of great concern to me. So I made myself slowly get dressed. Poor John was on the line with the phone operator telling him to MAKE SURE ‘she stays on the bed‘. He motioned and whispered to me to GET ON THE BED and I hissed with slurred speech through bared teeth the obvious statement… “I. AM. NAKED.”

Fast forward a minute or two and I realised that my teeth were not cleaned! I started to get up to find my toothbrush while John, the-ever-so-gentle tried pushing me down. I hissed at him again, “I need my toothbrush” and he rolled his eyes at me! Can you believe that? My husband rolled his eyes at me. Eventually he realised I was not going to stay still so he got my toothbrush for me.

Problem was …

My toothbrush was naked too! It needed toothpaste. It was about this stage that I realised that my darling, ever-so-patient-husband was actually running short on that quality – patience. There were were, he on the phone trying to talk to the operator whilst growling at me and running for toothpaste while I hissed at him with slurry speech. What a guy! Oh, not to mention the boys were running around not knowing what was happening and of course, as it typical in our house, the mobile phone was ringing right in the middle of the drama.

The paramedics arrived and the ambulance trip was rather uneventful. Everything was in full swing once we reached the Emergency Room and I was hooked up to machines, was poked and prodded with all sizes of needles and all the other excitement that is the ER. I was eventually admitted to the cardiac unit overnight for observation. Apparently I was supposed to rest.

Rest… in Hospital?

Hello? It is common knowledge that no one sleeps well in hospital. In between the hourly obs, the pinging and beeping of all the machines, the lights, the nurses station, the man opposite me who snored so loud I thought I was in a subway tunnel and the elderly lady opposite both of us who spent the night complaining loudly of the man’s snoring, how was anyone supposed to sleep? On top of that, I sleep on my tummy, at least that’s how I go to sleep. I can’t get to sleep in any other position. Yet with needles in me and monitoring cords attached to my chest I could only lay on my back.

I was released the next day with strict orders to go home and rest. Ha-ha, these people obviously have no idea what our family is like. Really. Rest? I’ll admit, it would have been nice but totally unrealistic.

Take Away Value

One very good thing came from this misadventure though. I was feeling at a loss as to Falcon’s academic lessons for this year. I felt like I just didn’t have it in me to go another year. Don’t get me wrong, he is a wonderful student, a fantabulous son and a pleasure to have around. I wondered if being at home with me was the best thing for him. But somehow during the whole drama I developed a new direction, renewed strength and vision for this year. After next year? Who knows? We’ll see when that time comes. But for this year I have the vision … now I just have to put pen to paper and organise some resources. I didn’t have a bolt of lightning from the heavens or anything totally miraculous like that. I just had a peace that this year is to be a season of focusing on Falcon.

I wish I had some profound wisdom to share with you all… a beautiful Scripture or quote. But alas! I do not. I am incredibly thankful to be alive … that I live to take another breath. I am more in love with husband today than I was yesterday. I love all my children and my dad to bits.

I’m here to blog for another day.

Courtesy of Kathryn Estry-Words of Faith

My Love Hate Affair

With Facebook…Why I Left It

I didn’t like the timeline.

I joined Facebook many years ago, when it was first opened to the general public. It was a lot different then. Actually I joined it, couldn’t figure it out so didn’t go back there for another six months. When I went back the second time, my account was still active and this time, I *got it*. I wa active on FB for years, posting this, that and the other. As you do. As much as I like social media I would always keep my eyes open for security and privacy issues.

Why Did They Have To Change?

Being a website developer means I completely understand why websites need to change regularly. I’ve posted on it before. It is usually for the benefit of the end user. But back in late September 2011, when FB announced their new changes I didn’t like what I was hearing. I believe they have an agenda. An agenda that I don’t like the sound of.

I understand the need for change. Yet, the changes that Facebook and Google (Yes, let’s not leave them out of it) make seem to push the settings toward disclosure, not privacy. No wonder we feel like we’re the frog in the pot.

Watching parts of the F8 conference (Yes, I must have too much time on my hands) shocked me. FB are targeting the younger generation, from 13yo upwards. Apparently, my age group is one of the largest demographics already on fb… they want to reach the younger crowd. Enter, the timeline. FB encourages us to build our personal profile, giving us the tools to do so. From birth to the present. That’s a lot of personal data on every user.

Previously when a parent wanted to stalk er, look up their child’s friends or boyfriend we had to scroll down the page, clicking ‘older posts’ to find possible incriminating info. Now, the new Timeline makes user data ridiculously easy to uncover. As a parent, I don’t mind this. But think of the possibilities for hackers, scammers or identity thieves!

They Gave Me Seven Days

I opted to test the timeline feature early so that I could learn about it. The more I played er, tested it, the more I didn’t like it. Oh it’s groovy and cool and neat but it’s a stalker’s playground. When trialling the timeline, FB gave me 7 days before my new timeline would go live. 7 Days to make sure all my previous status updates were set to who I wanted them to be with the new settings. Much easier said than done when one has been active for a few years.

I downloaded all my fb info (profile, status updates, etc) into a zip folder. I unzipped it and had a look. Wow, I didn’t realise exactly how much information I had shared, and I’m usually on top of things like that. There was no way I could go over several years of updates and hide things from the public view in 7 days. It would have taken a month of Sundays and occasionally I like to sleep and shower and eat.

So, I deleted my whole account. No, it was not a hasty decision but one I thought very carefully about. Of course, fb account deletion is not easy (why would it be?) and it takes 2 weeks before it is truly deleted, (if one believes that it is ever truly deleted).

Why I Went Back

I took a few weeks totally away from Facebook and survived (Gasp!). Then I went back to it and rejoined with a different email address and account. I have the timeline again, but with a fresh start. Now I know and expect that Facebook will indeed change their privacy settings. Previously I was ignorant. Now I know that they will… and I’m prepared for it.

Aside from having my website accounts there (AussieHomeschool, Kerugma and The DIY Bible Study) all of my children are on there. Now whilst I don’t need FB in order to keep in touch, (that’s what real life is for) I do like to keep abreast of security and privacy issues and scams so that I can inform them and guide them in using social media responsibly.

Where’s the Loyalty?

Hehee, as an aside, how safe can it be? Even Mark Zuckerberg’s private photo album was hacked and shared. If his private information isn’t safe on his own network, what makes me think that my information is? Facebook has been involved with some dubious practices before. Don’t take my word for it, do your own research.

What You Can Take From It

The Privacy/Tools page is where you can see how your profile looks to the public and see an example of what people see when they look for you using public search engines. Download a copy of everything you’ve put into Facebook, all in one, easy-to-browse file. Go here: facebook.com/about/privacy/tools and download your whole profile. Save it to your desktop. Unzip it. Open the files and browse them. Give it a go. What have you got to lose?

Who I Follow

I’m a daughter, wife, mother, Christian, a homeschooler and more. I’m all this and much, much more. But I’m also none of those things. I do not like labels. I don’t like to ‘follow’ or adhere to any particular preaching or teaching. However, for those who really need labels to help define a site or person it might be said that I lean toward a Puritan, Reformed and Calvinistic mindset. You can see my thoughts here on even calling myself a Christian! Why do we need labels? Why do we feel the need to rally together under any other banner other than Christ?

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.
1 Cor 3: 1-9

Five Tips For Your Privacy with the Facebook Ticker

Are you confused or wary of the Facebook ticker? If you answered yes then you are not alone! Below I will give you five tips to ensure your privacy on Facebook, ticker included. I had the ticker on my previous facebook account. (The account that I deleted several months ago) I didn’t like it. I felt that it gave me insights into people’s lives that I didn’t want nor need to know. It’s gossipy. I felt like I was eavesdropping on all my friends. This isn’t part of my online code of ethics. Quite simply, the ticker did not help me in my quest to guard my heart.

The ticker shows you the things you can already see on Facebook, but in ‘real time’. If you don’t know what the ticker is, it means you don’t have it yet. Facebook releases all their changes via staggered roll-outs, which explains why everyone doesn’t always get the new features at the same time.

Many people are shocked when they are able to see all these conversations and wonder about the privacy of Facebook. When the ticker was first rolled out, there was an issue and it was quickly pulled. Before you could blink it was reinstated so I assume the errors were fixed.

The ticker does repect the user privacy settings. It’s the user privacy settings which need to be amended. Let me describe a hypothetical situation.

I post a status update with ‘public’ as the privacy setting.
Mrs. Latte is one of my FB friends and she comments on my post.
Everyone who comments on the thread can see what is being written. This is normal and has not changed.
Facebook also tells my friends and Mrs. Latte’s friends what was said by inserting it into the ticker.

Why can all our friends see it?

Because I, as the original poster, set the privacy options for that post to ‘public’. The same feature is/was on the old profile BUT you had to visit their profile and scroll down to view it. You could follow a person’s activity from their profile page. Now instead of stalking someone on their own page, their activity comes to you via the ticker, in real time.

You can control the privacy of everything you post to Facebook through the privacy settings next to your post. Remember that when you comment or like something, the comment or like will have the same privacy settings as the original post. You can set your default setting so that it is ‘Friends’ only and not ‘public’.

What Does Public Mean on Facebook?

Public means really public. Really public means that anyone can see it. People on facebook who are not your friends or in your networks. It means public.

Tips n Tricks

Set your privacy to ‘friends’. Double check that your status updates are set with the privacy controls to ‘friends’.
If and when you use the “Public” setting, explain that you are doing so. Then friends can make their own informed decision to comment- knowing that all their friends will learn of their comments.
Change all previous posts you have made via the privacy settings. Go to your profile –> Privacy Settings.
Create lists to post to certain people or certain groups of people. When composing an update use the privacy controls in the top right of the post to manage the individual setting.
Tell your friends why you have restricted your settings to ‘friends’ or lists. Ask them to do the same.

For More Info

Visit the Facebook Ticker Help Topics

“Facebook in particular is the most appalling spying machine that has ever been invented… [snip] Here we have the world’s most comprehensive database about people, their relationships, their names, their addresses, their locations and the communications with each other, their relatives, all sitting within the United States, all accessible to U.S. intelligence.”
Julian Assange

Fully Present In Every Moment

I’m not one who usually writes those word-for-the-year posts. I don’t even make New Year resolutions. I don’t usually discern my theme/motto/phrase/word until partway through the year. But this year is different.Who knows? Maybe I’ll have a new theme in the middle of the year as well.

Maybe it is because I haven’t done any goal planning this year. Maybe it’s because I feel the change in life seasons occurring. But I have chosen a theme. This is something that I struggle with yet it is also really important to me.

I want to be fully present in every moment.

A few years ago I learned a little about the Amish way of life. The Amish move throughout their day in an unhurried fashion. They don’t rush through the housework so that they can get on to the ‘more important tasks’. To them, everything is important. They give their undivided attention to whatever it is that they are doing at that time.

Enjoy today, it won’t come back.
~Amish proverb

I want to honour the ordinary, to be fully present in the moment… to savour the little pockets of time that so often go by unnoticed. I want to fully engage with whatever it is that my hands are doing at the time. I want to connect all parts of me – head, hands and heart.

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
~Colossians 3:23

I don’t see myself slowing down this year. In fact, I may very well be busier than I have in many years. So when I am talking to my children I want to be fully present with them. Not with one ear for them and yet my mind be wondering about that nights tea. When I am blogging or designing I want to be fully present in doing just that. When I am doing dishes I want to do the dishes. With purpose.

No more distinctions between the sacred and the ordinary for the ordinary is sacred unto the Father. I’m going to enjoy the process – whatever process. I’m going to slow down mentally and give each task my utmost attention. I’m going to do one thing at a time. I’m going to cherish the moments. Seconds become minutes. Minutes become hours. Hours become days. Days to weeks and weeks to months. Before I realise it another year’s closing is fast approaching. Another year in which my children are older. Another year closer to them becoming adults, leaving home, sharing their lives with their special someone.

Many times throughout my life I have felt like the days just dragged on. Yet amidst the days the years simply flew by. One year my eldest daughter was in nappies and cuddling her special teddy and then next year she walked down the aisle to spend the rest of her life with her special man.

What is your theme, phrase or word for 2012? Or maybe you are like me and don’t usually do the coming year. If so, what was your word/phrase for 2011?

Cherish
Every
Moment

Insect

Many, many years ago… in the age of dial-up connection. Remember that?

Mr Greystash

Many, many years ago… in the age of dial-up connection. Remember that?

The Jetty

Many, many years ago… in the age of dial-up connection. Remember that?

My Kindle Touch

I’d like to tease you and hint at the gift I received but I’m just way too excited.

I got a Kindle Touch!

I’m a little bit spoilt. I already have 35 ebooks loaded… and adding new ones each day. I can’t believe how many great ebooks that Amazon gives away for free! I haven’t even begin to fully explore my Kindle but that’s all part of it, isn’t it?

I had been reading free ebooks on the Kindle app for my Android phone but it was really small and I didn’t like reading it. I could also download the Kindle app for my computer but that means sitting at the computer even more than what I already do. The Kindle was the obvious choice.

As we near the end of our homeschooling journey, John and I are looking toward our future as husband and wife. We are looking to downsize, simplify and streamline so the Kindle is all part of that.

I will share a few very good ebook freebies on the facebook page, so if you want to receive them, just check the facebook or better yet ‘like’ the page and you’ll see the posts in your news feed.

Kerugma on facebook

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