My Brother

I was thinking a lot about my brother today. While millions of people are out celebrating halloween, my family has a different reason to celebrate. 21 years ago today, my brother Russ was adopted into our family.
His is an interesting story. It would take forever for me to write it down, but I can try and make a long story short.
22 years ago, a young woman tried 4 times to have her baby aborted. 4 times something or someone stood in her way. God intervened each time she attempted to end her child's life. This child was my brother.
Russ came to live with us along with his biological mother and sisters. His birth mother realized that she couldn't handle a third child, and asked if my parents would consider adopting Russ. After much prayer and talking with my 2 other sibling and myself, they said that they would love to keep him.
Over the years, Russ developed a love and a wonderful talent for music, particularly singing. We always knew when he was nearby, because we could hear him singing at the top of his lungs. (That hasn't changed over the years!) His favorite songs to sing used to be those written by Keith Green. Now he writes his own songs.
Russ always knew he was adopted. He knew that he was supposed to have been aborted and that God spared his life. He was always willing to share his testimony with anyone that wanted to listen. He knew that God had a special calling on his life. He eventually even learned who gave him birth. This information didn't change his feeling about our parents. They were his parents - no one else. It didn't matter who gave birth to him, what mattered was the love that my family gave to him. WE were his family.
Russ' story is such a perfect picture of how we are adopted into God's family. It doesn't matter who was a part of our past, once we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, He is our family. He is our Father and we are His children.
I thank God that my parents said yes to that young woman who wanted them to raise her baby. Russ is a special part of our family and I have no doubt that God is going to use him greatly to further His kingdom.

Faith for What I Can't See

My husband and I have been married for 12 years and have been raising children for 11 of those years. Within those 11 years, we have had 8 children, making them all under the age of 11.
Some would think that having so many children would make a house full of chaos. Others would say that we are just one big, happy family and that we all get along all the time! Well, neither opinion would be accurate.
Our house is usually fairly peaceful. On the other hand, our family is not without its problems!We have our share of disagreements, arguments and struggles just like any other family. Dave and I are committed to raising and training our kids for the glory of God, and therefore must constantly be addressing certain problems that our kids may have.
For instance, when one of children is approaching the "terrible twos", we need to address the problem of throwing tantrums and learning to obey the first time. Or when one our kids begins to show problems in the area of selfishness, we need to deal with that. Often it takes weeks or months to overcome certain "problem areas".
Since the kids are all so close in age (11, 10, almost 8, 6, 5, 3, almost 2, and 3 months), it seems like just as we finish going through some "phase" with one child, another one is just coming into the same "phase". (I use that word lightly - a phase is really just a certain sin surfacing within one of my children) Rarely do I have two children going through the same "phase" at the same time, but all of them seem have some sort of problem that we need to deal with! However, lately it seems like my kids are all having the same problem! The more we deal with it, the worse it seems to get. Some days it seems like we'll never get through this!
Today I read the verse in Hebrew 11 that says "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." I have read this verse many times, but today it took new meaning for me. This is not only referring to having faith in God whom we cannot see, but also to those things that you trust God to help you with...like raising your kids! I can have faith that God will get my kids through this latest "phase". He has commanded parents to raise and train their children in the way they should go, so I can have faith that He will help us to get through whatever hardship we may be facing in this area. I may not be able to see the end result right away, but I can be certain of what I can't see because I have faith that it will happen!

The Insane Mother

I am convinced that all mothers must be insane! No one could possibly do all the things that we mothers do and still be sane! First of all, we don't ever get enough sleep. Especially when you have little ones. The sleep that we do get is often interrupted by kids having to use the bathroom, kids having bad dreams, kids wetting the bed, or kids getting sick!
And then there is Mom's Cafe. Are we running a restaurant or what? Not only are we expected to make 3 meals a day, we have to clean up from those meals. I won't even bother mentioning the many requests for snacks!
And then there is the laundry. Load after load after load. I have news for you: IT NEVER EVER ENDS! As soon as you think you've gotten to the bottom of the hamper there is another pile of dirty duds to replace the one you just washed.
A far as keeping the house clean, well, you may as well hire a maid! Oh yeah - we are the maid! If you have any kids under the age of 5 or so, you will notice that they follow you around the house as you clean. As soon as you pick up one mess and move on to the next, their right behind you making the mess you just cleaned up even messier than it was in the first place!
Okay, so far I've made us out to be sleepless maids who do laundry, cook and clean as well as being full time babysitters. Have I mentioned getting the family ready to go somewhere? Not only do you have to get yourself ready, you have to get all your kids and your husband ready as well as getting out the door and to wherever you are going to on time!
Do you feel like a failure yet? So often I feel so inadequate! I've heard it said that the wife sets the tone of the home. Do I really want the tone of my home to be that of insanity? I don't think so! How can I possibly set the tone of my home to be that of peace and soundness of mind? I CAN"T. It is impossible for me to do this. Only with God's help can I have peace in my home and in my family. If I start off my day spending time with God, I find that my day runs smoothly. I may still have some problems - that comes with raising kids. If they never had problems, then God wouldn't have given us the job of training them!
In Proverbs 31, it says that the godly woman gets enough spiritual food for herself and her house. If I don't start my day getting spiritual nourishment, then I won't have anything to give to my family. If I don't ask God for help before I start my day, then won't have the energy to run my house efficiently. God is my strength! If I rely on Him, then He will help me to accomplish great things - even something as great as being a mother.

Beautiful Pearls

The other day my parents went to Pennsylvania to do some shopping and to get away and spend some time together. While they were out they went to this neat little family restaurant in Quarryville called C.R. Lapp's.
My dad loves oysters. At Thanksgiving one of his favorite things to eat is oyster stuffing. At this restaurant he discovered some of the best oyster chowder. (You'll have to take his word for it - I can't stand oysters!) While enjoying his chowder he found a pearl. Not a very big one, but it was a genuine pearl that came from one of the misfortunate oysters that ended up in his chowder.
My mom was telling my daughter Christiana about this incident, and I began to see a wonderful example to pass on to my children. The neat thing about pearls is how they come to be beautiful. An oyster gets a tiny foreign object like a grain of sand inside of it's shell. This sand is a constant irritation to the oyster but instead of getting rid of the it, the oyster begins to coat it with the substance that makes this grain of sand into a pearl. The oyster learns to except this sand for what it is and makes it into a valuable asset to itself. A beautiful pearl!
My kids have a little trouble getting along with each other. They are constantly irritating each other and looking for ways to annoy one another. They need to learn to see each other as an oyster sees a grain of sand. They need to learn to accept each other for who they are. The very thing that annoys them now, may one day turn into a beautiful quality in that person. For example: stubbornness may one day turn into perseverance. A bossy sibling may turn into a good leader.
This is a good lesson for us moms. We shouldn't always be correcting our kids for the things they do wrong. We need to look for the good qualities that we see in them and encourage them in these areas. One day they might just be a beautiful pearl!

Unknown children

Just recently I was reminded of some children that I should be praying for. No one asked me to pray for these children. I was prompted by the prayer of someone else who was praying for my daughter Alyssa.
I don't know where these children are. I don't know who these children are. I don't know how old they are. I don't know their parents. I don't know even know their names!
The only thing I do know about these children is that I need to be faithful in praying for them because one day they will be married to my own children!

Individual Kids

I discovered something today about my son Nathan who is almost 5. He appears to be left-handed. You would think that as his mother I would already know this, but I didn't.
Last year my mom was helping me out by teaching Nathan some preschool basics. At the beginning of the year she asked me what hand he wrote with and I told her I thought it was probably his right hand, since that was the one he seemed to do everything with. After making sure he knew all of his letters, mom began to teach him to write the letters. This is when the complications started. Nathan couldn't seem to hold his pencil correctly. He would grasp it in his fist instead of his fingers. Mom even purchased special finger grip guides that would help him to know where to place his fingers. It only helped a little. Finally, she made some headway by letting him write on the big wipe board.
This year I am teaching Nathan kindergarten. He is doing very well. However, he still struggles with his writing. Today we had to cut some pictures out and choose which ones started with the letter "c" and glue them in his book. Nathan's right hand (the one he was cutting with) began to get tired so he switched to his left hand. He was cutting straighter than he did with his right hand! I then decided to do a quick experiment with him. I had him write his name with his left hand. It came out just as well as when he would write it with his right hand. I tried the same thing with his numbers. Again, he did very well!
This whole time I had believed that Nathan was right handed. Was it because I had just assumed that because both Dave and I as well as all of his siblings so far were right handed? Was it because I wanted him to be right handed because it was easier to teach something that I already knew how to do?
Then this thought struck me. Am I molding my kids in a certain way because it's easier to do everything the same way with each child? Am I missing out on important abilities or needs that each child has as an individual? How can I better serve my children and meet their individual needs? It is only by grace that I will be able to do this. Thank God that His grace is sufficient for me and that His power is made perfect in my weakness!
I know this won't be the last mistake like this that I make, but I pray that I will be diligent to seek out the needs of each of my child individually. Each one is such a precious gift from God!

A Mother's Tears

When the knowledge of my little one's presence first awakened in me a mother's heart,
The tears that fell were just the first of many that would fall from a mother's eyes.
Though most of the tears that fell were tears of joy and gladness,
Some were tears of wonder that God would choose me for such a noble calling!

When the time had come for my little one to enter this world,
The tears that fell were not the last that would fall from this mother's eyes.
These were the tears of pain and of anguish that only a mother can bear.
For these pains were to bring new life into this world and into my awaiting arms!

When I first saw your little hands, your little feet, and your face so fair,
The tears I cried were tears of joy that I at last could hold you close in my arms!
My tears were tears of thankfulness that God had brought you to me.
These were also the tears of a mother asking humbly for God's help to raise this little child.

When you would awaken me with cries of hunger in the wee hours of the morning,
Sometimes tears of frustration would fall from these mother's eyes.
I could not see how I would ever feel rested again. Would you never learn to sleep all night?
Then I would remember how patient God is with me and would cry out for His mercy.

While you are learning the many lessons that life has to offer,
The tears that fall from these mother's eyes will number many!
I will cry out continually to my God to save your little soul!
Surely He will not fail to see the tears that fall from this mother's eyes!

Outcastes

I home school my children, and we have been studying the country of India in Old World History. We learned about the Aryans and the Dravidians, the people who occupied ancient India. The Aryans looked down on the Dravidian people, and did not care to associate with them. They felt that they were better than them.
This is when they developed the "caste system". This was a system meant to keep people apart from each other. There were four main castes. The highest cast was for the Brahmin, or priests. The second caste was for princes and warriors. The third caste was for merchants and landowners. The last and lowest caste was for farmers, laborers, and servants.
The way this system worked, was that once you were born into a caste, you could never move up to another caste. For instance, if you were the son of a farmer, you could never become a merchant or landowner, you had to be a farmer for your whole life, and your sons and grandsons had to be farmers as well. (This is one of the reasons that Hinduism was so widely accepted. Hindus believe in reincarnation. If you lived your life well, in your next life you could be born into a higher caste.)
If you dishonored your caste in some way you were excluded from your caste forever...An outcaste. No one could associate with the outcastes or "untouchables". They were looked down upon, even by the lowest caste members. These outcastes were the most eager of the Indian people to receive the Gospel. It brought hope to the hopeless!
In reading about these outcastes, I was reminded of how we are much like these ancient Indian people. We often see ourselves as better than those who have not received Christ. We see ourselves as children of the King, and anyone who hasn't received the gift of salvation is just an outcaste. They are not worth associating with.
This is not being Christ minded. As children of God, we need to remember, that "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us", and that He "did not come to call the righteous, but sinners". We need to pray for those who have not found Christ. For it is His desire that none should perish, but that everyone would come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
Here is a sobering thought for the mother. Until our children come to know Christ as their personal Savior, they are the same as the "outcastes" we so often look down upon. The difference is, that we spend most of our daily lives pouring ourselves into "training them in the way they should go". We are called by God to do this. Yes, but we are also called by God to "go into all the world and preach the Gospel"!
God, give us a love for those who are lost!

A Noble Crown

"A wife of noble character is her husband's crown..." Proverbs 12:4
I looked up the word noble, and it means a : possessing very high or excellent qualities or properties b : very good or excellent. God wants me to be excellent in all that I do. Everything I do as a wife should be excellent. Everything that I do as a mom should be excellent. Everything that I do as a person should be excellent. This does not mean that I can be adequate, acceptable, or just satisfactory, I need to go above and beyond the expectations of the world and even of my husband. Just because we have been married for 12 years doesn't mean that he should just except me as I am with all my faults. My desire should be to love, honor and obey him, just like I vowed to do on our wedding day..."til death do us part".
God has brought the two of us together. We were made for each other! What an exciting thought! I was made just for Dave, and he was made for me. I am glad to say that not only is he my husband, but he is also my friend.
I may love being a mother, but I need to remember that first I was a wife, and before I know it, my kids will be married and once again it will be just Dave and I. I must constantly be working on making my marriage the best that it can be.
God wants me to be a crown for my husband. All the crowns that I have seen have made the wearer of the crown look regal and important. I want this for my husband! I want him to prosper in all that he does. What better way than to be a crown for him?

The Master's Hands

THE WORKROOM
Before long He asked, "Do you have a workroom in your house?"
Out in the garage of the home of my heart I had a workbench and some equipment, but I was not doing much with it. Once in a while I would play around at making a few little gadgets, but I wasn't producing anything substantial.
I took Him out there.
He looked over the workbench and the few talents and skill that I had. He said, "This is fairly well furnished. What are you producing with your life for the kingdom of God?" He looked at one or two of the little toys that I had thrown together on the bench and He held one up to me. ? "Is this the sort of thing you are doing for others in your Christian life?"
I felt terrible! "Lord, that's the best I can do. I know it isn't much. I'm ashamed to say that with my awkwardness and limited ability, I don't think I'll ever do much more."
"Would you like to do better?" He asked.
"You know I would!" I replied.
"Well, first remember what I taught you: 'Apart from Me you can do nothing' (Jn 15:5).
"Come, relax in me and let my Spirit work through you. I know you are unskilled, clumsy and awkward, but the Spirit is the Master-worker. If He controls your heart and your hands, He will work through you. Now turn around." Then putting His great strong arms under mine He picked up the tools and began to work through me. "Relax. You are still too tense. Let go - let Me do the work!"
It amazes me what His skilled hands can do through mine if I only trust Him and let Him have His way. I am far from satisfied with the product that is being turned out. I still get in His way at times. There's much more that I need to learn. But I do know that whatever has been produced for God has been through Him and the power of His Spirit in me.
Don't be discouraged because you cannot do much for God. It's not our ability but our availability that's important. Give what you are to Christ. Be sensitive and responsive to what He wants to do. Trust Him. He will surprise you with what He can do through you!
Excerpt from "My Heart - Christ's Home
Robert Boyd Munger

Overwhelmed with God's Goodness

On Tuesday at about 1 o'clock, I found out that our family was going on a little trip to Virginia...The next morning! We would be gone until late Friday night, so I needed to pack bags for everyone. This is no small feat for our family of 10, I can assure you. Before I could even begin packing, I needed to do the laundry. Again, not really a small task for such a large family! I knew what needed to be done, so I began frantically gathering all the clothes in the house. I started the first load, and after that... I got almost nothing done for about 2 hours.
Earlier that morning I had taken our youngest for a check-up and she had gotten her first round of immunizations. She was not happy. For the rest of the day all she wanted was be held, and even then she was very fussy. Every time she would fall asleep, I would think, Yes! I can finally put her down and get some work done! As soon as I would shift her in my arms, she would wake up and start crying again. How frustrating!
Well, she did finally fall into a deep sleep, and I began folding the clothes that were clean, and sorting out everyone's clothes to be packed, and then realized that I needed to start dinner.
Just as I think that I am getting on top of the situation, my husband calls. He reminds me that he has a county council meeting that night, and "Oh, by the way, did you take the dog over to your parent's house so they can keep her while we are gone?"
I think that you could have wiped me up off of the floor at that point. I was so frustrated and overwhelmed! Here it was, 7:00 and the kids were hungry, the baby was fussy, the clothes were not packed, the dog had to be delivered to my parents, and we were supposed to leave early the next morning!
I called my mom to make sure they were prepared for the dog, and I expressed my frustrations over the phone. She said that she would pray for me. That's when I should have stopped what I was doing and turned the whole thing over to God. Well, I didn't. Not until I managed to get my family fed, kiss my husband goodbye, and then throw all the kids and the dog into the van to deliver the dog to my parents.
Why did it take me so long to realize, that nothing would be accomplished in my own strength? Nothing ever can get done like that! Why did I wallow in my self pity instead of basking in the strength of Jesus Christ which is made perfect in my weakness? Why should I ever be overwhelmed with anything other than the goodness of my Savior?
Once I turned the situation over to God, thing went incredibly smooth. I got home from my parent's, got the kids in bed, finished the laundry, packed the bags, set everything that needed to be loaded into the van by the front door, and was sitting on the couch feeding the baby and eating a bowl of ice cream by the time Dave got home!
God is so good! Time and time again I lose sight of the wonderful truth that He wants me to depend on Him to be my strength. He wants me to realize that I am weak, but that I can do all things through Him who strengthens me!
Well, our family had a wonderful time in Virginia. We visited Langley AFB where Dave had a service call, went to VA Beach, visited a lighthouse in Fort Story, and even got to go to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg!
Thank you Lord, for your faithfulness!

Always watching

I can't count the amount of times I have reprimanded one of my children for doing something that they thought I hadn't seen! The car is a great place for this. I will hear a bit of ruckus in the back seat and know from past experience exactly what is going on and who is causing the trouble! After the reprimand, the look of surprise that I get is quite amusing. I often respond to that look with "You didn't know that I was watching, did you?".
Equally as many times, someone will come to me with a complaint of "he hit me!", or maybe, "she took my toy!". My response to this? "What did you do to them?" Usually they were the source of the problem and the tattletale will be the one to get in trouble!
I Peter 3:8-12 says, "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another, be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."
I need to remember throughout the course of my day that my every action is being watched, my every thought is being read, my every word is being listened to by the Unseen Guest in my house...the Lord Jesus. Are my actions a reflection of God's presence in my life? Are my thoughts pleasing to Him? Are my words seasoned with the richness of His Word?
I can also remember that God is listening to my prayers throughout the day. I can rest in the assurance that if I am covered in prayer, the Holy Spirit will help me to guard my actions, thoughts and words.

Diet of the Inner Self

Why do we as women, think so constantly about our weight, as well as the rest of our outward appearance? Honestly, I think it's not so much to please our husbands ~ we've already caught them ~ it's because of what other women think of us. Do they see me as fat? Are my clothes stylish enough? Should I get my hair cut differently? There is no end to the list of questions when we are so conscious of our looks. This is not where our concern should be.
In 1 Peter 3, it talk about the inner adornment of a woman. "...The unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." This gentle and quiet spirit is what our inner self should be clothed with.
So how do we trim all the excess "waste" from our inner self? First, we must have the proper nourishment. The Word of God is the Spiritual food that our bodies must have. We should not fill upon the junk that the world offers through television, movies, music, and other forms of entertainment. This will just add to the "fat" that is already there! We must also engage in Spiritual activities such as prayer, serving others, going to church, worship through song, etc.
Just like any other diet, this will take much discipline. Sometimes we may even go through withdrawal when we go without the things that we normally indulge in. With God's help, it can be done!
You can't be successful in your Spiritual weight loss without the stylish clothes that go along with trimming down! Colossians 3 says to "clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." The perfect ensemble for any occasion!
Don't leave the physical diet behind just because you know that it's what's on the inside that counts. We should be mindful of our outward appearance. Just remember where our priorities lie!