To my Juliana Mae written October 2010

my little one inside of me
Sending messages in the darkness
Morse code...like gentle taps
about your life inside
It's dark but warm
and your ears only hear
the echos of life outside
Wake up, little one.
I want to know you're in there,
Happy and safe.
may you be blessed in every way
live a full life of joy and peace
touched by the Savior very early
I feel you as you flutter again like
a song of your own rhythm
creating lyrics of praise
played with your hands and feet.

Someday I will hear your song
your breathing, crying, cooing
I will teach you the song that
has kept my heart singing
and hold your hands the ones
that have already taken hold
of your mother's heart.
and guide your feet to step
in tune with Him who
knitted your being, like a
tapestry of royal design
unique and wonderful
one of a kind.

Pineapple Bones

Another vignette from yesterdays grocery shopping....


Conversations with a four year old....just today ( few of several thousand per day mind you).

CL ...mama, why do pineapples have bones like people...they are not amimals
Walking around the fruit stand at walmart
me...honey, itsa core in the center...it's not a real bone inside like people and chicken (she's watched me debone chicken)
CL...but it IS like a bone! It's like my back's bone up my middle and i saw u cut it out of the middle of the pineapple!
me....sigh. i guess it is baby. And it has scales on the outside like an alligator too.
CL....with a deep southern drawl and very happy smile, "Yeeeeah!"

FLUFFLIES!

Yesterday while grocery shopping the girls found an old Chick-fil-a nugget in the car and "split" it....BLECK!?! I made them spit it out despite the tears! Mind you we had already eaten lunch but I went ahead and stopped a Wendys for a burger and nuggets for them and a new flatbread wrap for me. After leaving Corrie Lynn began to whimper, "A FLUFFY, MAMA! WE FORGOT TO GET FLUFFY DRINKS!"

Okay....it took me a minute to realize what she meant b/c we have only ONCE gotten a frosty there! So I emptied the freezer of ice cream and frozen yogurt and coconut milk scraps and made them "fluffies" in the baby bullet.

I sent them outside with straws to enjoy....shut the door with only a crack to keep an ear out for them and suddenly I heard sounds like a tornado...SLURPINGS that could send shivers up your SPINE! OMW...life with three toddlers is never boring! LOL

Early Childhood homeschooling

I just wanted to share this exceptionally good article regarding homeschooling preschoolers and kindergarteners. In my training and experience so much is very true in our preschool and kindergarten homeschooling at our home!
www.1plus1plus1equals1.net/2013/04/developmentally-appropriate-practice-homeschooling/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FXQbU+%281%2B1%2B1%3D1%29 

However, I have been concerned at the number of parents who attempt preschool/kindergarten homeschooling and feel they can't do homeschooling because of the challenges of "taming" and "training" a child who has never been to "school." Yet in turning to traditional early childhood education, they are missing out on some of the very best bonding years and easiest academically to spend homeschooling their little ones short cutting lots of cuddling and beautiful spontaneous mother-child moments that are otherwise abruptly brought to a stop in separation. Don't give up too soon simply because the learning style of a very young child is excessively random! It will in time begin to form a pattern depending on your willingness to "go with the flow" and guide their learning activities. In fact, these early years are some of the most fun learning years you will ever teach at home and if you are even slightly ADD yourself, you will thoroughly enjoy the "roller coaster ride" as well! 

Don't worry about bringing the formal school into your home...in fact, the natural learning curiosity of your little ones will keep you on your toes to stay ahead of them! Simply establish a household rhythm of waking and eating and chores, reading aloud book time, coloring and recreation each day and once that pattern is fairly set, then start adding the extras.   Pinterest is an amazing resource to find high quality learning activities for this age level absolutely free!

I think the inconsistently of a preschoolers and kindergartener's learning style is the most varied of all school age children. When someone says they are not in the "mood" to do something; this is exceptionally true with a child at this stage of development. Extreme variety is the key in developing a good student as strange as it seems. Now there are some mamas who love the touchy feely get dirty styles of exploratory play and that is great especially for little boys. Some children have to have that, however I am a "neat freak" mama and so are my girls, so our idea of learning science is not playing in the mud! ;)  Praise the Lord for that! LOL

Some days a child is all into developmental free play which is very critical, yet other days my girls could sit and do workbooks all day; in fact completing an entire 20 page booklet!  Other days they are churning out the arts and crafts faster than I can gather the supplies! And yet, other days all they seem to crave is to play outdoors and to sing and dance and play their musical instruments.  Some days I selectively allow them to play on educational apps on my Kindle or ABCmouse.com or watch Leapfrog dvds on Netflix. The only thing we do consistently EVERY DAY is Bible and living books reading.  

Ponderings....

I read a blog by Heidi St John that got me to thinking. It was titled, "When the experts are wrong."  And often they ARE wrong.....deadly wrong.

And I began to think about when I was younger, especially in my twenties.  I was reared in a period of Christendom  where  formulas for faith were being touted and seminars and conferences were the essence of so much of what input we had spiritually because our churches were so helpless to help anyone.  Yet in the end, no matter how wonderful they were, many lives shipwrecked on these formulas. Yet those who held fast to God's Word, despite the failed spiritual formulas didn't sink when the formula fads passed away.

One thing I have learned is that FORMULA AND FAITH DO NOT MIX. Period.  It's not truth FAITH if it's a formula, whether it's Seven Life Principles, Character based curricula, Classical based education, Bible Memory programs, Homeschooling, Unschooling, Homesteading, Godly parenting "guarantees", or whatever....if your faith isn't based solely in God's Word, you are going to be disappointed in man-made formulas, no matter how spiritually based or Scripturally "sound" they seem. 

In the end, our lives will only yield fruit if Jesus and His Word is the center of it all...first and foremost. It's not about finding a church, or ministry, or going to the next revival or seminar.  It's about JESUS.

The Eagle

retro bloggings from....the 90's     

 

The Eagle

Isaiah tells us,  "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles." Isaiah 40:31  The Psalmist also uses this same bird to illustrate this waiting and renewal of strength.   "He who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles." (Psalm 103:5)

No other bird would have been a more perfect example for us in these verses.  The eagle was not chosen just because it is the king of birds, superior in size and strength; but because it preserves its youthful strength by the frequent change of an amazing renewal process.  This process of re-feathering is not like loosing hair in your hairbrush, but it’s a life threatening process of waiting.  When eagles are about midway through their lives they find a secret place high in the mountains and begin to claw at their face and tear out the feathers that have been damaged over the years. As a result, profuse bleeding, growing bacteria, weakness, loss of sensory abilities like smell and eyesight, all keep it from being able to function and feed itself.  This painful process is necessary for the eagle in order to renew its strength.  If it did not do this, it would not be able to live to its lifespan of 120 years.  In this living-death process it looses its natural instincts, identity and abilities to function and keep itself alive. In fact most eagles would die during this process if it were not for the matured eagles that have previously gone through this process and survived.  Those who have been through this “dark night of the soul” bring back nourishment from their own experiences, drop meat to the molting eagles enabling a few to put forth their last energies to reach out and get the strength needed to recover from this deathly process. How many have gone before us and become mentors and prayer warriors for us giving us the strength and speaking those Words necessary to regain our strength again and soar with the eagles?   Though we desire to bury those painful memories, we’re under obligation in 2 Corinthians 1:4 that God comforts us in our afflictions so that we are able to comfort those in any trouble with the comfort that we received from Him. 

Isaiah uses a beautiful word translated "wait."  The verb means "to twist or to stretch in order to become strong."   This has the meaning of binding together as in twisting or collecting, like the making of rope in which cords are pulled, stretched, and twisted together to make a rope strong with many strands.   For those who patiently wait upon the LORD He wraps His strength around our strand of life and gives us inner strength. We can live above the chances, the changes and circumstances of life. We exchange our weakness for His strength. We can only get that strength by waiting upon Him and wrapping ourselves around Him and drawing our strength from Him.

Countless Bible heroes spent years in this time of remaining actively quiet before the Lord, waiting for renewal that would eventually bring them the strength to do the will of the One who had called them. When we are not sure what course to follow, God will certainly show us if we wait patiently for the right timing – God’s own perfect timing. In our rushed and busy world, it is extremely difficult to wait on the Lord’s directions, because we want quick decisions and instant answers. But Scripture reminds us to “wait patiently for the Lord to act.”  Waiting is certainly NOT wasting time!  Waiting with God is a growing time! It is a refreshing time! It is a surprising and challenging time! It is a strengthening and direction-altering time. Waiting is not a popular concept in these days of instant everything! 

“Renew" means change or exchange.  The word is associated with the molting of eagle's wings as it exchanges its old feathers for new ones and is fitted for those spectacular flights into the higher altitudes. The strength that God gives is a new kind of strength. Those who wait on the Lord will exchange their own strength for a new quality of strength, the power of God. The exchanged life is like that. God wraps His strength around my strand of life to give me strength in His character. He gives us cable-like strength. We exchange our weakness for His strength. We get that strength by waiting on Him. Our renewal comes from God’s grace and strength. Jesus didn’t die only to save us from sins in the past, and give us eternal life so we will go to heaven, but also to give continued new life daily!  To gives us His strength for our weakness! He gives us His wisdom for our foolishness. His grace for our greed.  His love for our lusts.  His peace for our  conflicts, and His joy for our sorrows. He gives us forgiveness for our guilt. He gives His plenty for our poverty.

A time of renewal is necessary for every child of God. A time when we get rid of what is weighing us down, holding us back, aging us spiritually. A time to give up the sinful habits, to give in to the Holy Spirit in whatever way He is convicting us. We need to do this even to the point of renewal with pain! Some things we hold on to so tightly that to let go, actually causes us pain. But in order to have the long, powerful, useful spiritual life that God plans for us, we need to do that. It will renew our spiritual youthfulness. I wonder why it is so......why God has to strip away everything to renew our strength.  What a time of painful self-discovery this is!  When I think about it though,  I am filled with excitement of what's in store after the long renewal and I pray that I don’t lose the joy of expectancy while going through the pain. Loosing one's "feathers" may be awkward and unsightly but the "new growth" is so much better than the old. 

Amazingly the eagle has the most  incredible eyesight of any bird.  To come back from a state of utter  blindness the eagle can look at the sun with a straight and steady gaze and keep flying in a straight course.  After renewal it becomes more youthful and beautiful, while, at the same time, its strength, and eyesight are improved.   Can we say this of our walk with God after we’ve come through the dark seasons of waiting? As I move close to thirty-five years, there is some areas where I am experiencing some of that spiritual blur, and fear of the unknown can place me in a muddle of fear and apprehension that incapacitates me spiritually and leaves me in a fog unable to decipher what direction I am to take.  Then I think of how the Lord has loved, lead, and protected me and now He's promising to renew my youth again! 

Eagles do not fly like other birds because they don't flap their wings but soar. Flapping their wings would use incredible amounts of their own strength and endurance and they would require so much more food as fuel if they didn't soar.  Instead they sit on a high ledge and wait for the right wind currents to come. When the time is right, they take off and soar upward effortlessly, because they have waited for the right time. There is a special 'up going' wind, that they ride as it circles higher and higher toward the sky. Think of how birds handle storms by taking cover for protection. Sounds sensible, doesn't it? Eagles, on the other hand, fly straight into storms. This seemingly suicidal action is, in reality, the best thing they could do. The strong air currents raise them up and carry them over the bad weather - all they have to do is stretch out their wings and glide.  Often, our reaction to a stormy situation is to hide until it's all over. What would happen if, instead, we raised our heads . . . spread our wings . . . and flew straight into the storm, trusting God to carry us through - and over - the situation?   How often do we waste strength by jumping out too soon and 'flapping our wings', instead of waiting for God's timing?

Eagles were created for more than the average life.  They were made to be free and to soar to great heights. They were not meant to remain close to the earth in the lowlands but created to soar and are the cleanest of all birds. When eagles are held in captivity, they become dirty and unsanitary.  In the waiting, God makes us more aware of our own sinfulness and we become much more fully aware of false motives and bad attitudes, poor belief systems and habitual life-views which are not Godly or Biblical.  Living in the light of God is rather like allowing a light to shine in our darkest corners. This is necessary because sometimes God is the only one who knows these things. Active waiting and being with our Lord fills our spiritual reservoirs with all the best and Godly resources we need in life. Our motives will become purer and our attitudes better. Habits change and life becomes fresh and exciting again. We will be filled with joy and love, peace and purpose, power and Christ-likeness. We are renewed through all of this and change in all manner of ways, transformed, refreshed, and then given a new purpose and direction for our lives.   As I conclude these closing lines it happens that KLove radio is playing Phillips, Craig and Dean’s, “My praise.”  At the end of this process, we will also be able to sing,  “like an eagle soars as spreads it’s wings; whatever Lord you want from me, that’s what I want my praise to be.”  What glory our soaring will be when the painful waiting is over! 

~Cori Jones

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Lord, I scarcely understand my own reluctance to take hands off and let you manage my affairs.  Do I actually think that you the sovereign omnipotent God, cannot get along with out my help?  Lord forgive me for presumption like that. But sometimes I find it harder to WAIT ON YOU, being bidden not to do anything at all except trust you, than it would be to rush ahead trying to arrange things myself.  I need your help with this.  I ask for patience. Above all, I ask for the faith to believe that my future is important to you.  Thank you that my times are in your loving hands. Amen.  ~Excerpted from "The Helper" by Catherine Marshall

Smashed Rainbows

retro blogs from 1990's

Smashed Rainbows

~Cori Jones

The Lord has ministered to me some beautiful "jewels" from Psalm 34 recently. It's like I can't get away from it.....I've read it in every translation; meditated on it; journaled these thoughts; opened a devotional to find it based on that chapter; looked at a calendar and found another verse from Psalm 34 and then today the Lord gave me a "heart thought" on the passage that I wanted to share with you. This comes from my blog so it's a bit haphazard. I hope you can "connect the dots" because the picture is beautiful.

Christians must entrust five burdens to the Lord to receive blessings from Him. 

First, trust the Lord with your frustrations (Psalm 34:17). The word trouble means "to be in a bind" or "frustrated."

Second, trust the Lord with your feelings. In this Psalm David was repenting because of his sin, and his heart was broken. Job 17:11 reflects how I feel at times, "My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart." God understand broken-heartedness; He is always near those who have a broken heart. Verse 18 says, The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."

There is the little story I remember reading recently of a little girl.....  She and her mother were walking down a sidewalk after a rainstorm. Someone had spilled some automobile oil on the pavement. Seeing that, the little girl said, "Mommy, look at all of the smashed rainbows!"

Abraham...experienced a smashed rainbow in Genesis 22.  A death to a vision. Most often you will experience a death or two to your vision before you see it to fruition (bearing fruit or coming about). Can you even imagine how it must have felt to "sacrifice" the one thing that had been promised to you and that you had waited for until you were a senior citizen? That is probably how he felt hiking up Mount Moriah (meaning "chosen by the Lord") to give his promised child back to God. The story doesn't seem as traumatic to us because we've read the entire story and know that everything worked together for good because He loved God and put His will above his own ...even above his own reason and understanding of God's will. But smashed rainbows or promises look very bleak when you're walking in the Lord's chosen will for your life.

Maybe your rainbows have been smashed, and you have a broken heart. Perhaps you don't feel close to God because of your heartache. What can you do to be near to Him?  First, remember that nearness is likeness. "The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart" (Psalm 34:18). The more we are like God, the nearer we are to Him. There is another way to get close to God. You can get as close to Him as you want.  Draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you. Remember that God knows the meaning of a broken heart.  Jesus Christ literally experienced one.  He was "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3).  Let your experiences make you more like Jesus, and He will draw near to you.

Third, remember that God gives grace to the humble. "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6).  David also said, "A broken and a contrite heart....these, O God, You will not despise" (Psalm 51:17).  Our Lord came "to heal the brokenhearted" (Luke 4:18).  Do you have a broken heart that needs healed? Here's the simple secret:  Give the Lord all the pieces, and He will heal you.  I heard someone say once that Jesus is the GLUE of our lives and the more pieces our lives are broken into, the more of Him we need to hold the pieces together.  So brokenness can be blessed when it results in more of Jesus’ presence!

Everyone has experienced dashed hopes and smashed plans.  Take comfort in knowing that your Lord heals the broken heart.  Are you getting over a crushing experience?  Or maybe nothing is happening at all....those are the days I think of as "numbing" days. The author of Proverbs (ch.13 v.12) knew all about those days and tells us, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desired fulfilled is a tree of life."  Is your heart broken through heart-sickness today? The Lord understands what you are going through.  Draw near to Him with a humble spirit and give Him the broken pieces of your heart.

Fourth, trust the Lord with your future (v. 20). The word guard means "to exercise great care over, to protect."  When Jesus was on the cross, the Devil was doing his worst, yet he could do only what God permitted. God was guarding His own Son, and He will guard us, for He is concerned with our future. 

Fifth, trust the Lord with your foes (v. 21). Their own sin will slay them. "Evil shall slay the wicked." Give your enemies to the Lord. Let Him be the Judge (Romans 12:17-21). And last, trust the Lord with your failures (v. 22). The word condemned means "to be held guilty."  David sinned against the Lord (the cause of his broken heart), but God rescued and forgave him.

I hope you connected the dots and can see the picture as the Lord has shown me!?!  Let's take all the bits and pieces of color from our smashed rainbows and let the Lord create something new. You will discover another type of rainbow....a beautiful kaleidoscope of color that is never the same twice! You are loved with an unconditional, forever kind of Love....a kind we will never experience but from Jesus!