Creepy Fun Part 2 (By SiS)

We went and saw a lot of reptiles!!!!!
We were amazed when we sat down and the first thing we see is reptiles!!!
Buddy was amazed as they held it and let us touch it!!!!
I was afraid at first!!!!!!
But it was so cool I got rapped in it in know time!!!!
It was amazing!!!!!!!
They passed around all sorts of snakes first small though!!!!!
The second one was pretty big!!!!!!
We were in awe when they said ''Who wants to see aligators?''
A chourus of "YES YES YES!!!!!'' Arose!!!!!
It was us even that joined in!!!!!!!
It was loud though!!!!!!
We heard a bit of it though!!!!!!
It was amazing!!!!
Then turtles came!!!!!!!
We were not suprised by then!!!!
Though we were when they showed us a snapping turtle!!!!!!
It was fun though!!!
Last of all!!!!
The part you have been waiting for!!!!
Though I have not written it so you will not go ahead and take a peek!!!
Though this is not a stopping point!!!
Thne came the the the big snakes!!! SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Me and Ethan got one around our neck!!!!!!
It was so fun!!!!!
It was heavey though!!!!!!!
Well I think I will remember this day for the rest of my life!!!!!!
It was like a fun field trip!!!!
Well That Was My Day!!!!!!!!
By SIS Age 7!!!!!!!!!

Creepy Fun (by Megan)

Yesterday I mourned the fact that I didn't have my camera. The kids had been counting the days until our town's "Old Home Day," and we promised to bring them to a couple of the events. The heat and humidity were oppressive, so we opted out of the pony rides. We did check out the "Reptiles on the Move" exhibit. I didn't expect a whole lot from this - maybe a couple of locals showing off their pets. Boy was I in for a surprise...

This was the most incredible, hands-on science event my kids or I have ever experienced! They passed around close to a dozen snakes for the kids to hold and examine - a python, a ball snake, a milk snake, a rat snake, a king snake... Then came the alligators!! I was thankful that their mouths were tied shut. The kids played on the grass with several turtles and learned how to safely handle them. For the grand finale, they introduced their boa constrictor. This is where you must close your eyes and imagine that massive, formidable creature wrapped around my kids' shoulders, squeezing them into a great big, snakey hug. It was incredible!

I told Sis that, growing up with 2 brothers, I didn't have the option of fearing creepy crawly things. I only wish that Uncle Matt and Adam could have shared in the unique experience...

Final Beach Trip of the Season...farewell summer!

We had a fabulous time at the beach today with Stephen's sisters and 8 of the kids' cousins. It was neat to see how quickly they paired off and created all manner of fun for themselves - swinging through tree limbs, tumbling on the grassy picnic area, splashing in the chilly surf and collecting dozens of sea creatures. We couldn't have asked for greater weather for this late-summer reunion and truly enjoyed one more lazy day of summer fun before the fall schedules begin...

Angels Carry Coupons

Whatever it was that King Midas had going on, we seem to have the opposite problem around here. Lately everything we've touched has turned to garbage. It was almost comical when we made a list of the broken things around our home that need immediate attention. Stuff that wasn't supposed to break - like my new talking globe, plumbing that passed with flying colors in the home inspection, our bathroom floor (which has rotted out), the bricks around our fireplace, 2 seatbelts in our Camry, and - last but not least - my Oreck vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner was on its way out for a while. It was spitting more out the back than it took in, and the burning rubber smell hinted that its end was approaching. One morning, it sucked its last, and I told Stephen that I simply couldn't go another day without a functional vacuum cleaner. In addition to the piles of crumbs and playdough that were accumulating, three of us were having fits of sneezing (thanks to the dust in our carpets).

We had heard wonders about the Oreck Wind Tunnel and headed to Wal-Mart to buy one on credit (No amount of careful saving could cover the financial setbacks we've had these past few months).

Anyway, Wal-Mart was out of the vacuum cleaners. We consoled ourself with a cart load of 39 cent school supplies, pretending it was worth our while to stand in those intollerable lines for a lifetime supply of crayons.

The next place we tried was Linens and Things. By this point I was so stressed out (and exhausted from sneezing) that I volunteered to stay in the car with the kids while Stephen checked out the vacuums. Within minutes, the kids and I spotted him through the window with a massive box! We practiced our "Daddy's our hero!" cheer as we watched him approach the car. Two older women were on his heels, chattering away with him as if they'd found their long lost grand-nephew. Yes, he had been successful all right. There was my brand new, shiny Oreck Windtunnel!

Stephen's smile revealed that the best news was yet to come! Not only was the vacuum marked down $50, but (while he was standing in line) those two little ladies asked him if he could possibly use an extra coupon they were carrying - an additional 20 percent off! We were so excited and thankful for this small reminder that even the most insignificant details of our lives don't escape God's notice.

School!!!! By Sis

We have been doing well at school!!!!
We have now done 2 weeks!!!!
We are happy!!!!
We have been doing a lot of fun stuff!!!
They have a beautiful Poetry book!!!!!
It is very fun for my Mom cause she is happy to read books again from her childhood!!!!
We have had a lot of fun years of school!!!
Plus we started early so we could do summer stuff before we are feeling like we want school to be over so we can enjoy the fun!!!!!
Well this is just a little post now I have to go to bed!!!!
Well I am happy I can be with my mom all day!!!!
Written By Sis Age 7.!!!!

The Life In The Woods!!!!!! By Sis Age 7.

We have had a scary day!!!!
If you dare read it!!!!!
This is a adventure story!!!!!!!
I hope you read it was a very exciting day as well as scary!!!!!
We were doing our school and then all of the sudden Buddy came and shouted
''Mom there is a mouse in our basement''!!!!!!!
Both scared and excited!!!!!
Mom of course hates mice!!!!!
She got so scared!!!!!!
We could not believe it!!!!!!
And then my Aunt came with my good cousin Chris!!!!!
They were taking me and Buddy to their house for a bit to play!!!!
We were excited!!!!
And then Chris offered to take a try to get the mouse!!!
Let me describe what Buddy said it looked like!!!!!
It was a little mouse!!!!
Probably a inch long and it looked like it looked like it was falling!!!!
Now as I write it seems so creepy!!!!
I gives me shivers!!!!!!!
And Buddy said it got on its hind legs!!!!
Mom said she was scared to my Aunt!!!!!
It was scary!!!
Chris took the bucket from Mom!!!!
We were thinking he was the best cousin in the world to be able to be that brave!!!!
He went down and we heard a wham wham!!!!!
I whispered I here noise!!!!
And he came up and Mom thought he was just sad he had not got it!!!!
But he looked in the bucket and Mom screamed and jumped on a chair!!!!
And Grandpa came with a gun and did not get a thing!!!
So that is what the life is for the wood people!!!
By Sis Age 7.

Summer Reading Program By Sis Age 7.

"Read diligently. Those who do not read have nothing to think and little to say."
Samuel Johnson

We have been doing a reading program at our library!!!!!!!
It has been fun!!!!!
You have to read 15 minutes a day and every 2 times you go to the library you get a icecream cone!!!!!!
Yippe!!!!!!
And there are like 40 blank spaces and you write your 15 minutes of reading on those!!!!!!!
It is awesome to be able to go to that and I have done 12 charts!!!!
Buddy has been going as well and has gotten 3 charts!!!!
But that is awesome just the same!!!!!!!!!!
We are homeschooling so we get 6 15s every day we do school!!!!!
It is a very fun thing to do!!!!
And you get a prize to if you read a ton!!!!!!
I love our library!!!!!
We have been going with our cousins so that was fun to!!!!
It ended yesterday!!!!
We are sad it ended though cause it was a lot of fun!!!!!!!
We have been doing a lot of reading and I am going to tell you a few of the books I Sis like most!!!!!!!
Here are some of them...
BETSY TACY
BETSY TACY AND TIB
THE LITTLE PRINCESS
WALK THE WORLDS RIM
AMERICAN GIRLS BOOKS...
KIRSTEN
KIT
MOLLY
SAMANTHA
KAYA
JOSEFINA
ADDY
I THINK THAT IS ALL OF THE AMERICAN GIRLS BOOKS!!!!!!
THE 21 BALLOONS
B IS FOR BETSY
THE STRAWBERRY GIRL
DETECTIVES IN TOGAS
FOLLOW MY LEADER
LITTLE WOMEN
______________________
Those are just some of the books I like!!!!!!
Well maybe you can read a few of these books and have fun!!!!!
I wish you good reading!!!!!
Follow the quote at the top of this page!!!!!
(By Samuel Johnson)
By Sis Age 7

One Week Down...35 to Go!

"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit...Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.'"

This year we decided to begin school in mid-August. Our books had arrived and the kids were anxious to get going. On Sunday we had a little celebration and gave the kids their traditional "school gifts." Stephen and I had smuggled these treats during our last trip to the dollar store. Sis got a Sleeping Beauty doll, and the boys each got a new character car (from the movie "Cars"). These have provided endless fun...

On Monday morning we rose early and ate donuts with Stephen before starting our first day of school. The kids and I had rehearsed their "chore cards" over the weekend so they knew exactly what was expected of them. Baby Boy was perplexed by these changes and more than a little resentful of this new structure. This week he has expressed his frustration in some creative ways (coloring our couch, tearing books out of his siblings' hands, breaking 2 bowls, dumping his new water bottle in the family room, and yelling "MAAAAAMAAAAA!!" while I'm trying to read. It became clear that HIS training was going to become a bigger priority in our orientation week than I had anticipated. Fighting tears of frustration, I reminded myself that God has promised strength in proportion to the tasks He requires of me. These kinks in my "perfectly planned" schedule were clearly part of His best plan to humble me and teach me flexibility.

Our week did improve with only a smattering of mishaps along the way; somehow I was even able to laugh when our "talking globe" nearly went up in flames (some sort of electrical jumble that resulted in vile fumes, smoking components, and shrieks from the children). Time and again I took a deep breath, prayed a quick "HELP, GOD!" and moved on to Plan B (i.e. locating Peru on a WALL MAP).

I am truly excited about all that we will be learning this year. Over the past two years we have studied Old World History. Now we are using Sonlight Core 3 (part one to U.S. History). I have supplemented this program with some great items from Veritas Press (including Shurley English, Latina Christiana, and "A Reason for Handwriting" - in which the kids copy Scripture passages and catechism, and Saxon Math. We are doing an Introduction to Biology (with hands on experiements) and a fun Lyrical Life Science program. Other "extras" include Sequential Spelling, Bible reading/memory work, an Overview of Classical Poetry and Introduction to Orchestra.

Our favorite part of the day is when we curl up with our readers. This week we began "Poccahontas" and "Walk the World's Rim" to enhance our understanding of Native Americans. In the evening, we have been reading a chapter of "Mountain Born" with Stephen (Buddy's special book).

I am so thankful for the opportunity to choose my children's curriculum and to learn with them each and every day. As challenging as homeschooling can be, I wouldn't trade this adventure for anything.

Gymnastics is fun!!!!!!!!!! By Sis Age 7

I Sis and Buddy have been taking Gymnastics!!!!!!!!
I love my teacher Miss Kathy!!!!!!!!
There are 4 teachers!!!!!
Miss Kathy my teacher Miss Browchwe as my teachers we are in the oldest class
Then Buddys class Miss Christain!!!!!!
Then youngest class Miss Leisha!!!!
All very nice!!!!
She is really nice!!!!!!!
I have a few friends there my cousin is coming this August and my Aunt will see about the fall!!!!!!!
And my friend Clowee is nice to!!!!!
And my friend Kirin!!!!!!!
And my cousin MOMO!!!!!!
I went to story hour at the library with Kirin and I saw her again when we went to swimming class!!!!!!!
It was fun!!!!
She was my age!!!!
She was 8!!!!!
I am 7!!!!!!!
I love gymnastics!!!!!
We have made a lot of progress!!!!!!
We have learned how to do backflips!!!!!!
And I am learning how to do a somersault on the balance beem!!!!!
The balance beem is my favorite part!!!!!
I love it!!!!!
My other teacher Miss Browchewe likes the dipwalk where you walk across the beem with your foot scraping against the side then you lift it up and switch to the other foot!!!!!
And on and on!!!!!!
It was fun!!!!!
I like the bars as well!!!!!!
They are fun!!!!
One time we saw to our suprise they looked like a big X!!!!!!!
We were supposed to climb up the bars and then down!!!!
And one time me and MOMO and Clowee got on the bars and were bats!!!!!
They had to guess what we were MOMO covered her face and they knew we were bats!!!!!
And so that is some of the stuff we do in Gymnastics!!!!!
For Now At Least!!!!!! By Sis Age 7

The Gift of Laughter

I wanted to include some of my favorite quotes and anecdotes from the kids. Some of these are a bit dated, but they still make me laugh every time!

From Last Year...
Sis, age 5-7 Buddy, age 4-5

We went to visit Grandpa Hake at my mom's. Sis made the observation, "Mommy you don't have to wear anything too pretty because Great Grandpa won't be able to see you anyway."

Sis: "Mommy, you're beautiful even when your face is peeling from peanut butter." (referring to the troublesome breakouts I get from peanut butter)

"Mommy, would you like me to shut the door while you're changing? Even though Daddy is your husband, he is still a sneaky dude."

Sis was undone when Buddy left for his first sleepover. She didn't know how she'd get to sleep without her bunkbedmate. She tried to console herself with the thought that she'd be sleeping with Stephen and me. "Mommy, I talk to Buddy a LOT as he is going to sleep, but you'll be better at that because he always falls asleep right away."

This reminded me of the time she compared herself and Buddy to "Ma and Pa" on Little House on the Prairie (who always talk in their bed before falling asleep).

Sis to Stephen: "Daddy, school went pretty well today. There was just a little disobedience. I prayed that God would help me obey, and His answer was..."Mostly."

Sis told my friend that we eat donuts "briefly." She meant "seldom."

Sis: "Doesn't Daddy just make you feel SAFE?"

Sis' best little boyfriend, J, was in Sunday school. When his teacher passed out the memory verse cards, J asked, "Can I please have one of those for my wife?" (He meant Sis)

Sis was quizzing my mom on her new Latin vocab. She mispronounced the number 6 (sex), and asked, "Grandma, what is SEX?"

Sis to Stephen: "Daddy, Ethan and I don't pray before bed anymore. We're just too tired with our schedule."

Sis: "Second Kings is my FAVORITE book of the Bible. I just love it!"

Sis: "Mommy, why are you drinking all of that water? If it's because you're trying to get less fat, you are just wasting your time."

Sis (on the way home from the grocery store: "Mommy, I'm so hungry that I could eat a whole diaper!"

Sis: "Daddy, if you lost your job at BAE, you could work at Sub-Way and get us the RIGHT toys!"

Sis recounted a funny story, "Mom, a black cat crossed my path. I told our neighbor that that could be a bad omen IF omens were real. When I was telling her that omens are just pretend, I FELL OFF MY BIKE!" The irony of this did not escape her.

"Mrs. W. is a fast breeder! She just had a baby and now she's pregnant AGAIN!"

Sis: "Mom, I don't know any swears, do you?"

"It's hard to think of Aunt Renee as my AUNT. She's more like a friend."

Sis greeted Stephen at the door, "Daddy, we are having Coo Coo for dinner!" She meant couscous.

Buddy: "Mom, I want you to have another baby just so we can get a mini van!"

I announced that our new Latin curriculum arrived in the mail. Buddy got all excited, "Mommy, you got us ALLADDIN?!"

Buddy has to work on his handicapped etiquette. He was in line behind a person in a wheelchair who was drooling. He piped up, "Mommy! Why is that person DRIPPING?"

Yesterday Buddy was at the park and saw a young woman (mentally handicapped) who was rocking back and forth and making a lot of noise. He took in the whole scene and later commented, "Mommy, I think I know why that girl is doing this (demonstrated rocking motion). It's because she is a little dehydrated."

Buddy passing Victoria's Secret, "Daddy, why do they put so many CRUDE pictures in the windows?" Stephen quickly redirected him to the dirt bikes.

During our devotions, I asked the kids, "Who can have fellowship with God?" Buddy piped in, "I know! I know! Jesus, the angels, Great Grandma Hake, and the guy who got killed by a sting ray!"

Buddy exclaimed, "Daddy, you're just EXABBERATING!" (not sure if he meant elaborating or exaggerating)

Buddy looking out for his brother who has allergies..."He shouldn't eat mushrooms, or his face could crack right open!" He meant that it could break out.

Mommy called to Buddy outside, "What are you doing?"
He answered, "I'm gathering all of the deciduous tree leaves!"

After I gave my devotional at the ladies' tea party, Buddy said, "Mommy, I'm glad that's over because now your worst nightmare won't be your worst nightmare anymore!"

Buddy: "Those friends are like EXTINGUISHED family, right?" (meant extended family)

I was doing my home exercise video, and the kids looked indignantly at the scantily clad woman leading the moves. Buddy observed, "Yeah! It's like she's saying, 'I have a better body than you.'"

Buddy, watching me exercise... "You're getting your body ready for another baby, right?"

Buddy saw a flag lowered and commented, "Mommy, in some other country they must know that Auntie Dorothy died."

"My teeth are clattering, clacking and chattering."

I warned the kids not to blow up their whoopie cushion beyond capacity. I told them that it would get all stretched out and never go back to normal.

Sis didn't miss a beat... "Just like your tummy, Mommy?"

Sis and Buddy were having a heated argument. Buddy said, "The first thing I'm going to do when I'm a policeman is arrest you!" Sis looked unmoved, "J. won't let you! He is going to protect me!"

We were talking about my grandpa (Pop) who died before the kids were born. Buddy was eager to share his memory of the story when my brother gave Pop CPR. He exclaimed, "Uncle Matt was a Super Hero back then! He tried to breathe breath back into Pop!"

Buddy informed me, "Mommy, that pillow is soiled!"

"Mommy, Captain Hook must not have learned Shurley English. He said "me" instead of "my."

Ethan confused the lyrics of a VBS song this year. Instead of singing, "The Year of Jubilee," he belted out, "He's a little jiggly."

Baby Boy, age 1, adds an emphatic "P" sound to many words. His favorite thing to do is "nurp!" (instead of nurse)

His favorite game is "Puppa Boo!"

The kids often make up imaginary names for themselves. Ethan suggested the name "Thesseus" but then told me that it was "too plain and sensible of a name."

Last night they began to call Baby Boy, "Baby Cucka." He was delighted with this fun word and said, "Cucka! Cucka!" We immediately put a stop to that...

A few weeks ago we were at the doctor's office and waited in line endlessly to check in. We got a thinly veiled reprimand from the cranky receptionist who observed that we were late. Trying to remain composed, I corrected her, telling her it was the LINE that caused us to be late. When we got to the room, Siobhan blurted out, "What the HECK, Mommy?! We were a minute early. I saw the clock!" Guess I have my own little advocate...

Ethan, after reading Psalm 8 and pondering the transcendence of God said, "Mommy! We would be like DEER TICKS to God!"

The Month of August

A friend recently asked, "What does the month of August look like for you?" I felt an immediate adrenaline rush as I thought of the million details I need to pull together before school begins. Letters of intent and the kids' test scores have been submitted to our school superintendent. Boxes of beautiful school books have arrived. Now it remains to organize all of the details for this coming school year. The biggest lesson I have learned over the past few years is that all aspects of my homeschool and housekeeping responsibilites needs to be clearly mapped out; otherwise, I get lost and overwhelmed by noontime.

The first project I tackled in preparation for this upcoming school year is a yearly menu plan. For those of you who care to take a look, I have decided to include in my blog an inventory of my favorite recipes. This list keeps me out of my cooking ruts and gives me fresh inspiration at a glance. I have typed out 5 months worth of menu plans and have begun to stock my chest freezer with some of our favorite staple items (soups, chili, homemade breads, spaghetti sauce, and veggies from the garden).

Next, I reordered my life in one big, friendly binder. Each area of responsibility has a section. The binder follows me everywhere, so I can jot down ideas in the proper place and file papers and lists as I go. This method worked well for me last year...

This next week, I hope to print out the kids' chore packs. I am so grateful for my friend's recommendation of the book, "Managers of Their Chores" and am excited to see how this new system will improve our quality of life.

Last, but not least, I need to create the MASTER SCHEDULE. This year I am going to try to map out our day hour by hour. Baby boy is in a predictable enough schedule that this should work. We are no longer at the mercy of frequent feedings and choppy naptimes.

It was music to my ears when Buddy asked me this morning, "Mommy, can we PLLLEEEASE do some school today?" Guess I'm not the only one who is eager to regain some order around here and hit the books. I have high hopes that this will be our best year yet.

"Taking the Next Step"

Remembering my Identity and Calling as a Christian Woman

***
I was snooping around my sister’s kitchen a while ago, and I stumbled across a very unusual quote above her kitchen sink. Now my sister, Krista, will be the first one to admit that cooking and dishes and kitchen stuff in general are NOT her thing. Expecting something light and witty about the uselessness of doing dishes, I began to read the quote. Here is what it said:

“It takes Almighty grace to take the next step when there is no vision and no spectator - the next step in devotion, the next step in your study, in your reading, in your kitchen; the next step in your duty when there is no vision from God, no ethusiasm, and no spectator. It takes far more of the grace of God, far more conscious drawing upon God to take that step, than it does to preach the Gospel.” (Oswald Chambers)

If I were to identify the most significant lesson that God has been teaching me in my early years as wife and mother it would be summed up in the message of this quote.

What God requires of me is to simply take the next step in faithful obedience to Him.

I would like to use these two cups to illustrate a point. Now if you were to guess which of these teacups is more valuable to me, you’d probably guess this pretty one here. It looks like an heirloom teacup; it’s dainty and attractive. Now this HEFTY mug here is far from attractive. It has been dropped on the floor a few times. It’s chipped. The paint is coming off. It takes up way too much room in my cupboard...

But...it might surprise you to know that this Minnie Mug is my favorite mug in the world and one I couldn’t stand to part with!! Stephen and I were given a set of Mickey and Minnie Mouse mugs the night before our wedding from some close friends who had just come back from Disney World. We drank our first cups of coffee as newlyweds from these mugs. This mug has been ready and brimming with coffee each morning after a sleepless night with my children. In fact, I couldn’t resist figuring out JUST HOW MANY cups of coffee this Minnie Mug has held in over 7 years of marriage. And the grand total was over 8,212 cups!!! Now, appearance aside, if we were to measure the value and usefulness of a mug, I would have to say that this Minnie Mug wins over the teacup hands down.

When I met Stephen as a younger believer, I would have fit the profile of this other teacup here (or, for the sake of our analogy) an impressive young woman by the world’s standards. By the age of 19, I had earned a college degree in culinary arts with straight A’s, completed a certificate in Biblical studies, and traveled to 5 countries. I was stylish and thin, successful in my job, had lots of friends... More than anything, I was a skilled people-pleaser - fueled by the approval and acceptance of everyone around me. As long as my efforts were being noticed and applauded and I looked good to people, I was content...

Well, 3 months into our newlywed life, Stephen and I learned that our daughter Siobhan was on the way, and thus began an intense process of spiritual growth. God very deliberately stripped away my old identity and sense of security and began to reshape me into the woman He intended me to be.

At first I hated the idea of throwing away my career and exciting goals to be a stay-home wife and mother, and the adjustment of being home full time with a colicky newborn was made worse by a case of post partum depression. For the first time, I felt like I was no longer “in control” of my life, and all that used to make me feel important had fallen by the wayside.

The most discouraging and lonely years of my life began just after Ethan was born. Stephen worked a couple of jobs while completing his engineering degree. We had very little time together and barely enough money to make ends meet. I like to refer to those as the “cloth diaper years.” I was stuck in a bad apartment with two babies and no car. Everything in me cried out, “WHY?! Why, God, did you take away everything that made me feel useful and important and put me in this awful, lonely life?”

The lesson God was (AND IS STILL!!) teaching me is that taking the next step in faithfulness where God has placed me will result in contentment and blessing.

Our culture put so much value on external success and achievement.
The world says that we as women should be beautiful, that we should be fulfilled in challenging careers outside of the home, that we should be self-sufficient and independent. The world scoffs at the “servant role” and the “helper model” that God has called us to and will try to cheapen the value of what we do as faithful, Christian women.

We are barraged by these harmful messages and destructive ideas which stand in stark contrast to the description of biblical womanhood that God has laid out in His word.

Susan Hunt in her book, The Legacy of Biblical Womanhood explains this when she writes...Sin marred woman’s design, and now she thinks about her womanhood in terms of her own self-fulfillment. She seeks her own completeness. She is her own reference point. She is her own authority. She abandons her design and mission for a never-ending quest for her own happiness. Woman became a life-taker rather than a life-giver.”

Now that we’ve seen what we should NOT be, let’s look at some Scripture passages that model what we should be as faithful Christian who are always seeking to “TAKE THE NEXT STEP” in obedience to God... I would like to order these passages under two of the main roles that we have as women. The first is that of SERVANT. The second is that of HELPER.


The most powerful model of godly servanthood is Christ’s life. So much of His work and ministry was thankless. So much of it was menial in nature. I think of the powerful image of Christ washing the disciples’ feet.

John 13:3-5 says, “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garment, took a towel and girded Himself After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and wipe them with the towel with which he was girded..”

Christ’s identity as the powerful Son of God was not compromised by this humble act of service. Rather, he voluntarily set aside his glory and willingly served the disciples. He said that it was His food and drink to do the will of the Father who had sent Him, and He did it for the joy that was set before Him. Likewise, if our identity is secure in Christ and our perspective is ETERNAL, we will be able to serve those whom God brings into our lives with joy and purpose.


Christ teaches in Matthew 20:26-28: “...whoever desires to be great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Paul writes in Philippians 2:5-6, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.”

So much of what we do as Christian women, wives and mothers is service-oriented. Our labors might go unnoticed and unappreciated, but we should take comfort in the fact that we are following the pattern set forth by Christ and that He acknowledges and rewards what we do. And, in a very mysterious way, our acts of service are actually being done directly TO HIM!

Listen to Matthew 25:34 and following... “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You a drink?’ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the king will answer and say to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”

The second role we are called to as Christian women is that of HELPER.

Susan Hunt writes, “helper is not a fragile word, and we are not called to a mission of fluff. This is a life-giving ministry of nurture, defense, comfort and caring.” She continues, But the helper design is alien and offensive to a fallen world. It doesn’t fit; so the world tells women that there is a better way...[The enemy] still tries to convince women to try the way of independence and autonomy.”

In Genesis 2:18, this idea of the “helper role” is taught by God Himself. “The Lord said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for Him.” The Hebrew word that is translated HELPER in Genesis 2:18 is the same word that is used to refer to God as our helper. Susan Hunt points out that “when we consider how God is our helper, we begin to see the richness and strength of this word. Moses spoke of God as his helper who saved him from the sword of Pharaoh. In Psalms we read that God is the helper of the victim, the fatherless, the needy, and the afflicted. God is referred to as a helper who is our support, strength and shield.”

In Psalm 144, we see an unusual prayer of David. He prays, “...that our daughters may be as pillars, sculptured in palace style.” I had always thought that this was just poetic imagery until I learned (and I quote again from Susan Hunt’s book), that this word “pillar” “is used of pillars supporting buildings, the bronze pillars of the [Old Testament] temple, and the pillar of cloud and fire...This kind of pillar is not free-standing or ornamental. It is a functional, supportive pillar. This imagery bursts with application. Here we see the essence of woman’s helper design. It is the sum and substance of femininity. The woman with a quiet and gentle spirit is free from the need to protect and promote herself. She is able to be a pillar of comfort and support in the home and church. She is free to attach herself unselfishly to people, and she is often a connector across generations as she fulfills her life-giving mission.”

I pray that these two Scriptural images of the servant and helper will challenge you as they did me, that you will be reminded of the importance of the woman’s role in our home and church. I would encourage you to continue renewing your minds with the truth about our value as Christian women, and that, even if your labors go unnoticed or unappreciated, you will press on in taking the next step in service to Him and those he has placed in your lives.

Our Garden By SIS

We have a garden that is shooting up!!!!!
We got 14 Zucchinis!!!!!!!!
In one day!!!!!!
It was awesome!!!!!!
And we got TONS of greenbeans and waxbeans!!!!!!!
We have gotten herbs and roses and all sorts of stuff!!!!!
Nothing today but there are greenbeans that will be ready tommorow!!!!!!
WOW!!!!!
We made like 36 cups of shreaded Zucchini for Zucchini Bread!!!!!!
And we have a chest freezer so we put all sorts of stuff in there so that is good!!!!!
We have a good garden!!!!
The people before us left manure so we put that in!!!!!!
We turned over the grass so we could have a big garden!!!!!!
I am sweating as I write cause that was hard work to turn the soil over!!!!!!
It was fun but hard!!!!!!
Mom said ''We will be happy when we look at it to say well that was hard but when we see it we will be proud that we have a good garden''!!!!!!
And I am proud that we have a good garden!!!!!!
And God has helped it grow!!!!!
By SIS AGE 7

Our Adventures at VBS

We had a fun time at VBS!!!!!
We went to it for a week!!!!!!
It was fun we went with our cousins!!!!!!!!
The theme was a builder theme!!!!!
So they had hard hats on the windows!!!!!
And we learned how to buld our lives on Christ!!!!!
We made a CD with decorations and did sand coloring and all sorts of fun stuff!!!!!
We got a hard card with a picture of praying hands and we took orange foil and scratched out praying hands took the foil off and there they were praying hands!!!!!
It was fun!!!!!
And we sang songs and had skits and all sorts of fun stuff!!!!!!
It was really fun!!!!!!
And we had a gametime and we played games!!!!!!
(Only fun ones though!!!!)
It was a lot of fun!!!!!!
We played a game where there were white ties!!!!!
And you had to take away the ties from people and it was fun!!!!!
Me and my cousin MOMO told each other we would not take out each others ties!!!!!
We had a lot of fun!!!!
And on the last day for snack after gametime we had sundaes!!!!!
It was great!!!!!
After we had bibletime!!!!!
We talked about Elijah!!!!!
He was a prophet!!!!!
And we had fun!!!!!!
And everybody came on the last day to see what we had learned!!!!!
It was fun!!!!!!
So that was VBS!!!!!!!
By SiS Age 7 VBS