Simple Woman's Daybook ~ Transition

FOR TODAY...May 24, 2009

Outside My Window... Sunny, headed into another hot, muggy day.  We have crossed the line from pleasant spring weather into icky, sticky hot days...despite the fact that the calendar says it's almost a month until summer officially begins!

I am Listening to.... Quiet.  There has been *far* too little of that in recent days around here.  After a busier-than-usual weekend, I'm letting children sleep in a bit today, and enjoying a bit of peace and solitude before heading into a very full week.

I am Thankful for...  a Pastor who gives "ballast instead of blather."   Kevin DeYoung's column on Saturday described the importance of a pastor preparing his people not only to live well, but also to die well.   He talks about the fact that  often people don't fully appreciate the  weight and importance of the truth they have heard through the years (if they have heard it at all) until they are near death.  I would add  "or in time of great crisis."  A friend and I were discussing the other day how much the sound, deep, unwavering truth we've been taught in the past five years has helped us weather some very dark storms in recent years.  I love Kevin DeYoung's ending quote...


"Fellow preachers, our people are asking for living bread tomorrow. Do not give them a self-help stone. Our people may not know the weight of which we speak until they come to their end. And at that moment they will be infinitely glad they received ballast instead of blather."

I am Pondering... "Part 3" of the series I've been posting here on "Protecting Children."  (You can read the first part here, and the second part here. )   None of this series has been "planned"...it's a topic that has been heavy on my heart for a long time, but each post has been prompted by something I've read elsewhere which has practically demanded to be shared.  The (upcoming) part 3 is no exception.  This one, like the first, began with a  post by Tom Davis.  I am so thankful for his work to bring these issues to the attention of Christians.   These things are not just "out there"...they are "right here".   These are issues about which I don't want to just say, "Oh, how awful" and go on about life as usual.   I want to be part of the fight to protect children, whether "right here" or "out there" from these evils with which Satan intends to destroy children and families.  (For more information, see Tom's site, She Is Priceless.) 

I am Remembering... Lunch with my good friend Kathy on Friday and Bro. Kent's sermon yesterday morning.   It's not everyone who has friends with whom they can sit and have a two hour conversation on the doctrine of election, original sin, and the sovereignty of God while watching your  children play in the McDonald's PlayPlace.  :)   I'm actually blessed with more than one!  And I love that. :)   Anyway, we ended up in such deep waters as a spin-off of a conversation about a book I recently reviewed, and it just went on from there.  Then yesterday we were sitting in church and Bro. Kent preached right through our entire (well, not entire, but a good bit, anyway...there was some silly stuff interspersed in the conversation as well :)) lunch conversation from Friday.  Really, really good stuff.  Hopefully I'll have a chance to share some of my notes and thoughts here soon. 

Noticing... (Not for the first time!) that my children are growing up way too fast.  Because we school year round and don't pay a lot of attention to "grade levels" in our school, our official "promotion" from grade to grade coincides with promotion day at church, the last Sunday in May.  Next week my oldest will become a "youth", and my youngest will move from the preschool department to the children's department.  HOW did that happen so fast??!!  We will have 1st, 4th, 6th, and 7th graders as of next week. Another milestone to celebrate....but one that makes Mom a bit sad (and nervous!) as well. 

I am Reading...  Finally starting to get a bit caught up on book reviews after getting seriously "overbooked"...eek!   I have three reviews to post later today (I hope!), but I am  FINALLY, FINALLY reading Mary DeMuth'sLife in Defiance: A Novel (Defiance Texas Trilogy)
, which has been sitting on my desk taunting me for weeks!!!  So excited about finally reading the last book in the Defiance trilogy and seeing all the loose ends come together! 

Also re-reading Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream
, by David Platt, little bits at a time.  If I were to recommend one book for everyone I know to read this year, other than the Bible, it would be this one.  Having read it through once and reviewed it here, I am now going back and reading little bits at a time and trying to really focus on not just "reading" but "living".  

Planning to finish Their God Is Too Small: Open Theism and the Undermining of Confidence in God
, by Bruce Ware this week, as I have two friends anxiously waiting to read it!  I was thrilled to realize this morning that the author is also the author of the Bible Study I have lined up for the kids and I (and hopefully Billy will be able to be involved as well) for this fall...Big Truths for Young Hearts: Teaching and Learning the Greatness of God
.  I'm so convicted and excited about really digging and giving our children a firm foundation in Bible doctrine...not just "Bible stories", but "Bible truths", and I've heard wonderful things about this book in that area.

Also planning to spend some time studying Romans 9-11 this week after yesterday's sermon!

From the Kitchen... I had to bail in the middle of our two-week grocery trip on Friday, and then the rest of the weekend was so busy I never got back to it.   Soo...I'm not totally sure what the full plan is from the kitchen this week yet.  Hopefully we're going to finish that shopping trip later today and I will be able to sit down and finalize our menus for the next two weeks.

BUT...I do know that Billy is planning to cook garlic butter shrimp tonight.  I *love* shrimp, but rarely eat it anymore (and have never cooked it at home...it's always been an "out" treat), but one of my Mother's Day treats from Billy was his cooking a shrimp boil for me.  It was the first time he had ever done one, but it was SOO delicious!!   He had shrimp left over, so tonight he is planning garlic butter shrimp.  I can't wait. :)

On my Mind...  VBS planning!  I'm so excited about using AiG's The Egypt File this year.  Along with that, though, I'm sobered and convicted by a recent America's Research Group/Britt Beemer study cited by AiG that indicates that young people from Christian homes are leaving the church in alarming numbers in their young adult years.   The Beemer study indicates that many of these young people have begun to doubt the Bible by their high school years, and that they find Sunday School materials shallow and irrelevant.   This is particularly on my mind and in my heart as my children head toward the jr. high/high school years, and as I begin teaching youth girls' Sunday School in a few weeks.  So thankful for so many excellent teachers at our church who take very seriously the responsibility of teaching God's Word, and for the opportunity we have as parents to teach our children every day...and so convicted of the need to "make the most of every opportunity" in that area every day!

I am Creating... Clean spots in my house!  Between pain issues and general busy-ness lately, the house has rather gotten away from us.   In between school and other commitments this week, we need to get caught up on cleaning and straightening!

From the Learning Rooms...  Other than a Monday morning shopping trip, which isn't really part of our schedule :), we are trying to make a routine of our summer term schedule this week.  We'll see how it goes!

One of my Favorite Things...  Cool, breezy spring weather...which we seem to be saying farewell to for another year!

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week...  Today we plan to finish the two-week grocery shopping trip we had to abort on Friday, tomorrow we take a meal to friends and then go to Peter's first official "youth activity"  (how did we get *there* so fast??!! :-O ),  Wednesday church/choirs, and lots of wedding prep this weekend!  Other than that, just the usual schoolwork and household chores. :)

A Photo to Share...  Blogger is not behaving well for me today.  I've lost 3/4 of this post once already.   I have not been able to get photos to upload all day.  I think I'll give up and just hit publish. :)


**Update Tuesday...FINALLY!!  Blogger finally let me upload photos, so I thought I would upload *several*. :)  These are a teaser...hopefully later this week I'll finally get a whole post up about our quick trip to Lake Catherine a few weeks ago.  The top two pics are of the sunrise I watched over the Lake as I sat on the big screened in back porch having my quiet time while everyone else was asleep. :)  The bottom one is of the cabin we stayed in.  It was built by the CCC in the 1930s and is on the historic register.  Beautiful!

Thanks to Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook for hosting the Daybook each week.  Visit her for more Daybook entries!