Surprised by Math

One transition I did not expect was a change of heart towards math. My  head spins at numbers. Maybe this is why I do not care to shop or work on our budget or pay bills? I did diligently endure our mathematics lessons in our homeschooling but it was only a high priority because I knew it was important and marveled at those who found math intriguing.  Honestly, though, I always thought math was missing something important but had no clue as to what that was.

Then a friend put this little book into my hands: Beyond Numbers--A Practical Guide to Teaching Math Biblically by Katherine Loop. The author builds the case against our spiritually neutral view towards math and how we, as believers, need to use math to understand God more deeply, worship Him more thoroughly, and honor Him through service. In essence, we can use and teach math in a way that fulfills the chief purpose of man,"to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."

I love that the Miss Loop addresses the problems with just adding a Scripture verse  or the dangers of inserting "spiritual" parallels to a curriculum to make it "Christian". She instead goes to the foundation of teaching math biblically: our focus, our presentation, and our application. God's very character is displayed by math concepts and applications because it is His creation and this is how it needs to be taught.

So, if you are like me and avoid math, read this book to bring a glimmer of hope and purpose. If you delight in numbers, this book will bring a new depth to that delight. If you are teaching anyone math or thinking math is neutral, you have to read this book to protect the hearts and minds of yourself and those you love.

http://www.christianperspective.net/math.html

Which "I" will win?

It was one of those times that I do not care to repeat: My husband experienced a very harsh reaction to an antibiotic which laid him out for 48 hours; Being overcharged at the doctor's office and facing the billing department soon; the dog was diagnosed with a double ligament tear in her knee requiring 3 or more months of rest; the internet went down just before I had to go to appointments and leave my son to do his internet based schoolwork; the carpet cleaners promised me they would arrive by 9am. I had to cancel that service when they still had not showed and I had to leave for an appointment; I had four errands I needed to complete on top of the additional, unexpected needs; My hope for the day was to spend the afternoon quietly completing some paperwork/cyberwork. That did not happen and will need attention another day.

Can you relate? In the midst of this day God reminded me of a simple statement that has helped me through those times. I play it in a cadence in my head to help sort out my feelings:

Is this _______(circumstance)_____________

an Inconvenience

an Interruption

an Irritation

or really IMPORTANT

I admit that I still struggle and certainly want to be " I " focused. When I had little ones around our home, this cadence was essential! Today has been filled with doubt, but if I truly evaluate the stuff of life, I realize that the really IMPORTANT needs to set my tempo/attitude--NOT the inconvenient, interruptions, or the irritations.

Mommy Tool: Giving to transients

We often see people who have been caught in transitions; not sure if they can get out or maybe they want to remain stuck right in their present state. We call these people "transients".

Knowing that Christ loves the least of these and demonstrates His lovingkindness to all who are in need, I wanted to follow His example. Mostly these people ask for money but my husband and I agreed that was not being a good steward usually. Another person makes a bunch of sandwiches and carries them to the streets. But I wanted something I where I could respond as I walked along the way and in which my children could see that we reach out to everyone.

So, we keep bottles of water and granola bars in our car for the purpose of giving them away with some kind words. Now, instead of replying "no" to a request for money, I can hand them something that might benefit them in this time of transition.

Simple, easy, and infinitely better than what I used to do which was walking by them with my eyes avoiding theirs. God is reminding me that we are all in some sort of transition in this life.

Tools for Moms

Our homeschooling resumes next week. Only one child left at home. Very strange transition. We don't really like it. But, as I am contemplating this reduction in class-size, I am also remembering the tricky parts of having many young children at home. There were times I wanted the "Take a Number" system as you see at some delis and Department of Motor Vehicles. We discovered that young children (and some adults) need to learn the correct transition to interrupt a conversation or activity. The most helpful tool was having the child gently place their hand on our arms to indicate that they wanted/needed our attention or wanted to participate in the discussion. We practiced it at home before taking it public, and it worked extremely well. I do want to warn moms that you have to be very specific with some children to place their hand, not lean or tap their hand, to get the attention! Some people are just more insistent and it can be a distraction. The parent also makes a commitment that she will close the conversation and give the child attention as soon as is reasonable. Now, in our time of training and educating, I discovered this polite interruption technique is also very helpful. For us, it took place most often during our educational hours, but we also used it doing our together work times because I might be in the middle of reading a recipe or helping another child learn a task. We also took it one step further. We placed "Mommy-Pass" cards in a pocket on our wall. Each child had at least one card with his/her name written on it (non-readers had their name plus a symbol). When I was working with someone else and another child wanted my attention, they would remove their card from the pocket and place it next to me. They were then to proceed with another activity until I was able to meet them. Thus, they continued After I met with them, I placed the card backwards in the pocket so we knew it had been used. This was wonderful! There were so many moments when a child was on the brink of that educational breakthrough and I could finish working with them without interruption. It made for a more pleasant school time for all of us. One other benefit we discovered was that children began to work out more of the problems on their own. As our children matured, they had less "Mommy Pass" cards available to them. Then as they approached me with their card, I could also most see them thinking, "Is this really worth a Mommy Pass card? Oh, now I remember how to do that exercise," or "I had a similar problem before; I will look at that," or "I will try doing that chore on my own again." They were excited and I was excited that they discovered different pathways to come up with an answer. Another reminder that transitions can be formulas for learning.

Who would have thought?

Those who have known me for anytime can tell you what my favorite time of day is. I love mornings. I love to see the darkness give way to the light. I love the soft shadows that play along the streets as they are chased away. The air is fresher after a night of slumber. Dew often hugs the grass. Sometimes a gentle breeze awakens the leaves. It is quiet. The nocturnal animals are settled into their beds. The morning animals are just beginning to stir. Few people are en route to their work or school. In my house, no one else is awake. I can think. Yet, as my circumstances have changed, and mornings are usually my most difficult time of the day (physically/emotionally), and I need to limit exposure to sunlight, I determined to stay up later at night. Who would have thought? After the sun sets, I walk with Trevor and sometimes I sit on our deck to enjoy the outside. This is not a quiet time: The cicadas and frogs are VERY loud. It seems no animals are sleeping. Cars are coming and going. More planes zip towards the airport. Machines buzz. Our sons prefer the night hours. Friends and family on the West Coast are more available to chat at night (their evening). Yet, God is using this time for some more prayer, little spurts of energy to do something creative (gasp!), and interacting more with our family and friends. Trevor likes that when he awakes I am still in the bedroom. Who would have thought that God would bring such a transition into my life? Maybe the morning treasures will be returned to me, but right now I think I will dig what I can out the night. Maybe I will discover jewels in this blanket of darkness for my God created both the night and the day. Maybe night will become a friend. "The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; and His song will be with me in the night. A prayer to the God of my life." Psalm 42:8

a poem for times of transformation

A friend sent me this devotional poem in a time of darkness. She did not know but my heavenly Father did and ministered to me through this sweet fragrance of His grace.

Beside my cottage door it grows, The loveliest, daintiest flower that blooms, A sweet brier rose. At dewy morn or twilight’s close, The rarest perfume from it flows, This strange wild rose. But when the raindrops on it beat, Ah, then, its odors grow more sweet, About my feet. Often with loving tenderness, Its soft green leaves I gently press, In sweet caress. A still more wondrous fragrance flows, The more my fingers close, And crush the rose. Dear Lord, oh let my life be so, Its perfume when stronger winds blow, The sweeter flow. And should it be Your blessed will, With crushing grief my soul to fill, Press harder still. And while its dying fragrance flows, I’ll whisper low, “He loves and knows His crushed brier rose.”

I always encourage my children to learn more information about subjects. This poem's author may have studied some attributes of this rose which I share with you. Now, an appropriate application and delicate reminder would be to plant a Sweet Briar Rose. Botanical: Rosa rubiginosa

The flowers of the Sweet Briar are a little smaller than those of the Dog Rose and generally of a deeper hue, though of a richer tint in some plants than in others. They are in bloom during June and July. The fruit is eggshaped, its broadest part being uppermost or farthest from the stem.

The specific name rubiginosa signifies, in Latin, 'rusty,' the plant having been thus named as both stems and leaves are often of a brownish-red tint. It delights in open copses, though is sometimes found also in old hedgerows and is more specially met with in chalk districts in the south of England.

Its fragrance of foliage is peculiarly its own and has led to it holding a cherished place in many old gardens. Under its older name of Eglantine its praises have been sung by poets.

It takes a shower to bring out the full sweetness of Sweet Briar, when its strong and refreshing fragrance will fill the air and be borne a long distance by the breeze. Though the leaves are so highly odorous, the flowers are almost entirely without scent.

Sweet Briar only obtains a place among perfumes in name, for like many other sweetscented plants, it does not repay the labour of collecting its odour, the fragrant part of the plant being destroyed more or less under treatment. An Essence under this name is, however, prepared, compounded of various floral essences so blended as to resemble the spicy fragrance of the growing plant. In olden days the Sweet Briar was used medicinally.

Information and image obtained from

http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/r/roses-18.html

poem from "Streams in the Desert", compiled by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman

Transitions Take Time and Make Messes

This summer our middle son and a friend resided with us while they took a break from studies to work so they could resume their studies (without incurring more debt). So, they loaded up two cars and a van and moved back into the dorms. In the spirit of college life, this was done at the last possible moment choreographed with the washing machine and dryer twirling nonstop for all day and most of the night. The busy beehive of activity reminded me that transitions require TIME and make MESSES. In order to fill a box, a shelf needs to be emptied. In order to stuff a car, other objects need to be strewn across the floor to see how to finish the jigsaw puzzle. And then there is the small refrigerator with leftover food that was ignored for a parent to discover. I have not ventured into the unknown cavern of the bedroom closet yet. Of course, in all humility, I tried to clear off my desks (kitchen and school) this week. I gave up and used the box method. The desks are now cleared but the items are stuffed in boxes to help me reorganize the desks to my purposes. So, this is not a problem with just college students! Any transition needs time to work through and we need to allow ourselves the extra time to work through those transitions. I am very aware of this in the kitchen as our transition to healthier eating (and my MP limitations) requires even more food to be made from scratch. Since God has only given each of us the same amount of time and brings these transitions into our lives, I need to go to Him for wisdom in how to budget the time for His purposes. Also, my attitude is challenged to relax about the messes. This is part of the process. Transitions are messy. I can fuss but messes also take time to clean up and this goes back to my comment on time. Transitions can be messy and require time in another way: They have a tendency to reveal my heart and my sin that God wants to deal with in His way. I need to budget time to confess my sin and take every thought captive to Christ as He sanctifies me so, in my transition, I am transformed to His likeness. Lord, please help me use time to deal with the messes of my heart while I take time for transitional messes.

Mood Mugs

Okay, this is another coffee story. However, I also drink herbal tea so it is also a tea story--and for my kids, it is a hot chocolate story. I have discovered I have "mood mugs". As most of you, I have been given an assortment of mugs. I find that I select which to use based on my mood or where my thoughts are going for that day--or where I need to redirect my thoughts for that day! A friend gave me a mug that proclaims one of the many verses we use to encourage one another, "Be still and know that I am God." Another is just uniquely pretty with a subtle green transforming into bronze. One mug is HUGE! Ready for one of those times I feel the need to have a larger portion and still call it just a cup :) When we first moved here, I regularly used a mug from my husband's work to remind me to pray for his new employment. Now, I often use the one that declares "Army Strong" as I reflect upon my fourth child's new adventures. and lift him up to the True Strength-Giver. I have pretty mugs, different colored mugs, light-hearted mugs and special mugs because of who gave them to me. My children prefer the penguin, Christmasy-snowflake, or leopard-spotted mugs, though the black BIG mugs are also popular (they get part of that strategy from me, but mostly from their father). Moods are transitional. I cannot depend on them. Every thought needs to be taken captive to Christ. I must bring them under His truth and authority by His grace. Thus, He transmutes my moods: Transforming or transitioning them from lead into gold that brings praise to HIM. As goes my clothes' closet it would be probably be wise to clean out my mug cupboard. Would that be as hard as getting rid of books that have become friends? However, I know that there are some mugs that are largely ignored. So, I think the time has come to transition them from my house to a place where they could meet another's need or mood. In fact, I know what I will do: I will give them to my immigrant friends and recent refugees to our city. God has brought these special friends into our lives in the midst of our transition and their transition. Sharing my mood mugs is just another way of sharing in the other person's lives--and when I go to their house, they will share their chia tea with us. Maybe God will take this simple act and transmute my humble offering to bring about His transformation in their lives.

Milkshakes and Coffee

Besides being extra yummy, what do these have in common? My son and I are looking for our favorite place to obtain these delicious treats: coffee for me; milkshake for him. When we first moved here, due to the generous gift of some Meaningful Moms in California, I was armed with a Starbucks card that allowed me to escape to the familiar. I discovered how comforting it is to have something familiar when you are in transition--once upon it was a baby blanket (with a silky part), now it is a coffee shop. However, Louisiville boasts many independent coffee shops and now Starbucks is fading from the selection list. In fact, the search for a favorite coffee place was one of the things I started to do to enjoy this city more. I would go sit and read or just ponder while enjoying a latte. Not only does the atmosphere need to accommodate thinking, the lighting needs to be enjoyable, and the lattes (served in a mug, not a paper cup) worth returning to enjoy. It is an extra benefit if I can share the time with a friend. My son's criteria is different: The milkshake needs to be made with ice cream (novel concept, I know, but this is opposed to chemicals we cannot pronounce). It has to taste like a milkshake and cannot be too small. It must be smooth and creamy. Chocolate is his comparative flavor. The offer of whipped cream is a bonus. We are encountering more difficulty in locating real milkshakes than real coffee. I have discovered a favorite coffee shop long before I even tried all the options. Oops! Now what do I do? I will need to brave into other shops and consider it an adventure but all will be compared to Day's Espresso which consistently hits the mark. However, there may be someplace lurking out there that will delight my palate and senses. Yes, searching for a coffee place has helped me appreciate this city. I found myself looking for a little local flavor in Southern California but Starbucks and Paneras has taken over the state. Both are good and I have good memories of enjoying friendships in these chains but I was missing Day's or Quill's. So, how about you come enjoy some coffee with me at a new-to-me little, local coffee shop because nothing can take the place of my special friends and family from afar! And if coffee isn't your thing, we can find a milkshake. The Lesson: Learn to find something special and different about the place God has placed me.

Warning about Togetherness

Recently I was reflecting on our son's departure to the Army. I realized that I am experiencing what many people experience when they send their children to day care or kindergarten. I am missing our togetherness. This is something you have to be willing to face at some time in a child's life. Most people do it earlier, like when the kids are 6 0r 7. Because we have homeschooled through high school and have focused togetherness and the home as the center of the spinning wheel, I have years of full day (and sometimes, night) interaction with our children before they leave home as young adults. So, I am just posting this as a warning to those "together families", and because I have encouraged that togetherness, you have to be willing to face the transition of them leaving to pursue what God is calling them to pursue and know that their absence will impact your heart and life.

Marshall Protocol: Sleep

Since the developments of my chronic illness, my sleep has been disrupted by many things and I rarely feel rested. Since increasing my dosage of minocycoline (the antibiotic) to what is considered a therapeutic level on the Marshall Protocol (100mg every 48 hours), I had four nights that I slept through my alarm for my middle of the night dosage of Benicar (40mg every 6 hours). This is not good since my body needs the Benicar in regular increments to help my immune system deal with the killing of the bacteria action of the antibiotic. However, I must admit that I relished the undisturbed sleep and enjoyed the benefits of being a bit more rested in the morning. Yet, I know that I need the Benicar because my body was not happy in other ways. Overall, my sleep has been better since following the MP diet, limiting sun exposure, and beginning the medication protocol. To battle the alarm problem, I switched my phone alarm back to a normal setting instead of vibrate. It is more alarming to wake to this, but I do hear it. I have found my cell phone a good alarm device to help with remembering the medications. I have it with me most of the time and I can easily adjust the times if I need to reschedule a dose. Another reminder that many transitions impact our sleeping patterns--either in adjusting to them or recovering from them. I know this is true in my life from the times of great joy in giving birth to those times of sorrow in agonizing over a death. It is of great comfort to know that God gives us rest. He plans times of sleep. He desired our bodies to need and benefit from rest. He Himself rested, yet He never sleeps. He is ever vigilant and watches over me while I sleep (and while I am awake). I remember a man, when I inquired of how he slept in a hotel, said, "The Lord knows just what I need concerning sleep and that is what He provided. " Oh, Lord, give me a heart of gratitude that chooses to wake and say, "Thank You for the sleep I received from Your hand." "In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for Thou alone, O Lord, dost make me dwell in safety." Ps. 4:8

Will it help?

Recently I had the honor of helping a friend. Her brother-in-law was killed in Afghanistan, fighting to protect our freedom. http://icaskey.wordpress.com/2010/06/27/the-cost-of-freedom-actually-has-a-costfl/ When I first spoke to my friend, she did not really know what would be helpful so we decided I would just come over for companionship. By the time the hour arrived, it became apparent what needed to be done and I was able to help her complete some tasks while we talked. It was a blessing and I am so grateful she allowed me to serve her. Like I have written before, it is often difficult to put a finger on what will really help someone who is chronically ill. It is hard for the ill person to identify it (usually because their thinking is fuzzy or because EVERYTHING is overwhelming) and it is hard for a friend or family member to know what to do. But this is also true in many areas of life's transitions: death, car accidents, house repairs, births, celebrations, etc . . . However, I wonder if the answer does not come until you just come? This seems to be a pattern in how God works: The sea divides when the Israelites step into it; The words are given when Peter steps up to speak; The widow's needs are met when she pours out her last oil. May I be transformed in my thinking and actions to just go when I am prompted and see what God opens up along the way. Why do I think I have to know His purpose and His plan to be obedient to His promptings? (smile). Our God is so mysterious and wondrous. His ways are truly above my ways. This same friend told me once, when her own husband was overseas serving our country, and she was nine months pregnant, a friend said, "I will either come to watch your kids or come to clean your toilets. I am going to come, you just have to decide what to have me do." This is service, this is friendship, this is modeling Christ. Christ served those who loved Him and those who hated Him. He did not wait for us to come to Him or even ask Him to come, but He pursued, served, and died for us. His purpose was to glorify the Father and to be obedient to the Father's will. Oh, Lord, grant me the steadfastness to follow this precious example of my Lord. May my hands and heart be ready to move at Your prompting.

Transitions and Clouds

Today, the sky is a brilliant blue backdrop for huge, billowy, silken clouds. For most of you this would not be worth commenting on at all, or maybe even noticing. However, for most of the past 12 years we did not have such sights of wonder. We lived in the plains of Montana ("rain" measured in hundredths of an inch) or in Southern California (clouds came in varieties of a gray blanket). However, I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and clouds were just like the ones I am experiencing today: Rich in shapes and drifting across the skies, inviting wonder and gazing at their majesty. The wonder of this vision causes me to consider IF it was my upbringing that makes me delight in these puffs of moisture or IF because our family lived in areas without them for so long or maybe it is a combination? For it is very likely that IF I had never seen these clouds, I would have never missed them. And if I always saw them I would take them for granted. Transitions do heighten my awareness and gratitude of certain things. When our grandson died, I noticed other little boys much more and delighted in their presence. Having children leave for college, to make their own homes, or to join the military, brings a certain sweetness to the memories and the phone calls and the times we enjoy together. Through God bringing these transitions into our lives we are more aware of other needs, our gratitude is strengthened and we long for our eternal home--where we will really feel at home and will see the familiar and new things that are beyond our imagination.

Grocery Stores

Who would have thought that grocery stores would have been one of my largest adjustments in our move to Louisville, Kentucky? Certainly not me. I should have been more concerned when my sister-in-law warned me that I would not find as fresh produce in Kentucky as I did in California. I thought certainly, with advanced trucking policies, this would not be an issue.She was right but the lack of fresh produce is a story for another blog entry. Well, we have lived here for two years now and I am having to decide, strictly out of necessity and sanity, to be content with such things as I have. Of course, contentment would please God and glorifying Him should be my top priority, but it is not always. Discontentment has caused me to check out all the stores in the area and to run around to many stores to get what I prefer at each. It has been hard on time and budget. And for someone who REALLY does NOT like to shop, it is frustrating. Instead of being grateful for a season of having a grocery store in California that I found everything I wanted, had great sales, good quality, helpful staff, and always plenty of cashiers--I became discontent with what Louisville offered. The apostle Paul encourages us to learn to be content. As much as I would like to say I have learned this, it is not true, as my grocery store scenario demonstrates. Therefore, along with my coupons, wallet, and shopping list, I will will plaster thanksgiving in front of my eyes when I shop and I will walk in trust that, though this store is not ideal, My Father is perfect and He will provide everything that I need. Of course, God prepared me to face this sin in that two friends, independent of each other, suggested that I read "Growing in Gratitude" by Nancy Leigh Demoss. He also reminded me of this blog as another friend shared with me how she is grateful in a difficult circumstance! God is so gracious in teaching me.

Important Together Routines

My precious and very smart 4 year old granddaughter approached her mother with a very serious inquiry, "If I learn to read, will you keep reading to me?" Now that mother assured her that certainly she would continue to read to her, we suspect the 4 year old will quickly transform all those letters she knows into words she can read and stories in which she will delight in reading, even by herself. But any transition can be scary or difficult to tackle if you lose togetherness in the process. This brings forth the importance in reading in our own family. We read to our children constantly and spontaneously. But we also had certain times of the day that reading was just part of our routine. We read aloud just after breakfast and before the start of other activities. We had "reading" alone time where children would look at books quietly even before they could read them while others were reading the books for real. The end of the day was usually spent enjoying a family read aloud time. And when a child embarked on their own reading plan, they were allowed to stay up a bit later to read. We tried to change up some of these together routines for various reasons but I still remember trying to drop the morning reading time so we could use our morning energy on some serious school subjects that required that vitality. MISTAKE! Instead we felt out of sorts the rest of the day. Just last winter, I realized that our family reading time had been set aside in the midst of many transitions resulting in changing schedules. I know families change and adapt but I also noticed attitude changes and a disconnectedness occurring. So, we brought back our family read aloud time. We have read a variety of material, fiction and nonfiction, as a family. Sometimes it is the parent's choice; sometimes we allow a child to choose. Since one of our sons is joining the army soon, we are reading a military-based book. (I do miss "Blaze", "Good Night Moon", and "Make Way for Ducklings" when compared with bombs, helicopters attacks, and a list of other military jargon I would rather forget.) Our family reading time binds us not just in the time and stories but in the discussions that surround those stories. We learned about men of God, we challenged the ideas of evolution, we explored behind the scenes of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and changed our eating patterns. I know that my granddaughter will grow up in a house where reading aloud will always be a part of what they do and I am reminded to make sure it is something we continue to do, no matter the transitions. By the way, my husband and I usually do not read aloud to one another, but it is common for us to share in reading the same book. Right now, we are reading "Radical" by David Platt. I see us doing more of this type of sharing a book as our family transitions to more young adults unless the grandkids return then we will feast on "Tacky", "Go Dog Go", "Hop on Pop", and "Blueberries for Sal", followed by "Little Britches" and "Anne of Green Gables" and many more good friends we have discovered in books. We have other things we do together but reading has a special place in our family.So maybe it is not reading for your family but it is good to evaluate what are some of your unique "together routines" and to keep them going--and if attitudes are turning sour, maybe evaluate if those routines have been lost along the way.