Memory Work

As  Charlotte Mason/classical homeschoolers, we have often engaged in memory work as a part of our schooling. I have found that young children are capable of memorizing copious amounts of material in a relatively short amount of time.

On the Loose is now 3 years 5 months old and has two items memorized that we'd like to share today:

 

These two pieces, in particular, are The Lord's Prayer and The Apostle's Creed. We attend a PCA church. We use these in our worship service each week. So, not only does our work serve merely as memory work, it enables On the Loose to actively participate in the corporate worship service. He knows when they are about to be said and loves to recite them with the rest of the congregation.

I hope that you find this encouraging! I am planning on beginning a memorization program with him shortly in which we will use The Memory Work Notebook by Paul Settle, published by Great Commision Publications.

May you find much satisfaction in your memory work!

Word of the Year update

I'm a week late. I know. My committment was to post an update on my Word of the Year on the first Monday of each month. Last Monday I took the kids into San Francisco to have lunch with Don and wander around. The big kids and I bowled and we took On the Loose to a nice playground. Footloose tempted fate and was given a talking to by the "playground patrol" who threatened to ask her to leave for going down the slide. The playground sign said that the equipment was for ages 5-12. She explained to him that she was 12. He said he didn't believe her. So, I had to step in and inform him that, yes, she is only 12. Poor guy! She is 5'8" after all and walks around in a woman's body but 12 is still convenient for us when it comes to playgrounds and kids' meals. :-)

Back to my Word of the Year---Prayer.

I really didn't know what I was getting myself into by choosing this word. Did I think that God wasn't going to use it to reveal my weaknesses or my desperate need for spiritual growth? 

What have I learned so far as I've focussed on my word? I've learned that I don't know a thing about prayer. I've learned that I've spent the last 20 years as a Christian fumbling around and not being effective. I've learned that, although I do have a tremendous amount of faith, I have not been showing that in my prayer life.

The ladies' Bible study that I attend has been studying prayer for the past few months using Andrew Murray's With Christ in the School of Prayer. At times, instead of coming away feeling uplifted and encouraged, I have found myself feeling defeated and unsure. It almost seems as if the way I've viewed prayer for all these years is so inadequate. Now that we've finished the book, I feel like I need to go through and read it again to really deal with all that's been laid before me.

What I do know...I want to have a devoted life of prayer. I want my prayers to be pleasing to the One who intercedes for me. I want my prayers to change things. I want my prayers to change me.

What I don't know...How I'm going to get there from where I am right now. 

So, I feel like a new Christian again in spite of the fact that I've been a believer for 20 years this month! I feel like I'm relearning to walk when I should be at the point where I'm soaring. I'm starting small with offering faithful prayers with the confidence that He will answer because I am abiding in Him.

I'm thankful for being pruned even though it's uncomfortable. I'm like an overgrown tree that has ceased to produce fruit because it has become unhealthy. But God is faithful and He is pruning me back to the point where I can grow again. I do look foward to the continued lessons as He walks beside me while I take baby steps. 

When I grow up, I want to be a "prayer warrior." 

And there you have it...me being real!

I'm still here...

It's been a week since I've blogged. On Wednesday of last week, On the Loose got sick. On Thursday night, I came down with it. I went from feeling totally healthy to feeling like I was going to die in a matter of one hour. The chills and body aches were agony (and, for those who think I'm prone to hyperbole, this is no exaggeration!). Fortunately, the worst of it was over in 24 hours but I felt bad for three days.

Sunday, after church, we left for San Francisco again. We've been hanging out here this week while hubby works hard. It's supposed to rain the next couple of days up  here so I don't know if we'll do anything.

I know I missed my scheduled post on my word of the year on Monday. I'm thinking on it and will get something up soon. The living out of my word is going differently than I thought it would and I'm processing that.

That's it for a quick update. I'll see you all again soon!

Legalism or....

I've been thinking about legalism again. What is it? What is it not? Why does the word get thrown around so much? It does seem to me that many Christians accuse other Christians of being "legalists" when they simply don't agree with the standard to which the latter live. 

True legalism is adding to the word of God. It is setting a standard that is extrabiblical. A couple of months ago I had a conversation on this topic with another Christian. This person was concerned that I am a legalist and that I lead others down that same path. I was taken aback by this and asked the Lord to seek my heart and reveal to me if it was truth.

After some prayer and soul searching, this is what I responded to my friend:

--I think you confuse my desire for obedience in my own life for legalism. Jesus Himself says, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.” (John 14:23) And, the Great Commission even says, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20) When we are touched by His grace-made new by His grace- we will desire to obey His teachings. 

Obedience without grace is legalism. Grace without obedience is antinomian. We, as Christians, walk the line between the two. We love the Lord and obey Him because of the grace He has shown us. I don’t seek to obey because I think I am earning some sort of favor with God. I don’t seek to obey because I want some set of rules that make me feel better about myself. I don’t obey because I’m trying to earn my way into His presence. I desire to be obedient because I love Him; because I am keenly aware of His grace. And, I fall short every single day which causes me to fall back on His grace and forgiveness.  I don’t see myself as having a voice of influence. But, if I do influence anyone, I would pray that it would be to obey what the Lord has for them out of an abundance of His grace. I don’t set up some extra-biblical rules and then place a yoke of following them upon others, or even upon myself.--

As I contemplate this topic once more, my prayer is that I will focus on my own obedience before the Lord and that I will be grace extending to those around me. Above all, my desire is for the Lord to continue to make His grace full in my own life and in the lives of His people.

 

Hopefully Helpful

My guess is that most of my friends are already aware of this magic trick but since I just performed it, I thought I'd share for the benefit of those who may not know. :-)

When cleaning the microwave:

Fill a bowl with water and baking soda. Throw your dishrag into the bowl. Heat in the microwave for about 2 1/2 minutes. Let sit for several minutes to let the steam do its work. Open the door and wipe out your appliance with ease! It will come clean so easily and the baking soda will take out the smell of whatever has been cooking in there.

For an added bonus: squeeze some fresh lemon (or orange) juice into your water before heating. Put the remaining pulp and rinds down the garbage disposal and grind. Your whole kitchen will smell fresh and clean! I'm sure a few drops of essential oil would do the trick as well.

Back to work....:-)

School on the road

I continue to love the flexibility of being a homeschooler. I do admit, though, that's it is becoming more difficult as the kids get older. This week, we've been staying in a small town just north of San Francisco while my husband works in the city. (We're literally about one mile from San Quentin--California's most notorious prison. I was wondering if they had any room for......just kidding....:-)

Both kids are taking classes through The Potter's School this year so as long as we have a high speed connection, we're good to go. The challenge comes with keeping up with all of our assignments when we're away not to mention lugging an entire extra suitcase just to accomodate the sheer size of all of those high school text books! 

I really need to figure out how to keep our school routine while we're on the road as we will be traveling with dad at least three more weeks in the next two months. I also need to plan what we will do in the local area during those trips. We will be competing in two tournaments while we travel at the end of March so I know what those days will hold. 

I'd love to hear any ideas for keeping school moving while on the road. It was a lot easier when they were little and the work could wait until we got back home. But, I do love being able to travel together, make memories and experience life in different geographical regions!

We're looking forward to being home tomorrow and to our next road trip!

Wordless Wednesday