Yearly Archives: 2015

Daily Life, Project 365

Workout Time

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Daniel has definitely led the way this year in making goals. He’s got a great collection of spiritual, physical and personal goals. One of them includes working out. He borrowed a set of dvds from a church friend and has been faithfully following them each day.

Daniel sits at his desk next to David & Sarah.

Daniel sits at his desk next to David & Sarah.

Rachel and Joshua prefer running/jogging/swimming as their exercise of choice. They are also great examples. Rachel logged between 175 and 200 miles of running this past year (my hero!!).

Last moment with Rachel at the airport

Last moment with Rachel at the airport

Finally David, Sarah and I couldn’t stand it any longer. We had to give T25 a try. The wonderful thing about this program by Shaun T is that you complete your entire workout in TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES! Okay, even a busy homeschooling mama like myself can find 25 minutes in the day for a little exercise.

A nice walk in the cool misty WA air after our workout.

A nice walk in the cool misty WA air after our workout.

David works hard!

David works hard!

Sarah is more reluctant about this program, but David and I are very persuasive. “Sarah! Come on, you can do it, join us!!” She might thank us later.

My pretty girl (POST workout)

My pretty girl (POST workout)

We’ll see how it goes. This is just our first week! I make sure to ice my knee after each workout, and I’m very grateful Shaun includes a modified move for the workout. I keep up as best I can, feeling my 40 plus years. :)

Project 365 – Day 10
Kathy

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David, Project 365

Some Days I’m Witty

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I’m beginning to remember what it was like to do Project 365, back in 2007.

Every day, without fail, you have to come up with something witty or meaningful to say. If you don’t, you’re like a person who breaks a chain letter, or like the tooth fairy who fails to come when a small child places their tooth under their pillow.

Actually, the tooth fairy is notoriously late in our household; sometimes she takes weeks to arrive. She breezes into town, mumbling something about a hockey tournament in Denver. You just can’t rely on her anymore.

The problem is, some days, I’m just not that meaningful or witty. And even with our current arrangement of blogging every other day, the days that I’m ‘on’ seem to crop up pretty often.

“Keep the bar low,” I told Kathy, yesterday. She ignored me, and posted seven pictures of my two older boys, clowning around. Several of the pictures had clever captions. But did she think about what it would be like, to be me, today?

No. She didn’t care. It was ‘every woman for herself’ day, yesterday.

Well, as every parent knows, when you don’t have anything to say, just show off your cute kids. Although my kids are getting older, and few of them can be referred to (at least to their faces) as ‘cute’, still, I am always proud to show them off.

Here is David, setting out on a cycling adventure.

Here is David, setting out on a cycling adventure.

David will be fourteen soon, which is mind-boggling. He has always been my ‘youngest son’, and I’m not really ready for him to be biking around town by himself. Next thing you know, he’ll be hinting about Drivers’ Ed.

Oh, boy. I can hardly wait. Project 365, Day 9.

Tim

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Daily Life, Daniel, Joshua, Project 365

Brothers

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Nothing warms my heart, filling it to the brim of contented happiness, like having my children come home and spend time with us. This year has been a big shift for us with Joshua and Rachel both off at college, and Daniel attending the technical school full time. We savored the time we had together over Christmas and were especially spoiled to have my mom here.

Now Rachel has returned to Tennessee, and the rest of us have started back to school.

Let's do some school

“Joshua, have you ever seen this? It’s called science.”

Thankfully Joshua is still at home. He decided not to attend Union’s January term this year and instead enjoy an extended winter break.

Well, this shouldn't be hard.

“Hmmm, it doesn’t look too hard.”

Joshua, Tim and Daniel have played hours of board games. Joshua, Sarah and my mom worked on several puzzles. We’ve all watched lots of movies. Joshua has been very helpful around the house AND with school projects.

There's something funny about this science book.

Let me get a closer look.

I can't take it.

“No, you’re doing it all wrong, Joshua!”

"Don't leave me, Joshua!"

“Joshua! Come back here!”

Advanced Physics isn’t really the subject du joir. Thankfully the boys found something else they could work on.

"These are called ingredients."

“Daniel, this list here is called ingredients.”

"And they expect us to actually COOK?"

“Wait, can’t we go back to science? Is this Advanced Cooking?”

Project 365 – you never know what kind of snapshots you’ll get on a random Thursday.

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Project 365, Sarah

A Blessing of My Own

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Three weeks ago, we had a special skit for the Sparks and Truth & Training kids at AWANA. Each year as Christmas approaches, I try to have a skit that specifically highlights the gospel in a way that the kids can understand. I’m not very good at it, but I always have some kind of ‘altar call’ in which the kids have an opportunity to choose to accept God’s gift of Salvation in a public way.

This year we re-used a skit we had performed before, called The Gift. Our mighty and elite Drama & Serve Team performed it; they did a great job, as usual (especially considering that I made them do it without scripts). Afterward, I explained the skit, and asked the audience of some 80 Sparks and T&T kids if any of them wanted to accept the Gift of God, and if so, to come forward.

Who wouldn't want a gift like this one?

Who wouldn’t want a gift like this one? Especially if they knew who was inside?

Fifteen kids came forward. I explained to them how to accept God’s gift (Admit, Repent, Believe, Tell), and walked them through a simple prayer. It was chaotic, and I was un-prepared for such a large group of kids. I had planned (as is my usual practice) to give them each a Bible, but Kathy suggested we do something different, especially since so many of them were Sparks (Kindergarten through 2nd Grade). She had been told by several of their parents that they were getting Bibles for Christmas, so I promised the kids I would have something else for them, when next we met.

Today was the first AWANA meeting since Christmas. I bought some dog tags from Christian Book Distributors so the kids who had become Christians could wear them and be reminded that they are now children of the King. And Kathy found a cool blessing on Etsy, wherein the text of Numbers 6:24-26 was modified to include the name of each child. We spent a few hours constructing our own version in Publisher, and framed them for the kids. My hope is that they will display the blessings in their room, and remember that they belong to a God who loves them, whenever they see it.

This is the 'girl' version of the blessing we made.

This is the ‘girl’ version of the blessing we made, modeled by Sarah.

Serving in our AWANA program is a huge privilege. Even though I know that some kids don’t really understand the choice they are making, and others have already made the choice, but wanted an opportunity to make it more publicly — still, I rejoice to know that some fifteen hearts have said ‘Yes’ to God’s gift of Salvation.

A somewhat clearer version of the blessing for Sarah.

A somewhat clearer version of the blessing for Sarah.

As Jesus said:

“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Project 365, Day 7
Tim

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Being a Disciple of Jesus, Bible Study, Kathy, Project 365

Bible Journaling

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On shelves and baskets in our home are journals and notebooks of all sizes. I have poured out my heart to the Lord on those pages. I have written down silly thoughts, shared my sorrows, and recorded both struggles and victories. I have chronicled the days, interceded for loved ones, taken notes from God’s Word, and filled pages with pieces of ME.

Current basket on the shelf in the living room.

Prayer journals, Union U devotional, the Psalms in verse, and more.

In my search for an intentional, meaningful, GROWING 2015, I have been drawn to the idea of journaling my Bible or journaling through my Bible study. Several days a week the younger two children and I sit down with our Thankful Journals and write down 10 things for which we are thankful. Our voices lifted to the ONE through whom all blessings flow, we go around and share our praises.

Bible, journal and pens. Potential for new learning.

Bible, journal and pens. Potential for new learning.

I am NOT artistic or creative or crafty. When I put a pencil to paper, ready to illustrate an image or thought, the picture slips away before it reaches the page. At best it resembles something a preschooler would scribble. Embellishments, swirls, elaborate or simple fonts, they elude me. The distance between the picture in my head and the paper beneath my fingers is so vast it’s almost comical.

Yesterday I was writing out a memory verse. “I’ll illustrate it to help remember the phrases,” I thought. But the ear I drew (for ‘heard’) and feet (for ‘walking’) looked more like pieces of a bizarre puzzle than parts of a body. I realized, once again, that drawing would NOT be a helpful tool for me in this endeavor.

A collection of prayers, thoughts, and daily remembrances.

A shelf of journals – random collection of prayers, thoughts, and daily remembrances.

And yet, I find myself drawn to a fresh stack of marking pens (ones that won’t bleed through the sheer pages of my Bible) and a package of colored pencils. I search Pinterest for Bible Journaling ideas. I smile at this amazing woman’s journal and study the posts of another blogger’s foray into artistic Bible journaling. I even discovered an incredible FB group for Bible Journaling.

Through it all, I realize Jesus cares about my FAITH. He cares about my OBEDIENCE. He doesn’t care if I can draw or give life to the pictures in my head. He wants me to dive into His Word. To study it, love it, memorize it, enjoy it, be convicted by it, treasure it, LIVE IT!

A heart that seeks HIM - in b&w and color.

A heart that seeks HIM – in b&w and color.

And so here we are, in a fresh year; with the chance to begin again. To try new things. To return to old, faithful treasured habits. To revive an apathetic and lazy heart. In the newness of 2015, I have decided to SOAK up the Word of God. Using my ESV study Bible, an enormous blank journal, mugs full of marking pencils and pens, and following my ESV read through the Bible plan, I will:

Study SCRIPTURE - OBSERVE the Word – APPLY truth – and KNEEL in prayer.

My journal will have color and life, it will be pretty and joyful, it will be fresh and REAL. It will be messy and full of brokenness, transparency and truth. It will be a humble offering to the ONE who creates beauty in all things.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight,
O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer. Ps 19:14

Project 365 – Day 6
Kathy

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