Sacred Mundane: The Blog

This weekend, on my birthday, we’re spending 3 days, 8am-5pm, in DHS foster/adoption training. Sounds like a blast, huh?! It will be a blast someday if we’re able to add another little lamb to our flock, but for today it doesn’t sound like much of a party. So, I thought we’d just throw a little online party here instead; and you’re invited!

I’ve always thought the best birthday parties are the ones where the guests get gifts. Last weekend we took the kids to one such party and the 18-year-old birthday girl gave sand-pails filled with toys to our kids! They spent the entire time happily playing with their toys so I actually got to hold hands with my husband and eat a massive chocolate cupcake by myself. Now that’s a good birthday party.

So, I thought for my birthday party we’d give you gifts. And since I’m a book-lover, the gifts are: books galore. And since I now have two 3s in my age, we’ll do this in 3s:

TODAY only, my three e-books are FREE!

• Plenty: 31 sips of joy for moms everywhere
• Let In Light: His truth every morning for 31 days
• Friendship: A gift to give

Plus, I still have some hardcover copies of Unfinished: Believing is only the beginning by Richard Stearns, president of World Vision. So click here to get your free e-books, and if you’d like a chance to win Unfinished, leave a comment and we’ll pick THREE winners tomorrow!

(And yes, you can download e-books even if you don’t own a Kindle, just click “Available on your PC” or “Available on your Mac” just above the “Give as Gift” button on the righthand side of the Amazon screen–and click the gift button to give as many copies as you like! Thanks for reading.)

Outside my bedroom window is a tall birch tree.

It stretches its white-barked arms high toward heaven. Right beside it stands a cherry tree. It dwarfs in comparison to the birch–only half its height–the dark branches bowing their humble heads. But the cherry tree is dazzling white with blossoms, the promise of summer’s bounty.  Below both of these trees is … dirt. The dirt isn’t doing much at all. No blossoms, no beautiful branches stretched high. But I’m sure glad the dirt is there!  And the dirt is doing exactly what it was made to do. Being dirt.

And praising God.

Psalm 148 tell us how everything brings God praise:

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights above.
Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for at his command they were created,
and he established them for ever and ever—
he issued a decree that will never pass away.

Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,
kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,
young men and women,
old men and children.

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
And he has raised up for his people a horn,
the praise of all his faithful servants,
of Israel, the people close to his heart.

Praise the Lord.

The birch tree out my window is praising the Lord. The cherry tree is too, and so is the dirt. How? By being and doing exactly what God created it to be and do. Simple. No stress, no striving, no jealousy or competition. Just rest, life … praise. Could it be the same for us? 

You don’t have to be like her.

You don’t have to look like her.

You don’t have to have a ministry like hers.

You don’t have to have a house like hers.

You don’t have to have kids like hers.

You don’t have to take to your bed in sorrow when the world tells you you’re dirt.

Even dirt can praise God.

It brings God praise when we exult in, rest in, rejoice in, who He made us to be.  As He allows painful trials, it isn’t that He’s destroying us, He’s simply helping us become more of who He made us to be. More ourselves. More fully able to bring Him praise. 

Who are you? 

Today He created me to love one man and two little squirrels. To clean the bathroom, read books about bugs, and write a few words in between. That’s how I’ll bring Him praise today…

What about you? By simply being and doing what He created you to be and do, How will you bring Him praise today?

Our world reels unless we rejoice. A song of thanks steadies everything.

-Ann Voskamp

Sometimes I feel as though my list of thanks just ends up being a highlight reel of the week. I don’t want that. And honestly, I don’t live a highlight reel life, I live a real life.  The secret to true thanks is giving thanks in all things. Not just the highlight reel. Sure, there were some high-points this week that nourished my soul, brought perspective, and lifted my heart, but the greatest gifts were inward ones.

Inward work of the Father. His love revealed in quiet ways. His whispers. Small gestures of kindness from a friend that would appear nothing but meant everything.

I was blessed by the kindness of a fellow mom I’d only met once before, treating us so generously to a field trip to OMSI. So blessed by watching the faces of my children, enraptured, joy-filled, exploring, learning, running, playing. So blessed by her gentle, humble presence. Her simple acceptance of me and my kids.

I was so blessed this week by finally sleeping through the night after 10 straight days of coughing myself silly. So grateful for health! For life! For sun! For green things growing and salads from the garden and fresh hand-made pasta from our housemate. I was so blessed this week by one simple email from a friend. She didn’t have to write it, but she did.   I was so blessed by truth, which brings light. By grace, which brings love. By hope, which brings comfort and joy.

I was so blessed by the light in Mary’s eyes as she played with Dutch & Heidi. I was so blessed by laughter. By tromping barefoot through wide-open fields of dirt, for side-splitting laughter as we went from, “This feels good,” to “the dirt-clods kind of hurt,” to “I have tears in my eyes” to “I think my feet are bleeding.” I was so blessed by a truck pulling up in the middle of the field (with my son in the cab!) to pick us up. I was so blessed by hand-made hamburgers and fresh blueberries and eating so much pineapple my mouth hurt. I was blessed by an enormous chocolate cupcake I should n’t haven’t eaten but I did.  

I was blessed by my man. He is calm and love and firm steady grace. He is others-focused and Christ-centered. He bears my moods patiently. Grateful for that.

I am blessed by open windows in the morning and coffee brewing early. By the smell of Heidi’s palms and Dutch’s breath. By inconveniences like both children crawling in our bed early. By lying there just stroking his cheek as he sleeps. I’m grateful for this week, with all its highs and lows, and for today–a new day full of mercy. Great is His faithfulness.

Thanks for reading. 

First confession: I haven’t “done school” in three months.

Second confession: It was during these three months that Jamie asked me to be a regular contributor here at Simple Homeschool (so excited for this!).

Final confession: My kids have learned more and I’ve learned more about them learning more (got that?) in these three months than ever before.

So the timing felt right, and that’s what I’m learning:

About feeling right and summer education.

See, during the three months we weren’t “doing school,” I was in the throes of my busiest season. I speak at women’s events and these are heavily concentrated in the fall and spring. At first this felt like a handicap for homeschooling.

The regular school times were my busiest seasons, which meant Mama’s brain was just plain tired. Sure, we spent time together each day adventuring and discovering, reading and exploring, but I just wasn’t up for cracking open the curriculum for concentrated school-time.

But then it dawned on me: We can set our own school schedule! And further, we can learn year-round without worrying about breaks or calendars at all. And more than that, I was amazed at how much my kids learned despite our lack of formal school. Could I really be this relaxed about it all?  {Read the rest here… thanks so much!}