Guest Post - Trusting God as My Father - Grace to Endure Blog

Today I am pleased to have a guest post from my wonderful sister.  Check her out over at Grace to Endure.


 Trusting God as My Father
It is amazing the things that you realize when you are watching children play. As I was sitting in the carpool line waiting for my son to be dismissed from school today, I rolled down my window only to hear the sounds of children screaming, yelling, and laughing. I looked up and saw children running around playing and smiling…without a care in the world. My mind then filled with images of my own beautiful children; my pre-teen sleeping peacefully in his bed at night, my toddler running to me with his arms reaching out. Our children trust in us. They don’t worry if whether or not they will be clothed, or fed. They know that they will be taken care of and that they are loved and wanted.

Then I thought to myself, “Isn’t that the way I should be with my Heavenly Father”? What happens to us that we learn not to trust Him?

Life.

When circumstances arise in our lives and things don’t go according to our plans, most of us allow those circumstances to cause us to distrust God. This leads to all kinds of anxious feelings. We can have thoughts that overtake us and even affect our health. However, God’s word tells us NOT to allow ourselves to be anxious about anything.

“Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you Why do you have so little faith?

“And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.

“So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.

Luke 12:22-32

I have had many difficult situations in my life. Some of them I was able to readily give them to the Lord, but there have been others that have caused me to feel anxious. I have found that trusting God to handle the situation always results in peace.

Peace: harmony; undisturbedness from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts (Amplified Bible)

Selah ...

If you enjoyed this post visit my sister's blog at Grace to Endure

Picking Strawberries at Adam's Acres - Strawberry Jam Fun

One of my favorite things about spring and early summer is that we get to go and pick strawberries.  My oldest daughter was 3 when we first started picking strawberries and it is really a family tradition we look forward to.   In a world full of television, video games, and all sorts of things grabbing our kids attention and affections its so important to realize that what they will really appreciate and remember as they get older are the fun things you do together like going to the farm each year.

This was our first  year making strawberry jam and it turned out great!  Coupled with our homemade biscuits we have managed to already eat at least 3 jars of jam.  Below is a link to the recipe I used to make my jam.  I did not add any pectin just stirred and stirred until I felt it was thick enough.

Strawberry Jam Recipe from Allrecipes.com

Brother and Sister Smashing Strawberries for Jam

Homeschool Subject Planner Page

When I started homeschooling I found one of my biggest frustrations was finding time for home management.    Then I came across an article about a family that operates on a 3 week on 1 week off schedule.  During the week "off" mom gets a chance to catch-up on some housework, meal plan, and simply rest.  Since reading the article we have adopted this schedule and I love it.  Prior to doing this I used a subject planner to organize our homeschool curriculum.  Basically I plan one subject per page.  I have adapted my subject planner to reflect this new 3 week on one week off schedule.  Click on the link below to download a subject planning page you can print and  use for your family.

 

Homeschool Subject Planning Page - Button Theme

The Most Important Subject During My Homeschool Day

Like many homeschoolers I often find my day going way off schedule.  To be perfectly honest I have a pretty great schedule written down.  However, most days I find I am actually going off schedule.  I don't know if I am just trying to cram too much in one day.  Perhaps my schedule just doesn't allow for any interruptions or moments when I have to explain a concept over and over again.  I just know that lately I have become increasingly frustrated with my lack of consistency in following my schedule.  This frustration has been amplified by not always knowing what subjects to teach and which to let go when my day does not go the way I plan.  Then I was challenged by the thought of letting Bible slide.  After all isn't it important that we cover at least math and language arts daily.  Those are the two subjects we are required to test our children on (at least in Virginia) and report their scores to the superintendent.  Then it struck me Bible is not just a subject and if I treat it as just one more thing to get through on our daily checklist that is exactly the view my children will have towards God's Word.  

Today we read in John chapter 6 that Jesus is the bread of life.  Nothing will sustain my children more than learning God's Word.  And not just memorizing verses but learning the daily discipline and privilege of spending time with Jesus.  She is learning to discern the voice of Holy Spirit.  She is learning of the faith that will keep her everyday of her life.  We don't know what the future holds.  There is no guarantee that the America we live in today, that is still so full of opportunity and wealth, will be that same America our children and grandchildren experience.  The best and most important thing we can teach our children is to have a hunger and thirst after God.  To live life in light of eternity.  This will only be accomplished if we make sure we don't neglect the most important subject in our homeschool day and our entire life - God's Word.  Everything else can wait.

A Little Yeast Can Change a Whole Batch of Dough

This spring I made a goal to start making homemade bread.  I had in my mind that I will finally be a true homemaker once I learn how to make great tasting bread.  Well this week I am happy to report that I have managed to make homemade bread three times.  Admittedly, my first attempt was about a month ago.  It didn't turn out bad but for some reason I stopped and this was my first week trying to pick it back up again.
Anyone that makes bread knows that yeast makes a huge difference.  It's amazing how the yeast causes the bread to rise.  Even once you punch the bread down the yeast will cause it to rise again.  The yeast is alive and active.

Recently, I have found myself feeling disconnected from God.  This morning during my quiet time I ran across this passage from Galatians 5:9 - "A little yeast can change a whole batch of dough ..."  Isn't God so timely with what Holy Spirit illuminates to you.  Through reading this and other scriptures in Galatians I repented of having a critical spirit towards some people in my life.  To be honest I didn't see it coming.  I can't even pin point when I allowed this spirit to infiltrate my thoughts and attitudes.  I just know it's there and has caused my texture to change just as yeast changes the texture of bread.  I repented and thanked God for showing me this.

We have to guard ourselves constantly and examine ourselves and motives each day.  Every time we find ourselves being critical towards others we should take that opportunity to pray for that person.  Sure yeast may be great in bread but a little worldly yeast in your life is no good at all.

Go to Granola

Here is the basic granola recipe I use.  It is very simple and I add a variety of things to it to change the taste and texture.  We eat it for breakfast with milk, pack it for lunch with yogurt, and eat it for a dessert.

Ingredients:

4 Cups Old-Fashion Oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp of ground cinnamon (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
In a saucepan mix brown sugar, honey, canola oil, and cinnamon.  Heat to a boil.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.  Allow to sit a few minutes until the extract stops bubbling.  In a separate bowl pour in your 4 cups of oats.  Pour mixture over oats and mix thoroughly. Heat oven to 350 degrees F and take a medium sized baking sheet.  Spread mixture in a thin layer over the baking sheet.  Cook for 6 minutes.  Take out of the oven flip the mixture over with a spatula and cook another 6 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Once completely cool add what you like.  Some things I typically add are:
Raisins
Chocolate Chips
Craisins
Marshmallows
Banana Chips

Also you could add:
Nuts (any variety) - my son is allergic to peanuts so we normally stay away from adding nuts
Sunflower Seeds

Enjoy.  If you have another recipe I would love to see it.

Guest Post from Patiently Enduring - Seasoned With Salt

I would like to introduce a wonderful women full of God's spirit and grace.  Her name is Patiently Enduring and she is my sister.  Below is a post from her new blog Grace to Endure.   She also has a website she maintains called Loved and Forgiven. She would love for you to come and check her out.

Seasoned With Salt -
Life throws many challenges our way. I was reflecting on my own life earlier today. Compared to many, I have to admit I have had a pretty good life. It has not, however been without its share of challenges. As I have grown more spiritually, I have recognized those challenges as more opportunities to trust the God that I claim to serve. What I mean is this. For some of us we never really know how much we really love the Lord until we go through trials. Something that forces us to fall on our knees, through up our hands to Him surrendering every ounce of our being.