Never Marry a Preacher

     When I was a little girl, my mom was always telling me, "But, whatever you do, never marry a preacher!".  I remember her and her friend would always have a good laugh about this.  It was an ongoing joke whenever the topic of dating or marriage came up. 
     I really did intend to heed my mother's warning  (albeit tongue-in-cheek.).  My goal was to attend college, get my degree in biology, then marry me some Godly man who wished to live in a tent and study some variety of plant or animal life.  Didn't happen.  I wasn't even married by the end of college!  This was definitely NOT part of the plans.  I began to earnestly seek God, asking what it was He had in store for me.  He spoke to me in a very unique way...you probably wouldn't believe it if I told you. But I knew for sure and for certain I was to be a minister's wife.
     That's why I was a little scared when the next man I dated (Darrell) told me he was called to the ministry.  But--- I was naive and in love...all that stuff my mom said about living in a fishbowl and your life not being your own...was all that really true or so bad?   
    If you know me, you of course know how the story has turned out.  My mom has teased me, saying, "When are you going to rebel?...Oh, yeah, I remember...you married a preacher!"  My mom's friend even brought up this joke at our rehearsal dinner the night before our wedding.  She gave my mom a great compliment, telling her that if she didn't want me to marry a minister, then she shouldn't have raised me the way she did.  We got married, moved to seminary 10 days later.  A few weeks after that, Darrell accecpted the call to a church as part-time youth minister. 
     A few years later God would solidify in my mind this "marrying a preacher" business.  After serving in our first church for two years we felt called to resign, even though we didn't have another church waiting.  Darrell and I agreed that maybe what we needed was to just be "regular church attenders" for a while.  The first  Sunday we attended your typical Baptist Church.  A wonderful service and congregation, but we were miserable. So, for the next several Sundays, we thought we would try something different. We saw on the seminary bulletin board where a church plant was meeting in a local high school.  We decided to check it out. Within a few weeks, the church asked Darrell to become their youth minister.  We met with them, but after prayer decided it was not God's will.  We were feeling pretty down about this, but when we got home to our seminary apartment, there was a message from a church on the machine asking Darrell to be their full-time youth minister! 
     Darrell and I often look back at that pivotal period of just a few weeks in our life.  It was the only time we have ever left a church without God calling us to a new one.  Many told us to wait until we were called to a church.  But we felt strongly that God wanted us to resign without having found another church.  I can now see God's purpose and plan in all of that.  We can distinctively remember those feelings of unrest when we thought we would just be another person in the pew.  God allowed us to experience that so that we know just how out of God's will that is for Darrell and I. 
     To those who think they may be want to go into the ministry, Darrell and I tell them to just make sure they are called, and that they marry someone who is called.  You know you are called to the ministry when it is the only thing that brings you satisfaction and joy.  Darrell and I cannot imagine doing anything else-- ever.  We won't even consider it, because we know we'd be miserable.   We might be able to sleep in on Sundays, clock in/out of a 40 hr. job, or go to sleep without worrying over some church matter---but we'd be miserable.  We know that for sure and for certain.
    
Blessed to be a preacher's wife,
Letha

A Website for All My Couponing Friends I Bet You Have Never Heard of...

    I do not have much time to blog this week because of VBS preparations, but this is a website/blog I found and I wanted to pass it along: faithfulprovisions.com
    You will find that it is more than just coupons.  She has some great resources on there to help get you organized, etc.  She also has lots of recipes.  I think you will also find more links to organic and natural coupons/grocery stores than other sites..  Can't believe I had never heard of her before!  (I read about her in either Parent Life or Home Life.)  
   

My Top Picks for Summer (or anytime) Read Aloud Books

This is a list of some of my favorite books I have read aloud to my kids over the years (mostly via Sonlight, our home education curriculum):

(The books are listed by approxitmate read-aloud age.  So just adjust accordingly if you want your child to read him/herself.)  I love reading aloud to my boys...I really miss it when we are out of "school" and it is not part of our daily routine.  I have managed to read some to them, though.  They do lots of independent reading in the summer.

For younger kids (Preschool-2nd Grade)
1. The Giving Tree (Shel Silverstein)
2. The Lorax (Dr. Seuss)
3. Coat of Many Colors ( Dolly Parton)
4. The Hundred Dresses (Doesn't sound like a book on bullying, does it?)
5. Charlotte's Web (I cry every time!)
6. Mr. Popper's Penguins (Can't vouch for the movie, haven't seen it yet...my kids loved the book!)
7. The Year of Mrs. Agnes (Hill)
8. The Cricket in Times Square (goes with our NYC VBS theme!)
9. Strawberry Girl (Not a "girlie" book in the least!)
10. Detectives in Togas (Winterfield)

For 3rd -6th:
1. Johnny Tremain (Forbes)
2. Carry on, Mr. Bowditch (Newberry Award)
3. The Witch of Blackbird Pond (one of my all time favs...and no witches!)
4. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Newberry Award)
5. The House of Sixty Fathers (Newberry Award)
6. The Wolves of Wiloughby Chase (Aiken)

And.....of course, a GREAT SERIES FOR ALL AGES....you can't go wrong with....THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA!  (Can't believe I never read these as a child....My husband  was so shocked...!)

I hope you get a chance to read a few of these with your kids.  I really think you will love the stories!  Leave a post if you get to read any of them a give us a book review!  (But, don't give away the ending for others!  haha!)

Happy Reading!!

Letha

*I know there are more Newberry books in this list.  I just did not mention them all.

Grace is Like Chocolate Cake

This week I attended Student Life Camp for Kids along with 5 other adults and 19 children.  (An AWESOME week!) I wanted to share one of the illustrations that Adam Robinson (the camp pastor) used to teach about grace and mercy.  A lot of children (and adults) hear these terms, but many times have no idea their true meaning.  Granted, this is probably not a theologically exhaustive definition, but one that our children GOT. 

 Adam told the story of a little boy who had been out playing in the mud.  His shoes were caked in it.  He walked straight through the living room and got mud all over the carpet.  His mom was in the kitchen, but it did not take her long to discover the mud all over her precious carpet!!  She was not happy about the situation, obviously!  She called her son into the kitchen, pulled out a knife...and cut the little boy a huge piece of chocolate cake!!!  The little boy was in awe!  He sure did enjoy that delicious cake his mom made for him!  Now you know.....grace is like chocolate cake.   Grace is getting what we don't deserve, and Mercy is NOT getting what we do deserve (in this case, punishment for muddying the floor).   Adam went on to say that many times we receive grace, not instead of punishment, but just because God loves us.   I wish I could tell the story like Adam did!  But, I think you get the main idea. 

 love this verse.....

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast."    Eph. 2:8-9

"One Little Boy"

     I was reading The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook by Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore yesterday as I waited in the orthodontist's office.  This poem/story really got me...very powerful.  Dedicated to all my fellow home educators and school teachers alike.  May we all be inspired to let our children express their creativity.  May all of us be courageous enough to be ourselves!

One Little Boy

Once a little boy went to school.

He was quite a little boy.

And it was quite a big school.

But when the little boy

Found that he could go to his room

By walking right in from the door outside,

He was happy.

And the school did not seem quite so big

Anymore.

One morning

When the little boy had been in school awhile

The teacher said:

"Today we are going to make a picture."

"Good!" thought the little boy.

He liked to make pictures.

He could make all kinds:

Lions and tigers,

Chickens and cows,

Trains and boats--

And he took out his box of crayons

And began to draw.

But the teacher said: "Wait!

It is not time to begin!"

And she waited until everyone looked ready.

"Now," said the teacher,

"We are going to make flowers."

"Good!" thought the little boy.

He liked to make flowers.

And he began to make beautiful ones

With his pink and orange and blue crayons.

But the teacher said "Wait!

And I will show you how."

And it was red, with a green stem.

"There," said the teacher,

"Now you may begin."

The little boy looked at his own flower.

He liked his flower better than the teacher's.

But he did not say this.

He just turned his paper over

And made a flower like the teacher's.

It was red, with a green stem.

On another day

When the little boy had opened

The door from the outside all by himself,

The teacher said:

"Today we are going to make something with clay."

"Good!" thought the little boy.

He like clay.

He could make all kinds of things with clay:

Snakes and snowmen,

Elephants and mice,

Cars and trucks--

And he began to pull and pinch

His ball of clay.

But the teacher said: "Wait!

It is not time to begin!"

And she waited until everyone looked ready.

"Now" said the teacher.

"We are going to make a dish."

"Good!" thought the little boy.

He liked to make dishes.

and he began to make some

That were all shapes and sizes.

But the teacher said "Wait!

and I will show you how."

And she showed everyone how to make

One deep dish.

"There," said the teacher.

"Now you may begin."

the little boy looked at the teacher's dish.

Then he looked at his own.

He liked his dishes better than the teacher's.

But he did not say this.

He just rolled his clay into a big ball again.

And made a dish like the teacher's.

It was a deep dish.

And pretty soon

The little boy learned to wait,

And to watch,

And to make things just like the teacher.

And pretty soon he didn't make things

Of his own anymore.

Then it happened

That the little boy and his family

Moved to another house

In another city,

And the little boy

Had to go to another school. This school was even bigger

Than the other one,

And there was not a door from the outside

Into his room.

He had to go up some big steps

And walk down a long hall

To get to his room.

And the very first day

He was there,

The teacher said:

"Today we are going to make a picture."

"Good! thought the little boy,

And he waited for the teacher

To tell him what to do.

But the teacher didn't say anything.

She just walked around the room.

When she came to the little boy,

She said, "Don't you want to make a picture?"

"Yes," said the little boy.

"What are we going to make?"

"I don't know until you make it," the teacher said.

"How shall I make it?" asked the little boy.

"Why, any way you like," said the teacher.

"And any color?" asked the little boy.

"Any color," said the teacher.

"If everyone made the same picture,

And used the same colors,

How would I know who made what,

And which was which?"

"I don't know," said the little boy.

And he began to make a red flower,

With a green stem.

---Helen E. Buckley

Teen Creed

   

 My oldest son turned 13 recently.  He received a birthday card from my parents.  Inside of it they placed a small card with a picture of Jesus.  On the other side was a poem entitled, "TEEN CREED".  My mom had kept it all these years since I was a "teenager".  I couldn't believe it...and was so touched that she has passed it on to my oldest son. 

TEEN CREED

Don't let your parents down,

They brought you up.

Be humble enough to obey,

You may give orders someday.

Choose companions with care,

You become what they are.

Guard your thoughts,

What you think, you are.

Choose only a date

Who would make a good mate.

Be master of your habits,

or they will master you.

Don't be a show off when you drive,

Drive with safety and arrive.

Don't let the crowd pressure you,

Stand for something or you'll

fall for anything.

Happy Birthday, Brayden!! 

Should We See This Movie?

     Several years back when my husband was a youth minister, he discovered a great resource:
www.pluggedin.com .  This is a website by Focus on the Family (Who I trust implicitly, and who taught my parents how to raise me! hehe!)  This website is "Shining a Light on the World of Popular Entertainmnet".  It reviews music, movies, video games, etc.  It does a great job of not holding back on everything you would want to know, (i.e. types of cuss words, scantily dressed women, spiritual elements, etc.) but at the same time gives the positive elements. 
     Our family usually only goes to the movies twice a year or so, but when we want to see a movie we might have a doubt about, we check this website first.  It is just so crazy expensive to go to the movies, and not really much worth watching to be honest.  I also really prefer my own couch and blanket to those movie theater seats and sticky floors. 
     We always take our boys to the big event (for us) movies, like "Narnia".  (We are counting down until "The Hobbit" is released.)  If any movie is based on a book, they must read the book first.  That makes going to the movies even more special.  We always have interesting  conversations with our sons after the movie about the differences between the two.  I think that's where information that you find @ pluggedin comes in handy.  It gives you good fodder to talk with your child before or after the movie.  It can lead to great spiritual conversations.  (Like, for example the Eastern Mysticism you will see in Kung Fu Panda 2.  Po in the end spins into a Yin/Yang symbol.  You could talk to your kids about the meaning of this oh-so-popular symbol, and how is is false and contradicts the Word of God.)
     Enjoy your summer!  And if you have the chance to see a movie this year, you might want to check out pluggedin. 

Letha