God's grace

      It's been a season of rain, thunderstorms, and bright, bright sunshine in my life these past few months.  God has washed me over and over again in the truth of his grace, his lavish, unstoppable, unquenchable, indescribable love.  If the story of Jesus and his life and death weren't enough, God has reached me with a thousand different means.  I thought I knew grace, I thought I understood his mercy, yet, when I didn't have my quiet time, I felt ashamed in His presence.  I knew not, no, I knew not the grace of my Father nor my adoption as a daughter, His daughter.  I knew not my full redemption through the shed blood of the Lamb.  I knew not the payment made in full on the cross.  I knew not of God's wrath, completely emptied on His Son. I had heard, but my heart didn't fully know.

      Oh, my faith is small, it is weak, yet little by little, my heart is beginning to understand.  I'm beginning to experience the freedom to love that comes from knowing, He loves me, and He never loves me not.

Grace at home....

We had a lovely outing at our friends house, the Butlers.  They hosted another delightful house concert.  I heard the accordion for the first time!  It was so beautiful.  Truly.  

 Benjamin has taken to coloring.  This is fun to watch.  He even tries to stay in the lines!

Samuel often wants to come to the table as well, so we strap him in his seat and push him up to the table.  One of the things he loves to do is build leggos.  All my little boys around this age up to about 6 really enjoy the Duplo legos.  As much as I would love a plastic free house, with all wooden toys, I find for me, that is an unrealistic desire.  God's been teaching me a lot about my idealism and His reality for me.  And I'm becoming more okay with that. 

This is a school morning reality.  It's sort of like a dance during the day, with multiple dance partners, trying to take care of my little boys and do lessons with Micah and Andrew.  It's good though, I love the fact that I'm able to home school my younger boys.  Going to school may be in the future though for them!  I am vigorously trying to get Micah up to speed in areas of writing, grammar, and even math so that he will be more on the level of his traditionally schooled peers by next year.  We're exploring some schooling options for him-primarily because we feel the time out of the home would be good for him.  I would keep my boys home, for too long I'm afraid, but Steve is more keenly aware that he is growing men, not effeminate boys-and he is a bit more sensitive to what needs to be done to accomplish that goal!

The other day during history, I sat down with the Veritas History Card, "Remember the Alamo" and prepared to read the back of it to the boys and then read them some additional information about the Alamo.  Before I could begin, Micah hopped off the couch and retrieved a book about a man named Zack Taylor, or "Old Rough and Ready" so he was called.  Micah was able to tell me all about him (he was a soldier in the Mexican/American War, helping win Texas for America) and all about the Alamo-so he gave us our history lesson for the day!  On their cards they are drawing pictures of the Alamo for their Books of Centuries.

This picture was taken a few weeks ago...  the boys came in and told me I had to come outside.  They had me close my eyes, and they lead me to these shoots, and surprised me!   I love it when our bulbs begin to grow!  

Ahhh...and here are the realities of the windows.  I love it though.  One day the house will be too quiet, and the windows terribly unsmeared with finger prints.  I love those finger prints.

Ivy Creek notes....

Jesus-he fulfills the Year of Jubilee!  The year that the Israelite's were supposed to celebrate every 49 years but never did, the year that everyone's debts get canceled.  The year the slaves are set free.  The year that the people are restored.  Jesus came to fulfill those things.  

Luke 14:4-21

 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.  He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read.  The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

    because he has anointed me

    to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

    and recovery of sight for the blind,

to release the oppressed,

¹⁹ 

    

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

   ((((The year of Jubilee!!!))))

 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him,  and he began by saying to them,

 “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Sermon Notes:

"This was Christ's mission.  This should also be our mission."

"Jesus brings us into His mission!"

"Everything we do should be infused with the goal to restore God's kingdom on earth."

"He has us, his agents, all over the world, to bring order out of chaos."

"Your life isn't your own-your here to be conscripts in his cause."

"Jesus came to fix the world!"