all important things 2

#1 To Improve the Character of the Work

J Oswald Sanders says on this subject "The leader must discover which departments are functioning below standards and remedy the defect."

So much has been said about character training in home school circles that I am hesitant to even mention it. But Gods word is clear training up the character of a child in the ways of the Lord is the chief duty of all parents. So whether it is character or academic we need to systematically discover the areas that need improvement in children's lives and work hard towards a solution. I love the idea from Simply Charlotte Mason's Sonia Schaffer of making a calendar and based on the needs of each child. You work on several habit or a character training issues over the course of the year. For more information see "Laying Down the Rails" at www.simplycharlottemason.com. Academically it has been helpful for me to begin each year with a goals sheet for each child. To write down where I would like to see each child by the end of the the year in each subject was a simple but valuable thing for me.

I was reminded of my own need for habit training a few weeks ago. Speaking of Philippians 4:8 (one of my favorites) Pastor Joe called the contents of this verse the habit of right thinking. Since habit training has been on my mind it really caught my attention. It reads:

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

The Lord was speaking to me of my own need for habit training. The habit of right thinking. It applies everywhere in my life. Knowing that God sees me through the blood of Christ and not as a stinking rotten sinner, I think he must look at me this way. He looks for the true and the noble and the just, the pure, the lovely, and the things of good report. If he can find any virtue in me or anything praiseworthy this is what he thinks on. Since the word says his thoughts toward me are more than the sands of the sea He is thinking about me all the time! Wow. I want to think of others that way, especially my own children. What a habit to cultivate.

So we are to identify areas that need improvement and work to remedy those while at the same time meditating on the good that is already there. I think that is the balance that must be struck to improve the character of any work.

all important things

I am reading a great book right now, two great books actually but one applies to this post the other will have to remain a mystery for now :) "Spiritual Leadership" by J. Oswald Sanders is a great book. Every week I read this book and discuss it with a couple of friends and every week I want to become a better woman because of it. Ahhh, but here is the rub. It can go in one ear and right out the other. I need to meditate on what I have read, in God's Word and in great books written to edify.

In the same book there is a quote "Reading maketh a full man; speaking, a ready man, writing and exact man." - Bacon Silly name aside, that is a quote full of truth. So I blog. Here is what struck me this week, and what I will be writing about in the next few posts.

From "Spiritual Leadership" by J. Oswald Sanders

"Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission...(wrote) in a letter dated 1879 to the secretary of the mission, Taylor said:

'The all important thing to do is to
1. Improve the character of the work
2. Deepen the piety, devotion and success of the workers
3. Remove stones of stumbling, if possible
4. Oil the wheels where they stick
5. Amend whatever is defective
6. Supplement, as far as may be, what is lacking ' "

Sanders then expanded on these quotes in relation to improving leadership in one's own life or ministry. He, of course did a wonderful job and my copy of the book is all marked up with green pen, underlining, stars, and exclamation points.

As I was reading Taylor's original list I was struck by the parallels I see to the homeschooling journey. (go ahead and click on a more interesting blog...now) Ok you still with me? You must be a homeschooler... Anyhoo, with great apology to Taylor and Sanders I would like to expand on this list in a fresh way. So if you will indulge me over the next few posts I intend to do just that. See ya soon.

A lesson from Ralph and Sam

One of these guys is Ralph and one is Sam. Ralph is the coyote his job is to try to eat the sheep, Sam is the sheepdog and his job is to protect the sheep. In the morning they show up for "work" greet each other cordially and get down to business, at the end of the day they clock out say good night and head home.

Thanks to Julie, I no longer see Ralph and Sam here. I see Kids and Mom. See I am the sheepdog, (is that better than a cow?) my kids are the coyote. Every morning we come to work, they do what they do, I do what I do. They test the boundaries and the rules I enforce the boundaries and the rules. It is my job. But at the end of the day we can all love one another, hugs and kiss and goodnight. Tomorrow we will do it all again. Why? Because God's mercies are new every morning and Mom's should be to.

I do wish I could take credit for this analogy, but alas I cannot. Julie shared it with me and she heard it from some wise person I am sure :) I like it, not because it is a perfect analogy, I am not at war with my kids all the time, they do take some time off to play, but because it reminds me that it is my job to discipline and correct my kids when they are going in the wrong direction. Even though it is NOT their job to test and disobey, it is in their nature. Coyote eat sheep when they can get their hands on one and a child will eat a peanut butter cookie if it is just sitting there, with nobody guarding it... If it were not in the nature of the coyote to attack the sheep there would be no need for sheep dogs and if it were not in the nature of a child to test and disobey Moms would be optional. I LOVE being needed and I am NOT optional.

FTR (for the record) I do not condone head bashing, pipe smoking or the use of dynamite by all you other sheepdogs out there, I just thought this was funny...

One Year Bible

First of all Happy New Year! That is a little late but so are my Christmas Cards, ha!

Taking my que from Lanie over at Mishmash Maggie, I have started the New Year off reading the One Year Bible. If you follow the plan it will take you through the Bible in, yeah you guessed it, a year. It is pretty cool, you read a selection from the Old and New Testements, a Psalm and a bit of Proverbs. Shofar so good (little OT humor for ya there).

H has been reading through the Bible this way for years now. He has a handy little book I printed for him that he keeps in his bible. I tried that but I kept losing the little book. This way is better for me, it is all right there, nothing to lose.

So thanks to Ana, I have the Christmas gift that keeps on giving, His Word.

what happened 2

My right hand has been mummified. It is not some study of the ancient world or some gift wrapping accident, it is a protective covering over a nasty burn. So typing is not the fastest way to communicate at the moment. (did you know fastest is typed entirely with your left hand? It is my new favorite word). So I have not blogged for a while.

I am not going to go into great detail but here is the gist of it. I was cooking dinner for 7 children, four of whom are not mine, when I let the pan get too hot. I added oil to this too hot pan and saw how hot it really was...smokin' hot. So I tried to put the meat in to the pan to cool that smokin pan down when the still half frozen meat hit the pan with a thunk. That thunk sent the oil in the pan towards my hand like a flaming hot liquid missile, splashing my pinky and ring finger and about half the hand, then up my forearm. It will be a lovely reminder that moms make stupid mistakes too. Right there on my spanking hand. lol.


Where's the grace? None of the children were in the kitchen at the time, I had just shooed them out. It was my hand and not my face. The meat though on fire for a short period of time still made a tasty spaghetti sauce. H was able to drop everything and come to my rescue. My dear friend Jules was there for me the next day to care for me and my family making us lunch and dinner and would have, if I had not stopped her, done my laundry. Can you BE a better friend than that? I submit you cannot. (H did the laundry FTR) More grace, there has not been much pain, little blistering and the doc says it looks good so far.

So there you have it. That is what happened to my hand.

Unity

It was a sweet weekend. We had great fellowship in harmony at the Christmas Choir practice, we were together as a family and we had a great teaching on Sunday am. As it usually is where were are in the Word is where I am at in my walk with the Lord and he has had a lot to say to me lately about unity.

We started our first choir practice talking about it and saw (heard) it in action at the second. It was lovely but what was beautiful about it for me was the picture God was giving me of how he wants us to be in the body of Christ. Everyone taking their part, some a little different than others but all in agreement with the music, representing in this case the Word of God. Before practice I had asked a few people to take up leadership roles with in the choir, they did so with all seriousness and it was such an encouragement to watch! They went over and over the music with the others until they got it right. I could not be everywhere, but they were right were I had placed them. It is just like that in the body our Pastors can't be everywhere so they place leaders over ministries while the Pastor sets the direction and makes corrections.

I am sure I am preaching to to choir here (awww come on I had to..) but though I know all this well the Lord was pressing it in to my heart. So on Saturday pm I was trying to figure out whay the Lord was telling me all of this and on Sunday am during the teaching it all came together.

Lately I have been pulling my hair out over my kids lack of unity with each other. The Lord was showing me that they need me to lead the team in a better way. I try so hard to get them to stop fighting but I don't practice working together with me as the "director". We together all day and I am a one woman show around here sending them off on their little tasks alone as it benifits me. They want to work with me, not for me. We are a team not a dictatorship. As we read on Sunday...

27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel Philippians 1:27

Don't get me wrong, they are good kids, and they love each other but lack of peace hinders our ability as a family to accomplish so much, even the furtherence of the gospel. May it not be so of us.

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