Enjoying the Journey: It's Time!

It's been awhile since I've been at Christ Community. The drive, 8 hours or more, is what prevents me the most. Well that and the gas money!

A few years ago, Cindy Jacobs came and spoke at one of the conferences that CCC was holding. She had a PowerPoint picture to show with her message. It showed a picture of a box, with the lid off of it. If I remember it correctly, the word church was coming out of it.

The point - it was time to start thinking outside of the box!

This weekend, I had a sweet and fun opportunity to minister at a small, country church in a rather rural area. When I entered the church, I could feel the warmth of the Holy Spirit. I perused over the congregation as they were worshipping. A small crowd, maybe 60 or so. Some were free, others were heavy laden with despair from life. I almost could see a haze over the heads of those that were struggling.

The Lord had been speaking creativity to me for over a week by then. Showing me how He's been stretching us, making things hard for us, not allowing some normal comforts that doesn't even cost a dime, just so He could force us to step outside of the box.

Back to the church, God began weaving a theme that morning. The pastor gave a quick thought on the economy, one of the girls on our team gave testimony on God's provision, the friend of mine who was giving the main portion of the message was even speaking on how God provides in ways that we don't always understand or know. And I, well I was asked to speak and the Lord showed me that I was to exhort this sweet congregation with the following:

"It's time! Time to start looking outside of the box! Time to see the creativity that God has put in us. Time to stop looking at man made things for our enjoyment and pleasure. But to look past our bank accounts, what we do or don't have or even need and begin to seek what pleases the Lord. America is struggling in this day. Is our God worried about the stock exchange? Maybe a little.

But guess what??? We have what so many others don't have! We have our God! Who loves us. Who gives us hope. Who give us our future. Who gives us eternity and so much more.

There are creative ways to love people these days. Far beyond the act of handing someone a check or cash or tangible things. It's time to start thinking outside of the box!"

It's time church! It's time!

Enjoying the Journey: It's Time!

http://momnaction.blogspot.com/2008/10/enjoying-journey-its-time.html

Enjoying the Journey: YOU CREATED ME

I've been struggling lately with where I am at. Literally. Part of why I have chosen to write so much about Enjoying the Journey, is because I have so deeply struggled with the journey that I am on. On the outside I think our life looks eventful, fun, full of craziness, but full of good stuff. And it is. It really is a good life.

On the inside, my heart is grieving. I feel suffocated many days of my life. I feel like the person who God created me to be is stuck in a box. No matter how many times I think I see light and I am getting close to breaking out of the box and the real me is finally able to emerge, something seems to just shove it back in there.

One day, I found myself tired of the constant tug of war that was going on in my heart. I realized that despite the fact that much of what we've been taught and shown here was not what I was looking for or desiring God DOES have us here. No matter how many times, I have asked Him, He has not released us. The choice was clear, either continue to walk this season of our lives out with joy or not.

Which is why I have been working so hard at choosing to find the joy in each day of this journey.

Yesterday was a hard day for me... that's the truth. It was. The tug of war in my heart of who I am, who God created me to be versus what we are currently learning and walking through hit home in a flood of tears ~ literally. Sometimes we have to walk through seasons of our lives that are hard in order to know even more who God created us to be.

Imagine with me for just one moment.... I'm standing on a roof of a house in Ecuador (just because) and I'm yelling at the top of my lungs to anyone who cares but especially to our God, the following:

"You created me to LOVE. You created me to DESIRE TO LIVE IN OTHER NATIONS. You created me to GIVE TO THE NEEDY. You created me to TEACH OTHERS ABOUT YOU. You created me to LOVE. You created me to SHARE LIFE WITH OTHERS. You created me to BE AN AWESOME, INCREDIBLE, FUN, CREATIVE MOM. You created me to BE LOVED. You created me to BUILD AND REBUILD. You created me to LOVE. You created me this way.... now, please, please let me be me."

Becky can be found at Enjoying the Journey

Enjoying the Journey: YOU CREATED ME

http://momnaction.blogspot.com/2008/09/enjoying-journey-you-created-me.html

Enjoying the Journey: Homeschool

We started back up with homeschooling in our home. I've been at it for about 3 weeks now. Once again, I have found that I absolutely adore teaching my children. Really, I do.

EJ is quite a good reader. So, the hard part is out of the way, for me. And the fun of teaching him new and interesting facts has begun. This year we are using the curriculum Adventures in My Father's World. We are exploring US History together.

I spent some time with a homeschool coordinator. She looked over my choices for curriculum's and listened to my heart and my childs learning abilities. She wisely encouraged me to take things slowly and enjoy each lesson to the fullest.

I took her advice to heart. What I have realized is that instead of plowing through each lesson, I've marinated in them.

Over the last two weeks we've talked about two big things, names and vikings. This year, we will be focusing on all the names of God, their meanings, the scriptures that back them up, and how it applies to our life. We started with EJ's name first. Exploring his name, included in a letter written by me about how we chose his name, standing out in the rain and writing his name in shaving cream, a self portrait, and a discussion around the dinner table about each and every persons name and their meanings.

We are also exploring vikings, since Leif Ericcson was the first person to really explore the coast of America. It was so fun, to read about viking life. I found a First Facts book at the library about vikings. It was complete with wonderful pictures. EJ devoured the book, inhaling their lifestyle, clothing, homes, and who they persecuted. He was particularly sad with all the turmoil and hurt that vikings caused others.

Of course, we have science (his favorite subject right now), math, letter writing, copywork, and more that we work on daily. However, what I love the most is that instead of driving him to just learn the facts and get the school work done, we are savoring the lessons.

One of the things that my homeschool advisor shared with me was how the bible talks about hiding the scriptures in our heart. It never says, drill them into your brain. Again, she wisely shared with me that its the same with teaching my children. Drilling facts into poor EJ's brain will most probably set him up to fail, down the line. But adding color and experience to each lesson, coupled with great books, patience, and love will give him a true education.

Contributor:

Becky Schreiber

Enjoying the Journey

Enjoying the Journey: Homeschool

http://momnaction.blogspot.com/2008/09/enjoying-journey-homeschool.html