I'm finally posting again.

So, I've been thinking for a while about posting. You know, I need to post again. I could blog about that....that kinda thought. But, then life gets in the way and my brain stays cluttered with all the stuff floating around in there. I just read a blog by an old friend of mine and she was talking about how there are so many things you'd like to blog about, but have to censor because of the fact that "whoever" can read it. She used a cool metaphor about drippings and gravy....which I liked better than the lemons/lemonade one you always hear. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. Just wanted to say....I like gravy. Of course, being on a terminal diet, gravy is a no-no. I have lost 38 lbs. now and still have a ways to go, but I AM excited about my loss so far. It's amazing how people react, though. As soon as you start losing noticeably, people get mad. Why? I don't know. Because they don't exercise self control and put down the cookie? I don't know. I have seen anger. Others are more subtle and just say, "Stop losing! You're gonna get too thin!!!!" I say, "You haven't seen me nekkid. You have no way of knowing if I'm too thin!!" Ha! Ok, I don't say that to them, I just think it! ;)

So, enough about diets. Dinner's cooking and I'm starving.

What's going on here? The usual. We're trying to wrap up kid's homeschool for the year, but we're terribly behind. Oh well.Cant help we didn't have money on time. It'll be ok. I'm gonna let the oldest just finish reading his readers this summer (he loves reading)...he's doing ok in history and can read some of that this summer as well. Big problem is Math. He hates it and not finishing on time will put him behind. Oh well. Good thing about homeschooling....We can find a way to make it up.
Good books we've read this year:

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
Flame Over Tara by Madeline Polland
The Trojan War by Olivia Coolidge
The Ides of April by Mary Ray
The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff
THe Samurai's Tale by Erik Christian Haugaard

Trying to wind up MY school. Assuming I pass my current class, then I will have 3 more classes to finish my Master of Art in Religion (Church Ministries concentration). Rob is graduating w/that particular degree this Saturday. Lucky him. Course he's continuing on with his Master of Divinity...so he's not done. Current class, while enjoyable has a heavy workload. Some books I recommend from this class:

Unexpected Journey by Thom S. Rainer

Family to Family by Dr. Jerry Pipes and Victor Lee

Concentric Circles of Concern by W. Oscar Thompson

Radically Unchurched by Alvin Reid

Boy #3 is playing baseball in the Minor league this season. I don't love it, and he's one of the youngest, but he does, so there ya go. He bats lefty so he's been hit by at least 3 pitchers. He's a little ball-shy now, but he did get a hit last game, so I guess it'll work out. My beef with baseball is the schedule. Too many games scheduled at 7:30 pm that don't start til 8 and don't end before 10pm. Add on a drive home and quick bath and my 6 year old is up til 11. WAAAY too late, I don't care who you are! ha! Again, thank you God for making me home-school. at least the boy can sleep past 7. I have friends whose kids are falling asleep in class because of these late games. There has to be a better way.

Did you know, that if you have never been full-time in the ministry, there's a lot you don't know. Just sayin'. It's hard. You have all the normal family stuff, work your job, be that out of or in the home (yes, staying home with kids IS a job, keeping house IS a job, feeding a family 3 meals a day IS a job), THEN not only do people expect you there every time the doors open...in a small church, you are often the one running the program, doing child-care..setting up, cleaning up after...you name it. Yes, when you're in the ministry your kids are still kids. They still have homework, they still do extra-curricular activities and goodness gracious..they still behave like kids. I know. I sound like I'm on a rant, but I'm really not. Oh...did you know that God very rarely supernaturally imparts you with a devotion, lesson, sermon or otherwise makes preparation time less for us than anyone else? Shocking, isn't it!? :) Really. It's a neat life. Not "neat" as in not messy, because that's not true...but neat as in "cool". It's different. It's different "good" and different "worse". But you know, the Bible even says that if you are living your life for Christ (ALL Christians are called to that...not just ministry families) then it's not gonna be easy. We (Christians) are on a battle field. We are fighting people (sometimes) but more than that we're fighting spiritual battles. Sounds weird, right? But we are. Powers, principalities...heard those terms before in the Bible? Not just words, not just people. If you are not in the ministry, let one of your ministries be prayer. Prayer for your pastor and his family. They need it. That I can guarantee. AND I guarantee, they'll know when someone's praying.



"Based on the gifts they've received everyone should use it to serve others as good managers of the varied grace of God." 1 Peter 4:10

"Even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life--a ransom for many." Mark 10:45