Posts

Posted on

God Put Me Here

God continually reminds me that He loves me and has my back.

I had a lazy morning today and didn’t feel good about it. I wasted a lot of time and justified it because I would attend rehearsal
with my boys all afternoon.

It was so lazy that I didn’t eat a proper breakfast. I dropped my sons at rehearsal and visited a local cafe to fuel myself for a more productive afternoon. While I was waiting for a delicious Korean Sammy, a recently widowed friend walked in.

It is strange to me how many widows I know and how many I knew before they lost their spouse. Stranger still are these moments that place me in the same room as these widows. God has called me to the most unexpected mission.

More like a series of missions. I first felt in sync with God’s will when I came home from my career to take care of my sons full time. It had not been my plan, neither was home education, nor widowhood. I’ve experienced more than a decade of surprises. In each change I have come closer to God and His plan for me.

This was the first time I have seen this friend since she lost her husband. We had a few minutes and she opened up to me about as much as might be appropriate in a sunny coffee shop. Both of us had watery eyes as she left with her order. It was an ambush for each of us. Grief doesn’t let you go for long, or it lets you go for only as long as is necessary for healing.

It doesn’t let go for long, but I’ve learned to return the embrace when it takes hold of me.

Posted on

365 Devotionals: Who Can be Against Us?

What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who is against us?
-Romans 8:31 RSV

My son is exploring my dusty CD collection and finding himself drawn to Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie.

I know a ton of my Christian brothers and sisters would object to that material even being in my home, much less letting my sons blast it while we dance, build Lego, and (on the rare occasion) do chores.

The world is full of temptations and demonic infuences. I don’t see power in trying to keep them at bay. Rather, I want to engage with the worldy things and see God’s meaning in them. All things work in God’s favor. Yes, we must live intentional lives and not be led astray by those who do not love us. Our intention must be to stay in God’s love while loving ourselves and our neighbors. Marilyn Manson is my neighbor. He may have horrible intentions, but those intentions are powerless against God’s plan.

The performance of “Man of La Mancha” we watched this weekend had a wonderful take on this idea in its playbill.

You can read it for yourself in the images below. It concluded with this verse:

But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
-Matthew 19:26 RSV

God works through all art, high and low, good and bad. I have no fear of free speech and “dangerous” ideas.

The key is to be engaged. God is in all things, but we must look for Him.

Posted on

How the West Brought War to Ukraine

After our offensive, regime-changing invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan; support and manufacture of the “color” revolutions; and interventions in Syria, Yemen, Libya, and Lebanon, the United States has no moral ground on which to contain any other nation through military force.

Our representatives have road blocked peace talks between Ukraine and Russia and are responsible for escalating the war. Russian and Ukrainian blood is on our hands.

In this episode of The Tom Woods Show, Benjamin Abelow discusses his new book and how the US and NATO need to self evaluate their actions in the last 30 years before extending the war in Ukraine any further.

How the West Brought War to Ukraine

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. 

On this episode of Part of the Problem, Dave Smith talks with the encyclopedic Scott Horton about the ongoing debacle in Ukraine and the reasons the US seems to be pushing toward nuclear conflict.

Posted on

What Would I Change?

If you could do one homeschooling year over again, which one would it be and why?

This question was asked in a lifeschooling group I belong to and, before I could jump in to the conversation, this comment summed up my thoughts better than I could have:

“Only one? While I say that with a little bit of sarcasm/silliness and I do have a full understanding that Christ has redeemed my past and is in control of my future, I truly do have moments where I grieve over how I handled homeschooling for many of the early years. If I could go back to the first years when I believed everything traditional homeschoolers told me, I would burn all the workbooks, close my mouth and hug my kids when they struggled instead of telling them they just needed to try harder, I would let them enjoy every single thing without having to turn it into a written lesson, and I would spend more time praying for their hearts and minds than trying to come up with new plans every time something didn’t seem to be working.

I have over 23,000 pictures saved in an online account from 2011 until now. If you were to look through them, you would see what looks like an incredibly happy family having adventures and really getting out there to experience life. Would you would not see is a mom who was so filled with anxiety that she almost didn’t enjoy any of it. If I could go back, I would give my kids a mom who cared less about planning and keeping track and more about being with them in those moments and resting in the Lord.”

I would hardly change a syllable. I first approached homeschooling with a conservative ideology and I needed to unlearn many of my assumptions through exploring deschooling and unschooling.

Home education showed me a path that only required love to travel. That loving journey led me to find Christ in my heart and release myself from political ideology. The freedom I crave for my children is the freedom have found in God’s love.

Posted on

365 Devotionals: Terrified

So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
-2 Corinthians 5:20 RSV

It’s a daunting task to identify as a Christian and then be asked to explain my words or actions. A representative of Christ? I’m not fit to fill that role.

I rely on the Holy Spirit to guide me into an honest assessment of my works. I make a lot of mistakes, but I ask for help recognizing and correcting them.

Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. 

Posted on

365 Devotionals: Every Opportunity

Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer every one.
-Colossians 4:5-6 RSV

Humility is where I start. I try to live my life in love, with Jesus as the model. I’m not shy about that, but I try to listen more than preach.

Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.