A New Chapter for Jonathan

I wasn't sure I'd live to see the day, but Jonathan is now officially a high schooler! Homeschooling is definitely more intense at this level, but he is a self-motivated learner and a voracious reader, which makes my job a lot easier. Jonathan is passionate about math and computer science, and he could easily spend all day on just those two subjects. He'll thank me someday that I insisted on a well rounded education instead of letting him geek out all day. :-)

God has blessed Jonathan with a wonderful mentor in a computer science professor, who has opened doors for him to shine. I've prayed for years for a mentor for him, and I could not have imagined a better fit than this pair. It encourages me to be thoughtful in what I pray for, because God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can think or ask. He is so good.

One of the most meaningful experiences Jonathan had this year was at Worldview Academy, an academically rigorous leadership camp for teens designed to train and equip them to think critically about different worldviews, stand up for their faith, and engage the culture with the truth. One of the highlights of the camp was a street outreach, when the teens went out to share their faith. He has a cameo in this video at 2:19, taken during the outreach.

 

I was overjoyed when Jonathan came home invigorated in his faith. He realized the importance of wrestling with weighty matters. We had deep discussions. He asked to read Mere Christianity, and I immediately got for him his own copy.

Time is precious, and I feel the urgency of making these final years at home count.

Lord, please grant us Your grace and strength.

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." Ephesians 6:10

Elizabeth's Step of Faith

Elizabeth is our sparkly 7th grader. Unlike her brothers, math doesn't thrill her. Instead, she delights in art, poetry, and literature. She enjoys Shakespeare, painting with watercolor, creating things out of clay, and devouring all things chocolate. Her brothers won't admit it, but she can usually out-kick them on the Taekwondo mat.

The highlight of Elizabeth's year took place this past fall. On a sunny September day, at a beautiful beach, she followed Jesus in baptism!

That day, along with dozens of others from our church, Elizabeth waded into the ocean water to make her public stand for Christ. I will always treasure hearing her answer the baptism questions so enthusiastically.

"Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?" "Yes!"

"Have you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?" "Yes!"

"Is it your desire to live for Him with all your heart and are you willing to serve God's people wherever He calls you?" "Yes!"

"Then upon your profession of faith in Jesus Christ and your public commitment to live for Him, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

And Elizabeth has been baptized! A multitude of angels in heaven were rejoicing and so was this one mama on earth!

Here's what I wrote to Elizabeth to commemorate her baptism:

Dear Elizabeth,

I am so thrilled that you have decided to follow Christ in baptism! This is a day I will forever hold close to my heart as your Mom, because I have prayed for this ever since you were a baby. It is a big moment for you, when you are declaring to the world that you belong to Jesus. The Bible says that when a person is in in Christ, she is a new creation. Old things have passed away; all things have become new. That means you are a new Elizabeth today!

Do you remember our little bedtime ritual when you were a little girl? I used to tuck you into bed and say, “Elizabeth, I love you!” And you would smile and say, “I….…you!” You wanted to say the same thing back to me, but you couldn’t pronounce the word “love” yet, so you just left it out knowing that Mom would fill in the blank. “I…..you!” I knew exactly what you meant! That blank was filled with "love!"

You are 12 years old right now, and only God knows what lies ahead for you in the days ahead. We’ve memorized Psalm 139, where He says, “In your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.” That means God has already written your life story, and it is a good one because He is good! You can trust Him with your life. To you, the days ahead are unknown, a big blank. But to God, that blank is filled with His love.

Keep remembering how much He loves you, and you will stay close to Him, guard your heart with purity, and trust Him with your life, even when you don’t understand everything. 

I am so proud of you, Elizabeth!  I…..LOVE……YOU!!

Mom

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." 3 John 1:3-5

Daniel Flying High

It's hard to believe that Daniel is now a 6th grader. He's our go-getter, often waking up before everyone else to make breakfast for the family or get a head start on school. He loves reading about history, especially World War II, and learning about polyhedra at math circle. When he's not burying his head in books, he's whizzing by on his roller blades, riding his bike, or practicing his Taekwondo moves.

Daniel loves all things aviation. He dreamed about attending Ace Academy, a summer aviation camp.  He wrote an essay and sent in his application, praying every day that he would be accepted. Here's what he recently wrote about the experience:

Ace Academy is a one week summer event at Los Angeles International Airport. It is for middle and high schoolers who are interested in aviation. It is sponsored by LAWA (Los Angeles World Airports) and the FAA. They wanted to encourage young people to become interested in aviation. I applied and was a bit shocked when a few weeks later, I got a response saying I had gotten in. I was the only one from out of Los Angeles County!

The whole week was exciting for me.  Some of the highlights were flying in 360 degree simulators, going into an airport control tower, going inside some of the newest aircraft available, and more! We went to Van Nuys Airport to participate in a fire drill, ate lunch on campus and toured the whole place. We went to the LAX police department to play with their dogs, and learn about their jobs, and how they respond to different scenarios.  We also learned about the management of the aircraft and how the plane flights are scheduled. We also went to JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratories) to learn about Curiosity. We actually saw the clean room version which is basically an identical rover except it won’t be launched. 

One of the most fun things we did was go to the Ronald Reagan Library where we did an exercise. Half of us were White House officials and half of us were men on an aircraft carrier. This exercise was based on the 1983 hostage crisis on Grenada. We had to decide which options were better. For example, we had to decide which was better. A) to keep the Marines and the Seals together, or B) to to have the Rangers and the Seals together. All of this was timed.

I want to go again next year or the high school version where you actually fly an airplane with an instructor!

What an amazing experience and an answer to Daniel's prayers. We are so thankful to God for opening doors for him!

"Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

Christmases, Then and Now

Christmas then  (7 years ago)..

Christmas then (last year with Grandpa)...

And Christmas this year...

Elizabeth lamented, "This Christmas, we have no Grandpas left."

With the loss of beloved family members, and the realization that my kids are growing up at warp speed, I am holding tight to the memories of all the Christmases past.

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 118:1

Trust

"The splendor of a human heart that trusts it is loved unconditionally gives God more pleasure than Westminster Cathedral, the Sistine Chapel, Beethoven’s "Ninth Symphony", Van Gogh’s "Sunflowers”, the sight of 10,000 butterflies in flight, or the scent of a million orchids in bloom. Trust is our gift back to God, and he finds it so enchanting that Jesus died for love of it."
~Brennan Manning

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

Welcome to Our World

Last night, I was so blessed to hear Amy Grant sing one of my most favorite Christmas songs ever. She was heartbroken over the tragedy in Connecticut, and as she sung, the poignant lyrics pierced my soul. 

Father, have mercy on us. 

The original Chris Rice version

Welcome to Our World

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking

How we need to hear from God
You've been promised, we've been waiting
Welcome, Holy Child
Welcome, Holy Child

Hope that You don't mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
But long-awaited, Holy Stranger
Make Yourself at home
Please make Yourself at home

Bring Your peace into our violence
Bid our hungry souls be filled
Word now breaking heaven's silence
Welcome to our world
Welcome to our world

Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born

So wrap our injured flesh around You
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect Son of God
Perfect Son of God
Welcome to our world

Comfort: John Piper on "How Does Jesus Come to Newton?"

"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." John 6:68

Advent: Preparing Our Hearts

Advent officially begins on Sunday, December 1st, but we couldn't wait to start preparing our hearts for Christmas, so we began early. As we focus on that which is true, good, and beautiful, the Lord is drawing us to Himself, for He is Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.



We are listening to Handel's Messiah, a little at a time every morning, just as Cindy at Ordo Amoris does with her kids. It takes less than 10 minutes a day, but it brings such richness to our Morning Time.

We are memorizing the Christmas story in Luke 2:1-14 and Psalm 8, which is such a beautiful passage of praise, as is Isaiah 9:6.

I would also like to memorize a new poem for Christmas, but I haven't decided on which one yet. Any ideas? (We are still working on The Charge of the Light Brigade by Tennyson and a couple of shorter pieces.) Years ago we memorized Christina Rossetti's My Gift, and it is a simple but lovely poem for Christmas.

My Gift
~Christina Rossetti

What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd,
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a Wise Man
I would do my part,-
Yet what can I give Him,
Give my heart.

My friend Julee shared some her family's favorite Christmas books, and we have loved many of the same titles. I am currently reading aloud A Christmas Carol by Dickens, and after that is done we'll enjoy The Birds' Christmas Carol and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, which is absolutely hilarious and quite endearing.

We are listening again to The Hobbit audio book in preparation for the movie release. Although it's technically not a Christmas book, there are lots of feasts and singing and, well, Tolkien's writing and Rob Inglis' narration are both such gifts. :-)

Because of our nursing home ministry, the kids have learned many hymns and Christmas carols over the years, for which I'm thankful. I've just realized, though, that they haven't learned O Come, O Come Emmanuel yet, so this will be the year I will remedy that.

We are looking forward to setting up our Nativity scene this weekend!

Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us." Matthew 1:23

Back to Blogging

Bears are about to slumber into their caves for the winter, just as I am emerging from my long hibernation. I haven't been napping, just dealing with life.

I've discovered that in my absence, my previous comment hosting service has shut down, which caused my blog to lose dozens of comments. I wouldn't mind so much except for the comments that were posted for my kids. Lesson learned: be more diligent about back ups.

I also notice that Blogger has forced me to "upgrade" my template to a newer version, wiping out my personalized html code and many links. I guess it means it's time to start rebuilding my blog with a fresh vision.

But I'm still here. God is good. There's lots to talk about.

Stay tuned.

My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Psalm 45:1

Thanksgiving

                                                        watercolor by Elizabeth 

I read in Genesis this morning about the very moment Adam came into being. Up until that point, he had been merely dust. Then God blew His divine breath, giving birth to a singular soul, transforming nothingness into life.

Holiness breathing again: "Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last." The Son of God laid down His life so that we might be set free, transforming death into everlasting life.

Thank you, Lord, for Your Holy breath, which gave life to me and gives life to me forevermore.

"By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us." 1 John 3:16

Happy Independence Day!

From Abe Lincoln and our family....



Have a Happy Independence Day!


"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, 'If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' John 8:31-32

Letter to the Tooth Fairy

I forgot to give the tooth fairy Elizabeth's letter the last 2 nights in a row. This morning, I sheepishly explained that the tooth fairy had memory loss issues. Tonight, Jonathan (the dutiful big brother) reminded me to send the letter!

Dear Mrs. Tooth Fairy,

I lost one of my molars and was wondering if you would be kind enough to come get it tonight. I don't accept money now as my mother has told me that you tooth fairies are broke. A couple gummy bears would do just nicely. Please give enough so I may share them with my brothers.

Love,

Elizabeth

"A joyful heart is good medicine." Proverbs 17:22a

My Dad's Homegoing

Nine days ago, my precious Dad went home to be with Jesus. We are grieving, but we do not grieve as those who have no hope. Dad is with Jesus in paradise. No more suffering, no more pain, no more sorrow. Only grace. Only peace. Only joy. He is no longer in a cancer-wracked body, but in a new, glorious one!

Last September, Dad accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior while we were sailing on the Sapphire Princess near Santa Barbara. Yesterday morning, the day of Dad's memorial service, the same ship, the Sapphire Princess, docked in Honolulu! It was a special gift of God, a reminder that Dad's faith had come full circle.

I already miss Dad terribly, and I can’t imagine the future without him. But as a Christian, I am filled with the hope and peace of knowing that I will see him again one day. This is not really goodbye...just goodbye for now.

"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Revelation 21:4

Happy Birthday, Daniel!

To my son who never runs out of things to say, grins to flash, and hearts to melt:

Happy 11th Birthday, Daniel!

You are flying through life at mach speed, and we can barely keep up with you! You have so many dreams and ambitions. The Lord has a plan, a grand plan, in mind when He thinks of you. Always remember that God blesses those who can be still and know that He is God. Keep putting your faith and hope and trust in Him, and you will never be ashamed!

I love you!

Mom

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6