Happy Birthday to our Dad!

This past weekend, we celebrated Jason's birthday. We enjoyed a quiet evening at home where we ate Shrimp Boil and Blueberry Cloud Pie (made by Sis) for dessert (recipes follow). Sis made Jason a scrapbook, I gave him a watch, and KK and the boys gave him "Return to Mayberry", which we watched while we picnicked in the living room floor. It was a great evening, as we ended a week's worth of whispering and secret planning, as to how we would celebrate Dad's birthday. I can't help but think how different my life could have been, had I married someone else. Jason has provided such a wonderful life for us, and I can't help but be humbly thankful as I look around at my peers whose lives took such different paths than my own.

To all the sweet young ladies who read my blog, for most situations in life, being "picky" and "hard to please" is not a virtue...BUT, when it comes to finding a lifelong partner, BE VERY CAREFUL, and don't settle for less than God has for you. It will make all the difference in your life.

SHRIMP BOIL

2 lb. raw large or jumbo shrimp, peeled & deveined

6 qt. water

6 Tbsp. dry shrimp or crab seasoning (I use Old Bay brand)

2 lb. halved new red potatoes

12 mini ears corn

2 lb. smoked sausage, sliced

Bring water to a boil. Add seasoning and bring to boil again. Add potatoes. Return to boil, and boil 10 minutes. Add corn & sausage. Return to boil and boil 5 minutes. Add shrimp. Return to boil and boil 5 minutes, just until shrimp is pink and firm. Remove from heat. Drain and serve with additional Old Bay or cajun seasoning. Serves 6.

BLUEBERRY CLOUD PIE

1 1/4 cups miniature marshmallows

3 Tbsp. butter

2 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal

1 3-oz. package berry blue Jell-O

1/2 c. boiling water

1/2 c. cold water

2 cups heaving whipping cream

5 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar

1 2/3 c. fresh or dried blueberries

In a large saucepan, melt marshmallows and butter over medium heat until melted. Remove from heat, and stir in cereal. With greased hands, press into bottom of greased 9-in. pie plate. Set aside. In small bowl, dissolve Jell-O in hot water, stir in cold; refrigerate until partially set, about 1 hr. In mixing bowl, beat cream until it thickens; add sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Reserve half cup of whipped cream in refrigerator for garnishing. To remaining cream, add Jell-O and berries, beating just until mixed. Pour into crust and refrigerate pie for 4 hours. Garnish with reserved cream. 8 servings

A Principal with Principles

Hurrah! for Principal Eddie Walker! (check out this link)

Unfortunately, he will now be known as former Principal Eddie Walker, but at least he'll be able to sleep soundly at night, knowing he stood on his principles, not political correctness. Oh, that men would have such courage!

Not Yours to Give

In honor of all us fortunate Americans receiving our "stimulus package" checks in the mail, I thought I'd post one of my favorite congressional speeches by one of my favorite congressman ever, Davy Crockett from Tennessee. Please take time to read this. You'll be enlightened and amused. It sounds much like our modern-day Davy Crockett, Dr. Ron Paul.

"Not Yours to Give" by Col. David Crockett

Everywhere I turn, folks are jumping around yelling, "Yippee! A check!" I just can't get quite that excited. To me, it feels like buying my own Christmas present, wrapping it, putting it under the tree for a year and a half, then finally allowing me to open it. It was my money in the first place. I would much rather have kept it originally than to have given Uncle Sam an interest-free loan.

As director of a crisis pregnancy center, I am asked quite often why we don't sign up for government grants under the faith-based initiative. Certainly, we could use the money. Well, there are many reasons, not the least of which being that I don't want a secular government supervising our gospel work at LMO . The government can never help a sinner find the right path; that is the duty of the body of Christ.

But, laying aside any arguments about the specifics of our work, I believe in general that the whole faith-based initiative is a complete insult to the founding fathers, and our U.S. Constitution. Our government has no right to take money for charitable purposes; that should be at our own discretion. I believe most people would be more charitable if they had more money to give. When you allow the government to make those decisions for you, you end up with abominable choices like Planned Parenthood and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) . I personally would much rather my money go to a church, missionary, crisis pregnancy center, or even in my pocket, rather than funding every debauchery under heaven.

If I'm going to complain about misappropriation of tax payer money for purposes not outlined in our Constitution (whether it be welfare, Social Security, MedicAid, education, subsidized insurance, rehab programs, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc - this list could go on for a Washington mile!), I certainly am not going to be a part of the problem, and partake of the funds that I don't believe should be "available" in the first place. [Please note: Uncle Sam has arranged it so that some programs, such as Social Security, we don't even have choices on!]

Shouldn't we all just raise our voices and say, "Thanks, Mr. President, but it's not yours to give," and then go and vote for someone who doesn't believe in stealing our money in the first place?

God Doesn't Have Any Grandchildren

For those of you who don't subscribe to No Greater Joy magazine (it's free), or who haven't taken time to read the articles yet, here's a link to a wonderful article in the most recent issue:

God Doesn't Have Any Grandchildren by Michael Pearl

I suppose every Christian parent's worst fear and greatest joy, is how his/her own children respond to the call of the Savior. At least for me, it is something that is never far from my mind, and I never feel more inadequate than I do when I contemplate how utterly responsible I am during these first formative years, in directing their hearts toward the Lord. This article came at a time when I had already been thinking on this very subject for several weeks now, mainly for two reasons. First of all, my chronological Bible reading has me in the book of Samuel right now; and secondly, because of the delightful changes and maturity that we are seeing in our Seth right now. Let me explain...

When Seth, our 3rd child, was born, I was absolutely shocked at how different he was from the others. Every child is selfish, stubborn, and strong-willed (Prov. 22:15), but Seth was different than my other two. From the start, as a baby, he would make eye contact with me and challenge me. It was on. To make matters worse, we moved to a new town, were miserable, I was pregnant and exhausted, Jason was working and preaching night and day...it was the perfect opportunity for Satan to creep in and allow me to lose the heart of one of my children. All kids go through phases where they need special help and training and discipline, but I knew instinctively that I had a serious problem on my hands, one with eternal consequences. My boy had no fear of punishment, the highest tolerance for pain of any child I've seen, and he delighted in getting other people upset (mainly ME). And to top it all, he is a beautiful, friendly, smart, charming child that other people always pay extra attention to, and laugh at every sinful little antic he performs. It would have been so easy just to brush him off as a "strong-willed" case, and just to laugh along with him, make him the center of our lives , and spoil him rotten....but as a Christian I just couldn't do that. I tried everything I knew to do. I tossed my James Dobson (and other copycats) book in the trash, and fell to my knees weeping to the Lord to give me some direction. What followed in the next few weeks was the most real battle with Satan I've ever had. I found myself shaking my fist at that Devil and just screaming at him, "You can NOT have my child!" The more helpless I got, the more the Lord began to show me.

The first thing that happened, was I opened my Bible to I Samuel, and read where the Lord called young Samuel to His service. I've read this so many times, but certain things jumped out at me so clearly. Eli was an authority figure to Samuel, and Samuel had been trained to immediately come and obey when Eli called for him. As Samuel lay in his bed sleeping, he thought he heard Eli's voice. He didn't hesitate for a moment; instead, he immediately jumped out of bed (3 times) and calmly, without any rebellion or resentment, inquired what Eli wanted. Of course, as the account reads, it wasn't Eli, but the Lord Who was calling the young child. From this, the Lord showed me that even a young child is held responsible for his response to God and his God-given conscience (Prov. 20:11); but more importantly for me as a parent, that the most effective thing I can do to prepare my children to answer the call of salvation is to teach them to come cheerfully when they are called, and to obey immediately. I can't accept salvation on their behalves, but I can prepare their hearts to submit when the call comes.

Well, looking at my little rebel, this frightened me into action. (Some things are much easier said than done!) Every family is different, but there are several deliberate things that we changed, or steps that we took, as a family to help our beautiful little cotton-top boy. I'll list some of the things we discussed and implemented.

1. No more talking about Seth in front of Seth. In other words, we didn't want him to think that we expected him to disobey. He is expected to flow with the family rules like everyone else, or he gets excluded; rather than everyone else having their meal or evening or outing spoiled.

2. No losing temper or showing exasperation from Mom and Dad. It's like adding gas to a fire. Part of the thrill of being a rebellious child is knowing that you can manipulate perfectly normal people into acting like pure idiots....and then they feel guilty and pet you! I could say a lot more here, but I don't want to open myself up on the internet to ridicule by all those "bozos" who oppose the Biblical rod.

3. W - I - N . It's that simple. (I got this from Michael Pearl) As the parent who weighs 100+ pounds more than that hobbit-sized challenger, there really is no excuse for you not to win each and every confrontation. If that means standing outside the bedroom door (holding a mirror so you can see him but he can't see you...I was desperate!) for 3 hours until the child finally realizes that you actually mean to stay in the bed, then it is 3 hours well spent. (If this is a problem for you, ask me about my "Seth tape"...)W - I - N. W - I - N. W - I - N.

4. Limit chaos and distractions. Loud television, loud music, busy places...all these are too much stimulation for children who already struggle with self-control. Help them out by staying home, and providing them with a peaceful environment with a lot of creative outlets. Take time to paint, color, play outside, pick flowers. Oftentimes, children, especially those who mature earlier, are simply bored into misbehavior. Besides, staying home affords you the extra "love and cuddle" time you need with this baby who is struggling through this most difficult time.

5. Insist on adequate rest and naps. All my children take naps until they reach 5 years old. End of discussion. But, of course, Seth was appalled at this idea. He would get up before I would even leave the room, and after several spankings and thinking he was finally going to stay...he would get out of bed and yell, "Mom, he's up," to spare his older siblings from having to tell on him. Talk about bold! It breaks my heart to see Mamas yelling and getting ill with their little bratty kids, when the children are so obviously just exhausted. You fish around and find that the child was up until midnight, up at dawn, and "just won't take a nap". Really?

6. Another thing that I knew I had to do, was to keep Seth by MY side at all times. This went on for a solid year, and I still insist that all my kids stay close to home most of the time. If I went to the store, he went. If I went to a meeting, he went. I never left him. The main reason is that he was so manipulative with everyone else, that I knew if I let him have just one day or even one afternoon of rebellion and disobedience, I would have to start all over from scratch. This can be exhausting for Mom, but I found it very necessary. It's true I made a lot of people mad, and grandparents sure didn't understand, but I wasn't responsible for anyone but my own kids. In time, they have all seen the benefits of my doing this. Seth needed that constant vigil over his soul that only I could provide.

7. Another thing I had to do, was lay aside my pride, and quit worrying about what others thought or said about me or about Seth. As a pastor's wife, this was very hard. But I resolved never to discipline Seth for anything that I had not specifically taken time to teach and train him about how to act in that situation. And also, never to shame him in public, even if he was guilty. Most of the time, this is done for the parent's sake or reputation; not for the child's benefit. This has developed an understanding and a trust between me and Seth that I wouldn't trade for anything. He can trust that I'll take time to look him straight in the eye, help him calm down, and listen to his request (if he approaches me politely), no matter who is standing nearby.

8. Two Biblically sound books that greatly helped me and Jason were "To Train Up a Child" by Michael Pearl, and "Shepherding a Child's Heart" by Tedd Tripp.

Seth is now almost 5 years old. The battle is by no means won, and I'm not relaxing or letting my guard down. However, as he matures we see so many blessings in his life...and they mean so much to me because they were won by hard fighting! He thinks of the Lord often, and constantly asks questions about Jesus and also about Satan. He understands that Satan hates him, and that Jesus loves him. He listens to every word of his dad's preaching, and sits with his Bible open through almost every church service. He knows the words to so many of the old hymns, and he sings like a song bird. He makes up his own songs when he is alone in his room, and they usually start out "Oh, Jesus is so wonderful" in his little angelic voice. He tells me many mornings, "Mama, Jesus came and talked to me when I was in my bed last night," and I believe him. These things might sound cute to you, but they sound miraculous to me. If you only knew....

Raising children is not for the faint-hearted, and it can't be done in the evenings and on weekends. It is a constant, 24-hour watch, but with the Lord's help, the journey itself can be as fun as the destination. As the Apostle John said, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." Have you prayed for your children today?

How Tara Got Her Groove Back

Wow, do I feel better! It's true that I'm 8 months pregnant, can't take a deep breath, don't sleep more than 30 minutes at a time, take about 48 potty breaks per day, and I have definitely painted my own toenails for the last time for several weeks...but thanks be to the Lord, I finally have some of my energy back.

These past 2 weeks have been horrible. I have felt like I had a load of bricks tied to my ankles. It is so frustrating to have so many things that you want and need to do, but no strength to do them. Evidently, my main problem has been a severe iron deficiency. I found from my own research that there are 3 types of iron deficiencies, and mine could not be corrected with an iron pill alone. I am writing this, not because I enjoy complaining (I rarely share my maladies), but to prove, once again, the importance of not totally relying on doctors for your medical care.

Iron supplements make me sick, so it took several weeks to find something I could take. And I also discovered that I needed extra B-12 and folic acid to aid in the absorption, since the type of deficiency I suffered from comes from altered digestion during pregnancy. Had I settled for the doctors' final word, I would still be lying on the couch, helpless. Instead, this has been my plan for the past week: Supermom vitamins in the morning, Folic Acid at lunchtime, Emergen-C (1000 mg of Vit C in fizzy drink form, available from Wal-Mart) in the afternoon when I always need a "pick-me-up", Spirulina tablets along with supper, and prescription Repliva iron tablets at bedtime. After a week of this regimen, I feel like my real self again.

There was a time in my life, when for me to have been out of commission as I've been, that my house and family would have been turned completely upside down. However, with my fourth pregnancy, I saw a dire need to put my family on a functioning schedule. This week, again, proved how helpful that schedule has been to our lives. One of the best resources I've ever found for my schedule is Titus2.com , mainly the book "Managers of Their Homes". I'm not near as rigid as Mrs. Maxwell is with her schedule, but that book taught me so much about the value of multi-tasking, families working together, siblings helping each other, teaching younger children to entertain themselves, expecting more out of children, the folly of being a slave to a child's every whim, and children following tasks without being told. (Famous saying around here, "This chart is my voice.") We've been doing this since 2004, and we are not slave to it, and it changes every year as our family changes. We kind of look at it as Jesus said of man and the Sabbath, that the family was not made for the schedule, but the schedule for the family. Although I've not been able to even stand for more than a few minutes at a time, the laundry is still done (all except MY folding!), and we've not missed one single day of school lessons....all because my children are trained to follow the schedule. It has made the difference between a chaotic miserable house full of lazy, shiftless children and an over-worked, exhausted, resentful mother....and a functioning family who enjoys life. I thank the Lord for putting me on this path.

Sometimes we thank the Lord for our health, assuming that we are not taking our blessings for granted. But the Lord has shown me these past few days that each morning I get up and make out a "to do" list, I am taking it for granted that I will have the stamina and opportunity to complete that day. My prayer is like that of Moses:

"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." Psalm 90:12

Guess Who's #1?

You'll never believe what the #1 selling book at Amazon.com is right now, and it isn't even going to be released until May 10!

I'm convinced, along with Coach Dave from Pass the Salt Ministries that Dr. Paul represents the ideals of the majority of Americans. How sad that there actually is a candidate in the race that represents what most people think and believe, and that a Christian could vote for in good conscience, yet so many people are uninformed and don't even know a thing about him. I could say a lot about what makes good people give up their hard-won freedoms to a government elite they don't even agree with (another post for another day!), but one of the most obvious reasons that Americans just aren't informed, is that most of them don't read. Reading is fundamental to the essential life skill of being able to think for oneself.

Here are a few things I've done to encourage my children to be readers and thinkers.

1. TURN THE CABLE OFF!!!! (Of course, there are at least a thousand other good reasons to do this as well)

2. Stay out of the Wal-Mart junk toy aisle. Buy them a few toys that encourage creativity and don't make any noise or require batteries! Better yet, give them a gun, cape, sword, hat, and packed lunch, and send them outdoors!

3. Get them a good reading light for their bedrooms, and make them go to bed early.

4. I require my older children (8 and 10) to read 2 chapter books each month. Anything beyond the required 2, I pay them $5 for each book at the end of the month. They usually earn between $10-15 each, which means they're reading at least 4-5 chapter books each month. This, of course, requires frequent trips to the library. Also, if the book is especially long, I will allow it to count as 2 books. For example, Caleb read "The Hobbit" last month, which was a challenge for him, but he was excited that he got 2 book credits for it.

5. Require them to WRITE! I'm not scientific enough to explain it, but I know for sure there is a connection between reading and writing. Get them a cool pencil, an attractive notebook, and a jar filled with slips made by you with interesting ideas for topics, and require them to write everyday. For mine, they only pull ideas if they can't think of anything to write, which is rare. Don't be too critical (maybe pick one or two easily corrected mistakes) of their entries. This is not for publishing; it's to build confidence and to practice. For it to be effective, it must be a daily part of their routine. I start out requiring a few sentences, then gradually work up to a full page as they get older. Don't stress them, just teach them to enjoy it. The writing topics should be fun and interesting for them. ("My Favorite Kind of Play Day", "I like _____ because....", "One day, I'd like to ____", "This is My Family", "My Favorite Birthday Present")

6. This may sound a little strange, but help them acquire a taste for calm music without words or lyrics. This helps relax their minds and calm them down to sit and be attentive, yet there are no distracting lyrics.

These are a few of my ideas. I'd love to hear yours as well!

The babies have arrived....early!

Our first litter of chicks! (Congratulations to Daddy Jason who has worried over them more than the Mama Hen Goldie)

She was sitting on 11 eggs, due to hatch on Saturday. They must have begun hatching early in the morning hours. So far we have counted 5, and the other eggs show signs of pecking.

Aren't they cute?

Of course Little Farmer Girl was right there in the middle of everything, running around (I won't say "like a chicken with its head cut off") helping Daddy and so proud that it was her hen that did the sitting. Compare the innocence and contentment in the picture above, to this.......

Most of those little hands reaching up to this pitiful little starlet are the same age as my little girl. (This picture is from the Kids Choice Awards.) How tragic to be that aware and sensual at what should be such a fun and carefree age! I thank the Lord for our humble little home, where our kids are largely unaware of the dangers and temptations Satan has to offer them.