She has reached her desired haven...

Yet again this morning, Amy Carmichael's poetry, which Linda loved, has been a comfort.

So He Bringeth Them to Their Desired Haven

Soft thunder of great waves and splash of spray
And little sparkling laugh of breaking bubbles,
And then a gradual glory swept the sea
And thrilled the air (the outgoings of the day
Rejoicing thus). While moving as aware
Of measured music beating time for him,
The sun descended, touched the waiting sea,
And with majestic movement-and yet swift-
Sank till the utmost rim of ocean drowned
His last, thin line of light.
A pause and then
A luminous loveliness, as if all precious things-
All crystals, jewels, creatures iridescent-
Lent of their spirit to the atmosphere.
All colors mingled, and all glories met
In that bright moment. And the track of sun,
Himself departed but still looking back,
Lay red-gold on a waste of violet.

Then, while the hush of golden afterglow
Held us in silence, a small fishing boat
Sailed on the darkening sea that pressed upon
The lighted path, until she entered it.
And now no more could we perceive her form
Or dull brown sails distinguish, but she seemed
An amethyst that hung in amethyst air.
A pearl that floated on a sea of pearl
Mingled with fire. And all the colors bent
To welcome and embrace her as she passed
Within their radiant kingdom.
Then my soul
Sprang forth to meet him who is ever wont
To speak in parables. For often I,
Smitten by fear, despondent, dare not think
How it may fare at the end with me
Who am the least of all my good Lord's ships,
Not worthy to be reckoned in His fleet.
For see, my hull is battered, my sails torn,
Not one fair space of deck is found in me-
Oh, not in me is any single good!

Yea, but that fishing boat, that three logged boat,
Was not in itself worthy, but rough hewn,
Like other Indian boats, in no wise meet
To take a place in any battle line,
Or sail in a regatta of swift yachts,
Or even carry costly merchandise;
Not of itself its glory.
O most good
Most reassuring thought. Go on, pursue,
Thy healing ministry, for shall it not
Be even thus, my Lord, with this, thy ship?
Once, all but wrecked, it drifted;
Rocks roared to devour it,
Sending fierce outriders bidden to seize it;
Winds howled about it;
Whirlpools sucked beneath it;
And neither sun nor stars in many days appeared.

Then, at what time the wild storm fell upon me,
I called, and on the instant Thou didst draw me
Out of those many waters. Thy right arm
Doth still sustain me and I cannot fear
Abandonment; O Lord, I will not fear
Ill (Thou granting succor) for my last voyage.
No shock of tempest, no supreme eclipse,
No inward deviation of my helm,
Will thou long proved love permit to end
What that same love began. Thy word is pledged
To perfect that which doth concern the least
Of thy small fishing boats.
I shall not slip
Out of thy love and find myself forlorn,
Lost in the dark upon an unknown shore;
But drawn by invisible currents, I shall move
Upon the golden pathway of the sea at sunset,
With my old, torn sails full set
To catch the colors til (for sweet,
is thy mercy to thy wind worn ships)
I shall be changed and fashioned otherwise.

And I who long time bore in heaviness
The image of the earthly then shall bear
The image of the heavenly; And this flesh
Being no more, my base corruptible
Shall put on incorruption. Mortal, I
Shall put on immortality, and pass
Out of the temporal into the eternal-
Out of night into the welcoming light
Of the pure shining of Thy countenance.

At home with the Lord

This evening Linda went home to be with the Lord. Her father and Esther were at her bedside while the rest of the family was having a quiet dinner. Mr. Isham and Esther wondered aloud what Linda was thinking of and began talking about heaven. Esther looked at Linda and noticed that she had stopped breathing. She did not fight, she did not cry out, she simply peacefully and quietly stopped breathing and stepped into the radiant presence of her Saviour.

We are crying and we are rejoicing. She is free from the body that was wracked by pain for so long. There is no more pain, no more tears, no more sorrow for her.

Please continue to pray for Court, Rick, Nathan and Heather, and the rest of her family and many friends. Linda touched many lives and we will miss her.

Dear Linda

Our dear friend, Linda, seems to be nearing the end of her long battle with ovarian cancer. She has fought this battle with grace, strength, perseverance, and even joy that would be unimaginable without the sustaining, enabling power of God. Last night, I leafed through her copy of Mountain Breezes. Many pages were marked with blue post-it tabs. Many others were dog-eared. One page had been turned down twice, I think so that she could find it with ease. It had this poem on it:

CONSTANT VICTORY

Before the winds that blow do cease,
Teach me to dwell with Thy calm;
Before the pain has passed in peace,
Give me, my God, to sing a psalm.
Let me not lose the chance to prove
The fullness of enabling love.
O Love of God, do this for me:
Maintain a constant victory.

Before I leave the desert land
For meadows of immortal flowers,
Lead me where streams at Thy command
Flow by the borders of the hours,
That when the thirsty come, I may
Show them the fountains in the way.
O Love of God, do this for me:
Maintain a constant victory.

Linda's life has been the most amazing testimony I know of a woman whose greatest desire has been to love the Lord Jesus and show Him as most precious. Through pain and tears, trials and setbacks, grief and sadness, her's has been a victorious faith. I cannot begin to imagine the welcome she will have when she sees the Lord face to face.

Please pray with me for her, and for her dear husband, Court, sons Rick and Nathan, and soon to be daughter-in-love, Heather, as well as for the rest of her family and many, many loved ones and friends as they/we walk through this hard time.

Signs of Spring

Sign 1
This morning when Coty went to wake Andrew up, he wasn't in his bed. Coty went downstairs and Andrew was sound asleep under his comforter and a couple of other blankets, on the screen porch. When asked why he decided to sleep on the porch, Andrew said, "It smelled really good outside last night." Spring is in the air!

Sign 2
I got hot while walking this morning.

Sign 3
While looking out my bedroom window today, I counted six bluejays and three male cardinals hopping around on the ground in the front yard and garden. I am seeing and hearing more birds and expect our regular Carolina wren to begin nesting in the garage soon. And when that happens, Max, the African grey parrot, will begin her excellent wren imitation inside. Birdsong everywhere!

Sign 4
We are awaiting a call any day now from Joel's baseball coach telling us about when practices will start.

Sign 5
I am itching to start digging. Amber sent me a neat link for a way to start seeds outside in the winter. We're a little late for using this method as described, but it might also be a good way to get a jump on the season. I'm going to give it a try.

Sign 6
I am sitting on the deck outside Andrew's cello teacher's studio during his lesson, making use of her wireless to write this post. It is warm enough to do this. Hooray!

Amy Carmichael's poetry set to music

After reading about this CD in Justin's blog, Coty bought His Faithfulness for me. I love to listen to the poetry of another of my spiritual heroes, Amy Carmichael, set to such lovely and peaceful music. Highly recommended.

I first met "dear Amy" (as a precious older saint in our church in Massachusetts called her) through reading Elizabeth Elliot's biography of her, A Chance to Die. I have also cherished my copy of her collected poems, Mountain Breezes, for many years. Its pages are marked and dog-eared.

Elizabeth Prentiss

I finished reading Elizabeth Prentiss’s biography about three weeks ago. There was so much to ponder in her story; so much that encourages and inspires. Here are a few favorite quotes:

On suffering:
“Indeed, I do thank my dear Master that He does not let me alone, and that He has let me suffer so much; it has been a rich experience, this long illness, and I do trust He will so sanctify it that I shall have cause to rejoice over it all the rest of my life….And may the glory of God be, as it never yet has been, my chief aim.”

On her love for her husband:
“I felt grateful to God for having granted me the rich experience of satisfied affection and almost tremble when I look my felicity in the face. What would have become of me if I had never known the happiness I have found in looking up to, leaning on admiring and loving you! We ought to bless God every day for our daily joy and solace in each other – and so we do, yet not half enough.”

On her love for ministry with her husband:
She felt that being married to a minister gave her“such lots of people to love and care for” and she was thankful for the “right to sympathize with those who mourn, to fly to them at once, and join them in their prayers and tears.”

On her sense of humor and playfulness:
The Prentisses chose to name their summer home in Dorset, Vermont, Kauinfels because as Elizabeth explained, “Kauinfels is a word that we invented, after spending no little time, by referring to a spot in a favorite brook as ‘the place where the old cow fell in’(Kau-in-fel); it looked so German and pleased us so much that we concluded to give our place that name.”

On turning 50 (at which I really chuckled, since I reach the half-century mark this year):
“I begin to feel antiquated, dilapidated, and antediluvian, etc., etc.”

On her hospitality, words written by a guest:
“What a delightful home she made! The ‘good cheer’ she furnished for the minds, hearts, and bodies of her guests was something remarkable. I shall never forget my visits…What entertaining stories she told! What practical wisdom she gave out in the most natural and incidental way! And what housekeeping! Common articles of food seemed to possess new virtures and new zest. I always went away full of the marvels of the visit, as well as loaded down with many little tokens of her kindness and thoughtfulness.”

On mixing the practical and the spiritual from a letter she wrote to a friend:
“I enclose an extract I made for you from a work on the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This was all the paper I had at hand at the moment. The recipe for curry I have copied into my recipe book…A queer mixture of the spiritual and the practical, but no stranger than life’s mixtures always are.”

On encouraging others:
“…the voice of a fellow-traveler always stimulates his brother-pilgrim; what one finds and speaks of and rejoices over, sets the other upon determining to find too. God has been very good to you, as well as to me, but we ought to whisper to each other now and then, ‘Go on, step faster, step surer, lay hold on the rock of Ages with both hands.’”

On the theme and goal of her life – the first verse of her famous hymn:
More Love to Thee, O Christ, more love to Thee!
Hear thou the prayer I make on bended knee;
This is my earnest plea,
More love, O Christ to Thee,
More love to Thee, more love to Thee.

That is my prayer, too. I am so thankful for Elizabeth Prentiss’s example. I am thankful, too, for those who have labored to give us, who live a century and a quarter later, the opportunity to know her.

This Sunday....

In church:
We heard Psalm 67 read in Tagalog, Spanish, and English by native speakers of those three languages. At the end of the reading, the congregation burst into spontaneous applause, moved by the words of this psalm and the beauty and joy of hearing it in three different languages.

I had the pleasure of teaching the 2 and 3 year olds and hearing them recite their memory verse for the month.

We tried a new nursery set-up which gave us lots more room. Workers and kids all loved it.

We sang some wonderful songs: Rejoice the Lord is King, We Will Dance, and others. Thanks musicians and singers.

After church:
We were joined for lunch by one of the first families to become a part of our church, two women who have been with us for awhile but who we've never had the pleasure of having in our home, a new couple who are in the process of moving here, and two dear teenage friends. Our lunch time conversation was sprinkled with personal stories. Sylvia's telling of her son's injury in Iraq, the miraculous way she received news of his condition, and his subsequent healing moved all of us. We did our usual round-robin with kids and adults, from youngest to oldest, talking about the sermon. I always love this part of Sunday lunch because after we've enjoyed a time of casual conversation, we get to the "meat" of the morning and talk about how we were impacted by the message. People who have never had Sunday lunch with us before are always blessed by the contributions of the children and teens. This is age integrated conversation that benefits all of us.

We ate chocolate pound cake with warm raspberry sauce. It was REALLY delicious! Even Coty, who usually avoids pound cake and isn't a real chocolate lover, loved it.

The kids headed to the soccer field.

This evening:
We had the youth meeting at our house since one of the sons of the usual host family is down with the flu. After their teaching/discussion time we all ate ice cream and talked and laughed a lot. What a great group of teens.

Joel cleaned up the kitchen. It was a big clean-up day. Thanks, buddy!

We are all tired, but we are filled, physically and spiritually. It was a sweet Sunday from our morning worship to our evening laughter. Tomorrow I'm giving the guys President's Day off from school work and I'm taking a teacher work day. But now it's time for rest....

What is a reel? Slight correction....

Thanks to Amelia for a slight correction on one of the spinning terms. A reel is not necessarily circular; it was used to wind skeins on. Modern-day reels are called skein winders -- because you wind your yarn from the bobbin onto the skeinwinder to make a skein of yarn. I'm still trying to think about the images and just what Taylor was saying. Knowing a little about spinning and weaving terms helps.

"Housewifery"

We are studying early American history and literature. Yesterday we learned about Edward Taylor, a Puritan pastor and author. He served his parishioners in the little, then frontier town of Westfield, Massachusetts for 58 years. His poetry was virtually unknown until 1937 when his manuscripts were discovered in the possession of the Yale University Library. We read several of his poems. The following poem is one of his most well known and most often quoted.

If you’re not familiar with spinning and weaving terms, see the explanations below. Also, I've used more modern spelling. To read the poem in the original spelling, click here.

Housewifery by Edward Taylor

Make me, O Lord, Thy spinning wheel complete.
Thy holy Word my distaff make for me;
Make mine affections Thy swift flyers neat;
And make my soul Thy holy spool to be;
My conversation make to be Thy reel,
And reel the yarn thereon spun of Thy wheel.

Make me Thy loom then; knit therein this twine;
And make Thy Holy Spirit, Lord, wind quills;
Then weave the web Thyself. They yarn is fine.
Thine ordinances make my fulling mills.
The dye the same in heavenly colors choice,
All pinked with varnished flowers of paradise.

Then clothe therewith mine understanding, will,
Affections, judgment, conscience, memory,
My words and action, that their shine may fill
My ways with glory and Thee glorify.
Then mine apparel shall display before Ye
That I am clothed in holy robes for glory.

Spinning and weaving terminology with which Taylor was very familiar:
A distaff is a staff that holds the flax or wool fibers which are drawn from as the spinner needs them when spinning. A distaff can be attached to a belt, mounted on the bench of a spinning wheel, or free-standing. It keeps the unspun fibers untangled and makes spinning easier.

The flyer is the u-shaped device on a treadle spinning wheel that twists the yarn. It is driven by the larger flywheel. One rotation of the flywheel yields many rotations of the flyer.

A reel is a round object that thread is wound on.

A quill is a tube on which weft threads (the ones that go across the warp to make the web) are wound for use in a shuttle.

Fulling was a step in clothmaking that involved cleaning, shrinking and thickening the cloth. It gots rid of oils, dirt, and impurities in the wool. It was done in a fulling mill, a trough or water mill in which the cloth was beaten with wooden hammers.

No, I don’t know that much about spinning and weaving, but I found lots of help on the web and from Amelia Garripole of The Bellwether. Learning about these these terms helped me understand Taylor's imagery better. Enjoy.

A Happy Valentine's Day

I woke up yesterday morning and discovered little notes, nine to be exact, posted all around the house. They bore very sweet, Bible-saturated messages from Coty, expressing his love for me. It was like a treasure hunt to find them all and I was so blessed by his tender thoughtfulness. Later in the day he gave me roses and a lovely blooming indoor plant. Thank you sweetheart!

We ate pink, craisin filled scones for breakfast and took heart-shaped sand tart cookies to small group last night. So, that was our simple but sweet Valentine celebration. It did continue this morning when I stopped at Lowe's after my haircut to pick up some half-price conversation hearts. They do say dumb things, but we love 'em and they make us laugh.

Hanging out on Union Street

It is Tuesday afternoon so I am in downtown Concord. In the last two weeks I have gotten reacquainted with Union Street after a hiatus of a couple of years. Back then, Jonathan was involved in plays at the Old Courthouse Theatre on Spring Street. But then he went away to college and no one else was interested in drama for awhile so I didn’t have much occasion to visit Union Street. But now, Matthew and Joel are taking part in the Bee Creative Homeschool Drama class so I get to spend every Tuesday afternoon up here. Since I last spent any time on Union Street there are some great additions to the downtown and I am happy to say that there is a plenty to keep me happily busy for two or three hours while my boys practice lines, block scenes, and act!

My favorite spot on Union Street is the Main branch of the Cabarrus County Library. I love this old library.

I love the bronze sculpture out front of two children sitting back to back reading. I love the reading chairs at the entrance in front of the ample magazine and newspaper racks. I love the bulletin board kiosk at the front that tells me about what’s happening in Concord – the local book club, the upcoming quiz bowl, a visiting musician.

I love to use the clicky old computers to access the catalog as I search for homeschool resources. Today I was looking for chemistry “living books” and I had three wonderful finds. I always find things I like at the Concord library because they seem to keep more of their old books than other libraries around here. . I love the oversize book collection where I’ve been finding wonderful helps for our study of early American artists.

I love the Quiet Zone signs that remind me that this is a place where the ring of cell phones, loud voices, and disruptive behavior are not allowed because in the library we are supposed to be considerate of others. For some reason, in the library, people really are. You know I’ve never heard a librarian here ask someone to be quiet or to stop their disruptive behavior. It doesn’t happen! Even the children seem to walk slower and understand that they are supposed to use “inside voices.”

I love the children’s room upstairs and the gallery spot where children’s art is exhibited. I love the books on tape, the little bitty chairs, the short table with card catalog computers for kids.

I love the helpful librarian at the front desk with the soft Southern accent who never makes me feel like a criminal when I have an overdue fine. I love the stern faced reference librarian who always has an answer.

I love the mixture of people that frequent the library – young, old, rich, poor, black, white, brown, homeless people and students, grandmothers and professional people. What a diverse collection of folks browsing the shelves, using the computers, studying, or sitting quietly reading.

Did I say I love the library? Joel loves the library, too. One time he asked me if we could come up and stay at the library all day. What a great idea. We haven’t done it yet, but maybe one Tuesday, that’s just what we’ll do.

The nice thing is that there are now some great little places to go for food and drink if you are ready for a break from the library. So far, I’ve visited two of them.

Ellie’s Coffee Shop and Argentinian Pastries is a wonderful little coffee shop a block and a half from the library, next to one of Union Street’s several antique stores and across from Baucom Shoes and Kitty City. The owners, mom, Rosanna, and daughter, Ellie, are originally from Argentina, as you might guess from the name. They opened the coffee shop about a year ago, and according to Ellie, they’re doing pretty well so far. I hope the trend continues. This is not Starbucks, this is not Caribou. This is a coffee shop with its own unique character. The display case at the counter is full of Argentinian pastries that Rosanna bakes fresh every morning. They’re all about a dollar or less and include things like shortbread filled with dulce de leche (thickened caramelized milk), mini quince pies, a variety of meringues, and other goodies. Latin music plays in the background. The walls are decorated with photographs and artwork from local artists and burlap coffee bags hang from the ceiling behind the counter. Two cushy, sort of tattered sofas sit angled in front of the window looking out on Union Street passersby, old store fronts, and twinkly-lit trees. There are backgammon and chess sets on the coffee tables and even a guitar in the corner. I love this place. Ellie is very sweet and her smile lights up her face. She remembered Joel and me when we came in this afternoon for hot chocolate and said, “Oh, yes, you can come here on Tuesdays.” I love to go places where people remember their customers!

There is another fun place that I’ve visited called Two Leaves and a Bud. It is advertised as “an extraordinary tea shop” and the owners certainly know their tea. They brew up your choice (and there are over 70 to choose from) right when you order and serve it in a delicate cup with saucer or a mug – your choice. They also have pastries, biscotti, and other food, but I haven’t eaten anything there yet. For someone who loves good tea, it is a pleasure to describe the type of tea I like and hear Lina say, “Oh, I think you’d like the Estate Assam tea…” And I did. I’ll visit Two Leaves again sometime, though it’s not as comfy a place to sit as Ellies.

There are a few other spots on Union Street worth noting…but I’m out of time for now. I’ve got to finish my hot chocolate before it’s time to pick Matthew up…(oh, he’s staying for a second class now because he was asked to take a part in another play, so that means my afternoon in Concord has stretched even longer). But that means I'll get to explore a bit more and in the spring, which will be here before we know it, there is Memorial Garden...I can't wait.

Starting a new study

Our women's daytime study group from church is beginning the study of a new book today. We are reading Love that Lasts: When Marriage Meets Grace and will spend the next few months reading, discussing, and applying the biblical truths about which the authors so compellingly write. I was pleased then when I read one of my favorite blogs, titus2talk, this morning, and found the following quote in a post on the discipline of love:

How can husband and wife live happily in their wedded life? Wedded happiness is a lesson that must be learned. No two lives brought into this close relation can blend into one without self-discipline. "Marriage is the beautiful unfolding of many years."

Ofttimes it takes a long while for a wedded pair to learn the lesson of living happily together. They are discouraged because such love as theirs does not yield perfect happiness from the very first day. It always costs to learn the lesson. The block of marble must wane, as the statue is sculptured and grows. There must be the cutting away of much in both lives; there must be restraint, self-denial, self-effacement, while they are being trained to live one life rather than two. Love is always discipline.

How true. These are great words to share with a group of mostly younger women but also words that I need to hear. I am thankful for these women who are willing to submit themselves to the discipline of love in order to build Godly marriages that picture Christ and the church. And I'm very much looking forward to the next weeks of study together with them.

Not working

Coty is supposed to be off today, but of course that means he is busy fixing the things around here that are broken. This morning at breakfast we were discussing the day and I was listing the needed repairs, "The dryer's not working, the toilet's not working."

And then Andrew interjected, "Thomas is not working." (meaning, he didn't have to go in to Steak and Shake today - but perhaps intending a double meaning...)

Sorry, Thomas, I don't think Daddy can fix you ;)

Stones and Pebbles

Well, since Coty mentioned Ebenezer Stories in yesterday's sermon, and people have asked for the link or told me they lurk, perhaps I should write more often - or at least more regularly. But I must admit that blogging has its challenges. How to make the time to write, what to write about, how much of family life to share, what “fits” in this blog? I’m not sure that what I write is always worthy of a place on a blog called Ebenezer Stories. If you have read the original post, you know that the intent of the blog was to record stories that remind us of God’s faithfulness. I wanted to write about things in my own life, and the lives of others, folks I know and folks I’ve read about, past and present that remind me of God’s faithfulness and His day to day leading.

So, how do recipes and stories of soccer games, garden pictures and a son’s movies remind me of God’s faithfulness? A few scriptures will help:

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

Everything I have is from the Father and everything I do, except sin, can potentially be done in the name of Jesus, giving thanks to the Father for the resources and abilities to do these activities. My joyful affirmation of this truth enables me to live – to eat, drink, cook, dig in the dirt, plant a garden, make a movie, celebrate a birthday, choose a college, homeschool, knit a hat, read a book, memorize a poem, watch a sunrise, even hang out laundry - to the glory of God. And then, as I recall the varied stories of our days, mundane or monumental, I am constantly reminded of God’s faithfulness. Even a recollection of a walk in the woods becomes for me an Ebenezer stone.

So, I will keep writing about whatever is going on around here. I suppose some of the events I chronicle should more aptly be called Ebenezer pebbles! But whether stones or pebbles, they are reminders of our awesome, big, powerful, sovereign, always faithful God – who leads us everyday.

So, if you're a new reader, welcome. "Hitherto hath the Lord led us."

On a college decision and a joyful fruit of homeschooling...

For those of you who may be wondering...Thomas is planning to attend Covenant College in the fall. He did not receive the McClellan Scholarship but his participation in the scholarship weekend convinced him that he really wants to attend Covenant, McClellan Scholar or not. He did receive a Presidential Scholarship and a leadership award. Those grants combined with work study and his own hard work and saving in the meantime will make attending Covenant this fall a reality, Lord willing. We are thankful, encouraged, and excited for him. Thanks for your prayers on his behalf.

We are now planning for his graduation with the Cabarrus County Homeschool Association. He’ll be the first of our Pinckney Family School graduates to “walk” in a high school graduation ceremony. Even homeschoolers get to wear a cap and gown.

I am in awe and wonder that Coty and I have now guided three children through 12 plus years of schooling. My honest answer to the frequently asked question, “How do you do it?” is “by the grace of God.” And I don’t say that in a flippant, cliché sort of way. It is God’s grace alone that has enabled us to pour into our children’s lives in homeschooling. God has so graciously provided the resources and given us the strength, wisdom, perseverance, patience, humor, and encouragement to pursue a life of learning with our children. I could not do it on my own. I am humbled and grateful.

And then today I was given yet another joyful reminder of why we homeschool. This year Matthew, Joel, and I have been working on memorizing more poetry. So far we have memorized The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Lord Tennyson, Macbeth’s soliloquy upon the death of Lady Macbeth by Shakespeare, O Captain, My Captain by Walt Whitman, and portions of The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere by Longfellow. This morning it was time to pick a new poem. I thought the guys should choose since I’ve done all the choosing so far, so I asked for their ideas. Matthew immediately suggested that instead of choosing a poem, we memorize a book of the Bible. I asked if he had anything in mind. He has been reading Isaiah and promptly suggested that we learn Isaiah 59. His reason – it presents our sinfulness, God’s righteous judgment, confession and redemption in one very poetic chapter.

To have a child that would choose such a chapter to memorize for the reasons he stated is for me the God-given fruit of long ago decision that God would not be kept in a box and brought out on Sunday only. Our long ago decision to homeschool meant that God would be an integral part of our daily lives and the center of our homeschool. His glory would be the goal of all our endeavors, educational and otherwise. This decision has given us the freedom and time to read, discuss, pray, and live with our children in an extraordinarily close way.

I must also extol my husband’s faithful, daily Bible reading and leading in prayer, as well as his consistent modeling of spiritual disciplines. I am so thankful for a Godly husband whose influence in the lives of his children is so tangible. Yet, I know that any good that has accrued to our children as a result of our schooling choice or our imperfect striving after obedience is all a gift from God.

Matthew’s chosen chapter ends with a very precious promise that I will hang onto with thanksgiving, as my children and I repeat the words of Isaiah 59 this month til they are firmly planted in our mouths and hidden in our hearts:

“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or the mouths of their descendents from this time on and forever,” says the Lord. Isaiah 59:21

Ebenezer...

Another drum roll....

And here's the next Matthew's Pictures video. This hilarious commercial for a sleeping pill, Xyphozamaz +, includes people falling down stairs, getting shot, and other disturbing side effects...but I don't want to give it all away. For those of you with small children, be forewarned and preview!