Journal Notes, Matthew 15-18

Reminder:  Homework due Wednesday, August 31......Read and journal Matthew 15-28

A number of Matthew passages stood out and spoke directly to me, all of which shared the same the central theme. Faith.

I'm sure I've been through other periods like this in my life......times when everything seemed to go wrong. Vehicles, health issues, home repair issues, kid issues....big and small. In the past few months a new problem revealed itself nearly every week.

Grace is present, yes. And blessing. But problems piled upon problems lead to discouragement. For anyone.

Does a new dedication to prayer and Bible reading make me Satan's target? Hmm.

My husband prayed regularly for weeks about a specific problem.....getting the van registered for another year. He even set an alarm to remind himself to pray at intervals. Despite his dedication, we must go in tomorrow to get another thirty-day extension (the last one allowed) on smog repairs we still can't quite afford. So instead of putting this intensely frustrating problem behind us, we have to pray for another month. Other things are needed for school and for winter prep and for home repairs, that also must wait. And it's no small matter that the adults here lose health insurance at the end of September, frustrating a very moody peri-menopausal woman, hoping to seek treatment for increasingly debilitating migraines.

The Matthew passages reminded me, as did the church sermon today, that problems are only frustrating when we lack faith.

Matthew 15:25-28

²⁵ The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

 ²⁶ He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

 ²⁷ “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

 ²⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Matthew 16:5-11
⁵ When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. ⁶ “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

 ⁷ They discussed this among themselves and said, “It is because we didn’t bring any bread.”

 ⁸ Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? ⁹ Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? ¹⁰ Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? ¹¹ How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

Matthew 17:14-20¹⁴ When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. ¹⁵ “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. ¹⁶ I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

   ¹⁷ “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” ¹⁸ Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.

 ¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

 ²⁰ He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Matthew 18:1-4¹ At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

 ² He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. ³ And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

My husband has to work hard to maintain faith about our vehicles. I have to work hard to maintain faith about our children's futures. Are either of us being like little children, trusting God effortlessly? Isn't our discouragement a lack of faith?


My Bible study is like daily manna. It gives me a simple soul task....a task that nourishes and fixes me.

When I'm heavy laden, I know what the answer is. Believe like a little child and keep my joy. Get out of the way so my mustard-seed faith can move mountains.


A side note of gratitude:  Sometimes when there's no money and we all suffer, I wonder if I should be in the workforce. But God always replies "No. Not you. Be a keeper at home." Today was our second visit to a 3-year-old, non-denominational church that meets in the local elementary school. The pastor mentioned that a local boy (not from the church) accidentally killed himself by hanging. Apparently a lot of kids are trying to get a temporary high by limiting their oxygen levels.

The state of things has never been more shocking. Hearing these things, it's hard not to feel physically sick. There's never been a better time to be a keeper at home....and to homeschool. No matter what my physical circumstances are, I'm blessed that my kids are safe from a culture of destruction. I pray that God blesses them with bold, abiding faith, enabling them to go out into the world and change it for Christ.

Library Gems

I went off to my local library today, in search of literary gems suggested in the spiritual section of Gladys Hunt's Honey For A Child's Heart, The Imaginative Use of Books in Family Life. With my two-year-old in tow, looking for a specific book proved quite challenging. Instead, I grabbed a handful of books that looked interesting, happening to find two of Ms. Hunt's suggestions, quite by accident. She suggests Prayer For A Child, featured below, as well as Psalm Twenty-Three, also featured below. All the others are wonderful too, though not mentioned in her book! Enjoy!

The Ancient World Of The Bible, by Malcolm Day

This is a wonderful Bible companion!  It shows artifacts, ancient maps, detailed time lines, and interesting facts revealing the customs and daily lives of various people of ancient times. Truly fascinating for ages 6 to adult. (14 x 9, 76 pages)

The Illustrated Children's Old Testament, Paintings by Bill Farnsworth, 1993.

Written in fairly large print at about a third- or fourth-grade level, this beautifully illustrated book serves as a read aloud, or as a devotional tool for young readers. (Big and heavy, with171 pages)

Daniel in the Lion's Den, Retold and Illustrated by Jean Marzollo, author of 130 books, including the award-winning I Spy series. Her Amazon author's page is here. She's written several Bible story books, including David and Goliath, Ruth and Naomi, Jonah and the Whale, and Miriam and Her Brother Moses.

When Jean Marzollo heard this story as a child, she wondered how the angel shut the lions' mouths so that they couldn't harm Daniel. She uses her imagination to retell the story to include what she thinks happened in the cave. Delightful retelling!

Prayer For A Child, By Rachel Field, Illustrated by Elizabeth Orton Jones

Written in 1941, this precious book won The Caldecott Medal for its illustrations. One look inside and you'll fall in love! I swooned over every picture. And the prayer is quite a gem too.  A few sentences a page, appropriate for ages 3-7.

Psalm Twenty-Three, Illustrated by Tim Ladwig

Against the backdrop of an inner city, Tim Ladwig makes this Psalm come alive with rich illustrations, providing children insight into the meaning

.

The Lord's Prayer, Illustrated by Tim Ladwig

A young girl and her father help an elderly neighbor, illustrating the meaning of the Lord's Prayer as they love her with their actions. I loved the sweetness, the simplicity, the truth....made me get tears in my eyes.

A New Pasttime Around Here

Can you guess where my kids have been spending a lot of time lately? Remember my curriculum selling venture?

Hints:
~ Their recent playtime has included the phrases listed below.
~ My new scotch tape is long gone.
~ The Christmas wrap left over from last December is also long gone.
~ Their Little Tykes shopping cart now delivers packages.

New Lingo:

"Can I help the next person?"
"How are you today?"
"Anything perishable or flammable?"
"Do you need a book of stamps?"
"Credit or debit?"

Journaling Notes, Matthew 9-14

It was ten o'clock at night and my two year old awoke with loud cries, it being time for her next ibuprofen dose. I gave her the medicine and nursed her, promptly falling asleep myself. Nursing always makes me so sleepy.

But I hadn't finished reading my fourteen chapters of Matthew, and it was already Wednesday night! If I give you homework, I surely must complete it myself.

So, the Lord brought on the loudest thunderstorm I've ever heard.

I awoke with a start at 1:30 AM.

A bad headache drove me to take two Excedrin Tension Headache tablets, which kept me awake long enough to finish off my study of Matthew, through chapter 14. They contain caffeine, so I try to avoid them at night when possible.

I love the Gospels! So much meat there....so many wonderful reminders. What struck me the most in my wee-hours study was this:


We must be sincere in our faith. Jesus always had very harsh words for the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law. His disgust with them knew no bounds.With his own disciples he was firm but gentle. Among the sick and the poor, he showed only compassion. But oh, how he abhored the hypocrites. Ouch!

His keeping me up until the wee hours was a reminder. Be sincere in your faith. I was wrong to let school preparation and other things get in the way of my Bible study. With interruptions, it took three hours to finish the last six chapters of Matthew. Not reading them alone, but in studying commentary on the verses as well, because them parables 'ain't easy to figure. I would have been done in an hour or less, if I'd not left six chapters to do in one night.

We all have some Pharisee in us. I see clearly that to remain sincere in our faith, to keep our hearts pure, we need to reread the gospels frequently. Jesus' treatment of the Pharisees cuts right through us. Our own sin screams at us as we take in Jesus' harsh, uncompromising words.

The new homework, due next Wednesday:  Finish Matthew

Tell me, what have you learned this week?

Just a little note......I haven't abandoned my series on prayer....specifically, on the Lord's Prayer. I'll get to it, as well as to more Catherine Marshall. 

elevate it, he says

Does the hospital bracelet in the background, and the swollen toddler knee give you some hint about my morning?

A sprain, not a break. Elevate it, says the ER Doc. And put on Barney. Then he winks at me, knowing full well toddlers don't stand for elevation or bedrest.

Pray for a quick recovery, with no complications?  Thank you! I'm grateful it's not worse, and praying no infection develops in the joint, which can happen with trauma.

Miss Beth fell in the driveway in the late afternoon yesterday, and it was no big deal.....

....Until this morning, when she woke up limping, sporting a fat knee. Her doctor said to take her to the ER.

By the time the ibuprofen kicked in and the doctor came in to see us--one hour, four children, small examining room, ugh!--Miss Beth was all ready to prance around the examining room like a fashion model, smiling like a little flirt the whole while.