Homeschool Mother's Journal (May 3, 2013)

In my life this week…
The four kids are recovering from colds and mom and dad are beginning them (spring allergies complicate the health landscape). William Wordsworth made his way into my life this week. I ordered several art books from Homeschool Classifieds and the woman selling them had long lists of additional $.50 and $1.00 books for sale. One of the books I picked out was a compilation of the top 29 Wordsworth poems. His work represents true brilliance in words and thought. I actually took it into the bathroom with me twice and found it a welcome break from mundane household tasks.(When your youngest is 4 years old you can finally read about 2 pages in the bathroom before someone comes knocking).

What I'm thinking about...
Overwhelmed by the amount of work mothers do with no break even on the weekends, I began to think about what God wants in terms of workload. Does He agree with all work and no play for mothers? When I play I get behind and when I get behind we all get stressed, so it doesn't pay to play. Are you with me?

It occurred to me once again that a big part of my job as a mother and homemaker is training the children to pull their weight (not just make their bed). A veteran homeschooling mother said to me several years ago that if I didn't train my children to clean up their messes, than the teenage years would be no different for me, in terms of work. Certainly it's true that my kids need to see me engaged in relationships, not just in tasks.

When things are going smoothly here, I do well with the training. When I'm stressed however, I forget to fully involve the children. My emotional state compels me to isolate myself rather than engage them. The Lord helped me see this unfortunate pattern today.

A good reason to be a consistent manager is that a household in which one person does all the work is not healthy or desirable for anyone involved. A mother should be happy and grateful to have a family to serve, but should she be a martyr? Doesn't our worst come out when we aren't physically and mentally resting enough? (I don't work hard because I want a perfect house. No, our house is never picture worthy. I strive for containing the chaos most days and on Bible study day, having everything in its place with dusted surfaces and vacuumed and mopped floors.)

Side note on my husband: He's gone from 7 to 7 Mon - Fri.and another 5 hours on Saturday, so I don't expect anything from him. But he does help with the kids at night and before the dishwasher broke he helped load it.

In our homeschool this week…
We finished our Sonlight Core E books early so I ordered some from old Core E lists and some from the new Core E list, one of which was Half Magic by Edward Eager. We'll definitely be reading all that Edward Eager wrote. The boys thoroughly enjoyed this hilarious book and needed the lighter reading after Bruchko. Four siblings find a magic coin that allows them different adventures, including going back in time to the days of Camelot. Each adventure is short and laugh-out-loud funny. A great read aloud for the whole family, though it's listed as a reader.

I'm reading Cheaper By the Dozen by Frank Gilbreath aloud to the boys, one of the old Core E read alouds I ordered. It's also hilarious but my 4- and 6-year-old girls aren't into it. I plan on reading another Little House book to them.



 

 The boys are also reading The Story of Inventions for history, which I found on e-bay, listed as an older Core E book (Core E teaches history from 1850 -1950). My boys are grateful to have this book. Publisher synopsis: Great inventions, historical biographies, strong morals, and the godly character traits necessary for success are highlighted in this collection of stories. From the steam engine and the printing press to television and computers, a wide range of inventions is covered in short chapters that include reading comprehension questions. For older elementary students. 354 pages, softcover from Christian Liberty Press.



For science they finished up the Usborne Complete Book of the Microscope and will start See & Explore: Space, Stars, Planets and Spacecraft. We love, love, love Sonlight Science!


My girls continue to enjoy their Sing, Spell, Read, Write K-1 combo reading program. Mom still loves it too--something I can't always say after using something two months (this was an excellent curriculum choice).

I'm not using any other formal learning program with them, other than a K math book. We have plenty of social studies and science and art trade books on hand to share with them.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
 Trust good-quality books to impart knowledge, spark the imagination, and put your children on a lifetime learning path. Don't worry about assigning worksheets to prove that you did something in science or social studies. Seek out and trust good literature. Just because a child didn't produce something doesn't mean her mind didn't expand and make important connections. The more worksheets you assign your kids, the less time they'll have to fill their heads with real knowledge. 

Believing this is a bigger leap if you haven't been an avid reader yourself, and especially if you haven't been a non-fiction reader. My boys have been as interested in their non-fiction selections as in their fiction.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
The kids skipped church last Sunday because of colds, but they were better by Wednesday and thoroughly enjoyed AWANA's last hurrah (a carnival-like fair). We have an awards assembly next Wednesday but then no more AWANA until September.

I was politely encouraged to help with Vacation Bible School at this AWANA church, working with the preschoolers again. (I worked with Cubbies for AWANA). Preschoolers are exhausting and they aren't good listeners yet, but I do love the funny things they say. I'm sure I'll enjoy the VBS preschool experience.

I did learn something about how preschoolers learn while working with the Cubbies this year. I don't have a background in early childhood education but I didn't need it to discover that preschoolers need to play to learn. As parents we read that all the time, including warnings not to choose an academic preschool. Now I know first hand that it's true. They don't have the listening skills to sit and drink in what a teacher is saying about a topic, but when they can use their hands to discover and manipulate, they learn.

Even Bible stories are better taught with things they can manipulate, rather than with just a storybook. I watched 13 preschoolers squirm their way through every oral and visual lesson, not gleaning much at all. Around 5.5 years old they seem more capable of learning through hearing and seeing and need less doing (except those who go on to have a tactile-kinesthetic learning style).

My favorite thing this week was…
...reading aloud to my kids and watching spring truly arrive. Color is everywhere. Also, watching my 4-year-old daughter play dress up and carry around hardbound chapter books. She will be quite the scholar I think. Always wants to carry a chapter book with her everywhere we go, and she keeps asking me if she's ready to read yet. Her Sing, Spell, Read, Write phonics song tells her if she learns the sounds, she'll be ready to read. She's learned them all rapidly thanks to this excellent program, but I've found over the years that going from learning sounds to blending sounds isn't always a quick transition. Each of my children has been unique in this.

My kiddos favorite thing this week was… 
AWANA fair, and catching frogs and crayfish and snakes. Peter, the oldest, also researched snakes quite a bit this week and Paul researched the states on our new 2010 World Book DVD ROM (purchased to go with Sonlight Core F for next year). Paul is very interested in everything about America.

Things I’m working on… 
I'm finally done with the spring clothing switch after one month of having a disheveled, clothes-filled living room. We kept transferring it all into the master bedroom before our Saturday Children's Bible Studies (3 to 4 kids now attend), but otherwise the clothes and storage boxes took up space in our living room so I could work on the project as I had time.

My kids love this house and never want to move, and yes, we do have nice living spaces. But there's no garage or basement and too little storage space makes my homemaking life a little different than what other women experience. I try to remind myself of that frequently when feelings of failure set in.

Next week we'll begin to tag all our Sonlight books. We have Core D & E (American History parts 1 and 2) and Core F books (Eastern Hemisphere) that need a small colored spine sticker so they'll be kept together in the shelves.

I’m cooking…
They probably put in this feature for the gourmet cooks in the bunch, but I stick to the same basic 10 - 12 dishes. Sorry it's so boring to read this. Only one of my kids isn't picky and I buy a lot of lean ground turkey to make different things. On taco night everyone eats everything so we have tacos weekly, as you might have noticed if you ever get down this far in the reading. Hopefully hubby will get the grill up and running soon.

Dinner this week so far: crockpot chicken, pizza, sloppy joes, tacos, baked ziti

I’m grateful for…
~ finding 2 jean skirts and a cotton dress at thrift stores so I can look and feel more feminine

~ the women I work with in children's ministry

~ that four seasons really exist in Ohio (not so where I lived in So.Cal for years)

~ my husband's hugs and appreciation

~ the Lord speaking to me about how to make things go smoother

~ the Lord giving me mental and spiritual rest as I pray

~ having a house that the kids love. Believe me, it's modest...we only owe $84,000 if that gives you any idea...but it's home to them and that makes me happy. It's much more than our Compassion children have to call home and I'm glad my kids realize that. Perspective is everything and helps tremendously with true gratitude. We need only as much as God gives and wanting more is really ingratitude. We can trust Him in all things, including in how many and of what quality our possessions are. Trusting him in this means we can stop wishing for more or better...and just smile and give thanks for what's before us. And not only that, but when extra comes in we can give it away!

I’m praying for…
...beyond the usual supplication prayers I'm praying especially for my husband, who needs encouragement from the Lord.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share (silly, serious or both!)…quote found in this Desiring God blog post

Many people describe marriage as the laboratory where our spiritual growth is fostered and developed. I find it to be equally true of parenting as well. God has used parenting in my life to refine and change me in ways I had not anticipated. He’s given me a child who requires more than I was trained to handle so that I would depend on him and not my own strength. I’ve also learned things about myself I never knew and have seen things in my heart I never wanted to see. I’ve come face to face with sins I didn’t know were buried deep inside, sins like impatience, selfishness, irritability, and discontent. While uncomfortable and sometimes downright painful, the sanctifying work of parenthood has been necessary and good. (Christina Fox)

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Thank you for visiting Glory to God and have a blessed weekend, friends!

Oh. My. Goodness.

 

Oh. my.

The last four hours have been over the top. I sit here typing with the hope that in writing out my stress I will feel lighter--enough to fall asleep eventually--and that God will impart some wisdom and bring verses to mind that will soothe my mothering soul.

I had it in my mind today that I would do all the teacher-directed schooling tasks early and then devote the rest of the day, until dinner prep, to finishing up the spring clothing switch. The Goodwill bags have been gotten into so often by my four year old that they had gaping holes and needed to be gone through again, lest she put something in there I still needed.

Then I had to put the finishing touches on a hand-me-down box of clothes for a family of six at the AWANA church, as well as wash seven loads of clothes because I'd gotten behind and didn't want to leave anything out of the hand-me-down box that might be useful for this family.

My clothing switch dragged on and on because spring couldn't decide if it really wanted to arrive. Temps kept flip flopping so I had to keep sweatshirts and sweaters in the closets and drawers, prolonging the process.

Today I decided all the short-sleeved shirts and shorts were going in, and if we freeze, we freeze. Keeping a bare minimum of warm clothing around, I told myself I just couldn't take seeing clothes everywhere another day.

The truth is we have too many clothes, but our large yard doesn't drain well so mud is part of the landscape...especially in the spring and fall. It isn't unusual for the kids to have two changes a day, or more for the little one, so multiple outfits are a must.

And then there were the three letters I was working on with Bible coloring sheets for our Compassion children. I usually write them online every 14 days, which is quite convenient, but once a month I try to send something to color, or a drawing lesson copied from art books.

Peter had plans today too. He got four subjects done and then set about making bee traps. He cut used water bottles in half and put apple slices in them. Then he made two homemade ant farms. In the afternoon, Lexie--his partner in all things bug and snake and frog--got home from school and helped him with his nature-observing schemes.

A neighbor, working in her yard, suddenly screamed, startling the kids.

They all went to the chain-link fence, concerned.

"Oh, just a snake", she assured, rather embarrassed.

Lexie jumped over the fence, telling her, "I'll get it!"

We just had a garter snake around for four days...something Peter caught in our backyard. Surprisingly, it was tame as could be and all the neighbor kids enjoyed it. It seemed to revel in the attention, I tell you.

Naturally, they assumed every garter snake was like their Skippy, whom Peter had to let go.

Without going into more detail, let me just say that the snake bit Peter as he and Lexie tried to remove it from the neighbor's yard. It was nearing dinnertime by now and I had to stop everything and research what to do.

On top of that, Lexie wouldn't leave the snake alone. I envisioned her getting bit as well and her grandparents knocking on my door and shouting at me.

Not that Peter cared in the least about getting bit, since it didn't hurt much and he knew garter snakes to be harmless. But he also knew by my rather-stressed countenance that I wasn't convinced we could treat it like a scratch.

Lexie continued to pursue the snake alone, despite my warnings out the back window that her mother probably wouldn't like her snake-hunting ways.

She can be maddening; she doesn't listen well and she gets as obsessed as Peter does--perhaps even more so.
 
As I applied first aid, in the kitchen, to Peter's bite, Lexie managed to catch the snake and put it in one of our empty tanks. I was not happy with the neighbor, who in no way tried to stop Lexie, even after Peter suffered a bite. She just stood there, at a distance, much amused by the whole thing, still hoping to do her gardening without the garter as company.

I finally convinced Lexie to go home, telling her Peter was in for the night...for snake-bite observation. (And tomorrow he'll need a tetanus booster). Sensing I wasn't letting her in no matter how much she pressed, she told me she would come and get her snake tomorrow, to put it in her sanctuary.

Yes, she comes up with things like that all the time. Amusing, endearing and maddening all at the same time.

I read some more and decided Peter was in no imminent danger, and by this time dinner prep was late.

Meanwhile, another crisis of a different kind. The 2010 World Book Encyclopedia DVD ROM I bought for school gave Paul fits about loading on the new Windows 7 computer we bought. (Windows XP is far easier to load software onto). Paul was working on this project during the whole snake fiasco and he'd gotten as far as he could because the same error message kept coming up.

Turns out it loaded quickly onto our 10-year-old XP computer...the same one that is making groaning sounds and is about to die. It even outlasted our 7-year-old computer, which died last month.

I began to make dinner, not believing how stressful the day had been.

Then the children broke the playroom blinds. They won't keep their hands off the blinds............!

So now, as I type, I'm hoping for a release of some sort. Children can be so difficult, stubborn, destructive, annoying.

Maddening.

When I discovered the broken blinds, I flipped out, telling them I was out of anything resembling patience and Daddy would have to take care of them for the rest of the night.

I. was. done.

I wanted to drive anywhere that wasn't here...away from this laundry and this snake bite and these neighborhood kids and these blinds and these worthless computers. I love my children and they are my life...but tonight I didn't want anything to do with them.

Until I spent time, hands busy in the soapy sink, washing dishes and contemplating mothering.

Husband got home at seven and took over with the kiddos...after letting the snake go. (I'll hear it from that Lexie girl tomorrow.)

Meanwhile, back in my suds I spoke to my Father.

Oh, Lord. This is so hard. This mothering. How do I do it well? How do I do it gently? How do I do it skillfully? Lovingly? Will they ever listen and keep their hands off things that break easily? Will they always be so destructive and maddening?

He didn't answer exactly.

But my heart did melt. That was something. My mind and soul filled with love again, and once again I wanted everything to do with these four curious, beautiful, maddening children.

I don't know what tomorrow will bring exactly, but I doubt it will be any more relaxing than today, what with the usual whining and terror about immunizations (Mary needs them too).

I'm looking for a renewal of patience, humor, calmness. What Scripture is needed most right now, Lord?

Matthew 19:26
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
 
 Psalm 51:10
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

2 Chronicles 15:4
But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them.

Lamentations 3:25
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;

Isaiah 12:2
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."

Psalm 57:1
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.

And your day, dear reader friend, went far smoother I hope?



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Need Strength?

Isaiah 40:28-31 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for 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.

When A Mother Worries

Do you worry, dear reader friend? If so than sit with me a spell and let's work this out, spiritually speaking?

I've written several posts over the years about parents worrying over their children. They were written by necessity as I processed things in my own life. At times I'm gripped with fear about my sons' futures, and less often, about my daughters' futures.

Sons have to support families and in this recession-gripped economy it's becoming harder to make ends meet. Everywhere I see struggle, and even in traditionally safe fields, like education, it's becoming harder to secure permanent employment. A relative of mine earned a teaching credential 18 months ago and still struggles to get by on low-pay, high-hour positions while waiting for an open permanent position. She's not in a position to pack up and move to a state that boasts ample opportunities for teachers.

And this person has no mental or physical handicaps.

My older son has a few handicaps and my younger son has changed much in the past year. Always happy-go-lucky and independent in the past, he's become depressive at times and quite needy. It could be a lot of things, including that depression runs in both sides of the family.

As much as my heart has ached at this change in him, I still considered him fully job capable, until more recently when giddiness began to alternate with the depressive episodes. I haven't and won't say anything to him about what's happening to his personality, until he expresses a desire to know why he's so different.

Maybe it's hormones or that at about age 9, children began to notice the brokenness in the world and lose their child-like innocence. Having one's eyes opened to the sin condition and all that it entails, is depressing.

Growing up can be painful.

I feel that assigning a medical or psychological label to a child or an adult is counterproductive...unless they start to blame themselves for their struggles. When that point comes, it's kinder to educate them about the possibilities. Undiagnosed conditions can lead to powerful failure complexes.

My son has a cousin on both sides of the family with bipolar, which is characterized by depressive episodes alternating with giddy, euphoric, hyperactive episodes. When my son's giddiness comes I can't help but wonder about bipolar. And immediately, I panic and walk around in a daze, wondering how this can possibly be happening to us.

I haven't mentioned it to the pediatrician and I probably won't for a while. Right now I'm observing and praying and supporting, without revealing anything.

Two sons with very serious conditions? Conditions that are annoying for all and hard to live around? Why are we so cursed and will my sons find jobs that work with these issues? And will they blame God and will their faith weaken, as they try to make it in a very competitive world?

Their own father is also affected by depression and other difficulties and his work life has been profoundly impacted and we struggle. The spiritual benefits of the struggling have been great, so I'm not complaining. If God is going to make me more like Him, I'm happy to give him free reign over my circumstances. He knows what He's doing, yes?

Yes, yes and yes.

But do I want constant struggle for my sons and their wives and children...if they even get married? I don't know. That seems to go against natural parental feeling, though I know that every person struggles with something and I can't protect my children from the human condition.

But can you imagine why I want to run down the street sometimes, screaming: I can't believe this is happening!

My sons will probably have at least one child of their own similarly affected, because that's the way genes work; mental conditions are highly heritable.

I have a friend who has a son with severe OCD and a brother with schizophrenia. She grew up with this brother and saw him struggle as a child and adult. He only survives financially because of a subsidized apartment and disability benefits. While I don't begrudge him for this help, I certainly don't want that for my sons, and my friend feels the same about her own son. She wonders, will he be able to hold down a well-paying job, despite the five medications and the OCD that won't let up?

I have another friend whose 18-year-old daughter has ADHD, severe depression, cutting episodes, and anorexia nervosa. She tells me just waking her daughter up in the morning sucks the life out of her, it's so stressful.

What my friends and I need constant reminders of, and maybe you too, reader friend, if you worry about your children, is this:

Isaiah 55:8
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

We worry whether our children will make it as adults...if they will be capable of caring for themselves as well as others. Will they know the joy of having a family? Will their spouse despise them for their difficulties, or will the spouse shower their lives with grace, reflecting Him? Will the spouse say I've had enough and leave, bringing the shame of divorce?

Our task as Christian mothers is to take each such thought and continually throw it in the garbage. These are not the Lord's thoughts. He doesn't see it our way...thinking about whether our children will experience success or not.

For what is success to the Lord? Another soul saved. Another moment of Glory revealed.

Scripture tells us how the Lord's glory shines. Through our weaknesses. 2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

For over 2000 years the world has been without the benefit of Jesus walking the earth, doing miracles and bringing people to himself personally.

He's been bringing people to himself spiritually, by revealing his existence and power through our weaknesses. We can tell someone about Jesus and sometimes that is enough, but more powerful is when our circumstances, our testimony, tells others about Jesus.

In the middle of the night last night when the worry and sadness felt paralyzing, He taught me anew. Your problem, dear woman, is your thoughts. Not your sons' difficulties.

Yes, yes, yes...of course. It's my way of seeing my circumstances and problems, not the circumstances or problems themselves.

Your sons' weaknesses are my opportunity to shine, He teaches.

Rejoice in that, can you, He asks me? Can you give me your life so fully that you learn to rejoice over My plans, even when they thrwart your human reasoning?

When we get to the end of ourselves, when we get to a despair that is so crippling we have to literally crawl to the throne of grace, we become useful. Yes, useful. God was working all the time to get us there, asking us to trust Him implicitly.

My sons? Their difficulties mean they will be more willing to crawl to that throne of grace over and over. When we view it that way, when we view it as the Lord does, are handicaps a weakness or a strength?

I'll leave you to ponder that.

And I pray that we all, as Christian mothers, crawl to the throne of grace readily so God can use us mightily in our children's lives.

Giving Thanks Today:

Thank you, Lord, for these blessings and graces:

~ For a husband who joyfully gives his time to each child.

~ For children who listen to my thoughts about the Lord.

~ For growing faith...trials don't allow faith to grow stagnant, thank the Lord.

~ For other mothers who share my burdens and understand.

~ For the throne of grace, always available, always beckoning.

~ For a Heavenly Father who gently pulls me back into his embrace and wisdom, even in the middle of the night. 

~ For my 4-year-old daughter's endearing ways. I love age 4!

~ For sunshine.

~ For tulips coloring my world and fresh new leaves on the trees and brilliant green grass all around.

~ For my Mary's love and sweetness.

~ For my boys' bravery, trying to find their way in a confusing world.

~ For my boys' desire to have their friends come to faith.

~ For the sprinklings of grace that happen many times a day.
 

~ For that harmless snake from our backyard, bringing so much joy to my Peter. He marveled at the way that snake wrapped around his hand, as though an old friend.

~ For my son Paul's love of maps and geography and art. Relaxation for him is drawing up a new map or reading statistics about each state's characteristics. I thank the Lord my boy has passions that can still pull him away from darkness.

What are you thankful for today, my friend?

Let's Talk Blogs

Let's talk blogs, shall we?

I have a number of blogs on my sidebar but I keep up with just a fraction. Around here there are too many children and too much laundry to do otherwise.

On a side note, loin cloths like they wear in the jungle seem awfully appealing right now. How long would it take to wash six loin cloths per day? And due to the humidity, they sleep on hammocks not on bedding.

Hmmm.

But this is Ohio not the Amazon so I'll get back on topic now.

My friends' and fellow homeschooler blogs are the first I read; I get to the others only a few times a month.

If you're a blog lover you know the different types out there and you probably have specific reasons for keeping up with each one, even if it's just to see how a particular family fares.

And you probably have specific things that turn you off for good, too. One of those for me are numerous buttons asking me to follow on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram...ad nauseam. Sometimes those appear before any content and the blog has to be very good otherwise to get me past this.

The ads used to bother me but this growing number of follow buttons really annoy. As if we need yet another distraction...

I dislike the aggressive tactics, reasoning that God is perfectly capable of bringing an audience to a blog, if He so desires, no matter what the marketing experts may teach at blog conferences.

Book publishers demand a social media following nowadays to boost their profit margins, so bloggers-who-hope-to-be-print-authors are thinking ahead with these buttons, no doubt.

I guess I'm not ambitious enough to get on board, but I do have enough in my head to put in a book some day. Hopefully by then things will have changed, since it will be years before my children's growth stages will allow me to write a book

And too, I believe as with pastors and actors, writers have the skill or talent either to appeal to large audiences or smaller ones. God can change that, but can audience-begging buttons?

Granted, some people use blogging to run online businesses and I get that. I know the various social mediums spread information like wildfires, usually without overhead costs.

Today I want to warn all of us about the Perfectly Produced blog. I use the word produce because that's what they do for major motion pictures. They decide on the impression they're after and the director does take after take until it's just right.

The Perfectly Produced blog can be about any topic, but the aim is to present perfection. For example, one sees a nice, orderly, perfectly clean house. No laundry anywhere. The children are perfect geniuses without any issues. The mother does it all, perfectly. The husband is never mentioned other than to announce his perfect job...as though the husband's worth lay in just that: his job.

Because these blogs never waver from their image, they deceive us, either knowingly or blindly. Read them for what you can glean, but always keep in mind...perfection doesn't exist.

Behind the production scene are real people. Broken people in need of daily redemption and daily grace. The brokenness might be in the relationships, in the bodies, in the neurotransmitters, in the alcohol or drug abuse, in the finances or in the heart. But it's surely there...a well-kept secret.

Certainly there are mini-cultures and families who feel it's inappropriate to share any brokenness. To do so is in poor taste, in their opinion. On the West Coast real life is shared more readily than on the more-reserved Midwestern and Eastern parts of our country. I moved from California to Ohio in August 2005, and I'm still learning the emotional landscape here.

People in Ohio have more roots; they move less and they chase possessions less. They're friendly and often down-to-earth, but they like to suffer privately or with just their families.

These differences are acceptable and cultural. I don't see the reserved person as hiding something so much as reserving it for a few.

But the Perfectly Produced blog? It's deception. Read it at your own risk and don't let it rob you of your contentment or your gratitude. And consider this: your problems may be small potatoes next to their secrets.

Balance your perfectly-produced blog reading with blogs that present real life showered in grace.

Grace is beautiful, real, and attainable.

Pray for it, celebrate it, advertise it. It allows the real star to shine...Jesus Christ our Lord.

2 Corinthians 4:5
For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  

Philippians 2:10
So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.         

    
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