Summer Fun, Girls' Style

This is my beautiful Rachel in the vast ocean.  She loved it in the water and I couldn't resist taking her picture.

Abby with Nathanael in the water.  He would only get it the water if someone took him and held onto him.  Abby is so sweet to her brothers.  She really seems to enjoy interacting with her little brothers, for which this mama is very thankful.  

During a whirlwind trip to SC in July, we spent some time with friends and family.  This is Abby with her best friend from SC riding horses.

Rachel got the privilege of spending 3 weeks with her grandparents in Oregon at the beginning of the summer.  She really had a great time.  This pic is of Micah hugging her goodbye.  They are sweet buddies!

"Lovely picture" might be the sarcastic response I might get from Rachel about this picture.  I included it because her best friend is with her.  This is how Rachel likes to spend her summer, with one friend or another!

We tried a ballet fundraiser at the end of the summer.  The girls both needed pointe shoes for the fall, which are quite expensive, so we decided to bake for cash!  Each of us had a specialty baked good that we were in charge of and we learned a lot even as we made a little money for shoes.  Here are 7 dozen muffins, half banana chocolate chip and half blueberry, that one person ordered for a gathering.   :)

This was the end of a very long day at the State Fair.  We really had a great time, but by this time some of the kiddos are just exhausted.  They were given the choice to go home with grandparents or stay for a late concert.  A couple chose to stay but then regretted it.  Rachel is loving it, though it was the LOUDEST concert I have ever been to!!  Notice Abby on my lap down the aisle, covering her ears and head.   : /

Of course, for the girls, the biggest excitement for the summer is the musical!  This year, not only the girls, but Keenan and Micah participated in it.  This is Abby, Grandpa Obed, and Keenan, who played Davey.  They were the narrators of a 1940's adaption of Ruth from the Bible.  They did a great job!!!  We were so proud!  David wanted to get a shirt that proclaimed that Obed and Davey were in fact his kids!

I had to zoom to get this picture of Rachel dancing in Rahab the Musical, an original musical written by a very talented local fellow.  This was the High School group of kids that performed a retelling of the story of Rahab and Joshua's conquest of Jericho in the context of a group of actors trying to open a new theater in the 40's.  It was extremely well done.

Summer Fun, Boy Style

Daddy and the "littles" relaxing in the hammock together

This boy is so determined and resourceful.  If he wants something, he will do all that he can to get it.  He loves the computer, and often has to be corrected for getting in this chair.  This day, we let him play a simple game after one of the boys finished their game.  What a treat!

About every week, there is a new fort built in the backyard.  The boys love to build forts, but rarely actually play in them for more than a few minutes.  I guess the thrill is seeing it come together.  Notice the creativity here!

Another example of the engineering exploits in the backyard.

Two cuties fresh out of bed.  Good morning my sunshines!

At the beginning of the summer, we went camping with some friends.  We had a blast.  And if you call me, I'll tell you the hilarious tale of the persistent raccoon family.

Keenan is a sweet big brother and often helps out with Nathanael.  Here they are  taking a rest during a hike and checking out the scenery with the binoculars. 

This is not a great picture.  My parents came up to see the the kids in the musical and it just happened to  coincide  with the Kentucky State Fair.  So we took our almost annual trip to the sights and smells and thrills of the fair.  Above is Rachel (far left) and Micah (the litlte one beside her) on this hang gliding ride.  It look scary to this mama, and I probably would not have let him go on it, but David went on it first and gave it the ok.  And Micah loved it!!  He wanted to ride it over and over!  We really had a great time.  Thanks a bunch Mom and Dad!

Slip, slide or dive?  The boys are enjoying some water fun at my parents' house on a very hot July day!   We had a whirlwind trip to SC, vacationing here and there and visiting lots of friends and Melissa's side of the family.

Part of our whirlwind trip was a couple of days at the beach.  How much fun we all had!  Here is a cutie digging in the sand.  He didn't much like the waves but he sure did like digging, gathering shells, and watching his brothers and sisters play in the water.

Here is another cutie on the beach.  Micah lost that front tooth the second day in SC , and then lost the second one on the trip also!  I love those freckles!  

Like a Hen Gathers Its Chicks

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide in under the shadow of the Almighty.  

I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.'...

He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge."

Psalm 91:1-3

When I was in Honduras, we got a tour of the Hospital's farm.  It is a fairly new undertaking, which provides jobs for the locals, food for the Hospital and the Children's Center, and in the years to come has the potential to generate enough palm oil for use as a power source.  During the tour, we came across this mama hen.  She was just sitting on the ground and appeared to have a couple of chicks.  As we continued to talk, I was amazed and surprised to watch several more chicks emerge from under her wings.  As I watched one, then two, and then a third come out of hiding from the shelter of the mama's wings, the Spirit reminded me of the above passage and of a similar one where Jesus cries out that he longed to gather the people close to himself "as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings." (Matthew 23:37) Now with my own eyes, I was able to see  just what that means in a clearer way.  Those chicks were so close to that mama hen that I didn't even know they were there!  She was protecting them, allowing them rest, maybe sheltering them from the sun.  And my great God is a shelter, a fortress, and will cover me under His wings.  If I will trust in Him, if I will allow Him to gather me as a hen gathers her chicks, then I will know security and real rest.  I want to be so close to God that I can feel him and sense His movements.  That I know His protective covering over me and can say in confidence, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."  I want to run into His Presence, into the shadow of the Almighty, and find rest for my soul!  Won't you come along?  There's room for more!

Dance, Dance Baby!

We have a short worship time each week at our house before school.  Last week we had some fun music to praise God with, and Nathanael was really getting into it.

Dance Unto the Lord

In May the girls participated in the Spring dance for their ballet school.  It was an original ballet written by the director and main teacher at the Wilmore Christian Ballet. It was a reminder of the coming of Jesus the King and a call to worship Him.  It was beautiful to watch, and I was very proud of Rachel and Abby and all of the students who worked very hard!  Here a few pictures...

Abby with her class

Abby

Abby dancing with one of her teachers.  This was a treat for the girls- to get to do lifts and partner dancing.

Rachel in one of her dances.  It was a song of redemption and transformation in Christ.  Notice the black  in the corner.  They were dressed in all black for the first half of the dance, then shed it to show these beautiful colors.

More from the same dance.  Again you can see the black in the background.

Rachel in her second dance. 

 

The Transformation from Baby to Toddler

It happens to all mommies.  That day when you realize suddenly how big your "baby" is now, and then, all of a sudden, he's not so much of a baby any longer.  It is bitter sweet for me, usually.  It is fascinating and often hilarious as a child begins to develop language rapidly, and starts running and interacting with others around them.  But it can be a little sad to realize the baby months are over already.  And then there is the extra effort that this stage of development requires as the child learns to test boundaries and assert his own will.  With Nathanael, though, this time, it is mostly sweet.  His baby months were rather difficult so I am not as sad as usual to see them go.  I love to see his siblings interacting with him more and more.  And I guess I am getting used to the extra effort at discipline.  And I am realizing that the effort is worth it, because if you teach them to obey at an early age, the older years are much more peaceful and enjoyable.  unfortunately, I learned some of that the hard way.  But this post is about celebrating this transition... so here is my cutie in the midst of transformation.

Close-up from April at a campout.

Super Baby Nathanael, copying his brothers.  I think  Silas helped dress him.  Nathanael really loves Silas.  He lights up and calls his name when he walks in the room. :) 

Caught Red Handed... and messy!  I was making breakfast and had put these pancake fixings on the table.  Nathanael had gone right in, climbed up in the chair and helped himself to the bowl of yogurt.  It was ALL over him and the table and the chair!  He had eaten half of it before I even noticed.  It was too funny to be mad about, even though it did make quite a mess.

Reality Check, Part 2-- Pray!

(If you haven't already read Part One, you better start there!)
Do I care about the suffering of others?  And if so how can I respond?  In first John, we are challenged not to shut up our heart to the sufferings of others but to love in action and truth.
And this is where the struggle comes.  What does it mean to have the mind of Christ, to walk in His steps, to love God first and my neighbor as myself?  Practically, in my life, with my 6 kids and wonderful husband and in my own personal struggles, what does it mean to care about the suffering of others.  And this applies not just to sex slaves, but to all varieties of evils.  They are all around us if we were just willing to open our eyes and hearts.
First, this... to love the Lord my God with all my heart and to love my neighbor as myself.  First and foremost I must love God.  And to love God means to love what he loves and hate what he hates.  He hates the evil of human trafficking, with its roots in the love and worship of money, and the unbridled fleshly lusts, and the dehumanization of people created in the image of Almighty God!  Secondly, I must love my neighbor as myself.  And this applies to everyone!  Those I see everyday and those I have never met, but hear of them.  They are real people who represent other real people livng in hellish conditions, treated like animals.  I would want people to care about me if I were in that state.  And so I cannot look the other way!  I can't go back to life as I knew it.  But I can't go to Thailand or Moldova or Amsterdam, at least right now. So what can I do?
PRAY!!!!
At my house we have been studying and memorizing Ephesians 6:10-18, the passage of Scripture that describes the armor of God and why it is so important to "put on the full armor of God."  Today as I was watching the movie, I kept thinking about verse 12 that says, "Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against world powers of this darkness, against spiritual forces of evil in the heavens."  Oh that I would take up my place, that the Church would take up her place, on the battlefields in the heavenlies and fight!  The battle rages, whether or not I join in.  I can turn my head and pretend that my little world is all that there is.  But that is not the reality!  The reality is that we have an enemy and he has forces that are creating all kinds of evil in this world!  And I am a soldier of Christ.  We all are called to be soldiers, fighting, not against flesh and blood, but fighting in the heavenlies.  And how do we do this?  Prayer is the biggest weapon!  Verse 18 concludes the well known armor of God in this way.  "Pray at all times in the Spirit with all every kind of prayer and request, and stay alert in this with all perseverance and intercession for the saints."  I have often heard the Armor of God talked about without mentioning this concluding piece.  But it is vital!!!  How else can we have strength in God and power in his might and take a stand against the "schemes" or "tactics of the devil" without prayer?  We, as a Church, must stay alert and pray at all times!
So to conclude my rambling...my response, then, to this tragedy, this evil in the world, first is to care, to remember.  I cannot "put my fingers in my ears" and sing "na, na, na, na, na..." not wanting to hear and have my heart broken or my life interrupted.  It's tempting, even now it almost seems dream-like, the images and stories told of lives broken and abused in such horrific and largely unseen ways.  Secondly, I must pray!  I am called to pray in a deliberate, purposeful way, and that is why both David and I have given this season of our lives to be part of the House of Prayer.  It is the one who prays, who changes the world!  This is truth!  But not everyone is called to pray in a House of Prayer, but EVERYONE IS CALLED TO PRAY!  And to pray at all times in the Spirit.  That's another post topic as well!  But I purpose to be intentional to take my place in prayer to see this evil defeated and God's Kingdom come on the earth as it is in heaven.  My bubble is burst, and I will shine forth the glory of Christ in each droplet of water that falls.
The movie does end with hope!  Many ladies shared how Jesus had supernaturally rescued them from their hellish lives and is redeeming them and using them to help others get free.  And there are parts of the Body of Christ all around the world that are laboring in prayer and servant love to help those who have been victims of human trafficking.  God is bigger than any evil in the world and He rules with justice and righteousness.  And this is the truth that sets men free!