...a God of order...

Recently a thought was posed to me - God is a God of order. I wasn't sure how I felt about this statement in relation to life circumstances. I think of "orderly" as neat and tidy - making sense - I might even go so far to think - "perfect." As I looked back on different times in my life I definitely see times of circumstances not making sense. My life is not neat and tidy. Nor is it anywhere near perfect. But, God IS perfect. So how does that mesh with circumstances in my life? How can I believe that all things (even the super bad chaotic stuff) will work together for my good. And, that God has allowed those crazy circumstances! How does God use chaos for His glory when He is perfect? A God of order?

Webster's Third New International Dictionary takes up almost two full columns on this word "order." The second definition given is, "to arrange or dispose according to some plan or with reference to some end : put in a particular order : arrange in a series or sequence
So how can God be a God of order in all the craziness and when so much doesn't make sense?

What about families that have a child for a short time, then lose that precious child to illness or tragedy? Is that order?

What about when a child you've raised to love Jesus turns their back on the Lord? Is that order?

What about when you lose a job, then get a job, then lose that job? Was that all God's plan? Is it order? It sure doesn't seem like it.

The list of stories and situations could go on and on. We only need to look at the news for 5 minutes to see the chaos all around us. There's a whole lot in this world that doesn't make sense.
"God is a God of order" - I didn't feel I could agree with this statement so I went searching for understanding. I found plenty of times in the Bible where things just don't make sense:

Tamar - she was married twice (at separate times) to two brothers who refused to give her children. So God took the brother's lives. Then Tamar had to dress and act as a prostitute to trick Judah (brothers' father) into giving her what was rightfully and customarily her's - a son. Doesn't sound orderly to me! But, Tamar is in the lineage of Jesus Christ.

Jericho - I wonder if the Israelites thought it was orderly to walk around the walls of Jericho. How on earth would the walls fall just by walking around them? But they obeyed. God brought the walls down. And, a woman and her family were saved from Jericho. The woman's name is Rahab, and she also is in the lineage of Jesus Christ. Oh, and, by the way, Rahab was... a... shhh... prostitute. Orderly?

Ruth - Wow! The brazenness of Ruth. In a culture when women must know their place and stay in it, Ruth answered the call of the Lord and laid at the feet of the one she was to marry. Was that order? Did it make sense to go against the culture? Ruth is also in the lineage of Jesus Christ.

One more...

Jesus Christ Himself. The Pharisees saw Jesus as anything but keeping order. He healed on the Sabbath. He had crowds of followers - sick, hungry, needy. He tested the Pharisees and broke the "rules." Then He, the sinless, perfect lamb of God, took upon Himself the sins of every person past, present and future - mine and yours. Orderly? Honestly, that makes NO SENSE at all.

I also found times of obvious order in the Bible: (here's a couple)

6 days of Creation - yep, seems to me there's order there. Day and night, day and night, day and night...

Animals coming to the ark - two by two and some in sevens. Yep, orderly. Noah didn't have to do anything to get the animals on the ark.

We can see order in God's creation. Again, day and night, the earth's rotation and orbiting consistent and steady, seasons, growth of plants, etc...

The difference I see in these two lists is people. With people sin and chaos entered into this world.

My conclusion.
Yes, God IS a God of order. But, NOT the order I think of as neat and tidy and making sense. My ways are not your ways saith the Lord. [For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8 KJV)] God will use the chaos of this world to bring Glory to Himself. God will even use the chaos of this world to mold us. (See the life of Job) Again - to bring glory to the Father.

It's hard to understand when you're in the midst of chaos. It's hard to say that what you're going through is what God has in His plan for you. It doesn't hurt less, when we feel we've been wronged, to trust that what we're going through is God's plan.

I wouldn't want God to take me on a different path, just because it didn't make sense to me or to avoid the pain. I want to be on the path He KNOWS is best for me. Chaos or not.

Yep, that's super scary to say. Because I do not know what is next on my path.

...connecting the dots...

How often do we ask why? Why does God allow certain situations to happen? Why do we sometimes get the very opposite of what we're praying for? Why hasn't God answered me? Maybe you don't ask why. Maybe you are quite content with where God is leading you. Praise Jesus if you are!

In His grace and mercy, God sometimes answers the why questions. In 2010 I had A LOT of why questions. And, honestly I was quite angry with where God was taking us at the time. The opposite was true in 2011. God had graciously poured His mercy on me and even though circumstances were much worse than the previous year I was at peace with it all and trusting God had a plan. Boy did He ever have a plan. One I am very very thankful for and content with. I still had some questions - not in an angry way, but more of a curiousness.

The past three months have been a wonderful time of God connecting the dots.

On Monday, God connected another dot for us and even though it was a small thing it was huge to me, so I wanted to share it with you all. I personally LOVE the small things because it reminds me that Jesus LOVES me so much, He not only takes care of the big situations, but He cares about the tiniest of details!

From September 2009 - September 2010 Jason worked at Mondial Assistance. At the time, we thought this job opportunity - "dot" - was a time of getting back on our feet and preparing for Jason to set out in his own business. And, while it certainly was that, I believe it was also so much more! At Mondial Assistance Jason worked with many different insurance policies and situations. He gained a lot of knowledge regarding insurance. This past Monday he was able to use all that experience in a day long meeting with an insurance company. Not only did he know the lingo, but he knew the right questions to ask! His ability to effectively communicate with the insurance company reps was extremely helpful for his current company.

As I look back I don't see that year as wasted in anyway. It was training - for such a time as this.

There are a lot more "dots" to be connected and more being made. Some may never be connected in ways that I can see or even in my lifetime, but my Jesus knows every one. He knows what I need better than I know. He cares for me in every minute detail. He also cares for you! You don't need to look far to see that He cares for you and knows you. It's all in the details of your life!

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV)

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.
I know that whatever God does, It shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him. (Ecclesiastes 3:11-14 NKJV)

...third week of school... & ...part two...

Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. (Isaiah 55:2 KJV)

This was a pretty busy week - third week of school with a Monday holiday. We spent the weekend getting to know several families. Everyone here is so friendly and loving. We've been very blessed so far.

On Monday, Jason helped Joelle make her world cake. Joelle wanted carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. She insisted that I outline the globe cake, but she quickly made adjustments such as adding the Yucatan Peninsula that I had not properly represented in my outlining. She frosted the map cake entirely on her own.




Tuesday we crammed in two days of school and missed PE class and Boy Scouts only to discover that Wednesday and Thursday were fairly light. We'll make it to PE and Scouts next week. :) It was very nice to receive a personal call from a new friend saying that my kids were missed at PE!

We saved all the "fun" stuff for Friday; spending time at a pond so that Barry could gather "specimens" for a science experiment, making "Matthew" bookmarks, and creating sand art paintings. Tomorrow we plan to visit the bookstore and library.

Wednesday evening we went to dinner with a family who had been interviewing with My Father's World the previous day. They are a truly awesome family. Their experiences are similar to ours and it was a blessing to hear their stories of God's Faithfulness and Provision. I was reminded of these traits of my Savior and encouraged to follow the example of faithfulness of my Father.

In doing so, I came across the verse above in a "daily bread" type of devotional. I actually didn't believe it was scripture when I first read it and thought I was reading a paraphrase. But after further study I found the above in the KJV! God is so hip! The thought of being fat with God just caught my attention. I pray that I will be so fat in the LORD, that I ooze Jesus. :)

After 2.5 years, Jason returned to the state of our dreaded accident. :) He is in Flagstaff, AZ. this weekend, less than one hour from Winslow, AZ. where our trailer flipped on I-40. While reflecting on that night, I was reminded of what Barry had said in his youthful wisdom.

Shortly before we embarked on our cross-country trip in March of 2009 our church had hosted a speaker - Al Menconi. He talked about how Jesus resembles a fist and each person is like an open hand. In all our circumstances - good, bad or ugly - God is continuing to mold us to look like Jesus. The fingers must go; all the things that keep us from looking like Jesus. And, yes, it may be painful.

Those two windy, dusty days in Winslow brought a lot of questions for our lives, but Barry quickly reminded us of what Al Menconi had shared. This was just a time of God molding us and making us more like him.

As I look over the last two and a half years I am in awe and thankfulness for what God has done for our family. His Faithfulness and Provision have been ever present and, in many times what seemed to us, miraculous! It is an honor and a blessing to be molded and used by the Lord.

...part one...

As I was writing Friday's blog post about school I was thinking that we really hadn't done much this week. Then I realized I had been focusing on the "school" part of the week and suddenly I began to remember other parts of the week. Here are a few highlights from our week.

Monday - We took a spontaneous 30 minute (one way) drive to Waynesville to visit what we believe to be the nearest Starbucks. (If any Rolla people know of a place closer, PLEASE let us know!)

Tuesday - The homeschool PE class at The Center began this day. Barry and Joelle attended and they both loved it and plan to return. Thankfully, due to MFW connections and attending church a couple times, they already knew one or two other kids their ages.

Wednesday - Erin and Barry attended youth group again at Vineyard. They both enjoyed it and met new friends. Erin was approached by a girl Barry's age. The girl said, "Your brother's cute!" Erin wasn't really sure how to respond so she said, "Thanks!" That's my boy - quite the charmer. Or, as the SMRBC girls would call him - Foxy Caleb.

Thursday - We had our first visitors from Virginia!! Mark and Linda Whitworth have roots in Missouri. They were passing through the area on their way to a family gathering in Windermere and we met them for dinner! It was great to see familiar faces and get to know them even more. We know Mark and Linda from church and Erin got to know them well during the many weeks she spent playing with Mark in the worship band at the International Learning Center.

Sometime during the week - either Wednesday or Thursday - I rearranged the furniture in the family room. It now feels a little more roomy and homey. The kitchen still drives me a little crazy. While it has more cabinet and counter space than our last house, it has a lot less walking space. Two people in the kitchen is one too many! I'm still trying to habit myself into coordinating meal times, dishes, and laundry better to make it all less frustrating. And, to think I wanted to live in a travel trailer! What was I thinking!?

Joelle has met some neighborhood girls and spent time outside playing with them this week. One of them has a treehouse and they all have scooters! :) Please pray for Joelle's continued spiritual growth and her witness in these relationships. Mine as well! So far it's been a new learning experience.

Friday - Nothing much. :) We finished school work - except for the world cake. Cleaned rooms and finished chores and laundry so we could enjoy the weekend. We had loaded potato soup for dinner in bread bowls that Jason bought from Panera. YUM! I didn't know you could buy those! Then we watched a movie together - PROM.

We had planned to go to St. Louis on Saturday, but we remembered that we have dogs. You can't just up and leave for an entire day without making plans for dogs to either be watched by someone, boarded at a kennel, or taken with. None of those options seemed feasible the night before the planned leave. It's way too hot to attempt taking them. So, we're going to stay in the area and have a relaxed Saturday.

Sunday and Monday we have plans for dinner with new friends.

Enjoy your holiday weekend!!

...second week of school...

Our second week of school went well with the exception of the interruption on Thursday with the infestation of seed ticks on one of our dogs. But, Chester's alright and Hershey and Rocky are fine and we're fine and the house is okay and the ticks are dead and gone. ☺

Joelle with her "people of every nation." Well...not every nation...four nations. ☺

Our worms are okay (I think), they didn't squirm around much, so the layers didn't look as mixed up as we thought they would be. We're going to free them tomorrow.

We didn't get to our world cake today due to being a little behind this week (the tick thing). But, we did do some cooking unrelated to school. Last Saturday, we made a cookie pizza and this evening Joelle made Blowfly Banana Muffins from a recipe she found in Chet Gecko's Detective Handbook (and cookbook). She made them almost entirely on her own. BREAKFAST!!

We also took some time this week to watch "Pole to Pole" from the Planet Earth series. It fit right in with our studies in Geography. I love those shows! They are rich with vibrant videography, rare scenes, and discriptive narration. As Joelle watched she wrote down different plants, animals, terrains and climates she saw in the different zones and regions.

Erin works independently for school. The past two weeks she read Julius Caesar and was then assigned to write a play. I was quite impressed with her play and she gave me permission to share it below. I hope you enjoy it! ☺

IN TIME

WRITTEN BY: ERIN HOLLAND

A play based on the events that happened at the "Tower of Babel"

SCENE 1

Somewhere on the Plains of Shinar, a group of people are building an extravagant tower to reach all the way to heaven. A crowd is assembled around the tower, as the workers attempt to get the crowd hype, telling them about the purpose and progress of the tower.

WORKER: (Shouting) we will make it to heaven with this tower…..

[Crowd cheers]

….. No more waiting… No more of this "needing" to have faith and salvation. We will rise to the heavens by ourselves to be with God.

[Crowd continues to cheer as the worker continues to talk]

JACOB: Do you really think they can do that? Is it possible?

CAMERON: (getting excited) I don't know, but if they can, it means less spiritual work for us!

[Crowd yells in agreement with something the worker just said]

DAMIAN: (walking in on the conversation) I think the question you boys should be asking, is... will God allow this to happen?

JACOB & CAMERON: Hm…..

All three men look back up to the worker and continue to listen.

WORKER: … don't you all want that?

[Crowd shouts in agreement]

A couple feet to the left of Jacob, Damian, and Cameron, are Sarah and Abigail.

ABIGAIL: (Overhearing Damian's question) Of course He (God) would!

SARAH: I'm sorry what did you say?

ABAIGAIL: Oh, well one of the elders over there (pointing at the men) asked if God would allow us to do this… build this tower…. And I think, yes He would.

SARAH: Why do you say that?

ABIGAIL: I mean He wants us to be with Him! (Trying to make a point) Why would He make us wait longer when we have a shortcut being made right in front of our eyes?

SARAH: (pondering what Abigail said) Well, I mean… I guess so.

Oh Lillian! Come over here.

LILLIAN: Hello, crazy stuff huh?

SARAH: Yes ma'am. Abigail was saying God is ok with us trying to get to Him with this tower. What are your thoughts on the matter?

LILLIAN: I don't know but there is only one way to find out.

They all three look up to where the tower disappears into the dark black clouds starting to form.

SCENE 2

Up in heaven, God is displeased with His people's actions.

GOD: What makes them think heaven is a layer above their atmosphere? Do they not understand heaven is only obtained by their trust and salvation, that MY judgment is what discerns if the gates to heaven will open for them or not. The progress of this tower shall not continue. They shall be scattered among the land, so they will not come together and think they can do anything without me.

SCENE 3

Back down on earth. Crowd cheering louder and louder.

CROWD: (chanting) Yes we can, yes we can, yes we can!!

WORKER: (agreeing with crowd) Yes! Yes we can! (continues to speak while the cheering dies down and then abruptly stops)

… Don't you think we can do this? Who believes? What… what's going on?

[Crowd begins to panic with confusion]

JACOB: Cosa sta dicendo? (turning to Cameron) lo sai?

{What is he saying? Do you know?}

Damian and Cameron look at Jacob with eyes full of bewilderment.

CAMERON: Je ne comprends pas ce que vous dites.

{I don't understand what you're saying}

DAMIAN: 神是无奈之举 (walks away)

{God is upset}

JACOB: Vorrei sapere quello che dicevi! Questo non púo…

{I wish I knew what you were saying! This can't….}

CAMERON: (interrupting) Cela ne peut pas se passer ce qui devrait nous faire?

{This can't be happening. What should we do?}

Men continue to attempt to "talk" in confusion.

LILLIAN: यह था क्या हम इंतज़ार कर रहे थे.भगवान ने दिखाया है वह हमारे कार्यों के साथ असंतोष है.

{This is what we were waiting for. God has shown His discontent with our actions.}

SARAH: Oh Dios, por favor, no castigara todos nosotros.

{Oh God, please don't punish us all}

ABIGAIL: Мы просто пытались добраться до вас Бог! Почему ты оставил нас?

{We were just trying to get to you God! Why have you forsaken us?}

[Crowd begins to get louder with confusion and the

sound of weeping as people try to understand loved ones]

SCENE 4

Back in heaven

God: You will understand… in time! Now disperse!

[People feel pushed to move away and go about the land]

ABIGAIL: (embracing Sarah) Я знаю, вы не понимаете о чем я говорю, но вы были большим другом, и я тебя люблю. безопасное пребывание

{I know you don't know what I'm saying, but you were a great friend and I love you. Stay safe.}

SARAH: (pushing out of Abigail's arms) Nunca me olvidare de ti! Adios (walks away sobbing)

{I will never forget you}

Everyone says their goodbyes and disperses across the land. Leaving the now called "Tower of Babel" in the dust to never be finished and wither away to nothing.

SCENE 5

GOD: My children you will understand this great pain one day. It will be explained in time. As for now just… trust… Me.

...ninja mosquitoes, bees, ticks, and a new friend...

Since arriving in Rolla we've all been finding mosquito bites on various parts of our bodies. I hadn't even seen any mosquitoes! It's quite possible I just wasn't paying attention. But, nevertheless, they are present, silent and stealthy.

Jason has always been one to make sure the yard looks nice. Even though someone does come mow the lawn once a week the weeding is apparently our responsibility. And, since Jason isn't one for sleeping in, he was up early on Saturday morning weeding the front yard. I, on the other hand, DO like to sleep in but instead I was woken up to help Jason tend to the bee stings he received when trying to remove a weed root ball that housed a bees nest. The little buggers got him four times - certainly could have been worse. Once on his right hand, middle knuckle and three times on his left shoulder. His shoulder seems fine, but his knuckle is swollen, red and itchy. We're keeping an eye on it.

On Sunday, we thought it might be fun to get back into Geocaching. It's been a couple years since we've been active and it's a great way to see new places in a new area. Jason found a couple postings that were close to home. We located the GPS, dressed somewhat accordingly and prepared Chester to go with us.

Within minutes we arrived at the location where we were to park and commenced to our trek into the field and woods. A few feet into the field we found a friend that tagged along with us the entire time, hitching rides on someone's hand or the GPS. He/she seemed to enjoy our company and we returned our friend to the location he/she was found when we left the area.

While on our journey through the woods to find the cache I believe we found the training grounds for the ninja mosquitoes here in MO. They were EVERYWHERE! And, they were biting! We didn't spend long at the cache site when we finally found it as we were eager to leave the mosquito training grounds and get back to the car. Before getting in the car we did a tick check on everyone's hairlines. Then we left.

We'd been in the car for about two minutes when Joelle starts yelling, "Sugar bugs! Sugar bugs! They get on your skin, bite you and take your sugar!" It took a few seconds, but we finally realized that she was talking about chiggers! Jason stopped the car and we all jumped out swiping at our bodies and clothing. The "chiggers" were all over us and poor Chester. Swiping them was futile. We got back in the car and drove home as quickly as possible all the while picking "chiggers" off our bodies and clothing and throwing them out the window. At home, we all took showers, bathed Chester, and washed our clothes. Closer examination revealed that perhaps they weren't chiggers but actually seed ticks. Either way, that part wasn't fun. ☺

We've decided that we won't go traipsing around in the woods again until it gets a little cooler.

Our entire weekend wasn't all about bugs! We also made a yummy cookie pizza! Maybe I'll post pictures and videos later. ☺

...our first week of school...

Well, we finished everything this week! Yay!! Granted we haven't started every subject, but we're still off to a good start. ☺ This year we are using My Father's World curriculum. So, far it is quite painless and pretty simple to use. Joelle enjoys the hands on projects and finishing early in the day.

Here's the curriculum in the box. It's on shelves now, in several different places - that's why there's no "out-of-the-box" picture, it may get moved again. We had planned to conduct school downstairs in the basement, but when we started on Monday none of us felt comfortable down there. We're too accustomed to sitting around the table and lounging on the couch.

(Barry reading Biology; Joelle mapping her bedroom.)

Our focus this year is on Geography. Joelle, Barry and I will be taking an indepth look at our Father's world! One of our projects was turning a "globe" into a flat map. We used an orange. These oranges were from South Africa. So, we talked about where Africa is. ☺ A couple days before the orange project I found our long lost missing biology dissection kit. Sadly, aside from the dissection instruments, the contents were not salvagable. But, the scalpel came in handy!

I really like the "Book Basket" idea. We've added Geography books and free reading books. If we come to a lull - which is usually one child waiting for another child to complete a task so we can continue together - I can say, "Go grab a geography book from the book basket and read until we're ready." Other times I might say, "Free reading time." The kids know to go to the book basket and pick out whatever they want. The books are labeled Geography or General Reading with an approximate reading level.

(the girls during free reading)

Joelle posting a grammar rule to remember.

Examining our environment

(Joelle's - green; Barry's - blue)

This project was suppose to be for Thursday, but I hadn't gotten to the store to get the worms. So, we finished up this afternoon with the "Niche" project. We'll post more pictures as we observe our worms in their new environment. I also didn't have regular sand so we used colored sand that I had on hand. I'm hoping this doesn't cause any damage and will make for an interesting end result.

(**no worms were harmed in the making of this project. The "extras" were set free and our "helpers" will be set free when we are finished with our project.) ☺