Grace Will Lead Me Home (Advent Poem 2009)

"Grace Will Lead Me Home"

by Virginia Knowles
Advent 2009


Grace will lead me home
Like a pillar of fire for a pilgrim in the wilderness
Like a shimmering star hovering over new Glory and Peace on earth
That wise ones still seek and follow.

Grace leads me home
When the way is dark and wayward voices call
I listen for the Shepherd's steady voice
When my soul cries for thirst
He leads me to the oasis
To the crystal fountain whence the healing stream flows

Grace leads me home
Because God is with me:
Jesus full of grace and truth
Grace upon grace dwelling in the tabernacle of my heart
My Messiah abides in me and I in him, my hope of glory


Grace leads me home
Because the Holy Spirit is my Comforter,
My Counselor to guide me in truth
Because I cry "Abba, Father! I am your child!"
I am more than a conqueror
Nothing can separate me from your love
And You will lead me home.

~*~*~*~

 
Each year I write an Advent poem.  Each year I wait for just the right inspiration.  Until it comes, there is no sense in even picking up my pen.  In recent months, God's grace has come to me in fresh ways as I am learned to live from a sense of who I am in Christ and to to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit rather than my own efforts.  I knew my poem this year would reflect his work in my heart.
 

On Sunday, Mike Nash preached on the wonder of God's grace.   Toward the end of his sermon, he mentioned John Newton's classic hymn "Amazing Grace".   (Another story here: The Amazingly Graced Life of John Newton: His was a tale of two lives, with God at the pivot point.)  Newton had owned a slave ship in the late 1700's before God reached down and plucked him out of darkness into the kingdom of light.  As we sang his hymn moments later, the line "and grace will lead me home" leapt out of the third verse.  I knew that was the start of my poem.  The other 18th century hymn that found its way into my own verses (pillar of fire, pilgrim, crystal fountain, healing stream) is "Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah" which I sometimes sing with my children.   You can listen to it in the original Welsh with the video below.



The poem is also inspired by John 15:1-8 and Romans 8.

I pray that "Grace Will Lead Me Home" it will bring hope to your heart this Christmas season.  I encourage you to think of people you know who might need fresh faith in the middle of trying times.  So many are hurting and lonely, which is extra hard when the pressure is on to be merry and jolly for the holidays.   Let's take the time to notice, to listen, and to serve.

As I walked with my friend Tonya this morning, we were talking about how sometimes what our own children need most is time to talk and just be with us.  So many unpleasant discipline situations could be avoided if we learned to communicate in a wholesome, affectionate and interested way.  We need to be proactive in training them in the good life rather than just waiting until they mess up and then taking even longer to correct them for poor choices.  A warm and nurturing relationship is the best way to raise children.   It takes time!  Likewise, I am seeing that God wants time with me, too.  He is Abba.  That means Daddy!  He is never too busy for me!   As I listen to him, he lovingly leads me on a positive path.   The stronger and closer my relationship with God is, and the more I am walking in grace, the less he needs to correct me.  I will want to please him with my whole heart, not grieve him!   And as my children see my intimacy with God and a growing desire to live for him and in him, this will help their hearts to turn in the same direction.   Love, joy, and peace are powerful magnets!  And grace will lead us home!

~*~*~

We're done with our Providence home school co-op classes for the semester. On Monday afternoon, we put on a Christmas program with each class singing one or two carols for the rest of us. The 5th-6th graders got brave and did theres in Spanish and sign language. My middle school English class sang the first known Christmas carol, "Of the Father's Love Begotten", which was written in Latin by Aurelius Clemens Prudentius in the 4th century and translated into English by John Mason Neale in the 1800's. The week before our performance, my students worked on memorizing it, learning about the meaning of the words, reading related Scriptures, and studying the Nicene Creed, which was written in the same time period. Their next assignment, to be completed before classes start again in January, is to read Luke 1 and 2, answer some questions, watch parts of Handel's Messiah, and then write either a short Christmas memories story, a Christmas poem, or a description of their favorite Christmas story or carol. I have posted the Handel's Messiah video clips on-line, along with some nativity-themed fine art from the National Gallery, here: Handel's Messiah & National Gallery of Art.


Since we only have a week's worth of Providence assignments this month, sometimes it's a bit of an extra challenge keeping the kids doing happy things and not aggravating each other. The five younger kids and I try to start each day with singing Christmas carols, reading a little few verses from Luke 2, and then enjoying one of our favorite Christmas books. I also want to read them some poetry, such as "A Christmas Carol" by Josiah Gilbert Holland. "O Little Town of Bethlehem", one of the carols we have been singing in the mornings, is such a familiar one to most of you, but I recently discovered a delightful little verse I had never seen:

Where children pure and happy pray to the blessèd Child,
Where misery cries out to Thee, Son of the mother mild;
Where charity stands watching and faith holds wide the door,
The dark night wakes, the glory breaks, and Christmas comes once more.

My prayer for the Christmas break is that in our family, charity will stand watching so that faith can open wide the door when we see a need or an opportunity to bless someone. We had a day earlier this week where it seemed we were all irritable with one another, just wandering aimlessly and selfishly. "Misery cries out to Thee" describes my plea to God about this. I didn't want to continue with that pattern all month. I'd much rather have "pure and happy" children. That's when I got serious about starting the morning with singing and decided to print out a dozen carols for our song notebooks. The next morning, after singing our carols, we talked about how we are celebrating Jesus' birthday this month and that we can give him a special present of worshiping him in faith, and then loving one another in response to that. (Naomi reminded me that JOY is thinking of Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself after that.) I really want to break the bickering habit and replace it with sweet speech. I asked the kids to make a special effort to stop calling names, mimicking, or telling each other to shut up. And if they offend or hurt someone, they need to apologize, even if it was an accident. But that's not enough! We need to replace the negatives with something positive. I suggested that each day, each of us will look for a small opportunity to bless each of the others. This could be reading a story to four year old Melody, offering someone a mug of hot chocolate, cleaning up a pile of construction paper scraps after craft time, running to bring someone a roll of toilet paper when it's out, or letting someone else go first on the computer. Honestly, it hasn't been perfect since then, but there has been a huge improvement and they seem to be responding to the gentle reminders to be pleasant and do the right thing. The dark night wakes, the glory breaks... We can do this after all, with God's help.


If you or someone you know are struggling through this Christmas season, whether from busyness, weariness, or life crises, please check out these articles that I wrote in years past: A Simplified Christmas and A Bittersweet Advent.

Pure Pleasure: Why Do Christians Feel So Bad About Feeling Good?

Pure Pleasure: Why Do Christians Feel So Bad About Feeling Good?

Book by Gary Thomas

Review and Extra Commentary by Virginia Knowles

 I am so delighted to able to review Gary Thomas's newest book Pure Pleasure: Why Do Christians Feel So Bad About Feeling Good? If "a merry heart doeth good like a medicine," then this is just what the doctor ordered! Though it is not a comedy book, I still laughed all the way through. There is something about truth that brings both liberty and joy to the heart. I'm thankful that Gary Thomas wrote this much-needed book, which seems to me to be a gift from God's own heart. It resonates with all that the Lord has so graciously been showing me in recent years.

The theme of this book is that pleasure is a good gift from God, designed to renew and satisfy our souls. It draws us to our loving Lord in gratitude, and helps guard us from illicit temptations that might otherwise pull us away. Rather than always looking on life as a dreary duty, we should embrace and cultivate God-glorifying pleasure. In this 250 page book, Gary explores how pure pleasures can bring abundant blessings to our lives, how to celebrate life, the danger of excess or damaging influences, counting the cost, choosing the things that make us happy, enjoying life with our families, finding pleasure in difficult circumstances, and the healing power of laughter. He alerts us to three signals that we are not allowing for enough pleasure in our lives: extended tiredness, loneliness/alienation, and lack of joy in life and in God. He also takes into account that different kinds of things make each of us happy, such as sensory pleasures (touching, hearing, tasting, smelling, and looking) or pursuit pleasures (creating things, excitement, mental stimulation, relationships, and laughter). For the past few years, I have been thinking about God as Creator as well as Redeemer and of the value of the common grace of sensory beauty and human friendships, so I'm thrilled that Gary has written a book that emphasizes this aspect of our Christian experience.

At the end of each chapter, you will find questions for reflection. At the conclusion of the book, there are additional questions that can be used with the small group video curriculum. Many Scriptures and quotes from classic Christian literature (Francis Fenelon, G.K. Chesterton, etc.) are woven throughout each chapter as well.  I appreciate that he takes time in the footnotes to tell us who these other authors are, too!

I particularly appreciate, in the first chapter, Gary's extended discussion of how people who try to "mortify sin" through sheer will power are so often unsuccessful because they are not displacing unholy temptations with godly delights. If we want to get the victory over sin, pleasure is one of our most faithful allies.

As Gary writes:

"Spiritual triumph begins and ends with finding our satisfaction in God above all things. We serve a generous God, however, who eagerly wants to bless us with many other pleasures, gifts from his hand, that delight us—and in delighting us, bring pleasure back to him. Rather than seeing these gifts as competitors that steal our hearts from God, perhaps we can gratefully receive them and allow God to use them to ruin us to the ways of the world. Prayer and fellowship are among life’s richest pleasures, but let’s not stop there. Let us learn to fill our souls with beauty, art, noble achievement, fine meals, rich relationships, and soul-cleansing laughter. When we acknowledge these pleasures, we acknowledge God as a genius creator of brilliant inventions. Let us be wary of a faith that denies these blessings as “worldly” and unfit, as though Satan rather than God had designed them. Let us refuse to fall into the enemy’s trap of denying ourselves God’s good pleasures so that we end up deeply vulnerable to illicit pleasure. In truth, God created us first for his own pleasure, not our own; but when we live a life of holy pleasure, we do bring pleasure to God. In this context and with this understanding, pleasure can become a powerful force for piety and goodness." pg 17

"The rate at which we are losing our young people should alarm every church in this country. Some estimates put the loss at 75 percent. Many experts are trying to find out why kids raised in church abandon it in their twenties. Here’s a clue: If teens think they have to leave the church to celebrate, why would they ever want to stay? If every time they enter the walls dedicated to God’s service they hear only about their shortcomings, their obligations, and their irresponsibility, what would make them want to come back? I’m not saying we shouldn’t confront the sin of the young. Of course we should. Their sins—including their selfishness and apathy—need to be challenged. But let’s preach the good life every bit as much as we warn them away from the path of destruction. Let’s invite them to drink from the well that truly satisfies, and then let’s live it so that they see with their own eyes the glory and happiness of an obedient Christian." pg 29

~*~*~

Are you excited about this book already? Here's some extra good news! Until January 11, you can download Pure Pleasure for free from Gary Thomas's web site. Sure, I strongly encourage you to buy your own print copy, too, since it's much easier to read sitting in a cozy arm chair than in front of a computer screen, and since an author deserves payment for his work! But at least you can get a sneak preview right now, and another benefit of having the digital book too is that you can search for words or phrases. You can download Adobe Digital Reader, which is much more sophisticated and user-friendly than regular PDF, at the same time.

You can order your print copy from ChristianBook.com here: Pure Pleasure by Gary Thomas at CBD or directly from the author's web site (and watch Gary's intro video clip) here: Pure Pleasure by Gary Thomas at Center for Evangelical Spirituality.


And now, after this more general review, I have a few observation about how the concepts in Gary's books (not just Pure Pleasure) relate to families, especially those who are home schooling. 

~*~*~

Many moms and dads struggle to truly enjoy their children because they are so intent on building their character and correcting their errant behavior. This is especially apparent in the home school movement when we are (hopefully) making extra sacrifices to invest in their success. They simply have to turn out right, or how could we justify the time and money we spent? PLEASE remember that our children are treasures from God, whether they are complying with us or not. The atmosphere in our homes must become one of affection and acceptance, rather than grumpy disapproval. Otherwise, our kids will quickly discover that Mom's and Dad's religion is not the only game in town, and they will drift or even run to wherever they feel they're getting a fair shake and good vibes. Josh McDowell has said, "Rules without relationships reap rebellion." When you are thinking about enjoying the pleasures from God, I hope that your children are right at the top! Take some time to have some fun with them as a whole family and one-on-on. How long has it been since you had an awesome vacation or even a daytrip that wasn't strictly educational? Yes, it costs some money, but you only have so long with your children before they grow up and move away. (Ask me how I know this!)


Here are a several terrific ways to have some guilt-free fun with your kids. 

• Cuddle up on the couch with your kids to read a good book: How to Read Aloud and Enjoy It and When Mother Reads Aloud.
• Do something that is both fun and educational: Got a Hand, Make a Puppet.
• Make Christmas presents: Great Gifts Kids Can Make for Others.
• Take the entire month of December off from traditional school: Advent Adventure Unit Study for December.
• Play games like Pente and Mancala that use strategy, but are simple and fun enough for parents and kids to enjoy together.
• Join your local YMCA so the kids can get fun PE time, and you can relieve stress by working out and getting in shape -- our family gets a 50% scholarship so ask about one if you can't afford it otherwise!
• Take advantage of outdoor fun & freedom, such as taking a picnic lunch outside to the yard or a local park or letting your kids take a book up into your tree to read while you take pictures!

We also need to remember that it is God who saves and sanctifies our children (and the rest of us, too), not our own effort. We can do our part and point the way, but he must bring about the fruit through the dynamic indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It is one thing to give up outward forms of legalism (picky rules) yet cling to an inward, and sometimes more devastating, bondage of trying to hack out the sin in our lives by sheer will power. As Galatians 3:1-3 says, "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" And in Galatians 5:22-25 it says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit." Any admonition to "mortify sin" MUST be accompanied by this means: the power of the Holy Spirit to walk in our precious identity in Christ. A believer in Christ is no longer a dirty rotten sinner or a morally depraved worm who is controlled by sinful pride, but a new creation, a dearly loved saint who can be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. As we yield to God's guidance (say "YES, LORD!" and then DO IT!) , and worship him for who he is and what he has done, our minds are renewed by truth, which sets us free (John 8:32). I have been coming to this realization bit by bit over the past few years and especially recent months. I finally see the fruit of it. I still have a long way to go in God's grace! Now if I want to see this worked out in my children's lives too, then I need to give them a solid foundation of who they are (or can be) in Christ, and how they need the filling of the Holy Spirit for themselves. It's not enough to tag along on a parent's faith. They must own it in their own hearts. This is the heart of discipling our children! Do you feel stuck by ongoing failure to live victoriously as a Christian mom? Take comfort in this quote by Francis Fenelon, which applies not only to individuals, but to parents hoping for lasting change in their children:

"Bear with yourself in your involuntary frailties as God bears, wait patiently for His appointed time of complete deliverance, and meanwhile go on quietly and according to your strength in the path before you, without losing time in looking back; always "reaching forth unto those things which are before," not dwelling unprofitably upon depressing falls and hindrances; sorrowing over them, indeed, with humility, but putting them aside to press onwards; not looking upon God as a spy watching to surprise you, or an enemy laying snares for you, but as a Father who loves, and would fain save you; full of trust in His goodness, continually invoking His mercy, and perfectly free from all vain dependence upon yourself or any other creature. Such you will find to be the path towards true liberty."

And another from Francis De Sales: "As to these smaller temptations… as it is impossible to be altogether freed from them, the best defense that we can make is not to give ourselves much trouble about them; for although they may tease us, yet they can never hurt us, so long as we continue firmly resolved to dedicate ourselves in earnest to the service of God…. Content yourself with quietly removing them, not by contending or disputing with them, but by performing some actions of a contrary nature to the temptation, especially acts of the love of God… This grand remedy is so terrible to the enemy of our souls, that as soon as he perceives that his temptation incites us to form acts of divine love he ceases to tempt us… He who would wish to contend with them in particular would give himself much trouble to little or no purpose.” (Quoted by Gary Thomas on page 76-77 of Seeking the Face of God.)

Are you exhausted or stressed out as a mom? Is there ever anything leftover for you after all the demands of mothering, disciplining, housecleaning, organizing, chauffeuring, not to mention the challenges of being either a wife or a single mom?  And, if you are home schooling, add in teaching, lesson planning and grading!  Do you feel guilty trying to get away for a little bit for some happy time, even to your bedroom for a little peace and quiet? STOP IT! Dear ladies, you must fill your pitcher to the brim with life or you won't have anything to pour out for your family! I used to have a T-shirt that read, "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!" And that's the truth! You set the tone in your family. Is it going to be grumpy? Lifeless? Joyless? If you can't work this out for yourself, or there are family crises that complicate your story, don't hesitate to go for professional Christian counseling. If you feel that your pastor is not equipped for giving the kind of help you need, many counseling centers offer services for a sliding scale fee. I know that some of you are in dark places in life. I'm not suggesting that you shrug it off and pretend that life is jolly, but that you deal with it head on so you can move on with confidence. Your identity is not determined by how other people (husband, children, relatives, friends) assess your worth. You are a precious treasure to God in Christ Jesus. Whatever you do, remember that the joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10) and that he rejoices over you with gladness and singing (Zephaniah 3:17). Don't accept second best. Yes, you will sometimes be tired and discouraged. Jesus came to give you abundant life (John 10:10)! You might find some extra encouragement and refreshment on my blog, Come Weary Moms, especially the post called Help for Hurting Marriages which contains excerpts from Gary Thomas's books Sacred Influence: How God Uses Wives to Shape the Souls of Their Husbands and Sacred Marriage. I also invite you do download a free PDF copy of my 176 page book The Real Life Home School Mom, which primarily focuses on the emotional, logistical and spiritual challenges of home schooling rather than just academics.


I hope that this extra commentary has been helpful to you!  I would love your feedback!

Blessings,
Virginia Knowles

I Am...

Dear friends,

In my last post, I asked the questions, “Who is Jesus?” and “Why does it matter?” I didn't really answer those questions, though!

I’m going to let him speak for himself on the first question! These verses are taken from the Gospel of John.

~*~*~

I AM the bread of life.

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." John 6:35


I AM the light of the world.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12



I AM the door.

Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep." John 10:7



I AM the good shepherd.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me...." John 10:11-14



I AM the resurrection and the life.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies." John 11:25






I AM the way, the truth and the life.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

I AM the true vine.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:1, 5

~*~*~

So why does it matter who Jesus is? Because who is affects who I am in him! When I trusted Christ to save me, I became a new creation, beloved of God! These descriptions of my identity in Christ come from the Freedom in Christ Ministries web site, http://www.ficm.org/whoiam.htm. Is this what you want for your own life?

~*~*~

Who I Am In Christ

John 1:12 I am God's child.

John 15:15 As a disciple, I am a friend of Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1 I have been justified.

1 Corinthians 6:17 I am united with the Lord, and I am one with Him in spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 I have been bought with a price and I belong to God.

1 Corinthians 12:27 I am a member of Christ's body.

Ephesians 1:3-8 I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child.

Colossians 1:13-14 I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.

Colossians 2:9-10 I am complete in Christ.

Hebrews 4:14-16 I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:1-2 I am free from condemnation.

Romans 8:28 I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances.

Romans 8:31-39 I am free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the love of God.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 I have been established, anointed and sealed by God.

Colossians 3:1-4 I am hidden with Christ in God.

Philippians 1:6 I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me.

Philippians 3:20 I am a citizen of heaven.

2 Timothy 1:7 I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.

1 John 5:18 I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.

John 15:5 I am a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life.

John 15:16 I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.

1 Corinthians 3:16 I am God's temple.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 I am a minister of reconciliation for God.

Ephesians 2:6 I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.

Ephesians 2:10 I am God's workmanship.

Ephesians 3:12 I may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

For Such a Time As This: Esther, Daniel, and Divine Appointments

Dear friends,

I love a good "coincidence"! My aunt called these, "I spy God at work" incidences. I especially like it when I find myself at just "the right place at the right time" -- often when I hadn't even intended to be in that place at that time. This has happened to me a lot lately, but I only have time to share about one small cluster of them right now.

As an English teacher in a home school co-op program, I love to integrate art, music, and history into my assignments -- just as I have done with my own kids at home for the past two decades. So when I was preparing lesson plans for literature units on the Biblical books of Esther and Daniel, I set out on a cyber treasure hunt for fine art related to these stories. I posted my collection on http://www.providencehomeeducators.blogspot.com/ so that my students could access them easily. I picked out pieces from such notable artists at Rembrandt, Marc Chagall, and Peter Paul Rubens--who painted "Daniel in the Lion's Den"--as well as some lesser known artists. (Click on the link above to see more of the pictures, as well as the literature study guides.)

A few days before I gave out the assignments, I happened to go for my annual physical. Dr. Azelvandre was running late that morning--she confessed to being a little to chatty with her earlier patients about health care reform--but I didn't mind the extra quiet moments in the waiting room. Looking for a decent magazine to read, I pawed through a bunch of power boat magazines and finally discovered the March 2009 copy of Smithsonian Magazine. The very first article that caught my eye was Bingham's List: Saving the Jews of Nazi France. I have always been fascinated by the history of the holocaust (you can read my blog post Diary of a Mom's Day in D.C.: Holocaust Museum and Asian Art). The book of Esther is about her rescue of the Jewish nation from the plots of evil Haman, too. The article told how an American diplomat named Hiram (Harry) Bingham IV issued unauthorized visas for something like 2,500 Jews to escape Nazi Europe in the early 1940's. One of these Jews was Marc Chagall, the Russian born artist, then living in France, who 20 years later painted two pieces in my Esther art collection. Chagall once wrote, "Ever since my earliest youth I have been fascinated by the Bible. I have always believed that it is the greatest source of poetry of all time...The Bible is an echo of nature, and this I have endeavoured to transmit.... In art everything is possible, so long as it is based on love." You can find two of Chagall's Esther paintings here Ahasueras Sends Vashti Away and Esther. Because Bingham defied his superiors in order to rescue these Jews, he was demoted and eventually left the foreign service to raise his 11 kids on the family farm. At the end of the article, I was delighted to see one verse from a hymn called "Once to Every Man and Nation" that the Bingham family used to sing. I sang it in English class and taught it to my own children; I hear Micah humming it sometimes. Written in 1845 by James Lowell in protest of the U.S. war with Mexico, it's sung to the same tune as the classic version of "O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus."

Once to every man and nation,
Comes the moment to decide,
In the strife of truth with falsehood,
For the good or evil side;
Some great cause, some great decision,
Offering each the bloom or blight,
And the choice goes by forever,
'Twixt that darkness and that light.



Deep in thought, I finished reading that article and turned the page. The next piece, Jan Lievens: Out of Rembrandt's Shadow, was about a contemporary of Rembrandt who, though just as talented an artist, is not nearly as famous. I was stunned to see a painting of "The Feast of Esther" splashed across the page spread. The caption noted that it had been mistaken for an early Rembrandt until the last century. Looking at the picture, I thought it was the very same one I had posted on my class blog just days earlier. Now what were the chances of picking up a magazine that was so related to two of "my" paintings? As it turned out, the Esther scene I had already picked for my blog was by Jan
Victors (another 17th century Dutchman), but looking at the two side by side, I am amazed at their similarities. Of course I added the Lievens one to my collection with instructions for my students to compare them! I was also amused, after I handed out my English class assignments, to find that in their history class my students were studying the Persian empire -- with abundant references to both Daniel and Esther. The paintings shown here are "The Feast of Esther" by Jan Lievens in 1625 and "The Banquet of Esther and Ahasueras" by Jan Victors in 1670.

On my way home from the doctor's appointment, since I was in that edge of town, I decided to stop and see my friend Danielle Trent at her Family Values consignment store. (She uses many of the proceeds to aid abandoned and abused moms and kids.) I chatted with her for a little bit, and just before I was ready to walk out the door, another mom walked in whom Danielle knew. Danielle introduced me to her, we ended up talking for quite a while, and I was able to give her some information to help her work through a troubling situation she had recently experienced. I quickly recognized this as another providential "divine appointment" -- especially since I wouldn't have met the lady if my doctor hadn't been quite so chatty that morning! What timing! The next day, when I met my friend Lisa for lunch, she shared how various articles that I wrote have encouraged her over the years, especially since she had a stroke. In gratitude for "My Glorious Dishtowel" she even crocheted me a rainbow colored dish cloth! (You can see it on her blog post Bits of Crochet.) But the encouragement was certainly not one way. She has been so faithful to lift my spirits with her kind words, right at times I have most needed them. Did either of us fully realize the influence we had on each other? My jaw drops when I think about these things.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Esther's cousin Mordecai, as he urged her to appeal to the king on behalf of the Jews, reminded her, "Who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Why was she, like Daniel hundreds of years earlier, a Jew rising to prominence in the Persian palace? Because God wanted her there to fulfill his purpose, not just for her lifetime, but for generations to come. I don't think that principle is limited to the men and women who walked and talked in the pages of Scripture. It is for us as well. Each of us is here "for such a time as this." God has a unique plan for each and every one of us. Finding two magazine articles and meeting a new friend unexpectedly might seem like tiny coincidences in my own life, but they fit into the bigger picture. I remind my students often about the ripple effect. We may not see it until eternity, but everything we do, everything we say, all has an impact. The kind word we share can encourage someone to do something noble, which will set an example for someone else, who will, in turn.... The question is, how sensitive will we be to the divine nudges to do the right thing? How well will we choose?

Let me close with a YouTube link for the song "For Such a Time as This" by Wayne Watson that I played for my class. Here are the words, too!

Now, all I have is now
To be faithful
To be holy
And to shine
Lighting up the darkness
Right now, I really have no choice
But to voice the truth to the nations
A generation looking for God

For such a time as this
I was placed upon the earth
To hear the voice of God
And do His will
Whatever it is
For such a time as this
For now and all the days He gives
I am here, I am here
And I am His
For such a time as this

You - Do you ever wonder why
Seems like the grass is always greener
Under everybody else's sky
But right here, right here for this time and place
You can live a mirror of His mercy
A forgiven image of grace

Can't change what's happened till now
But we can change what will be
By living in holiness
That the world will see Jesus

Blessings,

Virginia Knowles

Do It Well, But Keep It Humble

"Homier than thou!" A bunch of years ago, Mike Farris of HSLDA wrote an article about being “homier than thou” (a pun on the old phrase "holier than thou") in which he cautioned home educating parents against arrogance and self-righteousness, especially when relating to other people who have chosen (or have no choice) to do things differently. I can’t remember all that he said, but the phrase stuck with me. Unfortunately, I find that it still applies. I read several blogs about Biblical womanhood, family life, and home schooling. I truly appreciate each one of them, but occasionally I stumble on a post or subsequent reader comments that make me cringe. Usually, the writer is trying to make a case for home schooling, or having a large "full quiver" family, or respecting your husband's leadership, or following the courtship model, or training daughters to be "keepers at home" or whatever the worthy issue is. That’s good, up to a point. The problem is when this turns into a diatribe and ridicule against those who either may disagree with them or who are simply asking sincere but pointed questions because they really want to understand what all the fuss is about. This grieves me. This is not Christian grace or humility. It is not "speaking the truth in love." I see it as a huge turn-off to those whom we really do want to win. As the old adage goes, "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." I’ve always treasured the home schooling lifestyle for the positive benefits that it can bring, rather than as a negative reaction against public schooling. Sure, I think home schooling is better! That’s why I’m doing it, despite all of the challenges! That's why I spend so much time writing and speaking to encourage and equip other moms in this Grand Adventure. But that doesn’t mean that someone is “bad” or “brainwashed” if they don’t (or can't) home school. (Yes, I have seen those exact words used…)

Coincidentally, my friend Stephanie sent me a note the other day which confirmed my thoughts: "I cannot thank you enough for your example of not only homeschooling, but of godliness and love. You never PUSHED homeschool on me or told me how awful it is to send your kid to public school or anything like that. Your children have flourished in both the collegiate and business worlds as well as in their social endeavours. You did what you believed God would have you do and did not push those beliefs onto others. I thank you for that. My children and I have been blessed by the years I was able to teach them and have them home 100% of the time. Starting my final year of homeschooling , that is why I wanted to say thank you to you for helping me travel down this glorious road." Then my friend Michelle wrote just this morning, "You have been a wonderful inspiration, not because you are perfect , but because you are not, and you help me believe maybe I am really doing a good job."

You see, we really don't have to be obnoxious or strident to get our point across. When my younger kids bicker (as they often do) I remind them that the only thing you prove by calling someone an "IDIOT!!!!" is that you yourself are one. Of course I am preaching to myself as well! We simply cannot build ourselves up by tearing others down. We will only prove how immature we are! Maybe this little article itself will seem like a diatribe. It’s not meant to be. My aim is to bring a little necessary correction in an area where I too have been guilty. We home school moms can take a certain amount of satisfaction in how our children are turning out. I’m certainly proud of my ten terrific kids, even though I see their weaknesses and they definitely see mine! Where this parental contentment takes a turn for the worse is if we smugly give the impression that the reason why we are having so much outward success is because we are so good at what we do! Bosh! Whatever we do is sheerly by the grace of God. It is this grace that will also pick us up again after our pride leads to the inevitable downfall. If you ever get to the point where you recognize things in your own heart or your children’s lives that make you gasp in shock, then thank the Lord for his enlightening mercies! This is the opportunity to embrace the gracious gift of humility and to plead for his help. We need to be keenly aware of our continual dependence on God. Sometimes he allows these bumps -- big and little --to shake us out of deathly complacency. Brokenness brings so many blessings, not the least of which is a new and deeper compassion for hurting people. You see, no matter how good things look on the outside, folks are struggling. We may hide it well, but we all have fissures beneath the surface. Some of us have even experienced internal earthquakes. I am full of gratitude for the very painful, eye-opening seasons of my life, even the ones that continue to make me gasp. They were (and are) the mercy of God to wake me up, to spur me to pursue change, to help me to bring compassionate grace and healing to others, to make me see how his power is perfected in my weakness. In our home school, it is Mom who is really being educated!

So, dear friends, whatever you do, "Do it well, but keep it humble!"

P.S. If the topic of humility and motherhood hits a tender spot, please read my article "Be It Ever So Humbling, There's No Place Like Home". Another short article related to legalism, "Your Unique Home School Family", accompanies my poem "This is My Song and I Sing."

Calling All Mentors (Yes, That Means You Too!)

Dear friends,

In my post about "The Joys of Mentoring" this past Sunday, I promised to put up an article I wrote several years ago for Nancy Campbell's Above Rubies magazine.

Calling All Mentors (Yes, That Means You Too!)

by Virginia Knowles in 2001

When many women hear about “Titus 2” style ministry, with the older women training the younger women “to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God,” they often envision the older woman as a sweet gray haired grandma setting an extra place for tea in her cozy cottage. And that’s wonderful! I’m so thankful for the foundational principles I’ve learned from older authors and speakers like Nancy Campbell, Elisabeth Elliot, and Edith Schaeffer. But I also need to see these things lived out, so I am grateful for friends, usually only several years older than me, whose personal examples I can watch and follow in the areas of raising young children, home schooling, and handling the cultural challenges that teenagers face. I think that when the Lord is talking about older women, he is also looking for any serious Christian woman who is further down the road in life, anyone with valuable experience to share with someone coming along behind. We all need to aspire to this ministry, and we all need to start the process now. Don’t waste these years while waiting to attain senior saint status! Get all the help you can from mentors in your own life, and then turn around and help someone else.

Years ago, I felt the call to start ministering to other moms. Knowing how absolutely imperfect I am, I felt extremely inadequate. However, I knew I had a message to share, through one-on-one conversations, public presentations, and most of all, writing. I started small but the opportunities have grown tremendously. God’s strength is made perfect in weakness. During the years of trying to share with other women what is on my heart about family life and home education, I’ve seen four keys to mentoring.

Truth: This is our solid and enduring message. We can’t just blurt out our personal opinions. Our curriculum is God’s Word, his standards, his desires for our lives and families. We must be Bible students, we must be women of prayer, we must surround ourselves with godly teaching and encouragement from other believers, and we must be serious about living reverently! And, yes, we must be brave enough to apply that truth to personal situations, even if it means confronting someone (gently) with an area which is making them stumble. We can also fortify one another for the realities of life.

Transparency: Along with truth about God’s word, we must be truthful about ourselves. We’re not even close to perfect. If you exude a Super Mom image, that will be very discouraging to a younger woman who feels she could never measure up, and it can be so disillusioning when they finally see you mess up. Boom! You fall off the pedestal! No, we must always be humble and confess how much we need God’s grace to cover our sin and shortcoming. That’s the gospel. We haven’t fully attained, but we are pressing on anyway. If a mom has an idealized notion of motherhood and is disheartened by her own failure, it’s a relief for her to hear that others struggle with the same things. From our own hard knocks experiences, we can challenge her to engage in spiritual warfare on behalf of her children, rather than expecting a rose garden without weeds and thorns. (I need to be reminded of this all the time!) On the other hand, we must also be discrete and not just dump our past and present problems in full view. This destroys our family’s privacy and makes the other person extremely uncomfortable. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your lips. There is a time to share your struggles with someone, and a time to refrain, which brings us to the next key.

Trust: In any mentoring relationship, there must be mutual trust. We need to know that the other person will not gossip or turn against us. We need to know that the person will be honest with us. When advising someone, we need to trust that person to do what is best in her own situation. She may not be at a place in life where she can receive what we say right now. Or she may agree, but isn’t in a position to implement it because of other family members, health or finances. Or maybe it just wasn’t what God would want to say through us in the first place! We must always trust God that he will work these things out in his own good time. We plant the seeds, and he can make them grow.

Training: Finally, in all of our emphasis on spiritual issues, we must not neglect the practical every day “keepers at home” stuff, like how to organize a house, feed the family, serve the husband, and teach the children. I think of the “wives meetings” that our church had when I was a newlywed career lady, and how I was encouraged to trust God for starting our family. Two of these friends also showed me how to make log cabin quilt blocks. I remember my excitement about going to a home decorating class at a local church -- what an outreach opportunity! When I first started home schooling, several moms showed me their books, shared their catalogs, and gave me helpful hints. I’ve been a mom for fourteen years now [in 2009, let's update that to 22 years!], but I still love to learn about all of this stuff! I need it! What an area for Titus 2 training!

Whatever your age, ask God to show you what you can do to encourage other women to follow his ways!

~*~*~

If there has been a special mentor in your life, could you please hit the comment button below and tell us a little about her? What did she do or say that was particularly helpful to you?

This is the Day (Wisdom from an Egg Carton)

Dear friends,

Yesterday when I opened a carton of eggs to make dinner, I found a curious and delightful thing printed on the inside: “This is the Day which the Lord has made: Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalms 118:24” What a smile that brought to my face! It’s such an example of glorifying God even in business. Thank you, Dutch Farms Wisconsin! I cut out that little chunk of Styrofoam and hung it above my stove as a reminder.


In honor of the egg carton’s divine advice, I’d like to think of one day that the Lord made -- this past Monday -- and rejoice in it. Join me!




We shall start with the morning, since I am in a chronological mood. You might be tired of hearing about scrapple, but we are not yet tired of eating it, so that makes a good beginning to the day, if not also to my story. I had mixed a huge batch over the weekend and was now frying up the first of it. It turned out well, which is fortuitous since one daughter woke up, smelled it cooking, and said, “YAY!” I would not have liked to disappoint her, and I didn’t. A certain son came out moaning that he did not feel well at all, but declined to spell out the specific symptoms. He perked up considerably upon devouring his scrapple, hovering near the plate where I was flipping the sizzling slices from the griddle. He ate more than his share, which I encouraged, largely in part because he kept patting me on the back, hugging me, thanking me for making scrapple, and telling me what a GOOD MOMMY I was. I definitely go for that sort of boyish affection. The scrapple had also apparently remedied his aforementioned undefined malady.

(Thank you, Lord, for good food that I can prepare for my family!)

Next up on the schedule: swim lessons for Ben and Melody at Cady Way. If you were a thorough blog reader last week, you might have noticed prior mention of this at the bottom of my post, And They Were Strong and Bold. To put it shortly, Melody had been carrying on like a kidnapped princess, screaming and kicking and generally behaving unroyally – until the very end of Thursday’s lesson when she decided that swim lessons were actually fun and that Miss Kendall was not a sea monster. Not surprisingly, Monday morning found her apprehensive again, but I am happy to report that she quickly reclaimed Thursday’s courage and joy. I got to slip away and swim five laps. Someday she will swim laps and thank me that I made her take lessons. I hope.

(Thank you, Lord, for strong bodies and for the opportunity to try new things.)

At home again, I determined to fit in at least one vital facet of our intended summer schedule: morning Bible time. We are still picking our way through Isaiah, this time chapters 35-36. “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God.” (Isaiah 35:1-2)

(Thank you, Lord, for the gift of your Word -- your a love letter to mankind – which is illustrated by your beautiful world.)

I read during Melody’s nap time after lunch, lying on my bed next to her. I had seen the Pulitzer prize winning novel Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, praised by children’s author Kate DiCamillo, as well as by Biblical counselor David Powlison. The plot: John Ames, a dying 76 year old Iowa preacher, writes a memoire for his 7 year old son. With an eye for natural beauty, a heart for humanity, and keen insight into theology, he artfully weaves back and forth between past and present in his tale of life, love, and conflict. A good book, I would say. I am not using “good” as generic faint praise, but in the truest sense of the word: “good” being a virtue, a fruit of the Spirit. (Much as I have referred to the Bible as the Good Book, but I won’t capitalize it in reference to a mortal novel.)

(Thank you, Lord, for authors who understand and take the time to write and rewrite to get it right.)

Later in the afternoon, my friend Ruthann called. This is not a common thing, since she is a missionary to Italy. Happily, the Wells family is on furlough, and she had an extra slice of time to bestow on me, the grateful recipient thereof. In the half hour before she arrived, I cleared the living room of laundry baskets and then sliced peaches and nectarines. (There was no time to bake a cobbler, which would have been rather homey and hospitable, but fresh fruit is still a worthy offering.) Ruthann and I traded small tales of real life and family and education and ministry. I told her about my scrapple experiments, and of my relatives Priscilla and Margaret who have patiently coached me by e-mail on the fine points of concocting this Pennsylvania delicacy. As I walked Ruthann to her van, I noticed a package peeking from my mailbox. It was from Margaret, my scrapple coach, second cousin, and friend. It contained two boxes of Bell’s poultry seasoning, a very thoughtful and practical response to my comment that I hadn’t found any locally for my scrapple. Ruthann smiled to see such a vivid proof of the cousinly kindness I had just been praising only moments before.

(Thank you, Lord, for thoughtful friends, even ones who live so far away.)

By then, dinner time loomed upon me. Monday is one of the three nights of the week that I cook. (Teenage daughters are wonderful in the kitchen!) Fortunately, Thad had browned an extra batch of hamburger while making burritos last weekend, so it was easy enough to add beans, diced tomatoes, and sauce to make a big pot of chili. I also sliced more peaches and nectarines to make cobbler. The recipe in our church cookbook is easy enough that I won’t need to refer to it again: 1 cup each of self-rising flour, sugar, and milk, plus one stick butter, and then the fruit. I doubled it, and we had enough left over for the next day. Hospitality is not for guests only, but a daily opportunity to nurture our families as well.

Just after dinner, Joanna asked if she could meet her friend Cynthia at Starbucks so they could encourage one another about their Bible reading and prayer times. Good enough! (“Good” – as in fruit and virtue again!) I loaded the three younger kids in the van, dropped Joanna off, and then headed to Sam’s Club (just across the street from Starbucks) for milk and such.

(Again, Lord, thank you for family and friends and food! We can never be TOO grateful!)

Before I knew it, the younger kids’ bedtime arrived, but first I wanted to read aloud to them. Mars Needs Moms! by Berkeley Breathed (the cartoonist of Bloom County) was my literary choice. It starts, “Mothers. Milo often wondered what so special about them. Anyone could see that they were giant, summer-stealing, child-working, perfumy garden goblins. There was hardly much special about that.” He changes his mind by the end of the book, thanks to some extraterrestrial intervention. Mars may not really need moms (though it makes for a hilarious book) but earth sure does. I’m glad to be one of them. Tucked into bed, Naomi and Melody asked for their goodnight benedictions: "The Lord bless you and keep you and make his face shine upon you and give you peace.” Then we sang Psalm 23 together.

(Thank you, Lord, for the motherhood and for goodnight prayers.)

My final task of the night: ordering most of our home school curriculum from Rainbow Resource, a company which has awesome selection and the best prices I’ve seen. For weeks, I had been carefully compiling my list of books needed for our kids’ Providence home school co-op classes, as well as a large order of grammar and literature books for my English students. Fortunately, my husband Thad suggested that we go over my list line by line together, checking to make sure we had all the right stuff. That’s a good thing, because we had to make a few adjustments to the order. So here’s to Thad for being an excellent home school administrator! It’s not exactly a 9 to 5 job – we were up until almost midnight finishing it up.

(Thank you, Lord, for my dear husband, and for the privilege of educating our precious children. And thank you, Lord, for sleep!)

“This is the Day which the Lord has made:

Let us rejoice and be glad in it!”

And They Are Strong and Bold... (Girls and the Grand Adventure)

Dear friends,


I stepped into my 20 year old daughter's bedroom and it was a huge mess! But there was a reason, a good one. Julia is in the middle of packing for her fourth missionary trip to southern Bolivia. She leaves Saturday. Not only that, but her friend Sarah, who is also going to Entre Rios, has been staying with us for several days, so they are packing together. I sat down amidst the piles and breathed deeply, a few tears trickling. For they are strong and bold, and I am one happy mommy.


Among the clothes and toiletries in the packing pile are gifts: Twisty balloons, crayons, coloring books, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and Spanish picture books for the children. Spanish theology books for the village pastors. (The books are all from Brightlight, our favorite used bookstore. My joy was to help pick them out earlier this week.) Two jars of peanut butter (one creamy, one crunchy) for Angela, the only other American at the mission. A box of books for Barbie (an American Mennonite home school mom in Entre Rios) which was sent here by her parents in North Carolina to avoid the exhorbitant postage rates into Bolivia. Several small photo albums filled with pictures Julia took the last time she was there, to bless the dear families she loves.

And oh, how she loves them, and more importantly, oh how much she loves the LORD. That's what makes me cry. She loves enough to venture so far away, taking countless travel risks I don't know if I could take. She loves enough to do without the comforts of home -- like clean water or a real bed. She loves enough to work hard on a construction project, to sweat and maybe even bleed. She loves enough to learn the language and attempt to translate for her American friends. With this kind of love, my daughter is strong and bold in the Lord, and so is her friend, who is new to this missionary stuff, new to South America. I am so pleased for both of them!


Her 16 year old sister Joanna, too, is preparing for ministry the great beyond. She leaves for a nearly two week trip to the Dominican Republic on July 23, the day after Julia arrives home. I can't wait to see how she will grow from this extreme cross-cultural experience, this grand adventure.








And then I think of my little Melody, on the eve of her fourth birthday next month. She cried hysterically for the first three and three quarters days of her swim lessons at the Cady Way YMCA. "Mommy! MOMMY! Stay with me! I don't like the water!" Not content that I was only a few feet away. Not even remembering how much she loves to jump in with me when it's not lesson time. And yet we persevered. This morning, rain drenched her lesson time and she shivered in her towel on the edge of the pool. Three times she screamed and balked and would not "kick-kick-kick" her chubby legs for Miss Kendall. The fourth, miraculously, she smiled angelicly and kicked, even said "Thank you!" to teacher. For extra good (and brave) measure, she put her face in the water and blew bubbles. She is not yet strong and bold, but she is edging along the way, a splash at a time. And I am glad. (No, the picture is not from the pool, but from Lake Lily, where she made an accidental splash by falling in last month... I did my best to calmly treat it as an "oops" instead of as an emergency, because I don't want to encourage fear.)

~*~*~*~*~

You can read Julia's blog from her three month trip earlier this year at http://www.juliaknowles.blogspot.com/. My favorite post is Las Abras: Love because a little lame old man named Santiego lives what love really is. You may also like to see my blog posts "To Bolivia with Love" (a poem and more) and A Ship in Harbour is Safe..

My oldest daughter Mary Tindall is spreading her wings in other ways. Yes, she's been to Bolivia too, but now she's a wife and a journalist. Her latest freelance project: a movie story for Christianity Today. Check it out here: From Fireproof to Florida. You go, girl!

Blessings,

Virginia Knowles