And only one thing

"but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took Him.

I want to be like Mary--choosing the one thing.

I want to be like Enoch-walking with God in such a way that that is my reputation.

But I know that I must make choices to be with Him in such a way.

I feel like I have reached the finish line of a long marathon run. By God's grace, I just graduated my last child after being involved in the home school movement for 27 years. What a privilege it has been to follow the Lord and see His faithfulness through all the curves and twists of my path as a mom.

Now, though, I find myself greatly involved in my outside ministry, my writing and speaking responsibilities. Yet, I want to be sure that in the next phase of life, I listen to the Lord's voice and not the voices of the world or the demands of deadlines.

And so, I will be retreating from the public arena for a couple of weeks to rest, seek the Lord, read and pray. I want to hear God's voice in my life to say, "This is the way, walk in it."

I desire to have time to worship Him and deepen my walk with Him every day. I want to close the voices of culture and be one of those people who hear Him and what is on His heart at this time in history, but I know I have always had to make limiting choices in order to be able to listen to that voice.

Usually it means a radical decision of some kind, that pulls me away from the mid-stream, but eventually back to personal ministry--meeting the needs of real people. And so I will be seeking to hear just how to best invest my life in the next few years, for His will, for the best for my marriage and family!

In these weeks, our new version of Educating the Whole Hearted Child will be coming available from the printers. I am amazed at all the work Clay did to make it such a great work. It will be 384 pages and I know many of you have been asking about it. Stay tuned as Clay will be writing a blog about it just as soon as it is available.

I have been working on some posts that will be coming out, so even though I will not be present, I will be with you in my writing.

I covet your prayers for me as I seek Him and get away. Blessings of His grace to all of you as you make that time to hear His voice for you and for your family.

Taking time to laugh, taking time to see

The many faces and facets of Joy--

Sixteen years ago today, a miracle happened. I had three children, three miscarriages (from one I almost died), and just begore my 42 birthday, I was blessed with this precious daughter, an answer to prayer. I felt like I was given one more chance by God to shepherd a child through this world, to show her His love, to cherish her and release her into the work He had designed her to do for His glory.

Joy as Anne of Green Gables

Joy is like her name--brings Joy, love, sparkle and energy wherever she is. She is beautiful of soul and in life. We stay up late sharing hearts almost every night. Constantly thinking, evaluating, wondering, reading and sharing--she is a leader of young women and a delight to my life.

While shopping in Boston--the laughter around Joy never ceases.

My days are busy, demanding, overwhelming, but God has said, "Open you eyes, see with your heart, don't miss one moment to see the beauty of a child I have entrusted into your hands. You have this one opportunity to engage your heart fully and to affirm, celebrate and love this person I have entrusted into your hands providentially named Joy.

So, Happy Birthday my wonderful. I love you and am so very happy you are in my life.

The traditional blindfolded march to the surprises.

The Loot

The Satisfied, sweet and sleepy princess with her new summer hat!

It's an issue of personal character

Saturday morning Birthday Brunch Surprise Party for Sarah

Almost every night, without fail, we gather round the dining table, light candles, turn on music and share in the comfort and pleasure of each other's friendship and a meal shared together. I will write about the role that feasting and breaking of bread together has in discipleship another time.

Last night, I was in a hurry, so Sarah threw together Oatmeal muffins and I made potato soup in about ten minutes. (a favorite of our family--and it is rainy and 40 degrees here!)

As per Clarkson values, someone started a discussion on personal morality. I plunged into the conversation and asked, "Why do you stay morally pure? What has kept each of you committed to moral purity, even in the midst of living in very post modern, liberal places?"

The conversation took twists and turns and loudness of voice as they told stories for friends, shared convictions, and pontificated a bit. (The culture of eating meals together regularly!)

"Why have so many capitulated to the cultural standard even though raised in Christian homes?" became a focus of the topic.

SELF-GOVERNMENT--PRINCIPLES OF OWNING OUR OWN LIVES OF EXCELLENCE was the line repeated by all of the kids. And then they chimed in together,

"I CANNOT MAKE YOU HOLY. I CANNOT MAKE YOU CHOOSE TO BE EXCELLENT. YOU HAVE A WILL AND YOU HAVE TO DECIDE IN YOUR HEART WHAT KIND OF PERSON YOU WANT TO BE. WHEN YOU DECIDE TO OBEY AND CHOOSE TO BE HOLY, YOU WILL BE BUILDING A CHARACTER FOR YOURSELF THAT WILL SERVE YOU THE REST OF YOUR LIFE."

I guess I had repeated it so many times, that it was burned onto their consciences--the idea of self-government, ruling over your life and being a steward of all that you have been given and taught.

I think that many parents are trying to moralize their children--rule based. Now moral ideals and principles must be taught.

But teaching must reach the heart to inspire. Inspiration creates the environment in the hearts, minds and souls of children to wanting to be a hero, wanting to have a marriage based on the partnership of two people called together to make an impact for the kingdom of God.

And of course, the daddy added, "If a child does not have a proper self-image of who he is, what he wants to become, confident of the calling and character in his life of being based on unchanging truth, then that child will be subject to the whims and sways of culture."

And so, looking back, I would have personal quiet times, read great authors and inspiring theologians who made me want to serve Christ radically, and then I would sit in the humble surroundings of our living room with pajama clad, milk mustached children and share passionately about the significance of their lives and how God could use a normal person, just like them, to change the world. We would speak of battles, and becoming warriors and heroes. We would speak of great stories, that choices had consequences. And then I would say, "But you have a choice to make. Only you can decide to embrace the holiness and greatness of God by faith. I CANNOT MAKE YOU HOLY. I CANNOT MAKE YOU CHOOSE TO BE EXCELLENT. YOU HAVE A WILL AND YOU HAVE TO DECIDE IN YOUR HEART WHAT KIND OF PERSON YOU WANT TO BE. WHEN YOU DECIDE TO OBEY AND CHOOSE TO BE HOLY, YOU WILL BE BUILDING A CHARACTER FOR YOURSELF THAT WILL SERVE YOU THE REST OF YOUR LIFE ."

And so, all concluded that they had understood that holiness and morality is a result of vision, understanding self-government, practicing owning their lives and knowing that it was a matter of their personal character--believing what was true, making choices in light of their convictions, having a high standard of personal character.

So, what did you discuss at the dinner table last night?

Ministry of Motherhood, Mission of Motherhood

Why do I write so much about motherhood? Aren't there other interests or Biblical priorities in my life? Of course my life is much broader than just motherhood. But when I told the Lord I would follow Him anywhere and be his servant, and that I wanted to be "His girl", He very clearly showed me that a stewardship of my life would be to help mothers know how to embrace their call to build their children into devoted followers of Christ.

I was praying last summer about moving to new arenas of ministry and taking some time off. The Lord very clearly brought back a dream he had given to me 15 years before. (That will be in another blog at another time.) But, He seemed to clearly say to me, "Have the mothers of this generation all be trained and inspired? Are families better off? Are children being cared for and intentionally discipled at home?" And I had to look at culture and say, "No, families are fewer, marriages are fewer, and children are being abandoned to culture more quickly than when you called me to be a Titus 2 woman.

And so, I knew that if I wanted to be faithful to God's call on my life, I needed to be faithful to seek to write, train and disciple women to love God, to love their husbands and to love their children, and to build godly, Christian homes.

Jesus always has children on his heart. He warns us, "Woe to the one who causes the least of these to stumble."

And so, Clay and I pray always, how can we as a ministry be a part of God's hand in redeeming the role of family and especially the role of a mother, back to the hearts of those who love Him?

So many of you have helped us in our ministry by reading our books, giving them away, attending conferences, starting book clubs, supporting our ministry. We are so very grateful to have such wonderful partners in this ministry and on this journey.

And so we covet your prayers for us in the days ahead as we seek to find out and plan just which areas God wants us to pursue as we seek to be good stewards of this message He has put on our hearts.

We see Him at work in so many ways, that we must choose how to have integrity in our own personal lives, and how best to be stewards of His message in and through our ministry. Of course that means putting aside many things that are good, and choosing those things which He has called us to do.

In closing, I just wanted to share a video clip I made this weekend for a wonderful group of women called Good Morning Girls who will be studying Ministry of Motherhood this summer online.

In the next couple of days, I will be sending out information about the intensives we will be hosting this summer. I am praying God will fill each of these training conferences with women who will be blessed by the training and who will be able to share what they have learned with others. Thanks so very much for helping us reach women who are hungry for truth, leadership and encouragement in their roles as mothers.

Where is my treasure?

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls,

and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matthew 13:45-46

Today, I want to make room for you, my precious Jesus, to lay on the altar the busy-ness, the works, the duties. I do not want to have lived my whole life being an American Christian, doing what is expected, but having a cold heart to eternal issues, people in need of compassion, in need of my time, in need of my touch or word. Please, Lord, restore to me the joy of my salvation. Let my worship of you be fresh, new, filled with adoration and delight in you as a baby delights in the mother who nurses her.

Let your heart be filled today with pleasure at those who treasure you, see you, look for you above all else that occupies our minutes. Let my heart please you as I look at all of my life today through the grid of seeing and loving you. You are my pearl of great price. Let me give up all else to cherish you.

Celebrating 27 years of motherhood-Sarah eased me into it!

Happy Birthday, wonderful Sarah.

After 26 hours of labor, Sarah Elizabeth Clarkson, was born into my arms and made me a first time mother. I don't know what I was expecting, but I was so surprised when a real live baby came out of my body into my arms. I was amazed and fell in love.

I had never changed a diaper, never nursed a baby and didn't know what to do. But God had compassion on me and gave me a lovely, gentle, responsive first child to ease me into life.

Precious Sarah, we celebrate you today as one of the deepest, graceful, faithful, loving, gentle, intelligent, beautiful women I have ever known. I count you as a gift from God, a blessing beyond what I would ever have imagined. I thank you for serving us. loving us anyway, and being such a close friend who has personally invested so much in my life.

I pray this will be the best year in your life and that you will find the touch of God in surprising places, His loving fingertips in every place of your life.

I adore you and enjoy you and thankful. You bring smiles to me whenever I think of you.

Have a grand day!

I've had a religious experience

Just got back from the mac store. We are all in need of new phones--a variety of old phones now in our hands--some you have to shake to get them to work, some have no screens, some are hard to hear--all because we get those 2 year plans that save you something when you have 6 people on a plan. (With 6 drivers in our home, and all of them need money and want to eat fairly regularly and wear new clothes at least once in a while, we always look for the deals to try to afford our life.) But our plan is now up and we can get new phones.

So, Joel took me to a Mac store. I perused all the phone options. Pretty great and much better than our current phones.

But then, I looked at an ipad. Now, because of our conferences and places I speak, I have to travel a lot and our children create more travel because of where they live. I think I have a permanent dent in my shoulder from carrying heavy shoulder bags with books, Bible, computer, and make up in a ziplock bag.

But when I started looking at all the features of the ipad--oh, my! So light and thin----I could probably put it in a purse. I could actually find out where I am going when I get lost in a city--and even I could work it out. Just the book reader alone would save me headaches--magazines, books, Bible, aps, movies, the ability to work in airports, games, and more all on one thin, light piece! (And this one had no fingerprints, dings or scratches.)

OH, OH, OH, OH---I got more excited with each new feature. I love these. I think I need one, don't you?

When I walked out to the car with Joel, justifying to him how much I would love to get one and how much I needed one,  he said, "Mom, I just read a CNN article that said that there is a new study out that says that Apple fans have the same kind of neurological response to Mac products as religious people do in their religious experiences."

"Oh, no!" I've been converted! :)

"And just think of the great articles I could  write for all these moms on my new ipad if I got one!" giggle giggle

Surrounding yourself with wise people

"He who walks with the wise will be wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." (painting, Edouard Manet) For years, when I was young and idealistic and had the energy, Clay and I sought to feed the minds, hearts and souls of my children on all that was wise, excellent, thoughtful, Biblical, eternal. As I have often said, we filled the treasure chest of their souls with the best, so that when they needed to draw from their souls the rest of their life, they would have treasure there--wisdom, depth, knowledge.

This was intentional--to establish the foundations of our children on wisdom. Consequently, this worthy goal set our own minds to find wisdom and to share wisdom. The very owning of our stewardship of our children's minds sharpened our own minds. It was a grid from which we lived life--to share, teach, instruct, read, think, cultivate and nurture wisdom.

I see the principle again of, what one sows, he reaps.

Lately, nightly, our family has been gathering and just talking, being friends, discussing life and ideas as we always have. Yet, now, mostly as peers and close friends, and not just as parent and child.

So, when pondering aloud to my family, how to make life more simple, how to set boundaries, how to continually restore and refresh so that I can have something in my own soul from which others may draw, my son shared this quote that he has been pondering from his own reading:

"To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to the violence of our times." — Thomas Merton

Not only have I been taking this quotation to heart, and trying to figure out just what it meant in my own life, but I have also seen how much my children are a channel of wisdom for me. They gained the habit of thinking, reading, pondering, gathering  wisdom in contrast to the voices of the world which surround them--and now they have become counselors to me. Their minds feed my mind now. Their deep thoughts guide me.

And  so, sowing wisdom and seeking to surround the very air we breathed with wisdom for so many years, not only fed my soul, but educated those who would become my own counselors.

Now, I am really evaluating--How have I allowed myself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to want to help everyone in everything, to commit to too many projects............so, how have I succumbed to my times--the violence of overcommitment?

And so, daily, still, I seek the wisdom of counselors who can help guide my life, and now, it ends up, they live in my very own home.

Thoughts on these ideas, anyone?

What goes up must come down

My three jewels currently living at home--Joy, Joel, and Sarah. (at least for these weeks.)

I have learned to have a healthy respect and fear of Mondays! And today gave me more fuel for the fire.

Somehow a demon snuck into our home and stirred up everyone and created a crisis mentality in our home. One child and I had so many issues, tears, discussions and issues again, that I was so exhausted by 5, I just wanted to go to bed then, and was tempted to wonder why I had ever written about being a good mother.

But, when I consider, we were in Boston for 5 days, had graduation parties for 4 nights with Joel. Then home,  graduation practice or visiting out of town friends, church, people and kids over for dinner and finally our own personal family Clarkson graduation and dedication last night, I should have known that all of the adrenalin in everyone's bodies would be quite low.

So today, just simple things like emptying the dishwasher, or making a normal comment became  a big deal. Everything was exaggerated--every response more extreme than usual. Seemed everything became a big deal.

When my children were little, because we spent all day on Sundays at church, (Clay was a pastor), Mondays were always a challenge--exhausted children, whining, irritation, etc. It was the beginning of learning my lesson that I could not abuse their bodies without paying for it--in other words, if they didn't get naps, ate too much sugar, had too much overstimulation, then I always paid for it. They always told me they had had too much by how they behaved. Still the same, even with reasonably healthy, strong adults in our home now.

These times taught me wisdom and patience--still seem to need to learn more about it. It's where I learned to camp on the verse, "A gentle answer turns away wrath."

How quickly I forget this--my children don't need a lecture when they are tired, they need patience and gentleness until they can get some rest again. Like me, mostly, everyone needs more sleep. What goes up, must come  down.Celebration and stauing up too late for too long, means a price of exhaustion eventually will take its toll.

So, I am quite relieved this day is over. We watched a fun hour of a a favorite series, "Larkrise to Candleford." The story was about everyone getting mad at each other, then realizing the issues they battled over were ridiculous and they all apologized.

And so my child looked back at me--I guess we were making a big deal out of nothing, right?

So, finally, this day is about to come at an end and I am grateful and as I have said many times before, I just love my bed. It is my friend.

I am sitting in my reclining chair in my robe and jammies watching my 16 year old studying for her college entrance Algebra test she has to take tomorrow to qualify for college in the fall. Joel is sitting next to her, patiently teaching her, showing her how to do it, whispering in her ear, "God has it all in His hands, Joy. You can't imagine how much I have sweat through entrance exams, tests, papers, concerts, and performances. But, Joy, God was always with me and showed me that He would be faithful every step of the way. No sweat--you are smart. I know you can do this."

At the end of a day, we finally have peace again, and I think I am glad that I am a mom after all and able to see the goodness. It is sweet to see them helping each other. Reminds me of when they were all much smaller, Joel taught Nathan how to ride a bike, how tie his shoes, and so much more. Sarah made dinner tonight while I took a bath.

There are these great moments when you get perspective. The ups and downs, the ins and outs, the bumps and smooth places, all a part of a normal life in a family.  But always, I am probably most thankful for the normal days, the rhythms of life that give stability and strength. Glad to have celebrated. Glad to be back to normal.

Thank you, Lord, for grace that covers a multitude of sins. The grace to come back to peace and rest one more time.

Seeking simplicity

 

A cloudy, misty Sunday morning

Seems that no matter where I am in life, there is always the illusive--God hiding Himself and His wisdom in some area of my life, in which I have to seek, pursue and grasp for His guidance to figure out answers to my life questions.

Even as the mists hide the mountains, so God chooses to hide answers from me at times.

I have been deeply pondering the balance in this hectic life of modern culture. What really matters. What must be done. What does God want me to put aside?

A culture separated from God's wisdom over the centuries must surely provide lures that will destroy and distract from Him, from what is eternal, from what is true. Yet, to throw away those things which are not necessary, I must constantly be straining my ear to His voice and not to the voice of those who would draw me to vanity or more strife of busyness. And so I am planning a getaway to find some answers to my life's cry for simplicity and peace, in the midst of the whirlwind of life.

And these are some of the thoughts passing the corridors of my mind today:

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. ~Hans Hofmann

Everything we possess that is not necessary for  life or happiness becomes a burden, and scarcely a day passes that we do not add to it. Robert Brault

Peace of the Lord to you this day.