I Found a Smile in my Soul--Creating your own Sabbatical!

"In quietness and rest shall be your strength." Isaiah 30:15

Have you ever had a child who, late in the evening started going ballistic over seemingly nothing at all? Then a fit of loud wailing began and then suddenly, in almost a moment, said child almost passed out in deep sleep! Then you responded, "Oh, she (or he) was just exhausted and needed to go to sleep." And you promised yourself that next time you would be more aware of the signs and vigilant to put the child to bed earlier.

Well, slowly, I am learning to read my own signs. Each of us has our own puzzle. Mine is very different from most because of our ministry, travel and writing, added to the other piles of responsibility of taking care of my family. Very few friends I know live my kind of life,  or my puzzle, so I cannot compare or live under the same standards as them.

I am not feeling so strong lately. My spirit is more likely to complain. My body is a little bit more than tired. My perspective is cloudy. From many years of living through various seasons, I am learning to monitor myself when signals suggest I have been overloaded for too long. Just like the baby in the above example, God has allowed our bodies to speak to us.

Instead of worrying about my spiritual life, or living in self-condemnation, or pondering deep things, I am more likely to look at my physical needs, and then I realize--I need to make some sabbatical days this summer!

Recently, somewhere, deep in the night hours,  cuddled up under my covers, much to my sweet relief, I awakened and it seemed there was a smile in my soul---almost like I was a little girl again, free of the burden of responsibilities, light as a cloud, smiling in the soft warmth of my covers with a sense of excitement, "all is well and good things are awaiting" sort of feeling.  A pleasant feeling emerged from my heart, "I am resting, living in peace, restoring and it is good."

So often, we give and give and give and then wonder why we become grumpy or short in patience. But, God has put rhythms into our lives to remind us just how much we need our bodies to go completely away from the stress of the day in order to cope with the demands of life.

The day has a cycle about it--so many hours of light and darkness. In the light we can see to read, to work, to be active--but darkness was to be a signal of closing the day and its duties off.

Sabbath was also instigated by God to remind us to stop, to put aside work, to put aside the frenzy, to rest and cultivate peace and to restore.

In our 24/7 world, with false lights to keep us up and working all hours of the day, 24 hours of internet, 24 hours of tv, cars with lights that can travel all hours, etc., we lose the concept of rest and refreshing.

No wonder there are so many stress diseases--heart, obesity, thyroid problems, nervous disorders, depression, mental disorders, and emotional disorders. We are busy all the time, guilty for all we do not get done and wearing ourselves out.

I realized many years ago that I was becoming very ill from so much push, push and work, work, work. I also realized that no one else was going to take responsibility for my health and well-being but me.

One of the reasons moms yell at their children is that they never get a break. Grumpiness and anger comes from pushing, pushing, pushing.

An hour of rest and getting away was a regular rhythm in our home. Every afternoon, I put a pot of tea to boil and poured out cups of tea, or little sippy cups of juice or whatever seemed good, and everyone learned, by training to go to their "places" for a personal time. (More on how I accomplished that later.) I could not have done without my hour in the day.I trained my children to it early and it gave me the ability to have a one woman tea time.

I also, committed to Sabbath rest on Sundays--closed all of my "work" on Saturday and did not pick it up until Monday. It was all still there when I got back to it, but the world did not fall apart when I did not work on Sunday--but, I was much more able to keep up the demands of my life when I took off and made Sunday a day or worship, rest, pleasure, fun and naps for me.

Work and travel chases me every day, demands my life's blood. But, I rule over this force that would overcome me.   Stop. Put it all aside. Rest.

My mind needs it, my body needs it, my spirit needs it. But as a woman who is attempting to grow in maturity in the Lord, I have had to be intentional about being sure that I include rest, refueling, restoration and inspiration into my own personal life-not just once in a while, but regularly so that I can keep going and going and going.

People deplete me all the time, every day, wherever I go. But if I want to last for many more years of giving out and being in ministry and meeting my children's and husband's needs, I must pace myself.

And so, though there are many letters to answer, piles to organize, rooms to clean, groceries to shop for, people to call back, ad infinitum, I will lay them all in the file folders of heaven for God to keep. I have learned that they will all still be here tomorrow, and that God wants me to leave my burdens alone--as He is the father, I the toddler and He will indeed work in all of my circumstances without my help. But if I take responsibility to take care of my own heart and soul, I will last much longer, much better, and even have peace and quietness if I take time to rest.

And so, when I stop, my soul smiles a little more.

May your soul smile very soon.

(May I kindly ask a big favor? I am simplifying my life and moving all of my friends to a facebook fan page, so that I can just have a private page for my family. Would you please join me and like my page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sally-Clarkson/242157951372?ref=hl and unsubscribe from my personal facebook page? I would love to see all of you, my wonderful friends, there. Trying to simplify life and be able to see my family's statuses. I will drop the personal page on Friday. Thanks for your patience as I make this change.)

Are There Standards of Christian Conduct for FB, Blogs and Twitter?

On occasion, my heart has been greatly troubled in the past year as I observed the harsh and hateful words  and ways Christians have blasted over the internet in judgment of people, groups, politicians, leaders, broken people, immigrants, women in distress, non-believers and  those of different belief systems. Often, they treat those they are criticizing as though perhaps these are not real people with real lives and real feelings.

Christians should not be surprised at the ways non-believers live their lives with different standards, since they do not know our God or His ways. We should not be surprised at non-believers having differing opinions than our own. But it is easy to throw out hostility to those distant from ourselves, those who cannot answer us or whom we do not have to look at "eye to eye."

Perhaps in this day of internet and media, it is too easy to type words of opinions and criticism of others without having to bear any responsibility, consequences or accountability for this sort of  behavior. And I understand that many believe it is their "Christian duty" to espouse, with confidence,  objections to those who do not share in their life-style of values or belief system.

I understand that some of you will be put off by this article, and I do not invite conflict and do not want to offend anyone. But, in teaching my children manners, how to minister to people, and seeking to understand that it is the kindness and mercy of God that leads to repentance,  I felt an accountability to write about these standards in regards to social media.  I felt compelled to write this post in hopes that it might be of help or encouragement to others who are pondering the same issues and wanting to pass on to their children a heritage of life-giving words and behavior. Shouldn't Christians have the most gracious deportment and manners because we have known Him?

I have very strong convictions and traditional Biblical beliefs, and yet, my question is not of the beliefs of believers, but of the ways their behavior and ways of communication are poorly reflecting on Christ.  It seems to me, many contradict what I believe are essential basics of decorum and honor for relating truth to a culture who holds differing opinions and world views.

The only people I see Jesus being forceful with were the Pharisees, who pretended to be pious but in fact were called by Jesus, "a brood of vipers," because of  leading the Jewish people to religious legalism, but not to God.

I believe we must strongly consider how to best offer our messages and convictions to the world in the same manner as Jesus offered himself and His teaching to the world.

Often I have observed  fellow believers throwing out accusations and abhorrent and angry pronouncements bordering on hate, even toward fellow Christians. At times, honestly, I have felt sad and embarrassed to be connected to such conduct and even feel like distancing myself from those who expose themselves in such a way. Such behavior shows irreverence for the humility and example of our own Savior.

When I ponder Christ, His heart, His ways, I see a different standard of relating to others different than me.

He who bows his knee to serve, accepts the tears of a broken, adulterous woman washing his feet. He overlooks and does not bring to the fore the many weaknesses, or sin of all those who surrounded Him, including His disciples. His modeling of love warms my heart's cry for a display of holy honor and propriety and self-control --statesmanship.

Christ speaks of love. He models love; He sacrifices for the sake of loving redemption for the many who are lost in brokenness.

His stories:

Jesus, seeing the adulteress being accused by the Pharisees, looked upon the broken woman with compassion. He looked her accusers in the eye and said, "He who is without sin cast the first stone."

When no one remained, because obviously all of her accusers had sinned, Jesus proclaimed, "I do not accuse you either."

Pretty astounding words from the one who embodied perfect holiness.

Jesus told his disciples,  “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned." Luke 6: 37

Jesus, the One who told the story of the good Samaritan being the righteous one--he who was neither theologically or politically correct to the Jews,  nor a leader of the Jewish temple--but he was the one that Jesus proclaimed truly cared for his neighbor, because of his love and service to someone of differing race and beliefs.

"They will know you are my disciples by your love for one another."

"Treat others in the way you would want to be treated."

And the following passage which has captured the imagination of my heart this week:

Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples.  When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” 

But when Jesus heard this, He said,“It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus, the holy Lamb of God, who was pure and spotless, who had the right to condemn sinners, chose not to humiliate them publicly. So why would I think that I, one of the very sinners He saved, have the right to publicly condemn others?

And so I ask Him, "What does this compassion, "eating with sinners" and gently bringing them the great physician, "treating others as I wish they would treat me" look like for me during this season of history, this time of cultural conflicts?"

When defending our precious beliefs on the internet or in public, or in the news, are we to forget these passages--these words of Christ that call us to humility, gentleness and compassion and mercy?

There is a way to verbalize convictions without bearing emotional hostility and blatant animosity.

As I age, I am so much more aware of my own sin and tendency towards selfishness, immaturity, at times, total abandonment of His will, and I feel so very sorry that I am often so weak and petty. And so, I find, I am not as ready to point fingers at others when I have become so much more aware of my own fallibility as I become more aware of His holiness.

The same sins we rant about on Facebook, are numbered with my sins which are nailed upon the same cross.  And so my gratefulness for the improbable reality that he would choose me, a very limited sinner, to become his child transforms my heart to one of sympathy for others who are now broken, as I was broken.

Perhaps "he who is forgiven much, loves much" is becoming more real to me at this stage in life.

Why do we pretend to think that those who show love to those differing in convictions, are liberal  and somehow wrong, when love was commanded by Christ?

In light of these verses, I feel I would rather err on the side of love than criticism, compassion than harsh judgment.

Make no mistake, I am not speaking of compromising my beliefs or ideals, but only the way I see the hearts and lives and minds and motives of those who differ from me in their beliefs and ideals--and then treating them in a way my love of Jesus directs me to behave.

Even as I observe my own state before he adopted me as His child, I bow my head in humble gratefulness. I do not deserve His graciousness to me.

And as I look to Jesus, He made no demands for Himself, He did not lash out in anger at those who were so very lost, but instead, "He looked out on the multitudes, and had compassion on them,  because they were like sheep without a shepherd."

There are so few shepherds in the lost world to lead them and care for their needs, and gently teach them the truth.

Paul himself admonished us to "Honor one another and so fulfill the law of Christ." Even as he honored Roman guards, pagans and other secular people with whom he shared the love and message of Christ.

Are some of those who differ from Christian beliefs hostile and angry in their reaction to believers? Certainly, but then, they are not held to the same standard as we who know Jesus.

"Jesus, while being reviled, did not revile in return, but kept trusting himself to God, who judges righteously." Philippians 2

I want to uphold the highest of convictions and beliefs as my standard for living. I do not exchange my convictions for the ones of those who differ from me. Yet, I am called to  honor those others, who are also the image bearers of God, with the respect and dignity worthy of the same unmerited favor as He has shown to me.

And so I long for, I look diligently for, those who have tasted of the kindness and mercy of the Lord, to stand out amongst the crowd who call themselves Christ-followers, and to show a kinship to His words, His beguiling and undeserved words of unmerited compassion, love and forgiveness.

May we understand that the Great Physician is here among us, to heal those who are woefully ill, that our great Shepherd seeks those who are lost and gently restores them to the flock. And so we should approach those He brings into our wake in the same spirit of His example of gentleness, humility and a servant heart.

(P.S.  Closing down my personal FB page except for my immediate family. Would you mind liking my Sally Clarkson professional page to keep posted on my articles, pictures and events?  Hope to see you there. Thanks.)

Go HERE to Like the page! Thanks so much.

Mentoring Monday Cultivating Thankful Hearts in Your Children

Johannes Evert Hendrik Akkeringa

Way # 9

"We are thankful for what we have, whether it is a little or a lot."

Memory Verse

"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing;in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

I Thess. 5:16-18

Summers are always a time when our door swings open and closed constantly as we welcome friends from afar as well as adult children who want a reprieve from life. The past few weeks have been filled with company--friends close and acquaintances who needed a shelter from storms of life for a day or two. I, the mama, who it seems often holds the whole world together, (do you feel that way, too?), and have been carrying burdens, as well as the hearts of each one in my family and home, have been giving out constantly the past weeks. But it is a season in which God has asked me to be faithful.

I keep looking inside the hearts of those in my circle of care to check if they are ok and if I can help, love, encourage, or give in some way. I know it is not the things I provide or being a perfect host that my children and friends need. But someone to look into their eyes and notice them.

Early one morning this week, I forced myself out of bed, begowned and ruffled of hair and spirit, and put on the tea kettle, lit candles, poured 2 cups of tea and took a tray up to sleepy Joy.

"I just wanted a few minutes by myself with you, away from Sarah, Joel, and our company, to check your heart and to see what was swimming in your mind."

Under my pillow that night, "I have so many things, so many experiences, but what I want most is time alone with you. Thanks for noticing me this morning."

God's will is very clear and very straightforward--Rejoice, pray, and give thanks in everything. A heart that is grateful is a heart that is satisfied, content.

At this juncture in history, there are more things available to purchase; more entertainment, available 24 hours a day; more food; more material good than have ever been proliferated at any other time.

Yet "having more" has created a culture that is never satisfied, often in debt, dependent on pleasure and self-gratification in order to be content, while neglecting the greater needs of less fortunate people than themselves. As a result, the development of a strong character in children, has often been neglected. Children are coddled, entertained to death, and spoiled with expectations that can never totally be assuaged, which creates a complaining spirit, and self-pity if every gratification is not promptly met.

What is even worse, is that many parents have come to think that they are supposed to provide all of these things for their children so that they can be happy, instead of understanding, God wants them to cultivate children who have learned to be content.

Jesus, on the other hand, came into the world with no stately form or majesty that we should look upon him. No title. Few if any possessions. Choosing mostly fisherman, tax collectors, and common men and women to be his companions, he lived a simple, common life, with "no place of his own to even lay his head."

Yet, in this, He modeled to us a thankful heart.

Simplicity is one of the keys to having a thankful heart. For children, how important that they learn to be satisfied with playing at the beach or in a forest or digging in dirt. Enjoying an active imagination, pretending stories, drawing a tree or flowers, singing and dreaming under a shade tree.

The fewer choices children, (or adults), have, the more likely they will be happy and grateful for what they have been given.

 Many years ago, as a young, idealistic mama, I wanted to provide my children with all the best experiences, opportunities, books, toys, a playground, bikes, lessons--all of those things that we feel pressured to provide for our children. Yet, when we started Wholeheart Ministries, we moved to a tiny country town, (712 people), lived with my mother-in-law, and got by on a negligible salary for 5 years.

Shopping at Goodwill was our habit, as we could not afford department stores. Going to the grocery store sometimes made me feel guilty, because we just didn't have much money. Our budget didn't allow for all of the things I thought my children needed. Sometimes I would worry about what my children were missing because we couldn't afford many luxuries or "things" that I wanted to provide.

Thomas Eakins

Yet, living out on the country with lots of space to roam, few friends, lots and lots of time together as a family, is probably the best thing that could have happened to my children. Because we did not have lots of toys, our children learned to pretend, to create their own stories, draw and study nature, to make up games, read lots of books and to spend lots of time outdoor with animals, collecting fossils, building forts and gardening with me.

Because there was not even an option to have lots of "things", they became content with what they had. I was the only one who had any idea that they might be missing out on something cultural voices had told me they needed.. Life, to them, was a joyful, adventure where we had a little community called Clarkson, of which they were a part.There was no need to be constantly entertained because we did not have lots of media, gadgets, and toys, so they had not learned to expect them. There were few neighbors nearby to tempt them with toys they did not have.

Because we did not buy soft drinks when we were out as a family, our children did not long for something they had not come to expect. I distinctly remember when we were at a picnic with some friends, someone offered Sarah and Joel a whole can of coke to each of them. They looked at me and said, "Mama, they are giving us our own drink that we don't have to share with anyone! Isn't this fun! We feel so special!"

They were so very grateful for any small favor because our lives were simple and at the time, not very materialistic. I look back now and think that God was indeed actually answering my prayers to help my children to become godly--by not allowing me to have all of the things I read that children could have.

Working, waiting for gratification, sharing, patiently waiting for their turn in our family, all of these were the ways God built thankfulness into my children's hearts. I was not smart enough to choose this for my family, but God in His wisdom, knew just what my children needed to build character, and he used our circumstances to train them!

Enabling children by over-indulging them, is common in our contemporary culture. Yet, being spoiled and over-indulged creates a person who complains, whines and is weak in the day of adversity.

Don't get me wrong, we created a fun, challenging, interesting life for our children, amidst the daily grind of work, study, helping us in our ministry, learning to share and becoming a steward of their gifts. Creating times of celebration and appreciating after a time of hard work was a part of the warp and woof of our lives. But each child had to live in to his need to work, help and to learn to earn the money for something they hoped they could receive some day.

However, writing into our children's brains and hearts the wonderful quality of a thankful spirit, requires that we lead them to appreciate what they have and to be content with real life instead of material life. This is one of the most essential qualities for us to have a mature walk with God--the ability to praise and thank Him no matter what the circumstances.

This week, every day, notice the things that God has provided. Practice thanking Him for each way He has worked and blessed in your life. Have your children write thank you cards to friends of family for whom they are grateful. Breathing thankfulness into all the minutes of the days, creates a great pattern for life and helps you and your children to become more satisfied with what God has given.

And the winner is.......

Congratulations to: Jami Vander Warf Whaley

Order more books for your daughter for a summer read and for a fun summer group Here!

God forgives, Wisdom does not

The Fool by  Stanczvk Mateiko

FOOL: SOMEONE WHO ACTS UNWISELY OR IMPRUDENTLY

If a child is given an ice cream cone and starts chasing and wrestling with his brother, the likelihood is that he is going to drop his cone in the confusion or knock the scoop of ice cream off of his cone. The child acted foolishly. Can the act be forgiven? Of course. It is something that happens with children all over the world.

The act can of course be forgiven, but the consequences will still remain.

Another example. If a car is speeding down the road at 90 miles an hour in the snow, and suddenly skids out of control from hitting a patch of ice, it is likely the car will crash. The unwise, imprudent choice of driving too fast in the snow has consequences.

How often I see people shaking their fists at heaven, at God Himself, asking why they have been treated so unjustly. And yet, often, these very people find themselves in a pickle of their own making--they used credit cards too much; they married an unbeliever against the will of their parents and then had regrets; they have had conflict with a person or persons and were unwilling to extend forgiveness and leave the bitterness alone.

The voice of culture gives us permission to compromise God's standards on every side. But we know that Satan deceives and wants us to follow folly.

How important it is for us as believers to understand that choices have consequences. If someone makes an unwise decision, then probably havoc of some kind will result. One cannot expect to practice acting foolishly and not have repercussions from the bad judgment extended.

God, our merciful Father, will indeed be with us and love us and guide us through the consequences of our choices, as He longs to give us health, peace and favor. But He does not remove the lessons learned, and He teaches us by helping us to learn to make wiser choices and to learn to obey Him the next time. We must, however, learn to be humble, to repent and to ask for His wisdom, in order to benefit from His desire to bless us. A stubborn or prideful heart often refuses to acknowledge mistakes or short sightedness and goes back to folly again and again. This is what a fool is--one who acts unwisely and without discretion.

All of us are foolish at times. But the more we fill our hearts with wisdom, the more we are able to make right decisions.

It is essential, then, that we are filling our minds with Biblical wisdom and not just man's advice. Finding and modeling our lives after wise, seasoned, mature believers is a necessity if we are going to have God's perspective in our lives.

Many "Christians" espouse lots of man made values and advice that is based on tradition, but not on the wisdom of God and then find out that their emotional, spiritual and physical foundations were washed away in the storms of life--without an anchor of truth and hope to give guidance.

If you want to make wise decisions, you must adhere to the wisdom and insight of scripture. Merely saying one is a Christian or gives his tithe does not assure them of a blessed life. Wisdom is at the core of living a righteous life and seeing God's favor unfold.

Don't be caught in a life of confusion--looking for favor in a life that is unwisely lived. Choices have consequences. Seeking to become wise and humble, obediently listening to and following godly advice is the only way to find a centered life with a foundation that will not be shaken.

"The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding." Proverbs 4:7

Moral laws that direct to purity are given to protect our lives. Staying married. Caring for our children and building a godly heritage by investing our time in their lives require choices of obedience. Choosing love and service by modeling our lives after Christ is choosing to live wisely. We cannot compromise the truths and wisdom of God and expect to have the same consequences as if we had followed Him.

James says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask it of God."

God is so very patient and gracious and will restore and heal us over time. However, God is not a Santa Claus who just hands out answers to all requests just because we want something. He has made us in His image and given us the Spirit to then choose obedience, excellence of character, hard work and keeping our eyes on Him.

 We are called to be stewards of the truths and wisdom He has provided. We must embrace responsibility for our lives. Our responsibility is to listen to His voice and follow His ways if we want to see our lives grow in order, strength, beauty and soundness.

Christianity without godly character is a hollow sham.

 May we be those who collect, acquire, hold on to wisdom,  and obey His ways, that our lives may follow in the pathway of our Lord.

Carrying unnecessary guilt is a soul-killer

So many sweet friends have met with despair and darkness in the constant giving and serving of their families. The feeling of failure, or inadequacy or the knowledge that they have made so many mistakes overwhelms them.

I am almost 60 and still, I fail every day. I say things I regret. I mean to be loving and gentle and then instead am foolish, self-centered and harsh. And yet the miracle is, that sweet Jesus takes my heart and heals it and restores it and helps me to understand that righteousness and maturity and perfection will never ever be mine in this world. And more, to stay in the depths of despair because of my fleshly failures is a waste of time.

He, the one who shows His glory daily,  and sacrificed all because He knew I , (and you),  were doomed to drown in our sin if He had not saved us.

What compassion. What love, What gentleness and generosity.

And so He wants me to see His heart and willingness to give all that I might be healed.

And so, timidly, humbly, with sincerity of heart I come to him and beg Him to show me how to live more truly and more really resting in His love and redemption as a child who pleases Him from my heart.

Trust in yourself and you are doomed to disappointment;....but trust in GOD, and you are never to be confounded in time or eternity.

Dwight L. Moody

Peace comes when there is no cloud between us and God. Peace is the consequence of forgiveness, God's removal of that which obscures His face and so breaks union with Him. The happy sequence culminating in fellowship with God is penitence, pardon, and peace - the first we offer, the second we accept, and the third we inherit.

Charles Brent

May the peace of the Lord be yours and may you rest in Him now.

Homeschooling with Nature Study {With June Printables for Studies of Your Own!}

One of my favorite pass-times with my children when they were little was to spend lots and lots of time outdoors. We would "look for the fingerprints of God." Collecting bugs, worms, butterflies, critters of every kind, flowers and different kinds of leaves and drawing, sleeping out under the stars and trying to figure out what the constellations were--all of these habits are what shaped the souls and minds of my children.

So many of you have asked me to share about some of the things we did when we homeschooled our children. I will be putting up weekly articles about home education--for all moms, whatever educational choice they have made--because all moms are teachers. I asked my friend Kristen, who blogs at Hope With Feathers to share her new resource for Nature Study while I am off this week.

Clay and I have always loved getting outside with our children where they expended lots of energy and got lots of wiggles out, by being outside.  When they were young it was wonderful to see how well they learned through the observation of nature. They loved engaging their little minds in making observations and drawing and classifying all sorts of nature life they collected in their own little baskets. Giving them opportunities to discover and explore outside,  to be sure they could draw what they found and to have  place to collect their treasures, created a great appetite for them to expand their learning..

Here is what Kristen has to share with you:

One of my favorite things about where we live in New York City is that we are right near Central Park.  Whenever I long for the mountains of Washington or worry that my own aren't going to have the romping outdoors kind of upbringing that I did, we can walk across the street and envelop ourselves under the treetops, dip our toes in the pond, search for worms or lady bugs and generally get pretty dirty. Nothing feels quite as 'normal' to me as being outside.There is something so beautiful about spending time out of doors together as a family, our imaginations seem to all take off and we each in our own way feel so connected to God and all He has created for us to enjoy- The Earth is full of His glory and we are able to experience him in a different way, see his handiwork and praise him anew.

I have always loved studying and exploring nature with my children, but as wonderful as it is, I think it can be a little mysterious to most moms! In our family, we spend an afternoon a week outdoors with notebooks, watercolors or colored pencils, a field guide, our magnifying glass and a big blanket as our home base. The children all collect treasures that I keep near me in a small basket and they take turns exploring our surroundings and drawing the landscape at large or perhaps a particular plant or animal, rock or shell. We look up what they have discovered in our field guide (We use The Handbook of Nature Study- my favorite!) and look up the name of our finds and some tidbit about it.

Sometimes we go looking for something in particular that we are studying- trees and roots or wildflowers, birds or a type of rock. The wonder of it all really lies in the adventuring together and the beauty of discovery.

Summer is a great time of year to get outside with your own crew! To encourage you, I've put together a Nature Notebook for you full of printables to help you explore.

The Notebook includes:

-Journaling pages​ and questions to ask about your surroundings

-A June Calendar with ​beautiful cut-outs to track the weather

-Graphics to study the parts of a flower​

-A poem for June, a place for your child to collect  June adjectives and create a poem of their very own.​

Click here to view and download the PDF for free!

Blessings to you as you journey together outdoors,

Kristen

And don't forget to enter to win Rachael's book--and think about starting a small group study/dinner/ tea time/group with your daughters and friends. This is what I did for my girls when they were teens and we wanted some summer groups.

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God's Girl Giveaway

As a mother of 4 adult children, I have become so much more concerned over the years about how much of a battle there is for our children's hearts as they enter the teen years and college. I have pondered why so many wonderful kids from very intentional families have fallen away from their faith.

One of the reasons, I believe, is that many young adults do not have a strong sense of self. They know Bible verses, understand moral rules, and have gone to church, but they lack a deep down sense of God's call on their lives----of who they are in Christ; that He has a plan for their lives which includes using them to bring light to a fallen world and to redeem others back to God's design, that a meaningful life comes from living purposefully by being a Daniel to their own fallen culture.

Also, many young adults are shocked and their world is rocked when they enter the fallen world of adulthood. The peer pressure to conform and the desire to not be lonely is just too much for them to handle.

This is why I asked Rachael to tell you about her book for young teen girls. This is an excellent book to read with your teens. Here is what Rachael has to say about her book:

We live in a generation of iPads, iPhones, Facebook, and more social media than we can possibly handle. All of these networks are in place to help us "connect", but I have found that it has made connecting with God pretty challenging. As a 22 year old young woman, living in Los Angeles in the midst of today's culture, I have found that our world really enjoys attempting to define who we are. But what if we were able to become young women who were strong, confident, and wonderfully made? What if we found a way to get back to a genuine relationship with God and define ourselves for who He says we are?

I wrote "God's Girl" to encourage every girl to work at having an authentic relationship with the one who loves us more than anything. We let mistakes, sins, flaws, magazines, and broken relationships tell us who we are. But I am here to tell you that no matter where you've been or what you've done, you are God's girl.

"God's Girl" is a 10 chapter devotional filled with personal stories, scripture, and interactive questions. Numerous mother-daughter groups are currently reading "God's Girl", as it is a great way for you to connect with your daughter. The two of you can grow closer to each other as you grow closer to God.

Check out what a few fans and readers across America of all ages thought of "God's Girl":

"I love the message that we are ALL God's girls, as this is such an important truth for young women to grasp. My pre teen daughter, Cayley, and I enjoyed reading the devotional together and talking about the thought provoking questions at the end of each chapter." -Cherie, (49) of Texas.

"God's Girl" reminds me that in Christ I am beautiful, and that His ways are perfect for me. Rachael's writing is so refreshing. She is a great mentor to young girls desiring a closer walk with God." -Hannah, (17) of Michigan.

"I was feeling so insecure and so lost when I was given a copy of "God's Girl." Rachael communicates in such a personal way, and helped me remember that my relationship with God is personal, too." -Ashley, (14) of North Carolina

This devotional brings a fresh new outlook on what it means to be His. Give your daughter the gift of quality time. Give the gift of inspiration. Grab a cup of tea, and set aside an hour every Saturday to go through a chapter and questions together and watch your girl flourish as she connects with God.

***Click on the photo below to purchase your copy of "God's Girl."

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Taking time off to live well at home......

So this one, my precious baby, turned 18 today!

Joel is moving to another state next week and so we all need lots of talk time and tea or coffee on our porch.

Sarah is leaving next week to work at Summit Semester with college students for 8 weeks, so this week, we three will take time for what we call, "Girl's club" together for talking, sharing lives while we have these days, and building into each others hearts and souls.

I need some talk and planning time with Nate and Rachael and time to begin planning and working on some fun projects together.

I might even take a little time with this guy, just to have fun and plan more of our life together, and make a few more memories together--after all, together we are the masterminds of the destiny of this distinguished crew.

So, I will take a little rest from my blog this week,  to live life better and to take time to breathe with these sweet ones who need me at home.

May God grant you rest and peace and wisdom to live well in your homes this week.

Inside my life this week.....

Sarah and Joy, often share birthday celebration breakfasts--both in late May!

This above from two years ago--we will repeat it on Saturday morning. Both girls--presents, celebrating the day, special birthday dinner!

This means I make lots and lots of cinnamon rolls in one month!

May is almost as busy and demanding for me as Decembers and Christmas. Really, it starts April 19 with Nathan's birthday. Then Clay's birthday and then Mother's Day and then Sarah and then Joy. Whew, a lot of cinnamon rolls.  And we have so very many birthday traditions to keep. Why didn't I consider spreading our birthdays out a little better when I was making babies! :)

These several days are not my norm, but welcoming a daughter home after her first year at college requires a celebration! (This is what she wrote on her wall about college yesterday: "

Thus ends my first year at Biola... As I am zipping my last bag and poking my head out the door to say goodbye to friends for the summer, I am deeply thankful for such a beautiful year. This year has been full of kindred spirits, adventures, debate, missions conference, amazing professors, challenges, delights and filled to the brim with God's gracious goodness. I cannot wait to see what lies ahead.  So long, Fresh-more year! You have been good to me.  Take me back to my mountains. — feeling blessed."

So I had to make a special meal to celebrate her success at finishing her first year well--but first, I had 6 whole hours to breathe in my own life.

So, yesterday, my day to rest, I slept in until about 7:45, and I had 6 hours off for the first time in a gazillion years and was truly, truly grateful for each minute. Deciding to go out to breakfast with Sarah, since she will be leaving soon, was a gift to myself.

I split Eggs Benedict with Sarah at a favorite local 5 star hotel.  (The Broadmoor). I added extra hollandaise sauce to mine and it was delectable!

Poached eggs on top of ham on top of a toasted English Muffin with lots of Hollandaise sauce! Yumm!

(My mom used to make this for Christmas breakfast.)

Rain and fog and mist made the day beautiful and mysterious. So we spent an hour sipping coffee in one of the hotel lobbies. (I have dubbed it my private lobby as I go there often to write! It has a cozy fireplace just behind this room view.)

Our view looked out over the lake, the flowers, the swans, the wind blowing and dancing amongst the willows and blooming yellow branches across the lake. We sat there sipping coffee and listening to music and being quiet--for an hour! Luxury. Peace.

Looked, really looked and admired the gorgeous flower art all around us!

Drove home, lit candles and played the new album Joel gave me for my birthday:

Yo Yo Ma plays Ennio Morricone

Breath-takingly beautiful and so very soothing. I have been playing it over and over the past few days. I discovered it on my Pandora channel.

I read one chapter in my book by Elizabeth Gouge--The Dean's Watch. I always hate it when a book is over as the characters linger in my thoughts and emotions

Came home and straightened up the house, put a welcome sign up for Joy and placed candles and flowers in her room.

We (Sarah) made homemade chocolate chip cookies with pecans for Joy's  homecoming. (The secret to fluffy chocolate chip cookies is to whip the butter and sugar and vanilla for about 5 minutes before adding the other goodies.)

Also, homemade potato and cheese soup and Spinach salad with strawberries, sliced almonds, feta cheese, and whole wheat rolls.

Tomorrow, we will go to a favorite greenhouse that is hosting an open house to locals for discount flowers and baskets of flowers for our porches and decks. Going with mama-daughter best friends and then lunch together after to catch up on life.

Saturday birthdays celebrated--

presents to wrap, cinnamon rolls to make, groceries to buy--and then there will be another week.

May your weekend be a blessed one. I pray the comfort of God will be real, through real people, for all of those precious ones all over the world going through such sad and challenging times. So many of you have filled my thoughts and prayers.

May your world, this weekend, be at peace.

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Watch Sarah Mae and me today on Life Today. http://lifetoday.org/video/

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