There once was a day called May

It was filled joy and play

So much to do it made time fly

All the days passed in a blink of an eye

There once was a day called May

Here are a few of the May highlights from our family:

We had the privilege of being a part of Nauna & Nat’s wedding in New York.  Jacob had his first ever “live” performance to play cello for the ceremony, and Sophie got to stand up in the wedding.  We all had a wonderful time seeing friends from Mom’s childhood, and visiting with family.  We even got to play on their BIG grassy hill with their new dog Fritz, and a little baseball too!

Then we traveled to Ohio/PA area to see the extended Martin family.  What a BLAST!!! We stayed at Uncle Dave & Aunt Betsy’s.  They have a HUGE & FAST new zip line, plus a trampoline!  We had a great time catching up with family.  We were also blessed to see our dear friends, The Ellis’s and their four little kids, who just started in the pastorate. 

Stay tuned for Zip line pix……soon to come!

Then we were off to Nashville!  Where we spent time bowling with Emi (mom’s sister) & C-dub.  They have a lot of friends that are musicians.  So while the other kids played, Jacob interviewed a few of them on their instruments and techniques! There is always time for nurf gun training.  In addition, Sophie had the privilege of spending the day with Betty Ashton a harpist (that we will place as a separate blog entry).

Then we were off to our homeschooling conference. The kids had such a great tie making new friends and seeing old ones, as well as learning about the blessings of God. The family’s highlight was seeing Robert & Clayton perform on dueling pianos!  WOW AMAZING!!!  Dad and Mom got to hear some great teaching and were thankful to reconnect to friends met in years past.  I see a few road trips coming up!!!  To see some great pictures from the conference, our friend James Staddon took some great shots.  Click here- Pix from Nashville from James

To see some great shots of real guns (verses nurf) check out The Neely’s recent blog entry- you can click here-  The Bigger Gun!!! by the Neely’s  

Stay tuned for Events on a Zip line and A Day of Harpping with Sophie

Twenty years from now, what is your desire for your children?  Is it for them to “grow up”, get a degree, have some amazing job?  OR do you desire MORE for your children? We do.  We ask ourselves regularly, “What will this build in them?” or “How will this shape them?”  We desire for our children to grow in Godly character and in deep relationship with God.  We desire for them to know how much they are loved and chosen, so that they will be able to love others more freely.  We make family choices based on these desires.  We plan vacations around them.  We choose topics for homeschooling around them.  We even plan field trips around them.

We, like every parent on earth, are very aware that parenting is a refiner’s fire.  God uses children, as well as many other life circumstances, to teach us where we need to grow.  As our children model our words, actions, emotions, responses, we are held accountable to a higher standard every day!  There is nothing like a child mimicking your attitude to put you in your place with God!!!  Sometimes you don’t even need to be a parent yet-  just an older sibling.

Last month we spent learning about the process of refining metals and making glass.  We learned how metals are purified multiple times to increase their value, how sand is turned into glass, and how we, as Christians, are refined throughout life.

We went to a local artist workshop on making glass.  He was a wonderful host to our family and took time to teach each child the process of glass making. He even gave us a tour of the historical church where his studio is located.  At the end, he allowed us to stay extra and watch him work on a project.  We decided to split up the family and we will do a second visit in a few months.  Since there was a 2000 degree furnace involved- we thought that was a wise choice for our family!  In the end, we came home with BEAUTIFUL stained glass flowers to give as a present to Nauna and Nat for their recent wedding. 

We can’t wait to go back with the rest of the kids.  In the meantime, we have no doubt that God will continue to supply us with our own personal “furnace” to refine us day by day!

The beginning of May marks a lot of things: the blooms on the trees, planting flowers, switching to our “summer” schedule for school, getting ready or trips to see family, and….WORK DAY!  Every year our church has an all church work day to clean up from winter, repair and upgrade, as well as start new projects.  This year was no exception.  With a very windy and rainy winter (yes- we got rain when everyone else got oodles of snow) came a lot of broken tree limbs.  Chain saws always make for a fun project on work day!  There was also had other projects like repairing fences, moving the playground fence, building a ramp for a church building, gardening, fixing window sills & ceiling fans, but the glory of the day for our family— CHAIN SAWS and DEMO!

OK- there is another family favorite….cinnamon rolls.  Every work day we bake oodles of cinnamon rolls and deliver them to all the church volunteers.  It is a great way for our younger children to be involved and show gratitude and hospitality.

Sometimes school is in a text book, and other times school is in daily life.  Being responsible for the things God has entrusted to you.  Wise Diligence, Joyful hearts, Endurance, Alertness, and being a servant first. Lessons to last a lifetime!

About 10 years ago, my younger sister, Suzanne, introduced me to a new friend of hers.  They met through work related activities.  Suzanne was serving with Young Life Capernaum in Baltimore and Terri was a mom connected to the ministry through her children.  At the time, Suzanne introduced us because (hopefully I quote this correctly) “You guys are like the same person! You HAVE to meet her!”.  Of course back then, Sean and I had just little Jacob, so ONLY GOD KNEW just how much alike we really were!!!

Jim and Terri are the overly blessed parents to 10 beautiful children.  Their family is designed by God and He built it through birth and adoption.  Over the years, God had shaped their hearts, minds, and lives to willingly answer, “Here I am Lord, send me”, I will go where you lead me”.  I am sure if you asked them 40 years ago if they thought they would have ten kids, some adopted with varying special needs, they would have said- No Way! That’s Crazy! Who us? Really?

They have walked where we currently walk.  They have survived the “Diaper years”, but they are still “in the thick of it” since parenting never ends, especially when you have been blessed with kids who have special needs.  Their “baby” is a teenager now and their oldest is a pastor in WV.  We of course can finally say we have a child in the “double digits” (our oldest is 10yrs) and diapers… well, they keep coming around here!

When we first met, Sean and I had NO IDEA we would end up so much like them!!!  We have  built a friendship over the years.  A bonding of “common hearts” for encouragement, insight, Godly wisdom, laughter, an understanding ear, and did I mention laughter- we really need that one! Of course there was also, trampoline jumping, swinging, girly stuff, piano duets with Isaac and Jacob, hikes, running around outside, cookouts that became cook-INs, trips to the fire house, celebrations at church with Beyond Capernaum, and a little much needed “man therapy” for the dads- construction! The dads spent time at their church checking out the site!–as they are building a very large addition.

This past week our families gathered together for what is becoming our annual “Palooza” time of fun, encouragement, bonding, and unsaid reminders of why our families look the way they do. Everything God designs is beautiful!  Just look at creation.  Your family, our families, are no exception.  They are created by God and for God’s glory.  Keeping that perspective is ever important as we raise our children in the “day to day”. God is sovereign and He does not make mistakes!!!  Every child is a blessing from God—sometimes we just have to shift our vision…off of ourselves, and to God’s glory.

The other day one of our friends talked about how she and her husband challenged themselves for a period with Philippians 2:14, “Do everything without complaining or arguing.”  They were in a difficult situation in which they understood their tendency would be to complain about the situation or the people with whom they were sharing their time and space.  They committed to not allowing it to happen. 

When they mentioned this, it was not a big part of the conversation, just something that was mentioned, something they worked at, and then the we moved on.  But God would not let Jill and me move on.  Over the next couple of days this passage kept coming back to us, convicting us, as we found ourselves complaining about one thing or another…ouch!

So, we have also committed to the 2:14 challenge.  When we are in the midst of complaining about anything, the other has permission, even the responsibility, to simply say, “2:14.”  The complaining must stop at that point, and the recipient cannot react, complain or explain themselves.  They simply have to stop complaining.

I encourage you to join us in this challenge.  So often we can find ourselves complaining to others, or even to ourselves, about others or a situation.  It is easy to do something, react to a situation, and then justify your behavior by complaining/explaining why you did or said what you did or said.  It is easy to share your struggles or frustrations with someone we care about, but in an attitude of complaining rather than seeking counsel.  It is easy to focus on what is wrong with others and keep the focus away from what God may be trying to teach you. 

So, stop complaining and join the 2:14 challenge!