Homeschooling during a move.

Over the course of this move we have been in various stages of homeschooling. Although I have not yet completely figured out how to balance my roles as teacher, mom, radio d.j. and ministry helper I feel like there has been some settling. For the first few weeks after we moved into the new house we did the very basics. I had packed all our most important homeschooling books in a rolling crate like this one.

 I was amazed that everything fit. Obviously this will not hold all my school supplies, notebooks, art supplies etc. but it will accommodate our all of our My Father's World books and a few basic school supplies as well as my notebooks with household calendars, notes-to-self and whatever else I thought I couldn't live without. This cart (and packing it to hold all that we need for homeschooling) has been what saved our year with all the moving, new schedules and changes.
As we were able to unpack and organize we've been able to gradually adjust our schedule until we've added art study and creative time (mostly for my sweet creative girl), science, and history to our basics of mathematics, Bible, language arts and our everyday life skills. All of this in the middle of trying to keep up with an "all-boy" toddler who is so smart and determined to make messes as soon as I clean them!

I've been able to evaluate our progress so far this year and am pleased that all the transition has not set us back as far as I worried we were. Skills in all areas are progressing and that is reassuring to me! Learning continues to happen, even if it doesn't always take place the way I want or in my timetable. Trusting God to give me grace for each moment has been a big lesson for me this year.
There are so many other things God is placing in front of me and leading me to do that I think He wants to keep me in that place of depending on Him! I really never want to leave that place, but so often I do trust what I can accomplish. I must continue to study and read Scripture, pray and learn to just be in Christ.  Sometimes the hardest part of all of the roles I have to fill is when I don't get out of the way and let Jesus live through me.

the still, small Voice

One of my favorite things about moving is the chance to go through and simplify the stuff we amass by a severe culling. I am the worst culprit of the amassing. Usually we are able to throw away or donate items before we haul boxes. This time the move was made much less organized by the fact that many of our belongings have been in storage for 8 months (but the kids were able to get into the boxes and their digging made what little organization there was be a complete mess!) I've been overwhelmed at the prospect of sorting, organizing and unpacking for those very reasons. This weekend I was motivated and had the time to dig into some boxes. The one thing that slows down my progress is when I come across any of my old journals. I don't always journal regularly, but I love reading notes that remind me of what life was like for us at different times in our journey. But the note I found last night was more than just a sweet reminder, it made my heart stop for a few beats and I felt the gentle whisper of my Beloved.
A few families at church have been welcoming precious new babies. Even with the difficulties our youngest had, I have been feeling the ache of missing a newborn in my arms, and have been praying that we could have a new family member too. My justifications for another baby include the fact that the youngest needs a closer sibling so he won't grow up feeling like an only, and just the fact that I love being around these people and would love the blessing of another person in our family. My husband has not felt the same way and I've been trying to stay in submission to his leadership, even while praying that God would change his mind! :)
Last night I found a note I'd written after a prayer time, detailing some prayer requests I'd had at the time, and the answers I'd felt from the Lord and His Word. It was dated way back when our daughter was about two or three and I had felt the same ache for a baby then too. I put it down without really reading the whole note, because i was sorting! and trying to make progress! and throw things away! Then there was this pressure in my chest, and my attention was drawn to the slip of yellow paper again. The last line  read, "Its not God's time for another baby," and made me suck in a quick breath of surprise.
That sentence wasn't just for then. My Jesus reached down into that moment, when there is an entire house full of boxes to be sorted and directed me to that particular page. His peace flooded my heart and with a sigh I breathed thanks for His direction. I don't really like when the answers to my prayers are "no". But I have given Him the reigns to my life and trust that He knows better than I. The hardest part about accepting when Jesus says no is seeing others to whom He has said yes in a similar issue. But my head doesn't need to understand why He answers prayers in a certain way, nor does my heart have to like it. I must obey and know that His plan is good.

Following the Call

Several months ago my husband's job announced they would be selling a portion of the company and that had a direct impact on his job, and many others' jobs. He knew he would most likely have the opportunity to reapply for a position with the company that would be the buyers. His job is with a major pipeline company, and is a job that God provided when we moved to Texas from SE Kansas. We didn't understand at the time, but we followed the Lord's leading to Texas and were in the right place to be used in worship and youth ministry in a wonderful church in Texas, Lifepointe Fellowship. It has become our church home and a wonderful church family. Gaylen has missed full-time ministry, but has worked hard both at his full-time job and at church. I've also had opportunity to minister on the worship team and with the youth at this church plant that is a growing, 3 year old church. At the time of his company's announcement we thought that God would provide a way for us to go on staff full time at our church, we hoped that would be the direction He would lead! We wondered if we could make some lifestyle changes and budget better so that we could work for the church, even if they couldn't pay a full-time salary.

God began to lead in a different direction at that time; He led us to think and pray about going to work for a Christian coffeehouse in SE Kansas as directors. Currently the coffeehouse has a youth ministry on weekends to high school and college aged youth, as well as other ministries. The leadership would like to grow the coffeehouse's sphere of ministry and we have all been brainstorming ways to positively impact the community. The coffeehouse also has a low power Christian radio station that we will learn how to help run and a concert ministry both to concert attendees and to the bands who come to perform. There are so many . ways we can dream of God using this coffeehouse for impacting the communities of SE Kansas.

This is one of the many relocations we've experienced in following the call God has placed in our hearts. I don't think we've ever had that call strictly defined. I see God revealing more and more to us what gifts He's placed in us, the gifts He is developing through the experiences we have. I see Him revealing Himself in new ways everyday and ways that He can use us if we are yielded to Him. Sometimes it seems like we are without a home, a settling place. At those times I am reminded that I can live and move and breathe and be in Him, that His dwelling places are lovely, that He promises to never, ever leave us. And even more amazingly, He promises to never leave me as I am- to always change me into who He wants me to be. I'm so excited to follow His call