In The Beginning

Genesis 1:1-5 NASB "1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day."

I'll admit, I've read this more times than I can count, never really thinking about it.  Yeah, earth was created, blah blah blah.   Know all about it.  Gotta love how God can take something like this, at the oddest times, to reveal something new, a new perspective that kind of takes you back and makes you think.

A couple weeks ago, I was listening to a cassette tape (still have a tape deck in my purple van :-), a cassette my little sister had when she was younger (and yes, I snagged it). It's called Songs From The Beginner's Bible, by Jodi Benson (who does the voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid).  I was driving two 2 year old girls to pick up a kid from Kindergarten (just would like to say that I am justifying listening to this because there were children in the car...but honestly would listen to it anyway, who am I kidding?) Obviously, the first reading she does is from Genesis-and the story of creation.  Not a very long story, but one that got me to pause a minute.  In verse 2, it says the earth was formless and void, and that got me thinking, much like we are, spiritually (see where my thinking process is going?).  We come as empty vessels, sometimes broken, often times wounded, with not a lot to work with.  Then there is a stirring...(Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters), and light is revealed in us, separate from the darkness.  While this process has begun, there are still periods of night, still times when we must endure through, knowing that the night time is only temporary, and there is always the hope and promise of light, and to let the perfect work be done in our lives.  This was just what I got from the first day! 

^{Genesis 1: 6-8 NASB  "6} Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” ⁷ God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. ⁸ God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day."

2nd day, heaven is revealed/created.  Or as many Christians like to call it, home.  God builds a place of dwelling, a place to look towards, a place to BE.  THE place to BE.  Separated, set apart, filling a void.  The dark waters are still there at this point, but God has put his "Sold" sign and claimed it as His home.  Talk about a fixer upper!  He doesn't have anything to work with (on our end), and to our eyes the situation seems bleak, but just wait...there's more!  


⁹ Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. ¹¹ Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. ¹² The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. ¹³ There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

3rd day, LIFE!  Stopping the drowning, bringing forth refuges, making the waters that were dark and pointless have beauty and meaning and purpose.  Then we start with the producing.  Fruit, vegetation, plants that produce more of their own kind, multiplying and showing that there is no limitation!  No need for hunger, or thirst.  We start showing solidity, God working in us and allowing us to show His Love and Glory.  There may be some pruning here and there (often painful), but this is His home.  Always necessary.  

¹⁴ Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; ¹⁵ and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. ¹⁶ God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. ¹⁷ God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

4th day, Sun and Moon (Son).  We never have to be in total darkness again!  Son is revealed, and is reflected, even at night!  What about nights with no moon?  There are stars!  That light is readily available to us, ALWAYS!  

²⁰ Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” ²¹ God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. ²² God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” ²³ There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

 5th day, things get meatier .  All that fruit you are producing, it's starting to be noticed.  Filling those waters with life, filling the sky with life.  Those waters that were formless and void?  Now there are creatures searching, wanting food and light, and they can see that you got something.  After the Son is revealed, Now you are getting ready for disciples!  

²⁴ Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. ²⁵ God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
²⁶ Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ²⁷ God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. ²⁸ God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” ²⁹ Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; ³⁰ and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. ³¹ God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day."

A very busy day indeed!  The land is getting more life too!  Sharing more and more of the dwelling place and the ever producing that God wants to do in our lives.  God then creates man, in His image, bringing man to a place of completion, maturity.  Giving us all kinds of food, giving us authority, and blessing us!  

(By the seventh day, He had completed His work and rested).  We are promised rest as well.  

God bless you in your journey to becoming a new creation. 

 

 

Indonesian Stir Fry-First recipe post!

My kids came home from school last week with a recipe book titled "The Healthy Recipe Cookbook", put out by Oregon State University (I'm a Ducks fan myself though).  I tried this recipe last night for dinner, and it was like having Pad Thai, but a lot less expensive to make!  I added some stuff and didn't put some things it called for (don't like onions), and the whole family loved it.  No pictures, cause I didn't think to take pics of the process (I tried the "mock Cauliflower mashed potatoes", and it was a disaster, so I didn't want to take pics in case this happened again lol)

So here's the recipe (I've also pinned the recipe on Pinterest). 

https://www.foodhero.org/recipes/mo-moo-indonesian-stir-fry-0

Instead of crushed red pepper flakes, I pressed a clove of garlic, and no green onions.  I also added a little rice vinegar with the cabbage. 

Santa Claus

Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, Kris Kringle...he has many names, and many meanings to people, myself included.  This Christmas, I've really been thinking about my belief in the big man, and what it has meant to me, and my children.

I have 2 boys, 9 and 7.  The 9 yr old started questioning the existence of Santa last year a little.  He would say things like "I think Santa is more of a spirit of Christmas than actual person".  This year, he's been saying things like "I think Santa is a myth", and what he wants for Christmas is to actually see Santa (that's what he's asked Santa for).  He's also asked me "mom, have you ever lied to me?"  After finding me hiding Easter eggs on Easter, I think the whole "Easter bunny" thing is done.  So this Christmas has been one that I'm sure a lot of parents have to come to at a certain point, "do I tell my kid this year?" 

I've been struggling with this more and more as the season goes on.  Do I tell the older one, explain who St. Nicholas was, and let him in on "the secret", and have him promise not to tell little brother, (which I can imagine his first fight with brother would bring that one straight out), or do I tell both?  Or neither? 

I remember my parents telling my little sister, who was about 6, the story of the "real Santa".  She came home after hearing this story, and the first thing she tells everyone, "Santa's dead."  Harsh words to hear from a 6 yr old!  I was 12 and it hurt to hear that said, kind of like hearing a kid say "I don't believe in fairies" while watching Peter Pan...you wanna scream "NO!"

I want to share why I believe/believed in Santa.  I grew up believing in the big guy.  There was a certain magic I always felt on Christmas Eve, like something great was happening.  I gotta be honest, I still feel that way every Christmas.  I may not get up as early as I used to, but I still feel that excitement knowing that even if there weren't a single present under that tree, the day was going to magical, where great memories would be made.  There was a certain wonder about snow and Santa and stars...and remembering miracles taking place thousands of years ago in mangers.  I decided to allow my kids to believe in Santa, because Santa represented to me kindness, and a giving spirit.  A lot of times, like Charlie Brown says, the whole Christmas thing becomes a big "commercial racket".  The kindness and giving spirit I want to be in my boys, not about the toys or the commercialism that often tries to creep into the holiday's.  Which is a different problem I'm having with my youngest, who has asked Santa for : an iPod touch, a DS, an Xbox 360, and games for the DS and 360.  None of which we can really afford this year.  In trying to explain that he might not get these things, it's "Santa doesn't have to buy them, he makes all his stuff!".  Oh dear....

This holiday season, I am going to remember all my Christmas' and Santa and think about what made that special.  Was it the toys "Santa" brought me?  Cause I honestly don't remember one that was from him.  I do remember the joy and family, and music, and laughter that always is, and always will be.  So while I ponder whether to let my kids in on the secret, or how to let them in, I'm going to make sure and always remember why Christmas is celebrated.  The One who brings hope.  The Prince of Peace. 

Merry Christmas!

Schools out for the summer! Almost

The kids are almost out of school.  Crazy!  I will have a 2nd and 4th grader on my hands!  My boys have grown up so much this past year.  They are my light and my joy, my blessings from Heaven (and sometimes I have to remind myself of that).  Ethan was in a play this year, Alice In Wonderland, and he stepped out of his comfort zone a little bit and I'm so proud of him for that.  He is my worry wart, so I'm hoping as he grows we can teach him to let go and be free, be a kid!  I know I tried for so long to be "grown up" when I was younger, now I feel as if I definitely want to recapture that freedom of a child.  So it's hard for me to see Ethan (or any kid) having to deal with a lot of stress. 

Elijah, since he was born, has been a live wire (and actually that goes back to when he was in the womb!!)  We are trying to find what his passion is going to be.  We are signing both him and Ethan up for Karate (a 12 week course), and we will look into sports too.  He can be frustrating one second and a complete joy the next.  What we need to work on with him is patience (darn it, I think we all could use help in that area).  This summer I'm hoping to be able to teach him patience, and not hurry.  Cause when we hurry, we often mess things up and it takes us twice as long to get it done than if we would have just slowed down and did it right in the first place. 

Most importantly, we are going to be reading this summer.  The library puts on a summer reading program every year that we've participated in.  This summer the kids will be able to read a lot of the books on their own, which will be a first.  They love to read!  And we've found a lot of movies that they like were books first (they are going through the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series after seeing the movie, and Ethan and I are going through Harry Potter again).  

I'm looking forward to their summer break.  :-)  Hope everyone has a great summer!

Bullying

I have to write a blog about this, cause it's something that is really disturbing to me.  I think most of us at one time or another has been bullied.  I have myself, and the reason for it was a nothing issue, not even a problem, a stupid she said, she said, and told someone else kind of deal.  But I did get threatened to get beat up.  I was terrified at school, and of course, at the time, I didn't have friends that would back me up, partly because they themselves where terrified.  This happened in middle school.  I don't remember there ever being an "understanding", but I do remember eventually the girl forgot about it, and it was ok.  When I got into high school, I was in a play with the girl, and she said, "don't I know you?" and I told her that she had once threatened to beat me up in middle school.  She didn't remember doing that she said, but she laughed and said she probably did and she was sorry.  Something that terrorized me and she didn't even remember doing it.  Makes me wonder how often that is the case.  Are the bully's really angry?  Do they realize what they are doing to the other person?

The "bully" situation has gotten way out of hand though.  Kids are tormented in their own minds some time, and a wrong word, or picking on and teasing someone could end up in a life ended.  I watch children for a living, different age groups and it seems so hard day to day for kids.  My oldest son wears glasses, forgot them one day, and they spent the day teasing him cause one of his eye goes in toward his nose sometime.  Older, bigger, boys picking on little girls, threatening to kick their butts.  I was always taught boys NEVER hit girls, and we are to protect those smaller than ourselves.  It breaks my heart to see a girl terrified to get on the bus.  Scared to go outside of her own house for fear of running into a neighbor that might threaten to hurt her.  

PLEASE teach your kids that this is not ok.  This is such a sad problem and it has to stop!!

Constantly learning

I'm constantly learning.  Learning about myself and about others.  It's so funny to look back at the way learning and knowledge evolve.  I've heard that we learn the most as babies.  We have these huge milestones because we come here knowing only basic skills.  Our bodies are constantly changing and every thing we do is an accomplishment.  Just getting our hands to our mouth is a milestone.  We learn to tell our muscles what to do.  I run an in home daycare, and have worked with children for most of my life.  The more I think I know, the more I find out the less I know!  I worked in a daycare center in the "Baby room" before I had kids of my own, thinking that when I had children of my own, everything would fall into place nicely cause of my experience.  How wrong I was!  I think parenting is such a humbling journey.  Maybe just a constant reminder that we are always learning.  I mean, have you noticed that when you think back on times when you are confident in your knowledge (for example, when you are a teenager and you know it all), just to get put into a situation where you are in over your head and come crashing down?  Pride comes before a fall?  I am just trying to make sure I stay humble now, and say, "you know, I don't know it all, please teach me!"  Or, "What can I learn from this?"  It honestly makes the trials more bearable and the good times more fun :-) What did you learn today?

2011

So it's almost 2011.  What have you learned this year?  I find that I have been constantly learning, constantly growing.  I'm starting this blog so I can maybe get some of the thoughts out of my head that may keep me awake at night and analyze them later, instead of lying awake trying to figure everything out.  It's been a tough year for me, I think I can say that of most years, but there are more smiles than tears and I know there were miracles and blessings abundant.  I wish that for all of you-more smiles than tears in the coming year.  I'll probably do most of my blogging at night, as that when it's most quiet for me and those swirling thoughts come down for a landing :-)

Blessings in 2011~