Permissible but not Beneficial

So this week I began another online Bible Study through Proverbs 31 ministries Online Bible Studies.  This time we are doing Lysa Terkeurst's book, "Made to Crave".  This is the first week of the study and our first blog hop.  This book is all about dealing with our need to crave God first and foremost.  Some things may be permissible, but they would not be beneficial to us.

For example, I may allow my children to eat certain food, but it certainly won't be beneficial to them.  This holds especially true for our oldest son who we found out is lactose-intolerant.  He can chose to eat certain foods that he knows he should not have, but it serves no benefit.

I can chose to eat chocolate cake - after all as Bill Cosby once described cake - it has all the basic ingredients of flour and eggs and such so it was given to children for their breakfast, but it does not hold the benefits of other better, healthier habits.  Sometimes we can chose to eat whatever is before us, but it actually may be healthier to make different choices.  I could chose to eat a piece of cake or I could chose to eat some veggies.  I could chose to sit inside and feel sorry for myself or I could chose to go to the gym with my husband.  It is all a matter of what is more beneficial.  

In the long run, I can chose to do what I want when I want how I want.  But those choices will not always be beneficial to me.  Or I could/should chose to spend time with God both in prayer and in His Word instead.  Only God can truly satisfy the longings of my soul.  But it isn't always easy to make those choices.  I want to crave God.  This study is helping to #empower me.

January 13 2014 update

Well it has been a while since I posted anything.  A lot has been going on with the holidays.  We helped with the Christmas activities at our corps.  Dennis completed his final course for his bachelor's degree, so now all we are waiting on is his diploma to come from Liberty University.  

We took a trip to North Carolina to see his family.  We thoroughly enjoyed our stay.  It was good to get to see the family and the children even got to walk in the sand a little bit.

We recently found out that Dennis, Jacob and myself were accepted to go to the Salvation Army's Candidates' Weekend in Suffren, New York.  So we will be making that trip in February.  We (Dennis and I) are going since we want to become officers in the Salvation Army.  Jacob is going because he wants to pursue going to Railton - the Salvation Army Eastern Territory Youth Pastor College.  So we will see what happens.

Next month we need to have another Corps Cadet Sunday, so we will be gearing up for that.  Jacob may be the one to give the sermon that day.  This month we will finish our first course for Corps Cadets.  Then in February we start the second course.  The cadets seem to be doing an excellent job.

Today is the first day back to our normal routine of activities.  The after school program resumes along with Music Company as well as Beginner Band.  This morning we woke up around 6 am so Dennis, Joseph and I could go to the YMCA.  Our goal is to get Nathan through the course he needs to take so he can go with us.

So there is  a little update on our family.

Homeschool Happenings

So we are continuing to do our schoolwork.  The children are doing a fairly good job.  Sometimes, we have distractions and other things that come up.  But they do a good job for the most part of catching up.  Grape Ape (our oldest), Noodle and Boo are all doing Wisdom Book Language Arts to go along with our Wisdom Books from the Advanced Training Institute.

Boo is continuing to do her Paths of Settlement materials.  She is enjoying the books she is reading.  She completed "Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics" and now is working on "Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology".  She is flying through the Life of Fred Math books.  Currently she is working on "Decimals and Percents".  

Noodle really seems to be enjoying Mystery of History Volume I.  Right now he is building a ziggaraut.  I will try to post pictures of it.  He is doing Exploring Creation with Physical Science and seems to be enjoying the experiments he is able to do.  He is also doing Life of Fred Math and is in Pre-Algebra I with Biology.  

Monkey (#2) is doing Alpha Omega Publications Monarch Algebra and English.  He is also doing Notgrass "Exploring Government".  He will be finishing that shortly.  Then he will begin Civics.  He is also doing Forensic Science and Introduction to Criminal Justice and seems to really be enjoying them.  

Grape Ape (#1) is doing Monarch for Math and Civics. Then he is doing Speech and some other electives.

They are all doing Music - Grape Ape is doing Guitar and is singing with the family still.  The younger three are all learning a brass instrument.  They are also singing with the family.  Plus the younger three are doing Worship Arts at our Salvation Army Corps, plus the younger two are doing timbrels.  All the children are getting ready to hit hard and heavy the following:  Latin, Art and Institute for Excellence in Writing.

Life is definitely exciting around here.

Wow

So alot has been going on around here.  In the month of November, we had Corps Cadet Sunday.  All of the Corps Cadets participated in the service in some way.  They either read a Scripture, sang, did part of the Call to Worship or performed in our skit.  I preached my very first sermon during Corps Cadet Sunday.  In between the service and our afternoon activities, we brought home all the Corps Cadets and fed them.  Dennis and I sang with our Corps Cadets along with some extra youth from our Timbrels program at our Regional Youth Praise meeting.  Our Timbrels performed a number and did an excellent job.  

On the Sunday before Thanksgiving, Jacob became a Senior Soldier.  Dennis and Joseph were the Flag bearers for the service.  After the service, we had our Thanksgiving Dinner at the corps.  

Thanksgiving night our youth kicked off the Kettle Season by attempting to do a 24 hour marathon.  I volunteered to help at one of the two locations.  We only made it past 11 o'clock and then it got too cold and too dead to warrant us being out there.  So we came back home.  I was glad to get come back to my warm home.  Then we went back out on Friday morning.  Of course this was one of those times where our children did not really want to move.

This past Sunday, we kicked off the Advent Season.  Dennis and I read Scripture verses.  Nathan lit the candles to start the service and then blew them out at the end.  Joseph laid a wreath during the Hanging of the Greens.  All in all it was a beautiful ceremony.  They lit the advent wreath, told various stories regarding Christmas, and Major Harris preached a wonderful message.

Now tomorrow night we will be singing at a local apartment building.  Our family is singing "O Beautiful Star of Bethlehem".

In the midst of all of this, Dennis is finishing up his last class for his bachelor's degree.  So by the middle of the month, he will be finished with school.

Also, we are continuing to move forward with our intention of becoming Salvation Army officers.  So we are actively participating in various Corps programs.  Dennis is helping with our Boys Adventure Club (think similar to Boy Scouts).  And I of course am doing the Corps Cadets.   We also take a turn doing the Sunday School opening and teach the Young Adults Sunday School Class (although I am not sure the name truly describes who is in the class).  Dennis tends to be the only male in the class.  But we have a good time, and I think the students are enjoying the class.

Wow, what a week!

Wow what a week last week was!  We began the week with the after school program at our Salvation Army Corps, which included tutoring and dinner.  Then we did Music with the children that attended.  Following that, my family (well the youngest three and Dad) did Beginner Band.  On Tuesday, Dennis went and did a sleep study, so the rest of the family had a quiet evening at home.  Then on Wednesday, we had the after school program plus Youth activities - Dennis is one of the leaders for the boys. Then on Thursday we had Cantata practice and Corps Cadets (Corps Cadets is one I lead).  Friday morning we got up really early and went to the Salvation Army Trade Store, so Dennis, Joseph, Grammie and I could all be fitted for our Salvation Army uniforms.  The four of us all got the hats for the uniforms, which is really exciting.  Saturday the children had Young Marines - they marched in a Veterans' Day parade.  Sunday we got up and went to Sunday School.  

During the opening of Sunday school, I was checking on everything for Corps Cadet Sunday.  I actually set the program and everything.  I picked the songs with the cadets' help.  We chose "Here I am to Worship", "Amazing Grace" and "You Are My All in All".  The title of the message was "Lost and Found" and dealt with three parables Jesus taught - "the lost coin", "the lost sheep" and "the lost son".  The corps cadets did a skit - including Joseph and Nathan - Joseph played the father and Nathan played the youngest son.  It went over really well.  Joseph and Nathan along with another cadet read the scripture passages.  

One of my other Corps Cadets did a skit involving the children so they had the chance to participate.  Plus everyone helped with the call to worship.  Oh did I mention my baby girl did the opening with the welcome and the announcements and Daddy did the prayers for the service.  Plus I actually preached the message.  I have to say it is quite different to be behind the pulpit than it is to be in the audience.  I feel like God was truly present.  

Then we brought almost all the Corps Cadets to our home and fed them lunch.  They seemed to have a good time.  Then we went to the Extended Care facility of our local hospital to help with our League of Mercy Service there.  We were supposed to sing, but it did not happen.

From there we went back to the corps to practice singing for our Regional Youth Praise meeting which was at four o'clock that afternoon.  We loaded up three different vans - two twelve passengers (ours and the Corps along with our major's minivan).  Off to Williamsport we went.  Our Corps performed two different times - once was our timbrels and the other time was our Corps Cadets singing.  All in all it was a great day! 

This week Dennis has drills on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  We ask for prayers for good weather on Friday and for him to pass his Physical Fitness test.  

Arrived in Hershey, PA

So this afternoon around 3:30 we (our Corps officer, two other ladies and myself) left for Hershey, Pennsylvania for the Salvation Army's Eastern Territory's Dazzling Grace Women's Conference.  We ate on the road at a Long John's Silver.  When we arrived in Hershey at the lodge, we got registered and received a really nice little handbag with some goodies in it (basically each bag was different).  Mine came with some bracelets and a pair of earrings.  After registration, there was a reception.  At this reception we were served s'mores.  The marshmallows were toasted by a torch.  It was really neat to see.  They also had white and milk chocolate pretzels.  It was pretty good.

From there we stopped at a gas station (the van was hungry) and everyone got some drinks and/or snacks.  We then checked into our hotel. We all went to our rooms and basically called it a night.  It is too quiet here.  I am missing my husband and my children.   However, I know they are fine.

The start of our week

On the home front all four children are well and doing school today.  This is the first time this has happened in quite a while.  Also, this is the first day in quite a while that everyone was up and downstairs before 8 am.  So maybe there is hope for these children after all.  Boo really seems to be enjoying Paths of Settlement.  As one of her assignments, she has to go a dish from either Massachusetts or Connecticut.  She has chosen to cook New England Clam chowder.  I am having to make some modifications to this dish since Jacobp is Lactose-intolerant.  

Using Monarch for some of our subjects for the boys seems to be really helping.  They are doing well and it cuts down on the amount of grading I have to do, because a lot of the work is computer-graded.  This makes life a lot easier.   On the other hand, Monarch was a disaster for Boo.  She did not do well with computerized work.  With the oldest and youngest being sick recently, we have fallen behind on our Wisdom Books, but I am hoping to catch up on those activities.  I plan on cutting out some of the projects I planned on doing and working towards covering the main topics instead.

I am going to a Womens' conference this weekend called Dazzling Grace along with several other ladies from our Salvation Army Corps - including our Corps officer.  It is being held in Hershey, Pennsylvania.  I am really looking forward to attending.