I love you, O Lord, MY STRENGTH...

I still remember every moment. I can close my eyes and picture who was where; What was happening; Movements & noises in the room; Who spoke. It happens often. Not just on the 7th of every month. And no, it doesn't "go away with time." What does happen, though, is God's constant reminder of His love for me & how He provides the strength for me to keep moving forward continues to be shown time & time again.

I called to the Lord, even though the cords of death entangled me & the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. In my distress I called for the Lord. In His temple, HE HEARD MY VOICE.

My sister posted on her daughter's site this morning. ( www.forsydney.net ) She would have been two years old today. The replaying started late last night ... I recalled when we drove to the hospital ... I remembered when she was admitted ... I closed my eyes & thought of how quiet the room was until she got her epidural ... I remember posts on facebook ... I remember watching the team of doctors & nurses walk, without making eye contact...like a band of brothers, into her room 61 minutes later ... I didn't sleep well last night as I continued remembering the rest of the night & wee hours of the morning. Lindsay said it perfectly though ... We all deal with it differently!

The earth trembled & quaked...He parted the heavens & earth...He soared on the wings on the wind...The Lord thundered from heaven & reached down from on high & took my hand.

Some of us get angry. Some of us get quiet. Others decide to cry while others take it farther & become depressed. Like my sister, I want to talk about it. God gave my sister & our family a HUGE platform. I pray we never use it ineffectively or for less than what God called it.

He brought me out into a spacious place because HE DELIGHTED IN ME.

El Shaddai means All-Sufficient or The One who is Enough. If I focus on this, I can remember ~ along with all of the other remembrances ~ that He is enough. He gives and He takes away. But He does this for our own protection. We may not understand it OR like it. I go back, however, to the meaning of El Shaddai: The One who is Enough.

He can handle my tears.

He can handle my questions.

He can handle my worries.

He can handle my sadness.

He can handle it all.

He knows my heart & He knows how to handle me. HE CREATED ME!

He keeps my lamp burning & turned my darkness into light.

The greatest hope in my life is that I can show Christ to others. It's usually easy when life is grand. But in the darkest of days & the stormiest of times, do others notice my eyes are focused on Him? Can others tell that heart wants nothing more than Jesus & Jesus alone? When I write this, do you know that I pray constantly as I type, delete, retype, close, pray over, & then post? For the only reason that I want you to see HIS hand writing from the outpouring of my heart.

You make Your saving grace my shield...The Lord lives. Praise be to Him! He avenges me & saves me & I will praise You. I will sing the praises of Your Name.

(scripture taken from Psalm 18)

I pray when your family goes through times of trials & struggles, that you are teaching your children that the God we serve is more powerful than any enemy or foe. I pray you show them, through your own actions, that even the toughest situations are to be used for God's glory. I pray you speak His Word into their little lives & let them know that He has a VERY specific purpose for each one of us & that none of us would be here if He did not intend it. And that for this reason, we will walk humbly down the path He traced for us, knowing that One Day...such a glorious day it will be...We will know.

"In that day you will no longer ask me anything." John 16:23

A Wonderful Calling

I know the Lord gives us each a platform & we are charged with using it for His glory. Hang with me through the random facts & try to follow my train of thoughts all the way to the end...It of course ties to motherhood & homeschooling.

Infertility affects over 7 1/2 million couples in the United States alone. A few statistics...
*50% of women & 15% of men classify it as the worst event of her/his life.
*13% of women who go through IVF will discuss suicidal thoughts with her doctor.
*60% of couples make more sacrifices during treatments than when they have a child. *70% say they miss the carefree relationship they once had with one another.
*69% of couples say they feel emotionally unstable.
*56% claim they are consistently concerned with finances during this time.
*77% claim depression; 72% claim they are mostly angry; 56% feel anxious; and 71% say the unsolicited questions, suggestions, & "it will happen when the time is right" or "it will happen when you relax" comments send them into uncontrolled (but often harbored inside) anger.

There are over 6 million pregnancies each year in America.
*Over 4 million are live births.
*Just under 2 million are losses & of those losses, 700,000 are miscarriages, 64,000 are ectopic, 6,000 are molar, 100,000 are stillbirths, & yes, if you've been calculating, that makes just over 1 million remaining & they are terminated.

The word child or children appears over 2,000 times in the bible. The phrase "Honor thy (mother/father/parents)" occurs ten times, each with very specific directives. "Family" is mentioned just over 120 times; "Fathers" (as in earthly) appears somewhere around 150 times; "Mothers" appears approximately 250 times.

When Eve took a bite of the apple & sin fell into the world, God declared to Eve: "I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children." Pregnancy & childbearing were initially intended to be quite easy; It was because of OUR sin that we feel pain.

For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be a mother. For all of our 6 year marriage, we have prayed that God would bless us with a child & sought plenty of medical interventions, as we were led. I have felt the range of those emotions listed above. Honestly though, I can't think of anything I haven't enjoyed about being pregnant. What a gift! Yes, I've experienced ups & downs & the difficulties have grown me, but the sheer fact that 6 months ago, my daughter was a few cells...BLOWS MY MIND! And as keenly as I am aware of these statistics, emotions, & "commonalities" of pregnancy, I am also claiming the scripture which states:

"Let everything that has breath praise the LORD."

Many moons ago, the Lord spoke directly to me from Habakkuk 3, verses 16-19. I rewrote them as the prayer, which has become my heart's cry:

"I heard the doctors tell us we cannot have children & my heart pounded, my lips quivered. Decay crept into my bones & for a moment, I lost the will to live. My legs trembled with every step...with every friend or relative who became pregnant or had a baby. I waited for the day my world would just completely collapse & listened as everyone told me told me to be patient & that it would be just fine. Even though there is nothing in sight I see which is producing anything fruitful & we continue our wait for a child, I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD & I WILL BE JOYFUL IN GOD MY SAVIOR. For He made my feet walk these paths & my heights are known to Him. He. Is. My. Strength."

If we are given the opportunity to be a mother (and just so you know my stance...I was a "mother" long before this child was growing in my womb...), I feel it is one of the greatest callings the Lord provides & it is a charge we should not take lightly. He does not state that pregnancy, labor, delivery, & parenting will be easy. In fact, He tells us walking on His straight & narrow path WILL be filled with struggles but He uses them for our growth. I don't intend to use my time here on earth focusing on the negative statistics or what things I am "entitled" to; I pray I use it effectively, to honor our Lord.

I might be a statistic to you, but to God, I am HIS CHILD & this path was chosen for me & I GLADLY, with Godly boldness, walk it. I choose EACH DAY to rejoice in the God of my salvation & with EVERY BREATH Praise His Holy name. He created this child ~ He created my body to carry her ~ He created me to be her mother & take care of her needs at this very moment in time ~ He may take her from me or leave her in my care until another time ~ But I will still, with every breath, Praise His Holy name!

I hope if His path is leading you to homeschooling, you realize how truly blessed you are & remember this is not an easy calling..It is not for everyone. You are now an all-day model for what you want your children to learn & what you say, think, & do will shape them forever. Will you rejoice always? Will you remember the Lord's promises that you will see the fruit of your labor if the time & perseverance is invested? Will you remain joyful & allow Him to be your strength? It's a choice ... What will you choose this day?

FINAL OPPORTUNITY

This is your final opportunity to sign your sweetie up for art camp! June 20 - 23 from 9:00 - 12:00, I will be hosting an Art camp titled, Me as God's Masterpiece! Each day we will study a different artist & his style, as well as make a painting mimicking this particular style. We will view the world around us, noticing how these artists used what was around them to create their masterpieces. We will also be tying in the story of creation from Genesis to each particular style, but we will also be very specific in discussing our own uniqueness. You need only to select one week for your child to attend.

While I will teach about each artist, it will be related to their artistic style, not their lifestyle. I will use godly judgement when giving your children information about each artist. Each day will consist of a mini-lesson about that day's artist(s) where we will read an article, book, or view an online biography. We will then look at pieces of his art & learn what we will be painting & the technique we will use. The majority of the time will be spent creating our masterpieces but we will also have a snack each day. Your children will also create an art journal, logging what they learned about each artist, each day, along with the bible verse we discussed that day. As our close, we will view our masterpieces & will notice how different ~but wonderful~ they all are. To top off our art journey, our last day (Thursday) will be extended until 1:00. From 12:00 to 1:00, you will be invited to join us to view all of our masterpieces displayed in our "gallery." Your children will have individual areas displaying their art pieces & will be more than excited to show you their work, but also the work of their friends.

The cost for the entire week will be $125. This includes all of your child's necessary supplies for the week and will be due two weeks prior to the start of the session; June 6. This is a non-refundable fee but in case of an emergency, please contact me so we can make some type of an arrangement. I have set a limit of 7 children with an age range of 5-10. If your child attends & you have a sibling who is 4 years old or 11 years old & would like to attend, I will make that exception.

Noticing the world around us, helps us not only see God's beauty in His world, but His beauty in us. We will open & close each day with prayer, focusing on His creation: Me as God's Masterpiece! I consider it a great privilege to work with each of you & hope this camp will bless your children. Please contact me now at scritzer711@gmail.com if you wish to reserve a spot for your child(ren)! I can't wait for this camp!!!

Self-Control

What better way to end a series of posts about the attributes we should help our children possess than with self-control? HAHAHAAHAHAHAA!!!!! Do you find this difficult? Think about all it encompasses ~ We are told to have self-control when...
*Eating
*Speaking
*Working
*Thinking
*Spending our free time
*Having a conversation
*Teaching
*Learning
*Searching

...and so much more! A long post ago, I mentioned that in order to teach the Fruit of the Spirit attributes to our children, we must have them in place in our lives first, in order to model them to our sweeties. We can grasp larger concepts so think of these instances where self-control is shown & think of how they can be applied to your life.

~When Jesus was tempted in the garden by Satan himself in Matthew 4, He had not eaten for 40 days & was hungry. Imagine how vulnerable a person could be after this period of time, yet 3 times He repeats, "It is written..." He doesn't fight Satan with emotions or vacant words. He uses the very Word of God to surround Himself with armor & tells Satan TO HIS FACE "For it is written..." & then gives him the reason why Satan's temptation was only an attempt at temptation. We can overcome by knowing God's Word so that when temptation arises, we can say as Jesus did, "For it is written..."

~When Judas approaches Jesus in the garden, Jesus doesn't freak out, knowing the hour has come. He simply says, "Do what you came to do." On one of the most difficult days of my life, my family basically had to say those words. Letting go was BEYOND difficult; Knowing it had to happen was understood. The only comfort of that moment was knowing the Lord had this in His hand & under His control & that His grace was sufficient for us.

~Twice when Jesus was asked during the final days of His life if He was in fact the Son of God, The King of the Jews, He replies by saying, "You have said so." Jesus had made Himself KNOWN as God's Son, yet those who are still so self-involved cannot see it. If I were in that position, I may have rolled my eyes thinking, 'These people cannot be serious STILL!' Or, I may have shouted back at them, wanting to shake them into belief that, 'HELLLLLLOOOOOO people ~ did you not see the miracles? When I fed 5,000 was that not good enough? The parable of the weeds didn't get through to you I see?! What more do you need?!!!!!' Jesus had already spoken to His Father & knew that this cup was not going to pass so instead, He doesn't argue with them but again, simply states the Truth.

~During His Crucifixion, He was, for no valid reason, beaten, tortured, mocked, scorned, shoved, kicked, spit on, abused & shamed. They laughed at Him. They threw things at Him. They split His hands & feet with nails. They watched Him, even laughed, as He hung on the cross dying. Did He call out to the people asking for relief? No. He completed the task asked of Him & cried out in His last breath, "It is finished."

Realizing those examples were the Savior himself and knowing we can never, while here on Earth, attain that, do you show self-control when your children throw temper tantrums? Do you speak to them in a controlled voice, giving them direct instruction on what you need for them to do at that very instance or do you get all heated yourself and only add fuel to the fire by yelling & reprimanding them in the middle of everyone & everything? Can you say to your child, "No, you cannot have this toy at the third store we are visiting because you have ten bazillion at home & no means no" or do you repeat no eight times until finally, through his/her teary eyes & loud screams of WHY MOMMY/DADDY, WHY, you cave in because you are tired of fighting with them? Children understand self-control when you model it. They learn best from watching & listening to you. Try these instead:

*The next time they begin the afternoon meltdown, stop what you are doing, walk away with your child to a quiet location, speak the Truth into them & allow them to have their moment while sitting in you arms. I do realize this is difficult to do ~ especially when your grocery cart is filled with food or you are at the mall with friends. BUT, a young child will not understand your point if you do not do it right then & there. Period.

*As they begin fighting with a sibling or a playgroup friend, sit down with them and remind them of how we play nicely together by modeling it yourself. If it doesn't stop with you next to them, remind them again & separate the two (or more) for a moment. If it still continues, walk away with your child, again speaking God's Word into them about how we treat our friends & show self-control. Surely you Will hear 8,000 times a day: "But he did it first!!!" We are not accountable for others' actions; Only our own. And again, unless this is modeled to them IN THE PROCESS, they will find it difficult to learn.

I don't pretend to sit here typing away & think my unborn daughter will never have a temper tantrum or bite her friend or that she will never disobey to the point she needs a reminder or grab a toy out of another child's hand because "she was playing with it first." What I do commit to you today ~ 4 months before she's here ~ is that I WILL stop & teach her these things because God called me to be her model, her teacher, her example, her mentor. Yes, I will fail. I will fail A LOT! I ask for your prayers as my husband & I seek God's counsel on raising her & your encouragement when we do walk away with her in our attempts to teach her Godly character.

What do I hope you can see from this prompting of my heart? That Jesus had self-control & He asks only of us to follow His example. When you are raising your children, follow His example & do not grow weary in doing so. But when you do ~ call the friends who will lift you up, pray over you & your child, let you vent, but get you right back on the horse of parenting because it is one of your greatest callings in life. Showing self-control is the key to your child understanding it.

American Girl Doll Camp

I can't believe we are over half way through the month of May! Summer is fast approaching & I hope you are finding a lot to do with your sweet cherubs! Remember I am offering an art camp in June ~ But if your sweetie isn't interested in that ... I am also hosting a week long, in-depth FUN study of the American Girl dolls!!!!

From July 18-22, I will be hosting an American Girl doll camp. This camp will be from 9:00 - 12:00 for girls ages 4-10. The cost for this camp will be $125 and includes all activities & projects. I am setting a limit of 10 girls and have 4 signed up already so act fast!! I will require payment by July 1 in order for me to adequately prepare. While I cannot make up any sessions your daughter may miss, I will be more than happy to provide you with a list of our activities & the necessary supplies for the missed day, in case of an emergency.

If your daughter has an American Girl doll (or two or more) she may bring one each day and/or she may dress up as each day's time period (a schedule will be mailed to you 2 weeks prior to camp). Each day we will read a short selection from one of the AG books, study that time period through music & technology, make an art project pertaining to that time period & that specific AG doll, learn vocabulary for that time period, & enjoy a snack each particular AG doll would have eaten (within reason! Don't worry ~ we won't be eating Buffalo! ;o) ). If there is a movie based off of that character, we will also try to watch a clip from that movie.

The American Girl doll series has always been popular but has gained in its popularity over the past 5 years. These character dolls are not only a wonderful way of making history come alive, but a wonderful way to expose your girls to different lifestyles & struggles. The AG store hype hasn't hurt this gain in popularity either though!!! I will not only focus on each AG doll, but I will also tie in the scriptures regarding a principle that doll learns.

I am slating spots NOW so please let me know if you are interested ~ I am VERY EXCITED about this camp & I hope your daughter will be, too! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me and when you are ready to reserve your daughter's spot. let me know that, too! scritzer711@gmail.com

Me as God's Masterpiece

Don't miss this summer opportunity for your children! June 20 - 23 (Camp 1) & June 27 - 30 (Camp 2) from 9:00 - 12:00, I will be hosting an Art camp titled, Me as God's Masterpiece! Each day we will study a different artist & his style, as well as make a painting mimicking this particular style. We will view the world around us, noticing how these artists used what was around them to create their masterpieces. We will also be tying in the story of creation from Genesis to each particular style, but we will also be very specific in discussing our own uniqueness. You need only to select one week for your child to attend.

While I will teach about each artist, it will be related to their artistic style, not their lifestyle. I will use godly judgement when giving your children information about each artist. Each day will consist of a mini-lesson about that day's artist(s) where we will read an article, book, or view an online biography. We will then look at pieces of his art & learn what we will be painting & the technique we will use. The majority of the time will be spent creating our masterpieces but we will also have a snack each day. Your children will also create an art journal, logging what they learned about each artist, each day, along with the bible verse we discussed that day. As our close, we will view our masterpieces & will notice how different ~but wonderful~ they all are. To top off our art journey, our last day (Thursday) will be extended until 1:00. From 12:00 to 1:00, you will be invited to join us to view all of our masterpieces displayed in our "gallery." Your children will have individual areas displaying their art pieces & will be more than excited to show you their work, but also the work of their friends.

The cost for the entire week will be $125. This includes all of your child's necessary supplies for the week and will be due two weeks prior to the start of the session: June 6 (if you are attending Camp 1) and June 13 (if you are attending Camp 2). This is a non-refundable fee but in case of an emergency, please contact me so we can make some type of an arrangement. I have set a limit of 7 children with an age range of 5-10. If your child attends & you have a sibling who is 4 years old or 11 years old & would like to attend, I will make that exception.

Noticing the world around us, helps us not only see God's beauty in His world, but His beauty in us. We will open & close each day with prayer, focusing on His creation: Me as God's Masterpiece! I consider it a great privilege to work with each of you & hope this camp will bless your children. Please contact me now at scritzer711@gmail.com if you wish to reserve a spot for your child(ren)! I can't wait for this camp!!!

Gentleness Part 2

As the anniversary of Jesus' death & resurrection are now "over," they are quickly forgotten by most. Until next year anyway. I pray this is not the case with us, my friends.

There are a lot of ways to describe the cross & the things Jesus did while on the cross but gentleness is not always one that comes to mind.

Tortured...Definitely. Grueling...Yes. Dark...Of course. Gentle??? Hardly.

Except when you know the outcome & the ending of the story & you decide to take a step back & try to see it from a different perspective...Then you can see gentleness.

I hardly think His being beaten, mocked, abused, spit on, & cursed for MY sins is gentle. But, if gentleness is one of His traits, then He is gentle always & without fail. As I thought about this, I read through each gospel to see the different words spoken & the different perspectives & I noticed a few things.

Matthew 26~As the high priest was looking to charge Jesus with anything in order to condemn, he said, "Tell us if you are the Son of God." Here's where I first saw gentleness: "Jesus replied, 'You have said so.'" He didn't get upset or angry or roll His eyes...He didn't get smart with him or point out the obvious thousands of miracles He had performed in the most recent days. He simply spoke the truth ~ gently.

Mark 16~As the women went to prepare Jesus' body with anointing spices, they never had to figure out who would roll the stone away! In the open grave, they saw a man sitting there who told them to "Go & tell His disciples AND PETER." I emphasize Peter for a reason. Yes, to the faithful He shows Himself faithful, which is why I believe this man said go & tell His disciples; But Peter? Geesh ~ He denied Jesus! In this day & age, that is normal & many people follow one thing but in the thick of the throes, they declare another. Not in Jesus' day, though. So why would God speak into this man, telling him to specifically add Peter? I have come to this conclusion: WE DENY JESUS ALL THE TIME! Whether it's with our words, actions, lack of action, or attitudes...Our disobedience is a form of denial. This is why the scriptures tell us to deny our flesh & take up His cross. I found it very moving that God wanted us to know that EVEN PETER was to be included...And His gentle way of letting us know that every time we deny Him, He is there to welcome us back.

Luke 23~As one of the condemned criminals shouted at Jesus to save himself, mocking whether or not He really was the Messiah, the other noticed his guilt & His innocence. "Don't you fear God? Since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done no wrong." He then turns to Jesus (and I imagine with tears in His bloodied eyes) & asks Him to "Remember me when You come into Your Kingdom." Did Jesus laugh at him or go through the laundry list of things that, in fact, this criminal had done wrong? Nope! He simply & gently said, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." He could have laughed at him thinking, 'Sure, NOW you want to believe in Me' or rolled His eyes thinking...'Did I not prove myself long before this unbearable cross?' He didn't do those fleshly things, though. He stayed true to Himself & His character & gently led this filthy man, who was at that moment washed white as snow, into Paradise with Him.

The gentleness of the cross is a different perspective ~ I'll admit. But don't you think if we are charged with "being like Him," that we should turn these God-breathed scriptures inside & out searching for His Ways & His truths? And wouldn't that include reading & rereading & looking through different eyes to see the totality of Him?

Jesus was gentle all the time. The bible says, "I am God. I change not." Never. Not once. And this can be modeled to our children as we are raising them to be Christ-minded. When they don't follow your instruction the first time, gently remind them. When they come running back to you telling you that you were (shock of all shocks!!!) right, don't mock the growth in their learning. Do you have a limit of how many times your children can disobey you before you put them up for adoption? OF COURSE NOT! You sit them down & you discuss their choice. THIS IS PRIME TIME ladies~Teach them when they are in that moment that He tells us that we are "all sheep who have gone astray" but then proceeds to tell us that if EVEN ONE wanders, He will retrieve it. Then give them a hug~for they just gained a bit more wisdom!

Listen to Jesus' gentle voice today. Sometimes it's more of a lightening bolt, yes...But other times, you can hear the gentle thunder rolling in the distance if you just stay still long enough to listen.

Gently speaking ~