Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
Psalm 16:6
What a full summer! We are into our second year in our house in Elizabeth, CO and are busy living life to the fullest. Life with my three munchkins is so much fun, so much mess, and I’m having the time of my life!
In June we took part in Congregation Roeh Israel’s VBS, where we learned about the twelve tribes of Israel, and how GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES! We were a small but mighty group, enjoying the fellowship, games, songs, and ingeniously themed snacks:
(Abraham’s Tent, The Priest’s Ephod)
We had just a few days of downtime before our next adventure, the CHEC Homeschool Conference! The boys spent some time with Grandmama and Grandpapa while Elizabeth and I enjoyed some girl time. She was an excellent conference companion and reveled in smiling and laughing at all the new friends she met.
The conference was so refreshing for me. I soaked up talks on educating boys, encouragement for moms, and Biblical world view.
A major highlight for me was hearing Norm Wakefield speak. Many years ago, I went to one of his talks with my dad. The name of the message was The Curse of the Standard Bearers, and it hit me like a load of bricks. Fortunately, it was the refreshing, life-changing kind of bricks. Here’s the scoop: As parents who seek to follow God, it can be so easy to make living up to The Standard (Godly lifestyle, obedience, church teaching, being “a good homeschooler”, doing all the right things) the goal. While these are all good things, it can lead to several traps. First, it can dishearten and embitter our kids, turning their hearts away from us and God. Second (and I definitely fell into this trap), it can lead us to think that we can earn salvation for ourselves, if only we can live up to The Standard. Being a Standard Bearer is a never-ending rat race of trying to do all the right things all the time, weighed down with anxiety least you slip. Worse, being a Standard Bearer precludes the Gospel in your life. The first step of letting the Good News take hold in your life requires admitting you are a sinner and cannot save yourself. You need to rely on Christ’s finished work, and not your own work. I can still remember the flood of relief that washed over me as I realized that my mistakes, problems, and sin nature were no obstacle to God, because of what Jesus had done. I felt like I’d heard the Gospel for the first time. It’s been a long journey of letting that truth sink into my life.
Imagine my delight to hear Norm speak again! His first talk was in the very smallest room, which was packed with people. As it was standing room only, I found a spot on the floor and settled in. That didn’t last long, as a compassionate, high-energy woman with an air of authority convinced a man on the other side of the room, in the front row, that he ought to give the lady with the baby (me) his seat. So there I was, front row. Unfortunately, Elizabeth had other plans. She insisted on being bounced, standing up of course. It was then, in front of the whole room packed with people, and Norm Wakefield no less, that disaster struck. Elizabeth’s diaper came unfastened, and she peed all over me. I had a change of clothes for her, so she got cleaned up on the floor of the front row. I air dried. The kicker? The talk was titled Anchored in Christ: The Solid Rock in the Storms of Life. It was just what I needed to hear, especially considering the deluge I had just experienced.
Other talks were just as impactful, encouraging me to invite my kids to join the “Waiting by the River Club” (think: John the Baptist, preparing the way of the Lord, and waiting for Him to baptize my kids with the Holy Spirit and Fire), and the Minimalist Mom, inviting us to declutter in 15 minutes every day. I will never be a minimalist (famous last words), but I can stand to declutter. It also got me thinking about how cluttered my mind and soul can become. Instead of letting things pile up, stuffing resentments and unforgiveness and judgements, I’m trying to take those things to God. Say what I think instead of what I think people want to hear. It gets overwhelming when I consider the lifetime of spiritual junk I’ve horded, but I’m trying to tackle it, 15 minutes at a time.
The rest of the summer has been a whirlwind. Highlights include the VBS at Majestic View, where the kids learned about the Armor of God, and I helped serve snacks to 200+ people. We’ve enjoyed the usual joys of summer, splash pad and pool excursions, all-you-can-eat watermelon, walks in the cool of the evening, and visits with family and friends. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places, surely, I have a delightful inheritance.
Bread of the Week: Arepas
I just love the movie Encanto! I love the message about using our gifts to serve others, the emphasis on family, healing generational wounds, and of course the music! That Lin Manuel Miranda, he’s amazing! (For all you Jungle Jam aficionados out there.) Probably my favorite member of the Family Madrigal is Mirabel’s mom Julieta, who can make you feel better with just one arepa. So of course, we had to discover arepas. Originating in Central and northern South America, arepas are cornmeal cakes pan-fried on a hot skillet and can be plain or filled. Arepas are traditionally filled with cheese in Colombian cuisine, which is the way Julieta would have made them.
Click on the recipe below for a great recipe. Full disclosure, I used whey left over from making paneer cheese instead of the water, and substituted parmesan for the cotija cheese. Delicious!