Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Sound the Retreat


source


Sometimes I need to retreat. To pull back from the hurt and pain that comes with life.

 Retreat from the confusion of my own wants and desires. My weak attempt to make things work out.

 Sometimes I want to hide from everything. To cover up my head with my grandmother's quilt and not surface.

 Usually this is after I have railed aloud at God,  screamed at the top of my lungs for an answer to my needs, my wants, and cried until I am spent.

 Then I take cover.

 Retreat to the quiet of my head.

 Which is never really quiet.

 So I fill it with audio versions of the Book of Psalms because I am too weak to even read. 
I listen. I breathe. I fill myself with the words of David:

Psalm 4

Confident Plea for Deliverance from Enemies

To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

1 Answer me when I call, O God of my right!
    You gave me room when I was in distress.
    Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.
2 How long, you people, shall my honor suffer shame?
    How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies? Selah
3 But know that the Lord has set apart the faithful for himself;
    the Lord hears when I call to him.
4 When you are disturbed, do not sin;
    ponder it on your beds, and be silent. Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices,
    and put your trust in the Lord.
6 There are many who say, “O that we might see some good!
    Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!”
7 You have put gladness in my heart
    more than when their grain and wine abound.
8 I will both lie down and sleep in peace;
    for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.


There are times when my enemy is myself. My own thoughts that seek to bring me down. 
To be distraught and saddened beyond outside control is a mournful thing. 

So I sound the retreat.


When crying out appears to be met with deaf ears.
When Hope is a splendored thing that it seems is not meant for me.
When life has brought you to the place of a tauntly stretched guitar string and all you can hear is that high-pitched whinning and vibrating sadness; It Can Feel Like Just Too Much.

 Retreat to God's Word. 

Psalm 6

Prayer for Recovery from Grave Illness

To the leader: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.

1 O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger,
    or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;
    O Lord, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror.
3 My soul also is struck with terror,
    while you, O Lord—how long?

4 Turn, O Lord, save my life;
    deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you;
    in Sheol who can give you praise?

6 I am weary with my moaning;
    every night I flood my bed with tears;
    I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eyes waste away because of grief;
    they grow weak because of all my foes.

8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil,
    for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my supplication;
    the Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and struck with terror;
    they shall turn back, and in a moment be put to shame.

 Find Solace in another who has cried for help. Who has been brought low by life and it's circumstances.

It may feel like God doesn't hear you. It may feel like you are alone. It may feel like all hope is lost. It may feel like He isn't helping. It may feel like you are drowning in your tears and that your string is going to break. 

 Find peace in His Word.
 Psalm 17: 6-8, 15
6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
    incline your ear to me, hear my words.
7 Wondrously show your steadfast love,
    O savior of those who seek refuge
    from their adversaries at your right hand.

8 Guard me as the apple of the eye;
    hide me in the shadow of your wings,

15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
    when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.

Understand in your retreat, that He is still there. He still loves you. 
When your guitar string breaks, and sometimes it will, that is when He can restring you with newness. He can lift you up and hold you in an embrace of such Father Love you are once again whole. 

 For it is in the Breaking that we are than able to start to heal. It is in our weakness, our sadness, our faulty attempts that He is made greater.
2 Corinthians 12: 8-10
Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, 9 but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

Sound the retreat. Heal. Thank Him. And Move On. 

I shall be in Retreat for now.....


Always Blessed,
Gretchen :)

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Sunday, March 31, 2013

Easter Worship~ I See the Lord


6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;the whole earth is full of his glory.” ~Isaiah 6:1-3



Happy Resurrection Sunday!


Now because the lyrics are amazing and I have an eclectic choice in music please check out 116 Clique as well. Even if it isn't your preference you can be blessed.



LYRICS:

I See The Lord lyrics

(feat. Sho)

[Verse One]
Cast down my crown to worship you in spirit and truth
As I see You on the throne, I see Your train fills the roof
I'm on bended knees, hands extended closed eyes
Holy, Holy, Holy is Lord the Most High
Woe is me, I'm a man with unclean lips
And I live amongst a people whose on the same trip
That when one Seraphim flew to me with coal in his hands
He touch me on my lips, said I was a brand new man
As the foundation shook He's asking, who shall He send
I said, "Send me Lord, I commit to faithful men"
Sometimes Lord, I feel like I don't give you enough
The kind of pure joy to persevere when times get tough
So I keep a concentrated relationship fixed on you
I keep my eyes to the hills so I can have a right view
I stand in awe of You
How You measured the earth with the palm of Your hand
and yet, and still you want to be friends with such an unclean man
So like John I fall prostrate on this island of life
I worship You, recognizing you are power and might
Glory and light, eternal in sight, blameless and right
Creator of life, thief in the night, Jesus the Christ

[Chorus]
I see the Lord, seated on the throne, exalted
And the train of His robe, fills the temple with glory
And the whole earth is filled, and the whole earth is filled
And the whole earth is filled, with His glory

[Verse Two]
The sun suspends in the air
I can feel Your winds everywhere
You care to the grains of my hair
Divine works all around me
I can't get past the evidence
The fact that your invisible, to me, is irrelevant
I know your heaven sent, straight to the virgin birth

Gave me a second chance even after man's curse
A third, a fourth, a fifth, and a sixth
You wore my crown of thorns, you took my licks as they spit
In ya face, off the cross a sinner you embraced
Now I understand whats the meaning of grace
I war against the flesh, can't wait till the day that you come
Cause everday I'm rewriting Psalm 51
From the weak to the dumb
You make us shine like Pearls
Got a new engagement, broke up with that girl named world
The relationship was unfruitful, I was Satan's pupil
They told me you was an unfair God, I believed those lies
I know the truth now, cuz you've been fair since creation
Man fell, and then you gave man emancipation
I know the saying one sin can make man fall
But with one drop of blood, he can save us all
I'm a living sacrifice, I lay my life upon the altar
I pray to have faith that don't forsake you, like a martyr
I have a desire, thats to know you more
I have no choice to live holy cuz I see the Lord

[Chorus]

[Isaiah 6]
For Whole earth is full of his glory
And the foundations of the threshold tremble
At the voice of him who called out
While the temple is filled with smoke
I said to myself Woe is me
For I am ruined
Because I'm a man with unclean lips
And I live amongst a people with unclean lips
For my eyes have seen the king, the Lord of Hosts
Then one seraphim flew to me
With burning coals in his hand
He touched me on my lips
Said my iniquity is taken away, and my sins forgiven
Then I heard the voice of the Lord say
Who shall I send?
Who will go for us
Then I said
Here I am, Send Me

Always Blessed,
Gretchen :)

 
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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Tuesday's Gifts ~ Light


Light.
Here from the very Beginning of time.

For our benefit. So we can become time keepers.

Alpha and Omega

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky 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 lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. ~Genesis 1:14-18

So we remember His Power.

His Protection. His Encompassing, Covering Love.

Trinity Lights

 16 Yours is the day, yours also the night;
    you established the luminaries and the sun. ~Psalm 74:16

Enduring forever. 

Sunrise, Sunset. 

Sunrise, Sunset.

Warm Embrace

 7 who made the great lights,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
8 the sun to rule over the day,
    for his steadfast love endures forever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,    for his steadfast love endures forever;

~Psalm 136: 7-9


In the End, we will Be Again. 

We will then Shine like the sun.

El Fin
43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen! ~Matthew 13:43
 And Our LORD will be all the Light we need.

23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. ~Revelation 21:23
Always Blessed,
Gretchen :)

All pictures are courtesy of my sister Sara Rose Nissen. 
Check out her artwork over at  as seen through my eyes.  

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Monday, March 25, 2013

Camping Oatmeal Mix



Last June, my sister and I took all of our combined kids camping. It was an adventure of no small magnitude and included extreme amounts of planning and organizing. Planning for the feeding of a small basketball team in the primitive campground area with water a half mile away is..... shall we say, interesting.

So everything is made with the idea that it be simple, filling, and that it taste good. The cook in me wants things to be better than hot dogs on the grill or cold cereal in the morning. So we planned and made amazing yumminess for most of the meals.

 The biggest food hit with the troops was the Camping Oatmeal Mix. While I was pinning camping recipes like a woman writing a book, I came across this site and was instantly sold on the oatmeal recipe. I wasn't even sure we would use it but with all the hiking and swimming kids get hungry. Really Hungry. All. The. Time. So I thought maybe it would make a great quick snack.

 We broke it out after a morning hike that became THE HIKE THAT NEVER ENDED and needed to instantly feed the ornery boys who were literally wasting away from possible starvation and crying toddlers that had been in a child carrier backpack for the last 3 and 1/2 hours. Not to mention, that after 3 and 1/2 hours of carrying a 25 lb toddler on your back, you may never be able to bend over again so having an easy meal in a no microwave zone is a good thing.

Whilst they were wolfing down warm and filling cooked oatmeal decorated with their choice of toppings and a drizzle of maple syrup, I decided we should eat this at home. All year round. Even if we have a microwave.





















Helping Mix.

Peek.


My tweaked version:

Camping Oatmeal Mix
6-8 cups of quick cook oats
3 cups powdered milk *
6 Tablespoon brown sugar
Optional mix-ins
Place in a large seal-able container or ice cream pail with a lid. Place lid on top and shake it till it is thoroughly mixed.

Use 1 cup of oatmeal mix to 1/3 -1/2 cup of  boiling water.

We offer toppings separate because there are too many taste buds in my crew to contend with. 
Some topping ideas: Raisins, Coconut, Dried Cranberries, Sunflower Seeds, Walnuts, Chocolate Chips, Maple Syrup, etc.

If you are blessed with less fussy taste buds:) then here are some options for the mix-ins  :

Raisin mix
1 1/2 cups of raisins
1-2 Tablespoons of cinnamon 

Mixed Nuts mix
1 cup chopped mixed nuts

Brotherhood mix
1/2 cup peanuts chopped
1/2 cup yogurt covered raisins    
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Apple Pie mix
1 cup dried apple slices, chopped
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
(serve cooked Apple Pie mix with milk or cream)

Tropical Mix
1 cup dried tropical fruit mix
1/4 cup dried shaved coconut   
(serve cooked Tropical mix with a drizzle of coconut milk)   
  
Tell me how it goes!

 Always Blessed,
Gretchen :)

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Thursday, March 21, 2013

Homeschool~ Aesop's Fables

The Fox and the Grapes

We love Aesop's Fables. These are short, quick little reads that teach morals and values through entertaining stories surrounding animals. Most of us have heard an Aesop's Fable at some point in our schooling but you may not have known it! The Town Mouse and The Country Mouse is an Aesop's Fable! So is The Lion and the Mouse, a story of a kindness that is repaid.

How about this famous lesson on laziness:

THE ANTS AND THE GRASSHOPPER

ONE bright day in late autumn a family of Ants were bustling about in the warm sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer, when a starving Grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came up and humbly begged for a bite to eat.
"What!" cried the Ants in surprise, "haven't you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?"
"I did n't have time to store up any food," whined the Grasshopper; "I was so busy making music that before I knew it the summer was gone.


[Illustration]

The Ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust.
"Making music, were you?" they cried. "Very well; now dance!" And they turned their backs on the Grasshopper and went on with their work.
There's a time for work and a time for play. 
~Milo Winter The Aesop For Children  found at The Baldwin Project

We most often use the Milo Winter version of Aesop's Fables. I found it on The Baldwin Project site and printed it off. I did a simple Copy and Paste onto a Word document. 

The Crow and the Pitcher

 The drawings are so very beautiful. They may be slightly printer ink heavy but I shrunk them a bit so I could use less ink. Then I three ring paper punched them and placed them in a binder.


 These are an Ambleside Online Year 1 reading but our whole family enjoys getting in on the Aesop fun. I usually read them myself because I enjoy reading these bits of gold with lots of enthusiasm. I will on occasion have Prince Ray read aloud for practice. The Milo Winter version has slightly challenging vocabulary so it is great for reading practice. 


I have of course used audio versions sometimes simply because I don't have that extra set of hands or eyes I have wished for and there are times when school happens over supper or while I am doing dishes! Books Should Be Free is one of my go-tos for free audio readings of classic books. So we have listened to an Aesop's Fable while looking at the printed book artwork or even coloring a picture. It should be noted that these are not the Milo Winter versions of the fables.
The Boys and the Frogs

 Here are some resources I have found in my internet wanderings that have helped or supplemented our Aesop's Fable readings.
The Lion and the Gnat
For fun sometimes we will watch a video after reading. I might later that week for a change of pace or even as a reward put on a Youtube video clip from this site. They are short, simple, and good renditions using very easy language. My kids like it when we watch the whole playlist. There are 23 videos to pick from.

If you are looking for a bit more this site has lesson plans and also audio versions available. They have over 600 fables to choose from! The Selected Fables section is easily copy and pasted and has a handy chart for 'suggested morals' you can build the study on.

 The University of Massachusetts Amherst 1994 Art 271 class has a whole site dedicated to Aesop's Fables. Many of the Fables were rewritten by the students into modern English along with original computer artwork. The History section is good if you want to give your older kids (or yourself) a bit more information on this guy we all know the name of. He definitely had an interesting life.

 Project Gutenberg has free downloads of the original Aesop's Fables.

Last year I copied the reading of the week from The Baldwin Project and then used WorksheetWorks.com to make copy sheets for Handwriting Practice.

 Here are a few free coloring pages online from That Resource Site. I wish they had more. When we do color pictures from Aesop's it is usually from their own imaginations. :)

 If you have a preschooler sitting in on most of your classes like I do you are probably already familiar with DLTK-Teach.com. This is a good size selection of coloring sheets and ideas for your little people so they can join in. 

The Dogs and the Hides

The way we really like to finish our Aesop's reading every week? 

Sir Bean working on staging.
Act it out!
These are perfect for mini-drama sessions. 
The greedy dogs at the river trying to get to the hides....


They get the practice of sharing ideas, playing pretend, learning to delegate acting parts, and of course having fun being silly.

...and they drank too much water!

 This is an excellent narration time as well. ;) In warning, because I have rambunctious kids, it is only fair to say that there have been a couple unprofessional acting moments in our past due to some of the more aggressive scenes. The actors were reprimanded and asked to be stage crew for the rest of the day. :)


How do you study Aesop's Fables?


Always Blessed,
Gretchen :)

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