JOY Has Arrived!

Do you believe God cares about your dreams?

Do you believe He inspires your dreams so He can accomplish His will through your life?

Becky Tirabassi, in her book Let Prayer Change Your Life, says "faith is a whisper, a call, an intelligible, but usually not audible voice directing us to achieve something for the good of others."

She says, ". . . it is in and through prayer that God has released a myriad of ideas, goals, and dreams. They might have been new or lying dormant, but when no longer hindered by fears of failure or tripped up by stumbling blocks such as personal sin, shame, or guilt, (we are) empowered to risk and dream. 

"When you begin to spend time with God on a regular basis, your fears, besetting sins, shame from your past, and list of reasons why you 'cant, didn't, or shouldn't' will begin to pass away, be resolved, or be exposed as excuses why you haven't reached your dreams or fulfilled your purpose in life. Prayer will wipe away those excuses and pry open the doors of faith, pushing you toward your dreams" (203).

January 2011 was the darkest time in my adult life.

It was also the month that birthed the dream for my devotional book, Joy in the Journey ~ Encouragement for Homeschooling Moms.

As Becky Tirabassi so eloquently wrote, it was a time of pressing hard into the face of Christ out of deep and desperate need. I was stripped of everything I had trusted in save the mercy and grace of God, and I learned it was enough.

I learned to pray the words of Daniel 9:18, "We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy." 

And His mercy met me there.

"Perhaps this is just where God would have us--helpless within our own strength, dependent on His deliverance. This balance in prayer," Tirabassi says, "allows Him to become strong in our weakness as well as receive the glory for the (often miraculous) answers to those prayers. Prayer fuels our faith to believe what we cannot see" (208-209).

In the broken and tender ground of my heart, God planted Joy in the Journey. I began to see Him at work, "the God of all comfort, Who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. "  

And to see His purpose for me, not despite my circumstances, but because of them.

"To comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair."

Tirabassi says, "Prayer doesn't stop with an idea or a list of to do's. God brings others alongside to believe in your dream. A great faith booster occurs when, after you have persevered in prayer, people come to you to offer help, even if you haven't told anyone your need.

"Oftentimes in the moments when you feel most rejected or discouraged, God brings His rescue, packaged in such a way to remind you that He is the designer, orchestrator, and giver of the dream" (209).


"What is the work or what are the dreams and desires that you believe God has given you to do that remain unfulfilled? 

When you pray, watch for small, medium, and large doors to open. These answers to prayer will be clear signs along the way of God's direction, goodness, faithfulness, and power being released on your behalf to fulfill the dreams He has put in your heart" (211).

 Joy in the Journey ~ Encouragement for Homeschooling Moms available now through Lulu.com

To God be the glory!

God and the Gamecocks

"The Lord your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness.  He will quiet you with His love.   He will delight in you with shouts of joy." (Zeph. 3:17)

One of the most exuberant demonstrations of joy I have witnessed lately was after the South Carolina Gamecock baseball team beat Florida to win the College World Series. Gamecock players threw their hats and their hands up in the air, screamed, shouted, and jumped up and down. Catcher Robert Beary raced to the mound to tackle pitcher Matt Price, who had his hands raised in celebration, a huge triumphant cry bursting from his lips.  The team dog piled into a wiggling, hugging, backslapping heap as they gloried in their hard fought win. It was impossible not to celebrate with them as I witnessed their joy.

These are not the Gamecocks!

A few thousand people got to celebrate with the Gamecocks on that magic night in Omaha, but did you know that a celebration like this goes on all the time in Heaven?  No, I am not saying that God is having Gamecock parties in Heaven, though one of my Facebook friends stated on her status the day of the win that "God smiled on the Gamecocks."  (I wondered, does that mean He frowned on the poor Florida guys? I think not.)

What scripture does say is that God rejoices over us with gladness and delights in us with shouts of joy.  Shouts of joy.  Not a benevolent smile every once and a while when we please Him, but shouts of joy.  Picture it -- like the Gamecock celebration, only happier if you can imagine that.  Loud, exuberant, dancing, yelling, fist-pumping, dog-piled rejoicing.  Over whom?  Over me!

The third chapter of Zephaniah describes the joy we share with God when we live in right relationship with Him.  "Shout for joy, Daughter, shout loudly.  Be glad and rejoice with all your heart.  The Lord has removed your punishment; He has turned back your enemy.  The King of Israel, the Lord is among you." (14,15)

If you have experienced God's salvation, let the mental picture of the celebrating Gamecocks become an example of how excited God is to have a relationship with you.  If you do not know him as your personal Savior, click on the link to the right that says "Do You Know God?"  You are only a step away from the most glorious celebration you have ever been a part of.

"Likewise, there is more rejoicing in Heaven over one sinner that repents than over 99 righteous people who need no repentance."  (Luke 15:7)

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Book Review -- Untamed by Lisa Harper

"Jesus confronted confusion, oppression, dishonesty, and spiritual deadness because He cares so much about us and isn't willing to let us settle for anything less than the abundant life and absolute freedom God created for us to enjoy," so Lisa Harper emphatically states in the eighth chapter of Untamed, entitled "The Divine Trait of Stepping on Toes." 

It is bold statements like this that cause you to sit up and take notice as Harper one by one debunks the myth of the milquetoast Jesus that plagues our world today.  In chapters with titles like "Rough, Tough, and Ready to Rumble," "Simply Irresistible," and "The God Who Leaves Men Gaping," Harper systematically challenges wrong perceptions of Christ and offers scriptural proof that we serve a God who is wildly untamed.

Harper weaves a mixture of anecdotes from her own life (growing up in a divorced home, being a victim of childhood molestation, and being reared under chauvanistic teaching,) with Bible stories and passages to help readers identify with each characteristic of Christ that she unveils.  She weaves in powerful quotes from respected Bible teachers and preachers and word studies that reference Greek and Hebrew. She concludes each chapter with discussion questions & scripture passages for further study.

Untamed's strength is in the characteristics Harper chooses to focus on -- those characteristics of Christ that we desperately need to understand and experience in order to "live and love with abandon."  At times I found myself tempted to cheer out loud as Harper championed our Savior as wildly pro-women, wildly confrontational, and wildly redemptive.  Other times I was moved to tears when she reminded me that Christ is wildly devoted and wildly attentive. 

There is only one component of this book that I wish were different.  Harper is a well-educated and articulate theologian, and by no means is this a shallow, fluffy Bible study book. 

Unfortunately, Harper occasionally tries too hard to make her Bible stories contemporary.  For example, the otherwise strong second chapter describes Mary's discovery that they had left Jesus behind in Jerusalem after the Passover.  "As soon as she got to the Holy City, she pulled Jesus's middle school picture -- the one that showed His cowlick and braces -- out of her wallet and began asking everyone if they'd seen Him.  She. . .knocked on doors,retraced their steps, and put fliers on windshields."  While I understand the literary attempt at connection, it comes across as over the top, distracting, and slightly irreverent.  Though tempted to discard the book after several similar passages, I am very glad I persisted to the end.  Harper seemed to have gotten that style out of her system and settles into a thoughtful, reverent, yet very contemporarily relevant book.

Untamed is appropriate for Sunday school, women's Bible studies, or as a small group or personal study.

“I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”

A Book is Born!

As my loyal subscribers, I wanted you to be the first to know.

At 2:08 a.m. this morning, Wednesday, June 15,  the book Joy in the Journey -- Encouragement for Homeschooling Moms was born.  It was a painful labor.  After the first 7-1/2 hours of labor, the manuscript was kidnapped into cyberspace, never to return.

Labor began again on Sunday afternoon and concluded this morning with a successful delivery.

Many thanks to my daughters who lent their typing fingers to the task as well as adopted daughters Katherine and Taylor.  Thanks also to those of you who have been praying for me and encouraging me along the way.

For those of you outside the homeschooling community, the book is a compliation of ten years of monthly devotionals that I have written to encourage and challenge homeschooling moms in our support group.  Over the years kind readers (Pat, I think you were the first)  have suggested that I would write a book someday.  I would smile politely, thankful for your vision, but didn't really believe you.  The possibility of publication emerged in January at writer's conference sponsored by Christian Devotions, a publishing company and owner of a website of the same name. Thank you, Lisa, for dragging me along!

The challenge of compiling 40 devotions into a cohesive document was daunting, especially given the fact that many of them existed in hard copy only and had to be typed into an electronic format.  As I read back through the years of writings, it reminded me again of the unique challenges that face homeschooilng families.  Knowing that the Lord might want to use my words to encourage an even larger group of dedicated homeschooling moms was strong motivation.  So we pressed on.

When two thirds of the manuscript was lost on Sunday, I recognized it as a defining moment .  I could quit or start over.  The words of the very title of my own book and blog rang in my ears.  "Be not weary in well doing, for you WILL reap a harvest if you do not faint."  I wanted to cry, but knew that I didn't have time for such nonsense.  I had to get back to work!  For some reason, in His sovereignty, God had chosen to discard the manuscript and wanted  me to begin again.  I lamented in a text message to my band of prayer warriors (thank you Susie, Mandy, Cheryl, Alicia, and Debbie) and started typing again.

Perhaps the words weren't just right.  Maybe there was a devotion that I had missed that needed to be in there because God has a person in mind who needs it.  Maybe I needed to learn another lesson in perseverance and trust to make me stronger.  Maybe I needed to enlist more prayer support for the effort (thank you Ladies Bible Study gals at Kilbourne Park).  Whatever the reason, I chose to trust God and press on.  I might still cry, but I'm too tired right now for such an effort.

What can you do now, my dear friends?  Pray and keep praying.  I received a confirmation receipt from the acquisition editor early this morning ( 7 am, NOT 2 am), so it is officially in the review process.  He will decide whether the book goes any farther with them, or if I should seek another venue.  This publishing company has a desire to reach out to the homeschooling community by publishing good quality materials, so it could be a good fit.

I'll keep you updated, though the review process is usually terribly slow. 

I love you all!!!!!

UPDATE AS OF DEC. 12, 2011:

Joy in the Journey is on its way to the printer. It is targeted for release in January and will be available through Mardel.com by early February.

Homeschooling When You're Weary

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“Come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  

 (Matthew 11:28)

"The purpose of the voice of condemnation is to push you away from His presence -- that which is the very source of your victory. The purpose of the voice of conviction is to press you into the face of Christ." ~Bob Sorge, Secrets of the Secret Place. 

Sometimes I forget that homeschooling is a spiritual endeavor.

 I forget that it is only through the empowering and equipping of God's Spirit that I have any hope of success. 

Somehow, though I know it to be true, that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I sometimes begin my day without a moment spent in His presence. Brushing Him breezily aside, I dive into my busy day without taking even a moment to consult with Him.

I wonder, how many of the "imperative" items on my to-do list might be cast aside if I had held them up to His wise eyes?  Better yet, if I sat before Him with an empty page and asked, "Lord, what would you have me to do today?" how different would my to-do list be?

It is no wonder then, when I fail miserably, that the voice of the enemy shouts loud words of condemnation into my ear. He plants feelings of failure, doubt, confusion, and defeat. That voice pushes me away from the things that are good and right. The voice of Satan isolates me from those fellow sojourners whom God has placed alongside to help me. His voice makes me doubt whether I have a right to an audience with the King Whose presence I have neglected so many times.

But God the Father is long suffering and forgiving, slow to anger and abounding in love. (Exodus 34:6) He forgets our sin of independence as quickly as we confess it, and He runs to take us in His arms and restore us to a right relationship with Him. Do you realize that the only time scripture reveals God hurrying is when He, as the waiting and watching Father, ran to welcome His prodigal home?

Whether you are enjoying success or are experiencing struggles, I encourage you to begin each day with an appointment with God. As you seek Him through prayer and His word, He will give you wisdom (James 1:5), strength (Philippians 4:13), freedom from fear and anxiety (Philippians 4:6), and clear direction for each day (Isaiah 30:21). 

 Even 15 minutes with the Savior each morning is an investment in the quality and effectiveness of your day, of your very life!  Time spent at Jesus' feet is never time wasted. Best of all, if your heart and mind are filled with His  words, then when the accuser whispers lies in to your ears, you will recognize whom it is that is speaking. 

Homeschooling mom, run to Jesus!

 Application Questions:

1. Do you tend to view your family’s homeschooling as an academic endeavor or a spiritual one?

2. If you view it as an academic one, are you missing out by not inviting God’s power into your day?

3. If you view it as a spiritual one, do you still have a tendency to homeschool in your own strength? 

4. How can you access God’s power during the day to enable and equip you for the task of homeschooling?

Action Step for This Week:

Write into your lesson plan a quiet time for all members of your family as the first part of your school day. If you have young children, set a goal to teach them to sit quietly with their Bibles for 15 minutes. Even a toddler can look through a picture Bible and pray a simple prayer.

Prayer of Commitment:

“Lord, I know that ‘apart from You, I can do nothing,’ (John 15:5) but sometimes I don’t act like it. I charge through my day and my to-do list without a glance Your way. I am so thankful that when I fail, You are there to gently remind me that You want to help me. Your ‘yoke is easy and Your burden is light’ when I operate within Your strength. Help me to seek You first in the morning, and to train my children to establish the habit of a daily quiet time.”

  Homeschooling is HARD!

This post is a sample from Lori's new devotional book, Joy in the Journey - Encouragement for Homeschooling Moms. 

With a devotion for every week of the school year, Joy in the Journey helps remind you that God wants to be a vital, active part of your homeschool. Each chapter contains devotions specific to what a homeschooling mom encounters each month, application questions, an action step, and a prayer. It's suitable for personal devotions or for use by your support group for meeting topic ideas.

You've invested in wonderful curriculum for your children's  school year, why not invest in something for yourself?

To read more about Joy in the Journey and what other homeschooling moms are saying about it, click here.

To order a paperback copy from Mardel, click here. 
To order an Ebook from Amazon, click here.


To read the post "Homeschooling--The hardest thing I've ever done" Click here.
To read the post "Homeschooling--When you've lost your joy," Click Here.
To read the post "Homeschooling and God's mercy--When you feel like a failure," Click Here.
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