Monday, December 8, 2014

Making writing a priority

Writing is difficult. Good writing is even harder. It's the most difficult part of our school day. Shhh...sometimes it gets skipped altogether.

Getting started seems to be the key. Setting aside time is not enough. Physical or mental tiredness prevents me from writing, even when I have the time to sit and think.


Today I have changed up our schedule to make writing a priority. The first 30 minutes of the school day will be devoted to writing. The kids are fresh, the day is new, and I am here to sit on them if I need to!

We used to work on math first. It's my highest priority for the kids and my favorite subject. I have to be the grownup though. We gotta take our medicine first thing and get that awful writing done.

I'm assigning 30 minutes of writing to myself as well. Let's see how this goes...

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

My God Groove.

I'm enjoying this advent season quite a bit! After a busy and stress filled summer and fall, I have found a groove where I can do my best and let God handle the rest. My God groove.

There is a local radio station that plays all Christmas music, all the time, during this season...but I can't handle hearing WHAM! and Mariah Carey over and over again. A quick search turned up CBN's streaming Christmas radio station. What a breath of fresh air! Really beautiful and meaningful Christmas music that I don't have to explain to my children. Ha!

One of the most stressful parts of my life involves managing the Project TLC caregiving program. I feel such a huge responsibility to the children. Meeting them and hearing the stories of how their lives are being changed had cemented my resolve to help them in every way possible. Every month, by the grace of God, we seem to scrape up the funds needed to continue.

God loves these kids...more and better than I do! How do I know when I have done enough for them? Can I give just a little more? Try a little harder? It's difficult to keep myself in check.

I'm finding peace and perspective in my Christmas music. Today I'm meditating on Oh, Holy Night. One verse proclaims:

Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease. 

Get that? Jesus will free the captives...not only you and I, captives to sin but ALSO the locked up and abused children. In HIS name ALL oppression shall cease to exist!! This is such wonderful news!! Ponder it!!

No, Christmas hymns are not scripture, but they echo it...read Isaiah 61:1.


"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners..."


Jesus is responsible, He's got a plan. We can't do anything on our own anyway. Let us get on His team, give our best and let him do the heavy lifting...get in a God groove today.