the blessed mother

Journal ~ Forever Catching Up....

2010-10-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

Sophia (3) and big brother Mattias (16) snuggle in bed.

Elias (7) on out backyard tire swing

Bekah (13) continues to take weekly "pie school" lessons from our neighbor.

Hello Sisters

Can it be possible that I am still behind in just about everything? I check my email about twice a week and probably dump a bunch of good stuff, I rarely browse the web, our home library looks like a tornado hit it (aka, "we can't find the books we need!), and Eric and my bedroom looks like a flea market.

I was asking the Lord what can I do, or MORE IMPORTANTLY, what does He want me to do? Well, I already the answer myself. Make His Word #1. No deposit, no return. If you don't put anything into a relationship, you can be sure you will never get anything back. I have begun to write out 1 or 2 verse scriptures that are encouraging and then I carry them in my pocket speaking them OUT LOUD many times a day. Another thing I do is to just talk about Jesus. I try and be thankful OUT LOAD many times throughout the day for whatever comes to mind. :) I want the children to see me making Him a priority in my life. :)

Robinson Curriculum (which is really not a curriculum at all, but rich literature) is working nicely with the children. We pretty much stick to a schedule that goes like this....Jesus 30 min. Math 1 hr. Writing 1 hr. and Reading 2 hrs. If we get these essentials done, the afternoon hours are free for the children to pursue their interests. The best part of the Robinson method is that all the children (with the exception of the 7 yob and 3 yog) are SELF-taught. No more Mommy sitting next to them, which frees me up to play and read to the 3 yog. The 7 yob reads to me for about 10 minutes a day and we go over some math. Then he is alone for drawing, copywork, more reading and more math. LOVE IT!!!!

I had planned to shut down garden operations for the fall/winter. Well, it seems like I am always thinking "gardening," yesterday I went outside and just sat for a few minutes with my vegetables and touched them and breathed in the air around them, picked a cherry tomato and ate it. My mind started racing 100 mph thinking about all the wonderful things I can do to improve my garden. But.....I said I would take a break, BUT it is SOOOOO relaxing, so enjoyable and it brings me peace. So, I guess I will allow myself some small projects (not really sure how small will work for me, since it usually doesn't).

With garden operations slowing down I have turned my attention to the kitchen and am just about ready to pursue GNOWFGLINS.com full time. I really need to be upgrading my cooking skills to better provide nourishing meals for the family.

Fall also brings the feeling of wanting to sew. I need to work with the girls and their sewing. I have some skirt patterns and if I could take them to the fabric store and let them pick out their own material, I know they would be more inclined to make their skirts.

I WANT more of "me's." I need me in the kitchen cooking healthful meals (which be the way really do take more time that opening up a package!) I need me sewing with the girls, I need me homeschooling, I need a me in the garden. But the Lord didn't give me more of "me's" so I had just better plan more efficiently, and therein lies my problem.

Goodbye Sisters...I hope by next time I write you, things will have fallen better into place for my daily routine's. :)

Shannon

Journal ~ Playing catch up...

2010-09-25T16:22:00.000-07:00

My favorite room of the house, the dinning room...

Hello Sisters!

Well, not much has changed since last blog. Well, I should say a lot has changed, lots of small things. As Sophia is just about 3 I seem to have more free time.... which is not free at all. It should be called "catch up time." Repair the chicken coop, weed the garden, take the blankets out to air on the clothes line, scrub the floor just under the fridge doors (where you open them up and see all the old gunk from broken eggs, bread crumbs, etc...). I've been trying to do a little deep cleaning.

Since this is my favorite time of year I decorated our dinning room with our own pumpkin, some orange/yellow flowers from my neighbor, and sunflowers from our garden hung upside down in the windows. :)

Have you seen the Starbucks sign in all their doors? It says "Take Comfort In Rituals." Ummmm....I love comfort and I love some rituals. In the case of Starbucks it's a LOVE ritual.

Well, since it's 98 degrees and all the children just came home I had better get off. I'll have to wait to share more later.

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ Fall Season, Biblical Holidays

2010-09-06T11:51:00.000-07:00

Sunflowers and pumpkin

Garden

My 13 yog Bekah bakes with our neighbor, this is one of her creations.

Hello Sisters!

My most favorite time of the year is upon our family, September, October, and November.

I enjoy so much the change in season which is marked by decreasing temperatures, breezy afternoons, and beautiful gardens.

I prefer the biblical holidays such as Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkoth which are also Fall holidays.

Even though I "say" we school year round, some how we seem to get caught up in the neighbor kids "summer off" schedule. Late nights, fires and smores in the backyard, followed by even later in the night movies, seem to lend themselves to Summer nights. Who likes to have fires and late night movies when it's so cold in the backyard anyways? Well, I guess with kids, they are pretty much up for food and movies any season cold or hot huh?

Hanna started full-time classes at our local jr. college. Mattias started football at our local Christian school Calvary Chapel Downey and is also taking Chemistry on campus. Bekah, Mikayla, Elias, and Sophia have started their Robinson Curriculum books, and although they balked at first, I often go into their rooms late at night and they are in bed READING their books. :)

In the next 2 weeks I am transitioning from finishing up in the yard for the next several months, to working/preparing whole foods in the kitchen. I have a link to GNOWFLGINS (sp?) on this website somewhere, that's what I will be using as my teacher. I LOVE the videos, what a wonderful resource for visual people like me!

I am home today with my oldest (17 yog) and my youngest (2 yog) while the others are at a local water park. After I post this, us girls plan on making something from The Pioneer Woman Cooks (I like to eat white-trash cooking once a week :) so that it can be ready when the rest of the gang comes home this evening. :)

My scripture that I have been meditating on during this season.

"ABIDE in Me and I in you. As the branch (us) cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it ABIDES in the vine (Jesus), so neither can you unless you ABIDE in Me. " John 15:4

When we think we have so much to do, and we don't have time to spend with Him, we MUST remember that WE CAN DO NOTHING (or at least it won't be as good) apart from Him! :)

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ Crabby Wife (me), Growing Garden...

2010-08-05T15:32:00.000-07:00

My hubby planted corn on our porch, he calls it privacy. That is little Sophia.

Our Fig tree is loaded with almost ripe figs. Fig newtons and Fig jam are on the menu!

Our Granny Smith apple tree (dwarf) is also loaded! These we will make pie and dehydrate.

BEST Avocados around. Haas Avocados! They will be ready Sept/Oct.

Blackberries in the wood container, squash, honeydew, corn, tomatoes and pumpkin.

Hello Ladies!

I am sitting in Starbucks with my 17 yog. We have our laptops, Iced Venti Soy Lattes, and we are enjoying the air conditioned, relaxing atmosphere (thank goodness they have the music turned down!)

My hubby is swimming in the semi-green, slightly dirty Costco 15x18 pool with the 7 yob, 15 yob, and 2 yog. My 10 yog, 13 yog and their Aunt Emily(who's visiting from Wisconsin) are spending the day at Knott's Berry Farm Stupid Park (I mean amusement park!)

Life is SO GOOD, I don't know why I am not enjoying it to its fullest. Oh yea, I know why, let's see, I gave my hubby a mouthful... or is it an earful, this morning when he offered to go with the younger ones and me to the park for an hour. I wonder how many husbands offer to go to the park with their wife's even when she's bitc#$%. Mine did. That still doesn't make me feel better.

I had a marriage book, I forgot the title, but under the title on the cover it said something like, "What if God calls us to holiness and not happiness." Hmmm. I don't like that. I really don't like that at all.

I KNOW the problem! :) It's me. It's my flesh. When I was born-again, my spirit was re-born. My flesh was not. Who is Shannon? Is Shannon her re-born spirit or is Shannon her flesh? I guess that depends on how much time I am or am not spending in the Word. If I am spending time re-NEW-ing my flesh or mind, it is much easier to line my flesh up with my spirit. Shannon opens the Word, it gets down in her spirit, it comes out of her mouth, she lines up with the Word of God. When I don't spend T I M E in the Word, I am by default, spending time feeding my flesh, NOT-renewing my mind.

Well, thank you for hearing me. I still don't feel better. But, I know that when I get home I am going to apologize to my husband. And, when he asks me to listen to the Word with him in bed (he likes to listen to Moorelife.com) tonight, I will say, YES! How many husbands ask their wife's to listen to the Word with them? Mine did.

I've been working hard in the GARDEN, pulling our more grass, getting blisters, and really enjoying every minute. I LOVE WORKING IN THE YARD!!! I just planted Winter Squash (it really is too early, but it's an experiment, I'm learning), Swiss Chard, lettuce and carrots. The pumpkin looks like some will be ready in September and another plant in late October, perfect! I have melon and more squash that was planted late, so it won't be ready for another 3-6 weeks or so. I got off to a late start this season, so we will see how things work out.

We found some of these Swallow Tail caterpillars, and after I killed one (because I thought it was a bad bug) I decided to go online and check out some Yahoo images, and found out what they were! When we touch them their head goes back and yellow antennas comes out. They also emit a very strong stinky smell.

I also decided spur of the moment to make a flagstone brick walkway. It took me all of 2 days, and although quite lumpy, it looks beautiful. is a very nice word, because walking on it almost caused my FIL to fall down, ok, so it is uneven. I encased them in dirt and not sand, so, it looks like I will have to redo them in sand. But that won't be for a while, because at this point I am going for looks and not practicalities. :)

Blessings,
Shannon

The BLOOD of Jesus SETTLES it! and Robinson Curriculum

2010-07-20T17:00:00.001-07:00

Our peaches, our jam...what a wonderful feeling!

"Jars" by Bekah Schermerhorn

Hello Sisters!

A few weeks ago at my friends house, she commented, “I’ll never forget when you said”…“you act like I can REALLY believe the bible!”

10 years ago she had faithfully come to my house weekly, sometimes visiting more than once a week. She not only put up with, but welcomed my 3-5 times a day phone calls about faith topics. What if God doesn’t….what if God won’t…what if we’re reading scripture wrong,…what about so and so, they died, how do you know my daughter won’t…how come more Christians don’t believe in healing…how come Christians don’t believe it when Jesus says that the sign of true believers are those who speak in tongues and heal (Mark 16).

Well, that was 10 years ago. I still believe, and even more so!

22 years ago I sat in a church and while the pastor never gave an alter call, Sunday after Sunday and all through the week the Holy Spirit was prompting me to respond to Him. On my knees in a rented spacious bedroom with windows all around, tall Eucalyptus trees swaying in the breeze, I bent down on my knees and asked Jesus to be the Lord of my life. I was 18 and had just got a hold of No Compromise by Keith Green. We had a lot in common, both hippies and both had vw vans and both of us on fire for Jesus.

When I believed that Jesus was the way, I simply reached out and received His Holy Spirit, in a second I was Born Again. I didn’t look any different and other than peace abiding in me now, I had no firecrackers go off to make me “FEEL” any different.

It was the same with healing for my daughters physical needs when she was just 6 months. I decided that the Word did declare Jesus to be Jehovah Ropah (the God who heals) and that He changeth NOT! I opened my mouth, asked Him for healing, and from that point on NEVER asked again. My daughter didn’t look any different, and none of us felt any different. But we KNEW that our daughter WAS healed.

Have you ever asked God to “save you again?” Probably not. When you asked the first time, it was A DONE DEAL. You had faith that His Word was true and what He said was a promise to you. So why is it any different with healing….? It’s not. You ask once and THAT SETTLES IT.

We are a people who are so post to walk by FAITH and NOT by sight. Did you walk by sight for your salvation? Did Jesus come down and appear to you and tell you to choose Him? No, you simply believed. So it is with healing, you simply believe.

When the devil comes to you and says, “your not good enough for heaven, your probably not saved” you know that’s hogwash. You know what the Word says, you come right back at him with the Word (READ Matthew 4, Jesus got satan on the run by speaking the Word, we should do the same!) So it is with healing. SALVATION and HEALING are not a feeling, they are a fact. Receiving either is not based in the physical senses, it’s based in the Blood. The Blood settles it, and from THAT point on when you get a little squarmish in your boots, and we all do from time to time, we GET RIGHT in the Word and put satan on the run!!! satan is UNDER us, we have all authority over him (Luke 10:19-20). He should not be making us miserable, we should be making his life miserable.

I have been running errands all over lately and when I hear people talk, you know what we ALL have in common? WE ALL HAVE PROBLEMS!!!! From the tattooed 24 yog with a baby, to the grandma caring for her grandchild, to the deacon at church, the pastor and us. We have problems. Right now I can think of a few BIG problems I have personally. But THE BLOOD OF JESUS SETTLES it and puts it under my feet. I roll my problems over to Him and say, “JESUS YOU HAVE MAIL!!!!” Then when ever these problems lurk back into my mind (like they do about every 30 minutes) I rebuke those thoughts, cast down those silly imaginations because that’s all they are, is imaginations and take every thought captive (2 Cor. 10). An imagination is something that is not real. One of my problems is not having the money to get a new laser printer. That’s silly because Jesus said to ask anything and it’s mine. So when satan reminds me I don’t have a new laser printer in the room, I just laugh and say, “Oh, I thank you Lord for your Word you said ask and I did, and I know RIGHT now You are behind the scene getting that laser printer to me!” And then, I worship Him and thank Him for what He has ALREADY done. I act like it’s a done deal. I act like the I can REALLY believe the bible, every single Word!!!!

I forgot to talk about the curriculum I’m using. Well, I’m using the Robinson curriculum. The biggest reason is because I’m a great mom, but not a great teacher. I want to get on to important things in life like gardening, composting, caring for chickens, sewing, exercising, caring for others, studying the word. HOW can I do all those “real life things” and still do school with the children. I can’t. So the Robinson method is simply just having the children self-teach themselves. They read excellent literature, look up vocab words of their choosing, they write a page, they do math. That’s about it. They do EVERYTHING THEMSELVES. The house is QUIET for about 3-5 hours while the olders are working. Even the 7yob works alone for about an hour. Then we get on to important things (the 7 and 2 yog) like baking and watering the garden, and reading. The olders finish up with the 3 R’s, I have done nothing and we can all join up to get on to the important things in life. We have been implementing this method for a few weeks now with just books we have around the house and the children LOVE IT! My 17 yog said, “we should have been doing this all along!!!”

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ Gardening, Working side by side with Hubby! :)

2010-07-05T17:33:00.001-07:00

Hello Sisters!

How can I say everything I've been up to, in 10 minutes?! I guess I could learn to type faster, that would be a start, but I don't have time!

I have been visiting http://www.homesteadbeginners.info/ and www.gnowfglins.com/ If you have the Nourishing Traditions book, but want it EASY, FRIENDLY and broken down in small steps, then GNOWFGLINS is something to look into. The Homesteading for Beginners offers 2 dvd's and soon to be 3 on homesteading for beginners. The movies are great for the WHOLE family! Our 2 yog and 7 yob can watch these over and over again, even the grandpas in our family find these movies highly educational and entertaining!

As we undertake the business of self-sufficiency and learn to compost, garden, cook, etc...Eric and I both feel this DEEP current of Holy Spirit juices directing us into different tasks but with the same goal in mind. What are Holy Spirit juices? I don't know. I just know that when Eric and I are working TOGETHER as a TEAM, it's like a spiritual high, it's like the Lord directs, Eric follows and then I cling to my man. It really is beautiful. It really is nice to obey your husband, when I get on Eric's program as his assistant, he treats me very well, the children treat each other well, and the Lord is released to pour out the blessing of Abraham on us! When I am not in sync with Eric, I hold up God's blessing on our family. Read Deut. 30:11-20 with emphasis on v. 15-16, actually the whole chapter is best to see the bigger picture. :)

I'm in a hurry because in a few minutes our family has to go to Whole Foods to buy some things, actually a lot of things. I'm going to buy some bulk items such as organic wheat, beans and rice, maybe some raw honey, it depends on the price. I figure I will limit our food to beans and rice, oatmeal, different grains, nuts and seeds and fruit and vegs. I would like to get some grass fed beef, but buying in bulk or somehow splitting an animal with neighbors might prove to be cost efficient, so we will see. :)

We have finished canning our peaches and our pumpkins have sprouted, so by September we should have about 20 of our own pumpkins.

One of chickens had her vent (butt hole) coming out of her...gross...and she had some kind of shaking her head twitch going on. So we helped her out and cut of her head with an axe. My dad did it while my son and I help her neck and body. My dad said to throw her in the corner afterwards so she wouldn't run around. We did, she just fell in the corner.....and then she GOT UP and ran after me (not really, I was just in her line of fire, I mean blood) blood got all over our porch swing, Liz Clayborne pillows, and Eric's bible, nice huh? It was exciting to say the least. It makes we want to kill our own chicken for food, but I will make sure our nice pillows are not around. :)

I think I have FINALLY found a hs method that works for us!!!!!!!! After 17 years!!!!! No, really this is it!!!!! I'll share later, but I've got to RUN......

Blessings,
Shannon

2010-06-24T21:59:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters!

The last 3 weeks we have spent gardening, swimming, playing, gardening, definitely NOT cooking, and more gardening. Thank goodness for Del Taco bean burritos because that is what we've been eating almost 4 times a week. Besides being only a quarter mile from our home, after working in the yard all day I'm tired and cooking is just not my plan for the evening!

My husband wants the yard to look nice most all the time. With chickens, grass, ivy, potted plants, a garden and fruit trees, it's not like we can just mow and edge and he's happy. We have begun picking, and preparing our peaches for peach jam. We have to make them in small batches so, it really is a lot of work, but my hubby doesn't know that as he happily doles out jars of jam to friends and neighbors (and strangers). He is just so excited to tell everyone that he grew these peaches and that his wife and children made the jam. [Eric's rendition of how it got in the jar], [my rendition of how it got in the jar...

...try and get some willing children to help pick the peaches, after I have found a ladder, forgot the bucket, go back in house to get it, get back out to the tree, pick and pick and throw yucky ones to the chickens, laugh, eat while you pick, go in house, "oh no, dad made lunch", clean counters for 10 hours, wash peaches, boil peaches, pull out and dip in freezing cold water, skin, slice, remove seed, back in pot with sugar and pectin ("oh no, forgot pectin," run to store), 4 hours later, "moms home let's cook!" ...where is everyone??? , does anyone want to help mom? Cook jam, where were we??? oh yea, add pectin, cook, stir, it's ready! THE JARS!?!?!?! Mikayla, you forgot to press the start button on the dishwasher, the jars aren't ready! :)

So as you can see, Eric's version and my version differ GREATLY on how the "jam got in the jar." But despite our differences, I am proud to say that it makes me feel real good when I see my man bragging about something WE ALL accomplished as a family. I LOVE YOU HUNNY.:)

Blessings,
Shannon

Real Quick Happenings...

2010-06-12T23:49:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters!

It is quite late on Saturday night, but like I've said before, something about Summer nights that my family enjoys to stay up late. Maybe because our house is not insulated and if its 80 degrees that day, the inside of our home is about 100 degrees. So, naturally we can't relax until midnight, then finally we get to bed and I have to get up at 4am to shut all the windows because by then our house is cold. Yea, I love summer!

We are taking 2 weeks off to host Japanese foreign exchange students and also to take a break in school.

Hanna received a surf board for one of her graduation presents (that's a present every mom wants her daughter to get), so we plan to go to the beach a lot. I told the children we can go between the hours of 6am and 10am. At that time all the teenage girls who wear dental floss as swimsuits are still at home in bed.

We've been talking about how even though we are born again, we MUST spend T I M E in the Word in order to renew our soul (which is our mind, will and emotions.) Rom.12:2 and Eph. 4:24. So, we are reading through Proverbs in the morning and watching KCM.org in the evening and singing to the Lord during the day. The closer I get to Jesus, I can see all the stupid worldly things we do and believe. It's not just me, but I know this is also the same for many of you. When we stay in the Word, pray continually, and sing throughout the day it brings us into another realm where we begin to see as Jesus sees and then we can say and do the things that He did.

I finally got a new camera, but am having trouble getting it to work with the computer, so I'll get some pics up soon of our new chicks. :)

Blessings,
Shannon

Summer movies we've watched, Brian Regan (comedy Netflex), Homestead Blessings, Our Journey Home (Netflex)

Mothering and Homemaking ramblings...

2010-05-28T22:44:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters!

Our church recently had a conference for women and while I'm sure many were encouraged, I was not. I'm not saying a conference for women is bad, but a conference that announces over and over again, "we are stronger together" and "we need to find our place and volunteer" is not for me. If I am going out getting "stronger and stronger" with my sisters and spending time during the week at the religious building, where does that leave my family?

How I like nothing more than to care for my home! I love to beautify it, assemble fresh flowers on the dining room table, always trying to keep the living room tidy and presentable for family and guests. I (most of the time) enjoy to serve my husband his meals and make his hot tea, it pleasures me (and him) to meet his needs and to for see them, helping before he even needs to ask. So, it is the same for my children.

I just LOVE the home, I absolutely LOVE everything in it, from my husband, the children, the kitchen, the couch, my sewing machine, the chickens, my garden, the porch swing...HOW COULD a woman not want to EMBRACE with a passion the call of motherhood, homemaking and wiving?

Both my mother and MIL think I am stupid, ignorant and outdated when it comes to raising daughters to be keepers of the home. Sometimes I even question myself, thinking the mothers are older and have more wisdom, right?

Maybe I just need my DVDs from Franklin Springs to encourage me. :)

Blessings,
Shannon

Stay, stay at home, my heart, and rest;
Home-keeping hearts are happiest,
For those that wander they know not where
Are full of trouble and full of care;
    To stay at home is best.

Weary and homesick and distressed,
They wander east, they wander west,
And are baffled and beaten and blown about
By the winds of the wilderness of doubt;
    To stay at home is best.

Then stay at home, my heart, and rest;
The bird is safest in its nest;
O'er all that flutter their wings and fly
A hawk is hovering in the sky;
    To stay at home is best.

HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

Journal ~ facebook and my daughter, cooking, Franklin Springs

2010-05-25T23:39:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters!

I have been speaking Isaiah 54 out of my mouth for a while now. "In righteousness you shall be established;
you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; And from terror, for it shall not come near you."

I am concerned about my oldest daughter and facebook. What I am concerned about is that she calls these people "friends" and she only knows them via internet. A few people we have meet, they call themselves Christians, and you know what, I'm sure they are, but my daughter is not hanging out with them! I am also concerned that when we talked a few days ago she told me she was being pulled. She just doesn't know anymore. She is questioning her walk with the Lord. I calmly replied with a quick recap of everything we've taught her. I told her we are being pulled all the time, we are spiritual beings living in a physical body, we are always choosing God's way or satan's way, so yea, you can feel what's going on, your so post to! I told her I understood her questioning, and that's why I am FULLY confident that if she goes to the Lord with her questions and worries, He is her DADDY and He WILL give her the answers she needs. He is FAITHFUL is show us all truth, maybe not everything all at once, but He is passionate about His children and HE wants so much for us to have confidence in Him. I kissed her and told her to get into the Word and just meditate on Him.......and ask Him. He has all the answers she needs anyway. :)

So, I have been speaking oppression and fear far away from EACH member of our family. I have increased the prayer time (for my teens) to instead of once a day, it's in the shower, washing the dishes, laundry, watering the garden, etc... I didn't know teens could make me pray so much! But then that's good because my husband also reaps the benefits, what wife that prays for her children could not pray for the man she loves?

We found a book to help us in our Sunday evening dinner. It's called Pioneer Woman Cooks (or something like that.) Here is a picture of the 13 yog and 10 yog cooking twice baked potatoes, comfort meatballs and we had cobbler in the oven. Everything is so good from this book and the short stories throughout the book show you just how much her husband means to her. This book is a keeper.

If you haven't heard, Franklin Springs dvd's have made the Homestead Sisters 10 dvd's available for $100. and that's about $100. off the normal price! You bet we sent for our copies! :)

I just finished my first rag rug and gave it to my mom for Mother's Day. Tomorrow the girls will start on their own rugs or "hot plate" rugs. I think I'll keep it small at first so they can finish quickly and feel a sense of accomplishment. Then we will move on to bigger things! :)

Well, do you see the time? It's almost midnight and I'm soooo tired and I have to get up early (6am).

Stay in the Word sisters! That is our LIFE line!

Blessings,
Shannon

Does my life suck?

2010-05-16T17:46:00.000-07:00

How many thoughts a day do you get of, "She has it so together, she is really taking care of her body, her house is so organized, they have so much money and they can buy what they need for their children, if my husband was like...I could be much more productive."

Well, I have been having those thoughts like crazy! My husband is not making a lot of money at present and my mind just sees other families that can do more for their children. I go to the gym and I see other women that are in better shape than I am. I just bought my husband the book by Steve Maxwell, I don't know what it is called, but it is about managing time. Anyway, I read the first paragraph of chapter 10 and just cried and cried and thought, this is what I've been trying to relay to my hubby for 20 years! (I'm not going to read ANY of the book anymore!)

You know. There are more organized and focused husbands, women with better bodies, better behaved children, and families with a little more money. That's how it is. It's life!

The Lord reminded me of the scripture....

"Son pay ATTENTION to what I say (not other people I see during the day), LISTEN to My words. NEVER LET THEM GET AWAY FROM YOU. REMEMBER them and keep them in your heart. They will give LIFE and HEALTH to anyone who understands them. BE CAREFUL HOW YOU THINK; YOUR LIFE IS SHAPED BY YOUR THOUGHTS. Proverbs 4:20

I MUST continue to RENEW my mind to things of Christ Jesus. I must meditate on the Word and what it says, rather than my circumstances.

My husband may never to organized and focused, and I may never be totally toned like I was when I was 18. But would I want to be????? (of course I would, but it's not going to happen.) Other families may be organized and have better behaved children.

I can purpose to be thankful for WHAT I DO HAVE. And all of us in the U.S. have so much more than many other people, that's just a blessing in itself! Not only am I going to speak OUT LOUD my thankfulness when I am tempted to speak the circumstances, I am also going to speak OUT LOUD the GOOD things to come that are on their way. :)

Gotta go, hubby just came home with In and Out. :)

Blessings,
Shannon

ps we just bought a camera...so lots of pics from the garden next week. :)

Jesus Save Me From Your Followers...the movie

2010-05-02T07:57:00.000-07:00

Jesus Save Me From Your Followers (or something like that) was a movie I watched tonight on Netflex (an instant download.)

Some things I learned...

Why are Christians wanting to get rid of abortion? It's their children who are getting the abortions. I know of personally 1 Christian family who is actively involved, Dad is a deacon, family is really active in church and Dad took daughter twice for an abortion. The church we used to work at had a Youth Pastor who would personally take any girl to get birth control or an abortion. I even confirmed this by talking to her and she told me YES, everything was true. And the pastor kept her on staff!

Jesus never said to be "RIGHT." He said to LOVE. Somehow Christians has this crazy notion that they always have to be "right." Where is that in the scripture? Where did Jesus ever say that? I do think somewhere in the bible He did say to love???

Don't miss the game in "family feud" style. The have the Secularists or Liberals and then the Conservatives or the Christians. Guess who wins EACH time by a LANDSLIDE.....the Secularists!!!!! It's amazing why......but as I watched it, I shook my head up and down and said, "we Christians do that, we are guilty!"

The producer (who is a Christian) goes to the gay pride festival and sets up a confession booth and as the gay people come in, one by one he confesses his sin of not loving, being hateful, calling aids a "gay only" disease, etc.... That part of the movie had me CRYING and repenting in my own heart.

I still have 18 minutes of the movie left, so I can't tell you how it ends. They have a guy on by the name of Tony Campolo. I went to Wikipedia to find more about him. This is one of his quotes...

"I have three things I'd like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don't give a shit. What's worse is that you're more upset with the fact that I said shit than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night."

The movie for me, has been all the things I have been thinking and pondering and wondering for the last 10 years, I guess I'm not the only one. :)

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ Positive Discipline class, ABIDING!

2010-04-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters!

I seem to leave theblessedmother as my last priority. I guess that is the RIGHT priority. I sometimes wonder how other moms hs, care for the family, cook, clean, be their husbands girlfriend and run a blog and message board and answer emails. I can't do that. It takes everything from me just to run the home, care for children, care for myself (exercising, bathing, flossing teeth, etc..) and then spend time with my husband.

Every Wednesday night for the next 6 weeks, Eric and I are going to a Positive Discipline class. We eat and read before the class, and after the class the class we park somewhere and make out. So, we look forward to our Wednesday date nights, plus we are encouraging ourselves in loving our children. :)

We are reading Battlefield of the Mind for Teens by Joyce Meyers. Really good book so far (we are only on chapter 3). I have been reminded that the battle is in MY brain. It's like satan on one shoulder and God on the other. They are both saying opposites things, yet we make the final decision. God doesn't make the decision, satan doesn't make the decision, WE MAKE THE DECISION of how we will act.

"If you ABIDE in My word." John 8:31

"He who DWELLS," "He is my REFUGE and FORTRESS, because you HAVE MADE (intentional, on purpose) your DWELLING place..." Psalm 91

We need to purpose to FIX our mind on Him ALL DAY long. In between laundry loads, cleaning up smeared poop on the toilet and on the toddler, sweeping up broken glass, exercising (or trying too!), holding a baby, toddler and trying to listen to children explain why they can't get along. IN ALL THIS, we should PURPOSE to move our thoughts into the Spiritual realm. We are ABIDERS! We ALREADY have the VICTORY in Jesus, we HAVE MADE (intentional, on purpose)Him our DWELLING place. We do not come in and out. We do not leave and go when things get tough. We STAY with Him, we get in AGREEMENT with what He says! WOW!!!! We have a DADDY! We have a High Priest who has made the way for us! Yes and AMEN are His answer to us! :)

Well, it's time for me to help the girls make Lentil Tacos and sauteed vegetables for dinner. My mom is coming over to watch a movie with them, I think Cloudy with Meatballs, they said something like that.

Got to run....

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ today

2010-04-13T11:16:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters!

I don't have long to type, so here is what my day looks like. Well, I went to the gym at 5:30am, which I do 4 days a week. When I get home about 6:45 I have my time with the Lord and a green drink (green means whatever is in the garden and an orange from our tree.) This morning I decided I bless myself and drink a Starbucks in the car and read the Word (sometimes, I can do this when I come home and everyone is still asleep!)

Tree trimmers are here today to take down 50% of our 60 foot Ash tree, a non-producing Avocado, and trim my Orange tree. In my heart I hoped for some mulch a few weeks ago, but after checking out the prices for even a small truck load, I knew I'd have to save up for a while. Well, guess what, the trimmers will give me all my mulch! I'll have enough for the next 10 years! And that's great because I plan on making my front yard into a habitat of relaxation by adding more raised beds for vegetables, fruits, wildflowers and herbs. Once the "gardening bug" bites, it's hard to not always be thinking of ways to expand!

I set up some chairs in the backyard and the 7yob, 2yog, and myself watched the "free show" while reading poems (in between the starting and stopping of the chain saw) about trees. After learning at home for 17 years, I look back and see what a TRIED AND TRUE method Unschooling is. Opportunities abound ALL DAY LONG if we will just r e l a x and answer their questions, snuggle in bed and read with them, talk, hug, tell them, "I love you, what a blessing you are!"

I just made some coconut, maple syrup, walnut, cocoa, little ball thinges, and they are GREAT and better with a cup of coffee! So that's what I'm eating while typing. 3 of my children are at Disneyland with their cousins because they had free tickets. The 17 yog, myself, and the 2 youngest are going to go down to Whole Foods to pick up some flours I ordered and will probably take a walk on the beach.

I'd like to talk more...but can't. I'm also getting my hair cut today. Hmmmm, I want something different. My hair is to the middle of my back and I just look a little too frumpy. My children think I should get a Victoria Beckham (sp?) hair cut. :)

Talk later. :)

Blessings,
Shannon

Staying home is best!

Learning to be Producers and not Comsumers

2010-03-31T07:31:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters!

We are home from our Yosemite trip. We stayed at Eric's grandparents house in Coarsegold Ca which is close to Yosemite. After enjoying walks on his grandparents 12 acres amid deer, trees every 5 feet, creeks, baby rattlesnakes and scorpions (all the kids enjoyed playing with those creatures!) Yosemite was pretty much a let down. It was so dry and brown and ugly. We couldn't wait to get back to the grandparents!

On the way home my girls were saying, "Mom, there really is no place like home. We had a good time, but we'd rather be at home doing things."

I got to thinking. They were talking about our lifestyle of "making" or producing things. We grow and then make our own wildflower bouquets, we make Kombucha, herbal tinctures, bread, we grow some of our produce including fruit and vegetables, we raise chickens and eat their eggs and we even make our own dirt (compost). In the future we hope to get a goat for milking in order to make our own yogurt, keifer, and butter.

The day before our trip, our dryer went out! Eric doesn't think he can fix it, so while he is thinking, dirty laundry piles up. The last few days I have really enjoyed hanging out the laundry. As you throw the clothes over the line, the wind blows through your hair, the birds sing a repeated melody, and the clothes flap back and forth. I even look out at the laundry throughout the day and just stare, even for a moment, and am captivated by the sounds, sights and even smells (if the windows are open!) Don't show this, somewhat private feelings, to my husband or I will never get the dryer fixed!

Blessings,
Shannon

the clothesline

composting

Yosemite TODAY!, gardening, eating well...

2010-03-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters!

Today brings a very exciting day for our family! We are taking a vacation in Yosemite for a week!!! Eric’s grandparents live about 30 minutes from the actual Yosemite Valley and we will be staying at their home. One of the nice features that convinced me to go is that his granparents house is so large that they have their own “wing” and we will have the guest “wing.” Our room includes an outdoor patio deep in the forest with the children’s room connecting to ours, but with the older teens sleeping with the younger ones, I don’t see why we need to enable the “connecting feature.”

It was about 9 years ago when I first experienced the Lord’s physical healing for our family. You can read that here http://blestmomma.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2006-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2007-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=2 I was so excited that Jesus didn’t just die for my salvation, but by His stripes I was healed. I remember saying, “I can eat anything I want to because eating right is not the bible (well it is the in Old Test.)” But I was young in my new found faith and for almost a year we ate crap and never ever had even a runny nose! That was the Lord’s mercy! The Lord did that for me at that time because I was new to trusting Him in this way. I was also staying up for HOURS searching the scriptures, singing, praying and speaking in tongues. The Lord honored my effort to meet with Him and know Him that He overlooked my silliness in the area of eating.

Nothing man does is good (my bible is packed away, but I think that is Romans 8) and knowing what man does to food we buy in stores, shame on me if I continue to eat them. EVERYTHING that comes from the Father’s hand is BRILLIANT!!! He made grains, seeds, nuts, brightly colored fruits and juicy vegetables, life giving oils, fresh milk, and fresh meat.

Man takes all the things God has made and alters them so drastically, that the end result is death. Take fruit for example. When I pull an apple off my tree, it is in its natural state, full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, nothing has tampered with it. It is perfect to meet the needs of my body. Now, when producers (man) get a hold of the apple, they spray it with chemicals to make it grow, spray it with chemicals to keep the bugs off it and they depending on how far it has traveled to reach its destination, it was probably sprayed or injected with more crap to give it a longer shelf life. The apple is older by weeks, maybe months and full of synthetic chemicals. Now if it is a can of apples they cook them at such a high heat and for so long, they cook all the good stuff right out. An apple at the store if NOT organic is about the same poor quality as a can of apples. But the apples from my tree are NUTRIENT DENSE, they are just flowing with cold fighters, anti age enzymes and they are powerhouses of energy (so now I don’t need coffee anymore.) I’ve know all this for years as my parents ate whole foods, but having 6 children, I got a little of course.

We have about 15 fruit trees in our yard. We have our own chickens and a raised bed garden. When I am out there tending my FOOD, I can totally understand why people worship the creation! There is a feeling that is like worship when you are handling what you will be nourishing your family with. There just is. Many of you know what I’m talking about! I’m always yelling, “Oh my gosh, kids come here, look what the Lord did, taste how beautiful and sweet this carrot is!” When I shove my hand deep into my compost pile and feel and see the steam, I’m excited! I’m so excited that I usually grab who’s ever around and let them experience the wonders and marvels of making your own soil!!!!!!

So, now I was thinking. Sometimes I think too much and sometimes not at all. But I’m thinking how I can incorporate my children’s LIFE-LONG learning process into gardening. How would we be able to do math, English, history and science (right there that is wrong thinking because I have segregated each subject, when in real life nothing is segregated, they all mesh at some point or another.)
We make our own herbal tinctures, we make our own Kombucha, make our own bread, we get a lot of our own fruit and vegs right from our OWN garden, we make our own soil, we grow our own wild flowers, THERE IS A WAY TO MAKE MONEY HERE! Could we do “school” and make money at the same time? I know we could!!!

Well, it time for me to get off the computer as we will be going in a couple of hours.

My weight is going down! I eat about 70% raw and the rest cooked beans and rice and sometimes In and Out! I go to they gym 4 days a week and physically and spiritually feel real good!

See you all next week with pictures.

Blessings,
Shannon

2010-03-13T16:10:00.000-08:00

Hello Sisters

Saturday's usually find me at the local park, drinking a Starbuck's, and reading some books while my children play. Because I have the 12 yog, 9 yog, and 7yob, they all keep an eye on Sophia so that I can actually read one whole page in it's entirety with me having to look up every 2 seconds!

I am working on a new menu for the next week which will feature no meat. I pull tried and true recipes from Allrecipies.com and copy out recipes from Nourishing Traditions and then put them in a plastic page protector to keep in my "recipes folder."

Up in kitchen I have 3 menus. One is listed M-Sun and tells me exactly what I am eating for breakfast each day. M, W, F we eat oatmeal with fruit and toast. T, Th, and Sat we eat fried egg sandwiches (from our own hens) along with smoothies. We have been going to a church on Saturday nights, so Sundays' are relaxed, long, enjoyable days at home in which breakfast casserole, homemade waffles, real butter and real maple syrup are essential to our family's happiness. :)

The other 2 menus (one lunch and one dinner) show what we will be eating M-Sun. If Sunday night we are eating Sweet Potato Casserole with a salad, then we will eat the same thing Monday afternoon. If Monday night we eat black beans, brown rice and a salad, then that is what we eat for Tuesday's lunch. The lunch and dinner menus change weekly, but not the breakfasts. I wanted to take pictures, but my camera is broken. :(

I shop once a week for everything I will be needing for the coming week and having a menu helps me save time and money not to mention it gives me relief knowing it's already planned out...which helps in keeping Mommy's joyful countenance! :)

A few weeks ago Eric and I celebrated our 19th anniversary enjoying Seal Beach, the same place we had our first date. The children stayed at home with the grandparents while Eric and I parked our van right up to the sand and enjoyed our "Hotel on the Beach!" We took out 2 rows of seats and the children laid down blankets, put in reclining chairs, put in a small coffee table and even hung up fresh flowers!

We had the beach pretty much to ourselves and we spent most of the time sitting in the van reading, praising the Lord, reading, sleeping, talking, eating, talking and we even made time to smooch...a lot!

We need to get ready for church. :) Have a great weekend! Remember...The Lord's GOODness and MERCY follow us every second through every minor crisis, every child's crying, whining, misbehaving attitude, every upset, angry non-compliant to our wishes husband !

Blessings,
Shannon

Messing up in parenting

2010-03-06T21:22:00.000-08:00

Hello Sisters

Tonight I was sitting on the porch swing. As my 17 yod walked away I asked the Lord, "where did I mess up?"

I'll tell you.

#1 I encouraged my daughter to "be someone" and attend college, career, money...etc...

#2 I haven't always respected my husband. The first 10 years of our marriage I would question him in front of the children (I still sometimes do, I try and shut my trap, but sometimes my flesh over takes me.)

#3 If mom doesn't respect dad, children do not respect dad. ugh!!!!!

#4 The BIGGEST problem. Moving through the day WITHOUT JOYFULNESS. Now I had moments of happiness, and joy, but I would let things (dirty clothes, spilled food, crying baby) steal my joy. I still do let things steal my joy. :( But, I am getting better. When a crisis hits, honestly I cave. But after a few minutes to an hour, sometimes over night, I re-group and move into joyfulness.

My oldest daughter wants to move out when she is 18, get a job, continue college. :( I am praying that she will turn her heart to the Lord and SEE that He created her to be a wife and a mom, not a career woman. She sees other Christian professional women, why not her? I told her for years "your going to college." The bible is right when it says you reap what you sow!

With my younger 3 girls we are enjoying, WITH JOY, daily homemaking tasks. My girls are pursuing baking and cooking and they see to tasks with a LIGHTNESS and a joy that I didn't have with Hanna.

I once read Michael Pearl say "JOY IS THE BEST GLUE FOR A FAMILY." He sure was right.

If I had a chance to do it all over again with my oldest, I'd choose MORE JOY!!!!!!

I don't have that chance to relive her whole childhood again, but I can CHOOSE JOY with the rest of my children.

I want to type more, but I promised Yatzee with the children. :)

Blessings,
Shannon

Took a little vacation...

2010-02-15T20:10:00.000-08:00

Hello Sisters!

As you can see I haven't been here in a while. Here's my good excuse. I joined LA Fitness the end of December and been going to the gym 4 days a week from 5:30am-7am. Which means I go to bed early (I try by 10pm) and get up early. I also quit caffeinated coffee and now my hot drink of choice is Good Earth Sweet and Sour decaf. I went back to eating about 70% raw foods.

I am purposed on loosing some weight, but more importantly, is gaining muscle. I was hot when I married my hubby and there is no reason why I can't be hot again! So, I'm working hard to loose weight, gain muscle and eat healthier.

When I get home from the gym the children are usually up doing their chores and we get into the day (Jesus and homeschooling) around 10am.

My oldest daughter Hanna is planning on serving Nancy Campbell who prints the Aboverubies.org magazine. Her magazine is dedicated to encouraging mothers in their HIGH calling! And what a wonderful calling it is!!! Hanna plans to go in April and stay for about 2 months. Nancy publishes this magazine, and has for the last 32 years, free for the asking. Hanna will work in the office 40 hours a week along with 3 other young ladies also serving. There will be no physical pay, but I am BELIEVING that Hanna will receive much more than money as she sets herself to serve and hear from the Holy Spirit for the direction for the next part of her life.

I wanted to tell you I have already taped 2 fat videos of me. One when I first started exercising and one about 2 weeks ago. I'll put those up in the next few weeks, so that I can do a third and will have lost a noticeable amount of weight so that I am not as embarrassed! :)

Well, it's time for me to go because Hanna needs my help fixing her laptop. You know, that's another reason why I don't get on the computer. I want to be available for my children. I don't want to be behind a computer nodding my head "yes, yep, etc..." while my children say, "mom, mom, help!" I want my children to always know they have my full attention! :) Hanna's here...see you later!

Blessings,
Shannon

Life is Good...

2009-12-22T15:42:00.000-08:00

Well, we serve a GOOD God, so how can we expect anything less?!

Here in Southern California the weather is about 70 degrees, the garden is slightly damp from the light shower we had last night. The wind is blowing the trash can lids down the street and the neighbors are sure to love thousands of leaves from our 60 foot Ash tree. The sky is a brilliant deep blue with fluffy white clouds over in the West, something that is rare in Los Angeles.

I've been spending time with the Lord in the afternoons on my bed admist unfolded laundry (lots of it), sharp pieces of Legos under my butt and legs (those feel good), and nail polish that the baby poured out on the wooden floor (and the girls white couch, white coffee table and all over her hands.) Just as I am praying for the older ones, the baby comes in to sit with me (I mean she wants boobs, wants to talk, wants me to play with her, etc...) so I ask her if she wants to pray with me and she says nothing but sits in my lap and repeats every last word I say.

I have let the children get away with not obeying the first time and this has been disasterous in the older ones. When I ask my older ones to do something, they will, but they argue a few times. Mom, I'm really busy now. Mom, can I finish my book first. Mom can you ask someone else. I didn't see this as a big problem years ago, but the older ones teach the younger ones and it SPREADS...like a disease. So, thats what I'm working on and on and on.

I DO NOT have perfect children. I think in alot of ways I have totally messed them up. But you know what, THANK GOD for Jesus who works in us to ever purify us and as we repent and encourages us in Him, we can in turn bless and correct and smile with our children. I can go from spanking to no spanking back to spanking again and then back and forth again. :) I still haven't figured it out yet. Only to say that I have learned that I should have either had stuck to spanking or no spanking. Either way you can still get good fruit if you are CONSISTENT and add LOTS OF GRACE (smiles, hugs, kisses, praises.)

Both Eric's father and my father are bachelors, so they come here every night for dinner. Tonight we plan to watch 700 Club, and play Yatzee and Uno Flash.

I have SO MUCH to be thankful for.....LIFE IS GOOD!

Blessings,
Shannon

Sophia's B-day , a better marriage

2009-11-06T10:47:00.000-08:00

Sophia's 2nd Birthday

Hello Sisters!

"Be merciful and gracious to me, O Lord, for to You do I cry all the day." Psalm 86:3

I've been crying a lot. I've been crying out over my flesh which seems to get the best of me. I think I'm the only one with these problems but then I remember Tami and Jim Baker, that gay pastor in Colorado (having sex with boyfriend, doing drugs and preaching against gays) and scores of other fallen Christians who look good on the outside, but inside are crumbling.

I have been thinking about all the different Christian women I know....who are divorced. One of them with 7 children "fell out of love" and her husband wasn't doing his "Christian duties as far as a father goes."

I COULD BE a divorced woman myself. My family knows I'm great at being a b*%$&. I'll walk Spirit controlled really good for a while. Then one day I "look" at my circumstances. I don't like what I see. I will think about it the next day when my husband brings home 99. cent laundry store soap instead of Trader Joe's laundry soap. This will go on unchecked for a few days, I will ignore the promptings of the Lord and then something else will happen and my anger grows inside my heart. That's how I turn into a B.

You'd think BY NOW....being married for almost 19 years, I'D SEE MY FLESH RISING UP AND CRUCIFY IT ON THE SPOT. The sad thing is......I don't. At least not most of the time.

I am determined to SLAP my flesh back A G A I N and A G A I N because I CAN do ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME.

I think I'll stay married to my husband. He is the father of my children, we enjoy each others company, that's saying a lot compared to most women I know!

I was given some advise by an older woman the day I was married on how to keep your man. #1 Lots of good food #2 Lots of GREAT sex. I'd like to add one thing. #3 Lots of admiring and praising towards your man. and for "me" #4 KEEP MY FLESH UNDER CONTROL.

I was thinking. Next time he makes me mad, I should just take him to the bedroom for some love-making. If I did that every time my flesh rose up, I might just have a new man, I mean, a NEW ME! :)

Blessings,
Shannon

Brothers and Sisters as Friends, EMERGENCY PRAYER

2009-10-09T22:01:00.001-07:00

PLEASE PRAY for my friends George and Denise Brass and their 4 boys. George is in the hospital for serious stomach problems. Please pray for God's mercy. :) THANK YOU!

Hello Sisters!

Hanna and Mattias (on the piano) are 18 months apart. They used to fight, argue, and say, "I'm never talking to them again!" Well, now Hanna is just about 17 and Mattias 15. Hanna is gone 2.5 days a week caring for her great-grandmother and she takes a college class. Mattias plays football 4 nights a week. They don't play like they used to. They don't run through sprinklers and throw mud at each other (o.k. Mattias does!)

My older 2 have entered into a season of sweetness and caring towards one another. Instead of fighting, they laugh together. Instead of arguing, they talk to one another. And instead of saying, "I'm never going to talk to them again," they sit on the couch and joke and giggle and I have to say 100 times, "you both be quiet!!!"

Yesterday I had a friend here. In the course of 2 hours of trying to talk with her, the baby wanted everything. The computer wouldn't work. The 6yob couldn't find his Lego's. I caught Mattias looking at the Yahoo sports page instead of doing his school work. Hanna couldn't find something. Bekah was somewhere around the house??? The 6yob had the squirts and his toy fell in the toilet. Then I heard, "mom, it's too late the baby flushed the toilet!"

At that point, I actually thought, "and why did you have all these children???" But as moms, WE ALL go through moments like these, right? :)

I can actually say, as they get older, it only gets better. And yes, I would do it all over again! :)

THE LORD IS GOOD AND HIS MERCY ENDURES FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blessings,
Shannon

Girls in the Kitchen

2009-08-04T14:12:00.001-07:00

From Garden to our Kitchen ~ Video and Pics

2009-07-20T14:40:00.000-07:00

Bekah picks Roma Tomatoes and Sweet Basil in the garden.

After dehydrating at 125 degrees for about 7-9 hours, this is what the finished product looks like. The texture is that of a raisin.

The weather is hot and my tomatoes are multiplying by the dozens. I was wondering what I should do with so many, and a simple internet search led me to sun dried tomatoes. I don't know why I didn't think of this myself since I often buy small jars of sun dried tomatoes at Trader Joe's for about $4.50.

After drying them I soaked about 2 cups full (of the dried tom.) in about 1/4-1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil, along with oregano (mostly this herb), some basil, sea salt, and garlic. I put all this into a little crockery jar with a tight sealing lid and shook it throughout the day (left out on the counter) to distribute the dressing.

After 24 hours, a loaf of my daughter's homemade Artisan bread, and these tomatoes, well needless to say it was a complete and absolutely delicious meal that anyone would have paid $$$ for!

The next video will show the finished product!

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ Video of kitchen, speaking right, CHEA convention

2009-07-09T22:19:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters!

I'm sitting here nursing a baby in one arm and typing with the other, sounds familiar to many of you I'm sure. Last week we spent many days at the West Coast Believers Convention in Long Beach put on by the Copelands. You can see the entire convention via internet at .

Eric and I both can see areas where we have let things slip and so now we are in the {fun} process of taking things captive, making adjustments in our thinking and speaking. HOW important it is to make sure what we say lines up with what scripture says.

For instance, the scripture says "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." (I believe Jeremiah 29?) So, if this is what the scripture says, then WHY would we speak the opposite? Does God tell us ANYWHERE to speak contrary to His Word? Right away, what comes to my mind, are a couple of people who professed their own coming death by speaking the circumstances, and those who believed they would not (or who believed they would maybe) get their healing. Both camps got it alright, the ones who spoke death got it and the ones who spoke NO healing, sure enough, didn't get healed.

Can someone just speak over and over again "I'm healed, I'm healed" and get healed. I don't think so, not if they are not believing that they really are healed. It's the BELIEVING what His Word says (contrary to circumstances) and just agreeing (confessing) with what He said it ALREADY ours. It's the BELIEVING, WITHOUT A DOUBT that you have received what you asked for, that will bring manifestation into the physical realm. WHEW!!!! The Lord is MIGHTY!!!

I'm doing some praying about direction for our school year, we have been making freezer dinners like crazy and then we eat them all!!!, we have been going to bed late and getting up late which I hate but it seems like that's what happens in the summer! I haven't exercised in 2 weeks for various reasons all of which are excuses but they are good ones! My garden looks beautiful but the fruit is a little mushy from over watering, but I'm not giving up!

The days here in Southern California (Long Beach area) have been AWESOME! Weather has been about 75 degrees during the days with a nice constant gentle ocean breeze. There hasn't been a summer with such perfect weather in the last 5 or more years!

I'm going to be trying to work on my blog, but...it takes me almost forever to learn to do something, so for now things are a little ticky-tacky.

If any of you ladies are going to the CHEA convention, my hubby and I will be there tomorrow night for the Trojan Horse movie at 8pm (which BTW is free!) maybe we can hook up. :)

Blessings,
Shannon :)

Journal ~ Home Happenings

2009-06-13T01:38:00.000-07:00

Cream cheese on top, whey falling into pitcher. 18 qt. bread bucket with a little sourdough from the last batch and 6 c. of whey instead of water.

Mikayla who is in charge of dairy products. Here she is making kiefer.

Hello Sisters'

Life is SO good isn't it?

As a believer we can be assured our family is TOTALLY safe under the Shadow of the Most High. (Psalm 91:1, & 10) Do you believe that? Can we know 100% that we will live a LONG and GOOD life? (Psalm 91:16) Maybe, maybe not?? If it's in the bible, we had better act and move in our daily life like we REALLY believe what it says. Our neighbors are watching us, not only our neighbors, but our children. And they will either giggle and roll their eyes when we talk spiritual, or they will nod their head in agreement when we are pressing onto VICTORY in a difficult situation.

I haven't been spending a lot of time in the Word, but I have been spending my evenings in the kitchen. :) I have been making bread, keifer, yogurt, sour cream, and freezer meals all with my girls. Usually they poop out around 8pm and I continue until the work is done. As I wash dishes, stir cooking beans, and stare with satisfaction on my sour cream as it separates from the whey, I pray. I have been praying for my husband and each of my children and for SPECIFIC requests and direction. After I pray for each member I usually sing a song or two. Tonight after the work was done, I opened up my bible to this scripture.

May my prayer be counted as incense before Thee; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering. Psalm 141:2

Pretty cool ay? THE LORD IS ALWAYS GOOD!!!!

Shannon

Some more recent pics...

2009-06-05T22:48:00.000-07:00

Sophia Rose 1.5 years

Apron I sewed myself (first real project!)

Camping in Ventura Ca. a few weeks ago

Some Pics...

2009-06-05T22:39:00.000-07:00

Bekah and Mikayla doing some late night quilting while Elias looks
on wondering if he should go to sleep or stay up so that he
doesn't miss out on ....... whatever it is 6 yobs think everyone
else will be doing!

I forgot I had a blog! and family picture...

2009-06-01T14:55:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters!

I haven't been here in such a long time, even as I type "sisters" my daughters laughed and said, "Mom, no one even goes to your blog!" O.K., so that maybe true. I don't really have anything to say lately as I have been spending many many months focusing on the physical (recipes, sewing, cleaning the home, gardening, etc...). I'm in a season where I've been spending not so much time digging into His Word, but rather I've had short readings, and have been singing and talking to Him throughout the day. I plan to keep you up on what I've been doing with pictures, but at the present, I can't find my camera cord. I will do that real soon!

I've made a beautiful apron and my garden is huge! Pictures of those to come. :)

Shannon

Journal ~ Joy and Children

2009-04-27T23:36:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters!

Sometimes, I get on here, ready to write and do not know what to say. Do I tell you how pretty my home is? Do I tell you when I sit at my dining room table I can look out at my garden, orange tree, bird feeder/ waterer, and abundant green shrubs? Do I tell you how nicely my daughters keep the home clean? Do I tell you how BLEST I am?

When I begin to write, I don't know what I'm going to say. Usually I sit here for a good 10 minutes thinking, "how can I say that without sounding like I'm bragging?"

But brag I will, because everything I am, everything I have, is ALL BECAUSE OF JESUS, nothing is about me, it is all about Him and is GOODness!

Do I have my "don't want to brag, I'm ticked off, nothing is good in my life moments?" Sure I do, I had one just recently, but I *choose* not to stay down for long. Usually a bad day, is just that, only a day to lick my wounds, (and shame on me for even allowing that!) but I usually re-group at night when the children are asleep. I re-group by going back into the Word and renewing my mind to HIS way of thinking, then I realize how silly I was, THANK Him for His forgiveness and then I'm back on track!

Things are blooming here at our house! One of our apricot trees is just full of sweet, orange, juicy apricots. Just this afternoon my 6 yob grabbed my hand and said, "Mom, you've got to see how GOOD God is! You've got to see what He has done!" He then led me to our apricot tree, told me to close my eyes, and placed a ripe fruit into my hands and told me to eat up. As I was enjoying the fruit and his excitement of God's handiwork, be began to tell me how he had also been praying for our neighbor. Wow! That's what parents want to hear!

Mattias 14 yob, just went out for his "very first" boy's night out without a parent (not sure what to call it.) He went out with the 18 yob neighbor who is a strong believer and they went to the Mighty Ducks Playoff game at the Anaheim Pond. Mattias has his own business mowing lawns so he paid for it all himself.

Hanna 16 yog, who is attending Cerritos College will be singing her own song tomorrow night at their Spring Concert.

I, 38 yog, am working on sewing a beautiful flower print with pockets apron. I bought it because it said, "sew today, wear tonight." So far I've had it almost 3 weeks. I'm a little more than half way finished.

I'm been feeling lots of joy lately, hmmmm, I thought, that's funny because I'm not one to be motivated by feelings (unless the words Starbucks or bookstore are in the topic), anyhow, I have just been THANKFUL that He would allow me to experience these feelings! THANK YOU JESUS! When they come on me, I just stop for a moment, smile, and acknowledge Him and THANK HIM that I can be in the place of JOYFULNESS. There are a few circumstances in my life that don't look to good, but JOY pulls you up to a higher realm and makes light of your concerns. JOY casts ALL your cares on Jesus, lets Him work them out so that we can JOYFULLY, with SMILES enJOY our home, husband and children. :)

THE JOY OF THE LORD, WILL BE MY STRENGTH!

Blessings,
Shannon

Some Spring Pic's

2009-04-07T23:24:00.000-07:00

Elias cutting up some old vegs for the compost bucket.

Tender Green Leaf lettuce.

1 of 2 of our Fig trees.

Chicken coop.

Journal ~ Spring and Passover

2009-04-07T22:17:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters!

I don't which is my favorite season, fall or spring? I guess it would be fall because that reminds me of the constant heat and discomfort of summer is just about through (we have no insulation and therefore have no a/c).

Spring invites me to get out the shovel, start seedlings, and implement a new gardening idea. Spring also creates in us girls an itch to re-decorate the home, or at least move furniture around. Spring is also a time where I beg hubby to loosen up on the pocket book so that us girls can buy material, lace, ribbon, and anything at our nearest craft and fabric store.

I decided to do a "front-yard" garden this year. I got out the ol' shovel and removed the grass in a 2 foot by 35 foot plot. I planted that about 2 weeks ago and have since made a small 4 foot by 4 foot flower garden for the girls, because as you can guess, seeing Mom out there having so much fun, they too get the gardening itch!

We have a huge Ficus tree which grows about 2 feet from our east facing dining room window. From the kitchen and dining room, if you look out the window in an eastwardly direction you not only see the beautiful garden, but under the Ficus I have a porch swing, some big comfy chairs, some pillows and hopefully soon a coffee table.

I'm not really one to have a garden in my front yard because I enjoy the privacy of my own backyard. I LIKE to work in the yard with no bra under my t-shirt and sporting my greasy hair, no once can see me and my kids don't mind a bit. I can't do that in the front yard! But, I have to say that since I've been in the front yard I sure have been talking to more neighbors, so I have been praying for the right people at the right time. And it's not even about me "preaching" to them, many times I am encouraged by my neighbors of other religions. I just want to share His love, it's ALL ABOUT JESUS, not about us.

This week we are off "school" and doing lots of relaxing, reading and we are working on a Passover drama which we will have at the end of the week to celebrate Passover. When we talk about Passover we talk about the Passover and how it was celebrated years ago and how Jesus as Messiah fits into the picture.

If your interested a good web site with lots of info on Passover is heartofwisdom.com

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ Homeschooling, NOT Spanking

2009-03-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters!

I am alive and well, despite me not blogging in over a month!

I have been consumed with hsing and parenting, and have made drastic changes. I never thought I'd use curriculum, but I have been using Oak Meadow with a few of my children and we ALL absolutely LOVE it!

In a nutshell, OM is not curriculum where you read a bunch of info. and then answer a bunch of questions. OM, causes children to think. The assignments cause the child to research, or simply finish a story how "they think it should be ended," or "pretend you were in that group of children, would you do that, or would you stand for truth, why or why not?" So, I am praying and planning on how to use OM with multiple children, which seems to pose a challenge just because of the fact the children cannot go to an answer book and mark off "wrong" or "right." Mom needs be highly involved, but not in planning, only in listening and feedback.

Another change is that I am not spanking. Why? Because most of the time I had spanked I was at least a little angry. I don't want to be angry at all, for me, any anger is just not acceptable.

Today we were at the neighbors who were having a party. There were some boys hitting and my son came over to ask me to punish them. I told him I couldn't because they are not mine. In front of all the kids and parents he yelled, "mean Mom!" and stormed away. Then he ignored me when I called! All eyes were on me. I glanced up to see about 18 eyeballs glancing from me, to my son, to the sky and back again to me.

My first thought was, I don't care what others think of me.

I finally persuaded him come to me. We then sat in the grass together, and talked for almost 10 minutes. After only a few minutes he was willingly in my lap stroking my arm. When he got up, not only was he noticeably happy, he kissed me! All the parents saw that! :) I felt like I had done something more than just spank him, and we came up with a plan to avoid naughty boys and what to do if they still persist. All this through talking, it is rather quite nice. :)

I am doing a lot of praising and thanking my children for the little things they do throughout the day such as doing their school work promptly, their chores, helping their siblings with kindness, etc... I have also been laying hands on their shoulders or head and praying for them...that carries much weight in the spiritual realm.

Do I think spanking is wrong, no. It's just not an option for me at this time in my life.

I started my period today a year and a half since Sophia Rose was born, wow, that's a long time, huh?

My hubby and son just got home, the rest of the children are asleep, so I guess I will go have some tea, dark chocolate and read with hubby.

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ I found a live in cook!, Moth

2009-02-07T00:23:00.000-08:00

Hello Sisters!

I have gotten back on our MOTH schedule and things are a little easier around here. :) The family does SO MUCH better when everyone knows what to do and when to do it! One of my daughters said to me, "Mom, I'm so glad we are back on track, I get so much done."

Even if you are an unschooler in method, the MOTH will work for you. Your schedule would be something like....8am wake, 10-1 pursue interests, 1-1:30 lunch, 1:30-2 exercise, 2-3 clean, etc... For many years we unschooled, but needed a schedule because our family is so large and we had/have so many chores to get done.

My 11 yog has taken over preparing/cooking the evening meals 4 times a week for $10 a week (I know, I'm getting a bargain!) I've never been excited about cooking because it seems to just take away from what I need/want to do, but alas, we ALL have to eat, so cook I must. As much as I like the Duggers, their favorite dinner of tater tots and soup from a can mixed together and cooked in the oven is not "my" type of meal. If I'm cooking, its FRESH vegs and fruits, lots of garlic, extra virgin olive, red onions and bell peppers.

Last night as my daughters prepared the meal, I actually SAT, (yes, sat) in the hs room and opened up to Psalm 91 and read it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I haven't read the bible in the evening, alone, while dinner was being made in years!!!! I just thanked the Lord for His goodness and blessing on my family and I thanked Him for leading Bekah to begin this cooking journey for our family. (Thank you Bekah! :)

Today we went to Whole Foods and bought some seeds as I want to start sprouting again. We have been eating daily, breakfast sandwiches which consist of cheese, onions, cucumbers and tomatoes...we've been missing the sprouts. I also have a secret, I've gained a few too many pounds, so, it's off to raw eating for me, for a least a while. It's a quick way for me to loose the pounds and re-gain a ton of energy, now, if I only had the will power to s. t. a. y. raw!

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ Textbooks and Lots of Praise!!!

2009-01-28T23:48:00.000-08:00

Hello Sisters!

I have to confess, I've been getting the lazies about blogging. In the last few weeks I've had 2 big changes, so I have a valid excuse.

With 6 children things can sometimes be a little crazy around here, to say the least, so sticking to my Managers of Their Home schedule is vital to accomplishing anything. My older 2 children have been asking me for their "own" books and schedule because they do not want to do "school" with the youngers anymore. I don't blame them. Between dirty diapers, child training, spilled juice, and dog poop on shoes, they were really wasting a lot of time just "waiting" for Mom.

Since I so much enjoyed Teri's book MOTH and Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit, I thought I'd give her book MOTHomeschool a try. Well, her experience with unit studies and other methods of hsing sounds just like mine. Her family finally gave it up at went to text books, and like I said I am a die-hard eclectic hsing fan, but I have in the last 2 weeks switched the older 3 to texts and guess what??? THEY LOVE IT!!!!! They love doing things on their own without having to wait for Mom and they actually press themselves to dig deeper into their studies because they "want to."

The younger 2 (8 yog and 5 yob) have their little "learning bags" with their MUS (math-u-see) book, and a blank notebook where we practice handwriting, and they also keep their other reading books in there that we read during afternoon snuggle/book time. The 1 yog just comes along for the ride! :)

Another big change came about when I read something (now I can't remember where I read it), but anyway it was talking about children's behavior. It said if you are having dificulty with a child, DON'T FOCUS ON HIS ATTITUDE OR BEHAVIOR, FOCUS IN STEAD ON YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. Bad behavior has been meet by me with snuggles, kisses, smiles, words of encouragement and praise. I HAVE SEEN SUCH A BEAUTIFUL BLOOMING IN MY CHILDREN, ALL OF THEM, just in the last few weeks, that I don't want to go back to my old self. My 5 yob can blurt out to his 14 yob, "you never play with me, I hate you." Instead of me getting upset with him, I'm looking at why he said that. Hmmm, he is right, they need a structured time to play daily, not just "when we have time." And, it would help if I'd cut them some apples and maybe make a nice sandwhich and tell them to have a picinic....I've been doing this by the way, and my 5 yob will AUTOMATICALLY CORRECT HIMSELF (not every time yet) but most of the time he will.

I try to offer praise and encouragement MUCH, MUCH more than I did. I compliment them when I can and when correction is needed, we talk about it and by talking about it 9.9 times out of 10, they self-correct themselves. To me, it is like my relationship with Jesus. He shows me where I am missing it, and because He is so gentle and encouraging, I usually (9.9 times out of 10 ) self-correct myself. Just by SPENDING TIME with my Father I can self-correct. He is showing me how my children look to me (and how I respond to them) as a picture of how I look to Him and how He responds to me. Pretty awesome huh? We have an awesome Father!!! It's all about Him!!!!

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ Organizing......with a little fun in between!

2009-01-13T21:54:00.000-08:00

Wedding we attended a few weeks ago

Hello Sisters!

It has been about a month since I've been here! I've been trying to organize my life a little better, in many different ways.

I'm working on a new Managers of Their Homes schedule which incorporates the older 2 children (16 yog and 14 yob) learning on their own. For the last few years they have asked for a "set guide line" as far as schooling goes, but I'm a stubborn die hard eclectic hs mom (which means I unschool to unit studies...BUT NOT TEXT BOOKS!) Well, they pretty much said, "stop it Mom, give us text books, we don't want to work the younger ones any more."

After not being able to find any text books that let the imagination grow, I re-discovered Oak Meadow curriculum and have ordered science and history for them. I have about 2,000 books in our home library, so I will have the older ones delve into the areas they are interested in with Christian material to supplement their science and history.

I ordered the Charlotte Mason Pack A from Queenhomeschool.com and will use it with the 5 yob and 8 yog since they enjoy to learn together.

So, you could say I am trying to be more diligent about their studies, which I am.

I am also reading Senior-High Form+u+la by Shelton, which is wonderful because she always brings the reader back to the reason we started hsing in the first place, to spend time with our children, to watch them grow, to laugh with them, learn with them, and have FUN with them...and growing WITH our children into a deeper relationship with the Lord.

Which is why.......we are going to spend a good part of the day at the beach tomorrow! Both grandpas are coming along and are treating us to breakfast burritos and coffee. My father takes awesome pictures, so I will share those pic's with you next time I write. :)

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ More Sex Makes for a REALLY Happy Family

2008-12-18T15:18:00.000-08:00

Hello Sisters!

I'm sitting here with my Starbucks Iced Soy Latte add whip and a truffle from Trader Joes (actually 4 truffles, but I'm not gonna eat anymore!) Have you noticed that your relationship with your husband, children and the Lord are so much better when your having lots of good sex? It's the good sex with hubby that makes him happy, he makes you happy, you make the children happy, everyone is happy and because everyone is so happy you WANT to get up earlier and spend time with the Lord who actually invented this beautiful act of love making.

I'm reminded of a caller on Dr. Laura who said her husband was staying out late with the boys. She wanted to know how to get him home. Dr. Laura said "tell him your having sex every night at 6pm. and then do so faithfully for at least 2 weeks, he will be home alright!"

If some of you look at sex as a chore, it shouldn't be. If it's work, then you are missing it somewhere. Correct the problem and for heaven sakes, bless your man!...it will only come back to bless you! :)

I got the "Road Less Traveled" cd by Serene and Pearl, daughters of Nancy Campbell, and it is really nice. The words are right-on and very encouraging for us wife's. When we were in the van last, my 14 yob said, "what track it the kissing song?" I started thinking, my son is hearing women sing about the good times and hard times of a marriage/family relationship and how in the end, we come out on the "prosperous/blessing" side if we will CHOOSE to stay walking in the LOVE command (John 15).

While many are out and about, going crazy with Christmas shopping, we are not. For the last 2 weeks, and the next 2 weeks I have had no going here and there! YEA!!!!!!!! We have gone to the library in the last 2 weeks and have had some neighbors over, but that is about it. IT'S SO WONDERFUL TO JUST STAY AT HOME AND TALK ABOUT JESUS AND ENJOY YOUR CHILDREN AND HUSBAND, THERE IS NOTHING BETTER!!!!!!!!

We are not opposed to Christmas at all, but we don't "get into it" as some do. We simply tell the children the truth. Many Christians celebrate Jesus' B-day, but Jesus said to remember His DEATH, and so we do so daily. Christmas is pagan in its orgins, you can't refute that, but we don't want to judge, some believers feel that Christmas is important and that is fine to. What is important, is that we WALK IN LOVE everyday of the year.

We have a simple breakfast on Christmas morning with extended family and pretty much sit around and talk for a few hours. We don't to the presents thing except for a few for the younger ones and younger cousins.

I have so much to write, but the baby is awake and needs some one to read to her. :) Elias (5) got a book about Star Wars and wants to lie in bed, snuggle and read, so off I go. Will talk in a few days. :)

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ Manifestation and Hiddeness

2008-12-04T22:19:00.000-08:00

Hello Sisters!

I have about 10 minutes to write and share with ya all what's been happening in my life. Well, the best thing is that I have been diligent to wake up every morning at 5:30am to spend time with the Lord! I am so thankful that He makes time to talk me and listen to me...isn't He SOOO WONDERFUL?!?!?!?!? I have been praying for my teenagers and especially that they would not just "know" that Jesus is good because mom and dad say so, but that they would EXPERIENCE it for themselves. The ONLY way this will happen is if "I" am in a season of experiencing the Lord myself. There are times when His physical blessings are manifest and active in our life, that is when we are lifting our hands and rejoicing and He in return continues to pour on us blessings running over. Then there are times when nothing much "seems" to be going on the the physical blessing area, but these times are when we get to enter into His presence and He takes us on a spiritual journey and shows us things that "were" hidden and reveals them to us. He shows us where we are "missing it" and how to get back on track.

We go from standing tall, praising His name, and lifting our hands... to prostrating ourselves flat out on the floor and worshipping Him. The first experience is manifestation and the next is hiddeness. Hiddeness is best I think.

Our oldest Hannah, will be 16 on the 13th! She wants a purity ring, racing bicycle, and a night at the Sheraton Hotel with a friend and grandma.

Mattias 14, is looking forward to taking college classes 3 times a week, all wood working.

Bekah 11, is a wonderful writer and helps me with my vocabulary very often and hopes to get her cookie business off and running before Christmas.

Mikayla 8, loves to dance, loves her sisters, and just recently took off in reading.

Elias 5, is discovering Legos (thank goodness his brother plays with him!) and is a wonderful gardener.

Sophia 1 year and 1 month, walks only while pushing the recycling trash can around the kitchen and dining room. We call her a "tick" as she frequently waits by the living room door just waiting for someone to take her outside or pick her up and carry her outside. All the children love her and have their own special thing they enjoy to play with her from "Spin the Baby," to "Let's Change a Diaper."

What can I say? The Lord is GOOD and His blessings are for His children, THANK YOU JESUS!

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ A Word from the Lord, Love Dare Book

2008-11-20T22:38:00.000-08:00

Hello Sisters!

Well, I've had a really good week, and none of it was to my credit, but only to His credit...things, EVERYTHING, goes so much better when we are spending time with the Father! AMEN!

A few mornings ago I got up late and had only about 20 minutes to spend reading the Word and talking to the Lord. I was disappointed in myself for being lazy and sleeping in when I said, "Lord, I know this lady and that lady and they say they only spend 15 minutes a day with you, why do I have to spend so much time with you?" And He spoke back to me, "BECAUSE THAT'S ALL THEY NEED, THEY ONLY WANT HELP WITH THE NATURAL, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU WANT, YOU WANT THE SUPERNATURAL." wow!!!!!!!!!!!! I just about jumped up and started shouting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes Lord, YES LORD, I said, I don't want the natural, I do want the supernatural, I've tasted and seen that the Lord HE IS GOOD and I don't ever want to go back to mundane, natural living, I want to be always increasing in the things of the Lord!!!!

A neighbor bought me the book "Love Dare" from the movie Fireproof, which by the way I really enjoyed (so did my hubby!) I worked on day 1 today, which is PATIENCE. Love is HELD UP by 2 pillars. One pillar is patience and the other is kindness. Together patience (practicing patience lets us avoid problems) and kindness (kindness causes blessings) ALLOWS LOVE TO WORK. I decided to go through the book with my children every morning because it's not only relevant to the husband/wife relationship, but also the sibling/sibling relationship. This morning we drew and made wood rods. One rod says PATIENCE, the other says KINDNESS, and they are holding up the rod of LOVE. To give you a better visual, LOVE is the curtain rod and PATIENCE and KINDNESS are the curtains on each side. I wasn't planning on doing this or even reading the book, but I'm quite glad I am. :) Throughout our day we see our drawings and the wood statue on the dining room table and we ALL really did exercise patience! :)

Here was our scripture today...

"See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but ALWAYS SEEK AFTER THAT WHICH IS GOOD FOR ONE ANOTHER." 1 Thess. 5:15

What came to my mind is how many times I am offended by my hubby, how I can get very touchy. When this happens I feel like, "yea, thanks for blowing me off, o.k. you wanted some tea? Go get it yourself buster!" That's what I FEEL like. But TRUE LOVE is not swayed by feelings, TRUE LOVE is motivated by faith in God's Word. We can overlook our husband's transgression because our Father overlooks ours and I can speak for myself when I say if we are counting transgressions (and by the way we're not) my would be double of my husband's, probably even triple!

When I don't want to be favorable towards my hubby it does help me to not "look" at my hubby, but instead just look unto Jesus and do it for Him. It may not be the RIGHT motive, but it helps me during that moment when I feel like I'm going to explode. And, it works for our benefit anyhow because later on when the house is quiet and hubby snuggles up next to you, we get to reap the benefits. :)

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ Don't wait for God to do something, exercise your authority!

2008-11-15T08:06:00.000-08:00

Sophia standing next to our little winter garden.

Hello Sisters!

It is a beautiful clear sunny morning here in Southern California. I had gotten up early to spend time in the Word, which I did...YEA...but just when I thought I'd have some time to get on the computer the children wake up. So...I'm letting them watch Cyberchase, and eat chocolate chips while I write this. :)

Have you ever heard people say, "I wish that God would just remove that from me." As if "God" had some part in it. If you read the gospels, you can see that Jesus is ALWAYS willing, but we have to do the "acting." Like an overeater who always sticks her hands in the cookie jar and continues to cry out, "Lord, help me stop overeating!" Well, God is not going to come down from heaven and help, he already did ALL THE HELPING He is going to do when Jesus died and rose from the grave. God gave ALL POWER to Jesus and Jesus in return gave ALL POWER to us. ALL POWER for us to E X E R C I S E our flesh and slap it back. We are the ones (not some cosmic power from above) who need to say, "no flesh, in Jesus name I will not eat that cookie, in Jesus name, body I command you to straighten up and quit eating when your not hungry." TALK TO THE THING THAT NEEDS REMOVING....Jesus showed us His example when He talked to the fig tree and the storm.

"For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace." Romans 8 (the WHOLE chapter is wonderful!)

This week I have been having to (well, this is all the time, but this week more so!) really choose as Joel Osteen would say, "The Higher Road." I have had lots of situations this week where I could have freaked out, but instead I chose the Higher Road. The Higher Road is the road of NO OFFENSE, we are not offended when we have every right to be. The Higher Road chooses to overlook a matter and ACT and SPEAK in love and kindness, knowing that acting in a way like this will bring closure, peace and healing to a matter (although not always right away. :) The Higher Road ALWAYS is LOVING because Jesus said in John 15 "A new command I give you, LOVE ONE ANOTHER." The Higher Road always works, because it is Jesus and Jesus ALWAYS works on our behalf to prosper us and bless us spiritually and physically.

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ Remodel, Can You Be Healed and Loose Your Healing (Article), Family Life

2008-11-04T22:18:00.000-08:00

This is small section of our learning room.

Hello Sisters!

In the last year we have gone through 3 major remodels. We did a 2-room and bathroom addition (boys area and my library, plus wash area), a kitchen and now a remodeled (2nd) bathroom. These were not just paint and new fixtures, but all these were completely gutted and taken down to the studs remodel. I DON'T EVER WANT TO GO THROUGH A REMODEL AGAIN, nor would I recommend it (specially with 6 children.) If you've gone through one you know what I'm talking about, if not, ask someone who has. This last one was very difficult, but I'm still married and our children still love us...(yes it was really that hard!)

Eric thought it was fine for us to give up our bedroom and turn it into a "learning room." I like the idea, but I also feel I want the privacy a bedroom affords. While we were remodeling the bathroom (the bathroom is inside of the bedroom) we put our king size bed into the girls backroom. Of course they LOVE it! They love the snuggles and we rotate who sleeps with us at night, but I'm ready for a little alone time. I told my hubby since our new bathroom is so big and nice, we should move into it! So, we don't quite know what we are going to do as far as sleeping goes.

Today us girls downloaded into our TIVO the first episode of Wives and Daughters (a BBC production) and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. The wives respected the husbands and the daughters respected their parents, I haven't seen this in any movie or t.v. show in SO LONG! It was actually very refreshing for me (probably because I needed some encouragement after having gone through our remodel) and the girls voiced the same thoughts and we talked about how we can act respectful even though we DON'T FEEL respectful, something portrayed throughout the show many, many times.

After the show we went to 31 Flavors for $1 scoop night, and then we just had to have $1 slice of pizza, which was next door. :)

Tomorrow is my son's last football game for the season and his team is ranked #2, so we will see if he moves on. My hubby thinks this will have "gotten it out of his system"....I'm not too sure.

How did you all like the NGJ feature article "Cloistered Homeschool Syndrome?" Pretty good huh?

If you go to the below link, you can catch all of Gloria's and Billye's messages on studying Hebrew words...this is MEAT teaching! Also, if you like David Barton (and most homeschoolers do) you can see him teaching about America's founding.

http://www.kcm.org/media/index.php?p=media

Blessings,
Shannon

Enjoy the article below....IT'S REALLY GOOD!

Get Your Victory and Keep It

by Kenneth Copeland

Years ago when I was a student at Oral Roberts University, a woman came up to me and told me that after some investigation she had concluded that God had taken His hand off Oral Roberts. When I asked her what had brought her to that conclusion, she explained that she'd seen a number of people miraculously healed during his meetings. She'd been present and witnessed those incidents herself. In fact, in many cases she'd checked with the people after the service to determine for sure that they were actually healed. But the problem was that sometime later she'd followed up on these people and discovered that many of them were not healed anymore.

I remember after she told me that, I just stood there for a moment. It didn't make sense to me to conclude that God had taken His hand off of Oral Roberts just because those people had lost their healing. But I told her I'd pray about it.

So I prayed about it. That's when I began to understand about Satan's counterattacks. I began to see that when we have a mighty victory in God, the devil doesn't just give up and go home. Oh, no. He waits around for an opportunity, and then he launches a counterattack in order to turn that victory back into defeat.

The Word warns us about that in Ephesians 4:27. There we're told to give no place to the devil. That says to me that if you give him any place; he'll take it. In other words, you have to stay alert and keep your shield of faith high because if you don't, he'll turn around and steal back from you the ground you just took.

Some believers make the double mistake of letting that happen and then blaming it on God or on the ministers of God. “Well, Brother Copeland,” they'll say, “I just don't understand why Sister So-and-So had that sickness. I mean, if there ever was anybody faithful to God, it was her."

Don't ever get caught saying something like that. Follow the advice of one of the great men of faith of the twentieth century, Jesse Winley, pastor of a church in Harlem, and “don't ever put your righteousness up beside God's and say that God is the problem.”

God is not the problem. He doesn't make mistakes. If anybody is making a mistake, it's us.

God's Word says healing is for us. Jesus has already paid for it. Deliverance is for us. Victory is for us. So if there's any problem, it's in our receiving, not with His providing. He's already done His part.

Let me show you what I mean. One day I was asking God for more power. I was really intense about it. “Oh God, give me more of Your power. I just need more power.”

As I was praying, however, God interrupted me and said, “Kenneth, I want to ask you something. Where am I going to turn?”

“What are You talking about, Lord?” I answered.

“You asked Me for more power. Where am I going to turn to get it?” He asked. “Who can I turn to and say, ‘Kenneth needs more power. I’ve already given him Myself, but that wasn’t enough. Could you give us some more?’ There’s nobody for Me to say that to, son. I’m the end of the line. I’m Number One.”

Then He said something that astonished me. He said, “I could have filled you with an angel. But I didn’t. I didn’t entrust you to an angel or any other created being. I came Myself. That’s Me on the inside of you. Now, if you’ll begin to act like that’s Me in there, you’ll realize you have all the power you need to do whatever I’ve called you to do.”

So I asked Him, “What’s been my problem then?”

“You’ve been asking for more power when you already have the power,” He said. “You’ve been depending too much on how you feel about it. Rise up now and walk in faith. I’ll do the rest. You just act like the New Testament is one hundred percent true.”

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But it works!

You see, the problem is not with God. In fact, the more I prayed about it, the more I realized that it was not because God had taken His hand off Oral Roberts that those people had lost their healing. No, the problem was that after they left the meeting and got out into the everyday world again, they fell back into their old thinking patterns. They let their faith down. They gave the devil an opening.

Then when the first symptom of that old disease came along, they said, “Oh dear, look at that. I thought I was healed, but I guess I’m not.” They fell victim to the devil’s counterattack. They didn’t expect it, and they weren’t prepared for it. So they inadvertently allowed him to turn their victory into defeat. If we don’t look out, that can happen to any of us.

It doesn’t have to, however. You can stand successfully against the devil’s strategies! But before you do, you’re going to have to make three quality decisions, three decisions about which there is no debate and from which there is no retreat.

First, you must make the Word of God the final authority in your life. I’m not talking about taking half of a verse of scripture and twisting it around to say what you want. I mean you make a decision to become a serious student of the Word of God and to line up your thinking with whatever it says.

Next, you must decide to live your life by faith in what God has said. The Bible says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Once the Word is your authority, you decide that you’re going to operate by faith in the Word of God, to act and speak and live as though that Word is true regardless of what your physical senses may have to say about it.

Finally, you must decide to live by the love of God because faith works by love. Without love, your faith won’t function. Without the Word, you can’t have faith. So don’t try to make any one of these decisions without the other two. You need to make all three of them, specifically, on purpose--at a given time, on a given day.

I suggest you get alone with God, take the elements of the covenant, get down on your knees before Him, and as you take communion say:

“In the name of Jesus, I commit myself from this day forward to use my energy and my strength on this earth to live by the Word of God, to live by my faith, and to live by the love of God.”

Once these decisions are made, you’re ready to stand up against the devil. So, with that foundation, I want to give you now the five basic steps to victory. If you’ve received very much from God, you’re already familiar with them. They’re simple. They’re consistent.

But let me warn you about something. Knowing them, even memorizing them, is not enough. It never did a hungry person any good to think about what a potato tastes like. Not even if he can remember it perfectly. Your memory won’t do anything but feed your mind. It won’t feed your body. It’s good to have the Word of God in memory, but it’s also necessary to go directly to the Word of God, to feed your spirit with it, and to keep yourself in constant check.

I’m a pilot. If I had to, I could quote to you the take-off procedures of the airplanes that I fly. That’s good to have them memorized. But I don’t go by memory when I fly. I take out the checklist and use it every time. So, learn these principles. Commit the Word of God to memory. But don’t ever let memory substitute for getting that Word before your eyes on a daily basis.

STEP ONE: Since you’ve already made the Word of God your final authority, your first step to victory is to go to the Word of God and find out the promises that cover your situation.
Second Peter 1:4 says that God has given us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of [or as one translation says, “that we might participate in”] the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust [or through pressure]. Going to the promises of God makes the problem of faith easy. It’s easy to believe someone when you know exactly what they said. It’s hard to believe someone when you don’t know what they said. So go to the promise that covers your situation and find out what God has to say about it!

STEP TWO: Fix your attention on God’s promise. Follow the instructions He gives us in Proverbs 4:20-22 where He says, My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings [pay attention]. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
Once you've found the promise of God, keep it before your eyes. Incline your ear or be ready to hear the Word and reject everything else if necessary. Quit focusing on the words of the world, the words of your friends, and the words of your family. Not even the word of your doctor is the last word. He's not the Alpha and the Omega, JESUS is, thank God!
This step is crucial. Notice verse 25 in Proverbs 4: Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Don't get distracted. Don't let the circumstances around you draw you back into the world's way of thinking. Keep your mind on the Word!

STEP THREE: Never go to God on the basis of your need. Go to God on the basis of His provision.
Be extreme with yourself about this. Refuse to use prayer as an opportunity to rehearse your problem. Instead, use it as an opportunity to rehearse the solution God has given you through His Word. Remember, faith never says, “I need, I need.” Faith always says, “I have, I have!"

STEP FOUR: Speak to the mountain. Jesus said, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith (Mark 11:23). Please note that Jesus didn't say, “Whosoever shall speak to God about this mountain." He said we should speak directly to the mountain the desired end result.
“But Brother Copeland, doesn't that sound a little foolish?"
From a worldly point of view it does. But I Corinthians 1:27 explains that God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the mighty...and things which are not to bring to nothing things that are.
It's always going to sound foolish to the world when a Christian talks as if what God has promised is reality, especially when those promises seem to contradict the natural evidence around us. But if you want to keep the devil defeated, that's the kind of talking you'd better be doing.
The Bible says that God Himself talks that way! In Romans 4:17 it says, [He] calleth those things which be not as though they were. Please notice, however, that it does not say He calls things that are as though they're not. That's an important distinction.
It means that if I have sickness in my body, I won't say that the sickness doesn't exist. I'll say that healing is mine. I'll believe I receive my healing, and I'll call myself well!
Remember when Jesus spoke to that fig tree in Mark 11:147 He said, “No man eat fruit of you again forever.” That was all He said. He didn't go into a lot of other conversation about it. He didn't waste any words. He just said, “No man eat fruit of you again forever,” and walked off.
If you had stopped and asked Him, “Have You checked to see what happened to that fig tree You spoke to?" He wouldn't have had anything to say about it except, “No man will ever eat fruit from that tree again.” He wouldn't have had to go look at it. No, once He had spoken it, He considered it done.

STEP FIVE: Praise God. Praise Him in the morning. Praise Him at noontime. Praise Him at night. If you've never praised God in your life, then get started right now. Praise Him and praise Him and praise Him and praise Him!

Praise Him that the mountain is gone. Praise Him about how wonderful it is to be free. Praise Him that Jesus went to the cross and bought and paid for your healing. Praise Him for Calvary. Praise Him for the name of Jesus.

Don't just whisper about it either. You ought to be shouting your way to work and shouting your way back home! If there's anything the devil can't stand, it's praise.

I'll tell you one thing for sure. If you've gained territory from the devil and he's coming against you to get it back, this is not the time to sit down and start whining about how things aren't working out. It's not the time to decide that God has somehow taken His hand off your life.

It IS the time to get into the Word and get yourself re-anchored in what God has promised about your situation. It's the time to keep that promise constantly before your eyes and in the midst of your heart.
It's not time to go crying to God about your needs. It's time to pray the prayer of faith and take your stand or the basis of His provision.

When Satan starts shaking your mountain, don't retreat and run for cover. Speak to that mountain with the authority you wield in the name of Jesus Christ. Then, when you're done with that, start to praise and shout the victory.

If that's not a pretty good picture of what you've been doing, you may need to go back to square one and take a look at what you think faith is. Because if you're going to represent Jesus on this earth, you're going to have to walk in faith. Not just any of kind of faith either. His kind of faith.

Come on, you can do it--and once you do, you won't have to be afraid of the devil's counterattacks anymore.

He'll be afraid of yours.

Get Your Victory and Keep It

by Kenneth Copeland

God is not the problem. He doesn't make mistakes. If anybody is making a mistake, it's us.

Let me show you what I mean. One day I was asking God for more power. I was really intense about it. “Oh God, give me more of Your power. I just need more power.”

As I was praying, however, God interrupted me and said, “Kenneth, I want to ask you something. Where am I going to turn?”

“What are You talking about, Lord?” I answered.

So I asked Him, “What’s been my problem then?”

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But it works!

I suggest you get alone with God, take the elements of the covenant, get down on your knees before Him, and as you take communion say:

“In the name of Jesus, I commit myself from this day forward to use my energy and my strength on this earth to live by the Word of God, to live by my faith, and to live by the love of God.”

Don't just whisper about it either. You ought to be shouting your way to work and shouting your way back home! If there's anything the devil can't stand, it's praise.

Come on, you can do it--and once you do, you won't have to be afraid of the devil's counterattacks anymore.

He'll be afraid of yours.

Get Your Victory and Keep It

by Kenneth Copeland

God is not the problem. He doesn't make mistakes. If anybody is making a mistake, it's us.

Let me show you what I mean. One day I was asking God for more power. I was really intense about it. “Oh God, give me more of Your power. I just need more power.”

As I was praying, however, God interrupted me and said, “Kenneth, I want to ask you something. Where am I going to turn?”

“What are You talking about, Lord?” I answered.

So I asked Him, “What’s been my problem then?”

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But it works!

I suggest you get alone with God, take the elements of the covenant, get down on your knees before Him, and as you take communion say:

“In the name of Jesus, I commit myself from this day forward to use my energy and my strength on this earth to live by the Word of God, to live by my faith, and to live by the love of God.”

Don't just whisper about it either. You ought to be shouting your way to work and shouting your way back home! If there's anything the devil can't stand, it's praise.

Come on, you can do it--and once you do, you won't have to be afraid of the devil's counterattacks anymore.

He'll be afraid of yours.

Journal ~ Talking About Jesus

2008-10-24T15:48:00.000-07:00

Hubby sleeping with youngest daughter Sophia

Hello Sisters!

Here in Southern California we are having a VERY warm fall. A few weeks ago we experienced a few days of chilly mornings and evenings so I decided to take out all the winter clothes. I should have waited a few days...the children's drawers are overflowing with winter clothes and the only clothes needed are our summer clothes. It is common to hear, "Mom....can you help me find my ______?" and this goes on several times a day.

Our bathroom which was so post to be DONE in 1.5 weeks is now going into week #3 and it's a little more than half way done. Our home is a huge dust ball with white powder showing up on the Daddy Long Legs webs near the ceiling, the t.v screen, bookshelves, and on the floor where you can feel the grit under your feet. They are working on the bathroom tile today and I have to say I think it looks beautiful, I'll put up some pics later. :)

Have you even been with a bunch of ladies and while everyone is talking you are thinking, "I want to talk about the Lord?" They might be talking about nails, babies crying, dinner ideas, laundry woes, etc... and in your mind you are thinking, how can I talk about the Lord?

After you have "TASTED and SEEN that the Lord IS GOOD, BLESSED is the man who puts his refuge in Him" you really don't want to talk about much of anything but Him. No matter where you are in life, homeschooling, homemaking, honoring your husband, loving your children, single, grandma, whatever place you are in life our desire should be to talk about our Savior, not because it's our duty, but because we WANT to! He has shown Himself as faithful to bring us through our trial and not only bring us through, but to bring us THROUGH WITH VICTORY! We came out on the other side as MIGHTY CONQUERS in Him, not defeated, but the ones that defeat, claiming Jehovah-Nissi "The LORD IS MY BANNER!" (Ex. 17:15)

Last week I was at our homeschooling art class and the ladies were talking about the weather (that means the money crisis, their sicknesses, lack of confidence in hsing and parenting, etc...) when my friend said, "I have to share a testimony with all of you that I heard." And then she went on to share about how the Lord came through for certain individuals. There is a way you can turn the conversation off of earthly things and onto heavenly things in order to glorify your Father in heaven. BTW, I'm not saying talking about "earthly things" is wrong, I do like to talk about breastfeeding, homeschooling, birth, the home, etc.... but after all is said and done it's nice to talk about Jesus because it's only Him that enables us to do all these earthly things that are part of our daily job. :)

My favorite place for testimonies is the 700 Club, on almost every episode they have at least 2 testimonies that really encourage you to put your trust in Him. I bet if you do a web search you can probably find at least a few web sites just for others to list their testimonies and testify of His GOODness.

"Some boast in chariots, and some in horses; but we will BOAST in the name of the Lord our God (Psalm 20:7)"

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ Remodeling...at least I'm honest

2008-10-16T23:10:00.000-07:00

the bathroom we are remodeling

our bedroom (this is just about what every room in our home looks like at the present.)

Hello Sisters!

The bathroom remodel is pretty much consuming me. It's noisy, dirty, I have workers in my house, tons of flies come in, the baby is constantly trying to crawl in the room, I can't find what I need a lot of the time because all our bathroom and bedroom and homeschooling supplies have been stacked up in different corners of the living room.

Six of us are living in one bedroom (the other 2 are outside in the extra room) and since it is wall-to wall, beds, playpen, and hampers we can't even see the floor! I told my daughter that we are definitely going to start a cockroach breeding program. Why not? We're homeschoolers! What a perfect time to learn about these bugs. Let's see...we eat in the bed before going to sleep. I like apples, but my hubby likes to give the kids crackers and cheese and sometimes dip. He also lets them each have their OWN cup of not water (that would be too easy), but hot chocolate or juice. When I crawl into the bed at night my legs are scratched with the feel of cracker crumbs and/or a wet spot due to a spilt drink.

One of my daughters asked me today, "Mom are you stressed?" I said, "what makes you think that and she said, "You look like it. Your face is pale, your hair is messy and you look a little fat." My son said to me the other day, "Mom, for a fat person, you look real good!" Thank you son!

Anyway, I made my husband promise (yea right!) that he would stop this eating in bed as soon as we are back to normal. He says it's only because we are in transition and that is why he is letting the kids eat where ever they want.

The workers remodeling our bathroom were telling me about this shower "thing" that has lights and music that go on when you take a bath...not a good sign. From here on out instead of us "talking" about what I want, I am going to GO WITH HIM and pick out EXACTLY what I want in order to get it right. :)

I told my husband (notice how I am referring to my husband as "husband", and not "hubby" as I usually do?...there's a reason!) that somewhere in the bible there is probably a place that says we are exempt from the love walk during times of remodeling your house. He just gave me a blank stare and started talking to my son about football.

This to will soon pass and I will be thankful for a new, bigger bathroom. I am thankful now, don't get me wrong, did you think I was unthankful???? I'm just having a hard time.

I found this singer Jonathan Butler you can find him on Amazon.com and listen to his music samples. Go to the Worship Project and listen there. I don't really recommend christian music because there is really not anything out there that is very good...let's be honest, but Butler takes it to a level that is worthy the be called excellent...go listen and see if I'm not right!

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ Bathroom remodel, Wisdom Study

2008-10-09T06:37:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters!

I am sitting here early morning drinking my Starbucks Iced DECAFE Latte (made at home :) while smelling hints of wet black mold. We are remodeling our bathroom and as the worker was pulling the tile from the walls and floor there was TONS of black mold (what we had believed all along.) Our house is already small, but now it is even smaller as we all gather to torment (I mean school) in the back room that is now filled with beds from wall to wall. We are tearing out walls and getting new everything, so, it won't be finished for about 2 weeks. I am going to sit on the porch swing with my hubby this morning and figure out just what we are going to do to make things easier during this time. Living out of 1 room makes it very hard, and I get grouchy when it's 95 degrees, 1pm, and the air conditioner in the room we are in isn't cold enough because the kids keep opening and closing the door! Many times yesterday I just closed my eyes and mouth, while my kids were saying, "Mom, what's wrong?" and then opened them a few seconds later to say, "I had to focus on Jesus so Mommy won't get upset........again!" I'll take some pictures and post them next week of the before and after.

We are still working through the Wisdom Unit Study by Robin Sampson at HeartofWisdom.com which is causing the older children to look within THEMSELVES and examine their own lives through their WRITING. My oldest made a small book about King Solomon and his wisdom and how he acquired it and my son made a treasure map and it told you how to go find wisdom. These are all ideas she gives in the study. It is only $15 and it can be instantly downloaded from the web site above.

Today is going to be better than the last couple of days because I am going to choose to act in a more godly way and slap my flesh back. :)

-My scripture for the week-

A person who quickly loses his temper does and says foolish things. But a person with UNDERSTANDING remains calm. Proverbs 14:17

Scrapblog

2008-09-30T23:34:00.000-07:00

Journal ~ Homeschooling, Family Beach Day

2008-09-29T23:13:00.000-07:00

Family Beach Day Seal Beach, Ca

Hello Sisters!

Well, our Jesus Week was good, but I expected it to be better. So.....we are doing it for another week. There was just too much research for me to do myself and then to "share it" with the kids...it was like "I" was doing all the work and then pre-digesting all the great stuff to my kids, which THEY need to be the ones doing the reasearch in order to receive the benefits!

So....we are doing Robin Sampson's WISDOM unit study, which is ABSOLUTLY GREAT! We did it about 2 years and HONESTLY, out of ALL the hsing things we have done, her study is at the top! My kids will always remember the "Wisdom study." I think you can download for free an excerpt of Wisdom.

We are also going to be going through the Adam to Abraham study she has. I think HEARTOFWISDOM.com is my best route because it puts Jesus FIRST, not academics. Yes she believes in academics, but only secondary to learning about God. High-School Formula is good (by Barb Shelton), but I don't do grades and all that school stuff because it is not important to me and it never has been.

Last week we went to the beach ALL day and had a great time. I even brought the play pen and laid the baby down in it for her naps. I got to swim with the older kids and made sand castles with the younger ones. We packed lunch, ate out for dinner, went for a walk around Main Street Seal Beach and even had Cold Stone Ice Cream! My hubby got a chance to get away for an hour and spend time with the Lord in His beauty complete with seagulls, blue gentle rolling waves, swaying palm trees and 75 degree warm day. It was pretty much perfect.

I gotta get up early, so I need to sign out.

By the way....remember when I said I was going to believe to get everything I needed, so as not to think about "where" I would get money for the things I needed. Well, last week a friend brought over $600.00, yep, that's right $600.00 and said he is blessed and wants to pass on the blessing. How awesome is the LORD????? Jehovah Jireah, my provider!!!!!

Blessings,
Shannon

Jesus Week

2008-09-22T23:37:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters!

This week begins our "Jesus Week" where we ditch the "school stuff" and DOUBLE UP on the Word of God!!!!!!!!! We spend extra time reading and studying the Word, singing, praying, hanging out in the yard, having a picinic, watching the 700 Club and going to see FIREPROOF and the movies Friday! :) We will be studying the blood covenant God had with Abraham and how it parelles the blood covenant with Jesus. I created these little scrap pages on scrapblog.com in order to have an attention getter for the children (o.k.....they are really fun for me to do also! :)

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ Home Management Binder, The Book of Maccabees

2008-09-17T23:04:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters!

I've been reading the book of Maccabees (if you are not familiar you can get some info. on this book at Wikipedia) and I see even more how WHAT WE DO or DON'T DO, changes the outcome. I was taught that "whatever is whatever" with God and you "never know about your future." But in the scriptures OVER and OVER again the Lord in His GREAT LOVE and TENDER MERCIES always is endeavoring to get GOOD over to His people. If something is wrong in a person's life you can believe WHOLE HEARTILY, that the problem lies with the person and NOT with God! I would like to talk about this more, but as I was saying, I'm reading Maccabees.

The Jews are being told to give up their God and take on the beliefs and customs of the Greeks (this is about 100 b.c.) Many Jews cave in, but like always, there is a remnant who will not deny the GOODNESS OF THE LORD and who hold fast to Him. So Mattathias in Chapter 2, says to all the people, let us escape to the hills and not deny our God. Now these are all Jews who will not sell out to the Greeks, so these are the "hard-core" believers you could say. I don't know how many groups went into the hill country, but this is where it gets interesting.

1 group was slaughtered, men, women and children, these were the "hard-core" believers! They said, "we will not fight to protect ourselves, let us all die." The other group (with Mattathias) said, "we will fight, we will be strong, we will be courageous, we will not die like our kinsmen died."

I see 2 groups of hard-cores here (remember, these people could have taken on the Greek lifestyle and lived the easy life, so to put their life in danger they had to be another class of people) all believers, all sold-out to the "cause." Yet, 2 totally different outcomes all because of what they SAID, and DID.

As I study more, I'll share more. :)

I wanted to show you a bit of how I organize, so here are some pics. :) I'm still learning and I adjust things as is needed. I've found a 3-ring binder for me is not as useful as a BULLETIN BOARD!!!! I need to see things EASILY without having to flip through a notebook. One of the secrets for me in managing my home is to DAILY go over my Home Management Binder and take notes, make notes and make adjustments.

This is my little area above the toy shelf. Here I have my flowers, bulletin board, HMB, and a calendar in which I try and journal a bit about our days. Hanging up are the menus and daily, weekly and monthly chores (donnayoung.org)

Here is the front of my HMB, and the calendar in which I write about what has gone on during the day as far as learning goes.

This is a dry erase board that I have in the dining room. Here I list things that each member of the family needs to get done with the exception of chores, those they should have memorized! The things I list are like, fold laundry, make batch of bread, pick flowers, things that are not regular chores but that need to get done none the less.

Journal ~ Scrapfever...

2008-09-11T15:20:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters!

I've been scrapbooking as you can see! I can't recommend ENOUGH scrapblog.com It is FREE!!!! The templetes are beautiful, your scrapbooks are stored forever for free, and it is EASY!!! I played with ScrapMax, Acdsee, and Photoshop Elements. It seems like you can never really get going because there is SO MUCH to learn. Everything I need I found with scrapblog. I've been going to bed at 1am and getting up and 6am, and giving the Lord 6am-6:45. I know, my priorities are a little flip flopped. I just wanted to get at least ONE FINISHED!!!!

The bad side is that they don't offer printing at this time, they are looking into different companies so soon we will be able to purchase all the beautiful scrapbooks we have made. But, most of us have 1000's of photos, so for now at least we can get out pictures into scrapbooks by themes! Give it a try...it's free and NOTHING to download...did I say it's free!!!

Kerri....I am going to take some pics of my home management binder and post them with an explanation. :) I pray that everything is well with your family and new blessing. :)

Shannon

SISTERS

2008-09-11T15:16:00.000-07:00

Journal ~ school or JESUS?

2008-09-04T06:50:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters!

Now that the neighborhood kids were back in school I thought I'd be getting some relief, but much to my surprise I had kids calling around 5pm to see if they could come over??? I told my children to tell the neighbors, "my mom said no one can come over till the weekend." Then all the neighbors wanted to know "why?"

Around here, the girls did their usual annual "getting ready for fall." Cut flowers in vases spread throughout the home, pulling dead stuff out of the garden, cutting the tree outside the dinning room window to allow more light to enter and cleaning all the windows. My daughter Bekah (11) came up to me and hugged me and said, "mom I love this time of year, it makes me want to cuddle up with blankets, drink hot chocolate and watch a good movie....but it's too hot!" Yes, here in Southern Calif. it's still in the high 80's during the day, the heat of the afternoon takes away from our anticipation of cooler weather as we can't seem to get comfortable anywhere in our home.

I have been for a few years now (although not always consistently) using Managers of Their Home schedule system. IT HELPS SO MUCH TO HAVE THE CHILDREN ON A SCHEDULE, especially when you have a lot of them! :) I really don't want us doing school over 2 hours a day with the rest of the time being spent with each child pursuing what interests them via the internet, books, hands-on, etc... What it vital to me is Jesus, math and English. But somehow I got history and science on my schedule too. I want my children to pursue history and science on their own because something in that area interests them...a war, a hero, weapons, a science experiment, an "i wonder how that works moment" etc... BUT...I'm NOT sure how that can work with many children and a schedule. Another feeling I'm having is that I want my children to study the bible more, I want my children to meet Jesus face to face. I want my children to be ON FIRE for Jesus. And that only comes from spending T I M E at His feet, time from digging into the Word, time from praying and time from praising Him. You could say I'm torn between this stupid thing we're so post to do called "school" and the place where I want to be called "radically walking in the Spirit...healing the sick, raising the dead " Mark 16:17-18....WOW, that's how I want to be! So what do I do? I'm leaning towards no more than 2 hours of school and the rest JESUS!!! I want my children to get up, spend time in the morning and say, "mom the Lord told me to have this guy over, and at 1pm, He told me I need to give so and so a call." So, I'm trying not to struggle in this whole thing, but just keep on looking to Him and speaking His Word and His promises throughout the day.

I've been reading Proverbs 2 over and over. It says if we seek wisdom LIKE A HIDDEN TREASURE, we will FIND IT!!!! If you knew you had millions of dollars worth of treasure in your backyard your yard would look like a minefield! This is a picture of how we SHOULD GO AFTER THE WORD!

My 8 yog just woke and wants some loving on the couch, so here is a good time to stop for now. :)

Kerri, write you back later! :)

Shannon

Journal ~ Hidden Woman Link

2008-08-27T07:49:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters!

I would like to share with you an AWESOME tape series, that you can now download and listen to for FREE that will encourage you (it has me) in our call of being a help meet and mother. This is by Denny Kenaston, and if you scroll down to the bottom you will see he has a series called, "The Hidden Woman" which are worth their weight in gold. But, if you click on the BLUE at the bottom of the page which says "DOWNLOAD HERE" or something like that, you can download all or any of the ones that interest you. You don't have start in order, just start with what interests you. :)

http://www.charityministries.org/tape-index.a5w

Here is a scripture I found.

"Therefore we have as our ambition, to be pleasing to Him, whether absent (in heaven) or at home." 2 Cor. 5:9 That reminded me of being a Hidden Woman. :)

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ Hotel California, Embracing Home, Homeschooling

2008-08-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

The girl's in the indoor jacuzzi

Hotel California's Pool

Hello Sisters!

Our family had a great time at Hotel California a la our neighbors house. Our neighbors went to Mexico for a week and wanted us to watch their house. They have a 3 story house with the top floor Wii (game thing) and a jacuzzi tub. 2nd floor had Play Station 3, Rock Star, huge backyard, pool, jacuzzi and awesome patio. 1st floor has Play Station 2, pool, ping pong, air hockey, and a dart board. I spent my time relaxing by the pool READING with Starbucks in hand. When I wasn't doing that I was laying down with the baby. :) What did I spend my time reading...I'm reading High School Form+U+La by Shelton.

I haven't been spending a lot of time in the Word, but instead I've been singing scripture and meditating that way.

Some things He's shown me...I don't need to make money, He is able to supply for all the little extras I need and want, I just have to ask in faith. I've been thinking of extras ways to make money, which is fine, but it's not for this season in my life. I need to EMBRACE my high call of being a help meet and a mother, when I do have extra time, I need to ask the Lord to show me ways of ENCOURAGING my family members and neighbors in what the Lord has for them....that's a FULL TIME and a HALF job!!!!! I hear other moms' talk about their business on the side and the extra income, but they all say it's EXTREMELY time consuming. I'd rather ask God to send the money supernaturally and spend my extra time busy about His business (loving Him, my family and my neighbors.) So, I'm VERY excited about that! :)

Ya all know Nancy Campbell, well she has a daughter Evangeline. Nancy many times makes mention of her daughter and how all her 9 children are perfectly trained and how Vange is truly the queen of her home. Now if you read the Above Rubies magazine, you will find only a few articles by Vange (I've read 2 by her in the last 4 or so years.) She doesn't have a blog, or has a business (that I know of.) She is a very HIDDEN woman. That so impresses me and encourages me! She is not trying to make money (there will be time for that in another season) but rather she stays out of the "lime-light" and takes her job duties of a wife and mother seriously. Maybe she will take over the magazine someday when her children are grown, but now, she's a HIDDEN WOMAN. I WANT TO BE A HIDDEN WOMAN!!!! :)

Talk about money. I was just talking to Eric about us "needing" more money a few days ago when a neighbor said to him, I went to the bank this morning and felt compelled to give this to you. It was $400.00. I've been wanting professional pictures of us for 16 years, I booked a session at the beach about 14 years ago, (I don't care for studio pictures but rather like outdoor only) but cancelled because it was going to run about $400.00. Last week Eric meet a professional photographer and liked our family, is building her web site, and offered to take pictures of us, and give us whatever we want (for free) in exchange for letting her use us on her site. So, we just got back this evening from an all day photo shoot out doors at a beautiful garden/park. We started talking about Jesus and they want to come over to hear more and eat with us. HOW AWESOME IS THAT...this is JUST THE BEGINNING of the blessings the Lord wants to give to His children. IT'S ALL ABOUT JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Praise the Lord o my soul, and forget NONE of His benefits. Who forgives all your sins, and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, and crowns you with love and compassion, who SATISFIES your DESIRE WITH GOOD THINGS, so that your youth is renewed like the eagles!" Psalm 103

My youth is renewed, and I can say He does satisfy my desires with GOOD things! :)

Blessings,
Shannon

2008-08-16T09:29:00.000-07:00

Girls Game afternoon at Starbucks

Hello Sisters!

Summer is almost over....YEA! I will soon be able close my windows and turn off the lights a little bit earlier. I will be able to go to bed before 11pm! It has been so hot here that we have to keep all our windows and doors open, which leads to neighbors coming over to "see what we're up to" at 8pm. I don't like to turn away neighbors, so...that usually means a board game, food, etc... and the night ends so late. And....because we go to bed so late, we get up late, and it makes me feel very yucky and unproductive. School is back in for most neighborhood kids in the next 2 weeks! I can't wait!!!!

Hannah decided she wants to continue with college but will only be taking 1 music class. That's o.k. with me, I mean, I 'd rather she not, she knows that, but she's almost 16 and I'm letting her move into areas where she thinks she is being led by the Lord. I do support her and as I told her, we can agree to disagree on areas, we are NOT the same person with the same mind.

My son wants to sit out of college for a semester and play flag football. He really wants to play football, but my hubby told him since he has never played football, he should try a season of flag first to get the moves down.

I said in the beginning my kids would never play competitive sports and my daughter would never go to college. I'm eating my words.

On another note...

As you can see from the picture we've been spending a lot of time at Starbucks. Our long hot afternoons have been much more productive and enjoyable relaxing with a iced latte in an air conditioned environment. That's what I tell my hubby. :) I have had some really good talks with my oldest the last few weeks at Starbucks. When the baby is sleeping in her stroller, the 2 youngest girls are reading or playing a game, Hannah and I talk about all sorts of things. Her number one item to talk about is marriage and then about how to get closer to Jesus. I'm finally feeling like, I really like this teenager thing, it's been a good thing for me! Hannah has never been rebellious or like a typical teenager, but on the other hand, I felt like there were some things missing...? Just us spending TIME together talking and baking and sitting on the porch swing together, those have been the things that were missing. Needless to say, I've slightly dropped my standards in house cleaning, and that's o.k. Hannah is almost 16, I want to spend time and make memories with her and all my other children. LIFE IS REALLY GOOD!!!!

I was being lazy this morning not wanting to get up and read the Word, but the Lord quickened in me that I can jump start myself by just PRAISING HIM. I remembered in the past, areas in my life where I needed a breakthrough. I could have studied the Word, read the Word, got out the commentary, prayed and prayed, but in many situations I just FOCUSED ALL MY ATTENTION ON JESUS and PRAISED HIM FOR WHO HE IS....that was all I did, and I ALWAYS GOT WHAT I NEEDED. Not because of me, but it's all because of Him and what He said He would do. I would like to write more, but my family needs me. Here are some scriptures to encourage you, but, if you don't want to look them up right now, go ahead and hold off. ENTER INTO HIS PRESENCE through PRAISE!!!

Nehemiah 8:10, Psalm 147, Psalm 5, Luke 19: 37-39, Numbers 14:21, Psalm 22:3, Psalm 68:1-3, Psalm 9.

Have a GREAT weekend, and don't forget to PRAISE the Lord in ALL SITUATIONS that come your way! :)

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ Rest may be on it's way...Today is Birthday!

2008-08-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

Making homemade greeting cards with our neighbor

Bekah with her homemade cupcakes and bread

Hello Sisters!

We have had some neighbors over just about everyday for the last 2 weeks.....so.....it has been good, but I'm a little tired. They are gone for the next few days so I told the children we wouldn't clean for the next week (o.k., we won't DEEP clean!) and just regroup with each other.

That regrouping will have to start tomorrow because today we are celebrating my son's 14th birthday. We are going to have the party around 3pm, so the first half of this day will be cleaning! YEA!!!!

I have my Starbucks as I type this blog (Venti iced latte made with soy, add an extra shot, add whip cream) and wanted to share with you (by my DAUGHTER'S REQUEST) that she may continue college. I wrote in the last blog about her not going to college, she read it, and we had a talk. I have my opinions about college, but my most important concern is that she can hear the voice of the Lord. If she is close to Him and hears His voice and OBEYS, then I have absolutely NO PROBLEM...right? And even if she gets off track (like we all do from time to time) He is faithful. It is ALL ABOUT HIM! My hope for my family is VICTORIOUS because of HIM and His blood. THANK GOD it's ALL ABOUT JESUS and not all about us, huh?! And that is whether she continues college or not!

"And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. GOD IS LOVE, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is PERFECTED with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgement; because as HE IS, SO ALSO ARE WE IN THIS WORLD. There is NO FEAR IN LOVE BUT PERFECT LOVE CASTS OUT ALL FEAR..." 1 John 4:16-18

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ Homechurch, Homemaking, A woman's nest

2008-08-05T23:53:00.000-07:00

I call by faith, Hannah my daughter, keeper of the home.

Hello Sisters!

We have been very busy around here lately. The mornings have consisted of Jesus, chores, some reading, some math, swimming in the afternoon and neighbors in the evening. My husband said to me, "Shannon, if we were going to a religious building once or twice a week, we would never have time to get to know and serve our neighbors." One family had their whole life direction, in just a matter of days make a COMPLETE turn around. This father is meeting with my hubby on almost a daily basis and they are reading the Word together, they are digging in and asking the Lord to show them about who HE is! Our families make food together, eat together, have fun together, and most importantly, talk about Jesus.

It seems like the Lord will bring us a family in our neighborhood to heap His love on. We do this by what I just mentioned above. Then He will bring us another family, and another. Sometimes the Word falls on stony soil, sometimes it is choked out by the weeds, and sometimes it produces a bumper crop. But whatever the case may be, as we step away from these families/singles and let them start growing up (meat and potatoes as opposed to milk) we don't judge them if they continue in the Lord or not. But what we do do is continue to write them little notes of encouragement with scriptures (the girls started making their own cards..picture in last blog) and bring them desserts or food as we make them for our family. We also continue to have them over as the Lord leads or just when they are walking by our house, we'll call them in for coffee, or we'll pick something up for them we saw in the store that reminded us of them. It's SIMPLE little things. After 15 years of going to a religious building and actually working in the ministry, I have to say that BEING the church is much more effective than going to one. Now, I'm not putting church down, the most important thing we need to do is LISTEN to the Lord on where and what we should be doing and I'm sure we all agree on that. :)

Some other highlights of the week are my oldest daughter (Hannah 15) told me she thinks the Lord wants her stop college (she said she had to continue to pray about it, but I said..."why" :). YEA!!!! YEA!!!!! and YEA!!!!! I've been praying about that for a long time! When I started homeschooling 10 years ago, of course you send your girls to college, that's what all the other home school families do...right? So that is what I programmed my daughter to think. Anyway, as each day passes I see the utmost importance for my daughter's to be trained in the art of homemaking and not only homemaking, but the ability to be passionate about being a help meet to her husband. WOW!!! now that's progress in the right direction.

I gotta tell you something beautiful before I go. A year or so ago I was laying in bed with my girls and some how we got on the topic of the womb. I told my girls that their womb was a "nest" to grow babies in and how wonderful and thoughtful the Lord was in His whole plan to continue the human race. For weeks afterward (and even still today) when my girls have their tummies exposed they rub it and say, "Mom, look at my nest!" Isn't that beautiful?

Blessings,
Shannon

2008-08-02T21:04:00.000-07:00

Greeting cards we have been making for neighbors and friends

Hello Sisters!

My girls want to spend the night at the neighbors and since they don't spend nights alone, I am going too with the baby in tow! My family is there right now eating dinner and soon to be swimming, so I can only write for a minute. We have been busy playing alot during these long summer days. We get up at 9am or 10 and go to bed around midnight....I can't wait till Fall!!!! I really do not like the summer!

Kerri said "So, the topic is the annointing of the Holy Spirit. There is an indwelling when we are believers, but do you think there is an annointing afterwards, one you need to ask for?

"Well, I was totally opposed to this baptisim in the Holy Spirit thing, but I asked for it and was speaking in tongues for I don't know how long and it felt like hot honey being poured down over my head running over my entire body."

I ask because I have been reading about this. I feel like I have no "power" as a Christian. I still yell at my children, I do not witness to people, I feel like I am just like any other joe shmoe out there, but just a whole lot more conservative than most. I hope I am making sence! Anyways some people who talk about an annointing talk about an instant where they no longer yell or what not, they have the "power" to actually live out what the Bible says. Just a penny for your thoughts on that.

"We have power as a believer ALL THE TIME because of what Jesus did on the cross. Now, if we "feel" like we have no power it's usually because we haven't been in His Word (at least that's it for me.) Even though I am Spirit-filled, just give me a few days without the Word and I am a mad, angry, yelling mom...that's the truth!!!! But when I'm feeding my spirit on the Word, I am happy, calm, and "usually" not quick to be angry. But this is ALL practice. For most of my life I have practiced having it MY way, what I want, caring for myself, my feelings, etc... I have perfected it, I became an angry, pis#$%^ off woman. Now, I am trying to practice walking in LOVE at all times in all situations, practice makes perfect! Kerri, I can go from saint-mom to satan-mom in a matter of seconds, IF I CHOOSE to go that way, it's my choice if I want to control myself of not. God has given us ALL THE POWER WE NEED TO WALK IN THE SPIRIT, it's up to us to choose to walk in it. :) Did that answer your question?

BTW, your baby is beautiful! I didn't know delivery time was so close! You look great too! :)

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ The Rod of Love, Our Vacation

2008-07-25T23:33:00.000-07:00

Here we are camping

Hello Sisters!

We arrived home from camping Wednesday evening, 3 nights and 4 wonderful days! The Lord really blessed us through our neighbors. They brought their 40 foot diesel pusher, pulled our pop-up trailer with their Durango, paid for all the gas, camp site, and food. The whole trip cost us $70 of which $30 was for Starbucks :). I had planned to take lots of pictures for my scrapbooking, but I'm ashamed to say the only picture I took was the children in front of Starbucks!

Have you been praying for more prosperity both physical and spiritual, healing, and deeper relationships within your family? I have been. And while I'm getting here and there, I should be getting to a greater degree. When I go out and take others, I usually pay the tab for food or snack or whatever it is. But sometimes I can't pay the whole thing. Sometimes I see something I would like to buy a family member, neighbor, or just someone standing in line with me. Many times I can buy for a person/s, but not to the degree I want to. I want more.

The scripture says, "Give and it will be given unto, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap. FOR WITH THE MEASURE YOU USE, IT WILL BE MEASURED TO YOU." Luke 6:38. I can HONESTLY say that when I get money in my hands the first thing I think of is, "who can the Lord bless." And I can say that because I have "TASTED AND SEEN that the Lord is GOOD," (Psalm 34:8) and I know first hand that when I take care of His business, He ALWAYS takes care of mine (Matthew 6:33). FOR WITH THE MEASURE YOU USE, IT WILL BE MEASURED UNTO YOU. You give chinsey, you will reap chinsey. You give abundantly, you will reap abundantly. Jesus said it HIMSELF.

As I was saying, there is a "kink" in my blessings from heaven flow. I've been seeking the Lord and am still seeking Him about this, so I don't have all the answers. One thing He has shown me is LOVE. Love is like a curtain rod. Prosperity, wisdom, healing, etc... are the curtains. If I am trying to hang the curtains WITHOUT a rod, the curtains will just keeping falling on the floor. They will never get hung, they will never accomplish the purpose for which they were meant. Now, if I hang the ROD first (the rod is love), then the curtains (prosperity, wisdom, healing) will do the job they were meant for. So, this is what I am studying, and will fill you in as I learn more. :)

I would like to write more, but Hubby says the children are finally asleep (we went night swimming at neighbors) and he wants some visiting time. :)

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ Love, Last minute camping, Here's an encouraging web site

2008-07-19T23:11:00.000-07:00

Hubby and Sophia Rose taking a cat nap

Hello Sisters!

How is love working for ya all? Understanding about "walking" in love is very easy. Doing it is very advanced christianity....very advanced. If is wasn't, all our neighbors up and down our streets would be followers of Jesus. Walking in love, STAYING in love, not being touchy, filled with peace, joyful, forgiving, etc.... is very advanced and you won't get it by going to church once a week. You won't ever get it from a man in a pulpit. It can only be revealed in its fullest by the Holy Spirit Himself. I believe its 1 John 4 that says, "you have need for NO man to teach you, but the Holy Spirit will teach you ALL THINGS.

Some neighbors have invited us to go camping with them for a few days up or down highway 101. We have no reservations and have pretty much just decided to "wing it." We went to the store today and bought a bunch of food, we plan on wearing our swimsuits 24-7 and maybe bring a few t-shirts and shorts. I'll show you pics when we get home in a few days.

Have a great week of walking in LOVE....

Blessings,
Shannon

p.s. A web site I GREATLY enjoy and receive SO MUCH encouragement from is aboverubies.org I just wanted to pass that on in case you need some encouragement too! :)

Journal ~ Do your children need love?

2008-07-16T07:29:00.000-07:00

Neighbors over for an evening treat

Hello Sisters!

I had hoped to return to "some" schooling, but summer seems to lend itself to late night swimming, laughing, eating and walks in the neighborhood. So, needless to say we have all been going to bed very late and rising late also. I have been slacking on my bible study the last few days, but got back into the routine this morning with my latte and dark chocolate to encourage me out of bed! :)

Have you ever had seasons in your life where you say, "my children need more love from me" and it is apparent because of how they are acting. It's hard to explain, but as a mom, you've probably had that feeling at one time or another.

The last time I had that feeling, the Lord spoke to me. He told me if I would just love my husband and make him my first priority, then I would not have to worry about the children, they would just fall in line.

"This I command you, that you LOVE ONE ANOTHER." John 15:17

That is the only command we have from Jesus...LOVE...to love the Father and your neighbor as yourself. THAT'S IT!!!!! And if we will just walk in that LOVE, EVERYTHING IN OUR LIFE WILL FALL INTO ITS PROPER PLACE.

I don't worry about my children walking in love because the more they see "mommy" (it's not my business to monitor daddy, the Lord takes care of daddy, I take care of myself, I'm not the Holy Spirit for my hubby. :) loving on Daddy by stroking his hair, rubbing his arms, siting with him while many times draping my legs over his, serving him, etc.... they REAP the benefits of love being sown into their lives!

"Love is PATIENT, love is KIND, and is not jealous, love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly, it does not SEEK ITS OWN, it is not TOUCHY, does not take into account a WRONG SUFFERED, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears ALL THINGS, BELIEVES ALL THINGS, HOPES ALL THINGS, ENDURES ALL THINGS. LOVE NEVER FAILS." I Corinthians 13

When I'm not hanging all over Hubby, they see Mommy (I'm not perfect, just trying to be :) striving to be PATIENT, KIND and the hardest one for me.....NOT BE TOUCHY. When they see Daddy trying to do 2 things at one time and he doesn't even look over at his wife with so much as a little thank you for the beautiful meal she has just made....and he runs out the front door and Mommy just smiles and says, "let's pray for Daddy" WITHOUT BEING TOUCHY, this will stick with them forever and especially as they see us overcome touchiness day in and day out!

This ability to become non-touchy, has a little to do with our own self. Truly we do "feel" the touchiness well up inside of us and we must take pains (and pains it is) in crucifying our flesh. But the REAL ability to walk in love has to do with being filled with the Holy Spirit and walking according to Him and not our flesh. And the only way to walk according to Him, is by spending time with Him so that we can be EMPOWERED with His power!

If your family needs rejuvenation, start by spending time with Jesus, let the love flow over to your hubby and then it will NATURALLY spill into your children!

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ Victorious Praise, Saurkraut

2008-07-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

Silver bowl we use to pound cabbage,
wooden pounder that son made,
cabbage fermenting into saurkraut,
basil waiting to be planted.

Hello Sisters!

We have friends here visiting from Germany so....this will be a short journal, but encouraging!

"When he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers to sing to the Lord and praise Him in their holy garments AS THEY WENT OUT "BEFORE" THE ARMY, saying, Give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy and loving kindness endure forever!" 2 Chron. 20:1-22

PRAISE always comes before VICTORY!

There have been many times in my life where I was up against a BRICK wall and at that point had 2 choices. #1, give into fear and be defeated. #2, trust God and act like the bible is really true and that what He really says, He WILL do. When ever I've done #2, I've always started on the path to victory, with PRAISING HIS HOLY NAME. Praise when things look bad, and praise when things look bad..er. If God says we have the VICTORY already, then by golley, let's start acting like we REALLY BELIEVE what He says!!!!

Jehoshaphat got word to send out singers BEFORE the army?????? That's insane!!!! But not with the Lord. God is pretty much opposite of human logic. It was the singers PRAISE going out BEFORE the problem, that actually gave them COMPLETE VICTORY. Oh how blessed these families must have felt, but they knew it all along. They knew they were going to receive the victory BEFORE it even manifest itself. Just read verse 9, 10, 12, 15, 17, 20 and 21.

We have an army against us (satan and all his demons), we are in the same situation as these believers were in. But we have it even easier than them because Jesus ALREADY won the battle for us on Resurrection morning!

Believe God's Word like it's TRUE! Grab up your children and take your stand of what is rightfully ours in Christ Jesus THROUGH THE POWER OF PRAISE!!!!!!

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ Not growing weary because He already did so for us!

2008-06-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

We are fans of the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes, even the young ones make bread almost daily!

Hello Sisters!

My hubby took the children for a walk so that I could spend a little time writing and....I used much of that time washing the dishes instead of writing on here.

I came across this in Hebrews...

"LOOKING AWAY [FROM ALL THAT WILL DISTRACT] to Jesus, who is the leader and source of our faith and is also its finisher [bringing it to maturity and PERFECTION.]...

Just THINK of Him who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself [reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you MAY NOT GROW WEARY OR EXHAUSTED, LOSING HEART AND RELAXING AND FAINTING IN YOUR MINDS." Hebrews 12:2-3

Oh how we need to keep our eyes on Jesus! I know we hear that I lot, and it becomes sometimes just like another phrase, but the POWER IN LOOKING TO AND CONSIDERING HIM....it REALLY does give us JOY!

They are already back and we "have" to go swimming! :) Have a great weekend and don't forget as you go about the dishes and laundry and spills and sibling squables, we MUST CONSIDER HIM who made the way for us so that we could mother with joy and kindness and tenderness in our actions.

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ Making Jesus #1

2008-06-24T07:52:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters! (The picture above is where I spend time in the Word, in my bedroom on the floor. :)

When I was learning about healing 8 years ago I was DEVOTED to studying the scriptures. I had all my bibles out and concordance out and would spend anywhere from 4-6 hours a night going through the scriptures and praying. I was so EXCITED, for the first time in my life I really believed that WHAT THE SCRIPTURES SAID, WAS REALLY TRUE and that if Jesus said that I had ALL HIS POWER, well then, I BELIEVED IT! It was not long that I was baptized in the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues (something I passionately discredited as false) and had VICTORY in all areas of my life!

This 4-6 hours a night of spending with Jesus went on for about 8 weeks. I would go to bed around 2 am and awake around 6 am. I would have VERY LITTLE sleep and I had a newborn! But the Lord SUPERNATURALLY gave me all the rejuvenation I needed because He knew I NEEDED THIS TIME WITH HIM!

Well, I am digging in again and I want to ENCOURAGE you to also.

"[For skillful and Godly Wisdom is the PRINCIPAL thing], prize wisdom HIGHLY and EXALT her, and she will exalt and promote you; she will bring you to honor when you embrace her." Proverbs 4:7-8 Amplified Bible

What is there more important and pressing than Jesus? NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When we spend time in the Word, it gets our attitudes and thinking straight and our actions begin to line up with the Word. We begin to greet our husband and children in a SPIRIT OF LOVE (tenderness, gentleness, patience) and in turn breed love into them. :)

I'm going to try and read all the gospels and Acts in the next 30 days. I figure it's about 8 chapters a day. So, no other readings at this time and every chance I get it's the bible (nursing baby, sitting outside, in between chores, laundry, etc...).

I EXPECT and KNOW because the bible says so, that as I dig in, things I have been lacking in will become overflowing (physical and spiritual needs) and that I will have an abundance for every good work! I will walk and move in the POWER OF JESUS and His love will be working in me! We have a GREAT DADDY!!!!!!!

Blessings,
Shannon

Journal ~ Jam, Late Nights, Blessings

2008-06-17T01:02:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters!

Well, here it is just about 12:30 pm and I’m just now getting to the computer. Hollywood has been shooting a movie a few houses down from us for the last few weeks. There are so many trucks and lights and people, it is pretty crazy….and you should SEE what the people LOOK like that are doing the filming, need I say more? It’s so interesting that I could not help but people watch tonight, actually, our whole family watched from our porch while we ate tuna and cheese sandwiches for dinner.

For the last 2 weeks we have been taking a “schooling” break and are just enjoying the great weather and the neighbor’s pool. We girls have been frequenting Starbucks a little too much and we probably need to detox. :)

The pictures were taken in our backyard standing under the apricot trees. Then we girls made wonderful apricot jam. It was soooo good I went out and bought a quart of vanilla ice cream that same hour so we could pour hot jam on top of it!

I don’t want to brag, because “I” have nothing to brag about. But I would like to brag a little about Jesus. The Lord of the harvest and the God of OVERFLOW! My hubby has been committing himself to spend extra time in the Word and just BELIEVING and AGREEING with what the Word says as far as money goes. We’ve been aggressive in a few areas such as “renewing our mind,” “speaking the Word continually,” “walking in love,” and most importantly, we have been correcting ourselves JUST AS SOON as we miss it. Tonight I got upset and said a few things that I shouldn’t have and right away I said, “Eric I am sorry. Lord I am sorry.” I had cut myself off from being in right standing with the Lord, but as soon as I saw what I had done, immediately I corrected myself and it’s to the Lord as if it never happened. That’s what a GREAT Father we have. We mess up, repent and get right back on track and He’s already forgotten it! If we every hear about it again, it’s probably satan, because he holds things against us and reminds us of our past. The Lord says, “as far as the east is from the west, so far have I removed your transgressions from you!”

Here’s the bragging part. We have been receiving materials that we need left and right. Twice now we’ve had our 15 passenger tank filled UP in the last 3 weeks (that’s about $120. each pop.) We’ve received brand new with the tags still on, Hanna Anderson, Gap, and Mossimo (sp?) clothing for the girls. We’ve received cash. We’ve received brand new NEVER USED, National Geographic science kits, a whole lot of them, all kinds of them, boxes of crayons, paints, play dough, new books, and new games, lots of them! I even received an almost new jogging stroller. My dad came over saw the stroller and asked, “Free?” I said, “you know it!” He smiled, as we both know it’s not about us. It’s all about Jesus.

“Length of days is in her (Godly wisdom) right hand, and RICHES and honor are in her left hand.” Proverbs 3

There are so many scriptures and passages of scripture that talk about how the Lord wants us blessed, both in body, and bank account! What good are we if we as believers are broke? How can we take care of our neighbors needs? How can we be effective for Jesus if we are always sick and broke? We can’t. Good thing He died for our PEACE (which means SHALOM…health and prosperity)…Look it up yourself. Isaiah 53:5

The Lord is GOOOOOD!

Blessings,

Shannon

Time with cousins...Psalm 91

2008-06-10T16:24:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters!

We've spent the night at my Sil's (my hubby's sister) house and have had a great time. We went to Starbucks (a quarter of a mile!) and all the children are now swimming in the pool. My SIL and her hubby have a 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom, HUGE house and big backyard and great neighborhood in Wildomar which is about 65 miles from our home. After the traffic dies down this evening around 7pm, I'll start on home...... with cousins wanting to spend just one more day together, I'm sure most of you have experienced the love between cousins. :)

A few days ago my fil was over and we we're to put together a porch swing when my daughter yelled, "Mom the baby is choking!" As I quickly walked to the bedroom where my 11 yog was with the baby I spoke, "IN JESUS NAME I command Sophia to breathe." As she continued to gag, I just said, "thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus as I held her." She threw up a bunch of apricots I had given her a few hours before, but I couldn't find anything that would actually make her choke. Anyway, needless to say the whole family was in the room in seconds. Although there was tension in the room, of course, there was a calm expectation that we would be through this in just a few seconds. Now, was I scared at all? Yes. When I heard the words, "Mom the baby is choking" fear tried to come on me. Fear was right there waiting to envelope me, but I immediately choose to go with God's report. I took captive my thoughts, refused satan's lies and went with Jesus and how He said He came to GIVE LIFE (John 10:10.)

Because she (Shannon) has set her love upon Me (God), I WILL deliver her, I WILL set her on high, because she KNOWS and UNDERSTANDS My name [HAS A PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE OF MY MERCY, LOVE, AND KINDNESS-TRUSTS AND RELIES ON ME KNOWING I WILL NEVER FORSAKE HER, NO NEVER. She shall CALL UPON ME, and I WILL ANSWER HER! I WILL BE WITH HER IN TROUBLE AND DELIVER HER....! Psalm 91:14-15

Yes, we can REALLY, TRULY live and move everyday as though the bible is TRUE and the words in it are trustworthy. How else would we expect a Daddy to treat His children! :)

Blessings,
Shannon

2008-06-07T01:04:00.000-07:00

Hello Sisters!

This is my new blog, which takes the place of the old message board. I plan to write here a few times a week or once a week (I don't want to write more than once a week, but it's what He wants, so I'm praying about this :) and share what the Lord is doing in my life, share pic's and maybe even some video (but the video depends on if the children are not yelling or screaming during the filming!)

I LOVE Spring! My favorite place in our home during this season is our bedroom. We practice family bed and enjoy "love coccoon" (which is snuggling with books and boobs...boobs for the baby!) I had been believing for a bigger bed (Hubby, myself and baby were on a full mattress) since before the birth of Sophia, but Hubby does not like to go into debt and I want quality and a king size bed! Soooo....just a few weeks ago we bought a very gently used and recently new king size extra firm mattress for $100. from a single 95 pound older lady! The LORD IS FAITHFUL...late, but faithful! Her daughter told me she spent $2000. on it....The south breeze blows gently through the window as it plays the windchime and moves over our faces. Sometimes we just stop reading, close our eyes and enjoy the wind, fresh air, singing birds and we acknowledge our Lord who makes His blessings to fall on the just and the unjust alike! He is SOOO Good!

Blessings,
Shannon

letter...From An Ex Doctor

2007-01-04T15:32:00.000-08:00

letter...From An Ex Doctor
This is a letter from Dan Harper, M.D. of Wild Horse Mounatain, Montana. Dan - a tall, rugged man, both tough and tender, strong and simple-and his wife had 6 previous caesarean sections when they decided to have a home birth. Before reading about their home birth experience, here is a brief background on the writer. Dan Harper began his education working his way through Abilene Christian College and graduating magna cum laude. It was there that he met his wife, Dixie. He then continued at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston where he graduated in 3 years, cum laude. During that time, he served on the curriculum committee and was President of Baylor's Chapter of the Student American Medical Association. He also received the prestigious Upjohn Award for Outstanding Clinical Proficiency. After graduation, he completed his internship and began his own practice. The letter starts... "Our God is Awesome! He is also very patient as a Heavenly Father to take us, His weak little children, and walk us down life's path. I can't begin to tell you all of the "coincidences" that have brought my family to this point of beginning the "faith walk." God said that our children were our riches - gifts from Him. Our first six Caesarean section "gifts" cost over $32,000: Our newest baby - Little SHAVA ("freedom" in Hebrew) - cost us 49 cents! This covered the cost of the white laces to tie the umbilical cord. That was more like a real gift. People have said it was fine for ME to do this home delivery, but you should have seen the flack I got trying to get a birth certificate until they found out I was a doctor. After all, I was trained at one of the top 3 medical schools - Baylor in Houston. In residency, I did over 50 C-sections - a lot for a Family Practice Resident. I did over 2,000 deliveries during medical training, residency, and the first 10 years of private practice. I was given excellent surgical training and the best neonatal care possible. ...So then God goes and tells me to cleanse my own house: ALL medications are tossed out, even cortisone cream and antibiotic ointments. We didn't even have an asprin as a crutch in the house. He has been faithful to heal fevers, coughs, broken bones, lacerations, headache, visual astigmatism in the kids, just by our praying for the healing of Yahevah Rophe. ...just a day before Dixie goes into labor, I have no surgical instruments, no fancy umbilical clamps, no scissors, no sutures, no oxygen, no IV's, and a wife who is tired from hoeing potatoes the day before! I had no back-up plan - besides I was dismissed from the clinic 2 months before so all our funds were gone - there was no way to pay for a hospital stay. In fact, if neighbors hadn't brought a carload of groceries, I don't know what we would have eaten. Twice since then, I've gone to the post office to find an anonymous letter with many $20 bills inside. I hadn't let anyone know we were low on funds, but God showed me we were rich in friends and blessings! So - here I am, broke, weak, humbled, without any of the familiar obstetrical equipment, doing a delivery that God had not allowed me to do so much as a fundal height measurment on! No pap smears, no ultrasound, no pelvic exam, no urine checks...NOTHING! Just His Word to do it at home. ...I called you after about 24 hours of labor, to say that Dixie had wanted to push and had been pushing for an hour and a half, so I finally checked her - 4 cms and thick, foul meconium...Dixie gave up when she found she was only 4 cms. She laid down to rest, trying to get it together. The contractions had usually slowed down when she reclined, but this time the contractions sped up to every minute and a half and were MUCH harder. She cried, "I can't, I can't!" and "No, I won't have a C-section" and "No, I won't take any medications, satan." Several times during the next half hour she also gave me her permission to soak my head in the creek. Realizing that transition was now complete, I asked for and got permission to recheck her; and she was complete! In 30 minutes or less, out came the baby girl! satan wasn't finished yet: Here was the baby, blue and lifeless with thick, green meconium in her nose and mouth. She didn't breath or move. No sign of life. I rubbed her back and feet after sucking out her nose and mouth with the bulb syringe. One brief grunt and a lot of retracting of the intercostal muscles was all that came out of that. I looked down to see Dixie's womb filling up with blood to above the umbilicus. So I prayed, "God, this is your baby and your birth - I won't take them to a hospital and I don't have any oxygen or pitocin. You can put your Spirit and its life-giving oxygen into this baby and let it feed of Dixie's breast to clamp down that womb you just blessed." So I put Shava on the breast and she began to feed and pink up. The womb went down; and in a few minutes Dixie said, "I've never passed a placenta before, but I'm sure I did just now." I tied off the cord with shoelaces and cut it with the kitchen knife I'd sterilized with rubbing alcohol. Anyhow, we all passed through the storm; and when we FOCUSED ON JESUS, it worked out fine. We learned we couldn't do it in our own strength or by head knowledge. This was all communicated to us by the Spirit and done completely by the grace of God." There is much more to this testimony, but because of space and time I must leave it out. I believe you can purchase this for a few dollars through www.homeinzion.com If you are like most christians, reading this had your palms sweating! When I first read this a few years ago I just cried and cried, partly because I knew that God would come through for me on my next birth and partly because the human side of me was scared to trust Him like this. But, I did trust Him for my 5th child, and despite the circumstances (faith doesn't walk by what it sees, but it holds firm to God's Word and what He has PROMISED) God brought forth my child by His hand! Blessings, Shannon

healing...Does He? Or Does He Not?

2007-01-03T15:29:00.000-08:00

healing...Does He? Or Does He Not?
Do you need to know whether or not the Lord still heals today? I would encourage you to get yourself a concordance and your bible and DIG into the Word and see for yourself what HE says. During this time I can't recommend enough that you tune out everything you have ever heard on the topic of healing. Don't listen to any tapes, read any books, watch any videos or ask others opinion on the subject of healing! Just get with HIM and trust that He will show you what He wants you to know, whether He still heals today...or not. Exodus 15:26 He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you." Exodus 23:25 Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you. Deuteronomy 7:15 The LORD will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt… Deuteronomy 28:1-14, 61 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock--the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity--in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground--in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you. The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them. The LORD will also bring on you every kind of sickness and disaster not recorded in this Book of the Law, until you are destroyed. Deuteronomy 30:19-20 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I Kings 8:56 Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. Psalm 91:16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation. Psalm 103:3 Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases. Psalm 107:20 He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Psalm 118:17 I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done. Proverbs 4:20-23 My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body. Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 53:4-5 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Jeremiah 1:12 The LORD said to me, "You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled." Jeremiah 30:17 But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,' declares the LORD, `because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.' Joel 3:10 Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, `I am strong!` Nahum 1:9 Whatever they plot against the LORD he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time. Matthew 8:2-3 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. Matthew 8:17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases." Matthew 18:18-19 "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. Matthew 21:21 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, `Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. Mark 11:23-24 "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, `Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 16:17-18 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. Romans 4:17-21 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead--since he was about a hundred years old--and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. Romans 8:11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. II Corinthians 10:4-5 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. Galatians 3:13-14 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. Ephesians 6:10-17 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Philippians 2:13 ...for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. II Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. Hebrews 11:11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age--and Sarah herself was barren--was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. James 5:14-15 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. I Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. I John 3:21-22 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. III John 2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. Revelations 12:11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

birth...My Daddy's On The Job!

2007-01-02T15:27:00.000-08:00

birth...My Daddy's On The Job!
NOTE......I posted this on the message board a few days after my son was born on February 21st, 2003.I had my baby!!! Do you want to hear about my baby, or do you want to hear, as the scriptures say, how GOOD the Lord is……or do you want to hear about both?I woke up at midnight Friday feeling contractions (or rushes as I prefer to think of them, it sounds less medical to me and more ‘friendly.’) The rushes continued and at 12:30am I decided to get up and get things ready. We have our front room which is the ‘boy’s room’ and it is here that my hubby keeps the piano, stereo equipment, guitar equipment, etc… so I went right to the stereo and put on my favorite tape from Integrity called Shield of Faith. All the scripture tapes from Integrity (there are 11 or 12 of them) are all WORD FOR WORD SCRIPTURE. Then I went back to our family bedroom and woke up hubby and told him, we were going to have a baby by morning! He got up along with our oldest daughter Hannah (10) and they started lighting candles around the front room and living room and got out the plastic tarp and chuck pads.By now, I was having rushes pretty strong and as I would walk around the living room I was continually saying, ‘My Daddy is on the job, My Daddy is on the job,' over and over and over. Even when I could SEE no baby I thanked Him for my healthy baby. That is what faith is, faith does not speak according to what it sees, hears or experiences (this is called the natural realm) but faith speaks according to God’s Will, or God’s Word, and the scripture says in Romans 12:2 that God’s Will IS PERFECT, GOOD, and WELL-PLEASING, so faith speaks His Word and His Will.Well, before I knew it my knees were on the floor while I was leaning over the couch. And to my amazement I was still confessing, ‘My Daddy is on the job,’ He was so right there with me that I don’t even have words to explain it, but it is rad! I needed wash cloths on my perineum but I had turned up the fire too high and hubby could not get them out of the pot! I could feel with each rush that Hubby was pulling on something, come to think of it we never went over together how the baby would come out on its own, but I figured the Lord was guiding him so I just pushed. What was coming out was a baby still in his bag. My water had not broke and so my hubby was trying to get this baby in a bag, out, and before we knew it the baby just slip right out onto the floor (he fell about 1 foot) and this broke the bag and got my hubby all wet. He then turned the baby over and put his mouth over the baby’s mouth and nose and sucked out the mucous, then handed the baby to me. Within 10 minutes the baby was nursing and all the children were around to greet and witness this totally blest event!Elias John Schermerhorn was born at 1:45am, my labor was 1 hour and 45 minutes, my fastest yet (they are usually 4-5 hours.) By 3:30am we were all tucked in bed.Every baby I have had I have always had perfect births, but in the end I get sick or the baby can’t nurse. I have been hospitalized after births, I have had breast infections, and in general I have just been sick with something or other. But this time was going to be different. Deuteronomy 28 says all these sicknesses are a curse and Galatians 3 says we have been REDEEMED from all the curses and yet we still get ALL THE BLESSINGS of Deuteronomy 28 because we are grafted into the blessings of Abraham through faith. Please take time to look up these scriptures and find out for yourself!So how am I doing? I am doing great! I am boasting in the Lord, it is ALL because of Him, all I do is believe Him and do my best to STAND FIRM. There is nothing special about me, it is ALL because of Him. Elias nurses about every hour to 2 hours during the day and at night he goes for about 4 hours, letting me get plenty of sleep!I have NO sickness in my body! Elias nurses PERFECTLY! And our family is running so smoothly that on Monday we started in again with schooling, no vacation till April.When Elias was born my hubby and I noticed he was breathing rapidly. That night as we slept I noticed his rapid breathing and his face would sometimes go from blue to pink again. My mom noticed it to and she started to check his pulse. Right away I told her, don’t do that, the Lord has a plan for this baby, a plan to PROSPER this baby and NOT to harm him, a plan to give him a FUTURE and a HOPE (Jeremiah) and I said to her, do you think if he died that would be God’s plan? No Way, that’s what scripture says! Jesus in John 10:10 says that He came to GIVE LIFE and that satan came to STEAL LIFE. So for the next 24 hours I spoke scripture over Elias and claimed God’s Word for him. There was NO FEAR what so ever!!! Scripture says that perfect love casts out ALL fear (1 John 4 or 5) and it also says that JESUS HIMSELF is that PERFECT LOVE, PRAISE GOD!!!!!After 24 hours his breathing was perfectly normal, and will continue that way till Jesus comes back. Praise God there is NO FEAR IN LOVE and we can BOLDLY come to Him with NO fear and COMPLETE CONFIDENCE that He is our Daddy and that He WILL answer us ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, and His Will in Romans 12:2 is PERFECT, GOOD, AND WELL-PLEASING!He is SO GOOD I just want to tell everybody, it has nothing to do with me, His kindness and tender mercies are for ALL His children, He wants to do GOOD to us all the time, isn’t that what a Daddy wants for His children?! Isn’t that what you want for your children? Matthew 6 or 7 says that we are evil and even so, we want to give GOOD THINGS to our children, and then it goes on to say HOW MUCH MORE do you think the Lord will do GOOD for you!!! PRAISE GOD WE HAVE A GOOD DADDY!!!FOLLOW-UP......After my last birth (2000) I was hospitalized with a uterus infection. I had retained a piece of placenta the size of my pinky fingernail. When I was 2 weeks post partum with Elias (the birth above) I was at the sink washing dishes when I felt ‘something big’ come out of me. I went to the bathroom and found a huge clot between my legs. I ran it under the water and sure enough, it was tough, fibrous, and I recognized it as placenta......it measured 4 inches long and 1 inch high. I was singing PRAISE YOU LORD!!!...in the natural, I would have already been in the grave, but I was ALIVE and WELL!!! satan would come and say things like, ‘this is a bad sign, you know what this means, a fever, pain will come soon, death is just around the corner, you know women die from this all over the world, you better get to the hospital.’ But I just continued to SPEAK what the Word said. A few days later I passed another piece 3 inches long and 1 inch high. I never had ANY symptoms whatsoever come on me......the Lord is GOOD!

Testimony...it's all about Him!!!

2007-01-01T15:20:00.000-08:00

NOTE...This was written in the Spring 2001 issue of The Blessed Mother Magazine, it was also the first time I had experienced my Daddy's healing. Sorry...I know that LOTS of text is a web page 'no-no,' but this story, that is ALL ABOUT HIM and HOW GOOD HE IS, this will bring encouragement to you...He is no respector of persons! He will do it for ANYBODY who believes and acts in faith!

It was back in 1989 that my mom heard about a Christian rock 'n' roll church not too far from my home. She gathered all the information gave it to me and hoped that my boyfriend and I would find Jesus. At that time I was almost 18 and I had moved out of my home and rented room with my boyfriend's parents. I couldn't get my boyfriend to go, so off I went by myself. When I pulled up to the church, I couldn't believe there were so many long hairs and hippies that loved the Lord! I went and sat right in the front (didn't want to miss a thing!) the music was wonderful and even though I hadn't given my heart to the Lord, I can remember that feeling of just wanting to drop to my knees and worship God. The man who got up from the piano went right to the pulpit…he was the pastor with hair down to his waist! I was just devouring every word that came from his lips, every word of God was so soothing, like a balm.

It took a few Sundays before I confessed him as Lord, and now I had a new life. I had been planning on marrying my boyfriend (don't throw up mom and dad) but I was still a baby and didn't know about being unequally yoked. One Sunday a couple came up to me and gave me a tract about being unequally yoked, I read it in my van before leaving church and knew that my boyfriend must not see the book. When I got home I went up into my room, into my closet and hid the tract between the dressers under some clothes. That evening when my boyfriend came home he went right up into my room and went directly to the dresser and then pulled out the tract and asked me, 'what is this!' I wonder who told him it was there???Now I knew I had to move out and move out fast!

The next day I moved into a one-bedroom apartment and continued to work, go to school, and met with other believers for fellowship at this church called Sanctuary. I dated a little and ended up with guys who were either luke warm, or who seemed it appropriate to chain smoke on our dates. Finally I just said, 'Lord, I want to be married to you! I want to stay fixed on you until you bring me the man of my dreams.' And 2 years later I met Eric at a little diner in the city we now live. I have been a Christian now for 12 years, and I love him because He gave it all for me!But…something unusual was about to take place. I had been a Walter Martin/Hank Hannegraff listener my entire walk and I knew the 'right-off-ers' from the 'right-on-ers' (and by the way, I was a 'right -on-er.') so when this older Christian lady walked into my life sharing all about God's word and what he says he means, and that he really does heal, and that we can really trust him, I knew I had encountered a 'right-off-er.' I met with her and others to hear what she had to say and I was just blown away. I diligently wrote down everything she said and went on my journey to prove her wrong from scripture. So, I called a Calvary Chapel in my area and talked with a pastor on and off for a few days. And…he couldn't help me. Even he, himself the pastor, was at a loss for words. All he could tell me was, 'well, that scripture really doesn't mean that, it means this.'My read flag alert went off. O.k. I thought, I am going to come to a closure on this whole thing. So I pulled away from the bible study because I didn't want to be influenced one way or the other. Almost every night I stayed awake going through the Strong's concordance and the bible. I was on a mission to find out the truth about God's nature. My main questions were, 'could I really trust Him, does His word REALLY mean what it says, and does He really heal those who believe He will.' This went on for weeks, and then for months. I stopped listening to Hank.I was at an above rubies retreat talking with Nancy Campbell and for some reason (God) she recommended the book 'Born In Zion.' I had never heard of the book before, but as I lay in bed that night tears just streamed from my eyes. This book had been the closure for me on all my research. Even after I had come to my conclusion, I still didn't want to believe it, I mean I did but, it was against everything I had been taught my entire Christian walk, and one of the worst parts of this whole thing for me, was that everyone I knew (except this older lady and her daughter) were against this type of believing the Lord, to many it is even considered cultic.He started moving…My daughter Mikayla had a serious yeast infection on her neck, behind her ears, and under her arms and I had treated it with everything. Herbs, homeopathy, and I even completely cut out sugar. Still the infection persisted and we took her to the doctor who couldn't even believe how bad it was. We continued using the recommended doctor's medicine 3x's a day, and it only got worse. She now had blood dripping from her neck and even to move her neck from side to side usually resulted in skin pulling and breaking and opening up to a bleeding wound. We didn't go out of the house for a while because I was afraid of someone seeing this and reporting it to social services.One day my friend came over (the older lady's daughter) and she said to me, 'Shannon, why don't you trust the Lord with her neck.' I knew what she meant she meant, she meant take my daughter off the medication and trust God to heal her. I continued to seek deeper into the word regarding healing, and had an idea that I was 'getting ready for battle.'A few nights later we went to some friend’s house down the street and they (about 10 of them) prayed for her, laid hands on her, and anointed her with oil. They did this for about 2 hours and then finally I could not keep it in any longer, the Holy Spirit wanted to speak (through me) and He did! I said 'friends, I don't want to disappoint you tonight, I know you want the Lord to heal her, but He will not do that tonight. He will heal her only after I take her off the medication. He does not need assistance in healing; he is sufficient on His own. Either he is Jehovah Rapha the God that heals or he is a liar. After that they proceeded to tell me about John Whimber (founder of the Vineyard churches) and how he died of cancer. And the only thing I could say was, 'well, I don't know about John, all I can tell you is what the scriptures declare, and they say He will heal those who believe He will.'Everyday I confessed the word of God, I sang scripture, cried scripture, and was up many nights thanking God for what he was about to do. It was a long difficult time watching Mikayla suffer, the medicine wasn't working, so what did I have to loose? It was about 4 or 6 weeks into me trusting God for her healing and things still 'looked' the same. One night I said, 'Lord, I'm going to get with you tonight and make sure I am in your will.' So when the children fell asleep I got on my knees and just broke down and said, 'Lord, I want to be doing the right thing, you got to show me.' And right then His spirit spoke to me and told me to 'start eating sugar again, that me trying to help Him out was not necessary, He could do it on His own,' and then the Spirit moved upon me mightily in a way that I had never experienced. So, I started eating sugar again, and plenty of it! If any of you know me, you know I love chocolate and it was Christmas time…fudge!!!!On the third morning I awoke and Mikayla's infection was completely healed! She Had NEW skin under her arms, neck, and behind her ears!!!A new path less traveled…Since I have begun putting my feet on the road, and believing the Lord that his word is indeed valid, my walk has changed. Don't you ever feel like maybe there is more to this Christian walk? Not that we should base our life on feelings, then on the other hand nor should we base our walk on stale words. I believe that our walk with Him is a mixture of both, physical and spiritual experience and the word. Isn't that a picture of how our Lord worked in the Old and New Testament? Why would it be different than today? Hebrews 13:8 say, 'Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and always,' His nature never changes.I have had flues, major headaches, a breast infection, and a yeast infection. None of these were treated with any medicine, but rather I turned to the word of God to heal me. Stay with me here…in most of these cases when I sang scripture and claimed God's word, I could actually feel the symptoms leave me. In the other cases, I didn't feel anything, but nonetheless I was relieved of all symptoms just by claiming His word.In Exodus 15:26 scripture says, 'He is the God that health thee.' In proverbs 4:20-22 scripture says, (His word is)'…life to those who find them, and health to all their whole body.' My take on this is that God is the physician, and His medicine is the word. Now wait a minute you might say, your saying that we are redeemed from sickness, so why are you getting sick. Well, in John 10:10 Jesus says, 'the thief (Satan) comes only to steal, to kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.' When we are coming down with any type of sickness, that is Satan trying to steal the word!’So, just throw away the medicine?NO!!! That would be sheer stupidity UNTIL you know for yourself. Know what for yourself? Know the Lord, know His nature (how He works), and know what He says.One lady on the web site message board just couldn't understand how I was sharing all his ‘faith stuff’ and then I recommended to a sister NOT to take her child off medication.Ephesians 6 10 - 17 says, (in a nut shell) 'be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might, put on the full armor that you maybe able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil, for we struggle not against flesh and but against the spiritual forces of wickedness, take up the full armor that you may be able to resist and having done everything stand firm.'Everything we go through is spiritual. We do not struggle against flesh and the evil spiritual forces. We stand firm to follow God’s leading and we can expect radical opposition. Now, how can any of us stand, and stand firm on God's word if we don't know it? Satan will come and say to you, 'are you sure that is God’s word, are you sure you are doing the right thing, how do you know God will not fail you?'And do you know our job; do you know what will get us the victory that is rightfully ours in Christ? The word of God! We must know scripture; we must be able to confess His word (notice I didn't say confess an SUV or a diamond) I said, " CONFESS WHAT HE SAID!" we must change our words from,"I’m so sick, I can’t get up, babies got a disease" to "Lord, YOUR WORD says, You have come that we may have life, You sent your word and healed us, You bore it all, sickness and disease on the cross (you got to look up the scriptures your self!)If this Momma took her child off medication she WOULD NOT BE ABLE to stand. For she would have no foundation. We would be wise to build our house BEFORE the storm…isn't it a little hard to build a house while a storm is raging? Matthew 7:24 says, " everyone who hears these words of mine, and then acts upon them, maybe compared to a wise man, who built his house upon a rock. The rains descended, the floods came, and the winds blew against the house, but it didn't fall for it had been founded upon a rock. And every one who hears these words of Mine and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the wind blew, and burst against the house, and it fell, and great was its fall.Where do I start?You should get a concordance of the bible (I have a Strong's exhaustive concordance) a concordance lists in alphabetic order every single word in the bible and where it is found. Then there is a number listed next to each word that will bring you to the back of the book in order to give you the literal meaning of that word in the Hebrew or Greek. With a bible and a concordance you can do word studies on health, physicians, Holy Spirit, breast-feeding, babies, life and death, the topics to choose from are endless! As you jot down words and their literal meaning you will wonder why you never heard that. If you have the Holy Spirit indwelling in you, you should have no problem understanding (John 14:26, … ‘the Holy Spirit will teach you all things.’)I am not perfect, I do not process this certain level of ‘faith’ (this is an excellent word study, but if I may recommend... ask the Lord where to begin, He speaks to those who listen, follow the leading of the Spirit) and I am no one special that God lavishes His gifts and blessings upon my family. All I can tell you is that there is another ‘spiritual realm’ we can walk in, one that He has purposed for all who believe.Love and blessings,Shannon

TESTIMONY...it's all about Him!!!

2006-12-25T14:30:00.000-08:00

2006-12-01T22:15:00.000-08:00

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