Can I Go Upstairs???

I want to share an observation I had recently at Homestead Hollow, a Heritage Arts and Crafts event held three times a year in Springville, AL. Our family literally moves in to a two story 1800’s cabin and cookhouse for three days. We all do various and sundry things from spinning wool on spinning wheels to cooking over the hearth and churning butter. We really just LIVE there in a mode of 150 years ago. Thousands of people each day come through the cabin and get a glimpse of what life was once like.

There are certain questions that have become so routine that I really just almost answer them before they are asked, but one question still amazes me after all these years – “Can we go upstairs?” Now you might think this is an innocent question given that there is a set of stairs on the back wall of the cabin. Even though the stairs are cordoned off and there are baskets and other obstacles placed on each of the lower steps, including a very large stoneware crock filled with about 50 pounds of sweet potatoes, right in front of the bottom step to make it obvious that this is not open to the public.

So why is this topic for an article, you might ask. Well, I am a ponderer by nature and the Lord in His goodness teaches me things as I mill them about in my heart and mind. Out of every 10 people that enter the cabin, I would say that at least half ask if they can go upstairs. At one point I began to examine which people it was that asked. Children (of course), men, women, husbands and wives, 20 somethings, 30 somethings, 40 somethings and occasionally a 50 something. But never, never, never was it an older person. You might say, well, they didn’t want to have to climb those stairs – perhaps, but they didn’t even ask WHAT was upstairs. With VERY few exceptions the people who asked to go upstairs, would continue to ask what was up there and then as they walked out the back door would lean as far as possible to see what they could through the stair well opening. J

I asked the Lord why they did this and what was He trying to teach me in it. Natural curiosity – maybe – but it seemed to be almost a compelling force. Now, I don’t want to overdramatize it, yet there was such a universal draw. . . . This is what the Lord showed me about it.

Just by the nature of our being we are all curious – we all want to reach for the better (we think) things in life. Very few people are naturally content with their situation in life and therefore the majority are always wanting to “go upstairs”. But what I knew about “upstairs” was that it was a dim, dark, dusty, spiderweb filled room that was unsafe to be walked in. The floor was not strong and one false step and a person could fall through easily – not only injuring themselves but also the people on the lower level. And to top it off I knew that there was absolutely NOTHING of value or interest up there. A couple of Rubbermaid boxes right at the edge of the floor into which I put old newspapers for wrapping the dishes in the cubbard. Everything of interest or value was right there in the room where the people were standing.

I suppose this is what the Lord really pricked my heart about. As soon as the folks entered the front door of the cabin their eyes searched and found stairs and that was it. Nothing else in the room drew them like those stairs. The room they were in was filled with antiques of every kind. Spinning wheels, treadle sewing machine, quilts, a cubbard full of antique china and serving pieces, a washstand covered with 100 year old shaving and grooming pieces. Even an antique, monstrous pump organ which filled and entire corner of the room and yet, their eyes, their minds and shall I say it, their hearts, were drawn to what they could not have.

Why are we as a people so drawn to what we do not have? Why can we not find contentment and peace and joy in the things the Lord has given us where we are? For years I have fought this unrealistic dream of moving to the mountains of Tennessee: 150 acres of farm land with our home right smack in the middle, A year round creek for water and swimming in the hot summer, A spring house to keep my food cool and a community of like minded believers who could not only share the load but also where we could share their load as well. Oh how many hours in prayer have been spent on this?! But now I see that I was asking the Lord – “Can I go upstairs, please!!!”

As a parent I hear requests from my children, “Can I do this? Can I go there? Can I have one of those?” Now our girls are growing up and the requests are fewer and further between and not so childish anymore. They are maturing and changing and their desires are different. But there are still those things that I see them longing for out of sheer fleshly desire and I know in my heart that in their prayer time they are asking that same question, “Can I go upstairs”!!

What we must realize and really get a handle on is that there are certain desires that the Lord has placed in our hearts and then there are wants that we have that are purely based on the lust of the flesh, eyes and pride of life. We dream about these things and we desire them but why? Why do we always want what we do not have and why do we always assume that there is something better somewhere else? I believe the rampant debt problem in this nation is a clear sign of this.

When mothers must work outside the home because the father’s income cannot produce enough to support the family - I am not talking about needs I am talking about all the “wants” – when a family must leave their home for weeks every year because they cannot find peace and rest there – when every time you go to the store you come home with twice as much as you intended to buy because it all “looks so good” – you are falling into the trap that has been set for you and you are giving over to those lusts. We must also look at our children. Is the uncontrollable “need” for more “stuff” in your children being learned from what they see in their parents? (I have to pull my own toes in on that one!!!)

Now I know that many who read this may become offended because they don’t see anything wrong with a little vacation or with buying a few extra things at the store. You are right – there is absolutely nothing wrong with a vacation or with getting something you hadn’t intended on getting. I am addressing something much bigger and more destructive. I am addressing that gnawing need for more. In some cases an almost uncontrollable need to have bigger, better, and more, more, more. I admit that I have a “thing” for books. I love books. Not romance or fiction but How-To books. It is by far my biggest weakness in spending money. But over the years the Lord has matured me to where I am more diligent about what I buy and when.

Before I forget, I want to mention those older folks who not only didn’t ask to go upstairs but also seemed to have no curiosity about what was up there. Why? What was it that made them so unconcerned? When they came into the room they were completely engrossed in what was around them. It was not uncommon for some older couples to stay in the cabin 20 minutes or more examining everything and then spending time just visiting with me and talking. I believe that through the years of “going upstairs” in so many ways – searching for the “bigger and better” they have come to the place in their hearts and minds and spirits where they know that what the Lord has provided is sufficient – not only sufficient but actually better than those things that were pined for.

With age comes wisdom (we hope) and as we mature in life our want for more material things and experiences should begin to subside.

Are we wanting to “go upstairs” because we think that there is going to be something so exciting and so much better than what we have where we are? I pray that when our hearts cry out to “go upstairs” that it is Heaven that we are longing for. I will be praying for you and I ask that you pray for me. I want to be completely content with what God has provided in the material sense and experiential sense. I don’t long for adventure – to see the world – to experience the adrenaline rush. And to be completely honest I cannot find anywhere – ANYWHERE – in scripture where I am encouraged by God to seek those things. When He encourages us to “seek those things which are above” he is not talking about earthly matters.

I Timothy 6:6 - But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Philippians 4:11-13 -- Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

1 John 2:15-17 - Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Colossians 3: 1-2 - If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

The Abyss

It has been quite a while since I have written an article for the website that wasn’t about the plants or animals growing all around us, but yesterday something struck me that I wanted to share. I had to get something out of the ABYSS!

Now, I don’t think I have mentioned the abyss before – it is a large lower cabinet in the corner of my kitchen. Don’t laugh now. J This is the place where cookie sheets disappear without a trace. Not even a search team has been able to locate some of the things that have gone into the Abyss. At his point you are probably wondering what the point of this is – well, here ya’ go!

The Lord spoke to my heart about all the things we tend to throw into a spiritual abyss in our lives. How often have you felt the need to deal with something – a hurt, a weakness, an unforgiveness, or even something you knew the Lord would have you study in His Word – but for whatever reason you just didn’t (or wouldn’t) take the time to deal with it.

So what do we do? Toss it in the corner of our lives and hope that it works itself out or that somehow we just forget about it.

I can remember as a child when we would be out somewhere and I did something wrong, my Momma would tell me that I was going to “get it” when I got home. Oh, how I prayed that she would forget. I would be so good, but not too good, that way I didn’t arouse suspicion – in the hopes that she wouldn’t even remember what I had done and her promise to punish me. But as adults we must deal with our own mistakes. Sometimes I long for those spankings from my momma instead of the consequences of my mistakes as an adult.

Now, back to the abyss. In our kitchen, this cabinet holds everything that is too large or long or strangely shaped to go in another cabinet. It holds things that defy categorizing and things that have no other place where I can put them. The problem is that these things end up being shoved so far back in the darkness that I forget all about them until I MUST have them. Then we are searching everywhere to locate this item because we “NEED IT RIGHT NOW”!

How many times I have had my hands covered in flour or dough and the smoke is rising from the oven and I can’t find that thing! What thing – I don’t know – It could be anything but the point is that I know it is somewhere in the abyss. No one wants to look in there because there is such disarray and darkness. It has a large door (easier to throw things in) and the opening goes all the way back to the far corner of the kitchen wall. And inevitably that furthest spot is where the item is that I need.

As the Lord was showing me the aspects of this I began to see that there are places in our lives that we store our undesirable situations. These are the touchy things, the difficult things, the painful things that we really would like to not have to deal with. For myself I always hope that when these things finally do reappear they will be miraculously dealt with for me; that the Lord will have suddenly and graciously just set them right and it will require no effort whatsoever from me. Guess what – that just doesn’t happen.

Why? Because the Lord desires for us to become more like Christ. In order for us to become more like Christ we must die to our flesh. We must daily make the decision that no matter how dark and ugly and scary and difficult the situations are that we face – we WILL to face them. Notice I said WILL TO. That means that we make the choice – the concrete determination of our will that we are not going to shove that problem to the back corner in the dark and hope it goes away. The Holy Bible is our flashlight for our travels through the darkness. Our Precious Heavenly Father knew that our nature was to not deal with the truth – to set aside the truth when it became uncomfortable. But it is in submitting to His calling to face the sin and fear and . . . well, spiritual laziness that we so easily hold on to that we find the complete and total victory of the new life in Christ.

We need to clean out the corner cabinet. We need to open that door and begin to take a good look inside and clean it out from top to bottom. There is no telling what we will find in there. The very thing that would free up my load and make my job easier may be hidden and forgotten in the deepest corner. I am always amazed at how much better I feel when I empty those dark spots that have been so neglected – how clean and refreshed and excited I feel.

Isaiah 30:20 - 21

And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:

and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

Hay Day – Preparing For Winter

It is 5:30 a.m., Saturday, September 25 and I am alone at the moment. It is cool outside and very calm and quiet. Paul and all the girls have gone to Lincoln to get hay for our animals for the winter. Our family friends, the Johnsons, have a family member who cuts and bails hay and sells to us what we need for a really good price. They will be coming home with about 150 bails in a few hours.

I was sitting here with my faithful cup of coffee J just thanking the Lord for the way He provides for us – everything we need, at the time we need it. Usually we get our hay in the month of August. By Labor Day it is stacked, high and dry, in the barn and that area of our lives is settled and secure. Anyone who has farm animals understands the great peace there is in knowing that you have hay for the winter.

How much more so, the peace and satisfaction that comes when we as mothers/wives – fathers/husbands have taken care of the things we can to make sure that our family is secure for the winter – even spiritual “winter”. Let me explain.

The wisdom of our Lord is so precise that in His plan He provided for us seasons. We have the Spring: a time of growth and renewal, excitement and zeal springs forth – there is hope for what is coming and determination to press on so that we can produce good things for the Lord and those we love. Yet, everything is not always instantly mature – actually very few things are. In the spring – we must protect new growth – guard it, cover it, make sure that storms, pest or sudden heat does not destroy those tender signs of life. But the water seems to always be abundant in the spring.

In the Summer – strength and production are fully in place. The signs of growth and maturity are clear. We can stand heat, storms, and even the occasional onslaught of pests and disease. But one thing that will destroy most quickly is drought – lack of sufficient water. Without a regular soaking the external begins to wilt and weaken, the fruit becomes distorted and scarred and eventually non-existent. It takes every ounce of effort just to remain upright and alive. Yes, the water is most vital.

But once we have passed the heat and drought, we come into the sweetest time, I think – Fall! The temperatures are cooling, the rain is gentler and the angry afternoon storms seem to subside. Mornings become peaceful and the mists seem to roll in and blanket our hearts and minds with a calm assurance. Truth is that we have been harvesting all summer, but it is the long-season crops that begin to mature in the fall; Those things that we have tended through Spring rains, and Summer heat – those that will store the longest in the Winter. When these crops come in everyone gets excited because they are the staples that will provide not only nutrition for us but for those around us. Actually Fall is the driest season for us, statistically speaking, but the difference is the roots. When the roots have grown deep and strong – we can find the water that is far down. We reach the underground springs – this is the water that filled with all the minerals.

So many folks dread the coming of winter – it seems to bring fear to them. How sad! For those who have prepared and readied themselves, winter is not something to dread. It is the season of rest. When my children were little they would think that everything was dead in the winter because all the bright colors were gone. But to those that are mature, it is clear that death is not what winter is about. It is about rest.

Father God, knew that His creation would need a time to rebuild. He knew that to be in constant production would drain His creation and make it weak and vulnerable. We see it everywhere on the farm. Even the chickens and turkeys go through a period when they don’t lay eggs because their bodies are resting, but when the days lengthen again and the sun begins to rise early, their production picks up. We don’t try to force the garden to produce all year long – if we did then the soil would have no time to rebuild and have the nutrients for the next growing season. There is a season to every purpose under heaven – how wise.

Now it is 6:50 a.m.– I have been writing this article – two loads of clothes are ready to go on the line. I have cleaned up the breakfast things from earlier this morning and had two cups of coffee J. My family is out in a misty hay field loading hay – and if I know them – laughing and having a blast! Our sheep are grazing, the chickens are scratching and the pigs are enjoying a last few minutes before their tummies tell them it is time to rise and shine. I have a quilt on the rack. It is the beginning of fall and the winter is coming. But thanks to my glorious, heavenly Father – we are ready.

Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. Act 14:17

And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: Daniel 2:21

That I will give [you] the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.

Deuteronomy 11:14

That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Ephesians 5:26 - 27

Allergies and World War III

For the first time in my life I am having a bit of trouble with some allergies. My eyes have been red and tearing for about 3 weeks now. Whenever I see someone I have to warn him or her that Paul didn’t punch me and I haven’t been drinking. J

But just a little while ago I had to go to get some eyewash because it felt like I had grit in my eye and oooooh, it was so irritating. As I was swishing the solution around in my eye –I could see that the trash in the bathroom had not been taken out and there was a cobweb in the corner by the shower and the rug was covered in lint. The Lord began to show me how little, tiny things in our lives can cause such major problems; usually problems of our own making.

As I have been dealing with my eyes tearing – I mean that sometimes I have to carry a hankie – people are asking me all the time if I am crying? You know after awhile I begin to feel emotional – like well, maybe I am feeling a bit sad – maybe I am just a moment away from crying!!! That is when Satan says – “Oh, yes, what about – this and what about that???” “You do have reason to be crying!!”

And as sure as the world there will be some little incident that happens, and my eyes are itching and tearing and I cannot see well and then the tears are running down my cheek and Paul forgot to take out the garbage, and one of the girls was acting selfish and the dog didn’t go out fast enough and then . . . . . you get the picture. All of a sudden the world is in chaos and my heart is broken and “Why is this happening????!”

For women, our emotions are linked with such a hair trigger it is amazing how quickly sadness can turn to anger and anger can turn to sadness. Maturity means that we have grown past the sudden outburst and can calmly deal with situations but I know very few women who have fully matured. J If they are not quick with emotion then they tend to be hard as a rock and uneasily touched. It is the fine line in between that we seek after. That place where we can “feel” and not quake. Where we can express and not demand. Where we can accept and not allow it to hurt our heart. This is the maturity of God.

But how often we link our physical to our emotional to our mental to our spiritual. The trouble with these allergies and my eyes could so easily spread to – “God why don’t you love me anymore!!!” Some of you are laughing as you read this – perhaps you are laughing because it sounds so ridiculous and perhaps you are laughing because it is so close to home. Those of you who are reading and thinking that you have no clue what I am talking about – go get someone to give you a hug. Either you have attained or you are in self-denial!! J

We must strive to reach the place where we can be stable in our responses and attitudes in the midst of allergies, sore toe, bad back, church splits, bill collectors, or snotty kids. But we must also seek that state of maturity where we can be soft and gentle and emotionally free. I don’t think it is God’s best for us to be stone faced and hard as a rock inside – but neither is it His will that we allow the trials of life to rip us emotionally from one cliff to another.

I am seeing – with this “eye” problem that I am having – how such a little thing can cause me to lose my cool. Likewise I am seeing that Jesus is using this little “eye” thing to help me “see” the desire He has for me to be controlled but not hard, yielded but not complacent, meek but not weak.

Simple Doesn't Mean Effortless

There is an interesting response from time to time when people come to visit us. It seems that the idea of our more simple life - more simple than the modern lifestyle - means that we don't have as much to do. They seem almost disappointed that we are not just sitting around counting leaves or something.

The plain lifestyle is a simple lifestyle for sure, but it is not an effortless way to live at all. We feel that our effort is spent more on simple endeavors. Let me explain.

In the modern, up-to-date family both parents work outside of the home. All the children attend a school of some sort. The family reconvenes in the home (hopefully) in the evening for a little while, spending most of their time in separate rooms, to watch television, do homework, straighten the house and then go to bed. The children have numerous after-school activities.

Parents seldom have quiet one-on-one time with each other and even that time is spent discussing; the bills, the kids' problems, or work. The heart-to-heart talks just really don't ever happen.

Hopefully the same family finds time once a year to go on a vacation somewhere. When they get to the destination, it has been so long since they have spent any time together that they feel uncomfortable with each other. Therefore, they plan hour-by-hour activities so that they aren't faced with the dreadful silence that is borne of unfamiliarity. Activities are a mask for lack of communication. Sound familiar?

Yet our modern society and the above mentioned family has probably every modern convenience devised. They lack no labor saving device or entertainment available. Families generally have, telephones and televisions in every room, a family computer as well as computers for the kids, cell phones, pagers and other electronic tracking devices.

If they don't have the newest electronics they are sure to be planning when they can get it. Even infants now have their own televisions and VCR/DVD players, DVD music system, and televisions in the car to keep them entertained while their parents take them to yet another activity. I am exhausted just writing about it.

The point is that with all these "conveniences" why are people so busy, angry, exhausted and mentally at their wits' end? As a society we have bought into a lie. The lie that work is bad and "stuff" is good. Is it not blatantly clear that prosperity has not brought peace? And yet we work - some folks work so long that they are at work more than they are at home. Then when they are at home they don't even want to take out the garbage or make a bed. Something is terribly wrong.

We have discovered that work is not bad but the type of work we do is what is the problem. The type of work to gain more money to gain more stuff is not of God. This is a lie straight from the pit of hell. The labor the Lord would have us to do is not for the purpose of gaining material possessions. The scripture says that we should work so that we can earn in order to give. I think this is concerning a wage-paying job, but what about working for the home and family.

Living simply is just that, doing the simple things that address well-being and survival. During the blizzard we had here in 1993, everyone in this area spent all their time working to survive: provide warmth, food and basic comfort for their family. I wonder how a “modern” family would be able to function for a week without their microwave, electric lights and central heat and air. Would they become so stressed and uncomfortable that they would begin arguing and fighting with each other?

During the above-mentioned blizzard, many folks who had put in those cute little gas fireplaces nearly froze because there was no heat. How sad!

Simple living is the type of living where you get back to the most basic needs and try to supply them as simply as possible. A friend of mine relayed to me something that his great grandmother used to say, “When a man can have light or heat without a fire, or can eat without a garden, then folks will forget that there is a God. It is the little prayers, such as asking for a breeze while hoeing on a hot summer day, or for rain for the garden, that makes him know and recognize us for who we are.” This is the wisdom brought about by living a long life.

I can hear your thoughts! Be specific! There are many things that you can do to simplify – but remember work is not bad.

Let’s look at cooking for example. It is very simple and easy to open a box and pour the contents in boiling water, drain it and spoon it onto plates. Or better yet, microwave it. Yes, zap the food with the microwave for a couple of minutes and eat it right out of the serving dish you bought it in. That way one person can have a turkey dinner and one person can have steak and the other can have tacos. We have had this convenience for more than 20 years now. Has our society become much happier now that dinner can be created in a matter of seconds?

Gardening, canning, baking are all very strenuous activities that take a great deal of time and energy. And of course you can go to any local grocery store and purchase foods from every corner of the earth and from laboratories as well. J Why bake your own bread when you can run to the bakery and get a fabulous loaf? Why go through gardening, harvesting, cooking and canning all that food when we can make a quick trip to Food World - 5 cans for $2.00. I admit – that is the easiest way to get your food and I can present you with all the reasons why, in the long run, it is not economical, safe nor healthy. The question is do you want the truth? In the former days, ladies wore large hats and clothing that covered their bodies as they worked in the gardens and grew every vegetable that they served their family. They fed animals good grain and cared for them daily in order to provide quality meat for the table. Now husbands have to work long hours and struggle to be climbing that ladder of success so that she can buy that loaf of bread instead of making it herself.

As you can see from the pictures here on our website, we dress a bit differently from the rest. Years ago I taught my daughters to dress and look their very best at all times. Hairstyles, make-up, nails, pretty jewelry, clothes that emphasized our assets (so to speak) were not only part of our lives they were important. We actually spent time selecting clothing to match our complexion and then had coordinating jewelry and make-up. Hours and lots of money were spent fixing our hair, face, and making sure we looked good from every angle. There were mornings when one or another member of this family ended up either crying or very stressed over not having anything to wear or their hair not “working”. Now, after searching the scriptures for God’s plan we realize that clothing was created to cover our bodies – not to decorate us. Hair was given for our husband’s glory not our own. And jewelry was what adorned harlots not Godly women. Now I know that many will get angry over that last one – please don’t get angry with me – it is God’s Word that says it.

We wake up in the morning, brush our hair, put on a headcovering, wash our faces, open the closet and choose a dress – any dress, put it on and then slip into our shoes and we are ready for the day. Paul doesn’t have to work overtime to buy us new fall fashions and we do not have to stress over whether our outfit is in style. It isn’t! Style is a worldly concept and people of God should have no part of it. Simple. Simple clothing, simple living.

Planning your day is another struggle for many women: house chores, children’s activities, church activities, “time for ME” activities and perhaps if he’s lucky a few minutes for the husband. The complicated life of the modern woman is incredible.

One of the greatest disruptions is by far the telephone and now instead of just having to deal with it at home – we now take it with us. Some folks have even put a phone in their bathroom!!! Incredible!!!!!!!!

I used to be the lady who let her child stay up half the night so that I could have time to myself in the morning. Why is it that we never think to teach the child to entertain themselves with intelligent activities, therefore we could stand to have them awake? Now that there is so much available on DVD we just prop them in front of a TV or give them a new gameboy and voila – problem solved. No, precious sister, problem made worse. This seemingly simple solution has only made your problem deepen because that same child will never be able to sit and think their own thoughts without something there to entertain them, even into adulthood. And do you not realize that this child that you have “quietened” with electronic numbness will come back to you when they are unable to function as a wife or husband because their mate isn’t keeping them entertained and excited all the time. This is also the parent who will not have closeness with their child because they can only relate to people on a surface level. I will not even get into the ramifications for that child’s children – the cycle is vicious and will not end until someone stops it.

The point is we seem to not be willing to exert the energy it would take to make life different. We work to exhaustion on meaningless tasks that only present the illusion of happiness instead of getting down to the meat of the issue and sweating and toiling to bring about change. The fruit of our lives is in the eternal. For Paul and I, it is our children. Much time is spent in ministry to other people but our children are our eternal fruit. Every moment we show them the path to God is time well spent. Each chore that we do should be to teach them the Godly characteristics. If we gain the whole world and lose our own babies what have we gained? I encourage you to take a look at your daily activities, daily tasks and decide if the amount of time and energy you are spending on those things will bring you eternal reward.

Making Biscuits By Heart

This morning was a typical morning for us here on Shepherds Hill. The sun was shining but the frost was still on the ground wherever the sun had not touched. The woodstove was burning and the birds were hitting the bird feeder like commuters at a McDonalds.

As our sleepy world slipped away and the activity in the house increased, I began to make breakfast. Coffee first - ALWAYS!!! Then mix up the biscuits. It takes them the longest in the oven so they get made first before I even start the bacon or sausage.

And then one of those moments occurred. One of those precious, stop you in your tracks, moments that linger in your mind like the scent of a baby or the laughter of kids climbing a tree.

Olivia came in the room, still in her nightgown, hair mussed from sleep, reaching for a hug and said, “Momma, when I grow up I want to make biscuits by heart, like you do.” Wow! Biscuits by heart – biscuits by . . .heart! Immediately, the revelation of that struck me. Of course, she meant that I could mix them without looking at a recipe. But – the meaning was so much more!

She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. Proverbs 31:15

I must admit that there are too many mornings that the sun has risen before me, much to my dissatisfaction. But how immeasurable the joy is when the first greeting of the day for my family is the smell of breakfast cooking. Through the years, it has become evident that the later I rise the more it seems I am behind during the day.

Spending my days in service to Father God, to my husband and to my children, and then to the community that the Lord has placed me in is the proper Godly order. The day will come for all mothers when we have worked ourselves out of a job. At that time we will be ministering to our husbands and to our community more, but while our babies are home, whether they be 9 months old of 19 years old - that should be our focus.

How thankful I am that Father God has blessed me and allowed me to spend all of the growing up years with my children. Except for a short time, I never had send my babies off to day care or school, where some other person was given the privilege of sharing their day and building their character. In Father God’s decision to give these blessings to us as parents, we have never second-guessed His plan by handing them over to others.

Making biscuits by heart is just one of the ways that I have been able to show my babies that they are cherished and loved and appreciated. And what more can you give your child than an understanding of the Love that Father God has for them and the realization that NOTHING is more worthy of your time and effort than they are.

Atmosphere of the Home

Cleaning the House and Children

Over the years, one of the biggest requirements in my day has been housecleaning. Having been pregnant or having small children for 19 years has made this a huge endeavor. I do believe that the Lord provided me with the answer years ago and I would like to share it with you.

In no way do I dare to say that my house is spotlessly clean. It is not. However, surprise visitors do not cause me distress due to concern over the appearance of our home. While there are times I look around, as I chat with friends in the living room, and notice a cobweb on the ceiling fan or a bit of paper in the corner for, the most part our home is presentable and pleasant.

How is this possible? First of all, it begins with a heart thing! Your heart! Your peace! Father God has given us a desire to be welcoming. He has placed in us the Spirit of Hospitality - granted, in some of us, this has been almost completely squashed out, due to our lack of organization in the home.

One of the ways He has shown me is to have the children an assigned "room". This is not their bedroom - which is their responsibility to have clean or at least straight all the time. Each of the girls has another room assigned solely to them. They are responsible to keep this room clean all the time.

Haley - Living Room

Sarah - Dining Room

Olivia - Kitchen

Erin - Laundry

You might say - "Well, there is nothing new in that.". Most families assign their children chores - the difference is that our girls keep their jobs for a year. Why does this make a difference? It is pure logic. In this world when a person is given a job to do they are not rotated from one department to another everyday. They are placed in a position - trained - and then given time to perfect that task. It should be no different in homemaking and cleaning.

Anyone working in the same job, day in and out, is going to learn the shortcuts - the tricks of the trade - the order of operations. That is just common sense. However, if you are only in an area for one day and then switched, how can you possibly learn the best way to attack the situation?

For instance, Sarah knows that at least once a week she needs to dust the top of the china cabinet and teapot shelf at the top of the room. But she will need to clean the baseboards on the kitchen side every other day. She has learned that the candles on the clock shelf are very easy to break and therefore must be carefully handled as she dusts there.

Olivia knows that if she doesn't keep the pots and pans in order in their cabinet it is difficult to find the ones we need. Therefore she must check them each evening so that they are in order for the next day's cooking. She also knows that the paper wastecan fills up twice as quickly as the regular wastecan and so must be emptied every day.

These things may be simple to read about but when you do a job every day - sometimes several times a day - what may save you five minutes here and five minutes there will eventually reduce your workload by as much as half an hour each day. The girls have come to appreciate this way of doing things and believe me, it makes for a much smoother running household.

And of course, I never have to say - "Who's turn is it to clean the dishes? Who didn't vacuum the living room?". There are no charts, list or schedules to keep up with and the children become much more accountable and hence, responsible. They have also learned that if they will help one of their sisters finish a big task - like cleaning out the 'fridge - then they will be much more likely to receive help when they need it.

As young as 3 years old, a child can change their own sheets and make their bed, fold towels and put up silverware and pots and pans. They can pick up toys and wipe off a table. It is not torture to require a child to clean up their home. In deed, it is error, to not require a child to be responsible in helping keep their home clean.

I hope this helps those who are struggling. Some folks don't want to "demand" anything of their children and then they get upset when their children don't do the task correctly. If you will give them the "job" they will learn how to do it and do it efficiently.

Prayerfully!

Angie