Reflections in the Night: Shadows and Light

“He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night…” Psalm 91:4-5a

By: Jennifer Mullen

Courtesy of Cavalier Photography

One night from a deep sleep, I was awoken by bright light. Standing at the doorway of my bedroom was my two-year-old son with his hand on the light switch. I told him to turn off the light and crawl in bed with me. He snuggled up close and whispered in my ear, “I scared of da shadows.”

I asked him the question I always ask my kids when they are scared: “What do the angels always say?” And without hesitation he said, “Don’t be afraid.”

I tried to explain as best I could to a two-year-old that shadows are created when something comes between an object and light. As the object moves in relation to the light it makes bigger or smaller shadows. I tried demonstrating by waving my hand in front of the lamp.

It got me to thinking… Continue reading →

Simple Chores Chart/Task Board

1 Reply

By: Jennifer Mullen

My sister-in-law found this great project on Pinterest for a simple way for her children to keep on task as they are getting ready for school. I overhead her talking about it so I offered to make them for her. I also made one for my daughter, but modified it to help her with keeping track of homeschooling tasks.

I started with plain wooden door hangers that can be found at any hobby supply store. I painted them with acrylic paint.

Continue reading →

The Discipline of Solitude: Practicing Spiritual Disciplines Part Two

“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalms 46:10

By Guest Blogger: Courtney Steed

One of the spiritual disciplines stand out more than the others for me. Of the traditionally accepted “spiritual disciplines” as exercised by Christ himself, solitude is one that I both am the most attracted to and find the hardest time mastering.

First of all, solitude is not something that comes real easy to us nowadays..right?

What comes to mind when you think of solitude? Quiet? Alone? Wonderful?

How often do you experience solitude? …raise your hand if you just snickered. If you are anywhere near the season I am in (kids at home, married, etc) then you know that solitude is pretty much non-existent. People are around us all the time. Little people need us to help manage their every need, and our sweet husbands need us in more ways than they want to admit it. We have homes, jobs, parent meetings, meals to cook and laundry to do. We are busy. And, dare I say we are getting busier by the day. Continue reading →

God in Real Life: Practicing Spiritual Disciplines Part One

1 Reply

“As a deer pants for streams of water so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” Psalms 42:2

By Guest Blogger: Courtney Steed

I have grown up with God as part of my world. I have memorized His words and have known His laws by heart. I have heard all the bible stories, and am pretty good at giving you a scripture reference to most of them. When I was 14-16 I read up to 20 chapters a day of God’s word. I went to a Christian college. I married a Christian man, and I am in the process of raising three more of them.

God is a significant part of my life, and always has been.

Even with all that exposure to Him, I have started really realizing that I may not really know Him. Know about Him, yes. Know of His promises, absolutely. But, I wonder if I could adopt David’s words when he says, “As a deer pants for streams of water so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” Psalms 42:2 Continue reading →

Creating a Masterpiece

2 Replies

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 NLT

By: Jennifer Mullen

On my personal Facebook page, I post lots of “mommy school” pics. These are snapshots of activities that I do with my kids. I am often asked where I get my ideas, and if I follow a curriculum. Well, I am a teacher by profession, so I unknowingly tap into my training. Gretchen often reminds me that I take for granted that what comes naturally for me is a mystery for others. So I plan on sharing on a regular basis activities that you can do with yours kids and various media resources to use to help support those activities. I hope that it helps you get your creative juices flowing.

This week we talked about the color wheel. I started with this YouTube video. (YouTube is a great resource for educational videos!)