the brew*crew adventure

Outside My Window... it's a beautifully cold and blustery day out there today, with the sun's warmly shining rays seeming to shoo away the day's soggy-gray beginnings. The wind's now blowing through the mostly bared branches of our Maple tree, tugging on her last few brown and withered leaves, beckoning their surrender, parading them through the air and scattering them carelessly along the littered, wet ground. A Northeasterly wind has brought this year's first wintery flurries of crystalline flakes our way this morning, quietly covering the fading colors of Fall strewn about our yard with a translucently thin veil of lacey white.

I am thinking... where to start... *sighs* lots... feeling a bit melancholy today I think.

I am thankful for... being able to be home, and therefore available to comfort my cranky-crying-oh-so-miserably-because-she's-teething-baby by holding her close and snugging most of our day away in the rocker, comfort nursing and distracting her with our favorite picture books, even though it means that barely anything from my list of things that I'd needed hoped to get done today is getting accomplished...

From the kitchen... not much as of yet. It's nice and clean though, thanks to N. I baked some wholewheat banana nut bread, muffins and peanut butter cookies over the weekend. I also got the food dehydrator out of storage, cleaned it up and am going to attempt to dry out some apple slices with it. Planning to make baked potatoes, salad and baked bar-b-que chicken for dinner tonight, and then possibly bake some bread and make spaghetti tomorrow.

I am wearing... Okay, am I the only one that always feels weirded out by this question? I mean, do you really want to know, does it even matter? Sorry, melancholy for me usually means I'm thinking way too much about everything as well, though I don't mean to be, I promise! LOL Love this meme, really, other than this question which just bugs me, which probably means nothing whatsoever, except that it just kinda creeps me out for no good reason and I really probably ought to just lighten up a bit, maybe? Um, I'm wearing clothes-I promise, clean ones, and slippers to keep my bare feet off the cold tile floors. Oh, and a sleeping (finally wore herself out with crying) 15 month old baby girl is sprawled over me, cozily snoozing under a fuzzy pink blanket. Maybe I'll just start answering this one figuratively?

I am creating... a menu plan and grocery lists for an early Thanksgiving celebration dinner with my sister, brother and niece who are driving up from the MS Gulfcoast this weekend. Wooo-hooo!

I am going... to be practicing the choreography for the dance I'm participating in with my dance class a lot this week. We're performing it on stage this weekend! It's beautiful, to Steve Fee's Here I am for You off his Sacred Space album but I'm Oh. so. nervous! Um, yeah, just a wee bit of an understatement there! I have to keep reminding myself of what our class motto seems to be:

I'm dancing for an audience of ONE, my Lord alone!

We are learning... about the Great Wall of China, Egyptian Pharoahs and pyramids, a bit more about George Washington, reading some great literature, of horses and revolution, of Zoology and The Story of Inventions, some Geometry and long division, still trying to master those multiplication facts, and the kids are reading chronologically arranged portions of Scripture from the New Testament and then journaling about their readings for their private Bible devotions.

I am reading... lots of reviews and articles comparing and contrasting various digital SLR cameras, specifically Nikons and Canons, as well as some tutorials and reviews of Photoshop Elements software... *sighs* Still a bit confused about what exactly I need, as to which would be the best investment for me, but knowing most any of those babies would be dreamy... Yes, dreaming big photography dreams here lately.

I am hoping... um, to be able to someday actually buy a really nice digital SLR camera? and lens(es) ...hopefully sooner, rather than later. Oh!- And that I don't fall flat on my face when trying to dance ((gracefully-maybe? pray for me!)) this weekend...

I am hearing... T playing Angels We Have Heard On High and Silent Night (two of my favorites) beautifully on her violin, and lots of crying from an unconsolable baby today. She was even crying in her sleep last night, which sounds absolutely pitiful. These molars cutting in are giving her lots of pain.

Around the house... aaaaargh, soooo much mess clutter to clean up. We did get all of the carpeted floors shampooed over the weekend, so that's good. All's clean under that chaos! Haha. But where does all of this stuff come from anyways? Are someone else's black holes dumping on my house? And to think of how much we've gotten rid of this past year already, yipes?! The kids are now getting ready to be picked up for their dance practice, so glad that it's not my turn to take them, worked out perfectly for me to stay here with sleeping baby S today (if only madly barking DOG would shut up! now that their ride is here, arrrgh!). Okay, quiet again, just baby S and I here with now-shushed dog.

One of my favorite things... my contentedly sleeping baby, and the way her fuzzy-haired head smells as she slumbers under my chin.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:

1. Finish my menu plans for our Thanksgiving feast and go shopping for everything I'll be needing.
2. Finish cleaning my house up as much as possible before my sister, brother and niece get here on Saturday morning (that includes all laundry and kids' bedrooms)!
3. Practice that dance until I know it by heart and can totally do it without thinking about it, so that I can truly worship as I dance.
4. See to it that T makes it to her basketball tryouts tonight (hoping to stay home while Chris brings her), and N to his game on Thursday, which is at the same time as my dance practice... Sooo, I'll have to drop him off and then head straight over to my practice, bringing the girls along with me, while Chris will go straight from his work to N's game, to watch him and bring him home. Normally Chris stays home with the kids during my dance practices, fortunately this is N's only Thursday game for the next couple of months. Then N his second practice of the week on Friday afternoon.
5. Call up the Symphony of the Mountains to register T to play with the Youth Orchestra, per her violin instructor's recommendation. Oh, she is SO. EXCITED! As am I, for her, to see her living a dream of hers. Thank you Lord.
6. Chris and I plan to get our free-ranging hens fenced in around their house so that we can find out just how many eggs they're laying. We've been finding where the new girls (last Spring's chicks) recently started laying their eggs in hidy-holes elsewhere from their nesting boxes, so we're going to corral them in and fix that problem. Sneaky Samson's coat sure is looking extra shiney these days besides... I'm missing my organic-feed-fed/free-range eggs. C'mon Girls, get with the program here, wouldya!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

My Dancing Girls.

The evening before yesterday I was so sad to hear of the news that a precious homeschool family had lost their three year old little boy in a tragic accident. And so I went to bed praying for this mother, unable to fathom how her heart must be breaking... yet compelled to imagine what it must feel like, what her reality was even then- heart-wrenching and mind-numbing. The next morning I was stunned to learn that the mother I'd been praying for was none other than Marsha Drew, a fellow blogging friend that I used to keep up and share with very regularly. She has been on my mind and in my prayers continually these last few days, and how I've wanted to do something, to somehow just reach out and touch her across the miles, offer my sincerest love and support.

You may go and read a tribute to little Christian "Dozer", A Sweet Little Man of God! here, at Heart Of The Matter.

In heaven with our Lord...

You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. ~ Nememiah 9:6

Emily of The Learning Never Stops has had a blessedly inspired idea, one which will allow me (and you) to join with Marsha in the most meaningful and healing way, at the feet of our Lord, in worship. See- Emily's bought an iPod, which she's filling with songs for Marsha. I'm thankful to share with her in this opportunity for us to bless Marsha, and thereby the rest of her family as well. I will continue in praying for Marsha, grieving for her loss... and I hope that you will as well. Chris and I are both so grieved for the Drew family. I hope that these songs we're all sending to her will somehow help her to lift her whole heart, aches, questions, et al to HIM in total surrender, as she listens and finds her heart's renewal through worship. What an honor it is to bless her in this way.

If you feel so led, won't you go over to Emily's and leave her your own prayerfully selected suggestions for a song or two to go on Marsha's iPod.

T suggested "In Christ Alone" as sung by the Newsboys, so that's her offering. It's perfect. I'd just read this morning's devotional from Elisabeth Elliot, and I couldn't help but to think of Marsha and her family, and their recent loss of little Dozer:

Paul was a man who suffered the loss of everything, according to his own claim. Yet any loss he counted pure gain. The key to this transforming of earthly losses into heavenly gains is love. What do we love? If our hearts are set on people and possessions and position, the loss of those will indeed be irreparable. To the man or woman whose heart is set on Christ no loss on earth can be irreparable.

It may shock us for the moment. We may feel hurt, outraged, desolate, helpless. That is our humanity. But the Lord can show us the "long view," the incalculable gain in spiritual and eternal terms, if we love Him above all. Everything that belongs to us belongs also to Him. Everything that belongs to Him belongs also to us. What, then, can we finally lose? If we lose not Christ Himself, we have finally lost nothing, for He is our treasure and He has our hearts.

One of my all-time favorite worship albums is Rita Springer's "Created to Worship", but if I had to pick one song two songs of hers, for Marsha right now, they'd be "It's Gonna Be Worth It All" and  "Freedom Reigns".

"Never Alone" by Barlow Girl also speaks so powerfully of faith:

I waited for you today
But You didn't show
No.No.No.
I needed You today
So where did you go?
You told me to call
you said You'd be there
And though I haven't seen You
Are You still there?

Chorus
I cried out with no reply and
I can't feel You by my side
So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here and I'm never alone.

And though I can not see You
and I can't explain why.
Such a deep, deep reassurance
You've placed in my life oh
We cannot separate
'Cause You're part of me
and though You're invisible
I'll trust the unseen

Chorus
I cried out with no reply
And I can't feel You by my side
So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here and I'm never alone

We cannot separate
You're part of me
and though You're invisible
I'll trust the unseen

Chorus

...and a few from another one of my fave worship bands, WaterDeep, from their Worship Circle albums: "Big Enough to Hold Me":

...I know You, You, You are big enough to hold me
I know You Lord, yeah You
Will carry me through
How great, how high
How deep, how wide
Is Your love
The space in my mind is too small for You
The space in my heart is too small for You too
And all of things of the earth that i know
Are too small for all of the greatness You've shown
But in all of this i'm still facing my needs
And i'm scared of how big they feel to me
Nothing can separate from the love of Christ
All my doubts, He sees past and things to come

along with "I Will Not Forget You~ Ps.50" (which Third Day also did, but Waterdeep wrote it and I personally like WD's version better), "Come Fall On Us" and "Since I am So Sick":

Since I am so sick
Since I am in need
Since I have no healing within me
Oh, my God, be mindful of me
You are my help and my Redeemer
Oh, my God, be mindful of me
You are my help and my Redeemer
Unto You, oh Lord
I lift up my soul
In Your loving-kindness I believe
Surely those who wait on You
Will never be ashamed
All of those who call on You
Will know the faithfulness of Your name

Also "Why" by Michael Card:

Why did it have to be a friend who chose to betray the Lord?
and why did he use a kiss to show them, that's not what a kiss is for?
Only a friend can betray a friend, a stranger has nothing to gain.
and only a friend comes close enough to ever cause so much pain. Why did it have to be a thorny crown place upon his head?
It should have been a royal one, made of jewels and gold instead.
It had to be a crown of thorns, because in this world that we live,
all that would seek to love a thorn is all the world has to give.

Why did it have to be a heavy cross he was made to bear?
and why did they nail His feet and hands; His love would have held him there.
It was a cross for on a cross, a thief was supposed to pay.
and Jesus had come into the world to steal every heart away.

Yes, Jesus had come into the world to steal every heart away.

and "The Poem of Your Life", also by Michael Card.
"Eternal Father Strong to Save", as sung by Eden's Bridge.

And perhaps "The River" by Cece Winans, which is all about entrusting our children to the purposes of Adonai, especially when it means letting them go, and not understanding our circumstances. Marsha and David are having to commit their hopes and dreams for little Dozer into the Lord's keeping in a way that I just can't imagine, entrusting his future to his Maker... fully letting go (as Jochobed did when she placed Moses in that river so long ago). Though unknown, and yet veiled to us here on this side of eternity, Christian's purpose is indeed great in our Lord's awesomely eternal plan. How wonderful to know that he is in Heaven- in the very presence of our Lord, even now! What a blessed assurance, Joy in the midst of Sorrow, Peace in the midst of Suffering. Knowledge of this I know, the truth of which I pray would bring comfort to this family- daily.

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Yesterday was Tisha B'Av, which simply means the 9th day of the month of Av on the Hebrew calendar. Historically this is a very significant date which now commemmorates the destruction of the Temples of God's people (both of which were destroyed on this exact day), and a time for grieving and fasting, symbolically grieving over the distance between ourselves and God... thus it's also a time to meditate upon our own spiritual journeys, a time to ask God to direct us and show us the condition of our own heart and inner temple. To read more about this whole idea of a temple, you may read a wonderful article here, Does God Need a Temple?, which I just read this morning.

Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If any one destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and that temple you are.

~ 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

It actually all began way back when the ten of the twelve spies didn't believe God for the victory that He had already promised to them (see Numbers 13 & 14). You may click here to read more about "The Sin of the Spies" , an excerpt of which follows:

The Israelite community accepts the report, and gives up their dream of going into Israel. The consequence? If you don't want to enter the land, says God, then you won't enter the land. All Israelites will die out over the next 40 years in the desert, and only their children will enter the land.

Numbers 14:1 tells us the people's reaction to this news: "The people wept that night." That night was Tisha B'Av, the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av. God declared: "They cried for no reason; in the future I'll give them good reason to cry."

Hundreds of years later, the destruction of the First Temple was to occur on Tisha B'Av. And 500 years after that, the Second Temple was destroyed on Tisha B'Av as well.

Upon hearing the negative report about Israel, the people sat down to cry. The land had been promised, but their fears prevented them from going forward. At which point God responds: "Today you cried for nothing; in the future I'll give you a real reason to cry."

Talmud - Ta'anit 29a

I am reminded of my own unbelief... how many times have I not taken God at His Word, simply because of worldy, carnal circumstances. Because of fear... how much ground have I lost?

 7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

~ 2 Timothy 1

Upon realization of the state of my own temple, how my spirit does cry out to my Lord, Who is full of such grace and mercy!

23 Jesus said to him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help you my unbelief.

~ Mark 9

I wrote a brief post about Tisha B'Av here a couple of years ago.

If I forget you Jerusalem
May I forget my right hand
May my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth
If I ever don't think of you
If I don't raise up Jerusalem above my highest joy

 

~ Psalms 137:5,6

This weekend I've been reading from the book of Jeremiah, along with some of its contextual setting (a more concise summary of which I found in Mear's What the Bible is All About), and also yesterday and today- the book of Lamentations (which is traditionally read on the 9th of Av).

21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.

22 It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

23 They are new every morning: great is your faithfulness.

24 The LORD is my portion, said my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

25 The LORD is good to them that wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.

26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.

Av means "Father" in Hebrew... so it's the "month of Father", interesting... it is a time to consider our relationship with our Heavenly Father, and maybe even our earthly Fathers, deal with our past hurts, grievances, etc... This morning I listened to a fascinating broadcast by Dr. Michael Kavanabout here, where he shares some of the symbolisms found in Tish B'Av, along with his own spiritual reflections during this time.He discusses a bit of the process of getting back in touch with one's inner temple, explaining how grieving opens the heart, and then forgiveness opens the heart even wider. "Before we can forgive and come up into life (as seen later during Yom Kippur), we must go down into the darkness of the grave." Hmmm... that's a familiar concept there... reminds me of what our Messiah Yeshua did.

25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

~ John 11

Through this process of greaving, and true repentance of sins, the way is made for a resurrection... the coming of the Messiah and great healing within us. How is the temple inside your heart? How is your ability to love?

I found a great post with further thoughts on Tisha B'Av here at Messianic Moments:

Tisha B'Av ... From Sorrow to Hope

and another here at Religion Transcends:

Celebrate Tisha B'Av!

Technorati Tags: 9th of Av, Tisha B'Av, Temple of God, Biblical Holidays, mourning, fasting

It's 5:20 AM!, and I've been awake for well over an hour now. I laid in bed for almost 40 minutes, trying to go back to sleep, but to no avail. My mind was whirling with thoughts, composing them, unwinding words from skeins of memory and perception, hoping that I would even be able to find them to explore and ravel later, these prose lacking cohesive meaning. I deliberated over whether or not to risk waking baby S, whether to get up and write them out, lest they disappear with my consciousness if I sleep- elusive and so easily lost they are, like grasping at wind, or trying to hold onto light. I was wishing that I had one of those writer's pens with a light, but wondering would that even work, without waking S and Chris, both obliviously snoozing on either side of me... and so, as the thoughts piled and sleeping I was not, I decided to climb out of bed at this totally crazy hour and write... since the words were still piling and I was too entangled to rest.

Last night, as I was putting baby S to sleep, I remembered that I had a bag on the table where I'd left it this afternoon, with a roll of deep, forest green wool yarn in it, and smooth, wooden needles looped with the beginning rows of a scarf that I'm knitting. In the same instant I realized that I wanted to knit (just really felt like doing it- right then, curious.), but I knew that it was late, and baby S probably wasn't going to let me get up and leave from nursing her to do anything- I tried anyways. Nope, didn't work. Heh. So, I laid there, falling asleep, and wishing that I could get up and knit, because I can.

That's right, I can! My dear friend Christine, accomplished knitter and wonderful teacher that she is, showed me (again, only it was my daughter T who showed me how the first time- earlier this year) how to cast-on, and helped me to figure out what I was doing wrong before, that had been bringing me so much frustration and eventually caused me to give up entirely for the greater part of last year (thus the having forgotten even how to cast-on and having to start over from the beginning part). It would be too technical and hard (for me) to try and explain what exactly I was doing wrong, but suffice it to say, that T will also benefit from my lesson yesterday, as she was having the same problem with her own knitting, which I'd inadvertently picked up. But now, finally, I've got it, and knitting is fun!

Somehow, as I lay there in bed last night, somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, it occurred to me that knitting is a bit like writing... but I don't know if I shall be able to do the epiphany justice with my written words here, as it was a visual realization.  Case in point though.

I felt saw how the words I was formulating into strands of meaningful thoughts were like yarn I was pulling from a ball of potential, twisted threads of yet disorganized, shapeless promise, rich in texture, and brilliant in their hue. Every word that I could stitch with precision was one more link in a chain of conceptualization that would eventually be a complete thought piece. If I could only stitch one to the next, and to the next, and to the next... pulling and pushing them from the skein of memories, meanings, questions wound by daily living and nestled restlessly, yet unformed, waiting within my subconsciousness, dependent upon the crafter's hand, the writer's pen, to pluck them, to bring the thread of insight through the loop of consciousness and incoorperate it into a pattern of understanding, maybe even a humble garment of wisdom to be worn eventually, with a pattern worthy of sharing that someone else might want to learn from and follow, someday.

I found the analogy fascinating, and had to get the beginnings of it out... as I'm sure there's more there that I'm not seeing yet, amateur writer and newbie knitter that I am, both. These ruminations remind me of one of my favorite quotes concerning writing,

There are a thousand thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up a pen to write.

~ William Makepeace Thackeray

And along those lines, certainly there must be a thousand pieces lying within a woman that she does not know till she takes up a needle to knit, or a brush to paint, or...

Truly, creativity is soul-food, satisfying in all its varying forms. I've always wanted to be an artist when I grow up. And maybe I am becoming one after all... as I learn what it truly means to be an artist... it is to observe with care, and then to create with intent. The longer I live, and the more I learn by doing, the more I'm realizing that art is living, and learning to see the spectacular in the commonplace, growing, nurturing, giving attentiveness to detail, and forming with purpose; be it a child's willfulness and imagination, a poem, a scarf, an orderly home, a healthy meal, or clay.

These creations are, or can should be, culminations of us, our efforts, careful offerings to the Lord as well as to those around us. The eternal power of creativity found residing within those hidden, quiet moments of communion with the Almighty , gifted to us in our likeness toward our Maker, savored and realized in humble stitches, intuitive strokes, home-made teas, gardens tended, love made, children's drawings displayed, and choice words in poetry read aloud... or encompassing silence of dreams untold.

Yes indeed, I like knitting, it's somehow like writing. Writing is like knitting... words framed and knit together in such a way that they may be seen, felt, and worn... thoughts that unless written, realized and shared, would have no warmth or life to offer, like that ball of yarn which is not yet a scarf that my boy can wear, but everything necessary to make one... if only I will give it my time, and concerted effort, one stitch at a time.

I don't know if my thoughts are lost in translation here, but I certainly feel accomplished to have risen with the morning and put them in print. Yes, I do believe that one could even go so far as to say that so much in life that's worth having, knowing and doing, is like knitting... yarn ravelled into garments, wisdom knitted from a life lived, words fitted together and mounted upon a page like gems... Counting of the days... like stitches in a tapestry woven, that we may gain a heart of wisdom, know His pattern for our lives...

So, should can I go back to sleep now, or should I knit? Or write more? hehe. Chris is getting up now, the coffee/teeccino is on... baby S is still sleeping. Looks like rain outside, with a little thunder. Mmmmmm-hm, a good day has begun. If only I didn't have to go grocery shopping, which means the dreaded walmart (uggh.). *sighs* Aaaah well, that's later, and I always like going to the salvage store too, to see what treasures I might find cheap there.

You see what happens here? I write a few posts, and then it's like I've turned on the tap or something, the thoughts keep flowing. Yes, there's much more, this is merely an aside to the swirling thoughts that whirled about in my sleepy brain last night and rudely awakened me this morning- mere asides, always seems to be the bloggable thoughts, the outer strings I guess, to follow my own analogy out. At least my journal pages are filling, even as I'm tiring of my own wordy self now. Funny how that works, the words seeming to come all at once, or not at all. At least now, when I can't write, I can knit...

*Update Today*

It is a perfectly rainy, thunderous day outside, which makes for a cozy, special time inside. T just finished making a new peanut butter/birdseed birdfeeder on a giant pinecone, we've sweet potatoes with EVO and sea salt baking in the oven, and a double batch of wholegrain wheat bread dough mixing (plenty for cinnamon rolls!). Grocery shopping has been cancelled for now. Chris got off work early, due to the rain, and has volunteered to get groceries, what a guy! Baby S is napping now, and I thought that I would be too, but I'm having too much fun knitting with T, between sipping hot tea and reading snippets of The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book, while N strums chords on his guitar.

Technorati Tags: knitting, writing, art

Today we visited a little folk festival being held at a local State park just down the road from our house. It was fun, T made a beautiful corn husk doll that I'll forever treasure. N won second place in the greased watermelon race, and Chris learned how to make rope from poplar bark. We all chased baby S around. I especially enjoyed watching her dance and visit with all the people sitting in the open-air chapel, as we listened to the Gospel Bluegrass band playing their mountain melodies.

It has been a good weekend... a restful Sabbath. I'm finally starting to get used to Chris's being home on Fridays. It's a lovely arrangement, makes the whole weekend feel longer. Lately he's been working 10 hr. days (some days more), getting his 40 hrs. in Mon.-Thurs., which gives us longer weekends, and has been nice.

Last night we had a big Shabbat dinner, basked in the warmth of our special time together, with our Lord, by the calm glow of the candles and our blessings one for another. N remarked upon how much he loves the Sabbath traditions. T asked how we came to know about it. We talked, we laughed, and I thanked our Lord inwardly for the binding of our hearts together that I was feeling as my heartstrings were being tugged upon.

Thursday morning, the kids and I spent at the lake with friends, and then I was pleasantly surprised by Chris's early return home from work. Then on Thursday evening we were blessed by the music of Ted Pearce, live! I've been a fan of this singer/songwriter/guitarist for some time, so when I received an email from a friend (thanks Crystal!) letting me know that he and his sons (who are traveling and rocking with him, the "bearded band" as they call themselves) would be playing at a local coffee shop last Thursday evening, I was a wee bit excited. Chris and I took the kids along and went to the "Manna Bagel Shop", where we were warmly welcomed by a host of new faces.

We all had a wonderful time of worship with these fellow Believers, many of whom were members of a local Messianic congregation other than the one that we've fellowshipped with, all of whom we met for the first time there. Baby S, who loves to dance at the sound of music, did just that and at one point a gentleman handed her a tambourine, which she knew exactly what to do with! It was all that I could do to keep her corralled and out of the circle of dancers on the floor, lest she trip them up. It was a night of Hebraic dance, singing, clapping, testimony and heart-felt praise as we worshiped the God of Israel in the unity of the Holy Spirit.

I love the way that Ted explained the meaning of our Lord Jesus's name in Hebrew, which you may view here: Yeshua (wish I could figure out how to embed youtube on my blog here!) Many (most?) of his songs are taken straight from the Scriptures... as he said wryly, "Everyone please open your hymnals to the Book of Isaiah!" LOL

We bought his album, Hallelu et Adonai (Hebrew for Praise the Lord), which I've wanted for some time and absolutely LOVE! I think that I like it even better than his other one we have, Zealous Over Zion, which is also wonderful.

We'd almost taken the kids to a friend's house, but I'm actually glad that it didn't work out that way and they came along with us instead. Yesterday N told me that he was inspired by Ted Pearce, to diligently pursue his own guitar practice. That's good. T says that she'd like to learn to play "those drums", the bongoes, now. Hmmmm... we'll have to stick with the violin for starters, for now. We were all inspired by Ted's wonderful testimony of how he went from Atheist to Messianic Gentile Believer in Jesus/Yeshua, as well as that of a ministry close to his heart: March of Life.

My heart was encouraged. This has  been timely nourishment to my spirit, filling our home and our children's hearts with enthusiastic praise and worship of our beloved King as we sing and dance together. The Lord has really richly blessed us through His ministers lately, over here in NE TN, both local and from abroad.

I haven't even gotten around to blogging about how blessed Chris and I were to be able to go listen to and meet esteemed Biblical scholar, Dr. John Garr, at a little church in Jasper, VA. Many of his articles and books are available to read right online for free. I cannot recommend his well-researched and inspired teachings highly enough! How wonderful it was to meet he and his wife, and to personally thank them for the invaluable contributions his work has made not only in my own spiritual walk, but to the whole Body of Messiah. I'm eagerly anticipating the publication of the books that he mentioned he's working on.

Tomorrow I shall begin my week out right, with digging in the dirt as T and I tend to the garden (we've some squares to re-plant) and hanging laundry out on the line. Yes, this weekend has been music to my soul so far...

This evening my 6yo daughter, Tabitha, along with some other girls, tap-danced their little hearts out for Jesus at a local retirement home to a jazzy rendition of the song "Noel". They've been practicing for this most special recital for months, and it was beautiful. A few other dance teams also perfomed, jazz, tap and ballet. I was so blessed by their joyous dance, and the two testimonies that were also given by a couple of the girls.

As I looked around, I could see love and laughter in the faces of the elderly residents we were visiting. How enthusiastically they did clap after each performance came to an end... The songs chosen, along with the talented choreography of our church's inspired Christian dance instructors (one of which - T's teacher - is a fellow homeschooling friend of mine) came together in one powerfully anointed act of worship tonight... Lord, thank you for the talent that these ladies share as they teach our children to dance, as an act of worship, a fragrant offering to you... and tonight, as a light and witness of YOUR NEVERENDING LOVE...

We lingered afterwards, and mingled with the residents, passing out Christmas cards with Scriptures and greeting them in love. An elderly lady, whom I later found out is 99, and has played the piano for 91 years (she used to play/record music for the old silent movies!) began to play "Silent Night", and then "Jingle Bells" on the piano, while an elderly friend of hers sang along with the sweetest voice. We were all standing around the piano just glowing with realization of the history that surrounded us. The Home's Director was practically dancing herself as she bubbled over with happiness in the moment (they REALLY enjoyed the kids!)... As we all joined in, everyone just beamed from ear to ear... Afterwards N and T went up to thank our pianist, and she, so small and precious, was NOT shy! She just grabbed a hold of them so tightly, embracing each of them with all of the warmth and intensity of a long lost Great Grandmother, kissing them each affectionately on the head as she thanked them...

I'm so glad that we had chosen to stay a bit longer, after everyone else had left, and shared this precious moment with these old-timers, allowing my children to get the one-on-one feedback that truly ministered to them... the realization that they had brought JOY to these elderly residents tonight. Yes, they talked on about it as we left. The pianist lady had even told T that she had been her favorite dancer, and she was so glad we'd stayed. T truly blushed.

As we walked outside into the cold night air, I think we all felt warm and blessed on the inside... Truly, my kids gave the gift of their presence tonight, and ministered the love of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus, as they represented Him, and our church. But I see that they also received a most blessed gift in return, one that we could never buy, but do only receive as we make time for purposely reaching out to others in a meaningful way.

Tonight more seeds of respect and love for the elderly, and for ministering to others in His Name, were dropped into my childrens' hearts... I saw it! And they were watered by the thankful tears of joy we saw in the olden eyes of the men and women of many years gone by, and warmed by the sun of their enthusiastic applause and most sincere outstretched hands and hearts... Lord, may these hearts that have seen and known so much more history than have be warmed as they remember this night, knowing that they are precious in Your sight, and somehow be drawn closer to You, as a result of our visiting them. As they close the gap of time between themselves and eternity, may they know You, and the Promises of Redemption that are theirs through Your Son, the Greatest Gift. And may these seeds that You've planted in these childrens' hearts grow into great sheltering trees for Your Kingdom... Tonight is what this Season of Light is all about... Miracles, Your Spirit shining forth from earthen vessels...

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This last year I have managed to visit a nursing/retirement home (besides the one we visited tonight) a few times with my kids. The director had arranged a time for us to come once a month for a special seasonal activity time, just to visit. She said that the residents are so blessed to have children visit them. We painted with watercolors one time, sitting all around tables with the residents, comparing our pictures and sharing stories from our lives, listening to eachother, and answering lots of questions... They just liked to talk, and so appreciated being visited. It was as if it never even occurred to them that they didn't KNOW us! LOL! It certainly doesn't matter to them anyways... They eagerly made our acquaintance and began the work of getting to know us! My children still fondly talk about that day. N brought it up this evening as we drove to church, before going to the retirement home... This is something I'd like to do more often...

One of my favorite holiday songs is Mary Did You Know?

My favorite rendition of it is from Jubilant Syke's album, Jubilant... Sykes has sung as a recitalist and with opera companies around the world, winning many awards. This collection is a collaberation between Sykes and seasoned jazz arranger and trumpeter Terence Blanchard (whose trumpet performances are legendary), a Grammy-nominated New Orleans native who is one of the most sought-after jazz musicians in the U.S. The whole album is tremendously moving, and is comprised mostly of traditional old spirituals, which Sykes became quite familiar with as he grew up in the South. With a father who studied voice and sang in church, he was given a passion for these spirituals, and he sings them with such amazingly distinctful and soulful inspiration, drawing on gospel and jazz influences.

Many of the songs have somber themes, such as Fix Me Jesus; They Led My Lord Away; Go Down, Moses; and Give Me Jesus.

But my son has, for years, particularly loved the upbeat and whimsical song "If I Got My Ticket (can I ride? Ride away into heaven in the mornin'?)", which we're jamming to right now, since as soon as I pulled the cd off our shelf N excitedly said, "MOM! Can you put it on that song?!"

Were You There?, a spiritual about Jesus' death, is set in the style of a New Orleans funeral procession with drum and voice. (Most of the musicians featured here hail from New Orleans.) I believe that one and "How I Got Over" are two of my favorite spirituals from the album.

Jubilant Sykes relates, "I always felt that the spiritual was something that should be sung to yourself, because my grandmother sang them to me hushed and quiet, never as a 'performance'. I would listen to her, but I felt I shouldn't look at ther when she sang them. Just listen." This feeling of intimate reverence is expressed in these jazz settings.

Here you may see the list of tracks from the album, and even to listen to some as well! Jubilant Sykes