Beloved Bride: The Letters of Stonewall Jackson to His wife - My book review:

Wow, what a nice surprise of a read. I picked this book just out of curiosity from the title thinking it was an inspirational book about marriage. How much more did I get! It definitely had plenty of word pictures of the dynamics of a Christian marriage and piles of wisdom about God’s intend for it as a portrait of the gospel to the world, however, I encountered far more than just that. I was introduced to the life of a hero and an American legend which I was not aware enough of.

One of the greatest insights I got from this book is God’s providence in placing a Christian leader like Jackson in the midst of the bloodiest war in American History. One of my favorite take-aways from this book, it’s Anna, Jackson’s wife’s recount of his campaigns: “Within forty days he had marched 400 miles, fought 4 pitched battles, defeated 4 separate armies, with numerous combats and skirmishes, sent to the rear 3,000, 500 prisoners, killed and wounded a still larger number of the enemy, and defeated or neutralized forces 3 times as numerous as his own upon his proper theater of war.” Further I like to take away his regard to this as he replies to Robert E. Lee’s remarks while Jackson laid of is death bed after a mortal wound: -Lee: “I should have chosen for the good of our country to have been disabled in your stead… I congratulate you upon the victory which is due to your skill and energy.”…To which Jackson replied: “General Lee is very kind, but he should give praise to God”.

There is actually an account of a revival in the midst of the civil war. I am grateful that God strategically used Jackson’s influential life along that of many others in his church during that time to bring the gospel to the hundreds of thousands of men facing death in the battlefields. These quotes from Jackson give a little glimpse on his heart for the advance of God’s kingdom in the middle of war. This he said after the ordered destruction of property to help neutralize the enemy: “-If the cost of the property may have been expended in disseminating the gospel of the prince of peace. How much greater good might have been expected.” And here’s Anna’s recount of the last service attended by Jackson: ” -In front of the tent, under the canopy of heaven, were spread out in dense masses the soldiers, sitting upon benches or standing. The preaching was earnest and edifying, the singing one grand volume of song, and the attention and good behavior of the assembly remarkable.”

I do really recommend this book and any other books on the subject of the life of Stonewall Jackson for your own personal enrichment and for the inspiration of children, specially boys in their endeavor to become men of character, valor and eternal perspective.

Here some more of my take-aways from this book to wet your appetite for wisdom. Stonewall Jackson’s large collection of maxims and quotes are highly regarded and sought after:

-“L.t. Jackson cast aside all his former reluctance and excuses and devoted his life to seeking the glory of God and obedience to biblical precepts."

-“How delightful it is to feel that we have such a friend, who changes not! The Christian recognition of God in all his works greatly enhances his enjoyment.”

-“You must not be discouraged at the slowness of recovery. Look up to him who giveth liberally for faith to be resigned to his divide will, and trust Him for that measure of health which will most glorify Him and advance to the greatest extend your own real happiness.”

-“See if you cannot spend a short time looking out your window into space, and meditating upon heaven, with all its joys unspeakable and full of glory and think of what the savior relinquished in glory when he came to earth.”

-“He showed that in Adam’s fall we had been raised from the position of servants to that of children of God. He represented man as redeemed being at the day of judgement, standing nearest to the throne, the angels being farther removed. And why? Because is sitting upon the throne he is a nearer relation to Christ than the angels. And his being the righteousness of God himself”.

-“Try to live near Jesus and secure that peace which flows like a river.”

-“Look, men, there is Jackson standing like a stone wall. Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer!”

-“I know that the first brigade was the first to meet and pass our retreating forces – to push on with no other aid than the smiles of God..”

-“Was not such a heavenly vision enough to make him forgetful of his sufferings? He beautifully and forcibly described the death of the righteous, and as forcibly that of the wicked”.

-“What I need is a more grateful heart to the “Giver of every good and perfect gift.”

-“Over the next 2 months Jackson would rewrite the military history books in an audacious and brilliant campaign that is still studied in the military schools around de world.”

-“Your sickness give me great concern, but so live that it, and all your trials, may be sanctified to you, remembering that our light afflictions which are but for a moment, work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”

-“There was something very striking in his prayers. He did not pray to men, but to God. His tones were deep, solemn, tremulous. He seemed to realize that he was speaking to Heaven’s King.”

-“Make our nation that people whose God is the Lord, is my earnest and oft-repeated prayer. While we attach so much importance to being free from temporal bondage, we must attach far more to being free from the bondage of sin.”

-“Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth: a stranger, and not thine own lips.”

-“We can sympathize with her, and I wish I could comfort her, but not human comfort can fully meet her case; only the Redeemer can, and I trust that she finds Jesus precious, most precious, in this her sad hour of trial.”

-“How kind is God to us! Oh that I were more grateful!”

-“How delightful will be our heavenly home, where everything is sanctified!”

-“He also rejoiced that the Sabbath days could now be kept regularly and deeply appreciated the preaching and prayer meetings of the army.”

-“Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees.”

I'm enjoying going over this review again. Grateful for this book.

Persuasion by Jane Austen. My book review:

Well, this was the first time I read a Jane Austen’s book. I have to confess that "Romantic novels" are not my favorite genre, so I am not sure if this spoils my review. And I am not a book critic by any measure.

Ok. I will start with some the positives. For the most part, (With the exception of the extremely wordy descriptions placed mercilessly right on the tension points along the plot) I enjoyed the richness of the language. Sometimes even as you have to plough through really long sentences, the wording itself is quite interesting. I also liked very much the highlight on the importance of quality relationships over the empty exchange of aristocratic circles. What a great reminder to our present world which propelled in part by social media and crowded schedules frequently feels as spiraling downwards towards shallow relationships.

I also enjoyed the contrast in character between the female roles in the story. I think Jane Austeen, and I assume, many other 19th century female writers used their novel characters as voices to enlighten the culture of the time about the value of women, and their transcending role in society. I think this may have had a significant catalytic role in the civil rights movement, opening the door for a much-needed holistic appreciation of women. I enjoyed how Austen made Anne Elliot a truly “heroine” by embodying among many other things the tenderness required to engage and truly care for children, the respect and compassion required to appreciate the unfortunate, the wisdom and patience to highly regard the views and needs of the elderly, the curiosity and mental rigor to cultivate an educated mind, the sensibility to appreciate beauty, and the prudence and selflessness to care for the fate of others as much as her own.

With that said, I will point now to some of the things that I didn’t love as much. First, I think the plot was not as robust as I expected. I was frequently distracted by turns in the events that didn’t feel as natural. (I came to this novel, with the expectations of “Little women” which to me has a much stronger plot). Also, even as persuasion was a strong force applied to the decision making of the main characters, I was often frustrated on the over-reliance of perception and third-party opinions instead of plain open communication. I guess that it’s a malady that we all have to get over with. And I guess the older one gets the more aware of it. Thus, I call that a life lesson, and probably another plus instead.

I was also a little bothered by the frequent borderline “self-deprecating” assessments of Anne. I sure wouldn’t like my daughter to employ that self-talk pattern at all. However, I think it’s fair to say that we all struggle with that sometimes. Finally, I was not happy with the resolution of the story. Even as they end up together and living happily ever after, the turns of events that brought them together felt somewhat abrupt, rushed and unnatural. Also, I missed the fervent and sensible confessions of mutual affection which I truly enjoyed in “Great Expectations” or “Jane Eyre”. I think “Persuasion” was a good piece of literature, very timely for its era, with a significant entertainment value and a few good life lessons. However, it didn’t make it to the shelve of the books that I look up for inspiration and character building. Now will I read "Pride and Prejudice" even as I had already watched the movie? Many people say it's much better. So we'll see.

Michaela's Prayer Countdown!

Here we are friends, just a few hours away from boarding the plane that will take us to fulfill the 
dream we've cherished for so many years. After arriving to China, it will be just a few more days 
to get to know our sweet little girl Michaela Tsai-Ann. We are so, so very excited!!  
Once in China we will have very little access to the   Internet. :/  


We will do our very best to send updates if we are able,so you can share in our joy.  
However we would love to stay connected with you via prayer  while we are away, regardless! 
We are so glad that internet connection is not needed to be "online" with our Heavenly Father! =)


This is the way you can pray for us until we come back home in about 18 days. 
Especially on April  12th, (April 13th in China) which is the day we’ll be meeting Michaela for first time. 
We can’t be anymore grateful to all the many, many, many ways you all have supported us
during this long and life changing journey! 


Click here if you are new to this blog and want to read previous posts about our journey:  (Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).






Michaela’s Prayer Countdown:


Day 7: Please pray that God would prepare Michaela's heart to meet us.  That He guides us through 
the bonding process with her.  That He gives us favor before her so that she learns quickly to trust us,
obey us and know we are Mommy & Daddy.

Day 6: Pray that her feeling of loss and brokenness would be minimal as she leaves the only people,  
culture & language she's known so far.  That we have a very positive experience with the 
Orphanage nannies, kids, staff, volunteers & all the people involved with our farewell
to their place of birth.  That God would use David & I to help her experience complete healing.


Day 5: Pray that God protects Michaela from any virus or diseases while we are with her in China.   
That she aces her medical examinations so that she can be granted a visa to leave the country 
without any delay.  That God would granted her miraculous healing. 
That her health & brain development catches up quickly after we start caring and loving on her.  
And for God's favor and direction in case any therapies or medical treatments are needed.


Day 4: Pray that God would give us favor as we go though all the official steps & requirements
to finalize our adoption in China and come back home together as a family:  
An expedite adoption  registration, medical appointments, passport and visa application.


Day 3: Pray that God would keep our boys and family safe & healthy in the States 
as they state home with Grandma and my sister.  
That God would prepare their hearts to meet their sister and they bond quickly & joyfully 
after we come back home.


Day 2: Pray for safe travels for Dave & I. That we are able to soak in and enjoy the culture of our 
Daughter's country of birth.  That this trip would be a joyful & memorable experience for both us and her. 
That God would protect us from sickness and would strengthen our bodies for all the walking 
ahead and the carrying luggage while traveling through 5 cities to complete official appointments. 
That God would providentially heal my upper back problems so that they don't become an issue 
during our trip.


Day 1: Pray that God uses us powerfully to communicate the love & grace of Jesus to all the people
we come in contact with during our stay in China.  especially to our daughter. That we can model 
Jesus to her, that He touches her heart, that she would come to know Him and be saved at an early
young age!












Looking forward to see you soon as a family of 5! =) 
Zàijiàn!! =)
Dave, Paola, Garrick, David-Elliot & Michaela Bush

Introducing our new daughter: Michaela Tsai-Ann Bush!

Ok dear friends, we cannot be more delighted about introducing our new daughter: Michaela Tsai-Ann Bush!! Yes, you can scream a big YAY with us!!! What a difficult last 19 months it's been! But how worth the wait was. Everything is beautiful in God's time. It certainly is. We are so in love with our new little sweet pea, that we don't think about the long wait anymore. Here are the links to our previous updates for those of you who are new to our journey: Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 

Our Bush girl! =)

Isn't she supercute?!! The best compliment we got was from a friend who said: "Eekkkk, but of course! She just looks like a Bush; who else could have she been matched with?!!"

Mommy I think  can hear your kisses all the way here! =)

As many of you know we received our child referral back in early January, and have ever since working really diligently in getting all the paperwork in order to be able to travel to China in about two months to meet her and bring her home!

This is when I was 18 months old..awhh!

Michaela Tsai-Ann is currently 27 months (11 days younger than our youngest son at home) and was found abandoned at a park in the city of Kaifeng when she was 1 month old. She has been living in the Kaifeng City Social Welfare Institute ever since.  

I love riding my little red ox! =)

She currently has some developmental delays probably due to negligent care after a premature birth. She has done great progress at the orphanage though, and the care and love she has received while in the orphanage has been a great response to prayer.   However, she will probably need continued therapy once we bring her home.

Mommy, I can't wait until you are the one holding me!..I'm grateful for my loving nannies though..

Once more God has super exceeded our expectations and has pleased our hearts in orchestrating this match. We are also very grateful for all the support we have received from friends and family as we go through this journey. We can't wait to be able to introduce her personally to you really soon.  

Yes, I'm ready to let my brothers take a ride too! =)

Following are our current prayers requests. Thanks again for your support!

*Please pray for the expedite processing of our visa applications

*Please pray for God's favor so that we get the invitation by the Orphanage (Travel Approval) really soon. 

*Please pray for God's to provide the finances to cover the last part of our adoption process.

*Please pray for God's favor as we start making travel arrangements

Adoption Update: Entering the 2nd trimester of our pregnancy, A.K.A: "The Waiting"

Hello dear friends!

We are so glad to be able to finally sit down to give you an update.  We can’t be more grateful for all those prayers and questions we are constantly getting about our adoption. Your interest and support is so encouraging!  Here are the links to our previous updates for those of you who are new to our journey: Part 1, 2, 3, 4.

As always we will entertain you along with our pictures! Join us as we dream of how our little daughter would look like monkeying around with our family!!

There will be more a few more technical words on this update than the usual.  We hope this helps you understand where we are at in our process.  We also hope this is helpful to those of you asking as you are starting to ponder about adoption as a choice to expand your own family in the future.  This is the best compliment and encouragement that we can get: Inspiring some of you to embark on this wonderful journey yourselves.  However we also love to see how everybody can be involved to help these children in so many different ways. We are so grateful for all of you!



 

I bet she would love to visit the old Sugar mill with her family!

And would love to make her very own pancake at the table! I wonder what flavor would be her favorite?

Ok, let’s jump right in! As of March 5^th of this year we became what is called “LID” which stands for “Logged In date”.  This is a great milestone in the process. What this basically means is that our Dossier, (Or tons of paperwork) was logged in on the books of the China Center for Children’s Welfare & Adoption (CCCWA) which is the ultimate Chinese authority for international adoption affairs.  China has legally acknowledged us as a potential adoptive family now.  Super yay! So now, we have officially entered the “waiting” stage of our journey, where we can be matched with a child that could potentially be a good fit for our family.  At this point, we roughly estimate this wait can range anything from 3 to 9 more months from now.  What a long pregnancy, right? We’ve been carrying this baby for a long time! But we know it’s so worthy!

I bet she would get a kick of petting this pony along with big brother!

And she for sure would dress up to visit the local "Medieval Festival". =)

Since we are adopting through the “Waiting Child Program” –Another way to refer to adopting a “special need child from China”, the criteria leading to the matching process is based on what we submitted in our Medical Condition List or “MCC”.  This a comprehensive list that is used by the adoptive family to lay out the characteristics of the child we are open to adopt in terms of age, gender and the medical conditions that we feel able and comfortable to manage. 

Oh sister, I'm ready to sing along with you in the mornings while mum cooks us breakfast!!

And have fun making paramount messes!!

 There are dozens of different conditions listed ranging from minor/major heart diseases, limb differences, vision/hearing impairments, digestive conditions, to nervous/developmental, skin, blood or facial conditions like cleft lip and palate among others.  I know at first sight this may scare the bejeebers out of some of you!  But to keep it real, once you become familiar with all these conditions you become much more at peace with the idea of adopting a special need child.  All the medical treatments available now days are making prognosis more and more optimistic and all type of diagnoses much more manageable.  Actually learning about this has made us more aware of all the friends we have around who have different type of physical limitations, and can just live perfectly normal and fulfilling lives.  Many of these conditions are correctable with surgery and special therapy, so what many of this children need is just that opportunity to become all they were created to be.  We so want to be givers of that opportunity! There are SO MANY stories of children that were adopted with what may have seem scary at first sight, but who are thriving and living healthy and fulfilling lives after proper treatment has been provided. And again, we are so excited to be part of one of those stories!

I bet she'd enjoy helping daddy to practice for his "Bull run"

And throwing tomatoes at him just for fun at the "Tomato Festival"!!

So with that said, you can imagine how much we have been reading and learning about the conditions that we are open to.  We are very glad with all the resources that our agency CCAI has made available to learn more about many of the different conditions.  This is a link to a bunch of very educational videos on doctor’s perspectives on different medical conditions.   And this one is another link to some of the many organizations that specialize on specific conditions. 

 

She would love building sand castles with little brother...

And beating big brother on a homemade bowling match!

We are so grateful to be part of this time and era.  The information and support are definitely out there.  However, we know that we don’t have complete control over our story, and only God knows all the details, challenges and victories that lay ahead. So for that reason we covet your prayers!  The way our agency works “the match” with our family is through sending us the medical file of a child or a couple of children they think could be a good fit.  Upon receiving a potential match, we are to diligently work with our pediatrician, specialist, insurance company, and even our social worker to research the file so that we ensure that we are physically, financially, emotionally, and practically prepared to parent this specific child.

Oh, won't she look cute being part of our geeky family? I bet she will be super cute cheering up daddy's robotics team! We want you home Bush girl! The team needs you!

So as you can imagine, this is a great deal! One that can be very emotionally involved.  However, we know that God will never lead us to take more than what we can handle, as it would never be fair neither for us nor for our future daughter.  He is the designer of our family, so we really need you to continue lifting us in your prayers so that this would be a matching made in heaven! And that we continue trusting God and following His leading through this waiting stage. As I’ve heard a while ago: “The waiting is not arbitrary”, everything is beautiful on His time. Thank you again friends for helping us bring our little Bush girl home!

Xie, xie!

Paola

Don’t forget that we are still soaping ourselves with our homemade soap fundraiser “Bubbles for Hope! =) We are super grateful to those of you that have kept those orders coming! Help us spread the word. Check us out in facebook at www.facebook.com/bubblesforhope

Some Resources for your Personal Bible Study: Desiring God-The website

This is a post for those of you that are starting your journey on studying the bible and are looking for resources online.  I think we are such a blessed generation by having so much resources readily available to the tip of our fingertips.  We should not forget though that there is nor replacement to our personal and individual Holy Spirit led bible study.  A continuous and solid diet of reading and studying the scripture is vital to grow, mature and to face the complexities of life and be successful according to God's standards.  It's like seating by our perfect mentor and teacher, God, to learn, to be comforted, filled and encouraged.

With that in mind, one of the resources that I love to tap on when doing research on doctrine is the website: DesiringGod.org.  I know probably many of you are aware of this treasure chest of free books, articles and free podcast among other things. They have over 10,000 free resources to look at!  More than what you can read on a lifetime! I have found it very helpful on my quest to grow my faith, my understanding and my passion for God's word.  And I’m glad that it's a website so readily accessible to so many.  They’re reaching out to millions of people worldwide through their engaging, creative and biblically sound content.

 

 

Their resources come from many different sources; however John Piper is the main author.  I highly regard most of his ideas.  All his books and sermons are available in PDF format on this website. I specially enjoy listening to his daily podcast called: “Ask Pastor John”.  He receives questions from all over the world regarding all type of issues, from tattoos to suffering, from fighting porn, to C.S Lewis: All kind of issues.  He normally gives very insightful, biblically based answers, which are usually very helpful. You can listen to it directly from their website or via their App, Facebook, or Twitter if you’re on the go or if you are a busy mommy like me and just have available ears while doing not-mentally-engaging activities like folding laundry. There, I gave you a great idea to start looking forward to fold your laundry! =)

 

 

 I like this podcasts so much that I will be transcribing some quotes from some of my favorite ones.  This will help me get a bird’s eye view on ideas I don’t want to forget, and I hope it blesses you by giving you instant view to some neat concepts.  Also, I love how generously this website makes material available and encourage others to share it as long as the authorship is recognized. It says a lot of their commitment to make God known to as many people and ways as possible. I heard this before, but I can’t imagine what the Apostol Paul would have done if Internet would have been available on his time.  We are so blessed by having this medium to help us spread the gospel! Let all these resources empower us under the leadership of the Holy Spirit to make His glory known right on and from the place He has planted you!

What about you, what type of resources online have you found useful for your personal bible study? 

On Parenting with The Mirror

-“I want you to share your toys with your brother, GJ”, -Me, on an authoritative, yet loving tone of voice. –“No!! it’s mine!”, -GJ, snatching it away from his brother’s hands, taking off and igniting a tantrum which I have come to realize makes my mommy’s lower back pain worse.  Sounds familiar? I know this happens a thousand times in a house with little ones.  I’ve been trying to correct this behavior and teach the value of sharing and generosity for a while now, and yes! It can be frustrating, and double yes! It is exhausting! However I recently learned something that makes my efforts and exhaustion purposeful. A silverlining that I very much needed:  that moments like these are not only prime opportunities to instruct our children’s behaviors, or to instill Godly characters in them, but actually to preach the gospel to them: To get to the “heart of the matter” –Their heart, and show them their need fo God.

 

In the meanwhile I will also entertain you with our pictures from our "Weeding project" ..Yes, it looked really sad, hadn't been back there for a while!

 This is not originally my idea.  It actually comes from the bible. (See Ephesians 6:4).  I love the powerful way that a couple of books that I’m reading expand on the matter:  “Shepherding a Child’s Heart” by Ted Tripp, and “The Faithful Parent” by Stuart Scott. These two are superb resources which I highly recommend to parents of kids of all ages. These two books expand in much more than this, however, they make special emphasis on our sharing the gospel to our children as our main goal as parents. Such a special task, yet so humbling. No wonder they say that our children are our first mission field.  I think it’s totally true, who else in the world has such intimately access to somebody’s world at such tender and impressionable age? I know we don’t have the power to make them be born again. God does.  But we definitely have the power and the responsibility to diligently and faithfully teach them the truth of who God is and also who they are, and how the gospel connects those two facts.  How else can we assure that our children will have fruitful, meaningful and productive lives, but by ensuring that their hearts are surrendered to God? “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34b).



But I had new recruits!

I am focusing today on one of the best ways to teach our children about who they are.  I know this may not sound very appealing, but that doesn’t make it less truth:  Our children are fallen sinners, desperately in need of God’s salvation and grace.  I remember not long time ago, when brand new to parenting, I use to wonder about the “age of accountability”.  I know there are different positions on the subject.  And I don't think I can state any specific age.  I actually believe this may change from child to child depending on their maturity level and development pace.  I am one that believes that newborn children and babies that die go straight back to God in heaven.  (See 2 Samuel 11:22), thus our hope to see our son again when we get there.  However, I don’t wonder about this age of accountability anymore.  I can just plainly see the answer with my eyes as they start to get older.  Those stinking cute little ones of mine, who melt my heart a thousand times every day, are starting to show the buds of the decaying seed implanted in them.  The selfish, self-glorifying, God-rejecting, sinful nature is there, and  I just know with my big loving mother’s heart that I have the pressing responsibility to teach my children that there is a change of heart, a change of seed that needs to take place.  And that they will be held accountable for it. That is the most loving thing to do.  After. Praying. A. Lot.  Lest they face the unfortunate challenge which makes sharing the gospel very hard in our day and age, the fact that most people don’t understand the concept of sin or even conceive they’re sinners.

 

The kind that loves playing with dirt!! =p

So going back to my example, simple acts of disobedience are wonderful windows of opportunity to lovingly, patiently and consistently teach our children about their sinful nature, and how this is one of the influencing factors of their behavior.  I know there is a lot more behind a child’s behavior than this.  I don’t pretend to simplify child psychology to just this area.   We have to do a lot of training, helping our children understand their emotions and how they can develop effective character tools like self-control and obedience, among many other things to cope with the upsetting or frustrating situations they will encounter every day.  But the primary root of the problem, their sinful nature, needs to be addressed if we want to really help them grow to be all God wants them to be.  So I don't think that just teaching them to behave, or to be self-aware or self-controlled, or to be good is enough. They just can't do it on their own, they need God to give them a new nature.

They actually really earned their keep! =)

Of course any of this will be literally impossible if we don't spend some good "quality AND quantity" time with them.  How else are we then going to catch those windows of opportunity? A good illustration for this is the process of "potty training". You can't potty train a child if you don't spend time with him catching her accidents and teaching her why, and what to do when she feels the urge to go.  You need to be close to them continuously to accomplish this.  However, even though this is a good illustration, we need to remember that we can't "outsource" our parenting role to preach the gospel to our children, in the same way we sometimes can let others, a childcare giver for example, potty train our child.  We the parents, are ideally the ones that are given this responsibility and opportunity.  I know this probably is an unlikely proposition for non-Christian families, and there is when we are called to be salt and light to them.  But for a family of believers, we the parents are to be the number ones sharing the gospel with our children.

Boys will be boys!



One of the greatest tools God put in our hands to facilitate this child training process is His Word.  Sometime ago I had the realization that if I learn to use the Bible as a mirror it will help me show them and lovingly tell them how dirty they really are, and how much they need a deep-inside-out cleansing by the gospel.   Otherwise they just will not know.  It works just in the same way as when we are told that we have a little bit of food on the side of our mouth in a social situation.  It is the kind and loving thing to do, and even though it makes us feel awkward at first , it makes us feel thankful as we can take care of it.  As parents we need to learn to lovingly hold this mirror in front of them, every chance we see them “covered in dirt”. 

"Noise with dirt on it! =p

Do you like my "bull dog" face? =P

So it seems to me that disobedience at an early age is not that bad after all.  I’m not claiming to be mastering the use of this “mirror” yet, I am at the very beginning of the process, but I’m very intentionally trying to memorize some passages that I can translate down into their level to use when needed. Some of the passages that I’d like to start using are: (Romans 7:19, Romans 3:23, John 3:16, & Psalm 119:11). Here it is a very good resource I found with short, handy bible passages to memorize with our children to help us on this training process. The name of the website is "Parenting with Scripture".  It is really good.



 

We even had the chance to pick up some calamondin oranges from our tree!

Baby brother couldn't resist, I guess what better lesson on "Sourness" than just to try it yourself huh!..But they're awesome for marmalades and baking goods! =)

I know some of you may be thinking as I wondered myself at some point:  Aren’t these way too abstract concepts for a child to understand? The idea of conceiving the Word as a seed that you plant and water every day has given me much peace about it.  Sharing the gospel with our children so they can grasp the concept to express saving faith later on is a process that takes time. And our faithful labor on it as parents day in and day out should give us the opportunity to plant as many seeds as possible specially during the highly fertile season of the early years, and any other seasons for those with older kids.

We actually did a good job, didn't we?..well, this is a good start! Thanks for cheering us up! =)

The timing is not completely on our hands.  We must remember after all, that the harvest doesn’t depend uniquely on our labor, or on our children’s choices, but primarily on God who is the one who calls each one by name and produces the growth. He does it on His perfect time and way, and wants us to trust Him for the results and of course to enjoy those little ones to the rims of our hearts! They are a gift to treasure, to teach and to grow old with!